The Raven Collection

by James Barclay

  Vuldaroq smiled inwardly at Heryst’s reaction. How easy it was to disarm a man who expected nothing from you.

  ‘That is a most kind offer. I thank you for it.’

  ‘Surprising too?’ Vuldaroq couldn’t help himself.

  Heryst raised his eyebrows. ‘It is not your most common stance,’ he said. ‘We are, I believe, faced with a critical decision. My commanders, who have briefed me extensively, are in no doubt that the war will turn upon it. It has doubtless been on the minds of you and yours.’

  Vuldaroq inclined his head, sure of Heryst’s direction. He was not disappointed.

  ‘Xetesk wants Julatsa gone and the elves threaten that. Their move north will not go unchallenged and that has an effect directly on us, which is why Izack has reinforced the most likely place for an attempt to break the siege.

  ‘But, in my opinion, we have to take wider factors into account. I am not sure that providing extra strength at the east gate is the best use of our forces, not least because they may be too late. After all, the breakout is liable to be staged very soon, and there is no doubt that we will struggle to contain them, given the information we have about their reserve strength.

  ‘As you’ll be aware, Baron Blackthorne has joined the struggle on our side and has brought with him seventy swordsmen and eight mages. This represents almost all of his trained guard and he has taken the gamble of leaving his lands guarded by Baron Gresse whose small militia is already stretched over almost the whole of the south. Why are they doing it? Because while this war goes on, the economics of the entire country are destroyed more each day.

  ‘And they are not alone in their anxiety. Havern is sending men, so is Orytte, so is Rache. Many other Barons aren’t capable of sending anyone, of course. But again, reinforcing the east gate might be pointless. It may be that riding north to Julatsa is the better decision.’

  ‘Sorry,’ said Vuldaroq, raising a finger. ‘You sound as if you don’t necessarily agree with the turn of events.’

  Heryst refreshed his water glass. ‘It adds a layer of complexity. Blackthorne has agreed to put his men under the command of Izack and indeed is not planning on staying too long on the field himself. That’s because he feels he needs to exercise his diplomatic skills in the heart of the country. He, as you know, along with Gresse, is an exception. Both are Barons working for the common good, not purely self interest. Many of those deciding to join the battlefield have more personal agendas to complete.’

  ‘But you can’t deny that more forces committed to bringing down Xetesk has to be a good thing from our point of view.’

  ‘Are you really convinced of that, Vuldaroq? I suggest you familiarise yourself with the histories of some of the relationships between those ostensibly coming to help us. We may be here to restore the magical balance by first deposing the current Circle Seven but there are landed Barons out there who would like to see all the power of the colleges subservient to them. We must be careful that we remain the directors of this war.’

  Vuldaroq smiled indulgently. Heryst sometimes thought too hard. On the other hand, it wouldn’t do to unnecessarily raise his suspicions.

  ‘I have been open with my talks with any Barons or Lords,’ he said. ‘Any forces I am hiring are signing themselves to serve under my battlefield commanders. You do not have to worry about their conduct. We are all after the same thing.’

  ‘Are we?’ Heryst’s smile was thin.

  ‘Who among us does not want peace for Balaia?’

  ‘Vuldaroq, that is not in doubt. It is the nature of that peace which taxes me.’

  ‘Then we must strive to ensure it is a peace which suits us all,’ said Vuldaroq, feeling a growing irritation. ‘But we are diverted from our task for today. You were talking about the east gate before outlining our options as you see them?’

  ‘I was,’ said Heryst. ‘If I don’t have enough men to preserve the balance now, there will not be time to reinforce. However, I have hope. I may have lost the elves but I have gained Blackthorne’s men and magic, and Xetesk has lost the Protectors. We have no choice but to fight there and occupy as many Xeteskians as we can.

  ‘We have no more men to commit in time. Indeed I suggest that we never really had enough to force a significant breach in Xetesk’s defences though we have all fought hard.

  ‘You mention Baronial forces joining you. Like I have said, I have others joining me and their management is very important. But the decisions to be made are tactical. The most critical is this. Do we assume the Xeteskians will break through whatever our strategy and therefore let them out and take them on open ground? We still have the time to organise that. Plans are in place.

