As a reminder, the Yuber poll will be closing on Saturday, October 2nd. If you haven't voted in the poll yet the link is available on my profile page. If you can't vote in the poll, feel free to vote in a comment and I'll count it towards the final totals.

Also, new Investigations are up now for Varnaz, Freyr, and Mihr! You can read them at the chapter labeled Investigations.

Part Five

"Ah, here you are Lord Daunte," Caesar said, knocking on the doorframe of the storage vault. "Do you need any help?"

"Ichirou is helping me, but thank you," Daunte said over his shoulder. "We've been so busy lately that I forgot where I placed the Iron Hammer I bought in Dunan."

"Oh, so you're going to go get a blacksmith for the Army?"

"Yes." Daunte frowned as he pushed aside a box but didn't see what he was looking for. "I was so tired when I came back that I put the Hammer in a random spot in here. But—"

"Lord Daunte, I found it!" Ichirou announced, jumping up and down and pointing at the corner.

"Oh thank goodness," Daunte said, breathing out a sigh of relief as he hurried over to grab it. "Good job, Ichirou."

Ichirou beamed at him. "Thank you!"

"Yes, it was a good thing you found it," Caesar agreed. "These types of specialized Hammers are hard to come by. I wouldn't even know where to look for a replacement one."

"Well the easy part is finished," Daunte said, tying the Hammer to his back. "Now I have to go to Peak's Edge and hopefully not anger the Wingers with my arrival."

"It will unfortunately be difficult," Caesar agreed. "But if they start getting aggressive with you then you can use the Blinking Mirror to return here!"

"That's true," Daunte said. He nodded to Ichirou and then left the vault with Caesar. "The last thing I want to do is—"

"Excuse me."

Daunte and Caesar stopped in their tracks as Barō quickly approached them. The sniper was frowning deeply. "That dwarf woman has signed me up for one of her silly plays. I will not be participating in something so ridiculous."

"I apologize for the inconvenience," Daunte said sincerely. "But as you've undoubtedly noticed, in the last few days Nāṭaka's plays have become extremely popular here at HQ. They've netted some bits for us and have had a positive impact on morale. You can consider this part of your service in this Army."

"I don't give a damn about this Army," Barō snapped. "I have a mission to fulfill. I am to find Zaj Quilous and retrieve the gun he stole from the Howling Voice Guild. How am I supposed to complete this mission if I'm stuck here performing for idiotic simpletons?"

"Yeesh, why don't you tell us how you really feel?" Caesar asked lightly, his tone sarcastic.

Daunte however was in a far less joking mood and squared up to Barō. "Don't talk about the people in this Army like this. The people here have sacrificed everything in the fight to make Nagarea a better place. You will not demean them like that!"

"I have a mission—"

"And I told you the condition of my bringing you here to Nagarea was that you be a soldier in this Army. You agreed, and we brought you here. So while you are here, you are going to do what you promised and serve this Army. You can certainly work on your mission, but you're also a soldier. And don't forget; you're number sixteen, the Tensyo Star."

Barō didn't react to him. "What difference does that make to me?"

"You are a Star of Destiny," Caesar clarified. "Destined to help the Tenkai Star—Lord Daunte—to achieve victory. That means by fate, your mission from the Howling Voice Guild comes second to this." he smiled. "Don't you worry, I'm sure you'll find Zaj Quilous somewhere. But you did agree to serve my Lord in this Army as payment for passage to Nagarea. You need to fulfill your end of the bargain."

Barō looked enraged, but he snapped his teeth and stormed away. "You handled that very well, my Lord," Caesar said.

"He's not as bad as dealing with Yuber," Daunte said solemnly. "Although I can't imagine Yuber being in one of those plays…"

"I…would recommend," Caesar said slowly. "That if Nāṭaka casts Yuber in any of her productions that you should break the news to him. As upset as Barō is, his reaction is milder than what Yuber's would be."

"I wonder what role Barō so strongly objects to with the play. Is Nāṭaka still putting on 'The Three Little Pigs'?" Daunte asked

"Actually, yes," Caesar said. "Nāṭaka changed up the cast. Barō is the Wolf, Desiree is the Narrator, and the Three Pigs are played by Yasaka, Lysander, and Varnaz."

Daunte choked on a laugh but Caesar continued. "So as you can imagine, these five will not be available for your next quest out."

