The morning after the scout's devastating report, Kai was reviewing troop manifests when Commander Thorne announced another arrival.
"Your Highness, Commander Naris Vortuna has arrived with reinforcements from the Cordell garrison."
Kai looked up from the papers scattered across his makeshift desk. "How many troops?"
"Five hundred soldiers, including thirty magician knights," Thorne replied. "And sir... he's a 3rd Star Soul Ascendant."
A 3rd Star commander. That's actually useful. Too bad I can't shake the feeling that nothing useful comes without complications.
Kai walked outside to see a tall, silver-haired man in polished armor directing his troops with practiced efficiency. Everything about Commander Naris Vortuna screamed experienced military professional, from his confident posture to the way his soldiers moved with disciplined precision.
"Commander Vortuna," Kai called out as he approached.
The older man turned and offered a crisp salute. "Your Highness. I came as soon as I received the imperial call for assistance."
That was fast. Maybe too fast.
"Impressive response time," Kai said. "Most commanders are still gathering their forces."
Naris smiled, his weathered face showing the lines of someone who'd spent decades in command. "When the empire calls, we answer immediately. Especially when facing a threat like this Death Panel organization."
He seems to know a lot about the threat already. Interesting.
"What have you heard about the situation?" Kai asked.
"Disturbing reports, Your Highness. Count Otavi's rebellion, the transformed people, cities falling silent." Naris shook his head grimly. "I've fought magical enemies before, but nothing quite like this."
Fighting magical enemies isn't that common. Most military campaigns are against regular human armies.
"You have experience with magician knight level threats?" Kai asked.
"Some border skirmishes with rogue mages, bandit groups with stolen magical weapons. Nothing on this scale, but enough to understand the tactical challenges." Naris gestured toward the maps visible through the command center's open door. "If I may, Your Highness, I have detailed knowledge of the regional geography that might prove useful."
Kai nodded and led him inside. Naris immediately moved to the maps with the confidence of someone familiar with the territory.
"The main roads between here and Atunmbra pass through three chokepoints," Naris explained, pointing to specific locations. "If the Death Panel has any tactical sense, they'll have those monitored or trapped."
He knows the area well. Too well for someone who supposedly just arrived.
"How familiar are you with Count Otavi?" Kai asked casually.
Something flickered across Naris's expression too brief to interpret clearly. "Our families have... old connections. My father served with his father years ago. Which makes this rebellion all the more puzzling."
Old family connections to a man who's now working with demon-creating criminals. That's not suspicious at all.
"Puzzling how?"
"Otavi was always loyal to the empire, Your Highness. Served faithfully for over twenty years. I can't understand what would drive him to this." Naris frowned at the map. "Unless he's being coerced somehow."
Or unless you know more about his motivations than you're letting on.
"Coerced by whom?" Kai pressed.
"The Death Panel, perhaps? They seem capable of transforming people. Maybe they have other forms of control as well."
That's actually a reasonable theory. But why does it sound like he's testing my reactions to his suggestions?
Before Kai could probe further, Darek and Althea entered with more reports. Naris smoothly transitioned into helpful military advisor mode, offering logistics suggestions and tactical insights that were genuinely useful.
He's either exactly what we need, or he's very good at pretending to be.
The next two days passed in a blur of military organization. Naris proved invaluable, his troops were well-trained, his tactical advice was sound, and his knowledge of the region helped solve several supply line problems.
Which only made Kai more suspicious.
Nobody is this helpful without wanting something in return.
By the second evening, the final troop counts were in. Kai studied the numbers with growing unease.
"Twenty-eight thousand regular soldiers," he announced to his assembled officers. "One thousand two hundred magician knights of various star levels. Against an estimated fifty thousand potential 2nd Star demons."
The math on that is still terrible, even with Naris's reinforcements.
"What's our magician knight distribution?" Althea asked.
Commander Thorne consulted his lists. "Eight hundred 1st Star Spark Awakened, three hundred 2nd Star Iron Tempered, and one hundred 3rd Star Soul Ascendant knights."
Kai mentally reviewed the command structure. Commander Vortuna and Thorne are both 3rd Star Soul Ascendant - my highest-ranking officers. And here I am, a 2nd Star Iron Tempered, commanding them through royal authority alone.
At least they're deferring to my rank instead of my magical power. For now.
Naris spoke up from his position near the maps. "Your Highness, if I may suggest the key will be using our magician knights efficiently. Regular soldiers can hold lines and provide support, but any serious fighting will need to be done by those with star rankings."
Sound advice. But why does every suggestion he makes feel like he's steering us toward something?
"What do you recommend for formation strategies?" Kai asked.
"Mixed units," Naris replied promptly. "Twenty regular soldiers supporting each magician knight, with 3rd Star knights as mobile commanders who can respond to threats."
That's standard anti-magical-enemy doctrine. Either he knows his business, or he's read the same manuals I have.
As the meeting continued, Kai found himself watching Naris carefully. The man's advice was consistently helpful, his tactical knowledge impressive, and his troops clearly respected him. But something felt off.
Maybe it's the way he asks about our exact routes. Or how he seems to know just a little too much about Death Panel movements.
That evening, after dismissing the general staff, Kai asked his core team to remain behind. Once the command center had cleared except for Althea, Darek, Yeldvi, and Commander Thorne, he addressed the elephant in the room.
"I need to discuss something with all of you," Kai began, his voice low. "And I need your honest opinions."
