Death

by Rosie Scott

  Silas looked away. “The worst decisions I ever made were the ones I made against you,” he murmured. “Perhaps if I work with you to bring peace to Celendar, I can make amends for those past mistakes.”

  Six

  1st of New Moon, 430

  The waves of the Servis Ocean to the north lapped along the shores of Hallmar. Just above them, a breeze raced toward the coast with a chill, whistling over stone buildings and through cobblestone streets, swirling and bounding over the city wall where it picked up locks of my bright red hair and pulled them to the south in a seductive invite. Just over the battlement, hundreds of miles of plains waved in flashes of glimmering green beneath the orange-pink glow of dawn. Tens of thousands of troops piled out of the western gate in segments, prepared to march on Chairel.

  My army had been prepared for some time and stood farthest out on the grasslands. There were thousands of humans. Many of them converted from Chairel's army to serve me, but many others had flocked to Hallmar over the past seasons. Some were dark-complected Naharans who had skipped recruitment to Hasani's army and came straight to mine. During our time in Hallmar, many beastmen traveled through the underground from the wildlands to join me. My army was only recognizable in the sense that it didn't appear to be a cohesive army at all. Though most of my soldiers were human, there were many of other races, and none of them wore matching armor. My army, then, appeared to be a massive group of simple mercenaries wearing leather or steel armor. In total, my own mixed army was twenty thousand strong.

  The soldiers of Fremont were almost all Vhiri. A handful of dwarves joined the army for one reason or another, but most of them were tired of warfare or refused to fight for Fremont given the circumstances of the recent takeover. Accounting for casualties, prior reinforcements, and those who left to support Kirek, there were eighty thousand Vhiri soldiers still in Fremont. Fifty thousand would come with us while the remainder were stationed throughout the country as a defense. Marcus and five hundred giants were coming with us, though a few dozen were staying in Fremont to handle repairs and building. One of the first things Cyrus had done as king was officially appoint Marcus as a Fremont Sentinel, so the giant army was his to command.

  The underground army was by far the strongest in terms of numbers. I found myself ever grateful for Calder as my eyes scanned over eighty thousand Alderi waiting for orders in the south. Most of them were assassins or melee fighters and illusionists, but many were beastmen as well. As I watched, Calder tried with little luck to separate them into sections. The Alderi did not easily work together or follow directions, and the beastmen's erratic nature made them hard to control. I was reminded of how we'd lost track of the flying beastmen during the Battle of Hallmar when we'd needed them most, and it had caused Maggie to lose her leg. I hoped to the gods we wouldn't have further problems leading the Alderi in Chairel. In either case, their support was a great relief. Calder claimed to have access to even more troops via reinforcements if we needed them, but I had the feeling he would run the underground dry to support me if need be, and I didn't want that to happen.

  Hasani and the Naharans were still fighting Chairel's forces near the border as far as we knew. My initial plan had been to send Holter to deliver a message to Hasani that we were advancing toward Comercio. If we could surround the capital city with his forces from the south and ours from the east, it would fall more easily. The only issue was that we couldn't know for sure how diplomacy in Celendar would go, or how long it would take us to move our massive army through its forest. I also wasn't certain how well Hasani was holding up or how large his army was. It was possible the Chairel Army served as a blockade to his northward advance and that he couldn't meet us at Comercio in time. Nonetheless, talking over my plan with Cyrus had caused him to suggest sending one of his own griffon messengers to deliver news of our advance to Hasani and his army, and I'd agreed. It meant Holter could stay with us, and Hasani was more likely to expect griffons since he knew the Vhiri and their methods had followed me here from Eteri.

  Our joint army was massive and varied, and if Hasani joined us in the center of Chairel to take on Comercio, we would have a hell of a chance of success. But the Chairel Army was the largest in the world, and despite our tremendous numbers, I expected nothing about my final challenge to be easy. Even so, nothing but determination filled me as I looked over our army from Hallmar's western wall.

  “Are you nervous?” Cerin questioned beside me, his own eyes traveling over the armies with awe and pride.

  “Not a bit,” I replied.

