Invasion (19 page)

He was far from out of trouble though as the tendril continued to crush him. He inverted the sword in his hand and started sawing away at the tendril as much as his restricted movement allowed. The pressure eased up as he cut through one thickness but he had to dodge an attack from an orc standing over him. He rolled to one side and then back again as the orc kept attacking and then he kicked his leg up and into the groin of the orc. He bent both his legs back and kicked them into the orc’s face as he leant forward, throwing him back into the orcs behind him.

A slave came to his side, bent down and started cutting the tendril off him. The pressure continued to ease until he broke free of the powerful grasp. By the time Gerard got to his feet, the orc guards were in full retreat.

True to his word, Major Isak spurred them on to hunt down every last orc as they ran for their lives. One escaped — the Necromancer who conjured a smaller wolf and rode away on it.

Gerard ran over to Thirak but knew before he even checked for a pulse that the sturdy dwarf was dead. The news got even worse when he checked on Captain Riyad and found him with a fatal head injury obtained as he had collided with the rocks. Gerard collapsed to his knees and let the tears flow freely. Major Isak came over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

“He was my best Captain.” Major Isak squeezed Gerard’s shoulder. “Oh he was as stubborn as an ox and not afraid to speak his mind but in battle you could always count on him.”

“We are so close to the canyon. They almost made it.” Gerard wiped the tears out of his eyes. “They deserved to make it.”

“You know as well as I, Gerry, that in battle, what is deserved and what is dished out rarely line up. Captain Riyad died the way he was always going to die — putting his life on the line to save a friend.”

Chapter 19

Recovery

“I still think I should come with you.” Cressida stood at the foot of Decker’s bed with her arms folded. It had been many days since Decker had slept in his own bed. He had stayed with Cressida at Pilk’s place since his injury five days ago.

“We’ve been over this. Your brother thinks it wise if I take Ciara to see the elves. ‘A magical horse would help convince them’ he said. She won’t bear two riders and no other horse will keep up with her. Grand Master Reibeck is going to meet me at Foxcoast and we’ll travel across the Katifi Strait together.” Decker continued to stuff his clothes into his travel bag.

“But it’s such a long journey and things are so uncertain here.”

“Ciara will cover the distance in no time at all. I still don’t think she has shown me everything she is capable of, and it’s the fact that things are so uncertain here that I need to visit the elves. Grand Master Reibeck is one of the few that has a good relationship with them and I have a horse they will find very interesting, so we are the logical choice.” Decker walked over to Cressida and lifted her chin up. “Besides, you need to keep the boys out of trouble.”

“And what about rescuing Pilk? What if we need you for that?”

Decker put his hands on her shoulders and said, “Pilk and Great Shaman O’tukka are perfectly capable of delaying things. For now we need to observe their routines.”

“Which you are most qualified for.” Her voice sounded almost sulky.

“Mistress Cali can make anyone invisible. You’re observant and can walk through the grove rather soundlessly, so you could take care of things there.” Decker wanted to tell her that it would help keep her mind off things as well but decided not to. While their relationship had taken significant steps in the last few days, he still wasn’t sure what he could get away with. Sometimes it would take a small comment like that to set her off.

“I suppose. I guess I’ll just miss you,” she said.

“And I’ll miss you.” He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tight. “But it won’t be for long.”

“I assume you have told Duke Angus what you’re doing?” She pushed him back a little and looked up at him.

“I spoke to him before I came here. He agrees that it’s a good idea and is going to visit King Cassien today to speak with him about it.

“Will the elves help?”

“If they know what’s good for them they will. They live on this world too and while they may not be overly fond of humans, they will be even less fond of dragons.”

Sylestra opened her eyes slowly. She lay in her bed but had no recollection of how she got there. As she sat up a seething pain dashed through her side and then her memory came flooding back. She had been a second away from sacrificing Jeff when a crossbow bolt slammed into her side. She had cast the Floating Mist spell to release the bolt from her body.

The wound sealed when she returned to her fleshly state but the pain had been crippling and she had barely made it out the door before her attackers caught up with her and finished the job.

It had been Gerard.

She replayed the scene in her mind. When returning to her solid form she had noticed him by the door handing the crossbow over to Sarai. Somehow the pain seemed worse now.

“You shouldn’t be sitting up, Supreme Mistress.” An orc guard by the door walked over to her bed.

“You dare tell me what I shouldn’t be doing?” Her raised voice aggravated her wound.

