From her seat, Kire observed the men who entered, her expression neutral. Ulrich and his family had overseen this particular province of the empire for many generations. They were dependable folk, though they hadn’t taken big risks. Shrewd, as she had said to Ed. Just like Jan. The observation made her sigh a little, and she put on a small smile to hide it. “Lord Ulrich. Likewise a pleasure to be welcomed into your home.” She saw the glance he had at her friends. Myka and Narda greeted the lord with a nod each, glancing at each other, too. “Let me introduce my guests.” His reaction to Ysaryn, Ruli, and Gavin wasn’t far off from what she had initially expected. Her gaze wandered from Ulrich to his sons as he in turn introduced them. Will Jan bear him sons? She didn’t know them very well, though she remembered at least not having a bad impression of the two eldest. Hans and Rogvar however were another story.
She looked at Jan. Her cousin had her usual stern look, only slightly softening when Ulrich looked her way. Was she sure about this? Either way, what right did Kire have to question the decision, when she’d made so many reckless ones over the years, herself? Stubborn, headstrong Wyverns, she thought, stopping herself from sighing out loud. “Ah—yes,” Kire said, turning her attention back to the patriarch. What was done was done, and even if she thought the match would be totally disastrous, they had a war to fight first. “To business. Though, given the pressing matter of war, I hope you don’t mind if we discuss the particulars of the match afterward. Tomorrow morning, at the earliest.” Kire looked at Jan, who nodded, then glanced over at Ulrich’s sons again. Particularly the younger two, both of whom she wasn’t enthusiastic about. “Sven and Leif will be joining us, then?” she asked Ulrich, the omission of the latter two an implicit expression of her disinterest in having Hans and Rogvar around. Especially with the way Hans glanced around.
“Right,” Ed said, at Ruli’s question. “Empress’s guests of honor. Here.” He gestured, smiling warmly at Ysaryn and the others. “Are you alright?” he murmured in Elvish to her. To Kire’s left sat Jan, and as host and her betrothed, Ulrich sat next to her, followed by his sons. To Kire’s right was Ed’s place, followed by Daryll, looking ill at ease. Ed directed Ysaryn to sit by Daryll, followed by Ruli and Gavin. Narda and Myka sat next to each other after Gavin, midway down the table. Not long after that, a few other noble-born officers entered, each giving Kire and her family the appropriate greeting before Kire gestured for them to take their places. Once everybody was seated, Kire began introducing everyone once more.
“Before we begin, I would like to make clear that these are my guests of honor, and they will have an active role in the siege. I’d like all my esteemed lords and ladies to extend all courtesies to my guests,” Kire said afterward. “As much as possible, we will conduct this council in the common tongue. Now. I know there are other important matters pertinent to the final battle that you all wish to address, but first I want to start with why I had called my guests here, and what kind of involvement they will have.” She looked at Daryll and gestured for him to go ahead and speak.
Daryll looked around, cleared his throat. “Uh. Right. So. M-many of you have seen the Gemini dolls and the gate, I wager. We’ve come up with a plan to counter their blood magic with our own wards, once our forces have breached the Capital and their physical defenses. Most likely, the Gemini would have put up magical defenses of their own around the Palace grounds.” He went on to explain, stammering a bit here and there, the purpose behind the wards, with Ruli and Gavin helping to clarify some points. He opened his satchel and produced the flash bomb, setting it carefully on the table. “We’ll demonstrate this later, outside. But the idea is to draw the enemy’s defenses towards the source of the flashes to make them think it is the Empress. The decoy will be setting them off.”
Jan looked at Daryll, then at Kire. “How confident are we that this will work?” she asked, wary at the amount of magic that their siege was riding on. “Though, I do agree very much that Kire should stay away as much as possible.”
“I knew you’d say that,” Kire muttered, then, to the rest of them, “For those of you who had been around when we destroyed the gate, you’ve seen Ruli and Ysaryn at work already. I have confidence in the plans.”
“How will we know that the wards are set?” Ed asked. “Or, I suppose once we see the flashes, we’ll take that as some sort of sign to move in.” He pointed towards some of the tokens. “We’d have to get the timing right. Our forces should be close enough to draw away most of their swords while you set the wards, and to be able to move in at once when you finish.”
“I do not relish the thought of meeting more of those exploding monstrosities,” Narda said with a grunt. “If this stops them, I’ll be glad for it.”
“How many hands do you need?” Myka asked Ruli. “After you demonstrate the flashes, we’d have to discuss who goes with you to set the wards and map out our route around the Palace grounds.”
