Chapter 27 – Power to Gather

Flik and his cavalry stood sentinel on that hill for several more hours, watching the continuing Highland retreat. Meanwhile the rest of the army, now several thousand soldiers larger than it had been in the morning, tried to crowd through the two gates of North Window. He gathered the senior sergeants and listened to the casualty reports: eleven dead and eighteen wounded. He shook his head. He might call the numbers "acceptable," but that label seemed like an insult to those who had died.

He could see a far graver insult going on from where he stood, much of it being committed by the victorious South Window soldiers against their foes. Flik knew it was inevitable, but he wasn't comfortable with the looting of corpses. Part of his concern was simply the breakdown in discipline. Part of it was the fact that many of the scavengers didn't make any distinction between the dead and the wounded. Thus he kept a tight rein on his own men, and both the rankers and the sergeants understood perfectly that there would be severe consequences for any transgressions.

After a while, Flik saw a unit of South Window infantry, possibly a third of their total number, turn and march south down the road in his general direction. Curious, he trotted Nightstar over towards them until he was close enough to recognize their leader.

"General Arnhem," Flik said, coughing to cover his surprise. "I haven't seen you in a while." He hadn't. The last he'd seen of the pudgy man had been when he'd delivered the news of Granmeyer's death. He had not even realized the former general had followed him to North Window. Looking more closely, Flik realized that the general was not a "former general" anymore. Arnhem had somehow acquired some fancy robes and a sword. Not only that, but the troops marching behind him seemed to be following his command.

"Yes," Arnhem replied, squirming uncomfortably on the back of a horse that was too small for his size. "It's a…pleasure to see you again." Now that the general was back in his own element, he did not look very pleased to see Flik.

Since Flik didn't have any desire to continue with the small talk, he went straight to his concern. "Where are you taking these men, general?" As he spoke, a company of infantry carrying captured Highland flags began marching past.

Arnhem swallowed. "The strategist Shu suggested that I ought to take a unit of South Window infantry and go liberate South Window. He said I should take the flags to show that the Highland army has been defeated, and that the citizens of the city will open the gates once they see evidence of the victory. After that, I'll serve as governor of South Window, in the name of the late Lord Granmeyer."

Flik almost scowled, but kept it down to a couple of twitches at the corner of his mouth. What is Shu playing at, giving this man authority? Flik worked his mouth up into a smile and managed to sincerely say, "I wish you success, general."

Arnhem nodded his farewell and rode off to catch up with his men. Flik rejoined his mounted archers and, seeing as all the Highland units were now out of sight, led his men back towards North Window. Off on the shore of the lake, he saw a fleet of small craft running up onto the sand. The soldiers of Riou's unit were forming up on that beach.

Arriving at the wall to the city, Flik found the celebration already well underway. Soldiers and refugees mingled in the streets, though they did give way for Flik's men. Cheers filled up his ears, and somebody rushed forward to hand him a wreath of flowers. He looked dumbly down at the assortment of multicolored blossoms and then settled it on his head. The adulation grew louder.

"Hooray for Blue Thunder! Hooray for Lord Riou! Lord Riou drove the Highlanders away! He's a true hero!"

Flik rubbed his forehead. That nickname seemed to be changing as often as the weather. Only after he'd worried about that did he realize that the crowd was calling Riou, "Lord Riou."

His thoughts were suddenly scattered as a woman stepped on his foot in the left stirrup and scrambled up onto Nightstar. Flik had the impression of a brown braid and equally brown eyes before she lunged at him and kissed. Nightstar, calm enough despite the noise, began to dance a little with the unexpected extra weight. The crowd's voice grew into white noise in Flik's ears.

He used one of Nightstar's lurches as an excuse to break the kiss and set the woman back down to street level. She ran after him for a few paces, trying to shout her name over the crowd. Then she jumped at the nearest soldier and started kissing him. Flik's cheeks burned from the encounter, but he was more relieved than jealous to see that he was no longer the target for her affections.

Any hope of getting the companies back to the stables in an organized manner was rapidly disappearing. Flik shrugged; for once, there was nothing he could do about it. The crowd wanted a party, and his men had been caught up in it. He soldiered on, walking Nightstar closer to the castle.

