Chapter 59 – The Wolf is Waking
In Solis 460, Shieldsdei, the 27th of Ulya:
Dear Diary,
I haven't seen many of the Republic's soldiers, but President Lepant assures us that they are moving and that the first ships have already departed, heading west towards Kirov and then north up the Dunan River. Well, it's not like I've been out much to check on their progress, but Riou seems satisfied. I don't know by how much the alliance resolution passed, but apparently the margin was slim enough that Lepant doesn't want to rub it in by having the soldiers march through the capital. Or maybe the direct route to the ships doesn't pass by Gregminster.
In other news, Ko, the poisoned boy from Banner Village, has made a complete recovery. Doctor Liukan was impressed by the youth's vitality and has discharged him back into our care. Lucky for me, Nanami was willing to play "mother" for him. They've spent the past few days running around the city.
Flik sighed and stared at his journal. It'd been four days since Lenankamp, but he'd written nothing about those events. He shut the book, not feeling like adding more. He probably wouldn't ever write about that. Still, he didn't leave the room, but kept staring at his diary. He shook his head, opened the book, and quickly scribbled two more sentences.
I look forward to leaving this place tomorrow. There are too many memories here for me to sleep comfortably.
That night, Gremio cooked up a farewell feast consisting of his delicious stew, homemade bread, and several varieties of vegetables. The meal was progressing well when suddenly there was a knocking from the main doors below. All of the conversation stopped.
"Are we expecting any other visitors?" Tir asked.
"None that I know of, young master," Gremio answered.
Pahn got up from his chair. "I'll see what they want." He grimly stalked out of the dining room. Flik heard his footsteps on the stairs leading down. He glanced at Viktor, seeing a reflection of his own concern.
"Maybe we should get our weapons," Viktor muttered, not quite a question.
Tir shook his head. "No. Whoever this is, he's not here to kill anyone or arrest us. That sort of thing ended with the empire."
Now Flik could hear Pahn's voice from downstairs. The words were indistinct, but his surprise was evident. Flik tensed for sounds of a struggle. Instead, two sets of footsteps climbed back up the stairs, approaching the dining room. Pahn entered first, not bothering to disguise his stunned expression.
"Lord McDohl, you have a guest."
President Lepant walked in before Pahn had finished the introduction. There was a clatter as people got to their feet out of respect, but Lepant put out his hands. "That's not necessary, especially not for you, Lord McDohl."
"You are the president," Tir replied. "You're worthy of that respect."
"No," Lepant said firmly. "Not from you. Sit back down, Lord McDohl, please."
When Tir was finally back in his seat, Gremio asked, "Why are you here, President?"
"Rumors of your return have been all over the capital ever since Lord Riou arrived. I had wondered how best to contact you, and I've decided that the direct method is probably best. Lord Tir, I ask you to take up the Presidency of the Republic once again."
"I can't do that," Tir answered. "I cannot take up that power."
"The people love you," Lepant pleaded. "You fought so hard for them but disappeared so quickly after the war was over. In these troubled times, I fear we need your strength more than ever. Look at how much trouble I had getting that simple alliance passed. Your presence would inspire us to unity."
"Which is exactly why I won't sit on the presidential chair. If I did that, who would ever vote against me? Who would ever dare to challenge me? No, the people would keep electing me, over and over, until there was no one alive who could ever remember a time when I wasn't president. What then? I would be worse than the emperor that we overturned." He held out the Soul Eater, so that everyone in the room could see it. "Even in Falena, tradition says that the queen never bears the Sun Rune."
Flik had not known that about Falena. Of course, there was a lot he didn't know about the southern nation.
Gremio cleared his throat to fill the silence. "You must understand that the young master's words are in earnest. He wants what is best for the Republic, just as you do."
"I will respect your decision and speak no more on the subject," Lepant conceded. "Now then, I hope you have enough for me, because it's been a long time since I've had Gremio's cooking, and I'm hungry." He sat down in Pahn's seat, earning him a look of protest from Pahn.
