Rise (War Witch Book 1) (85 page)

They all took a moment to congratulate Rills on his promotion as well before being seated. It was strange to the warrior priestess, how these people had become so dear to her in the aftermath of the citadel's attack. She would kill and die for each of them, without hesitation. Giving Chara a discreet look, she found that same hardness in her hazel eyes, and was saddened by it.

"If you would, Shana," Untar said.

Nodding, Shana projected a map of the Yestin Sea into the air. "You've all seen the reports in the paper by now of the Demon Seed armada that is raiding the shipping lanes between here and Ricmar. You also know that they vanish afterward, and no trace of them can be found. I won't bother you with the details of all that, except to say what we're all thinking. Draco sucker punched us."

"Rather nicely, too," Izra grunted.

"After the attack, I garnered permission from Grannax to dispatch a team of Ascended of Velli to scout the stronghold Marissa Outil brought us information on." The projection shifted to south, to the Eastern Heights, and narrowed in on the area. "While they found no sign of Draco himself, it turns out that Lady Chara was correct. The number of Demon Seed present has doubled. What's worse is that we do have some information on the officer commanding the troops in Draco's place."

The map was replaced with a still image of a tall, broad-shouldered, and powerfully built Orc. "We don't know a lot about him, but what we do know isn't good. They call him Zour, a Commander in the armies of Hell. Over the last forty years, he's been seen at numerous engagements, and was believed at one time to be a senior officer in Pirnot. He has more than twenty Blessed kills to his name, is believed to be of considerable intellect, battle prowess, and tactical cunning. From what the Ascended of Velli learned, he appears to be Draco's second-in-command."

"I've heard of him," Izra offered. "A few Blessed I know have seen him fight. They say he's a true monster."

"And now he's working with Draco," Chara sighed. "That cannot be a good thing."

"No, it isn't," Shana agreed. "More disturbing, however, was that Velli's Ascended found only a minimal dock near the stronghold, meaning that wherever this naval force came from, it wasn't there. This leads us to believe that Draco has a second stronghold somewhere in the Yestin Sea, likely on one of the islands in the eastern part of the ocean. Finding it may well prove impossible."

"Leave that to Ricmar to deal with,” Chara interrupted. "I'm fairly certain it's meant as a distraction."

"I agree," Rills nodded.

"Why's that?" Untar asked.

Chara asked Shana to expand the map out, showing the entire eastern hemisphere of the Middle World. "I suspected it until Shana said there was no sign of Draco at his stronghold. Now I'm certain. He's luring Blessed to the Yestin Sea area for some reason. Whatever he's really up to, he doesn't want anyone to be anywhere they can even possibly interfere with it."

"After the attack, the City Guard has noted a large number of Blessed either arriving in, or on their way to Lansing, as well," Rills added. "I think it likely he's planning a large scale assault, but the greater probability is on a small operation of great importance to his larger goals."

"Agreed," Chara nodded. "The problem is that the only places we can rule out as possible location for this are Lansing and Ricmar. Everywhere else in the world is pretty much open. Whatever it is, he's already on the move."

"Which leaves the four of you to discern his true objective, and stop him," Shana said. "The mission is, overall, unchanged. Travel to his stronghold south of the Eastern Heights, dismantle it, and see what information you can recover that might point us in the right direction. It isn't much, but it's all we've got."

"Any chance we can recruit some of these other Blessed arriving in the city to help out?" Izra asked.

Untar shook his head. "I think a small strike team is our best option at this point. The larger the group, the more difficult it will be for them to move unnoticed."

Ramora frowned at that.

"I do understand," the King nodded. "However, I think Lady Chara's skill with her mystic weapons will more than make up for the lack of trained combatants. This is intended to be a hit and run mission now, and just between us, she can hit harder than all the Blessed sitting at this table combined."

"Thank you so much," Esteban grumbled at the smug look that crossed her face. "She really needed an ego boost."

