by Frank Morin
"So that's probably where we'll need to set up the prisoner exchange," Connor said.
"You will allowing the army to reach the plain so easily?" Gisela asked.
Ulrich considered that. "It might be a good idea. We can't stop them on the southern slope, although we were planning delaying tactics."
Wolfram said, "Usually I would recommend exactly that. We could inflict significant losses on them by fighting to hold that slope, although such an effort in itself would never stop them for long."
"If we allow them to ascend to the southern end of the plain, it would reinforce the image that we're rather clueless about defensive measures," Liane said.
Kilian nodded slowly. "We arrange the exchange on the plain. They're overconfident and no doubt plan to launch the full assault as soon as the exchange is complete."
"Only we strike first," Connor said.
Ulrich said, "That could prove extremely helpful. If you can distract them enough, that would be the perfect time to hit them hard."
Verena said, "The prisoner exchange will focus their attention, but that alone won't be sufficient distraction to hit their central command and steal Dougal's stones."
Connor's confidence faded and he admitted, "I hadn't gotten that far, but we have time to figure it out."
Gisela grinned. "I think I can helping with that."
"How?" Connor asked.
The outer wooden doors opened, interrupting Gisela's answer. A muscular man with a huge mustache, wearing custom Rumbler battle leathers marched into the room beside a tall, broad-shouldered man in a nobleman's jacket. His carefully-groomed, blond hair was a little longer than military standard, and his rugged face was perfectly tanned. When he smiled, his even, white teeth seemed to glow.
Verena gasped. "Mattias!"
Chapter Fifty-One
"The nuall that wanders far afield rarely finds success that could have been obtained closer to home."
~Evander
"You've got to be kidding," Connor muttered to himself as Verena released the protective shield around the group.
She moved toward the two newcomers, smiling so widely that it was a wonder her lips didn't crack. Connor really didn't want to meet Verena's old boyfriend.
Ilse wanted to meet someone.
She rushed across the room and leaped into the muscular, mustached man's arms, laughing with pure joy. Connor was astonished to see her kiss him passionately as he swung her around in his arms.
"Is that Mattias?" Hamish asked, looking confused.
"Of course not." Saskia gave him a disgusted look. "That's Lukas, Ilse's husband."
"Husband?" Connor didn't know she was married.
It seemed wrong for Ilse to act like a woman instead of commander of a clandestine special-forces group. He had grown so used to the hint of danger surrounding her that he felt unsettled seeing her kissing that man. Didn't she understand how that was wrecking the image she'd worked so hard to create?
"I think I know where that message for Ilse came from," Kilian said with a smile.
Verena moved to greet Mattias and although she walked eagerly, she didn't rush at him like Ilse had at Lukas. For his part, Mattias seemed to see only Verena. His pace quickened and his smile widened. His perfect teeth glowed brighter.
His movements slipped into the graceful dance of an Allcarver. He extended his arms toward Verena, and Connor feared for a moment he'd sweep her right off her feet. Seeing her punch him in the face for doing that would be really satisfying, though.
Verena stopped a pace away and gripped his hands in hers, although she still leaned forward a bit, as if fighting an urge to hug him. "What are you doing here?"
For a second he seemed startled that she spoke Obrioner, but he recovered quickly. "I'm happy to see you too."
He leaned forward to kiss her, but she turned so that he planted the kiss on her cheek instead of her lips. He definitely looked disappointed.
Connor felt relieved that Verena kept a little distance.
As the rest of the company approached, Mattias said softly, "We have so much to talk about. I missed you so much." His arms twitched, as if only Verena's grip kept him from embracing her.
Saskia took Verena's place and gave her brother a warm hug. "You're late. With father sick, your place is here."
"You're doing great, little sister. My place is serving the king." He glanced at Verena again, and Connor clearly read his expression. With Verena here, maybe he should re-think that statement.
"Did you get lost?" Connor asked as he and the others approached the newcomers.
