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Fan Li had called herself ‘quite anxious’. Those words reflected her bad habit of seriously understating matters.
“May I ask what is wrong, My Lady?” Aenëe begged as we rushed back at the fastest speed she could fly… which was quite a bit slower than my maximum, even though wasp-winged Aenëe was doing her fastest.
Our after-lunch foray had lasted much longer than I had originally planned, so the sun was already hanging low in the evening sky.
“I have some new information that I must give to Prince Gerald as soon as possible,” I explained.
“New… Did you hear something I didn’t in what the chieftain said?” Her face wrinkled with confusion.
“No, it’s…” I frowned, then understood what was bothering her. If I was in such a hurry, why had I taken such a leisurely time (supposedly) recovering my energy first? It could only mean I learned something during that time, rather than before we arrived.
“You’ve realized I have abilities other than fairy magic by now,” I said. “You already know I’m half vampire.”
She had revealed that knowledge during our first meeting.
“Yes, but… well, I don’t know much about vampire magic.”
I nodded. Very few people do. Elianora once told me that the world-wide vampire population had never risen to even five thousand, at its very highest. It was currently far less.
“I was no longer recovering my energy by the time you were speaking to those dwarves. I was seeking information.”
From her contorted expression, I could see that I had only confused her further, since I had just been sitting there meditating, by all appearances.
“Seeking how?”
“I’m afraid I need to keep that a secret,” I answered with my brow bunching up. It was a crappy answer, but exactly how much would I have to explain to answer her?
“Does this have something to do with that bird phantasm you made?”
She was referring to a spell I released after we emerged from the highway exit. In the daylight, when visible, it takes the form of a crow or some other appropriate bird, depending upon the local species. At night and in caves it would transform into a bat.
“That was a [Blood Tracker] spell. I’m using it to confirm something related to that information.”
I had also used spiritual voice to pass a silent warning about what I had learned to the dwarven chieftain. If she had good sense, she would trust and and act on that information.
Normally, [Blood Tracker] seeks a specific individual’s blood scent. I had used Melione’s, because I had to specify a target in order to perform the magic. I needed someone it wouldn’t find soon, while I steered it remotely, using it like a drone.
Her lips pursed, then she nodded. “Carry me, then.”
She braked to a halt and hovered, waiting for me.
“Huh?” It caught me by surprise. I skidded to a halt, and had to circle back.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
I had thought it would hurt her fairy knight pride. This was completely different than carrying her when she was wounded.
“You can fly a lot faster than me, right? You’re holding back to my top speed for my safety, despite your urgency. Knowing that is more embarrassing than being carried.”
I winced and tried to look apologetic. I had shown this girl how slow and weak she was an awful lot, lately. It wasn’t something I was proud of.
But, she was absolutely right. Those blood bugs could show up again at any moment. I was currently applying [Vampire Cloak] to both of us, but the bugs had demonstrated the ability to penetrate it before. They had successfully continued homing in on Aenëe while she was in my arms. I suspected Trisiagga had planted some kind of bug on her, just like I had. Whatever the reason, I dared not let her get too far away from me.
I nodded, and opened my arms. She grew a sort of mix of a wry smirk and a moue, then rose, turned herself sideways, dismissed her wings, and tipped herself onto her back as she fell gently into my arms.
Fairies are really light, and if we concentrate, we can even use the Wind mana around us to slow our fall. We can pull maneuvers like that with confidence. She literally fell like a feather.
Once she had her arms around my neck, I accelerated at my best rate, reaching five times our previous speed in seconds.
“Wow,” she commented in a low voice. Probably, she hadn’t meant for me to hear it.
As I flew, the silly girl in my arms had started trying to flirt again, but I mostly ignored it. I had realized that I would have to reveal at least something about how I knew my information when I arrived. So I was thinking furiously, trying to decide how much to reveal, all the way up to the moment I landed a few paces in front of his headquarters tent.
I let Aenëe down and let her affect an appropriately imposing stance before I dropped my cloak. Our sudden appearance again jolted the guards, but they had advanced warning this time and simply saluted. I returned the salute like the Orestanian officer I technically was as I strode past them into the tent.
Our arrival caused a stir, but settled down quickly as people returned to business. I noticed a large number of relieved faces, but they were professionals and kept their minds on work.
Colonel Perta, the man who had been with Ged in the battlefield, immediately rose and strode over to meet us.
“Fair Knights, we’ve been worried about you. You’re several hours overdue.”
“We had a brush with the asura,” I answered curtly. “It delayed us somewhat.”
His eyebrow rose, then his eyes settled on Aenëe’s bust and the other eyebrow rose to match. I felt a little astonished at him until I looked over and realized one bra cup of her cuirass was covered in drying blood.
Aenëe grew a wry smirk, then noted, “My partner dealt equal damage to the demon.”
“May I offer you our surgeon’s assistance, My Lady?” he asked, sounding flustered.
“Lady Tiana is a rather gifted healer, it seems,” she answered, giving me a smile.
“Her wound was significant, but I’ve dealt with it, Colonel,” I added, then asked, “Where is His Highness?”
I knew exactly where he was, but I asked for form’s sake.
