Chapter 63 – No Time for Tears

Clenching his thighs and calves, Flik held on tightly as Nightstar galloped, nimbly avoiding and outpacing fleeing soldiers all around her. It was only luck that had set her on a course to the northwest, away from the Highland army. She turned as the brick wall of a manor came up, racing parallel to it over uneven ground. Now Flik began to recover his wit. He pulled hard on the reins, trying to slow her, but she refused the command, snorting fiercely as he jerked her head. Blood was streaming down the right side of her neck, flowing from the stump of that ear.

The wall angled away from them, turning at a ninety-degree angle. Nightstar ran on, briefly pounding over a dirt track running perpendicular to their course. Flik reined right, hoping she would respond. She didn't, but carried him out onto the fallow field on the other side of the road.

A drop of rain splashed against Flik's left arm. A sharp, cool wind picked up in his face, and he looked to the sky to see menacing, dark clouds overhead. Light flickered in some of those thunderheads. More raindrops streaked around Flik as Nightstar continued on, undeterred by the approaching storm.

There was another blast of chilly air, pushing at Flik right out of the clouds, followed by a deluge of rain, obliterating sight and sound all at once. Nightstar's frenzied flight ended abruptly, throwing him roughly onto her neck. Squalls of wind and rain drove over him. A bolt of lightning crashed into a field less than a mile away, the roar of thunder shaking Flik as he attempted to steady himself.

He could feel Nightstar trembling under him, so he dismounted to take that burden off of her, though he kept his hands firmly on the reins. He ran his hand along her side and neck, trying to soothe her. Her pulse was still running widely. He glanced over the field, but with the rain, he could see little. There might be hundreds of fleeing men around him, yet he was alone.

Flik's arms began to ache, especially his left. He began to shiver. "Let's find some shelter," he said to Nightstar. With one last rub of her mane, he walked out in front, leading her by the reins. She followed without resistance. More bolts of lightning flashed out of the sky, to Flik's growing unease. He knew that power, and knew it would do him no good to be struck by one of those bolts.

Another wave of rain and wind rolled over him, and he put up one arm, futilely, to block it. Nightstar lurched, there was a sudden cracking noise, and she collapsed, pulling Flik over onto the turf. For a moment, he was too fatigued and sodden to pick himself back up. He simply stared at the individual blades of grass he could see, bent down under the pounding rain.

Finally, he got up, less for his sake than for Nightstar's. Even before he went to check her, he dreaded what he would find. In her exhaustion, and in the darkness, she'd placed one of her hooves in a hole in the ground, some animal's burrow. Flik watched as she tried to rise, a struggling shadow on three legs, before she collapsed again, this time making no further effort. She was illuminated briefly in another flash of lightning, lying awkwardly on her side. He could see her ruined ear, one eye that seemed to track him as he approached.

The light gave way again, the darkness that followed was deep, night approaching. He knelt down by her left front leg, too soaked to care about the mud. He feared what he would find, but felt along that leg anyway. The fracture was unmistakable when he found it, and there could be only one course of action when a horse had suffered such an injury. Flik drew his sword. "I'm sorry," he whispered. Nightstar gave no sign of the cold blade as he placed it point down on her neck. Perhaps she was too exhausted to notice. Perhaps she was in too much pain.

Flik struck without hesitation, driving the blade into the arteries of her neck. Nightstar spasmed, strongly enough to twist Flik's wrist, and he let go of the sword, crying out in momentary pain. He felt a spray of hot blood hit him along his cheek and chin, as Nightstar scrabbled her legs against the ground. Finally, she lay silent, unmoving. Dead. He stared blankly for a moment, unsure of what to do next. Rain continued to pound him, and the darkness was complete. Any number of Highland soldiers might be sneaking up on him.

Flik retrieved his sword and began to jog, rapidly picking up the pace until he was sprinting. He had no goal in mind, he needed to get away. There was no way to find any direction, no means to mark the passage of time. He didn't remember stumbling, he didn't remember collapsing onto the ground, and he didn't remember falling into dreamless slumber.

Hours later, a voice brought Flik back to consciousness. "Is this the one we're looking for?" Something sharp prodded him, none too gently, on the back. Remembering his situation, he suppressed his instinct to twitch. He let his eyes open slightly.

