The room had grown silent, with few even daring to move at Count Wilchrest’s declaration. I felt their eyes watching me intently to gauge my reaction, a familiar feeling. My first thought upon hearing that there were three fifth-tier mages arrayed against us, or me rather, was disappointment and eagerness. Disappointment because I might need to remove three knowledgeable mages before I could discuss magics with them. Eagerness because as long as I could obtain their magical signatures, I would be able to track their vaults and libraries to add to my own.

That wasn’t what the people around me wanted, though. They wanted reassurance that I would be able to counter such powerful magic-users.

That, for me, was easy enough to provide.

“Bah!” I waved my hand as if swatting a fly. “Let me worry about them, then.”

“How?” Came a woman’s voice near the back. Dressed in adventurer’s gear, she had dark wiry hair that peeked out from underneath a leather spiked helm. I noted her appearance for later, as she might be a Mirktillean spy trying to draw out knowledge of their enemies. I certainly wasn’t about to answer the question on the chance that could be the case.

“Well, I plan to seduce them with my dashing looks, my dear,” I answered with a wink. I still hadn’t donned my illusion again. It was past the time when I sought to be underestimated by enemies under the guise of frailty.

She blushed in response and then backed away, to the amusement of many, but my remark was enough to relieve their worries. Soon the planning was back to the movement of forces and soldiery. Three armies were arrayed against us, each led by Mirktillean nobility. The armies were mostly constituted by slave-soldiers, warriors, and archers without fear. A smattering of random military units dotted the area around the main army, scouts, and cavalry units whose purpose was to find and enslave any that escaped the battles.

The military forces from the Kingdom of Sena had retreated East towards Freetoni, leaving only the duchy’s beleaguered soldiery behind. Those forces were all defending the town of Gold Castle, the seat for Baron Aide’s domain. The Barony of Nix was already lost, and her forces had joined with his, though they had no defense against Mirktal’s mages. The only reason the town still stood was that the armies hadn’t arrived to siege it yet as they were busy plundering the mines and lands around the town.

I stayed silent as the military minds debated and argued. Most of the discussion on the array of forces for the coming battle I was already aware of thanks to the use of my air elementals the day before. It allowed me to gauge who among the army’s leaders had the degree of intelligence needed to truly consider strategy and who would be best leading a vanguard.

We ended the council with an agreement that we would travel north. My elemental would lead the front of the army, clearing away trees and springing any traps or ambushes set by enemy scouts. The mages that could, would travel behind it to smooth the trail of destruction it left into a serviceable road. While it might give the enemy a quicker means to strike south should they prove victorious in the coming battles, it would turn a two-week journey into one of several days. That it would also leave a path for reinforcements to follow should they be needed was left unspoken.

When I departed the inn, I met with my assistants in a pavilion they had set up for me. A large bright yellow tent with all the amenities that I could wish for beyond my own bed. The two-story tent also made a statement among all the other parts of the army, a declaration that I was with them. Outside, Leslie had gathered all the magic-users from across the various parts of the army and was discussing the spells held within the tome I tasked her to distribute.

I found her diligence on the task quite endearing, and was able to watch quietly for a few moments before being noticed.

“Master!” Jax and Philipe both called out at the same time with low bows. I suspected they may have practiced that, but it did work well.

“Good evening,” I answered with a smile, as Leslie broke away from her discussion to greet me as well.

“Master, we have seventy-four magic users available. Most are tier-two mages. We had two dozen more at Lark, but many weren’t willing to risk their lives. Some of the adventurers aren’t willing to leave their teams, either, or we could have more than a hundred.” She reported to me the numbers as if it were a personal failing of hers that they weren’t higher.

I patted her shoulder and commended her, though, “You did well. This is more than enough. Have those with [Earth Manipulation] prepared for tomorrow. They will smooth the path for the army. All others should practice joint casting. The Giant Earth Spike Field may be above their skill level, but jointly casting should put it within reach.”

“Master, I’m not sure that…” Leslie began, pushing a strand of black hair behind her ear. Both Philipe and Jax also looked away. I started to take in the mages in more detail and realized that while the group she had been speaking with before was large, they were mostly second-tier. To the side stood a group of seven third-tier mages listening intently to an older fourth-tier woman.

