Page 39 of Tethered Thrones

I couldn't breathe as the ones against us began to file off the field, probably ready to run to the other battalions to tell them what had transpired here today. But then... the stream of people stopped and I realized in awe that nearly every one of them had stayed.

It couldn't be... and yet, only a handful of people had left.

Gratitude and amazement nearly choked me.

Finally, General Hideyoshi glanced back at me, and the smallest hint of a smile touched his lips.

“Come,” he told me. “Tell them what you did for your meeting with the goddess and what she told you.”

Trembling, I stood and walked to him.

I was handed a bull horn to speak into which I was glad for. My voice was not as strong as General Hideyoshi’s was to begin with and especially not now when I could scarcely contain my emotions.

Somehow, when I began to speak, my voice was surprisingly steady though. I didn't give much details, less than I had told the general, but I told them what mattered. That me, Clem, Hadi, Kiar and Bracken were given this shared task.

And then the General began to speak on what was to come next. He was the one who knew war inside and out. There was no need for my council. I agreed with him entirely.

He wanted to send word to the other battalions, to gain more followers and to spread word amongst the people before storming Kari, the capital. We would meet the opposition of those who remained loyal to the emperor, but we would be ready because we had the truth on our sides.

The general turned to me and whispered under his breath, “You five are the key. Go ahead of everyone. Remain hidden as best you can. Keep safe. I will send soldiers to protect you from behind. And an army of your supporters will meet you at the doors of Kari.”

I stood there listening, trembling with excitement and disbelief as he elaborated on all the plans he had so quickly constructed.

For the first time, none of this seemed like a lost cause.

Perhaps it wasn't as impossible as I'd thought it would be.

Chapter 12

Bracken

One thing I would never fault Sun for being was hopelessly optimistic. His former slave, Atlan, had done well in leading us to General Hideyoshi for help. Unfortunately for us, even with the battalions who had joined our cause, we weren’t enough. I had a sinking feeling we would lose even as I bolted skyward to assist the next strike.

“Stick close,” I growled as Clem plastered himself to my back, my wings a shield from flaming arrows as we surveyed the battlefield from above.

It had only taken a few days for the word of Emperor Gaulu’s betrayal to travel and as I had expected, there was more resistance than General Hideyoshi would have led us to believe.

The emperor’s army was not so easily swayed. And unfortunately, we were easy to find when everyone knew exactly where we were headed.

Kari was north so that was where we headed, but it was also where both our human and noc opposition knew to find us.

Luckily, against humans, I had only to worry about their pitiful offenses like arrows and rocks. And for once, I could take in the totality of the battle below without interruption from flying nocs.

No matter how you sliced it, we were losing, and sourness filled my gut. I was acutely aware of Sun’s fear through our bond.

We had slogged our way north along the River Yang, facing battle after battle after battle. But we were well rested, and Sun wore fresh new clothes that suited the weather better and oddly enough, Daaku’s forces never caught up with us. I took it as a sign that Atlan and those strange nocs had successfully sieged Yewan.

They had revealed no concrete plan to destroy the tower and escape the new nocturnal throne’s fury after liberating those humans, from what I had heard in their whispered conversation. But the warlocks, the rat, and the owl were strong enough that even I believed they’d pulled something out of their sleeve and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Yet the tide of humans against us kept coming.

It truly felt like the whole of the human world was against us. The tide had turned, our forces thinning, even as more and more humans joined our cause everytime they saw Sun riding upon Hadi with the god stones raised high in the air.

More often than not, we were met not with defiance or allegiance but neutrality. Civilians fled, and armed soldiers deserted. And this pattern continued the closer we marched toward Kari until, if General Hideyoshi was right, our forces would be evenly matched.

I soared higher in the sky, searching for Sun, Kiar, and Hadi in the chaos. The smell of carrion was thick, and I felt ravenous to eat, to kill, but there was no time for that right now.

It seemed that we had ignited the unrest running through the land and a civil war was spreading. But instead of leading this wing of the war, we were now woefully caught in the fray.

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