  ‘But can we prosecute such a fight successfully? Can we contain them on the open field? And if we can, where do we draw our line? Who should be in overall command? There is more, Vuldaroq, but this will do as a beginning.’

  Vuldaroq was impressed and annoyed in equal measure. His commanders had not brought up all these questions, some of which were blindingly obvious issues.

  ‘Are you sure none of your people have been in contact with Darrick?’ he asked.

  ‘I think not,’ said Heryst. ‘And I resent the suggestion that he is the only man capable of assessing our tactics. Many of my commanders have served under Darrick in the past. His knowledge has been passed on. I won’t deny we could do with him but he made his decision and will live or die by it.’

  ‘And what is the considered opinion of your command team as to our next moves?’

  ‘Our first priority is to give the elves as much time as possible to get away to Julatsa. They are preparing to leave now and will begin travel at dawn tomorrow. We have to hope we can hold the Xeteskians inside the city. We cannot risk Xetesk beating us in the open. If they do, we have nothing left.’

  Vuldaroq considered. It was the most sensible solution but also the one Xetesk would expect.

  ‘It has little surprise in it to upset Xeteskian plans.’

  ‘And little room for them to surprise us. Even if they did break out east, for example, we would have considerable forces blocking their path.’

  ‘Have you thought about the remnants of the Black Wing army?’ asked Vuldaroq. ‘I understand them still to be encamped in significant numbers.’

  ‘They are a leaderless rabble,’ said Heryst. ‘Selik is dead, my spies report Devun is missing, and every day, more of them are returning to their homes. We should encourage that. Significant numbers, no. There are only a couple of hundred still there and they are the ones with literally nowhere else to go. They are an irrelevance to us.’

  Heryst pushed a leather satchel across the table. ‘Our full recommendations and current strengths at each front are here. Consult your advisers; mine are on hand to answer questions and I have a Communion link to Izack on standby should you need it. But we need answers fast.’

  Vuldaroq nodded. ‘I will be back within the hour. Why don’t you rest by the fire there? I have a particularly fine spirit you might like to try.’

  ‘Thank you, Vuldaroq.’

  The overweight Arch Mage pushed himself from his chair. There were many matters to consider here. Heryst had outlined a solid plan for the benefit of the whole country. Vuldaroq just wasn’t sure he wanted to go back to being a mere part of the balance. There was opportunity here, the question was, could he unlock it fast enough?

  Sha-Kaan had returned to his favoured place on the upper slopes of Herendeneth, with its views of the terraces and the house below. Calm had returned to the island. The Protectors were back working to repair the damage caused by fight and flood; Cleress was awake and helping Erienne until her energy was gone, and Diera and Jonas were safe once more. No mage bar the Al-Drechar remained alive.

  He watched as Diera approached, her boy in her arms though struggling to get out. He could just catch his noises of frustration on the hot breeze and worry filled his mind. How easy for humans to reproduce. Not so for dragons. Back on Beshara, the Kaan birthings we
re imminent. He should be there, protecting his Brood at their most vulnerable time.

  He knew what he had to do. So did Diera; it was why she was coming to see him now. He waited for her to come close, setting her son down. Typically, he gazed at Sha-Kaan until he’d convinced himself he’d seen it before and returned to the more interesting experiments he was conducting with walking.

  ‘He is a remarkable child,’ said the Great Kaan.

  ‘I think he understands you are friend not threat. And you have been so good to us,’ said Diera.

  ‘We have helped each other,’ he replied. ‘Your child has been a source of light during these last days, lifting my spirits as I wait for the news I am so desperate to hear.’

  ‘And you have heard it,’ said Diera.

  ‘I have,’ he said. ‘I can almost feel the currents of air over my Broodlands. I can smell the scents of my world.’

  ‘And now you’re going, aren’t you?’

  ‘I must,’ Sha-Kaan said, feeling a pang of guilt. It surprised him but it shouldn’t have. He had learned so much about human emotion recently. Why should he not start to feel for them? It was difficult, he conceded, to remember exactly how he had thought before his exile. He determined not to forget how he felt now after he returned.