“I’m sorry, Supreme Mistress, but the Cleric who tended to you instructed me to tell you to remain lying down until he was summoned.” The orc bowed his head and lowered his gaze.

“And has the Cleric been summoned?”

“No, Supreme Mistress. I just realised that you were awake.”

“Then summon him at once,” she ordered.

“Of course, Supreme Mistress.” The orc went to the door, opened it and informed someone out in the hall that she had awoken. He closed the door and walked halfway over to her bed.

“You have news about the rebellion?” She could tell it wasn’t good news by his slumped posture and reluctance to answer.

“I’m afraid the slaves have escaped. We pursued them to the edge of the Black Rock Canyon where we engaged them. According to the lone survivor, they were well-prepared for us. Where they have gone now I don’t know.”

“They will be making their way toward the Gate, you fool.” She lay there shaking with anger. How had they all managed to escape so easily? “Did Jeff and Gerard escape?”

“I’m afraid so, Supreme Mistress. We were rounding up every available guard to go after them so the Palace was poorly guarded. They got in and out with minimal resistance.” The orc started trembling.

“Why did you not go with the rest?”

“After realising how poorly the Palace was defended, some of us were ordered to remain behind. A number of slaves did not flee and so some were also needed to watch over them.”

“So how many slaves do we have left?”

“Three or four hundred, Supreme Mistress.”

  From over twenty-six thousand slaves to three or four hundred. How had this happened especially after they were on high alert for that reason? And she had almost been killed in the process. To have lived for many thousands of years to be killed by a simple crossbow bolt fired by an ordinary human — how humiliating that would have been.

Except he wasn’t that ordinary. He wasn’t as easy to control or manipulate as most men were. He could not be easily seduced or made to cower by her Gaze of Hopelessness. He was strong of mind and of body and could handle a weapon better than any she had fought for many long years. Could it be that she would miss him?

“Then be sure not to let them escape,” she responded.

“The compound has been secured once again and the slaves put back to work. What will we do about the escaped slaves?”

“Nothing — for now. They have nowhere to go. Gerard will lead them to the Gate but will soon realise it’s hopeless getting through it, so we will round them up in time. Have a scout keep track of them. Meanwhile, we’ll have the human slaves the Black Skull captured sent here to replace our numbers. Send word at once.”

“Of course, Supreme Mistress.” The orc rushed out the door without hesitation.

Sylestra wasn’t alone long when the Cleric knocked at her door.

“You should not be sitting up, Supreme Mistress. It will place undue strain on your wound. I informed the Guard to tell you this.” The Cleric, wearing his blood red robe with gold trimmings and tassels hanging from his sleeves, shuffled over to her bedside.

She knew the Cleric well as he was the most powerful at the craft and assigned to work on her and certain other important figures in the tribe. He took his work seriously and Sylestra respected him despite his flamboyant personality.

“The Guard did tell me this, Damerai, but I don’t take orders from the Guard, or from you for that matter.”

“Think not of it as an order, Supreme Mistress, but as a beneficial suggestion, so spoken to speed your recovery so that you may return to the important matters of the tribe.” Damerai bent into a low bow.

Sylestra couldn’t help but chuckle. “Speaking of important matters of the tribe I must return to Ka’ton at once.”

“I highly recommend that you do not travel in your condition, Supreme Mistress — especially flying as you do.” Damerai pulled her bed covers down a little and rolled back the edge of the bandage covering her wound.

“Do not fear for me, Damerai. Just heal me as best you can and let me worry about the rest. I have been more severely wounded than this before.”

“It is not only you I fear for, Supreme Mistress, but the baby that grows within.”

Chapter 20

Traitor

Sylestra flew high above the fleeing slaves. They had made it to the floor of the canyon and as she suspected they were travelling east toward the Gate.

After hearing the news from Damerai she was reinvigorated despite her injury and the plight of her slave compound. She had been pregnant many times in the past of course and had birthed human and half-orc alike, but she had never felt this euphoria with any of them.

She had been surprised by O’tukka’s eyes and the power they held within as none of her other children had inherited this trait, but it had been no more than idle curiosity. With this baby though, she could not even see it yet, in fact it was probably around the size of a pea at this stage, but now that she had been alerted to its presence, she sensed its power within her. Aside from that, just thinking about the father sent a tingling sensation through her body.

Content that she had confirmed her suspicions about the escaped slaves, she drove Zaydok on even harder as she was already late. She landed near the Gate some time later as orcs scattered to make room for her large steed. She dismounted with haste and entered the Gate without acknowledging anyone around her.

