Chapter Ninety-Six: ‘Thy strong hearts, be welcomed...’

Hector had never seen so many servants and reapers. By Garovel’s count, there were about fifty pairings accompanying them to Luzo. The majority of them belonged to House Sebolt, apparently. The Sebolts distinguished themselves with bright blue bandanas worn over the left shoulder. The fabric had a distinctive white lightning bolt woven into it. The Delagunas, meanwhile, boasted white bandanas with dark blue squiggles. Hector wasn’t too sure what those were supposed to look like.

Come to think of it, there must have been many more at the encampment in Rheinhal, but they’d been so spread out that he never got the chance to see them all together.

He was glad that they weren’t flying this time, even if it was slower. Airplanes were neat and all, but he’d gotten his fill of them in the last couple days. Instead, the departing Rainlords were taking a huge convoy of automobiles all the way to Luzo. He rode in a limousine with the Najirs. Jada took the opportunity to pop her head up through the sunroof for a view of it all, and Hector had to join her.

It was a remarkable sight, seeing so many vehicles traveling together down one long road across the countryside. A lot of the reapers were flying up high around them, scouting no doubt, and there were a handful of servants who could fly as well. Hector spotted Dimas Sebolt among them, soaring through the sky with his gray raincoat billowing around him like a cape. At first, that raincoat seemed a bit superfluous, but Hector could see the dark clouds that they were all driving toward on the horizon. It wasn’t long before the rain began to fall, and he and Jada had to tuck their heads back inside the limousine.

He knew there would be rain, of course, but as the convoy drew onward, he still couldn’t help marveling at it. It just didn’t end. In fact, it only continued to grow heavier. Rolling green hills gave way to huge rivers and lakes. Occasionally, there would be almost no visible land, and it would briefly feel like the bridge they were on was taking them across an ocean.

And those were the most spectacular things, he felt. The bridges. He’d never seen so many in so short a time. In some parts, they were more common than normal roads. And some of them were fantastically elaborate in design.

A few of the bridges that they used had small settlements attached to them--quaint houses clustered around pit stops or refueling stations, even the occasional odd-looking tree. And in the areas where there was currently no flooding, Hector could often see wharfs or boathouses in the muddy grass, tied to the bridges via long chains and cables.

Bridge maintenance must have been a pretty popular and steady job around here, he figured.

Soon, night arrived. Knowing that they wouldn’t be near Luzo until almost morning, the Najirs decided to rest up while they could. Hector was of a mind to do the same, but he had a bit of trouble falling asleep in spite of how exhausted he felt.

He had ample company in Garovel and Qorvass, though. Jada and Imas’ reapers were off elsewhere, perhaps scouting or talking to people in other cars, and Axiolis had decided to remain in Rheinhal, as that was where his servant was.

‘Do you mind telling us what Asad’s ability is?’ asked Garovel. ‘It seems we’ll be fighting together after all. Hector’s is iron materialization, in case Sazandara didn’t tell you.’

‘Ah. Asad’s is also materialization. In fact, he is probably the most powerful materializer among the Sandlords.’

Hector eyed the tattooed man’s sleeping face. He’d figured Asad was crazy strong, but still.

‘I’m glad he’s on our side, then,’ said Garovel. ‘What is his element?’

‘Not an element,’ said Qorvass. ‘A compound. Silicon and oxygen together.’

‘Oh! Quite the rare servant you have.’

‘Heh. Indeed.’

‘If I’m not mistaken, that’s an inherited power, isn’t it? Unique to the Sandlords?’

‘It is. And you might say that it’s also why we’re even here in the first place.’

‘How so?’

‘Zeff Elroy inherited the unique compound of the Rainlords. Hydrogen and oxygen together. I highly doubt Asad and Zeff would have become friends if either of them had different powers. When they were younger, they were both treated rather specially, which is an experience not many people can relate to.’

“W-what does that mean?” Hector asked. “‘Treated specially?’”

‘They were the “darlings” of their respective peoples,’ said Qorvass. ‘You see, their abilities aren’t just strong. They have immense cultural importance. They are seen as confirmations of their bloodlines.’

‘A couple thousand years ago, their powers would have granted them the right to rule over all their brethren,’ said Garovel, ‘and the public would have viewed them as divine beings.’

