by Bob Blink
“That’s not what she said,” Rigo argued. He and Mitty were in an early meeting with Daim, after returning from their private spot a short time ago. Frequently these days, Rigo and Mitty took off on their own, destination varied and unannounced, where they spent the night. Rigo wasn’t entirely certain how secure even the Outpost was, especially after Mitty had some vague sense that it was at risk of attack. Unfortunately, her premonitions were few and far between these days, and always vague. Queen Mos’pera had said that was something that would pass once she delivered the baby, but until then she couldn’t reliably count on having the kind of premonitions she had become accustomed to. Fortunately her Farsight hadn’t been affected, and she could still see what was happening in the far off chamber the wizards sought. Mitty was clearly a target, and Rigo felt it best if no one knew where they might be on any given night.
The previous morning, Rigo, Mitty, and Jeen had gone to visit the Queen. Jeen had come looking for Rigo, indicating that Queen Mos’pera wished to see him. That’s when she had explained her most recent vision, at least the parts she chose to reveal. Rigo had learned over the years that no matter how much he liked the Queen, she was very cautious about her visions. She revealed what she thought was best, and sometimes that wasn’t everything that Rigo would have liked to know.
“She said that I must be part of the encounter with the Brryn,” Rigo explained. “That indicates she is confident we will encounter her. That is encouraging news and suggests that the expedition won’t be in vain. She seemed worried, however, so I suspect all will not go as we hope. For some reason, she believes my involvement is essential if the result is to be at all favorable. I cannot fathom why.”
“So, it is as I just said,” Daim insisted. “You must join the expedition.”
Once again Rigo shook his head. “She says I must be part of the encounter with the Brryn. She did not indicate I need to be with the team as they search for her.”
Daim looked at Mitty, who nodded her agreement. Jeen did so as well, although it seemed she felt Rigo might be stretching the words of the Queen.
“You are unwilling to join the team as it makes its way through the jungles?” Daim asked.
“I cannot see what I can add to the large force that is already planned,” Rigo replied. “There is much to be done here, and spending day after day in the jungle with the others doesn’t seem to be the best use of my days.”
The truth was Rigo didn’t really believe it was good for Nycoh to be going either, but given her unique situation with S’erom, he could see no alternative. In his own case, he wished to learn more about the discovery Jeen had told him about, and he couldn’t do that if he was riding some damn half horse through a faraway jungle. The real reason, however was Mitty. He had become obsessive about her safety. Daim wanted her to make daily viewings of the Brryn woman, and Rigo believed each viewing brought her to the attention of the woman. He couldn’t be sure how well the woman could sense Mitty, or if she knew exactly where Mitty was when she made the attempts. He felt he needed to be close to insure her safety. He would never forget that his wandering off to pursue his search into the Ruins had resulted in Inge being killed. That simply wasn’t going to happen again. Leaving her here with Daim while he rode off into the jungle left her less protected than he felt comfortable with. Taking her into the jungle simply wasn’t an option. Mitty lacked the ability to make her own protective shield, and trying to protect her and be able to fight was too great a risk.
The lengths to which Rigo was going to ensure Mitty’s safety would have surprised even Daim. Rigo had gotten together with Fen, and had the young Caster create a special device for him. The small wand they had prepared and which Rigo always carried these days was set so that Rigo could easily trigger a short timer and the automatic spell that would open a Bypass much as they had done in the Hoplani caves. In this case the Bypass would open from wherever they were to one of the secure caverns. Rigo wanted it because triggering the Bypass in this manner allowed him to remain unhindered in his use of fighting magic, which might be required at the same time he wished a Bypass so they could escape.
Daim surveyed the group across the table from him. He sighed. “If this is the case, then perhaps it isn’t necessary for you to travel with the group. We will learn of their progress each day. But once the valley is discovered, it will be important that you join with them. Is that agreeable?”
“We will see what the situation is when that day comes,” Rigo hedged. “It is too bad no one has been able to simply use the map to create a Bypass to somewhere close by to where we’d like to go. It would save a lot of effort and be more timely.” Jeen had done something like that once long ago to save Rigo’s life. That had been over a much shorter distance, in a known area, and using a very precise map.
“We’ve all tried,” Daim said. “You know that it was one of the first things we considered when it became clear we needed to go there. None of us had any success. Most likely the problem is that the map Jeen found is as much a drawing as a true map. I doubt the actual dimensions are correct, and that would thwart any such efforts. We will have to do this the hard way.”
“I still cannot see what difference my presence will make,” Rigo said.
“It is enough that Queen Mos’pera foretells the importance,” Daim countered. “Recall, my staff chose you those many years ago, even when it had to seek you in a land I didn’t even know existed. You have a special role to play in events even now, it seems.”
“If we can consider the matter settled, at least for now, what can Jeen tell me about the device that was found near Roin?” Rigo asked, happy to change the subject. “Do we know anything about it?”
Jeen shook her head. “Not really. There are a number of guesses by the team Ash’urn has assembled to study it. He believes it has a variety of functions, although admits he has little to base the belief on. Given the Brryn like to use crystals in their protective shields, he believes that it might have had a role in protecting the citadel that once existed along the shore.”
