Origin Scroll

by Richard S. Tuttle

  Chapter 10

  Vibrations

  “Egam,” called Jenneva, “I think I’ve found a couple of useful spells that we haven’t covered.”

  “Oh, that’s good, Jenneva. What are they?”

  “Eyes of Lothar and Lothar’s Tongue,” replied Jenneva.

  “That’s nice, Jenneva.”

  “Egam, you haven’t heard a word I said, have you?”

  “What? Oh, I’m sorry, Jenneva. I’ve got Sarac on my mind again. I really don’t like delving into this Dark magic. Why did I ever accept him as a student?”

  “Egam, stop punishing yourself. You cannot tell how a student will turn out. You taught him because he was brilliant and talented.”

  “Yes, he was brilliant. It was a requirement to study under me. I should have had more requirements. I’m sure that he is behind this goblin invasion, but I can’t see how it would profit him. Goblins and Yaki have never been close confederates. Oh, they’ve done some nasty deeds together, but it was always small and isolated. This . . . this is massive. Their army could cause serious damage to the kingdom. If they hadn’t been so stupid as to start their invasion just at the start of winter, there would be no stopping them. Now they’re bogged down until spring. Well, at least that will give me time to figure out how to stop them.”

  “Of course!” exclaimed Jenneva. “Vibrations!”

  Egam gave Jenneva a puzzled look.

  “Sarac has started this invasion to find you,” Jenneva continued. “The whole thing is a scam. He doesn’t care about the kingdom, or the goblins, or the Yaki. He set this up to flush you out. That’s why they’re attacking in winter. He needs to make sure that you have time to react because he has no idea where you are. And when you choose to end this nonsense, he’s got you. He’ll use the Vibrations spell and know exactly where you are.”

  “Yes, yes, you are a smart girl. That’s the only explanation that makes sense. How callous can a person become? But he must be using something stronger than Vibrations, or maybe a variation of it. Vibrations is not that strong of a spell. It basically allows the caster to feel the vibrations of magic, but it’s airborne. If you can distort or divert the airwaves, generic Vibrations is useless. For example, the ward over this garden does not allow air to escape. That’s why it remains warm in here even during winter. Our sounds can’t even be heard on the next peak. I keep this cavern at a higher pressure than the rest of the mountain, so our air exits through the tunnels. The tunnels are miles long and have dozens of exits. By the time our vibrations exit they are so weak that they wouldn’t even be felt in the cave where Hasra died.”

  “That doesn’t mean he has discovered a variation of Vibrations, in fact, it assures us that he is using the generic Vibrations. He doesn’t know where you are. That’s why he needs to lure you out. Most of the Dark spells that we’ve learned are line-of-sight spells. You can’t destroy the goblins from in here.”

  Egam lapsed into silence. “Okay,” he finally said. “If he’s using Vibrations, he has to be filtering for certain spells or he would be overwhelmed by all of the little magic that goes on. He can’t know for certain that I’ve started studying the Dark Side, although he might assume it. All this means is that he’s monitoring very advanced Light Side spells, like transportation spells. If that’s the case, you must not use those spells either. Sarac has no way of knowing about you and it is better that we keep it that way.”

  “That would mean I’m free to go out and use lower level Dark spells like Fireballs.”

  “Yes, if we’re correct, but you’re not going to kill thousands of goblins and Yaki with Fireballs.”

  “True,” Jenneva agreed, “but perhaps in combination with other things like potions and concoctions. Perhaps letting the kingdom army have some Fire Glue or something like it.”

  “Possibly. I think I will spend a few days outside and see what the situation is like.”

  “Egam, I think you need to spend some time on planning. You need to figure out how to deal with Sarac. I will go out in a few days. I’ve just about read everything here and think I’ll take a look at Hasra’s library from a new perspective.”

  Tagaret was a large city, the capital of Targa. It was also home to the King’s Army and Alex noted many soldiers visible here. He had enjoyed the trip here with Fergy and wondered what lay in store for him. Alex gazed up at the Royal Palace, clearly the tallest structure in Tagaret. He wondered what it would be like to live in such a grand setting. The whole city seemed to revolve around the castle perched upon its small hill. He hoped Fergy would be able to get him a closer peek at it.

