The Last Sentience

A cool, salty breeze wafted up from the sea as the hot sun beat down on me. Strange birds cackled in the skies, diving in the water for fish. Roughly a week has passed since I met with Rhoskeil. Saongre gave me the spare supplies, as promised, but whether they would be enough is another matter. The anchors on the ships slowly rose as the predominantly Venkí and Isranaoan sailors prepared to set sail. The freed elves, mainly the children, but some of the older ones, marvelled at the raptors, caged and latched on the decks of the ships. The majority stood twelve or so feet tall, a height Itrust would probably never achieve. Tarhívé attempted to put him in with the other raptors, but before Itrust or I could even protest, they lashed out at him. I walked into the captain's quarters where Tarhívé waited, in the candle-lit room, with maps of the Aturah Ocean laid out onto a table. She looked up as I closed the door with a quiet thud.

"Grandma Jáhyn is deeply disappointed in the both of you," Tarhívé said heartbrokenly. "When she finally got me to tell her what was actually going on, she just fainted." Tarhívé looked back down to her maps, and sighed. "Grandma can always tell when someone is lying, but this one time, she hoped she was wrong."

"Tell grandma--"

"No, Kélé, don't try to justify your actions. You and your brother both are two stubborn people. Take after your mother and her father."

I stared up at the ceiling, eyes burning. "Tarhívé, tell grandma I want to see her. I should've realized how this would--"

"She was going to see you after you finished with your plan. She just doesn't know if she's going to lose one or two grandsons along with her son."

I looked at her silently, not knowing what to say or do. I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out of my mouth.

"At least there's still some of us in you," Tarhívé said solemnly. A loud sequence of knocks filled the room. A grey green snout poked through the door.

"Come in Itrust," I said.

His eyes flickered around the room, noting me and my cousin, before pushing in a larger, duller raptor, and then walking in himself. The other raptor fidgeted nervously, its neck feathers lacking the iridescence of Itrust's.

"Barrékél," Tarhívé said impatiently, deal with your raptor hear. We need to talk about your actual plans on the marine front.

"Just leave them in," I said as I moved to her side. "I'll deal with them afterwards." Tarhívé rolled her eyes. "Sure," she said.

"The overall plan is a simple island hopping strategy. We move from the east, occupying territory as we go along. However, we must make sure not to engage the Islander fleet head on. As the army takes islands and supplies, you and your fleet need to pick off Islander ships. Take note of any peculiar currents to use them to our advantage and to avoid falling into traps. When we besiege the capital, I want you to blockade them. If my plan with the elven leaders I met works, namely Nobukeita, we shall have their ships as well."

"Very well, but we run the risk of sea serpents. It is breeding season after all."

"We just need to avoid them and hope for the best on that front. We need to save any harpoons we have for the Islander's war serpents."

"I'll have them tipped with Kala fish poison in the event we need them."

"What do you have that can handle hawks?"

"Arrows and magic."

"Will arrows be enough? These are huge birds."

"Hawks can't fly with armor and a rider, so a few well placed arrows will bring down any bird, but I'm more worried about the dragons.

"I've run into them awhile back. They offered to help although it was not a formal agreement. I regret not getting a treaty now that I think about it, but I plan on sending word to them once more."

"Barrékél, if we get killed by dragonfire, I'm going to torment you for the rest of eternity."

"Fair enough."

"I'm going to send the plans to the rest of the fleet, so go deal with the raptors in here," Tarhívé said. She ducked under Itrust's tail as she walked out the room, into the scorching sun.

Itrust looked towards me and pointed to a brush and ink-well. I looked at it, and then back to him. I shook my head. The other raptor pushed Itrust and turned to the door, but he blocked it. The raptor hissed, but Itrust stood his ground and pointed to the brush and ink-well again. I looked at the ink-well again.

"No," I said. "Can't you speak?" The other raptor turned to face me, eyes wide.

I looked at the other raptor, eyes scanning it from snout to tail. "Oh, you can understand me, or at least understand that I'm speaking." I glanced back to Itrust. "Go on. I may not be the fastest on the uptake, but I can piece things together."

Itrust cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "What am I to you? Your pet? Your stuff? Just another animal, no different from the creatures elves ride on?" He asked in Shaoleim, his voice, hissing and his speech lacking sounds like mah and pah. Words that would be differentiated with an m or an n are now the same, and vowels of Shaoleim shift around, some pronounceable, others, not.

