Hours later AJ swore to himself that he could feel his brain melting out his ears. The room he had commandeered had been fully turned into a way room. The medium table in there had been removed and replaced with a larger table, and plenty of chairs. Maps were spread out, covering different areas of where they would work and the surrounding waters. Sheets of paper were stacked with the reports from each race. Requests for more material were there as well, and information about troop counts, weapon counts, armor counts, and every other count that could be thought of.
AJ had sent out the elves that were considered adolescents to gather the counts on things. They worked cheerfully and quickly, eager to be of some kind of assistance. The children came in of their own accord and offered to do the work of pages. In their little faces AJ could see the desire to be of some kind of assistance instead of being forced to hang back out of the way. So he sent them off on small tasks. Gathering a new map from a different room. Running to ask this person or that one to come meet him there. It made it easier for him to concentrate, and the children loved running errands.
Even some of the castle women were offering help. Though elves didn’t hold the social standards that humans did where women were concerned, it was common among elves to find women working the kitchens or tending the home. Not because it was considered ‘women’s work’ but because all, including the women, believed that a female was more domestic, more a part of nature. An what was nature but a care provider for life?
So AJ found that as they worked, food and drinks were brought in, and lamps were lit as it grew toward dusk. The room grew more and more crowded as his friends returned with their own reports. AJ stood by a large calendar that he’d tacked up on the wall, marking off the days that had gone past, and looking at the days they had left.
September twenty second was their deadline. The equinox, a very powerfully magical time, and the celebration of life. That was when Roth hoped to do his worst. To take life as they knew it, and destroy it. How short their time was until it arrived. It was amazing to realize all the time that had already passed.
Flreu moved up behind AJ, as well as one of the elders who had fought in the last war, thousands of years ago. “Our time grows short.” Flreu said softly. His eyes moved over the calendar as well.
Rubbing a knuckle over his chin, AJ tipped his head. His mind was trying to run through calculations. With one finger he gestured as he thought out loud, not really paying any attention to those around him. “This here was round about when we left our house. Then here, meeting with you, we found out Roth’s plan for the celebration.”
AJ pulled a finger back, his eyes running over the days. He pointed to another day. “This here was when we found out from Galiina that Roth planned on coming early. “ AJ moved his finger over to the second week in September. “Which would put his arrival sometime in here. But, we can’t trust to that. There’re so many other things that have changed in just the past five or six days.”
A familiar hand touched the small of his back. He didn’t startle, having sensed him coming even before he’d entered the room. Brian stood beside him, looking curiously at him. “What‘s your problem with the timeline, lover?” he asked him.
With a sigh, AJ let himself lean slightly against Brian’s embrace. “It’s just that, I know Roth. He would have wanted to keep in close contact with Galiina, and he would have been prepared for any instance. He would have had a plan in place for if we discovered her. When she didn’t report in, I bet he assumed the worst and put those plans into action. He’ll assume we know when he’s coming, so he’ll change his plans. But, how? That’s the question?”
AJ wasn’t paying attention to anyone anymore. He was chewing on his lip, his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to think this thought through. If he could just get it to finish playing out in his mind, he knew he’d get to the root of what was bothering him. Suddenly his eyebrows shot up and his mouth dropped a little. He ran his fingers over the week that they had figured Roth to show from Galiina’s information.
Next he looked up to the week they were in, the first week of August. That would have left them with one month to prepare. One month before the biggest battle they had ever fought would begin. But Roth would have to change his plans. AJ was afraid he knew how Roth would change them. He stepped forward, staring at the map as days and information ran through his mind, all of it trying to mesh together in one big picture.
“Sweet Jesus.” He whispered.
“What is it, Alex? What do you see?” Brian’s voice was soft as a butterfly’s breath in the air. Lost in thought, AJ didn’t realize that the whole room had gone silent. All he could focus on was the dates on the calendar. “He’s coming sooner than we thought.” He replied.
“What?” One of the warriors stepped up. His name was Esthr, and he wore a skeptical look on his face. “You told us that the traitors information said he would arrive early, which would put it about the second week in September.”
“Yes, but with the possibility of his spy being captured and giving up information, Roth would have changed his plans. He would decide to come sooner, before we have too much time to change our original plan. He’d seek to come at a time we were between one plan and another. It’s how he is. How his mind works.”
“How is it that you can claim such an intimate knowledge of our enemy?” Esthr countered. He wasn’t speaking belligerently, or as if he was seeking to accuse, but as if he wanted to better understand.
AJ was still lost in thought enough that he answered without really thinking. “For a period of time him and I really did have a halfway there friendship. We tried to keep the peace amongst us immortals as best as we could. When you’re a friend, and then a lover, of someone for a while you tend to learn how their brain works. I spent about a decade with him at his home. Trying to change him. Until he threw an earthquake at me when we fought and vowed to kill me and I flung a tsunami at him.”
The silence in the room grew thick. For the first time, AJ noticed that everyone was staring at him. He hunched his shoulders a little, looking from one silent face to the next. Kevin and Nick were even in the room, their eyes wide with shock. All of his friends, as well as any pages and warriors, had their eyes glued to AJ in surprise. Only a few didn’t look shocked. Howie, Brian, Flreu, Tadhg.
“A tsunami?” Nick asked in surprise. “You made a tsunami?”
“Yeah. The great tsunami of Messina in 1908.” AJ said softly, slouching a little more. “Look, he’d made an earthquake with his anger, and he chucked me magically onto the beach and started threatening me, threatening Howi, and the whole island. It’s not exactly my proudest moment. My passion overruled my reason, and when I stood up the water stood up with me. I think they said the wave was 40 feet high by the time I slammed it into him.”
