After finishing an arithmetic session with his tutor, Kai stepped out into the gardens behind the castle walls. Orange and yellow flowers filled the garden, he watched the two Colslavic officers talk between one another at a bench, they kept their tone low. Kai looked away as soon as they noticed him staring, and the crown prince walked over to his pony. He noticed that his cousins horse was not with the others. Kai looked to the gentlemen at the bench, “Have you seen my cousin Tobias?” he asked.
“He took off, toward the river.”
Kai got on his pony and left the gardens, he felt the cold air from the great lakes on his cheeks. He crossed the bridge that led into the dark pine forest. He found Tobias picking apples in a small apple orchard. Kai got off his pony and walked up to his cousin. Tobias was feeding the apples to his horse.
“Hello, ” he said with a smirk, “Can you believe this is all still standing here?”
Kai looked around himself, the ground was a lush green and the trees were all healthy. Although smoke was still carried over the sky. Tobias tossed him an apple, “My father grows hundreds of fruit trees. My sister and I would pick apples, oranges, lychee, dragon fruit before they were ready. The groundskeeper would chase us all through the orchards.”
Kai rarely heard from his uncle Arthur, but Tobias could only speak highly of him. Kai was an only child, but he felt a brotherly bond with Tobias. Though also in his mind were the words of his father, who outwardly hated his brother, who said he “wallowed in self pity all the time and left his potential behind so he could live quietly,” and the Prince was keenly aware of his father’s plans for him. He would inherit a world of peace and have the strength and knowledge needed to keep their Empire and democracy alive. Xavier would still need to end the wars and make sure the elections still functioned, but otherwise Kai’s intended inheritance would be achieved.
His Empire. His democracy. These thoughts wouldn’t stop rolling into his mind, not since he passed out during the offensive. He needed to be strong. He needed to do more.
“You’re thinking again,” Tobias said, Kai felt Tobias’ finger smack his temple, “Don’t think. Not like that; I can see it in your eyes, it’s not doing you no good, worrying like that.” He finished an apple and tossed it on the ground, “You ready for a ride?”
Tobias jumped onto his horse and started riding down a trail in the woods. Kai’s pony kept an even pace as it trotted along a stream. Then he spotted a creature sprinting alongside him for only seconds at a time. He kept his eyes focused on the brush across the stream, looking out for what he believed was a Colslavic lynx. It dashed across the stream, and Kai lost sight of it for only a moment, and it had virtually disappeared. He carried on, deep into the woods with no direction, only hoping to cross paths with it again. To see the lynx for one more moment.
He grew frustrated, and he tried to get his pony to leap across the stream, only for it to stumble on its landing, collapsing and throwing Kai into the brush. He rolled through the bush and laid flat on his back on the forest floor. Then he heard the sound of horses racing toward him, “Your majesty! Kai!”
Two figures rode across the stream, each dismounted and ran toward Kai, “Are you alright?” he heard. Tobias knelt before the Prince and extended his hand to bring Kai to his feet. As the boy rose, Tobias brushed the dirt off his shoulders, “What got into you?” Tobias asked. Kai noticed Cordelia behind him, calming down Kai’s pony. Tobias picked up Kai’s helmet and placed it firmly back on Kai’s head, “You’ve gotta look where you’re goin’,” Tobias said, patting the helmet and turning to Cordelia, “And why’s it that you’re here?”
“Tomas and I were going to the orchard and I saw you both bolt off into the woods.”
“Okay, and why did you follow us?”
They heard hooves barreling through the forest, and behind Cordelia they saw the Prince of Colslavia, Prince Tomas Kolar. The Prince glared down at Tobias, he pointed at him, “Did you touch the apples? Desecrate the trees?”
“Desecrate? What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Cordelia,” Tomas said in a pleading tone, she shook her head, “Tobias, these orchards are property of the crown of Colslavia, it is the property of my father, Torrent, of Colslavia. I understand that the Tykans may have a different sense of etiquette, so I am willing to not take offense to it this time. But you can’t steal or otherwise vandalize our property.”
“We’re here to help you, jackass,” Tobias said, “If you want to keep your damn orchard, I would watch your tone.”
“I’m being polite, Apollo.”
“So am I, now step off.”
Tomas scoffed at Tobias helping Kai back onto his pony, “You might think your backwards ways are excusable because of your other virtues, but we don’t see it the same way here, Tobias.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know this was a society. The gunfire really made me think otherwise.”
“Fucking ”
“Oh fuck you,” Tobias said, “Fuckin’ .”
