In the original base of the Knights of Ardonia, morale was at an all time low. Senn slouched on the hill. Hubris sat with one leg bent, crouched upon himself. Grek's tail dangled over his log. Even the Tidesinger had lost his usual golden shine and was popping small blue bubbles he made from his Song under a tree.
Behind the mountain, smoke rose from the ashes of Ataraxia. The river around it no longer swam with Guardians and the lakes below turned black with the soot. A few Ardoni scavenged in the rubble, looking for anything of value that was not destroyed in the battle.
Ria came out of the inner room. "Alright everyone." She announced, trying to raise everyone's spirits. "I think it is time we plan our next move."
"And what can we do?" Hubris asked, not moving from his position. "We lost our chance at retaking the capitals, we lost Ataraxia, and we lost Galleous."
"Furthermore," Abbigail said. "We still do not know where Saxon and Trevor might be. As much as I worry about the War, I cannot fail my duty as Queen to protect my Knights."
"Regardless," interjected the Tidesinger. "We are in no position to fight right now. The Cydonian and K'arthen forces are pinned to their capitals. I fear they can do nothing but defend themselves."
They remained silent for a while. A small leaf fell between the scales on Grek's back and he grunted gently as he reached for it. Finally, Ria spoke.
"The new plan," she announced, "is the old plan. We find the Prime Songs and use them against the Deathsinger." She tilted her head towards Senn. "He got the Supporium Prime at the Vault, and the Mobilium Prime from that treacherous Sulliman. With both the Protesium and Aggresium Primes, we will have a fighting chance."
The Tidesinger's brows furrowed. "In finding the Prime Songs, I agree." His eyes shifted hesitantly. "However, I take concern in wielding them against Ingressus. If we attack with the Primes and fail, then he gains them all, and we lose everything."
Ria sighed. "It's a risk we'll have to take." She approached the golden warrior. "Tidesinger, you are the most experienced in the use of Songs. If the time comes, will you wield the Prime Songs and fight the Deathsinger?"
Achillean shook his head. "It was never my intention to hold such power, but, his voice steadied. "Under the circumstances, I will do what I must to stop Ingressus."
"It was very fortunate that engineer, what-was-his-name, built his device here. There simply wasn't enough room in the center of Ataraxia." Val observed. "Where is he?"
"I do not think that will ease the problem." Hubris said. "It requires a Prime Song to calibrate, remember?"
"Actually," Frederick walked out from the compound. "If I may intercede, there was a positive to come out of this tragedy." He smiled mischievously. "When the Deathsinger attacked I was able to calibrate my device off his Prime Songs without him knowing."
"Hold on," said Senn. "You did that?"
"It seemed the perfect opportunity." said Frederick, growing taller every second. "The machine needed to know the location of one Prime Song, and we already know the Deathsinger had two. Given that he was here in Ataraxia, it's simply a problem of hooking a flip-flop to a repeater." Bewildered gazes came from everyone.
"Ahem." Frederick cleared his throat. "The bottom line is, the device is ready. I present to you, pause for effect…" he muttered, "the Frederick Device!"
"That is wonderful news!" Ria exclaimed. "Can you locate them now?"
"I already have." He announced. "I can present you the locations on the map inside the war room."
They walked in, and Frederick turned on what resembled a small lamp opposite the giant map of Ataraxia on one wall. Four rays of light emanated from the device. The yellow and green beams fell directly on Crown Peak.
"The ones at Crown Peak is undoubtedly the Deathsinger." Frederick announced. "Might I suggest that we also use this as a tracking device?"
"Hmm, it would definitely work." Val remarked. "He would never know what gave him away. It's a perfect method."
"Thank you." Nodded the engineer. "Now, back to the map. The blue beam, that should be the Protesium Prime, points to an uncharted territory off the coast of Hydraphel. Personally, I wager it is on an island. The red beam, representing the Aggresium Prime, goes as far north as possible: right at Gale Point."
Grek scratched his chin. "Can't you get the locations a bit more accurate than that? Both of these are huge regions,"
"Do you know how difficult it was to get these readings?" The engineer instantly fired up. "This has never been done in the history of…"
"It's fine Fredric, it will be enough to get us started." Ria placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for everything."
A young Kaltaris ran in through the door. He whispered something to the Tidesinger and left.
"The scouts just reported in." Achillean announced. "Saxon and Trevor were seen moving to a prison camp outside of Bhengorn."
Abbigail looked at the rays of light on the map. Bhengorn lies almost on the west coast of Ardonia, a continent away from Hydraphel on the east coast. She considered, and spoke.
"As much as we need the Prime Songs, I need the Enderknights at full strength." She walked to the front of the room. "Denny, take Hubris and Grek with you to the islands." She instructed. "I'll fly to Bhengorn and attempt to rescue Saxon and Trevor." Abbigail pointed. "Afterwards I'll take the others with me and we'll all meet up here: Northwind Pass." Abbigail circled the location. "If the weather is clear we will proceed north to Gale Point." She looked around the room. "If I don't make it back in four days, continue without me."
Everyone was stunned by her speech. No one made a sound.
"Promise you'll come back." Ria pleaded. "We cannot lose another friend."
"This is war time." Abbigail answered. "I cannot make promises."
"Then we will proceed with the plan." Ria determined.
"Go find your Enderknights Abbigail." The Tidesinger said. "We will await your return. Denny, fly high and avoid passing over major cities. We will see each other again at Northwind pass.