Chapter 56: The Price of Peace

Tanya sat on the cracked fountain as if threatening the extinction of entire kingdoms was a perfectly reasonable subject for an afternoon conversation.

Around us, Ihin remained dead silent.

Broken buildings leaned into ruined streets. Pieces of shattered timber lay scattered across the square. The fountain beneath Tanya had long since stopped running, leaving only cracked stone and a dry basin beneath her boots.

Behind her, the freed Spriggans continued removing suppression restraints from one another.

Ahead of her stood me, Leyra, and several royal knights who looked like their souls had already packed their belongings and were waiting for permission to evacuate.

Tanya's pale gray eyes stayed fixed on mine.

The Dragon Conqueror.

She knew the name.

More importantly, she knew from my reaction that I knew it too.

Apparently my face had once again betrayed classified information.

I really needed better facial security.

Tanya crossed one leg over the other.

"If war begins between Inizio and Agran, it will not remain between those two kingdoms."

I frowned.

She continued in that soft, almost emotionless voice.

"Other kingdoms will see opportunity."

"Opportunity?"

"Yes."

Her gaze shifted briefly toward Leyra.

"Some will support Inizio."

Then toward the distant eastern road.

"Others will support Agran."

That part wasn't difficult to imagine.

Two major powers going to war would be the geopolitical equivalent of throwing meat into a pond and acting surprised when everything with teeth started swimming toward it.

Tanya continued.

"Kingdoms that believe they can benefit from the conflict will begin forming alliances around both sides."

"Military alliances."

"Trade."

"Supplies."

"Territory."

She nodded once.

"Everything."

I crossed my arms.

"And that helps the Dragon Conqueror."

"It does more than help him."

Tanya's eyes returned to mine.

"It prepares the continent for him."

That sounded worse.

A lot worse.

"Explain."

"If Inizio and Agran fight..."

Her voice remained disturbingly calm.

"...both kingdoms weaken."

Obviously.

"Soldiers die."

"Resources disappear."

"Borders become unstable."

"Neighboring nations commit their own forces."

I nodded slowly.

"And eventually everyone involved is exhausted."

"Yes."

Tanya looked toward the destroyed town around us.

"Then he moves."

Something cold settled in my stomach.

"He waits until everyone has already beaten each other half to death."

"That would be the easiest time."

Of course.

Conquest 101.

Why personally break strong kingdoms when you could let them destroy each other first?

Tanya continued.

"If alliances are formed around this war, his conquest becomes even simpler."

"Because he'll know where everyone stands."

"Because they will already be committed."

She tapped one finger against her knee.

"Armies gathered."

"Supplies redirected."

"Defenses stretched."

"Old rivalries awakened."

Her expression remained blank.

"The continent will create the path for him."

I exhaled.

"So this war wouldn't just be a disaster."

"No."

"It would be an appetizer."

Tanya tilted her head.

"I do not know that word in the way you mean it."

"Something before the main meal."

"Then yes."

Great.

International war as an opening snack for continental conquest.

Very healthy political ecosystem.

I looked at Tanya.

"You know a lot about him."

Her gray eyes did not shift.

"I do."

"Personally?"

"Yes."

Interesting.

I straightened.

"You've met him."

"I fought him."

That silenced me.

Even Leyra's expression changed.

Tanya did not sound proud.

Or ashamed.

Or nostalgic.

Nothing.

Just fact.

I stared.

"You actually fought the Dragon Conqueror."

"Yes."

"And survived."

"Obviously."

I almost smiled.

Fair point.

Then another thought came.

"Mediya told me I'm supposed to stop him."

Tanya's eyes narrowed slightly at the name, though only for a heartbeat.

I noticed.

Interesting.

I continued.

"So what are you?"

She remained silent.

"Another person chosen to deal with him?"

Tanya answered without hesitation.

"Yes."

Well.

That was important.

I had somehow imagined this divine champion business as a very exclusive club.

Apparently membership was larger.

Terrible retention rate, judging by where this conversation was going.

Tanya looked toward the broken street beyond us.

"You are not the first person the gods have called upon. Heroes of this world."

My humor faded.

