Chapter 26:
"Thanks, Finn," Lady burbled. "No problem," Finn replied, as he finished rehanging the sliding door to her bedroom. She'd been living with the door being broken for a couple of years now. She was on a budget, and she was happy to admit that she was no hand at fixing things. "Yeah," Charlie murmured. "Thanks." Viola pinched her. She was staring at him. Not that he wasn't a fucking sight to behold with his shirt off, but it was a little creepy to be looking at the man they'd called 'uncle' that way.
The King's phone rang. Putting aside the tools, Finn the King moved to his phone. He hoped it was JJ. He was praying for good news about Liz. Instead, he saw that Billy was calling him. Picking up the phone, the big man rumbled, "go..." "Hey, dad," Billy announced. "I've... There's some news you need to hear. Moms want you back." Finn gave vent to a heavy sigh. He'd been starting to enjoy his vacation. "I'll be there in an hour," the King responded. Muttering curses, the big man hung up and slid his phone into his pocket. "Trouble," Lady asked? "Sounds like it," Finn agreed. "I thought you were on vacation," Charlie remarked. "Yeah, I did too," the King retorted.
The big man went into Jake Junior's old room and began gathering up his clothes and belongings. Charlie moved to the door and asked, "what do we tell Jake and Bronwyn?" The half-bear had stepped out of the house to run some errands, and Jake Junior was still out looking for her daughter. Fin replied, "I expect they'll be getting told where I am, but in case they get here first, tell them I was called back to the castle."
As the sun climbed the sky towards mid-morning, a limo rolled up into the Candy Palace carrying Jake Junior and her daughter. Emeraude and her friend had gotten off the train late in the night, leaving Jake to return to the Candy Kingdom alone. Making the turn, the car rolled down into the garage. Glancing out the window, Jake caught a glimpse of Finn climbing out of a second limo, and immediately her hackles went up. Finn was supposed to be on vacation! She almost jumped out of the limo while it was still being parked, and she had to force herself to remain calm, when she wanted to race after her boyfriend.
Beside her, Liz was silent as the limo door was opened. She'd spent the night crying, and there had been very little that Jake could do for her. She wasn't good with that. Even understanding, as a woman, what Liz was going through, she didn't have it in her to soothe and comfort the younger woman. Climbing out, Jake went around and drew her kid out of the car. Taking her by the arm, Jake headed for the infirmary.
That was where Simone found the shapechanger. The doctors had given the young girl a sedative and examination, then put her to bed. After spending a few minutes at her bedside, Jake Junior got up and headed out. It was time to find out why Finn was back in the castle. Coming out of the infirmary, the unhappy mom ran straight into her former in-law. "Is my granddaughter ok," Simone asked? Junior flushed. "I figured out what was going on," the Ice Queen murmured. She meant the phone call. A lone tear slid down the shapechanger's face. "I put your child in danger," Jake rumbled. Simone wasn't sure which she meant–her involving Fionna in one of her cons or the thing with Star. "Forgiven," Simone replied. "Is Liz alright?" "She's... they were... She's not in a good place," Jake rumbled. Simone hugged her, and that precipitated the water. "We have her back," Simone breathed. "We have her back, Jake. This is fixable."
Breaking free, the shapechanger turned and wiped her face. "I saw Finn," she said. "What's going on?" With a sigh, Simone said, "there's a war going on in the east in Truth Kingdom." Jake nodded. They were leaving. Vacation was over. "Will you look after her, while I'm gone," she asked? "She's my granddaughter," Simone replied. The pair walked down to the situation room. As they walked, Simone slowly picked out what had been going on with Liz. The tale was a little hard to follow, likely because Liz was incoherent. It was every shade of not good, though. It was horrifying to think that someone had wanted to rape Liz just because she was Finn's granddaughter. A dark speck in Simone's heart hoped that all the demons of the Night-O-Sphere were snacking on that fucker's soul right now. Drawing up on the situation room, Simone put those thoughts aside. It was time to get busy. There were lives to save.
