Pledged in Blood - Chapter Forty-Nine (Patreon)

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Chapter Forty-Nine

Plaza

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Ayrah took the lead once again. Her soldiers had already cleared the streets for us, though the crowds seemed sparser today. An escort group closed in around us, just as they had the day before. Everyone else fell into formation around me. Nesh walked along at my shoulder. Blue Jay strode at my left side, while Sparrow kept pace on my right. I could not deny the satisfaction of having bodyguards. While I liked to think myself more than a match for any threat, being accompanied by dedicated protectors played to my ego. I believed a Queen must be willing to fight her own battles, and capable of doing so. However, it was also important that a Queen have those willing to give their lives in her defense. To inspire someone to believe in you and your empire so deeply they would die for it was surely something for a dragon to be proud of.

As we turned from a smaller street onto a larger one, I could not help but notice there was a conspicuous absence amongst our ranks. The day before, we had not gone anywhere without Ayrah’s military commander Nemos nearby. He served as Ayrah’s go-between, communicating her orders to the soldiers and deciding which group of them to send where. Today, however, there was no sign of the imposing human. Given that he had also ordered the warning shots which forced us to deviate from our course, I wondered if Ayrah was punishing him for endangering us. I hoped not. As angry as we had all been, I understood why he did it. If we were to move forward, we had to do so together. I had offered Nemos my forgiveness, and did not wish him to think otherwise.

“Ayrah,” I said, walking a little closer to her. “I cannot help but notice Nemos is not here today. Far be it from me to second guess the way you handle your own city, but I hope you have not demoted him or otherwise punished him.”

Ayrah glanced over her shoulder, confusion etched across her features. “Why would I be punishing him?”

“For firing at us,” Sparrow said, her words sharp and staccato. “Or so I’d assume.”

“Yes.” I gestured at the female gryphon. “For that.”

Ayrah scrunched her face. “Oh, right.” She flipped her coppery-brown hair over her shoulder, laughing to herself. “I already forgot he did that.”

Sparrow clacked her beak sharply. “I hope you’re joking.”

“I am.” Ayrah turned around to glare at her. “But I also think that one, he had good reason. And two, the issue was settled yesterday. I certainly won’t be punishing him for it. Besides…” She waved her hand and resumed walking. “As nerve-wracking as the moment was, especially for you all, I’ve a hundred other things competing for my attention lately. Some of which are considerably more worrisome. So while I haven’t forgotten it happened, it’s hardly at the forefront of my mind right now.”

“That’s understandable, Ayrah.” I looked at Sparrow, splaying my ears, flattening out my frills and offering her a smile. To a dragon, such an expression would indicate sympathy, and agreement. I was certainly not happier than she that we’d been fired upon. But I also knew there was little else to do about it now, but move on and ensure they never had reason to fire upon us again. Sparrow dipped her beak in what I hoped was acquiescence, and I returned my attention to our host. “Very well, then. If you’re not punishing Nemos, where is he?”

“Busy.” The sudden tautness in Ayrah’s voice worried me even more than the content of her words. “We’ve had some new developments overnight, with regards to Shevar.” She held a single finger in the air. “Nothing I’m really at liberty to talk to you about right now, and certainly not in public. Suffice it to say, Nemos is meeting with own various commanders, consolidating information and reports, adjusting plans and troop contingents, and so on. I’d say we were about to go on high alert, but…”

When she trailed off, Nesh finished for her. “You were already there.” He ran a hand back through his hair. “Should we be concerned?”

Ayrah merely shrugged. “No more than usual, I suppose. You know how Shevar loves their posturing. Just have to hope they don’t miscalculate.” She folded her arms. “And that neither does Diandrios, for that matter.”

Blue Jay moved a little closer to me. “In the future, Ella, I think we’re really going to have to work on the timing of our visits.”

“Apparently so.” I shook myself, scales clicking. “But no sense worrying about what we cannot change, I suppose.”

