Captain Falrauth was completely silent as he stepped onto the High-King’s former flagship. He had been released with all of his troops, and was now returning home. And yet…he had no joy for this turn of events.

How could he? In a way…in many ways…it was the death of Mirima as he knew it, and of all he had fought for.

His release was contingent on a full, unconditional surrender by the Council of the Southern Realms, including direct and open declarations of loyalty by each constituent realm. And that meant Mirima had bowed to a foreign sovereign, something it had not done in all of its history. Mirima may have been a de facto part of the Empire, but it had always been as a friend and equal partner. Every High-King and High-Queen had been declared an Amicitia Populi Elteni upon their coronation since the days of Arofinas Leolar, cementing the alliance between equals even as the Empire’s borders pushed past Mirima’s shores and swallowed her neighbors. High-King Xavlaeron himself had been declared as such in line with this tradition. This, in turn, was what granted authority to the Council of Southern Realms, as the various smaller nations that made up the Southern Empire relied on the High-King's status to speak with the Empire as an equal.

And now…it was all gone. Mirima was an independent nation no longer, but now an official Imperial client state…and it could be converted to an Imperial province at any time. With no High-King and no Amicitia Populi Elteni at its head, Emperor Lucius was free to dictate its fate as he pleased. He no longer had to speak with them as an equal, and, worse, they had specifically expressed their obedience to his will.

Not only had Mirima failed to rise, but it had lost all that it achieved from its long friendship. And Captain Falrauth shared in the blame. Sure, High-King Xavlaeron had made the decision, but Captain Falrauth was one of his closest advisors. He was aware of the High-King’s path from the very start, and had approved. He, too, dreamed of a day where it was Mirima, and not Elteno or Corvanus, that stood at the Empire’s helm. They had not expected the Empire to side with the Queen of the Dobhar, but how could he complain? Mirima had not acted like a friend in this case, and the Queen of the Dobhar had. In the darkest hour, when even the Aesdes themselves withdrew from the world, Mirima had made a play for power, while even now the Queen of the Dobhar risked herself and her people on the Empire’s behalf. Emperor Lucius’s decision was not so unthinkable…and that was before considering the Queen of the Dobhar’s sheer might.

Captain Falrauth, of course, had also not expected to lose, and badly at that.

So he once again stepped aboard his flagship…but not as its captain. No…he was a mere passenger aboard his own vessel. The Dobhar, Wulver, former Imperials, and metallic golems moving about the ship were a stark reminder of Mirima’s current status.

The Sky Legion had been pressed back into Imperial service and integrated into the Northern Court’s chain of command. And now that the famous Canus Sittius Dio had become the North’s Magister Militum, there was little doubt as to the Sky Legion’s loyalty. Canus was, after all, the idol of all half-elves who joined the Legion proper. The citizens of the South who swore oaths to the Empire, in other words the entirety of the Sky Legion, would follow him into the Inferno Realm itself. All that was required of the Sky Legion were renewed oaths to Emperor Lucius and their surviving airships were returned.

Such was not the case for the Sentinels of Liberty. As Mirima and its allied nations were no longer independent, they also no longer required standing armies of their own. Of course, given the current crisis a complete disbanding of the Sentinels of Liberty was not feasible at present…but that was no comfort to Captain Falrauth or any of his troops. These were the men and women whose loyalty to Mirima trumped all else, who chose to fight for their home instead of to rise within the Legion’s ranks. So when they heard they were being released because Mirima herself was under assault by monstrous hordes…every last one of them would have preferred a lifetime of imprisonment than to hear their home was in danger while they were not present to protect it.

But once the immediate crisis had passed, the Sentinels would be subject to a long and gradual death. The memory of the friendship between Mirima and Elteno would linger for a while longer, so the process of disbanding would be slow. Mirima would likely be allowed to maintain a token force.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

But just that. The Sentinels of Liberty would become nothing more than a local defense force, the bodyguards of the High-King at best if Mirima was allowed to retain her ruling structure. A relic of the past, a living mockery of Mirima’s former glory. Their numbers would be drawn down, their present units would be broken off and sent to reinforce the Legion far from home, while their future recruitment would be diverted to the Imperial Auxiliaries, or maybe even funneled into the Legion directly.

And a nation without an army had no need for a fleet of battle-airships.