"Oh, that's okay. I'm going straight to Peak's Edge so I don't anticipate combat."

They went up to the fifth floor, hearing the trio give their morning announcements. "That man in the black armor downstairs gives me the creeps," Bax said fearfully.

"Bax, that's not very nice to say about one of your comrades," Sanji chided softly. "And it's not very smart to say that when it's broadcasted across headquarters."

"Oh no, he heard me?! W-What if he comes up here?!"

"Then he would interrupt our broadcast, which would be very rude."

"He scowls and whines," Gertrude scoffed. "He's like that grumpy guy who carries that cannon around!"

"It is called a 'gun', Gertrude," Sanji supplied. "Apparently they're the weapon of choice of assassins of the Howling Voice Guild."

"Howling Voice Guild?" Bax asked. "Isn't that the—"

"But it's not really important," Sanji continued. "What's important is the current events involving our Army…"

The elevator opened on the fifth floor. Daunte wrinkled his nose as they approached the war room. "Do you smell garlic?" He asked Caesar.

Caesar sniffed the air. "Yeah, I do. Just a little, though. Makes me a feel a little hungry."

Yuber was still stationary at his usual position with his usual cold expression. He didn't appear to care that the trio upstairs had been gossiping about him. The war room itself was empty, but Caesar walked ahead of Daunte and turned to face him. "Okay, Lord Daunte. Who would you like to take with you today? As you know, the aforementioned people who are participating in the theater are not available."

"Okay," Daunte said, nodding. "It's been awhile since I've had Surya and Mokuren in my party so I would like to add them. I imagine that Freyr and Soturi are now a packaged deal as well so I would like to add them too."

"Sounds good. And then sixth person?"

"Um…Jantu," Daunte said. "He's from Two River. That means he's familiar with the Wingers, right?"

"He is, but the Nagarean Wingers appear to be more aggressive than the Dunan Wingers. Please be careful when you go there."

"I will." Daunte rubbed his hands together. "Could I also add Roen and Felicity to my support? I would like them to come with me even in a non-combat role."

"Absolutely."

"Good. Also, how are the preparations for the next campaign?"

Caesar smiled. "We'll be ready to march in three days."

Daunte's heart began to pound but he swallowed and nodded. "Sounds good. Thank you."

With his party assembled, Daunte went down to see Viki. "The group is together again!" Surya cheered, throwing his arms around Roen and Felicity. "How nice to go out under less dire and dangerous circumstances!"

"Well we're going to recruit a blacksmith from the Wingers," Jantu said. "There's plenty of Wingers who are good people, but I know quite a few of them who are troublemakers…"

"But this should still be fun," Mokuren said positively.

"And hopefully not dangerous," Freyr said.

"It's been awhile since we've seen the Wingers," Felicity said. "Hopefully they'll be less hostile towards us this time."

"Except that we were not hostile towards them to begin with," Roen muttered.

"Good morning!" Viki greeted them.

"Good morning, Viki," Daunte said. "Is it safe for you to teleport us to Peak's Edge?"

"Oh, yes! I don't sense anything out of the ordinary there!"

"Okay, good."

Despite Viki's words, when the group was teleported into the center of Peak's Edge they were greeted with several screams. "Humans!"

"Humans are here!"

"We're under attack!"

Panicked screaming echoed around them and Daunte saw Wingers grabbing younglings and flying towards the houses in the cliff's walls. "L-Let's go find Baldemar," Daunte said quickly. "Now."

To their relief the Winger in question was still sitting at the spot they last saw him at. Despite the passage of time since they last saw Baldemar, he was silently crying and cradling a broken hammer. "Poor Euphoria…what will I do without you?"

"Take this," Daunte said, untying the Iron Hammer from his back and presenting it to him.

Baldemar's eyes lit up and he screamed as he jumped to his feet. "An Iron Hammer?! You got me an Iron Hammer!"

"It's all yours," Daunte said as he handed it to Baldemar.

"Oh—I can't believe it! I have an Iron Hammer!" Baldemar laughed in delight as he did a few test swings with the hammer. "I will call you Ohan! Oh my Lord, I cannot thank you enough! I will do anything to repay you!"

"Will you join my Army?" Daunte asked, looking skyward warily.

"Join you?" Baldemar looked confused. "What is your cause?"

