It wasn’t until Isolde and Bleddyn had returned from Kyronkar that I learned just what the Throng was after, in coming to Blutstein.

  Even though it was a little easy to guess.

  “As expected, they’re seeking refuge,” Isolde told me, some hours later. The two of us were holed up in my office for a private meeting, while everyone else got to work settling in the new wave of refugees that had arrived. Bleddyn had come back with her, but he wasn’t interested in things like this, even though he was the leader of a massive resistance group. When Maria had returned with my Commander, she had taken one look at the still morose Renauld and had known just what to do to break him out of his funk.

  Which was burying him in more work than he knew what to do with.

  Idle hands and all that.

  I’d sent Walter on to assist my head Healer once again, and rather than stick close to my side through all the boring admin work, Sylvia elected to go check up on Aveline. Although Lina had long since been acquainted with Sylvia over our long and permanent stay in Blutstein, my relationship with the Sculpted woman had changed in that time. I had…re-introduced Sylvia to my adoptive daughter, as the woman whom I wished to…

  Well.

  I hadn’t quite put it in more permanent terms to either of them, but Aveline understood, now, that Sylvia was more than just a close friend to me. Thankfully, she was a remarkably mature little girl and hadn’t thrown anything close to a fit at how I was in a relationship now. I think both of the most important girls in my life were relieved that neither was seeking a maternal role in the other. Aveline, because despite how she hid it, I knew that her Mother’s death still pained her and likely always would. And Sylvia, because she would have no idea of how to go about such a thing. The closest maternal influence my lover had in her life was Honoka, of all people.

  And as much as Sylvia loved her mentor, she had no illusions about how good of an influence the elder Cultivator was.

  It had been a long day at this point, and while normally Tarus would have set by now, casting the world into darkness, the Skyfall had stolen that from us. The outside world was cast in a constant, night and day gloom, similar in shade to a very overcast dusk. That was…unexpectedly hard on people, we’d discovered. Being robbed of normal day and night cycles, while being explicitly denied either one of them wore at the mind. It had a tendency to fray tempers. In a desperate attempt to counteract it, Kyronkar had mandated that the city bells still ring at the same times that denoted dawn, midday, and dusk, as they normally did. Once our ‘dusk’ rolled around, it was common practice in the city to draw the curtains, so we could block out what we could of both the grey, dead light of the Skyfall, and the evil glare of the frozen lightning above.

  And so, Isolde and I sat alone in my curtain-drawn office, our shadowed figures lit by the dim light of a small, crystal Mana lamp.

  I frowned at her words, drumming my fingers on my tabletop. “How are we supposed to support that many new people?” I wondered aloud. “We’re already struggling, Isolde. We are deeply lucky that there are still small farms within the walls, because it’s damned hard to feed the people already here.”

  The Skyfall had cut Blutstein off from probably its most important resource.

  It’s plantations.

  Luckily, these weren’t slave plantations like up in the Principality, but there had been a reason for the creation of the Sculpted in the first place, all those decades ago. In order to feed the vast city of Blutstein, massive amounts of food were needed. As such, the supporting farms arrayed all up and down the valley, and even outside of it, were needed. Cut off from them as we were, it was getting increasingly difficult to feed the nearly half a million souls who called the city home.

  “That was the primary thrust of Wenzel’s argument,” Isolde acknowledged, sighing. “The stockpiles may have recovered some after the war, but not to pre-war levels. Not yet. However, the Matrons had an answer for that. It turns out they were doing some scouting on the way here. They kept a pretty eye on every settlement, farm, and plantation that they very deliberately sought out. Only a few of them seem to have stopped functioning entirely. Most of the plantations and ranches we depend upon are still working, still tending the fields and the animals. They even, apparently, bought some of their products along the way. And that’s what they’re offering.”

  Well, well. As experienced as I'd become in politicking, I think I saw where this was heading.

  My eyebrows shot up, and I leaned forward in my chair. “I see,” I breathed, a smile growing on my lips. “They’re offering the use of the Gigant, aren’t they? With it, they have a moving ward platform that can venture out as far as they need to, with a ready-made caravan able to haul more than we could need.”

  That was…kind of brilliant, actually. I’d initially been skeptical of allowing the Throng to settle into Blutstein, but now….

  Now I didn’t want them to leave.

  Isolde quirked an eyebrow at me. “I see you’ve already been read on the capabilities of their vehicle. The Matrons were quite reluctant to tell us even that, but you’re correct. Once they put forward their offer, suddenly, cousin Wenzel and the High Lords were almost tripping all over themselves to offer a warm Herztalian welcome. Yes, the Throng will be using their ‘Gigant’ to transport vital goods from the plantations and the city, as well as orders to some of our forces who are likely stranded in the wilderness. With their help, there’s no doubt in my mind that we can weather this storm….however long it may take.”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Ah. That.

  “I…have news, for that,” I started tentatively. At my almost hesitant tone, Isolde narrowed her eyes at me. My second knew me well enough by now to expect…strange things, from a Precursor like me. Some of the stories I’d told her over the months had left her veritably bug-eyed. “First, good news! The APD’s are a complete success. I felt nothing at all when I stepped beyond the wards. While you were gone, I sent word to the Academy with a copy of our design documents for it. Soon, I think we’ll be able to start producing them by the dozen.”

  A large, relieved smile stole across Isolde’s face then. “Thank goodness,” She breathed. “That’s…that’s a massive weight off my shoulders. Just knowing people won’t suffer a horrible death if they step foot out into the world, wearing one of those, is…wonderful. Good job, Nathan. I know you and the research teams have been working around the clock on them.”

