The Great Northern War (The Portal Wars Saga Book 2)

by Wisher, James E

  Soon enough he found the outline of a set of massive double doors hidden by the background emanations. Otto reached out through the ether, forming a hand of pure magic, and twisted the door’s handle like Lord Karonin had instructed him. The ether scattered and the physical doors were revealed.

  They measured twelve feet by twenty and were made of enchanted steel. The doors had been set into a cement frame on the ground. Otto had suspected after his first visit that the armory was underground, but now he knew for sure.

  “Shall I open them, Lord Shenk?” Hans asked.

  “No, don’t touch them. They aren’t meant to be opened by physical contact and anyone that tries will trigger defensive magics. I’ll handle them.”

  Otto poured ether into the doors’ hinges and they swung silently open.

  “I’ll bring the weapons up,” Otto said. “Get the wagons turned around.”

  He hopped down to the ground and made the short walk into the armory. The fresh air helped cut the mustiness, but Otto didn’t have time to linger. He went straight to the massive suits of armor and once more channeled the ether. This time he charged the mithril bands running through the first suit.

  Instantly he felt connected to it. At his command, the suit clanked out of its cubbyhole and marched up the stairs.

  “Bloody hell!” Cord swore when he saw the armor.

  Otto ignored him and guided the suit to the nearest wagon and had it sit in the bed. It slid back as far as it could go then he ordered the legs tucked up close, so they didn’t hang off the back. With the armor loaded, Otto let out a long breath. He was running down and still had five pieces to go. He allowed himself five minutes’ rest then went back to work.

  One after another the suits of armor clanked up out of the armory until all the wagons were loaded. That was it for the magic and thank goodness for that. Otto was at the end of his rope.

  “We still need a couple more things. Follow me and touch only what I tell you.”

  Hans fell in behind Otto and they all entered the armory. A few feet from where the first suit of armor had stood was a stack of six pieces of a cage made of mithril and a long, heavy chest. Those were the final components he needed to activate the armor.

  The men lugged them upstairs and loaded the pieces into Hans’s wagon. Everything was covered with heavy tarps they’d brought for exactly that purpose. With a final burst of ether, Otto sealed the armory and hid the doors. Unless they knew how, even someone stumbling on the clearing wouldn’t be able to get inside. And if they tried, they’d end up very dead.

  “Let’s be on our way, Sergeant. The sooner we get back to the capital the better.”

  “Yes, my lord.” Hans hesitated then asked, “Are you okay?”

  “Just tired. Using too much magic will do that to a wizard. Should we run into trouble, you’ll have to deal with it.”

  Hans saluted, seeming pleased at the idea of finally being able to protect Otto instead of being rescued by him. “Count on us, my lord.”

  Otto would do exactly that. Right now, he didn’t really have a choice.

  Chapter 29

  Axel led his men north toward the Straken border. The main body of the Northern Army had reached the abandoned fort yesterday along with the scouts Axel had dispatched. As he expected, all the border forts were empty. General Varchi hadn’t given the news more than a passing thought before ordering Axel to find out where the enemy forces had gathered.

  They’d been riding for a couple hours and were only five miles from the northernmost villages and fifteen miles from Straken itself. So far, they’d encountered nothing more dangerous that an angry, growling squirrel. Though they had to confirm his theory, Axel was certain all the enemy forces had retreated back across the border.

  He didn’t blame them given the size and power of the Northern Army. In an even fight, their legions would defeat Straken’s and anything less than an even fight would be a slaughter. Still, Axel was surprised King Uther had the discipline to retreat. That wasn’t his reputation.

  For his part, Axel wished they’d turn and fight. Wiping out the forces that had invaded Garenland would make taking Straken that much easier. Wish as he might, he clearly wasn’t going to get what he wanted.

  “Does this stretch of road look familiar, Lord Shenk?” Cobb asked.

  Axel looked around at the mixed pine and hardwood shading the road and making it feel colder than it had any right to be. It did look familiar. “Our last patrol went through here.”

  “Yes, sir. About a mile further is where we met the logging crew that had been enslaved.”

