Chapter 224: Rout

Viv flew over the devastated remnants of the Sandsong army. Light cavalry had attacked them from the dunes, their paths allowing them to fight well on sand. Islands of resistance had formed to break through, but the road was still littered with the dead and the dying. They were all beyond her help.

 

She stopped to launch an astra swarm around the last large convoy approaching the portal, this one carrying so many wounded, those who could walk had to carry those who couldn’t. The breathing room was enough for them to make a run for the still-open way out.

 

Knights on foot and Sandsong soldiers helped carts push through while the One Hundred had formed a ring of steel around the passage. A first cavalry charge must have tried to break them but from the corpses on the ground, the One Hundred had cut them to ribbons. Now Nero’s soldiers had dismounted, engaging the Harrakan rear guard on foot. Predictably, they were being cut to ribbons again. Viv kept her eyes and senses open for the two insane fuckers but it looked like destroying a near-artefact shield that was an important part of Nero’s fighting style had dampened their enthusiasm. It wouldn’t last. Fortunately, getting bombarded by black spells caused the light cavalrymen to disengage. Their flowing formations broke down into a mess of single horsemen like a flock of minnows taking off. They were so spread out that she gave up trying to attack them. With this, Viv covered the last of the Sandsong, then the One Hundred as they pushed through the portal.

 

The other side was utter chaos. The Sandsong capital would have been a view at night with its beige stone buildings lit by countless braziers, but now disorder reigned and it wasn’t the fun kind. People screamed. People ran. It smelled like blood and fear. Panic spread on the wings of bad news. Viv flew up, causing another wave of terror. She had to do something before the retreat turned into a stampede.

 

[Aspect of the Paragon]

 

“Enough. You are safe for now,” she said.

 

She shared her confidence. They were safe, for now. Most of the running stopped, especially after Sidjin closed the portal. Quite a few wives and husbands wailed, and Viv had to assume their loved ones had failed to cross over. Leaving the field while there could still be people to save left a bitter taste in her mouth. Unfortunately, as the saying went, Vae Victis. And Viv had lost this time. She simply couldn’t afford to die here either, which meant acting now. Viv flew up, noticing a crowded pier to her north. There was a tall lighthouse to her left, and warehouses everywhere else. They were very close to the shore.

 

Bes waved at her from a nearby street. She needed more info before she could decide what to do. The One Hundred stood by while the knights recovered their horses from a group of scared city guards. Bes bowed properly when Viv stepped on the dry stone. No falling kingdom could make him act without propriety, it seemed.

 

“Report.”

 

“We cannot receive or buy the supplies we need because the harbormaster will not release them without royal approval.”

 

Shit.

 

“I do not see the royal couple, Your Grace. Were you separated?” Bes asked with a frown.

 

Actually, she realized the news hadn’t spread yet, though it wouldn’t be long before someone noticed they were missing. Viv was the only remaining witness of their demise, on her end.

 

“They’re dead,” she said in a low voice. “Oleander got to them.”

 

Actually, shit that might become a problem. Viv had crossed the portal and closed it. Nobody had seen Oleander, or the royals. Someone might jump to conclusion, as people tended to do when they were terrified. Taking the initative would be wise. She searched the bay as well as her brain for ideas. She found one.

 

“This is Kass’ ship, the one I sailed on to come here. Where is he?”

 

“All the notables are currently gathered in the palace. They might already be on their way here.”

 

“Right. Go find Sidjin and tell him to have our people board the ships.”

 

“Food will be lacking if we depart now.”

 

“Hopefully, it won’t come to that.”

 

Viv took off again. Spell singers surrounded her soon, a few ordering her to land while others — survivors from the front — told them off for it. One of them tried to approach, swallowing mightily behind his veil. Viv simply used intimidation.

 

“Back off.”

 

He did. One of his allies screamed something about him not being a dragon. She didn’t follow. There was movement in the distance. Viv hurried there. She felt like she’d been hurrying around a lot recently. Some nobles were walking down the street in a wide front, guards clearing the way when their leadership didn’t suffice. A semblance of order was left in their wake. She hesitated then, unsure about the best way to operate. Well, they would want answers, and it would be better if they came from her and didn’t start with ‘the foreigner closed the portal with our leaders still on the other side’.

 

When she did, the line of nobles stopped. Those were men and women in fineries, with few warriors. Captain Kass came to the forefront when she waved at him, but the others stopped in a half circle that was, if not hostile, at the very least challenging. Viv knew they weren’t going to be happy with her, so she steeled herself. There would be no weakness in her appearance.

