by Rosie Scott
Ten
18th of New Moon, 427
The lapping of ocean waves over the eastern shores of Monte created a relaxing hum of a backdrop as my friends and I sat around a campfire after finishing a meal. The cold weather that had caused us problems during our takeover a fortnight ago had warmed, leaving only a cool breeze and clear skies. Nyx was in the midst of telling Maggie all about Hasani because the engineer had asked, but their conversation was muted as I let my mind wander.
Monte had been taken over two days since the battle had lasted into the early morning hours of the second day. As far as we knew, none had escaped to warn other settlements of our arrival. Most of the dwarven civilians had been spared, though some were casualties after fighting against us during the initial assault. For the most part, the dwarves here were content to move about their lives. Their hatred of the Vhiri wouldn't change overnight, but to continue to fight was futile. Monte was taken, but they were safe and free to go about their business as long as they didn't leave the vicinity of the town. For most, that was enough. Perhaps they thought the armies of Hammerton would eventually find out and drive us from their land, or maybe still they merely didn't care enough about politics and leaders. Regardless, the dwarven populace and my allies had a strained but working relationship considering the circumstances.
One of our first orders of business after taking Monte was to send a griffon messenger to Pisces to deliver the news to Cyrus and the others and request updates. Before our own messenger could return, however, we'd received news from another sent by Uriel. The other Sentinels were safe, and their casualties were low. As suspected, Pisces had been easier to take than Monte. The messenger told us that both Dax and Leura had performed impeccably without their proteges. The others had come across no dwarven navy in Pisces, which was good news. At the same time, the coast of Pisces was much closer to Olympia. If the dwarves there were sending out scouts, it was possible they would soon find that Pisces was taken. It was imperative that we move on to Olympia as quickly as possible. A massive invading army like ours could not keep secret forever, but we hoped our presence here would remain unknown at least until we launched an assault on Olympia.
What were we waiting for? Reinforcements. More than half of our warships had been sent back to Eteri with minimal crew to fetch soldiers and settlers, leaving us with enough vessels to use in our attack of Olympia if we deemed it necessary. But those ships would not return in a year, for the trek between continents took half that. To move onward to Olympia, we would need to make sure both Monte and Pisces were secured and leave enough of our men there to handle leading the settlements while quelling any rebellions. The more men we left behind, the less likely our assault on Olympia would go smoothly. The reinforcements we were waiting for, then, were not Vhiri at all.
My eyes settled on the edge of the Griswald Forest. The forest was coniferous, populated by multiple varieties of cone-bearing pines and evergreens. The foliage was in shades of green, puffing out in clumps of pine needles hanging over trunks of browns and reds. The forest floor was a carpet of dead red pine needles and the glistening green of moss. The trees grew up to the southern edge of the Quakes, and some of the plants even dotted the bottom half of the mountain as if accepting the challenge of finding enough nutritious soil between stone and rock in which to grow. Even from this distance, I could smell the pine. It made me nostalgic since the Seran Forest was also coniferous and held the same types of plant-life. Memories of the quest to meet my mother in Whispermere came to mind. Subconsciously, I reached over to rub Cerin's arm as I thought back to seeing him for the first time in years after going to Thornwell. His arm moved beneath mine as he turned it over to hold my hand.
If Calder had sent his army, they would come from the forest. Miles away from us to the west, the Alderi tunnel I'd told him to have them use was at the edge of this same woodland. I'd been obsessed with watching it for that very reason. I'd told Calder in my letter that I would never expect his aid in Hammerton because that hadn't been what he'd agreed to. Even still, I liked to believe that he would pull through for me. With each day that passed, that seemed more and more unlikely. The worst part about that was the fact that I didn't know why he wouldn't aid me. Perhaps he was dead, or he was abandoning me, or the underground was in the middle of having to defend itself from a threat. There was no way to tell, and the unknown is what ate at me.
Altan was poking at the campfire with a stick when I turned my attention back to the others. Zephyr sat beside him, her silver eyes watching Kirek from our distance. Kirek was standing in the middle of the town on the grasslands, her arms crossed over her chest as she observed the dwarven civilians going about their day. They regarded her with just an edge of nervousness before moving on.
