Rise of the Blood Royal

by Robert Newcomb

  At Hoshi’s renewed insistence, Tristan again refrained from using his gifts. With their hearts in their throats, they anxiously waited and watched.

  “DO NOT ARGUE WITH ME!” VESPASIAN SCREAMED AT Persephone. “The battle is lost! You must go while you still can!”

  As the fighting raged all around them, Vespasian gripped his wife’s arms and glared into her eyes, trying to make her understand. Lucius stood faithfully beside him, he too refusing to go until his emperor did the same.

  Vespasian’s legions were fighting back valiantly, and for a time he believed that they might be able to vanquish the attacking Shashidans. Even when he learned that his forces had been surrounded and that the north and south valley entrances had been breached, he clung to the hope that his legions might somehow hold out. But when he saw the first azure meteor rush down from the heavens, he knew that it could have been summoned by only one living being other than he. After quickly conferring with Lucius and Gracchus, Vespasian decided to abandon the Vallesis Majestatis and retreat homeward.

  Although taking Ryoto and killing the Inkai would remain dreams for another day, Vespasian had stolen enough Shashidan gold to finance the War of Attrition for centuries, perhaps longer. From the start of the campaign, the legionnaires had had standing orders that should their leaders need to flee, they would defend the portals at all costs while sending as many soldiers home to Ellistium as they could. Only when the situation was completely hopeless would they close the portals, so as to keep the hated katsugai from surging through them and invading Ellistium. Many legionnaires would die while defending the portals. Many more would die once the portals were withdrawn, their fates sealed to the seething katsugai. But to save the emperor and to ensure the safety of Ellistium, there was no other way.

  Julia Idaeus and the Pon Q’tar had already entered one of the azure portals, and by now they would have safely reached Ellistium. In a supreme effort of the craft, Gracchus and the other Pon Q’tar members had managed to force the entire Oraculum Tempitatium into the portal ahead of them. It had been only the will of the fates that the Rustannican hierarchy had all been away from their tents supervising the transfer of yet more stolen gold when the first of Tristan’s meteors devastated the Rustannican war compound.

  Vespasian was desperate to learn Tristan’s position and respond in kind, but in the confusion not one of his legionnaires could say from where the Jin’Sai was unleashing his powers. Immediately after the Rustannican rulers made their decision to flee, the gold transfers were stopped and they entered the portals. But when Vespasian told Persephone to go without him, she staunchly refused.

  “What are you going to do?” Persephone screamed at Vespasian. Just then the second of Tristan’s meteors had slammed into Vespasian’s assembled legions, killing tens of thousands more.

  Despite the carnage all around him, Vespasian was determined to face the Jin’Sai. He had no death wish, but the Jin’Sai was here in this valley slaughtering his troops with abandon. Another chance to kill him such as this one might never come again. After Vespasian had seen to it that his advisors and Persephone had been safely sent home, he was determined to do what no one else could. He would remain behind for as long as possible and attack the Jin’Sai in kind. Knowing that he had little time, he turned to look at Lucius.

  “You are my most trusted friend!” he shouted. “Trust me one more time and do as I order you! Take my wife and go!”

  Lucius looked into Vespasian’s eyes with a mixture of respect and fear for his old friend. After shaking his head angrily, he finally relented.

  “Very well!” he shouted. “Do what you must, but you cannot allow yourself to fall into Shashidan hands!”

  Vespasian heartily slapped his forearm against Lucius’ and grasped it not as an emperor to a tribune, but as one legionnaire to another.

  “Thank you,” he said simply.

  He then turned to look at his wife. “My love, forgive me,” he said.

  The swift blow that Vespasian delivered to Persephone’s chin was enough to render her unconscious, but not so powerful as to do her permanent harm. As she crumpled, Vespasian caught her in his arms. He could have used the craft to subdue her, he realized, but she would surely have fought him in kind, wasting valuable time. After kissing her on the cheek, he handed her over to Lucius.

  “Go!” he commanded.

  Knowing that he had no other choice, with Persephone in his arms Lucius turned and ran as fast as he could toward one of the hugely swirling portals. After turning to give his emperor a final look, he stepped into the portal, and he and Persephone were gone.

