Chapter 67: Preparing for Battle

The first light of dawn crept into the sky, casting a soft, orange glow over the horizon. It was early, but Andrew and Gabriella were already awake, tangled in each other’s warmth as they lay beneath the thin sheets. For the briefest of moments, the outside world seemed far away, their responsibilities and the danger that lurked beyond the walls a distant thought. But reality was never far behind.

Gabriella stirred, blinking away the remnants of sleep as she turned her head to look at Andrew. His face was peaceful, his eyes closed as he rested in the quiet moments before the day would inevitably demand their attention. She knew they couldn’t stay like this forever—soon, they would have to rise, to face the burdens that waited for them. But for now, she allowed herself the small luxury of watching him, savoring the peace that lingered in the early morning.

Andrew opened his eyes slowly, as if sensing her gaze. A soft smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Morning,” he murmured, his voice rough with sleep.

Gabriella smiled back, brushing a hand over his chest. “Morning,” she whispered, her voice equally soft. For a moment, neither of them moved, content to remain in the warmth of each other’s presence.

But the weight of everything they had to do pressed down on Gabriella’s mind. The events of the last few days—Robert’s frantic departure to find Lily, the knowledge of the people still trapped in the bandits' camp—loomed large, casting a shadow over the tranquility of the morning. She couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that had settled in her chest.

Andrew sensed the shift in her demeanor, his brow furrowing as he looked at her more closely. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice gentle but laced with concern.

Gabriella hesitated for a moment, biting her lip before answering. “I just… I keep thinking about Robert. About Lily. And the people still out there.”

Andrew nodded, his expression darkening slightly as he propped himself up on one elbow to face her. “I know,” he said quietly. “I’ve been thinking about it too. It’s hard not to.”

Gabriella sat up slowly, pulling the sheet around her as she stared out the small window beside their bed. The sun was rising now, casting long shadows across the room. “I don’t know how much longer I can just sit here, knowing that they’re suffering. I feel like we should be doing more.”

Andrew sat up as well, his hand resting on her back in a gesture of comfort. “We will do more,” he assured her. “But we can’t rush in without a plan."

Gabriella nodded, but the knot of worry in her stomach remained.

**Later that day...**

The moon hung high in the night sky as the community buzzed with quiet activity. Inside the large common hall, the air was thick with tension as Aiden, Gabriella, and the small team of fighters gathered around a table. Laid out before them was a crude map of the region, with the bandits' camp marked ominously in red ink. The flickering candlelight cast shadows across their faces, each one etched with a mix of determination and fear.

Andrew stood at the head of the table, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression grim. “The council has agreed to lend us the help we need,” he said, addressing the room. “But they’re sending only a small team. We can’t afford to send too many people, not with our defenses stretched thin.”

A murmur ran through the group, but no one spoke up. They all knew the stakes. The fewer people they had, the riskier this mission would be, but it was the only option they had.

“How many fighters do we have?” Aiden asked, his eyes never leaving the map as he studied the camp’s layout.

“Six,” Andrew replied. “Plus the four of you. That makes ten. It’s not a lot, but they’re skilled, and they know how to handle themselves.”

Gabriella frowned, running her fingers along the map as she traced the path they’d taken before. “We’ll need to be precise,” she said. “There’s no room for error. If we’re going in with a small team, we need to hit them hard and fast. Get in, get the captives out, and take out their leader.”

Aiden nodded in agreement. “We’ll need to hit them at night. Use the darkness to our advantage. If we can get inside without being detected, we stand a chance of taking them by surprise.”

“Surprise is our only advantage,” Andrew added. “They’ll be expecting us, but they won’t know when or how we’ll strike.”

One of the fighters, Jarek, a grizzled veteran who had seen more than his share of battles, leaned forward and tapped the edge of the map. “The camp’s got weak points. I’ve scouted the area before. They’ve got guards posted here, here, and here,” he said, pointing to the periphery of the camp. “But the northwest side is where they’re most vulnerable. There’s thick underbrush that runs along the edge of their camp. We can use that as cover to get close without being seen.”

“That’s where we’ll enter,” Aiden decided. “Once we’re in, we split into two groups. One group focuses on freeing the captives, while the other takes out the leader and as many of the bandits as we can. We’ll create enough chaos to cover the escape.”

The room fell silent as everyone absorbed the weight of the plan. It was dangerous, but there was no other way. They had to finish this. They couldn’t leave those people behind, not again.

“Who’s leading the teams?” Gabriella asked, glancing around the table.

“I’ll take one group,” Aiden said without hesitation. “We’ll go for the captives. Gabriella, you’ll lead the other team with Jarek. You’re the best fighters we’ve got, and we’ll need your skills to take down the leader.”

