Every man is surrounded by a neighborhood of voluntary spies.


    Pre-Fall writer.


    The day after Christmas was not an occasion to indulge in rest but brought back the dreaded large meeting at the Executive House. With more snow on the way, after the brief respite while they came back from Nashville.


    “Well, let’s see where we stand,” Wexler wasted no time starting. “Robert?”


    Robert Henley, the spymaster of Independence State, pulled up his stack of papers, nodding.


    “Well, I am starting to receive more reports. So I can confirm this one first – they have parchments now.”


    “Was there any doubt they’d stolen them?” Johanna asked.


    “You never know. They split the parchments stolen from the Talent House into multiple smaller packages to dilute any risk of interception. It seems the Adjutant wanted to ensure no one could recapture all of the stolen goods, even if Independence knew about it and reacted quickly. That’s why he got his agents to split as soon as possible, to make sure some at least would end up in the Marches.”


    “So, how much did they get?” Wexler asked.


    “They made eight packages total, and the first arrived in early November, followed by two more. They got four out of eight as of December 8^th.”


    “You got that much intel?” Katia asked.


    “We do have a few sources in the Marches. I have had one for five – no, six – years now that’s relatively close to the Warden, although not in his complete full confidence. Maistry works like his father, he always do one-to-one, not large meetings like, well, this one. It is suitable for compartmentalization and against spies but not as good for overall efficiency and coordination. I suppose this usually serves him well.


    “But, well, what I have is enough for some solid things. Although, of course, like everything in intelligence – distrust and verify.”


    “In this case?” Wexler asked.


    “Well, I have two separate sources in the army. Not highly placed, but reliable for logistical issues, so… They deployed a ‘special’ reserve as early as mid-November. Something like a hundred people.”


    “The main front?” General Sharpe asked.


    “My second army source confirms they smashed the Kootenai Gap’s forces. They forced extensive losses before the tribals and the Wendigo reinforcements there were thrown in disarray and routed. And yes, that special reserve exhibited all sorts of Talents. They tried to capture tribal chiefs, to decisively end the war, but a handful managed to slip through.”


    “Good. The more problems they have, the easier it is for us,” Sharpe commented.


    Henley looked at his notes.


    “According to the source, one group of pursuers tracking one group ‘emitting a lot of energy’, assumed to be high-ranking enemy commanders, ran into trouble and lost them. So there are at least a few out at large.”


    “Lots of energy? Mana plumes?” Johanna asked.


    “That’s what the report says. Your guess is as good as mine.”


    “They shouldn’t have many high-tier specializations, especially not capable of directly detecting enemy sorcerers, which would be relatively faint in any case, so that might be an Artefact that they were tracking…” she mused. “Looks like Snowbound might have been there and escaped.”


    “Snowbound?” both Wexler and Ulrich asked simultaneously.


    “A Wendigo of high rank or status, or whatever they have. He’s the one who… prompted us to run away,” Johanna said.


    “Snowbound was always a bit unconventional. His family has status, he claimed, mostly around his heirloom. That’s an Artefact that’s been in their possession since after the Fall,” Ulrich explained to the Executive.


    “You know of this… Snowbound, how?”


    “Nearly two decades ago, when he was still mostly a kid, he went through a rather extreme form of ‘wandering hunt’. The Wendigos are nomadic hunters since they can’t digest plants, and they have this trial when they come of age, where they go far from their territory and return with grand prizes. The farther and bigger, the better. He was a scavenger with us, actually, for a few years. Try to imagine a Wendigo in the summer in southern Independence or northern Lone Star. And his Artefact was how we found more, enough to retire early and take less stressful occupations.”


    He laughed.


    “I was not too surprised to see him involved in the war. The world is small, the Ancients used to say. It still is today.”


    “Let’s hope he will cause more problems for the Warden, then,” Wexler said.


    “Right now, they’re sorting their troops and inducing them to Talents, company by company. Almost exclusively professional soldiers, they’re not using parchments on conscripted troops. My main army source says the plan is about three companies per week, 300, 400 people.”


    “I wish I could do the same in the long term,” Sharpe commented.


