Young Writers Society

Author's Notes: 1,567 words.  This is probably bad, but I really enjoyed writing it, so meh.

"How can you be this mad!" said Alsather, flinging papers onto the table. "I had thought insanity would not spread from our dear little ally."

"It's called sacrifice," Kasimir said, grabbing the papers and pulling them away from the large map at the table’s center. "I'm willing to lose a lot few pieces to have that boy in our control."

Alsather scoffed, raising his chin even higher. "As far as I know, he controls himself and works for Catharnach. Without Karikoff, we have even fewer ways to prevent The Mad King from - dare I say it - succeeding."

Sitting beside Kasimir, Drusus tapped a finger on the wooden table to get attention. As all eyes turned on him, he said simply, "Hence the rest of the plan."

"You, the supposed 'genius' who bested his father and cousin," Alsather said, pointing to Kasimir, "would like to use few soldiers to seize too many targets while relying on no vantage points?"

Kasimir stuck his index finger on a point on the map. "This one spot," he said, emphasizing each word, "is the perfect opportunity to catch them off guard."

Leaning over to spot the point, Alsather laughed bitterly. "Do you honestly think this will convince me?" He shook his head. "You will not have my support, I must say."

"Do you know how long we've planned this?" Kasimir said, slamming a fist on the table. He stood up, knocking his chair onto the ground. "Will you just give up like the crawling thing you are because you can’t stand a little risk?"

Smiling, Alsather looked beatific. "Yes," he said, expression instantly turning malevolent. “This is hardly a ‘little risk.’ You should know how little of a coward I am."

"Your country surrendered to mine!" spat back Kasimir, his fingers shooting down and grabbing the edges of the table. Drusus gripped one arm and tried to pull it back, gesturing for Torion, who stood by the opening, to do the same to the other. "Yeah, you stupid bastard, I made you kneel!"

Alsather's grin faded. "Good point, though it means little. Do you think you can call upon your army when you are dealing in mine?" He pointed two fingers towards a corner of the tent. The lady with the cataract eyes, carrying a knife in each hand, stepped out and bowed.

It was here that Drusus realized that only Kasimir's self-control kept him from breaking free, leaping across the table, and strangling Alsather. As a royal, Kasimir had been trained to lift small boulders and take shots of lightning to the chest; he could make quick work of Drusus and Torion. That healers had the ability to augument one's body always impressed Drusus, but now it terrified him.

"Now now," said the blonde-haired lady, leaning against a cabinet and grinning. "Who wants a diplomatic incident?"

"Precisely," Alsather said while scowling at the blonde-haired lady. "Your lout of a king appears to."

Kasimir's grip on the table grew tighter, and Drusus swore he could hear the snapping of wood. "Why don't I bring down my army on your head?!" Kasimir said.

That proud voice of Alsather's intensified. "Tsk tsk," he said, wagging a finger. "Because it would kill too many people, because that boy would find us both a threat, and because we would never be able to storm Wyandanch."

Drusus internally nodded; all were rational explanations. Annoyingly, Alsather wasn't stupid.

The lady with the cataract eyes stood beside Alsather. Drusus could see her eyes scan over everyone, each face greeted by the twirl of a dagger. In response to this, the blonde-haired lady tried to walk towards Alsather's side of the table, but was intercepted by a few soldiers, spears withheld.

"Is that all?" Kasimir shouted, hair bristling. "Are you going to walk away and leave that madman in charge?"

Soldiers began to surround the small party. The blonde-haired lady, forced back, stood in front of Kasimir. Straining to look over her shoulder, Drusus spotted her sweet smile, noticing how it matched Alsather's pleased expression. Of course, she had just torn small pieces out of her dress with her hands. Alsather - lowered head, shaded face, crooked grin – looked devious. Drusus wondered if it was just because he enjoyed making Kasimir angry.

"I must," Alsather said. "You should not believe I like it - he wants my head as well. It does amuse me to see you reduced, but I had no high hopes in this plan from the start. You may certainly go ahead with it." He waved Kasimir's group away. "Take them to the edge of camp," he said.

