“Of course,” Zollin said.
“All right, let’s get going.”
They turned their horses and set off, heading south. Kelvich was full of questions, but he kept silent. There was something wrong with Mansel, but he wasn’t sure what it was. The young warrior had been short with him on the trip to find Zollin, but Kelvich had chalked it up to remorse over what must have happened to Quinn. Now, finding out that Zollin’s father was being held in Lodenhime, by someone Mansel called the lady of the Castle on the Sea, he felt that there was more to the story than Mansel was telling them. But Kelvich also remembered the way Mansel had reacted when the sorcerer had pushed him for more information. He knew that Mansel was dangerous—not just a skilled warrior, but a dangerous man for reasons he couldn’t quiet explain yet. He decided to wait and speak to Zollin when he could tell the young wizard how he really felt.
Chapter 21
Mansel knew that he was taking a risk, but it was a calculated risk. There was virtually no way for Zollin to discover what Mansel had done to Quinn before reaching the Castle on the Sea. Once there, Gwendolyn would have her prize, and nothing else mattered. The only thing Mansel had to worry about was the ship captain. If the ship captain spoke up too soon, everything would be ruined. He would have to ensure that the roguish sailor couldn’t spoil his plans.
“Tell me what happened to Quinn,” Zollin said as they rode along.
They were nearly out of the forest and could cut cross-country in hopes of finding a village or homestead that was still occupied. He needed to discover where the dragon had gone and find Brianna. It was hard not to feel as if he were being drawn and quartered. Brianna’s need took precedence, but he could not deny that he was worried about his father as well.
“We went south and got the Prince,” Mansel said, deciding to leave out his problems with Quinn and how he’d been left behind at Cape Sumbar. “But we were warned about trying to sneak him out of the country by sea, so we traveled overland into Felxis and made for the nearest harbor, but there were soldiers there as well.”
“Wait,” Kelvich said. “Why did you need to be concerned about soldiers? I thought you were sent to save him from the Mezzlyn assassins.”
“We were, but apparently the Council of Kings sent troops to stop him from returning to Yelsia.”
“Why would they do that?” Kelvich asked.
“How the hell do I know?” Mansel said angrily. “I’m not privy to the whims of kings.”
“Calm down,” Zollin said. “We’re all a bit frazzled. There’s a lot going on, and biting each other’s heads off won’t help.”
“I only ask because there are troops massing at Fort Jellar,” Kelvich said. “The Duke there is worried about war. He sent me to find you in hopes that you would come and bolster his position.”
“War? Why would there be war?” Zollin asked.
But even as he asked the question he remembered what King Felix had said to him before Zollin had left on his quest. Felix had hinted that a time might come when Zollin’s help would be needed against the other kingdoms. At the time, the King’s hints had made Zollin nervous, but now he could see that he had some major decisions to make.
“It’s against the treaty for wizards to side with one kingdom over another,” Zollin said.
“That’s true,” Kelvich agreed, “but it seems as if perhaps the treaty has already been cast aside. What use would the Council of Kings have had for detaining a crown prince serving as an ambassador? And if troops were mobilized to stop Mansel and your father from bringing Prince Wilam home, it seems probable that plans for war were already under way.”
“So what do you think it all means?” Zollin said.
“It means that the world is changing,” Kelvich said. “But we knew that already, didn’t we? You said yourself that you’ve seen things you would never have believed were real.”
“Like those creatures in the forest,” Mansel said nervously, looking around to see if they were being followed.
“Forest dryads,” Kelvich said. “Nasty creatures, but they are the guardians of the forests. They wouldn’t have bothered you alone, Mansel.”
“They tried to kill us,” he insisted.
“They wanted Zollin,” Kelvich said. “In times gone by, some wizards devoted their entire lives to the study of forest lore. They made their homes with dryads, even fought wars with them. But that was long, long ago, in wilder times.”
“Is that where we are headed?” Zollin asked his mentor. “I mean, I keep running into creatures, some of which are absolutely deadly. It’s as if they’re attracted to me.”
