Green Eyes

“Brutus!?” Andrew exclaimed. “Are you sure?”

“Believe me,” Selene answered, “it’s a feeling that you don’t forget. Ever. We’ve got to tell Johann.”

“You think?” Andrew retorted.

“Don’t get too cute,” Selene shot him a sharp look. “Come on.”

The pair stood and fairly ran from the beach up to the Temple. It took them nearly an hour of dead sprinting to cover the distance. Both were so distracted that they ran straight into Jared and Mara.

“Kindly watch where you’re going,” Jared admonished as he helped pick Selene up off the ground.

“Sorcerers. Lots of them,” Selene panted ignoring the rebuke. “Gotta find Johann.”

“Wait, what?” Mara interjected. “Sorcerers? Here?”

“Yeah,” Selene confirmed as she continued to suck down air. “A lot of them. The only other time I’ve felt anything this strong before was in Beth Haven.”

Mara and Jared exchanged an uncomfortable look. “Brutus?” Mara asked for both of them.

“Yeah,” Selene nodded. “His is a presence that you never forget.”

“We’d better find Johann then,” Jared said. “Come on.”

“Didn’t I just say that?” Selene silently growled as the twins led the way through the Temple.

Around them, Navi were either groaning or running around with very concerned looks on their faces. It wasn’t like being in a beehive but more sitting atop a dam that was about to burst. Around them, the twins could feel the tension crackling.

“Do all of you guys feel this?” Mara queried Andrew, who looked miserable.

“You could say so,” Andrew replied. “I’ve never felt anything like this before. It’s like someone dumped an ice cube right into my stomach. How are you so calm Selene?”

“I’m not,” the Kalashonian Navi answered. “I’ve just gotten used to this feeling, sort of. It’s not something you really get used to but it isn’t quite the shock to the system that it used to be.”

“Selene!” a female voice called.

All of them turned to see Maria running over. She was wearing her nightclothes and her hair was a mess. Worry and confusion was etched on her face.

“What’s going on?” she demanded coming up.

“Sorcerers,” Selene answered sharply. “Where’s Johann?”

“I don’t know,” Maria replied. “I was in bed when I was woken up with this cold pit in my stomach. Wait, did you say sorcerers?”

“Yep,” Andrew nodded. “And a lot of them.”

Maria’s eyes went wide and her dark skin paled a little. “Sorcerers? Here?” Maria exclaimed. “Sorcerers never come this close to Jerel. In fact, the nearest sorcerers I know of come from…” All eyes turned to Selene.

“They’re from Kalashon,” Johann’s voice finished. “Aren’t they, Selene? It’s Brutus and his people, isn’t it?”

Selene sighed and slumped against a pillar. “Yeah,” Selene confirmed. “They’re here for me,” she closing her eyes. “I thought that we’d left them behind when we crossed into Ammon but apparently not.”

“Excuse me my lords,” one of the native Jerelites ran up to group.

“Yes,” Jared automatically responded, receiving an awkward look from the others.

“Sorry for the confusion sir,” the Jerelite shifted his gaze from Jared to Johann. “I was talking to Lord Johann.”

“What is it son?” the elder Esthorian prompted the messenger.

“One of our sentries spotted a group of riders forming on the western hill outside Creation’s Gate,” reported the scout. “The sentries are getting a really strange vibe. Are there any caravans or dignitaries coming that we should know about?”

“No, there aren’t,” Johann shook his head, locking eyes with his fellow Navi. “How many did they see?”

“Well, it’s kind of dark so it was hard to get a good count,” the sentry dodged.

“How many?” Selene sharply demanded suddenly, stepping between Johann and the Jerelite.

“Our guess is around 40,” relented the scout.

“40?” Selene repeated.

“That’s what they said,” confirmed the messenger. “Is there a problem?”

“Yes,” Johann nodded. “Get all of the civilians underground. Tell them to take shelter anywhere they can.”

“Why? Who are they?” pressed the Jerelite reading the concern that bordered on fear written in the faces around him.

“As to who they are, that is none of your concern. Indeed, the less you know the better,” Johann told him. “But as to why…Let’s just say that Jerel is about to become the site of the most devastating battle in human history.”