  The greatest bustle in town was centered around the river. Dozens of docks lined both sides of the river and boats of every size and description were in view. Small rafts with produce were tied to the wharf where merchants were selling their wares. Larger rafts with sheep and cattle were coming downstream, probably taking their goods to market. Cargo ships were being loaded and unloaded as he had seen in Kalamaar. There were also large gun ships, as large or even larger than the cargo ships. Merchant stalls were spread out all over town although there were a larger number of them along the river. There was no central market square like the one in Kalamaar.

  Fergy turned toward the Palace and rode up to one of the gates. The gate was guarded by men whom Alex recognized as Red Swords because of the red lapels on their gray uniforms. Fergy had described quite a bit of the military order of things to Alex on their journey and had impressed upon him the importance of the red lapels. The Red Swords were considered the elite of the King’s Army and guarded the Royal Palace. Once through the gate, Alex could see that the Red Swords were also barracked on the Palace grounds.

  Fergy rode over to one of the barracks and dismounted. He led Alex into the barracks and suggested that they get washed before reporting. They stripped off their clothes and Fergy led Alex to a bathing area. Alex had never seen what Fergy described as a shower. Instead of bathing in a tub, one could stand under a large barrel and pull on a chain to dispense water. The water, however, was very cold. Alex realized that they piped river water in for the showers and it was not heated. Fergy opened a chest and took out a gray uniform. With his knife he cut off the red lapels and tossed the uniform to Alex. “Put this on. It’s clean and Sachek won’t be needing it anymore, poor lad.” Alex didn’t need to ask who Sachek was; he had already heard the story of the man who had accompanied Fergy to Bordon.

  When they were dressed, Fergy led Alex through the courtyard into a side door in the castle. “I’m taking you to Colonel Gregor, head of the Red Swords. I have to report the situation up north. Do not speak until you are told to.”

  They went only a short way down the corridor and entered a room with a guard standing by the open door. “Colonel Gregor, Sergeant Ferguson reporting, Sir.”

  Alex stood stiffly trying to imitate the posture of the guards he had seen. He felt rather funny, but he did not want Fergy to be embarrassed by his conduct. Fergy briefly described his journey and started going into greater detail at the departure from the Bordon garrison. Colonel Gregor kept looking over at Alex, probably wondering who he was and what he was doing here, but he did not interrupt the sergeant’s report. He obviously had a good deal of respect for the sergeant and would let him complete his report before questioning him.

  When the report was completed, the colonel stood and introduced himself to Alex and asked him to wait in the hall. After just a few moments, Fergy came out and asked Alex to join them again. Fergy indicated that Alex should sit and then sat down himself. The colonel was sitting behind his desk, his hand rubbing his square jaw, staring at a map on the wall. Abruptly, he turned to Alex and said, “You heard the sergeant’s report, Alex. It makes the situation up north seem rather serious. I’ve heard that you have faced these Yaki before and survived. Your own village seems to have faired well. Is there any reason to believe that the army needs to be involved?”

  “R . . reason?” stuttered Alex. “Y . . you ca
n’t be serious. What is the army for if it can’t protect the kingdom’s citizens? Hundreds of people died in the Gordo Region five years ago and come the first thaw, hundreds more are going to die on this side of the Boulders. I was lucky to have survived; many were not so lucky. Our village was designed from the very start to be defendable and I’d say we had a very close call. Other villages will stand no chance at all. Excuse me, sir, but I understood that the Red Swords were elite warriors. It looks to me as if you want the villagers to protect your men!”

  Fergy winced at Alex’s comments, but the colonel was smiling. “Easy, son. I am just trying to assess the needs of the frontier. Targa does not have such a large army as to have men everywhere at all times. Tell me about your village’s defenses.”

  Alex calmed down and described the clear zones with spikes, the tower, location of village structures, table barricades and the removable bridge. He also went into detail about the philosophy of the villagers and their vow to never again be overrun. He ended with mention of the mandatory training for all residents.

