by T J Trapp
“Can we use the small power crystals to fix other problems? Such as running the portals?”
“Yes, but we only have a few drones that are trained to use them, and we only have a dozen crystals. One power crystal can run one portal. We can’t waste all the crystals on running portals.”
✽✽✽
The conversation among the mothers went on for some time, with everyone complaining about different problems that were emerging. As the little fires on the floor died to embers, Varra rose to quiet the gathering, and finally spoke what she had been reluctant to say.
“It is foolish to hide from the truth. The mother in charge of crystals can make a replacement crystal, and when that is done, the mother in charge of the concentrator can replace the shattered crystal. But you hear them. This will take years.
“In the meantime, we have to face our situation. We cannot stay here. We cannot stay in New Haven while we are waiting for these things to happen, and for our concentrator to again provide order to our lives.”
Varra waited for her words to sink in. “It should be obvious to each of us. We cannot live here in New Haven in the winter. The city is not able to accommodate us during cold weather. We have no way to heat our buildings, or our nursery, and we have no supply of food to last through the winter.”
Again this stirred up the mothers, and they voiced their denial, anger, and frustration at the situation. Finally, Varra again asked for quiet.
“We have become complacent. Our ancestors knew this might eventually happen – that we would have to leave New Haven for some reason – and considered the options. I have had my service drones extract the old scrolls from the archives and my clutchmen have read them.” She paused, knowing the effect that her words would have on the assembled mothers.
“Here is what we will do. We will leave New Haven and relocate into the wild orb villages – and make them care for us until we can return here to our homes, after a few transits of the sun.” A hush fell over the chamber.
Varra let the shock of that statement sink in and then she continued, “I have devised a plan. We will divide into groups of five to ten mothers, plus their clutchmen and drones. Each group will be assigned a village, on the other side of the mountains, to domesticate. For the larger cities, we will assign several groups.
“We will use Gott City, an orb settlement moonward of the mountains, as our central base. We will relocate the hatchery, the archives, the dragon, and the effort to build the new crystal globe to Gott City.”
“What about the people in the little river valley towards evening? They have always been a thorn in our side and will make it hard to settle in that region.”
Varra nodded in agreement. “They have been a thorn. They are arrogant. I will send Mother Pequa ahead to neutralize the problems there. She has been there before. If she succeeds, it will not be hard for us to domesticate the orbs in the river valley.”
“But what will the groups of mothers do, when they reach these sordid villages?” one mother asked. “I am not a coercer – I do not want to have to work to subdue the orb pigs.”
“Each group will have to domesticate enough of the wild orbs to quell the locals and to establish an acceptable lifestyle.”
“Will we have neckbands, like we use on the drones?”
“We do not have enough neckbands for all of the wild orbs, so you will need to use other methods to control them. Touch, and so forth – things like that, which you know how to do without me telling you.”
“But … they are pigs! You are asking us to live among the vermin! In filth!”
Varra nodded. “Yes, I understand. The lifestyle will not be up to our standards, but it will be better than remaining here and freezing, or starving, or both. And, when things here are repaired, of course we will come back to our New Haven.”
“My residence – how will we know when we can return?”
“One member of each group will serve as a local liaison to the Disca,” Varra answered. “You may propose who you want to group with, but the Disca will have final say on groups. If you do not have a group, we will combine you with others.” The mothers began to nudge each other, whispering and forming tentative groups.
“Mother Varra, when will all this happen? How long do we have to prepare? I have never been outside the walls of New Haven – I don’t know what to bring,” one of the younger mothers said.
“I expect the first groups to be leaving as soon as tomorrow. Your clutchmen can figure out what you will need. We cannot all leave at one time – there are too many of us. We will have to share carts and drunglets, and have to bring them back to New Haven after each group is settled because we do not have enough in the city for everyone. We can use field drones for some of the transport. But we will have to get everyone moved before the winter snows block the mountain passes.”
Varra knew that her message would not be well-received, and she was not disappointed. Several mothers stood up to speak, their voices louder and louder. One shouted out what the others were thinking: “You are asking for us to leave our life here and go to live with the pigs in their sties?”
“I will not live among the animals! Is that the best you can offer us?”
“We cannot go through the mountains! It is too hard!”
And older mother chided them: “Mother Varra says we have a choice – either live with the vermin or stay here and die in cold discomfort.”
This is not going well, Varra thought to herself, but I knew it wouldn’t.
Amid the hubbub, another mother approached the Disca’s circle. Varra raised her hand for silence in the chamber, then gave the mother leave to speak. “Yes, war mother, speak. You have been silent so far in this discussion.”
The war mother stepped onto the dais, looked at the gathered mothers in the Audience Hall, and cleared her throat. “I have been silent because most of this does not require my skills. We can domesticate the wild orbs without our war fighting equipment. And we can replicate and replace the power crystals without my skills.
