The Wizards' War

by Angela Holder

  Omir called his acknowledgement and cast off, swinging the sail into position. Josiah watched him for a few minutes as he tacked back and forth against the wind. When a sailor pushed him aside to tend to a rope, he moved to the stern and turned his attention to the city spread across the southern shore. Elkan’s group should be well up the road toward the Mother’s Hall by now. He peered through the smoke, trying to catch a glimpse of the fighting. Nothing was visible until a new plume of smoke went up, followed several seconds later by a rumbling boom.

  Josiah frowned. It wasn’t a sharp crack like he was used to hearing from the weapons. More of a rumble, like thunder. Very much like thunder, actually, coming after the lightning that had produced it. Professor Gevan had told him that was because sound traveled more slowly than light. He was surprised there was so much delay over such a short distance. From the dock to the cloud of smoke was only about a mile and a half. He tried to estimate how late the sound had been. Five seconds? More? Not less, he was certain. Maybe after the war was over he would set up some experiments to measure precisely. He could use one of those really accurate clocks the wealthy Ramunnans had—

  A sail swung overhead, flapping loose and then billowing out as it caught the wind and propelled the ship in a new direction. Josiah moved to the starboard rail so he could continue watching the city as they sailed farther downriver. Bursts of sound and smoke were rising not far from where Prison Point had washed away. That must be Master Edniel’s group. He caught a glimpse of movement between the buildings, but the ship kept drifting farther away. Hopefully he could get a better look when they tacked back.

  He waited impatiently for the sail to swing and the ship to change course, but the city kept receding farther and farther upstream. When they reached the place where the coastline swung sharply south as the Tarath emptied into the ocean, realization hit him like a punch in the stomach. Docham wasn’t going to turn back.

  Josiah stormed to where Docham stood at the ship’s wheel, fury and fear warring in his heart. “What are you doing?” he demanded. “Turn around right now!”

  “I’m afraid I can’t.” Docham met Josiah’s outraged gaze calmly.

  “But you’ve got to! Tevenar needs your help!”

  Docham shook his head. “Bransa’s made five times as much in three months working for the Ramunnans as she did in a full year before they came. She may be willing to give that up, but I’m not.”

  Josiah swallowed. “I promise, Elkan will pay whatever you want.”

  “A single payment, perhaps, but with the Ramunnans in charge I’ll make vastly higher profits for years to come. They’ll favor those who helped them from the start.” He laughed. “Bransa only signed on so she could betray them, but I’ll get rich keeping the bargain she never intended to.”

  Josiah wanted to argue further, but he knew it was useless. Docham had made up his mind, and nothing Josiah could say would sway him. He clenched his fists. “All right. Join the Ramunnans. I can’t stop you. Just put me ashore, first. North or south, I don’t care which.” On the north he could make his way through the marshes to Sar. On the south he could follow the road from the beach and find one of the fighting groups.

  Docham laughed. “You still don’t understand, do you? I’m not about to give up my prize.” He gestured toward the cluster of Armada ships in front of them. “The Ramunnans will be delighted when I bring them such a valuable hostage. How much will your master concede to get you back?”

  Josiah felt as if all the blood had drained out of his body. “He won’t,” he whispered. “Elkan won’t give up Tevenar for me.” He raised his chin, trying desperately to project cool bravery. “We’re both wizards. Being willing to sacrifice our lives is part of our job.”

  Docham laughed again. “We’ll see if you say the same when a knife’s at your throat and a word from your master will spare you.” He gestured to one of the sailors who’d come up while they’d been speaking. “Timias, it’s time. Round up the loyalists who didn’t go with Bransa and lock them in the rear hold. Rimel, keep an eye on our guest. If he behaves he can stay on deck, but if he gives you any trouble, lock him up.”

  The woman he addressed as Rimel nodded curtly and moved to stand behind Josiah. She was several inches taller than him, lean and muscular, and moved with businesslike confidence. He’d never stand a chance if it came to a struggle. Timias, a short, nervous-looking man, said, “Yes, sir,” and hurried off.

  Josiah considered dashing to the rail and diving overboard. He was a good swimmer, and they weren’t far from shore yet. But the currents around the mouth of the Tarath were treacherous, and there were no friends with their familiars watching, ready to haul him out if he got in trouble.

