A few hours earlier.

As Alikah reached the bottom of the report, she realized she had no idea what she'd just read. The words had flown through her mind as swiftly as a mountain stream, and she'd failed to latch onto anything. I've been cooped up too long.

With a sigh, she shoved the papers away and rubbed her eyes. She was tired of being inside, tired of listening to the incessant tap-tap-tap as the rain leaked through the hastily repaired roof, tired of dealing with the constant bickering in a camp filled with too many commanders and not enough soldiers. But most of all, she was tired of waiting.

She'd wanted to strike as soon as she captured Dūr-Sūqerbettû's commander. When his daughter had learned of his capture, the girl had been putty in her hands. A simple promise that they won't kill any soldiers who surrendered, and the girl had folded. As if promises meant anything.

Even if the girl grew a brain and refused to let them in when the time arrived, it wouldn't matter. Every plan should have a backup, and the young lady was not the only Corsyth she'd suborned. It had been a simple matter for her spies to uncover evidence that the sergeant in command of the southern gates had been extorting merchants for years. One look at her evidence had been enough to bring him into the fold, as the man knew all too well the fate that would await him if the Empire learned of his crimes.

No, Alikah felt certain that she would be able to seize the fort even if Damqa failed to deliver. She might not have the advantage in numbers, but more than made up for it in levels. If there was one upside to the glut of commanders in her camp, it was their ability to churn through lower-tiered troops like chaff.

The problem she faced, though, had never been taking the fort - it was holding it. Truthfully, her orders didn't make sense. They didn't have enough troops to man the walls if the Empire came looking for a fight, let alone fend off a siege.

Confused by the lack of instruction, she'd held off on the attack as she begged for reinforcements. The first few letters had gone answered, but a few weeks back her prayers were finally answered. A letter arrived promising that reinforcements were coming, along with more detailed instructions.

Ironically, the hope of finally escaping this rain-soaked wasteland had made the waiting unbearable. And with nothing but time on her hands, she'd had plenty of opportunity to fret about her little group of unexpected party crashers. In a few days, they'd done more damage to her plans than the fort's soldiers had managed in months. With a sigh, she picked up the letter and forced herself to reread it.

Another camp was gone, and one of the worst to lose. They'd even had warning of the mages' approach and tried to spring an ambush, for all the good it had done them. We underestimated them yet again. At least now, I understand what they're doing.

She drummed her fingers as she debated how to respond. It was obvious that the mages had decided to weaken her forces by striking at the smaller camps, and if they knew the location of her other camps, then it stood to reason that they were also aware of her base. So why haven't they struck? It was what she would do in their position - unless they weren't confident they could beat her.

We need to force their hand. Either they'll come to us, or be forced to back off. Deciding on an action, she quickly penned a missive to the commanders of the two remaining camps, bidding them to return immediately. They'd wait the mages out in the safety of their base and, once her promised reinforcements arrived, it would be too late.

Her plan had one major flaw, though. Once they'd realized they couldn't defeat her forces by themselves, the mages would likely retreat to the castle, and a group of mages behind the protection of a solid set of walls was a dangerous thing, even for the stoneflesh. We could probably take them out, but the casualties would be too high. Perhaps there are other ways, though… She fired off another missive, asking the cooks to prepare a bottle of fine wine to send Lady Damqa. A little poison should do the trick.

She hadn't finished writing when a knock came at the door. "Ammatu, a messenger from General Ilanādar has arrived." The letter fell forgotten as she leapt to her feet. A messenger? A terrible fear twisted her gut as the only news she was expecting was the promised reinforcements. Don't tell me they canceled them.

Alikah forced herself to remain calm as she stormed to the door, and flipped the lock. Her aide bowed as she stepped out, but the man standing beside him did not extend the same courtesy. With his hands clasped behind him, he offered her only an imperious nod before speaking. "Commander Alikah?"

She realized immediately the man was no simple messenger. If the lack of armor wasn't sign enough, the long robe he wore, though a simple black in color, was laced with pure gold thread and dark red buttons she was almost certain were rubies.

"Aye," she replied stiffly, "And you are?"

"Lord Ēpis̆dāma. I've been sent…."

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Alikah spaced out as his name sunk in.

Lord Ēpis̆dāma.

The Bloodspiller.

The stoneflesh were not a people gifted with magic. Their natural resistance to the power of essence was coupled with an equal resistance to the ability to wield it. Save for those few fortunate enough to be blessed by a god, there were few among her kind capable of harnessing essence for anything more difficult than a parlor trick. And Ēpis̆dāma was a legend even amongst those few.

"I'm sorry," she stuttered out, interrupting him mid-sentence. "I didn't catch that."

The mage sighed. "Where did I lose you?"

"Why are you here?" she evaded the question.

"I've been sent to oversee the capture of Dūr-Sūqerbettû."

