**

Chapter 53: Battle Ready

**

Had someone told him that he would be sitting in the same room, at the same table, with several of the men responsible for the destruction of Haggard, war strategist Benneth would have laughed in their face. Yet there he was, in the exact scenario, ordered by the queen to share his strategic abilities with his Midaharian counterparts, or war criminals ( in his words ), in order to stop Lieutenant Alba.

Needless to say, Benneth wasn’t amused.

“Do we know for certain that Alba remains within our capital?” he asked, shifting his focus from face-to-face, anticipating a response.

“We believe he is,” Breuke replied. “He seemed hellbent on driving us out of the royal estate.”

“I see,” Benneth said, leaning back in his chair. “It’s going to be difficult getting to him through his army.”

“Let’s not beat around the bush,” said Istan, one of the late Emperor Taimoor’s war strategists, as he stroked his long beard. “We can end this quickly with a calculated strike on Perigrah, annihilating our emperor’s assassin before he knows what hit him.”

Benneth shared a look of disapproval with the queen, questioning her decision to work with those capable of wiping out one of their cities so callously.

“Have you any other ideas that don’t involve decimating another Ahrman city, Istan?” Queen Katherine asked.

“It’s better than sending people to their deaths,” Istan argued.

“Lahan is still under Alba’s control,” Idris said. “Getting him back, alive, should be one of our objectives as well.”

“Tasha, as well,” Breuke added. “Wasting the capital is off the table.”

Istan threw his palms up. “Such sentimental foolishness will result in unnecessary casualties. Don’t say I didn’t propose an alternative to your slaughter.”

“As much as it pains me to do so, I agree with Istan a little,” Jericha said. “The capital is swarming with enemies. We’ll tax ourselves and the Rebirths before we even get to Alba if we don’t avoid them somehow.”

Isa leaned forward in his chair. “Breuke, what about the Rebirth you have? Do you think it could cloak a chariot?”

“I’ll give it a try.”

“Surely its propellers would expose you all,” said Istan.

“We have the wind Rebirth,” Isa said. “We can use it to carry the vessel without starting its engines.”

“Heavens, I think we’re making progress here,” the queen said, enthusiastically.

“You all won’t be up against just Alba,” Benneth observed. “As you said, he has one of your Generals and one of our Guards under his spell. They’re sure to be a challenge.”

“Indeed,” Grant agreed. “Sisten nearly lost his life to Tasha before. You all might want to consider them a lost cause.”

Out of the five Midaharian Generals, Badr and Lahan were the only ones that grew up together and were best buddies. Badr crossed his arms over his chest and didn’t give Grant’s suggestion a second thought. “Maybe you might.”

“Tasha’s no more expendable than Perigrah,” Breuke argued. “Once we defeat Alba they will all return to their senses.”

Istan shook his head in disagreement. “Sentimental fools,” he said under his breath.

“This is going nowhere,” Isa said, parting from his chair. “Breuke and I will get us to the estate without detection. If and when our comrades show themselves, two of us will face off with them and the remaining pair will challenge Alba. We can decide who on the way there.”

“But there are only five of us, Isa,” Idris added.

“Tears is waiting for us at the port.”

Idris jumped from his chair. “He is? Why didn’t you tell us he had recovered?”

“He wasn’t sure he would make it in time.”

“I know he’s not around, but Sisten might be there too,” Jericha said.

“Hopefully he can do better than ‘might’,” said Isa. “Now, are there any objections to my plan?”

“It’s the only one we have,” Jericha shrugged.

“There is another way,” Aiden said, standing in front of the door having entered the room like a thief in the night.

“Who is this now?” Grant asked, perplexed by the General’s instant and negative reaction to the young man’s presence.

“It’s that Rebirth Destroyer, Aiden!” Idris said.

“Well, this certainly is a surprise,” said Istan, stroking his beard.

“Yes, it’s the Rebirth Destroyer,” Aiden said, annoyed by the title Mishael gave him. No matter how distasteful he found it, It was better than Harbinger of Damnation. “And that’s what I’m going to do to Damnation.”

“How?” Breuke asked. “When you’re the one who’s going to become its rune bearer?”

“That’s not going to happen,” Aiden insisted.

“It’s written in the Khalina Prophecy that you will.”

“Would you believe me if I told you that’s already happened?” Aiden said, causing the room to fill with even more tension. He quickly followed up with the words: “But, I beat it. I beat prophecy.”

“You all should probably kill him before you head to Perigrah,” Istan advocated.

