As If It Were Yesterday
“What’s going on? It feels like we’ve been waiting here forever.” *
“Patience, Osborn,” Tolly said. “The diplomats will announce their decisions soon. It has only been seven hours.”
“Feels like seven months,” Osborn muttered.
The seven members of the Legacy sat together in a small room high up in one of the towers of Castle Coviere in Merlion, where the international conference to address the oncoming menace from the Tauric Empire had been convened. It had been several hours since the diplomats from all over Affon had ended their meeting and withdrawn to their chambers to mull over the information and consult with their colleagues in their home nations. The members of the party had done their best to make the ambassadors understand the threat posed by the Taurics in the control of psions, meeting with representatives from five of Affon’s seven sovereign nations (the remnants of the Red Archipelago were being represented by the Tlaxan ambassador, and although Sargia had sent a representative, the party did not speak with her, as they’d never been to that nation and thus had no special connection they could exploit). They also spoke with representatives from the orc and hin clans, trying to impress upon them the importance of unifying and working with the other races. It remained to be seen how persuasive they had been. Lanara had worked the hardest of them all, often sitting in on the most important discussions and trying to bend the stubborn diplomats to see the truth of the matter. She had only returned to the group’s room a few minutes ago.
Autumn looked down from the window at the courtyard below, and the grounds spreading out beyond that. She’d only been to Castle Coviere a handful of times as a young girl – her adopted parents, Zanich and Auror, hadn’t wanted to risk exposing the young aasimar to potential scandal if information about her parentage were ever revealed. Now, as an adult, the same fears kept her bound to the modest rooms that had been given to the party. She was the spitting image of the former queen, and if she were seen in public her relationship to Damen and Corissane, the current rulers of the small kingdom, would be difficult to dispute. Autumn had enough trouble with her own duchy; she did not relish the idea of getting into a tumult over the succession in Merlion.
“Has anyone heard from Aran?” she asked, to no one in particular.
“Not a word,” replied her sister Arrie. “Not since his private conversation with the Targethi ambassador.”
The biggest stir in the entire conference had come when Aran had presented himself and explained exactly who he was, and what he knew of the imminent invasion. To their credit, the diplomats in attendance took the news that there were practitioners of powers forbidden since the Cataclysm alive and well in the depths of Aelfenn rather well. Aran made a more personal impression on the ambassador from Targeth, when in an effort to demonstrate how that nation’s magical barrier would not be a deterrent to a psionic being, teleported himself and the ambassador to the top of The Tower in Trageon. It was hoped among the party that Targeth, contrary to popular wisdom when the conference began, would now take an active role in the defense of the continent.
“He may not even be here any more,” Kyle commented. “I hardly think he’d feel comfortable hanging out with surface people, and there’s much he can do back with his people to find out what Kristyan and his people are doing now.”
“Well, I’m feeling all kinds of useless right now,” Arrie complained. “Isn’t there something we could be doing?”
“Patience, Ariadne,” said Xu Dhii Ngao, mirroring Tolly’s earlier admonition to Osborn. “We must not waste our efforts on fruitless activity. The wind howls, and leaves scatter, but a single drop of water splits the stone.”
“You’ve been saying weird stuff like that a lot, Xu,” Osborn said, looking up from the game of chess he was playing with Tolly, “what’s that about?”
“Our recent experiences have led me to the brink of a deeper understanding of some of the mysteries of my order,” Xu explained. “I have recently been contemplating the holy texts. I feel I am on the verge of a momentous shift in my very being.”
“Well, if these people don’t decide to band together,” Arrie complained, “then we all might be experiencing a momentous shift soon – right off this continent at the ends of Tauric polearms.”
There was a long silence as each of them contemplated that fate befalling the people they cared about. Tolly and Autumn each spoke a quiet prayer to their respective deities.
“I think we need some music, Lanara,” Kyle said. The bard, who’d been uncharacteristically quiet in the last hour, nodded and unslung her harp. Soon the soft tones of Lanara’s voice filled the emptiness, and their spirits lifted a little.
