19Seeing the Answer
South Gate was a worthless little town, as towns went. There was a small mining operation, but the amount of usable metal pulled from below wasn't enough to equip more than a single town, if that. It was so unfortunately placed that it had to be broken into pieces and spread across different, steep hills on the mountains of the area.
It its heyday, South Gate had been much more important, and had a size suited to that distinction from other trite villages. However, once construction on the Pass had been completed, this town became useless.
With its new pointless status, its flourishing community had diminished into what it was now, which was just a small little way-stop for ships continuing onto the Aqua Isles, because only ships heading there were saved time by still going through South Gate instead of the Pass.
Firmin disliked this place. The provincial town held nothing of interest. If he didn't need it to reach the Aqua Isles, he would rather burn it to the ground than try holding onto it. If not for its proximity to the Isles, it wouldn't be worth the soldiers required to hold onto it.
And the people were damned stubborn. They worked because he forced to them, but they only did the bare minimum to avoid being struck or harmed. They cut corners a great deal and feigned stupidity when things invariably went wrong.
Or maybe they were genuinely that stupid, which was even worse. If there was one thing that drove Firmin mad, it was stupidity. He wouldn't abide it; he especially wouldn't allow it to flourish as it had apparently done in this town.
However, until he was done with it, he couldn't slaughter every citizen. He was pretty sure that a number of them were in hiding anyway. Let them hunker down like rats in their holes in the ground, he didn't care. For now, he only needed them to live because they would prove useful later when he was finished setting this place up as a base of operations to allow him to continue further into this Lordless country and begin his assault on the Aqua Isles.
Firmin woke that morning ready for another boring day. He had really been expecting some sort of resistance by now. Besides the initial fight upon landing and the daily acts of purposeful/genuine stupidity, Firmin had needed to do very little to keep this town.
It had been so quiet, in fact, that he was almost finished readying it for permanent occupation. He had his permanent troop assignment incoming, he had finished plans to actually provide this town with real defenses so that he could keep it, and his first steps for continuing forward into the Aqua Isles was complete.
He dressed alone as he refused to have an attendant. For the simple reason that he refused to have someone upon whom he was dependent for anything, even dressing. He wasn't fond of having someone know all of his secrets either. Attendants were far too intimate and personal and he didn't enjoy the thought of that.
Firmin rather preferred to make sure that he was the only one who knew everything. Everyone under him had some small piece of his plans. They knew enough to finish their jobs, but none of them were ever granted the full understanding of what he was doing. Now, for example, two of his superior officers knew they were heading into the Aqua Isles because one was in charge of helping assist with navigation and the other readying supplies for their journey. No one else needed to know, therefore no one else did know.
Another thing that Firmin disliked about South Gate was the openness of everything. When he stepped outside of the mayor's manor, he could immediately see the entirety of the larger of the hills, and the faces of the others without trouble. That also meant, however, that they could see him. The streets were open, the alley's few and far in between, and the lack of walls around the town meant that they were open to the animals and the elements.
He started walking down, going over his schedule for the day. He had to deal with one of the dissenters that had made some trouble on shift yesterday and nearly burnt down the kitchen with his purposeful/genuine stupidity. Firmin wouldn't tolerate their stupidity if it was actually causing damage. He was considering whipping the young man that had done it and probably making the others watch so they too would learn.
As he neared the base of the hill, however, he saw the soldiers that were supposed to be patrolling the hills gathered together and whispering. They should have already been at work doing their rounds and not one of them was.
Firmin knew that they knew better than to slack off, so he figured immediately that something had gone wrong. He also knew that it couldn't be acutely serious or they would have come and reported it to him.
That they were just standing around whispering about it must have meant that they were simply confused. Which Firmin didn't like. Things that confused his troop were usually things that were unexpected, and he did not appreciate the unexpected.
As he got in closer, he didn't need to say a word. One soldier saw him then immediately jumped back, spine straight, at the ready position. Seeing his movement was enough to make the others do the same, all of them turning to face him even before they saw him. They were well trained in that regard because Firmin would not accept anything less.
He didn't need to ask what was going on either. The man on the end stepped forward without being verbally prompted to deliver his report.
"Sir," he bowed his head formally, "it's the strangest thing, sir. The town, it appears to be empty."
Firmin's eyebrow rose curiously.
The man cleared his throat. "What I mean to say is, we went to retrieve the ship workers for the day and give the assignments to the others, but when we began knocking on doors, no one answered. So, we busted them down and the houses were all empty."
"Did you check the businesses?"
"All closed down and locked as we left them."
Firmin stared and the man paled.
"N-Not that we didn't check despite the locks, sir. We even looked into the basement rooms that we could find. We found evidence of people having been living there recently, but all of them had been cleared out. The beds were all made and untouched. We don't think anyone even went to sleep last night, sir."
Firmin frowned, thinking quickly. "Did you check the mountain tunnels?"
The man looked to his comrades as though asking them why they hadn't thought of that. Firmin just continued to stare until the man hastened to assure him.
"I-I'll get right on it myself, sir. But, I thought that the cave entrances were all being guarded, and all the tunnels patrolled."
"We do not know every tunnel or entrance, only the ones that have been shown to us." The explanation was cold and expressionless, but the man paled again as though Firmin had threatened his life.
He might as well have. Two mistakes in a row. He hadn't considered the caves as an option to check, and he hadn't considered the obvious answer that they wouldn't know said caves as well as the natives to be able to guard them effectively. Retribution would be forthcoming.
Firmin nodded to two other men in the line, ordering them without a word to go check the caves. He then told the remainder to report their findings to the captains. The young man that had made two mistakes, he ignored.
He rather wished the general would have yelled.
Firmin turned to walk across the single remaining land bridge to return to his ship. All the while, he was frowning as he tried to think of what had changed.
The daft old woman that ran this town had been content to be placated by her people into obedience, and none of them were brave enough to try anything that would get anyone hurt. Then why the sudden disappearance?
Immediately, his mind went to Colette Toinette. She was, he knew now, the granddaughter of the daft old woman, which would explain her equally moronic personality. The last time he had seen her, she had been gravely injured before jumping out of a window. He had a hard time believing that her injuries would have healed by now to allow her another chance at attacking him.
Then again, she did manage to surprise him twice. Firmin did hate surprises, and he had been rather pleased when he had thwarted her the third time. She was predictable in her unpredictability. He just had to imagine the stupidest thing that could be done that might possibly still be successful and that was what she would do.
