Thus the day went on, the line seeming to go on forever with people seeking blessings, healing, and just plain advice at times. Several couples to be married and many more warriors pledging their swords, shields, axes, halberds, and various other weapons to Kaidia's service. Each warrior received a medallion to wear about his or her neck to show allegiance, along with instructions to make camp outside the walls with all the other warriors. Only Edgar remained when the line finally showed its end. As Kaidia finished with the last of her worshipers, the sun was all but gone from the sky, and the shadows of night had begun to take hold.
“Damn,” Kaidia muttered as she slumped back into her throne.
“You made quite the impact today, Kai,” Echo said.
“Indeed you did, my Lady,” Edgar said as he walked toward the dais.
“So it seems,” Kaidia said, her hand dropping down beside the throne to stroke the fur of her sleeping panther.
Belphor and Oria stood off to Kaidia's far right side, discussing the day they had been witness to while acolytes lit torches and closed the temple doors. At the last moment, one of the doors was stopped, and a man stepped inside. He was obviously a warrior, dressed in leather armor and comfortable traveling clothes. Kaidia arched a brow and sat up.
“Seems one more warrior to pledge his allegiance, my Lady,” Edgar said quietly.
“I suppose I can handle one more,” Kai replied as she watched the man approach.
“You are the Dragon God, Kaidia Valengaard?” the man asked gruffly, pausing some distance away yet, as if he didn't trust her quite yet.
“I am,” Kaidia confirmed.
“You are beautiful, Lady Valengaard,” he said. Kaidia just opened her mouth to thank him when the man slid an elvish blade free from a sheathe on his thigh. The dagger was elegant, the metal a shimmering green-silver that reflected the light of the recently lit torches in the temple. He flung the dagger with astounding accuracy and speed, the blade aiming straight for Kaidia's face. No one could move quick enough to stop it, but it stopped dead in the air and hung there all the same, Kai's eyes focused on it. Edgar and Echo stared, marveling at the hovering blade. The assailant stared, mouth open in stunned silence. Belphor, Oria, and the acolytes still seemed to be processing what had just happened.
Kaidia's panther, on the other hand, only needed to know that someone had attacked her human. The massive cat was up and bounding forward before anyone could react and she slammed into Kaidia's attacker, driving him to the hard floor of the temple and immediately tore out his throat with her powerful jaws and sharp teeth, cutting off a scream that was just starting, and turning it into a gurgling last breath.
Kaidia let the dagger drop into her palm and looked to Echo.
“What is her name?” she asked, pointing to the panther.
“Valka,” Echo answered. Kai nodded and turned to look at the panther who was crunching noisily on the man's neck.
“Valka!” Kai said loudly enough to get the panther's attention. The beast looked up and to Kaidia questioningly. “Get that out of your mouth. You don't know where he's been.”
Echo stifled a snicker. Edgar looked to be stuck somewhere between revulsion and amusement. The acolytes looked horrified, as did Oria and Belphor. The big cat dropped the man, whose head was nearly separated from his body, and loped back over to Kaidia, only to put her massive head in the woman's lap. Kaidia stroked the panther's fur between the ears.
“Are you hungry?” she asked, as if expecting an answer. The big cat nuzzled against her stomach. Kaidia chuckled. “Go find something to eat, then. Outside the city walls and not people,” she instructed. Valka looked at her for a long moment, and then went bounding off, Echo's panther following her. Edgar looked bewildered.
“She actually understood you?” he asked.
“Apparently,” Kaidia replied.
“Those panthers are highly intelligent creatures,” Echo explained with a smile.
“Good. I don't tolerate stupidity,” Kaidia grumbled, then held the dagger the would-be assassin had thrown at her out to Edgar. “Here. A gift.”
“Thank you, my Lady,” Edgar said, taking it with a mildly confused look. One could never have too many good daggers, let alone too many of elven make. He tucked it into his belt and looked to Kaidia. “What now?”
“Now, we attend the meeting being held in just a little while for the leaders of all the troops currently camped outside the city, which now includes you, Edgar,” Kaidia replied.
“Oh?” Edgar asked, raising both brows.
