"You knew I was coming?" asked Alex.
"Everyone saw you fly into the city today," chuckled Larc. "I would have been offended if you had not shown."
"You could have jeopardized your cover here," berated Alex. "Any of those people in the common room could have been a spy."
"They are all spies," laughed Larc. "Each and every one of them was a Spider. Of course, none of them knew the others were also Spiders. You should know by now that I do not take chances recklessly."
Alex smiled and shook his head. "I remember when we were young and cocky," he laughed. "It seems so long ago."
"It was a lifetime ago," Larc nodded nostalgically, "and neither of us were ever cocky. At least not to the extent of today's recruits."
"Perhaps not," Alex smiled. "What news do you have for me today?"
"Mostly bad," frowned Larc. "One of your old nemeses is in town. Klarg was seen earlier today at one of the inns. The Falcon's Hood if I am not mistaken."
"You are never mistaken," responded Alex. "Where is he now?"
"Unfortunately, I do not know," replied Larc. "We have a team of artists who regularly visit the common rooms around the city. They draw pictures of strangers and bring them to me. The picture of Klarg set off bells around here. We immediately sent a team to the Falcon's Hood, but Klarg was already gone. I have men searching the city for him."
"This is not a good time for Sarac's Ravens to come to Tagaret," frowned Alex. "It will only complicate things."
"Are you sure that he is still with Sarac's Ravens?" inquired Larc.
"Not positive," admitted Alex, "but I would wager on it. Have your men keep an eye out for Black Devils."
"I shall," nodded Larc. "Just when the city was finally free of them, too."
"Anything else?" questioned Alex.
"Well," shrugged Larc, "you already know about the impending invasion from Sarac's army. That is all that I have that would interest you, but I will offer a personal evaluation on things if you want."
"I always value your input," nodded Alex. "Tell me your thoughts."
"Observations actually," replied Larc. "I have lived in Tagaret all of my adult life. I have served under four kings and a queen. I have been through wars, sieges, revolutions, and the Contest of Power. I was even here for the Collapse. Never has Tagaret had such a bleak future as it does today. It is almost certain that this city will cease to exist in the next few days, but even in that I see a flicker of light."
"If you can find light in this darkness," sighed Alex, "you are a better man than I."
"I doubt that," grinned Larc. "What I mean by light is that this city is energized by King Arik. At any other time in the history of Tagaret, people would have been fighting to flee the city under much less severe problems than what we face today. Instead, the ships that are being used for evacuations are sitting idle. They cannot find people willing to leave Tagaret. Even the women and children refuse to leave."
"Why is that?" asked Jenneva.
"It is all because of King Arik," answered Larc. "These people are willing to die for him. They also have so much faith in him that they feel that he will solve this problem somehow, no matter how illogical that thought is. In short, the citizens are proud to be Alceans and follow King Arik. That spirit alone may save us."
"It will take more than good spirits to save Tagaret," frowned Alex. "Does the army know how futile the situation is?"
"To a man," nodded Larc. "The number of marriages in the city this last week has been astounding. Soldiers volunteer their free time either training citizens to fight or helping to build the defensive works. Nobody is under any illusions concerning the threat to Tagaret."
"I wonder whether their enthusiasm will wane when Sarac's hordes come into view," mused Alex.
"They will be terrified," frowned Larc, "as will I, but their desire to defend this city and King Arik will not diminish. That is something that I will wager on."
* * *
The caravan halted amidst shouts and curses as the wagon sank deeper into the muck. Adan turned around and stared at the long train of wagons winding its way through the swamp.
"Perhaps we should be traveling on the roads," sighed Natia. "That is what they are for evidently."
"You know that I despise roads," retorted Adan. "Gypsies should not be seen. It would just be wrong. Besides, this route has always been safe before, at least as long as I can remember. It was never this wet."