Gabriella nodded, her jaw set with determination. “We’ll take him down,” she promised. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Andrew, who had remained quiet for most of the planning, finally spoke up. “What about Robert?” he asked, his voice low. “He’s going to want to be a part of this.”

Aiden sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Robert’s been through hell. He’s barely recovered from the last fight, and he’s emotionally wrecked after everything that happened with Lily. Bringing him into this puts him at risk.”

“He’s going to come whether we want him to or not,” Gabriella added. “You know that. There’s no way he’ll sit back and let us go without him.”

“He’s a liability,” Jarek said bluntly. “I’ve seen men like him before. Too much anger, too much grief. He’s dangerous to himself and to the mission.”

Gabriella shot Jarek a sharp look, but she knew he was right. Robert was driven by a need for vengeance, and that could cloud his judgment in the heat of battle.

“We’ll talk to him,” Aiden said, his tone softening. “We’ll explain the plan and make sure he knows what’s at stake. But if he’s not in the right headspace, we leave him behind. It’s too dangerous otherwise.”

Andrew looked like he wanted to argue, but he held his tongue. There was no easy answer when it came to Robert. They all knew that.

“We leave tomorrow night,” Aiden said, wrapping up the meeting. “Get some rest. We’ll need all the strength we can get for what’s coming.”

The next morning, Aiden found Robert sitting by the edge of the community’s outer wall, staring out at the horizon. His face was lined with exhaustion, his eyes hollow but burning with a fierce determination. Lily was resting in one of the homes, finally starting to recover after days of trauma and fear.

Aiden approached slowly, sitting down beside Robert without saying anything at first. They sat in silence for a long moment, the weight of the upcoming mission hanging between them.

“You’re going back, aren’t you?” Robert asked quietly, his voice rough from lack of sleep.

Aiden nodded. “We are. We’re going to take down the bandits, free the captives, and end this once and for all.”

Robert didn’t respond immediately. His eyes were still fixed on the horizon, his mind clearly far away. Finally, he spoke. “I want to go with you.”

Aiden sighed. “I figured you’d say that.”

“I need to be there,” Robert continued, his voice more urgent now. “I can’t just sit here, knowing those bastards are still out there, still doing what they did to Lily. I need to end this.”

“You’ve been through a lot, Robert,” Aiden said carefully. “We all know how much you’ve sacrificed to get Lily back. But this mission is dangerous. We need to be focused, sharp. I need to know that you’re ready for that.”

Robert turned to face him, his eyes blazing with anger and pain. “You think I’m not ready? You think I can’t handle it after everything I’ve been through?”

“I’m saying you’ve got a lot to lose,” Aiden replied, keeping his voice calm. “And when you’re fighting for something that close to your heart, it’s easy to lose control. We can’t afford that. Not now.”

Robert clenched his fists, his jaw tightening as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. “I’ve already lost too much. I’m not losing anything else.”

Aiden looked at him for a long moment, weighing his next words carefully. “If you come with us, you follow orders. You stay with the team. No running off, no trying to be a hero. We do this together, or not at all.”

Robert hesitated, then nodded, though the fire in his eyes didn’t dim. “Fine. I’ll follow orders. But when it comes to those bandits, when we find their leader—I want him.”

Aiden didn’t argue. He knew there was no stopping Robert from getting his revenge. But he also knew that if they didn’t stick to the plan, they could all end up dead.

As the day wore on, the preparations for the mission continued. Weapons were sharpened, supplies packed, and the team gathered for one last briefing before nightfall. Gabriella and Aiden went over the details again, ensuring that everyone knew their role and the timing of the assault.

By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the land in darkness, the team was ready.

Ten fighters, armed and ready for war, stood by the gates of the community. Each one knew the risks they were about to take, but none of them hesitated. They had seen the evil that lived in the bandits’ camp, and they knew what was at stake.

Aiden looked around at the faces of the people he had come to trust. “This is it,” he said, his voice low but steady. “We move fast, we move quiet, and we don’t stop until the job’s done. Stay sharp, stay focused, and we’ll make it out of this alive.”

Gabriella met his gaze, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. “We’ll bring them all home,” she said, her voice filled with determination.

With a final nod, Aiden turned to the gate, signaling for it to open. The heavy wooden doors creaked as they swung inward, revealing the dark wilderness beyond.

The team mounted their horses and rode into the night, the silence around them broken only by the soft thud of hooves on the dirt road. The bandits’ camp lay ahead, waiting for them.

This time, they wouldn’t just rescue the captives.

This time, they would end the war.