Chapter Thirteen: Boiling Point

We gathered in one of the main halls of Steiger, one cleared of bodies and relatively undamaged by the assault. Our soldiers were still descending into the tunnels to ensure that every last enemy had been chased out. The dynasts' armies wouldn't be eager to try us again after the slaughter we'd just subjected them to.

Unfortunately, that couldn't make up for the damage that had been done. We'd been relying on those troops as reinforcements when the time came to face Walhart. Not only were they not going to aid us, they were clearly on the enemy's side.

"Words cannot express my shame," Say'ri said. She seemed to be on the verge of tears, which was saying a lot for such a stoic and formal woman. "I rallied the dynasts here thinking they would fight for their freedom, but it seems their greed and cowardice know no bounds. They will doom us and their last chance for independence for a chest full of gold. To think that Chon'sin has fallen so far as this…"

"This isn't your fault, Say'ri," my father said firmly. "You had no way of knowing their true intentions. It was foolish of us to depend on people who would sell their kingdom so easily. Now we're paying the price for it."

I looked over at Destin, who was oddly quiet. Fingers pressed against his forehead, there was an absentminded look in his eyes as though he wasn't really there. I supposed he was planning as best he could for the new circumstances we'd found ourselves in, trying to find a way out. It wouldn't be easy, but if there was anyone in this world capable of pulling out such a victory, it would be him.

Flavia and Basilio arrived then, walking into the hall from outside. "We've routed the dynasts, but they still have a sizable army immediately to our west," Flavia said without preamble. "What's more, the blocking force we sent to delay Walhart was annihilated. It's hard to say whether they slowed him at all – it certainly seems like he just rode right over them. He'll be here in less than a day."

Those last words felt like a punch to the gut. One day wasn't enough time for much of anything. We'd hoped to gain breathing room by defeating the Valmese forces at Steiger, but it seemed like all we'd done was wrap a noose around our own necks.

"So much for fortune favoring the bold," Basilio snorted disgustedly. "This war hasn't even really begun and it's already lost."

"All our struggles, and yet what have we really accomplished here?" Chrom asked rhetorically. "Nothing, really. We've barely put a dent in the empire."

A bleak depression settled down on all of us. To think that we'd come so far, tried so hard, and it was all coming to nothing. Only one thought sustained me – that the Ylissean League had won the Valmese war in my time, and without my help or that of my comrades. It didn't seem possible that our aid could have somehow turned the war against us. There was still a chance, and I think I knew exactly where it was going to come from.

"…We need to leave here, Chrom," Destin said finally, breaking the miserable silence of the hall. "Right now."

"Have you lost your wits!?" Flavia shouted angrily. "We're surrounded!"

"If we wait for Walhart and Yen'fay to arrive, then we will be trapped for certain," Destin said calmly. "If that happens, we're finished. If we intend to escape, now is our only chance."

"The dynasts are the only force that can check us, and they obey out of greed and fear of the empire," Say'ri put in. "After the massacre they just endured, they won't be eager to try us again. We'll face a token resistance, but nothing more."

"Then what?" Chrom asked. "You yourself said Walhart could easily ride us down with his cavalry if we tried to retreat. How can we turn the tide?"

"Muster all our forces and engage Yen'fay. His army is closer, and weaker than that of Walhart's. It will be a difficult battle for certain, but if we can take him down before Walhart arrives then there's only one Valmese army remaining."

"Walhart is nearly here as it is," Flavia pointed out. "We won't have enough time to finish off Yen'fay. If Walhart hits us from behind while we're still dealing with the southern army, we're dead."

"…Then we hit them both at once," Destin said slowly. "One force goes to occupy Walhart while the rest go after Yen'fay."

"Are you insane!?" Basilio roared. "We just tried this exact strategy, and we got squashed! The entire blocking force was lost! We couldn't stop Walhart with our entire army, and we can't just throw away our men like pawns-"

The look that entered Destin's eyes then was terrifying. Suddenly the man I knew and trusted was gone, and nothing but a horrible blankness remained. There was something unnatural in the air, something that shouldn't be there.

