Author's Notes
Hi to everyone!
First of all... I'm sorry! I'm terribly sorry!
Really, I did my best, but at the end it's highly probable that the story will require one more chapter to be finished: so, there will probably be a fourteenth chapter before the Epilogue and the Special that will end the story.
By the way, this doesn't change the fact that most probably Gate - Last Escape will be completed by the end of April.
Ok, that' all folks.
Enjoy this (very long) chapter.
See you soon!^_^
Cj Spencer
12
With the whole city turned into a battlefield, even the few guards left in defense of the palace received the order to regroup in defensive formation in front of the main entrances to the inner garden, ready to become a final stand capable to provide Labio and his Reichian new ally to leave on time if necessary.
Like this, now there were no more than a couple of rookies to defend the palace's entrance, and unfortunately for them, the true menace for their governor's security was already inside of garden. Wang and Stefanini arrived from behind stabbed their throats, and then Lunardi helped them to hide bodies behind some brushes.
«Clear.» Stefanini said looking around
«Come on, let's go. There shouldn't be anyone else in the palace apart for Donzark and his guards. Let's go take the Vicequeen.»
The palace's entrance was nothing but a massive hall, with two lines of columns to sustain the roof and marvelous fan stairs on the other side of the room leading to the balcony and the higher floors.
Lunardi, Stefanini and Wang carefully opened the doors, and after a fast glance, all around they ran hiding behind some columns.
At a first sight, there was no trace of enemies, but right when they tried to move a step toward the stairs, a bullet hit Valentina right on chest, being fortunately stopped by the vest under the tunic and mantle.
«Take cover!»
Lunardi and a bit in pain Stefanini ran on hiding behind the column, while Wang managed to reach another one on the other side before two SS started shooting from the balcony. Both of them were shot down in a few seconds, but that was just the beginning, because all of a sudden one more opponent appeared on the small balcony halfway up the stairs, and this time it was the completely different kind of.
«You'll not make one more step through here, Singing People!» Johan shouted while moving his golden baton and creating a powerful wave of air with every movement.
Fortunately, the columns proved being well built and resisted, but the sight of one of the dead SS literally beheaded by one of those wind blades was enough for Lunardi and his companions to understand that the smallest movement could result into an horrible death.
«Shit! He's a mage!» then Flavio turned to Stefanini. «Are you ok?»
«It's nothing Captain, just a scratch!» she tried to lie, but she was clearly suffering and had problems to breath.
Once understood that it was useless to try destroying the columns with magic Johan stopped, but he renounced to advance further to not take useless risks.
«I have to admit it, I didn't think you could arrive this far!»
Lunardi then used his mirror to look behind, noting the enemy's young age: he was probably no more than twenty years old, but in his eyes there were the loyalty and devotion of a veteran.
The captain looked all around in search for a solution, noting almost immediately Wang gesturing in their direction; just a glance was necessary to understand each other.
«Stay here.» he said to Stefanini
«Wait, what are you trying to do?» she tried to protest, but before she could say something more her Captain was already outside.
Johan defended himself by Lunardi's bullets with a magic barrier, but his initial counterattack missed the target, and at that point, Flavio was already at safe behind another and closer column, even if with just three cartridges left.
«It's over, boy!» he said. «You hear that? The local garrison is almost defeated, and soon they'll surrender! It's useless to resist further!»
«My life is a little price to pay for the glory of Reich.»
Trying to catch his opponent unprepared, Lunardi appeared from behind the column and fired a shot, but once again Johan's defensive shield stopped the threat.
«Why are you doing this? You really think that Reich can defeat the Empire? They're far bigger and stronger than you, no matter the kind of technology your people possesses!»
«Things change. Look at us. We were savages and barbarians less than one hundred years ago. But Fuhrer has chosen us to fulfill his mission. We're not trying to destroy this world. We're saving it. Saving from collapsing alongside the dying Empire that is ruling it.»
«How? Enslaving every people you meet and creating a nation where all demi-humans will be treated as animals?»
