by Lisa Cassidy
She hugged him in silent sympathy. He was carrying the most risk of them all, and her heart went out to him. “I’m going to catch up on some sleep. We can talk more in the morning.”
“Good luck.” He looked suddenly amused. “I think most of your mages have arrived. Ladan claims there’s no room to move in the mansion—he and Dawn moved into the palace two days ago.”
“They’re both okay?”
“I think so, although Dawn hasn’t done much but sit in her room using her magic—she’s been invaluable ferrying messages between here and the border as well as Dashan’s militia in Tregaya,” he said. “Ladan worries about how tired she is, but she gets irritated when he hovers too much. And we all know how critical those messages are.”
Alyx grinned. “In that case I might go and greet my mages before facing my brother.”
It was dark by the time Alyx walked up the steps to her front doors, cloak swishing around her ankles. Every window in the house was ablaze with light. Although a warm bed was calling, she wanted to greet the mages first. She’d been a distant leader recently with preparations for what came next taking up all her time. A niggle of guilt wormed through her. With Cario’s death and now Tarrick gone, her mages hadn’t had much guidance about what was about to happen.
Surprise flickered to find the main foyer almost filled with people—surely the upper floors couldn’t be so full? The hum of conversation that filled the space slowly died when they began to notice her presence. She paused just beyond the front doors, the weight of their stares making her suddenly uneasy.
Adahn appeared, pushing through the crowd to stand in front of them. “Alyx, you’re back.”
“What’s going on?” Her voice was sharp. Something in his tone of voice, in his stiff shoulders, warned her things weren’t right.
“We want to know why you’ve gathered us here?”
She locked gazes with him. His jaw was tight, arms crossed over his chest. There was challenge written in his eyes, and something else. Anger, perhaps.
“We have a plan to go after Shakar,” she said evenly, lifting her gaze from his and sweeping over the gathered mages. “We mages are crucial to the plan. I brought you together to finally fight him.”
“Are you invulnerable?” he asked flatly.
A shiver swept through the room, almost a collective intake of breath. Adahn knew. He knew and he’d chosen to do this deliberately. A sharp spike of panic speared through her chest. Finn and Tarrick’s words of warning echoed through her memory, words she hadn’t taken seriously enough. She’d been too confident in her mages’ loyalty. Or maybe not. Surely she could win them to her again.
“Yes, I am,” she said, facing the room without hesitation. After a long moment, as she read fear and anger, and even some horror, in the faces before her, the brief burst of hope she’d felt vanished, replaced by a creeping chill. How had this happened without her noticing?
She turned back to Adahn and lowered her voice. “I’ve lost you, haven’t I?”
“You’ve lost us,” he spat. “How could you?”
She controlled the anger that flared, using it to straighten her shoulders and infuse her voice with strength. “I have always been clear on where I stand with the Taliath. I never lied to any of you. And I will never be another Shakar.”
“You destroyed half a room inside a Hunter bubble.” Chestin stepped forward. “We saw you do it. It should have been impossible, but somehow you were powerful enough to break through. And you think we shouldn’t fear another Shakar?”
“We all chose to follow you because we wanted a chance to defeat Shakar, not to watch another Shakar be formed right before our eyes,” Adahn said before she could reply.
Voices murmured as someone else pushed through from the back. Rothai. He moved to stand at Adahn’s side, ice-blue eyes impassive as they met her gaze. “You too,” she whispered, her strength and anger vanishing as quickly as it had come. “I can’t claim to be surprised, I suppose.”
“The mages no longer choose to follow you, Alyx Egalion.” This from Parja, the familiar sneer on his face as he stepped forward too, Dastanta at his side.
“And you’re going to follow who?” She lifted an eyebrow. “Adahn?”
“He is pureblood mage and he believes in the old traditions,” Chestin said.
Alyx took a deep breath, forcing back her terror and shock over what was happening. That Adahn could betray her like this, that any of them had. Without the mages they were lost. It was too late to stop the plan now. And Brynn…
“You said you joined me for a chance to destroy Shakar,” she said, clinging to the little confidence she had left. “I am offering you that chance right now. Come with me and help destroy him once and for all. We can discuss the leadership of the mages after it’s done.”
