What does one do if your enemy is about to succeed? Apparently, it is argued foolish and damn near absurd plans of counterattacks. Without Haleema''s direction, Rhyndac and the southern Kromagian oversight are the definition of too many cooks in the kitchen. There are a few things I keep noticing in their bickering. We have no allies left. Not all of us are in here. Lyra, Thubet, Coretha, and Drake are not with us. I don''t know if they''re dead or prisoners. Zadione is doing what she set out to do. She will, in no doubt, take over Nebulas and possibly Ambargara as a whole. King Menassah has sent mages to gather King Rainguard and his family.


    For the time being, I listen for a strategy that doesn''t seem to come. After ten minutes or so, I leave the room. Ulrika is napping on a bench away from the room, clutching our swords. I command the sword to move around just enough to wake her.


    "Huh?" She says groggy. She sits up with them close to her chest. "Oh... It''s just you."


    "Come," I say. She hands me my sword as I walk past her. "We''re leaving."


    "You''re angry," Ulrika says. That word makes me smirk. "Frustrated?"


    "I need to get away from their bickering."


    "What did they say?"


    "Nothing," I sigh. "They''re still trying to figure out their next move."


    "Oh," she says, elongating the word. "What are you going to do now?"


    "I don''t know."


    "Well, Tranquilith is nearby, right?" I hum to let her know she''s correct. "Let''s go home."


    "That''s the best decision I have heard all day."


    On the way home, we stop by a tavern to get something to eat and drink. A wench waiting by the door greets me with a hello and a smile after two men step outside.


    "Just in time," the wench says. "A spot just opened." She guides us to a seat in the middle of the packed room. There''s a stage across from us that has four singing minstrels. "You two are looking rough!" She yells, funneling her voice. "Did you guys just come off from training?"


    "No," I say. "We came from Nebulas."


    "Ne-a-what?"


    "Nebulas!" Ulrika says.


    "Oh... Is there something going on down there?"


    "You don''t know?" She shakes her head no. "Zadione just took over the city."


    "Zadione? Who''s that?"


    "You know what," she says, giving her the biggest fake smile she can muster. "We''ll take two drinks."


    "Right away."


    "And make one of them water!" She says after our wench leaves. "How does she not know what''s going on?"


    "Word of mouth must be slow." Everyone looks merry. People are conversing, reveling, feasting, and singing. I can''t spot one person looking concerned.


    "I think you''re right." Our wench returns with our drinks and asks if we want anything else. I briefly look at Ulrika to see if she''s going to say something. She shakes her head no, keeps her eyes closed, and takes a sip of her water. I pay the wench for her service. She happily resumes serving the other patrons in the room.


    "Are you unwell?"


    "I just remembered that my family is still there," she says and covers her eyes with the palms of her hands.


    "Shit," I say loud under my breath. "We need to get them here."


    "We can''t."


    "Maybe if we can-"


    "Kaio, it would be too dangerous."


    "But-"


    "No!" Every time I try to make a suggestion, she denies me a chance to speak.


    "What''s wrong with you? Don''t you care about their safety?"


    "I do. But I don''t want you risking your life to save them."


    "Ulrika..."


    "Kaioson," she says, leaning over the table. Her hands grip the side of the table. The men to my right take notice of her intimidating me. "Don''t." Standing aside while their life might be in danger is not something I''m comfortable doing.


    "I''ll find a way."


    "Damnit, Kaioson! Can you just turn off your heroic side for this moment?!" More patrons close to us stop what they''re doing and look at her. "Cease those thoughts," she whispers and then slowly sits back down sideways. I''m so livid that I''m speechless. I don''t want to be around her, so I walk out without giving her notice.


    "Where are you going?!" She says, walking after me. "Hey! Answer me!" I keep my mouth shut. All of a sudden, she grabs and yanks my shirt to force me to stand before her. We lock eyes. I can tell she''s angrier than I am by the blood rushing to her face. She won''t stop shifting her jaw around. "I swear," she whispers. "If you go out there, I''ll-"


    "Leave me?"


