Into The Ruins

by Blink, Bob

  The cleanup was already underway as they stepped into the main plaza of Fernwah. Smoke still rose from the ruins of several nearby buildings and the smell of death was ripe in the air. The human remains were mostly hauled away, but the bodies of the Baldari and both human and enemy mounts still littered the road. The buildings had been destroyed by collateral damage from the defending Casters, their magical fire igniting the wood that was the primary building material, as they strove to mow down groups of the attackers.

  “Who won?” Lorl asked sarcastically as he surveyed the damage.

  “That is hard to say,” Ardra replied after Rigo translated Lorl’s remark. A veteran of many battles with the Baldari, she had no illusions about what they could do. “The village stands, although almost half of the population was killed. All of the Army guardsmen who were stationed here were killed, and the village survived only because the Baldari were detected and reinforcements were sent via Doorway to be able to resist them. When it was noted how far from the Wastelands they were and what cities were nearby, it was guessed they were headed here.”

  “Why here?” Rigo asked. He could see nothing that distinguished Fernwah. It appeared to be a small mining community.

  Ardra tapped the end of her staff. “The power crystals are mined here. One of the largest deposits of the crystals in all of Sedfair exists here.”

  “Did they destroy the mines?” Kall asked, “or were they after the crystals?”

  “The latter,” Ardra answered. “We don’t know how many they were able to get away with since everyone at the mine was killed. From the look of the storage area, a significant number of the crystals were taken.”

  “I thought they didn’t use magic,” Rigo asked.

  “That’s what’s odd. They don’t. At least we’ve never seen any indication they can. Their intent cannot have been to deny us the use. It would have been better to have gone after the mine directly if that was their intent.”

  “I assume they were able to get away?” Kall asked.

  “Survivors estimate between one and two hundred mounted Baldari escaped.

  “Are they always willing to accept such losses?” Rigo asked.

  Ardra nodded. “Frequently the entire attacking force is wiped out. It is as if they are driven somehow and their individual safety is largely irrelevant.”

  “How come no one followed after them?” Ash’urn asked.

  “The only surviving Caster was unconscious at the time, and there were no remaining mounts. By the time the Caster was revived and able to create a Doorway to pass the word, they had disappeared toward the border. Later investigation showed they eluded pursuit partially by unexpectedly heading north until they crossed into the Wastelands.”

  “What happened to the mounts of the defenders?” Rigo asked. “From your description, many of the defending soldiers still lived.”

  “Wait until you see the Baldari mounts,” Ardra said. “They are vicious and the bite from the creatures is venomous. In the middle of the battle, the surviving Baldari somehow were able to command their mounts to attack. Even those mounts rider-less and well away from the battle were somehow made to participate. They appear to be able to command the creatures from afar. The strange creatures began attacking and biting horses and men wherever they could find them. The mounts became the graver threat for a while, and all energies had to be expended to stopping them. When any Baldari was killed, his mount immediately joined the others in attacking.”

  “I have never heard of the like,” Ash’urn stated with a shudder.

  They had come to where a number of Baldari had fallen with their mounts in the middle of the main roadway. The trio gazed upon the small fighters and the mounts with their razor-like teeth and scales. The Baldari fighters were quite unlike the Duneriders. The mounts were unlike anything any of them had seen. They did not appear artificial.

  “Have you checked them for crystals?” Rigo asked. It was the obvious question. If they were related to the Hoplani and Duneriders, who like the Baldari, seemed comfortable in the Ruins, then one would expect them to have embedded crystals.

  “There are none,” Ardra stated flatly. “The idea was considered long ago.”

  Rigo glanced at Ash’urn and Lorl. Both shook their heads. The bodies were chopped up enough that it was quite obvious that they were much like any other human, if somewhat smaller and darker in color than most.

  “Come,” Ardra prompted. “I will show you the mine which appears to have been their destination.”

  The group started down the street, but halfway there encountered dozens of badly wounded guardsmen who had been pulled off to the side in the shade. Unlike other groups of wounded, no one was tending to these men at all.

  “Why aren’t they being helped?” Ash’urn asked, aghast at the callous treatment of men who had risked their lives.

  “They have been bitten by the Baldari mounts,” Ardra explained. “There is nothing that can be done for them. The bite is invariably fatal, and there are many others who can be saved who are taxing the skills of the physikers.”

  Ash’urn glanced at Rigo. “Healing should overcome any poison, shouldn’t it?”

  “Any that we have encountered. I’m surprised their healers can’t deal with this.”

  Kall had overheard the discussion, but not understanding the interchange between Rigo and Ash’urn, asked. “Is there something you believe can be done?”

  “Our magic must be different than yours. Usually any such wounds are within the capability of our magic to repair. Poisons are usually cured as well.”

  “Do you have such power?”

