Siege of Stone
Page 17
Once, one of Jagang’s game pieces, doomed after Nicci made a bold move, had tried to run from the playing field, only to be skewered with spears. By the rules laid down by Jagang himself, the fleeing piece meant that his side forfeited the game. In a rage, Jagang had ordered all of Nicci’s pieces slaughtered as well as his own. The evil dream walker had not known how to lose. Afterward, he looked at the slaughtered slaves and huffed. “Let that be a lesson. In war sometimes unpredictable disasters happen.”
Now, as Nicci watched the ancient army, she wished one of those unpredictable disasters would befall General Utros.
Nathan emerged into the tower’s rooftop gardens. Under the open sky, there were hedges in planters, jasmine shrubs, and dwarf citrus trees. Songbirds flitted around without fear now that the hair-fine nets Sovrena Thora had strung around the roof were gone.
Nathan smiled. “I don’t mean to disturb your thoughts, Sorceress. Have you found a brilliant solution to overthrow the enemy army?”
“I am still thinking.” It was in these peaceful high gardens that Wizard Commander Maxim had secretly encouraged her to challenge the sovrena’s corrupt rule. “The duma has to make their own decisions. I am not their leader, and neither are you.”
Nathan stroked his chin. “Agreed, but I am not convinced a surprise military offensive against an army of that size will be as effective as the wizards think it will be.” He mused, “We could send another negotiating party to Utros. Do we have any reason to believe the general might be willing to listen, now that he’s had time to consider the reality of his situation? Maybe his bluster was just a tactic. We did defeat his sorceresses and prove our strength.”
“And now we know we cannot trust him.” Nicci breathed cold air through her nostrils and peered into the distance. “He attacked me, Nathan. I can’t let that go unchallenged. I want to find a way to make him hurt, and if the duma intends to launch a strike with all of their gifted and a great many soldiers, maybe we could succeed, if we targeted a specific part of his army and hit him without any forewarning.”
Humming, the wizard extended his arms in front of his chest, palms outward. Spreading his fingers, he sketched a rectangle in the air, pinched his fingertips, and used his gift to create a distance-viewing lens. The army of General Utros sprang into sharp clarity in front of them, and as Nathan shifted his hands, so did the view, to show thousands of soldiers like individual armies drilling. Smaller parties rode out into the hills on scouting or raiding expeditions.
Nicci raised a hand. “Go back. What was that?”
They watched a group of more than a thousand soldiers marching westward into the hills, a powerful invading force toward the mountains. Another large army marched north into the thick forests and the mining areas in the hills, while a third expeditionary force moved south toward the Killraven River and the lowlands.
Nathan frowned. “He is shrinking his siege force.”
Nicci was deeply concerned. “Very few cities could withstand even one of those splinter armies. Imagine all those enemy soldiers arriving at Cliffwall, or Renda Bay, or one of the larger cities along the coast like Larrikan Shores or Serrimundi. General Utros could threaten the entire Old World.” She squeezed her fists, feeling the chill in her heart, the black ice forming there. She couldn’t stop thinking of what Richard had commanded her and Nathan to do. “We can’t let that happen. We have to work with the wizards here, keep Utros occupied.”
Nathan waved his hands, and the shimmering view dissolved. He spoke in a softer voice. “I have the utmost confidence in your ability to save us. After all, you must save the entire world. It was foretold in my life book.”
“I don’t trust the word of a witch woman, and prophecy is gone. You know that better than anyone. Why should we believe it?”
Rather than arguing, Nathan brought out the book, as if to offer proof of what Red had written. He opened the leather-bound volume and flipped forward from where he had added journal entries of their adventures, from the Dark Lands to the Old World, down beyond the Phantom Coast and now over the mountains to Ildakar. He stopped at the first page to read the lines that both he and Nicci knew well.
Kol Adair lies far to the south in the Old World. From there, the Wizard will behold what he needs to make himself whole again. And the Sorceress must save the world.
