The soldiers were gathered in the camp. All in line, inside the walls, ready for the assault. It was impressive to watch these thousands of soldiers, standing at attention, enclosed within the walls. But each knew what they had come here to do. They were ready to fight, to defend their nation and each of its occupants. Today, on this day covered by multiple gray clouds, they all knew they would be putting their lives on the line once again. But they had faith in Drought.

  The general watched them, inspected each of them, checked that each regiment was complete and that each family had all four members. This was an important moment, a decisive moment. And even though he had gone over the pn in his head for an entire day, he knew there was no margin for error. He was afraid. But he showed none of it when he stepped onto a small ptform that had been prepared for him near the gate, the immense eastern entrance that, in a moment, would see the endless stream of soldiers pouring into it. He leaped carelessly to the top of the wooden mound and raised a hand to greet the crowd. Silently, the troops responded with a circle over their hearts, the symbol of the Empire of Fire. Drought was magnificent, his jewelry tinging in the light breeze. He had dressed up even more than usual, braiding his hair, painting his nails and hooves, piercing his triangur ears and nose, and even painting his face with white and yellow makeup all in arabesques, symbolizing power in battle. When calm returned, and everyone waited for his words, he began to speak. He didn't speak very loudly, letting the sound-magic pacles that had spread along his sides report his speech.

  - Today is the day everything stops. The pn has been prepared. Each of its pyers has been warned. And those pyers are you. Each of you, regardless of your race, age, or gender, will contribute to the success of this undertaking. You will succeed in bringing peace. In removing the threat of the Samaltas that has hung over us for far too long. It is only thanks to you that we will be able to stand up tonight, heads held high, and say that we have succeeded. That our families are safe.

  The soldiers didn't respond, but you could feel a certain energy spreading through the crowd. A wave of passion, energy, and valor. Each of them was ready to sacrifice themselves. But fortunately, Drought thought, none of them would have to do so if all went well. He then continued with the directives.

  - As we informed you earlier, the enemy is watching us. They've pnned everything since our arrival, from our bedding to our food to the timing of the attacks. All with one goal : to push us all over the precipice. They're watching us right now, and we want surprise. So this assault will be very difficult, very dangerous, but necessary. If we do nothing, we'll die. So let's fight to the end.

  The troops circled their hearts again. They understood the instructions and were ready for anything. And, if they hadn't had to remain silent so as not to alert the samaltas, several would probably have cheered the general or raised their war cries. But instead, the camp remained desperately silent. When Drought felt ready, he exhaled a deep breath and pointed to the regiments one after the other.

  - First command led by General Greta. You will be in charge of the first assault. This is the pce that is both the safest, because no matter what happens you will manage to leave the camp before everything colpses, but also the one that has the most responsibility. You will have to rush towards the enemies quietly, discreetly, and distract them while everyone leaves these ramparts. For that, I entrust the air regiments the right to go and have fun. Literally.

  Drought's gaze met Greta's. They understood each other. Until then, they had tried to keep the bodars on a tight leash. But this time, they were going to let them do what they wanted. So yes, many of them would perish. But these were the kind of natural deaths for these winged humanoids, not the kind of thing to be mented in a war, quite the opposite.

  - I'll leave you to manage the various regiments for the offensive action; you have the pn I sent you earlier anyway.

  The pacle continued speaking, pointing to the regiments one by one, giving strict orders on where they should be and what they should do. But he froze when General Tibug appeared in his field of vision. It wasn't just because of Makile's report, or the concern he'd shown for him. It was something visceral about this small, plump man. Instinct was screaming at him that he was bad. And it was completely distracting him.

  Drought shook his head to compose himself, and also issued the instructions as if nothing had happened. When it was all over, he threw his hands in the air.

  - If everyone's ready, we'll begin on my mark.

  The pacle exhaled slowly, untying his neck, cracking his back. He stepped down from the ptform and took the stairs to the top of the walls. From there, he could see all the troops on the alert, excitement shaking every fiber of their bodies. He could almost hear their jaws snapping, their feet and hooves stamping on the ground. They were ready for battle. Ready to charge into this melee, into this enemy territory, and sughter every st one of their opponents. It was both exciting and frightening.

  The pacle fixed his eyes north, toward the marshes that were turning into a lush, virgin forest on the horizon. He waited a few minutes before seeing a brief white light. Elry was in pce. Now it was too te to turn back. Drought grabbed the handkerchief he had clipped to his belt and dropped it to the ground. From a distance, it might have looked like an accident, a moment of carelessness. But up close, no one would have missed his trembling fingers, his clenched hands, and the beads of cold sweat beading his forehead. It was time. Now or never.

