The Desert

It was blurry. Colors mixed and figures were vague. But Seymore could still see clearly- she needed to see.

It was the image of a lion. Well, probably. She thought it was based on its golden fur and ragged mane. It was confirmed to be a lion when it roared. The other image was that of the Pelican. The beaks were large and long and the wings were wide.

The pelican was perched on top of the lion, freely spreading its wings like a predator of its own. Everything bowed as the two passed. The trees bent. The grasses curved. The stone pillars crumbled. The wine flagon broke. The horses neighed respect.

But the serpent was proud.

It coiled and hissed as it faced the two. Its body was large- larger than the lion. It presented its fangs, long and dripping with venom. The two sides met and the battle was legendary. The land shook. In the end the lion had both ears cut while the pelican lost one of its wings. The serpent had long gashes everywhere. But when the two sides were finally meeting in a final clash, everything went dark. Strange. Seymore's visions never included total darkness before.

And then another strange thing happened- she saw another vision. Seymore was familiar with this one. She had been seeing this vision for years now, never actually knowing what it meant. There was a person in a mask, sitting above a tall throne. People bowed. People worshiped.

But there was something different this time. Her other visions would just end with just the image of the masked man. This time though, the masked man on the throne opened its two hands and presented its palms. On the left palm there sat a lion and on the right palm there was a pelican. And the two vanished, crumbling into glowing silvers dust.

Seymore woke up gasping for air. Her eyes quivered in their sockets. She needed to inform the monarchs of the Union. Now she was certain that the Union and the impostor would inevitable cross paths.

***

"Impostor huh?" Timothy asked, holding the rolled paper in his hand. It was one of the last letters they received before cutting all communications from their allies. He steered his horse closer to Lucia.

"Pelican and lion too. I'm sure that refers to Vanadis and Castonia"

Timothy nodded. Above him the sun scorched. The clouds offered no respite. They were crossing the Desert of Monsters, a wide desert that separated southern Wismar from the north. The name was actually an overstatement. There were no monsters here, only belligerent tribes that never actually submitted to the Wismarine rule. Though crossing the desert was a dangerous move, he was confident that the Rooster could defend against the tribes.

"A long gashing wound for the serpent, cut ears for the lion and missing wing for the pelican. That sounds awful" Lucia said.

"Losses are natural in war. We had lost half of Goldentooth legion already. Maybe the lion's cut ears refer to that."

"And the pelican's missing wing?"

"I don't know" Timothy shrugged. "We better be careful and not let mere visions terrify us. But another question is which side won in the end? It all cut to darkness she said"

"Neither?" Lucia offered a smile. "Nobody wins in war."

"Ah quite a philosopher you are. But nobody truly does"

There was silence as a gust blew to their direction, scattering sand on their faces. Timothy wiped his face with some cloth. This desert was lifeless and the wind was strangely strong. Good thing that their crossing would be over soon. The scouts reported that they were halfway through.

"Tim?" Lucia said, eyeing him. "Have I told you the story why the pelican is Vanadis' sigil?"

"You haven't. Though I presume that it's because of a pelican's symbolism. Large mouth and wide wings- it is both a symbol of wealth and control over the seas."

Lucia shook her head in an amused smile. "My great grandfather, Fredic Vanadis, had a pelican pet."

Timothy's eyes bulged and chuckled after. "You mean there is a pelican in the flag of Vanadis because your great grandfather treasured his pet?"

"Yes and Vanad was the pelican's name if my memory serves. That's where Vanadis came from"

Timothy almost choked in that. "I can't believe it"

"I also couldn't when my father told me about the story. The wealthiest nation in the world based upon a pet. But it is an amusing story isn't it?"

"It is" Timothy's chuckles died now. "One that has lessons. Your great grandfather founded a dynasty and put influences of his beloved pet in its flag and name. He must have enjoyed that, the little things. We must enjoy the little things too. Yes we are fighting the largest war both our nations have ever faced. And yes we would probably lose our lives if we lose. Not to mention millions of Castonians, Vanadians, Tulosans, Inkish, Hadeans and Cantonese being enslaved to the Wismarines. The stakes are high, higher than the two of us imagined before we started this. But I think we should rest easy sometimes. Enjoy the little things like how your great grandfather enjoyed the thought of subtly etching his pet in the annals of history."

"Enjoy the little things" Lucia repeated. "Let's play Crown and Country tonight. We don't have the boards and pieces but we can have a few of the men to scour us some stones."

"I've never won against you in that one."

"I'll have three of my towers removed as handicap"

"Oh?" Timothy leaned closer. Their horses were touching now. "But I don't need a handicap to win. Tonight will be different"

"You have lost forty-eight times in a row. Allow me to offer you mercy"

"A tower. That's the maximum handicap my pride could take" He sighed, looking forward to spending lone time with her. "And I'll have some lamb roasted tonight. The stars should also be visible based on the weather. We should stare at the sky until our eyes drowses to sleep. Little things right?"

Lucia smiled at that and nodded.

A horn sounded. Three quick blares indicated an attack.

Timothy looked at Lucia and then at Abraham "Defend her"

He galloped toward the front line. The Rooster was placed on alert and followed the protocol. The men at the front dismounted and bared their weapons forward- unmoving and stern. Crossbowmen loaded their weapons in the middle of the formation. Those who were still on their horses switched their weapons to lances. Only fools would risk fighting against the Rooster now. Only dead men would try their luck.

"What happened?" Timothy halted his horse, flinging sand around.

"Men sire. Tribes" A scout reported. His face was grimed with dust and sand. "At least a hundred and all armed"

It was a small force, one that the Rooster would trample in one go. But he cannot risk it. This was their territory. They knew this place. Ambushes would be effective here.

"How far?"

"Quarter of a league south."

"That close?"

The scout lowered his head- shamed, Timothy guessed. "I apologize sire. I truly do."

Timothy kept silent and waited. There was tension in the air. Nobody moved. It was too silent that he could hear their breathing. Other scouts also came back with the same reports. There were desert tribesmen bearing stone-tipped spears coming to their direction. Two hundred, one of the scouts reported. They were unarmored and their lines were undisciplined, the reports revealed. Still, Timothy didn't want to leave his defensive stance.

After a while figures appeared from afar. Their walks were slow. They were not charging.

"Steady!" He shouted thought the Rooster had no need for it. They were steady and firm.

The tribesmen approached and halted just a hundred paces. They wore thin clothes dirtied by the sand and dust. Most of them were large men with tattooed bodies. One of them, an old man with a cane instead of a spear, had tattoos all over his body. The number of tattoos probably equaled to seniority, Timothy guessed.

"You are Timothy Castonia?" The elder asked him with an accent so thick Timothy barely understood it.

"I am"

The old man nodded. "And is Lucia Vanadis with you too?"

Timothy hesitated in answering that question. Should he reveal that Lucia was with him in this dangerous journey? In the end he decided to tell the truth.

"She is. I demand to know your purpose. Speak now or we will annihilate you"

The old man showed a smile to that. "Annihilate. Yes, you can. One charge and my men would buckle. Fortunately we are not here to fight. I request that you come with us Your Majesty." The old man turned around without giving a reason.

Timothy wasn't a fool to just accept a request like that without reason. He was about to refuse when the old man uttered something that made his heart miss a beat.

"Ashkara awaits you"