The Whitecap mountain range of the Storm Continent reminded me unpleasantly of the Central Mountains. I could only barely make them out from here, and only with the help of light qi and my spyglass, not to mention being pretty high up. But the fact that I could see them at all drove home just how far we had already come into the Dominion. The craggy peaks and white caps could have been just a view of the Central Mountains seen from a new angle, if I couldn’t recall exactly how each mountain was shaped. The pattern of rivers winding their way down was different, too. But there was also a city sprawled at their feet, only a dark blob from here. The first major settlement the Zarian had taken outside of their actual homes.
Sighing, I lowered my spyglass and stowed it in my storage ring, before I turned away from the view of the landscape. The city below me was still smoking in several places. It had come of out of the recent battle worse than most. Perhaps because the Zarian had fought with more ferocity and determination here. But General Wei had taken it almost a week ago, and I knew the fires causing that smoke were just about burned out. People were already starting to rebuild quite close to them. They’d burned hotter and far longer than normal, made from fire qi as they were, but at least the destruction was very contained.
There’d still been a lot of civilian fatalities here compared to the other cities.
Shaking my head, I got moving and headed down the stairs of the observation post. It was attached to one of several fortresses, this one placed right beside the city wall. Like the others, it had clearly been neglected for a long time. Boarded up windows and incongruous stone and metal additions showed where the Zarian had tried to quickly get it back in fighting shape. I knew boarding those windows up was probably more efficient even than using enchanted glass and formation arrays, but the sight still seemed odd. Encouraging, though. The smell of wood shavings and alchemy components couldn’t quite mask the underlying dustiness. It was quiet for the amount of qi signatures I sensed, most of them clearly hard at work.
Tenira met me at the base of the stairs, and we exchanged quick smiles. It really was good to have her by my side again. Even if I could wish she had more new technology to bring with her.
“They’re asking for you in the mayor’s office, but I think that’s a matter that doesn’t really need your attention,” she said. “Just a snag with organizing the local police force. Lei also wants to show you something he’s cooked up, but that will keep, too.”
I nodded. “Anything interesting?”
“I think I’ll let you judge that for yourself.” She gave me a little smile.
I rolled my eyes, but didn’t press the point, and started walking again. Tenira fell seamlessly into step with me and, somehow or other, we ended up holding hands. There weren’t many people around, except for the everpresent Imperial guard team, though Aston had again taken a break. I could sense him cultivating not too far away.
I slowed down as we stepped back into open air and sunlight at the base of the fortress, where a small patch of dirt pretended to be a proper courtyard. The sun was still shining brightly, but the wind had picked up in the short time I’d been inside. I frowned, looking up at the sky. Clouds were gathering to the east. They looked pretty dark considering they were still this far away. Another storm? Hopefully, it wouldn’t reach the army before the battle they were expecting began.
I started to take a step forward, then stumbled, barely catching my balance. As if by itself, my head snapped back up into the sky, and I blinked. I’d rarely had an intense feeling like this before, especially this suddenly, but I could sense the spiritual qi involved.
“Nari?” Tenira took my arm. “What’s the matter?”
I shook my head. “I just got a sudden premonition. A strong one. Something is going to happen.” I hesitated, glancing around. “Tenira, raise the alert. I don’t think whatever it was is centered on us, but the Moon is clearly expecting some excitement to come.”
Tenira frowned, but visibly swallowed her questions, and instead reached for her communication talisman to pass this on. My attention was distracted from her quickly, as I saw Elia and Elis hurrying out of the fortress into the courtyard. They both looked tense. Elis was just buttoning the nondescript dark jacket he wore.
“Did you feel it, too?” Elis asked right away.
“I felt something,” I replied. “I’m not sure what, but something’s going to happen. Presumably, Jideia’s going to pull some sort of stunt.”
“That’s about what we figured,” Elia replied. “We both got a sensation from the Sun at the same time. It wasn’t very strong, but this kind of thing doesn’t happen often. I get the feeling all of the Greater Spirits are focusing their attention on this conflict.”
“Well, that just leaves the question …” I trailed off, frowning, as I watched Ceion coming from the other gate. I beckoned to him.
He hesitated, but then walked over to us. He bowed. “Your Highness. Lady Tenira, Lady Elia, Lord Elis.”
Elis snorted. “That’ll be the day when I’m really a lord.”
“I was under the impression that your family was nobility where you came from,” he said calmly.
Elia shot her brother a quelling look. “We lost our holdings, but yes, for what it’s worth, you’re correct. That’s not important right now, though.”
“We all felt something rather odd, from our spirit ancestors,” I said. “Did you notice anything?”
Ceion frowned slightly. “Yes. Like a shadow of something else. I’m not sure what to make of it.”
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We all fell silent, clearly uncomfortable about this matter. Nearby, more soldiers took up their positions around the fortress and the town, and bells tolled in the distance.
“Does anyone else think that storm is getting bigger?” Elis finally asked.
I looked up again, frowning. He was right. Just in the short time we’d been talking, the dark clouds on the horizon had expanded considerably. They clearly came from east-south-east, moving quickly. They also looked just a little darker than even one of the temperamental local tempests were supposed to be.
“The more important question is,” Elia said, “does anyone else think it’s heading right for the army?”
“Probably,” I muttered. It was hard to tell with something like this, but from what I could see, it had to pass right over where I guessed the next battle would take place.
“From our last reports, the army had sighted the Zarian and they were both preparing to engage,” Tenira said. “This has to be related.”
“But I don’t think this is what our feelings are about,” I added. “Not just this, anyway. Hell, even if we were about to be completely crushed in the next battle, I don’t think it would raise that level of interest among the spirits.”
