The Wizards' War

by Angela Holder

  Jamis flashed Meira a wry grin. “I’m married to his former wife. It’s not the sort of thing that comes up in casual conversation.”

  Meira’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh.”

  Elkan was both grateful to Jamis for making the awkward explanation and resentful of how smoothly he did it. “I did tell you—”

  “I remember.”

  He wondered just how much she remembered of what he’d confessed. Every word, probably. Although if she did, he couldn’t understand why she didn’t despise him. “Listen. I need to go to the camp and tell Edniel about the change of plans. I expect she’ll want to discuss logistics with me for a while, so I’ll probably grab a quick meal there. You go ahead and eat without me. And if you see Josiah, tell him he has my permission to sleep late in the morning.”

  She chuckled. “I don’t expect he’ll mind staying in Korisan another week.”

  “Probably not.” Smash it, he shouldn’t envy his apprentice, but he did. “Good night.”

  “Good night. See you tomorrow.”

  He nodded and hurried away.

  * * *

  Josiah listened open-mouthed as the messenger announced the Council’s decision. When she finished, he turned to Ledah, sputtering. “How can they do that? Everything’s ready, everything’s packed, it will take a huge amount of unnecessary work to unload and reload everything next week. We’re ready to fight the Ramunnans now! What good will waiting do?” He scowled for a moment more, then brightened, though his stomach churned with the suddenness of the reprieve. “But, hey. Another week.”

  Ledah smiled back at him, though her eyes didn’t quite meet his. “Yeah.”

  He groped for words, trying to understand his wildly conflicting emotions. He could happily spend another hundred sweet nights in Ledah’s arms. He’d learned so much from her he hardly felt like the same person. There was no going back to the way things had been before.

  But it couldn’t last. Ledah liked him well enough, but that was all. She’d never stopped looking at other men, smiling at them, flirting with them. To her he was just one brief, enjoyable affair among many.

  And to be honest, he felt more or less the same way. The nights were amazing, but lately, the time he spent with Ledah during the day was getting—he hated to admit it, but he couldn’t really deny it, either—kind of boring. She never wanted to talk about the things he was interested in, or even listen while he described his ideas for improvements to the mill or the weapons, or strategies for the battle in Elathir, or new ways of healing without the Mother’s power. Mostly she liked to gossip about her friends among the apprentices and journeymen in Korisan: who liked who, who was mad at who, who were sleeping with each other, who had broken up, who were back together. And her baskets—she could talk for hours about the tiniest variation in how one piece of reed twisted around another. He did his best to listen and comment intelligently, but he was always glad when they stopped talking and started kissing.

  He wouldn’t trade the past two weeks for anything, but his imminent departure for Elathir while Ledah remained in Korisan had provided an easy, natural end to their liaison. Neither of them would have to admit they were tired of the other and ready to move on.

  “Um.” He looked at his feet. “Maybe… maybe I shouldn’t visit you so often. Elkan keeps telling me to get more sleep. I’m going to get in big trouble if he catches me skipping training to take a nap again. And really, he’s right. I need to be ready to fight with all the energy I’ve got when we go to Elathir.”

  She nodded earnestly. “I’ll miss you, but if it helps Tevenar…”

  “I mean, tonight, definitely. Like we planned. But I guess, after that… I mean, we thought this was going to be the last time anyway…” He scuffed his toe in the dirt and mumbled, “I guess you probably expected to… you know… I mean, if you told someone else… I wouldn’t want to…” He stumbled to a stop, his face burning.

  She grinned at him in wry understanding and took his hand. “It’s only a week. I’m not going to send you off to Elathir without a proper farewell.”

  Josiah’s breath came easier. “All right.”

  She took his arm and steered him toward the line for food. “Besides, there are a few things I haven’t shown you yet.”

  Josiah’s imagination immediately started trying to come up with possibilities. It wasn’t easy; Ledah had already introduced him to a dizzying variety of activities.