Zephyr turned back to the fire and wrinkled up her nose. “She's not happy, Altan.”
Altan didn't flinch as he continued to poke at the fire. “Kirek's never happy.”
“It's been worse lately,” I commented. Both of the Sentinels glanced up at me as I voiced my concerns. “I think she is privy to information or plans that Tilda did not relay to the rest of us.”
Zephyr was quiet, but Altan lifted a red eyebrow. “I hate to say it, Kai, but things have always been this way. You remember the chaos back home in Eteri. I learned of the Icilic threat at the same time you did, but Cyrus told me Naolin already knew before she took that trip to Esen.” Altan shrugged. “The Sentinels have never been on the same page. Tilda hands out information sparingly like it is a privilege for us to have.”
“Why would that be?” Azazel questioned. “Is there a reason Kirek would be trusted with information you both wouldn't be?”
Zephyr huffed. “There's always a reason Kirek would know things we don't. Tilda doesn't trust people. No matter how long someone is with the Sentinels, they are always tested for loyalty. Kirek has never refused an order. She is loyal to Tilda to a fault. Frankly, I was surprised she questioned Tilda at all about our mission here back in Mistral.”
“Aren't you worried about what information she may have?” I questioned openly.
“Of course,” Zephyr replied. “But what can we do about it? Kirek's not talking to us.”
“I have an illusion spell that'll loosen her tongue,” Nyx piped up.
Altan frowned as he caught Nyx's eyes from across the fire. “We don't use magic on our allies.”
Nyx shrugged. “It was just a suggestion.”
“An unnecessary one,” Altan commented. “If Kirek knew something that is vital for us to know, she would tell us.”
“Maybe Tilda has told her that Eteri won't be supporting me in Chairel,” I said.
Altan looked over at me. “You've expressed those concerns before, Kai, but I have to say that I think she intends to go to Chairel. You two aren't fans of each other, but Tilda hates Chairel. I'd have to imagine she'd love the chance to do them harm.”
“Tilda considers me part of Chairel,” I argued. “Besides, taking Hammerton is still harming them since we are weakening their ally. She may be satisfied after our time here and tell you to abandon me.”
Altan scoffed. “She can tell me whatever she wants. She's all the way back home. It'll take half a year for her message just to get to me.”
Zephyr took note of this with some intrigue before she asked me, “What would you do if she did tell us to abandon you at the border?”
I found the Sentinel's bluntness refreshing. “I don't know,” I answered honestly.
“Would you turn on us?” Zephyr questioned.
“I don't think I could fight any of you Sentinels without you turning on me first,” I admitted. “I have too much respect for you all. We haven't had a chance to spend too much time together in the past, Zephyr, but I tend to be insanely loyal to my friends. If that loyalty weren't reciprocated, I would be brokenhearted and disappointed. But I don't think I would turn on you.”
“I believe you,” Zephyr replied. “I like you a lot, Kai. If Tilda gives the
order to abandon you, I'll be pissed. It's not fair to you after all the work you've done for us, and it's just not honorable to abandon an alliance.”
“It'd give us a bad name,” Altan agreed.
“Can I point out that Eteri already has a bad name?” Cerin spoke up beside me. “Don't forget that there is a reason we are leery.”
Altan sighed and started to poke at the campfire again. “I know.” He laughed dryly and added, “I don't like this whole alliance business, to be honest with you. I like you bastards. I don't like the idea of waking up one day and being told we're suddenly enemies.”
“Then don't accept being told that,” I replied.
“I don't really have that choice,” Altan said. “I'm not a leader like you.”
“You want to be,” I retorted lightly, testing him.
“Are you kidding?” Altan laughed joyously. “Hell yes, I want to be. I've been waiting with bated breath ever since being promoted to first Sentinel.”
“Altan,” Zephyr protested, though she chuckled.
Altan shrugged, before saying vaguely, “You wouldn't miss a lick of sleep if the day came.”
