A Darkness Unleashed (Book 2)

by J. T. Hartke

  His Lordship Doran Varlan

  Tightness in her chest weakened her knees, forcing her to lean against a water barrel. I thought I’d escaped this kind of flaming thing!

  She looked up to see Ami, her sympathetic face framed by snow-white tresses.

  “I know you didn’t seek all of this,” Ami said, “but many of us have unexpected forces change our lives. I never wanted my Talent, and see where it led me?” She shook her head. “Living up to the unexpected…that’s what being an adult means.”

  “But what about…” Maddi looked at Tanya. “I worry I’m not here enough.”

  Ami shook her head. “I am. And I’m happy to do it. I love her as much as you do.” She shrugged her shoulders. “If you don’t do the big things to protect us from the greater threats in life, none of the little things will matter anyway.”

  Suddenly aware of Tanya listening to every word, Maddi calmly folded the letter and placed it in the satchel she carried. “Very well. If I have to play their game, then that’s what I’ll do. The king is arriving in two days—”

  “The king!” Tanya covered her mouth in excitement.

  “Yes.” Ami eyed the girl. “So you’d better behave. I hear he takes misbehaved children and puts them in his dungeon.”

  Tanya’s voice quivered with uncertainty. “He doesn’t.”

  “I’ve heard the same thing,” Maddi added. “I’d be a little nervous if I were you. You probably should never leave the house without Ami or me to watch over you.” She gave that a moment to sink in while Tanya screwed up her forehead in concerned thought. “Now, I need to clean up. Then we will have supper.”

  Leaving Tanya to argue with Ami over what they would eat, Maddi slipped into her private room. She tossed her satchel on the bed and collapsed beside it. Pulling out the invitation from the duke’s son, she saw the worn piece of folded parchment she always kept somewhere close by. She grabbed it, feeling the difference between its thin paper and the thick linen on which the invitation had been written. It reminded her of another she had burned weeks ago.

  Maddi carefully unfolded Tallen’s one note he had written her from the Isle of Wizards, and read it for the hundredth time.

  Maddi,

  I miss you. I’m sorry to start with something so simple, but that’s really all I can think of to say. I miss it when you smile. I miss it when you laugh. I miss it when you look at me like I’m an idiot, which you are probably doing right now. I miss that…

  I’m learning so much, and personal time is rare here. I don’t know how often I’ll be able to write. Boats do not dock as often as I hoped, and this captain only gave me a few hours to finish this note. I had already written it a dozen times, but each time I threw it away, so now I only have one chance to get it right.

  I hope you are learning as much or more about being a Doctor as I am about being a mage. Not only have both Dorias and Tomas taught me things, but so have a dozen other wizards here on the Isle. Varana herself teaches me almost every day. I cannot believe she is the same woman of legend. She feels like a normal person mostly. Yet at times, I can see the thousand-year-old elf sorceress. To be honest, she scares me.

  I’m running out of paper, and the captain said only one page. I hope you are happy, but not too happy without me around. I’m much happier when I’m around you.

  I…I want to spend much more time together.

  Tallen

  “I love you too,” she whispered, “even if you can’t say it yet.”

  Only a small group of the duke’s family and closest retainers gathered at the peak of the citadel tower. Maddi sighed with relief when Captain Ranier stepped onto the balcony, a freshly pressed, brown-trimmed cloak on his shoulders. He offered her a tight smile, before greeting the lords.

  Maddi moved to the parapet, focused on a blur along the eastern horizon that obscured the sunrise. The murmur of noble whispering disappeared as a low rumble rose even to their expansive height. The rumble soared until Maddi felt it in her stomach.

  Across the Stonebourne Fork where it flowed past the city docks, a few tall banners peeked over the shoreline. Blue pennants spangled with silver dragons fluttered in long, serpentine arcs. Moments later several different ones lifted into view: a seahawk on turquoise and amethyst, a blue tulip on yellow. A cluster of crossed hammers and pale green bridges crested at the northern end, while a banner of three golden trees and another with a red horse appeared to the south. More and more flags came over the ridgeline, soon followed by the thousands upon thousands of men who carried them. Knights on horseback moved in battalions, while even greater numbers of infantrymen marched to a steady drumbeat carrying pikes, spears, and longswords.