Just as the last notes faded, there was a knock on the door. A page’s voice announced, “All dignitaries are asked to attend the main audience chamber at four bells.”
“About damn time,” Lanara said, putting away her harp.
“You’re one to talk,” Osborn said, “you’ve only been here fifteen minutes.”
“Fifteen minutes of waiting is an eternity to a cansin,” Lanara said. “Let’s just hope it’s good news.”
* * *
It was, more or less.
There was general agreement among the assembled body that the Tauric invasion did represent a clear threat to all of them. Tlaxan, the Dwarven Confederates, the Peca Provinces, and Medos announced an alliance for their common defense. The hin clans of the Khag Steppes also agreed to fight, though they insisted on their own autonomy. The orcs of the Haran Desert and Sargia maintained that the threat was still too remote for them to mobilize, though the orcs did agree to curtail their raids into Sargia and the Steppes to free up troops from those nations, and Sargia agreed to remain in contact with the alliance.
Targeth, sadly, did not rise above the expectation. There was a lot of talk of ‘moral support’ and of ‘monitoring the situation’, but when the ambassador demurred on questions of troop levels or tactical support, everyone knew that despite their warnings, the archmages of Targeth had decided to sit behind their barrier and wait it out.
Prince Herion, who had been appointed to lead the conference, went over several items crucial to the new alliance; command responsibilities, resources, and the signing of documents allowing foreign troops to cross national borders.
“Finally,” said Herion, “we have agreed to send an envoy to the Eternal Empire of Xhintai, to request the assistance of the Emperor in our current conflict. We are hoping that their government will recognize the fact that if the Taurics are successful in their conquest of Aelfenn, that our lands will not long sustain their population, and they might very well set their sights eastward across the sea.”
The party nodded with approval. Approaching Xhintai had been one of their ideas.
“Who will be a part of this delegation?” asked the Medosi ambassador.
“Overgovernor Garlen of the Peca Provinces has offered to send his own advisor, Pench,” Herion replied. “He is both a skilled negotiator and a capable navigator, which will be of great use on the voyage. From the orcish Warchief Keth, we have been offered the services of Gell, a priestess of Grabâkh.”
There was a slight muttering in the crowd. “The gnomes and the orcs have no great fondness for each other,” someone was heard to comment.
“This is known,” Herion said, “but I have assurances from both Garlen and Keth that their people are more than capable of putting aside their differences for a greater need. It is hoped that the presence of two beings of such contrary natures working together will impress upon the Xhintai Emperor the gravity of our situation.”
“Who else will go?” asked the Medosi ambassador.
“We are hoping to keep the envoy small, so as to speed negotiations,” Herion said. “And because, quite honestly, we have more need of able-bodied men and women here. But there is one who I hope to persuade to join the delegation – the monk Xu Dhii Ngao, of the adventuring group The Legacy, to act as a cultural advisor and liaison.”
There was a general outcry of approval, from everywhere except from the party. Arrie activated her ring that allowed her to deliver
sendings to Herion, and fired off a quick message.
What the…? Were you planning on telling us?
Hasn’t been time, came the reply.
Eleventh hour decision. Sorry, but it was either her or Hungai.
Arrie opened her mouth, then shut it, scowling. Her response would have to wait.
Meanwhile, Tolly had turned to Xu. “Did you know about this?”
“A little,” the monk admitted. “I was approached several times by various diplomats, seeking my input on how best to approach the Eternal Emperor. I finally suggested they should find a Xhintai native to accompany them.” Xu sighed. “I had thought they would approach Togusa.”
There were other plans announced, and promises of details to be worked out, although by this time the party scarcely heard them. Then the meeting ended, and people began to wander about. Herion walked over and spoke with Xu quietly, and then led her off into another room along with Overgovernor Garlen and Warchief Keth and a few other officials. Lanara was asked to join another group of diplomats, who were going to be discussing the finer points of the alliance; it was hoped her talents might keep the meeting from ending with weapons drawn.
