Chapter 36 – Teacher Flik

Flik had been away from Dunan Castle several times in the short existence of the New State Army. Each time, returning to the headquarters brought a host of interesting surprises. There were decidedly more ships in the harbor, and construction farther up the beach suggested that Shu was planning the beginnings of a navy, too. Moreover, a Zexen weapons merchant had set up shop, promising a steady supply of arms from Tinto and cities to the west as soon as the bridge over the Granias River was fully repaired.

However, the biggest surprise was coming home to see Leona gleefully sinking her cooking implements into the lake. The reason for this became clear the following morning, when Viktor woke Flik by pounding on his door and shouting that they'd been invited to the grand opening of "Hai Yo's Army Cafeteria and Refectory." Flik thought the name could use some work.

They weren't the only ones invited. The restaurant, which had previously been a corridor and some closed up rooms, was packed with people. The early ones had managed to get chairs around the newly placed tables, while the later guests had to make do with standing. Viktor and Flik were in this latter group.

The food was excellent. Flik found himself sampling Harmonian lobster with sweet sauce in one bite and thin slices of Zexen deer smothered in hot sauce the next. There were a variety of fruits and vegetables, many out of season, which hinted at the chef's connections. There was even a sashimi dish from Falena.

Flik briefly met Hai Yo while in the middle of eating crackers covered in some sort of thick, gray paste. The cook was an affable man, dressed in a yellow tunic and a tall yellow hat. He was smiling happily, moving from person to person, his long and curled mustaches bobbing as he talked. Only a single lock of gray hair that peeked out from under his hat suggested that this man was older.

"Are you finding everything to your liking?" Hai Yo asked, balancing a wok full of noodles in one hand. Flik, unable to say anything, tried to nod and chew at the same time. "Remember to save room for the desserts. They're the very best part." With this admonition, the chef moved off to get another person's opinion.

Flik was reaching for another cracker when he was bumped from behind, causing one of the paste covered crackers to flip backwards onto his shirt. Looking around for the culprit, he caught the fleeting image of a small kobold wearing blue overalls and an orange shirt dashing through the crowd. There was a slingshot sticking out of his back pocket.

"Gabocha!" Gengen cried, running up beside Flik and pausing for a moment to pant heavily. "You're not allowed in here." Gengen growled in frustration, then looked up at Flik. "Commander, I was wondering if you've seen a little pup with blue overalls."

"Went that way." Flik pointed off towards the doors leading out to the outside area. "Who is he, Gengen?"

"One of my younger cousins," Gengen wheezed. "Gabocha. He lives in Two River, but it seems he got caught up in all the excitement about my exploits. He left his whole family behind in the city and managed to get here. Now I've got to look after him. He knows nothing of human ways!"

Actually, Gabocha seemed to be doing pretty well for himself. Flik saw that he'd run into Nanami, Pilika, and Millie, who were patting him on the head and scratching him behind his ears. He distinctly heard Nanami calling Gabocha "the cutest thing I've ever seen!" Moments later, Rina and Eilie joined the group around the young kobold.

Gengen's look was one of despair. "I've got to put a stop to this at once," he declared. "You have no idea what a young kobold puppy is like when he's all wound up. He'll run circles after his own tail for hours, there'll be no stopping him." He rolled up his sleeves, set his face, and grimly advanced towards the girls.

Viktor came up then, distracting Flik from the confrontation. He was holding what appeared to be a headless, twenty-pound fish between his hands, taking gigantic bites of the flesh and swallowing with gusto. "This is great stuff," he mumbled loudly.

"You should save some space for later," Flik chided.

His mouth momentarily clear, Viktor asked, "What this concept of 'saving some space?' It's not like I'm going to run out."

Flik was about to retort, but suddenly Zamza joined them. The chief magic instructor for the New State Army looked distinctly displeased. "Why are all these people here?"

Viktor had started eating again, so it was up to Flik to answer. "It's a restaurant. They come here to eat."

"But this is my place," Zamza whined.

Viktor snickered, choked on something, and started coughing loudly, bringing up food all over the unfortunate mage. "Sorry about that," he said.

"Haven't they assigned you a room yet?" Flik wondered. "I've had one for a little while, even if I haven't used it much yet."

"I don't understand," Zamza moaned. "Can't they see that I'm the most important member of this army? I'm falling behind in my work because I can't get a proper night's sleep. How am I supposed to mold my students into proper magic users if I'm too tired to conduct my classes?"

