I stepped out of the tent and the entire world inhaled.
Four hundred thousand soldiers on their knees, heads bowed, waiting for me to breathe again so they could breathe too.
The morning wind carried the smell of steel, horse sweat, and distant snow from the Great Xia border.
Aria fell in on my left, crimson hair whipping like a war banner.
On my right walked General Varkis (half-orc, seven feet of green muscle and scars), carrying the imperial standard himself because apparently that was tradition now.
I climbed the obsidian dais they'd rolled out overnight. Twelve steps. Each one rang like a funeral bell.
At the top I turned.
Silence so deep I could hear my own heartbeat.
I let it stretch. Ten seconds. Twenty.
Then I spoke, voice rolling out like thunder that didn't need to shout.
"Stand."
Four hundred thousand bodies rose as one. The ground actually shook.
I looked over them slowly.
Left flank: the Iron Reavers, beastkin heavy cavalry.
Right flank: the Ashen Legion, human siege breakers.
Centre: the floating platforms where my ten marshals waited (each one a former enemy queen who had decided kneeling tasted better than dying).
I spotted Marshal Lysandra (dark elf, former high priestess of the moon goddess) giving me a lazy salute and a smile that promised murder in bed later.
I gave her the smallest nod. She bit her lip.
Focus, Valerian.
I raised one hand. The army stilled again.
"Tomorrow," I said, "we cross the Crimson Plains. Tomorrow Great Xia learns that walls mean nothing when the man on the other side already owns the women inside them."
A low growl of approval rippled through the ranks. Someone started the chant; the rest took it up instantly.
"VALERIAN! VALERIAN! VALERIAN!"
I let it wash over me for five heartbeats, then cut it dead with a single lowered palm.
Absolute obedience. Terrifying. Addictive.
I was about to dismiss them when a scout eagle (massive, black feathers, rider strapped to its back) spiralled down and landed hard on the dais railing.
The rider vaulted off, knelt, and offered a jade scroll sealed with the twin-phoenix crest.
Great Xia's answer.
I broke the seal.
One line, written in perfect calligraphy:
The Twin Jade Princesses for safe passage of the western army. Refuse and every village burns.
I actually laughed out loud. Short, sharp, genuine.
Aria raised an eyebrow. "Good news, my king?"
"They want their princesses back," I said, loud enough for the front ranks to hear. "In exchange for letting half my army walk away."
Dead silence for two seconds.
Then the biggest laugh I'd ever heard from four hundred thousand throats. It rolled across the plains like an avalanche.
I held the scroll up so the sun caught the jade seal, then let it burn in my palm (black flame, no heat, just ash in three seconds).
"Tell the Heavenly Empress," I said to the eagle rider, "the price went up."
The rider swallowed, saluted, and was airborne before the ash hit the ground.
I turned back to the army.
"Dismissed. Sharpen blades. Kiss your wives. Tomorrow we collect rent."
They roared again and broke formation with perfect discipline.
I stepped down from the dais.
Aria fell in beside me. "The twins heard everything through the wards," she said, amused. "The elder one just broke a teacup with her mind."
"Good," I said. "Saves me the trouble."
We walked back toward the command tent. The camp was alive now (smiths hammering, cooks shouting, beastkin wrestling for fun). Normal war morning.
Halfway there, a runner skidded to a stop in front of me (human kid, maybe sixteen, eyes wide).
"Your Majesty! Forward scouts report movement! Great Xia's western army is advancing faster than expected. They'll reach the river by nightfall."
I stopped.
That… wasn't in the plan.
I tried to remember what I'd written about their western commander.
Old guy? Young hothead? Woman? Memory gave me nothing but static.
Huh.
I looked at Aria. "Who commands their west flank again?"
"Marshal Huo Qing," she said instantly. "Red Phoenix Legion. Twenty-eight. Fire affinity. Rumoured to bathe in lava for fun."
Right. The foul-mouthed tomboy. I'd definitely written her, just forgot the timeline.
I rubbed my jaw. "They're probing early."
"Or the empress panicked when the twins didn't come home gift-wrapped," Aria said.
I grinned. "Let's go say hello."
Thirty minutes later I was on horseback (black destrier the size of a truck), riding at the head of five thousand light cavalry. Aria on my left, Varkis on my right, wind tearing at banners.
We crested the final ridge just as the sun hit noon.
Below us, the Crimson River ran red with clay. On the far bank: twenty thousand Great Xia troops in perfect formation, scarlet armour gleaming.
At their front, a woman on a crimson phoenix mount.
Huo Qing.
Even from here I could see the important details: short black hair with red streaks, armour that looked painted on, and a war hammer across her back big enough to level houses.
She raised one hand. Her army stopped on a coin.
I raised mine. My five thousand did the same.
For a long moment the only sound was the wind.
Then Huo Qing's voice cracked across the river like a whip.
"VALERIAN! SEND OUT THE PRINCESSES OR I BURN THIS PLAIN UNTIL THE RIVER BOILS!"
I cupped hands around my mouth.
"COUNTER-OFFER! SEND YOURSELF OVER AND I ONLY BURN HALF!"
Her soldiers shifted, uncertain. Huo Qing threw her head back and laughed (loud, rough, zero elegance).
"I LIKE YOU, YOU COCKY BASTARD! SHAME I HAVE TO KILL YOU!"
She levelled her hammer. The phoenix under her screamed, wings of actual fire spreading wide.
I leaned toward Aria. "Remind me, is Huo Qing the suicidal type or just really confident?"
"Both," Aria said, already drawing her bow.
I sighed. "Of course I did."
Huo Qing charged.
Twenty thousand followed.
I drew my sword (black blade, gold runes, ridiculously dramatic) and pointed it across the river.
Five thousand answered with a roar and thundered down the slope.
The Crimson Plains were about to earn their name twice in one week.
And somewhere behind me, in a quiet tent, two half-stripped princesses just heard the war start early.
I smiled into the wind.
Past-me really should've left a damn schedule.