Enchantress (The Evermen Saga, Book One)

by James Maxwell

  "Lord of the Sun, you have an eye for a good tavern."

  Killian placed his arm around her. Ella tensed a little, and then relaxed. There was no one to go home to, no one to worry about her — why shouldn’t she enjoy herself?

  Killian paid the barman and turned to face her. The drinks were left on the bar, untouched. Ella tilted her head back, her lips parted.

  He took the offer, leaned in, and kissed her.

  Ella felt languid in his arms, her weight supported. He held her close as he kissed her, not insistently, but gently.

  She broke off the kiss. "I love this tune! Do you know it?"

  "No." He smiled.

  "Come and dance. Come on!"

  Ella dragged him onto the dance floor and soon he held her in his arms, twirling her. Killian’s steps were foreign, but he was sure on his feet. She was deft enough to move with him.

  Ella caught the eyes of some faces from her classes. The girls looked on in envy at the charming man who danced with such grace. The young men frowned.

  Ella didn’t care. She was lost in the moment.

  ~

  ELLA and Killian stayed at The Prey Turned Hunter until well after midnight, dancing and laughing. They didn’t kiss again. Ella was content to merely be close to someone, to be young and happy, just like the others. She frequently ran her fingers over the nape of Killian’s neck, feeling his red locks in her fingers. He often kept an arm around her waist, gently feeling the pressure of her body against him, the curve of her hip.

  Finally they tumbled out onto the street, leaving the warm glow of the music hall behind them. Looking around, Ella realised they were among the last people out in the Woltenplats. Many of the public houses had closed, their doors shut and nightlamps deactivated. Only a few hangers-on stayed in The Prey Turned Hunter, eking the last few moments’ pleasure out of the night.

  Ella was unprepared for the late night chill. It was freezing, and her breath came out in a cloud of vapour. She shivered.

  Suddenly she realised how little she knew about this man. He knew so much about her.

  "I should be going now," she said.

  Apparently sensing the change in mood, Killian made no protest. Ella turned away and took a step, before turning back to face him.

  "I had… I had a wonderful time."

  "I am glad. I did too." His smile was broad.

  On impulse Ella dashed up to him and brushed her lips against his, before walking into the night.

  20

  While I looked on, the Petryan High Lord had his elementalists create a wall of fire. It was like nothing so much as a waterfall, but constructed of bright red flame. He then proceeded to entertain himself by forcing villagers to run through the searing barrier, so hot that I felt it from a great distance away. I can still hear their screams now.

  — Toro Marossa, ‘Explorations’, Page 106, 423 Y.E.

  MIRO pulled his green cloak around him. It was unbearably cold, getting worse as they entered Halrana lands and drew closer to their destination.

  It had been a week since they’d crossed the great Bridge of Sutanesta, leaving Altura behind them and entering Halrana lands. Miro had heard descriptions of the bridge but had never seen it. They said it was as ancient as the Sentinel in the great harbour at Seranthia. They said there was no force that could lift such massive stones.

  The column moved ponderously along the road, a long unbroken line of officers, nobles, soldiers, administrators, porters, hunters, cooks, tinkers, smiths, carpenters, masons and assorted camp followers. Stretching as far as the eye could see in either direction, like a rope lined along a curving line to determine its length, it wended its way through villages, over hills and around forests. But their path was climbing, always climbing, as they headed for the high ground of the Ring Forts.

  A group of enchanters mingled with the lords, ready to counter the tricks of the enemy’s lore and come up with some tricks of their own. Miro wondered how hard it would be to keep them safe, and if Ella would be sent to the front as their numbers dwindled.

  Miro had been grouped with the bladesingers, but at the back, with the other untried and untested recruits. He occasionally noticed the awed glances of the regular soldiers; they didn’t realise the distinction between his raj hada lined with blue, and the blood-red-against-green of a true bladesinger.