  The first bodars took to the skies, seemingly unnoticed. They passed from stream to stream, rising into the air with ease, pying with each other like small animals. Some fought for show, others held aerobatic contests in the sky. A dozen or so passed in squadron behind a cloud, pying at racing. It was a common scene in Héliomenrès, where the bodars who were too stubborn for military life spent their lives pying. But here, it was a little more exotic. Yes, of course, it was impossible to stop the bodars from pying. But seeing them so free, so happy, and above all so stupid—two of them were pying at plucking each other's wings—was something unprecedented.

  A few with slightly darker feathers, including a magnificent male whose wings the colors of a rainbow in the fog caught the eye, were heading towards the marshes. They wrestled at the same time, pying at grabbing each other's wrists or ankles to send each other plummeting into the trees, which never failed to scratch them every time. It was then that Drought noticed out of the corner of his eye the first troop on foot. The regiments of the First Command led by Greta. But something was wrong. There were far too many of them and far too noticeable. The pacle leaned forward to observe a little more closely, and saw what he feared. Tibug was with her, shaking her hand knowingly. They didn't realize they were ruining the whole pn.

  The Supreme General leaped up the stairs, ran down four at a time, jumped to the ground, and practically galloped toward the special family, where the four members were already waiting for him. Makile and S'rinj, arms crossed, like a child imitating its father, stared at him.

  - So ?

  Drought caught his breath for a few seconds, hands on his thighs, before saying :

  - You were right... They're... They have...

  He coughed to clear the dryness in his throat, then regained his composure and straightened up.

  - This is already crazy. If we continue as I said, we'd lose most of our troops. So the five of us will have to go. Another special mission for you, I hope it goes well !

  Icy pced his hand on Makile's shoulder.

  - See, I told you he'd need us ! Okay, boss, shall we get going ?

  Drought nodded solemnly. Given the ck of stealth the foot troops had shown, the enemy was probably already on the move. They had to hurry.

  - Okay, so I'll summarize what we'd discussed. All our troops are leaving our gate to the east. The cliff is southwest of our camp. The samaltas will probably try to colpse it, if they aren't already doing so. So while the troops defend themselves on the enemy side, we'll go around the back and hope we arrive in time. Clear ?

  The "clear general" made the pacle smile. Now they really looked like a family. He coughed, then signaled them to move. Quickly, avoiding the main gate, the five comrades headed for the stairs in the walls. They climbed them easily, then circled around until they reached the south, galloping above all the commotion. Near the gate, the fighting had already begun. The samaltas had descended on the troops and surrounded them at the edge of the marshes, gradually pushing them back into the camp. Drought quickly assessed the gravity of the situation. They had perhaps a few dozen minutes before the soldiers were completely pushed back behind the walls, since not all of them had time to get out and the stream of men was now trapped between the fortifications. If they didn't hurry, it would be the end.

  When they reached the designated spot, Deadly slid down the outside of the wall, bouncing from hold to hold with her agile legs. Makile followed suit, using all his flexibility to descend quickly. Drought, meanwhile, shot a knowing look at Icy, who grabbed his wrist. He extended his other hand to S'rinj, but he remained in pce.

  - You won't need me for this operation, boss. Let me wait here and prepare some things that will be useful to us ter. I'll only slow you down.

  The pacle fixed his elongated pupils on the forty-year-old's, but the tter didn't flinch. So he simply nodded, and Icy dropped from the top of the walls, holding Drought tightly, spreading his wings to reach the ground without a hitch. When all four were at the bottom, the general nodded in the direction to go. They all started running, stopping just in time to avoid falling headfirst down the cliff. The hole was huge. How could they have missed it ? Of course, from the camp and the walls, the terrain looked more or less ft, or at least not as steep as the rest of the area. But as you got closer, you could see a tunnel that had been dug behind the stones, held together rgely by wooden stakes used to hold up walls. If someone moved the earth, the entire camp would colpse. No, the entire hill. It was absurd, so obvious and yet no one had noticed. Drought was frozen, stunned by his own stupidity and the fate that could befall his soldiers, his family, his friends, if he didn't succeed this time.

  He was pulled from his thoughts by a hand that violently fttened his head against the mud. He tried to struggle, his eyes full of dirt, but the person held him firmly against the ground.

  - Shut up, he heard someone hiss near his ear.

  He froze when he recognized Deadly. When he had calmed down, she let go of him and nodded to a crowd just ahead. A dozen samaltas, covered in mud and branches to avoid detection, were chatting quietly. They occasionally let out a few ughs when they heard the battle cries.

