Chapter Summaries

After suppressing a conspiracy in Great Oak Territory, Victor investigated a violent outbreak at the Sunset City POW camp and discovered that some prisoners had undergone strange physical changes. With eastern nobles gathering and his troops rested, Victor prepared to march south into Cornwall County.

• Enzos and the other conspirators surrendered, and Victor arranged for them and their families to be transferred north after Magnus interrogated them and seized their assets.
• Bask reported that his forces had defeated the refugee bandits, while a guard unit led by Old Buck contained a sudden riot at the POW camp and prevented it from spreading through Sunset City.
• Isaac showed Victor that the brains of affected prisoners had irreversible frontal-lobe changes, which could increase their speed and strength without being contagious.
• Victor ordered Michael to recruit the more stable, physically altered prisoners into his personal guard and told Orlando to investigate the cause of the outbreak.
• Five days later, eastern nobles arrived at Sunset City with elite troops, and Victor prepared to lead his army south into Cornwall County.

Victor led a greatly reinforced army south across the Blackwater River while Brando and Magnus watched from Sunset City’s wall. The troops continued their crossing as Victor checked the cavalry’s readiness and the army’s preparations.

• Magnus and Brando watched the army cross the Blackwater River over three pontoon bridges built under Sagras’s direction.
• Brando told Magnus that Victor had instructed him to trust Magnus and call him uncle, then waved to Victor from the wall.
• Depaul lifted Brando onto his shoulders so he could wave; Victor waved back and signaled for them to put Brando down.
• James reported that his cavalry had rested and that the warhorses had been replaced.
• Victor’s forces received new soldiers, repaired equipment, and revised deployments, with Santos’s regiment sent to rest and Foss’s regiment joining the southbound force.

Victor learned that the Northern Alliance Army was locked in a costly stalemate and that the Fifth Legion had been diverted to defend the Carson Mountains, leaving him to continue south toward Cornwall County. In Sextus County, Alex learned that Victor had won a decisive victory in the east and urged that he march north to strike the Grand Duke’s forces.

• Victor received Wembley’s letter explaining that the Fifth Legion had been sent to the Carson Mountains after the Duchy Army breached a fortress and wounded Viscount Benjamin.
• Victor followed Count Colt’s orders to march south and summoned James to scout the dangerous river route and seek contact with the Iron Vine Family.
• Alex confronted Count Colt about assigning Viscount Edmund’s infantry to a mission that Alex and Viscount Hawke’s mounted forces could perform more effectively.
• Count Colt explained that Alex’s cavalry was too valuable to risk being surrounded and that Edmund’s less-damaged legion could endure the mission longer.
• Count Colt showed Alex a report of Victor’s victory in the east, and Alex said Victor should march north to attack the Grand Duke’s flank and rear.

Colt rejected Alex’s proposal to send Victor’s Southern Marching Legion to the main battlefield, arguing that Viscount Borey’s defenses would prevent a decisive victory. He reinforced the western front instead and counted on the Kingdom Navy to aid Victor’s campaign in the south.

• Colt explained that both main armies were entrenched in Sextus County and described how Viscount Borey’s tactics had devastated the Iron Knight Regiment.
• Alex realized the earlier battle had cost the Northern Frontier Allied Army its strongest force and helped create the current stalemate.
• Colt said he had ordered the Northern Alliance Army’s Fifth Legion to reinforce Benjamin and Albert in Durham County.
• Colt told Alex that Victor would still march south to relieve Ironvine Territory, while the Kingdom Navy prepared to reach the Duchy’s western coast in ten days.

Count Colt explained that the western front was close to collapse and that the Kingdom Navy could only help by drawing away enemy forces. Victor’s victories in the east and recruitment of cooperative nobles had doubled his southbound army, making the eastern front the Northern Frontier Allied Army’s best chance to turn the war around.

• Count Colt told Alex that Benjamin and Albert were barely holding the western defensive line against the Duchy’s forces.
• Alex realized that losing the western front could expose Durham County and cause the Northern Frontier Allied Army to collapse.
• Count Colt gave Alex Victor’s letter describing his victory, his control of the Great Oak Territory’s army, and his plan to march south with eastern nobles’ troops.
• Alex and Count Colt recognized that Victor had doubled his southbound army and might defeat the Duchy Army in the Southern Region.
• Count Colt said he would petition the king to grant Victor the title of Marquis if Victor turned the war around.

