Author's Note

Welcome back, folks! As promised in my blogs, we're getting back to wartime business now. Among other things, that means there is no adult content in this chapter, other than a rare suggestive remark or two that at worst barely breaches PG-13.

There is also a homage paid here to the original Feathered Heart, at the very end of the chapter. I think readers of both stories will be able to identify it when it happens. As always, I thank my superb prereading crew of Silentwoodfire, AJ_Aficionado, ASF, Wechsel and Silverblade5, who said they enjoyed the latest entry. So please have at it just as soon as I post the standard boilerplate:

This chapter is brand new content, taking place just before chapter 10 of the original story. You are not only invited but strongly encouraged to check out the original Feathered Heart if you haven’t already, as it inspired many of my own works.

—Firesight

39: Forging of Friendships

The introduction of her new troops and the demonstration of human weapons for them had gone quite well, Gilda decided.

Once the two Archons had effectively silenced the resistance and resentment of her assuming command of the Paladins, they’d been dazed to see how effective and lethal human cannons truly were. Even a bit demoralized as Imlay demonstrated everything from the close-range power of their sidearms and shotguns to the incredible range, capacity and accuracy of their rifles.

The latter were almost anticlimactic after having opened the demonstration with firing the fifty, with the Marine Corporal proving he could obliterate a full formation of Fortis Knights with a single sweep of the weapon despite their enchanted armor and shields. She could hear the muttered invocations of Ancestors to see how easily the human heavy cannon could lay waste to even the best protection the Kingdom could offer, with Gilda catching at least one low-ranked Guardsgriffon asking his comrade how humans had ever survived as a race without annihilating each other.

Even Prime Pike Erexit Caudum seemed a bit despondent as he watched it all unfold—once he’d been rousted from his faint, that was. Archon Archex had done the job by simply dumping a bucket of water in his face before yanking him up and physically throwing him back into formation, telling him to “pull your pretty plot up off the mud!” and then to “plant it in place and stay put like you’re sitting on my spear!”

The remark earned another round of laughter from Gilda’s existing forces, to a fierce blush from the Prime Pike. But for as sexually provocative as they’d been previously, the two Archons were now all business, following up the demonstration of human weapons and capabilities with one that showed how the Changelings fought conventionally.

Well, given all that happened last night? We’ve already seen how they fight unconventionally! Gilda stifled a grin at the memories as she stepped back to watch. The presentation was also witnessed by her surviving Guardsgriffon soldiers and the available Marines, who came up on deck at Imlay’s instruction to observe. Even Fortrakt finally joined them at Gilda’s order, who was surprised to see him still somewhat haggard-looking as he entered the bright light of daytime, shading his face with a wing.

Crows take it… it looks like he has a hangover. But he didn’t have that much to drink last night. So is it physical or emotional? Gilda suddenly worried as he took position to her left, leaving her further noting that he wasn’t even looking at her.

Once everyone was assembled, the demonstration of Changeling combat capabilities began. Under the command and commentary of the two Archons, the drones revealed how they fought with coordinated swarming attacks and well-timed transformations meant to take advantage of a situation or their opponent’s weaknesses, even showing how they could turn into griffons and exactly mimic the Kingdom’s military tactics when called for.

Though they could and did use griffon weapons quite effectively when transformed into them, showing themselves to be deadly accurate with crossbow bolts and thrown spears alike, they had their own weapons that were well-suited to them, ranging from magic-disrupting blades of slightly iridescent metal to the pony-style wrist-mounted crossbows Gilda noted they’d used in the earlier battle against the Cloven.

What she hadn’t seen or noticed before was that they could somehow magically bond their armor and weapons to their true forms so that they would disappear when transformed, only to reappear instantly when they reverted.

“Perfect for assassins,” the watching Ravens remarked in grudging respect, to which the three Capricorn Adepts couldn’t help but agree.

There were other differences as well. The crossbow bolts they used were made of standard steel, but unlike griffon ones, they didn’t put crystal tips on them. Instead, the metal itself was forged with special methods that enabled them to accept magic almost as readily as gemstones. They could then be infused with various incantations as the drones levitated and loaded them onto the crossbow carriage from their quiver, enabling them to almost instantly charge any bolt they drew with whatever attack effect was needed.

It was a very efficient scheme that suited the drones well, Gilda had to admit as she watched them show how they could even make their bolts guide onto their targets, not having to worry about grabbing the correct crystal tip out of the quiver. The application of additional spellwork to the magically-pretreated steel made the bolts generally glow in flight not unlike the magical shots fired by Raven-wielded bowcasters, with their infused incantations enabling them to alternately explode on impact, incinerate what they struck or deliver an electric shock of varying levels that could stun or outright electrocute.

She also learned that, to perhaps little surprise, the two Archons were not unique in having very specific griffon personas. In fact, it turned out that all the adult drones had individual griffon forms they would take—their identities in the Kingdom, Gilda guessed—while a few also had Caleponian ones they could assume.

They could additionally transform into at least generic versions of other races like the dragons or even the ibex, albeit without much variance or nuance to their forms—unless, that was, they were mimicking another creature standing right in front of them, which they demonstrated by having one drone take the form of Karin Kazal simply by observing him.

That earned a flinch from the normally unflappable Capricorn Adept, doubly so when the drone in question then spoke in his voice and even showed he could wield ibexian magic, channeling it through his new antlers just as the Starshina did.

“By the Ancient Rams themselves, I can’t tell the two of you apart! Even your auras feel identical!” one of the female adepts then admitted in accented Equish, though she seemed more wary than wonder-struck by the revelation. Especially when she was informed that multiple Changeling Hives lived in Ibexnaya, and that they were every bit as good at living among them as the Lepidoptes Hive was among griffons.

Archon Skorpius then explained at a question from an equally wan Karin Kazal that as could plainly be seen, they did gain the physical and magical abilities of such races by transforming into them. But as it wasn’t their natural form, it was ‘by magical definition’ a weaker version of both that they had to be careful when wielding. Though Gilda wasn’t immediately certain what he meant, the mages present all nodded thoughtfully, whispering among themselves.

Archex took it from there. He further explained that simply gaining a new body or its native magic did not mean that Changelings were automatically proficient at using them—that taking another form and passing as it took a great deal of practice and imparted knowledge for individual drones to master, as did functioning properly in their parent nation. Thus, much of their upbringing was dedicated to training themselves to become proper griffons so they could both take part in and extract love from Kingdom society.

That their copied magic was weaker than a native member of the race they were mimicking was far more vividly demonstrated when they changed into drakes and drakinas. Changeling-generated dragonfire was simply not as hot or destructive as what true dragons could create—a fact that a slightly smug Obsidian Ire took great pains to point out—while with the exception of the two Archons themselves, they also weren’t quite as strong as earth griffons or had the airborne stamina of sky griffons when transformed into them.

The reason for the discrepancy was surprisingly simple, as it turned out: Though they were far more magically efficient at transforming into other creatures than griffons or ibex were using polymorph potions or other complex spells, remaining in another form still put a significant magical drain on them.

They had to expend additional energy to maintain it, which meant that they couldn’t generally reach the full potential of that form without a great deal more love that could cause problems in and of itself. And staying in a form too long could dangerously drain their love reserves, leaving them critically weakened or worse, no longer able to stay in disguise while in hostile territory.

Thus, as they were now out in the open, they would preferentially fight in their true forms and only transform in specific circumstances. But engaging in combat as unaltered drones was no weakness to them, as they proved far quicker and more agile in the air than griffon soldiers, Gilda couldn’t help but note as the two sides began some experimental aerial sparring.

It proved illuminating and even a little disconcerting to observe the one-on-one duels. Though overmatched by both sky and earth griffons in terms of airborne speed and stamina, the Changelings were incredibly nimble in the air; able to hover and dart about like a dragonfly in any direction quite easily on the strength of their insectile wings alone. They were even able to scoot suddenly sideways, leaving Gilda wondering how well they would match up against pegasi who could accomplish similar feats by pushing off the air itself.

And then there was their native magic, as all the horn-bearing drones were able to cast everything from simple levitation spells up to magical beams and bolts. With regards to the latter, the direct magical attacks individual Changelings could cast were noticeably weak by griffon and ibex standards, but against that, they had an impressive array of low-cost support spells they could draw upon and wielded instinctively.

As befit a race that relied on hiding in plain sight, such spells were meant to enhance their stealth or otherwise their ability to mask their presence, movements, and intentions. Some were simple invisibility or illusion incantations, but others were more complex. To that end, Gilda got her first demonstration of Silencer combat ability when one showed that she and her brethren could create ‘clone copies’ of themselves that could cause confusion among their adversaries for a few critical seconds.

Using it, the pair of black-irised drones engaged and then took down both Raven eaglesses that had been sparring with Obsidian Ire in mere moments. As a stunned Gilda watched, they simply split into what looked like three copies of themselves that then attacked en masse as if they were different beings acting independently, leaving the two elite warriors no idea which images were real until blades of dulled metal were at their throats.

Marine blacklights could tell them apart as the magical doppelgangers lit up under their light, but that was only of limited help given how swiftly the assassin drones could strike—doubly so since the drones themselves did not fluoresce under the mysterious illumination, proving how perfectly well they normally masked their magic.

Though they do light up when disguised, Gilda noted somewhat warily along with the fact that Changeling masquerades were so thorough that, as the ibex had earlier noted, their magical signatures while transformed almost perfectly matched those of the race they were impersonating.

The best the violet lights could do against a disguised drone was pick up on the fact that the magic they emitted was slightly weaker than normal for that race. But the difference was subtle enough that it could be crow-damningly difficult to tell quickly, or worse, discern a transformed drone from a drained or tired griffon.

And definitely not in the middle of a battle! She suddenly found herself praying that she’d never have to go up against corrupted Changelings. Or worse, have to fight a hostile hive like that of Queen Chrysalis.

