Arson

I looked out onto the horizon, the sun slowly rising above the horizon. It's been roughly a week since my meeting with the various noble families and Bakalos. Nobukeita's fleet is docked not too far from mine, making repairs as well. I walked up and down the beach, mentally noting all of the repaired ships. We should be able to go soon. I glanced behind me to a shrinking forest. I hope there's enough hardwood for Nobukeita. Itrust was already onboard and debating with Īsentsīsetlen on something in her native tongue. Focusing, I pick out ic and sīhlu, but understanding even the basic syntax or meaning still evades me.

The sun burned high in the sky by the time all of the ships finished their repairs. The fleet slowly began to sail to the other side of the island. Large red, ribbed sails waved in the wind as we approached Nobukeita's fleet. The largest boat had gilded accents that shined in the sunlight. As we approached, the gilded ship sailed towards us, soldiers lined up at the sides. As soon as we reached boarding range, two of the soldiers laid a plank down and walked across, ensuring safety. Nobukeita, followed by Tseigyen, gracefully walked across to my ship.

"Barrékél, it's a pleasure to see you again," Nobukeita gleefully said. He was dressed in another silk robe, this time red with a leviathan embroidered on it; the beast's maw was wide, bearing rows of sharp teeth. Nobukeita looked at the two guards and shooed them away. They both bowed and walked back to their ship.

"Who died?" Nobukeita asked suddenly. "I saw the smoke and heard all the crying and the rest."

"Josheire," I responded. "On that burning ship."

"Pity," Nobukeita said. We began to walk laps around the ship, with Tseigyen following us.

"If I may ask," Tseigyen questioned, "how is Gaoreng holding up?"

"He's been keeping to himself more than usual," I said.

"He's brooding," Tseigyen said. He took a small scroll and left it on the deck.

"What's that?" Nobukeita asked.

"A small note saying, 'Look red! If you don't know what this means, leave it on the ground,'" Tseigyen said. Nobukeita looked at him quizzically.

"It's a childhood game."

"Oh," Nobukeita and I said in unison.

"Now," I said, "I do have something important to tell you. We're going for the capital on the main island."

"So soon? What changed?" Nobukeita asked, his smile betraying his concerned tone.

"Local support has happened," I replied. "You wouldn't know unless you could read the newspaper."

"Newspaper?" Tseigyen mused. "We should find a way to make more of those ourselves. Don't you agree, Nobukeita-twe?

"Yes, we should," he said. Nobukeita stopped walking and looked at me. "My fleet will be a few hours behind yours if my repair rate remains the same, and then we'll rip out the heart of the Island Confederation." He began to laugh. "I never thought I would ever do this. This just blatantly pushes the limits of the Treaty of Almarozu. I'm loving this." I chuckled while Tseigyen looked at Nobukeita anxiously. Nobukeita grabbed my shoulders and grinned from ear-to-ear. "Barrékél, let's level that city!"

Tseigyen tapped Nobukeita and pointed to all of the elves on the ship. His face turned red with embarassment. "I guess I got too ahead of myself," Nobukeita said, regaining his composure. I laughed and patted him on the back. "Nothing's wrong with a bit of excitement, " I said.

"I suppose so," Nobukeita said.

I nodded. "We will be landing on the beach southwest of the main port. I need your troops to guard the flanks."

"You lack cavalry, I assume," he said.

"Not in the strictest of senses, but I don't know how well the raptors will fight alone. Honestly, I wasn't thinking about your cavalry, but please use them. My forces in the center will enter formation and slowly cede ground, until I give the signal to advance. At that point, I want your troops to sweep the enemy's flank as my troops push forward."

"An encirclement maneuver, classic, but what were you thinking of if not my cavalry?" Nobukeita asked.

"Those dosaokatsiren of yours," I said. "Put them on wheels and set them loose."

Nobukeita smiled slyly, "Imagine the carnage, I can't wait."

"The goal is to force them to surrender, not to slaughter them Nobukeita," I said.

"Of course, of course," he replied. "But we should get sailing while there's still daylight."

"I couldn't agree more," I said. He smiled once more and walked towards his ship.

Later in the evening, I was listening in on another heated debate between Itrust and Īsentsīsetlen. The sun began to sink below the waves as they wrote and scribbled on loose slips of paper. In the distance, fires flickered and danced on the water's surface. The form of boats slowly moved closer and closer to us.

"Itrust, go get everyone ready for battle," I said calmly. I squinted my eyes to see sails catching alight. "Tell them to prepare, but to stay calm. Oh, and bring Tarhívé to me please."

"Sure," Itrust said as he got up from his work. Īsentsīsetlen began to pack up her stuff as Itrust left.

"Oh, no," I told her, "you can stay for now if you'd like. I'm just being a bit overly cautious. Of course, I'm not sure if you understand Nakashi, so my talking may just be meaningless to you."

