They did not have to wait long as Fennick opened the door to them. He was clearly not expecting to see Mia there by the look on his face, although he quickly recovered from his surprise and gestured for them both to enter. Happy that Gallien was hers to do as she wished, Mia took him by the hand as they both sat down together. “Drink?” Fennick asked. Mia answered for both, “No thankyou we have just had lunch,” she said before Gallien could speak.
Fennick stopped and stared at them both for a few moments before shrugging his shoulders. “So what can I do for you?” he enquired pouring himself a small glass and sitting down on a nearby cushioned chair. “I would like to thank you,” Mia said. “For sending Gallien to me. He is such a good lover,” she found herself saying, once more looking for any kind of reaction on Fennicks face. She was disappointed again to see there was none, so decided to ask a few questions of her own. Fennick seemed intent on getting every bit of information about her, the guild and more importantly the whereabouts of the prince. “Perhaps if you tell me your own agenda I might be able to help you with what you want to know,” she said.
She felt Gallien trying to unclasp his hand from hers, but she quickly made sure it stayed exactly where she wanted it. The young man was hers now and would do exactly what she wanted, when she wanted. The power of seduction it seemed was a powerful one indeed, and it would keep Gallien under her spell. The thought even crossed her mind of seducing him there and then in front of Fennick, just to show both who was in control, but she decided against such a show.
Fennick explained he had told her everything, and although Mia nodded her understanding she doubted that was true. “Why do you want to know the whereabouts of the prince?” she asked feeling a confidence she had never felt before. Whether that new feeling was down to Gallien being beside her or not she did not know. “I told you… I want to kill him,” Fennick replied clearly agitated by her question.
Mia smiled, feeling herself in control. “Perhaps if we go find him, we could capture him. Use him as leverage. The king will do anything and give anything for the boy’s safety,” she suggested. Fennick stood finishing his drink back in one go before walking over to pour another. Mia realised it was clear she had rattled the man. “Just think what we could ask for?” she added. Fennick turned losing his cool, “I don’t want gold and jewels, I want revenge for my brother,” he snapped, before suggesting she leave if she was only there to irritate him.
Mia chuckled a little. Men, she thought were so easily manipulated. “Revenge is what you want Fennick. Perhaps if we had the prince we could achieve much more, then kill him anyway.” Fennick appeared to calm a little as he sat back down, “So you will tell me?” he asked. Mia of course did not actually know the location, but had been thinking long and hard about where it could be. “If I show you, will you promise to keep the boy alive long enough for us to take advantage?” She explained her theory that with the country under constant attack the king would have no forces spare to hunt them. “We could ask for anything and he would have little option but to give it.”
She let Fennick digest what she had said before asking if he had a map. With her hand still encapsulated by Gallien’s the pair stood and walked over to a rather poor quality looking table. Laid out across the top was a map of Caldronia with all the towns she knew and many more she had never heard of pinpointed upon it. “Can we have a little light Gallien please,” she asked finally letting go of her new lover’s hand. The man duly obliged and held out a small pulsating orb that gave off an eerie glow.
Mia studied the map, firstly pinpointing exactly where Surmont was. She knew the country’s gold and silver mines were north of the capital, and with those being the key to the nation’s wealth would be the best protected. Such a place she had decided would be the best and most likely location for the king to send the young prince. She pinpointed three likely locations but dismissed one almost immediately as it was too far from the capital. She knew that wherever the prince was being kept was no more than a day’s ride there and back, which left only two likely candidates.
Trying to sound sincere, she picked the one she thought most likely, that being the closest to the capital. “Last I heard he was being kept here,” she eventually said placing a finger next to the town named Riverdale on the map. Fennick looked at where she was pointing, before looking up at her face, “Really?” he asked with some element of doubt to her choice. “Of course that does not mean he has not been moved since,” she added calmly giving herself some margin in case she was wrong.
Mia took hold of Gallien’s free hand, it was a little sweaty but she did not mind. She then stared at Fennick looking for his reaction, “I suppose it would make sense to keep the boy in a town that was well protected,” the man finally admitted clearly thinking along the same lines as she had. “I had discounted that was the case though as it would be far too obvious,” he announced glaring back at her. “Well there is only one way we are going to find out, isn’t there?” Mia said with a grin. “Come on Gallien let’s leave Fennick to decide on what he wants to do,” she said leading the young man towards the door.
Chapter 14.
In Surmont life was continuing ever onwards, and despite the unease, people endeavoured to lead their lives as normally as they could. Security on all the gates, especially the southern one which was still being repaired, was tight. Anybody wishing to enter or leave the city was forced to endure long queues and thorough checks as to their purpose.
The soldiers and sorcerers of the City Guard were stretched thinly, which had led to several cases of public disorder. Currently these small incidents had only amounted to a few brawls, although other crimes were also on the increase. This was a situation the king did not want getting out of hand, and as a result had called a meeting with both his City Guard and members of the guild. The latter invited to offer counsel on ways of putting an end to the unrest before things escalated out of control.
