Chapter 250: The Real Test Begins
The battle began with the blaring of horns and balls of flaming sorcery hurled by the Inquisitors of the Church. Torrents of arrows were unleashed from both sides and the invaders charged forward with ladders to scale the walls and a giant covered battering ram to assault the gates.
It wasn’t long before Ashlynn and Heila lost track of the battle. The first wounded to arrive had been badly burned by the flames of the Church and only a witch’s purifying magic could extinguish the flames. The smell of singed hair and burned flesh filled the healer’s tent as the two witches began their gruesome work.
"I can’t purge the flames without the help of the Ancient Oak," Heila said after her second failed attempt. "Drawing on the cedar trees, it’s not enough to push back against this sorcery."
"The Ancient Oak will understand," Ashlynn said, finding herself in the same position. Perhaps, if she was more skilled, she could find a better way but her abilities were limited by what she’d been able to learn from Cecile. "But as mighty as the Ancient Oak is, its strength isn’t limitless. Only call on it for aid to resist the Church’s sorcery."
Both women worked as quickly as they could, sending soldiers back to the battlefield as soon as they had recovered enough to fight. Doing so took a greater toll on the witches, but what choice did they have?
As the day wore on, the variety of injuries they encountered grew greater. Arrows that pierced through gaps in armor, helms caved in leaving even the mighty members of the Clan of the Great Claw staggering and confused until their head wounds could be treated. The tide of suffering seemed never-ending.
By midday, Heila had collapsed and needed to rest. An hour later and Ashlynn herself succumbed to the toll of feeling the horrific injuries inflicted on the brave warriors who clung to life long enough to reach the healer’s tent. Not everyone fighting held on long enough for Ashlynn or Heila to reach them.
The two women moved to working in shifts, one healing, the other resting, until a familiar flame-haired figure found his way into the tent.
"Ollie!" Ashlynn cried, jumping to her feat despite the fact that she’d only just begun to rest. "Ollie, you..."