The rest of the meeting was spent ironing out the details, with the officers in attendance recounting how many soldiers they had and what preparations had been accomplished thus far, as well as whose armies will march in first and who will provide support. A couple of times Kire had to force a couple of lords to back down and stay silent when they began to argue about who got to enter the Capital with their forces ahead of the other.
“Perhaps it’s time for refreshment,” Ed said, seeing Kire’s mounting temper. Kire took a deep breath, biting back stronger remarks as she sank back onto her seat. “And after that, we need to discuss what happens to the lords we had captured from the recent battle.”
Kire pursed her lips. That was a grim business to discuss. “Afterwards, yes.” She turned to Ruli, Gavin, and Ysaryn. “You don’t have to be around for that one later.”
Food and drink were served in the hall where they had emerged earlier. Kire was mostly quiet as she ate, while the cousins conversed with each other. Narda and Myka talked to the other three, with Myka asking questions about the other world where they had come from, and Narda asking how Envy was doing. Not long later, Kire called the other members of the council back to the war room. “Eh, tell me what you talked about later,” Myka said to Narda. “Are you going to talk about who gets…you know…” She finished her sentence by drawing her thumb across her neck. Narda nodded grimly. When the giantess followed the Wyverns back to the meeting, Myka turned to Ruli, Gavin, and Ysaryn. “Looks like we’re stuck out here while the big boys and girls are in there,” she said with a smirk. “Have you seen the outside? Come on, I’ll bring you to the ladies so you can tell them what you’re pulling them into. Wear the coats, we’ve got a bit of a gale blowing about.”
The terrain of Ulrich’s territory was filled with green hills, fields, and forest. The castle sat atop one such hill, with lush fields spread out around them. From this vantage point, they would be able to see the snow-capped mountains of the Northern territories far off in the distance. But much closer to them, south of the castle, was the mountain range where Ed, Ruli, and Ysaryn had emerged via the errant gate. During peacetime, they would have seen the rolling hills empty and serene, but the moment Myka led them outside the castle, they would have seen, instead, a large military encampment. Banners whipped about in the wind, similar to the banners they had seen in the great hall inside, and just like within the hall, the largest banners, hanging from the ramparts, were those of the Wyvern house.
“Capital would be a day and a half march from here,” Myka noted. “A day to get to the mountains, where we’ll join with the army camped there. You’ve seen them,” she added. “And then a half day after that.” She led them down the castle grounds and towards the edge of the military camps, where members of the crew of the Wench had been waiting. Most recognized Ruli and Ysaryn. “And this one’s Gavin,” Myka said, patting the lad behind his back. “And as you’ve noticed, he’s joined the merry little band of people Kire had gifted blades to. We should just be called the Empress’s Swashbucklers or something.” She wrinkled her nose at that.
She looked at Jan. Her cousin had her usual stern look, only slightly softening when Ulrich looked her way. Was she sure about this? Either way, what right did Kire have to question the decision, when she’d made so many reckless ones over the years, herself? Stubborn, headstrong Wyverns, she thought, stopping herself from sighing out loud. “Ah—yes,” Kire said, turning her attention back to the patriarch. What was done was done, and even if she thought the match would be totally disastrous, they had a war to fight first. “To business. Though, given the pressing matter of war, I hope you don’t mind if we discuss the particulars of the match afterward. Tomorrow morning, at the earliest.” Kire looked at Jan, who nodded, then glanced over at Ulrich’s sons again. Particularly the younger two, both of whom she wasn’t enthusiastic about. “Sven and Leif will be joining us, then?” she asked Ulrich, the omission of the latter two an implicit expression of her disinterest in having Hans and Rogvar around. Especially with the way Hans glanced around.
“Right,” Ed said, at Ruli’s question. “Empress’s guests of honor. Here.” He gestured, smiling warmly at Ysaryn and the others. “Are you alright?” he murmured in Elvish to her. To Kire’s left sat Jan, and as host and her betrothed, Ulrich sat next to her, followed by his sons. To Kire’s right was Ed’s place, followed by Daryll, looking ill at ease. Ed directed Ysaryn to sit by Daryll, followed by Ruli and Gavin. Narda and Myka sat next to each other after Gavin, midway down the table. Not long after that, a few other noble-born officers entered, each giving Kire and her family the appropriate greeting before Kire gestured for them to take their places. Once everybody was seated, Kire began introducing everyone once more.
“Before we begin, I would like to make clear that these are my guests of honor, and they will have an active role in the siege. I’d like all my esteemed lords and ladies to extend all courtesies to my guests,” Kire said afterward. “As much as possible, we will conduct this council in the common tongue. Now. I know there are other important matters pertinent to the final battle that you all wish to address, but first I want to start with why I had called my guests here, and what kind of involvement they will have.” She looked at Daryll and gestured for him to go ahead and speak.
