Re:Zero - The King of Pride

Mimi watched Julius walk back to their cell with Beatrice in his arms. Beatrice dangled limp as a rag doll.

Mimi stared at Beatrice's motionless body in terror as Julius approached the cell.

The knight raised his voice. "Unlock cell 67," He shouted.

Far down the hall, a mage on duty responded and the magical lock on their cell was deactivated.

Julius carried the spirit into the cell and gently placed her on her mattress.

"Betty!" Mimi shouted but Beatrice did not respond. The spirit's small face was pale and wan.

"Julius!" Mimi whispered in near terror. "What happened to Betty?!"

Julius closed his eyes. "I'm not entirely certain, Miss Mimi," He admitted. "The mages in the tower appear to be performing a variety of experiments on Miss Beatrice as well as on Master Puck. I have no idea what these experiments are or what their purpose is. I only know that from Miss Beatrice's… screams, that these experiments were… exceedingly painful."

Mimi's face contorted in horror.

"Are you well, Miss Mimi?" He continued.

Mimi hesitated but nodded.

Julius's face was grim. "I should get away quickly. I must not attract undue attention. Please, let me know if you or Miss Beatrice require anything."

Mimi nodded as Julius left the cell.

"Rearm cell 67," Julius called out as he walked away. The cell door glowed purple as the magic lock was reapplied.

Mimi scrambled up onto Beatrice's mattress.

"Betty!" Mimi cried out. "Are you alright?!"

Beatrice moaned and she slowly opened her eyes.

When Beatrice saw Mimi looming over her, she moaned again. "Oh no. It wasn't a dream, in fact…"

"Betty! Are you alright?" Mimi repeated.

Beatrice struggled to sit up. Her aching body felt strangely fragile. "Betty has felt better, I suppose," She muttered, rubbing her eyes. "Those mages are most unpleasant and most ignorant. Betty isn't sure what the point of those experiments even were!"

"They didn't tell you what they were doing?" Mimi asked.

Beatrice scowled. "They seemed irritated whenever Betty spoke at all, I suppose! One of them complained about their 'test material' thinking that it was a person! Betty doesn't know what they were trying to do but what they did do felt an awful lot like they were trying to unravel Betty's magic! Betty feels like a piece of rope that has been unbraided in fact!" 

"Mimi thinks that we need to get out of here!" Mimi whispered.

Beatrice sighed. "Betty is in full agreement but breaking out is the hard part, I suppose."

"And it's just going to get harder," Mimi worried. "The longer that we stay here, the more that they're going to do to you and the more damage that you'll take! It might not take very long before you can't do anything to escape at all!"

Beatrice scowled down at her arm. "We need to get these confounding bracelets off!" She hissed.

Priscilla seethed. "I cannot believe that the filthy whelp just left us to wander the city like maids sent to market while he sold his goods!" Priscilla grumbled as she, Felt, and Garfiel walked through the enormous marketplace of Priestella.

Felt sighed. Am I being punished here? Was sending Priscilla to me the Gods' way of making me pay for turning against Subaru? Frankly, after spending the last few days listening to her gripe and complain about every little thing, from the taste of the food to the speed of the wagon to the 'disrespectful' way that we speak to her, I think that I'd rather the Gods had sent me Elsa as a traveling buddy.

Heck, I'm pretty sure that Garf could take Elsa in a fight so she'd have to behave herself and she'd probably end up being more useful if we got into trouble anyway.

And she'd certainly be less painful to travel with. Elsa just wants to kill people, not grind their faces in her own perceived superiority.

"Look, we just need to stay out here for a few more hours," Felt replied. "Koh needs to meet his contacts in the city."

"I still don't understand why we couldn't have just waited in the damn wagon!" Priscilla grumbled. "We're walking through this wretched hovel where there's nothing to look at and nothing to buy-"

"Not that you have any money anyway," Felt observed mildly.

Priscilla glared at her. "Dust rat, I can make money hand-over-fist in any gambling hall in this accursed city. Unlike you, I don't need to sell myself for every plate of stew!"

"We're out here because Koh needed us gone, Priscilla," Garfiel murmured, cutting off the fight before Felt could retort. "The Alliance may be willing to help us but that doesn't mean that they want to expose all their secrets and I don't really blame them. Koh wants us gone until late this afternoon so that he can meet his contacts and then we'll head out again for Girali. In the meantime, let's try to find something to eat. I'm hungry."

"Not that much of this food looks especially appetizing," Felt sighed. "What even is this?" She asked, pointing at what looked like a fried lizard on a stick.

Priscilla snorted. "That's Xianglong. It's a Kararagi delicacy, you plebeian."

"Oh goody," Garfiel mourned. "So we'll have lots of this to look forward to while we're in Kararagi."

Felt thought for a moment. "Garf, did Koh ever mention whether he was buying any provisions for the road?"

"No, why?"

Felt sighed. "Garf, remember how Girali is apparently in the middle of a desert?"

"Yeah."

"I'd like to have something to eat and drink while we're out there in the waste. So one of us had better be stocking up on provisions. I want to be prepared in case things go wrong."

Priscilla snorted. "Why do you simpletons keep acting as if something is going to go wrong? As long as you're with me, you're the safest pair of lackeys in the entire world."

As well as the most miserable, Felt sighed to herself.

"Well, you keep saying that, Priscilla," Garfield said in a bored voice. "But frankly, I'd rather be back in the Captain's keeping than stuck here with you."

"Well, you'd best get over that," Priscilla snapped. "You're going to be serving me once Subaru and my factions have been unified."

"Do you really think that the Captain is going to marry you?" Garfiel asked skeptically.

"Of course, I do. He's no fool," Priscilla said at once. "I am the perfect partner for any ruler. I have incredible beauty, vast magical power, intellectual brilliance, and above all else, good fortune. Together, Subaru Natsuki and I can lead this world into a new golden age with the two of us seated at the very pinnacle. He'd be a fool to think twice."

"What about love?" Garfiel asked pointedly. "Or does love have no place in political marriages?"

"Of course, it has a place. What are you a child?" She snorted. "Love is something carefully built together by two partners who respect and admire each other. Only a fool builds a marriage based on emotional or physical needs. Any fool can hold your hand when you're sad or stroke your member when you need release. Sensible people build permanent alliances based on mutual goals, talent, and intelligence. These are the things that stand the test of time. Intelligence, will, and talent do not fade with the years, they grow. Find someone that you respect and admire and you will learn to love them even in spite of yourself. Subaru Natsuki and I are both reasonable people and there is a great deal to admire about each of us. I'm certain that love will grow between us quite quickly. Not to mention our need to establish our own dynasty. Few things anchor a family better than small children."

Garfiel stared at her. "Huh," He murmured. "I've got to admit, Priscilla, I'm kind of surprised to hear you talking like this."

"Why?" She snorted. "Because I'm supposed to be some shrill harpy that would offer herself to any pathetic toad if he was rich and powerful enough? I am the descendant of hundreds of Vollachian warlords. Men and women who reshaped the entire world through strength, cunning, and determination. The quality of my descendants is a matter of great concern to me. I intend to establish a dynasty that rules the world for a thousand years. And for that, I need an appropriate partner. Someone who can make me more than I could be alone."

Felt ignored Garfiel and Priscilla's discussion as she inspected some preserved vegetables on a cart.

These might be good for the trip out west. I mean, Koh is probably going to take care of it but it never hurts to be prepared.

"Hey!" A cheerful voice said directly behind Felt, so close that she could feel his breath. 

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up straight and Felt jumped two feet into the air.

She spun around and found a tall, blond young man with bright blue eyes smiling at her. He seemed to be a few years older than Felt. His face was less than an inch from hers and Felt instinctively flinched back.

"You're Felt, aren't you?" The young man said with a big smile.

Felt's jaw dropped. She shot a warning look at Garfiel and Priscilla but to their credit, they clearly already sensed the danger.

Felt studied the young man closely. His blue eyes were bright. Too bright.

We have to get out of here. Now. We're still fugitives. If he rats us out to the city guards, we'll end up in prison. And that's if we're lucky.

We need to get out of town. We can meet up with Koh later.

"Who?" Felt asked vaguely. "No, sorry. You've got me confused with somebody else." 

She tried to push past him.

The boy just laughed and caught her arm. "Nope!" He said cheerfully. "You're Felt! She's going to love you!" 

Felt blinked at this bizarre statement. Before she could say anything to try and defuse the situation, Felt found herself yanked off her feet. The young man threw Felt over his shoulder and took off running down the street.

"Hey!" Felt protested, slamming her tiny fists into his back. 

The boy ran like the wind. Felt watched in horror as Garfiel and Priscilla quickly vanished in the distance behind them. When the density of the crowds threatened to slow him down, the boy simply scaled a small wall as easily as Felt could walk down a street and began to parkour over the roofs through the city.

"Get back here!" Garfiel roared, fighting his way through the crowd as fast as he could. "Everybody get out of my way!"

Felt realized that the boy's body was shimmering with a pale green light and tiny sparks of green floated around him.

Felt reached into her pocket and pulled out her knife. She prepared to drive it directly into the boy's kidney but just then, he leaped off of another roof. 

He flew twenty feet through the air and landed on the hard pavement stones, seemingly no more shaken by this fall than Felt would have been by stepping off a curb. 

Felt, however, did not endure the impact nearly so well. Her teeth violently snapped together and she lost her grip on the knife which skittered away across the cobblestones. 

