Early the next morning, the party gathered at the gates to set out toward the village known only as Acre. It was little bigger than its name implied, so small that the Empire didn't even really consider it a town at all.
Kyle glanced to where Tyrian was studying the newest map that Thomas had provided. "Matthias probably moved there when he noticed the trouble with the cities was escalating," he offered. "He knew Ophelia was running a rebellion, and as soon as her name was leaked, that he would be useable against her."
Emma glanced over at him. "You think he'll hate you, don't you?"
His hands clenched together. "I failed her. How could he do otherwise? Right now, I hate myself as well. I should have put my foot down and told her no. Then I see the good happening, and I hate myself for being selfish."
There was nothing any of them could say. This was something he needed to struggle through on his own. All they could do was be there to support him. He took the watch every night on the trip, only sleeping very lightly when Tyrian forced him to take a break. Even without the iron will that marked his Kaiten, Kyle had a long breaking limit. They all prayed he reached it soon so that healing could begin.
The two weeks went by swiftly. They couldn't go near well-traveled roads and had to avoid any other cities they might have otherwise passed through. There were two along the way to the mountains, and there was a checkpoint not much further away since where the mountains ended was where the Y Border began.
Things got a little easier once they finally entered the mountains. There was more coverage than the scant trees and very few forests that dotted the Empire. The whole country was mostly a desert. On Oriku, the majority of forests belonged to Foresalia and the City-States of Arinsberg.
Acre was tucked safely on a plateau that had a beautiful view of the land below the mountains. The people grew everything they needed and traded between each other for what they didn't have. It was a fully self-sufficient little town, and it looked like what the other cities had before the change.
When they entered the town, the people milling around took immediate notice. Word spread very fast on Oriku, and the people there instantly recognized Tyrian by the sight of his green scarf and distinctive relic.
Tyrian took a quick breath as he stopped beside someone tending to a garden. "Pardon me, sir," he said calmly, "but can you direct me to Matthias Goldwind?"
The old man studied him intently for a moment and then smiled. "Certainly, my lord. If you follow the path, it winds around a cliff to where Professor Matthias resides." He paused, considered his words, and then asked hopefully, "When we have our new government, can Acre finally be considered a real town? We'd like to be free to engage in formal trade with others, but we're not allowed to."
Kyle and Emma shared a grin with Liang and Marian. Tyrian felt the tension in his shoulders melt away as he realized that Acre, though neutral of the conflict, was in fact pulling for the side of the Liberation Army. "I can't make promises," he said with a genuine smile, "but you'll have a much better chance of it."
Leaving the old man very happily tending to his fruit plants, the party moved down the path toward the edge of the cliffs. It was too small to really be considered a road, but it served as the town's main 'highway' for both horse and foot traffic.
When they rounded the edge of the cliffs, they found themselves approaching a plain house of unremarkable appearance. The owner had done nothing to make the place stand out, though it was kept in good condition. Flowers planted cheerfully along the fence added color.
Kyle felt his stomach churn. Almost as soon as he realized it, Tyrian gently rested a hand on his shoulder. With a little breath, Kyle covered his hand in gratitude. "I want him to know," he said softly, "but I want to be the one to tell him. I can't figure out which is worse."
The front door suddenly opened and a young girl with vibrant red hair peered around the edge. Her large eyes were a haunting shade of blue, and they seemed almost reflective behind the lenses of the glasses she wore perched on her nose. Tyrian guessed her to be barely a teenager, and thought the world in for a surprise when she grew up. She already had a striking loveliness to her that felt almost ethereal.
She was also very smart. "Hello, Lord Tyrian," she said formally. "Please, come in. We've been waiting for you. Professor Matthias is making some tea." She gave a little curtsy. "My name is Cherry. I am Professor Matthias' protégé."
"I've got the horses," Emma said. She gave Kyle a nudge. "Go," she urged softly. "You know Lord Tyrian will stand beside you."
