The Hunter's Gambit

by Nicholas McIntire

  The Knight looked up at him. It broke Jonas' heart to rush the man, but they had no choice.

  “Bael’s heading for the tower.” he whispered. “We have to get there before he does.”

  The Archanium Knight shook off the despair that possessed him. He came silently to his feet. The hilt of his sword had grown icy, but he gripped it grimly and twisted it out of Pyotr’s chest, taking only a moment to wipe it off in the snow.

  Jonas heard Aleksei mutter a prayer to Volos as he climbed back into the Knight’s pocket. Aleksei made sure Jonas was secure before he hurried to the other end of the guard tower, doing his best to still the hurricane of confusion whirling within him.

  The north tower soared above them.

  Aleksei clenched his jaw and reached towards one of the jagged stones that jutted from the tower wall. Kholodym architecture possessed none of the simple lines or smooth purity of Ilyari masonry, so it was the work of a moment for Aleksei to find adequate hand and footholds.

  The difficulty came in the form of time.

  Every other moment, Jonas' voice would report Bael’s progress in his mind. And so Aleksei pulled himself up recklessly, ignoring the danger that increased with every pace as he rose above the valley floor.

  He reached the apex of the tower and hauled himself onto the edge. It took him a moment to grasp the complex layout of the fist-sized roof tiles, but once he understood the pattern Aleksei reached forward and lifted one of the slate shingles away.

  Jonas scurried from his pocket and peered over the small edge created by the tile’s absence. And then he scrambled out of Aleksei’s sight, onto one of the thick rafter beams that supported the roof.

  Aleksei watched him disappear into the darkness of the chamber before sliding the tile back into place. He didn’t like leaving Jonas to go it alone, but at present it wasn’t possible for him to follow. He just had to hope no one had the presence of mind to look up.

  Inside, Jonas glanced over the edge of the beam and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he was the only one in the room. He ran carefully across the beam, positioning himself over the center of the large round table that dominated the chamber.

  The door opened beneath him. Jonas looked down to see Bael sweep into the room and take his seat by an imposing fireplace set into the far wall.

  Even from his position in the rafters, Jonas could feel the intense change that had come over the other man.

  He felt ill. This was no longer a mere Magus. Beneath him sat something indescribably evil, something wholly and completely Other.

  The door had hardly shut before it banged open again. Men started filing into the room and Jonas tried to register each face, but it was much more difficult than he would have first imagined. His mouse-eyes were ill-suited for this sort of thing. He slowed his breathing and concentrated on listening to their voices, relying on his superior hearing to fill in the blanks.

  “Gentlemen,” Emelian Krasik began softly, “I am pleased that you have made it here safely. What with this weather we’re having, it was a concern. The troops have to eat and you know how winter can be.”

  Some of the nobles about the table glanced at one another with uncertainty. Jonas shivered at the memory of his last encounter with Krasik, the way he was perfectly lucid one moment and violently mad the next.

  “Now then,” Krasik said, “tell me your plans for my war.”

  A man Jonas recognized as an exhausted and filthy Bertrand Perron cleared his throat, “According to the documents we managed to discover, Her Majesty’s Legions stand at a crossroads. As you know, the Legions are made up of men sent from each nobleman’s province.

  “The largest of these estates are located in the South. As the noblemen gathered here this evening, myself included, have thrown our lots in with you, so too have the allegiances of our men shifted. And as we contribute the majority of men to the Legion, you now control the majority of the troops in Ilyar by proxy.”

  Krasik looked bored, “You have told me nothing of interest, Lord Perron. Pray, when will these troops be prepared to march on Kalinor?”

  Perron choked. “Kalinor, Sire? Is that not a touch rash? I was thinking perhaps Mornj would be an excellent starting point.”

  He gave a piercing cry and clutched at his head. Blood gushed from his nose and ears, drooling down the front of his tattered coat and spreading in a crimson umbra across the fine silk.

