War of the Immortals

by Noëlie Frix

  “No. My uncle knows that on home grounds he would be at a disadvantage. Same reason why it would be foolish of us to attack their headquarters. But I know where he plans to fight. One of those battles will be a full-scale attack, which I believe he intends to use as the turning point of the war, for whoever wins it, takes possession of the eastern front. It’s not on friendly ground, but it’s not too bad,” the king pushed open the door to the war room which was empty at the moment. “The Fortress of Augoro.”

  “Which will also allow for a naval battle,” Jason remarked. “It’s next to the sea, isn’t it?”

  “Yep. Marcus has only won a few small battles. It’s our job to make sure we stall his advance. Winning at Augoro will be crucial. By gaining the eastern front, the likelihood of winning the war accrues exponentially. But of course, they won’t stand a chance.”

  “Not with you as General,” Damien remarked. “But it won’t be an easy win, will it?”

  “No. Unfortunately, and despite our best efforts, the losses are likely to be high, so we better get started. Jason is also, if it’s alright with you, my second-in-command.”

  “I trust your judgment,” the king nodded.

  “Very well. The five of us should get started,” she leaned over the table covered with maps, schematics, plans and lists, similar to her uncle’s war room.

  “A lot of warlords have united with your uncle, but I do not know who the main human leader is,” Damien said pulling out a list of human names.

  “He hasn’t revealed himself because he hopes to let you think he is dead. You remember Julius? He was always my uncle’s favorite, and he has enough power to unite others under his command.”

  You think he actually survived the last war and is now leading their army?” he asked, obvious disbelief showing on his face. “Someone would know he survived, especially if he still holds power.”

  “You forget he has my uncle as his ally. Marcus could easily have kept him and his military activities hidden from you.”

  “He could have? Right, he has power over everything that touches war.” He sighed, “Sometimes I forget how much superiority you Immortals hold over us. If you ever all decided to take over…” he did not finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear. Humans could never resist a concerted effort from all Immortals if the latter ever decided they wanted more power.

  “Well, then it’s a good thing we can never agree on anything,” Jason reassured him.

  “I suppose it is. Now to our war plans,” he looked at Heka expectantly. “You say we need to focus on Augoro’s fortress?”

  “Yes. Do not lose sight of other battles my uncle forces upon us, but any battle that can be avoided, avoid. Bring as many troops as you can back to HQ. Will you have enough resources to sustain and provide for the additional troops?”

  “Yes. Our forges have been working day and night, we will be fine. I’ll send messengers out to my generals, tell them to come back ASAP unless it is absolutely necessary for them to stay,” he said.

  “Good. I will ask Wind to draw up a list of the Immortals here.”

  “She almost killed me before the war started, you know. Appearing out of thin air in the middle of the night,” the king grumbled.

  “It must be a habit,” Heka agreed, “she did the same to me.”

  “Tell me though, some of you are a little…well, some of you can put humans over the edge, can’t you?”

  “It’s a quality we all possess, but I suppose you are referring to a specific Immortal you’ve had to deal with recently,” Trélig guessed.

  “Correct yo…” he stopped himself. He had been about to say “young man” when he remembered that, if he looked fifteen, Trélig was probably several centuries old. “Correct.”

  “And who would that be?” Electra asked.

  A delicious scent wafted into the room as someone waltzed in.

  “That would be me, I believe,” the newcomer said in an irresistibly beautiful voice. The Immortal who stood in front of them was a gorgeous woman who could have been anywhere between nineteen and twenty-five years old, and who was probably the only one who could ever rival with Myegi. Her hair was a cascade of colors, dark brown at the top and golden blond at the tips. It flowed freely down to her waist, without a single hair out of place. She had bi-colored eyes—one reflected all shades of blue, the other shades of green—and wore some makeup that added a little touch of glamor. Her dress was slit on the sides revealing her bare thighs, and low cut, showing a bit too much cleavage. The boys sighed in unison, a sparkle of jealousy lit up Electra’s eyes, King Damien let out a groan of exasperation and anger flashed on Heka’s face.

