A man of average height and build with salt-and-pepper hair stood at the window to Gavin’s right. He wore a gray shirt over tan trousers and boots, and the belt at his waist looked incomplete without a scabbard hanging from it. The man turned and, sipping from the goblet in his right hand, walked over to stand near the bed.
“You gave us all quite the scare, young man,” he said, his voice a rumbling cascade, “but none so much as the princess I think. It took my personal word that I would stay with you until she returned to get her to keep her tutors’ schedule. Would you like some water?”
“Not just yet, I think, but thank you,” Gavin said. “I’m thirsty, don’t get me wrong, but I think it would only make me sick given how I feel with this headache.”
“The court wizard, Fallon, said to ask you about your power…how it felt to you and such. He said that was very important to ask as soon as you awoke.”
Gavin nodded and laid his head back to consider the issue. For the first few moments, he felt none of the tell-tale tingling within him, but he settled his mind and concentrated on his body. To his surprise, the headache started to fade, giving way to the gradual return of that tingling sensation. And sure enough, at the core of the tingling, Gavin found the seed of power that made him a wizard.
“It’s there,” Gavin said at last, “but it’s still very faint. I can feel it getting stronger, but it’s very slow. It’ll probably be days before I’m back to where I was.”
The older man nodded and opened his mouth to speak. Before he could utter a word, though, the door flew open, and a blond-haired man in an orange and green velvet doublet and green hose stormed into the room.
“Your Majesty, I’m sorry to interrupt, but the Merchant’s Guild is…” He stopped and took in the bewildered expression Gavin was directing at him. “Oh my, you’re awake. Looks like the Cavaliers will win the pool after all.”
The man standing beside the bed sighed. “The Merchant’s Guild can wait; after all, we are under siege. Be a good fellow, and go find my daughter. She’s supposed to be with her tutors in the Archives, but it’s always difficult to tell with her. Once you find her, please tell her Gavin’s awake.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, at once.” The courtier turned and strode from the room, afresh with royal mandate.
Gavin turned his head to face the man beside his bed, but it was a slow process, almost a force of will just to start the motion. “I feel like I should be moving to the floor to bow, but turning my head to face you took the most of what effort I can muster.”
The man regarded Gavin in silence for a few heartbeats before he stepped around to sit in the chair at Gavin’s side. He placed his hand on Gavin’s shoulder as he said, “Young man, you returned my daughter to me safe and whole, and from what I hear, you were a far better friend to Kiri than she had any right to expect to find in Tel, given her status at the time. You don’t ever have to bow to me. Besides, your mentor never did.”
Gavin couldn’t keep from chuckling, though it was weak. “My mentor won a duel with a god. No offense, but what is a king compared to that?”
Terris laughed, a smile staying with him. “You have a point. I’ve often wondered how he must’ve seen the rest of us.”
“I don’t know about how he saw people in general, but I do know how he saw you and your family.”
“I’m honestly not sure I should ask.”
Gavin smiled and shook his head as best he could. “No, no. I’m sure it’s not what you think. I can’t remember the precise wording he used in the journal where he really discussed his continued association with the Muran line, but in his own way, he cared for your family, quite possibly as much as the Great Houses of Tel.”
The door erupted open with such force it banged against the stop, and Kiri entered with most unseemly haste for a lady, let alone a crown princess.
“Father? Maervin said…” Her voice trailed off as she saw Gavin slowly turn his head and smile at her. She saw how weak the smile was, but she also saw him, the Gavin she first met and felt she truly knew. Her father no longer existed, and the fact that there was not a chair on Gavin’s left side bothered her not at all. She knelt and took Gavin’s hand in hers.
“How are you feeling?” Kiri said. “Do you need anything?”
“Kiri,” Terris said.
After a long moment, Kiri turned to look at her father. “Yes, Father?”
“Come over here, and sit in the chair. The stone tile floor isn’t good for your knees, and besides, the Merchant’s Guild is waiting for me.”
