Chapter 60 – A Minor Crisis

Upon arriving at his room, Flik was presented with a minor crisis. Someone had placed a letter on his bed. When he read the contents, the writer's identity became obvious:

My Dearest Lord Flik,

How I have longed for the hour of your return, my noble knight. I love thee as a bee loves a flower. As the butterfly struggles from its cocoon to embrace the sunlight, so I long to embrace you. Even in this unnatural separation, I could not keep thy noble visage out of my mind. Truly, my lord, your beauty is like that of the distant stars in the night's sky.

But now, you have returned! Do not absent thyself from this fair maiden. Conqueror of my love, I await thee reclined upon my couch, clad in the raiment of the night. Let us make a celebration of this lull between the storms of war.

Thy Sweet Maiden,
Nina

What the hell?

Flik scanned the letter again, trying to figure out exactly what was meant. It was an invitation, that much was certain. Then, "raiment of the night" was probably-

He began to blush, but it quickly turned to annoyance. He crumpled the paper and hurled it aside. Nina simply didn't tempt him, regardless of what she was offering. With that thought in mind, Flik unclipped his cloak in preparation for bed. For the briefest of moments, he pondered how long she might wait for him to arrive. An hour? Two? Might she possibly spend the whole night waiting for him, clad in the "raiment of the night," with her door unlocked?

He sighed and put his cloak back on. However much Nina irritated him, he wasn't going to leave her vulnerable for the whole night. He'd just have to stand guard over her door so that no one else could enter in his place. Taking determined steps, he set out into the hall, heading towards her room.

A minute later, Flik realized he had no idea where that was. He paused in the middle of the corridor and thought feverishly. If he didn't know where Nina's room was, he'd have to find somebody who did know. But he couldn't ask just anyone. Leona and Barbara would take it the wrong way. Viktor was right out. He needed someone who knew, but had the professional demeanor not to blab. There was only one person who fit those qualifications.

Before long, he was knocking on the correct door. "Enter," said the male voice from the room beyond. Flik did so, careful to duck around the potted plant that hung immediately inside the room. Now that he had a clear view of everything, he started in surprise.

"Apple, what're you doing here?"

Apple glanced up, looking irked at the interruption. "Is it that unusual for me to be here? I am a strategist, after all."

She and Shu were sitting across from each other, staring at a spread of papers on the box that Shu used as a table. "Is there something you desired to ask me?" Shu spoke. "Surely you didn't come here to exchange pleasantries?"

This was unexpected. Flik looked from Shu to Apple and back again. He didn't want Apple to hear. "I…it's not important."

Shu sighed. "Even trivialities can turn into critical problems if left unattended. You've come here because you thought something merited my consideration."

Flik gulped. "Yeah. It's about Nina." He quickly explained the note she'd left him. Apple sniffed disapprovingly.

"And…what do you want to know?" Shu continued, with maybe a hint of a smirk on his face.

Flik mustered his courage. "I need to know where her room is."

"What?" That was Apple, who now looked outraged.

Shu merely nodded. "You want to guard her honor. That's very romantic, but not the type of romance that she's looking for, I'm sure."

Apple's breathing began to return to regular levels, regular enough that she could argue, at least. "Guarding her honor isn't a job for you. When I'm finished here, I'll have a little talk with her. She won't be pestering you anymore."

"That's not going to work," Shu replied.

Apple swung around the glare at Shu. "How do you know it won't work? Now you think you're the expert on teenage girls as well?"

"No." He shrugged. "But I am an expert on human nature. All you're going to do is make her desire Flik more."

Flik decided he didn't want to be in the line of fire if this turned into a full argument. Besides, Apple said she would deal with it. "I'll just go back to bed," he announced, backing around the plant and out the door. As he walked down the hall towards his own room, he tried to reassure himself that he wasn't running from responsibility.

