“I did. Life has a way of catching you by surprise sometimes. I never thought I would be chosen by the Lady of the Evening either,” he shrugged.
“Your father was not pleased.”
“I can understand that, but he’ll come around in time. I have a higher purpose now. He has other children to fill that role,” he looked around. “This house is interesting! I couldn’t see such things before, but every piece of this place is filled with magic.”
“Is she inside you now?”
“She’s always there, filling the empty parts of me. I was very unhappy Mort. I just didn’t realize it because I had nothing to compare it to… now when I look back I can see just how empty it was,” he smiled as he said this, but it didn’t reassure me.
“So I’ve lost my friend to a goddess.”
“No! I’m still me! I will always be your friend. I’m just a little bit more than I was. I’m complete now, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still need my friends. You’re just as much a part of who I am as you ever were.” He seemed very earnest. “I do have some things to tell you however. The goddess sent me with several messages for you, and none of it is good.”
I sighed, “How did I know you were going to say that?” I had yet to receive good news from any of the divine beings I had met. Of course I had only met two so far. “Let’s eat first; I may not have an appetite after your news.”
Half an hour later I was seated at an outdoor cafe with Penny, Rose and Marc. I had actually never even heard the word ‘cafe’ before that day so it was an educational experience. Who knew a city could be so large that some people could make a living doing nothing but cooking for strangers? In Lancaster the closest thing to it was the tavern, and they only sold food at certain times of day, their primary business was selling ale.
They served us black tea, a heavy brown bread and spicy sausages. I heartily approved. Once we had mostly finished I looked at Marc, “I suppose you might as well get on with the news, I don’t think I can eat any more.”
“The shiggreth are loose again, and they’ve begun taking people in Sileby,” he said. Sileby was a small town in the barony of Arundel, not far from the western border of my estates.
“Wait, what? Shiggreth?”
Rose spoke up, “Evil minions of the dark gods. Undead creatures that take the form of the men they slay. Before the sundering, Balinthor used them as his servants.” I gave her a long stare, lifting my eyebrows in surprise. She looked over her tea with an air of nonchalance, “I read a lot. I never thought the stories might actually be true.”
It had never occurred to me to tell Rose about our nighttime encounters. I resolved myself to asking for her advice more frequently. She was a wealth of information.
Marc went on, “Unfortunately what she says is true. The shiggreth are real and they are loose again. If they aren’t stopped soon they will overrun the land.”
“But what are they exactly?” Penny asked. I nodded as well, wanting to know more about their basic nature.
“I had never heard of them before either, but I have a greater source of information now,” Marc replied. “The goddess tells me that they are the shells of men who have had their spirits drawn out. Their bodies live on, in a sort of undying state, while a dark spirit of the void fills them. Their touch can draw the spirit from the living, and when they have done so another dark spirit fills the body left behind.”
“Shiggreth means ‘eaten ones’ in Lycian,” I put in.
“I didn’t know that,” Marc answered. “But it fits.”
“Where did they come from Marcus?” Rose asked, “According to the legends they were all destroyed after the Sundering.”
“My Lady is uncertain; she can’t see the workings of the other gods. Most likely these were created by one of the dark gods. The most obvious suspect being Mal’goroth since he currently holds sway in Gododdin, which borders Arundel, especially in light of my other news.”
“Are you sure they were created by one of the dark gods?” I wasn’t going to pull any punches even if my friend had become a host of one of the shining gods.
Marc sighed; he knew I didn’t trust his goddess. “There is no way for me to convince you of Millicenth’s good will, since you obviously don’t trust any of the gods, but think on this. The shiggreth are a plague, they will consume every living soul if they are not stopped. The shining gods represent what is best in humanity; they are a part of us. Only the dark gods would have a motive in destroying us.”
Penny was impatient, “What was your other news? Is it war? Is Gododdin moving against us?”
Marc’s face lit up with surprise, “How did you know that? I only just heard it from the Lady herself.”
“I saw it, two days ago, but I wasn’t sure who it was, or why,” she answered and a shadow crossed her face as she remembered what would happen. Her eyes darted to me for a second and I could see despair in them.
Rose looked on with interest, “My… the secrets that are unfolding at the breakfast table this morning! What truly intrigues me, are the secrets still left unsaid. I hope everyone is being forthcoming. The future of the kingdom may hang on the conversation at this table today.” Her face was lit with mirth but her voice carried serious undertones. She knew Penny hadn’t told her everything.
“Enough,” I said, “What did the goddess tell you Marc?”
“That Gododdin prepares for war against Lothion. As you know, simple geography means they’ll have to come through Arundel. Cameron and Lancaster will be crushed immediately after if they intend to strike at Albamarl.”
“Then the shiggreth are a ploy, to divert our attention from the borders,” I stated.
“They are far worse than a decoy. If even one of them escapes it could spell the end for mankind. They can multiply faster than rabbits. Their victims swell their ranks rapidly and they are difficult to fight,” Marc answered.
“It doesn’t make sense. Why does Gododdin want war? Lothion has done nothing to aggrieve them. Vendraccus has nothing to gain and everything to lose,” I said.
