This was not the first time Vanya had been petitioned by the Ashionen envoy in Calhames to hear their entreaties, but it was the first time he’d agreed to speak with them. He knew such acceptance would give them false hope, but Vanya only meant to reiterate his country’s stance.
“Solaria knows of the attack, and we sent aid once news reached us. Our engineers have been helping the wardens rebuild. Daijal has not officially targeted Solaria, and I will not send the Legion into a war that is not ours,” Vanya said.
“Not officially means they haven’t tried.” Dariush wisely didn’t reference the fighting in the northwest of Solaria, but that fact lingered between them. “What would it take for Solaria to give aid to Ashion? We could use ammunition and weapons, even if you won’t order the Legion past the border.”
A proxy war wasn’t one Vanya thought he could push through the Senate without the Houses protesting. Too many of the Houses were against any effort to go to war or support Vanya’s desires in that area. Guarding their northern border and going after Joelle had happened only in the aftermath of the Conclave when her betrayal had come to light. Eimarille’s interference wasn’t so easily proven, even with therionetkasfound inside their borders.
“Supporting a war outside our borders isn’t something my government is willing to do. I know you have impressed your need upon senators and some minor Houses, but your situation is unfortunately not one we can commit an alliance to.”
Dariush was a skilled enough ambassador to not show his disappointment, but Vanya knew the Ashionen did not like his answer. “My queen only thinks of her people, the same way you do. I cannot, in good conscience, return to her empty-handed. We ask for aid and supplies. Would you deny us a way to fight?”
“The Legion is already committed to the defense of Solaria. You are welcome to stay in Calhames and press your case to those senators who may have a sympathetic ear when it comes to supplies.”
Ultimately, the final decision would be Vanya’s, but he couldn’t ignore the position of the Senate or the Houses, not if he wanted to keep hold of power. Even with the Dawn Star’s blessing, he needed to take into consideration those opinions and positions of others who saw him as a rival. It was a balancing act that would have been far easier if he held support that was more freely given.
Dariush inclined his head, no hint of disappointment or frustration in his eyes or voice, ever the diplomat. “Thank you for your time, Your Imperial Majesty.”
It wasn’t the result the ambassador had hoped for, Vanya knew, but it was what was best for Solaria right now. Standing, he nodded farewell at the other man before leaving, a pair ofpraetorialegionnaires preceding him into the hallway.
“Has anyone answered their queen’s request for aid?” Vanya asked once they were out of earshot.
“No. Urova has sided with Daijal in their war, and E’ridia has pulled back behind the Eastern Spine. They have no contact with the Tovan Isles as far as I am aware,” Caelum replied.
Which placed Solaria as their one desperate hope for survival against an army of the living and the walking dead that was slowly grinding Ashion down. “If Ashion falls, Eimarille will not stop at any border.”
Caelum glanced at him. “Your Imperial Majesty?”
“Summon a driver. I have a meeting with the commanding officers of the Legion.”
Even if Solaria couldn’t give aid, Vanya could ensure his country’s borders were well guarded and the supply lines remained intact.
Four
SOREN
The start of Sixth Month brought clearer skies at the tail end of spring and a warmth that spoke of the oncoming summer. Soren was returning from the refractory for the second half of his shift at the telegraph machine when a warning siren cut through the air. The tone was pitched for revenants, but his head snapped up anyway, gaze skimming the partly cloudy blue sky for any oncoming airships. Soren didn’t immediately see anything out of the ordinary, but he knew how quickly that could change.
Other wardens and tithes exited the surrounding buildings at a fast clip. Since the attack last summer, Delani had ordered all younger tithes to retreat to the laboratory entrance if they were within a certain range of it. Otherwise, they were supposed to find safety in several of the new bunkers that had been built at strategic points throughout the fort. The older tithes were assigned defense duties with wardens, and everyone knew the positions they needed to be at.
Soren sprinted across the grass for a narrow alley between two administrative buildings. That route took him to a street that had direct access to the wall. It was also where general-use velocycles were parked, and he wasn’t the only warden flinging himself onto one of the two-wheeled vehicles. The length of the seat allowed for a passenger, and Soren only had to wait a handful of seconds before another warden vaulted up behind him.
“I’m heading to the western wall,” Soren said as he kicked up the stand with his boot and revved the engine.
“I’m assigned to the north. I’ll take the velocycle after you,” she said.
Soren drove into the street, dirt churning beneath the velocycle’s wheels. Other wardens fell in beside him as he drove toward the wall where automatons were already aiming Zip guns at the shoreline of the island. The deep sound of heavy-caliber bullets going off echoed in the air. The sirens kept sounding, but they never changed tone, which gave Soren hope the threat was only revenants and not Daijalan war machines.
Once they reached the wall, Soren braked to a halt by the stairs leading up to ramparts and one of the rebuilt defensive sentry towers. He pitched himself off the velocycle and let the other warden take over. She sped off before he even got his foot on the first step.
Soren took the stone steps up two at a time, coming up onto the ramparts just outside the tower with its grenade launcher. Spiderlike automatons clung to the ledge of the outer wall, their boxy bodies angled over the side to better aim the miniature Zip guns attached to their framework. When Soren looked down the length of the wall, he saw a sentinel-class automaton bracing itself, the warden inside the center space of its body manipulating the controls to raise its arms and aim two Zip guns at the shoreline.
Beyond the wall, revenants staggered out from the waters of the Celestial Lake and onto the blackened shore. The numbers were more than they’d normally see during the spring melt, and Soren wondered if any submersibles were in the water, waiting to attack. Turning away from the wall, he ducked into the sentry tower where the ranged defensive weaponry was kept. The tripod-mounted grenade launcher was manned by a warden who looked as if she might have been a tithe last season.
She grunted as she spun the handle to angle the grenade launcher at the beach, gears clanking together as she worked. “I’m Mara.”
“Soren,” he replied. “I’ll load for you.”
She jerked her head at the nearby crates filled with poison grenades. “Let’s hit our targets.”
