Silence met his question. Farrell found it telling that Pertrice didn’t look at her life partner. He also doubted the king would volunteer to let Pertrice read his thoughts. The Eye didn’t give false information, and it had shown him Ervend’s betrayal.
Time wasn’t their ally, but he couldn’t press her anymore. Finally, she turned to her sons.
“You will one day sit in my place, Matyhis,” she said. “What say you?”
“I say, I pray I’m never in such a position,” Matyhis said without any humor. “Which is not helpful to you.”
“It is not,” she said sternly.
He glanced at his father, who had gone still as he listened to his fate unfold. “I don’t know what to believe, Mother. I find it inconceivable Father would betray us. I also see no reason for Kel, Farrell, and Nerti to make such a baseless accusation. If their end game is to assume control of Tilerstig, killing us would be an easier route than invading. With the royal family dead, who would deny him the throne if he returned?”
“So you believe them and not your father?” Tharles asked.
Matyhis shook his head. “I didn’t say that.”
“Then what do you say?” Pertrice asked.
“If the accusations were against me, I would demand you read my mind and see the truth.”
“As would I,” Samruel said.
The brothers looked at Tharles. His defiance abated some as he turned to the queen. “If Farrell’s accusations were against me, I would demand you read my thoughts to see I am not traitor. The suggestion is you ask the king for permission. I believe that is appropriate. He deserves a chance to clear his name.”
“Will you release his bonds?” she asked Kel.
Kel’s staff pulsed once. “You two may speak to each other mind-to-mind.”
Pertrice stared at her life partner. He glared back with barely contained contempt. Farrell was certain he wouldn’t offer to let her read his thoughts, nor would he agree if asked. Within a few moments the queen’s posture and body language confirmed his belief. Several more seconds passed before the queen turned away, her face twisted in anger.
“He refused?” Tharles appeared surprised. Matyhis and Samruel looked disappointed.
“He did,” she answered. “He said I betray him by listening to Kel and that I should trust him implicitly.”
“But you do not,” Nerti said.
“That’s not accurate,” Pertrice said. “As my life partner, I trust him with my life. As queen, however, I must do what is best for all my people and not just myself. For the good of the kingdom I need to know the truth.”
“How will you find the truth?” Tharles asked. “If he won’t allow you into his mind, it’s his word against theirs.”
“There is another way.” Kel waited until everyone looked his way to continue. “You can gain access using your amulet. It’s connected to his.”
Pertrice shook her head. “His will is strong. It is no sure thing I can break his control. If I fail, he will be able to enter my mind and control me.”
“Nerti can defeat his control,” Kel said. “If you link with her, she can use your amulet to enter his mind, even he isn’t a match for her. Once inside you will see what Nerti does.”
Whatever her thoughts, she kept them to herself. Farrell didn’t envy her. He wasn’t sure he could force his way into Miceral’s mind, not even to save his people.
After several tense seconds, Pertrice walked to stand in front of Nerti. “Your Majesty, I am in need of your wisdom.”
“Any answers I give will be tainted. I know beyond any doubt he has betrayed you.”
“Still, I would have your counsel.”
Kel shook his head but Pertrice couldn’t see him. It was foolish to persist. Nerti had just told Pertrice all she needed to know and still she needed to ask.
“You need to give your heart the proof your mind has already accepted,” Nerti said. “If you want my help you need only ask.”
Pertrice stiffened her back. “Will you help me, Queen Nerti?”
If Nerti answered, Farrell didn’t hear it. The two queens stared at each other. A moment later Ervend flinched and then his body went rigid. He squeezed his eyelids shut as he renewed his efforts to break Kel’s bonds.
The struggle lasted only a few seconds. Ervend’s eyelids opened wide and his mouth stretched into a circle, but nothing came out. The conclusion had never been in doubt. Farrell had told her the truth. All that remained was for Pertrice to see the proof.
When Pertrice roused, her skepticism was gone. Farrell saw a burning fury in her eyes as she rounded on her life partner. “Allow him to speak, Kel.”
