Night fell over the Arkesian Waste, and with it came the freezing chill of a moistureless desert now that the sun had set. Bonfires ignited all across the war camp to ward off the dark and cold. Soldiers gathered around to warm themselves up, nurse their wounds, and drink ale. Many jumped upright at attention as Kanae passed by on her way to the officers' area. She lifted a finger, signalling them to be quiet since Feraline was asleep on her back.

Almost a year had gone by since Kanae arrived in Savir. A lot happened here and back home, too. Her children had grown older. She missed some of their birthdays. What was supposed to have been a rescue mission turned into an entire war.

Feraline even learned to speak! Though still infantile at best, Kanae was able to catch up with her. Esta did her best raising the drakeling girl despite being swamped with Order of Colors work.

"Kanae." Petyr emerged from a long medical tent, inside of which many injured lay asleep on cots.

Some crowned Priests, judging by the familiar incantations they muttered, regularly provided healing magic to soothe the wounded. There were a lot of them. Dozens in just one tent among many more.

It was like this during Ortesia's invasion of the Commonwealth, too. Kanae couldn't bear to see her own people hurt. Lilith and Zadris led the medical care in that war, since they had experience in that regard.

"Your soldiers will be fine," Petyr answered, as though having read Kanae's mind. "They are pathetic and inept in warfare, but they make up for it with… passion, I suppose.. Again, I'd like to reiterate that—"

Kanae rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You can't believe you lost the war. I've heard it a thousand times from you. Thanks for helping them. Despite, you know… them being pathetic and inept."

"I've seen every manner of injury imaginable. I figured I should put that knowledge to use here, seeing as I'm a member of Amethyst Hall," she added proudly.

They walked as far as only a few steps before it finally hit Kanae.

"You admitted to being a member of Amethyst Hall!" Kanae teased.

"No, I didn't. I said temporary member." Petyr turned the other cheek. "You better not think I'm winning this war for you. It would just reflect badly on the name Petyr Stormcloud if I lost two wars in a row. And Riley. I'm here for Riley. Remember that!"

"Uh-huh." She held back from saying any more.

The two arrived at the officers' main camp, a large tent in the center with the standards of every force present staked outside. When Kanae and Petyr entered, everyone stopped what they were doing to salute, offering their due reverence to the Queen of the Commonwealth. But just as quickly, they returned to quiet discussions over the war effort. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveI-Fire.ɴet

There was one big table and several smaller ones, around which different officers and generals had gathered to make plans. Arenade, Edina, and Archbishop Patrice were in a heated argument that neither the Knight of Silver nor Red were interested in being a part of. Both Saint Priests were lounging in the back, and Delayn in particular was nodding off. Manabe also stood meekly to the side, watching their 'talks' unfold.

"How was your walk with our daughter, Master?" Esta peeled away from the table and took over carrying Feraline on her back.

"It was nice. We had a lot to talk about. Well, Feraline talked a lot. Especially about how you let her hunt a dire beast by herself." Kanae glared.

"Ah, yes. I remember that fondly. The dire wolf stood no chance against her." She recalled and didn't at all feel Kanae's shaming gaze.

Drakelings really just did things their own way…

"So, what's going on over there?" Kanae asked.

"They can't agree on where to focus our attention," Esta started with a sigh. "The Harpy King's initial attack was swift and effective. Too swift. When your army can fly, the surface is no obstacle. We first encountered them crossing from Kandis into the Arkesian Waste, and twice more after. The attack you intervened in was the fourth. We have reason to believe, or so our reconnaissance team's preliminary reports suggest, that Elusis has completely seized control of Bravost and its surrounding territories. The most recent mobilization movements gathering west indicate a preparation to attack Avanesse next. Soon."

"Which is why we should take our army west and kick the Harpy King's ass right then and there," Arenade shoehorned herself into the conversation.

"Amethyst, talk some sense into your wife. There is no guarantee the Harpy King will be there. He could be leading from Bravost instead. We must free Sultana Dudula. Her forces won't act while their monarch is in captivity. Their numbers will help us. Your army of 5,000 isn't enough," Archbishop Patrice explained.

Kanae turned to Edina to see what the squirreling was arguing for.

"I was saying we should free this village called Notausk. They farm some zesty peanuts. But I didn't really mean it. Just wanted to give Arenade a hard time." Edina snickered.

"You stupid little…!" Seething, Arenade raced around the table to choke the squirreling out.

Petyr pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"If I may?" A voice belonging to someone Kanae hadn't heard in ages spoke up.

Thedia, the feline beastman and acting Chairman of Rown Company, left a table where several officers were hunched over a map. Her amber and blue eyes glistened from the torchlight, but they closed shut as she bowed.