"It's probably a mess-up in the paperwork," Viktor commented. "I'm sure they'll get it straightened out sooner or later." Flik frowned though. As much as he'd wanted to simply ignore Zamza's problems, the fact that it might effect the training was serious. He resolved to ask Shu about it at a later date.

Meanwhile, those concerns were swept away as Hai Yo and his staff wheeled out several trolleys laden with sweets. There were hard candies, cakes, ice shaving in fruit sauce, and little bowls filled with chocolate pudding. The pudding was apparently called "Pilika Pudding" because the little girl loved the stuff. In his own opinion, Flik thought it wasn't bad, but there were other desserts he liked better.

He'd just started on his second bowl when one of Shu's messengers tapped him on the shoulder. "Commander Flik, Commander Viktor, a situation has come up requiring your presence in the great hall."

The party suddenly got a lot quieter. Looking around, Flik saw that Riou was leaving, walking after another messenger. Nanami and Pilika trailed after him quickly. Flik nodded and left the room, Viktor right behind him. He could not help but feel a sense of foreboding. A conversation was already underway as they walked towards the great hall.

"All you need is a little confidence, Apple," a young, cheerful female voice was saying. "Keep your back straight and swing your hips a little and the men will fall all over you." Flik realized that he recognized that girl's voice.

Apple replied uncertainly. "Y-you think? I'm not certain I could act that way."

Shu interrupted the discussion by asking, "You're sure it was the Highland Second Army?"

As Flik walked into the room, he squinted against the light from the west facing windows and tried to locate the people already there. Shu, Apple, and Fitcher were standing below the steps of the dais, conversing with a girl sitting on a barrel at the top of the steps. The girl's brown hair was done up in a high ponytail, and she wore a sleeveless green dress. The skirt on that dress was pleated and gave way well up her thigh. Over the dress she had on a top made of vertical stripes in yellow, brown, and red. She drummed her legs -they were covered by dark stockings- against the barrel. The motion caused the two little red bells she wore on her absurdly large, white collar to jingle in time. Flik only had to blink twice before he recognized her.

"I'm totally sure," Meg answered. "At least, I think I'm totally sure." Shu sighed, but Meg had noticed the new arrivals. She swung around the top of the barrel to greet them. "Viktor, Flik, long time no see. I didn't know you were up here."

Viktor shrugged. "Aren't you going to tell us that we're supposed to be dead?"

Meg frowned thoughtfully. "Are you really dead? Does that mean I'm talking to a pair of ghosts? Neat, that's the coolest thing I've heard of in a while." She studied them more closely. "You aren't dead, I can see you breathing."

And then the barrel that Meg was sitting on started thrashing about violently, causing her to topple off behind it. To Flik's amazement, the barrel sprouted a pair of wooden arms, a set of three wheels, two large painted eyes, and a metal mouth. More surprisingly, the barrel began to speak in a dry, uneven voice. "Miss Meg, that young man is Lord Riou, leader of the New State Army."

Meg popped back up, setting her elbows directly onto the barrel's…head. "Are you sure? I thought he'd be a little more manly."

Riou might've responded, but it was Nanami who rushed to his defense. "My brother's plenty manly," she said irately. "Maybe if you weren't such a shallow little tramp, you'd be able to see that."

Meg smirked, standing up to her full height. "At least I've got something to show off. No wonder you dress that way. If I looked like you, I'd hide everything too."

Nanami shrieked, "You take that back now, before I have to come up there and hurt you!"

"You shouldn't get so jealous," Meg bantered easily. "Anybody can see my natural advantages. Isn't that right Flik?" She gave him a winning smile.

Nanami turned her wrath on him. "If you even think for a moment that she looks better than I do, I'll claw your eyes out."

At this point, all Flik wanted to do was find the nearest corner and disappear into it. Luckily, Shu saved him, stepping between the two girls and sternly saying, "I believe this conversation is better suited for somewhere else, like the new baths. Anybody who has anything else to say on the matter will be escorted from the great hall by my men, understand?"

Meg was all happy smiles again. "I've made my point." Shu glanced sharply at her, causing her smile to falter. Nanami ground her teeth but subsided. Shu cleared his throat, turned to face Riou, and said, "I'm glad you've arrived."

"What's the news?" Viktor questioned.

Shu's tone was grave. "I regret to inform you that Greenhill was taken by the Kingdom of Highland."

"Not good news at all," Viktor muttered.

Flik felt ill, and he was sure -mostly sure- that it had nothing to do with overeating. "Greenhill is lost?" he finally managed to say. "How did they manage that? Highland was so focused on Two River."