 

“You. Explain yourself,” a woman in a jeweled turban demanded.

 

Viv gave her a glare and two seconds, a courteous warning considering the circumstances. It was the right decision as another man berated her.

 

“Do you not see that this is the Empress of Harrak? The one that archmage was talking about? This is no way to talk to an ally.”

 

He turned to her.

 

“Forgive us for we face dark days, and concerning news. What of the front?”

 

Viv opened her mouth, closed it, then asked a question instead.

 

“What do you know of recent events?”

 

“Messengers came, saying you had slain the dragon,” a priest of Enttiku whispered. “Is it true?”

 

“It is,” she said.

 

Bearing the appearance of the Paragon meant that they could taste her soul and see that there were no deceptions. Perhaps it would be enough.

 

“And what of the pass? Of Barrier?”

 

“Unfortunately, the Sheem came in great numbers alongside two of Oleander’s inner circle.”

 

She was pretty confident someone called the Hopecrusher who carried Nero’s shield and the man who created portals for them were rather important.

 

“We could not hold them back. We retreated from the pass, but were attacked on the way by the enemy cavalry. Oleander was here in person.”

 

“What of Jei and Naila?” Kass asked. “What of our King and Queen?”

 

“They were holding the rear, I…”

 

There her voice faltered. Those people were just so filled with hope and anxiety and she was killing that hope… and she hated it.

 

It had been so long since she’d so utterly failed at something. It didn’t matter at this point that no one on the planet could have succeeded. It wouldn’t bring back the dead. It wouldn’t comfort them.

 

“I was too late. Oleander killed them both.”

 

And then she said something no sovereign should ever say.

 

“I am sorry. Naila, I, she was still…”

 

Cries spread through the street, echoing those that still rang behind them on the square where the portal still sat. Kass approached Viv, grabbing her shoulders between his calloused hands.

 

“No… no, but I asked you here and you came. You agreed. You said you’d help us.”

 

“I killed the dragon. I stopped the Sheem. But Oleander and Crest… I couldn’t stop them.”

 

Kass took a step back, his hands falling by his sides. He suddenly looked much older.

 

“What do we do now?” the bejeweled woman asked. “Without them, and if the pass has fallen…”

 

Well…

 

Viv set up a privacy screen. She had to set expectations quickly here.

 

“I am leaving Vizim. I cannot stand against Oleander here. Sandsong cannot either. I advise those who are willing to submit to him to do so, as I expect he will be merciful. Those who want to fight can come with me with whatever ship you have. Those who stay to defend Sandsong will die. Captain Kass…”

 

“Yes?” the man said, still stunned by the tragic news.

 

“Naila’s daughter has been evacuated. You should probably find her quickly.”

 

“Little Mimir? Yes, yes of course…”

 

“While I expect Oleander to offer mercy to those who bend the knee to him, I’m not sure he will spare someone who might endanger his rule.”

 

Maranor was a light deity but she wasn’t a kind one, and for her and her followers, the ends often justified the means. Viv wasn’t sure where Oleander fell on that.

 

She would be angry but memories of her history lessons surfaced in her mind. It was very common for cities of ancient Earth to be devastated if they fell to a siege. The men would be slaughtered, the women and children enslaved. By comparison, Oleander wasn’t a monster. He was just a megalomaniacal, expansionist asshole.

 

“He wouldn’t kill a royal child?” Kass whispered, shocked, but that was just grief talking.

 

The other politicians spared him a pitiful glance. Of course someone would kill a prince or princess to avoid a future uprising.

 

“Are you sure you could not have saved our leaders?” one of the warriors asked.

 

And here it was.

 

“I promise you that I didn’t leave them in harm’s way on purpose. We never thought Oleander would be so close he could just teleport to the back of our formation. The Sheem were retreating after we bloodied them badly. I also warned them but…”

 

She shrugged.

 

“It happened very fast. I flew back as soon as I realized we were under attack… which leads me to my next point. Oleander is coming. We need to leave within a day. I request provisions to sail away.”

 

“And now you’re leaving? Abandoning us?” the bejeweled woman asked, voice rising.

 

Her fear felt genuine. Viv raised both hands, letting her leadership bathe those people with her confidence.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

 

“Stop. Look at me now. I killed the dragon.”

 

The memory of the revelation shocked them again into silence.