  Azazel chuckled from my other side. “Don't get over-confident, Kai.”

  “Too late,” I teased him lightly.

  Nyx leaned on the battlement a few feet away, her eyes following the messenger griffon as it finally took off into the air from Cyrus's location to deliver our message to Hasani in the south. “I haven't seen Sera in over twelve years,” she began, her voice whimsical. As she continued, her tone got harsher. “And I haven't missed it for one damn day.”

  “You'll enjoy yourself when we get there,” I told her.

  “It'll be better with you in charge regardless,” Nyx said, smiling over at me. “I'm looking forward to seeing Sirius's ugly face when we all barge into his precious university. You, me, and Cerin. All people he's wanted dead for years. Have you thought about it?” Her black eyes searched mine as she clarified, “Have you thought about how you'll kill him?”

  “Of course I have,” I replied.

  “Well? Don't leave us hanging,” Nyx goaded me.

  “I don't know how I'll do it yet,” I informed her. “I just know that I've fantasized about killing him in so many ways that it's impossible to do them all. I want to give him plenty of time to consider the pain he's inflicted as he bleeds out.”

  Nyx shivered dramatically. “Sounds like music to my ears, friend. Let me get a word in, will you? I have things I'd like to say to him before he croaks.”

  “As you shall,” I agreed.

  “If I were Sirius, I'd be terrified,” Cerin murmured. “It's not often that you wrong someone and they rampage through the world growing in power to kill and overthrow you.” His silver eyes moved over me with admiration and love.

  “Yes, well, I'm the wrong person to piss off,” I replied matter-of-factly. I waited until the next breeze finished its whistling before I continued, “I hope he's terrified. I hope he hasn't had a full night's sleep in years. I hope he is burdened every second of every day by thoughts of me.”

  Nyx grinned at me and mused, “Good gods, I'm loving every second of this, Kai.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Your talk of vengeance. The best stories of vengeance culminate in epic displays of violent mayhem, and if anyone's up for the challenge, it's you.” Nyx reached out and grazed two dark fingers down the length of my arm where just the slight tinge of blue veins were visible beneath my creamy skin. “It runs through your veins, after all.”

  “Yes, and this has bothered you before,” I pointed out.

  Nyx grimaced and gazed over the battlement. “I've worried about how it affects you, Kai. But you seem to live for it. We all have our vices.”

  “Is it a vice, though?” Azazel questioned. “Whether you believe enacting vengeance is a good use of energy or not, it is a motivator that gets things done in the hands of capable people.” He nodded toward me. “None of us would be here right now if it weren't for such a vice, and all of our lives have been bettered by its effects.”

  I smiled over at him for his support. “I love the way you think.”

  Nyx said, “He knows just what to say to stroke that ego of yours, friend.”

  “Whether it strokes her ego or not, I'm being honest,” Azazel replied.

  “I know,” Nyx conceded. “I didn't say it was a vice in disgust. Vengeance is satisfying. It certainly was for me when I killed my mother underground. It's just also dirty and brutal. Many people would consider it a vice.”

  “I never asked t
hose people for their opinions, did I?” I questioned.

  Nyx chuckled. “Nope.”

  “Good. Then we're all in agreement,” I replied. “I will turn the university hallways into rivers of blood.”

  Azazel laughed softly. “As much as that might be interesting to see, Sirius is human, and he is only one man. His body will not hold up to such a request.”

  “What a shame,” I commented dryly in jest.

  “Try not to destroy Sera when we get there,” Holter spoke up. “We need it.”

  I chuckled at the scout's concern. “Don't worry, Holter. Destroying Sera is crossed off my bucket list. I'll force myself to tame my magic when I go after Sirius. Like I've said, I want him to suffer. As much as I'd love to completely obliterate him, I'll be taking my time. I can only kill him once.”

  “Allow yourself to enjoy it,” Nyx said.

  “Exactly,” I agreed.

  “Kai, I have a question.” Holter's dark brown eyes gazed over the masses of soldiers and to the west. “Your main issue is with Sirius, but he isn't the ruler of Chairel, correct?”

