The Last Wizard of Eneri Clare

by April Leonie Lindevald

  These were hectic weeks, filled with hard work, mental challenges, and more tasks than there were hours to accomplish them. Days were long and sleep was in short supply. Everyone understood that the clock was ticking on a grave situation. The stakes were high, every day counted, and no one complained.

  And so it was that nearly a month flew by in this manner, Tvrdik and Jorelial Rey becoming accustomed to the punishing schedule they kept, the Praegers making themselves ever more indispensable at the old Cottage, and everyone else throwing themselves whole-heartedly into preparing for the advent of war. After the first week, visible progress was made, as they began to organize their tool chest of strategies. By the end of the third week, the Legions of Light had swelled greatly in numbers, and were operating like a well-oiled machine on many of the maneuvers they had been taught.

  Then, one bright summer day, not long before the date set for the formal trials, something happened that changed everything. It was just before mid-day when the great bells in the tallest tower of Theriole began to sound. Horns blasted from the parapets, summoning everyone in earshot to attention. It was the signal they had awaited, and dreaded. The real danger had arrived too soon. Out on the fields, mid-maneuver, Tvrdik and the regent exchanged a grave, horrified look, and began running for the palace. Tvrdik clutched his staff sideways, in both hands. Others who held vital positions were only steps behind them, while the rest of the Legion had been trained to remain assembled in the field until word could be sent to direct their next move. Jorelial Rey, glancing back, saw them hasten into a close, tight formation, just as they had rehearsed. Twelve dragons, recently arrived to assist, ringed the rest in a close circle, facing outward. Tashroth had been tagged as messenger, along with a few of the fastest talking birds and beasts. These were already headed for the lawns in front of Theriole, ready to receive briefings and deliver them as needed.

  Jorelial Rey arrived at the palace well before Tvrdik and the others. Before she could even pause to catch her breath, she was escorted to General Boone’s office, but was ill-prepared for the awful news that greeted her there.

  “You did what ?” she shouted at him in disbelief. Beside the grim-faced Minister of Defense was a young man in uniform, or what was left of a uniform, really. It was scorched, torn and filthy, as were his face and hair. He stood wearily in place, helmet held under one arm, trying to keep from swaying with exhaustion and wincing in pain. There were bleeding gashes marking his cheek and arm. “Send for a healer!” the Lady Regent shouted into the hall, and then, without missing a beat, addressed Boone once more, “How could you do such a thing without consulting me?”

  Boone was frowning, defiant, “I judged it to be our best plan of defense. Stop them in their tracks while they were still miles off shore. Keep them from coming anywhere near the palace. It is a good strategy. It makes sense, my lady.” Apparently, one of the talking birds who had been sent out as a scout had spotted thirteen enemy ships, flying Drogue’s colors, some way out to sea that morning. Thinking to engage them in the open sea, where he could surprise and defeat them, Boone did not hesitate to send out nine of the kingdom’s swiftest ships, including one of Lady Brendelle’s. He had been confident of their success in routing this attack before it came any closer. He had underestimated Drogue.

  “Why was I not immediately informed of the danger? I might have counseled you against engaging him directly.”

  Boone’s eyes were lowered, but his voice crackled with tension, “My lady, I am the Minister of Defense. It is my job, my responsibility to see to the protection of these lands. You gave me the authority to prepare for war. You were otherwise occupied. I saw no reason to waste precious time waiting for permission to do my job, or to disturb you with details…”

  “Disturb me with details? I am the duly elected acting ruler here, Minister! Would you have treated your king thus, had he been present?”

  “My lady, King Darian was well versed in the art and science of war-craft. He had experience in…”

  “Stop right there, Boone, before I order your immediate suspension from office. I do not know if this is about my youth, my gender, or my involvement with the Legions of Light, but, by all that is sacred, if you cannot afford me the respect properly due to your monarch, then you cannot continue in this office.” Her face was turning a shadowy purple, and sparks were shooting from her dark eyes.

  Boone met her eyes, his own blazing with frustration, his voice tight, “My lady, you must know I hold you in the highest regard, but this is war. I have made no secret of the fact that I consider your ideas on defense to be, well, naïve, to come right to it. I thought you would be governed by my counsel in this arena. I am only trying to do my job.”

  Jorelial Rey closed her eyes, and quickly counted to ten. In a more controlled voice, she asked, “And how well have you done it, Minister? Have you destroyed the enemy on your own initiative, and now bring me back the gift of victory? Can we all live now, secure in our peaceful, unthreatened kingdom? Should I thank you personally for proving to me once and for all the solid merits of your system, sir? Hmmmm?”

  Boone was speechless, but a look of pain twisted his grizzled face. Jorelial Rey immediately regretted the cutting edge of her sarcasm, but the man had to understand his error. She turned to the tattered young man, who still stood at attention as a healer began attending to his wounds.

  “What happened, Captain?”

  “My lady, we sailed out to the enemy fleet, and prepared to engage. They were strangely quiet, so we pulled right up alongside. Then they hurled some sort of green flame at us. It seemed to come from nowhere, and clung to the decks, the sails, the masts. Water was useless to quench it. I gave the order for our ships to turn and put distance between ourselves and the enemy. But it was too late for three of our ships. They were utterly consumed and went down.”

