Champion of the Gods Box Set

by Andrew Q. Gordon

  “Agreed, my lord.” Christian licked his lips. “At the risk of overreaching my welcome, is there no help Haven and its wizard can provide to those who stand between it and Meglar? Tossing down the gauntlet as you did today has increased the risk he will march through Honal to get to Trellham. The easiest path to Gharaha is through my lands.”

  “Your lands were already at risk,” Kel said testily. “The day you refused aid to Yar-del is the day you sealed your fate.”

  “It’s not for me that I seek your aid but for my people. They shouldn’t suffer for the foolish acts of their king.” Christian bowed his head. “If you reconsider, I’ll step down as king and go into exile.”

  Farrell shook his head at Kerstand. “This has nothing to do with retribution for the past, despite Kel’s admonishment. Honal will not be better served if you leave.”

  “Then help us!” Kerstand’s words echoed around the room. “If you’re not holding a grudge, help us defend ourselves.”

  Sanduval stood and motioned with his hand toward Farrell. “We’ve told you already why we can’t commit Haven’s armies to any one fight, but I will return to Honal with you. I owe Meglar for what he did to Endor and Clement.”

  “I will stay in Belsport to help defend the West,” Zenora said.

  “You honor us with your presence, Queen of Yar-del.” Wilhelm nodded and smiled at his chief wizard.

  Farrell turned to Penelope and Markus. “We have little help to spare for Lourdria and Agloth in particular. Can Dumbarten keep vigilant for further incursions?”

  “We already have plans in place to monitor the continent,” Markus said. “Penelope has prepared response units ready to move the moment we detect trouble.”

  “What of Pelipan?” Heldin asked. “Will no one offer my people any assistance? Meglar threatens their safety as well.”

  Farrell dislike him even more. Heldin couched the request in terms of his subjects, but he meant his safety above others. Pity he didn’t offer to step down

  “I will help you.” Heminaltose pushed to his feet. “Your refusal to aid Yar-del still rankles me, but I shall look past that ill-advised decision.”

  Heldin didn’t acknowledge the slight and smiled broadly. “You honor Pelipan with your offer.”

  “My aid is not, however, without conditions.” Heminaltose’s words killed Heldin’s smile. “Let me be as honest as I can. I have not forgotten nor entirely forgiven your past refusal. I do this as much to deny Meglar the resources he’d gain by conquering your kingdom as to help your people. I come as an ally, not a servant or vassal. You will not command me or my efforts. In all matters regarding wizardry, I have full authority, even to the point where you will obey me. If you refuse, or you forget my terms once I am there, I shall leave.”

  “King Heldin?” Farrell said, drawing attention to him. “Perhaps you and Master Heminaltose and my other senior staff could discuss this arrangement later in private.”

  “A little help here, Ral? We’ve all been piling scorn onto Heldin. Do we really expect he’ll be a faithful ally if we continue to berate him?”

  “I agree,” Miceral said. “Masters Sanduval and Heminaltose, you should meet with Christian and Heldin privately to discuss what you can, can’t, or won’t do as part of your offer to help.”

  Heldin looked at Farrell with grudging respect. It—whatever it was—disappeared when someone raised anew the topic of what Meglar would do next. Heldin would need to be handled with care. Even with Lenore’s prohibition, he might betray them if the reward was sufficient. He had to hope Heldin was smart enough to realize whatever Meglar offered would only last until he decided to conquer Pelipan.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The Door returning Heldin to Pelipan winked out. Darius had looked tired when Farrell arrived, but he was exhausted now. Farrell lingered while Heminaltose opened the way back to Haven. When it flared to life, he waved them on.

  “I’ll be there soon. I want to check on the shield.”

  Zenora detached herself from the group. “You should key me to it if I’m going to remain at Belsport.”

  “I’d like to join you as well,” Kel said. “It’s rare I get to learn a new spell that threatens to change how we think about magic.”

  Farrell preened a bit—if only inwardly—at the praise. Peter lingered with his sister and father, causing Penelope to hesitate.

