“Attack On Ylnet”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

“Sir, may I speak freely?”

Leftflank-Leader Borgea glanced at Kanter with a frown. “I do believe that this is the first time you’ve asked permission to speak. What is it, soldier?”

Now that the moment had come, Kanter’s stomach twisted into knots again. What if Leftflank-Leader Borgea realized that he was from Ylnet? If that happened, there was a very good chance that he would be killed on the spot.

“Soldier?”

Kanter cleared his throat. “Er, sorry, sir. I just wanted to say that I think it would be a mistake to attack Ylnet before light.”

Leftflank-Leader Borgea raised an eyebrow, almost appearing amused. “Well, soldier, that is quite the statement. And have you any reason to back it up, or are you simply a coward in the face of a real battle?”

“I don’t believe I’m a coward,” Kanter said, his voice shorter than he had intended it to be. “Sir,” he added quickly, his cheeks reddening.

“No? Then why do you question your Leader’s orders?”

“I just…” Kanter’s thoughts raced as he tried to formulate a valid response without revealing his true identity. “It’s just that I’ve been to Ylnet before, sir. I used to work as an apprentice on a trade ship before joining the army.”

“Is that so?” Leftflank-Leader Borgea calmly looped his fingers together behind his back and began circling around Kanter. “You must have been what, ten years old at the time?”

“Thirteen, sir,” Kanter answered stiffly.

“So you’re telling me that you remember something from ten years ago about the city that will affect our attack?”

Final Comments: I don’t know much about war strategies and such… I’ll do some research at some point so that the plot actually makes sense.

Overall Rating: 😶