The Coming Assault

Even muffled by the door, Simon could hear the authority and decisiveness in Sonia's voice. While he couldn't make out the words, he was certain she was explaining the situation and instructing the troops, her tone left little doubt of it.

The soldier had bowed and left Simon at the door, rushing back to the post Sonia had assigned him, and leaving Simon awkwardly unsure how to enter. He didn't want to interrupt Sonia so was listening intently for some sort of lull in the dialogue.

There were a number of times that the sounds quieted long enough for Simon to have slipped in, yet he consistently missed his chance, always moving slightly too slow and allowing the voices to start again.

It was after several similar failures that he decided it simply wouldn't work, and determined himself to inch open the door as little as he necessarily could and sneak in. Gathering his breath, he began to push lightly but found himself underestimating the weight of the door.

He pushed more firmly the next time, still holding back somewhat but allowing the door to move just a fraction. Content with his level of force, he continued applying pressure till the gap was just large enough to fit through, hastily sliding himself through once it was. He noticed that the conversation had lulled again while he was doing so, conveniently allowing him to both sneak in and ensure that he didn't interrupt.

Or rather, that was what he thought until he saw the entire room staring at him. Unfortunately for Simon, the door had been positioned directly behind Sonia, unknowingly dashing both his plans before they even began.

Simon stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do. Given the unscrupulous nature of his entry he couldn't just ask them to carry on and pretend he was meant to be there. He considered diffusing the tension somehow, maybe with some sort of quip, yet discounting the severity of the situation seemed unwise. Another part of him wanted to just leave and pretend he was never there, though that seemed perhaps even less wise than the other options. So instead he found himself standing there, the room quietly waiting for him to speak.

"Simon, it's good that you could make it. As Hethoria's Knight we'll need your personal approval of our final plans." Sonia saved him, refusing to address the situation, and immediately moving past it back to business. Simon was relieved he hadn't angered her, and further thankful to her stepping in to save him from himself. 

Sonia was standing on a raised pedestal on one side of a huge circular table, a similarly large map spread out across it. Orion and Gideon flanked her while around a hundred men stood spread out in rows around the other side. Orion was stone faced, staring at him as if his focus was still on the map itself, Gideon meanwhile was smirking unabashedly.

Simon was uncertain where to stand, but with the highest ranking members gathered together he felt it was best he joined them. Orion beckoning him over only served to reinforce the notion.

Sonia cleared her throat. "I will reiterate then. The Varokian's accelerated schedule serves as both boon and bane. It will require increased training volume and intense drilling for the coming two months. As these will begin tomorrow, I advise everyone left in this room to sleep immediately after their meal. However, it also means their forces will be weaker than we had anticipated, and by a highly advantageous margin." Sonia paused to let the words sink in.

"Secondly, the Varokians have sent a small party to serve as a raiding probe against our defences. It will be your job to keep the cloister safe whilst I and the preselected forces lead a sortie against them. Whilst it should be an easy battle, and our scouts report no foul play, we can't be certain of victory. If we fail, command shall be given to Orion. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" the men roared in unison.

"Good. Once the skirmish has concluded, I will begin briefing you all on the exact role you will play in the larger conflict. Rest assured that we have already formed effective plans and will only require minor readjustments going forward. If you have been assigned to the mapping party, please meet here tomorrow at dawn, Gideon will serve as your leader. Are there any questions?"

"No Sir!" the room seemed to shake with the volume of their shouts.

"Then you are dismissed. Go with Hethoria's blessing!" Sonia slammed her fist on the table, scattering a handful of figures placed there.

"With her blessing!" they cheered.

Compared to their energetic chanting, the soldiers filtered out of the room in remarkable order and quiet, the solemnity quickly returning to the atmosphere the moment the briefing concluded. After a brief discussion with Sonia, Orion and Gideon followed the rest of the men out, leaving just Simon and Sonia in the room.

"I thought Gideon told you to stay in your room." Sonia continued to survey the map as she talked, though she scolded him all the same.

"Well, I got quite restless, I thought I could use some air and conversation instead of being cooped up. I'm sorry for worrying you." Simon paused, fully realising what she had just said. "Wait, Gideon didn't say anything like that! Damnit, I should've known he was up to something!"