Daunte very quickly gave him a rundown of what was going on below and Baldemar nodded. "The Theocracy is a threat to us too, even if the others won't acknowledge it. Very well, I'll gladly join your Army."

"We've got a blacksmith now!" Felicity cheered.

"Ohan can raise weapons to level 9," Baldemar said, holding up the Iron Hammer. "I have to pack my things, but I'll meet you at your headquarters. Where can I find it?"

Daunte gave him directions and with more thanks Baldemar took off. Daunte turned to the group. "That's done. So let's—"

"Father, don't!"

"I thought I told you humans to not come back here."

Daunte let out a sharp breath as the group turned around. He quickly moved to the front of the group to face Peak's Edge's chieftain. Dahlia was at her father's side holding his arm, and Daunte saw Oisin standing at his other side. There was a large group of armed Wingers behind them.

"I'm not a human," Jantu spoke up, folding his arms over his broad chest. "And you don't need to speak to us in that manner."

The chieftain looked at him for a long moment. "What are you, a wolf-man?"

"A Kobold," Jantu corrected him.

"Regardless," the chieftain said, looking back at Daunte. "You were given passage here previously because you saved my daughter's life. And I will allow you to leave peacefully now for this same reason. But your lot is not welcome here, and I will not make it a habit to repeat myself."

"Where's Baldemar?" Oisin spoke up sharply.

"I'm joining the Liberation Army!" Baldemar called from his house, sticking his head out his window briefly before going back inside.

The chieftain twitched violently. "You…took my village's blacksmith?" he said in a low, dark voice.

"I think it's time we go," Soturi said, shoving Freyr behind him.

"Won't you please join us?" Daunte asked. "We're not going to attack you! We want to get rid of the Theocracy, and when we win you'll be left alone!"

"Father—" Dahlia said.

"We will NOT fight alongside humans!" Oisin shouted. "Especially humans who steal from us!"

"Right, let's go," Daunte said. He pulled out the Blinking Mirror and in a flash they were away from Peak's Edge and back at HQ. Daunte didn't say a word to Viki or his friends, just ran down the stairs and out of the main building. "Baldemar?!" he called out.

Across the courtyard, he saw a long line in front of the northwest building. This surprised him as the restaurant was in the northeast building. He hurried over to the northwest building and to his immense relief he saw Baldemar sitting in front of the door, happily hammering his Iron Hammer on Israfil's sword. "Hey, Lord Daunte!" He called. "Look at all these people! They all came right over as soon as I set up shop!"

"Are you okay?" Daunte asked. "Did you face any problems when you left Peak's Edge?"

Baldemar shrugged nonchalantly. "Not really, no. I just packed my things and flew straight over here."

"How did you get here before us?" Roen asked.

"I'm a fast flyer."

Daunte couldn't help but laugh. Good. Now this Army has a blacksmith.

Her desk was a mess. Three out of the four drawers were pulled out. Tamara pulled out the fourth one and ruffled through the paperwork. She slumped back in her seat. It's not here, either.

"Sheikh?" Imbuka had a raised brow as she entered the room. "What's wrong? What are you looking for?"

"The letter," Tamara said, looking up at her. "Blaise sent me a letter and I haven't had the chance to read it. Now I can't find it anywhere. Do you remember what I did with it?"

"Oh, I gave it you," Imbuka said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, my Lady. You must have forgotten it at your residence in the capital."

Tamara rubbed her hand over her eyes. "I…Are you sure? I-I would have remembered it. Blaise always sends me letters in blue envelopes. Blue is his favorite color. But I don't remember seeing any blue envelopes since we were last here."

"Sheikh." Imbuka's voice was calm as she stood in front of Tamara's desk. "You are young and are under a lot of stress. Stress can cause memory lapses. Remember how you forgot your other appointments? You shouldn't be surprised that you can't remember where you put your fiancé's letter."

Tamara sighed heavily and leaned her elbows on her desk. Imbuka was silent for a long moment before she asked, "Have you thought about reconsidering this arrangement?"

Tamara looked at her in shock. "You are both young, too young for marriage. And your engagement was arranged by your parents before your father's untimely death. Look at how much you stress over losing a letter from him. I don't believe that this is stress you should be putting on yourself right now."

Tamara sucked in a sharp breath as she felt a spike of anger. Imbuka had a point, but the fact that she had a point irritated her.

