“I saw her during the service today, and I was surprised she joined in,” Kiril said.
“Nigesanla often accompanies me to the services I attend daily. She does this off her own accord. She often tells me how much she used to struggle with Margal’s faith.”
“That reflects credit on her,” said Zander.
Yvar nodded. “I’m thinking about marrying her, even though others think it unwise. Ferhdessar, for one. He agrees that it’s time for me to start a family, but rather sees me marrying a daughter of one of our own wealthy families.”
“Now that you mention him: how are things between the two of you?” asked Zander.
Yvar shrugged. “Every time I run into him, I feel that he thinks he’s better than me. He wants me to be a puppet, a symbol for the people, and leave important decisions to others. How can I ever agree to that? Especially since I don’t believe that his way is right for this country.”
“He does have Merzia’s well-being in mind,” Wolter objected.
“That’s true,” Yvar admitted, though reluctantly, ”but did you ever stop to think what he considers to be Merzia? He wants to preserve our culture and this capital. He’s not interested in the people or the rest of our country. In his opinion, only a select group of people needs to survive to carry on the Merzian way of life. To me that’s unacceptable. The Merzia I want to protect encompasses everyone who lives here. Each and every village, no matter how small or remote. When someone dies, a little piece of Merzia dies with them.”
“In that case, Merzia is going to bleed heavily, because we’re not going to win this war without casualties,” Zander said.
“I’m fully aware of that! But if I settle for anything less, I’m not worthy of my kingdom!”
“I agree with you,” Kiril said. “Such is the oath we have sworn.”
“Thank you.” It meant much to Yvar to hear Kiril say that. He brooded over his strained relations with Ferhdessar. The sorcerer had always stood by him with good advice, ever since he had ascended to the throne.
“As far as a wife is concerned,” Kiril continued as Sybrenne walked past the stand. She smiled at the king and cast down her eyes. Sybrenne was the daughter of a wealthy merchant from Nadesh and therefore an eligible candidate in the sorcerer’s eyes. “A daughter from an influential family might very well cause trouble. Those women definitely have hidden agendas, interests to protect, and families to take into account. Not to mention old enemies and close friends. Nigesanla has been left behind by her family. By attending the services, she has shown you that she has severed ties with her old life. I think she would make you a perfect wife.”
Yvar had never looked at it that way, but it was true. Nigesanla had never asked him about state affairs. She knew that Yvar was going to war, but not why. Perhaps that was why he liked spending time with her: so he could forget about his day-to-day worries.
“And it’s beneficial to the alliance with Zuzeca,” Zander added.
Yvar nodded. “Harald, get lady Nigesanla for me!”
The bodyguard bowed and left the stand. Meanwhile, a new fight had commenced on the tournament grounds, but Yvar hardly noticed. His eyes followed Harald as he walked up to Nigesanla. Blushing, she turned to face Yvar and nodded. Her friends giggled as Nigesanla followed the guard.
Yvar rose to his feet as the curtain was pulled away and Nigesanla set foot on the stand. The generals did likewise. The king showed Nigesanla the seat that had hurriedly been placed next to his own.
“There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
Nigesanla curtsied and took her seat. She looked at him expectantly. Yvar took off his helmet and wiped away the sweat. He knew that he wasn’t making a good impression, but there was no way he could talk to her with the helmet on.
“I asked myself whether I should ask you this or announce it to you. The latter, however, is against my principles. Circumstances force me to make decisions that I wouldn’t normally have made, or at least would have taken more time to decide upon, but that doesn’t mean that you should suffer.”
“You’re making me curious.” Nigesanla moved around awkwardly in her chair.
Yvar smiled. “I want to ask you if you’ll marry me.”
Nigesanla stared at him open-mouthed. She glanced at the generals. Most of them were watching the fight, except for Kiril, who was looking at them out of the corner of his eye. When Nigesanla wanted to say something, Yvar raised his hand.
