I am not fond of the preternatural arts. There, I said it. Something about it feels like it’s not meant for human hands; or perhaps not meant for humanity as we are right now. But it is a major part of battles in Santara, so I have to talk about it.
There are two types of preternatural arts or magic in Santara: elemental and light. As the name suggests, elemental magic manipulate the existing natural elements, usually to attack another human being. Those elements include earth, fire, wind (which includes lightning), and water (usually manifest as ice but I’ve seen powerful mages drown people with water magic). Meanwhile, light magic focuses on healing the human body, usually applied to oneself or his allies. Despite my reservations on the preternatural arts, I am wholeheartedly grateful for light magic. Many times, it had saved my life. Uncountable soldiers would have died of their wounds without light magic.
Nothing personifies the preternatural arts more than two sisters from the Commonwealth of Puncak. I was to meet them for the first time as we move north from Mocasar to northern Paloe. With the forces of King Aron and Sultan Kochba having secured central Paloe, the Padri’s next target was the heavily defended Tionghoa fort of Ben-Teng.
Taking that fort was easier said than done. Ben-Teng was located at the northern edge of the Paloe island. It was established by the Tionghoa after the conquest of the Eastern Kingdom both to facilitate trade into the region and to keep an eye on their puppet kings. Naturally, this fortress was heavily fortified and had a huge garrison. Given our numbers, there was no way we could have taken Ben-Teng on our own.
This was where the Puncakians came into the picture. I’d rather not talk about them as a people. The less said, the better. But I had to talk about them because of Puncak’s importance.
The Puncakians are a warrior people, even to this day. Their country was named after the snowy mountains they inhabit, the tallest of which being Mt. Puncak; located in Santara’s easternmost major island, Iryan, Mt. Puncak is also the highest point in all of Santara. Unable to grow food in their cold habitations, the Puncakians resorted to soldiery to feed themselves. The men and the women both. Yes readers, even the women. These men and women used the money they earned as mercenaries to buy food and other necessary material to build up Puncak.
In addition, they also enslaved the lowland peoples who made their living as farmers and fishermen. We call these people the lowland helots. But more on them in another chapter.
What made the Puncakians such effective mercenaries are not their numbers or even their battle prowess (though both are true), but their mobility, as their armies are completely airborne.
Fully aware of the Puncakian mercenaries’ reputation, Sultan Kochba paid a handsome sum of gold to get them on our side. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was a completely risky proposition given that the Tionghoa was a regular customer of Puncak’s mercenary services. But their Lord Protector, Davit bin Barak Carrolus was a man proud of his race and he never liked being at the Governor General’s beck-and-call. So having joined our alliance, he sent a Puncakian army under the command of his two daughters: Inferna and Paradisa.
Our battle plan was simple: we attack from the land while the Puncakians attack from the sea (the sky, to be more accurate). Since we needed to coordinate our attacks, King Aron and Sultan Kochba met up with Inferna and Paradisa a few miles away from Fort Ben-Teng.
I was there too. And I saw firsthand how different the two sisters were: like night and day. Inferna boru Davit Carrolus was a brash hothead, a woman who was as fiery as the color of her hair suggested. Meanwhile, Paradisa boru Davit Carrolus was softspoken and demure. Every so often she would look down, which made me think that she was perpetually intimidated, even by me (of all people).
While Inferna brimmed with vitality, Paradisa looked like she would keel over if a strong gust of wind was to blow over her; a look that was accentuated by her silver hair.
The meeting… it could have gone better. It began when the two sisters flew in with their mounts, the pegasi (or winged horses).
Being the gentleman that he was, my lord took the initiative and greeted the two ladies.
“Greetings. I presume you two are the Puncakian leaders…”
Inferna interrupted, giving Aron a suggestive look. “My… aren’t you a handsome one? Had I known you to be the Padri’s leader, I would have taken this job for free.”
At this point, I must also add that Inferna was… lightly dressed. Harlots would blush at her lack of modesty.
With a blush, Aron looked away. “T-thank you for your assistance. Inferna… was it?”
Inferna laughed softly. “An innocent one, too! Perhaps to be expected given your priestly lineage…”
“Excuse me!” That voice was Kochba’s. “We have no time for this theater!”
