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The moment he heard the news, Ged’s eyes told me he was not expecting any aircraft arrivals.
Turning the direction that the soldier had pointed, I pushed my fairy sense through the city wall and into the open field beyond. I recognized the aircraft immediately.
I reported, “It’s Miröen Fairling’s launch, Your Highness.”
For a little over a week, Miröen’s disciple Pasrue had been using it to shuttle in supplies and troops from Atianus to support the operation to secure the section of Ilim Below below the Tabad where we had rescued Amelia. She had made a couple dozen round trips at this point. But she had made one trip up to Thuriben prior to that, bringing Serera and several Reladorian mages to help Ged’s army, as part of Oberon’s plan to begin quietly aiding Uncle Owen. The mages had included Miröen and Talene, although they had apparently returned to Tëan Tír before I arrived in Thuriben, after they completed their task of upgrading Ged’s magic resources.
So Ged had seen the aircraft in question before. But since it had previously visited Thuriben rather than Hamagaar, it was an alarming unknown factor to the soldiers outside the walls. By the time we arrived where it had landed beside the road, several squads had already formed a defensive line between the craft and the city.
It had some sort of Darkness-based stealth screen high-level enough to prevent me from probing into the boat at my normal strength, but I recognized Pasrue on the quarterdeck, commanding. I could surely penetrate the stealth if I wanted to crank up the power, but as long as Miröen’s apprentice appeared to be in command, I wasn’t concerned.
“Why did they come directly here?” Ged puzzled as we walked. “They had no way of knowing we had already taken the city.”
I didn’t see any point in debating it. We could ask them in a few minutes. Instead, I asked, “Your Highness, shall I go forward and meet them for you? Before one of our archers accidentally looses an arrow?”
He nodded, and I leapt into the air, flying a short hop over the soldiers and pausing a few paces away from the ship.
“Ahoy, the boat!” I called out, realizing that I had no name for the craft. It was just ‘Prince Manlon’s Launch’ or ‘Miröen Fairling’s Launch’, depending on who I was speaking to.
Pasrue looked over at me, smiled and waved. She called back, “Those soldiers are spooking the crew, My Lady. Can you have them stand down so my men can lower the gangway?”
I inclined my head and noted, “They just finished fighting a battle here. Please forgive them for being skittish. Your appearance here felt somewhat threatening to those who don’t recognize you.”
She nodded her gracious forgiveness. I turned and raised my voice to order, “At ease, troops! These are allies of our king!”
Being ordered by a fairy knight has a dramatic effect. I received instant obedience from them.
Soon the gangway materialized and a woman I never expected to see emerged from below deck behind Pasrue. Not that I had expected to see Pasrue up until a few minutes ago.
As Allia Destia descended down the gangway with Pasrue following her, I returned and landed near Ged, who was wearing a deep scowl. He didn’t say a word, so I know he was upset.
We waited for the pair to finish descending and approach us. Allia took the point position, dropped into a noblewoman’s curtsey– the somewhat less taxing version of the deep curtsey, which older aristocratic women get away with on ostensible account of their knees– and declared, “Allia Baroness Destia greets His Highness the First Prince.”
Baroness? She had inherited her father’s position? That tidbit of news caught me by surprise, but Ged simply nodded gravely, and answered, “Please rise, Lady Destia.”
Once she did so, he adjusted his glasses and asked, “Why are you here, My Lady? You’re supposed to be guarding my sister.”
“She’s on board, Your Highness,” she stated succinctly.
“What?” Ged and I asked in unison, but Allia held her hands up in a cautioning gesture.
While I amped up the spiritual strength so I could probe through the boat’s screen, finding Amelia seated in a large compartment below deck with Arken, Graham, Ceria, Bruna and Brigitte, Allia explained the situation.
“We’re here on the Second Prince’s orders, Your Highness. Her Wisdom is keeping your sister on board with my people so the craft can immediately escape with them if anything happens. I assume the situation here is not yet fully secure.”
‘Her Wisdom’ meant Pasrue, who added, “I’ll let them debark once I feel confident of their safety.”
“On my brother’s orders…” he echoed, turning narrowed eyes back to Allia. “I assume he sent some explanation with you?”
“He did, and he has also fully communicated it to your people,” she answered.
“I beg your pardon?” Ged asked, his voice turning frosty.
Yeah, that was information he should have already been privy to. I was shocked also.
Colonel Tieg replied from behind us, “I will accept your disciplinary measures without complaint, Your Highness. We’ve been in communication with the craft all morning. At the Second Prince’s recommendation, I witheld the news from you until they arrived. I cooperated because I agree with him.”
While looking over his shoulder at the colonel, Ged looked like he seriously wanted to deal out some disciplinary measures on the spot. Instead, he simply said, in a quiet voice, “Explain.”
The grizzled officer hesitated, then answered, “We’ve set up a temporary command post just inside the city gates, Your Highness. May I suggest we move there, for a less open location to hold this discussion?”
About ten minutes later, we were all seated in a run-down barracks building, around what was surely the dining table for the gatehouse guard detail. It was a very temporary command post; they weren’t trying to hide its real function at all. I’m sure they would move their headquarters to a cleaner location once they secured one.
Colonel Perta had joined us by this time, probably to show support for his senior, Tieg. After Mirna finished setting up the [Chamber of Secrets], Ged looked around the group, from the colonels to the newcomer trio to Mirna, Aenëe and me, then nodded to Allia.
“I’ll have my discussion with the colonels after,” he stated. “Go ahead and tell me your orders from Prince Roderick.”
