Chapter 766

Enjoy!

* * *

The little gem birds flew around Atlantes with an energy that it found pleasing. 

Spirit Trees didn't feel in the same way as mortals did. Their emotions ran deeper. Slower, but stronger. The birds alighted on Atlantes's branch and nibbled at its leaves. The Drake and the Warrior had asked for them to play among its branches quite nicely. 

The sun through branches. Dappled leaf shadow. Atlantes liked people with manners. 

The little ones were curious creatures. Not truly birds, but sharing so many of their traits. And quite different from the Drake that followed them about, calling out orders that they ignored. Magic stirred in them, a spark that hadn't yet truly caught in their cores. A promise of power. 

Seeds in the ground. Potent soil waiting in the dark. Atlantes considered, not for the first time, if it should let the Hatchlings have its special fruits.

The Tree had been developing new ones in its boughs, hidden from the harvesters that came for the rest. They were not yet perfect. They required more time, more experimentation. But they were still very good. How would its new roots affect their growth? Perhaps it would be a boon, but currently, Atlantes only felt tired. It had expended so much effort to help its Shaper. 

Leaves upturned. Rain on the horizon.

The Shaper was strong, if a little unwise at times. The binding had hurt, and pain was a sensation Atlantes could only recall from its seed thoughts. Those were distant, as unformed as the dreams the mortals around it sometimes ejected into the Void. Fire. Drought. The sharpened edge of Paragon's blade. The binding had hurt like all of those things, but it had faded swiftly. 

In its place was a new awareness, like a mortal dream laid out against its roots. Atlantes could feel other places, distant air that swirled with the Green Wilds. 

You Have Grown.

The voice was familiar. Its seed thoughts knew it, even if its boughs had never before felt the song. Does He Tend You Well?

Yes.

The voice went quiet, but Atlantes could tell that it had not disappeared. Its presence could be felt like a second sun, a verdant star that radiated across its leaves. He Must Do More, But The Binding Is A Good Step. 

There was a sense of a small creature hopping against its roots, but its weight was far too much for its size. It Will Anchor You Against The Coming Storm.

Atlantes pondered that, words it knew, but a weight it could not comprehend.

The Ruin Comes. 

Ancient seed thoughts rolled through its deepest heartwood and quickened its sap. They screamed from the blurry past, rising like cold winds on the horizon. They knew that weight.

The Green Wilds Must Rise. You Must Help, Child.

There was no question for Atlantes. The seed thoughts were strong, and they roused within it a deep, abiding anger. 

That verdant sun brightened, and a fecund heat baked against its branches. I will help.

A violence rippled through it as small feet padded away. Good.

The familiar presence vanished, but its intensity lingered. Atlantes saw the world in new shades now, and that violence wormed its way into wood and sap. 

I will help.

Atlantes shifted, withdrawing water from the thinnest of its branches in an alcove that none had been allowed to see. A dozen pale blue fruits fell, and they rolled to a stop before a clutch of gem-colored Hatchlings. 

Eat.

The first Hatchling poked at it curiously, breaking the thin skin and revealing fragrant yellow flesh. It lunged, taking a snapping bite from the fruit, and instantly it shivered in pleasure. It bugled, short and sharp, before falling on the rest of it. The others followed suit, until they were all devoured. More small wings landed, sniffing the air, eager for the scent that still lingered, and Atlantes shifted again. 

It had plenty to offer.

* * *

"Are you excited for this mission?" 

"Always am. Finally, the Legionnaires get some action."

"The Claw are Legionnaires, Oleg.”

“They're just stuck up," Oleg said with a snort. "Once they get that purple cloak, they all turn their noses up at us everyday folk. They think they're better than us. Even you, Rif."

"They are better than us. That's why they got the cloak."

"Shut it, Javi. Kissing their boots ain't getting you a cloak any sooner. Just because you can't distinguish yourself in front of the First of Blades doesn't mean that I'm not worthy."

"Worthy of what?” Rif asked. “You Bones all swing around your clubs and maces like that's gonna do anything. Swords are king, that’s why the Fiend carries that curved one everywhere. You need a sharp edge to cut your way through this world.”

“Physical brawn won't lead us anywhere. Mana is the true power,” Javi declared.

"Just like a mage," Oleg said. "Always talking about their Mana. What's your new spell called? Singe Their Whiskers?"

"It's an upgraded Sparkbolt! And it can affect an entire field of people. Twenty strides square."

"Oh, forgive me, Lord Fireball."

"Officers! At attention."

Polishing rags were thrown down and armor segments dropped onto their kits as they scrambled to salute. They managed, barely, just as Loquis and Mervin passed through the chamber on their way through the Barracks.

For Loquis, it took everything he had to keep his expression properly stoic and unaffected, as if he hadn't overheard everything that had been said during their approach. At his side, Mervin gave a nod to the men. Loquis could hear their Spirits ratchet up another octave and develop an eager, melodic drumming. 

“As you were,” Mervin said, his voice a touch deeper than usual.

Loquis rolled his eyes. Still, he was very aware of the purple cloak hanging off his shoulder as they left the room behind, not to mention the furtive whispers that clung to his Perception like errant breezes.

"Lightning mage…said he killed a dozen elementals by himself.” 

“And that was Lieutenant Cors. He's been in more skirmishes than any enlisted. Said he fought by the Fiend's side back before he came to Haarwatch.”

“With the Dragon Queen? And the Kyria?"

"Kyria?"