Memories pushed in AJ’s eyes, dimming their color for a moment. With his hand still on the small of AJ’s back, Brian rubbed it soothingly. Howie offered AJ a smile. “It was a hundred years ago, Alyck. You made a foolish mistake, but you used as much of your power as was safe to try and save as many as you could before you were forced to flee.”
“It does not excuse the deaths, Howi.” AJ said softly in Greek.
His longtime friend gave him a sad smile. “No, it doesn’t. But what you do now counters it. Do not dwell in the past. Seek to protect the future.” Howie replied in the same language.
Those words bolstered AJ back up. His spine straightened and his shoulders drew back. Proudly he met the gaze of everyone in the room. “The point I was making was that I know the way his mind works. He’s going to come early. Last few days of August to the first few days of September is the most likely time. We’ll need to be prepared by then. Now, where are the new reports?” With that he brought them all back to the matter at hand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They were all still talking hours. It was completely dark outside, nearing close to midnight, and AJ was immersed in deep discussion with his best generals about how best to set up their archers so they would have the best range without hitting anyone on their side. Half of the room had left by then to do different assigned tasks. Brian had even left to take Nick and Kevin to their room a few hours ago.
A small voice nagged in the back of AJ’s mind as he pointed to the walls on their map of the castle. He kept talking even as he let that familiar voice slide into his mind. ‘Alex, oh Alex…’
‘What do you want, you little freak?’ He teased back while still discussing the amount of archers he wanted in each tower. “One spell caster for every ten archers. We’ll need to protect our overhead from someone just flying into the center of the castle and taking us all out, or dropping something nasty on our archers.”
‘What do I want? Haven’t you noticed the time of night? We have a midnight date, Alex. Or do I get to play offended that you’ve forgotten me?’
The corners of AJ’s mouth quirked, the only outward sign he gave. “Roth favors fire, so there’s a good possibility that he’ll try to drop it down on them. Archers are some of the best defenses this castle will have. Our spell casters up there with them will be working hard, make no mistake about that. It’ll be very tiring work. We’ll probably have to trade some out every so often to keep the exhaustion levels down.” - ‘I didn’t forget, Bri. But I’ve got to get this finished so they can get started on what I want them to do. Maybe then they’ll leave me alone. Trust me, I would have been out of here thirty minutes ago if it was my choice. But I’ve got the generals and grandfather and uncle in here, plus all our friends and they’re all waiting for orders on something.’
‘Well, I’m going to be rude, then. I told you, I won’t let you work yourself into that kind of exhaustion again. People are just going to have to accept that you’re going to take breaks like the rest of us.’
A chuckle threatened to slip past AJ’s lips. Rude? What was Brian going to do that was rude? But he got no more response from Brian except a sensation of amusement and determination. So it looked like he would find out with the rest of them. Until then, - “I want to have the dwarves make shields for us, lightweight circular shields that an archer can easily pick up and hold overhead. Maybe with an arm brace to make it easier to hold. When they’re ready, Uncle, would you mind gathering your best spell casters and have them put a ward over the top. Something with water weaved in. If we work it right, we can have it douse the fire before it managed to burn through to the archers or heat the metal too much.”
The doors to the war room opened, but no one really paid attention. AJ snuck a glance up, never breaking stride as he discussed with Tadhg the magic that he wanted over the shields. But the corners of his lips curved automatically in response to seeing his lover standing in the open doorway. Part of his mind hummed slightly in pleasure. Brian was still dressed in his leggings and boots from earlier in the day, but he’d pulled his tunic back on and belted it with the sword belt. He even still had the wrap tied over his hair to keep it out of his face.
He was all red and gold and yellow, between his clothes and skin and hair. The effect was devastating. He was sunshine standing there in the middle of the night. He was everything that made AJ’s heart soar.
Humor lit Brian’s face as he walked in. He didn’t bother being quiet, so he shortly had most everyone’s attention. “You ready, love?” he asked simply when he reached the table, standing opposite AJ, the table between them.
“Like I told you, heart song, I’m almost done.” AJ explained again, one eyebrow quirking. “I shouldn’t be much longer.”
“Mm. Is that so?” Brian murmured. Without warning weaves of air wrapped around AJ’s waist, lifting him into the air. He couldn’t help the surprised laugh that came out. Without pausing, Brian used the weaves to pull AJ close. Once he was right in front of him, Brian reached up and grabbed AJ about the waist, releasing the weaves, and slung him over his shoulder.
With another startled laugh, AJ tried to gather his hair to stop it from dragging the ground and gave a mock glare at Brian’s backside. Impishly he pinched one of the cheeks right in front of his face. “What do you think you’re doing? Put me down!” he laughed out.
Brian simply chuckled, one arm hooking behind AJ’s knees to hold him in place. “You guys can have him back come morning.” He told everyone assembled there. Laughter followed them as Brian carried him out of the room. Once they were walking the hallway, AJ fully expected Brian to put him down, but he was still being carried, his head hanging upside down.
Trying not to laugh, AJ tried to push and break free. All he got for his efforts was a smack on his ass. “Quit wiggling.” Brian warned, moving out the hall and into the main area. Everywhere they passed laughter seemed to follow. AJ found himself giving up the fight. Brian was going to do what he would, and it would be better to just enjoy the ride. So he planted his elbows in Brian’s back, rested his face in his hands, and grinned at people as they passed.