“No.” Adahn shook his head. “You are as much a threat to us as he is. I hope you destroy each other. If not, we will come for whoever survives.”
“You are jealous and angry, Adahn,” she said, then swung her eyes around the room, meeting as many eyes as she could. “I have built a new mage order, one that operates under principles of fairness and tolerance. One without fear. Do all of you truly want to throw that away? I am not Shakar, and I never will be.”
Some of them were wavering, clearly doubtful of the right choice. But Parja was whispering to those around him, as was Chestin. They were too afraid. She hadn’t understood the depth of that fear. And now she was paying for it.
She lifted her head, straightened her shoulders. “I am not another Shakar,” she said. The words rang through the room, leaving a thick silence. She let it hang for a long beat, and then she stepped aside.
Parja went first, striding out the door and into the night. Mages followed him, first at a trickle, then a flood. Nordan was amongst them. Merial too. Alyx stood, stone-faced and straight backed, as every single one of her mages walked out the door. Adahn went second last, shooting her a final, angry look, followed finally by Rothai.
“Magor-lier,” he murmured quietly as he passed.
And then there was silence, a cold night breeze flowing through the open doors, the house emptier than it had ever been.
White-faced with shock and lack of sleep, Alyx arrived at the palace the following morning in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the entire palace Blue Guard readying to ride out. No doubt the city barracks was equally chaotic. She squelched the surge of panic in her stomach. They’d gone too far to turn back. But now even if they succeeded, what would be the point without her mages?
Ladan shot to his feet the moment Alyx entered Cayr’s private room, blanching at the look on her face. “Aly-girl, what is it?”
She dropped into a chair, voice coming out faint and disbelieving, as if it still hadn’t really sunk in yet. She wasn’t sure it had. “I’ve lost the mages.”
Cayr shared a glance with her brother. “What does that mean?” he asked carefully.
The door flew open before she could answer, Dawn entering in a panic. “Alyx, the mages!”
“I know,” she said miserably, meeting her friend’s blue eyes. “They walked out.”
“What the hell?” Ladan asked furiously.
Dawn glanced frantically between her husband and Alyx. “I was just doing a scan of the immediate surrounds of the city as I normally do. I picked them up heading northeast.”
“It was Adahn,” Alyx explained, raising a trembling hand to her forehead. “He was so jealous about Dashan, he turned them against me with not a little help from Parja. Rothai too.”
“And we thought Finn was overreacting,” Dawn breathed. “Oh Alyx, I’m so sorry. If you’d listened to him and Tarrick instead of me…”
“We can’t do this without the mages!” Cayr sounded panicked.
“We don’t have a choice,” Ladan said grimly. “We’ve put all the wheels in motion. If we abandon the plan, we’ll essentially be sending Astohar’s people to their deaths. The militia too.”
Cayr
ran his hands through tousled hair. “We could get a message to them somehow, tell them to withdraw. It might reach them in time.”
“No. The Shiven army is almost at our doorstep.” Alyx stood up, hot anger finally breaking through the walls of her shock and despair. “The mages aren’t critical for the first part of the plan. I can handle that myself. We won’t get another opportunity for this.”
Ladan looked at her, considering. “I agree. And if we do succeed with the first part of the plan, it puts Shakar in the most vulnerable position possible. We’ll never get another chance to do that.”
“But how do we face him and his mages without our own?” Dawn asked.
“I don’t know,” Alyx whispered.
“One step at a time.” Ladan nodded firmly. “Now, to what comes next. Where’s Jenna?”
Cayr jerked a thumb out the door. “You may not have noticed that it looks like the Blue Guard is fleeing the city, but my court certainly has. She’s doing her best to keep a lid on their panic.”
“Everyone is afraid,” Dawn murmured, eyes distant. “They know the Shiven army is advancing on the city.”
