With all the soldiers packed into Llynar, it was hard for Dan and the other recruits to find a place to relax when they were allowed out. That was why they found themselves just inside the walls of Llynar one morning, standing around a metal brazier to keep warm (the weather in Llynar had been cold, despite it being spring). A few soldiers of Einar\u2019s had joined them, and they were eagerly swapping stories and news of the war. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the new recruits, a kyrie from Anund barely old enough to sign up, was telling anyone who would listen about the many mysteries and theories surrounding Vydar. Having found something the others did not know \u2013 since none of them were native to Valhalla \u2013 he was thoroughly enjoying himself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t get it,\u201d one of Einar\u2019s soldiers, wearing the armor of a samurai, said. \u201cWhy all this mystery? Vydar\u2019s a Valkyrie isn\u2019t he? The origins of the Valkyrie are well known.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot all of them,\u201d said the young kyrie, an excited gleam in his eye. \u201cNo one really knows where Utgar came from, for instance, aside from the Volcarren Prison. Even the origins of our own Vydar, no one really knows.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The samurai laughed. \u201cI\u2019ll bet his origins were gone over the instant he found that wellspring of his,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The kyrie nodded. \u201cThey were. And there was precious little to find. His parents, his village, even his full name \u2013 no one knows.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The others were silent. The kyrie looked about him, apparently pleased at the effect he was having. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo one knows where Vydar came from,\u201d he said. \u201cHe hails from Anund, certainly, but his father and mother seem a mystery. No one has ever seen them, let alone any brothers or sisters. A few records have him popping up in Verlin a few years before he discovered the wellspring, but before that \u2013 nothing. And when he does first appear, there\u2019s no mention of any family, or where he came from. He just appeared one day, found a wellspring, and proclaimed himself leader of Anund. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, come on,\u201d the samurai said. \u201cYou mean to tell me you don\u2019t know the origins of your Valkyrie? I\u2019m sure there\u2019s some clue somewhere.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, there\u2019s plenty of clues,\u201d the kyrie said. Dan sensed a story coming on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe most mysterious clue,\u201d the kyrie said, relishing each word, \u201cis the one they call Aer Ilisyna. No one knows who she really is, which is why they call her Ilisyna: one of mystery. There\u2019s a lot of rumor surrounding her. All we know is that she\u2019s been seen with Vydar multiple times, sometimes talking with him, sometimes silent by his side, sometimes just watching from the shadows. She keeps to herself, never says a word to anyone save Vydar, and slips away before anyone can get closer. Vydar refuses to speak about her, but everyone knows there\u2019s something going on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEveryone agrees she must know Vydar somehow, and must be tied to a past of his we\u2019ve never heard of. We know she\u2019s kyrie, because we\u2019ve seen wings. Some say she\u2019s his lover. Some think she might be his sister, or possibly mother, since no one\u2019s seen her face. We just don\u2019t know, and Vydar has never spoken a word about her, or even acknowledged her existence to his guards.\u201d The kyrie leaned back against the wall. \u201cHow\u2019s that for a rumor?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The samurai shook his head. \u201cI don\u2019t know if I could serve someone like that,\u201d he said, \u201cwithout knowing who they really are. Take Einar, for example. Every soldier of his knows his past, how he thinks, and how he operates. Nothing is hidden behind secrecy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIncluding the rumors about Kiova?\u201d the kyrie asked slyly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The samurai waved his hand. \u201cHe\u2019s entitled to some personal secrets. At least he acknowledges that the rumors exist, which is more than can be said for your Vydar by the sound of it. Say what you will, but Einar is a kyrie we can trust. He\u2019s the one who orchestrated Utgar\u2019s downfall, and crushed his armies at Soulrazor Canyon.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe,\u201d the kyrie admitted, \u201cbut that didn\u2019t last. He didn\u2019t foresee Valkrill bursting from the ground and taking the canyon back. He didn\u2019t foresee Utgar marshalling all his remaining forces on the borders of Bleakwood.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo one could have foreseen what Valkrill would do,\u201d the samurai said. \u201cAnd as for Utgar, he\u2019s finished. This last ploy of his is a bid for a victory which escaped him long ago. Einar has him cornered. And with the forces Jandar and Ullar are pouring into Bleakwood, he\u2019ll be crushed the moment he sounds the charge.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat about his secret operation, though?\u201d one of Vydar\u2019s recruits, a human woman from Icaria, asked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The samurai looked at her. \u201cWhat secret operation?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know?\u201d the woman said. \u201cIt\u2019s rumored that Utgar is massing his forces in preparation of some sort of offensive. It\u2019s a secret operation. Our spies tell us it\u2019s called Operation Fallback.