O: 32

  A hundred ga’onax have passed since the last of the Goyk people migrated to Ao’Hanoorat.

  The Goyk required thirty ga’onax, at the very least, simply to survive. They relied upon the waters of Lake Bilbadop to reclaim the land and raise crops. Thereafter, they reinforced and expanded the city of Hanerok, strengthening their defenses against sandstorms and the searing heat.

  This people may have lost an entire kingdom—its lands, wealth, fortresses, and dwellings—but the legacy of their ancient knowledge and sorcery remained.

  Hanerok was no match for the grandeur of the former capital. It was without magnificent palaces, broad avenues, and the great public works of old. Yet the Goyk had no other choice. It was precisely upon this crude and patchwork foundation that they secured a place to settle, and from it the royal administration was reestablished.

  Over the next seventy ga’onax, while the ownan lived in peace, the Goyk pursued their plans of return and vengeance in silence. Throughout that time, the Court of Goykang issued decrees commanding the entire populace to devote themselves to the establishment of magical manufactories and the rebuilding of the army. They were resolved to reclaim the lands they believed had been seized by treacherous slaves.

  By the order of King G’Vaszorynk, and with equal urgency, wizards, scholars, and apothecaries were compelled to devise, at all costs, a remedy capable of neutralizing what they called death-scent.

  The a’Boni scent caused the Goyk population to decline catastrophically, leaving fewer than one tenth of their people alive. Goyk scholars later recorded that dark period in the annals of history as “the unforgivable genocide perpetrated by the barbarian ownan.”

  With encouragement from the royal administration, the population recovered to a significant degree, though it could never make up for the immense losses previously suffered.

  In truth, even at the height of the Goykang Empire, its armies conquered and subdued other kingdoms not through numbers, but through a secret art of the Gawaring bloodline and Husk Trees, known among them as Kag’Zorad.

  After a hundred ga’onax of endurance and long, unbroken waiting, the Goyk’s journey of return and vengeance formally began. The vast distance ahead could be crossed only by air. From the earliest stages of the plan, the Court of Goykang placed priority upon the construction of flying vessels for transport. According to the calculations of the royal scholars, the fleet would be required to remain in continuous flight for a full ga’o in order to reach Ao’Mahgar.

  ~~~

  At the Puroot of Oawgiboni, the principal leaders, from the Aguds to the agud’Aga, had gathered in full assembly. The scouting party then presented all that they had witnessed: the Goyk were advancing, and their army was vast, far surpassing the ownan Warhost.

  Before all present, Voznugaid spoke in admission:

  ‘OaaKiteh ~ We have slumbered in peace. We discovered the Goyk host too late, and even now its full magnitude escapes us. The ownan people, and all living beings, will soon bear the consequences of our own na?veté and lack of vigilance.’

  Voznugaid gripped the Arasok Staff tightly, his voice louder and steadier than before.

  ‘OaaLoarin ~ brothers and sisters, now more than ever we must remain clear-headed. I believe there are three urgent missions that must be carried out.

  First: evacuate all beasts and inhabitants north of the Holingeng Highlands. The Goyk are advancing from that direction.

  Second: move all elders, children, and the ownan’e of the Tribes into hiding within the root-nests beneath the earth.

  Third: the Warhost must immediately organize and deploy the Wardclans and Wardbands in the northern reaches of Holigeng.

  Our forces shall adhere to the defensive and ambush tactics for which we have trained through long preparation. Now I ask you: does anyone have a different proposal? Who among you is willing to take up this responsibility?’

  Hudyn stepped forward and spoke sharply. ‘Me. I will take charge of troop deployments in Holigeng.’

  He turned to Ramii. ‘You are coming with me. I will need that crafty head of yours.’

  ‘Agreed,’ Ramii said. ‘Let Hudyn and me, together with the agud’As and the Aguds, lay out the formations across the highlands. We will do so on the floating isles as well, and among the clouds.’

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  ‘I will take responsibility for the Kyladin Wardclans,’ Skichip said. ‘As for the Glooky Wardclans, the agud’Aga will handle them better than I.’

  Voznugaid nodded to Skichip.

  ‘I will lead the evacuation of the Tribes,’ Lyndorin said. ‘Krutas, will you come with me on this task? There will be many Tribes in the north.’

  Krutas placed a hand upon her shoulder. ‘I will.’

  ‘Our circle of twelve Ogoses will see to the evacuation of the beast herds,’ said an Ogos. She turned her gaze to Katuo. ‘You will, of course, be among us.’

  “Gladly, Elder Moroa,” Katuo replied, bowing her head.

  When the leaders had agreed upon their respective roles and no further voices were raised, the agud’Aga proceeded to assign the Aguds to their allotted companies. At last, Voznugaid stepped into the center of the Puroot and called out loudly:

  ‘Ramii. Katuo. Hudyn. Step forward.’

  The three came to stand before him. He placed both hands upon his chest and said:

  ‘OaaDoara ~ Brothers of the henan. This war does not truly concern the henan, yet you stand here with us. Every wind blows to the place it is meant to reach. Every raindrop falls where it is meant to fall. The ownan hold fast, always, to their faith in the providence of Oaa ~ OaaDoara.’

  The others answered in a loud chorus: ‘OAADOARA ~’

  ‘OaaTikki ~ Voznugaid, I have not forgotten my promise to help you rescue Lady Tlyna. Now is the time to fulfill it. I, and all the ownan, will fight the Goyk to our final breath ~ OaaTikki.’

  All the ownan placed both hands upon their chests. ‘OAATIKKI ~’

  Voznugaid drew a crystal blade and cut the tip of his finger. He then bade Ramii, Hudyn, and Katuo do the same. Taking their hands, he pressed the wounds together and held them downward. Red and violet drops of blood, of the two peoples, mingled upon the ground.

  The others followed. They cut their fingertips and let their blood fall as well.

  ‘OaaLoarin ~ Brothers of this bond. You breathe the same air, drink from the same waters, and walk upon the same earth. We are one.

  The ownan give their love wholly. The henan receive it wholly in return. Upon the bond of kindred blood, beneath the witness of the Mother’s Child ~ OaaLoarin.’

  All voices answered as one: ‘OAALOARIN ~’

