THE KEEPERS RISE

Chapter 16 - Out of Sync - Part 3

*Remember to click the play button to listen to the soundtrack as you read!*

MepQueen Rhea and MepKing Alesteir stood before a huge congregation of meps, though not as big as they had hoped. Plenty of the citizens of Trekorona hadn't survived the Red Wolf attack, and even more had scattered into the Nirva and surrounding regions. A few scouting parties had been sent to search the nearby hills for more survivors, but navigating the maze-like forest past such landmarks was a fool's errand. While most folk tales about the shapeshifting nature of the woods were only intended to scare young children, the wise knew that the Nirva had a history of strange happenings.

The meps who had managed to get onto royal guard ships at transport stations before the city was overrun had been taken here, to the old capital of one of the three queendoms that came before Myusaria. The crowd looked anxious, distraught, and eager to get to the clumps of hammocks that a few divisions of the royal guard had been busily hanging up. It was very late at night, and many more guards were standing watch around the old city square, eyes peeled for lika and other wild beasts.

The old capital, while run-down and overgrown by forest undergrowth, was as good a place as any to regroup and plan. It was unknown on recent maps of Myusaria, and the way the forest had greedily reclaimed the land made it nearly invisible from the air. Once the buildings were cleaned up, it could easily house Trekorona's surviving population, though MepQueen Rhea worried that they would have to resort to other safe locations as more cities were taken.

The royals stood on one of the lead royal guard ship's engines to be visible to the masses. "It's just as we feared," Rhea began. "The Red Wolves are spreading from Trekorona, and all of Myusaria is under attack. While I do always admire the fighting spirit of mepkind," she said with a weak smile, "their forces are far too powerful and numerous for us to handle alone. I've sent word to the tarrephaene, and I'm hopeful that they will come to our aid."

"We shouldn't give up, though," Alesteir said. "We must put our minds together and maintain a low profile until more are gathered here. We may be able to fight off the Red Wolves ourselves, given enough meppower and proper planning."

"We need to start preparing for war," Rhea said sternly. "It must be sooner than the Red Wolves expect. In the morning, anyone with any magic of any strength shall meet the Council here to discuss our efforts, and Alesteir and I will be gathering all other able-bodied meps in the old hangar. That is all."

The royals slowly climbed down from the engine with the help of a few royal guards, meeting Mortimer at the bottom while the crowd dispersed. He had been unusually silent during the emergency evacuation, and he still refused to make eye contact with either of them. "Are you all right?" Alesteir asked, ruffling his fur affectionately.

"What if the Red Wolves got to Velda too?" Mortimer murmured. "That might be why the Keepers disappeared."

"We know the Keepers were kidnapped by Dark forces," Rhea said gently. "The Red Wolves are a very different matter. They're known for attacking the Dark, in fact."

Alesteir picked Mortimer up and balanced him gingerly on his head as the royals walked towards their own hammocks. A few royal guards followed them at a distance. "I'm sure Velda's just busy fighting the forces of evil," he said brightly. Mortimer started to slip off of the MepKing's fur and reflexively grabbed a few tufts in front of him. "Ouch. Be careful up there," Alesteir said warily. "Velda's tough. Don't worry yourself over her."

"You know what Cha said about her immortality! It's not like she can't get hurt," Mortimer whimpered.

Alesteir slid Mortimer into his hammock with a sigh. "I trust the fates to watch over Velda, and all of the Keepers," he said. "She will return. I promise."

Mortimer silently turned over and settled in to sleep, looking dejected. Alesteir gave his own hammock a yearning glance, but Rhea had already gestured for him to walk with her. He crossed the glade and joined the MepQueen on the abandoned main road. "How is Aegimis faring?" Alesteir asked his wife briskly.

"Not well," she replied. "They've barely been able to hold off the few Red Wolf patrols that have attacked so far, and a bigger fleet is probably coming soon. Do you think I should tell Aegemis's governors to evacuate? We might have enough free ships to transport the whole population here now."

Alesteir stepped gingerly over a tree root and trotted to catch up, pondering her question. "I'd wait for visual confirmation," he finally said. "Aegemis is our main source of ships and weapons, and those will be crucial. You should organize the evacuation now, though."

"I already have." Rhea went quiet for a while. Eventually, she said, "The meps will soon have to be told that we've been protecting the Dark Council's lead members. We can't keep them in hiding forever, but revealing them will certainly lose us support from the more conservative. All they care to know about the Dark is that a kathumi-controlled Dark Council once took over Myusaria and much of the Gray, not to mention that the Dark is still to blame for the disappearance of the Keepers."

"A time will reveal itself," Alesteir said simply. "I don't think that time is now."

They reached the main square again, and Rhea stopped, turning to the MepKing with worry in her eyes. "Aegemis won't be the last. I've seen more unregistered ships coming towards Myusaria in the hundreds, and you know the tarrephaene have been facing even larger attacks. If Trycho was right, and the Light Council is behind this invasion, then we might be done for. But if we're right and the Dark still has bad intentions, Trycho could be the reason the Red Wolves are here, and the Dark Council could turn on us at any minute."

"The Councilors have been cooperative so far. I've been quite impressed by their professionalism, actually. It makes me wonder how much of our knowledge of the Dark is true." Alesteir looked over Rhea, who was near tears. "I know you only did what Trycho asked because you were scared for Velda, but I'm starting to think that he knew what he was talking about. It may be time to move on from the past."

"And what if he didn't?"

"You know, Rhea, regardless of who's paying the Red Wolves, they're all that's here. I'm not ready to pass judgment on who's in the wrong until we see some other humanoids around here."

"There are kathumi quartered on a royal guard ship under our orders and protection, and you think we should just wait?" Rhea sputtered. "It was bad enough when the Red Wolves weren't here, but now we could quite literally be protecting their buyers!" she said in a harsh whisper.

Alesteir noticed a group of young meps gathered near a royal guard ship. They were watching Rhea with unease, though they were too far away to hear her concerns. "All of the Dark Councilors were searched completely, you know that. Whoever's paying and communicating with the Red Wolves, it's not them. It could be the Dark revolutionaries, and it could just as easily be the Light Council, but they're both out of our control, as most of this is." He took her hand and led the way back towards their hammocks. "The fates haven't forgotten us," the MepKing said as they walked. "I'm sure the fog will clear soon."