A Soldier's Life - 479 - Return to the Telhian Empire (edit 11-5-25 +300 words)

Chapter 479: Return to the Telhian Empire

The warlord looked more like one of the orc elders from the Choosing. Glasha had told me that most warlords never lived past their fighting prime, instead preferring to confront challenges where they were likely to die. The wrinkled flesh of this orc made me curious if his tattoos still functioned properly.

Evie couldn’t resist stroking the fiery fire bear cloak. I admit it was impressive, even more so if there had been more light in the chamber. “Is this enough confirmation then?” I asked, humbly.

“I do recognize you, human. You did not attend the coronation. I am warlord Trakaan of this city, now called by its true name, Ashkar. How may I assist you?” the old orc said, standing and giving a deferential half bow. From his tone and demeanor, it sounded like this orc supported Mynasha.

“We only wish to pass unmolested to Telhian lands. How has your new Supreme been received?” I added, asking after Mynasha. She was struggling with her identity as an otherworlder when I left.

“Pfft, she has survived two assassination attempts. She moves too quickly and changes too much,” Trakaan said irritably. “I should be living out my years fishing and playing with my grandchildren. Instead, Glasha convinced me to come here and administer this conquered city. I mean reclaimed city,” he corrected with a tusky smile.

“You appear to be doing a fine job,” Kyrenic said diplomatically.

“Pfft,” Trakaan snorted. “Only because I let the humans who wanted to leave, go. The ones that remained still give me headaches daily.” The warlord indicated his stack of papers as if that explained his angst.

“Who tried to kill Supreme Mynasha?” I asked. Frankly, I was not surprised, no matter how much the orcs talked about honor, everyone wanted power.

The old orc grumbled. “Eldar Kytasha and Warlord Drutha were at the heart of it. They failed and were found to be working with the Nashasari. They also conspired with the Nashasari to release the trolls from the Skull Passage.” He pointed at me as I removed the fire cloak and stored it. “I believe you were with Supreme Mynasha when she handled that threat,” Trakaan said knowingly.

“I was,” I replied flatly. I looked at my companions’ expressions at the mention of the Nashasari, then back to the warlord. “That is why we are travelling to the Telhian Empire, the Nashasari threat is more widespread than you think. They are responsible for the message sending spells not working, and they have secretly raised armies in the Dragon Spine mountains that are attacking Gorgiphia and Keisinia as we speak.”

Karkaan stepped forward, gesturing toward Kyrenic. “The knight here has told me as much. I believe they speak the truth.” Trakaan looked at his stack of paperwork bitterly, as if it were growing before his eyes.

“A delegation was sent by the Death Sentinels to convince the Supreme to support an invasion of the Brotherhood of Mitzra. Now let me tell you about the true threat behind them, a demon…” We spent two hours disseminating information to the old warlord, who seemed to become more and more constipated with fury as we spoke.

The warlord asked insightful questions, and I could see why Glasha recruited him for Mynasha. When we finished briefing the warlord, he let out a long sigh. “I should be fishing,” he mumbled to himself. “I will send word to the Supreme that her First has shown his head in Ashkar. Your words hold weight. I believe you have honor and will send my recommendation to support your cause. The Caliphate should support an effort against this monumental threat, but the Supreme will need the warlords' backing. The warrior elites answer to them. It is all more complicated than you think, but we will see.”

“Thank you, Warlord Trakaan,” I said respectfully. I looked for Alhar but found he was no longer with us. I would have liked to gloat a little at having gained another ally to the cause, albeit with Kyrenic’s support. Kyrenic’s convincing Karkaan during the ride to Ashkar probably aided as well.

“I will have a writ of free travel and your proclamation as the Supreme’s First drafted for you by morning. I was sent here because I am a master of paperwork; the least I can do is send you away with a sample,” he chuckled to himself. “I do not think it would help your cause to be escorted by warriors to the border. Although we have a tense truce with the Telhian Empire, there is still too much sour blood,” Warlord Trakaan said, looking pointedly at Pathfinder Karkaan. He looked back at me. “If you stay on the road east, you will encounter a newly erected border fort of the Empire.”