Somebody else was calling his name. Flik looked in the general direction of the voice and saw Bolgan walking towards him, clearing a path by his towering mass. Pilika and Eilie were with him, as was Tsai. Eilie darted from Bolgan's side and ran towards Flik, asking a question that was drowned out by the noise.

"What?" Flik shouted in response.

"Have you seen Riou?" she yelled. "Is he okay?"

Flik began to shake his head to answer the first question, but worried that Eilie might take it as the answer to the second. "I'm sure he's fine," he finally shouted.

Eilie frowned worriedly, biting her lower lip. Tsai plodded forward to say something that was lost in the celebration.

"Louder," Flik yelled, annoyed.

Tsai tried to speak again, but Eilie overrode him. "He says that Shu's planning a debriefing as soon as everyone's gathered."

Flik nodded his thanks and continued on.

Later, after he'd brushed Nightstar down and seen to her food and water, Flik attended to his own growling stomach. A cook was serving meat wraps, the meat coming out of a large vat. He wolfed his first one down without tasting it, grabbed a second one and proceeded to eat it a little more slowly as he made his way up the stairs.

Sounds from outside the castle crashed against the stone walls. Flik listened to the chanting crowd.

"Lord Riou is coming! Lord Riou is coming!"

Flik wiped his forehead in relief. The fact that the crowd was still cheering seemed to suggest that Riou was unscathed. That was quite fortuitous, especially considering the dangerous nature of the youth's mission.

Flik ascended the remaining steps and entered the corridor leading to the second story hall. Once again, Oulan stood outside, but this time she smiled and greeted him with, "Congratulations. Most of the others are already inside. Only Riou and his sister have yet to arrive."

"Thank you," Flik said, walking past the bodyguard. He entered the room to hear the trailing end of a conversation.

"For the moment, I have enough spaces and orderlies for the wounded, but that's only because our casualties were so light." The voice was Tuta's, his tone serious as he gave the report. "If the number of wounded were any greater, we'd have all sorts of problems. We don't have the space or trained men to deal with the results of a major battle. Not only that, but untreated injuries fester and cause all sorts of diseases."

Tuta was standing up on the dais with Shu next to him. Viktor and Freed stood below to either side, and Rina and Leona were further back. Afternoon sunlight streamed in brightly through the windows.

Shu nodded. "Thank you for voicing your concerns, Tuta, it was most timely. I will definitely make upgrading the medical arrangements one of my first priorities. Also I wanted to compliment you on what you've done so far. Your facility is most excellent."

Tuta beamed. "Thank you, sir. If you'll excuse me." Face brimming with pride, the boy quickly walked out of the room.

Shu immediately snapped his gaze around to Flik. "Your report."

"The Highland Army was in full retreat to the east when contact was lost. They seemed to be moving down the coast in the direction of Kuskus."

Shu's expression was even. "As expected. Everything is moving as I predicted. The retaking of South Window should go smoothly now."

"I was wondering about that," Flik interrupted. "Is Arnhem really the best choice for this mission?" He looked over to Freed. "No offense, but the general's qualifications are…slight, at best."

"The general was the head of one of the most important families in the city," Freed answered. Then he coughed. "Of course, what you say about his abilities is completely true. Even my Lord Granmeyer knew of Arnhem's limitations."

"I am well aware of the general's ineptitude and cowardice," Shu responded, not batting an eye. "All the more reason to give him a duty that he is suited for. His political connections will make him an asset in stabilizing South Window. On the other hand, had he remained here, that clout would've eventually forced me to give him a unit, if only to keep him mollified. I think you can imagine that contemplating such a move filled me with trepidation."

"Oh," Flik answered.

"You're pretty cold," Viktor rumbled.

"Someone has to be," Shu replied, switching his stare to Viktor. "Today's victory is only the first step on a long road, and I have to have the detachment to see the way clearly. Our situation is precarious, and I will make use of every tool needed to defeat the Highland Army. Even if those tools have serious flaws."

