It turned out that preparing for war meant a lot of time sitting in meetings and debating details most people wouldn’t think of. I knew that actually being in the war would involve many strategy meetings, but I might not have realized just how much there was to do before we could even set off.

Luckily, I didn’t need to be present or involved in most of that.

I’d been sitting in a conference room with generals and high-ranking officers, plus Kariva and a few of her people, for hours now. We’d been discussing the most important points.

I looked back at the sheet of paper in front of me. With the help of Kariva and Tenira, I’d drafted a message halfway between a royal command and a call for volunteers. It had been spread to the nobility, and now we were waiting. Looking at the flowery words, I grimaced.

Everyone agreed that time was of the essence. We’d send an advance force south as soon as possible, one that would be able to travel quickly. The rest of the troops mobilized for this war would follow.

Someone tapping their hand on the table brought my attention back to the debate. The officer, a gray-haired general, shook his head as he glared at the woman opposite him. “It would be more trouble than it’s worth. There’d be questions about command. And those of the eighth stage are notoriously … difficult to work with.”

A few of the people present grimaced. One of them asked, “But can we really afford not to?”

“It probably wouldn’t matter much,” General Tsakan said. “The raiders know they can’t match us in a straight fight, so they’ll split up, try to force us to defend everything. Only a few of the eighth-stagers are known for their senses, and none of those could join us.”

“Besides,” Poteri added, “if we bring several, the raiders will know they’ve lost, and they could just hole up in towns and force us to devastate the settlements to bring them down.”

I almost grimaced at that. It sounded like we needed to have the invaders think they stood a chance. That agreed with what military ‘wisdom’ I remembered from Earth, that an enemy was most dangerous when he’s desperate.

“We’ve agreed, then,” Tsakan said. “Someone in the eighth stage from the south might join us. In any case, we’ll proceed as planned. We’ll send the relief force down quickly. Your Highness?”

“I’ll lead that one, of course,” I said. “I want to be involved in what’s happening in the south.”

We’d already sent a message with the gist of the plan. But this communication worked with a massive qi drain of a formation. It sent out a qi construct that traveled at great speed. Unfortunately, for locations hundreds of kilometers away, that ‘great speed’ still made anything like real-time coordination impossible.

That was why the generals had agreed to leave coordinating the local defense in the hands of the commanders in the region. I agreed, of course. Trying to micro-manage with that kind of control loop, not to mention the information throughput, would be courting disaster.

No one seemed surprised at my words. Instead, the discussion turned back to which units would be sent and who would be in tactical command. Unfortunately, there weren’t many that could be recalled this quickly, without leaving important positions uncovered.

“I hate saying this, but we can’t afford to uncover the border,” I agreed. “Not when the Zarian are clearly up to something. The rest of the tribes could take advantage, too. For all we know, this army is simply meant to soften us up. If anything, we should transfer more troops to the border.”

“The Zarian will see that as a provocation,” Tsakan warned.

I rubbed my temples. “Fine. Not enough reinforcements to seem suspicious, of course. If they want to be butthurt over our sending more soldiers south, they will in any case.”

At that point, Tenira slipped back into the room, walking to my side.

“What exactly did you ‘organize’, Tenira?” I asked quietly. She’d left without telling me any details.

“Your retinue, of course,” she said. “Seeing as I’m your only permanent retainer. A few of our relatives and vassals will join us for the campaign. I also picked some servants and coordinated with Aston.”

I rolled my eyes. Of course I needed to go to war with an entourage. At least I knew I didn’t have to worry about my safety. They wouldn’t let me get into serious danger.

“Fine. This time, I’m not letting Aston leave me,” I muttered. “No matter how many seventh-stagers they send.”

The discussion was winding down as well. I was glad I didn’t need to put effort into memorizing all the names they mentioned, and could just look them up later. But now, we were almost ready to depart.

 

---

 

I wished I could skip this part, just fast-forward to the traveling, or maybe arrival. Unfortunately, even magic didn’t work that way. And I needed to be present for this.

