by Bob Blink
The question remained unanswered, but based on this new information, the subject would be the matter of no little debate when he returned to report to Daim.
Chapter 9
Ten days later the Baldari struck in Sedfair yet again. This time the attack was different. For one thing, it was a dual attack. For another, the warning signal that indicated an attack was in progress somehow was not triggered in the second city. Also unfortunate, Mitty had no visions regarding the attack. Had she been aware that an attack was in progress and that no one was responding, she would have told Rigo, who would have carried the word to those who mattered, and things might have turned out differently.
Surtl was the targeted city. It was located just short of a week’s ride north of the southern border of Sedfair, and a half day’s ride inland from the Wastelands. The group of invaders was spotted by the patrols well before they reached the city, and per the established procedure were trailed until they approached the target, at which time the force assembled in Nals transitioned by Doorway into the fighting zone to deal with the invaders. When the protective barrier was dropped, the battle between attacking and defending forces began. This time the Baldari appeared to have planned for just such a moment, and two-thirds of the force formed up and went after the defenders in a very organized manner, while the remaining third made for the glow ball factory on the eastern side of the town.
The glow balls were a popular product produced by an enterprising group of commercial Casters. Unlike the more powerful magical lights used at the Guild and castle that were powered directly by magical spells and required capable Casters to maintain them, the glow balls used activated slivers of power crystal that absorbed solar energy by day, and released light at night. The bits of power crystal used were gathered from the trimming of one of the larger crystals into the focusing shape that was desired for the power staffs. The commercial Casters had made a business deal with the Guild to acquire these small and otherwise useless bits of crystal. Given the Baldari interest in the mines that produced the crystal and the fact there was little else of interest in the town of Surtl, the defenders made the connection almost immediately.
The Baldari made their way toward the factory with single-minded determination. Those who were charged with protecting the smaller force that made the raid on the factory fought with an intensity that was startling. The torchbearer had gone with the smaller group and was conspicuously difficult to locate, which indicated the Baldari had learned that the defenders were aware of his function and had learned to target him. That also suggested the Baldari fully intended to make a run after completing their raid.
Unfortunately for the Baldari, the defending Casters were becoming adept at this kind of battle, and the force that had come in defense of Surtl was more than sufficient to handle the invaders. While the Baldari were able to breach the security at the small factory and break inside, killing a number of those in attendance, they had no chance of escaping. By the time the small force had gathered up the supply of crystal chips and were preparing to make their exit, the defending Casters were upon them, focusing first on the designated torch bearer. Once he was eliminated, the hopes of the fleeing Baldari were shattered, and within a very short time, the remaining Baldari had been killed. None allowed themselves to be taken alive, and little effort was expended to try to take prisoners. The risks were greater, and experience had shown that the Baldari would die before anything useful could be obtained from them anyway. The Baldari mounts, deadly in their own right, were killed without thought to protect everyone from the deadly bites.
As the defending Casters made their final search of the town, making certain that none of the invading Baldari force had managed to hide or escape, the senior Caster overseeing the effort was surprised to see a small group of three worried looking Casters appear out of nowhere. They quickly located the senior Caster as they exited the Doorway that had delivered them to Surtl, and rode in her direction
“It’s over,” Purl said as the three rode over to her. She recognized the trio, who would command the shift after her team went off duty.
Kala scanned the carnage from the many dead Baldari, as she continued to ride closer. The few Casters who had been wounded were already being treated by the wizards skilled in healing.
“This was a feint,” she said pointedly. “This attack was to draw our attention and forces. The real attack was elsewhere, and they are already making their way back toward the Wastelands.”
Purl was stunned and it showed on her face. “A feint? They used Surtl to distract us from another attack? Where?”
“Malla,” Kala explained. “They somehow managed to make their way undetected all the way from the Wastelands to the edge of the village. They rode into the center of the village without warning, killing all who opposed them. They were gone before word could be sent.”
“How was that possible? Did they use a Doorway?”
“Those who watched them leave said they rode away as usual. If they used a Doorway, they made it when they were well out of sight. Others have speculated, but we simply don’t know. I’ll need you to gather your forces and come with me. We will need to try and track them. We should know soon enough if their tracks simply disappear suddenly.”
“What’s in Malla that they wanted,” Purl asked.
“They appear to have kidnapped the seven Casters from the guild station there.”
Purl knew of the Guild center. It was a regional office that had been in place to support the Army during the days when the Chulls were a growing problem. The special armor the troops had used was activated at these centers before being distributed as needed to the troops. The center also was a facility where locals could come for special medical care only Casters had been able to provide.
“They took the Casters?” Purl asked.
“The Mayor who made the report claims they were unconscious and thrown over the backs of some of those strange mounts along with their power staffs. The Baldari made no attempt to attack anywhere else, and left promptly after rounding up all of the Casters. It sounds like they knew exactly what was there.”