In this situation, he rather expected a counter attack from her. There were no natural or manmade defenses of South Gate, and she knew it as he did not. But he had seen no warship on the horizon, nor had his soldiers seen anything in the tunnels.
The sensible thing in this situation would have been to just retreat with the town, if possible, but he knew better than to think she would have done so. She was relentless to the point of being detrimental to herself.
In that case, what he imagined her doing was returning to the caves to begin some sort of counter attack. In which case, he needed to make his defenses and preparations stronger. Regardless of her plan, he still had the number and strength advantage. She couldn't possibly think to bring a town of stupidity and weakness against his army. She had to know by now that she would lose.
Then again, maybe she was as purposefully/genuinely stupid as the rest of them.
"Sir!" A soldier yelled, running towards him frantically. "Sir, there's a warship approaching from the north east. They're waving Lady Toinette's flags."
Ah, there it was. He knew she would try something eventually. Maybe she hadn't been as hurt as he had initially assumed. He was rather impressed. She would be one of the unnaturals that was difficult to break, but he looked forward to seeing it happen all the more.
"Didier's ship is docked at the second hill," Guilbert announced, his sharp eye looking through the scope as he observed the town. "I don't see any civilians, only a few soldiers. All of the windows are dark, there's no smoke in the chimney's either."
Nicolas, who stood beside him at the prow of the ship, frowned as he crossed his arms. "How many soldiers on the ship?"
Guilbert moved the scope and began looking. "Yup, there they are. A lot of men on deck, maybe a couple dozen, and they look pretty antsy. I think they've spotted us."
"We're hardly being subtle. Any sign of Colette?"
"Nope, no wanton destruction and no active fires. Maybe she's not here yet."
"There's no way we beat her. Regardless, everyone, get ready for combat. We're going to be dropping down directly into the town if possible."
"Yes, sir!" Juste, his leg finally healed enough to allow him back into combat, saluted Nicolas formally before running off to relay the order.
"You sure that we're going to get that close?" Guilbert asked, frowning.
"Not at all." Nicolas pointed to the mountain. "See that goat path? I'm going to jump ship from there. I'm leaving you in command in my absence. Try and blast the Gascony ship from the sky if you can. If you can't, just try not to let them do the same to ours."
"Yes, sir. Why the mountain path though?"
"Because, if I know Colette, and since the city isn't leveled yet, she's probably in the caverns under the mountain. I'm going to try and meet up with her if I can."
"Sir, those caverns are a labyrinth. How well do you know them?"
"Not well at all."
Guilbert frowned as Nicolas started walking off, weighing Colette's grappling hook in his hand as he looked over the rail of the ship, trying to decide which spot was going to be best for throwing himself bodily from the vessel. Guilbert hurried after him.
"Sir, no offense, but that's an insane sort of plan."
"Yep, I know." Nicolas grinned, stopping at his chosen spot. It was far from the ballistae both above and below deck and wouldn't put him in anyone's way. The rail was strong enough to hold his weight, of that he had no doubts.
"Then, why...?" Guilbert prompted.
Nicolas turned to him with a smile. "Because it's exactly what Colette would do."
"I didn't realize that we were emulating her insanity."
"We're not. We're emulating her victories. Keep a watch on the airship; tell me when they lift off."
"Yes, sir!" Guilbert turned and ran back to the prow.
Nicolas took out his sword and made a small notch in the railing so he would be able to find his spot later once the fighting had begun. He didn't have the luxury of wasting time trying to find it a second time. The goat path was small, his window to land on it equally so. He didn't want to drop too late and roll down onto it. Or worse, drop too early and roll down the mountain away from it.
Nicolas had managed to make it back to the helm by the time that Guilbert sent word that the Gascony ship was preparing for liftoff.
The helmsman and captain of this ship, Recovery III, were accustomed to going on emergency rescue missions and doing maneuvers that required more insane piloting. They had faced pirates and well defended towns many times before. This was nothing new for them.
The wind whipped at Nicolas' hair and cape as he watched the Gascony ship rise from port and turn to face them.
"We've got a fighter!" The captain, Skipper, guffawed happily. He was a rugged old man, with a tanned hide, rough, salt and pepper hair, and a wide smile missing one of his bottom teeth. Nicolas imagined Colette would like him.
The old ship captain wasn't originally from Vasconia. He came from the country to the northwest, the second country along the border mountains, Lloegyr. He had been raised in Vasconia, however, and had developed a deep love of the country during his fights against pirates and criminals.
He had been all too eager to assist Nicolas when he had asked for help transporting what remained of Colette's army to South Gate. None of the royal fleet was available to use, so Nicolas had needed to get a little creative. Skipper had just been waiting for an invitation to join in the war. Nicolas imagined he was going to have a harder time getting him out of it than getting him in.
"Ready the ballistae!" Skipper yelled out, his booming voice echoing loudly over the deck of the Recover III. Crew and soldiers alike ran about frantically.
The soldiers had no need to man the ranged weapons in this case. The crew was used to battle in ways that the royal fleet crews were not. In looking at how well everything worked aboard the Recovery, Nicolas was beginning to think that was a serious oversight.
The Gascony ship was barreling towards them at full speed.
"How close you want us to get to that goat path, Sacha?" Skipper asked, chest puffed out in anticipation of a good fight.
"Close enough that I don't die when I land, preferably."
"Ugh, so picky. You'll never find happiness with such unrealistic expectations." The captain threw back his head and laughed. "All right. Your little mixed boys and girls club better be as good as you say or things are going to get really messy. I'd hate to take all your glory, Sacha."
"I have enough glory; you can have it all." Nicolas grinned at him.
"Good enough for me. Here we go!" Skipper yelled, pushing the helmsmen aside. There was no way he was going to give up his chance to pilot his Recovery in a real military operation. If he did well enough here, there might not be any more need for him to chase pirates for the rest of his life. He heard that Lady Toinette was going to be in the market for a new ship soon.
Time to give her his resume.
Weapons were readied on both ships as they came into firing range. Gascony let loose first, aiming to shred the sails and slow down the Recovery. The Recovery's crew was already loosening the rigging, yanking them up and out of the way. This close to South Gate, there was no need to ask for assistance from the wind anyway.
Skipper had other plans. His men were aiming at specific spots in the ship's hull. Places where, by their estimation, the floors would be placed. He was trying to destroy the structural integrity of the ship by making the floors unstable. If the aim was good, they could send ballistae crashing down through the weakened floors and make them unusable.
