Blue Lightning and the Bear

by Blue Paladin

Two shadows from the past rise up to confront the New State Army. First they must dispatch the vampire who seeks to make life dance to his whims. But who will aid them against the Dark Knight of Chaos?

20. Chapter 20 Preparing For War

Chapter 20 – Preparing For War

The early morning sunlight flashed off the surface of Lake Dunan, shining down out of a nearly clear sky. It was cool, with a steady north wind, which continued to propel the galley to the south. Flik stood by the aft railing scanning the churning waters of the lake. Another merchantman, he assumed it was the one Viktor was on, was about a mile to the rear. It appeared to have taken some damage in the storm, as one of its masts had a jury-rigged sail on it. The rest of the lake was clear; from horizon to horizon there didn't seem to be any more ships on the water.

Later in the morning, the southern shore of Dunan appeared over the horizon. The sails were furled and the galley proceeded towards Kuskus under oars.

The captain began pacing again, muttering, "Why don't they have a pilot boat out? Do they want us to fetch up against some rocks?" With brisk orders, he set some of his men to taking depth readings as well as they could.

Flik glanced off to the port side of the galley; in the distance he could see water foaming off of an exposed reef. Still, the two ships managed to come up against adjacent quays without any mishap. As the mercenaries disembarked, Flik looked around for any port officials. Disturbingly, he didn't find any. There were some burly dockhands, who immediately set about trading news with some of his men.

"What's up?" one of the workers said. "You two are the first ships from Coronet we've seen all day. By this time on a regular day, we'd expect at least a dozen this size. The dock gangs are getting antsy about having no work."

"Might be some time before you see many ships out of there," one of Flik's mercenaries answered. "Coronet got all tore up by Highland troops."

"You don't say," another worker jumped in. "I've got cousins in Coronet. Say, you think Highland will be coming this way?"

"Who knows?" the mercenary remarked. "We were running like all hell was behind us. Good thing we did, I don't think anything can stand against them."

"That's enough of that," Flik shouted, striding towards the conversation. "We don't have any work for you," he told the longshoremen. "So get out of here. As for the rest of you." He glared at his men. "There will be no gossiping unless I specifically allow it. We're warriors, not a bunch of gabby old ladies."

The mercenaries colored but also stopped talking, though Flik was sure that he'd earned a few muttered curses. Unfortunately, even that one moment of gossip had an effect. As Viktor and Flik marched their men through the docks and the town, he could see the citizens milling about, talking in hushed tones and casting wary glances at the soldiers. Even though there were goods piled up in boxes along the wharves, nobody seemed to care to get them to the markets, and many of the shops didn't even appear to be open.

As they marched south out of the town, Flik jogged up to the head of the column, where he found Viktor. "So, how much potch do we have?" he inquired.

"Let's see." Viktor fumbled around in one of his pockets. "I've got three hundred and fifty…two. How about you?"

Flik didn't answer. Instead he asked, "What's the plan? Once the men figure out that they're going to have to take their pay in promises, we're not going to have much of an army."

"No problem. Granmeyer knows our reputation; he'll take us on."

Flik almost asked, "What? Our reputation for losing battles and retreating?" But he decided to keep his mouth shut.

Viktor was still speaking. "After that, I'll try to figure out where Anabelle is. There are really only two places she'd go: here or Greenhill. Wherever she is, that's where I'll be."

"And if she's dead?" Flik blurted out. He looked at Viktor to gauge his reaction.

Viktor did not respond for a while, but seemed to be chewing the thought over. Warily, he replied, "If she's dead, then she's dead. It…is part of the territory. I'll continue fighting until we kick the Highland Army out of Jowston. But I'm not going to believe she's dead until I hear it from somebody who saw her die."

Flik nodded. After all, he hadn't really believed Odessa was dead until he'd heard it from Tir McDohl.