"I raised you Itrust. Yes, better conditions would have benefitted you as you grew up, but I never treated you badly."

"You didn't answer."

"You, Itrust, are my son. Not my birth, or hatch in your case, but you are my son."

"Then, dad, are we to be equal and free, like the elves you saved from slavery?"

"When the war is done," I said. Itrust looked at me hurt, eyes filled with betrayal.

"When the war is done? Is that right?"

A flash of realization rushed over me. The situation between the raptors and enslaved elves may be the same, if not even worse for the raptors. At least everyone knows elves are sentient, with songs, legends, and language. "Itrust, there's only so much land I can give away," I say, pretending to mishear him. "I can give permission to settle down, but not everyone can get land."

"I asked about being free and equal, not land. I'm sorry if how I speak is hard for you to hear. This is why I wanted to write."

"Don't apologize," I say as I walk over to Itrust and hold his hand, "of course you are equal and free." I turned to the other raptor. "What is your name?" I pointed to myself, "Barrékél."

The other raptor pointed to itself, "Īsentsīsetlen."

"It's a pretty name," I said. "How do you spell it in your language?"

"There's no writing system for their language." Itrust said.

"Sounds like a job for two smart raptors. One that knows the language, and one that knows how to write," I replied. I kissed Itrust on the forehead before walking back into the scorching sun.

God of Wisdom

" You want us," one of Tarhívé's sailors asked slowly, "to release the raptors and treat them like us?"

"Yes," I told her. "They're smart. Smarter than we all realized. We treat them with respect and give them what they deserve before they take it." I glanced over at one of the older raptors, a sixteen foot tall, twenty long beast, cramped in a cage with other raptors. It hissed its hiss-like language to Itrust, my ears only now picking up separate words. "They understand us, but we don't know what they're saying. The last thing we want is to fight an enemy we can't comprehend."

She looked at me skeptically, but shrugged and got out her keys and opened the gate. "You say they understand us?" the sailor asked. I nodded. "Well then," she said, "I guess we misunderstood the situation here."

The raptors, except Itrust, looked at each other in shock. The raptors said, in unison, "thank you," in Rasti'jara.

The sailor jumped back in shock, blinked and laughed. "Wow, I can't believe it! Your welcome. Wow! They can talk." She went back to milling around, dazed at what she just saw, mumbling wow in a mild stupor.

I walked up to the old raptor, its feathers dulled by time. The red crest which runs down his back dulled to a dark reddish-brown over time. I pointed to myself, "Barrékél."

The old raptor pointed to himself, "Kāsrinnakēhlitūskahle." He took my hands, looked me in the eye, and bowed towards me. Not knowing the proper response, I mimicked him. The old raptor smiled. "Ārekel," he said, physically unable to say my name correctly. He smiled once more.

"Kasrínnakéshítuskashé," I slowly say, for the first time in a long time, mispronouncing a foreign word or name. The old raptor's eyes were warm, welcoming, understanding as he lifted his head back up. I did the same, and he released my hands. The other raptors, including Itrust and Īsentsīsetlen, nod in approval. The sailors and elves around me, however, are filled with a mixture of shock, horror, and childlike joy.

*********

As the hours went by, with sailors surfing from ship to ship carrying messages and doing other duties, the raptors congregated around Itrust as he crafted a writing system for them. The elves, many of who were illiterate themselves, took note, and watched the raptors debate on how they should proceed with this monumental task. The language was simple in words, so much so that I could pick out a few merely half listening for the day, but the form of the language was completely foreign. I heard words and other sounds glommed onto them, yet got no true understanding out of what was said. What I could understand clearly was the discontent amongst the sailors about having their mounts no longer being mounts. Although no one from what I could hear expressed any desire to force the raptors into labor after seeing their intelligence and arguably sentience, they weren't happily adopting the shift in policy.

I looked up at the clear blue sky, damning me to roast unprotected from the sun. In fact, one of the reasons so many elves rushed to the raptors was to hide in their shadows. I glanced at the sun and the Great Band. It was roughly an hour past midday. I turned to walk below deck, to escape the sun, but as I walked down the stairs, I ran into Josheire.

"Oh, I was just coming to get you. We have a mild problem," he said as he turned back.

"What is the issue?" I ask, following him.

"It revolves a certain promise I made Gaoreng way back when." We got below deck and past many of the other freed elves and members of the company. While the freed elves were generally doing fine, tending to their families, the company looked heartbroken. We went into a small room with a hooded figure crouched in a corner. Gaoreng turned around, eyeing me and Josheire nervously.

