Choose. They can stay and don't need to be sent to death. Because they just obey the orders of their superiors, or they can follow Drake. It's like, he mentions, when the knights rebelled against the ** Argos Empire, Venus. Solanus gives his subordinates a choice. They all remember this legend. They took this as a sign that, like Venus's men, most chose to follow their beloved leader.

They watched solemnly, watching their friends prepare to go on the march. This was the first public rupture in the history of the Order, and the timing was even more inappropriate.

"Reconsider, Stone," said Sir Alfred as he mounted his horse, "Ser Drake is right, the Dragons are untrained, unlike us knights. There is a good chance that we will cross them unscathed. ”

"I will pray that this is true, my lord. Stone said firmly.

Alfred looked at him sadly. "If that's true, Derek will see you guillotined. There was nothing Gonsa could do to stop him. ”

"If my death can stop what is to come, I am willing to accept it without complaint. Shi Ben replied.

"Damn it, you guy!" Alfred erupted. "What's the good of you staying here if we're defeated? You don't even have enough men to stop a group of valley dwarves! What if the supply lines are open? you can't hold on to this tower until Paranthas sends reinforcements. ”

"At least I can give the city of Paranthas time to evacuate its inhabitants-"

Derek. Sir Kranga rode over and stood between the two men. He looked down at Stone, his eyes gleaming behind the mask, and Sir Drake raised his hand to signal silence.

"According to the knight's statutes, Stone. Bright Brad," Derek said matter-of-factly, "I accuse you of disobedience—"

"Throw the knight regulations to hell!" snarled Stone, his patience running out. "What has become of us by this heavy knightly rule? Division, jealousy, madness! Even our countrymen are only willing to receive our enemies! Knightly rules are no different from waste paper!"

There was a dead silence among the knights in the square, occasionally broken by the restless pacing of the horses.

"Pray that I die on the battlefield, Stone. Bradbrad," Drake whispered, "I swear in the name of the gods that I will cut your throat myself!" and he rode to the gate without saying a word.

"Open the door!" he shouted.

The morning sun shines through the smoke and hangs high above the clear blue sky. The wind blew from the north, making the flags on the tower wave incessantly. The armor reflected the light, there was a clash of swords and shields, and a trumpet, and people rushed to the open wooden door.

Drake raised his sword as he raised his voice in salute as he leaped forward. The knight behind him followed him and rode into battle, where Shuma had won a glorious victory long before. The infantry began to advance, their regular footsteps echoing across the stone floors. For a moment, Sir Alfred seemed to speak to the young knight who was watching. In the end he just shook his head and rode away from the square.

The door closed behind them. The massive iron latch was lowered and the door was securely secured. Stone ran up to the fortifications and watched the situation on the battlefield.

Stone stood quietly in the square, his resolute face without any expression.

The young, handsome commander of the Dark Daughter is getting ready to get up for breakfast and spend a boring day. Suddenly, spies burst into the tent.

Bakaris looked at the spy in disgust. The man rushed into the camp in a frenzy, his horse knocking over a lot of utensils, and the dragons and many goblins raised their fists and cursed. But he didn't seem to care.

"Dragoon General!" he dismounted in front of the tent. "I'll have to tell the Dragoon. ”

"The Dragoon has left," said the commander's squire.

"I'm in charge at the moment," Bakaris said. "What's the matter with you?"

The spy didn't want to make any mistakes, and he looked around carefully, without any sign of the giant blue dragon and the dark girl.

"The knights rushed into the plain!"

"What?" the commander opened his mouth. "Are you sure?"

"That's right!" the spy said in an incoherent manner. "I saw them! hundreds of cavalry, javelins, swords, a thousand or so infantry. ”

"She's right!" Baccaris said to himself. "These fools have made a mistake!"

He summoned his servants and hurried back to the tent. "Alarm sounds," he ordered without stopping. "Gather all the officers here in five minutes, and I'm going to give them the latest orders. His hands trembled nervously as he put on his armor. "Send a two-legged wurm to Frosan to inform the dragoon. ”

The goblin servants ran in all directions, and the sound of trumpets quickly resounded throughout the camp. The commander took one last look at the stacks spread out on the table and ran to meet with his officers.

"Too bad," he said as he walked. "Maybe before she hears the news, the battle will be over. It's a shame. She'd love to see the fall of the Tower of the King with her own eyes. But," he added, "perhaps tomorrow night we will be able to sleep peacefully in Paranzas—just the two of us." ”

Chapter 34 The discovery of the dead body on the plain Tesochov

The sun hangs high in the sky. The knights stood on the fortifications in the tower, staring intently at the horizon until their eyes ached. All they could see was a black tide rushing toward the battlefield, ready to engulf the thin group of silver-tipped needles.

The two sides met. The knights desperately tried to see clearly, but a fog covered the land. The air was filled with unpleasant smells, like a hot soldering iron.

The fog grew thicker and thicker, covering almost the entire sky.

Now they can't see anything. The whole tower seems to float in a sea of fog. The fog was so thick that it even drowned out the sound, for at first they could hear the cries of dying in the clatter of iron and gold. But now there was nothing but silence.

Time passed slowly, and Lolana paced the darkening room, lit candles flickering in the filthy air. The Kander sat beside her. Looking out the window, Lolana could see Flint and Stone standing on the fortifications below, torches illuminating them.

A servant brought a small piece of serpentine bread and a piece of jerky to serve as food for the whole day. Only then did she realize that it was only afternoon. A commotion on the fortifications below caught her attention. She saw a man covered in mud walking towards Stone. A messenger, she thought. She hurriedly began to put on her armor.