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dan, who had been watching the fire absently, looked up. Operation Fallback. The same one the orcs had spoken of. The same one Vydar had said he<\/em> had come up with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur spies can\u2019t tell what it is exactly,\u201d the woman continued, \u201conly that it\u2019s a final strike against the alliance.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA last ditch attempt at boosting morale,\u201d the samurai said dismissively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t sound like that,\u201d the woman said. \u201cFrom what we know, Utgar is actually intending to win the war with this operation. Not just the battle; the whole war.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n There was silence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt won\u2019t be long now, either,\u201d the woman continued. \u201cHe\u2019s been massing on the border of Bleakwood for some time; nearly all his forces are concentrated there. If he\u2019s going to do something, it\u2019s going to be soon.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe know of his forces though,\u201d another samurai said. \u201cEven if they were all to cross the border at once, we have more than enough men to deal with them. With the soldiers Ullar and Jandar have sent, we could march right into the Volcarren and take Utgar\u2019s castle if we wanted to. We will soon enough, once his army is dealt with.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think it\u2019s risky,\u201d said a recruit from Earth. \u201cI don\u2019t think Jandar and Ullar should have sent so many soldiers. Aren\u2019t they vulnerable to attack behind the lines? What if something gets through?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s fair,\u201d the first samurai conceded. \u201cAnd I think Utgar knows that, because he\u2019s sent a ridiculous number of orc raiding parties behind our lines, probably to halt communications and raid food stores.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow did he get them past the front lines?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShips. Not too keen on ships, orcs, but apparently the idea of ransacking villages made them board. We don\u2019t need to worry though. Vydar\u2019s been pulling his soulborgs from the front, and they\u2019ve been fortifying the interior villages and cities all across Jandar\u2019s and Ullar\u2019s territories. No orc is going to cause any damage. Vydar\u2019s even sent large strike forces deep into the interior to hunt the orcs down and eradicate them. Sending the orcs in was actually very stupid on Utgar\u2019s part. He should have known we\u2019d have the forces to stop them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe morale among his soldiers is lower than we thought. Maybe the orcs actually deserted.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe,\u201d the samurai agreed. \u201cEither that or Utgar\u2019s so desperate to win he\u2019s making mistakes. Either way, it\u2019s good for us.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dan listened carefully, thinking. He had known something was up with Operation Fallback when the orcs mentioned it. Vydar had said he was the one who had come up with it. But if the rumors were that Utgar<\/em> had come up with it instead\u2026 then they must be in it together. And that meant Vydar was behind the forces massing on the border of Bleakwood, and thus behind the imminent attack. And that could only mean\u2026 Dan caught his breath. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Was Vydar about to betray the alliance? <\/p>\n\n\n\n The longer he thought about it, the more sense it made. He had betrayed Utgar early on, hadn\u2019t he? What\u2019s to say he couldn\u2019t betray his allies a second time? Besides, everyone knew that Vydar and Ullar were at odds, since Ullar wanted Anund for himself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dan thought hard. If Vydar was about to betray the alliance, the troop movements actually made more sense. All of Jandar\u2019s and Ullar\u2019s armies were on the border of Bleakwood, well away from their wellsprings. And the samurai had just said that Vydar had sent large strike forces into the interior to eradicate the orcs. But what if they weren\u2019t sent to eradicate the orcs? What if it was all a show? What if, when the time was right, they joined<\/em> with the orcs, and took Jandar\u2019s and Ullar\u2019s wellsprings before anyone knew what had happened? <\/p>\n\n\n\n And the samurai had said Vydar\u2019s soulborgs had fortified the interior villages and cities\u2026 they could easily turn and take those cities. For that matter, what if the orcs had been Vydar\u2019s idea in the first place? What if he had sent them behind the lines, so that he would have the perfect excuse to send his men away from the fighting, and right towards the alliance\u2019s wellpsrings when they were the most vulnerable? It was as if all of Vydar\u2019s plan was laid bare before Dan. Everything was too perfect to be a coincidence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A moment later, Dan realized something else. What he had found out was valuable. Any Valkyrie, alliance or otherwise, would be glad to know it. Perhaps glad enough to summon Heleer in return. But the Valkyrie to whom the information was the most important would be Vydar himself. Dan knew that if Vydar\u2019s plan got out before the time was right, everything would be ruined. Vydar could not afford to let that happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An evil grin slowly spread across Dan\u2019s face. He had leverage. With the information he had, he could force Vydar to summon Heleer. He could almost taste his freedom. With all the soldiers packed into Llynar, it was hard for Dan and the other recruits to find a place to relax when they were allowed out. That was why they found themselves just inside the walls of Llynar one morning, standing around a metal brazier to keep warm (the weather in Llynar had been … Continue reading Chapter Thirty-One – Leverage<\/span>
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"