The Great War: Chapter 55
A dance of thoughts and flames
There is no outside light in the underground training room, the only warmth being from the braziers burning in each corner and the bright glints of metal swinging through the air. Samuel oversees the two sparring Generals quietly, observing their movements.
From the castle’s training arsenal, Mathew of course went right for a sword, although judging from his wide swings, the sword is far from being comfortably balanced. Ezra chose a glaive, though he’s hardly playing offensive. He keeps allowing himself to be pushed into corners by the burly Cryomancer.
Admittedly, he had hoped that their combat skills would have been more advanced than they are. He does intend for them to lead charges into battle, after all. But he can’t completely fault Ezra for his lack of skill, being a librarian and all. For him, he has to get more confident with weapon handling and general combat.
Mathew, however, is far too aggressive. He beats his sword against Ezra’s glaive with mighty roars. He should be counting himself lucky that Ezra is as inexperienced as he is, otherwise there are hundreds of openings that Mathew has left for his opponent to take advantage of. He has the basics of swordplay but hardly knows how to expand upon them.
A burst of laughter suddenly rings beside him, and Samuel turns to face the newcomer. “My, look at that pirate go!”
The moment “pirate” is spoken, Mathew whirls around himself, his eyes ablaze with fury.
“Who’re you callin’ a pirate?!” he yells, though his upset only deepens once he realizes what being he’s talking to. “You.”
The wizard in red claps her hands together and beams, though it’s far from being a true smile of joy. She radiates a sinister aura; just her standing next to Samuel is enough to make him feel anxious. “Oh, so you remember me!”
“Cassie, I presume?” Samuel asks.
“The one and only,” Cassie replies, holding out a hand to the king. “A pleasure to be working with you, my king.” He shakes her hand, her sharp nails digging into his wrist.
“You’ve already met Mathew?”
“Of course! One of my subordinates fished him from the sea, after all.” She turns back to Mathew, her smile darkening ever so slightly. “I had a feeling you were a special one.”
Tch, Mathew spits at her. He must be riled up from the sparring, or maybe he truly detests her presence that much, despite the fact he knew who she was and that she was coming.
“Are you two finished fighting?” Cassie inquires, stepping towards Mathew and Ezra, her hand raised at her side. Flames curl around her fingers eagerly. “I’d love a quick warm-up.”
Mathew and Ezra exchange glances. Ezra shakes his head, not wanting to get involved. Mathew, however, turns back to Cassie and levels his sword at her, accepting her challenge.
“Did you take her to see the Spirit yet?” Samuel asks the wind.
“No,” Devin’s answers close by. His aid melts from the shadows with a downcast look. “I wanted to inform you of the situation first.” He turns his gaze to Samuel and informs him, “She agreed to come on one condition: that she’d pick the next General.”
Samuel can’t help but scowl. “Impossible.”
“The deal has already been struck,” Devin says. “Of course, we can still vet her decision, but any being that she selects, that’s out of our hands.”
Samuel can only shake his head. The idea of handing over the control of picking a General to a being like her troubles him. Cassie must have a reason for asking for such a privilege, but what would that even be?
He turns his attention back to the battle. Finally, Mathew is playing defensive for once, dancing around Cassie’s outstretched arms. Her fiery claws are her weapons of choice. Her eyes are wide and wild, her expression that of sadistic glee. Even though she, too, takes wide swings at her opponent, she remains in motion, weaving this way and that in some sort of deadly dance, leaving little room for a counterattack. Despite her erratic movements, she seems to know exactly what she’s doing, a hidden meaning to the madness. She’s in complete control of the battle.
Is she going to try and instate one of her own minions as a General? If the ultimate decision is still to be made by Samuel and the others, then she’d already know that such an attempt would be next to impossible. Apart from him and Devin, the Generals currently gathered in this room all come from wildly different backgrounds. They’d all know if Cassie were up to something if the healer she presents comes from a similar background as hers.
No, this is a seasoned, and very wealthy, criminal. She’s no fool if she’s lived this long without getting arrested once. She certainly has a long-term plan in mind, one that simply isn’t clear to him yet. Part of him is worried that by the time her plan is made clear, it’ll be too late to stop her from causing chaos.
Then again, her plan would most likely hinge on the wizards emerging from this conflict victorious. If the Guardians destroyed their civilization, then she, too, would be hunted down and executed. Not even the craftiest of criminals are safe from the Light’s overbearing gaze. She has far more to gain from cooperating with the rest of them as a General to save the kingdom than ripping them all apart from the inside-out.
Be careful who you trust. You never know who might bear the mark, an’ that’s including wizards.
As much as Samuel doesn’t want to admit it, Mathew’s words ring true. Any being could be working against them, even a being among the Generals. They each have their own agendas already. He just doesn’t want to think that the group of beings that he is assembling at Korodon’s request are here with malicious intent. But just because the Spirit knows what He is doing, Samuel would still be a fool to completely forgo his skepticism. He has to be careful not to let paranoia rule him, either.
Finally, Cassie gets Mathew pinned against a wall, ramming her hand into the stonework right beside his head. With her other, she rips the sword from his hand and casts it aside.
“Feisty,” she hums, pulling away from the defeated pirate.
“That’s enough,” Samuel speaks up. “Cassie, come with us. There is one more thing you must do to become a General.”
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