Chapter 12


Reever was barely halfway through his first mug of coffee of the day when the first visitors reached the Administration office.

"General Cross! General Tiedoll! What brings you here so early?" Reever said.

"It's too bloody early," Cross complained.

Tiedoll flipped his gold pocket watch open. "It's already seven. Is Komui awake yet?"

"Johnny!" Reever shouted. "Go check if the chief's awake. The generals want to meet him."

"I'll wake him if he's not already awake," Cross said, yawning. "I want to go to bed."

"You'll be able to sleep soon," Tiedoll said, keeping his pocket watch. "This won't take too long, Marian."

Johnny came back. "Komui's awake."

"Good," Cross said, leading the way into Komui's office, which was already a mess so early in the day.

"Good morning," Komui said, looking up from where he was standing beside the window, a mug of hot tea in his hands.

"Komui," Tiedoll said, "we think a rearrangement of staff is in order."

"Rearrangement of staff?" Komui repeated. He took his glasses off and wiped them on his coat.

"Redeployment of Kanda Yu, to be exact," Cross said.

"Well… " Komui said. "That's your prerogative, isn't it? I don't have to approve such changes."

"We thought we should tell you," Tiedoll said.

"Exactly where are you redeploying Kanda to?" Komui asked. "Why do the two of you seem so concerned over his redeployment?"

Cross laughed. "We want to put Kanda as the Captain of Allen's personal guard."

"We've thought up a plan," Tiedoll continued, pulling a roll of parchment from his leather case, "detailing the expansion of Allen's guard. We think it would be best if Kanda is assigned to her guard."

Komui stared at them. "Isn't an expanded guard a bit excessive?"

"Not at all," Tiedoll said. "Hevlaska has agreed that the time has come for the Priestess to prove herself in battle. She is ready."

Komui gasped. "Allen is ready? But –"

"It is done," Cross said. "Inspector Leverrier has given his approval. The brat has accepted her call to war."

"This is too fast," Komui said.

"I know," Tiedoll said, "but times are hard. We have to move fast too, to survive."

"I – I – yes, I see why you want to expand her guard," Komui said.

"This will take effect from today," Tiedoll said.

"Have you told Kanda?" Komui asked.

"Not yet," Cross said. "Froi is about to tell him. We wanted to let you know first."

"I wonder what Kanda will say," Komui said. "I think he would hate to leave his combat role."

"Duty calls," Tiedoll said, with a sad smile. "We are soldiers and we have to answer to the call of duty."

"Duty," Cross said, snorting, but he nodded anyway.

:::

Lavi ran into the dining hall, looking frantically around. After a few minutes, he finally saw the person he was looking for.

"Allen!" he shouted, weaving his way towards her.

Allen spooned the last of her porridge into her mouth. "Good morning, Lavi," she said presently.

"Guess what has happened!" Lavi exclaimed.

"You seem very excited," Lenalee said, leaning across the table. "What has happened?"

"Guess!"

"Something good, obviously," Allen said, placidly tucking into bacon. "Komui approves of the two of you?"

Lenalee blushed and looked away. "Nothing of that sort," she said.

"That would be good," Lavi said, catching Lenalee's eye and smiling. "But, no, this concerns you, Allen."

"I can't think of what might get you so excited," Allen said.

"Yu has been assigned to your guard!" Lavi said, waving his hands around. "Isn't that just lovely?"

"Why?" Lenalee asked.

Allen's hand stopped mid-air, her spoon midway to her mouth. "Has he been demoted or something?"

"No, no," Lavi said. "The generals told Komui that they want to expand your guard. I suppose they thought that Kanda had enough experience to head a new unit. I mean, your guard is going to be an independent unit from now on. General Cross will no longer be the overall in-charge of your guard. "

"Is that really necessary?" Allen asked.

"Course it is," Lavi said. "We all know how much the Noahs want to get you out of the picture."

"But Kanda enjoys being on the battlefront," Allen said. "He couldn't possibly want to step away from the front."

"That's true," Lenalee said. "Kanda has always wanted to fight."

"He doesn't have much of a choice," Lavi said. "Not when the generals have already given the order."

