by John Migacz
CHAPTER 54
Dieya paced the small, windowless palace antechamber, mentally cursing the King, Alliance policy and life in general. Finding two more collector nodes on the grassland plains was at the root of his ire. How had the Kraken infiltrated Ravar without him knowing? He had gone over the dimgate data at his command center again but found only the spikes of his arrival and the trio’s. The possibility that the Kraken might have some way of disguising an off-world gate activation weighed heavily on his mind.
Inhaling deeply, he tried to relax. His gut told him that the one called Ta’Lon was the Kraken agent, but finding the migratory leader in a sea of grass was proving to be difficult. He cursed the Alliance’s lack of funding for the Dieya Corps. He glanced down at his clenched fists and forced himself to ease up.
After his futile search through the grasslands, he decided to beseech King Justin for troops to bolster the eastern borders. It had taken a small vidholo trick and gold to convince several secretaries that he needed a private meeting. He added bureaucrats to the list of things to curse.
The door opened and a young page in the King’s livery proclaimed: “The King will receive your Lordship now. Please follow me.” The lad led him to a side room off the royal audience chamber. The page opened the door and announced, “Dieya the Sorcerer, at his Majesty’s command.”
King Justin IV sat behind a long table surrounded by papers, scrolls and books. A “private” audience with the King consisted of four armed guards, three ministers, the King’s Chancellor, two servants, a scribe and the King’s jester.
Dieya studied the King. He was a pudgy, docile-looking man in his early thirties, with rosy apple cheeks and a receding hairline. A gold-embroidered white tunic with gravy and wine stains completed the picture. Dieya refrained from shaking his head and instead, bowed low. “Your Majesty.”
“Ah, here is a welcome change to all this tiring paperwork,” said the King, pushing away a minister who held an open scroll. With obvious skepticism the King stared at Dieya. “You claim to be Dieya the Sorcerer, but you can’t be. He would be a very old man by now.” The King studied Dieya closely. “You do resemble the man I once saw as a boy, but you couldn’t be him.”
“Yes, your Majesty, I am he. The last time we met was at your tenth nameday celebration. I believe I displayed this for you.” Dieya held out his hand and a bright blue baby harbill appeared on his palm. The King sat up and applauded as the small boy once did. Dieya tossed the harbill into the air where it turned into a white alarat. The bird took wing and flew to the ceiling. Dieya snapped his fingers and the alarat disappeared in a shower of sparks that vanished before reaching the ground. The king smiled and applauded. Dieya was glad he still had that vidholo on file.
“Wonderful,” said the Chancellor with a dismissing flick of his hand. “Perhaps we can arrange for a show later, but now we have matters of state to discuss.”
“That’s why I am here, Chancellor, to discuss a state matter.”
“State matters are discussed by the King’s ministers and advisors. If you have some minor information, take it to the secretary,” he said with another condescending flick of his hand.
Dieya sighed and billowed his cloak in front of him, then jerked it back. A full-grown male ligor appeared from under his cape and with a heart-stopping roar, leaped to the table and growled down at the Chancellor. With a snap of Dieya’s fingers, the ligor disappeared. The episode was over before the guards could do more than raise their halberds. The Chancellor paled and hurriedly reached for his wine goblet.
“I will not be condescended to, Chancellor!” said Dieya, raising a fist. “If you knew your history of Ravar, you would know that Justin the First made me the King’s Advisor in perpetuity. I have watched over the reign of all his descendents ever since!”
The King held up his hand. “Sorcerer Dieya, please forgive Chancellor Egan. Your presence here is something of a surprise to us.” He frowned at his Chancellor. “I have read the histories and I respect my forefather’s appointments. We will hear your advice. Unfortunately, I do remember reading that your arrival always preceded bad news. What is it this time?”
Dieya bowed low again. “I have come to implore the King to send the King’s Arm to Baron Genardt’s castle at Glendell. I have knowledge that it will be attacked within two months by the Sevoal, your Majesty.”
“The Sevoal!” said the Chancellor regaining his composure. “How? Those savages are no threat to us. Their flint arrows and clubs are of no danger to any armored host. Glendell castle has stout walls and a core of knights that will rout any savage.” Disdain crept back into his voice, urged by arrogance. “I ask again, how?”
Dieya reached inside his cape and held aloft a red arrow.
“With this!” He hurled the arrow. It stuck, quivering, into the table in front of the Chancellor. “They are making steel arrowheads, and combined with their wartanga bows, these arrows will pierce a knight’s armor like he was wearing a wool shirt.”
The room filled with mutterings as the ministers began talking among themselves.
“Gentlemen, please!” said the King. He directed his attention back to the Sorcerer. “The Sevoal have always lived in small tribes. They would never be a threat to us.” His eyes narrowed. “Unless there is more you haven’t told us.”
Dieya realized that the blood of Justin I did run in this King’s veins. A small smile grew on his face. “Yes, your Majesty. A Sevoal leader has arisen to unite the tribes. He has taken the mantle of the Sevoal god Ocaow. For them, this will be a holy war. Once Glendell Castle has fallen the Sevoal horde will flood into the kingdom.”
The King steepled his fingers and closed his eyes for a moment. He then sat erect and placed his palms flat on the table.
“Leave us,” he said with a raised voice. “All of you. Leave us.” His voice lowered until it could just barely be heard. “I wish to consult with the Sorcerer alone.”
