Drake and his vanguard were a half day from home when Sidori, Sachi’s younger one-eared sister, came back from her scouting and delivered the news they’d all dreaded. Everyone had been given plenty of time to think about what the kromians might be up to while they waited for confirmation about the flood. None of their suspicions had been good.
“It is indeed seawater,” Sidori said grimly. “And it’s also rising.”
Drake glanced at Marissa. “That clever motherfucker.”
Prince Varnath, either based on reports from his spies or out of sheer pettiness, had decided to bring the fight to Gloomwood Manor. And rather than trying to fight through Drake’s living forest and get over his high walls, the fiendishly clever kromian prince had decided to use sea gates... not to summon a kraken, but to poison the silverwood.
Drake now knew, from his mother, that trees couldn’t survive in salt water. According to Marissa, the silverwood could survive salty rain or even direct exposure to salt water, but once enough salt water soaked into the soil from which the silverwood drew its nutrients, the salt would overwhelm their roots. The trees would literally die of thirst.
With multiple sea gates now flooding Drake’s silverwood with salt water, it would be days, not weeks, before that poison swamped his silverwood and his trees began to die of thirst. So in addition to murdering civilians, Prince Varnath was willing to salt the earth if it meant defeating his enemies. Drake really couldn’t wait to shoot that guy in the face.
But first... he had to figure out how to stop the bastard from flooding his forest.
Drake’s vanguard rolled on as he returned to his carriage and crowded inside with more advisors than he felt comfortable with. Lydia was there, of course, as were Samuel and Marissa. Also, Prince Lorel had joined them, and finally, Kel. That put six people in a carriage that was designed for four, but the alternative was stopping the vanguard or meeting in the open.
Once inside, Drake closed the door and sandwiched himself between Samuel and Lydia. “Sidori just confirmed what we all feared. The plains below the forest are already fully flooded with seawater, and it’s rising. There’s sea gates pumping it in from below. If Olivia and the others hadn’t kept the kromians out of the silverwood, it would already be flooded.”
“How fast is the water rising?” Marissa asked worriedly.
“Sidori said it’s only waist deep at the moment, but it only needs to rise another foot or so before it’ll be high enough to start rolling into the trees. If we don’t find some way to stop it, it’ll flood the entire forest. So whatever we decide to do, we have to do it quickly.”
Marissa looked pale. “This assault is unconscionable. Even the most ruthless enemy would not dare to assault the silverwood. To poison such an ancient being is tantamount to acting against the Eidolons. This crime is unforgivable.”
“It’s only a war crime if you lose,” Drake reminded her. “Given Varnath was willing to murder his own family to seize power, I don’t think there’s much he won’t do to take us out.” Drake offered Prince Lorel a warning look. “Does he know we’re sheltering you?”
“The Judge assured me Prince Varnath would not discover my whereabouts,” Prince Lorel said calmly. “She is confident my brother does not even know I am here.”
“Then why launch an assault on the place we decided to keep you?”
“It is possible this is merely an unfortunate coincidence,” Lorel said. “He may simply hope to avenge the death of Prince Ossidan.”
Drake scowled. “You really think he’d prioritize killing me over winning his war?”
“Defeating the manor lord who murdered our crown prince would gain him great favor with those who serve in his armies. If he faces internal dissent, defeating you could quash it.”
Could this be all about revenge? Drake had, purely out of self-defense, shot Prince Ossidan and aided in killing his vanguard after Lord Redbow summoned them during the cabal and dropped them on Lord Blackmane. The fact that Prince Ossidan’s people had been massacring others at the time apparently wasn’t a factor. Still... it felt thin.
“I’ll grant you Varnath wants to settle up with me at some point, but he’s got Proudglade and Brightwater gunning for him and a war to wage on multiple fronts. Committing this much firepower to fuck with me, specifically, feels like a waste of resources.”
“I agree,” Samuel said. “No part of Prince Varnath’s plan to attack the surface has been undertaken without clear goals. His seemingly reckless assault on Korhaurbauten was designed to draw us into a trap in the harbor, and it is only due to Emily’s heroism that multiple manors were not wiped out by his kraken. Without her, Varnath would have struck a crushing blow.”