"How many?"

She didn't answer directly.

"Many."

And there it was.

The kind of answer that sounded worse because it avoided a number.

"What happened to them?"

Tanya looked at me.

"They died."

Wonderful.

Thank you for the motivational speech.

I rubbed my face.

"All of them?"

"Many who attempted to stop him did not survive."

"And you?"

"I'm still here."

"Technically reassuring."

Tanya's expression didn't change.

I pointed toward her.

"But given that he's apparently moving again..."

She waited.

"...I'm guessing your fight didn't exactly end with him being permanently stopped."

"No."

I tilted my head.

"So you failed."

For the first time, something sharpened in her eyes.

Not anger.

Almost defiance.

"Not yet."

I paused.

Then smiled slightly.

"Okay."

That answer I respected.

Leyra stepped closer to me.

Her face had regained some color, but tension still lived in her shoulders.

She looked from Tanya to me.

Then said quietly, "She stopped him once."

I turned.

"What?"

Leyra's eyes remained on Tanya.

"Fifty years ago."

My eyebrows climbed.

"Fifty?"

Tanya did not react.

Leyra continued.

"When the Dragon Conqueror's campaign expanded across the continent..."

Her voice became heavier.

"...Tanya Darkwood was the reason it stopped."

I looked back at Tanya.

Short.

Petite.

White hair.

Gothic dress.

Looked like she should be drinking tea inside a haunted mansion.

Apparently also responsible for stopping continental conquest.

Sure.

Why not.

Nothing surprised me anymore.

Actually, that was a lie.

Everything surprised me.

I had simply become better at accepting nonsense rapidly.

Leyra swallowed.

"I studied the records."

Tanya watched her without comment.

Leyra continued.

"His forces had already destroyed multiple kingdoms."

Destroyed.

Not defeated.

The word mattered.

"And Tanya attacked them."

"Alone?"

Leyra's expression told me enough.

"Mostly?"

She hesitated.

"The records focus on her."

So no assumption.

Good.

I looked at Tanya.

"You crippled his forces."

Tanya nodded once.

Leyra's voice dropped.

"What happened afterward is remembered as one of the worst massacres in recorded history."

The knights around us became even quieter.

I glanced toward them.

One man's face had somehow gone from pale to paler.

Impressive achievement.

Leyra continued.

"Army after army was destroyed."

Her fingers tightened.

"Entire populations disappeared."

I looked at Tanya again.

No emotion.

"Kingdoms became extinct."

The words hung in the ruined square.

"Because of her."

I stopped smiling.

Leyra breathed slowly.

"The historical accounts describe genocide after genocide."

Tanya still said nothing.

"No restraint."

"No mercy."

Leyra finally looked directly at her.

"That is why the Fairy Queen cast her out."

There it was.

The outcast.

Not simply because Tanya disagreed with Azalea.

Not because of some political argument.

Because her response to conquest had apparently involved enough death to become a historical nightmare.

I stared at Tanya.

Then one particular part of Leyra's explanation finally caught up with me.

"Hold on."

Tanya looked at me.

"Fifty years ago?"

"Yes."

I pointed at her.

"How old are you?"

Silence.

Tanya stared at me.

I waited.

Leyra looked like she couldn't believe that was the question I had chosen.

It absolutely was.

This woman looked young.

Not young in the way Zeria looked younger than her actual age.

Young young.

Petite, smooth skin, no visible aging.

And she had apparently been committing historically significant atrocities fifty years ago.

I needed numbers.

Tanya ignored the question completely.

Rude.

Instead, she stood.

Her layered black-and-white skirt settled around her legs.

She brushed one hand across it.

"Consider this an agreement, Caled."

Ah.

We were skipping age.

Fine.

Temporarily.

"What agreement?"

"You will do everything you can to prevent the war between Inizio and Agran."

I frowned.

"I was already planning to."

"If you succeed..."

Tanya's gray eyes met mine.

"...I will not involve myself."

That was probably the most threatening promise of nonparticipation I had ever heard.

"And if I fail?"

Her answer came instantly.

"Then I will."

Leyra's breathing tightened.