Alikah repressed a frown. "When you say 'oversee,' does that mean you're replacing my command?"

"Technically, I'm in charge now, but you can keep the command until the fort's been taken," the man waved her concern aside. "After that - well," he smiled grimly, "that's why I'm here."

Suddenly, her orders made more sense. "They have no intention of holding the fort, do they?"

"I suppose that depends on how you define holding," the man smirked, "but you needn't concern yourself with that. Simply step aside when I give the order, and you'll be back to your beaches in no time."

"And the reinforcements," she asked, with a sinking feeling.

"Standing before you."

"I see." It was all she could trust herself to say.

"Now, do you have a place I can stay? It's been raining all day, and I'd like time to freshen up before dinner."

"Of course." She waved her aide over. "Ardu, take him to Commander Saḫāpu's quarters and let the commander know he'll be staying with his men tonight." She watched in silence as they departed, fighting to keep the shaking out of her limbs.

They sent the Bloodspiller. The man's name was no exaggeration. No one knew what god Ēpis̆dāma served, but there was little doubt it was a dark one. He'd earned his name after his patrol had gotten cut off by an imperial army. The man had led the empire on a mad chase through the Agamīnian mountains for two weeks before he stumbled upon an isolated village.

Even amongst her own people, the story of what he'd done was told with equal parts awe and disgust. Every living thing in the village had been killed - young and old, man and beast, not even babes had been spared.

Ēpis̆dāma had used the blood to summon a portal, one that went to a world they knew not and the things that came through…she shuddered, despite knowing that most of the stories she'd been told were fantasies. The mage was the only one of his squad to survive and, though he'd claimed it was the empire who had killed them, most believed he'd sacrificed them too.

The stoneflesh lords had been willing to overlook that, though, as the damage he'd inflicted on the empire had outweighed the men he'd slain. The entire cohort chasing after them fell to the man, and it had taken months for the recently ascended emperor to gather reinforcements to close the portal.

That had been the start of the Bloodspiller's fame, though it was only the first of his deeds. There seemed to be a limit to his power, as he'd only performed the ritual a few times since, but his fame had grown with every attempt - as had his infamy, as the last two rituals had been aimed not at the Empire, but at feuding stoneflesh lords.

If he was here, then she could only assume that her commanders intended to repeat the ritual.

She choked back the vomit that rose in the back of her throat as she shut the door behind her. Al Sure, she hadn't intended to spare the soldiers in the fort - she didn't have troops to secure that many prisoners - but she doubted Ēpis̆dāma would stop with the men. She was no Corsyth lover, but the thought of slaughtering the entire village sat heavy in her stomach, as did another fear, a fear she could almost not bring herself to vocalize.

If Ēpis̆dāma thought nothing of killing his men then, why should it be different now? For months, she'd been frustrated by command's reluctance to support them, but suddenly it all made sense. They hadn't sent any reinforcements because they didn't need any; she and her men wouldn't be leaving the fort alive.

Alikah tried to push back on the fear, to tell herself that she was leaping to the worst possible conclusion, but she couldn't shake the thought. Can we stop him?

Barring the door, she tossed the letters she'd written into the flames. There was no point in summoning the rest of her troops back if they were going to die anyway. The death the mages would grant them would likely be better than whatever horrors Ēpis̆dāma would summon.

The mages…Her hand froze as she grabbed the letter she'd begun writing to Damqa. Is there any chance they could help us?

Truthfully, Alikah wasn't sure how powerful Ēpis̆dāma was. Rituals did not always lend themselves to prowess in battle, but his continued survival suggested he was reasonably competent, for she was sure the Empire would have sent assassins after him. I might not be able to take him on my own, but maybe with their help.

The thought of teaming up with Corsyths was distasteful, but it was better than being sacrificed. Suppressing her disgust, she sat down at the table and drafted a new letter. She didn't know if the mages would return to the castle before Ēpis̆dāma struck, but if they did…perhaps there was a chance, however slim.

As she sealed the letter, a knock came at her door. "It's me, my lady."

"Come in…Well?" she demanded as her aide scooted through the door, scuffing the muck of his boots.

"Lord Ēpis̆dāma has been situated, although Commander Saḫāpu was quite unhappy." She could hardly bring herself to care, given they'd all likely be dead in a few days.

"And Lord Ēpis̆dāma?"

"He said he was turning in for a nap, but he left the cottage only a few minutes after I did."

So he's spying on us. Alikah suffocated a sigh, knowing it would make her task more difficult. I need to buy more time. "Thank you, Ardu. Stop by the kitchen before you go and talk to the chef. I want to make sure our guest receives nothing but the best for supper. Perhaps with some fresh, crumpled ḫambasusu."

Her aide's eyes widened with unasked questions, but he nodded his head. "As you command, Ammatu."

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