Aran nodded, and gestured that the others should sit, “There is much truth in what you say Trevan.” He turned to the silent figure seated by, “For this calmness you must owe Lady Alissa, only she has wrought the change.”
Trevan bowed his head to Alissa, “We are indebted to you Lady. There is little I think the Healermages could have done to settle Arantur’s unique problem.”
Alissa shook her head, “I have done nothing, most of the resolution I believe has come from Aran.” She turned to face the High Earthmage, “How go the mages?”
Drayden grinned wryly, “No dishonour to my Lord Arantur there, but the mages flap around like startled chickens that have seen a fox in the hen run.”
“And the Archmage?” Aran questioned softly.
“He says little,” the High Earthmage looked hard and long at his king. “My Lord, although I cannot excuse the actions of Archmage Maran, I do know he works for the good of the province and not against it.”
Aran nodded, “I understand your words Mage Drayden, but unfortunately I cannot forgive nor forget that Maran deliberately withheld his hand, and let all those men die unnecessarily.”
Trevan nodded unhappily, “Glaive too is divided on this issue.”
Drayden bent forward his face a study in worry, “I am not the Archmage to offer you sage advice lord….”
Aran stared at the Earthmage, “Drayden, I do not think I could yet trust myself or my temper around Maran. Yet the reality is that I need a representative that has the Archmage’s ear and who stands in Glaive’s High Circle.”
Aran turned to Trevan, “My old friend, I trust you over any other mage, but as Mage Drayden is senior in rank to you, I must ask him instead to be my voice and ear at Glaive.”
Trevan smiled wryly, “My lord, I am relieved only not to be asked, for in truth I am too old to be involved in politics. My simple ambition is only to aid and heal the sick and wounded.”
“An honourable and worthy ambition,” agreed Alissa calmly.
“And not one to be overlooked or spoken lightly of,” Aran added. “But do not think I am letting you entirely off Trevan. I will need your strength and wisdom even more now….”
“So what now lords?” Darven had been sitting back quietly, listening to the low conversation of the mages. “Do we wait here and prepare for the great battles to come? Or do we once again take the battle to the Thakur?”
“My soldiering days are over” Aran said quietly, flatly. “I have an errand now that will take me deep into Thakur.” He gazed around the faces of his friends, “You all know that I must confront the enemy Warleader. The one I have been told of, who names herself Se-Taanata.”
“Rallying-Cry,” murmured Drayden enigmatically.
“What?” Aran turned to the High Earthmage questioningly.
Drayden shrugged, “When I was scouting in Thakur I picked up a little of their language. Se-Taanata—as close as I can translate, means ‘Rallying-Cry’.”
“Not a name given at birth,” Bini mused to himself. “But one assumed in later life, like the plainsnames.” Seeing the other’s mystified faces, he glanced across at Alissa and Drayden and strove to explain.
“I see the heritage of the plains stamped clearly upon those two there,” the plainsman said simply. “If their ancestors had not forsaken the plains they may have been granted names like Alissa Sworddaughter and Drayden Eaglekin.”
Aran smiled, “I think I understand…” He turned to the plainsman, “At birth you would have been named Bini. When and why did you get the name Stardreamer?”
The warrior smiled in recollection.
“Plainschildren are given their second names once their bodies change into adults.” He grinned, “As a child I was much given to lying on my back at night and watching the stars.” He frowned remembering, “Once as a child I dreamt that a great winged star would rise and travel slowly across the night sky. Then days later, when the winged star did indeed rise, my parents thought they had birthed a great SpiritDreamer.” He laughed, “That however was my only brush with the unseen world of omens and truedreams, but it gained me my name.”
“Precognition of the natural world is one of the primary aspects of the Earthmage,” murmured Drayden, gazing at the plainsman. “You might have an Ability, young man.”
The warrior shook his head, “It only happened once….”
“Once is enough…” he moved over to where Bini and Darven were seated, “May I Scan you?” he asked.
