Touch of Fate

Chapter 120: On the Horizon

Chapter 120: On the Horizon

Emmanuel Garthun sat heavily in the comfortable leather chair, resting his weary feet. He'd developed the bad habit of teleporting places he needed to go, and therefore found the long climb up to the conference room in the Spire a major chore. Unfortunately for him, whatever material the structure was made of blocked Space Magic transfers, forcing him to take the stairs once he had arrived at the ground floor. He sighed as his heart rate finally started to slow down.

[I'm getting too old for this.]

The other members of the University Board hadn't arrived yet, which was not surprising, since the emergency meeting notification was only sent out a half hour ago. The Headmaster wasn't there either, but Emmanuel figured that the man wanted to make one of his trademark dramatic entrances.

Eventually the other department chairs arrived, starting with Emmanuel's least favorite person. Amanda Beasley, chair of the Arts Department fluttered through the door in a riotous blizzard of color. He could tell that the thin, middle aged woman had designed a new outfit for herself, which seemed to consist of dozens of multicolored strips of cloth sewn into a loose framework of cord. Only one end of the strips were attached, allowing the rest of them to fly freely, and showing a bit too much skin for his taste.

"Ahh, Emmanuel. Good day! We have been blessed by such excellent weather today, it makes me feel like bursting into song."

"Please don't, the last thing I need right now is a headache."

"Haha, you always have the best jokes." She said with a laugh as she selected a chair and gracefully sat.

"I'm completely serious." This only earned another laugh.

Master Liam arrived next, nodded his greetings to the two current occupants, and took a seat as well. Emmanuel never really knew what the quiet Martial Arts Department Head was thinking, but he made sure to listen whenever the other man spoke.

Following closely behind the martial artist, was a severe looking, bespectacled woman dressed the brown tunic and pants of the Finance Department. Victoria Sharpe took her seat, and without so much as glancing at the others began looking through a pile of papers she had brought with her.

Emmanuel shook his head at the sight. He knew Victoria loathed wasting any time that could be better spent managing the complex and intricate web of financial contracts which helped fund the University, in addition to her duties as department chair. That said, she could at least spare a little time for a simple greeting.

The last one to arrive was Agari Junthin, the Science Department Chair, who was pulled in by a disgruntled looking student. This student promptly left after Agari was seated. Judging from the female rat beastman's appearance, it was clear that she had just been forced to leave some kind of experiment. She was still dressed in a tattered lab coat, gloves, and safety goggles, and was looking around as if trying to figure out where she was and how she got here.

Five of the six seats in the conference room were now filled, and exactly as Emmanuel expected, the Headmaster chose that moment to enter. The door was flung open, and the bald headed man strode in, his boots creating staccato notes on the wooden floor in the silence that had descended.

Tall and broad shouldered, Alexander Potrarian, cut an imposing figure. From the top of his shaven head to the thick military-style boots, the man looked more like a general than a teacher, and indeed he had served as such during the most recent war with Tennundi.

He stopped in front of his seat and addressed the council. "Thank you for gathering at such short notice, but I have dire news that demands immediate attention."

Finally sitting down, he made sure to look each department chair in the eyes before continuing.

[This sounds pretty serious. I haven't seen him this intense in a long while.]

His deep baritone voice rang out again, "I'm sure you are all aware of the conflict currently taking place in the Court. Traditionally, the University has avoided taking sides in any dynastic dispute. At the same time we have the responsibility of protecting our students from harm, regardless of the origin of that harm."

Emmanuel felt his heart sink. He had a feeling that the royal twins would cause him some trouble.

After a brief pause the Headmaster continued, "It has come to my attention that a group of radicals may be seeking to kidnap or assassinate some of our students. You should all know who among your rolls would be a potential target. I ask that you take care to provide them with every available security resource. I will be mobilizing the University Guard as well as the reserve forces for the next few weeks."

Agari, the Science Department chair, raised her hand, "Do we have any idea specifically who is in danger? I can't think of anyone in my department that would be involved in politics."

"The two in the greatest danger are enrolled in the Magic Department. I trust you know who I am speaking about Emmanuel. The others are spread among the Finance, Art, and Martial Arts departments." Alexander replied.

The beastman nodded, her short, rounded ears flicking in mild annoyance. "Then, why am I here? I was in the middle of an important experiment when the announcement hit."

"A fair question, one that will be answered by my second piece of news. You must understand, what I am about to say doesn't leave this room."

He paused to give the board another glare. "It was reported early this morning that Tennundian troops had invaded the Western Marches and are laying siege to Kadin Citadel."

A stony silence fell on the group as they digested the news. They all understood the danger of an invasion, especially now, when the country was so divided by internal conflict.

Emmanuel broke the silence, "What is the current situation?"