"I doubt that your memory of this trail goes back farther than the Collapse," remarked Tedi. "The removal of the Darkness brings changes in the weather now. I am willing to bet that this was always a swamp until the Darkness halted the rain."
"You are probably right," sighed Adan. Let's go back and help them get this wagon freed of the muck. I do not wish to spend the night in this swamp."
The trio started to backtrack along the trail when Tedi shouted for them to stop.
"What is it?" Adan asked as he looked around nervously.
"A myric," Tedi pointed to a small, quilled animal alongside the trail. "Do not go near it. The quills are deadly poisonous."
"Are you serious?" asked Natia. "I have seen hundreds of them alongside our path through the swamp. Will they attack us?"
"They are not aggressive," frowned Tedi, "unless they are defending their young or their territory. We need to warn the others."
"Natia," ordered Adan, "ride swiftly and inform the others. I will not lose our people through ignorance."
"Wait," Tedi said as he grabbed his bow and nocked an arrow. "If there are that many myrics in here, we should take the time to harvest their quills."
"Harvest their quills?" echoed Adan as Tedi's arrow pierced the myric. "What for?"
"One thing I learned during my time with the Knights of Alcea," replied Tedi, "is that a ready source of myric quills is hard to come by. The quills can be used as a weapon when blown through a reed. It is silent and quick. The victim dies suddenly without even the chance to cry for help. Trust me, we want the quills."
"Deliver the word," Adan nodded to Natia. "Make sure they know enough not to get near the creatures."
"I will demonstrate the method for retrieving and storing the quills," offered Tedi. "For now just have any myrics seen killed by an arrow and advise everyone to stay away from them."
Natia nodded her understanding and charged back along the train of wagons.
"Why have you not mentioned these quills before?" asked Adan. "They sound like the perfect weapon for gypsies."
"I don't know," shrugged Tedi. "I guess I just assumed that everyone knew about myrics. I learned so much from Alex that I cannot imagine how stupid I was before I met him."
"Not stupid," smiled Adan, "just uninformed. Nobody can call my new brother stupid. How are you getting along with your wife?"
"That is the first time that I have heard you use that term," laughed Tedi. "You still call her your little sister."
"And my little sister is what she shall always be to me," grinned the gypsy king. "Still, I guess I may need to be more respectful of her now that she has a husband who can defend her honor."
"As if she needs any help defending herself," chuckled Tedi. "We are as happy as two people could ever be, Adan. I think we have come to a decent agreement that we can exist as gypsies or in the city. We feel comfortable in both places."
"So you will become part-time gypsies then?" asked Adan.
Tedi stared back at the wagon train for a long time before answering. "I like the life of the gypsies," he finally said. "Still, I yearn for the thrill of the city from time to time. Natia does too now. She enjoyed Tagaret very much."
"I know," frowned Adan. "I have heard her many stories, and I see the gleam in her eyes whenever she tells them."
"And you fear that she will leave the tribes?" inquired Tedi.
"She is our princess," shrugged the gypsy king. "If I die, she must be there to lead our people."
"Our people," grinned Tedi. "I like the way you
say that. It is as if you have truly accepted me as a gypsy."
"What?" blustered Adan. "You are a gypsy. Do you think I would give my little sister's hand to a basta? Whatever you were before, you are a gypsy now. You cannot get it out of your blood even if you wanted to."
"Well," smiled Tedi, "this gypsy is about to give a demonstration on gathering myric quills. Would you care to watch?"
"Lead on, Prince of the Gypsies," grinned Adan. "I wish to learn everything you know."
* * *
"This is a wonderful wedding," Fredrik said to King Arik as they stood watching the long lines of people congratulating the bride and groom.
"Much larger than ours was," pouted Niki.
"But I heard the Master Khatama gave you away as a father would," offered King Arik. "Surely that means more to you than a large wedding?"
"You are right," beamed Niki. "And he gave his wagon and everything in it. Wasn't that nice of him?"