But it's because you're an immature fifteen-year-old girl. No one takes you seriously as a Sheikh. You saw the people gossiping about you in the capital. Blaming you for things beyond your control.

"Is this why you prevented him from seeing me when I was there?" She asked coldly.

Imbuka shrugged. "When would you have had time to see him? You barely had time to sleep."

"Imbuka, you're acting like we're getting married tomorrow. Our wedding is in three years. I know our parents made this arrangement, but Blaise and I keep up communications so that we're not complete strangers on our wedding day. I've told you this several times." Tamara shook her head and stood up. She pushed the drawers in. "I'll look for the letter later. Right now I need to call that hearing over the domestic abuse case. What was the defendant's name again?"

"Virgil," Imbuka said stiffly.

"And when is his sentence set to be carried out?"

"Two days."

"Okay. Send for his son, Dylan. I'm ready to—"

"Sheikh!" Nigel burst into the room, his rage twisted in rage. "Sheikh, the boy was arrested!"

"What?!" Tamara snapped. Imbuka didn't react.

"He's at the jail right now. The guards arrested a twelve-year-old boy on trespassing charges!" Nigel glared at Imbuka. "They said they were acting on Lady Imbuka's orders!"

Tamara looked at Imbuka. The other woman was looking at Nigel. "Again," she said coldly. "You are speaking to a superior officer disrespectfully. Need I remind you, Private, that you were demoted for depraved actions?"

"Imbuka," Tamara interjected. "I told you that we are not holding Nigel's previous actions against him! He was punished for his crime already! We do not keeping punishing people whenever we feel like it! But that doesn't matter—is what he's saying true?! Did you go over my head and have Dylan trespassed from MY offices?!"

"Of course I did," Imbuka said, turning to face Tamara. "That boy burst into a government building and made it all the way to your private office. Do you realize how dangerous that is, Sheikh? What if the boy had been a threat to you? And need I remind you that the stress that child put you through caused you to faint? I didn't see the poi—"

"All right, shut up!" Tamara snapped, waving her hand sharply. "I've heard enough!"

Imbuka's eyes narrowed very slightly at her. "Understood. But I must remind you Sheikh that you are in an adult position of authority. I am your second-in-command. It is not appropriate for someone in your position to tell another person to "shut up". The phrase "shut up" is both immature and and inflammatory, and to say that to someone who only seeks to help you is detrimental. I would recommend you use the phrase "be quiet" with your allies, as it is less volatile."

Tamara's nostrils flared from heavy breathing at being lectured at like a small child. She knew Imbuka had a point and it made her angrier in light of everything else going. "Fine," she seethed quietly. "But you overstepped your authority, Imbuka."

"I—"

"Be quiet," Tamara said quickly, using Imbuka's advice against her. "I'm the Sheikh, not you! I'm the leading authority of the Southeast, not you! And when I say that I will review a case, then that is what will happen! Someone is not trespassed from these properties unless I order it! You arrested a child, Imbuka! A child that I promised to help! Your actions have damaged my reputation, but most importantly the reputation of this office! Do you understand that?!"

Imbuka was angry. Tamara could see it with her eyes and the quickened breath behind her hood. Her anger and visible lack of remorse made Tamara more upset. "You were appointed to me for a reason," Tamara said. "And I will trust in the judgment of the High Clerics for sending you here. But if you do anything like this again, consider yourself fired."

Nigel looked between the Sheikh and her second-in-command but he said nothing as they stared each other down. After a long and uncomfortable moment of silence Imbuka bowed stiffly to Tamara. "I understand, Sheikh. Please accept my apologies."

Tamara nodded, and quickly returned to her desk. "Nigel, go and get Dylan immediately. Have everyone related to this case summoned to the courthouse. We'll have the hearing in one hour."

"Yes, my Lady." Nigel saluted and quickly left the office.

"Sheikh—"

"You are dismissed too, Imbuka," Tamara said as she started cleaning her desk. "I'm giving you the rest of the day off."

"But the case," Imbuka said. "Surely you need—"

Tamara looked at her. "Do you really think I would have you sit in on this case after your actions, Imbuka? You've shown me that you're not impartial, and impartialness is the only thing I need right now. Enjoy your day off."

Imbuka saluted her and quickly stormed from the room and retreated to her own office, her body filled with so much repressed rage that she was trembling. What a humiliation! Being dressed down and lectured at by a child! A CHILD! A child lectured me?! I do not receive lectures from children!

