“I understand his logic.”
Jay glared at Aila, a reproachful look on her face.
“I did not say I agree with it,” the redhead amended her statement. “I simply mean that I understand his point. It’s a monstrous stance to take, but I understand.”
Jay put her head back into her hands as she released a long and frustrated sigh. After Prince Hraustrekr had made his position clear, she hadn’t seen any point in lingering. She wasn’t going to be able to change his mind that night. Probably not ever. Hraustrekr was speaking from a viewpoint of complete moral conviction. He wasn’t going to back down just because she told him to; even if she spent hours pointing out how his plan was killing countless innocent people, it wouldn’t make a difference. He already knew that the people of Volto were going to be overrun by Demons. He just didn’t care.
Excusing herself not long after, Jay had returned to her companions and other selves and they had all traveled back to Aelius’ home. Instead of retreating to their room, however, they had gathered in the main dining hall of the manor so that Tegwyn and his team could join them, along with the rest of Fortune’s Favored and their hosts. Thais wasn’t present, nor were Sabina’s family or Violetta or Bridget’s brother, Alban, but Aelius, Tacitus, and Noct were present, as well as Noll.
“Have that many imperial soldiers actually died while defending other nations?” Sorcha wondered out loud while fiddling with an unfinished wand between her hands. “I admit I don’t know my history all that well, we didn’t have history books in my hometown, but those numbers seem bloody ridiculous.”
“His examples are accurate,” Severina said as she paced in front of the recently repaired dining room windows with her hands clasped behind her back. “The Pax Pratuli Massacre is one of the most shameful events in imperial military history, and the failure of General Zenobios is well recorded. I am not familiar with the more obscure battles that he named, but those that I have read of were delivered with accurate numbers.”
Stopping in place, Severina spun around to face the rest of the room, her feathers bristling like an angry eagle.
“But he is purposefully singling out those battles where our casualties were excessive! I can think of just as many, if not more examples where our armies suffered minimal losses, if any! He is presenting the data in the worst possible way!”
“But it is accurate.”
Heads around the room swiveled to stare at Maeve, who had spoken up. Seemingly taken aback by the sudden attention, she frowned while crossing her arms across her chest.
“What? Aila said it first. I understand his logic. And he isn’t lying. The empire has been around for how long? Three thousand years? And in all that time, how many Demon invasions have there been? At least fifteen, maybe more. Every time the bastard Demons show up, no offense Alex, the empire drops whatever it’s doing and throws everything into protecting not just itself, but every other nation on the continent. Sometimes other continents, too.”
“Yes, but that’s the right thing to do,” Villum spoke up from where he sat two seats away from the orange Fetch. “It’s an accord or compact or whatever. All the nations work together to repel the demonic invasion when it happens. If we don’t, we all suffer.”
“The Demon Lord Defense Treaty,” Aelius supplied. “In the common imperial tongue. Almost every nation who has any contact with the empire has signed the joint treaty. No matter what our relations might be with those neighbors between demonic invasions, we come together in crisis to avoid our mutual destruction.”
“Yeah, but that’s kind of my point right there,” Maeve jumped back in. “A lot of those other nations aren’t on friendly terms with the empire. Weren’t we at war with the Rubaline Dominion thirty something years ago?”
“A border dispute, yes,” Severina agreed. “It was resolved relatively quickly.”
“Yeah, but it wasn’t the empire who started that one, was it? The empire isn’t always the aggressor. I’m not a historian and even I can think of lots of times where other countries have attacked the empire for one reason or another.”
As she spoke, Maeve’s body shifted from her custom-created orange visage to a replica of Prince Hraustrekr. Since her clothes stayed the same black and red dress, the shift made for an interesting image.
“Every time we sacrifice the lives of our soldiers to protect foreign lands, we weaken our nation’s ability to defend itself from those same foreigners who are oft times just as great a threat to our safety and sovereignty as the Demons are.”
Rippling like the surface of an oil spill, Maeve transformed back into her orange form. As she did so, Hope let out an excited noise and stretched her tiny arms out, like she wanted to be held by the Fetch. To the shapeshifter’s obvious surprise and minor discomfort, Alex obliged her baby’s demands and used her tentacles to place Hope in Maeve’s arms.
“Uh, yeah,” Maeve continued as she awkwardly held the smiling infant. “Anyway, I can promise you I’ve heard those same sorts of talking points at dozens of different events over the past few decades, spoken by dukes and nobles and generals. It’s not an unpopular opinion.”
“All spoken by those who are entrenched in Prince Hraustrekr’s camp, no doubt,” Severina muttered darkly. “Of course his sycophants would parrot his beliefs.”
“Even if that’s his true reason, I still call manticore shit,” Kerr growled as she leaned back in her seat. “That peau de zob ordered Fortune’s Favored specifically to not attack Kastoria—”
“He revoked the license that allows our mercenary company from entering this area of demonic invasion,” Aila interjected.