Once he was in his bed, Flik waited for sounds of an impending calamity, like Nina knocking furiously at his door. He was still waiting when he fell asleep. The next morning, he woke refreshed and undisturbed. After getting dressed and shaving, he opened the door and looked out into the hall. The residents gave him odd looks, but Nina wasn't standing there, demanding answers. Maybe Apple had diffused the situation?

Flik took his breakfast at Hai Yo's, alongside his senior sergeants. As much as anything, he wanted to show them that he cared about the unit, despite being away on missions. He listened carefully to the inevitable list of problems that each man had. Of course, there was also good news, as well.

"We're up to six hundred men," Rossgard announced. "We were wondering what you wanted to do about that. Until now, we've simply been adding squads to our companies. I suppose that could continue, but the standard procedure would be to create a new company."

"Or you could give us promotions," Terrance quipped.

Flik nodded. The problem wasn't merely one of rank. If the individual companies got too large, they would become difficult for the senior sergeants to command in battle. Of course, the larger the mounted archers grew, the more difficult it would be for him to command them all. "For now we'll keep the structure as it is. However, I want each of you to recommend a candidate for promotion to senior sergeant. There's no doubt that we'll have to reorganize pretty soon."

Flik was about to change the subject when he heard someone collapse behind him. All of the conversation in the restaurant suddenly stopped, except for a few gasps. He turned around and his heart skipped when he saw the victim. It was Barbara who had collapsed out of her chair, her face pale, her eyes closed.

Before he knew it, Flik had hurdled the nearest table, knocking people off-balance to get to Barbara. He knelt down next to her, searching her neck for a pulse. Due to her girth, it was difficult to find, but it was there, weak and intermittent. "What happened?" he shouted. "Where's Hai Yo?" Only then did he look up and note that Riou and Nanami were there next to him.

Meanwhile, Hai Yo had appeared. He was confronting another chef, a man dressed in an outfit of bright yellow. "What is the meaning of this, Ryuki? What have you done to Barbara?"

Ryuki appeared older than Hai Yo but other than that was nondescript. He gave a mirthless laugh and said, "This is your fault, Hai Yo. You knew what would happen when you defied the Black Dragon Clan. This woman has been poisoned by one of my own blends, extracted from ten species of spiders found in the nameless lands north of Zexen. She will die this very day, unless my antidote is given to her. Now Hai Yo, return what you have stolen, and I shall save her life."

Amazingly, Hai Yo shook his head. "I…won't give it to you."

Flik snapped to his feet. "Are you mad? Barbara's life is in danger. Nothing is more important than that."

Hai Yo gulped, but stood his ground. "I can't do it. Not even to save a life." Flik almost lunged at the army chef, but a touch from Riou caused him to hesitate. Ryuki was speaking again.

"You always were self-absorbed. Do you think yourself some kind of hero? Here's what we'll do. I challenge you under the rules of the Black Dragon Clan. Should you win, I'll give you the antidote. Should I win, you must return what you've stolen. Accept my challenge, Hai Yo, or show yourself to be a coward, now and forever."

Hai Yo balled his fists. "It's the clan that's cowardly, poisoning an innocent to draw me out. Fine, I accept your challenge, Ryuki!"

Flik glared at both chefs. This whole battle felt meaningless, especially when it was Barbara's life on the line. He got the senior sergeants together. Jerrim was sent off to find and inform Viktor. The other three helped Flik fashion a litter out of a tabletop and carried Barbara to Huan's infirmary.

When they arrived, Huan was finishing up setting a splint on the arm of an injured soldier. The doctor glanced once at Barbara, frowned, and motioned Flik to carry her to a spare examining table. In a moment, he was beside Flik, feeling for Barbara's pulse. "There don't appear to be any external injuries. What happened here?"

"Poison."

"How exactly did it enter her body?"

"It must've been something she ate. The culprit is a chef."

"This is extremely fast acting for an oral poison." He fingered his chin thoughtfully and studied Barbara some more.

Flik tried to keep the irritation from his voice. "And?"

"An emetic would be very risky at this point. I need to know more about the toxin. Is the culprit in custody?"