All of that day was taken up marching down the dirt road leading towards South Window. The terrain was drier than in Muse, with short grasses and stunted trees predominating. There were also fewer small farms dotting the countryside. Most of the houses that were visible along the road were great manors where people worked harvesting olives, dates, figs, and grapes. After a few hours, Flik's legs began to regret that he'd left his horse behind in Coronet. His cavalrymen also looked out of marching shape.

Luckily, Viktor gave them plenty of unscheduled opportunities to rest. Throughout the day, he stopped to speak with every person on the road and even went haring off after people he saw in the wilderness. He always said, "If you come across any members of Viktor's Mercenary Army, tell them to come to South Window City."

There weren't a huge number of travelers though. One group was a long merchant caravan working its way north to pick up more goods. Another group turned out to be refugees from Muse who'd been lucky enough to catch a boat. From these people, Flik learned that the great majority of the ships had been blown off course and were dropping people off at the first good beach they could find.

With all of the talking that Viktor did, they did not get to South Window before sundown. Instead, they camped out in a field beside the road. Luckily, the weather was warm and dry, so the lack of tents did not discomfort anyone. There was also enough food for that night, though not much was left. Flik knew they'd have to get more supplies, and quickly.

After he ate, he was about to lie down on the turf and try for some sleep, but he suddenly noticed Viktor walking off into one of the fields. Concerned, Flik got up and quietly followed after his friend. Viktor continued to walk in a straight line, as if he had some premeditated destination in mind. Eventually, he walked up a small rise and sat down at the top. Flik remained at the base of the hill, not wanting to intrude.

"I should've gone after her," Viktor spoke to himself. "I should've been there to protect her…or at least to be with her." He paused and whispered, "I can't bear to think that she was alone when she…"

He did not continue that thought. Flik wondered if he ought to sneak away, but suddenly had the sensation of needing to sneeze. He held it in, covering his nose with both hands and shuffling his feet in dizziness. Shaking his head, he looked back up at the top of the hill.

After some time, Viktor said, a little too casually, "You think we can win this war, Flik?"

Flik carefully picked his way up the slope until he stood on the crown of the hill next to Viktor. Flik did not speak for a long moment, finally responding, "I'm sorry for intruding, Viktor."

"Nah," Viktor interjected, still too conversationally. "I was just thinking about how badly we're getting beat. That's all."

Flik could see that Viktor was not prepared to talk about how Anabelle's death hurt him personally. It would be easier for him to talk about how it changed less important things, like the war.

"You seemed confident earlier today," Flik said.

"I was, but…what if Anabelle…is dead? What then?"

Flik looked down at Viktor. "You think she is?" Viktor did not answer but continued to look out over the grasslands. Flik considered his next words. "Even so, don't we keep fighting? You said you'd continue until Highland was driven out. That's what she would want, right?"

Viktor grabbed a pebble and tossed it out into the still night air. "I just wonder if the Alliance has anybody to match Luca Blight. Without Anabelle, I don't know if anyone can lead Jowston to victory."

"Well, what about Granmeyer? Or maybe the leader of the Matilda Knights? Gorudo, I think his name was."

Viktor emphatically shook his head. "No, neither of them has the prestige. Anabelle was known throughout Jowston. She sent troops to aid both the Knights and Tinto. She donated funds for Greenhill, even helped to avert conflict between South Window and Two Rivers. She really did have the best interests of all of Jowston at heart, and everybody knew it. I don't think any of the potential successors would have that reputation; they're all tied too closely with their individual cities."

Flik sat down, feeling the residual heat of the day rising out of the earth. "What about you, then? Couldn't you take up Anabelle's mantle?"

Viktor chortled. "No, not I. Not at all. It's kind of like when Odessa died and the Liberation Army was leaderless. You were aiming for that job, right?"

Flik looked up at the stars. "I guess I was," he conceded.

"No offense, but you would've been terrible."

"What?" Flik glanced sharply over just in time to catch Viktor's smile at his reaction.

"You didn't have the right temperament. Who would you have listened to? Not Mathiu, that's for sure. You'd have alienated most of the members and then gone off half-cocked and tried to take Gregminster all by yourself."

