Day Three-Sixty-Four: For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother

"Everybody listen to me. Listen to your mayor."

They listened.

"We… we aren't gonna die."

Murmurs. Laughter from Grylock, drunk and flopped over a table, staring at his full-sized poisonheart.

"We're gonna live. 'n we're gonna drive 'em back. 'n one day, we're gonna kill the guy responsible for all this."

Growing murmurs. Curious glances. Some surprise. The mayor knows something?

"We're trapped. Cornered. Stuck. That barrier… that whatever… it won't last much longer. You know it, I know, we all know it. 'n when it comes down… those things, they're gonna come in. But they aren't gonna kill us."

"Yeeeeeah?" Grylock yelled, the word slurring. "'n… 'n what makes ya say that, Dr… Dr… Mr. Maaaayor? Huh?"

"One thing." I looked at Libby, smiled, and nodded. "We're gonna kill 'em first. Simple as that."

Libby raised her fist at once. Behind the pub's bar Bora did the same, though hesitantly and with a frown on her face. No one else joined in.

"How?" came the inevitable question. This from Robert, who tried to lower Bora's arm with a swipe of his own. "How in the hell we supposed to kill all THAT? You lost your mind, bro?"

My own fist pumped into the air. "With swords. 'n spears. 'n bows. 'n foxes. 'n sticks. 'n knuckles, if we have to. We'll kill 'em with everything you'd normally use for killin'. And if we run outta all that, we'll bite 'em, and kick 'em, and swear at 'em until they leave us the fuck alone."

Most eyes were on me. I realized, a little surprised, that I wasn't self-conscious or shy. I'd overcome any fear of public speaking in the last few months, and I was on a roll.

"I can't carry a weapon. Y'all know that. Nobody knows why, and this time, I don't care. I'm gonna go out there 'n fight 'em when they come down on us. I'm gonna show those bastards, whatever the FUCK THEY ARE, that they CAN'T COME IN HERE AND KILL ME WITHOUT MY SAY-SO. NOT A FUCKING CHANCE."

No more murmurs. No more hushed laughter or incredulous back-and-forth glances. All eyes, on me.

"I AM SICK OF PEOPLE TRYIN' TO TELL US WE CAN'T FUCKING LIVE HERE. THIS IS OUR HOME. PUBTON IS OURS. IT'LL ALWAYS BE OURS. 'N ONCE WE SETTLE THAT WITH THOSE FUCKS BEYOND THAT WALL, I’M GONNA TAKE THE SAME MESSAGE TO THEIR BALD-HEADED, POINTY-HAIRED, BLIND-ASS, FAT-REARED LEADER. I'LL WALK RIGHT UP TO THE BARON AND SHOW HIM JUST WHAT A MAN WITH NO WEAPONS CAN DO WHEN HE'S PISSED."

Conversation. Renewed murmurs accompanied by yelled questions. I answered in a rage, my voice thundering, never cracking. Yes, The Baron's behind it all. Yes, he's alive. Yes, that explains the penguin outside the barrier, and yes, that's Kierkegaard. Yes, The Baron let those things out. 

Yes. That's why we can't die. That's why we'll win. Because I want my gods damned daughter BACK, and those things out there, they're in my way.

My speech finished I jumped from my pulpit (a beer-stained, tacky table) and marched out the door. Striding up to the barrier, utterly fearless, I delivered roughly the same speech.

Kierkegaard watched from atop the shared shoulder of Driscol and Bernard. When I finished, the penguin smiled, his teeth glistened, and the whole lot sank into the darkness.

I have been practicing. Libby and I have been running punching drills outside the pub. She's trying to give me a feel for striking an opponent, which, I must admit, is a strange sensation. I get punched a lot, but I seldom ever punch back. When today began, I didn't really know how to do it.

I'm a bit better now. There's a knot of fresh muscle on my right arm. I'm tired as hell, but I'll keep it up.

For the first half hour, only Libby and I practiced. Then Edmund came out. Then Grylock, tipsy but alert. My dad, my mom, Bora, Harold, Morris, most of the nobles, all but the oldest of peasants. They hunted through the village, grabbing whatever weapons they could find and practicing with them, either solo or in pairs.

There are injuries. 

There are complaints.

There is fatigue.

And, yes, there is fear.

But we won't die, tomorrow, when the barrier comes down.

I won't let us die.

Even if it's inevitable, I won't let us die.