I sat down at a table where everyone else was looking at me expectantly. The weight of their gazes hung heavy on my shoulders. They all hoped I would have the answers to solve our problems but I was just as lost as they were.
Svend instinctively moved to pull on a beard that was no longer there before remembering that it was now gone. He looked ridiculous sitting at the new table that was far too small for the man’s giant frame, but he ignored the discomfort of his knees banging into the edge of the table as he spoke. “Ater-Albus being conquered is troubling. The Demons have made their first move. Now, it is time to make ours. What do you suggest?”
I took a breath and sunk into my past experiences fighting the Demons. “Our top priority is to prevent the spread of blood mist. I suggest we blockade the infected area around Novus and attempt a war of attrition. I am regaining more of my power with every passing day and the number of undead I can control continues to rise. If I turn each of them into a walking bomb as I did against Sebastion, a newly born Demonkin will not be able to survive the explosion. There are hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of corpses in the catacombs underground. If the Demons wish to stop the endless horde, they will have to come to me.”
Svend nodded calmly. “A basic Thirteenth Division tactic. I guess I should say as expected of you. I wanted to march on the city since we finally know where our enemy is but your plan requires fewer sacrifices. However, if you want to quarantine the entire area, my troops alone will not be sufficient. As luck would have it, five countries have responded positively to our announcement of creating a coalition to fight the Demons. Four of which only delivered their agreements this morning. Cowardly fence-sitters were probably waiting to see if we could handle Sebastion before stepping forward. Only the Free Cities responded immediately.”
“We should also organize whatever remains of the Novus military before they launch a suicidal attack to retake the capital,” my dad said as he clasped his hands together in thought, “Only a small percentage of the military is stationed in the capital so many of the Novus armies should still be unharmed. General Arthur is still at the eastern border where the other blood mist erupted. We should reach out to him as soon as possible.”
“I will send my messengers out immediately.” Svend replied and crossed his arms, “However, the leaders of these countries will likely want to meet Aurielle, the real Aurielle. Domain experts will not be fooled by a body double like the average citizen.”
“Let them come,” I said with a grin, “I might not be at my full strength but I am not worried about some wannabe kings. Besides, I have you around if they doubt my strength.”
Svend visibly grimaced and might have started pulling his hair out in annoyance if he still had any. “Please do not start another war until after the threat of the Demons has been resolved.”
I nodded and my grin faded as I was reminded of the greatest flaw in my plan. “With the extra troops, we should be able to fight back any Demonkin attempting to spread the blood mist but that does not solve the problem of the Demons themselves. They will not sit back and watch me drag out this war. Even if our blockade is perfect, one of the Demons is capable of teleporting. Our allies will not be able to help us if their capitals face the same fate as Ater-Albus the moment their expert steps away.”
Svend huffed. His chair squeaked in protest as he leaned back and stared at the ceiling. “Having so few people capable of using a domain is frustrating. Even if those five countries pool their experts together, we would be lucky to find seven or eight of them. Even then, they are not like Sebastion or me, the demons could kill those domain warriors with ease.”
“Then why haven’t they?” asked Charly who shrunk down in his chair as everyone's attention turned to him. His voice came out as little more than a squeak as he continued. “One of them can see the future, right? So, the Demons know who our allies are going to be. If they can teleport directly to that person and kill him before he allies with us, why haven’t they already done so?”
“Now there is a good question,” Svend replied with a hearty laugh.
“The only reason they would allow us to ally together is that they want us to,” I mused softly, “My plan could also be seen as an opportunity from the Demon’s perspective. All the bravest defenders of the realm and all their armies gathered together in one place would be a convenient time to set a trap.”
“Never second guess yourself when fighting someone that can see the future,” Svend said in a booming voice as he patted Charly on the back, “Trust your gut and do what you need to. Just because someone can see the future, that does not mean they are omnipotent. There is only so much they can see. We can prepare for a trap but that does not mean we should abandon our plans because maybe they saw what we were planning to do.”
“I agree,” I whispered, “We must prepare for the worst but plan for the best. That is the only way we can fight.” I paused as I looked up at my family. “Svend, I have a few more places I want you to send messengers. I do not know how many of my connections Sebastion left standing but I know a few people that might be able to help us out. If the Demons want to gather their enemies together in one place, let us gather everyone we can.”
