Janis wasn't sure what to think about Regina's decision to move the capital so suddenly. Well, it wasn't really sudden, they'd been planning and building the new city for a while, of course, but she hadn't expected her to move right now. She had not been looking forward to passing beyond Regina's psychic range, so in that sense it was nice. Although she supposed it would take a while to move the court and most of the government, anyway, so they'd probably be beyond Regina's range for a while still.

It was funny. When she'd been back home, she'd been anxious to get moving, to go out and do something. Now that she was with the army moving into the Western Confederation, she found herself wishing she was back at the excavation. That had been interesting. She'd learned new things about the Hivekind, and been able to push her magic a little. She hadn't been traveling with people she was going to send to their deaths, preparing how best to employ them in battle. Or preparing to kill other people.

She wished Kiara was here. Except, she didn't really want her girlfriend anywhere near the fighting, of course. It was good to know she was safe and sound back at Cera, someone for June to come back to. Although now she possibly wouldn't be, since June would be moving to the new city.

Kiara had also been distant recently. Distracted, probably. It was obvious she'd been worrying about June, who had not taken her most recent stint as a hostage as well as it seemed on the surface.

Still, Kiara had given her a passionate private goodbye and her favorite scarf as a token — a favor like in the stories, for a knight to wear his lady love's gift into battle or (more likely) tourneys. It was a sweet and romantic gesture and they'd laughed about it together. Publicly, they'd said goodbye as friends. (Janis kept the scarf hidden. She wished she wouldn't have to. She wanted to wear it around her arm or something and proudly display Kiara's affection for her, but too many people would know what it meant. They'd coasted by on a lot of goodwill and closed eyes but plausible deniability was still the name of the game.)

Janis was touching the scarf now, folded on the inside pocket of her jacket. Her actual status with regard to the army was a bit of a gray area, so she wasn't wearing a uniform, but she was still dressed in something that closely resembled one, with a bit of extra tailoring and adjustments. She'd insisted on large pockets. Touching the soft silk was grounding, as she stared at something she would prefer not to have to see.

"Your Highness? Is anything amiss?" an officer asked hesitantly.

"No, it's fine," Janis responded absently, frowning a little.

There was a group of officers around her, some of them drones and some humans, and a single gnome. Most of them were staff officers rather than serving in the field. Jay was also there, but he was the only Star Guard in this group.

They were crowded relatively close, looking at the map spread over a table. One side of the room was open, the wall almost entirely missing, offering a view out onto the landscape around them. It used to have windows, but they'd been damaged in the fighting, and were now missing entirely. Soldiers and drones moved beyond, offering some background murmur. Further away, there was the high grass and occasional bush or tree of the Diasen landscape. They weren't at the very front of the army, but still very much within enemy territory. It was not out of the question that an enemy scout might see the building they were in right now.

"I don't like this position," she continued, tapping her finger on a spot on the map, where a small star marked the location of an enemy outpost that their scouts had found. In this case, it was close to the edge of the 'envelope' they had scouted, using flying drones. Getting detailed information from anything much farther was an exercise in frustration.

"It's by a river," Jay noted. "And there's an important road close by. Even a bridge over the river."

"Exactly," Janis said, moving her finger slightly to tap at the bridge. "Then why isn't this outpost placed by the bridge? You'd think it would be a better location to guard the crossing and probably also easier to supply. Instead, it's several kilometers to the side of the road. There's not even a major hill or anything there, is there?"

"No, my Princess," Alf replied promptly. Of the officers present, he was the highest-ranking scout. And usually called her by name, of course, but the situation was different in a war council, even an informal one, and she needed to not appear to favor the Hive too much, so she appreciated it. "It is situated on a small hill, but only enough to give one a good view of the surrounding area."

Janis nodded. "And it is not the only strange position," she said, tapping a few other places. "Especially here, to the west. If we didn't have confirmation that the Westerns managed to coordinate the building of their fortifications somewhat with a central authority, I'd think the Diasen are just stupid and incompetent at it. But clearly, they do know how to build castles."

Diasen was one of the smaller states making up the Western Confederation, and located at its border. It was currently the state heaviest hit by the Empire's advance, although not the only one whose border they had crossed. Their reports said it had not manged to parlay its strategic position into any greater influence or power, and she doubted the Confederation's leaders — or their divine patrons — would leave them to decide on such things alone simply out of respect for their notional rights.

"They are forming a line," Alf said, nodding at the map. "It's why the outpost is a bit out of position, at least more so than it could be. It's harder to see since it's not a straight line, I suppose."

"Yes," Janis agreed, glancing at the others and inviting them silently to share their opinion.

