“In order to rule properly, you must first understand cruelty.” The woman announced, leaning forward on her throne. Her large white wings spread magnificently. Although the woman herself was old, her eyes were still bright and her gaze held the unwavering fortitude of authority.

The man who knelt before her swallowed audibly.

“‘Cruelty’, you say.” He vacillated.

The woman nodded. “Everyone beneath you must understand their place, and how they fit within the rest of the crew. Many of those beneath you will grow ideas in their minds about how best to serve, and thus, it falls to you to be cruel to them, just a little, in order for them to understand their necessity.”

The woman leaned back a little and adjusted the armor on one of her bracers with a practiced finger. Nowadays, it was practically the only thing keeping her alive.

Whatever other strange powers it possessed, it slowed her aging to a crawl and sped up her healing. Still, after four hundred years, there had been many reasons to shed the armor. To sleep, to bathe, to do the necessary, and so her life had crawled forward at a slow but inexorable pace.

She tapped her armored finger on the arm of her backless throne.

“Those were the words passed to me by Lady Duchess Celestina Dunten the Relentless, when I served under her. The words were as true then as they are now. The Baronies are all under my authority, and the Barons are my crew. So when you tell me that your father Baron Karstead has been overthrown and usurped by someone else, I must first understand cruelty.” She explained as she rose to her feet.

“He didn’t understand the cruelty of rule very well, as I understand it.” the woman continued. “Not at all like your grandfather. Your grandfather was all that held the Karstead Barony together. Your father was lax, indolent, and often struggled to make the proper tributes. So it doesn’t surprise me at all that he died.”

She eyed the young man, who trembled as he knelt.

“When your father met his end, you were supposed to take responsibility of the Barony. Yet you fled and came to me, instead. Do you not have any standing forces? Could you not have subdued the intruders? Sued for peace? Dispatched a messenger? Sent a letter by way of Magical Services?” The woman’s voice cracked with accusations.

“My Queen, there were too many-”

“Then you should have died to protect what was yours. You evaded responsibility. Now I am expected to take on the responsibility of correcting the Baronies once again. Your incompetence compounds itself.”

The woman let out a sigh. “At the last census...” She gestured and one of her aides moved to a bookcase and pulled out a scroll and handed it over. The queen unrolled it, her eyes scanned the page.

“Two thousand and seventy-three people in the Barony of Karstead.” she read. She eyed the young man again. “You were tasked with guarding the eastern pass against intruders from the outside. You were tasked with dealing with the troublemakers within your borders. You say you lost the pass and you lost the barony as well. Now we are exposed and vulnerable.”

She paced back and forth, feathers fluttering. Her hair had turned completely white in her age, but she forced herself to stand erect.

“The whole world stands against us. It falls to us to draw out the lines of our borders and hold fast. You couldn’t do even that much.” She spat irritably. She stopped and turned back to the man.

“Who was your foe? Was it that reckless Anglish man, again?” She snapped her fingers idly as she tried to remember his name.

“Mulligan, your grace.” one of her assistants supplied helpfully.

“Ah. Yes. Him. Was it Mulligan?” She asked the young Karstead.

He shook his head. “The man named himself as Captain Aldric of the Seventh Seal Mercenary Company.”

The queen raised an eyebrow. There’d been rumors of a mercenary company with that name.

“What information do we have on this... Seventh Seal?” She asked, eyeing her staff.

They eyed each other, gestured, shrugged, and shook their heads. She let out a short sigh.

“I will send an envoy, then. Perhaps, since they are mercenaries, we have to simply pay them to go away.” She glanced down at the young Baron. “It’ll come out of the Karstead coffers.”

He winced at that.

“And if they don’t?” one of her assistants asked. He was an older man, with white streaks of hair at his temples and a salt-and-pepper beard.

“We will assemble a force to repel them. Have two hundred troops stand ready to probe their fortitude should the envoy fail. Once we’ve tested their mettle on the field of battle, we’ll dispatch a full legion.”