While she kept the horses from wandering off, the others went inside the house behind Cherry. The front area was a sitting room, and off to the side sat a table and a desk covered with books and papers. It was much warmer inside than Tyrian had expected, and he felt his shoulders relax slightly.
"Professor Matthias!" Cherry scolded as she hurried to the man standing at the stove. "I said I would make the tea!" she said fretfully.
The man at the stove smiled at her with obvious affection. Looking at him was painful for more than just Kyle. It was painful for Tyrian and Cassie as well. Matthias Goldwind looked very much like his little sister, with the same nearly yellow eyes and thick auburn hair. "I am perfectly capable of making tea," he told her. "And you can't reach the stove safely in either case." He rested a hand lightly on the top of her head as he looked to his guests. "Greetings, Lord Tyrian. I am Matthias Goldwind. Hello, Kyle."
Kyle took a deep breath that shook at the end. "Matt . . ."
Matthias shook his head. "No, Kyle. I already know. I knew it was a possibility. She did too. She made the choice to put her life at risk for the people she loved. We can only honor her memory and move on. I do not blame you, nor do I feel you failed her." He looked at Tyrian. "And I do not blame you either, Lord Tyrian. I don't believe in the sins of the fathers . . . or mothers."
Tyrian let out a little breath. "Thank you, Professor Matthias."
"Just Matthias, Lord Tyrian." He handed the pot of tea to Cherry. "Gentle with that. Do not spill it on yourself." He took the cane leaning against the wall and used it to walk slowly over to where the others waited. Without any conceit or pride, he let Kyle and Liang assist him in sitting on the couch. "Thank you."
"Are you injured?" Marian asked anxiously. "I am a skilled Healer. I can aid you."
"Thank you, but no magic can heal what is wrong with me." He smiled at her. "It is simply something I must live with. It's vexing, certainly, to move like an old man when I'm not yet three decades old, but I'm not a warrior to begin with. I am a strategist." He gestured to the chair across from him. "Which is no doubt one of the reasons you are here."
Tyrian sat down in the chair and leaned forward to brace his arms on his knees. The others sat down as well once he was seated, except for Cassie. She moved from window to window with a restless energy, her eyes probing the landscape for signs of a threat. She couldn't shake the tingling sensation in the base of her skull. It was a familiar feeling that always warned when danger lurked nearby.
"I need a strategist," Tyrian told Matthias. His green eyes looked dark and intense, his voice the voice of a leader. "The Liberation Army needs your brilliance to free our country from tyranny. We're at the place where simply guessing and hoping won't do it any longer. Too much is riding on this. If we somehow fail, then all those who sided with us will suffer the worst."
"You would ask me to join on my sister's behalf?"
Tyrian met his eyes directly. "I would ask you to join on the behalf of your destiny. You are another who shares the skies with me." He held up his relic hand and stars appeared on both Matthias and Cherry. "I need you both. I can't do this without you."
Cherry grasped Matthias' sleeve, her eyes anxious. "Professor Matthias, we have to help. Can we?"
"Easy, Cherry." He covered her hand with his without looking away from Tyrian. "What did Ophelia tell you about me, Lord Tyrian?"
"Little," he admitted. "What I know of you, I know now by meeting you. I may well know things that even she did not. I know you share a similar destiny to be played out in different fashions, though both connected to me." Darkness moved across his eyes for a moment. "A future with peace for all."
Matthias let out a soft breath as he realized what Tyrian knew and understood. Ophelia had, indeed, been frank with him. Matthias had always known his sister would die young; he had long had time to grieve for the day when she would leave him. And he knew, too, that his own future, his destiny, was tangled up within the Kaiten Star. He could not let Tyrian face this alone. "It won't happen in my time," he said softly, "but it will happen." His chin lifted. "And I will be the one to guide you to victory, Lord Tyrian."
Cherry brightened. "We can help Lord Tyrian?" When Matthias smiled, she turned a quick and shy smile to Tyrian. "I'm still learning, but I know I can help as well! I'm a quick study and I don't make the same mistake twice!"