"The force wasn't very large," Apple informed them. "We think it numbered only five thousand men."

A spasm of light-headedness coursed through Flik. As much as he wanted to collapse on the steps of the dais, he kept his feet. "You can't be serious!" Viktor exclaimed loudly. "Five thousand men, is that confirmed?"

Shu looked at Fitcher, who spoke. "My people in Greenhill province are all as amazed as you are, but this girl," he pointed at Meg, "was at the border when the Highland Army crossed in."

Meg drummed her feet against the barrel. "They were completely rude, too. Told me I couldn't go to Greenhill until their operation was over, then they locked me up in a cell. Too bad they didn't realize I had my Gadget with me."

"A few iron bars are nothing to me," the barrel replied proudly.

Viktor continued his questioning of Shu. "But Greenhill has at least seven thousand soldiers. You're telling me that they were defeated?"

Shu shook his head. "We have no confirmation of their tactics yet, and I don't care to speculate. However, we have learned a few things. First, the assault was carried out by elements of the Highland Second Army."

Viktor interrupted again. "Solon Jhee's unit? I don't think that's possible. I mean, how could that general pull off a such a brilliant maneuver?"

"It's very possible," Shu replied. "But it's no longer Solon Jhee's unit. He was executed by Luca Blight because of his defeat here and the subsequent loss of all of South Window province."

Flik finally found his voice. "An execution? That's awfully harsh."

"From Luca Blight's standpoint, it is a wise move," Shu answered. He read the shocked looks on everybody's faces, and smiled just a little. "By exercising his authority as supreme commander, the Prince has removed a general appointed by his father, Agares, and replaced him with someone loyal to himself. The Highland Army is slowly being turned into a personal instrument of the Prince's will."

"Do we know the name of this new general?" Viktor asked.

"None of my sources seemed to know," Fitcher responded.

"The name does not matter," Shu said tersely. "What matters is that this commander has succeeded in an unexpected way. Indeed, he has thrown off all of my plans for meeting Highland on a united front from South Window to Matilda. We cannot take him lightly."

Viktor growled fiercely. "Then now is the time to draw up some plans of attack. We've got to retake Greenhill."

"No," Shu said decisively. "Even with the addition of forces from Two River, we do not have the men to march into Greenhill, protect the army's rear from Muse, and dislodge the Highland Army from the city. Furthermore, such a move would expose Dunan Castle dangerously. We are not so secure here that I don't have to worry about a sudden attack from the lake."

"Are you telling us to give up?" Flik asked testily. "If all we can do is hide here while Highland slowly gobbles up parts of Jowston, then we're going to lose the war."

"I am a realist, Flik. We must accept situations as they are, not as we wish them to be. Still, I did not say we should do nothing. We have learned that despite the speed of Highland's victory, they were not able to secure the acting mayor, Teresa Wisemail. Our best option would be to send a delegation to meet with her and spirit her away to safety."

"Is that really going to help us?" Viktor questioned. "Seems like a long shot, if you ask me."

"Perhaps, but the rewards will be substantial if we succeed. As things stand now, Highland troops control the city of Greenhill, but none of the surrounding countryside. I am certain that they intended to use Lady Teresa's authority to help pacify the whole province. If we can get her to safety, then the people of the province will rally to our cause. If Highland captures her, it will only help them tighten their control."

Flik scratched his scalp. "You've really thought this through. That's impressive. Do you have a plan to get her out?"

Shu turned to Riou and spoke. "Greenhill is famous for its college, called the New Leaf Academy. Nobles and wealthy families from many countries send their children to the school to study. I suspect that won't change even if the town is under Highland occupation. Thus, Lord Riou and a small team should be able to infiltrate the city, pose as students, find Teresa, and get her out.

Riou, for once, looked nervous. "You want me to pretend to be a student? I'm not sure I could pull that off. It's not like I've had a lot of formal education to begin with."

"I don't believe you'd be there for more than a week at the most," Shu consoled him. "That wouldn't be enough time for you to finish their orientation program. Besides, you gauge your intelligence far too modestly, if I may offer an opinion."

"Should Riou really be the one to go?" Viktor asked. "Sending him into the middle of any occupied city sounds very risky."

"He should go as part of a group," Shu replied. "But he has to go. Lady Teresa is known to be somewhat insecure about her position as acting mayor. Sending Riou to meet her is a sign of our respect for her, as well as a powerful showing of our commitment to helping her city. We'll need her unflinching support."