"Do you think I like sacrificing people's lives, Basilio?" Destin asked in a dangerously soft voice. "I don't. I hate it. But this is war – people die, and sometimes you have to do things you'd rather not. I'm the strategist you put in charge of this army, and I'm telling you right now that there is no other way for us to win this."

That brought the one-eyed Khan up short. He gaped at Destin for a long moment, nor was he the only one. We all knew our situation was dire, but to have the tactician say it like that was quite a wake-up call. Perhaps none of us really wanted to acknowledge how bad things were, but he'd thrown it into the open. There was no taking it back.

"…I apologize," Basilio said finally. "You've brought us this far, and I shouldn't be doubting you now. This is an impossible situation, and I guess I've let the stress get to my head."

Destin just nodded, but with just that one gesture he was back. The pressure that had been building was gone, and so was the blankness. Perhaps I'd dismissed the significance of the story my mother had told me only a few short days ago, but now I knew better. Beneath his normal nature lay something that wasn't entirely human, and it was as dangerous as anything I'd ever seen. Was that what Tiki had been referring to?

"If that's our plan, we need a leader for the blocking force," Chrom said. "It's an extremely dangerous task. They'll have to occupy Walhart without facing him directly in battle. It'll take someone with cunning and bravery…"

"Ah, quit with your flattery, I'll do it," Basilio said, flashing a humorous grin. "It's the least I can do. I'll hold off Walhart for however long I can while you lot smash Yen'fay."

A sinking feeling formed in the pit of my stomach. This was bringing back memories of things I'd heard about in my own world, and not good things. Everyone knew how the mighty Khan Basilio of Regna Ferox had died. I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this, that the changes we'd made might circumvent this fateful day. But time, as always, was not content to be overwritten. It would have its due.

"It's settled, then," Chrom said firmly. "Best we get to it. Every minute brings our enemies closer."

"Wait," I said. The others all turned to look at me. "You can't… if you do this, Basilio, you will die. I know this for truth."

"The little oracle speaks," Basilio remarked. "Tell me, is it Walhart who gets me?"

"…Yes," I replied reluctantly. "At least that's how I heard it. I don't know if things fell out exactly the way they did in this time, but you went off to face Walhart's army and died there. Somehow, I know that the same thing will happen here. I just do."

"Huh. I believe you." The West Khan idly scratched the back of his head. "At least it wasn't some farmer with a pitch fork – that'd make a terrible song. Anyways, I'm off."

Confusion filled my mind as he made to leave again. Had he not heard a single word I'd said? "We have to change our plans! Fate can't be allowed to take this course!" I exclaimed heatedly. He had to listen! "You are going to-"

"Die?" Basilio said. "Maybe. As Destin said, sometimes sacrifices are necessary in war. If my life's the cost for victory, I'll pay it. And don't write me off just yet, girl. Since I already know I'm supposed to die here, I can change things. Maybe I'll just stay away from Walhart; the bastard can't kill me if he can't find me. Now then, I've got a job to do. Thanks for the warning – it might just keep me alive."

"But-"

"Don't worry about this oaf, Lucina," Flavia interjected, moving to stand beside Basilio. "I'll bring him back safely. On a leash if necessary."

Basilio rounded on Flavia. "You aren't coming, woman!" He roared. "You're the reigning Khan! You can't-"

"Regna Ferox has two Khans, and now you're responsible for both of them." One hand snaked out and grasped Basilio's collar. "I dare you to die in front of me!" Flavia shouted.

The silence that followed that statement was broken by Basilio's laughter, a booming sound that seemed to echo from everywhere.

"Alright then," he said. "We'll do this your way. So long friends," he addressed to the rest of us. "We'll meet again, hopefully."

I watched the two Khans leave the hall together. They didn't understand how difficult it could be to change history. Put the same people in the same positions and the same thing was going to happen regardless of whether or not you knew about it beforehand. I didn't doubt that Basilio was a clever man when he wanted to be, but I couldn't shake the feeling that this was the last time I'd see him alive. I hoped otherwise, I really did, but still…

"We need to get going ourselves," my father said. "The more time we have the better."