"She doesn't." Matthias affectionately tugged on her hair. "She also learns from her mistakes, unlike a former student of mine." When her eyes filled with tears, he gently rubbed them away. "He will learn some day," he said softly. "There is a . . . hole in his heart, Cherry. It will fill. There was nothing more I could do for him."
She wiped at her eyes and nodded swiftly. "I know." She took a quick breath for composure and then got to her feet. "I'll go pack our bags. Don't stress yourself!" she ordered him.
She disappeared down a hall, and Liang grinned at Matthias. "She's a bit bossy, isn't she?"
Matthias sighed fondly. "My little tyrant. I took her on as a student two years ago when her parents died. It was right after I had left Ophelia in Kyle's care within the Commune of Soldiers."
"You needed someone to take care of," Marian murmured.
He laughed. "Very probably! I had another student named Seymour at the time, but I couldn't turn Cherry away." He sighed deeply. "And I had to expel Seymour last year. It was the last time I saw Ophelia, too. She had words with Seymour, but I don't know what." He looked at Kyle. "Do you?"
"No. I saw her talking to him, but she never told me what she said. Just said something about wishing someone would slap some sense into him someday. If she'd been more temperamental, she might have done it herself." Kyle forced his tone to remain light, but his hands curled together.
Cherry returned lugging three bags, and Liang and Kyle moved quickly to take them from her. "Those are bigger than you are," Liang scolded her. "Grow another foot taller and you can take them."
"Deal." She moved over to Matthias' side to help steady him as he got to his feet. "Should I go ask Beatrice for your horse?" she asked. When he smiled, she hurried out of the house quickly.
They all went outside, Tyrian keeping a hand on Matthias' arm to help steady him, and discovered that Emma had disappeared with the horses. Since there was a stable in town, it was logical to assume she had headed that direction. Tyrian studied the way Matthias moved and was absolutely positive that an elevator had to be installed quickly. He would also insist on a room for Matthias on the same floor as the meeting room.
Cassie's agitation only gained in force. Her restless energy had transmitted itself to others to the point that Kyle walked with a hand on the hilt of his sword, and Liang moved closer to Tyrian and Matthias. Marian had her wand in hand without conscious thought.
Abruptly, Cassie's head jerked upward. "Down!" she shouted. She leapt for Tyrian and sent them tumbling across the ground.
Kyle took Matthias down in another direction as Liang dragged Marian backwards swiftly. Arrows engulfed in flames struck the land where they had been moments before, and the fire consumed the dry foliage close by. The inferno was out of control before anyone really noticed it had begun.
Tyrian scrambled up to his feet and looked to the cliffs higher up. He instantly saw soldiers wearing the colors of the Imperial Army. The archers were readying more arrows. "Take Matthias away!" he ordered Kyle and Marian. "Swiftly! Liang, find Cherry and Emma!"
His Voice Relic beeped softly, and Emma's voice said, "I have the red-haired girl and the Stablemaster. We're running down the mountain with the horses for cover. Don't worry about us!"
A young woman came running up to Tyrian with a hat held over her grassy green hair. Her hair color as much as her pointed ears implied an Elfish bloodline. "Lord Tyrian!" she said. "Come with me! We have a secret escape route to take! Hurry! The villagers are already fleeing!" She looked at Cassie. "Can you cover us?"
Cassie pulled out an odd little marble from her pocket and hurled it to the ground. It exploded into plumes of smoke that merged with the smoke of the fire and made it impossible to see. Tyrian did not want to go. He wanted to hold his ground and fight, but he couldn't. Cassie was shoving him, and Liang and the young woman had his arms and were dragging him. Against his will, he went with them.
The secret escape route was through a tunnel hidden under the bakery. The sound of echoing footsteps told them that they were not far behind the rest of the town. It made Tyrian sick to his stomach, and fury began to burn inside his heart. Just to get him and Matthias, the Army had been willing to attack innocent villagers. If not for the escape route, many might have died. Their homes and lives, at the least, had been destroyed already.
