The Pillar of Enera

[Book II Chapter 112] SARAH: Crisis Management

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“The last shipment of crystal water crystals went out today.” Commander Varon announced somberly. “Those convoys from Neon were our only means of moving large numbers of people to safety. With supply from Pearl cut off, they won’t be anymore coming.”

Sarah listened wearily. It’s one thing after an other. No sooner had they finished evacuating Pearl that Varon had come to deliver this news. He doesn’t have far to travel these days. Two thirds of Tulven had fallen to the demonic beast invasion. The front lines were dangerously close to the capital.

“How many are left at Torris?” Lord Yohan asked, concern visible on his elderly face. Sarah glanced at the maps and reports piled up on the table before him, proof of his diligence in coordinating their defenses. They were in the dining room of an abandoned mansion, their current makeshift command center. Jayden and Leucothea sat on her right.

“I estimate three million.” Varon replied “New arrivals have more than offset those who left.”

Sarah winced, turning to Jayden. “What’s the Adventurer’s Guild doing? Surely they’re aware of our plight?” She was certain the ninja was in close communication with the guildmaster. Her son is his underling.

“Astra is focused on the assault on Mount Gull.” Jayden answered. “By destroying the revenant summoning pit, she hopes to blunt Kaygren’s offensive for several months.”

“In other words, there’s no plans for assistance until then.” Sarah interpreted. “Yohan, how long do you believe we can hold out?”

“Less than month at the rate we’re retreating. Although…” Yohan looked across the table. “If Leucothea joins our efforts, perhaps longer.”

They all turned to the skimpily-clad nymph with a watery shawl floating around her. Another immortal-level fighter would make a world of difference. “What are your plans now?” Sarah asked.

She didn’t know the details as to why Leucothea had chosen to bind herself to Pearl, which made her hard to predict. Summons normally entered such contacts to develop their souls and become sovereigns, goals the nymph had likely accomplished before her arrival. Would she travel to Shangri-la or Arcadia, like most guardian beasts freed from their oath?

“While the bond is broken, I still feel a duty to the people I safeguarded.” Leucothea answered. “I will remain and offer my aid.”

“Knowing your mother, she won’t be pleased.” Jayden commented.

“If she wants me back that badly, she’s welcome to send reinforcements.” A frown marred the nymph’s beautiful features. “I will not be leaving until all those gathered at Torris are safe.”

“About that…” Varon began. “Once the refugees around Torris learn no further evacuations are planned, I fear things could turn ugly. People are frightened and desperate. They need tangible hope to cling to.”

A quiet settled over the room. “Don’t we have the barges from Pearl?” Leucothea asked.

“They’d never make it through the Twisted Lands without an armed escort.” Varon countered. “Not to mention, they’re slow it and would take months to move everyone.”

“I don’t understand.” Jayden broke in. “Why don’t we just hire airships and the mercenaries to guard them? Surely there are crystal reserves we can tap into?”

“Our agreement with Viacore was to ship out everything as soon as it was mined, with our accounts there credited. That income has mostly been spent, and our remaining balances are barely enough to cover our expenses for the next few weeks.”

Viacore was one of Neon’s big five and dominated the global energy and commodities trade. Anyone who wished to move large quantities of crystals had to do business with them.

Jayden frowned. “Where’s the wealth that Tulven has always been reputed to have?”

Sarah flinched at the jab. “It went into the beautifications of our cities and the lavishness of our festivals.” She admitted. “My mother grew up in Sovengard and has a taste for the finer things…” With her experience as steward of the Isle, the wasteful spending she’d witnessed in her youth pained her even more.

“That’s wrong.” Leucothea interjected. “Even with your mother’s extravagance, Pearl has mined far more than Tulven has spent.”

What? Doubt creeping through her mind, Sarah shot Varon a questioning look.

“When I took over after your mother left, Viacore set up a new account for me.” The man admitted. “The old account undoubtedly has a considerable amount in it.”

“And you didn’t try to gain access to it?” Sarah demanded, her temper rising.

“I can’t contact your mother, and you dismissed my suggestions to reach out to her.” Varon countered. “What was I to do?”

Sarah grimaced understanding the reality. I didn’t want to call her because I knew she wouldn’t lift a finger to help. I didn’t realize she’d absconded with Tulven’s wealth.

“It appears the solution has presented itself.” Jayden observed.

“There’s a long range projector on my airship.” Varon added.

