Crimson Pass

Lucia huddled on his side nakedly. Her soft hand was on his chest. Her head lay on his arm. Her scent, the smell of strawberries, invaded his nose.

"Does it have a roof?" She asked.

"I don't know. The tales only say that that the pyramid in Malzan has a throne on top. They say you can see the world from up there. But nobody can confirm for sure. Only Kings of Wismar and their servants were permitted to ascend"

"And the pyramid? Is it solid or there is something inside?"

"I bet it's solid"

"A waste" Lucia shifted closer. Timothy loved her soft touch "The pyramid should have been designed as a palace. It is a waste of space. If the pyramid really is four hundred and eighty feet tall then the base should be gigantic. Such a waste"

Timothy was amused. She really thinks like a Vanadian- efficient. He snuggled his head towards her and again feasted on her lovely scent. If not for his exhaustion, another moment of passion would have happened already.

"I will carry you to the top once we take Malzan"

"I have feet, thank you" She chuckled.

"It's a long way to the top. You'll get tired"

"But I have more endurance than you" She teased him with her fingers caressing his face.

"Care to settle that misconception right now?" Timothy tried to get on top of her but was stopped by his aching waist. He's really done for the night.

Lucia laughed and got on top of him instead. Timothy felt heat on his lower body. "See? You get tired quicker my King"

"You are cruel" Timothy said "You know I can't move and yet you are seducing me"

"I am you wife. Seducing is probably not the term. Besides, we need an hei…"

Lucia stopped. Sadness was on her face. Her grin vanished.

"Don't be like that. What Escanor said" Timothy shook his head "That is a lie- a foolish presumption done without much evidence"

"I'm sorry Tim" Her voice was low, almost a whisper "I'm sorry that I can't give you a child. I feel… incomplete. You don't regret having me, do you?"

"I don't" Timothy declared "You are not incomplete. I am lucky, so lucky that I couldn't believe it sometimes. You are my wife and my other half. It is not your fault. No, never your fault. We will keep trying. I will put a child in your belly and we will become a family. And if, by some strange bad luck that we fail, I will be contented with just you"

"You mean that?"

"I do. You are the smartest, most beautiful and kindest person that I know. The Omniscient favored me for giving you. Don't ever say that you are incomplete because that is not true"

"But I feel that way"

Timothy put his hand on her belly. He then looked at her "Pinch my cheek"

"What?" A small, confused smile erupted from her.

"Pinch my cheek. You love pinching my cheek right? Whenever you feel that you're incomplete, just pinch my cheek to forget"

She grinned and really pinched his cheek. "You really are spoiling me"

Timothy retaliated with a tight embrace. Lucia felt warm and soft. He then pulled her back to his chest. Her smooth hair was on his face. One of his hands was on her belly while the other was on her bosom. Both of them looked at the moon from the open window. The moon was full just like when the first time he felt her lips.

"I have decided" Timothy said "I plan to give you a gift"

"Gift?"

"Wismar. This war began because of Wismar. If not for them we would have been living either in Holm or in Nirvana at peace"

"You wouldn't be a King and I would still be a Princess. And what about the cull?

"I don't know about the cull but it is certain that Wismar is the cause of all this chaos. The council only helps in sowing chaos but it is us, humans, who make chaos. And Wimsar…" Timothy bit his lips "Wismar is the greatest offender. We will bring that whole nation down and replace it with a more peaceful option. That is my gift to you"

"For Wimsar to fall you must defeat her"

"We will defeat her. By Skall's description, she sounds like pure evil and competent at being that. But like at things that stood in our path she will be destroyed. She thinks she's smart and maybe she is. But either she gets out of the way or we will trample her"

"Starting tomorrow?"

"Yes" Timothy said. Tomorrow a cavalry detachment of about five hundred with Abraham as its head will intercept the cohort of Wismarines sent by Sarah Wismar to attack Coldford. Shadow confirmed the existence of the Wimsarine attacking force. Everything in Sarah's letter was the truth. Timothy thought that she was lying and was actually setting a trap but she wasn't. It was strange but he and Lucia decided to go through with the attack. It would be a free victory anyway.

*********

The spearman's nostrils were dirty with dust. Sweat from his forehead trickled down, forming channels on his dusty face. He missed home. About a month ago, he was levied from a small fishing village near lake Tanin. He marched with professional soldiers to Canton under the command of Her Highness Sarah. A few days ago, his century was sent on a mission to capture the city of Coldford through a secret passage in the Crimson Plateau.

It was an honor to fight for Her Highness Sarah, it truly was. But as he looked at the state of his peers he couldn't help but question her decision to send them here. A force of a thousand couldn't possibly conquer a city even if they surprise them. He had heard from the others that Coldford is guarded by Castonians. They don't have armor. Their shields were made of thin wood. Their spears were not even tipped with steel. He knew, even with his limited knowledge in military matters, that they couldn't win against Castonians.

But he trudged in the dust. His peers walked just like him- weak steps and bowed heads. But the secret passage exists so they have that going for them. The tall cliffs were on their sides. The passage was more of a crack in the plateau. It wasn't wide. On average, twenty men could march abreast. Their Prefect told them that they would see Coldford within the day. The Prefect said it with glee but he dreaded the thought. They would have to fight Castonians then. He doesn't want to fight Castonians. Only a fool would want to face Castonians outnumbered. Even if they were the ones outnumbering the Castonians, it would still be better to avoid a battle. His wobbly spear cannot penetrate a Castonian's armor.

The ground then shook. He was inexperienced but he knew what that meant. It was the movement of cavalry. And soon enough some horsemen were in front of them, charging in haste. The armor they wore were black chainmails plated on the chest. There were about a hundred riders.

"Present spears!" He heard his Centurion shout. This order was easy. They had learned at least how to point their spears forward in their short training. But things were easier during trainings. They presented a solid line of spears to the enemies. By Ashkara's winds they were able to.

But the enemies halted a few dozen steps from the front line. Instead of ramming against them, the horsemen lit small pots and hurled to them. The pots broke in midair above them. Came splattering burning liquids. It was hot. Many were burned by the things. Shouts from those hit resounded in the narrow path. The horsemen again hurled the burning pots and the front line were forced to run. Any semblance of formation was lost.

He ran himself. He was hit by a portion of the burning pots. It was just a few drops of the substance but his arm was burned. He tried to pat his arm and his hand was burned. And so he ran. He could only imagine the fate of those drenched in the gel-like burning fluid.

It was chaos. Smoke from the fires clouded the narrow path. Half of them had routed already despite the officers' loud cursings. He was one of those who remained. He and a few hundred were huddled on one corner with spears pointed forward. Their hands were shaking. Who wouldn't tremble? The enemies were using cursed things.

The ground shook again. His eyes widened. This time he knew that the enemies would trample them. Neighs of horses sounded from the other side of the smoke.

And then he saw it. He blinked a few times to confirm what he was seeing. The man at the very front of the charging enemies was riding an armored bear. The bear was larger than the horses. The armor of the bear had spikes on it. The man riding the bear was also huge, probably more than a head taller than him. The man was wielding a great axe with a blade the length of a person's whole torso. The man's arm was as thick as his thigh.

It was beyond terrifying. The Castonians had monsters on their ranks. He cannot face the man riding the bear. Nobody could. He felt warm piss trickle down his legs. Soon he dropped his spear and ran away.

He prayed to Ashkara that he the enemies, especially the huge man riding an armored bear, would show him mercy.