ACT IVTHE CIVIL WAR

  CHAPTER 59THE WAR ASSEMBLYHans pushed the baffled Allynna towards Vanir. “Take her somewhere else. I need to have a serious talk. This is about to get bloody.” He turned to Delimira, his eyes narrowed. “You do know, I don’t leave loose ends.”

  “I saw this coming when you gave in, and that’s up to you, Hans, but I need to confirm something first. Follow me.” They both left, leaving the second-years alone.

  “Wow,” Allynna just stood there stunned. Her own people who didn’t bother to listen to her commands or rather plights succumbed to this easily by the words of an outsider. “They just left like that! I was struggling, trying to convince them, but it didn’t work. And all it did for the imperial… senior Hans to say a few words, and they backed off.”

  “He commanded unlike how you requested them.” Vanir answered, proud. “There is a fundamental difference. The authority he carries with the strength to back it up helps too. That didn’t come from his family background but within himself.”

  “You admire him, don’t you, Vanir?”Allynna asked, almost dejected.

  “Of course, who wouldn’t?” Vanir looked at her like she had asked a useless question. He reasoned, “A person has to be at least in that calibre to rule a nation.”

  “That sure makes me envious.” Her st words were so silent that they didn’t even reach her ears, but she understood what she was feeling at that moment.

  Meanwhile, Hans was pacing at Delimira’s home. “Is it connected yet?” he asked.

  “It doesn’t help when you breathe down my neck—

  “Click!” The orb got connected, and Delimira fired the question first at the recipient. “What is your angle in this madness, aunt?”

  “So, you succeeded, of course, you would’ve. After all, you are still in my palms, niece.” Reina from the other side mocked.

  “What did your people want with Allynna?” Delimira was relentless. She knew she was used by her. She questioned, “Were they your people or not?”

  “It was unanimously decided to trade my daughter and the council leader’s son for peace. I had no say in it when it was about the peace in my war-torn country. But I didn’t want that for my daughter. It seemed evident what would happen to her ter. The peace would be temporary at best.”

  Delimira’s eyes asked her to continue.

  Resigning Reina answered, “So when the Crows send an escort to fetch her, I blocked every transmission and informed Ally to reach you.”

  “So you just left her here.” Delimira became furious. She knew Hans helping her was a fluke. “What if he hadn’t stopped them? Do you understand the gravity of that situation? You used your daughter as a bargaining chip—

  “I had faith in your feelings, Delimira. I said someone has deep influence on the prince of Parv. You said not to use him. I didn’t?” Reina scoffed. “You did.”

  “I acknowledge you got me pretty good, but there is a price to pay when you got Hans involved. The people, the very loyal people to the Crows, are lying dead somewhere. You won’t be able to find their bodies.”

  “They should have listened to me then.” Reina affirmed.

  “You are a sick woman, Queen Reina. You handed the fate of your daughter to your enemy after what you did to him in the Deadnds. You should have known. You have charted top on his kill list. You are his enemy.”

  “Listen well, Delimira Winters.” Reina looked like she was imparting wisdom on her, but the receiver was disgusted by those words. However, it didn’t affect her to say, “Sometimes your enemies are more reliable than allies, and I had trust in your affection for Allynna. You have a grip on the Parvian neck.

  “You overestimated me. It could have cost Allynna’s life.”

  “I don’t do things which I don’t know for a fact, and the fact is, dear niece, you would have stopped her even at the cost of being summoned to Cndor for trial of opposing the royal decree.”

  “But it was not your decree, neither your wish—”

  “That does not matter.” Reina denied. “One must adapt to the situation which benefits you the most. I taught you this at the very first.”

  “This is madness—

  “This is politics,” Reina’s tone turned curt. “You are listening, don’t you?”

  “Tsk,” Hans came beside Delimira from behind.

  “Let me just ask you. What do you have on highborns?” She asked, her face full of disgust.

  “And why do you think I’d just tell you?” Hans scoffed.

  “Pft, I had doubts, but you just confirmed you have something on him. See, I’m not the one underestimating you two. You overestimate yourself.

  “Say that to my face when I smack you hard. See you there, you mad woman. You just made your war my business.”

  “Then come here. You have a lot of people trying to protect you. That just shows how truly weak you are.”

  “No,” Hans chuckled. “It says I’m more likable than you damned elf.”

  Click— “Ugh, she…. She really gets on my nerve.”

  Hans was serious; she was an itch that he couldn’t scratch. He had convinced Arat to devise something for him to be in the epicenter of the civil war of Cndor, and he was waiting patiently, honing his skills.

  Several more days were gone peacefully, but this was calm before the storm, and it eventually came knocking, sweeping whole Genas with it when one of Cndor’s royal faction’s fortress was breached in the dividing borders. This was the first step of the Council in Western Cndor, and it was all due to the help of Mana bombs from Parv.