  Maddi could not avoid a shocked gasp. “I’ve never seen so many,” she whispered behind her hand.

  “Few have.” Captain Ranier, finished with his noble visits, had found his way close by. “King Arathan has raised an army unlike any seen since, well since the beginnings of his reign. Some say it is larger than the one he led at the Battle of the Andon Delta, though Arathan is probably one of the few still alive from that time, so only he could say for certain.”

  Maddi nodded, paying only partial attention. Her focus remained on a small party who rode out from the ferry landing on the far side of the Stonebourne. A dozen horsemen in green and blue rode under the dragon banner and the stonewall pennant of Gavanor. Maddi sucked in a breath when she recognized what could only be Prior Edwyn among them, dressed in black and white robes. They crossed the few yards of floodplain to meet the van of the army, where several of the most common banners clustered together, including the Sigil of Balance.

  Squinting at the distance, Maddi saw that they exchanged formal greetings, including the duke’s son dismounting and bowing low before the king. Maddi picked Arathan out of the crowd, his white armor catching the few rays of clouded sun. He signaled to his commanders, and the army proceeded toward the ferry landings, where hundreds of boats had gathered.

  Captain Ranier laughed. “Perhaps now His Majesty will fund the bridge we’ve been calling for, though I doubt the duke really wants it.” He leaned toward Maddi to whisper. “Easier to control the price on a ferry.”

  Maddi looked at the army, which continued to line up in the distance, as far as she could see. “How long will it take to bring them all across?”

  “Probably two or three days. They will assemble to the north of the city where a staging area has been organized.”

  The king rode his horse onto the first boat, along with Doran Varlan and a few dozen other nobles. They left their bannermen waiting along the docks for another craft. Maddi scanned the far side. The prior remained along the shore, talking to a fat man in matching robes underneath the Sigil of Balance.

  “Damn,” she grumbled under her breath. “Now he’s here. All I need is the Lord Doctor.”

  Ranier tried to follow her line of vision. “What do you mean?”

  She shook her head. “I have a feeling like our work just had sentence passed.”

  The engineer frowned, concern deepening on his features. “I still don’t quite follow.”

  Maddi patted his thick shoulder. “Never mind, Captain.” She played at the strings on her dress. She needed to get her leathers on. “If you are up for it, I’ll see you at the hospital site in an hour.”

  Ranier placed his hand on her elbow to stop her before she moved away. “You have many friends, Maddi. I’m not without resources.”

  She gave him a weak smile. “I know, Captain. Thank you.”

  Not quite an hour later, more comfortable in her simple leathers, Maddi walked onto the hospital grounds. The workers at the site hoisted rafters and set floor joists, ignoring the arrival of a vast army outside the wall. She smiled at them. If they can get paid today, they will be here, not down with the gawkers.

  The workers all bowed to her with respect, their
diverse backgrounds showing in their faces. The refugees had come from all over the west, including the mixed bag of the Free Cities. This surplus of multi-skilled labor resulted in the great speed with which Maddi’s vision had risen to reality. Yet it also brought the city to the edge of chaos, so many different people who did not know or trust each other crowded into one place.

  Maddi threw herself into the work, helping spread mortar with one group before assisting a crane crew in sliding a rafter into place. As the morning wore on, she noticed more soldiers walking along the streets in twos and threes. At first, they were mostly officers and nobles, but soon enlisted men began strolling in, their voices louder and more gruff, though their arms had been left in camp.

  Around midday she stopped for lunch with the engineers, Captain Ranier now in his working clothes as well. She enjoyed the barley porridge, once she had poured enough dark brown honey into it. The men also tore into a smoked ham, but meat did not appeal to Maddi as much as it once did. It always reminded her that the many bodies she had healed were little more than meat themselves.