  “Looks like we’ll get to keep our promise to free them without having to swing our swords. Do we have extra provisions? I doubt Straken left much behind for them to eat.”

  “We’ve got enough for a few days. Depending on their condition, we might need to bring them back to the main army so the healers can check them over.”

  Ten minutes later they reached the skid path that led to the village. Axel turned his horse down the trail. On either side the trees had been harvested and hauled away. They’d gotten a lot done in the few months since Axel was last here. The enemy forts must have been nearly complete. He smiled to himself. It must have galled the Straken general to leave so much behind. Served the bastards right for trying to take what didn’t belong to them.

  It didn’t take long to reach the outskirts of the village. Not a soul could be seen moving in the streets. The collection of simple log cabins appeared frozen in time. Beyond them, the wall of the fort they’d been building towered twenty feet above the cabins. The keep appeared nearly done. Only a pair of guard towers looked half complete.

  “This feels wrong,” Cobb said.

  It did feel wrong, but Axel couldn’t do anything about it. Instead he loosened his sword in its scabbard and guided his horse past the first cabin.

  No ambushers came howling out nor did any grateful citizens. They reached the forest without seeing a soul; no villagers, no soldiers, no nothing.

  “Fan out,” Axel said. “I want squads to check every cabin. First squad with me, we’ll check the fort.”

  His men dismounted and set to work. Axel, Cobb, and six men walked through the open gate, swords drawn. If there was going to be trouble, this was where it would happen.

  Axel’s heart skipped a beat when he looked at the dirt yard. Bodies dressed in rags, covered in horrible wounds, lay scattered everywhere. Iron shackles still bound them.

  “I’ll kill them all,” Cobb growled. “Every no-good one of them.”

  Axel knew exactly how his second felt, but they still had work to do. “Let’s finish our sweep, though I don’t expect we’ll find anything.”

  He was right. They checked the fort and found it empty. The enemy hadn’t even had time to bring in furniture. Axel would have happily burned everything to the ground, but he didn’t have anything that would light the green wood.

  They left the fort and found Colten waiting for them. The scout was paler than usual and Axel almost didn’t want to ask what he’d discovered. “Report.”

  “We found the women and children dead in their cabins. No survivors, sir.”

  Axel nodded, disgusted but no longer surprised. “You all know the drill. Collect firewood and bodies. We’ll give them a proper pyre before we move on.”

  The men saluted and Axel left them to their grim duty. Heaven knew they’d done it often enough over the past few years. Just this once, Axel had wanted to arrive in time to save someone.

  It seemed he was doomed to a life of disappointment.

  Chapter 30

  Captain Kelten rounded a corner after checking the guards stationed outside the throne room. They were his best men and always on alert, that was why he chose them for such an important position. Today had been no different: they snapped to attention at his approach, nodded that all was well, received a nod of recognition from him, and that was it. If only all his work was so simple.

  The investigation
into the king’s murderer, for example, had run dead into a wall. He’d spoken with the watch commander, but that man had no more information to offer. He wasn’t sure what his next move was supposed to be. Deep down he was starting to think the new king was right and he should just let it go and move on with his work, which was keeping the current king alive.

  He sighed as he approached the next guard post. Things had been much quieter since the bandit raids in the central kingdom had ended. Whatever else Kelten might think of Otto Shenk, the man had proved his worth to the kingdom many times over. King Wolfric favored him over all others, which worried Kelten, but there was no evidence that Otto had used his position in a way that undermined the king or the kingdom.

  Kelten twisted his neck from side to side, trying to work out a kink. One of the servants that served as a message runner came barreling out of a door to his right, his blond hair flying behind him. The boy was about twelve, dressed in a black and gold smock.

  He spotted Kelten, skidded to a halt, bowed, and held out a sealed scroll. “Message for you, Captain, from the guards at the front gate.”

  Kelten accepted the scroll and nodded to the boy who ran off. When he was alone in the hall, he took a moment to examine the seal. It was a stylized capital F. Everyone in the city knew the Franken mark. Perhaps Mr. Cotton had thought of something important. Of course, considering how he’d left, Kelten doubted the man would go to the trouble of sending him a message.