“The Casters didn’t signal the attack?” Purl asked in surprise. Even though Malla was not a place the Baldari had been expected to show an interest in, all Casters were equipped with the special signaling devices, as were the commanding officers of all military forces around Sedfair.
“We found one of the bracelets at the center. It had been activated, but no signal was received in Nals. I’m speculating the Baldari knew of it and found some way to block or defeat the device. Only the device that the Mayor had and used after the Baldari had fled alerted us to the attack.”
Purl and Kala looked at the tracks that disappeared into the Wastelands. The Baldari had moved swiftly, and following the ill defined tracks through the rocky countryside had slowed their efforts to pursue them. They would be easier to follow through the sandy soil of the Wastelands, so long as one of the dust storms didn’t appear to wipe away all trace of the Baldari’s passage. There was little choice but to ride after them, even though the team was not really prepared for an extended trip into the hostile desert. Purl would lead her group into the desert, while Kala returned to Nals for her own people, equipping them better to survive in the Wastelands. In three glass, Purl would signal her location, and Kala would bring her team to replace them.
There were two large teams made up of Casters and wizards already out in the Wastelands somewhere, seeking the possible entry gates used by the Baldari. They had been out for several weeks, returning every couple of days to report progress. Unfortunately, there was no easy way to signal them, although they would be reporting in the following day, when they would be alerted to the team that was fleeing toward the southern border.
Over the course of the next four days, Kala and Purl switched off, each taking a long shift as they followed after the retreating Baldari. The Baldari moved quickly and without rest, and while there were times Doorways could be used to
quickly advance the team toward the distant horizon, such opportunities had their own problems. Upon exiting a Doorway, the trail had to be relocated, sometimes an easy task, but others taking considerable effort. Other times, they were in a dead zone, and dared not risk that the distant hills they wished to make their jump point to might also be in one of the zones. That would have triggered one of the fatal transitions, they all had been warned about. They had all heard the very graphic descriptions of what happened when Doorways were created in such a manner, and so all were careful, even though it meant the Baldari were getting ever more distant.
“We can go back,” Purl said when she came to relieve Kala. She had come alone, which had warned Kala that something had happened.
“They are gone,” Purl said. “In a way we were fortunate. One of the scout teams crossed their trail near the mountains. The Wastelands are not blocked there, and by making a series of Doorway jumps were able to get close to them. Our Casters were able to verify they still had the captured Casters, but there was nothing they could do. Several tried Brightfire, but the barrier that protects them when they travel defeated any attempts. All they could do was watch as they rode into a large Doorway that opened as they approached the base of the mountains.”
“They can make Doorways!” Kala exclaimed.
“At least someone can,” Purl countered. “We still can’t understand why they wait until they are near the border before doing so.”
“Do we know where they went? Did anyone attempt to follow?”
“Our Casters sent one of their wizards back to Nals for someone with the ability to track Doorways. She arrived at the scene less than a quarter glass after the Doorway was activated. She couldn’t sense anything. Not only was there no sign of the end points, she claimed there was nothing to suggest a Doorway had been opened.”
“That’s not possible!” objected Kala.
“That’s what they say happened. We have no idea where they went. You are to return to Nals. The Guild will have to consider how to move forward. I’ve heard that a meeting with the Three Kingdom’s wizards is planned for tomorrow.”
Chapter 10
Lyes increased the pace of his steps. He didn’t want to appear too anxious or eager, which he was, but he didn’t want to arrive later either. It was already dusk, despite the fact the days were longer and the hours of daylight extended more than two glass longer than they had a few short weeks ago. The weather also signaled that winter had released its grip and that spring had arrived. The trees showed their agreement with his assessment by the numerous buds that were forming, and a variety of early blooming flowers had already erupted in bright color along the path. As he hurried down the walkway from the still forlorn looking Guild Headquarters, Lyes’s mind struggled to force his disparate thoughts into some kind of order. Too many thoughts wished to hold his attention, and he bounced between topics as he walked.
The Baldari attacks, especially the carefully engineered attack earlier in the day, was a grave concern. Not only were the crafty Baldari showing new aggressiveness and tactical planning, but they were probing ever deeper into the kingdom with their terror. It appeared now they might be targeting Casters, whether for their staffs and the power crystals that they apparently sought, no one knew. As far as Lyes knew, none of the staffless wizards had been taken, either in Sedfair, or across the Wastelands in the Three Kingdoms. That suggested the staffs were at least part of the motivation for targeting the Casters, but Lyes reasoned that if all they wanted were the crystals that adorned the staffs, they wouldn’t have hauled off the people as well. No, they had some other plans for them, and Lyes believed whatever was happening to the captured Casters, it wasn’t pleasant.
