Severed Destinies (24 page)

“
This land has produced poor warriors,” remarked one. “We nearly killed all of them and they only took a handful of us.”

“
Twenty seven Shada-Kavielians dead,” Draliak snarled at them. “Another twenty three wounded. You shame me with your lack of respect.”

The soldier looked stunned.

“
That’s twenty seven more men under my command not returning home,” continued Draliak. “These Rotians were trapped inside this fortress and fought for their lives. Never be so arrogant as to assume each battle from now will be like this.”

“
I apologize, commander.”

“
I am going to leave some men here when I return to Boraila. However, you have earned yourself pride of place in the front lines when we meet these Rotians in true battle. Now get moving.”

Draliak continued his walk along the battlements and crossed to the south eastern corner, staring out over the river below. He could see the tiny settlement on the south bank but did not dwell on it and moved his gaze out to the expansive woodland beyond it that was so verdant in this region. Trees swayed in the cool breeze which often accompanied the early darkness hours of morning in the Rotian Kingdom.

“
Another glorious success, commander.”

Draliak grimaced at the mocking voice behind him.

“
Success, yes. Glorious, no. Perhaps you should not make light of battles you are not involved in, Balthus.”

“
I learnt my lesson back in the trade town,” stated the invoker. “I was not going to get too close to the fighting this time, especially in such a limited space.”

Draliak turned slowly and was surprised to find Saroth standing next to Balthus, his usual calm visage betrayed by the burning embers of rage in his eyes.

“
What troubles you?” Draliak asked him.

“
Six escaped,” replied Saroth. “They fled via the river exit below the fortress.”

“
Officers I assume?”

“
Only one was a soldier. The others were young Rotians, including one who wore similar robes to those at the temple in Boraila, and there was a female with them.”

“
This robed Rotian,” began Balthus, suddenly taking an interest. “Were he and his companions all roughly the same age?”

“
Yes.”

“
One who was more well-built and stronger than the rest, who looked as though he could handle a sword?”

Saroth shot a dark look at the invoker. “Yes. Did you see them too during the battle?”

Without realizing he was doing so, Balthus put a hand to the scar he had received in Barentin. “They were here and they got away again.”

“
What is it?” Draliak was growing impatient. “Who were they?”

Balthus momentarily saw the face of the young Rotian who had slashed his face and recalled the robed men lying in the mud of the tavern courtyard. Anger welled up inside the invoker.

“
It cannot be a simple coincidence,” he said through gritted teeth. “The young Rotians who escaped me in Barentin were here.”

“
They managed to evade me and took an injured soldier with them,” growled Saroth bitterly.

Draliak frowned. “How is it then that a group of young Rotians have twice managed to slip through our grasp?”

“
I underestimated them,” Saroth admitted.

“
We must go after them now,” cried Balthus. “By now, they will be away on the south side of the river but we could easily find them.”

“
It is of no consequence,” Draliak remarked. “There is no point chasing them down when they hold no threat to us.”

“
No threat?” Balthus was growing increasingly agitated. “They will take word of our invasion to the southern regions and the Rotian army will know of our presence on their shores.”

“
That is inevitable. We are not moving men south of the river yet. Sephonis knows that the Rotians will become aware of us soon and he will sit back to watch their reaction. Do not let your thoughts of revenge dictate your actions, invoker. Otherwise, that scar will be the least of your problems.”

Balthus shook his head and moved away to stand glaring out towards the river.

“
The invoker has not yet learnt to keep his emotions in check,” Saroth said to Draliak as the commander stepped close to him.

“
He does not have your resilience, my friend. Still, how did these young Rotians manage to evade you? I cannot recall anyone managing to do so before.”

“
Nobody will do so again. I do know that two of their number were called Gorric and Khir. I will be listening out for those names in the future.”

“
I would be interested in knowing who they are and why they have been at two of the locations we have attacked recently. Still, I doubt that they are significant.”

“
If you no longer have need of me then, commander, I will take my leave and begin my journey back to the Rotian capital.”

Draliak studied Saroth’s face for a moment, trying to work out whether he was keen to be away so as to try to find those who escaped him or whether he genuinely planned on heading straight to Vylandor.

“
How long will you stay there?”

“
I will need to be there until they learn of the invasion. Then I can find out what they plan to do through my contact.”

“
Most likely they will send a large force north aiming to cross the river but we will be watching the coast too for any Rotian ships.”

“
I agree. My experience with the Rotians leads me to believe that they will react in a direct manner. Their king will lead as large an army as he can muster but he will not be so stupid as to try to take back Turambar. They will cross the river further to the east.”

Draliak nodded and drew in a deep breath. “If so, then that is where our two forces will meet in battle. I tire of the brief skirmishes and of fighting during the hours of darkness.”

“
I will see you back in Boraila then,” said Saroth, turning to leave.

Balthus stepped before him. “I envy you, Saroth. I wish that I could come with you and that I had the skill to enter the Rotian capital unseen. Should you come across the one who cut this scar into my face, I would not be angry if you killed him.”

Saroth smiled coldly and brushed past him. “Vengeance is not my priority, invoker.”

Balthus watched him walk away and glanced at Draliak.

“
We will be going back to Boraila soon,” the commander said. “Help the men search the rest of the fortress. There may be something of worth here to take back with us.”

Balthus barely heard him. Instead, he remembered the words Sephonis spoke to him when they were last together.

One day, you will find the one who did this and, when that day comes, you will have your vengeance.

A smile played across the invoker’s face. Sephonis had always been right before. He looked forward to that day.

