“Another letter has arrived for you, sir.” Brayden handed Killian a sealed letter. “Looks like it came from that new commander: Axton Riley.”
“Ah yes, him.” Killian broke the seal and read the letter Axton had written, a look of disappointment evident on his face. “Unfortunately, it seems that Commander Riley doesn’t realize the situation he’s in. He’s essentially surrounded on all sides from those sympathetic to us.”
“I assume he declined your invitation?”
“You assume correctly. Unfortunate, but not unexpected. The Rileys, despite getting the short end of the stick, have always been unquestionably loyal to the current state of affairs. The Holts, though, are much more open minded, as I’ve seen in their replies.”
“All but one has agreed, correct?”
Killian nodded. “And every Riley has declined the invite.” Standing up, he walked over to a large map of the country that he had hanging on a wall. Putting a red pin on the Lashrial woods, he surveyed the area around the pin and nodded. “Tell Commander Payle to send her nine hundred troops to the small outpost Axton is positioned in. Axton is relatively new to command, despite his family’s history, and should fall even though its close to even numbers, despite their advantage in defending a position. In the meantime, I’ll have Commanders Alira and Merist march on Norvstrom. In one fell swoop, we’ll bring into submission the only resistance in the area and have captured Governor Urep. That means it’ll essentially be the east against the west.”
Brayden nodded. “Understood. I’ll send those orders out immediately. What about the troops here, though? Ever since your speech, they’ve been anxious, restless.”
“I understand their eagerness to get going, but all good things happen to those who wait. Patience is the key. Once I get reinforcements from Fort Terim to guard this location, we’ll begin our march. I don’t trust our enemy to the north to remain neutral during the quick war, so we need to have a strong presence here as a deterrent.”
“Very good sir! I’ll do as you command.”
Brayden left Killian alone as he continued to stare at the map. “I give this war a maximum of three weeks before the weak-willed Jordan sues for peace. Once he does, our attention turns north…”
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“Y-your Excellency! You’ve got to read this!” Jordan, who had been tackling the large amount of paperwork on his desk, looked up as his top advisor ran into the room. Holding several letters. Jordan reached out and grabbed them and quickly read them, the color quickly draining from his face. “You can’t be serious…”
“I wish this was a joke, sir, but it’s not. We’ve received letters from several commanders warning us about what’s happening, and orders that were given to them should they accept. Thankfully, most of them were to just meet up with Killian once he reaches the northern side of the Hilgas River. However, there are a couple that shed a lot more information. One of them comes with an Axton Riley, who has just received command over the forces in the Lashrial Woods. He says that Killian wanted him to march on Norvstrom and capture Governor Urep. We haven’t received any warnings from any other military outpost near Norvstrom, so I can only assume they’ve joined Killian.”
“Send a letter to Urep immediately to go to The Lashrial Woods and meet up with this Axton Riley, and to bring whatever troops he can that are still loyal to him. Axton’s going to need all the troops he can get. In the meantime, have the military issue a general emergency to any and all who are still loyal to the people of Eshal, and start a recruitment drive in the capital immediately. Also send a letter to our suppliers, both with weapons and supplies, to be prepared for the war and adjust their production accordingly.”
“As you wish!” The man ran out of the room and Jordan sighed and rubbed his chin with his hand. “Just what the hell are you doing Killian?!”
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Axton took several swings from his two swords as he trained just outside the outpost, looking at the horizon as the sun began to rise. After writing the letters, and telling the troops about the upcoming civil war, Axton had been unable to sleep. After walking around the base, and making sure that all operations were running smoothly, Axton decided to use this time to keep up with his training, making sure that he was as prepared as possible for an inevitable clash with his fellow countrymen.
“I see you’re out and about early.”
Axton looked back and saw Jaylee standing behind him, carrying her sword and shield. Axton sighed and nodded. “I’ve been up ever since yesterday morning. I just couldn’t fall asleep last night, and there’s only so much I can do to make sure everything is still functioning as usual, so I figured that making sure I don’t get rusty would be a good way to kill time.”
“I see.” Jaylee set her shield and sword down and began doing some basic stretches. “So, are you ready for what will inevitably be our first, and most likely final, battle?”
“What? Are you saying that you think we don’t stand a chance?”
“You know me from our time at the academy. I just call it as I see it. Even if the attack on our position comes after we receive our reinforcements, we’ll only have a thousand troops, and I’ll guarantee that we’ll be one of few areas in the east that refused Killian’s offer. We’re surrounded, have few troops, and to top it off, our commander is someone who literally just graduated from the academy. Now, as an outside observer, what would you say our chances of victory are?”
Axton glared at Jaylee and shook his head. “Our nation has a history of upsetting the odds. During our war for independence, even though both Acray and Ugria were on the verge of collapse, their military power was leaps and bounds stronger than the meager forces Eshal managed to muster. Yet, here we are, free from both of them.”
“So you’re saying that you’re going to recreate the miracles of the past? And what makes you say that? Because you’re a descendent of one of the heroes?”
“I never asked to be a member of this family.”
“And yet you are, and don’t try to tell me that you never used those connections to your advantage, as you’re currently enjoying the fruits of those connections.”
“I never asked to be in charge. It was my father who went behind my back who set it up.”
“Doesn’t matter who set it up, or why. The only fact that matters right now is that you’re in command and in control of what happens to hundreds of lives, with no experience to lean on.”
Axton scoffed. “So much for a united front…that lasted a whole eight hours.”
“Oh I’m going to show a united front when in public, but I will never support someone behind the scenes who used his daddy’s influence to be where you are.” Jaylee picked up her shield and sword and walked away from Axton. “I’ll be looking forward to this ‘miracle’ that you so want to pull off, but I won’t get my hopes up.”
Axton clenched his fists but took a deep sigh to calm his emotions. “What in the world is wrong with her? Right when I need help the most, instead I get attacked by the very person who’s supposed to assist me.” Axton looked at the horizon, as the sun had finally managed to make its way over the mountains and begun to shine on him. “I’ll prove to you Jaylee that I can bring about this miracle. Not because of my family name, but from my skills, and from the strength of those under my command.”
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