  “Casualties?”

  “We were able to pull almost every man from the burning ships to other decks.” He hung his head, and a sound like a sob escaped from deep in his throat. “There was one who did not make it, ma’am.”

  She stepped closer and touched his shoulder, “Tell me, who?”

  “Captain Virian, my lady. I…he…he went down with his ship.”

  “Jorelial Rey started backward from the hapless Captain and gasped, “Virian, did you say?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Virian, the young officer who had brought Delphine back to her. In a flash of memory she recalled their conversation, the handsome smile, the playful wink – and a young bride and brand new baby! Who would tell them, explain to them that Daddy would not be coming home? Her stomach flipped and her face screwed itself up into an anguished grimace. When she could open her eyes, she fixed them first on Boone, and then on the young Captain. “How?” she asked.

  “My lady, he would not leave the ship until all his men were off. We had rigged a plank connecting the two decks, his and mine, and he was handing them off to me. Just as his turn came, the plank caught fire and fell, and the two ships started to drift apart. I threw him a rope, but the distance was growing and his deck was burning. He held up a hand and waved me away. Then he…he…winked at me. And then there were only flames and smoke and water.” The young man was overcome with his memories, and at a gesture from the Lady Regent, the healer eased him into a nearby chair. Rel put her hand over her face and forced back the tears she knew were on the verge of breaking through. She cleared her throat, “I will go personally to speak with Captain Virian’s family. My father knew them, and I owe him that. They will be well taken care of, and he will be awarded the highest citation for bravery. What other damage?”

  The young Captain replied, “There were a number of injuries and terrible burns. And of course, the loss of three ships. The others are seaworthy, ma’am.”

  The healer, finishing up with some bandages, added, “These burns are unusual, my lady, resistant to the salves I usually u
se. They look odd, and, I imagine, are quite painful.”

  “Yes, sir,” winced the young Captain, struggling to maintain his composure. “I am ashamed to admit, we turned tail as soon as we got hit with the strange fire. There was no further action from the enemy. It was as if they just…let us go. No doubt they thought we would limp home and terrify everyone with our story.”

  “Well,” the Regent replied, seething, “limp home you have, and not a moment too soon. Terrify us, you shall not. You did the right thing, Captain. I commend you for saving the lives of so many men, and what resources you could.”

  “Ma’am” the young man bowed his head, fighting pain and shame. The healer nodded, and helped him to his feet, and out the door.

  As soon as they were out of earshot, Rel whirled on her Defense Minister. “Do you see, General, that you have squandered three valuable, fully equipped and provisioned ships, lost a fine officer with a bright future and a young family, and endangered many other lives. And all for what? To prove a point? The enemy fleet is unharmed and headed right this way, while we stand here discussing things. Tvrdik!” she called toward the door.

  “Here, my lady.” he had been waiting for her just outside in the hall.

  “Tvrdik, Drogue’s ships are headed this way. Thirteen. They are using some sort of very potent sorcerer’s fire. We don’t have much time. This is it. Are you ready?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be, my lady.”

  “Thank you.” It was more than a courtesy she was expressing with those words. She turned back to Boone. “General, I would be sore tempted to relieve you of your command after what you have done, except for the fact that I still need you. And despite everything, I still think you are the best man for the job. But, listen well. From here on in, you will follow my orders exactly, to the letter. You will not initiate any major actions on your own, without clearing them with me first, unless I am cold and dead. You will do all this despite any personal opinions you might entertain on whatever you are asked to do. Is that clear?”

  “Very clear, my lady.”

  “And can you assure me that I can expect your cooperation in this, Minister Boone?”

  “You will have it, my lady.”

  “Good. Then, please tell me if there is any word of an attack from the landward side.”

  “None, my lady. I believe Drogue is confident that he is taking us by surprise. He is sure he can conquer Theriole from the sea, with little resistance.”

  “Well, he has misjudged us by a long shot, then. He’ll not have this kingdom without a fight. Alright, then, General: I want you to send riders and heralds out immediately, with the message that we are under attack, and everyone in the near vicinity should close shop and either shutter themselves in their homes, or come within Theriole’s walls for sanctuary. Pull everyone who does business just outside the walls within – their beasts too – and have all the main gates shut as soon as possible, with guards posted. Get everyone from the beach back behind the sea wall, and deploy your men all around the perimeter of the palace. Position the greatest concentration high up on the parapets, and along the seashore, the sea wall, and the delta. They are to keep their eyes peeled, and be prepared for combat in case our first line of defense fails, and Drogue’s men should break through, or storm the walls. Set up buckets and basins of sand against the sorcerers’ fire in the event they try to use it again on the new section of wall we just built where the gate stood. Your troops are to stay put, alert and ready, awaiting my command, is that clear?”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  “Oh, and it is imperative that we impose a strict noise curfew within the palace walls. We need as close to silence as we can get – no talking aloud, beasts and babes as muffled as possible – I cannot stress the importance of this enough.”

