Finally Found

Chapter 16 - Lilas

Leaving Emilia after breakfast is difficult knowing that later today she'll be seeing a healer for the first time and we won't be there for something so important. But it's her choice that we go to the Council meeting instead and we have to respect her wishes, although we will be asking about what happened when we return home.

We're the last to arrive for the meeting, everyone else is already seated and reviewing paperwork in front of them. Taking our seats we grab the paper in front of us giving it a quick read, it's reports from the nearest cities on the soldiers they're sending to us. The numbers look good.

"Still nothing from Nerkise?" Kor asks flicking through the papers for any information on the enemy.

"Not yet but I've managed to get a hold of a nearby clan. They've agreed to fly to the border for us and gather information which they'll relay back. It'll still be a few weeks before we hear anything from them though." Kavarthon informs the Council which is more good news.

"It'll be good to have some news." Halmed replies the relief evident in his voice, knowing that we'll soon have news from his homeland must be a weight off his chest.

"From these reports the first soldiers will be arriving within a week, we'll be able to do an assessment of their equipment then and now what'll need to be made or replaced. The training grounds should be ready by then as well." Bel adds drawing us back to the current topic.

"Tents are prepared and stored near the training field for any overflow of men that can't be settled into inns. We just need to speak with the inn owners to get them to keep as many rooms free as possible, it's probably also time to release a statement to the city before the influx of soldiers cause a panic." Raziel comments. We all give agreeing nods.

"The scribes can write up the statement and have them displayed; word will get around quickly after that about a possible war. It must be made clear that the war will be far away from here otherwise we'll have people stocking up on supplies when there's no need." I state already picking up a pen to start a rough draft of the statement that'll be sent out to the city. Once it's finished I pass it around the table, "It's a rough draft we can refine it before sending it to the scribes for them to reproduce."

We spend the next several hours drafting and re-drafting the statement to get it just right. One wrong word and the city could panic or turn against us. There are always people here who are looking for something to complain about so there'll still be some grumbles but hopefully with the right words not a full-on revolt about the war.

After sorting that we write out a letter to send to inn keepers to make sure that there'll be rooms for soldiers, or at least some of the higher-ranking ones. The rest of the soldiers will end up in tents near the training field, food will need to be sent out and prepared for their meals every day. Hopefully we can get enough tents prepared but if not we make plans to set some up in the spare rooms of the manors here in Hadlau.

The whole day, until early evening, is spent discussing the logistics of housing the incoming soldiers as well as the ones that'll be sent in the future. With the numbers we're expecting we'll need to send for more food to be able to feed them all, there's no way they can train or march to war on empty stomachs. If we're lucky then we won't need to move until after the harvest in autumn.

A list is made of every blacksmith and seamstress in the city, they'll need to make armour, weapons and clothes as quickly as possible. Depending on how the war goes we may have to start drafting and they'll need to be outfitted with the right equipment, we won't send them to war unprepared. But that's only a worst-case scenario, ideally there'll be no war or at least a short one. We do start making plans though for re-taking Nerkise because it can't be left under Rhistel's control, they'd always be a threat. So long as they don't attack though we have time to plan and gather information to devise the best strategy to remove Rhistel and his followers from power with the least amount of lives lost.