Felt gasped as the boy reached a massive building in the center of town. A huge, stone tower that dominated the city skyline. The boy began to scale the stone wall without any apparent effort. The boy was still holding Felt with one arm and he whistled a jaunty tune to himself as he climbed the towering structure.

Felt found herself trembling and holding onto the boy with a death grip as she stared at the pavement so far below. She realized that the boy's green aura had become orange. 

At this height, she could barely recognize Garfiel as he raced to the tower and stared up at her.

Finally, the boy reached the tower apex and pulled them both up onto a terrace at least a hundred feet above the city where he gently put the shocked Felt down.

The boy wasn't even breathing hard.

Felt quickly looked around, trying to make sense of what was going on. 

Alright, if nothing else I definitely haven't been captured by the authorities, Felt thought desperately. But who is this monster?! 

Felt scanned the terrace and saw several armed guards standing there, all of whom were staring at Felt and her kidnapper in open-mouthed shock. At a table on the terrace sat a red-headed girl of about Felt's age who was wearing an elaborate gown and a small diadem.

Those guards aren't wearing the uniforms of standard Lagunican soldiers or the same uniforms that the Priestella city guards wear. They must be some noble's private guard. Probably that girl's. Who is she? I thought after Subaru dragged me to all those functions that I'd recognize most of the powerful nobles in the kingdom at this point!

"Gael!" The girl gasped, bolting up out of her seat. "Where have you been?! We've been looking all over for you!"

"What the hell is going on here?!" Felt screamed.

The girl blinked, seeming to notice Felt for the first time.

Felt watched as the boy Gael walked over to a small table on the terrace that seemed to be set up for a child's tea party. Each seat was occupied by a small rag doll. Gael took a seat at the table, carefully picked up the small rag doll that was previously sitting there and then cradled it in his arms. "I'm back, Anri," He crooned soothingly to the doll. "Did you miss me?"

Felt just stared at the boy. This guy is completely insane!

Just as Felt was about to again demand to know what was going on here, another group of armed guards raced out onto the terrace. "Your Majesty!" An older guard said, his sword in his hand. "We've been informed that some dangerous behemoth is attempting to scale the side of this building!"

Your Majesty? Felt mouthed in shock. What the hell did I get dragged into this time?! The last time I accidentally got involved with royalty was when I stole the insignia. That completely shifted the direction of my life and almost got me killed! I seriously couldn't handle all of that happening to me again!

The red-headed girl's eyes narrowed. "Yes, Captain. Gael is back," She said in a clipped voice. "And I do not appreciate anyone calling him a 'dangerous behemoth.'"

The captain shook his head. "No, your Majesty," He clarified. "Not the Prince. There's someone else climbing the tower. Please, stand back until we-"

Felt heard a hoarse panting coming from below the terrace. She raced to the edge and found Garfiel hanging a short distance below, struggling to scale the tower.

"Garf!" She shouted.

Garfiel looked up, fighting for breath. "Hang in there, shrimp! I'm coming!" He bellowed.

Felt reached as far over the ledge as she could and grabbed Garfiel's massive hand. She threw her body backward with every ounce of her strength, planting her feet against the terrace railing and pulling as hard as she could. She felt like her bones were starting to crack under the strain but she finally managed to pull Garfiel over the edge where he crashed down on top of her. He lay there limply panting for breath.

"Thanks, shrimp," Garfiel gasped.

"Yeah," Felt said also without breath. "No problem. Now get the hell off me. You're heavy."

Garfiel nodded and quickly got to his feet, pulling Felt up as well.

Felt shook her head and sighed. "Seriously, fleabag. Did you not even consider taking the stairs?" She asked in a weak voice.

"Those stupid guards wouldn't let me," Garfiel said with a growl, pointing at the guards.

Felt was feeling much safer now that Garfiel had found her. 

The pair glared at the stupefied guards. The girl in the diadem seemed equally stunned. The only person on the terrace who seemed completely relaxed was Gael who continued his tea party, seemingly having not even noticed Garfiel's arrival.

"Shrimp!" Garfiel snapped. "What the hell's going on here?! Who are these people?! Why did they kidnap you?!"

"I don't know! How the hell could I know?!" She protested.

Garfiel snorted and dropped into a fighting stance. "Suppose it doesn't matter what their reasons were anyway. Enemies are enemies. Stay close to me, shrimp! We can fight our way out!"

This statement shook the guards out of their paralysis and they grabbed their weapons, racing toward the edge and surrounding the pair. Garfiel made sure to put himself between the guards and Felt.

Garfiel towered over the guards and he bulked much larger but he was outnumbered at least ten to one and the guards were fully armed and armored. 

Garfiel grinned at them. "Fair warning, jerks! The shrimp and I are leaving, one way or the other! Anyone stupid enough to tangle with my magnificent self is going to take the fast route off this stupid tower!"

Felt's heart sank. Garf, you bonehead! You're outnumbered ten to one and they have spears! I know that you're trying to pull off one of Subaru's famous bluffs but this is not a good time for it! We need to try to negotiate our way out of this mess! Which won't be easy because I still don't have the slightest clue who these weirdos are or what the hell they want with us!

Felt desperately tried to figure out what to say to defuse the situation but before she could, the girl in the gown stiffened. 

"That is enough!" She shouted firmly. "All of you! Stand down!" 

Garfiel looked at the girl with an incredulous chuckle.

The captain looked at her in shock. "Your Majesty! We can't just-"

"I said stand down!" The girl said in a shattering roar.

Felt stared at the girl, amazed by the sound of absolute authority in her voice. 

The guards immediately fell back and lowered their weapons, looking at one another indecisively. Even Garfiel seemed thrown off step. He relaxed his posture with a sheepish expression on his face and he glanced back at Felt as if looking for instruction.

Felt could only shrug helplessly. "Don't look at me! I have no idea what's going on here!" She whispered.

The girl gave a ponderous sigh. "All of you will listen to me very carefully," She said in a soft voice that nonetheless carried an undercurrent of steel. "No one is to do anything until I have a thorough understanding of the situation."

Garfiel and the guards could only stare at each other awkwardly.

"Shrimp, what do we do?" Garfiel whispered.

Felt shrugged. "Let's just… see what happens," She muttered. "It's not like we could get into any more trouble at this point."

Garfiel grunted. "Famous last words, shrimp."

The girl left the table that she'd been sitting at and walked over to Gael's tea party where he was chatting animately with his rag doll.

"Gael," The girl said gently. "I really need to talk to you."

Gael looked up at her. "I'm playing with Anri right now," He said reproachfully.

The girl sighed. "I know that, Gael. But it is very important that we speak. I need you to help me understand something."

Gael grumbled something under his breath and he reluctantly turned his full attention to the girl in the elaborate gown. He placed the doll in his lap but continued to stroke and pet it absently.

"Gael, why did you run away today?" She prodded. "You've never done that to me before."

Gael seemed puzzled. He looked as if he wasn't sure what the girl was talking about. 

He thought long and hard and finally, his face lit up, "Oh! I went to go get her!" Gael said, pointing at Felt.

The girl shot Felt a puzzled look but Felt could only spread her arms helplessly in response.

"Gael," The girl muttered. "Who is she? Why did you bring her here?"

Gael had to think hard again. He looked as though he was searching his memory for some obscure fact, something learned long ago and then forgotten almost as far back. 

Finally, he said, "She's… She's Felt. I brought her here because she'd be good friends with Anri," He said with clear pride at his recollection.

Felt stared incredulously at the boy who had kidnapped her, climbed an enormous tower as if it was nothing, and who now appeared to have some very serious mental handicaps.

"Hey, shrimp, have you ever met this guy before?" Garfiel whispered.

"No way!" Felt hissed.

"Then how the hell did he even know your name?"

"How the hell did he just do any of the things that he did?!" Felt shot back.

Garfiel made a face and nodded.

The girl seemed just as baffled as she stared at Gael. "How… What made you think that we'd… that they'd be friends?" She asked, sounding frustrated.

Gael shrugged, returning his attention to the doll in his lap. "Subaru told me so," He said laconically.

"Subaru?!" Three voices all shouted at once.

Felt and Garfiel and the girl scrutinized each other intently.

"Yeah," Gael said, sounding as if he was only half paying attention. "Subaru said that they'd be good friends so when I saw Felt coming close to us, I went out to go get her. Anri's been pretty lonely lately. I really think that she works too hard. I wanted to introduce the two of them but I think that Anri's feeling a little shy today. Maybe I'll introduce them later."

The girl pursed her lips and stared at Felt and Garfiel. 

Felt flushed under the intensity of her gaze. 

Finally, the girl appeared to come to a decision. "Captain, take your guards out into the hall. I am not to be disturbed for any reason," She instructed.

"Your Majesty," The captain hissed. "I must protest! Leaving you alone with that girl is one thing, although clearly something that I would advise against, but I cannot in good conscience leave you alone with this savage animal!"

Garfiel snarled at the captain and took an aggressive step toward him. 

The guards began to raise their weapons again but Felt slapped Garfiel's arm, startling the boy. "Not now, fleabag!" She hissed. "We're outnumbered about ten to one up here! This is not the time to pick a fight over some inbred hick's bad manners!" 

The captain looked furious at Felt's comment but Garfiel reluctantly backed down and the guards once again lowered their blades.

The girl folded her hands behind her back. "I am not concerned, Captain," She said calmly. "I believe that I know who these people are."

"What if you're wrong, your Majesty?" The captain asked pointedly. "What if they're simply impersonating 'those people' that you know in order to get close to you?"