A page meekly approached her. "Lady Imbuka, a-are you all right?"

Imbuka stared at him for a deliberately long and uncomfortable moment. She felt a measure of satisfaction at seeing him squirm. She let the moment hang before she spoke. "I need you to do something for me."

"O-Of course," the page said, straightening. "How can I help you?"

Imbuka went to her desk and retrieved a key from her inner pocket. She unlocked the top drawer and withdrew an envelope. "Here. This is a letter for Sheikh Ramiro Lažov. I need this sent out as soon as possible."

"Yes, of course!" the page took the envelope eagerly and ran from the room. When the doors closed Imbuka let out a loud chuckle. Let's see how you like this development, little girl…

Daunte awoke the moment he heard the knock at his bedroom door. "My Lord?"

"Oboro?" Daunte called out, pushing aside the covers. The room was pitch dark; it was the middle of the night. He quickly opened the door to see not only Oboro standing there, but Caesar as well. "Is everything all right?" Daunte asked them.

"My Lord, we have a very important development," Caesar said. "I know it's late, but we need to leave our headquarters. Could you follow us, please?"

"Yes, please give me a moment."

"I will go and wake up my fellow Falenans as this will be important to them as well," Oboro said, quickly departing as Daunte closed the door. He threw on his clothes and yanked on his tekko gloves. What's going on?

Daunte felt a 'whoosh' of air behind him. "Whatever is going on, you will take me with you."

Daunte turned to face Yuber as he readied his tekko. "I don't think we will be needing to kill anyone wherever we are going."

"Regardless you will take me with you," Yuber said coldly. "I will be made useful, even if it means escorting you on an errand."

Daunte didn't know what to make of his cold tone, and he debated if he should thank Yuber or admonish him for his behavior and attitude. Ultimately though he couldn't help but smile at the Dark Knight. "Thank you, Yuber."

Yuber shifted very slightly. "This is not out of kindness. We have a contract and being idle bores me. You will not like me when I'm bored."

"I'm still thankful," Daunte said, patting him on the arm as he moved back towards the door. He entered the hallway to see that Oboro had summoned Surya, Mokuren, Freyr, Soturi, Israfil, Silvano, and Shou. The group was startled when Yuber exited the room behind him, but neither Caesar nor Oboro reacted. "Ah, good," Caesar said cheerfully. "If Yuber is coming with us, it will decrease our travel time as he will fight the monsters on the plains for us."

"I will attest that he is quite good at that," Silvano said.

"So what's going on?" Surya asked. "Where are we going?"

"We received a message a few minutes ago," Oboro said. "Someone wants to meet us south of here along the cliffs."

"Who?" Freyr asked. But Oboro only answered with a smile. "You'll see."

Daunte put Yuber, Shou, Surya, Mokuren, and Israfil in his main party but Caesar was quite right. As night had fallen the monster they encountered outside of HQ were far more dangerous than the monsters they encountered during the day. With Yuber at the front though, the monsters were effortlessly slain and they were able to maintain a steady pace as they followed Oboro and Caesar.

But seeing all of the monsters made Daunte uncomfortable. These monsters come out at night. The children from the Dark Chasm were sleeping outside on these same plains in tents. I put them all at risk!

Caesar looked back at him briefly, but whatever he saw in Daunte's expression caused him to slow his pace so that he was walking in stride with Daunte. "I know what you're thinking, and you don't have to worry. The children were never in danger being out here. Monsters like this generally do not attack large populations of children. Furthermore we added scents to the fires that warded off the monsters. If there was a concern for monster attacks, I would have told you so."

Daunte nodded stiffly and sighed in relief. "Thank you, Caesar."

"You're just a good person who stresses over looking out for other people. But you're not alone in this. Don't forget that."

The group walked for a half-hour, the light of the moon guiding their way as they walked along the cliffside. Yuber then abruptly stopped, and everyone stopped with him. "There is someone ahead," he reported coldly. Daunte moved to stand at his side and indeed saw a figure sitting on a boulder ten meters ahead of them. He looked at Caesar and saw the strategist looked curious. Then he looked at Oboro and saw that the man wore a friendly smile.

As Daunte turned to look at the person, Oboro raised his hand and shouted "Hello!"

