“After dinner,” Jursten said, smiling back, “it would be my pleasure to regale you with some of our more amusing adventures.”
DINNER PROVED entertaining, especially for Farrell. Since Clement’s death, Jursten had become more serious and less fun. Farrell had changed, too. Recounting their adventures in front of the others reminded Farrell how much he enjoyed Jursten’s company and what a good friend he had been. Hopefully, this pairing wouldn’t make it into the litany of “tales” recited at future dinners such as this.
When the staff cleared the main course from the table, Jursten and Alicia excused themselves to “see more of Haven.” They pointedly ignored the snide looks the others gave them as they left the small dining room arm in arm.
While the servers set out dessert, the discussion turned to current events, and in particular, Belsport’s new shield.
“If all goes well and the new shield works at Belsport it might be of use to Honal.” Farrell poured coffee for himself and Peter
Kerstand stared at a blank wall before nodding. It took him a few moments more to answer.
“How much would it cost?” Despite his polite words, Kerstand’s face betrayed his true feelings. “Honal can’t afford what Belsport paid without beggaring the treasury.”
“Easy, Kers.” Miceral put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “With Belsport it was more a game than anything. Prince Wilhelm paid for the shield as part of a larger trade agreement.”
“It’s true,” Peter added, grabbing a small cake from the tray. “Father plans to defer the cost by reducing what we spend on magical protections and charging wizards for access to power. Well, not the wizard constables, but other wizards.”
Miceral shook his head. “Why am I not surprised?”
“Back to the issue at hand, please?” Farrell caught his irritated tone and held up his hands. “Sorry, I’m getting tired, and I get cranky when that happens. The shield won’t last indefinitely, at least not until it has years to power up, but it’ll provide valuable time to evacuate everyone if it comes to that. Could you arrange a meeting with your father when I get back? I’m sure we can agree on what compensation, if any, will be required.”
“I’ll pass along your request,” replied Kerstand.
“Excellent.” Farrell yawned before he could stifle it. “Good thing this wasn’t going to be a long night. I’d probably fall asleep on everyone.”
COLLECTING HIS guests proved more difficult than he expected when Farrell learned Alicia and Jursten had talked into the small hours of the night. Only the threat of leaving without her spurred the princess into action. Once ready, she appeared as eager as her brother to meet Nerti and Klissmor.
Farrell couldn’t remember a breakfast more rushed than the one that morning. Peter inhaled his food, Alicia only a bit behind, and then the pair announced they were ready to go. Farrell and Miceral had to endure them watching their every bite as they tried to finish eating. Finally, to get a bit of peace, Farrell sent them to collect a bag of apples to bring to Nerti. Peter ran off, but Alicia seemed torn between maintaining proper decorum and racing off after her brother. Eventually, she opted for her dignity and walked quickly.
“Apples?” Miceral asked between shoving food in his mouth.
“I thought . . .” Farrell shut his mouth as bits of food flew across the table. “Sorry about that. I thought it would be a nice gesture for the two of them to come bearing gifts.”
“Good idea.”
When the siblings returned, each carried two bags of apples. Alicia put her bags almost in Farrell’s plate. “The cook said he has more if you need them.”
Farrell shoved the last piece of toast in his mouth, and washed it down by draining his cup. Pushing back from the table, Farrell wished he had time for seconds, but he couldn’t take the intense scrutiny of his guests. “You thought this was a good idea, why?”
The glare he got from Miceral told him his partner had second thoughts as well.
Leading the group through a maze of rarely used tunnels, Farrell soon had them to the western edge of Haven. At the end of the last tunnel, Miceral put his arm out to stop Peter and Alicia. “Unicorns will talk into your mind, but you can answer by speaking. Remember, Nerti is the Queen of the Unicorns. You must treat her with deference and respect.”
After getting nods of understanding, Farrell opened the door leading to the western side of the mountains. A gust of wintery air swept across the flat, grassy land. Farrell closed his eyes and fetched four sets of warm cloaks, sweaters, and gloves.
