by J D Franx
“Your Highness,” the guard started, “the prisoner you order released from the dungeon.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “You may go.” As the guard walked away, Corleya’s face flushed with embarrassment. “Tallin Kohl, I am Queen Corleya Bale, and I would like to offer you my sincerest apologies. As the Queen of Cethos, I hereby pardon you from all crimes you have been accused of by my father, and I declare you innocent of all said crimes. Though I honor him, my father was a close minded-person with many faults. You are free to go, but please, avail yourself of my hospitality for a day or two until you are stronger. You need only ask and anything you desire will be provided.”
Tallin looked up at her and shook his head. “I guess I should be grateful you are the new queen, but you are not your father. I have heard it many times over—even among the guards who patrol the dungeons.”
“I am glad.” She sighed. “I cannot express how sorry I am. I freed you the moment I discovered your name in the dungeon records. I apologize that my guards didn’t at least offer you a heated bath.”
“If I am free to go, I only ask for enough coin to get home. My brother must think I am dead for… I don’t even know for how long now.”
Corleya blinked back the dampness in her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat. “Absolutely. I do ask that you please allow two of my most trusted wizards to escort you.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“You do. I meant what I said,” she replied.
“Then, no offense, Your Highness, but I will take my coin and take my leave.”
“I understand,” Corleya said and nodded to the Corsair.
He stepped forward and offered Tallin a bag of coin. “Do not trust my queen, that is fine. But many of my men sail under the Suns’ flag,” he said and offered Tallin a whalebone amulet. “You know what this is?”
“Yes,” Tallin answered. “It will get me home safely without having to worry about a knife in the back.” The Corsair nodded and returned to his place. “Thank you,” Queen Bale,” he added.
Corleya nodded to the Corsair. He and the Hunter escorted King Kohl’s brother from the room before clearing the hall as Kalmar returned with the Priestess, Giddeon, and Galen.
All bowed, and the Priestess and Kalmar returned to their normal places in court.
“Your Highness.”
“Thank you for coming, Giddeon.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
“I have a task for you and Master Vihr,” she began, “Tallin Kohl has been freed from the dungeon and released—all charges dropped. He has a written declaration of innocence and free travel throughout Cethos.”
“Are you sure that is wise, Your Highness?” Giddeon asked as Galen frowned at his side.
“Something to offer, Master Wizard?” she asked.
“No. Your Highness.”
“We are in closed court, Master Wizard. Please, speak your mind.”
Galen shook his head. “My apologies, Your Highness,” he said. “It is just that I argued against his imprisonment at the time he arrived. I am glad he was finally released.”
“I agree,” she answered.
“I certainly am not in agreement,” Giddeon snapped. He quickly calmed under her stern glare.
“ArchWizard,” Corleya said. “You have been at the top of Talohna’s magical hierarchy for too long, I believe. An ArchWizard is not an all-powerful, all-knowing title. I saw more humility from your son in the few days I traveled with him than I have seen you display since your return—with his help, I might add. It is the reason why I am tasking Master Vihr with the ArchWizard trials upon your return from DormaSai.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Galen said as he bowed.
She waved for him to rise. “I am elated that my father’s Spy has passed the rituals to become my fourth Pillar of Rule. Therefore, you and Giddeon will accompany her to Drae’Kahn to inform King Kohl that Tallin is alive and has been set free. With luck, he may even be there before you.”
“That is a death sentence for Giddeon, Your Highness!” Galen protested.
“We will have to hope that King Kohl’s Fae advisor is in court,” she replied. Her voice never wavered as she continued, “Either way, Master Wizard, you will command this mission. Besides notifying and apologizing to King Kohl, your main goal is to find Kael.”