“Now what?” Arrie asked.
“Now, we wait. Again.” Kyle replied.
It was only three more hours before Xu emerged from the meeting room. The rest of the party had gone about their business, and were just finishing up supper when the monk returned.
She did not delay in giving them the news. “I am going.”
Several people began to speak at once, gesturing and getting out of their seats. Xu held up her hands to silence them.
“Believe me, I would not choose to leave you all like this. But I believe it is for a greater purpose. Togusa’s past would make him a poor choice as an envoy, as he would feel honor-bound to repay his blood debt to his former master. The only other likely candidate to approach would be Lord Hungai, and it is felt that he would attempt to work the situation to his advantage. I have Affon’s interests at heart, and will guide the efforts of the diplomats to that end. Overgovernor Garlen informs me that soon his ships will be patrolling the waters, and will prevent all foreign ships from leaving Aelfenn. Thus even if Hungai learns I have returned to Xhintai, he will not be allowed to pursue me.” Xu gave each of them a warm smile. “And, in addition, I have been meditating on this decision, and I believe that fortune is guiding me to this path. I have mentioned that I feel as though a transformation is upon me, and I think that the gods have given me this opportunity to return to my birth-land and return to my monastery, where I may pursue enlightenment. I cannot deny Fate.”
There was a long silence. Then Autumn spoke. “Do we at least get to throw you a goodbye party?”
Xu’s smile widened. “I would enjoy that very much.”
* * *
The Tauric Empire landed on the same day that Xu boarded her ship. Within two weeks, they had conquered most of northern Tlaxan. The Grand Duchy of Mypos and the Kingdom of Erumian were completely overrun, leaving the elven empire with only one major seaport in Praxos. The smoke from untold numbers of enemy campfires stung the eyes of the people who had run to Noxolt for sanctuary.
The navy of the Peca Provinces had set sail en masse on the day after the conference, heading north. Since then, no one had heard word from a single ship. Whether the navy had been destroyed utterly, or had encountered some other problem in the midst of the ocean, no one knew. Even divinations proved unreliable on the matter, as they were being blocked.
In another two weeks, the Taurics might have overrun Tlaxan completely, and begun assaulting the passes into the Confederates, except for two fortuitous events. First, the armies of the Dwarven Confederates had finally made their way to the front lines, supported by Medosi troops and clerics. The dwarves halted the headlong advance of the Taurics, and forced them to dig in; they were still gaining ground on Affon, but the progress was now measured in feet rather than miles.
The second, and entirely unexpected event that helped forestall the grim advance of the Taurics was the arrival of a fleet of Targeth’s airships, which helped break up several major engagements with a battery of arcane firepower.
Still, the Taurics kept coming. Wave upon wave of humanoid slaves were thrown into battle, some only to provide cover for the lycanthropic shock troops that comprised the army’s elite fighting force. The Tauric Empire was also not lax in their study of arcane magic, and though only clerics of the One and Four were found among their forces (Taurics believing that the Many are too weak to deserve worship), they were clearly superior in the use of nature magic. And, of course, there were the psions, lurking in the shadows of the battlefield, whose powers could not be countered at all.
The departure of Xu’s ship was the last time the members of the Legacy were all together for many weeks. Each went their separate ways to do what they could. Tolly and his apprentice Crystal returned to M’dos, and came back leading a phalanx of Ardaran troops. He also took Iria and her tutor, the maenad Elianora Lonja, out of Autumn’s manor house in Vargas and moved them to the townhouse in Miracle. Though Elianora was understandably discomfited at the idea of living in a city that existed purely by divine will, she agreed that it was probably the safest place in Affon currently. Tolly also made arrangements for others to stay in the townhouse’s many rooms; he knew that before long the city would be filled with those escaping the war, and by blending Iria and Elianora in among the ‘refugees’, no one would question their presence in the Legacy’s home.