“And who do you think you are?” Inferna asked, bemused.
“I am the Sultan of Paloe,” responded Kochba, “the leader of the Padri. And you will show me proper respect befitting of my title! Wench.”
“How dare you!” Inferna said indignantly.
As the two got heated, I literally felt the temperature rising. At first, I thought it was the weather but then I felt my skin burning. I soon realized that it was Kochba and Inferna generating their fire magics. They looked like they were about to kill one another until Aron stepped in.
“Enough of this! Both of you! Need I remind you why we were here in the first place?” Aron pointed at the towering fortress at the horizon.
“That’s right.”
Everyone paused in shock, because it was Paradisa who spoke up. She was ready to apologize for her outburst, but she stopped short when she saw Aron’s silent encouragement: his smile. The two gazed at each other’s eyes, and that was all she needed to draw her courage.
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“Don’t you see, sister?” Paradisa said to Inferna. “For centuries, the Tionghoa have been using our selfishness for their own ends. The same selfishness that led you to fight Sultan Kochba.”
Inferna’s answer was begrudging but she saw reason. Same for Sultan Kochba. And the two soon shook hands.
As I have said before, our battle plan was simple and once we stopped fighting each other, it was easy to reach an understanding. The only complication was that we needed a messenger to help us coordinate. Without missing a beat, Aron gave me this responsibility, much to Kochba’s chagrin. I was sure that the Sultan already knew that I was not a Yakobinian.
I would need a ride, which was where Paradisa came in as I would be her passenger on her pegasus.
The Battle of Ben-Teng was where I first got a good look of the Puncakian mercenaries. And they were breathtaking! Aron and Drusus had told me that every Puncakian – men, women, and children – are able warriors, but I was not prepared for the great floating host of our newfound allies.
Like a swarm of bees, the Puncakians flew over the Sea of Paloe, ready to strike Ben-Teng. Each mercenary rode on either gryphons or pegasi, two creatures known to inhabit the mountains of Santara. Only the men rode the fearsome gryphon while the women rode upon the graceful pegasus.
Riding on her black pegasus, Inferna took center stage as the Puncakians advanced towards Ben-Teng. There, I saw the extent of her power. Not one to do things by halves, she generated the largest fireball I had seen thus far, and she launched them at the fort like a cannonball. And she did this over and over again until she was able to blow a large hole on the fortress.
The Tionghoa responded with their own fire from both muskets and cannons. This was my first taste of Puncakian evasive maneuvers. I’m sure I threw up afterwards.
But once the opening was there, Inferna commanded the Puncakians to charge into Ben-Teng.
As the chaos of battle engulfed the seaside of Ben-Teng, Paradisa and I flew over to Aron’s position. And once everyone was aware of the situation, the land attack on the Ben-Teng began.
I had understood that Paradisa was to return to her sister once we begun our attack. But she surprised us once more when she dismounted from her pegasus and knelt before Aron.
The King’s eyes widened with shock. “Lady Paradisa?”
“If I may be so presumptuous, my lord. I wish to fight alongside you.”
“No,” Aron said. “It’s too dangerous.”
“Please! I can heal your wounds with my light magic. I promise I’ll keep away from harm!”
“And Inferna? Wouldn’t the Puncakians need healing too?”
At the mention of her people, Paradisa’s face contorted. “They never liked me. Most of them wish I had been thrown over to the Valley of Gehenna.”
It was then that Aron extended her hand towards Paradisa. “I understand. I’ll be counting on you.”
The silver-haired maiden was so grateful that she not only took his hand, but she then wrapped her arms around him.
It was a good thing that King Aron had accepted Paradisa’s offer, as assaulting Ben-Teng from the land was a herculean task. Even with the Puncakian attack on the fort’s seaside, the Padri still had contend with a lot of soldiers, especially musketeers – the bane of Yakobinian armies.
I remembered our struggle to advance through the outer yards of Ben-Teng. The Tionghoa were well entrenched in their positions. Even with Kochba’s magic and our own musketeers, it felt like we were marching into the jaws of death.
We would not have made it into the fortress itself if it hadn’t been for Paradisa’s light magic healing our wounds. Though I also learned something strange about Paradisa: her fear of blood. Once she saw the blood of our comrades, she froze up and began hyperventilating.
