New Title 1

by K. M. Shea

  “Why?” Ragnar—a magic user—asked. “They were kidnapped and forced to fight, but that’s no reason to pick up the sword for us.”

  Crow smiled unpleasantly, and his dark eyes glinted. “Many have comrades who were slaughtered—not by the hand of Verglas troops, but by Tenebris Malus himself.”

  The library was silent.

  Topi glanced at Crow—who still bristled—and spoke, his voice low and guttural. “In the Battle of Gaula, Tenebris needlessly sacrificed a large number of his infantry. When he attacked the Verglas army, he was positioned behind his officers and soldiers. When he cast his magic, some of the curses landed on Chosen troops.”

  What? Rakel had to knit her hands together to keep from standing up. “And he didn’t pull his magic off them?”

  “Perhaps he can’t?” Liv suggested.

  Topi glanced at Crow, who shrugged. “No,” Crow said. “He simply didn’t care. He hadn’t cast his magic over his precious magic users, and he can remove his curses at will. He knew he was sacrificing soldiers to reach the Verglas forces, but it was the fastest way of reaching them and posed the smallest risk to those he really needed to keep happy—his magic soldiers.”

  “That’s how your band was killed, wasn’t it?” Rakel asked. Her voice tightened in sympathy as she gained a new understanding of Crow’s situation.

  Crow nodded.

  The room was oppressively silent as they tried to come to terms with this new information.

  “I cannot believe the magic users still follow him,” Phile said. “They cannot be that blind and stupid—particularly after witnessing the unnecessary decimation to their own forces.”

  “The promise of power and safety can ease many a conscience,” Oskar said grimly.

  “But to kill his own men!” Phile objected.

  “Have any of you been accidentally hit by Princess Rakel’s magic?” Crow asked.

  Everyone tensed, and it took Rakel a formidable amount of self-control to keep the room temperature even.

  Frodi popped out of his chair. “That’s an unfair question! The princess has been facing off against a magic user who can reflect magic and use your own powers against you. Of course she can’t help it if some of us are hit,” he snarled.

  “And that is why Tenebris’s magic users remain with him,” Crow said.

  “I don’t understand,” Eydìs said. “Tenebris never faces off against Farrin—Farrin is his colonel.”

  “It’s not the reason; it’s the passion. There’s no question in my mind that your beloved Snow Queen is a more gentle and reasonable character than Tenebris Malus, but you all stay with her even after getting hit for the same reason Tenebris’s magic users stay with him: loyalty,” Crow said.

  The hair on the back of Rakel’s neck stood on end, and she felt oddly rankled. Though Crow hadn’t said anything bad about her, she felt dirty after being compared to Tenebris. We’re nothing alike. Not at all.

  Next to her, Steinar tapped his chin. “We have established that Tenebris is a horrifying character, and we have found a potential weakness in his forces—the disloyalty and division of his infantry. How do we use this against him?”

  All the eyes in the room turned to him—shocked that he had spoken.

  “It is an excellent question, my king,” General Halvor said. “We, thankfully, have a magic user who can counter the effects of Tenebris’s magic.”

  Liv blushed and stared at her feet, even as Phile jovially ruffled her hair.

  “When a curse was cast upon the princess during the retaking of Ostfold, Liv discovered her magic—the ability to purify wounds and infections and such—can be used to neutralize curses as well.” Halvor continued, “It is likely Tenebris already knows of her existence. If he does not, he will learn of it shortly. We will have a retinue of guards assigned to her—including at least one magic user—as Liv lacks the ability to defend herself.”

  “Do you have to touch a person to purify the curse, or can you cast a spell over an area?” a soldier asked, smiling at Liv in encouragement.

  Rakel was warmed by the sight. It’s not just me people are accepting, it’s all magic users. Though this is a sinister trial, if it means magic users can rise from the darkness…

  “I’m fairly certain I have to touch the person to neutralize the curse, but I haven’t had the opportunity to test it.” Liv offered the soldier a shaky smile.