“He delayed his dinnertime until just a little while ago,” Perta said. “I sent my aide to fetch him…”
“Ti!” Ged called out as he rushed into the tent.
I turned and greeted him with a quick curtsey. “Your Highness.”
He had been running back from the officers’ mess and was breathing hard. He actually had a bit of gravy on the corner of his lip that I had to fight the urge to reach out and wipe.
Probably, my composed reply had reminded him about his princely dignity. He cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses as he returned to an appropriately royal comportment.
“I’ve been concerned about your delay, My Lady,” he stated, as if he had never been in a hurry.
I nodded and spent the next several moments roughly replaying the contents of the conversation I had just had with the colonel. In the process, I managed to secretly signal with an index finger to my own mouth about the stray gravy, which he brushed away while acting as if nothing was happening.
When I finished, I added, “I’m afraid we’ve brought some vital intelligence your people need to hear right away, Your Highness.”
His brow creased, then he nodded. He turned to Perta and directed, “Assemble a senior intelligence briefing, immediately.”
About fifteen minutes later, as the sun vanished below the horizon, we were in a neighboring tent containing a conference table.
Besides Ged, Aenëe and myself, the attendees included three colonels and twice as many majors, and a pair of intelligence officers. To my surprise, they also included Mirna, the battle mage in the hooded cloak from the Demon Patrol at school whom I had spotted on my arrival. Sirs Topas and Gald took the sentry role instead of the usual rank and file soldiers, and Mirna’s partner Gunathir joined them.
Mirna’s presence was explained immediately after the last intelligence officer entered. She stood up and backed away from the table, then held up her crystal orb focus with her slender fingers. Her soft voice chanted in a sibilant language I didn’t recognize, casting a spell which involved a significant quantity of Dark mana. That was a little bit surprising on its own; mortal Dark mages are rare.
The mana poured out of her orb like oil, falling to the tent floor and spreading out, then climbing the walls and roof to close above us. I suspected I was watching the Dark magic version of [Chamber of Secrets].
She sat, then Ged introduced me to the officers who did not know me yet, noting that I was a royal knight serving his father in addition to being a fairy knight. That established my military position for them. Although my exact rank wasn’t clear, they had to at least consider me a fellow senior officer now.
I wasn’t going to tell everyone here that I had eavesdropped on an archdemon, largely because I had a lot of fragmentary knowledge from it as they discussed a plan that they both knew, but they hadn’t covered it from A to Z while I listened. I would relay all the puzzle pieces I had collected to Ged in private later, but I hadn’t put the puzzle together yet.
It wasn’t necessary in order to tell these officers what they needed to know, though. The most urgent matter was something I could tell them I had seen with my magic, because my [Blood Tracker] crow had turned into a bat and flown into the mines to verify it while I waited for the meeting to start.
I gave them an abridged version of what happened during our patrol, describing a quick summary of our fight with Trisiagga and including a quick rundown of our meeting with the dwarves near the Hamagaaran border. After I made sure to shoot down their hopes that I had dealt significant damage to Trisiagga, since I already knew I hadn’t, I moved on.
They needed one other detail first, before I got to the most urgent matter. “We’ve now confirmed that the Hamagaaran army is heavily infiltrated with demons, including most of their mages, and also most of their officer corps. There are still humans among their senior staff, but I estimate at least fifty percent are demons.”
Earlier in the day, I had already given them a preview of that fact, noting how my first overflights had spotted a lot of demons in their midst. But the high percentage that I now confirmed meant they were effectively fighting a demonic force.
I had to put off their questions, though, because I had to move on to the heart of the problem.
“While I was waiting for Lady Aenëe to recover, I used my remote surveillance techniques to collect additional information. In the process, I discovered a large clue about the enemy plans.”
I had everyone’s interest with those words, for good reason. The puzzling behavior of the enemy had been very clearly signaling that they had something up their sleeves, but they had no clue as to what.
“In the Carael hills, near Cara Ita, one can find an ancient complex of mines. It has many entrances, and a vast array of abandoned sections. The size and spread of these are so great that the proceeds from monster subjugations are nearly as profitable as the mines themselves. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that the mines are the very reason the city itself exists. It straddles no trade route, soil is poor and farming is nearly nonexistent in the region.”
I saw many nods. It looked like this wasn’t news to anyone here.
“Aenëe and I flew reconnaissance in that area and saw no significant forces beyond the garrisons for the city and the encampments facing our troops. Your aerial forces have no doubt had the same observation.”
After I paused to see more nods of confirmation, I stated, “Those mines were our blind spot.”
Brows wrinkled and eyes narrowed. I saw some growing concerned as they realized the significance of what I had said earlier, about the size of the mines.
I nodded in return, and explained, “I used special reconnaissance magic to remotely view those tunnels. The demons are using them for a marshaling yard. By my estimate, they have a force of ten thousand demons, including many fiends, imps, liches and skeletal knights. It is not a mixed mortal and demon force like you are facing now. This one is all demons.”
It was time to pause a moment to let that sink in. It was sinking fast. I saw most faces growing pale. Demons of the caliber I mentioned can be the equals of entire units of mortal soldiers.
When I felt I had waited long enough, I added, “Gentlemen, the general in charge of a demonic force of that size would normally be an archfiend.”