“Not to you, but to your magic,” Kelvich said. “For hundreds of years the Torr have controlled all magic in the Five Kingdoms. And they have consolidated their power and knowledge in the tower of the Torr. I’m sure you saw the tower in the Grand City of Osla,” Kelvich said to Mansel.
For a moment the warrior felt a wave of panic. If Kelvich questioned him about the Grand City he would not be able to answer the sorcerer’s questions. He realized he should have dealt with the nosy old man before finding Zollin.
“Yes,” Mansel said.
“It’s quite a sight, isn’t it?”
“The tower or the Grand City?” Mansel asked.
“Both,” Kelvich said merrily, but his eyes were studying Mansel intently.
“Yes, they are.”
“The tower is a marvel, especially the three-pronged, upper tier. It looks like a giant trident, as if some ancient sea god were thrusting his weapon up toward the sky. Tell us what you thought of it, Mansel.”
Zollin recognized the question in Kelvich’s voice. The old man had used the same sort of technique as they had worked on recognizing various plants with magical qualities. He wondered what his old mentor was up to.
“We have things to do,” Mansel said. “We should ride more and talk less.”
He spurred his horse forward. Zollin looked over at Kelvich, who was watching Mansel with a critical eye.
“We need to talk,” Zollin said.
“Yes, but not now,” Kelvich said.
He gave Zollin a reassuring smile and they both nudged their horses to catch up with Mansel. It took a few more hours to finally exit the forest. Zollin immediately turned his horse west.
“What is your plan?” Kelvich asked him.
“I need to find out where the dragon was last seen,” he explained. “It was headed south; surely someone must have seen it.”
“But the farms and villages have all been abandoned this far north,” Kelvich reasoned. “We should ride to the Ruins of Ornak. The soldiers there will know as much as anyone. I’m sure Commander Hausey has scouts out, combing the countryside for even the slightest rumor of the dragon.”
“All right, but we’ll need to ride hard,” Zollin said. “Are you up for the challenge?”
“I think I’ll be okay,” Kelvich said, a little hurt that Zollin would think he might be a liability.
“I’m not worried about your heart,” Zollin said. “I know you would never give up. I just have to ride as hard as possible. I don’t want to force you to do something you don’t want to do.”
“Just try and stop me,” Kelvich said.
They ate in the saddle and walked their horses once night fell. They slept without a fire. The weather outside of the mountains was warmer than Zollin had been used to, but as summer waned the nights turned cooler. They hobbled their horses and slept a few hours, resuming their journey with the dawn. Zollin wanted to find out why Kelvich seemed so suspicious of Mansel, but there was never a good time to talk. Mansel did seem irritable. He was even less talkative than usual, but Zollin thought he was probably worried about Quinn. On the second day he asked the young warrior to finish telling them what happened.
“So, there were soldiers in Felxis, too,” Zollin prompted. “I suppose my father suggested you head north.”
“Yes, we rode for Lodenhime,” Mansel said gruffly. “We ran into a pai
r of assassins along the way, and if not for the Prince’s mercy, we’d have dealt with them.”
“What do you mean?” Kelvich asked.
“They came at us as a pair. We killed one, but the idiot Prince released the second assassin. I told him the Mezzlyn don’t accept failure. The one we caught had a poison tooth, just like the one in Brighton’s Gate. But still, the Prince insisted and Quinn wouldn’t countermand him. So we let the devil go, and, sure enough, when we reached Lodenhime, the assassin tried to kill the Prince again. Your father saved his life and received a nasty scratch from the killer’s knife to boot. If it had been poisoned like those darts in Brighton’s Gate, he’d have been killed.”
“So how was he captured in Lodenhime? Was it the Mezzlyn?”
“No, there is a woman in the Castle on the Sea.”
“The what?” Zollin asked.
