General Yollon gazed down from the top of the ridge with a dispassionate, almost detached look. He let one last volley of arrows fly before finally raising his sword. "Cease fire!"

As one, his archers lowered their bows and stepped back from the edge.

Yollon sighed as he saw a distant cloud of dust at the other end of the ravine as a single Imperial soldier made his escape. His eyes flicked back to the trail below, where three other soldiers lay dead.

Donlas came to his side. He looked down and saw the escaping soldier, then glanced at the dead men as well. "Patrol?"

"Yes." Yollon turned around and stepped away from the edge, gesturing to his men to do the same. "And first blood."

Donlas glanced back towards the ravine. "The Emperor will be alerted."

"Nothing can be done about that now. We were lucky to escape detection until now, when we are almost upon them." He looked at Donlas. "Three days managing to avoid a patrol is astonishing."

"You are a very skilled General," Donlas offered.

Yollon chuckled and steered the young man away from the others. "I have never seen combat, Donlas. None of us have. I am learning. My skill can perhaps account for two of these last few days, when the patrol schedule matched reality, but the third was indeed simply luck."

Donlas preferred to think that his commander was supremely talented. It would help quell his nervousness. He glanced over to the edge of the ridge again and saw that some of the soldiers were lingering, talking in low voices to each other and occasionally pointing downward.

Yollon noticed his adjunct's attention and turned his head. "That's enough, men," he called out sharply. "Return to your duties at once!"

As the soldiers complied, Donlas raised an eyebrow. "What was that all about?"

"As I said, none of us have seen combat. Most likely each were wondering if it had been his arrow that slew one of the Emperor's soldiers. I cannot have them dwelling on it. I must have them willing to do the same again. And again. And again."

Donlas nodded. "So what are your orders, General?"

"We move out. Recall the scouts and organize the men into assault position. We will head straight for the Imperial Palace. There is no longer any point in stealth. The battle started with the deaths of those men. Now we need to finish it."

Donlas curled his right hand into a fist and beat it once against his chest in salute. "Yes, General, at once!"

Yollon watched the young man turn away and eagerly set about his task, yelling commands and spurring the men to action. Yollon's eyes drifted skyward, where he squinted at the bright, crystal clear sky. It felt incongruous for the day of battle to be sunny and fair. In works of literature, famous ancient battles were always described as happening on gray, dreary days. It seemed a travesty to hold one on a day like this.

"It is about time, Rithas!" Q'yros thundered at the Imperial General's Farview image. "It has been three days! I had changed the schedule two days ago! Those patrols should have found them then!"

Rithas sighed. "Had you allowed me to direct them instead of insisting on coming up with the timetables yourself, Q'yros, perhaps they would have discovered them earlier," he said with disdain. "Really, you and the Emperor should leave soldiering to the soldiers."

Q'yros fumed. "Enough of this. Now that we have spotted them, I suggest -- that is, if you don't think I'm 'soldiering' for you -- that you set up a defensive line a good distance from the palace, perhaps along some good defensive terrain where ..."

"Oh, that would be a marvelous idea, Mage. Simply marvelous," said the General in a mocking tone of voice. "But the simple fact of the matter is I do not have the time. I will make a defensive line here."

"No time? What are you babbling about? Are they not at least another day out?"

"No, Q'yros, they are only beyond the hills to the west of the Imperial City. Assuming they dispense with stealth, they shall be here by midday."

"What?! How can they be here that soon?"

Rithas rolled his eyes. "You expect me to read the enemy commander's mind? Really, I thought that was more in your area."

Q'yros' fingers tightened almost painfully around his staff. Like any other experienced Mage, nothing grated on him more than the perpetuation of the myth that magic allowed a mind to be read. It was considered to be impossible. Spell research along those lines had been abandoned a century ago. What limited results had been achieved had not been worth the effort.

"Very well. I leave the defense of the palace in your capable hands, General."

Rithas smiled. "You do? Be still my heart. You are most kind. Do I have your leave now?"

"After you answer this: do you have the Urisi situation under control?"

"As much as I can. They're doubting the claim of an enemy regiment, and their commander is growing agitated. Hearing about the approach of Duric's army has assuaged them somewhat, but I am still concerned."

Q'yros waved a hand in dismissal. "Just make sure they toe the line."

"I have placed them in the rear guard. I am hoping that will obscure the show of the enemy's colors long enough to fool them, though I have loosed a rumor among our men that the enemy may show false colors."

Q'yros had to admit to being a bit impressed by that ruse. It was more subtlety that he thought the commander capable of. "Thank you, General Rithas. You have my leave. Contact me at once if anything comes up."

Rithas nodded once and faded away.

Q'yros now had the unenviable task of informing the Emperor. Z'haas had holed himself up in his inner chambers since the Lords had left and had not been seen since. The rumor was that he had two personal guards accompany him everywhere, even into the sanitary, as if he still believed he was in danger.

If there had been any blessing at all, it had allowed Q'yros to fully rest the past two days. He had dispelled the magic he had been using to track the Lords. He had reduced the anti-Portal wards to the minimum needed and removed all other extraneous protective spells. As a result, he was able to regain some of his strength.

He was nowhere near where he used to be, but he was feeling much better, and many of his ailments had retreated. Now he could actually practice some decent magic if called upon, if only briefly.