The fires consumed the ships before us, the smoke being blown away from us by the prevailing winds.

"What's going on?" Tarhívé asked. I pointed to the burning fleet in the distance. "Oh shit."

"We need to get the fleet around that and fast. Spread the order," I said.

"Since when do you command me?" Tarhívé asked.

"We need to not let your fleet burn. Would you please take my well-advised suggestion?"

"No," she said, rolling her eyes. "The fleet burns." She turned around and started shouting orders to turn the fleet around. Messages were screamed and between the ships before the drums started beating, drummers hitting the rim of the instrument.

Gaoreng ran from below deck, eyes puffy and cheeks tear-marked, followed by Guangmei and a stream of elves in rushedly donned armor. He looked at me and then the horizon, with the burning ships.

"I don't see movement on those ships," he said. "What was the point of telling everyone to get ready for battle?"

"An abundance of caution," I said. "And I couldn't tell if there was movement. Elves have better vision, remember?"

"True," Gaoreng said.

Our fleet began to turn away from the burning ships, albeit faster than expected. A large, reptilian head burst through the waves besides our ship. It's ghostly pale scales shimmered with moisture, like flakes of quartz. It's bloodshot eyes glanced at each of the crew members, humans and elf alike, with an emotionless gaze, until they met Guangmei.

"Guthren sandet, Gangnei!" the dragon shouted.

"Tarhívé, tell everyone to stay calm!" I shouted.

"Guthren sandet!" Guangmei shouted back as Tarhívé scrambled to tell the sailors to not man the harpoons. Another dragonhead burst from the other side of the ship, its emerald scales reflecting the light of the setting sun. Gaoreng rushed to tell the elves to stay calm, and more importantly, to not attack the dragons.

"Ke syaleth Gangnei unth jāth enki?" the green dragon asked, craning her neck.

"Las!" Guangmei shouted, waving her arms. She turned to me and translated. "She asked, 'where are Guangmei, me, and the human, you.' I said, 'here.'" I nodded and waved to the dragon as well.

The dragon began speaking, with Guangmei translating into Rasti'jara at the end of each sentence. "'We are disappointed in how our relationship started, human. Lies aren't a good way to garner trust,' she said." Guangmei paused to listen. "'The Isa'o live too far away to harm us and are more concerned with shaking off the Nakashi than dealing with us,' she said." Guangmei tried to interject, but was talked over.

"'Our Dearest Mother finds you entertaining, so we will forgive this transgression,' she said. 'However, we will be independent of whichever side wins and rejoin the political sphere of our kin, for we are not tools or pawns in the games of you lesser creatures, human and elf alike.' she said."

The emerald dragon pointed with her tail to the burning fleet. "'Please enjoy this token as a symbol of our desires to stay out of your scheming and wars. The Islanders did not take too kindly to our request, but perhaps, you will,' she said." The two dragons briefly sunk beneath the waves and then burst out of the water, unfurling their wings. Great gusts of wind rocked the ship as the two beat their wings, ascending higher and higher, followed by two, four, eight more dragons who all followed their lead, seemingly lying in wait.

"Ok, so no dragons, and a bit less territory to rule, but at least the Islander fleet got demolished for me," I said to myself to calm my nerves, realizing how quickly we could've all been burnt alive.

Gods and Magic

"So," I told the sailors around me, and Itrust, in Nakashi, "I need the person with the strongest magic you can find. Bring them to me by midday, please." I repeated myself in Rasti'jara and Edzken. They nodded and a few began to walk off in the early morning sun. I walked down below deck to the crowd of elves waking up and preparing for the day.

"Good morning everyone!" I announced, grabbing their attention. "I need the person with the strongest magic possible to find me by midday. If you know anyone with powerful magic, bring them to me."

I walked to the upper deck of the ship where Tarhívé was steering the ship to the southwest. She glanced at me and hopped off of the stool she stood on. "Do you see ships with green sails in the distance?" she asked while looking for a scope. I squinted, staring at the vast expanse of ocean before me.

"No," I said.

"Weird," Tarhívé said, looking through her scope. "I thought grandad said they were close."

I picked her up and placed her on my shoulders. "See anything now?"

"Other than you getting knocked out, green sails," she said. I placed Tarhívé back on her stool, getting promptly whacked on the head afterwards.

"I guess I lucked out on getting knocked out," I said, chuckling at my cousin's visible embarrassment. I grabbed another stool and sat down, basking in the sunlight. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander. What would mom do if she actually went to war? What did granddad do? Would he ask what his mom did?

"Barrékél," I heard Gaoreng say, "we have a few people here." I opened my eyes and quickly glanced up at the sun. It was 2 and a half hand widths above the Great Band, just before its zenith. I looked at Gaoreng, Itrust, and three others around him, a human, and elf, and a raptor.

"I assume you all have extremely powerful magic," I told the group before me. "I would like you all to tell me and introduce yourselves."