She paused for a moment on the other side, impressed with what General Jak’ho had achieved already. Buildings had been repaired or rebuilt and all rubble and bodies cleared away. As she neared the other side of Fort Dega she saw the western wall almost completely rebuilt.

O’tukka and his small wizard friend were standing up close to the magical bars as she approached, their faces set in stone.

“Decided to give us a little extra time, did we?” The human wizard wore a smug smile. Did he somehow know what had happened? Impossible, surely.

“I have had matters to attend to.” She hoped they did not notice her less graceful walking posture. “So what have you decided?”

“I’ll form the gate for you, but there is no guarantee that the next one I create will access Aleri,” said O’tukka.

“Then we keep forming gates until you do succeed.”

“I will need access to all my books and will need Master Pilk’s aid in setting up the gate.”

“So the wizard does have a name? How delightful.” She hoped that sounded as scornful as she meant it to be. “I will have all your books sent to you, but by first light tomorrow I want you to begin creating the gate. You have done it once, so you should not need to study too hard.”

“It is not the spell I need to study, but the desired location. Without knowing the distance of the mother world from this one, or some of its geography, climate or even its current state, it’ll be mere guesswork with odds akin to finding a particular grain of sand in the desert.”

“You have had access to my personal library and that of the Black Skull your entire life and were assigned by me to devote every waking hour to studying such things. Do not now tell me that you know naught of such things.” She had little patience for her son’s stalling tactics today.

“What he hasn’t had access to is our libraries which may shed light where darkness previously resided,” said Master Pilk.

“Your world apparently has no knowledge of Aleri, therefore I highly doubt you would possess any useful insight.”

“It’s true that up until now we have been blinded to this ancient history but that is because it was largely considered myth. With the recent connection between our worlds we have come to know better. Books untouched for centuries may very well contain the knowledge we need.” A glint showed in the little wizard’s eyes as if he enjoyed the prospect of studying such things.

“And how do we gain possession of these books? Let me guess — I let you go and retrieve them with full faith that you will return?” She stared at Pilk and let a little of her magical gaze come forth.

“I will return as I now consider Great Shaman O’tukka a friend of mine and will not see him abandoned.” Pilk turned to her son and back to her as he spoke.

“Oh how touching, but I will find a more reliable way.”

“I may be of assistance there, Supreme Mistress Sylestra,” said a voice from behind her. She turned around to see another human wizard standing there accompanied by General Jak’ho. She hadn’t heard them approach.

He was a tall thin man wearing a ridiculous wide-brimmed pointy hat, standing straight with his head held high holding a dark stained staff. His blue robe hung loosely, made of fine silk and covered with white, yellow and aqua stars — a wizard of some renown.

“And just who may you be and why should I trust you?”

“I am Grand Master Rotager and I am the Head Wizard at the Academy of Mystics. I not only have unrestricted access to the top level of our most extensive library but I have, in fact, some of those very books with me.”

“I am guessing that you have certain terms associated with this sharing of knowledge? Perhaps the release of your wizard friend here?”

“My goodness no. Pilk is no friend of mine and what you wish to do with him is up to your own good graces — although I suggest you tread carefully with such a one as Pilk as he does have a tendency to interfere with plans. No my terms will be much more extensive, but my assistance, priceless.” Rotager pulled up a few paces in front of her and planted his staff to the ground, letting his voluminous sleeves drop and sway as he gestured extravagantly.

“You speak confidently for one who has no knowledge of my plans or current resources. Why should I not destroy you where you stand and take what you have?” Sylestra allowed the full force of her Gaze of Hopelessness to come forth in order to test the mettle of this self-important wizard.

He didn’t flinch.

“While I have no doubt that you could destroy me, I have full confidence that if you did so you would never find that which I am offering. However, I fear you may have seriously underestimated my knowledge of both you and your current quest. I think you’ll find that we can come to a mutually beneficial agreement.”

“You are a traitor to your country! The king will hear of this and you’ll be judged accordingly,” shouted Master Pilk.

Either these two wizards were excellent performers or they really did detest one another. Sylestra figured that it wouldn’t hurt to hear this wizard out. If she didn’t like what she heard then she may have acquired a very strong sacrifice at the least.

“Very well, I will listen to you, but not here in front of the present company.” She turned her attention to General Jak’ho. “General, if you would be so kind as to lead us to my quarters, which I assume you have ready.”

“Of course, Supreme Mistress.” The General turned on his heel and started marching off. Rotager turned to her with upraised eyebrows so she gestured for him to follow the abrupt orc.