We marched from Fort Steiger within the hour, three quarters of the entire Ylissean League at our backs. It was still a smaller force than that of Yen'fay, but our troops were better trained. Beyond that, they had heart. And privately, I rather doubted Say'ri's brother had a tactician capable of matching Destin. The situation hadn't looked much better for us when we'd set sail to battle the Valmese invasion force, but we'd managed that thanks to his strategy.

The mood of the army was undeniably grim. The vast majority of the regular army soldiers were Feroxi, and everyone knew that the two leaders of their nation were miles to the north engaging in a fight they had no hope of winning. It might not be common knowledge just how bad the circumstances were, but it was understood that this battle would most likely decide the outcome of the war.

Our Pegasus Knights scouted ahead and skirmished with the imperial fliers, who were mostly griffin and wyvern riders. They returned with the news that Yen'fay's army was deploying for battle only a few miles south of us. It seemed the man had no intention of running.

We topped a rise shortly afterward and came into view of the enemy force. The terrain sloped down a ways from where we were to a more even plain, on which the Valmese force was waiting. It seemed a simple enough battlefield. However…

"Say'ri, what's that?" Destin asked, gesturing towards the east. A mountain rose there, black and covered in a haze of smoke.

"That is a volcano, sir," Say'ri replied. "It is called Demon's Ingle, and is known and feared by all the people of Valm. They believe a terrible fire god lives there, and to even approach it is to risk his anger."

It certainly was an intimidating sight. I could see why the people feared it, although the idea of a god living there was likely no more than superstition. As far as I knew there were only two gods in this world, and neither of them lived in a volcano. For that matter, Grima wouldn't fit.

"What are you thinking, Destin?" My father said, examining his friend curiously.

"We have banners of the Ylissean royal house, do we not?" Destin replied, neatly sidestepping the question. "Someone go find one."

"What's the plan?" I asked insistently. This was no time for secrets.

"It's simple, really. We're going to use the area around that volcano as our battlefield. The banner is just so we can let Yen'fay know we're there."

"But why?"

"The dynasts are still behind us," he explained patiently. "With all our forces engaged, they might decide to attack our undefended rear. But if they're all afraid of some fire god, they won't dare. At the same time, the hostile terrain will limit the approach of Yen'fay's troops."

"What makes you so certain that my brother will advance to meet us?" Say'ri demanded. "He has his pride, yes, but he is no fool. Yen'fay has no reason to fight us there."

"He will," Destin said. "Just trust me. I know he'll attack us wherever we set up, and we'll use that to our advantage."

That was all he would say on the matter – that he knew that Yen'fay would attack us. How he could possibly know such a thing was beyond even me. There wasn't anything in what he'd taught me that could explain this strange confidence. Nonetheless, we marched for Demon's Ingle with the Ylissean banner flying high. Soldiers of both sides gazed with considerable trepidation at the volcano. I understood why Destin wanted to fight there – it would give us, with our smaller number of elite troops, an edge we desperately needed. But that didn't make it any less dangerous.

The smell of smoke and sulphur grew stronger the closer we came. The grassy hills gave way to dark rock. I wasn't the only one to grow increasingly uneasy as we approached Demon's Ingle. It was terribly hot as well; even the thin armor I wore felt positively stifling. I couldn't imagine what the heavily armored troops were going through.

True to Destin's prediction, no sooner had we arrived then the enemy moved to attack us. Whatever reservations they might have had about fighting at Demon's Ingle clearly weren't enough to stop them. The Valmese charged uphill in a great mass, preparing to assault all of our spread out groups at once. The greatest concentration was coming straight at us, and through the smoke I caught sight of a commander's banner waving at the rear. Yen'fay himself was focused on us, just as Destin said he would be.

A crackling noise from behind brought my head around, as well as those of many close to me. A patch of rock several feet across seemed to sink even as I watched it, and a smoking red substance boiled up from underneath. What was going on?