That night, Flik slept soundly. In the morning he, along with the others, woke to find that Gremio and Tir had departed before them. Breakfast was uninspired without Gremio's cooking.
"Why did he leave like that?" Nanami asked, chewing on some toast.
"It's the way he is," Pahn said. "He's got no use for ceremony. Honestly, I think he enjoys the freedom."
"I was hoping he'd help us," Riou murmured. "I certainly could've used his experience."
Cleo smiled as she answered, "I'm sure Lord McDohl thinks highly of your abilities, Riou. That's why he's willing to leave the war in your hands. Stand by your friends and don't waver. You will defeat Luca Blight in the end."
"Thank you," Riou replied.
There were more carriages waiting for them after breakfast, to convey them back to the palace. There were also old traveling companions to meet. Stallion had spent much of his time in Toran in the Forest of Illusion, visiting the destroyed hometree of the elves. Likewise, Simone had been moving among his noble friends, enlisting support for the war.
At the palace, Lepant and his family were waiting. They invited Riou and Nanami to join them in the presidential carriage, and then the entire convoy rolled west, out of the city. This time, the journey was made under fair skies, though the weather became hot quickly.
When they arrived, Flik could see that the port was still teeming with activity, filled by a dozen large galleys, though the bulk of the allied army had already departed. In fact, the horsemen that were trying to board now weren't even regular soldiers. Their leader was an elderly man in a blue cape. When the wind shifted it slightly, Flik could see the golden eagle blazing on his chest guard.
"I, Maximillian, leader of the Maximillian Knights, entreat you to let my men on board," he shouted at one of the dock masters. "A great evil lies in the north, and I intend to smite it with all of my might." He enthusiastically drew his sword, a sparkling black blade. "I shall cut down any who hinder our quest."
Lepant, who had come down from his carriage, chuckled. "I'd better go get that sorted out. I wouldn't want old Max to get winded."
As Flik watched Lepant calm the elderly knight down, his eyes strayed over the blade of a scythe moving along the rail beside one of the docked ships. The owner of that impressive weapon was a young woman with black hair, a yellow tunic, and a blue vest. In the confusion, she casually leaped the railing onto the deck and scurried away into hiding. Flik had the nagging feeling that he'd seen her before, but he couldn't place it.
He was distracted by Lepant's return. The president signaled to Tesla, who had a pair of workmen wheel out a tall, oval object that was covered by a tarp. When the tarp was pulled back, Flik could clearly see the polished surface of a full-length mirror. Along the two sides of the mirror were a pair of sinuous, golden dragons. Perched on the top was a phoenix, spreading its wings.
"This is the 'Blinking Mirror'," Lepant explained. "It's one of the treasures of the Toran Republic, used during our war of liberation." He turned over his hand to reveal a smaller version of the same mirror. "Together, these two mirrors permit the transport of a few individuals at a time to a fixed point. I believe that you will be able to put them to great use. Not only that, but I suspect that their rightful owner would want you to have it. Therefore, in honor of our alliance, I respectfully bequeath both of them to the New State Army. Take good care of them, Lord Riou." He gave the hand mirror to Riou while the workers put the tarp back over the larger mirror and wheeled it down onto the waiting galley.
All that remained was to say goodbye. Sheena shook Riou's hand and said, "My dad's really gone out of his way for you. Aren't you glad you listened to my advice?" He winked at Nanami. "Good luck to all of you. Hey, when the war's over, why don't you stop by the palace again? We can have some wild parties." Flik noted that Lepant was frowning.
"You're not coming with us?" Freed asked.
Sheena clapped him jovially on the back. "No, I think not. I've had enough fighting for one lifetime. Besides, I'm out of play money." He turned to walk towards his father, but Lepant grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him back around. Sheena tried to squirm out of his father's grip as he was propelled towards Riou. "Ouch! What's wrong, pops?"