“Yeah, that,” Kerr waved an agitated hand. “We aren’t in the imperial army, we’re mercenaries! We don’t even have to go to war if we don’t want to. Ten years from now, if he decides to invade the Verdant Sea or Tiaga or some stupid shit like that, we can just say no. Abyss, we could be hired by the other side! The only reason he has to ban us personally from attacking Kastoria is because he’s a petty fuck and he can’t stand the idea of Jadis having a bigger cock than him. Figuratively or otherwise.”
“Or he knows how much damage we would do to the Demons holding Kastoria. If we weaken them significantly, perhaps even kill off any remaining matriarchs, then the demonic invasion in Volto would be effectively ended. If he wants Volto to be destroyed so that the empire can pick up the pieces afterwards, he wouldn’t want the Demons defeated too early.”
As Aila’s statement settled over the gathering, Terrance leaned back in his chair, making the wood creak.
“This is all going over my head,” he said with a heavy sigh as he rubbed his bald scalp. “I just wanted to do my part to help defeat the invasion. Politics between princes and nations is beyond my knowledge.”
“If what you’re saying is true about Prince Hraustrekr,” Cora stated with a troubled expression. “Then I cannot imagine the All Father would approve of his actions. Have no Seraphim spoken out against him? Even in warning?”
Both Aelius and Tacitus shook their heads firmly, while Noct merely gave a silent shrug. When eyes turned to Severina, her shoulders almost imperceptibly sagged.
“I have received no such warnings,” Sev admitted. “Nor have I heard of any Seraphim who have. I also have not been given any sign from Valtar that I should dismiss my concerns regarding Prince Hraustrekr’s plans. I believe the All Father is maintaining neutrality in this matter.”
“Well, that’s bloody convenient, isn’t it,” Bridget muttered.
“The gods leave their children to make their own choices,” Aelius advised. “To do otherwise would break the Covenant.”
“What if the prince ordered Fortune’s Favored to stay out of Kastoria because he simply does not want to risk Jadis’ life on a dangerous mission where no reinforcements will be available?” Cora asked. “She is, at this time, the only Nephilim left in the world. She hasn’t fulfilled the promise she made to the temples yet, either, so Prince Hraustrekr may be trying to avoid conflict with the High Temples that could damage the support they give him.”
“What promise?” Meli frowned in confusion. “Why would Prince Hraustrekr’s permission matter if there was an oath between the temples and Jadis?”
“I’ll tell you about it later,” Bridget whispered to the Dryad.
“I don’t think Hraustrekr cares overmuch about the temples,” Sabina said as she absently spun a small eleria gemstone on the table in front of her. “If he did, he wouldn’t have been so heavy handed with Jadis when he sent Runar to get her in Weigrun. I mean, he’s supposed to have a bad temper and maybe he was just overreacting and did something he wouldn’t normally have done since I don’t think I know of any other situations where he dragged important people away from what they were doing in situations like that, but then again I don’t really pay much attention to what nobles do outside of taxes and stuff like that, but then again again, I feel like if he was that bad of a leader then there wouldn’t be so many people who support him. Or at least, if he was so terrible all the time, then the temples would have already made objections or maybe more nobles would support Prince Kestil, or the emperor would have done something himself, but I don’t know. It’s all so complicated in bad ways, nothing like enchantment runes…”
“Maybe we c—can go to Emperor Somerulf directly?” Thea quietly suggested. “Explain our p—position? He might overrule, ah, Prince Hraustrekr if we do.”
“That is possible,” Aila agreed. “If we can manage to arrange a direct meeting.”
“We would have to submit a formal petition,” Eir said, her hands folded in her lap. “I can speak to Vraekae about it when we return to Eldingholt. She may know of a way to expedite the process as well.”
“Will we have to return right away?” Orla asked, her fingers laced with Nevan’s. “To the capital? Are we not allowed to fight even the Demons around the city walls?”
“We’ve been effectively ejected from this whole front,” Aila answered the question. “We could stay, but unless the Demons come across the Haliax, we won’t be able to fight them.”
“We could go elsewhere,” Tegwyn posed. When others looked at him, he shrugged his broad shoulders while motioning in the direction of the windows. “We do not need to involve ourselves in this business. I understand the drive to seek revenge against the Playwright, but considering his past actions, he may not be in Kastoria at this point. He could have very well fled elsewhere by now. My friends, there are other ways to help in this struggle. There are other battles to be fought. We do not need to be the ones to take action against every wrong. Perhaps what we should do is plant a seed in the Hero’s meadow and let him know of what needs to be done in these lands. We can rely upon Wilhelm while we attend to other matters elsewhere.”
“I trust Wilhelm, but I do not believe he would go against Prince Hraustrekr’s will,” Aila said. Turning in her seat to face Tegwyn, she addressed the Dryad directly. “He is a man of honor, but his loyalty is to the empire. He would not be easily convinced to go against direct orders.”
“Honestly, I think the Hero has some hero worship going on with the prince. He gets that certain look in his eyes, like he’d be willing to suck Hraustrekr’s balls clean if he asked, you know? If I couldn’t tell he was so hopelessly in love with that pretty oracle with him, I’d swear he was trying to become a royal home wrecker.”