Orzsebet had the floor when they walked into the meeting. The spy's pregnant belly attracted Jake Junior's immediate notice. It was Finn's. She was certain of it. Simone went up the length of the table to her place. Jake hung back, watching and listening. "He has refitted his nation's search-and-rescue machines with weapons to turn them into war-machines," the Agent Princess announced. As Jake Junior watched, a hologram sprang to life, showing the machines in question. They were built up with frames of welded metal tubing, fitted with mechanical legs, and they reminded her of nothing so much as a mechanical horse or maybe a wolf. Metal plating had been fitted over them, and each hulking machine now sported an array of guns.
"How strong are they," Finn asked? Nadia, who'd seen her neighbor's rescue-robots in action, responded, "each machine is capable of lifting a thousand tons on its own. They have fitments for an array of mechanical equipment for rescue work such as digging and drilling implements. The weapons... we're not sure of. Witness report that they fire beams of light that can blast whole houses away at one shot." They were, in short, almost as strong as the Machine Army. And this clown had a thousand of them. "What're his aims," Finn asked? "Besides the obvious."
"He intends to carve out an empire along that edge of the western ocean," the Lady of Spies replied. "He believes it to be the birthright of his people. My agents indicate that he has rediscovered ancient texts that suggest his people were a warrior race." "They were," Betty rumbled. Every face swivelled to hers. With a sigh, Betty said, "my people conquered his ancestors nearly a century before I was born. They fought over the same things he's fighting for now. His ancestors wanted an empire at other people's expense, and my ancestors stood in their way. We forced pacifism on them so they would never seek war again. Even when the bombs were falling, they were pacifists. The world he believes is his birthright was dead before the Mushroom War."
Moving the conversation onwards, Finn said, "I need Nadia and Sarah to give me an idea of what I'm dealing with. I want to know what the strengths and weakness of this army of his could be." "Finn," Orzsebet growled. "You have a far mightier and more numerous army..." "What's the point of enforcing peace, then, Orzsebet," Finn interrupted? "Why do we have a Peace of Ooo, if we rush to break it at every turn?" Her supple mouth worked, as she tried to formulate an answer for that. Everybody at the table knew the answer well enough, but it was an answer that nobody was comfortable with.
Phoebe remarked, "husband, it does no good to slaughter all the men of Ooo fighting against war-machines to preserve the peace. Be careful with this. This is... dangerous." "I know, babe," Finn sighed. "Trust me when I say I know just how dangerous this is. I want... I'm not against fighting fire with fire, but I need to know that it's what I have to do and not just what I want to do for convenience." Rising, the King said, "I need that assessment. Tomorrow. I also need transportation for five thousand troops. They're to carry firearms, and we'll bring cannon and some of Blargetha's tanks, just in case." It was a minimalist approach. The bare minimum of force. Roselinen was proud of her husband. He was the man this world needed.
The jobs got divided up, with Nadia promising that the airships he needed would be waiting at the field in two days. Sarah and Bonnibel swore they'd get cracking on figuring out just how dangerous Tatsuo's battle-machines were. That left the issue of who was going east to deal with the mess and who would be remaining here. There were many voices who wanted Finn to stay and Billy to go in his place. There were just as many who wanted Finn in the East.
Interrupting the shouting, Betty declared, "it has to be Finn. There is no-one else who can do the whole of the task." When one of the others would have shouted her down, Roselinen whistled to cut them off, giving Betty a chance to speak. "There are a lot of petty domains floating around on the edges of the Empire. Trouble always appears at the margins. This is a chance for these people to see Finn and judge for themselves whether they want to be part of the Empire or not." Being King was more than fighting battles. Finn had always striven to win the resulting peace.
"Ok," said Bonnie the Younger. I'll pack my things to go with daddy." That aroused a fresh round of protest, but Bonnie stood her ground. "Fionna has to finish the barrier in Jungle Kingdom. Star has to hunt down the traitors who tried to murder dad. Bill's got to run the kingdom and solve problems. I'm not any good with any of those things, but maybe... maybe this thing inside me can be used to help fight these war-machines." Billy clapped her on the back. She grinned at him. She felt at home finally. She was part of things.
