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Vaunortheses fidgeted with manifest impatience. That his queen should have to wait for the attention of one of her own subjects was beyond impropriety; it was an unforgivable insult. Her duties as leader of the rapidly growing, first of its kind army of Rabbits and Wolves demanded her constant attention. Everyone else in the camp dropped whatever he or she was doing to accommodate her except for this impertinent Horse. Exasperated by the eccentric's obliviousness to the rest of Airy's hectic schedule, Vaun was compelled to voice his vexation.

"My lady, this is intolerable. Let me have words with him and explain..."

Advancing angrily, Vaun's paw moved to the hilt of his sword. Airy placed her paw over his to stop him.

"Restrain yourself, Vaun. It won't do any good. He doesn't understand social mores."

"Nonsense. I can make him understand. A good beating..."

"No! Nobody lays a glove on him, not even you."

Chastened by his lady's harsh tone, Vaun's ears drooped, but he was unwilling to yield completely.

"But what about discipline and respect? We proved to the Wolves how important..."

"Jorveth isn't a soldier, my friend," interjected Jak. "This is the sacrifice we must all make to benefit from his genius."

"He's providing the miracles I need to win this war," added Airy. "Without him, the road to my throne will be significantly longer or perhaps impassable. So what if he doesn't understand basic rules such as 'Paying attention to the queen is more important than anything else?' I'm willing to forgive him this minor transgression."

Camorra was present as always to prevent her lover from just this sort of gaffe, but she had remained a proper step behind her queen knowing that no amount of pleading, cajoling, or violence could dissuade Jorveth from his immediate task. The best she could do was to intervene to alter the perceptions of others.

"If I may, Sir Vaunortheses, I have known Jorveth now for more than six years. He often seems like a Maker when he speaks of his work, but at other times, he's more akin to a small child unable to understand the feelings and emotions of others. Though his behavior may seem insulting, it is not intentional."

Outnumbered, Vaun conceded as gracefully as he could.

"Since three people that I admire and respect urge me to be patient with him, I shall forgive him as my queen has so graciously done. I will further ensure that my officers treat him with equal patience."

Camorra was grateful for hi acquiescence.

"Thank you, sir."

While Jorveth's mate and the three highest-ranking leaders in the camp discussed his deficiencies, Jorveth remained immersed in the task of supervising the careful preparation of the last of the barrels of black powder and the accompanying system of multiple, redundant fuses. A large canvas tent had been erected to shelter and conceal from view the powder manufactory.

To ensure that the their plans for the next day remained a secret, only three of the most trusted and competent of Jorveth's Wolf helpers were present for these final preparations. Two of those Wolves were loading the barrels of powder onto litters that would be carried by warriors once they were on the Rikifur side of the river.

The third Wolf was arguing with Jorveth over how to pack the fuses. Afraid of carnivores in general, Jorveth had become remarkably at ease with the Wolves assigned to help him. Patch, the piebald Wolf who showed the most aptitude at understanding Jorveth and turning his arcane and complicated instructions into reality, growled and snapped her teeth at the Horse in frustration.

Before escaping Storfay and traveling with Cat and Jak, a similar encounter would have left him nearly catatonic with terror. Rather than backing down, Jorveth patiently explained and demonstrated what he wanted until Patch calmed down and nodded in understanding. Only then, did Jorveth notice there was company present.

He approached his superiors without saluting or bending his knee. Vaun ground his teeth, but kept his peace. Perhaps the Horse detected the tension among his guests, but if he did, he misinterpreted its source, because without preamble or greeting, Jorveth began by apologizing for his lack of progress on synthesizing more powerful and stable explosives.

"I am sorry, Your Majesty, that I was unable to perfect the dynamite in time. The synthesis of the nitroglycerine has proven more challenging than I first estimated. It is also extremely dangerous. The facilities here are not adequate. I dare not let my helpers proceed with its manufacture, or we will have a terrible accident.

"The good news is that we were able to produce sufficient powder for you to use to breach the castle wall as planned. If you can wait a few months, the dynamite will be far superior. The black powder releases much less energy per unit weight requiring us to transport significantly more to accomplish the same work. It also must be kept dry. Excessive moisture will ruin it."

The concept of waiting so long just to create a better miracle weapon nearly made Airy laugh.

"We have plenty of strong Wolves to carry the barrels on litters through the woods and ample oil cloth to cover the powder from the weather. I don't care how many paws it takes to get it there as long as it can do the job."

"My calculations based on the results of the test blast indicate it will indeed...do the job. If anything, this batch of powder is more energetic than the first and will be beyond enough. Our production and refinement techniques are improving. Without further testing, though, I can't be certain of that, so I have erred on the side of caution."

"You have done well, Jorveth. Continue to strive for perfection and improvements, but I'll take whatever military advantage you can give me when I need it, and I need this right now."

"Ah, well, then you will like these next innovations equally. I have been making progress with timed fuses for the artillery shells I proposed. Though we can't yet manufacture our own metal, we have plenty of wood for containers, rock and bits of waste metal for shot, and powder to make several hundred bombs. The catapults in the castle should be adequate to launch them, but I think we can improve on their range with a better design. I have a crew working on building a test machine now."

"Jorveth, you are a wonder - worth your weight in gold. No, better than that. You are worth your weight in dynamite. I want the bombs ready before the Anti-Royalists show up in force. Assume no more than two weeks. If you can give me more range, too, that's great, but the bombs are the first priority."

"Both are feasible, Your Majesty, as long as you continue to provide what I require."

"Has it been otherwise?"

"Other than the limits Esseff imposes on the number of assistants I may have, no. Materials and space to support my research have been provided in abundance. I have enough projects keeping me busy that I am content. Though I hate to leave any of my work for even a day, I am looking forward to observing the explosion and collecting data to calibrate my calculations for future applications."

Airy and Camorra shuffled nervously. Camorra moved towards Jorveth and put her arm around his waist, but it was Airy who delivered the bad news.

"I'm sorry, Jorveth but you can't accompany us to the Keep. The battlefield is a dangerous place, and you are too valuable to lose. I won't risk it; I can't."

Reading the expressionless and emotionless inventor's mood was typically a challenging task, but this time he responded with a sigh tinged with pronounced bitterness.

"I am to be a prisoner of one court or another forever it seems, never able to explore and investigate as I desire or follow whatever research I wish. I came here to be free of such tyranny and so did Camorra. I see there is little difference between you and the Juht."

Airy had expected Jorveth to be disappointed. She was sympathetic to his desire to be present at their moment of triumph and had come prepared to apologize, but her pride, like Vaunortheses' sense of propriety, would only suffer so much impertinence. Being likened to an enemy she reviled was particularly insulting and drove her to response with vitriol.

"I am not like the Juht! Do not ever make that comparison again!"

Though much larger than the raging Rabbit doe, Jorveth stepped back in alarm. Realizing that she was scaring the Horse and possibly proving his point, Airy took a deep breath to calm herself. When she was in control again, her voice was quieter but still stern.

"This is different than traveling the land to conduct studies and investigations. There is going to be a battle tomorrow. Many soldiers are going to die. There are sufficient Rabbits and Wolves to replace them, but I have only one Horse, and he is worth more to me right now than anyone else in this army."

Impassive as ever yet outwardly unconvinced, Jorveth stared back at her, and so Airy attempted an alternate approach.

"I promise you that when this war is over, you will be free to travel to your heart's content. If you want to sail around the world, I will have ships built just for you. You may study why dandelions spread their seeds through the air, whatever you want. I will give you all the resources I can to convince you to stay, but if you want to leave my service, then I will grant that also."

Though Airy was attempting to be as solicitous as she could, Jorveth remained blunt and argumentative.

"That is good, but when does war ever end? Storfay will not remain in the east if they can traverse the Earth Spine. I can help you acquire your throne and destroy your enemies in Rikifur, but another, likely longer war awaits. I see no end to the fighting or your need for me. Will the rest of my life be spent in your service devising better ways to kill and destroy? Will I ever have time to put to good use the knowledge of my..."

Camorra tugged on Jorveth's arm and held her hand to his lips shushing him to prevent him from revealing the nature of his book. After whispering in his ear so no one else could hear, she let him continue.

"...my gift," he said completing the thought.

It was an accurate but ambiguous statement that left those like Vaun, who did not know of Olivia's largesse, to assume that Jorveth referred to his naturally keen mind.

As frustrating to Airy as Jorveth's sudden belligerence was, there was no denying his logic. The future he outlined was identical to what Tigan was prophesying.

"I'm sorry. You're right, but what can I do? We all have to make sacrifices for the common good. I would much rather lead my people into peace and prosperity than into battle, but fate rules otherwise. I am as much a prisoner of these events as you are."

"Will you be at the battle tomorrow?"

With her ear twitching, she answered hesitatingly.

"Yes."

"By your own logic, are you not also too valuable to risk in battle? You are worth more to this cause than I am. Without you, Wolves and Rabbits will go back to fighting, and the civil war will be won by someone else."

"Sir Jorveth," interrupted Vaunortheses. "Let me assure you that though Queen Airiphryone will be present to oversee and observe the battle, she will be kept far from the action. She will be safe."

"Then let me observe safely with the queen."

Airy was adamant.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I have to be present and you do not. It is imperative that I enter the castle as the conqueror to demonstrate to all of Rikifur that I am not a myth and that I am strong enough to be worthy of their support. We need other Rabbits to join us. They will when they see that it was I who defeated the forces that hold the Keep."

Jorveth was quiet for a moment. Airy wondered what new argument he was devising, but he surprised her with agreement.

"Your contention is valid. I will stay here, but I insist that two of my helpers, Patch and Viper, be allowed to make observations of the chemical reaction and take measurements of the resultant breach."

Airy exhaled slowly, relieved to have placated Jorveth so easily.

"Granted. You aren't the only one who is constrained against your will, Jorveth. Continue your good work and help end this faster. Only then will we both be free again."

A mild, nagging guilt pestered Airy as she walked with Jak and Vaunortheses to the river to inspect the boats that would carry their troops in the morning. She was grateful that Vaun had interrupted Jorveth insisting that she would be kept far from harm. It saved her from repeating the deceit she had already told to Jak, Vaun and the rest of her inner circle.