As we moved deeper into the city, I wondered just how serious the situation was. Earlier in the trip, the others had talked to me about the idea of limited skirmishes, and so-called controlled losses. I wondered if Ayrah worried that Shevar suddenly had a dangerous point to make, amidst their stalemate. I sure as hell did not want to find myself caught between warring factions of humans, however limited their skirmishes may be. Not to mention the fact that Blue Jay and Sparrow would surely be obligated to help their people in any such battle.

My thoughts drifted to my gryphon companions, and the possible futures that lay before them. They joked often about being court martialed and imprisoned as punishment for assisting a dragon. Yet how much truth lay at the heart of such jests, I did not know. If they wished to continue a career with their Legion, wished to continue building lives for themselves amongst their people, I certainly hoped that option remained open to them. Surely, assisting their army in battle against Shevar would do much to bolster their military careers.

However, should such pathways truly close off to them, I meant what I said when I invited them to be part of my Empire. There would also be a place for Blue Jay and Sparrow within my lands, should they wish it. If nothing else, they’d always be welcome to serve as my pillows.

There was a part of me, a not insignificant part, who hoped they would choose to stay with me no matter what. It was strange to realize that, considering how recently we were trying to kill each other. But the fact remained that we had become friends. I didtrust them. I hoped that they too, trusted me. There were very few people left in the world that I truly trusted, anymore. And right now, almost all of them were accompanying me.

I allowed myself to consider possible roles for the gryphons, to occupy my mind. They deserved a position more prestigious than bodyguard, despite their battle prowess. Perhaps I could make Blue Jay my war minister, and Sparrow could serve as minister of gryphon relations. At least, I assumed I would have advisers with such formal titles. Dragon Queens of old certainly had advisors with fanciful titles. Granted, none of them had ever been gryphons, but I had to work with what was available. Even if I found, and recruited other dragons, I was under no delusion that my Empire would begin as anything but a patchwork of peoples, all forced to cooperate. Perhaps it was best that way. Just because I wished to build an empire for dragons, did not mean it was only for dragons. If anything, it was likely that dragons would be in the minority, early on. After all, I could hardly recruit others of my kin until I actually had an Empire for them to join.

Even that remained tenuous. I called myself Queen, but what exactly did my empire comprise of? An immense swath of ancestral lands, populated by a handful of peoples, and threatened by not one, but two human nations. It was not exactly an appealing proposition to make to other dragons. At least after today, I would be able honestly say I had signed a truce with one of those nations.

I suspected that was another reason for Ayrah’s haste. The sooner we had signed this accord, the sooner she could tell her own people that the dragons of the Valley sought peace. The sooner I could tell the gryphon clans, that I was forgingpeace with the humans. I could tell other dragons they might soon be safe here. They might even be welcome here, before long. And all I had to do was…

Give up a little piece of our valley. I could almost hear my ancestors snarling at the idea. While it was true I was not giving it to them, only allowing them access, not all of my predecessors would have seen the difference. It had been many generations since we officially allowed more than scattered groups of human traders access to our lands. Now, I was about to give an entire city permission to build their mines and roads and rail lines inside dragon territory.

At least Melakar would have been proud.

I imagined him walking at my side, with his wing draped across my back. He kept pace with me, as if we were marching in unison towards our great goal. Melakar nuzzled my neck, smiled at me, and whispered his pride into my ear. Then, in my mind, he tripped over Nesh. Melakar yelped in surprise and Nesh toppled to the ground, crying out. Melakar hopped a few paces on three limbs, loudly complaining about his stubbed toe. The mental image made me laugh out loud. I shook my head as Melakar vanished from my mind. Nesh turned and gave me a confused look, his brows furrowed.

“Melakar telling you anything I should know about?” Nesh tilted his head, grinning.

I snorted, glancing down at him. “You read me too well.” I smiled as I resumed walking. “And no. He just tripped over you, that’s all. You went sprawling into the road.”

Nesh lifted his eye ridges. “So Melakar bowls me over, and somehow that’s funny to you?”

“Yes!” I laughed, swishing my tail. “He stubbed his toe!”

“On me?” Nesh folded his arms, but could not fight back his own grin. “He probably broke my ribs or something! But sure, let’s all have a laugh at poor Melakar and his stubbed toe.”