It was the last thing Cayr needed to hear and Alyx gave her brother a pointed look. “When did you get back to the city?”
“Yesterday.” Ladan glanced at the king. “Tarian Astohar and his rebels are ready for us.”
Cayr looked suddenly ill. “What am I doing?”
“We’ll do our best, Cayr,” Alyx said softly, voice full of sympathy. She wouldn’t be in his shoes for all the gold in the kingdom.
“I’d better go and join Jenna.” Cayr cast a wistful look around him, as if taking it all in in case it was the last time he saw the room. “There is much to be done before we depart tomorrow. There’s no point leaving it any longer.”
Alyx stared at him. “You think you’re coming with us?”
“I’m the king of Rionn, Alyx. If I’m ordering a war march, I’ll damn well be riding at the head of my army,” Cayr said grimly, then strode for the door. “I’ll talk to you later, provided there hasn’t been a mutiny that has my head on a pike by the city gates.”
“The soldiers are ready,” Ladan told her once Cayr was gone. “Sparky told me they’ve been prepared for days and they’re starting to eat the local garrison out of supplies. It’s time he knows our full plan.”
“I agree. I—”
“Magor-lier?” It was Tijer, hovering by the door. “One of the Bluecoats said they saw you come in. I heard you’ll be riding with us?”
“That’s right.”
“Most units are already moving, only one division is left and they’re about ready,” he said.
“Thanks, Tijer. Tell Lord-General Caverlock we’ll be riding out tomorrow morning. I’ll join you on the main road outside the city.”
Alyx ate with Dawn and Ladan in the pre-dawn. None of them spoke. She savoured the cook’s porridge, her gaze running over the soft linen cloth over the table and paintings hanging on the wall. Her father’s chair stood empty at the head of the table. Tears welled unbidden and she fought them back—after today, there was a good chance she might never see this house again.
Hearts heavy with the knowledge of what they were risking, they walked in quiet companionship through the palace gardens and down to the docks. The pink sky of dawn illuminated the ocean in the soft glow.
Despite the early hour, the docks were a hive of activity. Every single one of the long jetties was filled with neat rows of marching soldiers as division after division of Rionn’s army boarded ships.
“I’ll say goodbye here, Aly-girl.” Ladan murmured. “I need to help Sparky ensure things are running smoothly.”
She nodded, accepting his warm hug. “You take care of yourself. See you soon.”
“You too.”
He strode away, long strides carrying him quickly away from her. Dawn sighed. “I feel bad, not coming with you. Especially after what’s happened. I can’t believe they just walked out after all these years.”
Alyx’s jaw clenched, a horrible mix of anger and despair sinking her stomach at the reference to her mages’ betrayal. “Your place is here with Ladan. And we’ll see each other soon anyway.”
Dawn squeezed her hand. “Bye, Alyx.”
Alyx lingered on her own, half her attention on the boarding army, half on the plan she and Finn had come up with three years ago. Then, as a watery winter sun rose fully onto the horizon, the first of the ships let loose its moorings and slowly turned west.
For Shivasa.
The main road leading east out of Alistriem was filled with perfectly even columns of mounted Blue Guard. Alyx dropped out of the sky and landed where Casta stood waiting, his hand on Tingo’s reins. The Bluecoat’s impish spirits had been quenched since Cario’s death, and her heart lurched at the faint shadows in his eyes.
“I miss him too,” she said softly.
He looked down. “Yes, ma’am.”
She stepped closer. She wanted to reassure him, tell him they were going to be able to avenge Cario, but the words wouldn’t come out. A black despair had sunk over her—deep down she knew with terrible certainty that without the mages she couldn’t defeat Shakar. She’d tried to be hopeful and positive with Cayr, but now all they could hope for was that this part of the plan worked and they would have more time to live before the inevitable destruction. It was a last-ditch effort that would never be enough. Instead, she tried for a crooked smile. “Let’s go and do our best.”
“Yes, Magor-lier.” His shoulders straightened and his head came up. “We’re ready when you are.”