  Rigo shook his head. “I have proven myself quite inept at healing. Your Guild killed our most effective healer. Orna would have been a wonder at this. But even Lorl has demonstrated some skill in the past. It would be interesting to see what he can do.”

  “Would he be willing to try?” Kall asked, looking intently at Lorl.

  Rigo translated Kall’s question.

  Lorl held up his hands showing the bands that blocked his magic.

  Kall turned to Ensay. “Release him at once. If he can help these men he must be allowed to try.”

  Ensay shook her head. “That is in direct contradiction to the orders of the Saltique. I cannot obey.”

  Kall started to reach for his sword. “As the King I order you to release this man to help.”

  Ensay stood her ground. Others watched the encounter with interest. Suline was surprised at the hostility showing between the King and the member of the Eight. They were supposed to have common goals.

  “Even the Queen could not order this,” she hissed.

  Rigo spoke up. “Use me as hostage, then release Lorl to try. I guarantee he won’t attempt either to flee or to take any action.”

  Lorl shot him a look. Clearly he’d been thinking of doing just that, but Rigo shook his head. Lorl’s shoulders slumped, but he nodded.

  Ensay wasn’t willing to bend. The Saltique had given her orders and she wasn’t about to violate them.

  A sharp crackle of energy shot from Ardra toward Lorl. Almost instantly, the bands that had encircled his arms and neck fell away. Ensay looked toward the Caster who had dared to do this, her staff starting to glow brightly.

  “How dare you do such a thing?” she hissed.

  “These men and hundreds like them have fought and died for Sedfair. If this man can possibly help a few of them survive, they deserve the chance to be saved. Whatever the politics surrounding these men might be, it has no place here.” She stared back at the senior member of the Saltique’s cadre unflinchingly. She was prepared to repulse any attack from the older woman. She had noted the bands worn by the men and had wondered what they were about, but had decided it wasn’t her place to question. This was different. She knew she was risking her future, but that was secondary to the lives of her people.

  Lorl had already moved toward the first of the moaning men. He knelt next to the man and let his magic flare. T
he glow flowed from his hands into the man, and then sharply intensified in color. The Casters watched, wondering what would happen.

  “It’s incredibly virulent,” Lorl shouted back toward Rigo, “but it can be neutralized.”

  A few moments longer and the glow of healing magic began to subside. As Lorl removed his hands from the arm of the man he’d just saved, the soldier opened his eyes and looked at him.

  “May the Guild be praised,” the man said.

  Lorl had heard the phrase many times since being imprisoned in Sedfair, and Rigo had told him what it meant. “The Guild had nothing to do with it,” Lorl said caustically even though the man wouldn’t understand him, and quickly moved on to the next ailing guardsman. Over the next quarter glass he was able to purge the poison from all of the men on the ground even repairing a badly cut and broken arm of one of the victims. When he was finished, it was impossible to tell the arm had ever been damaged.

  “I have never seen such skills before,” Ardra said as she observed the results of Lorl’s efforts. “You say he is less skillful than another of your group?”

  “There are many that are more skilled than the three of us,” Rigo replied. “Our best healers would be faster and even more effective.” He stood between Ensay and Bonn, whose staffs glowed against any need to attack. One of the Guild’s guards had his sword firmly planted in Rigo’s back. Any unexpected action by Lorl would result in his being killed.

  Ash’urn was similarly surrounded. The rest of the Casters had their staffs ready and watched Lorl’s every move. Suline was one of these, but she was more interested in what Lorl would do when he was finished than she was in attacking him.

  When the last of the wounded men had been helped, Lorl turned and walked back to the group. He stared purposefully into the eyes of Ensay, then he held out his hands, making it clear he was surrendering and she could replace the bands. No one present had any doubt his magic was strong and he could have caused trouble, and all without a staff or any preparation.

  Ensay barked a quick order, and one of the Casters hurried over with the bands. These were clamped into place and locked solidly with magic. Only then did Ensay relax somewhat.

  “Perhaps he can help some of the others?” Ardra asked. “There are many who might still die from normal wounds. Based on what we have just seen, he could save them.”

  “We are done here,” Ensay said. “We are going back to Nals immediately. Your actions will be reported to the Saltique,” she said, looking directly at Ardra.

  “You must allow this man to help the wounded,” Kall insisted. Like the others, he would not have believed such a thing possible.

  “You may stay if you wish, but I have already explained that orders in this instance come from the Saltique, not the Crown.” Then she turned, raised her staff, and opened a large Doorway that Rigo knew would take them back to the capital. There was no choice but to follow.

  Chapter 56

  The Leap of Faith ceremony was held in the nearby mountains at a location that was nominally almost a glass away. Today, the ride in the covered carriage was taking longer, but that was because of the number of carriages making the same trip. Clearly, this was an event that would be well attended, and not just by the average citizen. Members of virtually all of the Hundred Families would be in attendance, even those who had to travel a long distance because they didn’t normally reside in Nals. A certain number had more than a casual interest in the day’s proceedings, as one of their number would be among those testing their mettle against the fearsome heights.

