The Windcaster [Fantasy/Adventure | Featured | Complete ]

Chapter 49: New Progress

"I didn't know Windcasters can foretell the weather. I thought they can only conjure the Wind to do their bidding," said Sarpanit in surprise.

"There are many skills within a Caster's repertoire."

"Forgive me if my only knowledge of these blessed Windcasters is of how you obliterated my people in the last Great War," the Gwentian girl said in a snappish tone, annoyed.

Tia couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Gwent tried to invade Dernexes! Your people infiltrated Ptarmigan Fortress and Elder Down–"

"Taking back what is rightfully ours!"

There was a stunned silence. Sarpanit had flushed pink all over.

"That's right! Elder Down was first and foremost a Gwentian city until Dernexes stormed it! As long as Windcasters allow their country to flourish, we remain forever too weak to take our city back – not that any of your kings would care about fairness anyway!" she added, the bitterness evident in her voice.

"Dernexes would have fallen during the Great War if the Windcasters hadn't stepped in," Tia said, defensive. "We had to save our people!"

"Is that what they told you?"

Tia stopped, cold.

"My grandfather, King Nintu II and the previous king of Gwent, was a kind person." Sarpanit's voice was quiet. "He was gentle but indecisive, often easily influenced by the will of others. He thought he could persuade King Ea of Dernexes to return Elder Down to Gwent, but that ended in ridicule and sneers. Subsequently he agreed with the advisors' proposal we take back Elder Down by force."

"So Gwent did instigate the invasion."

"Yes. And we would have succeeded too – and stopped when the new border is established – but then a mysterious storm blew right over our troop base and annihilated every last man. If it wasn't for the raging fire at Elder Down that lasted for weeks, Dernexes could easily have invaded Gwent by then. But the haste in burning the city to prevent our men from fleeing home and to prevent support from arriving also ironically impeded their own progress."

Tia glowered, irritated. "My sources say that it was Gwent who set fire to the city; having seen the unavoidable loss approaching, your country did not want the city to fall to anyone's hands if it cannot be theirs."

"Does your source work for King Ea?"

"No."

"Does your source answer to King Ea?"

When Tia didn't answer, the Gwentian princess nodded.

"I've already told you, Tiamat: Dernexan history is heavily influenced by the monarchs. Ours is more accurate because it's less vulnerable to anyone changing its facts, although it's never fully true because it's all hearsay. History is always told by the victor, that's what my father always says. Isn't it funny though," she mused, "that both our countries portray themselves in the positive light as the victim, and the other country is always the perpetrator?"

"I do not find that humorous at all," said Tia with a stony face. Sarpanit let out a squawk of laughter, a strange sound given the heated, unpleasant atmosphere shortly before. It echoed around the empty library.

"Perhaps later, you might." She winked, her chirpiness returning. Tia envied her ability to recover so rapidly and not bear grudges. Her resentment ebbed away and she found herself being cheered up despite her desire to brood. Accepting the tome back and glancing over the strange, foreign text again, she frowned.