Ardeen, Volume 1: The Circle of Magic

by Sigrid Kraft

  “Your knowledge about magic surprises me, Lord Boron. Especially as you are a completely unmagical person,” the Prince joked.

  “I was very impressed the first time I saw you reading the past in some bones.”

  The pouch vanished into Raiden’s pocket. “I am pleased that I am still able to impress some unmagicals. But you were very observant, because bones are more suitable for that process than blood, hair or entrails.”

  “Spare me the details, my Prince.” Lord Boron dared to remark. He was one of the few people who could talk to Prince Raiden so openly without having to fear a severe punishment.

  The Prince made an affected gesture with his hand, waving his commander away:

  “Our guests will no doubt be here soon. You had better get yourself cleaned up quickly and be back here again when they arrive. I prefer not to be alone with those snakes.”

  “My Prince, there is nothing I would like more.”

  Once Boron had taken his leave, the Lord of Naganor thought about casting the spell at once: the spell that showed him the past. Weaving the magic took time, however, as well as being difficult and strenuous. He did not have the energy just now. If they knew how exhausted I really am...

  He became impatient. How long until the delegation shows up? I want to get it over with, so I can finally set off for Naganor.

  At last the delegation arrived. General Albreit and Lord Hochwitz were officially announced. They were accompanied by a few other lords whose names meant nothing to Prince Raiden, so he did not bother trying to remember them.

  After the usual words of greeting, they gathered around a table, and General Albreit spouted a hypocritical speech about the heroic defeat of the rebellion.

  Prince Raiden would have liked to know what Albreit was really thinking, but the Lord wore an annoying magical chain around his neck. Most of those present were wearing such chains.

  Fine! I know in any case that all of your words are lies. “Sir Albreit, excuse my interrupting you, but let’s cut to the chase.” It was provocative of Prince Raiden to cut Albreit short. He wanted them to know what he really thought of them.

  “I saved your country from disaster. I banished the shadow of a long drawn-out civil war and the misery such a war would bring.Today, I received word that Lord Berington is dead and only a handful of his five thousand men survive. No rebel will dare challenge the Gelderon Crown any more – and no filthy rebel will dare cross the border into Ardeen ever again.”

  Raiden’s voice became sharp and threatening:

  “This was a battle won by the brave men of Ardeen. We also lost many good soldiers. I expect – no, I demand – compensation.”

  Both General Albreit and Lord Hochwitz interrupted: “Your Highness, Gelderon will certainly pay you the promised sum.”

  “Yes! We will probably double it, as you did us such a great service.”

  “Your deed was truly heroic. Gelderon will always remember...”

  The Prince declined the offer arrogantly: “I don’t want a few gold coins! As a guarantee of lasting peace between Ardeen and Gelderon, I demand the land between the two rivers!”

  A storm of protest surged through the hall. The Gelderon ambassadors were frantically talking all at once, until General Albreit called them to order: “Please, my Lords, silence! This is surely a misunderstanding.” Then he turned to address Prince Raiden: “Your Highness, you are treating us now as if we were the ones who attacked you! We cannot take your demand for that land seriously. Ardeen and Gelderon have co-existed in peace now for many years, both prospering in these blessed times. And you yourself are married to a Princess of Gelderon! We sincerely regret the border violation perpetrated by the rebels. But no one could guess what was at work in their wicked minds. So I propose that we keep to the conditions, as previously arranged, to which your King also agreed. Moreover – as I have already offered – we will double the sum gladly.”

  Twist, you snake, but that won’t help you! My mind is made up. “And I, as I have already said, for the sake of peace, demand that land. If my knowledge of history is correct, it is land which formerly belonged to Ardeen anyway.”

  Lord Hochwitz reacted indignantly. “This is ridiculous, Your Highness! Historiography barely goes that far back. You can’t rely on that, it was hundreds of years ago. I appeal to your common sense. Besides, are you authorized to negotiate on this? I suggest we wait for our Kings to arrive.”

  The Lord of Naganor jumped up furiously, sending a fire-blast over the ambassadors’ heads. The magic flame slammed into the wall opposite and set fire to the portraits hanging there of Lord Durin’s ancestors.

  “Enough!” he roared. “I have every right to negotiate with you on King Danian’s behalf! And now, for the last time, I demand that the land between the two rivers belong to Ardeen with immediate effect. For the purpose of building a secure bastion to prevent unwanted bandits roaming the land. Otherwise...,” he grinned wickedly, “...what is there to keep me from repeating the spell I cast three days ago? There are some large cities east of here, I think.”

  His guests’ eyes shone with uncertainty and obvious fear.

  My threat has worked. “I trust you now see reason and I propose that we get our final agreement down on parchment, so that all is ready for the Kings to add their seals below. Does everyone agree with me?” Prince Raiden’s fiery glare melted any remaining reluctance.

  Heads nodded silently, as no one wanted to step forward and be burnt alive.

  A clerk was summoned without delay to write the contract in the presence of the assembled lords. Eventually the document, assigning the land between the two rivers to Ardeen, was finished. The Prince checked the text, then signed with a flourish. He thrust the quill towards General Albreit.