Suddenly the Prince lunged at him, jumping from his horse and landing both of his fists on Tobias’s chest. He brought Tobias to the ground and knocked the wind out of him. The boy was gasping for air and Tomas stood over him and held him up by the collar, “Say that again! Again!” He shouted. Cordelia put her hands on Tomas and tried to pull him away, he hesitated, then let go of Tobias. The boy fell flat on the ground and Tomas got back on his horse. The Prince looked over to Kai, then rode back toward the pancake hill.
***
Alion was in a dugout overlooking the front lines of the Isthmus front with King Torrent. They smoked cigarettes and blew smoke outside. Torrent looked at Alion with a curious smile, “Tell me, Senator Alion, is it true that you are a Calvish man?”
“I was born in Victoria,” he said, “I believe in the Lord Phantom, but I hold my own patron saint closer… suppose that makes me one.”
“Your family, is it wealthy?”
“My family has owned land in those mountains for years. We've made a living on it… My father was a preacher for the Temple of Saint Calvo. His words were powerful, they got him into office.”
“Are you not a priest?”
“No.”
“Do you believe in the Lord Phantom, really?”
“Yes, I maintain my faith,” he lied.
Torrent smirked and dragged on the cigarette, “I see, it's just that I’m not sure I have ever seen you pray. You know, where people put their faith says a lot about them. I am not sure what it says, but I am sure it says something significant…” Torrent let out a bored sigh, “I have not heard of you before this day, who are these men you've brought me?”
“These are the Kaiser's own troops, experienced and well trained, we will do our best to assist you.”
“Your best? I just said I do not know you. Very well, I will have to know you now. What is life as a Calvish man like in Tyka? How the hell did you get elected to your senate?”
Alion thought, “You’re welcome in most places in Victoria, but it isn't the same in every district. The people around us noticed this, and my father wrote speeches. He got elected to the senate, his campaign manager was Olivia Brannstrom, before she became an Apollo.”
“I see, your father made friends in high places, and you were the successor?” he asked without looking at him, he continued without any pause, “Now you are here.” he said.
“That's about the size of it.”
“The Kaiser is playing with me. A Calvish man and a little boy…” the King lifted the binoculars to his eyes and sighed, “I am loyal to the Kinship. For Xavier, you may have my trust.”
“Good, I’m glad.”
The King left the dugout and Alion stayed. He flicked his cigarette outside and lit another one up. The sun was low, the lakes glowed orange and the battlefield was cast in a gold haze. A book sat on the table, the Phanist Book of Inoculum with the symbol of an axe with wings at the center. It must’ve been the King’s copy. Alion never considered himself a religious man, but he was afraid of death and in desperate times he didn’t know what he would believe. He feared death like mad in the trenches on that day. The flag of Wilken’s brigade bore the same axe symbol. Alion never read the Book of Inoculum, he found it too unsettling a presupposition to say he was sick from the beginning. , he thought. He wasn’t religious, but he was Calvish.
The Calvish people, often referred to in conjunction with the Clevic people, were native people in the Victorian Mountains. They believed their own Patron Saints at the mountains, and the Clevics said divine right was bestowed on their people. When Tykans arrived with their Phanist beliefs, the Clevics were faced with a choice. They could maintain their own religious practices and live as they may, so long as they recognize the Lord Phantom as the Lord of their Patron Saints. The people who made this choice became the Calvish people, those who refused were the Clevics. There are not many Clevics around anymore.
The Calvish people continued life as usual, and this gave them special lordship over their own land. The only caveats being that they had to change their beliefs on how their power was derived, and pay heavy taxes and tithes to the Phanist Church and Tykan Government. The Calvish ruled Victoria, but that was centuries ago. Most Calvish had been expelled and moved to the Free State of Calvin, persecution had caused a mass exodus of people in the 19th century, others were sold into slavery until the First Senate abolished the practice in 1879.
House Alion was one of the few free Calvish families in Victoria, the family was popular in politics for their liberal ideas, and they hoped to raise tolerance for the Calvish people again. Rudolf Alion had a religious upbringing. He hung portraits of his Patron Saint in his apartment, sure, but they were just nice decorations as far as he was concerned. He never to them, he didn’t even have a prayer rug anymore. Rudolf never chose to be Calvish, his family practiced the faith, but he only identified with the culture. Nobody forced him to do otherwise. ‘Alion thought. For some reason people thought about it anyway, at least the King of Colslavia had. Alion finished his cigarette and walked outside.