"Tell me," Gaoreng asked, "how bad was it?"

"Utterly crushed," Josheire said, his words representing the mood of the company.

"I see," Gaoreng said. "Both my mother and sister, huh?" He asked, tearing pouring out of his eyes. "Was it because of us? Because of our siege?"

"No," Josheire replied. "It appears our rival found us out. Our names, our families."

"Oh, I see," Gaoreng said. I noticed a dim metallic flash in Gaoreng's right hand. I rushed out to grab his hand, but he stabbed himself in his left hand before I could do anything.

"Josheire," Gaoreng said. "You failed. You were too late."

Josheire went onto his knees and pulled the knife out of Gaoreng's hand. "That is true. I have failed you and nothing I can do will change that."

"Barrékél," Gaoreng said, "when we approached by the feathered serpent, it spat venom at us and curdled my blood. The gods have spoken about you, your plan, and my role in it. The spoke of great suffering, personal loss, and flowing blood. This all comes before a choice, what do you propose that choice is?"

I thought for a brief moment, recalling Gaoreng's terrified look that night. "Do what is right by you." As the words flowed out of my mouth, the ship was suddenly rocked by a large force to the side.

"To arms!" A sailor above deck shouted. "To arms!" We rush above deck, followed by the members of the company. As the hot sun blinds us, as we leave the dark, relatively cool area below deck, the sailors begin arming their harpoons and ballistas. The head of a sea serpent breaks from the waves, splashing salt water over the deck. The creature was riddled with lightning shaped scars and was blind in one eye. The beast turned its head in order to better see, revealing that it had no rider and was wild. The serpent flicked its tongue and craned its neck over towards the raptors. The sailors unsheathed their swords and began to carefully approach it. The snake opened its mouth, electricity crackling between its fangs. As if entranced, the freed elves and Gaoreng began walking towards it. The beast's golden eye met my one, and if only briefly, appeared as if it recognized me.

"At ease!" I commanded, to the surprise of the sailors. They sheathed their swords, although they remained ready to strike at a moment's notice, their ballistas aimed and ready to fire. Gaoreng reached out to the serpent with his bloodied left hand. The snake hissed, sparks flying out of its maw. Gaoreng glanced over at Josheire; he nodded. Gaoreng pulled down his hood, his long, jet black hair blowing in the wind. He touched the snake's snout and pulled down his scarf. Everything was still for a moment, even the seas paused, as if holding their breathe. Lightning crackled between the beast's fangs again, but the serpent calmed down, closing its jaws. It nudged Gaoreng gently before rearing its head once more. The beast spat a burst of lightning into the air and dove back into the depths.

Josheire run over to Gaoreng and threw him into the air, laughing. "Keingzatoa'o chose him!" He shouted excitedly. "Grab us a knife and feathers!" At this, the elves burst into a flurry of motion. A few rushed to the raptors, presumably asking them for shed feathers. Others ran for buckets and filled them with salt, including Josheire while others more stripped Gaoreng of his clothes, showing a broad shoulders, muscled man, covered from head to toe with various scars. Claw marks, healed stab wounds, slashes, a large, yet healed, puncture wound, and dozens of bite marks.

"Ink!" I hear an elf call out. "We need black ink!"

After what seemed like fifteen minutes, they had Gaoreng stripped, and washed. His long hair and shocking long mustache and beard were combed out and trimmed. What little body hair Gaoreng had was shaved off. Josheire stood besides Gaoreng as two elves held him by his arms and legs.

"Hail to the Serpent God's chosen," Josheire said.

"Hail!" The elves, both free and mercenary shouted. Josheire took the knife and bathed the blade in flames before dipping the tip into a borrowed inkwell.

"Hail to the Fallen God's brother!"

"Hail!"

Josheire began to slowly tattoo an eye onto Gaoreng's forehead.

"Hail to the Decider of Fate!"

"Hail!"

Joshiere carefully filled in the pupil of the serpentine eye.

"Hail to the Wise One!"

"Hail!"

The excess ink was wiped off of Gaoreng's forehead.

"Hail to he who has found a calling higher than this earthly one!"

"Hail!"

Josheire placed a crown of feathers around Gaoreng's head and presented him a sword, the hilt adorned with red and black feathers. The elves burst into a round of applause and cheering. Gaoreng was placed down and the two that held him bowed away. He jumped up and did a back-flip, managing to keep his crown utop his head. Gaoreng let out a booming shout filled with both sorrow and joy and threw Josheire up into the air. He caught his former leader and laughed.