The Gascony ship, seeing the sails being risen, began aiming for the soldiers and the gun ports to try and take them out directly. Their targets were harder to hit, but would do more immediate damage if they were successful.
Nicolas ran down the steps from the helm, running towards the starboard side, his eyes moving down along the mountainous area, watching for his moment to jump ship.
He was nearly sent to his feet when Skipper jerked the wheel of the Recovery, swinging the stern around in one, quick, sweeping motion. The crew was used to moving with his piloting, most of the soldiers lost their footing. Nicolas was spared only by his grip on the railing.
The sudden movement kept the engine, placed at the stern, out of the reach of the ballistae.
Gascony, unprepared for the sudden motion, couldn't make a similar evade to protect their engine as the forward momentum of the Recovery kept it moving towards the town.
Nicolas pulled the hook from the grapple and slammed it against the rail, the prongs pointing away from the ship. He jerked outward a few times, making sure it had caught securely before letting his hands grab onto the rope.
He looked over the side of the ship. They were closing in on the path. He licked his lips before putting one foot up on the edge.
At the helm, Skipper let out a whoop of excitement as smoke started billowing forth from the Gascony ship. The Recovery wasn't escaping without some damage, but it was the third incarnation of the ship. Skipper was used to his vessels being beaten up.
As he made another sharp turn, this time putting the Recovery's back to South Gate, placing it between the city and the Gascony ship, which was quickly turning in response, Nicolas used the momentum to launch himself off of the ship.
He swung over and around, the gloves he wore protecting his hands as he rapidly slid down towards the earth, tightening his grip only enough to slow himself down. The rope on his belt unwound quickly as he dropped. He felt the last of it detaching and he slammed his fingers together, nearly bringing himself to a shoulder-dislocating stop.
He released his grip again at the last moment and fell the remaining distance. His feet hit just above the goat trail and he rolled, coming to a halt on the path itself. He tossed back his hair as he looked up to see what was happening to the airships.
Skipper's men had managed to cut away large enough chunks in the Gascony ship. Nicolas watched a few unfortunate souls fall out as they were unprepared for the sudden turns the helmsman was having to make to keep up. Though smoke was coming from the Gascony ship, they hadn't done enough damage to the engine to knock it out of sky. The helmsmen, now conscious of Skipper's movements, was being careful not to afford him another opportunity to strike the delicate machinery.
It was almost like watching two massive beasts circle each other, large bolts fired between them as they tried to keep doing damage.
Nicolas lifted himself up and turned to begin running down the path. He knew this spot. It was the path that Colette had used to walk him out of the caves when they had led the Gascony troops above ground and into their army's grasp before.
It would be guarded by now, Firmin knew about this exit. However, it was the only entrance that Nicolas knew aside from the main one, and that one was larger and closer to town and therefore the guard would be equally greater.
A loud blast from behind made Nicolas stop and turn. He frowned to see that a fire had caught on the Gascony warship. He narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out why. It had begun at the prow of the ship, nowhere near where the engine would be placed.
As though to answer his question, as he watched, a second barrel, about the size of his head, was launched from a miniature catapult aboard the Recovery. When it landed, it shattered and the incendiary powder and liquid within were allowed to mix together creating a near instant explosion of flames. They didn't take very well, but they were a good fear tactic. The soldiers in the immediate area were scared away while the spot directly where the barrel had hit did catch a tiny fire, threatening to spread it around to the rest of the ship if it wasn't quickly contained.
Nicolas really needed to speak with Skipper about training the other naval fleets. Clearly, his time fighting brigands and pirates had taught him some valuable lessons.
The knight turned and continued sprinting upon the land. He had come out further from the cave entrance than he would have liked, but that was something he couldn't control. He was considering how he was going to go about killing the guards before they could raise an alarm when the question was answered for him.
As he started around the bend, he almost slammed into the soldier that had been coming along to see what was making all the noise.
Nicolas reacted quickly, on instinct, unsheathing his sword and bringing it up and across the lad's chest in one quick movement before he could let out a cry. He then grabbed him by the belt and jerked him around the bend and out of sight in case there were any other guards behind him that would have been able to see him fall.
Nicolas stepped aside, letting his body slip down the mountain side to roll away. He waited for anyone that might be following the lone soldier but no one came. They had sent him alone to find out what going on so that they couldn't be forced to tell Didier that they had abandoned their post.
Pushing himself up, Nicolas continued along his path. He was ducking low, trying to use the sparse mountain foliage as a mediocre cover. He crouched down, sword at the ready, sprinting in fast with his cape flaring out behind him giving the impression of a swooping bird.
The soldier still waiting at the cave had his eyes up, trying to track the sounds that he heard coming from just around the turn in the hill. He didn't see the black shape descending upon him until it was too late.
A truncated cry of warning escaped his throat even as Nicolas' sword was cutting through it. He pushed the soldier off of the path, sending his body down after the first.
He sprinted inside. Those two had been the only guards. No one had responded to the man's cry and Nicolas' footsteps echoed hollowly within the tunnel as he ran down the ramp and started towards where he could hear the water from the underground river.
Just inside, very helpfully, the soldiers had left a lamp in case they needed to go within. Nicolas picked it up as he ran past. He flipped the switch with his free hand filling the cavern with a dim, green light that really only deepened the shadows.
It did allow him to see though. He ran through, turning quickly where the cave met the rushing river and started running up the thin walkway along the side. As quickly as he dared, anyway. The rocks were slippery in places and thin in others. If he fell into the river, he would be swept out into the ocean before he had a chance to take a breath.
"Hey, Alain, what are you doing in the caves? Did you hear something?"
A soldier guarding a different part of the caves saw Nicolas' light and assumed that it was one of the outside guards. Nicolas grabbed him before he could see his face and threw him into the water. His cry was cut off with a splash as he was carried off.
Nicolas continued upwards, past that tunnel. If there were Gascony troops inside, then it was a good bet that Colette wasn't in the general area. Or hadn't been here yet, whatever was the case.
Nicolas knew where the larger cavern would be, but so did Firmin. He also knew the surrounding caves better than he did, hopefully. Though, by now, the general had had plenty of time to get to know them better. Nicolas had to just trust in his sense of direction and wing it.
He didn't attempt to dampen the sound of his boots as he ran up the riverbank. Not only was the sound of water mostly washing it out, but he wanted to be found. The location of Firmin's troops would tell him where he didn't need to go, and if Colette's people attacked him instead, then that was right where he wanted to be.
Twice more, he was approached by Gasconites who saw the green light of the lamp and immediately assumed him to be one of them. The black of his cape, snug around his shoulders, and the shadow of the caves hid his features until it was too late for them to realize he wasn't.