There was a moment of tense silence, broken by the sound of approaching footsteps. Flik looked towards the entrance in time to see Riou walking in. Eilie and Nanami followed just behind, and then the larger bulk of Bolgan. Tsai trailed in last.

Flik took a few steps and shook Riou's hand. "Good work, Riou. You've definitely earned all the acclaim. Everybody's calling you a hero."

Viktor laughed jovially. "As well they should. He practically set the Highland Army to flight all by himself."

Eilie was grinning. "Everybody outside was talking about Riou too. They were calling him the 'herald of victory'."

Riou, naturally enough, took all of this praise in stride. The crowd's cheering didn't seem to have touched him at all. It had got through to Nanami, who looked less than pleased by everything.

"We've won today," Shu announced, drawing attention back in his direction. He stepped down off the dais and said, "But we mustn't lose focus of the bigger picture. Our victory is a small thing when set beside the fact that Lady Anabelle is dead and that Muse remains under the control of Highland." He paused and clasped his hands behind his back. "Let me be brutally honest: the Jowston Alliance has failed and the individual City-States are in danger of being overcome one at a time. Moreover, there is still Luca Blight and his White Wolves to worry about. In our current state, the full might of Highland is far too much for us to handle. If we are to continue this resistance, we must gather more power in this place. We must have enough strength to fend off Luca Blight and drive Highland back over the border."

Flik felt his mind working over the implications of Shu's speech. He could see other people also thinking it out, but he was the first to comment. "You want us to fight Highland as an independent army, not attached to any of the City-States, with this castle as our base of operations, right?"

"Correct," Shu answered. "We already have a good foundation for the army in this old castle. What we need now is the personality to gather and focus our men into a cohesive force. Someone who can stand above the short term interests of the individual cities and unify all of the people of Jowston. We need a leader.

Viktor frowned, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "And you want to be that leader?"

For just a moment, Flik thought he saw the ghost of a smile on Shu's lips, but it disappeared, leaving no trace. Instead Shu responded, "No. I am not the one. For all of my military genius, I know that I do not have that ability to make people follow me, to set their hearts ablaze, and to inspire them to overcome great odds." He chuckled, a rueful little laugh. "I can make the plans to win this war, but it must fall to someone else to execute them."

Frustrated, Flik stared at the strategist. "If it's not you, then who? Are we going to ask one of the remaining mayors to lead us? I don't believe any of them are up to it."

Shu began walking even as he answered the question. "The person who will lead us is right here in this room." He walked towards Flik. "Though young, his exploits are already celebrated." Flik tensed, momentarily sure that Shu was going to name him, but Shu stepped past. Turning, aware that everybody in the room was following Shu's movements, Flik watched as Shu stopped in front of his choice.

"Riou," Shu began, paused and began again. "Lord Riou. You are the one who must lead the New State Army. Your heart is what will show us the way to peace."

Nanami moved before anyone could speak, placing herself angrily between her brother and Shu. "Wait a minute," she said testily. "Why do you want to throw this all on my brother? It's not fair. At least explain why."

Viktor walked up towards Shu, but his eyes were on Riou. "It's because of Genkaku's legacy, isn't it?"

"Genkaku," Leona whispered, wonder on her voice. "Can you really unite the alliance around that name?"

Shu took another step towards Riou, causing Nanami to give ground. "Lord Riou," he said, "your father is the hero Genkaku who rose up, defended Jowston, and was ultimately exiled from Muse almost twenty-five years ago. You bear the same 'Bright Shield Rune' that he did. You are the one who defeated General Solon Jhee of Highland. You are the hope of all our people. But you are more than simply reputation, Lord Riou. You have the charisma and brilliance that attracts people to you. Your power is what is needed now. You must lead."

Nanami was still caught between Shu and Riou. She looked back at her brother as he placed a hand on her shoulder to guide her out of the way. "Riou," she pleaded, "do you understand what you're getting into? You'll have to keep fighting. I," she steadied herself, "I think you should consider what you're about to do, at least."

She stepped aside, leaving Riou face to face with Shu. Finally Riou spoke, in a quiet modest voice, "You talk about 'my power' as if it were something special, but I don't think it is. Viktor and Flik are stronger than I am. Freed has more political skills. You have a greater intellect."

