The Wicked House of Caroline

As soon as Laurence’s resonant voice filled the air, the crowd below was quiet. Beks was so focused on the scene in front of her that she didn’t hear the crackling of the forest fire that illuminated the dark hillside behind the camp.

Laurence stood up straight, looking down at the soldiers as if he were giving a speech from a balcony to crowds on a street.

Now, they only had to test the response of his appearance on the soldiers below. How they reacted would determine their next course of action. If they were too hesitant and refused to join them, they would be left to fend for themselves in their new prison. If they responded positively to Laurence’s appearance, they would discuss terms and swear an oath of loyalty.

“And who do you think you are?” Battalion Commander Gatlin’s voice shot back at them and Beks whipped her head down to the encampment below.

She didn’t account for a mocking scoff. For a moment, she thought she had misheard.

“What?” Laz’s face twisted with disbelief as he loosened his shoulders and glared at the other Battalion Commander.

Battalion Commander Gatlin sneered as he looked up. “Do you expect me to believe that he is who he says he is?”

The top of the ramparts were quiet. Thad drew his head back and bit and shot a quick glance at his sister. Beks could not rid herself of the dismay on her face.

Laz slammed his good hand on the top of the low wall and leaned over. “Gatlin, do you not know what your own king looks like?”

“You’re three stories up and it’s night time! And for all I know, you have someone posing as the late king to trick us!” Gatlin replied with such defiance that Beks wasn’t sure if she should’ve been impressed or sympathetic at his delusion.

“You armor-clad idiot, why would I have someone pose as my brother?” Laz shouted down.

“Because you want to be king!”

“If I wanted to be king, why would I have someone else pretend to be king?” Laz’s voice rose with frustration. If Gatlin wanted to frustrate Laz to death, he was succeeding. “That doesn’t even make sense!”

Gatlin snorted. “Aren’t you the so-called master strategist of the Wild Dogs? How could we possibly understand your clever machinations?”

“I’m surprised he knows that word,” Rid Callan said.

“Same,” Thad and Beks replied, though not sounding completely convinced.

Laz took a deep breath. “Gatlin, you moron, just admit you don’t know what King Laurence looks like!”

“Of course, I know! I’ve seen portraits!” Gatlin shouted. Beks made a mental note to have portraits of Laurence issued to the legions when they were settled. She didn’t believe Battalion Commander Gatlin.

“Then why do you think he’s an imposter?” Laz waved his left arm as his brother was behind him.

“The late king-”

“I’m alive....” Laurence said under his breath.

“...had common features! In the dark, that far away, that man could be anyone!”

The corner of Laurence’s eye twitched. “Beks, when we return. Prepare procedures for each new battalion commander and their vice commanders to meet with me in person before they take their post.”

“Yes, Brother.”

“Gatlin, your imagination is surprisingly large for a mind so small.” Laz laced a few more profanities in his next two sentences berating the other officer.

“Everyone knows that the late king is dead! His body was buried in the royal tombs a year ago!” Gatlin reminded Laz in a shrill voice. “You can’t trick me!”

“He is not trying to trick you, Battalion Commander. I am Laurence dun Kadmus,” Laurence said out loud. There were a few hushed murmurs, but Gatlin remained rooted in his spot, his eyes narrowed and his doubt evident even from their distance.

Beks noticed that the crowds below were whispering to each other. Battalion Commander Gatlin’s officers seemed to lean towards him and voice their opinions. After a few moments, Gatlin nodded.

“If he is really King Laurence, then who is buried in the tomb?”

“An unidentified drowned corpse found in a riverbed days east of Kadmium,” Beks stepped forward. “The body was brought, but it was not King Laurence.”

“And how are you so sure?” Gatlin asked with suspicion.

“Gatlin, are you blind now, too? Even if you don’t recognize King Laurence, can’t you recognize her?” Laz asked. “She has children’s rhymes about her!”

Beks’ hair was back to its natural colors and though it was dark, there was a lighter streak visible against her dark hair. Beks heard several gasps correctly identifying her below and saw several soldiers drop their swords at once in acknowledgement of her orders.

Who didn’t know that Lady Rebecca of Caroline was loyal to King Laurence, after all.

Laurence’s face was dull. “How is it that I’ve made public appearances dozens of times, and they doubt my identity, but you, who were kept inside the royal grounds, unseen by the public, have more people recognize you?”

“It’s the hair,” several of those on the ramparts answered for her.

“Do you know who I am, Battalion Commander Gatlin?”

The man seemed to shrink his head back and hesitate, as if unwilling to believe it. “You have the dawn in your hair.”

“She has a name!” Laz and Lucian replied in irritated voices at once.

“Are you Lady Rebecca?” One of the soldiers called out below. “The daughter with dawn in her hair?”

She gave them a firm nod. “Yes.”

One of the soldiers below stepped forward. He narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. “If you are our lady, tell us where you were born!”

