by RG Long
“I don’t understand the meaning of your question,” he said truthfully. He would rather push back on what Ferdinand was getting at rather than admit what his personal feelings might be.
There were still troops to command after all.
“If I have timed my visit correctly, Ferdinand said looking back at Cyna and the other two who are behind him. You have not yet heard of the unfortunate circumstances that have fallen War and Greed. Apparently, news came of the general in Rerial’s desire to rule over them. They were not pleased. Something about being unwilling to send troops when their own homes were in danger. Perhaps this messenger who is riding up behind your lines will let you know of the details.”
Commander Sefen raised an eyebrow and looked behind him as he saw a messenger riding quickly in his direction. Two speakers were beside him, also on horses but controlling birds of prey flying above them.
Commander Sefen looked back at Ferdinand with a look of anger.
“What do you mean they do not desire to follow me?”
Ferdinand said nothing, but rather looked on with anticipation as the messengers got closer.
The soldiers who had gathered around them and the speakers who had escorted Ferdinand from his airship were now murmuring amongst themselves, even while looking at the messengers as they came up upon them.
They allowed the riders to come straight to Commander Sefen and dismount right at his feet.
The first man bowed down and panted out his message.
“The High Tower has fallen, and High Judge Aerert and his fellow judges are dead. In their place, a new High Court is being voted on. By order of the temporary High Judge, you are to return to the Court of Three with your soldiers and protect our borders. The Court will hold a tribunal on your innocence in this matter.”
At this, the murmurs grew louder around him as the speakers and soldiers reacted to this news. Commander Sefen had little time for this.
“Silence!” Those under his command obeyed and quickly moved to attention.
Turning around to look at Ferdinand, Commander Sefen narrowed his eyes in rage.
“What is the meaning of all this?” he asked. “Are you threatening me?”
“If you think I have come to threaten or coerce, you were quite wrong,” Ferdinand said as he folded his arms. “I merely see a well-experienced general suddenly in need of supplies for the army that is far enough from their home nation to need help. With both Greed and War in shambles and this talk of a new High Court, I don’t think your supply trains will get here in time to help keep your army going. Rerial only has so many cities for you to pillage before you run out of supplies here. And then what will become of you? And this army?”
“Come to your point,” Sefen, said growing impatient.
Ferdinand bowed.
“I offer you my services,” he said simply. “I supply your army with food and weapons. You continue on whatever warpath seems best to you.”
“Ha!” Sefen laughed. “And I suppose in exchange for supplies you require unwavering loyalty?”
He understood. If his army, now bereft of a governing body, ran out of food, they would revolt. If he was going to keep them fighting and serving him, he needed supplies. If Ferdinand could supply them, he knew that Sefen would owe him his loyalties.
“I require none of the sort,” Ferdinand said. “They simply don’t want such a well-trained army going to waste. Level Rerial if you desire. Move beyond that to find other nations to destroy. Taystone, Darc, it matters little to me. What I desire is war. Destruction, and death. I will supply your army so long as you continue to kill and destroy.”
Commander Sefen raised an eyebrow at Ferdinand. He could not be serious. Every man had a price. What would just continuing a campaign of destruction and violence do for him? What did he have to gain?
“Who are they?” he asked.
Ferdinand smiled.
“My superior,” he said simply.
“To whom does the leader of the Blackthorn gang answer?” Sefen asked again.
Ferdinand looked around them and smirked.
“One who desires destruction as much as you, Master General,” he said. “All you need do is continue to wage war and death on whatever city or country pleases you most.”
The elf took a step towards Ferdinand.
“My troops remain supplied, and you will continue to give us aid wherever we go?”
“And transport you from one area of the continent to another if needed,” Ferdinand offered. “I do not think the nation of Rerial will be enough for your army once you defeat it. With that monster of yours, you should make quick work of the peninsula. Level it, and I will ensure you have more places to go. And to your men and yourself, the spoils of war.”
“And how will you get us the supplies in time and without a base in the War or Greed yourself? How will you transport us? My army grows with each battle we fight.”
Ferdinand directed his hand to the sky. Sefen, finally, looked up to see the air filled with dark spots flying in every direction, circling above them like carrion birds.
“Airships, of course.”
26: Oars and Orders
Ealrin remembered that he much preferred flying over sailing. Or, as it was in this case, rowing.
The fisherman had been willing to take them as long as they had committed to do their fair share of the work. Ealrin was quite sure that they were doing much more than their fair share. But as they were the guests aboard the boat and had only a few weapons at hand, he did not feel like arguing the point. Instead, he rowed his oars as diligently as he could.
He had been determined to make sure that Elise and Blume were kept safe and out of the way of the sailors. He instructed Blume to save her magic for the worst possible scenario. What that might be, they had not discussed.
Still, he was sure that if the situation arose, they would know when it was time for Blume to use her skills.