  “And who exactly are you?” Warrior asked. “Though I have a pretty good idea.”

  “Love&Beauty, of course.”

  “Désirée,” Jason sighed dreamily.

  “Yes. Gosh, your hair really needs a nice cut, dear. And you, Electra, a little touch of eyeshadow would bring out that gorgeous stormy gray.”

  “That’s all great,” Heka interrupted, “but we have some things a little more urgent to discuss now.”

  “Oh, Heka! I thought I would have succeeded in convincing you that love comes before all else.”

  “That you succeeded in convincing me? Have you been watching me?”

  “Of course I have.”

  “Why?” Heka asked menacingly, threat resonating in her voice. If Désirée had noticed, she didn’t let on.

  “Oh, sweetheart, you were such a tomboy when you were younger. You never showed any interest in boys. But I thought I could make your life soooo interesting, so I decided to get personally involved in your love life. It was such a joy to watch you grow sentimentally and deal with boys and…yes, I may have been the reason for one or two heartbreaks.”

  “So, you’re telling me you are the reason for my love life.”

  “Of course, but you always refused to cry when breaking up, that I never managed. On the other hand, I’m also the reason for your many days of kissing and embraces.”

  “Enough! My life is my own, stay out of it! And don’t even think about intervening in my relationships ever again!”

  “No, now that you’ve finally found someone on your own. I have nothing against you and Jason.”

  “Thanks for your consent, I feel much better. And thanks also for sending me the wrong boys whom you didn’t approve of all along!” sarcasm was creeping into her voice which Jason took as a good sign they’d avoided the storm.

  Désirée didn’t look very dangerous. From the way she talked, she didn’t seem too bright either. But Jason could tell it was all an act. She was smart and powerful, but what made her even more dangerous was that, unlike Heka, she didn’t look threatening. Only fantastic, he thought then blushed.

  “So Love, you’ve decided to help us?” Trélig asked. “And I do not, absolutely do not, mean in our love affairs, but in this war,” he added quickly.

  “Yes. The others promote war and hatred, which not only go against love, but all in all, result in a lot of ugliness. And, as this lovely king Damien has told you, I can be pretty unsettling, beautifully unsettling in fact.”

  “And you said I had modesty issues,” Heka whispered to Jason who smiled. “Désirée, we have to discuss battle plans. If you have any pertinent suggestions, please let us know, otherwise you can leave.”

  “That’s not very nice, throwing me out. But no, I have nothing to add to your battle plans. And I should thank you, it would have bored me, I’m sure.”

  “Can I talk to you afterwards?” Heka asked.

  “Alone?” Love wasn’t stupid and figured it wasn’t safe to talk to Heka alone if she was angry. She might know how to use a dagger, but, against the mighty Warrior, she didn’t know if her powers of persuasion would have time to act before Heka’s knife or other weapon found its mark. Her guess was no.

  “Yes, I have some questions about the ‘interest’ you took in my life.”

  “I’m not entirely sure I w
ant that,” Désirée said cautiously.

  “But I’m sure I want that. My weapons will not move from their sheaths,” she promised. Love&Beauty raised her eyebrows and Heka added, “I will not harm you, not now. I won’t even touch you, but only because I wouldn’t risk losing an ally. Different times may call for different measures. And we’ve got our whole lives ahead of us.”

  “We can do this now,” she smiled so stunningly it was almost painful to watch. “Ask away.”

  “Your call. Why exactly did you take a special interest in my life?”

  “Didn’t I answer that already? You are a very beautiful woman, Heka,” Désirée said kindly. “And your spirit and charismatic appeal have always made you attractive to men. So do not think that my intervening was always the reason for your love stories. In fact, I mostly watched, and perhaps gave a little nudge here and there to get relationships started.”

  “You’re not stupid, despite your efforts to seem like it. I am certain you had a useful objective in getting involved in my life. I’d like to know what.”