Zephyr snorted a laugh, but she said nothing. I simply listened to the exchange with much interest, filing the memory away for later retrieval.
Azazel abruptly stood up to my left, turning to the forest and watching with unblinking eyes. One periwinkle hand grazed over his bow in trepidation, but he didn't pull it from his back just yet. A few seconds later, his fingers curled around the grip of the weapon, and he drew it from its scabbard. He set about stringing the bow as I finally stood beside him.
“What do you see?” I questioned.
“Nothing yet. I hear movement.” Azazel didn't look up as he prepared his bow.
“What kind?”
“Something is coming through that forest, and it is either big, or there are many.” He finally lifted up his bow as his eyes found the woods once more. “The animals are fleeing. Birds are flocking from trees.”
Altan shook his head in admiration of the archer's senses, but he stood up from his bench. “Maybe we should prepare our men. It's possible more dwarves were on the way here from Griswald.”
Azazel lifted his longbow and nocked an arrow. He was deathly still even as the ground beneath our feet started to vibrate, alerting the rest of us to the presence of something he'd sensed long ago. Moments after the vibrations began, noises echoed out from between the trees. Pine needles crunched beneath thousands of feet. Tree branches were brushed to the side. The snapping sound of wood grated harshly against nearby tree trunks as it was trampled.
Azazel pulled the string of the bow back, his eyes still giving the forest a fixed stare as if it alone had wronged us. I could see nothing, so I watched him for guidance. His black eyes softened after a moment, and the bow was dropped, the tension on its string released without shooting the readied arrow. A conflicted expression appeared on Azazel's face before he said to Altan, “Leave the men be.”
“Why?” I questioned softly, my gaze on the forest as shadows of thousands of forms started to appear. Azazel didn't answer my question, but he didn't need to. I soon saw the answer for myself.
Thousands of Alderi men and women marched en masse toward Monte from the depths of the forest. The underground army was so massive that even though it measured hundreds of soldiers across, it stretched much farther back with rows just as wide. Many of the soldiers wore armor. Many did not, settling for cheaper, loose clothing. That meant that the army was just as diverse as I had hoped it would be, boasting great numbers of both beastmen and assassins.
An exhale of overwhelming relief passed through my lips, but then my body stilled, going into temporary shock. Unintentional tears burned my eyes, and my heart ached so badly it felt like it would give up and stop beating.
Front and center of the underground army, an Alderi man of six feet tall walked amongst the rest, two worn boots missing laces leading the way. He wore the cream-colored loose shirt and slacks of a sailor. His shirt was sleeveless, showing off well-defined muscles in his upper arms. A hood was pulled up over his bald head. Beneath its shadow, two piercing blood-red eyes found the hair that nearly matched them, settling with familiarity and relief as if seeing me was a saving grace. Smoke rose in billows from a ferris cigarette held between two lips, and a silver necklace with a bronze key hung over his chest.
Calder. It didn't matter that he wasn't supposed to be here with his army. I didn't care about his reasons at all. I only cared that he was here. I rushed toward him so quickly I nearly tripped over my own feet, and a smile brightened his face as he watched me run to him. Calder pulled the cigarette from his mouth, handing it to another Alderi man who immediately started smoking it himself. With his hands free, Calder spread his arms wide just before I jumped into them.
The underground army stopped as their king squeezed me so tight that my boots lifted from the ground. Calder spun me around in a circle, his face buried in the hair at my neck. Happy tears escaped my eyes as I held onto him. I hadn't been sure I'd ever see him again. He smelled of ferris, and though I'd noticed the scent around Holter and Nyx lately, somehow this time was different. Because it was Calder, and he was the source of my nostalgia for the smell.
“You're not supposed to be here,” I protested at his ear, as the hood fell back from his head due to our close embrace.
“I can go back,” Calder offered in jest, his rough voice so thick with emotion I could barely make out the words.
“Don't you dare. I missed you. So, so badly.”
“You have no idea,” he sympathized, kissing me noisily on the cheek before setting me back down on the ground. Even though we no longer hugged, he still held both of my arms, unwilling to let me go. “It's been seven years, love. Seven looong years.”
