The Eighth Warden Bk. 06 Ch. 05-06

Chapter Five

Razai stared forlornly at her cup of tea, wishing it was something stronger as she half-listened to Renny Senshall and Leena catch up on the events of the past few weeks.

Finally the young concubine gave enough of an opening for Leena to bring up the reason they'd come to Tyrsall.

"Mother Yewen in Four Roads suggested I ask you for an introduction to Mother Ola," the Sanvari woman said. "The problem with expanding Travelers' Posts to the north is in identifying safe locations for teleporting. Treya said the Three Orders chapter houses are known for passing along messages, and the local lords won't interfere with them. We can say it's magic without telling anyone the whole the truth."

Razai glanced around, making sure no other patrons of the teahouse were listening in on the discussion.

Renny narrowed her gaze. "How would this affect the deal you made with Varsin?" she asked. She'd always been smarter than she acted.

"I'll keep to my arrangement with your family," Leena said. "Mother Ola could offer our services to others, but at a higher rate than what you're paying. I'd prefer if you delivered your messages to the chapter house, though, so I don't have to make two stops."

A disappointed frown passed over Renny's face. She liked having visitors.

"Treya's right," she said. "In most places, the chapter houses are protected from interference, either by law or tradition. And facilitating communication is the reason the Orders came about to begin with. I can't say how Mother Ola will respond, but I'll introduce you."

Razai's attention was drawn to a tall young man with bushy sideburns strolling past the teahouse. As he walked by, he turned his head to stare directly at her through the window. She knew that face--a face that shouldn't be in Tyrsall.

"I just saw an old friend go by," she told the other two women. "I'll be back in a minute."

She rushed out of the teahouse before they could ask any questions, but the man was already out of sight.

Where is he? she asked.

Close. Waiting. Ahead. The whispers were afraid.

Razai headed the same direction the man had been walking. At the first alley she passed, an arm reached out and grasped her wrist, pulling her into the shadows between buildings.

"No knife at my throat?" the man said. "You're slipping."

She jerked her arm out of his grip with a scowl. He knew she hated being touched.

"I recognized you," she said, her voice flat. "What are you doing here?"

"With Yelena gone, so are her wards," Vatarxis replied. "Tyrsall is no longer a death sentence for demons." It was strange to hear his voice without the deep vibrations added by his larger demon form. She hadn't seen him take on a mortal body since she was a child, when he was teaching her to fight like a human.

"I mean why are you here, now, talking to me?"

"I came here for my own purposes, so imagine my surprise to sense your presence in the city. But very well, if you need a reason, tell me why you approached Rusol. You were supposed to be watching Corec."

"You don't already know the answer?"

"I can't see everything that happens everywhere. Why should I need to, when I have my very honest and trustworthy daughter to handle things for me? So talk."

"Rusol is my nephew," Razai said. "Grand-nephew. You didn't think I would just ignore that, did you?"

"Had a little family reunion, then?" Vatarxis asked. "Did you tell him the truth?"

"No. He's a paranoid lunatic. Whatever you were hoping to get out of him, you'd better do it soon. He's building up a list of enemies longer than your own."

Vatarxis steepled his fingers together and rested his chin atop them, a pose he couldn't manage in his true form. "That's your honest assessment of him? You don't think he can be trusted?"

"Ignoring the fact he tried to murder me? No, I don't trust him at all."

Her father was silent for a moment, then nodded. "The important part of the plan is out of his hands now. There's a child in Sanvar who can take his place. I'd hoped to get more out of him, though."

Razai put together the hints Vatarxis had dropped in the past. "If you're looking to make an alliance with the wardens, Rusol isn't the one to start with."

Her father eyed her. "Let's pretend for a moment that you're right about what I want. Who better than one of our own kind? Badru would rather gut me than speak to me, yet these days he's nothing more than a crazy old man howling at the wind. I could crush him, but where's the thrill in defeating someone who's lost the fight before it begins? There are no other leaders left among the wardens. Kono could have led if he wanted to, but he doesn't care about anything beyond his own borders. Hildra's convinced herself that the purpose of the wardens is to hide in the shadows. Rusol was meant to be a fresh start."

"Corec. You said you'd hoped to make use of him. He must have been part of your plan."

"A small part, and he hardly wields the sort of influence Rusol would have had if The Lady's ideas had borne fruit."

Razai shrugged. "Something's better than nothing, and if you pass along a message, Corec will at least read it before trying to kill you. That's a better deal than you'll get from most of the wardens."

"We'll see. If he lives through the next few years, perhaps I'll consider it."

But with the idea out there, Razai's father was unlikely to ask for Corec's death.

"He's no pushover," she warned. "He'll want to know what you're after."

"What I'm after?" Vatarxis said. "Come talk to me in five thousand years. By then, you may have even figured it out for yourself."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Keep your secrets. What was that you said about a child?"

"A problem for the future. I can't visit Sanvara City--not with Yelena making her new home there--but someday I might send you south to check on the boy. If Rusol dies, we'll need him."