Perhaps Johann’s subtle hint got through and the man understood what was going on or perhaps he simply understood that nervous Navi meant something really bad was about to happen; but in either case, the scout gave a short bow and sprinted out of the Temple.

“I guess evacuation is out of the question,” Mara decided.

“No,” Johann shook his head. “There are still some 15,000 non-Navi’s living here. If we were to get them out, they would have to leave with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.”

“Plus you could only use Heaven’s Gate,” Jared pointed out. “With the sorcerers perched on the hills to the west, they’ll be watching the road leading out of Creation’s Gate. Anyone leaving that way would just be ambushed and completely massacred. Getting 15,000 people through Heaven’s Gate in time just isn’t possible.”

“What about the Lake?” Mara offered. “There are plenty of boats along the docks. Load ‘em up and send people out to the lake to wait it out. As long as they don’t drift too far northwest, its friendly shores all around and then come back when it’s all over.”

“Three problems with that,” Johann noted. “First, organizing people into boats: who gets priority, separating families, and so on is going to be a nightmare. Secondly, is finding enough crews for the boats and in time. And third, are you going to be able to put 15,000 people to sea before our guests come knocking?”

“We wouldn’t have to,” Jared suddenly had an idea. “Does someone have a map I can use?”

One of the Navi heard him and scampered off to find the requested item. “We have two escape routes available to us,” he began to explain while waiting for his map. “The first is, oh thank you,” Jared took the map from the Navi and laid it out on the floor. “The first escape route is to the lake from the docks here,” he tapped the docks on the locations. “Do we have enough boats for everyone?”

“No,” Andrew shook his head. “We have enough space for 10,000 people, max but that’s cramming them in like cord wood.”

“Alright, we need to start loading them up right away,” Jared nodded.

“What about the crews?” interjected Andrew who was eavesdropping on the conversation.

“Irrelevant,” Jared waved off. “The point is that they get out. One way or another, this battle is going to be over in a few days; a week at the absolute most. People can float around the lake for a week and be fine. A little uncomfortable maybe, but otherwise fine. If we win, then we can send rescue crews to pick them up. But our immediate problem is simply to get them out of the city in the next few hours. At this moment, destination is irrelevant.

“So we get 10,000 people out on boats,” Jared returned to his plan. “That leaves 5000 people to go and we get them out through Heaven’s Gate here,” Jared tapped the second gate.

“Just like that? 5000 people?” Johann raised an eyebrow. “It’ll take hours to move that many people through the gate.”

“Not really,” Jared replied. “Five thousand people move a lot faster than you think, especially when properly motivated. Besides, the advantage with Heaven’s Gate is that we’ll have hours.”

“How so?” Andrew inquired.

“Battle tactics young man,” Jared responded. “How are the sorcerers going to attack the city?”

“The logical spot would be to strike Creation’s Gate,” supposed the Malchian. “Of course that’s assuming that they’re thinking rationally, which is a very generous assumption for sorcerers.”

“You are right on the spot but for the wrong reasons,” Jared told them. “The militarily logical attack, especially given that Selene is the objective, would be to circumvent the walls entirely and strike the beach and docks. Gates and walls tend to be slaughterhouses for one and for another, the beach gives you straight access to the Temple, which is their goal.

“The gate is the obvious point of attack and since they are not warriors, they are going for the obvious point,” Jared illuminated the others on military tactics and strategy. “Our advantage is that Heaven’s Gate is a good ten miles from Creation’s Gate which takes time to traverse under normal circumstances. Creation’s Gate, however, is going to be where you make your first stand.”

“Why there?” this time it was Maria who cut in.

“Simple,” Mara answered this one having already figured out Jared’s plan. “The reason that gates tend to turn into mass graves for the attackers is that a well-designed gate, and these are well designed, is a stronghold for the defenders. The opposing army is essentially forced into a three-sided box, which makes them easy targets. This makes the gate a position of strength for you and you make your stands from positions of strength.”

“Can we hold it?” Andrew wondered.