Autumn returned to Vargex, whose northern border was now a war zone, to coordinate the defense of her duchy and deal with the swarms of displaced people. Kyle and Arrie went with her, though both departed about three weeks into the war, as Autumn had things well in hand at the front. Arrie was also at the front lines, though further east, having been sent with the legions stationed in Noxolt with Herion’s blessing and a promise that she would “leave some of the enemy for the other soldiers to kill”. Kyle, conversely, traveled from place to place along the entire war zone, having assigned himself to the task for which he was most eminently qualified; psion-hunter.
Lanara put her skills to good use in counterintelligence operations, spying on the enemy and falsifying orders to disrupt their battle plans. She also lent a hand rallying the weary troops, encouraging them to keep fighting. Though her work took place well behind the front lines (on both sides), her contributions were no less valuable, and hundreds of lives were spared when planned Tauric assaults were called off at the last minute due to ‘urgent new orders’ sending their forces off into the wilderness, or when the alliance forces received useful information about the Tauric battle plans.
But Osborn was perhaps the busiest of them all – not only did he lead several bands of hin warriors on missions against the Taurics, but he also continued to coordinate the underground information and supply chains through the various thieves’ guilds of Affon. It wasn’t long before many alliance soldiers had heard tales of the ‘Shadow General’, though few knew the General was a hin, and fewer still knew his name. But the troops who received desperately needed supplies that their own quartermasters had been unable to procure gave no thought to the race of their benefactor, and the towns whose people had been saved by the timely arrival of hin outriders and warslingers did not disparage the Shadow General’s anonymity.
* * *
The Targethi airship floated silently overhead, watching the battle unfold. The ship was a small, unarmed scouting sloop, not one of the massive sky galleons, and so the ship was only observing, not participating. The captain of the ship walked over to the railing, where a wizard was looking down, scanning the battle.
“I don’t know how you expect to find who you’re looking for down there,” she said to him. “It’s pure chaos.”
The wizard smiled. “Chaos? Well, he won’t put up with that for long.”
A moment later, there was a sudden noise from the battle, a single word audible even from this height over the din of steel clashing and the screams of the dying. Though the utterance could not be made out, its effects were obvious, as a large swath of the battlefield suddenly cleared as soldiers fell. Standing in the midst of the new clearing was a armored figure, who towered head and shoulders over everyone else.
“There he is.” The wizard turned to the captain. “Thanks for your assistance, Captain. I’ll be fine from here.” With that, he vanished.
The captain, who was used to wizards, turned and shouted orders to her crew. Within moments, the sloop was coming about and rising above the cloud layer.
Tolly scanned the area, gauging when the next wave of enemies would reach him. He smiled grimly; the enemy was obviously weakening, and he felt that his men would be victorious at this battle, but it came after a string of defeats and withdrawals that made their triumph almost hollow. The Taurics would withdraw today, but they would come back tomorrow.
Tolly felt a presence behind him suddenly, and whirled, bringing his maul around in a wide circle. Drops of lycanthropic blood sprayed out in an arc from the silvery head of his weapon, spattering on the robes of the figure standing about twelve feet away. The rush of air from the maul’s passage ruffled the man’s hair.
“Hello, Tolly,” Kyle said.
“Hello yourself,” he replied, bringing his weapon around and scanning the area. The enemy troops had halted their advance with the arrival of this new person. “You might have warned me before you showed up.”
“Why do you think I’m standing this far back?” he replied, eyeing the Tauric forces.
“I could have used a spell to deal with you,” Tolly pointed out.
“True, but you’ve always been more of an up close and personal type. As the present situation demonstrates.” Kyle gestured, and a bank of poisonous gas rolled out toward the enemy. “Do you think you maybe forgot to bring something with you out here? Like, an army?”
“My men are that way,” Tolly said, gesturing with his maul to the west even as he cast a spell and caused wounds to open up on a cluster of Tauric slave-warriors. “They are dealing with the main assault. I came to support the right flank.”