  “Go on,” Farrell told her. “I’ll see he gets back to Dreth.”

  Penelope nodded and left with the others. When the Door closed, Wilhelm motioned for his guards. “Come see me before you leave. We’ll be in my library.” Smiling broadly, he led his children away.

  Farrell waited for the trio to be out of earshot before he spoke. “What’s happening? You look drained.”

  “An apt description,” Darius said without any humor. “We’re limiting the power we draw from the central stone to run it at night. But we’re also helping supply energy to the other wizards in our alliance.”

  “Why are you running the shield at night?” Zenora asked.

  “We got word that Garreth is marshalling his forces. We assume it’s for another assault on Hamble. But our agents heard rumbling that he’s making overtures to Prince Yudres of Celtan to switch sides. I trust Yudres is smart enough to realize Garreth won’t share his power, but . . .” Darius shrugged.

  “You fear he could be persuaded,” Farrell said.

  “No, we’re more concerned he might be killed and replaced by a puppet of Garreth’s,” Darius said. “By sealing the city at night, our wizards get a chance to rest.”

  “At a cost of burning up your reserves.” Farrell understood the trade-off involved. “I can help with that, but I need to go to the harbor.”

  Darius stopped. “The harbor? Why?”

  “Let me show you.” Farrell pointed toward the stairs. “It will take more time to answer all the questions you’ll have than to just go and do it first.”

  The walk to the docks only took a few minutes. Darius explained how Prince Yudres had sent his wife and heir to Belsport because he feared for their safety and his. “We’ve sent a squad of wizard constables to help protect him, but our information is so vague, we’re not sure they’ll be enough.”

  “Farrell can tell you if there are any specific plots,” Kel said.

  “I can?” Farrell looked at his grandfather.

  “Yes, child, you can.” Kel’s patronizing tone irked Farrell. Kel added, “With the Eye you can also tell them who to look for and where to find them.”

  “Oh, right.” How stupid to forget he had the Eye. “I’ll check before we leave.”

  “That would be a great relief, no matter what you find.” Darius brightened, and his step had more bounce.

  “Don’t fret like that.” Kel put a hand on Farrell’s shoulder. “I had the Eye for thousands of years, and it didn’t occur to me to use it to protect Hevnor’s heirs until after the third assassination attempt on his line. Consider this one of the lessons I was meant to impart.”

  The admission didn’t improve Farrell’s mood. He couldn’t think of everything, but that didn’t soften the blow when he overlooked something obvious.

  Darius opened a door, and they exited the Citadel. Between the cliffs outlining the entrance to the port, the Delmun Ocean glimmered under the moonlight. The fluctuating colors of the shield danced about on the waves that lapped against the small island.

  A gentle, temperate breeze filled Farrell’s nose with the scent of salty air as he made his way to the edge of the water. Seabirds called out, and he wondered if they were unhappy being caged in at night. Kel followed a step behind, looking up and around.

  “Impressive,” he said, his gaze never shifting. “I’d not have thought to weave the power in such a way to achieve the changing and regenerating nature of your creation.”

  “When he proposed it, I’d have bet money it wouldn’t have worked,” Darius said. “But seeing it like this . . . you’d better watch out, Master Kel. His
name may surpass even yours.”

  “Of that I’m certain.”

  Farrell glanced at his mother, who winked at him, further adding to his embarrassment. Praise was always welcome, but he preferred it in private. He scanned the ground and found the collection spell. As he’d hoped, Belsport’s wizards had laid it far into the water. “This may take a bit of time. I want to make sure the shield stones have enough energy that you can draw as much as you need from the storage vessel.”

  “Is that why you asked to come here?” Darius didn’t sound pleased. Farrell nodded but continued toward the water. “This is a waste of time. You know there is next to no energy anywhere in Belsport, even in the water.”

  “Allow him to do what he intends,” Kel said. “When he’s done, he’ll explain.”