Shortly after Richard dispatched them as his roving ambassadors, they had encountered Red in her wilderness of skulls, deep in the Dark Lands. Nathan asked her to create a life book for him, wanting his own story preserved, and the strange witch woman had complied, but not in the way he expected.
Nathan held out the book now, touching it with his long finger. “We can’t dismiss the words entirely, Sorceress. Even though we didn’t know what this meant at the time, Red was absolutely correct. I have the heart of a wizard now, I have my gift back, but you, my dear Nicci, still need to save the world.” He tapped the page. “It’s written.”
Nicci took the book from him, closed it. “Prophecy is gone, as I said.”
“It need not be a prophecy,” Nathan replied, taking the book back. “Maybe it’s just good advice. ‘And the Sorceress must save the world.’”
They continued to watch separate contingents marching from the plain toward unknown destinations. Nicci didn’t disagree with the words Red had written, whether or not she believed the premonition. “I’ll save the world, for my own reasons.”
“That is always best. And I’ll help you in any way I can.”
CHAPTER 23
In the Cliffwall archive, Verna spent the morning inside a library chamber, drinking hot tea and studying the books that the scholars had delivered to her. Two other Sisters of the Light, Rhoda and Eldine, scrutinized volumes, whispering as they compared notes. Novice Amber cheerfully carried in a stack of ledgers, blowing dust off the embossed leather cover of the top volume.
“Here’s another catalog, Prelate.” She deposited the armful on the table, rattling Verna’s cup of tea. “These refer mainly to maps and descriptions. The scholar archivist is still trying to pull the right listings because many books contain more than one subject.”
Verna looked at the open volume in front of her and traced her fingertip down the lines of titles. Many were written in the expansive hand of Scholar-Archivist Simon, who had spent a decade compiling the catalogs, but the new entries were written by Franklin, whose penmanship was much tighter, more efficient.
The prelate looked up at Amber. “The titles listed here contain legends of magical creatures, abominations that were developed as weapons in the ancient wizard wars. The sliphs, for instance.” Verna shook her head at the long list. “And here, two entire volumes on the dangers of succubi! Those creatures were turned loose in the Old World to seduce and destroy men and thereby weaken armies that stood against the enemy wizards.” She pursed her lips in a frown. “I expect it’s quite salacious reading.”
Amber blushed, and Verna wondered how experienced the pretty young girl might be in romance or sex. Turning the page in the dusty old book, Verna recalled being so youthful, but that was more than a century and a half ago, when she and Warren were the same age, trying to keep a professional boundary around their growing affection for each other. When Verna left the Palace of the Prophets in search of Richard Rahl, she had aged during those decades, while Warren remained as young as ever. Dear Warren … she missed him so much.
She flipped a page back, looked at more listings. “Here, they have three books about the selka, one of them a log from an ancient warship captain.”
Amber leaned close. “The selka?”
“Humans transformed into water-breathing creatures that dwell in the oceans. They could battle an enemy navy from beneath the hulls.”
The young girl gave a visible shudder. “We are far from the ocean, here, Prelate. I don’t think I’d like to see them.” She frowned with worry. “I hope my brother’s all right. He’s still at Renda Bay. Do you think the selka might attack the village?”
The young scholars Oliver and Peretta entered the study room. Although they had lived all their lives in the Cliffwall canyons, these two had volunteered at Nicci’s request to embark on a long journey to deliver a report for Lord Rahl. They had found Verna and General Zimmer in Tanimura and led them back here. The two shy, diligent scholars were glad to be back home in their sanctuary, but that journey had changed them. Verna could see a restless glint in their eyes, an appreciation of the adventure they’d experienced. The prelate supposed it wouldn’t be long before the two wanted to explore the world again.
“We brought books on healing lore,” said Peretta. She was a thin, large-eyed girl with a mop of dark curly hair. “I’ve memorized them all, but I thought you might like to have a look.”