He departed away from the river and into the caves surrounding the large cavern, his memory mostly serving as his guide in direction. He found the entrance that he had used to pull Guilbert and Juste from Gascony's grasp, but the cave was being surveyed by soldiers that would have been able to see him coming long before he reached them.
He didn't want to enter the cave much anyway. The only reason he paused to look inside, only poking his head as far past the entrance as he could, was to look high up along the wall for a ledge that was mostly hidden in shadow that he had once used to survey that same cavern with Colette.
He wasn't disappointed by the figure he saw hunched over against the ledge. He doubted it was Colette, he also doubted that whoever it was saw him. However, they weren't wearing the Gascony uniform and it at least gave him an idea of which direction he needed to go from here.
He retreated back into the cavern and began making the long way around towards the tunnel that would lead up to the crevice that led to that ledge. He followed it more slowly, cautiously now. The green light which had previously served to confuse his enemies would only put Colette's people on guard. He couldn't very well kill any of them.
He began climbing upwards and around, frowning at the only slightly familiar surroundings. He didn't know if it was because he had been here before or if it was because all of these caverns were beginning to look the same to him.
The soft press of boots behind him was his very brief warning. He turned in a flash, knocking aside the knife that had been aimed at his back. The common kitchen utensil went skittering away even as he lifted the lantern to better throw his own features into sharp relief.
The young woman that tried to attack him took a quick step back as her eyes went wide. "Sir Sacha? Is that you?"
"I don't supposed Colette is somewhere around here, is she?" He asked calmly.
The sound of his voice only seemed to startle her further. "O-Oh, yes. Of course. She didn't tell us to expect you."
"Yes, well, she lacks foresight at times. I'm trying to help her overcome that particular weakness."
The woman laughed just a bit before gesturing forward to indicate that he should follow her. She didn't lead him further up the tunnel that would lead to the outlook in the cavern. Instead, she brought him to a nearly invisible crack in the wall that he had walked right past without even seeing. She turned and began shimmying through.
Nicolas sheathed his sword before following after her.
On the other side, two more people were waiting, seemingly surprised for a moment that the woman had brought someone with her until they recognized his face. After their surprise wore off, they were all too happy to bring him down further into the cave.
After only a few steps, he turned off his lantern. He didn't need the dim green light any longer now that there was a brighter, yellow light coming from the lamps the people here had.
The smaller caverns in this area were nothing compared to the larger one, but they were grouped closer together, connected by tunnels that weren't all that long of a walk. It enabled what looked to be the entire town of South Gate to make a nest for themselves inside.
Nicolas looked around, rather impressed. They had food, a plentiful source of water because of the river, and what looked like weapons and makeshift weapons that they had been able to carry from the town down into the caves with them.
Colette was in the second of the caverns, sitting with her grandmother on what looked like a bench made of a long crate with a blanket thrown across it for comfort. Her feet were kicked back onto their heels, allowing her to rest them, as she gave out orders to various people.
Lady Mayor Toinette saw him first. She started in surprise to see his black clad form walking through the tunnel as though he had been there the entire time. She nudged Colette with her elbow, grabbing her attention before pointing.
Colette was on her feet in a flash, guilt flashing briefly across her face before she banished it, putting her head up high and facing him with full confidence.
"Nicolas," she greeted, unable to keep the surprise from her voice. "What are you doing here?"
"Chasing after you, as it were," he smirked. "You've angered Nina with that little disappearing act of yours. I'm here to bring you back to Gwenael so she can present you to the king for punishment for disobeying... well, nothing actually. You weren't expressly ordered to remain in the city."
"I am aware," she admitted a bit smugly. "I didn't break my vows."
"I noticed."
"And you don't outrank me any longer, so you can't order me back."
"I can if I'm relaying orders from Nina for you to return immediately. Which, technically, I am. Though it does appear that there is something more immediately concerning going on. I'm rather proud of you. South Gate is still standing."
"I don't destroy every city I come across," she crossed her arms.
"I supposed South Gate would get preferential treatment since it's your hometown."
Vivienne started snickering. "You don't seem very mad, Sir Sacha."
"I'm not mad. As a matter of fact, I've come with reinforcements."
Colette frowned. "Reinforcements? I thought we couldn't spare anyone to come to South Gate."
"Well, we couldn't. However, I asked for volunteers from those still healthy enough to serve in your army to come get you. There was a surprising number of them. I had to argue some of them down because they were too injured to come."
"So, you're here to help?" Colette perked up immediately.
"No, I'm here to drag you back to Gwenael so you can be lectured. However, if I have to save you from battle in order to do so, then so be it. Our ship is currently fighting with theirs. I don't know how well they'll do at shooting it from the sky, but the captain is quite adept at combat maneuvers. You know, for a civilian."
"This is it!" Vivienne yelled, jumping to her feet. The sound of her voice carried out loudly over the cavern, reaching even into the ones around it. Quiet talking died as the people of South Gate all began looking to their leader. "Everyone, get your weapons and your tools. We're going to fight! Ooh, I can't wait to get that Didier and teach him some respect for his elders."
"It's a lesson long overdue, my lady," Nicolas grinned.
As the people of South Gate began eagerly getting to their feet, gathering their weapons and kitchen knives and whatever else they had to fight with, Colette walked over to Nicolas. She was looking over his face cautiously but he only smiled at her.
"You're really not mad?" She asked, concerned.
"I'm not mad. It's exactly what I would have expected from you."
"But I stole a cargo ship. And I disobeyed, well, the spirit of the order at least."
"And I'm sure Nina will give you an earful about it when you get back, but you didn't disobey your orders and you didn't break your vows. I'm sure Lord Yvain will forgive you the theft of his ship, so long as you return it. You didn't break it yet, did you?"
"Why do you say 'yet'? Like I break everything I touch?" She asked with a frown. "It's still docked down on the small beach at the base of the cliffs. I think. I haven't actually gone down there to check."
Nicolas reached out and took her arms. He pulled them away from her body, his eye running over the scabbed wounds that had become puckered red flesh as they slowly healed together. He had really been worried that she would have recklessly allowed them to break open and neglected their care. He was pleased to see that wasn't the case.
"I'm glad you're up and about again," he said softly, turning her arm around and lifting it up so he could gently press his lips against the soft skin on the inner side of her wrist. "You really worried me for a while there when you wouldn't move."
Colette frowned. "I'm... sorry."