Since the incident with Leo, now several weeks ago, tensions between the two parties had remained somewhat tense. King Haldar hoped that this latest situation would give both a chance to work together and hopefully improve the relationship between the them.
Reports that his lands were still being pillaged and attacked were delivered to his office on an almost daily basis. These seemed to range from an outlying farm being hit, right up to large villages. Even the larger towns with fortifications were reporting attacks against them, and as much as Haldar wanted to do something to help, he knew there was little more he could do. He had already utilised much of what the guild could offer, sending out small parties of sorcerers, rangers and warriors to help track down some of the raiders. From the reports he had received back, these had not been a great help.
The problem did not lie in the ability of the guild apprentices he had sent, more in the numbers. With having so few to spare on these groups, they sometimes only had a handful of trained personnel within them. Sorcerers especially were thin on the ground, and as a result the groups he had sent out had often been forced to stand by and not intervene. With the enemy raiding parties being far larger, and by all accounts having many more sorcerers, his own groups were often left just clearing up the mess.
Knowing those he had sent out to defend his outlying villages and farmsteads, would if he wished it, openly engage the enemy, Haldar knew it would prove no more than a futile effort. His numbers were already far inferior to the enemy and trying to fight battles he could not win was a sure way of decreasing them further. That being said, everything had not been a complete waste of time, as his side had indeed had a few successes. These had mainly consisted of his own men catching a few of the enemy away from their main group. With the numbers in his favour the results had been far more encouraging, albeit not without some loss to his own men.
With the guild trying hard to recruit as many new faces as possible, especially those in the sorcery, ranger and warrior factions, Haldar knew he needed time. Any new recruit would need several months train
ing at least if they were to be any use. Finding warriors was not too difficult, and that particular faction had seen a good steady influx of fresh recruits. Rangers were a little trickier, but again there were signs that the faction was increasing steadily in numbers.
The hardest to recruit were the sorcerers. Not only were they fewest in number, but had to be selected a little more carefully. The last thing Harrin wanted was to have dozens of rogue magicians running amok around his capital. This was especially the case, since the recent incident at the guild. A young female apprentice had gone off the rails, killed at least two and had been aided by forces unknown in escaping the city. It was this very incident that made the king much more cautious than he may otherwise have been in the recruitment of that particular faction.
Aside from the party containing Leo that had been sent to find new recruits, they had also re-evaluated those living in the capital. Surmont, despite having the largest populace of any town or city in Caldronia surprisingly had up until now, had a low recruitment rate. Nobody was quite sure why so few ever turned out for possible selection. Whether that was because being in the guild did not appeal to people already residing in the capital or down to some deep-rooted mistrust between the locals and the guild.
Whatever the reason Haldar knew that recruiting in Surmont was something that needed to be done, and hence had asked the guild to have an open day. Despite several of the Master’s not being pleased with the suggestion, it was their sworn duty to do as their king asked. Their concerns were not without reason, although Haldar knew it was a risk, especially in the current climate. Security would have to be tight and the public limited to certain parts of the guild building, especially considering that there was a direct link between there and the palace, albeit a supposedly secret one.
Haldar sat at his desk awaiting the arrival of the Masters and members of the city guard. Knowing he had ten minutes to spare, he opened one of the drawers and took out a small roll of paper. Carefully opening it out and laying it down on the table top he read the words upon it. With a heavy heart he sighed, the letter written by his young son was the latest he had received. Apparently the boy was well despite the upheaval he had been forced to endure. Haldar wondered how long it would be before he would be able to bring Kellan back home to Surmont; Would he ever be able to?
After returning the letter to the drawer he stood and strolled over to one of the windows and stared aimlessly up at the sky. His forces were being stretched to the limit, his people were suffering, dying, their livelihoods destroyed, and there was little more he could do to help. His train of thought was interrupted by a knock at the door, and after composing himself called for the visitors to enter.
Unsurprisingly it was the guild Masters who were first through the door. A tall Ranger named Raskin. A young, fresh faced man with long brown hair tied neatly at the back. Under normal circumstances one so young would not be a Master, however with the loss of numbers, those deemed good enough were now being forced to step up to the mark.
A more familiar face followed. A huge hulk of a man named Sheldon, who was there to represent the warrior faction. In his late thirties, and scarred down one side of his face he took up a position alongside the ranger. Haldar had originally opted for Daron to represent the sorcerers, but after giving it more thought he decided on a younger man.
Kian walked in through the door with a smile on his face and a spring in his step, bowing his head slightly towards Haldar. The king smiled back and gestured for him to take a seat beside his fellow guild masters. The three seats remaining were for the city guard, who unsurprisingly had arranged to arrive at a different time to the guild.
