The Bond - 16. Chapter 16

Tome after tome, Carl searched through his parent’s entire library looking for the answer to his most pressing question. After looking for days on end, he found only the same answer, repeated; that the Hallowed Order was disbanded almost 200 years ago. Every page and scroll that he came across said the same thing – that same phrase about dissolution that made absolutely no sense to him.

Didn’t my father say I was to be inducted? He shook his head, dismayed to find that the last text he had found on the orders and societies of the main continent had also failed to yield any substantial information about the mysteries order that his parents had been referring to lately. I guess they just didn’t want anyone to know that they continued on existing at some point. I wonder why?

Carl decided to give it a rest for the time being. He wanted desperately to bring it up to his parents again, but he got only non-answers and discomfort from them when he did. In fact, his father seemed to be stricter than usual on the subject, and had even warned him not to ask again. Queen Carmine Cathcart had been a bit nicer, letting Carl know that whatever he needed to learn, he would when the time was right. Whatever that means. He rolled his eyes, a trait that he had probably picked up from his husband.

I guess I’ve got more pressing matters to attend to anyway… By now, Carl had received notification from Alexandre that the General’s of the Thirteen had voted against official recognition of their marriage and the alliance that came with it. No one had changed his or her stance in the post-vote discussion, and thus Nabius was to be considered officially at war with itself. Technically, Alexandre, Ysabel, Laura Nandra, Damien, Devan, and Elsa Torne were considered rebels in the ledger books of Nabian history, but what really mattered was who won. There had been a few examples of Nabian rebellion before, though none for such a revolutionary idea. In the case of “rebels” winning, Nabian history wrote off the majority generals as stoic and non-progressive. Of course, these generals were also all slaughtered in the aftermath, and thus never really got to share their side of the story. Carl hoped dearly that he and Alexandre would be written as being on the right side of history, but that would come down to war.

And I have no idea what kind of troops the opposition has at their disposal. This was the most important issue, the one that he and Alex mutually agreed to be the most concerning. Nabian generals typically didn’t flaunt their troop numbers around - they certainly peacocked, but did so with enough sensitivity to make one wonder at how much power they might actually hold. Tomacian intelligence was fairly good on generals near the border, but mountains and other obvious challenges made it impossible to determine what kind of strength the territories more inland held. Estimates from military personnel under the influence of both Alex and Carl were that the sum of all troops that rebelling Nabius and Tomacia could muster was roughly equal to the count of bodies that the rest of the generals held, but that was conservative. It was also noted by almost every scholar of war and information broker that there was no way to get a figure on the troops that Yago Clarion had amassed. Carl thought this was odd, but assumed that General Clarion had somehow worked out a way to eliminate spies and hide his armies.

A cave system in the mountains, maybe. Recently, Carl had read about the geography of Nabius and learned that Yago Clarion occupied a property that held several mountains, each with varying cave systems used by early Nabians. Reportedly, there had been a path to the provinces just south of the border of Nabius there, but it had been lost for years. And I don’t think the tribes would tolerate a Nabian army occupying their lands even if there was a way to get there. At least, not a small one. If Yago had wiped all of the indigenous people out, he potentially could have doubled his territory without anyone knowing. And that would require a big army… not the most pleasant thought.

He shook that out of his mind, heading to tend to his own army. Eric Chamberlin was the head of his father’s military council, and he would have the best advice on where to station troops now that the peace treaty had been officially rejected and accepted in Nabius. It was there that he headed, and it didn’t take long to find the right office off of the war room.

“Director Chamberlin?” he asked, while knocking on the door. The man was busy writing at his desk, but set his quill down with a surprised look on his face as he bowed his head.

“My prince, it is an honor.” He looked up with that formality out of the way, and smiled warmly. “Carl! So good to see you.” Carl had always liked this man, and his son Brian was similarly disposed to not treat him as any different from any other citizen of Nabius. The Chamberlin family had always been close to the Cathcarts, and Carl had forgotten how much of a relief it was to be treated normally.

“Good to see you too,” he said with a smile just as warm. “It’s been a while.”

