“General Huxley, we have a situation,” announced the soldier who had just entered the tent in a hasty manner.
The General looked up from the numerous documents scattered on his desk and narrowed his gaze. He was clearly not thrilled by the intrusion. Under normal circumstances, this was grounds for corporal punishment but considering the urgency of the report, the soldier was spared of the punishment. “What is it?” the general asked.
“We have lost contact with the auxiliary forces.”
The general narrowed his gaze and rose from his chair. “What happened to them?”
“We have no confirmation of their status. All we know is that we lost all forms of communication with them. In cases like this one, the auxiliary forces are most likely… eliminated.”
“Choose your words carefully, soldier. I did not ask for your opinion or your specution.”
“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.”
“Send a squad over to their st known position. We must ascertain their fate or their status. We cannot afford to lose them.”
“Understood, sir. We will move out at once.”
The General nodded. “Good.”
The soldiers nodded but he was hesitant to leave.
“Is there anything else?”
“There is one thing, sir, but… it’s only a specution of mine.”
“You may speak your mind.”
“There was a lightning strike just now.”
“Obviously. It’s hard not to notice.”
“Communications went dead with the auxiliary forces the instant the lightning struck. Moreover, our Sentries did not foresee any storm or rain.”
“I hope you are not implying that the lightning strike has something to do with the sudden silence from the auxiliary forces. Even if it’s true, who could be capable of such—” a feat, the general had wanted to say. It was a feat that would require the combined strength of at least seven mages. If there were seven mages out there who opposed them, the kingdom would have long gotten wind of it. But there were none. However, there was an individual who was capable of such a feat by themself. One of the Grand Mages of the court. He recently received a report that she had disappeared from the battlefield.
Mages were gifted individuals who were greatly treasured by the kingdom. Their potential was only limited by their imagination and will. Therefore, the kingdom kept very close attention on each individual mage. A spell was enchanted onto their very souls, which allowed the court to keep track of their positions and also their statuses every second and day of the week. This was done so to safeguard the mages while also deterring them from going rogue. If it wasn’t for the Holy State of Nyrin, the court would have also enchanted a curse on the mages that would instantly kill them if they thought about opposing the kingdom.
Kiera was not dead but she was missing and they could no longer track her down. She completely vanished from their eyes and grasp. She was belled as a deserter and she would face severe corporal punishment if she was apprehended.
General Huxley knew about Kiera. She was the youngest Grand Mage in history. Her understanding towards the complex structure of Murux was unparalleled. She was even being groomed for the Arch Mage position. Sadly, she was a bit too rebellious for the kingdom’s liking. She was even more eccentric than most mages. She cared not about wealth or positions. She cared only about knowledge.
General Huxley remembered hearing something about Kiera defying the current Arch Mage’s order and performed some unsanctioned experiment. Since she was too talented to be discarded, they sent her to battlefields in hopes of making her realise how privileged and safe her position was. He didn’t know what happened afterwards but all he knew now was that Kiera might have not only deserted her country but also became a turncoat.
“General Huxley?” the soldier called out.
The General snapped out of his thoughts. It would seem that he was lost in his thoughts for much longer than he intended. “Fetch me parchments and the fastest pigeon. I have an urgent message I need to tell the court.”
The soldier nodded and hurried out of the tent.
Once he was alone, the General slumped back on his chair. “Damn it…” he cursed.
If Kiera truly had become their enemy, their current forces would not have brought this expedition to triumph. Even with the auxiliary forces, he doubted it would be an acceptable victory. They might be able to break through the Lavans but the real terror and challenges awaited them after the Lvans. No matter from which perspective he viewed his chances, there wasn’t one that wouldn’t end in the deaths of nearly all of the soldiers.
“Is this why you defected?” General Huxley asked but the person who could answer his question was not in the room or anywhere close to him. Just as he was about to resume his work, there was another guest. Huxley was close to exploding with anger and irritation but his temper calmed and expression softened when he saw who had intruded.
“You don’t look well, General,” said the uninvited guest, who was donned in ordinary armour but the person’s disposition and appearance was anything but ordinary.
Huxley was gd that he withheld his wrath for even a second ter. This person was not someone he could baulk or snarl at without any probable reason. “Rodrick, what brings you here at such an hour of the night? Surely an Arch Knight’s tent is more comfortable and accommodating than a general’s one.”
“I’m here to speak with you about the recent developments.”
Huxley frowned. “If you are already aware of it, I have nothing to add.”
“I heard what the soldier said… about his specution of the lightning strike.”
“...Eavesdropping now, are we?”
“It was purely coincidental. And I can’t help it. Arch Knights hone their sense to an extreme degree.”
Huxley tutted inwardly. “That still doesn’t expin why you’re here. If you’re here to compin, please leave. If you want to stay, I expect you to have something worth my time. As you already know, I have my hands full and it’s overflowing.”
“I have something but whether it's worth your time, that is still undecided.”
“Then, get it over with. I have work to do.”