"Are you coming?" she asked Tyse, suddenly feeling that the Kandes had been too quiet today. "A messenger arriving from the city of Paranzas!"

"I think so," Tess said with little interest.

Lolana frowned, hoping he wasn't too hungry to keep up.

Tess shook her head, denying her suspicions.

"I'm fine," he whispered. "It's because of this damn gray fog. ‘”

Lorana hurried down the stairs, leaving Tess behind.

"Any news?" she asked Stone as the knight tried in vain to see the situation on the battlefield. "I see the messenger—"

"Oh, that's right," he smiled weakly. "I guess it's good news. The road to the city of Palanzas has been opened. The snow melted enough for cars to pass.

I've arranged for a fast horse to be on standby, in case we're by—" He snapped shut and took a deep breath. "I hope you will be ready to go back to the city of Paranzas with him. “

Lolana had expected this, and her answer had been prepared for a long time. But when it was time for her to speak, she couldn't. The foul air made her mouth dry, and her tongue seemed to swell two or three times the size. No, it's not for this reason that she blames herself. She was scared. Admit it. She wanted to go back to Paranzas! She wanted to leave the fortress where death roamed in the shadows! She clenched her fists and pounded the walls hard, hoping to gain courage.

"I'm going to stay here, Stone," she said. Pausing for a moment to regain control of her tone, she continued, "I know what you're going to say, so please listen to me first. You'll need all the experienced fighters around you. You know I have that value, too. ”

Stone nodded. She was right. There were no such marksmen among his subordinates, and she was also a highly trained swordsman. She was a battle-hardened warrior that many of his young knights could match. So he nodded, but all he wanted was to let her go now.

"I'm the only one trained to wield a dragon slayer—"

"Flint, too," Stone interrupted her softly.

Lolana looked at the dwarves with a tax eye. Sandwiched between two people he admired and loved, Flint blushed and cleared his throat. "Definitely. "But—I—uh—must admit—well, stone, I'm a little short." ”

"Anyway, we don't see any dragons at the moment anyway," Stone said as he saw Lorana's triumphant eyes. "Intelligence indicates that they are trying to capture Terga in the south.

"But you yourself believe that the Wyverns are on their way, aren't you?" Rolana retorted.

Stone looked a little uneasy, "Maybe," he muttered.

"You won't lie, Stone, don't try to lie from now on. I'm here to stay.

Tannis would do the same—"

"Damn it, Lorana!" Stone blushed. "Live your own life! You won't become Tannis! I won't become Tannis! He's not here! Let's face it!" the knight turned suddenly. "He's not here!" he said hoarsely.

Flint sighed and looked at Lorana apologetically. No one noticed that Tysokhov was alone and grumbling in the corner.

Lolana hugged Stone with one hand. "I know I'm not like Tannis, you're good friends, stone. I will never be able to take his place. But I will do my best to help you. That's what I intended. You can treat me the same way you would treat other knights—"

"I know, Lorana," Stone said. He responded with a hug and took her into his arms.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you. Stone sighed. "You understand why I'm pulling you apart. If anything happens to you, Tannis will never forgive me. ”

"No, he will," Lolana replied softly. "He'll understand. He once told me that one has to take risks in one's life for something more important than life. Can't you see, Stone, if I run away and leave my friend here, he'll say he'll forgive. But, deep down in his heart, he will never forgive me. Because it's so different from the choice he would make. And," she smiled, "even if there was no such person as Tannis, I would not abandon my friend." ”

Stone looked her in the eye and saw that no matter what he said, nothing would change. He quietly hugged her, his other hand around Flint's shoulder.

Susokhov suddenly burst into tears, stood up and threw himself at them, sobbing incessantly. Everyone looked at him in amazement.

"Tyse, what's going on?" asked Lolana alarmedly.

"It's all my fault! I've broken one! Am I destined to break all this stuff in the world?" said Theis.

"Calm down," Shippen said, his voice a little stern. He shook the Kanders.

"What are you talking about?"

"I've found another one," Tess said, sobbing. "Underneath, inside a hall. ”

"What's the other one? you stupid head!" said Flint, flint couldn't bear it.

"Another Dragon Ball!" Tess cried as he tore open his throat.

The night seemed like another layer of thicker fog covering the entire tower. The knights lit their torches, and the faint light of the fire only made the darkness look ghostly. The knights looked silently from the fortifications, afraid to see anything......

Then, as it was nearly midnight, they were astonished to hear not the victory horns of the knights on the march, but the clanging of the saddles and the panting of the horses.

The knights rushed to the edge of the fortifications and lit torches against the fog. They heard the sound of horses' hooves and slowly stopped.

Stone stood at the gate. "Who rode to the Tower of the King?" he shouted.

A torch was lit underneath. As she looked into the fog, she suddenly felt her legs go limp, and she was forced to hold on to the stone wall to stabilize herself. The knights let out a cry of fear.

Carrying the torch was an officer in the uniform of the Shining Dragon Legion. He was a blonde, handsome lad with a murderous expression. He led another horse with two bodies, one without a head. Both bodies were mutilated and bloody.

"I've brought your commander back," the man said, his voice hoarse and defiant. "As you can see, one is dead, and the other, I believe, may still be alive. At least we had a breath of air when we walked over.

I hope he's alive so he can tell you what's going on on the battlefield today, if you still think it's a war.