“You make the mistake of thinking like a human. Gododdin is not controlled by people, but rather by Mal’goroth. To him their nation is simply a tool to get him what he wants,” said Marc.
“What does he want?” I replied.
“The destruction of humankind… his people are long gone, only death and despair drive him now. You are his best hope of destroying humanity. The shiggreth are a secondary means to the same goal,” said Marc.
Rose interrupted, “More importantly you need to know ‘when’. The knowledge that they plan to attack doesn’t help much if we don’t know that.”
“We have the rest of the summer and the winter to prepare, they’ll be in Lothion in the early spring,” Penny put in. Marc and Rose both looked at her but no one questioned her information. We had all experienced enough of Penelope’s prophecies to know not to doubt her now.
“That doesn’t give you much time Mordecai,” Rose stated.
“Me? Shouldn’t the king be the one to deal with this? I’ll help of course, but this sounds like something a lot bigger than one small wizard and the County of Cameron.”
Penny gave me a funny look, “Small wizard? I would beg to differ. But you are right, the king will have to be informed, this is a matter for the entire kingdom.”
Rose laughed, “True Penelope, he’s anything but small.” Then she had the gall to wink at me. I turned several shades of red.
“I don’t care how big his wizard’s staff is. This is going to take a response from the entire kingdom if we’re to emerge victorious,” Marc added. Apparently being a saint didn’t preclude him from making dirty jokes at my expense. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Jokes aside, you underestimate your role in this Mordecai,” Rose told me. “You are Mal’goroth’s goal. He needs you to create the world-bridge. He’s created the shiggreth and manufactured this war to put you in harm’s way. He’s hoping you’ll make a mistake that will put
you in his hand. Failing that he’ll get what he wants just as surely with the shiggreth. You can’t afford to sit back and ignore either situation.”
Marc was nodding as Rose spoke, “She’s right. You have to plan now.”
Rose went on, “First we lay out your advantages. One, you’re a wizard. Second, you have land, people and support in the form of Lancaster and hopefully the king as well. Third, you have far more time and warning than the enemy planned for you to have. That means you can determine your response well in advance rather than reacting to events.”
I was constantly amazed by Rose’s clear headed reasoning, but I felt overwhelmed. “So what do you suggest?”
Rose shook her head, “I’m not making the decisions for you, but I can help with logistics. The Hightowers have had to support many a war.” That was certainly true, Lord Hightower was in charge of the defense of Albamarl and in time of war handled planning and supply lines for the army. Some of it must have rubbed off on his daughter.
“The king should be making these decisions,” I replied.
“Don’t be a fool Mort,” Penny said. “The royal army wasn’t there in my vision. You have a duty to report this, and to support the king, but you have to plan based on that fact. The king may decide to pull his forces back to protect the capital. Or he may choose a battlefield closer in than Cameron and Lancaster. Either way it means our lands get crushed before the war even gets well under way.”
“You don’t think he’ll send forces to the border to stop the invaders there?” Marc asked.
“I don’t know, but I didn’t see them in my vision. Whatever happens we have to plan for the fact that at some point we will be facing the enemy in our lands,” Penny replied.
I was tired of listening to pointless debate so I cut in, “Alright… so let’s make our plans, starting right now, enough speculation. What can we do today?”
“Every war starts with money,” Rose stated. “You found out last night that you have more money than you realized. You need to go to the Royal Bank of Lothion and get everything they’re holding in your name, you’ll need it. Then you have to inform the king. Marcus will have to inform his father, including everything we’ve discussed here. Lancaster will be your most valuable ally since he stands to lose just as much as you do. I will talk to my father and see what help he can give. No matter what he decides I will gather whatever support and supplies I can to aid you.”
“I thought you were going to come to Washbrook with us?” Penny reminded her.
“That was half an hour ago. Things have changed dear,” Rose replied. “On second thought Mordecai, don’t take all the money out, just take part and leave me a letter of credit to draw on the rest.”
“I don’t even know how much I have, if anything. How much do you think you’ll need?” I asked her.
“It’s war sweetheart, we’ll need everything you have and more. I plan to use my own savings as well. Fielding an army is expensive.”
“An army!?” I know, I should have realized. I just wasn’t used to thinking on such a large scale.
“You don’t think you’re going to stop the armies of Gododdin with your impressively large staff and a charming smile do you?” she replied. I could see I was never going to live down the past. At least she was kind enough to make complimentary jokes… it could have been worse.
I decided to sidestep the joke, “How are you going to explain all this to your father? It seems odd to me that Lord Hightower is going to let his daughter recruit for a war and then go marching off with a private army.”
Rose grimaced, “It won’t be easy. Fortunately I have lands and titles of my own, modest though they may be. He may not like it but he’ll do what he can to aid me, since he can’t prevent me from helping you.”
“We won’t fail,” said Marc. “The goddess will support you Mordecai, even though you deny her. Her good grace will open other doors as well. She won’t sit idly by and let Mal’goroth ride slipshod over her people,” he added piously. I couldn’t help but wonder where the goddess had been when the Children of Mal’goroth killed the royal family of Gododdin and enslaved a nation, but maybe I was just being uncharitable. I could certainly use whatever help I could get.