Giraldi broke into her thoughts then, remarking that the magical abilities of standard Changelings reminded him of weaker unicorns in many ways. Thinking about it, Gilda had to agree given that just like unicorns, few drones could teleport outside of the Queen and the two Archons. Their generally weaker non-transformative magic also meant that Magus-level elemental attacks like fire or wind were generally beyond them—unless they pooled their power, which individual decades of Changelings proved they could do to produce potent group shields or stealth themselves in other ways with things like invisibility spells or Raven-type shrouds.

Turma-sized units could even produce powerful lightning bolts they could turn on larger and more dangerous threats, while massing the magical power of an entire Changeling century produced potentially devastating lightning curtains or outright firestorms that could sweep a swath of the battlefield clean of enemy soldiers.

“Ancestors past… for a race that’s all about making love, the Changelings certainly know how to make war!” Even Fortrakt was finally shaken out of his stupor to see the vivid displays of battle prowess.

“You said it, cub,” Gilda admitted somewhat wanly. And that was just what a century could do. Then what kind of mass attack could their entire hive produce?

She wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Still, like all Changeling talents, it was not without cost. Those mass attacks came with the standard caveat that using too much of them would rapidly drain their collective love reserves, so it was an ability that could only be used sparingly. But despite that, Gilda felt nearly as dazed to see the destruction their hive could wreak as she imagined her new troops were to behold human firepower.

By the Crows, Archon Archex wasn’t exaggerating at all—they’re just as potent fighters as we are, and in some ways, even more! She suddenly found herself immensely glad to know that the Lepidoptes Hive had never turned against griffons despite all the persecution they’d suffered over the centuries, at the wings of the Gryphon Empire and Kingdom alike.

All of what she was witnessing would make for a massive intelligence report, Gilda further realized, and she was sure that the watching Ravens were taking careful note of what they saw to later share with the Council of Crows. But she also didn’t doubt that the Changelings were fully aware of that fact, and by deliberately revealing their secrets, they were demonstrating both their dedication to the war effort and their desire to be accepted by their host society. Of course, I would imagine that there are still some secrets they’ll keep…

The demonstration concluded with a series of sparring matches between drones and griffon soldiers of similar ranks or abilities. While the two Archons took on the Tribune’s former Paladin protectors to show that their strength and power was equal to even the most potent of earth griffons, the Silencers engaged the Ravens and Ibex Adepts alike without any transformations or magical trickery.

To the continuing astonishment of all, they proved able to match their speed and skill in even their base forms, fighting the elite warriors to a standstill on both the air and ground. The low-level changeling drones likewise proved more than a match for most Guardsgriffons, at least in the air, besting both those Gilda had taken from Arnau and those she’d just been assigned by Cipio. It was a much different story on the ground, however, where earth griffon strength and proficiency in surface combat proved superior to those of the standard drones.

Gilda herself took part in some spars at Giraldi’s urging, reminding her that just as when her earlier-assigned Talons and Knights saw her take down Obsidian Ire, she would gain the respect of her new soldiers by showing that she could fight.

She did so to the cheers of her original troops, taking on the highest-ranked sky griffon Paladin present—an eagless Minor Pike, which was equivalent to a Auxiliaris Second Spear—and quickly found that she could indeed call upon the cider effect at will when she needed, simply by getting her heart pumping and an adrenaline rush flowing. Using it, she boosted her strength and speed to the point that she was more than a match for her elite opponent in the air. In fact, she found herself able to 'run rings' around the other eagless as she once heard Rainbow term it, besting her opponent in aerial combat by knocking her to the ground with ease.

To her further surprise and mild relief, it did so without arousing her at all. The lack of untoward sensual effects left her guessing it was because she remained quite sated from not just her earlier lovemaking with Marco, but what happened before that in the presence of Queen Lepidoptes. Thank the Ancestors for small favors! Gilda thought with a grin, deciding that having plenty of sex with Marco was a welcome price to pay for keeping her cider-boosted passions at bay.

But the outcome was markedly different when they shifted their combat to the ground for a second match, as in the end, she simply couldn’t equal the Minor Pike’s superior strength or weapons skill. She managed to last the better part of a minute but ended up hard-pressed to hold her ground, eventually thrown roughly to the airship deck with talons around her neck and the pike end of a short double-bladed battle axe at her eyes.

She was promptly let up after conceding her defeat with a bared throat, but the Paladin eagless was impressed enough with her performance that she grasped Gilda’s foreleg to pull her up and saluted her new commander once Gilda could return the honor.

“An impressive display, Centurion. You’ve clearly got good raw combat talent, but it’s also clear that you need additional training to be a better ground fighter,” Miles Fortuna told her matter-of-factly but not meanly, offering to help teach her later.

Regardless, she earned respect from all present for winning one of their two matches and at least holding her own in the other, with the Marines and watching drones applauding pony-style by clapping their palms or hooves together while the griffon soldiers under her command gave raucous calls.

She acknowledged them graciously with a smile and bared throat. “Your turn, cub!” she then told Fortrakt, who looked up in surprise. Though he initially tried to decline, saying he didn’t feel like he was in any shape for training or duels, Gilda ordered him to do it. She reminded him sharply that you didn’t get to choose where or when battles happened in war, and that he needed the respect of those he’d be commanding as well.

And besides, a good fight always snaps me out of a funk. Still not sure what’s wrong with him, but maybe it’ll do the same for him…?

“By your command,” he relented somewhat reluctantly, though he still wouldn’t look at her even as he bared his throat in her direction. Stepping forth, he asked for some water and when it was delivered to him, he didn’t take a drink but instead dumped it on his own head to some smirks and snickers.

Shuddering once before shaking out his feathers and flinging droplets of water everywhere, he limbered himself as best he could while stepping out against the highest-ranked Guardsgriffon—a newly promoted First Spear that looked far too young for his post.

Then again, so is Fortrakt! And so am I! Gilda felt compelled to remind herself as the pair took to the air to make a ceremonial wing-to-wing pass that was the equivalent of a midair salute. Once it was finished, they turned to engage each other in earnest with a series of airborne rolls, flips, dips, dives and dodges, using their bare claws covered with soft pads. They had been dipped with dye to safely record hits along with crossbows that fired dummy darts; they left nothing more than a colored streak on feathers or armor when they hit.

“Whoa! It’s a damned dogfight…” Stavrou said under his breath as he watched the aerial battle unfold, earning some odd looks at the use of a canine term to describe aerial combat.

For her part, Gilda felt an odd recollection at the word along with a fresh flash of memory; it involved some form of human warfighting that consisted of large metal birds battling much like griffons did in the air. Wait—that’s from… that ‘Midway’ movie? She guessed, hoping she’d someday get the chance to watch it again and remember it fully.

But the thought was lost as to what appeared to be mutual surprise, Fortrakt ended up besting his opponent easily after a slightly shaky start, knocking him out of the air and finishing him off with a dummy dart to his helmet. “Ancestors…” he said in wonder as he alighted, as suddenly his eyes appeared far clearer and even aglow at his swift victory. But before she could congratulate him, he turned around and challenged not one but two new underlings to battle, and once again outmaneuvered them both in the air.

He all but preened as he earned fresh applause from the Marines and Guardsgriffons, though the Paladins seemed far less impressed at the feat.

“Well done, cub,” she acknowledged, catching a whiff of cider in the air around him that left her guessing it was working the same strength and speed enhancement magic on him that it had on her. She would have been satisfied if he’d left it there, having earned the respect of the Guardsgriffons he’d be leading, but then he puffed up his chest and challenged the second Paladin Prime Pike next.

Gilda’s smile instantly dropped, exchanging a startled glance with Giraldi, who closed his eyes and shook his head. But he also didn’t speak up or stop it as this time, her former junior partner plainly bit off more than his beak could eat as the well-trained and battle-tested earth griffon made a point of taking him in the air.

He was unimpressed by Fortrakt’s aerial maneuvers, not even trying to match them while simply keeping him at bay with sudden spins of his spear, and quick shifts of stance that made clear he was well-trained to deal with aerial threats despite his inferior flight ability. He simply bade his time, deflecting Fortrakt’s attacks with contemptuous ease before suddenly diving downward when his increasingly frustrated opponent tried to dart under him.

He’d clearly been waiting for that, bringing the metal shaft of his weapon down squarely across Fortrakt’s shoulders in a swift and very strong strike.

The hit caused his muscles to seize and flight to falter. Defeat followed swiftly after that as Fortrakt was knocked down to the deck hard and shortly found himself staring cross-eyed into the spear’s metal tip as Gilda could only grimace. “Pathetic,” the Paladin Turma commander pronounced disdainfully as Fortrakt bared his throat and then pulled himself up somewhat glumly. “Youthful enthusiasm does not trump Paladin training.”

“Overconfidence will be your downfall, cub,” Giraldi scolded Fortrakt mildly as the Paladin Prime Pike simply walked away without a backwards glance. Gilda didn’t think the loss would harm her former junior partner’s reputation too much given he proved he was better than the bulk of the Auxiliaris, as she’d been planning to have him command their sky griffons and not the Paladins anyway. Still, it boded potentially badly in terms of future challenges, especially when she saw the Prime Pike start marching her way with a lowered head.

Recognizing his intent, Archon Archex instantly stepped forward to head him off, but Giraldi stopped him by holding up a wing and interposing himself instead. Standing face to face with the burly earth griffon, he reminded the Prime Pike that if he wanted to challenge the Centurion for her post, he would first have to best her second-in-command. The offer was accepted with a smirk and the pair faced off on the deck of the airship, with the admonition from the drones to not act in anger for the sake of their eggs below.

“Worry not,” Giraldi said calmly before ending the duel in just five seconds, never drawing his war hammer or crossbow. He simply dodged an initial thrust of a spear, and then to the amazement of all, blew through his opponent’s guard, knocking the spear free of his grasp in a swift strike Gilda wasn’t quite able to follow. He then plucked the spinning weapon right out of the air before swinging its shaft hard into the side of the Paladin’s helmet, emitting a loud CLANG! that rattledhim badly, causing his gaze to go cross-eyed for a moment.