"I should tell them not to do it," Allen said.

"I think," Lavi said pensively, "mind you, it's just my inference – I think that they don't want to give Leverrier a chance to appoint one of his men to head your guard."

Allen's eyes widened. "I didn't think of that possibility."

Lavi laughed. "Don't worry about it anymore… Kanda's already your Captain now. Nothing to worry about."

"I still feel –"

"Allen, don't worry about Kanda," Lenalee said. "He'll be fine. It's an honour to serve the Priestess in any capacity at all."

"But –"

Lavi winked. "Hmm, why is someone so concerned about how Kanda might possibly feel about the situation? He is a soldier after all; he knows his duty."

Allen returned to her food. "I just – never mind."

Lavi winked at Lenalee. "Do I see something in the horizon?"

Allen frowned. "Lavi!"

"I'm sorry," Lavi said. "I'm just a bit too excited. I mean, it's probably just a matter of time…"

Lenalee shook her head at Lavi, who finally stopped talking.

"We'll see Kanda soon," Lenalee told Allen. "If I remember correctly, there will be a small ceremony before the generals where Kanda will have to pledge to protect you."

Allen sighed and did not reply.

:::

Kanda met Allen outside the training halls the next morning.

"Good morning," Allen said, smiling at him.

"Didn't sleep last night, Priestess?"

"Pardon?" Allen said, not quite sure what she had just heard.

"You have dark circles under your eyes," Kanda said.

"No, not that," Allen said. "Since when did you call me Priestess?"

Kanda shrugged.

"Are you alright?" Allen asked. "Do you have a fever or something?"

Kanda nudged Allen's hand away from his forehead. "I'm not sick. Don't touch me."

Allen drew her hand back, flushing slightly. "I'm sorry. I was just surprised."

"Haven't you been telling me to stop calling you Beansprout? You should be happy that I've stopped."

Allen shook her head. "It was too sudden, and coming from you, a polite salutation is somewhat suspicious."

"Why? You're the Priestess," Kanda said, pushing the doors open. "It's normal for you to be addressed this way."

"Yes, but not when the person addressing me is you," Allen said as Kanda led the way to their usual training room.

Kanda snorted. "As a member of your guard I can hardly continue to call you Beansprout. At least in public. I have to get used to addressing you as my superior."

"I – I'm sorry," Allen said.

"For?"

"For causing you to be transferred away from the battlefield, of course."

Kanda threw a wooden sword to Allen. "Don't be."

"I mean, you –"

"It's a soldier's duty," Kanda said simply. "Don't mention it again."

"But I –"

Kanda raised a hand, and Allen fell silent, unsure what she should say in response.

"It's time for you to practise," Kanda said, and charged towards Allen.

Allen raised her sword in defence, moving fluidly as she avoided Kanda's sword. She raised her own to strike a blow against his chest, which he blocked with an elegant backward thrust of his sword.

"You're getting less terrible at this," Kanda said.

"Why, thank you for the praise."

"You're still far from good," Kanda said. "Keep practising every single day."

"Yes, Captain."

Allen parried another blow from Kanda, ducking under his sword arm as she did so. She moved backward, catching her breath.

"Tired already?" Kanda said, smirking. "That's fast. I knew you couldn't possibly get much better."

"You're too harsh a teacher," Allen said.

"The battlefield is a harsh place. You should know that."

"I know. General Cross brought me out once long ago, before Hevlaska discovered... before she discovered that I – that I'm the Destroyer of Time."

Kanda shot Allen a quizzical glance. "General Cross let a little girl tag along to battle?"

"Yes. I think he was a little drunk at that time."

"That was irresponsible of him," Kanda said as he stretched his sword out to hit Allen on her left shin.

Allen grimaced. "Why are you so fast?"

"I'm fit," Kanda said, moving away elegantly as he prepared to enter his next stance. "Unlike you. I suppose it's a tall order for you to be fit, given how much you eat."

Allen laughed. "That's quite true."

Kanda smirked again and rushed in with another attack.

Allen brought her wooden sword up; the two swords met with an audible crash. Allen stared at Kanda across the barrier formed by the two swords.