"Thedia! It's been so long! No wonder the Rown Company standard is being flown," Kanae said.

"Hehe. It has indeed. But there will be time for us to catch up later. Archbishop Patrice had previously informed me that my Lady Renya was captured, and that the eldest son of Solasta Rown orchestrated it. His presence has… complicated things. Half the Rown men that accompanied the Commonwealth army here have deserted. We need to deal with Sol Rown and take Lady Renya back. Our transportation won't last in Savir without the manpower to fix them," Thedia explained.

"Ugh. Thedia's right." Arenade let Edina go. "Rown's got the best construction workers this side of the world has ever known. Some of the carriages and wagons have already broken down, but with only half the numbers, the Rown folks are overworked."

"But we don't know where Sol is, let alone Renya's location." She frowned.

The temporary chairman smirked. "On the contrary, I do. Unbeknownst to the deserters, I sent a small group of loyal men to join them. Sol has captured Trombay, a sapphire mine owned by some merchants of the East Saviran Trading Association. He has made his base of operations there, and… " She bared her fangs. "Lady Renya was seen alive and paraded as a trophy."

The wagons needed fixing, and the bulk of the Commonwealth army wasn't going to move without them. Rescuing Renya would resolve a lot of their problems, and taking out Sol was the bonus.

They drew up a plan of attack. Kanae intended to lead a small force on Trombay while the rest of the army stayed put. Thedia would accompany her, as well as Red and Camilla on Archbishop Patrice's order. The make up of their group, however, didn't sit well with some of them.

"I believe it is in Master's best interests if I fight by her side," Esta said.

"I wanna kill some shit and raise them as undead, not sit around in camp!" Edina complained.

"Esta, no. I know you're going to bring Feraline along. And Edina, you're here for when the Harpy King's forces inevitably attack the camp again. You're going to have plenty to fight," Kanae explained.

Both of them sulked.

Come morning, everyone who would be setting out for Trombay was getting ready to depart. They were only afforded a single carriage, and the rest were going to have to march on foot. Kanae waited outside the war camp with Thedia, Red, Camilla, but the 100-man army promised to them was missing.

"Hello! What are we waiting for?" Kanae groaned.

Two nervous guards out front ducked away hoping they didn't need to answer.

"Relax, Amethyst! Just enjoy the morning while we wait. Here, have a puff!" Camilla shoved a smoking pipe in her face.

"Hookah, I'm fine with. But actually smoking? Where I came from, smoking too much is bad for you in the long term." Kanae hesitated and stared at the burning herbs in the bowl.

"Haha! Danito says the same thing. That I'll probably die from smoking before battle or old age. Don't know about you, but I'm taking that challenge." She grinned.

Kanae relented. She took the pipe and inhaled deeply, causing the embers to intensify. A very pleasant and floaty feeling pulsed in her head. The sensation rippled to the rest of her body like a rush of nail-biting adrenaline followed by an immediate relaxation of every muscle.

"Damn," Kanae muttered.

"Right?" Camilla beamed brightly and continued smoking.

Wait. Kanae stared at Camilla in disbelief. How did this beastman smoke constantly and still stayed functioning?

"My queen!" First Sister Lilith waved as she led a group of hunky male beastmen.

"Who are they?!" Kanae gaped.

Their mode of dress, leather pelts and loincloths, suggested none of them were from the Commonwealth. At least not that Kanae could remember. Dark skin and complexion lent to them being Savirans. Kandis or Arkesian Waste natives at best. Minotaur, rhinocerine, centauri, and more large-sized beastmen alike were among them.

"They helped us cross the Arkesian Wastes! Queen Arenade promised them you would serve as a surrogate for their population crisis in exchange for fighting for us," Lilith explained.

"I can't believe Arenade made that decision for me." Kanae slapped a hand to her face, only to split two fingers apart at the eyes to stare at their bulging groins. "Well, a promise is a promise. I can help them later…"

"We look forward to your cooperation, succubus." A minotaur extended a hand to her, and when she shook it, her womb quivered a little.

In addition to the two dozen tribal beastmen, 20 Highgreen marksmen and 60 Commonwealth footsoldiers accompanied them. Aside from the beastmen, the soldiers… were not doing well in Savir at all. The heat was getting to them. Unless they had the same discipline and training Petyr received, no one was going to wear a full suit of armor. Instead, they donned leather cuirasses or light gambeson coats.

During their march towards Trombay, a couple of men fainted. Kanae and Red swooped down to help. It wasn't hard to deduce that they suffered from heatstroke. Their only option was to put them in the carriage to rest it out, but hours into the journey, the number had swelled to twelve.

