Chapter 16

Redhead, Blackhair, Weirdiris and Shakyleg got one carriage to share.

Gerrod, Count Azifirat and Avizasi got another carriage to talk between them. Outside of the carriage, Rael rode as a guard.

"So. What do you think about the marriage?" Avizasi said lightly as she looked out the window.

Rael perked up listening closely.

"What's our exact strength compared to Maali if we hole up in the northern pass?" Gerrod sighed holding his head with one hand.

Count Avizasi looked to be struggling, "Well ...Shokan is still in disorder. Tenli even more so and we don't have the manpower to organize new supply lines and laws. So, our army is currently at most five thousand stong not counting the Tenli lord's armies."

"Don't call them 'Tenli lords', they are a part of Shokan now." Avizasi reminded coldly from the side before looking Gerrod's way, "Of five thousand Shokan Elites, six hundred are light cavalry. Two thousand are archers and two thousand four hundred are infantry. Maalis army is at least five times that size with the ability to mobilize more than ten times the number if pushed."

'Five thousand ready and waiting men of Shokan. On the low side there could be twenty five thousand Maali soldiers ready for war. Or, fifty thousand if we're unlucky.' Gerrod leaned back and glanced at Avizasi, "How well made is the fort and wall at the pass?"

Avizasi glanced over at Rael and closed her eyes.

Gerrod looked at him strangely. His expression did not bode well.

Rael began speaking with difficulty, "Wall Shoka, named after the first King of Shoka who built and defended it, is in a terrible state. Due to the mismanagement of the previous king and the constant struggles since his death it has been left to the dogs. Only the garrison maintains it day to day and so it has many cracks and is in dire need of repair and reinforcement if we wish to defend against an army of five times our size."

Gerrod let out a heavier sigh. His ears perked. "Hahahaha..." He could hear the four in the carriage behind them laughing.

Gerrod sighed once more, "I'll die from stress at this rate."

Azivasi opened her eyes a sharp gleam reflecting in them, "Tell me about it."

Count Azifirat carefully started speaking despite the gloomy atmosphere in the carriage, "Tenli will need a new governing head ...someone they know and trust ..."

Gerrod felt a headache coming on and a vein popped on his arm scaring Count Azifirat but he didn't stop, "...maybe you could help to... revitalize the region?"

Gerrod felt something in his head snap, "Absolutely not."

"Why not?" Azivasi leaned her head so just the corner of her eye caught his, "They want you to lead them, you know? You could take all that power. In perhaps ten years time they would be back on their feet and you'd have an impenetrable territory at your disposal."

Gerrod scowled, "I told you before, I want nothing more than a nice house with a big courtyard. I don't want to keep fighting all my life."

She scoffed, "You don't want to? But you're so good at it!"

Gerrod and Avizasi's gazes clashed for a few seconds before both of them looked away annoyedly.

Count Azifirat sighed. Rael sighed.

"...Why ten years?" Gerrod suddenly said after over an hour of silence.

She glanced at him but didn't turn her head, "Their lords are in disarray. Who knows how many of them were siding with Daray voluntarily. It would take at least ten years to get all of the corrupt lords out of power. Not to mention rebuilding families. Getting a new workforce raised from children. Everything would take an insurmountable amount of time. Ten years is leisurely."

Gerrod shrugged, "Ten years is too long. And you're logic is flawed."

She raised a brow, "How?"

Gerrod leaned back in his seat and stared at her until she looked back at him. He smiled, "You say they voluntarily agreed to it. I don't believe it. They all starved. They all had their children taken. I don't believe for a second that someone willing to sell out their own country would also be willing to not only hand over their child to hide themselves but also starve to near death. If anything, they would leave Tenli with their family in the middle of the war. Or pretend to have died and vanish with their reward."

"You don't know what true evil looks like." She rolled her eyes, "If I were willing to sell out my country. You can bet I would go the whole way to avoid any blame until the very end when no one can do anything about it."

Gerrod's eyebrows twitched, "Until the very end... hey... you don't think?"

"Think what?" Avizasi peeked at him her face suddenly going pale, "Watch out!"

Gerrod didn't turn around. He immediately ignited his defensive aura formation. The carriage exploded open and Gerrod vanished into the woods.

'So I was right! Hurial. Nol. Daray. They wanted war. They wanted to starve the people. Their end goal wasn't to conquer Tenli. It was to get a shot at assassinating Avizasi who rarely goes anywhere without her royal cards. When would she be more vulnerable? When would she be most in the open? At the end.' Gerrod couldn't fathom why they wanted her dead so badly, though, he also couldn't be bothered with it at that moment.

The assassin threw down smoke and jumped into the trees. There, a woman in full black garb passed by the assassin and broke their neck.

Gerrod held his breath and using his aura blasted all of the smoke away. Laying in front of him? A corpse, and above a woman.

"Who are you?" Gerrod raised the long sword in his hand cautiously.

Her eyes flashed and she began speaking, "I am Nol Twelve. You killed Nol Ninety-Nine. Elder Two gave me a mission to deliver you a gift and tell you that we are pulling out of Tenli."

She threw a ring towards him but Gerrod didn't move to catch it. He saw the word 'Death' on it and instead let it drop near him.

A glint passed her eyes, "That's the second time someone has chosen not to catch. That ring means that Elder Two is interested in. You should join us."

Gerrod smirked, "I won't join you. It's not fun if I do."

She looked visibly shocked, "That too is the second time someone had declined the Elder's gracious invite. In that case. I must inform you as per the Elder's code of conduct that you are now on the list of those to be killed. Aol branch will come for you. Wear the ring. If you do not they will then go after everyone around you until only you are left."

Gerrod smiled and his eyes sharpened. However, a sudden powerful pain came from his aura.

"I am too strong for you to control." Nol Twelve said calmly not a hint of arrogance in her gaze, "You may join Nol branch at any time. Using that ring you will both keep your loved ones safe and be able to contact Elder Two directly. It will only work to contact Elder Two once. Activation is-"

"-Aura." Gerrod shook off the pain and picked up the ring, "I'll figure it out."

The woman smiled and jumped up onto the tree.

"Wait!" Just as she was about to leave Gerrod called out to her.

"Have a change of heart?" She glanced back over her shoulder.

He shook his head.

"Of course not." She sighed and looked away, "That agent is not ours. It's an assassin from Maali's repulsive external affairs department. They are weak but high in number. Be careful of their weapons."

She vanished before he could say anything else.

'I wanted to ask for her real name...' Gerrod frowned lightly, '...but an agent from Maali's assassination ring? Also this thing... it likely has a tracker so Aol can find me anywhere. That way they don't have to use my loved ones. What a bothersome ring I'm forced to wear.'

Just to add insult to injury the ring fit perfectly around his finger.

"Haaa..." He picked up the would-be assassin and started his walk back, "Why can't everyone just leave me alone?"