The Baldari (Book 3)

by Bob Blink

  Just because Hyndl was most often seen in Sedfair, didn’t mean that was where he was hiding. Everywhere in Sedfair and the Three Kingdoms were equally accessible to him. For that reason, Daria had arranged for the Wanderers to activate their network of spies and watchers and pass any information that might relate to the Brryn back through trusted sources. Since the Wanderers didn’t exist in Sedfair, they had approached former Queen Rosul. Lyes knew she had once run an extensive secret network, and asked that she reach out to those people to sift through any unusual activities that might disclose where Hyndl might have settled in. With access to Casters, the timely flow of information was possible, although care had to be taken because their Doorways could be detected if the enemy was in the area.

  Each of the three groups could now move about relatively freely, without fear of detection, which would allow them to meet as needed. Rigo and Nycoh could use the undetectable Transfer, and Suline had her Ghost Doorway, which by now they had verified went unnoticed by the Brryn. Jeen would be the group coordinator, with the various teams reporting in to her. She would arrange any required meetings. She was also keeping the King and Queen informed of their plans.

  They did have to be conscious of the ability of the Brryn to detect the inherent magic of wizards, but that required proximity. Rigo was careful to minimize his contact with others, preferring to watch from a distance and let Kaler and Daria do the mixing. The Brryn they sought wouldn’t be able to tell them from anyone else.

  Just before the three groups set off on their assigned tasks, they had all gathered together to consider the situation. Rigo wasn’t kidding himself. He had been lucky enough to acquire some of the Brryn magic, but that didn’t make either himself or Nycoh an equal to those they hunted. The Brryn had grown up with the magic they used, and were comfortable and skilled with it. Rigo and Nycoh were new to the skills, and in some cases had yet to test their new abilities against an adversary. Then there was the matter of strength. Abilities within the wizard community varied greatly. It had to be assumed that was true of the Brryn as well. Since neither Rigo nor Nycoh was a true Brryn, it was unlikely their strength matched that of any of the three individuals they sought. In addition, it was also probable their adversaries controlled magic that Rigo and Nycoh knew nothing of. It would be highly unlikely that Rigo’s brief tapping of magic in the Void uncovered everything of use. The fact he hadn’t found the key to releasing Mitty was proof enough that there was more to be learned.

  That meant to have any hope of success they needed to deal with the Brryn singly, and hopefully engage them before they discovered that their own magic had been compromised. If the Brryn believed Rigo and Nycoh were simply among the strongest of the rebel wizards using the limited magic of the wizard community, they wouldn’t be expecting to be attacked with anything that could realistically harm them. That might result in them being careless, or allowing themselves to be more exposed. It would also be more likely that a situation could be arranged where Rigo and Nycoh could double up on one of the Brryn, and in that way overpower him or her.

  That was one of the reasons Rigo had chosen Tryll as the target he wished to pursue. From eyewitness accounts of the attacks on the Guild and the castles in Kellmore and Branid, in addition to his own witnessing of the destruction of the Outpost, Rigo believed that she was the weakest of the three. She was also more of a loner. Kytra and Hyndl were observed more frequently together, with Tryll part of the group less often. He believed they had a greater chance of overpowering her than either of the others.

  And that was what they needed to do. Simply killing her wouldn’t serve all of their needs. True, it would reduce the number against them, but it wouldn’t provide Rigo access to the information required. He still didn’t know how they were going to accomplish that. By some means they needed to overpower her, and prevent her from using her magic. Unfortunately, Daim’s bands didn’t work against the Brryn. Unless something else developed, Rigo believed they would have to render her unconscious, keep her that way, something Ashli might be needed to help with, and then perform a Reading on her while she was out. Readings were normally more successful when the subject was awake, but that might not be an option. A final resort was Linking, as Jeen had done. Jeen recommended against it, claiming she was lucky that her subject had been still recovering from the effects of the chamber. She feared even an unconscious Brryn might be able to assume control of anyone who tried to Link. Rigo would pursue that only if there was no other option, and it would be he who took the risk.