"You know, Kanda," she said, "I'm glad you'll be the head of my guard."

Kanda released his death grip on his sword and pulled it back. "Che," he said.

"It's true, you know," Allen said as she returned to a normal standing position. "I mean it. I'm glad you'll be fighting by my side when the time comes."

Kanda turned away, but Allen could have sworn she saw his lips twitching.

:::

Komui stopped by Reever's desk and hit Reever on the back.

"What was that for?" Reever asked, looking up from his work with an angry expression.

"Reever," Komui said, "I'm worried."

"About?" Reever asked, stifling a yawn.

"I'm worried."

"I heard that the first time, Komui. If you've so much time to be worried, why don't you get some bloody work done?"

"Don't yell at me, Reever. I'm not joking. I'm worried."

"Well then, why don't you try to explain exactly why you're worried?" Reever said. "I'm starting to think that you're doing this just to get out of doing your work."

Komui leaned closer to Reever. "It's Inspector Leverrier."

"Where?" Reever asked, sitting straighter in his chair as he glanced around.

"He's not here," Komui said. "I mean – I'm worried because he's in a really good mood. He must be getting his way... don't you find this suspicious?"

"You're probably thinking too much. Although..."

"There is the possibility," Komui insisted. "He's definitely up to no good. I trust my instinct."

Reever nearly smiled. He'd learned long ago not to trust Komui's instinct. "Maybe he's just in a good mood for no reason, you know. That's possible too."

"But I –"

"Komui, you can worry about Leverrier when you know more about his plans. So just get back to work. It would be good if no one has to work overtime this week. Or even today."

"But Inspector Leverrier –"

"No buts."

"Who's the Chief Administrator here? I –"

Reever sighed. "Who are the ones who get the work done around here, Komui? It's not you most of the time."

Komui nearly pouted. "Fine," he said. "We'll see..."

"Tell Allen if you're so worried," Reever said.

"Yes, that's what I'll do," Komui said, making towards the doors.

"Not now, you doofus," Reever said. "Do you work first. Johnny placed a stack of documents for your approval in your in-tray. We need them by tonight."

Komui had no choice then but to (sulkily) head back to his office; unfortunately, he forgot all about Leverrier soon after, so swamped with work was he.

:::

Allen wandered in the rose garden in the twilit hour, basking in the soft golden light of the dying day, watching the purple-pink clouds sail across the sky. Kanda followed her, eyes and body alert, his right hand resting on the left side of his waist near the hilt of his sword.

"You don't have to be so stiff, you know," Allen said. "No one will attack us here. They wouldn't be able to get in past the City Guard."

"You never know."

"Oh, Kanda, try to enjoy life once in a while."

"You won't be able to enjoy anything if your guard is careless and you end up dead."

"Cheerful, aren't we? Really, Kanda, it's a beautiful evening. Stop being so grouchy... or maybe I should request a new Captain."

Kanda glowered at Allen, who merely gave him a vague smile as she stopped by a nearby rose bush to pluck a white rose in full bloom.

"What are you doing that for?" Kanda asked.

"It's pretty, don't you think?" Allen said, tucking the rose into the pocket of her skirt.

"The flowers here are meant for everyone," Kanda said.

"Yes, I know. That's why I plucked it," Allen said. "They're for everyone, so anyone who enjoys looking at flowers can pluck one. Isn't that so?"

"They're for everyone to look at," Kanda said. "If every idiot plucked a flower there would be none left."

"I didn't know you cared so much about flowers..."

"I don't bloody care about them," Kanda said. "But this is a public garden. Grow your own roses if you want to pluck them."

Allen stared at Kanda. "I – I – yes, I see what you mean, but I –"

"What's done is done," Kanda said. "Don't be such a fool the next time."

Allen stiffened. "Don't call me a fool every chance you get."

"I have a duty to tell you when you are wrong."

"No you don't," Allen said. "You're Captain of my guard, not my mentor. I'm not sure why you think you're qualified to give me advice, Captain."

"What –"

"You'd be qualified to give me advice on battle strategy, of course, but not on anything else, I think."

"Beansprout, you –"

"What happened to respecting the office of the Priestess?"

