by Kyle West
“It’s difficult to say. The effect on their morale will be great, since I promised them rest here.”
“Find a way to keep their morale up, then,” I said. “Men and women’s lives are on the line in Kalear. They are to perform escort duty for the garrison, who can never hope to make it to Haven otherwise.”
He nodded. Even he had to recognize the sense of that.
“More than that,” I continued, “your job is to escort any refugees you meet on the way to Haven. Your troops are protection against the crawlers, which I know are running rampant in Makai lands by now. You’re to escort whatever refugees you find to safety and restore order however and whenever you can. But your priority is the garrison at Kalear, many of whom are Seekers that can greatly aid us in the coming battles.” I watched him; for once, he seemed to be listening and taking me seriously. “Are your orders understood?”
He glanced once at Fiona to confirm, and judging by her steely gaze, he couldn’t look at her for long. “Clearly understood, Lady Shanti.”
“March south with all speed,” Fiona said. “Take the time to rest for the night. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow.”
Elder Arminius leaned over to Lord Harrow. “Let’s go outside to talk.”
Gray-faced, Lord Harrow withdrew with Elder Arminius, until it was just the five of us left. Shara and Isa watched thoughtfully, neither having said a word the entire time.
Chapter 4
Once Lord Harrow and Elder Arminius had left the room, Fiona slouched in her Silverwood throne with a sigh. “I’m getting tired of this queen business.”
“Well, you seem to be doing well at it,” I said.
“Please,” Fiona said. “I’d rather hear the opposite, that way people would want me replaced.”
“It’s that bad, huh?” Shara asked.
Fiona sighed again. “You have no idea. Let’s just say I’m relieved all of you are back. I was beginning to lose hope after a couple of weeks.”
I didn’t blame her, and I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be responsible for not just one, but two kingdoms, all while not knowing whether she’d have to face the coming storm alone.
“You’re not alone anymore,” I said.
I felt as if I should say more, but I was so exhausted that I couldn’t think straight.
Seeing my state, Fiona straightened in her seat. “All of you are obviously tired. And so am I, for that matter. Let’s get some rest and then we’ll pick up again tomorrow morning.”
She escorted us to some guest bedrooms. As soon as she showed me to my room, I went right for the bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was fast asleep.
* * *
I awoke to sunlight filtering through the eastward-facing window. My first instinct was to keep sleeping – I was still so exhausted. But the thought of my parents not being able to sleep in peace, and remembering the plight of the people at Kalear, was all I needed to get up. Before I could even set myself to saving Kalear, however, I needed to meet General Tertullian. There simply wasn’t any time for sleep.
I spent a few minutes trying to calm my anxieties so that I could face the day clear-headed. I sat on my bed, crossed my legs, and centered myself on Silence, reaching for the Xenofold and letting its placating, yet invigorating, presence sharpen my senses. I felt the life of the Red Wild stirring all around me, detected the presence of people in the city, felt their fears as if they were my own, undermining my original goal of trying to calm myself.
I let go of Silence and stepped out of my room. The empty corridor curved the entire way around the tree trunk, even exiting at points onto outside verandas and balconies that were part of Haven Palace. I went to the central courtyard, thinking that if anyone were to be up at this hour, it was probably Fiona.
When I entered the courtyard, filled with its trees, circulating stream, and small stone bridges, I saw that my instinct was correct. She sat in conference with what was left of the Elder Council: Elder Lian, Elder Draeus, and Elder Arminius. All of them turned as I approached, while Fiona’s brow was furrowed in thought, or perhaps worry.
Without preamble, Elder Arminius addressed me. “We sent a courier last night to General Tertullian, stating that you had returned and were willing to parley. We’ve just received his reply.” He nodded toward a letter sitting on the shared table. “He’s willing to meet with you this morning around 9:00. His camp is about half an hour from here, as the dragon flies.”
I picked up the letter and scanned it, but it conveyed no information other than what Elder Arminius had just told me.
“And what time is it now?” I asked.
“Nearly eight,” Fiona said. “I’ll be present at the meeting as well. You can also bring the others, if you wish.”
“I’d planned on it,” I said. “But I also plan on going straight to Kalear as soon as this meeting is over. Lord Harrow is already on his way?”
“His troops departed earlier this morning,” Judge Lian said.
I nodded. “Good.”
“Though I’ll be with you with the General, I won’t be joining you for Kalear,” Fiona said. “Too much to do here.”
“I understand,” I said. “The rest of us can handle it.”
“I wish I could say the same for myself,” she said. “In truth, what you’re doing sounds like a vacation compared to what I have to deal with.”
After a moment of quiet, Elder Arminius touched her arm. “Queen Fiona, we Elders can quite take care of the affairs of the city today after your meeting with Tertullian. You’ve been going nonstop ever since your ascension.”
“I can handle it, Elder,” Fiona said.
“Take the day off,” I said, coming to Arminius’ support. “You’re exhausted.”
Fiona sniffed. “As if you aren’t.” Her face softened. “I’m sorry. It’s just . . .” She paused. “Perhaps you’re right.”