“It looks like you
are the right flank,” Kyle observed. Tolly only shrugged in reply.
“Are you here for a reason,” Tolly asked, “or did you just want to wish me a happy Festival of the Rains?”
“I have two reasons for being here,” Kyle said. “First, I wanted to let you know that Herion is requesting that the Legacy return to the Imperial Palace as soon as possible. They have a mission for us.”
“It will take me a few days to extricate myself from my command,” Tolly said.
“It’s expected. It’ll probably take Arrie a few days to reach Autumn and get her out, too. Lanara’s already there, of course, and I’ve done a
sending to Osborn, and he says he’ll be there, but I have no idea where he is right now.”
“Very well.” Tolly looked at the enemy, who had halted their advance altogether. They knew he was more than capable of handling them in melee, and now they knew he possessed enough divine magic to threaten them from a distance. The arrival of a wizard was also staying their hand. But there was a commotion in the main body of the Tauric troops, as if something were happening.
“You said you had two reasons to be here,” Tolly said. “What was the second?”
Kyle was watching the disturbance in the lines as well, though he was observing the scene through the crystal sphere on his staff. Tolly noted that the sphere had detached itself from the shaft, and was hovering a few inches above, as though attached by an invisible thread.
“This,” he replied, and suddenly strode forward toward the enemy. “Psion!” he shouted out. “You cannot hide from me! Come and face me!”
A single figure emerged from the crowd. He looked human, though his eyes blazed with energy. He was bald, and his bare flesh was covered in strange tattoos. A chunk of crystal sat on his shoulder, supported by spindly ectoplasmic legs.
“You dare challenge me, arcanist?” the psion called out. “You have no understanding of my power!” The glow in the psion’s eyes intensified, and Tolly heard a low chime in his mind that told him that a psionic power was being used on Kyle. Kyle’s eyes closed, and then he smiled as the glow faded in the psion’s eyes. The psion looked perplexed.
Kyle gestured and spoke words of power, and a rainbow beam shot from his fingertips, enveloping the psion and several people behind him. There were screams as people burst into flame, or dissolved, or turned to stone, or simply vanished. The psion clutched at his throat, gasping, and then collapsed. Kyle walked up to him.
“It can’t be…” the psion gasped. “It’s impossible…”
“You know, you’re the fourth one I’ve killed that said the same thing.”
As the glow started to vanish from the psion’s eyes, Kyle picked up the skittering psicrystal that was scurrying along the ground. When the psion died, the legs disappeared, and Kyle pocketed the inert stone as the rest of the Tauric army broke and ran.
“I could have dealt with the psion myself,” Tolly commented as Kyle walked by.
“I know, but you’ve been working hard all day. See you in a few days.” With that, Kyle vanished.
Tolly sighed, shouldered his maul, and began the long march back to where his troops were celebrating the rout of the enemy.
* * *
Most of them only saw their death coming as a blur of motion and the rattle of a chain.
It was a small force, Arrie knew, only two thousand troops. The main Tauric army was still miles away. This was a probing attack, designed to test the defenses of Vargex. Arrie had come upon the battle while riding in, and she had quickly dismounted and rushed in, burgeoning herself with psionic power before hitting the enemy like a tornado.
Arrie moved through the enemy ranks, leaving behind her a trail of gore. She finally emerged from the press of slave-warriors and their lycanthropic commanders, and almost immediately fell into a similar mass of elven and human alliance soldiers. But here she was not challenged, and after getting her bearings she made her way through to the back of the line of troops, arriving at the command tent. Autumn was standing in front of the tent, her greataxe resting on the ground with her hands crossed over the pommel.
“Hey sis,” Arrie called out.
They embraced briefly, the awkward sort of hug that is all that can be managed by two fully armored people. Then Autumn returned her attention to the battle lines. “What are you doing here?”
“I’ve come to get you,” Arrie said.
“You know, you could have come from that direction,” Autumn said, nodding toward the rear of her own line. “A little bit easier.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Arrie asked.