  The colonel ran his hand through his short, black hair and stared at Alex as if expecting something else to be said. Finally, the colonel asked, “I assume that your village leader was a former military man. May I have his name?”

  “We have no military men, Colonel. I am the village leader, or at least I was, until I was hijacked. Now a friend leads the village. Laman is his name.”

  “Was your father in the service of our King then?”

  “No, my father was a lumberman as am I, but my grandfather was. He lost an arm saving King Olweg’s life and was deeded the valley that Lavinda occupies. Colonel, a man doesn’t need to be in the army to learn how to fight or how to survive. My villagers are mostly women and children and there’s many a good bowman amongst them. If we have to fight the Yaki and goblins by ourselves, so be it, but I intend on being there with them, with or without the King’s permission.”

  Alex was standing now with his fists clenched, his face turning red. Fergy was clearly nervous, for one did not properly dismiss the King’s wishes here in Tagaret. “Sit,” commanded the colonel. “You need to work on your emotions, Alex. A good soldier does not let his emotions get in the way of his duty. I have no doubt of your desire to protect your villagers. Indeed, I believe in you it is a mandate. I also think that the mandate does not pertain to just the villagers, but to all people needing protection. That is admirable. As for leave from the King to return to your village, that is something for the King to decide and you will abide by his decision. I think you need to do some thinking about how best you can serve people in need. You have natural skills, Alex . . . considerable skills. I do not speak of your ability to cut trees and frolic in the woods in between Yaki attacks. You will soon meet with General Clark, General of the King’s Army. He is going to want to know about the geography in the area of the attacks, as well as the method of attacks being used against our citizens. You have the best knowledge of these areas that we can supply to the general. I was hoping that you might wear red lapels to that meeting.”

  “Well . . . Fergy, I mean Sergeant Ferguson, removed them. He told me the insignia couldn’t be worn by those other than Red Swords.”

  Fergy could no longer hold his laughter. “You dumb frontiersman. You’re being offered the chance to serve with the greatest fighting unit in the world. Only the best of the Regular Army has even a chance to apply. Gads, lad, we’ll have to work on that denseness of yours.”

  “I don’t understand. I’ve never been in the army. How can I become a Red Sword?”

  Colonel Gregor cleared his throat. “Alex, you have seen more action than most soldiers. We haven’t had a war in almost two generations. Your conduct in saving Fergy and his men was exemplary. Fergy has spoken about your skills and ingenuity. The layout of your village shows great understanding of warfare. The army is wonderful at teaching fighting skills, but some of the other qualities you possess cannot be easily taught. I run the Red Swords and I get to choose who is accepted. If the General says I can only pick from the army, I need only to wait, because he will undoubtedly induct you into service even if it’s just as a Guide. It would, of course, be a little awkward for me to transfer you fifteen minutes after he inducted you, but I think you can help more people in the Red Swords. The most important reason for you to accept, however, is I can guarantee that you will get the chance to help your village by killing more Yaki.”

  “Do you think the General will send the army north?”

  “I don’t know, but if he does, Red Swords will be at the front. If he doesn’t, I will send you with a detachment of Red Swords anyway. That is my promise to you to get you to join. Targa needs men like you Alex. We need you to help save villagers in many Lavindas, not just one.”

  The room was silent. Alex had never thought of joining the army as Jerrick had. Yet, if he returned to his village, he would be ignoring the other villages. That seemed rather selfish to Alex and Laman was capable of leading the village. Perhaps he could do something good in the army. Someone had to send the Yaki back home, wherever that was. Fergy had taught him a great deal on the trip here, but Alex knew he had a lot more to learn. And being a Red Sword is something his grandfather would have been proud of. “Okay, how do I start?”

  After congratulations, Fergy took Alex back to the barracks to get him properly dressed. He was assigned Sachek’s bunk. Fergy gave Alex a tour of the Red Swords’ area of the grounds and introduced him to many of the men. The Sergeant also gave Alex a quick course on protocol within the army as well as within the Palace. Alex was dizzy with all of the foolish rules, but tried his best to memorize them.

