Chapter 611: Chapter 607: Meeting of Minds

Agdistis

Sorry this one was late, everyone. I thought I had set this to publish automatically, but it did not.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and as always, thank you for reading.

The family residences of House Ferrum reminded Jadis of Aelius’ manor in Glanum. There were more attached buildings, and the landscaping of the surrounding garden was different, but the central structure was almost exactly the same in its blueprint. The biggest difference between the two structures was that where Aelius’ home had a beautiful fountain with manicured flora surrounding it inside of the circular courtyard, the Ferrum had a pool of shallow water with a beautiful tile mosaic depicting exotic fish under the surface. It was in the open courtyard where Duilius, the patriarch of House Ferrum, had set up curved tables around the pool for Fortune’s Favored and the Hero’s Party to gather and discuss their plans for war.

“As you can see from the map, we have a natural chokepoint between the southern tip of the Soldus Mountains and the Solivagum Peaks that rise before hitting the coast of the Siren Sea. While nothing necessarily stops the Demons from crossing over the mountains, since they do not have to worry about supply lines, they are still slowed by difficult terrain. In my experience, Demons have minds like water. They seek the path of least resistance to their goals.”

Looking up from the map, General Salvius eyed Alex who watched him with a blank expression.

“Present company excluded,” the old soldier added politely, though the sincerity of his words were questionable. “While we do have fortifications set up in the mountains as well as patrols, the majority of our forces are located in the lowlands, here. By setting our lines thus, we have focused the attention of the invading Demons on our armies rather than allowing them to wander thoughtlessly across the countryside in their search for destruction.”

Jadis paid careful attention to General Salvius, not just because the information he was delivering was important, but because she was trying to get a feel for the man who she and the others would be working with for the next month. Thus far, she could tell that the human man was a serious and diligent soldier who wore his hard-won experience like a badge of honor. However, she could also tell that he was bothered by Alex, though he was trying his best to hide it. Jadis supposed that a hidden aversion was better than open hostility, though she made mental note to keep a cautious watch on the man’s actions, just in case he proved to be less of a proud eagle on the wall like General Voss and more of an ignoble snake in the grass like General Egilhard.

At least Salvius looked different from the hated general Jadis remembered from Weigrun. The older human man had curly hair that had gone almost completely gray except for a few dark strands, and his face was completely cleanshaven. There was a burn scar over his right eye that had removed a bit of his eyebrow, and since the disfigurement looked faded, Jadis guessed that the general had received the wound long ago and had simply never bothered to seek out magic to get it removed. The armor he wore reminded Jadis of Roman soldiers from historical reenactments she had seen online in her old life, except instead of red and bronze colors, the scheme was red and silver with highlights of purple.

“The Demons have been engaging in a war of attrition,” Wilhelm stated calmly a few moments after the general finished speaking. “We’ve seen it across almost every border of the empire. They claim an area, dig in, and then defend that location while simultaneously sending out small raiding parties. Large-scale attacks like the one in Glanum that Lady Jadis intervened in last month are the exception, not the standard.”

“The exceptions being perceived weakness,” Duilius stated from his seat at the head of the main table. “The Demons of this invasion are far more cunning than the last invasion. They only attack in force when they have good chances of overwhelming a specific defense. They are otherwise content to wear down our own defenses with poisons and diseases over time.”

Duilius was an aged Seraphim, likely close in age to Emperor Somerulf, in fact. His hair had gone completely white and was thinning on top, and his gray eyes had the film of decaying sight over them. While he still held himself with regal poise, the man sat at the table rather than stood like most everyone else, and when he walked, it was with the careful slowness of someone with severe arthritis. Earlier in the day, before coming to the Ferrum household, Severina had explained to Jadis that while Duilius had once been considered a powerful warrior who served Valtar’s will, he had grown so old and infirm that he never left his estate anymore.

“Yes, that is my meaning,” Wilhelm nodded his acknowledgement of the old Seraphim’s assessment. “While holding a line has helped focus any Demon raiding parties in one direction, the lack of pressure is only playing into what the Demons in Kastoria want.”

“I understand what you are getting at,” General Salvius interjected before Wilhelm could continue. “And I would say to you that we have tried to push into the demon-controlled lands and those efforts met with disaster. That is why I hesitate at your proposal.”

“What went wrong with the previous attempts to take back Kastoria?”

Jay’s question was a calculated one. She already had a brief overview of the actions taken by Volto and its armies from Severina and Noll, both of whom had information and insights that gave her a strong impression of what had been done right, and where mistakes had been made. More than a recounting of the two previous campaigns, she wanted to know how Salvius would frame the attempts, as his wording and what he revealed would tell her a lot about the man. Especially since he was one of the generals directly involved in the second campaign to take back Kastoria.

“The first campaign was reactionary. Poorly planned and underfunded. Our senators dithered like feckless rabbits, taking far too long to bring in reserve soldiers and supplies that we needed, and General Traius and General Rustius pushed ahead when they should have waited for full reinforcement. Rustius paid for that error in judgement with his life, as did many of our men.”

Salvius’ tone was bitter, but his expression was more weary than angry, and Jadis couldn’t sense any malice in his words. His review of the first attempt was in line with what she understood had happened as well, so it didn’t seem as though the general was hiding anything on that account.

“The second campaign was better planned, more cautious, and we had more time to prepare. And yet, we underestimated the defenses the Demons had put in place. Our advance was slowed by the disruption to the ground, and we did not have enough earth mages to clear the way. The acid sacks that the Demons were able to launch at us drove our land advance back completely while our ships floundered in Kastoria’s bay. In truth, I blame myself for not ordering the withdrawal earlier. The frontal assault was an utter waste of life.”

