We•Will•Rise

Chapter Ten

When I make my way down stairs with Amari in the morning, the castle is already buzzing with people. Servants and maids are busy with their usual morning routine, cooking, cleaning and setting out the table for breakfast. There's already a dozen different dishes placed along the dining table, more than there would normally be, all thanks to Amari making sure to have enough for the castle's new guest. When she came and found me on my balcony this morning, she called us the castle's saviors and told me that it was the least she could do for our troubles the night before. I insisted that letting us stay here was enough, but she clearly is as stubborn as I am because she did it anyway.
The dining area is large, almost as large as the ballroom, with deep maroon walls and white sheer curtains that allow the sun's rays through unfiltered. The Insurgence members all sit spaced out around the mahogany table, chatting amongst themselves. Barron sits by Nikolai and they both are watching the castle workers flitting around the room, dropping off even more dishes of food as they go. No one is eating yet, but I know as soon as I sit down the first thing I'm going to do is fix me a giant plate. My stomach picks the convenient time to growl in agreement.
"Good morning, everyone," Amari greets as we both take our seats across from Barron and Nikolai. Nikolai meets my gaze from across the table and offers a smile. I return the gesture as a heaping plate of stacked biscuits is placed in between us, breaking the stare.
"Where's Leria?" I ask, looking at Amari as I grab one of the white plates and place it in front of me.
"I'm not sure, I haven't seen her yet this morning." Amari frowns, grabbing a plate as well. Everyone seems to copy us, taking their own from the stack and filling them with whatever food they like. I go for a biscuit, a few scoops of scrambled eggs, some boar bacon, and a chocolate muffin. Amari fills her plate to the top with sunny-side up eggs and a slice of honeyed ham. Nikolai, who my eyes seem to search out on their own, grabs a biscuit, some scrambled eggs, and a blueberry muffin. I look around and, compared to Amari and I's plate, everyone seems to be eating light. But after not having a proper meal in at least a solid day, I need the carbs. And I've never exactly been the type to not indulge in the finer food of the capital.
We all sit in silence at first until Barron, who picks at a measly biscuit, speaks. "So I suppose now would be a time to talk about last night as a group."
"About how we absolutely crushed them in battle?" Demeter says, her mouth so full to the brim with a mix of eggs and bacon I can barely make out her words.
"About how there weren't as many as there should have been," Barron says, placing his picked-at biscuit back on its plate. "Their attack didn't really feel like one, and they were surprisingly easy to cut down."
"It was a scout mission," Nikolai echos what he told me last night. Everyone nods in agreement and Barron seems to consider his words. "What they did was coordinated. They sent in the more . . . primal ones first and then the others after that were harder to kill. More calculated. That's what I noticed at least."
"That's how it was," I say, "Plus the ones that ran off when I tried to fight them."
"They were testing our strength," Likan says, reaching for a pitcher of milk and pouring himself a glass. "Counting our numbers and scouting the capital. If I had to guess, there were more than what came through the forest that night."
"You mean, like, some went somewhere besides the wedding?" I ask in surprise, having not considered the possibility. I didn't think much of the vamphir before, nothing more than them being primal beasts that don't think past their need to feed. I thought it had been sheer numbers that defeated mortals last time around, but I suppose to burn and destroy you would need some sort of rounded plan besides maim and kill.
Likan nods and Demeter takes the time to swallow before speaking again. "That makes sense, I suppose. To even the playing field, you need to know the field you're on."
"How many did you see run away, Maltrov?" Nikolai asks, back to using my last name I guess. I sigh and shrug, chewing on my bottom lip in thought.
"Three or four maybe."
"They went back to tell the others," Jerrick says, pushing his half-eaten food away. "I don't think I'm hungry anymore."
"The next hit will be worse," Syran says in a soft, almost whispering voice, a small smile creeping onto her lips as if she enjoys the promise of a fight. "It could be all of them."
"Absolutely splendid," Demeter rolls her eyes, "Thanks, Syran, for that boost of morale."
"No kidding," Barron mumbles, rubbing his eyes. "Just what you want to hear in the morning."
"We'll be prepared," Likan says just as Nikolai speaks.
"Secondary missions normally take weeks as they build their defenses and plan."
"Not to mention Colford is a week away by horse, even longer on foot unless they run the whole way." Jerrick snorts.
"Do you think more people will fight?" Amari asks, an eyebrow raised.
"After Alaya's speech I'd feel like a sorry son of a bastard if I didn't," Demeter laughs, toasting up her glass to me. Barron and Likan laugh as well and Nikolai nods with a light smirk. I try to force away the heat that comes to my cheeks, but of course that's impossible.
