Gersius stood on a hill outside the estate and took a deep breath. The news at the temple of Ulustrah caused an immediate change. Thayle wasted no time in ordering every man and woman present to be at the estate in the morning. Many grumbled and complained, but Thayle left them no choice. They would be there, or they would hide somewhere and live with the shame.
The walk back to the estate was dominated by Thayle and Mingfe making plans. Gersius was impressed with Thayle’s understanding of the situation. She already felt the burden of the lives on her shoulders and was determined not to lead green troops into battle. Mingfe assured her they could and would be turned into an army.
They arrived at the estate and Thayle put things into motion. Everyone at present was gathered together and given the news. They were told what to expect in the coming days and given the same choice. Obey, or run.
After a few hours of organizing Gersius decided they needed some time to think. He took them outside the estate into the fields behind it. Here they sat and talked as the sun slowly set.
Gersius took a deep breath and smiled as he felt Lilly’s wonder over the binding link.
Lilly stood nearby looking out over the waving green grass, her head crowned by a sky full of stars. She stood transfixed as she looked out across the expanse as little lights blinked in and out.
“What are you doing?” Gersius asked as he walked up. She felt full of wonder over the bind.
“What are those?” Lilly asked, looked at the blinking lights.
“You have never seen these before?”
Lilly shook her head as hundreds of flashes came and went.
“We call them fireflies,” Gersius said. “It is a little insect that makes a tiny light to attract a mate.”
Lilly turned to look at him with wide eyes. “So they are looking for love?”
He smiled at her simple understanding of it. The joy she felt when she discovered some new wonder always made him smile.
“I suppose they are,” he said. “Do you want to hold one?”
“I can hold one?” she whispered.
Gersius nodded and waded into the tall grass. For a few moments, he fished around in the dark and clapped his hands in the air. He came back to her with his hands clasped and held them out. Slowly he opened his grasp to reveal the little bug crawling on his skin.
Lilly smiled with delight as the light went off in his hand. The little bug began to crawl higher, and Gersius held his hand up.
“Put your hand out,” he said.
She held her hand out, and he carefully placed the tip of his finger on hers. The little insect crawled from his hand to hers, and she giggled when the light flashed.
He watched as she carried the bug close to her face so she could look at it closely. It crawled across her fingertips, flashing away as she smiled. She let out a sudden “Oh!” as it spread its wings and took to the air flashing before her face.
Her feelings were one of pure curiosity and joy. She felt so innocent over the bind he wanted to sweep her up and bask in that absolute peace.
“Are you two sharing a moment?” Thayle asked as she approached.
“I was holding a firefly!” Lilly said excitedly.
Thayle smiled and looked out across the field. She saw the flashes and understood what was happening.
“I have a question,” she said. “Are you looking at them with your dragon sight?”
Lilly nodded, and Thayle smiled. “Use your human sight, Sweetheart. See them in the dark.”
Lilly blinked a few times, and the glow of her eyes dimmed slightly. She looked across the field, and her smile went wide with wonder.
“It’s beautiful!” she gasped.
“Thank you,” Gersius said to Thayle.
Thayle nodded and turned to walk away. “If you're going to share a magical moment with your wife, make sure you are experiencing all of it.”
Gersius shook his head and laughed. He had grown so used to the dragon sight that he hadn't even thought about it. He blinked to let the sight go, and had to admit the scene was even more magical now. He turned to Thayle, who was walking away and called her back.
“Come stay with us.”
“I feel too burdened to share in such a moment,” Thayle sighed.
Gersius understood. He was in the same position she was. His army was gathering and would soon march to certain bloodshed. However, he'd been in this position many times before, and had more experience. He knew she was making a mistake and wanted to try and help her.
“Thayle, come here,” he said, holding an arm open to her.
She looked up from her thoughts and walked to his embrace.
His arm went around her and pulled her close as they watched the dance of the fireflies.
“Never let a beautiful moment pass you by because of an ugly thought,” he said.
“It’s hard to appreciate the beauty when your heart is so heavy,” she replied.