Beks eyes flashed at the same time Thad and Rid Callan heard the soldier speak in Sagittater. Beks took a deep breath. “In the Sacred Valley of Sagittate, the Caroline Duchy!” she replied in Sagittater, and the man who’d stepped forward put his sword down and bowed his head, putting his fist against his chest, greeting her in Sagittater.

“Good evening to her ladyship, Lady Rebecca!”

“Lord Thaddeus is here, too.”

“Good evening to his youngest lordship, Lord Thaddeus! Athar’an stry! Stry’an vena!”

“Vena’an ul!” Beks, Thad, and Rid Callan shouted back at the same time, almost as if an immediate, instinctual response to hearing the words. The soldier completed his greeting. He stood up straight, hit his chest once more and turned to the Battalion Commander.

“Sir! She is Lady Rebecca!” the soldier told Gatlin with a breathless, excitement filled voice.

His confirmation made the soldiers talk and a few more put their swords down. Many more turned back to Gatlin, unwilling to lower their guard until their commanding officer ordered.

“She may be Lady Rebecca and that fool she’s with is Battalion Commander dun Kadmus, but we still don’t know if that other man is the real King Laurence!”

Laurence narrowed his eyes a bit. “If I were not, and it were only my brothers here to take the throne, would you join us?”

“No!” Gatlin’s response came at once. “The Second and Third Princes do not have the ability to lead! What the kingdom needs is stability after a transfer of power! Your arrivals, as surprise variables, will only make things worse!”

“Sister, I’m relieved he isn’t as stupid as he looks,” Thad whispered.

“Yes, he is,” Laz replied. He took a deep breath. “Gatlin, we request an audience with you!”

Gatlin held his arms out wide in front of him. “You already have one!”

Laz stared at Gatlin for a moment. “Sunny, throw a warning shot at him.”

A ball of fire shot down and landed on the spot where Gatlin was standing before jumping back. He gasped and glowered, pulling his sword from his scabbard. “You dare fight us!”

“There is no fight,” Beks said. “You are under siege.”

It was only then that the soldiers seemed to notice that the hot heat coming from the tree line had lessened. There was less smoke in the air and the chaotic wind had all but disappeared. The reason was that while Laz and Battalion Gatlin were yelling at each other, the biha users had completed the circle around the camp.

Gatlin whirled around and sucked in a sharp breath. The wall’s silhouette against the fire was evident and Beks could feel the tension in the air rise at the realization that they were surrounded.

“Why did you do this?”

“My wife’s clever machinations,” Laz replied in a droll voice.

Gatlin whirled around and glared at Laz. “You don’t have a wife!”

“I have one now.”

“Who?” Laz motioned his other arm towards Beks in silence. Gatlin’s sharp breath was so audible, Beks found herself somewhat insulted. Gatlin’s stunned expression turned to disgust. “You married your brother’s fiancée! Von Kadmus, I misjudged you!”

“The engagement was broken, and we married in a righteous manner!” Beks replied as she resisted the urge to rub her forehead. “How are we putting people like him in positions of management?”

“He’s a good swordsman,” Laz replied, though didn’t seem to want to do any more speaking. “But so am I.”

“Laz, they are our subjects,” Laurence told him in a firm voice.

Beks put her hand on Laz’s arm and gently pulled him aside, closer to her. She looked down at the camp. “Battalion Commander Gatlin, we will give you one hour to convene with your officers and decide if you will continue to support the usurper king or surrender and pledge your loyalty to King Laurence!”

“I am unconvinced that the man with you is King Laurence!” Gatlin shouted back.

Laurence narrowed his eyes. “You are Wyatt Gatlin of County Bucher in the Duchy of Seneca? Aged thirty-one, single, no children, with aging baker parents receiving your pay?”

Gatlin tensed in his spot. His eyes widened for a moment before quickly narrowing. His entire demeanor tensed and he seemed ready to fight. “Did dun Kadmus tell you?”

Laurence smirked. “Cassandra Jonas.”

The flushed color on Gatlin’s ruddy face drained and his entire body seemed to deflate. Officers around him and the rest of his men looked over. Gatlin swallowed hard. He lowered his head and bowed.

“Your Majesty, forgive my insolence.”

Laz nearly dropped his jaw and stumbled back. All their arguing and Laurence said the name of Gerard’s wife and Gatlin succumbed? Beks rubbed the back of Laz’s arm and looked at Laurence with a confused expression.

“Convene with your officers and men. Those who do not wish to acknowledge my rule will remain imprisoned here. Those who wish to continue forward to Kadmium and join us will be released,” Laurence said. He gave them a stern look. “You have one hour.”

He turned around and walked as far away from the edge as possible. Beks looked at Rid Callan and gave him a nod. Rid Callan raised his hands and lifted the ramparts wall higher, so as to block the sight of the king. Beks held out her arm and allowed Sunny to climb off and on to the wall, rooting himself at the top for defense, like a living gargoyle.

“Brother, why did you say Sandra’s name?” Lucian asked as he relaxed the light that was illuminating them.

