Chapter 9

Interlude: Tari

…

"How goes your mission?"

"Very well, my lord. I've taken the measure of this land." Having yet to recapture our past glory, my lord and I conversed with one another through an intermediary. He spoke to me through a raven raised as his familiar. He saw and heard through it and spoke through its tongue. "The boy king of these lands is as malleable as you foresaw."

"Good. That he was not enthralled by our beauty is meaningless then. We will lure them to a swift death and take the second spire as our own." My lord's words usually filled me with relief. Oddly, today it gave me a different sensation entirely: concern. "Speak, my champion. Your eyes betray your thoughts. What do you fear?"

I took a deep breath.

"It seems too perfect, like prey has appeared before us that we can easily bring low. Bait." From the moment they neared the city, all had seemed well. The lesser beings tried to compete with us and failed. Their boy-king was a fool who was undeserving of control over the Citadel. The true power lay with the officers of the former commander and they opposed each other, aiming to take control of the unworthy heir. "Forgive my impertinence, but perhaps we can continue with our primary plan?"

"Hm. You are capable of bearing the insult of your beauty not being unparalleled for your nation… but as your lord, I cannot stand for such words." My lord spoke to me. I could see his fist clenching and teeth gritting, despite being so far away. My heart sang at his concern for me, even though nothing could ever arise from between him and I. "I cannot have you act kindly to the fool. We shall do as we planned. With their Academy graduate away, and his fearsome daughter scavenging what is rightfully ours, we shall retake the gifts of our ancestors."

"Then, my lord, your will shall be done."

"Go forth and retake what is ours, my loyal subject."

I bowed my head and magic fled the raven's form. It was exhausted and almost fell from its perch. Tenders immediately approached it to tend and care for it. If it perished, then we would have no way to speak with our lord, for we did not yet regain the secrets of our people.

Once we could speak to one another from across the world entire, but that ability is lost to us.

But soon, especially with the retaking of this second spire, we shall return the world to our rightful rule.

I left the tent and my friends and comrades were ready to hear the words of our liege.

The people of this land believed that we were diplomats, but in truth, we were more than that.

All of us gathered here were warriors and veterans of more conflicts than the creatures here had years to live.

This land will be taken by us.

Even if the boy-king knew how to use the venerable golems within the Citadel, as long as one of us stood and took the ring from him after, then it shall be our victory.

And, the world in its entirety will soon be ours once again.

…

When the glow of the moon was dimmest, we began our strike.

Through the deepest shadows, we sent ourselves through the lands of our lessers.

They knew nothing of melding with nature. They hewed stone and wood into boxes, let filth flow beneath their streets, and clad themselves in metal.

With no living things to warn them of our approach, we made our way to the inner walls guarding the spire.

We were ready to surmount it, kill the guards, and attack the spire while its temporary master slept and was unable to mount a defense.

Instead a scream echoed from our backline, and we halted in sight of the white walls of our ancestors.

"Hold and come together!" I ordered my troops. We came together as groups of five, and cast our gazes around ourselves, and each other. Soon enough, I caught sight of the farthest group in the back coming towards the group closest to them. They were four in number. "Go forth and return with news!"

My runner went as I bid him to, but as he split… the walls around us came undone.

Brittle, dead wood broke and unveiled armored soldiers of our base kin.

"Ambush! Forward, now!" I gave the only call I could as both our flanks surged with foes. Their armor deflected swift arrow shots bereft of concentration. Our bodies were not meant for the rigors of beasts. Close combat favored the invaders of our sacred soil. We needed distance. "Scale the walls!"

My group rushed forward at my command. I drew my bow and slew all I could, but I focused on clearing a path.

My skill, my talent, and my years of training allowed me to pierce through the foes rushing towards me with ease. I sent a bolt forward into a visor, and as it claimed its victim, I already slew another. I took my arrows and plunged them into my foes like short spears. All my years of battle allowed me to break through… but my heart fell with every scream that came behind me.

With axes and swords, the base creatures butchered my people. Their blood ran across uncaring stone, never returning to the soil, and their beauty was undone as their bodies broken apart. Unlike those who hunted us for our beauty and power, these people hacked us apart, and made it clear that they were warriors and soldiers true.

But… from where did these fearsome soldiers come from!?

How were we so unaware of them—

"Tari. Good to see you again." I reached the end of the long street only to feel my heart cease. Riegert stood at the end. His massive frame almost blotted out the torchlight held by other blackguards at the end of the street. The halberd he used on horseback was nowhere to be found. Instead, on his shoulder, was a massive double-headed axe. He knew that he had to make use of greatest weapon here. "I don't suppose that you'd care to surrender?"

The footsteps behind me ceased.

I looked behind me assured me that my fears were well founded.

Three lines of warriors, ten wide, remained of my forces of nearly a hundred.

The trap had claimed our victory in an instant.

Now, it threatened to give us dishonorable deaths.

"Riegert, you know better than anyone that we do not surrender."

"Mhmm, well, it was worth a shot." Riegert wielded the massive axe with one hand and took his tome out with the other. With but a passing moment, the darkened street came alight with weapons covered in flame… and I took note of another creature behind us nearly Riegert's height. "Oh, right. Meet my daughter. Illych. I've taught her most of what I know."

Riegert came forth and unshouldered his axe. The flames that suffused it licked stone and melted it with ease.

I called upon the winds to guide my arrows and protect me, but cold lead settled in my stomach.

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This battle was beyond us.

All we could do now was run—

A scream interrupted my thoughts, and I turned towards it.