Haldar knew the guard were just making a statement in not arriving together, and although it angered him they behaved so childishly, he knew it was trivial and not worth bothering with. There were far more important things to focus on, and besides which he did not have to wait long for them to arrive.
Three men, probably all in their forties waited outside the doorway for their king to give the order for them to enter. After Haldar duly waved them in, he watched as each bowed his head before taking the seat being offered them. Dressed in full military uniform, the three took their places and after a few nonchalant glances over to their guild counterparts they waited for the king to start.
After waiting for the door to be closed, Haldar then settled into his soft cushioned chair, leaning back and looking at the faces of the men before him. He pondered a moment considering his words before firstly welcoming them to his office, and thanking them for taking time out of their busy schedules. Despite the fact they were all his subjects and should do as he requested anyway, he knew politeness cost nothing.
After explaining in some detail the work going on in repairing the wall and southern gate, Haldar cautiously touched on the subject of the recent troubles in the city. Not wanting to sound as if he was blaming the city guard for failing to keep control, he tentatively enquired as to how the patrols were going. One of the guards looked far too pleased with himself, and after glancing over at the guild members, stood to speak.
“We have captured a Belarian infiltrator Sire…A sorcerer nonetheless!” the man exclaimed. It was evidently clear that those words not only surprised the king but the guild masters also. “How are you holding him?” Kian asked with genuine concern on his face.
“Relax!” the guard said waving a nonchalant hand his direction. “We have him sedated and locked in a cell. We will not make the same mistake the guild made and let him run amok,” the man added.
The king clapped his hands together, “Excellent work!” he declared trying to show some enthusiasm. As much as he was certain the city guard would keep the enemy sorcerer from escaping and blending back into the city, he knew the guild was better equipped and trained in handling such matters. However, not wanting to dampen the city guard’s achievement he knew he needed to be diplomatic. After a short pause, he hoped he had found a suitable solution, and suggested that one of the sorcery Masters from the guild call in to the dungeon and help interrogate and more importantly restrain the man in question.
The guardsman explained that they had caught the man causing trouble, setting fire to a warehouse of foodstuffs. Fortunately, the fire had not taken hold and the man in his frustration had been caught trying to blast everything with energy bolts. Although this had caused some considerable damage to the building and a few of the supplies it had not been a great loss. Moreover, it meant that a sorcerer and two guards who had been called to investigate had been able to apprehend him easily, especially as the Belarian had virtually exhausted himself in the process.
“A series of fortunate events,” Raskin, the young ranger commented. The city guard looked over and merely scoffed at the remark. “We have also learned that most of these troubles are being caused by these enemy sorcerers,” the guard said proud that he was getting one up on the guild. If true, then there were supposedly several others all around the city doing likewise. Their task to cause unrest and destroy much needed supplies stored within the walls.
Haldar tapped his fingers on the desk deep in thought. “We must hunt these people down. We can afford to relax the guard on the walls for now. The enemy has not shown itself in large numbers since the attack,” he said talking to both sides of the room. “I need you to work together on this matter,” he added pausing just a moment to judge for any reaction to his request. It was whilst he speaking the king had another idea; though whether those in the room shared his view about it being utterly brilliant he would soon find out.
Making sure he had their undivided attention, Haldar explained his new plan. All guild apprentices, both existing and new, would now have to spend part of their apprenticeship working at the garrisons of the city guard. Moreover, those admitted into the city guard would have to spend part of their training with the guild.
The king did not wait for those in the room to start any complaining or arguments and pushed on with his suggestion. He knew that i
nitially such an arrangement would not be without incident, but if Caldronia was going to survive it was changes like this that would see it through. For too long he had allowed the two main bodies responsible for defending his country and capital to work as separate entities, each trying to gain one-upmanship with the other. “We are all on the same side,” he said a little louder, “The enemy is out there, hiding in the shadows, not here in this office,” he added slamming his hand down on the desk.
Whether those in the room thought his idea was worth pursuing or they were stunned by his reaction Haldar was unsure. All six in the room though remained quiet, and were fully focussed on what he was saying. Perhaps there was some hope after all, “I want every ounce of information dragged out of this prisoner, then I want him disposed of as soon as possible. I am not risking letting him loose on the people again,” he added leaning back in his chair.
One of the city guards tentatively raised a hand, like a small child wanting permission to speak. The king gestured for him to do so, “Please Sire, we have to keep the prisoner sedated so he is not a danger, and what we get from him is mostly incomprehensible gibberish.” The king looked over to the three guild masters for any ideas. Kian replied, suggesting the guard try a potion created by the Alchemy faction. “It is said to be some kind of truth serum. If taken the prisoner would answer all our questions, we just need to make sure we ask the right ones.”
The Rogue Sorcerer: The Caldronian Guild : Book 2 Page 11