The end of the duel was nigh after that as the otherwise powerful tiercel was slammed to the ground with a well-practiced body throw and then found the business end of his own weapon being pressed into his chin beneath his beak, above the protection of the metal band that covered his throat.

Giraldi held the pose for a moment to make sure his swift victory was beheld by all. “Pathetic,” he pronounced in open imitation of the Paladin’s earlier declaration against Fortrakt, though his tone was far more dry than mean. “Paladin training does not trump decades of hard-won combat and duel experience.”

He then released the vanquished Prime Pike and walked away, dropping the borrowed spear to the deck with a loud clatter.

“Well done, Optio Galen Giraldi,” Archon Archex complimented him with a bared throat as the Marines and Guardsgriffons roared their approval, leaving Gilda guessing that the latter had received their own bellyful of overbearing arrogance from the elite service branch’s soldiers over the past few days. “I am impressed. You are not only a superb fighter, but there was not a hint of anger or arrogance in your actions, for which our eggs thank you.”

Giraldi bared his throat back. “You are welcome, Archon. There is no point in getting angry over such a trivial matter. Such emotions do not serve a griffon either in peace, or war. And neither do meaningless challenges that undermine command authority rather than restore it!” He raised his voice loud enough for all to hear.

“From here on out, all challenges of the Centurion must go through me. Not because she is incapable of fighting them. But because she has more than earned my respect and loyalty through her brilliance and bravery in leading us.”

That earned another round of cheers and raucous calls from the Marines and Guardsgriffons who had previously served under Gilda, while the Paladins were now staring at Giraldi with far more respect than before, and even a measure of wariness.

Trivial matter… Gilda had to shake her head, worried that she couldn’t take the Paladin, even with a cider boost. Cider aside, I’m really not that much better a fighter than Fortrakt is, and they beat him easily, even in the air. They still don’t fully respect me, meaning I’m going to have to fight one of their bruisers eventually… she momentarily fretted before deciding that Giraldi had bought her some time to train not just her soldiers, but herself.

She put it out of her head as the improvised training session continued. Seeing the various sparring matches, a few adventurous Marines also tried to go hand-to-claw with the griffons and Changelings with varied techniques and stances. But they weren’t practiced in fighting four-legged forms, and only the best of them could hold their own, Gilda quickly noted, leaving her wishing Sergeant Reyes was there to show what a human could do.

Though their poor performance earned some unfavorable Aeric comments from the Paladins, Giraldi swiftly silenced them. Having already earned the respect of the green-armored warriors by beating one of their best members, he himself then brought up Reyes as an example of how a human could be trained up to fight and defeat griffons in relatively short order, and he further pointed out that the weaknesses of their upright, magic-less forms were the main reasons humans developed such powerful weapons in the first place.

Weapons that made the close-quarters tactics that griffons and other races still used all but obsolete.

His words earned at least some grudging acceptance, as did the Marines demonstrating how good they were at engaging and mowing down targets on the practice field below, even while on the move. Their crisp formations and maneuvers were noted appreciatively by all present, while griffons and drones alike were surprised and impressed to find out just how heavy their gear was—how much weight they were actually carrying and running with on the strength of their hind legs alone.

When tested, their body armor proved able to stop most griffon and Changeling crossbow bolts, though fragmentation and other effects could still cause damage and injury as the Cloven had confirmed. It was also quickly demonstrated that you couldn’t remotely sabotage their cannons with spellwork or otherwise just magically yank weapons from their grasp, thanks to enchantments placed on them by the pony Princesses themselves back in Equestria to prevent their theft or scanning.

In fact, neither the Starshina nor the Senior Stave, who were the two strongest mages present, were able to magically affect them, and the former even admitted that their inability to get around the various wards the ponies had erected were the entire reason they’d been ordered to trail Gilda’s convoy and go after Chris in the first place.

And speaking of Chris… Gilda was gratified when he was finally helped up on deck by Tara and Marco not long before noon. Blinking his eyes clear from the slightly smoky air, he somewhat gingerly stepped his way across the chitin-covered surface while his two friends steadied him from either side, with Chris remarking repeatedly that he felt like he was having to learn to walk all over again.

But after a few minutes, he was starting to get the hang of it enough to take at least a few steps without assistance, though he flailed his arms repeatedly and even got caught by the aura of a drone at one point when he suddenly fell over, admonished again to take it slow and easy.

The Marines were not idle during this time. Invited to try out griffon arms, they fired both single shot and repeating crossbows under supervision, leaving them surprised at the damage even a single well-aimed explosive bolt could inflict on a wall or charging soldier. When a now-healed Brennan asked to try a Raven heavy repeater, which he described as similar in function and purpose to his “SAW”—had she been told what that stood for yet? —he also did so under close Raven supervision.

Hefting the bulky soldier weapon with a grunt—Gilda wasn’t sure how much it weighed, but she could see she would have considerable trouble standing upright with it—he took aim and mowed down a line of targets emplaced on the ground below, blowing apart a series of practice dummies borrowed from a nearby training grounds with a string of explosive bolts that shredded them.

Afterwards, he stared down at it in wonder. “Whoa… that’s a lot more fun than my hunting crossbows back home!” The remark earned a startled look from Gilda, who exchanged a questioning glance with Giraldi.

Even though they have cannons, humans still use crossbows? She had no idea why, or what form they would take.

“Laissez les bon temps rouler!” She was further surprised to hear him speak the pony language of Prench as he loaded a fresh coil of bolts and fired it on more distant targets from a prone position, showing he had gotten the hang of it quickly. But then a sharp and distinctive twanging sound got her attention as she turned to see Lance Corporal Henderson likewise trying out a Raven bowcaster.

Going over to watch along with Chris and Marco, it took the female Marine a few minutes to get used to its unfamiliar form and operation. It was also hard for her to heft, though she could manage it for a short time. But as it was meant to be used from a stationary position anyway, she simply propped it on the railing and took aim at a distant series of targets, surprising the Ravens when she shortly proved as able with it as her EMR.

Of course, as the Marines had been granted permission to use griffon weapons, it was requested that the griffons be allowed to try human ones. Imlay demurred, claiming that their standing orders wouldn’t allow it, to which Tara rolled her eyes and invited a surprised but still morose Fortrakt over. She then removed another storage gem which turned into several examples of a new human sidearm of a type Gilda hadn’t yet seen before:

It was larger and almost all metal, and unlike the standard ones which had detachable quivers that slid out the base, this one had a cylindrical assembly that popped out to the side when she released a latch on the left rear of the barrel, showing six perfectly circular holes roughly the same size as the base of her talons evenly spaced around the periphery.

“This is a Smith & Wesson .45 caliber revolver,” Tara explained to a surprised and suddenly sorely excited Fortrakt as a grinning Chris and Marco looked on, the former trying very hard to stay standing without any assistance. “‘Smith & Wesson’ is simply the name of the company that makes it. They’ve been around for ages. And as for why it’s called a revolver...” She then startled Fortrakt by spinning the cylinder rapidly around its axis with a flick of a finger, which it did surprisingly smoothly and slickly for being made of metal.

“Before you ask, ‘caliber’ simply refers to the size of the bullet, or cannonball as you call them. As you can see, it’s a bigger gun that’s got a rubber grip, so you should be able to grasp it a lot easier with your talons than our other weapons,” she told him while he studied it with the same air of a cub itching to get his talons on a new toy.

“Revolvers were our first type of feasible repeating sidearm, invented nearly two centuries ago and still in use today. It’s a different kind of ‘cannon’ that’s heavier, larger, simpler to operate and very reliable, even able to fire underwater. So, would you like to try it, lover-bird?” she then asked him with a wink, earning a fierce flush and roaring laughter as everycreature stopped to watch, with even the drones coming over to hover in the air nearby.

An eager but anxious Fortrakt listened carefully as Tara explained the exotic weapon’s operation, but only after Chris and Imlay had emphasized the basic rules of all human firearms, which Gilda instantly granted made a great deal of sense:

Always assume it’s loaded, don’t ever aim it at anything you don’t intend to shoot, and most importantly of all, always—always! —keep your talon off the trigger until ready to fire.

Once the rules had been repeatedly recited and Fortrakt had acknowledged them, Tara then showed him how to load it. Pointing it down, she held it in one set of talons while she simply grabbed a handful of bullets out of a separate box and then somehow held them in her palm while loading them into the ‘chambers’ one by one.

It was an impressively dexterous act; one which vividly illustrated to the griffons previously unfamiliar with humans just how deft and nimble their soft talons truly were. Once that was accomplished, she reseated the cylinder in its housing with a simple flick of the wrist that resulted in it snapping back in place with a sharp metallic click. She then showed him how to ‘cock the hammer’, which was a metal protuberance on the top rear of the weapon that could be partially retracted with another series of soft clicks.

Doing so caused the cylinder to fractionally rotate, Gilda instantly noted. Now ready to fire, Tara raised the weapon towards a target dummy on the ground below, shouted “ears!” and waited a few secondsto make sure that everyone near enough had covered theirs. She then opened up on the target with a series of massive cracks that caused fresh flinches from those who hadn’t obeyed her, re-cocking the hammer each time in what appeared to be a well-practiced manner as she punched a series of holes into the old metal armor covering the target.

Six shots later, she lowered the smoking tube and then opened the cylinder again, this time to extract the hot but empty shells by prying them out with her thin fingernails before putting them in a pocket on her shorts. Once that was done, she then showed how the small cannon could be rapidly reloaded using a thin metal ‘moon clip’ to which six rounds were attached, closing and then reopening the cylinder just long enough to slip them into the holes from behind before flicking her wrist again to reseat it and bring the gun back on target.

“Six rounds loaded in less than two seconds. Ears!” she repeated her earlier warning, and this time, nocreature ignored her as she again opened fire. But Gilda noted there was a difference from before in that she deliberately didn’t re-cock the hammer between rounds. It showed Gilda that the gun could be fired without doing so using a longer trigger pull, at what she assumed was the potential cost of less accuracy since more pressure on the trigger for a longer time tended to throw off the aim of a crossbow.