He could feel the cool air of the lakeshore breeze, a thin mist in the air. He walked back toward the Castle of Yuri when one of his aides approached him, “Sir, it’s the nephew. He’s antagonized the Prince.”
“Kai?”
“No, Tomas.”
Alion’s eyes grew wide, and he followed the aide back to the castle and quickly he bolted into the living room. He found Tobias, Tomas, Cordelia, and Torrent standing in the room, shouting back and forth at one another.
“What’s going on?” Alion asked.
“This member of your has called me a word so vile I will not repeat it. He refuses to apologize.”
“I am an Apollo,” Tobias said, “You’re trying to become my brother in law, dickhead.”
“Toby!” Cordelia shouted, “What the fuck are you doing?”
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“What, sis? Are we all just gonna—”
“Don’t answer that,” Alion said, “What did you call him?”
Tobias crossed the room and whispered the word into Alions ear, and Alion looked at Tomas with a frown. He looked back to Tobias, “You’ll apologize to the Prince, now.”
Tobias stood in the middle of the living room with a confused look on his face. Surprised to be receiving orders from Alion. The King glared at Alion, “The boy hesitated, he doesn't think he did anything wrong. How are we supposed to work together when you bring men with such prejudices?”
Alion thought. Tobias looked at Tomas, “I apologize for calling you that.” he said, “I was only joking, and it was in bad taste…”
“Bad taste?” Tomas asked, “You little shit.”
“Call me that again—”
“Enough!” Alion shouted, “Tobias, go feed the horses or something. Don't come back for like thirty minutes or whenever you can calm down,” he gestured to a guard, “Keep an eye on him.” Tobias stared at Alion with total confusion, “Do as I say,” Alion said. The guard followed Tobias outside. Tomas stormed upstairs to his quarters, Cordelia followed.
Torrent sat down, “These goddamned kids…”
“They’ll be okay,” Alion said.
“What are we supposed to do now, my son is supposed to be focused. Your presence has just been a distraction.”
“I can't help your son pay attention, with all due respect to you, sir.”
Torrent grimaced, he pointed to the bar, “Get me a glass of something.”
Alion nodded and walked to the bar, he made two old fashioneds and handed one to the King. Alion took long sips and sat down in the leather sofa, “Do you have any leaves?”
“Leaves? Like cannabis?”
“Yeah, the Kaiser doesn't want it, he says tobacco is more Tykan but I don't care.”
“Of course you wouldn't.”
Alion let out a groan that turned into a laugh, “Do you have it or no, your majesty?”
Torrent lifted his arm and pointed to the shelves below the bar. Alion knelt down and found a small black box, Torrent shrugged, “I don't have any—”
“I have my own pipe,” Alion said as he stood up with the box. He opened it and began to pack his pipe.
“What kind of senator were you, Rudolf?”
“I was, well, I am a liberal.”
“What do you think of your Prime Minister?”
“So you care about my Prime Minister?”
“At the moment, everyone does.”
Alion nodded and lit a match for his pipe, “I don't think he knows what he's doing. He's declared a trade war on the world because he thinks his people are better, or something.”
“What do you think?”
“We’re all just people.”
“Some people are just people…” Torrent said, “I’m going to get some sleep, I’ll talk to Tomas. Tobias must be watched, Alion.” he said, walking up to bed, “Wake me if anything happens in the night.”
***
The trenches were silent in the dead of night, Kai knew immediately he was dreaming, but he never knew what was going to happen. Kai held his familiar hunting rifle, something he posed in photos with as a young child. He wore a military uniform, a steel helmet drooped over his head. Still too big for him.
He took off the helmet and looked about him, a great, open night sky displayed the constellations. Then he saw tracer rounds cross the air overhead. Soldiers around began to panic, and Kai got up to find a place to hide. He saw the sparkling blasts of golden starshells and blinding red flares shot up into the dark blue night sky. He was huddled in a trench as the sounds of chaotic combat broke out around him. Sounds that he heard from Hill 331 start to come back as he frantically looked about in terror. He stumbled about to a frontline trench, where bodies lay all over its parapets, he wanted to throw up. Some of the bodies started calling to him, many called for help, some screamed before a ruffling in the grass right in his ears. He whipped to his side and looked atop the trench wall to see Countrian Trench Raiders storm over the top with the flares putting red tints into the eyes of their gas masks.
He stumbled backwards and fell, sinking into the mud… he remained there in flux, slowly sinking deeper as the scene fades. Kai looked through the murky and watery window to the sky, his heart pounding before a large warship sailed over above him through the mud, bright searchlights piercing his eyes.
