by Candy Crum
Amelia sighed, dropping into her chair. "Logical indeed. Fuck. If I was that heinous bitch, that's what I’d do, too. The city is weaker now than it ever has been, even after Adrien first lost control. We are on our way back, but if the remnant attack, the city will fall. We haven’t had enough time to fully train the Guard, although because of Arryn, Cathillian, and Samuel’s training, they are better prepared now than we could've hoped before."
Celine nodded again. "You have done all you can here. We know you want to stay and find a way to save them, but you can't. You can try to snap those people out of their daze, but you have no idea what damage you will do to them in the long term. Mental magic is very tricky, and compulsion is something we don't know a lot about."
"Damn it!" Amelia exclaimed. "If Julianne were here, this wouldn’t be a question. But there's no time to get messages to her in the south. Not now. She's taught me a lot, so I know that if I tried to break Scarlett’s hold I might damage their minds. Even if I killed her, severing that bond could hurt them. I'd love to just get Arryn and overtake Talia and Scarlett. Do you know how easy it would be to just rush out there and kill them? Sure, it would be a fight. Hell, we might even die in the process, but we could do it."
Celine's expression turned thoughtful, sympathetic. "But you can't."
Amelia nodded. "Right. We can't. This is going to take strategy and a war. You guys have a plan?"
"One of the guards who is still loyal to Arryn told us that Scarlett rode out last night. The funny thing is, the guards at the gate don't recall seeing her. The only reason he remembered was because he was on his way for shift change and not close enough to be affected."
Amelia smiled. "She compelled them to forget. Or hell, maybe they never saw her in the first place. That means she's up to something. Do you think she's going to warn the remnant?"
"Samuel thinks that's possible. If she rides fast, we have a few days. Maybe more, maybe less, but we need to prepare. The thing is, Talia can't know we're preparing. We should stay in hiding, and you should, too. You can't stay here and risk your life. You’re worth far more alive than dead and as you said, we need to make a plan. I think you should come with us, hide out with us."
Silence filled the room as Amelia's eyes stayed focused on Celine's. After several moments’ thought, Amelia finally asked, "You said there are Guard who are still loyal to Arryn?"
Celine nodded. "It seems that the men she and Cathillian have been training are still capable of thinking for themselves. They know Arryn would never have done what's being said about her."
"Good. We're gonna need them. Them and anyone else they know for certain is still free of the mystic’s influence. Tell Arryn to meet me where Doyle died. I want her and anyone she trusts there with her. I'll look into their heads and make sure we can trust them. I might not be as strong as Scarlett in the mystical arts but I am strong enough to see the abnormalities if there is any compulsion present. Talia and Scarlett have no idea where we took Doyle down, so it's a place Arryn and I both know, and we should all be safe there for now."
With those instructions, Celine said her goodbyes and excused herself. She had no idea what was about to happen, but she prayed Arryn knew what she was doing. She'd only just gotten her back, and she couldn't bear the thought of losing her again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Arryn stared at the large tree that had somehow survived the fire that had engulfed the house surrounding it. She remembered the day she and Cathillian had worked together to force the large group of Doyle and Adrien's loyalists into the open.
They'd essentially split the house with the tree, but the house had later been set on fire by a wayward fireball. Somehow, the tree still stood, and she imagined it had everything to do with the magic that had been used to create it.
The sound of horses’ hooves filled the air, and Arryn turned to see Amelia and Marie riding toward them. It warmed her heart to have someone like Amelia on her side; she knew that together they could accomplish anything.
"Hello, everyone." Amelia dismounted. Looking at the group of nearly twenty men dressed in Arcadian armor, she stated, "I'm glad you could make it. There are more of you than I actually expected."
"Aye. We picked the best group. They seemed stronger than the rest. Not sure how those mental magicians work, but I imagine it's harder to do it to someone with a strong will," Samuel told her.
Amelia nodded. "For someone like Scarlett, it shouldn't be a big deal. However, because she's using magic on so many different people at once, she'd need to use a lot more to affect those with stronger personalities and will. Having said that, I do intend to verify that all of you are exactly who you say you are. I don't trust many people right now."
Much to Arryn’s surprise, no one objected to Amelia's plan. While she trusted the men she had brought with her to be honest, she didn't expect them to be excited about someone delving into their mind. But they'd allowed it.
It took quite a while, but once Amelia was satisfied with the outcome, she pulled Arryn and Cathillian to the side. Celine and Samuel quickly followed.
"They're all clean," Amelia told them, "but a few of them definitely had their minds wiped at least once. I saw memories of Talia pulling a body into the new Boulevard park. Another one saw Scarlett heading down the street toward your old house. It seems she's been keeping a closer eye on everyone than we knew. While they retain those memories, they have no recollection of them. When I asked them about the incidents they had no idea what I was talking about, and I could tell they were being honest."
"What does that mean for them?" Arryn asked.