After putting a fresh series of six almost perfectly circular holes in the former Fortis Knight armor she was firing at, Tara again released the latch on the cylindrical assembly that caused it to fall to the side, this time pressing down on a second rod in the smaller lower tube that caused the ‘moon clip’ and all its spent shells to instantly fall free. “That’s how you can rapidly unload a moon clip, using the extraction rod so you can swap in a fresh one. Okay, Decurion. Your turn!” she then informed Fortrakt with a grin, holding the ‘revolver’ out for him while taking pains to keep the ‘barrel’ pointed downrange.

“Ancestors…” After all his earlier moodiness, Gilda found herself glad to see Fortrakt be his earnest and dweeby self again as he accepted the exotic weapon from her almost reverently. He then loaded a single round carefully under her supervision, checking with her every step of the way.

Despite its thick base and griffon-suitable grip, he nearly fumbled both the sidearm and the bullet he was attempting to insert a couple times; Gilda wasn’t sure if he did so out of anxiety, unfamiliarity, or the simple awkwardness of trying to pick up a small but smooth metal ‘round’ with the tips of his thick avian talons to place it in the chamber. But under Tara’s patient tutelage, he finally seemed to get the hang of loading and holding it. He did his best to mimic Tara’s grip and stance as he reared upright to aim it, flaring his wings for bipedal balance so he could hold it in both sets of talons as the human woman had.

“Relax, cub,” Gilda told him as she saw him trying not to tremble, clearly anticipating the weapon’s visibly impressive recoil as he cocked the hammer with some difficulty, having trouble positioning his thumb talon to do so. She considered teasing him by telling him to just imagine he was aiming his spear at Tara’s backside, but thought better of it, deciding she definitely didn’t want to fluster him when he was holding a human cannon for the first time. “You mastered crossbows after a rough start, so you can certainly master this.”

“By your command…” he said without looking at her, then exhaled heavily, closing his eyes and bowing his head before opening them. He looked through the manual sights as Tara had taught him, then took a deep breath as his talon closed on the trigger.

The metal gun suddenly cracked and bucked hard, the strong recoil causing it to nearly slip free of a startled Fortrakt’s grasp before he realized what had happened. His first ever shot—the first shot any griffon had ever made with a human sidearm—had gone quite low, but still hit the bottom of the target armor, earning some cheers and even applause from the humans.

Removing the single spent gold-hued shell casing again—which they were quickly assured was brass and not gold to a question from Obsidian Ire, who looked disappointed at the news—Tara then gave him a fresh and fully loaded moon clip, further reminding him that the ‘double-action’ of the hammer meant that it was best to cock it between shots.

“Otherwise, like you saw with me, you’ll have to pull the trigger a much greater distance for the gun to fire, and be a lot more likely to jerk it,” she told him, to which some of the flanking drones and griffons immediately stepped or flew back.

Nodding nervously, Fortrakt accepted the ‘revolver’ again, inserted the moon clip Tara passed him with only minor difficulty this time, and once more reared up to raise the sidearm on target.

His ‘cherry popped’ in the words of the amused Marines—Gilda quickly guessed with a grin at Giraldi that the phrase was an allusion to losing virginity, which she certainly granted fit the situation at wing—he fired off all six chambers in succession, five of which found the target, sparking hard as they punched through the magically treated metal. His ‘grouping’ wasn’t as good as a far-more-practiced Tara, but he proved he could wield it, to which a delighted smile broke over his beak at his feat.

“Ancestors…” he said in awestruck wonder again, opening the cylindrical assembly and pushing down on the rod that would extract the spent ‘moon clip’ himself. “I love this cannon!” he announced as he passed the empty shells back to Tara.

“We’d never have guessed,” Tara said with a twinkle and glance back at Chris and Marco, who grinned. “If you like it that much, it’s yours, Fortrakt. You earned it just for being so brave and sweet.”

Fortrakt’s beak fell open as he stared up at her in wonder, which quickly turned to an expression of pure worship; he then bared his throat as hard as he could at her. “Ancestors above… you mean it?” he had to ask, to which Tara reached down to kiss him on the head to fresh cheers and whistling sounds from the Marines.

“Like she said, it’s yours, buddy,” Chris told him with a broad smile. “And take it from us—there’s no greater love among humans than a lady giving a guy a gun,” he further added, to which the Marines laughed but agreed.

“What he said.” Marco watched with a grin of his own over crossed arms. “But fair’s fair—now we need to give one to Gilda,” he then mused, causing her to instantly perk up.

“Correction—you need to,” Chris told him with a grin. “She’s your girlfriend, after all.”

“So she is,” Marco said with a very deliberate shrug while Gilda felt herself suddenly growing equal parts excited and anxious at the prospect, wondering if she would be better or worse than Fortrakt at wielding the exotic weapons. “Okay. Then the question is, should I give her another revolver, or—”

Before he could finish the sentence, a series of sharp cricket-like whistles sounded over the ship’s mast-mounted crystal speakers that caused the two Archons to instantly order a halt to the various training sessions. They then explained that the sound was a ten-minute warning that meant the ship was getting ready to depart, to which Gilda remembered that Cipio had granted the Changelings permission to move their airship—and thus, their de facto new home—closer to his headquarters.

She then recalled from the end of the previous night that doing so served two purposes: First, it was to put them inside the base's innermost defensive ring where they could both be protected and keep his most critical areas free of Cloven infiltrators. And second, it was to show a measure of respect and trust in their new allies to the population of Aricia, especially when the Tribune gave his noon address to the city.

And that’s only thirty minutes away! Gilda abruptly realized when Imlay whispered the time to her, so she ordered her soldiers to secure their weapons, put themselves to rights and make themselves presentable. They didn’t have their formal uniforms available, of course, which was of no little relief to her after how bad her previous experiences were with them. Instead, they would simply stand in formation on board the airship in their combat uniforms while Cipio spoke.

Or at least, her soldiers would. She was then informed directly by a missive from Optio Rubens Virgo that the Tribune requested her immediate presence along with Marco and Corporal Imlay at his headquarters office balcony, from where he would address the city. Though no reason was given, she guessed it was to both introduce the human commander and show the populace of Aricia by example the bonds that had already formed between griffons and humans.

“By the Tribune’s command,” she acknowledged the order by signing the scroll, knowing it meant that shortly, everycreature would know about their new relationship. But she also found that she didn’t care, proud to stand at his side and show off her human mate to griffons and Caleponians alike.

And if they can’t deal with it, tough. We already have the approval of everycreature whose opinions matter to me. Any dweeb who doesn’t like it can face me in a duel. Just hope Marco presents himself well…

To her relief, upon being shown the order, Marco immediately went below and put himself to rights as much as possible, pulling what Imlay had termed his ‘surplus’ combat clothing back on—it had been washed and cleaned along with her restored armor by the thoughtful Changelings. He returned with his rifle slung over his back and Fortrakt’s former combat knife displayed prominently on his chest along with freshly loaded quivers, some of which appeared to be borrowed from the Marines to judge by the different color patterns on them.

“Looking good, Flip-boy. You’re almost a proper soldier,” Guerrero said with a smirk, lowering the light sky griffon Raven repeater he was taking a turn practicing with. “Nowhere close to a Marine, though,” he had to add, to which Marco simply grinned and raised a middle finger at him.

“Fuck you too, Guerrero. I just figured it would be better if I presented myself to griffons as a warrior and not a civilian,” he said, turning to Gilda for confirmation.

She answered with a grin of her own. “Definitely. That’s exactly what you should do, though they’ll probably tell you to keep your weapon unloaded while we’re there.”

That gave Marco pause. “I won’t have a round chambered in either my Glock or AR, but that’s as far as I’ll go. With the Cloven around, there’s no way in hell I’m going anywhere unarmed if I can help it.”

“As I feel the same way, I’m not going to order you otherwise. Just remember that you’re representing all of us, Mister Lakan,” Imlay reminded him. “We need the trust and support of the populace, so please present yourself well and don’t say or do anything that will get us in trouble. Or it’ll be a bit more serious than pissing off that Equestrian Prince this time.”

“Oh, you mean Prince Blueballs?” Marco said dismissively to a snicker from his friends, earning a series of startled looks from the griffons and drones who understood Equish. “That stuffy and stupid stallion? He offended us when he made that pass at Tara. I just got in his face and told him exactly what I thought of him. I’m not apologizing for that.”

“He got off easy, Corporal. Marco just insulted him. If he didn’t, then Prince or no, I would have decked him after he magically groped me at dinner.” Tara grinned unpleasantly as she smacked her fist into her palm, causing Gilda’s eyes to go wide and then narrow. She exchanged an angry look with Giraldi, their mutual ire instantly rising at the very idea of the Prince using his aura in such a manner.

Huh. I knew from Rainbow that the Prince had a reputation for taking a lot of liberties with mares, but I didn’t know he was THAT bad! Gilda resolved she’d have some choice words of her own for him if they ever met, almost wishing that Tara had ‘decked’ him as several Marines voiced the same thought. Then again, if she had, they’d probably have all been expelled from Equestria on the spot for assaulting a royal, and I would have never met any of them!

After descending the gangplank along with an escort of Silencers and Archon Skorpius, Gilda and Marco were greeted by a four-seat coach pulled by two Sevastoponian pegasus mares wearing improvised armor that had been escorted in by other drones. They were there along with a fresh decade of Paladins, who looked at both their escort and the two humans they were to accompany quite balefully.

Nevertheless, they obeyed their orders. As their Decanus eaglessbared her throat at Gilda somewhat grudgingly, she announced that they were there to guide and protect them as they passed the headquarters security rings, giving Gilda and her human friends a single ruby crystal each with a warning to keep it on them at all times. Glancing at the Changelings, she somewhat warily admitted that she also had orders to let any accompanying drones through.