"Respect has to be earned," Kanda said, looking down at Allen. "I find it hard to respect someone who disobeys the rules. You're not above the law just because you're the Destroyer of Time."

Allen glowered at Kanda. "So I have to grow my own flowers in order to enjoy them? Don't you think that sometimes things can be communal in nature? That things can be shared? That not everything has to be in black and white?"

"You must follow the rules," Kanda said firmly.

"No, that's called being obstinate and foolish."

"Not following the rules is not right," Kanda said. "If everyone did things their own way, there would be anarchy. Is that what you want?"

"Kanda, sometimes it's actually fine to have faith in other people," Allen said. "Not everyone is out to harm everyone else."

"Che."

"I see you disagree."

"It's stupid as hell to trust anyone too much."

Allen sighed. "Let's not ruin this beautiful evening... I'm going in for dinner now," she said, turning towards the direction of the dining hall. "See you tomorrow."

Allen walked off, leaving a half-angry Kanda staring after her, his hands still resting near the hilt of his sword, and his mouth slightly open, as if ready to utter a retort.

What is he thinking? Allen wondered to herself as she took the familiar path to the dining hall. Why do I care what he thinks? Why should I care?

These unanswerable and tiresome questions plagued her all the way to the dining hall. Sudden hot tears prickled at the edges of her eyes, and she hastily raised a hand to wipe them away, hoping no one would see the tell-tale signs of tears in the brightly-lit hall.

To Allen's great relief, the dining hall was, as always, less crowded at that hour; there was the usual dip in the number of people eating – the early diners had left, and those whose work kept them away would not arrive for a while yet.

Allen collected her usual trolley of food and, after a quick glance around at the people eating, walked over to join Reever, Johnny and Tapp.

"Allen," Reever said, pulling a chair out for her.

"How was your day?" Johnny asked as he helped her transfer her plates of food from the trolley to the table. "Hevlaska worked you hard?"

"It went fine, thanks for asking," Allen said, helping herself to a steaming bowl of noodles. "Is Komui busy? Doesn't he usually take dinner with you?"

Reever and Johnny exchanged looks.

"He's frustrated at the moment," Reever said.

"Why?" Allen asked.

"Inspector Leverrier is making things difficult for the Administrator," Johnny said, helping himself to Allen's plate of spaghetti.

Allen paused between mouthfuls of chicken stew. "What has happened?"

"I – I don't know how to explain it," Reever said. "This whole thing is such a headache."

Johnny pointed at a man sitting alone at the left side of the hall. His sharp profile was accompanied by a swinging blonde braid. "You see the man over there?"

"Yes. Who is he? I've never seen him before," Allen said.

"His name is Howard Link," said Tapp.

Allen peered at the man. He seemed young, no older than twenty years of age, though his frown made him look older. "Is he new?"

"He's new to this City, yes," Reever said. "But he's not new at what he does. He has worked as Leverrier's aide for a few years."

"Why is he here?" Allen asked.

"Leverrier ordered him to come here," Johnny said.

Tapp leaned in. "I heard that he used to be work in the Central Office Battle Corps. He's an elite soldier."

"Who did you hear it from?" Reever asked.

"I have my methods," Tapp said, winking.

"He looks dangerous," Allen said.

"And somewhat sulky," Tapp added. He glared at Johnny when the latter nudged him. "It's true. He does look sulky."

"Did Inspector Leverrier mention why this Link is here?" Allen asked.

"Not to my knowledge," Reever said. He sighed. "That's why the chief is so frustrated. He feels that Leverrier is up to no good, as I'm sure you know."

"Stay away from this Link, Allen," Johnny said.

"Yes," Tapp agreed. "Avoid him as much as possible, leastways, until Leverrier announces what he's about."

"I will," Allen said, glancing over at Link again. Link looked up just as Allen looked at him, and Allen shivered as she saw the hard eyes in that pale, stone-cold face.

:::

The reason for Leverrier's uncharacteristic good mood was revealed a week later.

A contingent of soldiers marched toward the city under the cover of night, reaching the gates at first light. As General Tiedoll made his weary way to his office to assume command of the gates for the day, one of his lieutenants met him along the corridor leading to the generals' offices and hastened up to him.