  Farrell stepped into the bay and established a connection. Slowly a pillar of water formed under his feet. He used the platform to move farther away from shore. Using the technique Teberus had taught him, Farrell pulled energy toward him. It started as a trickle, but as he tapped into reserves farther away, the harbor soon bristled with arcane power. Once he released his hold on the energy, the collection spell quickly siphoned it off to the central stone. It took him a few tries to work out how to pass the energy through him spontaneously. Once he found a system, he increased how fast the energy arrived. Unfortunately the gathering spell and the central stone had limits on how much they could handle, so he eased back to avoid an overload.

  He maintained the flow for about ten minutes. After filling his armor and staff, he released the spell, and the last of the energy was sucked out of the water. Satisfied, he returned to his friends.

  “That should give the shield enough energy for years, but since yours is the first one, I’m estimating based on assumptions,” Farrell said as he stepped off his platform. “Once you get a better idea of the usage rate, let me know. If I need to come back, I can.”

  “How did you do that?” Darius asked.

  “The wizards of Rastoria taught me how to mold the water and to move power through it,” Farrell said.

  Darius appeared distracted. “I’m checking the stones and… and….”

  “They’re quite full?” Kel smiled and raised an eyebrow.

  “Yes! Incredibly full.” His expression went blank again before he added, “And the source stone is almost full. Did you shut off the distribution?”

  “Yes, but only temporarily. You can turn it on after you’ve all had time to replenish your reserves.” Farrell turned to Kel expectantly, “Any suggestions?”

  “Can you modify it if I had any?”

  Farrell considered the question before answering. “It would depend on what you want me to do, but some changes are possible, yes.”

  Kel held out his left hand and pointed up with his right. “Take me up so I can touch it.”

  “Of course.” Farrell hadn’t meant to sound so excited. Long, theoretic discussions of magic needed to wait until after the war, but he still got a rush thinking about dissecting his spell with Kel.

  It only took a moment to reach the shifting wall of energy. Kel tentatively extended his hand. “The strength is extraordinary. What made you think of using energy like this?”

  “Something I read in a book Master Heminaltose left me on power modulation.” Farrell lowered them at Kel’s hand signal. “I played around with the idea on a small scale, mostly forming solid objects, and when I saw the strength, I tried to apply it to shield building.”

  “And then you took some of the elements that go into making a Source to create the vessels needed to power it.” Kel looked back at the shield. “Truly remarkable. May I see the core of the shield now?”

  Darius led them to the source stone. While Farrell checked to be sure it hadn’t been damaged by the large influx of power, he allowed Kel to examine it closer. Once he found no issues, he linked his mother to the spell.

  The room was quiet and well off the beaten path, so Farrell decided to check out the situation in Celtan before they left. Rather than do it twice, he projected what the Eye discovered over the central stone. The first few attempts produced no images. Farrell focused his approach but that only generated general threats to the city. Narrowing his questions further only revealed a wall in the palace. Farrell was about to conclude the rumors were just that, when a wizard appeared in the image.

  The woman hollowed out a spot about chest-high on the wall, placed a handful of small metal objects in the recess, and sealed it up. They followed her as she repeated the procedure twice more.

  Darius had Farrell move the view about so he could get a point of reference. When he was satisfied he knew the location, he asked to see the wizard. Darius plucked her figure from the image and encased it in a ball of energy. The bluish globe whisked away the moment it was complete.

  Barely a second later, Darius opened a Door and brought them to the main audience chamber. “Find the prince!” he shouted to the guards. After a moment’s hesitation, two of them ran out of the room.

  “That attack is similar to the one that nearly killed Wilhelm.” Darius held up his hand, and a blue glow engulfed it. He moved slowly, forcing the pale light to scan the room.

  Kel turned to Farrell. “Check to see there are no threats inside Belsport.”

  Farrell realized he still had the Eye in his hand. He went through the same sequence of questions that had revealed the threat in Celtan. When the results were negative, he tried a few more. “Nothing.”

  Darius jumped. “What?”

  “I used the Eye and I found nothing in Belsport.” He held up the stone.

  Surrounded by twice the number of normal guards, Wilhelm came into the room alone. “I separated the children.”