«The Empire did it before us, and everything went fine while they ruled with iron hand. If we look things under a proportional aspect, we humans are a strong minority in this world. By putting all demi-humans at their place, the Empire has been able to grant over one thousand years of prosperity all over the continent. But those arrogant idiots have spent so much time with their bellies filled with luxury and complacency that what they built is about to collapse. With Fuhrer's blessing, we'll take the place of this dying nation and make sure that the efforts made by the ones before us will not be wasted. We'll wipe them away, doing the same even with those fake Gods that used their corrupted influence to allow the Empire to end up like this just for their fun. The new era will rise, and you Singing People will not be able to stop it. This is the will of Fuhrer.»
«You know? Even if I never met your Fuhrer personally, I know a bit of things about him.»
«What!?» said a surprised Johan
«Trust me, you may be surprised about the truth, young boy. For example, maybe you should know that Fuhrer came from our world.»
«Your… world!?»
«Yes! And he was not a God, but a man! Just a man! And the worst kind of! He really tried to be a God, but he was just a liar! A psychotic that almost destroyed his own people in the name of a crazy vision! The one that came among you was just one of his soldiers, and if you want to know my opinion, both of them would be really proud of what you became! Your nation is right what that bastard dreamed to see under his command!»
The young mage was speechless, and even if he was doing his best to believe that Lunardi's words were just a desperate attempt to make him lose his mind, for some reasons part of his mind was simply unable to accept the simpler explanation.
«They're just lies!» he finally shouted while launching an air blade after another in rage «Fuhrer is our savior! He's not like the other Gods! He doesn't see humans as slaves and playthings! He raised my people from the mud and gave us something to believe in! And I will serve him and my nation till my last breath!»
But his last breath was not so far from coming. Because while speaking with Lunardi, Johan had completely forgotten to pay attention even to everything else around him, giving Wang enough time to reach and climb the stairs unnoticed.
The Chinese-Italian soldier arrived at Johan's backs like Death itself, and the young mage finally noticed him when they were face to face already. Johan tried a desperate attack, and his last air bullet was so powerful that it pierced Wang's jacket and opened a hole in his belly, but almost as if such extreme pain was nothing for him, Wang stabbed him in the throat the stronger he could.
«Wang!»
Wang and Johan fell to the ground at the same moment, but if Marco still had enough force to breath, Johan at the opposite found himself immediately unable to move a bit, while he could feel the flame of his life extinguish.
«Long… live... Reich.» he said before dying
Stefanini too went to help, trying her best to stop Wang's bleeding.
«How's him?»
«It's a very bad wound, Captain. He needs first aid.»
«D… don't worry. I will not die for some fucking magic.»
For a moment Lunardi considered the idea of retreating, even considering that Valentina too was in a bad state, but at that point they went too far to give up without trying the best they could.
«Are you able to walk?» he asked to Wang
«Of… course…»
«Ok. Valentina, you and Marco come back to the city. I saw an healer's shop close to the palace's doors, they will be able to help you there.»
«Wait! Does it mean that you stay?»
«I still have a mission to accomplish.» Lunardi said, then he retrieved Johan's ammunitions to reload his now empty gewehre. «If things go bad, you and the others just leave without waiting for me, all right?»
«But, Captain…»
«I said, all right?» Flavio said again with an almost menacing tone
«Y… yes, sir.»
At that point, once finished reloading weapon, Lunardi climbed the stairs and vanished behind the door for the depths of the castle.
The main reason for Donzark's having chosen to keep Kanaria alive was mainly for her role as Imperial Vicequeen, whose capture could provoke a serious shock in the whole Empire and make Reich's conquer simpler.
However, there was one more, and far more personal reason: Donzark had spent a lot of time rowing for his having been unable to catch one of Calibria's royal family alive, gaining even more consideration and respect among Reich's nobility and feeding his personal pride as a warrior even more.
But if he could bring back a Vicequeen, the glory would have been even greater. That's why, the day before leaving for Reich, he had ordered a couple of maids to take Kanaria out of the cell and clean her: she had to be perfect for the moment when he would've taken her on chains in front of the Empress and the High Priest.