Pausing for a moment, eyes distant, Salvius’ expression fell. Then, his mouth firmed into a line as his resolve returned.

“Some may label me a coward, but I will not lead my men into a deathtrap a second time. Unless we have a solid plan in place that will counter the long-ranged acid attacks that are being lobbed from behind Kastoria’s walls, then I see no point in further discussion.”

Jadis had no delusions about her capabilities. She wasn’t some kind of military genius; she had only just recently started learning about army movements and supply chains and other such things through Severina’s instruction. She wasn’t going to tell an experienced general what was or wasn’t possible when it came to his own armies. But she was there to tell him what she was capable of, along with what was possible with the help of her companions. And those estimations were high indeed when she calculated the Hero and his party in the numbers.

“We’ll handle the acid launchers,” Jay said, her eyes meeting Wilhelm’s gaze. “We can attack fast, from the sky, and take all of those launchers out before the army ever gets within range.”

“Yes, we can,” the Hero agreed with absolute confidence. “I haven’t seen Kastoria with my own eyes yet, but I know that Jadis has. If she thinks we can do it, I believe her.”

The corner of Jay’s mouth curled up in a smile at Wilhelm’s trust. It was nice having a friend who both trusted her competence, and she could trust in turn. Just the act of his agreement removed any tiny doubts that might have still floated around in the back of her head. They were strong, and they were capable. Together, they would win.

“To be clear, we are not going to blindly rush into another attack,” Aila broke in from where she stood at Jay’s side. “We want to ensure this is a coordinated affair, with as a high a chance for success as possible. Part of that means that we will be performing scouting missions into the Demon-controlled lands so we can get a better idea of what the enemy’s positioning and defenses are like. We’re here to work with you, if you will let us.”

Eyes roving over the group, Salvius took a second to consider before nodding his head.

“Then we should begin by discussing what resources we have available to us.”

As the plans for the preparation and campaign against Kastoria began in earnest, Jadis felt a small tug on the pantleg of one of her selves. Syd looked down to see Amarantha sitting by her feet, one claw caught in the hem of her pants. The small Lares gave her a look and a nod of her head, silently communicating a request to be followed. Excusing herself from the larger gathering, Syd quietly followed the Mystic out of the courtyard and down a nearby hallway.

“Where have you been all day?” Syd asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the meeting. “Jocelyn said you were just dodging out on public appearances.”

“Yes, I was,” Amarantha admitted without shame. “But I was doing so with Maeve, so that turns my truancy into something useful, I think.”

“She was actually helpful,” an unfamiliar woman dressed in a servant’s garb said from within an open doorway. “I can appreciate a lady who knows how to keep her eyes and ears open.”

“I bet you do,” Syd smirked while folding her arms and leaning a shoulder against the doorframe. “So. What did you two learn?”

Jadis doubted that Maeve had too much to tell her. She’d only been gone for half a day, so she didn’t expect the Fetch to have discovered and rooted out an entire network of cultists. But if she had some firm ideas of where to start searching after a quick foray into the city, she would consider that a win.

“There’s a shrine to Samleos hidden in the merchant quarters on the southeastern side of the city,” Maeve answered nonchalantly. “I have the address.”

“Holy shit,” Syd straightened up in surprise. “Are you serious?”

“We just came from the shrine,” Amarantha said before leaping up to sit on Maeve’s shoulders. “I saw the altar and icons myself.”

“Well, fuck. Nice job you two,” Syd let out a small huff of laughter. “Alright then. I guess we can call the war meeting off early and head down there right—”

“No, don’t do that,” Maeve shook her head. “There’s no point in going to the shrine now. No one’s there. It’s just an empty room with a bunch of sick Samleos shit in it. The cultists will have cleared out the moment they found out that Wilhelm was coming. It’s going to be a while longer before I find any of the actual people involved in making that shrine.”

“Ah. That makes sense,” Syd nodded while settling her shoulder against the wall again. “Well, that’s still good work. Both of you. Do you need help with the investigation?”

“Mm, maybe not help, per se,” the Fetch grinned as her eyes flashed an orange color. “But I feel like a little encouragement would do wonders for my motivation.”

“Encouragement?” Syd let a slow grin spread across her face as she looked down at the shapeshifter. “What kind of encouragement?”

“Maybe some of that ‘good girl’ treatment that I keep hearing such wonderful things about from Eir and Alex? I think I’ve been on my very bestest behavior lately.”

Holding back a laugh, Syd reached out with her left hand and ran her fingers through the brown hair of the pretty face Maeve had assumed for the moment. As she slowly cupped the Fetch under her chin, Maeve’s flesh rippled and she retook her ‘true’ appearance of translucent orange.

“You’ve been a very, very good girl,” Syd purred while letting her fingers play across the underside of the Fetch’s chin and the sensitive area where her neck began. “A very good girl.”

Maeve’s black eyes closed in bliss as a shiver ran through her body.

“Ooh, that does feel nice…”

“Hey!” Amarantha exclaimed from her perch on Maeve’s left shoulder. “What about me? Don’t I get a reward for my contributions as well?”

Letting out a small chuckle, Syd used her right hand to brush through the flaming cat’s fiery fur. The texture was strange, not like hair at all, but more like she was dipping her hands into velvet that had just been taken out of a dryer. Using her thumb to run across the top of the feline’s head, Syd let her fingertips play behind Amarantha’s ear, rubbing in a way that she knew her old family cat liked.

“You’ve been a good girl, too,” Syd cooed. “Such a good girl.”

“…okay, this is pretty fantastic,” Amarantha purred.

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