  Once they had the information they required, all agreed they would have to kill her. It was a little cold-blooded, but they couldn’t risk her getting away. They simply did not know what powers she could command, and whether she might be able to overcome any attempts to subdue her. They couldn’t keep her unconscious forever. Koess had suggested exiling her to the Void before he left to return where he’d been in hiding before coming forward with his plan to visit the Void. Jeen disagreed with that plan. The Brryn had created the rods which were used to trigger the Ruins. They might know of the Void and how to enter and leave it. They couldn’t take the risk Tryll would somehow be released to fight against them later.

  They found Tryll in the upscale mansion along the coast at the extreme northern edge of town exactly where Jeen’s contacts had said she would be. It was set on a small rise overlooking a small bay close to the water. Whoever had owned it had been rich, and hadn’t mingled with those in the town often. In fact, for much of the year, the place was empty. This year, however, someone was in residence, yet the usual demands for servants and orders of food and other necessities had changed abruptly.

  They had found they could get a close look at the residence from a craggy bluff that sat opposite the hill on which the mansion had been built. The bluff was covered with heavy brush that afforded the needed concealment, and they moved into place under the cover of darkness. Once they had made themselves a comfortable spot from which to watch, Rigo could move them in and out at will without being detected.

  It hadn’t taken long to spot her. Rigo recognized her from the encounter near the Outpost. She liked the balcony over the ocean, and would come out for half a glass in the morning, and for long periods in the evening. During the day they didn’t see her at all, which suggested she might have left to join the other Brryn. In the three days they had been watching, neither Hyndl nor Kytra had been seen at the residence. It was possible they had arrived inside, and left again, but that didn’t seem to be the case. More importantly, the evenings Tryll seemed to spend alone. That’s when they would strike.

  Tryll wasn’t completely alone. Frequently they saw a male come out onto the balcony. From his actions he was some kind of a servant. On the second day Rigo was able to get a close enough look using the small telescope Lyes had provided.

  “It’s Brock,’ Rigo said when he realized who he was seeing.

  “Who is Brock?” Daria asked.

  “A wizard. Relatively new to the group, but moderately capable. She must have taken control of him somehow.”

  “How would she do that?” Daria asked. “We were told the three Duneriders have been left undisturbed. How would she be able to place a crystal in him?”

  “Perhaps they can do it themselves,” Kaler suggested.

  “Then why would they have had the Duneriders?” Daria asked.

  “Maybe the success rate is better when the Duneriders perform the insertion,” Rigo suggested. “We have seen how many we lost when they attempted to remove the crystals. Maybe Tryll killed a few before she was successful. That wouldn’t bother her particularly.”

  “Let me look,” Daria said.

  Rigo handed her the telescope.

  After a moment, Daria asked, “What’s on his head? It looks like one of those bands that Nycoh picked up in the chamber.”

  Daria passed the telescope back to Rigo, who took another look.

  “I thought it was just a cloth, but I think you might be right. D
o you suspect that might be how she is controlling him?”

  Daria shrugged. “Maybe Jeen or Nycoh knows.”

  Rigo nodded. “I wonder if it would work on a Brryn? If it would block their magic, we might have a way of controlling them.”

  “It’s too risky,” Daria said. “You don’t know what it does nor how to activate it.”

  “Maybe it is automatic,” Rigo said. “Daim’s always were.”

  “Our plan needs to be based on things we can control,” Daria insisted.

  Rigo nodded, but he decided he was going to have a look at the bands Nycoh had brought back from the valley anyway.

  They decided over the next day how they would proceed. The attack would involve most of their team. Rigo, Nycoh, Kaler, Daria, and Lyes would participate in the attempt on Tryll. Ashli would be on call back in Sulen where either Rigo or Nycoh could fetch her if needed. For whatever reason, Tryll varied the shielding she used around the mansion. During the day when she wasn’t present, and late at night when they assumed she was sleeping, she used the stronger shields the Brryn favored. However, during the mornings and evenings when she liked to be out on the balcony, she only used the common shields any wizard could make. They could breach either variety, but Rigo preferred making the attempt when the lesser shields were in place. From the experimenting he and Nycoh had done, he had learned that only the Transfer would allow them to teleport into an area protected by the strong Brryn shields, but that any Brryn inside would be aware that a penetration had been made into the area. That would alert Tyrll, and perhaps give her a chance to escape.