"It curves at almost but not quite a right angle, a little more oblique," Jay noted. "There is no castle at the actual corner, but the bend of the river would make it harder to operate in that exact spot, anyway."

"I presume this is intended to stop us from pushing into the northwest," one of the other officers spoke up hesitantly. "The fortifications are heavier, and they might try to funnel us to keep our current heading."

"That would mean going deeper into the Western Confederation," someone else said.

"Armies tend to follow the path of least resistance, like water," Alf commented. "And speaking of water, breaking out and heading further west would mean a less secure water supply. We would have to bridge about thirty kilometers with only minor springs that don't provide enough for an army, before we come to the Dlianno again. More in some places."

Janis nodded. That would be doable, but it was still something most generals would rather avoid.

"What about going east?" someone suggested.

Alf shook his head. "Too close to the Esemen," he said. "Remember the Marshal's strategy, we should not seek out their armies yet. We must deal with the Confederation's gathered might first. And we cannot leave it at our backs, which means we need to deal with the western part, too."

Janis hummed silently, glancing at the map again. The Western Confederation was expansive, and they could hardly reach all of its western reaches — not without a dedicated campaign, obviously. But that wasn't the point; they still needed to at least capture the key castles and areas of interest in the western part of where both their current route led and what one would consider the center of the nation. Especially the bigger cities and most economically productive regions.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The Empire should have the advantage of maneuverability, but they were still operating in enemy territory, and getting surrounded or pinned between two enemy forces would not make for a good time.

"Step up our intelligence gathering efforts," she ordered. "Remember that flying drones are not our only possible source of information. I want increased attention paid to the civilians along our path as well as those further out. More interrogations, and offer more rewards. Alf, coordinate with your colleagues, I expect a report with proposed measures and an evaluation of the current situation."

"Yes, my Princess."

"Also, summon Lady Lily," Janis added. "I would consult with our psychics."

"What about our immediate next moves?" Jay asked. "Will we remain here while we reassess, or change course?"

That would need more preparation, of course. They'd planned this campaign and switching targets halfway through, while possible, was not something she should decide on a whim.

Janis glanced outside again. "No," she finally said, with a bit of regret. "We cannot afford to slow down. For now, we will continue forward as planned. I will speak with Ben, and we might shift our most forward deployments somewhat. For now, we are still marching up the river road network."

She understood the temptation to try and disrupt the enemy's plans, to go where they didn't want them to be. But it would probably be a larger strategic error. Janis had to keep the whole war in mind and being out of position … no, they'd be careful, but she wouldn't let their enemies shake her nerve.

With the decision made, they meeting continued. It wouldn't last long; most of the actual work would be done with the help of the psychic link, including drones — or occasionally other people with drones interpreting — who weren't physically here. Janis made sure everything was running smoothly, but she had competent subordinates and didn't need to micro-manage. And one good thing about the Hive was that, because of the psychic link, they didn't need much paperwork. The Empire in general had more of it than had been usual, but still not as much as the old world apparently used to.

After the meeting concluded, Janis stepped outside, glancing around. They were in the middle of nowhere, more or less; the army, or at least the headquarters section, spreading out beyond the confines of the small village around the outpost.

It reminded her a little too much of Griff's Rest, the village the Brotherhood raiders had destroyed. The buildings here were still standing, but they showed signs of damage, including smoke. And the people weren't out and about either, making it look a bit more like a ghost town. But instead of dispiriting, she actually found the resemblance almost helpful. It reminded her why they were fighting.

Still, Janis wasn't sad to leave it behind the next day.

She traveled with a drone mount, like most of the senior officers. It gave her a good view of her troops and her surroundings. The former had ceased being interesting some time ago; there was only so much excitement you could have from marching soldiers, and she'd spent more than enough days with them during the previous war. The surroundings were also pretty boring. Janis turned to the psychic link instead, to check in with and coordinate with everyone else, talking to Ben and Max about their strategy and keeping tabs on what was going on at home. Unfortunately, it was getting difficult as the psychic link felt very thin here. She had to focus to really be aware of Regina's presence, and anyone further out from her than Janis herself was very faint.

They'd planned for this, of course. They could keep in contact with flying drones, or the help of the psychics with the army, or just other magical means. It still felt strange.

The next day, Regina contacted her again. I'm moving to the new city, she said without preamble.

Moving this soon? Won't it take longer for everyone to be ready? The court and government?

I'm going on ahead, with some of my inner circle, Regina answered. At least for a bit. We still have the psychic link, so we can remain in close contact with Cera.

Alright, I understand. Thanks for letting me know.

They didn't talk much after that. They were busy, especially Regina, and it might have even drained her to talk with her.

