Author's Preface
Two days later, Zareth and Ryan sat in the king's chambers once more. Behind the king stood four men. All four were adorned in armor made from rare metals dug up from the bottom of the ocean. They shined a light blue and green color, reflecting the light from the sun that shone through the window. Ryan stared at each of them. They were each intimidating in their own right.
The king stood. "These four men have decided to stand with me against the First Elder and to help the demons with their cause against the Beastkin." The king stuck his arm out. "This is Urud, the commander of the knight brigade."
Urud stepped forward.
"Next to him is Poictus, the commander of the ranger and reconnaissance brigade." Poictus stepped forward. "Zareth, you are familiar with the last two. Odir and Tidil. Together, they command the mage corps and the special land warfare group."
Odir and Tidil stepped forward and bowed their heads.
"Three of the other commanders have made their choice to side with the First Elder, which includes the main force of our army. But do not fear, young prince. These four men are in charge of the strongest forces Narethis has to offer."
"You have a troop that specializes in land warfare?" Ryan smiled and leaned forward, his curiosity piqued.
"Of course." Tidil stepped forward. "No other kingdom would dare attack us in the water, so we have adapted to be able to fight on land as well. My unit specializes in tactics we have learned from other kingdoms and tactics we have come up with ourselves from our kingdom's many battles."
"Sweet, and you have a reconnaissance unit too? You really have thought of everything. Now all you need is an airborne unit." Ryan chuckled.
The king smiled. "Well, we have done our best, but it's mainly due to our tactician."
Behind him, Ryan felt a presence looming over him. He slowly turned his head. A small, slim human figure stood behind him. Glasses hung from the bridge of his nose, and under one arm was a stack of papers. He bent down and leaned into Ryan's ear.
"An airborne unit, huh? Like the Eighty-Second?"
Ryan's eyes grew wide and his body twitched.
"Shh, it's our secret. We can talk another time... soldier."
"What the fuck?" Ryan muttered.
The king put out his hands toward the man behind Ryan. "Ahhh, meet Turk, our tactician."
Ryan turned to the king. "But he is a man."
"Very observant. We found him near our shores as a baby. We assume he was washed ashore and or abandoned, so we took him in. Thank the gods we did. He has become a source for many of the advancements you have seen here. Even some of the units in our army are thanks to him."
Ryan snapped his head around to Turk again, who stood smiling. "How lucky you are." Ryan squinted his eyes at Turk.
"Now," the king clapped his hands. "The moment we cross the border, the First Elder will surely call the council together and use my absence to take the throne. We can deal with that after. Turk here has a plan, though, to make it a little more difficult for the First Elder and for the Beastkin to prepare for us to help Olax and the demons."
Turk stepped forward. "The way I see it, we can be at the demon capital in a day and a half if we move without interruption. We have scouts with communicators right now headed to the border to keep an eye on the Beastkin. You two should head back to your kingdom. I want you to leave these chambers irate. You will make a scene and leave immediately. Hopefully, word will get to the First Elder that the king will not send help to the demons. That will relax him, and when the Beastkin march on the demon capital, if they do, then we will march. They're half a day out, we're a day and a half. Hold your capital for a day and we're behind them. We can defeat them in one fell swoop, and return to Narethis. In that time, the First Elder should not have enough time to fully secure the throne, which will at least give us a fighting chance."
Zareth sat forward. "That leaves the demons vulnerable."
Turk nodded. "That's correct. It does if you're weak, but it accomplishes a few things for us. First and foremost, if the Beastkin move suddenly after you two depart, it is highly likely someone in Narethis is conspiring with the Beastkin. Likely the First Elder himself. It also lets the Beastkin think they will have an easy time with you. Their confidence will be high, so when we come from behind, it will instantly send them into a panic, and it should make the ensuing battle easier. Chaos can be our friend if we use it properly."