“From your description it was burned and broken,” Rigo said. “That suggests that something overcame the device. If it was their protection, and it can be defeated, we need to know how.”
“That is one of the reasons Ash’urn is so determined to understand it,” Jeen agreed. “The group working with him is carefully disassembling it, hoping to get the gold base with its glyphs apart in sections small enough that they can be read by the devices at the Repository. An initial look by Fen and the scholars from the Guild University revealed that many are totally unfamiliar to us.”
“I’d like to go and see this thing,” Rigo said. “Where is it being kept?”
Jeen told him, and Rigo decided after this meeting he and Mitty would go and have a look. “Has the dig revealed anything else?”
“Nothing anywhere near as interesting as the crystal unit,” Jeen said. “There are many melted and badly damaged items, most so severely damaged we have yet to even guess at what their function might have been. All indications are that the area was exposed to an incredible level of heat when it was destroyed. One very complex set of gears was found. The shaft was broken off, and even Ash’urn had no guesses at what the unit might have been for. There are the usual items one might find, with no magical function, and one strange box, found in near perfect condition, with some odd, clear strips inside. They link to form a circle, but there are no symbols, and nothing to indicate what they might be for. They are inert, and the ends which appear ought to fasten, simply drop apart. We have been lucky to find as much as we have. It could take years to properly investigate the area.”
When it was clear that Jeen had explained all she intended to, Daim turned to Mitty. “Have you seen anything else of interest from the Brryn woman and her companions?”
“She has been quiet of late,” Mitty said. ‘I cannot say if she is planning something, or if the chamber has slowed her activities. It has done so in the past, but this time
I do not think that is the reason. Two of the others are stirring, and I suspect she is biding her time until they are able to help her. She appears aware of the increased ability of our wizards, and might be saving her resources until she has a means of countering our sudden strength.”
“Is she still trapped?” Daim asked.
“That is another thing. She might be conserving her strength for an effort to break free. I cannot see what is restraining her, and I sense she is nearly able to break free of whatever holds her. Once she is free, she might flee the chamber. We can hope she remains to help the others, at least until we can find her. Of course, once she is free, she might have access to magic that we cannot counter.”
“Suline has detected no sign of activity at the staging area near S’erom’s village,” Daim said. “She uses her special Doorway to check a couple of times each day. Of course, since the Brryn woman must know that location has been compromised, she might elect to assemble a force somewhere else.”
“So long as she is trapped, I think we have the upper hand,” Rigo said. “The wizards and Casters she has taken are not a match for those of us that now have the ability to protect ourselves with shields. That is most likely what is restraining her.”
“I’m actually surprised she hasn’t triggered a number of Baldari terror raids, simply to keep us distracted,” Daim said. “She doesn’t seem to mind losing the Baldari, and the current situation must irk her immensely. I fear matters might change soon, however.”
Rigo, Jeen, and Mitty all looked up at Daim when he said this.
“What has happened?” Jeen was the first to ask.
“I learned this morning that we may have lost another wizard. One of our people left for the eastern border of Lopal. Apparently a parent was dying, and he wanted to be there. He left alone, but failed to return when he told one of his friends he’d be back. A little checking and we discovered he never arrived where he was going.”
“He knows shields and Greenfire,” Rigo guessed.
Daim nodded. “If his wizard’s knowledge can be passed to the captured wizards that the Brryn holds, then in future encounters we can expect to see individuals every bit as capable as ourselves.”
Chapter 60
The Bypass that Tara opened to begin their journey into the jungles took them close to the farthest village that the team had explored thus far. It was a half day walk from S’erom’s old village, in the direction he had indicated they needed to go. S’erom glanced at the deserted village sadly, as if he could remember happier times when he had visited this place before all of this had begun. Now it was empty. The few who had still lived here were now located in the oasis, and the chances they might one day return depended on the outcome of this adventure.
The group wasted little time gawking, and soon formed up in a line, two abreast, as they headed to the southwest. They were traveling light, having breakfasted back in the team oasis. They would eat lunch on the trail, but would plan on being back at the oasis for dinner. That meant mostly they had to carry water, and a small amount of emergency supplies.
Everyone making the trip was armed. Despite relying on magic as the primary defense, each wizard carried a short sword as backup. All too frequently magic had failed to meet the needs, and Rigo had insisted that each member of the force be properly equipped. They had been given several days of lessons with the edged weapons. While not enough to make them swordsmen, each now knew the basics. Several, who had shown an interest in the past, were moderately skilled. Even the Baldari were armed. The jungle was not a place to travel without a weapon, and while they had been offered quality Kellmore blades, each had preferred the more familiar weapon they had used for years.
Tara, Debi, Nycoh and S’erom led the advance. S’erom pointed the direction they were to follow, and under his guidance they discovered trails where none were obvious. Within a half glass the jungle started to become denser, the openness that had characterized the large Ler’ver’ar growing fields and the villages changing into the kind of growth that Debi found familiar from her earlier attempts to travel through this land.