The girl looked faintly amused. "My dear, Captain," She said with a knowing smile. "Do you really believe that any manner of disguise, magical or otherwise, would be sufficient to deceive Gael?"

The captain frowned, mulling that over. "But what if that one attempts to become violent again?" He nodded toward Garfiel.

"Gael will be here," The girl replied. "In spite of his… sickness," She said with a sigh, "I am absolutely confident that he would never permit harm to befall me. And Gael can easily handle any threats that might emerge. Even if the Sword Saint himself should attack, he'd have no hope of victory against Gael," She said in a voice of absolute confidence.

Felt's jaw dropped in shock and then her face turned red with rage. "Hey! You listen to me, you pretentious, little-" She shouted but an enormous hand clapped over her mouth. 

Felt looked up at Garfiel in outrage.

"Not now, shrimp," Garfiel growled. "Remember? Outnumbered ten to one?"

Felt scowled but quickly nodded and Garfiel took his hand away.

The girl in the diadem observed Felt's reaction with confusion. 

Finally, she shook her head. "You have your orders, Captain. Carry them out," She said in a voice indicating that the matter was settled.

The captain looked extremely unhappy about this but he snapped his head toward the door and his men slowly backed away from Felt and Garfiel. 

They opened the door and the guards filed off of the terrace. The Captain was the last man to leave and he shot Garfiel a dark, warning look.

Garfiel just snorted at him.

The captain glowered before closing the door behind him.

This left just two people on the terrace with Felt and Garfiel: the girl in the diadem and Gael.

The girl studied Felt intently. "Are you really… Subaru's Felt?" She asked quietly.

Felt sighed. "Look, I would really like to object to the way that you phrased that but… sure. I guess, I am."

The girl gave her a faint smile. "Yes, it is rather annoying to always be referred to as though we were the possession of the dominant male in our circles, isn't it? Besides, if I remember what Subaru told me correctly, you're currently courting the Sword Saint."

Felt flinched violently, much to the girl's surprise. 

Garfiel put a steadying hand on Felt's shoulder.

The girl opened her mouth to ask a question but Garfiel abruptly cut her off. "Hey! Anybody want to tell me just what the hell is going on here?! Who the hell are you guys?!"

The girl studied the suddenly morose Felt for a moment and then turned her attention back to Garfiel and slowly inclined her head. "Yes, please excuse me. I have been very rude. My name is Kairei vas Sirosse an Ithil. I am the Princess of Siros," She said, flushing slightly. "I believe that we may have some… err, mutual friends."

"How do you know the Captain?" Garfiel asked intently.

"Who?" The girl asked in confusion.

"Wait a second," Felt said slowly. "Are you the Princess that Subaru got mixed up with in Gusteko?"

The girl gave her a faint smile. "I'm afraid that 'got mixed up with' is as accurate a description of our time together as any."

A thousand questions raced through Felt's mind and she tried to organize her thoughts. "Uh. I have some questions, Princess Kairei van Ciross…" She trailed off, struggling through the name.

The princess flashed her a surprisingly mischievous grin. "Call me 'Anri,'" She said. "It's much easier to say."

"Wait a second!" Garfiel exclaimed in sudden heat. "Are you that Gusteko bitch that accused the Captain of brainwashing her?!"

Anri flinched. "No! I mean… yes, I did but…"

Garfiel marched toward her, his face like a thundercloud and his fists raised.

Anri blanched and skittered backward.

"Hey! Fleabag!" Felt grabbed hold of the back of Garfiel's pants and dug her heels into the floor, desperately trying to slow him down. "Knock it off!"

"Why?!" He demanded, still stalking forward.

"Well, for one thing, him!" Felt snapped, pointing at Gael.

Garfiel stopped and looked speculatively at Gael who had now put his tea party on hold and was studying Garfiel with a dark expression. 

Felt stared into Gael's too-bright eyes. I don't like this guy. My instincts tell me that he could be seriously bad news. 

A princess was willing to trust her entire safety to him even against someone as tough and threatening as Garfiel whom she had just watched scale a hundred-foot tower. 

I mean, she's an idiot if she thinks that this bozo could actually fight Red but even the hint that he might be able to face him means that this guy is no joke. My gut tells me that we haven't seen more than a hint of his power and that I don't want to see any more…

"Listen to me!" Anri begged as Garfiel reluctantly paused his advance. "It was Subaru and Emilia's idea that I denounce them!" She protested. "They told me that doing it was the only way that we could keep half the world from declaring war on me! And so far… it seems to be working," Anri finished somberly.

Garfiel hesitated, looking uncertain. He turned to Felt for instruction.

"Yup. That sounds like Subaru alright," Felt sighed. "Prin… Anri," She amended. "Can you tell us what happened between you and Subaru up in Gusteko?"

"…And then they left," Anri sighed.

Garfiel made a face and rubbed his forehead. Yup. That sounds just like the Captain. Save the day, play the hero, and then somehow end up in even more trouble than he was when the whole mess started! 

Garfiel glanced at Felt who seemed to be deep in thought.

Anri sighed, "I haven't heard from them since then and I have no idea where they are now," She admitted.

Felt nodded slowly. "Well. Luckily we know where Subaru is and we're on our way to rendezvous with him."

Anri blinked. "Where is he?"

"In Girali, apparently," Garfiel said.

"Girali?! What in the world are they doing all the way out there?" Anri asked in shock. "Wait! Do they have something to do with the hostage crisis?"

Felt shot Garfiel an irritated look for giving away this type of information to someone they had literally just met. 

Anri observed Felt's clear annoyance and an amused smile flickered over her face.

"From what we've heard, they haven't even gotten there yet. They're supposed to be looking for something that can cure the witch," Garfiel continued, completely missing Felt's violent hand signals to stop talking.

Anri's smile faded. "Emilia is not a witch," Anri said in a voice of iron. "I am as certain of that as I am of few things in this world."

Garfiel's eyes widened at Anri's impassioned defense.

"How are you two getting all the way to Girali?" Anri asked.

"We managed to arrange passage with…" Felt hesitated.

"A weirdo," Garfiel cut in.

"Yeah," Felt sighed. "A weirdo. That is as good a description as anything. We're just waiting for him to finish trading in Priestella and then we'll keep on heading west. So, what are you doing here?"

Anri rolled her eyes. "My grandfather and I are here for a conclave this afternoon."

"A what?" Felt asked.

"A conclave is a private meeting of eminent individuals," Garfiel explained.

Felt stared at him in disbelief.

Garfiel looked incredulous. "Hey! I know shit! Quit acting surprised all of the time that I know shit!" He complained.

"The conclave," Anri continued smoothly before Felt could reply. "Is a meeting of all four nations intended to discuss the… 'disruptions' that have plagued the continent over the past few weeks."

"You mean the Captain," Garfiel said flatly.

Anri shrugged. "No. The focus is on the hostage crisis in the West. Although, I'd be astounded if Subaru and Emilia don't come up during the conversation. Really I'm just here because I'm hoping to be able to negotiate with Lagunica to normalize our relations again."

"Are you… speaking for Gusteko?" Felt asked.

Anri snorted. "Please! Gusteko's only unified voice is the church and they're too busy fretting over Holy King Gillecomgain's deathbed to do anything useful. I have no idea what other Gusteko rulers might choose to attend. And frankly, I won't miss them. I doubt that an encounter with any of the other Princes would be very pleasant right now," She sighed. 

Anri thought for a moment. "In any case, Grandfather and I had planned to speak to some of the Siros merchants about their concerns on our way to the conclave. I can't risk going out to Girali myself without causing an international incident right now but we may be able to offer you some assistance out there if any of our people are headed that way."

Felt nodded. "Thank you very much, Princess," Felt started to curtsy but then remembered she was wearing ragged trousers and chose to give a deep bow instead. "I think that we're alright for the moment but any help would be wonderful."

A loud knock came from the door to the terrace.

Anri rolled her eyes and checked a sigh. "Enter!" She snapped.

The captain marched in, favoring Garfiel and Felt with a cold look.

"Captain," Anri said in a clipped tone. "I thought that I'd made it clear that I did not wish to be disturbed."

"Yes, Princess," The Captain nodded. "But something has come up that I thought you'd wish to be made aware of."

Some of the ice went out of Anri's voice. "And what is that?"

"A blond, red-eyed woman is at the tower gate, demanding that she be brought to her 'servants.' Her description of these 'servants' sounds remarkably similar to those two," He gestured toward Felt and Garfiel.

Anri frowned and looked at Felt in confusion.

"How did she find us?!" Garfiel asked incredulously.

Felt rubbed her forehead and moaned. "Princess, could you do us a big favor and just… tell her that you had us executed or something?" Felt asked plaintively.

As the sun slid down beyond the horizon, Koh calmly drove the wagon across the Kararagi plains. 

"We'll spend the night in the shadow of the mighty Magolya Plateau," Koh called out to his passengers while smoking his pipe. "Then we'll head south to the Crumbly desert. We should reach Azamiki in a day or so."

Felt and Garfiel sat on the wagon tail-board with their legs hanging out the back. Priscilla had already fallen asleep.

Felt stared out over the plains. "Weird," She murmured.

"What is?" Garfiel asked.

Felt shrugged. "I just realized that I've never been outside of the kingdom in my whole life. It all looks so… normal out here. If you hadn't told me that we were in a new country, I never would have guessed."