‘Yes,’ said Qorvass. ‘It’s no longer so extreme as that, but an underlying reverence for their abilities is still very much alive. Even now that Asad and Zeff are older, they often have unfair expectations placed upon them.’

“Unfair?” said Hector.

‘To simultaneously lead their people and yet also abide by the wishes of their elders,’ said Qorvass. ‘But that is just one example. Other times, people simply expect them to be more powerful or influential than they are. In some ways, Asad’s power is more of a burden than an advantage. Not that I’m complaining.’

Hector began to wonder what abilities their other new comrades might possess, but he couldn’t find an opening in the conversation to ask Qorvass about them. Garovel probably had it under control, though. Both of the reapers seemed interested in exchanging information, so Hector figured it was only a matter of time before the subject came up. However, after a while, Garovel addressed Hector privately.

‘Hey, why aren’t you asleep yet?’

‘Uh...’

Garovel tapped him on the head. ‘Here.’

And he was out. He plunged into a warm darkness, devoid of thought and worry. When he awoke, his body briefly argued with him before Garovel pulled that away, too.

They’d already arrived in Luzo, he discovered. Dark clouds filled the sky, but according to Garovel, it was past dawn. Apparently, a select group of Rainlords had gone ahead and forged a safe path to the city for the rest of them. That must have been a dangerous job. He wondered who’d done it.

Luzo’s covered walkways offered protection from the pouring rain, though not from the booming crash of thunder in the sky. The lightning was so close that the resultant sonic boom left windows rattling in its wake. For a second, Hector thought he was about to encounter Karkash again, but that wasn’t the case. The thunderstorm was natural. This region of Sair was known to experience them rather frequently, Garovel explained.

Hector followed the Najirs to another meeting, this time in a tall office building overlooking a river. It seemed there were no civilians around to object to the property seizure.

The Rainlords were waiting for them inside. Hector had already met the seven servants here back at Rheinhal, though only briefly. The Lords Abel, Xuan, Dimas, and Lady Amaya all belonged to House Sebolt, while House Delaguna was represented by Lord Salvador, Lord Alejo, and Lady Elba.

That was about all Hector could remember. He would definitely need to rely on Garovel in order to tell all their reapers apart.

The Lord Abel Sebolt looked over the gathering of servants around his empty table. “Is everyone here, then? Good, let’s begin.” He gestured with one hand, opening his palm, and suddenly the table was no longer empty. A metal rock stood upon it, and it took Hector a moment to realize that it must have been a miniature replica of Marshrock. Abel added a few ant-sized people next to it for scale.

Even as he continued listening to Abel speak, he had to admire the precision of the replica. It had tiny windows and balconies and even courtyards and motionless flags. He had no clue how accurate of a representation it actually was, but as a fellow materialization user, he was duly impressed.

“Given the circumstances that brought about this conflict, we must assume that the enemy is fully prepared to receive us,” said Lord Abel. “With our current strength considered, a direct assault on Marshrock has an unknowable outcome, but it would most likely result in the greatest number of casualties for both sides. Therefore, we will be taking a slower approach.

“Our first objective is to construct a soul net. We will organize into three teams headed by myself, Salvador, and Asad. Xuan will remain in a neutral position so that he may rush to the aid of any team that becomes targeted by Melchor. In the meantime, Dimas, I want you to harass the enemy aboveground in order to keep them occupied.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Do not commit to a prolonged attack or attempt to infiltrate the castle,” said Abel. “If you see an opening in their defenses, the opponent is most likely trying to lure you into a trap. Make that clear to anyone you choose to take with you.”

“Understood,” said Dimas.

“Radio coms will be distributed to everyone for observational support. You will also receive physical maps and itineraries in case the enemy employs signal jammers. As for the net, I expect we will be able to complete construction within two-to-three days. Afterwards, we will begin putting true pressure on the castle and seek to infiltrate. Questions?”

Qorvass spoke up. ‘Do you have a list of all known enemy combatants with their corresponding abilities and estimated threat level?’

“My wife will be handling that topic next,” said Abel. “Are there any questions concerning our immediate strategy?” He waited, but there were none. He took a step back from the table and motioned to Amaya.