"So," Tarhívé said, catching me off-guard, "mind on filling us in?" I looked at her and glanced over at the other sailors.

"Gaoreng just became a priest, and from the sounds of it, an important one."

"And the sea serpent related how? This clearly needed one of them to happen."

"Their god of wisdom apparently sends messages via snake."

"Seriously?" Tarhívé chuckled. "That's so weird."

"They probably find our beliefs weird, so I'm not judging." I replied with a chuckle. I looked over at Gaoreng, wearing a robe consisting of his newly modified cloak and hood as his wound was being healed by a healer. Josheire walked over to me, smiling, yet his eyes seemed empty.

"That same night Gaoreng got his message, Latoashue sent me one as well. 'You shall sow but not reap. You shall see joy but feel pain. Remember, no flame is eternal.' If Guangmei comes back different, know that the flame will soon burn out. Sorry if I killed the mood." With that, Josheire returned below deck as the elves began to sing.

Dragon's Humor

A week or so has passed since the raptors were given freedom and Gaoreng became a priest. All the elves, including those in the Ka'odreng Company began addressing Gaoreng as Great Uncle. Similarly, the raptors began to refer to Itrust as the Magnificent One, despite his stunted growth. The sun, unlike the first week, beat down upon us less frequently, and every so often, a sprinkle of rain would come and go, refreshing us. I sat at the edge of the ship, enjoying the fresh salty air as Gaoreng struggled with his new job of refusing tribute from everyone. He remained in the Company in practice; however, he maintained his priestly attire, a reminder of his new purpose. Gaoreng sat down beside me, silky hair falling to his waist.

"Did Josheire tell you?" he asked.

"Yea," I responded. "But I'm lost on the 'you shall sow but not reap' part."

"Maybe," Gaoreng contemplated, "he sowed the seeds of the company's revival and watered them in elven blood? It would explain the flow of blood part of my message."

"It's been a week. Why are you asking now?"

"Simple. It is rude to tell someone bad news within a week of a celebration-worthy event."

"Oh, I never knew."

"Well how would you know?"

"Fair point," I said looking at the clouds above me. They drifted slowly across the sky, wandering off into the distance. I blinked and noticed a small hole appeared in one, but clouds are mutable.

"Is that what I think it is?" Gaoreng asked, squinting at the sky.

I looked up in the air and noticed a brown speck quickly becoming larger as the seconds go by.

"Look up," I hear one of the elves say. "Is that a dragon?" Her voice faltered with fear, grabbing the attention of more elves. A thunderous roar burst from the skies as the dragon swept down. Its wings cast a large shadow over the fleet, brown scales glistening with water. As it circled over the fleet, the freed elves began arming themselves with whatever they could find, dismayed that the Ka'odreng Company would not do the same. The dragon dove into the water, creating large waves that crashed into the ship, knocking me and Gaoreng onto the deck. A large brown dragon head, with bronze eyes gazed at us, scanning everyone aboard. It rolled its eyes at the freed elves. It spoke in its gravelly, bone-rattling language. From behind the dragon's left horn, a familiar face appeared, although slightly pudgier. She jumped aboard the ship and nodded to the dragon. It spoke once more, its words feeling like punches, and dove into the depths.

"Hey Bar," Guangmei said, seeming a bit heavier than before we last saw each other. "get all the relevant people."

"Tarhívé is in her quarters with Falemneil. She apparently heard about her and decided that they should meet."

"Good luck with that," Guangmei snorted, "and when did you find a priset?"

"That's Gaoreng. I know; he has an actual face. It's very surprising."

"Very funny," Guangmei said, rolling her eyes. "But when did you find a priest?"

"About last week," Gaoreng said.

Guangmei looked at Gaoreng in shock. "Well damn, I didn't think that was you." She ran her fingers down his hair. "So soft. I wish I had this hair, but what god?"

"Keingzatoa'o," Gaoreng said.

"Oh, that's a shame. You're stuck being celibate now."

"Seriously?" I asked. "That sucks."

"Not really," Gaoreng replied. "Not really a fan of being inside other people or vice versa."

"Suit yourself," I said, "and Gaoreng, does Guangmei look different to you?"

"Hey!" Guangmei shouted as Gaoreng scanned her. He looked at me. I looked at him. She looked at us looking at each other. I looked at her. She looked at me.