Kai jolted out of his sheets and looked about the moonlight illuminated room. He heard distant fighting, and slipped out of his bed, pulling aside curtains to see the frontline in the distance, starshells flying high above it, red flares, the rattling of machine guns, a midnight surprise raid.
He put on his boots and found a coat on the bedroom door. He opened the door to see a dark hallway, the light was on downstairs, which glowed to Kai’s left. He put on the coat and stepped into the hallway. He heard voices downstairs. Men shouted over one another in Colslavic, Kai couldn’t understand a word. He took his first steps down the stairs, he felt the carpet squish under his boot, a soft creaking noise came from the floorboards beneath. It was soft enough to go unnoticed, their exchange was panicked and loud.
Before Kai bolted for the door, he saw Alion in the middle of the group, pointing to a map and speaking Colslavic with them. He appeared to be frustrated, explaining something to the others while being berated. The King stood quietly behind Alion and made the others listen. Kai felt he had spent enough time in this castle, so he left. He kept low as he crossed the gardens, sure to not damage any of the Colslavic crowns' precious fruit.
Kai thought the Colslavs were more sharing in their culture than Tykans, at least that’s what he remembered his father telling him. But the Colslavs did not shy away from telling someone off of their property, at least the royal ones didn’t.
He reached the gates of Castle Yuri, sat down against the stone wall and looked back at the castle. He could see the men arguing in the window, a fireplace illuminated their figures. Then he saw more starshells cast over the sky, bursting and suddenly the garden was full of color for a moment before the lights went out again.
Kai enjoyed watching this for some time, when he had seen enough he slipped through the gates and wandered off the Pancake Hill. He was glad he brought that jacket. While the breeze was fresh and amazing, it was also freezing. The north face of the Pancake Hill was mostly buried in thin shrubbery and trees, it was like a small, rocky maze underneath. Kai wandered into the forest rockface of the hill, the moonlight of Venturns two moons glittered through the branches around him. Another starshell cast shadows all around him, bizarre patterns followed the path of the starshells in the sky.
He heard gunfire, he felt through his pockets and found a small pair of binoculars. He looked up, and found a way to climb through to the top. He looked out and held the binoculars up, careful to not slip to the ground. He saw trenches far in the distance, small flashes with gunfire, but the fog was heavy. Or was it smoke? He didn’t smell any fires. Either way, he could hardly see shit. Kai dropped the binoculars as he was trying to put them back in his pocket, and saw the necklace get caught on a branch. Kai scrambled down, grabbing the binoculars on the way. He heard the band of the binoculars as he dropped his feet to the ground. He wrapped the broken band around the binoculars and put them away. He took in a few deep breaths before making his way back up to the castle.
Lights were on all around the castle and an alarm sounded. Kai climbed back up and saw the two Colslavic officers run across the gardens carrying orders for others. Kai walked through the gate, smiling at the horses as they passed him, to the surprise of the officers. They couldn’t bother telling the boy off, he was already going back inside.
Kai pulled open the glass doors to find Alion on his way of the building “Mal’chik!” Shouted an officer behind Alion, laughing as they passed. Alion stepped aside with Kai, “What are you doing up?”
“What’s going on?”
“I’m up trying to figure that out, I still don’t know why you’re out here?”
“I had a dream that it was like this. I felt like I was down there but I couldn’t see it.”
“Don’t think you’ll be missing out by going inside. It’s hard to see much during a raid, they tell me. They choose the best weather and time of day for these things. We’re all just coming out here to get wet,” he smiled and whispered, “They won’t tell me much of what’s going on, but they say it’s under control. Go on back to bed and sleep well, it won’t be long before it’s over they told me.” He said with his Victorian cadence and accent coming through.
“Right…” Kai smiled, Alion patted Kai on the head and gave him a nudge inside. Kai closed the door behind him and went back to bed. The room glowed under the occasional flare, and Kai laid there listening to the gunfire and struggling to fall asleep between the starshells.
***
Alion woke up on the couch in Castle Yuri, he shuffled uncomfortably in the stiff leather. It was only 3:30 and he had one and a half hours of sleep under his belt. He opened the doors to the garden and sat down at a bench overlooking a small sea of tulips. The starshells illuminated the pink flowers occassionally. Alion still had his pipe and a small pouch of cannabis he bought off a Colslavic officer. He lit up a bowl in the garden, he relaxed his shoulders and leaned back in the bench. He watched the stars glowing above him, the moons slowly glide across the night sky, and the starshells bursting.