They climbed up a ladder at the end of the tunnel and found themselves partway back down the mountain. The villagers were dirty and soot-covered, but they looked relatively unharmed. The few injuries that had been sustained were quickly healed by Marian and the couple of people who had Medicine Relics.
The sound of hooves had Tyrian turning to see Emma approaching with a herd of horses. Cherry was riding on one of them, clinging onto its mane for dear life, and an older woman rode another. When they were close, Tyrian reached up to pull Cherry down and hugged her tightly. "Are you okay?" he asked.
She held onto his neck tightly, her blue eyes wide with a lingering echo of fear. It was her first real taste of what war was like, and it was daunting. "I'm okay. Are you?"
"Perfectly fine." He turned as Matthias approached as quickly as he could and handed Cherry over. "She's fine."
Matthias hugged her fiercely for a moment and then put her down. He would have asked for her initiation into war to be much gentler, but he knew she was strong. She had been given a very great destiny; hers was a star fixed in the sky, unlike his, which would wane. She would endure.
The other woman dismounted with casual expertise. She was probably in her late forties and looked fit and agile. Her walnut colored skin glowed in the light from the fires further overhead and her black hair had been braided severely to keep it out of her eyes. "Good riding," she told Emma. "And good thinking!"
Emma gratefully let Liang help her down from her horse. "We'll call it dumb luck and leave it there."
Tyrian studied the Stablemaster and the woman who had helped him in equal turns. They were both Destined Stars if his feeling was correct. It had yet to be wrong, so he certainly trusted it when he felt the fierce yank inside. "Thank you," he said to the green-haired woman. "What's your name?"
She pulled off her hat to shake out the soot. She seemed a very lovely Elf, but most of the race was exceptionally attractive. She wore leggings and a snug bodice that revealed her trim belly, and a belt hung around her hips sassily. She had no relic and no weapon. "I'm Taurus," she said with a smile. "I'm the lead singer for the band Café Latte."
His brows lifted skyward. Café Latte was one of the most well-known bands on Oriku. They had traveled through all lands, and their songs had been recorded onto relics for people to listen to at home. Few didn't know their name. "What are you doing out here? Where are the others?"
"We're on vacation and decided to see our hometowns." She sighed gustily. "Aries is going to have my head. I swore I wouldn't get into trouble, and now I'm about to get into a lot." She lightly touched her heart. "Lord Tyrian, I wish to fight by your side. Let my music be what empowers you in battle. I will sing the songs that keep everyone's spirits up!"
His relic glowed softly and the star glowed from her shoulder in response. He smiled. "I would be honored, Taurus, thank you." And as he was beginning to understand the ways of destiny, he had no doubt that the other three members of the band would show up eventually and join as well.
"I'm Beatrice," the Stablemaster said, drawing his attention. "And you can count on me too, Lord Tyrian! I'll keep track of all your horses and make sure they get the dedicated attention they deserve! Do you have a stable?"
"A small one," he conceded. "Most of the horses run freely in the land around the castle. They always come when we call them, but there's been no one I could spare to give all their attention to them. I would be very grateful if you could take that duty on, Beatrice. I know you're the best for the job."
She smiled in bemusement. "When you say that, I feel like I could take care of the Valley of the Unicorns single-handedly. Leave it to me!"
One of the villagers walked over to Tyrian and said, "Lord Tyrian, we would ask to join you as well. We don't dare return home. Well, what little remains of it. When you have won this war, we can come home and rebuild. There aren't many of us. We can find room, and we can be useful."
"It's a two-story city," Tyrian said wryly, "and it's not yet half full. There's plenty of room. And if I'm wrong, we can just expand the walls. Anyone good with a hammer?" Several hands lifted. "There we go. Problems solved. Let's get moving quickly. There's no knowing how long it will take for them to sort through the debris and confirm that I'm not there."