Q'yros headed for the Emperor's inner sanctum.

Amanda had wanted to remain by the door and avoid the huddle of men around the table. She could sense the tension. She knew that Duric's army was closing on the Imperial Palace. Yet Duric turned his head and gestured for her to approach.

Resigned, she stepped forward, coming alongside him. None of the others paid any attention to her, having grown used to her presence. She had already been called upon to service many of them at least once in the past few days, as there was little else to occupy the time of Duric's advisers until the battle came.

Now she gazed at the map, where wood markers carved into shapes of tiny soldiers were arranged.

"Yollon is approaching from the west-southwest," Duric said to his advisers, pointing. "Not quite what he had wanted. He wanted to swing in a little from the north instead."

"They'll likely defend from here, my Lord," said one of the men. He pushed around some of the markers for the Imperial soldiers with a long stick until they formed a tight defensive line just to the west of the palace.

"And if they have more troops than that, as Janna had suggested?"

The adviser considered, then pushed new markers onto the map, forming a curve. It now dwarfed the more tightly-knit contingent of markers pointed at it.

Duric sighed through his nose.

Amanda looked up at him in silent concern. She had heard that Janna had been taken captive in the palace. Duric had been warned that she may be used as a hostage, but he would hear nothing of it. "She knew her duty," had been his response in a flat voice.

But Amanda could see the terrible hurt and worry in his eyes.

"Should we consider having Yollon change his approach?" the adviser asked.

Duric said nothing for a long moment as he simply stared at the markers. Amanda's eyes flicked from him to the map and back. Jollis' words came to her again. Was this what he had wanted her to do? Encourage Duric to continue? To be bold? To send his army in no matter what?

"He can hold the high terrain here instead ..." The adviser moved Duric's markers to the south. " ... and whittle them down with arrow and catapult fire. Perhaps until another Lord can muster some additional ..."

Lord Duric shook his head. "No. It would take too long for another Lord to muster any additional troops. We have to take a chance. Tell Yollon to continue at his discretion until we can actually see what we're up against."

"Yes, my Lord."

Amanda relaxed. She was sure she would not have been able to say anything anyway. She knew little about warfare, save for what she had read. And they were not going to care for a slave offering her opinion no matter how forward-thinking Duric might think they are.

But most of all, she did not want to have part of a decision that sent men to their death. That was too much to ask of her.

"Why did you not detect Duric's army gathering in the first place, Q'yros?!" Z'haas demanded. "He could not have traveled from Keyas to here marching over land!"

Q'yros wanted to rail at the Emperor that had he placed even the smallest faith in the intelligence that Gronnus was giving him, he would have been alerted to the danger long before this and stopped it before even a single soldier could come near.

The Mage was also angry with himself. He had spotted a warning sign and had dismissed it. But he was not going to tell the Emperor this. He was not going to mention how he had detected the flicker of Portal energy from Overlord Weton D'honna's Manor and had ignored it. He had sensed that a powerful Mage was in the vicinity, and had assumed that the Overlord was having his Portal tuned.

"It is possible they used Weton's Portal to transport their troops, my Emperor," Q'yros said cautiously.

Z'haas' eyes widened, terrified. "He ... he is colluding with enemy as Roquan did?"

"No, my Emperor, I believe the Portal was entirely of domestic origin."

"Then why did you not detect it?"

"It was likely cloaked in some fashion," said Q'yros. He gritted his teeth. He had not wanted to admit that an assertion of his had been false, that it was too difficult to hide such a thing to even bother with the attempt, let alone augment it to accomplish the feat of allowing an army passage.

Yet it was clear it had been done. It could only have been a rogue Mage that accomplished it. Even as he seethed, he held a secret admiration for the feat.

"You did not tell me this could be done!" Z'haas cried.

"Really, my Emperor, this is irrelevant now," Q'yros said testily. "The fact of the matter is, they have arrived and General Rithas will deal with it ... speaking of which, I am now receiving a summons from him. May I have your leave to ..."

"Yes, yes, of course!"

The Mage nodded once respectfully and turned from his sovereign. "I accept the summons."

Rithas' image shimmered into view, a smug smirk on his face. "Well, Q'yros, you can calm down now. We've sighted Duric's army. So long as the men aren't distracted by their laughter at it, we should do all right."

The Mage had had enough of the man's insouciance. Before he could open his mouth, however, Z'haas came alongside him.

The smirk disappeared from Rithas' face, and he immediately came to attention. "My Emperor. I am honored."

"I want the bottom line, Rithas!" declared Z'haas. "What are you facing?"

"We face an army that is less than the combined strength of your illustrious legions, my Emperor."

Oh, now they're back to being the Emperor's legions, are they? Q'yros thought with disgust. You are such a sycophant.

"We have more heavy forces than they do, and they no longer have the benefit of surprise. We will rout them handily if they are foolish enough to attack."

"You will not let them escape!" the Emperor exclaimed. "You will destroy them here and now!"

A flicker of doubt appeared in Rithas' eyes. Q'yros knew why, and sympathized. He was not sure he could keep the Urisi contingent together long enough to do such a thing.

"Yes, my Emperor, it shall be done!" the General wisely replied.