Blue Jay glanced at me, his ears perked. “These visions are getting weird, Ella.”

I smiled at the gryphon, shrugging my wings around Lir. “This one, I am willing to admit was only my imagination.”

“Be that as it may,” Sparrow said. “I’d wager you’d be happy to receive a sillier vision next time instead of another frightening one.”

I snorted, tossing my head. “You’re not wrong. Though given a choice, I’d probably rather just get actual answers.”

Deeper in the city, the crowds lining the streets grew larger, though they still were not as densely packed as they were the day before. Consequently, fewer soldiers were required to keep order. Enough of them lined the streets to keep people back, but that was about it. Between the smaller crowds, and the fact I’d had one day already to grow accustom to being surrounded by humans, my nerves were calmer now. Seeing so many people still twisted my belly, but the knots within my guts were smaller, and in fewer number today.

We followed a different path, and saw new landmarks along the way. Another cathedral stood centerpiece in one area, it’s limestone walls adorned with carvings of important human figures and famous former priests. It was not near as large or resplendent as the Cathedral we visited previously, but I was sure that to its adherents, it was every bit as important.

Another area had long rows of nearly identical looking houses. Each was made of red brick, with three stories each lined identically with windows. Cylindrical, soot-stained chimneys protruded from one side of each rooftop. Lines of stairwells ran up the side of each house, leading to a door at each level. Nesh called them flats, and explained that each story was its own separate house. Urd’thin peeked out at us from the windows in several of the little homes. A gnoll watched us from another.

Further along, we passed the stores of tailors and cobblers. Their shops had large glass windows with manikins displaying clothes of every fashion. One of them bore long, dark clothes that Nesh called a suit. Another showcased a colorful dress. Several faux decapitated heads were adorned with tall hats for sale. Shoes and boots occupied another window, sometimes placed upon artificial legs. I almost asked Nesh why their merchants displayed their goods upon severed heads and limbs, but decided doing so would be opening myself up to ridicule.

A row of padded chairs on elevated platforms sat at a corner intersection. An older human occupied one of the chairs. He wore a long, charcoal colored coat over a suit much like those I’d seen on display. His feet were propped up, and a gray and brown urd’thin in a red coat was swiftly wiping a grimy looking cloth back and forth across the man’s shoes. I found myself staring, wondering why the man would allow the smaller creature to smear such foul looking dirt upon his footwear. Again, I decided it was better not to ask, but this time Nesh nearly read my mind.

“It’s polish, Ella.” Nesh patted my foreleg, chuckling. “It’s black shoe polish.”

That only half-answered my question, but I decided to move on. We crossed the intersection, and a guttural rumbling noise drew my attention. I glanced down the other street, and saw a number of street locomotives waiting for us to pass. One was black, and another dark blue. Steam poured from the large boiler at the back of one vehicle, while darker smoke drifted from the enclosed engine works at the front of another. One had four immense wheels, while the bore six smaller ones. Behind them, a longer locomotive with a dozen or so people inside waited patiently. More steam wafted from its pipes. Once we had passed the intersection, and the all clear was given, the vehicles drove on. I waited long enough to watch the strange things rumble by. Several of the people waved at us. One of them pulled a cord, and his contraption made a horrible, honking noise. I pinned my ears back, tilting my head as I watched them all drive by.

“What a strange, strange world you come from, Nesh.” I scrunched my muzzle as the wind shifting, blowing the noxious scents left by the automated conveyances. “And a foul smelling one, too.”

Nesh made a face. “Yes, I’ll admit I’d forgotten how unpleasant things could smell, sometimes. I’d gotten used to that nice, fresh mountain air.”

Until now, I had not really noticed the smells outside. At least, not the way I had before. It was easy to see how the locals might grow accustomed to the offensive odors of refuse, and chemical smoke. If they spent their whole lives in it, they simply wouldn’t know any difference until they left and returned. I’d only been here a day and a night, and already I’d started getting used to it. It was as if learning to live with it was a sort of defense mechanism. Smell it long enough, and you stopped noticing it was even there.