"Shingtao," the elf said in Shaoleim. His long, red hair flowed freely down his back. "Pleasure, lord."

"Yes, it is Shingtao, nice to meet you." He grinned. "What can you do?" I asked as Gaoreng began to roughly translate into Nakashi with a near impossibly thick accent.

Shingtao reached under his shirt and dangled a worn clay pendant of a sword-toothed beast, painted red. "I glorify Lataoshue with all my being. I hope your war allows me to do so."

I think Gaoreng said Lataoshue was a war god or some other violent deity. "So you channel his magic?" I asked.

"I become more like him. A truly bad copy," he said.

"I see we have a humble man," I said. He grinned again.

"I'm Migazne Tskoinissa," one of the humans said as Itrust translated into Shaoleim. She had her hair braided, in a style vaguely familiar, although I couldn't quite figure out where I saw it. "My magic would be close to his magic in a sense," she said referring to Shingtao. "I embody aspects of Kikikosfa."

"It's nice to meet you," I said. Tskoinissa? She sounds northern, but they're way lighter than her. Granted she's lighter than most Islanders. I wonder why her mom moved from home. "And, excuse my ignorance, who is Kikikosfa?" I inquired.

"The Ruler of the Forest," she said. "Most people here don't know about Tasla, so I'm used to these questions."

"I see. Well I'm more than happy to see the God of War and the Ruler of the Forest on our side," I said smiling. This is going better than I thought. I just hope the Islanders don't have something up their sleeves. " And you?" I asked the raptor.

"Tlēyasīhlutle," the raptor said.

"Her name is Tlēyasīhlutle," Itrust translated into Shaoleim and I into Nakashi.

"Hlīhlūlitsīnasa sahlūtsinenasa," she said, although me ears struggled to make out the difference between the sounds made.

"Her magic is of the spirits," Itrust said. "Does that make sense?"

"It's not the most natural phrasing, but it's understandable," I reassured. "So, do you become like one of your spirits or do you control them?"

"Yānkuhlēsahlūtsineshīxēchle," Tlēyasīhlutle said.

"She said she becomes like the spirits," Itrust said.

"I see," I replied. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well." I stood up and looked at all of them once again. "You all have a simple role to do. When I give the signal, use your magic to the fullest extent possible. After we contact the enemy, we will cede as much ground as possible. The signal will be a large pillar of ice. I want you all to tell everyone that. Are we clear?" They all nodded except for Gaoreng. "On our flanks will be the Selem Princedom's forces. After the signal is given, they will attack." At this point, Gaoreng nodded. "This part, however, is particular to you three. I need you three to break the center of the enemy formation as quickly as possible. You need to act as a wedge so the rest of the forces can cut through."

"That's a bold plan," Gaoreng said. "We risk having our army surrounded, especially if Nobukeita is routed."

"I'm aware, but our forces cannot maintain a pitched battle for long. This plan is ultimately dependent on a strong and precise strike to cripple the enemy, so Nobukeita can land a finishing blow."

"If possible, I'll do my best to remove a few leaders," Gaoreng said.

"Great," I said in Shaoleim. "Tlēyasīhlutle, Shingtao, Tskoinissa, I thank you all in advance." I switched to Rasti'jara. "Itrust, I'm not aware if you were told what raptors are used for in war. Do you know?"

"Cavalry," he spat. "Sickening."

"Regrettable too," I said. "The Islanders will still be following that method, my brother too. You and the other raptors, except for Chēyasīshuche, will be on the flanks. Get the Islander raptors to mutiny. How to do that is up to you, Itrust."

"Tlēyasīhlutle," Itrust said, "you should get some practice in."

"You should finish up the writing system. I need to write and speak the language."

A smile crept on Itrust's lips, "Soon."

***********

A rainbow of various sails floated before us, just as the sun began to set. Tarhívé and I boarded a large green-sailed ship. As we crossed over, a light-skinned man with his hair tied back into a thick puff greeted us. He smiled and hugged Tarhívé before looking up at me.

"This is my cousin?" he asked dumbfounded.

"Yup, you two just never met," Tarhívé said. "Saumgoj, meet Barrékél. Barrékél, this is your older cousin. He's Tizo's youngest."

"Oh," I said. "It explains why we never met. Mom and Tizo never got along." I looked at Tizo. "Nice to meet you."

"Thanks," Saumgoj said. "But grandma is waiting." He turned around and began to walk to the captain's quarters of grandma's ship. A warm breeze wafted out of the room, carrying a smooth, earthy scent, as Saumgoj opened the door. The brightly lit room was filled with twenty or so people. In the center, my grandmother was sitting down, sipping her evening coffee. Behind her sat five older men, grandad Gyhanthan, resdarnakh Kirhed, resdarnakh Tizo, resdarnakh Saloumar, and resdarnakh Feneko. Along the walls stood a few of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Their eyes all bore down onto me, seething with disappointment and varying levels of frustration.