"Lord Riou, I have a request. Take my idiot son with you. It's my shame that he has no skills, but perhaps you can find a use for him."
He let go of Sheena, who promptly began to rub his shoulder. Then his father's words sank in. "Wait a minute! What about that job you promised me, working in your administration?"
Lepant scowled. "Fool! That promise was made on the condition that you would use your travels to train and study. Instead, you've wasted both your time and my potch on trivialities. You have no concept of responsibility and are unworthy of any authority. I suggest that you learn from Lord Riou's example and end your childish behavior. In fact, you are hereby banished from Toran until you've corrected your errors." He turned his back on his son and walked towards the presidential carriage.
Sheena sank to his knees. "But…but…Mom, say something!"
Eileen glanced at her husband. "Dear, you should consider your own youth. At least give him the chance that your father gave you."
Lepant's shoulders stiffened. "I suppose." He unbuckled the family sword, Kirinji, from his belt. "Here. I lent it to you last time, but now I give it to you, just as my father gave it to me when I went out into the world on my own." He tossed it back to his son. "Sheena, do not shame the legacy of this blade. Wield it with honor, and make me proud."
Sheena didn't make any move for the scabbard. "I…Mother, please!"
"No matter what happens, know that we both love you," Eileen said, a smile on her face. "The rest of your father's judgement stands. You should start moving, before he calls soldiers to forcibly escort you to one of the ships."
Riou looked down at his new ally. "Let's go, Sheena. We need to get back to Dunan Castle as quickly as possible." By this point, Sheena was babbling incoherently. Riou nodded towards Viktor and Flik. "Viktor, pick him up and get him aboard. Flik, take care of his sword."
Viktor chuckled. "Why does Flik get all the easy jobs?"
Sheena had not recovered by the time the last galleys set sail, an hour later. A sailor with a wind rune was enlisted to put him to sleep, and he was set in a cabin to rest. The fleet sailed southwest down the Tolna Canal, aided by an onshore breeze from the ocean, and made it to Shasarazade by nightfall. There they dined with the Grand Admiral, Sonya Shulen. She assured them they would have the full protection of the Toran fleet on the return leg of the trip.
Flik didn't sleep well that night, not from fear of pirates, but because this was the place of another betrayal involving a Silverberg victim. During the Liberation War, the turncoat Sanchez had been responsible for the deaths of both Odessa and Mathiu. Even though Mathiu had made Flik swear off revenge, that didn't stop Flik from feeling bitterly angry towards him. It was just as well that he had no idea where Sanchez was now.
In the morning, Sheena had sufficiently recuperated to try and escape. Unfortunately, he managed to get lost in the lower levels of the fortress basement. It was Oulan who found him and dragged him back to the boats. He didn't complain too much, though. Flik took this as a sign that he was accepting his new fate. It turned out that his guess was wrong. The first night after Shasarazade was spent in Kirov, where Sheena attempted flight again, was caught, and ended up sleeping in the brig of the galley. Thereafter, he made no more tries at running away, probably because he didn't know the countryside well enough.
After that, the journey was uneventful. The evening of the fourth day on the river, Flik finally caught sight of the checkpoint. It was certainly changed from before. The crowds of refugees were gone, replaced by towers of boxed supplies and thousands of soldiers. Flik knew this part of the journey would be problematic, since the Dunan River went through a series of falls upstream of the border. There would be no option except to lug the supplies overland to where they could be safely transported again.
However, Shu had demonstrated his genius by anticipating the problem. When Flik and the others descended the gangplank, they were greeted by a small delegation of Apple, Ridley, Kasumi, and Valeria.
Ridley took the initiative by bowing to Riou and saying, "We have been sent to assist you, Lord Riou. Lord Shu has prepared a fleet of transports to receive the supplies at the other end of the falls, and my kobolds will help move them."