After the bath, Kanaria had been closed in one of the guests' rooms, strictly surveilled by a group of Reichian soldiers. Even if the sole window pointed toward the castle's garden, she could hear noises of battle coming from the city, and the mere fact that at a certain point guards had left, leaving only one of them to surveil her, was enough for her to hope for her imminent salvation.
But all her hopes broke like glass when Donzark opened her door.
«I'm sorry your Highness, it seems your chariot will depart sooner than expected.» he said, and without one more word he tied her wrists and took her out of the room still wearing nothing but a night tunic, followed by the guard.
«Let me go!» she protested during the way for the roof. «Do you think you'll leave this city alive?»
«I'll do it, and you'll come with me.»
«Where is Labio? I want to speak with him!»
«I'm afraid he'll be no more able to talk, little girl.»
«What!?»
Kanaria took a moment to understand, and even if she was still enraged for Labio's betrayal, in that moment all she was able to remember were the years spent as good friends as children.
«You monster! How could you do it? I swear…»
Then, right before taking the last group of stairs, Donzark stopped, and the way he looked in Kanaria's eyes scared the young girl to death.
«Listen to me. The sole reason for your being still alive is that you're the best war prey. Try to not move me to believe that I may feel satisfied just with your head.»
Suddenly, all of them felt a noise from the bottom of the stairwell, and a moment later they saw someone climbing the stairs the faster he could. His face was all dirty and covered by an unusual long beard, but Donzark took just a second to recognize him.
«You!»
The guard threw the spear, but Lunardi easily dodged it and killed him with a single headshot.
Donzark really desired to settle things with him once and for all, but even if his pride was crying there were other priorities in that moment. Then, once recovered an oil lamp from the wall, he crashed it over the guard's dead body, subsequently kicking the thus created human torch down of the stairs.
Flavio had to jump behind to not end up overwhelmed, but the body stopped on a balcony of the stairs, creating a wall of fire and blocking the way.
«Don't worry, bastard! We'll finish our battle another time! But tonight, I win!» then he and the Vicequeen left.
Even due to the partially wooden handrails and silk carpets fire started spreading quickly, at the point that before noticing it Lunardi found himself surrounded. At that point, forced to choose between risking his neck or burning alive, the Captain had no choice but jump right above the stairwell, miraculously succeeding in grabbing the rail on the other side.
«It's not over yet, bastard…» he mumbled while hoisting himself over the floor and continuing the chasing.
When Donzark took Kanaria on the roof, the man of the garrison surveilling the wyverns was right about the escape after having seen some menacing red lights starting to appear at every window of the castle.
«What's happening?» he asked. «What are those flames? Is the castle…»
Donzark shot him without hesitation, recovering the keys of the chains from his body.
«Don't worry, Your Highness. It will not be a long travel. The rest of my men are waiting right behind the border with the Plains.»
Kanaria for a moment considered the idea of jumping down of the roof and end her life, following the Empire's idea that death was better than being captured alive, but the thought of her people forced to pay the consequences of an eventual retaliation left her stuck on place.
Donzark was almost about to open the chains, when suddenly the doors behind them opened again.
«Stop!» Lunardi shouted pointing the gewehre against them.
Unfortunately, Donzark was faster than him, and he immediately forced the Vicequeen against him, using her as a shield.
«It's over, Donzark! Let her go!»
«Why should I?» he provocatively said before unsheathing the zweihander and touching Kanaria's neck with the point of the sword. «Drop your weapon, or this gracious head will roll to the ground!»
Flavio hesitated for a moment, but at the end, he had no choice but to obey, throwing the rifle down of the roof as commanded.
«You know?» Donzark said at that point. «There's no one in this world I would like to kill more than you. But unfortunately, right now I have other things to do.»
«You cannot win. My people will not allow you to take the Empire.»
«Fuhrer said that this world was about to know a new era. He never said that it was in Reich's fate to make it start.»
«What? Does it mean that you don't believe in Reich as the chosen people?»