"Magma," Say'ri said, sounding horrified. "This area is becoming unstable. It won't be safe for us here."

"Then we move forward," Destin said evenly. "No groups this time. We won't have the room to use formations. Stick together and advance no matter what. Don't look back; it might get you killed. Have the fliers look out for instabilities – they might be able to save anyone who gets caught."

Without further ado, he drew his sword and marched off in the direction of the enemy. The smoke coming from the volcano was rolling off it and had blanketed the area in front of us. I could barely make out the outlines of the approaching Valmese troops, even at this short distance.

I drew Falchion and hurried after Destin. My belief that he was nearly as important to averting Grima's return as my father hadn't changed. It was crucial that he remain alive, and I could ensure that. The groups, while undoubtedly effective and based on good tactics, had kept us fighting apart in all of our engagements thus far. Part of me wanted to see if I could do as well as my father did in covering the tactician. There were plenty of others to defend Chrom; they could manage without me this time.

I thought that it would be difficult even to find the enemy in all the smoke, but after a few moments Destin stopped and gestured with his free hand. Wind magic surged outward, sending the smoke billowing away from him in all directions. Several Valmese soldiers had been advancing in that smoke, and were utterly surprised by the sudden change. The closest didn't even have time to move before a lance of lightning from Destin's hand caught him in the throat and blasted him off his feet.

The rest charged him once they regained their wits, and I rushed forward to defend him. He caught a Valmese warrior's axe on his sword, and before the man could pull back for a second strike I slid by Destin's side and ran him through. I managed to withdraw Falchion in time to parry a sword strike from the side before a ball of fire shot over my shoulder and into the swordsman's face. A swift strike to the left buried Falchion into the neck of another attacker. Within seconds the last two who had charged were dead.

But a quick glance around showed me that more were coming. They were attracted, it seemed, by the temporary patch of clear air Destin had created. Whether that had been his intention or not, a dozen Valmese soldiers were now approaching from three sides.

Of course, we weren't alone. Vaike, Kjelle, and Tharja all arrived behind us as the enemy closed. The numbers still weren't even, but they weren't our equals in combat. The Valmese we'd fought at Steiger had been stronger, favored with both defensive terrain and a skilled tactician. These troops were disoriented and leading an attack they'd clearly rather not. None of us were happy to be here either, but we had a job to do and we were going to do it. Doubt rarely impeded the Shepherds.

That fight took longer, and the crackling of collapsing rock behind us was a grim reminder that we had overstayed our welcome. It was echoed to our immediate right as another section of rock gave way; the two Valmese soldiers who had been standing on it were plunged into the surging magma. We rushed ahead in search of safer ground, but I couldn't be sure there was any. The area around Demon's Ingle had picked a fine time to fall apart.

It would've been easy to get lost in the smoke, and indeed we never remained with the same group of allies for long. But I followed Destin unerringly, so neither of us had to face the Valmese alone. We fought numerous skirmishes as we advanced ever forward, and after a while I could swear the tactician had a sense for the terrain. He steered us away from several areas that looked fine to me, but began sinking only moments later.

Battle surrounded us in all directions. It didn't take long for our Pegasus Knights to drive the paltry enemy fliers from the sky, at which point they were free to rescue allies who had been trapped by the magma and harass the Valmese ground troops. The battle seemed to be going in our favor, though it was hard to judge the overall situation from the thick of it.

At one point I was about to step forward when Destin grabbed my arm. A second later a fissure ripped through the rock in front of us, followed by more behind us to the left and right. We were nearly surrounded by magma when Valmese soldiers attacked from both sides. Could they have planned an ambush in this? It didn't seem possible, but we were still in a bad situation.

It was in the midst of this that I found myself back to back with the tactician, fending off opponents with our swords. One slip would've meant death for both of us, but he had taught me to always trust the other person. I trusted him. Somehow I'd never imagined that his promise to be there if I needed to lean on him would be fulfilled so literally. But knowing that he was right there behind me put new energy into my tiring arms. More lives than just my own were in my hands here, and I wouldn't lose. He would trust me as well, and I would be damned before I let him down.

