by Guy Antibes
“How did you know?”
“They were always conferring, the three of them. Kept us in the dark and treated us like dirt. I think Gaskon was going to attack us from the outside and Diller would fight from inside the camp.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Lotto said.
“Lifton gave us orders to stay silent. All we know is his orders were to delay your departure from Gensler, and then follow you around and do what Lifton told us to do.”
Lotto believed them. “I don’t know if you are with us or not. I’ll let you go back to Gensler, but if we catch you following us, you’ll be killed just like Diller, understand? I can’t fully trust either of you.”
They both stood a little straighter. “We talked it over while you were gone. Even Diller agreed that you were a real wizard and had more power than any of us,” one of them said, looking at the other. We’ll return to Gensler. I’ve fought for Valetan for seven years and I’m loyal to the crown.”
“Who were they loyal to?” Lotto said, looking towards Diller’s body.
“Maybe we’ll find out,” Gully said as he took Lifton’s scorched pack off of his horse. He rummaged around and found a note. He handed it to Lotto.
“General Piroff.” Lotto said. “It’s a pass. ‘Battle Mage Lifton and his companions have permission to enter Happly Keep’ and it’s signed by Piroff.”
“So if Restella wins, no one will think anything of it, since the General sent the men off,” Gully said. “The rot goes all the way to the top.” He whistled and shook his head.
“She either did really well fighting the Happlyans or she’s been taken prisoner,” Lotto said. There were no changes in the link but Restella was definitely further south than the last time he checked. “The Captain-General is well on her way to the keep. We’ll just have to kill all of Happly’s wizards and rescue the princess.” Whoever pulled the strings, underestimated Lotto Mistad and his band of five, no, six rangers.
~~~
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
~
THE FIGHTING NEARLY ENDED. Lessa had led an escape to the west of more than half of the men, mostly his own, when they were attacked at the cliffs. Restella wished him well as she continued to fight a losing battle with the Happlyan army.
The duke must have stripped his lands of every able man. The rabble came from the north and from the south and hemmed the army against the cliffs as if they knew that’s where her forces would make their stand, leaving an escape route for her forces.
Before Lessa could rally the fleeing troops, Happly’s battle wizards, or maybe the ones she had formerly commanded cut off the defile that Lessa used to escape. Her command had dwindled to a few hundred men and that included Silver, who refused to leave.
“You must surrender, Restella. Think of the men.” She looked at the fighting and told Silver to ask for terms. Two failures. It didn’t matter if someone had betrayed her. She should have ferreted the person out. She looked at Silver talking to the officers of the opposing force, a white scarf tied to his sword. He took it off, letting the scarf flutter to the ground and put his sword in its scabbard. He turned around and pointed.
Restella knew at that point who had betrayed her. Silver. Tears came to her eyes as she gave the command for her forces to lay down their arms. Silver had taught her all that she knew. But then, her defeat in Oringia had been due in part to his advice. He had probably let the Happlyans know of their strategy before her army implemented it. Silver knew just what to do to counter the groups. The cliffs. She remembered when Silver put his finger down on the cliffs. He knew they’d be pinched off. But why did he let Lessa go? Was the Prolan a traitor too? She’d know soon enough.
“Your sword,” Silver said. He no longer had friendship in his eyes.
“When did you turn? Before Oringia, I imagine?”
“Just before. General Piroff took me aside. We thought we had a chance to grab you then, but you fought too hard. Daryaku’s man counseled patience.” He gave her a sinister grin. “Daryaku will be pleased.”
“The Dakkoran emperor here in Besseth?”
“No, but his wizard, Peleor, is. He convinced us of the errors of our ways. The wars will soon end. We’ve taken measures to stop all of the conflicts. The price of a future in the Dakkoran order is only your sword with its Moonstone. The Emperor has sought it ever since ascending to power. He will soon possess the Bloodstone and then the forces of the new empire will converge on Roppon to look for the lost Sunstone. Daryaku will rule all of Goriath with the four war stones in his hand.”
