A few days later:

I rested my polearm against a chair positioned slightly across the war table. "We have lost contact with the outposts here, here and here." As I spoke, I reached out and pointed out each one. All three were close to the stronghold, which didn't bode well for us in the slightest. "We have also lost contact with a few scout parties, as well as some squads sent to check out the location and bring it back into the fold."

"Hmm, that is troublesome." Octavian's voice was as thunderous as usual. But he regarded the map with well-practiced eyes. "Usually, the outsiders sack and leave, but whoever is doing this seems to have something specific in mind. Do you think the delegate known as Redrick has anything to do with this?"

My gaze lingered on the map for a moment as a bad feeling coiled in my stomach. "No. It's doubtful. He has too much to lose. Perhaps I should start evacuation procedures. I can take the princess and all other vital assets to the palatine stronghold. At least for a time. If an assault is coming, we better be prepared at least."

"Hmm. If that is the case, I might delay the crusade for a day or so or bait out whatever may lurk in the forest. Crush them, and then march forward to take the town." He tapped at the map with an abnormally large finger. His flesh looked withered and looked sickened in the faint candlelight.

"You can bait them out. However, I want to get the princess away from here before any fighting starts. If something were to happen to her, the Empress would have my head." I reached out and grabbed my poleaxe. Everything I needed to do was almost done. I just needed to get to Lord Kharon and then to Nyx.

"Of course. The princess is of the utmost importance. I will position troops around the forest to act as an early alarm system. Once you are out of danger, we will begin the operation." He pushed away from the table and crossed his massive arms.

"Good. Stay safe out there, Octavian." I spun the axe around, rested it on my shoulders, and gave him a curt nod before making my way out of the room and into the stronghold.

All the troops were busy bustling around, mainly to ensure that they were prepared for the stronghold to get attacked. It was something that didn't happen often, and only the most daring of the outsiders had attempted to do it. But each time they tried, it was always in large numbers. I glided across the ground, ignoring all the gazes that had turned my way. I didn't have time for it all.

I came to the classroom door and quickly pushed it open. Kharon stood in front of a large blackboard with a single piece of chalk as white as his bones. Upon that blackboard was a diverse set of runes and what they meant, but I had no genuine interest in any of that. Nothing that my blades couldn't take care of.

"Kharon, I've come to retrieve the princess." My words filled the space between us, and I saw Nyx perk up from her desk at my words. 'There are signs of an assault coming to the stronghold. I've really come to take all the high-value assets out of here." I sent the words across the mental link to not spook the Empress' daughter.

"Ah, I see. Nyx, you are free to go." He clacked his jaw together, set the piece of chalk down onto its metal home, and shot me a glance. 'The stronghold is supposed to be under a ceasefire for now. Are you sure?"

The child quickly shoved all the papers on her desk into her small backpack. "Okay, Mr. Kharon." Though she sounded sad, I was sure that she wasn't. That was far too fast for someone who didn't want to leave.

'Almost certainly so. The threat is unknown, but the intelligence briefings don't show that Redrick is involved.' I turned my attention back to Nyx as she walked over to me. She wore a black dress that stopped shy of her ankles. The hem was tiered into three different layers, with the first being bundled up near the top before dropping into the next tier. Small designs were stitched into the clothing and seemed to drink in the surrounding light like a beggar thirsting for water. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, Ms. Alessia." She adjusted her bag slightly and smoothed out some wrinkles in her dress.

'Will you be able to keep everyone here safe? I don't have the manpower to escort this many people to the praetorian stronghold." I glanced back towards Kharon as I reached my hand out for Nyx to take.

'Yes. With Octavian and Rikard here, I find it very unlikely that the stronghold will fall.' His voice sounded far richer within the mental connection than the words that left his skeletal mouth. "Alright, Nyx. Have a wonderful day. I'll see you soon, all right?"

"Of course, Mr. Kharon." She gave the skeleton a respectful bow, utterly unaware of the conversation that we were having at the moment.

'Alright then. There are still praetorians in the stronghold. They will do their best to protect you if the walls get breached. Stay safe, old friend.' I clenched Nyx's hand as I gave him a nod. "I'll catch you around Kharon."