Bini shrugged, and then stiffened as he felt for the first time the residual heat of a Scanning. Aran watched as he saw Drayden take a deep breath, and collect himself after the Scanning. Silently he went back to his chair and sat down, a little too heavily Aran thought, after such a simple application of the magepower.
“So?” Aran asked.
Drayden stared narrowly across at the two soldiers.
“The world is becoming a very strange place my lord Arantur,” he said at last.
Aran frowned, “Is there a problem, Drayden?”
Drayden moistened suddenly dry lips, “I was correct, Plainsman Bini Stardreamer is a latent Earthmage, however there was something else…I picked up a bounce from Wolf Leader Darven.”
Darven sat upright, his face a mirror of puzzlement.
“A bounce?” Aran asked.
Darven shook his head in perplexity, “Sometimes a Scan will echo or bounce off another mage, especially if that mage is seated or standing next to the person being Scanned.”
Aran’s face brightened, “Are you trying to tell me that Darven has a latent Ability.”
The High Earthmage nodded and there was a strangled sound of horror from the Wolf Leader.
“What Ability?” Alissa asked quietly.
The High Earthmage’s eyes slewed around to rest upon the pale face of his king.
“Warriormage.”
Aran’s breath hissed out, “Are you certain?”
The golden-haired mage nodded, and then strove to explain. “When first I met you King Arantur, I saw immediately your Metalmage Ability, and behind that I sensed another Ability. At that time it was a lesser one and it was almost hidden by the strength of the other.” He paused, “When you were scanned at Glaive by the High Circle I was given a name for that other Ability…it was called Warriormage. Once I felt that particular Ability, I never forgot it, but I never thought to feel it again in another living man.” He turned to face Darven, “Until now.”
Darven could not keep silent, “You must be wrong, I am no mage.”
He frantically turned to Aran, “Drayden said the bounce may have come from another mage. Perhaps he felt your Warriormage Ability lord?”
Aran turned to the High Earthmage, “That is true, are you certain you sensed the Ability coming from Darven?”
Drayden nodded uncomfortably, “Aye lord. Each mage has their own unique signature overwritten upon their Ability. I know yours lord, I felt its use much during the ambush…and after…”
He paused, “I am not mistaken. Wolf Leader Darven is a latent Warriormage.”
Darven sat down heavily upon the stool. Bini, who had accepted his own news with greater equanimity, put a comforting hand on the other man’s shoulder.
“How can this be?” Alissa asked. “All thought that Aran was the last living Warriormage.”
“The Goddess works her will,” Trevan muttered enigmatically. “The power within the land itself is seeing the lack and is bringing to the fore Abilities which are the most needed.”
“So there will be others,” Aran said finally, consideringly.
“Perhaps,” replied Trevan. “Although it may be useful indeed to Scan all the Guard, seeing as the Andurian Guard are all elite soldiers, there may well be more in its ranks possessing that latent Ability.”
“I thought Warriormageing was an Ability that could only be passed through families,” Aran asked in some confusion. “I know it was within the Andurian line for Andur himself was a latent Warriormage. Weren’t the others o
f his calling killed during the Serat invasion?”
Trevan nodded, “That is true enough…however the Goddess works her will. He turned to Darven, “Do not be alarmed Wolf Leader, for I think this Ability of yours has only roused itself within the last number of weeks. I believe that if you had been Scanned months earlier, nothing would have been found.”
Darven nervously chewed his bottom lip, “So what does it mean?”
Trevan turned to his king, “Ask Arantur here…he is the only one who has any idea of this.”
Aran stared at the Wolf Leader with new, considering eyes.
“Prepare for the rage, Darven,” he replied quietly. “It is as interlaced with the Ability as breathing is for a living man.”
“Can I ignore it? Not train it. It might go away.” the young Guard leader asked desperately.
Aran shook his head, sorrowing for the pain, anger and confusion that would almost certainly come to his friend.