Terris rose and started to walk toward the door, as Kiri stood and moved over to the chair. The king was about half-way to the door when Gavin spoke.
“Terris, this may not be the best time, but there’s something you should know.”
Terris turned to face Gavin, his expression neutral. “Yes?”
“Do you remember Valera, the Magus of Divination who paid her respects at your father’s funeral?”
Terris nodded. “Oh, yes. Rionne and I were truly touched that the Society sent someone.”
“She may have offered the Society’s condolences, but they didn’t send her,” Gavin said. “She was your grandfather’s youngest sister.”
Terris blinked, his jaw dropping just a bit. “What? That’s impossible. All the records indicate my grandfather had only brothers.”
“Your great-grandfather didn’t agree with Valera’s decision to pursue her career with the Society; he saw her training in Divination as a corrective measure to bring her visions under some semblance of control and felt very betrayed when Valera said she preferred her studies to court life. Marcus tried to reason with him, but he would have none of it. He had her stricken from every Muran family history on pain of death for anyone who disobeyed.”
“I have no reason to disbelieve what you would say, but I have a very hard time believing this,” Terris said.
“When I get back on my feet and find my satchel, I’ll bring you what is most likely the sole copy of the true Muran genealogy for that period in your family’s life. Marcus stole it before the scribes could destroy it, and when I realized I would be traveling here, I decided to try my best to correct that injustice.”
“Your satchel is in this armoire, Gavin,” Kiri said, going to the armoire and withdrawing the near-bottomless satchel that had traveled with him from Tel. She placed it on the bed beside Gavin.
“The Muran Genealogy,” Gavin said before pushing his hand into the satchel as best he could. He pulled out a book whose cover was stylized with the calligraphy and inlay of a royal genealogy, and he laid it on the bed at his left side. “Take it. I will respect whatever decision you make.”
“I know what you want me to decide,” Terris said as he held the book in his hands, staring at it.
“Just because I have a preference doesn’t mean I’m trying to coerce you in anyway. You are an adult and, what’s more, a sovereign monarch. Your course is your own to choose, but we all nudge each other from time to time.”
Chapter 22
Gavin spent the next four days in bed, except for the necessary trips to the privy. The first such trips were agonizing, his body so far beyond fatigue he could barely move his limbs. By the evening of fourth day, Gavin was starting to move with some renewed strength and independence, and he began exploring. His room was in the northeast tower of the palace; he knew that much from his conversations with Kiri and her father. What he was not prepared for, however, were the Cavaliers stationed at every hallway intersection.
“May I help you, sir?” the Cavalier at the intersection closest to Gavin’s room asked as Gavin stopped and looked down each hall of the intersection in turn.
Gavin smiled. “No, I don’t think so. I’m just exploring. Is it common to have Cavaliers stationed at every intersection throughout the palace?”
“No, sir,” the Cavalier responded. “We’re only stationed throughout the royal residence.”
“Oh,” Gavin said, his voice quiet.
“Thank you.”
It was about mid-morning of the fifth day that Gavin felt up to an extended exploration. He bathed, donned his clothes, and poked his head out the window to gauge how many floors were below him. Then, Gavin left his room in search of someone he knew.
The corridor outside Gavin’s room was tiled with an off-white ceramic tile, and he passed several mahogany doors, crafted much like his with an artistic design carved into the door’s face. About every ten feet hung a portrait; given that the names under each portrait all ended with ‘Muran,’ Gavin felt safe in assuming these were Kiri’s ancestors.
He soon found the central staircase, a spiral affair of solid stone masonry. Gavin admired the craftsmanship that had gone into the staircase, but he couldn’t help thinking how easy it would’ve been to construct with the Art. Looking out his window, Gavin thought he was on the fourth floor, so he kept ambling down the stairs until he reached what he thought to be the main floor of the palace, the third set of closed doors below his own floor.
