Under the Oak Tree

Chapter 316: Chapter 77

Maxi’s heart sank. A seemingly endless procession of spearmen with dark helmets marched into the castle, followed by archers and cavalrymen. Anette stood next to her on tiptoe to get a better view.

“There’s got to be at least six thousand of them,” she said, appearing overwhelmed by the sheer size of the army.

“Do you see any mages?” asked Ben, a mage of Undaim, his thin face full of hope.

Maxi carefully scanned the procession entering the training grounds. Dozens of leather-covered wagons rolled in behind the soldiers, followed by high-born knights and their squires. No matter how hard she looked, she could not see any mages among them.

“I-It’s difficult to tell. There are too many…”

Maxi trailed off when her scouring eyes caught Riftan walking across the grounds. He wore a navy fur cape draped over silver armor, with a mail coif bearing the emblem of the Remdragon Knights covering his broad shoulders. The sight of his imposing figure made her briefly forget the fraught tension between them.

The soldiers hastily opened a path for him as he strode past with long, dignified steps. A few of the knights — squad leaders, Maxi presumed — came forward to introduce themselves.

Riftan gave them a curt nod and went straight to the knights bearing the royal arms of Wedon. Seeing him approaching, the slender young man at the head of the group cast off his helmet.

“It’s been a while, Mago!”

The youthful knight’s voice resounded across the grounds. Maxi’s eyes widened. The young man was none other than Princess Agnes, dressed like a page. A breastplate covered her chest, and a sword hung at her waist.

“What a surprise. I thought you were in southern Livadon for a campaign,” Agnes teased as she hopped down from her warhorse.

Maxi could not make out Riftan’s reply. Her anxiousness rising, she leaned out the window.

Royald, who was peering out next to her, gave a low whistle. “It appears Kabala’s very own princess is leading Wedon’s army.”

“Kabala’s princess? Isn’t that the golden-haired mage you’re close with?” Anette asked Maxi.

She was referring to the time Princess Agnes had spent a few weeks with Maxi upon first arriving in Nornui.

Maxi awkwardly bobbed her head. “Yes. That was Princess Agnes… who recommended me to the Mage Tower.”

“Why not go greet her?”

“I-Is everyone going to stay inside?”

Maxi looked over the faces of the mages gathered in the infirmary with a puzzled expression.

Anton was gazing out at the training grounds through another window. He shook his head weakly.

“I think not. I see no other mages, and it’s already quite crowded without us getting in the way. Everyone will gather in the hall for supper anyway, so we can make our greetings then.” He flicked an apathetic glance at Maxi and added, “You should go, though. She’s your acquaintance; I’m sure you would like to say hello. We have enough hands here for the work.”

Maxi hesitated for a moment, then grabbed her robe. She stepped out of the infirmary into a sea of soldiers. Glancing around, she made a beeline for the billowing banner of her kingdom.

Soon, she managed to locate Riftan conversing with Princess Agnes. She halted, silently staring at his back for a moment, and cautiously walked over. The princess’s eyes widened as soon as she spotted her.

“Heavens, look who it is!”

Agnes appeared immensely pleased to see Maxi. Her slender legs swiftly closed the distance between them.

Grabbing Maxi’s hand, she gushed, “Are you out of Nornui already? I can’t believe you finished your training in just three years! I am so proud!”

“H-Hello, Your Highness,” Maxi said, taken aback by the ecstatic greeting.

Contrary to her expectation that their reunion would be awkward, the princess was no less hospitable than the last time Maxi had seen her.

“And you are still ‘Your Highnessing’ me! I told you, call me Agnes.”

Maxi smiled faintly at the princess’s reproachful tone. “I-lt slipped my mind. Have you been well?”

“Of course. You seem well too, Maximilian.”

Agnes swept her eyes down the plain brown tunic and loose robe favored by the mages. She smiled. “Now you truly look the part. Which tower do you belong to?”

“Nome Hall.”

“Oh dear…”

Agnes sighed as though she thought this a shame. Maxi scowled. She was about to ask about it directly when she heard Riftan’s cold voice.

“How long are you going to continue this idle chatter?”

Maxi looked past the princess to Riftan’s haughty face. Lowering his long lashes, he regarded her briefly before lifting his gaze back to Agnes.

“We will head to the assembly room. 1 want to know about the Council’s discussions.”

“My word. I just got here, you know! At least give me a moment to catch my breath,” the princess grumbled.

Maxi stared at the ground. “I… seem to have interrupted your important conversation. My apologies. I… merely wanted to greet Her Highness.”

The prickly thorns in her tone seemed to shut him up.

Maxi turned to the princess and said apologetically, “I-I am truly happy to see you again, but… I shall excuse myself now.”

“Hold on! We haven’t even talked yet.”

Agnes hastily stopped Maxi from turning away.

“I would like to hear news of the Mage Tower. I was told that some of the mages of Urd are here. Do you know who, exactly?”

Maxi glanced at Riftan before answering. “Master Calto, Master Anton, and Master Celtic.”