To which Archon Skorpius answered that they were there to detect corrupted creatures and otherwise provide a second layer of security for their honored guests. The Paladins seemed insulted by the insinuation that they couldn’t protect the pair themselves, with the lead eagless asking what experience he or any of the others had as a bodyguard. To which the Archon silenced any further debate by simply transforming into his Prime Pike persona, to startled flinches and a look of shocked recognition from the Paladin leader.

“I trust this settles any questions that I know what I’m doing, Decanus Vestium Casus?” he asked her mildly with a wink, to which the eagless visibly cringed and instantly relented, giving him a salute.

Huh. So she knows him, too. Then was she just his colleague? Or another former lover? Gilda wondered idly as the Paladins took close stations around them while the Changelings formed a ground and aerial cordon further out. She noted again that their insectile wings made it very easy for them to hover or move at even a walking pace forward through the air, which was something that would tire a sky griffon out relatively quickly for having to flap constantly and very precisely.

The small convoy took off, though Marco clutched at the sides of the open-topped coach as they did so to a smirk from Imlay. They arrived just two minutes later, passing through the first of several defensive rings around the headquarters building, which also had the two escaped escort airships standing sentry overhead.

Each ring consisted of both a ground and aerial element along with additional defensive enhancements, ranging from field enchantments to even a series of fully charged lightning orbs studding the spires of the Headquarters building itself. They were topped with arcing violet electrical sparks and made crackling sounds that Gilda knew meant that they were not only active, but would automatically target any creature that approached without carrying the special identification crystal they’d each been given previously.

Okay. But how would they stop a Cloven from coming in if they were equipped with one of these crystals borrowed from a captured corpse? She could only guess—or at least hoped—that there was some kind of sensory magic on them to identify their host as non-corrupted.

She resolved to ask about it later as they touched down outside the headquarters building itself. Gilda was impressed by the layers of security that greeted her as she entered it at the bottom, with her and Marco passing through multiple levels of magical scans and fully armed Paladin and Raven sentries on their way to the top.

Though she was sure more than a few of them were disguised drones, she had no way of knowing which were which as they passed each defensive cordon in turn to finally emerge into the top level, entering the Tribune’s office which she’d previously only seen through his memories.

It was exactly as she recalled it, leaving her noting how well-kept it was aside from a blanket on a low lounge that she guessed the Tribune or his wife had slept on. But she barely had a chance to take it all in before Optio Rubens Virgo stepped forward and greeted Gilda with a salute and bared throat.

“Welcome, Marco Lakan, Corporal Michael Imlay and Centurion Grizelda Behertz. The Tribune and his Uxor are waiting for you on the balcony along with a few others. Although you are here simply to showcase the presence of humanity, please know that all three of you may be asked by the Tribune to say a few words to the city.”

As she spoke, her eyes flitted to Marco for a moment in appraisal, and it was only then Gilda realized that it was the first time the young and earnest Talon officer had ever laid eyes on him. Despite her best efforts, she wasn’t quite able to stifle a blush or keep her wings from stiffening slightly, leaving Gilda further recalling how much the idea of her and Marco together had been a turn-on to the formerly sexually inexperienced eagless.

“I see,” Imlay answered before Gilda or Marco could, either not noticing her body language or just not aware of what it meant. “I can’t say I’m used to public speaking, and I’m not high-ranked in my nation’s military. But I’ll do what I can.”

“Same,” Marco said. “I don’t usually have a problem speaking my mind, but, uh… maybe that’s not a good idea here,” he added to the look Imlay was giving him.

“If it comes down to it, I will speak for the two of us, Marco,” Gilda decided. “No offense, but I’ll know what to say to other griffons. I think you’ll agree that this would be a very bad time for any more accidental offenses.”

“Listen to her, Lakan,” Imlay warned. “I mean it. This is a delicate moment. We have to be careful.”

“Uh, yeah,” Marco said with a grimace, leaving Gilda guessing he was remembering how earlier cultural misunderstandings had worked out for him and Chris. “That’s fine. I don’t want an entire city mad at me.”

The exchange left Rubens Virgo looking slightly befuddled for a moment, sensing the tension among them. But whatever thoughts were going through her mind, she refocused herself quickly. “Very well, then. If you will all follow me…?”

Exiting the office onto the large balcony, Gilda found its periphery ringed with Paladin and undisguised Silencer sentries who were further backed by two mages. Though the griffons cast alternately wary and distasteful looks at the two humans among them, the Changelings didn’t react to their presence at all. They instead continued their vigilance as the Queen’s airship arrived in position, dropping its airship anchor as Gilda watched so its left side—the port side? —faced the building from several hundred ground paces away.

Queen Lepidoptes herself was present on the top deck backed by a formation of her drones in battle gear, further flanked by two of the three Turmas of griffons aboard. The third, Gilda guessed, had taken position around the periphery of the airship along with the human Marines to provide another line of defense to the ship itself should the Cloven suddenly strike.

With so many important figures here, this would be a crow-damningly tempting target… she knew instinctively, but also assumed that every possible precaution had been taken to keep the proceedings safe. And indeed, there were plenty of airborne patrols present both nearby and in the distance, with Magus Knights studded throughout the throng below.

That throng itself consisted of not just the city’s Maior and her entourage, but several hundred civilian griffons and Caleponians who wore the uniforms of civilian base workers. There were also at least a dozen mages seeded throughout the crowd, who she assumed were there for not only protective purposes but to help broadcast the speech throughout the city, transmitting it from staff to staff. Despite their presence, the civilians stood somewhat nervously to be exposed like that, and she could tell that many of them were armed with occasionally improvised clubs and blades.

But she barely had a chance to take it all in before the Tribune addressed her, his voice far more respectful than it had started the previous night. He had also not replaced his stripped fur and feather dye, much to her surprise, wearing his true coat colors openly. “Welcome, honored guests. And especially you, Marco Lakan. Since we have not previously met, I am Tribune Cauda Cipio, commander of all Kingdom military forces in the Aricia district,” he began with a bared throat, which was a gesture Marco knew by then to return.

Giving a glance at Gilda, who nodded cautiously—she had told him about the Tribune’s change of heart at the end of the previous night—he stepped forward to offer his hand for a foreleg clasp. “The honor is mine,” he said simply and in a slightly clipped tone, clearly biting off whatever he wanted to say. “On behalf of myself and my friends Christopher McLain and Tara Fields, thank you for accepting and sheltering us, Tribune. I’m sure they’d like to meet you later.”

“Yes, well…” This time, it was Cipio who couldn’t stifle a blush at the mention of the two, leaving Gilda guessing he was remembering what he’d seen of them through the memory replays—and he’d seen everything, Gilda recalled with a swiftly suppressed grin—gaining an interest of his own in Tara along the way. “With respect to them, I did not exclude them as a slight. I simply wanted you here as civilian representative and Grizelda Behertz’s mate,” he offered with a slightly nervous glance at his glaring Uxor, who was wearing Magus armor and waiting to be introduced.

He cleared his throat and did so. “May I present my wife, Lenta Placere. A former Magus Knight Decurion and a superb healer.”

“Charmed,” she said somewhat shortly in accented Equish with a briefly bared throat, then looked the two humans over. “Far more fragile than I thought. And what could a true griffon possibly see in them…?” she then added under her breath in Aeric just loud enough for both Gilda and Cipio to hear, to which the Tribune shot her a quick glare but otherwise ignored her.

Though Marco gave her a questioning look at the muttered remark, Gilda wasn’t about to translate it for him. She found herself able to hold back a flare of temper at the backtaloned insult for recalling what she’d seen of the Tribune’s estranged relationship through his memories, to say nothing of what had been further revealed of it by Queen Lepidoptes herself.

Yes, his wife's got plenty of faults and a bad attitude. But so do I, and I don’t even want to think of what I would have done in her place, to learn that my longtime mate had been living a lie and hiding his ancestry until the birth of our cubs revealed it… she silently granted, resolving to give the older eagless the benefit of the doubt for now.

A few further pleasantries were exchanged before Rubens Virgo stepped outside to pass Marco and Imlay a pair of small translation crystals, instructing them to wear the gemstones near their ears. To their surprise, they stuck readily to their hat and helmet, and they both confirmed it was working when Gilda spoke a few words of Aeric that they instantly recited back to her in Equish. Satisfied, the Optio further reported that all preparations were complete for the Tribune's speech. Most importantly, that the mages present were ready to broadcast his words throughout the city at her signal, to which he nodded and complimented her.

“Thank you, Optio. Your efficiency and organizational intellect are greatly appreciated. May other griffons take note of your attentiveness and eagerness to please,” he said mildly in Aeric. His tone left Gilda certain he was returning his wife’s verbal slap, who clenched her beak but stayed silent at the rebuke. “Centurion, would you and your human friends excuse us for a moment? Please wait inside, and ask the Optio to provide you refreshment.”

“Of course,” she replied, turning to go back in. Imlay and Marco picked up on the tension between the Tribune and his Uxor, if not the reasons, if the glance between them was any indication. For her part, Rubens Virgo beamed and puffed her chest out for a moment before catching herself, leading them back inside. She offered them dried meats and fruits along with some rum, to which Marco was ready to accept but for Imlay’s presence.

“We don’t drink while on duty,” he seemed to be telling Marco as much as the young eagless. “And remember that we’ll be having some of your whiskey later.”

“Fine,” Marco relented, accepting some tea instead. “Could still use something stiff, though.”

Another message was then delivered to the Optio, who hastily took her leave only to return a minute later with Obsidian Ire and three of her kindred, including Orange Crush and two adolescent drakes Gilda hadn’t met yet.

Though the two drakinas gave them a nod of acknowledgement, the drakes were a different matter. Bigger and burlier than most of the dragon females, the mottled-gray and cobalt-blue males gave contemptuous looks at the two humans. Imlay didn’t react, but Marco did. “Great. More mouth-breathers,” he muttered under his breath, causing Gilda to cringe.