Daryll looked around, cleared his throat. “Uh. Right. So. M-many of you have seen the Gemini dolls and the gate, I wager. We’ve come up with a plan to counter their blood magic with our own wards, once our forces have breached the Capital and their physical defenses. Most likely, the Gemini would have put up magical defenses of their own around the Palace grounds.” He went on to explain, stammering a bit here and there, the purpose behind the wards, with Ruli and Gavin helping to clarify some points. He opened his satchel and produced the flash bomb, setting it carefully on the table. “We’ll demonstrate this later, outside. But the idea is to draw the enemy’s defenses towards the source of the flashes to make them think it is the Empress. The decoy will be setting them off.”
Jan looked at Daryll, then at Kire. “How confident are we that this will work?” she asked, wary at the amount of magic that their siege was riding on. “Though, I do agree very much that Kire should stay away as much as possible.”
“I knew you’d say that,” Kire muttered, then, to the rest of them, “For those of you who had been around when we destroyed the gate, you’ve seen Ruli and Ysaryn at work already. I have confidence in the plans.”
“How will we know that the wards are set?” Ed asked. “Or, I suppose once we see the flashes, we’ll take that as some sort of sign to move in.” He pointed towards some of the tokens. “We’d have to get the timing right. Our forces should be close enough to draw away most of their swords while you set the wards, and to be able to move in at once when you finish.”
“I do not relish the thought of meeting more of those exploding monstrosities,” Narda said with a grunt. “If this stops them, I’ll be glad for it.”
“How many hands do you need?” Myka asked Ruli. “After you demonstrate the flashes, we’d have to discuss who goes with you to set the wards and map out our route around the Palace grounds.”
The rest of the meeting was spent ironing out the details, with the officers in attendance recounting how many soldiers they had and what preparations had been accomplished thus far, as well as whose armies will march in first and who will provide support. A couple of times Kire had to force a couple of lords to back down and stay silent when they began to argue about who got to enter the Capital with their forces ahead of the other.
“Perhaps it’s time for refreshment,” Ed said, seeing Kire’s mounting temper. Kire took a deep breath, biting back stronger remarks as she sank back onto her seat. “And after that, we need to discuss what happens to the lords we had captured from the recent battle.”
Kire pursed her lips. That was a grim business to discuss. “Afterwards, yes.” She turned to Ruli, Gavin, and Ysaryn. “You don’t have to be around for that one later.”
Food and drink were served in the hall where they had emerged earlier. Kire was mostly quiet as she ate, while the cousins conversed with each other. Narda and Myka talked to the other three, with Myka asking questions about the other world where they had come from, and Narda asking how Envy was doing. Not long later, Kire called the other members of the council back to the war room. “Eh, tell me what you talked about later,” Myka said to Narda. “Are you going to talk about who gets…you know…” She finished her sentence by drawing her thumb across her neck. Narda nodded grimly. When the giantess followed the Wyverns back to the meeting, Myka turned to Ruli, Gavin, and Ysaryn. “Looks like we’re stuck out here while the big boys and girls are in there,” she said with a smirk. “Have you seen the outside? Come on, I’ll bring you to the ladies so you can tell them what you’re pulling them into. Wear the coats, we’ve got a bit of a gale blowing about.”
The terrain of Ulrich’s territory was filled with green hills, fields, and forest. The castle sat atop one such hill, with lush fields spread out around them. From this vantage point, they would be able to see the snow-capped mountains of the Northern territories far off in the distance. But much closer to them, south of the castle, was the mountain range where Ed, Ruli, and Ysaryn had emerged via the errant gate. During peacetime, they would have seen the rolling hills empty and serene, but the moment Myka led them outside the castle, they would have seen, instead, a large military encampment. Banners whipped about in the wind, similar to the banners they had seen in the great hall inside, and just like within the hall, the largest banners, hanging from the ramparts, were those of the Wyvern house.
“Capital would be a day and a half march from here,” Myka noted. “A day to get to the mountains, where we’ll join with the army camped there. You’ve seen them,” she added. “And then a half day after that.” She led them down the castle grounds and towards the edge of the military camps, where members of the crew of the Wench had been waiting. Most recognized Ruli and Ysaryn. “And this one’s Gavin,” Myka said, patting the lad behind his back. “And as you’ve noticed, he’s joined the merry little band of people Kire had gifted blades to. We should just be called the Empress’s Swashbucklers or something.” She wrinkled her nose at that.