I huffed in disbelief. “Time flies when you're waging war.”
Calder chuckled. “I guess so. Let us celebrate this reunion with coitus!”
I burst out laughing at his unexpected joke. “Be careful, love, or Cerin's going to be marching you back to the underground with his scythe at your back.”
Calder wiggled his eyebrows. “I meant for him to hear. Cerin's petty jealousy when it comes to you amuses me. I miss trying to find the line to cross to get him to punch me in the face.” As I laughed at that, Calder looked over my head to the others. “The roster has changed. I wasn't sure I'd ever see Azazel again. He found you in Eteri?”
“No,” I replied, glancing back at my best friend as he watched Calder with a distance. “At the entrance to the tunnel leading to Eteri.”
Calder chuckled at that. “Should've figured. It doesn't take long for your charms to work.” After a moment, he asked, “Where are Jakan and Anto?”
Pain sliced through my gut. “Buried in Eteri.”
Calder grimaced and found my eyes again. “Ah, hell, love, I'm so sorry. You mentioned building a harbor for them in your letter, but I didn't know that meant they were lost to you.”
“The last few years have been hell,” I replied. “We have a lot to talk about and catch up on.”
Calder nodded, making a motion toward his army to follow. “Let's get started, then.”
We walked back to where the others waited. Nyx came up and grabbed Calder in a hug, relieved and happy to see an old friend and lover. Cerin greeted him happily, and though Calder said hello to Azazel, the archer only replied with a terse nod.
“Yet another beautiful Alderi man,” Maggie complimented Calder, as they shook hands. “I'm Maggie Roark. Where do all ya handsome men come from?”
Calder grinned up at her charmingly, her flirtations catching his attention. “Brothels,” he answered her honestly, before a chuckle. “Handsome, she says! You're not bad yourself. Quite intimidating standing next to all these pipsqueaks.”
“I'm gonna take that as a compliment if ya don't mind,” Maggie gushed, taken with him.
“It was meant as a compliment, love,” Calder purred.
/> Maggie fanned herself dramatically. “I might just be gettin' action in Hammerton after all.”
“More than you'll know what to do with,” Calder challenged flirtatiously.
Before the two could hurry off together, I cut in to introduce Calder to each of the Sentinels. Altan appeared amused, Zephyr was intrigued, and Kirek seemed mostly unimpressed as he shook their hands.
“How many men do you have with you?” Altan asked him, looking over the army which stretched so far that soldiers were still in the shadows of the woods.
“Twenty-five k,” Calder replied, pulling a new cigarette out of his pocket. Before he could use a match to light it, I helped him out with fire magic. He offered me the drug, and when I shook my head, he only grinned and started smoking.
“Twenty-five thousand?” Zephyr gawked at the legions of Alderi. “I had no idea the underground had access to such numbers.”
“We fuck like rabbits in an apocalypse,” Calder replied, his cigarette wiggling as he spoke. “Forced sterilization of the non-royal females is the only reason Arrayis isn't overrun with us. I put an end to that with my partner in crime here.” He jabbed a thumb in my direction.
“You have more soldiers underground, then,” Altan surmised.
“Pfft. Many times more,” Calder said. “The liberation of 420 caused close to seventy-five thousand casualties, but there were hundreds of thousands of us in Quellden alone. Not all of them are my soldiers, of course, but one of my main problems coming here was getting people to stay behind. My people love bloodshed, and they love competition. Everybody wants a part in this war. Particularly because they like the person who started it.” He nodded toward me.
“Gods, I love you more and more over time,” Altan said to me, reaching over to slap me playfully on the arm. “We actually have a chance at this.”
Calder lifted up a finger to interrupt. “Let me take this moment to remind you all that I am Kai's ally, not yours. My armies are at her demand. I offered military support to your queen, and my request was never replied to.” I took that information in with intrigue. Tilda had never informed me that Calder had reached out to her. Of course, I'd never received a response from him, either. Perhaps both letters had been lost in transport.