Gavin stepped through the closed doors and found Cavaliers in full battle dress standing on either side of the doorway. He nodded politely to them and proceeded on his way. Just as he was walking out of earshot, Gavin heard one of the soldiers whisper to the other, “That’s the wizard who destroyed the slaver camp.”
Gavin turned the corner and found himself on the shore of a veritable ocean of people. Within the waves of souls, Gavin identified court functionaries, common folk, guards, and some who represented the capital’s middle class. A woman in a crimson velvet dress with a silver waist-cord soon noticed him and nudged the man at her side, whispering intently and nodding her head toward Gavin.
Just when Gavin thought the pair were about to break from the crowd and head his way, Gavin saw someone he knew at last. He smiled as Roth Thatcherson broke out from the crowd and started walking his way.
“Gavin,” Roth said as he extended his hand to the young wizard, “it’s good to see you up and around. How are you feeling?”
Gavin couldn’t keep from shrugging. “Honestly, I’ve felt better, but it’s better than what I expected.”
Roth put his armored arm around Gavin’s shoulders, a wary eye on the nobles moving to talk with the young wizard. “Well, I’m sure you’ll continue to mend. So, were you feeling a little stir-crazy?”
“Just a bit. I explored my hallway yesterday, but this morning, I woke up feeling restless down to my bones.”
“Well, I’m on my way to a meeting of the city’s defense council. Why don’t you come with me?”
They soon cleared the vestibule, and Roth removed his arm from Gavin’s shoulders. They walked down a tiled hallway, a Cavalier stationed every few yards, until they reached an archway with double doors. A Cavalier stood on either side of the closed doors, each in full plate armor with a sword strapped to their backs and holding a halberd in the hand closest the doors.
“Who is this?” the guard Gavin assumed to be senior asked as Roth approached the doors.
Roth paused for a moment and smiled. “You mean to tell me you haven’t heard of Gavin Cross? Maybe you’ve heard of the new Kirloth?”
Both guards paled just a bit, the far guard even going so far as to glance Gavin’s way.
“If you would like,” Roth said, “I can step inside and bring His Majesty out to discuss Gavin’s attendance.”
“No, sir,” the senior guard said. “As commanding officer of Her Highness’s personal guard, I’m confident we can trust your judgment.”
The guards shifted their halberds to their opposite hands and heaved the large doors open. Gavin found himself entering a room with maps lining the walls and a massive chart comparing troop numbers on the far wall. A round table dominated the center of the room. Several individuals sat around that table, and as Roth and Gavin neared it, Gavin saw it was recessed and held a scale map of the city…complete with the troop formations making up the siege.
“Ah, Roth, so good of you…” Terris’s voice trailed off as he looked up from the table and saw Gavin at Roth’s side. “Gavin, I wasn’t expecting you to be on your feet so soon. How are you feeling?”
“Tired, Your Majesty, but stir-crazy. Roth found me on the fringe of a crowd in a vestibule-type room a short distance from here.”
Terris looked to Roth, and Roth said, “He was standing on the fringe of the petitioners, Your Majesty. One of the lesser nobles had already recognized him, so I decided to save him. And I thought his insights might be of some use. Forgive me, sire, if I overstepped my bounds.”
“Insights?” A rough, slurred voice roared. “What insights could a waif younger than my grandson possibly have?”
An utter silence dominated the room as Terris turned to confront the older man who had just spoken. Gavin saw an older man in an ill-fitting uniform of the Vushaari army, with salt-and-pepper hair and a monocle over his left eye. Medals and ribbons adorned both breasts of the uniform jacket, but the sloshing wine glass in his left hand marred the dignified mien just a bit.
“General-” Terris said.
“Your Majesty, please forgive my interruption,” Gavin said, “but the slur was directed at me.”
Terris turned to face Gavin once more. “Very well, Gavin; I will yield the floor on one condition.”
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Don’t injure him.”