Before they finished dressing, Farrell heard the sound of hooves. Four unicorns, led by Nerti, rounded an outcropping and made for the group. Cloak still in hand, Peter stood still, watching their arrival.
Just seeing Nerti running toward him produced a twinge of guilt as Farrell realized how little attention he’d paid her in the past two weeks. Ignoring everyone else, he put his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry I have neglected you recently.”
“As a newlyjoined, you are forgiven this once.” Her playful tone helped ease some of his guilt. “Returning for the day so we can ride has helped you maintain your high standing.”
Farrell smiled and escorted Nerti closer to his guests. “Alicia, Peter, this is Queen Nerti.” Alicia curtsied, and her brother bowed.
Dipping her horn slightly, Nerti “spoke.” “Greetings, children of Belsport. Welcome to Haven.”
Even with the warnings Miceral had provided, the pair looked at each other in astonishment. Alicia recovered first and managed to stammer out, “Thank you, Your Majesty. It’s an honor to meet you.” Peter simply nodded vigorously.
“Nerti has asked two of her children, Natice and Nordric, to take you riding with us today.” When Miceral finished speaking, the two other unicorns cantered forward.
Remembering the apples they’d brought, Farrell selected two from his bag and then waved a hint to the others. One he gave Nerti immediately; the other went in his pocket. As soon as the unicorns finished eating, the group mounted, and Farrell opened a Door to the Plains of Gharaha.
Nerti had barely cleared the portal before she leapt forward and raced toward the southern edge of the plains. The others followed, leaving their riders thoroughly chilled. After an hour’s ride, Nerti broke away, challenging the others to give chase. Only Klissmor accepted, but even he couldn’t catch her as she ran full out.
“Farrell.” Nerti slowed, waiting for the others to catch up. “Much as I enjoyed our ride, it is time for you to get back to Belsport and complete your work.”
Farrell delivered the news and let Nordric and Natice race each other back to the still-open Door. Once they all cleared the portal, Peter and Alicia dismounted. They gave their new friends another apple and said their goodbyes. The unicorn twins nodded in unison and ran off. Nerti and Klissmor remained, showing no sign of leaving.
“We are accompanying you back to Belsport, Wizard,” Nerti said. When he gave her a confused stare, she added, “Belsport is now an ally of Haven. As Queen, I want to meet Wilhelm to be certain he can be trusted before I agree to this alliance.”
Farrell realized his mistake. “My apologies, Nerti. When Arritisa commanded the alliance, I never thought to speak to you about it. Please forgive me.”
“These apples and the ride were a good start toward earning my forgiveness.” She nodded toward the bag, prompting Farrell to give her another. “I don’t fault you, little one. You must do as the Goddess commanded. But as She did not speak to me, I would like to meet the prince for myself.”
Farrell stroked the area under her horn and was prepared to head inside when the door to the tunnel opened. Horgon and the three senior Haven wizards quickly exited and sealed the door.
“Nerti informed me that she and Klissmor are escorting you to Belsport,” Horgon said. “It seemed wisest to meet here.”
The idea made sense to Farrell, but he needed a bit more time before they left. “Peter and Alicia haven’t had time to collect their—” �
�We can come back for our things,” Alicia interrupted.
“Right,” Peter agreed.
Farrell fetched his black battle staff. “Given that accommodation I’m ready to return to Belsport.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
WILHELM QUICKLY filled them in on the status of Meglar’s people. Using the information they had, Aderic had lured most of the would-be “rescue” team into a special holding cell. The constables easily rounded up the rest.
“I believe we have all but those who are not official representatives of the crown,” Darius explained. “If there are any wizards among them, I’ve not felt their presence.”
Without telling Wilhelm or Darius, Farrell asked Nerti and Klissmor to search for any wizards in hiding, and if they found any, to determine their allegiance. While they worked on that, Farrell checked the status of the shield.