"The apology is my own. It was I who pushed you beyond your limits. Our time may be limited, but we must be aware of our limitations. I will do my best to ensure I do not harm you again in the future." Sonia stopped poring over the map to look at him, worry plainly painted across her face.

"It's ok, I know why you did it and I don't blame you. It's a hard situation and you're more stressed than anyone. You manage the entire Order and somehow manage to still find time to teach me. It's more than impressive. Sure, I've fainted once or twice but I can handle it, I'm made of sterner stuff than that."

Sonia's relaxed a little, allowing her to focus again on the matter at hand.

"I had intended to inform you of the situation tomorrow at breakfast. You being here now has made things easier, however. Tomorrow we will be cancelling your training, instead you will be coming with us to face the enemies forward scouting party."

Simon balked, she'd just said she'd avoid pushing him too hard and then immediately followed that up by saying she was throwing him right into danger. They were completely contradictory statements that he couldn't match together no matter how hard he tried.

Sensing his shock, Sonia immediately continued. "You will not be fighting with us, do not worry. You aren't ready for that yet. You will be positioned behind cover to observe us and learn from live demonstration. I feel it will be necessary for you to understand how magic is used in live combat."

Sonia directed Simon to the map, where a figure was positioned not far from the city gates. "This figure represents our head scout, our third and final Bishop, sharing rank with Gideon and Orion. She has been gathering information for us since before you arrived so you haven't had the chance to meet her yet. We'll be meeting with her here to intercept the oncoming forces and prevent them from gathering information. In the worst case scenario, she will get you away from the battle and to safety."

Simon was worried and didn't try to hide it, while he trusted in Sonia's capabilities and that she would ensure his safety, he couldn't help but worry about her in real combat.

"Are you sure you need to go with them? If it's only a scouting party then maybe Orion and some of the stronger man could handle it? Shouldn't you avoid putting yourself at risk as the leader?"

Surprisingly, Sonia smiled. "I'm not the leader here Simon, you are. For now, I serve as your voice but you'll be taking my place soon enough. If I fall, Orion will take my place until you're ready." She hesitated. "Thank you for worrying about me though, it means a great deal."

Simon briefly wondered if he was dreaming. He was enraptured, uncertain to respond when she acted like this. Sonia smiling was rare enough, but she'd never shown such honest appreciation for him before. It didn't help that he struggled to believe he had earned it.

The moment now passed, Sonia continued briefing him. "Besides, without me we'd stand little chance against them. The leader of the vanguard is an Archbishop, one of the younger that Varok commands but powerful nonetheless. Without an archbishop to counter him, our chances of victory are uncertain at best."

"But why fight them at all? They're a scouting party right, wouldn't they just leave after they got the information they needed anyway?"

"Their intentions are twofold. While the first is to gather information, the second is to enact as much damage to our holdings as possible. They intend to raid the surrounding villages and make what little incursions they can within the city. Even with such a small group they would be able to enact incredible damage with an Archbishop at their head. Regardless, defeating them now would weaken the main host, and whilst circumstance has only continued to bolster our chances, we must still take every opportunity we can."

Completely shot down, Simon decided to change the topic. "Do we know why they started moving so early?"

Sonia's face grew darker. "The battle in the West is growing more protracted, Aiolon is putting up more of a fight than Varok's forces had expected and have started pushing back against them into their land" She pointed once again at the map, this time almost at the complete opposite of the table. "Consequently, the Archbishops gathered against us have been rushed. With their Western front struggling and in need of reinforcement, they have decided they can't afford to wait any longer.

"They are aware of our limited numbers so hope to defeat us swiftly with what forces they've already mustered, before then sweeping West and rushing to shore up their forces. The fourth Archbishop they had been awaiting has already diverted course and won't be joining the battle against us."

"So we have Aiolon to thank for this then, even if it wasn't intentional."

"Indeed, thanks to Varok's overextension and Aiolon's strong resistance our forces conceptually trump our enemies. While we do have less Priests and Bishops, and only one Archbishop to their three, defeating one ahead of time and the presence of a Knight should mean our forces are stronger than theirs. That is, as long as we can get your ready." Sonia's confident expression couldn't hide the doubt in the last of her words.

Simon's throat tightened in understanding. They had supposedly had months for him to prepare until now, and even that had seemed an impossible feat. "How long do we have?"

"Three weeks."