A Poisoned Land (Book 1: Faith, Lies and Blue Eyes)

by Craig P Roberts

  “Q-quite, my-my lady,” the magister fumbled with his words, raising a hand to scratch his twitching face, finding it quickly pulled back to his side by Noth Garrod. “Whether we believe it is a creation by one of your Ten or whether we believe it was created by our ancestors, the fact remains it is indeed failing but furthermore, it is failing because of what is trying to get through it from the other side. And I can assure you, you do not want them in your Ten Kingdoms.”

  Londenia’s heart was heavy. “Go on…” This was why she had passed over vast lands and lost people she cared about.

  Magister Caline turned his nose up at her and held his silence.

  Londenia nodded at the Noths. Two kicks to the back of his knees and Magister Caline was kneeling. He spoke. “W-we have seen and learned of many disturbing things. We have seen a throng of Others.”

  Another thump in her chest. “Others?” Londenia forced a laugh at the vagueness of the Morian’s description. Queen Se’Rel was once again standing next to Londenia as she continued to press for information.

  As Caline’s eyes met the angry old queen, he sped up his words, saying, “Y-yes. They come on ships to the edge of the Barrier…eh…sh-shield…thousands of them and they bombard it with fire and it weakens and—”

  Londenia’s cheeks began to hurt from holding a smile. She interrupted, saying, “Magister, the gods protect our lands as they have for centuries. Why should it change now?”

  “B-because we are reading fluctuations in the energy of the Barrier…sh-shield. These attackers…they are refining their attempts on the shield and—”

  “You speak in riddles, Magister.” The smile was becoming too much effort. “May I ask how you have seen these…Others if they are on the other side of Beverine’s Shield?”

  The magister looked at Noth Raine, who loosened her grip. He reached inside his robes and pulled out a brass-trimmed glowing panel, that looked almost identical to the one that King Anthony stared at when Londenia was in her cage back on the Fair Blue Maiden—the device he used to summon his guards in the tall tower in Raydem.

  Magister Caline handed it to Londenia. She ran her hand across one of the engraved edges; the familiar etched flower and square patterns surrounded the panel. The back was smooth, perfectly formed and cold to the touch. Did the people of Mor infiltrate our own Dead Cities and steal this gods’ device like King Anthony? Or do they have the knowledge to create such wonders? Surely mortals could not craft something as powerful as this, Londenia doubted, but didn’t feel that this was the best time to question the magister about such things. One thing at a time…

  The magister reached up from his kneeling position and held his palm to the shiny flat surface that Londenia held in both hands. Now it was as if she was looking through a window, but what she saw was not correct. The way she held the panel, it should have shown the ground and her own feet but instead she looked upon an ocean. The window she held in her hands moved position and she saw a huge white ship. The brass-trimmed window made a noise—a loud frightening bang like thunder—and a ball of flame came from the white carrack. It came flying at the window that she gripped tightly. Queen Se’Rel, who was watching over Londenia’s shoulder, shrieked and jumped back. Londenia dropped the device and shielded her eyes from the blast that shimmered into a red glow. The Noths and the magister didn’t seem panicked and the panel turned back to shiny black as it lay at her feet. She steadied her nerves.

  The Morian leader looked at what remained of Londenia’s party, then at the ground. His eyes raised to meet hers. “That was just one of many direct attacks. There have been hundreds of reports of red glows sighted from northern regions. This is the first close imagery we have of one of these events and it is quite clearly an attempt to break through. My lady, I believe it would be better if we spoke about this in private. In more comfortable and,” he said, looking at the Noths, “less threatening surroundings.”

  Londenia considered him for a moment and looked towards Queen Se’Rel. The old queen tightened her lips and nodded. Londenia bowed her head to the kneeling Morian and lifted an arm towards the gates, signaling him to lead on.