"General," the lieutenant said, saluting before passing a piece of parchment to Tiedoll.

Tiedoll took the parchment. "What's this?"

"A contingent of soldiers just reached, General. They're currently camping outside our gates; they demanded entry, and when they were refused, they asked the guards to pass this to the commander in charge."

Tiedoll nodded, unrolling the parchment. He motioned for the lieutenant to step closer and to hold his lamp aloft. Frowning, his eyes ran over the words. The message read: By the authority that is vested in me by the King, I hereby authorise the bearer(s) of this message to enter the City to be joined with the City Guard, and yet separate from it, in recognition of the pressing need of the defence of the King's Borders.

These words were followed by Leverrier's signature, with the king's seal being affixed at the bottom right corner of the parchment.

Tiedoll looked up from the parchment, stared at his lieutenant, and read the message again. Finally, he rolled the parchment up and shook his head. "They're soldiers, you say?"

"Yes."

"Have you seen them yourself?" Tiedoll asked.

"General, I went down to the gates to speak with their leader."

"Good, good... well. Did you get a good look at their uniforms? What insignia did they wear?"

"The King's own insignia, General. I thought I also saw some of the leaders carrying the Leverrier coat of arms."

"The Leverrier coat of arms..."

"Yes, General, that is so."

Tiedoll frowned and fell into a brown study while his lieutenant waited by his side.

"General?" the lieutenant said after some minutes. "Should I open the gates to them? Or..."

"Hmm," Tiedoll said. "I – why, yes, you should let them in. The instructions seem to be quite clear and legal in every respect, as far as I can tell."

The lieutenant nodded.

"I shall meet them presently to welcome them," Tiedoll said. "Have them brought to the Lower Hall and have some refreshments brought in. And water for them to wash up with. Oh – and – there is no need for you to inform the Inspector. I will take care of that."

The lieutenant saluted and marched off.

Tiedoll took a deep breath. The other generals will have to know, he thought. And Komui. They need to know what Leverrier has done.

Tiedoll went into his office and scribbled a few notes, which he passed to two soldiers to carry to Cross and Komui respectively. He watched the soldiers leave with a heavy heart. I hope I can buy them some time, before Leverrier realises that his men are here, he thought.

:::

There was only darkness all around. Allen frowned, feeling the cold nip at her ankles, feeling unseen hands tug at her sleeves, hearing the fell voices carried in the carrion wind.

"Show yourself," she said, spinning around. "Show yourselves!"

The wind howled louder, and nothing appeared. The darkness was as impenetrable as ever, the shrill cries as heart-rending as ever.

Where am I? she wondered. Where is this godforsaken place?

In the darkness she walked, on and on and on, her bare feet feeling sore as they rubbed against the relentlessly hard ground, pebbles and twigs poking at her toes and scraping tender skin.

"Allen!" someone called. Yet no one was in sight.

Before her rose a desolate scene, an empty and barren city, the moon hanging low in the sky behind the roof of the steeple of a dark cathedral. Allen could feel something hidden deep in the bowels of the city, something Akuma-like, or perhaps something worse by far. Blood had been shed in the city, lives had been lost, and minds had been destroyed.

"Allen!" someone called again.

Allen turned on the spot, looking around, willing herself to discover the source of that voice, the hiding spot of the unknown one who called her name.

"Don't play games with me!" Allen said.

"Take her and go," a third voice said.

Allen spun – to her right stood a shadowy form.

"Who are you?" Allen asked, shivering.

The figure stepped forward, the shadows sliding off him. He wore a suit and a top-hat, and his face, care-worn and lined, was familiar.

"Mana!" Allen said.

"Take her," Mana said to the empty city, "take her and go, and leave us alone."

Then he stepped away and gestured to the shadows. Another figure emerged – this one masked – and the two walked away into the darkness.

"Mana! Wait for me! Don't go..."

But Mana and his unknown associate did not pause; they continued to walk, and the shadows swallowed them again. Allen remained rooted to the spot, unable to move; movement seemed a foreign thought, as if she did not have that faculty.