"We're going to lose our fighting force before reaching Trombay…" Red chewed on her claw.

"Thedia, we should stop to let the soldiers rest. If they keep marching, the beastmen will be the only ones left who can fight," Kanae explained.

"I will not stop. Trombay isn't much farther away," Thedia insisted.

Kanae and Red exchanged nervous glances.

"It won't mean a thing if we don't have the force to fight them," Red said.

"The longer we delay, the more risk there is to Lady Renya's life. There is no telling what Sol will do between here and Trombay. I'll not let the woman who rescued my family perish," Thedia murmured as if in a trance.

"Thedia, stop the carriage!" Kanae exerted a charm on the feline beastman, then addressed the soldiers. "Take shelter in the shade and rest up. We'll move again in an hour!"

They parked themselves on the shaded side of a large boulder. Everyone was caked in sweat. Some poured their waterskins over themselves instead of drinking just to cool down. Meanwhile, Thedia continued to hold the reins to the squawking ronoas with a sour look on her face.

"Thedia, what gives? I want to rescue Renya as much as you do, but I'm not going to torture my soldiers to death," Kanae confronted her.

"Forgive me. Perhaps this heat is getting to me, too. Lady Renya means a lot to me. She lifted my sisters and I out of poverty when we were but an abandoned litter in Orturic. When those Rown deserters left camp after serving her for years, I just… couldn't stand it." Thedia squeezed the rope until her knuckles turned white.

"Loyalty is a fickle thing." Camilla patted her shoulder on the way out of the carriage. "Some can be bought with money. Others, not. In the history of Saint Priests, not a single one of us has ever betrayed Radevic's three leaders. Well, except Archbishop Gretchen, but she was a special case. Gold can only buy someone's loyalty for so long."

"It wasn't money that won me over to—"

"Hey, hey! I'm not mocking you. I didn't say your loyalty was bought. I know when someone's loyal just by looking at 'em. I'm trying to say those deserters did Rown Company a favor. Chin up!" The Saint Priest grinned.

Somehow, Camilla managed to calm Thedia down with that pep talk. She hopped down from the carriage and started unloading some rations to pass around. With time to spare, Kanae decided to scout ahead and get a look at Trombay. It would give Thedia some peace of mind, too. But before she could fly off—

"Where do you think you're going?" Red grabbed her arm. "Can't very well let the Queen of the Commonwealth do the grunt work. Don't you have scouts for that?"

"To begin with, I never asked to be made queen. I'm too used to doing things myself. But maybe you're right. We're close to enemy territory." Kanae went to call her soldiers to attention and asked for someone with experience in reconnaissance.

A harpy man stepped out from the group. He was of middle age, possibly late 30s. Dark brown feathers were frayed at the tips. Slender yet toned physique, seemingly capable of flying fast if needed.

"I'm Torey. I hail from Highgreen and trained under Margrave Grell. His son Noah and I have gone on missions before during the Ortesian invasion. I can help, Your Majesty." Torey volunteered.

"Good. You're not going alone though. The Knight of Red and I are coming with," Kanae explained.

The trio lifted off, but it was obvious they had different ideas. Kanae and Red were high in the sky, while Torey was lower near the surface.

"Your Majesty, the Elusis scouts will be flying as well. Our best chance to avoid being seen is to stay low and close to the canyons!" Torey explained.

They followed the harpy's advice and descended to his elevation, flying along canyon crevasses, the sparse vegetation, and under the cover of taller ranges. Torey was proven right when a shadow zipped past them from above. He motioned for them to pause. One of the Harpy King's soldiers, a harpy, soared across the sunny sky and missed them. Instead of the ground, her eyes scanned far into the horizon. Had the three been flying high, too, they would certainly be found.

Fortunately, the scout's patrol led her elsewhere. Kanae, Red, and Torey slowed down as the sound of pickaxes striking stones reached their ears. Trombay was a mid-sized mining settlement, built around the large mouth of a tunnel shored up by wooden beams, fed by a long line of railcarts that come up and go with hauls of stone, and hundreds of people toiling away.

Two figures emerged from the tunnel, one of which made Kanae's hair stand. Sol Solasta. The other, Praijya, the Left Talon of the Harpy King.

"Praijya…" Red muttered the name with venomous spite.

"Already acquainted?" Kanae asked.

"Praijya's the one who put me in Buhar. SpellBreaker. Tch! What an annoying class to deal with as a Battlemage. Amethyst. I got a special request. If we end up fighting her, I want to be the one to tango with the bitch," she said.