  Rigo and Mitty rode in the first of the two carriages provided by the Queen for this event. Riding just behind them in the rear seat was their Guild Caster. Today that was Specialist Juli, who had made no secret that she was getting tired of the constant need to be a nursemaid to the prisoners. Rigo was glad the approach chosen by the Saltique was wearing on her senior people. In the carriage immediately behind his rode Ash’urn and Lady Alani and the unwelcome minder, Specialist Ensay. Behind their carriage was a Guild supplied wagon in which a half dozen of the Guild’s special guards traveled.

  Lorl was not in attendance today. He had elected to stay back at the cottage where he could relax, sleep in, and generally make matters more complicated for the Guild. Rigo realized the last point was what drove Lorl’s decision. In part he didn’t wish to spend the day watching Rigo chatting with Mitty, something he couldn’t do himself. Mostly by staying behind at the cottage, he forced the Guild to come up with an additional complement of soldiers, and place yet another of the Saltique’s Specialists on duty, or at least on immediate call. By being separated, the normal complement couldn’t keep an eye on him and his two friends at the same time. Since demonstrating beyond question to the two Specialists that had been present in Fernwah the magical ability he could command, he had reaffirmed that his magic was an inherent ability, which made many of the Casters nervous. His ability with healing had also made him somewhat of a legend, and the tale of what he had been able to do had spread throughout the Guild, and to a lesser degree the city of Nals itself, despite efforts by the Saltique to contain the information. Lorl was enjoying the discomfort he had caused the damnable woman.

  Finally the ceremonial grounds came into view. There was no doubt they had arrived based on the number of carriages parked alongside the rode in a special cordoned off area on the left side of the roadway. On the right-hand side was a less formal area where hundreds of horses stood waiting, their reins lashed to long ropes tied between trees in order to keep the animals in place.

  Rigo could see why none of those coming to witness were elderly. After helping a smiling Mitty out of the carriage, he followed the brightly marked ribbons that directed them to the climb up the backside of the mountain. The climb was not long, but it was sufficiently steep that anyone not in shape was going to have a time of it. While it was early in the day, the sky was clear and the sun already hot.

  Mitty’s brown eyes sparkled under her almost white eyebrows as they started up the trail. Unlike many of the celebrants, she wasn’t dressed in formal outing attire, but wore much more simple clothing more suited to climbing the hill. She looked particularly attractive today, her youthful exuberance accenting her feminine appeal. She walked with the assured step of an experienced hiker, and by the time they reached the top she wasn’t even breathing hard. Specialist Juli hadn’t fared quite so well, and she was red-faced and sweating as they crested the hill, the steep drop off to the valley far below a short distance ahead. The drop on the testing side was far greater than the height they had climbed, so the valley seen below was much lower than the meadow on this side.

  “Why don’t they simply create a Doorway from below up to the top and lock it open?” Rigo asked, wondering if they knew how to do that.

  “That’s probably how the Guild members would get up here if no one else was around, but they want the height to make an impression on everyone, so they make it necessary to climb up,” she replied. “This whole thing is simple foolishness anyway. It’s something they learned early on that they could use to manipulate people, and have built into an almost mystical part of the selection process.” Mitty wasn’t one to hold her criticism of the Guild, even if one of its members was within hearing. Like the Queen, she had a low opinion of the Guild and their attempts at manipulation of Sedfair’s society, and didn’t mind saying so. The only area that Rigo could sense restraint, was anything that related to Rigo’s situation, or the secrets of the people like Lyes that the Queen had something to do with.

  “I assume then, that you haven’t been one of the participants in this particular event?” Rigo asked.

  “Absolutely not!” she exclaimed. Then she tempered her remark. “My sister, who isn’t afraid of heights at all, satisfied the family requirement several years ago. That means we don’t have to participate again for some time, unless one of us were to want to enter the selection for Queen. The chances of the Guild selecting one of us is non-existent, so t
hat’s not a consideration. I guess if it was necessary, I would do it, as stupid as I think the whole thing is.”

  Specialist Juli frowned at some of Mitty’s remarks, but the young woman paid no attention. There was nothing the Caster could do. Mitty was protected by both her relationship with the Queen and the fact her family was among the Hundred Families. The Guild might manipulate them, but as yet was unwilling to come outright and take any direct action against one of their members.

  The festive nature of the event belied the seriousness of the activity. Much like the annual circus in Sulen, there were booths that sold any number of items, many having nothing to do with the ceremony at hand. Foods of many types were available, and there were those already taking advantage of the offerings. Perhaps the climb had depleted their reserves and they felt the need. Those selling liquid refreshment were doing an especially brisk business, and Rigo was certain that special arrangements had been made with the Guild so the heavy liquids hadn’t had to be carried up the steep incline.