She had no intent of honoring her promise to sit out the battle. That condition was unacceptable. A leader who was not at the front taking the same risks as her troops was not worth following. She could have no respect for herself if she did anything less than lead the charge through the wall. When the time came, she would do what was right, and no one could stop her or talk her out of it, not even Jak.

By the time all preparations were complete, the hour was late. Airy was exhausted, but her bed remained unoccupied. It was the first opportunity in weeks for her and Jak to be alone. Her need for him was urgent, but like every other minute of her life since she had proclaimed herself queen, her protectors stood in the way. Every attempt to dismiss the hovering swarm of guards and hangers-on that always surrounded her was met with intense resistance. It was only when she protested that as allied sovereigns, Jak and she needed private time to discuss treaties and obligations without advisors or anyone else present, did most of them depart as ordered. Jak had already retired to the small anteroom where he and Airy were to meet, but Esseff persisted and would not allow Airy to join her lover until he had expressed his displeasure.

"Your Highness, you need to be protected. At least three reliable guards picked by me must always be at your side."

"Have them stand guard out here then. There's no other way into the room."

"That is not what we agreed. You are not to be alone with anyone, ever. The risk of assassination is too great."

"By Jak? That's absurd. There is no one in this world with whom I am safer, and that includes you."

"Are you sure of that? Assassination is not the only danger. There are different ways to lose your crown than death."

Something in Esseff's eyes and the nuances of his expression intimated to Airy that he was deliberately shrouding his meaning. No doubt, there was something he didn't want to say in front of the guards. Exhausted and shorter on patience than usual, Airy had had no patience for his subterfuge.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that appearances are important and can matter more than the truth. You need chaperones and should not be alone with anyone..." He lowered his voice so only Airy could hear him, "...especially White Paw."

Now his meaning was obvious, at least to her. Making love to Jak was her intention. Being caught in her mental transgression was shameful, but rather than being contrite, she responded inappropriately with anger.

"Why, you suspicious little dog. Get out of here. Now!"

Genuinely hurt by her harsh words and derogatory epithet, Esseff bowed slightly in acknowledgement of her command. His parting words, though, were infused with enough venom to let Airy know that she had crossed a line.

"As you command, Your Majesty, but know this: I am not a sniveling little cur to kick when you please. I do not make rules without reason. They are to protect you from your enemies and, if necessary, from yourself. You have the power to dismiss me and to do a great many other things, but if used unwisely, that power can bring ruin upon yourself. Wisdom comes with age and from listening to others who care about you. You still have a great deal of growing up to do."

The door slammed as he left, leaving Airy alone with Thayir and three guards, who stood motionless in the awkward air with their eyes focused on anything in the room but Airy.

"Stay here," she commanded as she retreated to the conference room by herself, or as alone as she could possibly hope to be.

Thayir, ever at her side, ignored any order that would separate him from his mistress just as Ebusika was waiting in the next room with Jak. Being mute animals, their presence was acceptable to Airy. Though she wanted more than to talk, Esseff's parting words gave her reason to be cautious, so she contented herself with sitting next to Jak, leaning against him with her head on his shoulder and his arm protectively around her waist.

"I'll miss having you at my side at the attack on the Keep, Jak. We never have any time alone together like this anymore, and now I won't see you again for days or weeks."

"It can't be helped, my love. New warriors arrive every day. I must be here to oversee their training. It isn't just custom that dictates that my kind form strong bonds with their packmates. Olivia told me that the need to belong and to follow strong leaders is woven into us and cannot be separated easily. It is why outcast Wolves don't live long. It does give us the advantage that if I can train enough Wolves in this new way of fighting, it gains acceptance among the rest, who will adopt it without question. I should have that critical number soon and be free from further training to lead an army into battle with you. Let's hope that moment comes before the AR throws the full weight of its forces against us."

"They won't delay trying to retake River Keep. We'll need your army ready on the Rikifur side of the river within a week of taking the castle; two weeks at the latest."

"You shall have at least ten thousand properly trained by then, though I may not be there to lead them."

Airy surrendered a melancholy sigh. Her reasons were numerous and diverse. There were political decisions, plans to develop, the anticipation of battle, her argument with Esseff, but most of all there was her forced physical separation from Jak.

"Jak, I want you with me in battle at my moment of triumph. I want you now. I love you so badly, all I can think about is how much I want to make love to you."

With the tip of his snout, Jak gently nuzzled at the base of her left ear.

"I want the same, but we can't risk it. Not now."

Heat grew within Airy from the simple, physical contact.

"But when?"

Jak was becoming resigned to the notion that 'never' might be the true answer, but he could not bear to admit it to himself or propose it to Airy. To endure these dangerous times, she needed to believe there was some hope for their relationship. They both did.

"I don't know, but we mustn't lose hope. Rabbits and Wolves are working and fighting together. That proves the old ways can die and new ideas can take hold. We may yet have the chance to rewrite the rules of whatever new order emerges from this crisis. We must try to win acceptance of our love among your people if we can, but that will have to wait until our enemies are defeated."

Leaning closer into Jak, Airy's trembling right paw crept across his chest.

"What do we do until then?"

Jak lifted Airy's small frame and placed her on his lap facing him before kissing her passionately. As though they were once again in Olivia's realm, they enjoyed the illusion of being forever disconnected from the relentless forward march of time that ruled the rest of the world.

Only when the desire to go further became unbearable did they release each other's lips. Jak put his paws on the sides of Airy's small snout and felt the moisture from the conflicted tears that she shed because of the joy for what she had and the sorrow for what she was denied.

"We take what opportunities we can to be alone together like this, but precious few are likely between here and your throne. No one must learn of our love or even suspect it. Everything is lost if this becomes known."

"I think Esseff knows."

Jak was astonished. His grip on the sides of her snout tightened slightly as he turned her head in his paws so their eyes met.

"What? Why do you say that?"

"Something he said to me just before he left. His paranoia regarding my safety goes too far sometimes. I put him in his place, but I am certain he knows what we are doing in here tonight. He told me I should never be alone with you like we are now."

Jak released her snout and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"He's clever enough to figure something like this out. You still don't trust him?"

"Not entirely. He is on my side now, but I don't have faith that he will stay mine forever. I feel that I have to buy his loyalty with promises of future power and wealth. He's not like Camorra, Tigan, and Jorveth who give their allegiance freely."

"What about Cat?"

"I trust her with our secret. Olivia saw to that. Besides, Esseff and she have had a falling out. Cat barely speaks to him."

"Then we should only trust Cat, Ebusika, and Thayir with our secret and do as Esseff suggests. If he suspects, then others eventually will too. Accusations can be damaging, but they can be weathered if there is no proof. There can be no proof if there is nothing to prove."

Airy pouted.

"No proof means no happiness for me."

Jak stood while gently placing Airy's hindpaws on the floor.

"Come. We'll have to find our happiness in our duty until the future reveals a path for us. Let's go out while there's still time to save ourselves from this mistake. You need to rest before the battle, but I suspect the phrase 'putting him in his place' means you probably need to apologize to Esseff first. He's correct, you know, and doing his best to help us."

Airy thought back to the harsh words she had hurled at her Fox spy, and found she regretted them. Jak was right. He was always right. She would apologize, and try to control herself in the future.

"I will talk to him."

Cat prowled the edge of the forest searching for enemy patrols. The cleared land surrounding the River Keep provided its owners protection by denying cover to enemy armies like Airy's, but it also gave Cat advanced warning of the comings and goings of the AR scouts.

Operating just beyond the limits of Airy's expedition was her choice. Cat preferred to work alone. Not even the best Wolf or Rabbit scouts could match her for stealth. Silas, the Maker of Cats, had given his children a special gift that none of the other furry races possessed. Like a chameleon, she was able to alter the pigment in her fur at will to match her surroundings. It made her essentially invisible when she was stationary and difficult to see even when she moved.

Solitary, she was the perfect scout, but she was never alone anymore. Bandrosett was as unshakable as her own shadow with the added disadvantage of not disappearing when the sun was absent. Cat had tried every trick she knew to lose the wolf. Eyes, she could deceive, but her scent was beyond her control. The wolf's powerful sense of smell was unerring.

Killing the wretched creature had occurred to her several times. At first, she told herself that she spared its life for Jak's sake; he clearly loved all of Ebusika's brood as if they were his own people. Eventually, the beast earned her grudging respect. Remarkably intelligent, Bandrosett knew when to stay hidden and out of Cat's way and when to participate as an active partner. Gradually, a rapport developed between the Cat and wolf making them many times more deadly as a team than the sum of their individual talents.

How the wolf understood Cat's needs was beyond her ken. That Bandrosett didn't hinder her was enough to allow Cat to achieve détente with an animal that normally would have been her enemy. Thus, the unlikely duo patrolled together paralleling Airy's advancing column of troops even though the task seemed unnecessary. Only two enemy patrols had ventured forth from the Keep this day, and neither had come near to discovering Airy's troops. Clearly, the AR did not fear attack this far north from anyone but marauding bands of Wolves, whom they considered no threat to their great stone fortress. Their real enemy, the army of the priests, was hundreds of miles to the south. This was a backwater post far from danger, and the commander was treating it as such.

Even so, Cat's vigilance proved pivotal for the queen's expedition. In the afternoon, a third pair of scouts crossed the open ground and entered the woods not far from her position. They were heading directly towards the secretively advancing troops of the queen. Cat and Bandrosett hurried to intercept them and block their escape. It was easy enough for the two silent pursuers to pace the mounted scouts. Cat and her shadow had the stamina to run all day, and the scout's horses were slowed by the rangy shrubs and decaying logs that littered the forest floor.

Though ultimately doomed, the AR patrol was fortunate in the sense that they spied the queen's column before anyone besides Cat saw them. That gave them enough time to make a rapid assessment of Airy's troops before hurriedly turning back to their base to deliver a report. Cat was ready for them when they did. As she prepared to pounce with the goal of knocking both Rabbits from their saddles, the AR scouts found luck again. Airy's small army finally sighted the AR patrol and sounded an alarm.

Knowing they had been espied, the AR scouts turned their mounts and fled. Cat cursed the clumsy stupidity of her allies and ran after them. Bandrosett followed dutifully in her wake.