He nodded and rubbed Thayle’s arm while Lilly hunted for another firefly, giggling when she caught one.
“I have learned to seek out the moments of beauty and calm during my campaigns,” he said. “If you do not, the weight of responsibility will crush you.”
Thayle smiled as Lilly caught one of the bugs and stared at it in her hands.
“I wish I had her heart,” Thayle said. “She plays like a girl, loves like a woman, and fights like a dragon.”
Gersius smiled at the observation. Lilly was indeed all those things. Innocent, passionate, and deadly all in one.
“Someday, I will build us that house in the valley and you and Lilly will play like girls all day.” He felt a warm sensation over the binding link from Thayle.
“I can’t wait for those days to come,” she said.
“This is one of those days,” he said. “We are alone, we are together, and we have no burden to carry but how to share our love.”
Thayle turned in his arms and smiled up at him.
“You would have made a great Priest of Ulustrah,” she whispered.
“Ulustrah has no need for a priest when she already has such a great priestess.”
Thayle blushed slightly, and he turned her to face Lilly. “Now, go play with your wife, and help her chase the fireflies.”
Thayle stood up on her toes and kissed him before skipping off to stand with Lilly as they hunted the elusive bugs.
He sat by watching as the two women laughed and filled the binding link with feelings of happiness and joy. It was a magical moment to savor, and he was determined to capture it in his heart.
Later after the lights died out and the night was long, they sat together holding one another close. They were sharing their thoughts and feelings over the bind, enjoying the connection that was unique to them.
“I wish all our nights were like this,” Lilly said with a sigh.
“There will be plenty of nights to hold you close and share our love,” he said.
“For how long though?” Lilly asked. “Every day, we grow closer and closer to this war.”
“That can't be avoided now. We started on this path, and we will not know peace until we finish it. But I promise you both we will have our days of peace. There will come a time when I carry you back to the valley, and we build our home.”
Lilly smiled and leaned into him while reaching across him for Thayle. She took Thayle’s hand and let out a contented sigh. “I never thought I would go back. I was sure that home was lost to me. I thought I would be your prisoner for a year then I would wander looking for some hole to hide in.”
She glanced up at Thayle as she remembered and smiled at her.
“Then, I started to feel things I didn't understand. I grew to enjoy being around you and then around Thayle. For the first time in my life, I understood what it was to be lonely. I started to feel love, and before I knew it, all that mattered to me was going where you went.”
Thayle squeezed her hand and made her look. “You grew quite a bit in those early days,” Thayle said.
Lilly smiled. “I wanted you to stay with us even before we reached Eastgate,” Lilly said. “I know I don’t understand human relationships still, but I can’t imagine not having you both with me.”
Gersius rubbed her arm as he held her. “Those days are past us now. Ahead of us is a struggle, but I promise, one day I will carry you both home.”
Lilly tucked into him firmly. “Where you two are is my home, that valley is lost to me.”
“That valley is your home,” he said. “I promised you I would bring you back.”
She sniffed and nodded her head. “I know you did, but is it really my home?”
“It is your home,” he said soothingly.
“But my hoard is gone,” Lilly insisted.
“Your gold didn't make that valley your home, you did. You chose that place and made it special. I can not help but see that valley as the place you belong because that is where I first met you. My heart ties you to the valley and seeks to return you.”
“Will you be happy living there?” she asked.
“If you and Thayle are there, I will never regret it,” he said.
She lifted a hand and ran a fingertip down his leg.
“I can’t believe we are going to live in a house together. I will share my lair with a man and a woman. It seems too impossible to believe.”
“It only seems that way because you believed it could never be for so long. You have changed, Lilly. Your eyes are opened, and you desire love. You will never be happy being alone again.”
There was a sudden pain from Lilly as she turned to look at him in earnest. Her eyes were bright and full of anguish.
“Never leave me,” she said softly.
“I promise I never will.”
Lilly settled back down, and he pulled her tight. He could feel she was troubled over the bind, so he gave her something else to think about.
“Here, look into my thoughts. See what I want to build.”
