“At least three. But it seems likely to be four.”
“Four would overwhelm us,” said the general sitting to Gwaharad’s right, as if it weren’t true that even one would likely have been enough to decimate their small force. Her shaved head was covered in scars, and Loran recalled that her name was Belwin. A seasoned veteran who had joined Gwaharad’s cause before even Emere had.
“Do we have any weapons that can break through their armor?”
“If we had, we would have won the war by now.”
“Our only recourse is to use our siege weapons and pray for luck… Or pour all our soldiers into making a stand.”
“In Selvetica, they had success using a weapon called the fire-spear.”
“What use are stories from so far up north to us?”
The soldiers went on for a moment like this until Gwaharad raised a hand for silence.
Loran could scarcely contain herself. In mere days, the chariot century would reach Kingsworth. Maybe they had already. She could picture the massacre that would happen when they did. This was not a time to debate the presence or absence of Powered chariots. She gave Gwaharad an imploring look.
Gwaharad looked back at her, seemingly lost in thought, until he said, “We have no way of fighting armored chariots. The best we can do is wait for word from our compatriots in Kingsworth. It will be an opportunity to find out how different the Twenty-Fifth Legion is from the Hundred and Seventy-First.”
“Your Majesty!” Loran was on her feet.
“Mistress Loran,” said Gwaharad firmly, “you must forgive us, but this affair is Arland’s, not Kamori’s. A neighboring country to be sure, but a separate one no less. We here have gathered under the great cause of Kamori’s liberation. I cannot have such brave men and women run into the path of armored chariots for foreigners’ sake.”
“Your Majesty. Do you not understand what the Empire means by holding people responsible? It means to take whoever they can and make an example of them. Whether the people they kill are responsible for their ire or not is none of their concern. Their only objective here is fear. Has Kamori not suffered the same way? Is there anyone here who has not lost family or friends to such indiscriminate methods? Is there not a single man or woman among you who vowed to rise against the Empire because of this?”
A somber mood returned to the war room. The memory of her dead husband and daughter never left her mind. If Gwaharad chose not to fight, it would be like her family dying twice, or even ten more times. She would not see that happen.
“What do you propose I do, Mistress Loran?”
Looking directly into Gwaharad’s reluctant eyes, Loran drew a long breath, then spoke.
“… I shall take care of the chariots myself. I only ask that His Majesty and his army keep the citizens of Kingsworth safe.”
Belwin stood up, looking incredulous.
“You? Fight four Powered chariots alone? How will you do this? I have heard, from Prince Emere, that you have killed several Powered legionaries, and I know this is not something an ordinary warrior can do. But I have also heard you barely escaped with your life. Their chariots are built to fight monsters and columns of soldiers. They are nothing like Powered infantry. If you fail and get caught or killed, how are we supposed to fight them by ourselves?”
Had she been a monster, could she fight legion chariots? In this moment, Loran wished that she were. But all the gods and monsters that used to roam the world hadn’t been able to stop the Empire from conquering it. Now most of them were dead, exiled, or captured. Kamori’s Tree Lords were incinerated in their sacred groves. Arland’s dragon was imprisoned in its own cave.
Emere raised his hand.
“The legions are made up of men, flesh and blood just like us. They have their metal boxes, but we have the element of surprise. If it ever becomes known that Mistress Loran asked for help and we did not give it to her, we shall never raise our heads high again. I shall accompany her with a hundred soldiers. A century with chariots will not have many legionaries on foot.”
Gwaharad stroked his beard. “A hundred, you say.”
“Arland’s prefect Hesperus is old, and according to Lady Gladdis, the senator who was backing him is dead. There is a rumor that the Senate sent the Twenty-Fifth Legion here so that its legate should take over the prefectship, by force if necessary. A common game played in the Empire, is it not? If my judgment is sound, the prefect’s guards will not come to the aid of the legionaries. If Mistress Loran could dispatch the Powered chariots, a hundred Liberators will be more than enough.”
Emere looked determined. Loran observed Gwaharad’s countenance closely. He still seemed undecided.
“If Kamori risks the lives of its people for Arland, what will the Princess of Arland do in return? How can you repay our soldiers?”
So now she was a princess. Loran forced the corners of hermouth not to curl into a sneer. She had no time for anger or sarcasm. But she didn’t have anything to offer Gwaharad either.
As she hesitated, Emere spoke.
“Your Majesty. Kamori once ruled all the Three Kingdoms. King Uter had made it so because he showed generosity far and wide. If we do not use this chance to earn the goodwill of Arland, who in these lands will follow us into the battlefield against the Empire? I beseech you to show your magnanimity by aiding our neighbor in their hour of need.”
Gwaharad’s eyes grew wide at Emere, but any sign of his displeasure quickly melted back into the façade of his usual kingly manner.