Q'yros flicked his hand and terminated the Farview. Z'haas turned to him. "Bring me the traitor. The spy. The one that plays at being a Lord!"

The Mage raised an eyebrow. "Janna? You want her here in your chamber?"

"What part of that did I not make clear, Q'yros?! I want her here! I want to see the expression on her face when she learns that Duric's army has been crushed!"

Q'yros paused, and then nodded slowly. "Shall I get her some clothing first?"

"Bring her as she is. I do not wish her shown any dignity, for she deserves none for conspiring against me!" He turned and headed over to the throne, sitting himself down regally. "Now ... bring her."

Q'yros was wary of this request, but he supposed he understood why Z'haas needed to do this. He needed to rub this in someone's face. He needed to prove himself and his power. He wanted to make this victory personal.

The Mage nodded. "At once, my Emperor."

A carriage shook and rattled its way down a sodden road, sending up plumes of water joining that already coming from the sky. The horses' hooves kicked up mud that splattered against the windows, obscuring much of the landscape behind a brown, muckish haze.

Inside the carriage, Tarras had little interest in the passing scenery. Even as he was sped down the road further south into Carolas, it was not fast enough to suit him. At this rate, he would not be back home until nightfall. The last he had heard from Duric was that his army would be moving on the Imperial Palace that day. It would likely be over by the time he got home.

And now he had been waiting for word from another source and was growing increasingly agitated the more time passed. He finally took out a Farview pearl and activated it in annoyance.

"Yes, my Lord?" asked the image of his closest adviser.

"Well? Have you heard anything from Lord Gallas?"

The adviser sighed. "Nothing yet, my Lord, I am sorry."

Tarras cursed. "Surely he had a patrol near the route that the Emperor's forces took!"

"Be that as it may, my Lord, he has not given me word yet. He promised he would inform me as soon as he could. I am sorry I can give you no more than this."

Tarras sighed, the sound broken by the lurch he took when the carriage rolled over a rut in the road. "It is fine. You are doing well. I am simply impatient."

The adviser nodded slowly. This was unusual for Tarras, so it was clear to him that his Lord was rather agitated. "Is there something else I can do for you?"

There was a long pause, Tarras' eyes misting. Finally, he shook his head. "No. Nothing. Carry on."

He waved his hand over the pearl and terminated the Farview. He leaned back in his seat as he tucked the pearl away. He closed his eyes and wiped his face with one hand. When his hand dropped, it fell on the dress and petticoat that lay in the seat next to him.

He drew in a deep breath and let it go as a heartfelt sigh.

Janna had forgotten what modesty was.

While they had kept her fed, and her cell clean, they had not given her any clothing to wear whatsoever. She had to endure many sexual advances from the guards. They had groped her breasts and rear, tried to kiss her, and came close to raping her. Fortunately they had limited it to sticking their fingers into her pussy.

Now she was escorted through the largely empty corridors of the palace. Her wrists were bound behind her back in shackles that made a metallic clinking noise as she was marched to the Emperor's audience chamber.

Janna had wondered how she might feel if she had a personal audience with the Emperor. She had believed she might be in awe of it, despite what she thought of the man personally. But now it was different. She felt nothing but contempt. When the guards marched her to the edge of the dais, she looked up at him and saw nothing more than a small man trying to act the part of a leader.

Z'haas must have seen the contempt in her eyes, for his own gaze began to blaze with anger. "You will show your proper respect for the throne," he said in a deadly voice.

One of the guards planted his knee hard into the back of Janna's legs. She yelped as a leg collapsed from under her. She winced in pain as she fell to her knees. She started to fall over, but the other guard's hand shot out and grabbed her shoulder, righting her.

Q'yros stood to the side, remaining silent. He held his staff firmly in one hand, his eyes flicking back and forth as he observed the scene.

The Emperor stared at Janna intently for a few moments before standing. He slowly stepped down off the dais and stood directly before Janna. Janna stared back up at him. There was fear in her eyes, but it paled to the raw anger and hatred that burned in them as well.

Z'haas casually turned his head towards one of the guards and held out his hand. "Your sword."

The guard paused only a moment before he slid the weapon from its sheath, fell to one knee, and offered it hilt-first.

Q'yros frowned and tensed. Janna's eyes shimmered.

The Emperor took the sword, appeared to examine it for a moment, then leveled it at Janna. He slid it forward until the tip was poised barely a finger-breadth from her heart.

Janna swallowed and trembled. Her eyes glanced down at the sword fearfully, then back up at Z'haas. Her gaze hardened. "Do it, then," she said in a shaky, but defiant voice. "K-kill me now. Be judge, jury, and executioner."

Q'yros' fingers tightened around the staff.

The Emperor held the sword for another few moments and then slowly let it drop. "I should kill you. Right here and now. You are a traitor. Your cousin, Lord Duric, is a traitor! All the Noble Lords of Oceanus are TRAITORS!!"

The Emperor's scream echoed off the distant walls of the chamber. Janna said nothing in reply.

"Killing you is no satisfaction to me," continued Z'haas in a lower voice. "What will be satisfaction is the defeat of Duric's army, and seeing your reaction to it."

Janna's eyes widened. "Duric ... the army ... they're here?"

"Indeed, my Lady," said Q'yros with a smug smile. "And quite overmatched by our forces, I am happy to say."