Garfiel snickered. "Come on, shrimp, what were you expecting? Pink grass and a green sky?"

"Shut up, fleabag," Felt elbowed him with a snort. "I'm just saying, this place looks exactly like Lagunica."

Garfiel made a face. "That'll change as we head west," Garfiel said.

"What do you mean? And how do you know that?"

"I read books, shrimp," Garfiel said pointedly. "Maybe you ought to try it once in a while. Anyway, Kararagi is flatter and drier than most of Lagunica. There aren't many forests out this way and once we head further west, these green plains will dry out to a prairie and then a desert."

"Doesn't sound too attractive," Felt remarked.

Garfiel snorted. "Don't worry, I don't think that we're looking to buy any real estate out this way." He thought for a moment. "Hey, do you think that the stories are true?"

"Which stories?"

"The ones that say that Kararagi doesn't have the same kind of racial issues between humans and demi-humans that we see in Lagunica? You think that they might be true?" 

"Not for one second," Felt snorted. "I'm sure they don't have the same issues but civilization brings disparity. For every person on top, a hundred people need to be on the bottom, holding them up. That breeds resentment and the discontent festers until it becomes rage and hate."

Garfiel whistled. "Damn, shrimp. And I thought that I was cynical."

"What? Why would growing up in the slums, watching some of my neighbors starve to death while half of the local girls get beaten and assaulted make me cynical, fleabag?" Felt sighed.

Garfiel put a friendly arm around her.

Felt chuckled.

They rode in silence for a minute. 

"Garf," Felt murmured, staring up at the starry night sky. "Did you and Red… ever talk about me?"

Garfiel frowned. "Maybe once or twice," He said. "We didn't really get a chance to spend all that much time together if you recall. Why?"

Felt didn't answer right away. "No reason. I just wondered…" She whispered.

Garfiel glanced at her but her gaze was fixed on the stars. 

Garfiel craned his neck around the wagon and saw the silhouette of the massive plateau getting steadily closer. "Let's help Koh unhitch the dragons and then we can get some rest. It's going to be a long couple of days."

Subaru and Emilia camped out that night in western Lagunica. The evening weather was warm and balmy. Patrasche had already been fed and watered and was dozing off for the night.

Emilia had her arms wrapped around her knees, gazing into the fire while Subaru was taking things out of his satchel and examining them.

"Subaru," Emilia murmured, "How much further until we get to the narrows?"

Subaru shrugged. "I think that we'll probably get there sometime tomorrow morning," He replied, taking Beatrice's notebook out of his satchel and then feeling around inside the satchel.

Emilia looked at him in confusion. "Subaru, what are you doing?"

Subaru chuckled. "I've been meaning to go through my satchel ever since we left Gusteko."

Emilia frowned. "Why?" She asked.

Subaru gave a humorless chuckle. "Well, I found out that I'd spent a week carrying around a Witch's Gospel without even realizing it. Hopefully, I can avoid any more surprises like that."

A smile flickered across Emilia 's face. "Did you find any more black magic in there?"

"Does my cell phone count?" Subaru asked, holding up the flip phone.

Emilia stared at it for a moment and then her face brightened. "I remember that thing! You used it to 'curse' the muggers the day that we met!"

Subaru laughed. "I still can't believe that stunt worked!" He handed the phone to Emilia.

Emilia took the flip phone and managed to open it, studying it intently even though she was holding it upside down. The numbers on the buttons meant nothing to Emilia. "What is this for anyway?"

"It's a cell phone," Subaru explained. "It's used to communicate with others over long distances."

"Really?!" Emilia sounded very impressed.

Subaru gave her a knowing smile. "Don't get too excited. Its battery is completely drained. Besides, you'd need to have two of them to use it. And a whole network backing it up."

Emilia looked at him uncomprehendingly.

Subaru shook his head with a weary smile. "Don't worry about it. The important thing is that we can't use it for anything."

Emilia turned it over in her hands with a frown. "Is this… your only memento of your world?"

"Well, just that and my wallet and keys," Subaru replied, handing her a key chain.

Emilia studied it for a moment. "There are a lot of keys here. Were you responsible for a treasury on your world?"

Subaru chuckled. "Nah. Just a lot of keys for a lot of doors. There's one for my house, one for my locker at the gym, one for my grandparents' old house, one for a lockbox that I kept in my room, and one for our back door which for some reason, needed a different key than the front."

Emilia 's frowned, trying to digest this. "What are all these?" Emilia asked, gesturing toward a dozen small items that dangled from the key chain.

Subaru burst out laughing. "Oh. Those are charms."

Emilia 's eyes widened. "You mean like magic charms?!"

"No, nothing like that," Subaru chuckled, reaching over to take the key chain. "They're just like… cheap jewelry, I guess. Or maybe they're supposed to bring luck. When I was younger, charms were in vogue for a while. I remember that I went through a year where I was obsessed with charms! I still don't know why but I wanted them attached to everything. I still have them on my key chain but I took them off of everything else. I guess that these were my favorites or something.

"For my fourteenth birthday, I asked everyone to give me charms. I guess it was a cheap birthday party. My parents gave me these two," Subaru said in a melancholy voice, pointing out two charms that looked like a sun and an eight-rayed star, "My best friend Koushiro gave me this one," Subaru continued, pointing at a charm that looked like a gear.

Subaru pointed at a charm that was shaped like an Egyptian eye symbol and his smile flickered. He hesitated before continuing. "And my… um, other friend Anise, gave me this one. "

Emilia cocked her head, puzzled by his phrasing. "Subaru," She murmured. "Who's-"

"Do you ever wonder what happened to those muggers that we met in the capitol?" Subaru asked suddenly.

Emilia blinked. "No. Not really," She replied. "I haven't thought about them since then. Why?"

Subaru shrugged. "I don't know. I just wonder sometimes if thinking that they were under a curse that would kill them slowly each time they engaged in violence made them change. Maybe they reformed and actually did something with their lives. Or maybe they took two hours to realize that I was probably bluffing and they just went back to business as usual," He finished in a deflated tone.

Emilia gave him a small smile. "Subaru, I think that we have bigger problems to deal with than worrying about a group of muggers that we crossed paths with a few months ago," She said.

"Yeah, you're probably right," He admitted. "So, are you feeling any better now that Otto and the Ryuzus aren't around?"

Emilia sighed. She wrapped her arms around her knees and arched her back, looking up at the sky, her expression mortified. "I suppose. Honestly, with the benefit of hindsight, I know that I was being awfully silly insisting that we leave like that."

"Mili, you're under a ton of stress. It's bound to come out sometimes. Besides, we really did need to leave! The guards were turning the city upside down looking for us! We couldn't just hide in Otto's house for a few days! Not without the risk of turning Otto and the Ryuzus into fugitives too."

Emilia thought that over. "I suppose," She murmured.

Subaru squeezed her shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Emilia was silent for a long time and then she sighed. "Subaru. Everyone thinks that he freed the Sanctuary, " She muttered.

Subaru nodded. "I get that. We're in the process of fixing that. But why does that affect you so much?"

Emilia looked at him incredulously. "Subaru. That was my achievement! I tore myself to pieces to pass those trials but I did it! I … I proved that I…" She trailed off and turned her face away.

Subaru frowned at her. "You know, you have quite a few other accomplishments now, Mili," He said gently. "You've done a lot! Even if nobody knows about it yet."

Emilia sighed. "I know that, Subaru. And I know that it doesn't make any sense but… every time that someone tells me that it was Otto who freed the Sanctuary and not me, I … I just want to…!" Emilia slammed her fist into the dirt.

Subaru raised an eyebrow at this uncharacteristic display of fury and he rubbed her back. "Well, we're on our way to find the Book. With luck, we could have it in a couple of days and we could lift the curse within a week."

"Subaru, we still don't even know what to do with the book once we have it," Emilia reminded him.

"Sure we do," Subaru said. "We take it to the Od Laguna-"

"Which we have no idea how to find," Emilia finished.

Subaru made a face. "I'm not worried. I have a pretty strong suspicion that Korë will reappear just as soon as we get our hands on the Book and give us more directions. And even if she doesn't, I'm betting that the Ryuzus can help us find the Od Laguna if we really need them to. Shit, why didn't I think to ask them about that?"

Emilia shook her head. "The Sanctuary trials are important to me, Subaru," Emilia picked up the original topic. "I just… I wanted to be the hero for once…"

"But you are, Mili," Subaru reminded her. "You don't just have the Sanctuary on your resume anymore! You faced down the Snow Blight with me. When Elsa tried to kill me and Anri, you fought her off with your own two hands. You saved that entire village from Elsa. You got me out of Ganaks when I was trapped in there and you fought one of the most powerful knights in Ganaks in single combat. And let's not forget Capella," Subaru added wryly. "For a while, I thought that she was going to be the death of both of us but we beat her and now she's safely locked up in Siros! That's a heroic act!"

Emilia gave Subaru a skeptical look and then she sighed.

She looked up at the starry heavens with a moody expression. "You're right, Subaru," She admitted. "I know that in a few days this might all be behind us and I'll feel wonderful. But right now, it's not a few days from now and the fact that everyone thinks that Otto freed the Sanctuary… that matters to me a great deal more than it should …"

Subaru gave her a sympathetic look. "I guess I don't really understand," He confessed. "What is it that makes the Sanctuary trials so much more important than everything else that you've done?"