"Goodbye!" Nyx squeaked out as I led her from the classroom. I had troubling thoughts, and if Nyx wasn't here, I would have happily sat here and fought at the side of everyone since I knew the Empress was safe. But alas, it is what it is.

As we walked away from the classroom, Nyx grew quiet, and a sad look slowly writhed its way onto her face. "What's wrong?" I broke the silence between us as we walked through the sprawling halls of the main building.

"I miss my mother. I haven't seen her outside since she brought me here." She whispered and looked towards the ground.

"She misses you, too. She has just been really busy the last few days." I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as we pushed on. The sense of urgency wanted to make me move faster, but I had to take it easy, for now at least. There was still no sign of imminent danger. But I still had to be wary.

"It's not fair. Why does she have to work so much?" As she spoke, she kicked the ground and sent a pebble flying across the room, which slammed into one pillar, taking out a small chunk of it.

The child was genuinely terrifying. Her potential was almost limitless. Already she was consuming the knowledge that we were all passing on to her. Her skill in magic was blossoming like a rose in the spring, and her blade work was becoming superb. Though she still needed more training if she wanted to become perfect at it. Even her close-range training was coming along smoothly. Though she was still inexperienced, she still had immense strength. "There is always work to be done. The Empress has to attend to many things, some of which are all at once. But trust me when I say that she really misses you. But do you want to know a secret?"

She perked up slightly and twisted her head to meet my gaze. "What is the secret, Ms. Alessia?"

"Your mother is very proud of you. She's been watching over you the last few days and sees how strong you are becoming. She often laments about how fast you are growing up."

Her eyes widened slightly at my words as she tried to process what I had just said. "She watches me?"

"Of course. The Empress keeps an eye on you. Even if you don't see her. She is very proud of you." I squeezed her hand once more as we reached the door that stood guard towards the inside of the headquarters. Dozens of soldiers had already taken position inside the building, ready to give their lives once more to defend if needed.

"I just wish she was here more, is all." Nyx sighed softly, though my words seemed to have the desired effect.

"Don't worry. Once the project she is working on is finished, she fully intends to spend a lot of time with you. Just a few more days, okay?" I glanced toward her, doing my best to keep her spirits high. I feel for the child, but the Empress is only one person. She is doing her best to keep everyone happy.

"Okay, Ms. Alessia." The little dragon picked her head up a little as the sun touched her skin. With each passing day, the spell that governed her polymorph seemed to become a little better. The scales that had once adorned her flesh had faded slightly and taken a more olive complexion, much like the Empress. Her hair became more silk-like, and its luster increased slightly. It was like she was becoming more human, yet the child's inhuman nature sat just below the surface, begging to be released.

I glanced around the courtyard and saw a few non-undead wandering about. The first was the man that I recognized as Gunther. Much to my surprise, he was clad in strange bronze-like armor. His lower half was covered in a strange leather skirt with metal studs that dropped to just above his knees and were matched by grieves of the same bronze-like metal that came up just shy of the skirt. He met my eyes, and I gave him a nod. I hadn't expected to see him here for the crusade. Considering his and Redrick's friendship further reinforced the idea that the outsider wasn't involved in this. But I didn't have time to talk. I needed to get the princess to safety.

We snuck out of the compound through a specially made tunnel. I had requested one simply because of my desire to move around the domain unseen and unimpeded. But primarily for moments like this. It led directly to the forest, making it harder for any prying eyes to see us and for troops to move around as needed.

I had her pause just outside the tunnel for a moment as I glanced around. The air was eerily quiet, and not even the undead birds seemed to want to talk. The entire thing had me on edge. My eyes quickly scanned the dense foliage of dying bushes, and I saw a few of the dark wraiths that I had positioned around the forest. So far, so good. We were close to the entrance of the praetorian stronghold. Perhaps a quick ten-minute walk away. Maybe more if we are forced to sneak.

"Is everything alright, Ms. Alessia?" Nyx spoke up for once, breaking the silence that hung heavily in the still air.