The water that sprayed up at them was salty and cold. The spring suns had not shone on the sea long enough for it to feel truly warm. Ealrin also had the feeling that they were now so far south that they were feeling cold from the opposite direction as he was used to. Could they really be all the way on the opposite side of the world as the cold city of Beaton?
These were the thoughts that filled his mind as he continued to row.
Ealrin kept checking the skies as well. He was actually very surprised that his father had not sent an airship looking for them yet. With the skill of the speakers and the willingness of Poral now that they had made promises to them, Ealrin was sure that the fleet of Rerial was available to his father once again. If they could spare vessels to hunt them down, he had a feeling his father would.
He was having a hard time forgiving his sister for so easily giving into their father. She could have lied. Had she not lied for the many years before in order to hide the rebellion? Why was the truth necessary now?
And why did Blume have to use her magic without any warning? Because they had teleported out of that room with Tucker and the Governess, they had looked even more guilty than before. If she had only held back just a moment, Ealrin could have spoken to his father and cleared up everything.
He pulled harder and faster on the oars as anger continued to well up within him. He was still stewing in his anger when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked over to see Blume pointing at the man who said at the very forward to the boat.
“Are you deaf!?” he said with a sneer. “I said stay in rhythm or are you cost us an extra day of rowing! Stroke together!”
Ealrin cursed himself. He wasn’t paying attention. Instead, he was angrily throwing all of his energy into shoving his oars into the water.
“I could take over for a little,” Blume offered.
“No, thank you,” Ealrin replied, setting his mind back to the task at hand and pretending his wasn’t sitting right beside the two girls he was upset with.
“How much longer are you going to be mad?” El
ise asked from over beside Ealrin. “It’s beginning to wear me out.”
Ealrin ignored her and shoved the oar once more into the water, at least this time attempting to keep the rhythm.
“Land!” Someone from the boat ahead of them shouted. Ealrin didn’t even look. He was still focusing on intensely rowing and quite content to do so until they reach the shore of Darc.
And then another cry rose up from the ship boat behind them.
“Airship!” one of the fishermen cried. This time, Ealrin did turn around to get a look at what they were pointing out. In the distance, he saw a smaller airship making its way towards them. It was smaller than most of the ships they had sailed out of Rerial, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a threat to them.
“Get ready Blume,” he said anxiously.
Ealrin looked back just long enough to watch her grab onto her amulet and nod at him.
“Been a couple heading this way recently,” the fisherman in front of him said. “I wonder what Rerial’s got up their sleeve?”
“What? Why have there been airships coming this way?” Ealrin asked, his heart still racing as he thought about his father sending soldiers to capture them. Or maybe not. Maybe they were coming only to destroy the rebels?
“Did you hear me, boy? I don’t know,” the fisherman said. “Just seen a couple of airships flying over too Darc and Severn lately. Seem like older ones. Kind of like that on there.”
Ealrin looked over at the airship that was coming their way and saw that it wasn’t like the newer ones they had flown from Rerial to the Court of Three. Instead, it was more like the ship he had flown.
In fact...
Blume said it out loud before he could pose the question.
“Isn’t that the Sky Dart?” she asked inquisitively.
“You mean your old junky airship?” Elise asked her, squinting into the suns trying to get a better look as well. “What’s it doing here?”
Ealrin didn’t know.
“Is that smoke coming from it?” another sailor asked.
Ealrin looked up and saw that indeed, there was a small trail of smoke coming out from underneath the ship. It looked like it was having trouble.
“It’s going to land!” Blume said as Ealrin saw it coming down towards the ground. It appeared to be struggling to make it just past the water.
“Keep rowing!” the man upfront said. “We’ll meet on the shore!”
The group of boats continued their slow journey to land as the waves took them closer to the sandy beach. It wasn’t long before the waves began to crest, and Ealrin felt the cool spray of the water on his face. He knew what was going to come next, he just regretted not wearing clothes that might be better suited for the task.
“Get her to shore!” the head fisherman ordered.
Ealrin jumped down into the knee-deep water in order to push the boat forward and help pull it onto the shore. The fishermen were well adapted to such a chore, but Ealrin found it difficult to walk in his boots in the sand. Struggling more than he’d care to admit, they managed to get the boat up past the water and onto the beach. Ealrin helped Blume and Elise out of the boat, all anger at them forgotten due to the appearance of the Sky Dart.
The ship had landed just beyond the water’s edge and was indeed sending out a steady stream of gray smoke. No soldiers had immediately hopped off of it, and no speakers cast orange rays of light in their direction. Ealrin felt a small comfort at this, though he was still careful not to get his hopes up too high.
He cautiously approached the airship, not sure who was going to come out of it. The last time he had seen it, it had been in the hanger at Rerial. Had it been pressed into service? Was it being used to spy or search out rebels?
A man jumped off of it that he did not recognize and begin beating at the offending smoke with his jacket. Ealrin was getting ready to signal Blume to begin preparing a spell when he saw Teresa at the top of the railing.
He found himself incredibly excited to see her.