"You should be. I don't like worrying."
"No, I mean, I'm sorry about Antonin Pass. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. You were right. We should have evacuated when we had the chance. If we had, we might have been able to save all of those people. They're dead because of me, and that's something I can't undo. Even if I reclaim the Pass at some point, it won't change that."
"I forgive you."
"No, I mean it! I... lost that fight, long before we were chased out. But I couldn't accept that. I shouldn't have pulled rank on you just because I didn't like what you said. It won't happen again."
Nicolas smiled. "You said it."
"Said what? That I'm sorry? I'll say it as many times as you-"
"No, not that. You were able to admit defeat. I'm so proud of you." He lifted her hands and kissed her fingers gently, his heart swelling with joy. It seemed an odd thing to be so happy that she could own up to her loss, but it was valuable to him beyond measure.
She stared at his reaction for a long moment before a small smile broke across her cheeks. "Yeah. I understand now."
"Do you?"
"I think I do."
He grinned back at her. "Then, what insane plan have you come up with this time?"
"A great one!" She laughed, jumping forward to kiss his cheek, tossing her arms around his neck as she held on tight. "What are the odds of the ship you brought shooting down Firmin's?"
"Not particularly high. They're close enough that they could land should it come to it, and I doubt Didier will allow you to wreck another one of his ships."
"Perfect. I want him to land. I want all of his soldiers out of his ship and into the city."
"Of course, you do."
"I'm going to rip him out of South Gate one soldier at a time. And I want to prevent him from ever coming up through our mountains again."
"And what makes you think you can accomplish that?"
"Firmin has very kindly set up an emergency escape route through these tunnels back towards Gascony. I know where it is. I also know every single tunnel that branches off and around it. And, I happen to know a place where the miners stopped digging because they were getting too close to the river."
"Following you so far. What do you plan to do with all that information?"
She reached up and booped his nose with a grin. "You and I are going to go hunting. I would take the army on myself, but my feet still hurt so I should probably have back up. That would be you and the ship full of soldiers you brought me. We're going to drive them into the tunnel. Meanwhile, my people here are going to be digging."
"Colette, what are you doing?"
Vivienne's call surprised her. It also reminded her that she was still hanging off of Nicolas' neck while he held onto her waist quite casually. As though they had done it a hundred times before. Which they probably had, by this point.
The elder Toinette was looking between them, her eyes critical. "Colette, I really thought I taught you better than this. Right before a fight? Really? This kind of thing is reserved for after the fight, when you're celebrating!"
Nicolas chuckled. "My good Lady Mayor, I would argue that it is also prudent to be affectionate before a fight, in case something should go wrong."
"Oh, pfft!" The older woman laughed. "What could go wrong?"
"I see where you get it from now," Nicolas said, looking back at Colette.
She shrugged with a smile. "Some things can't be taught. Grandmother, can you get everyone in position?"
"So, we're just not going to talk about this?" Vivienne motioned with her finger between them. "A strange man comes hugging my only granddaughter and I'm just supposed to let that happen because we're on the cusp of a battle?"
"Strange man?" Nicolas repeated, raising an eyebrow.
Colette laughed, extracting herself from his arms. She walked over and kissed her grandmother on the cheek. "Grandmother, this is Nicolas, the man whom I plan on marrying."
"Wait, what?"
"Ah, good," Vivienne nodded along calmly. "I didn't want to say anything, but you were getting a little long in the tooth, dear."
Colette rolled her eyes.
"Wait, go back," Nicolas made a motion with his hands but both Toinette women had moved on in the conversation.
"I'm going to go extend my invitation to Firmin," Colette said, cocking out her hip with a smirk. "You get the others working. Good luck, grandmother. I expect you to still be alive at the end of this."
"I could say the same to you. Don't you make me outlive you, young lady, or I'll be quite cross."
Colette laughed as she ran past her, rushing for the tunnels behind. Nicolas immediately chased after her, his heart nearly bursting.
"Colette, you don't get to just say things like that and run off!"
"Things like what? I thought you understood the plan." She turned sideways as she ran through the next cavern and nearly threw herself into the very same crevice that Nicolas had used to shimmy into this place.
"You know good and well that I'm not talking about your insane plan! Which, no, I don't understand because you didn't explain it!" He chased after her, wiggling quickly because he didn't want to allow her to get distracted. "What did you just say about marrying me?"
"Oh, that." Colette popped out of the other side before turning back to him with a smile. "I kind of thought that you already knew."
"I didn't know!" He pushed himself out after her, frowning at her nonchalance. "How could I have possibly known that? When did you decide that?"
She shrugged. "Don't really know. I guess it seemed like the next logical step."
"Next logical step after what?" He gasped, trying to keep up with her flitting thoughts.
"After admitting that I loved you, of course."
She turned to run off. Nicolas more prepared for her to do so this time, gave chase immediately and caught her arm before she had managed to take more than a few steps. He turned her around to face him, holding tightly onto her shoulders so she couldn't escape. He took in a long breath and released it slowly to try and orient himself.
"Okay, let's just calm down now. Go back again. You love me?"
"I thought you knew that, too. Oh! That's right, I didn't get a chance to tell you. Oops. Oh, well. No time like the present, right? I love you." She bounced forward to kiss him, just a peck, before she tried to pull away again.
Nicolas' hands just tightened to keep her in place. She watched him for a long moment as he stood there with his eyes closed, trying simply to absorb her words.
"Nicolas?" She called softly when he remained motionless for a long minute.
He lifted a hand and held it to her mouth, silencing her. He spoke without opening his eyes. "Okay. Now. Slowly, this time. Say that again."
Colette smiled. "I love you, Nicolas."
"Do you?"
"I really do."
"Did you just propose marriage to me?"
"No, I made a statement of intent. It's a very different thing. You're the gentleman, you're supposed to propose to me. That's how this works, doesn't it?"
"With you, I can never be sure." He finally opened his eyes to take along look at her.
She was smiling, her eyes as clear as he ever saw them. Admittedly, her expression was a bit hard to make out with only the faint lamp light coming from the crevice they had just exited, but he knew her face well enough now to be able to see it near perfectly anyway.
"Colette-"
She put her finger to his lips. "Later, lover. We have a war to fight right now. Come on, follow me. You don't need a lamp, I know the way."
Nicolas tried to grab for her, but she was already running away. He had already dropped his lamp back in the cavern. He followed the sounds of her footsteps and laughter until he found her hand wrapping around his so she could lead him.
To his surprise, she took him around to the main cave entrance, the largest one that Nicolas knew that Firmin would know of at this point.