“Battalion and Legion Commanders are to write the name of someone as a key phrase when receiving a direct and immediate order from the monarch,” Laurence told him. “Every monarch has a different set, and we are to memorize all of them and to whom they belong to. This is an old secret emergency system from our ancient days, when kings and queens joined the battle.”

Beks nodded. “For their protection, so as to avoid being targeted, they would dress as regular soldiers. If they were captured and then escaped or were rescued, a commander could verify their identity as only their ruler would have that kind of information on them.”

“Typically, it’s someone’s name. Someone who isn’t an immediate family member and easy to guess,” Laurence told them. He grinned a bit. “They are mainly first loves and pets.”

“All right, but why did you give him one hour? He knows who you are now. Shouldn't he make the decision?” Laz asked, still a bit red from his yelling at Gatlin.

“They need time to let it sink in,” Laurence replied. “It seems that to many of them, I am essentially coming back from the dead.”

Lucian nodded. “They need time to comprehend what’s happening and have the illusion of choice. If they are forced, they could be resentful. If they are given options, they will make the choices best suited for them.”

Laz furrowed his brows and nodded. He looked at his brothers. “Do you think this will be commonplace when we collide with other battalions?”

“Yes, though now that we’re this far, we can’t hide Brother Laurence any longer,” Beks said.

He nodded. “However, it may be a good time to release the news and allow it to spread.”

“It’ll warn the other battalions and may make the integration process faster, as well as save us the trouble of discussing it each time,” Lucian added.

Laz narrowed his eyes. “It will also mean that if there is resistance upon meeting another battalion, it would mean that they have already chosen a side, and it wouldn’t be ours.”

“In that case, it’ll merely save us from wasting our time trying to reason with them,” Laurence told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You wasted quite a bit of breath yelling at Gatlin.”

Laz closed his eyes and released a heavy breath “We were both in the same battalion when I started.”

Several pairs of eyes looked at him. Thad tilted his head. “Is that all? You didn’t fight?”

Laz shifted his eyes away. “It wasn’t really a fight.”

Thad gasped. “Brother-in-law, did he bully you?” Thad looked absolutely stunned at this, as if he couldn’t believe it.

Laz shook his head. “No, we had a bit of a...one-sided altercation.

Laurence squinted at him. “What do you mean one-sided?”

Lucian looked at Laz with a deadpan expression. “He means that he beat up Gatlin.”

Laurence almost choked. He turned his head back to a guilty, but stubborn-looking Laz. “Why did you beat up Battalion Commander Gatlin?”

“He kept bothering Jonas’ sister. She told him she wasn’t interested, but he kept going out of his way to see her and give her flowers and loiter around her office when he wasn’t on duty. Jonas stepped in to ask him to stop bothering Sandra. Gatlin is older and didn’t take Jonas seriously. He shoved Jonas and I was standing with Jonas, so I stepped in, in case he took it further,” Laz explained.

Beks’ eyes were wide. Sandra never told her about that. “He didn’t do anything else to Sandra, did he?”

Laz shook his head. “He never laid a hand on her, but did watch her all the time and was persistent. It was just very annoying. When she and Gerard got involved, Gatlin was so heartbroken, I almost felt pity for him. Almost. He transferred battalions.”

“Why was he so interested in Sandra?” Beks asked, unable to stop her curiosity.

Laz sighed. “Sandra’s unit rushed to the field to bring aid and supplies after a particularly violent clash against bandits in the region. At the time, Gatlin was injured. We suspect it happened then, but I don’t know the details.” Laz snorted. “But to think that he used her name as his key phrase for Brother Laurence! It’s been years. He should’ve been over it by now.”

Laurence barely held back a muffled guffaw. He crinkled his eyes and squeezed Laz’s shoulder with his hand before turning towards the stairs. “Whatever you say, Rebecca of Caroline.”

Laz’s face heated up once more as his brother walked past him. Beks raised a brow and looked at him as Lucian smirked. Laz gave Laurence a helpless look. “Brother, now I have to change it.”

Laurence walked down the stairs with Rid Callan leading the way. He lifted his hand up and gave his brother a dismissing wave. “A minor thing.”

Beks chuckled and pulled his arm, leaning close to him to kiss his cheek. “I’m flattered.”

“I’m a tad bit insulted you didn’t put my name down,” Lucian said with a raised brow. Laz kissed their wife back on the lips and then shot his twin a glare.

“I can’t use immediate family members.”

Lucian shrugged. “I’m still hurt.” He cocked his head to the side. "By the way, the key phrases are reset with each new monarch. What was yours when Mother was Queen?”

“Melon Cake.” Beks and Laz said at the same time. Laz looked at her with surprise.

“Did Mother let you see my key phrase?”

“Of course not,” Beks said. “But Brother Laurence just said it’s usually first loves and pets. My name is the key phrase for Laurence, so that means that the key phrase prior was your pet. Melon Cake.”

Lucian squinted a bit. “But didn’t Melon Cake run off to join you? So many of your peers would’ve known. Wouldn’t that have been easy to guess?”