“However, we face a grave danger that I have not heard you mention. Our barriers and defenses were not put in place merely to protect New Haven from roaming bands of puny wild orbs. Nor were they put into place to provide us with a temperate climate. They were installed to protect us from a far greater threat, one that we have not faced for many generations.”
“Speak,” Varra said, afraid of what she would hear next.
“There is a dark danger lying in wait for us in the worlds beyond this – the reason that our ancestors came to this planet and the reason for the founding here,” the war mother said. “The False Dragon Queen! Our ancestors came here over five hundred years ago to escape her wrath! But her minions followed; our brave elves fought a great battle with her troops, and barely prevailed. To protect our New Haven from further attacks, our ancestors called upon their drones to place a protective shield over our land, and used the concentrator and the power crystal to operate it. That shield not only obscures our city from the surrounding areas, and the harsh climate of the mountains – it hides us from the probing eyes of worlds beyond.
“Without the obscuring barriers in place to keep the minions of the False Dragon Queen from locating us, we are again at risk of being attacked by her troops and being destroyed, down to the last individual and axlet on this planet. The purpose of the obscuring field and the barrier shield was not to protect us from little orbs. They hardly pose a threat. Its purpose was to keep the others from finding us.”
After a silence, one Disca member spoke up. “It has been hundreds of years. Maybe they won’t still be looking for us.”
The war mother sniffed. “Use your ancestors’ memories. You should know better than that. They will search for us for a thousand years, and another thousand after that, and make sure that every descendant of those who opposed them die a painful death. They want none with memories of a different world and time to survive.”
“How long will it take before t
he … the False Dragon Queen … notices us?” a Disca mother empath asked.
“I don’t know. It could take months – or years. I don’t know how they search the skies.”
Varra closed her eyes in frustration. “What do you want me to do – tell our enemies that it isn’t fair to look for us when our crystal is broken?” she asked sharply.
“Don’t be silly. I am informing all our mothers so that we can be prepared. We will move our war-fighting tools to Gott City in case we need them – and hope that the new crystal is operational before our blood enemies find us.”
31 – Polly
The Queen looked tired as Colin approached her. “It is good to see that you have returned safe from your scouting mission,” she said, greeting her son. “What news do you bring from the countryside?”
“The snows are light so far this winter, so it has been easy to travel. The portals that Consort Alec built make it even easier to move about than in years past.
“However, aside from the weather, we haven’t had much good news since my troops rescued our riders and the other cull captives from the elf lands, a turn of the moons ago. It seems that with the coming of winter, the elves continue to press forward, out of their mountains. They have taken over most of the towns in Gott after they captured Gott City. Even with the snow, the flood of refugees through the Elf Mountains and the mountain passes from Gott has not slowed at all.”
“How bad is it, my son? For our allies, the Gott?”
“The refugees all say the elves have conquered Gott. They tell us that the mighty army of Gott is in shambles. The elves have used their dragon to disperse the Gott army, and the stories about the carnage are awful. Their lords are unable to protect their people.
“The refugees claim that the elves have established fiefdoms in the outlying cities and have established a large elf population in Gott City. They treat the locals as slaves and brutally punish any who resist or fail to serve them.”
“And our borderlands? How fare our people in Theland near the Gott lands?”
Colin shook his head. “It is not good, Mother. Our scouts tell us that the elves are beginning to move into our villages along the Gott border. Where we have stood and fought, we have been defeated easily.”
Queen Therin shook her head sadly. “Is there nothing we can do to stop the elves’ advance?”
“My Queen, I fear that the only force that can oppose them is your Queen’s Guard. The rings worn by your Guardsmen provide protection against the main elf weapons; they can turn the tide into a fair fight for us. But your Queen’s Guard is too few in number to stop the onslaught.
“Groups of five to ten elf mothers are taking over our villages and making the villagers serve them and their entourage. I snuck into one of the captured villages. Ten mothers, sixty clutchmen, and a hundred banded drones had moved into the village and assumed control of it. They took the nicest residences for themselves, and either killed or enslaved the occupants. The villagers are being treated like slaves and punished unless they do everything the elves want. Groups of elves are continuing to enter our land and pillaging our villages.”
The Queen clenched her jaw grimly. “The Book of Queens sets out rules that allow elves to live in our land alongside the orbs and the cross-breeds. The rules are simple and allow everyone to live in harmony. They have withstood the test of time for generations.” She stood up and paced across the Residence floor to a window and looked out at her city. “But now,” she said, turning back to her son, “something has changed. The elves are not interested in living in harmony with us! They are more interested in domination than cooperation. I fear that the elves will continue to flow over the border and take more of our land.”
“What do you want me to do, Mother – go to the Gott border to try to stop them?”
“No, I need you here with me. I do not think we can protect all of Theland until the Princess and Consort Alec return. Right now we need to defend Freeland City. If we can continue to control the bridges across the River Ryn, we can keep the elves’ henchmen out of our city and keep them from spreading into our lands on this side of the river.”
