Chapter 4

Consequences

Guy winced as he rubbed his armpit.

"Does it still hurt?"

Guy spun, flushing slightly when Lyn leaned in to get a better look at his wound. "I'll live Commander."

Lyn smiled and playfully ruffled Guy's unbound hair. "You don't need to call me that when we're in private."

Guy felt his ears go pink. "Yes Comman- I mean Lyn."

The emerald eyed Sacean smiled before turning on her heel and leaving Guy alone. The young swordmaster exhaled slowly before grabbing his shirt and following after her.

The lavender haired man rolled his eyes as he was forced to go over his report again. "Yes sir," he said in a very bored voice "That is correct; the grand army of Bern is marshalling alone the border."

The large man sitting opposite the lavender haired man bristled. "I heard you the first time," his large salt and pepper moustache quivered "What I want you to tell me is ifthis 'Nergal' you keep talking about is so powerful whydoesn't heled the attack on Sacae?"

The lavender haired man shrugged and absentmindedly tossed one of his daggers above his head, he watched it twirl for a few moments before snatching it out of its fall.

The man with the slat and pepper moustache slammed his fist down on the table. "Damn it man! Answer my question."

The lavender haired man placed his feet on the table and looked at the man over the toes of his boots. "I don't know," he smiled "Maybe we all got lucky and a dragon did us all a favor and killed him."

"Or," a voice said from the shadows "Maybe he's got more important things to do than attack us," A tall man wearing a bandana stepped out of the shadows "Wouldn't you agree Legault?"

The ex-black fang member sighed. "That's a possibility," he admitted "Though unlikely," he tossed his dagger again "What could be more important than destroying the last organized body of resistance?"

The man with the bandana shook his head. "I do not know," he fiddled with his quiver "But if there issomething more important than us," he swallowed nervously "We could be facing the end."

Legault stabbed his dagger into the table. "Always the pessimist, eh Rath?"

Rath glared at Legault. "Maybe," his voice started to rise "But at least I'm not a-"

"Damn it you two!" Shouted the man with the salt and pepper moustache and he banged his fist down onto the table. "This isn't the time for your petty disputes," he quivered with poorly controlled rage "If the commander was here she'd say-"

"Exactly the same thing," said Lyn as she entered the room "Legault, how many morphs are there in Bern's army currently?"

The ex-black fang member scratched his head and leaned back in his chair. "That's the thing," he looked at the ceiling "We don't know, ever since the invasion of Etruria the amount of them seems to be dropping," he shrugged "They just seem to disappear."

Lyn frowned. "That isn't good," she looked around at the three men, staring each in the eye before continuing "If the reports are right the armies of Bern will march within the next few days," she clenched her hands into fists "And they have three times out-"

"Five times," Legault interjected coolly "They were reinforced by garrisons of Laus, Tania and Araphen."

Lyn swayed on her feet, she didn't even notice when Rath grabbed her arm to steady her. "Five times?" she whispered hoarsely. "How can we possibly survive?"

Legault looked over at Lyn pityingly. "We can't," he said bluntly "There are fiveof Bern's finest warriors for everyman, woman," he swallowed and looked uncomfortable "And child in Bulgar."

The large man with the salt pepper moustache placed a large leather map on the table. "Here," he said and jabbed his finger onto the Bern and Sacae border "They will come in from Bern herself and then from," his finger followed the border down to where it joined with Lycia "here."

"No," hissed Rath as he let go of Lyn's arm and walked over to the map "Laus and her armies shall come through," his finger pointed at a narrow mountain pass "Here and join up with the force from the Western Isles," he jabbed an arrow into the Etruria/Sacae border "Here."

Lyn looked at the map hopelessly. "Then we've got nowhere to run but," she traced her finger up towards Ilia "Into the wastes." Lyn looked at each of her captains in turn. "Sacae is alone," she swallowed a lump in her throat "And she shall die alone."

Legault placed a comforting arm around Lyn's shoulders. "We're not quite alone, my scouts have reported a force of Etrurian knights and mages have been causing havoc in along the Lycia/Etruria border," Legault's pale lavender eyes sparkled with excitement "If we send our fastest riders we may just be able to-"

The large man with the salt and pepper moustache pointedly coughed into his hand. "Milady these are rumorsit would be best to fortify the city and-"

Legault slammed his second dagger into the table in front of the man. "Damn it you old fool! Have some faith!"

The man shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I just don't believe that sending our men out into enemy territory on the words of farmers."

Rath sat down and locked eyes with him. "I agree that the chances of finding them if they existare slim, but look at our options," he slammed his hand down on the map "Almost everythingis enemy territory now and if we fall," Rath swallowed "There will be nothing, Ilia with hide behind there vaunted neutrality, the Nabataians have disappeared into the swirling sands."

Lyn passed a hand in front of her eyes. 'Oh Sharn, if only you were here. What should I do? Do I have the right to gamble my people's future on a possibly mythical Etrurian army?' Lyn lowered her hand and looked at Legault. "How can men do you need?"

The assassin's eyes sparkled. "Give me a dozen of your best riders and I swear that I will bring you an army," he grinned "Even if I have to bring them tied up in a sack."

Lyn felt her face spread into a smile. "Oh Legault," she embraced the assassin "The world never seems quite so dark when you're around."

The assassin gently broke away from Lyn, still smiling. "Then milady I shall ride as if Bern's entire legion was behind me." He bowed and swept out of the room.

Lyn felt her throat constrict. "That legion may very well be behind you." She whispered to herself. 'This war has affected us all,' she looked at Rath and the man with the salt and pepper moustache, they both looked so pale, so exhausted 'I mustn't look any better, if only Eliwood and the rest were here with us.'

Lyn looked at Rath. "Have your men bring everyone capable of bearing arms to the armoury, conscription is now in affect." Both men nodded solemnly before leaving. When the door clicked shut Lyn sank down into a chair. "What have I done?"

Karel gulped down the watery soup, the bartender had been right when he'd said it wasn't much. 'At least it's hot,' Karel thought bitterly of the time he and Raven been forced to eat cold soup 'And at least it's cheap.' Karel felt his hand wander subconsciously to the now very beaten package he had concealed in the inner pocket of his robe. 'Good, it wouldn't do to lose you now, not after I've just found you.'

Raven looked up from his own meal of watery soup and mouldy meat. "Did you hear that?"

Karel wrinkled his eyebrows. "Hear what?"

Raven shock his head. "Nothing," he dropped his spoon into the soup "well as appetizing as this meal is, I think I'll turn in." Raven staggered over to his mattress and flopped down.

Karel sighed and looked over his shoulder; the ragged figure of Sharn hadn't budged from his position on Karel's bed. The swordmaster dropped his spoon into the now empty soup dish and tried to find a comfortable position in his chair. With one last curse on crippled tacticians everywhere, Karel slipped into a very uneasy sleep.