“We understand,” Shara said. “If I were in your shoes, I’m pretty sure I would have killed someone by now.”
Fiona didn’t laugh at the joke. “I may have already done that since my ascension, more than once. Though not willingly.” She brooded for a moment. “What should I do with myself? I don’t have the luxury of taking a day off.” Fiona looked at me seriously. “I would come with you to Kalear, if you’ll have me.”
“That’s not taking a day off,” I said.
“If you leave me here, then I definitely wouldn’t be taking any time off,” Fiona said. “Something would require my attention.” She stood up and smoothed her dress. “Coming with you, though . . . that would force me to stop thinking about administrating the Two Kingdoms for the first time in weeks.”
I looked to Arminius to see his thoughts, but he was looking at me, probably to see mine. Maybe it wasn’t a bad idea.
“If you think that’s best, then I have no problem with it.”
“It’s decided,” Fiona said, not waiting for anyone else’s possible protests. “If we’re heading to General Tertullian’s camp, we should go now.”
It would take time to go gather the dragons, too. “We should be back in a few days, Elder Arminius.”
“The Elder Council will continue enacting Queen Fiona’s programs,” he said. “Ballistae in the trees, fortifications on the Southern Rim, food and tents for the refugees . . .”
“Are you sure everything will be okay without me?” Fiona asked.
“Yes,” Elder Arminius said. “Suffice it to say, I have decades of experience administrating and serving as advisor to great lords and great men. If my hands aren’t capable, then no one’s are.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said. “Let’s pack up and head out.” My stomach growled in protest. “But first, something to eat.”
* * *
After I had gathered everyone and we had a quick meal, we exited the palace onto the High Veranda. The winter air was crisp and cool. The day seemed idyllic, with a deep blue sky visible above the high canyon walls. It was hard to believe that just
a couple of hundred miles south, the land was in turmoil.
Our dragons were ready and waiting for us in front of the palace. Once we were all mounted, I directed Flame into the sky. He obliged, and soon we were all rising on the cool breeze, as the Elders stood to see us off. The wind rushed past my face as we shot upward. Flame seemed to sense my urgency, and very quickly we were cresting the northern rim of the Grand Canyon, revealing a wide vista of pink-tinted trees. Half of the taller trees, mostly Silverwoods, contained buildings and bridges like Haven’s structures, some even holding entire towns. Fallow fields spread between the trees.
All was silent as we flew north, save the wind rushing past our faces. I reached out with Silence to pinpoint the exact location of the dragons that had once been Isaru’s Mindless swarm, but were now part of my army. I felt their presence not ten miles away, northwest of Haven where the last of the fields and villages ended.
We were there within a few minutes. Though I felt we were right on top of the dragons, I couldn’t see a sign of them. I realized they must be in the trees.
I’m here, I said, directing my thought outwards, so that any dragon around could hear. Elekim has returned.
The still morning was broken by dozens of dragon cries, so loud that my bones started to rattle. They shot out of the trees as if of one mind, flying directly toward us.
Shara shouted something, but it was completely lost to the din. The dragons began circling around us, their movements creating a great wind that pummeled me. I clutched Flame more tightly with my legs, as more and more dragons joined the procession in a display of power. They swirled around us, faster and faster, getting so close that I could almost touch them, a blur of pink and black scales, glowing white eyes, and enormous, billowing wings. Despite all this, our dragons remained as calm as ever, flapping their wings slowly to maintain altitude and not budging an inch in any direction.
I’ve returned, I said to the swirling mass of dragons. Will you fight with me?
The dragon swarm cried out again, but thankfully, their cries didn’t last as long this time. My ears were ringing.
Follow me, then, I said. We’re going south to rescue some of our own. I need your help.
To let them know just what they were dealing with, I opened myself up, letting well over two hundred of these fierce creatures see my innermost thoughts and fears. I showed them my parents, trapped in the castle, the hundreds of lives that were at stake, and a vision of hundreds of black dragons controlled by Odium leveling the castle to the ground.
The dragon army became incredibly quiet, though the noise from the beating of their wings was still great. All eyes were on me as they broke off their circle and fell into line behind me.
Let’s go, Flame, I said. To the Novan camp.
Flame gave a cry of assent as he dove sharply. I gripped him tightly, my stomach seeming to rise to my throat. He banked sharply to the left and righted himself quickly before I could lose my balance.
The others followed, Shara and Isa screaming in either terror or exhilaration as their own dragons’ movements mirrored my own.
And behind my friends flew the dragons, over two hundred strong, hungry for battle.
Chapter 5
The Novan war camp became visible on the horizon not twenty minutes later, situated on a rise above a wide field which gave it a commanding view of the surrounding land. It contained four square walls, the area within large and filled with rows of tents numbering in the hundreds. Several wooden buildings had been built within, including various stables housing the Novan cavalry. Wide swathes of local timber had already been felled, while a ditch lined with stakes had been dug deep into the xen outside the wall itself.
When Fiona had said the General had entrenched his army here, I hadn’t imagined it would be to this extent. He and his army had only been here a few weeks. Given more time, I wouldn’t be surprised if the fortifications became even more intricate.
