Only another Tiamat or a Guardian might have called Lith out on his lies.
Alas, Guardians didn’t meddle in trifling matters and Lith was the only Tiamat on Mogar. Raagu took his words at face value, regretting one time too many the times when she had missed the opportunity to make him an offer too good for him to turn down.
‘Even though in the end Verhen became a Divine Beast, part of him is still an evolved human. It might be a path unique to his species, but maybe it’s something he could share or at least other humans could learn from.’ She inwardly sighed.
‘As it is, he has no reason to help us. All of his notable allies are beasts whereas my race only antagonized him on multiple occasions. Asking his family for help would be a waste of time. Maybe his wife could be easier to reason-‘
Then, Raagu remembered the day of the Black Sun and that there was always a Guardian watching the baby. A cold shiver ran down her spine as she dismissed the thought of approaching Kamila.
Upsetting her would have been an extremely convoluted and painful form of suicide.
“Why are you here?” Lith asked, snapping Raagu out of her waking nightmare.
“Just to check on you and inform you that everything is fine. Also, our work in Phogia is almost done. Just a bit longer and the arrays will be back online.” Her first phrase referred to the status of his family in Lutia.
After Phloria’s kidnapping, the security of the Verhens had become even tighter but there was no telling what Thrud might attempt.
“Thanks.” Lith nodded. “There’s no rush. I need time to fully recover.”
“How long?” She asked with more curiosity than worry.
“If no one disturbs my rest and I avoid any further exertion, one hour. More or less.” Lith’s answer was supposed to be reassuring, but Raagu actually swallowed a lump of saliva.
One hour was a long time in battle, but only if you knew the position of your enemy. The council representative couldn’t stop worrying about what would have happened if Thrud had kidnapped Lith instead of Phloria.
Or worse, if one day he decided he was fed up with the Council and its rules.
“I’ll leave you at it, then.” Raagu turned around and left, cursing herself for her stupidity.
She quickly cast a Hush spell and put all of her disciples on Phloria’s tail as well. Learning Blade Magic had just turned from a matter of power and prestige to a matter of survival of the human Council.
***
It took Lith more than one hour to complete his preparations but no one noticed because it took the joint army much longer to reach its destination. The series of attacks were cutting deep inside Thrud’s lines but the further in the troops got, the more cautious they had to be.
The Crown had been cut out from those regions for months and they had no intel on its security and the position of Thrud’s reserve troops. If the army moved too quickly, they risked being surrounded and wiped out.
Too slowly and their next target would become obvious, giving the Mad Queen the time to take away the advantage of surprise.
“Where should he go next?” Thrud stared at the map, pondering what she would have done in Lith’s shoes. “There are no more free geysers for hundreds of kilometers. Reaching one would mean fighting alone whereas, without a power source for the tower, Verhen is just another Divine Beast fighting for the army.”
“The most reasonable course of action is targeting another city like Zeska that has been built over a mana geyser.” Phloria pointed out. “This way, Lith would just need to repeat the first strategy he employed today and ensure the Royals a foothold in the Nestrar region.”
“It makes sense.” Thrud nodded. “That’s why I’m certain that Verhen is not going to do that. Reason has nothing to do with this. He is challenging me so he’s going to strike where it hurts the most, just like I did.”
“What do you think he’ll do then?” Even though Phloria was worried about losing a third city as well, she was smiling. The Mad Queen’s words flattered her beyond even what her real personality thought possible.
“I have no clue.” Thrud shrugged. “Ufyl, Xoola, just follow Verhen while being careful not to be discovered. If he follows a strategy similar to those he already employed today, he’s going to move to an isolated spot. If that happens, strike him down with everything you’ve got.
“Don’t give Verhen the time to prepare spells or conjure his Demons. His show stopped being entertaining and I can’t afford another loss.”
“Are you sure?” Ufyl asked. “What if he dies?”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take.” Her answer made Phloria’s heart skip a beat. “I’m not going to pull my punches, I’m just not actively seeking to kill him. If he stands on my path, however, that’s his problem.”
“What if you are wrong and he doesn’t get away from the army?” Xoola asked, grinning from ear to ear at the idea of avenging her defeat in Zehnma.
“I’m no fortune teller.” Thrud loved having loyal followers, yet she would have liked them to have more initiative. “If Verhen changes strategy again, just Warp inside the sieged city and do your best to keep him out until reinforcements arrive.”
“It shall be done.” Ufyl nodded and ended the communication.
They had been following Lith ever since he had left Phogia. He was flying east northeast at cruising speed to not reach his destination before the army and expose their plan.
The two Divine Beasts would have liked to take him out here and now, but a fight in the sky was different from one on the ground.
There was nowhere to hide and no way to keep Lith from Warping away.
Unless he had something to protect or to fight for, the moment he spotted them or they cast the first spell, he would have no reason to stay. On top of that, for a Divine Beast, cruising speed meant flying at over Mach 1.
Lith was outside the range of most spells unless Xoola and Ufyl closed in, but that would reveal their presence.
If they lost him, the battle for the next city would start without them, and if it ended as quickly as the other two, by the time they caught up with Lith everything would be already over.
‘Wait, what the heck is he doing?’ Ufyl asked via a mind link since talking at such speed was impossible.
‘Beats me, better report the situation.’ Xoola stopped as Lith performed a sharp 90 degrees turn up and disappeared through the clouds. ‘You keep your Dragon Eyes open for traps. Our position might be compromised.’
“This makes no sense, but apparently the city of Bima is Verhen’s next target.” Thrud said while consulting the map. “The place holds no significant food reserves and has no geyser yet it holds strategical importance.
“Bima is connected to the main trading routes of the Nestrar region, making it a great bridgehead for an invading army.”
