I’d half-expected another walled-off compound, but when we landed, it was in an open field. I watched the other airships setting down next to mine before I stepped onto the ground. The walls of Blue Valley City rose up only a few hundred meters away. Beside them, a large structure loomed, looking like it grew out of the city wall. The fortress was built of black rock, and only had small windows, but it was studded with emplacements for artillery. A net of qi infused its walls.

I walked forward, letting the guards around me rush to take up their positions. They walked far enough away not to obstruct my view, at least. Behind them, I sensed my entourage spilling out of the airship and joining us.

I’d stowed the flower crown in my spatial ring, but I still wore the ceremonial clothing, which felt stiffer than what I was used to.

A small group waited for us. According to their uniforms, which resembled what I would have expected to see in nineteenth century Europe if you put more flowing lines on them, these people were officers. The rank markings put the leader at what I thought would be a Colonel on Earth. His aura seemed like he was in the sixth stage.

The officers performed their obeisance towards me, but didn’t wait for me to tell them to rise.

“Your Highness, these lowly ones are greatly relieved at your arrival,” the leader said. “The generals beg forgiveness for not greeting you in person. They ask you and your commanders to join them in the fort’s command center. This one will escort you.”

Well, at least they don’t beat around the bush … much. “Of course.” They would have had more important things to do than organize a greeting party, so I didn’t mind that this one had obviously been rushed out on short notice.

I started following the group. A gaggle of nobles that had been spilling from their airships moved in behind my group. At least they kept up.

On the inside, the fort was pretty much what I expected. A lot of soldiers rushed about between conference rooms and offices. The walls were white, bare of decorations, and had clearly been built to last. I could feel the auras of many cultivators in different stages, although they tended towards the higher ones.

Even if it appeared intimidating, this command building wasn’t big. We reached the central control room, or so I assumed, quickly. Its construction reminded me of a lecture hall, with segments at different heights going down towards a floor. Or maybe an amphitheater, since it was shaped like a circle with a bite taken from it. Stations that consisted of both mundane desks and qi apparatuses covered the tiers.

When we entered, the room fell silent, and everyone scrambled to put away what they were doing before they dropped to their knees.

I descended the steps, waving a hand at the gathered soldiers. “You may rise. Continue with your work.”

In the center, besides a large map table, stood a group of officers, some with stars pinned to their uniform lapels. I tried not to smile at the thought of how Mother must have instituted a system from her home. It wouldn’t have been the thing I focused on, certainly. Then again, I didn’t know what they’d been doing before.

I recognized one of them, and suppressed a smile.

A man in the center, who had three stars adorning his uniform, stepped forward, forcing my attention back to him. Despite his small stature, he radiated confidence and authority. “Luminous Princess Inaris. I can’t tell you how glad we are to see you, and the fighters you bring.”

Someone snorted, loudly enough that it carried through the room. Turning my head, I saw a group of nobles pushing their way through the room besides the guards. At their front was an old man I recognized as head of the influential Zun clan.

“Outrageous,” he said. “You dare face the Imperial Princess with your back straight, when even the most esteemed nobles of the Empire bow to her station? What a savage they have leading this outpost.”

The general’s cheeks reddened, and I saw him biting down on a retort before he looked to me. The others behind him grew still.

I really didn’t care for this, but now that someone had pointed his behavior out, I couldn’t overlook it. “Greet me properly now,” I said. “So we can focus on our purpose here.”

“Deepest apologies, Your Highness. This General Wei is honored to be graced by your presence.”

He, and the other commanders, performed a kowtow and stayed on the floor until I hurriedly told them to rise. I could see Zun’s face set in a smile.

“Let’s sit down with a map and start a proper briefing,” I suggested.

We headed to the conference room attached to this command center. In the shuffle, I caught the youngest general’s eye, tapping my mouth. I’d recently been reminded that telepathy existed, after all, and anyone in the seventh stage should be able to do it.

Of course, San Hashar was a smart woman, so I heard her voice in my head a moment later. ‘Your Highness.’

‘I didn’t know you were a general,’ I said, trying not to sound awkward.

She hid a smile as she took her seat. ‘I received a promotion recently.’

‘Congratulations.’ I sat down as well. Elite soldiers usually didn’t wear rank insignia, and I’d never asked about hers. The whole time, I’d assumed the soldiers she led to guard me were her whole command, but maybe I’d been wrong. Although, elites always held higher ranks.