As the meeting broke up, Finn headed down the length of the table with Simone at his side. Just the sight of him tugged at Jake Junior's heartstrings. It was getting worse. She was falling in deeper, moment by moment. Striding up, the big man threw his long arms around her and hugged her. "How is she," he asked? "She's... we had to put her to sleep," Junior sobbed. Liz was a mess. "We'll get her into counseling," Simone said. "I'll get it set up myself." Squaring up, the shapechanger wiped the tears away, and asked, "when are we leaving?" Finn sighed. Yeah, that was his life. He knew she wouldn't stay even if he begged. "Day after tomorrow," Finn replied. He was putting it off, and she knew it. "Go see Lady," he advised. "Tell your mom and sisters you're leaving." "Ok," she agreed.
Far to the east, Gordon Wells ushered the two idiots who'd thought to kill a king into the presence of his pet madman. Chicle was at a strange electronic console, tapping keys and manipulating controls, while his father supervised. As Gordon approached, he realized that they were looking down into one of stone storage vats that the locals had used to dissolve paint and contaminants from the reclaimed metal they harvested. Only today, the vat was empty.
The trio stopped at the edge of the vat and looked down to find a dozen men there, facing off against a strange, metallic warrior. The strangers were armed with various bits of the local flavor–swords, spears, and a pair of bows. The warrior stood taller than a man, and as the trio watched, the creature drew one of their spearguns. Leveling the gun at its adversaries, the thing opened fire, hurling bolts of incandescent metal, that ripped through several of his opponents, shredding their tender flesh and setting them ablaze. Seeing Gordon's interest, Gumbald remarked, "improvements..." The creature fired six times, slaying five, before moving forward as if for hand-to-hand battle.
Reversing the speargun, the monstrous warrior leaped forward, landing among the remnant of its adversaries. Immediately, it skewered the largest opponent, running the spear through his heart. A second man slashed ineffectually at its flank, but the warrior punched him so hard, it shattered his skull and dropped him on the spot. A third man dodged that flailing fist on the back-stroke, even as he jabbed his own spear into the creature's armored hide, snapping the head off his weapon. As he backpedaled away, the giant warrior slashed open his back with its own spear, mortally wounding him too.
The remainder backed up and separated, with one man running the length of the tank. The creature turned and hurled its spear, straight as an arrow, skewering him before he got more than a dozen yards. Then, picking up a sword, it turned to the rest. The tenth foe backpedaled, doing his best to fend off the monstrous warrior's blows until one such blow battered past his defenses and cut down through his shoulder and deep into his chest. Screaming at his foe, another man thrust his sword at what looked like the joint between its leg armor and its crotch. That finally seemed to tell on the creature, which stopped right where it was, as thick, black fluid ran out of the wound.
As the warrior drew back his blade, he was just a precious second too slow. The crippled monster grabbed him by the scruff. Tearing the sword from his hands, the monstrous iron beast jammed that sword down his throat and killed him on the spot. The last man threw himself up against the wall at Gumbald's feet, pleading and screaming for release. Callously, the genius dropped a glass vial of deadly venom on his head. As the dead man screamed and clutched at his burning scalp, the evil genius turned to face Gordon and his guests. "How may I help you," asked Gumbald?
Gordon responded, "I brought our... associates... to parley. Perhaps we can speak in private." Turning to Chicle, Gumbald said, "shore up the weak spot." With no further word, the tall man followed his business partners out of the arena. The rogue candy-person took the lead as they made their way through the warren of factories. The machines around them were still stamping out parts, and sparks in one of the buildings told that the entranced citizens of the town were still working the foundries, melting down scrap and making metal ingots to be beaten into whatever shape pleased the madman.
Gumbald brought them out to a small quiet space where he had snacks and drink waiting, likely for he and his kin. "That creature," Nicia asked? "What is it?" "One of the machine army I promised to build," Gumbald responded. Othman goggled at him. "Th-they work," he babbled? He'd been sure that this man was all talk. "Of course they work," Gumbald retorted. "Do you think me a fool?" Neither of the two was idiot enough to answer that, though it was clear that was exactly what they had thought. Turning to Gordon, the tall fellow asked, "why are they here? What is it that they need?" He hadn't really been expecting to deal with them until the army was ready.