  “I feared you would turn like your uncle. No, don’t look at me like I’m insane. It makes sense. You are the Warrior, you say you prefer peace, but can you tell me you hate fighting and wars?”

  “No,” she admitted. “But if I do love fighting, I also don’t seek to start wars. While I belong on the battlefield, I strive to stop battles as much as possible.”

  “That’s what I was aiming for. That you would realize love is stronger than hate, peace better than war, and that beauty matters too.”

  “If you’re the reason I prefer peace to war, I think it’s time for you to switch sides.”

  “Switch sides?” Jason asked. “Are you out of your mind?”

  Everyone looked at her stunned, as though she’d lost all functioning brain cells.

  “Given Love’s huge impact on me, especially since Immortals are not very sensitive to others’ powers, it’s time for her to use it on my uncle. War needs Love,” she added, smiling brightly in Love’s direction.

  “Oh, no! That is out of the question!” Désirée seemed disgusted. “If I go to your uncle’s fortress, I will have to work with Disease, and she’s sooooo awful! Not physically, mind you, she is rather good-looking. But when she gets bored, she sends nasty viruses, and instead of trying to give humans only internal symptoms, she gives them all these pustules and plaques and rashes, and sometimes it’s purulent too!”

  “Oh, I see. Your mind just immediately goes to the essential problems. I fully understand and sympathize with your concerns,” Heka mocked.

  “And that’s not all! 827 years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday, we were together at a New Year’s ball. It was magnificent! All the dresses, makeup, the decorations…there were a bunch of nobles, counts, dukes and monarchs. Disease played what she thought was a little prank on me. She dared attack me…Me! To this day, I still don’t know how she did it, but I ended up with two pimples, on my face! Two! And they appeared in the middle of the dance with the gorgeous king Austin!”

  “Oh, poor you. You went through puberty all over again.”

  “Absolutely not. I’m Love&Beauty. They were my first pimples and a huge trauma.”

  “Gee, I wonder how others make it through the teen years,” Heka sneered.

  “I don’t know. But I’m telling you, I can’t work with Disease.”

  “I understand how hard it would be to work with such a horrid person, who can make such horrific imperfections appear, setting aside her tendency to kill en masse. But the great news is that I want you to work with my uncle. Not with Disease. In war, one must optimize his forces by knowing how best to use them. Sending soldiers where they will be most useful. And if it is thanks to you that I have always chosen peace over war, it is by going to the adversary’s camp that you will help us most.”

  “I’ll get your escort ready right away!” Damien exclaimed happily.

  “I may have exaggerated my influence on you. But the thing is, I really did want to keep an eye on you…because of my relationship with Marcus.”

  Heka nearly choked. It looked like her eyes were about to pop out. “Y…You had a what with whom?”

  “A thing for your uncle. He’s so handsome. And he can be charming, you know.”

  “No. Actually, I’ve never experienced a charming version of War.”

  “Anyways, I thought I might change him, that love would lead him to see things differently. But I was wrong. He seems impervious to that kind of influence. That’s why I know going to War’s would be all but useless. Our love story ended, and I feared you would turn like him so I decided to keep an eye on you. But you seem to be doing fine. So you see, there is always a purpose to what I do.”

  “What is the purpose of teasing the king?” she asked pointedly, raising an eyebrow.

  “To have fun.”

  “Mmh. Indeed, great purpose! Anyway, how will you be able to use your powers in the war?”

  “All business already!” Love sighed. “I can easily distract men and Immortals. You saw Jason and Trélig’s reactions, even Immortals aren’t immune. Women aren’t either. And I can make soldiers fall in love.”

  “With whom?”

  “Anyone and anything,” she smiled devilishly.

  “Awesome,” she cringed. “Welcome to our army then! I can’t wait to get started!”

  Désirée hugged her, smiled and left. Silence settled upon the room for a while.

  “She’s the one you’ve been putting up with?” Jason asked the king. Damien nodded. “I’m sorry. That’s rough.”

