by Thomas Green
Sibyl nodded. “But if they succeed, we will be isolated and surrounded.”
“We have to play this on both sides to survive no matter who wins. Is there someone from the Order’s army I can talk to?”
“Yes.” Sibyl spun to return to her mount. They flew over the mountains, landing by a sea of tents at the edge of the plains beyond.
Zerae counted the tents as they approached. This could be about twenty thousand men. If the old reports were any true, Kayleanne commanded about the same number while Ebilezerhar was said to be able to amass about ten thousand men. The Zaraguza highlands, the home of Sil Haen, was about to become a little meadow within a forest on fire. They landed on a clearing by the side of the tent.
Zerae turned to Sibyl with a broad smile when she saw the Palai soldiers barely reacting to them. “I take it you have been here before.”
“We had incidents in the past when we captured their scouts and they ours. After three successful exchanges of hostages, we have gotten used to each other.”
“Does your matron know?”
“The mountains are too cold for her.” Sibyl’s face twisted into a satisfied smile. “So she believes when I tell her nothing is happening.”
Zerae laughed. “And you have your girls kill every messenger bird the warriors from the other clans send, which is why nobody knows about this.” Just like I do. If our matrons had the slightest idea of what we are doing, they would have us executed on the spot.
The Palai soldiers nodded when they saw them approach. “The general is within her tent.”
Sibyl led Zerae through the forest of tents until they arrived in one that looked the same as every other tent they passed. The guards by the entrance motioned them inside as they were apparently already informed of their arrival.
Within, by a paper-filled table lit by an oil lamp sat a woman dressed in heavy plates covered by spikes. Her face was clean, her hair auburn, and her size made Zerae gape when she rose, towering at easily seven feet. Zerae shook her head to clear the feeling of being a tiny bunny staring at a lion while she forced her mouth shut.
The woman raised an eyebrow. “I believe we haven’t met. I am Merewen Methot, the Army General of the Holy Order of Palai.”
Her commanding voice woke Zerae from her trance. “I am Zerae Hellwind, the War Leader of the Sil Haen.”
Merewen smiled. “The Dreamwalker told me I am to expect good news, so I wonder if you are the messenger I await.”
Zerae shrugged, keeping her face as impassive as she could. “In a way. We can arrange for you the path through the mountains, but I will need something in return, and I have no way to stop Kayleanne’s demons from randomly spotting you.”
Merewen smiled. “The demons aren’t a problem for as long as it’s random, because we are good at catching lone messengers. From what I understood from the Dreamwalker, we have enough hostages not to need to negotiate any further, but I will listen to what you desire.”
My plan looks a lot less smart when she puts it like this. Zerae gulped. “I require a guarantee your army won’t attack the Voidspire or its lands and I need you to deliver any future captives from our side to a location I mark you on the map.”
Merewen shook her head. “For a guarantee, you are talking to the wrong person. But I will move the prisoners wherever you want once my forces cross the mountains without Kayleanne finding out.”
Zerae frowned. “You said you were the Army General. Who am I—” she stopped mid-sentence as it dawned upon her. The Dreamwalker. He was the great general of the Palai Order, which is why Kayleanne and Ebilezerhar were hunting him down with all they had. If they caught him, the war would be over.
Merewen’s face turned into a pleasant smile when she saw Zerae wobble. “Don’t worry. Lucas is the man of his word.”
That would better be true because I have no way to stop him from accessing my memories or influencing me with visions. Zerae pulled a cigar and lit it with the oil lamp from the table. The routine of breathing in the smoke to blow it out through her nose calmed her down.
Merewen’s face hardened to a steel mask with narrowed eyes. “Who are you?”
She recognized something I did. Zerae inspected her. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing.” Merewen’s expression became neutral. “Is there anything else you would like to discuss, War Leader?”
“No. Thank you, general.” Zerae bowed and returned to her mount. Something in the way I lit the cigar has to be strange. She dug through her mind, analyzing every second, every tiniest detail of that moment. Nothing. There was nothing special about the moment. All she did was light a cigar as she did every time.
Despite spending the entire trip back thinking about it, she couldn’t think of anything, aside from concluding that the moment had to remind Merewen of someone. They returned to the camp. Before Zerae went to pick up Astril and Leena, she stopped Sibyl. “I need an official-looking parchment and a moment to write.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“I will revive one of our older customs.”
Sibyl grinned and led her to her tent. After Zerae wrote the parchment, and they both signed it, she reunited with Astril and Leena, and brought them back to the mounts, ignoring their bickering about freezing to death.
***
A day of flight later, Voidspire opened before them from among the clouds. The feeling of nostalgia almost drove tears to Zerae’s eyes. They landed on the platform by the tower that held Zerae’s office. Zerae called Astril and Leena to her. “I need you two to spread around that there will be a large announcement in two hours in the hall of the council. Everyone is to attend, and this time I mean everyone.”
The tone of her voice transferred the urgency, so the girls nodded and left without complaints.
Zerae strolled toward the war room of the Darkscream clan. Fortune favored her, for she found Claire within, sitting by a table covered by maps.
