Don't Forget

#51 Even Bigger War Council

A/N I'm sorry to disappoint you guys, but I don't think I'll be finishing this book. I'm stuck in a slump. I think my characters are also kinda shallow and don't express their personalities very well. Maybe I'll finish after all the virus stuff is over. I know this was suppose to be a rewrite, but I don't think I can continue. I'm sorry.....

A/N Yeah, I know it was a shitty April Fool's joke, deal with it. Here's your chapter 😜

The war council has gathered. It's an hour after dark, and the meeting is being held in one of the abandoned Piscus barracks.
     After an entire day of playing shy, it's surprising that Prince Adam is one of the first people to arrive. The truth is that his training demands it. Adam wants to see each person as they come in. Things are getting really serious now that Prince Don is here. Everyone is expecting great things out of him.
      Tomorrow, he has to face them. What do you say to someone who you've abandoned? Adam has to take complete control after this. He doesn't know if he can do it on his own.
     General Lachlan, of course, attends the meeting. Captain Mitch and Jordan also come while the other three stay with the troops.
      In the Red's absence, Ian reluctantly agrees to stand in his place. The assassins still have a lot of work to do for redemption. Ian only gave in after Adam personally asked him.
     Lord Dan was invited this time, but it's a little offensive when he doesn't show up on time. He only likes parties on his own terms, apparently.
     In total, there are five GoldenEye representatives. Liblicen has three. Prince Don is acting as General for his troops, but he always keeps his second nearby.
     There's also a Caelum girl that comes to speak. Her name is Delini, and she's the daughter of her village's elected leader. Mitch can't help but admire the craftsmanship of the bow that she carries.
     Prince Don asked if he could bring others just to observe, so Lachlan decided he would do the same. It seems like both armies are friendly right now, but that could change in an instance. Lachlan wanted to try and match whatever extra muscle Don tries to bring.
      Quinten stands stiffly by the doorway. Azeal is just as frozen beside him. There are a lot of important people looking at them. The two both take a little comfort in the other's discomfort.
      When Delini saw Azeal, and his broken wings, it was clear in her eyes that she instantly lost all respect for the other Caelum. They haven't even met before today. The mark of an exile is enough for any Caelum to distrust another. Delini doesn't even see the point in acknowledging him in any way. Azeal expected this, but it still hurts.
     "Ok, so I take it that you all know why you're here?", Lachlan sits down at the table, and everyone else follows his lead.
     "It's time to plan the next move", Mitch nods, "But I wish Dan was here. We could really use some help from his GoldenWings".
     "Actually, I'm more worried about Red. He disappeared during the attack, and no one's seen him since then", Adam shifts uncomfortably in his seat. He spent a lot of time around the insane Assassin King, and it worries him that Red hasn't popped up again. It's hard to think that he might be dead somewhere.
"He was suppose to signal at the same time you did, Ian. What do you think about him?", Jordan turns to Ian, who had seen him last.
Prince Don and the other hybrids have no idea who Ian and Red are. Delini would probably kill them both if she new they were assassins, along with Prince Adam.
"Red doesn't think like you or I. If he's been captured, I'm sure the squids will let him out just because he's so annoying. And if he's dead? The Neather will spit him right back out", Ian laughs at the last part. He isn't very worried at all. Red will come back like a bad fungus.
"All right, if you think so.......", Adam frowns.
"I don't mean to be rude, but I have to ask-", Lachlan takes back the conversation, "What is Liblicen's goal in this war? Counting the time before the castle fell to the Piscus, we've been in war for 21 years. Why join now?".
     "I decided to c-come to this place when Sub and Jason turned up alive", Don takes a moment to think and compose himself, "My army is ma-made of volunteers. Even though Sub is gone, we all believe in the cause".
      "We also want an open port at the island. Even before the war started, your soldiers would always search our ships", Delini cuts straight to the point. Don rolls his eyes, but doesn't argue.
     "If we win back the island, we still have to collect tax from any incoming ship. The searches, however, have always been a little unfair. Those we can get rid of", Adam makes the call. It's a small price to pay for Liclicen's help and trust.
"The squids could really come in from anywhere on GoldenEye's west coast, but the island is where they bring in all their supplies from. We have to take it back, and soon, if we want to win", Mitch adds.
"Actually, we don't have to worry about the island anymore".