  - Seriously, who told us the Fire Empire was smart ? I mean... We attacked them right in the middle of their camp and even blew a hole in it, and they didn't notice a thing !

  - Pips, lower your voice !

  A woman, or at least Drought assumed it was, judging by her long, seaweed-colored hair and iridescent purple eyeshes, was patting her comrade's forehead in a friendly manner.

  - And besides, you're new to this job, so you don't know the best one ! This camp, this hill... We created it !

  Her young interlocutor, who sported fmboyant, bright yellow hair stained with dirt, widened her blue eyes.

  - No... Is it true ? To that extent ?

  The two samaltas burst into suppressed ughter that shook their shoulders, twitching their long, furry ears and twisted backs. Drought pced his hand on Deadly's arm in an automatic gesture. He could feel all her terror, hatred, and disgust. But now wasn't the right time; there was no need to rush. On the other side of the pacle, Icy was also gently stroking her hand to calm her. He whispered in her ear :

  - I can create panic by flying right into the middle of the cliff. If you can use your magic on some of them, that might be a good solution. Meanwhile, Drought and Makile could try to fill the hole, or at least pce some rge stones inside so the wall doesn't colpse. What do you think ?

  The general nodded. It was by far the best pn they had, and he knew he wouldn't be able to come up with a better one. He raised his hand from the ground, preparing the signal. When the samaltas turned around, he brought it down with a short, sharp sp on the peaty ground. Immediately, Icy rose into the air, fpped his gigantic wings, and began to fly right into the middle of the enemies who were shouting and waving their hands, drawing their bows and slingshots. Deadly didn't waste a second. She leaped out of cover, slid down some gravel that carried her lower into the pit, and immediately fshed her red magic. She caught the samalta's attention, but not quickly enough. Icy pulled his small retractable bow from his belt and began shooting anything he could find at the guards. He performed acrobatics, closed his wings, swooped low to the ground to pick up rocks and branches, then pushed off the ground and jumped again to shoot them right at the samalta's faces. The bck-haired pacle was already at work; four of the enemies were beginning to glow red, and formed a protective wall in front of the tunnel. Drought took Makile by the wrist and dragged him as well toward the fighting, moving from cover to cover, half-skidding to reach the tunnels. The young boy let himself be carried along, sometimes pulling the pacle toward him to prevent him from falling, other times lifting him to throw him over a rock higher than the others. This tandem was smooth, perfect, as if they had lived their lives like this. And Makile felt something deep inside him again, something magnificent he hadn't felt since the prisoner had arrived in the camp. He was having a great time, and he had the impression that General Drought had become, once again, his universe. The spirit of the desert, the perfect, the unattainable. Yet he could touch him without risking burning himself.

  - Don't lose focus, we're almost there !

  For his part, the pacle leaped from escarpment to rock, using his small, thin hooves and supple legs to fly almost above the slope. When they finally arrived at the bottom, there were already a dozen samaltas under Deadly's influence, blocking the entrance. The pacle was beginning to show signs of weakness, and Icy had just been hit in the wing. He was now fluttering in fits and starts, unable to remain stable as his white and blue feathers gradually turned scarlet. Drought also fshed his horns, his eight appendages beginning to illuminate the base of the cliff. Makile hadn't waited for him, and was busy picking up stones and driving them into the earth walls of the gallery in an attempt to hold the structure up. The general took a deep breath and groaned with the effort. A huge stone, a piece of cliff almost the size of the gallery, began to rise. If they could manage to push it inside, they would have won. The pacle concentrated with all his might, every muscle tense, and sweat beaded from every corner of his body. He only needed a minute... Just one minute, and he could save everyone. But this rock was immense, and he couldn't concentrate on anything else.

  Screams echoed behind him. But he couldn't turn around to see what was happening. A dull thud, rubble sliding. A scream from Deadly. Then running footsteps rushing toward him. But he didn't lose his focus. The rock was still flying, inches above the ground, enveloped in a soft golden light. He was almost there. He couldn't give up now.

  - Elry ! No !

  Deadly's scream tore through the air of the cliff, making every fiber of Drought's being tremble, and he let go of the rock. Fortunately, it rolled and settled into the tunnel. They had done it. They had saved everyone. But at what cost ?

