by Blink, Bob
The royal quarters and the conference area were further protected by their layout. Both were built within the royal wing, but set apart from the perimeter walls of the wing so that a wide open corridor entirely surrounded the rooms. Anyone lurking outside of either area would be fully exposed, and the walls, equally as thick as those of the outer perimeter, further provided assurance that what was spoken inside would not be overheard. The Queen knew the Guild had spells that would have provided additional protection against eavesdropping, but the simple truth was that she didn’t trust Carif and her Casters not to cast a spell that did just the opposite. Spies the Queen had planted within the Guild, something everyone believed impossible to accomplish, had assured her that her efforts had frustrated the leadership there, and they had yet to find a workaround. Much of what the Queen wished to discuss privately she specifically didn’t want to reach the ears of the Guild’s senior leaders. No, if word of what was discussed inside this room were to reach the ears of Carif, it would be because someone in the room told her. That was one reason the Queen had taken to avoiding certain topics of late when Tinl was present. She might be doing the woman a disservice, but she had learned over the years to exercise caution, and now those lessons were doubly important.
For the first glass the situation in Ront occupied their attention. Her generals wanted more troops and a significant increase in Casters to deal with the Baldari problem. They pointed out that the situation was becoming worse with time, and the only way to deal effectively with the problem was to pursue the invaders and discover the routes they used to infiltrate Sedfair. Since the few Baldari they had captured all mysteriously died within a few glass of capture, the only workable plan was to follow the enemy force into the Wastelands, despite the dangers and difficulty. The Guild resisted such a suggestion. The Guild’s leadership pointed out that the Caster’s magic became ineffective within a few glass of steady riding into the Wastelands, which would simply put its people at risk. It was a dangerous plan and one that would see many talented Casters killed.
The Queen and Carif would be meeting after lunch to discuss the proposal as well as other matters, not the least of which was the matter of her replacement. She and Carif had begun as friends many years before. The relationship had deteriorated over the years as they progressed to become political opponents and now near adversaries on nearly every issue. Rosul knew that Carif was anxiously awaiting the day she would be relieved of power, and someone new and more malleable would be placed onto the throne. Unlike herself, the senior leaders of the Guild had no restrictions on how long or to what age they could remain in power. As an extremely competent and powerful Caster, Carif held tightly to the reigns of power within the Guild, and that meant she was a formidable power that even eclipsed the Queen in many ways, although the general population did not realize this.
The Queen had seen the changes that had wormed their way into the political life of Sedfair over her reign. The attacks by the Baldari and the appearance and growing threat provided by the strange beasts coming out of the Wastelands had forced the country to commit men and resources to the problems. This had provided certain factions with more power, and she could sense that many had grown to relish the additional power and privilege that resulted. Now there were those who tried to manipulate the politics of Sedfair to ensure what they had become accustomed to was not lost, but further enhanced. It was not a good trend, but she had only been moderately successful in stemming the changes. Soon, her chances of turning the trend around would be lost entirely.
“These increases will require considerably more gold than we are bringing in each year,” Alani warned the group as their discussions drew to a close.
That was always the reality of things. The crown was expected to protect the land and foster growth, but that took gold. The gold was paid to the royal treasury by the nobles who oversaw large areas of the country, but everyone knew for the most part they were shortchanging the kingdom. No one had figured out a way to prove their dishonesty without adverse political repercussions. The shortfall had been somewhat mitigated by the rich gold mines the crown controlled, but even the output of the mines wouldn’t be sufficient to meet the needs Rosul could see in the near future.
“We will make note of it,” she told the others. “It won’t be my problem. The taxes won’t be due until some time after I have been replaced, so at this point we can only make suggestions.”
After seeing her Cabinet out, Rosul rang for her servants and requested lunch be served in the library. She made certain her servant knew to bring her a single glass of the green wine she preferred. After the meeting she had just completed, she needed something to relax her. One glass only. She still had to deal with Carif, and that woman required one to have one’s wits about her. Rosul would have liked to have Alani stay and eat with her so they could talk privately, but that would have been noted by the others. She’d have to wait to meet with Alani at their usual time. Her old friend shared more secrets than the others realized, and they had much to do in the remaining weeks before they both departed Nals for the northern territories.
Rosul felt especially isolated of late. Her consort was away, his stated trip to visit their family estates and coordinate the upgrades and repairs to make the place more suitable when they retired to the family lands in a few months. That would not have really been necessary. Her brother would have handled the task well enough, but Kall was also seeing to a far more important matter.