“You have a point. Why are you coming to get me?”
“Herion’s got a mission for us, wants the Legacy to come back to Noxolt.”
Autumn frowned. “I’ll have to turn command over to Togusa,” she said.
“Is that a problem?”
“No, but it will take time.”
“Well, why not start now?”
“In a moment,” Autumn said. “I’m waiting for something.”
“For what?” Arrie asked, looking at the battle a few yards away.
“For that,” Autumn replied, pointing. From out of the middle of the enemy came a large minotaur whose skin was black and scaly, and who sported two sets of horns; the large, curled horns natural to the race that protruded from the sides of its head, and a second, smaller set of horns that emerged from the front.
Autumn smiled and shook her head. “I don’t think they even try to gather intelligence before they attack.”
“What do you mean?” Arrie asked.
“You’ll see. Care to join the fun?”
“Of course.”
The two sisters strode down toward the battle, heading straight for the minotaur. The creature bellowed, and gestured, and suddenly a dozen chain devils appeared around them.
“Summoner?” Arrie asked.
“Acolyte of the Skin summoner,” Autumn confirmed.
“You’re right. They don’t even try. I’ll take these six.”
Autumn and Arrie made short work of the kytons. Autumn’s axe sliced through their diabolic flesh like butter, and Arrie made the devils look like amateurs with their own chains. In all, it took less than a minute. Next the minotaur summoned a pair of barbed devils, which took even less time to defeat. Finally, they were within a few paces of the minotaur, who was preparing for a charge.
“Careful, sis,” Arrie said. “The last time we fought an Acolyte of the Skin, things didn’t go so well.”
The minotaur charged straight at Autumn, brandishing a huge spiked mace. She held her ground, and then at the last moment turned and brought her greataxe around, its edge blazing with holy power. The axe sliced through the minotaur’s forearm, then continued around and bit through its neck. As the beast collapsed, its head rolling away into the trampled grass as black ichor sprayed from its body, Autumn turned to look at Arrie.
“You were saying?”**
* * *
Osborn walked into the opulent conference room in the Imperial Palace. The room was empty, except for the single figure sitting at the far end of the room, dressed in a low-cut bodice and skirt and sporting a shock of pink hair. He crossed the marble floor, his footsteps so soft that his passage made hardly any noise, even in the cavernous stone room. He climbed into a seat next to the other person, unclasping his cloak and draping it across the back of the chair. His left arm was in a sling.
Lanara eyed him as he settled in. “Good to see you, General,” she said.
“Excuse me?” Osborn said.
“I am in the presence of the dreaded Shadow General, am I not?” she asked.
“How did you find out?”
“Please. I know all, I see all.” She paused for a while, then grinned lopsidedly. “Okay, educated guess. I’ve heard reports about the Shadow General, and did some checking around. I was pretty sure it was either you or that guy the hin sent to the conference.”
“Yeah, I hear he gets that a lot,” Osborn commented. “Have you told anyone here?”
“Nope,” she replied, “and I don’t intend to. Figure you can do your job better if you’re not being pestered by the alliance commanders. I wasn’t even planning on telling the rest of the Legacy about you.”
Osborn shrugged. “Fine by me, but they’ll find out eventually.”
“Sure, but it’s more fun when it’s a surprise. I knew about Kyle, Tolly, and Autumn’s little love triangle way before they did. That turned out to be quite enjoyable to watch, though I was hoping for a little more bloodshed. Oh, well.”
Osborn grinned. “I guess it will be fun to have a secret for a while. I was starting to get a little bored of just being ‘the guy with the daggers’.”
“War does bring out all sorts of different sides to people,” Lanara said. “Some good, some bad.” She looked a little sad for a moment, but it quickly passed.
“Anyway, you have been busy, Osborn. I’m dying to know where you found the arrows to re-supply our troops on the eastern front. We’ve had fletchers working like crazy but still can’t keep up.”