“It’s a fortress. Not really a castle, but it was built like a castle, and it sits on a small peninsula that juts out into the Great Sea of Kings. The people in Lodenhime call it the Castle on the Sea. She’s building an army. I left your father and Prince Wilam while we were still in the city. After killing the second Mezzlyn assassin we assumed we were safe. I was sent for supplies while Quinn and the Prince saw about booking us passage on a ship heading north,” Mansel lied.
The truth was fuzzy, he thought. He had left Quinn and Prince Wilam in Lodenhime, he remembered that, but he couldn’t remember why.
“They went to the Castle but never came back. I went to find them but realized I couldn’t rescue them by myself, so I came to find you,” Mansel explained.
It seemed reasonable enough to Zollin, but he was completely absorbed in his grief over losing Brianna to the dragon and wasn’t thinking critically. He still had hopes that Brianna was alive, and nothing seemed as important as finding her and rescuing her from the dragon.
They rode on in silence after that, each man occupied with his own thoughts. They passed several abandoned villages, but saw no people. It took them three days of hard riding to reach the Ruins at Ornak. They could see from a distance that the soldiers had rebuilt the ruins once again. There was an air of mystery to the ancient settlement, made even more haunting by the fact that it was, once again, entirely abandoned.
“Where is everyone?” Zollin asked out loud.
“I don’t know,” Kelvich said. “I can’t believe Commander Hausey would have abandoned this post with leaving at least a small contingent of men.”
Zollin rode into the village and saw the statue of gold he had built. It stood forlorn in the middle of the ancient ruins, the gold glinting in the late afternoon sunshine.
“The relic hasn’t been touched. There haven’t even been looters here stealing the gold,” Zollin said.
“It’s as if we’re the only people left in Yelsia,” Mansel said.
“That’s ridiculous,” Kelvich said.
“Well, we won’t find any answers by wasting time here,” Zollin said, spurring his horse forward.
“Where are we going?” Kelvich cried out as his horse jumped forward with the others, reluctant to get left behind.
“We’ll ride to nearest village,” Zollin called back over his shoulder. “Surely someone will know what happened.”
They rode late into the night. The next day they were met shortly after dawn by a group of riders. Commander Hausey was with them. He called out when they were close enough to identify one another.
“Hello there!” he shouted. “Zollin! Kelvich!”
“Commander Hausey,” Zollin said, reining in his horse as the two groups approached each other.
“I have orders from the King,” Hausey said. “He requests that you join him in Orrock.”
“Why?” Kelvich said, not waiting for Zollin to reply. “What made you withdraw your troops from the Ruins at Ornak?”
“We have been invaded,” said Hausey. “Ships landed near Winsome, and soldiers are marching north. The King has recalled the army from Felson and the legion he sent to the Great Valley. Men have been sent to strengthen the forts at Ebbson Keep and Mountain Wind, but every able-bodied man is needed in Orrock.”
“I’m searching for the dragon,” Zollin said. “Has there been news of it coming back out of the mountains?”
“That task must wait,” Hausey said.
“It can’t!” Zollin said angrily. “The beast has Brianna. I must find it.”
Kelvich put his hand on Zollin’s arm.
“The King insists that you come,” Hausey said. “I regret the news about Brianna. She was a special girl.”
“She isn’t dead,” Zollin said.
“Why does the King want Zollin?” Kelvich said.
Hausey looked at Kelvich for a long moment before answering. They both knew that enlisting a wizard to fight with a kingdom’s army broke the treaty signed by all five kingdoms over three centuries ago. They also knew the tactical advantage of having a wizard during battle. One wizard could lay waste entire legions under the right circumstances.
“We must push back this invasion,” Hausey said to Zollin. “Surely you understand that.”
“But is it wise to break the treaty?” Kelvich asked.
“I leave those kinds of decisions to my King,” the Commander answered. “We have been sent to find you and bring you to Orrock.”
“But surely the King’s Army is capable of withstanding an invasion. We can take defensive positions and fend them off. There’s no need for Zollin to get involved and break the treaty.”