"Good evening grandma, granddad, resdarnarkhe." I said in Jahna. "I am so very happy to see you all."

"Sit down," grandma Jáhyn said. Resdarnakh Feneko got up and offered me his chair.

"No, I can't you should----"

"Sit down boy," grandma snapped. I thanked Resdarnakh Feneko and sat down.

"Do you want something to drink?" granddad Gyhanthan said, offering me a cup.

"Yes," I said, knowing that I cannot refuse. I thanked him and eyed the pitch-black drink.

"Do you know why we are here, child?" grandma said.

"To have some sense talked into me I assume," I said after sipping the overwhelmingly bitter drink. "You all want me and Rhoskeil to make up and pretend that he didn't kill my parents, but I refuse."

"I'm not telling you to pretend that my son didn't die because of him, boy. This entire mess could have been avoided if he did act so much like his grandfather."

"He is nothing like granddad Rhoskeil. He's not even deserving of the name," I spat.

"Pfff. He's just like his mother, his grandmother, and great-grandmother. Brutish! Violent! Short-sighted! They killed my poor son, all four of them. You, though, you are not dying, not on my watch." She reached over to touch my arm, but I pulled it back.

"Grandma, please don't talk about them like that," I pleaded. "You don't know them. You don't know how kind they were."

Grandma Jáhyn scoffed, "as if you remember the latter two."

"So is this all you wanted to talk about?" I asked as I sipped more coffee, allowing its heat to fill my stomach.

"Hush," grandma said. "I need you to listen to me. This feud with your brother does nothing but make me want to dig up my son and beat him for marrying that mother of yours. I hoped I could speak some sense into the both of you, but clearly you two take after that woman too much. Did you two even talk about any of his ideas as a family?"

"My mother has a name, use it," I said.

"Answer my question, Barrékél!"

"No," I answered begrudgingly. "Frankly, mom tried to beat those crazy ideas out of him."

"Had you all listened, you would realize that a few of those earlier ideas are quite good. Perhaps, he wouldn't have gone straight to war if laying waste to cities wasn't so ingrained in that draconic bloodline of yours."

"I never knew I had four arms," I said looking at my sides. "They must be invisible."

"Act your age, boy," grandma said. "We don't have time for this. Rhoskeil's new republic is fighting a rebellion; this is the time to start pressuring him. We need you to drag him from his folly, so we can beat some sense into him, and you can't do that if you're acting like a ten-year old." I could hear Tarhívé curse beneath her breath behind me.

"Oh? No wonder I only fought him in that one battle and no other since. Thank you for the information grandma."

"Barrékél," my grandmother asked, "will you actually help your family or will you be just like your brother, fighting for your ideals and pretending your grandfather would approve? Will you think about what can work in the long-term or try to subjugate over 8,000 miles of islands and ocean?"

"What will I do?" I asked. "Did you know that raptors can speak? I said that I would help them, so I will. Did you know that I have a few thousand elves following me, looking for a better life? They need land, and there's only one available place. Did you know that you all were kicked out of our home? I have a place for us to set up shop; we just need to get it first. Did you know that the "ideas" Rhoskeil had are the same ones that the Island Confederation has now? How strong is the Island Confederation? How safe is it? How stable?"

My grandmother held her head in her hands and sighed. "Oh my poor boy, how did you live with these three?"

"He was making soup the day before he died," I said, my eyes cast down on the ground. "We were planning on seeing you. My mother was going to get you orchids."

"Orchids? Of course she would offer me some."

"It was the only thing you two had in common. A love for orchids, well and for my dad too." I wrapped my arms around her and pulled my grandma close. "I can't stop what I'm doing, at least not now, but I'll reach out to him after this battle, just for you."

"You stubborn fools," grandma Jáhyn said through shaky breaths.

Nkalepola

Bright turquoise water surrounded the island of Shambwila, with schools of fish swimming below the waves. I looked from my canoe to the others around me, flying across the shallow water and onto the beach in the dim morning light. Dozens of smaller ships left the combined fleets of Nobukeita and my family. The scant remnants of the Islander fleet bobbed up and down in the Nkalepola port.

"Quickly everyone," I said as soon as I landed on the beach, "into your formations. Find your units, quietly." The Great Band glew dimly as the sun slowly began to rise above the horizon. Bells began to ring in the distance as the city began to wake up. Shit! Itrust and I ran up and down the line, moving everyone into formation. I saw Nobukeita on his horned horse lining up his troops on our right, with Tseigyen doing the same on the left. I found Tskoinissa and a dozen others hopping off a canoe.

"Tskoinissa," I said in Nakashi, "you're with me."

"Bar!" I heard Guangmei shout as she ran up from behind me with Gaoreng and Shingtao, "good luck!" She stopped briefly to catch her breath. Despite being decently far into her pregnancy, telling her not to fight took more effort than needed.