Allia wore a wry smile in response to the prince’s sour frown. She pulled a magic tool from her satchel that I recognized immediately as a standard-issue Royal Knight’s record stone.
She activated it, and Rod’s voice began speaking.
“Greetings, Brother. It’s Rod. I’ll start by telling you what I expect to be the current situation there. You are either inside Cara Ita or preparing to enter it. You are only still there because either Ti or Lord Perta managed to convince you not to charge straight to Atianus to rescue Father. And you are planning to do so anyway, once Cara Ita is secure.”
Rod’s voice paused for a bit, giving me time to reflect that I was pretty sure Rod does not have clairvoyant powers, so this was better predictive reasoning than I usually expect of him. Although, he used to beat Tiana at chess, so perhaps I haven’t been giving him enough credit.
“I ask you to forgive the good colonels for their silence about Lady Destia coming there with Amelia. They did so on my orders. You can fuss all you want at me later, but I didn’t want you pulling rank and stopping them.”
Ged’s mouth twisted, but he didn’t retort. He wasn’t the type to retort to a recorded voice, anyway. Allia’s face also soured slightly, which I guessed was due to Rod using the proper form for her, referring to a governing baroness by the name of the territory she governs. She probably wasn’t yet used to hearing it.
“First, I will state my reason. In case Ti or Lord Perta or our certain friend haven’t said it to you yet, I will say it. You are very possibly now the king, and that means you are Cullen’s number one target. You absolutely cannot go to Atius, where he has already demonstrated he can easily reach.”
He paused again, and I finally realized during that space that ‘our certain friend’ was probably Mirna. If she’d been at the side of kings for the last one and a half millennia, she probably did have good advice for them.
“I’ve arrived at my decision after consultation with Matthias. He agrees with my conclusions, and my plan. I’ve sent Destia to escort you away from the front line so you can lead the kingdom from a secure capital until either Atius is secure or Father turns up safe. Considering the situation in Cara Ita, I think Thuriben may now be too close to the front, but Bray is probably too far, so I am going to suggest Dava. But that’s up to you. Lady Pasrue has agreed to ferry key government figures and royal knights up from Atius to wherever you choose for your capital, so they can help you set up your government there.”
Pasrue nodded her confirmation concerning her role.
“Do not delay in declaring your government, Ged. The situation is too critical to let uncertainty rule even for a day. Once Destia has you to your destination, put out the announcement.”
Ged’s jaw was firmly set, which meant he was thinking hard. He was very unhappy, but he didn’t look like he was rejecting Rod’s words.
“Destia then escorts Amelia onward to Bray. She and her crew will keep Amelia secure there, so that she is safe in a separate location from you and I. Destia can explain why we decided that Dausindiu was no longer a good place for her. Meanwhile, our fairy friends are going to ferry Matthias and I to Atianus, together with a few strong helpers. I will do what can be done for Father. You must leave it to me, because you absolutely must not go south! Please agree to this, Brother. You are carrying the Kingdom on your shoulders right now.”
He glanced at me, who had told him the same thing the previous evening. I nodded my emphatic agreement.
But Rod’s next words surprised me. “Please send Ti to Atius to help me. I need her help. I can’t stand against fairies and demons on my own.”
It was quite a change from the guy who objected to me going to Cara Ita to rescue Ryuu and his party. Perhaps my activities in the Tabad had changed his view of me?
“This is a short-duration stone, and they’re signalling that the recording time is almost up. Ged, agree to this. I’m requesting both as your brother and as second prince of Orestania.”
The record stone stopped playing. Allia looked from it up to Ged, and stated, “There you have it, Your Highness. May I answer any questions you might have?”
Ged adjusted his glasses, then laid his hands on the table in front of him and thought a while. We all waited for him without speaking.
“Please explain why Amelia couldn’t stay in Dausindiu,” he directed after a time.
Allia nodded, in a manner a bit like a teacher saying Well done. “Certainly, Your Highness. We had a stroke of good fortune, which was that Queen Gloriana of Arelia was not the ally of her brother Cullen that she had let him believe. His people were pressuring her to reveal Amelia’s location, so she warned us that she suspected they intended to kill her. Matthias used illusion magic to disguise me as Amelia, and left me with her royal knight guards protecting me while my people hid the princess. We lost two royal knights, but we managed to kill all the demons that attacked us.”
I didn’t mention that they were probably trying to kidnap her rather than kill her. The fewer people that knew that she could be used as leverage over Ryuu, the better.
After pursing his lips in thought, Ged noted, “But if Aunt Gloriana is our ally…”
“She and her husband King Adair did not feel they could guarantee Amelia’s security anymore. They were badly shaken when the attack on Amelia involved demons rather than Cullen’s operatives. After a large demonic attack right there in the king’s palace, the entire capital is in a state of emergency now. They insisted we should secure her in a different location.”
Ged let out a long, contemplative sigh, then nodded. Adjusting his glasses again, he mused, “The one good bit of news in all this is that we have clarified whose side Aunt Gloriana is on. But I understand Rod’s reasons now.”
I finally decided to speak. “And that means you are going to follow his recommendation. Right, Your Highness?”
His lip curled as he looked over at me. “I shall, but I shall also return that question to you, Ti.”
I had to think for a moment, before remembering Rod’s request to send me to his aid. I had to think further, as I found myself confronting yet another delay in my original plan to go bring others, and especially Melione, to my mountain for training and protection.
When he saw me hesitating, his brow furrowed. “Tiana, Rod needs you. He’s a brave and good man, but he does not have your strength.”