  “It is certainly fortuitous that we have a magic user able to counter him,” one of Halvor’s officers, Colonel Danr, said. “But it is a remedy. We need a tactic to prevent his curses. Tollak—do you have any charms that could help us?”

  Tollak rubbed his chin. “No. I might be able to come up with something, but it will take at least a month of research, and I would need to see Tenebris’s magic in action about a dozen times or so. I can’t protect all of Ostfold.”

  General Halvor nodded. “Pursue your research in your off-time then. Both Tollak and Colonel Danr are correct. Due to the magical forces we face, it is better for us to attack than defend. I propose we march south and set up a base camp instead of remaining in Ostfold.”

  “Wouldn’t it be better to stay in Ostfold?” Eydìs asked. “With the mountains at our back and fresh snow lying on them at all times of the year, we could hold it indefinitely with the princess’s powers.”

  General Halvor glanced at Rakel.

  Rakel nodded and stood, moving to join General Halvor at the front of the library. “I could, but the side-effects would be disastrous,” she said. “If the Chosen lay a siege on us, I believe our defenses could possibly hold out.”

  “They would,” General Halvor assured her.

  “However, we would certainly run out of food, and if I were defending Ostfold, it would be too cold to grow anything, and wild game would eventually die out in want of food as well.” Rakel pressed her lips together and gazed out at the large council. She was pleasantly surprised to see that no one wore hostile expressions, narrowed their eyes, or even flinched in fear. Instead, they listened intently.

  They will not like what follows… “Which is why we must defeat The Chosen by mid-spring.”

  The room exploded in whispers and gasps of shock.

  “What?”

  “It cannot be done!”

  “It took us that long to reclaim Glowma and Ostfold!”

  “I cannot use my powers after the middle of spring,” Rakel said.

  “Why?” Steinar tilted his head as he studied her. “Does it become too difficult?”

  “Not at all; it is for the same reason that we cannot plan to remain in Ostfold and wait out attacks,” Rakel said. “If I extensively use my magic after spring, it will ruin the planting and harvest season. Fruit trees will not bud—and if they do, the bees that pollinate them would die in the cold, or snow and frost would destroy the buds themselves. Crops planted in areas that I freeze over would be ruined—for the year. The grass is perhaps the only thing that would not be killed off, and there would be a hay crop, but it would be smaller than usual and most likely stunted.”

  The army officers looked to each other in concern. The magic users appeared to be less worried, but many of them sported wrinkled foreheads and furrowed brows.

  “The need to end the conflict supports my previous suggestion. We must travel south and begin facing Tenebris if we hope to defeat the Chosen while the princess can use her magic,” General Halvor said.

  “Couldn’t you limit your usage?” Colonel Danr asked.

  “I can,” Rakel agreed, “but it will greatly limit my combat abilities. I’ll be reduced to performing magic directly on soldiers and creating ice weapons. I won’t be able to cause avalanches, block roads with snowfall, or create structures of ice.”

  Colonel Danr nodded in satisfaction and swiveled his gaze to General Halvor. “Very well. Where, then, do you wish for us to establish our new base?”

  General Halvor pointed on the map to a village in the south. “The landscape around Tana will best sui
t our needs and is in a position to receive backup from the capital or Glowma. As we continue to push south, we will change our main fortification, but Tana will remain a key outpost in our communication relay.”

  “I thought Tana was abandoned. Most of its residents fled to Glowma or Ostfold when the Chosen swept in,” a soldier said.

  “Correct,” General Halvor said. “It has been abandoned. We plan to ask for volunteer citizens to come with us.”

  “Commoners should not be taken so close to the battlefield,” Frodi objected.

  “Perhaps, but we need a support crew. The Battle of Gaula has left us poorly outnumbered. We need every soldier we can get. They cannot be spared to do the cleaning and tasks that soldiers normally do when moving as a unit,” General Halvor said.

  “You will leave some soldiers in Ostfold and Glowma?” Steinar asked.

  General Halvor bowed. “With your leave, my King. We will leave reinforcement troops in both cities, and a squad of guards to protect you.”