Just as she feared, the two drakes heard him despite their lack of visible ears. “Do you have a problem with us, human?” The biggest of them strode up to Marco and inhaled hard enough to let the gaps in his grayish-blue chest scales glow bright, standing nearly a head and a half above him. “Speak!”

Crows take it, Marco! Gilda was about to yank him back, and she saw the Silencers and Paladins in the room about to intervene. But Marco held up a hand in front of her and stood his ground before the large adolescent, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Yeah. Call me crazy, but I have a problem with anyone who thinks that just because they can breathe fire, they’re hot shit.”

“‘Shit’?” The drake stared at him, his slitted yellow eyes narrowing as he guessed the meaning and stepped even closer. “Did you just compare me to excrement…?” he asked as he loomed over Marco, the radiant heat of his chest close to painful against Gilda’s cheeks.

But in another show of bravado that left Gilda admiring the size of Marco’s sac, he flashed his teeth with his grin. “Yeah, I did. And I’ll also compare you to the bullies in bars I knew back home. You’re just like them, only acting all high and mighty to cover for your small dick. Or spear, as I’ve heard the griffies call them.”

The drake’s jaw briefly dropped at the near-mortal insult before his snout curled into a snarl and he grabbed Marco by the throat, only to suddenly find a human pistol pressed beneath his chin as Marco swiftly drew it from his side.

The drake froze in mid-squeeze, his slitted eyes wide as Marco laughed and Optio Virgo looked certain she was about to witness a murder, her beak agape. “Not so tough now, are you? I’m sure you know by now from the dragon girls what these ‘cannons’ of ours can do?” Marco asked mildly through a slightly choked voice, his face turning red from the partial pressure on his windpipe and the smoke still wafting in his face.

“We might have mentioned it. And that it was unwise to antagonize humans,” Orange Crush replied in equal parts disdain and worry. “Arrogant and insulting though he is, please do not harm him, Marco Lakan. We need him.”

“Lakan…” Imlay warned, his rifle raised before Gilda motioned at him to lower it with a wing and glared the sentries back, fearing an accidental pistol shot if they intervened and tried to grab either away. “You heard her. Don’t.”

“That’s up to him, Corporal. I won’t do anything unless he does. So how about it, you fucking drake? Wanna kill each other? Yeah, your hide’s tough, but I promise it ain’t stopping a point-blank bullet. So how about we see what happens when a nine-mil hollow point hits the inside of your empty skull? Should blow what little exists of your brains out your ears quite nicely,” he suggested mildly with an unhealthy amount of relish.

“You’re bluffing…” the drake tried to claim in a far more wan voice than before, his chest fire starting to fade while his talons began trembling against Marco’s neck.

“Am I…?” Marco smiled sweetly, leaving Gilda amazed that he looked completely at ease despite the drake still poised to rip out his throat. “There’s only one way to find out, you dumbass dragon. Try to choke me or breathe fire, and I swear it’ll be the last thing you ever do.”

The drake seemed struck speechless for a moment, his throat visibly bobbing repeatedly as he tried and failed to find words. Finally, he abruptly released Marco and staggered back from him, having to lean heavily on the Tribune’s desk for a moment.

“See, Imlay? Sometimes it pays to speak your mind,” Marco said in satisfaction as he rubbed his raw throat, then grinned at the look the Corporal was giving him. “What? That was no different than standing up to the bikers in Tara’s old dive bar. Tara herself pulled her shotgun on them more than once. And besides, I already learned from Gilda here that the dragons give you respect if you stand up to them.”

“I swear, if you get us incinerated, Lakan…” was all the visibly unnerved Marine Corporal would say.

“He’s right, Corporal,” Gilda admitted. “That’s how you deal with dragons. Still, I’d really rather you didn’t make that a habit, Marco.”

“Seconded,” Obsidian Ire finally spoke up. “He wasn’t going to kill you, Mister Lakan.”

“That’s fair. Because I wasn’t going to kill him, either,” he said in a smug voice loud enough for the drake to hear as he held his pistol up and pulled the trigger to a flinch from all present, only for the action to result in a sharp but harmless click. “I hadn’t chambered a round, remember? The barrel was empty. So yeah. It was a bluff,” he confirmed, to which the drake stared at him in disbelief. His clanmates likewise went stunned for a moment, only to openly laugh to the relief of all.

Obsidian Ire then came up to Marco. She stood even taller than the drake, leaving him staring straight into her scaled chest before craning his neck to see her face. She studied him for a moment before grinning and ruffling his hair. “You’re all right, human,” she then told him to the relief of all before turning her attention to Gilda. “And I approve of your taste in mates, Grizelda Behertz.”

“Uh… thanks,” Gilda offered, not sure if she more wanted to hug or smack Marco at that moment as Optio Virgo slumped down in relief. “But let’s try not to antagonize or threaten any more potential allies, Marco? Or give our hosts a heart attack?”

“I prefer to think of it as making new friends,” Marco said with a grin and glance around the room, where griffon and Changeling alike were suddenly looking upon him with far more respect. “Sorry, but I had to show you that I wasn’t afraid. No hard feelings?” he then asked the drake, who stared back at him.

And after a few more seconds, he spoke. “My name is Stromboli, youngest son of Dragon Lord Vesuvius. I would be angry at your insults and deception, but I challenged you and lost a battle of wits and nerves, which is no less important to us than strength. So ‘no hard feelings’, Marco Lakan,” he said with far more respect than he had previously, this time going up to offer a forearm clasp. “You clearly have a dragon’s heart.”

“As does his mate,” Obsidian Ire added as Marco reciprocated. “Which is not to say I still do not wish to duel you later after your earlier ambush, Grizelda Behertz.” She bared her teeth with her grin.

“I look forward to it,” Gilda said with a grin of her own, now anticipating a far more friendly match that she still strongly suspected she would lose. “But it can wait. It looks like the Tribune is ready for us again, so shall we go out to meet him…?”

Several minutes later, Gilda found herself standing slightly behind and to the left of Cipio along with Imlay and Marco, while the four dragons flanked him and his Uxor to the right.

A still-shocked Optio Virgo brought up the Tribune’s four cubs last to join the entourage. They looked very nervous and uncomfortable as they stood openly before the crowd in what Gilda guessed were their true coat colors, having alternately inherited their avian or feline features from their father.

There was a ripple of discontentment that passed through both the military and civilian griffons watching as they beheld him and his family, while his wife kept her eyes fixed straight ahead and stance rigid.

Whatever they discussed while we were inside, it doesn’t look like it was a pleasant talk, Gilda recognized, suddenly glad that she didn’t have to deal with it. Compared to that, Marco mouthing off to a drake is nothing! she further thought as the Tribune began speaking into a mounted loudspeaker crystal that boomed his voice out across the entire base—which was then, Gilda gathered by all the glowing Magus staffs she could see, being transmitted into every corner of the city.

“Greetings, griffons and ponies of Aricia. This is Tribune Cipio speaking. I do not have to tell you of the dire situation we face, or the existential threat the Cloven of the Sun poses to not just us, but the entire Kingdom!” he began. “Indeed, every race and nation of Tellus is now threatened, for if victorious, our foe will extinguish all life in this world. And thus, every race and nation of Tellus, from our oldest friends to even our most implacable enemies, rises to resist the onslaught! Races and nations who stand with us here and now,” he said as he nodded to either side of the balcony.

“And that is the first message I would convey to everycreature listening: that we are not alone in this fight. That we have not been forgotten. And that we will not be abandoned,” he then said emphatically, unrolling a scroll that bore the royal seal. “If you do not believe me, I have in my possession a proclamation from Queen Molyneux herself. Hear her words, and take heart that our struggle is known!” he then stated before he read it aloud.

“To the honored defenders of Aricia—know that all of you, whether Caleponian or Griffon, dragon or Changeling, Human or yes, even the Ibex, are heroes in the eyes of the entire Gryphon Kingdom. Know that you are worthy of our immortal Ancestors and the great myths of old. Know also that your stand against the Cloven buys the Kingdom precious time to regroup and ready a counteroffensive—one that will turn the tide of this vicious invasion and drive this evil abomination from our land!”

He paused before continuing, trying to gauge the reaction of the crowd. It was muted, with only a few weak calls or pony hoofclaps offered. “She continues: Your Queen recognizes the magnificent courage and warrior spirit of every soldier and civilian of Aricia in holding off what seemed an unstoppable onslaught, annihilating an entire Cloven Army and its Overlord. All the Kingdom celebrates your stunning victory, and further recognizes those who made it possible, including allies both old and new,” he recited, turning to his right.

“To the Vesuvius dragon clan, you aided us centuries ago in our hour of need against the forces of Dragon Lord Diabla, and it is noted with honor and appreciation that you once more stand at our side. We mourn the loss of your Lord, who fought in that long-ago war as an adolescent, earning eternal glory from the Kingdom. That you were the first to fight and fall against this ancient enemy, escaping your islands with warning of the invasion to come saved many southern and western cities, including Aricia! Know that your plea for help in liberating your island homes is heard. And by the strength of both our Ancestors and your Ancient Dragon Lords alike, it WILL be answered!”

Despite the declaration, the four dragons gave no visible reaction Gilda noticed other than Orange Crush briefly bowing her head. Even Stromboli kept his eyes fixed forward at the mention of his sire, not reacting except for the very tip of his long tail beginning to tremble.

Obsidian Ire stilled it with her own, swishing it over to lay across the drake’s in what Gilda guessed was the dragon equivalent of a comforting gesture as Cipio then turned to his left, towards Imlay. “To the human soldiers and civilians who swore no oath to the Kingdom, but have now fought at our side to defend not just Aricia but Arnau itself, your resolve and wondrous weapons are likewise recognized, as is your now-unquestioned warrior spirit. You are a great credit to your nation and race, and we would now gladly forge an alliance with you in this war’s wake.”

Though Imlay didn’t move from his ready stance, the Marines on the airship gave a cheer. “Ooh-rah!”

