Summoning America

Chapter 40: Acceptance

Esthirant, Parpaldian Empire

Remille awoke to hyperventilation and bright sunlight shining through the windows, her sheets drenched in cold sweat from nightmares. Images of destruction wrought upon Esthirant by American aircraft remained branded in her mind, seared and trapped within her fears. Feeling uncomfortable and claustrophobic within her tight blanket, she immediately threw them off, her body enjoying the fresh air. Brought to instantaneous alertness, Remille stood up and attempted to calm her breathing.

"It is but a dream," she whispered to herself, expressions of worry subsiding from her face. She sat back down on her bed, closing her eyes and allowing her brain to readjust itself to reality. Then, a sudden knock on her bedroom door sent her eyes flying open faster than lightning. Her heart began to palpitate and she became annoyed at the intrusion that had ruined her silence. "What?" She asked in a groggy voice, laced with venom.

"Mistress Remille," a feminine voice came through the door, "The alarm has sounded! We must evacuate you away from the city!"

Remille's eyes grew wide in shock. Her maid was talking about the early warning system developed by Matal. A civilian vessel must have spotted American fleet movements, meaning that an attack is imminent. "Damn it!" She cursed, hurrying to grab a decent set of clothes before their departure. Her worst fears — her literal nightmares — turned true. Hoping that this was a continuation of her dreams, she analyzed her surroundings, desperately trying to find anything that might seem off.

"Mistress Remille, please hurry!"

It dawned upon her that this certainly wasn't a dream, and that the Americans were indeed attacking. "I'll be there in a few seconds!" She said, her voice now stricken with panic.
With quickness and precision found within the Imperial Guard themselves, Remille donned an outfit she randomly selected from her wardrobe. As he put on her boots, she opened her door, startling the maid on the other side.

"Mistress Remille, this way," she extended her hand, guiding Remille toward her carriage as they descended a massive spiral staircase.

"Have the servants secured my valuables?" Remille asked.

The maid responded, "Yes, Mistress. They're loading the carriages as we speak."

Remille released a sigh of relief. In a world that was falling apart, it was pleasing to know that at least one thing was going as expected. As they got closer to the front doors, the sound of horns grew. The volume culminated as they opened the doors, blaring from defensive units rushing to their posts.

Covering her ears, Remille entered her carriage with her maid and a small retinue of guards. With an order from the driver, the horses moved, quickly passing a regiment of soldiers as they headed toward a bunker near the Imperial Palace. Along the way, the soundscape of soldiers clamoring and horns blaring became drowned out by a constant, droning rumble.

Curious about the noise, Remille ordered the driver to stop in the middle of an open road.

"But, Mistress Remille, we must arrive at our destination post haste! We are not safe here!"

"Look around; there are no military targets here. Stop the carriage. I need to see!" A sensation overcame her — a desire to know the outcome of this battle. Would the scenes from her nightmare come to fruition, or could their wyvern lords and overlords repel the invaders?

The massive objects in the sky provided her with an expedient answer as they ignored the city, continuing past the Imperial Palace as they set their sights on the base to the north. Recalling the reports from the American-Lourian conflict, Remille made the sudden connection between the flying behemoths and the bombing campaigns that decimated the Lourian Eastern Subjugation Army. "No..." she muttered in disbelief, eyes wide and glued to the planes as they neared the outskirts of Esthirant.