FLOOD [Pokémon]

Chapter 38

^ "Stargazers" (10-20-2020)

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LIOR

Relations between Titus's Army and the Kyogre Clan went south in the days after Titus's "demonstration".

In what specific way, Lior wasn't sure. Perhaps it was because the Army was still there, bedded down in the trench? Possibly — Phinebas had told them he'd wanted them to leave the Clan's waters, but three days later, no one had so much as packed a tent.

Perhaps Titus's talk with Lord Kygriss-Mari hadn't gone too well. That day of the demonstration, Lior had managed to coax the grieving boy from his hiding place in that secret graveyard, and they'd quickly been spotted by Reuben and several other Clan members, who had come rushing along to collect him, pestering him with questions. When they'd ushered the boy away, he had giving Lior one last look, a comical one of great annoyance, with his tongue stuck out. It had made Lior smile, and remember the time that he and Mother had done a funny face contest one day while Father had been out hunting.

But after that, Lior had heard little to nothing about Lord Kygriss-Mari — the next day, he'd begun feeling the first sure signs of oncoming Drought, chills and deep shakes that made him want to seek the sun, and he'd gone up to the surface with another group of soldiers going Dry, to wait it out on a nearby spit of sand sporting a tidepool and one palm tree.

It had been far from a break, though — the Army's mountain of mundane tasks had been dumped on him and the rest of the soldiers that had come up with them, and they'd spent the next few days pounding the dings out of dented armor, darning torn kilts and skirts, sharpening blades, and making seaweed rope — yards and yards of seaweed rope.

When the Drought had finally sloughed off and he and the other soldiers had returned to the sea, it had been to an Army in unease, and an active rumor mill. On his errands, Lior heard all manner of sorry news: Titus and Phinebas were on the verge of coming to blows over Lord Kygriss-Mari. Titus wanted some information out of the leader of the Kyogre Clan, and he refused to give it. There was talk of blackmail, of using those piles of newly-sharpened weapons to put Phinebas in his place. Or on the boats that were coming around the Ruins — as Phinebas had predicted, a handful more had come from the mainland, sniffing around for the humans Titus had drowned. There was talk of leaving. Talk of staying until Phinebas caved and gave Titus whatever he was asking for.

There was aggravation, a lot of it. Apparently, Titus was being secretive, and some soldiers wanted to know what was going on. Others were simply growing weary of whatever this was... Life in the Army, which seemed to have no purpose without an actual enemy to face. Lior heard some of the soldiers speak of bringing their concerns to Titus. Others suggested simply leaving without a backward glance.

Lior had stiffened and stared at the soldiers who'd spoken so readily of desertion, hoping they were joking. But they'd seemed serious. Can they do that? It couldn't be as simple as just throwing down your spear and swimming off into the blue... Or was it? A dangerous thought crossed his mind: Can I do that?

He;d shaken his head vigorously, sending it away. Idiot. Of course he couldn't, and of course it wasn't that easy: every misstep had a consequence in this place. And desertion... Lior could scarcely imagine the punishment he or anyone else would receive for such a transgression.

He heard more intriguing and conflicting rumors throughout the week, but the strangest seemed to surround what happened between Titus and Lord Kygriss-Mari when they finally met. Lior had assumed that Phinebas and Titus would sit the boy down and speak to him about this...whatever it was with Kin and fighting humans, whatever that had to do with the boy, but apparently things had gone down in a rather explosive fashion. Every soldier Lior overheard said the same thing: Titus had offered the boy some kind of deal, and tiny, young, weak Lord Kygriss-Mari had dismissed Titus out of hand, and told him to leave the trench or he would bury him. Apparently, he had also spit at Titus before he'd left in a huff, but Lior was certain that couldn't be true. How could anyone possibly have the wherewithal to spit at Commander Titus?