"Thanks," I said with a smile. "I would let you fight, but having a baby on the front lines is a bad look."

"That and Gaoreng would kill you," Guangmei said.

"No comment," Gaoreng said with a smirk. "Now go back Guangmei and Josheireling."

"That's a horrible name," Guangmei said, struggling not to laugh as she got into another canoe."

"Islanders!" I heard a voice shout.

"Prepare yourselves!" I shouted. I looked back at Guangmei as she rowed back with an expected, yet unexpected speed. How? What do you eat? I turned around to see that Tlēyasīhlutle found us, probably through scent. I smiled and rushed to the frontlines, directly in our center.

"Archers!" Gaoreng shouted to the Ka'odreng Company members mixed in throughout the army. A slew of arrows picked off the Islander army as they formed up. Unlike us, they swiftly made three lines of disciplined soldiers, all equipped with iron and steel scalemail. The tips of their long spears glistened in the sun.

"Shields!" I heard their commander shout. She sat on the back of a scale armored raptor. I glanced at the enemy flank and saw two rows of raptor cavalry.

The Ka'odreng Company continued firing their arrows, picking the soldiers off piecemeal, only for another to take their place. The Islander army began to slowly advance, spear jutting out of their shieldwall. The cavalry stayed in place, possibly as reserves.

"Itrust," I said, "do your thing." He nodded and began to sing in his adopted mother language. A solemn tune radiated out of the army, genuinely shocking many people in my army, but moreso in the Islander army. "Forward!" I shouted through the music. The song wafted on the refreshing sea breeze and pounded my chest.

"Arrows!" I heard the enemy commander shout.

"Sheilds!" I shouted, raising mine over my head. If only I had grabbed a short spear too. The music was quieted for a brief moment as the raptors hid under shields ill-suited for them. Itrust raised his head above his only protection from arrows and began singing once more. The song now snarled with fury and pain, yet harmonized with the bells tolling in the background. I glanced at the Islander raptors and they began shifting in place, looking at each other. Yes! Yes! Yes!

We continued marching forward until we were just in range of the Islander's long spears. Didn't think I would be on the beach when I picked short spears. "Their spears can only go so far back! I shouted in Shaoleim. "Push past that point!" I eyed the wall of wood and spears in front of me and drew my sword.

"I want to hear you scream!" I yelled, recalling Laowo from our last battle. Sure enough, the first shout I heard was his. The front line burst into a sprint, screaming and shouting as we crashed into the Islander's shields. A spear grazed my right ear as I blocked an attack to my left. I sheathed my sword and tore my opponent's shield away from him. He thrust forward with his spear, piercing my own shield. Damn man! I unsheath my sword again and slashed at him, only to be blocked by the woman behind him. She pulled him back and began to advance. I jumped back, avoiding a thrust of her spear. Around me I could tell that we were being pushed back to the sea, but I couldn't look at the entirety of the line.

"Ease up!" I shouted in Shaoleim. If they figure out that I'm giving orders, things would get trickier. That being said, there are too many options here, so they might catch on quickly. I kicked the woman's shield and began backtracking, my feet sinking in the sand. Warm liquid filled my shoes as the center began to retreat. I heard Itrust begin to heckle the other raptors, his voice filled with venom. I glanced at the line and saw that the center was moving back cohesively. Good, good. I focused my attention back on the woman in front of me just in time to see her spear approach my face. I leaned back, raising my right hand. Her spear pushed through flesh and bone. I let out a blood-curdling scream as pain shot up my arm. I yanked my right arm away from my face as I swapped my sword to the left. The woman, seemingly overextending herself a bit stumbled slightly. I shoved the blade of my sword through the back of her neck, feeling as my sword forced its way through her vertebrae.

"Itrust," I said, my mind numb with pain, "help."

He reached over and yanked the spear out of my arm. Tskoinissa instantly took the weapon and threw it into the enemy formation, where it got lodged in someone's shield. I continued to retreat until the pain and sensation of blood loss irritated morphed into anger. A pillar of ice formed below me as my eyes turned red. I froze my right arm to halt the rest of the bloodloss. I saw a wave of red wash over my army, and quickly the enemy army as well. I looked down to see Shingtao jump over the first line of shields. He exploded into a ball of fire and light, forcing me to avert my eyes.

"Praise the sun!" I heard the elves shout. I looked back to where Shingtao was. A towering figure with flickering orange eyes towered over the battlefield. He raised his hammer high above his head and smashed it into the ground, cracking the surface of the earth. From the cracks, fiery liquid spewed forth, burning all those unfortunate to be around him. Near contemporaneously, spiny trees and vines sprung from the sand, quickly growing to through the Islander ranks, and even a few unlucky souls. An impossibly large tree rose through the clouds, its branches shading out the sun. So these are their gods? Impressive. I felt something grab me and lift me into the air, large membranous wings beating the air around me. I looked up at the creature carrying me. Great black horns grew out of its feathered and scaled head. What is this thing? Looking over to the flanks, Nobukeita's cavalry began to encircle the raptor cavalry who refused to move. Some of his infantrymen carried spear-like weapons that erupted in puffs of smoke. Dosaokatsiren, handheld version. I was dropped on my feet and the creature let out an unworldly cry before unleashing blue flames from its mouth.