  Krasik sighed, “Perron, I have explained this before. I don’t want to wait. I don’t want to patiently work my way up the spine of Ilyar until we’re all so exhausted that the forces of Kalinor break us like rotten reeds. Need I remind you that I have attempted this once before, and that I found such methods…most inadvisable.”

  Perron finally allowed himself to sit back in his chair and gulp in air as he fought to keep back tears. “Yes, Your Grace. Of course, Your Grace.”

  Krasik leaned forward, “I have studied the actions of Andariana’s Lord Captain. Drago is a formidable tactician. Therefore, I believe that any campaign waged against him will, despite our superior number, result in our defeat.

  “So rather than launch such a traditional campaign, where we would almost certainly be outdone in a series of short and decisive battles, I propose a swift, strong stroke at the heart of the realm. If we can overwhelm their defenses before reinforcements arrive, we may be able to take the capital before anyone realizes there’s a war in progress. And if any of you have studied your history you will know that with the capital falls the kingdom.”

  “With all due respect, Zra-Uul,” a man Jonas recognized as General Barnes ventured, “the Lord Captain is just a boy. You have the greatest generals of Ilyar behind you. Why would you fear a man so untested?”

  Krasik shrugged, “His defeat of Bael’s little toys in Drava was sufficient proof for me, General.”

  “But Zra-Uul,” Perron said softly, “if we assault Kalinor, how will we break through her gates? The walls of Kalinor are reinforced with the magic of the Archanium. The stones of the city gates will repel any magical attack thrown at it.”

  “Kalinor will fall, Perron. This is no longer a topic worthy of discussion.”

  “Even if Kalinor does fall,” Perron pressed, “the men will have to be fed throughout the winter, which leads me to my next question.”

  “The men will eat well in Kalinor.” Krasik said simply.

  “I have no doubt of that, Zra-Uul, but what of the time between then and now?”

  Krasik smiled, “We have plenty of food to last us a month or two on the road. That should be sufficient to take the city, don’t you think?”

  Perron looked dumbfounded, “L…Lord Krasik, winter has only just begun and the pass is already snowed in! It will be months before we are able to move our army from this valley. Our only solace as of now is that no one knows where we are. I can guarantee you that if Drago knew we were here, come spring he’d have an army waiting at the edge of the Wood to tear us to pieces the moment we showed our faces.”

  “Lord Perron,” Krasik said, now very angry, “I will not be thwarted by something as inconsequential as snow. It will be dealt with in time to begin our march tomorrow.”

  Jonas had heard enough. He knew where the conversation would head from here. Perron would argue for a while longer, but in the end Krasik would get what he wanted. Jonas would learn nothing more here tonight.

  No, now they needed to get out of the Drakleyn as fast as possible.

  Jonas hurried back along the beam and pushed mightily against the tile he had used as an entrance. Aleksei lifted it out of his way, and Jonas scurried out. A moment later Aleksei was racing down the wall of the tower.

  The clock was ticking.

  CHAPTER 39

  Strength in Desperation

  JONAS PLODDED THROUGH the snow, now nearly up to his chest. Aleksei clung to his back, shivering from the extreme depth of the cold. Night had brought a drop in the temperature unlike any Alek
sei had experienced and while Jonas was protected by his thick fur, Aleksei had never been so vulnerable.

  It had been relatively simple to escape the Drakleyn much the same way they’d entered, though one of the sentries had tried to stop Aleksei as he rode for the hills. Aleksei had made something up about getting a message to a rebel officer in Mornj and had finally persuaded the man to let him pass.

  The gods only knew why he hadn’t simply unleashed the Mantle. Who would have noticed a frozen corpse in the snow with all the other chaos of the camp?

  Jonas had galloped up the trail, but soon found himself mired in powder. It had taken hours to struggle through to the pass. And as the night crept inexorably forward, the temperature plummeted lower still.

  Now they rode through the pass itself, and Jonas was growing nervous. Not only was his Knight frozen to the bone, but Jonas was also navigating between two enormous snowdrifts. He was keenly aware that one wrong step could trigger an avalanche that would instantly bury both of them under a thousand tons of snow and stone.

