Another Book Idea

Looking ahead, there was nothing that he could do. No where to run. Thus far, he had escaped the enemy troops, but he could see them encircling his men off in the distance. I am the one to lead them, he thought, so I must find a way through this ring of steel. All at once it came to him: drive a wedge through the men that are holding the edge of the forest. If I can get the men to the forest, we can disappear and regroup.

“Captain! Regroup and push toward the forest!” he yelled. At his command, the Five turned and immediately began marshaling the troops toward the West. Captain Drake, a man so thoroughly versed in the art of war, was the commander of his personal guard. The Five, as they had come to be known, were his most precious protectors: his life. They were with him always, and while the captain commanded the personal guard, the unit moved as one.

Aiden had been pushing through the enemy ranks, doing what he could to find an opening, but nothing seemed to be working. The only choice they had was to head West into the Dark Forest. It had been given it’s name, because of the shadow that enshrouded all that were lost to it. Men went in, but only spirits returned.

“Lord Aiden, you have to follow us now! We can’t withstand them any longer.” The captain had formed the men into a wedge and they were driving swiftly through the enemy ranks. The enemy was overbearing, but they began to shrink back from the shadows cast by the trees.

Before he knew it, two sets of muscular hands were pulling him back toward the rest of his men. Aiden realized that, had he wanted to escape their grip, there was no way that he could possibly break free from the hold that his protectors had over him. He was a man of no mean size, but in their grasp he was helpless. They carried him back into the middle of the group, and only when they were assured the protection of the guard did they release him.

“Quickly men! Into the forest before they change their minds.” Aiden had just condemned them, sent them to their destiny.

They followed an unmarked path deeper into the forest. There were scouts that went ahead and behind to carve out the trail and then mask it after the guard had passed. The Five remained close to Aiden, not wanting to lose him for another second in the depths of the shadows. Only after they were an hour deep into the trees did he command them to stop.

“My Lord, Keira and I take offense to you calling us all men.” Anna always seemed to make the most noise. While it was true that she and Keira were the only female guards, they were every bit as impressive as the toughest of Aiden’s men. What they lacked in pure strength, they made up for in ruthless speed and determination. “We have been part of the Five for almost a year and still you treat us like all the rest. We’re your favorite, so you should really start treating us better than the rest of these brutes.”

Captain Drake opened his mouth to speak, but at Aiden’s signal, backed away. “My favorite?”

“Yes, Lord. Without us, you would have no one of intelligence to protect you. Our finesse is the only thing keeping you alive. In fact, without us, you would have no idea how to treat a lady and would lose your bride to carelessness.”

“You’re right, I would be nothing without you. Since you are such an invaluable asset to my guard, please make yourself useful by setting up camp.” While Anna stormed off with a pleasant smile for having ruffled his feathers, Aiden tried to gather his thoughts and set up a plan for getting out of the forest. “Captain, I need a report. Where do we stand?”

“My Lord, we just finished the count. We lost Finn.”

No! Losing men in battle was always a burden that he bore, but Finn was one of the most lovable men in the guard. Without Finn, there would be no laughter in the midst of a storm. “Did he make it to the forest?”

“No, sir. There is no sign of his body. We only noticed that he was missing when we stopped.”

“Very well. What is the condition of the rest?”

“Surprisingly unscathed. It appears that, despite their overwhelming numbers, they were afraid to fight in the shadow of the trees. Our detachment is small, but the men fought well.” At that, Anna turned her glare upon Drake. The captain cleared his throat and quickly followed with, “But, none fought as fiercely as our two fine ladies.”

“We’re soldiers. Don’t try and belittle us by calling us ladies.” The look that she was giving the captain was even more ruthless as she cleaned the blood from her sword. “Besides, if we wore pretty pink dresses, the lot of you couldn’t keep your eyes off of us.”

“Captain, ignore her and finish the report.” Aiden had to ignore the banter and set a plan for taking care of his troops. One was enough. If they were caught, again, by the enemy, they would lose more than one.

“Yes, sir. As soon as you commanded us to stop, I sent forward and reverse scouts to check our location. I expect them back within the quarter and we’ll be set to plan the next move. Only one of us has traveled this forest before, so you will have to direct us from here.” With eyebrow arched, Drake’s expression was as cold as ice. No one had ever come out of the forest alive until Aiden. Even then, he wasn’t sure how he had done it, except that he had help. “How did you get through the first time, Lord?”

Aiden was in no mood to argue, again. He had to think through his new plan. “Let me know when the scouts arrive. I need the next fifteen minutes to think.”