The Chancellor rose to his feet. “Sire! I beg of you –”
The King raised a hand. “I will keep my guards, don’t worry. Go.” The ministers rose and left, followed by the jester and servants. As the door closed, the King gestured to the Sorcerer.
“Please, sit down. Have some wine. I have forgotten my manners. Is there something you need? Food or something other than wine?”
“No thank you, your Majesty.” Dieya pulled out a chair and sat across from the King. “I am glad you have taken some of your valuable time to hear me out.”
The King smiled. “I have read the histories of the Kingdom avidly. I don’t seem to be like my predecessors, hankering for power and glory. I am more at home in my library than anywhere else.” He paused to fill his wine goblet and poured one for the sorcerer. “I have been remembering some of the things I have read about you. One thing that stands out is that you are no one’s sycophant. You know my time is no more valuable than anyone else’s.”
Dieya smiled. “I have to apologize, your Majesty. You are more perceptive than I realized.”
“Oh, I know what these fool ministers think of me, and my Chancellor… Well, let’s just say he does have the Kingdom’s welfare at heart. If not, he wouldn’t be here. He has a brusque manner, but he gets things done, and that is what needs to happen in the realm right now.” He paused to take a drink, but Dieya saw he was struggling with whether or not to reveal something.
“You said that you have been watching over our reign since Justin the First. Is that true? Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear, tell me what is true.”
It was Dieya’s turn to struggle with revelations. “Sire, I believe your Kingdom is the best hope for all peoples of Ravar. The rule of Justin the First was the first time I perceived any hope for enlightenment in this world. His doctrine of ‘King or commoner, no one is above the law of the land,’ was inspired. I know that many discrepancies happen, but that law give
s hope to all your people. One day that hope will blossom into a kingdom of free men who will guide the rest of the nations of the world into a time of peace and prosperity. This is why I do what I can for your Majesty’s Kingdom.”
The King nodded and pursed his lips. “Well then, Sir Sorcerer, let me tell you of our current problems that relate to yours.” He took a deep breath. “I am not a good King.” He held up his hand to stop the denial that wasn’t forthcoming. He chuckled. “Well, I guess I asked for honesty,” he said and shrugged. “I have made some very bad choices and had some hard luck or bad advice. The truth is, the kingdom is practically bankrupt. We tried to build too much, too quickly.”
The King pushed aside the scrolls on the table and leaned forward. “That was my fault. We built a navy to protect our merchant fleet, hoping to open trade routes to Javan. Yet we are still in negotiations and not one single trade item has left our ports. The incursions of the Cosakaldi hill tribes have tied up some of the Arm for almost two years.
“And worst of all, ‘Ole Bess,’ our gold mine at the base of the Ligour Teeth Mountains, seems to have petered out. This brings me to your request for the Arm.” He looked into his wine goblet. “There is no longer any Arm. There are, at most, only two thousand knights in the entire kingdom.”
Dieya felt his face flush.
“There is not enough gold to keep them,” the King said with a shrug. “We had hoped that things would turn around and we could re-build the Arm before anyone would be the wiser. We have been at peace for a good while. No one could foretell of an attack by the Sevoal.”
“No, I suppose not.” Dieya sat back in his chair, lost in thought. Bad timing? Bad luck? Manipulation by the Kraken agent? It didn’t matter. He would have to go over the satellite geological scans and see if he could come up with any local source of gold. If forced to, he would import it. With the Kraken involved, the non-interference policy was moot. Suddenly, he remembered something that might help. He stood and walked to the center of the room.
“Sire, perhaps we could be of mutual assistance. Please stay seated and call no one into the room. I will return in a moment.” With that he touched his amulet and vanished with a blue glow.
Dieya stood at the door to his base of operations and patiently waited for the retina scan to finish. The door opened and he strode to his closet, the door snapping shut behind him. Pushing things aside, he searched until he found the small chest he sought. He lifted the chest and touched his amulet.
The King jerked, spilling his wine as Dieya reappeared in the throne room. He placed the chest in front of the King, and threw back the lid. The contents shone brightly. “Sire, here is a chest of jewels that should keep the kingdom going for a little while. I will use my magicks to try to find another source of wealth for the kingdom’s treasury.”
The King stood and looked down at the chest. He picked up a handful of glittering gems and let them cascade from his fingers. “Are these real?”
Dieya nodded. “Quite real, your Majesty. As a matter of fact, these gems were a gift from Justin the Second for some service I performed.”
The King looked up from the chest, stood, then walked around the table. “I have often wondered if the stories about you in my ancestors’ journals were true or just their imagination. I am glad to see that one of my descendants will read my journal and wonder the same about me.” He held out his hand.
Dieya took the hand and smiled. The King covered Dieya’s hand with his other. “You mentioned mutual assistance? How can I be of service?”
“Sire, I would like you to send as many of the King’s Arm to Glendell –”
“Done. I can spare about one thousand knights.”
“– and I would like to post an announcement throughout the kingdom recruiting men for three months of military service. It would be more effective if the proclamation came with your blessing.”
“I take it you will be picking up the cost of this mercenary group?”
“Yes, your Majesty. All costs incurred will be mine.”
“Then it will go out with our seal,” said the King. He raised a finger. “I have a suggestion, Sir Sorcerer. Not as many men will respond to a call to follow ‘Dieya the Sorcerer.’ Few believe you exist and the ones that do will be wary of joining you. Do you know anyone else who could lead this band?”
Dieya thought for a moment and knew there was only one choice. “Yes, your Majesty. I believe I have just the man.” A grin forced its way to his face.