I looked down at the white robe I wore. Even the pearls and diamonds woven into and hanging from it as decoration all had the same color. Everything fit, so I stepped up to the chariot and jumped inside. It was a monster of a carriage, hovering a meter above the ground with lots of spikes and armaments protruding from it. I suspected those were for show. Its general design reminded me of chariots from Earth’s history, with low walls and an open back.

One of the spirit beasts pulling the carriage turned its head to look at me. It snorted, its breath gently blowing across my face with a hint of qi. It felt like I’d breathed in relaxing incense. The beast itself looked like nothing I’d seen before. Like a giant elephant with fur and a lion’s mane in pure white, plus sharp tusks with an edge.

‘Your human traditions are weird, but this is an easy task,’ a voice said in my mind. I decided it sounded male.

We started moving, and he turned his head to face forward. I straightened up into a regal posture, tightening my grip on the polearm in my right hand. The gates of the palace’s outer wall opened before us, and a wall of noise swept over me. The soldiers marching in front of and behind me sounded quiet in comparison.

‘I know that,’ I replied in my mind. ‘I’m just a bit nervous. After all, there’s a lot of people outside and I am going to war.’

‘Understandable. You humans are awfully fond of crowds.’

‘Be nice, Jaiidu,’ a new voice chided. I couldn’t tell their gender. Had to be the second beast, who flicked their ear in his direction.

By now, the carriage had reached the road going from the palace towards the fort a few kilometers away, where we would be boarding the airships taking us south. Only a part of the road cut through the city’s outskirts, but the sides of the path were packed with people. They cheered, and sent up flickers of qi that resulted in sparks, puffs of air or blinking lights. A few waved flags, both normal ones and some that glowed like neon lights, but made with enchantments.

This had been organized quickly, considering it was still the same day we’d received the news. Well, the sun had sunk a while ago, but still. It seemed a traditional send-off to war had priority.

I felt the weight of the crown resting on my head keenly, even though it was only made of flowers. White ones that glowed with qi. White Sun Flowers, despite the stupid name, were hard to find and valuable ingredients, but I guessed this use was more important. Morale mattered, even if I didn’t understand the traditions.

‘Why are you doing this, by the way?’ I asked the spirit beasts. They had to be strong. Why play draft animals?

‘It is hardly an arduous task, and our honor demands it,’ the first one replied. ‘Your clan has helped our people for a long time, so we work to repay that debt.’

‘You must have seen a lot. Have you ever fought in a war?’

The rest of the way, I chatted with the spirit beasts. It helped to take my mind off the way the people looked at me. This had to be the first time they saw me in an official capacity, and I knew I needed to make a good impression. So I stood with my head held high, occasionally waving to them. They cheered me like rabid fans for some superstar. They must really like our clan, and Mother, probably for the civil rights laws she made.

The spirits beasts’ stories were interesting. Both of them had seen warfare, although it was on another continent against very different enemies. Their tales about ‘glorious battle’ and the nights before it helped make me feel more prepared to face my own war.

We made good progress, and before I knew it, the crowds thinned out. Soon, we passed through the gate of another wall, and reached an open field where airships waited for us in neat rows.

They all looked similar, gleaming in blue paint, although I could distinguish three types of different sizes. The only one that stood out had golden decorations and a slightly different shape, plus it radiated more qi. When I looked around, I saw another group of airships to the side of them, this one made of different types and sizes and scattered in little groups, most of them dyed in vibrant colors and decorated in various ways.

The chariot pulled up in front of the first row of airships, directly facing the special one. I thanked the spirit beasts and hopped down. Guards surrounded me at once. For this occasion, they had all put on their ceremonial armor, painted in gold, silver and blue, and polished so they shined in the qi lights illuminating the airstrip. Tenira materialized at my side, as well.

“I suppose I should greet the nobles?” I asked her.

“They’re coming over now.” I was sure her smile showed sympathy.

A moment later, the crowd arrived. I recognized most of them, either from my one session of court or from pictures in the dossiers Kariva had provided at meetings. They were dressed either in robes decorated with precious metals and gems, or in armor that had too many frills and inlays. The gathered group consisted of maybe two dozen nobles, none of them below the sixth stage or looking younger than forty. I knew they had to be the leaders or senior representatives of their houses, and the other members waited in the airships.