“He has also crippled commerce through simultaneous attacks and thrown the manors into disarray,” Marissa added. “While I know the Judge may not wish it so, if Korhaurbauten cannot feed her people, the unrest in the city will grow until it boils over. When that happens, the prince won’t need to lift a finger to cripple the capital. It will cripple itself.”
“My brother is more vindictive than you know,” Lorel said. “Yet I can only offer my conjecture as to his motives. It pains me that I cannot offer more.”
“So does he have another reason for this assault?” Drake asked. “If he’s not here to kill you, and he’s not here to kill me, is there something else he could be after?” He looked at Marissa. “Any important objectives in our manor you haven’t told me about?”
“I know of nothing the prince would want inside our manor,” Marissa said evenly.
Lydia leaned forward. “Ultimately, the reason Prince Varnath has chosen to attack us do not matter. We must destroy those sea gates. Even if we eventually repel his forces, once the sea floods the silverwood, the damage will be irreparable. The silverwood will be lost.”
“So taking out those gates has to be our focus for now,” Drake agreed. “We’ll worry about the rest later. So... anyone know how we can do that?”
No one spoke. That wasn’t encouraging. Finally, his mother broke the silence.
“Sea gates are, themselves, not difficult to disable or destroy. However, we would need to know where they are placed and close or disable them individually. If they are already immersed in seawater, it will be difficult to find them, especially with kromians guarding them.”
Drake glanced at Kel again. “Can any of your people swim?”
“No,” Kel said. “While I would be comfortable scouting for you in the woods or on dry land, a plain flooded with sea water is impassible. We cannot destroy these sea gates.”
Drake glanced at the exiled kromian prince. “What about you, Prince Lorel?”
Lorel blinked. “What about me?”
“You said you don’t think Prince Varnath knows you’re with us. If that’s the case, he might not expect us to have kromians on our side. Can your people take out the sea gates?”
Lorel frowned. “You would have me engage in battle with the kromian army with my tiny escort? I am not a coward, but it would be seven against hundreds. So no, Lord Gloomwood. Even were we to attempt to disable those sea gates, we would not succeed.”
“I’m not asking you to do it alone,” Drake reminded him. “If you want our help retaking your empire, it’s time you started pulling your weight. You are the only amphibious fighters I have right now, and you know more about sea gates than anyone. So if we engage the bulk of Prince Varnath’s forces and get his attention, could you find and disable the gates?”
“You propose a diversive attack,” Samuel said thoughtfully. “We distract Varnath’s forces with our vanguard and allow Lorel’s kromians to destroy the sea gates while he is focused on us. It is risky, but it could work if Varnath doesn’t anticipate a kromian assault.”
“Unless anyone has a better idea?” Drake added.
“I have not agreed to this,” Prince Lorel said. “I do not know if we can accomplish it.”
Drake offered him a cold gaze. “Then you better figure it out, because if we lose, you’re dead just like us. The Judge charged me to protect you and shelter you at my manor, and I’m still willing to do that. But if we lose the silverwood, my manor is next... and you with it.”
“I need to discuss this with my people,” Lorel said stiffly.
“Then why don’t you go do that right now? We’ll figure out the rest while you’re gone.”
“Very well, Lord Gloomwood.” The prince rose, though he couldn’t rise to his full height inside the carriage. “I will have an answer by the time we arrive at your manor.”
It took an awkward game of silent musical chairs to make enough room for Prince Lorel to exit the carriage, but they managed. Two zarovians waited outside the carriage to escort Prince Lorel back to his rolling tank. Once the door closed, Drake turned to his advisors.
“Anyone else get the feeling we can’t trust that guy?”
“Our alliance with Prince Lorel remains one of convenience,” Samuel said. “Even so, he cannot reclaim his throne without the help of the manors. While I do not believe he would ally with us had he other options to claim his throne, he does not. So, I believe we can trust him until he is once more in a position to lead his empire. After that, caution would be best.”
“And what if his people refuse to take out the sea gates for us?” Drake asked. “What else can we do?”
Again, no one spoke. Drake sighed. He hated having so few options.
“Then until we know more, we’ll assume the kromians will agree to take out those sea gates for us and plan accordingly. So how do we make sure Varnath’s forces are too busy trying to kick our ass to notice Lorel and his folks?”