Kel rapped his staff on the stone and watched the king and queen face each other. Farrell expected her to slap him, but Pertrice maintained her composure. The silence wore on Farrell’s frayed nerves and he wanted to scream at the pair to speak. Finally, Pertrice granted his wish.
“Give me a reason I shouldn’t execute you right now?”
Ervend glared at her, defiance his only answer. What could he say? Farrell had seen his deals with Meglar’s agents, but the queen must have seen and heard more.
“I should have known you’d betray me, but I loved you too much to believe it would happen. You leave me no choice—”
A burst of brilliant blue fire struck Ervend. Without his protections, it reduced him to ashes in an instant.
Farrell strengthened his shield and extended it to protect Nerti and Rojas. The other wizards protected themselves and they turned toward the source. Matyhis still had his staff extended and stared at the remains of his father.
“He betrayed you, Mother.” He sucked in a quick breath. “Worse, he preyed upon your feelings. I wanted to spare you the pain of killing him yourself.”
“Was he in this with his father?” Farrell asked Nerti.
“No. Ervend never confided in his sons. He felt they were too close to their mother to trust. He planned to kill them as well as the queen.”
The clangor of a gong filled the small room.
The queen pulled her attention from the ashes of her life partner and looked to Tharles. “I thought he turned off the spells.”
“I turned them back on when I realized what he’d done,” Kel said. “More ships are approaching the boundaries of the channel.”
“I can deal with them.” Farrell moved toward the window.
“No!” Pertrice put her hand out to stop him. “His betrayal is greater than you know. This is a trap. He planned to send Tharles and Matyhis to deal with the ship. Meglar plans to mark any wizard who attacks the ships. He plans to attack you from his home.”
“Can he do that?” Matyhis asked.
“Meglar is capable of striking from a great distance,” Kel said. “He will sacrifice his wizards or troops to draw out the most powerful wizards. Then he can catch them unaware.”
“He also gave them samples of our magic.” Pertrice stared at her sons. It reminded Farrell of the look his mother gave him just before she died on the walls of Yar-del City.
“No one is going to die,” Farrell said. “There’s an easy counter to the spell.”
“Easy? For whom?” Tharles asked.
Kel’s staff flared red. “Meglar learned that bit of magic from a book of mine when he lived in Yar-del. Unlike most wizards, I’ve never recorded the defenses to my more clever spells. I will teach you how to thwart his trickery while Farrell deals with the ships.”
“I told you, Meglar is waiting,” Pertrice said. “He’ll home in on Farrell the moment he uses magic.”
Farrell nodded to Kel and moved toward the window. “I’ve dealt with Meglar’s attacks before. I know how to defend myself. Besides, I’m not going to use magic to defeat him; I’m going to use the sea.”
“Wait!” Pertrice slammed her staff onto the stone, and a wall of energy blocked the window.
Farrell could have swept it aside, but he didn’t want to anger the queen further. He prepared to explain again why he co
uld protect himself. Before he spoke, Pertrice grabbed Samruel by the arm and moved toward him.
“Take Samruel with you. I’ll send help once I’ve conferred with my generals. If you can delay their landing troops, that will be enough.”
“With due respect, Your Majesty, I don’t need any help. In fact—”
“This isn’t about help and it isn’t up for debate. The royal family has defended Tilerstig since its founding. One of my sons will be present to show the people we did not forget our responsibilities.”
“Queen Pertrice . . .” He looked to Kel for help. “Samruel can’t help with what I’m planning.”
“Then he can watch from the shore and be present.” Her jaw twitched and Farrell understood she didn’t plan to lose this argument.
The finality of her decision left Farrell two choices, neither of them good. He could anger her or he could put his friend at risk.
“Take the boy and shield him before you enter the water,” Kel said. “So long as Samruel doesn’t use magic, he’ll be safe.”
Samruel flinched. “Not use magic? I’m not a child!”