Janna closed her eyes and swallowed again. She felt despair come over her, but she refused to show it. For all she knew, they were lying just to make her feel this way.

It's not over yet, she thought. Not until the battle is fought. Not until a side has declared victory ...

Urisi diplomats did not take their own Farviews. In fact, it was rare for anyone in high standing to do such a thing. To have one's thoughts impinged upon willy-nilly by a Farview was seen as very pedestrian and uncouth. Thus they had Farview pearls bound to underlings instead, generally two: one -- called the "Viewer" -- to receive it, and the other -- called the "Runner" -- to fetch the intended recipient unless orders were left not to be disturbed.

Or the issue was of high enough importance to warrant an interruption.

Mandas was back in his home province in Urisi, a rather largish island just across a channel from the Urisi mainland. On his side of the world, it was well into the evening hours, his time to network with other members of the court. Thus it was to his dismay when he saw his Runner tracing a zig-zag path through the ballroom.

He sighed. To the elegantly-dressed woman before him, he said, "Excuse me, my Lady. Duty, quite unfortunately and inappropriately I am sure, calls."

He stepped away just as the young Runner reached him. "Pardon, my Lord! But ... my Lord?! ..."

Mandas had grabbed him by the arm and dragged him towards a secluded corner. "Just what is the meaning of this?" he hissed. "I have been waiting several moons to corner Lady Sashalla and ..."

"I am terribly sorry, my Lord!" the Runner simpered. "But you have a Farview from Oceanus!"

Mandas clenched his jaw. "Go back and tell that so-called Emperor that he will have to wait until ..."

"It is not him, it is the commander of our forces that we dispatched to Oceanus."

"The what ...? Why is he calling me? Unless ..." Mandas frowned. He shoved the Runner roughly to the side and headed out of the ballroom.

He found his Viewer by his carriage. "Inside!" he ordered. The Viewer dutifully entered the carriage, Mandas following and sitting down next to him. "Now."

"I will receive the summons," said his Viewer.

The Urisi commander sparkled into view.

"This had better be good," Mandas declared.

"Overmatched."

Donlas' head turn towards his General. The two of them stood atop a low hill. Just before them, Duric's army was streaming around the hill, forming up the order of battle. Stretching before the troops was a field of tall grass, and behind that were the Imperial Legions.

It was a daunting force, etched out in a curve, such that if it moved forward as one, it could encapsulate Duric's army unless Yollon stretched them out to match. But that would leave them too thin, to easy a line to penetrate and attack from the rear.

"General?" Donlas asked tentatively.

Yollon remained calm as he looked out over the enemy, but it was clear in his eyes that he was daunted and disappointed. "Keep the formations loose, Donlas. We may need to perform a fighting retreat."

Donlas' eyes widened. "Retreat? Now?"

"Look, Donlas. Use your eyes. Do you believe we can go against that?"

Donlas sighed and murmured, "We've come so far ..."

"Yes, I know. Ultimately, this will be Lord Duric's decision." He glanced down at the ranks. "We have some room to maneuver. Even if they charged towards us, we have time to react and gain better defensive terrain behind us. But if they do charge, we will lose men, that much is certain."

"If we are so overmatched, why are they not charging us now?"

"Most likely their commander wants to see what tactics we use. But I do not doubt they will go on the offensive at some point." He looked back towards the enemy and narrowed his eyes. "I will contact Lord Duric immediately."

"Are you sure of this?" Mandas demanded.

"Yes, my Lord!" said the commander. "They are flying the colors of Lord Duric K'garon, a local Noble Lord."

"And this claim by the Oceanus general that this is a foreign force?"

"I do not believe it, my Lord. Yes, there is a rumor about about a Colosian force flying false colors to fool us, but ..."

"But what? If this truly is a foreign force, we are obligated by treaty to assist Oceanus!"

"It looks wrong, my Lord. I learned about the Colosi before taking this position. They do not look like what Colosian forces should look like. And the fact that we have been kept at the palace would seem ..."

"At the palace?!" Mandas cried in alarm. "You are not advancing with the incursion force?"

"No, my Lord. We were told we were being kept in reserve."

Mandas fumed. It was clear to him now that Z'haas was trying to trick Urisi forces into supporting the Oceanus Imperium against a rebellion. That was an entanglement that the Urisi could not afford to make. If this got back to His Majesty, Mandas' position would be seriously jeopardized, as it was his idea to negotiate this treaty in the first place.

He could not let this go any further. Better to lose one treaty than his head.

"Emperor Z'haas is playing some sort of stupid game," Mandas said. "He has abrogated the treaty. It is null and void."

"Then what are my orders, my Lord?"

"Your orders? Leave. You are not to engage."

"The forces enter the battlefield even now, my Lord."

"Then be grateful we have caught this in time and spared His Majesty an embarrassment of epic proportions! You will withdraw your forces to a respectable distance and stand down. Make it clear that you are no longer considered combatants."

"Yes, my Lord, at once."

Mandas made a cutting motion with his hand. His Viewer terminated the Farview.

The diplomat sighed. He had hoped this would be a nice feather in his cap. Simply help Oceanus take care of a supposed threat on their western border, take a choice province or two for the Crown, and increase Urisi westward influence tenfold. It had seemed so simple.