“It has, it has. But Brian tells me you’ve been doing well. Back to the Carlisle of old.”
“Yeah, I guess.” He gave a small chuckle. “It’s nice to be back with everyone.”

“I’ll bet. So what can I do for ya? I’m assuming it has something to do with war, since you’re visiting me here… any word?” Carl nodded grimly, and he could tell that Eric knew what he was about to say.
“The Di Coteaus are officially in the minority, and it definitely means war.” Director Chamberlin sighed, and rubbed his eyes.

“I thought you might say that. I’ll get reserve troops to refresher training as soon as possible.” The gesture was appreciated, and Carl mumbled a thank you.

“I was also wondering how many men we could send to Nabius immediately. Devan Di Coteau has opened his borders freely to us, and I think it’d be a good idea to get a head start on mobilizing some of the men. Alex and his two uncles have a pretty substantial number of men in the north, but I expect the southward march will have to begin soon.” The director looked surprised at this, and shook his head before folding his hands together.

“Carl… I respect you and don’t mean for you to take this as a front to your authority, but I’m going to have to talk this over with your father first.” Carl nodded.

“Oh, of course. He’s already voiced his support.” Chamberlin sighed again, and spoke with a little more conviction.

“Carlisle,” he said, “I’m going to advise against sending any troops to Nabius at all.”

… what?

“What?”

“We really shouldn’t be risking our own men for this. The Nabians have always worked out their own problems before, and then gone right back to bloodshed and cruelty. I don’t see why good Tomacian men and women should die for their disputes.” Carl caught the implication, and it made him angry to the point of almost being irrational. He had to wait a few seconds to calm down, and fixed the director with the iciest look that he could conjure. He hoped that Alexandre had rubbed off on him in more than just one way.

“It is our problem now, and Tomacia is not being used by Alexandre for some dispute. If he wins, we wont have to invest in troops against Nabius ever again.” Chamberlin began to look apologetic, but Carl thought he still seemed doubtful.

“You’re right, I know. I’m sorry. But truthfully we really do need to keep men here. Assault comes from all over the place these days.”

Backpedaling.

“There will be a lot less of it soon, if all goes well.” Chamberlin grimaced. “I know you might not have faith in my husband, but I do. And I would ask you and the country to trust me. If not me, my parents, even.” Carl knew that his parents had never led the country astray, and that they were deserving of the trust of the people. That included Chamberlin, and it showed.

“You’re right. But the situation with our militia is just currently more dimensional that I can explain right now, and we need men here. I’m sorry, Carl, but I’m still going to push against you sending your husband aid.” Still angry, Carl turned on his heels.

“You’d better not,” he said before slamming the door to the office shut.

***

Yago Clarion. The name had once inspired Ysabel, bringing about clear and heroic ideas of the older brother that had protected her, and practically raised her. Ysabel had always held him in the highest esteem, for he was a true Nabian to the very core, a patriot and prodigy all wrapped up in a handsome and protective bundle. And beyond that, Yago had made her into the woman that she was. Their honorable Clarion parents had often done less-than-honorable things to them as children. Yago was her protector, her guide, and her brother. Now, he was her betrayer. And try as she might to see both her son’s side of things and her brother’s side of things in comparison, Ysabel could not fathom a reason for Yago’s disagreement. She understood the objection to peace; of course, she never thought that Yago would be happy about that. But to declare all out war? There are aspects tied into the unity of Tomacia and Nabius that could be so potentially beneficial to the family and country in general… I just can’t see how he’s right. Alexandre simply thought this one out better. Is it pride? She clicked her fingers together, wondering if maybe Yago was simply angry that he hadn’t thought of it first. But no, that isn’t it. If he stands to gain, he’ll admit he was in the wrong. So he must stand to gain something even greater from war.

The death, growled the demon from within. The carnage. The glorious creation of a world steeped in power. Ysabel rolled her eyes, annoyed at the voice within.

Mindless bloodshed isn’t the point. I’m sure he enjoys it just as much as you, but my brother isn’t mindless.

Perhaps you’re the mindless one. Another eye-roll. Perhaps you’re too weak to see his grand vision.

