by CS Sealey
“Mayor Challan?” Tiderius asked. “What does he have to do with this? And when was this supposed assassination?”
“Aiyla had to search the sight to be sure,” Emil explained, “but the Ayon general has indeed been murdered. The news is slow coming south, understandably. Carry on, Markus.”
“You have now given greater men the opportunity to lead our armies.” Markus Taal looked up from the piece of paper and glanced at Emil. “I think there is little doubt who wrote this.”
“Varren,” Kayte muttered. “He must intend to take up the position himself.”
“Really? Why would he want to?” Tiderius asked, surprised.
“His words implicate himself,” Taal said. “His reasons, though, are his own.”
“Does the note say anything else?”
“Just a little more,” Markus Taal said. “Your cowardly use of the shaman in the recent assault has not gone unnoticed. I shall not divulge the details of our losses, but many men fell at the hands of your…Forgive me, Your Majesty, I don’t think his description of Emil is relevant. If mage-to-mage combat is to be dispensed with, then expect a full retaliation, and let the price be on your head.” Markus Taal lowered the note. “Clearly, Varren has been watching the front line as closely as we have.”
Tiderius was silent, Varren’s words echoing in his mind. They sounded so similar to something Angora had once said to him: “Emil, Markus and Kayte…they will stop at nothing to kill their doubles because they believe that they cannot do good with such shadows behind them. Perhaps you share that goal, but I do not. Killing each other and fighting against common soldiers was not what the Spirits intended for us, Tiderius. We are no longer their representatives, we are tyrants and murderers, nothing more.”
No, you are wrong, Tiderius thought resolutely. By killing some, we are saving many. We still protect those who cannot protect themselves.
However, he could not shift his feeling of unease. Perhaps it was the fact that he had heard her meaning clearly reflected in the note from Varren, that mages were being used against common soldiers. He had killed dozens at Kilsney, men who had no defense against the magic of Anathris. It had been necessary. He had not reveled in his power over them. Yet, what would Angora have thought of his actions? Did Angora truly share the same ideals as Archis Varren? How could she?
And what about the assassination? Surely Varren must have been mistaken in his assumption that the order had come from Queen Sorcha. If she had ordered it, Tiderius would have been held in confidence, just as the other members of the Circle.
“The northern border is in need of reinforcements,” Emil was saying. “They repeled the attack but many fell in the process. The garrison is weak.”
“Some of our men are already marching north and Prince Korrosus’s soldiers should be arriving within the week. They ought to have landed in Menthenae by now, providing the Eastern Sea was not too unforgiving,” Queen Sorcha said.
“We must start preparing our soldiers for the worst,” Markus Taal added. “If this note is to be believed, then the Ayons will attack the border again in force and, this time, Varren will be at its head.”
CHAPTER 24
It had been just over two weeks since his journey to Te’Roek but Varren had not spent his time reveling in his success: he had been busy sending messages to the leaders of the provinces, requesting that they send as many men as they could spare as soon as the winter snows melted. He had sent so many letters, his hand had cramped. He rose from his writing desk and moved to the frosted-over window. He tapped his fingers absently on the glass and turned to survey his room. It was not the same as it used to be. Ever since he had returned from Te’Roek, it had seemed almost alien to him.
“What? Are you out of your mind?” Varren had exclaimed when the king had summoned him. “You want to make me your new general?”
“Listen, Archis,” the king had said firmly, “Commander Sheon was either killed or captured in the Kilsney attack. He would have been my first choice, but that option is not available to me at present.”
“Sheon is not the only senior commander able to take the post,” Varren had argued. “You need a general who has extensive military training and experience!”
King Samian had regarded him with his eyebrows raised. “You are a competent fighter and your understanding of warfare is more than sufficient.”
Varren had mumbled that the few years he had trained with the army during his teens did not make him a great soldier.
“You have never doubted your abilities before, Archis.”
