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“What are you saying?” Unable to accept reality, I reflexively pressed Timona for an explanation.
Of course, I had an idea of what had happened. I’d been eating dinner in a manor we’d captured in Teyanavi territory, but my better judgment compelled me to send the food away and to call for my weapon and armor in exchange.
“The Teyanave Confederation have coordinated an attack with the help of the nearby counties to cut off our supply lines.”
Yes, the rebellion was in the regions nearby. Just as I’d thought I was done putting down uprisings...
“We are ‘fish in a barrel,’ Your Majesty,” an already fully armed and armored Reiz Krommler sighed. “Is this really the time to be staring off into space?”
Why are you so calm about all this? Oh, right, you can get away with magic. Spatial magic is downright cheating.
As I wordlessly cursed the man, Count Palatine Vodedt arrived with even more bad news.
“Marquess Ramitead was intercepted en route to the eastern reaches of the Zaveaux county, and his army of ten thousand has been routed. The intercepting force is unknown, but we suspect they hail from the Garfure Republic.”
Fabio, you’ve drawn the short straw yet again. But more importantly, if the Garfurians were invading now, of all times...
“Ugh, they got us.” I couldn’t help but react as Carmine, and not the emperor. It was too late to panic—the opportunity to do so had passed by long before I knew it was even an option.
“The intel we received from the Grand Duchy of Gaeweigh regarding the Republic clearly proved to be incorrect,” he went on. “There’s a possibility they had a stake in this operation.”
That’s right: For all these catastrophes to coincide, our enemies had to have been plotting this for months. Forget being pincered, we were about to be boxed in on all sides.
“And here I thought we were being careful,” I said.
“We did consider the possibility that this might happen, but it was still hard to see coming,” Reiz said. “Speaking practically, there isn’t much reason for the counts to revolt.”
Indeed, we’d written off a potential uprising as illogical, which had gotten us into this mess. How could I have forgotten? History was moved not by logic, but emotion.
They were merely dragging me down. It wasn’t as though they’d become emperor if only they could take my head; the next in succession was Charles de Agincarl. They hadn’t mustered a larger army either, so they couldn’t do any real damage...except in this exact instance.
“Two steps forward, and one step back...and my foot slipped while we were at it.” I’d overcome an army twice the size of my own at Chelán Hill, finally becoming an emperor around whom the Empire could revolve. I was one step away from reunifying the lands under an imperial banner. “That’s one way to turn the tides on a guaranteed victory.”
This was not the time to slow down—but maybe that was exactly my problem. I’d rushed to this point, choosing the shortest path, and probably leaving holes in my wake. Nobles who’d only recently laid down their arms were at risk of re-revolting; glimpses of the Imperium’s machinations were always dancing just out of sight; the cornered Agincarl would take the chance to bounce back. They got us.
“Now isn’t the time to be impressed.”
True. Reflection can come later. I ignored Reiz and began to don my armor. Hmm? Where were my servants, you ask? They themselves were in a rush to get equipped, Timona included. In the worst-case scenario, this very manor could become a target within minutes. I had no doubt the mastermind of this scheme had plotted at least as much.
One day, I would crush them. Whoever it was, however many of them there were, I would make them pay.
But first...
“How are we going to survive this one?”
First, I had to live. The rest would have to wait.