“Let me be honest. I like you very much, but I don’t ask you this out of love. You’re not the woman I always pictured myself with, but I know that I need heirs to safeguard the future of my kingdom after my death. This has only become more important now that we’re on the verge of war. I’m out of time. You may not be what I look for in a woman, but I’m convinced that you’ll be a fantastic mother.”
Nigesanla stared at her hands.
“I’m sorry for offending you. I should have chosen my words differently,” Yvar whispered.
Nigesanla look up with a smile on her face. “I appreciate your honesty. That’s more than I could ever expect of my future husband. I’m honoured that you ask me instead of commanding me.” She leaned forward and held his hand. Yvar laid his other hand on top of hers. “I never expected a marriage based on love. That’s the curse of my upbringing. But there’s one thing I’ve always looked forward to: having children and taking care of them. A mother wants what’s best for her children, and here in Merzia I can be sure of that, so yes, I would love to marry you, lord Yvar.”
“I’m glad you feel this way. It’s highly likely that I’ll be leaving Nadesh soon, so the ceremonies will have to take place before then. I think it’s important that you are initiated into my religion.”
Nigesanla nodded. “I understand and I have no objections to that. Everything I’ve seen of your religion so far appeals to me.”
“That’s good to hear. I already found you a teacher who can tell you more about our Gods and customs.”
“What’s going on?” Wolter asked, moving to the edge of his chair.
Yvar pulled his hand back and looked at the tournament grounds. Ferhdessar was standing in the centre. Everyone had gone quiet.
“I have a request from the Dragons,” the sorcerer said. “Their fight didn’t go entirely as planned.” The crowd laughed. “They let themselves get overwhelmed by their opponents, the surroundings and the king, but they are capable of so much more. Therefore, they’d like a second chance. They challenge the Wolves to a new fight!”
The crowd to the left of the field parted and ten soldiers of the wolf brigade walked onto the tournament grounds. “Do they want some more?”
Laughter rose. Ferhdessar shook his head. “This time the tables will be turned.”
The Dragons entered the grounds from the other side. None of them walked out of step, and without any command they all stopped at the same time.
The Wolves looked puzzled. “I don’t mind giving ignorant children a second beating,” their commander said.
Pavel’s soldiers didn’t respond. They didn’t even blink an eye.
“What’s Ferhdessar up to?” Zander asked out loud.
“All right, you will fight again!” Ferhdessar shouted.
He took a few steps back, and the soldiers walked forwards. The Wolves took up their positions. The tension was palpable. For a long time, nothing happened, until the commander of the Wolves motioned for his soldiers to attack.
The soldiers stormed forwards, the Dragons raised their wooden swords. Yvar held his breath, they were waiting too long to strike back. Just before the Wolves brought down their swords, the boys suddenly moved as one. Their swords moved quickly and effectively. Soldiers who where thrown on the ground were symbolically killed, after which the Dragons continued fighting without pause. None of them took time to savour their successes. It wasn’t long before the Dragons could claim their victory.
“It’s almost as if they’re a machine,” Wolter said full of
awe.
“That’s an accurate description,” was Kiril’s annoyed answer.
As the Wolves got back on their feet, not yet comprehending what had happened, the Dragons formed orderly ranks again. They didn’t even smile.
Ferhdessar walked up to them and placed something on the ground in front of them. Now they started to move. They eyed their opponents inquisitively and exchanged uncertain glances. Ferhdessar picked up the item from the ground and turned to face the audience. “Behold, the champions!”
Only now did the Dragons laugh. They slapped each other on the shoulders and jeered at the baffled Wolves who were anxious for an explanation. The commander gathered his men and they bowed to the Dragons.
The king walked up to the railing and the crowd fell silent. Ferhdessar turned around.
“I’d like to talk to you,” Yvar said and sat back down again. His hand touched the helmet he had forgotten to put back on. “I’m sorry Nigesanla, but I have to ask you to leave the stand. I’ll publicly announce our engagement at a later point in time.” He kissed her hand.
