Path of Glory

1

Prologue of the second half of the series

  

The huge throne room was magnificent, but empty. This combination inspired both a sense of awe at its splendor, and a longing for the former glory of a place where lavish feasts and balls had once been held, making the Lascanian Palace famous across all seven Empires.

The clinking of the cavalry corps captain’s spurs echoed off the high walls. The marble slabs of the floor polished to a mirror sheen, the majestic columns, the artful fountains, and the small gardens in this beautiful hall only added to the sense of majesty from a bygone era. In his black, soot-covered armor, he looked like a dirty smudge defiling the snow-white hall, which was flooded with daylight that was seeping through the tall stained-glass windows.

The captain strode up to the snow-white throne made from magic marble. To the left and right of it stood various fountains, through which water hadn’t flowed for a long time. The garden beds, enclosed by a white metal fence, once full of fruit, were now covered in beautiful but wilting flowers. Despite its former majesty, these days, after the death of Emperor Gridid, the Palace of the Imperial Family was only a pitiful shadow of what it had once been.

However, this didn’t detract from its glory, sheer scope, or otherworldly beauty. The Satyrs’ Garden, in the center of which stood the Palace, was every bit the equal of the Forbidden City of Dahanatan. Although, if he were to say that out loud, he would lose his head. The Regent Mother was too sensitive to any comparisons between the two Empires. She still remembered the days when Darnassus had been on the verge of disappearing, back when it would’ve only taken a bit of effort for the other six Empires to end it completely… By some curious twist of fate, it had been at its weakest when Morgan the Fearless had appeared.

“Damn that bastard!” The Regent Mother often repeated. “His father only made two good decisions during his entire reign: knocking up that smartass mother of his, and then hiding the boy from us in the Moonlight Sect! Damn those pacifists! Damn all of Darnassus!”

When Morgan had been only six winters old, his father and mother had been killed by assassins hired by Lascan. If that had started a war for the Darnassian territories, most of them would’ve gone to Lascan, as the Empire with both the most powerful army and the one that shared the largest border with Darnassus.

Chaverie and Gazargaz also shared a border with Darnassus, but they hadn’t had enough military might to capitalize on the situation back then. As for the remaining three Empires, they’d been too far removed from Darnassus to be interested in it at the time. Nowadays, however, everyone but Lascan was tucking their tails between their legs and whimpering due to the rampant growth of their neighbor.

“Regent Mother.” The cavalryman bowed deeply. “I have a report from the front for you.”

A woman with snow-white hair sat on the snow-white throne, playing with a small blond boy’s hair. The Lascanian flag hung above the throne — a white cloth upon which silver threads formed the symbol of the spring equinox.

The boy playing with tin soldiers at the foot of the throne paid absolutely no attention to what was happening around him. The three-year-old was too engrossed in his game to be distracted by minor changes in the snow-white hall, such as the appearance of the cavalry captain, who still reeked of gunpowder.

A three-year-old Prince who can’t even speak yet. He was looking at the boy pushing two soldiers together and muttering to himself. Rumors say that the Mad General was already training so hard at that age that even experienced warriors were surprised by it… My Emperor, why did you have to leave us?

“Stand up, captain Sekiya.” The Regent Mother waved her hand imperiously.

She was beautiful.

The difficulties and trials of the last few centuries had left deep wrinkles on her narrow, sharp face. Gray strands had appeared in her hair. Her fingers had become knobby, and her narrow waist wasn’t as narrow anymore. Even so, she was still one of the most beautiful women in the seven Empires.

“Regent Mother,” she repeated musingly, ruffling her son’s hair. “I was once addressed as ‘My Empress,’ or even ‘Your Imperial Majesty.’ And now I’m just a regent who’ll soon be handing over the reins to her son.”

Captain Sekiya, who was not only the Regent’s confidant, but also the go-between that she and the Head of the foreign affairs office used, was able to maintain a perfectly neutral expression. But in his heart, as he looked at the carefree boy who hadn’t even been given a weapon yet, he couldn’t see the benefits of such an upbringing. Only mortals brought up children that could only play with toys at the age of three, as well as mumble a few words, barely connecting them into sentences. Such children could only be taught something starting from the age of seven or so. The children of cultivators and noble families were different. They had to be.

“Here is the report,” Sekiya held out a sealed scroll.

The Regent Mother waved her hand and the scroll flew out of his hands and into hers. She unrolled it and read through it. A narrow, razor-sharp smile twisted her face.

“Morgan... What a vindictive little boy you are! Back when you were just learning your first words, I was already toying with people like you.” The Regent put the scroll into her spatial artifact. “Send word that the Prince of Darnassus must be allowed to enter the Delphie Valley. He must gain a foothold in our factory, after which…” her smile became even sharper, “We’ll proceed according to plan, captain Sekiya. And soon, we’ll have such good leverage over Morgan that all his petty schemes will no longer be of concern to us.”

“Of course, my Empress,” the cavalryman bowed.

His words snapped her out of her contemplation of the distant ceiling. Arching her right eyebrow, she gave Sekiya an appraising look.

“Do you know why, after all these centuries of working as a secret agent, you’re still alive, Sekiya?”

“I don’t,” the captain replied without straightening his back. But he did. By the gods and demons, he knew exactly why.

“You know how to flatter, Sekiya… That’s perhaps the best thing you ever learned to do.”

That was one of the reasons…

“Now go.” The Regent pointed toward the exit, “Deliver the report to the border forts. The fleet is already assembled, and so are the stone warriors. Let them leave no trace of the orcs behind. I put up with them on our border, but now they’ve done their job and let Morgan think he’s tricked me. I don’t need them anymore, but even so, make sure it looks like we weren’t expecting an attack. Go, I have to feed my baby.”