A wild chase ensued with the AR soldiers bolting madly through the woods. Branches lashed them as they fought to keep their horses from stumbling in the uneven ground and forest litter. Their reckless flight gave them enough speed that their Cat and wolf pursuers struggled to overtake them. Airy's Wolf and Rabbit scouts remained too far behind to have any hope of catching them in time to prevent them from reaching the keep with their news.

Racing at top speed, the feline's fur could not shift hues rapidly enough to match her background perfectly. Instinctively, she settled on a camouflage pattern that was adequate to keep her hidden from all but the keenest eye. Even a stationary observer would have seen her as a brief blur to be dismissed as a trick of the senses. Bandrosett used her own cunning to keep elements of the sylvan terrain between her and her prey. The Rabbits they pursued were unaware of their presence, but their horses smelled Cat and wolf scent and galloped faster from the terror they could not see.

Cat's heart was near explosion when the chase neared the edge of the forest. Discovery of their force seemed certain. She was not alone in sensing doom. One of the Wolf pursuers, though lagging far behind, loosed an arrow that found its mark painfully in the rump of a fleeing horse. Distracted by the pain, it tripped. Both rider and mount went down heavily in a bone shattering crash.

Like a deer, Cat leapt gracefully over the tumbling pair and put on a burst of speed from the last of her energy reserves. Not thirty yards before the safety of open ground, the remaining enemy scout encountered a fallen tree across his path that was too huge for his horse to jump. He checked his mount briefly, deciding the shortest route around the obstacle before spurring his charge to the right. The slight delay was enough for Cat to close the gap, leap through the air, and tear the Rabbit from his saddle.

Though her opponent thrashed, causing her to roll with him through the air, she found her balance making the Rabbit hit the ground first with her on top. Stunned by the impact, the scout offered no resistance as Cat slid her claws under the protective mail at his neck and slashed his throat.

He expired without a sound or a witness to his death. His mount, however, had already fled. A horse returning with an empty saddle was nearly the same as a verbal message that trouble was near. The enemy would undoubtedly send out more scouts to investigate. For a moment, all seemed lost, then Cat's only hope of intercepting the nag was provided by Bandrosett, who appeared in front. The horse reared up, halting its flight for the few seconds Cat needed to leap onto the log and dash down its length. With no further necessity for stealth, Cat's fur returned to its accustomed pattern of black and orange stripes.

Still perceiving the close scent of its deadly feline stalker, the riderless horse, driven by its manic terror, leapt over the snarling Bandrosett to follow the course its vanquished master had set intent on returning to the only safety it knew. Thus, horse and tiger reached the upturned root bowl simultaneously. Cat launched herself into the air as the riderless horse turned towards the safety of open ground.

Already panicked, the sudden manifestation of a predator on its back drove the beast wild. It bucked and twisted attempting to throw her, but Cat's claws dug into its hide giving her purchase. Blessed by her Maker with incredible strength, she could not be dislodged. Inexorably, she worked her way forward until her claws were at its throat. Before she delivered the killing slash, the beast exhausted itself utterly and slowed to a stop. Two Rabbit knights arrived just as it stopped moving. One grabbed the reigns to calm the lathered horse. Cat snarled and jumped clear as he did.

The lust of the hunt was still upon her. Blood dripped from her extended claws. Her lips were pulled back exposing her fangs. The fur on her body stood up along her back, shoulders, and head. For a brief moment, these newcomers were to her just more prey to kill.

Sensing the tension, the horses of the late arrivals backed up a step twitching their ears nervously. The moment passed when Bandrosett touched the small of Cat's back with her snout. Cat retracted her claws and let the rational part of her mind reign in the savage predator. Her fur lay down, her claws slid back into their sheaths, and her posture relaxed.

"Where's the scout?" asked the Rabbit holding the enemy horse's reins. It was Captain Sunorthoses.

"Dead. Behind that fallen tree."

Sunorthoses sighed.

"They're both dead then. Did you have to kill them?"

"I killed only vun. The other broke his own stupid neck. Vould you rather that I had let him escape or sound alarm?"

The Rabbit ignored her irksome question and handed the reins of the captured horse to his lieutenant.

"Take this horse back to the column, and make sure it's not allowed to wander off."

With a quick salute, the other Rabbit led the horse away. He was replaced by two panting Wolves who arrived with arrows notched to their bows. They sniffed the air smelling the blood that Cat had spilled. They held their tails still as they eyed her with a mixture of suspicion and admiration. Sunorthoses noted their presence but kept his attention on Cat.

"Explain to me what happened here. How did this patrol get so close to our column? Did they follow you?"

With a snarl, Cat's body tensed again. The sharp tips of her blood-crusted claws extended noticeably. Bandrosett growled loud enough to make Sunorthoses' horse step back nervously.

"I followed them. Your scouts are too far from the voods end to see the patrols coming. You need to have Volves patrol here vhere I am, dumb bunny."

Glaring at her askance, his nose twitched in anger at her insult. The urge to reprimand her for not following orders was strong, but she was not under his command. That had been made clear to him already. Cat took orders from the queen only. Lady Airiphryone had tried to explain to him about this intractable feline. He had assumed the queen was exaggerating Cat's independence and importance, so he hadn't listened to Airy as closely as he should have.

What had the queen said? Something about "Forcing obedience on Wolves improved performance, but Cat's value is in her ability to think and act in her own unique way." Sunorthoses looked past the end of the trees, thought about the Wolves as more than just less competent Rabbits, and realized his mistake.

He had hobbled himself to old ways of thought. So used to commanding only Rabbits, he had kept his scouts away from open ground where they might be spotted and certain to be taken for what they were - an invading force to be feared. The Wolves, however were much stealthier than Rabbits and even if seen, would draw less alarm. The AR would assume the canines were raiders and nothing more. It was a stupid oversight that had nearly cost them everything. Fully capable of learning from his errors, Sunorthoses laughed aloud. Cat squinted her eyes suspiciously at him wondering what he could possibly find to be funny.

"Perhaps I have been a dumb bunny after all."

Cat relaxed her aggressive posture but continued to scowl.

"You're right, Cat. We need Wolves to watch the open areas to see the scouts coming. They will draw little suspicion even if seen. If you're agreeable, I would like to put you in charge of deploying scouts on this flank as you see fit. I must hasten back to the column to redeploy the rest of my Wolf scouts on our other flanks."

Amazed that the handsome captain was able to see reason so readily, she became amenable to help him.

"Sure. I can do that."

"Bury the bodies so they can't be found."

"Is that order?"

Confused by her question and lack of obedience, Sunortheses was tempted to slap her with his riding crop. It was the natural thing to do when confronted by an insubordinate underling. Some inner voice of self-preservation warned him against such a foolish act and reminded him again of the queen's words. He altered his tone to be more conciliatory.

"No. I'm not. It wouldn't do any good would it?"

"No."

"Treat it as a request, then. Please. These two scouts will be missed when they don't report to their commander. There will be more patrols because of it. There's no sense in making it easy for them to find the bodies."

Cat nodded.

"They von't be found."

Admiring her intelligence and independence, Sunortheses' bowed towards her.

"I see why the queen values your services so highly and tolerates your impertinence. I ignored you thinking that you were not a proper part of this army. That was my mistake. Shame on me for that. You saved the mission. I'm grateful to the Maker that you're on our side. Thank you."

Sunorthoses turned his mount, dug in his spurs, and raced back to the column. The two Wolves waited expectantly for Cat's orders.

"Cover the bodies vith logs and rocks, then fetch more Volves. I'll show you vhat to do vhen you return."

They both saluted. Cat rolled her eyes at the nonsensical military protocol.

"Just do it!"

Dropping their paws and shrugging their shoulders, they obeyed. While they worked, Bandrosett supervised. Cat climbed back onto the ancient fallen tree to watch for more patrols.

It was near dusk. Inside the Keep, the garrison commander, Colonel Draephone relaxed in this tower office while gazing out the wide windows over the river into Wolf country. It was a pleasant view, but more importantly, a peaceful view. He thanked the Maker and his family contacts for providing him this command far from the real front where brother fought brother.

He was not a coward. Wolves he could fight, but the thought of taking up arms against his own kind was repellant. He was convinced the AR cause was just. It was time for the royal family to give up their strangle hold on power, so he compromised and accepted this commission far from the internecine war. The only Rabbits to fight here were few and too pathetic to worry about.

That addled brained Vaunortheses could cling to his delusions, but the royal line was effectively dead. Rhetoric concerning the princess' resurrection and return had increased from across the river over the last several weeks. A few defections had even resulted from his own ranks among the idiots who wanted to believe. He scowled in derision at the thought of anyone who would join that moronic cult. The Princess was dead. Two years without resurfacing proved that, and even if she did return by some miracle, he would not fight for her and her family's right to rule. Their time was over. Now it was time for the rest of the nobility and landed gentry to have control and to make Rikifur larger, wealthier, and greater than ever.

Draephone's own family had long been suppressed by the Royal's policy of self-containment and their power plays that left restive noble families like his weak and poor compared to the loyal supporters like Vaunortheses' house of Perseine. No wonder the idiot fantasized of Airiphryone's return. Vaunortheses' clan had long been in the royal family's pocket, but that era was over. Other clans now had an opportunity to fill the power vacuum. Draephone saw this war as his chance to see his fortunes rise.

It was thus that he, a wounded veteran with a lame leg, found himself here where he could serve in a useful position of command without the rigors of combat. Until the AR's inevitable victory, he would execute his duty and protect the AR's rear flank against Wolf invasion.

This castle was well situated to guard the only shallow river crossing for hundreds of miles in either direction. The walls were unassailable by Wolves, who lacked the engineering skills to build siege weapons. Without catapults and attack towers, ten thousand barbarian Wolves could storm this castle, and he could repel them long enough for reinforcements to arrive and destroy them.

He was safe, glad of it, and grateful for the simplicity of his job. All he had to do was train new recruits, keep the armory and storehouses full, resupply the army with new troops at the front as needed, and send forth continuous patrols of scouts up and down this side of the river to watch for any Wolf raiders that might attempt to enter Rikifur. Most of his days were occupied with simple and to him, enjoyable, paperwork like what he had been doing when his content reverie was interrupted by his Captain in command of the scout patrols.