“Kerr’s assessment is a crude exaggeration, but I agree on the principle,” Severina added. “Wilhelm does not see Prince Hraustrekr’s flaws.”
“We could… Ignore the Prince… And attack Kastoria… Without permission…”
“We would be risking our homes and livelihoods if we did that, my dear Alex,” Nevan responded to Alex’s proposition. “Fines, forfeitures, and more would be waiting for us when we returned. That lovely compound in Eldingholt that we have all put great effort into building could be confiscated. Perhaps worse.”
“What a mess…” Bridget slumped in her seat. “I don’t know what we should do.”
“I do.”
All eyes in the room turned to Jay, who had in just that moment sat upright. Her other selves were settled calmly in her seats, staring ahead with firm resolve as her Jay self took center point. She had been listening to everyone’s ideas and suggestions, saying nothing but absorbing everything. While many of the points made had caught her interest, the one phrase that had stuck out the most came from Kerr. It was her mercenary lover’s offhand remark that had sparked a plan of action in Jadis’ mind, one that she knew was the right path to take.
“We offer our services to Volto.”
“What do you mean?” Bridget’s brows furrowed as she tilted her head to one side. “Hraustrekr already banned us from going to Kastoria. We can’t go there.”
“He revoked our license for this warfront,” Jay responded, one corner of her mouth twitching upwards. “But Kastoria isn’t imperial land. Not yet, anyway. That’s a foreign nation, as the first prince pointed out himself. We’re mercenaries, Bridget. If the empire doesn’t want our help, we can just work for Volto instead.”
As faces around the table lit up in comprehension, Noll bared his fangs in a vicious grin.
“Now that sounds like a plan.”
“Can we do that?” Sorcha asked. “I mean, without getting in the same trouble we’d get in if we just went anyway like Alex suggested. Wouldn’t the empire just bring the hammer down on us as soon as we returned since we’d be violating their orders?”
“Not if we have the right license,” Kerr grinned. “Lots of mercenaries work for multiple nations. You just have to have your letters and numbers all in order.”
“That’s true,” Bridget nodded. “I didn’t think about it before, but my Grand Da had that kind of mercenary badge. Lots of the companies my family has worked for have. Not all, but a bunch of them.”
“The empire can’t take punitive action against Fortune’s Favored for upholding a legally binding contract to serve another nation, especially not a nation who is part of the Demon Lord Defense Treaty like Volto,” Eir smiled brightly as she looked to Jay. “I do not know much about mercenary regulations, but I do know that many nobles across the empire hire mercenary companies from other nations without issue. The reverse is certainly true as well.”
“And we happen to have an in with a man who can expedite any kind of paperwork we might need to make this all legal and above the board,” Jay grinned at Severina.
“Yes, you do,” the Seraphim smiled back.
Jay stood as she spoke her next words.
“I don’t know if the Playwright is still in Kastoria or not, but it’s the last place I know we can track him to. I want to find him, I want to kill him, and I don’t want anyone else to suffer because of his insanity anymore. The same goes for the demonic invasion. I won’t stand by letting innocent people die because of petty politics and princely schemes. I have the power to make a difference, and I’m going to use it. I hope you are all willing to help me save some lives and get a little revenge along the way.”
As grinning faces and words of agreement echoed around the room, Jadis’ eyes were drawn to Noll, who pushed away from the table and stood up from his seat.
“Where are you going?” Dys asked with a frown.
Had the old wolf decided he didn’t want to be a part of her plans? She couldn’t blame him, when she thought about it. He had his own duty to the emperor to fulfill. He had no obligation to go along with what she was proposing.
“I’m going with you,” Noll said as he walked over to Aila. Pulling the silver badge from his belt, he placed the item down in front of the redhead. “So, we’re going to do this right. Sign me up proper, pup. I expect to get a senior member’s pay.”
“Of course,” Aila answered somewhat numbly, the surprise showing through her cool façade. “As is only appropriate.”
As others stared, at a loss for words to witness Noll the Savage signing up as an official member of their mercenary company, Villum jumped to his feet with a wide grin on his youthful face. Raising one fist over his head, he let out a loud and joyful cheer.
“Fortune Favors the Bold!”
“Fortune Favors the Bold!” the rest of Tegwyn’s team cheered in response, their voices bright with laughter.
When Tegwyn stood and joined Villum in his ridiculous pose, others around the room did so as well. Soon, Jadis’ lovers were doing the same, with varying degrees of humor and embarrassment in their eyes. Laughing along with the rest of the room, even Aelius stood with his wings spread, joined a moment later by his two children.
Already standing, Jay raised her fist to the ceiling before joining together in a shout of defiance.
“Fortune Favors the Bold!”
Noll stood among the room of fools and shook his head in mild disgust.
“I’m too old for this shit…”
While no one else understood why, her mentor’s words only made Jadis laugh harder.
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