Tanya continued.

"If these kingdoms insist on weakening the continent while the Dragon Conqueror prepares to move..."

Her expression remained empty.

"...I will end the conflict myself."

I stared.

"By destroying Agran."

"Yes."

No hesitation.

No shame.

No attempt to soften the wording.

She was not threatening Agran because she hated Agran.

That almost made it worse.

At least hatred was emotional.

This?

Calculation.

Delete one kingdom.

End war.

Preserve the rest.

Problem solved.

If your morality had been designed by an accountant during a fever dream.

Tanya continued.

"If that is what becomes necessary, the continent will witness another extinction."

I smiled.

Not because it was funny.

Because sometimes my mouth did that when I strongly disliked where a conversation was going.

"No."

Tanya tilted her head.

"No?"

"I'm not accepting your deal."

One of the knights behind me shifted nervously.

Probably wondering whether disagreeing with the woman who erased entire kingdoms was good diplomacy.

Probably not.

Didn't care.

Tanya watched me.

I continued.

"I'm going to prevent this war."

Her expression remained unchanged.

"But not because you threatened me."

Silence.

"Not because you offered to stay out of it."

I pointed toward the ruined buildings around us.

"And definitely not because you think genocide is some kind of backup plan."

Leyra looked at me.

Tanya remained still.

"I was already going to stop the war."

"Why?"

"Because people will die."

Simple.

"I don't need your ultimatum."

Tanya's gaze sharpened.

"And if you fail?"

"Then I deal with that failure."

"You would have little time."

"Still my problem."

I stepped closer.

"And if you try hurting Agran because negotiations fail..."

The knights probably stopped breathing.

"...I'll stop you too."

Tanya stared at me.

No movement.

No expression.

Nothing.

Then slowly, she nodded.

Not agreement.

Acknowledgment.

Like I had given an answer she wanted to hear.

"Then we will see."

She turned slightly.

I watched her.

One question kept bothering me.

"Why?"

Tanya stopped.

I continued.

"You claim this is about protecting life."

Nothing.

"Keeping peace."

Still nothing.

"So why are you so willing to kill millions to achieve it?"

Tanya looked over her shoulder.

Her pale eyes made the ruined town around her look almost warm by comparison.

"Because sometimes many must die so more can live."

I hated how calmly she said it.

"That's your answer?"

"It is a small sacrifice."

I stared.

"An entire kingdom is small?"

"Compared with the continent."

There it was.

Math.

Cold arithmetic applied to people.

I shook my head.

"That's a terrible definition of peace."

Tanya did not argue.

She simply brushed at the side of her dress, removing a trace of dust that had somehow offended her.

Then she turned her back to us.

"We will meet again."

Her footsteps carried softly across the broken stone.

She did not look back.

"And I hope..."

A pause.

"...when that happens, we are not enemies."

I watched her walk away.

Nobody stopped her.

Nobody was stupid enough.

The freed Spriggans noticed her leaving.

One by one, they followed.

Some supported weaker companions.

Others carried discarded restraint cuffs or small belongings recovered from the ruins.

Several looked toward me before leaving.

Spriggans.

Family by culture.

Yet they followed an outcast.

Interesting.

Tanya reached the far end of the square.

Her white hair remained visible for several seconds between the ruined buildings.

Then she disappeared around a corner.

I kept looking.

Waiting.

Nothing.

No dramatic explosion.

No magical disappearance.

Just gone.

The square remained silent.

For approximately three seconds.

Then every knight around us breathed at once.

One man actually bent forward with his hands on his knees.

Another lowered his sword completely.

Leyra exhaled so deeply that her shoulders dropped.

I looked around.

"Well."

One knight stared at me.

"Sir?"

"That was tense."

He laughed.

Not because anything was funny.

The laugh of a man whose body had survived before his mind fully accepted the information.

"Tense?"

I looked at him.

He shook his head.

"I saw my entire life."

I raised an eyebrow.

"All of it?"

"Everything."

"Good memories?"

He stared.

"I don't remember."

Fair.

Another knight looked down at himself.

Then quietly said, "I think I wet my trousers."

Everyone turned toward him.