  “You are the one who acts on behalf of your King, are you not?”

  The General took the quill uncertainly. “I cannot guarantee that our King will recognize this contract. It is far beyond my remit, Your Highness.”

  Prince Raiden hissed with ferocious politeness: “Please, sign it. And do offer your King my best regards.

  Being a mage, it is perhaps beneath my dignity to interfere in such trivial secular affairs, but I am making a generous exception this time. Look at it this way: far better to lose a small bit of land than the whole of Gelderon.”

  Some of his audience gasped in fear, while the General at last bent to sign the contract.

  A sad and broken little bunch. But regrettably I am clumsy in matters of diplomacy. Perhaps I should give them a glimmer of hope: something to help them save face. Danian would approve of that too.

  “My Lords, now that we have come to an agreement on all points, I intend to administer this new Ardeen land myself. After all, I am related to the royal house of Gelderon through marriage and hold my neighbors in great esteem. In due course, I will pass the new land on to my daughter Estell – or to her future husband. So the land between the two rivers will confirm the strong bond of friendship between Ardeen and Gelderon: a land reigned by a bloodline connecting both realms.”

  Lord Boron started to applaud and, one after another, the Gelderon lords joined in.

  When the applause had faded, Prince Raiden dismissed the ambassadors – politely: “As we have discussed all the important issues, there is no need for me to keep you any longer.”

  The Gelderon nobles scurried away rather than taking gracious leave of the hall. They were no doubt relieved to escape from Prince Raiden.

  As soon as Lord Boron was alone in the hall with Prince Raiden, he broke out in raucous laughter.

  “Admirable diplomatic skills, my Prince!”

  Prince Raiden agreed: “Yes, I thought so. It’s a shame they signed in the end. I would have loved to burn down their cities. But now that we’re done, let’s get out of here. My brother, the King, will attend to the details of this unpleasant episode. That’s a King’s job, isn’t it?”

  The Prince did not get his much-longed-for rest back in Naganor ei
ther, although the news that Lady Chrystell had left in the meantime came as a delightful surprise.

  Later the same day, he had the first of several long discussions with Danian, and there were several other matters to keep the Prince busy. He had all sorts of administrative decisions to take: Promotions, the organization of the rebuilding of Aspenway, and the occupation of their new land. The Prince certainly did not handle all the details himself, but barely a minute went by without someone appearing to ask for Raiden’s decision on some important matter of great concern to them. He then had to decide who was best suited to dealing with the matter in question.

  As if that were not enough, Master Elderon called him telepathically and requested a detailed report on the war. The Brotherhood had a special agreement to keep themselves out of the conflicts between the unmagicals. After an unpleasant investigation, the Lord of the White Tower finally came to the conclusion that Prince Raiden had acted legitimately, having been drawn unwillingly into the war.

  A few days later, Prince Raiden finally found the time to look into Lord Berington’s past.

  I want answers to my questions. We’ll see what secrets these bones can tell me.

  He went down to the citadel crypt and started the incantation. In principle the spell made it possible to see the entire life of another person, as their bones retained that information for a while before it faded away. The art, though, lay in choosing the right moment before the power in the bone was lost. The spell gave one the opportunity to see and hear what the dead person had seen and heard at a certain time – but there was no way to read thoughts.

  So Prince Raiden began the arduous work of tracking the moments when significant events had happened in Lord Berington’s life. He started by going back in time, day by day, and followed Lord Berington’s progress. He saw the Lord moving with his army towards Ardeen. Several weeks previously he had been at Braithall, his family’s ancestral seat. Three days before that, Lord Berington had been in Halonhall, the Gelderon capital, and, prior to that, once more at Braithall. Further in the past, there was a brief visit to the city of Brieg, before which he had again been to Halonhall.

  Prince Raiden gathered all this information together and drew up an exact timetable of visits and unusual occurrences. He then began to examine individual days more closely and listened in on some conversations. At first all seemed exactly as Gelderon’s officials had said, but Raiden’s gut feeling told him otherwise.

  I imagine the minor Lords on his side are kept in the dark. He holds his cards close to his chest and talks about attacking Tworivers, but at the last second changes his mind and turns towards Aspenway. That can’t be correct.

  I remember Berington. Unlike most of the other Gelderon nobles, he always struck me as being a decent sort. Thoughtful, strategic, methodical and – oddly – completely devoted to the Crown. What makes such a man rebel so hopelessly? Nothing – absolutely nothing, and there’s the catch in the whole story. Raiden continued to examine the days, but he found nothing.

  Perhaps I’m mistaken after all. He was about to give up.

  There has to be something. Perhaps if I go a little further back in the past. One last try.

  He thumbed through the days as if they were a book whose pages merit only a brief look, unless something catches your eye.

  So six months passed by in a minute, and then he stumbled upon Lady Chrystell talking to her cousin, the King.

  What do those two have to say to each other? Raiden was watching the scene in real time, and now Lord Berington approached them, so the Prince could hear their words clearly.

  Lady Chrystell’s shrill voice was complaining as usual. “The whole situation is unbearable. Everything this man does besmirches my honor and makes me the talk of common people. Our marriage is nothing more than a tragedy, a farce!”