    “We’re waiting for more books,” Johanna said before looking at Katia.


    “Speaking of which, I noticed a book titled Mobile Hydraulics Handbook, whose name I remember.”


    Katia simply looked back.


    “You really got those books back from the Nashville Academy?” Johanna insisted.


    “I’ve checked the reports from Cheat; I’ve insisted on getting regular status reports. Your expedition departed for the coast five weeks ago. It’s not too worrying; you said two weeks of travel across the ancient roadways. But the weather is already abominable back there… and Cheat was since attacked by small beast hordes coming out of the zone. They had Lepuses ravaging an outlying farm, which is always a pain for the farming, less of a menace for the farms themselves, and now they had a dozen Felids show up. They got repelled without losses, but Cheat was under siege for a couple of days.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    “So yes, I’m not confident we’ll have books fast. I know this isn’t enough. But I’m getting everything I can find, no matter what.”


    Johanna frowned, but Katia didn’t seem to be saying anything further.


    Ulrich simply waved off the concern.


    “We trust Petra. They have at least one Fire Shaper to help against wintertime difficulties, and heavy weather means Miles can use his best attacks against any Changed beast assault. Plus, whoever they can recruit at Cheat.”


    “We’re lucky Miles had a set of templates with him when he went to establish the Cheat branch. Did he find volunteers?” Johanna asked.


    “Yes. The Mooneyed in this case,” Wexler told her.


    “What?”


    “That’s the agreement Versant – the ambassador I sent to talk to them – bartered. They help secure those books, and we help them relocate out of the mana zone. We would have, in any case. That’s going to be quite the achievement for history books: getting a brand new population of Changed to settle in Independence.”


    “Well, that achievement might be overshadowed by the rest of what’s going on,” Sharpe replied.


    “It might be,” Wexler admitted.


    “Which brings me to the state of the preparations,” the general immediately started.


    “We’re going a bit more slowly than the mass induction Mr. Henley reports, but we’re having a better time. We’ve switched to a standard squad size of six based on the Talent’s quality system. One soldier per quality, so a Battler, Explorer, Discreet, Shaper, Sentinel, and Fixer variant per team. Mr. Moore…”


    The general briefly nodded in the four’s direction, knowing the Ancient was looking through all of them at the same time.


    “… gets his job cut for him. Four squads per daily session, then we move them to the training. We’ve had to expand the training fields; the Talented need a lot more room than normal troop training. We’ve also restructured some squads to make ‘elite’ ones with the handful of level 8 advanced specializations we have. Same six-team structure, hopefully.”


    “Where do we stand?” Wexler asked.


    “We do have two-thirds of a company ready now. Twelve complete teams. Once we finish the inductions with what we have in terms of books, we should have two full companies, and we’re going to try to develop a doctrine for large-scale combat. Maneuvers and fights between the two.”


    “That’s understrength compared to those forces from the Montana.”


    “Until we get more books, no need to rush.”


    “How many elites?”


    “Five now. What throws us is when someone gets promoted in levels twice. We know which level they have, not which they can have. And it’s not balanced yet. We have two Earth Masters, for instance, and a Fast Skirmisher and a Battler Ace, which are listed as two Strength-based specializations. But if we can get seasoned troops back from the south…”


    Wexler sighed.


    “Not that easy. I’m tempted to send one of our soldiers to the two Marches of the South to sift for people with high levels at the garrisons there.”


    “But we can expect reinforcements, right?” Sharpe insisted.


    “Yes.”


    The Executive turned back to Johanna.


    “Speaking of reinforcements…”


    “I’ve gotten a level, yes. And some new Talents to go. All new ones, none in the Gomez list.”


    Wexler’s eyes sparkled.


    “I have a long-range, very hot torch – a flamethrower, the soldiers called it – along with an ability to dry out things, and something that smothers fires. Possibly, in case someone wants to attack us with fire-based powers. I’m immune, but that’s just me.”


    “Well, that’s good, but you’re too important to risk on the battlefield. We’re getting all sorts of Talented, but there are only four Exemplars,” Wexler immediately countered.