  Vespasian immediately ran to where his chariot stood waiting. Snatching the reins from his horse handler, he slapped them across the stallions’ rumps and headed straight for the worst of the fighting. If he was to find the Jin’Sai he must reach his legion scouts, for only they might know from where Tristan was launching his powers.

  Charging his careening chariot into the heart of the carnage, Vespasian offered a silent prayer to the Vagaries flame on behalf of Lucius and Persephone.

  AS TRISTAN WATCHED THE GROTESQUE BATTLE RAGE ON, he remained stunned by the wanton loss of life. The death-dealing was extreme and without mercy. Hundreds of thousands were dying on either side, and the green valley floor was becoming littered with corpses, dead horses and Bedevilers, and smashed wagons and chariots. Although the vast gold deposits had been the reason for all this carnage, they had no meaning now. Nothing did, save for staying alive.

  More than once it seemed that the Shashidans were about to rule the day, only to have the Rustannican legions regroup and attack again with renewed fury. Even so, Tristan came to realize that the advantage belonged to the katsugai. By and large, Hoshi’s plan had worked, and the legions were surrounded, their valiant soldiers corralled near the valley’s center.

  Just then Tristan saw a shadow loom over the valley floor, not far from where their barge hovered. Looking up at the sky, he saw a huge, very dark cloud forming in the sky. It hovered higher than their barge and lay about one hundred meters west of them. It would not have seemed unusual had it not been so much larger and darker than the others. He mentioned the strange-looking cloud to Hoshi. As she lifted her war mask to take a better look, the blood suddenly drained from her face.

  Knowing that there was no time to warn her barge pilot, Hoshi immediately called the craft and wrested control from him. At once she caused the barge to lunge forward and heel over hard on her starboard side.

  But even Hoshi’s quick actions hadn’t been enough to avoid disaster altogether. As the first of Vespasian’s conjured lightning bolts loosed from the dark cloud that he had created, it streaked toward the tataki fune and struck a thunderous glancing blow to its starboard stern quarter.

  The corner of the barge exploded into matchsticks and its bow tilted skyward as the craft careened through the air. Hundreds of katsugai were instantaneously burned to cinders by the lightning bolt and hundreds more tumbled through the partly destroyed wall to fall end over end toward certain death. Holding on to the front wall of the barge for dear life, Tristan and Hoshi struggled to remain standing while Hoshi fought to regain control of the pitching craft.

  Finally she righted the barge. After desperately searching the valley floor, she turned back toward Tristan.

  “Only Vespasian could have done that!” she shouted. “The emperor lives! Worse, he has found our position, but we do not know his!”

  Before Tristan could answer, more terrible lightning ripped free of the ominous black cloud. Hoshi again did her best to maneuver the barge out of its path, this time barely succeeding. Tristan watched in awe as the lightning narrowly missed the leading edge of the barge. It passed so near that everyone aboard felt its heat and heard it crackle with energy as it plummeted earthward.

  Using the craft to augment her sight, Hoshi searched desperately for Vespasian’s well-known gilded chariot and white stallions. She knew that she had little time to search him
out before another lightning bolt struck. Suddenly she spied the chariot and the tall blond figure commanding it.

  “There!” she shouted to Tristan. “Near where the river bends, there are three azure portals lying side by side! Do you see? Vespasian is there!”

  Tristan found the bend in the river, and he could just make out the three azure portals. But because he could not call the craft in ways that Hoshi might, he did not see Vespasian.

  “I see the portals!” Tristan shouted.

  “Send one of your meteors there!” Hoshi shouted. “If you do it quickly, even he will not be able to escape it in time!”

  Just as Tristan was about to act, to his horror he saw another dark shadow forming across the valley floor. Much as the first one had done, it too started to move.

  Vespasian has called forth another cloud! Tristan realized. If the emperor simultaneously launched two lightning bolts from different directions, even Hoshi’s gifts wouldn’t be able to save them and they would be obliterated. Raising his hands, Tristan quickly launched another azure meteor. But even as he saw the meteor start plummeting earthward, he realized that another of Vespasian’s lightning bolts had been loosed.