She strode back to her chair and sat down. “We need more trained fighters, both wizards and riders. I need you to work on training more wizards as well as overseeing the recruiting of new riders.”
Colin frowned. “Mother, numbers alone will not win. Skill and strategy win battles, not numbers.” He crossed his arms and looked at the Queen. She stared back.
“But, as you request,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I will check on acquiring new riders. And I will oversee their training. It is a good way to occupy peoples’ minds while we wait for the elf onslaught.”
Then it was Colin’s turn to pace, back and forth in front of the big fireplace, hands clasped behind his back, ruminating. “The combination of wizards with medallions and riders with rings can stop the elves, but we don’t have enough of either of them to overcome the elf numbers. Sis and her consort might be able to stop the elves, but even they could not do it alone, and none of the rest of us can do what they can do. Without a ring, a rider is useless against an elf mother.
“We have twenty rings, and they are all with your Queen’s Guard. We have less than twenty dark energy users. About half of them are strong enough in their ability to use dark energy to work a portal. The rest are still trainees, and it will take a long time before they get any better. It is hard to find someone with the talent to be a wizard. You know how hard sister’s consort struggled to find wizards! But I will do what I can.”
“And … have you heard … anything …”
She didn’t have to finish her sentence. Colin knew what she was asking.
“No, Mother, there is still no word about my sister or her consort. Her riders have been back many days now; long enough that Erin and Alec also should have made it back. Something has delayed them in the elf lands.” He sighed. “I fear we will never hear of them again.”
“I would have sensed my daughter’s death, and I have not. I have hope. Ariana would also know if her mother had died. And Ariana no longer screams, so I know that her mother is alive, and no longer in dire pain.” Queen Therin ran her hand over her face, then faced her son with queenly resolve.
“We know that the elves will covet our city. We do not know if they seek our treasures or just our land and our supplies. I think we can hold the elves off. Your wizards, coupled with my riders, and the stout city walls are our best hope against the elves. I need you to lead the efforts to defend the city.”
“Yes, Mother.”
✽✽✽
Colin quietly walked down to the children’s end of the residence. Leon was waiting for him when he arrived. Colin gave Leon a big hug and the little boy squealed in delight.
“Uncle Colin! Uncle Colin! You returned!”
“Yes, my little pup, I am back from my scouting venture.”
“Have you seen Mamma? Is she back too?”
“No, nephew, your mother and father have not yet returned.”
The little boy’s face fell.
“But you have heard the story of their bravery,” Colin said brightly, hoping to cheer the boy. “They rescued our riders from the heart of the elf lands, and many other captives as well! They were very brave!”
Leon swelled with pride at the thought that his parents were brave heroes.
Colin hoisted the boy onto his shoulders, and they entered the nursery. The amah looked up with delight. “Lord Colin!”
“And where is the Little Lady Princess Ari?” Colin said.
Ariana toddled over and hugged his ankles. “Unkka!” she cried. Colin set Leon down and hoisted Ariana into the air, amid many giggles.
“And do you bring word from the Princess?” the amah asked hopefully.
“No, the Princess and Consort Alec have not yet returned. I do not know why they are delayed, but they have not made it back.”
“Mamma,” Ari said. “Mamma.” She looked like
she was going to cry; Colin handed her back to her amah.
Leo tugged at his uncle’s sleeve. “Uncle Colin, I heard cook say that the elves want to fight us. Are we going to fight the elves?”
“I don’t know, pup – I hope not.”
“Daddy told me to take care of Ari and Grandmother, but he didn’t give me a medallion. I heard you say that you need a medallion to fight elves. Can I have a medallion? I want a medallion.”
“Well, I …”
“I want Daddy to be proud of me. Can you get me a medallion? I want to use it to fight elves!”
Colin put his arm around the little boy. “It does look like we might have to fight elves, and, yes, a medallion can help. You are too young to have a medallion because you are too young to learn how to use it, and use dark energy, to fight elves.”
“I am not too little. I am big.”
Colin laughed. “I guess you are big enough to watch me use my medallion. Find your cloak – let’s go out to the courtyard behind the residence and I will show you what I can do with dark energy. And we can see if you are big enough to sense it. If you are, I might let you have one of your father’s spare medallions.”
✽✽✽
The next day was crisp and cold; the bitter breeze hinted of snow as Colin went to watch the recruits’ weapons trials. The weapons trials were the first of three trials to select new riders.
“‘Sword and claw, sword and claw,’” he heard the applicants chanting. Ah, the mantra of the riders!
It had been a frustrating morning trying to teach new dark energy users. Even the Great Wizard struggled teaching new users, Colin thought, recalling the frustrating times when he had not been able to produce the results that Alec created so effortlessly. Why does Mother want me to stay here and do this? I could be on the front lines, fighting the battles against the elves. This is impossible!
Watching the weapons trials helped relieve the stress of trying to teach a subject that he did not understand to people who could not comprehend. There were many average candidates, but he could see that there were no exceptionally good candidates for the riders – the promising contenders had already been recruited.