“Your Highness,” Giddeon sputtered. “I must protest—”
“You can protest all you like, Giddeon,” Corleya snapped. “I spent months suffering at the hands of these so-called Ancients. They instigated and organized the downfall of my father, and I will have peace with DormaSai if it is the last damn act of my life. We need to be united with the only country left that has access to so much magical knowledge and who are opposed to the Ancients. Am I understood?” Giddeon bowed as he nodded. “You will go with the Spy to DormaSai via the Royal Fleet, and you will fly the Cethosian democratic flag as you dock in the mouth of the Kraken’s Tail at the city of Eraleen. You will declare yourself to DormaSain authorities and obey every command made of you while there. All of you, your sole purpose of this mission is make peace with King Kohl, to let him know we are of like minds—even if my hands are tied right now. Your secondary objective is to find Kael and support him in any way he needs. Am I clear?”
Galen and Giddeon nodded then bowed. The Spy stepped forward and the three left the room.
Corleya sighed with relief as the magic imbued in the castle told her where every Ancient being was currently located. If the Ri’Tek stayed within the castle grounds, she could keep track of them using the citadel’s magic.
She relaxed, finally.
BLACKVOID CASTLE, 3 WEEKS LATER
DRAE’KAHN, DORMASAI
“There is no way to get into Arkum Zul!” Kael yelled and smashed his hand on the map spread across the table. “Period.” He stared at the people in Nekrosa’s war room. Even with nearly a dozen bodies present, there was plenty of room, but he still felt confined and irritable. His thoughts still reeled after Kyr Meadow had insisted on arguing with him about whether Ember should have returned Katarina Desolla to Dasal or not after her mind had been healed. Kyr might be Eva Thornwing’s sister, but she had none of the elder Matriarchs manners or understanding—none of what had made Ember’s mother amazing. The Fae woman wanted Kat brought to Vaenaria where the magic of the White would be under their control. Naturally suspicious of everyone, Kael refused to budge, and when Kyr demanded he jump to Dasal to retrieve Kat, he made it very clear what would happen if she tried it at all. Ember had openly supported him, and her aunt had left in a huff. While she was likely harmless, he planned to warn Seifer Locke the first chance he got.
“It was Sythrnax’s stronghold and where he operated from,” Sephi added. Kael set his thoughts aside and focused on the problem at hand.
“The Vikress probably… she has to be there along with most of the Ri’Tek,” Nekrosa offered. “It’s our chance to do some serious damage to them if they are still there. Don’t forget Lycori said Havarrow would take them home when they are ready to go.”
“It is what he told us, but he did not say when or by what route,” Lycori clarified.
“You’d think they’d head home immediately,” Aravae replied.
“Not necessarily,” Yrlissa corrected, finally saying something. So far Kael wasn’t impressed with the Guardian aside from her martial skills but shook the thoughts of their training sessions from his mind as she continued. “The Sepulchre fell and all the seals opened at once—seals that are located across the breadth of Talohna. The Vikress will not leave for Tai Sa Neban until most of her people have been recovered. We need to find out where she is waiting for them—whether it is Arkum Zul or not and we need to be sure before we move. We will only get one chance, and they will likely still be waiting for us.”
Kael sighed with frustration and shook his head while Max cleared his throat. “Why can’t we get in?” he asked and placed a hand on Kael’s shoulder. “You and Lycori
both got out which means we can get in.”
“We had a lot of help.” The vampire countered him as she raised her fingers. “And the Mahala dogged us most of the way.”
“I still say we try jumping in,” Ember suggested.
Kael shook his head. “We can’t jump in. There are spells and wards throughout Arkum Zul. The Dwarves designed it as a research city devoted to countering and destroying magic. The Arterius device is there, for Christ’s sake. If we fail, we would be dooming Talohna to life under Ri’Tek rule for an eternity because all our magic would be in their hands. The other two ways in—the way Lycori escaped—” he rubbed his throbbing head and continued— “taking a large force through there would be like ringing the Mahalan dinner bell. There are tunnels to the sides, in the floors, and above. Our fighters would be swarmed long before we got close to Arkum Zul. The way I escaped… I collapsed the only exit I know about while we were—are you all listening to me?” he barked and pointed at Lycori. “Running for our goddamned lives from the Mahala.” She nodded her agreement.
“Easy, love,” Ember whispered, but it only irritated him more. She gently caressed his cheek and the headache vanished.
“Thank you,” he said and sighed. “This is a waste of time.”