"Sir," exclaimed the captain while executing a salute.

Draephone reluctantly set his quill pen down.

"Yes, Captain Trayphosthonos, what is it?"

"Two scouts sent to the western woods failed to return today. I would like permission to send a squad out immediately to investigate."

Draephone glanced out the windows again at the deepening gloom of twilight.

"What would be the point, Captain? It's nearly dark. There's a reason you need my approval for that action. They won't be able to see a thing."

It was evident the inexperienced Captain hadn't considered the approaching nightfall. He tried his best to recover from his error.

"Uhm, they might see a campfire if there is an invading force of Wolves."

"Or they might just get killed by those same invaders, or maybe there are no invaders. Have you considered that perhaps your scouts deserted to join the princess cult. They wouldn't be the first."

Trayphosthonos scratched behind his ears giving thought to his commander's words.

"I suppose that's possible. Many people have come into the castle these last few days claiming to have seen the princess. Do you think that it's true - that she has returned, I mean?"

With a heavy sigh, Draephone interlaced his fingers and set his paws on the desk in front of him. This mannerism was a signal that he was about to deliver a well-rehearsed lecture.

"Captain, the princess' return is a myth. It always has been a myth. That charlatan Vaunortheses is simply stirring up new rumors in a pathetic attempt to gain some more recruits. How anyone can be so gullible as to believe any of it is beyond my understanding. They say now that she has made friends with the Wolves. Preposterous! I met the Princess many years ago and know her well. She fought here at the border and killed enough of those stupid dogs in her time. She hated those stupid dogs as much as the rest of us and yet they even claim she has a feral wolf that follows her about like a puppy. Don't you see that these stories are too ridiculous to be true, and even if they were true, who would want her back if she was returning with an army of our enemies?"

"But what if by some incredible fluke she did return? Wouldn't that change everything? I mean, wouldn't we be obligated to follow her?"

"It's too late for that, son. The Royal family has finished serving their purpose. Look at the drooling idiot who now sits on the throne. It was inevitable we would eventually get a fool for a king. Take it as a sign from the Maker that it is time for change in Rikifur. We need to grow, and power needs to be dispersed to the nobles to better represent the needs of everyone. Don't you see that the monarchy has failed? Everyone knows this. Even if Airiphryone rose from the dead, no one would follow her now except that dolt Vaunortheses and his gaggle of misfit second sons and outcasts."

"I suppose you are right, sir."

"Of course I'm right. That's why I'm in command, so listen to my advice and my orders since they are one and the same. Your wayward scouts shall probably return in the morning disappointed that there is no princess. Give them suitable punishment, but not too harsh if they help stem the tide of desertion by reporting the truth instead of these exaggerated tales."

"What if they don't return? What if there is a threat?"

Draephone wished the Wolves were attacking. They would be an easy foe to defeat giving his men some much needed battle experience. Too many of his troops were green like this Captain and had no sense of even simple logistics or strategy.

"Double the night watch on the wall tonight just in case, but I feel we are in no real danger from a marauding band of Wolves. In the morning, send out your patrol, and we shall see what is what."

"Yes, sir."

The captain saluted eagerly having received unambiguous instructions, and was about to leave when another officer entered. This time it was a lieutenant named Criodoples. Draephone considered him to be among the few assigned to this keep with some brains and initiative. He had been the one to recommend the repairs on the heavily corroded drain culverts.

If only Draephone had more like this buck, his life would be even easier. He needed to find some excuse to promote him. It was scandalous that Trayphosthonos outranked Criodoples. The colonel made a mental note to correct that deficiency. It was only a matter of some simple paperwork after all, and he loved paperwork. It was much less tiresome that wielding a sword.

"Colonel Sir. Sorry to interrupt," said Criodoples as he saluted.

"Not at all, Lieutenant. Captain Trayphosthonos was just leaving."

The Captain began to back away, but before he could depart, an idea occurred to the Colonel. This was a training facility after all. It was time that Trayphosthonos learned from his betters.

"But maybe you should stay, Captain. A little cross training is good for all of us. It may be educational for you to hear Criodoples' report."

The Captain stayed unaware that the Colonel considered him inferior to this lieutenant.

"Sir, the work on the culvert repairs is proceeding well. I expect a fresh crew of laborers transporting the new grates and masonry supplies to arrive first thing in the morning from Muurathanos. I shall be ready to meet them and guide them to the work site so there is no confusion or delay in the repairs."

"Excellent work, Lieutenant. I'm impressed by your attention to detail and organizational skills. You're being wasted at this backwater post. Have you any desire to transfer to the front? I think a buck with your skills could advance much more rapidly there. I will do what I can for you here, but..."

For a brief flash, an odd look of bemusement crossed the young Lieutenant's face then was gone.

"I don't feel wasted here, Sir, but I do desire to join in the real fight to save Rikifur from this destructive war."

"Then you would be amenable to a transfer?"

"I hate to leave work undone, Sir. Let me see to these final repairs. May we discuss this again further tomorrow? I sense that I will be ready for a new challenge then."

"Certainly. Drop by whenever you are done with your repairs. Maker knows I'll be here buried in paperwork as usual. Dismissed."

Saluting smartly, the lieutenant left with the inexperienced captain in his wake.

"I'm going to miss that one," Draephone said to himself, "but we all have to do what is best for the nation."

There were no more encounters that day between Airy's scouts and AR patrols. Their final position was less than a hundred yards from the tree line and a similar distance from a road that led west to the nearest village, Muurathanos. Maintaining the secrecy of their presence remained the foremost priority, so a cold meal of rations and a night's sleep without campfires ended their first day. Skirmishers were positioned so that not even the small nocturnal animals of the forest could approach unnoticed.

Shortly after first light, three wagons from the village were spotted on the road just as Criodoples had promised. The unarmed Rabbit masons and laborers who rode with them were pathetically easy to capture. The contents of two of the carts were dumped in the woods and replaced with the barrels of powder. As a precaution, the first wagon's cargo of stone and mortar was preserved intact to delude any potential inspection. The rough garments of the captured peasants were put over the armor of Rabbit soldiers, who did their best to pretend to be sullen workers. Six Wolf warriors plus Jorveth's helpers, Patch and Viper, were hidden in the wagons under rainproof tarps among the barrels.

While the wagons made their slow way toward the castle gate, Airy moved the rest of her Army into position. The previous day had been a momentous occasion that had filled her with unparalleled joy when she had set paw in Rikifur again for the first time since her forced exile by the volcano.

That sense of elation had faded to sullen frustration the closer she came to relinquishing the critical task of breaching the wall to others. A thousand things could go wrong, and she was helpless to do anything but wait. The suspense left her short tempered and irritable driving everyone away from her except Rhynnayth, her second in command, who bore her wrath as best he could while observing from afar, with similar angst, the wagons' approach to the gates.

Lieutenant Criodoples, accompanied by two soldiers loyal to him and to the queen rode out through the gates to meet the wagons when they were still several dozen yards from the gatehouse. Vaunortheses' cousin made a show of inspecting the wagons and the laborers before he began leading them along the castle wall to the work site.

Though he had been apprised in advance that there would be Wolves, he was still astounded by their presence when he had peered under the tarps. Here was a former enemy risking their lives for an ideal he held precious. How this came to be was a mystery to him, and left him bewildered regarding his own emotions towards his ancient foes. The Rabbits dressed as laborers assured Criodoples that Queen Airiphryone had approved the presence of these Wolves, so he temporarily waived his distrust and ordered the group to begin moving towards the culvert where the explosives were to be placed.

They had barely traveled thirty yards when Captain Trayphosthonos, leading twenty scouts, emerged from the gate and overtook Criodoples' counterfeit work party. Thinking they were discovered, the disguised Rabbit soldiers began reaching for their weapons. Criodoples gave them a signal to stand down and rode up to the captain to distract him.

"May I help you, sir?"

"Lieutenant, have these peasants reported any unusual activity or movements of Wolves in the woods?"

Typical of the gentry, 'peasants' were as invisible to them as cattle, something to be ignored until they were needed. Thrayphosthonos and his scouts didn't even give the disguised Rabbit soldiers a second glance, making Criodoples grateful for a class-based deficiency that he often shared.

"No, sir, and they arrived from Muurathanos just this morning."

"That's encouraging. Still, they would have kept to the road and not seen an enemy hiding in the woods. We shall investigate. Two of my scouts have still not returned from yesterday evening's patrol."

Criodoples' worry that the scout captain might discover his artifice was replaced by concern that the army hidden in the woods would be discovered instead. He had to attempt to dissuade the overzealous Captain from searching the forest.

"Surely now that it is daylight, no Wolf raiders could cross the half mile of open ground without being spotted from the walls. An extensive search seems unnecessary."

"Don't tell me how to do my job, Lieutenant. I'm following proper protocol. Even if my scouts have deserted as the Colonel speculates, we are duty bound to conduct a thorough search of the perimeter."

Without entertaining any further input from the junior officer, Trayphosthonos led his men to the west and began dividing them into pairs to search the woods. Criodoples cursed aloud and ordered the wagons towards the culvert as quickly as they could move without arousing suspicion.

The instructions he had received regarding the care he should take with the wagons were clear. He was to provide protection and security and not to interfere or impede those he was escorting. What was in the barrels hidden under the tarps and how it could destroy a thick wall made of stone was a mystery to Criodoples, but he was determined to do everything in his power to help the saboteurs do their job. Instinct told him that involving Wolves would doom the venture and result in his death, but his orders came from the queen. That was all he needed to know. Sacrificing his life for her, if necessary, was a price he was willing to pay.

The demolition work crew that was responsible for removing the old grates had been at work for days. They were already on site being watched by two guards as they broke the final outer grate from its mountings. Though under his command, Criodoples could not be certain where the two guards' loyalties lay, so after waiting until no one on the wall was looking down, he efficiently subdued them with the help of the queen's soldiers. Gagged, bound, and placed under the tarp of the last wagon, they were lucky in that they would miss the coming battle.