The Arch Knight named Rodrick looked around him. He found a chair on one side of the tent. Instead of bringing the chair in front of the General, he went to the chair and sat on it without moving it. “The Lavans would never fight us in an open field.”
Huxley rolled his eyes. “Obviously. I hope you have something else other than pointing out the obvious.”
“I’m getting there,” Rodrick retorted nonchantly. “The men are anxious and so are the nobles.”
“While I sympathise with the soldiers, the nobles brought this on themselves. They chose this, unlike the soldiers who didn’t have a choice.”
“There is unrest among the camp.”
“Cry me a river. There is unrest in my head.”
“A battle with the Lavans would be a battle of attrition. We will definitely lose, especially with the loss of our auxiliary forces.”
“That is not certain yet.”
“It is as certain as the sun rising from the east on the morrow.”
“Do you find my plight amusing? Is that why you’re here?”
“Are you aware that the Arch Knights are also trained in covert warfare?”
Huxley stopped his work and raised his gaze from the papers. “What are you suggesting now?” he asked, although he already knew the answer.
“Give us leave to go. We may not be able to defeat all the Lavans but we can cripple them.”
“That is a very underhanded tactic, Rodrick. It would be a stain in the Argon Kingdom’s military history.”
Rodrick snorted. “We are attacking a native tribe, unprovoked, simply because we want their resources. I think we’re past being a stain in our own history. Just so we’re clear, I wasn’t asking for permission.”
“You may be an Arch Knight but in times of war, you are still obligated to heed my commands. And I command you to stay put and wait for further orders.”
“Arch Knights can defy a commanding officer if they deem the commanding officer to be unfit or inadequate.”
“I have never heard of such a cuse.”
“You wouldn’t. The king and his close confidants made sure of it. We don’t want to undermine a commanding officer’s actual power too much, but it is the truth. You are welcome to report me to the king. His Majesty will tell you the same thing.”
“Damn you… Damn you all.”
“That will be all, General Huxley. I’ll be taking my leave.” Rodrick rose from his seat without any haste and walked out of the tent in a leisurely manner.
After the Arch Knight had left the tent, Huxley wanted to throw a fit. He wanted to smash the desk and toss everything out of his tent. But saner minds prevailed.
“Damn it all…”
Before long, the soldier from before returned to his tent with some parchments and a pigeon.
****
“We got movement from the humans,” said a Lavan soldier who had come knocking on Henry’s room in the wee hours of the morning.
Henry left the room to receive the soldier’s report as his women were inside the room, sound asleep on the bed without any piece of clothing on their bodies. But of course, Kiera was not one of the women on the bed. She was in her own separate room. “They’re attacking?”
The Lavan shook his head. “No, My Lord, but it’s best that you hear the whole report from Advisor Mika.”
Henry wasted no time in getting dressed and headed for the council room immediately. The usual bunch was already there, such as the Priestess and the Grand Marshal. Today, there were others too, the Augrus and the Kivus. The representatives were Lilim and Ruri respectively. The two looked absolutely delighted to be in Henry’s presence but they held themselves back for the sake of professionalism.
No sooner had Henry taken his seat, Mika began his report. “The Arch Knights had detached themselves from the camp and are currently heading towards us.”
“Surely they’re not defecting?” Henry mumbled.
“It isn’t beneath them to easily defect to the winning side,” Lionel chimed in.
“They are not defecting. They left the camp without any hint of discretion. However, they are furtive in their current approach. They must have realised a direct confrontation is a futile attempt. They are aiming for a quick, silent, and deadly approach.”
“They are underestimating us too much,” Lionel grumbled.
“They can’t be bmed. They do not know this side of the forest is also ours since we told them the contrary. They are under the belief that we are blind on this side.”
“They may have been exposed but who would go and confront them?” Iora asked. “They are Arch Knights. They are not just some foot soldiers or simple knights.”
Henry raised his hand.
“You have done enough, Lord Henry,” said Iluna. “Share with us some of the glory.”
“At the expense of colteral?”
“We cannot be reliant on you, Lord Henry. We have already relied on you for a lot of things.”
“I don’t mean any disrespect but the Arch Knights are very formidable. Only your guards are their match, Iluna.”
“You’re forgetting someone here,” said Lionel.
“A commander should not be on the front lines.”
“You think I would lose?”
“It’s not about winning. It’s reducing the damages. They aimed to cripple us. I doubt they would fight fairly.”
“I agree with Lord Henry,” Iora concurred. “Our strength lies in our numbers and our coordination. I’m ashamed to admit that we are not very suited for single combat, not that it would necessarily be a single combat. We can send a small ptoon but that will only increase our colteral.”
“I’ll go.”
Everyone turned to the person who volunteered herself. It was Riva, the Augru who was born amongst the Lavans. Henry had a good impression of her. He had seen her fight and she was someone who survived a confrontation with the Great Ravager.
“Just you?” Henry asked.
“If there are no others, then I will—”
“I will go too.”
The voice came from the entrance of the council room. Everyone darted their gazes towards the doors and they found Kiera standing there, already donned in her battle robes.
