by Bob Blink
Mitty shook her head. “Only that it will be soon. Within a week at most.”
Daim, who had been watching Koess as Mitty revealed her vision, was convinced the recovered wizard had no idea what this was about. Given what he had revealed about the ancient Brryn, and the confusion now apparent on his features, Daim was starting to believe he might be telling the truth. He had one more test he hoped to put the young man through before he was willing to be entirely convinced. He had asked Rigo to take him to Sedfair, and have a loyalty level Reading performed.
Daim stood, indicating they were done for now. He pointed to Mitty and Jeen. “We are going to speak with Queen Mos’pera. It’s time to see if she will reveal what she knows. We must also send someone to warn the King of Kellmore. The city should be evacuated and the leadership relocated. There is no time to delay.”
“She’s a Seer,” Koess said suddenly realizing Mitty’s function, as the others stood to leave.
Rigo nodded. “This is Mitty, my consort,” he said by way of introduction.
“Your consort?” Koess asked. “I thought you were to be consorted to someone else. I forget her name.”
“Inge,” Rigo said softly. “She was killed about the same time you were trapped in the Void. It was a long time ago.” He recalled that Koess had traveled with him during the days when Inge had pressured him to give up his explorations into the Ruins. He had been right to persevere, but the costs had been great.
“And what Mitty just revealed is about to happen?” Koess asked.
“We believe it is being caused by one of your Brryn,” Rigo explained bluntly.
Chapter 40
“Mitty couldn’t tell when the attack was going to take place?” Lyes asked.
He, Ardra, and Suline were meeting behind closed doors to discuss the wide-ranging news that Suline had brought from the Three Kingdoms. Rigo had told her everything that was known about the upcoming attack, Ash’urn’s situation, and the reappearance and history provided by Koess.
The meeting was being held in the new, and only partially completed facility that would be the new home of the Guild leaders. While the finish work was crude and much remained to be done, the offices were serviceable, and most had moved in. Working out of the tents was becoming tiring. It was impressive what a determined group of Casters could accomplish. Having their Headquarters demolished and no place to call home had given them a sense of purpose, and working long shifts, the four large rectangular buildings that framed the large central square that would eventually house gardens and large shade trees was well along. The building they were in would be filled mostly with Guild personnel, and was directly opposite the formal offices where the Queen and her staff would be located. The two remaining buildings would be filled with the various supporting groups of the government. Lyes wasn’t certain there would be sufficient room for everyone, but there was space for additional buildings farther back up the hill. At the very least, a new barracks and facility for the Royal Guard would be required.
The location was a considerable distance from the site of the former castle, the remains of which still stood. The direction was away from the university, which put Ardra and Lyes a considerable distance from the academic pursuits of the Guild, but Lyes was coming to believe that wasn’t a bad thing. The operational members of the Guild really didn’t need to be so close to those who were just learning the craft, and the separation might provide some safety to the young Casters and wizards if future attacks were to occur.
One reason for the location was the massive base of solid stone upon which the new facility was constructed. The stone had been cored using magic and now there were a number of hidden chambers deep within the rock. The largest chamber was a duplicate of that created earlier, and would serve as a trap for any group of Casters or wizards who were fleeing attack. Only those specifically linked would be capable of creating a Doorway out of the chamber, so any legitimate group that transferred in would be escorted out by those assigned watch duty, while enemies who followed would find themselves in a chamber rapidly being stripped of its oxygen.
In addition to the large chamber designed as a trap, each of the buildings had a separate chamber hidden under them. A central stairway led deep into the stone to a more comfortable chamber, equipped with chairs, food, water, and weapons. While the way in was nominally open, a clever creation of Fen had been put in place to close the area off. The magic required to move a very large section of stone into place and seal off the stairway from all but the most clever inspection, could be triggered by another who knew of the trigger by simply a press of the palm on a selected spot. That would start a timer that would trigger the dormant spell. Those inside would hopefully be hidden from any attackers, and with no active magic once the seal was in place, they would be difficult to detect. When the time came to leave once again, a repeat of the trigger at a similar but separate location would open the stairway once again. While the existence of the underground facility was known to key personnel, only the Queen and a select few were aware that Fen triggered Doorways were also provided for. These would take whoever was in the underground chamber to a location at the far end of Sedfair, using a masked Doorway. They were something that Ash’urn and Fen had developed together, and had worked well in tests.
“Only that it would be soon,” Suline replied. “It appears that the enemy is focused on the Three Kingdoms at the moment, which should give Sedfair more time to prepare.”
This was good news for them. In fact, most of the recent developments had worked in Sedfair’s favor. The discovery of the powerful magic that the former Saltique and her core followers had wielded exclusively was now available to all of the senior Casters. Sedfair had more trained Casters than wizards, while the Three Kingdoms had the reverse condition. Since no one had discovered a way to provide the magic to wizards with their inherent magic, Sedfair had a larger force with the powerful magic. It was hoped it was powerful enough, but as yet no one knew if the green beam of magical energy would be sufficient to overcome the protective shields that the Baldari forces and some of the captive Casters used. If it wasn’t, and if more of the attacking wizards and Casters appeared with the same kind of protective barrier that Shym had demonstrated during recent attacks, the situation would remain very grim.