“I don’t have time to teach you how to defend yourself,” Kel said. “The spell Meglar uses will allow his magic to breach your shields as if they weren’t there. Even the strongest wizard can’t survive if his defenses are useless.”
“Do you really mean to put your son at risk?” Farrell regretted the question as soon as he finished speaking.
Again Pertrice’s expression mirrored Zenora’s from years ago. “If we don’t lead the defense of our people, we are not fit to rule. Every soldier who takes to the field is defenseless against magic and yet we expect them to march when told. My sons can do no less.”
Farrell nodded. He didn’t like the idea. He also didn’t want to undermine the queen at a critical moment. “I’ll make sure I protect him from Meglar’s spell.”
“Be sure to protect yourself, Chosen,” Flemin said. “Meglar is aware you are active in the world. He also knows his spells have worked in the past. It costs him little to give his wizards something to use against you and Kel.”
“I agree, but Farrell is well versed in the counter to this spell. He can protect himself and Samruel,” Kel said. Another peal echoed off the walls. “Go before they get too close to shore.”
Farrell turned to his friend and shook his head. Samruel’s eager expression reinforced Farrell’s hesitation to bring him along. “As hard as this may be, you need to do as I say without argument. I know when you left I was a kid, but as you’ve said a few times, I’m not that Farrell.”
Samruel’s eyes narrowed. “And I’m not a child either.”
“Sam, this is not about egos; it’s your life that’s at stake. My . . ., ” he couldn’t say father, “enemy is more powerful than Heminaltose. Without my help, you won’t survive if he trains his sights on you.”
“So now you fancy yourself beyond our master?”
“He is that and more.” Kel appeared behind them. “Even I am not his equal.”
Samruel’s doubt waned, but he still hadn’t agreed.
“Please, Sam? As kids you asked me to trust you when I needed help. I’m asking you to trust me now.”
Sam’s defiance faded and he cracked a smile. “I really did like the old Farrell better.”
Relieved, Farrell winked at his friend. “That’s because you haven’t seen what the new one can do.”
“This is not the time to show off, grandsons.” Kel’s stern expression reminded Farrell of the serious threat they faced.
“Understood.” He held out his hand to Samruel. “I can fly us. Was that an act, too?”
“No, that was real.” He grabbed Farrell’s hand. “Let’s go and show this Meglar what Kel’s grandsons can do.”
“Do not do anything foolish!” Queen Pertrice said. “I want you back, Samruel. Both of you.”
Samruel’s smirk disappeared. “Yes, Mother.”
Farrell lifted them off the ground and moved outside before anyone else could speak.
They flew over the palace grounds and Farrell headed for the open water. “How far away is the entrance?”
“About three hundred miles.”
Farrell stopped moving. “Three hundred miles? Why didn’t we use a Door?”
“You offered to fly us there. Is there a problem?”
“Yes. It will take an hour to get there.” An hour they didn’t have. Farrell couldn’t use the Eye, shield them and his work, open a Door, and keep Samruel aloft. He searched for a good place to land and took them down. “Can you open a Door to somewhere near the coast?”
“Yes, we have defensive positions on both peninsulas.” Samruel had his staff out as soon as his boots touched the stone. “I think the southern tip would be better.”
Farrell didn’t argue. Either would work. He shielded them and made sure to guard against the spell Meglar had used on him aboard the Seafoam Rose.
It taxed his patience to watch how slowly his friend deployed his magic. Farrell could have opened two Doors and been at work on a third in the time Samruel needed to finish just one. When he finally pushed out his will, nothing happened.
“I’ve opened hundreds of Doors.”
Farrell examined the frame and the structure of the magic. “It’s not your work. Something bars you on the other side. Can you open it off the ground?”
“That’s not possible.”
“Nothing is impossible,” he said. “Do you trust me?”
Samruel looked confused. “You can open a Door in the air?”
“We don’t have time for this.” Farrell made sure they were well hidden. “Do you still trust me?”
“Of course.”
