The host rested at the Fang Gate, nestled between the mountains that shielded Navitium for a day. Duchess Lilliana appointed her own castellan, some knight named Macario Allenzo, to guard the castle as they marched toward Navitium. The knight had sent birds to the other two gates, to tell them of the surrender of the Fang Gate and to urge them to follow suit. To bow down to the true king. But just to ensure that they did not send their armies against the Florjes host.

On their march, Benedict would sometimes think that if he looked hard enough, he might be able to see the faint outline of the towering spires of the Navitium Palace. And alas, he did. The march was but a day long. When the sun had begun to set over the horizon, shadows of the Navitium Palace came into view. Legends said that the Palace was built by the Aetherwielders of old. The Earthshakers who raised the white marble, quartz, and limestone, and shaped into the majestic white spires of the Palace, tipped with sea-blue roofs. Windows of the clearest and purest glass. It seemed as if the spires scraped the sky whilst their serpent banners danced to a tune in the wind. The great pure, white walls of the city stood fifty feet tall and twenty feet thick. The city itself was littered with smaller palaces, temples, cathedrals. Brothels, taverns, and inns clustered on every corner of the street. Great aqueducts brought in the cleanest water one would ever taste. If Benedict looked to his right, he could see the shapes of the Coiled Snake Mountains, where silver mines and mining towns would prop up at the bases of the mountains. Out to his right, the Sea of Krakens glimmered and shone as light bounced off of the clear blue waters. Fishing boats filled the bay with fisherman casting their nets in attempts to capture some of the underwater bounty. The barrier islands provided shelter which gave way to the Serpent Lagoon, where merchant ships from all over the world came to nestle their ships, to purchase and trade the rich resources of Sersalvon.

Benedict closed his eyes as he remembered the waterways of Navitium, which acted as streets. Little boats carrying people to and fro were commonplace. The exotic hats, the color, the culture.

And then he remembered... he came here to conquer.

The tales of Sanct Corentina popped into his head. A city to put to the torch. Raped and murdered. It was said that the dead piled so high there, entire streets would be blocked. It was said that sometimes, the bodies covered the floor so thickly that there was no floor to see. Only the dead. No one really knew what truly happened to Sanct Corentina. Not even the survivors. Some of them said it was a fleet of corsair lords, with tens upon thousands of men. Others said it was a Valencian fleet. Some the Barbarudi. But some swore that it was a host of mercenaries looking for plunder. Mercenaries in the service of the Duchess Lilliana Florjes.

Behind the host, the supply train carried their siege equipment. A mixture of catapults and mangonels carried by wagons and disassembled portions of trebuchets with large reserves of flammable pitch, stones, and other ammunition. Benedict looked back to the majestic City of Ships, and he felt the wind begin to blow. Harder and harder. Slowly at first before picking up speed. It began to rattle the wagons and carriages and startled his horse. His hair tossed and turned in the wind, but he continued to stare at the city. Slowly, what he saw began to fade. It began to fade and transform into something else. Something horrifying.

He saw great burning fireballs rocket to the City of Ships in an arc of flames, like shooting stars in the dark of night. Great flames illuminated the otherwise dark skies as the stars looked on, blind to the slaughter below. Bodies littered the fields before the city. The Navitium Palace was crumbling. It's towering spires coming crashing to the ground as it burned from within. The sigils of Florjes reigned supreme over the blanket of death. And the screams... oh the screams...

"No!" he shouted and spurred his horse forward, racing for the city. But then the smoke hit him like a thick blanket, shooting through his nostrils and clouding his eyes. Filling his mouth and racing down his throat. His horse reared up and screamed, drowning out even the sound of polearms against shields. Of screaming commoners and crying highborns. The steed through Benedict off and left the prince lying on the ground. He was dying, being drowned by the smoke.

Benedict! Shouted a voice. One he knew well. Benedict, none of it is real! BENEDICT!

The volume shocked him out of the... vision. Everything sharply returned to normal. The clear blue sky above him. The sight of the Navitium Palace's white spires. And there was no fire. No smoke. Surrounding him were the men-at-arms of Florjes who had been assigned as his guard. Angelica had her hand at his forehead, checking his temperature. "He feels fine," the Lady of Thorns said.

What... what was that? He asked Juliana.

The winds, my prince. They carry the tales of the past and future... replied the angel ominously.

Benedict lay there while everyone worried over him. The men-at-arms helped bring him up to his feet and he straightened out his doublet.

"What happened, my prince?" asked Count Jovan, who stood amongst them.

Benedict shook his head. "I..." He never finished his sentence. Instead, pushing his way through the crowd and onto his horse again. "Well?" he snapped. "What are you waiting for? We have a city to siege." The bystanders quickly returned to their places and the host continued on its march.

They began to set their camp in sight of the city walls, but out of range of the ballista, trebuchets, and catapults on the walls. The banners of Navíste, Laurent, Branza, and a dozen other noble families flew with the defenders. On Benedict's side, the banners of Florjes, Navíste, Aguino, and the colors of free companies and other nobles, knights, and dames. The colorful tents of the besieging army were set up in a ring around the city. Meanwhile, Rodrigo Solaz was given command of Count Jovan's host. He would march to the other two gates and demand their submission or simply block off the passes to ensure that the other two Lords of the Gates did not raise their men and march to aid Prince Francisco.