  Rigo hoped this could be done in such a way it appeared that Tryll had been over confident and that wizards with normal magic had somehow managed to get to her. Even if the more powerful magic had to be used, they hoped for a situation where it wasn’t obvious that it had been. If they could penetrate her security and get to her without use of the Brryn magic, except maybe to overcome her personal shields, they might have a chance of making everything happen without alerting their remaining two adversaries to what they had learned. If they couldn’t make an entry without use of Brryn magic, then the chances were slim of hiding the fact that at least some of the wizards among the rebels had acquired powers the Brryn would rather they hadn’t. Maintaining the secret had to be a secondary goal, but the longer they could conceal what they had learned, the greater their chances against the other Brryn in follow-on confrontations.

  Rigo hoped they could use the undetectable Transfer to penetrate the lesser shields unannounced, then both he and Nycoh could confront Tryll. The lesser shields wouldn’t alert her to the breach, and wouldn’t leave any trace in case the remaining Brryn investigated later. With both of them available to confront Tryll, they should be able to quickly overpower whatever personal shield she raised using a combination of the Brryn helix beam and the slower moving black cloud. Both Rigo and Nycoh had seen how effective they were against their own standard shields. A little testing against structures they had shielded using the new magic suggested that approach should work. Once Tryll’s shield was down, they would render her unconscious, and proceed from there.

  If anything went wrong and it appeared she might be able to create a Transfer and escape, they would simply have to do everything they could to kill her. They couldn’t risk allowing her to get away to inform the others, and while it would mean a loss of the information they sought, they would have at least thinned down the numbers against them. It wasn’t a perfect plan, and Rigo worried about their lack of familiarity with the new magic, but there wasn’t time nor an easy way to test some things. If this didn’t work, then they were in serious trouble, but he agreed with Nycoh the risk was worth it.

  Daria felt they lacked sufficient intelligence, but agreed there was little means of obtaining what they wished to know.

  They agreed to proceed the next evening.

  They made their move as the sun was setting into the western sea. Tryll was on the balcony as usual, and her servant Brock had just poured her another tall glass of wine. Rigo wanted to make the move before she stood and went inside, which she usually did after the sun was down. This was as late as they dared be. When she went inside, she sometimes changed the level of the protective shields. Not always, but often enough they didn’t want to take a chance. Besides, when she was inside, they wouldn’t know where she might be, which could lead to mistakes and the chance she would see them and run before they could act. They could only appear on the balcony or a short distance into the room they had been able to see. There was some advantage to the balcony since they knew it better, but they would have to hope she hadn’t somehow secured the door if they waited until she went inside. Overall, it was a better risk to transfer into the room behind her, and either wait until she entered, or make their move while she was seated in her lounge chair focused on the wine and the sinking sun.

  Visually Rigo confirmed that the shields had the loose fuzziness of the common variety any wizard could make. Rigo triggered the transfer that took the five of them across the short distance from where they had watched, into the room of the mansion. They arrived silently, and as expected, without triggering any concern in their target. They moved as planned, each with a pre-assigned function, after a quick check to verify that no one else was present. Daria had a pair of her knives in hand, and Kaler had drawn the short sword he was carrying today. The weapons weren’t for Tryll, but for Brock should be become a problem, either through his own reactions or because Tryll was able to command him into some kind of defensive action.

  Daria still amazed Rigo with how silently she could move. Kaler was almost as silent, but lacked the simple grace of the KalaBhoot. Unfortunately Brock was positioned between the doorway and the chair where Tryll sat. There was no way to move around him without alerting both to their presence. Tryll was clearly shielded, the fuzzy shimmer around her, but again, it was the familiar shield they could easily defeat. They moved into position as planned, and with a swift movement Kaler struck Brock solidly at the base of the skull with his sword, catching him and pulling him clear as he fell. That cleared the way for Rigo and Nycoh.