“Where do I fit into all of this?” Restella had been duped by her most trusted friend. Her eyes couldn’t resist filling with tears as much as she fought them.
Duke Happly rode up. “You don’t! I will have you as my concubine until I tire of you. Won’t that make King Goleto angry! But then perhaps he’ll be dead soon and it won’t matter.” He laughed and laughed. “I’ve been promised south Valetan for the stone. I take very good care of my friends and I just take care of my enemies.” The man laughed again. “Your father’s days are numbered.” He clapped his hand on Silver’s back.
Restella drew her cherished sword from its scabbard and let it drop to the ground. She would let them pick it up from the dirt. Silver pushed her to the ground where a soldier bound her hands and threw her on her horse. She struggled to sit up in the saddle and then he led her away, south, towards Happly Keep.
~
“There are soldiers in the woods, lots of soldiers, heading west,” Creeden said as he rode onto a different track that led them northeast.
They hid in a little draw with bushes hastily piled up to shield them. Soon the sounds of men and the clinking of harnesses and weapons grew louder. Lotto hid at the top of the draw and observed the troops. The force didn’t look like they were in pursuit. He squinted and through the trees he saw Prolan uniforms mixed with those of Valetan.
Lotto jumped down into the draw and mounted his horse. “They are friends!” He rode out and asked for Captain-General Beecher, but he knew she wasn’t with them. He noticed that their heads hung low in defeat, but he didn’t see injuries.
“Lotto! I hoped I’d run into you.” Lessa rode up to him and clasped his arm. “It’s a bad business. We were betrayed.”
“I know. Gully’s with us. Three of my five wizards were traitors as well.”
“You killed them?”
“We did. If you tried to communicate with us by bird, you failed since one of the wizards deactivated the location charm. You’re headed for Gensler?”
Lessa sighed. “Gensler and then on to Prola. Where else would we go?”
“To save Restella. I still have three hundred Ropponi battle wizards to kill and a princess to save.” Lotto hadn’t seen Lessa so dejected before. “Come with me. How many men do you still have?”
“Four thousand, both Prolans and Valetans. They just let us go. Their battle wizards closed off pursuit. They were only after Restella. I suspect betrayal at the highest level.”
Lessa obviously got to know the princess rather well. Lotto nodded. “I know. General Piroff. I have proof. I can’t send a bird to Beckondale because they go to the army’s coop.
“I can send some of my men,” Lessa said.
“No it has to be a person who is familiar with Beckondale and I know a trustworthy person or two who will know what to do with our information.”
In minutes, one of Gully’s trusted rangers headed west to Gensler and then north to Beckonvale, taking a message to Kenyr who’d find a way to get it to Mander.
“We can’t wait for help. There might even be fighting in Beckondale—civil war just like the Red Kingdom,” Lotto said. “It’s up to us to save Restella first, and then worry about Valetan.”
“That’s my Lotto,” Lessa said. “She’s a little stiff for my taste, but I’m up for it. I have copies of the Happly maps so we can come up with a little strategy.”
Lessa assembled the army. There were many men and t
hey had most of the supplies spread out amongst them due to splitting into groups from traveling in parallel columns.
“Back to Captain Mistad?” Lessa said.
Lotto couldn’t even bring himself to smile and only nodded. He looked at the maps along with Gully and Morio at his side.
“Captain Silver suggested the cliffs?”
“He did,” Lessa said and then looked shocked. “I remember the moment. It was if he had already made his mind up.”
“And Restella trusted him completely? Then he betrayed her.” Lotto shook his head. Such duplicity and he could see how easily Restella could be manipulated. If Mander chose to do the same to Lotto, he wouldn’t know it until after it happened. Oh, poor woman.
“She’ll be a bargaining chip to persuade her father to surrender,” Lessa said.
