Semua Bab Her Graceful War Song: Bab 1641 - Bab 1650

Carissa and Travis had been training with the soldiers for several days now. Travis was quite taken with it, especially the offensive battle formations, which he thought were clever and oddly fun.But for Carissa, these maneuvers were second nature. They were things so deeply ingrained that they felt like part of her bones. She could see the weaknesses in the drills and even offered suggestions.Otis was the only one who knew her true identity, and he was initially suspicious when she approached him with her ideas. He thought she was simply trying to stand out, perhaps making trouble for the sake of attention.He listened to her, albeit with impatience, as she explained a few improvements to the formation. But as she spoke, his eyes lit up.By the end of it, he raised his thumb in admiration and exclaimed, "Truly, like father, like daughter! You are indeed worthy of being General Hector's child."When she first heard those words, Carissa felt a little dazed.It had been years sin

Carissa finally reunited with Violet, Cynthia, and Bun. Seeing their young faces again made her feel strangely distant, as if lifetimes had passed since they were last together.They had all entered the new recruit camp and were now going through basic military training. For most new soldiers, the drills were grueling. But for them, it was a little more than light exercise.While the rest of the recruits collapsed onto their shared bunks at the end of the day, gasping for breath, Carissa and her friends still had the strength to go for a run. Afterward, they would lie on the sand, gazing at the stars above and speaking quietly of their plans.Bun lay on his back with a stalk of grass between his teeth and his hands behind his head. Still puzzled, he asked, "Cari, I just don't see how we can trust a dream. We've come all this way and joined the army, but we haven't truly seen battle. Do we have to go this far, all for a dream?""We have to," said Violet and Cynthia at once.Cynthia

As the army prepared for war, they also ordered the townsfolk near Victory Pass to move further inland, so they might be kept safe from the fighting.There were several villages beyond the gates that were still part of Starhaven. These people had lived there for generations. In times past, Dominic had urged them to move further inland, but they had always refused.To them, Victory Pass had clashed with Westhaven many times before. Yet, the conflict had never touched their homes. They believed that leaving now would be the same as abandoning their land, and would rather die than do so.But this time, Dominic went in person. He promised that if war broke out and their villages were destroyed, his soldiers would help rebuild their homes. Dominic was well-respected and deeply loved by the people. When he spoke, they listened. He spent nearly a whole day talking to them before they finally agreed.Soldiers were sent to help with the move, with Carissa's unit among those assigned to assi

The battle raged on all day, leaving the soldiers drenched in blood and sweat. As the sky darkened, the Westhaven army finally withdrew from the inner city. However, the city's walls and gates had been badly damaged. They no longer stood strong enough to keep the enemy out.Though they had retreated for the night, the Westhaven soldiers would surely return at dawn. It was only the cover of darkness that forced their retreat. As they left, they didn't take the bodies of their fallen soldiers. Instead, they poured oil over the corpses and set them aflame.It wasn't just the dead Westhaven soldiers that burned in the fire, some fallen Victory Pass soldiers were caught in the blaze too. Dominic hurried to save as many as he could, unwilling to let his comrades turn to ash alongside the enemy.But the flames spread quickly, fed by the oil, so he only managed to rescue a few bodies. Most were burnt beyond recognition, their faces and features lost to the fire. It was impossible to tell wh

The drums of war thundered as the battle raged fiercely. The Westhaven soldiers were even more desperate than they had been the day before. They charged forward recklessly, as if their lives depended on it.Leroy didn't join the fight himself but stayed behind to command the troops. Carissa wanted to capture the leader to end the war, but it was impossible with him hiding away.With their forces so uneven, only Dominic leading the charge at the front could inspire the troops' courage. Carissa worried greatly for him, as she was afraid he might be struck by an arrow. Even if it risked revealing her identity, she pressed through the crowd to stay close by his side.The sons of the Sullivan family guarded Dominic as well, their spirits lifted by his presence. Together, they charged into battle. Meanwhile, Carissa focused entirely on her foes, one after another falling to her spear.Dominic noticed her but didn't recognize her at first. When an arrow suddenly flew toward him, she leapt