Mindbender (57 page)

Thankfully, the majority of the invading force was concentrated in and around the city of Grafton and not deployed throughout the province or they would have had a much harder time making their escape. As it stood, the people they encountered were mostly farmers working their fields or merchants transporting their wares.

Alexander knew their horses couldn’t take much more before one came up lame and then the enemy would catch up to them. Against even a company they had a chance but a thousand soldiers was something else altogether. He felt a tremendous sense of relief when they crested a rise in the gently rolling grasslands and saw an army marching straight toward them flying the banner of Ithilian. Abel was making good time considering the number of troops he was moving, along with all of the supply trains and support personnel required to sustain an army in the field.

As they approached, a platoon of outriders broke from the main force and sprinted ahead to meet them. Alexander stopped and waited for the soldiers to come to them. They charged up with spears at the ready until they saw Conner and Evelyn. The commander of the unit gave a crisp salute and brought his men to a halt.

“Prince Conner, Princess Evelyn, your father will be very happy to see you,” he said. “He’s with the main force. Allow us to ride escort and we’ll take you to him straightaway.”

Conner returned the salute with a smile. “Lead on, Commander.”

An hour later they arrived at the site of the command tents being hastily set up for the night. Abel’s tent was already erected and a number of soldiers stood guard around it signifying that the King was within.

“Why don’t you and your sister go see your father,” Alexander suggested. “I’m sure he’ll want a few minutes alone with you before we discuss business.”

Conner dismounted and faced Alexander. “Thank you, Lord Reishi. There were many times in the past few weeks that I was terrified, but in every case you and your people carried the day. I see why my father placed his trust in you.”

Evelyn came to him and stood on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered, then turned and went with her brother to their father’s tent.

Later that evening, Alexander and his companions were summoned to the King’s table for an evening meal and council meeting.

Abel met Alexander outside the tent. “Thank you, Alexander. Evelyn and Conner told me the story of all you went through to bring her home to me. I am in your debt and Ithilian is at your disposal.”

“I’m just glad we made it,” Alexander said. “There were a few times I wasn’t sure we would.”

“Come, you must be hungry,” Abel said, motioning to his tent. “A hot meal will do you good.”

After the meal, Abel summoned General Kishor and Mage Lenox.

“I have three legions in this force, mostly infantry with about six thousand heavy cavalry and two thousand archers,” Abel said. “What can you tell us about the enemy forces?”

“When last I looked, they had about two thousand Andalian Lancers, another six thousand Karth infantry and two or three thousand soldiers from Grafton,” Alexander reported. “The Governor of Grafton is dead as are two of the three wizards Phane sent to support his army.”

“What happened to the Governor of Grafton?” General Kishor asked.

Alexander shrugged, “I cut his head off along with that of the general commanding Phane’s forces.”

“Sounds like they might have leadership problems,” General Kishor said with a chuckle. “That will definitely work to our advantage.”

“I’m still concerned about the Lancers,” Abel said. “I hear they’re fearsome on the battlefield.”

“Speaking from personal experience, their lances are as powerful as you’ve heard,” Alexander said. “A full charge will break through the lines of nearly any army, so we’ll need a strategy to deal with them that doesn’t involve a head-to-head fight.”

“That might be difficult, considering we’re advancing on their position,” Anatoly said. “They have the opportunity to pick their battlefield and make preparations prior to our arrival.”

“True, but we do have a significant advantage in terms of sheer numbers,” General Kishor said. “I’m confident of victory; my only concern is the cost.”

“Agreed. Unfortunately, the terrain surrounding Grafton lends itself to a cavalry charge,” Abel said. “My question is, will they attack such a large force or will they retreat and cause mischief elsewhere. Two thousand Lancers could cause significant damage if they got out of Grafton and went on a rampage.”

“I suspect our strategy will come into clearer focus once we get closer and see how the enemy reacts to our advance,” Jataan said.

Abel nodded his agreement. “We’re about a week away at this pace. I’ll keep my scouts out as far as I dare. As soon as we have better information, we’ll firm up our strategy. For now, I think the archers are the best chance we have of thinning out the Lancers before they reach us.”

Stifling a yawn, Alexander felt all of the stress and strain of the past several weeks catch up with him. More than anything, he needed rest and he knew his companions were in bad shape as well.

“Let’s see if your tents are ready yet,” Abel said. “I suspect you’re exhausted and we still have four or five days before we’re likely to encounter any significant enemy presence. We’ll have plenty of time to come up with a battle plan in the coming days.”

Alexander nodded with a self-conscious smile.

An aid led them to a set of well-appointed tents with several field cots set up and piled with ample blankets. The floor was layered with rugs at odd angles to completely cover the bare dirt beneath. Several free-standing brass lamps stood around the room providing ample illumination. Abel had assigned a platoon of soldiers to stand guard around the tent and assured Alexander that he was safe within the army encampment.

As he lay down, he thought how good it felt to be in a bed. He was asleep within minutes and didn’t wake until well after dawn. Lucky was still snoring and Anatoly had only just woken. Jack was up at the desk writing on a sheet of parchment under the light of a small lamp that he had carefully adjusted to ensure it wouldn’t disturb anyone still sleeping. Chloe sat cross-legged on Alexander’s pillow. She smiled tenderly when he opened his eyes.

“Good morning, Little One,” he whispered.

“Good morning, My Love,” she said. “Did you rest well?”

He nodded, then stretched and yawned.

When he stepped out of the tent, he found Jataan standing guard at the entrance with his hands clasped easily behind him.

“I’m told the bulk of the army is already on the move,” Jataan reported. “The supply and support forces will be moving within the hour.”