"I was hoping that I was wrong," Guangmei said. "Fuck."

"Well, I'm off to get the guy who says pulling out always works," Gaoreng chuckled before bowing out.

Guangmei rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Let's go to Tarhívé now," she said. We walked over to the wooden door and knocked.

"Come in," shouted Tarhívé. Guangmei and I walked into her room, where she was smoking her pipe. Falemneil stood in a corner, slightly annoyed.

"Bar," Tarhívé said sternly, "you need higher standards."

Falemneil glared at Tarhívé, "and what do you mean by that?"

"She's too bookish," Tarhívé said. "You can't do much with books alone, and from I hear, she doesn't do much else."

Guangmei burst out laughing, "tell that to my uncle. He's too much."

Falemneil rolled her eyes. "Say what you will."

"Shaoleinsha helped with the slave revolt, so I say bookish people have their value," I said.

"If you say so," Tarhívé replied. Another knock was heard on the door. I opened the door to let Josheire and Gaoreng in. Josheire glanced at Guangmei and then muttered a curse under his breath.

Tarhívé looked at Guangmei and smiled, "Congratulations, you two."

Josheire sighed, "blood has flowed and the seed has been sown. Good to know." Guangmei gave him a confused look. "I'll tell you later," he said.

Guangmei nodded. "So," she said, "the dragons are refusing to help. Apparently their goddess told them about our plan, so they had already made arrangements to meet me halfway. It was very considerate of them to be perfectly honest. The main crux of the issue is that we're invading the Island Confederation with Islanders. They think that this entire situation is hilariously naïve. When they heard the part about a portion of the Ka'odreng Company rebel they said, and I quote: 'We are not shocked in the slightest that these proud soldiers rebelled against a seemingly desperate attempt to regain some of the prestige they lost when the ancient city of Gwō'neishong was sacked and its heathen god killed by them and the forces of Rhoskeil the Elder. We are, however, shocked that the sailors have yet to follow suit, but that could be due to their being in hostile territory. Although Guangmei and her kin will always have a place in the heart of our young patriarch and his wards, we shall not indulge ourselves in the follies of the younger sentients. We wish you good fortune and a blessed reincarnation.'"

The room fell silent for a moment as Guangmei's message sunk in.

"Not surprised they rebelled?" Josheire asked, his voice filled with anger.

"Heathen god?" Gaoreng asked, his face red with rage. The two long time friends looked at each other. "Under normal circumstances, I would suggest we go crack some eggs, but these aren't normal circumstances," Gaoreng said.

"No, these are not," Josheire replied. An unsettling glint came to his eyes. "Let's go show these dragons that we aren't to be underestimated."

Gaoreng began to laugh although it was just as unsettling as the look in Josheire's eyes, "Planning on going out like Lataoshue?"

"My blood runs hot, and my flames burn bright!" Josheire exclaimed.

"And may your weapons gain the strength of Lonro," Gaoreng replied.

*********

A cool night breeze washed over the fleet as the ships continue their journey. Tarhívé smoked her pipe as she talked to her son Kashén, scolding the boy for surfing at night. Itrust finalized his paper on the Ecra writing system under Rhatva's light. He wrote in both this new script and in Shaoleim about his decision on why writing each sound as its own separate symbol was important and the philosophical reasons on why each letter was conjoined to the next. The other raptor, Īsentsīsetlen wrote a separate paper on the form of the language in order to help new learners. I looked over at Falemneil as she updated her maps of the world. You would think maps would be useful in a 2,000 year long global conflict, but fighters, not cartographers, were desperately needed. I walked over to Itrust and peeked over his shoulder.

"You need to learn this," he said.

"Of course," I replied, " but I was waiting on a writing system."

Itrust nodded and took his papers over to Īsentsīsetlen. They spoke in their hiss-like language and laughed about something. I walked to Falemneil and lay down next to her.

"So, how's my cousin?" I ask in Nakashi.

"Surprisingly, she's literate," Falemneil said snarkily.

"Well we both know several languages, so you shouldn't be so surprised."

"That surprised me even more. What languages?"

"Nakashi, Rastí'jara, Jahna, Nekel, and Etzuken. That being said, I also know Shaoleim and a decent amount of Keoran."

She looked at me in shock. "How? Won't that get all jumbled in your head?"