"Their plan suffered a bit of a setback," the spymaster chuckled. "They needed sanctuary." "And you brought them here," Gumbald demanded? He sounded irritated. It was clear that he feared that these would bring trouble. "I also brought the weapons for yon beasty," Gordon retorted. "They contributed the weapons, so you might try gratitude." The gum-person wore an expression like thunder. Clearly gratitude was an emotion in short supply with the mad genius. "Is my niece hunting them," he asked? "No," Gordon replied. It was a small lie. Finn's nasty daughter was, but she was back in the west.
"What... how far are you from being able to act," Nicia asked? "We... we've lost our domains. We're exiled." Gumbald snorted, "if you'd waited, you wouldn't be in such a precarious place." Othman glanced away, and Nicia muttered curses. He'd told them at their meeting that they were ill-prepared. They'd proven him right.
Gordon had other concerns. "How many can we build," he demanded? He wanted to press ahead, now that he saw progress. Gumbald wasn't alone in fearing the fallout of the nobles' rash actions. "Possibly three more," Gumbald replied. "We need more fuel." His eyes accused Gordon. He was supposed to be working on the job of finding out what the defenses of the fuel stores in Jungle Kingdom were. With a heavy sigh, Gordon said, "I'm headed west. Stay out of trouble until I get back."
As the sun rose over the Candy Kingdom, Liz Mertens woke to find her mother sitting in the chair next to her bed. She looked like she may have been there all night. "Momma," the young woman murmured. "Hey," Jake Junior replied. Reaching out, she took her daughter's hand. "How ya feeling," she asked? Liz stared straight ahead. "I... not good, momma," she murmured. Jake sighed. With a nod, she said, "I know."
Changing the subject, the shapechanger said, "we're home. You're in the Candy Palace. Your dad's here. I can call him..." "I stole from him," Liz murmured. "He gave you the money," Jake retorted. "I stole it," Liz insisted. "It... just because he expected me to do it, doesn't mean I didn't try to take from my daddy." "Bill doesn't care, Liz," Jake declared. "Your dad doesn't care about the money."
"Momma," Liz murmured. "Momma, what's wrong with me? What makes me hurt people who love me? I... Simone took care of us, and I stole from her purse... I said awful stuff to her." Jake Junior flinched at those words, hitting so close to home, as they did. "I'm what's wrong with you, honey," the shapechanger murmured. The older woman was staring straight ahead when she said it. "My grandparent–my real one–was a monster from beyond the stars," Jake sighed. "It traveled the universe creating offspring wherever it could... offspring that it hoped would grow mighty."
Liz was staring at her now. She could see her daughter's expression in her peripheral vision. It hurt. Her daughter was seeing a monster. She was seeing a monster at her bedside. Jake Junior regretted it all. She regretted having children, and she found herself vowing that she would never have anymore. She couldn't do this again. "It's goal was to consume its own children," Jake murmured, "to devour them down to the last one to increase its own power. Only to start the cycle all over again." Jake Junior turned to her child and said, "the evil's inside of me, Liz. It's always been there... the hunger to hurt others, even those I love the most. Now I've given you the same curse."
The young woman snatched back her hand as if she'd been holding a red-hot iron. Curling up in a ball in bed, she began to cry. Rising, Jake said, "I pray someday they can help you, Liz, because I can't even help myself. I'm... almost a slave to the monster inside of me, and every day's a battle to keep it bottled up inside. I... I have to go now. I'm headed east with your grandfather to end a war, if we can. I've... asked your grandmoms to look after you. You need to learn to fight the monster inside you, my baby girl, or it will destroy you the way it destroyed me."