Untar grinned at the Werecat's sarcasm, and at the dirty look Chara threw her boyfriend, before saying, "We need to be quick and quiet about this. I haven't heard anything yet, but I'm willing to wager that Rumilla Descartes is being pressed into helping search for Draco's armada at this point, so we can pretty much rule her out as a factor for the time being. Sadly, we can also call off the plan to go to Ricmar. There's no ship in the harbor that could outrun those bastards if they encountered them."

"So, where are we going, then?" Izra asked.

"Jazda, a port city under the control of Isnar," Untar replied as Shana zoomed the map again. "You'll travel from there to Isnar, then across the Great Desert, into the Easter Heights, and strike at the stronghold from the north. The trip is a lot longer, but it's the best we can do with the current situation. King Mantubo will render any aid he can, so when you get to Isnar, ask his help, in my name. He owes me a few favors."

"A lot longer is undercutting it a bit," Izra groaned. "This will add months to our journey. Draco may've already made his move by the time we get there."

Untar shrugged. "Possibly. However, I do plan to recruit the newly arrived Blessed and mobilize them to head out to other areas and be on the lookout for him, or his forces. If we're lucky, we can throw him off enough to buy you time to garner information on his whereabouts, and his plan."

Ramora thought it over for a minute, then looked at Chara, cocking an eyebrow. The younger woman smiled softly, then nodded.

"One thing," she said. "How are we getting to Jazda?"

"An old friend of mine," Untar replied. "Nolar Armano. He's an independent merchant captain out of Balekirk who arrived at the harbor, or what there is of it, this morning. I've already spoken with him, and he's agreed to transport you across the ocean. It won't be a fast trip, and it won't be comfortable, but he'll get you there without fail."

"Guess we're going on a cruise," Izra said. "When do we leave?"

"First thing in the morning," Shana told them. "The sooner you get under way, the better. Whatever Draco is planning, he has to be stopped. He's already proven far more dangerous, cunning, and capable than any Demon Seed or Dark Blessed the Middle World has ever seen. The fact that he's grown this strong without anyone even knowing anything about him is all the proof Heaven needs to make this a priority for all Blessed, everywhere in the world. As of now, there's no place he can run, or hide, that the agents of the Divine will not be hunting him."

"About time," Chara muttered.

"You four are the spearhead in this, however," the Ascended added. "Find his stronghold, take it apart, relay back any information you encounter. If we're going to put a stop to him, we need to know what we're up against."

They all nodded, knowing well the risks. All but one of them were ready for it, too. Esteban silently prayed that Heaven would have mercy, and allow he and Chara out of this before it got them both killed.

It was agreed that they would meet Untar by the waterfront the next morning at sunrise, where they would need to be ready to board Armano's ship and depart. He apologized for the short notice, though no one complained about it. The mission had to go on, so those who'd died did not do so in vain.

Returning to the inn, the small band ate dinner and retired to their rooms for the night, but Chara quickly found she was restless, and knew why. Telling Esteban she had to speak with Ramora, she grabbed her sword and headed across the hall.

Remembering how she'd found the other two earlier, she knocked first, not wanting to interrupt them if they were together. When Ramora answered the door, it was with a look of surprise. Izra lounged across the foot of her bed behind her.

"Sorry about this," she said with a smile. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Nope," Izra told her. "We were just talking a bit. I need to head across town to pack up for in the morning anyway."

Ramora gave her a questioning look, asking if she planned to come back, to which the Elf confirmed she did. Pausing to give the warrior a kiss, the Elf headed out, ruffling Chara's hair on the way.

"Don't keep her up too late!" she called after her. "We've got an early morning."

"No promises," Izra called back with a wave. "But so you know, she might be the one keeping me up."

Chara threw Ramora a scowl, but got only a smug look in return. Shaking her head, she shut the door, only to find she wasn't sure how to broach the subject she'd come to talk about. Gripping her sword a little tighter, she fumbled for words.