"I gave them a choice," I say with a shrug, "What they do is up to them. We can only hope they decide fighting is worth the risk."
"So this is the place to be I see," Kyrad's voice drifts from the entryway to the hall. Everyone turns to see him and a few others—unarmored Sultans by the looks of it—standing in the dining room's archway. "Why didn't I get an invitation?"
"Kyrad," Amari says pleasantly, "I didn't know you'd be off duty."
"Technically, I'm not. I have to train a few new guys in the Dirt Ring this afternoon. But until then my services aren't needed," He gives Amari a boyish grin, one that transforms his usually stern face. It's odd to see him without his armor, he looks so much smaller without it. He's a lean man, with boney shoulders, though nothing about his size makes him weak. He was at the top of his class and unbeatable in training. He moved like a snake, quick to strike and it is always fatal. He sticks out from the crowd with his dreaded black hair and deep umber skin not too far from Leria's that made him an oddity in the capital,  but a much desired one. He was a handsome man, with a wide face and keen, brown eyes. Amari, as much as she'd deny it, always fancied him. But her mother always had her promised to someone else, someone wealthier and powerful, that could solidify her power as Queen. For Amari, it's always been about duty, not happiness. And it made me angry for her.
"Glad you could join us," Demeter says, but her eyes are on another man. This one I recognize as Friezer with his buzzed golden hair and sea blue eyes. He looks younger than he is with a round face and ruddy cheeks,  which may be what caught the younger girl's attention.
"These are a few other Sultan's that want to join the cause," Kyrad says, gesturing to the men behind him. "They're the only few that aren't on duty, but I guarantee the rest of them would agree when I say they would like in on the fun," Kyrad's eyes fall to me and his smile widens, "There aren't many people that your speech didn't reach, Alaya Maltrov."
Everyone glances at me before Barron speaks, "Well, the more the merrier."
"I would suppose so," Kyrad nods as he takes a seat beside me. The other Sultans find purchase around the table, all but Friezer who leans against the wall with his arms crossed.
"Anything we missed?" He asks with a frown.
Everyone goes quiet and looks at me. It takes me a second to realize they're waiting on me to speak and my cheeks go red. "Uh, well we determined it was a scout mission. They sent the weakest out to get an idea of our capabilities. We even think some went into the capital."
Kyrad nods along with the rest of them. "That makes sense."
"Did anyone come up with a plan yet?" A different Sultan asks. Again, everyone's eyes fall to me. I want to crawl under the table with all of their stares and I can feel the heat in my face. If they are going to do this the whole time, it's going to get annoying.
"Well," I begin, chewing on my bottom lip and thinking of what I had fleshed out this morning. It, of course, didn't start off as a plan really, it was only for me to get answers, but then I remembered what we could find there and I thought why not. The Ingrav Sanctum isn't just home to the Grimstone, but to the Yhinra as well. They're the old Priestesses of the Gods that are said to be channels to the Heavens. And I need answers. I always knew I was different with my healing ability, but now it's taken a turn. I froze two vamphir with my touch. I had to understand more of what I could do, even if that meant leaving the castle in its time of need "We get a group of men and go to Ingrav Sanctum." I finish after a moment.
Everyone looks at me in bewilderment, which makes my cheeks redden even more and I fight the urge to shrink back in my chair. Kyrad is the first to speak with his eyebrows raised. "Do you know how much time and manpower that would take?"
"We—" I take a deep breath and close my eyes, straightening in my chair and opening them again to face everyone's stares. "We need Grimstone. Like Syran so graciously pointed out, they will come again and there will be more. Then it will be an attack, and we can't burn down the capital to keep them away. Think about it," I say patiently, my eyes scanning the room, "we send out a dozen or so men tomorrow for about two or so weeks to mine what they can and then they come back. Barron, I assume you can melt it down onto the swords?"
Barron blinks in surprise then scoffs, insulted, "Of course I can."
I nod. "Okay then, and I'm sure there are other blacksmiths that will help. It takes a week to get to Colford, and it will take at least another for them to get back and that's only if they leave immediately. The Ingrav Sanctum is, what, a four day ride from the capital? We have time," I say calmly, hoping my reasoning sits well with them and I didn't miss some vital information that would make me look stupid. But no one says anything for a moment.
"It's a good plan," Nikolai is the first to break the silence, "But who would want to mine the Sanctum?"
"I know a few people that would do anything for a quick coin," Amari says, "And possibly a pardon."