Zareth looked at Ryan. Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "Don't look at me, pal. You told me to keep my mouth shut. But he is right. It works for their kingdom and yours. If the king marches tonight and the First Elder is in cahoots with the Beastkin, the Beastkin may delay their advance for weeks. Enough time for the First Elder to secure the throne completely, meanwhile the king and the Narethian army are in the demon capital sitting on their hands."
"Brilliant minds think alike." Turk chuckled at Ryan.
"But fools seldom differ." Ryan stared at Turk as he smiled ear to ear and nodded his head.
Zareth sat forward. "You can ensure your army will march the moment the Beastkin approach our kingdom, though? I believe we can hold out for half a day, maybe even a full day. That will be the extent of what we can do with the forces we have while keeping civilians safe as well."
Turk brought a hand to his chest and bowed toward Zareth. "I assure you, when the Beastkin begin their attack, we will not be far behind."
"At dawn, look to the east." Ryan coughed and covered his mouth.
Turk laughed while everyone else around the room looked at each other.
The king looked at Ryan. "While we can't guarantee it'll be at dawn or nightfall, he is right. Look to the east and you will see myself and my four commanders attacking the Beastkin from the rear. That will be your signal to push forward as hard as you can."
Zareth let out a deep breath. "Very well. I am trusting you with this decision, Father."
The king stood and gestured his arm toward a bookshelf on the wall. Zareth looked to his right as the bookcase slid open.
"It is only right you say goodbye to your fiancée before you storm out of here."
Nessa walked through the passage and stopped in front of Ryan, who was now on his feet. "Please protect him. If anything happens to him, I will blame you."
Ryan nodded as Zareth stood with a tear in his eye.
Nessa's hand met Zareth's cheek. "Soon, my love, we will be together. Be safe, and don't you dare lose."
"Awwww," Ryan said as he chuckled.
Nessa snapped her head toward Ryan, who suddenly looked at the floor as if his mother just scolded him. Nessa smiled and turned back to Zareth and kissed him. She turned and walked back through the passageway as the bookshelf slid closed.
Ryan turned to look at Zareth. "Shall I do the honors?"
"I don't know a better person who can cause a commotion than you. Plus, it'll be more believable if you do it."
Ryan cracked his neck and turned to the king and bowed. "It was a pleasure meeting you, and I look forward to seeing what you're like on the battlefield. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to let off some steam. Don't take what comes out of my mouth next personally."
Ryan grabbed Zareth and turned toward the door. Outside the hall stood the offices of the elders. At each door to an elder's office stood two royal guards, one on either side.
Zareth leaned in to Ryan and whispered, "Make it loud enough for everyone to hear."
Ryan winked.
"I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU FUCKING FISH ARE SO DAMN COWARDLY! I'VE NEVER SEEN A SOFTER SPECIES IN ALL MY TRAVELS! YOU ARE ALL LOWER THAN SCUM! WHEN I AM FINISHED WITH THE BEASTKIN, I AM COMING BACK HERE! PREPARE YOURSELVES! FOR EVERY DEMON THAT DIES BECAUSE OF YOUR COWARDICE, I WILL BE TAKING TEN FUCKING FISH WITH ME!"
Ryan spat on the door.
"AT LEAST THE BEASTKIN HAVE HONOR, YOU FUCKING LOWLIFES!"
Ryan slammed the door shut hard enough to crack it and break the handle off. He turned and smiled under his mask as he looked down the hall. A few doors to the elders' offices were open, with heads poking out. At the ones left closed, the guards immediately opened the doors and entered.
Ryan smirked under his mask and whispered to Zareth as they walked by, "Ahh, that felt good. I think it worked."
Zareth hung his head in defeat so those watching would assume he walked away with nothing from his meeting with the king.
"Wonderful job. Just remind me to never actually get on your bad side. You do know those who aren't in on this now hate you. Calling them fish is the biggest disrespect."
Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "Shit happens, Prince. Let's go home."
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