by R. K. Thorne
“Uh, you don’t have to call me Your Majesty. Aven is fine. Or sire or what have you. But, of course, come in. What is it? Have a seat.” King Aven sat at a large oak desk in the main room, one leg bent with his boot resting on the seat of the chair, an arm propped on his knee. He gestured to the seat across from him. She approached slowly, taking in the plush room around them. At least three servants were busy with unknown tasks in different parts of the room, maybe more she couldn’t see. Dozens of beautifully bound books lined the walls behind the desk, golden inscriptions catching the midday sunlight. What would Tharomar have made of them? She swallowed the lump that rose in her throat.
“A man helped me in my escape,” she said. “A local blacksmith. When the Devoted found us in Anonil, he stayed behind to slow them down. To fight and hopefully follow. I’m concerned he hasn’t joined us. I was wondering if an air mage could help me find out what happened.”
“Yes, of course. Wunik’s rooms are just down the hall, and I believe he’s mostly recovered by now. Sanai, can you—”
The door shut as a servant slipped out, already heading out to find this Wunik without waiting for the request. The king frowned at the closing door.
“Thank you, by the way,” Jaena said as they waited in slightly awkward silence.
He glanced up in surprise, having been lost in his thoughts. “For what?”
“For freeing me. A mere thanks doesn’t seem like enough. But it’s a start.”
He smiled wide. “No thanks are necessary. It’s my privilege to right these wrongs. Just wait, we’ll make the Masters pay for this in the end.”
Wunik mustn’t have been doing anything terribly important because an older man in an exquisite dark blue robe rushed in before Sanai could properly finish announcing him.
“Anonil, you say?” Wunik said. “Do you know the name of the inn? I could help you find it.”
King Aven bowed slightly with a grand flourish in Wunik’s direction from his casual posture in his seat. “The elder air mage Wunik, my lady. You’re welcome. Glad to see you’re feeling better, Wunik.”
The mage set himself up oddly with a bowl of water before him, but she certainly wasn’t going to criticize. She leaned out of her chair and over the view of the countryside sliding away as he guided the view to the Apple and Arrow.
“He planned to hide in the stables,” she said, “so look over there, around the—” She stopped short as a jolt of pain shot through her. Tharomar lay near a campfire, still, eyes closed, and wrists bound behind his back. A bloody gash marred his temple. “There. Gods, is he alive? Can you get closer?” The window floated toward him. The necklace was gone. Gods, in all the seven hells. They must have discovered he was a mage somehow. She hadn’t told him; the Devoted had.
The sense that she’d failed him overwhelmed her.
Although… perhaps the fact that he was a mage had kept them from killing him. More than a dozen dark hoods patrolled the area. Others were loading up horses, pulling up tent poles.
“Is that him?” Aven asked.
She nodded, remembering suddenly that she wasn’t alone.
“He’s breathing,” Wunik said.
She let herself start breathing again. “Damn. Are they leaving? Can we figure out where they are taking him?”
“We can stay on them and follow.”
“Are you sure you have the time? I can feed you energy,” Jaena said.
“I have nothing else I need to be doing,” Wunik replied. “Sire?”
Aven frowned at him. Not yet used to his newly acquired title? The king pointed back at the glowing circle of light. “Look there.” A tent had been pitched behind the inn.
“Odd, since they could simply stay in the inn,” Jaena muttered.
“Perhaps it was full?” Aven said. “Can you get a look inside that tent flap? It looks familiar.”
Peering at the tent flap closely wasn’t necessary, though, because just as they inched closer, the flaps flew open and a black-cloaked woman wearing a beaded headband of sapphire and gold strode forward.
“Evana,” King Aven growled.
“You said that man was a blacksmith?” Wunik asked.
“Yes, but he was also a mage,” she said. “I never got to tell him. He didn’t know yet. Do you recognize her?”