“No.” Lotto shook his head. “I know King Goleto well enough that he’d not jeopardize the kingdom even if it meant his daughter’s life. They did this for some other reason.” Could it be the Moonstone? Was that what Daryaku wanted? It would explain the revolution in the Red Kingdom and the pursuit of Sally and the purposeful capture of Restella deep in Happly territory. Magic! But the Sunstone was still lost. He wouldn’t worry about that. With the Moonstone taken, they had no use for Restella and that meant nothing but unpleasantness for the princess. He couldn’t let that happen and shivered at what might happen to him if she died or if the Moonstone fell into the Dark Lord’s hands. Lotto would have to fight to save his own life!
He called the other rangers over who had been in Happly Keep and went over possible approaches. Lessa contributed much the same observations that he had when Silver, Restella and he had discussed invasion.
“What was Silver’s opinion?” Lotto said. Perhaps they could get a glimmer of a counter-strategy.
“He discounted the use of the buildings as cover, that’s as far as we got. We soon left and never conferred on specifics, for then we were under attack.”
Lotto knelt on the ground, concentrating on the layout of Happly. He looked up at Lessa. “What kind of shape are your men in?”
~~~
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
~
RESTELLA NEVER KNEW WHAT HAPPENED to her forces. As soon as they entered Happly Keep, the duke’s men threw her into a dungeon. She could climb up and look out of the barred opening at the feet of soldiers in a courtyard, but she didn’t know which one. The keep had a few. Her maps didn’t include the inside of the keep.
She stamped her feet on the straw-covered floor, her body filled with anger and recrimination. Those two emotions had been constant companions in the days after her capture. She sought out Lotto and found that she could barely make out the link to the west or maybe a bit to the southwest. The contact gave her a little comfort. Even though she still tried to wish him goodwill, it had become harder to do so in her captivity. Silver told her of General Piroff’s orders to his wizards. She expected to notice Lotto’s demise at any moment, yet he still wandered through the forests of Happly. A person could get lost in those forests. She knew firsthand as they first headed south from the border, but Lotto led the scouts and they had already come east from Gensler. But it looked more and more like her hopes were granted, as the thread of linkage seemed to become stronger.
She continued to go over her ill-fated strategy time and time again. Restella didn’t feel the sting of defeat in quite the same way as she had in Oringia. Still, the thoughts of Silver’s betrayal left a bad taste in her mouth.
It wouldn’t do her any good, but as she traveled to the keep, she assessed the armed forces of Happly. Most of the men, she’d say, were impressed serfs, woodcutters and miners. The duke must have stripped his lands of able-bodied men. If Silver hadn’t so skillfully shunted Lessa and the bulk of the forces away to the west, they would have actually had a chance to defeat Happly’s army. At least that rogue had escaped with a fair number of Valetan and Prolan lives. She wondered how many Valetan soldiers had been misdirected into traps by Silver and his co-opted lieutenants in the few days before her capture? She’d gladly kill the man if she ever got the opportunity.
A scratching at the dungeon door interrupted her musings.
“Princess?”
The voice had a strange accent. A Ropponi?
“I’m here.”
“My name is Shiro. I lead the Ropponi wizards. Why did they capture you?”
That was a strange question coming from one of Happly’s minions.
She didn’t feel like lying. “I had a rare gem called a Moonstone in my sword. They captured me for that. The Dakkoran Emperor wants it as well as the Bloodstone of the Red Kingdom.”
“I thought as much. We were surprised why the Happly duke wanted our help in the first place. I’m afraid I don’t have enough people to assist in your escape. Had you arrived with your army, perhaps we could have changed sides.”
Restella smiled. Perhaps she might yet get her revenge. “There are others heading to Happly.” She tried to find the link again and found it a little further south. Lotto was either lost or he intended to infiltrate into Happly Keep from a direction other than the west.
“Go south and then west. There is a wizard-warrior who is heading our way. His name is Lotto Mistad. Tell him they have the Moonstone and have no use for me.” She didn’t tell him that the Duke likely did. She sunk back into misery. The Ropponi would believe her story.