“You’re up early,” Torrent said, he stepped onto the garden, “Do you mind if I join you?”
“Sure…” Alion said, he offered him the pipe. Torrent took it and smiled.
“You don’t mind if I ask you a few more questions, do you?”
“I don’t think so.”
Torrent tasted the smoke, and blew it out as he spoke, “I understand the Kaiser trusts you with his son, as a mentor?”
“Well not exactly.”
“What is it?”
“My father was close to Olivia Apollo, I’ve known the family through her. For some reason Olivia was convincing enough to have me come out here to serve.”
“You’re not familiar with Xavier?”
“We have different ideas of what liberalism is, I suppose.”
“I understand that Olivia also has opposing views with Xavier.”
“I don’t know if that’s the case.”
“Xavier never said anything bad about the trade deal, I was afraid it was going to pass, then Olivia stopped it. She acted on her own.”
“I suppose so.”
Torrent handed Alion the pipe and sat down on the bench, “What is it like over there? Do you think your Senate would be able to keep a law like this down? They’ve been debating her veto for weeks and her affair has been exposed. Do you think it will pass after all?”
The news trucks wouldn’t come for a few days yet, “We just can’t know, for now we have to wait.”
“But you were a member of that senate at a time,” Torrent said, “For whatever that is worth, what can you tell me? Should I expect a trade war?”
“I lost my race,” Alion said, “The Senate changed and it will keep changing. The elections are happening this year. It decided it no longer liked the approach I brought, but with Olivia it had no choice.”
“Xavier never turned on Finch, not once. Maybe some sense has come to him that he should let his wife make decisions that keep their alliances alive. These are dangerous times to be getting aggressive with trade.”
“It’s always a dangerous time,” Alion said as he finished the bowl. “They are not thinking about you in there anymore. They’re not thinking about anyone in there but themselves, and for some reason this path benefits them.”
“They’re playing with fire.”
“Maybe,” Alion knocked ash into the ground, “Why are you awake, if you don’t mind my asking?”
Torrent smiled, “You’re a simple man, Alion. I like you. To tell you the truth I haven’t been able to sleep. They’re still counting the dead from the raid. Fifty boys were shot. We caught some of the raiders and I will deal with them. I intend to retaliate and not waste time. If I cannot sleep I won’t waste my waking hours.”
Alion didn’t say anything more. Torrent looked around the gardens, “Where is Tobias? Did he come back from hitching the horses?” the King asked. Alion realized he hadn’t seen the boy since he left in anger earlier that night. He shook his head. “I don’t know,” Alion said. He got up from the bench and found Doctor Morgan, he ordered her to find the young noblemen immediately. Torrent went back upstairs to try and get some sleep again, and Alion went back to the couch. There was nothing he could do to change the senate.
The week following the Kaiser’s overruling of Olivia’s veto was tense yet quiet. On July 20th most celebrated the passage of the act without further debate. The story told by Olivia and the National Liberals is disregarded by the top offices in the Senate. Torrent was not happy with this turn of events, and people moved to vote for a general strike immediately. A vote which happened on the 21st and triggered a strike among all longshoremen and steelworkers. Autoworkers soon began to strike, and police became scared. The blame for this chaos was cast onto the scandalous Olivia Apollo. She was the woman who put a stop to the passage of a “fair” bill as it was titled. People trusted Finch and wanted their businesses to come back. Olivia had lost some credibility due to that scandal regardless of the circumstances. She got in Finch’s way, and people had to get in line at soup kitchens.
Alion didn’t know why he was thinking about this now. It was the 26th of July, the day before their assault on the Isthmus. Alion was eating eggs and toast while smoking some hashish, he had befriended some of the officers and his Colslav language skills improved. It was through this means, language, that he acquired the foreign looking plant.
They told him that cannabis was not legal in Colslavia, so they called this hashish, it was different from cannabis in negligible terms. A legally ambitious plant. Alion trusted the officers that it was safe, and had begun to have bizarre dreams after smoking it. He was drinking a cup of black coffee that morning, he planned to drink three more cups before he had to start his day. Torrent ordered Alion around for most of the afternoon, having him oversee the maintenance of supply lines. Hauling ammunition and driving ambulances, he gained a clear understanding of the battlefield and how the attack would be performed. Alion knew by the end of the day that he was ready to fight back the Countrians, hopefully beginning the end of the war.
At around two in the afternoon Alion came back to the castle and the Colslavic guards opened the iron gates for him. He jumped off his horse and