Smiling briefly, Cipio raised his head to stare towards the Changeling airship. “And to the Changeling Hive of Queen Scylla Lepidoptes the Eighth! We are now fully informed of your efforts to aid the gryphon race and welcome your help. From the bottom of our warrior hearts, we thank you for standing at the Kingdom’s side and lending your strength to its survival, fighting in the open alongside us for the first time in our long, and often contentious history,” he began.

“I am told that you seek the respect and acceptance of gryphon society? Given your long association with us, you surely know that it must be earned. But you are earning it through fighting and dying at our side. When this invasion is ended, we will reward you with land and sovereignty. I look forward to meeting you, Queen Lepidoptes, so that we may finally settle seven centuries of animosity and distrust between our races.”

This time, it was the drones who gave a cheer while Queen Lepidoptes herself bowed her head. The reaction from the ponies and griffons on the ground was some mild grumbling, however.

But the Queen’s proclamation still wasn’t finished. “And on that subject, surely no race has earned as much animosity and distrust from gryphons as the ibex! And yet, I am told that several of them now fight to defend Aricia—Capricorn Adepts, no less! —who have likewise pledged their service to the Kingdom.” Cipio’s face suddenly screwed up slightly, like he was having trouble believing what he was reading. Nevertheless, he went on.

“I am under no illusions that they do so out of anything but necessity, knowing that we are the Ascendancy’s shield in this existential struggle. That if we fall to the Cloven, they will be next! But that makes their actions no less honorable, and we always reward those who fight at our side regardless of race or nation! Thus, by my order, they are to be set free immediately, and will be allowed to return to the Ascendancy when this war is over!”

Gilda couldn’t see the reaction of Karin Kazal and the two ibex females on board the airship, other than the startled glance they exchanged. She could well imagine the response of the Ravens to hearing that, though. Then again, given what she did with the Starshina last night, maybe Miles Fortuna won’t mind one bit! She stifled a grin at the memories.

“But all this lies in the future. For our second struggle against the Cloven has only begun! And it is a struggle the ancient fortress city of Aricia will yet play a key role in.” This time, the Tribune paused to gather himself before continuing.

“What I ask of you—what not just your Queen, but the entire Kingdom now asks of you—will not be quick or easy. A single Overlord stands annihilated. But many more remain. What the Kingdom requires above all else is time—time to mobilize, and to clean out Cloven concentrations to our rear so we may form a solid front and bring the full weight of our many legions to bear!

“It is only then that we may mass the true power of our mighty race for a proper counterattack! One that will sweep this nihilistic enemy from not just our land, but the very face of Tellus! But this will take many days to accomplish. Thus, every hour and minute that Aricia stands in defiance of the Cloven that surrounds her splits their forces and leaves them unable to continue their western offensive on a grand scale,” Cipio recited, pausing to take a heavy breath.

“They cannot ignore you, as they will need the city’s population to feed their factories and continue their invasion into the Aresian interior. Thus, they will come for Aricia again. And by the Ancestors themselves, you must be ready.”

Cipio paused again as Gilda read between the lines of the Queen’s statement, and she was sure that everycreature around her could as well. So in other words, we’re to hold out here with no relief coming for days to weeks, or possibly even never, stalling the Cloven for as long as possible. And if we fall, we’ll have to not just kill but incinerate ourselves to make sure that we can’t be used as food for their factories… She tried not to think about it, vowing that if it came to that, she would die together with Marco, in the embrace of him and his friends.

“None of this is to say that you will be offered no resupply or reinforcement, or any chance for relief. I cannot say more for now, but know that we will make every effort to aid you from afar. And in time, assist in your extraction once your purpose is fulfilled.”

A frowning Gilda had no idea what that meant, or how it was even possible to ‘aid them from afar’, but she also knew that the Queen wasn’t given to false promises and always meant what she said. “So stand tall and stand proud, soldiers and civilians of the Kingdom! Know that your heroic efforts are not in vain, and that your valiant stand and fallen will be properly honored when we yet emerge victorious against our murderous foe!”

The Tribune lowered the scroll again to stare out over the assembled crowd. There was little reaction from ponies and griffons alike other than a few nods and hung heads, perhaps understanding what was being asked of them and how unlikely they and their families were to survive it. And yet, there was also no derision that greeted the Queen’s words, just a resignation coupled with what she took was a quiet determination to go down fighting.

Well, what else can you do when the alternative isn’t enslavement but annihilation? And worse, being turned into a tool of the enemy against your own friends and family? Gilda silently knew, glancing up at Marco to see him likewise staring pensively at the ground. Perhaps sensing her gaze, he turned to her briefly, as if to ask her if she heard the same things he had. She gave him a curt nod, stepping fractionally closer and putting a set of talons over the front of his boot as Cipio rolled up the scroll, passing it back to Optio Virgo who accepted it with a salute in what Gilda was certain was a pre-scripted action, and then turned on her four heels to step away, standing back behind him.

“Those were the Queen’s words. But those that follow are mine,” Cipio stated, stepping forward. “Look upon me, Griffons of Aricia. For the first time, I stand before you as I truly am, stripped of the long-time disguise I dishonorably hid behind for years. Yes, I am a descendant of the former Cheetahean Peninsula ruling clan. And no, I am not going to betray you to the Cloven as my ancestors did to the ibex!” he said vehemently.

“That I am here before you now after fighting to save the city instead of fleeing it should prove once and for all where my loyalty lies. You may hold my lineage against me if you wish, but the truth is that I hid it not for my own sake, but for that of my family!” he proclaimed as he motioned his wife and cubs forward, who did so a bit reluctantly; a glance to the side showed Gilda that his Uxor still had a clenched beak.

“It was not without cost, to any of us. Our magical disguises had to be constantly renewed, and It held me back from further promotion or a place on the Kingdom’s military council, as I knew I could not withstand the scrutiny that such a prestigious post would entail. But all that is meaningless now. All that matters is the fight against the Cloven. All that matters is the survival of not just our Kingdom, but our very race!” he said vehemently.

“Know that I reveal my true plumage in solidarity with Queen Lepidoptes and her Changelings, who have likewise shed their disguises to walk openly among us and fight at our side. For those unaware, it was the Queen and her Hive who saved the city by warning us repeatedly of where the Cloven would strike next. Who rescued the humans and their incredible weapons which now brace our defense.

“And it was the Queen herself who slew the Cloven Overlord attempting to overwhelm us, crushing its army and ending the immediate threat to Aricia,” he took great pains to say. “She saved our lives and brought not just the city, but the entire Kingdom precious time. All gryphondom thus owes her a great debt of gratitude, and as our newest and most important ally, I invite her to address you now.”

He stepped back from the crystal loudspeaker with a low bow across the air to her, which earned another disapproving rumble from the crowd that he was bowing to anyone other than Queen Molyneux or her line. Gilda even saw some grumbling from her new century of troops on the airship, but a glare from Giraldi along with what she assumed was a sharply worded statement from Fortrakt silenced them.

“Thank you, Tribune. You honor not just me, but my entire hive with your kind words,” the Queen acknowledged as she stepped up, using her magic to boost her voice without the aid of a crystal. “Greetings, honored soldiers and citizens of Aricia. You have been through much, but even more is required of not just you, but all of us in the days and weeks ahead. A struggle for survival in which we all must play our part,” she began easily.

“Though I am certain that some of you may doubt our motives, wondering why we only now appear before you after centuries of silence, the truth is that we were never absent. We have always walked among you as soldiers and teachers, cooks and craftsgriffons, friends and comrades, and yes—even lovers,” she said with a meaningful look at Cipio, who wasn’t quite able to stifle a blush even as his Uxor gave him a glare.

The Queen then transformed into her guise of a griffon countess, evoking some flinches and muffled curses, especially from the Maior and other civilian officials on the ground below. “This is how you knew me before. Our forms and roles in the day-to-day life of the Kingdom have been numerous, but in all of them, we have aided you, working towards and awaiting the day that we could finally step into the light,” she went on, dropping her disguise with a second flare of green fire.

“With the coming of the Cloven, that day has arrived, and though I sense the suspicions that some of you still harbor, Queen Molyneux is correct: we do know what griffons require to earn respect. It is thus our intention to gain your trust and our place among you by fighting—and dying—at your side,” she said emphatically, earning another set of low murmurs.

“I give you my solemn word as Sovereign ruler of the Lepidoptes hive that we will not abandon you in your hour of need. That we will lend our strength and skill to the city’s defense. And that the Cloven will not extinguish the life of this city so long as I draw breath.”

She drew her oversized sword from her back and held it in the air before her in a salute directed to not Tribune Cipio, but the Kingdom flag behind him, not lowering it until Tribune Cipio returned the honor on behalf of the Kingdom as ranking officer. And this time, her gesture of respect to the Kingdom as a whole earned a much more favorable undercurrent from the watching crowd.

As she stepped back, the Tribune stepped up. “On behalf of the entire Kingdom, thank you, Queen Lepidoptes. Your willingness to stand by us in our darkest day has been noted appreciatively by no less than Queen Molyneux herself,” Cipio said, speaking into the broadcast crystal once more.

“Though the most prominent of our new allies, they are but one of several friends, both old and new, who have likewise aided us in our hour of need. It would be remiss of me to not recognize them, so I also welcome into our fold our old allies, the Vesuvius Dragon Clan, who as the Queen said once fought at the Kingdom’s side in the war against Dragon Lord Diabla,” he then said to Obsidian Ire, who stepped up and saluted the crowd on behalf of the other three adolescents behind her.

Though offered the chance to speak, she did so only briefly, pledging their service to the Kingdom in the war against the Cloven but also stating that the survivors of her clan would otherwise let their actions speak for them.

She punctuated her statement with a gout of violet fire she breathed into the air before stepping back to a nod from the Tribune. “Thank you, Drakina. Though you seek no reward but the liberation of your lands, know that the Kingdom will honor your efforts with gems and gold, just as we did so many centuries ago,” he told her, to which she only gave a curt nod.