When night fell, the leaders of the host gathered in a long tent, set with an ornate table and chairs. Benedict sat at the head, wearing a princely crown that had been presented to him by one Duchess Lilliana's men. Martyn Aguino-Florjes, Inejgo Florjes, Angelica Florjes, the Duchess of Mercenaries, Count Jovan, the Lady of the Fields, Emmanuel Aguino, and multiple mercenary captains were present. But there was also one more... Arch-Cardinal Stellas. She had finally shown her face once more. Dressed in the cleric gold and red, she stood regal. They all entered the tent and went to their seats while remaining standing. Only when Benedict sat did they sit. As they were sitting, Benedict wrung his fingers. It was this meeting which would decide how they would proceed with the siege.

"Greetings, my lords and ladies," he began, fully courteous. "The time has come for us to discuss the path we shall take concerning the siege of Navitium. Those who have something to say may speak. And speak freely."

Of course, the Duchess of Mercenaries spoke first. "My duke husband has begun constructing our siege equipment. Siege towers, trebuchets, catapults, battering rams and more. My eldest son, Carlos, has blocked off Navitium from the sea. He commands over one hundred and thirty warships. He will rouse the Serpent's Fleet and defeat them in battle."

"From whereon he shall have to besiege and capture each of the dozen island fortresses within the Navitium Lagoon," one of the mercenary captains muttered.

"And he shall do so," the Duchess said firmly.

"And you are so sure, Your Grace?" the Arch-Cardinal pressed. "It is oft said that Navitium is impenetrable by sea. And the Serpent Fleet is known as the best in the kingdom."

The Duchess smiled a smile of thorns. "Perhaps, before the reign of Gallo and his father. But no longer. And do not worry... I have befitted the frigates with the best equipment."

"And that would be...?"

The Duchess's smile widened. "Serpentine cannon."

That caused an uproar in the tent.

Cannon? Benedict thought. Cannon was a rarity in the Caraíbes Isles. There were few places one would find it. And although serpentine cannon was the smallest out of them all, even possessing one was a show of immense strength. The walls before the Navitium Palace held five basilisk cannons, much larger than serpentines. Yet still, the use of serpentine by the Florjes Fleet would spell doom for the island fortresses of the Navitium Lagoon, for such castles had been around since the time of Emperor Atlantes, and many had not been renovated since the Wars of a Hundred Islands. Serpentine cannon would rip through them.

But where did she come upon these cannons?

"How did you happen upon cannon, Your Grace?" Benedict asked, without even realizing it. "It is a rarity in these parts of the world." It was said that for the Evrúopeans, cannon was an essential part to how they waged wars. There were few reports of the Evrúopeans who had conquered Grenaserrat using cannon, but Benedict did not doubt they would bring such a powerful weapon to the Isles.

The Duchess was frank. "I tortured it out of Captain Socarras Aguero. He had knowledge of how the West Corpheglian corsairs obtained cannon. Although they could only purchase it in small numbers."

Benedict noticed the mercenary captains leaning forward in their seat. One of them said, "Oh? And how do they?"

"You would shudder at their means, captain," the Duchess replied. "However, harbor no fear, for our victory at sea is assured."

Jovan snorted. "You couldn't have bought some cannon for us here on the land? It would be much easier to blast through those gargantuan white walls."

"Indeed it would, Your Excellency," Martyn Aguino stepped in. "Unfortunately, we do not possess the necessary cannon for us on the land. That is why we shall construct siege towers and battering rams. We shall focus our artillery on taking out their towers and their own artillery." The gathered commanders continued to discuss battleplans, but Benedict stayed silent. Thinking... thinking to himself.

"I have it on good word that the Lord Constable has rushed to seize the Cleric Knights, but they have resisted. The streets of Navitium run with the blood of the pretender's men," the Arch-Cardinal boasted.

Benedict felt a wave of contempt. Aren't you supposed to be preaching for peace? And what's in it for you? Why are you supporting me?

He must've let his mask drop and his true feelings slip through for the Arch-Cardinal shifted uncomfortably in her seat. And the winds slowly picked up before calming back down. The tent fell silent until Rodrigo de Ferrourra, the captain of the Bloody Bulls, a free company of some seven hundred and fifty men, who were some of the most infamous mercenaries in the Isles, cleared his throat. They had participated in the Rape of Sanct Corentina and it said that Rodrigo himself had forcefully taken the maidenheads of fourteen young girls.

"Yes, Segniuer Rodrigo?" inquired Inejgo.

The freelancer nodded. "I find that odd. For my rats tell me that it seems the Church is split."

"Rats?" the Arch-Cardinal said incredulously.

Rodrigo shrugged and smiled, his yellow, cracked teeth showing. "It's what I call them."

Why is he here? Benedict thought. I cannot walk into Navitium with this man in tow.

Why are any of them here?

"So even the Church has fallen to infighting," Jovan mused. "The blood they must've told you about was the blood of the clergy, Your Eminence," he said to the Arch-Cardinal.

Stellas was noticeably infuriated. She was a fool. Such emotion would get her killed. It's not just the Navístes who are serpents, it seems. They were all serpents. Simply dressed up in the likeness of flowers, bulls, and a whole slew of other sigils.