Chapter 19: Evacuate

"It appears the main enemy force is now waiting for their eastern army to catch up. That gives us maybe two days before the final assault."

Allan is only a day and a half hard ride to Emma both ways. If the end is coming, Allan wants Emma to be the last thing he touches and sees.

"Rax."

"Yeah." he says, tired and frustrated.

"I'm going to see Emma. I will be back in time for the final showdown."

"Go, brother, and experience what we are truly fighting for."

"Why don't you come back with me and have a good meal and relax a bit. Leave one of our brethren in charge."

"No, brother, I will stay, but you give Emma a hug for me." Allan and Rax share a warrior's handshake.

Allan rides hard and fast so he will be able to spend every possible minute he can with Emma. As Allan rides through the surrounding villages, he notices that the demon dragons have been attacking behind the front lines. Many cottages are crushed and burned to a black blacker than death.

Allan hopes Emma and his cottage have faired better. But after he thinks about it he laughs, because in the end it won't matter if help doesn't come. Seeing the damage the demon dragons have caused in the villages and eventually the city as he gets there, he knows he doesn't have to worry about the safety of Emma because the Ruby of Balance will again protect her. Yes, it can protect her physical body, but Allan feels a heavy weight on his heart as he frets over what all this is doing to her beautiful spirit.

As Allan finally enters the city, he asks the guard, "Where might I find Emma Tyne?" of course Allan is completely forgetting that is no longer her last name.

The guard replies, "The great Emma Tyne, our heroine, can be found at the sports field that has been turned into the medical camp."

"Thank you, soldier." The entire city has fallen in love with the pure heart of Emma.

"Sir, how goes the war?" Allan looks at the guard for a second and then the guard adds, "Never mind, sir, I can see by the look in your eyes and the blood covering you that it is not going well."

"Fear not, soldier, you will know soon enough." That doesn't seem to put the guard at ease at all.

As Allan makes his way through the city, he takes the time to admire the hard work the citizens put into making this a beautiful place to live. The stones of the cottages and business buildings were laid with loving and artisan hands that set the gray and black stone in perfect contrast with the reddish sandstone that they put into shapes of birds with their wings spread out or flowers along with many other lovely designs. It is obvious this region is very rocky, and the fact that the mountains rise high above them to the west southwest also gives credence to why not only the village and town buildings are built of stone, but also the streets are cobblestone and magnificent.

As Allan is making his way towards the place where he thinks the sports field is, he goes through an open courtyard that is surrounded by a pace high rock wall with their own design patterns embedded in them. In the center of the courtyard is a well that also has its own rock wall around the top of it, with wood planks creating a brace so they can lower the water bucket into it. Even though this area has many streams running through it that originate in the mountains, they still created several wells for the populace to use to make life easier.

As Allan is still admiring the works of man and woman, he hears Thunderheart roar, and then he sees his wings raise up into the air above all the buildings as he is stretching. Allan rides up to where he sees Thunderheart, for he knows he will be at Emma's side. At least as much at her side as a huge dragon can be.

As Allan rides up he makes eye contact with Thunderheart, who then looks towards a tent. From inside the tent a man is yelling and screaming as they are amputating his leg, then abruptly the screaming stops. A minute later Emma comes walking out and begins washing her hands in a bucket near the entrance. After she washes her hands, she keeps tucking her errant hair behind her ears until finally she just gives up and turns around. She is wearing the original brown peasant dress that she was wearing when Allan first met her. How long ago that seems now. She has blood splattered all over her. Her hair is in a simple ponytail.

As Allan rides towards Emma, she looks his way, weary beyond description, always on the lookout just in case her husband is to come through her hospital. Allan continues to ride towards her, and still recognition does not hit her. She sees the poor soldier coming towards her, covered from head to toe in blood and his hair is matted with it. His eyes are wild, but familiar. As their eyes stay locked, finally recognition hits her and her eyes flood with tears as she runs to him and helps him get down off his horse.

Allan holds onto to her with his one good arm, and finally she pulls back so she can look into his eyes. Allan is immediately lost in her beautiful brown eyes. Even her tears cannot take away the grandeur that is now looking up at him.

"Are you alright?" Emma asks, as she is looking at his bandaged arm.

"Well enough, my love. Definitely better now that I am here with you."

"How much time do we have?" she asks, as she leads Allan over to the bucket of water to wash his face off.

"Emma, I can only spend several hours with you, but if our lines don't hold the enemy will be here in a matter of days." Allan hears Edith sob from a tent doorway with dozens of wounded in it.

Allan motions to Emma, "Take her back inside and comfort her, and I will be right back."

Allan turns to Thunderheart, "When our forces fall, I want you to fly Emma to my village in Scotland."

"You mean if."

"No, I mean when. If help doesn't come we will all die. Thunderheart, I want you to prepare all the women, children and old people to ship out. We must evacuate everybody possible as soon as possible. Send them to England, since they are the closest. They are a great people and will gladly help. At once, my friend."

"Of course, brother." Thunderheart bows his great scaly and horned head and then flies off.

"I'm staying!"

"Like hell you are. You and your family will be on one of the first ships out, or I will have Thunderheart take just you. Got it!"

Emma doesn't say a word, but Allan can tell she is pissed. Must be that Aries trait again.

She turns to walk away from him, but he grabs her arm gently, "Do you really want these to be our last words together?"

She bursts into tears and buries her head into his chest. "No." she says, while stomping her foot.