“If the war itself is the catalyst for the re-emergence of the ancient Abilities,” Trevan replied inscrutably. “Then you will almost certainly have no choice but to use it.”
“If you can successfully leash your emotions,” Aran added quietly, “Then you already have a key to its control.” He stared at Darven with a grim face, “This Ability is not an easy thing to bear, and I mourn with you about its finding.”
Aran looked up, and met the eyes of the High Earthmage. “I’d rather you did not tell the Archmage about this,” he said. “I will have a word with Captain Taran and get him to send to you for Scanning any of the Guard who seem to be fighting above and beyond their normal ability…”
“The Archmage really ought to know…” Drayden interrupted.
Aran laughed dryly, “I think it would vastly upset him to learn that there is another latent Warriormage in the camp—besides in the past the Warriormages and Metalmages kept themselves apart from the other mages of Glaive. I think we ought to reinstate that practice, for I believe there is little the other disciplines can teach us. Already I am finding out that the keys and skills for these ancient Abilities are very different to what is taught at Glaive College.” He glanced across at Trevan, “Although I will ask to impose on either yourself or Mage Trevan to teach the aids to concentration to Darven.”
Drayden nodded, “That we can do. You think then to reestablish Rapier again?”
“I don’t know,” Aran shrugged, “It will be up to those found. If most of them are discovered within the Guard then they already have a career there.”
He sighed and glanced across at Darven’s troubled face, “We can do nothing yet except Scan the ones who show most promise. A college, if there is to be one, will have to be something that is addressed after the war is over.”
Darven nodded his agreement, happy to delay any formalisation of his newly found Ability.
Aran turned back to Drayden, “However I must pull us back to the matter at hand. How soon would you be able to give us a long range surveillance report?
”I have rested,” Drayden replied immediately. “I can effect a transformation any time necessary.”
Aran stood, “Then do so at once High Earthmage…I would like to know where the enemy is, and their numbers.”
*
By mid-morning teams of legio had been organised to construct wooden fortifications around the camp and to dig the first of the stake lined defensive pits. Already the first of the supply wagons had been sighted trundling in from the east, and the digging men cheered considerably with the thought of food fresh from the near market town of Eldenton.
Later in the day Aran walked the camp with his commanders, overseeing and observing the military preciseness of the Legions at work.
“We do this all the time on manoeuvres,” explained Commander Terdec, proudly staring at the precision and order of the camp. He looked back at the others and grinned, “Mind you this is the first time we’ve properly been able to put into place everything we’ve practiced…” He gazed at the endless orderly rows of white canvas tents, “We have already learnt a lot from this campaign.”
Aran stared at the long rows of tents, “How did the march from Leigh go, Commander Druec?”
“It was as well that most of the snow fell after we reached the gathering point,” Camp Commander Druec growled, replying. “Else the infantry would have had a heavy march indeed if we had to slog through all this melting snow.”
“At least you did not have to ride for leagues after fighting all day,” Terdec replied cheerfully, his face pinched red and white with the cold. “Now that was the stuff of epics. I only wish we had a bard along to record the day.”
“That I do not wish,” Aran said shortly, “I for one would rather forget that day. We lost far too many lives for my peace of mind.”
“You think so my lord?” Terdec asked curiously. “Just over a hundred were lost and the enemy had frightening casualties. I actually think we did rather well.”
Aran shook his head, “I count even one life lost as one too many. We can ill-afford to lose soldiers, especially since we have heard no word from the plainsmen.”
“Aye,” Commander Urskar of the First Haulgard Legion sighed. “We could do with more cavalry; I know that my men and mounts are still recovering. We would be indeed hard pressed to field a strong force if the enemy showed itself in the next few days.”
Aran stopped and stared into the overcast western sky then turned back to his companions.
“Don’t worry about that,” he reassured them. “We should be getting reports back soon from the Earthmages, besides…” and he gazed back towards the west, “The enemy are a long way away…even with my farsight I cannot sense them.”