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    "Worse," she says. The wind starts to pick up from behind her. "Don''t make me do something terrible to protect you."


    "You would do that?"


    "I care about you too much," she says, then lets me go.


    "More than your family?" She nods without hesitation. "Ulrika... Their safety should come first. Let me-"


    "It''s not your job to!" The wind slams into me. I fall on my ass. "Let Rhyndac or someone else figure that out!" The wind rapidly picks up and then stops as if someone extinguishes a fire instantaneously. All that remains is a subtle yet natural flow of air. "Kaioson, my love," she says gently. "I am grateful to have a man like you who has a heart of gold." She offers her hand to help me up. As I''m about to take it, she curls her fingers out of my reach. "But it will get you killed if you are willing to go into danger."


    "It''s my job to face danger." Her mouth curls in, and she frowns angrily. She steps away and puts her hand to her side.


    "Fine," she whimpers. "Go. Do what you think is right." She takes off walking the opposite way towards the city.


    "Where are you going?"


    "I don''t know..."


    Her whimpers turn into cries. It''s hard to hear them, but I can see her body bounce. I turn my back so I won''t feel bad. The safety of her family needs to be my priority. I''m perfectly capable of rescuing them.


    Or am I over my head?


    That city is under Zadione''s forces. What if the Paragons are there? The only Paladin here is Rhyndac. Now that I mention her, Hayden isn''t here either. Nor is Glysit,h and she is the most helpful.


    I consult with Rhyndac to see if I''m in over my head. She''s still sitting in a meeting with Kromagian military generals. Her bloody bandages are gone. All that remains are long pink scars. She spots me before I fully step in and signals me over to take a seat next to her.


    "Come to listen some more?" Rhyndac says.


    "I''ve come for advice for something I want to do," I say discreetly. "My wife severely disagrees with it."


    "Hmm." A purple-pinkish sparkle radiates around her right hand. She waves the stuff of me. For a moment, I see it pop like a bubble. Then the general''s voice almost goes completely silent.


    "Sounds like a big disagreement. What happened?" Her voice sounds clear. It''s like she''s using some form of TM.


    "I want to rescue her family out of Nebulus."


    "And she doesn''t want you to."


    "Correct."


    "And for good reason. Kaioson, they are literally about to occupy it. Ambargara will soon go."


    "What?!"


    "Not so loud," she says, bracing her face. "You''ll break the spell if you''re too loud."


    "It''s only been a few hours!" I whisper. "Has the city given up?"


    "She''s just... too strong, Kaioson. The whole kingdom will be hers."


    "So, there''s nothing I can do for her family."


    "There will be a chance," she says, soothing my thigh. "Mark my words. We will find a way to liberate our friends and family. For now, stay here."


    "Fine..."


    "I''ll see you around."


    My ears receive the sounds of the room. I take my leave and head outside to search for Ulrika. She''s not standing on the road I last saw her, or anywhere close by. I ask around but no one as a damn clue on her wearabouts, so I wait on a stone bench nearby to see if she''ll come back. An hour goes by. My ass is starting to get numbed but I keep waiting. Two hours pass. It is now dark outside and there is no sign of her.


    "I screwed up big time, eh?" I say and look up the road. "Looks like I have to find you."


    "Good thing I''m close," Ulrika says from behind me.


    "Where-"


    "Was I?" She points her head and eyes to the right across the street. At the intersection in front of the barracks, there''s a small inn. "And over there." Next to it is a bathhouse.


    "Did you think I would leave you?"


    "I did. I was about to go search for you."


    "That would be a hard find," she says, holding in a smile.


    "I''m good at finding people." Her smile finally breaks through, but it''s a brief one. "I''m sorry."