The car was waiting, when Jake reached the garage. Patiently, she stood beside the armored limo until Finn arrived. He came in company with Simone, Roselinen, and Betty, having a last-minute conversation about the things that needed to get done while he was away. Primarily that was gathering up materials for the project in Coca Kingdom. When he'd finished the conversation, he stood there a minute, speaking with the trio before offering each a kiss on the cheek. Striding across the garage, the big man wasted nary a moment before climbing in the car. Jake immediately moved to occupy the jump-seat in front of him. This wasn't the time for emotion. They were going to war.
Talk on the road to the airfield was about expectations. Lamprey Princess and her folk were bringing in food to help the besieged city of Sonbong. She'd be on scene when they got there. The Agent Princess was doing her best to locate the missing Truth Field Princess. Rumblings suggested she was alive, but they had no more than that. Finn's mind was on the army they would be facing. News from Sarah and Nadia was good, but things would still be rather touchy. A second air-bridge was forming up, this time to haul a couple of containers of the Army of Ooo to the far east as backup.
Jake absorbed all of the talk without comment. Her job was a simpler one. Keep Finn's head on his shoulders. It was a certainty that, where war was concerned, treachery was in the offing. If Tatsuo would do in his own princess, what would stop him from trying to murder a king?
The airship was waiting and loaded when they rolled up, and Finn was a little surprised to find Charlie standing beside it, right alongside Bonnie the Younger. "Uh, what gives," Finn asked, as he strolled up to the ramp? With a shrug, Charlie replied, "you're going my way. My Yoga Studio is near Sonbong." Jake glared at her. "This isn't a game," she snapped, as she strode past. "What's eating her," the curvy pup burbled? "Sonbong's surrounded, Charlie," Finn replied. "I'm not sure this is a good place for you to go." "My home's there," Charlie replied. "My life is there." "Suit yourself," Finn sighed, as he headed up the ramp.
Inside the ship, Finn was a little surprised to find his wayward son waiting on one of the benches. "Jay," Finn burbled. Then, shaking off the shock, the big man strode over and threw his arms about his son. When he let go, the younger man glanced away. "I... have been a jerk," he said. "I heard that you were going to stop a war. I'm... I'm in. Whatever I can do to help." "Thanks," Finn said, as he embraced his boy again.
The trip was a nervous one for Bonnie. Sitting in the front of the machine as it began its takeoff, she'd really had no idea what to expect. What she found was that the whole business was everything she'd feared and then some. As she'd watched, the machine soared away from the ground. Far from floating a few hundred feet up, as she'd thought it might, it had gone higher and higher and then higher still, until all that she could see below them was just the green earth, without even the sight of houses, much less individual people.
Terror filled her heart, as she came to understand just how dangerous the business was–and why it was her stepmother wanted her on the ground instead of riding in the sky. She was a danger to all aboard the strange machine, and she found herself in fear that the power inside her would, somehow, get loose. Jay, strangely enough, spent the time asleep. He sat himself on the bench in the rear of the machine, lay his head back, and dozed off. It was as if they'd gotten on a riverboat, headed down to Woolsock. And maybe that was the key. Obviously these folk did this rather a lot. There was an industry around it. That said it was safe enough–no worse than the rivermen from her home. Calm down, Bonnie, the half-breed told herself. Relax! Just like Mr. Wolf said.
Hours twirled by, as the machine roared across the sky. Getting used to the noise, Bonnie found herself drifting off. Her dad came by and slipped a blanket over her. Then, heading aft, he found Jake Junior standing at one of the small windows there and joined her. "Come to bed," the King said. "We'll be in the air for hours. You'll want to be rested. This isn't going to be fun." The shapechanger let herself be persuaded. Finn led her to one of the tiny cabins and all but stripped her himself. Drawing back the covers, he made her get in before crawling in after her. Keyed up as she was, the younger woman still managed to drift off almost as soon as her head touched the pillow.
All too soon, she woke to find Finn gone. She was a little surprised to find clothing already laid out for her. The big man had laid out a chick-suit in a dark blue with hip-hugging pants, a form-fitting jacket, and a soft blouse in green silk. Rising, she splashed a little water on herself, then slipped into the outfit he'd pulled out, drew on the hiking boots he'd left for her, and headed out into the main cabin. Finn was at the back of the airship, talking to its captain, and Jake hurried to join him.