"Right!" Nanami shouted, smiling. "That's right. What power could my brother have that outweighs all of that?"

Shu was unfazed. "His open heart is a power much greater than brute force, political skill, or intellectual acumen. Lord Riou, you have the rarest of abilities. People look at you and see that there is hope for the future. Today I saw an army on the verge of disintegration rally and emerge victorious because of your bravery. Because of that bravery, people will gather to you. They will gather to save their families, their friends, and their country. And they will gather because you can lead them to that salvation, Lord Riou. That is your power."

Nanami's lips were pinched tight, her eyes glistening with tears, but she didn't have the words to argue against Shu.

Riou answered. "I want to help, if I can. But I don't think I'm worthy of all of your expectations."

Viktor walked to Riou's side, placing his hand on the youth's head. "Well, nobody should expect you to make the decision right now," he said gently. "But I wanted to talk to you about Genkaku. Anabelle was going to, but then…" He trailed off.

Shu backed away from Riou and closed his eyes. "Lord Riou, go ahead and think it through. Listen to what Viktor has to say. I will wait for you to make up your mind. I believe in you."

Viktor was already walking from the room. "Come to the tavern," he said over his shoulder. "That's where I'll be. We can have a long talk about your father, Riou. After that, the choice is up to you."

Flik did not wait around in the tavern to listen to the story. He had heard it, of course, in bits and pieces. Moreover, he wasn't sure if his presence would help Riou make a decision. Come to think of it, he didn't know which decision would be the better one. If Shu were correct about Riou's power, then they would certainly have need of it to fight off Highland. But it seemed a very heavy burden to place on Riou's shoulders alone.

Inevitably, Flik ended up wandering up to the top of the ruined tower to rest against the rooftop. Looking down, he could see that the town was filled with celebration, people dancing and drinking around crackling bonfires. For them, today's victory was all that mattered, and tomorrow's tribulations were out of mind.

Suddenly, Flik felt the presence of his lightning rune more acutely. He looked up to see light flashing in the clouds gathering overhead. As it often did, the feeling of his rune in his hand brought memories of Odessa to mind. However, this time, they were much clearer, much more startlingly present.

It was a sweltering night in Gregminster, where the air lay thick and still over the lights of the city. Heavy clouds reflected the heat back towards the ground, beating on the stones of houses until they were hot to the touch. Flik, a younger version of himself, stood at the glass window of his darkened room and looked into the night sky. The only blue he wore was the bandanna around his forehead, everything else was simple leather browns. His sword was yet to be named; often he wondered why he even thought about naming it.

He had traveled far since his departure from Warrior's Village and grown powerful in those journeys. He didn't need their traditions anymore, but he couldn't seem to let go of them either.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Flik found himself tightening his right hand into a fist. He didn't understand why, but the lightning rune in his hand bothered him on nights like this. It wasn't painful, but the feeling was uncomfortable. He began rubbing the top of his right hand with his left thumb.

There was a knock on his door. "Who's there?" Flik asked, feeling annoyed at the interruption.

"I wanted to talk to you," Odessa said from the other side of the door. "May I come in?"

His annoyance departed, replaced by nervousness. He swallowed twice, his throat suddenly dry, and said, "Of course, my lady."

She was wearing a white cotton dress with blue scrollwork around the hem and sleeves. She carried several strings of potch in her hands. "You forgot your payment," she said, smiling.

Flik was torn between the urge to stare at her beauty and the decorum to look away out the window. He settled on a happy medium of fixing his eyes firmly on the wardrobe directly in front of him. "It doesn't matter," he answered dismissively. "I've already told you that I don't need any payment; I just want to help out."

Odessa laughed, a clear sound that seemed to pierce Flik's ears. "Who ever heard of a mercenary working for free? You're willing to expose yourself to danger as my bodyguard but not expect any reward? I don't think so- take the potch, please."

She pressed the strings into his right hand. Flik momentarily felt her fingers on his callused palm. He didn't look at her, but answered, "Thank you." Before he could continue, there was a flash of lightning nearby, thunder loud enough to rattle the window. Again aware of the foreignness of the rune, Flik's right hand spasmed and the coins clattered to the floor. He brought the hand up to eye level, flexing it to see if it was fully under his control.