“Healing spells are always appreciated,” Verna said, “and always useful.”
“It’s just a list of the books, not the actual spells,” Oliver corrected, squinting at the volumes he carried. Though he was young, he had spent so many years poring over illegible writing, faded ink, and crumbling pages that his vision was already waning. “A complete catalog is the first part of understanding the knowledge available to us.” He let out a tired sigh. “We’re working as hard as we can, but Franklin estimates we still have a decade or more before we even complete our list of the titles in Cliffwall.”
“The Sisters will help however we can,” Verna said, accepting the books from each of them. “When I first set foot in here, I looked forward to studying the amazing knowledge.” She paused, then smiled. “Now it seems we may spend years reading mere lists of books and none of the content.”
Oliver said, “Knowledge is one thing, Prelate, but knowing what you know is an overlooked skill.”
“I know what I know,” Peretta said with a sniff. “All memmers do.” She flushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound arrogant. My gift of remembering is a virtue, but you all have skills as well.” She flashed a quick apologetic glance at her friend. “Oliver is very smart.”
He responded with a shy laugh. “To me, these books are a great adventure of discovery. Once you learn something, it’s even more important to share your knowledge.” He looked warmly at her. The two of them had spent so much time together in the wilderness that they’d formed a close bond, maybe even a romantic one.
“Unless we know what we know, we’ll never be able to find what we need.” Verna reached into the pocket of her robe and withdrew a small glazed figurine of a toad. It was just a memento, a cute decoration that she had found when searching the ruins of the Palace of the Prophets. The toad figurine had no significance, as far as she could tell, although she thought it might have belonged to Sister Armina back in the palace. Now the toad was just a reminder of better days. Verna liked to have it there, silently watching their busy work.
Amber picked it up, and smiled at the figurine with delight before placing it back on the study table. “I remember when we found this.”
Renn bustled in, looking fresh now that he had rested comfortably for several days. He was dressed in clean gray scholar’s robes instead of his maroon silk garments, which badly needed mending after his long journey.
He strolled up to the study tables piled with books. “I must admit, Prelate, I am impressed with this archive. I’ve always loved books and the knowledge they contain. For centuries I devoted myself to reading the libraries in Ildakar, then reading them again so I could understand the nuances. Beneath the shroud of eternity I had plenty of time! But all these books in Cliffwall”—he clucked his tongue against his teeth—“it is like a river of knowledge. How could I possibly have time to read them all?”
Verna realized that good meals and a polite welcome had softened the blustery, arrogant wizard. “Now that you’ve seen the vast number of books here, Renn, I hope you no longer consider packing them on a mule and carrying them back to Ildakar.”
Renn scoffed. “By the Keeper’s beard, that was never a realistic goal. My city is so far away, I don’t relish making that journey again. I don’t see the point! The cooks and bakers you have here in Cliffwall are quite talented. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that mutton and currant pie they made last night.” He patted his rounded stomach.
Verna raised her eyebrows. “So, Captain Trevor and his nine men are not plotting to overthrow the archive, conquer General Zimmer and his D’Haran soldiers, and steal all the tomes?”
Renn blew air through his lips. “Oh, I think that would be far too much trouble, however much Sovrena Thora might like to get her hands on these records.” He sank heavily onto the bench beside Verna, looking curiously at the odd toad figurine. He picked up one of the books and scanned the titles about legendary succubi. “Hmm, interesting. I don’t think we’ve ever had a succubus in Ildakar.”
He read for a few moments, then glanced up at Verna, more serious now. “Ildakar is truly a beautiful city, Prelate, as glorious as the legends would have you believe, but Cliffwall is a fine place, too. I admire what the people have done, and I’ve never seen anything like those memmers.”
Standing beside the table, young Peretta smiled proudly. “There has never been anything like the memmers.”
