The night draped the eastern skies, casting Bastominad in a radiant glow that pierced the darkness beyond its borders. The Huertian territory, still recovering from past turmoil, had transformed the far eastern city into a formidable fortress.
This was evident as Sevidon navigated the bustling streets. He was surrounded by the lively sounds of vendors selling their wares and inns having the merriest people it could have, illuminated by the crackling fire of street lamps. Amidst the mix of soldiers taking a break and citizens tending to their needs, he couldn’t help but notice the weariness etched into the hollowed eyes of the people. It made him ponder if the city’s services were truly meeting their needs.
He wondered if they should improve the city’s services for them. As he observed the people, he noticed a man in black, with silver hair, stood out from the crowd. His head was covered in cloak, but his hair was peeking out, and it appeared to be glowing. He focused on the man, curious as this was his first time seeing something like that. But as the enigmatic figure walked, he began to turn to him, and upon passing someone from behind, he vanished.
He quickly looked at him. He wasn’t sure if he was seeing things, but he was certain he saw a man with a silver hair.
“Hey!” someone suddenly shouted at him and grabbed him by the shoulder. He turned and there he saw Glaivel.
“I’ve been calling you from afar,” Glaivel said, his voice urgent as he immediately guided Sevidon towards the headquarters at the city’s central castle. “Ravaen just arrived. The others are on their way. We need to head there now.”
“Ravaen? Already?” Sevidon’s curiosity piqued. “Why is he early?”
“I don’t know, but judging by the reports of the sentries, he flew way ahead of his contingent,” Glaivel answered as they navigated through the bustling crowd.
Ravaen’s swift arrival was unusual. He knew him to be a man of dry humor and a fiery temper, easily irritated when things didn’t go as planned.
As they moved away from the lively streets of Bastominad and towards the hill where the headquarters stood, soldiers greeted them with salutes at each checkpoint, indicating a heightened state of alert.
He glanced up at the night sky, where stars twinkled like jewels in the vast expanse of the night’s dark tapestry.
As they approached the headquarters, the once tranquil camp surrounding it was filled with the sound of someone shouting. The voice was unmistakable, and he knew exactly who it was before he even saw him. He already took a deep breath as he prepared to deal with it.
He was right with his hunch. It was Ravaen, flailing everything he got his hands on.
“What in Animos’ sake — Ravaen! What’s going on?!” Glaivel shouted, trying to get him to stop as he ran towards him. It worked, but not before Ravaen threw the wooden box he was holding.
“That woman! She’s crossed the line! I’m done! Where is she?!” Ravaen bellowed, his anger very obvious. He and Glaivel exchanged a look of confusion.
As the guards and his lieutenants that finally caught up struggled to hold Ravaen down, he and Glaivel decided to intervene, their combined strength finally overpowering him. “Ravaen, what’s going on?” he calmly asked, but Ravaen was in a frenzy.
“Five years! She’s been doing it her own way for five years! Tamiron! Where are you?! Come out here! We need to talk now!” Ravaen shouted, his voice echoing through the camp. More soldiers come to check out what was going on.
“Ravaen!” They slowly released Ravaen as a familiar voice called out from the direction of the gates. They turned and saw Tamiron, who had just arrived, immediately walking up to them. The two stood face to face, their eyes locked in a silent exchange.
“We need to talk,” Ravaen said, his chin held high.
Tamiron only looked at him, his expression unreadable. He then glanced at both he and Glaivel before turning and walking towards the castle. Ravaen quickly followed, and the two of them disappeared inside.
“What could’ve riled up Ravaen like this?” Glaivel whispered as they entered the stone halls of the castle as they followed closely. The corridors were well lit and decorated, their heavy footsteps echoing on the polished floors.
Upon reaching Tamiron’s room and the doors closing behind them, the conversation began.
“What in Arumar’s name are you doing?!” Tamiron shouted at Ravaen as he removed his dark green cape and horned helmet. He could see the anger in Tamiron’s eyes, but it was because of Ravaen’s own actions.