Mattias chuckled, but his smile faded when Verena released his hands and stepped back a pace to stand beside Connor. Connor wanted to kiss her for that. Of course, that might anger Mattias, then maybe they could skip all the posturing and jump right into the fighting.
Before he could put the plan in action, Mattias extended a hand, which Connor felt obligated to grip. Mattias's grip was strong, perhaps a bit tighter than absolutely necessary, so Connor tapped a bit of granite and returned the grip even stronger.
If Mattias wanted to get physical, he welcomed the chance to show him what an ascended Petralist could do. Mattias's hair would look so much better after Connor burned most of it off. He had plenty of experience.
"You're the fellow that Verena was ordered to recruit," Mattias said, his tone completely neutral.
"Blood of the Tallan at your service. Happy to help Verena save her homeland."
"We'll need everyone for that," Kilian said, stepping between them and shaking Mattias's hand. "Last I heard, you were assigned commander of the prince's own guard."
"And I brought a company with me to reinforce the city, as well as Ilse's entire command."
"The Crushers are here?" Ilse exclaimed.
She stood close beside Lukas, gripping his hand in a very un-scary-commander-like way. She looked tiny next to the hulking soldier, who rivaled Erich for size.
Lukas grinned. "Brought 'em all, love. Prince Theodor sent orders for you to resume command." His voice was a deep baritone, and he spoke Obrioner almost as well as Ilse.
When she glanced at Wolfram, he shrugged. "I am not surprised. Now that the war is under way, your place is with your troops."
Kilian said, "This is good news. The Crushers can lead the charge."
"Who are the Crushers?" Connor asked.
Ulrich held up a hand. "Let's please return to the table. Builder Verena, will you restore that shieldstone?"
As soon as the pulsing shield of air again surrounded the group, Ilse gave another sickeningly happy smile to Lukas and said, "We developed the Crushers as a special response force against Obrioner aggression. We're a self-sufficient strike force, specially trained to target enemy tertiary Petralists."
"You kill the tertiaries?" Hamish exclaimed.
"With great risk, and through careful planning," Lukas said.
Verena said, "Hopefully with a little less risk now. I've been discussing with Ilse some mechanicals we can add to your arsenal that should help."
"I look forward to discussing those with you, Lady Builder," Lukas said with a bow.
"She's something, isn't she?" Mattias said, giving another glowing grin, the pride in his voice suggesting that he somehow deserved some of the merit for Verena's abilities.
"I never could have accomplished what I have if I'd gone to the capital with you," Verena said, actually sounding a bit sad about that.
Saskia said, "I heard the entire Builder compound was destroyed. Since you have to rebuild anyway, why not build closer to Edderitz?"
For a second, Connor feared what Verena might say. If they rebuilt close to the capital, she'd get to see Mattias more often. She clearly still liked him, and it seemed evident Mattias would welcome a chance to try winning her back.
"Schwinkendorf Valley is our home," Hamish said with a note of finality in his voice.
"The planning for rebuilding is already underway," Jean added.
Mat
tias did not hide his disappointment, and Ulrich interrupted. "If we fail to hold, we'll be discussing how to rebuild Altkalen too. There's still the problem of how to get the Crushers close enough to the Obrioner lines. The plain will be the main elemental battleground, and any incursion through that area will result in many casualties, no matter how well trained you are."
"They could attack from the western hills," Liane suggested.
Ilse shook her head. "The Obrioner flank will block our access from the sides. Our greatest chance of success lies in surprise attacks, not in cutting through half the army."
"I have an idea," Verena said with that smile she reserved for new mechanicals.
Connor didn't even feel jealous that her Builder work earned its own special smile. Even though she often pressed her lips to those power stones, she never kissed them the way she kissed him.
Had she ever kissed Mattias like that, though? Of course, he'd kissed Shona many times too. He hadn't been free to deny her, but he had to admit Shona was an amazing kisser, and he'd enjoyed many of those moments. It rankled that maybe he couldn't hate Mattias for having kissed Verena, but felt confident he could easily come up with other reasons.
