Summoning America

Chapter 55: Calamique (2)

Note: Next week, we'll be returning to the main storyline, picking up where we left off earlier with the Gra Valkas Empire preparing to send a delegation to the United States.

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February 1, 1640
Archul, Calamique

After days of waiting, the American delegation was finally requested for attendance. Meyer and his colleagues boarded a carriage with an escort team under Baker's command boarding another. A suspensionless, bumpy ride to the Royal Castle ensued. Slowly making their way through the unusually crowded streets of Archul, the capital city, the passengers picked up snippets of conversations outside.

"... so His Highness sent the Dragon's Fang Knights to reinforce the Phoenix..." a storeowner said loudly, lamenting to his fellow shopkeepers.

"... great for business, I guess. My inn has never been this full!" Another person said.

Meyer took his eyes away from the scenes outside. Curious about the commotion, he asked Duke Wysk, who was sitting across from him, "What's going on?"

Wysk continued to look outside, his face in a seemingly perpetual state of worry. "The force that attacked the village a few days ago was led by Duke Mauli Hartmann, one of the other lords of Calamique. His Highness ordered the evacuation of Waizer and is preparing to combat Hartmann's forces outside the city."

"A civil war?" Meyer asked, looking at his assistant and giving her the signal to contact their superiors. He hoped the State Department could issue new orders in time, before he reached the castle and began talks with the King and his advisors.

"It would seem so," Wysk responded dejectedly. He sighed, hanging his head. "Somehow, he managed to rally monsters under his command — twelve-horned beasts, just like the one you and your men saved my daughter from. The numbers under his command worry me; for the first time in my life, I fear for the security of Calamique." Wysk spoke truthfully, unnerved by the whole situation and hoping that everything would turn out alright in the end. Recalling the story his daughter described, he wondered if the Americans could potentially come to the aid of Calamique. "Of course, I have faith in the strength of our armies, but this is an entirely different threat — one we've not faced before."

Meyer, sensing Duke Wysk's worry, asked him questions that served to both reassure him and gain intelligence, in case his superiors wanted to take advantage of Calamique's desperate need for defense. "I understand. Could you tell me more about Mauli and his army? What are his goals?"

Wysk shrugged. "I know no more than what I knew earlier. I would suppose you can ask for more details if you establish a defense treaty, but I can tell you rumors that I've heard. Mauli wants to take control of the island and venture outside the Great Barrier. He proclaims that his intentions are noble — that he's doing this for the good of our people. I doubt this. His army, according to yesterday's scouts, consists mostly of monsters. They also noticed several firebirds with men mounted upon them. I know not how they managed to tame such beasts, but this presents a significant problem for our forces."

Meyer became intrigued by the mention of firebirds. "Are these birds... Are they wyverns?"

"Wyverns? Those have only been recorded as legends from the ancestral lands! No, these birds are smaller than wyverns. Far weaker, I would assume."

"Well, that's certainly a relief," Meyer commented.

Wysk tried to read between the lines of Meyer's statement, wondering if he was speaking for potential American reinforcements, or if he was speaking for the citizens of Calamique. Before he could come up with a response, a sudden lurch shook him from his thoughts.