The palace was busy the next day. People were running around and preparing for war. Our schedule was more relaxed. We met Lucy’s parents for breakfast, where she discussed their future.
“Mom, dad, what do you want to do? We are going to war against the Empire. It will be dangerous. You could just go to our county. We are sending Minerva and the recruits, probably Thessia and Josef as well.”
“We have discussed such eventualities.” Alister said. “It is clear that your life is dangerous. We would just be a burden. Stil…”
“We don’t want to lose you again.” Lynn finished. “We don’t want to sit in a different part of the continent worrying.”
“What about Ben?” I asked. “Would it not be better for him to be at school?”
Lynn frowned. “School? We could never afford a proper one. And we can teach him how to read or write ourselves.”
I guess I had never really considered the school system of the Empire. Everyone seemed to be able to read and write. But maybe that was the extent of their education. Probably mixed with some propaganda about the Empire.
“Maybe we should hire a tutor for him? So far everyone speaks imperial. But it could help to teach him elvish.”
“Maybe we should hire a combat instructor?” Lucy mused.
“I guess it would not hurt if he could defend himself…” Lynn said.
He is six! I guess people trained early for combat in this world. When did nobles start to train with a sword anyway?
“We could stay with the servants. Armies have cooks and other non-combatants.” Alister suggested.
“What? No.” Lucy answered. “You get a plush tent, servants, guards… You are my parents!”
“I think his point is that there are always non-combatants in an army. They would not be the only ones.” I said. “Also, not every noble is a great fighter. Even in the army there are plenty of people who need protection from assassination.”
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“I wanna see a war!” Ben said.
“No. You would have to stay away from the battlefield. The fighting is no place for you!” Lynn said. “You will have to stay in camp.”
I still thought the whole idea was bad. But I could understand their desire to not be separated from Lucy again. Sitting in an unfamiliar place, worrying all day with no news, would be hard. While there were communication stones, sending messages long distance was not that easy. You could not just use your phone and start a video call.
“We need more maid knights.” I concluded. “Should we keep Adhira with us? Maybe Nira too? As a storm sprite and a succubus they do have certain powers, even if they haven’t been trained to Iris’ standards in weaponry.”
“That is not a bad idea. Iris could continue to train them and they can guard my family.” Lucy said.
“We can have a small ceremony later, make them official maid knights in training instead of recruits.” I suggested. “Damn, we will need armour for them. I hope Tyrell works fast.”
Magic and the increased physical abilities of some people could certainly speed up production. Then again, adding runes to the armour might take additional time. Maybe Tyrell could ship the equipment to us if it was not finished in time. We still had a few days until we would march towards the Empire.
After breakfast Lucy stayed with her family. They continued to talk and plan while I visited Josef and Thessia. They agreed to travel to our county and work on a cure. My next stop was Tyrell, who started cussing when I told him I needed armours quickly. I left while he was still complaining.
I had just left the smith when Erin found me. She invited me to tea with Lilith. Curiously I accepted the invitation.
Lilith had a nice suite in the palace where she welcomed me. She was at a small table and greeted me with a smile.
“Greetings Amaya. Is Lucy joining us too?”
“Good morning Lilith. Lucy is with her family. Is she needed for this conversation?” I asked.
Erin was in her maid outfit and started serving some tea as I sat down. It smelled good. The scent reminded me of green tea with a hint of lemon.
“Lucy is not needed but she would have been welcome. I wanted to discuss the war with you.” Lilith said.
I nodded.
“You see, the attack on the palace still poses a lot of questions. Abducting the spymaster? What sort of secrets would he know that the Inquisition needs? The dwarves were already gearing up for war but this certainly escalated things. We should try to get our hands on this spymaster, if possible. And ask our own questions.” Lilith suggested.
I frowned. “I am not in the habit of betraying my allies. I admit that there are unanswered questions but I will not act against an ally without cause.”
“You are surprisingly trusting, for a fey.” Lilith observed. “But I can respect your loyalty. Just be careful. The three of us taking the field will have consequences. Mortals and immortals alike will watch this conflict. And once it is over many will look at you with fear and concern. Some might even try to steal the Inquisition’s research and use it for their own gains.”
“I will keep that in mind.” She did have a point. We had to ensure that all research was destroyed and nobody would be able to copy their work.
“One other thing, how far are you prepared to go?” Lilith asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Each of us could blow up a city. Combined? We can punch through a lot of defences. We can exterminate armies. But holding a city? That needs a lot of manpower. Destruction is so much simpler than conquering.”
“I will not kill a bunch of innocent citizens. We will give their armies a chance to surrender. If not… I am prepared to do what must be done.” It would not be easy. But I had seen what happened when I hesitated. I still remembered the destruction Elias had unleashed.