Momentarily Flik searched for some sort of snappy counter argument, but ended up chuckling once. "You are absolutely right. I would've messed everything up. I guess we were just lucky that Tir McDohl showed up."

Viktor pounded his fist into his palm. "That's what we need."

"Tir McDohl?"

"Not him, but somebody like him. Someone who has the right lineage, but who's humble enough to listen and take advice. Someone who draws people to him naturally, and not because he's a braggart."

Both men were silent for a time. "That's a tall order," Flik suggested.

"Yes it is."

There was silence again.

"I need a beer," Viktor commented. "Out of the biggest tub they can find."

"I entirely agree."

Viktor's Mercenary Army arrived outside the gates of South Window just before noon. The city sat at the intersection of three broad dusty roads, one from the west, one from the east, and the one that the mercenaries were marching down. It was an old city, whose long, tall walls were showing signs of disrepair.

Flik frowned. South Window certainly didn't seem like a city preparing for war. The main gates stood wide open and unguarded. There wasn't even a token pair of soldiers for the appearance of vigilance. Not only that, but the arrival of a group of armed men outside the walls didn't elicit the slightest official response from within.

"What now?" Flik asked Viktor.

"We go in, march through the city, and knock politely on the mayor's door. I'm sure somebody will notice us."

They marched in. Just beyond the gates was a working class neighborhood, a maze of twisting streets bordered by small shops and multi-story buildings. There were people going to and from their daily chores here, but they stopped to gawk as the mercenaries passed. Then they began to clear the street, ducking hurriedly into their houses, slamming the doors behind them. After a while, Flik found that they were walking down a completely empty road. This continued until they got onto a straight, broad street heading towards an interior wall with an arched tunnel in it. Viktor explained that it was part of the defense system. These interior walls crisscrossed the city, allowing soldiers to move from section to section above the city streets.

It was just after they'd crossed out of the shadow of the tunnel that they met the first challenge. A group of twenty soldiers stood at an intersection, listening to the words of a panicked resident.

"I tell you, they're really here! A group of Highland soldiers has entered the city." The resident glanced back towards Viktor and Flik. "Look! There they are. Do something!"

The South Window soldiers looked warily towards the mercenaries. Viktor confidently stepped forward and boomed, "We are not Highland soldiers but Viktor's Mercenary Army. We're here to enlist in the defense of this city."

Flik scanned the street. Nobody seemed terribly pleased by Viktor's announcement. Rather, most of them look like they'd just figured out that the war was real and getting closer, and they didn't appear to be very happy at the discovery.

One of the sergeants with the South Window soldiers walked towards Viktor and Flik. The sergeant was a stringy man with ill-fitting armor and a handlebar moustache. "You folks…ah…should come with me. We wouldn't want you causing a…panic." He blinked, nervously perusing the mercenaries. "I'll send a messenger off to the mayoral palace."

Viktor rolled his eyes. "Fine. Lead the way."

The sergeant did, though he did not look terribly pleased to be escorting two hundred armed men through the streets. He led them to a barracks that was flush against the western wall.

"These…ah…can serve as your quarters. At least until some more…permanent arrangements can be made." The sergeant bowed shallowly and scampered before either Viktor or Flik could speak.

Somehow it did not surprise Flik that when he opened the door, he found the interior of the building to be a dusty wreck. Still, even this was better than trying a night out on the streets. They set the men to getting the place in order. The dust was swept up, a few beds were found, and there were even some old, dried foodstuffs in one of the storage closets in the back. The men were hungry enough that nobody complained, even if the meat did have the consistency of tree bark and was salted to within an inch of its life.

Late in the evening with the sun just set, a response came from the mayoral palace. The messenger, a man with oiled hair and a purple doublet, delivered a sealed document into Viktor's hands. Then he sniffed disdainfully, spun about, and departed.

"What's the news?" Flik asked, after Viktor finished reading it.