She sat down on her throne and eyed the young Baron.

“As for you, it falls to me to teach you cruelty. For your failures, you are hereby stripped of your title. Whomever wins back the barony in my name may claim it for themselves.”

*****

As the Yamato filed into the keep, Aldric gave Daveth a sour look and a sigh. “You really brought them.”

Daveth shrugged, a little confused. “Said I did.” He paused while watching the Yamato dismount under the eyes of the Seventh Seal and began unpacking their carts. When had they gotten carts? His eyes flicked to Aldric again. “Bad idea?”

Aldric shrugged. “We’re in hostile territory that we can’t hold. Tactically, this is stupid. We stand a stronger chance of survival by staying mobile. Sitting here draws eyes.” He gestured down at the Yamato. “They’re fighters of course, but the main reason they came here was to establish a Shrine. In that way they’re more like ‘cargo’ than ‘fighters’. We shouldn’t have sent for them until we were secure.”

“They didn't seem to like the idea of setting up a Shrine where we landed.”

“Nah. I don’t claim to be the expert on the Yamato, but they only set up Shrines where they want, regardless of convenience.”

Daveth barked a laugh. “All those stairs, right?”

Aldric smirked a bit. “Ugh. Just thinking about them makes my legs burn.” He switched tracks. “But yeah... I’d’ve liked to have just cut ties with them as soon as we hit landfall. I don’t like unpredictable elements.”

“And who said we were unpredictable, Captain?” A middle-aged woman asked as she climbed the stairs to the wall of the keep.

Aldric cut his eyes to Daveth, and then addressed the Shrine Priestess. “Oh, it’s got nothing to do with you personally.” He replied. “But your Shrine Maidens seem to think that every one of my men- and maybe some of the women too- will threaten the virtue of said Shrine Maidens. So there’s tension where there should be none. I don’t like that.” Aldric idly rested his hand on the pommel of his cavalry saber for a moment. “Secondly, our goals aren’t necessarily coterminous.” Daveth mouthed the unfamiliar word with a frown as he tried to glean its meaning. “You want to set up a Shrine. That’s fine, but our theatre is war. Our goal is to fight and earn some coin doing so.” Aldric continued. “And finally, there’s the distinct but very real possibility that we will be out on maneuvers and move one way, while you and your Maidens decide to go another way entirely. That divisiveness could get us outflanked and killed if we run into combat.” He spread his hands wide. “You see?”

Yukiko nodded. “When you explain it that way Captain, I understand. There is a saying in Yamato, ‘two tigers cannot live on the same mountain’, and I think it applies well, here.” Aldric nodded sagely while Daveth cocked a puzzled eyebrow.

Yukiko held up a forestalling hand. “However, our need for information forces our hand. I heard from your scout that escorted us- charming girl, by the way- that you now have maps of Philippa’s interior. We strongly desire access to those maps.”

Daveth raised an eyebrow at that. Was this going to be another one of Aldric’s bargaining attempts?

“I’ll give you access to our maps, but they’re not detailed- and what we do have, frankly, is all hostile territory. Lands held subject to an ‘Angel Queen’.” Aldric offered magnanimously.

Yukiko raised an eyebrow at that. “It was my understanding that all the angels were annihilated in the War of Liberation.”

“She could just be calling herself that.” Daveth offered. “Or she could be a winged elf. We’ve seen a few here and there in our travels.”

“Mutants.” Yukiko spat disgustedly, her face screwing up as if she’d bitten into something sour.

Daveth shrugged at this. Maybe the winged elves of Nauders were mutants, but they did craft him tableware when asked. That was fine enough in his book.

“How about this, then, Captain?” Yukiko began, and took a couple of steps forward. Daveth shifted his stance subtly, settling his feet, but if she took notice, she didn’t call attention to it. “Give us access to the maps for a few hours to deliberate. If there is a suitable spot on the map where we can successfully set up a Shrine, we’ll move with the intention of heading there. If there isn’t, we’ll retreat back through the pass and await further information from you.”