The Lady Sebolt placed a briefcase on the table. “The Blackburns have kept to themselves in recent years, so it is possible that they have combatants we do not know about. However, it is a fairly safe assumption that our most powerful opponent will be Melchor, or Darktide, as he is sometimes called. I’m sure you have all heard of him, but here are pictures for anyone who does not know what he looks like.” She pulled out a stack of photographs and handed them around. “If nothing else, please ensure that all of your subordinates know this man’s face. His power is mercury transfiguration, but even if you believe that you have an elemental advantage over him, DO NOT attempt to engage him unless Xuan is with you.”

Garovel chose to interject. ‘Pardon my ignorance, but how old is this Melchor?’

‘It’s been 104 years since he was resurrected,’ said Xuan’s reaper. This one’s name was Duvoss, as Hector recalled.

‘Holy fuck,’ said Garovel privately, coinciding with Hector’s bulging eyes. Then publicly, the reaper asked, ‘What about you, Xuan? If you don’t mind saying, that is.’

Xuan made as if to answer, but then paused and deferred to his reaper.

Duvoss shook his skeletal head. ‘Xuan is 106.’

Xuan frowned and scratched his cheek. “Damn. Are you sure about that?”

‘Quite.’

“Shit, I’m old.” He only had a few age lines on his face that Hector could see.

Garovel had still another question for him. ‘In a straight fight, are you confident you could defeat him?’

“Not at all. It could go either way.”

Lord Abel exhaled audibly. “Xuan, please don’t be quite so candid with our troops.”

“Yeah, yeah. Morale and all that jazz. I know my role.”

Abel’s flat stare did not imply an abundance of faith in the man.

Lady Amaya picked up where she had left off. “In addition to Darktide, the Blackburns have several other combatants of which everyone should be aware. Ismael and Nere are of course quite powerful, as they are the heads of House Blackburn, but according to our information, they have no children of their own.” She started handing out folders with personal profiles. “Instead, House Blackburn’s impressive numbers are attributed to its many branches. On the battlefield, other Blackburns to watch out for include Fidel, Silvia, Pilar, Tomas, Horatio, and Sabas. Any of them could rip through our forces if we fail to keep them in check.”

Asad handed one of the folders off to Hector, who began sifting through it. There were many more names than the ones that Lady Amaya had just listed. Most had mug shots to go along with them, and about half had full bios, including breakdowns of their abilities as well as what they were known to be capable of with said abilities.

Hector stared at the pages like they were goddamn treasure maps. He wasn’t accustomed to knowing this much about the enemy prior to battle, but he certainly welcomed the change. He held a page up for himself and another for Garovel as he pored through the intel. He wished he’d been allowed to look at these files yesterday.

‘Do you have pictures of the Elroy children?’ asked Garovel.

“Yes, of course.” Amaya retrieved a much smaller stack of photos from her briefcase and handed them off to Hector. “Bear in mind, these were all taken about a year ago. Also, I will need them back before you leave.”

Hector understood. The Elroys seemed to be in rather high demand around here. No doubt, Lady Amaya didn’t want their images spread around. And indeed, Hector could see why. They all seemed to share the same black hair and harsh bone structure, not to mention the same hard gaze. He wondered if Rainlords considered it improper to smile when having their pictures taken.

Amaya pointed at three of the five faces. “These are the ones we’re looking for. However, this girl here--” She picked out the apparent middle child. “--Emiliana Elroy, she is Chergoa’s servant, and she now has four small horns on her face and claws on her left hand. She may be wearing a black mask if you see her.”

‘Ah,’ said Garovel. ‘Mutation user?’

“Yes.”

Hector lingered on Emiliana’s picture. The servant of Garovel’s sister. How strange. It was as if he were looking at a long lost relative or something. He tilted his head and reevaluated the other four faces.

All through his childhood, his only family had been his mom and dad. No aunts or uncles or grandparents. Maybe this was what it felt like to have cousins. Sort of. Still kinda weird, seeing as they were all white people.

In any case, he tried to burn their faces into his mind. He knew Garovel would remember for him, but this struck him as important enough to warrant the extra effort.

The meeting didn’t last much longer after that. Hector returned the Elroys’ pictures but was able to hold onto the enemy intel. Lord Dimas was the first out the door, immediately followed by his mother.

Qorvass had another question for Abel. ‘Are you sure it was wise to task your own son with harassing the enemy? It’s probably the most dangerous job you could have given him, no?’

Lord Abel nodded. “Dimas may be my son, but he is already stronger than I am. I have complete confidence in him.”