The Great War: Chapter 16
What the Spirit said.
“I thought you would have left by now.”
Samuel shifts his weight as he stands at the foot of his father’s throne.
“I… realized I had a couple of questions for you,” Samuel replies awkwardly.
Cero looks down on him for a moment, his mouth pressed into a firm line. His eyes barely shift, taking stock of the guards present in the room with them.
“Walk with me,” Cero says, standing. The shadow behind him shifts ever so slightly as Killian steps into view.
The king leads his son through the castle, neither saying a word. It’s not a conversation to have in the open, in front of guards and servants.
Samuel can’t help but wonder what others may think as they pass by rooms being cleaned and guards stationed in the hall. The relationship between the two royals was always far from being a secret, so seeing the two walking together must be raising some eyebrows.
Cero enters a room, and Samuel strides in after him. It’s a small room with no windows, lit by wooden torches that flicker and bend in their presence. The center of the room is filled with a table, and atop it is a map. Small figurines of bronze scatter the map, of boats and humanoid figures.
Samuel stands on one side of the table, running his fingers along the large piece of paper gently, taking it in. The Kingdom of Korodon, as his home is labeled, is circled in a ring of black ink alongside San Ovila. Only the big islands are present on this map, though Samuel knows that there are many smaller self-sustaining communities in the large gaps of blue ocean between them.
The spread of the figurines from Korodon is not far. They hold only two forts and one other big island. The rest of their territory lies in the small, unmarked islands around Korodon.
“We still have Drukesht?” he asks, somewhat surprised.
“I don’t know,” Cero sighs. “We haven’t heard from the temple since the war started. But… I like to believe so.”
Samuel nods. He went to Drukesht once when he was still young. He can just barely remember the stone temple that stands at its heart, and its keepers in their long, black robes that tend to its grounds. It’s an island of worship for the wizards and the birthplace of the first Death wizard, but useless in a war such as this. No doubt the Guardians have ransacked the place by now.
Samuel looks up at his father to find him biting his knuckle, his gaze transfixed on the map as well. His weight shifts constantly, unable to stand straight for more than a spell. He’s not seen his father look this anxious in… forever, it feels like. For a man always so calm and composed, worry can’t help but build in Samuel’s chest for him.
“Father,” he speaks, causing Cero to glance upwards, “I spoke with Korodon at first light.” A sparkle of relief shines in the king’s eyes, and he lowers his hand from his mouth. “I… I’m sorry I snapped at you.”
The king shakes his head. “I was a fool to think I could force Him to appear sooner than He said.”
“Why?”
Cero tilts his head ever so slightly at the word and closes his eyes, contemplating.
“Was it something He said?” Samuel presses calmly. “About the end of our lineage as kings?”
“That was part of it,” Cero finally speaks with the slight nod of his head. “I was hoping that He would tell you different. That He…”
The king trails off, once again shifting his position. When he opens his eyes again, he stares at the table, unwilling to meet the gaze of his son.
“What else did He say?” the king asks.
Samuel just stares at him blankly. He doesn’t know if he should share the poem that He told Devin. He doesn’t know if he should bring up the fact that they have a random Creationist speaking to the Spirit as they talk now.
“He wanted me to bring in a new Era,” Samuel only replies.
“How?”
“He… didn’t say.”
He doesn’t know how these other wizards will be of importance to him in the future. He doesn’t even know much about Ezra; they just met not that long ago!
“The Spirit has a lot of faith in me,” Samuel adds with a slight, albeit forced, chuckle. “I’m not even the one on the throne!”
A smile briefly flashes across Cero’s face, but it’s swallowed by a deeply troubled scowl.
“I don’t blame Him,” his father hums. “Not only did my plan fail, but we’re losing ground. They just have too many…”
Samuel can’t help but frown in dismay at the news, a speck of lightning sparking off his arm. They’ve lost ground, wizards, and ships. They’re running out of space for refugees, and soon their crops won’t be enough to feed every being, unless they have a bad harvest before then.
“We’re not going to give up, are we?” Samuel asks.
Cero opens his mouth to reply, but he is interrupted by a knock on the door. Samuel turns to find Killian pulling the wooden door open, revealing a healer standing on the other side, a roll of paper in their grasp.
“We didn’t call for a healer,” Killian speaks.
The healer shakes their head and holds the roll of paper to the bodyguard. “Apologies. I have a message for the king.”
Killian accepts the paper from the healer, whom then bows and rushes away, leaving the three in a stunned silence. A healer as a messenger? Don’t they have better things to do?
Killian unrolls the paper and scans it quickly, his eyes barely moving as they flick across the page. His stony expression gives nothing away.
“What is it?” Cero finally asks.
“It’s from the Champion of Light,” Killian replies, “wishing to meet to discuss a peace treaty.”
Samuel turns back to his father. The king is silent, his arms folded, expression unchanged. There is no air of ill will towards the letter that radiates from his being. No lightning flashes off his clothes. On the contrary, it feels almost as if he had been waiting for such a letter to arrive.
“Father?”
“What?”
“We’ve only been in this for a single season. Even if we surrender now, we don’t have any leverage to-”
“Samuel,” his father sighs tiredly, “I do not wish to debate with you about this. Not right now.”
Samuel’s heart begins to ache with hopelessness. His father thought about this beforehand. He’s not surprised, but he didn’t figure it would be so soon. He only has himself, Devin, and Ezra so far, with four other wizards to still find. If they surrender, it’ll all be over before he ever gets a chance to complete Korodon’s task.
“Now, I must go draft a reply,” Cero announces. “Shadows guide you, son.”