Then another figure approached from the shadows – a tall, lean figure, with hair gathered in a ponytail. It stopped just beyond the shadows, his cloak flying in the wind.

"Kanda," Allen said. She stretched her hands out. "Kanda!"

The man – Kanda – looked towards her, his eyes empty. No sign of recognition was in his cold face; he glanced at her and then looked at the abandoned city, the sleeping cathedral, the brown leaves rippling across the old cobblestones.

Then he turned, and walked away into the city, into danger, into death.

"Come back," Allen called, feet still rooted to the ground. "Don't go, Kanda! It's dangerous!"

Kanda did not look back. Allen watched as fear rumbled in her belly, turning her insides to stone. Then hands clamped down on her; they grabbed her hands and held them together behind her back.

Allen struggled in that iron grip, writhing as she tried to turn to glimpse her attacker. "Let go of me!" she said, pushing and pulling with all her might.

"Allen!" someone called yet again.

"Who are you? Save me, please, save me!" Allen cried out, willing the unknown person to aid her against her malignant attacker.

Allen pushed against her bonds, breathing heavily, waiting. The darkness grew heavier, and the night seemed to solidify around her. Then there was a feeling of falling away, of tumbling down a rabbit hole with no end in sight. Allen gasped and felt something soft under her, something comfortable in the unrelenting darkness.

"Allen? Allen? Wake up!" someone said from somewhere near her.

Allen willed her eyelids to open – she found that her eyes could work. Lenalee stood over her, a candle in her hands. Allen wiped the sweat from her forehead, relieved to find that she had merely been suffering from a nightmare – Kanda was not about to die yet. But Mana – just thinking about it made Allen feel like crying. Who had he walked off with? Where had he gone?

"Allen?" Lenalee said, interrupting Allen's reverie. "You've got to get up."

"Lenalee?" Allen said, wiping the crusty sleep from her eyes. "Is something wrong? Has there been another attack?"

"No, but Brother wants to meet you immediately," Lenalee said. "Something seems to be happening, but I don't know anything about it. Here, let me help you get dressed."

Allen was ready in a matter of minutes. "Where's Kanda?" she asked as she and her guards hurried down the cold corridors, the wind chasing after them.

"He's been summoned by General Cross," Lavi said. "Something strange is definitely going on."

"We'll know soon," Lenalee said. "We're here."

Komui met them at the entrance to his office. "Allen, there's been a new development."

"What has happened?" Allen asked as Lavi shut the door behind them.

"Inspector Leverrier has had a new contingent of guards brought here," Komui said. He paced around the room, hands behind his back. "We don't know what he's up to, but it's probably nothing good."

Allen glanced at Komui. "What do you think he's up to?"

"No one knows," Komui said. "But we have a good guess... some of the soldiers deployed here are carrying the Leverrier coat of arms, which means they're loyal to the Leverrier family. We suspect that he intends to plant some spies around. You need to be careful, Allen."

Allen nodded. "I will."

"Where's Kanda?" Komui asked.

"He's with the generals," Lavi said. "They wanted him to join them."

"We should join them too," Komui said. "They're doing some strategizing now. I think they might be done soon. Come on. They're in Hevlaska's rooms at the moment."

Komui led Allen and her entourage down to Hevlaska's rooms. Many people were gathered in the largest room; the generals sat around the large desk, half-shrouded in shadows, the captains standing around. They all looked up when Komui entered.

Allen looked around and saw Kanda standing at the back of the room, but he did not look her way. With a small sigh, Allen joined Hevlaska.

"Are you almost done?" Komui asked.

"No," General Nyne said.

"Yes," General Cross said. "We are. The truth is that there isn't anything much we can do."

"Nonsense," Bak Chan said.

"Nothing military," General Cross said. "Of course we can keep an eye on those folks, but we can't do much beyond an informal order to trusted aides. You know that, Komui."

"I think it highly likely that the focus will be on the Priestess," Bookman said.

"I agree," Komui said.

"I'm not sure what we can do about that," General Nyne said.

Cross laughed. "The brat's got to learn to look after herself."

"That's not very helpful, General," said Reever.

