Even so, she dreamed. Right now, she imagined that the hand guiding the comb belonged to him and let her mind drift away.
Voices shouted outside her room. She paused, then decided to ignore them. This happened from time to time in the villa.
After the cascade, Narime had decided to remain with Duke Terrius. She had spoken with her Bastion, Arriet, and they had come to an agreement that her place was on the frontier against the Empire. Some sharp words were said between them about her role regarding the negotiations, but he hadn’t ordered her to return.
She took that as a win. Although she was less certain of her past decisions right now, given the Federation’s weakening position. War approached rapidly, and the Regency Council was fragmenting every time she spoke to Terrius.
For the time being, she remained with the regent. Both to protect him and because he was the only regent she was on good terms with. Arriet was permanently deployed to the Houkeem Desert, and therefore belonged to the Regency Council as a whole. But if push came to shove, Narime suspected he would side with Torneus.
It bothered Narime that this was what everything had come down to. Torneus against every other regent. What an absurd situation.
The shouting grew closer. This was not normal.
She continued to comb her tails. Just in case, she readied her a supercharged fourth rank spell. A pair of squares glowed menacingly around her hands.
The door to her room slammed open. The shouting of the beastkin maids erupted in full volume. Narime glanced up, eyes narrowed.
“I’ve found you,” Theus growled.
The brute of a Bastion took a step into the room. Then froze when Narime raised a glowing hand.
“I don’t take kindly to threats,” Narime said. “And I don’t believe you have any right to be here.”
Behind Theus came his favorite duogem Champion, Lucia. She held her battle axe over one shoulder and flicked her black pigtails with her spare hand, which made the pink highlights in her hair more obvious.
“We’re here on behalf of the Regency Council. You’re wanted for treason against the Federation. You’re a good mutt, aren’t you, Narime? Why not make be a good girl and roll over for us?” Lucia said with a smile. Her amethysts glowed as she prepared to use her enhancements.
Narime rolled her eyes at the provocation and dog jokes. Did this idiot really believe she had the advantage because she was in melee range?
If this was the quality of the Federation’s Champions, then Nathan was going to walk all over them. Narime had been shocked at the depth of his tactical understanding of gems, magic, and Champions.
No Bastion in the Federation was even thinking about spatial or mental magic. Narime was practically invincible here, but she wondered what tricks Nathan had up his sleeve if she ever fought him.
“Well, are you going to surrender?” Lucia asked, impatience leaking into her voice. She refused to take a step closer.
“Have I released my spell?” Narime asked, her hands still glowing. “As I said, you don’t have any right to be here.”
Theus found his voice, and said, “As Lucia said, the Regency Council has—”
“If that is the case, then why don’t we go talk to Duke Terrius right now,” Narime interrupted.
Theus’s face paled. His eyes narrowed. “You would waste the time of a regent that you don’t serve?”
“Torneus really has broken you in, hasn’t he?” Narime wanted to smirk but pitied him too much.
Lucia quivered with rage and raised her axe. Before she did anything rash, Theus grabbed her.
Narime strode past both of them and out of the villa. The maids scattered, watching from behind cracks in the doors.
“Terrius will have your head if you waste his time,” Theus shouted after Narime as he ran after her.
She ignored him.
The villa sat on an adjacent block to Terrius’s manor and was part of his estate. Narime wondered how Theus had gotten in. Probably by force. Guards patrolled the exterior of both the manor’s gate and the estate, but they were only human. Lucia had already been threatening Narime. Would she even care about a mere guard?
The guards outside the gate stared at Narime as she approached. They recognized her, but not Lucia and Theus. Even so, the guards let them in. Somebody ducked inside the manor as Narime walked along the stone pathway.
Moments later, a familiar duogem Champion stepped out to greet them. She had blonde horse ears, a long silky tail, and wore the uniform of Terrius’s private military. Her hand rested on the hilt of a curved sword at her waist. Its blade was bare and had a stronger curve than typical scimitars.