Illych, Riegert's daughter, had crashed into my backline and tore through it in an instant. The sword that she used cleaved through my warriors with ease, and the weapons aimed at her were turned away by her armor. They used the materials of the spire to craft even stronger armor for their people.

My warriors died, incapable of even fighting back, when Riegert spoke again while stepping towards me ready for battle.

Shame filled me… as I realized what I had to do, so that I could somehow exact retribution in the far future.

I could only entrust my people's future to my Lord now, while biding my time for vengeance.

So, I cast down my bow and raised my hands in surrender towards Riegert.

Time and patience will have to do what cunning could not—

A heartbeat passed and I realized that my actions did nothing.

Another heartbeat, before I could speak, and I realized that Riegert had raised his axe high.

He knew that I wouldn't surrender, placed the idea in my mind, just for this singular strike.

It fell towards me without a word coming from his lips.

Nor a glimmer of shame or apology in his eyes.

…

Interlude: Riegert.

…

"Well… this has gone well."

The scent of blood filled the air, while I quickly did my duty.

Tira's body was light as a feather, and I interred her into the Artifact my men prepared at my back.

The Shroud of Undeath, a legend lost to time, which we found mere weeks ago… was now set to be used by us.

We had no Necromancers, let alone Liches, who could use it to its greatest effect, but I knew enough of necromancy's basic principles to make use of the Artifact.

Tira will be no more. Her talent, skill, and memories will be lost, but her potential, possibility, and strong connection to the glory of the ancients will remain.

She will become a mighty officer on our side, capable of leading armies like Illych and myself, mere months after reviving.

Still, this was all but a declaration of war against the Children of the Elm.

"Father, I am finished here." Ilych interrupted my thoughts. Her strength and power was without doubt now. Over the last few years, her strong ties to the ancients became more apparent. Once my research bears fruit, my daughter will have all the strength and power she was meant to have from birth. When that day comes, I will never have to worry for her after a battle anymore. "The winds say to send the signal."

"Ah, right. Thanks." I gave Ilych a nod, before firing a bolt of flame high into the air. I waited a moment and a loud, single gong resounded from the Citadel. Khanrow understood that we were successful. Only time will tell if his agents managed to kill the rest of the caravan. What few of them that stayed back weren't warriors, but our faraway cousins were quick on their feet. "So, how does fighting against the Children of the Elm feel?"

"Fast. Vitals need to be guarded. Overwhelming force and narrow environment limited their movement. Far more difficult to fight on an open field." Barring her strange assertion that she could speak to the winds, Illych's mind was sharp. Sharper than mine. Only the kid's head seemed to rival Illych, but he was a rarity. "In open battle, the cavalry will fare the best. Land-based."

"Sounds about right. Aerial charges will just be a waste of riders and mounts. Best to bury them beneath armored warhorses and plate, maybe some faster auxiliaries right behind." I instructed her and she listened with her usual, dull gaze. After so many years, I was able to see some things others didn't. The slight twitch of the lips. The lightest wrinkling of a brow. For Ilych, that was the same as a chuckle at her success, before focusing on important information. "Don't worry. That bit's advanced tactics. I'll tell you more about it later, since we're going to be fighting these guys."

Ilych nodded, but paused a moment later.

I knew the look.

She was listening to the "Wind."

I waited for her to speak, and ready to face her if needed.

"The winds tell of a great battle against the Children of the Elm. We must prepare for it, or we will perish and be destroyed."

I sighed in relief, until I realized my daughter was not yet finished.

"We must strike now, fight now, and destroy them while they are weak. All four of us must strike at the Citadel together and strike down its lord with five seasons." Ilych spoke with authority and knowledge without source, yet her words carried weight nonetheless. The insistence in her gaze made me wonder if the Ancients left something invisible behind that we never found. A form of knowledge that could only be heard by those with the strongest bloodlines. A spirit of sorts. "We must march now. Tell this to Lord Khanrow. He must stay and defend, while we march."

Khanrow remaining here surprised me.

"I thought Jack needed to stay here?" My daughter's interest in Jack was something I encouraged. She rarely cared for other people, especially those close to her age. While I wanted her to live as long as the ancients did, I did not want her to be alone in all those years. She needed equals and comrades to help her achieve what she set out to achieve. "Shouldn't he stay while Lord Kharnow comes with us?"

Ilych shook her head.

"The winds spoke and I shall listen." Ilych's intent was clear and demanding. "Father, please."

"I'll tell him. I'm sure that he's thinking the same thing. They tried to take our land the moment they got in reach. We have to do the same, if we don't want to make ourselves a target… and we'll need to win, if we want everyone else to back off." Khanrow told me that there was a race for other Citadels now. Everyone wanted a piece of the pie, especially after they saw all that we accomplished. If they did nothing, they'll be swept up in the tide, while we took everything for ourselves. The strength the Citadel provided, the allure it had to the people tired of war, was greater than anyone could've imagined. "Well, the kid made all this happen, and he'll hate risking his neck… so I'm sure Khanrow will be more than happy to send the kid off to battle."

Ilych nodded, making me worry if she didn't see the kid as anyone worth protecting anymore, until she spoke again.

"He will have nothing to fear. I will keep him safe." Ilych intoned and cast her gaze to the Citadel. I was sure that she was looking towards the kid's gilded cage. "The winds will it."

"I see. That's good."

I nodded and refocused.

We had a lot to do, and our opponents were far from us, but Ilych's "wind" had a point.

We had four people blessed with magic, granted powerful artifacts, and troops ready to march and defend the lands their families found peace upon. Not only that, but our foe was weakened, and all other factions who would attack us are busy securing their own Citadel.

This was an opportunity that we couldn't ignore.

A chance to secure two Citadels under our banner at once.