Gersius wiped his eyes as Sarah flew at terrible speed across a dark sky. He struggled not to tremble as the sensation of his wife grew fainter and fainter over the bind. Thayle sat before him, having an emotional breakdown as she struggled to focus on what needed to be done. The empire took precedence over having Lilly in their arms. She had made her decision and asked them to honor it. If he went after her now, not only was it putting their empire at risk, but he was saying he didn't trust her.
“It isn’t a matter of trust,” Sarah said in his thoughts. “She is too rash and impulsive.”
“Lilly isn't as rash as you think,” Thayle cut in. “She has been thinking about this for weeks and tried to talk to all of us about it.”
“But we didn’t have time for her idea,” Gersius said as he tightened his grip on Thayle. “Because none of us could see the Doan as anything but the enemy.”
“So she acted on her own,” Thayle agreed. “She is doing exactly what Gersius did when the Father Abbot ignored his plea for more men. She went alone to solve the problem the only way she had left.”
They went silent as Thayle's words rang with truth and stabbed with pain. They had all willingly played the part of the Father Abbot, driving dear Lilly to take a great personal risk. Just as Gersius had all those months ago, she was now alone in the wilderness, looking for the salvation they dearly needed.
“I lost my baby!” Sarah started to cry as red tears fell from her closed eyes.
“Sarah,” Gersius called as he wished he could pull her into his arms. “She isn't lost. She is on her mission, and the letter said the Doan had promised her safety. If they had no intention of honoring that, they would never have let her leave to tell us in the first place.”
“She said it would only be a couple of days,” Thayle added as she had to wipe her eyes. “She will be home soon.”
“What can she accomplish in a couple of days?” Sarah sobbed. “Even if the Doan honor their pledge, the dragons won't. If they find out she is there, they will rip her to shreds.”
Gersius did his best not to think about how true those words were. The Dragons behind the Doan had already tried to kill Lilly several times. If they found her alone and isolated, they wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of the situation. Lilly was in terrible danger, but then hadn't she been from the start? From the day he took his first step to find her, his enemies planned her demise. They tried to kill her before he even reached her home. Then they tried to enslave her and make her a mount to show Dellain's power on parade. They tried, again and again, to remove her from the board, but every time Lilly found a way forward. As much as it hurt, they had to trust her; they couldn't always be there to protect her from danger.
They flew on in pain, praying for Lilly's safe return. It wasn't until the northern mountains came into view that they started to think about their other pressing problem. Two hours later, they touched down outside of camp and were met by Tavis and his family, who looked tense.
“Thank the divines you are back,” Ayawa said as Gersius and Thayle approached while Sarah changed.
“Where is Lilly?” Gedris asked before they noticed the pained look in Gersius’s eyes.
“What happened?” Tavis asked as he tipped his hat back.
“Lilly is staying behind,” Gersius said with a voice that lacked conviction. “She has a task she needs to complete.”
“Your aura is filled with pain,” Gedris said.
“We are not happy about having to leave her,” Thayle said.
A flash of light filled the air as Sarah completed her change. She stormed out of the cloud a moment later and came to the others.
“She is in terrible danger, but we had no choice but to trust in her abilities,” she said as Tavis and Ayawa exchanged glances.
“I will explain it as we walk back to camp,” Gersius sighed and pointed that they should lead on. He related the entire story of Lilly and how she had become obsessed with trying to talk to the Doan. He explained how she found the scouts and how they told her she needed to speak to the wise one. Sarah admitted how many times Lilly had tried to convince her to speak to them and how she kept turning Lilly's idea away. Even Thayle admitted Lilly had brought up the idea but didn't consider it seriously. He then explained the letter and how Lilly had gone over the walls to find the wise ones and was now speaking with them. They asked what drove her to such a rash decision and Gersius explained his latest plans. Gersius described how he wanted to send hundreds of men in small groups to scour the mountains and institute a conscription. Nobody was surprised when Ayawa pointed out that many of those scouting parties would likely be killed. Gersius agreed and told her that was part of the plan. He would focus his efforts on the locations where the scouts were vanishing, hoping to reveal the Doan. When Lilly heard of this, she was incensed and became so unruly she had to be removed from the meeting. They believed these decisions finally drove her to take such a risk.
A silence hung over the group as they approached the outer rings of guards until Gedris finally spoke up.
“I think she is very brave,” Gedris cited. “She is willing to risk anything to stop the bloodshed.”
“She has no right to risk herself,” Sarah countered. “She is a part of our bind, and we cannot exist without her.”
“Right, the bind,” Tavis agreed and glanced at Gersius. “You can feel her, can’t you?”
“I can, and it is killing me,” Gersius admitted. “I have never been more afraid for her.”