Aldric stroked his chin thoughtfully. “And if this ‘ideal spot’ lands you in hostile territory?”

She laughed. “Then we have a mutual goal that will benefit us both.” She explained simply. “We will move and fight with the Seventh Seal as one.”

“How many hours do you need?” Aldric asked.

“Difficult to say. There’s something here in this land... it’s very uncomfortable to be here. Have you noticed anything ... peculiar?”

Aldric frowned. “You’ll have to be-” He paused, closed his eyes for a moment, and then smirked. “Less vague.”

She frowned. “It’s like there’s something in the air, or in the ground, something that makes you feel restless, irritable.”

Daveth nodded unconsciously to that as he packed his pipe, but Aldric shook his head. “Nothing I’ve noticed. Nothing that a hard day’s drills and maneuvers can’t quench.”

Daveth raised an eyebrow at that, but tucked his pipe between his teeth and lit a lucifer with a practiced hand.

“I... see.” She observed, eyes flicking between Daveth and Aldric for a moment. “In any case, we will need the maps to perform certain... rituals that are secret to the Shrine. Afterword, I will send word and we will discuss our next step. Agreed?”

Aldric nodded. “Reasonable.”

*****

Aldric, Daveth, and Yukiko sat around the map that detailed the various baronies in the area. Wherever had made the map had paid a great deal of attention to detail, including unclaimed ruins, and the various roads that were still usable. A small red circle was drawn off to the side, away from the baronies.

“You’re saying that’s where you want your Shrine to be?” Daveth asked, his thick finger tapping the circle.

Yukiko shook her head. “That’s an area we’ve scryed that should be advantageous to us all. It doesn’t seem to be inhabited, there’s plenty of buildings that look both sizable and defensible. It’s also far enough away that if we were to leave now, any punitive force from these baronies would miss us completely.”

Daveth looked uneasy. “...punitive?” He asked, and Yukiko closed her eyes. Aldric sighed.

“She means a force sent by the Angel Queen to punish us for stepping on her turf.” Aldric explained, and drew his finger along the map.

“They’re likely to use either of these two roads, which are wide enough to accommodate a lot of soldiers. However, if we use this road,” he slid his finger across the map, “then we’ll give them the slip. They’ll show up to find an empty keep.”

“...That’s assuming she doesn’t just fly over here herself and blast us with her magic.” Daveth retorted, relaying what had been told to him.

“Well, let’s put our hopes on the Seventh Seal’s speed.” Aldric replied.

The main focus Aldric had beat into the Seventh Seal was the need for speed. The faster you were on the battlefield, the better equipped you were to deploy against forces that could be several times larger. Infantry was trained to march a full thirty miles in a day in full kit. Cavalry could triple that, if they didn’t care about their horses. Even without their horses, the full cavalry was trained in the “rush”, a massed charge at full run, carrying their gear. Archers were lighter, so they could travel further than the infantry. Their Tross, the collection of farriers, smiths, fletchers, cooks, and laborers could set up or tear down a camp in hours and be ready to be underway.

“What about your Maidens? Will they be able to keep up?” Daveth asked curiously.

Yukiko nodded. “What do you think all those stairs are for?” She asked rhetorically. “I would wager that we will be better off than your best infantryman.”

Daveth got a big smile on his face at that. “And exactly how much would you be willing to wager?”

After the discussion, Daveth went in search of the Wolf sisters. He found them assisting the Tross in the stowing of their bathtub.

“You two. I need to have a word.” Daveth waved his hand at them, and they eyed each other silently.

“Yes, Lord Commander?” Lynnabel asked curiously.

“You’ve claimed to be able to run as fast as we can travel, right?” He asked, and they traded looks again.

“It’s possible.” Alysia forwarded. Daveth’s smile grew even wider.