Perhaps. But my brother has no visions that leave me out of them. And I’d appreciate you not rear your head without my bidding.

Filthy bitch. I come when I please. I don’t take orders from a fucking cunt like –

ENOUGH. And with that, the demon was gone again. Ysabel sighed, rubbing her temples with her palms. She hated these altercations, and was always sure to have them when no one else was looking. She knew what Nabius did with people that had voices in their heads, and the sanity of a general could not come under suspicion. She figured that at least the voice she had in her head had always guided her to success in Nabius, and most people knew that there was more than one being within her. They all probably assumed it was for the theatrics and that Ysabel was honestly just evil down to her core, but that was better than the loss of respect. And for some reason, it’s getting easier to manage lately. Ysabel was pleased that her mind was clearer, and that her usual triggers didn’t bring about the red haze that she felt characterized her slipping control. It made her happy to make her own decisions completely, especially at such a critical time in the lives of her children. Now, more than ever, she was able to connect to them and offer a sense of stability and reason. Her unique skills were also perfectly catered to the needs of her darling warlords at the moment, and she felt glad to be able to offer them help in a time of war. She never would have withheld fighting for them in any circumstance, but doing so without the beastly presence of whatever entity was there made her feel more secure in her place in their lives.

“Alex?” she called out, walking up towards his bedroom door. She was going to tell her son that she planned on talking to Yago, to better understand his motivations and hopefully secure his armies as well. The thought stopped in its tracks, though, when Laura and Almanita Nandra walked out of his door and closed it back again. Ysabel immediately felt a surge of rage at the sight, her blood boiling at the two women in front of her.

How dare they enter a space so sacred to my son? Old wenches.

So much for control, the demon mocked.

“Ysabel,” Laura said politely enough. “General Clarion,” she corrected. “Nice to see you again… I presume my wife Almanita introduced herself sometime during the summit?” She had. Ysabel looked briefly at Almanita’s colorful visage, and nodded slightly.

“Mm,” she grunted. Laura looked uncomfortable, but Almanita wasn’t fazed.

“It’s an honor to see you again, General.” Almanita curtsied cordially in her colorful silks and dangling jewelry, nodding her head in a fashion that Ysabel could only assumed was appropriate for greeting wherever she had come from. Ysabel thought about nodding back, but decided against it in favor of a blank stare. She looked up and down the two women slowly, and gave a sneer.

“I assume you’ll be leaving soon? Saying goodbyes, were we?” Laura frowned directly at that, and spoke up just a little bit louder to reply.

“Look, Ysabel, I know we’ve had our differences in the past, but – “

“That’s an understatement.” Laura frowned, not used to interruption.

“But,” she continued, “your son is doing noble work. And it is our desire to help him in whatever way possible. Since it’s more than likely that we’ll be working together in the near future, I’d like to know that I have an ally on the battlefield.” Ysabel looked at her intently, trying to discern whether this was genuine or not.

You should just carve the bitch up. That was all the prompting she needed, and Ysabel made her move.

I’m in control.

“I… I was coming to tell Alexandre about my brother. That I’d talk to him, I mean.” The sharing of information was a sign of trust and aligned interests, and wasn’t something Ysabel did with many people at all. In fact, it was now reserved almost exclusively for Marcus and her children. Once, the only person Ysabel shared anything with was Darion, her late husband. Laura and Almanita both instantly recognized this, and Almanita broke out into a smile. It made Ysabel notice a small piercing that sparkled in the dimple of one of her cheeks. Ysabel noticed Almanita's gaze linger a bit longer than she thought was normal, and felt that she was being analyzed under the other woman's discerning look. Laura reacted like a solider, an appreciative smirk for the unspoken pact and the extension of a hand.

“Well then, General, I hope your efforts are successful.” Ysabel carefully considered this, and then reached out to meet Laura’s arm. They grabbed each other on the forearm just below the elbow, a warrior’s grasp.

“Thank you. As do I.” They split, and went their separate ways. Ysabel retracted her bladed hand carefully, cautious but satisfied with the temporary truce.

And I didn’t even cut her when I let go. You see? Control.

Whatever you say.