“She will come through,” Tavis urged. “Somehow, Lilly’s innocent approach to things always wins through.”
“It worked with the southern tribes,” Gedris pointed out.
“Only because Ayawa was there to rescue her from her foolishness,” Sarah grumbled and wiped a tear away. “Who is going to rescue my baby now?”
“She will be fine,” Thayle urged and took her arm. Thayle’s words were sincere, but her aura showed the doubt that plagued all their hearts.
Tavis and Ayawa decided to avoid more discussion on the matter and instead started filling them in on what was happening. Eleven towns had been attacked, three of which were burned to the ground. One town had a patrol of knights in it, and a minor battle saw all the knights slain. People all across the northern range were fleeing as the roads filled with refugees. Farms vital to food production were abandoned, and herds were left unattended.
“What have the commanders I left behind done?” Gersius asked.
“They want to move even closer to the mountains,” Ayawa said. “Mingfe cut the army into ten smaller battle groups and assigned each an area of the range to patrol while tripling the scouts.”
Gersius tried hard not to groan at the idea of his army being split up. That was playing right into the enemy's hand by feeding them the army in small, easily destroyed groups. Still, what else could she do when she had no idea where they were? It all came back to how the Doan were managing to hide and if this was a ruse to keep him bogged down.
“Do you think that might be what this is?” Thayle asked as she read his mind.
“I am beginning to think so,” Gersius replied and ran a hand through his hair. “But if we are wrong, we all pay the price.”
“What are you talking about?” Ayawa asked as they passed into the rows of tents. Gersius explained the theory that this northern army was a lie. That all they were facing were perhaps a few hundred to a thousand Doan raiders meant to lure them away from the real fighting.
“If that were the case, then the sudden escalation in attacks here could only mean they are about to launch the real attack in the west,” Tavis said.
“Tavis is right. They wouldn't be doing this now unless they needed to be sure you were tied down and too busy to rush to help Gams,” Ayawa agreed.
“Then the war is about to begin,” Gersius groaned as he picked up the pace. “I assume the commanders are in the meeting tent?”
“Everyone is assembled,” Ayawa said
Gersius went to them and found a scene of a dozen tense leaders leaning over a table as they debated how best to find and destroy the enemy. Mingfe looked tired as she argued how the attacks were steadily moving east and they needed to focus all efforts there.
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A commander of the infantry pointed out how neither the scouts nor Shadros flying the skies had found any trace of their forces. He believed the effort was meant to stretch them thin so the real attack could easily break them.
“We can’t just sit here and do nothing,” Mingfe shouted.
“I agree,” Gersius said to make his presence known.
All present turned and saluted as Gersius came to the table and took command. He wanted to know where all the forces were and the exact timeline of attacks. He was briefed on the situation and the current beliefs of what was going to happen next.
The attacks had started with three towns being hit near simultaneously. This told him that the enemy's numbers were large enough to divide their forces. Since the initial attacks, new attacks had occurred almost daily, with each new report being further east.
“Why are they heading east?” Thayle asked. “That takes them away from any significant target.”
“And away from the ability to trap the armies in the keeps,” Sarah added.
“And why do they never move inland?” one of the commanders asked. “They could gain significant ground in the open, but they never leave the shadow of the mountain.”
“They are trying to lure us away,” Gersius said with a nod. “They want to put a few more days travel between us and the frontier keeps. They don't have the numbers the confront our army, but they can keep it from the real fight. They are using the mountains to hide, and their true numbers will be revealed if they venture south too far.”
“So all this is a ruse?” Mingfe asked.
“I have begun to believe it is,” Gersius said and looked up. “How would you hide an army of a hundred thousand marching through the wilds?” Before continuing his explanation, he looked at every face to see that none of them had an answer.
“What we know of the third army comes from the earliest days,” Gersius said and pointed to a map. “It was far the north and captured our only major city. Then it vanished from sight with only a single scout to report they had seen it moving northwest.”
“Which means they planned to go around the mountains,” one of the commanders said.
“But what if they didn't?” Gersius asked. “What if once they were safely out of sight, that army broke up and circled deep through their own lands where we would not see them? They arrived in small groups as reinforcements for the two remaining armies, swelling their numbers for the real attack.”
“While a small contingent continued around the mountain,” Mingfe said as she started to see the logic. “They were tasked with launching raids to make us think the third army was here. But if it was, there would be no need to hide it anymore. For all we know, they have less than a thousand men.”
“Which would be much easier to hide,” Gersius pointed out.
“My only fault with this plan is Numidel,” Sarah countered. “Why kill him far into the wilds if this harassing force was hidden in the mountains the whole time?”
“He was killed by another dragon,” Ayawa said. “And I think the answer to your question is obvious. They have been targeting the empire's dragons with carefully laid traps and assassination attempts. Numidel was too long in the north, and their scouts probably reported that he often flew alone. It was only a matter of time before they seized on that opportunity and struck at him.”