Cipio then turned to his left. “I also thank the humans for lending their military strength and sorcery to the city’s defense. They, too, have pledged their lives to the Kingdom’s survival,” he added with a nod to Imlay, who stepped forward to face the crowd. There was a brief exchange between the pair before he somewhat reluctantly spoke into the crystal speaker.

Though clearly not used to public speaking in any setting but giving orders to his squad, he did his best to sound commanding. “Greetings, griffons and ponies of Aricia. I am Corporal Michael Imlay of the United States Marine Corps,” he began. “We are an elite fighting unit of my parent nation, and though we came here as simple diplomatic escorts, we quickly came to appreciate the pride and patriotism of the Griffon Kingdom. Two qualities we very much admire,” he told them all, waiting for the Tribune’s translation to catch up with him.

“We are few, but we can and will fight for you for as long as we are able. And all we would ask in return is that we may earn your trust and respect, and to honor our dead alongside yours,” he told the crowd before glancing at Cipio slightly uncertainly and stepping back at his nod.

Gilda nodded her own respect at his statement. Not bad at all, Corporal. Short, sweet, and you said all the right things. She vowed to compliment him later as the Tribune stepped up to speak again.

“Thank you, Corporal Imlay. I admit that I did not immediately believe the tales of how effective your weapons and tactics truly were, but I have been shown differently thanks to Queen Lepidoptes, and your impressive demonstration of them this morning,” he said with a bared throat, which Imlay took pains to return.

“But given my ongoing unfamiliarity with them, the humans and their escort remain under the command of Centurion Grizelda Behertz, whose efforts were instrumental in getting them over thirty leagues through hostile territory to safety. Would you care to say a few words, Centurion?” He then invited Gilda up.

Though she stiffened slightly, having half-hoped she could escape giving a speech to the city herself—she’d never enjoyed any form of public speaking unless she was addressing the soldiers under her command—she forced some steel into her voice and spine as she saluted him. “By your command, Tribune.”

“Knock ‘em dead, Gilds,” Marco said under his breath as she stepped away. Though she blinked at the strange statement, she guessed it was yet another human euphemism, this time roughly the equivalent of an old and mostly unused griffon adage to “speak well and clip their wings of doubt.”

So Ancestors above, what do I say…? she wondered frantically as she reached the speaking crystal, all her earlier thoughts on the subject suddenly fleeing her head. It doesn’t have to be much, right? Imlay and Obsidian Ire kept it quick and to the point. So how can I?

She decided to open with some humility, which was a quality her teenage self had never known. “I thank you for your kind words, Tribune. Though in truth, I am less responsible for getting us there than the humans themselves. In truth, it took the combined efforts of all of us—human, griffon, dragon, changeling and even ibex—for us to survive our initial ambush and the subsequent flight to Aricia,” she said, baring her throat in Imlay’s and then Obsidian Ire’s direction, suddenly realizing from her own statement what she needed to say.

“It took all our combined magical and military talents to not only escape death, but vanquish our enemy. And that is the lesson I learned from our struggle to survive. That it will take the cooperation of all races and nations to defeat the Cloven, regardless of whatever conflicts we had before. That everycreature, regardless of service or station, must do their part and unite with shared purpose to fight our ancient foe!” She suddenly found herself speaking with far more fervor as she went on, gratified by a still-muted but stronger eruption of acclaim from the crowd.

She waited for it to die down before continuing. “We have already proven that beating the Cloven can be done, both here and in our stand at Lake Languid where the Changelings turned the tide of battle, saving us when all seemed lost. For their efforts, know that you have my personal gratitude, Queen Lepidoptes. For not just that, but everything you did for us over the past day.”

She took pains to bow low across the expanse of air towards the Queen’s airship, where the Changeling monarch returned the respect with a bow of her head.

“I would also recognize the roles of Obsidian Ire and her clan sisters who aided us in the lake defense when they didn’t have to. We would not have lasted long without them, or her clan brothers who likewise fought to defend the city, destroying enemy siege engines and later a Cloven factory.” She then bared her throat to her right, receiving a return of the gesture from Obsidian Ire herself while the other three gave her their customary double-fisted salutes.

She returned the honor instantly. “And then there’s Starshina Karin Kazal and his two fellow Capricorn adepts, who came to the Kingdom as enemies but now risk their lives in its defense. They, too, saved not just me, but all of us repeatedly with their unique magical talents. Thank you for my life, Starshina.”

And everything else… she didn’t dare say out loud as she bared her throat towards the airship again, to which she just caught the nod of his bearded head. But noting the remarks earned a slightly less favorable reaction, she quickly moved on.

“But most especially of all, I wish to honor the three human civilians who came here as advisors and arcane specialists only to be swept up in a struggle not of their own choosing. Despite that, they armed themselves and fought with honor and courage as well as any soldier, showing the best qualities of their nation and race. Thank you, Christopher McLain and Tara Fields. But thanks most especially goes to my human mate!”

She then motioned Marco forward to an eruption of startled noises from below; he stepped forward in some surprise of his own but quickly took his place at her side. “This is Marco Lakan. How we became mates is not important, except to say that he has shown me a simple honor and respect that I have rarely seen from other griffons. An honor and respect that I could not help but return. Take it from me that our races are fully compatible in every way that matters. And that his honor is shared by most of them.”

“Uh… hi, there,” Marco greeted them at Gilda’s invitation, motioning with her head towards the speaker crystal. “Thanks for the kind words, Centurion. And believe me, the feeling is mutual. Speaking for all three of us, we’ve come to love the Kingdom, and we'll do whatever we can to help.” To her surprise and what she was sure was no little relief from Imlay, he left it there. Despite that, she frowned at the muttered remarks and expressions of distaste she could see below, once she translated his words.

Dweebs. Fine, I’ll give them something to chew on… “Thank you, Marco. Whatever you may think of him, and whatever you may think of me—know that I will defend his honor as my own, just as any eagless worth her wings would. But like the Tribune, my first loyalty is to the Kingdom! I will serve it faithfully and if required, sacrifice my life in its service. And in the end, I would expect no less from you, or anycreature under my command!” she directed her last remark at the soldiers lining the deck of the airship.

“Big words for an eagless who lays with an alien ape,” she just heard Cipio’s wife speak under her breath in Aeric, too quiet for Marco’s ear crystal to pick up. “No respect for tradition or even her own race. Just like my husband.”

Gilda turned to her and gave the other eagless a stare, wondering how much Cipio had told her about the night before as the Tribune himself gave his wife a fresh glare of his own. But instead of answering her directly, she addressed the crowd below.

“This is war, civilians and soldiers of Aricia. It brings out the best and worst of everycreature, often all at the same time. So let it be the best of us that the Cloven see! Let it be our unity and resolve, along with the stiffness of our spines and the strength of our steel! Let them not see us divided, or falling back on the most petty of grievances or prejudices that are meaningless now. As long as we are better than that, the Cloven cannot conquer us!”

This time, Cipio himself offered his own applause to the remarks, sitting back to clap his talons together like ponies did. “Well said, Centurion. She speaks for all of us!” he then added with another look at his Uxor, leaving Gilda guessing that he’d directed that remark at her. “I invited you and Marco Lakan here in part to showcase the bonds that have already formed between our races. But there was another reason for your presence here,” he said almost mildly, glancing over his shoulder at Optio Virgo, who nodded once and then stepped back inside his office briefly.

Though Gilda wasn’t sure what that was about, she turned to face him. “Another reason, sir?” she asked politely, having no idea what that would be. Punishment for challenging him? He wouldn’t do that publicly after inviting me to speak!

“Indeed. Despite our… awkward beginning, both your battle reports and mine have been forwarded to Arnau, where they have been reviewed by everygriffon from Legate Narada up to Queen Molyneux herself. They were… suitably impressed. Especially after I related what I’d seen of your command ability through the memory replays enabled by Queen Lepidoptes,” he said mildly, the barest hint of a grin briefly breaking his beak.

“I first knew you as a mere Gladio under my command during a single rotation but three short years ago. I recognized then that you had the makings of a good soldier and leader, though I certainly did not anticipate your meteoric rise through the ranks over the past several months!”

His grin then turned something close to sly. “It is a rise that is not over yet. For such efforts and exemplary command performance as you exhibited over the first day of war, leading two centuries of mixed forces successfully in battle against an implacable enemy must be recognized and rewarded. Centurion Behertz! Stand at attention!” he then ordered sharply, to which a surprised Gilda instantly stiffened.

Though she heard the approach of several griffons behind her, she couldn’t see them, her gaze locked forward as it was while the Tribune waited for them to move into position. Once they had, he accepted another scroll from Optio Virgo, unrolled it and began to recite from it.

“This is an order written by your former commander, Legate Narada of Arnau, and signed by Queen Molyneux herself. Though you are officially reprimanded for attempting to exceed the authority of your Diplomatic Command Chain, it has been decided that you will not only keep it, but continue to wield it! You will do so in wartime service to the Kingdom, named official liaison to all Human and Changeling forces in Aricia,” he began as Gilda started to feel faint at what she guessed was about to happen.

By the Ancestors... ANOTHER promotion?

The Tribune confirmed it with his next words. “Of course, as liaison to not one but two important allies, it is only proper that you bear a rank appropriate to not only your post, but the cohort-sized escort forces you must now command,” he told her matter-of-factly, his sly grin beginning to grow.

“Thus, by direction of Legate Narada and further endorsed by both myself and the Queen, you are hereby promoted… to sub-Tribune!” he announced grandly, stepping back as several of his aides came into view, holding her enhanced armor pieces in their beaks.

“Though I would never have dreamt I would have said this upon meeting you yesterday, I have been shown that it is indeed well-earned,” he said with a slightly ironic smile and glance across the air towards a grinning and nodding Queen Lepidoptes, who looked to Gilda like a proud mother, all but beaming at her.

“Reap the rewards of your dedication to duty and incredible leadership ability, sub-Tribune Grizelda Behertz! And stand tall as one of the Kingdom’s premier young combat commanders!”

The applause and cheers that followed from the deck of the Queen’s airship were raucous.