  ‘Jonas will miss you,’ she said. ‘So will I.’

  ‘And I likewise,’ said Sha-Kaan. ‘But I am dying here. I will begin the flight back to Balaia at dusk. I must help The Raven. I cannot afford for them to fail.’

  ‘And that’s why I want you to go, more than anything.’ Diera smiled. ‘Knowing you will be watching over my husband will be a great comfort.’

  ‘But your contact with him will be lost,’ said Sha-Kaan.

  ‘I know. But it’s a price I’m happy to pay if it means he lives to see us again.’

  ‘I will be speaking to Hirad again before I go. There are things he must know about Xetesk’s meddling with inter-dimensional space. Be here with me and you can pass messages to Sol.’

  ‘Thank you, Sha-Kaan,’ she said. She reached out a hand and touched his muzzle. He could barely feel it through his thick hide but the gesture was enough.

  Jonas had sensed a change in the emotional atmosphere. He crawled quickly to his mother and pulled himself up her leg, looking him in the eye.

  ‘Kaan!’ he said suddenly, pointing and smiling.

  Diera laughed. ‘That’s right, darling. And soon it will be time to say goodbye.’

  ‘Bye,’ said Jonas.

  Deep in the plains of Teras, Sha-Kaan’s Brood mothers were calling to him. He could feel it.

  Chapter 30

  The first signs of light were beginning to edge over the horizon and the allied camp outside the east gate was ablaze with activity. Lysternan and Blackthorne guards were being readied to take the field, the night watch was withdrawing and the Al-Arynaar were close to departure. Izack had already taken much of his cavalry to the north gate front, leaving one detachment to defend the foot soldiers. It would have to be enough.

  The Raven were eating a quick breakfast. The horses given to them by Blackthorne were being saddled and prepared. Sore, stiff and tired, there was nevertheless an energy about The Raven that came with imminent action.

  Denser, having seen to Erienne, cleaning her after the night and checking that Cleress was still hanging on, had joined them, sitting by Hirad who was inspecting his repaired armour.

  ‘Will it hold?’ asked Denser.

  ‘It’s a fantastic job,’ said Hirad. ‘Can’t say they don’t know needlework, these elves.’

  Across the fire, The Unknown sat gazing at his boots, one hand massaging his neck.

  ‘She’ll be fine,’ said Denser, guessing his trouble.

  ‘Of that I have no doubt,’ said The Unknown. ‘I just can’t help feeling it’s going to be a long time before I see them again.’

  ‘Just as long as you do one day,’ said Denser. He turned his attention back to Hirad. ‘Now listen, I know you were right not to wake me when you spoke to Sha-Kaan last night but I need to know exactly what he said.’

  ‘I told it all to Rebraal. He’s spoken to the Lysternans and the message has gone round all the fronts. They are as prepared as they can be which is not at all since we don’t know what, if anything, Xetesk are going to do. But they’ll have the shield lattice up and concentrated. That’s it.’

  ‘So tell me,’ said Denser. ‘What did he say?’

  Hirad sighed. ‘All right. He said he’d been sensing something for a while. Ever since the Xeteskians got home with the information from the Al-Drechar. Initially he was happy because he supposed that they were investigating inter-dimensional space to send him home. Now he knows that wasn’t the case and the feelings he gets are as if they’re channelling the energy out there. He doesn’t know why but it doesn’t feel right. He likened it to someone diverting rivers to form a waterfall. Right now, the level isn’t high enough but he can sense it growing.’

  ‘Right,’ said Denser. ‘And did he say anything else?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Hirad. ‘And this made him happy and angry. Happy because he can sense the dimensions again, meaning the Xeteskians have been successful in realignment and mapping, something like that. Angry, because he says the meddling, which got much worse yesterday apparently, has aroused the attentions of the demons. He said they would be waiting and that Xetesk doesn’t understand what it is doing. He said we should stop them.’

  ‘That’s going to be difficult,’ said Denser.

  ‘That’s what I said.’

  ‘And is that all he said?’

  ‘Isn’t it enough?’

