“Wait! We should talk to my father first!” I heard him over my shoulder as I ducked under a sword blow. The soldier that swung the weapon gasped in fright and stammered an apology after he recognized me. “Nadea!” Runir screamed a second too late. I ignored him.
“Nia!” I yelled as loud as I could. The pair of soldiers that I interrupted stared at me in disbelief.
“Nia!” I screamed again. My free hand beckoned them to join me as I inhaled and readied my next scream.
“Nia!” the three of us yelled again as Runir caught up to me. The warriors that trained within forty feet of us halted their training and looked at the spectacle.
“Nia!” the four of us screamed.
After two more rounds, the soldiers on the open field stopped exercising and began screaming the name of our home. I continued the chant and beckoned for those around me to follow me as I walked toward one of the large oak trees placed on the edge of the clearing. It took some time for the crowd to part and swarm behind me. By the time I made it to the gnarled tree, my leg had started to hurt and I knew that I was pushing myself too much. Gerald would be upset with me if I damaged the wound anymore, but I felt this was worth the risk.
“Give me a boost,” I asked Runir and the soldier that had almost sliced me with his sword. They didn't hear me over the roar of the crowd, so I leaned over, cradled my hand, and then pointed to my chest and at a large oak tree branch. They understood what I meant then and lowered their arms for me.
I dropped my cane, stepped into the hands of the two men, and then let them lift me. I grabbed onto the massive gnarled branch of the ancient tree, swung my lower body forward a bit and then pulled myself up on top of it. It would have been a difficult move for most fit men to execute, but I’d spent most of my life climbing on things. It also helped that I was much stronger than a pure-blooded human.
I shimmied out on the limb as far as I dared to go. The branch hung lazily fifteen feet above the ground like a swimming snake. When I reached a safe spot, I stood up and surveyed the army. Their chanting was out of sync, their voices combined like a storm throwing waves against a cliff wall. I held up my hands, palm out, and then lowered them slowly. It took me a few times, but the gathered mass of five hundred fell silent. So silent that I heard my heart beating in my ears. Terror crept up from my stomach and into my chest. My fingertips tingled and the world began to spin slowly.
“Give me strength, Father. I know I can do this.” The words of affirmation relaxed the panic.
Things could not get any worse. I had nothing to lose.
“Today is a dark day!” I yelled. I looked down from the branch and saw the men and women in the back push farther into the crowd in an effort to hear. The crowd shrunk closer for half a minute until I began again.
“Today is a dark day,” I repeated “but you believe that today is dark because we have lost our homes, our families, and our king.” Their heads nodded and I could see Runir right below me pale at the negative start of my speech.
“But today is not dark because of those things. Those losses are only the most apparent travesties. No, the situation today is dire, it is dismal, and it is hopeless.”
They grumbled now and Runir’s face formed a beautiful mosaic of pure panic. I raised my hands again and the quiet came almost instantly.
“It is hopeless because I see that these tragedies have destroyed your spirit. This isn’t how Nia trains: half-assed and tired. This isn’t how Nia lives: in the shadow of our rightful home, dreaming of all that we lost. This isn’t how Nia thinks: that we are beaten.” I paused again before I screamed a question.
“Are you beaten, Nia?”
“NO!” was the unanimous roar from the angry soldiers. On the opposite side of the clearing, I saw troops that had been unpacking the campsite stop and make their way over the barrier toward my impromptu gathering. I waited for a minute for them to join the throng before I raised my hands to silence the crowd again.
“I don’t believe you Nia.” My comment caused more grumbles. “How can I believe that you aren’t beaten when I’ve seen grandmothers sweep out their homes more aggressively than you train? How can I believe that you aren’t beaten when we talk of going to Brilla?” I paused again, letting the last word seethe with anger. My butterflies were gone.
“Brilla?” I said loudly. “Brilla?” I said again louder. “Brilla?” I screamed in outrage.
“Why the fuck are we going to Brilla? Did you all forget that Nia is the ‘Crown of the Eight Kingdoms?’ Did you forget that we are the best soldiers in the world? Did you forget that we have twenty thousand troops in the Northlands waiting for the thaw to come so they can extract a terrible vengeance on Losher? Did you forget that we know this country better than any invading army? Did you forget that Losher has to eat, that they have to sleep, that they have to protect what they conquered? Did you forget that our families are dead? Did you forget that we can’t sleep because their screams invade our dreams? Did you forget that revenge can feed us until we feast on their bones? Did you assholes forget?”
The yells from the crowd almost made me lose my balance and fall out of the tree. My ears started to ring and my chest felt the force of their anger. Their shouts quickly turned into screams and I could see the rage gathering on the surface of the press of the bodies like smoke from a fire. It took me five minutes to calm them down enough to continue. But then I knew that I had them and I squeezed my injured leg to keep from smiling.
“I’m not going to Brilla with you fucking traitors.” The crowd gasped again, worry flooded their faces.
“I will stay here and fight, as our families would have wanted. I’ll pick off Losher soldiers, one at a time, until they whisper my name in fear every night. I’ll steal their food so that they will starve. I’ll poison their water so that they begin to distrust their officers. I’ll kill all of them. Then I will kill the Ancients that brought them here. I possess everything I need here to extract my vengeance. There is nothing Brilla can offer me but pity and months of negotiations.” I changed my tone and accent to mock how Brilla would speak to us.