“We’ve had a few run-ins. She’d like my head on a platter, I think, and I nearly return the sentiment. She’s a princess of Isolte but more importantly a knight.”
“Do you think they’re going to kill him?” Jaena said softly.
“I think if they were planning to, they would have done it already,” Aven said, his expression grim. “Wunik, watch them as closely as you can. If she’s working with the Masters, then they will head back to Mage Hall with him. But let’s make sure. I want to know where she’s going.”
Wunik nodded.
Jaena watched as the Devoted camp unpacked and took to the road with Tharomar in tow. She leaned back in the chair. Exhaustion washed over her. Perhaps she would just close her eyes for a moment while Wunik rode…
“Ho, ho. What have we here?” Wunik’s voice roused her from sleep. She sat up, shaking herself awake as King Aven strode in to join them.
“What is it?” she said.
“They aren’t taking him to Mage Hall, my lord,” said Wunik.
“Where did they take him?” the king replied.
“Trenedum Palace.”
Aven frowned, looking shocked. “Truly? When we were stopped in Anonil, and you were still healing—I tried this myself, and—”
“You did! And it worked?” Wunik said.
“Yes, and—” Aven tried to start again.
“She’s right, you are a fast learner.”
“Who’s right?”
“Miara. One of the first things she said to me.”
The king’s expression darkened with worry. “What I saw was Daes taking a man and a girl—possibly Miara’s family—to Trenedum Palace. Why would they go there?”
“Perhaps the king requested an audience?”
“Daes might have an audience with King Demikin, but Evana? A random mage captive? Maybe Daes is there to see the king, and Evana is there to see Daes.”
Jaena frowned. “Maybe the dungeons in Mage Hall are getting full?
“Hmm. Or could this have something to do with the troop movements?” Aven muttered.
“What troop movements?” said Jaena.
“We’ve had reports of Kavanarian troops mobilizing, heading south. We’re not quite sure to what end.”
“Coming after us, perhaps?” Wunik said.
Aven nodded. “So I assume.”
“But wait—back to this palace,” said Aven. “If the mages that attacked Estun captured Miara, might they have taken her there as well?” Wunik and Jaena both shrugged. The king leaned forward, peering more closely at Trenedum Palace.
Wunik eyed him. “What are you thinking, Aven?”
“I’m thinking… what if we paid this palace a visit?”
“And did what?” asked Jaena.
“And broke them all out of there.”
“Them all?” Jaena said quickly, grinning, but Wunik looked stunned.
“I have a hunch Miara‘s family is there. Maybe Miara too. And we can save someone who helped saved Jaena. The blacksmith, correct?”
“Well, actually he wasn’t just a blacksmith. He belonged to an order of Nefrana, like a priest, but they sought to protect mages. I’d never heard of such a thing. But there must be others in his order. The temple is based in Evrical, I think.”
“Hmm, Kavanar is full of surprises these days,” Aven murmured. “A potential ally inside Kavanar would be valuable too. And look at this place. Highly unfortified. It’s practically just a sculpture. An Akarian would never live in a such a pathetic excuse for a building.” The king looked to Wunik.
Wunik hesitated, glancing from the window of light to Aven and back. Then he sighed. “Do you really think Miara is there too?”
/> “Sanai, can you fetch Siliana and Derk, please? And my brother Thel?” His attendant vanished without a word or acknowledgment. “I have no idea if Miara is there. It’s a wild hunch. But Daes did make an attempt to blackmail her, saying he would kill her sister if she didn’t provide the correct location for the Assembly meeting. Of course, we sent something back but not the correct location. We have until tomorrow before the girl is likely killed.”
Wunik winced. Jaena sucked in a sharp breath.
“If we go and rescue them, we thwart Daes. We had planned to try to rescue them somehow, or at least to explore the option, before all the chaos set in.”
Before Wunik could argue further, the woman in the tidy red shirt who had healed her foot arrived. Another mage followed, with a tall, blond, slightly awkward fellow only a minute or so later. Was everyone in this castle sitting around wishing for something better to do?
