Thread Skein (Golden Threads Trilogy Book 3)

by Leeland Artra

  The others nodded. If the warlord had a feeling about the idea, nothing about his appearance gave it away. He did not respond immediately; he sat and thought without comment or motion. The officers sipped their drinks quietly, accustomed to waiting on him. After two full minutes, he said, “No. There is added danger to Llino.”

  One of the colonels motioned for attention. When the warlord looked at him, he said, “I do not understand. Allornia was just as old as Llino.”

  “Llino was Duke’s home, and he built it as a fortress for the Duianna Empire. The attack may cause an unexpected response from the city. Should the city’s mechanisms become fully engaged by the assault, there’s potential that we cannot defeat these defenses. There are records indicating that some ancient cities hold powerful entities the likes of which we are unprepared to face.”

  The colonel sat back, crossing his legs and placing his head on his hand. He stared at one of the desk legs in thought.

  An older colonel said, “If we leave her to her own means, she will eventually lose her patience and use less-than-acceptable hostage and execution tactics to force a surrender.”

  Hiri-Rula was shocked at the conversation and the blatant opinions being stated. The men spoke of a senior officer with a total disregard for protocol. She was unsure how to react. The warlord didn’t respond as many officers she knew through her career would have. If these had been lesser men before a junior officer, they would’ve been punished, or even killed, for speaking so plainly.

  “You’re correct. I taught her some patience, but she was not yet ready for command. I had no choice. She’s still the most competent officer I could leave behind. She’s ambitious. That Shar-Lumen has given her the assignment personally means she will not be willing to use slower tactics.”

  The general shifted to face one of the colonels. “Now that Hiri-Rula has joined, we should discuss the unique team heading south. Runa-Emry, your report of this team is almost unbelievable. A Journeyman Mage defeated an entire strike force. Your own daughter, who we thought was dead, as her odassi died with Ossa-Ulla and his odassi, was willingly traveling with them. The Gods, or at least one, interfered on your daughter’s behalf to save her from your warrior’s strike.”

  The warlord’s gaze fell on Hiri-Rula, spearing her like a specimen for study.

  The general turned from Colonel Runa-Emry to face her directly. “General Hiri-Rula, you should know Shar-Lumen has sent four separate teams after this junior mage’s and young Dagger’s team to capture or kill them without success.”

  Colonel Runa-Emry frowned. “I failed, as well.”

  For the first time, the warlord responded instantly. “No, you succeeded in bringing back vital intelligence that we had been lacking.”

  Hiri-Rula filed the face and name away, thankful to finally learn the identity of one of the officers.

  The warlord again sat quietly for a few minutes. His eyes were directed at Colonel Runa-Emry, yet Hiri-Rula had the distinct impression all of the men were staring at her.

  “General Hiri-Rula, do you know why you’re here?”

  It took her a moment before she realized he’d addressed her. She sat up straight. “No. Does it...?” Her tongue betrayed her, but she managed to stop before blurting out her idea that it had something to do with her blades.

  The warlord turned his head towards her, his eyes like twin suns boring into her. “Finish your question. You may ask or say anything in this room without fear.”

  She swallowed, feeling even more like a specimen under his direct gaze. “Does it have to do with my blades?” In spite of her tight emotional control, she felt her cheeks reddening.

  “She is as observant as reported,” the last colonel said.

  “Yes. How did you know Duke’s body had been recovered before we did?”

  Her throat tightened. She fought for the rock-solid control she’d been trained to have, but fear of being stripped of everything locked her mouth and lungs. She didn’t think she could even squeak if she needed to.

  He waited. No one said a word. The others seemed prepared to wait an eternity, while calmly sipping their drinks and nibbling their snacks.

  She finally managed to regain control of herself. “Warlord....”

  “Do not lie to me. We live for honor. That you hold those blades means you know this.”