“There is some movement in the mountains to the far west of Riggeltz,” Darven murmured his eyes distant, vacant and dreaming.
Almost disbelieving Aran turned to his friend, “You can sense them?”
Darven’s face tightened, “I’m not certain, but as I was listening to the conversation I got the vague impression of a large body of infantry gathering deep within the western mountains, and also small numbers of troops on the plain near Riggeltz.”
His body suddenly tensed and his face contorted, “What in the hell was that…?”
“Pull away, now!” Aran commanded, physically grabbing his friend’s arm.
Darven dropped to his knees, and spasmodically vomited onto the snow. Hunkering down, Aran put an arm about his friend’s shoulders until the involuntary shaking fit was over.
Drained, Darven looked across to meet the concerned eyes of his king.
“What was that…thing?”
“Our enemy,” Aran replied simply. “You made my initial mistake and went too close and tasted the control she has over her troops.” He shook his head, “You seem to have a natural flair for this Darven, but I would advise you not to attempt to farsee again until you have learnt to block your thoughts. Her grasp may yet be distant, however it is insidious and it would be too easy to fall into her control.” Aran stood up, wincing a little at the tightness in his legs, “As soon as Drayden returns I must talk with him about Scanning the Guard and the others here…we will urgently need to teach blocks to all the new Warriormages.”
“Warriormages?” Commander Sennar whispered the dreadful word. “We have more Warriormages?”
Aran caught the eye of the cavalry legio, and nodded gravely.
“Aye…only this morning Wolf Leader Darven was discovered to have the latent Ability.” He stared at each officer long and hard, “We expect that there will be more found, for the war itself seems to be triggering the Ability in the best of our soldiers.”
“Even legio?” asked Urskar.
Aran nodded, “I expect even legio will be found with the Ability.” He turned and regarded the building of the fortifications, “I urge you to look for any man whom you think is fighting above his natural ability. Watch too for those in the Legions who seem to possess unique talents, or perhaps possess an inexplicable rage
or temper.” His eyes hardened, “Find out too if any man seems to be sensing the whereabouts of the enemy, for I would rather have everyone here Scanned than let a latent Warriormage slip through our fingers and into the control of the enemy.”
“I will make a general proclamation throughout the Legions,” stated Sennar, turning as if to go.
“No!” Aran half cried. “I don’t want this generally known. In strictest confidence only let your officers know what to look for. Then send for either mage Trevan or Drayden and they will Scan any you suspect.”
“You think there will be many, lord?” Captain Taran asked, a frown beetling his brows.
Aran shrugged, “I honestly don’t know, however it is vitally important that any suspect soldier is Scanned. It’s going to be horribly difficult, for we don’t have the time or resources to train new Warriormages. The least we can do is to teach them blocks, and then hopefully we won’t run the risk of our finest soldiers being taken over and used against us.”
“What if …” Urskar could not finish his question, as it was too horrible to contemplate.
“Some Warriormages slip through and are possessed?” Terdec grimly finished it for him.
Aran’s eyes hardened, “As much as I hate the thought, however any soldier so possessed by the enemy will need to be executed. I am the first of the Warriormages, and my knowledge is scarce indeed. If we find one who has been overcome I will try and turn him back, but if I fail we have no other option.”
“What about the Healermages?” queried Terdec, “They worked well on the wounded after the ambush. Surely they could help?”
Aran shook his head. He had grave misgivings about the effectiveness of a Healermage in dealing with the possession of a Warriormage.
“Could we not imprison them? Make certain they are well guarded, so they are no longer a risk to the army,” Urskar asked, unhappy at the thought of even one of his men possessing the Ability.
Aran’s eyes grew bleak with bitter memories.
“When the rage comes to a Warriormage,” Aran stated coldly, “I doubt even rope or chain could hold them.”
*
The High King: Book Two of the 'Riothamus' trilogy Page 29