"Yes." I mentally sighed as the child broke the silence, though it wasn't her fault. She didn't know what was going on. I gestured for her to follow me as we broke onto a hidden trail and walked through the forest.

"Everyone has seemed more uptight than usual today." Nyx peeped up once more.

I forgot how observant she was becoming. It was going to get harder to hide some things from her. "Octavian is leaving tomorrow to lead an operation to take back one of our towns, so we are just preparing if the outsiders decide to make a move."

"I like him. He seems like a good man." She nodded her head, and If I could breathe, it would have been a sigh of relief.

"He is. One of the best ones that I know." I replied quietly as we plunged further into the forest. The dark wraiths moved around us like a curtain through the shadows, carefully scouring the area for threats that may lurk in the distance.

"The outsiders are so different from us. They don't smell like you or mother." She frowned, and her nose crinkled slightly as her lip curled.

"Well, the outsiders are different. In fact, if anything, your mother has more in common with them than us. We are the dead come back to life. They are those that still live." We pushed on through the forest. My eyes carefully scan every tree and every dead brush.

"Is mother not like the rest of you?"

"Well, your mother is as alive as the outsiders. But to her, that means nothing." I replied and thought back to the Empress. Seeing her in my mind caused a string in my chest that was utterly alien to me. Much like myself, it brought back emotions that had long since died.

"What does it mean to her, then?" Nyx asked again, her budding curiosity seemingly never sated by any response.

"She loves us all. To her, we are all family." Nyx bobbed her head as she weighed my response.

"That sounds like mother." She finally spoke up once more after some time.

Yes, yes, it does. I quickly scanned the area once more, seeing the Dark Wraiths grow irate. I didn't even have to think about why. Without a second thought, I pulled Nyx behind me as the death cry of a Dark Wraith filled the air. All the training I put them through quickly took over, as a few broke from the shadows and quickly swarmed forth in a bid to buy us time to escape. I didn't want to sacrifice them so needlessly, but the princess came first.

"Alessia, what's going on?' I could feel her tense up slightly as the sounds of fighting grew louder. We still had some space between us and the outsiders.

"We need to run back to the stronghold." While entrances to the underground stronghold all across this area, the closest one was still too far. The sense of urgency that I had grew stronger as I picked up and retreated.

Nyx began to protest as the shriek of another dark wraith filled the air. But I ignored her. More of the wraiths that stood nearby quickly broke off and rushed toward whatever was coming towards us. Their numbers were dwindling, but their sacrifice wouldn't be in vain. We were close to the secret entrance.

My feet quickly and easily glided across the root and stone-filled ground, making quick time. Nyx's protest grew more fervent, and it took everything that I had to not snap at the child. Another death shriek filled the air; it was even closer this time. Whatever was behind was shredding through my assassins like paper. I pushed myself harder and saw the trees that had marked the location of the underground tunnel. "Nyx, I need you to be quiet and listen to me." As the last dark wraith broke away, I set her down and quickly rushed through the forest. My heart ached for those who had fallen, yet I was happy that they were finally getting the rest they deserved.

"Tell me what's going on." She huffed at me. Tears were starting to fall down her eyes, leaving water trails in their wake.

"Get back in the tunnel, and run as fast as you can to the stronghold. When you get there, I need you to find one of the officers and tell them that the fog is coming. Okay?" I reached out and quickly began to lift the hatch.

"What do you mean? Alessia, why aren't you coming?' She was starting to panic as the hatch lifted.

"This is a super important mission, okay? Consider it your first one as a princess. But don't worry. I will be back as soon as I can." I grabbed her hand as she stepped onto the first rung.

"You are going to come back, right?" She was on the verge of full-fledged tears. She was scared; she didn't know what was going on, but the less she knew, the better.

"Of course. I'll be right behind you in just a little bit, okay?" I cast a quick glance behind me, and I saw an Azure flame rush through the forest, coming directly towards me. Nyx went to reply, but I quickly shut the hatch before she could say anything else, just as the flame reached me. For the first time in a long time, I felt the long-lost sensation of pain as the fire slammed into my back, moving faster than I could react.