“Shadros!” Mingfe said in alarm. “He has been flying alone for days.”
“When is he due back?” Gersius asked.
“Any time now,” Mingfe said with a worried look.
“I am sure he is fine,” Thayle urged. “Numidel was out there for weeks.”
“So we think Numidel’s death was an attack of opportunity and not to hide some bigger threat?” Sarah asked.
“That far into the north?” Tavis asked.
“We thought he was crazy when he suggested looking that far,” Ayawa agreed. “What army would risk the beasts of the north just to gain surprise?”
Gersius understood her logic but then what good were the beasts of the north against tens of thousands? Not to mention the Doan had a means of controlling beasts of their own. Could they have used bandersooks to cut a safe passage through the wilds that Numidel discovered? Were their dragons on hand to lend aid to the progress, and were they used to kill him before he could alert the empire?
“And what if that is what happened?” Sarah asked as she once again read his thoughts.
Gersius tried to clear his head as he was forced to make a decision based on guesses. He either hunted for the northern army or rushed off to reinforce Gams. Either choice might be the right one, but the wrong one would almost certainly doom the empire. He looked up to see the faces waiting to hear his decision as he took a long slow breath.
“Recall all the units we have deployed,” he said in a voice that lacked emotion. “We are going west.”
“But the attacks are moving east?” Mingfe questioned.
He understood that, but those were almost certainly a distraction. Even if there were an army in the north, it wouldn't be wise to attack so far to the east. It was better they attack in the west where they could cut off the border keeps and trap the armies inside. He would send messengers to find Alayse and Jessivel. They could be diverted east to intercept this token force while he moved west.
“Isn’t this risky?” Thayle asked.
“No,” Gersius said and tapped at the map. “Everything they are doing is to keep us preoccupied and away from the border keeps. If we start moving west, they will realize their plan has failed. They will either have to come out of hiding or step up their plans to attack the keeps. Either way, we will no longer have to play their game.”
“Or institute that horrible plan to flood the mountains with scouts in the hopes of following the bodies back to the Doan,” Thayle said in relief.
“I am still instituting the conscription,” Gersius said as he looked over the map. “I want enough men to scour the west until we stand on the shores of the distant oceans.”
“You will pay in blood for every step you take,” Ayawa said.
“So be it,” Gersius replied with dark clouds in his aura and eyes.
The room went silent as the anger echoed in his voice. Dispatches were written and riders sent to deliver orders as Mingfe fretted worriedly over Shadros. When he finally arrived back at camp, she ran to him and hugged his snout. The camp began the process of breaking down in preparation for the move west as rumors circulated began to circulate that Lilly was missing.
Gersius knew he would have to address the matter and decided the best route was to gather his flock of Balisha followers. He had them brought to the meeting tent where he could address them as a group. He told them that Lilly was well and taking part in a secret mission in the west. She would return to them in a few days when the task was over and would resume leading their prayer services. He was careful not to say anything that would be seen as a lie as several women of Ulustrah were present. He then dismissed them and sent them out to aid in the move of the camp. He was sad to see them go as they reminded him of his missing wife and how much she cared for them. He realized that it was this care that motivated Lilly to act. Lilly was falling in love with the people and felt moved to try and spare them from the terrible conflict. She cried over their deaths, especially those of her followers, and did all she could to prevent them.
The units Mingfe had dispatched returned by the next morning, and the march west began. Gersius spent much of his time thinking of Lilly and praying for her safe return. He wished there was some way they could talk to her and find out what she was doing, but she was beyond their reach. As he dwelt on that thought, a new source of stress emerged.
Sarah once again pressed Ayawa to let her teach Tavis to an explosive argument. Sarah accused her of not wanting him to recover his people's ancient past, but Ayawa accused Sarah of literally playing with fire. She wanted the horror of that power left behind him where she felt it belonged.
That night they made camp, but Gersius wouldn't sleep. He doubted any of them would close their eyes until Lilly was safely back in their arms. He went out and stared to the west feeling for her across the bind. He lifted a hand as if to feel her presence closer. If only he could be sure, she was alright.
“What is it now?” Jessivel asked as Alayse clutched a recently arrived dispatch.
“He's moving the army again,” Alayse said and handed him the letter.
“Again?” Jessivel asked and took the letter to read it. “And now he wants us to go north.”
“To look for these Doan raiders,” Alayse grumbled. “We are never going to link up with the main force.” She turned to glare at him as her eyes silently accused him of it being his fault.
“I had to follow up on it,” he snapped as he crinkled the letter. “We had credible evidence that he was hiding there.”
“Bounty hunting is not important,” Alayse countered.
