Chapter 288: A Solo March

(Blackthorn Castle, Garrick Blackthorn’s POV)

"Duke Drew Dawnriver is a madman! An absolute madman!"

Garrick Blackthorn cursed as he paced across his private council chamber, his expression twisted with frustration while his advisors watched him with solemn expressions.

"The Emperor has promised me control over the Eastern territories once House Dawnriver falls, but how am I supposed to survive until that happens?"

He demanded, slamming his fist against the wooden table as the assembled counselors exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"That lunatic has threatened to march his army against every noble who refuses to pledge allegiance to him, and the deadline he gave us has already passed!"

Garrick continued, his voice rising with every word as he considered the increasingly dangerous position in which House Blackthorn found itself.

He had spent years resenting the Dawnriver family’s authority over the East, particularly when his own house possessed considerable wealth, influence, and military strength.

And when the Imperial throne had approached him with promises of becoming the next ruler of the Eastern territories, Garrick had seen an opportunity too tempting to refuse.

However, accepting the Emperor’s offer had been considerably easier than confronting the reality of what would happen if Drew Dawnriver discovered his intentions.

The Eastern Duke was infamous for his temper, and Garrick knew better than most that the man rarely forgave those who openly challenged his authority.

"My Lord, I believe we must begin preparing for the possibility of abandoning Blackthorn Castle."

One of his senior counselors finally suggested, his expression remaining grave as he addressed the increasingly agitated nobleman.

"If our scouts report that the Dawnriver army has begun marching towards our territories, we should immediately withdraw our soldiers and retreat towards the Central territories."

The counselor continued, gesturing towards a map of the Eastern territories spread across the council table.

"There is no dishonor in retreating from an enemy we cannot defeat, particularly when the Emperor has already promised us sanctuary and support."

Garrick grimaced at the suggestion, his pride rebelling against the thought of abandoning the ancestral castle that his family had occupied for generations.

Yet even he understood that confronting the full might of House Dawnriver would be suicidal, especially when most of the Eastern nobility remained loyal to their duke.

"And what of our lands? Our people? Am I supposed to abandon everything my ancestors built simply because that madman decides to march against us?"

Garrick demanded, looking towards his counselors as though one of them might suddenly produce a solution to his predicament.

"My Lord, castles can be reclaimed and territories can be conquered again, but none of that will matter if House Blackthorn is destroyed before the Imperial army arrives."

Another advisor replied cautiously, earning a reluctant silence from Garrick as he considered the uncomfortable truth behind those words.

For several moments, the chamber remained quiet, with the assembled men contemplating the possibility that their family might soon become refugees within the very Empire they had pledged to support.

Then, without warning, the doors burst open.

"MY LORD! MY LORD!"

A messenger rushed into the chamber, his breathing ragged as he stumbled towards the council table with an expression of absolute terror.

Garrick turned sharply towards the interruption, immediately recognizing that something had gone terribly wrong from the young man’s pale complexion.

"What is it? Speak!"

The Blackthorn lord demanded, his voice carrying an unmistakable edge of panic as the messenger struggled to catch his breath.

"Our scouts have spotted the Dawnriver crest above the castle! It’s the Duke’s carriage, my Lord! Duke Drew Dawnriver is flying directly over Blackthorn Castle!"

The messenger blurted out, causing several counselors to rise from their seats as Garrick stared at him in disbelief.

"What? That’s impossible! Wasn’t that madman supposed to be attending the Imperial Court in the capital today?"

Garrick exclaimed, his expression draining of color as he struggled to understand how the Eastern Duke could have arrived without any warning.

Without waiting for an explanation, he hurried towards the chamber’s adjoining terrace, followed closely by his advisors and several members of his personal guard.

The moment he stepped outside, Garrick looked towards the sky and felt his stomach tighten at the unmistakable sight hovering above his ancestral home.

A magnificent carriage drawn by winged Pegasi circled high above Blackthorn Castle, its polished exterior bearing the unmistakable crest of House Dawnriver.

Surrounding it were twenty-five mounted guards flying in a disciplined formation, their armor gleaming beneath the afternoon sunlight as they maintained their positions around the carriage.

Below them, the soldiers stationed upon Blackthorn Castle’s walls had already noticed the unexpected visitors, although none appeared certain how they were supposed to respond.

Some stared upwards in confusion, while others hurried towards the battlements with their weapons drawn, awaiting orders from their lord.

"My Lord, what are your orders? Should we prepare to receive the Duke, or do you wish us to prevent his carriage from landing?"

One of Garrick’s officers asked, approaching the terrace as the Blackthorn lord continued staring at the formation overhead.

Garrick remained silent for several moments, his mind racing as he considered the significance of the Duke’s unexpected arrival.

There was no army accompanying the carriage, nor were there siege engines or the thousands of soldiers that would ordinarily precede an assault against a fortified noble estate.

Only twenty-five guards.

Surely Drew had not traveled all this way with such a small escort if he intended to attack Blackthorn Castle.

Perhaps he had come to negotiate, or perhaps the Eastern Duke intended to intimidate him into reconsidering his allegiance before the approaching war.

