Ardeen, Volume 1: The Circle of Magic

by Sigrid Kraft

  What they are talking about here is the poison of a rare spider.

  And his thoughts returned to the day of his departure, when Lady Chrystell had ordered the servant to bring wine to his room, and Raiden had been too busy to drink. The scales fell from his eyes. How lucky he had been!

  I must be more cautious in future.

  “The plan has many pitfalls,” Lord Berington remarked, and the King agreed: “That’s true. Great risk for all of us and particularly for you, my Lord. There are several possible outcomes. Number one: All goes to plan and Ardeen is soon no more, while you are fully rehabilitated as a brave hero and may write your name into the history books.

  Number two: It succeeds only partly. Then you will entrench yourself in the mountain valleys and hold the gate. No mage can harm you in what they call the Unhaer. Their army would need to be enormous to prize you out of there again. The countries on the other side of the gate will not care who they are trading with. Officially Gelderon will declare you an outlaw; unofficially we will maintain excellent trading relations with each other. Ardeen loses its gate and we control the lucrative trade routes again. History will consider you a traitor to the Crown, but no suspicion can be allowed to fall on us – for the good of the whole of Gelderon.”

  “And if all goes wrong?”

  “Then, Lord Berington, the Crown demands proof of your unshakable loyalty. You must not betray us to the enemies. As I said: For the good of Gelderon. You may certainly choose how it is done, but I would advise poison: One no mage is able to cure.”

  A short, somber silence followed. Then Lord Berington declared in a firm voice: “I am your man, my King – whatever the consequences.

  The risk is great, but the prize outweighs the danger.”

  Raiden tried to discover who the other conspirators were, but only the King, Lord Berington and the fragrant Lady Chrystell spoke during this secret meeting. Three more conspirators were present, though the Prince could only hazard a guess as to their identity. He supposed them to be General Albreit and Lord Hochwitz. He had no idea who the third hooded figure could be.

  For a while, the King talked through the details of their treacherous plan, concentrating on how they would simulate the act of revolution. Eventually the King embraced the Lord and said farewell:

  “My dear Lord, this will be our only meeting. With all my heart I sincerely hope that I will welcome you home again as our great hero.”

  Lord Berington departed.

  With the spell over, Raiden ran first to his study to check if the glass of wine was still there. He had hardly been there recently and had forgotten about it. The glass was gone, however.

  I hope no one drank the poison. The Prince rejected the possibility.

  If one of the servants had drunk the wine, I would have been informed about a sudden death here in the citadel. As that hasn’t happened, I imagine the wine was simply thrown away.

  Relieved, he allowed himself to drop with exhaustion into a chair. He had now had two close shaves with death within a few days, and that was quite something even for the Black Prince. The whole thing was madness.

  Nevertheless, Raiden was not allowed to rest for even a moment. As soon as he sat down, a guard entered and stated that Lord Boron and the other officers were downstairs in the hall. His Highness had himself ordered them to a meeting to discuss promotions, and the gentlemen had been waiting for almost an hour already.

  Of course. It just slipped my mind.

  An exhausted Prince Raiden forced himself up again and descended to the hall.

  His commanders Sir Oswold, Sir Wylden, Sir Haerkin, Sir Heime, Sir Draken and Lord Boron were all present and saluted their Prince.

  “My apologies for the delay, gentlemen. I was dealing with an important matter.”

  It was not the first time that Raiden had made others wait, so his commanders were not particularly surprised.

  “Lord Boron, could you brief me again? I know we have already discussed it, but recent days have been rather busy, and I am a little hazy on the details.”

  The Prince took his place on the throne, which was a good deal more uncomfortable than the chair in his study. Once he was seated, his commanders did likewise, and Lord Boron began:

  “My Prince, we suffered great losses in II and V Companies, whereas IV Company was focused on tactical reconnaissance, and therefore less involved in the battle, resulting in minor losses. Three troop leaders also died in action, and Sir Draken suggests that we promote Sir Galden to his staff. The first point on our agenda is whether the Guard should be returned to its former strength or whether you would be happy with a force of fewer men.”

  “Since when have I been happy with fewer men?” the Prince replied testily.

  Lord Boron did not take this sharp answer seriously. Raiden complained if he were not consulted and annoyed if he had to make a decision. There was no pleasing him.

  “So, the Guard will return to its former strength.” Lord Boron made a note of that, then continued: “We require four Guard leaders, assuming that you agree with the promotion of Sir Galden to Sir Draken’s staff.”

  The Prince was still thinking about the plot he had just uncovered and only half-listening. Suddenly he realized that everyone was looking at him expecting an answer. Dragged away from his thoughts, he quickly said: “Yes, certainly. I trust Sir Draken’s judgment in this matter.”