  They sat in a round room after walking into the middle of the massive Still City of Mor. Leather-bound books surrounded them from floor to high-ceiling, except for a curving window behind the magister. He sat behind his table, which was covered with scattered pieces of parchment and strange instruments.

  On the opposite side of the table, Londenia sat in a wooden chair with a soft leather cushion. “I believe you have the power to see to Beverine’s Shield and in time I wish for you to show me more of these Others that you speak of but I—”

  The magister kindly interrupted with more confidence in his voice than when he was kneeling outside of the city walls. “Those images you saw were captured by a student in New Haven but there has not been a sighting in our waters in nearly two moon-turns now.”

  “Then they have given up,” Londenia suggested, hoping the magister would agree, but doubted it would be that simple.

  “No. The energy readings that I spoke of…When they attacked the Barrier, there was an energy spike. We are still reading these energy spikes to this day and believe they are attempting further attacks on the Barrier but at a different location.”

  “There are those riddles again, Magister,” Londenia said, heavily.

  The magister’s hands fidgeted, playing with random instruments on the desk, his eyes rarely looking up at her. “My lady, it is difficult to explain when you are not versed in the Knowledgeable Arts.”

  Londenia sprang up. “I am a learned woman…Queen of Last Kingdom. I have learned letters, numbers and the ways of the Ten—”

  The magister stood also. “And yet you still fail to understand the magnitude of this situation.” His stare fixed on her.

  She stared back. “Perhaps, if I am unable to understand from your explanation, you will have to show me more. That is why I am here, is it not?” she said through gritted teeth.

  “Quite.” Caline curled his lips in an attempt at a smile. “We have reason to believe that the shield failed entirely for a short time several days ago.”

  “How do you know this when Beverine’s Shield is invisible?”

  “We read power fluctuations followed by a reading of virtually nothing for approximately half of one hour.”

  She shot a blank expression at the fat Morian and raised both eyebrows.

  “There was a power failure in one of the control stations and—”

  Londenia raised a hand and shook her head. “Something from the gods does not require control stations.”

  “Then perhaps this is not designed by your gods.” He leaned towards her, craning across the desk, unblinking. “These images were captured from the failing control station, near your own lands of Last Kingdom.” He went to hand Londenia the same black panel she had dropped earlier. He hesitated. “Please, I ask you not to drop it this time. It is a precious piece of gadgetry.”

  Londenia smiled with her mouth only and grasped the brass surround of the cool smooth panel. The magister tapped the surface with a stubby finger and the window she held now looked into a dark and dank room. A well-dressed man swaggered up close and looked at her through the glass. A young boy with striking blue eyes stood behind him. Suddenly the vision changed and she saw…“Romarus!” Londenia shook the panel. She tapped on the window, shouting to him, “Romarus!”

  The king simply stared ahead, not hearing her shouts. The magister seized the device and told her, “Queen Londenia, this is not some kind of window. These images are simply captured from another place and time.” He leaned in further, his fat stomach squashed against the desk. “Are you saying these are images of King Romarus of Last Kingdom?”

  Londenia steadied herself, trying to understand why Romarus wouldn’t answer her calls. “That is King Romarus, yes. I only wish to ask if he is well.”

  The magister’s tone warmed, and the spice of Morian accent in his voice seeme
d to be more comforting than before, as he said, “If that is King Romarus then he is thousands of leagues from where we sit but as of around six days ago, from when this image was captured, he seemed to be quite well.” He pointed at the panel, handing it back to her. “Remember these are simply…paintings of events that have already happened. They cannot hear you or harm you.”

  She nodded and tried to steady her breathing. Grasping the device and looking into its shiny surface, she saw large-framed men walk past. They carried bladed-staffs and worn gray leather. The image changed once more and the smartly-dressed man’s face looked at her again. His hand pulled a lever and a mist formed. The surface inside the brass surround went black. She looked up to the magister.