  I inclined my head in thanks. “We have, and I don’t deserve all of the credit. I just led the team in the end. But…that’s not all. I…made contact with someone who had more insight on everything going on than I…honestly expected.”

  At Isoldes puzzled look, I took the time to explain everything that Anima had told me. I’d long since told my Commander in passing about the existence of the Great Spirits, because merely the fact that they were real wasn’t common knowledge. As I spoke about how Anima had been betrayed by Orus and Neris and locked in the core of Vereden, the smile on Isolde’s face from the news about the APD’s slowly faded. And as I spoke about the possible origin of Skyfall, as something linked to the Mad God, that smile disappeared from her lips.

  It outright turned into a frown when I began to tell her about the ideas that had been rolling around in my mind, ever since my conversation with the Great Spirit of Life.

  “We need to put together an expedition into the heart of the Barren Forest,” I said bluntly. “If the Mad God is the source powering the Skyfall, then we have no choice. The Divine Mantle of the gods is supposedly inexhaustible. From everything I’ve learned, they’ve lingered within the Concord for literal millennia, never dimming, only barely kept at bay by the efforts of the Great Spirits. If we don’t do all we can to kill him, this will never end.”

  Judging by the way Isolde crossed her arms over her chest and directed her frown at me, I could tell she was displeased at what I had to say. “And let me guess,” She said sarcastically. “You want to lead this expedition.”

  I scowled right back at her. “I’m the only one who can,” I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. “Look, Isolde. It’s not that I want to leave everyone behind here. It’s that I’m supposedly the only one who can finally, really kill the Mad God. For good. It’s what Precursors are meant for. We’re…weapons, aimed at the heart of those who stole from the System.”

  I kept quiet about the actual reason Precursors were meant to kill the gods. The only person I had ever spoken to about the failing System was Grey, and he…wasn’t here.

  Isolde looked away from me, but not before I saw the grimace that crossed her lips. “And how do you propose to actually reach the Barren Forest? If you’ll recall, it’s hundreds and hundreds of miles away from here. From what you’ve told me, the APD’s only work by hooking onto existing ward schemes. Without wards to actually copy, they’re functionally useless. And you know,” Now she looked back at me. “You know that there are vast stretches across the continent where there are no settlements for days. You’ll die if you try and get there. And we can’t let you take the Gigant, either. We’re going to need it here, Nathan. Without the additional supplies from its runs, I’m…not sure Blutstein will survive even another month. Not with all of the extra mouths we have to feed.”

  “You’re right. I’ll die if I go on foot. So, we won’t.” I smirked at Isolde’s obvious confusion, standing up from my chair to lay my palms flat on the desk. I leaned forward, unable to contain the vicious satisfaction I could feel running up and down my spine.

  “We’ll go by sea.”

  That’s what I had realized earlier, after all. Both the knowledge about the capabilities of the Gigant, as well as what I had available to me. Although we still didn’t know the exact range that the APD’s could maintain their miniature ward copies…that didn’t matter.

  I already had a plan for that.

  “I’ve told you before. My Astray has a moving ward scheme of its own.”

  “That’s right…” Isolde breathed, shaking her head. “With that, you could easily traverse the shallows safely, all the way up the coast.”

  “That doesn’t even count the dead zones beyond the shallows,” I said eagerly, almost vibrating from the adrenaline I could already feel pumping through my veins. “We won’t even have to stress the wards on the Astray by taking a route through the shallows. We use my ship to protect a small flotilla through the corrupt shallows, with every ship packed to the brim with soldiers and supplies, and then cruise the open ocean northward.”

  “Can...the Astray truly do such a thing?” Isolde asked me in a baffled tone. “Do the wards extend that far?”

  “At least enough to pack in another ship at each of the cardinal directions,” I smiled widely. “I vividly remember just how far out the wards extend at sea. It was easy to see whenever monsters would veer away. So, four more ships. One each off port, starboard, bow, and stern. Between all five vessels, I’m confident I can carry more soldiers than I know what to do with. Even more, considering I think we should…commandeer Grey’s White Gull. It’s a much bigger vessel than my own, and I’m sure he won’t mind.”

  Much.

  “It…will have to be enough, to strike into the heart of the Elves.”

  “In fact…” Isolde said slowly, almost tasting the words and finding them to her liking. “That would be more soldiers than the Polaris Reach even has access to. We’ll have to speak to what remains of the other Orders in the City, as well as Lord Vessignen for Army volunteers.”

  “Wersk as well,” I nodded. “I have no doubt that the Navy and the Bluebacks would be willing to contribute.”

  At that, Isolde sat back in her chair and stared off into the distance for a moment. “It’s doable,” She finally said. “We put together another expedition. Our best and brightest might still be lost out in the countryside, but…with you and your volunteers…maybe we can do this. But it will need a lot of work before we do, Nathan.”

  “Of course,” I said easily. “We’re going to need possibly hundreds of APD’s for each and every strike force member. Spares, too. That’s going to take weeks just by itself. Then there’s the collection of volunteers, supplies, weapons…don’t worry, Isolde. I’m not going to run off in the Astray tomorrow. We need to do this right. For everyone on Vereden.”

  For my comrades.

  For my family.

  And their future.

  Isolde studied me for a moment. “Alright. Then…this has my approval. Tomorrow…tomorrow we’ll get started on this. I’ll go see Wenzel again first thing in the morning and get him to call a meeting of the High Assembly. This is…the best hope we have, I think.”

  Tomorrow, then.

  It all started tomorrow.