Bringer of Destruction (The Bringan saga 2)

Chapter 6

"When the time comes, you must stay there. You're the person I trust the most in the world to protect them... besides you, I wouldn't leave them with anyone," Aislin said, turning her head toward them.

Then she turned to Doreon. "As for you, don't think it's a foolish choice. You've been trained to be a warrior, you're skilled, you've been the commander of a royal army for years, leading it against the revolt of some lords, and against the north when it tried to take the lands. The allied lords follow me to your credit. It's strategy, and beyond that," she stopped at the top of the stairs looking at him, "I trust you and I need you to be able to save our people."

Doreon froze on the step before her and looked her straight in the eye, looking for something that would give him the impression that she was lying or that she was using it for some other purpose. But he couldn't sense anything. As if she had an invisible thread connecting to her, Doreon believed her and nodded her head gently, agreeing to her implicit request to be her right-hand man.

"Does that mean I'm going to have to call you boss?" asked Barclay behind him. "It means that whatever you do, it's going to fall on Doreon. if you s**t out of the pot, it'll be up to him to punish you," Aislin said softly.

"Are you sure, princess?" asked Blake softly, standing beside the commander.

"I'm sure," she said. "Doreon is not only a great fighter, even if he can't beat me, he's also a strategist and that's what we need to win this war. I know spells and the different languages that have populated our world, I know the art of the sword better than anyone, but I don't know anything about war or strategy and neither do you, Blake. That's why we need a real commander, and whether half of my army depends on his presence or not is just a further push for that decision." The girl concluded, turning and winking at Doreon, before walking on deck.

The sailors were busy, shouting orders from one side of the boat to the other, as the coast drew nearer and nearer.

The sails had been withdrawn and some ships had stopped offshore to allow the first ones to disembark their crews.

"As soon as we are ashore, order a meeting of the Lords Allies you trust most. I want to talk to them first, and then we'll get together with the witches and the other two commanders," Aislin said, heading for the bow.

"What do we do with the Ackard spies?" asked Doreon, following her.

"We're going to tell this new council not to divulge any information other than what we want. If I'm right, they'll run to their king as soon as we move the army," Aislin said, watching the ships approach the quayside. "Once you're in a meeting with all the lords, you give the wrong information. As soon as we move the army, the lords of Aeris will run to their king to tell them the details."

"Me? Won't you be there?" Doreon turned to look at his profile, her rosy golden hair moving gently around her purple face.

"The lords of Aeris know me, they are men who are part of the council of Elhiás, they would recognize me immediately, and I am not yet ready to let everyone know that I am back in Mihdel," Aislin said, turning and winking at him. "For the time being, I don't need the other kings to know my identity. I like the idea of being a shadow hovering behind them, ready to attack at any moment."

"Do you know where Elhiás is right now?" asked Doreon, resting her elbows on the wood of the ship.

"He used to be in the north helping his queen, Taryn Fahan... Now I don't know anymore. I've been busy for the past few months."

"Busy so much that you can't control your enemies?" asked Doreon, frowning.

"I was saving your ass," she said with a snort.

"Where shall I send the army?" asked Doreon.

"To the north. Elder is the weakest kingdom of the five, split in half by a civil war. It won't be long before we overthrow the usurper and occupy him," said Aislin.

"Once you overthrow the usurper, you will clear the way for the heir," said Doreon.

"That she will be busy picking up the pieces of the north while leaving the other kingdoms defenseless. They won't have a chance to deal with a possible alliance and we'll attack them," Aislin declared, leaning her elbow on the wood and turning to him.

"Devian is isolated, she has an alliance with Haefest, but King Temis doesn't care much about keeping the deal," Doreon said, revealing the information she knew from Sumon and Nathan. "Sumon is completely isolated in the capital, it is not appreciated by many lords because it has not been able to conceive an heir, and she is not from Haefest. Other lords don't want Nathan in power, preferring to appoint Damien as king, even though he's probably dead. Nathan only retains control over some lords through a will."

"And because of your presence on the council, without that..."

"The lords, who doubt Nathan because of my presence at court, will be reassured, while those who remained for me"

"They'll be free to switch sides," Aislin said to him. "You'll have to send someone you trust to talk to the other lords of Haefest and get them on our side."

"I'd have to go there myself."