“Then explain to me why you gave Everess commanding authority?! Over us! Over me!” Ravaen shouted back, his voice filled with frustration.
Ravaen’s revelation caught them off guard, leaving them stunned.
“What is he saying, Tamiron?” he asked for clarity, as his confusion was evident. It seemed that even he was unaware of this development. The disappointment on Tamiron’s face was clear, as if he had hoped to avoid this confrontation. “So it’s true, then?” he continued, seeking confirmation.
Ravaen, with a smug smile, addressed them. “So, hear this. I have been ordered by Tamiron to stay out of Everess’ way. After a soldier told me that Everess has authority over me!” He then turned to Tamiron. “Any explanation as to why she is getting special treatment? Tamiron? Care to explain?”
Ravaen then immediately turned to Sevidon and Glaivel. “Did he tell you about this? How about you?” he pointed at him and then to Glaivel.
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He sighed, unsure of how to react. “To be honest with you, we just found out about this now.”
Ravaen shook his head at the absurdity of the idea. “You do know that this is not sitting well with some of us, right?” Ravaen clarified, then looked at the two. “I was like a dog put in his place when we called Tamiron through the owl! I felt embarrassed, deceived!”
“You are not the only one,” Glaivel added, his voice echoing his sentiments.
But Tamiron remained silent, his expression unreadable. Some servants arrived at the room, breaking the tense silence. They helped Tamiron remove his armor and placed it on its stand next to his desk.
“Are you calm now?” Tamiron asked Ravaen as he proceeded to remove the rest of his armor. He then put on a long shirt that went down to his knees, with slits in the middle, in dark green and lined with gold. The sleeves had long slits for his iron hands.
Ravaen was still fuming, but he seemed to be calming down.
“As I mentioned in my message through the owl, Everess presented a compelling argument with valid points. Hence, I granted her authority equal to mine, ensuring she can make decisions with ease when necessary.”
“But really, equal to yours?” he interjected, his tone cynic. “You should have discussed this with us beforehand. Springing it on us like this was not wise, Tamiron. I’m surprised you made such a decision. Especially since you always call a meeting or convene us through the owl to make big decisions in the past years.”
“She’s been operating independently for five years. The meetings are just for show! Everess always destroyed the agreements anyway!” Ravaen added. “And now you decide to formalize it? What were you thinking, Tamiron?” Ravaen’s voice was still raised, but he seemed calmer than before.
Glaivel sighed. “Look, I believe Tamiron had a good reason for this. Let’s just leave it be. Let’s discuss this when everyone is here.”
“Easy for you to say. You weren’t the one treated like a dog,” Ravaen retorted, clearly annoyed.
“Ravaen, I understand you don’t like having two people above you. It’s clear you find it annoying when I give you orders. But I have other responsibilities as Crown Regent of the Trasidar Empire. This is the best way to ensure everyone can act accordingly. Having another commander with near-equal authority is the right call,” Tamiron explained.
Ravaen’s eyes narrowed as he listened. He knew Tamiron was right, but it didn’t make it any easier to accept. He had always been fiercely independent, and the idea of someone else giving him orders didn’t sit well with him. He was certain the only reason he was still here was out of respect for Tamiron. And it seemed that respect was slowly dwindling away.
“Remember this,” Ravaen said, his voice low and dangerous as he leaned over the table. “It was you who called the free kingdoms into arms. So having that kind of excuse is not really acceptable. Especially if I called almost all of my army to this forsaken continent.”
Tamiron sighed, acknowledging Ravaen’s point. He had been the one to call the free kingdoms into arms, and he had done so with the best of intentions. But now, after the incident, he noticed that Tamiron’s confidence and his once radiating charisma were gone.
“Look, for now, let us just get one thing straight,” he said, stepping between the two. “If that is your reasoning, Tamiron, then I will respect that. But given the current situation and the years that Everess has acted alone, she needs to be reminded of her responsibilities.”