Lilly closed her eyes with a smile as she shared the vision in his head. She marveled as he imagined a house in her valley where she and Thayle played. She sincerely hoped that his dream would come true.
“That vision is beautiful,” Thayle said as she looked at it. “You have a deeply loving heart.”
“I have deeply loving wives,” he said.
Both women sighed and leaned into him as he imagined the house room by room. Gersius couldn't help but smile as he felt their happiness. With a wife in each arm, he closed his eyes and for the first time in weeks, silently Thanked Astikar as tears formed.
In the sky above, the moon rose blue, but a strange red halo encircled it for just a moment. None of them saw it as they huddled together in love. Nothing mattered but the house in the valley and the love they planned to have there.
The morning had come too quickly and with it the trials of the day.
Gersius looked out the window from the third floor of the guest house. Below him, the poor followers of Ulustrah were put trough another drill in the yard outside the walls. Mingfe was brutally attempting to beat them into something more akin to soldiers. Already he could tell that some of them were just not cut out for fighting. Many argued they were not meant to fight and several of them ran off, unwilling to face the road ahead. Thankfully more arrived from the temples they visited the days before. This bolstered their ranks and gave them numbers, but numbers were not an army. If this group went into battle, all they would do is die.
He took a deep breath and moved to the back window, where he could see the crowd gathered along the other wall. Five priests of Astikar in full armor and dress held them back with spears. They were allowed to enter Lilly's changing enclosure one at a time. There they would face Lilly as a dragon who would question them and put their hearts to the test. Thayle would watch their aura's and question them as well to make sure the truth was told.
The two women were weeding out the weak of heart or the partially committed. On several occasions, he saw a person flee the tent and run down the road. It had to be this way; there was no room for weakness. Better the faint of heart fell out now, both from the forces of Ulustrah and the hopeful of Balisha.
One thing haunted his mind, however. Ever since his battle with Mingfe the young acolytes of the temple were ablaze with excitement. Many of them now desired to train in combat and join the ranks of the fledgling army.
Gersius was sickened by this thought. Too many of them were barely more than children. Young, and beautiful with long lives ahead of them. They were filled with excitement and confidence now, but what was going to happen when people started dying? He couldn't help seeing the image of a battlefield littered with teenage girls crying as they bled out.
Even now, he had to shake his head to clear the image. He spoke to Thayle about it but found no help there. Thayle was resolute. Those women who wanted to fight would fight. The rest would serve the war camp as support. He tried to talk her out of it, but she pointed out that if Balisha's acolytes were going, so were hers.
Kilgian was even more upset about it and all but challenged Thayle to a duel. Gersius chuckled at that thought. He had already seen Thayle fight two veteran soldiers of the raven guard. Thayle was no stranger to the sword and was certain she would humiliate Kilgian in a one on one duel.
However, Gersius had to relent and put his support behind her. It would undermine morale in the camp if people believed he and Thayle were at odds over decisions. He made a slight show of acknowledging her right to make such a decision and vowed to support it.
Now the entire estate was packing and making ready to move. Even the cooks were busy packing up the kitchen and larder. In two days, this estate would be stripped bear and empty of people. The long march to Calathen would begin, and so two would the bloodshed.
As he stood at the window watching the people waiting, one woman strode boldly ignoring the line.
Thayle struggled to study the aura of the strange girl with long wavy blond hair. She behaved oddly the moment she saw Lilly, and it only got worse as they asked questions. Her aura was a mess of colors and reactions that seemed almost unnatural, as the girl stared at Lilly in wonder.
“I can’t read her aura at all,” Thayle said silently.
“You can’t?” Lilly asked with surprise.
“It’s a muddled mess of emotions, and it flails around like it wants to reach out to you,” Thayle said.
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“What does that mean?” Lilly asked.
“I have no idea,” Thayle admitted. “But better to pass on her. One thing is clear she is emotionally unstable.
Lilly nodded and dismissed the girl who had to be told twice because she was to busy staring with wide eyes.
As Thayle led the girl out, she heard a commotion.
“You may not enter the tent!” a man barked.
“Out of my way, fool!” a familiar voice shouted.