  The lie she was about to tell wilted into nothing. She was caught, cornered, and there was no way out. She sighed, “I have learned a rather unusual line of magical science on divination from a unique book I found in the library at Outpost One.”

  “Let me see this book,” he said, holding out his hand.

  He knew I had it on me? How?

  With nowhere to go, she pulled the book out of her pouch and handed it over. He examined it, and with a brush of power, he broke her incantations hiding it. The other officers sat up and leaned in the moment the perception filter was broken.

  “She actually has it,” the general said.

  Holding the book out to Hiri-Rula, he said, “Can you show me what it contains?”

  She didn’t know why he asked her to open it, especially when he’d broken her incantations so easily. Still, she took the book back, and opened the compartment that was part of the back cover. As she held up the mirror for all to see, the warlord nodded and smiled.

  “We have a diviner.”

  Her nervousness forgotten, she asked, “What do you mean?”

  His face had returned to his normal stony demeanor. “The odassi chose you, indicating you had the potential for greatness. You found this book, of the two that were there. Therefore, you are a natural diviner. You never would’ve found the book without the combination of the blades and this talent. I tried for many years to open that compartment and failed. I also found the other two caches of secrets when I was still a major. Only one would open for me. It held these.” He patted his odassi behind him without looking. “Only later did I discover that I hadn’t done anything. They wanted to be found by me. Just as this book and mirror were waiting for the right person.”

  The general said, “She didn’t tell Eshra-Zunia or Shar-Lumen of her discovery. That she managed to produce a believable conclusion via logic kept Shar-Lumen from discovering this book and its treasure, proving her quick thinking.”

  “Yes,” said the warlord. “She was guided by her blades a bit, I’m sure. But that does not negate her accomplishments.” Turning his gaze back to her, he continued. “General Hiri-Rula, Shar-Lumen has directed me to send you to do that which no one else has been able to do. He feels your resourcefulness with the attack on Outpost One; your intelligence, your prowess with both magic and sword, and your self-control will allow you to succeed.”

  She looked at the men. “What exactly am I supposed to do?”

  “Intercept Lebuin, and find out what he’s doing for Duke. It’s clear that Ticca and Lebuin are far more than they seem, and Duke is trying to keep our attention in the north, on him. But Ticca and Lebuin, with an exceptional team of Daggers, have gone south, into the Circumveni Desert, a fact that has Shar-Lumen concerned.”

  Hiri-Rula’s mouth dropped open. “That’s a suicide mission.”

  Shaking his head, the warlord said, “No, we have sent many expeditions into the desert. You shall be escorted by an expert team assembled by Colonel Runa-Emry. You will be in total command. You’re to intercept them, find a way to neutralize Lebuin and Ticca, and bring them to me in my city of Allornia. After I question them, we will present them together to Shar-Lumen. Returning her to Hisuru Amajoo is the primary mission goal. We must know what Duke is doing, and Shar-Lumen wants to learn precisely why Duke sent this strike team into the desert. Shar-Lumen gave explicit instructions that you’re not to hurt any of them beyond the minimal force necessary to secure them. Ticca, most especially, is to be kept from harm.�
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  Hiri-Rula looked at Colonel Runa-Emry. “Why you?”

  “I volunteered.”

  The warlord said, “He wants to discover the truth about his daughter. He’s highly motivated towards your success. I trust him with my secrets, and my life.”

  “So you expect me to find them with the mirror?”

  “That would be inadvisable, without much experimentation from a safe distance. The Circumveni Desert is dangerous and uniquely unstable for magic use and mages. You must be very careful, and keep tight control on your magics while in the desert.”

  “So how are we to track this Ticca and Lebuin?”

  He held up the most beautiful silver cloak clasp she’d ever seen; it glistened in the light, sparkles running down gems inlaid in a flowing pattern across its surface. “With this.”