"Well, I spoke Rastí'jara growing up, obviously. I spoke Jahna with my dad and his side of the family, as well as Etzuken. We got forced to learn Nekel in school. My dad taught me Nakashi since a lot of his workers spoke it. I learned the Elvish languages when I started this entire thing too."

"Cool. I've never even heard of Jahna before. Say something in it."

"Sure. Dám gázthys cyrýrhumbadbazrý tházdabý gázbrybýq."

"What does that mean?"

"It means: 'A thousand pearls are lesser to a golden heart.' It's an old saying my dad loved to use."

"That's a pretty saying. I like it." Falemneil finished up her work and gathered her maps. She got up and poked me. "Come." She walked down below deck and I followed her. We slipped past the sleeping elves, most of them gathered around Gaoreng. A few of the soldiers were scattered around the periphery, taking shifts sleeping. Guangmei and Josheire were in a corner; Guangmei sleeping on his shoulder. Josheire opened an eye as we walked past him. We went into a back room, filled to the brim with books and writing supplies. Falemneil put her maps onto one of the shelves and them slipped between two bookshelves. I squeezed through, realizing that I had armor on. When I reached Falemneil she began to slowly take off my armor. I moved to take off my breastplate, but she slapped my hand away.

"You wear your armor too often," she said.

"I'm beginning to realize that," I replied as she continued to take off my armor. As she undid the straps on my greaves, she looked up at me and winked before grabbing my leg and pulling me to the ground. I landed on my back with a thud, to her amusement. Falemneil sat on my lap and pulled off my shirt.

"Relax you," I chuckled.

"No, you make too good of a pillow," she said as she pulled down my pants.

"A pillow?"

"Yup." She smirked and placed her head on my chest. "A pillow." She rubbed her hands up my inner thigh. "So relax, nothing is going to happen, unfortunately for you."

"Ok," I said as I hugged her. "I'm not complaining here."

"That's no fun," she complained.

"It is for me," I teased, rubbing my hand up her thigh.

"Hey, only I get to do that," she joked.

"That's no fun," I replied, echoing her. "Night."

For a King

Roughly three days passed since Guangmei returned. The seas roughened and the winds picked up, as if the weather could sense the fleet's discontent. Although it became increasingly clear that the raptors were, indeed, sentient, many couldn't seem to get that through their heads. My ship caught on quickly, seeing how we were the first to realize and saw the raptors create their own writing system from scratch, but the others not so much. For the past few days, there have been an increasing amount of complaints about raptors not listening to orders which I replied with a simple, "they are sentient, like you or I, so this will happen," but the complaints have become more worrisome. Theft, although predominantly of saddles, obstruction, and occasionally violence. I looked up at the dark grey skies, clouds heavy with water. I nudged Itrust, his yellow eyes looking back at me.

"Itrust, we have a few problems with the raptors on the other ships," I said, "and with the humans too."

"True," he replied in Rastí'jara.

"Can you speak my language well?"

"I believe so."

"Well then, Itrust, I leave that to you," I said.

"Really? Are you sure you want me to?"

"Who better to help remedy human-raptor tensions than the one who first spoke out? And who better to help the raptors deal with these strange humans and elves than one of them raised amongst humans and elves?"

"Thanks dad," Itrust said.

"No problem."

"Of course letting Itrust handle this is no problem, poor kid." Oh, you're back. "I never left, but I decided to give you some peace. If only for a little." For some voice in my head, you are very considerate. "No, it's pity." Well that's good to know. "Yes it is. I just came to remind you that you're not out of the desert quite yet. The sand can still whip up into a ferocious storm to damn you." The boom of thunder shook me out of my inner conversation. I felt one raindrop, then two, then a torrential downpour. Great!

I turned to go below deck, to shelter myself from the rain, but a deep bum wafted on the wind, and then another, and another.

"Beat the drums!" Tarhívé shouted. "Everyone on boats and to your stations!"

"To arms!" I shout. "Spears and shields, you saplings! Into your groups now!"

"Tāskēstīxenne!" Itrust shouted, rousing the raptors. "Tāskēstīxenne!"

I scanned the horizon, spotting at least fifty warships coming from the southwest. The flag of the Island Confederation, a black viper on a bright yellow triangle over an orange and red field, rippled in the wind. The Ka'odreng Company poured out from below deck, armed and ready for combat. Gaoreng, in his priestly robes, stood before them. The sailors rushed to their stations, with one woman standing before the ship's main mast with a large drum. The instrument boomed as she beat a quick rhythm, urging the ships to move faster.