After the duchy spread news that the Carson Mountains defensive line had fallen, Count Colt decided to convene a frontline conference and disclose the breach. He left Alex to trust the Northlands nobles, who were divided over how much the news concerned them.

• Alex explained that the duchy’s mounted raiders were spreading news of the Carson Mountains breach to weaken the Northern Alliance Army’s morale.
• Viscount Hawk brought Count Colt and Alex papers seized from the raiders, claiming the duchy had advanced to Durham County and threatening the Northlands nobles.
• Alex offered to raid more duchy camps, but Count Colt stopped him and said the cavalry could not prevent the letters from spreading.
• Count Colt decided to convene a frontline conference and announce that the defensive line had been breached.
• Hawk said he was not worried, and Count Colt explained that only the nobles of Durham County were likely to fear the duchy’s advance.

Count Colt prepared the Northern Alliance Army for battle by explaining the western front and sharing Victor’s victory at Rotten Tree Beach, while concealing Victor’s actual destination. The meeting ended with the commanders confident and ready to fight, and Alex planned to use their renewed morale for raids on the Duchy camps.

• Count Colt told Alex that the nobles on the main battlefield were unlikely to rebel because their forces were outnumbered, and he decided to reassure them at the pre-battle meeting.
• Count Colt questioned Hawk’s changed appearance and asked Alex about the Intelligence Merchant Guild, then privately chose to hide a letter from him during wartime.
• Alex organized a large meeting as the Northern Alliance Army’s commanders gathered, and Count Colt addressed them before the assembled officers and nobles.
• Count Colt described the Carson Mountains defensive line and the Fifth Legion’s march to reinforce it, easing the concerns of Durham County’s nobles.
• Count Colt announced Victor’s victory at Rotten Tree Beach and said Victor would soon head north, raising the hall’s morale despite Alex knowing Victor’s forces would actually go south first.
• The meeting ended with the commanders confident, and Alex planned to use their renewed morale to launch raids against the Duchy camps.

Alex watched his cavalry rout a Duchy transport convoy, recognizing that the battlefront meeting had restored the army’s morale. After capturing the convoy commander, Jinduan, Alex learned that the prisoner had lied about his unit.

• Alex noticed that the Northern Alliance Army’s morale and eagerness to fight had improved after the battlefront meeting.
• Alex watched his cavalry attack a convoy, breach its wagon defenses, and rout its nearly thousand-person force.
• Alex’s cavalry brought him the captured commander, who identified himself as Jinduan and claimed to serve in the Duchy’s Direct Legion’s Third Legion.
• Alex ordered knights to check Jinduan’s story against other prisoners and threatened to have him dismembered if he lied.
• The knights reported that Jinduan was actually from the Fifth Legion, and one asked Alex for permission to kill him.

Alex captured a supply convoy and learned that the Imperial Guard Legion’s provisions were far below the claimed reserve level. He used the captured paper to spread accusations in the Duchy Army’s camp, but the officers dismissed them and planned how to cover up the shortages.

• Jinduan told Alex that the convoy carried provisions, arrows, necessities, and an unusually large amount of paper, and revealed that the Duchy Army’s grain depot was nearby.
• Jinduan reported that the Imperial Guard Legion’s provisions had fallen to enough for only about three months, despite claims of a six-month reserve.
• Alex took the supplies and prisoners back toward White Earth City, then publicized the convoy’s capture to raise morale in camp.
• Alex told Count Colt about the shortage and proposed scattering leaflets accusing Duchy officers of selling provisions; Count Colt approved.
• The leaflets appeared in the Duchy Army’s camp, where officers dismissed them and discussed blaming the shortages on Northlands rebels.

Alex's efforts to disrupt the Duchy Army's supplies had failed after it shifted to water transport, leaving him and Viscount Hawke discussing their options. Meanwhile, Fleet Commander Edmund's Raine Kingdom fleet was caught in a violent thunderstorm on the Tears of God Inland Sea as it sailed to support Lord Colt against the Grand Duchy of Vera.