The trip back to the base took less time than the trip out, even with so many more people. They barely paused to rest at night, trying to cover as much ground as possible. Children who were too young to walk rode with the adults who couldn't walk either. Matthias was one of them, and he carried two or three of the littlest ones.
It was the middle of the day when they finally reached the base. While the villagers were welcomed happily and people already there began to help them find homes, Beatrice took over the care of the horses and took them to the stables. Taurus went to find a room inside the castle, as she had been ordered to do, and Emma went to reassure her brother that she was alive and well.
Matthias looked at Tyrian and said, "I can get settled in later if you wish to begin the strategy for Rubentia."
Tyrian nodded. "The sooner the better." He looked at Kyle. "Grab Ewan, Leonard, and Kell, please." As Kyle hurried off, he eyed Liang and Marian. "Go rest."
"You're funny," Marian said. She crossed her arms. "Not until you do."
Her cousin sighed and began to lead the way into the castle. He knew better than to argue with Marian when she got that look in her eye. He knew he could out-stubborn her, but it wasn't worth the effort right then. He was tired, yet there was still too much to be done. Cassie's hand slipped into his and he held on gratefully.
He helped Matthias navigate the stairs and again determined to find the inventor who made elevators. When they reached the meeting room doors, he said to one of the guards, "Please find quarters on this floor for Professor Matthias and Cherry. Make sure they're near to each other."
"Yes, sir!" The guard saluted and hurried down the hall.
He walked into the room and then hastily shot across the floor to grab the chair that Thomas was standing on as it wobbled dangerously. "Tom!" he scolded. "What are you doing?"
Thomas' cheeks turned pink. "I was just trying to hang the new map on the wall, Lord Tyrian!" He got down off the chair and handed over the map so that Liang could hang it for him. "I want to be taller," he complained. He studied Tyrian intently and then frowned. He didn't like how tired the Kaiten looked. "I'll get you a snack!" he promised as he hurried out of the room.
"That bad?" Tyrian asked the others.
"That bad," Liang and Cassie said at the same time.
"So, Rubentia." Matthias sat down in a chair with a sigh. "Tell me what you know."
"Allow me," Ewan said as he walked into the room. "Hey, Matthias. Long time." He plopped down into a chair and propped up his feet. "The situation has changed as of last week. The Emperor knows that Tyrian got out of Acre and that he has the best strategist in the world."
Tyrian rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"
"General Gordon D'terio," Leonard said as he sat down. "The troops at Rubentia have been retreated and replaced by his elite units. We have two units and he has four. We're outnumbered two to one, but he doesn't have a magic unit. Myr and Olan have organized our soldiers. We have one ranged unit, and the other is close-range combat. Only about one-eighth of our soldiers are mages. Mostly they serve as supplemental support."
"General D'terio is not one to use subterfuge," Matthias mused. "The only general who is versed in the ways of undercover combat would be General Quint. We lack the ability to as yet transport soldiers to the field so we can't move in from behind."
"We also think the generals might be willing to listen to reason," Kyle spoke up. "Their armies, until now, have not been directly involved in the situation. They are not at fault for the oppression of the people. They serve the people, so . . ."
Matthias tapped a finger lightly on the table as he thought about things. "What sort of combatants do we have as unit leaders, Lord Tyrian? Which are the most capable?"
"The best three swords users I have are Laia Mitakel, Ewan, and Kyle. The best hand to hand are Liang, Rourke Mitakel, and Cassie, though she's needed at my side more than anywhere else. Marian is our best Healer. Our best ranged are Myr, Emma, and Olan. Shots and Hawke are also ranged users, but they are best suited for small combat, not large; Shots is a gunner and Hawke uses a slingshot. And while we have relic users all over the place, we have no actual Magicians. The most powerful magic we have in a combat sense comes from me, Laia, and Kyle."
"We're going to end this without a drop of blood being shed," Matthias decided. He looked at Ewan. "Fetch Myr and Shots."
* * * * *
Rubentia sat a day's journey away from the base being used by the Liberation Army. It was a large sized town of ten thousand civilians and three military units for a total of thirteen thousand total residents. The four units belonging to Gordon spread out around the borders of the town so that no direction could be approached unseen.
