Chapter 26: "The Fall of Petraz: Thus to Traitors and Enemies"

"Quickly! We must break through!” Caseus was quick to leap from Cleo’s back, scooping up a spare hammer as he ran towards the maze. He had not taken more than a couple of steps, though, before he felt himself yanked back. Caleus had grasped his arm firmly.

“Fool boy! What do you think you are doing?” he snapped.

“But they are under attack! We must help them!”

“Caseus,” Nannaya shook his head. “It is too late. If they are not already dead, they are certain to be by the time we reach them.”

“Not only that,” Caleus said grimly, “but without our Long-Necks, we can only demolish portions of the wall traditionally. We would be in the midst of the maze, completely at their mercy. We would just be walking right back into the traps we had tried to avoid.”

“So shall we just abandon them?” Caseus shouted. “How can you just turn your back on them?!”

Caleus shook his head. “Still so much to learn, Son. If you cannot bear the loss of even a few soldiers, then you are not fit to bear the weight of the crown.”

“You Majesty!” a voice shouted. It was Bartimeus; he was running back, having been organizing and conferring with the reinforcements. “What shall we do now?”

“For now, we retreat and regroup. ‘Tis all we can do for now.”

***

There was a grim silence over the camp for the rest of the day. Bartimeus had ordered the forces to stay armed and vigilant, assigning several patrols to watch all roads to and from their position for any signs of flanking, before he joined Caleus and the other generals in a conciliary meeting. Caseus sat at the back, simply watching in silence as the discussions of strategy went on.

The pervading strategies being debated were either continuing to attempt to bring the maze down, this time with their available man power, or calling up the kingdom’s airborne forces, the pterosaurs, or Wing Crowns, to drop a decapitation force directly into the city under cover of night. The latter plan was deemed preferable, with the enemy Long-Necks just able to trap them in the maze again at a moment’s notice.

“Then it is decided,” Caleus said. “Bartimeus, I task you with creating this team. No more than twelve men, lest they risk detection, and none but your best.”

He looked to Caseus. “My son shall ride back to Dargišus to assemble the Wing Crown Legion. He and his Strider are the fastest here by far.”

Does he actually trust me to do so? After the earlier admonishment, Caseus had been mulling over his father’s words. He understood the logic of his words in his head, and yet his heart was screaming otherwise. A king was supposed to defend his people and his kingdom from all threats, just as a husband was his wife. And yet these separatists, these heretics, had defied and insulted both the nation and his wife! And they were now just discussing a small force that would only eliminate the city’s council! They had even brought up the possibility of surrender, even light penalties! For treason!

I should listen to Father, he thought, I know, but still…

With the plan finally agreed upon, Bartimeus and the rest of the generals dispersed. Caleus approached him, wresting his hand on his shoulder.

“Now Caseus, when you reach Dargišus, seek out Ramena. She is the matriarch of the Wing Crown clans. You remember where to find her, yes?”

“Yes sir,” Caseus nodded. “The Hanging Gardens, just west of the palace.” Then, more timidly, he asked, “But, why me? I thought I was unworthy to bear the weight of such things? Are you not dissatisfied with me?”

“Do not mistake a hard lesson for a hardened heart, my son,” Caleus said. “You wanted responsibility, to contribute, yes? Now you have the most critical of roles.”

“But could you not send a messenger pterosaur? To send me-”

A commotion from outside interrupted. Men shouted, Beasts brayed and bellowed, while both groups cursed and muttered.

Caleus and Caseus exchanged worried looks as they hurried outside. The entire army, it seemed, was looking down toward the maze, men pointing. The two of them approached Bartimeus, his face morose as he passed a spyglass.

“They've… they have given their response, Your Majesty.”

Even squinting without the aid of the glass, Caseus could make out the sight before them. A line of Men and Beasts stood on the outer rim of the maze. They wore the distinctive pelt garments Petraz was famous for, and had decorated their bodies with the equally recognizable hunter’s paint.

But it was not their garments that captured everyone's attention.

Each of the men carried a long pole, likely a pike or a spear, and affixed to the top of each was a human head. Caleus said nothing, his face Ashen and expressionless as he passed the glass to Caseus. He took it, and ran his gaze along the line. These men, some he had seen training around the capital, others had respectfully welcomed him on their departure from the palace. Most had been greenhorns, like his father had said-

Abruptly, he stopped scanning. One head stood out to him from the others. The timid Salmonis, that greenhorn from before. They had plucked out his eyes, and cut out his tongue.

But it didn't end there. Standing alongside the men were several Beasts, including several predators. A pair of Tyrannosaurus, several Carnotaurus, and an Allosaurus. Together, they all carried the severed necks and heads of each of the Long-Necks.

None of the Petraz group moved. They did not shout any sort of message, and it didn't look as if they had sent any messengers. Rather, the message painted in blood along the outer wall said enough.

It read simply: “This to the Fillianan strumpet as well!”

“Caseus.” Caleus spoke firmly. He did not look at his son as he spoke, still glaring at the sight before them. “There will be a slight change of plans. You are to go to the capital still, but we will no longer be rallying the Wing Crown clans.”

“Sir?” Caseus asked. “But then, who?”

***

“Majesty, are you certain about this?” Bartimeus asked. “The Duck Bills do not approve of these methods. Demanding them to do so, it might create problems later on… and these are still our countrymen, are they not?”

“No,” Caleus said flatly. They watched as Caseus departed atop Cleo, quickly becoming just a speck of a dust cloud in the distance.

“They wish to separate from us? Then we shall treat them as such, as any other enemy nation.”

Bartimeus looked back at the fading figure of the prince.

What the king had proposed was far from how they dealt with any other enemy nation. Regardless of how it went, it would certainly define his reign, his kingdom, going forward.