Ten pairs of eyes turn and look towards the door. Lord Dan is already walking in and pulling out a chair for himself. A smaller boy walks in behind him. Adam nearly chokes when he recognizes Ross. His clothes are dusty and travel worn.
     "Nice of you to finally show up", Ian is using a knife to clean underneath his nails, purely to try and annoy Dan.
      "Some things are more important then being punctual", Dan shrugs, "Ross just got back. Apparently, him and Max went back to the island after dropping off Jerome".
"And you didn't think to tell anyone? The camp was attacked after you left. You two could have been dead, and we wouldn't of known for sure", Mitch is a little sour. Max was under his command when he disappeared.
"Tell them what's happened, Ross. You didn't come all the way back here for nothing", Dan is turned halfway around to face his GoldenWing.
Ross feels very small when everyone looks at him. He's already gotten used to having Max around to lean on. The only reason that Max didn't come with is because he had to stay on the island.
"Um, Max and I are half brothers", Ross awkwardly starts, "His dad is actually from Kyladia. They got in contact a few months after the castle fell".
Max is a spy, but it's a bit more complicated then that. He's never done anything to hurt GoldenEye's chances at winning the war. What he does do is write reports. Max has taken detailed notes of the rebel's situation since the camps formed. Kyladia needed to know if they stood a chance. Now that Prince Adam has popped back up, and is rallying the people, the war has started back up in earnest.
"Max got his father to bring a small army to the island. They've already taken it back", Ross finishes his message, uncertain if the others approve or not.
"So the island is flying under a Kyladian flag?", Jordan thinks out loud. Without personally visiting, it's hard to know if Kyladia is a true ally.
"And what do they want? Kyladia has almost no contact with outsiders. They've stayed neutral up until now", Lachlan, a little frustrated, looks to Ross for answers. Dan picks up the question instead.
"It's a long way around the continent", he says, "In exchange for securing the island, Kyladia wants to be able to send ships through the rivers instead of around to the port".
Adam looks down at a map on the table, tracing the route in his head. GoldenEye has never accepted large trade operations from anywhere but the island. Kyladia wants to use a river on the east coast to sail deep into the country. It's risky to let them go that far, but Kyladia doesn't have a large population. Trade is all they want from outsiders.
"It's your call, Prince Adam. You'll have to deal with the consequences later", Dan points out.
"Those terms are acceptable, but Kyladia has to understand that there'll be soldiers stationed at whichever city they begin to work with", Adam bits his lip. Hopefully this won't backfire too badly.
"Ross, you can take that message back to the island tomorrow. You've done a good job", Dan dismisses the GoldenWing. Ross nods and quickly leaves for a much needed bath.
"What's next on the list? Adam's plan was to slowly take back the entire south end of the continent, but we might have to move faster then that", Mitch circles their current location on the map with a pencil, and then he circles the island.
"We could always spilt the forces in two, and hop from city to city".
"What if we send some troops to the island to meet up with Kyladia?".
"Staying here for a few days is the best choice. The squids will send more troops now that they know we're here".
Prince Don listens to all the debates carefully, waiting for his chance to speak. They have to be picky with their strategy now that they have the resources.
"Cu-Cut off the snake's head", Don sits up a little straighter, "The Piscus went straight for y-your capital, so do the same".
"The capital is miles from here! They'd see us coming, and gather twice as many troops as we have", Mitch doesn't like that idea. He'd rather fight smaller battles that he's sure he can win.
"Royalty is as important to the Piscus as it is to us", Lachlan says, "If we could get to whoever's in the castle, they'd loose a lot of power".
"That's suicide! We wouldn't even get close to the city, never mind inside the walls. They gates are made of metal and too strong to break down as easily as we did here", Jordan hates the idea just as much as Mitch.
"I can help with moving the troops", Azeal surprises himself by interrupting. He's not there to speak. Delini seems to agree.
"Silence, outcast!", she snaps at him, "You do not speak here".
"I want to hear w-what he has to say" Don's second calmly overrules her. They understand how Caelum act with broken wings.
Quinten gives Azeal a nod of encouragement. He's just as curious to hear the other sorcerer's plan. Seeing Delini mistreat him also makes Quinten want to prove her wrong. Azeal actually gives the Caelum girl an apologetic look before speaking again.
"Let me show you what I can do. My magic has to be useful for something, right?", Azeal nervously shuffle his feet, "I can move the troops inside the capital wall without anyone seeing them".