  She chuckled at the look on his face, then glanced across the plaza. “Look, is that Asa with Oriah? I thought she was still seeing Moren. It’s about time. Everybody knows Moren’s been dreaming about Faralian since before they were apprentices. Of course, Faralian—”

  Josiah quit paying attention. She wouldn’t expect him to remember what she’d said, anyway.

  Thirty

  Kevessa lay back on the sand and gazed at the stars. They looked bigger and brighter than at home. Some of the familiar constellations had dropped below the southern horizon, and a few strange ones had appeared in the north. She could still see the Raven, though, its winking eye and broad wings seeming to fly before them as they had all the way across the ocean.

  She shivered and glanced at the forest of masts bobbing beyond the surf. What would they find when they reached Tevenar? Had Elkan and Josiah gotten there in time to warn of the Armada’s attack and organize a defense? If so, that would be good for Tevenar, but bad for Ramunna. If the Armada ships had been destroyed or scattered, her homeland might very well remain in Marvannan hands forever.

  But if the wizards hadn’t arrived in time, or if their defense hadn’t been sufficient to stop the conquering force, what they found might be far worse. Vivid images of Elathir’s buildings reduced to smoking rubble by the Armada’s brutal Secret loomed among the stars. She shook her head hard to dispel them, but they kept coming back. When she’d kissed Josiah good-bye she hadn’t understood about the destructive power of the secret weapons. But she’d seen them in action when a handful of Marvannan ships had pursued their fleet, and the Armada ships had ruthlessly destroyed them. Daily drills by the Secrets officers kept the booming force of the explosive and the impressive range of the projectiles fresh in her mind.

  She sat up at the sound of footsteps in the sand. Borlen dropped to sit by the fire the wizards had built a little way down the beach from where the Matriarch and her retinue reclined on folding wooden lounge chairs and dined on tropical fruit and fresh game. He stroked Shadow as his familiar slid from his shoulders. “I saw.”

  Kevessa nodded. None of them had ever spoken it aloud, but Borlen was the last to take a turn accelerating the Matriarch’s pregnancy since it had become obvious the child she carried was a girl.

  Vigorre stared into the leaping fire. “Do we tell her?”

  “Master Elkan told us not to.” Kevessa kept reminding them of that fact, but the others seemed to care less and less.

  “Only because she’d abort another boy. If she knows, she’ll be twice as careful to make sure no harm comes to her.” Borlen winced at his slip and glanced around, but no one was close enough to overhear, and the four of them were the only ones who could eavesdrop on a conversation after it was over.

  “She’s already being careful. If we tell her about this one, and then later she gets pregnant again and we don’t tell her, she’ll figure it out pretty quick.” Kevessa picked up a fruit from the pile they’d gathered and started to peel it.

  Vigorre took a fruit for himself. “How likely is that to be a problem? The child is healthy and growing well. With our help it’s almost certain to be born without incident. After that, the Matriarch won’t need to get pregnant again, or care which sex it is if she does.”

  Borlen rolled his eyes. “Unless this one is assassinated by Marvannan agents. Or has an accident when we’re not close enough to get there in time, or comes down with something the Mother’s power can’t cure. She’ll want as many heirs as she can get, for insurance.”

  “Hmm. What do you think, T
esi?” Vigorre looked across the fire at the Girodan.

  She shrugged. “What might we gain by telling her?”

  “Her gratitude. Her trust, more than we have now. And we won’t have to worry every minute about slipping and saying something that will let her guess.”

  “So, not much.” Kevessa sent a thought to where Nina scampered among the swaying palm trees, stuffing her cheeks with fruit and nuts. What do you think?

  Don’t tell her.

  “Nina says no. What about the others?”

  Each of them consulted their familiar. Vigorre grimaced. “Nirre, too.”

  Tesi silently shook her head, stroking the cat in her lap.

  Borlen chuckled as he listened to the cobra sprawled in the sand, which didn’t bother to open its eyes. “Shadow says don’t tell her for now. If at some point in the future we have a good reason, tell her then.”

  Kevessa smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

  Vigorre laughed. “Shadow, you’re far craftier than the rest of us.”

  Borlen patted the nearest thick coil of the snake’s body. “He says of course he is.”