  ‘Actually, it probably is,’ said Denser, feeling his heart sink. As if it could get any lower. ‘What I saw in the Laryon hub were papers and maps outlining cooperative spells drawing on the raw power in inter-dimensional space. I couldn’t tell how close they were to being ready to cast. But I think the allies need to be prepared for more than the offensive power they’ve been used to, that’s all.

  ‘It’s a shame we can’t get Sha-Kaan up there. He could probably disrupt it.’

  ‘Why can’t we?’ asked Hirad.

  ‘Well, because he needs a gateway opening here. He can sense the flows but he can’t access them without it. When we do that, he’ll be able to travel home, his dimension will be there for him if he’s right and the mapping has been successful.’

  The Unknown cleared his throat. ‘I don’t understand. How does Xetesk’s knowledge of where the dimensions are currently located translate to Sha-Kaan flying home?’

  ‘Right,’ said Denser. ‘Good question and forgive my incomplete knowledge. Effectively, what Xetesk’s researchers will have done is take the information from the Al-Drechar and use it to read the pathways in inter-dimensional space. Don’t ask me how but there are some and its forces are like mana that flow along them, seeking the route of least resistance in a way. But to get a complete and ongoing picture, they’ll have sent focused streams of mana into space and bounced them off dimensional shells, along pathways and all that sort of thing. Those streams will always be there and the signature of the bounce will give Sha-Kaan his direction because he knows what his dimension feels like.

  ‘It only works from this direction and he’d find other signatures of other dimensions confuse his senses. So his path will be clear because it’ll be the only one he can make sense of. That’s what I understand from talking to him and my scant knowledge of dimensional research. Sorry if it’s vague.’

  ‘Good enough,’ said The Unknown.

  ‘For you, maybe,’ said Hirad. ‘Once again, I thank the Gods I am not a mage.’

  He pushed himself to his feet and began to stretch, pushing his arms back and chest out very slowly and deliberately. Denser saw him wince a couple of times but the expression on his face told of pleasant surprise at how he felt.

  ‘Feel all right?’ asked Denser.

  ‘Stiff but not bad,’ said Hirad. ‘I may even be able to fight a
gain sooner than I thought. Can’t say the same for the young general, here.’

  Darrick was spooning broth into his mouth as if he wouldn’t be allowed to eat ever again. Torn bread sat by him on the ground and a mug of the elves’ enriching herbal tea steamed away by his left boot. His face was pale still, dark rings around eyes that sat deep. He had a slight shiver.

  ‘Can you ride, Darrick?’ asked The Unknown.

  Darrick nodded. ‘Let’s just not go at a tan gallop all the way, eh?’

  ‘We’ll do our best. Perhaps we can persuade Sha-Kaan to give you a lift,’ said Denser. ‘When will he arrive?’

  Hirad shrugged. ‘He can’t fly too fast, you know his condition. If we go as well as we want to, we should all arrive at Julatsa at about the same time.’

  ‘That’s handy, because I might need help opening this gateway. Assuming the mana focus is strong enough, that’s where I’ll get it.’

  ‘So,’ said Hirad. ‘Are we all ready?’

  He wandered away a few yards in the direction of Xetesk. They’d found a point where they could see through the trees to the battle front. No doubt he was having a look at the set-up for the day of battle which would begin in earnest any time. Already, a few desultory spells were probing at shield lattices while the lines drew up and closed.

  A sudden gust of wind blew through the trees, rattling branches and dislodging leaves and blossom. Denser looked across at Erienne where she lay under the sentinel-like guard of Thraun. A frown crossed her forehead, gone in a heartbeat.

  ‘Thraun?’ he asked.

  He shook his head. ‘Not her. She feels it.’

  ‘Denser, what the hell is that?’

  Thraun trotted over to Hirad, and The Unknown and Darrick likewise. No one had to ask what Hirad was looking at.

  Up in the partly cloudy sky, two slashes had appeared, moving gently, like seaweed resting on the surface of the sea. But there was nothing restful about the intent behind them. One sat above the east gate, the other to the north. It was impossible to guess exactly how big they were at this distance but the measurement would run into hundreds of feet.