Light of the Dragon's Eye

Chapter Forty-Eight

ICHIRO'S POV

I stare at the blatant distance between Akira and Kai. What the hell? They're barely looking at each other!

"Is everything okay?" I ask Akira quietly, leaning closer so Kai does not hear. She nods almost imperceptibly, although the look in her eyes says differently.

I realize that she is not about to tell the truth, and nod, leaning back. We are about to throw a coup, so nerves are understandable. As I shift away, though, I notice that Kai saw the interaction, and his eyes darken for a fraction of a second before he shakes his head and looks back down at the table, where plans and a large map lie.

The four generals stand opposite us, and Yona and her group stand slightly off to the side. Kai takes a deep breath. "Alright. General Akemi, how many of your troops are willing to fight?"

She smiles slightly. "After ensuring that everyone who did not wish to fight was sent back home, I can offer you thirteen thousand soldiers to command."

Kai looks at Yamamoto, who nods. "I have eleven thousand troops left."

Fujimoto rubs his hand against his forehead, clearly stressed. "I have only nine thousand to offer."

Akira looks at Kita, who looks equally unhappy. "I can offer eight thousand."

I add the numbers up in my head. "That gives us... forty-one thousand." I frown. "That's only a thousand more than Akihiro's army. We barely outnumber them."

Yamamoto looks distressed. "Perhaps we should have waited to send people home after the battle, Your Highness..."

Kai shakes his head. "No. Those men were forced into the army with no choice. I refuse to make them die in a war they do not want to fight."

Akemi chimes in. "It's not just those who were drafted. Even those who joined of their own accord did not want to take part in this. They felt it would not make a difference." She gives Kai a pointed look. "You must make sure that you will change this kingdom, so that these men don't fight in vain."

My brother nods, and I can sense his unease before he looks back down at the map. "We will be attacking at the back of the palace. Our main forces will be there, while Yona and Hak will take a small contingent of soldiers to overthrow the outposts close to the city. We can't risk reinforcements being sent."

He looks up at the group. "There are five outposts," he points them out on the map, "so I will need you to split up and take a hundred soldiers each to take them out."

Fujimoto blinks. "Are you sure that is wise? We are already low on soldiers, and from what I've seen, this group is pretty powerful. Should they not be with us?"

Akira shakes her head. "The group will join us as soon as they can, but as Kai said, we need to minimize the risk of being outnumbered. And if we take over each post and effectively surround Miru, we can ramp up the pressure on Akihiro." She looks up at her older brother. "Leave the soldiers to look after the posts when you are done, but make sure to come back quickly."

Hak nods, and Yona's gaze looks steely. "We will."

Kai turns to the map once more, pushing several markers forward this time. "As for the main forces, we will have to..."

KAI'S POV

Planning strategy takes most of the day, and even then, we still are not finished. I wish the generals goodnight as I head back to my room for the evening. Kasumi immediately sets upon me as soon as I leave the room. "So!? What happened? How did it go? What will you do?"

I grab her shoulders as she jumps up at me on the balls of her feet. "Be honest; would you understand what we're doing if I told you?"

She blinks, then shakes her head. "Well, no. I learned diplomacy and public relations, not warfare. But! Are they hopeful?"