"Everyone," Gaoreng said, "today we fight. The gods have spoken to us not too long ago, as you all remember. Before we go to face our foe, I must say this to you all: Everything that occurs happens under the watchful eye of Keingzatoa'o. The company, our Ka'odreng Company, must be as fire, like its patron Lataoshue." As the sapling soldiers came above deck, the members of the company nodded in unison.

"Brothers!" Josheire shouted. "Do we burn?"

"Yes!" the mercenaries said emphatically.

"Do we spill the blood of our enemies?"

"Yes!"

"So what do we say to Lataoshue?"

"Our burning blood we give to you, dear Father!"

"Keingzatoa'o," Gaoreng said, "give Josheire the strength to lead as long as he may, if it pleases you."

The drums sang a loud, deafening song as the opposing fleets came into ballista range of each other. As I scanned the sea once more, the fleet seemed to have quadrupled in size, to roughly a hundred or so ships. The raptors, claws at the ready, stood besides Itrust.

"Aim!" Tarhívé shouted. The ballistas shifted towards the enemy fleet. "Load!" Bolts as long as my arm were placed onto the weapons, their bowstrings pulled taunt. "Fire!" The ship shuddered at the force of the bolts leaving all at once. While a few landed into the sea, several hit their mark, tearing holes into the enemy's sails. Lightning flashed across the sky, revealing hundreds of bolts just before they whizzed past, shredding our sails to ribbons, a few unlucky souls were impaled as well.

"Soldiers," I said, "today many of you will be fighting your first battle, but you have something the enemy does not have, experience with war itself. You survived the Great War. The soldiers you're facing may have never even seen an elf. You know what a true war is, so teach these fools a thing or two."

The freshmen soldiers let out a piercing war-cry as the enemy fleet approached. Another volley of ballista bolts struck our fleet, to which Tarhívé counterattacked with her own volley. The exchange continued for about ten minutes, bolts nearly missing me and Itrust as we danced around them. A few slipped and fell on the slick deck as they dodged. One of the new recruits tried her luck with her shield, only to have the arm she had used it with pierced and dislocated.

"Harpoons!" Tarhívé shouted. "And get the boarding hooks in hand!"

"Bows!" Josheire shouted. He, and his company, unstrapped the bows they always held on their back and nocked an arrow. The sailors loaded their harpoons with barbed bolts.

"Fire!" Tarhívé and Josheire commanded simultaneously. I could see the enemy fall as they attempted to load their ballistas. The wooden hulls of the enemy ships cracked and split as the harpoon bolts hit their mark. The harpooners then began to pull at the rope, until either the rope snapped or the wood gave way, creating a hole in the foe's vessel.

"Don't let up!" Tarhívé said.

As the rain poured over us, soaking everyone to the bone. The ships finally came into boarding range. The sailors affixed ropes to the masts and nodded. The drumming shifted to a slow, consistent beat.

"Now!" I shouted. The Ka'odreng Company let out a war cry of their own and charged towards the enemy ships. They jumped over the gap separating us and the closest enemy boat. Eyes red, Josheire let out a stream of fire, engulfing the enemy's ballistas.

"Itrust!" I shouted. "Let's do this!"

He smiled. "Yea!"

"Count me in!" Guangmei said, spear in hand. She threw her spear at a soldier on the ship second closest to us. She grabbed me in her left arm and Itrust in her right before jumping from our ship, to the ship Josheire started burning to her target ship. I unsheathed my sword and blocked out all outside stimuli. We landed and I immediately stabbed one of the enemy soldiers through her eye with my sword, bone popping as my sword went through her skull. I removed my sword and rushed over to Itrust, who was facing two men. He dodged a slash to the neck and spat acid in the first man's face, blinding him. Itrust then pounced, his sickle claw disemboweling him. The other man was wacked by Itrust's tail. I grabbed him and thrust my sword through his chest. Lightning crackled behind me as another man fell to his knees. Guangmei speared him through the head and rushed forward, slashing and stabbing. I turned around to see a large seabird in my face, cawing and squawking. I blinked and saw the head of a women in Itrust's mouth, blood dripping out of it. He spat it out and kept moving. I looked down at my feet to see her body and a sword right by it. Well damn. Thanks Itrust. My eyes turned red as I ran ahead to Guangmei and Itrust, freezing enemies as I slashed them. They fell down, not entirely frozen, some not even dead, but all very unable to move or fight. Frozen limbs fell down as I cut through flesh and bone. I froze the water between ships, the three of us sliding from ship to ship. As I danced through opponents, I realized just why the Great War could only end in, at most, a three-way stalemate. Elves are quick and agile, but this advantage can be overcome with experience. I glanced over at the other ships, where the recruits did relatively fine in close quarters when magic was not involved, but a flash of light or the roar of a skinchanger quickly melted any advantage or boost in morale as well. I looked back at my ship to see Tarhívé out of commision, a deep wound to the abdomen, and to see Falemneil commanding in her stead.

