William dragged in a deep breath. How could any sane man compete with such madness? “What horrors has the necromancer subjected that beast to in order to cultivate its power?” William growled. “What kind of monster must he be to force the obedience of a dragon? And to empower the elf… he must have resorted to the most foul and diabolical of rituals. I’ll bet he was even responsible for summoning that eldritch monster to attack the naval base.” He shook his head. “If only we could strike him down… but such a man has doubtless already taken unholy precautions to safeguard his life.”
“Indeed, he has proven to be a most formidable foe.”
“Yet all is not lost. Lord Carlton, I believe you have good news regarding our forces elsewhere.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” And this, right here, was why William liked Lord Carlton so much. The man was capable, exceedingly so. A setback in one area never hampered him for long, and he always had a backup plan. Indeed, setbacks became little more than incentives to succeed elsewhere under his insightful command. Truly, he wished he had ten of the man to command his forces. He might already have won the war if that were so. “That is correct.”
The old general was a resilient fellow. William had personally studied his campaign against the desert tribes of Melendra. After suffering heavy losses, the empire had been forced into a humiliating retreat through the desert, harried on all sides. Yet once Lord Carlton had been put in charge, he had acted swiftly and decisively to bolster their position and stymie the enemy’s hit-and-run tactics before methodically retaking territory and forcing the opponent to give battle on imperial terms. The empire had been caught in a humiliating situation, yet Lord Carlton had managed to engineer a crushing victory out of the disaster. Few generals in the empire’s long and illustrious history had his knack for turning defeat into victory, and few generals were as skilled as he was in taking a small advantage and building it into an insurmountable one.
It was truly a shame that Lord Carlton’s sons, although capable officers in their own right and worthy of the positions they’d been given, lacked the sheer brilliance of their father. Still, William had high hopes for the man’s grandsons. Two of them had joined the military thus far, and although both were too young to occupy positions of great authority, both had already demonstrated hints of tactical brilliance in smaller operations. He would have to give them positions amongst the coming war’s command staff, so they could hone their talents – perhaps under the watchful gaze of their grandfather himself. At some point, Lord Carlton would step down to ensure a well-earned retirement, and William wanted to have able replacements ready.
“We have secured our flanks in the grander scheme of things,” Lord Carlton explained. “And we have begun to pressure Everton and its allies along their borders. Some of them have already begun to show signs of weakness, which we can exploit in the months to come. Attempted raids on our naval bases have also been repelled, and we have made gains in the western theatre of war as well. Other than the incident involving the Sky City and the loss of our pawn in the Elerian Combine, we are actually ahead of schedule.”
“Excellent. What would you propose we do about this debacle then?” William asked. “Because we must address it at some point.”
“Indeed. First and foremost, we must abandon any hope of seizing the Sky City in the immediate future.” Lord Carlton smiled grimly. “Believe me, Your Majesty, it pains me to say it, for we would both have loved to have such a powerful weapon at the empire’s disposal. However, it is currently beyond our reach and likely to remain so for some time.” He gestured to the map spread out in front of them. “The Sky City should be safely in the Shimmering Isles’ territory or Everton’s by now. Any attempt to attack it would be a terrible overextension, especially since it has likely been undertaking repairs this entire time. As the merchants are so fond of saying, we would be throwing good money after bad. Likewise, the Shimmering Isles are beyond us as well, for the time being, at least. Had the naval base and its forces remained intact, we could have threatened an invasion, particularly with reinforcements. But the loss of so many ships and the naval base leaves us in a tricky situation.”
“Go on.”
“The naval base is currently home to a host of spatial and temporal anomalies. However, these do appear to be decreasing each day. Assuming they fall to a manageable level, reinforcing the island would be my first step. Our enemies did not take it because they knew they would never be able to hold it. However, if we do not take steps to refortify it, then they may return with enough forces to take it – and hold it.”
“I am told that complete reconstruction would take years.”
“We do not need to rebuild everything. What we need is a functional port with some defences that can handle supplies and maintenance. In the coming war, we are the ones who must take the initiative and attack. The naval base’s fortifications would have provided a useful strong point, but its most important purpose was to project naval power toward the enemy. It can still do that without full reconstruction.”
William considered Lord Carlton’s words carefully. He had a point. In the coming war, the empire would be the aggressor. As long as the naval base could offer supplies and repairs, as well as some level of protection, then the fleet itself could still use the island as a waypoint in their offensive. Besides, if the rest of their fleets were crushed and the naval base became necessary as a defensive bulwark, then the naval war had likely already been lost. “Continue.”
“However, the loss of the naval base and its fleet does necessitate a change in strategy. Our Grand Armada is a hammer – the biggest hammer the naval world has ever seen – and we can smash both the Shimmering Isles and Everton’s outlying defences with it once it has been assembled and is at full strength. Yet its power lies in its unity and in our ability to force the enemy to confront us in a traditional battle. Without the naval base’s fleet to act as a screening force, it will be vulnerable to raids and ambushes. We must move assets into place to minimise that risk, and we should consider an island-hopping strategy with our forward forces, clearing the area ahead of the Grand Armada of lesser threats and forcing larger threats into conventional battles where we can crush them. If they continue to harry our flanks, we must force them to give battle. For instance, we could lay siege to their outlying bases or other locations they must defend.”