He should have known better. He would advise the King to think twice about seeking further treaties with Oceanus for some time, regardless of who came out on top in the current rebellion.

Duric stood in dead silence as Yollon's image hung before him.

Amanda was starting to understand. Duric's army had met a force that was more than they could handle.

"I am sorry, my Lord," said Yollon. "But I do not see any way to gain tactical position, save for taking some high ground and whittling them down, but they would just swarm to the rear and trap us."

Duric drew in his breath and let it go slowly and audibly through his nose.

Amanda again faced the same dilemma. Jollis said Duric needed to be bold, he needed to have the courage to see it through. But had Jollis anticipated this? Outnumbered two to one? Being bold was one thing, but wasn't this suicide?

"If you give the word now, my Lord, I can conduct an orderly retreat and keep losses at a minimum if ..."

"General! General, wait!"

Duric turned his gaze to Yollon, frowning slightly at the sound of the faint voice off to the General's side outside the Farview.

Yollon turned. "Donlas, I am rather busy at the moment. Can't this ..."

"General, the Imperial forces! Something's happening!"

"Are they charging?"

"No! Some of them are leaving!"

"Yollon, what's going on?" demanded Duric.

"One moment, my Lord," Yollon said. He turned to the side. "Here, give me the distance-viewer, Donlas."

Amanda watched as Yollon placed a small telescope to his eye. "Hellfire. I wouldn't have believed this if I didn't see it for myself." He lowered the viewer and turned to Duric. "My Lord, a entire contingent from the rear flank of the Imperial army is disengaging. They are heading off the battlefield."

"Are you sure they are not just trying to circle around you, Yollon?" said Duric's adviser as he stepped forward.

Yollon turned and looked again. "No, they're holding their weapons down. Their flag has been lowered. It's a stand-down posture. I don't know what's happening ..."

The adviser turned to Duric. "Is this what Lord Tarras was talking about, my Lord? About there being a Urisi contingent? I thought the Emperor had to be insane to actually deploy them in the first place, let alone against ..."

Duric held up a hand to silence him. "General Yollon, I need to know in what disposition this leaves the remaining forces. Can we take them?"

Yollon turned back to Duric. "I will need a few moments to assess it. It has left the enemy in something of a disarray."

"We need to decide very soon, my Lord!" said the adviser. "While we can take advantage of the distraction!"

Duric nodded. "Yollon, get me that assessment fast."

"Yes, my Lord."

"I accept the Farview!" Tarras practically shouted, his voice stuttering as the carriage rolled over a cobblestone street of a small town.

His adviser shimmered into view. "My Lord, I have heard from Lord Gallas. He said his patrols had lost sight of the enemy for a few days ..."

"Hellfire!" Tarras cried, falling back in his seat.

"Wait, my Lord, there's more to his message! He said a patrol picked up their trail just this morning, but the force was smaller than they had remembered it."

"Are you sure of this? I mean, is he sure of this?"

"He seemed so, my Lord. In fact, he's a little worried now if a legion has entered his own territory, and he's making a general call-to-arms ..."

"Tell him that while a general call-to-arms is a damn good idea at the moment, he need not worry about where that legion is going. I know exactly where it's headed. Thank you, you have been very helpful. Now I need to contact Lord Duric at once."

"I am sorry, my Lord, I could not keep them in the ranks," said General Rithas, who was visibly sweating now that he knew the Emperor was with Q'yros.

"General, it is your responsibility to maintain an integrated army!" Q'yros declared, though he knew the words were meaningless. Nothing would bring back the Urisi. But he had to vent his frustrations somehow.

"This is out of my control, Q'yros! If you could get the Emperor to ..."

"What is this? What is this?" Z'haas called out. "What is going on, Q'yros? What about the Urisi contingent?"

Janna's lips parted slightly in shock. Great gods, Tarras was right. He is insane enough to use Urisi nationals in the army. And now they're deserting him, just like Tarras predicted.

Q'yros was dreading this. He swiftly turned. "My Emperor, the Urisi regiments are leaving the ranks."

The Emperor's eyes went wide. Both anger and fear were evident, and both made themselves known. He took a step towards the Mage, the sword still in his hand. One of the guards had to take a half-step back to stop from being nicked by the tip of the trembling blade. "Call them back! Now!"

"I cannot. They are likely seeing this as a violation of the treaty."

"Blast the treaty!" Z'haas screamed, his face red, his eyes wild. "I am the Emperor here! I give the orders! I order them back to the battlefield! NOW!!"

Q'yros' eyes flitted from the feral look in the Emperor's eyes to the sword. "It is out of my hands, my Emperor. You will need to contact the Urisi diplomat to resolve this, assuming he will accept a Farview."

The Emperor just stared at Q'yros for a few moments, then looked away and staggered to the side.

"Um ... the remaining forces can hold out, my Lord," Rithas said quietly to Q'yros, visibly shaken at the Emperor's loss of control.

Q'yros nodded. "You will adopt a strong defensive posture at earliest opportunity," the Mage responded in a low voice as well. "We need only to hold out until the legion recalled from the excursion force arrives, Commander, then ...

But then, behind Q'yros, the Emperor screamed.

And now, the decision became twice as hard, for both Duric and Amanda.