They exchanged uncomfortable glances. Ceion took a step back, looking like he was seriously considering getting himself somewhere else, even as most of the present guards focused their attention on him. Elia and Elis appeared not to notice, and instead exchanged silent glances.
Suddenly, I sensed another shift in the qi around us. I barely had time to take a step back and get Fides from my storage ring before a dark figure plummeted out of the sky next to us. A moment later, I stowed the spear again, relaxing at the familiar presence.
“Sorry to startle you,” Kiyanu said. He brushed his robe off, even though he’d touched down with barely any sound or disturbance in the air and hadn’t gotten any dust anywhere.
“It’s good to see you again,” I replied, even as the others quickly fell into deep bows.
“I noticed what I’m fairly sure was a disturbance,” the regent said, glancing at the storm quickly before returning his attention to us. “Do you have any insight to offer?”
I nodded. “A little, but nothing very helpful.” Quickly, I laid out what we’d all felt.
Kiyanu frowned. “That’s not a good sign, Inaris. You’re right, this has to be the Storm making a play of some kind, and it has to be connected to the battle.” He looked around, nodding at Aston, who’d taken position with the other guards, then turned back to me. “I think we’d better take a closer look.”
“That does seem to be wise,” I agreed.
“Good. Hold on.”
I barely had time to brace myself before I felt Kiyanu’s qi gathering around me again. The next second, it lifted me off the ground. I sighed and tried to relax into the sensation, letting him carry me. This was probably safer and quicker than any transportation I could have managed myself.
The city swiftly shrunk beneath us, as Kiyanu moved us into an arc up and southward. I glanced around, noting that he’d apparently chosen to leave Ceion behind. Not that I could blame him, considering the situation. Aston appeared to be moving on his own power, and a few other guards were also escorting us, but only the stronger ones. Then I focused my attention on the region we were heading towards.
The Whitecaps swiftly grew bigger in my view as we approached them. The land in front of them was also mountainous, but it only looked like small hills compared to their high peaks. A river wound its way westward off to the side of our path. The rolling hills grew steeper and craggier the further south you traveled, and the city I’d noticed before sprawled in a plateau at the foot of the mountains. Some kilometers south of it, still, there was a pass between two unusually high ridges, where several crags and valleys met to form an especially impassable barrier to further travel southward. Looking closer, I could see the pass surmounted an open space between the two major ridges, forming a natural fortification. Or battleground.
Figures sparkling with qi were streaming into it, accompanied by Imperial airships and planes. On the other side, the Zarian army had taken position. Unlike our army, they hadn’t brought any kind of large machines or siege weaponry, but the faint feeling I got even from here showed that they had gathered a lot of strength. Offhand, I couldn’t say which side could bring more qi to bear.
Kiyanu stopped a good distance away, so I had to cycle light qi to my eyes to have a hope of making out any details.
The fight was clearly just getting started, but it was still ferocious. The haze of various elemental attacks being used, not just all the qi, meant I didn’t get a good look at the overall shape. But the storm was unmistakable. It still approached quickly, creeping forward to fill the horizon with darkness. By now, there was the occasional bolt of lightning casting brief light within the clouds, too, though I couldn’t make out if they hit anything.
“That storm is clearly not entirely natural,” Kiyanu commented in a low voice. “It’s going to stir up the battle.”
He was proven correct quickly. Like passing beneath a curtain, when the storm front reached the area, the activity sputtered out briefly before resuming with a vengeance. Their lines of sight occluded, cultivators rushed to close with each other more often. A few planes and airships managed to land, but many of them were just blown out of the sky, only two of the bigger airships apparently able to withstand the tempest. One of those listed to the side, and they both turned about and started to bolt, losing altitude as they clearly intended to set down somewhere behind the lines of battle.
Interestingly enough, except for the wind picking up sharply and the occasional gust of rain or sleet, we didn’t experience any effects here. The storm almost seemed to have slowed now that it reached its destination.
“Do you think it’s safe to get closer?” I asked. “I couldn’t see much even before, and this is not helping visibility any.”
Kiyanu shook his head, still staring at the battle.
A red haze spread around a particular spot, driving back the cloud cover, as the Red Pheonix took wing and arced over the battlefield. There were still some cultivators in the air, too, although fewer than before. The battle spread out over the uneven terrain, soldiers fighting bitter duels, trying to ambush each other in the confusion, and gaining and losing little ground. From here, it looked like nothing so much as an unholy mess.
Then I heard my companions suck in air sharply as new figures rose from behind the Zarian army, approaching in the blink of an eye. Somehow, none of those was difficult to make out. There were about half a dozen, and they gleamed in vibrant colors. Immediately, the Imperial elites started to withdraw, giving ground to their opponents while they banded more tightly together.
Even from here, I could sense the edge of their qi presence.
Tenira mumbled a curse beside me. “This isn’t what I think it is, is it? They can’t be that stupid.”
“Desperate, maybe,” Elis muttered.
I glanced at Kiyanu, who was now grinding his jaw.
Then the newcomers attacked. They spread out so they boxed the Imperials in, clearly unimpeded by any attacks or attempts to control their movements. And in the next second, torrential waves of qi blasted into the battlefield.
“I’m afraid it is,” Kiyanu said tensely. “These are black stage cultivators.”
He grabbed my arm, and then we moved backward, further away from the fighting. I didn’t pay him any attention, but took out my spyglass, trying to get a better look. I felt my heart flipflop in my chest as the Zarian eighth-stagers started to lay into the Imperial soldiers. With the Storm on their side, the Zarian army seemed to rally as well, pressing forward into their enemy.
They weren’t the biggest threat anymore.