“I have heard of him. This man has Affinity?”
“Yes. A lot.”
“I can find him then. I make no promises, but I will attempt to locate him and bring Lotto Mistad to you.”
She stayed by the door for some minutes further, but the man had left. What a strange conversation. Could she believe him? The strength of Ropponi sorcerers was legend. Fessano had confirmed the fact to her more than once. Perhaps she could hold on to a thread of hope.
The door opened and a guard brought her a tray. The food surprised her since she expected water. She toyed with the idea of a hunger strike, but what would that prove? Restella had no leverage at this point. She forced herself to eat and wished she could communicate with Lotto. He represented her only chance to get out of the dungeon and she couldn’t bring herself to throw anger in the way of hope. The jealousy and whatever else that boiled within her seemed as dim as the light in her cell. Lotto represented her only thin thread of salvation.
~
“Someone is looking for me,” Lotto said to himself, in the middle of the night. They were now a day’s journey to the south of Happly Keep and he wanted to get a bit more on the east side before they tried to enter the city.
He put on his boots and exited out of his little tent. The signal, if that’s what it was, came from the north and seemed very close. He would check on the watch, and then move towards the call. Lotto pulled on some clothes and his boots and only took his long knife.
“I’m going to relieve myself,” Lotto said to the guard, probably waking him up.
He stepped into the darkness of the wood and felt another surge of the calling power again. He walked away from the source for a bit before he headed towards it from the east.
“Lotto Mistad?” A voice spoke in his head. “Come further, you are among friends.”
How did the wizard, for he must have been a powerful wizard, know his name?” He stepped into a clearing.
“Ah, there you are.” A man rose from a tiny fire. “Sit with me, there is much to discuss.”
The man looked like he came out of one of Mander’s picture books. The man wore a series of short robes and baggy pants. His dark hair shone in the light. He twisted it into a knot on the top of his head and still had enough for it to trail down the back of his neck. He gestured for Lotto to sit on the ground.
“My name is Shiro. I am a sorcerer from the land of Roppon. I must admit, I’m a bit of a renegade, but for good reasons, I hope. I have something to show you.” He pulled a little pouch from within his robes. It hung on long cords from his neck and he
pulled out a gem. It caught the light from the fire and looked as yellow as a daffodil. “Touch it once you are sitting.”
Lotto didn’t know what to expect, but he did as Shiro asked. He felt like he entered a tunnel and found himself thinking in gibberish. It gradually resolved into something understandable and he could feel Shiro’s thoughts.
“I am a powerful sorcerer,” Lotto heard in his mind, “and what you are touching is the Sunstone. You are thinking in Bessethian, but I can see your intent better this way and you can see mine.”
From that point, they did not think in any language but searched each other’s minds for truth. He could hold no secrets from the man, but in return, the Ropponi’s secrets became his own. The link broke and Lotto fell right back into the dirt, his mind still a jumble as it recovered from the experience.
“You believe that I am on your side?”
Lotto nodded. He did. “You’ll help me save the princess?”
Shiro smiled. “Of course. All I have to offer are my three hundred sorcerers to add to your army. The duke doesn’t trust us and for good reason. He is a dishonorable man and what I saw through the stone only reinforced my feelings. I am surprised. I thought that you might be a middling wizard, but your power rivals mine, although somewhat unschooled. In general, Bessethian wizards have lost much collective power through the centuries.
“We Ropponi have known about Besseth’s weakness in Affinity bearers for hundreds of years, but our culture is insular, bureaucratic and vicious. My people regard all others as barbarians—no better than cattle. The Ropponi have no interest in conquest and perhaps it’s better to leave them to their delusions.”
“So why did you leave?”
“To escape a place that holds no future for me. Other Ropponi sorcerers provided us with a way out of my country. However, there is an enemy that we both share. Emperor Daryaku desires all four of the stones. He wishes to use them as war stones to conquer all of Goriath.”
“So we know where three of the stones are,” Lotto said.