  Ah, they are talking about me.

  The King, her cousin, laid his hand on her shoulder: “My dear, I know full well the sacrifice you have made. You took this burden upon your shoulders for the good of Gelderon, and now your situation may be of great benefit to our plans.”

  Interesting!

  The King noticed Lord Berington: “Ah, splendid that you could make it, Lord Berington! There is no more loyal man than you at my court.”

  But how fast the worm turns later on!

  “My King, you know my family’s motto: Loyal till death to the Crown! We Beringtons are proud of those words because my family has lived and died by them several times in the past. I am quite curious as to why you have summoned me now though.”

  The King’s voice suddenly took on a conspiratorial tone: “Patience! This is an explosive matter. I await you later. Here.”

  The King handed the Lord a secret note, which he took and slipped into his pocket without anyone noticing.

  “I understand. In that case, I will chat with some friends to pass the time.”

  “Exactly what I would suggest.”

  Here it is. I have been searching for just such a secret meeting.

  Raiden listened to Berington’s mundane chit-chat, hoping the Lord would read the note in a private moment. It did not happen at once. Bored by the nobles’ chatter, Prince Raiden decided to try his luck by simply searching through the night. But no secret meeting took place that night or on any of the following nights.

  An irritated Raiden eventually had to concede: I have to trawl through a whole tedious day in the life of a nobleman, just to find the point when he finally reads the note. Highly annoying, but there was no other way. After three solid hours the Lord finally glanced at the lines.

  In the chapel of the saints at the third watch on Norinsday.

  We have to act with extreme caution.

  Then the note was thrown into the hearth, burning to ashes in an instant.

  Very well, I wouldn’t have guessed that. I could have searched a long time for this meeting.

  The special day came fourteen days after the short talk with King Vicerion. It was easy to find the right moment. Lord Berington arrived at the chapel at the time specified and he was led into a secret room to find himself in the company of a group of people wearing hooded capes which hid their faces.

  Prince Raiden easily recognized the King’s voice.

  “It is good to have you here. What will be talked of in this place must not go beyond these walls. It is a risky and dangerous undertaking for the sake of Gelderon. Lord Berington, is your loyalty to the Crown as unwavering as you always maintain?”

  The Lord concurred, and the King went on: “Then you are our man. Your part is the most difficult of all, because to serve the Crown you have to betray it. And should the plan fail, you will have no other choice but death.”

  Lord Berington asked cautiously: “And what will we gain if the plan succeeds?”

  “Aspengate and Ardeen at one fell swoop.”

  Raiden whistled through his teeth. You vermin…

  The conversation continued and uncovered even more secrets.

  Lord Berington said: “That is truly a prize worthy of such a risk. What is your plan?”

  The King started to explain: “We will simulate a revolt, so that we can raise troops and gather them at the border with Ardeen without causing a stir. You will lead the rebel army and we – the King’s men – will gather at Tworivers. When the time is right, you will take Aspenway and march straight on to the gate. Your men have to take and hold Aspenway at any cost. Meanwhile, we will invade Ardeen. Our dear neighbors might become suspicious when troops start moving on our side of the border, so we will beg them for help in a time of crisis, making them believe we are unable to deal with the rebellion alone.”

  “And the Black Prince?”

  Ah, they are talking about me again.

  “If all goes to plan, the Black Nightmare will have already gone to his eternal rest.”

  Well, there are worse nicknames.

  Lord Berington was curious: “And how?”

  Yes, how? That’s exactly what I want to k
now too.

  The Prince recognized the next voice to speak right away.

  “I will see to that and I will savor the moment, in return for everything he has done to me.”

  Why does that surprise me? Manipulative bitch.

  “Are you not afraid he will suspect you, my Lady?”

  Lady Chrystell answered with disgust: “Please, Lord Berington! The man is really rather stupid in many ways.”

  Oh! Raiden reacted to that statement vigorously.

  “Even if he mistrusts me, his arrogance and unbearable puffed-up pig-headedness will bring him down.”

  Arrogant? Pigheaded? I’m polite, gallant, spirited and smart. This woman is the worst snake of all!

  “I’ll visit Naganor under false pretenses, concealing my true feelings with an artifact. I shudder just to think of that barbarous and uncultivated place!”

  There, there. What is so terrible about my comfortable home?

  “Then I will mix a love potion into his wine, which he will certainly detect. That is the important moment. If he drinks it, I have won. If not – things will prove more difficult.”

  I drank the potion and I’m still alive.

  Lord Berington also had his doubts: “And a love potion will kill him?”

  If so, I would already have died many times over.

  “Certainly not, but he will be less attentive. He will watch closely the first time, not so much the second time, and no more after that, because he expects it to be a love potion. And then I’ll mix poison into the wine too. It is a special poison, very difficult to sense, even for a mage. And in his flippancy he’ll certainly not look too closely. The love potion disguises the effect of the poison until it is too late. Two or three hours later the poison is incurable and death follows rather inconspicuously. Afterwards the poison can hardly be detected, which is to our benefit. Yes, with luck they will never know the real cause of death.”

  Green quartz poison. Raiden was well-versed in herbs and poisons.