“I agree,” Max said. “We need more information before we do anything. Acting without all the facts is what has been fucking us over every time we deal with the Ri’Tek. It was the same during the first war. Yrlissa, you remember what Asa used to say? I don’t remember the words exactly.”
“I’ll never forget them,” she replied slowly and quoted, “Before moving against the Ri’Tek, think twice, and act not. Think twice more, and then think again before making your move. They will still outsmart you or be ready for you, but you might cover how, allowing you to adapt to win or to retreat and fight another day.”
Kael snorted. “Every time I turn around people want to plan to fight another day. You will not win this goddamned war by planning to lose or by minimizing losses. A war of attrition does not mean running when the losses get heavy. It means fighting, man-to-man, woman-to-woman, or wizard-to-wizard in the cities, the towns, the streets, and even from building to building if need be.”
“Kael,” Ember began, but he ignored her and carried on.
“We get the bloody intelligence we need, and then, we attack them mercilessly and to hell with the losses. I’d rather die fighting them than live under them. Magic users like Ember and I will be nothing but magical milk cows if we are caught. I will not spend the rest of my life letting the Ri’Tek drain my or Ember’s magic over and over, so they can use it to make others suffer—”
“Perhaps you won’t have to. We—” Kael recognized the voice instantly and immediately disappeared into the Ether for a fraction of a moment before materializing with his short reaper pick at Giddeon’s throat. Nekrosa’s DeathDogs reacted slower, but still surrounded the Cethosian retinue with their swords drawn.
“Wait! Please, Kael,” Giddeon pleaded quickly. “I have the information you need.”
“Your Majesty!” the guard captain blurted out. “I am so sorry! He stepped ahead before I could announce them!”
While he could sense Giddeon, Galen, and several others entering the war room, Kael’s only concern was securing the ArchWizard. He had to protect the King and Queen in case Giddeon’s intentions were to harm them. King Bale’s Spy of Rule smiled at him, but he could not sense her Pillar magic—though he knew the woman had become Corleya’s Fourth Pillar. When he frowned in return, she merely held her smile.
“It’s all right, Captain,” Nekrosa said and grinned. “There is no harm done. You may go.” The captain nodded and led his guards from the room, but the King’s DeathDogs remained. “Well, Giddeon Zirakus and Galen Vihr in my castle. The gods have shone on me this morning.”
“Why didn’t I feel them?” Yrlissa barked.
“Because of this,” Kael snarled as he yanked a Ri’Tek charm from the ArchWizard’s neck. He tossed it to Ember.
“Why would you come here, Giddeon?” she asked. “You had to know it was a death sentence.”
“Because my queen ordered me,” he replied. She lifted the charm and held it in front of him.
“Watch close, father,” Kael growled while Ember’s magic pulled a soul from within the charm. With a whisper, she set it free. It rushed away, and Kael flicked his fingers. Black misty magic enveloped it as it vanished.
“Now, the soul that powered this disgusting charm will go to the afterlife as it was intended to aeons ago,” she said.
Giddeon swallowed. “You...”
“My mother showed me how to do that, Giddeon. I believe you met Eva Thornwing while on Ver Karmot,” Ember spoke over him, and the ArchWizard winced. “Kael’s magic will protect the soul from the eternal fight in the afterlife so it arrives safely where the gods intended. My mother showed him how to do that, too. Your country sided with the wrong race, and my mother paid for it with her life.”
“We… we… we didn’t,” he stuttered.
“He’s right, Kael,” Galen added as he calmly took a step forward. “Queen Bale sent us with that charm in the hopes that King Kohl or someone loyal to him could help us counter its magic. I apologize for Giddeon’s outburst. He is having a hard time adjusting to the fact that this mission is not his to command, but rather is mine.”
“Always the pompous prick,” Max quipped. “Even when you’ve been demoted.”
Galen prodded Giddeon. “My apologies,” the ArchWizard let out.
“What can we do for you, Master Wizard Vihr?” Nekrosa asked.
“Your information is up-to-date,” Galen stated. “I’m impressed.”
“It was,” Kael corrected.