The first Farview image had been joined by a second, that of Lord Tarras. Duric listened gravely to his warning.

"How long, Tarras?" Duric asked.

"It is difficult to say exactly, Duric," said Tarras. "If the Emperor recalled it the day that Janna was captured, then I would guess one or two days. You would have only that long to overcome the palace defenses and install a new interim Emperor. You must have an interim Emperor in place, Duric, if the returning legion is to stand down. Lord Uras is willing to fill that role and is currently camped out half a day's travel from the palace."

"My Lord," said Yollon, "The forces we face at the moment are still rather formidable. If the men's spirit holds up, we can probably take them. But I can tell you right now, the casualties will be high. And we may not gain the upper hand by dusk."

"It doesn't sound like a sure thing," Tarras noted in a somber voice. "But then again, fortunes of war rarely are."

Amanda felt her heart pounding. She was not sure why she felt so responsible for this. Did she value Jollis' words that much? Or did she simply feel an obligation to him because he had been so kind to her?

No, she could not do this. She could not do anything to influence a decision like this, not when so many lives were at stake. It was not her place. It was a silly notion, regardless of her status as a slave. She was a fifteen-year-old girl. It was not her place.

Moreover, she had nothing to give. There was no experience she could draw on.

"Lord Duric, my carriage is coming to a stop, and I need to find out what the delay is," Tarras said, his voice betraying frustration. "I will have to contact you later."

Duric nodded and shifted his gaze to his advisers as Tarras' image faded. "Well?"

"It is your decision, my Lord," said the adviser. "There is nothing more I can tell you."

"I cannot commit these men to death unless I know there is a chance for victory!"

"My Lord, I need a decision very soon," said Yollon. "The Imperial forces are forming up ranks again now that the Urisi have departed."

Duric had a choice. Commit his forces now in a bloody battle that will be costly to both sides and risk a loss, leaving the Lords with no military to resist the returning legions, or withdraw and preserve them intact to fight another day, a day that might not come for a long while.

Duric sighed, and for a moment, his gaze fell upon Amanda.

Amanda's eyes widened. For a moment, she had the crazy notion that he was about to ask her advice. Instead, he gave her a tiny smile and said softly. "I am sure you will wonder now if the men of the Battle of Selemas Keep went through such gut-wrenching decisions. We will see how I compare to them."

Amanda simply nodded. She had nothing more she could add.

Jollis waved his hand and the image before him vanished.

He sat back down in his makeshift camp. He was pleased. Everything was in motion. His intelligence told him that the Urisi had left the battlefield. The sides were more evenly matched. Everything was in place. Everything was going better than he could have hoped for.

And then there was Amanda. She would come through for him. She would say the right thing at the right moment. She would help insure things happened as they should. She would nudge Duric's hand in the right direction should he waver.

Once the battle began, Jollis would initiate contact with his Master, and the plan would be set in motion on his side. The stage would be set.

Jollis crossed his legs beneath him, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.

"YOU DID THIS!!"

The Mage turned to see the Emperor leveling the sword at Janna, his hand shaking.

Janna refused to let the fear show in her eyes. She met the Emperor's crazed gaze with a steady, cool one of her own. "I did nothing. I have been in a cell for three days."

"You are a lying traitor," the Emperor snarled. "A treacherous, deceitful, immoral TRAITOR!"

"You like that word a lot, Z'haas. Maybe I am a traitor in your eyes. But I didn't do this. It sounds like you misinterpreted a key treaty provision."

Q'yros finished the Farview with Rithas and stepped forward quickly. "My Emperor, with all due respect, she has a point. The Urisi said that they would not fire on Oceanus forces ..."

"They are not Oceanus forces!" Z'haas screamed. "They are rebels! Enemies of the state! They are as good as foreign forces!"

"My Emperor, please," pleaded Q'yros. "This will not seriously diminish our strength. We are still strong, and we will still prevail."

But the Emperor could not see this through his fog of fury and panic. He could only see that his will had been thwarted. He had the right solution all along. He had the right ideas. He had brought it all together. Everyone simply needed to do their job, to be loyal to him, to obey. He had Oceanus' best interest at heart. But only him.

He was the Emperor. He was the law. And the law would be upheld.

Z'haas breathing slowed, and the look in his eyes grew less wild. Yet his gaze never left Janna, a gaze of acidic hatred, and his hand gripped the sword tighter until his knuckles turned white. "Very well, Q'yros," he said in a much softer voice.

The Mage eyed the Emperor for a moment, nodded once, and then started away. "I will help General Rithas coordinate ..."

Janna uttered a strangled scream.

Q'yros whirled around. The staff dropped from his fingers.

Janna's head lolled back. Her lips parted. She made a gurgling noise as blood bubbled up her throat and trickled from the corner of her mouth. With a sickening sound, her body slid off the crimson-stained sword and slumped to the floor.

Z'haas took a deep breath and let it go. He tossed the sword down with a loud clatter, splattering more blood on the stones.

"General Yollon," Duric said crisply. "In light of the situation, it would be more prudent if ..."

There was a muffled crack that made Amanda flinch.

Duric jerked as he felt something sting inside his tunic. Amanda gasped as she spotted the tiny bit of blood on the fabric. Duric looked down. His mouth opened, and his eyes went wide. In a panic, he thrust his hand into the pocket, nearly tearing it. He paused, his face twisting in horror.