We continued along, and passed myriad more shops. Most of them sold things I was wildly unfamiliar with. A few I recognized, however. I knew that stationary was essentially parchment and writing utensils. Home goods were relatively self-explanatory, as were tea shops and coffee shops. The scents emanating from those were curious and enticing, if not enough so to get me to stop.

As in the other parts of the city, there were many murals, signs, and statures depicting the Empress of Diandrios. She was often shown in the same gown of golden feathers, an almost stylized, angelic look. Often she was by herself, simply smiling down at passers by. Other times, she was shown gazing upon some kind of factory, or greeting a line of soldiers, and so on. Other murals depicted workers building things, or a smiling family watching a locomotive arrive at the depot. Another simply showed an army unit manning artillery. Some even had text, assuring people of progress, the brightness of their future, and their collective strength.

When we passed a bookstore, however, I had to pause to glance inside. Thankfully, the crowd there was not too raucous, and proved willing to accommodate my desire. The soldiers moved everyone aside to allow me to approach the storefront. When the way was clear, I stepped up onto the boardwalk, and lowered my head to peer inside. The store’s windows were quite large. It’s interior quite well lit. Beyond my black and crimson reflection in the mirror-like glass were a dozen long aisles. Each aisle was lined on both sides by shelving stuffed with books. Signs above each row indicated what genre was sold there. Though there was no way a dragon could ever fit through the door, let alone the aisles, I could not help but imagine Melakar browsing the store all day long.

“He’d have bought one of everything,” I said, as much to myself as anyone else. Then I chuckled, pulling my head back. “If only because he’d have accidently knocked over every single shelf and had no choice but to pay for the damages.”

I thanked the crowd for their patience, and returned to the street so that we could continue our journey.  Further along we passed restaurants, bakeries, pubs, and more. This time of day, the pubs were not yet very packed or noisy. But that did not stop Blue Jay from straying towards them to glance into windows and through open doors wherever the crowds would allow. The bakeries in particularly were tantalizing, despite my full belly. The scents wafting from them were delightful. I knew that bakeries created bread, but Nesh explained they also made all manner of sweet treats. Perhaps, if time allowed, we would visit one later and sample their wares.

As we neared the end of our journey, the crowds began to expand again. Up ahead, a greater number of soldiers separated the people from the streets. Men on horseback roamed around, keeping watch. The roads here grew wider, with ancient trees along the pathways separating streets from tall, stone buildings. Wrought iron lamp posts with sculpted vines crawling up them stood beneath the canopies, their illuminated filaments currently dark. Banners fluttered from the posts, and from bows of trees. Lines of colorful flags were strung between rooftops.

Our destination was near the city’s center, where an immense, rectangular plaza lay amidst impressive buildings. Streets surrounded the courtyard on all sides, all of them currently blocked off to traffic. Great trees encircled the plaza like a natural wall. Statues and fountains dotted it amidst a swollen crowd. Guards on horseback and barricades kept a pathway open through the crowd, to the plaza’s central area where the festivities were being prepared.

At the park’s heart was the largest table I had ever seen. Humans in official looking clothing scurried around it. Some were laying out long sheafs of paper and weighting down charts. Others were adjusting the positions of chairs or writing implements. A group in colorful robes and dresses, seemingly heedless of the cold, were arguing amongst themselves and gesturing at a large document clutched by another. I wondered if Ayrah’s haste to get things done had put her people in a bind.

When we reached the edge of the barricaded street, we stopped while Ayrah’s soldiers hurriedly removed the barriers. I took that time to look around, and my gaze soon fell upon the gigantic building looming at the far end of the plaza. It was equal parts palace, and fortress. Red marble columns streaked with gold lined the front of it. Bunkers with odd, multi-barreled weaponry peeking out covered the staircase ascending towards the main entryway. A trio of golden domes topped its sprawling roof, shining in the sun. Artillery on rotating platforms sat at strategic locations, ensuring every inch of the sky was covered. Arched bunkers likely held additional ammunition and provided access to the fortress’s inner areas.