«I never gave too much importance to those priests' chatters. When you appeared for the first time, I thought for a moment that maybe you were the chosen people. But after a bit of time, I started thinking day and night to one of Father's prophecies. He said that right before the final victory, a plague was destined to come wiping away any trace of the old world, so that the new one can take its place. Then, you could really be the chosen people, but who knows? Maybe you are the plague. The ones that will open the way to our final victory.»
It was right at that point that Lunardi saw that light again in Donzark's eyes, the same one he had seen that night, above Hardy's Throne: the light of madness.
«You want to see this world burn.»
«Everything comes from ash, and ash will return to be. You can accept it and wait for your moment, or do all you can to make sure that you'll survive. Because if this world's fate is to burn, I have no intention to burn with it. I will see everything burn, and I'll survive! I will be stronger than the purge! Stronger than the Gods!»
Meanwhile, fire had spread throughout the whole palace, at the point of becoming visible across the whole city.
The sight of the castle burning was for the soldiers of every faction a complete shock, at the point that battles stopped almost completely, and everyone pointed eyes toward one single direction.
«Your highness!»
«Shit, Flavio and his guys are still inside!»
The supporting structures did their best to resist, but at the end part of them collapsed on themselves, making the whole castle tremble dangerously.
On the roof, everyone felt the ground moving like a giant pudding under his or her feet, and Donzark in particular had to jump to avoid being sucked into a massive hole suddenly opened on the roof over a pit of fire; then, using her jailer's surprise at her own advantage, Kanaria managed to get free and escape.
The Reichian General was barely able to understand that his hostage was no more in his hands, because a second later Lunardi was already in front of him, using the dead guard's sword to launch a slash that Donzark however managed to stop.
«Just go!» Lunardi shouted to the Vicequeen «I keep him at bay!»
Kanaria however didn't move initially, too much scared by the sight of those two men furiously trying to kill each other in a dramatic swordfight, and in meantime one of the wyverns managed to get free from chains and escape.
At that point, completely deaf to any other initial idea or intention, Flavio and Donzark started battling furiously, each of them with nothing but the desire of seeing his opponent dead in his mind; because if Donzark was unable to forget both the humiliation suffered during the first battle of Castria and the sight of their cannons destroyed under his nose, Flavio on the opposite still had in his eyes Argento's death, not to mention all things he and his men had been forced to face due to Reich's fault.
Unfortunately, Donzark was a far better swordsman than Flavio, even considering that his sword was three or four time bigger, and in a matter of minutes Lunardi found himself in serious disadvantage.
«Come on man, is this all you can do? Where's all your self-security of a moment ago?»
Flavio tried to resist the best he could, but it was just a matter of time for Donzark to prevail; at a certain point, the Reichian General managed to open a breach into Lunardi's weak defense, and before Flavio could try to do something his enemy's sword struck right on his left side. His defensive vest miraculously saved him, but the blade was still able to cut it partially and hit his target: Lunardi initially felt a terrible pain, followed almost immediately by a sense of weakness, and Donzark used this moment to kick him, forcing a helpless Flavio on his knees and turned backwards, like a condemned man in front of his executioner.
The sight of her savior at the point of being killed finally made Kanaria able to move again, and even if she was aware of her being almost helpless without her staff and magic, and with her hands still tied, she instinctively jumped against Donzark in a desperate attempt to help.
«Out of my way, little bitch!» the General shouted before violently pushing her away right toward the hole.
By a true miracle, the young girl managed to cling to a ledge, finding herself however dangling over a sea of fire.
«I'm sorry, my friend.» Donzark says to a still immobile Lunardi «It seems that I'll be the one having his vengeance tonight.»
Flavio was still stuck, helplessly on his knees, as if the sword that had struck him had sucked in his will to live, and he remained still even when Donzark raised his blade for the coup-de-grace.
Donzark was absolutely sure to win, already thinking the moment he would have taken the head of one of the Singing People back to Oder, when all of a sudden Lunardi turned again, blocking the sword less than an instant before being killed; and when their glances crossed once again, Donzark remained almost shocked for how much spirit there was in Flavio's eyes.
«It's not over yet!»