  “The guards are unnecessary. I will travel with the army to Tana.” Steinar raised his chin—Rakel recognized it as a sign of stubbornness, for she had often done the same thing herself.

  Again the room was swaddled in whispers—these more softly uttered and guarded as they gaped at the young king.

  “With all due respect, my king, it is far too risky,” General Halvor said.

  “Rakel will travel with you—and she should be the Queen,” Steinar said.

  Rakel took a step towards her brother and wondered how she could intimidate him into silence. For so long, I have wished he would participate in our plans—but I did not think he would utter such stupid things! He’s worse than Phile. Is this what it means to have a sibling?

  “I have magic,” Rakel reminded him.

  “I’m going,” Steinar said.

  Rakel’s chin also rose as she narrowed her wild blue eyes at him.

  “Am I not King?” he asked.

  The words sounded boastful, but Rakel understood their meaning. He will let me overrule him, but then I will be the ruler of Verglas. She glared at him.

  Steinar stared back at her with the same emotionless mask she usually wore when facing someone uttering death threats.

  Blast him for looking so much like me!

  “If you wish to come with us, my king, we will begin planning for it,” Halvor said. “However, I do not feel it is a tactically wise move. To have the two remaining members of the royal family present on the battlefield would be…risky.”

  “If I die or am taken captive, Rakel can rule,” Steinar said. “I give her my blessing.”

  “If you die or are taken captive, I will already be incapacitated,” Rakel promised.

  Steinar tilted his head. “If you are incapacitated, the fight will be over and the war lost.”

  Why did I ever long to meet him? He’s such a little troll! Though Rakel’s thoughts were furious, she did grudgingly admire him. He’d been held captive in his own palace under threat of death. He had great courage to insist on going to the new base camp.

  “Very well, my king,” General Halvor conceded after a few horribly stilted moments.

  “No, it’s too dangerous,” Rakel said.

  “Aw, Little Wolf,” Phile said, popping up to her feet. “You’re just being a protective older sister.” She threw her arm around Rakel’s shoulders and dragged her close. “You want him to rule? Then leave him be. If he doesn’t do anything heroic or brave, the people won’t follow him,” she whispered.

  “As you wish,” Rakel said stiffly. She knew there was truth to Phile’s words, but her concern still crackled like thawing ice in the back of her mind. She slipped away from Phile and Halvor and went to sit down in her chair next to Steinar. “I should have let Phile dress you in a Bunad,” she muttered.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “We’ll have a better idea of the size of our travel party when we see how many villagers volunteer to move with us and establish our new camp, but I plan to send two waves of forces. The bulk of the villagers will travel with the second wave,” General Halvor said, starting to map out the details.

  The officers took notes, and the magic users listened thoughtfully.

  “Before we leave, all soldiers—and volunteers—will be debriefed on Tenebris Malus’s magic, as well as the magic we know his officers possess,” Halvor continued.

  As he spoke, Rakel’s thoughts drifted. It is strange…it has only been a few months since Oskar first approached me on Ensom, but Verglas has changed so much. Our people are no longer divided or seeped in shadows of hatred. Perhaps that is why we can stand against the Chosen and not because of my magic.

  Farrin adjusted his sword belt as he navigated his way through camp, making for his tent. After a day of extensive patrols and tedious scouting and spy work, he was ready to fall into his bedroll and let his night officers take over.

  Tenebris’s arrival meant security had to be heightened and more precautions taken. Additionally, Kavon had arrived earlier in the day to report that a large number of his mercenaries were gone. Reports said they had gone out to raid the small village of Begna roughly three weeks ago and had never returned. Farrin did not think it would be wise to tell Tenebris it was because Rakel had walled them out of Verglas.

  Farrin held no grudge against Kavon, but he didn’t like the disorderly manner he held towards his post and troops. His soldiers were undisciplined and unruly, causing great tension between Kavon’s men and Farrin’s.

  Whether the troops have magic or not, they need to feel respected and work as a unit if we wish to accomplish anything.