“No, probably not,” Jared shook his head. “In fact, neither should you try to. If the opportunity to finish them off then and there presents itself, then by all means take it but I doubt that’ll happen. They have enough combined power probably to literally blow through the gate. Your job there is not necessarily to stop them, but to hold them as long as you can and make them pay dearly for every inch of ground they get.”

“Consider this in your overall battle plan,” Mara interrupted again. “Sieges like this are essentially battles of attrition that are won when someone runs out of people. Don’t worry about holding ground; just worry about making sure they pay in sorcerers for every inch they take; worry that it’s three sorcerers for every Navi killed. Focus on making sure they run out of people faster than you.”

“That sounds awful,” Maria remarked.

“It is,” Mara agreed. “Without a doubt, sieges are the bloodiest and most unpleasant of battles you’ll ever fight.”

“We can discuss battle theory later,” Jared waved their attention back to the map. “The point is that the refugees will be here,” he pointed to Heaven’s Gate, “which is far from the battle here.” Jared moved his finger to Creation’s Gate. “Unless you guys are totally incompetent, the fight at the gate should keep the sorcerers preoccupied enough for the rest of the refugees to escape.”

“And once the sorcerers break through?” questioned Andrew.

“The refugees will be gone,” Jared answered. “Their interest will be solely on what is in the city, namely you. They won’t be interested in chasing butterflies.”

“So what we need to do is organize the Jerelites into two groups, one at the docks and then one to leave on foot through Heaven’s Gate,” Johann summed up. “That’s a logistical nightmare and we only have a few hours to do it at best.”

“Jared and I can do it,” Mara volunteered.

“You guys?” Andrew looked dubious.

“Sure,” Mara shrugged. “We’ve commanded legions in the field before which occasionally meant the sudden and unexpected retreat or advance. We got pretty good at being able to motivate large groups of people.”

“But those were trained troops, not housewives,” pointed out Maria.

“True,” Jared allowed. “But the concept is still the same. Besides, we’re the best qualified people here to do it.”

“Fair enough,” Johann nodded. “Good luck.”

“Hold on,” Maria held up. “We talk about this like there’s only one option: fighting. Couldn’t we try reasoning with them? I mean, if Brutus is really there, then the Kalashonian Viceroy is about to attack an Esthorian city. Isn’t that like an act of war or something?”

“It is,” Johann affirmed with a thoughtful look in his green eyes. “That is what troubles me about all of this. There’s no logic behind this move for Manasseh. He is risking open war with at least two sovereign nations all over one individual who is no longer an imminent threat to him. Perhaps we should try to parlay with the Viceroy.”

“It won’t do you any good,” Jared shook his head. “In addition to being probably the most powerful sorcerer in the world, Brutus is also the most unstable. He’s chased Selene across Kalashon and Ammon and now that he’s this close, he will raze Jerel to the ground before he lets her get away again.”

“But why would Manasseh send his second in command to attack the city of another nation?” Andrew repeated Johann’s question.

“You’re assuming that Manasseh is still in control of Brutus,” Jared noted. “But we haven’t seen any sign of Kalashonian troops, have we? Instead all we have are just sorcerers from Kalashon. It is possible that Brutus is acting on his own.”

“But why would a king let someone so powerful and unstable off the leash?” Andrew pressed. “That’s like letting a rabid dog run amok in a neighborhood. There are going to be consequences from that; he has to know that.”

“Yes, he has to,” Jared agreed slowly stroking his chin and looking thoughtful. “Why would he let Brutus off the leash?” he repeated the question almost to himself. “He did it because he knew what Brutus would do,” Jared began processing aloud. “He knew that Brutus would chase Selene. More specifically, he knew that Brutus would chase Selene…” he paused as the light clicked on. “Chase Selene here,” he finished, locking eyes with Mara as she caught on too.

“Armageddon,” both said at once.

Selene felt the reaction that realization had on everyone in earshot. Instantly they all froze and stared at Jared and Mara with wide, terrified expressions. Even Johann looked unnerved.

“Armageddon,” he whispered. “I never thought it would actually happen.”

“Excuse me,” Selene interjected. “What’s ‘Armageddon’?”

Mara took this one. “It’s an ancient theory built on the premise that sorcerers and Navi cannot coexist for long. The Armageddon Scenario states that if you took the sorcerers and Navi and placed them in the same place, they would soon fight a battle that would annihilate each other.”