He looked deeply ashamed.

I nodded solemnly.

"No judgment."

"Thank you, Sir."

"We'll blame the town."

He looked confused.

"How?"

"Atmosphere."

Leyra covered her face briefly.

I looked at her.

"So she's genuinely that frightening."

Leyra lowered her hand.

"Yes."

No hesitation.

"Tanya Darkwood is one of the most terrifying people alive."

That coming from Leyra mattered.

She continued.

"There are warriors who dream about facing legendary opponents."

"Sure."

"They boast that they want to challenge the strongest."

"Sounds familiar."

Leyra gave me a look.

I smiled.

She continued.

"But no sane warrior dreams of meeting the Shadow Fairy on a battlefield."

I looked toward the street where Tanya disappeared.

"Embodiment of death?"

Leyra nodded slowly.

"That is how some historical accounts describe her."

I thought about those gray eyes.

Empty.

Calm.

Looking at destroyed kingdoms like pieces removed from a board.

"Yeah."

I slipped my hands into my pockets.

"I can see why."

Leyra looked at me.

"What do you mean?"

"Her eyes."

I shrugged.

"They basically told me every terrifying story about her was probably underselling it."

That night, we decided not to continue traveling.

Even I had limits.

Discovering a destroyed criminal town, meeting a historically infamous genocidal Spriggan, learning she had fought the same world-conquering lunatic I had been chosen to stop, then threatening to fight her if she destroyed Agran?

Full day.

Five stars.

Would not repeat before breakfast.

We established camp inside Ihin.

Not inside the ruined houses.

Nobody trusted those.

Tents went up in a clear section near the center.

The knights created a defensive perimeter.

Patrols rotated through the streets.

Every entrance into the square remained watched.

Cooking fires were kept small.

Dinner was simple.

Nobody complained.

The mood stayed cautious.

Even after Tanya had left, the town felt wrong.

Too empty.

Too quiet.

Every broken doorway looked like it might contain something.

Every gust of wind moved debris just loudly enough to make someone reach for a weapon.

We slept carefully.

Weapons nearby.

Armor within reach.

One knight apparently slept in full gear.

I didn't blame him.

Morning came without disaster.

Always a pleasant surprise.

We packed.

Returned to the carriage.

Then continued toward the Agranian capital.

The assassins did not stop.

Apparently Tanya had removed Ihin's population, but whatever nobles wanted us dead had hired enough people elsewhere to maintain excellent customer service.

Another group attacked two days later.

Then another.

Sometimes they blocked the road.

Sometimes archers fired from ridges.

One group tried attacking our camp after midnight.

Bad idea.

Extremely bad.

Leyra discovered she enjoyed fighting in moonlight.

I discovered assassins screamed exactly the same regardless of time.

We passed through towns where suspicious strangers disappeared the moment they recognized our escort.

We fought in forests.

On roads.

Near bridges.

Once beside a field where an elderly farmer simply watched the entire battle from his porch while eating something from a bowl.

I respected him immensely.

The rhythm of the journey became absurd.

Wake.

Travel.

Talk.

Eat.

Assassination attempt.

Travel.

Fight.

Sleep.

Repeat.

It was less diplomacy and more an extremely violent pilgrimage with carriage service.

Leyra stopped changing into her combat outfit secretly.

Whenever trouble appeared, she wore it openly.

No mask.

No hiding.

The knights gradually stopped looking surprised.

By the fourth ambush, one of them actually shouted, "Princess, three approaching from your left!"

Progress.

She answered by punching two into the ground and kicking the third through a tree.

Healthy team development.

I fought too.

Obviously.

But the enemies remained far below Remgar, Gia, Treez, Nemris, or Leyra.

They were dangerous to ordinary soldiers.

Against me?

Not enough.

I still had to control my strength more than I liked.

Sometimes successfully.

Sometimes someone discovered the aerodynamic properties of Beastkin at high speed.

Nobody asked.

The remaining days passed that way.

Fight.

Travel.

Fight.

Sleep.

Travel again.

Another town.

Another road.

Another group of hired cutthroats who had apparently been told we were easier targets than reality suggested.