I grabbed a hold of her and violently shook her. That was somewhat excessive, I will admit, but it did the job. And in my defense, I was barely a man at the time. After she calmed down, I told her that Aron was counting on her.
That really did the job.
In fact, her healing had saved Aron’s life as the King found himself out in the open after routing a group of swordsmen. A squad of musketeers spotted him and opened fire, peppering him with bullets. Fortunately, Paradisa was there, and her light magic immediately healed the King’s wounds.
Meanwhile, Drusus and Arphaxad charged in and routed the Tionghoa musketeers before they could reload.
As it turned out, making our way into the fortress was the most difficult part of our battle. Inside, I saw only few Tionghoa soldiers; they all laid down their arms as soon as they saw us. Then, a gryphon rider approached us, one of Inferna’s men. He dismounted before he gave us the news:
“Lord Aron,” said the mercenary, “we have captured the enemy general. Victory is ours.”
As soon as she heard this news, Paradisa moaned in relief. “Thank you, El Shaddai.”
Then she collapsed, having lost consciousness. Thankfully, Aron was able to catch her in time, and cradled her for the time being.
The mercenary had a look of contempt in him in response; one that Aron caught.
“Something to say?” asked the King. Having received no response, he continued, “she saved my life.”
“I’m sure she did,” the mercenary said. There was something in his voice that betrayed hatred.
Aron must have sensed it too as he looked ready to fight this Puncakian. And he would have done so if Inferna hadn’t made her presence known with her laughter.
“It looks like my little sister finally made some friends,” she said. “Well done.”
Inferna moved in to kiss Aron, but he jerked his head backwards. Far from offended, she chuckled.
“Ah of course! I’m sure our father will be happy learn that he found a place to ship off his useless daughter.”
Aron, of course, was indignant. “Useless!?”
Inferna shrugged. “Not my word. But every Puncakian thought so. Even our own father, her own father, the Lord Protector thought so.” She then turned her to the mercenary. “Isn’t that right, soldier?”
It’s hard to describe how nervous he looked, and the fear in his eyes at this point. “Seems like it”.
In response, Inferna shook her head. “You are dismissed. But remember, if I ever catch you disrespecting my sister again, you will meet the same fate as the commander of this fort.”
“Yes ma’am,” the mercenary said. He then hurriedly took his ride and went away.
Though we enjoyed Inferna’s theatrics, we had also questions. She answered them by taking out a person’s head, but this head had been blackened, charred.
“What’s this?” Aron asked.
“What do you think?” responded Inferna. “It’s the head of the garrison commander.”
“I was told that you captured him.”
“We did. But you see, the Tionghoa just killed too many of my men. My brothers and sisters in arms. Let’s just say I didn’t feel like letting the commander live. That’s why I burnt him to a cinder. Seeing him burnt alive, screaming in absolute agony. It was nothing short of exhilarating!”
Her fiery revelation chilled us to the bone, so much so that neither one of us had anything to say. Perhaps having noticed our clear discomfort, Inferna changed the subject.
“When my sister wakes up,” she said, “tell her that I’m proud of her. I’m surprised she was able to function with those bits of blood her. With all those blood on you, Lord Aron.”
And that was the end of our conversation.
While King Aron was conflicted regarding Inferna, Kochba saw eye-to-eye with her. Ironic, given how the two had met. Once again, the question of what to do with the Tionghoa prisoners surfaced among the Padri.
Initially, Inferna had planned to sell them to slavery, a way to make money for the Puncakians. Once again, Kochba wanted to kill all of the Tionghoa. This time, they were to be thrown over the cliffs of Ben-Teng into the Sea of Paloe. Those who survived the fall would have surely drowned.
It wasn’t hard for Kochba to sway Inferna to his side – with some gold.
Aron wanted to say something, but he held his peace. It was eating him inside, but he put that aside for the sake of the Padri.
That night, I felt melancholy. I did not know what to make of our allies, of Kochba and Inferna. Even back then, I could tell they were bad news. Even so, I trusted King Aron – my lord hadn’t led me astray – and thought no more of this (at least for the time being).
I tried to think on our reasons to celebrate. Mocasar was the Padri’s first major victory, but Ben-Teng made us believe we could actually win the war.