“Mutual self-destruction,” Jared clarified.

“And that’s what Manasseh has been planning all along,” Mara continued. “That’s why we met no real resistance in Beth Isaac and why it took a week for sorcerers who lived a day’s ride away to show up at Beth Haven. It’s why we ran into only a token group of Blood Guards and one stray sorceress in the Harosheth. I thought our escape was too easy.”

“That was easy?” Selene exclaimed. “It seemed pretty hard to me.”

“Not compared to what it could’ve been had Manasseh really wanted us captured,” Jared pointed out. “Did you notice that he never unleashed his entire army at us? Or that Brutus would show up just as we were leaving?”

“Manasseh used us to leave a trail of bread crumbs for Brutus to follow right here,” Mara shook her head in grudging admiration. “And now he has set up the Armageddon Scenario. Brilliant.”

“But we won’t be destroyed,” Selene pointed out. “Not all of the Navi are here.”

“True,” Johann acknowledged. “Neither, I’m certain, are all of Kalashon’s sorcerers here either. But in both cases, it is enough for the Armageddon Scenario. Even if we aren’t wiped out, we will be rendered helpless.”

“And thus removing the only real obstacle Manasseh has to world conquest,” Jared summed up.

“What about Malchi or Esther?” questioned Andrew.

“Malchi will keep until Kalashon is too powerful for them to stop,” Mara supplied. “As for Esther…the emperor is old and weak and with no heir—” Mara’s sapphire eyes went wide as she met Jared’s.

“Micaela!” they said simultaneously.

“The Blood Guards in the Harosheth weren’t after us,” Jared realized. “They were after her. If he could force her to marry him—”

“Then he gets the Esthorian Empire without having to fight a single battle,” Mara finished.

“Do they do this often?” Andrew asked Selene.

“More often than I care to think about,” answered Selene, wondering how it was that the only person in their group with the ability to read minds always seemed to be out of the loop.

“I can’t believe we’ve been so badly played by him again,” snarled Jared, slamming his fist into a pillar.

“Okay,” Selene cut in. “From where I sit, we’ve talked about what has happened to get us into this pickle. So what do we do to get out?” Everyone looked at the twins; this was their area of expertise after all.

Except that this time they had no answers. Instead they simply exchanged a shrug and an awkward look.

“Nothing,” Mara finally said.

“Nothing?” Andrew demanded.

“No, nothing,” Jared sighed. “I have to admit, Manasseh has played his hand well,” he shook his head. “Even if you were to run, you’d buy yourself at most a few hours. You stand here and fight or fight somewhere else; either way, Armageddon is going to happen and Manasseh’s going to have a clean path to conquest.”

Selene looked despondently around the room at the Navi gathered. Some were much older than her, some were her age, and some even younger. Most, if not all, were doomed to die; even her eternal optimism couldn’t deny that. She’d seen what a fight between sorcerers and Navi looked like and Selene knew that the Armageddon scenario was more than just a theory.

And it was all her fault. No, that wasn’t true and she knew it. Selene hadn’t chosen to be Manasseh’s enemy; he had made that choice simply because of her birth. But he had manipulated her like a pawn for his own purposes and somehow that made her feel responsible.

“Is there anything we can do?” she asked quietly.

“Not much,” Mara repeated. “Even if we do survive, there won’t be enough Navi to seriously challenge Kalashon, especially if Manasseh gets his hands on the Esthorian throne. If he marries Micaela, then he becomes the Esthorian heir and how long do you think the emperor will last after that? Six months, at most? So within a year, Manasseh will have the resources of Kalashon and Esther at his disposal. Ammon will fall less than six months after that, along with the rest of the Navi. Arad, Delphi, and Anory six months after that, plus another two months for the Peninsula Republic and the Southern Confederation to fall. That would leave essentially just the Coastal Empire and Malchian Empire, and at that point with the resources of virtually the entire world at his disposal, Manasseh could easily crush them; a year, at most. So within three years, we’ll have the Kalashonian Empire back alright—allied with the Adversary.”

“And there’s nothing we can do about that?” Selene asked.