“How?” Isa asked. “How can we be sure you’re speaking the truth?”

Aiden shrugged. “You’ll just have to trust me.”

A hush fell over the room and many faces were filled with disbelief, doubt, insecurity. Aiden tried again, hoping to quell their fears. “I’ll go to the capital, confront Alba, and rid him of that rune by vaporizing it. All of this is my doing; you all shouldn’t have to risk your lives because of my mistake.”

“You sound confident, young man,” Istan said. “But assuming you did avoid becoming a vessel for that dreadful rune before, what’s stopping it from trying again. Perhaps you only managed to delay your fate, hmm?”

“Right,” Breuke agreed. “If you go anywhere near Alba you’ll risk Damnation taking over your body. That’s what it wants, isn’t it?”

“Which will only exacerbate the situation a thousand percent,” Isa added. “No. We can’t chance it. You may be telling the truth, Aiden, but these are circumstances completely out of your control.”

Everyone was in agreement, for once. Even though he could change their minds with the Rebirth of Manipulation, Aiden decided not to. Having ratified a course of action against Alba they filed out of the windowless room, one-by-one.

The Midaharian Generals and Ahrman Royal Guards were masters of their chosen Rebirths; perhaps fortune would be in their favor against Alba. Aiden didn’t believe that for a moment.

“Aiden,” Breuke called, fishing a piece of paper from his pocket. “Alba, or Damnation, speaks an unknown language. I don’t know if you do too, but can you read this? It’s a note he sent to the queen.”

Written on the notes were letters and words the young man had never laid eyes on before, yet they were all too familiar. “He wanted the queen to read this?”

“What does it say?” Jericha asked.

“Wake up, Death. He wants to breathe life into her rune.”

“So it can control her, like the others?” asked Breuke.

“Has she read this yet?”

“No. I’ve been so busy, I forgot to give it to her.”

Jericha snatched the paper from Aiden. “I gave her the Death rune before she left the capital to save the crown, not for her to become one of Damnation’s toys.” The note burst into flames set off by sparks of lightning. “Let’s go finish this, Breuke.”

As the Royal Guard departed Idris approached Aiden and pulled him into an empty hallway. “What do you think you’re doing!?” Aiden demanded.

“Keep your voice down, kid,” Idris urged, releasing the young man from his grasp.

“What do you want?”

“I want you to come with us, but I don’t want Isa and the others to know that I asked you.”

“You’re... not worried about me and that rune merging?”

“The only thing I’m worried about is our odds and I don’t think they’re in our favor. Will you be there?”

Aiden nodded.

“Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!” Idris said, relieved. He glanced over Aiden’s shoulder, anticipating someone to be there. “I need to go. If things start hitting the fan with you and that rune, just let me know. I’ll do what I can to help. I promise!”

“Thanks,” said Aiden.

He watched as Idris left his side and darted around the corner. Settling his nerves with a deep breath, Aiden turned invisible.

*

Isa, Badr, and Idris were all smiles as they greeted their fellow General Tears, still bearing visible signs of his deadly clash with Sisten months ago. After being bedridden and confined to one space for so long, Tears was anxious to return to battle, even one where the enemy outnumbered them a thousand to one.

As their Ahrman allies gathered at the port, Isa grabbed a metal suitcase and showed off his newly developed weapon, one inspired by a long-forgotten warring race. A marriage between a small hand cannon and a short, lightweight sword, Isa called the weapon a gun blade; it also worked well with channeling his recently discovered Wind Rebirth.

"Not bad," Jericha said, failing to share the same interest in the weapon as her male counterpart. Instead, she turned her attention to the queen and Grant. "Come to see us off, your highness?"

"Yes. I'm also departing for Daspen. The people of Ahrmania need to know that their Queen hasn't abandoned them."

"Please be on your guard, your highness," Jericha urged.

"I and a Company of capable soldiers will be escorting the queen while her Royal Guard are gone," Grant said. "Good luck to both you and Breuke, Jericha."

"Good luck to everyone," the queen added. "Our future is in all of your hands."

Jericha bowed respectably. "We'll see you in Daspen with good news, your highness."

From a distance, he watched the Royal Guard and Generals as they boarded their chariot. They were the same people, some of the same minds that decided he was too great of a threat to let live or allow to think on his own. Yet, Aiden didn't hold it against them. When Mishael wrote what she saw, her words about the infamous Rebirth Destroyer were meant to stir men and nations into action.

He ran to where the port and ocean met and leaped into the air leaving Nabiil behind.