Narime needed a few moments to recognize the woman. This was the horse beastkin Champion that had commanded the nearby castle during the invasion. Terrius must have moved her to his manor. Tensions had been increasing, and his safety was of increasing concern. While Narime had offered to stay nearby, he had refused.
She was, after all, a Champion loyal to a Bastion that didn’t serve him.
But if this horsegirl was Terrius’s choice of a bodyguard, Narime wasn’t certain that Terrius was safe. Narime remembered the look of hatred that the beastkin had given Terrius earlier, and the fear when she had realized that Narime was present.
“Narime,” the horsegirl said, her eyes washing over Theus and Lucia. “What are you here for?”
“We need to confirm something with Duke Terrius. It shouldn’t take long,” Narime said, feeling that it was best to keep the details from this woman.
“His Grace is busy. I’ll let him know you are here with guests and he’ll be with you once he is finished,” the horsegirl said. “You can wait inside.”
She stepped into the manor. Narime followed, Theus grumbling behind her.
Shortly, they heard muffled voices in the distance. Narime couldn’t make out the words, and a quick scan with her magical senses confirmed that the room was warded. But she recognized one of the voices.
Torneus.
Terrius was speaking with the Regency Council.
“No, I think we can settle this now,” Narime said.
She pushed ahead. Surprisingly, Terrius’s Champion didn’t object. Theus did, but he was too slow to stop Narime. The nearby maids yelped in surprise as Narime yanked open the door to the room that Narime was in.
Once the door was open, the angry voice of Duke Ilmarn erupted from the room. Terrius sat in front of a table, bottles of wine in front of him. An active wireless sat in the corner, projecting the voice of Ilmarn. Terrius’s expression was thunderous.
He looked up at Narime in fury. His eyes quickly shot over to Theus, whose face went white as a sheet.
“Torneus, would you mind explaining why your idiot Bastion is in my manor?” Terrius boomed.
The wireless fell silent. There was no response from Torneus, who was presumably part of this encrypted conversation.
Narime glanced back at Theus. He stared at the wall, face impassive. Lucia had vanished.
“Torneus?” Terrius asked again. “Fine. Then you answer, Bastion Theus. Why do you dare enter my territory?”
Theus remained silent.
Narime took pity on him, and answered on his behalf, “He says he’s here to arrest me on behalf of the Regency Council.”
Terrius’s eyes nearly burst from his head. He knocked aside the wine glass on the table, and it exploded into a thousand shards when it hit the wall. Red wine dripped down the wall and onto the carpet.
“I’ll be dead before I let this idiot act with my authority,” Terrius said. “I’m certain most regents feel the same way. Nobody is arresting anybody. Torneus, what is the meaning of this?”
Theus took a step toward Terrius.
In response, the horsegirl Champion drew her weapon. She stepped between Theus and her regent.
“Not another step, heretic,” the horsegirl muttered.
Theus backed away, hands up.
Finally, Torneus spoke up, “You cannot deny that
Narime’s actions have put the Federation in danger, Terrius.”
“Do not put this on others, Torneus,” Terrius said.
A moment later, Ilmarn joined in, “If anybody put us in danger, it was your fucking stupid plan to attack the Empire to begin with.”
Terrius turned back to Narime and gestured for her to leave. His face was consumed by fury. Narime knew not to push her luck any further.
By the time she closed the door, Theus had already fled.
The maids tittered and muttered to one another, giving Narime surreptitious glances.
“Do you still want to wait?” the horsegirl Champion asked. She wasn’t smiling, but her face practically glowed.
“Lead the way.”
The room that the horsegirl led Narime to was a small receiving room. Once inside, the other Champion shifted uneasily for several moments.
Feeling uncertain, Narime tried to make some small talk. “I would have thought it unwise to call Theus a heretic. That’s the Empire’s position.”