  There was little talk around him. Rather than marching like the soldiers, the bladesingers walked casually, gracefully. They murmured to one another in soft tones, long association and familiarity obvious with every contact. Miro was definitely on the outside of that circle.

  There were two other recruits with him: a young man named Bartolo Thorn and another named Ronell Kendra. Both were deadly with a sword — they had to be to make it this far — but in looks and attitude they were completely different. Bartolo had a certain panache, a way of walking and talking that was vigorous and expressive. He was a little darker than Miro, with a tiny moustache in the Halrana style and curly black locks. Ronell was more steady, and he often wore a sombre expression, as if the bearer of bad news. He had close-cropped brown hair and sad brown eyes, but when he laughed, his whole body laughed with him.

  Unlike soldiers, bladesingers, even recruits, were allowed to wear their hair any way they chose. Miro’s black hair had grown long, and he now wore it tied back behind his head. He was the tallest of the recruits — even his scabbard was longer than the others’ and he wore it strapped to his back.

  Miro still couldn’t believe they had been given zenblades. Apparently it was the first time in living memory. The argument between Blademaster Rogan and the newly-promoted Prince Leopold had been long and bitter, and, it seemed, heard by everyone.

  Blademaster Rogan had said there was no purpose in calling half-trained bladesingers to the front without giving them zenblades. Prince Leopold had said there was no way he was going to have boys with zenblades in the thick of battle. The men were just too packed together — it would be a disaster waiting to happen. Blademaster Rogan had taken a breath and said simply:

  "Either you take them out of armoursilk and put them with the soldiers, or you give them zenblades and treat them like men. Because when they go into battle in the uniform of a bladesinger, they are going to be a target for every weapon the Emperor can throw at them. At least give them a fighting chance, for otherwise you are surely sending them to their deaths."

  It was settled. It hadn’t done much for the relationship between the Blademaster and his new Lord Marshal though. Prince Leopold cut a dashing figure in his green uniform, with his light hair and regular features, but Miro knew that most of the officers would be looking to others for leadership.

  Captain Sloan had also been promoted to marshal. It was hoped that his experience would temper the young prince.

  Lord Marshal Devon was sorely missed.

  Miro was determined to live up to the bladesinger reputation. He was sure he knew what to do, the complex activation sequences for both his armoursilk and his zenblade had been taught. They had been drilled into him, the song like a chant in his mind, ready to be called on. He just hoped it would still be with him when the time came.

  Something crested the hill in front. Strange birds, like dark specks, growing larger.

  As he watched, they took form. His heart lurched, like a stone punching him in the chest. Miro realised what they must be, at the same time as he heard the cry.

  "Air attack!"

  They had been drilled, but there was a difference between a drill and the real thing. Miro’s pulse raced as he looked up and down the column. They were completely defenceless.

  "Everyone get down!" one of the officers shouted, running along the line.

  Miro couldn’t believe this was the best defence they could come up with — to get down. The leading dirigible reached those at the front of the column. It was the first time Miro had seen one with his own eyes.

  It was a strange contraption, a boat-like wooden tub attached by wires to some ki
nd of elongated air balloon above. The balloon and cabin both glowed with the complex matrices of the artificers’ runes. Why didn’t they have their own dirigibles? Was this some oversight of the Alturan command?

  Something small dropped down from the air. It missed the column, landing about a hundred paces away.

  The ground erupted in gouts of flame and earth. Miro blanched. He hurriedly activated the basic protection sequence for his armoursilk. Looking around him, he realised the other bladesingers had already done so.

  Miro chose maximum strength — there was little use in flexibility in this kind of situation. His voice murmured the runes, the words coming out one after another, so quickly that it blurred into a strange kind of song. The songs of the individual bladesingers merged, rising and falling but maintaining a steady low volume.

  The second dirigible reached the front of the column. It dropped down low, the pilot choosing his target carefully. The runebomb fell through the air. Miro could feel the tension around him.

  It exploded thunderously, the booming sound like the loudest thunder, so close it hurt Miro’s ears. Men were thrown in all directions, flying through the air, their bodies torn into pieces by the force of the explosion.