“Melon Cake wasn’t called Melon Cake when he was with me,” Laz said. “He went by his Langshe name.”

“Melon Cake had a Langshe name?” Beks looked at him strangely.

“Adah was the one who got us Melon Cake,” Lucian told her. “So, actually, Adah had named him. Chos-an.”

“I didn’t want others to tease him for having such a cute name,” Laz said.

Beks ran the translation in her head. “That means King Wolf.” She sighed. “That’s much more fitting than Melon Cake.” The dog was a wolfdog and quite large.

The twins both gave her incredulous looks. “Do you not remember why we called Melon Cake Melon Cake?” Laz asked.

Beks tilted her head. Ever since she could remember, Melon Cake was called so, and he lived in the royal grounds before Beks arrived.

“You were eating melon cakes and when you yelled that you had some to share, he came running and you started calling him Melon Cake, so everyone started calling him that,” Lucian told her.

Beks’ eyes crinkled up. “Is that why he didn’t like me?” That made more sense than a massive wolf dog who was afraid of her sealed biha. She sighed once more, resigned. “How petty.”

╔═════════════════ ∘◦ ♔ ◦∘ ═════════════════╗

“Why couldn’t you come down?” Battalion Commander Gatlin climbed up the three story-tall set of stairs that were narrow and had no railings. His legs were shaking and as he reached near the top, he threw any ego he had aside and got on his hands and knees to climb up to the remainder of the distance on to the ramparts. “And why couldn’t you put railings? These stairs are narrower than they look!”

“It’s not that narrow,” Laz said with a scoff as Gatlin shakily climbed over the rampart wall and nearly stumbled to the floor. “Look, the fire drake has no problem going up and down.” He waved towards the stairs as Sunny hopped on and began his way down with ease.

“He has four legs!”

“Do you use excuses for everything?”

“Dun Kadmus!”

“Take him downstairs and let Rid Callan know that he can open an exit beneath the ramparts when the negotiations have been finalized,” Beks said, cutting off Laz before he could reply. Laz let out a snort, but nodded.

“Follow me, Gatlin. Don’t worry. These stairs have railings,” Laz said with a smug look. Beks rolled her eyes as he led Gatlin down.

Beks remained on the ramparts with Lucian, who was looking over the camp. “It looks as if they are taking down their tents in preparation for leaving.”

She joined him at his side. “That’s a good sign. They’re willing to come with us.”

“As they should. Brother Laurence is the rightful king.” Lucian crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. “I can only hope that others will be as willing.”

“Battalions have messengers. Laz says he can utilize them to get our intentions across.”

“I’m still concerned that they may not accept Laurence, and I can’t rid myself of the worry that they will try to betray us,” Lucian said.

Beks let out a low breath. In truth, she also had that lingering concern, but she couldn’t dwell on it. “We will take precautions to stop them if they do.” She stood behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “We’ll be fine, Lucian.”

His hands slipped over hers and held her in place. “Beks, when we reach Kadmium....” He turned around to face her. “Will you be all right if we have conflict with Luther?”

Beks raised her brow and met his eyes. “We already have conflict with that useless turnip.”

The corners of Lucian’s lips tugged up a bit. “I mean more along the lines of a physical conflict.”

Beks took a deep breath. “I wouldn’t torture him, but if you’re going to beat him a few times, I’d like to join.”

“Well, the first hit will be yours,” Lucian said as he leaned down and kissed her gently.

“Are you worried that I will be soft on him because of the past engagement?” Beks asked. Lucian didn’t answer immediately, but when she spoke, she felt him tense against her. Beks sighed. “ I thought we were, at the very least, respectable friends, and he disappointed me greatly. How can I trust him?”

Lucian lowered his head. “What if he comes back to you, pleading that he loves you?”

Beks almost scoffed. Love her? How could Luther have any such feelings in his heart? If there was any discomfort, it would be guilt. Not even guilt for hurting her, but guilt at the fact that he lost a skilled resource.

“Lucian, do you know how an exile marking is made?” Beks asked. She lifted her arm and pulled down the sleeve to expose the skin of her forearm. “There is a stamp made up of hundreds of sharp, tiny needles. It is dipped in ink and then pressed against your skin, piercing the surface to embed the ink inside. Just before I received mine, as it hovered over my arm, Luther came to me and told me that he would pardon me.”

Lucian drew his head back. His eyes were wide. “He was going to pardon you?” He frowned. “He accepted the ridiculous allegations thrown at your family, and he said he would pardon you? As if you were actually guilty?”

She sneered at the memory as she lowered her eyes. “I still remember his words. I won’t be like my mother. I will let you come and go as you please. If you want to take part in governance, you can be my advisor. I will pardon you. All I ask is that you stay.”

Lucian shook his head. “His father would never allow it. He knew you were an obstacle.”