The other buildings looming over the plaza on all sides were similar in aesthetic, if lesser in stature. Each of them looked like the sort of place I always imagined humans would go to debate scholarly theories and administer laws. Yet each of them also looked prepared for war to break out at any moment. There were more bunkers, cannons, and anti-air artillery than I had seen anywhere else in the city’s interior. I wondered if they were recent additions, or if they’d always been there. At least none of them were aimed at me this time.

I drew Ayrah’s attention and pointed towards the largest structure. “What is that place, Ayrah? Your military’s headquarters?”

Ayrah laughed for reasons I’d never quite understand. “Sort of.” When the barricades were out of our way, she led us across the wide, smoothly cobbled street. “That’s my office. That’s where I work.”

“You work there?” I tilted my head back, staring up at the fortified building and all its marble columns in the distance. “Impressive.”

“That’s what impresses you?” Ayrah shook her head, chuckling. “That I work in the city’s central government building? Ella, you do know what a mayor is, right?”

I snorted, following her onto a path winding through the courtyard. “You rule the city, yes. I suppose it follows that you would select the most impressive structure for yourself.”

Ayrah glanced over her shoulder. “Nesh? Do me a favor and explain to her Majesty how things work while you all follow me through the park?”

Nesh smiled as he strode alongside me. A few dead leaves crunched under his boots as he passed beneath an archway of slumbering boughs. “Ella, a city’s mayor doesn’t pick and choose where she wants to work. The mayor will alwayswork out of the city’s administrations building. In a city like Tivos, that building will house the mayor’s office, the council chambers, the tax and treasury officials, halls of records and laws, and-”

“Maybe just give her the quick version, Nesh.” Blue Jay clicked his beak, grinning.

“Ah, right.” Nesh wrung his hands. “Suppose we are short on time. Very well. The biggest building is the center of the city’s government. We’d call that the city’s capital building.” He pointed to another. “That’s where laws are adjudicated, the one next to it is the trade ministry, and that one…” He gestured to one of the mini-fortresses across the way. “Is where the local military’s headquarters are. The rest are various other government and administrative centers.”

I nodded, licking my nose. “Thank you, Nesh.” Then I snorted and glanced at Blue Jay. “Thank you, too.”

The gryphon bowed his head, still smiling. “We’re short on time, so I thought I’d help.”

Bright flags adorned the trees and lamp posts that littered the park. Given their vibrancy, I suspected they’d only just been hung that morning, as a result of my arrival. Some bore odd sigils, others simply proclaimed words like “progress”, “prosperity”, and “cooperation.” There were also strings of brilliantly hued banners in many colors, adding a celebratory look to the proceedings.

As we neared the area where the table awaited us, a group of Ayrah’s aides rushed over to find her. They chattered questions and status reports, till Ayrah sighed and held up a hand. As they fell silent, she turned back towards me. “I need to go help finish the preparations. Can you all please wait there?” She pointed towards an area of the park, ringed by guards and fenced off by colorful crimson ribbons. “I’ll send for Nesh to read the documents for you shortly. Then I’ll give a speech, and if you’d like to, you can do the same. I’ll run you through everything else soon. Alright?”

“Very well Ayrah.” I swallowed, fighting back a hint of resurgent fear. I was about to make a big commitment to a former enemy. But I was not about to let me worries get the best of me. I lowered my head and nudged Ayrah with my muzzle. “Go and do whatever you need to do. We will be waiting for you.”

With Ayrah waylaid by more important tasks, it was up to Nesh to our escort of soldiers to lead us the rest of the way across the park. Thankfully, they did not seem to mind my languid pace as I gazed around. From the inside of the courtyard, it was clear the crowds surrounding it were larger still than those who greeted us the day before. However, they were also kept at a greater difference. That kept the din of their voices down a little. Where before, the sound was like a raging storm, now it was akin to a gentle rain.

I noticed a slightly larger proportion of non-humans amidst them than the day before. Dozens of gnolls and va’chaak mixed in with the humans, with a larger still among of urd’thin squeezing their way between the taller creatures, or scaling trees and lampposts. Now that word had spread, it seemed they were just as eager as the humans to come catch a glimpse of their city’s latest draconic visitor. Perhaps, in a way, the truce I was here to sign was an even more hopeful moment for them than it was for the humans. For if Tivos could agree to calling a dragon friend, then surely it would find its way to treating all its species fairly.

