Emery can’t believe he’s having his third nightmare in one day.
The captain of the Cove Guard—Winston or Wilfred, he can’t quite remember which—comes rushing towards him and Amhra near the caricature stand. His face is somber, panicked, and grossly out of place in the merriment of the Square as he dodges the hanging lights, swerving through the throngs of smiling faces. The townspeople are turning to watch with wide eyes, wondering if this could be related to the morning’s raids or worse, the delay of Miu’s ceremony.
Amhra notices him staring blankly over her shoulder, and finally breaks her searching gaze, turning around to see her fellow Captain stalking towards them. Quickly, she whips the drawing behind her back and wipes the smile from her face.
“Captain Winston, what seems to be the matter?” Emery can’t help but think that he’ll never get used to hearing Amhra talk like that. Like a royal. Using so many filler words. Peeling back her accent.
Taking a cursory glance at the crowd swirling around them and hearing the whispers build, the Captain quietly urges, “Please,” and gestures for them to follow him towards the brush.
They quickly move into the brush, hooking to the left along a lightly beaten path Emery recognizes as the military’s shortcut to the castle. When they are a safe distance away from prying eyes, Captain Winston stops, bracing himself against a tree trunk as he whispers, “Miu is missing.” Amhra’s eyes widen into saucers.
Emery's eyes involuntarily drift shut and he scrubs a hand over his face.
He had hoped for Lucius to just stay put, come to the ceremony, and coordinate their next steps with him when no one was looking. For Miu to have enough sense to stay in the Cove, and lay low in one of the dead ends of the cave until they came back to get her.
A barrage of ‘if only’s marches its way through his thoughts.
He blames himself for not organizing the situation correctly, for falling asleep at such a critical juncture, for leaving two kids—or a kid and a cat— to deal with the aftermath of something so far from their norm, for putting the two of them at risk.
He’s snapped out of it when Captain Winston continues, keeping his worried gaze on Emery, “The volunteers report a violent encounter with a suspicious man, dark skin, yellow eyes, fitting the description of Emerickus. He appeared approximately three hours ago, claiming the name ‘Emily’, claiming to be from the land of Numbia.”
Emery cradles his aching temples as he props himself up against a tree. Really, Miu?
From between his fingers, Emery casts a nervous glance over at Ahmra, watching her expression go from shocked to stony. Her golden eyes are clouded over with resolve and her jaw is clenched in disdain. He wonders how much of that was for him, and how much was for Captain Winston’s sake, to assure him that she feels no connection to the fugitive.
“He attacked the head volunteer with some sort of magical conjuring, removed Miu from her dwellings, then sailed away on a rowboat that we believe to have been stolen from the Coast. He seemed to be heading in the direction of the Vale, with Miu in hand.”
The Vale? The beginnings of a headache spawn as a tight band squeezing his brain. He tries to calm himself down, reminding himself that the two of them were crushed between a rock and a hard place, that Miu doesn’t know the first thing about the kingdom or the world in general, and that Lucius can’t exactly speak. But. He just can’t wrap his head around hiding out from a three-pronged army in what is essentially a massive clearing.
They’ll be caught in a matter of minutes. Seconds, even. And he’ll surely be buried alive; King Matthias gave him the dignity of indefinite incarceration pending a trial, but this time, he’s doomed.
What were they thinking? With nothing but an olive tree every few miles, maybe a barn here and there, there was absolutely nowhere to hide from the Everdane army.
And Miu has no idea how to defend herself, or even use her blasted hands. Even if adrenaline coursed through her and she commanded a spell accidentally, it wouldn’t be enough to phase the onslaught of trained assassins ready to do their worst to her. Emery’s thoughts are racing so fast that he feels lightheaded. If he commands the army to the Vale, he’s as good as dead.
When he snaps out of his internal panic, Captain Winston is staring at him curiously, as if he were waiting for a response. “King Lucius, your guidance is needed at the castle. We’ve assembled both the Guard and the Army, but we won’t move without your nod.”
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Emery nods, hoping to quell the nausea rumbling in his stomach. He has to think of something, fast.
