A middle-aged man went to the head of the table and called for their attention. He was dressed in rich robes and had a chain with the seal of the university on it. “My lords, I am Lieter Pelacore, Chancellor of the University of Zamerdan. I want to thank all of you for coming here in this time of terrible crisis. It is our hope that we together can find an answer to the danger that now threatens us all.
“I am sure that you are all aware of what that threat is: our ancient enemy, the Kaifeng, have crossed the mountains and ravaged the Kingdom of Berssia. The city of Berssenburg, itself, has fallen. The Kaifeng have some new weapon of great power that has allowed them to sweep aside the armies of Berssia. The enemy now stands poised to ride east and attack the rest of us. It is up to us to decide how to respond. There are representatives here from all the major powers—with the regrettable exception of Eparo—and it is vital that we put aside our differences and act in unison to defeat this enemy.” Heads around the table nodded grimly, and even Matt was impressed. The man had laid out the problem and the task with commendable brevity and clarity. Now if these men could just bring themselves to act!
“We are fortunate to have with us several men who were eyewitnesses to much of this great tragedy,” continued Pelacore. “First, I would like to present Brother Thaddius, who has just arrived from Berssenburg. He can appraise us of the terrible events which have taken place there.” A man in priestly robes stood up. He looked to be about Matt’s age, but a worn and haggard expression made him look older, probably about the way Matt had looked when he reached Laponia. This man had escaped from Berssenburg? Matt looked on with great interest.
“Uh, thank you, my lord,” said Thaddius. He was speaking in Tatni, which was the language of the church and of most scholars. Matt had been schooled in it, but had not spoken it in a long time. He had to concentrate hard to understand the man’s words. Thaddius glanced around at the assembled nobles and looked uneasy. “I was sent here by the deacon of my order to plead for help. The people of the city and the surrounding countryside are being subjected to the cruelest conditions by the Kaifeng conquerors. We beg all of the east for aid."
“Brother, can you tell us of how the city fell and how you managed to escape?” asked someone from far down the table.
“I’m afraid I don’t know a great deal. I am a priest of Clarabra and a healer. When the news of the Kaifeng invasion arrived, it was soon followed by a wave of people seeking refuge in the city. My order was nearly overwhelmed in caring for those who needed it. Then we were told that the army would soon go out to drive away the invader, and we made preparations to receive the wounded from the expected battle. The army marched away and about a week later word came to us that it had been defeated. We could scarcely believe it. At first there was great panic, but order was restored, and we were told to prepare for a siege.
“A few days later, the enemy arrived outside the city. I looked at them from the tower of our chapel and there seemed to be a great many of them. Then, without warning, things began to explode. The forts around the city, ships in the river, and the great gunpowder works. The whole city shook. The enemy attacked and I feared the worst. But our brave men held the old walls of the city and drove the enemy back. We were still fearful, but it seemed as though we might be able to hold out. A week passed and the enemy got many of their men across the river and circled the city. I was not able to observe very much because there was already sickness beginning to appear in the city. Our hospital was filling, and my duty kept me there.
“Then the word came that the enemy was massing for another attack. I climbed up to the tower to watch. I could see the enemy in the open ground beyond the city, and I could watch our own men running to take positions on the old walls on the west bank of the river. But then the city began to shake again, much worse than from the explosions. I did not know what was happening and could only cling to the railing in the cupola. I saw the great spire on the Temple of Hadron come crashing down, and I feared the same would happen where I was. But all I could do was hang on and pray. There was great noise from all around, and smoke and dust went billowing up into the sky. I could see little except a few more buildings close by falling in ruin. I don’t know how long the shaking lasted. Probably not as long as it seemed, but for a few minutes at the least.
“At last it stopped and I tried to see what was happening. Smoke and dust still filled the air, but eventually enough of it blew away that I could see in some directions. It was a terrible sight. Almost all the city on the west side of the river was in ruins. Much had already burned in the first attack, but now there was scarcely a building standing. Damage on the east side was less, but still very bad. Many buildings had collapsed and fires soon started. All of the bridges, save one, across the river had fallen. I saw a great many men coming across it and was horrified to realize that they were Kaifeng. The enemy was in the city and coming toward me.”
The man paused for a moment, as if reliving the moment again. “I-I realized they would be coming to the temple before long, and I hurried from the tower to help prepare—both for them and for the wounded. I had no idea what to expect from the Kaifeng and feared they would slaughter everyone, even the sick in the hospital.
“They did come, but their actions were more restrained than I expected and feared. They did strip the temple of most of its valuables, but they left all the people inside alone, even the women.” Now the man’s head fell and he shook it slowly. “They did not show such restraint elsewhere. Many people were killed and the women were subjected to terrible abuse. Some managed to flee to our temple, and we clothed as many as we could in the robes of priestesses and novices to protect them, but it was only a handful. The rest were…were…” the man’s voice faltered and silence filled the chamber. Matt could imagine the horror in the great city. He had seen what was done with the army’s camp followers.
“How did you escape from the city, Brother?” asked someone, gently.