Distractedly, Renn picked up another volume. “Rather than hauling so many fragile and ancient books on a rigorous cross-country journey, it would make far more sense if I just brought a few scholars and memmers back to Ildakar with me, so they could at least convey the extent of the knowledge here.”
Brightening, Oliver glanced at Peretta. “That could be arranged. And I’d like to go along.”
“I would definitely like to see Ildakar,” Peretta added.
Surprised at their eager reaction to his offhand suggestion, Renn raised a pudgy hand. “Oh, I’m not suggesting that yet! I will need much more time to recover from our arduous trek.” He looked away. “And I’d want to be careful, since I am not entirely certain what Sovrena Thora might intend with this powerful knowledge. I’m a duma member, and therefore loyal to Ildakar, but the sovrena did many objectionable things. She turned my beloved Lani to stone.” He paused for a moment. “And all her bloodworkings, how she treated the ungifted, her scorn for those weaker than her. I was ashamed of what Thora did.”
Verna closed the volume in front of her and sipped her tea, which had grown cold. “Good thing Nicci and Nathan are there to keep her under control. I don’t believe either of them would suffer a tyrant.”
Renn chuckled at the thought. “Yes, I’ve seen the lovely Nicci, the flash of anger in her eyes, so blue! The wizards of Ildakar did grow complacent over a millennium and a half, but Nicci challenged their daily assumptions. I don’t expect Thora likes it.” He sighed. “Ah, I wish Nicci had been there when Lani battled the sovrena centuries ago. If they worked together, those two could certainly have overthrown Thora.”
Amber looked confused. “And you want to give the sovrena all the magic in this archive? Why would you do that?”
“Now, now, it was what she ordered me to do, but maybe it’s high time I stop listening to everything Thora says.” He sniffed, looked at the toad figurine again, and slid it aside. “Ildakar was a beautiful city. Lani and I had a good life together. You should have seen her call the songbirds. They would flock around her, chirping, singing.” He sighed. “But eventually, when Thora executed a slave for stealing some jewels she knew her own son Amos had taken, Lani couldn’t tolerate the injustice. She challenged the sovrena.”
His eyes filled with tears and he turned away. “Lani was powerful and dear, but compassionate, while Thora was ruthless. She defeated my poor Lani, petrified her, and then kept her statue in the ruling chamber for all to see the price of defiance.” He wiped a hand across his eyes and distracted himself by opening another book, squinting down at the words. “W
hat is this? An entire list of cures for flatulence? Is that vital magical lore?”
Verna said, “If one suffers from the affliction, the cure would seem very important indeed.”
“And the person’s family and neighbors would appreciate it as well,” Rhoda commented from the adjacent table, eliciting chuckles among the scholars.
Renn returned to his ponderings, ignoring the studies of intestinal maladies. “The sovrena always doubted me because I cared so much for Lani. Yes, I was the weakest gifted duma member, and she always held a threat over me. I knew she’d petrify me too if I didn’t support her cruel rulings. I should not have agreed, but I didn’t have any choice.” He tapped his fingers on the table. “I now suppose she sent me on this wild and pointless quest just to get rid of me. She never expected me to find Cliffwall, maybe never believed it even existed. She gave me only a dozen escort soldiers to fight all the dangers we might encounter on a long and arduous journey across unknown lands.” He shook his head. “I suppose Captain Trevor and I could find our way back to Ildakar, but why would we want to?”
“I would like to know what Nicci and Nathan are doing,” Verna suggested.
“You have a point, but let’s wait a little while longer, shall we? I’d like a few more nights in a dry bed with a warm blanket.”
* * *
General Zimmer and his fifty men camped in dozens of neat tents erected in the pastures alongside the stream. The Cliffwall farmers tended fields of grain, families weeded their vegetable gardens, shepherds watched their flocks near orchards of nut and fruit trees. Though far from home, the D’Haran soldiers were relaxed, feeling safe after their long journey from Tanimura.