  Electra

  The regents were reviewing supply reports with all of the office heads when Electra, with her Dagger guards, entered the ballroom, which had been recently converted into a command center. Tables were arranged around the room, each with a scale map of a section of the city. Guard officers were busy placing markers around the maps, indicating levels of crime, types of crimes, persons of interest, and guard and Dagger deployments. She waited to the side, listening to the conversations.

  Nothing new was in any of the data being shared. The food and water supplies were sustaining the normal population, along with the evacuated villages from the surrounding areas. The city held just over 460,000 souls.

  It’s a shame I can’t show them that the palace can provide these maps and indicators via voice updates and live monitoring. Still, the regents might discover the instructions for doing this someday. I don’t think even Gracia’s regents know such things.

  The walls held maps of the other countries in various scales. They were being marked with pins, indicating last known troop locations and cities. Similar maps were set up in Gracia as well. Electra was helping to coordinate some of those updates via communications through the Mages’ Guild with the Alliance offices around the realms.

  The maps were being updated with the most recent data, received a few marks prior. Many cities of the northern realms weren’t faring nearly as well as Llino. Of course, Electra had Vesta and Arkady, with all their observation species and the one remaining orbital platform. The generals of the Alliance, under Duke’s orders, had assembled six divisions of the Imperial Armies. Each division consisted of nearly 700,000 warriors under the command of 10,000 Daggers. The divisions were marching on all of the known Nhia-Samri outposts and bases. Twenty bases had been overrun, with heavy losses on both sides.

  Still, the Nhia-Samri advanced, taking more land across the middle section of the continent. In the southern areas near Aelargo, they had no fear of attack from the south, thanks to the impossible-to-cross Circumveni Desert. So far, what land they’d taken, they claimed as their own.

  Farther north, Nhia-Samri attack forces had used their magical gates, striking at individual cities. Six of the smaller, more isolated ancient cities in the north had been bested by the Nhia-Samri, killing only those who stood to fight. Reports stated that ever since the Allusia incident, they’d stopped slaughtering non-combatants. People were being given a choice to leave, or become part of their nation.

  At first, there was a sense of urgency to push them back. The Imperial Armies had retaken two of those cities, but the Nhia-Samri had destroyed almost everything in them as they evacuated back through their gates, leaving ruins that were useless to anyone in place of the ancient landmarks. The reports also said that they evacuated their new citizens ahead of the attack by the Imperial forces. No one knew exactly where the people who’d stayed in the cities, choosing to become Nhia-Samri citizens, had been taken. But they, along with all their valuables, had been evacuated.

  The new Nhia-Samri tactics had turned some of the general populace’s opinions in their favor. Where once they’d been universally viewed as bloodthirsty assassins, out for money and chaos, they were being seen as more lawful, even earning back some of their original reputation for honor. In the latest city to be taken, few of the population chose to evacuate. Many had locked themselves in their houses until the fighting was over, and then volunteered to stay under Nhia-Samri rule.

  That tactic had caused a lot of debate. In the end, troops had been dispatched to blockade them inside the cities. No further attempts were being made to push them out. The stalemate left the ancient cities intact. The Nhia-Samri had yet to demonstrate any ability to seize control of the ancient systems in those cities, and many believed it was unlikely they would succeed, especially after Warlord Maru-Ashua had tried to gain control of Allusia’s artifacts. Even with a proper royal command, the city hadn’t answered to him.

  The best estimates placed the death toll at over 200,000 Alliance warriors and another 100,000 non-combatant deaths, to the 40,000 Nhia-Samri confirmed deaths.

  At this rate, we’ll win the war by attrition. But that price will be too high. We need to find a way to end this without so much loss. But how can this be done? The war seems to have a life of its own, and it’s hungry.

  Arkady had returned from the moon, and was back in Gracia. He and Vesta were trying to speed up the harvesting of the resources needed to replace the lost orbital platforms. They were also trying to deal with issues affecting other systems by the extreme loss of worker crabs in the failed attack on the Nhia-Samri base. The ocean wave energy harvesters were already starting to get packed with sand and debris. Vesta had to lock many of them to keep them from being damaged. Silt was building up in the Loren Channel. It wasn’t bad yet, but without the crabs to help clear it, some shipping lanes would become unusable in a year. Arkady was having similar issues near Gracia in the fresh water channels there.