“Teresa!” he shouted, waving his hands over his head, a smile coming over his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Gyroproter’s been damaged because of a faulty fleximeter,” a woman covered in grease and bruises up to her elbows said from the side of the ship. Apparently, she had jumped from the other side to join the main beating at the ship with his coat. “This ship’s barely flying as is! I’m surprised we made it this far what with those birds of prey and griffin on our tails.”
“Griffin?” Blume asked from beside Ealrin. “What griffin?”
Jurrin poked his head out from behind the railing and looked down at them.
“Hello, Miss Blume! I think you need to get up here! Galp is really sick!”
“You brought Galp?” Blume asked. “Why’d you bring Galp?”
“That is an excellent question,” Teresa said as she jumped down from the ship. She landed and came up to Ealrin and, quite unexpectedly, hugged him.
Ealrin noticed two things. He had never been this physically close to Teresa, nor had he ever seen her hug someone like this.
And Blume stopped to look at them with a wide-open mouth.
She must have been as surprised as he was. He raised his hands to hug her back, in a manner than felt a little awkward. She didn’t stay long. She stepped back and looked at him in the eyes.
Something was wrong.
“What is it?” he asked.
“It’s the fleet,” Teresa said. “We saw it. What looked like every airship Rerial has. Smashed and burned just outside Jamal. Ealrin.”
She looked intently into his eyes.
“I think yours might be one of the only airships left.”
27: Ashes
Sefen marched with his army. There was a smug coolness that he felt in his spirit. Ferdinand had been true to his promise. He had delivered to them enough goods to keep them supplied from Jamal to the capital.
That had been no small feat for the supply trains of the Court, but with his airships, Ferdinand had managed it with ease. If this was what an alliance with the Blackthorn Gang meant, Sefen would gladly hand over whatever the man required. So long as he could continue to wage war as he saw fit.
He felt as if endless possibilities were open to him now. He could wage his war over as much ground as he wanted. Why stop at Rerial? If there was more to be destroyed and torn down, then he would do so. He would take every city he could find and level it to the ground. Then he would recruit every man and woman willing to fight under his banner. If there were any left after then, he would burn them along with their ruins.
He felt his blood burning inside of him. He was alive when he was at war. He was the best kind of general when there were people to dominate. For a hundred years he had sought a way to break free from the honor of war. The old Rerial was not a place that was suited for him. The Court was a place he could thrive, but if he was totally freed from their rules and the court, he could truly do as he saw fit.
Sefen sat up higher on his horse as he oversaw the city of Rerial rising up in front of them. The great towers he had heard so much about were damaged and broken. It looked like some destruction had already been done here. It hadn’t been the work of the Court, so far as Sefen knew. Perhaps the Blackthorn Gang had already been inside the city and caused havoc from within?
“Sir,” came a captain from behind him. “Would you like us to form ranks and begin the siege procedure?”
This would have been the right thing to do, Commander Sefen thought. Begin a lengthy siege of the city, giving the citizens time to defend themselves and all who live within. But with their airship fleet in shambles behind them, Sefen feared no retaliation.
And with no Court to keep him in check, he felt no need to hold back.
“No,” he said. “Prepare the griffin.”
“Sir?” the captain asked. “Wouldn’t it be better to give them a chance to surrender or turn over the city?”
Commander Sefen turned around to face the captain. The man qu
ailed at the look of fury he gave him.
“Prepare the griffin to lay the city to waste,” Sefen ordered. “Or I will send you in impaled on the great beast’s talons, do you understand?”
“Sir!” the captain said, saluting and taking several steps backward before stumbling away.
Commander Sefen turned around to see the city of Rerial sending up some alarms at the sight of the army. He even saw some of their outer wall’s defense begin to move into motion. Large ballista that would shoot bolts lined with Rimstone, no doubt.
“Send in the birds,” he ordered the officers around him. “Tell them to focus on those defenses.”
“Yes, Commander!”
Another captain ran off behind him. The army was forming ranks down in front of him as the magical Speakers went to their tasks. The ground began to rumble, and Sefen smiled.
The screeches from behind him informed Sefen that the birds were in the air. Above his head, the creatures began to zoom towards the wall. A shout of battle went up from within Rerial, and many speakers there began to throw their magic towards the birds.
Some of them exploded before they reached the walls, the target of the defenses of Rerial. Others made it and began to tear at the large ballista, causing both giant crossbow and metallic bird to be lost in colorful explosions of magic all along the walls of the city.
Sefen could feel the great burst of wind behind him as the mighty Griffin rose into the air and began to approach the city. Cheers from his army went up as the great beast collided into the wall and began to tear at the defenses of the city. While the birds of prey continued to pick away at the small groups of defenders, the Griffin tore a hole into the wall before leaving towards the first tower and using his mighty beak to crush the stones at its foundation.
A mighty burst of magical energy came from another tower and shot at the Griffin. It knocked a hole in his wings. The great beast roared and leaped from the tower and had been attacking to the one where the shot had come from.