  “That was a skip belonging to a guild from this very city. Goes by the name of Wallace Ryder. Pesky bunch, the skips…all of them! Reckless and cocky with too much information.” He shook his head. “This one powered down one of the control stations. The skips are reckless but I doubt he had ill intent. However, his actions may have been fatal. Some of these Others perhaps managed to cross into our waters and are now somewhere in the Known World.”

  Londenia asked, “Why is Romarus with him?”

  “I think the more important question is: how can we ensure the shield does not fail again, if it is as simple as pulling a switch,” Magister Caline said, firmly. “We are still reading fluctuations, meaning ‘Others’ still attack the shield. But this does not mean that some did not slip through when it was powered down.”

  Londenia felt embarrassed by her words and of failing to show her concern for the safety of the Mortal Realm, but she was overcome with the sighting of Romarus. She shook her head. “Of course, forgive me. It is just I thought I would never see him again.”

  “You perhaps need time for this information to sink in. We understand that you have been through a lot in the past few moon-turns and there is still a lot for you to be told so perhaps waiting a few days—”

  Don’t try to delay this any longer so you can wait, in the hope a king might arrive. “You will speak now. I have waited a long time to hear what you have to say, so you will tell me everything.”

  Magister Caline took a deep breath. His eyes met Londenia’s. “Before your fellow queen ambushed me outside of the city gates, I was about to tell you of messages that we intercepted.” He paused. It was as if his mouth wouldn’t allow him to say the information.

  Londenia widened her eyes and nodded, pressing him to continue. Surely you know that delaying for a matter of minutes will not be enough time to bypass me and tell my father of all this.

  His nose wrinkled. “We intercepted communications between King Anthony and, from what we can tell, what he believed to be messengers from your gods.” His mouth moved as if there were a bad taste in it.

  “He called them ‘guardians’,” Londenia muttered, remembering Anthony’s tall tales that made more sense in the light of these new truths. “So he was receiving messages from the gods? But surely the Ten would not condone what he has done.” The taste of sick entered her mouth.

  “That mad man was not talking to some messengers from your Ten.” Londenia didn’t like the dismissive wave of Caline’s hand as he spoke of her gods. The magister continued, “He was communicating with another string of mortals, as you would say. This species resides on this globe on another continent out with the shield.”

  “But there is nothing outside of Bev—”

  “Yes, yes, there is nothing outside of the Beverine’s Shield,” he interrupted, then slammed his fist on the desk. “Of course there is! You have seen them with your own eyes,” Magister Caline shouted, pointing at the brass-trimmed device. He turned his back on Londenia, walked over to the window behind his desk and looked out on the city. “If only Magister Keldon could have seen this. He never would have disputed my suggestion of forcing the kings here to see it with their own eyes!”

  Londenia stood and walked to stand next to the Morian leader. The city below wandered on, unaware of the approaching threat. They have no reason to deceive me, she thought, as she looked out on the idyllic paradise. “It is hard to accept ideas that go against everything you have ever known.”

  The magister swallowed and nodded slowly. “I understand that. I do. And that is why I knew it would be vital to let the kings see this with their own eyes. A message simply would not have done.” He turned to look at her. “It is not you who I doubt in asking you to go to the Beast’s Eye. It is the narrow-mindedness of those that will await you. If they were to refuse you entry onto the island then all would be lost. You would likely be imprisoned for trying.”

  “I will make them listen,” she said, her eyes meeting the Morian’s now friendlier face. “If you would give me your window that shows the images, I will make them see sense and get them to grant you the access you need.” She looked at the shiny device on the desk and smiled, saying, “And this time I promise, I will not drop it.”

  The magister nodded and gave in to a small smile. It faded. “I fear that the second part of our plan may be where it falls through. We believe these control stations, of which there are twenty-four that we have detected throughout the Ten Kingdoms, need to be maintained constantly. All lay empty, save one: the one that you saw your King Romarus in. From what our readings tell us, this is the master station. It has some kind of worker, responsible for it and—from what we can tell—the remote running of the others too. But it seems her mind is…rotting.”