#

Ellerie had skipped the midday meal, spending that time with Commander Alarein as he'd tried out a suit of silversteel plate sized to his measurements. The armor had been crafted by the two wizards Ellerie had hired to learn shaping magic, the first time she'd set them loose on such complicated pieces of metal-shaping. Most of their practice had been with stone-shaping.

They'd only lost the backplate of one gauntlet during the process, the piece hardening into its final shape with a deep indentation in it, making it unwearable. Ellerie had dropped it into a crate containing her own failures. Hopefully someday she'd find a way to recover the expensive materials.

Alarein had approved of the new armor, styled to look like his own, though he intended to experiment with it more to test its durability. Sentinels traditionally wore plate armor, but elven men weren't as strong as human men, which meant sentinel armor was thinner than typical plate. While the cuirasses were sturdy enough, the greaves and vambraces were more for show than for actual defense. A silversteel version would offer true protection for the whole body, despite weighing even less than regular sentinel armor.

If Alarein's tests went well, Ellerie hoped to convince Commandant Jorel to agree to equip all of the sentinels with shaped weapons and armor, giving her the first major customer for her shaping business. She was hesitant to sell silversteel and fortisteel equipment on the open market, not knowing whose hands it would fall into, but the sentinels were a safe choice. Over half of them worked for Ellerie's own family, and they served solely as defenders, not as an offensive force.

Back at the keep, she debated stopping at the kitchens for something to eat, but with no other tasks awaiting her, and Leena away in Sanvar for the day, she decided to head to her suite instead. She wanted to try once again to do something she'd been attempting for nearly a year. Conventional wisdom among wizards suggested her goal was impossible, but after meeting Hildra, Ellerie had come to doubt that convention.

In her rooms, she retrieved one of the spell books she'd discovered in Tir Yadar--not the one with the shaping spells but the other--plus a glass bead she'd been using as her target. The spell would work better with a real gemstone, but she didn't want to go to that expense until she was certain it would work.

Finding a comfortable seat, she set to work.

#

Leena couldn't put a name to every Traveler around the table, but she recognized them all by sight. Pavan and Satyana were there, and the other six were Pavan's friends and confidants from among the senior members of the cadre.

Rohav wasn't present, nor anyone else who was likely to raise a fuss.

Completing the circle were Empress Shereen, as well as her granddaughter, the Princess Nasrin, whom Leena hadn't met before.

Pavan started off the discussion. "Some of you know I've been tasked to come up with a way to compensate for our recent losses. We're all reaching our limits, if we haven't already passed them. Her Majesty has suggested using weaker Travelers to fill in the gaps, which I believe will help, but it won't solve the entire problem. We'd be asking them to spend just as much energy making a few short trips as it would take Satyana or Leena to visit every Post in the empire. If we reconfigure the routes to group the shortest ones together, I'd say we can replace two full members of the cadre with a dozen of our cousins who wouldn't have qualified previously."

It wasn't the best news. They'd have to nearly double the number of active members, and it still wouldn't be enough to return to their old resting schedules.

"Since you called us here, I assume there's a solution," Satyana said. "I was quite enjoying my retirement. I'd like to get back to it one of these days."

"I suggest we make better use of Seers," Pavan said. "Right now, we only have Seers in the biggest cities, mostly to coordinate with the government offices. If we expanded their numbers, they could check the smaller Posts before we even send a Traveler. We don't need to visit every Post every day as long as we're sure no urgent messages are waiting. The Seers could even transcribe short emergency messages themselves if the Post caretaker leaves them laid out in a designated spot. If we're willing to accept longer delivery times from the smaller and more remote outposts, we could cut the amount of Traveling by a third. That would make up for the rest of our shortfall."

"It's not that simple," Princess Nasrin said. "The Seers you have now work at short ranges. The amount of long-distance Seeing you're asking for will require many of the stronger members of the imperial diplomatic service." She meant the empire's spies. "We'd be giving up an advantage we've held for a long time."

The princess was more aware of the intricacies of Seer magic than Leena had expected. It was a puzzle, much like the secret Zidari members hidden amongst the palace guards.

"We'll have to make a choice," the empress said. "What's more important?"

Pavan said, "If we go through with this, Leena, Fareed, and Indirah can focus on the northern expansion. We'll need their strength to handle the greater distances involved."

"I've made a deal with the Three Orders chapter houses up north," Leena put in. "That gives us two dozen more locations."

"Why are we making the north a priority when we're already struggling here?" a man asked. "I was given to understand that Leena would be able to take Satyana's place."

"I can answer that," Shereen said. "Expanding to the north isn't a priority, though it's a desire I've had for quite some time. The real priority is in allying ourselves with two wardens. The northern expansion is the cost for that. We've seen wardens and their bonded partners achieve feats that only our strongest mages could accomplish, and we've already gotten one strong Traveler out of the deal, with two more to follow if their training goes well."

This group knew about wardens, since they were the ones Pavan had approached to identify potential bondmates for Yelena.

Not much was said after Shereen's comments--no one seemed interested in arguing with the empress herself. After a few hesitant nods, Pavan spoke up again.

