Valkyrie's Shadow

Empire in Chains: Act 1, Chapter 4

Empire in Chains: Act 1, Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ilyshn’ish’s soared over Corelyn County, cutting over the northwest corner of the Katze Plains. She eyed the orange-red wasteland with its myriad ruins.

“So this trip to the Katze Plains,” she said. “Did you stop at all of the cities along the river?”

“Most of them,” Lady Zahradnik replied. “Wait…how do you know what is there?”

She frowned at the Baroness’ question. It was all arrayed quite plainly below them.

“We’re looking down at the plains right now, are we not?”

“I can see the towers just inside the perimeter, but everything is else smothered in that negative energy-infused mist.”

“Ah, I see. I mean, I can see. Frost Dragons can see through weather effects.”

“I knew Frost Giants could through first-hand experience,” Lady Zahradnik said. “I was not aware that Frost Dragons had the same capabilities.”

“We both dwell in the same environment,” Ilyshn’ish replied. “Why would we not have it if they do? Also, it’s not the ‘same capabilities’ – we Frost Dragons have much keener senses.”

“I wish I knew about that before we went out there,” the Baroness said. “Lady Shalltear was the only one capable of detecting anything beyond a hundred metres or so. If that is the case, can you make out anything strange down there?”

“Seeing through weather effects isn’t quite the same as seeing through a clear sky,” she explained. “Hmm…how do I describe it…Frost Dragons see more. Rain, snow, clouds, and dust can obscure vision in certain ways, but in others, things can appear quite clearly. Some substances are differently coloured to us for the same reasons. For instance, I believe that many races see urine as yellow. Frost Dragons, however, can see it as both yellow and black or brown depending on how we’re looking at it.”

“The tools to acquire one’s food, huh…”

Lady Zahradnik’s tone was strangely thoughtful for such a normal thing.

“Yes, that’s right,” Ilyshn’ish replied. “Dark markings in the snow are easy to follow and prey blinded by weather effects are a simple matter to take down. As far as the scenery in the Katze Plains is concerned, I can see the silhouettes of all of the ruins through the mist from this distance, but it isn’t as if I can read anything that might be carved on them like I can the buildings below.”

“Out of curiosity, from how far away can you spot something?”

“There’s a reason why we’re flying ten kilometres above the ground,” her voice took on a note of pride. “I’m the best hunter in my family, and my senses are honed far beyond that of the average Frost Dragon. I can make out the individual details of every Human below us from this distance. If they were sitting down and reading a book, I could read it from here as well.”

“So if people notice a Dragon flying overhead, the reason that they have not been attacked is because they are being ignored?”

Ilyshn’ish snorted derisively.

“It’s members of weak species who tend to think of the world in relation to themselves – as if every little event or circumstance has to do with them somehow. We Dragons don’t stop for every little thing, obviously, and the world has better things to do than revolve around the limited perspective of a mortal. All Dragons have keen senses, so they’ll notice most things before they are noticed in return. Frost Dragons are the best hunters in all of Dragonkind, however, so ours are the keenest. Other types of Dragons have their own advantages, but they won’t notice someone in the open from as far as we can.”

“What advantages do other Dragons have?”

“It depends on the type of Dragon. If–”

?Unidentified flyer, this is imperial patrol. You are crossing into Baharuth airspace. State your business or intent.?

An unexpected Message spell popped up in her head. The caster sounded halfway between wondering whether she should be challenging Ilyshn’ish and forcing herself to carry out some obligation. It was the proper reaction to the presence of a Dragon, but after spending so many months in the Sorcerous Kingdom, it almost felt strange.

“Did something happen?” Lady Zahradnik asked.

Ilyshn’ish scanned her field of view, quickly finding the most likely source of the Message. Dragons were not the only ones with exceptional long-range vision. In hindsight, she should have concealed her presence to avoid detection, but looking at lines on a map did not give her any sense of where the Empire projected its power. It also didn’t help that she had been chatting away with Lady Zahradnik.

“5000 metres below,” she answered, “over the highway. Three Hippogriffs on a patrol, I think? One of the riders sent us a Message asking what our business was.”

“Do we have an appropriate response?”

“I-I think so?”

She looked down at the flight of Hippogriffs. Unlike the ones she had encountered when she was younger, they loitered tentatively far below.

?This is Frost 19, enroute to perform…erm, aerial orientation??

?J-just a moment please.?

The Message spell ended. Several minutes passed in silence with the imperial air patrol shadowing them. They fell further and further behind, unable to match her velocity.

?Frost 19, this is imperial patrol. Flight control says that you weren’t due in Arwintar for another two weeks??

?Yes, I’ll be there as scheduled. For now, I’m just making sure I know my way around. I wouldn’t want to land in the Imperial Palace by accident, yes??

An audible swallow sounded over the Message spell. Why had she received such a reaction from her lighthearted quip? Through the spell, no less.

?…acknowledged, Frost 19. You are cleared to enter Baharuth airspace. Have a pleasant day.?

The Message ended, but not before Ilyshn’ish heard a sigh of relief.