Chapter 20

Sephonis stood before the gateway, staring into its cold darkness. He shivered and could not help but feel vulnerable for the first time in months.

The Dar’ota’s link had been temporarily severed and this left Sephonis alone to contemplate. When the link was in place, his mind was focused on the task ahead and no negative thoughts arose. Now, he considered what he had allowed himself to become; an almost mindless servant of the Dar’ota.

If the link was not reconnected, then Sephonis knew he would be dead within the month. Before he had agreed to the link, he had been a sickly man with an incurable illness. In Shada-Kavielian society, those who were weak were often cast aside but the Dar’ota had seen something in him; a power surpassing the other mages. In order to ensure that Sephonis’ power was not lost, the Dar’ota formed the link to channel raw energy direct to him so as to both sustain him and increase his abilities.

When he was made high mage, Sephonis had been stunned but soon learnt that he had been chosen for a reason unbeknownst to the rest of Shada-Kaviel. The Dar’ota had ruled their land for decades but his power was diminishing.

Once a Shada-Kavielian mage like Sephonis, the Dar’ota had bound himself with another entity; a demonic being who offered him the power he sought. Once the two were bound together, it gave them the power to rule both Shada-Kaviel and the dark lands where the demon’s minions roamed. Over time, the Dar’ota became more demon than man and shut himself away in the throne hall, allowing access to only those closest to him. As the demon’s minions drained their own lands dry and began dying, his own power began to weaken and he was forced to seek out new realms to conquer so that they would thrive again. Ultimately, this world would be consumed by the demonic army the Dar’ota was nurturing and the Rotian Kingdom was simply the next land to face annihilation.

Sephonis felt his chest ache and his limbs grew weary. He needed the power the Dar’ota gave but in return he was leading Draliak’s army to an empty victory over the Rotians. He could not attempt to usurp the Dar’ota as, even if he did, he would surely die soon after. He hoped that fate would eventually lead him to a cure for his illness and, at that time, he could consider his future again. However, for the moment, he had to remain focused on their invasion of the Rotian Kingdom.

Still, the gateway remained black and the thought crept into his mind that perhaps the Dar’ota had decided to cut the link permanently. Shaking his head clear of paranoia, Sephonis imagined that the Dar’ota had needed to shift his focus back to the more unholy minions briefly but he did not want to guess for what reason.

He looked down at his hands and saw that the skin on the back of them was thin; veins and bone standing out. He was becoming more and more like the Dar’ota each day, he knew, but he was determined not to lose his mind.

Unable to look at what he had become any longer, he closed his eyes and his thoughts drifted to Draliak and Balthus. They would be returning to Boraila soon to give their report on the Turambar attack and he needed to ensure that neither of them discovered the Dar’ota’s plans yet. If the commander knew, then he would surely refuse to continue with the invasion and Sephonis needed him.

Balthus was his student and he did not want the young invoker to head down the same path he had. The Dar’ota would naturally look to Balthus, having seen the potential in him, should anything happen to Sephonis.

Feeling a shift in the air, the high mage opened his eyes again and watched as the gateway began shimmering. The Dar’ota’s attention was returning to him and he breathed a sigh of relief, then turned his palms upwards and awaited the link to be reestablished.

“
I don’t know whether this is wise,” Talgan said as he stood watching the young soldiers go through their training exercises.

“
What do you mean?” asked Jolas, moving alongside him.

“
We are putting so much resource into training new recruits for the army and I believe that we should be spending the money in other areas.”

Jolas glanced at the youngest member of the council and noticed the troubled look upon his face. “Go on.”

“
The king talks of travelling to the other cities and of the new plans for expansion of the army but surely there are other aspects of the kingdom we should be focusing on.”

“
Such as?”

“
Building more docks to allow for an increase in our fleet. We should be exploring further than the nearby islands to the west. It is surely a time to expand the kingdom first and then build the army.”

“
And what of the men who are being trained as agents to infiltrate Naskador’s criminal network?”

Talgan shrugged. “I agree that Naskador’s underworld could easily begin spilling out into the rest of the kingdom so we should be looking for ways to keep it subdued. However, why the king insists on going there himself defies logic. When the killers lurking there learn of his visit, they will certainly intend on capturing him.”

“
The thought had crossed my mind too. They could ransom him for any price.”

“
You’re his closest advisor, Jolas. Can you not persuade him to stay here for the time being? Or at least advise he visit Shulgard first?”

Jolas laughed. “Do you forget what Afaron is like? When his mind is set on something, he cannot be deterred.”

“
Are the ilfiltrators being trained here too?” Talgan asked, finding no amusement in Jolas’ words.

“
No, they are being trained in another part of the city. It will be some time yet before they are ready to go to Naskador.”

Talgan scanned the young faces of the recruits below and felt the pangs of guilt stabbing at him again. The courtyard was split into four sections but many young Rotian men were being put through their paces. Some sparred with a variety of hand-to-hand weapons, learning to parry with a shield and thrust with a blade, whereas others were being taught to accurately use a bow or crossbow.

On the far side of the courtyard, Talgan could see a group of recruits gathered around an officer as he showed them how to move successful in combat whilst wearing full battle armour.

As the daylight diminished, he knew that all of the recruits would retire to the rooms within the training barracks to study. Afaron insisted that all soldiers understood the intricacies of combat tactics so that there was no hesitation in the heat of battle. A new recruit heading out into battle for the first time would be trained to react to every order and hopefully every obstacle they faced.