"Shall I proceed with these changes?" he asked. "The cost is substantial, but would allow the Travelers' Posts to return nearly to their previous capacity. The northern expansion won't cost us anything, and may eventually pay for the increases here."

Nasrin frowned as she considered the request. "I suppose the benefits outweigh the losses elsewhere. We'll have to refocus our remaining Seers on our nearest neighbors." She faced Leena. "Perhaps you and your apprentices can compensate elsewhere on the continent. You'll hear rumors about troop movements, weather patterns, and crop yields; you'll see who's communicating with whom. It's not the same as having a Seer, but it will help."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Shereen nodded. "Then if we're agreed, I'll authorize you to move forward, Pavan. Work with Nasrin to identify Seers from the diplomatic service." She stood up from her chair, having to use the table to steady herself. Shereen projected such an air of power that Leena sometimes forgot just how old the empress was.

With Shereen's departure, the rest of the meeting broke up, but Princess Nasrin gestured for Leena to remain behind. "My grandmother tells me you've requested to speak to Queen Yassi of Larso?" she asked.

"Yes, Your Highness," Leena said. "You've heard about the battle in the free lands?" The princess nodded and Leena continued. "The empress told me the queen wasn't taking visitors."

"That was true, for reasons that will be obvious when you meet her, but she's feeling up to it now. She's extended an invitation to you, four days from now. I didn't tell her about your warden friend, only that you had an urgent matter to discuss. Given what she's gone through, I suspect she'll be receptive to your approach."

Nasrin's final comment sounded more like a hint than an offer to expound, so Leena simply thanked her rather than asking for more detail. With her business at the Sun and Sea complete, she returned to the Sanvara City Travelers' Post, where Fareed and Indirah were waiting for her. They'd spent the day visiting with Yelena and making short trips to other Posts for practice.

Fareed was Pavan's cousin, and looked somewhat like him, while Indirah was a very tall, very quiet woman from the jungles of the Ochal region.

"What did they say?" Fareed asked.

"For now, we don't have to split our time," Leena told them. "We can focus on the northern locations and Cordaea." She didn't broach the subject of spying yet. She had come to a comfortable balance with her own split loyalties, but she wanted to get to know the two younger Travelers better before having that discussion.

"Then we can get started for real?"

"Tomorrow I'll get back to finding the chapter houses I haven't visited yet, and then take you to each so you can learn their signatures. We'll need to set up Post rooms before we can really get going, but yes, it's time to get started."

She grasped their shoulders and teleported all three of them to the old granary at Warden's Keep, which they'd repurposed into a temporary Travelers' Post. It wasn't much, but at least someone had finally replaced the rotted floor boards.

After dismissing her students to their rented rooms in the village, Leena headed into the keep and then up to her own room, eager to pass along the news.

"Ellerie?" she said, opening the door. There was no answer, which was odd--she could sense the elven woman's location in the room.

She found her lover lying unconscious, hidden behind a low table. Blood had dripped from Ellerie's nose down to her chin, long enough ago to have congealed.

"Ellerie!" Leena shouted, trying to shake her awake.

Ellerie slowly opened her eyes, blinking as she tried to focus her gaze. Then she rolled onto her side, staring at a glass bead lying nearby on the floor, glowing with a mage light.

"I did it," the elven woman said, a note of quiet triumph in her voice. "I did it." She weakly stretched her arm to point to the bead. "I knew it was possible."

It looked like any other mage light, but she could mean only one thing. Ellerie had crafted a permanent enchantment.

#

"This is the room we've set aside for you," Katrin said, opening the door to the last empty chamber in the servants' quarters. "I realize it's small, but you'll have it to yourself." There was a real bed rather than a cot, plus a wardrobe and chair and a few other odds and ends they'd scrounged up--enough to make the place feel cozy. Good furniture was at a premium in the region, and anyone skilled at carpentry could pick up extra coin by taking on commissions.

"Yes, my Lady," Greta said. The housekeeper had come recommended by Varsin Senshall's wife, and had made the long trip to Hilltop Village in one of the family's caravans, accompanied by her letter of recommendation. Katrin hadn't realized she was on her way until she'd already left.

"I've read through Kelsa Senshall's letter, and everything appears to be in order," Katrin said. In truth, she had no idea what to look for amongst the flowery language, but she had to assume they wouldn't have sent someone incompetent. "It says you worked for one of the families?"

"I was lady's maid to Mistress Elba before she and Mister Tobin... well, I won't go into all that, but once Mistress Elba returned to the Three Orders, she had no more need for my services. I stepped in for Mister Burton's housekeeper when she came down ill, but now that she's recovered, they don't need two housekeepers, and none of the young misses are old enough yet to require a lady's maid. Miss Kelsa told me you were looking, if I didn't mind leaving the city."

Katrin nodded. She wasn't interested in having a lady's maid, but it wouldn't hurt for the housekeeper to have those skills.

"Well, as to the work," Katrin started, "you'll have a small staff for now, probably smaller than you're used to." She paused when she heard familiar footsteps coming up the stairs.