"We've also secured the help of Rokkaku," Kasumi informed them. "My ninja are scouting the path ahead and keeping the bandits away."
Riou wiped his forehead. "It seems like everything is under control here."
"Yes, but we must move quickly," Ridley warned them. "Our spies have seen the Highland Army moving out of Muse. It appears that the wolf is waking, and we must be ready for battle."
Sheena, last down the gangplank, heard this and fainted face first into the muck.
They spent the night in the border barracks. Outside, the movement of supplies continued unabated. Burning braziers marked the path through the forest, and Flik could faintly trace the line of lights from his window. When he lay down to sleep, his dreams were haunted by the image of a stalking, golden wolf. He woke up very early, feeling unrefreshed.
The morning was misty, but he could see that most of the supplies had been moved out. All that remained was a company of Toran soldiers to escort them upriver. Kasumi was also there, speaking with a pair of ninja. One appeared to be a young boy with brown hair, in a black tunic and pants. The other was an older man, large, blond, in white trimmed with green. The two of them bowed to Kasumi and flitted off into the mist.
She turned to face Flik as he approached. "Good morning," she said cheerily. Flik stifled a yawn, which made his ears pop. "Sasuke and Mondo tell me that the path ahead is clear, so I'm not expecting any problems." Flik's head felt like it was stuffed full of rocks. He grunted in an affirmative manner and shambled off to find some food.
When they all departed later in the morning, the mist remained heavy, and it was difficult to see more than a few yards at a time. Flik knew that he was going to have to trust Kasumi and the ninja. The escorting soldiers fanned out around Riou, and the group set off. Their progress was steady, only hindered when one of the soldiers slipped and fell down a slope. His ankle was broken, and a pair of soldiers were tasked to carry him back to the border station. Flik took this development stoically. Even outside of combat, there were many ways in which a soldier could end up a casualty.
Shu's ships were waiting for them above the falls. Again, most of the men and supplies had already moved on. It was a simple matter for Riou's party to board and set out upriver again. They paused briefly at Banner Village to drop Ko off. The young boy bounded into his mother's arms, breathlessly describing all the famous people he'd met. In exchange, a troop of militia from the village boarded the galley. It seemed that Riou's actions had swayed the people into supporting him.
Despite that, they didn't spend the night in the village. Riou was restless, and ordered the galley back out into the river. They continued on, slowing only slightly for the darkness. Luckily, the two moons were both close to full, and provided good light to navigate by.
The next day saw them to Radat before noon. Flik noted, to his pleasure, that the refugees that had been here previously were now gone. Was that another bit of Shu's handiwork? The town itself seemed emptier than before. From the dockhands, they heard that more Highland patrols had been sighted on the east bank of the river. The war was indeed picking up.
Once past the sluice gates, the galley snaked its way through the tributaries of the Dunan Delta. Endless stretches of rice paddies bordered the water, fed by irrigation canals and tended by workers. They had been untouched when Kiba went through, but Flik worried that Luca would not be so merciful. Moreover, if those crops weren't harvested, a lot of people would starve.
That afternoon, they sailed out of the delta onto the lake and turned west, heading for Dunan Castle. When the sun set, they beached the galley on the south shore for the night. As Flik took his turn for the watch, he couldn't help but gaze back to the east. Somewhere in that direction, back in East Muse, Luca Blight and his army prowled, marching ever closer. He couldn't shake the feeling that the decisive battles of the war were approaching with Luca. Either the wolf would fall in battle, or he would devour them all.
They were underway again as soon as there was enough light to sail by. Before they reached Kuskus, galleys from Dunan Castle had arrived to escort them on the last leg. Viktor and Flik joined Riou and Nanami at the prow, straining to see their headquarters as it came into view. Like the others, Flik was eager to be returning home. It didn't even surprise him that he thought of Dunan that way. This was where he was most comfortable, this was where he belonged. The trip to the Republic had taught him that.
