Viscount Boscom tilted his head, seriously considering the options.
"Passing the nation to one of the Cygnia Crown Prince’s sons with a Cygnia appointed Regent was the solution that I had thought would be most likely, as they are considered Imperial Princes of both nations by blood.
If Dagos considered women to be in the direct line of succession, your Crown Prince’s wife would be the Crown Princess already.
However, as a loyal son of Dagos and his heirs, neither of those options would be my first choice.
I will arrange for the throne to be secured. Even if it means that I am not the one to claim it."
Dominic nodded. "Thank you. But know this: Until you do, we don’t have the sway to stop the counterattacks. As much as we would wish for you to succeed, you do have a limited amount of time."
The Viscount got to his feet. "I should depart now. It will give you time to relocate."
Dominic nodded, then shrugged. "Or we could stay here and see who still comes down the road, knowing that we’re waiting for them."
Dominic heard the Dagos Guards snort in amusement. The Sorcerer had a point. They had hundreds of those magitech cannons along the ridges, and this was the only major bridge across the river for fifty kilometres.
If they relocated, it would actually be doing the Dagos Army a favour by clearing the path for reinforcements.
But if they stayed and then destroyed the bridge when they encountered a force they couldn’t handle, they could delay reinforcements to Picleshowen and the other cities in the region by nearly a day.
The real question was whether the region could afford the delay. The Barons Winchfield and Macker both had their homes north of there, along the ocean. But neither was heavily defended, as they were formerly fishing villages that had been swelled by the sudden influx of migrants from inland.
Neither would put up a fight against an airship invasion.
The Viscount could only hope that he was fast enough to prevent even more tragedy.
The channel between Winchfield and Modbury was only eighty kilometres, nothing for an airship, despite the formidable naval defences stationed there. Modbury was over a quarter million souls, and not once in the history of Dagos after unification had it been invaded.
It was simply too inaccessible to any enemy army. At least until now.
Viscount Boscom looked to the sky as he straightened his coat.
"If I am successful, I will be infamous as the King who lost more of Dagos than any other in history. If I am not, I will be the man who failed Dagos in her moment of need and let a mad Prince tear the country down around him.
Perhaps there might have been a chance at redemption if I could have retaken the Eastern territories, but not now." He sighed.
Dominic clasped his forearm in the traditional Wavemates soldier’s handshake.
"We sent more artillery than you brought soldiers, and more riflemen than we brought artillery.
Winning was never your destiny.
Go, save your country. The Cygnia Crown is honourable, they will stand behind the Princess’s promise."
The Viscount laughed, a real honest laugh, and returned the gesture.
"To think that one day a notorious war criminal would be shaking my hand and wishing me luck in gaining the throne. I’m not sure how to feel about that. But if your Princess keeps her word, I will extend a Royal Pardon to you, Lord Sorcerer, as her Advisor, in exchange for your efforts.
However, I don’t think that the army will forget about the massacre at Wistover Manor quite so easily. Be careful, Lord Sorcerer. You seem like a decent man, all things considered."
The Viscount and his advisors climbed back down the ladder, and the Riflemen rolled it back up as the Dagos Army turned their trucks around in the gorge and returned to wherever they had come from.
Most likely, they had come from Albroles city, as it was on the highway between Boscom and their location, and it was the unofficial capital, as the largest city in Dagos.
Once the last of the soldiers crossed the river, Princess Alexis turned to Dominic.
"We need to hear the story of Wistover Manor. That is your hometown, right? I had assumed that they called you a war criminal because you are a Wavemates Prince, but it doesn’t feel like it’s that impersonal." She demanded.
In a gentle tone, yes. But it was clearly a demand for answers.
Dominic nodded, and motioned for the Princess and the other nearby officers to take a seat.
"If I’m going to tell the whole story, you might as well all hear it clearly instead of eavesdropping. I will warn you, that there are gaps in my memory. But there are also a few things that I should show you first.
So that it all makes sense."
Dominic paused, and then focused on the rage he felt the moment that he realized the Dagos soldiers had slaughtered everyone in the village.
He felt his fingernails grow back out to the full-length black claws he used to keep sharpened as a child, to make it easier to climb trees. Then, his jaw shifted a little as his teeth shifted into the conical fangs of a dragon’s maw.
"Your eyes are glowing gold." Alexis gasped.
Dominic shrugged. "It happens when I use too much mana as well. In fact, it happens to most mages, but usually blue or purple."
He drew back his lips to show his teeth and held up his hand to show his claws.
"Young Dragonkin can’t fully control their bestial aspects, or understand why they need to hide the parts of themselves that make playing more fun.
On the day that Dagos invaded Wavemates, I was out in the forest, playing with the huntsmen’s dogs and searching for materials my mother needed for her work. The magical resources of the forest are excellent for making magical items, you see.
Because of that, I didn’t hear the soldiers coming. I didn’t even notice when the huntsmen called their dogs back, I was too busy with my tasks for the day.
So, I will start the story with the moment that I got back to the village."
Dominic took a deep, steadying breath. This wasn’t going to be easy, and he had locked away most of these memories long ago.