The Darkscream clan’s champion’s eyes widened in surprise. “War Leader?”
Zerae bit her inner cheek to hold back the smile. Sonja and Tanja caught the messenger birds, so her demotion had yet to reach their home. Perfect. “Is Elaine around?”
“No.”
The Goddess may have not forsaken me, after all. Zerae kept her voice commanding. “I need you to sign something and gather everyone you can into the hall of the council within two hours.”
“What do you want me to sign?”
“I am reviving the Queen’s first decree.”
Claire grinned, signed the parchment Zerae presented her without reading it and left to do as she bid.
During the time of the Queen, everyone complained about her laws. Yet now, Zerae supposed everyone saw they held a grain of wisdom. Or the Sil Haen enjoyed killing humans. She wished she was sure what the main reason was. Zerae walked to her office to finish writing the parchment and then descended to the Hall of the Council to wait for it to fill. Since the matrons were all away and the champions busy, she sat alone beneath the throne of the Goddess. The feeling of power intoxicated her senses, overwhelming her doubts and fear. She was about to commit treason and yet she never experienced anything so exhilarating.
When the Sil Haen remaining in the city swarmed the great hall to the limit, Zerae kicked her seat with her heel and rose. “As the War Leader of the Sil Haen, I hereby declare martial law.”
A murmur traveled through the hall, but none shouted in protest.
Zerae smiled. “And as the first act under the martial law, together with my second and third in command, I officially revive the Queen’s first decree. Under the supervision of Claire Darkscream, all Sil Haen capable of wielding weapons are to travel to the borders of our territory, where they are to kill and burn any non-Sil Haen that dare to enter our lands.”
Thunderous applause and cheers were her response. She walked to the Tree of Law to hang the parchment, putting up the first and likely the last law she ever got to declare.
If she ever won
dered about the Sil Haen being related to humans, this moment solved it. A strike of sadness blended with the intoxicating feeling of power. Zerae didn’t wait to watch them march out, for she knew they would, and she returned to their mounts instead.
Astril and Leena rejoined her soon, wearing serious expressions on their faces. Astril stepped before Zerae, measuring her with a cold look. “Why did you do this?”
“It’s the only way to ensure our city and lands survive this war.”
“Mathilde will have you executed when she finds out.”
Zerae sighed. “I know. But if that’s what it takes to protect our home, then so be it.”
22
Luna
Luna woke up wrapped in bandages. She felt neither pain nor cold, but her soul was empty. The moment of Daniel being beheaded before her and his head falling into her lap haunted her every dream, her every thought, and her every moment.
A deep voice disrupted her thoughts. “Not feeling like getting up?”
Her eyes widened as she turned her gaze to the side. Not sure if she wasn’t still asleep, she saw Raven sitting on the ground next to her stretcher, his face the image of heavenly beauty, his alabaster-colored armor battered. They were alone in the small tent. “What are you doing here?”
“Long story.”
Luna forced out a smile. “I’ve got time. Where’s Nibbles?”
Raven’s expression turned sour. “You killed him, remember?”
Why would I have done that? Luna’s heart froze. “I’m sorry… I lost some memories.”
“Heard as much.”
She sighed. “I know I’m asking stupid questions, but I don’t see you having shackles anymore.”
He shook his head. “Go by Prince Raven now.”
She smiled, relaxing. “I’m not sure if I should congratulate you on that.”
“Me neither.”
She sat onto her bed and reached for her uniform. The torn and slashed cloth held together by sheer willpower more than anything else. “Do you know who that woman, Kayleanne, is?”
“Demon princess. Promised Lucas I would help him kill her, but there’s something to her he isn’t telling me.”
She arched an eyebrow.
Beneath the mask of aether, a hint of sadness flashed through his eyes, sorrow, and confusion. “Feel like I know her, but can’t figure out from where or how. Had seen her, or someone like her, in a few visions, but can’t place them.”
“Visions?”
He shrugged. “Sometimes, I see things, people, places… but they aren’t real. At least not now. Feel like memories of someone else, but someone who looked like me and who bore the same power.”
She raised an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”
“Can you see aether?”
Luna shook her head. “No, of course not.”
“I can and whoever’s memories I’m seeing could as well.”
“I know this will sound stupid, but have you tried asking Lucas?”
“Says nothing.”
“So he knows what it’s about.”
“Think so.”
Luna finished dressing and put on the excuse of an armor that was her brigandine. They walked outside. Wounded wandered between the tents of the makeshift encampment while the morning sun held all in its soft embrace.
From the corner of her eye, Luna glimpsed Lieutenant Redeye, Chief Bull and Sparks sitting near Lucas. Her heart sank as she remembered Daniel, but she swallowed the tears that crept up her throat. Nancy was alive, and she was sure to take it harder than Luna. If for no other reason, Luna had to put on a tough face and power through this.
Raven nudged her to approach them. She tried to resist, but something in his demeanor made her follow. Before they arrived, the meeting broke up, and Lieutenant Redeye rose to intercept them. His armor was bent in at multiple places while he had a bandage wrapped around his neck.