The pace would be slow because they were marching with so many men, but it gave Alexander time to think about the coming conflict. He had so many concerns to weigh against one another that he wasn’t sure where to direct his attention. The shades worried him because of the horrific threat they represented, but he was sure that Mage Lenox would have brought word if there was any news regarding their movements or progress toward opening the Nether Gate.

He was concerned about the coming battle, not for fear of defeat but for fear of losing great numbers of soldiers to a Lancer charge. He worked the problem over in his mind as they rode with the army toward the battle for Grafton.

He was worried about Ruatha. By now the enemy would have surely made a move against New Ruatha and may even be occupying the city. Alexander only hoped that his ruse had given his father enough time to save the people.

Then there was his worry for Isabel and Abigail. By now Isabel would have taken the mana fast and either emerged a witch or died in the process. He felt a pang of guilt for not looking in on her sooner but he consoled himself with the reality of the past few weeks. He’d been too busy working toward the security of Ithilian that he hadn’t spared the time to check on his loved ones.

By evening he was tired from the long slow ride over the lush green rolling hills of southern Ithilian but not too tired to take a few minutes to gather some much-needed information and relay word to his father of his progress and intentions.

After clearing a patch of ground outside his tent near the cook fire where Lucky was happily preparing the evening meal, Alexander drew a magic circle in the dirt with his knife. He smiled at the familiar feel of the hilt in his hand. His father had given him the knife when he turned seven and he’d carried it every time he’d been away from Valentine Manor ever since. Lately it had been at his side every day. Once the circle was cut into the dirt, he carefully cleaned the blade and inspected it before returning it to its sheath on his belt.

When he sat down in the circle, Chloe landed on his knee and frowned at him but didn’t say a word. Instead she sat down cross-legged to watch over him. He closed his eyes and quieted his mind for several moments before beginning the process of shifting his awareness into the firmament. After a while of focused effort on quieting his mind and releasing his tension, he slipped free of his physical being and found his awareness floating gently on the firmament.

He had come to know the sound of creation and found it beautiful, if somewhat overwhelming, but he’d also found that he could judge the collective state of the world by the level of discord and tension in the impossibly complex music. Today it revealed a level of fear and angst that he’d never heard before. Battle and hardship were raging across the Seven Isles and the distress of millions of innocent people caught in the result of murderous ambition gave a hint of hysteria and panic to the music of the firmament.

Alexander felt a surge of anger at the injustice of it all. So many people who just wanted to live their lives were cast into chaos and jeopardy for the selfish desires of just a few ruthless people.

With an effort, he let go of his anger and focused on the long list of things he needed to do. First he thought of the fortress island, or more precisely, he formed an image of the place seen from a thousand feet overhead. He floated gently down to the balcony of the chambers that Isabel and Abigail shared. He approached as close as he dared and peered into the well-lit room. His wife and sister sat in their sitting room with the waifish girl that Alexander had seen before.

He took comfort in the knowledge that they were alive and well until he saw the lurid yellow bruises across Abigail’s face and neck. His anger returned with full force. He had no way of knowing what had happened to her, but he knew it was probably not the result of an accident. His protective instincts fed his anger and he almost lost his connection to the firmament. With an effort of will, he melted back into the source of creation and focused his mind on Grafton Province.

His awareness coalesced high over the main city. He searched around and found that the bulk of the soldiers from Karth were within the city walls while the two thousand Lancers were in a small valley a day’s ride to the northwest. They were in a perfect position to flank any direct assault against the fortified city, or failing that, run to the west toward the cover of the mountain wilds. Either way they would be a problem.

Next he directed his attention to the Isle of Fellenden and the world passed him by in a blur. He floated down into the city of Fellenden. What he saw threatened to make him sick and overwhelmed him with rage all at once. The streets were littered with broken bodies. A woman lay face down with her infant child not far from her. The baby had the back of its head smashed in. Alexander drifted through the scene of a nightmare.

The army that had attacked Fellenden had long since left the city. Most of the buildings were burned-out hulks. There wasn’t a person left alive. A pack of dogs loped along the street until it came to the mother and her dead baby. When they stopped to pick at her bones, Alexander withdrew back into the firmament.

He had to school his mind for several long minutes while he struggled with rage, heartache, and shame that he was of the same species as the animals that had savaged the innocent people of Fellenden.

He thought of Ruatha and brought his awareness into being over the Reishi Gate. There were at least two legions of Regency soldiers encamped around the Gate. They had constructed a rough stone wall in a semicircle around the front joined by a straight wall running behind the Gate. A company of archers stood watch atop the wall. They were certainly ready for him to return home.

He directed his focus to the city of New Ruatha. The countryside between the Gate and the city was destroyed. Every farmhouse had been burned to the ground. Bodies littered the landscape. The invading army had burnt the crops and killed what livestock they left behind. None of the farms in their path had been spared. When he arrived at New Ruatha, he found the city mostly dark, yet intact. As he looked around the surrounding countryside, he saw the encampment a few miles to the northwest of the city. In a blink he was there and was greatly relieved to see that it was his army and it looked stronger than he had any right to hope it might be.

He sent his mind to the message board in Blackstone Keep and saw several messages for him. The first asked how he had dealt with the scourgling. The second asked if there was any news of Isabel and Abigail. And the third said the enemy had taken Northport but the city had been mostly evacuated prior to their arrival.

Alexander shifted to the sleeping room where he found several Rangers awaiting his message. He floated into the mind of the nearest and stepped into the man’s dreams. The Ranger was startled at first but then came to attention and saluted, fist to heart. They were standing in a meadow within the valley of Glen Morillian and it was a bright and sunny day. Alexander smiled at his memories of the secluded valley’s beauty.