Thirteen undead soldiers knelt in front of me. Their eyes burned with the bright green light of my talent. In each of their mouths was a blue crystal that could be broken at a moment’s notice. No poison was used in this group of undead. The explosion alone would be enough to kill most normal Demonkin.
These undead were the first but I planned to raise more at regular intervals. I would bombard the Demon’s new land in a constant stream of walking bombs. They would all enter the blood mist from a different direction so that no single Demon would be able to stop them all.
It felt like a waste, using the undead as disposable explosives like this, but not all undead were like Sigmund or Ragnar. A normal undead civilian would not be able to take out a Demonkin by themselves and even if I brought them back with the golden flames, that did not mean they would suddenly know how to fight. This was the best option I could think of to impact the Demons’ forces with what little strength I had at my disposal.
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With a wave of my hand, the thirteen undead all stood up simultaneously. They followed my command without complaint as they marched to their death. Even sprinting all day and night it would still probably take them a week to reach the former capital of Novus. Likewise, it would probably be some time before the Demons came for me. Until that day came, I needed to do everything I could to prepare.
First and foremost on my list was restoring my strength. The crystals Irene prepared for me worked wonders but it was still too slow compared to the dangers that I faced. There was only one way to increase my power faster than these crystals though. For that, I need my Chronicle. The power I stored in there before my death could bring me back to full strength in no time at all. However, right now there was only one person that knew where my Chronicle was hidden. No matter how much I wanted to avoid it, I needed to talk to Sebastion again.
Taking a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and walked towards the small fortress built into the side of one of the nearby hills at the edge of the city. Nearly a hundred soldiers stood guard inside the fortress with more than a few watching the outside for anyone that approached too close.
Luckily, Svend had spread the story that my family and I were the personal attendants of Aurielle. While a little annoying to be treated as my own servant, the prestige of Aurielle’s name allowed me to go almost anywhere I wanted within the city without question. The prison guards knew my face from the last time I was here and let me pass without much hassle.
I was not happy to be back down in the bowels of the rancid prison but I did not allow any of that on my face. I kept my expression emotionless as I passed the various cells full of rowdy prisoners. They shouted profanities and expletives at me but I ignored it all until I reached the very last cell at the end of the prison.
My legs felt weak as I approached the final cell. I could not tell if it was because of the energy rapidly draining from my body or the sight of the figure sitting there with his eyes closed. Sebastion’s appearance was still a wreck. His clothes were torn and bloody and most of his hair had burned away. However, it still felt as if he radiated a sense of regality as he sat there without moving.
“Have you come to taunt me?” Sebastion said without opening his eyes.
“I thought about it,” I replied with a shake of my head, “But there are more important things for us to discuss right now than your pitiful appearance.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“So, just because you lost a fight, you are going to sulk like a child?” I said with a huff, “Normally you would be shouting for a rematch by now. Have you really grown so boring?”
Sebastion’s eyes shot open as he glared angrily at me. “Do not act as if you understand me.”
I sighed and sat down on the cold stone floor. Leaning against the brick wall, I closed my eyes as I spoke. “I understand more than you might think. You could say terrible teachers run in the family. However, despite my failings, you have grown strong, stronger than I ever expected. From that strength, we gain a great many benefits, our aging slows to a crawl, our bodies are tougher, and they heal faster. Our minds grow sharper too… so sharp it can cut. When you are unable to forget even the smallest of details, it is easy to become obsessed.”
“Lucia is not an obsession,” Sebastion growled.
I continued talking without acknowledging Sebastion’s interruption. “In the Divisions, we call these obsessions mental demons. They can haunt your every waking moment. I never expected you to grow so powerful so fast and I never had the opportunity to teach you how to overcome these mental demons. This was my failure as your teacher. As today’s lesson, I plan to correct that failure.”
“I am not interested in learning anything from you.”
“Then ignore me,” I replied with a shrug, “Drown out my ramblings and continue trying to overload the energy siphons in your cell if that is what you want, but if you are willing to listen, I can teach you to remember her without feeling the constant pain that has plagued you these past fifty years. Knowledge is never inherently good or bad regardless of whether it comes from your best friend or your worst enemy.”