Though the crowd was kept well back from the table we headed for, I noticed a small group of people had been allowed closer access. They were seated on a small set of risers, and many were actively scribbling down notes in pads of paper. Next to the risers, other men stood behind strange looking boxes on tall legs, with cylinders and glass lenses protruding from them. Some of them spotted us, and turned their boxes towards us, only for several of Ayrah’s workers to hurry over and yell at them to stop what they were doing.

“Nesh, what are those?” I pointed a wing tip towards the strange group.

“Them?” Nesh shielded his eyes from the sun. “Oh, that’s the press, Ella.”

I cocked my head. “I do not think I understand that word, in that context.”

Nesh scratched his head fur. “No, I suppose that’s not a term you’d know. Reporters is probably a better word. Basically, those people are paid to report to other people, on important events. Most of them will write an article about what’s happening today, and it will get printed in a newspaper, or something.” He gestured with his hands as if he were opening something, though what I was expected to gather from that, I had no idea. “It’s a bit like a large, thin book, that gets printed every day. It contains the latest news and happenings in the city, and the country, and so on.” He dropped his hands down, watching the press. “There’s more reporters in Tivos than I’d have guessed, though I suppose they’re probably not all truly local. And a lot of them probably work for the same organization. Oh!” He pointed to the boxes. “But while we’re on the subject, those are cameras, Ella.”

I took a few steps towards them. Another of the men aimed his device at me, only for one of Ayrah’s workers to get in his way, and tell at him again. “Those are what create the silvergraphs?”

“That’s them, yes.” Nesh put a hand against me, pointing towards the roped off area ahead of us. “Let’s just get where we’re supposed to be.”

“Why are Ayrah’s people angry with them?” I padded towards the enclosed section, watching as some of the guards moved the crimson-ribboned barricade aside for us.

“I’m not sure.” Nesh thanked the guards as he passed them. “But I’d guess it’s because Ayrah’s instructed them to only take photos during an official photo op.”

Lir leaned over my back, towards him. “Yeah, the boss hates it when the press takes matters into their own hands. She expects them to stick to stick to their instructions.”

“Suppose I can’t blame her there.” Nesh moved aside to give me room to pass through the little gate. “Though I hope they won’t be taking any photos without your permission.”

Once I was past the red ribbons, Lir tucked her pistol away, then scrambled down to the ground. “Yeah, don’t worry. Ayrah won’t let them get started till her Majesty here gives the okay. Although, while they’re here.” Lir adjusted her coat. “If you were serious about getting your photos taken for yourselves, probably be as good a time as any.” She dusted off her sleeves. “Might as well make themselves useful, after all.”

Blue Jay settled himself down on his haunches alongside me. “Does your city not have professionals for that sort of thing?”

Lir waved a hand at the reporters. “They’re professional photographers, aren’t they?”

Sparrow sat down on my other side. “I think he meant portraiture, rather than press photography.”

Lir held her hands up. “Hey, whatever. If you wanna spring for some fancy-pants photo studio to come set up, have at it.”

Nesh chuckled, folding his arms. “I think we’ll be happy either way. If Ayrah wants them to take a few extra photos today for our benefit, that’s fine with me.”

I sat down between the gryphons, gazing across the plaza to the grand table where Ayrah now huddled with her advisers. I still did not spot Nemos amongst them. Given the important Ayrah seemed to have placed on this event, I was a little surprised he had not yet emerged from his own meetings. Whatever had changed over night must have been keeping him especially busy. I looked around, trying to determine if the soldiers seemed in greater number and higher alert than the day before. I found myself unable to make such a distinction. While there were more soldiers gathered here, there was also a larger crowd to deal with. And proportionally, I imagined more soldiers had been deployed overall the day before, to close off streets and intersections before Ayrah decided to open things again. I also saw no cannons or mobile artillery amongst the military units. But yesterday, those had been in place to deal with me. Now that I was no longer considered a threat, I wondered where they had been redeployed too. I glanced up at the rooftops, observing the angles at which their cannons aimed. While I had not noticed it before, now I realized they were all pointed in roughly the same direction, at the same angle.