“I knew. You know that. But did Luther? He had the confidence to tell me that his father had nothing to do with his decision.” Beks looked to the side as a familiar fury filled her. “If I had stayed, they’d only find some other way to get rid of me. When Luther asked me what my decision was, if I would stay, I looked him in the eye, grabbed the exile stamp, and pressed it onto my arm.”

Lucian let out a low hiss. He quickly grabbed her arm. The skin was flawless, unbroken, with no hint that it had ever been marked, yet Lucian’s calloused fingertips caressed her smooth skin as if the mark was still there and hurting her. “Why did you do that?”

“I asked myself that same question, because it hurt more than I thought it would.”

Lucian chuckled and lifted her arm, pressing his lips against her skin and meeting her eyes. “You don’t have to hurt yourself to hurt him.” He paused and smiled a bit, still holding her arm against his cheek. “But I respect the dramatic effect.”

Beks giggled and pressed her head against his shoulder. She took a deep breath and relaxed a bit. “The thought of returning to Luther has never crossed my mind and it never will,” she told him. “I have you and Laz. That’s more than anyone can ask for.”

“My lady, are you saying that we are overwhelming?” Laz’s amused voice asked behind them from the top of the stairs. He gave her a playful grin.

She smirked. “You have your moment.”

He chuckled and waved them forward. “Brother has spoken to Gatlin. Gatlin has arranged with his battalion to join us, as our brother is the rightful king.” He paused for a bit. “And it seems that our incredibly out of touch youngest brother has been allowing his court to mismanage military funds, cut programs intended to help their families, and moving them at random.”

Lucian nodded with a serious expression as Beks called back Sunny behind him. “From the sound of it, this isn’t the only battalion that feels that way.”

“Which is a good thing,” Laz replied.

“Is Gatlin going to send messengers to other battalions regarding Brother’s return?” Beks asked as they walked towards the stairs.

“Yes. Normally, they’d send messenger hawks, but it seems that they have not returned....” Laz looked towards Beks with a knowing expression.

Her brows shot up. “They couldn’t have sent out all of them at once, especially when we caught them by surprise.”

“When the fire started, the handlers sent them out for safety,” Laz replied. “They’ve been called back, but none of the hawks are responding to the whistles.”

“Beks, Cloud and Wisp wouldn’t have eaten them, would they?” Lucian asked with some concern.

Beks rolled her eyes. “They’re not going to eat while in the air and carrying my parents in baskets. It’s likely that their status as legendary beasts is enough to overwhelm the messenger birds.”

“Then, they were scared away.”

“Yes.”

“Can we get them back?” Laz asked.

Beks pursed her lips. “I haven’t a clue. On the island, jungle animals, including birds, don’t come near the rokhs’ roost. The stronger the animal, especially a predatory one, the more other animals are hesitant to approach.” She reached up on her shoulder and scratched Sunny’s chin. “Sunny was very brave to follow my sister up to the ruins.”

“Then, perhaps we should send the rokhs further out to avoid scaring the messenger hawks,” Lucian said.

“That’s likely the case.”

When they reached the ground floor, Laurence gave them a nod. “Rid Callan will open a gate here in a moment. I’ve received word from Marquis von Glasser that everyone should be out of the pass in an hour. We will camp nearby for the rest of the night and then proceed in the morning.”

Beks nodded. Several more soldiers and Thirnir joined their group, discussing the plans and preparing to contact the nearby battalions.

Beks fished out the whistle for the rokhs and summoned the two to land. Her parents came out of the baskets as Thad, Lucian and Laz went to remove the baskets from the birds. Her father spoke to Laurence while her mother rolled her shoulders back.

“Has Rid Callan’s ability grown stronger?” she asked as she stood beside Beks and watched the two rokhs land and stretch their wings.

“It seems like it. He’s able to hold more biha. Thad is the same.”

Her mother glanced at her. “Do you have something to do with it?”

Beks drew her lips inward and bit them. “I think I might. It may have something to do when I refill their biha wells.”

Her mother looked ahead of them. “Your biha is not only limitless, but closer to natural bihar than the biha that we produce after we absorb bihar from the environment,” her mother told her. “I didn’t notice it at first, but the last few times you’ve refilled by biha well, it felt...heavier, sort to speak. And the space of the well had to adjust to the heaviness of the biha.”

Beks burrowed her brows. “Then, let’s say the well adjusts...expands. Does it not shrink back once the biha is used?”

Her mother shook her head. “I expected it to. I considered it a short-term boost of energy, but after that, my well felt larger. The amount of time I took to absorb biha increased.”

“Meaning, there is more space to fill?”

Her mother nodded once more. “I don’t think the effect will be noticeable after two or three refills, but the more you do them, the more noticeable they will become. Choose whose well you refill carefully and don’t let them know you have this effect.”

“You don’t have to remind me, Mommy, I know.”

In front of them, the rokhs took flight again.

As a precaution, it seemed that several Wild Dogs and Thirnir had also arrived and kept a tight guard around Laurence.

Rid Callan faced the wall and gathered his biha before moving his arms. A low rumbling was head cracks sounded and a large chunk of the barrier across from them broke off and sank into the ground.

