Weaponforger (Guardian's Prophecy Book 3)

by D A Godwin

  Why did you do that?

  I’m hungry.

  Tormjere watched the reddish embers rise from the demon’s corpse. He needed them to restore his strength and satiate the emptiness that gnawed at his stomach without end. Nothing else could satisfy it.

  A flicker of blue caught his attention, and he shifted his focus from the demon before him, through the swath of destruction and trail of mangled bodies, to the bottom of the hill where Shalindra stood, her white robes rising like a beacon from the muck of the battlefield.

  You do not need it.

  What happens when we’re surrounded by demons instead of men?

  We do not know what will come to pass.

  We’re strong enough to kill every soldier on this field, but it’s not enough.

  What will be left of you when it is?

  The embers stopped, hovering silently in the air before him, so close that he could taste the burn that would come as he absorbed them.

  I do not need a demon at my side; I need you.

  One by one, the embers began to fizzle out of existence. Tormjere’s hand clenched into a fist. With a sigh, he released them to drift away, watching the flecks of red slowly burning away to nothing until only the blue of her eyes held his attention.

  That is the bravest thing I have ever seen you do.

  Or the stupidest. The line between the two is often blurred.

  Tormjere wiped his blade on the demon’s corpse and sheathed his sword. He was now alone on a hill, surrounded by thousands of men who were likely wondering if now was their chance to kill him. He tore a piece of the demon off and turned back to the commander and wizard.

  “Gentlemen,” he said as he took a bite of the dripping flesh. “Her Highness would like a word with you both.”

  Decisions of Necessity

  Shalindra stood on a second-story balcony, surrounded by potted flowers. Well-tended gardens filled the courtyard below, and a small fountain bubbled pleasantly in the middle. Guards in her father’s green and gold were posted at every entrance to the compound, and patrolled in pairs inside the walls.

  Her attention was not held by the gardens or fountain but kept drifting to the castle at the top of the city. Lord Gilinster, ruler of Adair and head of a family with deep ties to her own, had been taken hostage. It was unclear who was in control of the fortification, but whoever it might have been was not friendly to the Kingdom. She ran a hand over her face, wondering what she was going to do about it.

  I could just knock the door down.

  She turned an exasperated glare at Tormjere as he sat perched on the railing, but her retort was preempted as Enna joined them.

  “Good morning,” she said.

  “You look as tired as she does,” Tormjere replied.

  “Your father sleeps again,” Enna said to Shalindra, ignoring him.

  Shalindra’s brow furrowed. “I would have expected him to wake by now.”

  Enna hesitated before responding. “He lost much blood, and while he is in no immediate danger, he is not a strong man. I am concerned there may have been other damage.”

  Shalindra hung her head in guilt.

  “It was not your fault,” Enna admonished. “Restoration is always more complicated with those you care for.”

  “I have never had difficulty with either of you.”

  Enna looked to Tormjere for help.

  “We aren’t family,” he pointed out. “No matter how much you like us.”

  Shalindra recognized it as a valid point, but it did little to dispel her doubts. “We may be of different bloodlines, but you are as much my family as any who share my heritage.”

  There had also been no issue when she had healed Kentrick. It made little sense. If there was anything, the past week had shown her just how much she had missed her family. Now one of them was dead by her own command, and another clung to life because of her failure to act quickly enough. All she wanted was to care for those who remained, but once again she found herself responsible for far more than her own fate.

  “None of it’s fair,” Tormjere said. “But the past can’t be changed.”

  “You are both correct, and I must not turn to self-doubt when my attention must be on breaking the Ceringion hold on the city.”

  “I will help you,” Enna said.

  Shalindra shook her head, but Enna cut off her refusal. “I know you wish to keep me safe, but your father is well tended now. I need to be where I can do the most good.”

  Shalindra caught the hint of an approving smile on Tormjere’s face and held her hands up in surrender.

  “You are certainly not bound to my father’s side. But there is no telling how long this will take. It might be best for you to return to Ildalarial while we salvage what we can from this situation.”

  Enna shook her head. “Absolutely not. Were I to appear without you, my mother would heap the rewards upon me. This will be your victory.”

  Shalindra gazed out the window once more. “It feels a hollow one. This conflict we find ourselves in has been simmering for years, and the chaos that has been unleashed could spill over in any direction. Plus, we still have no peace treaty.”

  There was a soft knock on the door, and Redivers entered. His eyes flicked warily towards Tormjere, then he bowed to Shalindra. “Your Highness. How is the King?”

  “He sleeps again.”

  Redivers seemed unsurprised by that answer and made efforts to keep his voice positive. “It is my fervent hope that he awakes soon.”

  “What is the state of our forces today?” Shalindra asked, praying that she could do more for them than she had for her father.

  “Less than fifty of us made it to safety yesterday. Lord Anton is missing and presumed lost. We have been able to make contact with the garrison, and the city itself is largely under Kingdom control, save for the castle. The armies outside the walls seem to have divided themselves by allegiance, though we have no direct contact with any of them. Some skirmishing has taken place between them. Regardless of who declares for Actondel, there are far more Ceringion troops here than our own.”