Viktor scratched his scalp. "From what I can make of it, Mayor Granmeyer wants to meet with us two hours after noon."

"That's good, right?"

"It means we'll get paid, but I worry about the urgency of the document." Viktor handed it over to Flik.

"How so?" Flik asked.

"Well, when we first came to Muse City, they left us cooling our heels for half a month, even though we had the direct support of Anabelle. Granmeyer must be pretty desperate if he's going to see us tomorrow."

"We'll learn what more at the meeting," Flik replied. "You never know, things might be completely different by tomorrow."

It was dark and he could see nothing. He felt rock beneath his feet and a smothering heat all around him. At the periphery of his vision, a dull red light blossomed. He watched, entranced, as it intensified, slowly revealing a horrific landscape.

He stood on a rock in the midst of a searing lake of fire and lava, clutching the shaft of a Fire Spear. The hot blasts of air blistered his exposed skin, but the meager platform was surely thousands of times better than the inferno. Twisted and blackened figures struggled in the lava. Despite the fact some thinking part of his mind rejected what he saw as impossible, still he recoiled as the figures shambled towards him.

As they came closer, he began to recognize faces, disfigured with pain though they were. Here again were the two children on the road to Coronet. There were soldiers that he'd killed: Highlanders and Imperial soldiers from the old Scarlet Moon Empire. More faces in the crowd belonged to soldiers who died under his command. There was the senior sergeant Chester, who, during the march away from the fort, had stopped to rest against a rock and never returned to the land of the living. Even in death, his face was horribly ripped open.

The horde parted to allow their leader forward. Flik cringed in pain. Even in death, she was still beautiful. The updrafts caught her auburn hair, billowing it up around her head like a tribute to the flames. The light from the fires reflected off her flawless skin in a red glare, giving her a feverish look. It shined in her eyes, a mockery of the spark of life. There was a little smile on her face as she reached towards him with both arms.

Odessa! Her hands were fiery pain as they touched him, pulling him down. Of their own accord, his hands moved along the Fire Spear, bringing it into a ready position. No! Yet even as much as he wanted to be drawn down by her, his body resisted, feet digging in on the edge of the platform. She pulled herself up towards him, hands smoldering at his cheeks, drawing up to kiss him.

Flames exploded out of the Fire Spear, enveloping, consuming, expanding out to overcome all of the masses behind her. He could still feel her hands on his cheeks, and then her face rose up out of the fire, her lips brushing against his momentarily.

Flik gasped awake, sitting up in pitch black, his fingers reaching to touch his lips. They tingled, the sensation fading even as he felt it. The dark room was uncomfortably hot, with men sleeping wherever they could. He could hear Viktor's loud snores from a couple of beds down. Flik reached out with his right hand, finding the sword that he had named for his love. He slid out of his bed, standing on the cool, stone floor, the sword gripped in his hand. On tiptoes, he crept across the room to the door, pulled it open just a bit, and slipped out into the night air.

It was lighter outside than in the barracks. The Blue Moon, a waxing crescent, was up in the east. The Scarlet Moon was not yet visible over the walls, but would be soon enough. Morning would follow thereafter. Flik slowly breathed in the warm, dry air, letting the memory of the dream be carried away into the night. Still, it would be some time before he was able to close his eyes again that night.

The following morning Viktor departed to see if he couldn't learn if any of the missing mercenaries had arrived during the night. Flik, after overseeing the rest of the cleanup in the barracks, went out scouting for an inn for the women to stay at, whenever they managed to return. He found one built into one of the interior walls, right by the main street. The sign over the door announced it as "The Monarch's Crown."

There didn't appear to be any bouncers at the door, so Flik opened it up and walked in. The interior was quiet and peaceful, with a dinning room off to one side and stairs leading up at the end of a short hallway. A maid was busy cleaning the tables, and looked up when Flik came in.

"Are you looking for the innkeeper?" she asked. "Just stay here, I'll go get him."