Emilia bowed her head and thought about it. "I… the Sanctuary trials are important to me. It's hard to explain why exactly but…" She shook her head. "I get so angry when people tell me that they think someone else passed the trials and saved everyone, " She confessed. "Do you understand what I mean?"

Subaru mulled it over. "Not really," He admitted with a guilty look. "I mean, I can sympathize but I can 't really empathize . Honestly, now that we 're trying to disappear, people ascribing my accomplishments to someone else would actually be kind of useful. Besides, I usually feel like most of my 'accomplishments' are just a combination of witchcraft and dumb luck. That makes it really hard for me to be invested in them or to take much pride in them."

Emilia frowned. "What do you mean?"

Subaru sighed. "I mean… This Authority thing… Why do I have it? I mean, why me ? "

"I don't understand."

Subaru made a face and tried to put his thoughts into words. "An Authority is supposed to be one of the greatest powers in the world. And this one just sort of… fell into my lap. It's not like I did anything special to deserve it or to earn it. So every time I use the Authority to do something it 's… it's hard to be proud of it. Holding an Authority doesn't make me better than anyone else, it just means that I was luckier than everyone else. If anything, it makes it harder to take pride in anything I do since it all comes back to the advantages that the Authority gives me, " He sighed.

Emilia looked confused. "But that's not fair, Subaru. What about all your plans and inventions? None of that had anything to do with the Authority. You built your engine with your own wits. And you managed to out-duel Julius who's one of the best swordsmen in the kingdom using nothing more than your own skills. That's what makes you so amazing! The Authority didn't help you with any of those things…"

Emilia trailed off. A shadow of emotion flickered over Subaru 's face but it vanished too fast for her to identify it. As she watched, Subaru's face became closed in. It was like watching a man put on a mask. "Subaru?" She asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, Mili?" He said calmly. His expression was placid and his eyes were empty.

Emilia frowned in confusion. Subaru had suddenly gone from sharing something intensely personal with her to wearing an impassive mask. He 'd never done that to her before.

"Are you… alright?" Emilia murmured.

"Just tired," Subaru said calmly. "You ready for bed?"

Emilia waited for a moment to see if Subaru would say anything else but she finally nodded. "Alright."

Subaru gave Emilia a perfunctory kiss and then slipped into their bedroll. Emilia joined him a moment later.

Rather than cuddle up as usual, Subaru kept his distance in bed tonight.

Emilia lay in the bedroll for a long time, unable to sleep and frantically trying to figure out what exactly she 'd done wrong.

The guards looked menacingly at Algiers as he walked through the Lagunican palace. Not because they thought that he didn 't belong there, the guards immediately assumed him to be a servant of some sort. They glared at him simply as a reminder to watch his step.

This was because Algiers was a demi-human, his race made clear by the speckling of green scales across his cheeks.

Algiers had worked as an information broker since he was a boy. He had a natural gift for appearing unassuming and for being ignored. He 'd provided information to various nobles, powerful businessmen, and even the Black Silver Coins over the course of his career.

Algiers was exceptionally good at not being noticed, even when he was someplace that he wasn 't supposed to be. Lagunican nobles often scoffed at this since no one could fail to notice a demi-human in any respectable environment but Algiers had claimed that this was the point: All anyone who looked at him ever saw was a demi-human. There was anonymity in being a demi-human. Most clear-skins couldn't tell what country he came from or what class he belonged to. Anyone questioning him took for granted that he was a stupid, ignorant person who was prone to making foolish mistakes and wandering into places that he should not be.

All of this allowed Algiers to infiltrate all kinds of well-guarded areas, posing as a servant, a drunk, or a fool.

Algiers didn 't do much personal infiltrating anymore. After Algiers successfully recovered intelligence regarding Vollachia's plans to take advantage of the chaos in southern Lagunica during the Demi-Human War, Lagunica had deployed its forces in such a way that Vollachia could have no doubt that their security had been compromised. The Empire had backed away from the conflict without a fight rather than engage the dragon kingdom on such unfavorable terms.

The royal assembly had been so impressed with Algiers 's work that they took him on contract, appointing him Lagunica's first Minister of Intelligence and charging him with building an intelligence service for the kingdom from the ground up.

The title of 'Minister' was largely invented specifically for Algiers. The Lagunican nobility was aghast at the thought of actually knighting a common sneak like Algiers, much less lording him. All the same, they were also uncomfortable placing an untitled commoner in any position of authority. The fact that he was a demi-human was just icing on the cake for them.

The title of 'Minister,' borrowed from Kararagi, was the compromise.

These days, Algiers mostly trained new recruits in how to be circumspect and unobtrusive so that they could gather information for him. He was very rarely called to the palace for a personal report. This was most unusual.

It was so unusual that Algiers couldn 't help but be anxious about this meeting and was afraid that he was about to be disciplined for some dreadful oversight. His tongue flicked out of his mouth, a nervous tick that he'd never successfully overcome.

Algiers opened the door to the Sages ' Council chamber and found the Sages waiting for him as was Lady Crusch and an unshaven, frustrated-looking man with red hair that Algiers vaguely recognized from somewhere.

Lady Crusch had a large map spread out on a podium on the council chamber floor.

"My lords," Algiers said with a small bow.

"Minister Algiers," Crusch said without preamble. "We have recently acquired some very concerning intelligence and we require your counsel on the matter."

Algiers raised an eyebrow. They acquired new intelligence from outside my network? How interesting. This must be important.

"How may I assist?" Algiers said with a faint hiss. Algiers had never learned to suppress the lisp that most of his kind possessed.

Lady Crusch took a deep breath. "A few days ago, Lord Heikel Astrea was attacked near the southern border of Lagunica by Vollachian forces. His guards were slaughtered but Lord Heikel managed to escape unharmed."

Algiers eyes widened. I knew nothing of this! I'm in very serious trouble here…

"My spy network has heard no such news," Algiers said weakly. "All of our evidence seemed to indicate that the Vollachian empire was undergoing significant internal turmoil right now and had no appetite to stir up trouble outside of its own borders."

Heikel snorted. "That's what we get for employing a demi-human for this sort of important job," He said, looking uncomfortable.

Algiers didn 't react to this comment, having heard far worse over the course of his career but Crusch immediately turned on Heikel.

"Be civil, Lord Heikel," She rebuked him. "This is no time for such distractions."

"Why are we even discussing this?" Heikel blustered. "I managed to cut my way free! Let's just forget the whole incident and move on!"

Algiers frowned. That … seems like an odd perspective for a man who was nearly killed just a few days ago.

Crusch shook her head. "Lord Heikel, permit me to remind you that there is an extremely fine line between courage and stupidity and I fear that you are about to cross over it. We have been saved from disaster once by blind luck. We can not rely on that happening a second time. We need to know as much as we can about this new threat."

Heikel fumed.

Why is he acting like this? Algiers mused.

Algiers flicked his tongue. "Where did this attack take place?" He asked.

Crusch turned to Heikel. "Lord Heikel?" She prompted when he didn't respond.

Heikel was flushed as he approached the map. "Right about 'here,' I guess," Heikel muttered, waving his hand vaguely over the southern part of the map.

Crusch looked incredulous. "Do you think that you could possibly elaborate ?! " She snapped. "Or did the fight stretch all the way from Abiate to Ladrima!"

Heikel scowled. "Look. We were searching up and down that area for hours before we found the soldiers! I'm not sure where we were! …Southwest of Abiate, I think."

Crusch nodded. "So that puts you right about here," Crusch murmured, pointing at the map to a spot between Abiate and Agante. "Also, I just received word that a carriage bearing the Astrea coat of arms was located in Abiate a day or two later."

"Yeah. Great," Heikel muttered.

Algiers scratched his chin as he studied the map. How did a group of Vollachian soldiers get to that area undetected?

More to the point, why? That country is very hard to move forces through. Even if we assume that the men Heikel faced were just scouts, what could they have been scouting for? Vollachia couldn 't hope to move an army through that terrain.

"What can you tell me about the forces that attacked you?" Algiers asked Heikel.

Heikel scowled. "I am sick of being questioned about this! I didn 't do anything wrong! I'm the hero who fought my way out of an ambush, alright?! I don't deserve to be treated like this!" He shouted at everyone.

Crusch took a deep breath and then she slowly let it out. "Lord Heikel," She said in a dangerously quiet voice. "No one is accusing you of wrongdoing. I am attempting to gather intelligence to prevent our enemies from making a move on our southern border. Now please, answer Minister Algiers's question."

Heikel seethed. "A few dozen soldiers. They called themselves the Garklan Liberation Front," He muttered.

The what?! Algiers thought incredulously. "Oh my," Algiers whispered, trying to stall as he desperately wracked his brains for anything related to this.

"You've heard of them then?" Crusch asked.

"Not for a very long time," Algiers hedged. "I thought that they had been finished off by the Emperor years ago. If the Garklan Liberation Front is taking action again, that's a solid sign that the chaos in Vollachia is even worse than we had heard."

"I had a similar thought," Crusch said.

"Alright," Heikel grumbled. "Can I go now? I'm sick of dealing with this. It's not like anything of value was lost other than my mother's sword."

Crusch turned and stared at Heikel for a long moment. Then she reared back and punched him full in the face.

It was more than some girlish slap, Crusch knew how to put real muscle behind the blow and Heikel went crashing to the floor.

A moment later, he stood up, spitting out blood and teeth.

"Nothing of value?" Crusch growled, her body trembled like an awakening volcano. "Nothing of value?! Have you already forgotten the dozens of brave mercenaries who fought these rogues for you?! How these brave men and women laid down their lives to save your worthless skin?! Does that truly mean nothing to you?! Your men are not even cold in their unmarked graves and you already denigrate their sacrifice!"