Zollin noticed the disdain in the eyes of the knights who were with Commander Hausey. They didn’t like that Kelvich was questioning their orders or the King’s plan, but Zollin understood. If he chose to get involved, he ran the risk of destroying a peace that had lasted over three hundred years. It also gave King Felix precedent for commanding Zollin. The young wizard had no desire to disobey his King, but neither did he relish the idea of becoming someone’s puppet. He had to make a decision soon, he knew that. And if he refused the soldiers, he might have to fight them, which he did not want to do. If there really were soldiers from the south invading, he didn’t want to make matters worse by injuring or slaying five of the King’s knights.
“You are correct,” Hausey said. “We do have the strength to withstand this invasion. We have equal numbers, and the defenses at Orrock would make a siege difficult, but not impossible for us to weather. We could easily hold out through the winter, if worse came to worst, and then drive them back in the spring after they have been weakened by the cold and lack of resources. But that does not take into account the people living near Orrock. Their homes would be pillaged and burned, their crops and livestock stolen. And if a force were to invade from the east, we would be helpless. They could ravage their way to Orrock and reinforce the siege, which would put us at a distinct disadvantage. All might be lost. We need Zollin.”
“We’ll ride with you,” Zollin said, and the words felt like gravel being ground into the wound of his grief. “If we hear news of the dragon, though, I must turn aside, at least temporarily.”
“You would disobey your King?” said one of the knights in a haughty tone.
“Do not question his loyalty or courage,” said Hausey angrily. “If finding his beloved is what it takes to get him to Orrock, that is what we will do. We will support you, Zollin.”
“That is all I ask,” he said.
Mansel felt his rage burning more fiercely than ever. He had understood that Zollin needed closure, perhaps even revenge against the creature that had stolen Brianna away from him. But now he would have to persuade Zollin to leave his King and country in order to go south to Lodenhime. The muscle in his jaw flexed so hard it felt as if his teeth would break under the pressure.
They turned and rode hard through the day. They passed a few villages where people still made their homes, although there were many empty homes and farms even in the occupied villages. No one had heard any news of the dragon in weeks. It was a discouraging sign f
or Zollin. The beast may have taken refuge in another mountain lair, or it may have doubled back to its original cave far to the north. Either way, Zollin knew he would not be able to rest until he had tracked the dragon down and discovered what had become of Brianna.
Chapter 22
“You want war?” Prince Wilam said angrily. “You want to take the riffraff forces we have here and march against King Ortis’s entire army?”
“Yes,” said Gwendolyn. She was pouting at Wilam, using all her charms to break down his resistance to her plan.
In most other cases, she would have merely replaced a man who showed any doubts about her plans, but she knew she couldn’t lose the Crown Prince of Yelsia. He was important and so she coddled him.
“We have their cavalry,” she said.
“We have a portion of their cavalry,” Wilam corrected her.
“You have to remember that I don’t want to kill them,” she said. “I want them to join us. I want to build a grand army and march south.”
“But why? Is what we’ve given you here not enough?”
“Of course it isn’t,” she giggled. “Don’t be silly. I’m a woman, I can never have enough. Besides, this will be your chance to show me what you’ve been able to do with my army. I’m anxious to see the fruits of your hard labor and reward you.”
Wilam knew that Gwendolyn had great power over men, even if he couldn’t recognize that he himself was bewitched by that power. He had been in awe when the cavalry force surrendered to her and pledged their swords to her service. It had been an incredible feat, and although he was jealous of the men and the way Gwendolyn fussed over them, he was glad to have a stronger fighting force. He doubted that an entire army could be won over so easily, but he couldn’t resist the temptation to show off the army he had built for Gwendolyn. The scouts had returned with more men, and with the contingent of cavalry from Ortis, they were five hundred strong now. Each man knew his duty and each was eager to fight for Gwendolyn. Wilam was not eager to fight, but he was desperate for the reward, which he assumed would be a place in the witch’s bed.
The Five Kingdoms: Book 04 - Crying Havoc Page 21