“Sargia. They’ve been stockpiling ever since the conference.”
“Qin-Chu’s toes! I knew it! The next time one of their diplomats tells me they don’t have any equipment to spare, I’m going to shove one of their arrows up his nose.”
“Just don’t break it. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to acquire any more through my channels for a while.”
“Good to know.”
“Speaking of channels,” Osborn said, “my sources tell me that you’ve almost got the leaders of Freeport ready to sign on with the alliance. You get Freeport, and most of the Expanse will come with them.”
‘Thanks. I practically had to sleep with the entire City Council to even get that far.” Lanara noticed Osborn’s emerging smile. “I said
practically had to sleep with them, not actually. I haven’t been forced to rely on that particular negotiating tactic yet.”
“Tolly would be so proud of you,” Osborn joked.
Lanara stuck her tongue out at the hin. “To change the subject, I heard about how your warslingers held off that excursion force long enough to evacuate Haedal’s Crossing a few days ago.”
“Yeah, by the skin of our teeth,” Osborn said. “We didn’t even know they were heading that direction until it was almost too late. That’s where I got this.” He held up the arm in the sling. “Our Feeshan cleric was out of healing magic by the time he got to me, so I went with the old-fashioned method. Just a sprain, really. I should be fine in a day or two.”
“About that,” Lanara said sheepishly, “that was my fault. Sorry.”
“What do you mean? My arm?”
“No, the battle. That excursion force was supposed to head southeast toward Macendi. But the alliance had a supply train crossing through there, which would have been vulnerable. I diverted them with false intelligence to Haedal’s Crossing.”
“Why there?”
“I didn’t particularly enjoy doing it,” Lanara snapped, “but I had to send them
somewhere. I tried to get General Ironbeard to send some troops there, but he couldn’t get there in time.”
“I understand,” the hin said. “I’ve had to make some unpleasant choices myself.”
Lanara’s face softened. “I’m sure you have.” She sighed. “When did being the good guys come to mean getting to decide which group of innocent people gets slaughtered?”
“About the time a bunch of ships from the Tauric Empire landed on the beaches of Tlaxan,” Osborn said.
There was a long silence. “So, are the others here yet?” Osborn asked.
“Autumn and Arrie arrived yesterday. Arrie and Herion have been spending a lot of time together, so I’ve been keeping Autumn company until Kyle gets here. Tolly and Crystal came in about an hour before you, but I haven’t seen them yet.”
Just then, the doors opened again, and Tolly walked through the door, followed closely by the axani Crystal, the Ardaran Inquisitor who had been assigned to Tolly as a new apprentice to train. Lanara, like the rest of the party, knew little about Crystal, as she had arrived when the news of the Tauric invasion had first come to light, and she seemed somewhat shy, barely speaking to anyone besides Tolly. Lanara still held a lingering mistrust – perhaps in part because of her race, which was in direct opposition to Lanara’s own, but mostly because she was an Inquisitor, and Lanara knew that some in the Inquisition did not look favorably upon Tolly’s position in regard to psionics. Still, she had to trust that Archprelate Frelarr was a friend to Tolly, and would not knowingly send him someone who posed a threat. And from the battle reports she’d seen, Crystal had been a faithful aide to the Inquisitor Primus.
“What’s this, Tolly?” Lanara called out. “Only one woman in your retinue today? Either she’s very good, or you’re slipping.”
Tolly barely reacted at all to her taunt, but Crystal blushed slightly.
I ought to tease her more often, Lanara thought,
she looks good with a little color in her cheeks. Maybe if I rile her up enough, she might say more than two words around us, too.
“Lanara, I’ve truly missed you,” Tolly said, “but my aim is improving.”
Lanara gasped. “Why, Tolly, such threats! Don’t you know I’m a woman?”
“Yes, Lanara I do, though it’s not hard for anyone in view of your cleavage to determine that. If you were demonstrating your gender any more blatantly, I’d mistake you for a native of the Red Archipelago.”