Thayle sighed as she waved the girl off and turned to face High Priestess Rachel.
“Priestess Thayle!” Rachel roared when the priests of Astikar moved to block her. “Get out of my way you murderous dogs!” she barked.
“Let her by,” Thayle said as she folded her arms to meet the angry woman.
Rachel stormed up and planted her feet right before Thayle. Her eyes burned with anger as she locked stares.
“What right do you have to strip my temple bare of everything but the carpets?” she demanded. “I am the authority here!”
Thayle didn’t flinch as the woman yelled. She waited for her to finish and then yelled right back.
“You are the head priestess of a modest temple. I am the commander of an army! All your assets belong to me! I will take anything, and everything I want and you have no say in it!”
“This is my temple!” Rachel shouted. “I won’t allow you to take a single priestess for your fool war!”
“You won't allow it?” Thayle asked.
“No, I won't!” Rachel snapped as she raised a finger. “I want you out of my estate gardens and out of the city of Avashire!”
Thayle nodded calmly as if she was considering the words while two priests of Astikar took up positions to either side of her.
“High priestess Rachel, I hereby strip you of your title and authority as the head priestess of the temple of Ulustrah in Avashire. You-” Before she could finish, Rachel struck, her hand racing for Thayle's face.
There was a clang and a loud cry of pain as Rachel recoiled. The priest of Astikar that blocked the blow lowered his shield to reveal a seething Thayle.
Rachel struggled through the pain to sing a prayer of healing and mend her broken hand as Thayle walked to loom over her.
“You are removed from the priesthood!” Thayle yelled. “If you wish you may present yourself to Prime Arlin and serve as a penitent sister if he chooses to allow it!” She kicked Rachel over, sprawling her into the dirt.
“This is my temple!” Rachel screamed.
“No!” Thayle yelled. “It’s mine! I will arrange to have the temple sealed by the city watch until I return to reopen it. You are forbidden to call yourself a priestess of Ulustrah. You are to report to the prime for your punishment, or leave the order for good!”
“You can’t do this to me!” Rachel cried. “You bare a mark of shame!”
Thayle knelt on one knee to meet the woman's eyes. “I didn't want to do this to you, but you have refused to see the truth. This is a mark of her love and her blessing. Ulustrah forgave me and rewarded me. I have no idea why you refuse to accept it, but I no longer have the luxury of caring.”
She stood and took a deep breath to steady herself. “Help her up and escort her back to the road.”
The two priests of Astikar snapped to attention and pulled Rachel to her feet before dragging her away. Rachel yelled at the men angrily the whole way as Thayle watched.
“What was that all about?” Lilly asked.
Thayle turned to see Lilly’s head looking down at her from over the tent’s wall.
“She disagrees with the course of action I have chosen,” Thayle said.
“But you were put in command?” Lilly questioned.
“She has been in charge here for many years with little oversight. She can’t accept that she isn’t the one in charge anymore.” Thayle shook her head and looked at the line of stunned people waiting to be questioned. “Send the next one in,” she said as she returned to the tent.
Gersius sighed as he watched the woman dragged away. There would be many in the future who would find the sudden changes in authority hard to accept. He wondered how the change of Lengwin becoming the Father Abbot was going to affect the order.
Lengwin had been to see him already this morning. He finalized letters, readied his wagons and marched his priests of Astikar to an empty field a mile down the road. Gersius was relieved that there would be more proper soldiers in his formation and that they were already nearby.
Lengwin came with a significant number of supplies as well as the weapons and armor Gersius had requested. He also had extra horses that he brought to the estate with him. These were gifts from the wealthy families trying to curry favor by giving him their old broken horses. Lengwin described the scene to Gersius and how the nobles handed them over with speeches as if they were tremendous gifts. Gersius inspected the horses and relegated them to pack animals. None of them were fit for riders, and a few were ill-trained or bad-tempered.
People began to arrive, as well. These were the men and women from the city and surrounding towns who wanted to help. Some were city guards, others hunters, but most were just people. Few had military experience and were little more than a poorly trained militia. They numbered only fifty-five, but they came with their own equipment and supplies and were willing to work for little pay. Gersius had to scramble to find more tents and to convince Thayle to allow the few women to sleep in the women’s barracks for Ulustrah.