 

“So believe me when I tell you this: we can’t stop Oleander. The war isn’t over. In fact, it’s just starting, but he has already won this round. This isn’t the first time I’ve retreated from an enemy army. It won’t be the last. What matters is who’s left standing at the end, and at what cost. I cannot stop this city from falling. I can, however, prepare for the next battle and save the lives of those who would fight it. My ships can take three hundred people away from the Sheem. Your ships can bring more. They will find shelter in Harrak, if they wish… but you must hurry. Every minute counts. Talk to your people, decide who stays, and who leaves. And give me access to supplies. We’re all going to need it.”

 

“I will come,” Kass said with grim confidence. “I will grant you the right to supplies —”

 

“The warehouses are under my purview,” a sharp-nosed man interrupted.

 

There was awkward silence while the two men glared at each other.

 

“And you will get those supplies, Empress of Harrak, if you will take my family.”

 

“Agreed,” Viv said.

 

“What of my son?” Kass suddenly asked.

“Janar Sin is alive. He should be on the square now. Possibly with a suitor. Lady Mar of Ravinport.”

 

“That is… good news,” the old man replied with a sigh. “Many of our sons and daughters have fallen. But not all is lost.”

 

“Oh that reminds me. Anyone who fights for Harrak gets their limbs regrown free of charge,” Viv added as an afterthought.

 

“What?”

 

“You can regrow limbs?”

 

“Yes, although it will have to be when we have more time and I need a priest as well.”

 

“Time is of the essence!” one of the warriors said, but another erupted with anger.

 

“So that is it? You are going to throw away all the sacrifices, all the efforts our parents have made so we could be free? I will be on the walls with the rest of the true men and women of Sandsong, you cowards.”

 

“Suit yourself,” Viv replied.

 

She floated off which was, in her experience, the best way to get out of unpleasant social interactions – except for defenestration, of course. Sidjin was still on the square where she’d left him, by the now closed portal. It had been defaced with additional runes.

 

“I made sure Crest won’t be able to open it from his side,” he said. “He can still move fast. How are we otherwise?”

 

“News of the royal couple’s demise has broken and panic is spreading. There was some looting but the guards put a stop to that.”

 

“We’re evacuating. Get back to the ships when you deem it safe.”

 

“Then I’ll go now, and help with levitation spells.”

 

In the next half an hour, Viv had the knights board one of the Harrakan warships. The newly made vessels looked rather fearsome, and almost otherworldly here with their Earth frigate designs, but they were still warships and not transports, so getting more people on board would require some effort. The supplies arrived with the first families in the dead of night. Guards had to prevent people from rushing the ships once news of the imminent fall spread. A lot of silver changed hands between midnight and the early hours of the morning as people decided their futures. As soon as a ship was loaded, it left the pier, dropping anchor at the edge of the bay. Viv realized she would be slowed down by their weight and the fact many of the Sandsong refugees were aboard merchant ships. Those were not designed to cross an ocean. And they would be slow as well. Anxiety reached for her heart with cold fingers. How close were the other two fleets? Sidjin flew up, ready to alert them but so far, the coast was clear.

 

If she had to leave some people behind, would she do it? Thankfully, nothing jumped them as a mismatched flotilla slowly assembled on the bay, Viv’s flagship “Sword of Neriad” being the last one to leave. Behind them, the Sandsong capital was a scene of grief and consternation. A manor burnt in the distance, the flames left unattended. Some people were praying on the quay though Viv didn’t know who for. She knew a group of determined defenders had decided to gather by the main gate, and that they wouldn’t live to see the sun set. Some nobles would wait for the invaders in the palace to discuss their terms of surrender and cooperation.

 

The flotilla was a little bit better than she’d feared. In addition to the five Harrakan warships, there were two from Ravinport and a dozen from Sandsong, all fully manned and ready to fight. It would still not matter in the end. They were sure to be completely outnumbered. Avoiding combat was the best solution, but at least they might give fast raiders pause.

 

There was also the Harrakan secret weapon.

 

Viv sighed. She wished she could have saved Naila and Jei. Then maybe she wouldn’t feel like she’d completely failed the Sandsong.

 

The fleet left as the pink fingers of the aurora just touched the sky. Curiously, she felt something tug at her chest as soon as they were out of the bay, so she waited a few hours, until Sandsong was just a line on the horizon before deciding they were safe enough. She signaled to Sidjin. They both leaned against the balustrade, looking at the land disappear in the distance.