"My lady?" Mella said when she reached the top. 'You sent for me?"

"Yes," Katrin said. "I wanted you to meet Greta, our new housekeeper. She's from Tyrsall. Greta, this is Mella, our cook. As I was saying, you'll have a small staff right now--just the two upstairs maids--but I expect that to grow now that you're here. Mella manages the kitchen staff."

In some households, the housekeeper was in charge of all the female staff, but Katrin didn't know Greta yet, and she'd come to appreciate Mella's brusque and assertive nature. It could be maddening at times, but she'd realized Mella was only arguing to ensure she was making the best decisions she could.

"I understand, my Lady," Greta said.

"I'll give you some time to get settled and put your things away, then I'll show you around and introduce you to the maids." Katrin turned to the cook. "Mella, do you have time to talk with Barz and Ana this morning?"

"Of course," Mella said. "The kitchen maids can finish today's baking without me."

Katrin and her brother hadn't found a cook yet for the new inn. Ana had managed to do a passable job at serving breakfasts for guests who'd stayed overnight, but that strained the limits of what she knew how to make, and with the baby to take care of, she didn't have time to deal with the larger crowds during the midday meal and supper. Mella had offered to help them find and interview candidates.

Katrin and the cook left Greta to unpack her bags and headed down the stairs. Mella paused at the keep's front door.

"Before we go," she said, hesitantly, "there's a matter that could use your attention."

"Oh?" Katrin said.

"I've asked Lord Corec how many wedding guests we should expect from his family, and how long they'll be staying. He seems... reluctant to answer, but I can't plan the meals without those numbers. We've got to place our final orders soon if we're going to get all the provisions from Four Roads in time."

Corec hadn't received any messages from his family since his last visit home, and given the state in which he'd left things with his father, he'd been averse to contacting them himself. He was half-convinced that Ansel would refuse to allow anyone to attend the wedding.

"Let's say eight to twelve guests from Larso, but plan for twelve," Katrin said. "Two of those are small children." Eight would be enough for Corec's relatives, leaving four spots for armsmen or the family's long-time servants. If Toman and his family refused to come, the number would be closer to the lower estimate than the larger.

For now, Katrin was pretending the wedding would still go ahead as planned, but she'd picked up on Corec's anxiety about not knowing what would happen next. They wouldn't have the time nor the inclination to get married if they were in the middle of a war.

"Thank you, my Lady," the cook replied.

Startled shouts came from outside, and Katrin rushed out the door just in time to see a shadow passing overhead. A small dragon with familiar markings landed on the northeast curtain wall--the same spot his mother had gradually destroyed with repeated landings, and which Ellerie had rebuilt.

The dragon spread his wings wide and squawked a greeting, though it came out as more of a menacing roar. The soldiers up on the battlements drew their weapons, not certain what to do. Some of them recognized the creature, but not all, and none of the men had known he could fly.

"It's Risingwind!" Katrin shouted. "Put your weapons away! It's Risingwind!" She allowed power to echo through her voice, projecting her words across the entire keep and convincing the men to obey.

Shavala came dashing through the gate then, stopping in the center of the courtyard and panting with exertion. She waved to the dragon and he leapt down off the wall to join them, nudging his head against Katrin in greeting. She scratched under his chin while Mella let out a little squeak and backed away.

"He wanted to come visit," Shavala said, trying to catch her breath. "He got so happy when he saw the village and realized where we were going, I couldn't keep him back. He'll be hungry, though--I hope you have plenty of meat."

#

Bobo grunted as he pushed the last of the pews back into straight rows in the keep's small temple. The followers of Demesis liked to arrange them in a wide circle for their services, and never remembered to put them back the way they'd been.

When the door opened, he looked up to find a familiar face.

"Shavala!" he said. "Welcome back. I heard the commotion earlier, but you looked busy."

"Katrin said I could find you here." There was a hint of a question in her tone.

"With Conley away for so long, I figured someone should look after the place. What can I do for you?"

"Will you help me make a book, like you helped Ellerie and Ariadne?"

"Make a book?"

The dorvasta woman pulled a thick stack of paper out of her satchel and handed it over. The pages were a mishmash of different sizes and inks, seemingly whatever had been available at the time, and didn't appear to be in any particular order.

"Ahh, hmm," Bobo said, thumbing through the pile. "It's all written in Elven."

"Yes?"

"My Elven's gotten better over the last two years, but I wouldn't say I'm fluent."

"I don't know that you need to read it," Shavala said. "Can you just give it to your friends in Matagor and have them print it?"

"That's not quite how..." Bobo said, then changed tack. He'd never been entirely certain when Shavala was just teasing someone or when she truly didn't understand something. "To start with, the printer we used can't do Elven script."

"Why not?"

"The printer takes metal blocks with letters or words and assembles them into a page, then inserts that into the printing press to stamp the ink onto the paper. But he's only got blocks for human alphabets."

"Printing presses can't print Elven?"