At last my blade passed through the guard of my opponent and thrust through his heart. I whirled only to find Destin's enemy dead as well. He turned to face me, breathing heavily and with blood trickling down his face from a nasty scalp wound he'd taken at some point. We didn't have time to rest, though; I could practically feel the rock underneath our feet preparing to give way. I grabbed his free hand and pulled him after me onto more solid ground. Within moments there was nothing but a gaping pit of magma where we'd been standing.

We used the next few minutes to catch our breath, both of us exhausted after all the fighting. Still, I felt more than a little satisfied at the way things had gone. I had been right to follow him; he wouldn't have survived this without me, and I wouldn't have survived it without him. Even if I couldn't work with Destin nearly as perfectly as my father did yet, it was a good partnership. I still had things to learn, and it could only get better.

Then my thoughts came to a screeching halt. Partnership – that was the word I had just thought. Was that how I saw him? Was that what I wanted? It would explain why I had so much difficulty sorting out my feelings for him and only him. But…

"Lucina," Destin said raggedly. I looked over at him. "We have to move on."

I nodded and took the lead cautiously, ready for an attack. He was in worse shape than I was, so if either of us was going to face the enemy it would be me. However, we encountered no more Valmese.

At last, the enemy appeared to be broken. Though my vision was limited, to either side I could see only allies. Destin began ordering those we encountered to begin a withdrawal from the area, and to pass the word to others. I didn't need to ask him about that – the battle was clearly over, and we'd only lose more men by remaining close to Demon's Ingle. If things had gone badly in the north, we might have to face Walhart soon.

One thing was still left undone, as far either of us knew. There had been no sign of Yen'fay despite his apparent eagerness to confront us. Unless he had been taken down elsewhere, then he was still alive.

By chance we met my father and Say'ri, both of whom were staring intently into the smoke. It quickly became obvious why; a dark figure stood on a rise twenty feet beyond them, a sword in its hand. Somehow we all knew that this was the man we'd been searching for. He awaited our challenge.

"Are you up to this?" Destin asked Chrom seriously. He nodded in reply. "Then do it. We need to finish up here so we can regroup."

My father silently turned and strode up to the rise. His figure, too, became distorted as the smoke covered him. Words were exchanged between them, but I couldn't make them out at that distance. Moments later the duel began, both of their forms blurring with motion.

"I do not doubt sir Chrom, but are you sure this is wise?" Say'ri asked. Her voice was slightly strangled; it wasn't hard to figure out why. "Yen'fay is the greatest sword master in all Chon'sin. He will not be easily defeated."

"I understand your concern, Say'ri, but Chrom will win." Destin shrugged uncomfortably. Despite all her words otherwise, we both knew Say'ri was having difficulty dealing with the knowledge that her brother was about to die. Who wouldn't? "Against an honorable opponent like Yen'fay, I don't believe Chrom can lose."

While I could only see their outlines from where we were standing, it was easy to tell them apart. Yen'fay moved in a blur, his sword striking out with lightning speed as he darted around Chrom, seeking a weak point. My father stood his ground, deflecting each of his opponent's attacks in turn. It reminded me of the duel he and I had fought at Arena Ferox. That had been mere weeks ago, yet it felt like a lifetime.

The movement of the combatants carried them further away from us, to the point that I couldn't even see them anymore. This place was so disorienting that even the sound of steel against steel seemed simultaneously distant and near. All that was left was to wait until it was over – and trust that my father would be the one left standing at the end.

It seemed like only a few minutes before my father emerged from the smoke. He bore wounds in several places, but none significant enough to be a danger to his life. In his right hand he carried a sheathed sword, which he handed to Say'ri.

"Amatsu," she whispered. "This is… his…

"I'm sorry," Chrom said hoarsely. He seemed ready to say more, but didn't. I don't think any of us knew what to say.

In the end, the four of us descended Demon's Ingle almost wordlessly. Exhausted, soot-covered, and solemn as we were, we were still victorious. Only time would tell how long we would have to enjoy it.