Power flowed slowly into the central stone. The collection spell had been extended well into the city. That gathered enough new energy to provide a constant trickle to each of his stones. Darius opined they’d covered less than a third of the city. Given the rate of collection and the area covered, Farrell felt certain additional energy wouldn’t be needed to properly power the shield.
Today, however, the outer stones did not have enough power to sustain a test. Given the minimal power available to fuel them, he needed a quick fix.
“Everything is as I expected,” he said to Darius. “Power is trickling into each stone right now, but I expect that will increase once you bind more areas of the city. Unfortunately, the stones aren’t capable of generating a shield long enough to adequately test it. If everything is under control with Meglar’s wizards, we can speed this along.”
Conferring with Aderic, Darius nodded. “Things are well in hand. What did you have in mind?”
Noting the suspicion in Darius’s voice, Farrell shook his head. “Obviously, nothing as nefarious as you seem to suspect. I thought we’d all take a trip over the ocean.”
The sea held an abundance of free energy, if one could get to it. Since before Kel’s time, wizards had stood at the water’s edge, collecting as much energy as their talent permitted. It didn’t take long for the easy energy close to shore to be collected.
Another popular method required a wizard to book passage on an ocean-going vessel. The destination didn’t matter as long as the ship went into the open sea. Away from land, a wizard had weeks to fill every storage vessel they brought without other wizards vying for the same energy.
Farrell preferred a different approach: fly over the ocean and find a patch of open water rich with energy. Then he would float over the location until he had all the power he could carry. Of Haven’s wizards, only Cylinda could fly.
Gathering as many storage vessels as they could find, Farrell and Wesfazial left the shore, followed closely by Cylinda and Erstad. Moving far enough from the coast to avoid prying eyes, the pairs then split up to avoid trying to grab the same energy. Given how much energy they found, Farrell regretted not emptying all his stored energy before leaving.
Within a few minutes, the three older wizards had almost as much as they could hold. Over time, Farrell had created several superior storage vessels, able to hold far more than the ones most wizards used. Filling these took more time, so Cylinda took Wesfazial back with her and Erstad to allow Farrell to work faster.
Free from supporting Wesfazial, he quickly filled all but his staff. Farrell had spent weeks increasing its storage capacity. He’d woven so many spells and protections onto this staff that only a Source could contain more energy. Not only did it hold more, it absorbed power much faster than the average object. Even with the increased speed, it required ten minutes and two moves to fill his staff to near capacity.
Rather than waste time flying back, he opened a Door to the central stone. The others already waited for him. By agreement, his colleagues deposited half of what they collected into the reservoir. After they finished, Farrell emptied every vessel except his staff.
“You gave away far more than half of what you collected,” Wesfazial said.
Shaking his head, Farrell grinned, holding out his staff. “No, sir, not even close.”
“What in Honorus’s name have you wrought?” Cylinda touched the black wood gently. “It looks like a portable Source.”
Proud of his achievement, Farrell nodded. “Close. It holds vast amounts of energy, as you see, but it lacks the versatility of a Source.”
“Unless my old eyes are wrong, it’s almost full,” Wesfazial said in a wistful voice. “How did you collect so much so fast?”
“Like a Source, this staff soaks up energy like a sponge in a pail of water. Fifteen minutes in an energy-rich area of the ocean was enough to fill it up. Plus it wasn’t exactly empty when I left Haven.”
“I trust you’re happy with the amount of power added to the shield?” Erstad asked.
Farrell smiled broadly. “Absolutely. It’s months ahead of where it would be without our help. If they completely bind their city and the surrounding areas, in a few years, even Meglar will need to exert considerable efforts to bring this down.
“Will it ever be able to hold forever?” Cylinda asked.
“Forever is a difficult thing.” He checked the stones again to be sure he didn’t need to add energy from his staff. Tapping the staff to the stone, he transferred a third of its power, just to be sure. Satisfied, he returned it to his back. “I know how I would defeat this shield, and it’s possible that Meglar could figure out a means of bringing it down, given enough time. But the cost of doing so once the stones have absorbed years of power will be formidable.”