“Sky-crawlers.” Blue Jay’s voice was so soft it was nearly inaudible. “I think they’re worried about the sky-crawlers we saw.”

“Go on.” I swiveled my ears towards him without actually looking down.

“Just a hunch.” He tapped a claw tip against the ground. “Been thinking about what we overheard yesterday, what we saw. You’d expect her man Nemos to be here, but he isn’t. Which means whatever they’re concerned about, is a legitimate enough threat to keep him away from a historic event. And I saw you looking at their anti-air artillery.”

I nodded. “I was trying to determine where it was aimed.”

“Smart dragon.” Blue Jay tilted his head back, pointing his beak up at a similar angle. “If they were worried about, say, a dragon attack, they’d pointed up over the city, right? You dragons gotta close in use your fire. So where are they pointed?”

I looked at the cannons again, drawing a mental line across the sky, following the angle of the barrels. “Not as high as I’d expect.”

“Exactly.” Blue Jay scratched a slightly arching line in the ground. “Not above the city, but above the horizon. They’re aiming at the sky above the river.”

Nesh turned towards us, concern twisting his face. “You think Tivos will open fire, if those ships we saw get too close?”

Blue Jay flattened his ears. “Nesh, you know as well as I, if Shevar sends gunships across that river, it’s war. But I’m a lot more worried about that angle. That looks like they’re going for maximum range.”

Nesh stared at the cannon emplacements. “You can tell that just be looking?” He held a hand up, cutting off Blue Jay’s reply. “Nevermind. Let’s just assume you’re right. Before I jump to any conclusions, tell me why you find that so concerning.”

Blue Jay shivered, his feathers fluffing up. “Because I’m worried they already know they’re outranged, and there’s nothing they can do about it.”

“Shit.” Nesh scowled, some of the color draining from his face. “You really think so?”

The gryphon shrugged his wings. “Truthfully, I’ve no way of knowing. But…”

Sparrow picked up for him when he trailed off. “I’m afraid I have to concur with my companion. The assumed capabilities of Shevar’s newest artillery vessels is worrying, to say the least. Plus, they’d have altitude working in their favor.”

I arched my neck, glancing between them. “You’re saying the guns on your enemy’s flying ships shoot further than you can return fire?”

Nesh nodded once. “That’s correct, Ella.”

I rumbled low in my chest. “That is worrying. I can certainly see why that would keep Nemos busy, struggling for some kind of counter measure.”

Blue Jay cut a few more curved lines in the earth. “Probably got engineers in there talking about trajectories and velocities and so on, and trying to squeeze out as much additional range as possible. I’m sure they’ve got every anti-air unit from here to the river re-calculating a few things, adjusting their aiming protocols, trying to jury rig some quick modifications, and so on.”

“Birds.” I lowered my head towards them. “Do you genuinely think your enemy is about to launch an attack?”

“A few weeks ago, I’d have said no.” Sparrow stared up at the cannons, rustling her wings. “Logically, I don’t think they’d want to do anything that would put them into full-scale war with us. And attacking a major city would certainly exceed the level of a minor skirmish. But realistically? We’ve been out of the loop for weeks now. Who knows what have happened between Diandrios and Shevar in the meantime?”

Before we could continue our talk, several of Ayrah’s workers approached us. They offered bows as they neared our group. One of them, an older woman with graying hair, and a bright red dress beneath her black shawl, smiled up at me. “Greetings, your…highness, is it?” She gestured at Nesh. “Mayor Ayrah is ready for your ambassador to read the accord on your behalf, if you wish.”

“Thank you.” I dipped my head to her, then put a paw against Nesh’s back, and gently pushed him forward. “Go on, Nesh. Let’s focus on the task at hand, for now. Ensure that everything is in order for me.”

“Certainly, your Majesty.” Nesh offered me a very stiff, formal bow, and then straightened. “I’ll return as soon as I can.”