  Rigo was to disrupt Tryll’s shield with a burst of the helix magic. That would clear the way for either Daria or Kaler to knock her unconscious before she could react. That assumed she was protected by the standard shield. If she were using her stronger Brryn shield, Rigo would begin the attack and draw her attention while Nycoh unleashed the shield disruption cloud. Lyes was there, as well, because he wasn’t agreeable to allowing Nycoh to be at risk without being on hand. Of course, he didn’t have a real role. His magic wouldn’t be strong enough to influence the outcome, and Daria and Kaler would handle the strong arm stuff. He did have one of the strange bands like the one they had seen Brock wearing, and which Nycoh had recovered in the chamber. They had decided they couldn’t take the risk of trying it. There was no way to be certain they could get it in place, nor did they know how to activate it. They also wouldn’t know for certain if it was working, and if it wasn’t and they hesitated, Tryll would simply Transfer away. Lyes had insisted on bringing it anyway.

  It went wrong almost immediately. Tryll was fast. Very fast. She had heard or sensed the action behind her and had instantly shifted her shield to the far more formidable one the Brryn favored. Rigo sensed the change as his beam of multicolored energy struck the shield. Unlike the nearly instantaneous disruption of the shields normal wizards could raise, Tryll’s shield seemed to swell and grow as it resisted the attack. Nycoh noted the change as well and triggered the release of the cloud.

  Tryll understood the situation, and while the cloud was extremely effective once it established initial contact with the shield, before it became attached it could easily be avoided by one who was quick and agile, or, unbeknownst to them, pushed away by something they had never seen before. Tryll leaped from the chair as she unleashed the white flash that dissipated the deadly cloud.

  Rigo focused his full attention on Tryll,
and maintained the full strength of his beam upon her shields. Nycoh, realizing they were in danger of losing their target, triggered her own beam of the interwoven helixes. Under the dual assault, it should be dangerous for Tryll to risk triggering the Transfer. The shield could fail during the instant the Transfer was activated.

  That didn’t mean she was finished. Tryll triggered her own identical beam, the colors flaring and of an intensity that far out shone what either Rigo or Nycoh had managed. Rigo felt his own shield collapsing under the powerful incoming magic. Something told him to focus on the point of incidence, and he felt the shield adapting, weakening in areas where it wasn’t being struck, and fortifying itself where the damage was most intense. Somehow he held on, but he didn’t know how much more he could take. They were in trouble.

  Nycoh was stronger than Rigo, and she triggered a series of blasts of the magic that impacted in several locations rather than simply focusing on a single spot. Tryll shuddered as she was struck. Unfortunately, she apparently had expected that and was able to recover, as she unleashed a blast of even greater intensity than that she had originally struck Rigo with. Nycoh either couldn’t adapt or hadn’t discovered the means of adjusting the shield defense, and suddenly her shield simply collapsed, leaving her exposed to any further attack Tryll wanted to unleash.

  Rigo extended his own shield to block Nycoh as well, but he knew that would weaken his already stressed barrier. Tryll knew it too, and she grinned in anticipation of the killing beam she was about to unleash. Nycoh was clearly stunned by the loss of her shield, and wasn’t in a position to recover in time. Rigo knew they were lost.

  Lyes had watched with growing concern as they failed to break the protective barrier around Tryll. When he saw Nycoh stagger, he knew the situation had turned grave. Daria and Kaler were waiting, but knew their knives and swords wouldn’t help this situation. Tryll wouldn’t even be distracted by a feigned attack. As Tryll focused on the two wizards, Lyes slipped around behind. He was being ignored, just as were Kaler and Daria. Whether Tryll could sense they didn’t have the magic to threaten her, or whether it was because they had yet to demonstrate they were a problem, he didn’t know. Whatever the reason, he found himself in position where he could wrap the band around Tryll’s head if he acted quickly while she was distracted. They had assumed it would need to be done when there were no barriers, but it was obvious things were going badly, and about to get worse. Nycoh was in imminent danger, and so Lyes reached forward flung one end around the head so he could grab it. Almost without thinking he brought the two ends together, and to his surprise, they joined as if they had a will of their own. A flash of color grew from within the band, and it started to contract, tightening the loop that was much too big to stay in place.