Sunset of the Wandering Souls

Another grueling year was spent taking town after town. The Qriacin we weren’t fighting heralded me as their emperor come to save them. I sent Pili back to the Isles after much thought and debate. His cold blood would freeze him from the inside out before the winter ended. It was for his safety, I kept telling myself, I wasn’t denying mine or his feelings. The Flodkaros sent us soldiers and provisions after I took Qrein; the Ashmaryaka stayed neutral even though they wanted this war. They were cowards, all of them, hiding in their sand colored cities waiting to see who the victor would be. I would extend the Interior between Zinosoc and the Northern Territories just to show them a lesson.

Qriacin joined us in our conquest as we went, wanting to fight for freedom, fight with their emperor. With the armory I had never assumed I’d amassed, taking Iolos would be easy. It was clear the Erberos didn’t see the Qriacin as the equals they proclaimed they would be. They were their slaves to churn out money and food to feed the Erberian masters. Areum was at the end of it all, a dictator disguised as a normal citizen. Oh how I wanted to start a riot in Iolos and take the throne right out from under her.

It wasn’t hard to keep the troops motivated. Innin told me I had the same silver tongue as my father. Finding the right words wasn’t hard when I was on the front lines with the rest of them. I saw the same cruelties they did, I could promise them realistic things, not a fictional utopia that could never exist. Each town that came under Reissu rule tasted sweet as I spit upon the Jakeki’s Accords.

Areum’s seat of power was in the center of Iolos, a palace complex she called a parliament. It didn’t matter what she wished to call it, what mattered was where to put my men. We needed to start a ruckus, something to grab her attention and catch her off guard. She had no new soldiers, no new men in Iolos, she wasn’t prepared for a sacking. We started small, having our Qriacin fighters gauge the citizens’ feelings of her. The other Qriacin this far outside of Qotut had had enough with her rule, the Erberos were split. It was enough to rile up the masses.

Rile them up, I did. Watching Areum’s cool composure crumble into a fit of rage as she saw me at the front, at the Qriacin calling me Emperor Ezollen, was amusing. I gave her a choice: surrender the city and Diatos to me, or I would take it. She tried desperately to get the masses back on her side, but they had already committed to me. It was less of a battle and more of a massacre of the helpless. We tried not to fight those who weren’t part of Areum’s council unless they came at us for blood. Half the Erberos of Iolos died that day, blood soaking the streets as the Reissu, and I got lost in our bloodshed. Cries of triumph echoed through the city as our war was finally over. The Interior no longer had to worry about our eastern border, and the Planes could find their stability again.

***

I returned to the palace late in the evening, forced to bathe the years of war off my body before I could see Erzen or my son. I sat in the bathtub while maids scrubbed me raw trying not to think about all I had killed. Three years ago I stood in front of that painting, declaring I could never take a life, I would’ve been horrified to learn that I would end up killing countless either by my hand or through my orders. War changes a person, Innin told me. I didn’t realize it could change one so drastically. The maids rubbed more rose perfume on me than I thought was needed after they finished dressing me. It felt so stifling to be in a formal suit, to be so dressed up for only a handful of people to see me.

My mother hugged me tight, crying away her makeup on my shoulder. She calmed herself down, kissed my forehead and told me she was glad I was alright. Erzen was the next to welcome me back, bent awkwardly as she held the hand of a toddler. “Sozoron, this is your father,” she said when he looked to her.

I bent down to meet his little yellow eyes. “Hello,” I said. He walked a little unsteadily to me while sucking on his fist. I picked him up as I stood, Erzen showing me how to hold him properly. “Erzen, I wish to reform our immigration laws so you can bring her to the palace, but first I—”

“It’s alright.” She took Sozoron from me, smiling softly. “You can go see him. He came through on his way back to the Isles, he was very concerned for your safety.” I apologized to her, feeling the need to more than anything. “Just come right back and allow me to make her my lady-in-waiting.” I gave her a hug, promising her I would.