The Battle of Euangelion: Reborn

Chapter 13: Nullius Terram

Though the fog had dissipated, a clear image of their destination could not yet be made out. The trees that provided concealment also prevented any light from whatever celestial sources they could expect.

But then slowly a dim picture in the distance started coming into focus as they approached the river's estuary and the arching trees became less and less dense. A radiating silhouette lined black sharp-edged summits far across the inky sea. Smells of smoke and sulfur hung in the air. The ominous Mount Timor sheathing the volcanic Isle of Stridor.

The Riders seemed more alert than usual but the volunteers were so transfixed they did not need to be ordered to keep silent. The terrible sounds they had heard as they entered the threshold grew more faint but were still perceivable. It sounded like frequencies of some sort, frequencies transmitted by something unnatural, something sinister.

Nautical twilight was threatening to encroach upon them but they soon spotted patches of what was their end destination for the time being: a robust fortification subtly hidden amid the trees on the left riverbank. Angelo slowly turned the raft with a large wooden oar proportionate to him.

The party finally reached the riverbank; Mateo and Lucas jumped off first and their griffons, Leo and Aquila, followed soon after. Alexis was still cuddled in a bundle underneath Draco's right wing when Aurelia handed her a thick poncho with a hood after getting one for herself from one of the crates.

Rufus, Dominic, and Phoebus managed to save face until they reached the structure, but the cold was biting through even the toughest of exteriors.

"Al, could you please bring the crate with the ponchos?" Rufus communicated more loudly with his hand gestures than his voice. The sentiment was supported by nods of approval from both Phoebus and Dominic. Any chivalrous instincts they may have had were clearly frozen.

The fortification was not only hidden by the trees alongside the river but also by a massive sandy dune sloping toward the sea. This made it impossible to spot from the volcanic island's side - unless one were to travel by air which Turpis hadn't done since they were expelled to this no-man's land. This meant that the fortification was a safe spot for as long as Stridor's inhabitants remained ignorant of where to look. Be that as it may, there have been close calls threatening exposure in the past, and caution must always be exercised to the hilt in all operations proceeding from this fort.

As Twilight got burned away by the ascending red sun it became clear that the dark color of the Tenebris Sea - the only thing between Nullius Terram's mainland and Stridor - was a fixed feature. The sky didn't turn into an appropriate color either, but rather just a warmer shade of purple with no trace of anything remotely resembling a moon or a star. Alexis and Aurelia were the first ones atop the fort walls to observe these anomalies. If anyone wanted to get a good look at Stridor, they needed to do so from the river or the top of the dune; both options were prohibited by Angelo for the time being.

Rufus soon joined and went to stand next to Aurelia as she stared at the world she'd read about in Sage's scrolls. He took her hand and she didn't let go - that's when he knew she had forgiven him. They couldn't afford to bicker or squabble, not only had they a mission to complete, but also a shared secret to keep. A secret that may or may not hold grave consequences for their friend. All they could do was trust in Lord Castus' judgment as Phoebus did.

By 8 am the intense cold began to subside. All of the volunteers would remove their ponchos within the hour. The structure that Angelo and his Rider party had abandoned in a hurry less than a week prior was transformed into a functional holdfast again. Everyone was allocated a chamber, though the views were not comparable to the ones in their castle on Sanctum. Nothing in this forsaken realm was comparable to anything in Euangelion. And they definitely didn't intend to stay long.