“Sure, we will help you Nia, but how much money can we take from your coffers afterward? Maybe we can help you Nia, but we have our own problems, like land. Can you give us any of yours once we are done assisting you? Why would we help you take your kingdom back, Nia? Sure you’ve helped us in the past. But the past is the past and we have always envied your magnificent castle.”
The crowd was silent as they turned over these conversations in their heads, multiplying the circumstances of these negotiations until they were probably worse than ridiculous.
“As the Ruler of Nia, I could go to Brilla and engage in these discussions for months while Losher enjoys the beauty of our city and pillages our kingdom. Do you want me to go to Brilla while our beautiful country is raped?”
I didn’t think that their screams could get any louder. But they did.
“Would you rather stay here with me and destroy our enemies?”
I let the cheers of exuberance last for a few minutes. Now I smiled as my heart swelled. This would work. We could do this. I would lead these people, take back the castle, kill the Loshers, kill the Ancients, and save my father.
“It will be hard. We will go hungry. We will be cold. We will lose even more friends between now and victory. But I can guarantee you that we will win. Nothing can beat us because,” I paused before I made my closing statement: “We are Nia and we do not fall!” I yelled as I raised my fists in the air high above my head. The movement and words repeated two thousand more times, like a snap of thunder.
I kept my hands in the air for almost ten minutes until I felt that the crowd became too chaotic. I put my hands up for silence again.
“Train today because Loshers will die tomorrow!” It was a dismissal, but only half of them understood and made a movement to disperse. I looked down at Runir. I had ignored him for the second part of the speech, but it was easy to see the awe mixe
d with fear on his face.
“Help me down!” I shouted toward him, trying to get over the roar of the crowd. He read my lips and body movements enough to catch me when I scrambled down the limb and lowered myself to the ground.
“What the fuck was that?” he yelled. “Maerc is going to skin you alive!” I tried not to smile. Runir was smart, but only in the ways of battle and military tactics.
“Let’s go talk to your father!” I shouted in his ear. The surrounding crowd grew oppressive. If I was a man, and not a female member of the royal family, I might have been hoisted up on someone’s shoulders like a hero.
“Can you quiet them?” I thought he said as I read his lips. I nodded and raised my hands in the air. We had a small clearing around Runir and me, within a few minutes, the field miraculously fell silent again. I could get used to this influence.
“I need to plan with the general. You all need to continue your training. Let me pass so that we can extract vengeance tomorrow.” I didn’t have to speak loud. The surrounding soldiers separated, creating a path for Runir and me. I picked up my discarded cane and leaned on it heavily. My leg screamed almost as loud as the army had moments ago.
As I passed, the soldiers saluted me in silence. The change in attitude was apparent. Today would not end like it did yesterday.
Maerc and four of Nia's generals met us on the path to the camp. The general’s face pulsed as red as fresh blood and his fist clenched around the hilt of the sword at his hip. For a second I almost thought he would draw it there and attack me. But then I remembered the army at my back watching the exchange and gave him my best smile.
“We need to talk . . . Duchess,” he seethed.
“Of course, General, I believe we should plan our next steps in your command tent.” I turned to one of the vice-generals. My father always made it a point to memorize the names of his warriors and I was grateful I had adopted the practice. “My dear Julliar, can you please find my medic and bring him to General Maerc's pavilion? I have opened the stitching in my leg.” I spoke loudly as I pointed to my injured limb.
“Of course, Duchess!” the bald muscular man shouted before he saluted and dashed off through the tents.
“After you?” I raised an eyebrow to Maerc, who only clenched his jaw muscles before he turned and marched toward his tent. His feet slammed into the loose dirt at every step and was a good thirty yards ahead of me before he realized that I couldn't limp fast enough.
“Sorry Maerc, I can’t seem to keep up with you. The injured leg is catching up to me today.”
“You should have been resting in your fucking tent.” He glared at Runir.
“I was, but I wanted to talk to my army,” I said with a sigh. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been trying to annoy him but the pain was starting to become a serious distraction. I had definitely ripped all the stitching out and I felt a warm wet stream of blood making its way down the front of my pants.
We made it to his tent and he opened the flap. “Get inside, now,” he commanded.
His pavilion looked much the same as it had a few days ago. I limped over to Maerc’s chair behind his desk and fell into it with a moan that I tried not to overdo.
There were two more stools, but none of the other five men sat. Maerc paced around the desk for half a minute while he composed his thoughts. I had to admit that I didn’t think that he would have been able to control his anger this well. But I probably underestimated him. He was one of the king’s and my father’s oldest friends and best generals.
“Do you even realize what you just did?” He turned and pointed a gloved finger at me. Little pieces of spit flew out of his mouth and dotted the chest of his perfectly arranged uniform
“Yes,” I said plainly.
“Oh really? What the fuck did you just do then?”
“I gave a motivating speech to our troops.” I shrugged and smiled lightly, trying to emulate how Jessmei acted: innocent and charming.