Charlie fell in at her side, as she went down the length of the metal tube, dodging around ropes and straps that existed to tie down the ship's cargo. "Where are we," Jake asked? "Two hours out from Sonbong," Charlie replied. "I heard them talking. This mystery army has the place surrounded." "You shouldn't have come," Jake rumbled. "What gives, sis," Charlie demanded? "I have to do this, Charlie," Jake said. "I... He's my hope for sanity. You don't. You would have been safer at mom's place." The shapechanger accelerated, leaving her sister behind.
"Finn," she greeted the King. "We'll be landing, soon, Jake," Finn announced. "There's enemies around. The flight may get a little rough. Get Charlie, Jay, and Bonnie, and take them up to the middle of the plane. Wait near the door there, just in case. There's parachutes. The crew can show you how to use them. I'll be along in a minute." It was curt and to the point–vastly different from the way he'd been on their train ride together.
It hurt. A lot. Her daughter was a mess, and she was the cause. She had no way to help her child because she couldn't even help herself. She wanted him to hold her, like Billy used to. She wanted Finn to hold her and make it all go away for a while. At the same time, this wasn't the time or place. Though she seethed with fear and anguish, the shapechanger did just as her boyfriend had told her. She went back up the length of the machine, collecting the others as she went. Once at the door, she opened the locker there and began handing out parachutes, though it fell to one of the crew to show them how to get the things on. Finn joined them minutes later, and the five sat down near that door and waited.
Just as Finn had said, things got a little rough. The ship practically danced across the sky, and Jake imagined those machines shooting at them, as the pilot dodged around, getting ever closer to the town. Again and again the machine dropped, causing Bonnie to hold onto the arms of her seat in a white-knuckle grip. Finn was calm as anything, though, and that helped Jake stay calm. Her fingers found his, and she held his hand. If she died here, with him, she was happy. No regrets.
Finally the machine straightened out, suggesting the worst was over. Minutes later, they heard the landing gear coming out. And then the engines went into hover-mode, jerking the flying machine to a sudden halt. Just moments later, they felt as much as heard the landing gear touch down. They were here. They were safe.
Shedding the parachutes, the King and his little entourage headed for the side-door, which was just folding down. As they climbed down the stairs, Jake scanned the scene. This was one of the places she'd talked about with Billy. She'd always wanted to visit Charlie's home in the far distant east. Wish it was better days, she thought. Finn's eyes were on the scene around them. The landing field was relatively tiny, tucked into a corner of the city's land that had been cleared. "Those machines overran the old one," one of the crew confirmed. "Find me a better spot," Finn said. "I need those soldiers and weapons, and having them get shot down doesn't really help us." In the right now, he had to deal with the issue that had just walked onto the scene. The Lord of Sonbong had sent one of his people down to meet them.
Across the sea at King's Island, Shoko turned from an examination of the last of the walking machines to find her husband standing there, watching. They hadn't had a great deal of time to chat these last few days. She'd buried herself in the work of getting these machines finished, and Randy had lain low, avoiding conflict. Now, with the first mission about to head out, it was time for the showdown that she'd been dreading.
Putting down the instruments that Maja had helped her make, Shoko walked to her husband's side. Stopping just in front of him, the young woman stared up at him for a while, her face unreadable. Gathering all her courage, Shoko Mertens-Okonski announced, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the things I said to you. You were trying to look after me, and I shouted at you for no good reason." Randy visibly relaxed. Reaching out, the big man hugged her, as Shoko began to cry. "My precious princess," he murmured. "Mother of my children..." His hand stroked her swollen middle, home of their daughter.
With a heavy-hearted sigh, he said, "I wasn't angry, my sweet. I was afraid." Shoko's breath caught. The big man ran his fingers through her hair, as he told her, "I fear for you. I look at your father and all the wounds he's suffered, and I fear my wife will share that fate." Shoko's eyes grew big. "There's much of him in you," Randy told her. "That same willingness to give all for the sake of others." Stepping back, he said, "but the world is often so much bigger than our wants, my precious princess. I stand ever at your back, ready to give all I have so others might live."