    "I don''t want to hear it," she says. She crosses her arms over her chest and faces halfway to where she''s facing the road. "I don''t want to hear anything from you." We stand in silence for a few seconds, and then she tells me to follow her after walking into the road. I pursue her inside the inn. The man running the place asks her if I''m the guy. "Yeah," she says rudely.


    "Oh dear," he says as I pass by him. The second I head into her room, she slams the door shut. She aggressively strips her clothes off as she walks around the room. When she gets to her boots, she throws them on the ground.


    "Are you okay?" I say.


    "Go get cleaned," she says.


    "What?"


    "Go get cleaned!"


    "Okay," I say, rushing out of the room.


    I head to the bathhouse to remove all the filth from my body. Dirt mixes with dry blood and runs down my body. The sight of It is a harsh reminder of all the brutal fighting I have endured. I clean it all off thoroughly three times over. My clothes get the same treatment. It doesn''t take as long to clean them. I return to Ulrika''s room without delay. She is in bed once I enter inside.


    "Forgive me for being late," I say. She sits on her right elbow once I close the door behind me with the heel of my foot. I remain quiet while taking off my gear so I won''t rile her anger. She watches me silently. There isn''t a sense of anger. After I get everything off of me, I gather her clothes all over the floor. They''re clean too. I can smell the same kind of soap I used on myself. I fold them neatly on the table in the kitchen and then walk back into the bedroom.


    "Hey," she says softly, pulling the covers halfway off her body. I remain quiet, but she has my full attention. "Are you hungry? It''s been a while since we ate."


    "I''m not currently. Are you?"


    "No," she says, shaking her head.


    "Then why," I say and cut myself off when I realize she''s acting nice.


    "Okay," she mumbles when she glances down at the bed.


    "We should at least eat something. I don''t want to go to bed on an empty stomach."


    "Right," she smirks. "Let me get dressed."


    "No need. I''ll bring something back."


    "Okay," she mumbles softly.


    We eat dried seasoned meat. It''s not the best I can deliver, but she doesn''t mind. Eating dried meat brings back fond memories of her time in the military. This is her favorite kind of snack to keep hunger away since it''s protein-rich. I don''t like how I have to rip and chew hard. She finds it funny how I eat them. Seeing her smile and laughter is a great sight to see after pissing her off. I pretend to act like it is the toughest meat in the world. Every chew I do is exaggerated. It pays off acting like a fool in the end. We apologize to one another for our emotional behavior. I take one step further, I ask for forgiveness for making her cry. Instead of getting forgiveness, she curses Zadione for making us go at each other''s throats. I tell her it''s natural for us to have disagreements, but she doesn''t believe so. She says that war has made us more emotional.


    "You''re right," I say.


    "I hate getting mad at you. It''s one of the worst feelings."


    "I''ve done things I would never do or say."


    "Me too," she says and rests her head on my shoulder. "Kaio," she says a time later. "I hate this war."


    **


    The following morning, we awaken to the sounds of someone blowing the war horns. Instead of one long-winded blow, the horn pulsates in a coded message. I recognize the short pattern: The horn repeats the pattern five times and then goes silent.


    "What was that about?" Ulrika says.


    "Put your gear on," I say.


    "Why?"


    "That was a threat of attack warning from the north." She asks me how I know that. All I have to say is Thyrna. "Oh," she scoffs. "That woman has taught you everything."


    "Well, she''s a part-time military adviser. She made me learn various military forms of communication."


    "What a woman."


    I''m the first one to dress up. I run outside to see what''s going on. Lots of people flood the streets and sidewalks. Kromagian knight cavalry gallop through the streets, telling everyone to keep the peace so they won''t start a panic when they hear the news that Empress Tan Da is rallying her army against our kingdom in the north. The sentry has issued a final warning on the approaching army.


    "Did I just hear them right?" Ulrika says. "Was he talking about those tall statues?"


    "Yes," I say, looking at her. "Sounds like Zaione is getting ready to attack Kromagia."