“Master Calto?” Agnes asked, her eyes growing round.

The princess evidently knew it was rare for members of the Serbel clan to step foot off the island.

She appeared deep in thought before saying grimly, “I would like to see Master Calto first. The knights also need rest, so you don’t mind putting off the meeting until later, do you?”

Riftan frowned when Agnes turned to him, but he eventually nodded.

“Very well. I will ask the master of the castle to provide the men with a place to rest.”

“I shall leave that with you.”

Then, without having said a word to Maxi, Riftan turned away.

Maxi anxiously gnawed her lip as she led the princess to the main castle. Riftan clearly had no intention of extending the hand of reconciliation first. That being the case, should she not take the initiative? Though, that could lead to another quarrel. She heaved a sigh. She had never known herself to be this ill-tempered.

“Did you two have an argument?” Agnes ventured cautiously.

Maxi flinched but managed to plaster on a nonchalant expression. “Not at all. Everything is fine. We are just… high-strung because of the war.”

“That, I understand,” Agnes said, nodding. “A dreadfully grave matter, this whole thing. The entire kingdom flew into a panic after the Council convened.”

“How much have you heard?”

“About the monster city and the involvement of the dark mages.” Agnes’s face hardened as she asked, “How big is this city?”

Maxi hesitated. “It is… as big as Balbourne.”

A groan escaped the princess’s mouth. Maxi purposefully avoided mentioning the bizarre magical devices at the ruins or the mysterious runes and breeding farms. Since the commanding officers of the coalition army would soon convene in the war room, she did not wish to trouble the princess so soon after her long journey.

“May I ask… how is Rosetta?” said Maxi, changing the subject. “Is she well?”

Agnes’s lips flit into a warm smile. “But of course. She is healthy and doing very well. And Abel grows bigger by the day.”

“Abel?”

Agnes clicked her tongue. “Has no one told you your nephew’s name? Abellis Reuben, it is. He is as beautiful as an angel. He has the Reuben eyes, but he mostly takes after the crown princess.”

Maxi blinked at the pain that shot through her heart. In her mind’s eye, she saw an infant, the spitting image of Rosetta. Her face fell as she thought of her own lost child, whom she had no idea was in her womb until it was too late. Perhaps that was why the sadness had been somewhat bearable. If anything, the disappointment of failing to do her duty as a lord’s wife had been greater. Terror at being abandoned by Riftan had followed closely after that.

Now, a dull ache clenched her chest as she wondered which of them their child would have resembled. She hastily pushed the thought from her mind. No amount of self-torture was going to change anything.

She forced a smile. “1 would… very much like to see him one day.”

“Come and visit us at Drachium Castle with Riftan when this war is over. I am sure the crown princess would be happy to see you as well.”

Maxi’s smile turned bitter. She simply could not imagine Rosetta looking happy.

***

Days passed, but no more than eight mages arrived at Eth Lene Castle. Though Calto tried not to show it, it was clear that he was deeply disappointed. It was too late to ask the Tower to send more now; troops from each kingdom had already assembled, and the coalition army was raring to start the march.

Maxi’s expression turned anxious as she took in the plethora of weapons that covered the training grounds. Soldiers ran through breach tactics with the siege tower near the wall, and at the opposite end, blacksmiths meticulously inspected an array of large crossbows. Maxi was sweeping her eyes over everything when Anette called over to her.

“Max! Come help me with this.”

She turned to find Anette crouched in front of the shield armory, hammering away at something. As she drew close, she saw that her friend was fixing a drake bone onto a sizable board.

She inspected the object with interest. “What… you are making?”

“It’s part of a mantlet. A movable shelter for protection during a siege, essentially. I’m enhancing it with a shield, see? 1 only need to make about sixty more.”

“S-Sixty?”

“Right. An average mantlet wouldn’t stand a chance against the brute force of an ogre or a troll, hence the need for a protective rune.”

Removing her gloves, Anette blew onto her red, blistered hands before handing Maxi a piece of parchment.

“Use that as a reference. It’s Master Celric’s draft. They also asked me to inscribe runes on the other siege weapons to make them more durable.”

Maxi let out a cry of dismay. “W-When will we do all that?”

“We’ll just have to do our best,” Anette grumbled. “This is our unfortunate fate as mages of Nome Hall.”

With a heavy sigh, Maxi picked up one of the drake bones on the table. She was trimming it to an appropriate size with a chisel when the blast of a kopel sounded from the castle wall.

The gates opened to admit an army of gigantic men riding equally large warhorses.

Anette furrowed her brow. “Was there anyone who hadn’t arrived?”

“They… sh-should be the last.” Maxi looked worried when she saw the wolf on the dark green banner. “The Knights of Phil Aaron have arrived from Balto.”

She saw Sejuleu Aren leave his post overseeing military drills and make his way to the gate. The knight at the head of the Baltonian party removed his helmet, and Maxi flinched as she recognized his cruel face. It was just as she had feared. Richard Breston — the man who had harassed her during the previous war — was once again at Eth Lene Castle..

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