  “What of my brother’s men?”

  “Logian’s banner is absent from the field this morning.”

  Shalindra felt a stab of panic. Her mother would be completely unaware of what had happened, and would not realize the threat should they seek her out. “Where have they gone?”

  “We do not know. They either snuck off during the night or struck their colors and melted into other units. Either way we should have the jump on them. The moment we were safe I found our Ranger and sent him to Merallin with a warning for the Queen and Prince Kentrick.”

  “Thank you,” Shalindra said, breathing a sigh of relief. “And the castle here?”

  “That is more difficult to ascertain. It seems that at least one of the towers may remain under Duke Gilinster’s control. The only thing keeping this from turning into a bloodbath is having Lord Donatuc as our captive.” Redivers’ eyes went to Tormjere once more. “We are fortunate he was persuaded to surrender.”

  “And the wizard with him?”

  “He was stripped of all personal effects and remains bound to a chair in the gatehouse. He is… displeased with such accommodations.”

  “He will continue to be so, though he is too dangerous to hold for long. Which of these threats do you suggest we deal with first?”

  “Master Eugeron may have a solution to several. I had hoped His Majesty would be able to hear this proposal, but given his condition it will require your blessings in his place.” He held up a hand to forestall her protests. “We would all prefer it if there was someone else, but I fear that if we wait even the two days it would take a fast rider to travel to Merallin and back with your brother’s answer it may come too late. An army left idle will find its own battles to fight.”

  “Then I would hear this plan at once.”

  Redivers led Shalindra and Tormjere to the first floor and across to the opposite side of the compound, to
a comfortable sitting room occupied by Eugeron and the now-disarmed Ceringion lord.

  “Your Highness,” Eugeron welcomed her.

  “Gentlemen,” she said courteously. “I understand that we have come to some agreement that will prevent further conflict?”

  “We have. Lord Donatuc has graciously offered a sum of seven thousand gold coins of mixed denomination in return for the release of himself and the men under his command, to be accompanied by a pledge of mutual non-aggression.”

  “And where are you planning to go, Lord Donatuc?”

  “I intend to return to my home in Spolito, Your Highness.”

  “I have been told that you were most eager to prosecute a war with the elves. Why the sudden change of heart?”

  Donatuc inclined his head towards Tormjere. “I watched your man carve his way through a few hundred of my finest soldiers while the wizard that sold us on this conquest stood impotent at my side. I have had enough of this sorcery. It may have won you the day, but it will be your undoing in the end.”

  “Seven thousand is half what you should be offering,” Redivers said.

  “It is what I have at my disposal. I have six thousand men to march across your kingdom, which will take weeks. Should I fail to pay them during that time, discipline will slip and some may turn to marauding.”

  Redivers bristled at the threat, but Shalindra was far more interested in ridding themselves of their enemies than seeking financial gain.

  “Seven thousand gold,” she countered, “and you escort the wizard back with you. He will likely wish to make his report to the Conclave firsthand.”

  While he’s still got his hands.

  Sometimes it is best to not chop your enemies to pieces.

  Donatuc looked less than pleased at the added duty, but he bowed. “I will agree to that.”

  “When will you depart?” Shalindra asked.

  “We will break camp today and begin leaving on the morrow, if you will permit it.”

  Shalindra looked at Redivers, who nodded. “Very well. I thank you for your haste in this matter. I will leave the details of the payment to Master Eugeron.”

  She rose, and the men did the same, bowing as she left the room.

  Shalindra made her way up the steps, but her legs felt heavy and she leaned on the railing far more than she should have.

  You should sleep.

  How can I? My father is not recovering. The lord of this city is a hostage in his own castle, and Enna is still here rather than in Ildalarial.

  You disposed of the Ceringion forces easily enough. We can take the castle and be on our way.

  You did more to end that battle than anyone else.

  Both guards outside her room snapped to attention as she approached. She managed a half-hearted acknowledgement of their salute as she pushed through the door and collapsed heavily into a chair.

  I do not want to wait here much longer. What if the elves do not get word in time?

  I don’t think they’ll attack first.

  And if they do?

  You don’t have to solve everything yourself.

  She almost laughed aloud.

  Did I not advise you of that same condition once?

  Redivers came bursting into the room. “The castle is ours! Your Highness, the wizard holding Lord Gilinster has fled.”

  “To where?” Shalindra asked as Eugeron entered at a more stately pace behind him.

  “We do not know,” Redivers said. “With your permission, I will begin a search.”

  “Seek the help of the city watch. My father’s safety remains paramount. Please also communicate our relief to Lord Gilinster.”

  “He will likely visit us as soon as he learns our location,” Eugeron said, “and will insist that we shelter in the keep.”

  “A suggestion I would gladly follow, but only once we are certain it is safe.” She paused. “Did Donatuc agree to leave too easily?”