The image of the two opposing chefs hovering over bubbling pots popped into Flik's head. "Sort of."

"Barbara! Where is Barbara?" Viktor crashed through one of the privacy partitions, shouting at the top of his lungs, drowning out Huan's response. When he saw Barbara on the table, he stopped cold, color draining from his face. "Flik, what's wrong with her? Will she be okay?" Flik quickly explained the situation, as much for Huan's benefit as for Viktor's.

"Are they insane?" Viktor yelled, when Flik was finished. "Come on, we'll go up there and beat the antidote out of this coward!"

"I don't think you want to do that," Huan answered. "If that antidote is damaged, we lose our best hope for saving Barbara. For now, we should be patient and wait for the outcome of the contest."

The waiting was difficult for both Viktor and Flik. They paced around the limited area, nearly colliding on several occasions. Suddenly, Flik heard the sound of someone running towards the infirmary. He brought his head up in time to see Nanami enter, her face pale. She seemed on the verge of tears.

"What happened?" Viktor snapped.

"It's horrible," Nanami whispered. Flik felt his stomach lurch.

Huan took a few steps forward. "Do we have the antidote?"

The question appeared to surprise Nanami. "Oh, yes, we do. Here it is." She passed a small vial of clear liquid to the doctor.

Before he could give the treatment to Barbara, there were more voices from outside the infirmary. "Doctor Huan! Doctor Huan! We've got an emergency patient here!"

A pair of soldiers were bearing in the form of Ryuki. Nanami turned away, but Flik walked over to get a better look. He immediately regretted that. In defeat, the chef had turned a blade against himself, plunging it into his own neck. Blood was still flowing from the wound, staining his yellow coat and dribbling down onto the floor. The sight was unnerving to Flik, even though he'd seen worse in battle.

Huan shook his head. "There's no saving this one. May the Runes have mercy on his soul. Now, let's administer this antidote." He took the vial over to Barbara, pulled off the stopper, and let the liquid dribble into her mouth. Then he massaged her throat to get her to swallow.

"Well, why doesn't she wake?" Viktor asked, when the doctor finished.

"Patience," Huan replied. "It may take some time for the antidote to purge the poison."

While they waited, others began to arrive at the infirmary: Riou and Leona among many others from the old mercenary fort. Eventually the area became so crowded that Huan had to forbid anyone else from trying to get in. After several tense hours, Barbara suddenly coughed, groaned, and opened her eyes.

"That was the worst sashimi I've ever had." Then Viktor rushed in to hug her on the examining table. "Off, you great lug! You'll be the death of me. Where am I, anyway?"

When the explanations were finished, and Viktor stopped crying, Huan insisted that everyone leave so that Barbara could finish recovering. In the meantime, Shu called for a meeting in the great hall to decide what do with Hai Yo.

"I'm sorry!" Hai Yo said miserably, holding his chef's hat in his hands. "I didn't think something like this would happen."

"What the hell is this about?" Viktor shouted. "Barbara almost died today! I want some answers." Hai Yo shrank back from Viktor's voice.

"Let's not yell at each other," Riou said. "We're here to figure out how to keep this from happening again."

Shu stood calmly on the dais, looking at Hai Yo. "Let's establish some facts. First, this Ryuki said that you are part of the Black Dragon Clan. Second, he stated that you've done something to make the Clan angry with you. I assume that both statements are correct?" Hai Yo nodded.

A question popped into Flik's head. "What exactly is the Black Dragon Clan? Don't tell me it's a cooking club?"

"It's much more than that," Hai Yo answered. "It's a system of learning from different masters, of honing your skills, and then teaching the next generation of apprentices."

"And apparently being willing to poison for political goals," Viktor added.

"Enough," Shu responded. "Let's get back to the matter at hand. Hai Yo, I'm not interested in whatever problems you have with the Clan, but it does concern me when that spills over and affects the New State Army."

