Chapter 21

"As I rode, I reflected more on my future than I did my past. That was a subject long beaten for its tenacity and ugliness. And honestly, after Sarah had died, I had no use for a future. Every day that my life continued on was a torment and insult.

"But now I had nations coming together to fight as one. I had endless wonder and beauty surrounding me. And it appeared I had a very beautiful and sweet eight year old red-headed green-eyed girl adopt me as her father."

Christopher also knew Caitlin was starting to like him beyond camaraderie, but with all that was building, his thoughts turned to Gabby more and more. He allowed himself the thought that if he survived this ordeal he would go find her, marry her and they'll raise Sara as their own. The thought of them having their own baby makes Christopher smile, and he hopes she will look just like her mom.

"If it is to be a boy, I hope he will get his mom's temperament."

Caitlin is so beautiful with her raven hair and piercing blue eyes, and she is amazing, and yes, she is only sixteen, and although Christopher no longer feels like it or looks like it he is only eighteen.

A strange thought comes to him, "I would be honored to have Caitlin as a daughter. Yes, a wonderful daughter who is just two years younger than me, and barely that younger than Gabby."

The world around Christopher was taking a turn for the surreal, and it got amplified when one of the witches tells him, "Sir, I thought you might like to know that Sara is a very powerful Magical One." That explained why the dark sorcerer and his coven of hags were going to sacrifice her.

Maybe it isn't fair, but Christopher tries to avoid them both as much as possible.

Finally they catch up with their main force at the second burned out village. There are citizens wandering around confused and at first aren't sure what to think when the Shadow Brigade comes into what is left of their town. Immediately the Shadow Brigade begins helping them and incorporating them into their ranks.

"We were becoming very adept at it. At every possible opportunity my pride grew for this world and the people around me. Even though there was a score of my countrymen here, I wasn't fully sure how I'd feel once I was back in my land and forcefully made to look upon the very people that had turned their backs on Sarah and me.

"Could I forgive them when I couldn't forgive myself? I began to wonder if my punishment for my foul deeds was to have to live with my torment instead of being tormented upon my death in the bowels of the abyss."

"I find myself wondering."

At this point, if the Shadow Brigade is going to have enough time to defeat the enemy fortified forces in front of them before the enemy's reinforcements behind them can hit them on multiple fronts, they are going to have to travel almost day and night.

To top it off, the road along the coastline keeps getting smaller and starts winding to match the coastline.

"Do we turn back into the forest and make straight away to the next battle or what? If nothing else, I will continue to send smaller groups out to rally the other villages and meet up with us like before."

The Shadow Brigade turns into the forest. Even though they will travel slower through the forest than they would on open ground, it will still be faster than on the winding road.

"And it might afford us some protection and concealment."

They conclude that they will have a force a hundred strong continue on the coast road and rally any other villages and people not seen from above. This way the new navy can stay in contact and help out with the mobilizations. To be on the safe side, Christopher sends ten of their now seventy dragons to protect them from above. Still, every day their forces grow.

Apparently the enemy either in front of them or behind them, probably both, could see what was unfolding, so the ambushes came more frequent, day and night. Whether it was head-on or peripheral confrontation or booby-traps, they started wearing on some of the gentle ones' spirits.

As it turns out some of the dogs are fine hunting dogs, and have the uncanny ability to sniff out ambushes and traps before they are sprung. It brings the numbers down, but still the casualties grow. However, so do the enemy's, because when you discover their ambush you can turn it into one of your own.

"Christopher?"

"Yeah, sweetheart." Christopher says to Sara, as they sit around the campfire.

On one hand, Christopher knows the enemy knows where they are, and on the other he knows the children and the elders need to stop for a bit and to have a hot meal.

"I'm rather enjoying it myself." Christopher thinks to himself about the family atmosphere around the camp.

Christopher has Sara to his right, Caitlin to his left, and Katarina is curled up on his right thigh watching the fire.

Charlie, as Sara named the kitten, is terrorizing everybody, and at one point thought that maybe the fairies were for his personal enjoyment, if not for lunch. As every day passed, the similarities between Sarah and Sara grew, and with the teachings of the witches, wizards, unicorns and even the dragons, Sara's powers also grew, and she was able to tell the wild little kitten the error of his ways.

After that, more than once Christopher finds Caitlin operating the wagon, with Sara in the back asleep with Charlie curled up next to her and Katarina curled up next to the kitten.

"There wasn't a day that went by then that I didn't find myself smiling."

"Where are we going to live?" as he and Sara continue their conversation.

"I don't know, little one. I surely enjoyed the village where I grew up, though there are many bad memories there." In truth Christopher doesn't even know if the village still stands, after he killed the soldiers there. "I did spend some time in a larger town called Herum, but I think I like the quieter slower way of life. Especially after this."

"Does Caitlin get to come and live with us?" Christopher feels Caitlin jump at his side

"Of course. Would you like to have Caitlin as a sister?" He looks over and Caitlin and he stare at each other for a while, and then she smiles and defends herself as the kitten Charlie attacks her.

"Oh yes, I love Caitlin."

"Me too, babygirl. Me too."

"At some point I am going to have to talk with Caitlin and tell her about Gabby." Christopher silently tells himself.

Of course, Christopher holds out the hope that maybe he'll get killed in battle before he has to go down that road, because he truly does love Caitlin.

Another storm is blowing in, but this one isn't coming from inland, this is coming from the ocean, and although nobody knows it yet, it is about to dwarf the one that had flooded much of Christopher's enemies' land.

Even through the trees the winds are devastating. Ripping the canvas off more than one wagon. It even manages to ground all but the most foolhardy of dragons. They walk beside the ground forces, oftentimes holding out their wings to shelter some of the more gentle among them.

Temporarily Christopher turns them north to get them further away from the ocean and deeper into the trees, but to continue that path too long would benefit their enemies more than it would help their comfort.

At first the pelting rain is painful, but they have gone inland far enough to dim the worse stings by enough so as not to have to take further cover.

"This was an amazing storm. The wind was maintained at a prolonged strength that the last big storm I was in barely produced at its fastest gusts."

The torrential downpour does eventually start slowing up the wagons, as the first dozen wagons make ruts that are making it increasingly harder for the following ones to get through.

One to never say die, Christopher orders, "Get the wagons into three columns." But eventually even that becomes too much wear and tear on the horses.

In a last ditch effort, Christopher split the main force into ten columns. It would work, but everybody would be exhausted within hours.

It does dawn on him. "At least the dark dragons and harpies will not be flying in this, so it might foil a couple of ambushes by itself."

Remember earlier I was telling you only the craziest dragons were still flying, well they go through an open area and Christopher hears this immense roar as Ember flies overhead at a speed to where he has less than a second to glance at him as he is riding on the wind. It is quite wonderful to hear a dragon laugh.

Christopher hopes the forces he has sent to continue along the coast have taken cover.

Christopher then wonders, "Does anybody know what might be happening with our ships? Are they pulling into dock to wait the storm out or what?"

An old sailor named Thomas tells Christopher, "They most likely took the ships further out to sea to ride it out. If they would of already been in the harbor they would of secured them more and took cover inland, but because they are already out at sea, to try and bring them in under these conditions would only kill everybody and smash the ships on the shore."

Since Ember shows no signs of tiring from his play, Christopher tells him when he finally gets his attention, which one of the dragons has to do telepathically, by the way, "Ember, go out and check on the ships." He is happy to do it.

By the time Ember makes it back he is tired, but reports, "They are having a hard time of it. The dragons there are on land walking. The ships and sailors are getting battered, but are still afloat."