Stormhaze

Chapter 21: Revelation

Kilas, Gillien, and Brodd marched out onto the airfield to greet Tarian. All wore their stormsuits to shield from the hurricane winds. Sand and dust carried from the south, painting the sky a faint orange. A curtain of thick smoke had just erupted from the distant horizon to the west, across the opposite side of Argead. A seemingly retreating gunship circled around the wildfire—a parachuter leaping out as the ship crossed into the city.

"It appears you've arrived at an opportune time, Grand Arkon!" Tarian said, trying to overbear the howling winds.

"So it seems..."

General Brodd, seeing the unexpected erupting smoke, rushed back into the gunship they had just exited to contact the palace by radio. Gillien stood by Kilas' side, hearing the sand batter his helmet. Though he could not see Tarian's face, he could feel his father looking at him through the visor. The old man in black leaned on his cane, waiting patiently for the general to return. The devastation of war rose from behind him.

"Mizdrakis," Brodd said as he marched out again, "they're attacking the Ezirell refining facility across Argead, and are setting the fields on fire to create a smokescreen. Zenobia has already ordered Xianwei to lead her forces against them."

"How many Mizdrakis?" Kilas asked.

"They suspect around two-to-three thousand."

"My sister's forces will be slaughtered," Kilas said indifferently and turned to Tarian, "let us continue with the inspection."

Tarian straightened up and led them towards the main facility of the airfield. For every step his father took, the cane snapped against the ground, and Gillien could feel his fresh wounds pulsate with every beat. This airfield was Tarian's crown jewel, his signature within the hall of greatness, and he knew it—making his authority show with every crack.

The handheld weapons and stormsuits—although profitable—were nothing compared to the Thoron gunships. Twenty hangars lined along the stretch of tarmac; each housing five gunships soon ready for deployment. Gillien remembered this airfield was only one of several spread across Alecaria, and he could only imagine how Kilas' fleet would look if they all became operational.

"My engineers have worked tirelessly day and night," Tarian said, "ten of the one hundred gunships are ready to fly now. The remaining ninety will be ready within two months."

"How many pilots are currently here?" Kilas asked.

"Enough to fly all the operational gunships," Tarian said proudly, "every one of them is docked, armed, and ready for takeoff."

Kilas smiled. Gillien, however, stopped for a moment. Every ship is docked? His mind began to work. But what about the gunship I just saw land in Argead? He knew there weren't any other operational gunships apart from Zenobia's—which Kilas had just landed with to meet Tarian. Who is flying the twelfth ship? And then it struck him. The ship he had seen fly was neither Zenobia's nor Tarian's, but Kilas' gunship from Ryken.

While the others were distracted by Tarian's presentation, Gillien took up the silvery orb from his vest, pushed his Colonel insignia against its inverted shape, and opened the compass inside. The arrow pointed west, not north-west, as it would do if the other compass was still in Ryken. Gillien almost froze in his tracks. He had given Edras the compass right before he leapt out to save Dardûm. And that could only mean one thing... Edras is alive, and he's back in Argead! But how? And, why...?

Gillien was sure Edras had still not forgiven him for what he had said and done in the palace, and most importantly, for abandoning him in Ryken. He also imagined Edras must have despised Tarian in the end for pressuring him to have a child with Yrra. Gillien shivered. He didn't want to think about Yrra. He refused to acknowledge it had ever even happened, like in a bad dream soon to be forgotten.