“I am an adviser, your protector, an expert in the art of sorcery,” he had said. “The position of general should not go to me.”
“I have made my decision, and when the time comes for war, I want you to command my armies. There is no one I trust more than you.” The king had turned away, folding his arms. “The Ronnesians have broken the unspoken law. If we are to crush them into the dust, we must change our battle plan.”
So, for the past few days, Lord General Varren had been to a dozen meetings with military captains and members of the royal court. Paperwork had quickly invaded his private quarters, despite having been given another room in which to work and store the vast amount of documents he had inherited from Carter. He thought it ironic that he had written in his letter to Queen Sorcha that the death of General Carter would only give a greater man the opportunity to lead the Ayon army. He had never sought that position for himself and had enough to contend with already.
A knock at the door distracted him from his thoughts and he begrudgingly went to answer it.
“My lord,” Lhunannon said quietly, “forgive the lateness of the hour, but I must speak with you.”
Varren gestured for the enchanter to enter. It was not customary for Lhunannon to confide in him alone and Varren became concerned, even more so when the man refused a chair by the fire. The last time Lhunannon had come to him like this had been to inform him that King Samian had gone south alone to seek his sweetheart.
“Well, what’s wrong?” Varren asked anxiously.
Lhunannon turned to face him. “When has the king ordered for his armies to mobilize?”
Varren was taken off guard by the question and frowned. “I would have liked to have done it weeks ago, but it will have to be late winter, early spring. Why?”
“I fear that, if he is not watched, Vrór will take matters into his own hands.”
“Vrór?” Varren asked, relaxing somewhat. “He can’t possibly convince the king to push on with his plans.”
“I don’t believe he intends to,” Lhunannon said. “His bestial nature is sometimes more powerful than his human mind. You can reason with him only when his animal side is subdued. Often of late, I have found it harder and harder to communicate with that side of him. Anyway, I thought to alert you of his condition.”
“Yes,” Varren said, nodding, “you were right to. If he even thinks of going against the orders he has been given – ”
“You have given him orders?”
“Yes. Ever since I found him trying to sneak past the guards at the front gate a couple of weeks ago. He wanted to go down to Kilsney by himself!” He shook his head. “Though I admire his resolve at times, he’s lucky the king needs him, otherwise he would have faced trial several times over for disobeying his orders.”
“I will continue to watch him, my lord.”
“As will I,” Varren said, as the enchanter moved to the door. “In a month or so, the king may give us clearance to launch our campaign. Surely even Vrór can wait that long to satisfy his lust for war.”
ABOUT EQUILIBRIUM: EPISODE 3
The Ronnesians are forced to answer for their deception, which comes at a deadly price.
Lord General Archis Varren, intent on avenging the murder of his predecessor, has traced the assassination contract to the Ronnesian Mayor Challan, one of Queen Sorcha’s most valued supporters.
Meanwhile, Vrór viciously attacks the Ronnesian
capital of Te’Roek, luring Angora back from her self-appointed mission in the north. The two Leikas finally come face to face and their ensuing battle takes them far from the city. But is this fight one Angora can possibly win?
In the aftermath of the attack, Varren hatches his plan to cripple Queen Sorcha’s power at its very source and the equilibrium begins to tip.
For more information, please visit momentumbooks.com.au/books/equilibrium-episode-3/.
ABOUT CS SEALEY
Carmel Sealey was born in Sydney, Australia, and has a great passion for fantasy. Her brother first inspired her to write at a very young age and she has continued to do so with gusto. The first seed of Equilibrium began to sprout at the age of 15 and the story has been rewritten, reworked, abused, edited, rewritten again, expanded, cut, stitched back together and polished in the dozen years since. Enjoy!
First published by Momentum in 2015
This edition published in 2015 by Momentum
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Copyright © CS Sealey 2015
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Equilibrium: Episode 2
EPUB format: 9781760300425
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Edited by Kylie Mason
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