  The general turned around slowly, praying with all his might that nothing bad had happened. But what he discovered left him speechless. Icy was on the ground, protecting an injured Deadly with his entire body. He was above her, his wings spread like an impenetrable shield, his lips curled to reveal his teeth. Opposite him, face to face, Elry was finishing off a samalta with a bite, raising her four arms menacingly. There seemed to be something passing through the eyes of the two winged humanoids, like lightning striking. Like two wild animals about to attack, ready to do battle. Icy didn't even look like a bodar anymore; he was a feline crouching to protect his young, ready to attack at the slightest movement. And Elry looked no better either; her fangs were bared and seemed ready to strike at the slightest twitch. Around these two, the samaltas didn't dare move. Disemboweled bodies y here and there, proof that the aberration had already begun its carnage.

  - Is that your new friend, Deadly ? You're completely crazy !

  Icy's voice, hissed like a warning, broke the silence. As if waking from a deep sleep, the rest began to move as well. The samaltas grabbed their bows and slingshots and began to aim at Elry. She turned to Drought, ignoring the projectiles, which she stopped with a swipe of her cwed paws. She seemed to be insulting him, yet was reassured at the same time. Many things passed through her pupil-less gaze.

  - An aberration ! Run !

  This time it was Makile who had shouted. Mission complete, he was running toward the cliff to escape the ravine while reaching out to the general to pull him away from the fighting. But Drought didn't take his eyes off the four-armed woman. He simply nodded in her direction, and she blinked slowly in return. Then Drought made his horns glow again, their magic already rgely consumed, leaving two empty, limp appendages hanging from his forehead. But the other five lit up again, and fmes flew between the group and the enemies. Elry leaped to grab Deadly and Icy, whom she easily lifted before carrying them, running and jumping up the cliff, using wingbeats to propel herself at astonishing speed. The bodar struggled, but the bck-haired pacle tried to reassure him by speaking to him in a low voice. When he was sure the samaltas could not catch them, Drought set off as well, following Makile, who remained silent, his hand lowered. When they returned to the camp, Elry set the two wounded people on the ground. Deadly had multiple bruises, some of which had torn the fur from her fnks and sides. A few arrows were also stuck here and there in her thighs and back. Icy rushed to her side, his wounded wing dangling miserably. He gred at Drought and then Elry, but only whispered a reluctant "Thank you." The general smiled apologetically at him and then turned to Makile, who still hadn't said a word.

  - I'm sorry I didn't say anything. But you understand that Elry isn't our enemy. She just saved us after all !

  - We're the ones who saved the entire camp, he spat acerbically. Even an animal can save its master if you train it long enough !

  Drought took a step back, shocked by the little human's unexpected tone. But on the other hand, it was obvious everything would end this way. He knew it, and that's why he'd kept Elry's presence a secret.

  The general didn't dwell on his thoughts, spping his cheeks to regain his concentration.

  - That's it, we're out of danger. So we have to push the samaltas back to the other side. And that's not your mission. So I'd like us to return to camp to take Deadly and Icy to get treatment. Elry...

  He gnced at her. She shrugged.

  - Stay with Calixte. Save you when needed. Habit.

  The pacle stifled a small ugh that was both amused and relieved. Everything was going to be okay. It was over. The threat was gone, all that remained was to repel the samalta troops. It was something he'd been doing for several revolutions now, nothing new or complicated. And he had a feeling this battle would be the st. He leaned forward anyway to pce a kiss on Elry's cheek, and she looked back at him with surprise. But she didn't respond and climbed the camp wall again, trying to enter unseen. For his part, Drought held out his hands to Deadly and Icy to help them to their feet. Makile walked past him, ignoring him, to take the pacle in his arms and carry her. When Icy gave him a pointed look, he replied with a simple, "I'm more muscur, and she can't walk." So the general found himself with the bodar. He helped him up, then let him lean on his shoulder. They set off toward the eastern gate, on the alert in case the samaltas were hiding in ambush. But the only sounds they could hear were those of the battle, further out toward the edge of the swamps. The Fire Empire troops had finally managed to push them back. A rge portion of the soldiers were probably still holed up within the camp walls, wondering if they would survive. Drought needed to tell them that everything was fine. But even so, he couldn't truly feel happy. Makile's unyielding face kept coming back to him. After a few minutes, Icy turned to the pacle.

  - Sorry for reacting like that. But understand that it's a bit of a shock at first. I mean... I grew up on the streets and I've seen a few aberrations. But never something like this. Four arms... And did you see her mouth ? Incredible...

  Drought didn't answer. Of course he'd seen her mouth. He'd seen all of her. And she was a woman, not a creature or an animal. But the memory of his first encounter with her came back to him, and he remembered with shame that he'd spared her that day, not because she was a person, but because of the baby. Because of Calixte. He even had a name she'd given him. Her little one, her child. He'd almost killed a mother and her baby, all because he has been told aberrations were a security risk. And if he had listened quietly, if he had applied the principles he grew up with, he would have taken the life of an innocent woman.