  He probably had a good chance if he cooperated. The Ramunnans wouldn’t kill him, at least not right away. Elkan wouldn’t sacrifice anything important for his sake, but maybe there would be something the Ramunnans wanted that he wouldn’t mind giving up. In the meantime, Josiah would be aboard an Armada ship. He could watch and listen. He might learn some vital secret or accomplish some clever sabotage that would transform this whole misadventure into a serendipitous stroke of good fortune. Instead of the unmitigated disaster it seemed right now.

  He gave Rimel what he hoped was a friendly smile but feared was more like a sickly grin. “I’ll behave.”

  “See that you do.” Her lips didn’t so much as twitch up at the corners. Josiah sighed. No chance of befriending this guard. Oh, well. He wasn’t going to be in her custody very long, because they’d nearly reached the Armada ships.

  He moved to the rail, feeling Rimel’s piercing stare on him the whole time, and watched as Docham steered the ship expertly to rendezvous with the Ramunnan fleet. He pulled up beside one of the biggest ships, which had the name Adalla painted in flowing script near its stern. Sailors on both ships worked to rope them together.

  A man in an Armada uniform came to the rail of the Ramunnan ship. “What’s this?”

  “I’ve got a present for Commodore Benarre.” Docham gestured, and Rimel took Josiah by the arm and propelled him forward. “Tell him that Bransa was always working for the Tevenarans, but I’ve taken command of this ship now, and I’m firmly on your side.”

  The officer sneered. “Why should Commodore Benarre accept gifts from a mutineer?”

  “Because this is Master Elkan Farmerkin Wizard’s apprentice. The man who’s leading the attack against Elathir right now. I think Commodore Benarre can figure out how to use him.”

  The officer’s eyes narrowed, and he studied Josiah. “He’s a wizard, too, isn’t he? How do I know he’s not going to set off my store of the Secret and blow this ship back to the Mother?”

  “He’s helpless without his familiar, and the beast is back on shore.”

  After a good long look at Josiah, and another at Docham, the officer gave a curt nod. “Take him down to the brig and lock him up. I’ll inform Benarre we have him.”

  Rimel shoved Josiah forward. She paused to let him climb from one ship to the other, then followed him across and hustled him in the direction the officer indicated. Josiah tried to make note of everything they passed, but they were moving so quickly and he was fighting so hard not to panic that he didn’t see much. The ladders were steep, and the lower decks were dark and smelly. Rimel thrust him into a tiny bare cell, lit only by a single dim lantern far down the corridor.

  A Ramunnan sailor slammed the barred door shut. Josiah heard the click and scrape of a key turning in a lock. Without a word, he and Rimel left. Their footsteps retreated. A hatch crashed down.

  Josiah sank to the floor and buried his head in his hands. With all the strength of desperation he tried to force his mind to reach Sar’s, but the donkey was much too far away. He turned his thoughts to prayer, though he didn’t know if the Mother could hear any more than Sar could. Please, Mother, help me. I’m in really bad trouble. And it’s all my fault…

  Finally he gave up. The distant rumble of weapons reached hi
m faintly through the hull. He listened, trying to imagine the course of the battle, as the long hours wore on.

  Thirty-Seven

  Strength drained from Elkan’s muscles as Tobi shoved the force of the blast away from the three fragile bodies huddled in the center of the explosion. She channeled most of it out the windows and doors. It would be bitterly ironic if they caused the building to collapse and block the street after they’d worked so hard to prevent the Ramunnans from doing so.

  Flames reached the pile of shells they’d carefully stacked beside a small shed between the building and the rest of the Ramunnans. It went up, a much bigger explosion than Tenorran’s shell had made. Tobi diverted the shock wave past them with the Mother’s power. As Elkan had hoped, nothing was destroyed except the shed. The billows of smoke and dust would provide cover for their retreat.

  As soon as the hot gasses dispersed, Elkan started for the door, clinging to Tobi with one hand and tugging Tenorran with the other. The Ramunnan didn’t move. He gaped at Elkan, then around at the blackened walls. “What in the Mother’s name?” he whispered.