“It is when it is the traitor head of the faith of Vellis,” Jessivel said. “Gersius has ordered all of them run down and brought back by any means necessary.”
“Five days spent following a rumor, and you turned up nothing,” Alayse pointed out. “A wasted effort when we were badly needed elsewhere.”
“It wasn't a wasted effort,” Jessivel said as he disregarded her sharp remarks. His spies had reported that a prominent figure had arrived in a small town weeks ago. This figure did his best to remain unknown to the people while he took up residence in the manor of a local lord. It was only because a chambermaid overheard them speaking that anything was learned about him. She heard him claim that he would wrestle control of the faith of Vellis back from the newly appointed leadership. She also heard him boast that Gersius had no idea what was waiting for him in the west.
That was all the proof Jessivel needed and he turned the entire army around to go after this rumor. Alayse objected to the whole thing, voicing her opinion every chance she could. He pushed their mounted army as hard as he could, arriving at the town just three days later to discover the man was gone. The man had fled days earlier but not before strangling the chambermaid. Jessivel had no idea how he found out about her or how he had known Jessivel was coming. Whatever the case, it was clear he had fled to the north to regions unknown.
“I suppose this new order gives you a chance to look for him some more,” Alayse groaned.
“Indeed,” Jessivel agreed as he considered his options. They had, of course, questioned everyone at the estate, which only confirmed his suspicions. The lord of the estate was arrested and packed off to Calathen for supporting a traitor to the empire. He learned this man was traveling with fourteen other men, all with shaven heads and no beards. They wore iron masks just like the soldiers of Vellis did before drawing blood. Men like that would stand out wherever they went, and Jessivel had scouts scouring the land for people who had seen them passing.
“This is a waste of time,” Alayse sighed.
“Then take your army and go,” Jessivel said. “I will take a small force of my seekers and run him down.”
“You do realize I have the authority to command you off this course,” Alayse said. “I have been appointed commander of the whole army.”
“I do,” Jessivel replied with a slight smile. “But I also know that you trust my judgment and that you know I am right.” He looked her directly in the eyes before approaching her with a firm gaze. “You know I would do anything to protect you.”
Alayse’s lips trembled as she considered his words and had to look away.
“That isn’t going to work every time,” she grumbled.
“No, but these orders are sending us north anyway,” Jessivel said as he turned to look at the camp where their riders were resting. “So we ride north, and if my scouts do turn up a trail to follow, we dispatch a small force to apprehend him. It sounds like the bulk of your army might be needed to blunt the Doan.”
“Don't you try to coddle my emotions by suggesting there will be a grand battle. You read the letter,” Alayse snapped. “He thinks this is a ruse to draw him away. So now we're the ones being drawn away while the real battle will be fought hundreds of miles to the west.”
“We are the only ones fast enough to intercept this force and join the fighting later,” Jessivel pointed out.
“I am aware of that,” Alayse said. “But I expected to be leading the army Gersius is massing.”
Jessivel stopped and looked back to see the anger in her eyes. In the weeks they spent together, he had come to admire Alayse for her fearless devotion to her cause. She was stubborn to the core and never backed down when she believed she was right, but those were good qualities in a commander. She had defeated the army from Whiteford in a single battle, using their magic weapons against them. She had also been the one to sound the alarm about the assassin in the palace and never stopped trying to prove it. She was skilled with the sword, so much so that she had very nearly beaten him in a duel.
All of this had made him start to appreciate her, and then he began to notice how beautiful she was. Alayse was graceful and pretty in a noble warrior sort of way. He never thought of her as anything but a pain in the ass. However, all that changed in the cave with the dragon. Things changed when he protected her with his life from the dragon's fiery breath. She scolded him for doing something so recklessly stupid, but her demeanor toward him was different. When he put her forward to command the army instead of himself, she had practically accused him of trying to impress her.
She was granted the well-deserved title and put in charge of an army that would change the course of history. However, she couldn't effectively take command of that army if they never linked up. She was constantly being diverted to other tasks solely because her force was mounted and could cover the ground more quickly. She raged when he told her they needed to divert and go after the traitor of Vellis but relented in the end. She knew as well as he did that such traitors were high-priority targets, and her desire to lead the full army could wait.
“You will be with your army soon,” Jessivel said as he approached. “I promise you will be the one who leads the charge into the Doan.” He put his hands on her arms and stared into those cold steel eyes as she frowned at his kind words.
“Save your honeyed words for Gersius when he questions why we are behind,” she insisted and pulled away before looking over the camp. “I suppose we need to leave with all due haste.”
“That would be wise,” Jessivel agreed.
“Then let's tear the camp down and get the soldiers mounted. I want to crush this raiding force so I can join the rest of my army before I miss all the fighting,” she said and headed off to begin the process.