  Ellua motioned for Electra to join her. Stepping around the busy officers, she threaded her way through the room to where Bayion and Ellua were bent over a table of reports and smaller maps with hand-drawn markings and updates.

  “I assume you heard that additional forces joined the blockading divisions yesterday.” Ellua’s statement was not a question.

  “Yes, I was just looking at the figures.”

  Bayion handed her some loose papers. “We have a better count this morning. What has us worried is that many of these new warriors appeared to be officers. There’s been a lot of movement outside the city since their arrival. They are shifting troops.”

  Electra took a moment to glance at the papers. They showed that an estimated 10,000 warriors had been swelling the troops already outside the city walls. If they were accurate, over 40,000 Nhia-Samri were just beyond the city limits.

  She looked back at a map of the realms. They hadn’t taken a single city in Aelargo. In fact, they’d bypassed Algan and Breorchy, which were both ancient cities, to come all the way to the eastern coast, directly to Llino. There was no doubt in her mind they meant to take Llino.

  She handed the papers back to Bayion. “We have double their number in guards, and almost 10,000 Daggers. We can defend the city walls for some time.”

  A series of explosions shook the palace, causing tables to shake. She felt the vibrations echoing through the floor. Ellua had to catch herself on a table. Cups of arit, tea, and wine spilled, as pens rolled, knocking over inkwells.

  After a few seconds, it stopped. Everyone looked around, wide-eyed, without a word. Then through the walls, they could hear the battle calls of thousands of warriors, shattering the silence.

  A palace guard ran into the room. “THE SOUTH AND WEST WALLS HAVE BEEN BREACHED! THEY ARE ATTACKING!”

  At the same time, Vesta’s voice came to Electra through the micro-implant. “Electra, the Nhia-Samri mages blew out seven shield emitters and are destroying the sentinels. Their warriors are running over the top of the walls on some kind of magical bridge made of pressurized air.
”

  Bayion was already issuing attack orders, and ran out of the room with a group of Daggers.

  Ellua had grabbed Electra’s arm, pulling her in a different direction. “We must get to where we can see. I can’t direct the defenses from here. We have to give Bayion and our guards support.”

  Vesta’s voice sounded worried as she said, “I don’t know how, but suddenly over sixty mages are out there! They’re flinging magic like I’ve never heard of before. Some of them are attacking the wall’s infrastructure. I won’t be able to restore the shields if the repair systems are taken out. We’re in serious trouble.”

  Electra’s heart raced as much as her mind as she digested their predicament. Her realization that there was no time to hold back made up her mind on what to do. She grabbed Ellua’s hand, pulling her to a stop. “No! This way!”

  Ellua paused, but then turned, motioning for the other officers and guards to follow. Electra ran, pulling Ellua with her. It wasn’t easy, as she was wearing a dress instead of loose pants, but she managed to keep up. A group of guards and palace staff were clustered in the halls. Electra ignored protocol, shoving people out of her way as she rushed to the throne room. Letting go of Ellua, she thrust the double doors open, stepping into the nearly abandoned room.

  Ellua slid to a stop as Electra screamed, “Defensionem et imperium eu monitores!” She marched towards the thrones, dramatically turning and sweeping her arm, indicating the glowing columns that shot out from the floors and spread, looking like a set of fountains, except that instead of water they were millions of microbots. Rather than falling to the floor, the top of the fountains filled out into radiant command consoles.

  I had no idea they would look exactly like they do when I’m working inside the network with Vesta. They’re so beautiful. Electra recalled the name Light-Unit-Microbot-Emitter-Displays, or LUMEDs, from the technical manuals she’d read.