"There's nothing about the language that prevents it, but it's complicated. There are more letters, for one, and then you've got all the markings for the different inflections. There is a printer in Matagor who handles Elven, but it's expensive. And he can't speak the language, which means he can't tell if he's made a mistake. I've heard rumors that some people in Terevas have purchased printing presses in the last few years--we might have better luck checking with the nilvasta."

Shavala brightened at that. "Let's send it to Terevas, then."

"Hold on, it's not quite that simple," Bobo said. "Ellerie can inquire about the printers, but what sort of book are you trying to make? Are these pages in the order you want them? Is there any sort of narrative? This just looks like information about different plants and animals."

"Yes, it's for the other druids. We usually memorize the details and pass them along orally, but I had so many notes, I thought a book would be easier. Meritia said it was worth trying. It's like that book on animals you helped me read."

"Karsin's Guide to Rare Wildlife?" Bobo asked. "That one used woodblock-printing instead, so it could include the sketches. That would be a lot more expensive, since someone has to carve the blocks."

"I don't have any sketches," Shavala said. She seemed embarrassed about that for some reason.

"No matter," Bobo said. "It'll cost you less without them. But as for the rest, have you given any thought on how to organize the information?"

"What do you mean?"

"For one, you've been working on these notes for a long time. Are the old ones written in the same style as the new ones? Do you want them to be? Do you want to put all the plants together and then the animals? Or do you want to arrange them all by locale?"

"I don't know."

Bobo grinned. "Don't worry. This part, I can help with."

###

Chapter Six

"Leena of the Matihar Zidari, and her bodyguard," the butler announced, leading Corec and Leena into a parlor. The wooden shutters in the room were standing open, allowing the warm air to circulate. On Leena's advice, Corec had dressed light, but the heat in Sanvar had still come as a surprise at this time of year.

The pleasant but modest home, smaller than Corec's family's manor house, wasn't what he would have expected for a queen's residence. A young woman, presumably the queen herself, sat comfortably ensconced on a wide, cushioned chair, holding a sleeping babe wrapped in a blanket. An older woman stood at her side, and a man with an arming sword on his belt waited behind her, his arms crossed.

When Leena and Corec entered the room, Yassi passed the child to the other woman. She braced herself as if to stand to greet them, but then she looked up and froze in place. An expression of shocked recognition crossed her face when she saw Leena, changing to fear when she caught sight of Corec. She quickly schooled her features.

"Merice," she said, her voice calm, "maybe you should take the baby for a walk in the park while the weather is nice. Lucanus, will you accompany her? She shouldn't go out alone."

Corec's eyes shot to the other woman. Merice? Marten's queen was here as well? This woman looked more like a doting grandmother than a regal figure.

The armed fellow had straightened up when he saw the hilt of Corec's greatsword rising above his shoulder. It was an unlikely weapon for a bodyguard to carry.

"I think I should stay," the man said, eyeing Corec with suspicion. His accent sounded Valaran. "Narini and Tarun aren't back yet."

"It'll be all right, Luc," Yassi said. "I just need to speak with Leena about some private family matters."

Lucanus looked like he wanted to argue, but when Merice left the room without him, he muttered something under his breath and followed her out.

Yassi waited until the butler had left as well, then spoke in a low tone. "Please don't hurt my friends," she said to Corec. "They don't have anything to do with this."

"You don't have anything to fear from me, Your Majesty," Corec assured her. "You know who I am?"

The queen hesitated before speaking, looking down at her clasped hands. "He made me watch you; made me tell him what you were doing."

"You're a Seer!" Leena said. To Corec, she added, "Like a Seeker, but she can see things at a distance instead."

Corec shivered. Barat hadn't been certain what sort of magic Yassi controlled--or perhaps he'd been trying to protect her secrets. The idea that someone had been spying on Corec that way made his skin crawl, though it explained why Rusol had always known where to send his red-eyes.

But Yassi wasn't Corec's enemy.

"I apologize for not announcing my visit," he said. "I wasn't sure if you'd be willing to see me. I've heard from Sir Barat a little of what happened to you--and Empress Shereen told Leena you've been freed from the compulsion spell?"

The queen looked up, hopeful. "Is Sir Barat free as well?" she asked. "I've seen him with you, but I wasn't certain."

Which meant she'd continued watching, even after leaving Rusol's influence.

"A friend of mine was able to remove the compulsion, but Barat hasn't been able to tell me much--he says Rusol never confided in him. Do you know why your husband keeps trying to kill me?"

"He thought at first that the wardens murdered his brother," Yassi said. "He talked about it so often, I believed it too. We learned later that it wasn't true, but by then he'd already killed Leonis and sent his hunters after you."

Corec nodded. Barat had told him the Leonis story, but if Yassi was right about the rest of it, that meant Rusol couldn't have been the one who'd killed Prince Rikard.

"If he realized I wasn't responsible, why didn't he stop?" Corec asked.

"He did, for a while, but then you sent the demonborn woman," Yassi said.

"Razai only wanted to talk to him." Hopefully, Corec reminded himself. He trusted Razai, but he wasn't always sure when to believe her.