The others nodded in agreement. “I will let everyone know my reasoning behind this as well,” Tamiron said, his iron hands steepled. “I’ll explain this to Everess as well. I’ll take care of this matter with her upon her arrival.”
Now that the tense situation had cooled down a bit, Ravaen went ahead and grabbed a glass, pouring himself some wine. As he drank, he immediately turned to them. “Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. Everess wiped out a town.”
His eyes and others widened.
“She did what?” Glaivel asked, confused and surprised by Ravaen’s statement.
There, he saw his devious smile.
“Thought you guys know? Did she not tell you?” Ravaen said in a sarcastic voice. He drank his second glass and pulled out the map, laying it over the table. Then he pointed at a supposed town. “That town is gone. She alone wiped it out, as admitted by the soldier there who doesn’t want her finding out that she told on her.”
“Tamiron, what’s going on with her? She’s been going lone wolf on this since the start of our campaign. She’s been escalating ever since,” Glaivel confronted Tamiron, worried about the situation. “This needs to stop.”
“Look, I know the Xerxecians are our enemies. But to treat them without honor is a dishonor to itself. Especially for warriors like us,” Ravaen pointed out. “There are lines we simply do not cross, even against our enemies, Tamiron.”
Tamiron only sighed, his iron hands clenched. “She did not inform me of what she did with that town.”
Ravaen then laughed. “I’m sorry, so she did not tell you this? That is funny,” then continued to laugh some more, then he poured himself some more matrik.
Annoyed, Tamiron only shook his head and clicked his tongue. “She only told me that she took care of it, and that’s it.”
Ravaen only laughed more, clearly getting annoyed himself. “Ravaen. Enough. We get what you are trying to say. Now please,” he asked him as his laugh died off and let go of the bottle. He then looked at Tamiron. “You need to remind her of that line, Tamiron. She’s taking everything too far.”
“Without her, we wouldn’t be able to restore Huertian’s old eastern borders,” Tamiron suddenly said.
“And we are just going to let her go and do her thing? You did not ask her to help, you asked us all!” Ravaen pointed out. “Yes, what she did was a big favor and helped us reclaim much of this territory within that year and even restore Bastominad’s connection with the rest of the empire. But that doesn’t give her the right to have Shardon as her plaything with her newfound magic!”
“We owe her the benefit of the doubt,” Tamiron suddenly said in a loud voice as he stood up. “We owe her that.”
“We owe her nothing, Tamiron,” Ravaen retorted. “She owes us her respect. If she wants the same thing, then she should give us the courtesy of it.”
Tamiron took a deep breath. “All I ask from you three is to give me time to speak to her about this. You will get your answers, I promise you this. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other matters that need to be dealt with.”
Then he proceeded to walk away.
Ravaen was not having it. His arms extended in disbelief. “Are you really going to walk away from us after all this?!”
Tamiron quickly opened the door. “I will take care of it!” then proceeded to exit the room.
All three of them were in disbelief. Ravaen’s arms were on his waist, fuming at Tamiron’s reaction. He and Glaivel shared a look before Glaivel patted Ravaen on the back and proceeded to exit the room.
He stayed behind for a bit, still wondering what was going on with Tamiron. He didn’t know if the incident affected him, but to what extent? He couldn’t tell. He then proceeded to leave the room, and as he closed the door, he saw Tamiron walking fast on the other side of the hall. A door opened at the end, and he entered, revealing a figure in a black cloak.
The figure proceeded to remove their hood, revealing a woman. She turned slightly, and he caught a glimpse of her face before the door closed. It was Everess, the woman who had been causing so much trouble as of late.
Sevidon’s curiosity, and worry grew. Why did Tamiron need to leave the room to go to a different one with Everess? What was going on between them? He couldn’t shake the feeling that something else was at play here. Something that could gravely affect their shared goal.
End of Chapter VI