As such, every surviving airship that belonged to Mirima or one of the other Southern Realms was officially transferred to the Queen of the Dobhar, or to Turannia. One was even granted to the Selkies. They were only heading back to the South with the Sentinels of Liberty onboard because of the urgent ongoing crisis. The Sky Legion’s remaining airships were insufficient to transfer the High-King’s army back home, and the fleet's new owners were not sufficiently trained to use the ships in battle. The Queen of the Dobhar had therefore loaned the ships to the Empire until the situation in the South had stabilized, though crewed with her own troops to supervise and to study how the Sentinels of Liberty operated such vessels.

And just in case the Sentinels got any ideas, there were a handful of those metallic golems present in the Gravity Core rooms of each ship, ready to bring it down should anything happen. It was unnecessary, however. Not one of the Sentinels would jeopardize their return until they knew Mirima was safe.

Captain Falrauth frowned as the ships began to fly, and passed over the Turannian coasts. Metallic golems and mysterious weapons of war cast fire and death at anything that approached from the depths. Flying machines of strange designs patrolled the skies and did likewise. Ultimately, the fleet was being sent home because the Queen of the Dobhar did not need it at present…but Mirima certainly did.

Captain Falrauth remained silent, watching the terrain go by. The rough waters of the Northern Sea turned into the farmland of Utrad. Then they passed the mountains between Utrad and the Imperial Heartland, over the mighty fortress of Velus’s Pass. Even now, the walls stood firm, the ancient enchanted stone defiant in the face of the Empire’s decline. They passed over the sprawling cities and magical towers of the Imperial Heartland itself. Captain Falrauth watched as the Legions marched between the cities in orderly formations, at brisk speed but without excessive haste. He watched as the magical towers spread their Earth magic, undoubtedly sending countless of the Empire’s plaustrum subterraneum through the ground. He could even see wagons and convoys moving away from the cities, either merchant convoys or farmers returning to their homes, a sign that the Empire's countryside was growing safe once more.

From his view up above, the Empire’s decline seemed greatly exaggerated.

Eventually, he reached the southern coast of the Imperial Heartland, and the scene here was far different from the coasts of Turannia. The normally calm waters of the Southern Sea churned with blood and explosions. Countless boats of every size and type streamed towards every Imperial dock, their decks crowded to full with refugees. Behind these, the naval vessels of the Imperial navy screened the entrances to harbors and coves. Ballistae fired harpoons into the water, while Imperial mages activated the ship’s enchantments. Lightning surged through the water, water twisted itself into spikes and drills, clouds of poison and acid hid the ships from view, Air magic created bubbles that then collapsed with deadly crushing force. The blood of monsters colored the sea.

And even here, the Queen of the Dobhar made her presence felt. Every now and again, waves of fiery projectiles streamed in from high above, doubtlessly launched by the same invisible ships that had struck Mirima’s fleet. Only this time, they targeted the monsters below, most of which had far weaker defenses than a battle-airship.

Captain Falrauth’s heart sank as the ship flew out over the deceptively calm and sunny sea. If this were the situation along the Imperial coast with the Queen of the Dobhar’s support…what would the situation be in Mirima, surrounded as she was by water, and with the greatest part of her armies abroad? How would she hold against the Ocean’s Wrath or the Living Cyclone, the massive dungeons from which she acquired the Water and Air cores that powered ships through the seas and skies? Or what if, Aesdes forbid, the Imperial Necrotorum and the Pale Academy it supervised failed to contain the Banshee’s Cove, and its ghost ships covered the Southern Sea with their deathly fog?

Captain Falrauth shook himself from his thoughts, and walked over to the bridge. A Dobhar and a Mélusine were arguing over one of the enchanted circles.

“The Dobhar is correct, skill in Air Magic is not necessary to operate the propulsion. The ship itself will handle the Air pocket regardless of the conditions around it. Anyone skilled in Air Magic should instead focus on navigation. You actually want to steer into the wind, it means denser air up ahead so the enchantments will have more of their media to draw on.”

The pair eyed him warily, before quietly attempting his recommendations. Captain Falrauth may have hated to hand Mirima’s prized fleet over…but he would hate the destruction of Mirima far worse. So he resolved to do all that he could to get home just a little bit faster…