Full of confidence, Ferhdessar climbed the stand. Nigesanla walked past him. She answered his searching glance with a smile before she disappeared behind the curtain.
“What was she doing here?” Ferhdessar asked, as he took the seat next to Yvar.
“There are other things we need to discuss right now,” Yvar answered. “Explain what just happened.”
“I found a way to make young, untrained soldiers fight efficiently and effectively.” He produced the silver box, threw it in the air and caught it with the same hand.
“Did you use that on those soldiers, just like that?” Kiril asked.
“They knew what I was going to do and they took this opportunity to defeat the Wolves.” Ferhdessar briefly glanced at Kiril.
“What is it?” asked the general with the symbol of a wolf on his chest.
Ferhdessar explained the purpose of the relic in brief. “It wasn’t the boys fighting out there, it was me. As you all saw, they made no mistake, none whatsoever.”
Wolter extended his hand. Ferhdessar gave him the object. “Can anyone use this?” the general asked eagerly.
“I haven’t figured that out, yet. Of course there’s magic involved, but I might be able to teach some of the commanders the necessary skills. Or maybe I can cast a spell making bodies obey someone other than me.”
“I wonder what would have happened if something had gone wrong,” Yvar said.
“Do you think I would knowingly put these soldiers’ lives in danger? I might not have faith in them, but you should know that I would never do such a thing! This couldn’t go wrong, because I’ve been testing this on prisoners for the past few weeks. Step by step I increased the number of souls I captured in the box. That’s how I knew it would be safe to use the box on a group of people.”
“You’ve been working on this all that time and never thought to inform me?”
“You asked me to stay out of your way.”
Yvar shook his head. “A letter would have sufficed. I can read, you know.”
“Lord, the next fight is about to commence,” Harald interrupted them.
Yvar sighed as he walked back to the railing. Ferhdessar couldn’t see who were about to fight each other. He did see Nigesanla, however. She was telling her female friends something. She blushed and looked at the king. The women screamed and congratulated her. Ferhdessar frowned at Yvar. As the king announced the next fight, he stared at Nigesanla. There was a smile on his face.
“Good luck to both of you. May the best win!” the king said and he sat back down.
“Tell me you didn’t propose to her!” Ferhdessar said.
Yvar nodded. Ferhdessar shook his head. “She despises you because you are impure.”
“She used to, but not any more. She’s loyal to me.”
“After the whole business at Jakob’s temple she told me she found it hard to be around you, because of what Margal says about the impure. She didn’t just say that. I know for a fact that she spoke the truth.”
“How?”
“I used the magic key on her.”
Yvar opened his mouth, but closed it without saying anything.
“That was important information. You’ll have to tell her that you made a mistake by proposing to her.”
“You will never use magic on my wife again, Ferhdessar, ever. Is that abundantly clear?” Yvar had gone red in the face. His fingers clasped Ferhdessar’s shoulders and he dragged him up. When he wanted to take a swing, Zander intervened.
“This really isn’t the time or place for this, sir.”
The other generals were now standing as well, screening the two arguing men from the crowd.
“Doesn’t this knowledge make any difference to you?” Ferhdessar asked when Yvar had let go of him. He smoothed his clothes, outwardly calm, but the sweat on his forehead showed that the outburst had surprised him.
“You’re not even telling me something I didn’t already know.” The king shook his head and sat back down. “Not only did you humiliate my fiancée in front of my generals, but you also offended me by questioning my decision. What do you think? That I don’t understand that all my actions have implications for Merzia? I don’t think Nigesanla is the one who despises me, it’s you.”
“No, Yvar. I have the utmost respect for you. You’re righteous and you believe in the good in people. Unfortunately, those are not the qualities that will help you win this war.”
“Should I be grateful for your compliments? I wonder who would last longer, I or a sorcerer who might save Merzia, but destroys the world in the process. You’re just as blind as I am.”