Another voice spoke up. "Is this one even alive? He looks pretty dead to me."

Flik was on his stomach, but his head had turned to the side. Through the slits of his eyes, he could tell it was day, but he couldn't see any of the speakers.

"But he's got the blue cape," the first voice replied. "Just like they described this morning. This is one of the important ones who needs to be brought in alive."

Flik could see the grip of his sword, lying only a foot or so from his right hand. All he had to do was inch that hand forward. "Well, he doesn't look much alive to me," the second voice commented. Something sharp jabbed Flik again. "Look, he doesn't even yelp when I step on him."

"What's going on here," a distant voice shouted. The voice was familiar to Flik, and it appeared to be coming from above.

"Oh, hey, Chaco!" the first voice replied. "Come on down here and tell us whether this is Flik of the Blue Thunderclap."

"Lightning," Flik muttered, opening his eyes wide to see the two Wingers standing next to him. "It's Flik of the Blue Lightning," he repeated with as much force as he could muster.

The two Wingers jumped excitedly into the air and landed several yards away. "See, he is alive!" the first one shouted.

Flik didn't feel alive. The muscles in his arms and legs protested when he tried to get up. His left shoulder nearly gave way when he put weight on to that arm. He'd managed to sit up when Chaco touched down beside him.

"You're looking good," Chaco offered. "Rise and shine, pretty boy, because there's still a war on."

Flik groaned. "I feel like hell."

Chaco shrugged. "Well, it's not like I didn't warn you, but there's a whole lot of Highland cavalry one field over, so get up, because we're not going to save your ass when they get here."

Grabbing his sword, Flik sprang to his feet, gasping from the pain. He staggered about, trying to get his bearings. All of the fields around him looked perfectly clear. Chaco started laughing, then lifted into the air when Flik glared at him.

"You lied to me!"

"It was for your own good," Chaco shouted back. "Every minute you spend on your butt is one more minute you'll have to walk to get back to the army."

The reality of the last battle settled in on Flik. "We…still have an army?" he asked.

Chaco circled over Flik's head. "I doesn't matter if all you stupid humans run away, the Winghorde will keep on fighting to protect our land. Even now, we're fighting so that you guys can fall back." He pointed up into the air. More of the Winghordes were flying overhead, clutching rocks and branches in their talons and hands. All of them were flying towards the east, back to where the Highland army was.

"How about it?" Chaco asked, diving lower. "I've seen a lot of you people running away as fast as they can. Are you going to run too?"

Flik shook his head, the motion bringing more pain. "No. No, I promised to stay with Riou to the end. I won't break that now."

Chaco swooped by Flik's face, giving him a pungent blast of the fish oils on his black wings. "Man, don't say it so negatively. You make it sound like we're going to lose. I'm not planning on losing, and neither should you."

"All right, it's not over yet," Flik conceded. "Where's this army of ours? I want to be there when we finally defeat Luca Blight."

Chaco nodded. "I'll take you. Maybe then Grandma will let me in on the fighting."

They set out in a generally westerly direction, Flik and his three Winghorde minders. At first, Flik found it difficult to move, and he shambled along, feeling like an old man. Eventually he worked the stiffness out of his muscles and, though the pain didn't go away, he could walk more freely.

It was a good day for travelling. The storm had brought with it a gentle wind out of the northwest, making the day warm, rather than oppressively hot. When they stopped for lunch, Chaco shared out some fish. It tasted rancid to Flik, but the Wingers seemed to enjoy it. The food did quiet his stomach, at least.

In the afternoon Flik finally found other stragglers from the New State Army. Some of these men ran when they saw him approaching, but others recognized him and fell in with him. Late in the day, with the cloud of the marching army visible in the west, a half-company's worth of the mercenary cavalry overtook Flik, riding in from the south. The person in charge of this remnant was Jerrim.

"Commander, I'm glad to find you alive," the senior sergeant said. "I saw you fighting against Luca Blight, but no one knew what happened to you after that."

"I'm all right," Flik answered.

Jerrim suddenly frowned. "Sir, your horse, is she all right? Where is she?"

Flik held his voice steady with an effort. "She broke a leg." As a group, his hardened veterans winced. "I did what was necessary."

Jerrim nodded and dismounted from his horse. "Ride mine, sir."