“I need to see where you’re trying to take us.” Farrell extended a link and waited. The tug felt tentative at first, but it tightened a moment later. An image of a low blocky building pushed to the front of Samruel’s thoughts. Farrell grabbed it and laid out his Door. He imprinted their destination but didn’t activate it.
“That’s amazing!” Samruel said. “How did you do that so fast?”
“Later.” It came out more dismissive than he meant, but he brushed it aside. “We’ll be stepping down about a foot when we exit. Remember that so you don’t lose your focus.”
“Farrell—”
“No, Sam, this is serious. The enemy wizards might be waiting to target anyone who comes through a Door. If you stumble and lose your concentration, you’ll end up dead.”
“I thought you hid your work?”
“I did, but that was just for this side. When the Door opens there, it will be visible. That’s our problem.” He waited to see Samruel’s reaction, but all he got was a small nod. “You do know that your shield won’t be working for a split second as you walk through the threshold, right?”
“Huh?”
Farrell kept back a sigh. “This isn’t like using a physical door. As you walk through, part of you is here and part of you is on the other side. The void acts as a bridge, but your magic can’t remain connected in the void. For that moment when your shield is here and there, it doesn’t work.”
“How do you know this?” Samruel didn’t appear convinced.
“There isn’t the time for theoretical discussion!” He stopped to rein in his irritation. “You’re going to have to trust me that I’m right.”
“If I assume you’re right, what are you suggesting? That I not go?”
The challenge didn’t surprise Farrell. “No, but you need to be on guard. Given what we know already, I assume they’ll try to target us as soon as the Door opens. That will take them a few seconds to launch an attack, so we need to rush through and protect ourselves.”
Samruel cocked his head and stared.
“What?”
Samruel blinked. “You really are different. How did you think of all that in the time it took to create the Door lines? I barely processed everything you said, much less worked through the implications.”
�
�I’ve been fighting for my life for the last ten years. You learn to think fast.”
The look his friend gave him harkened back to those days when Quonus tormented him. Though he had tried, Samruel couldn’t protect Farrell from everything. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’ll serve me well when I face Meglar.” Before Samruel could comment, Farrell pointed to the flickering frame. “Let me go first, but be right on my tail. I’ll shield us and the Door the moment I’m clear, so stay close.”
“Understood.”
Farrell hoped Samruel believed him. He couldn’t keep seeing Farrell as the thirteen-year-old he’d left at Haven. “On my word.”
He gathered his energy, pushed a tendril into the lines, and told it to rip open a portal to the east coast of Erd. “Now!”
They rushed through before Farrell could make out the land beyond the Door. The instant he cleared the threshold, Farrell released magic to create a shield. He moved far enough away so Samruel could join him. While they were under cover, he hid them from anyone watching.
Nothing happened. Farrell augmented the shield and incorporated a defense against Meglar targeting them. When he was sure the barrier would hold for a few strikes, he turned to Samruel.
“We need to go.”
“They’ll target us if we move.”
“No, they won’t.” Farrell anchored the spells to the Door. “I concealed us as soon we arrived.”
“I know. I felt that, but they can see the shield.”
“I’m counting on that.” He raised a personal shield and pointed to Samruel. “Protect yourself.”
“What are you doing?”
“Drawing their attention here so we can move without them noticing.”
The first detection spell touched their shield.
“How does making our position obvious help us get away unseen?”
“They expect us to come through, guard ourselves, and wait for the fleet to arrive.” A second feeler made contact. “Doing what they predict will keep their attention here. Someone already scanned us twice. I’ll anchor this shield here and cloak us as we slip away. We can let them think they destroyed us on the third or fourth strike.”
He hoped it would be enough. If he’d timed it right, he’d be in the water before the shield collapsed. At a minimum he’d be close to the shore. Once he was in the water, they’d never find him. Samruel, however, would be vulnerable. Farrell heard the magic of the first strike as it headed for them. “It’s begun.”
Champion of the Gods Box Set Page 191