“Any attempt to engage the kromians within the flooded area will leave us at a disadvantage,” Lydia said. “Only the zarovians have any experience in fighting in water, and if we ask Cresh and his forces to engage them alone, they could quickly be overwhelmed. If the kromian numbers significantly exceed ours, they could also overwhelm us even on dry land.”
“We’ll make sure we have an exit route to try and lure them out to us,” Drake said. “And see if we can get a better estimate of their numbers. If I start dropping meteor kabooms on their lines, we might draw them out. But first, we need to make contact with the manor.”
“Nicole would be best for that,” Lydia said. “With Sachi still recovering, no one knows the terrain around the manor as well as she does, and no one else is quieter. There is also no guarantee the vero will recognize any of the Silent Pack. Nicole is the only face the vero know.”
“If Nicole’s game for a manor run, I’m on board with this plan,” Drake said. “If Olivia and the others hit the kromians from the silverwood while we do the same from outside, it could force the kromians to defend both. The more kromians we can draw away from those sea gates, the better chance Lorel and his people will have.”
“And if they fail to disable the gates?” Samuel asked.
Drake looked at Marissa. “Is there any way we can drain off some of that seawater? Redirect it? You know our terrain as well as anyone. A backup plan can’t hurt.”
“I would need to see how far the flood has spread,” Marissa said. “But once I have an idea of how large the flood has become, I can speak with more confidence.” She sighed. “If only Lady Skybreak was still with us. With cleavage, she could open a crevasse down which the water would course. It would still taint the groundwater, but perhaps not fatally.”
“So we’ll send a messenger to Sky once we arrive,” Drake said. He looked to Kel again. “Can I trust your pack to clear a path for us? I’m not asking you to engage the kromians alone, but I would like you to secure an area where we can survey the damage.”
Kel nodded. “If you wish us to secure a path so you can survey the field, the Silent Pack will not allow you to come to harm.”
“Then take your pack ahead and get a path ready,” Drake said. “We’ll get a high vantage and take a look at the flooding as soon as we arrive.”
Author's Note: Yesterday's KU launch for book 1 went extremely well. Thank you so much for supporting this story. You people are amazing!
Drake and his vanguard were a half day from home when Sidori, Sachi’s younger one-eared sister, came back from her scouting and delivered the news they’d all dreaded. Everyone had been given plenty of time to think about what the kromians might be up to while they waited for confirmation about the flood. None of their suspicions had been good.
“It is indeed seawater,” Sidori said grimly. “And it’s also rising.”
Drake glanced at Marissa. “That clever motherfucker.”
Prince Varnath, either based on reports from his spies or out of sheer pettiness, had decided to bring the fight to Gloomwood Manor. And rather than trying to fight through Drake’s living forest and get over his high walls, the fiendishly clever kromian prince had decided to use sea gates... not to summon a kraken, but to poison the silverwood.
Drake now knew, from his mother, that trees couldn’t survive in salt water. According to Marissa, the silverwood could survive salty rain or even direct exposure to salt water, but once enough salt water soaked into the soil from which the silverwood drew its nutrients, the salt would overwhelm their roots. The trees would literally die of thirst.
With multiple sea gates now flooding Drake’s silverwood with salt water, it would be days, not weeks, before that poison swamped his silverwood and his trees began to die of thirst. So in addition to murdering civilians, Prince Varnath was willing to salt the earth if it meant defeating his enemies. Drake really couldn’t wait to shoot that guy in the face.
But first... he had to figure out how to stop the bastard from flooding his forest.
Drake’s vanguard rolled on as he returned to his carriage and crowded inside with more advisors than he felt comfortable with. Lydia was there, of course, as were Samuel and Marissa. Also, Prince Lorel had joined them, and finally, Kel. That put six people in a carriage that was designed for four, but the alternative was stopping the vanguard or meeting in the open.
Once inside, Drake closed the door and sandwiched himself between Samuel and Lydia. “Sidori just confirmed what we all feared. The plains below the forest are already fully flooded with seawater, and it’s rising. There’s sea gates pumping it in from below. If Olivia and the others hadn’t kept the kromians out of the silverwood, it would already be flooded.”
“How fast is the water rising?” Marissa asked worriedly.
