Chapter Twenty One:

The next morning, the Rei assembled the foreign group and his officials in the solium.

“Our prophet has warned us that this war is not over,” said the Rei when everyone had been seated. As these words, every eye in the room swung to Healani who stood behind the Rei’s chair. She nodded.

“Our coast is still under threat,” she said. “The Ninth was only their first attack. Next time, they will not be defeated so easily.”

“That was easy?” Hart remarked to Navihm under his breath. Navihm shushed him and turned his attention back to the Rei.

“It is doubtful they will attack at Mare Aspera bay while the Nomads still protect it,” said Kahlo, the Rei’s chief advisor.

“That is why the Nomad army must stay at the Ninth,” said Rei Amias. “They are our insurance that the Somali will attack where we want them to.”

“And where do we want them to attack?” asked Hart.

“The only other place they can reasonably expect to mount a successful attack; The Tenth,” answered Navihm. He’d had this thought when they first travelled to the Ninth. The invaders could not attack anywhere else along the North Coast because of the cliffs and it is doubtful that they would risk their boats in the Shallow Seas to attack in the Lowlands. The waters were too treacherous at this time of year, especially for those who had never travelled through those waters.

“We will need to fight off this attack without the help of the Nomad army,” said the Rei. “We won't have their man power or, more importantly, their military expertise.”

“I am starting to see why this won't be as easy,” said Hart, apprehensively.

“How long do we have before the invasion starts?” asked another of the Rei’s advisors. They all looked at Healani.

“I do not know these people,” she said. “They are diffcult to see.”

“I know them,” Navihm told her. “I can show you.” Navihm had looked into the very heart of one of the Somali. He had fought them and killed them. He knew their souls very well, but he did not have his mother’s skills in the sight. He could, however, show her what to look for.

As his mother approached him and placed her thumb on his forehead, he cast his mind back to the time he spent with the prisoner back at the Ninth. He remembered what his aura looked like and how his soul looked to his spirit magic. He remembered probing with his spirit magic before the battle at the Ninth and how a great mass of the foreigners felt. He kept that feeling in his mind while his mother examined him with her magic.

“They will come in two months,” she said. “Their first attack devastated their numbers so they return to their homeland for an army even greater than the last.”

The assembly of men was silent as they digested the news. Two months gave them time to assemble their own army, but to hear that they were faced with an even greater threat was sobering.

“What do we do?” asked Khalo.

“We prepare ourselves,” said Rei Amais, gravely. “I will pen letters to all the tribes and to the Lowlands to tell them of the circumstances we find ourselves in. Kaia will send them out via birds. In no more than three days, every Rei on the continent will be assembling armies made up of every able young warrior in the country, not just the guards that patrol the tribes. It will take weeks, but we will have an army in the Tenth to face this threat.

“In the meantime, whatever guards left in the Ninth fit for travel should make their way to the Tenth. We can start preparing for the invasion within the week. Navihm, I want you to go oversee the preparation.” Navihm nodded.

“You must leave tomorrow for the river,” chimed in Healani mysteriously. “You will find all that you need there.”

Rei Amias nodded in agreement and continued assigning tasks to all his officials. While he was talking, Navihm turned to his mother.

“I don't want you here all alone while I’m off to war,” he told her. He knew that she would drive herself insane with worry if she had nothing else to distract herself with. Navihm had been her whole life since he was born and she could not bare to loose him.

“I will go visit my sister at the Ninth,” she suggested. “Lia will be just as worried about Hart as I am about you. We can comfort each other.” Navihm would feel a lot better about her safety if she stayed in the royal grounds of the Second. Soon, every guard and warrior would be sent to the Tenth, her little cottage would not be as safe as it once was.

Hue had overheard some of their conversation and chose then to chime in.

“I will escort your mother to the Second if you like, Navihm.” He offered. “The Professor doesn't think a letter will convince the school to send help so he is sending me and a few of the other guards to persuade them. The Second is on our way and I would be more than happy to ensure your mother’s safety.”

“Thank you, Hue,” Navihm said, bowing to the other man gratefully. “That means we will not have to spare any men from the war effort and I would like to have a man I can trust escort my mother.” Hue puffed at the praise.

They turned their attention back to the Rei. There was a lot to discuss before they set out.

Okay, bonus time!

We all know Healani is the greatest prophet in the North. What you didn't know is that before the age of fourteen she showed no affinity for the sight. She was absolutely rubbish at seeing the future.

After her experience with Navihm's father, she lost her physical ability to see and instead gained the ability to see into the future with more accuracy and more detail than anyone else before her.

The first person's future she saw was Navihm's before he was even born.

In the next half, I will include a bit of info about Kaia.

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