The rains began, it was expected, anticipated, completely normal for this land. It seemed that the world was weeping as the sky turned gray and water fell, sheet after sheet. It also meant that construction on large project needed to take a backseat as we continued to reinforce our weapons and armor. In my home, and in so many other workshops throughout the city burning metal was being shaped, bit by bit into weapons and armor. I left Chien in charge as I left the house, heading down the street to my meeting with Atal and his people.

Getting more known at the palace was weirder and weirder. I was getting respect, even though I was still basically a child compared to most of the people here, still being listened to, still being invited to meetings. I wasn't sure how to handle it quite yet, but I was doing the best I could.

Today there were several battle mages here, and one of them looked over at me. “Justin, I've a request from some of us,” he said.

“What's that?” I replied, it wasn't usual that they had something they wanted from me, normally it was those in charge of defenses and the soldiers that were asking for things.

“A few days ago the Ancestor was telling me about the battle the two of you fought against these destroyers and their leader.”

“Yes?” I nodded.

“During that time you managed to stop the scream attack from one of their more powerful people?” he said, and I could see several of his fellows now leaning closer too.

“Yes,” I agreed.

“If it isn't too much of me to ask, the description of how you did so from the Ancestor made little sense. Could you explain it to me please? Such a thing might be highly useful.”

There was a lot of politeness in his voice, forms of speech and inflection that almost indicated he was speaking to an Elder or something like that. I was almost taken aback, then I began to think about it. Atal was placing a lot of trust in me, allowing me into places I shouldn't normally be and telling me things that were state secrets. It might be very true that I now ranked closer to an Elder than anything else in the city right now, even if the city itself didn't use that designation.

I also wasn't under any obligation to answer him. Had it been Atal then I would have needed to, because he was a leader at war, but when it came to magic there were some things that were private. Anyone who so chose could decide to keep most of their practices private, their insights and knowledge only given to those who they chose. Even Atal's granddaughter could have decided that I was unworthy and thrown me out had she really wanted to. He'd probably given her something to make her teach me what she had.

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Silently the room waited as I considered. Even Atal was watching, not nervously, but as if he were judging my reaction, seeing what I would do. I had skin in this game though, and wouldn't be denied a chance at seeing the man who'd killed so many of my people gone.

“I don't mind telling you that, and a few more things, but some things are too dangerous to explain. For a shield though, this will be helpful.” I then went on to give a basic explanation of how to block sound, though I didn't go too deeply into why it would work. Here I would be telling them the how, not the why, for the why might well lead to other things being discovered which weren't ready to be made public yet.

For a few moments I had the floor before it returned to Atal, who looked overall pleased that I was sharing the info. After all, if I could protect him from a similar power to that which our enemy's leader used then perhaps it would find use more in the future from others.

Once that was done we moved on to the state of reinforcement on the villages and city itself. This was an important area, since without some form of protection it was likely that we'd shortly be overrun. The towers had been a success, not stopping but alerting and allowing us to respond to several attacks in the last weeks, but it wasn't enough.

“We need a way to destroy them when the rains stop,” Atal said, rubbing his chin.

“Weaken them now,” I suggested, something I'd already brought up.

“Moving enough people through the rains will be troublesome, and attacking their holdings in them even more so,” one of the other advisors said, the prevailing opinion.

“We don't need to attack them. We need to make them waste effort.” It had taken some time, but I felt this was the best way to put it.

“Why?” Atal questioned once more.

“Their soldiers are burning, and the brighter they burn the faster they fall to ashes. We don't have to win a fight, we don't even have to fight it, but make them run too and fro, make them work, and that work will speed their deaths.”

“They are children, they are our children!” the advisor objected, seeming enraged that I would desire the deaths.

Atal's granddaughter Jina seldom spoke at these meetings. She was here, the one who'd taught me about magical materials and potions, but most of the time her expertise was not needed. If she even had an opinion one way or another on most issues was even unknown to me, but now she did speak.

“Those children will die either way, and there is nothing we can do about it. Is it crueler to extend their lives? Do we let them rampage and destroy even more? Or do we instead seek to kill them and spare others? I think the answer should be obvious.” Having said her piece Jina sat back.

The room was silent, for this was the expert on these sort of potions, the undisputed master as far as those here were concerned. She was the one who made them, she was the one who made many of the inks and urgents that used magical plants and the like, and if she said the children were doomed, then the only one who might know better was Atal himself, who was silent.

“If we can save them we should, but unless someone manages to free their families I don't see them turning back to our side,” I said.

“Then we put together a group to do as you suggested,” Atal declared.

“I'll go,” I offered immediately.

“No, you are needed here. If you die then we lose a good source of weapons, one we cannot spare.”

With a few more words and gestures leaders for the effort were designated. At the very least I would see to it that they'd be as well equipped as I could manage. If it came to a fight they could have at least that much.