As if a God was leading his hand granting him new strength and power, Lunardi attacked with everything he had, catching Donzark completely unprepared and almost defenseless against his opponent's newfound strength.
The Reichian General kept on defending and attacking as he could, but at the end, after one last dramatic clash of their sword, Lunardi opened a way and launched a precise slash, and a moment later Donzark's blade flew away together with his right hand, cut off from the rest of the arm with a single hit.
Donzark felt the kind of pain he had never sensed in his whole life as a warrior, shouting in anger and dolor like many others had made for years in front of him, but Lunardi had no intention to stop.
«Now die, son of a bitch!».
Fortunately for him, another violent tremor made everything shake once again, even making part of the roof collapse and forcing Lunardi to stop from ending that fight by slicing even Donzark's head away. The whole roof's movement however made Kanaria's hold too much weaker, and the girl saw part of the spike she was clinging starting to crack.
Lunardi looked at her, then he looked at Donzark on the other side of the hole, weakly walking toward the sole wyvern left, and for countless seconds he found himself unable to take a decision. For a moment, he thought back to Aristhes, Niang, Argento, and every other lives taken by that monster and his Reichian friends, but his conscience as a soldier and a man ultimately prevailed, and without further hesitations, he moved to Kanaria.
«Come on, take my hand!» he said kneeling on the edge.
She obeyed, and in a few seconds, she was safe among Lunardi's arms, but at that point all they were able to do was to helplessly watch Donzark flying away, taking with him the only escape tool they had.
They were trapped.
But Lunardi had no intention to surrender.
«Come on, let's look around. Maybe we can try to find a way to get out.»
«Maybe we can leave from inside.»
«No, it's impossible. The stairs have been the first place to burn. They're probably already destroyed.»
In that moment, the door leading to the lower floors opened weakly, and a deadly injured but still alive Labio reeled toward them; he was covered with the blood endlessly spurring out from the wound in his belly, and probably it was just a matter of seconds for him before dying.
«Labio!»
«I… I never wanted all this.» he said with rage and sadness at the same time. «I was… just trying to protect my… my town. My people. Please, Kanaria. Tell me you understand…»
«No, I don't.» she said while trying to hide tears. «Because you did it by betraying everything you swore to do for the sake of the Empire. I respect how you tried to defend your people, but I cannot accept that you were ready to side with the same ones that aim to destroy our land.»
«What's the point of keep on serving a dying nation, Kanaria?» the Governor shouted with the few air left. «The Empire is already doomed, and it's not our fault! How many times you tried to warn them about Reich's threat? How many times you've been ignored? We did our best to protect our nation, but due to someone's blindness, all of our efforts have been vain! How could I follow the same ones that are condemning our people to ruin?»
Then, as he felt his few breaths of life left fly away, Labio threateningly pointed his finger to Kanaria, watching her right into her eyes.
«Mark my words, Kanaria. A day will come when you'll be torn between fulfilling your duties toward the Emperor and the sake of your people. And when this happens, you can be sure, you'll make… my… same… choice…»
Even before Labio's dead body could completely fall to the ground, a new hole opened under his feet, and both Lunardi and Kanaria saw the former Governor of Tarvisium disappear in a sea of fire, swallowed by his own palace.
At that point, they understood: there was no escape.
That was the end even for them.
In meantime, both Imperial soldiers and the guards of the Garrison had started regrouping in the palace's courtyard, organizing into human chains with the inhabitants in a desperate attempt to extinguish fire.
The battles and killings of a few moments ago no more mattered, even because the moment when the Reichians had started decreasing for true, even some units of the Garrison had chosen to switch side, but now the only thing that mattered was to save the Vicequeen: because maybe the Governor could even die, but there wasn't a single man in the North that valued his Governor more than their beloved ruler.
Dante, his men, Herera and the others too regrouped in front of the palace, and their hearts filled with fear when they realized the moment Wang and Stefanini too arrived, reporting that Flavio was still inside.
«Flavio!» Dante kept on shouting. «Flavio, answer!»
«I'm going there!» Tymlin said at a certain point, but Herera stopped her immediately, incredibly managing to hold her tight despite her being in her Apostle state. «Let me go!»