"Colette, are you sure about this?" He asked her as they raced up the tunnel.
"You scared?"
"More concerned."
She laughed, sunlight beginning to brighten the tunnel the closer they came to the exit. She released his hand and grabbed for her sword instead.
"Well, don't be. We're going to win!"
The sound of her voice drew cries from the guards on the tunnel. Colette beamed as she raced towards them, fighting past the pain in her body. It wasn't easy to do, but it became easier when she channeled her fear into her body. She didn't fight it, she allowed it to power her like airship fuel as she cut through the Gascony soldiers.
When one of them ran towards her from behind, Nicolas was there, striking him down in one quick movement. He put his back to hers, watching the one part of her that she couldn't keep track of on her own.
There were five soldiers guarding the cave entrance. Three of them fell to Colette, the final two to Nicolas. The both of them emerged, wide eyed and squinting respectively, into the bright midday sunshine of South Gate.
A massive cracking of broken wood echoed out through the air. The Gascony airship had been forced to touch back down onto the largest pier on the second hill. The soldiers were busy evacuating from the inside, but that wasn't stopping Skipper and his crew from raining down a vicious hailstorm of ballistae bolts and cask bombs onto it.
As Colette and Nicolas watched, the mainmast, the source of the loud snapping they had just heard, began crashing down.
Colette clapped her hand against her sword hand's wrist in delight. "Look at him go. They're coming down the second hill. Let's cut off their escape routes and funnel them down to the cavern. How do you signal the army to come out of the ship?"
"They'll get the message," Nicolas assured her as they began running for the approaching army.
The two of them split up, blocking off the main roads towards the first and third hills. The soldiers might have stopped to fight, but Skipper had the Recovery hovering over their heads. While ballistae could still fall, the real danger were the soldiers that were all jumping overboard, using ropes tied around the rails to slide to the ground.
They were a force at the back of the army, pushing them forward. There was a great deal of resistance as the Gasconites fought back.
Colette was standing at the base of the first hill, controlling the street to keep them from trying to come up the path. She wanted to focus them towards the caves. They were beginning to move that way as they were driven back, but it was slow going.
"My lady!"
She turned at the call of her name and a smile broke out over her face. "Juste! Your leg is healed!"
"Aye, my lady," he grinned, standing beside her on the street, choosing to stand here and help her defend it. Across the mountain paths, at the base of the second hill, Guilbert was serving a similar function for Nicolas.
"I'm glad to see you're well," Colette beamed, knocked away a knife thrown for her chest.
"Thanks to you, my lady," he beamed at her. "I thought I should let you know, my wife had her baby. It's a girl! We named her after you."
"Aw! Juste!" Colette purred, cutting down another man that had attempted to rush past her. His body fall behind her, unmoving and bleeding onto the stone.
More of her soldiers were beginning to appear. She recognized a great many of their faces as they formed a line behind the Gascony troops, attempting to push them further towards the cave. Colette began yelling out orders to them as they ran past, trying to keep things moving. She only cut down the soldiers who attempted to break through their line.
She watched as, once again, the streets of her home town turned into a war ground. She stood in the middle of them, looking around at the carefully controlled destruction. There was some inevitable damage done to property, but that couldn't be prevented. At least she could comfort herself that these buildings were only shells. The people that lived within them were safe underground, far from the reach of these soldiers.
And, if this went wrong, they could use those tunnels to escape to the base of the mountain and retreat on foot. If it came to that. It didn't hurt to have a backup plan after all.
As the Gasconites were pushed further towards the massive land bridge, Colette found herself at the back of the force, facing forward as she continued ushering the fighting along. Juste was off on his own, fighting more towards the side. The tear drop formation of the battle was slowly pinching inwards as the enemy was pushed across the land bridge. Rather than risking death on the open bridge, they were rushing across to set up a defensive line on the other side and attempting to make their stand from there.
Nicolas, a scratch across his forehead and a bruise forming on his forearm, appeared at her side, panting from exertion. She knew that she didn't look much better than him. The arrow wound to her shoulder had broken open and her feet were screaming in agony.
She remained standing however as Nicolas watched the armies clash.
"You all right?" He asked, checking her over for injuries.
"I feel alive!" She yelled, putting her fist to the sky. "Do you think you can break through the line they're forming there?"
Nicolas frowned. "I don't think so, but I'm pretty sure Skipper can. I'll go signal him to shoot their lines and try to force them further towards the mountain."
Colette nodded as he ran past her, aiming for high ground where he could be seen from the ship so he could direct them from afar. He was rather sure that Skipper would get the message easily enough, that for now they were focusing on shoring up the rear.
Guilbert and Juste were working together, tightening up the sides of the army. The Gasconites were funneling quickly across the bridge now, digging in their heels away from the town. They didn't want to be moved from that spot.
Colette took a step in their direction and pain exploded in her calf.
Screaming, her voice unheard over the din of battle, she collapsed forward onto the ground. Pain ripped through her left leg and she felt the foreign object sticking awkwardly inside her before she could turn her eyes down and see the arrow sticking out of the meat.
Her eyes lifted and she gasped to see Firmin pulled back another shot. She rolled away and the arrow bounced against the stony ground. He frowned, taking a step towards her as he pulled another arrow out of his quiver.
"Accept your fate, unnatural," he told her mercilessly. He pulled back the bowstring.
Colette's hand shot out as he released it. His ability to move without her seeing meant she barely caught the tail end of it before it pierced through her sword arm. She threw it back at him, forcing him to knock it out of the air so it wouldn't hit him.
As he readied another bow, she bent over and grabbed the bolt sticking straight through her leg. She grunted in pain, striking her sword across it, cutting it in half. She grabbed the back and jerked both sides free at the same moment, pulling a whimper from her throat.
She scooted backwards, her leg now refusing to move from pain.
Firmin released his arrow. She knocked it from the air with the fragment she still held clenched in her fist. She picked up her sword and forced herself up onto her foot. The broken appendage wanted to refuse bearing the entirety of her weight, but most of the pain was buried under the fear that screamed into her mind.
Realizing the arrows were a lost cause, Firmin tossed the bow away. He withdrew his sword, the long, leaf shaped blade glinting brightly in the sunlight.
"I don't wish to kill you. Not as you are," he said quite calmly. "Your soul will be damned if you die with your unnaturality still controlling you. I would prefer that you return with me and allow yourself to be cleansed."