Nanami rallied to Hai Yo's defense. "That's not fair. It's not his fault that Barbara was poisoned."

"I beg to differ," Shu argued. "It was not his intention, but the poisoning is his fault." He turned his attention back to the chef. "You hid your identity from us and took advantage of our hospitality, all the while hoping that your former associates wouldn't catch up to you."

"I won't deny it," Hai Yo said. "However, it's terribly important that the Black Dragon Clan not be allowed to abuse what I've stolen. If you want me to leave, I'll leave."

"No." This was from Nanami. "We don't throw out people in trouble, right brother?"

"Of course not. We should try to help him."

Shu closed his eyes and sighed slightly. "No doubt we should, but we must also look after the interests of the army. Today it was Barbara, but tomorrow it might be one of our generals, like Viktor or Flik."

Actually, if it were a choice between him or Barbara, Flik knew he'd gladly accept that danger. He was used to risking his life every time he was on the battlefield. He was also certain that Viktor felt the same way.

Meanwhile, Riou was speaking. "Is there any way we can reduce that risk and keep Hai Yo here? Why did Ryuki poison Barbara to begin with?"

"He obviously knew that poisoning Barbara would force me to reveal who I was," Hai Yo replied. "He knew I'd be forced to accept the challenge."

"Then you'll have to advertise who you are," Shu said. "No more hiding behind false pretenses."

"You're allowing him to stay?" Flik asked. Hai Yo, realizing that he would be permitted to remain, broke out in a grateful smile.

Nanami grabbed Shu in a fierce hug. "I knew you weren't a meanie!"

Shu appeared nonplused by the affection. "I didn't say that we would support him in his struggle. Hai Yo, if you want to stay, you must accept all the challenges from now on. Moreover, I will make it very clear that any judges from our ranks will be impartial."

"I understand, and I won't lose any of the challenges."

Shu managed to pull Nanami's arms off of him. "Excellent. If what you say is true, I hope that you are up to the test."

There was a commotion from the entrance of the hall, causing both Viktor and Flik to reach for their swords. A messenger ran into the room, breathing heavily. "What's this?" Shu asked, for once looking annoyed. "Report!"

"Lord Riou, Lord Strategist, we've received word that the Highland Army has appeared before Radat. The militia has dropped the bridge over the sluice gate, but it's only a matter of time before the enemy gets across the river and the town falls."

"It's time to end this," Riou answered. "Shu, we must deploy the army."

"I'm in agreement." Shu turned to the messenger. "Gather the other generals at once."

In under half an hour, the commanders of the New State Army had assembled. There were no voices in dissent to marching out and fighting Luca Blight; however, it was too late to begin the march on this day. Instead, Shu ordered the units to prepare for departure at dawn tomorrow. Looking around the room, Flik saw excitement in the faces of his compatriots. They were eager to begin the decisive campaign. Only Nanami appeared apprehensive.

When the briefing was finished, Viktor and Flik went down to Leona's. The mood was subdued in the bar. With the war looming and Barbara still conspicuously absent, many of the patrons were drinking themselves into a stupor. Viktor immediately sat down and started ordering up drinks. After a while, Flik stopped trying to match him.

"You all right?" Flik asked. "I don't want to have to carry you up to your bed."

"What're you talking about? You're the lightweight." Viktor took a pull on his mug. He was up into the double digits, though Flik had stopped counting. "I know how to hold my liquor."

"Maybe. You just don't want to do anything stupid right before a campaign, that's all."

"I know, I know." Viktor shook his head. "Damn, today was a tough day. Why'd Barbara have to be the one to get hurt?"

Flik was shocked by the display of introspection from his friend. Normally, Viktor simply bulled his way over problems. "She'll be okay." Flik tired to sound reassuring. "That's what's important in the end, isn't it?"

Viktor looked down at his mug. "Hell, when I charge into battle, I don't give my own death a second thought, but thinking about the death of one of my friends- that scares me. I don't want to lose any more important people in my life. I've already lost too many."