  Afterward, Maddi looked over Ranier’s shoulder, watching him add the final touches to some of the interior plans. A commotion rose down at the worksite’s edge, drawing her gaze. A large group of armed men pushed their way through the thin line of folk watching the construction. Most of the men wore black polished armor with white tabards. A few priests in black and white robes strutted along with them, one being the prior, while another slowed the entire procession with his waddling gait.

  Most of the crowd made way, while quite a few bowed with deep respect for the High Elder of the Temple. When she noticed the sickening smile on the prior’s face, Maddi considered running as her best option. Instead, she strode to meet the party, a generous grin plastered to her mouth.

  “Prior Edwyn, it is so good to see you returned.” She bowed her head. “And I have never had the honor of meeting the man that can only be the High Elder. Thank you for blessing our site, sir.”

  The knights halted and the prior and his acolytes lined up beside them. High Elder Varon Hastrian waddled his way to the fore, dabbing his sweaty, balding pate with a silk kerchief.

  “Miss Conaleon,” he began. “I have heard your name before, though in Daynon it was affixed to some blasphemous moniker that I am certain you did not give to yourself.” The High Elder dabbed his head again as he puffed to catch his breath. “How the masses can be so ignorant and so innocent at the same time is one of the many conflicting facets of the Balance.”

  Edwyn stepped up to the elder’s shoulder. “Your Holiness, may we get to the point?”

  The High Elder shook a ruby-ringed finger at the prior. “So you may get to your revenge, Brother Edwyn? For shame.” He clucked his tongue as a teacher might do to an unruly child. “Vengeance is an act of Chaos, and not in tune with the Balance. This is not about your revenge. This is about the wishes of King Arathan.”

  Prior Edwyn bowed his head and backed up between his acolytes. His beady eyes shot daggers at Maddi from beneath wiry brows.

  “Now, back to the point at hand…”

  “And just what point may that be, High Elder?” Captain Ranier’s shadow crept over Maddi. “This hospital has been commissioned by Duke Aginor Varlan, through my battalion of Royal Engineers. Miss Conaleon is in charge of design, as stated specifically by the duke’s charter.” He shot the prior his own dark look. “I don’t know what you’ve been told, but I have copies of that charter in my satchel.”

  The elder pulled a scroll from a pouch along his twisted-cord belt. A ribbon of Gannon blue held it with a seal of silver wax stamped with a dragon. He handed it over to Captain Ranier, but he remained fixed on Maddi. “It is an order from King Arathan turning all hospitals and missions created by those under the auspices of the Doctor’s College, over to the control of the Temple of Balance. You will see that it is co-signed by Lord Doctor Tymin Marten. He agrees with His Majesty that it is the role of the Temple to provide healing to the people, while it is the role of those in the College to train new healers.” He waved stubby fingers through the air. “It is simple logic.”

  Forcing her frustration down, Maddi looked at Captain Ranier who peered at the paper with suspicion and fear. He shook his head.

  “The king signed it this morning,” the prior chanted, almost dancing with glee. “There is nothing to be done. I will take charge of this hospital tomorrow, and you, Captain will be working for me.” He squinted at Maddi and lowered his voice to a deadly tone. “You should not be here.”

  “Now, now, Edwyn.” The High Elder folded his hands. “No need to be spiteful. Miss Conaleon understands that she has other callings.” The elder shrugged in a grandfatherly fashion. “Perhaps returning to your home city of Dern would not be an unwise choice.”

  The prior’s words at last snapped into Maddi’s brain. “You said the king signed it this morning. When did the Lord Doctor sign it?”

  “Why, he signed it this morning as well, in my very presence.” The High Elder cocked his head. “I believe he is taking a tour of some local healing shops within the city as we speak. Do you wish to visit with your old teacher?”

  Maddi looked to Captain Ranier. “I have to go.” She ran before he could reply, pushing her legs as fast as she could. Leaping around and sometimes even over the people in the streets, Maddi dashed her way toward Bailey Square. Panicked steps took her on a more direct route than usual, though she still ducked down a couple of side streets to confuse her trail. Now is not the time to expose what I’ve kept hidden for weeks.