Up in the palace, Phoebe sat down before her once-bitter rival, cradling her youngest on her lap. "I thought you were still in hock," Bonnie murmured. Phoebe chuckled. Her government was angry, suspicious, and determined to get her 'back on the straight and narrow' as they saw it. "Officially," declared the King of Flame, "the delegation is searching for volcanoes and other geologic features that could be made to support colonies. I've convinced them that having all our eggs in one basket is a mistake." Bonnie immediately saw where this was going. "You're going to get into trouble, Phoebes," she said. "If they don't see any reports, they're going to start wondering why there's a couple hundred of your people over here."
Popping open her nursing bra, the elemental retorted, "that's where you come in, Bonnie. I'm sure you can fake something to hold their interest. We only need to keep them distracted for a few weeks. Some of these dudes have the attention span of a flambit. They'll be on to the next shiny thing that interests them just a couple weeks from now, and as long as nothing goes south here and nobody draws attention to the business, they won't bother checking back."
As little Spark glued her cute little face to Phoebe's left tit, Bonnie pondered that. "I have some data," she allowed. "I can get some more... Maybe send one of the robot fighters out scanning." She'd need Finn to authorize the move, but that hardly seemed like a big lift against the chance to get tens of thousands of humans to safety in the meantime. "You sticking around," asked the candy monarch?" "Nah," Phoebe replied. "Got to get home. It helps sell the illusion if I'm there and not here." She'd fly home in the morning.
Sunrise in the town of Sonbong found Finn the King standing on the city walls staring out into the distance through a pair of binoculars. His rebels were out in the distance, their war-machines held at bay by a chunk of their own kingdom's technology. Like several of the larger cities on the mainland, Sonbong had been a client of Sakura's kingdom. The folk of Truth Kingdom protected the city from the depredations of the wild interior in exchange for the produce of the city's fields and fishing fleets.
The forcefield around the town was stable. For now. Trouble was, Tatsuo's men had burned the local farmsteads to the ground. The people of the town were going to grow thin in the belly before long. He needed to end this quickly. He knew from his memories of Pillow World just what sieges could do to the folk of a town. Disease was a real danger now.
Footsteps on the stairs behind him announced that he was no longer alone, and the King looked up to find his son and daughter coming out on the wall walk near him. Jay's open face expressed puzzlement on what they were doing today. "Son," Finn greeted him. "I thought we were here to stop these guys," Jay rumbled, as he stared out at the distant war-machine. Of the army his father had gathered, there was no sign at all.
"We are," Finn replied. "Fighting's a last resort. I've sent word to Tatsuo that I want to talk." "Parley," Young Bonnie burbled. Finn blushed. He'd been unable to say that word. He'd been with Lord Woolcot when invaders from the west came to the shores of the Feather River, and the Lord had gone across to talk to them. At the time, Finn had gone along as one of his bodyguards. "Parley," Finn agreed, as he stroked his daughter's cheek. "Do you think he'll listen," Jay asked? He sounded skeptical. Finn was skeptical himself. "I have to try, Jay," Finn replied. "There's... I'm tired of wars and killing. I have to try."
Without another word, the King strode off to where the Lord of Sonbong's troops were getting the horses ready to ride. Bonnie wasn't far behind him. That left Jay alone. Momentarily, he felt his evil lover's presence at his side. It was sometimes terrifying that she could do that, even though he'd left her literally inside his bag in their quarters. "Mmm," murmured Annabelle, as she stroked Jay's cheek. "Daddy is sad, sweetie. He doesn't like the game the way he used to." Padding around him, the dark spirit said, "but don't worry, honey. I've seen a million like Tatsuo. Nothing Finn can say will change his course. You'll have lots of choice souls to feed me."
Took a little time off. Finn and his crew are back in the saddle. A world of hurt is headed Tatsuo's way, and Gumbald is ramping up his activities.