"I truly have no idea. I'm worried that it will take someone a lot stronger than me to undo the compulsions. It's going to be this way with everyone in the city at this point. Well, at the very least, the ones Scarlett has planted thoughts in. We can't just walk up to them and beat the thoughts out of their heads. We can't force them to accept reality. If we do, we could break them. We have to make sure we have solid proof of what Talia's been doing.
“When they see the proof and are confronted with truth, they’ll decide which makes more sense, and they'll come around. We can't simply tell them that Talia is the psychotic daughter of their past Chancellor and that Scarlett is an insane mystic. Not many people even understand how mystical magic works, let alone believing one of their own is a mystic."
Cathillian stepped forward. "I think we can all agree that our biggest obstacle right now is the possibility of a remnant invasion. If they come, the city will be overrun. None of us have a clue what Talia and Scarlett have planned. We have to assume they want to destroy everything, or why else would they use the remnant?"
Amelia shook her head. "Again, I have no idea. I don't understand why these kinds of people do anything that they do. The city is weak, so I suppose it is the perfect opportunity. What's the plan? Do we have one yet?"
"We sure do, lass. We're gonna use the guards as plants. We send them back in and have them spread word throughout the Guard of the potential remnant attack. We have to make sure the city knows," Samuel explained.
"That will cause widespread panic," Amelia mused. "Is that part of the plan?"
Arryn nodded. "Obviously, anything we do will have completely unpredictable effects. All we have are what-ifs and possibilities. We think that if we put the Guard on high alert and citizens begin finding out about the impending attack, everyone will look to you for support. If they are looking to you for support, your life should be safe. Talia cannot make a move against you if you are in power, or she'll lose."
"At that point," Cathillian added, "you should be able to move back to the city without worry. Give the Guard orders, tell them what they need to do. Make yourself a hero. Show the people that you are the one in control, and you are the one who's going to save our city. No one else. Do not let them turn to her for help."
Amelia sighed. "So basically, we're playing her game. We're using widespread panic and manipulation tactics to put me in
control of the city that I'm already in control of and make myself look good in front of the people?"
Arryn shrugged. "Unfortunately, that's the world she's created for us. Did you think I enjoyed trying to be friends with her for a few weeks while hiding my utter disdain? No! But we have to do what's necessary."
Amelia shook her head and smiled. "Oh, no, you misunderstand. I have no arguments, mostly because I have no better ideas. Everything you’ve said has made perfect sense, and your plan will help me save the city and its citizens and make sure that I don't lose control. I can't exactly dispute those objectives."
Cathillian nodded. "If everything works as we expect, Scarlett should arrive back in the city tonight. If she rode to the Madlands, we’ll know it when she returns. At that point, we just need to keep ourselves out of sight until the shit goes down and the people need direction. We will position our men at the gate so we can enter without any problems."
Amelia took a deep breath and smiled. "Great! We have a few hours before we need to get the guards back to see if Scarlett does enter the city in the expected timeframe. I think we should use this time wisely."
Arryn smiled. "Battle training?"
Amelia nodded. "Yep. Battle training."
***
As expected, Scarlett rode back into the city that night just after sundown. Once again, the guards at the gate had no idea that she had passed through, which told Amelia’s group that her trip had certainly been a sensitive one. That was enough evidence for them.
Amelia sent her guards in and set them on their path of planting doubt in the minds of the other Guard. When someone asked the inevitable question "How do you know the remnant are coming?" they were to answer that Amelia had gotten word from Cella that it could happen. They were on orders to alert the rest of the Guard of an impending attack.
Some of the Guard would question things, in which case they would come looking for Amelia. Others would become worried and begin talking about it, some telling their loved ones who would then tell others, and soon the city would need answers. Plans. Reassurance.
And Amelia planned to deliver all of it.
Around four in the morning, Amelia snuck into the city, avoiding the Guard and making her way back to her house. She instructed one of the men who had been trained by the druids to stand guard in her home, making certain no one came inside.
Not surprisingly, when Amelia arrived home, she found a dead student in her living room and char marks on the couch.
"I don't know if you noticed, but you made a bit of a mess of my living room," Amelia joked as she stepped into the room.
While a dead body on the floor was nothing to joke about, she could tell by looking at her friend that he needed to release some tension.
The moment she had walked in the door, she’d seen the look on his face and looked into his mind.
When the student came through the door, the Guard was ready, sword out. The student became enraged at seeing the Guard instead of Amelia, and began throwing fireballs. The first hit the Guard in the chest, but his armor protected him. The second hit her couch, and once he had ended the student’s threat, he was quick to take care of the flames.
The Guard opened his mouth to explain, but Amelia put her hand up to quiet him. "Don't worry about it. I looked into your head the moment I saw your face. I know what happened. Thank you. Had you not been here, this man would possibly have killed me."
Confusion fell across the man's face, and he shook his head. "I don't understand. It seems counterproductive to kill you like this."
"What do you mean?" Amelia asked.
"Well, think about it. If you're killed in your own home and Talia tries to take over the city, it's gonna be obvious what happened. Maybe he wasn't planning to kill you. Don't take me wrong, he certainly wasn't here for anything good. His face showed hatred and he started throwing fireballs before he even asked any questions. He didn't mean you any good, but I don't think he was here to kill you."