The horsegirl shrugged. “He is one, isn’t he? The goddess is judging us for what he and High Lord Torneus did. And for what they continue to do. The cascade was a warning.”
Is that how the people of the Federation saw this?
“The Empire is almost here anyway,” the horsegirl continued. “Liberation is coming. It’s only a matter of time before we are free.” She giggled. “I can’t believe that might actually be true. Freedom.”
Then the horsegirl gripped Narime in a tight hug, before fleeing the room.
Liberation? Freedom?
Narime was left with only the company of the maids when they brought her refreshments.
And her thoughts. Narime always had her thoughts. Right now, they considered whether the beastkin welcomed the Empire’s arrival. Would the collapse of the Federation be a good thing for them? Or was it only wishful thinking on their behalf, particularly because Nathan was leading the attack?
Eventually, Terrius finished his meeting and joined Narime. His mood had improved, but he was still sour. He walked with a slight stagger and chose to drink tea instead of alcohol.
“He’s gone, I assume?” Terrius asked.
“Your Champion scared him away,” Narime said. “About her—”
“You don’t need to warn me about her. The beastkin situation is something we are well aware of,” Terrius interrupted. “It’s completely ruined all our contingency plans.”
“It has?”
“When the Nationalists in the Empire started rising in power years ago, we began formulating plans to protect the Federation,” Terrius explained. “The defensive pacts with the Spires and Arcadia were the latest iteration of those plans. Now that the Spires are in turmoil and Arcadia refuses to help us while heresy hangs over Torneus’s head, we need to use older plans.”
“Which involve beastkin,” Narime said.
“They have to. Most of our Champions are tied up in the east, defending the border with the Houkeem Desert,” Terrius said. “If the Empire invaded, the plan was to recruit more beastkin Champions. We’d also mass recruit beastkin soldiers and use their increased natural strength to our advantage.”
“They’re slaves. Why would they fight?”
“Because the Empire would be led by somebody like Bastion Tharban, who hates beastkin and would give them no hope of a better future.” Terrius chuckled. “But somehow, it’s his son who is leading the assault, and the beastkin love him. His most famous Champion is a cat beastkin. Seraph’s been sowing tales about her all winter.”
Hence the talk of liberation. Nathan was a savior for the beastkin.
Narime wondered if he knew what Seraph had been up to.
“Then why is your bodyguard a duogem Champion who hates you?” Narime asked.
“She drew her sword to protect me. That’s good enough.” Terrius sighed and drained his teacup, before pouring more. “I don’t blame her. Unlike the other Champions, she gets along with the maids. She’s earned both of her gems. Whatever happens, she deserves to be a Champion. I won’t say that I’ve done a good thing by keeping the maids, but I’ll send them off if the time comes.”
Narime couldn’t believe what she heard. This was the same Duke Terrius who had taken her in after she lost her home? Whose family had forged relations with her tribe despite the horrendous attitude that the Kurai Peninsula showed toward foreigners?
“You’ve given up?” she asked.
“Hardly. But like I said, we make contingency plans. One of those is planning for the Empire’s victory. I’ve never been wedded to the idea of beastkin slavery.” Terrius shrugged. “If change comes, then it comes. And it’s not as though the Empire seems to be trying to conquer the entire Federation. That’s what makes stopping them so hard.”
“Nathan wants Torneus. He always has,” Narime said.
“The two of them seem rather obsessed with each other,” Terrius pointed out.
Narime considered that point. “Maybe. They’re both ambitious men. But the difference is in what they’re trying to do, and in what they can do. Torneus is an old politician. Everything he accomplishes is through scheming and politics. But Nathan is a leader. Your Champion was genuinely excited by the idea that he was invading. Do you think anybody has ever felt that way about Torneus?”
“Maybe a few people, a long time ago,” Terrius said cryptically as he stared at the wall. “But not at the scale of an entire race, across an entire nation. I get your point. Nathan’s inspiring. Even if he is a puppet master, the results are different.”