“Fantastic. The honor of the Seventh Seal is on the line here. I know that you’ve been getting used to riding on horseback, but we’re going to need you two to march with the infantry. I need to know if you’ll be combat-ready at the end of that march.”

The two exchanged silent looks again, and nodded at each other.

“There should be no problems, Lord Commander.”

Daveth’s smile grew even wider.

“I know you’ve been pulling a lot of duty as our camp’s only healer, but I wanted to ask you about your abilities.” Daveth asked Nicola as the Seventh Seal finished packing their things. The former Radiant Son apprentice mage eyed the giant curiously.

“What, specifically, are you interested in?” She asked curiously.

“Can you cast a spell that’ll get rid of our tracks? We’re moving out at speed, and we need to hide our backtrail. Can’t have the enemy following us.”

Nicola tapped her lips with her finger thoughtfully and nodded. “It should be doable... provided we don’t end up in a fight when we stop for the night. It’ll take all my power and I won’t have anything left for healing.” her mouth twisted. “There’s something ... strange about the magic in this area, too. It makes casting magic...” She trailed off. “I can’t describe it well.”

Daveth nodded. “I promise a full night’s rest every night. Just do your best to destroy our tracks as we travel.”

Nicola nodded at that, and tapped her chest in a salute. “Will do, Commander.”

The Seventh Seal set out at a trot, a speed that would eat up miles rapidly. They trotted, slowed to a walk, trotted, walked, trotted, walked, and behind them a small whirling dust devil brushed away the tracks of the Seventh Seal and the Shrine Maidens. They headed southwest, deeper into Philippa than they’d ever travelled before. Up hills, down hills, they followed the old roads as much as possible. Whenever they stopped to water the horses, Aldric would confer with the Shrine Priestess Yukiko with the map. They ate a bland meal of cold meat, trailbread and water in the saddle as they marched.

*****

The first day, they managed a record-breaking fifty-five miles, and at the end of it Daveth approached Yukiko.

“I’ve got my two best infantry, and they’re ready for a sparring match against two of your best.” He jerked his thumb at Alysia and Lynnabel and spread his hands wide. “We did have a wager, after all.”

Yukiko mopped sweat from her brow and took a short drink from a waterskin she produced from somewhere.

“You really want to do this?” Yukiko complained, an edge of exasperation in her voice.

“The wager was a hot meal. I don’t fuck around when it comes to food.” Daveth replied.

Yukiko shook her head wearily, and then barked out two names.

“Yuri! Keiko!”

Two women separated themselves from the Shrine Maidens and approached the quartet.

“Yes, Shrine Priestess?” they asked.

Alysia and Lynnabel traded silent looks.

“A sparring match against these two. Show them the discipline of the Shrine Maidens.”

Lynnabel touched Alysia’s arm, but the other woman shook her head and tapped Lynabel’s arm instead.

Alysia stepped forward and dropped her sword belt. “I alone will be sufficient against these two.” She stated firmly, head high. “Feel free to come at me as you wish.”

The two Maidens moved to drop their swords, but Alysia stopped them. “Feel free to use whatever weapons you wish.”

One of the women marched forward and drew her blade, Alysia matched her step for step. The woman swung, Alysia shifted to the side, letting the blade bounce across her armguard. She lunged at the woman, who twisted nimbly away, only to whirl about, her sword slashing towards Alysia’s midsection. Alysia took a step back as the blade whistled through where she stood a second before, and then pounced forward, grappling with the Yamato.

The Shrine Maiden did something, twisting her body, and Alysia flipped over the woman’s shoulder and landed on her back. The Shrine Maiden yanked on Alysia’s arm, twisting, but Alysia yanked back, pulling the woman on top of her as the second Shrine Maiden stepped forward. Alysia clamped the first woman’s head between her thigh plates and rolled, the woman let out a sharp yelp of pain and fell limp as she went unconscious. Alysia kicked with her feet, forcing a backwards roll that allowed her to scramble to her feet just as the second woman brought her sword down. Alysia caught the blade in her gauntleted fist and lashed out with her other hand, picking up the smaller woman by her neck and lifting her a full foot off the ground.