Eventually, the cliffs and castle appeared out of the haze of afternoon. Seeing it again, Flik was struck by how much they'd accomplished in only a few months. The castle was no longer a wreck, but an imposing fortress with a rapidly expanding city sprawling all around it. The population increase had already overtaken the original walls of North Window and was subsuming the surrounding villages. If this continued, soon they would be the suburbs of a new metropolis.
But only if they could win the war. Only if they could prevent Luca Blight from destroying it all first.
The harbor was packed with ships unloading soldiers and supplies from the south. As Riou's galley came into berth, the crowd gave a hearty cheer. Riou smiled and waved to them as he descended the gangplank, then Apple and Ridley guided him into the castle. Viktor and Flik followed, trying not to fall behind in the crush of people.
Shu, as usual, awaited them in the great hall. There were others there as well- Valeria and Kasumi, Kiba and Klaus, Fitcher, Freed, and Teresa. Shu inclined his head to Riou, saying, "Lord Riou, I'm relieved to see you return to us as hale as ever. Moreover, you were successful in forming an alliance with the Toran Republic."
Valeria bowed to Shu. "I'm Valeria, commander of our expeditionary forces. President Lepant has placed us under your command for the duration of the war. It will be our honor to help you achieve victory."
Kasumi's nod was much less formal. "My name is Kasumi, vice-chieftain of the Rokkaku ninja. We will assist you as well."
"You know, we're going to depend on you two a lot," Viktor declared.
"Yes, we're all grateful," Flik added. "We can finally match the Highland Army soldier for soldier." As he said those words, something in Shu's expression made him regret them immediately. With a slight movement of one hand, the strategist signaled Apple.
Apple didn't look happy either. "I didn't want to sour your mood earlier, but the situation has changed. Our spies indicate the Luca Blight has finished reorganizing the Highland Army, and he's added reinforcements. We will be facing three full armies from Highland."
"Wait," Flik interrupted. "That doesn't make any sense. We defeated the Third Army less than a month ago."
"Highland has plenty of reserves," Apple replied. "Luca Blight is leading the First Army, the White Wolves. Jowy Blight is leading the Third Army, reconstituted from survivors of the last battle and the new additions. Plus, there is also the Fourth Army, Solon Jhee's old units, now under the command of Culgan."
"That's a lot of soldiers," Viktor muttered.
"There's more," Apple conceded, her voice taking on a tone of dread. "We've also heard rumors of a detachment from Harmonia. In total, we expect a force of at least fifty thousand soldiers."
"So much for equal terms," Flik said.
"What do you suppose Harmonia's aid consists of?" Fitcher asked, looking towards Kiba and Klaus. "The Southern Regional Army or the Regular Army?"
Klaus shook his head. "Whatever help they receive will not come cheaply, even if they are allies. Still, if I were Luca Blight, I'd ask for the best, the Regular Army. I wonder what he had to give up in return?"
"It's not like Luca to call for help," Kiba growled. "He's not the sort to acknowledge any weakness."
"You're correct," Shu responded. "I suspect that the prime mover in this agreement was none other than Leon Silverberg. He understood that we would seek allies, and so brought his own into the conflict."
"Was everything wasted?" Nanami asked. "How can we win if the enemy keeps countering all of our moves?"
"Your trip wasn't wasted," Shu answered. "The addition of the Republic's soldiers, not to mention their enthusiastic volunteers, has raised the morale of our soldiers significantly. Not only that, but we've established a relationship that will help us far into the future. These are no small accomplishments."
"You have a plan to deal with the Harmonians?" Riou asked.
"I have a theory," Shu mused. "But it will be difficult to convince him to go along with it."
"Convince who?" Nanami wondered, voicing Flik's question perfectly.
"Never mind," Shu said. "Lord Riou, I'm sure you're exhausted from your journey. No good will come of worrying over things that cannot be controlled. For now, rest. We can make plans tomorrow."