All in all, his fighting force numbered just over a hundred and thirty. He was sure Calathen had near five hundred militia and close to a hundred priests of Astikar in the city at all times. If the Father Abbot was insane and pulled men from the border keeps, he could have tens of thousands.
Gersius dismissed that thought. The Father Abbot was the head of a religious order, not the ruler of the kingdom. The bulk of the forces belonged to King Regent Dellaro, who was a man not taken to being pushed around. The Father Abbot would find it hard to convince the king to pull men away from one war to fight another. Likely the king would have some strong words to say to the Father Abbot when Gersius marched on the gates of his capital city.
Gersius watched as a man left the tent and walked head down passed the remaining people. He wasn't chosen, and he looked angry about it.
Anger was something that was going to grow in the days ahead. So many people were going to rage as Rachel did. When power shifted so too did the loose alliances that kept noble houses at peace. Just like the gift of the horses, the nobles would see opportunity and battle for position in this new system.
Nowhere was that going to be felt harder than in the lands that made up the old empire. Once he Declared himself, the Dragon Emperor things would break down. The nobility would battle for status and position in the new government. He would have to make plans to manage all the infighting that would occur.
There was also the matter of the kingdoms themselves. He was going to march his army across several of the kingdoms that made up the old empire. These lands had their own armies and their own concerns. They might support the Father Abbot and not take kindly to his arrival. He ran the risk of having to conquer the outer provinces first. If he had to do that, then the blood to be shed would be horrendous. Not to mention every army he destroyed on his way to Calathen was one army less he had to fight the Doan.
He glanced out the window to see another woman run from the tent heading for the road. So far they had spoken to perhaps a hundred people. From what he could tell from here, only two had been chosen.
He wanted to be on the road soon, and there was no more time for delays. The path was set, and for better or for worse, he was going to walk it.
When the sun grew long in the sky, he went downstairs to find two priestesses of Ulustrah guarding the lower floor. They both held spears and carried short wide swords. They saluted as he came down, and he nodded his approval. Changes were being made quickly.
He went out into the yard, the once green lawn was worn and thin by the traffic of so many feet and in places was a bare muddy patch. The guard at the gate opened it for him and saluted as he went out. Again he nodded and continued to the enclosure.
When he arrived, Thayle had her head down in her hands, and Lilly slammed a foot into the ground in frustration.
“ Going well, is it?” Gersius asked.
“No, it is not going well!” Lilly barked. “So many of these fools think this is a game! They came here so they can gawk at me or say they are my friend! They are completely unwilling to do what we need of them.”
Gersius had seen this problem before, he had seen it in the order of Astikar, and he was certain Thayle had seen the same problem with Ulustrah. People who just wanted the prestige of being a priest of a particular God but none of the commitment to achieve it.
“This is not an uncommon problem, every priestly order has this issue,” he said, trying to soothe her.
“Gersius, it is much worse here. People just want to be able to brag they are a friend of Lilly’s. They don’t care about Balisha or her faith,” Thayle said, shaking her head.
“So none of them are acceptable?” he asked.
“Some of them showed promise but aren’t strong enough to travel with us,’ Lilly said.
“One Girl’s aura was impossible to read. It glowed like fire as she approached Lilly,” Thayle replied.
“At least she was pretty,” Lilly said. “But she was too unstable.”
Thayle shook her head with a sigh.
“How many do you have now?” he asked.
“Four!” Lilly groaned. “Only four people from that mob we spoke too.”
He was not surprised.
“We can look for more in the towns we pass through. There will be some time to speak to people,” he said.
“I didn’t think it would be so hard. Why are so few people like you?” Lilly asked.
“I was a young man once whose heart was prone to chasing dreams. I learned to be the man I am. It took time and quite a bit of pain.”
“You are a rare person,” Thayle said. “No amount of time or pain is going to mold many of these people into proper vessels of faith.”