Two of the queen's Rabbits shed their disguises and took the guard's place, while the remaining Rabbits passed their peasant garb into the wagons where the Wolves hid and took up position as additional guards to ensure none of the real laborers escaped. It was unlikely anyone from the wall would notice the change in the number of soldiers. If they did, they would assume they came separately on Cripodoples' orders, if they cared to think about them at all.

Scared and confused by the seizure of the first two guards, the real peasant workers clumped together for protection with their ears drooping down against their backs. When the Wolves emerged dressed as laborers but still recognizable at close quarters, the trembling Rabbits nearly fainted in terror. Threats and sword points were needed to motivate them back onto their hindpaws and into transporting the barrels from the wagons to deep inside the culvert. It was a laborious and difficult task due to the small dimensions of the drain and the weight and number of casks. Fortunately, Patch was the first one inside the culvert where she was able to direct the placement of the barrels and begin connecting the fuses.

To Criodoples, it was astounding and nearly unthinkable that a female Wolf was their demolition expert. Females were for bearing and raising kits. Wolves were simple savages. What was the queen thinking by allowing someone with both detrimental factors to have such an important job? Attempting to fathom the answer took the lieutenant perilously close to the edge of his cultural boundaries, so he put his faith in the Maker, the queen, his cousin Vaun, and did his duty.

Still, Criodoples couldn't restrain himself from peppering Patch with questions to mollify his concerns over her competence. She patiently explained to him what she had to do, and how the fuse was essential to not only igniting the powder, but also delaying that ignition long enough for them to get to safety.

"It will sound like an angry snake when it's lit. When you hear that, you'd better run fast, bunny boy. I'll be right on your tail...or you'll be on mine. Wouldn't that be fun?"

Her subsequent laugh wasn't as mocking as her words might have presaged. She was teasing him all right, but if Criodoples wasn't so biased against Wolves, he might have mistook the glint in her eye for flirting. His obliviousness could be excused by the distractions imposed by his duty. That duty became a nerve-wracking ordeal as Criodoples kept an anxious eye on the western woods. Trayphosthonos' scouts had all disappeared into the forest. The army would be discovered before the wall was down if they took too much longer. Patch only grunted and told the worried Lieutenant to watch the sky when he shouted into the culvert urging her to hurry.

"Sky? What about the sky?" he finally asked vexed by her nonsensical response.

"Rain," she replied enigmatically. "Bad for the powder."

Criodoples looked to the sky where clouds were gathering on the western horizon. Rain was certain at some time today. As he pondered this new detail to worry about, Patch's assistant, Viper, who had been carefully counting the barrels as they were placed in the culvert, spoke to him.

"Patch likes you."

"What?"

"She's an odd one all right. Has a funny thing for Rabbits in general, but she really likes you. I can tell."

"What are you talking about? She's a Wolf...I'm not."

"I know. Weird, huh? Look at you - long ears and a little stub of a tail. Who wants that?"

Viper's laughter echoed in Criodoples' ears as the Wolf returned to counting barrels. The lieutenant wasn't' sure whether he was being mocked, stalked, or a little of both. The behavior of these Wolves was as perplexing as it was vexing to him. Working with them was beginning to test the limits of his tolerance.

As if their teasing wasn't frustrating enough, when only half of the barrels had been placed, Patch made the workers bring stone instead of barrels to fill in low spots where stagnant water had collected. It was an agonizing delay that escalated Criodoples' ire. His eyes strayed often to the battlements above in case a guard noticed the barrels stacked in the open and wondered at their purpose. Fortunately, no one bothered to look down at their mundane and uninteresting repairs.

Mimicking its master's state of agitation, Criodoples' horse snorted and stomped his hooves whenever Patch halted all work so she could carefully place and connect a part of the complicated system of fuses and primers that would ensure all of the magic powder ignited at once. The Rabbits from Vaun's camp assured him it was a critical process. For some stupid reason beyond the Lieutenant's ability to understand, a she-Wolf, who never learned the concept of haste, was the only one who knew how to do it.

Nearing his wits end with only five barrels remaining in the wagons and rain clouds completely obscuring the sky, Criodoples cringed as the dreaded sound of an alarm horn blared from the woods. It was followed by the appearance of two AR scouts breaking out of the trees in full gallop. One was furiously sounding his bugle. Neither soldier made it more than a hundred yards beyond the trees before being shot down from behind. It was a waste to kill them. The damage was done.

Guards on the castle wall rushed to its edge to peer over in search of the danger. Several glanced at his work crew, who were carrying the last of the barrels to the culvert. Expectations would be that Criodoples cease work and get his people to safety. Anything else would look suspicious; as if barrels instead of steel grates and Wolves dressed as peasants weren't suspicious enough.

No sooner had Criodoples given thought to the notion when one wall guard began shouting for them to make for the gate. While trying to formulate a reasonable response to explain why he was ignoring that advice, one of the Rabbit laborers ended his quandary by screaming to the guard.

"Help us! There's Wolves. They..."

He was silenced with the pommel of a sword to the back of his head, but again, "To what purpose?" thought Criodoples. Nothing more the poor peasant buck might have shouted could have made the situation worse. Soldiers on the wall began readying crossbows and calling for troops to sally forth to investigate. Mere minutes remained to complete their task but only seconds remained before the troops above began shooting at them.

Since their masquerade was unmasked, Criodoples ordered the real workers away. There was no need for them to die, too.

"You, peasants! Get out of here! Now! To the road."

Already scared, they required no further prompting to start running east along the wall towards the safety of the gates.

"Patch! Now! Blow it now!"

From her position just inside the culvert, Patch had seen the peasants drop their barrels and run away while the soldier Wolves and Rabbits retreated to the carts to fetch their bows.

"But we haven't placed all of the explosives yet. Jorveth said..."

"Damn what he said, Wolf girl! Light the fuse and get out. The archers..."

Criodoples never completed the statement. A crossbow bolt struck the Rabbit next to him, knocking him from his horse. More arrows began to rain down forcing everyone but Patch to dodge and run for cover. Criodoples stayed on his mount running it in circles to make himself a more difficult target.

"Light the Maker damned fuse!" he shouted to Patch, who was trapped at the culvert entrance.

"I don't have the tinder. It's in the first wagon."

"Maker damn it, could this get any worse! Get her that tinder," ordered Criodoples just before a bolt struck his horse in the throat.

The dying beast screamed and bucked, throwing the lieutenant from his saddle. Landing badly, his ankle twisted painfully. Wolf archers and the queen's Rabbits began returning fire to suppress the archers on the battlements. The support gave Criodoples the time he needed to crawl to shelter behind his dead mount. He was safe for the moment, but their position was hopeless.

In defiance of self-preservation, one Wolf obeyed Criodoples' command, located the tinder, and ran towards the culvert. He passed Criodoples' position but was shot down short of the culvert. A second Wolf ran out trying to complete her fellow warrior's journey but ended up joining him dead on the ground.

Their heroics were inspiring, but Criodoples saw the folly of running that gauntlet of death. The remaining Wolves were more useful providing cover than wasting their lives this way.

"Stay covered and pin down those archers on the wall!" he shouted, desperate to avoid catastrophe but unsure how to complete his mission.

He was rewarded with a shriek from the wall as a crossbowman slumped over the parapet with a Wolf arrow in his neck. Criodoples seized the brief respite to rise and hobble as best he could while trying to ignore the searing pain in his ankle. Another flurry of arrows from his own side gave him some cover, but it was mostly luck that allowed him to reach the dead Wolf who still held the tinder clutched in his outstretched paw.

Only ten yards separated Criodoples from the culvert. He managed three long and terribly painful strides before an arrow caught him square in the chest puncturing his steel breastplate. The force of the impact stopped him cold, but he was able to toss the tinder towards Patch. It landed inches from the small opening. The Wolfess' paw emerged long enough to snatch the valuable package and drag it inside.

Criodoples crumpled to the ground, landing painfully on his side. Death loomed; his wound was certainly mortal. Life seemed to drain away with each passing beat of his heart and every excruciating draught of breath. Events beyond his own body took on a dreamlike quality as he entered a state of surreal detachment.

Several of his men emerged from behind the safety of the carts obviously intent on aiding him. Seeing no sense in having anyone else die pointlessly on his behalf, he willed himself to shout for them to stay behind cover. So disconnected was he from his surroundings that he couldn't be certain he made any sound at all. He must have, though, because they obeyed.

An annoying blurriness like a wet fog crept over his eyes while darkness seeping inward from the edges of his vision threatened to blind him entirely. He was forced to blink repeatedly to keep the world in focus, and each time he closed his eyes, it was harder to open them again.

As he struggled to remain conscious, he saw a spark from the culvert and heard the telltale hiss of the fuse that Patch had described earlier. It was indeed very much like an angry snake. A smile broke through the pain etched on his face. Perhaps success was possible after all. He wished to witness the attempt however it transpired. Turning his head required much of his remaining strength. Opening his eyes once last time was the most difficult task he ever undertook, but the effort allowed him to see Patch silhouetted by the dancing glow from within the low tunnel.

Again, he willed himself to shout, "Get out, Patch. Save yourself!"

It was a tremendous effort that was rewarded with a strike by another arrow; this time through his thigh. Too numb in his extremities to feel pain, the bolt protruding from his leg was little more than an abstraction. As he stared at the wooden shaft, he wondered if Patch had heard him. She did, and her cheerful face appeared at the entrance briefly.

"No point. I'm dead if I stay or come out. Anyways, got to stay here and light the next fuse at the right moment. Couldn't get them all set in time. There'll be no time after that to escape. Get clear and save yourself."

Patch then noticed Criodoples' stricken state. She frowned at first out of sympathy and loss for the Rabbit she had thought might make a promising friend, then grinned knowing the fate they were about to share.

"Don't despair, Criodoples. This will work. You are a brave and worthy warrior. We'll meet again in the spirit world as friends and pack mates. All the warriors and ancestors who have gone before us will welcome us there as heroes and celebrate our deaths. You and I can get to know each other better then, eh?"

Ducking back into the culvert, she disappeared from his sight. Her absence went unnoticed by Criodoples. He had lost the battle to keep his eyes open. Sound and smells were the only senses left to him in a world in which he wondered if it was possible for a Rabbit and a Wolf to share the same afterlife. He had been taught not, but he prayed to the Maker to make it so anyway.