Time to find out if I'm being paranoid or if my instincts are right.
"What's troubling you, Your Highness?" Althea asked.
Kai paced to the window, looking out at the camps where twenty-eight thousand soldiers were preparing for what might be a suicide mission.
"This whole situation doesn't make sense," he said finally. "Count Otavi serves the empire faithfully for twenty years, then suddenly rebels and allies with demon-creating criminals. My brother, who will inherit this territory, sends me with a fraction of the force needed instead of mobilizing properly." He turned back to face them. "And now we have a convenient new ally who knows just a little too much about everything."
There. I've said it. Now let's see if they think I'm losing my mind.
Yeldvi snorted. "Took you long enough to voice what we were all thinking."
"You suspect Commander Vortuna as well?" Kai asked.
"Man shows up with exactly the right troops at exactly the right time, knows the terrain perfectly, and has family connections to our main target?" Yeldvi shrugged. "Either we're incredibly lucky, or someone's playing games with us."
Althea nodded slowly. "I've been analyzing his tactical suggestions. They're all sound military doctrine, but they consistently guide us toward specific approaches and routes."
So I'm not being paranoid. Good to know.
"What do you think, Darek?" Kai asked.
The strategist knight looked uncomfortable. "His advice has been helpful, Your Highness. And we need his troops. But..." He hesitated. "Some of his men have been asking questions about our supply schedules and communication methods."
Gathering intelligence. Wonderful.
Commander Thorne cleared his throat. "If I may, Your Highness whether Commander Vortuna is trustworthy or not, we need his forces. The question is how to use him without giving him information that could compromise us."
Keep your enemies closer, as the saying goes.
"Agreed," Kai said. "We'll continue working with him, but we keep our real plans close. And we watch him carefully."
"What about the larger questions?" Althea asked. "Your concerns about the crown prince's motivations?"
Kai rubbed his temples. That's the part that really worries me.
"Think about it," he said. "Ludvik will inherit the empire. If he lets the south fall to demons, he inherits less territory and faces a magical threat on his borders. What rational ruler would allow that?"
"Unless he doesn't expect to inherit the empire," Yeldvi said bluntly.
The room went silent. Kai felt a chill run down his spine.
Unless this isn't about territory at all. Unless it's about eliminating inconvenient princes.
"You think he's setting me up to fail?" Kai asked quietly.
"Think about it," Yeldvi continued. "You're popular with the people, skilled in combat, and your mother protects you from court politics. Some might see you as a threat to a smooth succession."
Send the troublesome younger brother on an impossible mission. If he succeeds, great. If he dies heroically trying to save the empire, even better.
"That's a serious accusation," Commander Thorne said carefully.
"It's a serious situation," Althea replied. "And it would explain why we received minimal support for such a critical mission."
Kai stared at the maps covering the walls. So I might be fighting demons created by a conspiracy that involves my own brother. Just fantastic.
"For now, we proceed as planned," he decided. "We stop the Death Panel's ritual, save those civilians, and protect the empire. But we trust only each other and watch everyone else carefully."
Including family, apparently.
After dismissing his officers, Kai remained alone in the command center, staring at reports he'd already memorized. The weight of command felt heavier than ever.
Twenty-eight thousand soldiers trusting me to lead them against impossible odds. And I can't even be sure my own brother wants me to succeed.
Around midnight, when the camps had settled into a quiet routine, Kai slipped outside. He needed to work on his powers the one advantage he might have that nobody else knew about.
Mid 2nd Star Iron Tempered. I should be able to do more than just intimidate people with shadows.
He found a secluded area behind the command buildings and drew his spear. Other 2nd Star knights could enhance their weapons with elemental energy, create defensive barriers, or project attacks. What could shadows do?
Come on. Work with me here.
Kai focused on his spear, trying to channel his Taqa into the weapon through shadow manipulation. For a moment, the blade seemed to shimmer with darkness, becoming harder to focus on visually.
That's... something. But what's it actually doing?
He tried again, this time focusing on his own shadow. In the moonlight, it stretched clearly across the ground. With concentration, he managed to make it move independently of his body just barely.
Better. But still nowhere near battle-ready.
The problem wasn't power, he could feel the Taqa flowing through him, darker and colder than the elemental energies other knights described. The problem was control.
Shadow Taqa responds to emotion more than conscious intent. When I was angry at that envoy, it worked perfectly. When I'm trying to train calmly, nothing.
Kai practiced for another hour, managing small successes but nothing reliable. As a 2nd Star Iron Tempered, he should be capable of consistent magical techniques. Instead, his abilities remained frustratingly unpredictable.
Great. I'm leading an army against 2nd Star demons, and I can't reliably use my own 2nd Star powers.
As he prepared to return to his quarters, a movement in the shadows caught his attention. Someone was watching him from the edge of the camp.
Too far away to identify. But close enough to see what I was doing.
The figure retreated when Kai looked directly at them, melting back into the darkness between tents.
Either I'm getting paranoid about everything, or someone is definitely keeping tabs on me.
Kai made his way back to the command center, his mind racing. Tomorrow they would begin the march toward demon-controlled territory. He'd be leading twenty-eight thousand soldiers into a situation where political conspiracy might be as dangerous as magical enemies.
Four days to reach the fallen cities. Three days after that until the Death Panel's ritual. And I still don't know who I can trust.
This is going to be complicated.