  “We blocked the explosion. Come on.” Elkan applied more pressure to his arm. They had to get out of here quickly if his hastily formulated plan was going to work.

  Tenorran resisted. “Where are you taking me?”

  “I’ll explain later. Be quiet so your friends don’t hear us.”

  As he should have expected, Tenorran immediately drew a deep breath and opened his mouth. Tobi sent golden light plunging into his neck to freeze his vocal cords. Tenorran clawed at his throat, making a faint strangled sound.

  “Stop being so dramatic,” Elkan snapped. If he couldn’t get Tenorran moving, Tobi was going to have to propel him with the Mother’s power, and they were both nearing exhaustion. “You can breathe perfectly well. Now come on!”

  He yanked Tenorran’s arm with all his remaining strength. The Ramunnan stumbled forward. Elkan hauled him through the door into the narrow back street. Good, there was still plenty of smoke and dust to conceal them. He headed for the gap between buildings they’d located with a window during the moments between when he’d grasped what Tenorran intended and when the Ramunnan had walked into the building. It was a close fit, with having to hold tight to Tobi on his right and Tenorran on his left, but they squeezed into the slender space and moved down its length, slower than he would have liked, but hopefully still fast enough to escape detection.

  He didn’t understand how Tenorran had escaped from the Watch headquarters in Korisan and gotten here so quickly, but that didn’t matter now. He was once again Elkan’s prisoner. As long as they made it back to the column without being seen by the rest of the Ramunnan saboteurs, all would be well. They’d get the weapon and wagons past the blockage and back to the main road, and continue toward the Mother’s Hall as planned.

  After that… He didn’t dare dwell too much on the information Tenorran had divulged when he’d thought they would both soon be dead. Concentrating the Ramunnan forces against one column at a time was such an obvious response for Benarre to make to their attack. Why hadn’t he or one of his advisors anticipated it? He should have thought longer and harder about their strategy. He should have consulted more people and demanded they criticize his plans harshly, holding nothing back out of respect or fear. He should have encouraged Josiah to come up with every wild notion he could think of about how the Ramunnans might fight back when outnumbered and outmatched. Surely his apprentice would have seen the simple tactic Elkan had overlooked.

  They emerged into a twisting pedestrian path. After a few sharp turns Elkan was disoriented and couldn’t remember which way to take when it branched. But Tobi was certain, so he followed her, trusting she knew the way to where Meira was leading the column along the one remaining clear road.

  If Tenorran had told the truth, somewhere along that road they’d meet more than triple the number of Ramunnans they’d expected, armed with the weapons they’d captured from two defeated columns. He couldn’t let Meira blunder blindly into the trap. He had no idea how they could prevail, even with advance warning, but they had no choice but to try.

  Tobi paused at a fountain marking the intersection of two paths and eagerly lapped the gurgling water. Elkan licked dry lips and looked at Tenorran. “If we let you go so you can drink, will you stay quiet?”

  Tenorran nodded. Elkan kept tight hold of Tobi as she released their prisoner. When the gold light faded, Tenorran coughed experimentally, then scooped up water and gulped huge mouthfuls. Elkan took his hand off Tobi and brought a few blessedly sweet, cool handfuls to his own parched mouth, watching his captive intently the whole time.

  Tenorran finished drinking and wiped his sooty face with dripping hands. “Did you know about the bomb before it went off?”

  He was speaking Tevenaran, but he used the Ramunnan word for “boom.” Elkan reflected that it was an appropriate name for the explosive shell. “Of course. I don’t think Tobi could have reacted fast enough if we hadn’t.”

  Tenorran frowned. “Then why didn’t you extinguish the fuse?”

  “Your friends would have investigated if it didn’t explode. They’d have chased us down. I doubted Tobi and I could stop so many before they caught us. This way, they think we’re dead. I’m hoping they’ll rush back to Benarre to tell him they killed me.”

  “But to just stand there and wait for it to explode...” Tenorran’s hands shook as he wiped them on his tunic.

  “Tobi was confident she could handle it.”

  The mountain cat lifted her head to grin at him, dripping tongue lolling over her teeth. Told you so.