"Don't stand there like fools! Charge!" I shouted over the thunder of the dosaokatsiren in the distance.

"Get those raptors moving!" I heard the enemy commander shout. Itrust and the other raptors began chanting, stirring the Islander raptors into a fury as they tried to shake off the soldiers riding them, even the leader's. I froze the soldiers in front of me and began to force myself through their line. Eventually, one soldier lashed out and flung a ball of fire at my face. All notions of formation, however, were cast aside when the ground suddenly caved below me. A circle formed below me, and I was suddenly ten feet away. A spear thrust towards my sides, getting me in the left shin. I grabbed the offending weapon and pulled the man towards me. Red crystals of ice began to tear through his skin. I tossed the spear away and froze the bleeding part of my leg. I glanced at my plate armor. It's beat up, worn, and overall extremely abused. Didn't Falemneil say I rarely take this off. No, not the time.

I heard the enemy commander bark more orders to her soldiers, trying to maintain order. "Gaoreng, do something about her," I said as I walked towards him.

"Ahead of you."

I looked at the commander, an old woman with long, grey locks, and saw a shadow appear behind her. I drew a sword, but before it could strike, she whipped out a knife and stabbed it in the neck. A large elf materialized and stumbled backwards, blood pouring from the wound. She turned back around and looked me in the eyes, still sharp despite her age. With the same knife, she brained the raptor she was on, maintaining eye contact. She muttered something to her guards. From the corner of my eye, I saw a large basilisk lash out at me. I ducked below its claws, only to see the creature evaporate into mist and reform behind me as a terrorbird. The beast kicked me to the ground; it's claws digging into my flesh. I gasped for breath. A shock shook my body as a rib gave under the pressure. I froze the demon and frantically hacked away at it.

"Eh gits yuh," I heard an elf say. The large monstrosity was shoved off of me by one of Laowo's group, although the name eluded me. He was bloody, battered, and wild-eyed, scanning the beach for any approaching enemies as he helped me to my feet.

"Thanks," I said.

"Nuh pruh---" spear materialized from his shadow, forcing its way up.

"Praise the Sun, Lataoshue," he gurgled, desperately gripping his sword as the life faded from his eyes. From his shadow, a soldier began to rise up. Red crystals of ice erupted from her skin, as her body was cut in two, the other portion left in whatever shadow realm she moved through.

"Keep pushing!" I yelled. I ran over to one of the Isranao men fighting for us. He blocked one spear thrust from the opponent in front of him, only to have the other opponent on the right skewer his knee. I beheaded the man behind him. I grabbed that man's spear and threw it into the woman who stabbed my comrade through the knee. The other enemy was picked off by one of the Islander's raptors, who revolted.

"Don't be greedy man," I told the Isranao soldier in his native language.

He chuckled, "I guess so." He teleported away, presumably to one of the ships.

My heart beat like a hummingbird's wings. My head roared in agony. My lungs strained to get enough air. I glanced over the battleground, and saw the Islander troops get pushed back. Most of their raptors either revolted or fled, leaving only a few dedicated or foolhardy ones to fight. Nobukeita's hopefully non-sentient cavalry fully encircled the Islanders. The otherworldly creature I saw now fought on the ground, ripping men limb from limb. Shingtao, however, was calling on the elves not to pass a circle of fuzzy-leaved vines and shrubbery, a circle that encompassed most of the Islander forces. His hammer crashed into the circle, setting it alight. The burning vines then grew high above any reasonable jumping distance. The monstrous beast in the Islander's midst unfurled its wings and took flight, high above the flames before this escape route too, was cut off. I like the initiative. This dome of fire and vines split down the middle of the army. I ran to the flaming cage, but maintained a healthy distance from the intense heat.

"Commander of the Islander Army!" I shouted. "Surrender!"

"So, you're their leader?" she shouted back, obscured by the fire. An enemy soldier appeared before me, holding his commander's hand. "The answer is no," the commander said. A smile crept upon her face. "I knew you looked too familiar. I fought with your grandfather, or maybe great-grandfather." Her smile quickly turned sour, "should have left him to die either way."

She ballooned in size, towering over me. Her skin tightened and rejuvenated as her eyes glowed red. Her hair became a dark shade of brown, like my mother's. Her armor morphed alongside her body, shifting from scalemail to ringmail, with the same intricate design etched into my great-grandmother's statue. Her face twisted and contorted, until it looked almost like a female version of mine, excluding my recently acquired scars.