Colette flinched, trying to put her newly injured leg onto the ground. Even when she wanted to withdraw it, she pressed down more determinedly, a growl on her lips. She lifted her sword up to meet his.
"Whatever else I am, I am not unnatural. Follow your army, Firmin, while you still have a chance to live."
"Even if you chase us out now, we will return. We have been planning this war for years. I know for a fact that your people aren't fully prepared for it. You didn't even have enough people to send to reclaim this city, even as small as it is."
She frowned. "And how do you know that?"
He didn't answer the question.
"Surrender, and I will show mercy," he informed her, placing his blade against hers. "Continue to fight, and I will lose no sleep at not for the loss of your damned soul."
"Does anything make you lose sleep?" Colette asked, genuinely curious. She found it hard to believe that a man, who was still looking through her rather than at her, even while on a battlefield, would feel anything resembling guilt.
He didn't respond, which only served to confirm in her mind that nothing did. Almost like he had said the words simply because he believed he was supposed to do so. It was like a polite salutation, a reflexive expression of gratitude, an assurance of his humanity in the form of empathetic emotions that he lacked.
"Ah, I see..." Colette breathed.
And she felt like she really did. She blinked and Firmin seemed to come into deeper focus. She still couldn't see him moving, but she saw something else about him.
She couldn't see him move because he had no thoughts or feelings about doing so. He felt no fear in battle, nor excitement, nor dread. This was simply something that he had to do, very much the same as a chore. He reacted to the situation as it was playing out before him, his body moving mechanically from reflex and reaction.
It wasn't that he didn't think or plan, he simply didn't feel.
He drew his blade back, prepared to drive it through her belly. She knocked it away, opening his guard and rushing for his face. She drove her elbow into his nose. His blood hit her skin, but she didn't feel the breaking of the bone. Before she could pull away, he grabbed for her side. The side he had thrown a dagger into. His fingers dug cruelly into the damaged skin, prompting a cry from her as her head spun.
He put the edge of his leaf sword at her throat, holding tight to her body to prevent her from struggling away.
She twisted her sword in her hand, taking a tenuous grasp on it, then drove it, backwards and blind, down against him. She felt it tear through the meat of his thigh. A grunt of pain was strangled from his throat, but his grip loosened.
Colette grabbed his sword arm, forcing the blade away before he could slice through her neck. His hands clenched down harder in her side. She bit her own lip to focus her pain on that as she kicked backwards with her injured foot.
He stumbled away from her, but she nearly collapsed forward from the force. She scrambled up at the last moment, catching the ground with her hand to push herself back into a standing position as she tossed back her braid angrily.
Firmin was on top of her again, striking his sword down. She jerked hers up, knocking it away one handed, her other placed against the sluggish bleeding from the wound in her side. He struck again; she deflected again.
"How long do you think you can fight as you are?" He asked, still supremely calm.
"Until my last breath," she promised, lifting her sword to glare at him over the bright gleam of the reflected sunlight. "I will never stop fighting to protect this kingdom and its people. Until the last drop of my blood, I will never surrender nor subside. I am Lady Colette Toinette of South Gate, Paladin of our Lord and king, protector of Vasconia and her people, the Holy Eye, Truthsayer. I made a vow to this land, to those who live in it, and to myself. Defeat me. Break me. Subdue me. I will always stand and fight again. This, I promise!"
Firmin's eyes were focused on her now. Looking at her almost as though for the first time. His gaze moved up and down slowly, taking in her beaten and bleeding body.
"On the whole, unimpressive," he remarked coolly.
He drew back his arm to deliver the killing blow. Looking at her. Acknowledging her presence. She felt a grin coming over her face as she readied herself to move. It didn't matter that she couldn't see where he was going to strike before he did so. She readied herself for the coming attack, fear making her hyper aware of all of her surroundings. It almost felt as though she was able to watch everything move in slow motion as she allowed the feeling to empower her.
Colette struck upwards, hitting their blades together at an awkward angle. His sword slid down against hers as she fell forward, catching herself on her knee. His sword hit the hilt of hers. She twisted her hand around the blade again, facing it backwards, and jerked it away.
He followed it as she dropped her upper body to the ground, swinging herself up and around to slam the back of her heel against the side of his head. He was thrown away as she fell onto her belly, grunting from the pain of hitting the stone.
Firmin lifted his head, blood coming from the cut on his lip. Colette pushed up against the ground, lifting her body into a low crouch as she corrected the grip on her sword.
The sounds of the battle were beginning to fade from across the land bridge. His army was being driven towards the cave entrance, just as she wanted. She saw Firmin lift his eyes to glare over her head at how far his men had gone. With the Recovery over their heads, herding them like cattle, their likelihood of coming back dropped more with each step away.
Which meant that she wouldn't be alone long. Her soldiers, her captains, would begin looking for her soon. When they saw her as she was, facing Firmin with so many injuries, they wouldn't hesitate to lift their swords to assist.
Firmin wasn't fool enough to think he would be able to win against so many. Especially not with his own soldiers on the run. If he did manage to bring someone down, it would be a hollow sort of victory in comparison to what he lost.
"Another time, unnatural," he said, making a wide berth to get around her. "I'll send your soul to Hades where it belongs."
Colette made no attempt to come after him. Rather he escape now than risk further, more permanent damage to her own body by attempting to fight him.
"I will follow you throughout this war, Firmin," Colette promised him as he ran away. "You will never escape from me. I will be victorious, no matter how long I have to fight, and no matter how many defeats I face along the way."
Picking herself up, flinching with every step she took, she hobbled after her army. Sweat soaked hair stuck to her face and neck as she tried to run after her people. The arrow wound, the freshly opened abdominal wound, were reluctant to let her keep moving.
"Colette!"
She turned at the sound of Nicolas' voice. A smile broke out over her face even as she took in his worried expression and the horror at seeing the trail of blood she left behind.
"What happened to you?" Nicolas gasped, his hands reaching for her.
"Do you mind?" She asked, hoping she didn't look too pitiful. "It's very hard to walk."
He shook his head quickly, clearing his head. "No. No, of course, I don't mind. Here."
Nicolas turned, lowering himself down. Wincing, she climbed onto his back, keeping her sword at the ready as she used her hand to prop herself up. He adjusted her weight for a moment, turning his head to frown back at her.
"What happened? What did you do?"
"I lost," she grinned, facing forward. "But I don't think he won either. After them. We'll follow them into the caves to make sure that grandmother has her end covered."
"I am literally carrying you right now. You know that, right?" Nicolas grumbled the words even as he was jogging after the rapidly shrinking army.
