Chapter 209 - Last Stand (Patreon)

Chapter 209

Red Sands Desert, Duchy of Sarth

Alesian Fortress Line

"How long do we have?" Said Knight-Commander Philia Elcanor, looking grimly at her subordinates as the walls shook, and dust fell from the ceiling, as Sunrise's trebuchets pounded the fortress with the precision and relentlessness of a metronome.

"Three days. A week, at best." Answered her second in command, a grizzled old veteran who had been nothing more than an ignored fixture until she'd purged the traitors in command. He had proven invaluable in preparing for the siege, and undoing the web of lies and corruption his predecessors had woven throughout their entire charge. "And that's if we stand fast, and fight to the last."

"That won't be necessary." Said the Knight-Commander, to the palpable, but unspoken, relief of everyone present. All were ready to lay down their lives to protect their people and uphold their oaths, but that didn't mean they were eager to meet their ancestors for judgment. "We would be doing a considerable disservice to their majesties if we did. Our forces would be better spent retreating to Darthar and joining the city's defence."

"That will be easier said than done." Interjected a woman with the insigna of a commodore. Her 'squadron' was little more than plinky patrol ships, but she was the best the Kingdom had to offer in terms of naval officers. And she had spent her entire life fighting to keep Darthar's trade routes secure and free of monsters. She probably knew the desert better than even the city's inhabitants. "The terrain may be difficult, but there is no possibility of concealment if they move out to intercept. Especially if they're willing to use their own airships as reconnaissance. I'm doing my best to keep their heads down, but they have enough artillery that I can't challenge their airships as long as they hug the siege lines."

"So they'll see us leave. And be able to keep tabs on us and try to overrun us."

"I'm afraid so, Knight-Commander."

Philia tapped the table.

"A sacrificial rear guard." Said the the old veteran. "There's no other solution. They won't be able to advance in force if the fortresses are still manned."

The Knight-Commander nodded. She'd known that was the only right call from the get go. She just didn't want to do it.

She opened her mouth to speak, before a single sound could get out, the veteran spoke once more.

"I'll lead it." She closed her mouth with a snap, and he met her gaze with a smile. "Let's face it, this is my last war. And I'm too old to go gallivanting around the dunes, dodging whatever they can afford to send to harry the retreat. My men and I will stay. I've spent the last half century taking care of these fortresses, and my boys know every nook and cranny. We'll make them pay every meter in blood."

Philia hesitated, before sighing. She knew that tone well enough from her NCO. The only way she'd make him budge was by ordering him thrown into the fortress' brig, and chances are his own men would 'accidentally' free him before the day was over.

And trying to stand by him would only get her wounded in an 'accident' and shipped off.

"Volunteers only." She said.

"Of course."

"From your men and the other units both." She raised her hand, cutting him off before he could protest. "You'll need some mages, if nothing else. I won't let too many others in." She'd need them too badly, and if she didn't keep a rein on it, entire battalions would stay behind. "But you'll need them."

"Alright then. The more the merrier I suppose."

"Excellent. Then it is decided. Ask for volunteers among your respective troops, then make a list of those you can afford to leave behind, and send it to me. We ride out in two days. Pass the word."

"Yes, Knight-Commander." Called out everyone, almost in unison.

"Then you are dismissed."

Everyone filed out, except for her second in command.

"We'll buy you the time you need." Said the veteran.

"I know. I'll also leave some of the weapons we got from Rebirth." She shrugged. "The Scorpios are small enough we could take them, but we'll need the lift capacity for supplies. I'll also leave the golems behind."

"Why? They don't tire."

"We're almost out of mana crystals for them, and there'll be far more than enough to replace them in Darthar. We can thank the baroness and her dungeon core ally for that. And they're here to avoid human losses. I mean, sapient losses. What better way to use them than here?"

"I suppose you have a point. I'll have my boys take over the siege weapons from yours."

"Good. I'll order the commodore to give you as much cover as she can when we pull out. If nothing else, it should sow some discord about what we're doing, and might buy us some time. But after that, you're on your own."

"Wouldn't have it any other way. Don’t worry, we'll keep their air thingies at bay just fine."

"Alright." Philia grabbed her helmet from the table, as more dust fell from the ceiling. "Then I will leave you to prepare. It was an honor captain. Make these bastards pay."

"The honor was all mine, Knight-Commander. And we will." Philia turned to leave, and stopped as the captain called out after her. "Oh, and Philia?"

"Yes?" She shivered. The captain never called her by her first name.

"When they get to Darthar, crush them."

"We will. We will."

She just hoped her words didn't sound as empty to him as they did to her.

But they would only have the city over her dead body. That would have to be good enough.

The captain nodded, and Philia left.

She had a retreat to organize.

*****

"We have a problem." Said Trira, without preamble, as she barged into Allya's office. She was one of the few people that could get in without being announced by the guards, and she seldom abused the privilege, so Allya immediately got up.

"What kind?" Asnwered the baroness.

"Remember the terror attack?"

"Hard not to."