*********

The storm stopped to reveal Rhatva in all her brightness. The night was illuminated by her light, and thus the fighting went on. My arms screamed more mercy as I continually fought. My eyes were heavy with exhaustion, but I kept fighting. There shall be no rest for the weary. Bakalos, the old saint, brought roughly fifty or so ships to our aide in an attempt to outflank our foe, but as the dragons predicted, invading the Island Confederation using Islanders was just asking for a mutiny, and so, roughly a dozen of our ships flipped sides. The size of the fleet, while initially appearing to be small, numbered well over 250 frigates and war schooners. I looked at Itrust, soaked in blood, his tail slashed and cut. I looked at Guangmei, who annoyingly fared much better and is essentially untouched. She opened up a cloth she had taken from below the deck of our newly captured ship, containing bread, dried papaya, and dried meat. I greedily tore into the dried fruit as Itrust scarfed down some meat. This is going to be a long war.

***********

The morning sun rose over the horizon, after sleepless night number three. I parried a thrust from my opponents spear and dodged a slash from her partner. Our swords glinted in the sun. His eyes turned red and she vanished. Cold metal slid through a gap in my armor, lodging itself in my hip. I grabbed the blade of his sword in one hand and grabbed his partner's spear. I threw her and her spear overboard and yanked the sword out of my hip.

"What do you and your four-eleven self think you're doing?" I asked sardonically. "Get out of here before I throw you over too." The soldier respectfully tried to lobb my head off. I ducked beneath his sword, and grabbed him by the wrist.

"Brave," I said, trying to stifle a yawn. I placed my foot on her chest, ignoring the shooting pain from my hip, and yanked his elbow and shoulder out of their sockets. He dropped to the ground screaming in pain, cradling his left arm. "Don't worry, I won't kill you." I grabbed his leg and and popped his knee and hip out of their sockets.

"Bar, are you ok?" Guangmei asked.

"Never better," I said sarcastically. "Just relieving stress, I guess."

"Right, stress," Guangmei said skeptically. "What you need is some sleep."

I looked off to my right as more Islander sailors boarded the ship we were on. "Tell them that." I picked up my sword and readied myself. "Alright you-" I looked up behind them, at the rising sun, flickering slightly. Don't tell me its more fucking Islanders. My eyes turned red and I rushed my opponents, freezing them and cutting them down in a flurry of steel and ice. The ships, still in front of the sun, came closer, a flag waving above their ribbed sails. That better be who I think it is.

The red ships waved the Selem flag over their masts. An army of scale plated warriors aboard them. I create a tower of ice below my feet, shooting up into the air. I wiped the blood off of my face and created a walkway of ice beneath my feet. I jumped off and grabbed a rope from off the Selemi ship's mast, swinging down to the deck. I was greeted by several soldiers, the ir swords level with my neck. I scanned the deck for Nobukeita, and spotted an animal that looked like a horse, the animal that elves use as mounts, but it had a long horn jutting out of its forehead.

"Barrekel," Nobukeita said, "I thought you might've needed help." The young prince came from below deck clad in golden silk with a blue crane embroidered on it. "At ease," he commanded. His soldiers sheathed their weapons in unison and bowed at the waist before going to their posts.

"It's good to see you, Nobukeita," I said. "I almost thought I was about to face more Islanders."

"No," he said. "Now look." He swept his arms towards his fleet which was currently encircling the Islander ships. His eyes went red and fiery wings sprouted from his back. He flew above his ships and burned brighter, rivaling the sun, before coming back down. The ship burst into a flurry of motion.

"I have a new toy, Barrekel," Nobukeita said. "I call it a Dosaokatsiren. A thunder-shooter, in High Shaoleim, if you will." A series of thunderous booms sounded through the air as the ships rocked, as if hit by something. The Islander ships, were then struck by some large object, shattering wood and tearing through masts. "This should make life easier," Nobukeita said with a smile.