“What is your opinion of the new Empress?” I asked, before letting the warlord resume his work.

“We have exchanged letters. I see her as shrewd and cautious. She recognizes her fragile position in that dishonorable den of vipers. I believe she has adapted to her role and is actively rebuilding the Empire's strength. If she is too successful, it could make many others uncomfortable,” Trakaan said after a moment’s reflection. I thanked him, feeling relieved that Renna was doing well. I assumed persuading Renna to assist would be the simplest part of my mission and I could be on my way to see my son after a quick stop in Telha.

We were given a large suite in the Citadel so we could remain together. I kept everyone there, not wanting to risk an incident from someone wandering. Everyone except Alhar, that is. The elf rejoined us the next morning as the horses were being made ready.

“Did you find the Bartiradian agents you were looking for?” Kyrenic asked the elf. I looked at both, somewhat surprised. No, Kyrenic was fishing for information.

The elf only hesitated a moment before replying. “They died in the siege of the city,” he said dispassionately, but I sensed he was lying. If that were true, he wouldn’t have been gone the entire night.

Karkaan had returned to the south with his Pathfinders, but Warlord Trakaan came to see us off. He presented me with a heavy, ornate ebony box with gold inlay of an orc fighting a hellhound. “Since you can carry it in the safety of your space, I thought it might help in the presentation. A gift from my father to me, and now to you as my honor demands for what you have done for the Supreme.” He opened the lid to show a few documents on vellum inside.

“Thank you, Warlord Trakaan. You honor me with this,” I said respectfully and sent the box to my space.

“Do you wish me to pass any messages to the Supreme on your behalf?” he asked as I swung up into Ginger’s saddle.

“Tell her the threat is real and joining the alliance the Death Sentinels are forming is the best way to protect her people,” I said. I nodded, and we were soon riding east.

It would take four days to reach the new border of the Telhian Empire. Orc riders patrolled the roads in units of twenty, and we were stopped by every unit. The writ was quickly recognized, but some of the warriors were terrible at hiding their true feelings toward us with snarls and derisive comments shared between them. As long as they didn’t attack, I was fine to remain silent.

On the second evening, we were camped at a merchant post. A simple structure with stables and a roof to protect from predators and the elements. Evie dragged me into the woods to show me her new spell form. She eagerly stood in front of a black-leaf bush and made slashing motions with her hand. Each gesture resulted in a spray of leaves and branches until there was nothing left but a stump.

“I thought you were going to learn to fly?” I asked without accusation as I walked to examine the damage.

“Flying will not help me in a fight,” she replied quickly.

 The cuts were clean, and nothing was left of the bush. “Impressive. How far can you attack with your wind blades?” I asked the beaming young woman as she soaked up the praise.

“Twenty feet while still maintaining full strength. At forty feet, I can barely cut a leaf. If I could increase my air affinity, then it would get stronger,” she insinuated suggestively.

“I know a few creatures that are likely to yield an air essence, but now is not the time,” I replied to her disappointment. She had probably looked in the dreamscape as well as the dungeons and creatures likely to yield an air essence.

“How am I going to help fight then?” she said a little pleadingly.

“You're not. You are going to Gramney and will stay there with Lexi,” I said flatly.

Her eyes showed defiance, but her words were tempered with reason. “Lexi can heal, and I can scout. I am not afraid to fight either.”

She had proven herself in training in both the real world and the dreamscape. She was getting more adept with the sword, and her body was getting stronger every day. Damn, I could tell she had been preparing for an argument. “We can discuss this again once you and Lexi are back together,” I said.

“You are just stalling and hoping Lexi can talk me out of going,” she retorted. “But you are wrong, Lexi will want to go to.”