General Sokalo brought a heavy fist down on the desk. "I say we kill them, and tell bloody Leverrier they were killed by the Akuma before we could help."

"That's an idea," Cross said.

"No," said General Yeegar. "We cannot kill our allies."

Hevlaska nodded. "General Yeegar is right. We must not shed our own blood. It is important to remember who our true enemies are."

"There you have it," Cross said. "Nothing we can do."

"What does General Tiedoll intend to do?" Bak Chan asked.

"He's waiting for us to reach a consensus," General Nyne said. "He's waiting to let Leverrier know."

"Let's get rid of the Leverrier loyalists," Sokalo said. "Them only, since some of us care so much about spilling our blood."

Hevlaska pursed her lips but said nothing.

"You know," Cross said, "that's really a good idea. I like it."

"Of course you would," General Nyne said.

"What do you think, Komui?" Hevlaska asked.

Komui looked around. All eyes were on him; eager faces turned his way. "I –"

"Say something, Komui," Cross said. "We haven't got all day."

Komui shook his head. "I – I can't make this decision."

"What about you, Allen?" Hevlaska asked.

The whole room went silent, residual whispers dying out. The candles flickered wildly, causing the shadows to dance around the cold room as the people collectively held their breath.

Allen glanced around hurriedly, unable to scramble together a coherent answer.

:::

General Tiedoll strode into the Lower Hall, his cloak flying behind him, exposing the neatly-pressed uniform underneath. The Lower Hall was already well-lit, an oddity at the early hour, and seated at the front rows of tables were the soldiers from the recently-arrived contingent.

Tiedoll walked to the front of the Hall. "Good morning," he said. "I extend a warm welcome to you on behalf of the City. I see you look tired – so please have a good rest as you break your fast. I will inform Inspector Leverrier of your arrival as soon as he is awake."

Tiedoll then joined the leaders at their table. He inclined his head, noticing as he did so that the five people had strange red markings below their eyes. "I hope everything is to your liking," he said.

"Yes, thank you, General," said the one with short, spiky hair. "We came at a bad time, it seems. I hope we didn't wake you."

"Not at all," Tiedoll said as he took a seat. "Might I have the pleasure of knowing your names?"

"I'm Madarao," said the one with short, spiky hair. He stretched his hand over the table to shake Tiedoll's hand, nearly knocking over his bowl of porridge. "These are Goushi, Tewaku, Tokusa and Kiredori."

"Glad to meet you, General," Tokusa said.

"The pleasure is mine," Tiedoll said warmly. "It's always warms my heart to see fine young people like you serve the King and the country."

Madarao nodded. "It's an honour to serve."

"You sound like my son," Tiedoll said with a smile. He glanced over at the tables. "Your men look tired. Should I have beds prepared for them first?"

"That would be unnecessary," Madarao said. "We will wait for Inspector Leverrier to awake so that he can give us our instructions."

"Alright," Tiedoll said. He took his gold pocket watch out and studied it. It was almost seven in the morning; Leverrier would not be awake for some time yet. "I will have my men inform you when the Inspector is awake and ready to meet you."

Madarao nodded as he finished his porridge.

"I apologise for the poor fare," Tiedoll said. "The food will be better at the Citadel."

"Please do not apologise for the food," Madarao said.

Tiedoll smiled. "What are your ranks? How should I address you?"

"There is no need to address us by our ranks," Madarao said. "We are not here to join your ranks."

Tiedoll raised his eyebrows. "You are not joining our Guard?"

"No," Tokusa said.

"The soldiers from the Central Army are," Madarao said, pointing towards the other soldiers at the other tables. "We are not."

"You aren't part of the same battalion?" Tiedoll asked.

"No," Madarao said. "We are from a different unit."

"Well, why aren't you joining our battle?" Tiedoll asked. "We need all the men and women we can get to join us."

"I don't know," said Madarao. "That's why we need to get our orders from Inspector Leverrier."

"I see you bear his coat of arms," Tiedoll said.

"Yes," Tokusa said. "Inspector Leverrier is our liege lord, so we carry his arms."

