I recalled a dream that Nydarth had inhabited months ago, and our ‘interactions together.’ As presents went, that one would be worth the wait.
The docks of Qihin City were even more crowded than when we’d left. Large transport barges had been hauled out of storage and brought down to the ocean. Shipwrights and their assistants crawled all over them, caulked holes in the hulls, and cleared off barnacles and moss. Some boats were already loaded with equipment for the attack. Ballistae were pushed to the fronts of the transports to create a ranged siege unit that could attack from the ocean.
Warriors were assembled across the docks. Guards watched for signs of attack or infiltration. Other soldiers lined up with their packs, shields, and weapons in readiness to board their transports and head out for war.
Kumi found a space at the docks between a battle-ready war junk and a fishing boat loaded up with arrows. We climbed free of our vessel and joined the throng of fighters.
King Beqai stood front and center of the dock, surrounded by a band of officers and court officials. He stood on a barrel to see over the heads of those around him as he directed the preparations for the attack.
“Must be strange to see him like this,” I said to Kumi.
She surprised me with a fierce hug. “He wouldn't have done it if not for you.”
We made our way down the dock and forced a path through the columns of troops and clusters of porters as they carried supplies back and forth. Beqai spotted us and immediately ordered his attendants to make room.
“Father,” Kumi said with a respectful bow. “We have been out to Shredded Scale Isle to talk with the chieftains of the Wilds. Some of them have agreed to fight alongside us against the guild.”
“I am surprised Jonnik listened”
“Ethan defeated Jonnik in single combat.”
“Why, the Radiant Dragon disciple grows more marvellous by the day. I cannot hope to show how grateful I am. Every last blade will count in this battle. How many did you find? A dozen? Twice that?”
“Think bigger,” I said as I pointed down the dock.
Wilds swarmed out of the water across the boats and into the city. A trail of them ran up the docks as their numbers slowed at the edge of the port. Jonnik stood at their head and bore the wreath of colorful flowers that marked him as the chief of his people. A dozen more chiefs brought up his rear and wore their Wild marks and their signs of office with pride. Their army trailed behind. There had to be more than a hundred of them, every fighter armed with weapons and Wild Augmenting power.
The locals parted to let them through. Tension clouded the air as the menacing bandits strode unmolested across their city docks and up to the king.
Jonnik stopped a dozen yards from Beqai. He snorted, spat, and looked up at the king on his barrel.
“I ain’t bowing,” Jonnik said. “We come as equals or not at all. You got a problem with that, we can all fuck off back home.”
Beqai looked down at the impertinent Wild, and his eyes narrowed. Then, he jumped off his barrel in a surprising burst of agility and landed in front of the chieftain.
“No bowing,” he said. “That honor is earned, and I did not earn it from you. I failed you at the time you needed me most. I let your people be persecuted by the Resplendent Tears while I obsessed about a single path I thought could bring me harmony. But it is not a king’s place to find his inner peace. It is a king’s place to protect his people, something I have neglected for too long. I only hope that I can earn your trust again.”
“That’s a decent start.” Jonnik held out a tentacle for Beqai to shake, then lowered his voice so that it was only just audible through the cheering of the crowd. “But remember, we’ll be watching you. One hint that you’re back to your crabshit, and we’re gone.”
Beqai gripped the tentacle tightly in his own and fixed Jonnik with a steady gaze. “Keep talking like that in front of my people, and I’ll cast you back into the ocean myself.”
Jonnik laughed. “Now, that’s what I call a king.”
Beqai climbed back on his barrel and raised his hands. Silence fell slowly across the docks.
“Loyal subjects,” he called out. “Trusted allies. Noble friends. For too long, we have let Horix bring out the worst in the Resplendent Tears Guild, and through it, bring violence and oppression to our lands. They have scorned us, weakened us, spat upon us. They have ridden roughshod over our farmlands and our borders. Their greed and their meddling have brought monsters down upon our heads. And now, their arrogance has grown so great that they openly attacked our city and kidnapped my beloved daughter. Our Kumi.”
A roaring tide of anger swept along the docks as the meaning of the words sank in.
Beqai raised his hands, and the noise subsided. “They poisoned the mind of my son, and he is now lost to Mother Sea. I doubt he will return, and the guild is upon their heads. There may be good people in the guild, but there are more whose hearts are veined with evil. They would wipe out the Wilds, people who live peacefully among us, who bring the blessings of their Vigor to bear for the rest of us. Will we let that stand?”
“No!” the crowd roared.
“Will we let them murder our friends and families?”
“No!”
“Will we allow them to spread their foul words and foul deeds through our lands and beyond?”
“No!”
“Then, will you stand with me for all the Diamond Coast?”
“YES!”
The cheering spread through the city. Bells rang, and drums pounded. Spear butts were beaten against the ground.
Beqai climbed down and gathered his commanders around him. He gestured for Kumi, Jonnik, and the most powerful Wild chiefs