  “No. He rules over Sera and reports to Queen Edrys in Comercio.”

  “So what happens once we get to Comercio?” Holter questioned. “Once we kill the queen, will you be the ruler?” He hesitated and added, “I'm sorry if this is a stupid question.”

  “You're fine, Holter.” I smiled at the younger man and nudged his arm affectionately. “The only stupid questions are the ones that aren't asked at all.” I looked off to the southwest like I'd be able to see Celendar from here. “Chairel's government is a monarchy. Queen Edrys rules in Comercio, and she comes from a long line of human rulers who have passed the kingdom down to one child or another. Sometimes, that hasn't been possible. A king some centuries ago could not father children. In that case, he left Chairel to his right-hand man, a general who stayed in Comercio. The line continued from him. In most cases, they pick the firstborn child as the next ruler. Sometimes, a different child is chosen if the firstborn dies or is not fit to rule.

  “In our case, Queen Edrys has three children, and her husband has passed. From eldest to youngest, her children are Gwen, Brendan, and Izellah. From what I remember combined with our intel from the Chairel prisoners of war, Gwen is the most likely successor. Not only is she the eldest, but she is also a war general based out of Comercio. By all accounts, she is both strong and intelligent. Very few prisoners knew much about Brendan, but those who did know about him didn't have impressive things to say. It seems Brendan doesn't have a ruling bone in his body and is more suited to aiding his betters from behind the scenes. From what I've heard of Izellah, she is stunningly beautiful. But that is all the soldiers have to say, so she is not a concern. Beauty does not equal brains, and beauty cannot run a country.

  “Our first stop is Celendar. I hope they agree to a peaceful compromise. If they don't, we will fight. If it comes to battle, my main concern there will be to kill Celendar's regent. Queen Edrys has one in every city of Chairel. In Comercio, that is her daughter Gwen. In Celendar, there are three ruling Celdic families. It used to be the families of Elwood, Rainger, and Galan. When the Galans fell out of favor, the Fawn family rose to power. The Elwood family is the most prestigious in all of Celendar, and the eldest member still living is Vipin. He is Celendar's regent. Vipin was a child when Celendar lost its independence nearly six hundred years ago in 5641 G.E. It is this that gives me hope that I can reason with him. If not, I will kill him.

  “Then, we will move on to Comercio, preferably to meet up with Hasani and the Naharans. We will kill Edrys and her three heirs. With no royal heirs, the responsibility of ruling Chairel will fall to Edrys's regents. With Celendar's already dead or pacified, that leaves the regents of Sera and Narangar. I'm not certain which regent is Edrys's favored. Narangar was dealt a major blow when I destroyed its harbor in 422, but Sera is on shaky ground given their failures against me. Regardless, we will kill them both. After taking Comercio, we will move to Narangar because it is much closer than Sera. Narangar's regent is a dwarf by the name of Golda Orland. After Golda is dead, the last regent alive will be Sirius. At that time, he will be the king of Chairel. By killing Sirius, Terran will rise to become king. By killing Terran, then, I will become the queen.”

  “What about Terran's kids?” Holter questioned.

  “Whether my brother believes it or not, I have little interest in killing his children unless they are a threat to me,” I replied. “Terran's eldest is Aella. Aella will soon celebrate her tenth birthday. Unless it takes us a decade to reach Sera, I don't foresee having to kill her. The children are too young to already be involved in politics, and unless Sera has changed their education system since I was there last, they don't even know yet if they will wield magic. They are not a threat to me.”

  “Yet,” Cerin pointed out. “Aella will be old enough to understand what's happening, at the very least.”

  “Yes,” I agreed. “And like me, she may let the memory of me killing Terran fuel her own quest for vengeance later on in her life. That doesn't concern me. It's possible she will be too intimidated to rise up against me, or that she will have little care to fight for a royal position. But if she does, I welcome her to challenge me. There will be rebellions under my rule for a while from people who don't accept it. Terran's children may join them. I will kill them when they become a threat. If they choose not to contest my rule, I will spare them.”

  “Out of mercy?” Holter asked.