    “You said that leveling slowed, and you needed to fight beasts – or people,” Katia asked her.


    “But it’s different with Moore. We actually all leveled twice in two weeks back during the expedition to Washington, and Pr. Gomez speculated that Moore could provide experience from other sources, like the books.”


    “The books you’re converting,” General Sharped immediately realized.


    “I’m expecting the other three to level relatively soon”, she told him.


    Edgard Maistry, Lord Warden of the Marches of the Montana, looked at the two men in his study.


    “I got the latest take from Senator Gordon. While nobody has made it an official vote on the Senate for censure…”


    “They better, we haven’t moved. Yet,” General Adorno said.


    “Wexler has secured a few alliances. The two southern Marches are officially on his side, but they don’t count. Sinaloa is getting antsy again, and they won’t weaken their borders. Cheyenne and Dakota will lend their help. Winnebago and Yellowstone are also on the go, but they don’t really count. I mean, they have armies, on paper, but those are dysfunctional to the extreme.”


    Adjutant Agnello tapped lightly on the table.


    “The size doesn’t matter. It’s how you use it, and we have – so far – the advantage. I have a few people who keep watch on what’s going on. Their Talent House is currently shuttered.”


    “That’s because the four so-called Exemplars are cooperating with Vernon,” Maistry replied. “Gordon did talk with Milton after she did her demonstration in the Senate. He tried to push her to distance herself from the Independence State’s authority.”


    “Good man,” Agnello commented. “Even if he’s not read into the Ancient’s existence and capacities, he can deduce what’s best for the Montana.”


    “He’d better. After all, his family has always been good at managing the Senate here. Being good is in his blood.”


    The two men snorted in repressed laughter at the pronouncement.


    “Floriano?”


    “We’re still dealing with the partial success of the Kootenai. You said that Cheyenne and Dakota are allied with Independence; well, their armies aren’t in the know, at least for now. I’m deploying Dakota on the eastern front near the Blackfeet and placing the Cheyenne troops on ‘garrison’ in the Kootenai,” the general stated.


    “You’re sure you’re locking them out safely with that?”


    “As long as we can cut their communication lines home and are kept in the dark, that’s perfect. They don’t suspect how we managed to break through before they arrived, and they joked about not being needed. But they can hold the line against the remaining tribals easily. It would have been better if we could decapitate them, but…”


    “You deal with what you’ve got. I understand. But the situation with the so-called ‘allied troops’ is a big risk.”


    “The less it lasts, the better.”


    “Taken into consideration,” Maistry acknowledged.


    The two men were left alone after the general had gone with his orders.


    “Now what?” the adjutant asked.


    “We can’t afford to delay too much. I wish we had more of those parchments.”


    “Got the sixth crate this very morning. Two more, and we’ll have all of them safely tucked here.”


    “Well, leave those alone.”


    “Uh?” Agnello startled.


    “We need spares to replenish the troops in the future. If I had a real source, enough to sustain the army, I could do miracles. But despite all of the powers granted from those, we will have losses. And once they’re gone, they’re gone unless we secure the skeleton’s agents.”


    “The name is Moore, apparently.”


    “That’s not relevant. Wait, they can communicate directly? I didn’t know that,” Maistry startled.


    “It appears so. We knew of the Ancient taking over Milton’s body, but it seems to have been able to do more than just that. I don’t have much more. At least I have their actual Talent list now. Something I wish I had known back when I sent my agents at them.”


    “Sometimes I wish you didn’t.”


    “Really?”


    “Oh, it’s not a mistake. The fools that made the Union still believed in the Ancient ways of peace. No one realized that the only way the continent could remain stable was if it was united. Look at all the problems with the north and the south. But now, with those Talents, we have the means to complete the Unification. The true one, not the one leading to the Union.”


    Both men raised their fists in agreement.


    “Meanwhile, we have an army to prepare and move. How are you with the current stock?”


    “Doing my best. We don’t have all the pieces, just a stock of Talents, and some vague notes.”


    “Well, all the intel I have from Nashville says they don’t have any idea whatsoever where that Professor is gone.”


    “They don’t need him, not if they can talk to the skeleton.”