The person leapt from the boulder and began walking towards them. The group moved towards the person and Daunte saw that it was a tall man wearing a tawny cloak. He was an older gentleman and as they drew closer Daunte saw faded stress lines in his face. But he otherwise had a well-kept appearance and he smiled when he saw the group. "Well, well," the man said when they got close enough. He stopped in his tracks and folded his arms over his chest. "This is an interesting group."

"Who is this?" Surya asked, but Oboro moved forward. The older man was chuckling. "My my. Hero of the Falenan Civil War and hero of the Dunan Unification War. How interesting to see you all these years, Georg."

"Indeed, Oboro," the man, Georg, replied. "Have you been home lately?"

"Of course. Do you remember Shgiure and Sagiri? This is their son, Shou." he gestured to the man in question, who looked confused.

"Yes, I thought so," Georg replied. "You look more like your mother than your father, but I see plenty of Shigure in you."

"Thanks," Shou said dully.

Georg looked out over the group. "You all look enough like your parents, though. I definitely see General Dinn's son with you."

"I am," Israfil said cautiously. "But how did you know that?"

"Well, you are the spitting image of your father." Georg looked at Silvano. "Ah, forgive me—would you happen to be Princess Kaylani's husband? Lady Haswar's son-in-law? News of your wedding reached the Northern Continent."

"I am," Silvano said, though his tone was curt. Israfil and him exchanged a glance.

Daunte didn't miss how tension the group was and looked at Georg. "You certainly know a lot about this group, Mr. Georg."

"Wait, Georg?!" Mokuren burst out, her eyes going wide. "As in—Georg Prime?!"

"That's me," Georg confirmed, chuckling.

"Georg Prime?!" Surya shouted. He raced forward and grabbed Georg's hand, shaking it hard. "M-My name is Surya Falenas! My parents are Freyjadour and Lyon Falenas! They've told me so much about you! I-It's an honor to meet you, sir!"

"It's an honor to meet you too," Georg said. He shook his head slightly though. "You look so much like your father. Although I see you take after your mother though in personality…"

"Freyr, come here!" Surya said excitedly, gesturing to him. "Aunt Lym told you about Georg Prime as well, right?!"

"It's really him?!" Freyr said just as excitedly. He also shook Georg's hand. "Wow, it's great to meet you!"

"I'm glad to meet you too," Georg said. He looked up as Mokuren. "Ah, you are—Prince Surya's bodyguard, Mokren? So Euram Barows is your father then?"

"That's right," Mokuren confirmed, nodding. "Both Father and Aunt Luserina have said nothing but positive things about you, Sir Goerg!"

"Isn't there a warrant for your arrest?" Soturi asked.

Surya, Mokuren, and Freyr looked shocked but Georg laughed sheepishly and rubbed at the back of his head. "Yes, unfortunately. That was brought to my attention when I served in the Dunan Army. I wasn't sure though if that was an old warrant Her Majesty forgot about, or if she kept the warrant active in hopes I would return…" He looked up and paused, dropping his hand away from his head. "Um…do I know you?"

"I don't know," Yuber responded coldly.

"He fought for the Highland Army during the Dunan Unification War," Caesar said. "Yuber is our ally now, though." Yuber scoffed and looked away.

"Oh, I must have seen you on the opposite side of a battlefield," Georg said nonchalantly. He smiled though as he looked at Daunte. "You are Lord Daunte, yes? The man responsible for rescuing the Falenan royals?"

"It wasn't solely me," Daunte said quickly, but Georg grabbed his hand and shook it firmly. "You have my thanks. I was in the Nameless Lands when I heard rumors about the kidnappings. I wanted to help, but by the time I made it back here to the Southern Continent, the incident had long been resolved. Many people in Falena are indebted to you."

"I have an alliance with Falena, and soldiers from Falena have joined my Army, so that is more than enough."

"Have you seen Father and Mother?" Surya asked.

"No, I haven't set foot in Falena yet," Georg said. "For whatever reason that warrant still exists, it does in fact still exist."

"There is no ill-will towards you," Oboro said. "So I'm inclined to believe that it was just an oversight."

Daunte wanted to know why Georg Prime had a warrant for his arrest by Falena if he was in fact on good terms with the crown, but he realized that the question wasn't important at the moment. "Did you come here to join our Army?" he asked.

