Zan’s march to Thundervale was quick, efficient, and uneventful.

Just a time sink, really.

He recharged his magical reserve, though, as the Slipstream was in effect, so that was good. He walked. And walked.

By himself. He felt lonely.

Zan wished he could talk with Luxley. Luxley might be a weird, slightly unbalanced royal, with dubious loyalties, but he was a real friend. He was kind enough, anyway. He got in trouble with his father. That had to say something.

As if by nature, he heard Luxley’s voice in his ear.

“Hey buddy, can you hear me?” Luxley said.

“I can hear you. How are you doing, mate?” Zan asked.

“Oh, not too bad. I fixed my room. I only just started, but I am on my techy-board stuff again. Evidently, Miss Maggie Weathers confirmed to my father I was studying it again, and he seemed happy. Even sent a study platter up to my room.”

“That’s cool. And you’re good at it, so seems like things are going better?”

“I guess? My dad’s still an A-hole…”

“Why do you hate him?” Zan asked, wondering about the story behind Luxley’s animosity.

Luxley momentarily said nothing. Suddenly, he said, “No offense, but I don’t want to talk about that…”

“That is okay. I shouldn’t have asked. Just being nosey. Sorry…”

“It’s fine. Listen, I actually buzzed you to say I did a little more of your list. Half-way through one line! I am on a roll. With my renewed techy-mag studies, I don’t think this list is getting done for a couple weeks. Minimum.”

“Absolutely fine. Take your time. I really meant what I said yesterday. I understand how you had a life before I crashed into you.”

“Okay. Cool. You feeling okay?”

“Me? Of course. I am actually over-happy. At finally having someone who can translate this list for me. I don’t know what I would have done without you, Luxley.”

Another moment of silence. “Geez… you’re making me blush, Zan. Alrighty, before my whole body turns red, I’ll let you go. Stay safe, Zan. Talk soon. Over and out.”

Although Zan enjoyed the update on the list’s translation, he wondered if he needed Luxley’s update. Zan already knew it would be some time to finish the translation. Perhaps he is simply astute and organized? Zan wondered.

Not long after the update, Zan arrived in Thundervale. The city looked busier than normal. Perhaps a circus was in town?

Walking down the main thoroughfare, Zan saw no clowns or beasts of an exotic nature. ‘What a shame!’ he thought. He always wanted to see a circus.

Ignoring the busy street as it held no interest for him without the circus, Zan made a straight shoot to the guardhouse. “Is Colonel Winters in?” Zan asked the secretary. She took only one glance at Zan before she waved him up.

Climbing the stairs to the third-floor office attic, Zan mused again on how far he had come since he and Jiehong’s first visit to this town. ‘They fecking arrested us!’ echoed in his head.

Climbing atop and entering the room, Zan saw many military men sitting in the splayed open seats. ‘The room is packed!’ Zan thought. ‘Who are these people?!’

His question about who the people were did not last long as about while he entered the meeting, whatever it had been about, ended. Dodging the larger frames of the professional soldiers who hardly noticed Zan’s much wimpier body, he felt like an alleycat evading the murderous feet of the uncaring masses.

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“Who are they?” Zan asked. “Buddies?”

Colonel Winters laughed. “Buddies? Something like that. Soldiers from other rural garrisons. People in the royal military of a certain rank. People like me who, though they hold a certain rank, they lack the resources to do much in the invasion’s face because of their location. That meeting was about strategy and other boring stuff. Not really why I called you down.”

“Oh… then why did you call me down? And I apologize for missing you. As Sigma-Prime — that shiny metal person — said, I was on a special mission.”

“You keep busy, Zan. That is good. Young men should remain busy. Keeps their minds and hands out of trouble. I visited you and called you here because of the messenger you freed during our joint operation with the rebels.” The Colonel said.

“Is he alright?” Zan asked.

“He is fine. Worry not. He is currently on his way back with my response. Speaking of which, we will need your help with. Come, take a seat. Let me catch you up on what has happened and what will happen.”