“I wonder why they were so nervous,” she muttered. “I don’t even like the taste of Hippogryph.”

“The Baharuth Empire is legally obligated to recognize the absolute authority of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s official representatives,” Lady Zahradnik told her. “An officer of the Empire’s Royal Air Guard should be well aware of this. Currently, you are not here on official orders, of course, but they would not know that.”

“Then this obligation will apply when I am on my official duties in the Empire next week…”

“It will, but simply because you can exercise your authority does not mean that you should. The Empire is our protectorate, and its relationship with the Sorcerous Kingdom should reflect that. Aside from shoring up their national security out of practical concerns, the Royal Court’s hand on their affairs has been next to nonexistent.”

So much for ordering everyone to reveal everything they knew wherever she went. Why were things never simple?

Ilyshn’ish banked to assume a northeasterly heading, following the highway to the first city across the border. Her nostrils twitched: the trace of a worrisome scent carried over the high winds.

“There’s a Dragon here.”

“Here…” Lady Zahradnik leaned over to look down at the city ahead, “as in ‘there’s a Dragon in that city’?”

“No, she’s quite far away,” Ilyshn’ish replied. “Three or four hundred kilometres to the north, perhaps. I’m not familiar with the air currents in the Empire, so my assumption is that the wind comes from the north as it does in E-Rantel.”

“Three or four hundred kilometres…that would still put this Dragon inside the Empire’s borders. Is it a Frost Dragon? It might be a current of air from the Azerlisia Mountains.”

“Frost Dragons smell like their environment,” Ilyshn’ish said. “This one…is a Green Dragon. They smell like, hmm…what was that stuff that they use in the alchemical workshop again? Ah, yes: Aqua Regia.”

Several seconds passed as the Baroness sniffed at the air. Though Undead, Lady Zahradnik was still very much like a Human in many aspects. They had a strange way of thinking that they could somehow sense something that they couldn’t simply by trying harder.

“I do not smell anything like that…rumour has it that Forest Dragons can be found in the vicinity of the Empire. A number of them have been slain over the past few generations.”

“I haven’t read or heard anything about that,” Ilyshn’ish frowned. “You’d think something so important would be the subject of widespread reports.”

“According to my information,” Lady Zahradnik told her, “the Imperial Legions are fairly thorough at maintaining security throughout their territories. Most threats to their citizens are identified and rooted out before they can grow to become major problems. Any Wyrmlings discovered are easily taken care of, while specialists are commissioned to handle Juveniles.”

Ilyshn’ish didn’t particularly care, but the way that Humans – or former Humans, in the Baroness’ case – casually spoke about the systematic slaughter of children felt hypocritical when considering the Sorcerous Kingdom’s apparent policies. Lady Zahradnik always expounded upon Human values and how Ilyshn’ish needed to always keep them in mind. As a nation that welcomed all races, however, wouldn’t the killing of any children be a stain on the Sorcerous Kingdom’s reputation in some way?

Even the way things were phrased reflected the very Human manner by which members of the race propped themselves up. Adventurers didn’t go out to mercilessly massacre populations of ‘monsters’, Magical Beasts, Demihumans and Heteromorphs, they ‘worked’. A territorial army doing the same thing was simply ‘maintaining security’. Lady Zahradnik ‘defended the border’.

A fortress of words was raised around every individual and their collective sense of self-righteousness as a species. It was as if admitting to the reality of their behaviours somehow made them more than they were and packaging them up in euphemisms made them something else entirely.

It was especially strange for Lady Zahradnik, who seemed to take great pride in her steadfast and honest nature. Sometimes, she would say things that were perfectly fine and acceptable to Ilyshn’ish, yet other perfectly fine and acceptable things were framed in that hypocritical Human manner. To rely on such dishonest constructs – wasn’t that the very thing the Baroness sought to eliminate?

“One must wonder why Forest Dragons keep appearing in the Empire,” Lady Zahradnik mused.

“The answer is obvious, yes?” Ilyshn’ish said, “Someone is depositing their eggs in the vicinity, or a Dragon has made its lair in the Empire.”

“I don’t think the Imperial Legions would allow that…”

“Allow,” Ilyshn’ish scoffed. “Your time in the Sorcerous Kingdom has warped your perceptions of strength. Very few in the world possess the power to impose their will on a mature Dragon. The Empire should count itself lucky that they are within a Green Dragon’s sphere of influence rather than one of the more openly-belligerent types.”

As their discussion continued, the city went by below. Its total population appeared comparable to E-Rantel. Unlike the fortress city, however, it only had a single wall.

The city lay on the crossroads of the highway leading northeast to Arwintar and another that ran parallel to the imperial border. Around it lay scenery that was much the same as the Human-occupied areas of Re-Estize and the Sorcerous Kingdom, with fields and pastures periodically interspersed by patches of managed woodland. Noble manors and their respective administrative divisions could be made out, following various land features and rural roads. These divisions became less clear the further out they were from the city.

Ilyshn’ish banked to head southeast, following the highway that curved along the Empire’s southwestern border. The mists of the Katze plains covered a two hundred kilometre stretch before giving way to an expanse of rugged peaks. The towns and rural villages continued uninterrupted to the foot of the ranges to the Empire’s south.