“Indeed. You are, for now, the leader of my knights. We don't have time for figuring out just who the hell is the ideal leader right now. We'll have an army coming at us in short order and I want you to be at the meeting to hear the battle plans. Beyond that, I may not be in the field with you at all. I'm best off as a loose cannon in the battlefield,” Kaidia explained.
“Makes sense to me. You can't always be there so your knights have to have their own leaders and structure,” Edgar clarified more for himself than anyone else.
“Exactly. We just need to name the order of knights and we'll be all set. This is something we can discuss on the way,” Kaidia said as she got up and walked down the steps to the floor. Acolytes were already working to clean up the mess of the assassin's body. Oria and Belphor both stepped over to speak with Kai.
“It was an honor to have you here, Mistress Kaidia,” Oria said.
“Indeed. Apologies about the, well, you know... assassination attempt,” Belphor added.
“Thank you and it wasn't a big deal. I should be apologizing for the mess,” Kai replied.
“Oh no no, it's easily cleaned,” Belphor assured her.
“That's strange to hear coming out of a clergyman,” Edgar muttered.
“I wasn't always a clergyman,” Belphor responded in a smooth tone.
“Lovely,” Echo chuckled.
“Do come back, Mistress Kaidia,” Oria implored.
“If we all survive this damn battle, I will try to return before I leave,” Kaidia assured her, smiling warmly.
With that, Kai, Echo, and Edgar made their way to the doors of the temple, the discussion about the name of the order of Kaidia's knights commencing the moment they stepped outside.
Chapter XI: Planning for Battle, Enjoying a Storm
Kaidia led the way into Lord Wythnold's manor, Edgar and Echo following her closely. Stepping into the living room, she found Rykar, Malcade, and Cantus sitting in chairs around the empty fireplace. Lydia stepped into the room carrying three mugs. She handed the mugs out to the King, the Lord, and the Commander, then eyed Kaidia and the two following her.
“Ale?” she asked.
“Please,” Kai said with a nod.
Lydia nodded and left the room.
“You're early,” Rykar stated before taking a drink from his mug.
“I was done at the temple and it wouldn't look good if I was the last one to arrive,” Kaidia said with a shrug.
“No one would blame you after the assassination attempt,” Malcade replied.
“How do you know about that already?” Kai asked, narrowing her eyes for a moment.
“An assassination attempt on the only living god known to the world in her own temple? How could we not know? There was a guardsman here right after it happened. I like your big cat even more now,” Rykar explained, giving a faint half smile.
“It's just another story that will add to your legend,” Malcade said with a nod. Kaidia shook her head a little at that. She didn't need more stories, though she knew that was something she simply could not avoid. She was certain that if she were on the winning side of this upcoming battle, there would be stories of it as well. Being famous and revered wasn't something the solitary-minded god particularly cared for, though she knew there was no avoiding it at this point.
Lydia walked back into the room and held mugs out to Kaidia, Echo, and Edgar, two mugs in one hand and one in the other. After each of them took o
ne, Lydia left the room again.
“Who might this gentleman be?” Rykar asked, gesturing to Edgar with his mug. Edgar raised a brow as all the eyes in the room turned to him. He shifted a bit, cleared his throat.
“Ah, me? I'm Sir Edgar Demor,” he answered.
“The head of the Dragon Guard,” Kaidia added.
“Dragon Guard?” Rykar asked.
“Kaidia created an order of knights today,” Echo said with a nod.
“Can you do that?” Malcade asked.
“Well, I'm a god,” Kaidia reasoned with a shrug, as if that answered it definitively.
“Good enough for me,” Rykar said with a shrug of his own.
“You've been busy today, then. Foiling an assassin, making an order of knights, and tending to your believers,” Malcade said.
“Well, it would be a bit rude to be in town and not visit my own temple. Especially when everyone knows I'm here. We recruited around two hundred soldiers into my Dragon Guard and they will fight the army headed our way,” Kaidia replied.
“Nearly two hundred and fifty, my Lady,” Edgar corrected.
“Every extra sword helps,” Rykar said.