King Aven gathered them around Wunik’s pool of farsight and explained his idea. “Siliana, do you think you could you fly us there?”
She nodded. “That looks maybe an hour or two in flight from here, by this map. Maybe a little more.”
“That’s fast—are you sure?”
“Do I need to be able to do anything once I get there?”
“Yes. At the very least, fly us back.”
She shrugged. “Better consider it two hours then, but yes, I can do it.”
“How will you get in?” Jaena said. “You’ll need a distraction. I can create one.” If she could create something like her dogs, or her mud monster… but bigger…
“A distraction?”
“Yes. Shake the ground a little, perhaps frighten them out of the building.”
King Aven smiled ruefully. “That’d be a nice twist of revenge.”
“What? Never mind, not now, you can explain later. I have an idea of what we can do.” Her eyes had been scouring the palace as her brain raced while the king had explained his plan. She gestured at the palace while she spoke. “This here is likely their dungeon, correct? Where they are probably held? You will need to get through there. Well, what if I blow out the earth on the side instead? Then you can just walk in.”
The king nodded. “That would be… excellent.”
She hesitated, studying the building.
“I can tell you have more,” King Aven said. “Go on.”
“If I make a distraction on the other side, over here, it should draw people’s attention. We can set down by this willow, and Siliana and I can hide under it. Do you think you could also defend me or at least stand guard while I work?”
Siliana nodded. “Of course. Lots of creature energy is in reserve here if we have an emergency—between the pond, the trees, the gardens. Should be easy to refill for the return flight too.”
“I’ll need someone to go in with me,” King Aven said. “Not necessarily a mage, I guess.”
Wunik cut in, “Sire, you are now the king. Even as the crown prince, this is not something you should attempt. What if you don’t return?”
Aven gave him a firm look. “I have to know if Miara is there. If I don’t return, I have two excellent brothers I’ve heard many would prefer to become king anyway.” He smiled and gestured at Thel, the tall one.
Thel fidgeted under his gaze. “I don’t know, Aven.”
“I’m partly joking,” the king said. “But I do think the risks outweigh the rewards here. Allies inside Kavanar would be immensely valuable. Jaena’s smith may know much that could help us. Not to mention he played a critical role in… saving Jaena from the Devoted. And who knows, there may be a chance to throw off Daes, while we’re at it.”
“We can’t use those allies or fight Kavanar if you’re all dead,” Wunik said.
“We won’t be,” Jaena said. If all they needed to do was get some people from a room on the outside of the building… that seemed relatively simple.
The king grinned at her ready support. Wunik frowned at him. “Your mother is not going to like this.”
“And that’s why we’re not going to tell her. And why we’re going to go right now.”
“Right now?” Wunik was scowling now.
“Well, as soon as we feel we’re ready. By tomorrow night, they may have left Trenedum Palace. Plus, we can’t afford to keep watch via farsight on this building for an entire day. If we are able, we need to strike now.”
Derk yawned loudly and stretched, clearly trying to get their attention. “Fine, well, I guess I could go and help save your asses.”
Jaena raised her eyebrows, and King Aven glowered at him.
“Well, if he’s going, I’m going,” Thel said suddenly.
“Are you that just that determined not to be king that you’d rather risk your life instead?” Aven asked. Thel eyed the mage who’d volunteered with suspicion.
“If we all go and we all get killed, Mother will hunt us down in our graves,” Thel muttered. “But I’m not going to be left back here like some horse put out to pasture.”
“Well, we best not get killed then, so she doesn’t have to kill us a second time.”
“Also, she’d probably kill Wunik too, and that’s not fair,” said Thel.
“Who says I’m not coming with you?” Wunik glared.
“Well—uh—” Thel stumbled.
“I’m just teasing you. Someone has to stay behind and tell your mother of this tomfoolery when it goes awry.” The doubting nature of his tone was gone now, replaced by a more playful one. Perhaps their plan seemed plausible enough.