An indeterminate time passed full of shouts, the moans of the injured, and the smell of blood - most likely his own. To Criodoples those sensations seemed far, distant, and irrelevant to the one pending event that kept him clinging to life.

When it came, the flash dazzled him through closed eyelids. A concussive force like the punch from a giant's fist slammed his body making him feel as if all his bones were shattered. Lastly, a sound to drown out even the death blast of the volcano deafened him.

"It is done," he thought as he faded into the restful darkness of oblivion that was waiting for him.

Cat and her Wolf scouts saw Trayphosthonos' patrols approaching and let them pass through their skirmish line despite the impossibility of hiding their army. The Wolves were well hidden, but the Rabbit cavalry were too conspicuous. Allowing the enemy in but not out was the best strategy they could manage. The scouts were easy targets if all of them could be trapped between the column and the skirmishers.

The plan was sound, but ill luck had ruined more well conceived ventures than theirs, and the gods of fortune were not smiling on them that morning. There were too many separate pairs of scouts to coordinate an attack on all of them at once, and most unfortuitously, one pair stopped short of the skirmishers when a rider's horse stepped in an animal's burrow causing it to trip. The scout dismounted to inspect the beast's leg.

At that moment, a nearby pair of scouts spied a part of Airy's forces. They were shot down for their trouble, but one managed to scream before he died. The soldier who was inspecting his mount's leg responded by jumping into his saddle as his companion blew a loud note on his bugle. Both immediately bolted for the castle. A hail of pursuing arrows managed to miss their mark until after the alarm was sounded again and the two riders had broken out into the open.

Airy rode up to the edge of the woods with Major Rhynnayth and Captain Sunortheses in time to see the fleeing scouts killed. Thayir padded along beside his mistress.

"Maker damn it! We're discovered now."

"The wall still stands. Do we attack anyway?" asked Rhynnayth

"No. We have no chance with it intact. The gate will be closed before we can reach it. We'll be slaughtered at the base of the walls."

"Do we retreat back across the river?"

"Not yet. We wait and give Lieutenant Criodoples and Patch a chance to complete their task."

"How long?"

"Less than ten minutes I guess before there are enough archers on the wall and cavalry sent from inside to make their situation truly hopeless."

"It's not much time."

"Enough for us to prepare in case they succeed. Get everyone up here in position to charge. I won't waste the opportunity if Patch delivers it to us."

Rhynnayth issued curt orders to his captains, and their small army assembled with cavalry in front, spearmen and archers behind. The Special Reserves were efficient, organized and found their places as they moved forward to the edge of the woods. They were well beyond bowshot of the walls, but stayed hidden so as not to give the castle any additional advance warning of the real threat.

"Patch knows to destroy the powder rather than let it fall into the paws of the AR, so something should happen soon," said Airy more to herself than to her companions.

Barely had she finished speaking, when a bright flash originating at the base of the wall proved her right. Like a giant inchworm rearing up in the middle, the stone edifice lifted itself into the air as if trying to get away from the rapidly expanding light. A thunderous roar followed shortly after, and then everything was obscured by sickly yellow and gray smoke.

Airy did not wait to confirm the condition of the wall. A swift attack meant fewer lives lost before the defenders recovered from the shock and confusion. Half a mile of open ground stood between her and the Keep. She was determined to cross that dangerous terrain and pass through the breach before the AR could organize themselves against her attack.

Rhynnayth turned expectantly to Airy for her approval to order the charge, but Airy had already drawn her sword and was pointing it at the castle. Her determined grin told him all he needed to know. The queen would be leading the assault, and there was nothing he could do to stop her and her gray wolf shadow.

"For Rikifur! Charge!" she shouted as she spurred her mount into the open.

An answering roar of approval raced down the line as her small army lurched forward following eagerly. Thayir also let loose a howl and loped with ease alongside his mistress' horse.

The Wolf infantry and archers ran as fast as they could in their armor, but the cavalry rapidly left them behind. Though a seemingly disorderly advance, it was all part of the plan. The mounted Rabbits would use their speed to reach the breach first, and if it was clear, enter the Keep and race up to the walls and throughout the interior to clear it of defenders. The Wolf archers and infantry would follow to add to the thrust of the attack and secure the Keep. Some would stay outside near the breach to prevent any troops issuing from the gate from attacking their rear.

In front of everyone, spurring her mount to its fastest pace, Airy felt more alive than she had in over a year. The agony of the pre-battle wait was over. Little in life gave her the ultimate satisfaction that she felt charging into battle.

The other riders were inspired by her fervent example. As loud as the explosion that began their charge, the thunder of their mounts' hooves roared across the plain signaling more doom for the defenders of the Keep.

Rhynnayth was grateful his horse was faster than the queen's as he overtook her halfway through the charge. He would not deny Airy what he knew she wanted - to enter the Keep first - but he would be there to defend her and sacrifice himself if necessary to ensure she survived the experience.

A gentle but insistent breeze carried the putrid smoke into the castle, revealing that the wall was indeed fully breached. Rhynnayth's spirits soared at the sight. His emotion was shared by the rest of the army as every soldier saw what he saw and put on more speed, surging towards the gap.

They passed the empty wagons and huddled troops who had been under Criodoples' command. The survivors cheered as Airy passed, her small size and regal manner marking her clearly as the queen. Airy observed that several Wolves and Rabbits lay dead. One in particular she didn't recognize lay against a small, cluster of barrels with a bolt in his chest and thigh. Airy absently thought that medals and honors were due them for their sacrifice.

To Rhynnayth's great relief, it transpired that the front of the charge was the safest place for his queen. The defenders on this portion of the wall were all dead or stunned by the blast. Those that were rushing in to investigate from elsewhere were confused and could not bring their bows to bear until after the first twenty riders had passed through the gap at full speed.

The remainder of Airy's cavalry became bunched near the entrance to the breach because the constriction allowed them to pass only in single file. They were now easy targets once the new archers arrived on the wall and the stunned survivors recovered their senses. Nearly a dozen were struck before the Wolf archers were close enough to begin to send swarms of arrows at the battlements forcing the defenders to duck for cover. Freed from assault, the remaining riders poured into the castle.

Once she was inside, Airy divided her twenty knights into two groups. Stone stairs located on either side of the breach led to the top of the wall and the battlements. Airy, accompanied by Thayir, led her group up the left side. Rhynnayth stayed by her side and let a cptain lead the second group up the right. Trained since birth for combat, the knights' horses leapt up the steps and galloped along the wall heedless of any soldiers in their way.

Helpless before charging cavalry, the castle guards were run down or knocked from the wall. Regret for killing so many of her own kind without giving them a chance to surrender diminished Airy's battle euphoria but didn't stop her from clearing the wall to protect her troops.

It did hinder her enough that Rhynnayth and another knight passed her to take lead of the charge. She knew what they were doing - protecting her. She allowed them and found another stairway to descend to the ground to meet the rest of her cavalry. Looking back to the breach, she saw the infantry were also inside and organizing into squads to begin pacifying the castle. A young lieutenant named Charoptrus rode up to her on a lathered horse.

"My Queen, the gate will be heavily guarded, but we must take it quickly to break their resistance. May I use a phalanx of Wolves and two squads of cavalry to lead that effort?"

"Agreed. Do it!"

"Yes, my queen," he responded, saluted again, then began shouting orders and organizing his troops.

As the young lieutenant melded into the general confusion, Rhynnayth reappeared at Airy's side. She had orders for him, also.

"I'll lead a force to the central tower. The commandant will likely be there. Once I force him to surrender, resistance will cease and the castle will be ours. Until then, you take the remaining troops and pacify the streets."

"Yes, your Majesty, but please be careful. Vaunortheses will hold me personally responsible for anything that happens to you, and I couldn't live with such a failure even if he were inclined to be forgiving and not have me hung for such a blunder."

"Don't worry about me. Do your duty."

A light tug on her mount's reins and a kick to its flanks with the heel of her boots had her galloping off towards the river wall. Her hastily assembled contingent trailed in her wake. Rhynnayth's ears drooped. When his cousin, General Vaunortheses, learned of her exploits, he was going to rebuke him severely for failing to control and insulate the queen from danger. As Rhynnayth looked to the heavens and prayed to the Maker to watch over her, he noticed Sunorthoses and the Cat had entered the Keep.

Sunorthoses' scouts had been repurposed into the ranks of the troops guarding the breach leaving him temporarily without a command. After thanking the Maker for answering his prayer, Rhynnayth sent him to safeguard the queen and was gratified that Cat chose to accompany the captain. Convinced that the queen was now being protected by the best, he set himself to carry out his orders.

In her hurry to capture her prize, Airy moved too fast for her foot soldiers. They were rapidly left behind. Knowing that it was foolish for cavalry to travel alone, especially in the narrow streets, Airy checked her pace to let them catch up. Her knights took the opportunity to surround and protect her. It irritated her to be constrained by their concern, but she let them carry out their duty. Though he was miles away, Airy could hear Jak's voice in her head urging her to consider carefully the consequences of her actions. She was not supposed to be here. It was best she minimized the disruption she was causing with her presence.

Her imprudent decision to lead the charge was not without risk, but the potential reward was spectacular success; the penalty was death. On this occasion, both her rashness and her newfound ability to restrain herself proved their worth when she encountered a knot of enemy pikemen blocking the street. Bloodshed seemed likely as the outnumbered guards prepared to fight to the death to hold back the invading Wolves against whom they would rather die than surrender.

It was only when Airy rode in front of the Wolf archers who were preparing to slaughter the defenders that the AR Rabbits began to recognize her and waivered. Airy removed her helmet to reveal herself fully.

"It's true," one exclaimed.

"It's the princess!" said another.

"She has returned!" shouted many at once.

"It is true. I am Airiphryone, but I am no longer the princess. I am your queen. Put down your weapons."

All but a few dropped their arms and knelt before her. To the stubborn remainder she offered quarter.

"Lay down your arms, swear fealty to me, and you will be spared and treated not as prisoners but as soldiers of Rikifur."