"I wasn't there, I didn't see what happened, but Rus believed you'd sent her to assassinate him. That was the first time he realized you knew who he was, and that you could get someone into the palace. I think he believed he didn't have a choice, and that you wanted revenge for the earlier attacks. I was able to escape after that, so I don't know much about what happened next."

"Did you hear about the battle with Sir Barat's forces?" Corec asked.

"I didn't watch the fighting," Yassi said. "It was too much--" She stopped and shook her head. "I knew you won, and that Sir Barat stayed behind when the knights left."

"The bulk of the forces were Rusol's mercenaries," Corec said. "They broke and ran, the ones that lived. I don't think many of them would have returned to Larso. The knights were present as well, but there aren't enough of them to be a real threat outside Larso's borders. What I really need to know is how much control your husband has over the rest of the military."

Would she be willing to answer? By all accounts, she'd been one of Rusol's victims, but that didn't mean she'd side against him.

"The army?" Yassi asked.

"And the lords' men. By law, Rusol can't send soldiers outside of Larso without approval from the peers, but will he hold to that? Does he need to? Barat thinks he's compelled some of the army officers."

"He has, as well as some of the lords who reside in Telfort. I don't know if it's enough to bypass the rest. I'm sorry--he never told me any of the details."

Corec nodded. "I'll have to assume it's at least possible he could mount another attack. Do you think he will? We made it clear we're not an easy target."

"If he thinks he's threatened, he'll attack." There was a note of certainty in Yassi's voice. "He'll find a way. Right now he thinks you're a threat. Can you convince him you're not?"

She'd realized Corec was reluctant to strike back. Rusol deserved to face justice for the deaths he'd caused, but he was a king. If the knights failed to depose him, and Corec tried to hunt him down, more people would die. Was it worth losing those lives as well, if it could be avoided?

"How would I go about convincing him?" he asked. "Will you help?"

The queen was silent for a moment. "You don't know what you're asking of me."

"I'm not suggesting you go to Larso, for the same reason I wouldn't ask Barat, but if we're going to negotiate for peace, the message has to come from someone Rusol will believe."

She looked away, then nodded. "I'll not mourn my husband when he dies, but I will mourn those who die alongside him. I'll write a letter telling him you'll refrain from taking action against him as long as he does the same. I can't promise he'll listen to my counsel--he never has before."

"It's worth trying," Corec said. "Thank you."

"I can deliver the letter to Telfort," Leena said. "I know people there. Someone will be able to get it to the palace."

Yassi nodded. "Return tomorrow and I'll have it ready for you."

With their task done, Corec and Leena bade the queen farewell and went on their way. Corec was lost in thought, remaining quiet while Leena searched for a carriage.

Finally he spoke. "How many of these Seers are there?" he asked.

"About as many as there are Travelers," Leena said. "Most can't reach as far as the free lands, though."

"I know they're your countrymen, but I don't like the idea of being watched all the time. Are they all Sanvari? Zidari?"

"The Seers are, though some wizards have scrying magic that does much the same thing. But there are warding spells that block scrying, like the wards that protected the Snake cult. They'll even block Traveling, though there are ways to let specific people through."

"Does Ellerie know a spell like that?"

"No, and she's dealing with a lot right now. Priests can cast wards too--maybe Treya or Bobo can help?"

Corec nodded. "It can't hurt to ask."

#

"Your target is the stable!" Sarette called out to the soldiers standing before her. "It's the enemy's command center, and there's a wizard there who can cast Ellerie's beam spell. There are three other mages between here and there, and you don't know what they can do!"

She was standing with Georg on a small rise overlooking the terrain they'd prepared. Between the secondary barracks and the outer stables, both of which had been constructed a short distance south of Hilltop, they'd added a warren of two dozen temporary wooden walls to serve as a practice ground. Each was meant to represent a building, and they were arranged as if they were within a town or city.

Two squads, the First and Second Infantry, were awaiting her order to begin. The First was still led by Nedley, though that would have to change in the future as he spent more time training with the knights. The Second was led by Enzo, a mercenary from Tyrsall. Cenric was in command of both squads for the training exercise.

Rather than carrying their typical shields and swords, the soldiers were armed with crossbows and had staff-spears strapped to their backs. If they were going to be effective against mages, they would need the more versatile weapons.

"Remember!" Georg shouted. "Split up and keep behind cover! Don't let them see you! If you find a mage, attack from a distance. If you lose your bow, rush them before they can finish casting their spell."

Sarette had worked with Georg and Cenric to create a series of tactics that took the knights' training on how to fight mages and combined it with the High Guard's strategies for small-scale skirmishes and ambushes. Instead of fighting in shield formations, which would be counter-productive against magic, the soldiers would learn to attack at range, or with speed and surprise on their side.

They would also need to learn how to adjust their tactics based on who was fighting alongside them. Providing backup for Corec or Ariadne was different than serving as bodyguard to Katrin or Shavala, which was different than following up an attack by Sarette while the enemy was still disoriented. That part of the training would take longer to achieve.

With everyone ready to begin, Sarette started the exercise by launching streamers of lightning across the field, streaking over the stables.