  The next morning, Fergy told Alex the Colonel wanted to see him. Alex went down the corridor, hoping he wouldn’t make a mistake in front of the Colonel. He wished Fergy were accompanying him. He entered the Colonel’s room. “Colonel Gregor, Private Tork reporting, Sir.”

  “Private, we have a meeting with General Clark and the King. Duke Nelson, the King’s advisor, will also be present. This is an informal meeting, but you will not speak unless you are directed to. Let’s go.”

  Colonel Gregor led the way through a maze of passages to a large hall. The Colonel introduced Alex to General Clark who was already waiting by two massive doors that were closed. The doors opened and a short, fat man with a scraggly beard came out and waddled down the corridor. The colonel pointed to the fat man who was wearing a purple and yellow wraparound and said, “That’s Al’un Neplak, the ambassador from Sordoa.”

  The door was still open, but no one had invited them in. Alex could hear voices from the other room. “That obese runt. He expects me to believe that he came as a friendly gesture, as a neighbor. For what? To demand that we change the color of the uniforms that the border guard wears? Does this man have nothing better to do? The color of our uniforms clash with the color of his guards’ uniforms. This is what he considers neighborly? I can’t believe I have to deal with such stupidity. Get the General in here and let’s go over this goblin thing.”

  Duke Nelson stepped into the hall and indicated that the group should enter. Alex was nervous. He had never seen the King, nor ever met anyone who had. The King was a tall, elderly man with gray hair and heavy eyebrows. The introduction was informal. The soldiers offered a short bow and the King came around the table and greeted the General as one would greet an old friend. He nodded to the Colonel and addressing no one in particular said, “So, this is the Tork boy. I understand we have officers fighting over you, son. Well, don’t let them keep you from becoming as fine a soldier as your grandfather. I was on the field that day when your grandfather intercepted the arrow meant for my father. A brave man, indeed.”

  The King had stopped talking and the Colonel nudged Alex. “Yes, Your Highness. I mean, I won’t, Your Highness.” Alex stammered.

  The King laughed. “Don’t be so nervous, son. My bite isn’t what it used to be and certainly not as fierce as a Yaki. Now, let’s find out wh
at we’re up against in the frontier.”

  The five men discussed the Yaki, goblins, Lavinda, Bordon, and what the Kingdom’s response should be. In the end it was determined that the Red Swords would send a scouting party north of the Boulders to find out about the enemy, while the army prepared for spring battle. The King wanted to know how many there were and why they were attacking. Alex was to go with the party and guide them through the terrain. Just as quickly as it started, the meeting was adjourned.

  The Colonel led Alex back to his office. “You did well, Alex. I was not aware that King Eugene was on the field the day your grandfather lost his arm. I’m afraid General Clark was aware of it and we had quite a row over me bringing you into the Red Swords. He seems to think the King’s favor would rest well with the officer that brought you into service for the King. I agreed to allow him the credit of enlisting you as I am not concerned with praise, but efficiency. Evidently, the King has ears everywhere and found out about the squabble. I apologize for any embarrassment this may have caused you.”

  “Now, Private Tork,” the colonel continued, “you will be assigned to Sergeant Ferguson. He will brief you on your mission. Having spoken with the King, you are aware of the urgency of this mission. Serve the kingdom well. Dismissed.”

  Alex felt like he just had a conversation with two different people. He did not see the sanity in the use of these foolish protocols, but he was happy just the same to be heading home or, at least, near it. He returned to the barracks and began gathering his gear for the journey.

  Fergy led four men over to Alex and introduced them. The six of them would comprise the Red Sword scouting party. Fergy ordered the men to make the horses ready and pulled Alex aside. “So, you got to see the King, did ya, lad? And on your first day, too.”

  “He seemed like an all right fellow,” Alex answered. “He made a big deal about my grandfather, but it seems the General did too. Not sure I understand it all. Nobody made a big deal about him when he was crippled or when he died, except the family.”