It was a fair offer of amnesty and forgiveness. All of the remaining soldiers but one obeyed her command. The obstinate loner clutched his spear with shaking paws, his face contorted in rage.

"Witch! Wolf friend! Abomination!" he shouted. "Andre is the true king! Long live the king! Down with the false queen!"

With the reckless courage of a true zealot, he charged at Airy with his pike aimed at her chest. It was a sudden and unexpected attack that might have succeeded if Thayir, always watching for threats to his mistress, had not sprung from the side taking the murderous Rabbit to the ground with his teeth engulfing the hapless soldier's throat. The brief struggle ended with a gruesome crack.

The kneeling soldiers watched the small drama in horror and confusion. The feral wolf had saved their queen, but it was still an unfamiliar and terrifying beast and a symbol of the enemy they had been taught to hate. Nervously, they eyed the armor clad male and female Wolf warriors who uncharacteristically stood like Rabbits in tidy lines with weapons ready.

Airy guessed what they were thinking and just where their prejudices lay. What she said next and over the next few hours was critical to win them and others to her side.

"Thayir! Heel!" she commanded. The gray wolf complied licking the blood from his snout.

"This feral wolf obeys me as do these Wolves. We fight with common cause for Rikifur. Take this as a sign from the Maker that our enemies are not defined by the shapes of their snouts, ears, or tails but by what is in their hearts. Rikifur is not suffering an attack from the outside. Wolves do not strive to destroy us. We are doing that ourselves. Division from within eats at the very heart of our civilization threatening to destroy us all. Rabbits who have betrayed the will of the Maker and the Maker's chosen line of rulers are our enemies.

"Only I have the legitimate right to rule in Rikifur. I am the first born of a long line of descendants of the heroes who brought us the secret of steel. As did my namesake a thousand years ago, I now bring you new secrets and miracles from the Maker. Only this time, we face not only the enemy that is within, but an even greater foe of which few in Rikifur are aware. In my journey home, the Maker showed me a nation of Horses in the east that threatens to overwhelm us. I have the knowledge, the power, and the will of the Maker behind me to save us all from destruction.

"Look now upon those who have chosen to stand with me at this critical moment in our history. They are Rabbits and Wolves. If you love Rikifur and obey the Maker, then they are your true brothers and sisters in arms. Join us in restoring the faith and order that has sustained us for a thousand years and that will sustain our descendants for a thousand more."

It was an impromptu speech from her heart that proved effective. A majority of the soldiers rose, heartily pledged their allegiance, and begged to fight for her. Hesitant nods from the others were less enthusiastic, but there were no refusals or further attacks.

"I am grateful for your loyalty and pledges of service. Leave your weapons here and move freely through the castle with my approval. You will not be harmed as long as you take up no arms. Tell your comrades of my return and my promise of mercy if they likewise lay down their weapons. Many lives can be saved by your actions."

Shocked by her benevolence, they remained in their tight group afraid to move.

"What are you fools waiting for?" growled a Wolf sergeant. "The queen gave you an order. Do as she bade. Off with you. Now!"

Confused, but eager to comply, the soldiers scattered, shouting variations of "The queen is here!" and "The princess has returned!"

Serving as an administrative center for the castle, the central tower was not designed as a stronghold. Capturing it was easy. Using timbers stripped from a nearby building, the doors were smashed open. A few arrows rained down from some high windows, but it was clear the Keep was lightly defended. The lack of soldiers rushing to its defense indicated pacification operations elsewhere were proceeding successfully at nullifying all resistance within River Keep.

At the insistence of her officers, Airy remained safely on the doorstep under a canopy of shields. A dozen guards surrounded her while the rest stormed inside. She would have stewed in annoyance if an opportunity to offer pardons to more captured AR soldiers had not arisen while she waited.

Many of the prisoners being led past her position recognized her. She was heartened by the looks of adoration and joy on many of the faces. A few were patently not pleased with her return, but if the rest of the AR army were like this, each victory would bring an abundance of new recruits. By the time she reached the capitol, her army would be large enough to crush the priests, and she would have territory and resources in abundance to support her campaign.

Airy wondered if the Priests would take advantage of the AR's looming predicament of fighting a two front war, or if they would wait out the conflict to confront the severely weakened survivor. Airy hoped it was the latter. She wanted to destroy the priests with her own army.

A faint cough interrupted her ruminations. A lop eared lieutenant saluted and stood behind her patiently waiting for permission to speak.

"Report, Lieutenant."

"The Keep is secure, and the commander has been captured alive. Do you wish us to bring him to you, or do you want to enter the tower?"

Airy glanced upward at the dark clouds that had been gathering in the sky all morning. Rain was imminent. She was grateful that it had waited until the battle was over. Everything might have failed if the powder had gotten wet.

So much in life ultimately depended on luck and circumstances that Airy wondered if there really was a higher power watching over her. Was it Olivia or someone else? A Maker of the Makers perhaps? Drops of rain hitting her snout were a rebuke from the heavens telling her that she would never know the truth. At least the foul weather made this one decision easy.

"I shall meet with the commander in his office. Have him brought to me there after I've settled in. I'll be waiting in his seat of authority. Bring also any surviving AR officers you can quickly round up."

"Yes, My Queen."

As promised, Airy made herself comfortable behind the colonel's desk after having it swept clear of his personal effects and paperwork. Only her sword lay on its well-polished surface - a reminder of her power and his defeat. The colonel and five officers were brought in by two Rabbits and two Wolves. The prisoners had been stripped of their weapons but left unbound. Two of the subordinate officers had bloody bandages covering serious wounds but were able to walk without obvious distress. Two Rabbits and four Wolves flanked Airy on each side and were present before the captives arrived. Their weapons were drawn.

The colonel walked with a limp, supporting his weight on his left side with a cane. Despite the infirmity, he retained his dignity. A brief flash of recognition from him turned quickly to scorn and disdain for his conqueror. Airy returned his gaze with a neutral expression that revealed nothing of her mood. Draephone's face was vaguely familiar, but she could remember no details of having served with him. It didn't matter. She was prepared to give him the same options she gave all of her prisoners after ensuring that he knew who was now the ultimate authority here. Never releasing his eyes from hers, she let silence reign for a dozen heartbeats before she spoke.

"You are utterly defeated. I am here to accept your unconditional surrender. I will entertain nothing else from you. Do not test my patience or my resolve. Give me your answer quickly so that I may address the second in command if necessary."

Colonel Draephone understood the implied threat. If he refused to surrender, she would work her way down the command chain until she found an officer who would. The fate of the recalcitrant officers who preceded the one who finally agreed to her terms was left unstated. Draephone wasn't so committed to his cause that he was willing to discover the nature of that fate.

"I accept your terms. I have no choice now do I?"

"There is always a choice, Colonel."

Airy smiled. The implication that he was a coward was obvious, but Draephone refused to be baited.

"You may have won by luck today, but your forces are inadequate to hold this fort against the army that will come to take it back. Whatever foul magic you used to break the wall can't help a few hundred idiots and savages defy many thousands of experienced troops for more than a day."

The colonel was an unpromising convert. Airy ignored his statement for a moment, and spoke to the other five AR officers.

"You heard, understand, and recognize the terms of surrender that I offer and that your commander has accepted?"

Their answer was unanimous.

"Yes."

"Good. Then go out and order the rest of your forces to surrender so we can end any more pointless bloodshed."

They seemed surprised to be allowed to leave instead of being imprisoned, but when they realized she was serious, they began to shuffle out to do as ordered. The injured officers were the last to move to leave. Airy stopped them.

"Not you two. You are wounded and need to rest."

To the guards who had brought in the captives, she said, "fetch these bucks chairs and let them sit down."

Her will was obeyed and two chairs were placed in front of the desk. The wounded officers gratefully took the opportunity rest. Colonel Draephone looked about expectantly for a chair for him, but none had been ordered or delivered.

"I think you will stand a bit longer, Colonel, and tell me more of what you know of the AR forces that will be sent to deal with us."

Before Draephone could refuse, there was a commotion in the hall accompanied by raised voices and the tromping of boots. One of Jorveth's Wolf helpers, Viper, appeared in the doorway making a hasty salute. Airy remembered seeing him taking shelter behind a cart as she rode towards the breach.

"My Queen. I apologize for interrupting, but a dying buck wishes to speak to you before he passes over. I...I don't think he can wait, Your Highness. Please."

Airy stood.

"Bring him in at once."

Four Wolves carrying a stretcher entered the room. The occupant was breathing raggedly with one bloody paw clenched to bandages wrapped tightly about his abdomen that did little to stop the bleeding.

"Put him on the desk," Airy commanded as she returned her sword to its scabbard.

Leaning over the supine buck, she examined him. It was a miracle he was still alive. The wound in his chest was clearly fatal, his thigh was oozing blood, and he was dirty and badly bruised. What disturbed her most, though, was that his face was unfamiliar. Airy took great pains to know every soldier under her command.

His breathing slowed to the point it was imperceptible. So grievous were his injuries, Airy was certain that he had died. Clenching his fingers tightly with her paw, she kissed his brow lovingly. A single tear ran down the side of her snout.

"Who are you to have died so bravely?" she whispered not expecting an answer, but her voice revived him. His eyes fluttered open and slowly focused on her.

"Lieutenant Criodoples, Your Majesty. At your service," he croaked.

Realization struck her, and she knew him as Vaunortheses' cousin - their mole within the AR, who had helped them gain access to the culvert.

"Tell me what happened. Why were you in the open when the wall blew?"

Criodoples' eyes were shut again, and he was unresponsive. Viper spoke instead.

"He's a hero, Your Majesty. The fuses were not all set, and we had no way to light them when we came under fire from the wall. Criodoples sacrificed himself to deliver the tinder to Patch, who stayed in the culvert to ensure all the powder blew at once."

Airy looked around hopelessly for Patch. Viper shook his head.

"She's gone."

Airy held tighter to Criodoples' paw, and her tears flowed freely. Regaining consciousness again, he drew a deep and agonized breath to give volume to his voice.

"I...I...I just wanted to see you, My Queen, before I die. I believe in you, the Maker, and our friends the Wolves. You are right to heal the old wounds. I am grateful to..."