Heikel looked livid. It seemed like he wished more than anything that he could draw his sword and Crusch looked as though she would relish the fight also.

"Lady Crusch," McMahon murmured.

Crusch glanced at McMahon and muttered something under her breath that could have possibly been considered an apology.

Heikel 's eyes darted around the room as if he was searching for some escape.

Algiers 's jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

Of course! I don 't know why I didn't see it before! Heikel is making this whole story up!

Algiers looked at the map and noted the close proximity of Agante. There were no invaders! There were no guards! Heikel was on his way to Agante to visit a gambling house or some brothel and he was jumped by thieves! That 's how he lost his carriage and his family sword! He needed to find a way to explain what happened to this heirloom somehow and so he dreamed up this crazy story!

Heikel wasn 't attacked by an army of foreigners. He was probably set upon by a gang of common roughnecks and they got the best of him!

Or maybe he just bet the sword and carriage at some gambling house and he lost them that way.

This is ridiculous. The only reason that Crusch and the Council haven 't seen through this ludicrous web of lies already is that they probably can't believe that any sane man would make up such an enormous lie and send the entire government into a frenzy just to spare himself embarrassment!

Crusch and the others are assuming that Heikel is too smart to make up such a dumb story that will never hold up to scrutiny in the long run. I often find this exact oversight to be a common hole in the nobility 's calculations: they tend to assume that no one in their class will be willing to do something truly stupid without even considering the consequences.

Sooner or later, the lie will be exposed and then Heikel will be in real trouble!

So, what do I do now?

I could expose Heikel easily enough. I could just suggest that we search the area for the 'brave and valiant mercenaries' to give them a proper burial and then wait until her scouts tell Crusch that there's absolutely no way that a battle happened in that area any time recently. There would be no blood or bodies to be found.

That would punish Heikel, alright. But maybe I can do one better.

I 've been begging the council for a budget increase for years.

"Vollachia has invaded Lagunican and attacked our citizens," Crusch said grimly to the assembled sages. "There is only one thing that we can do. We must mete out a punishment on the Empire to convince them that such unwarranted aggression will not be tolerated."

"I think, perhaps, that I have a better idea," Algiers broke in.

Crusch turned. "What do you mean?"

"There's only one reason for the Garklan Liberation Front to have been up in that area," Algiers said smoothly. "They must have been trying to make contact with the Black Silver Coins. You know, Lord Heikel, the Coins practically own Agante," Algiers said in a pleasant aside to the guard captain. "It's absolutely full of gambling halls and brothels."

Heikel 's eyes darted back and forth like a trapped animal and he grumbled something under his breath.

"What exactly is your point?" Crusch asked Algiers.

"The front must be looking for allies in their quest for independence. Why don't we just offer aid to the Front?" Algiers said simply. "We could give them money, weapons, supplies, things that would make a real difference in their fight. That would distract Vollachia and force them to devote more resources to crushing the Front and that would take pressure off of our southern border."

Crusch squinted at him. "You're suggesting that we just give them money ? " She asked skeptically.

"Better to waste money than soldiers' lives, Lady Crusch," Algiers said piously.

Crusch 's eyes widened.

Got her, Algiers thought triumphantly.

"Minister," Crusch said slowly, seeming to mull the concept over. "Even supplying these radicals would certainly be perceived as an act of war."

"Only if we're caught," Algiers said pleasantly. "Trust me, my service has plenty of experience in purchasing and delivering untraceable goods. We'll make sure that there's no paper trail that could possibly lead back to us. Give me a budget for this mission and I'll make sure that the Front stays out of our hair from now on and that it is fully focused on fighting Vollachia."

Algiers saw out of the corner of his eye that Heikel looked like he was struggling not to choke.

Algiers fought to keep a smile off his face.

The sages quickly conferred with one another.

"This seems like a sensible course of action to us," McMahon said gravely. "How quickly can this be put into action?"

"It will take some time, your Excellency," Algiers cautioned. "First, we need to make contact with the Front and negotiate a deal. At the same time, we'll need to launder the money and the goods and be certain that nothing can be traced back to us. It could take weeks. This means we need to move quickly before the Emperor can stamp out these latest detractors and crush the rebellion."

McMahon nodded. "Very well. We'll see that the funds are released to you by tonight." He gaveled and the five sages stood up and left the room.

Heikel was fuming at Algiers, his face bright red. He made a threatening hand gesture toward the Minister and then he stalked out of the council chamber.

Algiers fought to keep a grin off his face.

"A shrewd gambit, Minister," Crusch murmured to him. "These are not the kinds of wars that I usually fight," She reflected.

"Oh, these types of wars are my specialty, Lady Crusch," Algiers assured her.

Crusch took a deep breath. "Minister, about that… personal matter, that I mentioned before?"

Algiers stiffened. If I cross Montefort, I 'm a dead man. If I tell her anything about Felix, I'm just signing my own death warrant.

It 's nothing personal, Crusch. I actually always liked you and as little as I care for the Grand Duke, I'm still extremely fond of my own skin.

"I'm terribly sorry, Lady Crusch. But I've seen no sign of Felix," He lied. "I have my very best men working on it and I assure you that as soon as I learn anything, I will contact you immediately."

Crusch took a deep breath. "Thank you, Minister. I am very grateful," She murmured.

The pair started to leave the council chamber and then Crusch paused, seeming to be deep in thought.

"Is something wrong, Lady Crusch?" Algiers asked solicitously.

"My heart aches for those poor mercenaries who fell in the battle, Minister," Crusch admitted. "While I have no great love for soldiers of fortune, they fought to the last man against a superior force and that alone is worthy of respect. Honorable soldiers shouldn't be left unburied along the road for the sport of the wolves and crows. I'm considering dispatching my scouts to locate their bodies and grant them an honorable burial."

Algiers moved quickly to head this off. "Allow me , Lady Crusch, " Algiers suggested. "My scouts know that area well. I can locate the bodies with much less effort."

Crusch considered that. "Very well then. Thank you. But please, if you find the bodies, please bury them properly."

Algiers nodded. "You may rely on me, Lady Crusch. Any corpse that we locate from Heikel's great battle will be buried with full honors."

Crusch appeared conflicted.

Algiers raised an eyebrow. "Lady Crusch?" He prompted.

She sighed. "Minister. I require your counsel on an intensely personal matter," She admitted.

Algiers 's gaze sharpened. "Of course, Lady Crusch."

"Minister," Crusch said uncertainly. "You know of Felix's plight. And I have devoted every waking moment to searching for him since his disappearance. But if the chaos in Vollachia truly threatens to spill over into Lagunica, as a member of the War Council, can I truly justify spending my time so? Should I not be completely devoted to protecting our borders in a time of potential crisis? Minister, you understand the geopolitical situation in the South better than anyone. If there is anyone who has the ability to accurately judge the danger, it is you. Can I afford to continue searching for my dearest friend or is this Garklan Liberation Front a sign that war is imminent and that I must respond accordingly?"

Algiers looked sober. "It is difficult to say for certain but…"

"You sense that war is in the offing," Crusch said grimly.

Algiers nodded. "Perhaps it would be best to focus on your duties for the time being. Don't worry. I have my best operatives on Felix's trail."

Crusch sighed. "That is the only reason that I can bear to break off the hunt for my dearest friend. Without you, I would feel as if I were abandoning him."

"Finding the lost and kidnapped is my specialty, Lady Crusch. Rest assured, my men will not rest until he is safely back home with you."

Crusch touched his shoulder fondly. "Thank you, my friend, for your wise counsel. Duty is a stern mistress, is she not?"

Algiers nodded somberly as Crusch swept past him and left the council chamber.

Algiers smirked. I wonder if I could talk Montefort into paying me for this …

Crusch left the palace with a scowl on her face.

She came down the long stairway from the palace to the street where a carriage waited for her. Two men in armor stood in front of it.

"Lady Crusch," Captain Marwain said with a bow.

"Lady Crusch," Captain Falric echoed.

Crusch 's hand was on her sword hilt. "Did you carry out your instructions?" Crusch asked as she reached street level.

"We did," Falric spoke for both of them. "Sadly, there was no news to be found."

"Was the Minister able to provide anything useful?" Marwain asked.

"The Minister has betrayed us!" Crusch said flatly. "He belongs to Montefort."

"What?! Are you sure?" Falric gasped.

"I am absolutely certain," Crusch said in a bitter tone. "I will not disclose my mind further on a city street but I trust that you both know what this means: If Algiers is our foe then that means that the entire intelligence service is compromised. In other words, if we are to have any hope of freeing our friend, we must do so ourselves."

Falric nodded slowly. "I will refrain from further queries to the Minister then," He said.

"Absolutely not!" Crusch said sharply, as she opened the door and climbed into the carriage. "Continue them, exactly: no more and no less than before. We know that Algiers is a traitor but he does not know that we know. It is a small advantage, gentlemen, but any advantage must be held dear right now."

Falric and Marwain both looked slightly confused.

Crusch sighed and spoke in a softer voice, "Captains, we are soldiers. We are not equipped to play these political mind games with the sort of cowards and traitors who take hostages and levy threats against innocent people. Nonetheless, for the sake of our dear friend, we must play this game. And we must win it. "

"Yes, Lady Crusch," They said in tandem.

Crusch nodded. "Home," She called up to the driver.

