A Mirage Of Milk And Honey

Chapter 9 - The Brim Mountains

Honey let out a heavy sigh.

Her bum had been hurting ever since they'd first left Nileau four days ago, the saddle doing her no good.

The King had been... displeased, to say the least, however he hadn't prohibited their departure, only expressed his displeasure with a scowl and an attitude.

Honey had the sense that he wanted to withhold them from their quest, and being King, she couldn't think of why he had allowed them to leave.

"The King may be all powerful in Nileau, but he is not our king. Our alliance, for lack of a better term, is to protect those that lost their homes when Osheya fell, but we are not under his jurisdiction and he cannot impose orders on us if we do not work for him." Zemira had said when Honey voiced her questions.

"But doesn't this mission put the people of Osheya in danger? What if he were to kick them out?" Honey had asked.

"Though the King insists that Nileau is neutral, he knows which side's victory would benefit him more, and so he supplies us to an extent—resources, shelter, and so on. He does not, however, supply us with military aid."

"But if you're here with me, who's fighting the war?" Honey asks incredulously. She may not know much, but what she did know was that warfare is not something one can simply 'put a pin in'.

Zemira shot her a curious look from where she sat, "What do you mean?"

"Well... Aedis is The General, is he not? How is he supposed to lead an army and fight a war if he's with us?"

Zemira threw her head back in understanding, a silky laugh leaving her lips. "Aedis is a general, however, he's a little more disposable than one would think. Chip, Aedis and I do a number of odd jobs for the Empress, whether that be training new recruits, reconnaissance, or fighting in the occasional clash between armies. At the moment, the war is at a sort of stalemate, but us three are not bound to titles and responsibilities the same way others are." She explained.

Honey found that very strange, "How come?"

"We are, in a way, jacks of all trade." Zemira replied. "All of us are skilled in a range of different things—politics, espionage, fighting. It'd be silly to tie us to a political position when we could easily make a difference on the battlefield and vice versa. Especially in Aedis' case."

"What do you mean by that? Especially in Aedis' case?" Honey questioned.

"Aedis is powerful. In fact, he may be the most powerful person I have ever encountered. If he really wanted to he could go toe to toe with a whole squadron and come out on top-"

"Stop yapping, Zemira." Aedis called from up front, tugging the reins of his horse to position himself besides Honey.

"She's lying." He told her, shooting Zemira a glare. "I'm skilled in combat but not to that extent."

"You've done it before." Zemira pushed, and positioned between the two, Honey couldn't help but feel caught between a hostile crossfire.

"And I'll not do it again." Aedis replied, giving his horse a kick and trotting to the front, resuming his spot beside Chip.

Honey's shoulders had climbed up to her ears, and she sat in an uncomfortable silence, but Zemira's words settled over her. Their short but weighty scene had left her with a number of questions, many of which she knew not to voice aloud.

Most notably, she wondered why, if one could truly dispatch an entire squadron single handedly, would they not use that to their advantage? He'd done it before—he admitted as much—so why not again? What was stopping them from putting an end to this war?