"Well, I pursued the leads like you said. Cornered the other two heads of the conspiracy."

"Alright, and?"

"One of them's a merchant. Slimy bastard, almost made it out before I caught him. But the other…as I said, we have a problem."

"What kind?"

"It's better if you see for yourself."

*****

"Shit." Said Allya, as she looked through the one way mirror showing the interrogation room.

An interrogation room with a withered old woman in it.

A woman wearing the medallion of the World Mage Court. The organization that both handled titles of nobility and communication networks worldwide.

"My feelings exactly."

"Is the medallion real?"

"Yeah. We checked. We haven't notified her superiors yet."

"Do it immediately. If she'd a rogue agent, they won't be a problem. If she isn't…either they'll scapegoat her, or we're beyond screwed anyway."

"Roger that. You know they'll ask for her custody immediately."

"Offer them join custody. Us, them, and Crystal."

"Ah, tie the dungeon core in?"

"Yeah. Tell them that if they have complaints they can go to her. She has even more of a reputation than I do at this point."

"And they'll be wary, after what happened to Starvak. Alright, sounds good."

Trira left. Allya had been trained by her, and even she couldn't tell precisely when she stepped out. The assassin simply was there one second, and gone the next. When she wanted to, the sect leader could move.

The baroness gazed worriedly at the person beyond the mirror, who seemed deflated, giving laconic answers to the guard interrogating her.

In the end, it took less than half an hour for a WMC representative to arrive.

Allya had been ready for anything.

A man on the verge of apoplexy wasn't one of them. She heard him coming as his shouts rang through the hallway.

"That BITCH! What the actual fuck! I'll have her drawn and quartered!" Allya tensed. "Defiling the sanctity of our court, violating our neutrality! She dishonored the whole of the World Mage Court with her actions!"

The baroness relaxed. He wasn't talking about her.

A man she knew at least relatively well came through the door, talking animatedly, or rather shouting at in a long winded monologue, at a bemused Trira. He was the one to sign off on the guarantee to her meetings with Amelia, the Republic's general.

"Greetings representative." She said, and the man almost stumbled as he heard her voice. He looked vaguely embarrassed as he cleared his throat and turned towards her, clearly trying to calm down and gather up the tattered remains of the dignity of his office.

"Greetings baroness. I thank you for coming to me so quickly. To say that I was astonished at the accusations leveled at my colleague would be a considerable understatement, and I am very grateful you took them to me first, before even appraising your council, or making them public. Believe me, few nobles would offer the same courtesy. The court will not forget it, I can assure you."

Allya's eyebrows almost rose, before she suppressed the motion, and her gaze flickered briefly to Trira, who was smiling widely. Trust the sect leader to word what had been a simple attempt to avoid antagonizing the organization into doing them a special favor. Damn. It was the kind of thinking that had allowed the sect leader to make so many allies, despite her profession.

"Thank you, that is very much appreciated, representative…"

"Gervix. Adaman Gervix. And the lady here-" If looks could kill, the old woman would have been vaporized. "-is my 'esteemed colleague', Lorican Olric."

Allya mentally tilted her head at his tone. Ooooh. There was some bad blood there. Considerable amounts, even. That explained why he'd seemingly immediately accepted the woman's guilt.

She could use this.

"Representative Adaman. I thank you for coming so promptly. Indeed, as soon as I was appraised of the identity of the accused, you sprang to mind immediately. After all, if she has indeed betrayed her office and broken the court's neutrality, there is no telling how much of her previous work has been tainted or done in bad faith, and I was certain you and the court would wish to be informed immediately to review her previous actions and cut out the cancer she was the heart of."

The representative nodded vigorously, with unseemly enthusiasm. Bingo. She was ready to bet they'd clashed on previous decisions, and they had some kind of long lasting vendetta over it. With her handing him a reason on a platter to call all of his colleague's previous decisions into question, he'd acquiesce to damn near anything she wanted.

"Indeed my lady, indeed. You are most wise. Rebirth is lucky to have one such as you leading it. I have already contacted my superiors, and started the review process, but I would like to interview her myself if that is possible. Oh, and have any relevant evidence, circumstantial or otherwise, forwarded to me."

The fact that the last part was almost an afterthought to him said it all.

"Of course." She gestured at the interrogation room. "Be my guest. Trira, be so kind as to order the guards to let him in, and take over for the interrogator?"

"Right away milady."

The representative smiled widely at Allya, and the baroness returned it. It looked like she'd made an ally.

And with their conquest coming up…Alexandra was planning to have Allya take on the title and vassalage of the areas taken by her golem armies. Having the WMC, or at least the local representative, on her side would be invaluable then.

She froze. Thankfully after he'd turned around and gone into the hallway.

It was perfect. Utterly perfect. Just what she needed, and just in time too.

It was too great a coincidence. Like Sylvia just happening to know how to grab the components of a docking tower when she most needed them.

Shit.

She dearly hoped she was wrong…but she couldn't afford not to be cautious.

She needed to contact Alexandra. Gods damn it, how far did the Order's web go?