The carriage pulled away, leaving the two captains behind at the palace.

The next morning, Subaru and Emilia quickly broke camp and had a brief breakfast of travel rations. Then they continued traveling west toward Kararagi.

Emilia studied Subaru carefully as they packed up the tent and saddled Patrasche but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Are you feeling… alright, Subaru?" Emilia asked.

Subaru shrugged. "I feel tired but aside from that, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Emilia hesitated, her face twisted in concern. "Well… last night, you acted like something was really bothering you."

Subaru shrugged. "Oh. I was just tired. Nothing that two or three weeks of vacation couldn't cure."

Emilia frowned, not believing him for an instant.

"What about you?" Subaru asked, changing the subject. "You were the one having a tough time over the past few days."

Emilia shrugged. "I'm alright."

"Well, let's keep heading west. We can be in Kyo in a day or two."

As Subaru and Emilia headed northwest, the land rose up and became hilly and craggy. The road led them up to a high ravine. Subaru and Emilia rode beside a vast chasm where the mighty Tigracy river burrowed through the earth far below.

"This canyon is enormous," Subaru commented, peering down into the chasm as Patrasche ran alongside it.

"I read about it when I was a girl," Emilia recalled. "It's supposed to be close to three hundred miles long and up to eighteen miles wide."

Subaru whistled. "Glad someone made a bridge. I'd really hate to have to go all the way around it."

Emilia nodded. "The Theodosian Narrows are supposed to be in the center of the canyon. It's a spot where the canyon narrows and people built a bridge across it," She paused and lifted herself off the saddle, peering into the distance. "I think that I can see it."

Subaru shielded his eyes against the sun 's glare. He squinted, then shook his head. "Well, I can't," He admitted.

"It's not too much farther," Emilia assured him. "We should make it comfortably before lunch."

They rode on until Subaru could see a vast structure in the distance, seeming to float in the air across the canyon. As Patrasche ate up the miles, the bridge became clearer.

In the distance, Subaru could just make out the Theodosian Narrows, a towering stone bridge that stood on many enormous pillars, bridging the gap between the east and west sides of the continent.

"That is one enormous bridge," Subaru said.

"It's five miles across," Emilia agreed.

Subaru whistled. "Not sure if there are bridges that big back home," Subaru admitted. "And just think, they built this bridge here without the use of any machines…"

"Machines?" Emilia asked. "You can use machines to build bridges? This bridge was shaped centuries ago using earth magic."

Subaru chuckled. "Well, we don't have magic back home so we had to improvise."

When Subaru arrived at the bridge entrance, he found a long line of people being questioned by guards before being permitted onto the bridge.

The bridge was an enormous six-lane highway that stretched across the enormous gorge. Three lanes going in each direction: One lane for riding dragons, one lane for dragon-drawn wagons, and one lane for pedestrians. To Subaru 's surprise, the bridge appeared to have small islands of grass and trees built into it, interspersed with benches and hitching posts to give the travelers places to rest on their journey across.

Subaru watched the guards closely as they questioned the travelers that were already waiting in front of Patrasche. These guards had different uniforms than what Subaru was used to and they carried crossbows instead of swords or spears.

"I'm guessing that those are Kararagi guards?" Subaru murmured to Emilia.

Emilia cocked her head. "But why would Kararagi guards be in Lagunica?" Emilia asked.

Subaru thought about it for a moment and he noticed that there were several Lagunican guards standing on the bridge but they were only questioning people coming from the other way, questioning the people who were entering the country. "This is just a guess but I'm thinking that Lagunica guards are mostly monitoring the other side. The Kingdoms probably don't really care about who leaves their territory, they just want to know who comes in."

I guess the kingdom isn 't used to an international manhunt. They must still be working out the tricks of the trade.

Emilia frowned. "Subaru, what are we going to tell the guards?"

Subaru shrugged. "Well, I'm not sure what kind of questions they're going to ask but I don't think that Kararagi has any reason to be looking for us."

"Subaru, the royal council declared us witches!" Emilia reminded him.

"Yeah, but I don't plan to bring up that little detail. Besides, I kind of doubt that the other nations are taking those accusations very seriously so far. Except for Gusteko," Subaru amended with a sigh. "Gusteko probably believes them. Anyway, I'm assuming that Kararagi and Vollachia are still thinking that this is an internal political dispute and that the witch thing is just a smear campaign."

"I hope so," Emilia said in a small voice.

"Better keep your hood up, Mili," Subaru reminded her. "Just in case."

They waited patiently in line as the guards questioned each traveler about the purpose and length of their visit. A few merchants who were traveling in covered wagons were forced to show documentation for their right to ship goods into the country and a few wagons got searched but for the most part, the investigations felt perfunctory and the line moved quickly. Pedestrians and riding dragons were barely glanced at. It seemed that the guards ' primary focus was on merchant paperwork and the possibility of smuggling.

Subaru finally rode up to the group of guards and he obediently reined in Patrasche at their direction.

The guards all looked bored. The leader was a demi-human with curly rams ' horns coming out of the sides of his curly white hair. He also had a short white goatee.

"You are now entering Kararagi," The man said authoritatively. "Do you have anything to declare?"

Subaru shrugged. "We're traveling light," He replied. "We have a tent, some rations, and some fire-stones for the trip. That's about it."

The guard nodded. "Destination?"

"Girali," Subaru answered.

"Girali?!" The leader said in surprise. His eyes sharpened. "What's your business all the way out there?! You're no merchant!"

Shit. For whatever reason, that got his attention. I need to come up with a strategy to convince him that our trip is just personal business.

Unfortunately, I don 't know much about Kararagi. I'm also pretty sure that mentioning a flying island will just get us subjected to more scrutiny. If the man has never heard of it, he'll just think that I'm messing with him. Even if he has heard of it, he'll have questions about why I'm so interested in the place, especially if it was once the lair of an ancient witch.

"My wife and I are going to visit my aunt," Subaru said quickly. "She runs an inn in Girali."

The guard squinted up at him. "What's your Aunt's name?"

"Rose," Subaru answered at once.

The head guard glanced at one of his subordinates, a pudgy human who nodded, "I remember that there is an inn in Girali run by a lady named Rose. Or at least there was the last time I was there. "

The head guard seemed satisfied. "Alright, you can pass. Be careful though. Girali isn't a safe place to be right now. Behave yourselves while you're a guest in our country. And I don't care how things are done in Lagunica, so long as you're in our lands you 'll show due respect to any demi-humans that you meet."

The guard reached up to touch his own horns meaningfully.

Subaru looked surprised. "What a refreshing attitude," Subaru said. "You don't need to worry about us in that regard."

"I sure hope not," The head guard said, jerking his head to the side. "Get out of here."

Patrasche ate up the distance across the bridge without any effort. Subaru watched as people traveled the bridge in both directions. The enormous bridge had several rest areas for the wagons and pedestrians to catch their breath and admire the view before continuing but for anyone mounted on a riding dragon, the bridge length was not daunting.

Subaru watched in confusion as a wagon slowly passed him heading the other way. The wagon itself was not especially unusual but it was being pulled by a beast that looked like an enormous tawny tiger.

"Mili, what's that?" Subaru whispered.

"The wagon?" Emilia asked in confusion.

Subaru shot her an annoyed look. "No! Not the wagon! The giant cat pulling it!"

"Oh!" Emilia said in understanding. "That's called a 'liger.' It's a kind of spirit beast that lives in Kararagi, the same way that earth dragons live in Lagunica. You've never seen one before?"

Subaru digested that. "No. I… guess I thought that everyone used earth dragons on the continent."

"Um, I think that earth dragons are the most popular beasts of burden but every nation has its own variety of spirit beasts. Earth dragons are considered a symbol of Volcanica. It was the dragon's blessing on the kingdom that allowed earth dragons to be born there so they're very important to Lagunican culture."

"Huh," Subaru murmured. "Sometimes I forget that I've only been on this world for a few months and that I still know so little about it."

Emilia chuckled. "Well, we haven't had a lot of time for reading and study since we left the capitol."

"Yeah but considering all the studying that we did do to get ready for the royal selection, I would have thought that I'd be better informed about a lot of this stuff," Subaru mused as Patrasche stepped off the bridge.

Subaru saw Kararagi guards on this side questioning people about to get on the bridge but no Lagunican soldiers were in sight. "Huh. So Lagunican guards don't watch this end of the bridge at all. That's kind of interesting."

"Subaru, do you know which way we go now?" Emilia asked.

Subaru scanned the area and saw several lines of wagons following a hard-packed dirt road leading northwest. "On a hunch, I'm going to say that's probably the Northern Caravan Route that Otto talked about. So let's head that way. We can be in Kyo in a day or two"

Patrasche leaped onto the road and sped down it with a speed that left all the slow-moving wagons in the dust.

An hour or two later, Emilia shielded her eyes and scanned the horizon. "Subaru! I think that's the Magolya Plateau!" Emilia said excitedly.

Subaru squinted off to the south and thought that he saw an enormous shape in the distance like a huge tree stump that must have been a hundred miles across. "What's that?"

"It's where the city of Fusumi is supposed to be located but more importantly, that's where the Grand Mogolade Geyser is and the Cragrel Moving Forest!"

"The what?!"

"The Cragrel Moving Forest is a wonder of the world!" Emilia said eagerly. "It's a forest that adapted to the dry conditions around the plateau by pulling their own roots out of the soil to walk on them!"