Guards escorted them to where Wilhelm met with his advisors. Darius and Aderic stared out the window, animatedly discussing something. They turned when Farrell and the others arrived.
“Great Arritisa!” Darius’s smile mirrored the captain’s. “The power level in the outer stones has jumped. I see you had a successful trip.”
“Very.” Farrell joined them at the window. “If you think we have all of Meglar’s wizards in custody, I can complete the shield and we can test it.”
Darius and Aderic exchanged a tense look. “All but one,” Aderic said. “We believe she was the most powerful of his operatives. No one saw her leave, but she could have departed as soon as the other two were arrested.”
Farrell reached out to Nerti. “Your senses are better than mine. Outside of the holding cells, do you or Klissmor sense the presence of a wizard bound to Meglar?”
To the others, Farrell spoke out loud. “I’ve asked Nerti and Klissmor to scan the city for any of Meglar’s wizards.”
“They can do that?” Darius looked shocked.
Before he could answer, Nerti spoke to him. “We found only those held by the constables for miles around Belsport.”
“As always, you have my thanks.” He felt her mind slip away. “Nerti found none of Meglar’s wizards for miles around. I can complete the shield, if that’s acceptable to you, Your Majesty.”
“Please do.” Wilhelm seemed more excited than his usual stoic self.
“Won’t the sudden appearance of the shield create widespread panic?” Peter asked. “And what about people trying to enter the harbor or the main gate?”
“Your father has taken care of the latter two, setting up positions outside the harbor and main gate to temporarily stop people from entering.” Farrell turned to Aderic. “As for scaring the public, Aderic and the wizard constables are taking care of that.”
“My prince.” Aderic bowed to Peter. “The other constables have fanned out through the city and will work with Masters Darius, Erstad, and Wesfazial to cast an enchantment citywide. People will either not see the shield or simply ignore it as nothing of interest. Those in the Citadel won’t be affected.”
“Hopefully, it’ll work.” Farrell studied the other wizards. “When I’m done, we’ll see if you four can breach it.”
“Would be worth losing the fee to show up the kid,
” Wesfazial grumbled. “You know it’ll work. Stop pretending.”
Grinning, Farrell floated off the balcony. Grabbing a link to each of the stones, he calculated where they would meet and floated below that point. When he activated the spell, a maelstrom of light erupted all around the city. Streams of energy in various shades of blue, green, violet, yellow, and red shot from each of the stones to just above Farrell’s head. For a moment it appeared they would explode, but he kept hold of the energy.
Adjusting the flow of power caused several streams to swap colors. Others took on different hues, while still others pulsed brighter or dimmer. Once he adjusted the flow from the stone in the ocean, he felt the energy working in harmony. Satisfied, he released his grip on the energy and turned off the spell. Waiting a moment, he turned it back on and watched.
Eighty-three different-colored columns of magical power exploded in unison, drawn to the same spot above the Citadel. When they met, a brief but intense flash filled the sky, and a translucent curtain of multicolored energy cascaded down to envelop the city in a dome of protection.
Probing the integrity of the shield, he smiled at his success. Descending slowly, Farrell landed on a balcony next to Wilhelm.
“It’s ready.” He nodded to the four wizards staring at the shield. “Let’s see if I’m as good as I say.” He stared at his mentor, daring him to say something.
Wesfazial gave him a wink and disappeared through a Door Darius opened. The four wizards reappeared outside the shield, paired off, and moved to different points. At what must have been a preset signal, the two groups began their attempt to breach the wall of energy.
Aderic stood next to his lord, acting as the prince’s magical advisor. Peering intently at the two points of attack, the captain turned toward Wilhelm. “What they’ve tried so far would have brought down any shield I know how to create. But this one shows no measurable decline in its power levels or its integrity.”
Wilhelm barely acknowledged the appraisal, causing Farrell to laugh. “The deal is struck, Wilhelm. Feel free to smile at any time.”
Champion of the Gods Box Set Page 34