"I couldn't do that, Jerrim. Then you'd have to walk."

"It doesn't matter if I have to walk, but the commander should always ride proudly. It wouldn't do for you to return to camp like some infantryman." The men around Flik nodded.

"Get on the stupid horse," Chaco said, tapping his talons impatiently. "It's getting dark and I still want to do some fighting today."

An hour later, Flik caught up to the New State Army, riding in as the soldiers were setting up the palisades for the night. There was no way to count how many men remained with the army, but those that he could see retained their discipline. Would that be enough to stop Luca Blight?

He met no one of note as he rode through the camp, finally arriving outside the command tent in the center. One of the guards ducked inside, then returned and motioned Flik to enter. Flik had worried that he might be interrupting a strategy session, but the interior was nearly deserted. The only person present was Shu, seated at the head of the table, black hair disheveled and his face streaked with smudges of dust.

"It's good to see you back," the strategist offered, inclining his head slightly. "Anything that can be salvaged from that…defeat…is a good thing."

Sudden fear gripped Flik. "Is everything all right? Is Riou well?"

"Riou is fine." Shu gestured towards one of the dividers. "He spent the day using his Rune to heal the wounded and has retired for the night, completely exhausted."

Nanami's face appeared around the edge of the divider, red and blotchy, sure signs that she'd been crying. Her expression changed to relief when she saw Flik. She stepped around the divider and asked, "Why did you do that, Flik? You two shouldn't have gone after Luca Blight like that."

"You all got away safely. That's all that matters in the end."

"That isn't all that matters!" Nanami shouted, crying again. "Why are all of you damn warriors like that? Don't you care about your own lives?"

"Of course I do," Flik answered. "But I also care for the lives of my comrades. I wouldn't let them down by running away."

Shu was rubbing his forehead. "That's enough arguing for one day. Nanami, you should go to bed too. I know how hard you've worked with your water rune."

"I'm not tired," Nanami replied.

Shu stood up, looking much like a father scolding his recalcitrant daughter. "Yes you are. I order you to your bed. If you won't go, then I'll get Oulan to carry you there. We both know she's capable of that."

Nanami glared at Shu. "I'm not leaving my brother."

"Fine," Shu relented. "But you will sleep. I'll get Oulan to bring in a cot for you. Agreed?"

"Agreed." She turned from Shu back to Flik, chewing her lower lip. "Is Viktor all right? He was with you when you fought Luca Blight."

"He didn't return?" Flik asked. Suddenly, he was toppling forward, just catching himself against the table before he whacked his chin against the edge.

"You and he were the only two generals unaccounted for," Shu replied, eyeing Flik carefully. "What happened in the duel?"

Flik swallowed, trying to control his breathing. He pulled out the nearest chair and collapsed into it, staring up at the beige canvas. "We weren't able to kill him," Flik admitted. "Hell, we weren't even able to wound him. And Viktor" -he stopped, swallowing again, feeling tears in his eyes- "was knocked from his horse. I didn't see what happened to him, because I was fighting Luca, but I couldn't- I couldn't-"

"Enough," Shu said softly. Flik looked down, surprised to see concern on the strategist's face. "Enough. There will be no scapegoats for the last battle. As much as I hate to admit it, my plan failed. I don't want to believe that mere brawn, even with a Rune to back it up, could defeat my planning, but it did."

"What now?" Flik asked, exhausted and numb. "Can we win against the Beast Rune?" He could see that the mention of the Rune made Nanami pale.

Shu's smile was grim. "We can. I think Luca Blight used it too soon. You see, the Beast Rune requires a blood sacrifice to invoke its power. Hence, what Riou and Miklotov saw at Muse City were simply the preparations for this day. The Highland Army won't have that power the next time we face them. All we need to do is pick the correct battlefield."

"How can you be so confident?" Flik asked. He certainly didn't feel confident. The numbness of learning that Viktor was still missing was fading, but it was leaving him with a sick feeling in his stomach. He was aware of how many times he'd depended on Viktor in battle, how many times Viktor had come through for him.

"Because Lord Riou continues to fight." Nanami drew in a breath to interrupt, but Shu held up a hand to stop her comment. "There is no comparison between Lord Riou and Luca Blight. The King of Highland is a powerful warrior, but he is always alone. He has no compassion for either friend or foe. Riou, on the other hand, draws people to him. He fights alongside faithful comrades who won't desert him. So long as Riou remains with us, Luca Blight's defeat is assured."