There was another group, further away with Loralie, Pyl, and all the non-standard magic-users. They were an odd assortment of men and women, many of which stood with hunches or furtive glances around them as if they were being hunted.

“I see,” I answered, and walked forward to the center of all three groups. It also coincided with the entrance to my pavilion, a single tall torch set in the middle-beaten ground lighting the whole area. There, I tapped my artifact staff on the ground, and cast a small light spell that flashed to grab the attention of all.

“Good evening,” I said for the second time in a handful of minutes. This time I said it as a call for attention. A greeting that drew the eye. Then I began speaking, a recital of the beginning of a children’s story from a hundred and fifty years ago. Those who would know my reference would likely get the subtle humor of a tale of vampire mages that awoke once every twelve years to feast on the blood of misbehaving children.

“I call to order, on this auspicious night where the stars align just right to guide us on the morrow. I call to order, this warm eve’s conclave, this joining of the knaves, to speak of future sorrow. Grant me your ears, so that you may hear, your instructions to follow.”

I gave the crowd a confident smile as I looked around, noting only Loralie had covered her mouth as she snickered. None of the others seemed to have placed the quote, and while I had thought it would be amusing at first, it left me feeling disappointed afterward.

With my head held high, I spoke clearly to all, “I shall begin with a request. Those of you who are mages, I ask of you to follow my assistant Leslie’s instructions for the tasks ahead. We have little time. I, for one, don’t imagine myself being happy in chains. Those of you of a different class, I ask that you work with Loralie,” I gestured at the surprised woman. She contained her surprise well, but I saw she wasn’t happy with the responsibility. Yet, I found myself uncaring. This was war, and I intended to grant positions of authority to the most competent.

“Wizard Fargus,” the fourth-tier woman, a [High Pyromancer] called out to me. She had short blond hair, with streaks of brown. Her face led me to believe she was in her thirties, though the way she held herself indicated she likely served once in Sena’s mage corps.

“Yes?” I answered her with a polite smile.

“My name is Deidre. The army called me Deidre Firefist. I’ve led mage cadres before, and have more experience than this girl,” she spoke proudly, yet her tone made a great shift on the word girl that left no one in doubt that she meant it as an insult.

Her stance was one of challenge as well, with her shoulders thrown back and her chin held high.

While one part of me was thrilled that I had another military-trained mage in the group, another wanted to throttle the woman for questioning my decision publicly. That she used her military nickname as a declaration of pride was ridiculous. Every mage was named by their peers in the corps, it was a tradition. Although, that may have changed in the last hundred years in ways I was unaware of.

I answered her calmly, “You wish to lead joint casting of earth-element spells?”

Her stance shifted, and her eyes took on a confused look. “No, I—No. My specialty is fire spellcraft. I would think that pyromancy would be more useful—”

I interjected before she could go further, letting my annoyance shade the tone of my voice, “Deirdre Firefist, I have no doubt as to your competence with pyromancy. That is not in question. Nor your ability to lead. I have not requested you lead these mages for a simple reason. The coming battle with Mirktal is but a training exercise to prepare you for the enemy to come.”

The woman then chose to scoff at my words. A scoff! At me!

“This Pestilence you talk of? You ruined your whole reputation with that nonsense! From a celebrated hero to a joke among our kind. They even took down your picture in the training hall.”

She said all this with a sneer on her face, and spoke the words as if she believed them to be magic missiles sent to flight. She even had the gall to spread her hands and jeer as soon as she was done. If I didn’t know better, I would have assumed she had just challenged me to some battle of insults. Had she challenged an officer above her in the mage corps thusly, she would likely have had an ear or finger removed.

However, I couldn’t do that here. These mages were not military trained, but volunteers. Some of them hadn’t ever seen combat before, let alone a battle. I stared at the woman as I thought, trying to ascertain her motives. Was she truly the belligerently ambitious pyromancer she made herself out to be? Or was a spy from the King sent to undermine me? An agent of Mirktal sent to sow discord in our numbers?

Yet, as I stared, I grew angrier and angrier. Who was this woman to question me? She thought her fourth-tier class made her invaluable? Did she think to press her way into a more advantageous position? Whether by arrogance or deceit she had pushed me too far.

Yet, just as I couldn't refuse to respond to this woman, I also could not show my full power for fear of spies reporting it back to Mirktal. It was good, then, that putting her in her place wouldn't take much power at all.