"I heard the boy looked like his mother, so I must be close," the commander said, in a deep, feminine voice echoing my mother's. "How much do I look like my namesake?" Her eyes looked down at me with the same cold stare as my great-grandmother's statute. "I'll take that to be 99 percent accurate," Pashdíshin said as she cut off some of her hair and threw it by my feet.

I looked at the hair and back at Pashdíshin's face, bearing a twisted smile. I took my sword and cut off some of my hair, letting it fall to the ground. She's just a fake. Just a fake.

"Bar, that wasn't kind of you. I thought I raised you better," she said with my mother's voice.

"I got this Bar," Gaoreng said, stepping in front of me.

"No," I said, forcing myself to stay calm. "This is personal." I looked up at the 7'5" imposter before me. "I, Barrékél Telíma-Gátoháq Skárhen-Rhoskeil Pashdíshin-Kségpet Zhénta, accept this uninspired fake's request for a duel."

"When I win, I'm driving all of you into the sea," she said.

"I doubt that," I replied, "but when I win, you all can surrender," I replied. I started to circle around the woman, eyeing her. "By the way, she was taller."

She drew two swords, and began twirling them around, just like granddad used to. We circled each other, albeit with her movements being much more graceful than mine. Can I really do this? I know this is just a fake, but can I? In that brief moment of hesitation, she struck me with the side of one sword. I stumbled to the left. My ear was ringing. My stars danced across my field of view as I got stabbed in the chest. I screamed in agony, as her sword lodged itself in one of my ribs. How am I alive?

"I must be a bit rusty?" she pulled her sword out. I threw my only weapon at her head. As her eyes traced the blade, I tackled her. We fell into the sand, clawing at each other. I used my now numb right arm as a bludgeon to knock one of her swords out of her hands while gouging her eyes out with the left. Her right arm swung her sword wildly, slashing me above the eyebrow, cutting partway into the bone. I grabbed the fake's throat and began shaking like a wild animal.

"Do not ever, use my mother's voice! Do not ever use my grandfather's techniques! And no not ever use my great-grandmother's name!" My fingers tightened around the imposter's jugular and ripped the artery out. I looked at the lifeless face of my great-grandmother and felt my chest tighten. What did I do? I remembered my mother's voice. I attempted to stand up only to collapse in the sand, gasping for breath. It's a fake. Not real. Calm down. Calm down. It's an imposter. My eyelids flickered, refusing to stay open as my muscles stiffened. Come on, get up! Up! Breathe! Why aren't I breathing? Why can't I breathe?

"Bar! Can you hear me?" Gaoreng shouted. "Bar!"

"It's ok," I heard Itrust say. "You won." His soft feathers wrapped around me. "You'll be fine." My body slowly loosened up and air rushed back into my lungs.

"The commander is gone," Gaoreng said. "Dead and gone."

I slowly lifted myself back to my feet, shaking, lightheaded, and soaked in blood. I looked at the flaming cage of vines and shrubs with fury. The same figure as earlier appeared before me. He threw off his sword and armor.

"I, Hengelu Ntashmei, second to Pashdíshin Saweg, offer my life for my soldiers. I implore you to accept, Lord Barrékél Telíma-Gátoháq Skárhen-Rhoskeil Bashdíshin-Kségpet."

"You are truly kind," I said between breaths, struggling to stand. "Your soldiers shall be spared, Lord Hengelu Ntashmei."

Peace for Our Time

ATTENTION! ATTENTION! THE WAR IS OVER! THE WAR IS OVER!

In another shocking turn of events, the so-called leaders of the Confederation signed a peace treaty with the invading forces of Barrékél Zhénta and the elven king Nobukeita Kwidai. Unconditional surrender were the terms. Total capitulation! What madness has come over the world, I ask you, dear reader? The death of general Pashdísin Saweg came as a shock to us all. Her illustrious career came to a bitter end as she expressed regret in how she fought in the Great War. Her second in command meekly offered himself to the enemy; an enemy which employed demons in their midst no less, as any civilian in the city could see. Even the raptors turned on us. No mere magic or weaponry could explain this. This does not even account for the treason we have seen in our comrades or our "allies" in the Iresa Republic.

Oh Lady Ngorhme, Lord Ndazme! Oh Ndelei, Wakbenau, and Salaan! My dear Nakashi brothers and sisters, look at how we have fallen. Khosvei, Nkobef, please watch over your children.

--- Mesren Nkantaka

I looked up from my newspaper and smiled. "Mesren, you're really piling on the self-pity," I said, "but I'm assuming you paid attention to local sentiment when writing this."

"Naturally," she said, "my grandmother would have it no other my, my king."

I leaned back in my mahogany chair, enjoying the sea breeze waft in through the upper levels of the pyramid. I looked at the young woman, woven into thick braids. "When is this article being released?" I asked.

"As soon as the treaty is signed, my king," she answered.