Aislin shook her head and looked him straight in the eye.

"No, you will have to accompany me to Locrand. I will have to win the support of the other lords. My brother is not yet king, people yearn to see him in power, but they will never side with my father as long as he has the crown on his head. It will be the most propitious moment to draw them to our side and make them side with us. All the lords of Locrand despise my father, if I spread the rumour that he has tried to kill me countless times..." she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, clenching her hand into fists. Then she opened her eyelids again, releasing her fire-red, glowing irises. "The lords would turn their backs on him immediately, it is a sin in the eyes of the gods, and they would bring the misfortunes of the kingdom upon him."

"Your brother?"

"My brother is too busy to f**k any living thing to be aware of what's around him. Before he can act, we will have done our job and taken the lords out from under his noses, swelling our ranks of men," the commander said with a deep breath.

"The last time I was in Mihdel, Nathan asked me to deliver a letter to the Neyers, inviting them to Sierra on an urgent matter. In all likelihood, the king will be there to discuss deals with Nathan," Doreon admitted.

Aislin turned and looked at him carefully, then stared back at the sea and the ships that continued to dock relentlessly. "Not my father, he will never move from the capital. If they've decided to send someone, it'll be Athelstan," she said after a while thoughtfully. "I don't like it when they move without my knowledge, I need informants." Doreon sighed.

"I'll talk to the lords and see to it that we send spies to Sierra," he concluded.

"Good," replied Aislin, breaking away from the bow and heading towards where the sailors were gathering.

He heard the metallic sound of anchors being thrown overboard, followed by the thud of metal in the water, as the sails were withdrawn and the men began to prepare the lifeboats that would take them to land.

A handmaid approached Aislin and handed her the top of her armor, beginning to adjust the leather on her chest, along with the iron shoulder straps. Another approached him and froze so that she could begin to adjust her armor as well. He had kept the old one of Haefest, though he had removed the Fannil crest and no longer wore the commander's cloak. The girl tied her armor to him as he watched the men move around the ship and prepare everything they needed to get off.

Aislin beside him stared expressionlessly into space as she finished adjusting her armor. After they finished, they switched their blades to both. Aislin tied the belt of her swords to her chest, tucking them behind her back. As Doreon tied his daggers and sword, he looked up and saw Blake staring at him in a bad way.

"Your knight could kill me in my sleep," he said.

Aislin sighed. "After what we've been through, Blake only cares about my safety, he never trusts the people around me," she said, watching the knight move discreetly among the sailors.

"So why do you want to leave him away instead of keeping him next to you? No one could protect you better than him," Doreon insinuated with a frown.

"Then why you don't bring him with you?"

"Because I need him somewhere else," she said with a sigh.

Doreon turned his head to look at her and saw her lift her head upward, her eyes searching for something among the stars. The sails were withdrawn and the sailors began to set up the lifeboats to reach the mainland and the stronghold. A roar pierced the mystical silence that surrounded them, and everyone's heads lifted upward, while a smile appeared on Aislin's lips.

The sound of flapping wings could be heard. Doreon narrowed his eyes to try to get a better view, when a shadow began to form from a clear cloud that slowly grew bigger and more imposing.

A roar rang out, and then a huge black dragon emerged from the clouds. His jaws were wide open as he growled, his wings flapping and closing again as he swooped down. The ships were docking, one after the other.

Aislin remained unfazed as she watched Vhrax swoop. For a moment Doreon feared that the dragon would smash into one of the ships, he held his breath when the beast came almost to the surface of the sea, and then spread its wings wide at the last moment and glided close to the sails, moving them forcefully and shaking them so much that the people on their feet fell to the ground. Some clung to the wood in fear.

Doreon froze like a statue when the dragon glided above them and caused the ship to shake and shake, almost capsizing it.

Aislin followed the dragon's movement as it passed them and continued on its way, passing all the docked ships and reaching the stronghold.

He glided over it, slowing his course, until he flapped his wings and slowly descended, with his lower paws he clung to the stone of the main building, then landed with the top.

He spread his wings and let out a satisfied growl that shook the sails and masts of the ships. Doreon turned to Aislin, a cheerful smile on her lips.

She turned her head to Doreon and looked at him, her eyes shining. "We're back home," she said.

Home.