He and Ardra had dispatched an urgent warning to Casters and wizards alike, ensuring the message reached all of the Guild’s people wherever they might be in the kingdom. Lyes believed none were safe. The report he had received a few glass earlier confirmed a growing belief within the community that the Baldari were capable of using Doorways in addition to the protective magical barrier they had been displaying of late. The fleeing band that had carried off the Casters had boldly ridden into an extremely large Doorway, just this side of the Great Mountains. Like everyone else, Lyes wondered why they hadn’t triggered the Doorway much earlier. While much of the Ruins they had ridden through had some restrictions they might not have a talisman to overcome, many areas through which they had ridden were clear zones, and they could have saved days of travel. There was also the matter of the inability of his Tracking Caster to detect the end points, or even the fact a Doorway had been created. There was too much they didn’t understand, but the fact that the Baldari had some form of Doorway at their disposal convinced Lyes that no place within the kingdom could be considered safe.
The attack and discovery of the route taken by the fleeing Baldari had brought to a head the matter of tracking the invaders back to their homeland. Even if he didn’t feel an obligation to attempt to rescue the captured Casters, now that they had confirmed the enemy was coming from beyond the Great Mountains, he and Ardra were going to have to consider sending a force into the jungles to the far south. Such a journey would be dangerous even without the threat of encountering an overwhelming force of the enemy warriors. They would be operating blindly, without a trail to follow. No one knew what could be expected in the jungles, and Lyes was concerned any who were selected to make the journey were at risk of never returning. No one had attempted exploring more than a short distance into the region, and that had brought them only to the base of the far side of the mountains. The wizards of the Three Kingdoms had come to a similar conclusion, and were considering an expedition down the Great River that split their lands. There would be a coordination meeting in the morning to consider what needed to be done.
Then there was the matter of the strange people that his friend Mitty claimed to see in visions. He knew that Mitty, and his friend Rigo, believed these people, at least the one woman who Mitty insisted was active and aware of her, were behind the Baldari in some way. Lyes wasn’t sure if he could accept this or not. How could one woman, who appeared unable to free herself from the odd chamber that Mitty had described, somehow control armies of the fearsome Baldari? Perhaps he would have felt more willing to accept the idea if at least someone else had similar visions. He had known Mitty for years, and he had trouble seeing her as someone with the ability to discern such things.
Lyes checked the village clock as he turned down the street that led to the cultural center of Nals. He quickened his pace a bit more as he realized he was even later than he realized. He straightened the cloak around his shoulders, the band of authority that hung from his neck still in place. There had been no opportunity to change his clothes. Besides, Nori seemed to be attracted to his position, and the symbol of his leadership, even if shared, would hopefully underscore her interest. Lyes had taken to wearing more formal attire, mirroring the styles of the senior politicians he had frequent encounters with as part of his duties. He had also grown out his beard, uncasting the spell he had initiated long ago to keep the facial hair from growing. Now he had a thick brown beard, kept elegantly short and well groomed. He didn’t want one of the long beards of many of the instructors, but something that helped him look a bit older and more authoritative. If the truth were known, he was a little uncertain of himself and his sudden authority. More than one had commented, some quite vocally, that he had no business being one of the co-leaders of the New Guild. Some of this was simple jealousy, but a number truly questioned his preparedness for the position. While Ardra had completed the University study, had won the staff through hard work and ability, and had served for several years in dangerous positions fighting the land’s enemies, Lyes had just become a senior, and had never even completed his studies, let alone earned the staff. Now he felt he could lead the Guild, exercising authority over the true Casters, many with far more ability and experience than himself.
His closeness to the Queen was
pointed to as the reason for his selection. Favoritism, it was called. Lyes knew in part they were right. He was where he was because Queen Rosul knew and trusted him. He hadn’t won the staff, and while he carried one, he was secretly still taking instruction from two of the Guild’s Senior Instructor Casters to fill in gaps in his knowledge. He had learned a great deal on his own, and would have been a quick study had he continued through his senior year, but he didn’t know all there was to know. His own realization of his limitations left him a bit uncertain at times. If his private instruction became known, it would serve only to increase the number who questioned his leadership.
Of course, there was another reason Queen Rosul had chosen him. Well, a couple of reasons, Lyes corrected himself. One, he was a man, and she had wanted to make a statement about that. More importantly, he was the first, and as far as he knew, the most capable true wizard who had mastered inherent magic in Sedfair. He had excelled at a skill that no one else had, and both the Queen and the Guild leadership wanted to bring that skill into the University. The future of the Guild was to support both disciplines, and the Queen had wanted the leadership to represent that change. His ability had made him the logical choice, although many didn’t yet understand what the different ability really meant.
There was a chance his detractors would get their way. The future of the Guild, the means by which it would be integrated into the government, even the new facilities, were on hold. The new Queen had just been announced, and once her month under Rosul’s guidance was completed and she was officially crowned, it would be her decision how many of these matters progressed. One didn’t really know if the words spoken were a true indication of the mind of a leader, and the new Queen might elect to clean house and make her own appointees to run the Guild. Lyes and Ardra had discussed the possibility. If Lyes was honest, he hoped to retain his position. He felt he could bring something to the organization. Ardra didn’t seem to care either way.