"He must love you very much," nodded the king. "You should feel very special."
"Oh," Fredrik said very excitedly, "I almost forgot. He gave me something to give you, Arik."
"To me?" the king asked with surprise. "What is it?"
"Just a minute," Fredrik replied distractedly as he opened his pouch. "Here it is."
Fredrik handed a small box to the king. King Arik took the box and opened it. Inside were two small vials of an amber liquid. A puzzled frown fell over the king's face.
"What is it?" he asked, unaware that others were staring at the contents of the small box from afar.
"I do not know," shrugged Fredrik. "He did not open the box before he gave it to us. It must have been something that he was planning to give to you when he next met with you."
"Then his gift means that we shall not meet again?" posed King Arik.
"That it does," Fredrik nodded sadly. "Whatever the Mage is up to, it means that he will never see any of us again."
"Then this gift must have been important to him," pondered the king. "I wonder how I can determine what it is, and what I am supposed to do with it."
"I am sure that you will figure it out," smiled Fredrik.
"Let's go congratulate Wylan and Sheri," Niki said excitedly. "The line is not so long now."
"I have already done so," responded King Arik. "You two go. I know that will please Wylan immensely. I think your marriage might have been what inspired them."
"Really?" grinned Niki as she tugged on Fredrik's arm.
King Arik did not respond as Niki dragged Fredrik towards the greeting line. He opened the box again and stared at the two vials.
"Do not break them," cautioned Jenneva as she stepped close to the king. "They are precious beyond life."
"You know what they are?" asked the king.
"No, I don't," answered Jenneva, "but I do know what you are supposed to do with them."
"How can you know what to do with them and not know what they are?" quizzed King Arik. "That makes no sense at all."
"A long time ago," Jenneva smiled, "before the birth of Tanya, Alex and I traveled to another Universe. Egam, or Master Khatama as you know him, traveled with us. It was on that trip that we learned the true identity of Egam. That was when we learned that he was the Mage, a timeless immortal soul in human form. It was on that trip that he told us of the Ancient Prophecy and the part that we were to play in it."
"So you were actually bid to search of the Children?" asked the king.
"Oh, yes," nodded Jenneva. "He told us where to find the Sword of Heavens, and how to bind Sarac to his castle prison. The day that Egam told us of the prophecy, he gave Alex and me vials of an amber liquid. He instructed us to drink the contents just before he disappeared."
"And you drank them?" questioned the king. "What happened?"
"We drank them," nodded Jenneva. "Our faith in the Mage was complete and beyond suspicion. As to what happened, we noticed no effects."
"Then what was the purpose of drinking them?" puzzled King Arik.
"Only recently have we begun to have suspicions about the purpose of the concoction," Jenneva replied. "We have come to notice that our old friends and acquaintances appear to have aged more rapidly than Alex and I have."
"You mean that it slows your aging?" inquired the king.
"That is what we suspect," nodded Jenneva. "I think it is significant that the Mage sent the vials to you."
"Why two of them?" asked Arik. "Should I drink both of them?"
"I would think not," Jenneva shook her head. "I would guess that the second vial would be for your mate. Perhaps Egam means to ensure that your reign will last long enough to usher in a time of peace and healing for the world after these traumatic times."
"My mate?" questioned the king. "That is something that I have not even imagined."
"Well," smiled Jenneva, "I am just guessing about the purpose of the second vial. Perhaps drinking the second one might slow your aging process down even more than the first alone. We really have no way of determining its purpose."
"Other than to understand that the Mage means it to be used for the betterment of all of us," nodded King Arik. "This is something that I must dwell upon."
"I have faith that you will do what is right," smiled Jenneva. "You certainly appear to have a talent for sensing what needs to be done and when it needs doing."
