Hope Sundered

Captain Endari couldn’t sleep, restless with the tidal wave of anxiety crashing over his structured sense of control. He climbed the stairs of Wyndham’s wall and began walking the perimeter, lost in thought as the bracing night breeze cut through his tunic, further arresting his drowsiness.

What are we missing?

Losigalender’s ominous question was a relentless specter, haunting him without reprieve. Even atop the city’s wall, with the enemy in full view beneath the moon’s milky glow, it vexed him. The gates had been checked and rechecked. Extra guards were posted along the wall and shifts had been extended. The enemy possessed no siege engines. There was nothing left to consider.

And yet, Losigalender’s instincts were not to be dismissed. He’d had the foresight to send the capital a warning and prepare his village for defense, long before the threat arrived. If he believed they were overlooking even the tiniest detail, it was worth a closer look.

“You’re quite predictable, Captain,” said the man blocking Endari’s path. His folded arms and relaxed lean against the parapet suggested he’d been waiting for a while.

Endari grinned. “You hold the advantage of knowing me these past fourteen years, Hoit.”

Hoit scoffed. “As if I needed such an edge. Besides, I couldn’t sleep either.”

Endari chuckled and continued walking. Watch Commander Hoit fell in step beside his superior and close friend. He was a head shorter than Endari but no less muscular, the main differences being a close-cropped mane of sandy blond hair with a matching goatee.

“I just don’t get it,” Endari sighed as he gazed up at the heavens. “How do the Azrahterans expect to breach the wall?”

Hoit shrugged. “If they can’t force their way in, the only other option would be to bribe their way in.”

“Do you think that’s likely?”

“Likely? No. Possible?” He sucked air through his teeth and shook his head. “Anything’s possible.”

“Alright then, who do you think can be bought?”

“No one comes to mind. We have our share of scoundrels, but I can’t imagine any of them would be willing to betray the entire city like that.”

Endari threw his hands up. “Well, what then? It’s not like we’re going to throw the doors open if they ask politely!” Endari stopped in his tracks. A chill unrelated to the late autumn breeze coursed his spine. “Unless we’re not the ones at the doors.”

“What?”

“For Maker’s sake, man, run!”

Endari wanted to be wrong about his hunch. As he sprinted for the western gatehouse, he prayed to be wrong. For the lives of every man, woman, and child in the city, he needed to be wrong.

His racing heart sank once he was close enough to hear the muted clash of steel and the grunts of exertion. The door to the gatehouse was open, affording him a glimpse as one of his men fell to an attacker’s blade. Another was already on the floor, lying very still. Two men clad in black were operating the winch.

Seconds later an explosive battle cry erupted from the Azrahteran camp.

Endari charged into the gatehouse without slowing and crashed into the first assassin, blasting the man from his feet. Having no weapon of his own, he scooped up a sword from one of his fallen colleagues and avenged them with brutal efficiency. Hoit had been close on his heels and followed suit, intercepting one of the men at the winch. The trio of Azrahterans were no match for either of them.

Hoit looked out the window at the Azrahteran vanguard charging for the bridge to the western gate. The great city doors were already half open—plenty of access for the enemy to exploit. “We need to hurry, Captain!”

Together they cranked on the winch with furious abandon, ignoring the thunderous sound of boots on stone below. In a matter of heartbeats, the enemy would be inside. Their arms and shoulders burned from excessive strain but they refused to relent. The heavy oaken doors groaned in protest, forced to move faster than their intended design.

Seconds passed like hours of agony, until the slam of closure echoed from below, along with a satisfying shudder. The cry of anticipated victory dissolved into a howl of frustration—music to Endari’s ears.

Exhausted and weak with relief, he slumped to the floor alongside Hoit. Neither said a word as they fought to calm their breathing. Their bodies quaked from both fatigue and the sobering realization of just how close they’d come to annihilation.

“Gotta fetch Losi,” Endari eventually wheezed. “Let him know…we found what was missing.”