“Not about Armageddon,” Jared replied. “But the rest…I don’t know. If we survive the next few days, then we can worry about the rest. For now though, let’s worry about the sorcerers on our door.”

“What do we need to do?” Andrew inquired.

“First we need to deal with the non-Navi,” Mara stated. “Get them out before the sorcerers break through, which could happen at any time.”

“Mara and I can deal with that,” Jared added.

“Most people are asleep,” Maria pointed out. “How are you going to get them out of bed and organized quickly enough?”

“Good question,” Jared acknowledged scratching his bearded chin. “Johann, can you and your fellow Esthorians reach into peoples’ minds while they’re asleep?”

“Well, yes,” Johann admitted. “Although putting thoughts in peoples’ minds is not considered very ethical.”

“I think this would qualify as an exception,” Mara told him picking up Jared’s line of reasoning. “We need you and the others to broadcast orders for everyone to assemble at the docks immediately.”

The older Navi scratched his white beard thoughtfully as he considered the suggestion. “I suppose you have a point. If I get them there, are you sure you two can get everyone out before the sorcerers attack?”

“I can’t guarantee it,” Jared answered honestly. “The sorcerers could attack in an hour or in several. Doing this gives the others in Jerel the best shot to get out alive.”

“We could use a few people helping us out,” Mara requested.

Johann nodded and then motioned to several younger Navi. They looked uncomfortable and nervous as they came over.

“Yes Johann?” a young Anorian male asked.

“What is going on?” another Anorian, a female, cut in before Johann could answered. “What’s this cold pit in my stomach? I feel scared. Why?”

“Listen kids,” Johann addressed them. “I have to be honest with you because things are going to get really bad. There is a large group of sorcerers outside the walls that are going to attack us soon.”

“Sorcerers? Here?” the first Anorian’s eyes went wide. “What are we going to do?”

“We are going to defend ourselves,” Johann answered them. “It is going to be hard and many of us probably won’t survive.”

The teenage Navi paled slightly but Johann held up his hand to continue. “I know you’re scared; I’m scared,” he continued. “But we have 15,000 people that are powerless and need our help to escape before the sorcerers attack. Go with Jared and Mara and do whatever they tell you to do. Now I need you to be brave and focus on helping them, okay?”

They were young and clearly scared but they stood up straight and nodded. “Yes sir,” the Anorian, who seemed to be the spokesperson of the group, replied.

“Good,” Jared acknowledged. “Go down to the docks and wait for us there. We’ll meet you shortly.”

“Yes sir,” they confirmed and hustled towards the exit.

“So young,” Selene commented as she watched them leave. “Too young for this.”

“They’re Navi,” Johann told her. “They understand what that means.”

“Besides,” Jared added, “Mara and I were their age when we fought our first battle.”

“And look how you turned out,” Selene retorted.

“Was that sarcasm or a compliment?” Mara countered with a raised eyebrow. “Anyway, we don’t have a lot of time to dawdle. Anything else we need to do here?”

“Not that I can think of,” Jared considered that for a moment. “Johann, get those people up. The rest of you better come up with some sort of defense plan.”

“Wait, aren’t you going to do that?” Andrew demanded.

“Us?” Mara looked back at him. “No, of course not. We’re not Navi; we’re not familiar enough with your powers or the sorcerers’ powers to formulate an effective tactic. That’s up to you.”

“Since Johann is going to be busy,” Jared mused, “Selene, you and Andrew should start working on a tactic immediately.”

“Us?” both of them echoed Mara.

“Andrew’s been here the longest and therefore by default is the most knowledgeable about your powers,” Mara explained.

“But I haven’t,” Andrew protested. “There are lots of Navi that have been here longer than me.”

“Yeah, but we don’t know them,” Jared pointed out. “We do know you and even moderately trust you.”

“And me?” Selene queried.

“You’re a Kalashonian,” Mara shrugged. “Even though you’re tactically inept by our standards, you do have some natural tactical ability, at least more than most. Therefore, it’s your responsibility.”

“Thanks, I think,” Selene’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Alright everyone,” Jared announced. “We don’t have time to waste, so get going.”

Everyone nodded.

*******