“Perhaps we should send some of our people to support their defenses?” Ardra asked.
Suline nodded. “I was going to suggest as much. Rigo feels they might be able to turn the attack using their Patrollers and the core group of Casters and those wizards who have mastered Casting, but Jeen is not as convinced. Jeen and Mitty met with Queen Mos’pera, and she finally revealed what she knew of the attack. She had been silent on details for fear of triggering a response that would be worse than the envisioned attack. Jeen does not feel confident that Pagner can be saved. I am going back,” she declared.
Ardra thought momentarily to object. Given her special skills, she would have liked to keep Suline close, but then she held her silence. Suline was one of those who worked with the Guild, but was not formally a part of the organization, and as such, not directly answerable to Lyes or herself.
“When will you be going back?” she asked instead.
“In the morning,” Suline replied. “I can lead any who are going along if you wish.” Despite the close relations with the west, many of Sedfair’s Casters had never made the trip across the Ruins to the Three Kingdoms.
“We’ll see who we can send,” Lyes said after a moment. “We’ll also send someone to perform the Reading that Daim has requested. Have you met this wizard who claims to know so much from the past?”
Suline shook her head. “Not personally. They are keeping him somewhat separate until they are certain of him. Daim has doubts, but Rigo is convinced he is genuine.”
“He claims that the world was ruled by these Brryn, and that they created the Ruins in an attempt to wipe out those with magical ability who were beginning to oppose their rule?” Ardra asked.
> “That is the story that Rigo explained to me. Apparently it backfired, and while everyone thought the Brryn were completely wiped out, along with nearly every wizard and Caster that lived in those days, some appear to have survived. Where they are and how they have managed to reappear now remain a mystery, but Rigo and Daim believe the chamber that Mitty sees in her visions is somehow responsible.”
“His story is consistent with the collapse of civilization and the slow return of magic leading up to Daim’s time,” Lyes noted. “He has told us of the gradual return from near savagery along with the return of those with the gift over centuries, and then the second collapse when the Rift appeared.”
“During that time these Brryn, if that’s who Mitty is seeing, survived unseen somewhere in the lands to the south,” Ardra said.
“That is the suspicion,” Suline agreed. Daim said he once tried to find a way to sidestep the advance of time himself, but was unable to do so. He has wondered if the Brryn discovered what he failed to find.”
“If they are truly as powerful as this Koess claims, they are going to be formidable if they get free and are able to engage us directly,” Lyes said. “Perhaps we have been wrong to pull back our teams from the searches in the jungles. We might have our best hope if we can find them before they are free of the chamber Mitty claims they are bound to.”
Debi and her teams had been withdrawn, the missions terminated after the loss of Burke and his team. This was done in part because it seemed they were searching in the wrong area, which almost certainly had to be somewhere closer to Burke’s team, and because continuing seemed more likely to simply provide the enemy with more Casters and wizards to turn to their own use.
“Rigo has said almost the same thing,” Suline agreed. “He is holding back making a push until he sees what comes of the battle in Pagner. If the added magic is able to push back the enemy, then there might be hope of moving deeper into the jungle to search for the Brryn. If, however, the protective shields of the enemy cannot be overcome, then any such teams would be defenseless, and more than likely simply sacrificed.”
“What does he hope to accomplish at Pagner?” Ardra asked.
“If the new magic is able to overcome the shields of the enemy, he hopes to surprise them and destroy as many of the captured Casters and wizards as possible,” Suline said. “He admits it is regrettable, but the magic and Doorways used by the Baldari are being created by these people. Also, the majority of the damage results from their magic. If it is possible to eliminate the captured people, then the Brryn will be reduced to using only the Baldari as before, which would be far more manageable.”
“Some of the people he proposes to eliminate were his friends,” Ardra noted.
“He is very aware of that,” Suline noted. “He wants you and Lyes to be aware that a similar approach must be considered should future attacks occur here. We are in no position to risk failure to try and save them.”
“And if this approach fails?” Lyes said.
“Then we need to hope that the teams sifting through the ancient documents at the Repository uncovers something that will help us,” Suline said.
“The loss of Ash’urn will not help us in that regard,” Lyes said. “Does Fen know? He nearly worships Ash’urn.”
“Daim sent someone to the Repository to inform them,” Suline said. “He isn’t lost. It appears that he is recovering, although slowly given the power of the wizard’s healing magic. Jeen says he won’t regain the use of his left eye again, and while his arm and the burn are much better, his face is severely ravaged and only marginally improved.”
“This recovered wizard claims the rods that caused this were a creation of the Brryn and used to create the Ruins?” Ardra asked. “Is there any possibility they can somehow be used against them?”