The U’nydyn had proven their worth from the moment they arrived in the jungle. The beasts seemed to recognize their return to their homeland, and guided by S’erom’s thoughts, moved swiftly through the brush. Before long the trail narrowed to the point they had to advance single file, but the beasts moved smoothly, finding passage where one would least expect it. Rather than cut the way through the jungle as Debi’s team had been forced to do in the past, they moved with the jungle, sometimes turning away from their desired direction in order to locate the easiest path forward.
Debi could see how superior the U’nydyn were over normal horses. The brief attempts they had made with horses during her earlier adventures into this land, had proven disastrous. The horses were uncomfortable with the foreign environment, and had been prone to being infected with parasites that entered through their hooves. The U’nydyn appeared to be immune to the parasites. Many of the small predators that found horses a delightful addition to their diet were either fearful of the U’nydyn, or were smart enough not to annoy the beasts. It was readily apparent the U’nydyn could fend for themselves here.
Despite the denseness of the undergrowth, they advanced surprisingly swiftly for the first week. There were no villages in this area, and they could move without fear of encountering Baldari establishments which could reveal their presence to the Brryn. At the end of each day, they would release the U’nydyn with the command to find food and rest, but to remain close for the following day. Nycoh had wondered how well this would work at first, but each morning when they made the Bypass to return, they found the herd waiting contentedly for them.
The jungle was surprisingly colorful, Nycoh discovered. There were more birds than she could have ever imagined, most with bright colors and raucous calls. They flitted among the high branches overhead, sometimes seeming to follow the travelers in the shadows formed by the thick canopies of the tall trees. Other times they flew away as if fearful of the strange invaders. Flowers were another colorful feature to the jungle, although S’erom pointed out that many of them were poisonous in one way or another. Some only if consumed, but others to the touch. Two varieties he pointed out, were able to attack any human foolish enough to get close.
After a couple of days, the disconcerting habit of the U’nydyn to sniff at the rider’s legs, their sharp teeth showing aggressively, became less frequent. The beasts were adapting to their non-Baldari riders and their odd smells. Nycoh and the other wizards started to think of them as horses of a sort, although this vision was often disturbed when they returned to the jungle and found the beasts in the morning. Many of the U’nydyn had muzzles that were liberally coated with traces of blood, which was a reminder these weren’t grass eaters. Their preferred repast was something quite different.
Only once did they encounter anything in the jungle that was a threat to them and the U’nydyn. Once during a break for lunch, several of the U’nydyn had begun their strange whining barks. They wanted to run, but were held against their natural inclination by the power of S’erom’s mental command. Nycoh saw the reason for the beasts’ concern, as a very large predator came out of the jungle and made a run for one of the frozen U’nydyn. Here was something large and fierce enough that it could consider the dangerous U’nydyn a meal. Without conscious thought, Nycoh had unleashed a sharp beam of Brightfire, and brought the attacking creature down. There had only been the one, and once it was dead, the U’nydyn had no trouble walking up to the carcass and tearing off large chunks of the still smoking flesh.
“Are there many of those things?” Nycoh inquired mentally. She had been working with S’erom as they traveled and was becoming far more capable with the mental linking. She could now direct her thoughts to the individual she intended to communicate with, and unless someone else was very close by, they wouldn’t be able to pick them up. This was important, S’erom had explained. Should they encounte
r another tribe, or the Brryn, she didn’t want to be broadcasting in every direction in a manner that allowed her to be overheard. Because the mental communication took her effort to initiate, she didn’t broadcast a background “noise” like many Baldari when she wasn’t attempting to communicate.
“They hunt alone,” he told her, “but there are many to be found. Normally we avoid them, but with your magic, we can move without fear.”
There were an untold number of rivers that crossed their path or barred their way. Fortunately, many were small and could be ridden across. Others were quite formidable, but with the simple opening of a Bypass could be forded effortlessly. While most of the rivers flowed nearly east or west, several flowed south, and could have been used to take them in the desired direction. That would have required a complete readjustment of their travel arrangements, and as they discovered, the rivers tended to be somewhat serpentine, and could change direction unexpectedly. Overall, they felt they made better time traveling on the U’nydyn.
The first village they encountered was small, and they were warned as it was near by the cultivated fields of Ler’ver’ar they could see and smell in the distance. While the others waited, S’erom and Nycoh proceeded on foot, and once they had located the village, the expedition was able to easily shift their direction so as to pass out of view. By evening they were far from the village, and could tell they had passed unseen.
Three days later they encountered a much larger settlement. The jungle had been thinning all morning, and S‘erom had indicated that was a good indicator a village might be nearby. This area was said to be heavily populated, and he recalled from his travels many years before with his father, that multiple tribes could be found somewhere in the area. The fields of Ler’ver’ar they encountered were far more extensive than any seen as yet, and from the small rise that gave a view ahead, they could see a village that was many times the size of the one where S’erom had been raised. Despite years of losses, the number of Baldari that lived here in the south was still enormous.