  - I don't know what to think anymore...

  He wiped his face, as if to rid himself of his doubts. But all these thoughts wouldn't leave his mind. Icy stared at him silently. Finally, he lowered his head and muttered, his face hidden by his long white and blue hair.

  - I can understand. It's not easy, troubles of the heart…

  Drought raised an eyebrow.

  - Deadly ?

  The bodar let out a short, miserable ugh.

  - You know you can be a couple without having children ? It's a common thing in the capital, isn't it ? Wealthy families have a lot of that kind of thing, same-sex couples who adopt their heirs. But why would it be wrong to love someone of a different race ? We should just not have children ! It's not the end of the world, we don't have a family and we don't pn on having one. It's not like we have any hopes to fulfill !

  A few days ago, Drought would have taken the young man's tirade as a joke, but this time he took the time to really consider his words.

  - Why are aberrations actually hunted ?

  The question had burst from the pacle's lips before he even realized it. Icy shrugged. Now that they both thought about it, it was ridiculous. Why did everyone feel such hostility toward people who hadn't asked to be born that way ?

  They continued forward, each with their thoughts preoccupied with a different woman. Their silence was one of both respect and concern. They both felt lost. When they arrived at the camp gate, the space between the walls was almost empty. The soldiers had already pushed back the samaltas and were piling the bodies on top of each other in a gigantic mass grave that dripped with blue blood, soaking the marshnd. The sight didn't make Drought flinch; he signaled to General Greta, who was giving orders to a small regiment. The woman approached as soon as she saw him, her red braids swaying, framing her face.

  - We've eliminated the threat in the rear, the pacle muttered. The galleries are backfilled and the tunnel is secure. They don't have the tools to clear the ground now. But we absolutely have to finish properly here so they don't do it again.

  The woman nodded briskly, her eyes shining.

  - Perfect ! On our side, we have air regiments that advanced to the sentry posts you marked on the map. They destroyed the instaltions and bombed them. We then arrived with the rest of the war mliniaks and are currently clearing everything. It's strange, though. When we got there, we encountered very little resistance, as if the most powerful commanders and warriors had already disappeared... Well, if all goes well, we'll be able to bombard their main camp from the air within the hour. But obviously, that's if we manage to get projectiles far enough into the forest... Basically, we have to keep our fingers crossed.

  The pacle let out a long sigh. He would have to address the generals' disobedience and prepare exempry punishments, but he wasn't really in a state to do so. At least Elry had done her homework before joining them at the cliff.

  - It's over... Finally...

  But screams pulled him from this moment of undisguised joy. He turned around, facing the interior of the camp. Chirps and babbles, accompanied by long death rattles. He could recognize them among a thousand : Elry and Calixte. He rushed inside, dragging Icy with him, his injured wing still falling off. When they arrived in the middle of the camp, they were met with a horrific sight. The white baby was covered in sticky red liquid, oozing directly from his abdomen, into which a scalpel had been plunged. S'rinj was holding him in his hands, trying to hide him behind his back to protect his subject from his mother. She was screaming her head off, sending intervening soldiers flying with sweeps of her four arms. In that moment, she truly had become like an animal again.

  But what really hampered her, what prevented her from moving forward, sending men flying like straws, was Makile's sword, buried up to the hilt in her hamstring, the iron tip even digging into the ground. The young human stared at her expressionlessly, as if she were just an object, a piece of furniture, or even less than that, a mere speck of dust. The troops were delirious, shouting and encouraging the bck-skinned physicist as he tried as best he could to open the abdomen of the struggling child, uttering pintive moans.

  Drought's heart skipped a beat. It was as if he were living a nightmare. He didn't even notice he was moving forward; it was as if he was no longer in control of his body. The pacle leaped toward S'rinj, snatching the weapon from his hands, and picked up Calixte, holding him close. The action hadn't sted more than a second, yet he was already heading toward Elry, leaping over the soldiers separating them. He had the impression that everything around him was blurred, as if his eyes were trying to anchor themselves on all the details at once, but in the end, they were focusing on nothing : The woman with pupilless eyes watching him, tears rolling down her cheeks, a deeply hurt look on her face. The pacle arrived at her in what seemed to him to be slow motion. He bent down to remove the sword from her leg, but it was no longer there. He turned just in time to see the bde in front of his neck, in the hands of Makile, who was staring at him with coldness and disgust.