Beks heard Gatlin let out a tired sigh. “The Caroline army is filled with biha users....” He sounded envious.

“It’s very common to have biha in the duchy,” her father replied. He lifted his arm and balls of fire appeared to act as a light source to illuminate the space between the barrier. The movement was so fluid and natural, as if all her father had to do was snap his fingers and let there be light.

Several soldiers began to walk through. Most were cautious, but Beks recognized the soldier from Sagittate walking through the opening, as if going for a pleasant stroll.

“Aren’t you worried that the barrier would collapse?” one of his fellow soldiers asked with a horrified look. He was still standing on the inner side.

The soldier from Sagittate shook his head. “I trust the biha ability of my people,” he told them. “But I should tell you now. If the Duchy of Caroline is backing His Majesty, then you are on the right side.”

╔═════════════════ ∘◦ ♔ ◦∘ ═════════════════╗

“It’s been much easier than I thought it would be,” Laz said as his body bobbed along with the horse’s step. “Don’t you think?”

He looked over at Beks and Lucian on his right.

Beks kept her eyes ahead of her, watching her parents on horseback move forward. They weren’t at the head of the marching army, but they were close to it. The army formed a long train of people that nearly took up the entire width of a carriage and a half wide road.

“Don’t say that it’s easy. That’s almost setting us up for difficulties,” Beks replied.

“You’re overthinking it. I didn’t say it was easy, just easier than I anticipated,” Laz told her with a slight smile. “I expected much more resistance from the battalions.”

Certainly, there was some resistance at first. Or at the very least, some wariness from the battalions, but after Laurence was identified and with the help of the messages relayed from Gatlin to the other battalion commanders in the region, two additional battalions had joined their march, and they received messages from two more not far away confirming that they will join, but will wait for Laurence’s army to catch up to where they were stationed.

It was a waste of time and energy to march to meet the army.

“There were six messages sent to the nearest battalions and we haven’t received a response for two of them,” Lucian reminded him. “It shouldn’t have taken long to respond, even if they needed to mull over the choice. This can only mean they either didn’t get the message or have ignored it and will remain against us.”

Laz’s lips tugged down into a slight frown. “Then, that is the choice they made. We can’t force another battalion to join us, even if it is in their best interest to do so.”

“Considering how upset the battalions seem to be about Luther and the changes he’s allowed to be made regarding the legions, I’m a bit surprised they wouldn’t at least avoid conflict with us and wait until the outcome to act,” Beks said. “During the late Queen’s revolt, there were several battalions that were ‘neutral’ sort of speak.”

Those battalions simply did not act for one royal or another. If they sided with the wrong one, at best, they’d be dishonorably disbanded, sent home, and ineligible for any benefits or reenlistment and government positions. At worst, death, either on the battlefield or on the execution grounds.

“Some people are very stubborn and loyal,” Laz told them as he looked ahead. “Right now, Luther is king and until he’s forcibly removed from that position, there are plenty of people who will acknowledge him as such, even if Brother Laurence returns.”

“Luther got his throne because they tried to kill Brother,” Lucian said with a frown. “Regicide isn’t exactly a legitimate way to become king.”

“Legitimate or not, it was effective. Brother Laurence would prefer not to fight his own citizens, but if it comes to that, then we have no choice.” She was resigned to this, as well.

“Brother will likely go along with the established procedures to deal with a battalion who fought against us. The risk of punishment doesn’t seem much, but if one of them is injured, they will receive no benefits from the kingdom and will essentially be left to fend for themselves. If that injury makes them unable to work, they will suffer.” Laz let out a tired, helpless sigh. “For the sake of regular soldiers, I hope their officers agree to join us.”

Beks nodded and then heard a familiar shriek above them. She looked up at the blue sky, as it was midday. The rokhs and the soldiers on their baskets acted as lookouts, and would fly ahead to study the terrain ahead and report back if there were any problems, such as a damaged road, or an ambush.

Cloud let out another shrill noise and he seemed to swoop down, bringing the basket with Thad and Sunny lower.

“Mommy, Daddy! Sister!” Thad shouted as the basket swung past them, just a few paces from the side of the road they were marching on.

“What’s up ahead?” their father asked. Thad wouldn’t have come if there wasn’t news.

Thad flushed. “There’s a battalion!”

Laz head snapped towards him. “How far?”

“At least two hours march forward,” Thad replied. “Rid Callan and Wisp have perched in the nearby forest to watch them and sent me back to report.”

“Do you have an estimate on how large the battalion is?” Laz asked. “Does it look to be more than one?”

“Yes. They are also marching forward and show no signs of stopping,” Thad reported.

“Laz, go with Thad to see the situation yourself. I’m going to discuss with His Majesty and the Marquis,” Robert said as he pulled the reins of the horse to the side and moved out of the line.