The warrior looked the sheathed weapon over for a moment, then motioned to it. Nodding, Chara held it out, letting her take it. The look of awe on her face as she pulled it told the young woman she knew what it was made of, and likely what it could do.

"The first day we were here, while you guys were all meeting at the castle, Esteban and I went looking for someone who could recharge my mystic handguns," she finally said as Ramora tested the weight of the weapon. "We met this woman, her name is Rayne, and I guess she's kind of a sorcerer. It's hard to explain, really, but she's a Blessed of Agrid, and a pretty cool person when you get to know her. Weird, but cool."

Ramora gave her a questioning look.

"What I'm rambling my way around to is that after the battle at the castle, I decided I wanted to be able to do more. To fight, properly, and help stop the Demon Seed. I can't explain it the way I'd like to, but I feel it's something I need to do."

She saw the concerned look that touched her friend’s eyes, and shook her head. "I know. You worry about me. The thing is, Ramora, I want to do this. What I saw, what they do, I can't just stand by and do nothing while they ruin lives, and kill good people. I know you understand that."

Nodding slowly, the warrior admitted she did. Setting the weapon aside, she explained that she'd hoped Chara would find a better life than one soaked in blood and terror. That she and Esteban could be happy, far from the nightmares being a soldier in the war brought. She'd wanted that for them, so she knew, somewhere, someone had it.

"I get that, too," Chara said softly. "There was a time I might even have listened, but after all of that, I can't just run away and hide. I need to stand up and fight back. That's why I went back to Rayne and asked her for a sword. So I could fight at your side."

Reaching out to cup her chin, Ramora smiled, touched by the gesture.

"That sword is the one she gave me," Chara told her. "It wasn't made for me, though. It was made for someone else. Someone you knew. Collette Reisengard."

Shocked, Ramora's hand fell away as she turned to stare at the sword lying on her bed.

"Rayne didn't tell me everything, but she did tell me who Collette was to you," the young woman said slowly. "Ramora, I'm so sorry. I can guess at why you never told me about her, and I remember seeing her name in Imicot's book. I didn't know what you were going through, all this time. Please, forgive me for not being there for you."

Lifting the weapon, Ramora gazed at it sadly as she reached out without looking to take Chara's hand, squeezing it gently.

"I want to be here for you now," Chara said, gripping her hand tighter. "I feel like Rayne gave me this so I could be. So Collette could be with you, in some way, and together, we can avenge her. Please, don't shut me out. Don't push me away. Let me stand by you."

Swallowing down the lump in her throat, and blinking back the tears in her eyes, Ramora set the sword down once more, turning to pull Chara to her, hugging her close. Relieved, she held her friend, her best friend, as Ramora cried quietly against her.

"I'm here for you, always," Chara whispered to her. "I wish I could be more, could be better, but I'm here, and I always will be. You don't have to ever do anything alone."

Nodding, Ramora pulled back a bit, smiled at her, then gave her a light kiss on the forehead to thank her. Chara's smile warmed her heart, and with respect, she handed the sword back to her before saying she should find a name for it. Something that would honor Collette.

"People actually do that?" Chara asked in surprise. "Name their swords? Doesn't that seem kind of hokey?"

Ramora laughed silently before nodding that it did. She admitted she didn't know anyone who'd ever seriously named their weapon, but then again, she hadn't known anyone to ever carry such a special one before, either. Maybe this time, it would be okay.

"Yeah," Chara said slowly, both touched by the gesture, and embarrassed by it. "I'll have to put some thought into that."

Grinning, the warrior nodded. She was pretty sure her friend would not, in fact, do any such thing. Chara was nothing if not practical, after all. Clever, brilliant, brave, and stalwart as well, she thought. Watching her sheath the weapon, she admitted to herself that she was very glad that the young woman was coming with them. She was an amazing friend, her best friend, and she knew, she didn't really want to make this journey without her.