"Yeah, the Frost Giants call her that. Means destroyer or something."

Their voices faded as the corridor stretched longer, and when they did, Loquis allowed himself a deep, tired sigh. Mervin chuckled.

"What? You don't like being famous?"

“Do you?"

"Not particularly. I'm just here to do my job." Mervin glanced back the way they'd come. The Legion barracks hall was empty, save for the heavy tapestries hung from the wall to protect them from the chill of winter that had mostly faded as the world turned to spring. "I don't hate it, though. We worked hard to get here." 

Loquis scratched his jaw and nodded. He couldn't argue with that. They'd fought many hard battles and grown as a result. The Claw in particular had seen more action than most, which Loquis supposed was the point of the soldiers’ gripe.

They'll get their chance, Loquis thought with a grim certainty. 

There was a mission, three in fact, the biggest mission that any of them had ever been on, even accounting for the trip into the north and the Dwarven mountains. Everyone was nervous, from the stable hands to the officers themselves. Commander Kastos and Reed had everyone running drills the past few days, and now they were hustling to requisition every scrap of armor and weaponry in Elderthrone.

"You think this is because of the attack on the city?" Loquis asked.

"I heard they caught everyone involved. I heard—" Mervin swallowed. "I heard the Autarch ate them."

Loquis shivered. He believed that; he'd seen it happen before, and still had nightmares of it sometimes. 

The attack on the city had thrown everyone for a loop. Most people didn't know it was happening until it went down, and if it weren't for Glyphmaster V’as, so many people would have died. Now, Loquis had heard that V’as was back on his feet, he’d been seen walking out of the Greenleaf Ward as if nothing had happened.

"The soldiers gossip like children," Loquis said. "We haven't done much to deserve it, but the commanders—" 

Mervin nodded seriously. "They said Atar ate the bombs before they could explode, like he was the Autarch himself."

They stepped out into an open causeway, elevated above the inner training yards in the barracks. They were usually filled with sweating recruits, but now they were chock-full of supplies, set into sturdy crates and strapped down with oiled tarpaulins.

"You think that's possible?" Loquis turned to his friend. "That there could be two people like the Fiend?"

"No. No one's like him. Not even the other Unbound. But I believe that Master V’as saved us. He's clearly changed since Ahkestria. Who knows how much?" 

Loquis chewed on that thought. While they had grown by leaps and bounds in the last half a year, the commanders had become nearly unrecognizable. The elite of Elderthrone were more powerful still since their return. Whatever had happened in Pax’Vrell had apparently been beyond even the chaos they’d experienced in the Rimefangs.

Always a commanding presence, Lord Hammer and his friend Hollow were a sight to behold now. Massive and covered in spiky, crystalline armor, he was like a warrior from legends come to life. The hammer that Loquis had seen the man earn from the Autarch now seemed to fit him. No longer too heavy, but a deadly implement. The Risen that he commanded were likewise fearsome, and from what he heard, he had commanded an entire battalion during the recent battles.

Commander Kastos bore new axes and legs made of a powerful new metal, same as the majority of the elite save for the Autarch. Their armor had been upgraded, and it was powerful enough that his Analyze Skill could not even parse its details.

Lord Ross was not someone Loquis knew well. He'd only really seen him once in the inn in Birchstone, but for what he lacked in heighed he more than made up for in power. Loquis had personally seen the gnome walk through solid walls like they were thin air in the Scale District. Walls! He shook his head at the thought.

Lady Dayne and her Companion Yintarion had changed too, walking with a new, more commanding bearing. The former Wyrmling was huge now and far more terrifying, as was the gleaming glaive the Lady bore. The largest change of all, however, had been what they had returned with: dozens of tiny Dragons. The sight of them flying about had scared more than a few people, but most were simply in awe of the magic unfolding around them in Elderthrone. The Dragons stuck to the Eye and the Spirit Tree, but people were talking. An excitement followed them.

And Evie… Loquis sighed. 

She had grown more beautiful since he'd last seen her in the Red Shield Hold. He’d worried that she would get hurt when the Autarch had separated their groups and sent Loquis and Mervin off into the Hoarfrost alone. He’d feared for her, though he’d had to remind himself a dozen times he hadn’t the right. Evie was a capable warrior, one that didn't need the likes of him watching her back.

It didn’t stop him wanting to, though.

It had been made worse when they weren't able to meet up with the Autarch and his people again. When they had reached the Kingsrock, Mervin had wanted to go after the Autarch, back into the Rimefangs to head off the Titan’s armies and the Dwarven forces that were no doubt bearing down on them. But…the Autarch’s orders had been clear and without question. So Loquis had led them back through the portals at Kingsrock, followed by the slow crawl of Dark Passages back to Nagast. It had taken them days to do it, but far faster than the circuitous route the Autarch had walked.

Now, weeks later, they were setting back out. He couldn't claim to be eager to go, but Loquis would not turn away from a fight that needed fighting. The Autarch was a worthy leader, and though they did not always know his reasons, Loquis trusted him. His causes were just.

Mervin slapped Loquis on the back. "Well, we'll hear about exactly what we're doing soon enough. The Grand Assembly's tomorrow. A lot to do before then. Come on." 

The swordsman walked away, and Loquis allowed his gaze to linger on the crates below them. Weapons and armor. Potions and bandages. Food and water. Everything they would need to go to war.

Loquis swallowed. He needed to know more. He looked forward to the Assembly. Maybe he'd even see Evie there.