  Eugeron shook his head. “Perhaps more readily than normal, but not more than could be expected. I believe that his objection to the use of magic is real. You would have no way of knowing, but he fought against you at Tiridon.”

  Shalindra remembered only too well the horrors which the Conclave had released on that battlefield. Even the Ceringion army had felt its terrible effects, though unintentionally.

  “Put another way,” Redivers said, “he simply wants to remove himself from another battle over the Kingdom. He sees the mess this has become as easily as we do.”

  “That eases my mind. I have been so far removed from the intrigues of the court that I am blind to many of these nuances.”

  Eugeron cleared his throat. “On that topic, I believe that there are some things you should know before speaking to Lord Gilinster.”

  Redivers shot him a warning glance.

  “Were the situation less dire I would not speak of it, but given recent events she must be told.”

  “Be told what?” Shalindra asked.

  “Why your father agreed to war with the elves,” Eugeron said.

  “No one was to know,” Redivers protested. “Princess or not.”

  “I think that her loyalty is no longer in question, and a false step now could cost us more than this city.”

  Redivers acquiesced. “It’s on your head, but you are probably correct. If there’s any hope of saving this house, she will be a part of it.”

  Shalindra shook her head. “I must agree with your caution. My father may have named me princess, but I am here only to secure peace between the Kingdom and Ildalarial. I should not be involved in the politics of the realm.”

  “On the contrary,” Eugeron said. “You are in many ways the perfect choice. Your father restored you as a member of the royal family, yet you have neither the desire nor standing to assume his throne. At a time when members of your family are already suspect, you are uniquely suited to act on your father's behalf without appearing to do so out of self-interest.”

  “I have not been in the court in years. My brother would be better for whatever tasks must be accomplished.”

  “Kentrick will be our next king, and though it pains me to say it, his time may come sooner than any of us desire. But any action he takes now will be judged through the lens of Logian’s betrayal. If one brother could plot against the king, then the other could just as easily do the same. If you wish to keep him above suspicion we need you in this role, at least until we can solidify control.”

  “The queen and Prince Kentrick are both aware of what Eugeron speaks,” Redivers added, perhaps sensing her hesitation.

  Eugeron directed her attention out the window, to the hills still covered with tents and men. “The Ceringions won the war, due in no small part to the assistance of the Conclave wizards. Even had you defeated their army at Tiridon, the Gold Road was all but lost. There were indications that not everything was going as they had planned, and that was likely why they offered a truce when they did. Ceringion lords were established in many of our fiefdoms, but your father had maintained political control, or so we had thought. Much of his support fled before the ink was dry on the treaty.”

  “A situation which I had some influence on.”

  “To a degree. It was an obvious wound atop many smaller ones, but the embarrassment of your leaving was far less than that of losing the war. So we set about rebuilding the realm. Our plan was to wear down the new Ceringion lords until such time as we could expel them from our borders. We forced them to deal with the goblin incursions and the pirate activity in the Rossian Sea, further sapping their strength.”

  “These were minor things,” Redivers interrupted, “and they were taking far too long to be effective. In the end, we needed something bigger.”

  “The elves,” Shalindra said.

  Eugeron nodded. “We had a hostile army in our kingdom, and when Ylnvan advanced his plan for the conquest of Ildalarial, your father jumped at the opportunity it presented. If the elves and Ceringions killed each other, we could not only recov
er what had been taken, but also expand at the same time.”

  Shalindra had dabbled in the intrigues of court more than once, even at a young age, but only in ways that would affect her immediate comforts. She had never imagined this degree of plotting existed within her own kingdom. The offhanded manner in which an entire nation could have been wiped out was unsettling.

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “Because with your father clinging to life and the wizards dead or on the run, there is no longer any purpose to a war with the elves. Were we to proceed, we may well end up fighting on two fronts, and it would mark our certain downfall.”

  Redivers agreed. “Not only that, but to strike an accord with Ildalarial could further throw our enemies within the kingdom off balance. Donatuc will honor his ransom, or at least closely enough to suit our needs. He’ll likely pillage a town or two between here and the Small Sea, but by the time he reaches the border it will be late in the campaign season and he will not trouble us until next year.”

  “So you are saying…?”

  Eugeron smiled. “I will ratify the treaty on behalf of the Lordshouse. His Majesty was likely to approve it anyway, if for no other reason than because we need the levies to return to their fields. Beyond that, we need only the signature of an Actondel.”

  Shalindra shook her head. “No one will accept my choice.”

  “But the legalities will be met,” Eugeron said smoothly, “Lord Gilinster will follow His Majesty’s decisions, whether he agrees with them or not, and no one is going to raise serious objections over the elves. If he is told that this peace was already agreed upon, he will complain, but he will support us.”

  “And if he discovers that it was not my father’s idea?”

  Eugeron sighed. “He will likely brand you a usurper and imprison all of us.”

  Shalindra returned to the window and watched the clouds as they marched across the sky. The treaty was exactly what she needed, and why she had come here to begin with. Only one piece was missing.