“I think that’s enough.” Daveth called, and Alysia let the second woman down to her feet.

As the second woman stepped back, Alsia tugged a short knife out of her arm, trailing blood.

She grimaced at her arm, and looked to the second Yamato woman and tossed the knife limply so that it landed at the other woman’s feet.

“Effective.” Alysia complained.

“Wait, what just happened?” Daveth asked, and Alysia unlatched her gauntlet and bracer and let them fall. A small gash that blood dripped freely from was in her forearm, just shy of her elbow.

“She got me good, that one. I doubt I’ll be able to use this arm for at least a day and a half, maybe more.” She complained. She looked to the first. “She wasn’t bad, either. She used speed and leverage to try and disable me. She didn’t anticipate my strength, however.” She offered as a critique. Daveth offered Alysia a roll of bandages to stop the bleeding, and she gave him a startled look, but accepted the bandage without comment, winding the bandage around her arm.

“And if the fight was for real?” Yukiko asked curiously as she examined the unconscious Maiden.

“It would be a memorable fight.” Alysia offered.

“I guess I’ll be looking forward to a hot meal tonight.” Daveth grinned boyishly. Alysia eyed him carefully.

“I would think that if you were an honorable Lord Commander, you would share the spoils of this fight with the winner.” She prodded, and Daveth burst into delighted laughter.

“Absolutely.”

As they ate a meal of hot chicken soup, Alysia eyed the giant as he spooned the food into his mouth.

“You expected us to win.” She stated, a half-question.

“I had my doubts, actually. They fight in a way that’s similar to how I was taught to fight unarmed. You recall I was able to toss around...” He searched his mind for the name, couldn’t come up with it, and continued anyway, “The Gold that was with us before. It was a complete tossup to see if you would fall for the same things... Aurene did.” He finished, finally pulling the blonde-haired and golden-eyed Wolf Sister’s name from memory.

Alysia scrutinized him carefully. “My sister and I are not idiots, you know.”

He gave her a confused frown. “You lost me.”

Alysia frowned a little down at the bowl of soup in her hands. “Lynnabel and I are silver- ranked. What we cannot win through strength, we win through stratagem. How many times have we sparred against you?” She asked rhetorically. “Each fight, we learn how you move, how you place your feet, how you react. There are times when you resort to brute force, there are times when you use those... tricks, and there are times when you are completely unpredictable.”

She glanced off in the direction of the Maiden’s camp. “The only thing they did wrong was underestimate my strength. They will not do so in the future.”

She finished her meal and rose to her feet. “Be wary of them, Lord Commander. They carry secrets.”

Daveth raised an eyebrow. “You don’t?”

She eyed him carefully. “The secrets my sister and I carry are to protect our order. Aside from those things, you may ask my sister or I whatever you wish and we will follow and obey.” She nodded at the Shrine Maiden camp. “Their secrets, I think could put the Seventh Seal at risk. You would do wise to not trust them completely.” For a moment she looked as if she wanted to add more, but instead she handed him her bowl. “Good night, Lord Commander.”

As the Seventh Seal marched the next morning, Yukiko made her way over to Daveth’s horse.

“How are your Maidens?” Daveth asked, drinking cold tea and glaring at a piece of flatbread in his hand.

“Bruised.” She remarked with a short laugh. She glanced back at the two Wolf sisters who rode this morning.

“They’re not human, are they?” She asked curiously.

“As human as you or I.” Daveth replied simply. She shook her head. “That’s not what I meant.”

Daveth shook his head. “I don’t understand the question, is all.” He replied and took a swallow of tea. “They fight where directed, they follow orders, they’re loyal, honorable, and respect authority.” He finished off his tea and stashed his battered metal cup in his saddlebag. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s good enough for me.”

Yukiko gave him a long, considering look and rode away, back to her ranks of Shrine Maidens.