“Let me help. I will cut down the work you need to do,” he said and walked out the door of the enclosure.
He turned and walked to the wall where nearly a hundred people still stood waiting to get in. He moved to stand beside the priests of Astikar and glared down at the gathered mass.
“I want you all to understand something. In a few days, I march from here with my army and my wives. We march into certain danger, and into battles, I do not yet know how to win. These men here,” he said gesturing to the priests of Astikar. “Are what we are looking for. They are disciplined, committed, and focused on a purpose. They know that to serve a divine means to make sacrifices. It means you give up a part of your heart and your desires to put the divine first.”
People began to grumble at his remarks, and he gave them a moment to quiet.
“The dragon you have seen is not the divine; she is a servant of it. She serves Balisha the Queen of Dragons, as do I. If you have come here to serve Lilly, you need to go. If you have come here to curry favor with Lilly, you need to go. If you have come here for any other purpose than to commit your heart to love the Goddess Balisha then you need to go!” he shouted in the dual voice.
He began to walk down the line of people as they started to fidget and grow nervous.
“Some of you may be ready to make that commitment, but you are not ready to march into war. You are not ready to hear the screams of the wounded and the dying. If you stay, you will be called on to serve my war camp. You will be tasked to toil in it and work until you are sick of working. You will go to your beds at night more tired than you ever remember being, and you will be woken up to begin your chores again long before the sun greets your eyes.”
He stopped halfway down the wall to let his stern gaze pass over the mass of them.
“If you are not ready for war, you need to go! You need to wait until the war is over and we have a proper temple. There you can train under less demanding circumstances. Now do yourselves a favor and judge your hearts here and now. Do not waste our time with your foolishness unless you are sure you can meet the demands we will make of you.”
He watched them begin to turn and walk away. Great masses of people silently filing by as the weight of his words sank in. When a few minutes passed, he looked at the six remaining people and nodded his approval before walking back to Lilly and Thayle.
“You have only six more to talk to,” he said as he entered the space.
Lilly and Thayle glared at him with stern eyes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Why didn’t you do that earlier?” Lilly demanded. “You could have saved us hours of talking to fools!”
“You did not ask me to help,” he said with a smile drawing an opened mouth head shake from Thayle.
He smiled as he turned to leave. “I can read your thoughts,” he said as he walked away “You have nothing to throw at me.”
By the end of the day, there were nine acolytes, including Culver, and the little estate was overfull with people. They settled them in as best they could and set about preparing for the move that would soon come.
He spent many hours leaning over a table of maps with Lilly and Thayle. He was grateful Lilly had some experience with maps, another lesson of her mothers. They needed to plan a route that was perhaps a little slower than he intended so that Thayle could visit as many of the temples of her order as she could to plunder them for resources and manpower.
Lilly put forth the brilliant idea of flying ahead of the army so they could visit the temples and have the temples themselves do the work. They would gather the resources and meet them as they passed. Now all they had to do was select meeting points to send the temples to.
It was to his great annoyance that he was interrupted by Mingfe.
“I do not wish to bother you, but a fool at the gate is demanding to see you,” she said angrily.
“What does he want?” Gersius asked.
“He demands you accept his son as an acolyte, and he has brought men with him to see it done,” she replied.
“Men?” Thayle responded.
Gersius’s slammed a hand on the table and stormed down the stairs.
There at the gate were seven large men in armor. They stood with scowling faces and threatening poses so that the weapons they carried were on display. In contrast to them were four priests of Astikar calmly in line formation with shields linked. They held spears at the ready, floating just over their shields. If those spears dropped to rest on the shields, there would be blood on the ground before anyone could blink.
A stocky man in a flowing cape and a hat plumed with exotic bird feathers stood with the men. Beside him was a second man, he was tall and lean with long dark hair and a slight grin.
The priests of Astikar blocked the gate with their shield line and stood like statues.
“Divide!” Gersius called out, and the statues moved in fluid motion splitting into two groups, opening a gap right before the gate. Gersius walked through it without breaking his stride.
“What do you want?” he demanded directly to the man in the plumed hat.