Flik was having trouble following the discussion. He could feel himself want to tear up even more and was trying to fight it. "That's a pretty vague hope," he finally replied.

Shu raised his eyebrows. "Really? Should I say instead that it's because I have more strategies to play? I do, but it is Riou who makes their success possible. His power is our hope." He studied Flik more closely, then stood up from his seat. "It is time to sleep. Nothing will ever be accomplished if we're too overwrought to think straight."

Leaving the tent, Flik found Jerrim and the remainder of his men. They were forced to sleep in the open, having abandoned their tents due to the precipitous flight. At least it wasn't raining this night, though there was a surprising chill in the air, a foreshadowing of summer's end. Flik lay on his back, watching the waning Blue Moon crawl across the starry sky, and tried not to worry about Viktor, tried not to blame himself for allowing Nightstar to carry him from his fallen friend. He failed.

Miserable and tired, he was back up before dawn, greeting more of his men who'd escaped the disaster and made it back to the army. Another group of fifty soldiers, led by Danel, trotted through the lines. When Flik took a hasty roll later in the morning, he had one hundred and four men and two senior sergeants. Some of his men confirmed those who had fallen, but there was no word of Tarrance, Rossgard, Tengaar, or Hix. Or Viktor.

Just before the army was to set off, as Flik was readying his men at the head of the army, Riou approached him, with Nanami hanging back slightly. Flik could see that the defeat was weighing heavily on Riou. Little showed on his face, except possibly the dark patches under his eyes, but his mood was subdued and his steps were heavy.

"I saw what you and Viktor did," Riou said. "I wanted to thank you for protecting me."

Flik shook his head lethargically. "We couldn't defeat him."

"There will be another chance," Riou replied, smiling wanly. "When that time comes, I want you to stand with me. Viktor too, when he returns."

Working to keep his voice from trembling, Flik asked, "You think he's all right?"

Riou sighed heavily. "It seems that so much has been shattered all around me- nations, armies, and lives. I hope I haven't destroyed your friendship."

Nanami rushed forward, grabbing her brother's arm. "Don't talk like that," she cried. "You're not the cause of all this sadness."

Flik reached out to touch Riou's head. He wanted to say something bold, like how the end wasn't inevitable, or how Luca Blight would be defeated. He could say the words. Viktor's absence still weighed too heavily on his heart. What Flik said was, "I don't blame you, Riou."

"I know," Riou murmured. "I just never expected the war to be so awful. I don't want to see my friends fall before me. So many have put themselves in mortal danger- Ridley, Viktor-"

Flik felt a surge of anger, though he wasn't sure who it was supposed to be directed at, himself or Riou. "Enough. No one was coerced into joining you, Riou. We joined you out of love, and we risk our lives out of love. I'm sure that Viktor and Ridley feel that way too, and they wouldn't want you to be bitter about their sacrifices."

Riou's smile became genuine. "Thank you, Flik. Still, I hope this next battle will be the last. Lead us out, we're heading back to Dunan Castle."

Flik closed his eyes and, with an effort, pushed all of his fears about Viktor to the side. "As you command." He turned and mounted his horse, not Nightstar, but a butternut gelding that was somewhat stockier. His men rode out with him at the head of the army, moving north and west up the road towards Dunan Castle. The Winghordes continued to provide aerial scouting, reporting that parts of the Highland Army had taken Kuskus and South Window, but that no enemy would intercept them short of Dunan Castle.

When the city and castle finally came into view, out of the afternoon haze, Flik wondered how the people would take the news. By now they undoubtedly knew that some disaster had happened to the army. However, what he saw was not panic, but determination. People were working on the walls, extending the fortifications to cover the expanding city. Others, men young and old, had gathered spears and were drilling.

They looked up as Flik's men approached the southern gate. He could see concern, even fear, in those faces, but they didn't stop their training. No disorganized crowd mobbed the mercenaries. Instead, they were greeted inside the walls by a delegation of women led by Leona and Barbara.

Leona's smile was guarded as she said, "Welcome home, Flik. We'd heard there'd been some…trouble, and we've set people to working, trying to help out."