“It was not really difficult, my lord. There are so many captives in the city, the Kaifeng do not watch them very closely. And they seem to hold clerics in some regard. My deacon arranged to have a horse waiting for me outside the city, and I simply walked out one day and then rode off that night. I was chosen because I am a good rider. It was hard for me to leave when so many people were in need of help, but I was ordered to go, and now I am here. I again plead with all of you for aid. My people have been reduced to the cruelest slavery, and every sign points to the Kaifeng continuing eastward and trying to do the same to all of you.”
“Do you have any knowledge of how the Kaifs defeated the Berssian Army or destroyed the city’s defenses?” asked a general to Matt’s right. The priest started to shake his head and Chancellor Pelacore stepped in.
“We have another witness who may be able to better supply that information. Colonel Mattin Krasner can give us an account of what has happened and fill in many of the details that I’m sure all of you want to know. Colonel? Would you oblige us?”
Matt had been fully expecting this, and he had given his ‘account’ so many times in the last few weeks that he scarcely had to think about it anymore. He stood up and told them the whole sad story from the initial discovery of the massacred Varag patrol, to the destruction of his squadron, the capture of the fort, and the annihilation of the Berssian Army. He left out his mistaken arrest for desertion, and since there was only one Laponian present, he bumped his rank down to captain and major in his two battles. It was nearly an hour before he concluded with his escape from the Kaifeng and his arrival in Laponia. The assembled nobles listened with rapt attention. He gave them as much information as he possibly could about the Kaifeng’s numbers and about the magic spells which had brought disaster. He did not spare them any detail on the Kaifeng depredations. He wanted them to be appalled, and from the looks on their faces, it seemed as though he was succeeding. He finally came to the end but remained standing to answer the inevitable questions.
“You are convinced tha
t these ‘fireflies’ were magical in nature, Colonel?” asked Pelacore.
“I cannot think what else they might have been, sir. During the battle, I watched them as closely as I could. They were like fireflies, except much brighter, and there was nothing there but the light. That is to say, there was no ‘fly’ that was producing the light, it was just a bright point of golden light. And I was watching as one of them went after a cartridge box that was near to me. The light went right through the leather flap on the box. It didn’t go under the flap, it just disappeared as it touched the leather, and an instant later the box exploded. I’m no expert, but it seemed damned magical to me.”
“Surely there can be no doubt that this was black sorcery!” exclaimed another priest. Matt was fairly sure he was the patriarch of the city. His robes were certainly elaborate enough. “The Kaifeng have made league with demons and are using the forbidden power. We must all pray to the gods that these heretics receive the same punishment as all who violate their laws.” A few heads nodded, but most, like Matt, seemed to think that it was going to take far more than prayer to stop the Kaifs!
“Colonel Krasner,” grunted a gray-haired and gray mustached man wearing the uniform of a Zolerhan general, “are you quite certain that these so-called ‘fireflies’ ignited all of the gunpowder in the Berssian Army? The number of them needed to do that would seem quite incredible. I don’t mean to be insulting, but it is well known that the standards of discipline in the Berssian Army are…not up to the same standards as we enjoy in Zolerho. Is it possible that there were a fewer number of explosions than you suggest and that it was the resulting panic that allowed the Kaifeng to win such a huge victory? Perhaps better troops could have withstood this initial surprise and still prevailed. You, yourself, proved what superior discipline could accomplish with your gallant charge. But then you are from Navaria, as I recall.”
For not intending to be insulting, the Zolerhan managed to be very insulting. The Berssian representatives made an outraged noise, and Matt had to work hard to control his own anger. The Zolerhans had what was reputed to be the best and most brutally disciplined army in the entire east, and they never missed a chance to tell that to everyone.
“Sir, I can assure you that no troops—from anywhere—could have done any better in that situation,” said Matt stiffly. “And I’m quite certain that the fireflies got all—or nearly all the powder. After I was captured, I was led back right through the center of where the army had been. Every single artillery caisson and ammunition wagon had blown up. Almost every body I saw had a burst and charred cartridge box on it. And the grenadiers of the Berssian Guards were all lying dead, still in their ranks—except for the bits of them that had been blown off by their own grenades! It was not poor training or panic that had done that! Sir.”
The general frowned. “So you are actually suggesting that any army we might send against the Kaifeng would meet a similar fate as the Berssians?” It was clear that the man did not believe that at all.
“Yes, General, that’s exactly what I’m suggesting. If the Kaifeng can use this magic against us each time we meet them—and it seems as though they can—then a modern army using modern weapons and tactics would meet a very similar fate.”
“But without muskets and cannons, how can we hope to fight them?” exclaimed another man, who from his dress and his accent, was from Durace.
“It will be difficult, sir,” said Matt. “But not impossible. Only fifty years ago, half of any army’s infantry was armed with pikes and not muskets. A hundred years before that, we had bowmen and crossbowmen and no muskets at all. Our cavalry already fight with sword and lance. Surely we can learn to fight this way again if our very lives depend on it—and I can assure you that they do!”