  “But, my lady, we must sail out to stop those ships. You would let them right in at our back door. We will be sitting ducks.”

  “Not on my watch, sir. I have something else in mind. Will you work with me, or be replaced?”

  Boone bowed “I am yours to command, my lady, and pray the gods that you know indeed what you are doing.” He hastened past her to carry out the tasks she had set him.

  “Well done, Jorelial Rey.” Tvrdik spoke near her ear, “We will triumph, do not fear.”

  “I hope so, Tvrdik. My neck is already stretched out about as far as it could be. What do we do now?”

  “Show me how to get to that center alcove up there in the sea wall, where we were before. Then ask Tashroth to come and sit in one of the adjoining ones – it’s big enough for him to be comfortable, and I’ll need his strength to help hold my focus. Tell Delphine to find Ondine and signal her that the time is now – that enemy ships approach from the sea. Send the birds back to the gaming fields with word about what is going on; the Legions will be anxious, and awaiting news. Ask the healers, the unicorns, and the dragons to come here and assist, and everyone else to barricade themselves in, either at home or inside Theriole’s walls. They should be safe in the city, and the outlying farms. We aren’t going to let anyone past these buildings. I am hoping they will not even make landfall. But tell the Legions to be prepared for further alerts, wherever they are. Let’s see…I think that’s it.”

  “Bless you, Tvrdik. You’re sure we can do this?”

  “No time for doubts now. If we all pull together, I believe we can.”

  “That will have to be good enough. Let’s get started.”

  On the way out of Boone’s offices, they met Delphine, Mark, and Bargarelle, all awaiting instructions. They were each given assignments from Tvrdik’s list, and hurried off. Jorelial Rey conducted the mage through a series of little-used halls and passageways at the back of the palace, and in a short while they emerged in the center alcove, rusty cauldrons and a giant crossbow in disrepair filling some of the space. Tvrdik strode through all the ancient equipment to the ledge overlooking the beach, the delta, and the sea. Far in the distance, a sharp eye could make out dark spots that could be ships – the approaching enemy. The day was fair, the sea blue-green and calm. They could already see civilians crowding in behind the walls, and Boone’s soldiers taking up positions to secure the perimeter. Tvrdik stretched, rolled his shoulders and head a few times, then planted his feet in a wide comfortable stance, and his trusty oak staff firmly on the stone floor.

  “This will do just fine,” he said, “I’ll have to begin right away, before they see us clearly. Tell Tash to jump in as soon as he can. I’ll know when he comes in.”

  “Do you need anything?”

  “I have all I need.” He looked down at her white face, eyebrows knitted in concern, and smiled, “I’ll be fine. I’ve been practicing.” Then, in answer to her unspoken question, he added, “I will give you my very best, as I always promised you. And you will handle the rest like someone born to lead. See in your mind what you wish to transpire, Jorelial Rey. Believe it…trust it…create it. All of these are very powerful. It will be enough.”

  “Gods willing, I will see you on the other side of this, and we will toast our success!”

  “Count on it.” He smiled again, and she nodded and disappeared back through the old weaponry and out the door. Tvrdik shook out his muscles one more time, took up his stance in the opening, gripped his staff, closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing…

  Out at sea, thirteen warships sailed in formation, approaching the spot where the River Maygrew flowed into Mother Ocean, the beating heart of Eneri Clare. Lord Drogue was not on any of them. Not fond of sea travel himself, he had sent his new fleet off under the command of one of his loyal supporters, a neighboring lord named Neritz. Neritz’s family had some long-standing, unsatisfied quarrel with the Crown which went back several generations. He admired Drogue’s pro-active philosophies of self-advancement, and was happy to attach himself to a man he believed would, in all likelihood, win the entire game. He
assumed the rewards for his service would be great once Drogue was triumphant. Neritz had some experience in seafaring and battle command, having travelled and hired abroad in his youth. And Drogue’s dabbling in sorcery had equipped the ships with green mage-fire. Lord Drogue was certain that the ancient, disused defenses of the palace on the ocean side, would be no match for the double thrust of a disciplined assault and mage-fire on the sea wall. It would be all over in a day, and he could ride in to take possession of his prize in glory.

  At this moment, Neritz stood on the bow of the swiftly moving flagship with a spyglass, scanning the horizon. Encouraged by the complete rout of the Crown’s naval forces that sailed out to meet them earlier, he was now daydreaming with excitement of the glorious battle he imagined awaited him. He grinned, invigorated by thoughts of his own daring feats – the smells of blood, sweat, and burning wood; the symphony of cries and groans and clashing steel playing in his ears; the cavalcade of colorful action unfolding before his eyes; the gratifying moment of the foe’s surrender, and the thrilling rush of victory! It would all be so easy, almost too easy. He almost hoped they put up a better fight than they had this morning – it would make winning all the sweeter. Neritz was jarred from this flight of fantasy by the arrival on deck of General Gargan, who he knew to be one of Lord Drogue’s closest adjuncts. Gargan was a rough sort, entirely un-imaginative – a man of few dreams and fewer words.