Alyx swung onto Tingo’s back, quieting him with a touch. The waiting divisions of cavalry had seen her arrival and a wave of eagerness swept through their ranks, all gazes turning to her. She kicked Tingo forward to join Lord-General Caverlock at the head of the column.
“North through Widow Falls and into Tregaya in a week, Lord-General. It won’t be easy,” she told him.
She detested Caverlock, hated what he’d done to Dashan as a child. But there was no mistaking he was a veteran soldier who held overall command of the Blue Guard for a reason. “No, Magor-lier. But we’re Bluecoats, and we’ve got the fastest and best-trained horses on the continent.”
She nodded. “That’s the answer I wanted. Let’s go.”
He fiddled with his reins, doing his best not to scowl at her, even though that’s clearly what he wanted to do. “Are you planning on filling me in on where we’re going, Magor-lier? And why we’re taking four hundred Bluecoats and leaving Alistriem dangerously vulnerable?”
She smiled, settled herself in the saddle. “I’ll explain on the ride.”
And she kicked Tingo into a gallop.
Chapter 44
Dashan’s father proved up to the task. The four hundred Bluecoats rode hard and fast, pushing their mounts to the limit each day. They passed through Widow Falls and across the narrow slice of Shivasa in a week, then angled directly west through Tregaya.
Alyx’s telepathic magic was critical as they threaded the narrow gap between the Shiven troops to the north—who were fiercely battling Dashan’s militia—and the army pushing south through Rionn. She ensured they avoided Shiven patrols and troop movements and allowed them to weave through the supply lines reaching into both Tregaya and Rionn.
Once Rionn was almost past them to the south, Alyx left the Bluecoats encamped and summoned her magic, leaping into the skies. The freedom of flight rushed through her, and she stayed high, well clear of any eyes below. In this fashion, she swept over the Shiven soldiers pushing south towards Rionn, though shock thudded against her ribs when she saw how close they were to Alistriem.
Reaching the Rionnan defensive lines, she slipped through camp and stopped outside one of the tents. Tarrick lay on his back, snoring, while Finn was curled up in a tangle of blankets.
With a touch of magic, she prodded both their minds with her telepathic ability, enough to wake them.
“What—” Finn
came awake blinking. “Alyx!”
Tarrick scrambled up as soon as he heard her name. “Is everything okay?”
“It’s all fine.” She swallowed, then hesitated. “Did Dawn manage to reach you with the news?”
Tarrick’s face darkened. “I will kill Adahn.”
She huffed out a laugh, warmed by his protectiveness. “As much as I’d like to do the same, we’re not the council. Mages are free to make their choices.”
“We’re not anything anymore,” Finn pointed out. “Our entire fighting strength walked out on us.”
“Our estimate is that Shakar has seventy or so warrior mages following him,” Tarrick said softly. “We can’t even get close to him without our own fighters.”
“I know.” Alyx hung her head.
A bleak silence hung over them, broken by a slight scratching on the fabric of the tent. Moments later Jayn stuck her head in. “I thought I heard your whispering voices. Are we plotting how to kill Adahn?”
Finn’s smile flashed. “Alyx won’t let us.”
“Shame.” Jayn sighed. “So I suppose you’re discussing how doomed we all are.”
The despairing silence sunk back over them, and not even Jayn’s cheerfulness could stand in the face of it. Alyx cleared her throat, trying not to sound hopeless. “I just left the Bluecoats—so far we’ve made it without detection. The rest of the army was leaving by ship when I left Alistriem.”
“So everything is going to plan.” Finn joined her attempt at normalcy.
Tarrick nodded. “We’ll leave in the morning.”
“The Rionnan defensive lines will crumble much faster without us here,” Finn warned. “We won’t have a lot of time.”
“We knew that when we started this.” Alyx stood and moved to the tent entrance. “I’ll see you all soon.”
The following morning, as the Bluecoats readied themselves for the day’s ride, Alyx reached out for the telepath she’d sent to Dashan months earlier. Rody was expecting her, his mind jumping with excitement as she made contact.