  Hoshi swung the barge over hard again, but this time the blow was far more direct. Striking the barge amidships, the lightning bolt blasted much of the craft to bits. Blown head over heels, Tristan, Hoshi, and thousands of katsugai tumbled toward the ground.

  Because his use of the craft had been affected by the exploding barge, Tristan’s meteor plummeted crazily toward the valley floor. Careening madly, it headed in Vespasian’s general direction, then veered north before it hit the ground. Tens of thousands of legionnaires and katsugai were vaporized instantly. The resulting concussion reached Vespasian, throwing him from his chariot.

  As Tristan fell earthward he caught a quick glimpse of Hoshi to see that she had used the craft to stop her descent, but she had apparently been unable to do the same for him. Over and over he went, his lungs gasping for air and his limbs flailing wildly. Hoshi acted again, this time sending down an azure bolt to try to catch him. But she missed widely, the bolt streaking by him.

  Suddenly Tristan felt a jolt so great that he thought his back might break. The wind was quickly knocked out of him and he felt his left shoulder dislocate. As he slipped from consciousness, he turned to see Ox’s eyes looking into his.

  That’s why there were two lightning bolts coming at us at once, he realized. The second shadow didn’t come from another of Vespasian’s clouds…it came from the Tammerland.

  Finally losing consciousness, the Jin’Sai dangled limply in Ox’s arms as the faithful Minion warrior reversed direction and soared upward.

  LYING PRONE ON THE GROUND, VESPASIAN GASPED AS HE tried to gather his senses. His chariot was wrecked and his stallions had run away. Screaming fighters still hacked viciously at one another all around him, and azure bolts from both sides wildly crisscrossed the battlefield. Coming to his feet, Vespasian called the craft to stem his growing nausea, then tried to assess the situation.

  Screaming katsugai were attacking his forces on all sides. While he had been trying to kill the Jin’Sai, the Shashidans had closed their circle even more, forcing the legions into a compact group near the valley’s center. Although Vespasian found himself at the center of that group, the end would come soon, he realized.

  He turned to see three azure vortices nearby. One gallant tribune had taken charge of them, deciding that the time had come to save as many legionnaires as he could by ordering them home to Ellistium. As legionnaires swarmed into the vortices, the situation was becoming hopeless, chaotic. Soon Vespasian was engulfed by soldiers begging him to issue new orders.

  Ignoring them, he turned and ran toward the three vortices. As the raging katsugai continued to press his forces from all sides, Vespasian was forced to make a fateful decision.

  He turned to look at the senior tribune who had taken charge of the three portals. Although admitting defeat was abhorrent to the legions, the tribune was following his orders to the letter. Still dazed and wobbly, Vespasian staggered toward him and gripped the man’s forearm with his own.

  “You know your orders!” Vespasian shouted as yet another azure bolt tore through the air just above their heads. “Save as many as you can, then close the portals forever, and see to it that the same is done with all the others!”

  Standing tall, the tribune gave his emperor a perfect salute.

  “It shall be done!” he shouted. “I speak for all of us left behind when I say that it has been a pleasure to serve with you!”

  At first Vespasian could find no words. “If you wish to surrender to the katsugai, I will attach no shame to it!” he finally shouted back. “They do not kill their prisoners! I will return to this land and free those of you who live, I swear it!”

  “You must go now, my liege!” the tribune shouted. “The time grows short!”

  Despite the insane fighting closing in on them, for several moments the two men looked each other in the eye with the unique brand of understanding that only years of service in the legions could provide. Vespasian did not know this man, nor would he ever get the chance to do so. Even so, he would never forget this stalwart soldier who sacrificed his own life for that of his emperor.

  Vespasian ran into the depths of the whirling portal and vanished.

  CHAPTER LII

  VESPASIAN SMILED AS HE LOOKED ACROSS THE ARENA. The day would again be hot, and the two blood-red canopies had been stretched toward one another to provide shade for the multitudes that had come to take part in their emperor’s victory celebration. So as to keep the growing crowd amused, he had ordered an initial slate of killings. Blood, wrecked chariots, and dead skeens littered much of the arena floor.