“Sidori said it’s only waist deep at the moment, but it only needs to rise another foot or so before it’ll be high enough to start rolling into the trees. If we don’t find some way to stop it, it’ll flood the entire forest. So whatever we decide to do, we have to do it quickly.”
Marissa looked pale. “This assault is unconscionable. Even the most ruthless enemy would not dare to assault the silverwood. To poison such an ancient being is tantamount to acting against the Eidolons. This crime is unforgivable.”
“It’s only a war crime if you lose,” Drake reminded her. “Given Varnath was willing to murder his own family to seize power, I don’t think there’s much he won’t do to take us out.” Drake offered Prince Lorel a warning look. “Does he know we’re sheltering you?”
“The Judge assured me Prince Varnath would not discover my whereabouts,” Prince Lorel said calmly. “She is confident my brother does not even know I am here.”
“Then why launch an assault on the place we decided to keep you?”
“It is possible this is merely an unfortunate coincidence,” Lorel said. “He may simply hope to avenge the death of Prince Ossidan.”
Drake scowled. “You really think he’d prioritize killing me over winning his war?”
“Defeating the manor lord who murdered our crown prince would gain him great favor with those who serve in his armies. If he faces internal dissent, defeating you could quash it.”
Could this be all about revenge? Drake had, purely out of self-defense, shot Prince Ossidan and aided in killing his vanguard after Lord Redbow summoned them during the cabal and dropped them on Lord Blackmane. The fact that Prince Ossidan’s people had been massacring others at the time apparently wasn’t a factor. Still... it felt thin.
“I’ll grant you Varnath wants to settle up with me at some point, but he’s got Proudglade and Brightwater gunning for him and a war to wage on multiple fronts. Committing this much firepower to fuck with me, specifically, feels like a waste of resources.”
“I agree,” Samuel said. “No part of Prince Varnath’s plan to attack the surface has been undertaken without clear goals. His seemingly reckless assault on Korhaurbauten was designed to draw us into a trap in the harbor, and it is only due to Emily’s heroism that multiple manors were not wiped out by his kraken. Without her, Varnath would have struck a crushing blow.”
“He has also crippled commerce through simultaneous attacks and thrown the manors into disarray,” Marissa added. “While I know the Judge may not wish it so, if Korhaurbauten cannot feed her people, the unrest in the city will grow until it boils over. When that happens, the prince won’t need to lift a finger to cripple the capital. It will cripple itself.”
“My brother is more vindictive than you know,” Lorel said. “Yet I can only offer my conjecture as to his motives. It pains me that I cannot offer more.”
“So does he have another reason for this assault?” Drake asked. “If he’s not here to kill you, and he’s not here to kill me, is there something else he could be after?” He looked at Marissa. “Any important objectives in our manor you haven’t told me about?”
“I know of nothing the prince would want inside our manor,” Marissa said evenly.
Lydia leaned forward. “Ultimately, the reason Prince Varnath has chosen to attack us do not matter. We must destroy those sea gates. Even if we eventually repel his forces, once the sea floods the silverwood, the damage will be irreparable. The silverwood will be lost.”
“So taking out those gates has to be our focus for now,” Drake agreed. “We’ll worry about the rest later. So... anyone know how we can do that?”
No one spoke. That wasn’t encouraging. Finally, his mother broke the silence.
“Sea gates are, themselves, not difficult to disable or destroy. However, we would need to know where they are placed and close or disable them individually. If they are already immersed in seawater, it will be difficult to find them, especially with kromians guarding them.”
Drake glanced at Kel again. “Can any of your people swim?”
“No,” Kel said. “While I would be comfortable scouting for you in the woods or on dry land, a plain flooded with sea water is impassible. We cannot destroy these sea gates.”
Drake glanced at the exiled kromian prince. “What about you, Prince Lorel?”
Lorel blinked. “What about me?”
“You said you don’t think Prince Varnath knows you’re with us. If that’s the case, he might not expect us to have kromians on our side. Can your people take out the sea gates?”
Lorel frowned. “You would have me engage in battle with the kromian army with my tiny escort? I am not a coward, but it would be seven against hundreds. So no, Lord Gloomwood. Even were we to attempt to disable those sea gates, we would not succeed.”