Odessa stepped into view, a worried frown on her face. "Are you all right?"

Flik averted his eyes, looking fully out the window. "I'm fine, my lady."

"No you're not," she said, grabbing his right hand. "Something is bothering you. Please tell me."

Flik snatched his hand away. "It's nothing," he said, a little more harshly than he intended. "I just need to get stronger, that's all."

Odessa moved again, slipping between Flik and the window. "What, you can't trust me with your weaknesses? I can't have a bodyguard who doesn't trust me."

Flik took a few steps back from the window. Odessa's closeness bothered him. Even if Achilles had been dead for more than a year, Flik still thought of Odessa as Achilles' fiancée. "I have to be strong in order to protect you," Flik answered.

Odessa smiled. "But no one can ever be all powerful. I must know your weaknesses so that I don't put you in danger through my own ignorance. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened that I could've prevented."

Flik remained silent, his pride refusing to permit a response.

Sighing, Odessa sat back against the sill. "Perhaps if I shared a weakness with you, then you might open up a little."

Flik shook his head. "You don't need to do that, my lady."

She held out her hand to silence him. "If it gets you to open up. Just listen." She sighed, gazing down at the floor. Flik took the moment to catch a quick look at her, but averted his eyes the moment her head came back up. She said, "I fear that I'm too stubborn to gather people to my side. Once Barbarossa finally decides to bring the conflict out into the open, I'm going to need many more allies than I've got now."

"I don't think you're too stubborn!" Flik interjected, now using the heat in his voice to rally to her defense.

Odessa waved her hand again. "Yes I am," she said firmly. "I couldn't convince my own brother to join me. I didn't have the patience to listen to him. We ended up arguing. I even called him a coward."

Flik frowned. "He is a coward. How could a man with his experience refuse to help us overthrow a corrupt government? He should understand that sometimes these things require bloodshed."

"No." Odessa stood up from the window. "No, my brother is the most compassionate and wisest man I've ever met. I shouldn't have dismissed his words so lightly. You see, if I cannot convince my own brother of the rightness of my cause, will I be able to convince other people?" She looked down at the floor again.

Flik's feet were moving, dropping him down into a genuflection before her. "You have convinced me, my lady. If you have no one else, at least I will help see this through to the end." He looked up at her face, shocked to see tears glistening in her eyes.

Odessa laughed and then sniffed. "If you're going to follow me to the end, you might learn to call me by my name. It's not that difficult."

Flik could feel himself beginning to blush. He sincerely hoped the darkness of his room covered it. "Yes, my…yes, Odessa."

She knelt down, placed his right hand between her two, and replied, "Now you can tell me about your pain."

A fat drop of rain hit Flik in the eye, breaking the reverie. Thunder rolled in the distance. He tried to summon up the memory once more, but it was now out of reach, fading and insubstantial. The rain was building up, so he went back down the stairs into the castle. He made his way through the dark hallways until he reached his destination- the tavern.

Viktor was still up, sitting at a table, nursing the remains of his beer to the light of a single candle. "How'd it go?" Flik asked.

Viktor looked at his drink thoughtfully. "I think it went all right," he answered. "Riou's a hard kid to read, when you get down to it, but he listened all the way through. I can't ask for anything more than that." Flik took the seat next to his friend, who looked over at him. "Can't offer you anything to drink," Viktor said. "You look like you've been thinking. What about?"

For a moment, Flik's pride refused to permit a response, but he angrily swept it aside. "I was thinking about Odessa, actually."

Viktor studied Flik more closely. "Funny, you don't look morose at all."

"I was just thinking about all the little things she did to help me."

Viktor laughed once. "She did a good job. I don't think I've had to smack you for doing something stupid in…oh…about seven years."

Flik couldn't help but laugh, but after they had subsided into silence, he said, "If Riou chooses to lead us, we need to support him with all of our strength. That sort of leadership is a tremendous load to carry."

Viktor nodded. "Don't worry. He'll have all of us to help him bear it. He won't have to fight alone."