In those few seconds, nobody moved. Kasimir clenched his fists, unclenched them, bowed his head, and nodded. He turned around, shoving Torion and Drusus aside, and marched off without a single word. As the soldiers crowded closer, the blonde-haired lady followed, saying what sounded like curses under her breath. The rest of Kasimir's associates took one last look at Alsather - now talking to the cataracts lady and shooting them annoyed glares - and ran off after their King, pursued by the slow steps of the soldiers.

"Plan B?" Drusus said as he caught up to Kasimir, their dusk shadows covering tents and passerby.

If Kasimir responded, Drusus didn't see it. Hunched, steps firm, Kasimir looked like a strange creature, massive arms ready to rip into anything in his way. The King stormed on ahead, the soldiers guarding the path parting over fear of colliding with him.

Slowing down, Drusus allowed Torion to catch up. The wolf had a fire in his eyes that grew brighter as they spotted each observing soldier. "Who does he think he is?" Torion said at last, pinpointing the thought that Drusus could read on his face. "That snake isn't even king!"

"I have always been a duchess," the blonde-haired lady said before Drusus could open his mouth, prancing past them. "But I’d have lost it without my claws."

"This isn't your conversation!" Torion shouted after her as she skipped besides Kasimir.

Drusus furrowed his eyebrows. "She is right," he said. "And he effectively is king."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Torion replied, "So what? He's still weaker, no matter what you want to call him."

"That's what Plan B is for," Drusus said, slipping an arm through Torion's. "to make sure of it."

Torion tried to come up with a response, but only managed to splutter and pull his arms back, holding Drusus's hand. They were silent for some time, scanning the last rays of the sun as they fell through the sharp spires that were The Pillars. The black shapes seemed to swallow up the light, leaving no trace that they were ever brighter than tar. In those plodding minutes spent marching down a hill, Drusus couldn't help but feel like the sunset was a symbol. Perhaps it stood for Wyandanch, now only a state of frauds, or the darkness that boy conjured. He hoped it didn't stand for his relationship.

"Do you think Kasimir'll try to get another meeting?" Torion said at last, as the group reached the end of the wave of purple and black flags and halted. Blue and silver ones extended into the distance a short way from where they stood.

Drusus spotted Kasimir speaking quietly to a few Walenty and Claec soldiers, gesturing something. They nodded and separated, letting the King pass. "With Alsather?" Drusus said, as he and Torion started walking again. "Unlikely - that man has made clear his decision is final. He also might be too bitter to gather his generals together until tomorrow."

"That's good," Torion said faintly, looking away.

A thought wormed its way into Drusus's head. "Any reason why you'd ask?" he said as innocently as he could, leaning against Torion and feeling the wolf's thick fur against the side of his head.

"I just - I just wanted to know. That's all, yeah," Torion said quickly, though taking care not to brush Drusus off. “Not because it was kind of terrifying but also we worked together and –”

Before Torion could say anything else, Drusus reached over and kissed him on the cheek.

Torion froze; were he not in his half-wolf form, he would likely be blushing. "W-w-well," he said, the rest lost in an indecipherable mess.

Mind lost in a cloud, Drusus barely noticed the onlookers turn away. He didn't care; there was only one person in the world he cared about. Torion, in the way that he stood still and couldn't muster the strength to lift a finger, looked so innocent and sweet. "That meeting shouldn't be a loss for everyone," Drusus said.

In the few seconds that followed, Torion slowly moved an arm. His face twitched, lips silently saying something until he came to a realization. He kissed Drusus in response. "How's that for a first kiss?" Torion said after their lips parted, now shaking and beaming.

Drusus laughed and held onto Torion's arms. "You need to brush your teeth sometime," he said at last, pushing through the rush of euphoria that had buried him.

"Oh, I, uh," Torion began, trying to let go out of embarrassment.

Drusus let go of one of Torion's arms to put a finger up to Torion's maw. "There's no harm done," he said. "It was wonderful." They, breathless and spirits lifted, embraced before the darkness of The Pillars.