Luna straightened her back for a sharp salute. “Lieutenant.”
He smiled while returning the salute. “At ease. We have a mission to depart for in an hour. Before that, the Dreamwalker wanted to see you.”
“The… Dreamwalker?”
“Lucas.”
“Oh.” Luna’s body stiffened as the conflicting emotions within her clashed. She wasn’t sure if she should thank him for saving her, hate him for coming too late to save Daniel or a mixture of both. She nodded and turned to the direction where the lieutenant showed her. Raven stayed behind with the lieutenant.
Lucas sat beneath a tree, sharpening a spear while next to him sat a black-haired woman. When she noticed Luna approach, she rose and slid away with a mysterious smile.
Luna stopped five feet from Lucas, not knowing what to say or do. He flicked his wrist, and a jug appeared next to him. He tossed it to Luna. She removed the cork and drank half of the contents, feeling the bitter taste of cheap wine fill her throat and stomach. When she wanted to return the jar, she saw he held another one.
Luna sat down by his side, piercing him with a glare. “If I can speak freely, then mind if I ask who Kayleanne is to you? Because she giggled like a young girl in front of a hot boy when you appeared yesterday.”
Lucas sighed, sadness filling his eyes. “There was a time when she was someone dear to me. But that time is gone, and now she is another person I will lose.”
Rage burned through her, searing her mind. “And that’s it? It’s all fine because you know each other? Not even an I’m sorry for your loss?”
“No.” He smiled. “I know what it’s like to lose someone. I know the emptiness, the feeling of having a part of your turned soul hollow and that no amount of sorries can help it.”
“Oh, really? Who have you lost?”
“My family, my home, my wife, my name… everything.”
Something in his expression, in his tone, told her he wasn’t lying. For but a moment, she wasn’t looking at one of the most powerful men in the world, but at a man who lost everything. I should think before I speak. Luna gulped. “I am sorry. That was out of place.”
He shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why are you so open with me?”
“Because you aren’t the first one I see walking this path, and I figured that if I find the words you need to hear, you may live up to see the road’s end.”
Luna sighed. “I know this will sound stupid, but what path?”
He downed the rest of his wine jar and made another one appear. Then he shook his head. “Forget it. I’m merely rambling. I called you because I found this.” He moved his hand, and a massive, leather-bound tome on a chain appeared before Luna.
Tears filled Luna’s eyes as she recognized Daniel’s book. The cover still lay splattered with his blood, but the insides seemed untouched.
Lucas smiled. “Look, I understand you want to keep your face, but really, I was once a medic. I watched a god break down in tears when I was about to remove bone shards from his lover’s brain, so really, I’m used to it. You don’t have to force out the calmness before me.”
Luna grabbed the book into a hug and exploded into tears. Without a word, Lucas sat next to her, sharpening the spear if nothing happened.
Well over an hour later, Luna finally calmed down to whisper coherently. “Thank you.”
Lucas formed the saddest smile she had ever seen. “Bury it when you can.”
She stared at him, eyes wide. “Why?”
“It’s the one way I had found to deal with your own past. Make peace with what happened and bury whatever is left.” He rose. “It also helps to beat things out on others, so I suggest you do that on your next mission.”
Luna watched him walk away. She wiped her face into her sleeve, flung the chain holding the book over her shoulder and searched for Nancy.
She found her crumbled on the ground by a tree. Her eyes were red while dried tears covered her face. She was staring into nowhere, not noticing her approach.
Luna sat down behind her, gr
abbing her into a gentle hug. She bit down the sadness coiling through her, bracing herself to be as calm as she could. As calm as Nancy needed her to be. She placed her lips to Nancy’s ear. “I’m sorry.”
The girl relaxed into her arms and wept again. Luna clenched her, not knowing what else to say or do.
Steps approached, and Raven soon towered above them. “Sorry, but we need to go.”
Luna helped Nancy rise, following him to return to Lieutenant Redeye who was organizing the remainders of their company. With a quick count, Luna estimated there to be about seventy sailors, meaning they lost thirty men in the last battle.
In awkward silence where no one knew what to say, they marched away.
After a day of walking and a short rest and now, they were observing a small village bathing in moonlight. Nancy hadn’t spoken a word in the whole day, squeezing out any drops of hope out of Luna’s heart. All Nancy did was to stare in the ground and cry. Lieutenant Redeye left Nancy with the reserve while Raven dragged Luna away to sway her mind toward the mission. Ahead of them lay a village with a wide river flowing by its side. In the village’s port stood a two-mast galleon with black sails crossed by lightning.
Lieutenant Redeye intercepted Luna and Raven. “The plan is the following. You two attack the village to cause a distraction while we steal the ship to row it upstream. Once we are away from the riverbank, you disengage and escape while we hunt the pirate captain as he pursues you two, fulfilling our mission. All clear?”
Luna straightened her back. “Aye, sir.”
Raven nodded.
The lieutenant smiled. “Start in half an hour.”
They watched him leave and approached the end of the forest, gazing at the palisade that encircled the village.