  Farrin slipped inside his tent and gave his eyes a moment to adjust. He heard a noise and realized he wasn’t alone. He unsheathed his new sword—a clunky thing compared to his previous weapon—then realized it was Tenebris.

  “Relax, Runt. It’s just me.”

  “Sir.” Farrin saluted and sheathed his sword.

  “How fares our camp?” Tenebris asked.

  Farrin lit an oil lamp, illuminating his leader—who was sitting cross-legged on a cushion. “Well enough, sir.”

  “Has Kavon’s arrival caused any upsets?”

  “None worth your notice.”

  “Good.” Tenebris’s gold eyes lingered on Farrin’s sword belt. “It surprised me when I heard the Verglas Princess swiped your sword. I thought you treasured it greatly.”

  “I do, sir. It was inconvenient, but my magic works just as well with my new sword,” Farrin lied. Using his magic with a new weapon wasn’t as easy as that. He knew every groove and notch in his two-handed broadsword. He knew its balance and could counter swing and parry with it with his eyes closed. Getting to know a new weapon so intimately would take time—more time than Farrin had. When I can get away long enough, I’ll have to reclaim my sword—and speak to Rakel if she is in Ostfold.

  “That is good to hear,” Tenebris said, his voice light and easy. “I certainly wouldn’t want my best colonel hindered in any way.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I know I can trust you to carry out any order I give. You have always been my best. As such, your failure to conquer the north and to instead lose territory came as quite the shock.”

  Farrin bowed his head.

  “Which got me thinking. I’m afraid your missing sword is only a symptom of your dilemma.”

  Farrin blinked. “Sir?”

  “Yes, you have lost ground ever since the Verglas Princess began her march,” Tenebris continued. “Normally, I would say she must be quite powerful—and if Sunnira is even half-right, she sounds like a true monster. But even a monster shouldn’t be able to beat you, Runt. Not with your magic. This means you must have held back when fighting her.”

  “When I first met Princess Rakel, I had hopes she could be convinced to fight with us.” Farrin realized his mistake as soon as he spoke. If he knows she’ll never join, he’ll have her killed before she faces him in battle. “I still b
elieve she could be recruited,” he added.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Tenebris said. “Even if she was brought over, she’s too powerful. Her strength lies everywhere. She can defend and attack—she could even cripple a country just by using her powers in their growing season. That is too much power. I stand on my previous judgment; she’ll have to be put down.”

  Farrin’s heart roared with rage and desperation, but he kept his face bland and his arms locked behind him. “As you wish, sir.”

  “Mmhmm. But that still leaves the matter of your failure. I can accept that you were not too harsh on her from the start, but it doesn’t explain why you failed to kill or capture her in your numerous meetings with her.”

  “I have no explanation for my failure, sir.” Giving an excuse would only make it worse.

  “Ahh, but you see, I do. I heard about Kavon’s plan to have one of the princess’s own guards kill her. It would have been beautiful if he could have pulled it off, but Kavon chose a poor target to carry out the deed, and it failed. It was a shame, but it was also so very interesting. I heard how you raced off the minute you found out about the plot—in order to warn the princess.”

  Farrin was very, very still.

  Tenebris drew closer. His eyes glittered in the darkness, and his smile was wide and toothy. “If you had failed me because of her power, I could have forgiven you, Runt. But to fail me because of personal feelings? Because of a weak attraction?”

  “I do not know of what you speak, sir.” Farrin’s voice was strong, even though he knew what was coming. The best I can hope for is that he will punish me, and not Rakel…

  “Do not lie to me,” Tenebris hissed. He placed his hand over Farrin’s heart. A black flower made of shadows bloomed around his fist.

  Pain clawed its way up Farrin’s body. His heart fought to beat, but it was like a hand gripped the organ and squeezed. His magic flooded his body in an angry rush, but he held it back. If I deflect this, he might kill me. Farrin was able to stand for a few seconds before his knees buckled and he choked, unable to breathe. He fell to the ground, incapable of even lifting his head up, but he didn’t utter a sound.