"I've cleared an archer company from the enemy headquarters!" she announced. "Treya's fire-protection spell extends as far as the yellow stakes. Go now!"

The two squads rushed into the field, splitting up into small groups and hiding behind the wooden barriers.

"Set the lightning rods!" Cenric called out.

Six more men ran into view, in two teams of three, each team carrying a fifteen-foot copper pole. The two soldiers at the front of each team carried the bottom end of the pole, weighed down with its heavy, shaped-stone base, provided by Ellerie's apprentices. One man in each group ran at the back, holding the top of the pole to keep it from dragging on the ground.

The teams planted the lightning rods near--but not too near--the other soldiers, hammering the accompanying grounding rods into the earth. The grounding rods, attached to the poles with copper wire, would direct the lightning charge away from the men. The devices were designed for quick deployment, though in situations where more time was available, they could be tied down with straps and stakes to keep them from falling over in heavy winds, and the grounding rods could be buried at a safer depth.

A lightning rod wouldn't provide much protection against an elder witch, but it was better than nothing. It might redirect one or two bolts if the mage was careless and not aiming at specific targets. More importantly, it gave the men back some small level of control over their own fate. If they could combine all the tactics they were learning to live through an encounter with magic, they wouldn't have to wait helplessly while Sarette and her friends did all the fighting.

With the rods settled and the carriers retreating back to safety, the two infantry squads proceeded with the next step. Nedley was the first to move, peeking around a wooden wall with his loaded crossbow held out ahead of him, his finger on the trigger. Not seeing any danger, he silently motioned to his squad to follow as he ran to the next barrier.

Enzo's squad was doing the same thing, taking a different route to keep everyone spread out.

Bili, one of Nedley's squad mates, had gone farther in to scout. Peering around a corner, he found himself face to face with a red-painted target, indicating one of the mages. He loosed his crossbow bolt and darted back behind cover, as he was supposed to, but his shot had missed.

"Bili, you're down!" Cenric shouted. "Play dead! And the mage took out half that building to get to you!"

Bili scowled, but flopped to the ground dramatically. The rest of Nedley's squad was able to circle around without being seen by the non-existent mage. They surprised the target, hitting it with several crossbow bolts at once.

With too many obstructions in the way, Sarette had to take flight to continue viewing the exercise. Enzo's squad eliminated the second mage without any losses on their side, but then to avoid giving the soldiers too much of an advantage against the lone remaining target within the warren, Cenric decided to change things up.

"First Infantry!" he called out. "You passed the yellow stakes and took too long to get hidden again! The third mage caught you from his perch on a roof. You're all down! Second Infantry, you're out of crossbow bolts, but you heard the mage running to the west!"

While Nedley's squad dropped to the ground, Enzo's men discarded their now-useless crossbows and drew their staff-spears.

One of the soldiers scouted ahead, being careful enough that Cenric allowed him to sneak away after catching sight of the third target. The scout reported back in soft whispers, and Enzo split his squad into four parts--three pairs, plus himself. They surrounded the target and came at it from different directions. Cenric called out two more deaths before Enzo struck the fake mage with his spear.

With the remaining soldiers reaching the stable, Sarette called a halt to the first half of the exercise, asking the downed men to rejoin them so they could discuss ways to storm the enemy's command post without knowing what sort of defenses were in place.

She was already taking notes in her mind on how to improve the exercise. For a first attempt, it was going well so far, but she could envision problems if the soldiers got used to practicing in the same environment. She'd known she'd have to change the rules and circumstances each time to help the men learn to think on their feet, but now she realized she'd have to find new locations as well--wooded areas, flatlands, hills, abandoned villages.

Corec had drilled the men on how to face every situation he could think of that might happen for both the dragon expedition and the battle with Barat's forces.

Sarette would have to train them to face the unknown.

It was the first time she'd truly felt like a commanding officer.

#

"You see what I mean?" Corec said. "With some digging and a dam, we could make a lake here that's over a quarter of a mile across. This hill would become an island near the center, and the lake would be a moat wide enough to make siege weapons mostly useless. We'd just need to build bridges on the north and south sides. If each bridge has a few removable sections and a drawbridge, an enemy army won't be able to use it for anything. We could redirect the Farm Road to here instead of Hilltop."

"But why build a new town when we still have plenty of abandoned villages?" Bobo asked.

The two of them had traveled to the hill that Corec and Sarette had scouted out west of the fortress.

"Because Hilltop isn't big enough for what we need. The outer barracks and stables aren't secure, and we don't have enough space left to build anything in the village."

"Wouldn't it be easier to make Hilltop larger?"

"The fortress itself is too small. Even if we enlarged the hill, we'd need to tear everything else down and rebuild it, which would take more effort than starting fresh here. Besides, we can't build a moat at Hilltop--not with the way the ground slopes to the south."

"All right, I can see that. So what do we need to do?"

"For now, not much," Corec said. "Next time you're in Matagor, start asking around for bridge and dam engineers, and a master stonemason to plan out the fortress, but don't hire anyone yet. We can't afford to do anything until we've got next year's tax income, even if Ellerie and her wizards help out with shaping the stone."