She returned after a few moments with a large man with thinning gray hair. Flik momentarily wondered why all innkeepers seemed to be overweight. Then the man addressed him. "Good morning, good morning, sir. How may 'The Monarch's Crown' be of service to you this fine day? Perhaps you are looking to rent a room for a while? Yes?"

"Actually, I was hoping that you have several rooms available," Flik explained. "I'm a captain for a mercenary group, and we're looking for a place for our noncombatants to stay while we're in South Window."

"You don't say?" The innkeeper managed to look both skeptical and avaricious at the same time, rubbing his hands together vigorously. "Well, sir, may I remind you that 'The Monarch's Crown' is a high class establishment, and I'll need to see a substantial down payment before I'll let any of the rooms." He licked his lips hungrily.

Flik maintained his polite tone. "Let's not talk about money just yet. Maybe you could show me around the place?"

The innkeeper's smile vanished, his jowls dropping into a slight frown. However, before he could say anything, Viktor burst through the door, yelling, "You'll never believe who I just met!"

Riou, Nanami, and Pilika walked in just behind Viktor, nervously looking around the inn. Flik smiled. "Good work getting here, Riou. You too, Nanami and Pilika. I know you must have been through a lot."

He might have said more, but three other travelers entered the inn. Though they came in last, they were clearly a part of the group. Two of them were sisters, judging by their similar black hair and facial structure, though they did not appear to be twins. The one with the longer hair, hoop earrings, black dress, and green wrap tied around her waist appeared to be slightly older. The younger girl had short hair with bangs that framed her eyes. She was wearing long dangling earrings, black shorts, and a black cropped top with netting across her shoulders. She had a red wrap around her waist. The third person was a mountain of a man, who had a surprisingly gentle face and a tuft of brown hair on his forehead. He was wearing a pair of blue trousers that were held in place by two chains that crossed over his bare chest. He also had a large brown blanket, which he seemed to be using as a travelling cloak.

"Are these…people with you?" The innkeeper sniffed.

"We've got lots to talk about," Viktor said jovially.

"If you want to talk," the innkeeper replied. "You'll either have to pay or get out."

"How much?" Flik asked.

"For the lot of you…five hundred potch!" The innkeeper demanded. Flik checked his pockets, he didn't have that much. He was sure Viktor didn't either. The innkeeper sneered triumphantly. At least, until Riou stepped forward and handed him a string of coins. "Well, fine," he answered, not at all happily. "You!" He pointed at the maid. "Show our guests to a table." He bustled out of the dinning room as quickly as he was able.

There were ten tables in the dinning room. The maid led them to one with a window behind it. Riou took the middle seat by the window, and Nanami sat down to his right. The girl with the red wrap emphatically took the seat to Riou's left. The gentle giant eased uncomfortably into a chair at the side of the table. Pilika sat down next to the giant, in the first chair facing the window. Flik immediately took the middle chair on that side and turned to see the woman with the green wrap sitting down on his right side. She smiled when she saw him looking. Viktor, the only one still standing, took the seat directly across from the giant.

Servers came by with a meal of seafood dumplings with sweet and sour sauce, served on a bed of rice and fried vegetables. A mild sweet tea was also served.

"Well," Flik began. "Tell us about how you got here. You seem to have made some new friends."

"Ho ho ho," the girl in the black dress chuckled. "Friends indeed."

"Hey!" her sister snapped, but she did edge slightly towards Riou.

Nanami, unaware of the by-play, told the story. "We went to Anabelle's like we were going to. When we arrived, Jowy was there, and he had-"

She paused, her cheerfulness breaking down. "There was a bloody dagger in his hand, and Anabelle was on the floor, bleeding."

"Wait," Flik interrupted. He could hear the disbelief in his own voice. "You mean Jowy killed Anabelle? He always said that he hated Highland, that he wouldn't forgive them for framing him. Why would he turn to them now?" The thought crossed his mind that Sanchez had managed a similar ruse. Flik shook his head; he couldn't see Jowy as the type to hide his true feelings for any length of time.