  They all laughed at that. Even Tesi smiled.

  Nirre swooped out of the darkness, a fish clutched in her talons. She landed on the sand near Vigorre and tore at her prey, ripping off chunks of flesh and swallowing them. Tesi looked away, but Kevessa was so used to the eagle’s habits they no longer bothered her.

  Vigorre studied his familiar, his face falling into grave lines. “Kevessa, how long until we reach Tevenar, do you think? I asked the Matriarch, but she would only give me vague answers, and the navigator wouldn’t talk to me at all.”

  Kevessa tried to remember her first voyage across the ocean. “I don’t know whether this is the same island where Captain Yosiv stopped and refilled the water casks. But it can’t be very far from it, if it’s not. It took us three days after we left the island to reach the continent, and six days after that to get to Elathir.”

  “And you didn’t have any wizards with you to fill the sails.”

  She laughed. “We didn’t even know whether wizardry was real. Father was convinced it wasn’t.”

  Vigorre laughed a little with her, but his mood quickly darkened. “So with us helping like we’ve been doing, maybe a day sooner?”

  She frowned. “We haven’t been making much difference, with so many ships. Not after we got past the still air.”

  The other wizards all nodded thoughtfully. The fleet would have been becalmed for weeks if not for the slow but steady progress made possible by the wizards sending masses of air into the sails of the fifty ships. But even all four of them working ceaselessly day and night had only been able to propel the fleet at a crawl. The more reasonable workload the Matriarch had permitted them since probably added only a fraction to their speed.

  “But Armada ships are faster than trading ships like the Verinna,” Borlen said. “That might make a day’s difference by itself.”

  “True.” Vigorre hunched forward, tracing lines in the sand. “So call it about a week of sailing. At least five days after we sight the mainland.” He studied the diagram he’d made, which Kevessa could see was a rough map of the islands and continent. “It should be enough.”

  A chill went through Kevessa. “What are you planning?”

  Vigorre’s voice was calm and reasonable, but she detected a note of the anxiety he was trying to hide. “Nirre’s not comfortable flying more than a few miles from shore, so she can’t cross the open ocean. But once we reach the continent she won’t have to. She can travel much faster than the ships, even with stops to hunt and sleep. We think it will probably take her around a day and a half to fly to Elathir.”

  Kevessa drew in her breath. “Vigorre, you can’t. You’d both be miserable.” She’d hated every minute she’d spent separated from her familiar. She intended never to let Nina out of range of her thoughts again if she could possibly help it. Nina felt the same way.

  Vigorre shrugged, his eyes unhappy. “Master Elkan needs to know we’re coming. A few days to prepare could make a huge difference to the Tevenarans. Otherwise the Matriarch will sweep in and catch them by surprise.”

  “You’re assuming they managed to fight off the first half of the Armada. If they did, they can handle the rest of it. If not…” Kevessa couldn’t bring herself to articulate what she feared.

  Borlen finished for her. “If not, they’re all dead anyway, and it won’t matter.”

  “Then Nirre will fly back and tell us.” Vigorre balled his fist and smashed it into the sand. “Blast it, I hate the idea, but you know what the Matriarch will do without effective opposition. She’ll strip Tevenar of every scrap of food and material that can help her. She’ll seize sailors to replace those lost in the battle with the Marvannans. She’ll leave disaster in her wake, and Master Elkan and the other wizards will have to clean it up. Assuming she doesn’t bribe or blackmail them into helping her fight.”

  Kevessa wanted to argue, but she couldn’t. Vigorre was right. If they had a way to warn Master Elkan what was coming, they owed it to the wizard to try. “Nirre’s willing?”

  “Yes. She swears she can find Master Elkan anywhere in Tevenar.”

  Tesi spoke quietly. “Will the Matriarch notice she is gone?”

  Vigorre wrinkled his nose. “She doesn’t pay much attention to us except when we’re working with her. If we keep to the schedule we’ve been using, my turn to speed up the baby’s growth comes right before Nirre would have to leave. After that, you three can cover for me. I’d only have to miss one turn. Surely we can come up with some excuse.