"I'm going!" Nanami shouted. "I've always wanted to go to a real school." Pilika rushed excitedly over to Nanami's side. "Pilika wants to go, too."

Meg casually stepped around in front of her barrel- she had called it Gadget, Flik remembered. "I was going there to begin with, so I'll come along. There's a book I want to read on Sindar gears by Babbage of Estrise in the library of New Leaf Academy."

Nanami frowned, but her mood quickly brightened. "We should have some others join us too!"

Shu sent messengers to summon the school-age members of Riou's entourage. In half an hour, a motley group of eight boys -though not all of them were human- and four girls had joined the others in the great hall. Shu calmly explained the mission and waited for a few minutes while for the excited conversation to die down. Then came the winnowing.

Gengen, Gabocha, and Chaco were immediately dismissed, much to their disappointment. Shu calmly explained that kobolds and winghordes almost never went to New Leaf, and that they would be too conspicuous. Bolgan was similarly excused, and Riou had to tell him that "it isn't because we don't think you're smart enough," before the large youth finally accepted the judgement.

Other candidates refused for their own reasons. Rina waved her hand dismissively and said she wasn't interested. Hix, much as Riou had done earlier, stated that he wasn't confident in his intellectual abilities. Tengaar stayed behind to be around Hix. Kinnison answered that he was uncomfortable being enclosed by walls with lots of people around. Templeton demurred, wishing not to be drawn away from his maps.

Eilie and Millie agreed to come and, joining Nanami, they made a perfect triangle of giggly potential schoolgirls.

Fitcher frowned at Riou standing by himself. "We'll need at least one more boy. They have the students sleep two to a room, and if Riou's going to be trying to meet Teresa, he'll need someone he can trust with him.

All of the eyes in the room turned to Luc, who'd been silently brooding in the corner during the earlier conversations. Registering the attention on him, he sneered and said, "Surely you don't expect that I, Lady Leknaat's great apprentice, would wish to go to a school."

Riou crossed the room to stand before the recalcitrant wind mage. Luc seemed discomforted by Riou's approach, looking out of the windows instead of meeting his eyes. "You always look so bored standing in front of the Tablet of Stars all day. You hardly ever talk to anybody. Come with us. You could talk with us, maybe make some friends."

"I don't need any friends," Luc responded, but his voice lacked the fine edge of his usual conceit.

"Maybe we can help you find the freedom you're looking for," Riou shot back. "Come along. It's got to be better than sitting around all day doing nothing."

"Are you ordering me to join you?"

Riou shook his head. "No, I'm only asking. If you refuse, we'll just do the plan as well as we are able."

Luc finally looked him right in the eyes. "Do you enjoy your power; the ability to break people's fates to your will?" Without waiting for Riou's answer, Luc started walking past him. "I guess I'll play this game, if only to see how you use your rune."

Shu appraised the group of would-be students. "Excellent. I believe only one further addition is needed. Flik, I'd like you to go to Greenhill with Lord Riou."

Flik, who'd bemusedly watched the selection process, now started with surprise. "How would I help things?"

In a completely serious voice, Shu answered, "Your role will be that of bodyguard and, technically at least, their adult supervision."

Warning bells clanged between Flik's ears. "You want me to supervise…them?"

Suddenly Nanami and Pilika were skipping in circles around him, Nanami happily shouting, "Teacher Flik! Teacher Flik!" Meg and Millie found this delightfully funny, laughing out loud. Eilie more discretely hid her smile behind her hand.

Flik put up his hands. "I'm not anybody's teacher, so stop calling me that. Besides, Riou is the leader, whatever our roles."

Luc sneered openly. "That's good, because I certainly wouldn't take commands from you."

Taking a few calming breaths, Flik ignored the wind mage and turned back to Shu. "How about getting into the academy? I don't think you want us to walk up there and use our real names."

"Indeed. Fitcher and I have worked out the details." Shu glanced over at his new assistant. "Fitcher, will you fill them in?"

Fitcher looked nervously around the room. "I suppose I can. The cover story is that Riou will be the son of Lord De Beers, a Falenan expatriate now living in Kanakan. The family was on the losing end of the Godwin uprising ten years ago. I suppose Nanami can be his daughter. Flik, you will be their family appointed bodyguard. The rest of the group doesn't really need any cover, since none of them are particularly well known."

"Does that mean we get to pick new names?" Nanami asked.

"I've already selected some serviceable names in the Falenan style," Fitcher assured them. "Nanami, you will go as Nymalia. Riou, your new name is Reen. Flik, for you I think-"

"Bluto," Viktor interrupted.