  ~~~

  O: 33

  At the northern horizon, colossal dark silhouettes began to emerge. The aerial fleet advanced into Ao’Mahgar in steady, orderly formation, utterly unlike the chaotic retreat of the past.

  The heart of the migrating host was a drifting castle, heavy and ponderous amid the clouds. It resembled a dark island crowned with four jagged, needle-sharp peaks set at right angles—its four towers. This was the Domaryd Citadel, the seat of the Goykang Court.

  Circling it were flotillas of vessels, each with a distinct purpose: broad, flattened ships laden with vast numbers of troops; long carriers for civilians; and clusters of smaller craft, each assigned to a multitude of other functions.

  The fleet moved toward the center of a broad, level forest and came to a halt, hovering in place. From the four towers of the Domaryd Citadel, four spheres of fire were cast down. The instant they struck the ground, they detonated, rolling outward in waves of green flame.

  A vast swath of primeval forest was consumed. Before long, the sea of fire waned. The Citadel descended at a measured pace onto the scorched, smoke-choked land, where nothing remained but ash and blackened remnants. Its colossal base drove countless spikes deep into the earth. Then, one by one, the flotillas touched down and settled into position.

  The Goyk emerged from their vessels.

  Their faces, weathered and calloused by the unforgiving Ao’Hanoorat, were overcome with emotion at the sight of a land both familiar and estranged. Their red eyes flickered with feeling, for they saw themselves as exiles returned at last to their homeland. Then the folds of skin along their eyes and brows quivered with rage, as they believed this beautiful territory—rightfully theirs—had been usurped by the ownan. This belief stood in stark contrast to that of their forebears, who had never considered land, or even a single grain of sand, to be something that could be owned.

  ~~~

  From the bellies of the ships, swarms of grotesque creatures poured forth. They set about clearing the ash that blanketed the earth and leveling the ground. Beyond their military purpose, the Husk Trees of the Goyk also bred certain servitor breeds well suited to heavy labor. These were called Smarpon, a name meaning “those born to obey, incapable of refusal,” and in the eyes of the Goyk, they were esteemed even above enslaved ownan.

  Yet no matter how numerous the Smarpon grew, the Goyk were never content. Their minds were never permitted repose; they were driven ceaselessly to conceive slaves of ever greater utility. If the Simulacrum were the weapons by which they dominated and slaughtered kindred races of shared ancestral origin, then the Smarpon were the tools through which they mastered and laid waste to Nature itself—the very cradle from which they had once arisen.

  Wherever the ground had been leveled, a squat, broad-bodied Smarpon followed, and roads were laid in its wake, extending outward from the Citadel in every direction. From their maws they expelled a molten mixture, arranging it into neat rows and orderly layers. This material consisted of volcanic ash, finely ground black stone, azimad crystal powder, and lava.

  In parallel, court officials and the military coordinated swarms of long-snouted Smarpon to strip the forests and further expand the open ground. The harvested hardwood was put to immediate use, raised into military camps, temporary dwellings, and field fortifications to meet immediate needs.

  After a span of ceaseless labor, the initial stages of the Goykang Court’s designs were largely complete, including the stabilization of the armed forces and the strengthening of rear support facilities. In no more than three ga’as, the grand army would be set in motion toward Mount Bazdien, to eradicate the Oawgiboni.

  ~~~