Characters:

Queen Och of the Kingdom of Silent Skies


King Hyv of the Kingdom of Silent Skies


Princesa Cel, current heir to the Kingdom of Silent Skies' throne

~Prologue: A Smattering of Light~

General Amaryllis slammed her serrated blade down into the middle of the map sitting on the table in front of her. "We have to push their forces back. There is only a matter of time before they come for us, and mark my words, they're going to come straight for our throats." She continued pacing back and forth, her eyes scanning over the map like a hawk circling prey. Her pupils darted back and forth, searching for even the tiniest of openings that could be exploited. However, again and again, she failed to find an actual opening exploitable to their military. Curling her upper lip slightly, she pulled her blade back out of the oak and spat harshly onto the floor in her frustration. Finding specks of enjoyment in ruining the well-polished floor, she grated her claws against the floorboards, making an abrasive sound that she quite enjoyed. She was about to continue when an annoyed voice cut through the air like a knife.

"You done?" Amaryllis turned slowly and deliberately to face the speaker. "I'm sorry Lieutenant Vervain. Did you say something?" Her voice had taken on a low and dangerous tone, and Vervain was slightly outranked in this scenario, so she shook her head, defeated by Amaryllis' intimidation and rank. Vervain brought her own serrated dagger out of her pocket, hers slightly shorter than Amaryllis', and used it to point quietly at a small section of the map where the yellow greatly outnumbered the cloudy grey. Amaryllis gave it a stare for a moment before her jaw dropped an inch and she did something highly unusual, gave a slight smile. "Well Lieutenant, seems there is hope for you after all. Private Sterling!" A small, light purple Aeridini burst through the doors moments after her name was called and dipped her head quickly. "Alert my Colonels. Tell them we've found an opening." The private was almost out the door when Amaryllis spoke again, this time in a slightly softer tone. "Do it in ten and you might find an insignia coming your way." Sterling's face broke into a grin and she broke out of the room in seconds.

Vervain's eyes widened slightly as the private left the room, and she settled back into her chair to hear Amaryllis speak once more. "If we keep it up like this, they're dead in the water."