  The gate into her unkempt garden stood shut, clasped like she had left it that morning. The back door remained locked, and she opened it with haste. Inside, the storeroom was undisturbed, and the kitchen held the remains of a cheese sandwich on a green plate.

  “Tanya?”

  The girl came through the doorway from the front room, her red hair tossed in a wild mane. “Maddi! You’re home early.”

  “Where is Ami?”

  “Right here,” came the call from the side bedroom. Ami emerged, an expression of concern on her features. “Is something wrong?”

  Maddi gave her a curt nod. “He’s here. He came with the king’s army.”

  Ami’s eyes widened, but Tanya barked, “Who came with the king? Tallen?”

  “Hush, Tanya.” Ami put her arms around the girl’s shoulders. “What should we do? Does he know we are here?”

  Her heart pounding in her ears, Maddi glanced at the front door. “He knows I’m in the city. He could probably find out where I live.” She bit her lip, mind racing. “This house isn’t safe. You have to leave.”

  She ran into her bedroom and shoved a long dresser away from the wall. Underneath, she lifted up a loose flagstone and toppled it over backward. In a hollowed out niche rested an oak strongbox, banded in finely wrought steel. Maddi hefted it out and sat it before a wide-eyed Ami and Tanya.

  “I have been saving this for a long time.”

  Pulling the intricate key out from the hidden pocket in her belt, Maddi placed it in the lock and popped the strongbox open. Four bags of fat, Gannonnite marks sat in the bottom, while a smaller box rested on top. She opened it to reveal a glistening pile of multi-colored gemstones, a rainbow sparkling in the lamplight.

  Tanya giggled with excitement, while Ami gasped, her hand covering her mouth.

  “You must use it wisely and sparingly.” Ami offered her a shaky nod, and Maddi continued. “Get out of Gavanor. Find a quiet, out of the way town where you can buy a modest home. Tell the locals your husband died working for the duke, and you got a pension to raise your daughter.” Maddi’s voice almost broke, but she pulled her emotions into check. “Don’t flaunt it. I know you are wise enough to do that.” She put her arm around Tanya and clasped Ami’s hand. “When the war is over, seek me out here, or I will find you, but better I do not know where you go f
or now.”

  “Why are we leaving?” Tanya began to cry. “And why aren’t you going with us?”

  “You will be safer if I distract them and make them focus on me.” She looked at Ami. “I have to fight the larger battles, or none of us can live in peace. But I will have a much easier time knowing you are hidden safe back here.”

  A loud knock rattled the front door. Her hand reacting with instinct, Maddi pulled a knife. The knock sounded again, only a little softer. She hushed Ami and Tanya, who needed no urging to silence, and made her way into the front room. At the door, she peeked through the small, slatted window.

  The sight of Captain Ranier washed the icy fear from her chest. She opened the door.

  “Hurry,” she whispered fiercely. “Come in.”

  She closed the door behind him, giving another peek for any followers.

  Ranier wore workman’s clothes. “I was not followed, as you asked should I ever visit you.” He gave her a quizzical stare. “What is going on? I’ve surmised from previous conversation that you and the Lord Doctor do not get along, but do you really fear for your safety?”

  “Not mine, Captain.” Maddi pointed at Tanya and Ami. “My family’s. Lord Doctor Marten has tried to kill us all once before, believe it or not.”

  The Bluecloak engineer shook his head in disbelief. “A member of the High Council?”

  Ami snorted at the captain’s words.

  Ranier’s cocked his jaw in thought. “What scares me most is that I believe you, especially with what I witnessed today.” He folded his arms. “What can I do to help?”

  Maddi sighed and clutched the man’s arm. “Thank you. If you could get us a few horses, I would appreciate it if you got Ami and Tanya out of city. Only they should know where they are going, and I have provided for them.” She looked up at his granite face. “But if you could see them safely through one of the gates and past the army, I would be eternally in your debt.”