Viktor's face was set, but his voice was menacing. "I'll want to hear his reasons before I settle with him. I want to know why he did it. Then I'll decide if I want to kill him, or just maim him very badly." Riou, naturally enough, didn't look terribly comfortable with this subject. Viktor, noticing this, continued, "I don't blame you, though. You're obviously as shocked about this as I am."

"Why don't you continue, Nanami?" Flik prompted.

"Yes." Nanami didn't look happy, either. "Jowy ducked out through the back, while we tried to save Anabelle. Then we heard that Highland was attacking, so we returned to the inn. We got Pilika, and Leona told us to go to South Window. There were a lot of people trying to get out of Muse, and we got all mixed up and had to spend the night out in a field. After that, it took us a while to figure out where we were going." She paused, noticed that the dumplings were going quickly, and speared one for herself. "We got to Coronet, but the Highland Army was already there, and they weren't allowing anybody to go out on the water. That's where we met Rina, Eilie, and Bolgan."

"I'm Rina," the girl in the dress said. "That's my sister, Eilie." She gestured towards the girl sitting next to Riou.

"I can introduce myself!" Eilie retorted.

"Me Bolgan!" the giant proclaimed, to his great satisfaction.

"Riou's helped us twice now," Rina said. "So we're kind of indebted to him. Besides, my sister's got the-"

"No!" Eilie shrieked, throwing a dumpling in the direction of her sister. Rina, in a display of dexterity, snatched it out of the air. "You're terrible," Eilie pouted. "Don't say another word."

Rina chuckled and calmly took a sip from her teacup. "I think you can continue, Nanami."

Nanami nodded. "Well, we finally found some crusty old men who were willing to take their boat out and that's how we got across the lake. We just got here this morning, and we found Viktor by the gate."

"Yup," Viktor added. "We've got quite a story too. We had to fight our way down to Coronet, then ride out a storm, and we just got here yesterday."

"It would've been sooner if somebody hadn't been so busy making side trips." Flik explained.

"We need to get the word out that Viktor's Mercenary Army is gathering in South Window," Viktor answered. "It's got to be by word of mouth. How else are we going to do it?"

"So you're mercenaries?" Rina asked, looking at Flik.

Nanami spoke up before Flik could reply. "Does that mean Leona and the others aren't here?"

"You're right about that," Viktor said. "We got all split up in the storm. We got here first, and now you've arrived."

Nanami looked crestfallen. "I wonder if anyone thought to save my Ritapon set?"

"They'll get here," Flik consoled. "Before you know it, we'll all be gathered again."

"I hope they're all okay," Nanami responded.

"Me too," Flik echoed. He reached out for another dumpling and found that they were all gone. Even as he looked, Bolgan was dabbing up the last few grains of rice with his meaty thumb.

"That's enough of that," Viktor said, ending that subject. "It's just about time for us to leave for the mayor's palace. Who wants to come along?"

"So, you're hoping to get a contract off the mayor?" Rina asked.

"I'm not about to stop going around trying to gather everybody here," Viktor answered. "When they get here, we're going to need a place to keep them, and that takes potch. The mayor's got a fair bit, supposedly, and he needs men to fight for him."

"I'm going," Nanami announced, waving her arms. "Riou, you're coming too," she declared.

"Yes," Riou answered. "I still want to stop Highland."

Rina took another sip of her drink. "I think I'll stay here and enjoy my tea. It's been a while since I've had a chance to relax."

Eilie glanced at Riou, blushed, and said, "I'm not good in formal situations. I'd just trip over myself or something. I'll stay here and look after Pilika."

Bolgan nodded. "Be back soon."

The four that were going -Viktor, Flik, Riou, and Nanami- stood up and walked towards the inn's entrance.

"The mayoral palace is in the northeastern quarter of the city," Flik explained. "It'll take us a little while to walk there, and then we'll see about getting a new contract."