  It was Miro’s first experience of war. It was slaughter.

  The bombs began to rain down, heavier now, like a deadly storm. Blood sprayed, limbs were ripped free of their owners’ bodies.

  The soldiers began to break ranks; Miro didn’t blame them. It was murder, pure and simple. He was infinitely glad for his armoursilk. The murmuring of the bladesingers continued steadily.

  "Hold, Skylord scratch you! Hold, I said!" the officers yelled.

  A small group of soldiers buckled, and left the column, running like the wind. Miro knew one moment more and it would be a rout.

  "Someone run this over to the mortar team!" an officer yelled nearby. He held a basket of small, rune-covered orbs.

  Miro knew he probably stood a much greater chance than an ordinary soldier of making it. He also knew he was probably the fastest runner. The soldiers were all weighed down with their clumsy armour.

  Without giving it further thought, Miro changed his song. The runes on his armoursilk changed colour; the way they pulsed became more of a shimmer. He had kept some of the protective strength but added a large degree of agility.

  He met the officer’s gaze and took the basket. "Where?" he said.

  "Near the enchanters. Behind us."

  Miro didn’t look for approval. Bladesingers weren’t soldiers, they were weapons.

  He leapt up and began to run alongside the column, the large basket held awkwardly at his side, clutched in one arm, impeding his progress. His heart pumped, his breath deepened.

  Miro saw sights along the way that he knew would stay with him forever. A cook’s assistant, her face torn away. A group of legless soldiers all writhing together, trying in vain to staunch the flow of blood. The youth of his homeland, dying.

  Miro ran like he had never run before.

  The enchanters were recognisable by their flowing green silk, standing out amongst the soldiers like flowers in mud.

  Miro saw them well before he reached them. He looked for the mortar teams but couldn’t see them.

  Miro ducked when a dirigible buzzed low above his head. He saw a bomb drop, scoring a direct hit on the soldiers below. In the same instant, an enterprising soldier with a strong arm threw up a prismatic orb. Miro braced himself. He was too close!

  The twin explosions threw Miro to the ground. Both the dirigible and the soldier were destroyed by the blast. There was nothing left but soot and charred earth.

  Miro picked himself up and looked around. His basket was upturned, the orbs scattered about.

  He began to gather them, ignoring the chaos around him.

  A soldier joined him in gathering the orbs, then another, wordlessly handed him the heavy objects. Soon the bucket was full.

  "Thank you," Miro said.

  "Go with speed, bladesinger," one of the soldiers said, nodding.

  Miro touched his fingers to his lips and, balancing the basket on his side, he ran on, feeling a pain in his side but ignoring it.

  Miro finally reached the enchanters. They were standing in a terrified bunch; there was nothing they could do here, enchantment took time and care. "Where are the mortar teams?" he panted.

  An officer grabbed him from behind. "Lord of the Sky, the orbs, here they are! Where are the rest of them?"

  "The rest?"

  "We need more! Many more!"

  Miro’s breathing was laboured. He yelled above the din. "I don’t know why, they’re closer to the front. An officer there gave these to me."

  "Just get more!"

  The officer took the basket from his hands. Miro, turning, felt a grip on his arm. "Bladesinger?"

  "Yes?"

  "Your song."

  Miro realised his armoursilk had grown limp, the runes faded. His heart thudded as he thought about how close he’d come to the explosions.

  "Thank you."

  On the run back, Miro learned something. He learned that if running with a basket was hard, running while exhaustedly chanting a series of complex runes was very, very hard.

  "Lord of the Sky, are you all right?" Ronell said.

  "More," Miro panted. "We need more. Orbs. For the mortars. Help."

  Ronell and Bartolo looked at each other. "Where do we find them?"

  It became a nightmare of running and barely-missed explosions. Miro chanted as he ran, the glowing armoursilk saving his life more than once, the other two recruits following his lead.