  In a single day, the Royals lost a fort, and it marked the beginning of an all-out war. Concordia decred a state of emergency, and the annual holidays began a week earlier. Students were free to choose whether they wanted to return home or to stay in the protection of Concordia, which continued to be neutral like Indu and HellForge, the dwarven nation.

  However, anyone who wished to be a part of the war was free to do so at the cost of giving up their positions they held in Concordia, like Aredhel. Many people had already taken on sides; the majority were supporting and providing their services to the royal faction like other nations. And, in the middle of that chaos, Norwin of Genas Alliance called the war assembly for their allies in the neutral ground of Concordia.

  And in the next morning, one after another, SpaceDoor lit up, and allies of Cndor’s royal faction stepped in; their board hall, which only housed a few seats before, had magically expanded to house hundreds of people.

  “Zwoom!” Arat and his escorts descended onto the floatnds, marked by a beam of light. They bowed respectfully to Hans, who awaited their arrival. “So, did you make a pn for me?” Hans questioned, more like demanded the answer.

  Initially, Arat wanted to deny Hans’s whims, but seeing his authoritative attitude, he resigned, “Your wish is my command, my prince.”

  Hans nodded; he got an answer he aligned with. With a swing of motion, he put on the majestic white robe of Imperials, golden Gryphon shining on pure white attire. He looked like a full-fledged Imperial ready for going into the assembly.

  He led the way to the board hall, with Arat and his escort trailing behind him.

  “Creek!” The doors of the board hall opened, and Hans stepped in with his escort and currently the common enemy of the world, Arat trailing from behind.

  The buzzing board hall, currently hosting the war assembly, went dead silent until someone from Sunfall commented, “Man of no mistakes, finally did something, and it fucked us over.”

  Someone agreed, passing the simir mockery towards Arat, and this type of comments kept passing among these people. Hans knew he had tarnished Arat’s reputation, but the man of getting criticism stayed as calm as stagnant water.

  “Ahem! Ahem!” Norwin, who initiated this assembly, coughed, and the people got silenced. He addressed Arat, bypassing Hans, “So tell me how are you going to redeem yourself, Arat?” There was no respect in his tone, but that didn’t matter at this point to any men but Hans.

  However, he held it in as Arat patted on his shoulder, reminding him to stay calm. This was Hans's inaugural meeting as Parv's representative, and at just thirteen years old, he was the youngest among the world rulers assembled there. “Your father would be proud.” He whispered.

  Focussing on the answer seekers, Arat responded, “My apologies again; this happened due to my misguided belief and ck of intel.” He respectfully bowed and again whispered to Hans, “Remember my prince — In the need of the hour, you have to bow to a donkey if it benefits you.”

  “Quit the theatrics, Arat. Just tell us what was so important that you called me to assemble everyone here?” Asked Norwin.

  “The weight of my word has become a joke nowadays, so I doubted my summoning power, but your words hold true. That’s why I asked this favour, Alliance head Norwin.” Arat showed a short smile and continued, “and now to address the giant in the room. As my Prince Hans has commanded, I have to redeem myself by helping your side, and this is my first step— I’ve found the location of Eclipse—”

  “Shut it, old man,” Norwin interjected, adding, “don’t you think you should tell these things more privately, not in front of hundreds of people?”

  “You don’t trust your allies?” Arat pointed out. “I also know there must be some spies of the council or Eclipse among our friends.” He gestured to the crowd, adding, “but it doesn’t matter if Xandor knows that we know. Since it would be impossible for him to move. He could only brace himself in his hole, and the council power would be divided in two.”

  Norwin heaved, “Can I trust you with the information—”

  “Yes, over my life.” Arat assured him with a confident gaze.

  Then a screen behind Norwin lit up, and Eleanor and Reina, who were listening to this from the frontline with a communication orb, joined them.

  “Ha, finally the royals are gracing us with their presence.” Arat commented, but Reina’s contorted face was showing off how discontent she was with the current situation.

  Arat had doubts as others, so he asked as Reina showed up on the screen, “Greetings, I hope OSIRIS blesses you in the war. I have just one question, Queen Reina, will you allow me to indulge?”

  Reina was taken aback by the sudden show of respect, so she nodded. Arat then proceeded, “The new council, your enemies, are descendants of the old Council. The influence of the other eight high elven families has shaped them into what they are now. Are you confident that the ninth family won't interfere from behind?”

  “No, Anfaleen rejected them. He has holed himself in the node, busy researching. He has given the word of oath that under no circumstances will any Torceran get involved with these matters.

  “And you trust that?” Arat doubted.

  “Arrogant people see lying beneath them, isn’t it, Prince of Parv?” She sneered at Hans, and Hans smirked back the same. She continued to answer as this was a doubt many people wanted to clear: “Trust him. I wasn’t born yesterday. I’ve made the Cndor node mark the Torceran’s. He won’t be able to pincer us. But there is another thing we all are curious about.” Her eyes shifted to Arat: “Give me the exact numbers of weapons you’ve sold to the Council.”

  Arat paused a little and responded, “Too many.”