Twenty minutes later, Arthur still felt a blanket of emotional numbness covering him as he explained the situation to his retinue riders. The numbness was comforting in a way and meant his voice didn't crack as he laid out the facts.
His Moderate Healing card had been hard at work—else by now his throat would be too raw to speak.
They were all cloistered in one of the hive's meeting rooms. Before them, spread out on a table, was a map of the kingdom. During his quick explanation, Arthur had taken a free piece of charcoal and drawn a large circle to indicate the boundary of protected and doomed land. Most of the central cities within the inside spoke were included in the protective zone, but several, notably, were not.
The kingdom was more or less blob-shaped thanks to centuries of holding the line against scourglings and then expanding the borders in every direction by reclaiming the dead lands, bit by bit. Now all that sacrifice was going to be for nothing. Once the scourglings gained a foothold, the land started to wither and die.
"You should all know," Arthur finished heavily, "this is the most optimistic scenario. Most likely, the final circle will be smaller than this—at least initially. The plan is to consolidate survivors and... work outward again. Reclaim what we can."
He suspected that had been close to the original plan when the kingdom had first been created. It comprised only part of the original continent. And now, they would have less of a share than ever before.
The faces around him expressed shock, disbelief, and grim confusion.
Arthur wanted to say more. He wished he could tell them that he had a plan to stop all this. He didn't. The land was too large, and there would be too many places under siege at once. He had powerful cards in his heart and was bonded to an equally powerful dragon, but he was only one man. He had command over only one hive. Frustrated, he tossed the charcoal down on the map. It made a black mark on top of the king's palace. "So, that's what we're facing." On inspiration, he took a note from the king and asked, "Ideas?"
"This doesn't make sense," Horatio said. "We can't just protect everything within this circle and damn the rest... Arthur, the hives are here." He jabbed at a spot to the south, well outside the circle that was labeled 'Buck Moon.'
The rest of the hives circled the kingdom like the hours on a clock, all at a more or less equal distance. All were also way outside the wrong side of the protective zone.
"Don't tell me they've managed to start nests under the hives as well, right under the noses of dragons?" Horatio continued, sounding shaken.
Arthur felt a prick of annoyance that his friend was ignoring the big picture—the millions in the outer kingdom just sentenced to death—and was focusing on his own home. Then again, Horatio had been born at Buck Moon. The hives were what he had known all his life.
"No," Arthur said. "That's actually one major population point where they haven't been laid."
"The dragons would notice?" Marion guessed, pushing up his glasses.
"The dragons would notice," Arthur confirmed. "The towns immediately surrounding the hives are clear, too. They'll still be caught in the waves as scourglings break out all over the land, but we can shelter any populations inside the hives until order is restored within the new boundaries. Then we’ll evacuate everyone there."
"What about the dragons?" Horatio asked. "They can't fit inside cities. How can we feed them?"
Arthur let that sit for a moment because he didn't have an answer. He suspected no one did.
"Uh, I know I'm new to this kingdom and all," Soledad said, squinting at the map like it was a foreign object, "but aren't these outer areas all, y'know, farmland? Never mind the dragons, how do the city folk expect to be fed after all this is said and done?"
That question had been raised during the meeting, and Arthur at least had a partial answer. "From the sounds of it, we're all going to have our hands full battling the scourglings in the cities. There will be civilian casualties. Probably a lot. So that means fewer mouths to feed. Otherwise, right before the eruptions are due to start, the king will be seizing anyone with powerful farming cards by royal decree. I suspect Hale's pocket dimensional card will be in full use to grow what can't be provided."
"Rowantree Estate will do our duty," Penn said. He'd been invited to this meeting at Arthur's request but had so far sat in the corner, watching everyone with dull eyes and not much reaction to the nightmare-level news. "We have—had people with specialized plant affinity cards that could force-grow crops and others who can make the land yield more by magic." Rising, he took a look at the map and nodded. "The estate is within the bounds of the protected zone. Just." He glanced at Arthur. "Your doing?"
Arthur only nodded once. Of course, he had campaigned for his ancestral lands, and so had anybody else who had strong family ties to lands outside of the hives. That was why the circle had been drawn as far out as it was… and why it was considered optimistic. The majority of Legendary riders were of noble parentage, and their lands were in more or less gentleman country. Well-settled and productive, they represented only a fraction of the overall farmlands. Other than the occasional eruption, those areas had not seen strife for hundreds of years. Now, the majority of them would be at the new border.
Horatio's head fell into his hands. "This can't be real. There has to be something we can do."
"What of the other Mythics?" Marion asked. "Couldn't they help?"
"Maybe, but the king shot down the conversation every time someone tried to bring them up," Arthur said. "I got the feeling that since the scourglings have made a move here, they'll have their hands full watching for something similar happening in the other kingdoms. The king, presumably, will be doing what he can, but other than that, we're on our own."
