Hoji
It took him the best part of two days to get to the rest of his army, sitting outside the massive fortress in the bowels of the High Plains. By the time he arrived, he was irritated. Hoji still didn’t understand why everything was going wrong.
He knew the Iron Tide had broken onto the mainland. He knew they had assaulted the Southern Passage Gate, one of the Demon Legions’ key beachheads for the coming invasion. He had even received confirmation that the gate’s defenses collapsed under the assault. He understood that plans change, that for some reason the orcs were acting out, doing something they didn’t understand or expect. Battle plans often don’t survive first contact; it was one of the universal concepts of war itself.
All of that he could understand.
What he couldn’t understand was why the orcs were here, this far south. There was nothing in this area, nothing to pillage or plunder. The few human settlements nearby wouldn’t even be a warm-up for the fighting-obsessed Iron Tide.
So why was the Iron Tide south of their beachhead and heading toward a city that had almost no strategic importance to the Empire?
He couldn’t understand or deduce any of it.
And why was the Iron Tide attacking demon forces when they weren’t even supposed to know demons were here? How did that happen? Was there a leak? A traitor among their men?
No. That couldn’t be it.
He shoved open the flap of his command tent. The lantern light inside swayed as he entered. His Sword-Demon lieutenants rose to attend him. He scanned them.
Sword-Demons, a human-given title that the Legion adopted for ease of communication, humans possessed by lesser demons, each bearing the infected black eye and carrying a black iron blade, rose to attention.
“What in the hell is the Iron Tide doing this far south?” Hoji demanded. “We knew they breached the Southern Gate. But why are they marching south? Why are they clashing with us? They should be attacking the Murai first. They always attack the Murai first.”
Handai, his longest-serving subordinate, bowed stiffly. The dual resonance of demon and human in his voice made every word vibrate.
“My lord, we do not know. Their behavior is completely against character and historical precedent.”
Another Sword-Demon stepped forward. “We recovered fragments of information from a captured Fangborn. One of the Possessors infiltrated his mind briefly before the host died.”
Hoji glared. “And?”
“The Iron Tide’s purpose appears altered. Their grand design has always begun and ended with the Murai invasion and conquest. But a new leader has risen, something that redirected the Iron Tide onto a new path through ritual combat. The destruction of the Gate seemed calculated, but not the endgame, merely a pause in the young prince’s scheme. The Fangborn are afraid of this prince, but also in awe of his boldness, prowess, and strength. After striking the Southern Gate, the Iron Tide did not retreat. They have since moved east, north, and yes, south, toward our position.”
Hoji paced, jaw tightening. “They aim to conquer. That explains their directional ambition. They fight, they kill, they plunder. Strength is paramount; you do not have the right to exist unless you have strength. All of that makes sense. What does not make sense is that they are killing their own. They couldn’t know the orcs are demon-touched, could they?”
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Handai exchanged a look with the others. “My lord, the Iron Tide do not seem particularly discriminating. I can only conclude they attacked the High Orcs because they sensed something was wrong with their red-skinned brethren, or more importantly, because they were not part of the Iron Tide. I further conclude it is reasonable to assume they are headed for the same group as us, the noblewomen who escaped the Gate.”
Hoji turned sharply. “They’re hunting the women?”
“It seems likely,” Handai said. “There is nothing else in this region of the Empire. Solcrin is the largest city in the South, but it holds no strategic importance to the Imperial Family or Tier One households, and the region is nearly impossible to conquer and hold. There are no strategic assets of consequence, not since the Dwarves retreated into their halls. There is simply no reason to go south, especially from where the orcs landed.”
He paused. “Their actions are also troubling. These orcs moved with unnatural coordination, more discipline than I have ever seen from the Iron Tide. It was not quite at the level of the Seran Phalanx formations, but it was close.”
A chill settled over the tent.
A disciplined Iron Tide was terrifying. A strategic, organized, synchronized Iron Tide was a bloody nightmare, for demons and the rest of the world alike.
Hoji turned to Al-Khalim, a human scholar with no mortal compass even before he was possessed. Al-Khalim was one of the few who could analyze patterns instead of merely destroy them.
“Report,” Hoji snapped. “What are we up against?”
Al-Khalim bowed his head. “Crescent Cyr, my lord. Once a dwarven fortress turned Imperial trading post. Long past its glory days, it is still technically part of the Empire but has long since been forgotten. Still, if even half of its archaic defenses remain functional, forcing entry will take time.”
Hoji grimaced. He hated sieges.
“Reinforcements?” he asked.
“Possible,” Al-Khalim said. “The Imperial Magenet relies on condensed mana lines and mana pulsing to maintain communication. Crescent Cyr lies outside those lines. If any humans with standard messaging devices attempt to contact the Empire through the Magenet, the signal will not pass. However, there is a relay line several leagues north that connects directly to Hydra City. If any of them reach it, the Empire will be alerted, and that would not end well for Lord Vael’s objectives.”
He paused. “I have it on good authority that the Imperial Princess herself is among the group. We cannot allow a message to get out.”
Hoji dragged a hand through his hair. Fantastic. The last thing he needed was an Imperial Swiftguard Cohort descending on demon-controlled orcs.
“And the others?” he asked.
Al-Khalim continued. “It grows worse. Among the women is a dark-haired maiden with violet eyes, likely Vivian Li, Crane of the Li House. The crimson-haired fire dancer is most likely Anmei Lui of the Emberflower Pavilion. The twins are harder to place, as is their well-endowed companion from the Coral Qiao.”
He paused. “But more important than their names, I sense something from them.”
Hoji raised an eyebrow.
Al-Khalim smiled. “The Li girl carries something containing divine power. A great deal of it.”
Hoji went still. No wonder Master Vael wanted them alive.
He considered the facts. The Iron Tide should not be here. They should not be this far south. They should not be organized. And they should not be interfering with demon operations.
And now the Imperial Princess, and two of the most powerful cultivators of the younger generation, were here.
But why?
That Gate had held a Herald. What was a Herald doing in a long-dead gate in the southern backwater mountains?
None of it made sense. It didn’t fit any known geopolitical logic.
Why had the battlefield changed so drastically in the last six months?
Hoji exhaled slowly. “So you believe the Iron Tide is fighting us because of these women? To help them or to kill them?”
Handai nodded. “We do not know, my lord. Only that it all seems far too convenient to be coincidence.”
Hoji’s expression hardened. “We attack at dawn. Send the vanguard so we can test their defenses and prepare whatever siege spells you have. We don’t have much time. Vael wants answers, and the longer this drags on, the more likely we are to be noticed.”
Al-Khalim smiled, a very wicked smile. “I have just the thing.”