Chapter 7
Candles of Devotion
Alex filled two mugs with ale and walked over to the large group assembled in the garden of the Royal Palace for the wedding of Wylan and Sheri. The garden filled with soldiers and citizens alike and was seen as more than just a wedding party. It was a symbolic farewell to the great city, which was now the capital of Alcea. Neither the citizens nor the soldiers where under any misconception that they would win the battle against Sarac's forces, but everyone was determined to stay and fight. Alex walked up to the group and handed a mug to Konic Clava.
"You looked thirsty," smiled Alex. "How are you enjoying the party?"
"I am," nodded Konic. "Thank you for your consideration. I must admit that I was concerned about having such a party on the eve of battle, but everyone appears to be behaving quite well."
"If your concern was the free ale," responded Alex, "you need not have any fear. The soldiers know well the effects of ale. I doubt you would find a fighting man who consumes more than two mugs this night."
"That was one of my concerns," admitted Konic.
"The people of Tagaret have worked hard and long to prepare Tagaret as best they could," Alex continued. "I think this party is a grand idea. It is little reward for their industry, and many will never see another day after tomorrow."
"Do you really think it is as bleak as everyone else thinks?" questioned Konic.
"It is bleaker than Tagaret has ever faced before," Alex replied grimly. "I have faced this coming army at the Castle of Man. The likes of ogres, goblins, and yaki cannot be reasoned with. There will be no demands for surrender, no white flags of truce. Once the battle is engaged, it will be to the death. Aye, Councilor, it is bleak indeed."
"So even you see no hope then?" frowned Konic.
"There is always hope," Alex shook his head. "The regulars are well trained now. The Red Swords are the finest fighting force alive, and the Rangers will kill in the most unorthodox ways. We could not be defended by a finer army. Still, we are outnumbered by more than ten to one. Worse yet is the balance of magicians. There are hundreds of Black Devils coming against us. While I am sure that none can match Jenneva's skills, our small group of mages can only accomplish so much. I fully expect to see them try to neutralize our magicians early in the battle."
"How can they do that?" probed Konic.
"If they concentrate their magic on our mages, instead of our army," Alex explained, "they will have effectively neutralized our magicians. Our mages will spend all of their energy trying to protect themselves and each other."
"While Sarac's creatures try to gain access to the city," nodded Konic. "I s
ee where you are coming from. Is there a way to counteract that?"
"Kill their mages," declared Alex. "If I see a chance to do that, you may wager that I will."
"I realize that we are in a bad situation," interjected Fredrik, "but wouldn't it be better for morale to make believe that we had a chance of winning this fight?"
"That would be a false promise of hope," Konic shook his head. "The truth is always best, even when it bodes ill for you."
"The false hope would last only until the battle was engaged," added Alex. "What would the lies have brought you? The likely answer to that question is disappointment when the truth was known. Look around at the soldiers present here. Each and every one of them knows our chances of victory tomorrow, but yet they stand ready to die. They have not given up hope of victory, but they realize that the odds are not good. There is a significant difference between those two emotions. Nobody here would be willing to say that defeat is certain, and each person will fight like their actions can make a difference in the outcome. You could not ask for more dedication than that."
"I suppose," frowned Fredrik, "but then I have used lies during my life merely to make myself feel better. It helped at the time."
"Did it really?" probed Alex. "When the truth was finally known, did you not feel a great letdown?"
Fredrik thought for a long time before answering. "I guess I did," he finally nodded.
"Conversely," Alex persisted, "how did you feel when your thoughts were focused on failure, yet you managed to win? Like when Niki ran away and was surrounded by yaki?"
"Jubilant," nodded Fredrik. "I see now what you are saying. But what effect will your truth have on the men where there is no victory?"
"No effect at all," Alex frowned. "Without victory, none of the men will be alive to have any thoughts. Do not misunderstand me. I would much prefer to go into tomorrow's battle full of hope for victory, but I will not delude myself to obtain that feeling. When that feeling comes, it will be because there is true hope."
"Do you think that is possible?" questioned Fredrik.
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