Feeling incredibly uncomfortable, Sain made a disapproving face at Manny who just sat there with a smug look on his face. He knew Sain didn't like smokers, and he was probably getting petty revenge for his abysmal defeat at checkers.
Manny once again scanned his surroundings quietly, leaving Sain sitting there awkwardly. Quite suddenly Sain felt a slight change in the room’s atmosphere, something he had never felt before and he sat up bolt upright, his head swiveling as he searched for the source. Manny picked up on it and frowned slightly.
"What. What is it?" he asked as he too sat up straight and looked around the room. Sain ignored him and kept turning around on his bed, his frown only getting deeper. Turning back to Manny he sucked in a breath, the feeling becoming even stronger as he stared at an empty chair next to Manny. He could feel a strange presence coming straight from the chair, and for a few moments Sain stared at the chair, unsure as to what this feeling was.
Manny finished his scan also and turned back to face Sain, furrowing his brow and turning to look at the chair that Sain was so focused on. He opened his mouth to say something and at that instant Kasui appeared out of thin air perched upon the chair Sain was staring at. The two of them locked eyes, Sain’s own widening in complete surprise, whilst opposite him Manny yelled in shock and fell off of his chair as he pushed backwards with his feet.
Kasui smiled in satisfaction, and without blinking an eye stood up and kicked Manny in the stomach so hard that he spat out his cigarette, which Kasui then stepped on and ground out with her boot. She then sat back down and looked back at Sain, the expression on her face showing how little she actually cared about Manny who was now groaning pathetically on the ground behind her.
"You noticed me didn't you?" she asked, her accent thick as she spoke in Gestonian. Her gaze was accusatory and Sain didn't know how to feel about that. He frowned again and sighed.
"Well, I felt something, that was all, I had no idea it was you, hell, I didn't even know you could go invisible" replied Sain. Thinking back on the laws of magic, he didn't even think it was possible, but he wasn't going to question the intimidating woman before him.
Kasui's eyes narrowed as she continued to stare at Sain, making the youth feel even more uncomfortable than he was before.
"You are an enigma, you know that, everyone is baffled by your condition, and now you say you can sense me when I’m invisible, when not even the most accomplished mages of the Union can claim to do that" Kasui snapped at him irritably, her eyes still locked on Sain causing him to squirm uncomfortably.
Unsure as to what to make of her words, Sain just looked down at his hands and fiddled with his fingers. Over the last few days he had baffled everyone including himself. Two days after arriving at the Republic's military base, Sain had been walking around the hospital unaided and full of energy. He was still quite thin of course, but far healthier and energetic than he should have been. The doctors and nurses had no idea what was going on and didn't even have any theories to offer. It had been Kasui's suggestion that they head back to the Samite Union where there were doctors, scientists and mages who could no doubt offer some insight into Sain’s mysterious condition.
So less than a day ago, they had all boarded a frigate airship and were currently being escorted back to the Union.
A moan sounded out and Sain looked over to Manny as the pilot attempted to sit up. When he couldn't he just gave up and lay back down with a grimace, his hand going to rub his sore stomach.
"You didn't have to kick me, you evil bitch" Manny muttered from the ground. Sain just let his mouth drop at the insult. From the small amount he knew about Kasui, he guessed the woman would not appreciate being spoken to like that. And sure enough, Kasui bared her teeth at him before speaking.
"Firstly, smoking is bad for your health" Kasui stated, holding up her hand with one finger raised.
"Secondly, this is an infirmary, you shouldn't be smoking anyway. You could have set off the fire alarm" another finger raised as she glared at Manny.
"And thirdly, I wanted to kick you for the fun of it" a third finger raised she continued, a sick smirk spreading across her features.
"And lastly, if you do it again, I'll kick you in the balls instead" Kasui said as she closed her fist with a snap and held it in front of her, clenching it hard. Sain just felt a shiver run down his spine at that and groaned inwardly.
"You evil, evil bitch" Manny whispered, sounding genuinely terrified of Kasui as the hand on his stomach moved down to cover his groin.
"Get over it, what are you, a child? Fucking wimp" snapped Kasui before she turned her full attention back onto Sain. She stared hard at him again and he actually shrunk in on himself, feeling as though she were trying to bore a hole in him with her gaze.
"Now I came down here for a reason. We aren't incredibly far from the Union now. We will be at the island of Alsace within a few hours. There is a problem though, Prince Bradley sent a missive ahead of us and is currently making demands for a certain 'terrorist' to be handed over to him for trial and punishment" Kasui stated as she slouched back into her chair, a leg being crossed over the other as she relaxed and displayed her confidence in herself.
"What terrorist? And what exactly does that have to do with us?" queried Sain with a confused look on his face. He swung his legs up onto the bed and lay back, folding his arms over his chest as he tried to get comfortable.