“Who might you be, sir?” Edgar asked, eyes on Rykar. Rykar looked up, blinked, stared at Edgar for a moment, and then looked to Kaidia.
“Sorry, we hadn't discussed the company I keep yet. We spent the whole walk over talking about battles and strategies,” she said with a chuckle. The young king sighed a little and held up his right hand in plain view. Edgar arched a brow at this response until he saw the ring on Rykar's finger.
“You... you're the new king? I didn't know,” Edgar said, obviously a bit nervous.
“Don't worry about it. You're not the first and likely not the last. I've only been the king for a few days, after all,” Rykar said with a dismissive gesture of his hand.
“When is everyone else supposed to show up?” Echo asked after a few moments of silence.
“About any time,” Cantus said. “The largest of my dining rooms has been set up as a war room, of sorts.”
“I would think that'd hold everyone,” Kaidia said.
“I did say we should limit it to the highest ranked officer of each army and their right hand,” Rykar said.
“Probably wise. Too many officers would just result in arguments. We might have enough of an issue getting everyone on the same page as it is,” Malcade added.
“Right. Every race has different tactics and ideas on how a battle should be fought,” Echo said.
“Well, this sounds like it's going to be entertaining,” Edgar quipped. Rykar glanced up, raised a brow, then looked to Kaidia as he pointed to Edgar.
“I like this guy,” he stated.
* * *
It didn't take long for the rest of the expected guests to arrive. Lydia led them, as they arrived, to the dining room that had been transformed into a war room. The room was large, dominated by a square table that took up much of the room. Rykar, Kaidia, Cantus, Echo, and Edgar had already taken the liberty of laying out maps of the city and the surrounding area. By the time they had finished, the table was all but entirely covered.
After the final guest arrived, everyone gathered around the table. Rykar, Kaidia, Malcade, and Edgar represented the humans. Two dwarves, both male, came to represent their people. Echo was the sole kyrian delegate. A single Esmera elf, a woman, was the agent for her people. A single Selvath and Sorku, both male, represented their respective races. A lone orc, pale blue-skinned and unintentionally menacing in appearance, towered above everyone as the leader of his soldiers. King Zathias stood with Dosfar at his side to represent the people of Anklis. A group of thirteen if one did not count Cantus. Since he wasn't a military leader, no one really did. None of the city guard's high ranking officers were here either. It seemed to be understood and unspoken that the city guard would remain in the city during the battle and would only engage if the walls were breached.
“It may seem a bit juvenile, but since I'm rather new at being a king, I'd like to introduce myself, then go around the table and have everyone introduce themselves as well, just so I know who I'm dealing with and so everyone else knows who they're dealing with. So, for my part, I am King Rykar Vaikos. I am the human king of Haelstross,” Rykar said before gesturing to his right, where Malcade stood.
“I am Malcade Collins, Commander of the Scorpion Mercenary Company and right hand of King Rykar Vaikos.”
And on it went.
“I am Echo-Seras of the Clan Baicorz, General of the kyrian forces.”
“My name is Zathias Goren, King of Anklis.”
“I am Dosfar, General of the Anklis army.”
“I am called Jurgen Athos, Prince of the dwarven nation and General of it's army.”
“My name is Gilgard Vesh, Chief Tactical Advisor of the dwarven army.”
Jurgen looked to be the younger of the dwarves with a long beard and long hair to compliment it, both a rich, deep brown. He was an obvious warrior, strong of body. His eyes revealed a sharp mind as well. Gilgard had a lengthy beard and long hair as well, both fading to an iron grey. He was getting on in years, but there was no doubt that he could still hold his own on the field of battle.
“I was named Aurora Azlathia at birth and I hold the title of General of the Esmera forces.”
Aurora was a beautiful woman with chestnut hair and fine features. Her green eyes were sharp and gave away the decades of wisdom she possessed despite appearing to be no older than twenty-five winters.
“I'm Wylkas Brione, leader of the elite warriors of the Sorku.”