Amanda was stricken. In the back of her mind, she had an idea what had happened, but she refused to believe it yet.

"My Lord?" Yollon asked. "My Lord, what is it?"

"Duric ..." said his adviser softly, also having guessed what happened.

Duric pulled out his hand. It was shaking. Slowly, he opened it. Shards of a shattered, blackened pearl slipped through his fingers, making little flashes as sunlight glinted from them.

"J-Janna ..." Duric gasped. "Janna ... no ..."

Amanda stared at the remains of the pearl. At the remains of a life that was no more.

His hand closed and clenched into a fist, the shards cutting into his skin. His fist shook, a drop of blood trickling out. He closed his eyes just as tightly and pressed his fist to his forehead.

Amanda was horrified. She felt as if she had just witnessed a murder. And there was something hauntingly familiar about it.

No one said anything. There was nothing that could be said.

Duric lowered his fist and opened his eyes. He looked to Yollon, eyes burning.

"I have just suffered a grave loss, General," Duric said in a surprisingly calm voice, though it was heavily laden with emotion, and his eyes were wet. Behind it was a fury that made one of his advisers flinch. "At the Emperor's hands."

Yes, it was familiar, Amanda realized. It was history. The Battle of Selemas Keep. The fleet admiral who's loved one had been killed by ...

Yollon immediately understood. His expression hardened. "Then your orders are clear, my Lord, are they not?" he declared.

Duric took a deep breath. "Yes, General, they are. You are to attack at ..."

"No!"

And suddenly, all eyes were on Amanda.

"You can't attack!" she cried.

"What is she babbling about?" Yollon demanded. "My Lord, is that your command? Please confirm!"

"Amanda, this is not the time," Duric said, his voice betraying both sympathy and anger. "You are speaking out of turn. Do not make me punish you, it will be very harsh."

Amanda ignored this. "The Battle of Selemas Keep, Master. Remember what I told you all about, about the admiral who chose not to engage in battle. How he didn't let a personal loss color his ... ow!"

Duric's adviser had seized Amanda's arm, yanking it hard. "My Lord, I'll take care of this slave for you," he said, pulling on her arm again, making her wince.

"Let her go!" Duric exclaimed.

The adviser gave him an odd look.

Duric's eyes blazed. "I said ... let her go."

The adviser paused, then released Amanda. She began talking at once.

"The Battle, Master. The one you had me tell the others about. The Admiral who held back even though he wanted vengeance. Master, you said you wanted people to understand that battle because it was such a good example of a clear strategy. Everyone's been saying that if you attack now, it will be really bloody and you might not win. It was the same with the Monarchist fleet when they came upon the ..."

"Enough."

The single word was spoken in a low voice but with a firmness that made Amanda fall silent immediately.

Duric swallowed. He stared at Amanda for a long moment. Several emotions flickered in his eyes. Anger. Desperation. Grief. He clenched his teeth. He looked as if he wanted to strike Amanda.

Perhaps he did. But if so, it was only for forcing him to look past his emotions, to disregard Janna's death for the moment, to make it so it had no bearing in his decision.

Just for that moment, he hated Amanda for it.

Finally he turned to Yollon. "General, I want nothing more than to order you to attack without mercy and kill every Imperial you can see," Duric announced. "And I want nothing more than to avenge Janna's death." He had to pause to bring his emotions under control again, as his voice had started to break up. "But that is not prudent. It is an emotional decision, not a rational one. I am still a rational man, unlike Z'haas!"

Yollon's jaw clenched. He did not like what he was being told. He wanted to spill blood for blood as Duric wanted. Even Oceanus tradition called for it. The Emperor had spilled blood not once but twice now.

Yet it would be a suicide campaign. A victory would be Pyhrric at best. "An organized withdrawal, then?"

"Yes. At once. Get yourself out of Imperial territory, General, as quickly as possible. This battle will have to wait. We cannot leave ourselves or the other Lords defenseless against the Emperor's returning legions."

Amanda let herself breathe again. She felt weak in her legs. She had just done what she said she would not do, which was influence Duric in a major decision. But this decision at least had spared lives rather than sacrificed them. After having witnessed the moment of Janna's death, she could live with that.

And she hoped Jollis would be proud of her.

Duric stepped up to her. She felt a twinge of anxiety as she looked up.

He slowly opened the hand that had been closed in a fist all this time. More shards fell to the ground. His palm was spotted with partially clotted blood. In the center sat the remains of the pearl, only vaguely resembling an orb shape.

"This is all that is left of her," Duric said softly. "Nothing more."

"I'm sorry, Master," Amanda said.

Duric looked at her. His lips parted when he saw tears trickling down Amanda's cheeks. "You really are, aren't you?" he asked, as if in awe. "You really do care."

Amanda's throat closed up. She just nodded and sniffled, her vision blurred. She had not known Janna very long. Only part of a single day spent with her. But she had not been unkind to Amanda. She had treated Amanda with a certain measure of respect. She had a certain kindness to her.

Moreover, she had spied for Duric. She had done something very dangerous for a cause she believed in. And Amanda saw how much she had meant to Duric. It was impossible to face that with any sort of detachment.