“My spies returned several weeks ago,” Nekrosa offered. “But the new ones have yet to report back.”
“And they won’t,” Galen said. “The Ancients have most of Cethos on magical lock-down with charms like these and other devices much larger. Your undead birds won’t help you contact your spies. Their magic will not connect now that the Vikress has worked White magic into the pendants.”
“Why would you allow that?”
“We didn’t, King Kohl,” Galen responded as he faced Nekrosa. “Queen Bale was forced to offer the Ancients sanctuary after they helped us defeat the Vascuul.”
“We know,” Ember replied. Her sorrow seeped into Kael as she continued, “They used the attack to draw the Fae and DragonKin to Corynth while the Elloryan army invaded DormaSai. It was all designed as a way for the Ri’Tek to kidnap my mother—the Fae Matriarch. It is how they brought down the Sepulchre.”
“I know,” Galen said. “I was with her when they took her. I am so sorry, Mistress Ember. Eva refused to let me help her. I would have proudly taken her place had they allowed it. The cost to civilian lives was all she cared about.”
“My mother did what she thought was right,” Ember said and then went quiet.
“What happened next?” Kael prompted as his blade against Giddeon’s neck never wavered.
“Like I said. We had to agree to let them stay. By the time we realized our magic had been shut down, it was too late to object. Vikress Illara claims it is for the safety of her people. I only found out about it the morning we left to travel here, and by the time we reached Soena, magic was shut down there too.”
“What does Queen Bale want from us?” Sephi asked.
Galen sighed. “I was given two mission directives, and one was to find Kael. Thank Mother Inara he is here. It makes my job easier. The second objective is to inform you that Queen Bale has freed Tallin from the dungeon. Your brother is alive, King Kohl.” Galen stepped forward with his hand in his pocket, but Max put a hand to his chest to cut him off. The Master Wizard carefully removed a letter from his pocket and held it up.
“This from Queen Bale,” he told them. “I grant your brother uninterrupted movement throughout Cethos if you would like Tallin to be your official ambassador to Cethos
—or someone else of your choosing. It also contains a written apology for his treatment at her father’s hands. She is offering peace, King Kohl, at any cost or reparations you deem fair.”
Nekrosa accepted the letter, opened it, and read it. Finally, he nodded. “Fair enough,” he said aloud. “The cost is Giddeon’s life. You should have brought my brother with you, Master Wizard.”
Galen held up both his hands. “We tried, Your Majesty,” he said. “He refused to accept our help. Queen Bale gave him sufficient funds to get here, but he refused all other help.”
“Can you blame him, you shit?” Sephi hissed. “He was sent under the banner of peace, and you imprisoned him. We ought to execute your entire entourage.”
“That won’t be necessary,” the Spy said as she winked at Kael. The green leather armor melted away and Kael turned Giddeon to face the Spy. His second small scythe appeared in his other hand as the Spy’s facial features dissolved until nothing remained but a grime-covered man in tattered rags.
“Tallin?” Sephi whispered.
Nekrosa gasped. “Brother? Is that really you?”
“Yes,” he said. “I needed their protection to get home, but I could only trust Queen Bale.”
“Goddamn, it’s good to see you,” Nekrosa said as he limped forward and wrapped his arms around his younger brother.
Kael chuckled. “No wonder I couldn’t sense the Pillar’s magic,” he said. “I can’t sense anything on you.”
“Of course not!” Nekrosa roared with humor as Sephi joined the hug. “That is what allows a doppler to do what they do! Damn, brother! I thought Bale had you killed.”
“Near enough,” Tallin replied as he stepped back. “Half the man I was.”
“Weight can be regained, Tal,” Sephi added. “Death is permanent.”
“I would have been dead, had it not been for these two,” Tallin said and pointed to Giddeon and Galen. “This one even argued with King Bale against my imprisonment.”
Galen nodded. “It was not right,” he said. “Your Majesty, my queen knows what these gods-cursed Ancients are. Her hands might be tied by the citizens of Talohna right now, but she is on your side. Help her get into a position to help you. I give you my word that you can trust her.”