  Still, he kept putting one hoof in front of the other. Twice he stumbled, but managed to regain his footing at the last second. As long as it had taken to reach the pass, it was nearing dawn by the time Jonas struggled through to the other side.

  He suddenly burst out of the pass’ rocky confines and had to restrain himself from galloping as hard as he could for the Relvyn Wood. If he broke into a gallop now he could still set off the snow in the pass.

  “The pass.” Aleksei breathed in his ear.

  “What?”

  “Collapse the pass.”

  Jonas frowned, but then he understood. An avalanche, if properly executed, could work mightily to their advantage. He turned to face the pass and reached for the Archanium.

  Even as a small boy, Jonas had heard the heroic tale of the Magus Elise, the woman who had single-handedly managed to send a mountain crashing down on the Drakleyn. Her cunning, and the Magi’s subsequent victory, were legendary. But the part that was so often left out of the saga was the way she had achieved it.

  Jonas attempted to apply a similar principal now, though he was unsure he fully understood its finer points. He felt his way around the Archanium, searching the swirling confusion for anything that felt right. He directed his intent and inhaled sharply when the spellform suddenly blanketed his vision.

  Choosing four points at random throughout the snowdrifts, Jonas focused his will into the Archanium, pouring his need into the spell with every fiber of his being.

  There was a sharp crack, and the mountain rumbled violently.

  He turned and, feeling Aleksei grip his neck tighter, galloped down the mountain as fast as his legs would carry him. The snow crested behind him after a hundred paces, but he kept running until he reached the point where the snow gave way to the rocks and shrubs, announcing the presence of the Relvyn Wood. He turned to survey the damage.

  The deep cleft of the pass had vanished amidst the mass of white that now blanketed the entire mountain. Here and there, boulders protruded from the snowy wall. If it continued to snow at the same pace, morning would find the entire army effectively sealed within the valley. It might even give them enough time to mount a proper defense.

  Jonas hurried down the remainder of the trail, only slowing to a trot when he reached the tree-line.

  Their horses were waiting patiently, although Agriphon still looked irritable. Jonas supposed that returning with Aleksei in his present condition wasn’t going to make the warhorse any more disposed to like him.

  He shifted back into a man very carefully, crouching down onto the path and setting Aleksei down slowly. The Knight had fallen unconscious at some point during the ride down the mountain and now his breath came in ragged, shallow gasps.

  Jonas slid his arms under Aleksei’s back and knees, picking the man up with every ounce of strength he possessed and carrying him over to Agriphon. “I need to ride you so I can keep him from falling off.” he managed, lifting Aleksei’s powerful frame onto the horse’s back.

  Thankfully, Agriphon didn’t give Jonas any trouble. He was able to hold Aleksei up in the saddle and turn Agriphon deeper into the Wood, with the mare trotting contentedly behind.

  As he rode, Jonas realized that in Aleksei’s current state there was no real way to get back to Kalinor. He had been relying on Aleksei’s bond with the Relvyn Wood to take them to the Seil. Without it, he would simply be riding through the Wood like any other man.

  Unless….

  “Father Wood,” he called out, feeling a touch foolish, “I need Your help. Your Hunter is ill. He has to get back to the Seil Wood so that he can be healed. I beseech You, will you open Your paths to me?”

  Jonas wasn’t sure if he should expect an answer or if the Wood could even hear him. This was an older magic than he’d ever experienced, something far more primal than the refined feather-brush of the Archanium.

  So he simply kept riding deeper into the Wood, his arms wrapped around Aleksei’s thick chest to keep the man from falling out of the saddle, his thighs burning from gripping Agriphon’s flanks to steady himself. Hours passed. Jonas' arms grew heavy and numb as time slipped by, but he gritted his teeth and held on tighter.

  And then the air around him suddenly changed. He stared as the trees melted into one another. Jonas wondered if his exhaustion was causing him to hallucinate, but a moment later the Wood reformed around him.

  This was no longer the Relvyn Wood.