Zan took a seat opposite the Colonel near his desk and listened with rapt attention, happy to be off his feet.

“First, for what has already happened. The messenger you freed came to us with a message for our provincial lord, Talent. His message came from the lord of a nearby province which is in trouble, a province administered by lord Gallant. I won’t bore you with the history between the two of them, but the crux of the matter is he is requesting aid. We simply cannot risk sending the air he needs without huge swathes of our territory getting put into danger. Unfortunately, the lord is insistent. So, we have no choice but to send all our reserves, despite our enemy’s efforts on the border unrelenting — our scouts, Zan, have already identified another resource column moving from the national border zone to our provincial lines—”

“Which means more outposts?” Zan asked.

“Exactly. It means more outposts, like the hundreds we already put to the torch and it means larger weapons yet, like the Walker you put down. The meeting you saw let out before you arrived was a response, in part, to this: with our reserve forces moving to the neighboring province, only the barest, thinnest skeleton crew will remain. This crew will do nothing more than evacuate villages should they come under Expanse attack.”

“So, you want me to help with this crew? Provide backup? Support?” Zan said.

“Considering your age? One would be right to think that. But no… I summoned you here because despite the danger, despite the absurdity of another lord demanding protection when there is danger everywhere, I need you with me. This is the ‘what will happen’ part of affairs. The lord in question, Gallant, is desperate for aid because his personal villa is nearby. It is under siege by the enemy. He wants us to break the siege,” Colonel Winters explained.

“Wow… that’s a lot to take in. What I don’t understand is where is our provincial lord in all this? I guess he has signed off on this incursion, right?”

“Our lord, Talent, is off with the overking fighting the bulk of the invader’s army. When the invasion happened, he and the overking were at some aristocratic function together, evidently. I am actually among the highest ranked individuals left within the province. At least among those with cognitive functions…”

“Crap-on-a-shat,” Zan said. “I had no idea. It would be improper to refuse. So I will take you up on this offer. The Order I lead — boy, is it weird saying that — is dedicated to eradicating evil. And this invasion is an act of evil. Therefore, I will go with you. We are between projects, so this seems right up our alley.”

“Wonderful to hear! I knew you would seize the initiative. Now, I need to ask you another question: would this rebel, you know, Whiskey, I think her name is, be at all swayable to our cause? Or fail that at least help the remaining garrison troops should the enemy launch an assault in our absence?” Colonel Winters asked, though Zan didn’t know why he should ask. Surely, he knew Whiskey wanted nothing to do with the royal administration?

“Uh… yeah. She won’t help you free some royalist bigshot. I know she will help protect the common people, though. Send a carrier bird her way and I am sure she will keep her eyes peeled,” Zan said, not really lying, since he knew she would help, but not really sure her help would actually help the Royalist cause as much as she might use the crisis to further the rebel cause. Still. Zan wasn’t a seer. He did not know what the future held for anyone, let alone in a crisis.

“I figured as much. I will send a bird her way, then. What a shame, though. For our social divisions to exacerbate when the enemy struck. There couldn’t have been a worse time for a rebellion… oh well. Is how the chips fall sometimes,” Winters said, a sigh lodged in his throat.

“You are trying to build a broad alliance, then?” Zan asked.

“As broad as possible. Not an easy thing to do, of course. And should certain members of the aristocracy find out I am trying to rope in rebel fighters to our cause, they will not be too happy. Will forbid me from continuing. Might even punish me in the process. Yet what else can I do? In war, certain actions must be taken.”

Zan and Winters fiddled with the details over the next few minutes.

“I’m ready to leave whenever you are,” Zan said. “Although I do need to send a message to Jiehong and get him up with us. Are you expecting to leave as soon as possible?”

Winters said, “Oh, heavens no. I am waiting for some men to come and join me. It will probably be a few days before everyone comes up. Actually, Zan. I had a special mission for you and your friend. If you are up for it…”