  “No,” I replied. “Because killing them otherwise is unnecessary. I will have no mercy for Terran's children like I did for him if they become a problem. I don't know them, and even if I did, I gave mercy once and it was a mistake.”

  “If Terran was smart, he would'a joined ya in Nahara,” Maggie commented.

  “Things were very different then,” I told her. “The war had barely begun. I was showing more resistance to Chairel than they were used to in terms of rebellions, but the extent of my motivation and power was unknown to them at the time.”

  “Well...” Nyx trailed off, before motioning dramatically to the massive mixed armies preparing on the plains. “Here we are, Chairel. You brainless, snooty, fetid bastards.”

  “You tell 'em,” Cerin replied with an amused huff.

  “Kai.” Azazel called my attention to the plains south of Hallmar with a sweep of his arm. “The last of Fremont's troops have left the gate. We must prepare to leave.”

  I nodded and looked over my Seran Renegades. “Before we do, I want to share something with you all.”

  My friends were quiet and receptive as they waited for me to speak. Cerin, Nyx, Azazel, Maggie, and Holter stood in a half-circle around me. Each of their stories were unique; each of them were here for their own reasons after their own hardships. If I'd had my way, Theron, Jakan, and Anto would also stand beside me. But the absence of those who had died could not take away their significance to the war or to my life. When I spoke next, my words were meant for them all.

  “I feel like I say this a lot and not enough all at once,” I began, “but I love each one of you. I want you to know that most of all. I have tried to be a good friend and leader to all of you. I'm not a perfect person, and I've never claimed to be. The fact that you've all given me your support despite this means everything to me.

  “In New Moon of 417, I received a letter from my mother. At the time, I was lost and without purpose. I had a burning motivation to be someone and do something with my life. Despite this, I didn't think I had the lifespan with which to do any of it. Nanya's letter spurred me into action. If I could know my origins, perhaps I could know why I had the power I did and how to prolong the inevitable. I also went searching for a family. The only family I knew did not accept me.

  “I left Sera with only three people by my side. Silas Galan, Theron Boa, and Nyx Sephtis.” Nyx saluted playfully when she heard her name, and I smiled before I continued, “On the way, I was blessed with luck when I came across Cerin He
liot, my earliest friend and the reason I fell headfirst into puberty many years ago.”

  Cerin laughed and said, “Don't give me all the credit, Kai. You were the reason for many of my sleepless nights.”

  “And ruined sheets,” Nyx mused under her breath. Holter snickered at that while Cerin only looked guilty.

  “Visiting Nanya changed my life,” I finally went on. “I was only there for two days, but I learned so much. I learned about my godly origins, and about how my birth father was dead and my birth mother was awful. Finally, I learned about how the only father I'd ever known had not only tried to have me killed, but he'd allowed me to think I would die young my entire life just to keep me under his control. Suddenly, I had purpose. I sought to protect two men I loved who were still under his nose, and my mind was forming ideas of rebellion for his actions. Then came the massacre in Sera. Terran brought Sirius's men to us, Silas's loyalties wavered, Cerin was captured, Silas abandoned me, and freeing Cerin had Bjorn executed.

  “One simple personal quest led to this war. I want to kill Sirius for mistreating me, Cerin, and Nyx and murdering Bjorn, but every idea I have for changing Chairel is influenced by the pain or inconvenience someone I love has endured. I want magical freedom in Chairel not only because I think it's right and the current stringent laws have hurt the people, but the ban of necromancy led to Bjorn's death and nearly to Cerin's. The ban of shapeshifting has contributed to magical ignorance and the shaming of beastmen. Those are only two examples, but you get my point.”

  I hesitated a moment, feeling vulnerable in front of my greatest friends as I poured my soul out to them. “There's a reason I'm reiterating all of this to you now. If it weren't for me, my quests and my motivations and my goals, this war would not exist. In that sense, I am astonished that there are people as selfless as each of you who have the desire to follow me and put your life into my hands. I am often admired or even teased for my unceasing loyalty, but dear gods, my loyalty cannot begin to compare to yours.”