Sun come hard next morning.
Kelser wake up and everything hurt. Every single bone in his body hurt. He try to open his left eye and it stuck shut. He cough and pain shoot through his chest like a knife.
Shit.
He sat up slow. The bandages was still on, but Elara changed them while he sleep. There was a plate of cold bread on the table next to the bed. And a mug of beer.
Jian had been there.
He pick up the beer. Drank a big mouthful. Hurt his throat. Worth it.
The tent flap open and Mina walk in. She stop at the door when she see him sitting up.
"You up", she said. Looked surprised. "I thought you gonna be in bed another week."
"Me too", Kelser said. He try to stand up. Wobble a little. "Where Elara?"
"Down at the fountain. She teaching the other healers the purge tea." Mina pull the flap closed behind her. "We got a problem."
"Of course we do", Kelser said. He grab a piece of bread. Ate it. He like cold bread. "What now."
"Tian's army arrived."
Kelser stop chewing.
"When?"
"One hour ago. They camped on the north hill. Above the old quarry. Nobody see them coming."
"How many?"
Mina breathe deep.
"Twelve thousand."
Kelser sat back down on the edge of the bed.
We got three thousand, he thought. Three thousand. Most of them already hurt. Half of them don't even got a proper sword.
He don't say that out loud.
"They send a messenger", Mina continued. "He waiting in the square. Want to talk to you."
"What he want?"
"Surrender."
Kelser laughed. It was a rough, ugly sound that hurt his chest.
"Claro que sim."
Ele se levantou novamente. Dessa vez ele ficou acordado. Ele pegou seu casaco de pele que havia jogado sobre uma cadeira. Coloca. Seus ombros doíam.
"Vamos", disse ele.
"Você vai encontrá-lo assim?" Mina o observa de cima a baixo. Cabelo arrepiado, rosto todo arranhado, bandagens saindo da gola. "Você parece que foi atropelado por um cavalo."
"Bom", disse Kelser. "Então ele vai saber que não vim aqui para impressionar ninguém."
They walked to the square. The whole way Kelser could feel everybody looking at him. People stop what they was doing. Nobody shout. Nobody yell. They just watch.
When he got to the middle of the square the messenger was there. Tall man, shiny white armour. Heavenly Sword Sect. He had his nose turned up like the smell of the city offended him.
When he see Kelser he smiled.
"Lord Kelser. I expected someone a little more... impressive."
Kelser don't answer. He stop ten feet away. Crossed his arms. The bandage on his arm crack.
"You come about surrender", he said.
"Yes." The messenger put his hand on his sword hilt. "Lord Tian offer generous terms. You surrender, hand over the city, and he will let everyone go. Nobody will die."
"And me?", Kelser ask.
"You will be brought back to the capital. To stand trial for your crimes against the Empire." The messenger smiled again. "And then executed, of course."
Kelser laughed again.
"Of course."
He look at the messenger for a long second.
"I got a counter offer", he said.
The messenger raise an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"You go back up that hill", Kelser said. "You tell Tian he can come here and take the city. When he get brave enough."
He pause.
"And tell him something else. Don't bring twelve thousand men. Bring twenty. Bring thirty. Because none of them are coming home."
Silence. Everybody in the whole square stop breathing.
The messenger face go bright red. "This is not a joke Kelser. We will crush you. Nobody will survive."
"Maybe", Kelser said. "But the first man through that gate will be you. I promise you that."
He turned his back on the messenger.
"Go away", he said without looking back. "And don't come back until the fighting start."
He walked away. The messenger stood there for a minute red with rage, then turned and ran away.
Jian appeared next to him.
"Shit", he said. "That was very cool. That was also the stupidest thing I ever seen you do. Now they gonna attack tomorrow morning."
"I know", Kelser said.
"We don't got a chance."
"I know."
"Then why the fuck you said that?"
Kelser stopped. He looked back over his shoulder at the people in the square. They was still all standing there. They heard every word.
"Because twelve thousand men can win a battle", he said. "But they can't win a battle against twelve thousand people who got nothing left to lose."
Jian went quiet. Then he nodded.
"Shit", he said again. "Maybe you right."
They walked up to the north gate. Kelser climbed the wall. Looked out at the hill. Way up top he could see the tents. Thousands of them. Tian's army. Waiting.
Tomorrow they would come.
Tomorrow a lot of people was gonna die.
But for the first time in a long time, Kelser wasn't scared.
He looked down. Elara was down below. She looked up and saw him. Waved.
Kelser waved back.
Tomorrow was gonna be a very long day.