Lanara flashed Tolly a grin, although she did pull up on her bodice a little.
“Aww, darn,” said Osborn. “I was enjoying the view.”
“What view is that?” Arrie said, as she walked into the room, with Autumn walking beside her. “Is Lanara covering up her breasts again?”
Lanara’s grin turned to a scowl. “Okay, now you’re making me sound sleazy.”
The party took seats around the table, engaged in idle chatter. “How are things in Vargas, Autumn?” Osborn asked.
“As well as can be expected,” she replied. “There was an attempt by one of our former magistrates to usurp power just after the war started, but it was dealt with.” Autumn flashed a smile at Arrie. “The main Tauric force hasn’t progressed more than a few miles into our northern border, though they occasionally send smaller forces to harass us.”
“The bulk of the opposition is just north of us,” Lanara explained. “Most likely they hope to seize Noxolt. Once they can do that, Autumn, I’d expect you’ll see a lot more action on your front, because the Taurics will likely want to push south through Vargex to get to Aleppi and access one of the gateways through Targeth’s shield.”
“You make it sound like the sack of Noxolt is inevitable,” Osborn said.
“If nothing changes, Osborn, it is.” Tolly said. “It might take a year, but they’ll get here.”
“Well, that’s what we’re here for, right?” Osborn said. “To change things.”
“Almost all here,” Arrie said. “Where is that husband of yours, Autumn?”
“I have no idea,” the sentinel admitted. “I haven’t heard much from him since you and he left Vargas.”
“I saw him a few days ago,” Tolly said. “I thought he was heading here after that, but I admit that was only an assumption.”
“It’s not like him to be late for anything,” Osborn commented.
It was several minutes more before Kyle came into the room, walking rapidly. “Sorry,” he said, collapsing into a chair next to Autumn. The aasimar immediately took his hand.
“You cut your hair,” she noticed. His dark hair, normally worn long and bound in back, was now cropped short against the back of his head.
“Yeah, it was getting hot,” Kyle said.
Osborn craned his head to look at Kyle. “He didn’t cut it off,” Osborn said, “it was burned off.”
Everyone looked at Kyle. “Like I said, it was getting hot. I just neglected to mention that it was because of a pyrokineticist I ran into the day before yesterday.”
“Kyle,” Lanara chided, “you’ve got to find new friends to hang out with.”
“We can compare scars later,” Kyle said. “Is Herion coming soon?”
“I thought so,” Arrie said. “He didn’t say much about it to me when we were together earlier. Only told me to wait until everyone was together.”
“So, how is Herion, Arrie?” Kyle asked.
Arrie smiled at him. “A little better than before, thanks for asking.”
The door to the conference room opened, and a page stepped in. “His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor Haxtha.”
The party looked at each other in bewilderment for a moment, and then quickly scrambled to get to their feet as Haxtha walked into the room and sat down at the head of the table.
“You may sit,” Haxtha said. Slowly, the Legacy took their seats.
“Your Majesty,” Tolly said, “we are honored by your presence. I’m sure that we can begin as soon as Herion arrives.”
“Prince Herion is not attending this meeting,” Haxtha said curtly. “I summoned you here. I felt it was worth reminding all of you that I am Emperor of Tlaxan, not my brother.”
“The messenger that was sent to me said that Herion wanted to meet the Legacy here in Noxolt,” Arrie said, carefully controlling her voice.
“Indeed. I invoked my brother’s name so that you would not be tempted to drag your feet in getting here. He was also under orders not to discuss the matter with you before this meeting. I felt he also needed a reminder of who controls the military assets of this empire.”
The party sat without giving a response. Osborn surreptitiously scribbled something on a scrap of parchment, and slipped it into Lanara’s palm. She quietly unfolded the note.
How soon before the Tauric army can get here?
----------------------------
* This line is funnier when there's been seven months between stories, instead of a week.
** Yes, this section and the one before it can basically be summed up as "The Legacy unzips, takes it out, and waves it around."