  Because so much Shashidan gold had been brought home to Ellistium, no expense would be spared on this celebration day. Attendance would be free, thousands of wild animals and Shashidan skeens would be slaughtered, and the food and wine would be without charge. Every seat was filled, and Vespasian had issued an unprecedented decree that the public might also stand in the aisles.

  A fortnight had passed since the Battle of the Vallesis Majestatis. Many legionnaires had been killed, but many katsugai had died as well. To the tribunes’ credit, a surprising number of Vespasian’s soldiers had escaped through the azure portals before the vortices had been closed. Vespasian’s dream of taking Ryoto and killing the Inkai had not been realized, but his most urgent need had been fulfilled beyond his wildest dreams.

  Even now, the gold count was still being tallied, to say nothing of how busy the Imperial Mint was stamping out new coins. Soon Rustannica’s treasury would be filled to overflowing—creative ways would be needed to deal with all the money. Most important of all, the war against Shashida could be prolonged for centuries if need be.

  Vespasian turned to look at his wife. Persephone had long since forgiven the way in which he had forced her to escape the battle scene. Dressed in a long red gown, she wore new jewelry of her own design that had been crafted from the stolen gold.

  Lucius Marius sat beside her. Because this celebration was to be unique, he had asked Vespasian if his latest female conquest might be allowed to accompany him to the emperor’s box. His mood generous since returning home, Vespasian had approved. The woman was a lovely creature with long dark hair, and she hailed from an Ellistium krithian family of some note. The way Lucius coddled her caused Vespasian to wonder whether the legendary First Tribune had perhaps met his match.

  The usual box reserved for the tribunes was full, as was the section meant for the women of the Priory of Virtue. All twelve members of the Pon Q’tar had survived the battle, and they were in attendance as well. Tray after tray of sumptuous food was served by Shashidan skeens, and wine flowed without end. As he waited for the celebration to begin, Vespasian pointed toward his goblet and caused it to float into his grasp. The rich red wine had been made from the best Rustannican highland grapes, its finish swe
et and strong.

  On arriving home, Vespasian’s first order of business had been to call a meeting of the Suffragat, whereupon Lucius had given the war report and detailed their losses. Many legionnaires and tribunes had perished, and not one of the Bedevilers had returned. By necessity, vast amounts of supplies, food, and support troops had been left behind in Shashida.

  Even so, these losses paled when compared with the amount of stolen gold that had been taken. Because the treasury had been so amply refilled, replacing the war materiel would be a simple matter. Given time, the Pon Q’tar could easily conjure even larger herds of Bedevilers and other creatures. Even the loss of so many troops did not greatly concern the Suffragat, for now the empire could afford to offer large financial bonuses to entice enlistees. New blood had been needed in the legions for a long time, and at last they would have it.

  Vespasian and his counselors knew that the campaign losses should not be publicized; therefore they would be made up a little at a time so as not to arouse suspicion. The Suffragat’s usual report to the citizenry had been censored even more heavily than usual, and it contained only the details of a great Rustannican victory and the taking of much gold. Because the treasury was so full, Vespasian also announced that taxes would be lowered, especially on the trading of slaves. The mood in the country was joyful, and any hint of rebellion had vanished.

  Even so, as Vespasian waited for the celebratory portion of the day to begin, concerns still plagued him. On returning home, the Oracle had informed Gracchus of Shailiha’s victory over Khristos, and he had told the Suffragat. When compared to the threat that Shashida continually presented, the world’s other side remained a relatively minor concern. Even so, the reigning Jin’Saiou would have to be dealt with in some way.

  Most worrisome of all, the Jin’Sai had reached Shashida and he too now commanded forestallments banned by the Borderlands Treaty. Vespasian had destroyed the Shashidan barge from which the Jin’Sai had thundered down azure meteors, but as Vespasian’s chariot had overturned he had not been able to determine whether Tristan had been killed. Sitting back in his marble throne, Vespasian pursed his lips, thinking.