• Alex learned that his maneuver had made no difference to the Duchy Army and told Viscount Hawke that the battlefield would prove the truth.
• The Duchy Army abandoned its vulnerable overland supply convoys and relied on large supply fleets traveling by water, ending Alex's attempts to drain its resources.
• A thunderstorm battered the Tears of God Inland Sea as Edmund led a fleet of Raine Kingdom ships through the waves.
• Edmund ordered First Mate Bertley to use signal lamps to bring the 3rd and 4th Squadrons closer and keep them on course.
• Edmund recalled Count Laou Allen's orders to support Lord Colt and help defeat the Ducal House of Vera.

Edmund led his fleet through a dangerous thunderstorm in the Tears of God Inland Sea and emerged safely, only to discover that they had strayed far from the charted route without encountering further storms. He began marking the unexpected passage on the chart, recognizing it might qualify as a valuable new safe route.

• Edmund checked the lightning rods and resin suits, then ordered Bertley to steer the fleet southwest against the wind while the other sub-fleets followed.
• The fleet endured the storm and reached calm waters the next day, where Edmund helped repair the battered ships.
• Bertley told Edmund that the fleet had deviated far from the charted route, and Edmund confirmed the discrepancy on the chart.
• Edmund realized the fleet might have discovered a new safe route and began marking it to claim the Kingdom Navy's reward.

Edmund used charts and a quadrant to identify a new route through the Tears of God Inland Sea, at least one hundred kilometers shorter than the known route. He continued southwest to confirm his discovery and informed the other squadron commanders, who respected and envied his achievement.

• Edmund drew a new route on the navigation chart and told Bertley it appeared to be at least one hundred kilometers shorter than the original.
• Edmund used his knowledge of astronomy and the quadrant to plan how to determine the route’s exact location.
• Over the next few days, Edmund traveled southwest and made nightly observations that increasingly supported his discovery of a new route.
• Edmund informed Texera and Gilles, the commanders of the other two squadrons, about the discovery.
• Texera and Gilles were astonished and impressed, recognizing that Edmund might claim the navy’s bounty, but they did not dare try to take credit for his find.

Edmund led the fleet along his newly charted route and, after spotting seabirds and a distant coastline, confirmed that they had reached land. The fleet celebrated as it approached the shore, with Edmund hoping the route would prove faster than the old one.

• Edmund continued steering the fleet east, carefully charting the route and avoiding thunderstorms.
• Bertley told Edmund that seabirds indicated nearby land, and Edmund arranged for them to take turns keeping watch.
• After a day and night without finding land, Edmund and Bertley spotted a shadow to the southeast from the crow's nest.
• Bertley ordered the flagship to sail southeast at full speed, then slowed it so the rest of the fleet could catch up.
• Edmund recognized the approaching coastline, and the sailors across the fleet cheered at the prospect of reaching port.

Edmund welcomed commanders Gilles and Texera aboard his flagship after confirming that the fleet had reached the western coast of the Grand Duchy of Vera. When they praised his achievements, he insisted that the fleet’s success belonged to everyone, leaving the two commanders impressed.

• Gilles and Texera signaled that they wished to visit Edmund aboard his flagship, and he granted them permission.
• Edmund welcomed Gilles and Texera to his cabin and celebrated the fleet’s arrival at its destination.
• Texera praised Edmund for guiding the fleet out of the thunderstorm and finding a new route, while Gilles agreed.
• Edmund said the mission was not yet complete and credited the fleet’s cooperation for their success.
• Texera admitted he had been narrow-minded and drank to make amends, while Gilles praised Edmund’s generosity.

Edmund rallied his companions around their mission to aid the opposition in the Grand Duchy of Vera and shared the history behind the navy’s “nobles in reserve.” After Gilles and Texera told how Laou Allen rose to power, they pledged their full support to Edmund.

• Edmund told Gilles, Texera, and Bertley that overthrowing the Silver Maple Ducal House would expand Raine Kingdom and advance the reformists’ aims.
• Gilles and Texera helped Bertley sit down when Edmund’s speech left him overwhelmed, then explained the navy’s tradition of placing noble reformists in flagship captaincies.
• Gilles and Texera recounted how Laou Allen selected them as trusted aides and how they rose through the navy under his patronage.
• Edmund asked Gilles and Texera how Laou Allen gained the king’s trust, and they told him that Laou learned to swim while rescuing the daughter of a duke, who later became his wife.
• Texera assured Edmund that Laou’s ability mattered alongside his good fortune, and Gilles and Texera promised to support Edmund fully.