All of them knelt to me in greeting, then introduced themselves in order of title and seniority.  Luckily, everyone knew that time was short, so they didn’t linger too long. They assured me of their support, praised the martial strength of their house, and invited me to talks at a later time. I replied the same way to all of them, saying how pleased I was, that I looked forward to fighting beside them, and so on.

When they departed, I still felt drained.

Before I could enter the airship, Aston approached me with a few other guards. He’d clamped his hands onto the shoulder of a boy I only recognized after a moment, since he wore makeup and dark clothes with a hood.

“Your Highness, we caught Prince Alaster attempting to sneak onto an airship,” he explained.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Seriously, Al? I don’t want to hear anything about you being older than twelve ever again. You know that even if you’d succeeded, I would have just sent you back, right?”

Alaster sulked. “But I am seventeen. I’m old enough to go to war.”

“By Earth standards, you’re not. Even by local standards, that would be highly questionable.” I crossed my arms and frowned down at him. “And biologically, you’re twelve, which is too young even here. And not strong enough, either. I’m disappointed in you.”

“But Big Sister!” He looked at me with wide eyes. “I want to help you! I can’t let you go off into danger alone. Plus, I’m going to be a general, remember? I need experience. The guards would make sure nothing happens to me.”

That prompted a sudden thought. Please don’t tell me Xiaodon is also trying to sneak in. Although, she is watched more closely.

“It’s still too dangerous and I wouldn’t want you to see what’s going to happen,” I said. “You don’t need that. Besides, I already said no and you tried to sneak in anyway.”

Aston finally took his hand off, probably sensing Al’s defeat. “What should be done with His Highness, my lady?”

“Tell his tutors and guards that he’s confined to the main building for a week,” I decided. “And double his etiquette lessons.”

“Please don’t, Elder Sister!” he pouted. “Isn’t this humiliation enough?”

“You defied your Elder Sister,” I pointed out. “Obviously you still have much to learn. Besides, that was a crappy attempt at sneaking. Or at least long-term planning. You deserve to be punished for that alone.”

After a long moment of silence, he nodded.

“I’m leaving now,” I said. “Stay safe.”

 He sighed, and stepped forward to give me a hug. “I’ll miss you.”

I had to smile. “Me too, Al.”

After that, a few of the guards escorted him off. I looked after them, shaking my head. I really would miss both of them.

I turned back to enter the airship, but once again, stopped before I crossed the hatch. This time, it was a distortion in the air besides the entrance that gave me pause. I squinted and focused on my qi senses.

As if sensing it was caught, the figure withdrew some of its veil, letting me get a better impression. It was indistinct, little more than wisps in the outline of a person, only a hint of a physical presence. But I could tell this spirit was strong, it’s — no, their — qi shone like a shooting star.

“Honored spirit.” I inclined my head. “Are you here for me?”

‘Yes, little light,’ they answered, their voice cracking like sparks struck on stone. ‘You shouldn’t go south.’

“Really?” What is it with spirits and cryptic warnings?

‘It might not end well for you,’ they said. ‘You have enemies in the south.’

“That’s sort of what war means.”

‘I’m aware, hidden light.’ Something like a rumbly chuckle echoed from their form. ‘But still. You don’t understand. Please heed my warning.’

“Will you explain it to me, then?”

‘No.’

I sighed. This didn’t sit well with me. On the other hand, I really needed to go, and it would take more than a vague warning to just abandon this campaign. “I’m sorry, but I have to. Thank you for the warning, though.”

‘Very well.’ Their form contorted into a bow before it flowed back upright. ‘I wish you success on your venture. Do not say you weren’t warned.’

With that, their form dissipated, their qi signature flowing away.

I finally entered the airship, but I was too preoccupied to pay it much attention.

I really needed to figure out what was up with these spirits, but I had no idea where to even start. They didn’t seem to want to tell me who my enemies were, or anything helpful, really. For the moment, I pushed it to the back of my mind, since I needed to focus on this ‘going to war’ thing.