“I am Duke Eidenburgh, second brother to the Viscount of Stratton, and overseer of the trade houses. You have insulted me by rejecting my son! You will rectify your mistake now!” The man's voice was demanding and dripped heavy with a threatening tone.
“Your titles mean nothing to me. Your son was tested and found lacking, that is all that I care about.”
“You will not talk about my son like that! I will tell you who is and isn't lacking!” the man yelled in rumbling voice. The men behind him shifted, and hands crept dangerously close to swords and other weapons. To his right and left the points of spears dipped closer to shields.
He felt the presence of Lilly and Thayle just inside the wall. He turned and motioned to Thayle to step up to the gate.
“Tell me, who is this man?” Gersius said, pointing to the tall man with long dark hair.
Thayle stepped up and scowled. “He’s a pig. He doesn't care for Balisha at all. He is more interested in having access to young women, and I might mention your wife. He made a slanderous proposition to Lilly.”
Gersius closed his eyes and took a deep breath. These were men of power and station. They were accustomed to getting what they wanted and were not afraid to use force to get it. It would be a political boon to be able to place a son or daughter in his priesthood and potentially inside his new empire. Many more nobles were going to try this before the war was over. Gersius knew these would be men of little faith. They were there only for the privilege and station such a position affords. They would be men, much like the Father Abbot, scheming, and manipulative. Gersius didn't feel like playing their game.
“Form up!” he called in a loud voice.
Four men in the armor of Astikar appeared around the corner of each wall shields down and linked with spears in hand inches from combat stance.
The nobleman and his thugs now stood against twelve battle priests in full armor and formation on three sides.
“You need to leave,” Gersius said in a flat demanding tone.
The man's face shook with rage as he sputtered through yellow teeth. “How dare you!” he roared. “I will not stand for this, do you hear me!”
Gersius raised his right hand, and the men at the corners of the walls closed in spears barely an inch above shields.
The men Duke Eidenburgh brought looked tense as they formed a half-circle. Hands tightened on weapons as eyes looked around anxiously.
“If I drop my hand, you and your men die,” Gersius said Calmly. “I suggest you leave.”
“Ha!” the duke called out. “You cannot threaten me! I will have you hauled away, and your wenches dragged back to serve my house!”
All was quiet as Gersius stared at the man with calm eyes; it was Mingfe who broke the silence.
“You are meant to be a ruler of rulers. How much longer will you suffer these fools?” she asked.
The tension in the air was felt by everyone present. Much of the estate now gathered in the yard, and every window was full of watching faces. A second long silence passed as Gersius considered his options. Mingfe was right, he wasn't a priest any longer. The moment he started on this path, he declared himself emperor. Now the whole world would be watching to see what kind of emperor he would be. If he let a noble from a minor city push him around, he would be seen as weak. The ramifications of such a view would haunt his rule for years to come.
Gersius dipped his head in remorse.
“You are right,” he said, turning to the priests at his left. His eyes were full of sorrow, but his next words were cold and emotionless. “Kill them.”
Spears hit shields with a unified clang and priests marched forward. The sound of battle raged behind him as he walked casually through the gate. He passed through the yard of shocked people as if nothing was the matter. The acolytes gathered in the windows to witness the scene screamed as blood was drawn, and men began to die.
Thayle and Lilly turned to follow him, trying to remain as calm as he was. He went straight to the guest house and up the stairs. Thayle stopped to find Mingfe following close behind and motioned her over.
Gather the acolytes up and bring them here. I wish to speak to them all.”
“It will be done,” Minge said. She saluted by holding her spear straight up and banging it to her chest.
Thayle watched her go and then followed Gersius and Lilly up the stairs.
Up in the room, Lilly turned to Gersius as he bent over his maps.
“How did that man think he was going to carry me off?” she asked.
“The man is a fool who is used to getting what he wants. He sees you as you are now and thinks you can be easily dragged away..”
“I would have killed them all,” Lilly stated as Thayle walked up the stairs.
“I know that there will be much killing on our path ahead, but I was not prepared for it to come to our doorstep,” Thayle said as she came to stand by Gersius. “Are you alright?”