“I will make the suggestion when I return,” Suline said. “At the moment I believe the rods are being kept well separated. They are clearly dangerous and no one knows how to control them.”
“They are covered with runes?” Lyes asked.
“So I was told.”
“Then one should be taken to the Repository and the spells interpreted. Tell Rigo I will take it myself. The risk is worth the possible gain.”
It seemed that their meeting was over, and the three stood.
“We’ll have a team to go with you in the morning,” Ardra said.
Chapter 41
For the third or fourth time, Fen tried to bring his attention back to the words that showed on the surface of the reader. He was finding it exceedingly difficult to focus on the task at hand, but he’d finally seen enough to know the text he had been working through was not going to contain anything of much use. The historians would be delighted with the contents. They had found any number of similar books. Unfortunately, those that contained insights into the old magic were few, and even those had revealed mostly mundane spells. They had new ways of doing certain things, some of which would be useful, but nothing that was going to be of much help in defending the kingdoms from the attacks that were surely coming. Fen felt the pressure of time and need, but there was little they could do but systematically work through the items that had been recovered.
His mind shifted away from his reading once again. The news about Ash’urn had come as a complete shock. The elderly scholar had always seemed so alive, and had endured so long that Fen had considered him indestructible. True, over the past few months, even Fen had noted the changes in Ash’urn, but for some reason Fen had expected the effects of whatever was bothering him would pass. Even given his reduced stamina, Ash’urn had worked through more materials than any of the other researchers assigned here.
There were two teams working toward a common goal. Ash’urn had led the group from the Three Kingdoms, and despite his age, Fen had been placed in charge of the team from Sedfair. Professor Meyter had been a little miffed at that, but Lyes had been adamant, and none of the other members were put off. Fen was a bit of a legend by now. He was the youngest Caster ever to have been formally granted the staff. His participation in the elimination of the Chulls was well known, and the fact he was one of the very first to have visited the Three Kingdoms, and had been raised to the staff there as well, made him a bit of a celebrity. No one doubted his abilities, and all knew he was looked upon with favor by the wizards at the Outpost. All knew of the place, but only a couple had been fortunate enough to make the trip and visit there.
Fen wished he could go and visit the elder scholar and see for himself that he was healing, but Nycoh had told him they were keeping him sedated to improve the rate at which he healed. She had promised to come and let him know when Ash’urn was improved enough to have other visitors. Until then, he would have to be patient, and try and not let the accident distract him from the important task of working through the items that had been forwarded for review.
Fen slipped the text out of the reader, wrote a brief description summary of what the book contained and slipped the sheet of paper in place inside the cover. Then he placed the book on the right-hand side of the reader where it would be picked up and sorted based on his summary. He turned to the left, and smiled when he saw the small monitor that had been brought for him to have a look at. The large monitors were simply too big to be inserted inside the readers, but this one would just fit. Fen wondered if he might be able to extract enough information from the glyphs on the back to determine how the device could be activated. Nycoh and Jeen had told him of the power of the devices, and if they could somehow be used to spy upon their enemies, he would have finally accomplished something useful.
Thus far the only real gain was an increased facility with the old language. He and several of the others were starting to recognize a number of the words even without the reader, and wandering around the large area of the repository with the thousands of scrolls and books, he was able to pick out a word or two through the protective barriers. He knew what they needed was there, locked away behind the shields.
; Multiple attempts had been made to get help from the Caretakers, but with no luck. Since the Caretakers spoke only the language of the Three Kingdoms, all dealings with them had to be performed by the wizards. As a Caster, even Fen was still only marginally capable in the language. From the discussions Fen had participated in, the Caretakers were very aware that a team was within the Repository, but they were unwilling or unable to enter themselves, and they claimed to have no idea how to grant access to the items that were protected. Supposedly that was something the builders of the facility had intended any visitors to work out for themselves.
There was much about the Repository that was disconcerting. Even after a careful study of the place, no one, not even Nycoh, had been able to discover another way into the facility. Only by traveling into the Ruins to the artifact they had activated, were they able to gain entry to the place. That bothered Fen as well as others. It was a single path, and should something happen to it, they would be cut off. It was also unprotected, and it might only be a matter of time before the enemy discovered the Waygate. Then they could enter the repository themselves, or destroy all access to the place. Each time anyone visited the Waygate, the Doorway to the location in the Ruins had to be masked, in hopes of keeping the place secret. Fen didn’t believe the masking would be as effective as some thought, and that was one reason he felt the pressure of time weighing down on them.
Lyes had been an infrequent visitor. During one of his visits he confided in Fen that he found the illusion surrounding the Repository disturbing. He couldn’t be more specific than that, but even after careful examination of the lake and the hidden area where the Repository existed, Lyes was uncomfortable. Something wasn’t right, but he was unable to determine exactly what it might be. Lyes concerns, added to his own, made Fen fear that their time to unlock the secrets they needed might be shorter than expected. Now there was also the news that a major attack was brewing in the Three Kingdoms. The team from Sulen had brought the news this morning.