  Then he felt the atmosphere change as the Alturans began to fight back.

  Great bursts of flame flared against the sky, again and again. A dirigible went up in flames, still in the air, its occupants screaming.

  The Alturans cheered.

  As the orbs found their way to the mortar teams the frequency of the explosions in the sky increased. Soon two more dirigibles were down, and another partly destroyed, fleeing as smoke poured from its cabin. The remaining pilots decided they had taken their best shots — and fled.

  ~

  THE army struggled to pull itself together. They had lost thousands of men, workers, and valuable supplies. The question on everyone’s lips was the same — how had this happened?

  The officers gathered the column and they made camp on the outskirts of a forest, where they hoped the rocky hills nearby and thick treetops would help prevent another attack.

  The enchanters didn’t have the skills of builders, but were able to construct some rune-covered fortifications and alert systems — tall towers encircling the camp, giving the soldiers a much-needed feeling of protection.

  The huge command tent was raised in the centre of the camp, a circle of bladesingers providing one level of protection, a series of activated sentry devices providing another.

  Miro was posted with the circle of bladesinger guards, some kind of reward for the exertions of the day, he supposed.

  The loud voices of the commanders were audible to all. Prince Leopold’s cultured accent was a crisp contrast to Marshal Sloan’s rasping soldier’s voice and Blademaster Rogan’s baritone.

  "We have to face the possibility that the Ring Forts have been overrun," said Marshal Sloan.

  "That’s impossible!" said Prince Leopold.

  "Then how do you explain what happened today?" said Sloan.

  "I don’t know!"

  "Then guess," said Blademaster Rogan.

  There was no response.

  "The fact is, we need more information,” Sloan said. “I’ve dispatched runners to Mornhaven and Sark, hopefully that will give us some answers, but until then, we need a plan of action."

  "What do you recommend?"

  "This is a good position; we should dig in here. At the least, it will give us a chance to redefine our tactics and gather information. We can’t let another disaster like today happen again. We were completely unprepared.
"

  "That’s because we’re supposed to be under the protection of the Ring Forts!" Leopold said.

  "I know that!" said Sloan. "But it shouldn’t have happened. If we’d been marching in proper order we would have saved lives."

  Rogan Jarvish spoke, "We all failed here. We know now we can’t make assumptions. From now on we must treat the situation as if we’re in enemy territory, rather than friendly lands. And we must face the fact that the Ring Forts may no longer be under our control."

  "I can’t believe they’ve been overrun," Leopold said.

  "There’s always betrayal," said Rogan. "It’s happened before."

  "Let’s not jump to conclusions," said Marshal Sloan. "At this stage we simply don’t know."

  ~

  WHEN the news arrived, it was completely unexpected. The Ring Forts had not been overrun.

  It was much, much worse.

  "I still don’t understand," said Ronell, frowning into the glow of a nightlamp.

  They had all heard the same rumours, and finally one of the bladesingers had explained it clearly to the recruits. Miro didn’t know whether Ronell was being stubborn or really couldn’t understand. He sat down next to Ronell, Bartolo on the other side.

  "The Ring Forts line the eastern Halrana border with Torakon," said Bartolo.

  "I know that." Ronell scowled.

  "…and the builders of Torakon are old allies of the imperial house. For example in the Rebellion, the builders gave the Emperor passage through their lands."

  "Which is what happened here?"

  Bartolo spoke forcefully, "No. This war is different, the builders and the imperial legion are acting as one. They’ve effectively become one house, and the Torak High Lord has given the Emperor their Lexicon."

  "Yes, and no one knows why. I know all that."

  Bartolo continued, "Everyone expected the Black Army to attack the Ring Forts, the same way the Emperor did during the Rebellion. But the Halrana also share a northern border with Loua Louna, the land of the artificers."

  Miro thought again of the artificers — crafty merchants and masters of lore, eternally neutral, hungry for gilden, and never directly taking part in war. He still couldn’t believe it himself.