Suddenly, she found herself missing her would-be adoptive father back on Earth again.

Duric took another deep breath and blinked away a tear of his own. He hardened his face again, but it was obvious that the gesture was forced. "I envy you, Amanda."

"M-master?" she croaked, wiping at more tears that had streamed down her cheeks.

Duric looked down at his hand again. "You can grieve. I cannot. Not yet. Not until this is over."

"But ... b-but it is over. Your army ... they're returning home for now."

Duric shook his head. "It's not over. Not until Z'haas is no longer on the throne." He turned his hand over and let the remains of the pearl fall to the ground. "Not until he is dead."

Duric turned and walked away.

Q'yros was too stunned to speak.

Z'haas looked over to him. "This will send a message, Q'yros."

The Mage finally recovered his voice. He gave the Emperor a steely gaze. "A message. Really. What kind of message, Z'haas? What kind?"

"It should be obvious, should it not?" the Emperor said with a sneer as he turned away. He climbed the dais and sat down heavily on the throne.

"Oh yes, it is very obvious." Q'yros stepped forward. He looked down at Janna's lifeless body lying in a pool of blood. "It will say that you a madman."

Z'haas flinched as if struck.

"It will say that you are a barbarian. A pretender to the throne. A little man that has delusions of grandeur. A ..."

"You will not speak that way to me!" Z'haas thundered.

"Why? What will you do? Run me through as you did her? Summarily charge and execute me? Throw me into a cell? Show me, o illustrious leader, how you intend to do this without screwing it up?!"

"GUARDS!" Z'haas bellowed.

The two guards that had brought Janna surged behind Q'yros. Without even looking behind him, the Mage lifted his arms and threw them out to either side. There was a soundless explosion of light, and the two guards arced away from the Mage and fell hard to the floor.

The two guards at the doors drew their swords and ran towards him.

Q'yros flicked out a hand, and the staff flew into it. He whirled around and spun it in his hands. Two flares of light stabbed out, each striking a guard and slamming him into the wall on either side of the door. Their heads connected with a loud, thick-sounding thud. Both guards slumped to the ground.

Q'yros turned. The Emperor's eyes were glazed in terror. They flicked down to the bloody sword.

He leapt out of his throne. Q'yros leveled the staff at his chest.

Z'haas swallowed, looking like a trapped animal. He stumbled back, the Mage advancing and keeping the staff leveled at him, until he fell back into his throne.

"S-so this is your plan, Mage?" the Emperor said in a shaky voice. "You wish the power yourself? You want the throne?"

"I want nothing from you," Q'yros snarled. He whipped the staff away. Z'haas slumped in the throne, moaning in relief. "Keep your precious throne. I wish no part of it. Or of your stupidity."

"I do not believe this, Q'yros. You defend the life of a traitor ..."

"I defend nothing or no one! But taking her life was pointless! It served no purpose! It is one thing to rule with an iron fist, but it is another to be excessively cruel. And that is what I wish no part of."

He turned and started to walk away.

Z'haas stood and called out, "What is it you really want, Q'yros? Tell me. I can get it for you!"

"You hear nothing, and you learn nothing," the Mage said without turning around.

"So is that it, Q'yros? Now you go over to the enemy and work against me?! Is that it?!"

Q'yros stopped at the door and turned with a sigh. "I have no intention of working for the enemy. I intend to continue to discover their secrets. I simply no longer wish to associate myself with you. That is what you fail to understand, Z'haas. It is not the cause that I cannot stomach. It is you."

Q'yros lifted his arms.

"You have what you want, Z'haas. Duric's army will be defeated, or if they are smart, they will withdraw to fight another day. You have your throne, and your power. But now you also have a little something extra. You have a civil war. Because the Lords will not roll over for you."

The Mage lowered his arms and thumped his staff once. Lightning arced from the point of impact, and he spoke in a voice of cold steel.

"And the Mage Guild will not, either."

Q'yros walked out of the chamber.

Jollis sat in utter silence, save for the sounds of the birds in the trees around him.

Failure. Again.

Something had happened at a crucial moment. Something had stayed Duric's hand. Yes, Oceanus was about to descend into civil war. Within a day or two, he guessed he would learn the Emperor's legions were turning back from Colos. They would likely occupy the provinces around the Imperium.

But it was a civil war he did not want. It would be orderly. Within less than a moon's time, both sides would stabilize and begin building their armies. And the political posturing would begin. Each side would pause to re-learn what it meant to make war all over again.

And every moon that passed took the Mage Guild of Oceanus ever closer to discovering the secret. Already they could detect Inonni Portals, that much was sure. But had they detected that the focusing energy was not at the target? Had they figured out that it was actually transmitted from the point of origin?

Jollis felt this was highly probable.

Thus the only thing that now stood between the Mage Guild and a true understanding of the danger was the next intuitive leap. Yet it was based on something that even the Oceanus Mages themselves had abandoned some time ago as being impractical. It was considered more myth than real.

But then again, the Mage Guild had proven to be very clever in the past. They may crack this as well. Jollis would have to find a way either to destabilize Oceanus once again, or stop the Mage Guild.

The Wanderer had a great deal of thinking to do. But for the moment, he knew he must continue to act as his name suggested. He had to find a safe haven.

Jollis stood up and began to break camp.

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