Gavin frowned. “Why, of course not, Your Majesty. After all, the mess would stain the tile.” Gavin shifted his body to face the old man fully, and he said, “Sir, I will grant you that I have no formal military experience. However…”
Gavin’s voice trailed off as his skathos flared. The flare was no more than a small candle, but then again, Gavin wasn’t exactly his normal self. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the feeling. In an instant, he knew. He ambled to the table and pointed to a section of the city’s wall between the east and north gates.
“That section of wall is no longer there; Ivarson’s wizards have just revealed themselves.”
“How much of the wall is gone, Gavin?” Terris asked as Roth stepped to Gavin’s side and leaned heavily on the table.
Gavin shook his head; he felt like his strength was leaving him. “I don’t know. I’ve recovered just enough to know it was a disintegration effect. Matter of fact, I’m pretty sure I know the Word of Transmutation they used.”
“You say ‘wizards?’ Plural? As in more than one?” Roth asked.
Gavin nodded. “I’ve yet to meet the modern wizard who could invoke the Word that would do this alone; it’s simply too powerful. Besides, during our journey south, I encountered…well, a friend of the family…who informed me that Ivarson would be receiving five wizards to reinforce his army at some point.”
Gavin didn’t seem to notice the worried glances that circled the table.
Just then, the doors flew open, and a young man wearing cloth under-armor that bore the crest of the Vushaari army ran into the room. He collapsed to his knees, gasping for air.
“Your…Your Majesty,” the young man said, “the rebels have wizards, sir; they just destroyed a section of the wall!”
Roth turned and walked over to the young man. Roth lifted him to his feet and gently shook his shoulders. “You make a report before the king, boy. Stand up straight, and do a proper job of it.”
Terris walked over and stood beside Roth. “It’s okay, Roth; he has the look of a man who just ran all the way from the outer walls. Young man, tell us what happened, everything you can.”
“The wall just collapsed to dust, sire! I ain’t never seen anything like it. There’s a hole in the city’s wall at least a hunnerd yards wide; there’s no way we can keep ‘em out of the city. They’re forming lines now for an assault. The Apprentices arrived just after the wall collapsed, and they-”
“Excuse me,” Gavin said, “but who did you say arrived?”
“The Apprentices, yer lordship…Kirloth’s Apprentices. Beggin’ yer pardon, sir, but they’ve been calling themselves
that…all four of ‘em.”
“You were saying, son?” Terris prompted.
“Yes, sire. Sorry, sire. The Apprentices, well, they arrived right after the wall turned to dust. They said they were going to try to re…rec…reconstitute it.”
Just then, Gavin felt a faint tremor of magic from the same direction as the powerful Transmutation effect earlier. “They’re doing it wrong,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I don’t understand, Gavin,” Terris said.
“Lillian and the others…they’re doing it wrong. If I’m right, what I just felt was a Conjuration effect. Conjuration isn’t what we need here. A composite effect with Tutation and Transmutation will…never mind; just get me down there.”
“Gavin, you’re in no condition to go to the front line,” Terris said. “I’m not about to risk your life,” he leaned close now to whisper, “or my daughter never speaking to me again.”
“Terris,” Gavin said, his voice a tired sigh and form of address drawing shocked expressions from everyone but Roth, “I can’t even manifest an orb of power right now. I’m not stupid enough to try an invocation in my current state, but I can tell them what they’re doing wrong and how to do it right. Young man, how long will it take Ivarson to assault the gap in the wall?”
“His lines weren’t ready fer an assault, yer lordship…sloppy work on th’ part of ‘is officers. It’ll take him at least an hour to get everything in position.”
“Plenty of time to fix this, Terris,” Gavin said, “if I go now.”
Terris looked to Roth for his opinion.
“I’ll take him myself, Your Majesty, and make sure he behaves.”
Terris nodded and turned back to the messenger. “What’s your name, son?”
“Thaddeus Cooper, sire, Corporal Thaddeus Cooper.”
“Son, you feel up to some dangerous duty?” Terris asked.
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