Hamish said, "And I have an idea how we can take the fight to the Obrioners even before we settle the question of the middle ground. Especially if that prisoner exchange works well."
"What prisoner exchange?" Mattias asked.
Kilian explained, "We're trying to arrange an exchange on the plain prior to the main battle. We're hoping to use it as a diversion to strike the Obrioner command and steal Dougal's sculpted stones."
Saskia said, "We still need to figure out that diversion. Gisela, you offered help?"
Gisela withdrew from a pocket of her dress an ornate wooden box, banded with iron, no bigger than Connor's hand. She placed it on the table and opened it with exquisite care. She then withdrew from the heavily-padded interior a tiny vial, barely as long as Connor's pinky finger.
"I have receiving in my latest communication from Althing a mighty weapon."
Hamish asked, "That's a weapon? It looks more like my mom's secret seasoning."
She lifted the vial for all to see, but slapped Hamish's hand away when he reached to touch it. "This will striking fear through the hearts of thousands, and wreaking havoc through Carbrey's army."
"How is it possible?" Saskia asked, voicing Connor's thoughts. Such a tiny vial did not look dangerous.
"Althin scientists have studying many years the worst chemicals they can finding. The liquid in here is stinking enough to driving people insane with horror."
Hamish grinned. "You brought a mega-stench? Can I sniff it?"
Gisela recoiled and clutched the vial protectively to her. "Have you not listening? One drop would making everyone in the citadel violently ill."
"What chemical is it?" Connor asked, happy that she hadn't let Hamish test it, but still not quite believing anything could smell that bad.
She shook her head. "I do not knowing name, but I know the stinking has true."
"Can you get a gallon of it? With that much, we might be able to drive them right out of Granadure," Verena said.
Gisela shook her head. "There is being not so very much in all of Althing. This vial is most of the stock piling. Making more take much time."
Kilian looked pleased. "This might be the key we need to make this plan work."
Gisela said, "With help from Aifric, I have another item that can helping spread more confusion."
Kilian said, "She's a good choice. She might be able to discover for sure where the stones are kept."
"Who is this Aifric?" Mattias asked.
"My Mhortair Healer," Connor said.
Mattias blinked, and Connor loved the look of confusion on his face.
Verena added, "If Sir really is willing to help, we should send him into the Obrioner camp too. Even if he decides to go on a killing rampage, he'd do it there instead of here."
"Who is Sir?" Mattias asked, and this time he looked ready to be impressed.
"He's the senior Mhortair Assassin who's pledged to help us fight Dougal's invasion," Verena said, and Mattias whistled softly.
They began working on specific plans, and Connor agreed that was important. However, he did not believe there wouldn't be surprises. No battle plan he'd ever seen survived the actual start of a battle, but the more he'd planned before a fight, the better he was positioned to respond quickly to the unexpected.
"What sort of power stores do we have available to work with?" Hamish asked.
Wolfram grimaced. "Too many of our reserves were lost at Harz."
"And we've exhausted most of our ready supplies replenishing Wolfram's forces and preparing our own," Saskia added.
Mattias said, "We brought a large cache from Edderitz. Most will be allocated to the Crushers and my own guard, but we can always find stone to support our Builders."
He looked at Verena as he spoke, and Connor cringed inside to see how much the words clearly pleased her. Would Mattias really stoop to trying to buy back her affections with wagonloads of power stone?
As they turned again to working out details, Hamish said, "Hette, I think we're going to need lots of cookies."
"I'll send for a dozen dozen."
Connor was a bit disappointed when she didn't produce them already baked from under her dress.
Chapter Fifty-Two
"Dross is cast off of the gleaming silver only through the touch of the refiner's fire."
~Evander
Assuming Carbrey accepted the prisoner exchange, he would most likely send Rory to oversee the meeting. That meant they should send Anika to distract him. Saskia expressed worry that Carbrey might send Gregor as well, which would threaten the plan.