Chapter 12
We split up after that. Rose went to see her family, Marc to see his, while Penny and I went to see King Edward. I hoped we wouldn’t have to wait long. Even a count has to request an audience. I tried to make it clear to the head servant that our news was quite urgent.
Adam replied with his typical noncommittal tone, “I will make sure his majesty knows you are waiting.” The implication being that we would be waiting, no matter how important we thought we were.
Half an hour later I was pacing the floor in the small receiving room he had left us in. “We should have just sent a note. We’re wasting valuable time here.”
“Calm down,” Penny tried to soothe me. “We still have months; an extra hour or two won’t change anything.”
Irritated I started to snap at her but Adam returned and I quickly closed my mouth. “His majesty will see you now.” I had to admit, half an hour wasn’t that long.
“Thank you Adam,” I replied smugly. I had already switched gears, going from irritated to the picture of grace and nobility. Penny and I followed him into the small reception room that Edward used for informal meetings.
After a few formalities I was able to get to the point of my visit, “Your majesty I have learned some things you should hear.”
“Feel free to speak, we are all ears,” he answered.
I had decided to leave Penny’s gift out of the discussion, so I jumped straight to what Marc had told me, “Marcus Lancaster visited me today with a message from Millicenth.” Edward’s eyebrows went up at that. “He told me that Gododdin prepares for war and will march on Lothion in the spring.”
The king held up his hand, “We have received reports that they were preparing for something militarily, training exercises and such. We had not thought they would try something like this however. Gododdin cannot hope to win such a war.”
“They do not follow the dictates of reason your majesty, but the insane motives of their god instead,” I answered. “There are also shiggreth loose in Arundel and within my lands as well. The goddess believes they were created by Mal’goroth to sow confusion before the war commences.” I wasn’t sure if he had heard of the shiggreth but I was prepared to explain if he asked.
Edward leaned forward, surprise on his face, “Shiggreth! They are creatures of legend only. Surely you are mistaken. According to the tales they were wiped out after Balinthor’s defeat.”
“I would find the tale hard to credit your majesty, even coming from a god, but for my own experience before traveling to Albamarl,” I spent a few minutes describing the creature Penny and I had slain, as well as the disappearances that had preceded the encounter. Edward was quick to ask questions but his wits were still sharp and he soon had a full grasp of what I could tell him.
“How many men can you muster in Cameron?” he asked.
“I have only begun to restore my mother’s estates sire, at present I have no men at arms at all,” I responded honestly.
“Then your town is lost. Arundel cannot hope to face so many, and his lands will be the first they cross. Even with Lancaster’s aid you could do no more than delay them, and perhaps not even that.”
“Surely you will meet them at the border?” I was shocked, even though Rose had warned me this would be his likely response.
“The border itself is indefensible. It would be folly to meet them there. We will consult with Lord Hightower of course, and the marshals, but it is likely that we will face them at the river Trent where the crossing will leave them vulnerable. Unless they plan to turn north and cross the mountains they will overrun your lands and Lancaster as well.” Edward was matter of fact, though he spoke of the loss of lives and livelihood for many people.
“Where does that leave my people your majest
y?”
“My advice is to abandon your land. Evacuate everyone that can move at the first of spring. Once the war is won you can rebuild.” Edward’s tone was hard.
“Your majesty, begging your pardon, they will starve. With nowhere to go I cannot hope to find homes and food to feed them while they are dispossessed. Those that survive will return to find their homes gone and their livestock butchered to feed the invader, if we ever get to return,” the volume of my voice was perhaps a bit strident.
“Don’t presume to teach us our part young lord! We are well aware of the sufferings our subjects will bear if war comes to our lands. Our task is to ensure there is a kingdom left to recover once the war is won. We have more to consider than just Cameron! As it stands we could have you fined for not being able to answer the levy call!” the king was red-faced now. The levy he referred to was the call to arms, in which all the nobles would be asked to provide knights and men-at-arms to fill the ranks of his army. Having none of my own yet I would stand in breach of my oath by failing to respond. “So what will it be?” he asked.
“I cannot abandon my land or the people there that depend upon me,” I answered.
“Be wary, you stand close to crossing the line into treason young Illeniel.”
“I am the last wizard and the only defense those people have. If no one else will guard them then I shall. The enemy will pay dearly for every step they take into Cameron lands. You may judge for yourself whether that be treason or not!” As I spoke I felt my blood rising and my temper grew hot. For a moment it seemed I could feel the very earth throbbing underneath me, as if some giant heart beat far beneath the ground. Grinding out the last words I brought my foot down heavily and it felt like the earth moved. The sensation startled me and I wondered if it was a product of my imagination. My thoughts were far from clear.
King Edward’s face had gone white and a fine trickle of stone dust filtered down from the ceiling above. He gripped the arms of his chair as if he were afraid he might fall out of it. Perhaps I hadn’t imagined it. “Very well, we are sympathetic to your plight. If that is your wish so be it, you have our leave to do so.” His tone made it clear that the audience was over, but my magesight could detect the fear he carefully concealed.
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