"Certainly," Georg said. "When I heard Prince Surya and Prince Freyr were fighting as soldiers in a foreign army I decided to come to Nagarea to see what the fuss was about. It…" he let his voice trail off before he continued. "Was worse than I imagined."

"It's bad," Daunte said softly. "The Theocracy has always been run by the High Clerics who answer to the god Nagar, but the High Clerics who currently sit in authority are all former assassins from Nether Gate."

"Ah," Georg said, folding his arms over his chest again. "So that's where the ones who didn't die or align with House Godwin ended up. That would explain the oppressive nature of government here. But that's another reason why I came here looking for you. There' someone you need to help."

"Help?"

"The town of Kader," Georg said. "I was briefly arrested there. I met a child who was arrested too. His father has been given a heavy sentence for a crime this child believes his father to be wholly innocent of. I felt compelled to help him, and help his father, so I wanted to see if maybe you could perhaps lend me your strength and rescue both of them?"

"Kader," Caesar said, looking at Daunte. "That's in Sheikh Nuori's territory."

Daunte swallowed hard before he spoke. "What was his father accused of?"

"It appears to be a domestic abuse case," Georg said. "He was convicted of assautling his wife. I saw the wife and I can affirm that some of her injuries were real. But some of them weren't."

"What do you mean?"

"She had a broken arm, which I can tell was a real injury. But she had bruises on her face that were…not as convincing."

"They didn't look real?" Daunte asked.

"I've seen bruises on faces before, but not like that. Her bruises looked…artificial."

"Are you saying that this woman injured herself and framed her husband?" Oboro asked.

"That is what their son believes," Georg said. "And I'm inclined to believe the child."

"What is the penalty for such a crime in Nagarea?" Israfil asked.

"Domestic abuse cases are rarely prosecuted in this country," Caesar said. "Otherwise I think we could think of a few people who would subjected to penalties under the law."

Sloan Faakhir and Keha Hale in particular, Daunte thought to himself.

"Sheikh Nuori however must be wanting to set a precedent if she is taking this case seriously," Caesar continued. "From what I understand, the punishment for a domestic abuse conviction is a public flogging."

"He was sentenced to be whipped 100 times," Georg confirmed.

"100 times?!" Mokuren exclaimed, pressing a hand to her throat.

"The wife must have been pretty convincing in court, if she's in fact lying," Shou said.

"Wait," Daunte said, feeling a spike of fear flood his body. "Was their son arrested under Original Sin? Is the child supposed to be whipped 100 times too?!"

"At this time, it doesn't appear so," Georg said. "Dylan was only arrested for trespassing. He believes enough in his father's innocence that he was trespassed from the Sheikh's offices in Kader, I'm assuming from going there to plead his father's case. But his mother told the guards to keep him imprisoned for three more days when they had a fight, so…" he shrugged. "Does this intrigue you enough to go and rescue them?"

Daunte looked at Caesar and then looked at the group. Everyone had conflicting expressions on his face. Then he looked at Georg. "You believe this boy—Dylan—that his father didn't hurt his mother?"

"Based on Dylan's emotions, I believe him," Georg said. "He had also said his mother hurt his father more than the other way around. Given the coldness of the mother, it would not surprise me if she asked that Dylan be tried under Original Sin. I know this is something minor for this Army to do, and I imagine you have other matters to deal with, but I wouldn't feel good letting this alone. Would I be able to ask for your help in this?"

Daunte closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. He contemplated his words carefully before he spoke. "The government is corrupt and cruel. I've experienced their cruelty firsthand. I—think abuse in any form is wrong. And if this man is truly innocent, I'm furious to see the laws once again be used to crush people who haven't done anything wrong."

Daunte opened his eyes and looked at Georg. "I'm surrounded by people who admire and trust you. If you believe this man is innocent, and if you think this man and his son are in danger…then I will do all I can to save them."

Georg smiled. "I'm happy to hear that. Compassion is a good trait in a leader."

"Not always," Yuber muttered.

"This shouldn't interfere in our plans at all," Caesar said. "We're about to launch a campaign against Tamara Nuori anyways. This can serve as the catalyst to lure her out for battle."

"Let's go back to headquarters and make preparations," Daunte said. He looked at Georg. "Welcome to the Liberation Army, Georg Prime."

"If you're happy to help, then so am I," Georg said.

It was deep in the night. Tamara knew she had to sleep, but she couldn't close her eyes.