Sarah sighed. I should’ve known. A ruling immortal is the foundation of the nation. There’s no distinction between their possessions and those of the state. It’s why their loss is so devastating.

Later, in Varon’s office, she steeled herself and touched the crystal before her. Her senses reached out through the magical network, and she recalled her mother, her essence, her soul. Nothing came up.

I expected as much. She tried again, imagining a different person. An aged man she was unfamiliar with appeared across from her. He examined her carefully.

“You wish to speak with Ellaria Raven?” He confirmed. She nodded.

“Wait a moment.” He said.

The projection went black, and soon the immortal in question showed up. “Sarah Godspeed, what can I do for you today?” Said the head of house Raven, curiosity shining in her sharp brown eyes.

“I need to reach my mother, Claire Godspeed.” Sarah answered. “I was hoping you knew her whereabout.”

“She’s here, at Timberhold.” Ellaria smirked. “Though she’s calling herself Claire Raven these days. I’ll fetch her for you.”

There was another interlude, and the figure of a brunette her age stared back at her with a mixture of dismay and anger. “You had the gall to contact me.” Claire Raven said coldly.

Sarah got straight to the point. “I was hoping you could give me access your accounts at Viacore.”

“I told you last time you were dead to me. What makes you think I’d ever give you access to my funds?” Her mother scoffed.

“This isn’t a personal request——” Sarah began but was cut off.

“I don’t care.” Clair interrupted. “The balances at Viacore are all I have to show for the centuries I wasted on Tulven. They’re mine, and I am under no obligation to turn them over, especially not to a disappointment like you.”

With that, the connection cut off, and Sarah was left alone. The disappointment drowned out the pain at her mother’s degrading words. That went as badly as possible. Why did I believe I could reason with her?

As she sat there wondering how to break the news to the others, the projector flashed with an incoming call. She was surprised to see Ellaria Raven pop up.

“How did it go?” She asked with a sympathetic smile.

“Not well.” Sarah replied flatly.

Ellaria nodded, leaning forward. “Tell me about the situation in Tulven.”

The immortal listened quietly as she explained everything. By the end she wore a deep frown.

“Claire isn’t thinking rationally.” Ellaria observed afterwards. “If Tulven’s people are massacred because she appropriated the nation’s wealth at a moment of need, it’ll ruin her reputation. The smirch will be so noxious it’ll stain house Raven by extension.”

She shook her head. “I spoiled her too much growing up. Even now, I’ve been letting her use her son’s death as an excuse…”

Ellaria fixed her gaze on Sarah. “Your brother also had an account at Viacore. While only a fraction of his mother’s, it should be more than enough for your purposes. You’ll have control of it within the hour.”

“Thank you so much…” Sarah stammered, stunned by the good fortune.

“Just remember, should the worse come to past, to not speak ill of our house.” Ellaria’s figure vanished.

Sarah sat in shock. I should start looking how to spend it. She hadn’t been researching five minutes before she received a message from Viacore granting her ownership of her brother’s account. The amount inside was massive.

Two hours passed, and there was a knock on the door. Jayden quietly slipped in. “Any success?” He asked.

“In one week, a fleet large enough to carry a million will dock at the capital.” Sarah announced. “For security, Guardstone is providing a team of saints lead by two of their immortals.”

Jayden’s eyes went wide. “I’m amazed… How much did it cost?”

“A fortune, half of the money I just inherited from my brother.” Sarah admitted. “In normal times, it would’ve be enough to evacuate Torris three times over, but with the airship shortage and the Guardstone’s inflated fees… There won’t be enough to move everyone.”

“Then we’ll have to rely on the Adventurer’s Guild for those left over.” Jayden shrugged. “Still, what you’ve set up improves our position enormous. You should tell the others. They will be thrilled.”

“I’ll do so now.” Sarah was about to get up but stopped herself. “Did you need me for anything?”

Jayden nodded. “It’s about time for our friend Turok to return. I was wondering if you’d sensed anything.”

“I’ll check now.” Sarah grabbed her staff and navigated the threads of fate. It took no time to find what she was searching for. “Three hours out, several rifts will open north of here. There will be… Seven of them…”

She frowned. That was more than usual. Something was off. As she delved deeper, her blood suddenly ran cold. “It’s not just Turok.” She looked up in shock. “There’s two more revenants, including Sekken, the Red Hound.”

“By Idia, what are we going to do?” She stammered, all her optimism swept away.