“Crossbows would probably be best,” muttered one of the other officers at the table, “Takes less training.”
“We’ll need armor for the infantry if they’re to stand up to the Kaifeng bows,” said another.
“All the forts will be worthless…”
“What about the older castles…?”
“No good with that earthquake magic they have…”
“The navies will be useless without their cannons…!”
“We’ll need to find more smiths who can make armor…”
“And craftsmen who can make the crossbows…”
“Don’t forget about the bolts, we’ll need lots of those…”
“How long would it take to train them…?”
A dozen voices all started talking at once. Matt looked on as the conversation grew out of control. At least they were talking about what they could do! Up until now, most of the leaders he had talked to had been fixated on what would not work anymore. Still, there were going to be major obstacles to overcome. Probably the greatest was…
“Colonel!” One voice cut through the others. It was that Zolerhan general again. “How accurate are the figures you gave us for the Kaifeng’s numbers?”
“From what I could see, there were thirty to forty thousand Kaifs fighting against us at the battle. But their numbers kept growing, sir. There were only two thousand when my squadron was destroyed. The survivors from the fort did not think there were more than three or four thousand who attacked them. During the initial raids into Berssia, it did not seem like they had more than ten thousand. While I was being marched to Berssenburg, we were constantly being passed by new warriors on their way to the city. It seems as though the tribes of the Kaif are all being drawn east. If that is so, there could be a hundred thousand of them by spring. Maybe twice that number. I just don’t know.”
“Two hundred thousand!” exclaimed a minister.
“We can’t hope to even supply an army half that size,” said the Zolerhan grimly.
“So how can we hope to stop them if we have to use the same weapons they have? They’ll just swarm us under!” A babble of angry and frightened voices filled the room. The patriarch was insisting that prayer was what was needed. The earlier determination to do what was needed was giving way to panic.
“My lords! My lords, please!” cried Chancellor Pelacore from the head of the table. He kept calling for order and eventually got it. “My lords, it seems to me that we have two options. One is to try and revamp our armies so that we can fight the Kaifeng without using gunpowder. I think that we must pursue this option in any case. To ignore it would be courting disaster.”
“And what is the second option?” asked the minister from Heguria.
“The second option is to find some way to counter the Kaifeng magic.” This brought a moment of surprised silence from the delegates. Then a dozen voices spoke out at once.
“How…?”
“No one knows magic anymore…!”
“Impossible…!”
Pelacore again called for order and the men finally fell silent. “My lords, it is true that we have little knowledge of the magic the Kaifeng have used against us, but we are not entirely ignorant of it, either. By good fortune, we have Master Jarren Carabello with us here today.” The chancellor paused and Matt saw him indicating a nervous-looking young man seated next to him. Matt had assumed he was a clerk or something. “Some of you may have heard of Master Carabello. He has been pursuing a fascinating study on the workings of magic for the past several years. I believe there is a possibility that he may be able to provide us with some means of defeating the Kaifeng magic.”
Matt watched as the young man turned very pale. He whispered something to Pelacore and shook his head. Pelacore appeared to become angry. “Haven’t you been listening to all this!” hissed Pelacore in a voice that all could hear. “I don’t give a damn who you gave your word to! By all the gods, you’ll tell them what you know!” Matt became intensely interested. An answer to the fireflies? He’d been hoping for that for months! What did this man know—and why didn’t he want to talk about it?
“Is there a problem, Master Carabello?” he asked in a loud voice.
“Forgive me, Colonel,” s
aid Pelacore. “Master Carabello is proving reluctant to discuss his recent discoveries.”
“Reluctant? Why?” asked Matt with growing anger. “If you have some answer, then it’s your duty to tell us!”
“I…I don’t have any answers,” squeaked the man.
“But you found people who do, didn’t you?” demanded Pelacore. “You found the wizards! Admit it, damn you!”
“I gave my word…”
“To who? You admit that you gave your word to someone. It was the wizards, wasn’t it?”
“What wizards?” demanded Matt and several others simultaneously. Wizards? But there weren’t any wizards anymore. Were there?
“Heretics!” exclaimed another priest. He was wearing pure white robes and had amazingly red hair and eyes that glittered with a frightening intensity. Matt did not know who he was. “We must have no dealings with them! They must be rooted out and destroyed!”
“Master Carabello has been researching magic, as I mentioned,” explained Pelacore, pointedly ignoring the priest. “His research led him to believe that there were still at least a few practitioners of the magical arts alive in the east. Don’t try to deny that, sir! Master Weibelan has confirmed this!” The young man turned and looked at a much older man who was sitting off to one side. The old man looked terribly embarrassed but nodded his head.
“I’m sorry, Jarren,” he said, “but you have to understand this goes far beyond personal promises or personal desires.”
“Master Carabello and Master Weibelan discovered a possible location for these wizards, and he set out to try and find them,” continued Pelacore. “I am convinced that he did find them. But he is reluctant to reveal any more.” The young man looked around the table with a terrible pleading look on his face.
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