Since a dozen nobles joined us, there were a lot of people at the table. At least the senior generals sat close to me. Tenira had the chair to my right, while aides and retainers stood at the shoulders of most of the others.

“Please, tell us about the situation, General,” I asked.

General Wei cleared his throat and started talking. He moved colored markers over the map on the table, with trailing lines of qi showing their movements.

The Zarieni had already penetrated pretty far into Imperial territory, considering how little time they’d had. Of course, I knew that cultivators moved quickly. And according to the general, they carried few supplies, and their force seemed to consist only of fighters.

“Probably not just one tribe, but warriors from other tribes joining them,” he said. “They wouldn’t get this number otherwise. I assume their weakest members are staying behind in a hidden camp in the Graves, or perhaps another tribe is sheltering them.”

“We don’t know?” one of the nobles asked.

“The warriors in the raiding force don’t wear distinguishing characteristics,” San Hashar said. “And while we have some eyes on the Yellow Graves, they haven’t been able to identify this tribe’s nest yet. Our informants among the other tribes have remained silent.”

“While we should try to find them, this isn’t the most relevant issue right now,” Tenira said. “How do you expect the invasion force to proceed?”

The officers offered a lot of disclaimers and caveats. But they did draw a few paths that the nomads might take.

I looked at the glowing lines on the map and stifled a sigh. It looks like they’re heading for this city, but who knows? There are a lot of possible targets here. And just because they remain mostly in one group doesn’t mean they can’t split up later.

The problem was that I didn’t even know why they were here. Sure, they were raiding, but why in such a large number, and why push so far? Did something happen to make them desperate for more loot? Did the Zarian bribe them? Trying to figure out their plans like this was pointless.

“If we gathered our forces and attacked them now, could we win?” I asked.

The officers exchanged looks. General Wei seemed hesitant. “Perhaps, Your Highness. Our forces would be about evenly matched. But we couldn’t keep them from running or scattering. We’ll have the advantage once the local nobles rally their warriors and the reinforcements arrive.”

I didn’t like that answer, or the apprehension in the way he looked at me. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one. I could hear a few of the nobles muttering about dithering.

“The longer they’re free to roam in our lands, the more damage they’ll do,” Tenira warned.

“We do have eyes on them, right?” I asked.

“Yes, a few of our elites are following them from a distance, watching them,” one of the officers said. “They keep us posted on their course and strength.”

“That’s all?” Zun snorted. “A few soldiers following them from afar? How come we don’t have real surveillance? Flying beasts, light cultivators, qi tracking formations?”

General Wei ground his teeth, a vein on his forehead standing out. “We haven’t had time to set up everything we’d like!” he snapped.

I frowned. Personally, I agreed with Zun. We needed good intelligence, and how long could it take to set up something? Shouldn’t they have been prepared?

I was beginning to think the situation wasn’t in the best hands here. Even if Zun clearly had ulterior motives.

“What about the towns and villages on their path, that they might raid?” I asked. “Can we evacuate the settlements?”

Wei glowered at the map, his expression grim. “We could try. But we don’t have enough airships to evacuate them all quickly. And if we had the people leave without them, on foot or maybe with carts, they would be too slow to evade the raiders if they attacked them. The people might even be less safe during such a trek.”

One of the nobles sitting beside Zun, a woman who I recalled was named Miray, shook her head and glared at him. “They’re citizens of the Empire! It’s our, and especially your, duty to protect them. How can you just dismiss this?”

I looked at the map again, sighing internally. Why did the south of the Empire have to be so heavily populated? This region in particular had many settlements scattered throughout the valley and the plains beyond, almost all the way up to the border.

“This isn’t an all or nothing issue,” I interrupted. “We can send all the airships we can spare. That way, we’ll try to evacuate at least the people in the most danger from the raiders.”

No one looked like they liked that compromise, but they didn’t protest. I knew the airships were needed, and I knew that all of the people threatened by this invasion deserved to be saved. But this was the best I could do. Let’s just hope that it doesn’t backfire and I get the worst of both worlds.

“I’d also like to take some troops closer to the enemy,” I decided. “I want to see the situation for myself.”

General Wei paled a bit. “Your Highness, please reconsider that. The regional nobles are assembling, and we need to integrate our troops. Taking only some to meet the enemy is …” he trailed off.

“I’m sure we can work something out,” I said.

It looked like I might need to assume more direct leadership than I wanted, so I had to get an idea of my opponents and the situation. I would be careful. I had no intention of actually fighting the raiders.

But I did want to put a bit of pressure on the invaders, and see which way they jumped.