Firmin had cut his way past the lines of Colette's men to join with his own. He was pushing his way to the front, growling orders to people along the way. He knew better than to think that Colette was pushing them back to the caves just to let them escape. The people of South Gate were still missing, after all.
Juste and Guilbert saw Nicolas carrying Colette on his back as they approached. The two of them came around to flank them, Juste giving them an odd look out of the corner of his eye. Guilbert, more accustomed to her than Juste was, simply accepted her perch at face value.
"A few of them are breaking off into the smaller tunnels, but most are heading down the main one," he informed her. He was holding his left arm close to his body, as though he had hurt it, but he wasn't letting it impeded his sword arm.
Juste, who was bleeding sluggishly from a long mark across his shoulder, nodded along. "I've sent word ahead to the Lady Mayor. She'll be expecting them."
"Wonderful," Colette beamed. "Forward, Nicolas. Forget the ones who broke away. They'll be lost to the labyrinth. Focus on the main force."
"I am not a horse. You should get those wounds tended to."
"And I will, when we're done here. Forward, horse! I'll guard your rear!"
"An hour or so ago, you were speaking of taking me as your husband. Now, I'm a pack mule."
"You can be both things at once." She kissed the top of his head as he ran after the army. "I'm not stopping until I know for a fact that Firmin is gone and he won't come back."
The last of the Gasconites disappeared underground. Nicolas' reinforcements remained mostly above ground as they didn't know the layout of the caves. Instead, the people of South Gate took over, using the narrow corridors and forcing the army to continue on the path they wanted them to take.
Colette had Nicolas split off after the main cavern and continue down a different tunnel. They took a lantern from one of the South Gate women as Colette couldn't lead with her legs injured as they were. He had to run on his own, following her orders down to the small beach where she had left the cargo ship. It was still perched in the sand, water lapping at the stern.
"Get in," Colette ordered as he set her on the rail.
She lowered her hand and pulled him up inside before turning in herself. She sat crouched on the small deck as Nicolas quickly brought the engine to life.
She began cranking on the anchor, bringing it back up without moving from her position. Her legs were throbbing in time with her rapid heartbeat as she finally got a chance to take her weight off of them. She tried to ignore it as she looked over the edge of the ship.
Nicolas brought the little boat up into the air and began pulling it around the cliffs, aiming for the Gascony side of the mountain range.
"What are they doing? And how long will they need?" Nicolas asked.
"Only a few people here are miners by trade, but they shouldn't need too long."
"Too long to do what?"
She smiled at him before explaining her plan quickly.
Nicolas frowned at her. "You're not serious."
"Oh, completely serious!" She laughed excitedly.
"And you're sure this won't negatively affect our side of the mountains?"
"It shouldn't."
"I can't believe I'm letting you do this." He shook his head at himself in disbelief.
Colette smirked into the wind. "As though you could stop me."
The two of them came around the mountains. It was difficult to see them from so far away, but there was a group of men all running away from the low cave placed at the base of the mountain. It was rather low set, below sea level. When there as flooding, this area was notorious for retaining a great deal of water that would accumulate and sit here for weeks.
Down in the caverns, the miners from South Gate were hurriedly breaking and upsetting stone tunnels, sending it crashing into the river, blocking it. Sealing the normal pathway. The waterfall crashing down into the ocean at the cliffs began to slow.
But the river, diverted into a new path along the cave systems, rushed outwards towards the Gascony side of the mountains.
As Colette watched, the river burst out of the cave entrance. The water, pushed forward by the force of the flower river, began filling the natural earth basin like it was a tub. The retreating Gascony soldiers began moving faster, struggling to escape the rising water. Not all of them made it. Some had to swim, some were swallowed up by the rising tide.
From high above, Colette watched as the river formed a pond, then a lake. The entrance to the cave was swallowed up under the surface, but the force of the river kept feeding into it. A new river began flowing away from the lake and back towards the ocean, but the lake that had formed remained in place. With the new channel feeding into it, it wouldn't likely ever fade.
Nicolas, having set the cargo ship to hover, stood over Colette and stared with wide eyes and a partially opened mouth.
"You made... a lake," he breathed in wonder.
"I told you I don't destroy everything I touch. Sometimes, I create," she grinned at her work. "I'd like to see them try and come back into the mountain through that."
Nicolas let out a long breath, rubbing the side of his head. "Amazing."
"Isn't it?"
"No, not you. I'm referring to me. I'm looking at a lake that you created, and I'm somehow still not surprised. How am I not surprised?"
"Because you've learned to expect the fantastic when you're with me." She grabbed hold of his arm, beaming up at him. "Accept it."
Nicolas turned to her with a smile. "Apparently, I already have. Congratulations on liberating South Gate, Colette. Though, I'm going to let you explain to the king about the lake. And if he doesn't believe you, that's your problem."
Colette laughed. "Works just fine for me."
Reaching over, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Can we go back home now? I'm really tired. And my feet kind of hurt."
"Kind of?"
"Just a little bit. Also, the bleeding isn't stopping. I should probably see a physician."
"One thing first..."
Nicolas wrapped his arms around her, bringing her in close for a quick kiss. It couldn't last long, he didn't want to keep her away from medical treatment. However, he also couldn't allow another moment to pass without taking her lips.
When he pulled back, he brushed back her hair. "I love you, too. You, crazy girl."
She beamed, a laugh bubbling up through her throat. "Who's crazier? The crazy girl, or the guy who loves the crazy girl?"
"You've made me crazy," he whispered to her. "Now sit back like a good invalid while I take us back to South Gate."
Colette groaned as he left her to return to the wheel. "I hate having to recover."
"You ran away without permission, you involved yourself in battle while still healing, and you stole a cargo ship. I feel like maybe you should be good for a little while."
"Just a little while," she agreed, her eyes starting to close as fatigue fled over her. "Nicolas?"
"Hm?"
"I love you."
He grinned. "I know."
"When are you going to ask me to marry you?"
"When you least expect it."
"Okay."
They fell silent as he moved around the cliffs again. He frowned over at the waterfall. What remained of what had been the waterfall. Only a small trickle escaped from the closed caves. The rocks, still shiny and wet would begin drying for the first time.
"I don't expect it now," Colette said suddenly, pulling back his attention.
He laughed. "I've already promised you today, Colette."
"But I want tomorrow, too."
"No one can promise tomorrow. But, there's more value in today anyway."
Her eyes opened on him, her expression tired. "Oh? In what way?"
He smiled. "Because today never ends."