Travelers were still admitted, though they had to go through Gordon's personal unit to enter. The town went on with what little business it could still go on with. When he had arrived to take over for the Imperial units, he had been sickened to see the state of the town. People flinched from his soldiers, and that was unacceptable.
He caught sight of movement and focused his gaze on the road. Coming down it was a horse and two people. A girl rode the horse, and a young man led it. The girl was bedraggled and dirty, and she looked as if she had been through hell and back. Gordon moved forward with a frown. "Halt," he said, though gently. "What business brings you to Rubentia?"
"There's a Healer here," the young man said, his words flavored with the clipped accent of Melodina's mountains. "Halkern is his name. My sister was set upon by monsters when we were trying to get home. This is the closest city. Let us in, sir. I beg you. We're not going to cause trouble."
Gordon studied them, sensing something under the surface like a feeling of meeting a kindred spirit, but not seeing anything to make either of them stand out. The young man didn't even wear a weapon. The girl had a dagger sheath around her hips, but the daggers were missing. He had to assume they had been left behind in the monsters she had tangled with. "Come in," he said kindly. "And hurry to the doctor. Do you need an escort to find him?"
"I can find it. Thank you so much!" The young man wasted no time in hurrying into the city with his sister.
A few minutes later, one of the soldiers said, "To the west! The Liberation Army is approaching! We can see one mounted unit and one unit on foot. The foot unit looks like a ranged unit."
"Ah, so he has one now," Gordon murmured. "Who rides as unit leader?"
After a moment, the soldier said, "Ranged unit is commanded by two archers and a girl. The mounted unit is commanded by Lord Tyrian Southerwind. Riding with him is the delegate from the Monk Clans and Matthias Goldwind."
Gordon lightly touched the Voice Relic he wore. "Greetings, Lord Tyrian," he said calmly. "It's been a long time. Are you well?"
"Well enough," Tyrian said in response. "And you, General D'terio?"
"I can't complain. Professor Matthias, it is an honor to greet you as well. I have heard much of your brilliance."
"My thanks, General." Matthias' voice was very calm and unruffled. That Gordon would take the time to greet them sincerely was yet another sign of the bedrock decency inside the other man. "We ask for your surrender before blood is shed."
Gordon arched a brow. "When you are outnumbered two to one?"
"We're not at as big a disadvantage as you believe."
Before Gordon could ask what he referred to, he heard the distinct sound of something locking into place. He turned his head sharply and discovered that the young man of before was crouched less than a hundred feet away, and he had a weapon in his hands aimed directly at Gordon's heart. Gordon knew instinctively that he looked upon the gunner from the Guild who had joined the Liberation Army.
It was an underhanded move to plant a sniper to take out an enemy leader, but completely within the laws of engagement. Gordon could have called their bluff and challenged whether or not they truly intended to kill him without a fight. It could have been just a ploy to force a surrender. But if he was wrong, and he was killed, there would be no one to determine the fate of his men.
He slowly lifted his hands over his head. "I yield, Lord Tyrian. Professor Matthias, you are, as rumored, quite brilliant. Put down your weapons," he ordered his men. "Those who wish to retreat may do so. I will remain as Lord Tyrian's prisoner. I wish to speak with him."
"We stand by you, General D'terio!" one of the lieutenants said fiercely. "We will follow your commands! If you stay, then we will stay. What you choose to do is what we choose to do. Lord Tyrian may hold us as well. We won't give any trouble."
Tyrian let out the breath he had been holding. Word was going to spread rapidly that he had defeated a Lower General without a fight. Albanion and Blaine would know that that meant the tide was suddenly turning in favor of the Liberation Army and they would endeavor to tighten their grip on the checkpoints and the other cities. There would be no more one-on-one unit battles and precious few more chances for such subterfuge.
It would be nothing but uphill from there on out. There was no going back.
©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.
Chapter 15->
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