"General Grant is holding steady in Kadin. He is well supplied and equipped, and, barring any sudden changes, can withstand the siege for months. Marshal Forint is on the move in the north. He looks to relieve the fortress within the week. Marshal Jurien has already started mobilizing forces around the capital, but it will be at least a week before they are ready to march. She plans to take a levy of the knightly orders to rendezvous with Forint in the mean time. Admiral Lothrain has already skirmished with the Tennundian Navy, and judging from their actions, they are looking to keep our ships occupied while they push for a ground victory."

Emmanuel never really knew where the Headmaster got his information from, but he was almost always aware of important events in the kingdom, long before it reached the general public. The mage tried to picture the various elements in his head, and came to one dreadful conclusion. "If the citadel falls, we are looking at a potential assault on the capital itself. You called us here because you suspect the Prime Minister will issue a general Call to Arms."

This got the attention of the board.

"Surely it won't come to that, we have the entire Western Army between us and them." Amanda spoke, sounding like she was trying to convince herself.

Alexander closed his eyes for a second, "It hasn't been released by the authorities yet, but Marquis Ulric was found dead earlier this week. With the confusion in the court, no one has yet been appointed as marshal of the Western Army. It seems our longtime enemy has timed their invasion well. We need to prepare ourselves for the possibility of a Call to Arms."

Even in the best of times, the Almiran military was a confusing patchwork of different noble's troops, peasant levies, knightly orders, national soldiers, and hired mercenaries. Only through the leadership of the marshals, military leaders chosen by the king himself, could anything resembling an organized effort be mounted. With the death of, arguably, Almir's most effective marshal, the Western Army would be hard pressed to determine who was actually in charge, let alone how they should conduct a defensive war against an invading force.

So, rather than fixing the existing problem, it seemed like the government had largely given up on the army, and was preparing for battle to reach the capital. Due to a long history of invasions, when war kicked off, there were dozens of laws and regulations which allowed the nation's rulers to call on virtually anyone to join the ranks of the military. The most frequently used was the Call to Arms, which allowed general conscription in times of national emergency.

The students of the University, although young, had the advantage of being some of the best trained and skilled combatants in the region. Combined with an existing organizational structure that could be co-opted in times of need, and it was a ready-made militia force.

Emmanuel tried to remember the University's procedures in the event of a Call to Arms. He knew that the school was tasked with building a comprehensive military organization in times of war, with each department providing their own specialized services. Both students and faculty members were expected to participate in the defense of their nation.

Administration provided command and control, with the Headmaster in charge of operations. The Magic and Martial Arts departments were the primary strike force, using the University's Guard troops to supplement their numbers and experience. Finance would command the logistics efforts along with the Science department, while serving as engineers and armorers as necessary. Finally the Arts department provided manpower for any task the other groups needed, since they lacked skills that would be readily applicable in wartime.

While it sounded good on paper, the University hadn't been subjected to a Call to Arms in more than a century. The current staff was filled with indolent professors who were more at home in the library than on the battlefield. Expecting them to lead squads of students converted into soldiers was ludicrous. At least the majority of the students were aristocrats. While it had started to fall out of general favor in the upper classes, it was still considered honorable for nobles to serve in military conflicts. As such, most of them had been trained from an early age to fight in war.

The Headmaster spoke again. "Although I want to avoid a general panic among the student body, I intend to hold a mobilization drill next week. Do what you can to calm their fears. Additionally, I will be sending a detailed list of my expectations for all of you in the near future, so keep an eye out for that. Are there any questions?"

Speaking for the first time since the meeting started, Master Liam weighed in on the subject. "My students will be ready, should it come to that."

Similar messages were expressed from around the table.

"Good." Alexander said while standing. "Then this meeting is adjourned."

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Morris crumpled the letter in his hand and threw it into the fire angrily.

What was his father thinking?! After making him travel to the city of Gold Spear to negotiate with members of the Anti-Royal faction for the last week, the Count had the gall to send him a letter ordering him to abandon his efforts and march north in all haste.

It was almost as if the Serpent was saying that Morris's work had been a pointless waste of time, and that he merely wanted his son to have a plausible reason for waiting in the city until it was the time to act.

[If he wanted me to be on standby, all he had to do was say so. Why does he continue to manipulate me in this way?]

With a sigh, Morris finished venting. He knew there wasn't any other option but to follow his father's wishes. He'd given that option up in Wyrport.

There were a lot of preparations he need to start taking care of, and judging from the tone of the Count's letter, he needed to move quickly. As for the mission itself.....well he'd figure that out on the way.

[Seriously, why is he so desperate to build an alliance with the Ashborn all of a sudden?]

As he was packing his bag, he couldn't help but remember his last encounter with the tribe. He pictured the giant beetle mount of the warrior that had almost killed, and had to suppress a shudder.

[Hopefully this Talgratha figure will be open to the alliance...why does that name ring a bell?]