Kenzie was staring at Arthur hard, probably trying to read his mood. "This is the point where you tell us that you have a grand plan to fix all of this, or head it off... or something! We're not going to just let this happen, right?"
Arthur let out a breath. "I need to complete my set of Legendaries, and Brixaby, too. That will put another Mythic on the field. Between us and the king..." He trailed off, not wanting to make a promise he couldn't deliver on. "What I need from you guys is to take care of the hive in my absence. Desmond and Sybil have been banished to Wolf Moon, and while I'd like to think they wouldn't try anything during this emergency, they'll be with Whitaker, and he's—"
"He's an idiot," Marion, Kenzie, and Horatio said at the same time. They all exchanged looks and smiled, though the smile was strained.
Horatio turned to Arthur. "I got it. We'll take care of the home front while you collect your cards, then come back and save the day. We can manage that."
"Let someone try to get in our way," Soledad muttered. "Equinox has been dying to try out more of his volcanic powers."
"That reminds me." Reaching into his Personal Space, Arthur pulled out the Foe's Eye card and slid it across the table to Kenzie. "This one is on loan. You have a card anchor?" At her nod, he continued, "You and Marteen are Uncommon, so you won't be able to throw your weight around like the others. Instead, I want you present in as many meetings as possible: the captain meetings, wing gatherings, and especially any new pairs that take up Brixaby's offer to join the hive. I'll introduce you to Larry who has an ear on the town outside the hive. I want to know if anyone is working against us."
"Arthur."
It was the first time Cressida had spoken, and immediately Arthur turned to her. Her hands were clenched into fists on top of the table, and her eyes were filled with tears. "I need to speak to my family."
Oh. Oh, he had been a complete idiot. Cressida was part of the Icehouse family, one of the most northern noble families in the kingdom. Her ancestral home was already pretty much on the border of the tundra. There was no chance whatsoever they'd be included in the protective zone.
Seeing her expression was the water that had broken through the dam. Suddenly, he felt everything again—frustration and terror he'd thought had been wrung dry out of him all came rushing back.
"Yes, go warn your family—no, actually, bring them here," he corrected. "They'll have protection in our walls, and we'll evacuate them out with the rest."
She gave a sickly smile. "Are you sure? My father can be... a lot."
"He can't be worse than my uncle," Arthur said.
Off to the side, Penn scoffed.
Horatio held up his hand. "Uh, how long do we have to prepare?"
With effort, Arthur tore his gaze from her. "The king's seers say maybe up to three weeks. Now that the secret's out, though, the Mind Singer won't let it take that long."
"Three weeks at best to find the rest of your cards?" Soledad asked with a raised eyebrow. "Y'all think you have time?"
"Yes," Arthur said, though he had no idea. "I've done crazier before. And no matter what happens... another two Mythics in the kingdom will be a help."
And though the words felt flat to him, he saw his friends relax. He saw subtle signs of his friends relaxing, a little bit of hope in their eyes. Hope that he could somehow save them.
Though he had no idea how. Even if he completed his entire Master set.
His gaze fell to the map and the too-small circle of safety that represented the 'optimistic plan.'
Not good enough, he thought. Then grim determination set in. Who said that completing his Master set and Brixaby completing his Call set was all they could do? Maybe with more firepower, they could expand the boundaries of that circle outward.
Maybe we can push them all back. Push all the scourglings out of the kingdom and keep them out.
How? He had no idea. But he was not going to wallow, and he was not going to despair. After all, he had grown up in borderlands. In a lot of those areas, just having one card made a man rich. They could not fight against hordes of scourglings about to fall upon them.
Somehow, Arthur was going to save them too, or die trying.
****
Arthur walked out to the ledge to see Brixaby and Joy, once again, with their heads bowed close together, having a low conversation. The two dragons noticed him and jerked apart at once.
"I need to find Cressida," Joy said brightly, then took off to the sky, seemingly having forgotten that Cressida was on this level of the hive. Ah well, she'd be back soon.
Despite the heaviness of the day, Arthur smiled. "What were you two talking about?"
"The same thing I imagine you and Joy's rider talk about," Brixaby said. "When to expect the first clutch of eggs."
Arthur stumbled over his next step. "No we don't—humans don't—wait, you two are...?"
Brixaby made a deep growling sound in his throat that Arthur recognized as a draconic chuckle. And with that, he realized his dragon was messing with him. Also, Brixaby didn't seem ready to explain what the two of them had been talking about.
With a shake of his head, Arthur got back on track. "Brix, we need to find two of your cards to complete your set, and we need to do it fast." He didn't bother wondering about Master of Combat, which was what he needed to complete his set. The Mind Singer had it, or one of her minions did.
"Yes," Brixaby growled, and unlike before, this was not a playful sound. "I believe I have located at least one using Call of the Heart." He gusted a dragon-sized sigh. "You will not like it."