“An astute analysis.” The emperor had reached a similar conclusion although it was gratifying to see they were in agreement. “Yet a simple naval assault is unlikely to succeed, is it not?”
“Yes. Although neither Everton nor the Shimmering Isles can directly contest the might of our Grand Armada, their forces are formidable, and they will be operating closer to their homelands. Aerial support will thus play a large role in their defence whereas we will either have to transport our aerial troops by ship or have them fly long distances prior to battle. The former is not ideal, and the latter would basically ensure our defeat. Still, if we could take even a few of the smaller, outlying islands of the Shimmering Isles…”
“We could use those as rudimentary staging grounds, and fighting us over control of some small, deserted islands would not be an easy decision for them to make.” The emperor chuckled. Asking sailors to die for their homeland was one thing. Asking them to die for an isolated pile of rocks was quite another. “What about our land forces? I trust preparations in the straits are going accordingly.”
“Our build up is proceeding ahead of schedule.” Lord Carlton’s expression remained serious, but the emperor had to hide a satisfied smirk. Most of his predecessors had immediately removed any incumbent ministers upon ascending to the throne, so they could insert their own loyalists. Sometimes, such actions were justified, but removing a capable and honourable minister for serving the previous ruler had a tendency to turn out poorly. Lord Carlton was a consummate soldier and patriot. He would never betray his emperor or the empire. “Our client kingdoms have all demonstrated considerable enthusiasm, and thei
r cooperation has increased the size of our forces and accelerated our plans. Everton, of course, has moved some of their own assets into the area, but our intelligence suggests they have underestimated how heavily we plan to commit although we might have to move sooner than anticipated.”
“Oh?”
“I know you’ve never fought them, Your Majesty, but I can assure you that there are few opponents as fearsome as dwarves when it comes to siege warfare. They are masters of engineering, and they are perfectly at home in trenches, tunnels, and other fortifications. Their military tactics tend toward the conservative, with a focus on sturdy, reliable formations using some of the finest heavy infantry in the world. We didn’t have to worry about them due to the goblins that infest the Broken Mountains, but…”
“But?” the emperor pressed.
The Minister of Information took over again. “I have certain… sources that deal with the goblins regularly. They might be foul creatures, worthy of little more than a sword to the gut at the first convenient opportunity, but they do have access to dwarf technology and weaponry due to the territory they’ve seized even if they don’t know how to use it properly.”
The emperor’s lips curled in disgust. He shared his minister’s opinion of the green-skinned pests. Goblins had once plagued the empire, but his predecessors had gone to great lengths to exterminate them. However, even such foul creatures could be useful from time to time, and they were keeping the dwarves busy. “And?”
“The goblins may no longer be able to keep the dwarves occupied. My sources inform me that before the Sky City appeared, the goblins suffered major losses with casualties of well over a hundred thousand, possibly even as high as two hundred thousand.”
“That many?” The emperor could, of course, kill that many goblins easily with the forces at his command, but the dwarves did not have the empire’s numbers, and they had struggled mightily to keep the goblins at bay. The odious creatures were incredibly adept at fighting in tunnels and caves, and they had a certain animal cunning too. “What could possibly have done that? Is it a new dwarf weapon?”
“This is where the information takes a concerning turn, Your Majesty. The goblins told my sources about the dead rising to attack them and of a deadly gas being used to slaughter them when they retreated inside a city they had captured.”
“…” The emperor hissed. “It’s that damn necromancer!” he spat. His magic flared, and the hall shook to its foundations. “Who else could it be? Everton is using him everywhere, and it’s working! It’s damn working!”
Lord Carlton nodded grimly. “In wars of attrition, it is difficult to imagine a more fearsome foe. The goblins are easily slain but numerous. Against a necromancer, that would mean an endless supply of lesser zombies, to say nothing of the greater horrors he could unleash. I fear he may soon be dispatched to the straits as well. And with the dwarves likely to have forces to spare, we must be ready to act decisively.”
The emperor could see the importance of seizing the moment. Let Everton enjoy their victory at sea. The empire could win elsewhere. “How long until we can launch a full-scale assault.”
“No longer than a month – even as soon as a fortnight if weather and other factors permit.”
“Excellent. I will leave it to you. As soon as you believe the assault can be launched successfully, do so. Also, dispatch Lord Quarry and Lord Pemberton to the straits. If the necromancer shows up, I want him dead. And although I don’t expect him to be able to kill her, Lord Pemberton should at least be able to slow Councillor Winters down long enough for additional forces to arrive if she makes an appearance.”
“It shall be done.” Lord Carlton winced. “Lord Pemberton is an excellent choice, Your Majesty, but Lord Quarry… are you sure?” He made a face. “I know of his talents and his loyalty is not in question, but he is also less than stable. Do you remember what he did when you asked him to pacify those rebellious nobles in the southern provinces?”