Tiedoll scratched his head, fighting the urge to call for a strong cup of coffee. "In that case..."

"We've been seconded to fight for the King," Madarao said. "The Leverriers are loyal to the throne, and his Majesty was kind enough to allow us to continue bearing the Leverrier coat of arms instead of his own colours."

"I see," said Tiedoll. "Well, that was interesting. How are things going at the capital?"

"We don't know," Madarao said. "We spend most of our time training."

"Is the King safe and well?" asked Tiedoll.

"Undoubtedly," Tokusa said.

Tiedoll nodded thoughtfully. "It is good to know that. Seldom does news travel so far to our border here. It's almost as if we live in isolation."

"This place is indeed far," Madarao agreed. "We had a hard time reaching here, didn't we, Tewaku?"

The girl he spoke to shrugged, her long curls dancing over her shoulders. "Yes. It was far."

"I do hope you will be able to get a good rest before your duties start," Tiedoll said. "You all look exhausted."

Madarao almost smiled. "We – " He stopped as the doors flew open.

Inspector Leverrier stood in the corridor, in the space between light and shadow. A man with blonde hair, prettily braided, stood by his side.

"Well, look what we have here," Leverrier said, walking into the Lower Hall. "General Tiedoll, didn't you think to inform me? It's a good thing Link here managed to find out that the troops have arrived."

"I thought I would inform you once you were awake," Tiedoll said.

Leverrier raised a hand. "Enough. Don't worry about it, General. I appreciate your... consideration." He walked towards the main table and bared his teeth in a manner which might chill the bravest hero.

"Inspector," the five people said.

"Welcome," Leverrier said. "I am glad to see you all. Things will be much easier from now on."

"It is our honour to serve you and the King," Madarao said.

"The King and me," Leverrier said reprovingly. "Be careful, Madarao. Using the wrong words could mean being charged with treason. Isn't that right, General?"

Tiedoll stared at Leverrier. "It isn't all that serious, Inspector. We at the borders are rough men, hard men, and we don't have this finesse for words. We have the time to pick sentences apart when were busy fighting a war."

"Quite so," Leverrier said.

Leverrier turned to Link and whispered something. Link saluted, and then walked away, his face impassive. Tiedoll watched him leave; he'd noticed that Link had not made eye contact with the five newcomers, nor they him. Tiedoll found it exceedingly strange that they seemed to feel no need to exchange polite salutations in any manner.

"We rode here hard," Leverrier said, interrupting Tiedoll's thoughts. "As soon as I had the news."

"I offer my apologies, Inspector," Tiedoll said. "You need not have troubled. I have offered them food according to military etiquette –"

"Of course you have, General," Leverrier said. "I have already told you not to worry about it. You know, I was very anxious about them because they are such good fighter."

"Oh?"

"Yes," Leverrier said. "They used to work for the Central Office Battle Corps, until I had them transferred out. They've been learning new... things"

"What are they now?" Tiedoll asked.

Leverrier grinned, if his forced smile could be so described. "They've been learning some new spells. I've been having magic practitioners analyse the Noahs' movements. Fight fire with fire, you know."

Tiedoll gasped.

"I've set up a new unit just for them," Leverrier said. "I call them the Third Exorcists Command."

"But that is –"

"The King has given his approval," Leverrier said. "Surely you are not suggesting that His Majesty has approved a programme without thinking everything through?"

"No," Tiedoll said.

"I won't keep you from your duties any longer, General," Leverrier said. "I will take over from here."

"Alright," Tiedoll said, rising.

"Have a good morning," Leverrier said. "I won't see you out, General."

Tiedoll looked back as he reached the doors; none of the Third Exorcists were smiling, and he had the distinct impression that they were unhappy in some way or another. Unfulfilled lives, perhaps, he thought. He shook his head went to saddle his horse to relay the unhappy news to his waiting colleagues.


A/N: My writer's block went away! It tends to do that when I have other things to do, like write papers and finish assignments, I wonder why. So yes, I have most of the next chapter written as well, though it still needs a substantial amount of revision.

Thank you for reading, as always! I would love to know your thoughts on this chapter, as well as thoughts on what you would like to see in the following chapters.