“First of all, that wasn’t motivating, it was disruptive. Second of all, they are my troops. I command and make the strategic decisions. You are just the figurehead to give them hope. Finally, you made it almost impossible to lead them to Brilla. We will need to carefully formulate another speech for you to deliver to them.” He seemed to lose himself in thought as he probably began to piece together a speech that would repair the damage I just inflicted. The other generals shook their heads at me in disapproval and then looked at Maerc. Runir’s face was white as he nervously glanced between the two of us. The relationship between a father and a son was definitely more complicated than that of a father and daughter.
“I am not going to Brilla. So my speech perfectly framed the situation,” I said. It was time to put an end to this.
“What are you talking about?” Maerc stopped his pacing and looked at me with bewilderment on his face.
“I’m not going to Brilla. I am staying here to destroy the Loshers, take back the castle, and save my father. We talked about this a few days ago.” I smiled slightly.
“When we talked about this a few days ago you agreed to go with us to Brilla! You said you would support us!” Runir shouted and the other generals turned at his outburst.
“I lied. I needed time to get the troops behind me. Now they are.” The men stared at me with their mouths opened in amazement.
“You fucking bitch,” Maerc finally said.
“You lied?” Runir asked. The look on his face made my chest suddenly hurt and constrict. It became a little harder to breathe.
“Of course I lied.” I smiled at them. It was all teeth. “I disagreed with your plan, but it was rather clear that I had no leverage. Now I have all the leverage and will be making the correct decisions. Here is the first one: Maerc, I agree that we need to go to Brilla and ask for help. However, neither the army nor I will be making the trip. There is too much work here. Besides, I am not interested in getting caught up in a political game where my inexperience will lead to failure. I’ve prepared these letters.“ I reached into my vest and produced four letters. “This is for the King of Brilla and his Council, the open envelops are copies I made for you to review during your journey. I have chosen a squad of your men to accompany you. You’ll be much more effective at negotiating aid from Brilla than I will.”
I slid the papers across my new desk and the general frantically snatched at them before they fell off the edge.
“Weatan, we need a detailed survey of the existing farmlands in Nia. There has to be someone in the army that has this knowledge and can get us a map. I am going to put you in charge of our long term supply train. Understand?”
Weatan was probably twenty years Maerc’s senior and had proven himself as a powerful warrior who helped train Greykin’s generation. The older man looked suddenly confused and stepped toward the tent flap, then realized what he was about to do and stopped himself. He glanced toward Maerc for instruction but the general still stared at me in disbelief.
“Yabar, you will be in charge of documenting the supply chain of the Losher army. I’ll need to see where they are the most vulnerable within the week so we can start strategizing our offensive maneuvers.” The man had practically been born in the military and his skin looked like aged leather. He crossed his arms and smirked at me.
“Corvan, I need to figure out where to stash this army. I know that you have contacts with traders and have been responsible for most of the road patrols for the last ten years. You’ll be acquainted with the best places to keep us concealed.”
“You’ve gone on quite enough, Nadea.” Maerc gained some of his composure back and was chuckling lightly to himself. I remembered the many times I shared family meals with the man. He was as much of an uncle to me as the king. However, I had my kingdom to save and while Runir's father may have thought that he was doing the same thing, his plan would only tie our army up for precious months.
“You are done. Go back to your tent. We’ll put together a nice speech for you to say to the troops tomorrow. I ca
n forget about this mistake you have made.”
“Guards!” I screamed. Before the five men realized what was happening, four soldiers stepped through the back and front flaps of the massive command pavilion. They already had their swords drawn and wore full chainmail.
“Where are my guards?” Maerc asked with a tint of syrupy fear.
“They’ve been put in charge of packing for your journey. These are personal guards from my father’s keep, like me, they didn’t agree with the trip to Brilla. There are a dozen more of my men outside your tent, but I didn’t want to cause a scene.”
I sat back and stared into Maerc’s eyes. The anger slowly turned into hatred and I wondered if there would be blood on the floor. My warriors already had their blades ready, but the generals were gifted swordsmen. Julliar was known as one of the best duelists in the kingdom, and if he was present they might have actually drawn. I didn’t know where Runir would have ended up in that brief struggle, and thoughts of losing another one of my loved ones made me play my game quicker.
“Corvan, Yabar, and Weatan, you are dismissed. I’ll need an update on your progress this evening.” I turned to look at the three men. They glanced at Maerc, then at Runir, then at the guards.
“I’m not going to repeat myself,” I said coldly. Fear slowly crept into my stomach and I tried to hide it from my face.
“Yes, Duchess,” Weatan said quickly before disappearing through the tent flap. Corvan and Yabar saluted me and then made a quick exit shortly after the older man.
The tension still remained in the tent.
“You made an agreement with us,” Maerc hissed through his teeth.
“Do you serve Nia?” I asked angrily.
“Fuck you! You half-blooded bitch. You are the only one that needs to be questioned that way. You aren’t even human. You aren’t even of royal blood; you’re one of the monsters we are trying to fight. I will walk out of this tent, then tell them who your father really is!”
The Destroyer Book 2 Page 22