Amelia nodded, her expression turning thoughtful. "Good to know. Now, if things go well—"
"They are," he interrupted. "In fact, everything is going a little bit too close to our plan. We're all kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop. The guards outside our group are freaking out. There was a lot of arguing in the barracks tonight when they were informed about the remnant. Some didn’t believe it, and others were ready to march toward the Madlands right then."
"Good. Soon, they'll come to me for orders." Amelia sighed, momentarily placing her hands on the sides of her face as she shook her head. Dropping them back down, she told him, "We have to be ready. And when things really start to go down, we need to make sure Arryn is on that wall protecting the city. She needs to be seen."
The Guard nodded his head once. "Understood."
It wasn't much later when they heard loud voices coming down the street just before the pounding on her door started. Looking outside, they could see it was a mix of the Guard and citizens, all of whom wanted answers.
Amelia turned to him and smiled. "Here we go."
***
Several of Arryn's trusted Guard students found her outside the city in the tallest branches of one of the trees Cathillian had grown with his nature magic students—students who had been tossed aside during all of this, though it was obvious they still worked every day to grow the mighty oaks.
"Amelia is giving orders. Everything is falling into place," one of them reported.
Arryn quickly made her way down the tree with Cathillian close behind her. "We've been watching the east and we've seen a couple of scouts from the remnant, so this is definitely happening. If anything, we’ve learned something. They use scouts, and they are far more battle-conscious than we knew. This will be one hell of a fight."
The Guard paused, his eyes widening as he took in her words. "Did you engage?"
Cathillian shook his head. "If we engaged, they would know that we knew they were coming. Then they might try something subtler, and we could lose more men. Samuel says that if they believe we are completely unsuspecting, they will use their normal tactics. They will attack head-on with a horde, and we want that if we want to take out large numbers at once. They didn't get close enough to the city to warrant us giving our plan up."
The Guard nodded. "Understood. We know Amelia is giving orders to the rest of the Guard, but we need to know what you want us to do."
Arryn smiled. "I'm gonna need my staff, bow, and quiver from the house. You guys should get your bows and quivers as well. I want all of you on the eastern wall before the sun rises."
The men looked at one another, all of them nodding and smiling as they turned back to Arryn. "Yes, ma'am," their captain said.
The men headed back into the city. With their own men positioned at the gate, they would all be able to walk in and out freely. The shift change wouldn't happen until well after the sun broke over the horizon, which was more than plenty of time. By that point, Arryn felt certain the remnant would already be there.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Archers, hold!" Arryn shouted.
Her voice was the only sound that could be heard other than the gentle shifting of feet and the slight creak of bows as they were pulled tight.
The early spring temperatures were still frigid in the mornings; Arryn could see her breath in the cold air. A light fog had descended upon the area that morning, creating the illusion that everything was calm. Peaceful.
But with the obvious threat of a remnant incursion, it was anything but.
Hundreds of guards stood ready on the ground and several more stood on the wall with Arryn, bows in hand, as she tried to remind herself to breathe.
The possibility of a remnant invasion of the city had become reality.
Thinking back on everything that had led her there, she realized that even with all the problems that lay below her, she was happy to be right where she was. Defending the city as she should be.
That morning, she had ditched her normal garb
and wore something in the black and red colors of the city, even using one of the Guard’s cloaks to conceal her on the wall. Until the remnant came, she wanted to keep her face hidden from anyone who might cause her trouble.
As it was, no one cared too much about the archers on the wall. They believed their true strength lay with what was essentially their infantry.
Arryn stood on top of the wall that separated Arcadia from the rest of the world and stared outward into the fog as she tried to see anything coming their way.
“Hey, bitches,” Arryn called, holding her bow tightly and taking aim at what seemed like nothingness. “How lucky are ya feeling today?”
She heard a laugh from one of her archers beside her. “Lucky enough not to fall off the wall and on my ass. Anything else, ask me later.”
A smile crossed her face. “Fair enough. Let’s just hope Cathillian doesn’t get hit on by one of their chicks. They might be ugly, but Cathillian can’t deny a girl that thinks he’s prettier than she is.”
They were getting closer; Arryn could feel it. Any moment, the remnant would shout to announce themselves and the battle would begin. Her anxiety began to climb as she began to silently pray to anyone who could hear her for the safety of her men and the safety of the city.
She couldn't see anything, which caused her fear to grow.
But just as Samuel and Ren had told her, there wasn't a person on that wall or inside those locked gates who needed to see the enemy first. The remnant always made themselves known. It was their primary tactic—strike fear into the hearts of their enemies, get under their skin, and then rip them apart.
But Arryn had no plans to let them win today, no plans to allow them to succeed.
Loud gravel-voiced screams ripped through the air, chilling Arryn to the bone. She looked at the men beside her, only to see them glancing at one another with fear on their faces. They turned to Arryn for direction, afraid of what was about to happen.
