A Mock Thinker's Gamble

Issue 2 (Internet ban on July 30; Will attempt to republish again as soon as i'm not banned)

Amidst the vastness of the Red Witches' Forest, the rebels took flight. Scores of them left the battlefield in their extreme haste to regroup. Their official banner and flag, the two-headed lion encrusted in a crescent bowl were all smeared and scarred by arrows from the Queen's professional army and were entirely left abandoned on the ground. Among the sea of wounded and disabled, unarmed bodies dragged makeshift chariots and hand-drawn carts carrying armed rebels, both wounded and dead. (Add 1 additional details concerning the scenery)

In the inner depths of the forest, nestled deep among the swampy depths lies the Cave of the Abandoned. Flanked by trees taller than Arbil's own palace, the cave had a gaping mouth as an entrance. Sharp stakes shaped like a tiger's tooth glowed and meshed among the outer lips. They heaved and moved slowly in the wind as bugs crawled all over them. Glow worms. They dangled from the edge of the teeth and glowed bright blue. Here, the forbidden witches would convene among their own ranks to read star charts, and foretold tragedies before their occurrence. (Add lore of the witches)

But in their place, this time, were the leadership of the rebels. They called themselves the Resolution. A forbidden child, thought to have been borne out of a rival dynasty, Meredith, was only 5 when the first rebellion broke in the Queendom. She wore a makeshift crown and was unceremoniously declared the Rebel Queen, granted and sworn by three regents. As the Regents sought refuge in the cave, so too must they leave it before the next season. By now, Arbil would have received ample word about persistent rebel presence in the Red Witches' Forest.

"We should at least leave before the next full moon, Archmistress Emily has confirmed her absence and we've nowhere to go. We have a death sentence waiting for Arbil's wrath," said Maleficient. She wore a tunic and a buckler strapped to her rear, with a silver sword held firmly in her left hand.

"You oversaw our major campaign to disrupt trade between the four families and Arbil, and yet you've lost whatever unique position we had," Danahar interjected. "I had command over peasants, not warriors. And I warned you about following crazy prophesies from Emily's underlings. We've gained little but a wave of their magic and another major defeat to our cause."

Over in the distance, the third reagent, Heng Du were (?) tying braids on Meredith's unruly long and black hair. She had a more stylish demeanor, with golden necklaces adorning her black robe. "Counselor, the witches are supposed to accompany us in these hours. I am patronized by their movement, I want them here," Meredith said. Heng Du sees her wanting look through the opposite mirror, and replied, "The witches were hunted close to extinction by the Queendoms, I can't fault them for not throwing their entire weight behind our cause. Emily is also a rebellious Archmistress when compared with her mother."

OK