  They now went on to discuss the matter of promoting new troop leaders, and it was not so easy to reach agreement here. Sir Wylden suggested one of his own men be promoted to that rank in his Company. That seemed reasonable, but things were different in III Company, and a heated debate ensued.

  Sir Draken’s Company had the most free positions to fill, but III Company consisted almost entirely of new recruits, and only one man in that company was considered truly suitable for that rank. Sir Haerkin was suggesting his own men for the vacant positions. He argued that they were all sons of nobility and that most noblemen were trained to lead right from childhood. Sir Heime kept himself out of the argument, as his mages were unsuitable for a normal company anyway. Sir Wylden and Sir Oswald also made nominations.

  Sir Draken had no intention of taking any of Sir Haerkin’s men and he argued that since they had not played any part in the fighting, they would find it hard to be accepted by the men. A man from I Company would be much more suitable, but unfortunately they had not been in the fighting either. The argument went back and forth, while the Prince sat bored and absent-minded on his throne.

  My head aches. I am still feeling the effects of the destroying spell and really need to rest up and recover fully...

  “Are you well, my Prince?” Lord Boron asked anxiously.

  Raiden was startled: “What? Why?”

  “Well, we asked you for your opinion and you did not react at all.”

  Must have missed that. Yet another decision. Why can’t they just give me a list to sign? Instead of bickering like furies.

  “Gentlemen, it cannot be that difficult. Let us take one from I Company, one from III Company and...” Suddenly the Prince remembered what Master Eriwen had told him. “... what about the man who killed the enemy mages in the battle? He has proved his bravery and foresight. If that mage had not died so soon, Master Eriwen would have had great difficulties. This courageous action contributed to the battle’s outcome.”

  His commanders were not convinced by this idea.

  Sir Draken replied with something approaching disapproval: “My Prince, this man acted willfully, not obeying orders. He was reckless and immature. Would you really want to promote such a man? At Aspenway it was only his own life he was risking, but if he had men in his charge, such actions would be, well, irresponsible.”

  Sir Draken may have a point, but I want to have the last word right now to put an end to this useless squabbling. And the idea pleases me. “Gentlemen, the fact remains that this man had a crucial influence on the outcome of the battle. The men need heroes, and I think the Guard
would approve this promotion. Responsibility can change a man, turning immaturity into caution. In any case I am sure that we will enjoy a peaceful existence for the foreseeable future. At least if my little trick with the destroying spell has become the stuff of legend.” He added determinedly: “I consider it a good choice and, so that we can finally finish this, I order his promotion herewith.”

  Sir Draken did not look at all happy and he carefully remarked: “My Prince, do you really intend to make Ravenor an officer?”

  Ah, you might have told me that before. If I change my mind now, it doesn’t look good.

  The Prince was well aware that all eyes were on him, but he acted unperturbed.

  “I made my decision impartially. Is there a problem?”

  Sir Draken conceded obediently: “No, my Prince. One last question: The recruit Eryn is demanding that you promote him to be a regular soldier, saying that you granted him five days’ leave and also promised him a reward of one hundred gold pieces. I can scarcely believe that, since he did not even take part in the battle. Whenever a superior asks him about his great deed, he does confirm... well, he refuses to talk about it and replies only that we should ask you. I assume he is not quite right in the head.”

  They will probably think I am insane now. Raiden shrugged his shoulders slightly:

  “No, no, that is all correct. I have decided to reward him for his achievements in... cooking.”

  The Prince had no need to try and read their thoughts. Their faces spoke volumes. He quickly dismissed his officers before any other matters could be raised.

  I have really had enough for today. I will talk to Danian now and then I will do nothing but rest.

  Raiden had a long talk with the King, giving his brother a full picture of the intrigues he had discovered. Then he left all political matters to Danian, as he hated that whole business anyway.

  Danian will do the right thing. My reaction to the affair would be too emotional. I would raze Gelderon to the ground. That nest of vipers does nothing but distract me from my own plans.

  What do a few plots of land and mastery over fools mean anyway? They mean nothing but inescapable bondage.

  I want to be free: Master of none, servant to none. So I must one day succeed in breaking the soulban, which weighs upon me so heavily, and regain my freedom at last.

  Dear Reader,

  We hope you have enjoyed reading Ardeen - The Circle of Magic. If you would like to share your impressions with others, why not write a review of the book? We have nothing against less positive comments, provided the criticism they contain is constructive and fair. After all, such contributions can support us in our efforts to improve the world of Ardeen, which is something we are very keen to do. But we are, of course, especially pleased to read positive reviews, as these are enormously motivating when it comes to writing further adventures, and also encourage other readers to get to know our heroes.

  Best regards, Sigrid Kraft