Edmund realized that his unkempt appearance violated the Kingdom Navy’s housekeeping rules and ordered the fleet to clean itself up as it approached the coast. He left Bertley in charge of the fleet and directed him to find a suitable landing bay.

• Gilles reminded Edmund to tidy himself up before the fleet began its next stage of work.
• Edmund noticed his unshaven, dirty appearance and apologized to Gilles and Texera.
• Gilles and Texera departed from the Leiban in boats and returned to their flagships.
• Edmund told Bertley to lead the fleet north along the coastline and find a suitable bay for landing.
• Edmund ordered Bertley to have the fleet clean its ships, bathe, wash clothes, and put its affairs in order.

Edmund’s fleet captured three fishermen so he could question them about the coast and its rulers. Karask and Gaita answered cautiously, but Hashim refused to trust Edmund, leaving the interrogation unresolved.

• Edmund finished cleaning and organizing Leiban, then ordered the sailors to pursue a fishing boat so the fleet would not be discovered.
• Edmund’s sailors captured Karask and Gaita, while Bertley led a small boat after Hashim, who had jumped into the sea to escape.
• Karask identified himself, his son Gaita, and his brother Hashim as residents of Lord Benn’s territory, and said Hashim had worked in Benn’s castle.
• Bertley returned with a bruised and soaked Hashim, whom Edmund offered to free and compensate in exchange for answers.
• Hashim accused Edmund of being untrustworthy and refused to cooperate.

Edmund learned that the muscular Hashim was only thirteen and that his nephew Gaita was eleven. Karask explained that Lord Benn had taken Hashim to train as a bodyguard, then sent him back and seized the family’s land over his expenses.

• Karask restrained Hashim and repeatedly apologized to Edmund and Bertley for his younger brother’s behavior.
• Edmund questioned Karask’s claim that the towering Hashim was a child, and Karask explained that Hashim was thirteen and naturally large.
• Bertley and the sailors realized that Gaita was also a child, though he was eleven and already tall.
• The sailors praised Hashim’s strength, but Hashim angrily rejected the idea of serving as a noble’s bodyguard.
• Karask explained that Lord Benn had sent Hashim home for eating too much, demanded repayment, and seized the family’s land.

Karask told Edmund how Lord Benn exploited Hashim, destroyed his family, and left them destitute. Edmund promised to release Hashim’s family after completing his secret business and offered Hashim a chance to take revenge if he provided information about Benn.

• Karask explained that Lord Benn took Hashim to his castle under the promise of training him, then mistreated him, extorted money from his family, and had him beaten and sent home.
• Benn’s men seized the family’s land and drove them from their home, while Hashim’s mother and Karask secretly found buried grain and helped Hashim recover.
• Karask later supported the family by fishing and saving for a small boat, which brought them into contact with Edmund’s fleet.
• Hashim accused Bertley and Edmund’s crew of being like Benn and demanded that they release his family.
• Edmund introduced himself, promised on his family name not to harm Hashim’s family, and said he would release and reward them after his business was done.
• Edmund asked Hashim for details about Benn’s family, castle, and troops, offering money and a chance to take revenge.

Edmund explained that he wanted Hashim as a guide and subordinate against the Grand Duchy’s western nobles, while also pursuing territory for his family. Hashim recognized Edmund’s hostility toward Lord Benn and was offered the chance to deal with Benn as he wished.

• Hashim asked whether Edmund’s fleet belonged to the Raine Kingdom Navy, and Edmund’s words convinced him that Edmund genuinely cared little for Lord Benn.
• Hashim recalled how Lord Benn had abused and deceived him, and how he had set aside revenge to protect his family.
• Edmund decided Hashim would make a useful guide for attacks on western noble territories and wanted to recruit him as a subordinate.
• Edmund reflected that his family’s territory was too small and resolved to gain land in the Grand Duchy of Vera by targeting nobles such as Lord Benn.
• Edmund promised Hashim that, if he helped, he could deal with Lord Benn however he wished.