  Kevessa snorted. “You can be seasick again. She knows the Mother’s power doesn’t help much with that.”

  He reddened. “If there’s a convenient storm you can pull in.”

  “If not, we’ll think of something else.” The challenge was beginning to catch her imagination. “Since we’ve been working in pairs on wind duty, if the rest of us miss some sleep we can cover for you there. I think the Mother will let us get away with stretching the Law.”

  Borlen snorted. “You’d better make up for it.”

  “I’ll work double shifts until then,” Vigorre promised. “Nirre spends so much time flying or perched in the rigging I doubt anyone will notice she’s not with me.”

  “We should be able to pull it off until we reach Elathir, or until Nirre comes back.” Kevessa refused to think about what the latter would mean.

  “All right.” Vigorre held out his arm. Nirre gulped the last of her catch and flew to perch on the leather brace he wore to protect his forearm. He stroked her head, and she leaned into his touch. “I hope you enjoy playing messenger dove.”

  * * *

  Vigorre buckled the slender tube onto Nirre’s outstretched leg. The single sheet of parchment he’d covered with tiny writing was rolled up within, the metal tube sealed with a wax stopper to keep out water. The arrangement had been used for centuries on messenger doves, so it ought to serve.

  Messenger doves only return to their homes, Nirre reminded him tartly. They can’t seek out a place they’ve never been.

  Which is why we need you to do this. He repeated the question he’d asked her at least a dozen times. You’re sure you can find your way? You won’t get lost?

  How can I, when all I must do is follow the shore to the city? She half-spread her wings, feeling the wind. It will be a great pleasure to leave these slow wooden waterfowl with their sluggish cloth wings far behind.

  Her voice in his mind was so eager, so wild and proud, he wondered if she’d even miss him. All right. He held out his arm and she stepped onto it. May the Mother guide and guard your journey. With all his might he heaved her into the sky.

  Her wings beat, sending a fierce gust of wind into his face. May she watch over you until I return. She sent him a vivid sensory image. He felt air catch spread wings, talons stretch to find their perch, and warmth as bird and human bodies pressed together. I will hurry to finish my
task so I may come swiftly back to you. She banked and arrowed toward the green coast visible on the horizon.

  Vigorre swallowed against the sudden tightness in his throat and blinked the wind from his eyes. Free of the need to stay close to the ship, the eagle unleashed her full power and speed. She shared her joy in the flight with him until she reached the edge of their bond’s range and her thoughts faded.

  He took a deep breath. Tharanirre’s presence hadn’t been gone from his mind for more than an hour or two at a time since they’d bonded. He had the strangest feeling that he was waking from a dream. Even after all he’d seen and experienced, it was hard to believe that the power he’d dreamed of and longed for all his life was real and his to command. Or be commanded by, rather, though the distinction made little difference to him. He was more than happy to use the Mother’s power in her service, now that he was finally sure she was its source.

  “When we reach Elathir, I will seek out a mentor among the older wizards,” Tesi said at his elbow. He hadn’t heard her approaching, but her voice was so calm and quiet it didn’t startle him. “I value what you and the others have taught me, but those with more years of experience will have greater wisdom to impart.” She hesitated, glancing at her folded hands. “Please understand I mean no offense.”

  “None taken,” he assured her. “Believe me, I’m fully aware how little I know about the Mother’s power. We all need masters. In Tevenar none of us would be working unsupervised yet, let alone teaching.”

  “Yes.” She looked down at her hands again. Her fingers shifted into a slightly different position. “I wish to express sympathy for your separation from your familiar. And honor you for your willingness to endure such discomfort to achieve a necessary end.” She bowed, her eyes downcast.

  “Thank you.” Her praise made him uncomfortable, and her subservient attitude increased the effect. “But I know you or any of the others would have done the same, if your familiar had been the one suited to the task.”

  Her fingers moved again. “Perhaps. But there is no value in considering—” Her nose wrinkled. “It is difficult to say in your language what is simple in Girodan. Events which did not occur.”