He grimaced in pain and sucked in several shallow, rapid breaths. His bloody paw broke free of hers and grasped her white tunic as he trembled uncontrollably. Airy tried to keep him quiet and at ease, but he clutched tighter to her using the last of his breath to have his final say.

"...grateful to have lived to see this day...and you."

His eyes remained open as if trying to continue to witness the astounding events around him, but his body deflated, shrinking in upon itself as muscles relaxed and the last exhalation of his life seeped out between his teeth. Airy closed his eyes with a gentle sweep of her paw.

"Be at peace, brave Criodoples. May the Maker receive you in his embrace and grant you the everlasting life of heaven, as you so richly deserve. Maker bless you."

Her last phrase was echoed by all the Rabbits in the room including Colonel Draephone and the two wounded AR officers. The Wolves remained stonily silent but respectful. After a moment of quiet, Airy spoke again to her most senior officer present.

"Take his body to a place where it can be carefully prepared for burial in the morning. Gather all the dead from both sides. That includes our Wolf allies in case anyone is unclear regarding who deserves my respect and thanks. Gather a detail to dig graves. I want it near the breach, where Criodoples, Patch and any others died giving us this victory. It will be a permanent shrine to the further sacrifices we will have to make before the end of this wretched business."

Once Criodples' body was removed, the room and its occupants were as before except for the menacing fire that that had intensified in Airy's eyes. She seated herself slowly behind the desk and crossed her paws over her lap.

"Colonel Draephone and...what are your names?"

"Greyphothonos, Your Highness."

"Thrydolphoses, Your Highness."

Sharing their names at her request and her earlier generosity of letting them have a seat gave them a brief instant of hope, but the queen's stern gaze stole it away again. Her words presaged even greater doom than her expression.

"The three of you and everyone in the AR defending this fort are guilty of treason against the crown. The penalty for this crime is death."

The two lieutenants hung their heads, but Draephone remained erect and defiant. All three were silent expecting no mercy and proud enough not to beg for it.

"Only I have the power to pardon such offenses, and I officially proclaim the three of you absolved of that crime."

Even the Colonel's mouth hung open in amazement at her munificence.

"Now that I have given you back your lives, you have a choice to make. Swear allegiance to me and to restoring Rikifur to its former glory, or be imprisoned until this war is over."

Suspicion made Draephone close his mouth and frown.

"If we choose to stay loyal to our current cause, what will happen to us when the war ends and you are victorious? Are we to be hanged?"

"You will be free again. The land will need healing. Spilling more blood will not help."

Visibly relieved, the two lieutenants slid forward from their chairs and knelt in front of the desk, but the colonel laughed mockingly at them and her.

"That is very generous of you Princess Airiphryone, but I must refuse to serve you. Your cause is hopeless. I know the strength of the AR, and they can easily spare the thousands of troops and siege machines needed to take this castle back from your pitiful army. We have been watching your gaggle of loyalists. They are but a few hundred cavalry. It seems you brought them all over for this engagement. Adding in a few hundred of these barbarian Wolves and some turncoats from my own ranks won't be enough to hold this keep. It will fall within days."

"Leave the winning of the war to me, Colonel. I have already taken your command. I will hold it and then progress to destroying the rest of your army. I offer you one last time the chance to cooperate and help me do that."

"Again I refuse. I would not support you even if I thought you had a hope of victory. Your time and the time of your family has expired, Princess. The monarchy must go. The rule of house Chortaghentos has kept us stagnant for centuries. We nobles yearn for more say in the laws. We need room to expand and grow. Centralized authority of the king keeps our paws tied."

Airy's anger seethed, approaching the point of boiling at his open disrespect for her family. Unconsciously, her right paw strayed to the hilt of her sword. The motion did not go unnoticed by the colonel nor did it silence him.

"Unpleasant as this may be for you, I think you should hear the reasons so many of your people yearn for a new order and they fight for it now. During the long, good times of your family's reign, it was difficult to rebel. Your father and his forbearers kept the strongest lords on their side by rewarding them with power and wealth. If any of them ever became too uppity, then steel was withheld and they collapsed into ruin. It was a dictatorship founded on a monopoly whose sole purpose was to keep us all forever in the same state. By luck, by the will of the Maker, by whatever you want to believe, that monopoly has been broken, and the complacency of our society sufficiently disrupted that change is possible. This revolution may be the only chance for the rest of us to break free from you and your line forever. Putting you back on the throne will only put us back to where we were."

It was sobering to Airy to hear of so much discontent for what had always been to her the greatest accomplishment of her family - peace and stability for a thousand years, but she was in no mood to let anything spoil her victory or deter her from her course. Whether or not anything that the colonel said had merit would wait for another of her discussions with Camorra.

"Very well, Colonel. You have chosen to serve yourself over your queen and the greater good of Rikifur."

Her paw left the hilt of her sword and gestured to the Rabbit officer on her right.

"Take him away. Let Esseff interrogate him to find out what we can of the strength of arms we will soon be facing."

No doubt Draephone thought he was to be tortured, but that was not Airy's intent. She would let the Fox interview the colonel and worm whatever he could from him with trickery and threats, but she would not allow physical violence on a prisoner. The spies that Esseff had already deployed across the countryside would be far more effective at bringing better intelligence anyway while simultaneously ensuring that the enemy received her version of the truth of her military strength.

Draephone was correct that the force she had brought over the river to take River Keep could not hold it, but Jak's burgeoning army of Wolves was enough. By design, it was more than enough.

Escapees from the castle and her own spies would ensure the AR learned what the Colonel thought he knew. Before Jak's Wolves moved over the river, the flight of refugees would be stopped, and she would clamp down on security so that no one escaped. Whoever led the AR against her was in for a devastating surprise.

It was a gratifying thought, but she still had the two wounded lieutenants to deal with amid a million other details. Camorra had preached the benefits of leniency to captives to win back their loyalty and the hearts of the general populace. Airy needed friends, not more enemies. They would flock to her side more readily if she were benevolent and magnanimous in victory.

Airy agreed with that philosophy. In battle, she would remain the Maker's Wrath, but afterward she would be the Maker's Mercy. A combination of strength and justice would make her the most fit to rule. Older and wiser from the trials of her journey and the guidance of her friends, she felt competent to play both roles now. The hot-tempered princess lived inside of her but was no longer all that she was. It was time to prove that.

"Gentlemen, I need good officers. We have a growing army to train and lead. If you swear your allegiance to me, I shall see that you are put to good use and eligible for promotions on equal footing with anyone in this army. Your past in the AR will be forgotten. Before you decide, know this: you will be fighting alongside Wolves as equals. No. Not just equals - as comrades in arms."

It was apparent from their stunned expressions that they were unprepared for her munificence. The apprehensive glances they gave the Wolves - the females in particular - indicated there was more that shocked them than her kindness. Breaking the old prejudices against Wolves and female warriors would be a battle of a different kind she would be fighting long after the civil war was resolved.

"You saw the success that we had today. Who carried Criodoples' body in here with the respect and reverence of a fellow warrior? Who sacrificed her life in the culvert for a Rabbit queen? I know that it is strange and uncomfortable for you, but the Wolves are our allies now. Support me, and Rikifur will be greater than ever and at peace for the first time in an eon."

Both of the injured officers looked to the other to be the first to respond to Airy. Tentatively, Greyphothonos made his case.

"Your Majesty, I was one of Vaunortheses' followers until I lost hope."

A Border Pack female Wolf named Verity, more adept than most at truth scenting, moved to stand behind him as he spoke.

"I don't think I ever really believed you were alive, but I was always loyal to your father and your family. I only came over to the AR because I thought there was no way Vaunortheses could possibly win. I was wrong to give up faith. I promise that if you take me back, I won't abandon you again."

A subtle nod from Verity confirmed that Greyphothonos was telling the truth.

"I accept your service, Lieutenant Greyphothonos."

Airy turned to Thrydolphoses, who seemed uncertain of what to say and less eager to voice his thoughts. The tips of his auburn colored ears twitched as did his nose, betraying his nervousness. He was a thin, gangly Rabbit with patchy colored fur like a calico cat, except his colors were red, brown, and various shades in between the two.

"Well?"

"I'm sorry, your Majesty. I'm kind of torn, you see. A lot of what the Colonel says about a need for change makes sense to me. That's why I sided with the AR. Lots of opportunity for a commoner like me. I got no royal blood, but the AR is promising land to anyone who distinguishes themselves in this war. On the other paw, you're the rightful heir. There's no doubt about that. Rules are rules, and here you are. That's my dilemma, essentially."

Airy smiled to put him at ease.

"I'm afraid I am very busy, Lieutenant. You'll have to resolve your quandary now. Is it to the barracks or the stockade?"

Realizing his position, Thrydolphoses stood at attention and saluted.

"My apologies, Your Majesty. I'm not used to being around important people like you or wrestling with such weighty matters."

Despite his recognition of the need for haste, the peasant-turned-officer scratched his chin with one long fingered paw while he wrinkled his nose.

"I think I shall choose the barracks, ma'am."

Airy found this uncouth officer amusing if nothing else.

"Against my better judgment, I find myself curious enough to ask - why?"

"Ah, well, it looks like you are changing things more than the AR ever strived for. I mean, Airiphryone 'the Wolves' Bane' leading a Wolf army? I never thought I'd live to see that. You are everything Vaun...uh, sorry...General Vaunortheses said you'd be. I can fight for you."

Another nod from Verity was enough for Airy to make up her mind.

"Welcome to the army of the queen, gentlemen. You'll be assigned to a unit by Captain Sunorthoses. One of these officers will help you find him."

"Really?" asked Thrydolphoses, incredulous that she trusted him. "Just like that?"

Greyphothonos grabbed his fellow officer's arm and began dragging him away after giving Airy a smart salute.

"Of course just like that, moron. She's the queen. She can do whatever she wants."

Their conversation faded into the bustling clamor as more people entered her new office with decisions requiring her attention. It had been a long, tiring day, and now that the adrenaline rush of combat had faded, she wanted nothing more than to cuddle with Jak and rest in his embrace. Jak was miles away, though, and she was separated from whatever empty bed awaited her by many hours and hundreds of tasks.

[End of Chapter]