«You can't go inside there!»
«I'm blessed with Vulcan's power, I can pass thorough flames!»
«And what if your power should vanish while you're still inside?»
Suddenly, two figures appeared over the edge of the roof, capturing everyone's eyes.
«Flavio!»
«Captain!»
«Your Highness!»
They however remained silent, as if being noticed was not in their intentions.
«Don't worry, we'll find a way to reach you!» Dante said
«No! Don't come any closer!»
«What!?» everyone said in shock
«It's too late for us! Just stay back! This place may crumble at any moment!»
«This is madness!» Stefanini shouted «We'll not stay here to watch you die!»
«I said leave!» Flavio said with rage and a very serious commanding tone. «This is an order!»
In front of such tone, both Valentina and a still seriously proven Marco were unable to replicate, and even Dante and his men remained silent.
«Agrippa! I entrust you my people! Protect it!»
«Your Highness…»
Kanaria too had made her decision, at the point that Agrippa could do nothing but accept her decision, ordering everyone to leave and free the courtyard for a more than imminent collapse of the whole palace.
Seeing both the locals and his companions fall back, Lunardi felt good for a moment: at the end, he had been able to save them, and that was all that mattered to him; at least, he could die without fearing to be kicked in his ass by Rocco and the others once on the other side.
However, while he was still occupied in making a fast final review of his life, a sudden sound violently brought him back to the real world: a familiar one.
«What the…»
«What the…»
Moments later, a tremendous wind rose all of a sudden, and a reflector light appeared in the sky right above their heads, leaving both of them speechless for different reasons.
Amato, Cassetti and Valenti probably weren't the better members of the Falcon-1 in terms of tactical experience, but fortunately for them, the ones Donzark had left to defend the captured chinook were even worse. And fortunately for Flavio and Kanaria, before being a soldier Amato was also a rookie pilot.
«Captain!» Cassetti called him from the opened tailgate
The fire was already too high to descend further, not to mention that Amato surely didn't consider himself expert enough to try such difficult maneuver, so Giada had no choice but to throw a rope ladder. Flavio grabbed it immediately, pursuing a still speechless Kanaria to do the same. However, even before they could try to climb it, the roof finally collapsed completely, and both of them found themselves all of a sudden swinging over flames.
«Hold on tight!» Lunardi shouted to Kanaria, managing to take her wrist to help her. «We safe!»
Amato left the palace right on time, because a moment later the whole palace crumbled, covering half of Tarvisium under a tick cloud of dust.
The sun rose over a city seriously proven by a night of battles, and with its governor's palace, one of the most magnificent of the whole Empire, turned into a burning hill of debris.
Tarvisium was partially in ruin: but still free.
Dante and the others ran behind the chinook till the banks of the lake, and when both Lunardi and Kanaria came down from the helicopter Tymlin was the faster of them in jumping among Flavio's arms.
«Flavio!» she shouted in tears. «You're alive! Please, tell me you're okay!»
«Don't worry, Tymlin. I'm fine.»
«Gods be praised! When I saw you among those flames, I… I…»
Agrippa instead ran to Kanaria, and despite their difference in terms of status, he found himself unable to control himself from embracing her.
«Your Grace. I'm sorry. I would've never imagined…»
«Don't worry, Agrippa. Is everything ok.» she said before turning to Lunardi. «So, your name is… Flavio, right?»
Then, once put Tymlin down, he respectfully saluted her.
«Captain Flavio Lunardi, Falcon-1. At your service.»
When the chinook with the Falcon-1, the Falcon-9 and all the others finally returned to Castria, the whole city was waiting for it, completed with an honor guard detail in front of the High Command ready to welcome the Vicequeen. A couple of other helicopters also went to escort them during the final minutes of their voyage, and for Amato, Wang and all the others, the moment they saw the walls of Castria was like the end of the worst nightmare.
Kanaria instead remained stunned one more time, confused and shocked from the sight of such mighty city, the kind of that one could take tens of years or more to create it, but somehow she knew that probably it was just the beginning.