"Are you messing with me?" Subaru asked suspiciously.

"No! The Geyser erupts several times a day, showering patches of the plains beyond the plateau with water. But shifts in the prevailing winds mean that the ground which ground that the geyser waters, changes as the year passes. The forest couldn't wait to get a drink only once a year so they adapted to follow the Geyser's rain through the plains! Subaru, do you think we can stop there? I've always wanted to see the forest!"

Subaru bit his lip to keep from laughing. I don 't know if I've ever seen Emilia get this excited. She's like a little girl on her way to the carnival.

"Sure why not? It's not like we have an exact timetable for when we need to get to Kyo."

"This is going to be amazing!" Emilia squealed.

"Maybe but be prepared, Mili," Subaru warned her in a dry voice. "With our luck, there's no way that this place isn't the lair of a Sin Archbishop or a dragon or some kind of weird mabeast with six heads…"

Subaru and Emilia rode Patrasche closer to the Magolya Plateau.

Emilia was so excited that she was almost bouncing in the saddle.

"I've always wanted to come here!" She cried in delight, peering into the distance to see the forest.

Subaru chuckled. "Well, at least you can't say that I never take you anywhere."

Emilia laughed. "Subaru, since we've met, I feel like we've seen most of the world!"

Subaru sighed. "And once we use the Book and get the spirits back, maybe we'll have the chance to slow down and enjoy it."

"Subaru, I-" Emilia cut herself off as her face brightened. "There! I see the forest!"

Subaru shielded his eyes and stared into the distance. At this range, all he could see was a group of towering shapes like mountains in the hazy distance not far from the foot of the plateau.

By lunchtime, Subaru and Emilia rode into the forest. The trees that had seemed so large from a distance became towering skyscrapers when viewed up close. These trees were huge ancients of gnarled bark. The largest trees towered at least three hundred feet high with branches that shaded whole acres. The center of the forest was home to a true titan, a tree double the size of its largest neighbors.

Subaru rode up to the forest and reined Patrasche in, staring at the trees in disbelief.

The trees were moving .

Subaru watched as their roots stretched out in front of the trees like tentacles which then dug into the earth and dragged the trees ponderously forward, their trunks held erect and pointing up at the sky the whole time. It was a little like watching an enormous nautilus drag itself slowly across the land.

The largest trees made a loud rumbling sound as they dragged themselves through the hard clay.

Now that Subaru was closer, he saw that the trees came in all shapes and sizes. Some were smaller than Subaru. These lithe-limbed saplings, clambered quickly forward, their root-tentacles reminiscent of a spider 's legs as they crept tentatively along, seeking out small puddles of water.

Subaru watched as a sapling only about six feet tall crept in front of them. It only moved about as fast as a man would run.

The tiny tree planted its thin roots into a small puddle of water and quickly drank the puddle dry. Then the tentacles began to feel around like blind limbs, seeking out more water and pulling the trunk behind them.

Subaru glanced up at a larger tree. Its roots were larger than some tree trunks. The roots creaked audibly as the behemoth crept by, its wood shifting and cracking as the towering tree pulled itself along. Its movements were slow and ponderous but with each 'step' that it took, it covered a vast distance.

The giant 's root-tentacles caressed the sand in front of it, searching for water with tendrils that seemed long, thin, and hair-like relative to the size of the tree but to Subaru they seemed like huge branches.

"Mili," Subaru whispered. "Please tell me that these things don't eat people."

Emilia chuckled. "Subaru, they're plants , " She said patiently.

"Yeah and most plants don't eat people," Subaru admitted. "Then again, most plants don't crawl across the desert in search of water either!"

"Subaru, you're really a pessimist sometimes," Emilia teased.

"Well, How-" Subaru was cut off as Patrasche leaped aside with a honk of protest as a tree the size of a wagon moved toward them, threatening to clamber right over the dragon.

Subaru patted the irate dragon 's neck. "How do we get through here?" Subaru asked. "These trees are like rush hour traffic."

"Like what kind of traffic?" Emilia asked in confusion.

Subaru shook his head. "Never mind. Is there anywhere in particular that you want to go?"

"I'd love to see the enormous tree at the center up close!" Emilia said.

Subaru nodded. "Alright, then let's head that way," He nudged Patrasche and the dragon took off running, navigating between moving trees like a cyclist trying to avoid cars trapped in gridlock.

Emilia was almost bouncing in the saddle. "I can't wait to see the biggest tree," Emilia said excitedly.

Subaru chuckled. "Well, it's your lucky day," Subaru said as the dragon trotted deeper into the marching forest, dodging limbs and trees every few feet. "But the moment that this thing says 'Feed me, Seymour,' we're leaving!"

Subaru and Emilia rode through the lines of marching trees and found a massive open space surrounding the titanic tree at the heart of the forest.

Emilia sounded thoughtful. "So… your world has visitors from other worlds too but they were plants who tried to eat everybody?"

Subaru sighed. "No, Mili," He said. "That didn't really happen. It was just a movie."

"And a movie is like a play?" Emilia clarified.

"Yeah, close enough," He admitted.

Emilia thought it over. "People-eating plants seems like a very strange thing to write a play about."

"Don't blame me. I didn't write it," Subaru said as they rode up to the uncontested King of the Forest and reigned in.

The massive tree was at least twice as large as its nearest neighbor. It towered over the desert with a leafy crown that shaded hundreds of acres. The other trees gave the titan a wide berth, seeking to keep their own leaves in the sunlight.

The tree 's roots were the size of freeway on-ramps and the creaking sound that they made was deafening as it pulled the Goliath along. The thing moved ponderously but it covered a huge distance with each step and Patrasche had to run to keep up with it.

"Isn't this amazing?" Emilia whispered. "I always wanted to see these trees. Imagine having these in the Elior Forest!"

Subaru snorted. "If we did, I'd suggest that we consider moving into their branches before one of the trees steps on our house! "

Emilia sighed. "You know, not everything needs to be practical, Subaru," She said reprovingly.

Subaru chuckled.

Emilia sighed and smiled up at the trees. "It's such an awe-inspiring sight…" She said in rapture.

Subaru glanced at Emilia. "So these trees just walk around the plateau?"

Emilia nodded. "They travel all year round. The great Geyser erupts eight times a day and the prevailing winds shift every gush a little further around the Plateau. These trees would never have survived if they stood rooted in the ground and waited for the rain. So they adapted to follow the water."

Subaru chuckled. "I wonder if there are any lumberjacks around here."

Emilia gave a slight smile. "Harvesting the wood for the Cragrel forest is extremely dangerous, Subaru. The wood is very valuable but not only do people need to dodge the trees' movement, which isn't always easy to do on foot, but the trees react aggressively to anyone trying to cut them."

"Yeah, I can understand that."

"This tree is called 'Eridu,'" Emilia said with a fond smile at the enormous tree. "And this forest was once called Eridu's Grove. Eridu is believed to be the first tree that grew here and all the others are its children and grandchildren."

"Big family," Subaru offered.

Emilia laughed. "A very big family! The Eridu is thousands of years old! If you look closely, you can see the signs. "

"Huh?" Subaru asked.

Emilia just pointed at the tree. A moment later, Subaru realized that messages had been carved into the bark.

"Many people come here to write down messages that they want to commit to eternity," Emilia explained. "They carve them into the trees. The softer wood of smaller trees is capable of being cut and carved but the bark of the elder trees is impenetrable. So the messages that people write will endure there forever as the tree ages."

Subaru 's eyes widened. "So people actually climb these things to carve messages into the bark?" He asked incredulously.

Emilia nodded with a chuckle. "They do! Some of the messages carved in the largest trees are many thousands of years old and some are written in languages that nobody can read anymore."

"Wow," Subaru murmured as Patrasche began to circle the mammoth tree. This thing is the size of a stadium, Subaru thought in amazement.

"Look at all the messages," Emilia murmured.

Subaru glanced at the trunk and indeed saw that messages were scattered everywhere. He could read some of them but even they didn 't make much sense.

"'In the 3rd year of the reign of King Matthias, there came the strife of Carcosa where Artorias and Medraut fell at Badon Hill,'" Subaru read.

He shook his head. "What a pointless message…"

"What do you mean?"

"The message doesn't tell us anything! I have no idea who King Matthias is so I don't know when this happened. And what about Artorias and Medraut? What were they fighting about? Hell, were they fighting as allies against a common foe or were they fighting each other? Whoever wrote this message down was a lousy historian and I can't imagine why he wanted this to be recorded."

Subaru scanned another message on the lower bark. "I don't recognize the language for this one," he admitted. "How about you?"

Emilia shook her head, "No. The books that I read as a girl said that nobody can read a lot of the messages on the Eridu's trunk anymore."

Subaru chuckled. "Gee, I sure hope that these messages weren't anything important!"

Emilia giggled. "'Dear people of the future. Your world will end if you do not do this very important thing.'"

"'Watch out for that Witch of Envy,'" Subaru joked. "'She may not be trustworthy.'"

Emilia poked him but she smiled at the same time.

Emilia studied the tree and she noticed a large message. This message appeared to be much longer than the others and it was carved inside of a large block outline. "Look at that, Subaru. That must have been a really important message. Maybe it tells us how to find the Od Laguna," She quipped.

Subaru didn 't reply.

"Subaru?" She asked. A moment later, Emilia realized that Subaru staring up at the tree in shock.

"Subaru! What's wrong?" She hurried to his side.

"Mili," Subaru said in a choked whisper. "That's English!"