  No sooner had he made this observation than there was a flash across the Archanium.

  “Jonas?”

  The prince looked up to see the most comforting sight he could have possibly conjured in that moment: golden eyes glowing in the darkness of the Wood.

  He managed a weak smile, “Hello, Roux.”

  Aleksei smiled, feeling the familiar warmth of healing infuse his aching muscles. He opened his eyes and found Jonas standing over him, his handsome face contorted in frustration. The Magus' hand was pressed against Aleksei’s chest, and he could see the light of the Archanium passing into him.

  “How did we do?” he grumbled, surprised at how raspy his voice sounded.

  Jonas jumped at hearing his voice before forcing a bright smile. Aleksei knew from their bond that it was less than genuine. “Well, I collapsed the pass. But there are a few other things that I’m less pleased with.”

  “Such as?”

  Jonas sighed, “I think Bael’s already opened the Prime Gate.”

  The Knight nodded, “I’m not surprised. Darielle said something to me that backs that up.”

  “She didn’t tell you how to fix it, did she?” Jonas asked lightly, clinging to his fake smile.

  Aleksei chuckled, his chest burning like a bonfire. “Good gods,” he gasped, “what happened to me?”

  Jonas' smile faded, and Aleksei suddenly saw how tired the man truly was. “You ended up with some severe patches of frostbite, not to mention a very unpleasant lung sickness.”

  Aleksei groaned, “There were a lot of sick men in the camp.”

  “Hardly surprising given the state they’re living in.” Jonas muttered. “I’ve been healing one thing at a time since Roux brought us up into the village.”

  It suddenly occurred to Aleksei to take notice of his surroundings. He was lying in the middle of the warm, circular room that acted as a hub for the Ri-Hnon’s household. Several questions came tumbling off his tongue, but he hadn’t finished the second word when a bout of explosively painful coughing overtook him.

  Jonas shook his head, returning his hand to Aleksei’s chest. The warmth flooded back through him and Aleksei breathed easier.

  “Slow down,” Jonas said gently, “and try not to inhale too quickly. I still haven’t purged everything from your lungs and you’re breathing much faster than you should.”

  Aleksei tried to slow his breathing, “I can’t get any air.” he admitted after a moment. “I feel like I’m suffocati
ng.” He concentrated and attempted measured breaths. “Jonas, how did we get here?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. Only that we did. If we hadn’t, you’d both be in a very sorry state right now.”

  Aleksei attempted agree, but was instead taken over by another coughing fit. When the coughing finally subsided, it was all he could do to catch his breath.

  Jonas looked into Aleksei’s eyes, then concentrated harder on the healing. He didn’t want to jump to any conclusions, but this was beginning to worry him.

  While it was true that he’d been healing Aleksei for just over five hours now, only the first few moments had been spent repairing the damage done by frostbite. As a superficial malady, the Archanium had little difficulty infusing the tissue with life and reconnecting it to the muscle and blood vessels that surrounded it. But this infection, this was something altogether different.

  Try as he might to burn it away with the Archanium’s light, the infection grew back in an instant.

  Roux entered the room, concern written across his face. He had spent the night listening to Aleksei cough, and to hear it continue unabated had to be worrisome.

  Jonas looked into the Ri-Hnon’s eyes and saw his own deep-seated fear reflected.

  You look like you just got beat up. Aleksei whispered through the bond.

  Jonas looked back at Aleksei. He tried to smile, but failed. “It’s just…I don’t know how to fix this.”

  Aleksei’s confusion became an expression of sympathy, “Jonas—”

  The Magus held up his hand, “This is something I’m simply incapable of, that’s all. I’ve gotten so used to being able to solve everything, just as long as I tried hard enough. But this…I’m out of ideas, Aleksei.” His voice broke. “I’m afraid.” He even laughed at that, but there was no humor in the sound. Aleksei thought he even detected tears in the corners of the Jonas' eyes.

  “But the Healers will be able to fix it.” Aleksei said, looking up at Jonas and performing a fair approximation of hope.