"Then I should get going," I said getting up. I felt a draft tickle the base of my neck, reminding me of how I cut my hair shorter to make it more presentable. I exited the small room we were in, with Guangmei and Mesren in tow. We walked down a hall lined with colorful murals depicting the history of the Island Confederation painted upon smoothed basalt walls, trimmed with gold On the other end of the hall Itrust and Tarhívé waited for me, standing at either side of two purpleheart wooden doors. They opened the doors, revealing Nobukeita, Gaoreng, Tseigyen, and several other Selem officers, wrinkled with age all sitting around a table. Nobukeita wore his standard silk robes; this time a deep, emerald green, with a red and black feathered serpent wrapping around him. His hair was tied up in a large bun atop his head, unlike his usual method of letting it hang low.

"Good afternoon, Barrékél-twe," Nobukeita said. "I see you have thwarted death yet again. At this rate, someone might start calling you a god," he said. He began laughing. "All hail Barékél-asha!" He continued to laugh, prompting me to do the same. "May his reign be eternal!" We burst out laughing, even as others began to come in.

My sides ached as I greeted each of the nobles after our fit of laughter. "Good afternoon my Ladies and Lords," I said. "I hope you all are doing well." Mãlica, Bakalos, and the rest nodded in and sat down to my left. My grandmother, grandfather, my aunt Sagokel, and Itrust walked into the room soon after. My grandmother moved a chair and placed it directly to my right while my grandfather did the same and placed it to my direct left. Mãlica Pfanãõ , who was to my immediate right earlier, gave my grandmother an intense glare, only to have it brushed aside.

"As we wait for the Islanders to arrive," I said in Nakashi, " I would like to briefly hand out a few roles." I waited for Gaoreng to finish translating into Keoran before I continued. "To the lovely woman to my right, my grandmother Jáhyn, a general advisory role. Bakalos will also be given such a role as well, seeing as he has been extremely helpful thus far." I paused again. "Itrust and two raptors of his choosing shall advise me on their needs." I paused again. "And as for the elves, Gaoreng, a religious leader, and Guangmei, a personal friend will be given two of the three advisory roles. The last role will be voted on by the elves." I nervous look flitted across the eyes of the nobility.

"The elves are staying?" Mãlica asked.

"Of course," I said, "but not all of them. Nobukeita will be returning home shortly. The elves that fought directly under me, however, are to stay."

"Where are they to stay then?" Salodensanai Mbalau asked. Her grey eyes looked at me quizzically, searching for any ill-intent.

"On unclaimed land and land from those who chose not to support me," I replied, putting her at ease. "This will not be easy for everyone, but is quite doable." This prompted a few uncomfortable glances and a few reluctant nods.

"And what do you mean by vote, Barrékél?" Bakalos inquired. "Are you not a king?"

"I have determined that offering the people the ability to suggest a few things here or there to be ideal Nothing to the extent of making laws or electing rulers like what you had before, but it can't hurt to let the common citizen feel heard."

"Hmmm," Bakalos hummed, "fair enough."

"Indeed," I said as I heard the door open. A short man with coal skin and deep brown eyes walked in, followed by a similarly skinned woman and a familiar face, Faorelk. They all dressed in long, feather covered robes and wore a jade ring on their index fingers.

"President Sakomel Walenta, I presume." I said.

"Yes," the short man said. "This would be Mpashwela Walenta." He pointed to the taller, skinny woman besides him. "And this would be Faorelk Jaorhent," he said pointing to the former president's son.

"Faorelk, it is a pleasure to see you again," I said with a mock smile on my face. He scoffed and scanned the room.

"Where's the treaty?" Sakomel asked, his gaze cast upon the floor.

"Here," Nobukeita said after Gaoreng translated for him. The new king passed me the treaty we drafted the night before. Itrust walked over to stand behind my grandfather, carefully maneuvering around the room built too small for him. He scratched one of his fingers with his claw. I held out my left hand and watched as he picked the skin of my index finger. Despite being healed days before, I still lacked most feeling in my other arm. I signed my name at the bottom of the Treaty of Navaro. Itrust, in a script I've never seen before, signed his name as well. Nobukeita. I passed the treaty back to Nobukeita, who produced a needle from his bun, allowing it to fall down to his back. He pricked his right index finger and signed his name next to mine before passing the treaty back. Sagomel looked at the treaty, his face anguished with grief.

"My cousin," he began, his voice shaky "Falemneil, how well did she fight in your duel?"

"Very well," I said calmly, "She was snatched from the duel by a northerner, but she fought well. The aunt as well, although she lost her duel."

Sagomel looked up at me. " I see," he said.

"Your family has my respect, Sagomel, Mpashwela."

"Respect and nothing else," Sagomel said. "What good is respect when there's nothing left." He held out his hand for Itrust to prick his finger. Once blood began to leak out of his finger, he reached over and signed the document. Mpashwela and Faorelk did the same. Thus the treaty was signed in Islander, Venkí, and Tsurreno blood, the first of its kind in fifty-one years.