“All right then. It’s decided,” said the king.
Jaena pointed at the view of the palace. “Let’s talk about what could go wrong in this plan of ours. We need backup plans.”
“There could be a wall made of something you can’t move,” Wunik offered. “Wood or something. Under that rubble you plan to blow away.”
Jaena nodded. “Okay, if there’s another wall, we may be able to dig under the door.”
“Or a wooden wall could be set on fire,” Derk added.
“Good, although let’s make sure noone’s chained to any walls we destroy,” she said. “Another potential problem. The distraction may not be enough, and someone could notice we’re in the dungeon.”
“And lock us in,” Thel added.
“Your optimism is duly noted.” King Aven laughed.
“Or people could flood toward the dungeon instead of paying attention to the distraction,” offered Thel. Nervous, was he?
“I could create additional distractions if that happens,” Siliana said. “Maybe bring some bees or wasps.”
“Hornets,” Derk offered. “Bet there are some sizable beetles around that pond to use too.”
Siliana nodded encouragingly. “Lots of birds usually in this kind of environment as well. We’ll be on the same side of the dungeon as you, so I should be able to watch for interlopers. And I can reach out and warn you.”
“Another thought—what if Tharomar and the others aren’t in the dungeon when we get there?” Jaena said.
Aven nodded gravely. “Then the choice is—do we search the palace, with the violence that comes with that? Or do we abort the mission and return?”
“If you have some reason to believe they’ve gone into the palace, that would be one thing,” Jaena said. “I think my distraction should be enough to bring people out and cause serious disruption inside. But if there’s no sign of them or where they went, it might be better to abort.”
“We won’t know for certain if they’re even still in the palace. We can’t watch while we fly,” Siliana pointed out. “We will only know what was true just before we took flight. Wunik could watch, then Derk could farsee to him, and then I could ask him. But that sounds like an awful lot of energy, and we could get caught just sitting by the tree doing all that.”
“Yeah, count me out for that. We might as well just blow the side of the building, whether we know they’re in there or not.” Derk jutted his chin at Jaena. “I like your style, by the way
.”
She gave him a sidelong glance. “We’ll see if you like it after you see it in action.”
Aven held up another hand. “We’ll go in if we have some concrete clue that any of the four we’re looking for are still there. But if we see no signs, we’ll turn back. Understood?”
Nods all around.
“Good luck to all of you,” Wunik said softly. “And I hope you don’t really need it.”
16
Distractions
The sound of Siliana’s black wings flapping had been constant and regular for what had seemed an eternity. Aven knew it could only have been an hour or two, and it was not much different than when Miara had flown him out of Kavanar the day of their escape. The only difference was that this was at night, and being a tiny creature in a box with several other tiny creatures in complete darkness was both better and worse in some ways.
He could have opted to be a bird himself, but he preferred to save all his energy for what was to come. Aven wondered what Thel was making of all this.
Finally the wing beats changed, and he felt them landing. Moments later, Siliana drew his little form out of the box and shifted him back. Had he been a chipmunk again? Seemed so. Only slight nausea accompanied the transformation. Either she was taking more time than Miara did, or he was getting used to the feeling.
Human again, he surveyed the land around them. An hour or two in the air had taken them across the border of Kavanar. Trenedum Palace glowed a ghostly white on the other side of a willow and a small, foggy pond. He squatted down with the others and looked them all over. They were prepared. They were as ready as they’d ever be.
“All right. Everyone ready?”
Nods all around. Jaena had sunk to the ground and crossed her legs to sit with her back against the tree trunk, preparing. Aven strode over and crouched in front of her, catching her eyes. “Will I know when this… distraction is happening?”
“Oh, you’ll know.” Was that excitement? A chance to torment her tormentors for once?
“Care to share what it’s going to be?” Since she hadn’t taken his hints, he might as well ask directly.