Outside the walls and trenches, hundreds more tents and lean-tos had been haphazardly set up. These were shabbier than the Novan kind within, so it was hard to imagine they belonged to them. Maybe they belonged to refugees and camp followers. An army of forty thousand men was a city, and as with any city, it required services. The tents of the camp followers clung to the fort like a parasite.
As we neared, I could make out the finer details of the fortifications: ballistae set up in high turrets and spaced at regular intervals, and even several cannons pointing at forty-five-degree angles into the sky, clearly meant to stop an assault of dragons.
It didn’t take long for the camp to react to our presence. Even as high as we were in the air, I could hear bugles sounding the alarm, while the people in the exterior camp swarmed as they ran for cover. Ballistae and cannons wheeled and pitched in our direction, still far out of range to do any damage, but close enough to warn us off. Unbelievably fast, legionaries in red armor and towering shields mustered within the camp, in staging grounds situated at regular intervals within the tents. These staging rounds funneled the soldiers into a large, central area, where they could be deployed to wherever needed.
In all, from the time they had sighted us to the time they were ready to fight, had all happened in less than a minute. I couldn’t help but be a bit impressed.
Obviously, we couldn’t go any nearer. My goal wasn’t to attack the Novans, but to get them to stand down at the least, and hopefully, to even help us. I directed Flame to glide down toward the ground, landing at the periphery of the exterior camps, far out of range of their artillery. I was the first one on the ground, about half a mile from the western gates of the camp. About half the dragons flying with me also landed, forming a line three deep, while the other half remained airborne to patrol, still out of range of the camp’s artillery.
There, we waited for a response from General Tertullian.
* * *
We didn’t have to wait long. A hundred mailed horses, upon which sat fully armored knights with lances pointed skyward, thundered forward on monstrous black destriers. Behind the knights were more horsemen, lesser armored but bearing short bows, who raised small horns to their mouths and bugled a marching tune. All the horses came to a standstill, arranging themselves into three neat rows, just as the dragons were in three rows. Upon completing their trumpeting, the smaller horses gracefully danced backward, forming a walkway where the General galloped on his own warhorse at full speed, flanked by several other armored and caped men.
I got my first sight of him. He was black-haired with gray temples, and his many wrinkles seemed to be more earned from sun exposure than age. His arms were hairy enough to belong to a bear. He wore a steel breastplate, gauntlets, greaves, and bore a gladius on one side and a long-barreled pistol on the other.
He gave a grim smile and raised a hand in greeting. His dark brown eyes coolly surveyed the dragons behind me, and if he was impressed by them, he gave no sign.
“Greetings,” he called. “Let us step down and talk face to face, so that neither of us have the advantage. Annara, I presume?”
I nodded and slid off my dragon. My friends dismounted theirs, too, and walked up to join me.
“Queen Fiona,” General Tertullian said, giving a slight bow in Fiona’s direction. “It is an honor to speak to you directly once again.”
“I hope our talks can be more productive this time,” she said.
Tertullian’s eyes seemed amused. “I hope for that too, Queen Fiona. Very much so.”
Fiona ignored his slight smirk. “This is Anna, leader of the free Elekai people, to whom I am subordinate as Queen of the Kingdoms of the Annajen and Makai. She is Annara Returned and Elekim of the Elekai.”
Tertullian’s eyes widened slightly at this, but he duly turned his attention to me. “An impressive resume for one so young. What are you? Sixteen?”
“I’m far older than you realize, General Tertullian,” I said, referring to when Anna was born, not myself. “I was there in the days when Nova Roma was new to
this world. I even knew your first emperor, Augustus, and helped found the city of Colonia in the First Century. And I was there during the Ragnarok War, when all could have been lost had it not been for the bravery of heroes now worshipped as gods.” I eyed him hard. “With your help, I’m hoping to save the world a second time.”
“I see,” General Tertullian said, somewhat amused.
“Let me tell you how it will be,” I said. “The Radaskim swarm will be here within weeks, if not days. If we don’t work together, then we will both perish. That is an undeniable fact. Odium of the Dark, Lord of the Radaskim, would be glad if we weren’t working together. It only makes his job easier. Better yet, he would have us at each other’s throats while he watches from a safe distance.”
At this point, Tertullian’s eyes turned to Isaru. “And though I’ve never seen him in person, this must be none other than King Isaru.” He cleared his throat. “The former king, and my former ally.”
Isaru nodded. “Yes. I, too, have surrendered my authority to Anna. We must all unite behind her if we are to stand a chance.”
Tertullian’s eyes smoldered as they stared down Isaru. “I expected to be feasting within Haven’s halls after a successful conquest of the Makai. Because of your disappearance, I have been forced to entrench myself here.”
“The war is over,” Isaru said. “And the person you were dealing with wasn’t me, General Tertullian. I was possessed by Odium, who our true war is against. It was because of that possession that I sought to conquer the Red Wild, that I entered into an alliance with Emperor Titus.”
General Tertullian grunted. “I was brought here under false pretenses, then.”