  You were right. He gave her an affectionate slap on the rump. He would have preferred to gamble with the Ramunnans than to take such a huge risk, but Tobi had insisted she could keep them both safe. In the end he’d trusted his familiar.

  Tenorran gave a forced-sounding laugh. “So you were playing me for a fool the whole time.”

  “If we’d told you what we intended, you might have found a way to stop us.” Elkan gave Tenorran a thoughtful look. He was concealing his reaction well, but Elkan knew what his trembling hands, ragged breathing, and sweating face meant. Tenorran had steeled himself to die and was reeling with the shock of his unexpected reprieve. Elkan remembered very well what that felt like. “I certainly don’t consider you a fool. You offered your life to save your comrades. That’s not easy.”

  Tenorran looked away. “Sometimes it’s easier than the alternative.”

  Elkan knew that feeling, too. He scooped up a last swallow of water. “I’ll let you walk by yourself as long as you stay with us. Don’t bother trying to escape. Tobi and I can stop you before you get far.”

  Tenorran didn’t answer, just watched Elkan warily. Elkan put his hand on Tobi’s back and gestured for Tenorran to precede them. They wound through a network of paths and small streets. The buildings were mostly large, expensive residences. If anyone who lived here had volunteered to stay behind, they must either be out fighting or hiding in their homes. He didn’t care which, so long as no eager citizens without the benefit of months of training interfered with the fighters.

  Voices and the sound of tramping feet and rolling wheels reached him from ahead. Tobi led them around a final turn. The column thronged the narrow street, looking just as he’d left them what seemed like days ago but couldn’t have been more than an hour.

  Without him having to say anything, two foot fighters took Tenorran into custody. Meira flung her arms around his chest and drove the breath from his lungs with a crushing hug. “Don’t you ever do that to me again,” she ordered, sobs and laughter mixed in her voice.

  He returned the embrace with equal force, savoring the pressure of her body against his. “You were watching?”

  “Dathion stayed with me and kept a window open. But it couldn’t show us what you were thinking! We weren’t sure you knew about the shell and were ready to deal with it until the smoke cleared and you were still standing th
ere.”

  He hugged her tighter, wishing there’d been a way to spare her those horrible seconds. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking about what it would look like to you.”

  “Of course not.” She pulled away and straightened her tunic. “The Ramunnans headed toward the Mother’s Hall right after the explosion. Wizards are keeping watch to make sure they don’t try again. We got a message to the next column in time, and gave instructions for them to pass the word down the line. The other columns should be able to get through without trouble.”

  Elkan shook his head, a shiver running down his back at the thought of what awaited them. “No. There’s going to be trouble. Did you hear Tenorran say what Benarre’s doing?”

  “Ganging up on one column at a time? Seizing our weapons and turning them against us?” She scowled. “If they damage my weapons they’re going to be sorry.”

  “I don’t think that’s what they’re planning.”

  She squeezed his hand and headed toward the front of the column. He quietly ordered the fighters to take Tenorran to the rear of the column with the other prisoners and guard him, doing whatever was necessary to keep him from escaping or trying to sabotage them. Then he followed her, greeting those who hailed him and urging them to fall back into the orderly progress his return had disrupted.

  When he reached the front of the column, the weapon was making the turn onto the street he’d kept open. He watched for Snowflake; they’d been right at the intersection when she’d fled. But he saw no sign of her. He hoped she’d found a safe refuge far from the fighting.

  He fell in beside Meira, who was walking beside the weapon. Dathion and Hunter walked beside her, keeping a window open on the street ahead. “Good idea,” Elkan said, nodding at them. “If we’d been doing that earlier, the Ramunnans wouldn’t have caught us by surprise.”

  “Maybe,” Meira said. “Although we can’t watch everywhere at once.”

  “True.” Elkan put out his hand and Tobi opened a window over his palm. At his request she swept the viewpoint high overhead. His heart fell, even though he’d anticipated what he’d see. “Tenorran was telling the truth. Look, there’s two of our weapons with Ramunnans around them.” Tobi couldn’t get an angle that let him see much detail, but their enemies’ blue uniforms stood out against the stone of streets and buildings. “They’re heading towards the Mother’s Hall. They might wait for us there, or they might turn down this road and meet us on the way.”