“These mountains to the south of us have little in the way of features on our maps,” Lady Zahradnik said. “There’s supposedly a Wyvern-riding tribe out there somewhere…do you see anything?”

Ilyshn’ish looked around them. The map that she was provided by Lady Shalltear only showed up to the eastern border of the Empire for some unknown reason. Maps used by Merchants were far worse: only showing major trade routes and their immediate surroundings. Both, however, said next to nothing about the lands between the Empire and the Draconic Kingdom – an area just as large as the Katze Plains.

“I don’t see anything flying around to the south,” Ilyshn’ish said. “Besides, isn’t it still about a hundred kilometres to the border from this highway below us? I wouldn’t be able to see anything beyond that even if something was flying around.”

“…sorry. I suppose I am not thinking properly with all these new sights around us.”

Two hours passed before they crossed over another city. An additional hour went by before Ilyshn’ish banked to follow the highway north. To their east, a mountainous plateau filled their entire field of view. According to Ilyshn’ish research, the region east of the Empire belonged to the City State Alliance: the fragmented remnants of a great nation known as Karnassus.

“Even from here, I cannot see the other side of these mountains,” the Baroness said. “I heard that Karnassus was huge, but from up here it looks larger than the Empire.”

“I thought Nobles were supposed to possess advanced education on this type of thing.”

“Other Nobles might,” Lady Zahradnik replied, “but on the frontier, we were only taught what we needed to know. Karnassus was too far away to matter. In hindsight, it has more city-states than the Empire or Re-Estize have cities, so it should not have been a surprise that its territory is so vast.”

“I see. Well, it’s a good thing for the Empire that Karnassus is broken up now.”

Mountainous areas tended to harbour stronger species, so Ilyshn’ish figured that the Karnassus City State Alliance was collectively more powerful than the Empire by far. If it had been whole, suitably strong neighbours would have been required to keep them from subjugating everything around them. The Dwarven records spoke of a great nation inhabited by Humans that surrounded the Azerlisia Mountains in the past, but she was dubious over its prospects when it came to resisting the Karnassus of its time.

For some reason, the Humans of the region attempted to raise states where the vast majority were those of their own kind. Then they had to fend off everyone else. Wouldn’t it be better to rely on stronger species for martial matters while Humans did what they were more suited for? Even if it meant that they would be slaves, it was far preferable to inevitably being wiped out.

“Lady Zahradnik,” Ilyshn’ish asked, “why do Humans attempt to raise Human nations?”

“It seems a rather natural thing to do,” the Baroness replied. “We increase in population, building villages, towns and cities. Eventually, one ends up with nations.”

“That’s not what I meant. I was asking why they don’t form nations alongside other races like how the city-states to our east do.”

“…because other races eat Humans.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Ilyshn’ish frowned, “Humans are weak – there are many Demihuman species that are far stronger. Would it not be better to accept that some will be eaten while the rest remain secure? It isn’t as if Demihumans only eat Humans, either. Lady Gagnier can feed every Demihuman in E-Rantel with the products from her demesne.”

“That’s the Sorcerous Kingdom,” Lady Zahradnik said. “We have laws that regulate the behaviour of our subjects, as well as the will and means to enforce them. Out in the world, Demihumans would just eat the farmer and keep all of the livestock for themselves.”

Ilyshn’ish sighed.

“What?” Baroness Zahradnik asked.

“Nothing,” Ilyshn’ish answered. “Well, it’s more like I shouldn’t have expected anything.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Just that you still think like a Human,” Ilyshn’ish said. “From my time observing them, they tend to believe that they are the most intelligent and civilised species in the world, and everything that they do is right. All of the other races are ordered by their looks: the uglier a race is by Human standards, the less they think of them.”

The Baroness looked down at the back of Ilyshn’ish’s head.

“I do not think any less of my nonhuman subjects…”

“Which is why I thought I could expect more. I understand that you still identify as a Human, but your subjects – regardless of race – are all beneficiaries of your even-handed rule. Yet, your perception of other species changes if you are considering those outside of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s borders. It is a jarring contradiction that confounds me to this day.”

“There is His Majesty’s order,” Lady Zahradnik said, “and then there is everything else. I also do not see anything wrong with this approach. One must draw a line somewhere.”

“I’m not saying that you should change where you draw the line, my lady,” Ilyshn’ish said. “It is how you see things on either side of that line which puzzles me. In your eyes, all subjects are equal in the Sorcerous Kingdom. Outside of the Sorcerous Kingdom, the ‘fair races’ that Humans so favour are received in a similarly favourable way. Those who do not fall in this category are, by default, treated as threats. Being who you are, everything is either for or against and then the stabbing begins.”

Lady Zahradnik frowned at her words.

“That is a gross exaggeration.”

“Perhaps, but I think you get the idea. You wish to lay a foundation based on truth, assured in the rightness of what you build upon it. Yet, this truth only applies to a certain side: yours. Does this adhere to the policies of the Sorcerous Kingdom? Is it truly in line with His Majesty’s will?”