Hello!

Check out the trailer to the side by @Raiyuu!

I'm entering this book in the Wattys! It's going to be a challenge to finish it in time, but having a deadline might help me be more motivated.

That also means your votes are appreciated more than ever! If you could even go back to vote on chapters you might not have voted on, that would be awesome! (Of course, this is only if you think this story deserves it) :)

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Recap:

With the upcoming attack and no chance of winning a military battle against their enemy, the citizens of Sol are all leaving for the safety of the forest as neither Chase, Bree, or Anselm can figure out a better plan. Bree decides to be more annoying than usual (!) and gets into an argument with Hailey and Chase. Afterwards, Chase convinces Hailey to join everyone in the forest even if he and other officials still have things to do out in the city.

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Chapter 29

Chase and I had to fly relatively low to avoid being spotted by any enemy scouts, but I still was able to get a clear sight of the area all around the castle. The paved plaza was now empty, all of the civilians having been evacuated. Now, only only a few men carrying supplies and some soldiers remained around the castle.

The yellow-winged messenger passed us going the other way and yelled, "Final check of the area positive, none remaining."

Chase send him a, "Got it, thanks," and pulled a bit on my hand to get me to start flying lower.

In front of us stood the tall trees of the forest, into which people were filling in an orderly fashion while someone counted each of them.

We landed of the dew-covered grass, and I reluctantly let go of Chase's hand.

"What time is it?" I randomly asked, trying to pat down my messy hair. I really needed to remember to put my hair up when I flew. The wind tangled it like crazy.

"Around five. Sunrise's in a little less than an hour."

It occurred to me that some people here might not live to see that sunrise, but I pushed the thought out of my head.

"Thanks." My mouth felt dry. "How long left again?"

I didn't have to precise 'left for what', Chase already knew.

"I think you don't need to know right now. Just let me worry about that part. Why don't you go and talk to these people? They could use some reassuring right now."

I sighed. "Honestly, I can't think of anything comforting to say."

"Then, don't. Just stand among them, show them you're on their side, be strong."

"Thanks," I gave him a weak smile.

Chase leaned towards me and softly brushed a strand of hair away from my face, before pulling back abruptly and sighing.

"I need to go back. Bree's mad at me enough as it is."

I managed a nod. For some reason my throat felt even dryer than before, and I didn't think I could manage a word right now.

As Chase flew off, I turned back to the people filing into the forest. Almost everyone was now in there, but I couldn't help but worry how effective this would be. I put a brave smile, and... was tackled into a hug.

"Hailey," Autumn exclaimed, "I'm so glad you're okay! I got caught up with the flow of people, and then you were gone, and I-"

I raised my hand to stop her rambling. It occurred to me that even though she had been pretty quiet at first, Autumn now proved to be quite a bundle of energy and could run her mouth as well as anyone else I knew.

"I'm fine. And I'm glad you're okay, too." I hugged her back.

I felt guilty I hadn't worried more about her. Although the late events had been quite a lot to take in, I still truly cared for my new friend, and she had been completely out of my thoughts the past hour or so. Well, I blame Bree. Why? Because she's bossy and mean, and I want to blame her for something.

I finally broke out of Autumn's hug.

"Well, want to come help me? I'm supposed to 'reassure' people." I grimaced.

Autumn's lips twitched, and if the circumstances hadn't been so bad she would no doubt have laughed at me.

"Come on, Hailey." Autumn led me into the forest, past the line of people to whom I sent an encouraging smile. "See? That's good. Now, I think you should tell everyone what the current situation is."

"Are you sure? Won't that make it worse?"

"No, at least they'll be certain about what to expect -you wouldn't believe some of the stories I heard- and it'll make them trust you more than if you kept them in the dark."

I agreed, and we walked deeper into the forest, past a strong river, until we reached an area full of- were these tree houses?

"Wow, how did they build all this so fast?" I gaped at all the platforms and houses that were build on and into the trees.

"No," Autumn seemed amused, "That was already there. Long ago, people used to actually live there. Now they use it for military training, and little kids who like to disobey every rule ever come to play here, too. By the way, by that you should understand that the twins come here, which is the only reason I know what this place looks like."

An amusing image of Autumn trying to chase the twins up a tree house popped into my head. No, after reflection, she was too smart to waste time doing that. She would find some clever trick or bribe to make them come down on their own.

Autumn pointed up to a large wooden platform that wound around a large tree.

"Let's fly up there."

As soon as we landed, it was like earlier tonight -or rather this morning- all over again. Everyone turned to look at me expectantly, and I cleared my throat nervously.

"Uh... Hi again, everyone." I started.

Autumn gave me an encouraging smile and motioned for me to speak louder. Winged had better hearing than humans, but that didn't mean that they could hear me if I was whispering. I wished Chase hadn't left so fast. He was probably much better at speech-making than me.

"I don't know if all of you recognize me, but I'm Hailey, and I newly found out I was related to the king. So... Well, I guess you might have heard about enemies coming to attack Sol. That's true, but don't worry, we had an early warning and now everyone is inside the forest and in safety. We have the elite archers ready for defense, but Bree said herself they probably wouldn't have to shoot any arrows. Anselm is coming, he's doing... last minute stuff?"

Where was Anselm anyway? The last time I saw him, he was talking with Bree, but that had been a while ago.

"Anyway, please stay calm, and we'll get through this." I finished with what I hope came off as an encouraging smile.

There were murmurs of ascent, and someone yelled, "Yeah, we won't let these cowardly fools get the best of us, the greatest Winged nation!"

A new sense of determination seemed to reflect in everyone's eyes.

"How awful did I do?" I whispered to Autumn.

"Not too bad, but some people are wondering where the king is."

Oh, right, I thought. Only a few people from the castle knew of his departure.

"Also," I added, "If you're wondering where the king is, he actually left for another city yesterday night, and he will send down troops to help us out. So, yeah, he's safe, and he hasn't forgotten about us."

We flew down to the ground, where Lynn caught up with me, her usual tidy bun now falling in loose strands around her face.

"Princess. All the civilians are now inside the forest. Also, I was wondering how long we had to wait till reinforcement? Although we do have food supplies, they are quite small compared to the population we have to feed, and I was wondering how long I should make them hold out."

I looked at her a bit wide eyed. People needed to stop assuming I knew what was going on here.

"I have no idea," I admitted. "You should ask Bree, she's the one who sent out a messenger."

Lynn nodded and walked away briskly.

"When did she send for them?" Autumn asked.

I shrugged. "I think it was a soon as she heard the enemy was coming."

"I'd heard that the enemy was much farther north..." She said almost to herself.

"According to Chase, this is just another part of their army. They came here to try to get the king."

"Well, they're a little late for that. At least when they find out the king isn't here, they'll have to think twice about attacking again. He's in a fortified city surrounded by most of the Winged army."

I frowned. "Wait, so you mean they wouldn't attack that other place?"

"Well, I don't know, but it's a much bigger opposition than Sol... Then again I don't know their numbers."

"I've got to ask Chase something," I said, already walking away briskly. An idea was starting to take shape inside my head.

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As I said before, all votes and comments are greatly appreciated!