Kasui simply pointed at Sain without saying anything and he blinked his confusion evident. After a moment it dawned on him and he spluttered.
"You’re joking right? I'm not a damned terrorist" Sain blurted out in a defensive manner. It was then that Manny finally stood up, brushing his hands down his trousers as he added to the conversation.
"Look kid, he can say what he wants. He is most likely claiming you are a terrorist so that he can get you back without causing a political mess. But if that's the case he needs proof" Manny stated as he picked up his fallen chair and sat back down in it, a sour look shot in Kasui's direction. She just smirked at him.
"The proof he has is that after we left his research facility, it was blown up. He actually did that himself though, he is a clever one. I doubt he will pursue it further if it escalates to push and shove. We don’t even have extradition treaties with Gestonia, so the prince can go fuck himself. But regardless, the media is latching onto the story and the higher ups are starting to ask questions" Kasui piped in and started tapping a finger on her knee in a strange rhythm.
"Honestly, I don't think he will push much longer. But considering he found out that we left the Republic and started on our way to the Union, I would not doubt his intelligence network. Gonna have to watch your back kiddo" Kasui stated as she stood up and raised a hand to scratch at her neck.
"Wouldn’t worry much though. A couple of Union warlords are on the verge of firing missiles at his messenger to kill the fucker. Maybe Bradley will back off and we will be rid of him by tomorrow" she stated and then laughed out loud as she turned and started to walk away, a hand being lifted to wave over her shoulder.
Grimacing, Sain relaxed back into his pillows, his hands coming up to cup behind his head.
"Well, I just hope the bastard gets what’s coming to him one day" Sain spoke quietly, wishing the prince really did hit in the face by a bad case of karma.
Chapter 30
* * *
The city of Pagua resounded with gunfire and the sound of muffled explosions whilst pillars of smoke and ash rose from amongst the rubble to form murky grey clouds that slowly climbed their way into the sky. The smog rose to mix with the rain clouds already filling the sky, and Prince Harald let out a snicker as he surveyed the area. The wreckage was quite extensive from what he could see, standing at a window within the military headquarters. Pulling his eyes away from the destruction, Harald looked into the eyes of one of his sisters officers, who had been temporarily put under the his own command, though in truth, the old man looking back at him wielded more control than Hara
ld himself.
"You were saying something Xevec?" the prince asked, prompting the old man as he shoved his hands into his pockets, displaying a rather aloof and disinterested manner.
"Yes lord prince, I was. As I said, we just received information that the enemy navy to the west of the city was defeated by our reinforcements. Not only has a large portion of the Federation fleet naval fleet bombarding us has moved to intercept them, but the enemy sky fleet has also moved to aid them. I am confident that if we were to mount an air offensive, it would certainly go in our favour" Xevec spoke respectfully, yet with a hint of force to his voice.
Turning back to the window, Harald looked into the distant ocean, and amongst the smoky haze, he could see that there were indeed fewer enemy ships offshore than there had been previously.
"What is the situation of our infantry defences Xevec?" Harald suddenly asked, choosing to turn the conversation for now. Xevec just pursed his lips and turned back to the window to gaze out over the city as well.
"The cities defensive lines are holding for now my lord. The enemy has been halted two hundred metres from the beach at the second defensive line, but it seems that the Federation contingents that landed north and south of the city have begun outflanking our men's positions. We do not have enough men to stop them at this time, though there are not enough enemy soldiers to surround the city either. I heard that we also just lost the port, and the small shifts docked there under maintenance. Soon the fighting will be in the streets and the soldiers will suffer even more" Xevec said, enlightening Harald of the full situation. It was already information that Harald knew, but he just wanted it re-affirmed. He stayed silent for a short time before turning back to the old man.
"In thirty minutes, send seventy percent of our available aircraft at the remaining navy, the rest are to remain on standby. I want our airships in the air as well, but to remain in position over the city in case the Federation sky fleet returns. Once the remaining naval detachment is incapacitated, depending on the outcome we will send our own airships to aid our allies at sea" Harald commanded brusquely.
Nodding his acceptance, Xevec moved to pass on the commands to the relevant officers. The old man was vastly more experienced than Harald in war, but he seemed satisfied with the orders he had received. Harald swore inwardly as he watched Xevec issuing orders to the various officers in the headquarters. He resented the old man’s easy authority and knew that even though his sister had left him notionally in charge, Phidel was really relying on Xevec to get things done. With the old man here, there would be no mistakes on Harald's part.
Scowling, Harald stepped away from the window and made his way into the centre of the command centre where he stopped and looked down at the campaign map, and the various markers placed upon it by those officers surrounding it.
Harald's eyes moved to look at the two markers placed slightly North West of the city of Kernow, two airships, one blue, and one red, simulating that of Clovis and Phidel.
"Has there been any news of my sister and her forces?" Harald asked of those at the table, his gaze being lifted and swept around the room to glare at those present.