“I’m not asking you to do it alone,” Drake reminded him. “If you want our help retaking your empire, it’s time you started pulling your weight. You are the only amphibious fighters I have right now, and you know more about sea gates than anyone. So if we engage the bulk of Prince Varnath’s forces and get his attention, could you find and disable the gates?”
“You propose a diversive attack,” Samuel said thoughtfully. “We distract Varnath’s forces with our vanguard and allow Lorel’s kromians to destroy the sea gates while he is focused on us. It is risky, but it could work if Varnath doesn’t anticipate a kromian assault.”
“Unless anyone has a better idea?” Drake added.
“I have not agreed to this,” Prince Lorel said. “I do not know if we can accomplish it.”
Drake offered him a cold gaze. “Then you better figure it out, because if we lose, you’re dead just like us. The Judge charged me to protect you and shelter you at my manor, and I’m still willing to do that. But if we lose the silverwood, my manor is next... and you with it.”
“I need to discuss this with my people,” Lorel said stiffly.
“Then why don’t you go do that right now? We’ll figure out the rest while you’re gone.”
“Very well, Lord Gloomwood.” The prince rose, though he couldn’t rise to his full height inside the carriage. “I will have an answer by the time we arrive at your manor.”
It took an awkward game of silent musical chairs to make enough room for Prince Lorel to exit the carriage, but they managed. Two zarovians waited outside the carriage to escort Prince Lorel back to his rolling tank. Once the door closed, Drake turned to his advisors.
“Anyone else get the feeling we can’t trust that guy?”
“Our alliance with Prince Lorel remains one of convenience,” Samuel said. “Even so, he cannot reclaim his throne without the help of the manors. While I do not believe he would ally with us had he other options to claim his throne, he does not. So, I believe we can trust him until he is once more in a position to lead his empire. After that, caution would be best.”
“And what if his people refuse to take out the sea gates for us?” Drake asked. “What else can we do?”
Again, no one spoke. Drake sighed. He hated having so few options.
“Then until we know more, we’ll assume the kromians will agree to take out those sea gates for us and plan accordingly. So how do we make sure Varnath’s forces are too busy trying to kick our ass to notice Lorel and his folks?”
“Any attempt to engage the kromians within the flooded area will leave us at a disadvantage,” Lydia said. “Only the zarovians have any experience in fighting in water, and if we ask Cresh and his forces to engage them alone, they could quickly be overwhelmed. If the kromian numbers significantly exceed ours, they could also overwhelm us even on dry land.”
“We’ll make sure we have an exit route to try and lure them out to us,” Drake said. “And see if we can get a better estimate of their numbers. If I start dropping meteor kabooms on their lines, we might draw them out. But first, we need to make contact with the manor.”
“Nicole would be best for that,” Lydia said. “With Sachi still recovering, no one knows the terrain around the manor as well as she does, and no one else is quieter. There is also no guarantee the vero will recognize any of the Silent Pack. Nicole is the only face the vero know.”
“If Nicole’s game for a manor run, I’m on board with this plan,” Drake said. “If Olivia and the others hit the kromians from the silverwood while we do the same from outside, it could force the kromians to defend both. The more kromians we can draw away from those sea gates, the better chance Lorel and his people will have.”
“And if they fail to disable the gates?” Samuel asked.
Drake looked at Marissa. “Is there any way we can drain off some of that seawater? Redirect it? You know our terrain as well as anyone. A backup plan can’t hurt.”
“I would need to see how far the flood has spread,” Marissa said. “But once I have an idea of how large the flood has become, I can speak with more confidence.” She sighed. “If only Lady Skybreak was still with us. With cleavage, she could open a crevasse down which the water would course. It would still taint the groundwater, but perhaps not fatally.”
“So we’ll send a messenger to Sky once we arrive,” Drake said. He looked to Kel again. “Can I trust your pack to clear a path for us? I’m not asking you to engage the kromians alone, but I would like you to secure an area where we can survey the damage.”
Kel nodded. “If you wish us to secure a path so you can survey the field, the Silent Pack will not allow you to come to harm.”
“Then take your pack ahead and get a path ready,” Drake said. “We’ll get a high vantage and take a look at the flooding as soon as we arrive.”
Author's Note: Yesterday's KU launch for book 1 went extremely well. Thank you so much for supporting this story. You people are amazing!