Ilse suggested, "I'll go with Anika. I would like to challenge Gregor on his involvement at the Carraig."
"But we need you with the Crushers," Lukas objected.
Kilian said, "It might be necessary."
As the discussion continued, Connor felt eager to leave and get Verena away from Mattias. That softly glowing smile seemed to increasingly distract her.
Ulrich and Saskia still held back some of what they planned for the main assault, but Connor didn't mind. He understood their need for protecting some of their secret plan. The rest of them had enough work to finalize the planned distraction and attempt against the sculpted stones.
At first he assumed he would participate in that strike at the heart of the Obrioner camp, but came to realize Verena and Hamish wouldn't really need him there. So he said, "I plan to join the Crushers."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Ulrich asked.
Verena looked concerned. "Connor, I was thinking we'd hold you in reserve like we did at Harz. If something goes wrong, you could turn the tide for us."
Connor shook his head. "Kilian will be our reserve."
Kilian said, "At least until we know the sculpted stones are secured. Then I guarantee I'll join the fighting."
Connor hoped no one he cared about got in Kilian's way. "Let's surprise Carbrey. If the Crushers and I can remove a large number of his tertiary Petralists quickly, it could be a critical element to winning."
"We'll be in the thickest of the fighting," Lukas warned.
"That's right where Connor does his best work," Ilse said with a little smile. "He has a knack for breaking things."
Connor shrugged. "It's kind of my thing."
Lukas grinned. "I'd be a fool not to welcome the Blood of the Tallan. We can use your elemental powers. If you do not object, my lord Mattias."
Mattias hesitated. "Are you sure it's wise? He is an Obrioner."
Ilse did not seem concerned. "I am sure."
"Then he is your responsibility. We're all taking risks, but if we work together, we will prevail."
"We'll win," Verena said with her usual fierce confidence. "If the mega-stench works as well as we hope, the command structure should be interrupted too."
Connor lik
ed the fact that she still looked worried for him.
"Plus, if we get the sculpted stones, that might wreck Carbrey's entire battle plan," Hamish grinned.
"I like it," Saskia said.
Kilian said, "It is a good plan, but let's assume something goes wrong. What else can we add to tip the scales in our favor?"
They thought about that for a moment, and it was Lukas who spoke first. "One of the biggest challenges is when the tertiaries recognize the threat and target us aggressively."
Saskia suggested, "What if we send a wave of Rumblers in first? They'd create a chaotic battlefield that you could strike through."
Ilse grinned. "That is a good idea."
Ulrich frowned. "We still haven't answered the question of how we will deliver your forces to the battle. You cannot cross the middle ground."
"We drop them from above," Hamish said.
Verena banged a hand on the tabletop. "Of course. We've got windrider troop transports."
"I am unfamiliar with those," Lukas said. Mattias was also frowning.
"Flying wagons." Verena gave Mattias a triumphant smile.
He laughed. "You really made them?"
"Yes!"
The two seemed to be sharing a moment far too special for Connor's taste, so he said, "Verena's a natural flyer."
Mattias barely acknowledged the comment, his attention fixed on Verena. "You've dreamed of reaching the sky for years."
"I did it. I'll have to give you a ride on my Swift. It's amazing."
"I'd like that," Mattias said.
Connor would prefer if she practiced shooting apples off Mattias's glowing face with diorite hornets.
They turned to calculating how many Rumblers they could spare for that first wave drop and how many wagons they'd need to carry them and the eighty Crushers. Verena and Hamish decided they'd need to build a few more wagons.
Hamish said, "The biggest challenge will be finding enough Builders to fly them. I guess we can leave some of the scout windriders hovering and borrow their pilots for the air drop."
"I'll fly one," Jean said.
"Are you a Builder?" Lukas asked.
Jean shook her head. "No, but I can fly a windrider."