My first thought was that she was just being a typical teenager. I grew up with stubborn sisters and knew how they acted—arguing until they got their way. But Evie may be physically 13, but mentally she was an adult now. “We will discuss it once we return to Gramney,” I said with authoritative finality. “Show me how much penetration your wind blades can get on the trunk of a tree.”

Eager to prove herself capable, she cast her wind blades again. At twenty feet it ended being significant, almost an inch penetration into the wood. If Evie could target the throat of a person, she could kill someone. We quickly found her accuracy lacking past five feet, though. We practiced until she used all her aether. “Good. Practice every night after you scout around the camp. Once you can hit the target reliably at twenty feet, we will move out to thirty feet.”

When we got back to camp, I could tell Evie was upset with me. She immediately went to talk with Baelira. When Baelira spoke to me the next day, she told me about their conversation. “She asked me what she needed to do to convince you.”

“And what did you tell her?” I asked.

“That there will be younger men and women than her going to fight, and once you see that, you will let her come,” Baelira said matter-of-factly. That was a bit of a shock. Evie would be about fifteen when the fleet was destined to sail for the Brotherhood lands, and boys fourteen and fifteen were recruited frequently into the militia. They were nothing more than fodder against trained soldiers, but Baelira was right. We didn’t discuss it further as we continued to the Empire.

The border fort blocked the road, and from a distance I could see the distinctive red armor of the legionnaires on the walls. The fort was constructed from massive timbers, and a moat was dug around the base. It was more a defensive garrison than a deterrent, as riding around it was easy. I estimated no more than three thousand men could be inside.

“Cover your ears,” I said, addressing Baelira and Alhar. We had discussed this and decided that was the best way to travel through the Empire. Maveith was going to draw enough attention as is. We approached the fort openly, and soon two riders came to us. Baelira and I had our Death Sentinel medallions displayed, while Kyrenic had pulled out his family's tabard.

The two riders were both veteran legionnaires with gray stubble. They pulled up twenty feet from us. On the walls, soldiers with bows hurried to take posts, showing the fort was a mix of legion and army then. The warhorses they were riding were young and feisty, and they were having difficulty controlling them.

After assessing our group, the older veteran spoke. “What business do you have?”

“We are emissaries from the Heptarchy seeking to travel to Telha and petition the Empress for an audience,” Kyrenic answered him. Alhar thought it best for Kyrenic to do most of the talking, and I conceded the point.

The legionnaire snorted. “Are you now? I recognize two of you as Death Hunters. Goliaths don’t live in the Heptarchy, and children are not emissaries.”

It felt odd addressing the legionnaires, neither of whom I recognized. “We are all part of a greater alliance. We bring word of what has caused the message sending spells to fail. And seek an escort to the nearest portal so we can cooperate with your Empress in correcting this,” I replied calmly.

This revelation caught the two men off guard, and they looked at each other for direction before the same one answered, somewhat more polite now. “You are going to have to reach the capital on foot. There are no longer any active portals in the Eastern Empire.”

“Which cities still have portals?” I asked.

“Suppose you would find out from rumors. Only Parvas, Caranhagan, and Telha are active,” the legionnaire replied. “There is a shortage of displacement mages, and many portals were damaged by saboteurs during the war. The Imperial artificers are working to repair the network, but it will take decades.”

I looked at my companions. “The quickest path might be to travel to Varta and take a ship to Telha. If we did, we might not be able to find a ship to take the horses with us. Or we could continue east to Parvas.”

“If we go to Parvas, we would pass through Sobral,” Maveith reminded me unnecessarily.

“Whatever you think is best,” Kyrenic said, deferring his vote to me. Decisions like this were hard, as if I made a mistake, I could add a week to our journey or put us in more danger.

© Copyrighted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne

No permission is granted to translate, copy, or repost this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site other than my Patreon, it has been stolen without my permission and violates the DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removing or altering this notification acknowledges that you are aware that you are violating the DMCA. No permission is granted for my original work to be used to train AI.