Kall was more than a simple consort to Rosul. She had chosen her life partner wisely, and found that her mate was a man of considerable wisdom and bravery. Long they had shared far more secrets and plans than others would have suspected, contrary to the usual prejudice regarding the role of the male in Sedfair’s society. She greatly missed his presence, both in terms of sharing concerns about what lay ahead and the simple physical comfort of his arms. But his task was important, and he’d had to go.
Two miles offshore from the family lands, an almost forgotten island that had been part of the estates when granted by the Queen almost four hundred years earlier, formed the heart of her plan to wrest away some of the Guild’s power. For the past fifteen years a small group chosen by the Queen had been creating an independent and secret community on the island. That community was about to grow much larger, as her fellow conspirators moved the center of their activities away from Nals. Even now, Captain Abend should be on his way north with the most recent members of their secret group. Some would stay in Nals of course. She had eyes and ears in key places and they would keep her and the rest of the group informed after she was replaced. It was too bad she didn’t have another ten years as Queen. She felt they were getting close to a major breakthrough, but unfortunately they wouldn’t be given the time needed.
With a sigh, the Queen realized the time was gone, and the bell indicated that Carif had arrived. She pushed aside the plate of food she had barely nibbled at. She lifted the crystal goblet and took a single swallow of the mellow wine, then stood and walked out of her library area toward the room where Carif would be waiting. She was not looking forward to the contentious discussions that would consume most of the afternoon.
Chapter 6
Kall smiled contentedly as he and his escort rode through the mountains half a day’s ride from the large house on the family lands. It was time to return to Nals, and while he was not enthusiastic to return to the city where so many intrigues were in play, he had felt the separation from his consort and looked forward to being back at the castle. He would miss the scents of the country, the rich fragrance of the wild flowers backed by the smell of the ancient fir trees that thickly covered the mountains here in the southern quarter of their lands. He even enjoyed the odor of the horses, their sweat adding to the sense of the outdoors and he moved expertly with the motion of his mount as they climbed up the steep mountain pass.
They would be on the trail until late the next day when they would reach the closest major town. There he and his escort
would seek out the Guild representatives who were currently assigned to this area. Kall knew the Senior Caster in Delan. She was a Runemaster of no little skill, and unlike many of her counterparts found in Nals, was a true scholar of the magical arts and a fine woman besides. If more of the Guild were like her, Kall would have far less issue with the Guild and its plans for Sedfair. Runemaster Raek would create a Doorway back to Nals, one of those magical openings that allowed one to cross weeks of travel in a matter of a heartbeat. Creating such a Doorway was something that usually required years of training and a skill level with magic that only a small percentage of Guild members ever achieved. The rune and glyph construction was intricate, Kall had seen it many times even though he didn’t understand it, and he’d been told that the activation phrases were equally complex. The Casters capable of performing the magic were highly regarded and carefully distributed throughout the land. Doorways were used sparingly because such skillful Casters could not be wasted spending all their time making the openings.
Kall rode at the head of the patrol, his right as the senior officer present. He was only a midlevel officer in rank, his advancement restricted because he was consort to the Queen, and the laws didn’t want both the civilian and military leadership to be strong within one family at the same time. He was a mere Captain. Had it not been for political ties, he would have been a full commander, more than likely one of the Army’s Regional Commanders, which would have been a more accurate measure of his skills. He didn’t mind. He had other goals to occupy his thoughts.
None of the Guild’s Warrior Casters with their crystal-topped staffs augmented with the runes of combat magic precisely carved into the hardwood shafts, rode with them today. That was partially due to the fact that he should be in no danger that required protection by the elite Casters, and partially because he didn’t like or trust them overly much. Had the Guild leadership offered them for this trip he would have refused, as politely as he could, but still refused.
Kall knew more about them and the magic they controlled than they would have expected. They would be surprised to learn he could even execute some of the spells, and if he laid hands on one of the staffs would be a formidable Caster himself. What most didn’t realize was that the more complex spells with multi-symbol composition and activation phrases matched to the runes, could be executed without the runes being present at all. This wasn’t true of the simple spells with the commonly known shared activator. Perhaps that was because the appropriate rune or glyph was needed to define which spell the activator was to trigger. In the case of the complex spells, a poorly defined version of the true spell could often be called by anyone who could master the complex wording. He had practiced the phrases of select combat spells and had demonstrated to himself that this was true. Of course, with the proper runes and glyphs present to link to the activator, the result was immensely more powerful and precise. That was why the Warrior Casters carried the staff with the appropriate symbols pre-engraved into the shafts. The addition of the multiplier crystal on top further extended the power of their magic.
