After half a year of construction, Bidi's treehouse castle was finished. It was even better than she imagined it. The trees were conjoined with a series of bridges, and Tiki carved out rooms and staircases into the trees. It was wonderful, and it was deep within the Balcan Forest. No one would dare enter the forest because of the history the forest had, but Bidi didn't feel unsafe in the misty red fog.
During the construction, Jax withheld from attacking again after being defeated in Port of Princes. He knew his army wouldn't grow more. Half of the population was already enrolled in the army, and the other half would never join because they were too old, young, or cowardly. No further attacks were made by either side. Both sides had their armies training, and they both now had proficient warriors. It was no longer a battle of amateurs.
Bidi became a figurehead. She brought great morale to the forces when she was around, but she floated on the roads often. But she now had a home, and not just any home, she had a castle with an undying mystery.
On the other hand, Jax was gathering a ton of intel via Wilhelm, who had become a very high ranking officer in Bidi's army, should Vran die, he would be the leader of the entire army. And as a high ranking officer, he was privy to more information. Jax was learning everything about his enemy, and he waited four months to plan another attack. And during those four months, he had his mother locked away in a tower feeding Bidi false information about his army and plans. But Bidi never received a single letter from her mother. Jax thought it was encouraging her actions, but it had no impact on the war at all.
Jax grew tired of sorcery becoming more prevalent in even his lands. The mysterious sorcerer who lived in the west with the dragons was becoming more bold. He was attacking caravans of troops, leaving no survivors. Jax was unsure if he was alone or had accomplices, but he was being mocked by the sorcerer. And he would put an end to his existence. But Jax didn't know that the sorcerer linked his life to him. If the sorcerer were to die, so would Jax and all his brothers, only Bidi was safe, because she was separated from the magic which was why she was having the seizures and visions.
Another attack was on the horizon, but this time, it would be a battle at sea. Gerak had four warships that constantly sailed around Gerak to create a safety zone for ships to freely enter and exit the waters. Should the warship captain see an enemy warship approaching, they would be obliged to attack them.
Jax, advised by Wilhelm, was going to sink all four of the enemy warships. It was the first battle at sea, and it had been a long time coming. Wilhelm informed Jax of the objectives of the warships, and he would bait the ships into battle. Jax had far more warships available to him, and he would use cannons to sink the vessels and allow easy access to the northern ports.
Jax's spies informed him that Bidi was no longer a powerful leader— a lot of people didn't even recognize her as their queen any longer. He knew now was the time to attack while her reign was holding on by a thread. Most people in Gerak now looked to Vran to lead them. Bidi's power was fading fast.
While Bidi was recovering from her link to Harvey, she wasn't acting like a queen. Some people were even claiming it was time to move on from her reign. But her son was also lost. There was no heir apparent. No one knew where the prince was, not even knowing whether or not he was alive. The masses were petitioning to place Vran as the interim king, and he couldn't ignore the rumors.
Witches and wizards all across the region were secretly practicing magic. They wished for a magical uprising, for a world where wizards were feared and respected. But Gerak commoners were still questioning magic, but most of them who were totally opposed to the idea had already relocated to Frithe, so there was a more unified feeling.
As the feelings of magic grew more and more welcomed, wizards and witches became bolder. The majority of them were practicing healing magic to cure diseases, which made sick people more fond of magic. They were saving lives, but not many of them were casting spells and using magic to its fullest potential.