Then finally, almost another week after leaving Ihin, the landscape opened.

Our carriage emerged from a long forest route.

Trees fell behind us.

Ahead stretched a broad highway.

And beyond it...

A skyline.

I leaned toward the window.

Far across the plains, enormous walls rose beneath the afternoon sky.

Towers.

Roofs.

Flags.

And behind everything, the silhouette of a massive castle.

I stared.

Then smiled.

"Finally."

Leyra leaned toward the opposite window.

Her face softened.

"We made it."

Agran's capital.

After assassins.

Ruined towns.

The Shadow Fairy.

Too many roads.

And an unreasonable amount of carriage sitting.

We had reached it.

Leyra had changed back into her princess dress that morning.

Elegant.

Royal.

Golden hair arranged perfectly.

Nobody seeing her now would guess she had spent the previous week breaking hired killers across multiple provinces.

I looked at her.

"So we're done cracking skulls."

"For now."

"And we've finally reached the talking part."

Leyra's expression became more serious.

"Which may be harder."

I sighed.

"Of course it is."

She looked toward the distant city.

"The most difficult part begins now."

Queen Firsa.

Treez's warnings returned immediately.

No mind games.

No empty flattery.

No repeating points.

Do not bore her.

And if the conversation ended badly?

Pray.

Excellent.

The highway widened as we approached.

Traffic increased.

Merchant caravans.

Travelers.

Mounted patrols.

People moved aside when they recognized the Inizio royal carriage.

Some watched suspiciously.

Others curiously.

Nobody attacked.

A refreshing change.

Then the wall rose above us.

Massive.

Dark stone.

Towering gates reinforced with metal.

Agran's soldiers stood in organized formations outside.

Tigerkin dominated the ranks, though I spotted other Beastkin among them too.

Our carriage slowed.

Officers approached.

Documents changed hands.

Formal greetings followed.

Then the gates began opening.

Heavy mechanisms groaned.

Metal shifted.

The enormous doors separated.

We entered.

Agran's capital spread around us.

And immediately I understood what Zeria had meant when she said Agran was beautiful.

It looked nothing like Inizio.

Inizio's capital loved white stone, gold, broad avenues, lion carvings, and architecture designed to remind everyone which family ruled.

Agran felt heavier.

Earthier.

Buildings used dark stone, reddish timber, and sharply angled roofs.

Bold painted patterns decorated balconies.

Striped motifs appeared across signs and pillars.

Bridges crossed narrow channels of water built beside some streets.

Cloth banners moved overhead.

Markets packed entire avenues with spices, cooked meat, metalwork, fabrics, and goods I didn't recognize.

Tigerkin everywhere.

Different stripes.

Different fur shades.

Different builds.

Children ran between adults.

Merchants shouted.

Carts rolled.

People stopped to stare at our procession.

The city felt loud.

Dense.

Alive.

Very much not the savage wasteland Garren sometimes described whenever Agran came up.

I leaned toward the window.

"Nice."

Leyra smiled faintly.

"It is."

The carriage continued deeper.

Then I saw the castle.

Impossible to miss.

It dominated the center of the capital.

Massive walls surrounded the complex.

Towers rose behind them.

Dark stone contrasted with brighter banners and polished metal rooftops catching sunlight.

The whole structure looked less like a royal palace and more like someone had asked a fortress to dress nicely for company.

Appropriate.

We moved toward it.

Street after street.

Checkpoint after checkpoint.

Then finally reached the outer castle gate.

Agran's knights gathered around us.

More formal now.

More heavily armored.

The enormous gates slowly opened.

I watched them separate.

Then looked at Leyra.

"Well."

She met my eyes.

"This is it."

I smiled.

"Time for us to actually do our jobs."

Leyra's expression softened.

"Good luck."

I laughed quietly.

"I'm going to need an irresponsible amount of it."

The carriage rolled through the gate.

Agranian knights gathered outside the windows as we entered the castle grounds.

I straightened my clothes.

Breathed once.

The fighting part was finished.

At least for now.

Now came Queen Firsa.

Now came diplomacy.

Now, it was time for me to work.