Wylkas appeared a bit older than Aurora, likely due to a wild life in the forests just as much as the fact that he was nearly a millennia her elder. He had long, light brown hair that grew only out of the top of his head. The sides and back of his head were shaven to the skin and tattooed with intricate markings that ran down the back of his neck. He was tall, even for an elf.
“I am Creeth Fazior, Second General of the Selvathian Army.”
Creeth was slighter and shorter than Wylkas with grey skin and dark hair. His eyes burned a strange orange color and he would have been considered a strange sight if not for the being standing beside him.
“I be Gelsh Bonebreaker. Orc prince.”
Gelsh, like all orcs, was rather tall with pale blue skin and bright eyes. His eyes were a pale, bright red. He had long, dark hair that was tied up in a ponytail that hung down his back. His clothing was leather garb of simple design. From boots to tunic, it lacked any sort of flair but was, without a doubt, serviceable.
“My name is Sir Edgar Demor, Lord Knight of the Dragon Guard.”
“I am Kaidia Valengaard, Dragon God.”
“Well, now that we're all done being so damn formal that I think my tunic went stiff, let us get down to the business at hand, and plan our battle,” Rykar said with a wry smile. Lord Cantus simply sat in a chair to take in the meeting. He was not a warrior and he knew it. He wasn't a dumb man, though, and he sought to learn what he could by observing the proceedings. After all, he knew his role and the role of his city guard in the upcoming battle, and he was perfectly fine with it all. He perked up as the planning began.
* * *
The strategy meeting had taken hours. It was not long before dawn when everyone had finally agreed on a strategy for the battle and had left Lord Wythnold's home. Kaidia, being about as much of a people person as a rabid wolf, was the first out the door. Rykar, being the highest ranking royal in the room had been last to leave but yet, he and Kaidia found themselves atop the city wall, looking out over the assembled camps of their makeshift army. Kaidia was sitting on the battlements, leaning against one of the guardhouses built at intervals along the city wall. Rykar was standing beside her, leaning against one of the taller sections of the battlements. Both were watching the sky. A storm was building, seeming to foretell the coming of the enemy. The sky would have normally started to lighten at this point, but all the pair could see were lead
en clouds at the occasional lightning in the distance.
“There will be no sunrise this morning,” Kaidia stated.
“And if there is one tomorrow, it will only shine light on carnage and blood,” Rykar replied.
“You say that as if we haven't made all of our money off of blood and death,” Kai said.
“We've never spilled blood for the glory of a god. Nor have we ever cut such a swathe of wanton destruction and violence. We have always been as precise as possible,” Rykar said, his voice calmly defensive.
“Fair enough. Though I recall several instances where we were stuck in a situation that required wholesale destruction,” Kaidia responded.
“Niercess?”
“Kulvost.”
“Why would you be thinking of that despicable business?”
“Echo asked me about it and about the name I was given for that mess.”
“Ah, a curious cat, was she?”
“Very much so. Do you ever think about it?”
“I try not to. When I find it on my mind, I just remind myself that we did what we had to do.”
“I suppose you're right.”
“I know I am.”
“Well aren't you the picture of confidence?”
“Why shouldn't I be?”
“Someone might perceive you as arrogant.”
“I am, to an extent. But furthermore, I don't care.”
Kaidia chuckled and kept her eyes on the sky. She breathed in deeply, taking air in through her nose. She could smell the rain in the air, see the lightning getting closer
“It's about to rain,” she said softly.
“I say we head to the inn and get some rest before we have to make final preparations for tomorrow,” Rykar replied.
“Don't like getting wet?” Kai teased.
“I prefer not to,” Rykar retorted lightly.
“Want to see something interesting?” Kaidia asked.
“Always,” Rykar responded.
Kaidia nodded and slid off the battlements to in the center of the walkway atop the wall and gestured for Rykar to sit across from her. The king settled down in front of her, legs crossed. Kai closed her eyes for a moment and then Rykar noticed a sheet of energy raising up behind Kaidia and around them both, raising up to close over them, forming a dome. Just moments later, rain began to fall, pattering against the shield of sorcerous energy. The water slid down the sides of the dome as if it were glass.
Realms of Valen - Blasphemous Crusade (War of the Gods Book 2) Page 15