Kall rode with the same practiced ease with which he did most things, despite the fact he spent far too little time astride his horse these days. Although sixty-one years old, with one time black hair that had now gone entirely gray, he was still a strong man, and walked upright without bending to the advancing years as did many with a similar number of seasons under their belt. His pale blue eyes missed little, and he constantly observed and interpreted what was taking place around him. He had a wide scar under his leather armor, a reminder from his early years in the Army what a moments lapse in concentration could do. A blade from one of the Baldari, far less common in those days, had nearly removed his arm. A second or two slower and he would have had a much less glorious career.
That encounter had caused him to put his full effort into being the best swordsman he could. Unknown to most, he was actually a Master of Blades. Most thought he had advanced only as far as Swordmaster, but he had continued his training in private, and now could match blades with the very finest in the land. Like his secret ability with the verbal magic, what your enemy didn’t know about you could be used to advantage. Kall didn’t need the fancy titles or recognition. He was more interested in the practical advantages the knowledge offered him.
“I didn’t realize they were so large,” Tant said softly off to Kall’s left where he had been riding silently for the past glass.
Kall looked where the man was pointing. One of the north country’s most fearsome predators, a fully grown Jurten was lifting an impressively sized bison up into one of the trees where it would feast on it. The Jurten was distantly related to the familiar house pet, except it was a hundred times its size and was extremely dangerous. Its claws were a hand span long when extended and its mouth contained a double row of extremely sharp teeth designed to shred flesh. Four eyes were spaced around the head, each a deep red color and each capable of seeing in the dark nearly as well as in the daylight. The arrangement of the eyes gave the creature a field of view that was unmatched by any other predator in Sedfair, making it difficult to surprise. The fact the creature had little fear of man, especially in smaller groups, made them the gravest threat to the unwary in the mountains.
“That one is only partially grown,” Kall informed his Sergeant. “You should see one of the full sized males.”
Sergeant Tant looked at Kall doubtfully trying to decide if he was being misled.
“You’re kidding,” he said finally, certain that Kall was testing his gullibility. Tant was from the south where such creatures didn’t exist.
“Seriously,” Kall replied. “They grow to be half again as large as that one.”
“How do you kill them?” Tant asked.
“Preferably from a distance,” Kall told him. “The only one I have personally brought down was a female and I did it with a long bow at over fifty paces. It took four well placed arrows to kill it, and even then I had to finish it off with my sword.”
Tant looked at the creature returning his perusal from up in the tree. The forward pair of reddish eyes watched him as if considering how difficult it would be to add him as dessert.
“Can they be killed with a sword?” Tant asked uncertainly. The only weapon he carried with him was one of the Army’s short fighting swords.
“A spear would be far better for the task,” Kall replied. “You don’t want to get within range of those claws. I’ve seen the results of men attacked and it’s not very pretty. I’ve been told that men have taken the beast with a long sword, but I’ve never heard of anyone coming out on top with the kind of short sword we carry.”
“Wouldn’t our armor provide some protection?” Tant asked.
Like most of the men he wore leathers that had been treated for durability and which had been branded with a series of glyphs which were said to make it difficult for the enemy to land a strike or hit from afar with an arrow. They were also supposed to be somewhat resistant to magical spells. Kall wasn’t sure how effective the spells were. In his experience he had seen many with such armor killed and maimed. He suspected the markings were for morale rather than any real protection. His own leathers were free of such symbols, reflecting his ingrained mistrust of the Casters in such matters. He’d be more willing to believe the symbols were there to ensure the men charged into battle fearlessly than to provide any real protection. He wanted his decisions to be free of any such influences. Kall had heard of special armor covered with runes that would make arrows miss their target, and the blows from an opponent’s sword unable to land. He’d never seen such armor, and truthfully doubted its existence. Nonetheless, the rumors and stories circulated among the troops as always.
“He’d go through those like they weren’t there,” Kall replied giving him an honest assessment.
Tant looked around the mountain, the thick trees suddenly appearing far more menacing than they had a short time before.
“Do they travel in packs?” he asked
. “Shouldn’t we be more concerned about any others?”
Kall shook his head. “They are quite smart and realize there is easier game to be had than armed men with their sharp swords. The Jurten can see our number and know what the spears of our forward guard represent. It’s also important to know that they hunt alone. They will fight one another over game, so we don’t need to fear a number of them laying an ambush. Any attack would be a single Jurten and I have no doubts we could handle that.”
Sergeant Tant didn’t appear entirely convinced and he loosed his sword in its scabbard just to be certain. He carried one of the more common steel swords, not one of the White Blades that were used along the western border. Having never served along the border where the strange magical creatures came in from the wilderness, he had never seen one of the strange blades.
“What about when we camp tonight?” Tant asked a short time later as he realized they wouldn’t be in town until the following day.