"Sir?" the young scout Lewin called as he scampered down the watchtower ladder. "There are riders to the west, wearing armor."

Trooper Bili followed Lewin down. Corec and Bobo had brought the two men to check out the tower and see what was needed to get it back into service. It had been unmanned since the battle, with so many of the armsmen in training or assigned to other critical tasks.

Corec took the spyglass Lewin offered and peered down the road. A dozen armed men, clearly knights, were a mile out, but unlike the last time the knights had come this way, they had no spare mounts or pack mules, and they weren't accompanied by supply wagons. Either they were in a rush or they'd come upon hard times.

"I'll go talk to them," Corec said. "Don't let them see you. If something happens, ride for the keep as fast as you can."

"You're going alone?" Bobo asked.

"I should be fine," Corec said. There were only a dozen, and he was armed and armored.

He mounted Dot's saddle and found the nearest trail down the hill. As he drew closer, one of the men rode to the head of the column.

"Sir Cason?" Corec said, putting all of his questions into his tone.

Cason dismounted and approached. "All of Hightower's gone mad," he said, his voice weary.

Corec joined him on foot. "What happened?"

"We argued the whole way back on what to do about Rusol, and it got worse at Hightower, with the knights and priests who'd stayed behind and didn't see what happened here. A lot of the men don't trust you, but Fortress Commander Rodrick and Sir Loris decided to go to Telfort to convince Cardinal Aldrich to renounce the king. Your cousin, Sir Jesson, argued against it. He said it'd be suicide to face off against a demon mage in his own territory, especially one who can control people. In the end, they agreed to split their forces. Jesson took a hundred forty men with him, heading to your father's lands in the Black Crows. He says if we're going to fight a war against the king, we need a safe base of operations, and the mountains are the easiest place to defend."

Corec nodded. Jesson's logic was sound--Fort Hightower had strong defenses, but it didn't offer any way to strike at the heart of the kingdom. The mountains, on the other hand, stretched for hundreds of miles. While they were well east of Telfort, there was no way Rusol's forces could watch every possible trail.

Cason took up the story again. "Rodrick left a hundred of us behind to defend Hightower. What we didn't know was that Tibon had packed the group with his own people. Loyalists, they're calling themselves. They claim Rusol's not a mage, but some of them just don't care. They're loyal to the king rather than their oaths. And Tibon hates you for some reason, so he's working to convince people that you're trying to destroy the Order by setting us against each other. Baron Hightower believed him, and sided with the loyalists. His soldiers and Tibon's knights forced the rest of us out when we wouldn't swear to the throne over the Church."

"I appreciate hearing the news, but why come all the way here?" Corec asked.

"To be honest, I don't know who to trust anymore," Cason said. "The priests use the oaths for their own purposes, Rodrick and Loris are going to get their men killed, and Jesson doesn't have enough knights with him to fight a war. Dozens of men just up and quit rather than picking sides, but I couldn't bring myself to go that far. Half my old squad is already here, and you've always dealt fairly with us." He glanced at the riders waiting uncertainly behind him. "Most of this group is from Northtower. Sister Treya saved their lives, but they can't go home. When I told them I was coming this way, they decided to join me."

Corec nodded. "I can find a place for you, but it wouldn't be as a Knight of Pallisur. You can join Kevik's knights if you're willing to give up your old oaths and swear new ones. Otherwise, well, we'll figure something out."

Cason hesitated. "Kevik lied to my face about the orders he'd received. I understand why he did it, I don't blame him for it, but I can't follow him. Let the other men make their own choices, but I'd rather try something else."

"I've got an idea or two, but let's talk to Sarette and Boktar first," Corec said, then stared west for a moment. "If Jesson's gone to Tarwen, I suppose my father's heard by now that I fought against the king's forces. I should probably visit home." His last trip to see his family hadn't gone well, and he'd been dreading the necessity of making another.

Cason gave Corec a careful look, then retrieved a scroll from his saddlebag and handed it over. "He's heard. We came across one of your father's messengers on the way. I was hoping I wouldn't have to be the one to tell you."

Corec unrolled the scroll, the already-broken wax seal matching Ansel's signet.

We, the Lords of the Black Crows, by the mandate of Pallisur and under the authority of the Church, do hereby renounce Rusol Larse as a false king.

For the crime of conjuring dark magics against his own citizens; for regicide and patricide in the assassination of King Marten; for the assassination of Prince Rikard; for bearing false witness; for instigating a foreign war without consent of the Peerage; for the murder of Toman Tarwen.

By these and other crimes, the Pretender has absolved all the Peerage of our oaths, and we call on the next Cardinal of the Church to crown a true and rightful King.

It was signed by the barons of Tarwen, Tammerly, Highfell, and Greenwood, as well as Edmond, Duke of the Crows.

Corec had to reread the proclamation twice to be sure it really said what it said. He hadn't spoken to Toman in years. All he could think about was how relieved he'd been to not have to spend time with his brother the last time he'd been home.

And now he was dead.