Either possibility was dangerous, particularly when Garrick had already committed himself to supporting the Imperial throne.

’If I allow him inside, that madman might kill me before I even have an opportunity to explain myself.’

The thought sent a chill through Garrick’s spine, although his fear gradually gave way to the desperate conviction that he could not afford to appear weak before his own soldiers.

"That’s not an army! He’s brought barely twenty-five men!"

Garrick declared, tightening his fists as he turned towards the officer awaiting his instructions.

"At most, he’s here to threaten me into submission, but I have no intention of entertaining that lunatic inside my own castle!"

The Blackthorn lord shouted, his expression hardening as he made a decision that would determine the fate of his entire household.

"SHOOT! SHOOT, DAMN IT! FIRE YOUR ARROWS AND DRIVE THEM AWAY! THERE WILL BE NO NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE EASTERN DUKE!"

The order spread rapidly across the battlements, where dozens of archers immediately raised their bows and began taking aim at the carriage circling overhead.

Within moments, the first volley was released, sending a dense shower of arrows streaking upwards towards the Dawnriver entourage.

However, the mounted guards reacted almost immediately, with several extending their hands as powerful currents of Wind and Frost Aether surged around their formation.

Blades of compressed wind tore through the incoming projectiles, while walls of condensed frost materialized before the carriage, shattering the remaining arrows before they could reach their intended target.

The defensive spells proved more than sufficient to repel the attack, leaving the Duke’s carriage completely unharmed as the Pegasi continued circling above Blackthorn Castle.

Nevertheless, the soldiers upon the battlements continued firing, their arrows filling the sky as Garrick watched with growing desperation.

"KEEP FIRING! DON’T LET THEM LAND!"

He shouted, desperately hoping that the relentless assault would convince the Eastern Duke to abandon whatever purpose had brought him to Blackthorn Castle.

(Meanwhile, Inside the Carriage, Drew’s POV)

Drew Dawnriver watched the arrows rising towards his carriage through the open window, his expression gradually brightening as he observed the Blackthorn soldiers attempting to drive him away.

The projectiles were being intercepted effortlessly by his escort, and the entire display appeared to amuse him considerably more than it concerned him.

"HAHAHAHA! Would you look at that, Archimedes? The little bastard actually has the courage to shoot at my carriage!"

Drew exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief as another volley of arrows shattered against the defensive formations surrounding their transport.

Archimedes glanced outside before chuckling quietly, his expression suggesting that he had already begun anticipating what his old friend intended to do next.

"Well, I suppose that settles the question of whether Garrick intends to welcome us as honored guests."

The old librarian remarked, leaning comfortably against his seat as the carriage continued its steady flight above the castle.

Drew ignored the observation, instead turning towards Riven with an enormous grin spreading across his face.

"Watch carefully, boy. You are about to witness a spell of such magnitude that very few people in this world will ever have the opportunity to see it unleashed."

The Eastern Duke declared, his excitement becoming almost infectious as Riven instinctively leaned forward, his emerald-green eyes widening with anticipation.

Without another word, Drew rose from his seat and pulled open the carriage door, allowing the powerful winds rushing past their airborne transport to surge into the passenger compartment.

Grabbing the upper frame with one hand, he effortlessly swung himself onto the roof, where he stood upright despite the tremendous speed at which the Pegasi were flying.

Below him, Blackthorn Castle sprawled across the landscape, its towering walls and fortified battlements appearing almost insignificant from his elevated position.

Drew looked down upon the ancestral stronghold of House Blackthorn, his earlier amusement gradually giving way to the unmistakable excitement of a warrior preparing to unleash his strength.

He slowly raised his right fist.

A small flame appeared around his knuckles, flickering harmlessly for an instant before rapidly expanding as tremendous quantities of Flame Aether began gathering within his body.

The fire spread across his forearm and shoulders, enveloping his entire figure within a blazing inferno that caused the surrounding air to distort beneath the unbearable heat.

Even the Pegasi pulling the carriage began reacting nervously, their wings beating harder as the concentration of Aether surrounding the Eastern Duke continued rising.

Within the carriage, Riven stared upwards through the open doorway, his expression transforming into one of disbelief as he sensed the terrifying pressure radiating from his father’s body.

The Flame Aether continued accumulating around Drew’s raised fist, growing brighter and denser until the surrounding sky appeared to have been stained crimson by the intensity of the gathering power.

Far below, the Blackthorn soldiers gradually stopped firing their arrows, their attention drawn towards the enormous concentration of energy forming above their castle.

And as Garrick Blackthorn looked upwards from his terrace, he finally understood that the Eastern Duke had never come to negotiate.

Drew smiled.

"[Phoenix Descends]."

The Eastern Duke declared, thrusting his blazing fist towards Blackthorn Castle as the accumulated Flame Aether erupted into the shape of an enormous phoenix.

Its wings stretched across the heavens, casting a vast shadow over the fortress below as its blazing body descended towards Blackthorn Castle with the terrifying brilliance of a falling sun.