"I say we just kill them."
As Faxul made his thoughts known for the third time in as many minutes, Daneel sighed and shook his head.
They were back at the center of the continent, and with no other option, Daneel had decided to cloak them all using a spell. The people could no longer look upon the throne to draw hope and strength, but as he needed all of his advisers to study this strange situation that they were in, he had chosen this platform to confer with them.
The hundred commanders were still unchanged. Bound and gagged, they were floating in the air in front of Daneel, the sovereigns, the Emperor and his Emperor spirits, and Daneel's confidants like the elvish queens.
Those who had not been present on the shore had needed even more time to recover from the shock they felt when they had heard of the Bishop's actions. Many of them had been convinced that she had gone crazy, too, with Arafell even going so far as to say that she had studied the arts of the Empress of torture and hence knew that this was one of the classic ways in which people acted when they were past their breaking point.
Daneel sorely wished that he could believe her, and put this matter to rest with this simple conclusion. However, too many lives were at risk to take things so casually, so he had continued to storm his mind for an answer.
The Emperor hadn't spoken a word since he had been apprised of what had happened, and this gave him hope. The man's mind was a treasure, so he really looked forward to what it would make of this ploy.
They had also decided not to let the commanders, themselves, speak. From both the information given by the TriCobra sect and the memories of his master, Daneel knew that the ways of magic on the Mainland were many and mysterious. It was entirely possible that one of them might be able to cause harm simply by being able to speak even if they did not have access to their body or Mageroot, so there was no way that he would give them a chance to do so at a place where millions were encamped below.
"Let us at least cut out the mageroots of the mages and the bodies of the body practitioners! Even if they are needed alive later, they can simply regain their power slowly. If we just let them remain in this way, we risk the possibility of them being set on us, somehow!"
The other person calling out for blood was his elder brother. Apart from Daneel and Faxul, he was the one who had known Master Jonah the most. Just like it was for the Black Raven king, his bloodthirstiness had awakened and it seemed that he needed some recompense for all the pain that they had seen inflicted on someone they loved so much.
Yet, this did feel like a viable idea, and standing beside him, Eloise did not miss this fact.
"It might seem cruel… but Elanev could be right. We don't know yet why they have been sent to us, but as long as they are on our land, they represent a threat that we cannot ignore. If we don't nullify it, we might have to watch our backs when the last wave arrives."
She had a very valid point. Many of the others nodded as they heard her wise words, but Daneel's eyes were only on the Emperor, who still stood unmoving.
The man seemed to have felt Daneel gaze, though, as he sent a message silently.
"Instead of craziness…to me, this stinks of desperation. Do you know the story of the King and the old Dragon?"
Due to the seriousness of the situation, the man seemed to have forgotten that Daneel had a copy of his memories. Still, in response, he shook his head and raised a hand to invite him to regale them all with the tale, in the hope that it could shine a ray of light in the darkness that they had found themselves in.
With a nod, the Emperor stepped forward and began to speak.
"I don't know whether it will help, but this state of affairs has reminded me of a story from my childhood. Long before I was born, there was apparently a king who wanted to expand his borders. The only thing that stood in his way was a forest in which an old Dragon resided. After accumulating power for decades, he finally sent his army into the forest with the others to either drive away the Dragon, or kill it. To his surprise, the Army returned with the wings of the Dragon which it abandoned in its haste to get away from them. The king was puzzled, as a dragon's command over the sky was something that any commander would fear. Still, he did not think about it too much and did not presume to change too many plans. Alas… without his knowledge, the Dragon had invoked an ancient spell that let it sacrifice a part of itself to let its fire burn hotter than ever. It was said to have used the power granted by the spell to aggravate a nearby volcano that exploded to shower the Kingdom with fire and death. The story ends with the moral that a move that seems to weaken an enemy on the surface is one of the most confusing that a shrewd commander can use… so I truly believe that we cannot ignore the Bishop's actions."
His tale served to quench the bloodlust of those present who had wanted to show their anger on these commanders. Everyone started to look at the matter seriously, as they could tell now that it was possible that something that they could never have expected might be coming their way.
Just like the others, Daneel also pondered on the story. After a few moments… a sudden idea came to him, and he wondered how he hadn't thought of it before.
"What is the one thing that the Bishop lacks, right now?"
"Energy reserves? The saints of the TriCobra sect must have depleted a lot of them," answered Eloise.
"Soldiers. So many have died that she knows that she cannot hope to win with the pitiful few she has," said Xuan, with a small smile of pride.
"Yes, I agree with Xuan. She needs reinforcements, but she cannot call any."
As Kellor nodded and said this, Daneel slowly started to bring together the answer that had come to him, but in the next instant, three individuals appeared in front of them.
Their faces had none of the easy confidence that had always been present on them all this while, and in particular, the one who led them looked as if she had seen a ghost.
Together, all three assassins laid their eyes on the commanders in the air and stared with their mouths agape. To the rest, it simply seemed as if they had arrived with no information about what was going on and were shocked, just like them, to see all these high-ranking personnel of the Church on Angaria.
Yet… to Daneel, it felt as if their eyes were filled with fear, not surprise.
"You really took your sweet time. Did your leaders punish you for being played around by our Godking? If so, don't feel bad about it… that is a pastime of his that has driven many to madness. You-"
"Shut up!"
Aran had been one of those who disliked the assassins because of the way they always kept swaggering around as if they owned the place. Using this opportunity, he had begun to mock them, but Husare's sharp shout made him fall silent and widen his eyes.
Daneel would have made his commander stop talking if Husare had not done so. When Aran had been busy blustering, he had confirmed that his suspicion was right, and because it looked like the assassins knew what was going on, he had allowed them a moment to compose themselves.
Sure enough, turning in his direction, Husare spoke in a tone filled with urgency, and hearing her… everyone present felt their hearts stop.
"We're in trouble. Big trouble! That bitch has gone mad…but not the kind of mad that would have spelled our victory! Sh-she gave us these commanders herself…and announced on the Mainland that they would all die if help isn't sent! Most of them belong to famous families, so reinforcements have already begun to accumulate! In one f*cking stroke, she reversed her position! We're screwed!!!"