“Yes, Father-in-law!” Laz also pulled his horse out of the march formation and trotted to the side, close to where the basket moved slowly above the ground. He and his horse moved right beside the basket before Laz released the reins. He climbed on top his saddle and reached out, pulling himself up and into the basket.

A Wild Dog who was part of their escort followed behind, also removing himself from the march, to grab the reins of the horse that was left behind.

“We’ll meet them sooner than in two hours,” Beks said. She narrowed her eyes. “If they’re marching towards us, I don’t believe they’re here to join us.”

“If they were this close, they should’ve received one of the messages from Gatlin,” her mother said as she fell back to be half a horse ahead of them. “In order to prevent confusion and an unnecessary conflict, any battalions who would join us first sent a message confirming their intention. The fact that no message was sent....”

Beks frowned and narrowed her eyes. “We should prepare for battle.” Her mother nodded as Beks fought back the disappointment that filled her. Part of her always knew that not every battalion would turn and support Laurence, but that didn’t mean she didn’t hope for it. It would save a lot of bloodshed, as well as time and effort.

“Don’t worry,” Lucian said as he reached out and put his hand on her arm. “We are not a helpless little group of untrained soldiers.”

“Yes, and His Majesty will give them one more chance. If they refuse, then we have done all we can,” her mother told them. “During the time of the battle, you are to stay behind with His Majesty. The Thirnir will protect you.”

Beks’ eyes flickered to her ring. When they had time, she tried to use it, but her control was lacking. The first time she tried to use- fire biha, the force of the flames being thrown out in front of her made her fall backwards. If Lucian hadn’t been there to catch her, she would’ve fallen on the ground.

Her hands clenched around the reigns. Beks frowned. She finally had a way to manifest elemental biha, but all her attempts were out of control and too dangerous to use. Thirnir had to be on guard to take control at any moment.

Part of her didn’t understand why she had an easier time using biha to heal through water. I need to try to see if there is anything I can read on this.

Anticipating the approaching conflict, her father and the other leaders gave the order to prepare for battle. This meant that the support teams were to be placed in the center back, surrounded for defense while offensive units were moved towards the front. With two additional battalions, they wouldn’t be outnumbered, but the less death, the better.

Beks found herself once more in a fortified carriage in the middle of a formation of fortified carriages along with Laurence, Thad, and Sunny. The carriage was more like a wagon with double doors in the front and back. At that moment, both sets of doors were open so that they could view the battle up front.

The earth biha users had created additional sentry towers to get better views and to relay orders. Her father had gone up ahead to personally lead Laurence’s army. Her mother was at the west sentry tower and the Marquis was in the center.

“Brother, Beks, stay here,” Laz said. As soon as he returned, he confirmed Thad’s report with more exact details. There were two battalions ahead of them and they were prepared for battle. “I’m going to east sentry tower.”

Laurence gave him a small nod of his head. Beks leaned outside and kissed her older husband before he left. “Be safe.”

“Wait for me.” Laz kissed her back quickly before riding off.

Laurence stood up on the driver’s seat of the carriage and looked through a spy glass. The approaching army was well into the horizon and were approaching quickly. He frowned.

“They’re not going to stop. They’re going to attack us.”

Lucian frowned. “Reckless.”

Beks closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Defensive barriers were created. Most of the fighting was going to be between battalions.

She was relatively far from the front lines, but she could feel the ground move as the encroaching army surged forward. There were at least a few thousand soldiers, some on horseback. She kept her eyes closed as she tried to calm herself.

She was far, but she could hear it.

“Sister, are you all right?” Thad asked. There was yelling and screaming and the sounds of weapons clashing in the air.

“They’re going to die,” Beks replied in a soft, sad voice, her eyes still closed. “Those soldiers attacking us. I know it.”

Though she was talking about their enemy, and there was always a chance of dying in a war, her words were haunting. For a moment, she didn’t feel like herself, as if her head was distancing herself from the situation.

All she knew was that with the combined defenses, the number of people, and the skill of the Caroline Army that was awaiting them, the other battalions would suffer.

A whistling sound sounded, and she opened her eyes. Her head snapped towards the outside of the carriage as she saw large stones being flung through the air.

“They’re launching stones!”

“Take cover!” someone shouted and Beks felt the ground move. The stones were coming down were as large as half a carriage. If they landed and broke apart, even if they didn’t crush anyone, the pieces would injure people.

Chunks of earth seemed to be ripped from the ground and thrown upwards by the earth biha users, stunning soldiers who were surrounding them for protection.

Thad shielded his eyes as one stone collided with a piece of the earth in midair, sending dust and small pieces of stone raining down hard. Still, it was better than the whole piece hitting the ground.

Beks stood on top of the driver’s seat and looked around. From her count and the size of the stones, there had to be at least six trebuchets. However, they took time to reload with massive boulders, so there was a break in between them.

Beks shut her eyes and ran her memory through the list of weapons in the legions. Since Kadmus was more focused on defense and not conquest, they didn’t have too many siege weapons. Those they did have were mostly in storage. The remaining were spread around different battalions. “Fifteen trebuchets, hundred fifty-two catapults, and ninety-seven ballista. I don’t know how many of those they have total.”