  “I don’t think that will be necessary,” Kel said. “Farrell has used the Eye to search Belsport and found no threats.”

  Darius nodded and explained what they’d found regarding Celtan. “I sent word to our constables along with a visual of the wizard. They’ll report back once they have new information.”

  A yawn escaped Farrell’s attempt to stifle it. “Sorry, it’s been a long day.”

  “You should go home.” Wilhelm motioned to a guard. “Bring my children here, but use separate routes.”

  “That really isn’t necessary,” Farrell said once the guards left. “There are no threats inside the Citadel.”

  “Right now.” Wilhelm dismissed the remaining guards and sank more than sat on his throne. “They need to keep thinking that until further notice, it is best we don’t walk around together.”

  Farrell didn’t agree, but acknowledged Wilhelm had a better grasp of such things. “Penelope probably left already, so Peter may have to spend the night at Haven.”

  “As you said, there is no imminent danger. I just need them in the mindset that we are at war and our enemy is not above cowardly acts of assassination.”

  “Two can play that game,” Kel said. “And with the Eye to guide us, our attempts will be few and our successful acts many.”

  Wilhelm considered the idea. “I’m not ready to go there yet. Nor would the other princes be pleased if I did.”

  “Why?” Farrell didn’t understand the idea of fighting a war halfheartedly.

  “Because once I’ve done that to someone, no matter that we are at war with him, the others will never feel comfortable that I won’t do it to them. And once you pour the wine into the ocean, you can’t put it back in the bottle.”

  “A pity we can’t use that on Meglar,” Zenora said without a hint of humor. “I’d have no hesitation at using any tactic to kill him.”

  “Why can’t you?” Darius asked.

  “The Eye won’t allow me to see Meglar,” Farrell said. “And scrying spells don’t work. I’m told he can’t see my comings or goings, either.”

  “Who made these rules?” Wilhelm asked.

  “The Six,” Kel said. “And to clarify, Grandson, Meglar could see what you’re doing if he managed to infiltrate Haven. Jus
t as I have eyes inside Zargon, Meglar could spy on you if he had the proper spells set.”

  Another thing to worry about, Farrell thought just before he yawned again. But not until he’d gotten some sleep.

  Farrell opened the Door closest to Kel’s quarters. He knew his grandfather would object to being treated gently, but it was also the closest to Alicia’s rooms. Kel bid them good night and Farrell escorted Alicia to her suite. That she didn’t object told him how seriously she took her father’s warning.

  Once he and Peter were alone, he reached out to Miceral. “We’re back. Have Markus and Penelope left yet?”

  “No, they wanted to speak to you before they go home.”

  “Wonderful.” Farrell wanted nothing more than to curl up next to Miceral and sleep for a full day. “Where are you?”

  “Horgon’s quarters. We didn’t want to wake the children.”

  “Always a wise idea.” He didn’t need a lecture tomorrow from Lisle on the importance of sleep for children. “We’ll be there soon.”

  He let out a sigh. “Looks like you’re going back to Dreth tonight. They waited to talk to us.”

  “You mean they waited to talk to you.”

  Farrell opened his mouth to speak and a yawn beat the words out, so he nodded. “How are things with Wallace?”

  Peter smiled. “Things are fine.”

  “That’s all I get?” Farrell laughed.

  “‘None of your concern’ was another option, you know.” Peter tried to put on a stern expression, but he couldn’t totally suppress the smile.

  “Who taught you to be this stingy with details?”

  “Fine. But you’re getting to be as bad as Claire.”

  Farrell laughed loudly before he remembered they were in a place where people might be sleeping and lowered his voice. “She’s been pestering you for details?”

  “You’ve no idea. I’m worried she’s going to get her mother to use magic to follow me or something, she’s so interested.”

  “If she asks her mother to do that, she’ll likely get a long lecture on personal privacy.” Farrell almost joked that he had no mother to lecture him on that, but now he did and she would. “I’m glad things are ‘fine’ and I won’t ask anymore.”