  “It is fine. Though I would rather have you start training as early as possible, Heka,” he pleaded. “For my sanity’s sake!”

  “Did you hear that? At least somebody is eager to train with me! Tomorrow we should start,” Warrior reassured him.

  “My king, you have just made a grave mistake,” Jason decreed somberly.

  “Beg your pardon?”

  “You will soon regret it, I fear, and Love will seem like a sweet forgotten dream.”

  “Shut up,” Heka snapped. “Now back to our plans. Is Wind here?”

  “Venthae should be back tomorrow morning, dear.”

  “Is she spying on my uncle?”

  “Yes, how would you kn… never mind, forget I asked,” Damien quickly corrected himself.

  “We’ll finalize the details when she comes back. As soon as we finish here, I’ll go take a walk around the camp. And tomorrow morning…” she smiled, “we start training!”

  “Oh, yay!” Electra grimaced.

  “The plan sounded good until that last part,” Trélig agreed.

  King Damien laughed, “It’s not so bad!”

  “My dear king, have you ever personally been taught by Heka?” Jason asked.

  “No,” he admitted. “When we first met, we were already in the midst of battle when she joined us.”

  “You will soon understand our reaction, as I doubt you will be spared the training, am I right?”

  “Entirely! Now instead of spreading an undeserved reputation, let’s get back to this,” she pointed to the maps. “Jason, anyone here?”

  “Not that I can feel,” he said.

  “Good. The information discussed here is shared on a need-to-know basis. We have our spies, both human and Immortal, snuffing around my uncle’s lair, he does too. Is that clear?”

  The others nodded in agreement.

  “Like Jason said, the fortress is next to the sea. Damien, do you still have a navy operational?”

  “We have warships, but they haven’t been used in years. I still have close to ten thousand men trained, but that’s it.”

  “How many do you need to operate your ships?” Electra inquired

  “It depends.”

  “Try to find another thousand or so volunteers for the navy, that should be enough. A few Immortals will attack by the sea. Electra, you probably thrive better if you can get a storm started from the water, don’t yo
u?”

  “I can certainly do more damage that way, and I’ve got some experience with ships.”

  “If Water’s accepted to help us, she’ll be able to lead the marine strike with you and Wind.”

  “What about the actual fortress?” Damien asked.

  “The people of Augoro have been neutral for decades, and if they chose to take part in this battle, I cannot say on whose side they would fight. Unless—”

  “Unless we send someone in to convince them,” Jason said.

  “Exactly. The Fortress hosts fewer than a thousand subjects, a tiny town lies beyond its walls, I doubt there are more than seven hundred residents there. If you could send messengers to the Fortress to try to convince the townspeople to take cover and their fighters to join us or at least remain neutral in the conflict…”

  “We could use the fortress to our advantage. That would allow us to gain some height.”

  “Exactly, my King! We’ll be able to hold off their first wave with friendly fire!”

  “I have an elite squad of archers whom I trust. I will send them along with an ambassador to Augoro tomorrow morning.”

  “Can I go with them?” Electra asked.

  “Why?”

  “So I, too, can escape training.”

  “No,” Heka retorted.

  “Pfft,” she breathed. “Not fair.”

  “Life isn’t fair. But I will send Wisdom along.”

  “What?!”

  “Don’t be jealous. Unless you can master the art of persuasion and pacifism within two days, you are not going.”

  They talked a while longer about Augoro’s impact on the war and later left the room, each going their separate ways. King Damien had political business to take care of, warlords to talk to. Trélig and Electra decided to walk around the castle, maybe talk to some other Immortals. Jason wanted to spend some time with Heka, but he first went to get something to eat while she briefly talked to Wisdom.

  Heka joined Jason in the vast cafeteria. She found him sitting at a stone table, drinking and chatting with a couple of men she didn’t know.

  Warrior sat down next to him, facing the humans.

  “Hi, I’m Heka,” she shook hands with both.