"We all have," Flik answered quietly.

Viktor started to raise his drink, then set it back down on the table. "I must be getting old," he grumbled. "Can't take my beer like I could when I was younger." He gave a lopsided grin. "Besides, I couldn't let you see me when I'm drunk. I get weepy, and nothing's worse than a weepy drunk."

"You don't get weepy." Flik laughed. "You start to sing. I should know, I've heard it."

"Not true," Viktor replied. "I'm never drunk when I sing."

"You're not?" Flik asked. "But your voice…it's so terrible. I'd always assumed…"

Viktor put on a wounded expression. "I don't believe this. My own 'so-called' friend insults me so grievously. What's this world coming to?" He got up from his chair. "Now I'll have to go to bed. It'll take me all night to get over those hurtful words."

Flik smiled. "You probably won't remember them in the morning. But you're right. Now is the time for sleep."

The two men left the bar, climbing the stairs to their respective rooms. When Flik arrived in his room, he quickly prepared for bed, finally blowing out his candle and lying down to sleep. Instead, his mind brought him images of battle. He tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position. He even kicked off his blanket, but nothing helped. He found himself mentally going over his mistakes in previous battles. The giant rose of Scarleticia Castle kept appearing in his head.

Finally, despairing of rest, Flik got up and left the room, searching for some location that would be more relaxing. One place came to mind. Thus, he found himself climbing the stairs up to the top of the highest tower. He emerged onto the landing, out into the humid night air. A great layer of cloud had wiped the stars from the night sky and occluded the two moons, reducing their lights to faint hazes. He immediately began to perspire.

Flik leaned back against the sloped roof of the tower and closed his eyes, listening. The sound of the crashing waves was oddly soothing. A distant rumble of thunder intruded, distinct over the noise of the water. He sighed, wondering why he always came up here before the start of a campaign. What was he trying to escape?

Soft steps on the stairs ended his musings. He opened his eyes to see Nina vault the final steps. Seeing the expectation in her eyes, Flik suddenly recalled the letter from last night. Now, breathing heavily from the climb, she blocked his only route of escape short of leaping into the abyss. Perhaps if he didn't say anything, she'd grow bored and leave?

No such luck. "Sir Flik?"

He turned away from her, studying the shapes of houses below. She didn't leave. "What do you want?" he asked brusquely.

He couldn't see the reaction to his tone, but she was more hesitant as she asked, "What are you doing up here, Sir Flik? Everyone else is either asleep or passed out. Are you having trouble sleeping?"

The concern in her voice made him face her again. She was looking up at him with sad eyes. He faked a smiled and answered flippantly, "It's nothing much. I always have lots of memories from my past battles the night before the start of a campaign. That's all."

"I'm jealous of you," Nina replied. "You've done so many important things in your life. I've only lived for sixteen years and I've been a kid for at least six of them. I want the chance to do something great too."

Flik snorted. "Don't be in such a rush to finish childhood."

"Tell me what you're thinking about," Nina ordered.

Her prying was becoming annoying again. He tried to shrug casually. "Different things, that's all."

"Different things?" Nina frowned. "Like what? Like your home? Or the future? Or about the coming battles?"

"None of your business, brat."

Even in the weak light, Flik could see that his retort had hurt. "You're terrible! I get it, you were thinking about your lost love."

He faced away quickly, lest she see him wince. All he wanted was for this to end now. He tried the silent treatment once more, hoping it would drive her away. He waited as the minutes passed, but Nina didn't move. She also didn't say anything.

Fine. He hated to abandon the field, but he wasn't going to be cornered up here all night by a little girl. He turned and walked towards the stairs, also towards Nina.

At the closest point, she reached out to grab his arm. "Wait a moment, please."

"You should get some sleep," Flik commanded. He pushed her hand off. "It's not good to stay up all night." With that, he fled down the stairs, returning to his room. Back in his bed, he still couldn't find rest.

Eventually, the thunder drew closer and it began to storm.