Instead, Janis reached out to Ada. She frowned as she barely got a sense of her presence at all. The psychic link really was strained. Sighing, she called a flying drone over and passed it a message to give to the commander of the vanguard.

They kept advancing, and Janis got reports of skirmishes. It seemed the locals weren't entirely absent. She poured over the reports, trying to analyze every detail and consulting the analysis of others, but they didn't offer much information. Clearly, the Westerns wouldn't show all their cards this easily.

It took a few hours, and she was starting to get annoyed at the delay. Janis focused on the psychic link again. It was actually starting to get stronger again, gradually, she realized. Looking deeper showed that it must be because Regina was moving, heading west from Cera. Her course would be at an angle to Janis' current position and the effect would diminish, but for now, it made the psychic link a little more tangible for her again.

Still, Janis took advantage of the opportunity. She checked in with the others, first having a quick chat with Ben, who was still in Cera for now, then with the other commanders in the army. She reached out to Ada, hoping to get an update on their position.

Instead, she got a nasty surprise.

Ada was currently watching a skirmish, although she wasn't participating herself. Several Star Guard squads supplemented with regulars stayed close by her, as protection, and to build a core for the advance force to fall back on. Ada herself and most of the elite forces were mounted on flying drones. It gave them the reach to see what was going on with their advance guard. Unfortunately, the fight wasn't going well. More and more enemy soldiers seemed to appear, as if they were melting out of the horizon. They were overwhelming the Imperial picket force. There was only sparse tree cover, the terrain slightly hilly with meadows and fields.

There's something off here, Ada muttered.

Are you repositioning? Janis asked — a bit unnecessarily, since she could sense the movements of drones through the psychic link.

Yes. Their stealth is too good, Ada continued. We missed them; I'm sorry, Janis.

That's not your fault — Look out!

Everything happened quickly. Two of the drones closest by Ada fell, sending out brief panicked feelings into the psychic link. Instinctively, Ada made her own drone fold its wings and dive. Janis caught the edge of the sensation. It started tumbling, pain flaring in its mind.

Then the drone stabilized, hovering in the air, as one of the mages stepped in and used air magic to halt it, then pulled it and Ada towards him. But Janis was focused on the threat. A giant eagle with blue-etched feathers had appeared as if out of nowhere, and was now turning in a tight circle. The rider conjured ice spears out of the air and threw them at the drones surrounding them. The javelins split into two, then doubled several more times before impact. One of them sheared through a hastily-raised barrier. Several more drones started diving out of control.

Does anyone see their status? she asked.

One of the other drones transmitted it: Thesis Scamper, Level ?, Shadow Apostle.

A Champion of a god, and one with an actual priest or paladin Class, Janis realized quickly. They were powerful and dangerous.

And they weren't alone. The air shimmered in a second spot and another giant eagle appeared, with a rider — probably a short-range teleport, she analyzed in the back of her mind. But Janis didn't have any time to take it in. The rider raised their hand and a concussive wave of force exploded outward.

Many of the drones were almost thrown away. She could sense their disorientation and more pain. Janis switched through drones quickly. Ada was close to the air mage, a Star Guard, who'd positioned himself to shield her from the first attacker, but the second was now closer and they were open. They'd done this precisely, Janis realized — Ada was open, the drones closest to her scattered, many of them not even keeping in the air, and the riders were distracted.

The second attacker didn't hesitate, he just charged straight in toward her. Janis' heart skipped a beat as she realized Ada would not be able to get away in time.

Regina! she called, frantically tugging on her connection to the Hive Queen. Save Ada! Teleport, now!

Regina couldn't have had enough time to process what was going on, but she didn't hesitate. She called up her Queen's Summons Skill; Janis felt her sudden focus.

The eagle rider was barely a few meters away when Ada disappeared. The Star Guard mage listed to the side at the sudden loss of her weight, his drone mount barely scraping by the eagle.

Attack, now, Janis commanded the group.

Everyone who was still in any position to do so scrambled to attack with offensive Spells or Class Skills.

It felt longer, but the whole thing had taken place in heartbeats. The first eagle rider drifted off, raising a shimmering gray magical barrier against their attacks. The second kept going on his path, his mount speeding up, until they met. Then they were gone.

Teleported out again, it must be.

A targeted strike at Imperial leadership, Janis analyzed, trying to stay calm. We should have realized they would do something like this. And they're smart and disciplined. Once their target was gone, they disengaged immediately, rather than staying against the weight of numbers. Their strike had relied on surprise.

Then she realized Ada wasn't the only target. Alarms were raised in the psychic link, sudden spikes of fear, pain and even death accompanying them.

Janis cursed and focused on finding out what was going on, at least until her own escort demanded her attention.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.