“I don’t believe he’s a puppet master,” Narime said.
Terrius remained silent for a while.
Eventually, he said. “Without the beastkin, we’re still trying to make plans. But the Empire will act first. Theus is flailing around like an idiot. He’s wide open. A smart man would seize his binding stones up north first, then use that opening to cut through the Federation and take Tartus. If Nathan moves fast enough…”
“He can take out Torneus before the Regency Council can act.” Narime gave a wry smile. “Or that’s the excuse, anyway. I don’t believe that the regents are really so slow that they can’t defend the heartland of the Federation.”
Terrius snorted. “Of course not. But Torneus has spent so long using us as tools. For once, he’ll stand on his own. His survival will be dependent on his own abilities.”
Assuming, of course, that Narime stayed put.
She knew where Nathan was likely to strike first. It would be trivial for her to be there when he attacked.
Maybe she should put him to the test. If he wasn’t capable of defeating her, was he really worthy of toppling the Federation?
Or was Narime making excuses to go see Nathan again?
In the end, she decided it didn’t matter. She was old enough to decide for herself what she wanted to do. Maybe, for once, she would do something for her own sake, instead of for others.
Chapter 29
Nathan found himself with arms full of lap cat. She rubbed against his chest and purred, her bushy black tail rubbing against his chin as it swished back and forth.
“You have taken your medication, haven’t you?” Nathan asked.
Fei glared up at him, ears flat against her head. Her green eyes met his for a moment before she pressed her head into the crook of his neck.
“I’m allowed to cuddle you,” she said. “You’ve been so busy lately.”
“There is a war on.”
“You made more time for me before,” Fei whined. “Most of my time with you over winter has been in bed. How long has it been since I had you all to myself?”
A sudden sense of deja vu assaulted Nathan. His arms closed around Fei instinctively, and he held her against him. She squeaked, then let out a purr.
When he didn’t release her after a while, her purring stopped. Her eyes peeked up at him.
“Nathan?” she asked.
“It’s fine,” he said. “I’m just doing something
I regret not doing before.”
It had been over a year, but the memories were still fresh. That feeling of reaching out and finding nobody with his senses. His home in ruins. Seeing the unmoving bodies of some of his oldest friends and loved ones.
Death was a constant companion of Bastions and Champions. Nathan brushed with it when he fought the Twins. Now, he planned to invade the Federation.
Maybe spending some quality time with Fei wasn’t a bad idea.
Fei murmured something that Nathan missed. He had a feeling it was important. After the coming battle, he’d make more time for her. Things had gotten bad if Fei was actively complaining that he wasn’t paying enough attention to her.
The two of them sat on a balcony that overlooked the Forselle Valley. This fortress belonged to Leopold and protected the northeastern border of the Anfang Empire. Countless plants and overgrown ivy crept over stonework around them.
The Forselle Valley was a gap in the Gharrick Mountains and contained one of the largest rivers on Doumahr. To the north were the Aurelian Spires, which were built into the northern half of the Gharrick Mountains. West of the Spires was Trafaumh, as well as countless border forts that belonged to the Empire. To the east of the Spires was the Republic of Arcadia.
But the most important border at Forselle Valley was the one with the Federation. Nathan overlooked it at this very moment, from his position on the balcony.
A small tributary river ran from the southern half of the Gharrick Mountains to the Forselle River. This river formed the border between the Federation and the Empire. When the Federation attempted to invade the Empire over summer, their army had been detected by detection spells laid beneath the river.
Now the situation was reversed. Nathan gathered his forces here and at Fort Taubrum in preparation for a decapitation strike against the heart of the Federation.
A creaking noise indicated visitors. Nathan glanced over his shoulder to see Anna and Seraph walking through the rusting iron gate that led to the balcony.
“We’re not interrupting, are we?” Anna asked, a flush rising on her face. She had heard about Fei’s rutting.
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