“We will have undoubtedly made enemies now. Somebody will seek a reprisal for that man’s death. People will work against us, sabotaging our efforts, all because of a fool man and a vain son,” Gersius said.
“We will be on the road soon, and in a week this region will be behind us. What trouble can they cause us?” Thayle asked.
“Noble families will kill each other for power or position. However, nothing unites them like seeing a family member slighted by an outsider. That man's death will come to haunt us, rest assured.”
“He threatened you and your wives. That you held your anger in check as long as you did was very inspiring.”
Gersius nodded and looked up from his maps. His gaze fell on Lilly, who suddenly looked uncomfortable.
“What did that man offer you?”
“He asked me to wear some kind of collar and be his plaything,” she said. “He asked me if I liked the taste of a cane.”
Gersius knew Lilly didn't understand what the man said, but he looked at Thayle with deadly eyes.
“I chained him and threatened to let Lilly eat him before running him out of the tent. I can’t believe he came back,” Thayle said.
“He wanted to show you he was in charge. This was a display of power meant to put you in your place.”
“Over what?” Thayle asked.
“You are a woman, and you insulted him. He would not have rested until he made you regret your actions,” Gersius said with anger.
Thayle made a tsk noise and shook her head. “Some men make me sick,” she said.
“Powerful men think they can do as they please,” Gersius said.
Thayle put a hand on his shoulder. “You will be the dragon emperor soon, and these fools will beg for your favor.”
He nodded and put his hand over hers as he glanced back to the maps.
Thayle rubbed his neck a moment and then stepped back. “I need to address the acolytes. They all saw what just happened, and I am sure many of them are upset.
“Of course. Go and talk to them,” he replied.
Thayle nodded and hurried down the stairs. She found the women filling into the room with many of them still weeping and supporting one another
Mingfe herded them into two lines along the back wall and then stood by.
Thayle stepped off the stairs and strode to the middle of the room.
“What you just saw is but a taste of what is coming in our future,” Thayle began. “I know it has frightened you, but you must stand resolute. Our Goddess is under attack, and the order of Primes has elected me to save her faith. I am marching all of you to certain war. You will see battles that make what just happened insignificant. People are going to die, and they are going to die in terrible ways. I could order you into the ranks of the army, but I will not. I can't afford to take any who are too frightened or who will crumble when the danger comes. I need you to search your hearts and pray to the Goddess for strength. Tomorrow morning you will stay and commit to fighting for the Goddess, or you will leave.”
She paused and searched the broken faces of the women. Several were still crying, and a couple hid their faces in hands. Thayle knew some of them would be gone in the morning. With a sigh, she dismissed them but motioned to Mingfe to remain.
Thayle waited until the room was empty and then turned to Mingfe.
“Why did you say that to him?”
Mingfe stood tall and emotionless. “He is the Dragon Emperor, and you are his Empress. Your titles aren’t waiting for you in Calathen they started the moment you declared you were the Dragon Knights. There are only two ends to the road your walk, empire or death.”
Thayle nodded her head.
“He is going to be emperor over a land ruled by a dozen kings. Men who are hardened by years of plots and lies, and have killed to protect their power. He must be harder than them all if he wishes to rule them. If he had stumbled here, he would never be able to bring them to heel.”
Thayle sighed and shook her head.
Mingfe stepped forward and put a hand to Thayle’s shoulder.
“You carry this burden as well. You have been ordered to get him to the city. You will sit at his side with a crown on your head. He is a man who appreciates your strength, and he will share his burdens with you. You too must be stronger than all the others.”
Thayle looked up into Mingfe’s eyes and nodded. “I want all who remain assembled for drills in the morning. I don’t care if they are upset. There will be rives of blood in our future, better they learn to deal with it now.”
“I will see it done Governerss Commander,” Mingfe said with a bow.
Thayle walked up the stairs with a heavy heart. From casting out Rachel to killing the fools on the road, the day had brought no end of trials. The path they were on was only going to get harder. She'd run from this path all her life, and now she was determined to walk it.