Laurence frowned when he heard her. “Thad, did you see them with more siege weapons?”

“They had wagons that were being rolled, but they were covered. We couldn’t see what they were for sure from our elevation,” Thad replied. “There were about twenty-seven covered wagons that didn’t look like supply carts that the other battalions have.”

Screaming could be heard from the frontlines and Beks snatched the spyglass from Laurence. She adjusted it and peered through. The catapults were being lined up front and were launching heavy stones at their army. They were heavily protected by soldiers who appeared as if they would rather die than let the enemy through.

Flags were being raised on the sentry towers to give orders to the field commanders and soon, small teams had broken out of the melee to target the weapons. Earth biha users required a certain range in order to control their element. While they could throw earth at a further distance, anything like creating sinkholes or building barriers required them to be closer.

And when they were using their biha, they could not defend themselves against attackers as focus was needed.

As she was contemplating things, she saw a few more weapons being rolled forward. She lowered the spy glass. “They’re going to use ballistas.” She frowned and narrowed her eyes. “How did two battalions get so many weapons?”

“It doesn’t matter. We need to stop them from using it before they injure more people,” Laurence said.

There was no way to incinerate a ballista projectile in midair fast enough before it hit a target, and stones could only be deflected with other stones. Without a water source to manipulate, most biha users didn’t have enough water to work with to deflect projectiles, and the strength of wind needed to deflect was beyond what most, if not all, users could do. At best, it would slow down a projectile.

Beks grit her teeth. Fire biha was not fast enough. Water and wind biha were insufficient. Earth biha had severe range limitations. Shadow biha couldn’t affect it, neither could healing biha.

For a moment, she remembered Sister Levina and her light biha...and the fires at the Great Temple Complex.

Light got hot. She memorized and read Sister Levina’s book and there was a warning that light biha could get too hot if too much biha was used, which could burn things if touched, so regulation was important so as not to damage things. Beks had felt that for herself. The light biha in her hand would glow bright if she used it for so long, and though her hand was fine, the air around it afterwards was warm.

At that time, she had allowed the light biha to move around her hand like smoke, similar to how she used shadow biha.

But what if she concentrated that light?

I have a lot of biha....

“Rebecca, don’t.” Laurence sounded disapproving. She opened her eyes and saw him giving her a look that told her not to do something.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You have that look of concentration, as if you’ve had an epiphany and want to try something...something possibly dangerous,” Laurence told her with a frown.

“I just want to get a better look to see what else we’re dealing with,” Beks told him. She reached for the whistle.

“Rebecca....”

She brought the whistle to her lips and let out a high note. Almost at once, a screech sounded from above.

“Thad, lift me on to the basket!” She ordered in Sagittater. Though taken aback, her younger brother didn’t seem to think much of it. He gathered his biha and wrapped it around Beks, lifting her into the air over the protests of both Laurence and Lucian. “I’ll be right back!” Her voice rang in the air as she reached up and grabbed hold of the basket and swept past.

She used the momentum to throw her body over the side and into the basket.

“Rebecca of Caroline!” She ignored Laurence’s yelling.

“Cloud, take me up and close to the frontline!”

The rokh gave her a screech in return. She held on to the sides as she looked over the edge. The front line wasn’t far at all from this view point. She narrowed her eyes, identifying the various siege weapons that had been rolled out.

A whistle cut through the air and Cloud veered to the left. A thick wooden projectile with a metal tip sliced past them, almost spearing the basket.

Beks sucked in a sharp breath and clutched her chest as her heart shot to her throat.

“Cloud, higher!”

She looked over the edge once more, scanning for any ballistas. To her horror, several were pointed at her.

“Do they know I’m the one up here?” She frowned and narrowed her eyes. Her body began to tingle as she gathered bihar from all around her and began to condense it. She took a deep breath and poured all her biha into her left hand.

The pearl on her ring felt warm. Beks swallowed and visualized a thick, condensed beam of light coming from her hand.

She heard another whistle. She opened her eyes and saw the projectile coming towards her basket. She raised her arm and swore.

The force of the biha escaping her pushed her back against the far side of the basket, but the beam of light hit its target.

From spiraling towards her to falling to the ground in two charred pieces. The air in front of her was hot, reminding her of the air just above a fire; enough to warp the view.

Another whistling sounded from the side, and Beks turned to a defensive stance. She braced herself and threw her arm out once more. She slid back as the light shot out of her palm. This time, she grit her teeth and watched as it sliced through the projectile like a sharp knife. The wood inside, where the light had touched, was charred black, and the remaining pieces fell to the ground.

The air was hot, and Beks could feel her heart pumping in her ears. She didn’t notice her heavy breathing. Her legs shook.

She pushed herself up from the side of the basket and stepped forward.

“Cloud, move us closer,” she said as she raised her hand over the edge and pointed down. “I need to destroy some weapons.”