It doesn’t help that the walk back to the castle feels like the shortest walk of his life. Staring off into the darkness, he tries to think of any and every reason to avoid making the only clear and logical decision available to him.
Unprepared and visibly trembling, Emery walks into the castle. The entryway is lined with soldiers all bowing as he walks past. As he climbs the stairs to the throne room, where the guard is likely waiting for his permission to stalk off and slay the enemy where he stands, all he can think of is Miu, a frightened cat, freezing where she stands, hiding pitifully behind an olive tree trunk.
Finally entering the belly of the beast, Emery makes up his mind. The court may be doubtful of his choice, and may even challenge his reasoning, but thanks to Everdane’s institution of hierarchy, they are in no position to oppose the King.
Standing in front of the throne, Emery takes a deep breath before turning around. He channels the energy he commanded in his days as the Maukhetrean Archmage. The confidence and authority only an expert could project.
“Thank you all for assembling so quickly,” he begins.“This is a moment of great peril for our people, and our swift motion is necessary. To that end, I will be brief.” He pauses, quickly gauging the reaction of the room. Nothing but steely eyes latched onto him.
“Emerickus,” He chokes out, barely able to say that ridiculous name. “Is a massive threat to the integrity of our kingdom.” He swings his eyes over to Amhra, watching as her eyes dart to the ground.
“However, because he is the only magic-wielder left, and a formidable one at that, approaching him brashly, and in large numbers, would be disastrous for our forces. We do not have the capacity to counter or even anticipate his attacks. Should we march into the Vale tonight, we would merely be arrogantly lining up to be laid down,” And it’s true. Some of the older Guardsmen, the faces Emery can vaguely remember from the war, nod in agreement.
“Emerickus is likely stationed in the Vale because he is anticipating just that. No matter from which direction we enter, he will see us long before we would catch sight of him. And as we all know, he has long-range capabilities, where we do not.”
Emery’s mentally patting himself on the back as the words flow out of his mouth like a fountain. “Because of this, we need to approach him when his guard is lowered. Therefore, I will not dispatch the Guard nor the Army to retrieve him.”
A collective gasp sweeps through the room. He waits for the group to regain their composure before continuing, “Captain Amara, as we know, had a personal relationship with Emerickus.” Her eyes snap up from the floor, looking at Emery in disbelief. “And because of that, she will be indispensable in this mission. Captain Amara and I will retrieve Emerickus from the Vale.”
There is a moment of whisper.
Amhra is the newest and youngest member of the Guard, but she has already attained the prestigious title of Captain. However, assigned to the Castle Guard, she hasn’t seen active combat in years; her fellow Guardsmen are reasonably concerned.
Emery spares a thought to the kinds of relationships Amhra has built here. The Guardsman closest to her rests a reassuring hand on her arm as she whispers something to her. In the Maukhetrean military, she was respected as a warrior and loved as a little sister; thankfully, it seems to be the same here.
“I understand your concern,” he says, casting a sweeping glance at the room. “But remember, Captain Amara is an exemplary soldier. From training under Maukhetra’s greatest sorcerer from childhood to quickly rising to the ranks in the Everdane military, she is more than qualified for this mission.” The whispering ceases and eyes are glued to Amhra. A magenta blush is blooming across her cheekbones, but her eyes are unmoving from Lucius’.
“Captain Amara and I will venture into the Vale tonight, and we will return with Emerickus, dead or alive, come morning.”
The room goes into uproar.
“Sire, tonight? Please, wait until you have the grace of the morning’s light!”
“Emerickus is likely on high guard tonight, anticipating our pursuit. We beg, Your Highness, please do reconsider!”
Emery holds up a hand, silencing the room.
“No. It will be as I said. There is no telling what Emerickus will do with Miu in his hands. Should we wait until morning, Miu may very well no longer be with us. Moreover, if we wait until morning, Emerickus may find his way off into another providence. One which is not so easily accessible to us. We must strike while the iron is hot, I’m afraid.”
Realizing that the King is firm in his word, the Guard resigns. The chorus of pounding hearts beat against their respective ribcages, all casting prayers up to Gaia.