Out of her Sheikh robes curled up on the windowseat of her room at her Garrison, she now looked much like a vulnerable teenage girl. Her hair was tied in two plaits that were draped over both shoulders and down the front of her body. She wore a pale orange nightgown that was comfortable, but she felt so uncomfortable in her own skin.

This is not easy. I'm starting to think that this will never be easy for me…

They had the hearing, and she had given Dylan the opportunity to speak on behalf of his father. Dylan had been passionate, almost crying as he insisted that Virgil could not have hurt his mother because Virgil had been with him. She remembered sitting at the bench and she looked at Dylan's parents while he gave his testimony. Virgil had tears in his eyes but Caoimhe…the poor victim was sobbing so loud from her seat at Dylan's testimony that she was nearly screaming. Her cries were so loud that she drowned out Dylan's voice at times.

She had reopened Virgil's case, but in doing so the witnesses from trial were all called back. The three men who saw Caoimhe's assault repeated their testimonies. Caoimhe repeated her testimony, and she was so emotional that she fainted on the stand. It was largely the same as before, except for Dylan repeatedly screaming that everyone was lying. It got to the point that the child had to be dragged from the courtroom because of the numerous disturbances. Tamara had done what she had promised. She reopened Virgil's case and allowed Dylan to testify.

…But.

But she could not deny the overwhelming evidence against Virgil. She couldn't deny Caoimhe's delicate state. Despite how insistent Dylan was that Virgil was innocent, Tamara knew that there was a degree of bias there because this was his father. Given everything presented that day, Tamara felt she had no choice but to give the ruling that she gave.

"I hereby uphold the sentence handed down upon Virgil. One hundred strikes with a bullwhip in Kader square in two days time."

It was the right thing to do. She believed that it was. But she remembered the resignation in Virgil's face. She remembered how Dylan had screamed, and how he'd grabbed his father and hugged him tight and wouldn't let him go. It took six guards to pry Dylan off his father and he was carried out wailing and screaming that his father was innocent.

I did the right thing…didn't I? That man has to pay for the harm he caused his wife. But…

Tamara leaned back against the window frame and closed her eyes. Dylan is only three years younger than me. It's hard to believe given our different stations. Did you face these sort of problems, Father?

Tears stung Tamara's eyes and she left the windowseat. She stood over her desk and lit the candle there. The frame photo became illuminated in the candlelight. It was a photo of a man wearing Sheikh's whites. She couldn't see his face but she saw his friendly eyes and it caused the tears to spill down her cheeks.

"Father." She hugged the photo to her chest and sat down at her desk. When her mother died in childbirth she was raised by nannies and wet nurses, but her father was a constant presence in her life. He had political aspirations certainly, but he was good at what he did and he was a good man.

He was a good man and a good Sheikh. Now he's gone and I'm here alone. I'm alone…and I'm failing…

She hid her face in the photo and wept silently as to not attract any attention towards her apartments. What do I do? Did I do the right thing today? Have I been doing the right thing by my people at all? I want to be fair and I want to be just, but I feel sick and exhausted all the time. No one respects me as a leader. Not even Imbuka respects me. I keep trying and it's never enough. Father…I'm starting to think that it will NEVER be enough…

Imbuka blew on her steaming cup of tea as she casually pushed open her window shutters. She looked up at the moon for a long moment as she sipped her tea. I never knew how irritating it was to take orders from a child, she thought to herself. Thankfully I have enough practice dealing with whiny and unpredictable children.

"Just a little while longer," she murmured against her cup. "Keep your patience, Azamuku…"

Something caught Imbuka's eye out the window. She turned and squinted. She saw a bird flying towards the Garrison. She leaned to look outside but only saw the night guards patrolling below. She looked up against towards the bird and a smile rose to her lips as she realized the bird was steering its flight towards her. She set her teacup down and held her arm out. Moments later, a messenger pigeon landed on her arm. She saw the message tied to its leg and quickly untied it. Did I get a reply already? But I sent the letter just today!

But she saw Ramiro Lažov's name on the bottom of the message and she sent the messenger pigeon back on its way without a letter of reply. No matter. Things are hopefully moving faster than first thought.

Imbuka sat down at her desk and quickly read over the note. It was a short message, but she smiled broadly and laughed to herself. Good. It's almost time for me…