Flavio and his companions were allowed to come down for firsts, but the few locals knowing her face remained speechless when they saw Captain Lunardi descend from the helicopter with the Imperial Vicequeen Kanaria Livia Egrestia at his side.
General Pedersoli in person came to welcome them, and the moment they were face to face, the General gently put a hand over Lunardi's shoulder, like a father happy to see his beloved son again after too much time.
«Welcome back, boy.»
«Thanks, General.» then Lunardi formally presented him their illustrious guest. «General, allow me to introduce you Her Imperial Highness Kanaria Livia Egrestia, Vicequeen of the North.»
«It's an honor to know you, Your Highness.» Pedersoli saluted her. «I'm General Pedersoli, Commander of the Italian expedition force in this world. In the name of Italy, welcome to Castria.»
«Thanks, General.» Kanaria cut it short. «Probably my General Agrippa has told you why I'm here already. So, I will avoid unnecessary ceremonies. As the Vicequeen of the North, formally entrusted with the rule over one third of the Empire, I want to negotiate with you a ceasefire between our nations.»
Pedersoli, Lunardi and Florenzi looked each other in silence, and just judging from their faces, Kanaria immediately understood that probably there was more than one problem with her request.
«It's quite… complicated, Your Highness. But if you want to follow me, I'll try to explain you everything. You come from a terrible night and a long travel. I gave order to prepare a room for you in our quarters.»
«There's no need for sleep. I'll do it when you give me an answer.»
«As you with. But as I said, it's a complicate matter. We'll talk about on private. Please, follow me.»
At that point, Pedersoli and Florenzi took Kanaria and Agrippa inside the building, leaving Lunardi and the others finally free to embrace once again their companion Tassoni, came to salute them together with Anthelea, Pharmenon, Radika and Parna.
Flavio was still saluting Radika, when Sadee appeared from the crowd, silent as if she was trying to remain unnoticed. They walked towards each other, spending a lot of time looking in the eyes, but at the end, they affectionately embraced, tasting each other's warmth for the first time after months.
«I'm back.»
«Welcome home, Flavio.»
«You're not the Green People!?» Kanaria said in total surprise.
«Unfortunately not, Your Highness.» Pedersoli answered. «We represent another nation of the same world beyond the Gate. The ones you call the Green People are soldiers from a country called Japan. Our presence here follows different reasons, and we're not on war with the Empire.»
Kanaria felt as if she was about to faint, while rage and sadness started growing in her heart: all those sacrifices and efforts for peace had really been useless?
«And why you're here exactly?» Agrippa asked
«I'm not authorized to give you too much information. For now, you can be sure that we have no hostile intentions toward the Empire. Our mission in this world is completely peaceful, and we have no reason to attack someone if not provoked. You have my word.»
A quite encouraging revelation, but still not the kind of Kanaria expected to find at the end of that endless quest.
«I understand that probably this is not what you wanted, Your Highness. But even if we're not the ones you were looking for, maybe this may still be a good occasion for both of us to create ties between our nations.»
«What are you talking about?»
«As I said you, we and the JSDF, or the Green People as you call them, belong to the same world. Our nations are formally allied, but this doesn't mean that Italy could do nothing to help you in ending your conflict with Japan.»
Just that simple phrase was enough to make hope flourish again in the Vicequeen's heart.
«Are you ready to fight alongside us against the Green People?»
«Unfortunately I'm just a soldier; I have no power to decide for something like this. But our leaders on the other side of the Gate are really interested in creating a strong cooperation between Italy and the Empire, and they think that it would be in the best interest for everyone to end this war as soon as possible.
For this, they're really anxious to meet you personally. With your authorization, we can settle everything for an official meeting on the other side even tomorrow.»
Kanaria didn't know what to feel. Part of her was telling her that behind such gentle and compliant words there were completely different purposes; however, at the same time, she and all the ones close to her had passed over too much difficulties to not listen at least what those other strangers from another world had to say.
She and Agrippa exchanged a nod, then the Vicequeen turned again to the General.
«Very well, I accept you offer. I'll meet your leaders.»