General Jak’ho led them to a finished building near the centre of the fort. It contained very basic furnishings but that would soon change as the General had time to arrange things. She walked around behind the desk and took a seat, glad to get off her feet.

“By all means take a seat and tell me how beneficial you can be to me.” She gestured to the two seats positioned in front of her desk.

“Mutually beneficial,” corrected Rotager as he leaned his staff up against the wall and took a seat.

“Yes, well we shall see about that. I could be beneficial to you simply by letting you live. So what is it that you want?”

“For centuries the Academy of Mystics has served the kingdom of Lertia, helping to build, shape, expand and in recent times, defend the kingdom. For all that we have done, we get very little gratitude and, in fact, restrictions placed upon us. Those without magic are often very sceptical of those with it and afraid that if we were given too much freedom we would take over or even destroy the kingdom. Our studies are often hampered by all the rules and regulations placed upon us which I believe to be not only holding back the Academy, but also the kingdom.” He threw his arms around for emphasis.

Sylestra wondered if this wizard could talk if his hands were bound. “I am very busy Grand Master Rotager — perhaps if you could get to the point. Do you want to join my tribe and have freedom to study what you will?” She rested her hands on the desk and leant in.

“No. I feel that within any culture we will always have restrictions placed upon us in one form or another. What I am proposing is the rise of a new kingdom — one that is led by the Academy of Mystics.” He rested back in his chair and folded his hands on his lap.

“And where would this kingdom be set up, and who would be the ruler, you?” She knew the answer to her last question but remained curious as to how he would answer it.

“This kingdom would be set up where Lertia now stands and yes, I would be its ruler. With my knowledge and experience I would be the most logical choice.” He straightened his back and lifted his chin.

Could a man be any more arrogant?

“So you want me to help you wipe out an entire kingdom and then withdraw so as to allow you to take control of all that I have conquered, and all you are offering me in return is a few dusty old books? Are you out of your mind, wizard?” Her blood boiled.

“I offer you more than just the books. I offer you my services and the services of over one hundred other wizards. With our help you will achieve your goals a lot faster. You cannot conquer and rule all three worlds. That, I believe, is out of even your lofty grasp.” He held his arm out toward her with his palm facing up as he smirked.

“And what do you know of my goals?” She gritted her teeth.

Rotager chuckled. “I believe they are not too dissimilar to my own — the ongoing quest for more power. You are seeking the homeworld of Aleri because, like me, you know that a large remnant of your goddess Nefari still resides there. If you can bring your goddess together again and make her whole, your power will grow significantly. Your biggest problem, I believe, is that Nefari cannot freely travel through magical gates while the human, dwarf and orc gods can. Already the power of all magic users on Ka’ton has grown since the Gate was opened linking our worlds. Many have noticed this but very few understand why.”

“You are wiser than I gave you credit for, Grand Master Wizard. Perhaps we can come to an understanding although I’m reluctant to put a man on the throne of a foreign kingdom that I know little about — perhaps you could operate as a vassal state?”

“I would still be subservient to you and therefore restricted.” He jumped forward in his chair and raised his voice.

“You would operate independently without my interference and would simply need to be available should I have need of you. Betray me or make war against me and you would be wiped out. A very fair and reasonable arrangement.” She kept her tone pleasant despite the anger welling up inside her.

“And you would give me all the land of Lertia?” He once again leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow.

Sylestra laughed, “Good god no. That is far more than you need or deserve — perhaps a quarter of it.”

“A quarter of my choice then?”

“So be it. But you have to prove yourself worthy until such time as Lertia has been conquered.”

“You will not regret this.”

“I had better not, or I’m sure you will.” She put as much menace into her voice as she could. “Now, deliver the books in your possession to O’tukka and Pilk, arrange for one of your wizards to go and collect more, send the rest of your group to General Jak’ho to get settled and then return to me. You can accompany me on a little journey.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“And from now on you are to use my title when addressing me.”

“Yes, Supreme Mistress.” Rotager stood, bowed his head and walked out the door.

Sylestra remained sitting behind her desk for a little while and cast a minor healing spell on her wound which relieved some of the pain. Once she had composed herself she got up and went off in search of General Jak’ho. She found him a short distance away, tirelessly shouting out orders.

“Rotager will be returning shortly with his group of wizards. Get them settled in and working and then bring Rotager to me. I want you and him to accompany me on a short journey.”

“Of course, Supreme Mistress. Where are we going?”

“We are going to visit Fort Lowmount.”