One of the officers, a middle aged and balding man stepped forward and offered a bow to Harald before speaking respectfully.
"We made contact forty five minutes ago my lord, battle has long since ended. However, the storm that blew in from the north has made contact somewhat difficult" the officer stated in an accent of the homeland. By the way he carried himself and spoke, Harald guessed he was an aristocrat. Harald tightened his jaw and laid a hand on the table.
"So we have no idea of my sisters situation?'' Harald asked softly, his voice deep and hard, hinting at anger typical of the royal family.
"That is not so my Lord" the officer replied, frowning slightly before continuing.
"We made contact with the Kernow garrison around the same time, as they have had direct contact with her Highness" the man stated as all other chatter died down in the command centre.
"And, what is the situation there then" Harald spoke quietly as he realised he had spoken too loudly before and had now become the centre of attention. His voice still carried in the silent room now and he could feel eyes on him.
"The garrison commander was unclear my lord. He said the princess appeared victorious, but was not moving from her position, and had requested reinforcements from the garrison. Commander Clovis had retreated and his fleet had disappeared in the storm, so it is still a delicate situation. We are currently acting as if the battle is still continuing" the officer replied, whilst looking Harald in the eyes, a hint of defiance in his voice.
Unnerved by the man’s directness, Harald turned away from the table and the man. His anger rose suddenly as he realised he had not been notified of anything that the officer had just said as it had happened. This was outrageous considering he was in fact the acting commander of the forces stationed in Pagua. Turning back to face the officer, the man took a step back with a shocked look on his face. Harald, his face twisted by anger spoke calmly and coldly, despite his burning anger.
"Do you not think that such important information should have been shared with me earlier? Am I not the commanding officer here? Should I not be aware of the happenings of the entire battlefield and any battlefields in the surrounding area that could affect us here? Do you not think, that had I remained unaware of this information, I may have made a bad decision because of such a lack of information, which resulted in a significant loss of life" Harald exploded, his voice ripping through the air and a hand uplifted to jab an accusatory finger at the officer with each question and statement made by the prince. The officer stared wide eyed at the prince and actually had the nerve to look around at his comrades, seeking some sort of support. Finding none he spluttered and replied to the prince.
"Ah... yes sir, n-no sir, I am sorry sir. I should have let you know at the time. My Lord, it won’t happen again, I should have thought to..." the officer stammered flustered before Harald cut him off with a swipe of his hand through the air.
"Yes, you should have thought to tell me at the time. Don't let it happen again" Harald stated angrily before looking around the entire command centre. Harald drew himself up to his full height, which was quite considerable, so much so that he towered a full head above even the tallest of Phidel's officers.
"That goes for all of you, any important information should be, needs to be shared with me! I need to know what's happening here" Harald growled out, his chest puffed out in an arrogant manner. As the men and women of the command centre murmured their assent, Harald scowled and turned away. He moved back to the window that was his view point of the city.
Xevec immediately appeared at Harald’s elbow and began to apologise but was interrupted by an angry Harald.
"Don't patronise me old man" Harald snarled angrily, making Xevec blink and look at the prince in shock.
"I know that I am not as experienced as you all are, but I am not an idiot either. I know I'm nothing but a figure head to you all, but I will have you all know your place. I am Harald Cesere, fourth child of the Empire. I am royalty and my word is law, never forget that" Harald snarled out, his back straight and his fists clenched by his side in anger. He even appeared to be shaking some. After a moments silence, Xevec spoke as he offered Harald a courteous bow.
"I understand, my lord. I never thought anything less than that" Xevec stated, his face expressionless as he held his true thoughts at bay.
"Good. Now, those last orders I gave for the aircraft, cancel them" Harald snapped angrily at the old man causing Xevec to actually take a step back from prince lest the royal strike out.
"My lord, are you sure?" Xevec asked softly, raising his eyebrows displaying his displeasure at the command.
"Yes, and are the Federation still blocking our satellites" Harald queried, already knowing the answer but just wanting it reaffirmed to him.
"They are my lord" Xevec stated, a frown on his face as he wondered wha
t Harald was getting at.
"Then we must have aircraft scout our surrounding area" Harald stated and rolled his jaw as he watched a building in the city collapse under an explosion.
"For Clovis' fleet sir?" Xevec queried as the old man seemed to guess what Harald was thinking.
"Exactly" Harald stated bluntly as the old man caught on. He wasn't in charge of intelligence just because of Phidel's favour it seemed. Xevec smiled faintly before hiding it behind his usual stony expression.
"Very well. I will determine where the storm that was hiding Clovis was located, and determine any routes that he may have taken to retreat, and will scout in those directions. I would recommend having the fleet remain on standby above the city anyway, and to send a small portion of our air power to harass the blockading navy, perhaps thirty percent my lord" Xevec suggested in a respectful tone, a single eyebrow raised.
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