"Wait, I'm not going under that name," Flik pleaded.

"Sounds good to me," Shu said. "Especially if we want to revive that old ex-gladiator idea."

Flik sputtered through the beginning of an argument, but it was Fitcher who got out the next coherent sentence. "I guess that will work. It's not as though it changes much." He looked uneasily in Flik's direction before he continued. "I'll have to ask that Riou, Nanami, and Flik change their clothes, too."

Irrational anger shot through Flik. "I'm not going to do that!"

"Calm down, Flik," Shu chided. "It can't be helped. Too many people recognize your blue clothing on sight. You won't be doing Riou any good if somebody names you as Flik of the Blue Thunder in front of a couple of Highland soldiers."

"Blue Lightning," Flik corrected. However, he couldn't muster any arguments against Shu's reasoning. Fitcher had men bring in the clothing. How he'd managed to find Falenan clothing Flik didn't ask. Instead, Flik carried the garments back to his room to dress.

He set the garments down on his bed, pulled off his blue cape, and wondered if he ought to have asked for instructions. The main piece seemed clear enough, it was a long, rose -Flik steadfastly refused to think of it as pink- dress robe. Spread out on his bed, it was clearly wide enough to fit two of him easily. He pondered over whether it was meant to be worn with pants and an undershirt, and decided to err on the side of decency.

He wrapped the garment around him, struggling with all the excess fabric and the wide sleeves. Trying to keep the robe in place, Flik reached for the next item on the bed, a long, black sash. He wound it around his midsection, tightening the robe in place, and found that he had more than ten feet of surplus fabric. Confused, he kept spiraling it around his waist until he'd completed more than a couple circuits of his body. Finally tying the ends together in front, he found it difficult to bend over and pick up the last articles of clothing.

The black and gold gauntlets were easy enough to figure out, until he tried to put them on over his robe. There was too much cloth for that, so Flik decided that they had to go on under. There was also a black mantle with gold trim -at least he assumed it was a mantle- with a rose half-cape that had little golden stars on it hanging down from the back. The collars of the mantle were uncomfortably high, the front catching him on the chin, but Flik got it in place. Last of all, he tied on the blue headband that he wore over his forehead, if only to keep a little piece of his old identity.

He tried not to show too much discomfort as he strode back to the great hall. Even before entering, he could hear peals of laughter.

"That dress is so darling," Meg mock cooed. "You look positively adorable."

"Get me something else, Fitcher," Nanami demanded. "I'm not going to Greenhill in this. How am I supposed to fight?"

Flik walked in to see what "this" was. I was a short walking dress in hunter green with a high collar and long sleeves, both of which ended in white frills. It showed much more of her legs than she, or Flik, was used to.

"Um…in general, the ladies of the Falenan upper class tend not to," Fitcher answered.

Then people started noticing Flik. Viktor, in deference to his friend, gamely tried to cover a snort with his hand, but it was no use. Seconds later, the big man was guffawing loudly, doubled over.

"What is that?" Millie exclaimed between giggles.

Fitcher rolled his eyes. "You've got that all wrong, Flik. First off, the collar should go over your shoulders, so the cape is on the left side." He came over, grabbed the piece Flik had assumed was a mantle, and wrenched it around so the starry half-cape was in its proper position. Next he looked critically at the black sash. "Proper Falenans tie this off in a wide bow in the back."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No." Fitcher started undoing the knot and unwinding the sash. After a couple of minutes, the sash was re-tied in a bow with two huge loops and two tails that nearly dragged on the floor.

"Do proper Falenan gentlemen fight in this arrangement?"

"Of course. Why, the Queen's Knights do so all the time."

"I see," Flik said dryly. "What happens when somebody grabs part of the bow?"

Fitcher's answer was cut off as Riou entered the room. Riou's new attire included a pair of tight, bright white pants, a long maroon button down jacket, and a half-cape in navy blue with a white sawn on it. Flik noticed that Riou was still wearing his circlet.

Eilie rushed over to him. "It's so cute," she gushed.

"I think he looks like a dork," Meg commented. "But it's not his fault. Judging by the clothing, Falenans must be completely clueless about good taste."

Forestalling any biting comeback from Nanami, Shu said, "I believe we are ready to begin. You will leave this afternoon. Fitcher will go ahead of you to make arrangements. Flik, I wish you all the best of luck."

Flik sighed. The way Nanami and Meg were glaring at each other, he knew he was going to need it.