  “So you are saying there would need to be a presence from the Still Cities in twenty-four sites across the Ten Kingdoms?” Londenia asked.

  The magister added, “And three on the Green Islands, one on the land of Vostos, one on the island of Narscape, one on a small island to the north and eight in Arland Province and Dorland Province.”

  They would have a foothold in every part of the Mortal Realm, Londenia’s protective queen-mind thought.

  “However, we believe we could teach the maintenance to those residing in these areas. So our presence could perhaps be temporary, but necessary in any case.”

  A thought came to her: “Magister, we believe that the shield was brought to us by Beverine, one of the Ten…”

  The magister rolled his eyes and strode away from her.

  She followed him around the desk. “Listen to what I have to say!”

  He stopped at her words, turned and nodded.

  “We would not believe that the Ten would wish harm upon us. If these Others were going to follow King Anthony, then surely if they were sent by our gods, then we can reason with them to follow the other kings instead.”

  His fat head shook. “Anthony gravely misunderstood their messages. The Others spoke a different tongue and the technology was new to your…wise…king. We have had this technology for a long time and he only found it recently when he entered the places that you refer to as the Dead Cities. We believe the Others told him that they are coming to rid this land of weakness and take it for their own as their land is being swallowed by the ocean. King Anthony misinterpreted their words as—”

  She held up her hand. “I have seen firsthand what that monster believes.”

  “Indeed you have.” He lowered his round head. “From what we can tell, the message he received was that they would spare his people if he lowered the shield. And of course, King Anthony has no knowledge of how to do this—even if he knew the true meaning of their message. There is the possibility that we are completely wrong with our translation also. But even if we are correct, we have no reason to believe these Others would be merciful.” He looked up and took a deep breath. “My greatest fear is that you reach the Beast’s Eye and the avatars of the High Council refuse you entry. Even with evidence such as we have, they simply may not let you pass onto the island.”

  “Then they are fools.”

  “Yes, but their foolishness will not allow us to keep that shield operational.”

  “Then I will go straight to High-King Ma’leven,” said Londenia.
“I met him as a child when visiting First Kingdom. I believe he holds some kind of respect for my father. I will make him listen. He is likely already aware of what has happened and will have some kind of sympathy towards my cause.”

  “I do hope you are right, but I fear sympathy is in short supply in First Kingdom, as our ambassadors have already found out. It was our first point of call and if they had not given in to their ignorance and snap judgments, it would have likely saved time and many lives.”

  It did seem a snap judgment even by First Kingdom standards. “I am well aware of the rashness and aggressiveness of First Kingdom. However, I do still wonder why they attacked a consulate that only wished to speak with them…Magister, why do you look away from me?”

  His timid gaze met her eyes again. “My lady,” he breathed, “forgive me but I withheld information in my letter. I felt if it were included, the kings would have not agreed to come to us.” His eyes dropped again.

  “Continue.”

  Magister Caline took a deep breath, his stare not quite meeting hers. “Our consulate were not just delivering a message. They were also instructed to explore one of the control stations. They were attempting to dig to it when they were found.”

  Londenia narrowed her eyes. “I still do not see why digging a hole would be seen as an act of aggression if—”

  Caline raised a hand, halting her mid-sentence. “My lady, I regret to say that this digging took place in the center of one of your holy places…one of your decas.”

  She could taste sick in the back of her mouth again. “You mean to say that you befouled our most sacred of places to find some control station?!” Her lips were dry. “That was why the deca we passed in your land had been dug up and ripped apart.” She felt a lump forming in her throat.

  The Morian’s face reddened. “It was done to save all of us in the Known World. I am afraid it seems that your decas mark the position of the control stations.”

  Londenia swallowed, attempting to hold back the wrenching deep inside her. “But there are hundreds of decas throughout the kingdoms. Surely they can’t all be—”