“I do. He might be a fanatic, but he has yet to fail, and his talents may prove to be ideal against a necromancer.” The emperor could understand his advisor’s concern. Lord Quarry’s actions had been overzealous, even by imperial standards. However, there was no denying results. Lord Quarry might be unstable, but he had yet to encounter a problem he could not solve. Given the stakes, the emperor could put up with some instability if it let him remove one of the most dangerous and versatile assets available to his opponent. If worse came to worst, he could have Lord Pemberton deal with him. In the meantime, he’d have to recruit as many necromancers as he could. It wouldn’t do to fall too far behind.
“And is the surprise we have prepared for the straits ready?” the emperor asked Lord Carlton. “I was under the impression it was integral to the plan.”
The old general allowed himself a small smile. “I have witnessed the results personally, Your Majesty. I believe it will be ready within a month, and I have already made arrangements to have it transported in secret once some final tests have been conducted.”
The emperor smirked. “Yes. It would be a pity if we spoiled the surprise, wouldn’t it?” His smirk widened. “I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces.”
Epilogue
“Do you ever get the feeling that someone is out to get you?” Timmy asked.
Vicky shrugged. “Not really.” It was a testament to her grace and composure that she still managed to make the gesture look elegant despite having one arm shoved into Spot’s mouth. She had come to have lunch with Timmy and the others, as well as teach Spot more about his powers. She’d then decided that she might as well learn how to clean Spot’s teeth too. Timmy wasn’t sure why she thought sticking her arm into a dragon’s mouth was a fun way to pass the time, but he wasn’t going to complain if someone else wanted to clean Spot’s teeth from time to time – provided they did it properly. A dragon with a toothache would not be fun to deal with. “But I imagine you have more reasons to worry about assassination than me.”
Spot had opened his mouth incredibly wide, and Timmy honestly wondered what had ever possessed him to stick his arm into Spot’s mouth in the first place. It looked absolutely horrific from this angle. True, he had longer arms than Vicky, but watching someone else clean Spot’s teeth was genuinely disturbing. All Spot had to do was close his mouth, and Vicky would lose her arm unless she used her magic.
“I guess you’re right. I do have a lot of enemies.” Timmy smiled as Spot yawned. The dragon found having his teeth cleaned to be quite relaxing, and a slightly sleepy dragon was much easier to handle than a nervous one. Nervous dragons usually resulted in everything else being either dead or on fire. “Oh, by the way, you’re going to want to get right in there to clean those back teeth.” Timmy pointed. “See how there isn’t as much space at the back between the teeth, gums, and cheek? Food gets stuck in there all the time.”
“I see.” Vicky manoeuvred the cleaning tool – which looked more like an instrument of torture – into position and pried out a few chunks of what Timmy suspected were crushed bone. “What about the metal? There seems to be some metal on his teeth.”
“That’s probably from his last meal.” He patted Spot on the head and scratched one of the ridges that ran along his spine. “What did you eat? It’s hard to tell from this angle.”
Old steel. Spot’s silver eyes shifted to look at him. It was fascinating to see a dragon’s eyes at this range without worrying about being eaten. There was something almost hypnotic about them, and the actual physiology behind them was amazing. Dragons were one of the few creatures whose eyesight could match the elves. In fact, it might be even better since dragons could see through their own fire to aim, which was incredible given the heat and brightness involved. It was a bandit’s sword. It was pretty tasty.
“Was it? I wouldn’t have thought it would be good quality. Then again, it wouldn’t be the first time a bandit managed to get their hands on a proper weapon.”
“Can he really tell how good steel is
when he eats it?”
“Yes. From what I’ve observed, Spot can basically reduce alloys like steel to their components when he eats them. Cheap steel doesn’t taste good because of the impurities in it, and the ratios of the different components are wrong. Different metals also taste different to Spot, and he can even pick out where metal was mined based on the trace impurities that are present.” Timmy pointed again. “Don’t worry about being too gentle. Just give it a really good, hard scrape. Don’t worry about damaging his teeth. You’ll break the tool long before you break his teeth. He’s a dragon who eats metal. A metal tool isn’t going to hurt him.”
“Okay.” Vicky’s arm tensed, and she finally managed to scrape the metal free. It had melted onto Spot’s teeth. “Hmm… this is kind of fun.”
“I’m not sure most people would call sticking their arm into a dragon’s mouth fun.” Timmy gave Spot’s snout a gentle poke. “Do a better job with your fire next time. Spend at least a minute filling your mouth – your whole mouth, especially the back – with fire. That should reduce any metals to liquid you can drink, as well as destroy most of the stuff that gets stuck in between your teeth.”
Okay. Spot’s ability to communicate telepathically made this much easier since they didn’t have to puzzle out any garbled speech. But who would be out to get you?
“That’s a good question. First of all, necromancers tend to be competitive. I’ve got rivals, and I am a Grand Necromancer. There aren’t a lot of us around, and most of the others spend their time trying to keep it that way – either by eliminating other Grand Necromancers or sabotaging anyone who might become proficient enough to join our ranks. It’s why I’m teaching Katie how to plot properly. If she’s going to become a Grand Necromancer, she needs to be ready to deal with all of the pointless intrigue.”
Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City Page 66