Flik took in the scene again. "The battles didn't go exactly as we wanted, but we aren't lost yet."

Eilie suddenly burst from between Leona and Barbara, nearly bowling into Flik. "Is Riou all right?" she demanded, fear showing in her eyes. Before Flik could answer, Nina had also darted forward. She did plow into him, throwing her arms around his chest in a fierce hug. "I'm so glad your safe, my lord Flik! I was so worried about you that I could hardly sleep."

Barbara grabbed both girls by the arm and roughly hauled them away from Flik. "That'll be enough of that. There'll be plenty of time to hear the news, good or bad, without you two suffocating him."

"Riou's fine," Flik said. His eyes met Barbara's, and he wavered over the next bit of news. The emotional pain rushed back to the front of his head, making his eyes water, his hands tremble. He swallowed, gathering strength, embarrassed to be breaking down in front of all these women. Still, he decided that it would be best for Barbara to hear about Viktor from him. With an effort, Flik said, "Viktor's missing." The news hurt her, though nothing showed on her face except the slightest widening of her eyes. He plowed forward in the telling, afraid that if he stopped, he wouldn't get started again. "We went forward to face Luca Blight. Viktor was knocked from his horse, and I haven't seen him since." Leona put an arm on Barbara's shoulder, as if to draw her into an embrace. "I'm sorry," Flik concluded. He let out a trembling sigh, then wiped at his eyes.

Barbara shook her head. "Don't go apologizing, you idiot. You two were only doing what you thought was best at the time. Besides, Viktor…he knew the risks." She shook her head more forcefully. "Now's no time for tears. He's not dead yet, and we've got to keep fighting until he gets back."

Her tone struck him hard, making it difficult for him to argue. "I know that, but I-I've always relied on Viktor. He's always been there for me, for years and years, and now I've failed him. I left him up there on that hill."

Leona surprised Flik by suddenly pulling him into a tight embrace. "You can't let that stop you," she said. "Think about how much he relies on you. If he's lost, he needs you to find him. If he's captured, he needs you to go rescue him. He wouldn't want you to lose hope, Flik. He'd want you to keep fighting, to keep helping Riou, but most of all, he'd want you to be happy."

Flik nodded, pushing himself out of Leona's hug. "I understand. I'll try, for his sake."

There were more tears, though, as the rest of the army arrived and the afternoon wore on. There were tears of relief at happy reunions and tears of grief for those who were missing or dead. After dinner, when the whole army was safely back in barracks, Riou gathered the generals in the great hall. Flik knew that he and the others felt the absence of Ridley and Viktor.

Huan spoke first, giving a medical report. He concluded by saying, "I wanted to thank you, Lord Riou, for your consideration of the wounded. Your efforts have undoubtedly saved many lives."

"Thank you for the report," Shu said, stepping forward on the dais. "As you have heard, the New State Army is fundamentally intact. Shortly, the enemy will approach Dunan Castle and put this place under siege. We will have to make preparations."

"Do you have a plan to counter Luca Blight?" Kiba asked. He had a dressed gash on his forehead, making him look even grimmer than usual.

All Shu would answer was, "Things are progressing."

"What a monster," Gilbert muttered, leaning back in the far corner.

Apple glanced sharply at Shu. "Are we strong enough to defeat him as things stand?"

The hall began to fill with whispers, the beginnings of arguments. Flik looked to Riou, who'd listened impassively, head down. Suddenly, Riou's eyes came up. "That's enough!" he shouted, silencing the generals. He walked to the edge of the dais, swinging one hand out. "Whatever powers Luca Blight has, he's not invulnerable. It is my intention to fight him again. Furthermore, I personally will seek out and kill the King of Highland."

The statement took Flik's breath away, made Nanami squeak in protest, and caused Shu to nod. Riou continued speaking. "It's not that I have no fear of Luca Blight, but that I want this war to come to end. However, I can't do this alone. I need all of you with me if we are to accomplish this. Please, help me!"

Several generals shouted in the affirmative. Flik said, "I'll fight with you, Riou!" The clamor continued until Shu held out both hands.

"We are all resolved to help you win, Lord Riou. Together, we will bring an end to this war. Now, let us rest. Tomorrow will be the time for strategy and plotting, and a final confrontation."