“And that’s exactly why you two should work together again,” said Zander. “A fight among the leaders of this country will definitely get us nowhere. Lord Yvar, you’ve always looked for support from those who can supplement you. Not just from us, your generals, but also from sorcerer Ferhdessar. His words hold a grain of truth.”
“And I really don’t want to end up fighting two sorcerers,” Kiril mumbled.
“That won’t happen,” said Yvar and Ferhdessar in unison.
Ferhdessar grinned and addressed Yvar. “Do you really trust Nigesanla?”
“Like I said, I know her upbringing has taught her to fear me. It’s acquired behaviour, her heart speaks differently. Nigesanla is the best woman for me right now.”
Ferhdessar looked at the generals. Kiril nodded. “Nigesanla doesn’t pose a threat.”
“All right. In that case, I apologize for my actions. I trust your judgement, Yvar, and will give her the benefit of the doubt.”
Yvar grumbled something. This was the last thing he needed right now. All he wanted to do was think things over and take stock of the situation. He wanted to be sure that the sorcerer wasn’t playing a trick on him. Zander raised his eyebrows as their gazes locked. That made him even more angry.
“I wish you well,” said Ferhdessar. “And now I’m very curious to hear what you think of the soul boxes. I understand it’s a controversial subject for you, Yvar, but I hope you can agree with me that they have potential.”
Yvar shrugged. “I think it’s a difficult subject.”
Kiril took over the magical object from Wolter and examined it for a while. “If you use this in battle, you’ll send soldiers to their deaths without them even knowing.”
“And you think that’s a problem?” Ferhdessar asked.
“It just doesn’t seem right.”
“How is it different from what we’re doing to them now? The soldiers swear their allegiance to Yvar. If he tells them to fight, they fight. You give the orders in the name of the king. Every soldier knows he has to follow your orders. This object does the same, only a thousand times better.”
“But the soldiers can’t make their own decisions or assess the danger themselves,” Yvar interjected.
“You’re right about the first thing. The orders given through the box, however, a
re very simple. If I want a soldier to kill all enemies, the body will find a way to do that and will keep on fighting until it really can’t go on any more. Without interference from emotions, the body makes its own decisions about how to fulfil an assignment.”
“I think it’s outrageous,” Zander said.
“I do see opportunities,” Wolter objected.
Yvar raised his hand. “Before this gets out of hand, I suggest we discuss this matter some other time. That gives us time to think things through. For now, let’s enjoy the tournament.”
Ferhdessar nodded. “I couldn’t agree with you more.”
Yvar didn’t respond. He wanted to leave. He had a headache.
20
Hidden among the trees, Kasimirh ignited some powder of dried acacia seeds. He used a spell to mould the dark smoke into the shape of a dragon. Then he sent it up into the sky where he let the cloud grow bigger. This method was proving to be successful, as he had been able to convert quite a number of towns, lately. He hoped that the other priests were at least as successful.
The cloud drifted in the direction of the earthen buildings of Hatunsum. It wasn’t long before the people of this town noticed the dragon. Kasimirh could hear their alarmed cries. He focused on one of the houses on the edge of the town. Seconds later, flames were devouring its wall.
After Kasimirh had slowly let the cloud disappear, he followed the cart track into the town. The townspeople were working hard to extinguish the flames, but the buildings of straw and clay were an easy prey for the fire. Soon, the fire spread to adjacent houses. Kasimirh turned right, onto a narrow path threading its way along the houses. The houses hid the flames from view, but the penetrating smell of fire was still noticeable. Kasimirh felt content and smiled as he knocked on the door of a huge building, the only one in town that was made out of stone.
A young woman opened the door. Kasimirh asked to speak to the master of the house. The woman let him in, but motioned for him to wait in the hallway. As he waited, Kasimirh studied his surroundings. The interior was plain, because the people in this town were poor. The walls, however, were decorated with wooden panels portraying the Goddess Margal. Her hair and the embellishments on her clothes had been painted with gold leaf.
The Lilith Trilogy Box Set Page 47