  More curious than ever, Kelten broke the seal and unrolled the scroll. It was a short letter, only a few lines written in a neat hand. He skipped to the bottom. It was signed Annamaria Franken.

  So the daughter had sent him a message. Interesting.

  He started reading. Apparently, she thought her husband knew more about the murder than he let on. There was no real evidence other than him telling her about it before the public announcement. That meant exactly nothing, since Otto had seen the murder when it happened. All he had to do was go home and tell her as soon as he arrived and it would have been before the announcement. It wasn’t the sort of revelation that he could take to the king or even use in a confrontation with Otto.

  Just to be sure there was nothing of value, he read the note again. No, still nothing useful, but he did get the impression that Annamaria didn’t like her husband. He heard enough about the goings-on in Garen to know their marriage was arranged and neither of them had a say in it. Was she trying to cause trouble for a man she didn’t like or was there something more?

  He didn’t know, but when he next saw Otto, he’d be sure find out.

  After a long, rough ride, Otto and his men finally arrived back in the capital late in the evening two days after collecting the magical armor. Hans and the others were exhausted and Otto wasn’t in that great a shape himself. He’d used too much magic securing the armor and while he had mostly recovered, he still wasn’t at full strength. A good night’s sleep in his own bed should see him set to rights.

  But first he needed to talk to Wolfric. The king wasn’t going to be thrilled when he heard about Rolan’s annexation of a chunk of the southern province. Hopefully he wouldn’t blow his top and order something foolish.

  Otto yawned as they pulled through the palace gates. So much to do and so little time.

  “Orders, my lord?” Hans asked.

  “Secure the wagons and get some sleep. We leave tomorrow for the front.”

  Hans saluted and Otto jumped down. The wagons clattered off and he trudged toward the keep. With any luck Wolfric would have finished for the day and he could get right in to see him. The guards let Otto in without comment, bless them, and he made his way toward the throne room. If the king wasn’t there, the guards could give him directions.

  Three-quarters of the way there, a voice called out from behind him. “Lord Shenk!”

  Otto turned to find Captain Kelten hurrying his way. He grimaced. Kelten was the last person Otto wanted to deal with right now. Bloody pain in the ass. Maybe Otto could kill him and make it look like his heart gave out.

  No, satisfying as it would be, killing Kelten in the middle of the castle wouldn’t be a good idea.

  “Captain. I need to speak with the king. Whatever you want will have to wait.”

  “Please, my lord, I need only a few minutes.”

  “Fine, speak.”

  “I learned recently that the assassin worked at Franken Manor for a time. Did you know him?”

  “No, I believe he disappeared shortly after I arrived in the city.”

  “That’s what Mr. Cotton told me as well. Earlier today I received a letter from your wife claiming you knew about the assassination before it was announced to the public.”

  Otto scowled. What was Annamaria playing at? “Of course I knew about it before the announcement. I was there when it happened. You’ll have to excuse my wife. She’s with child and you know how women get when they’re pregnant.”

  “No, I don’t, but I’ll take your word for it. From the tone of the note, I got the impression that you two don’t get along.”

  “Did you? And when, exactly, did my family life become your concern?” Before Kelten could answer Otto plowed on. “You’ve wasted enough of my time. Have you actually found any, I don’t know, evidence, that Lothair killing the late king was anything other than what it appeared?”

  Kelten’s strained expression told Otto everything he needed to know before the man spoke. “No, I haven’t. But I haven’t given up hope of finding something.”

  “Bury your hope, Captain, and stick to the facts. As far as I can see, you’ve accomplished nothing beyond pestering me and my family. When I speak to King Wolfric, I intend to advise him to order an end to your pointless investigation. The only grand conspiracy is in your head, Captain. Let it go and move on to something more useful.”

  Otto spun and left Kelten standing in the hall. He was going to have to have a chat with Annamaria tonight, much as he preferred to avoid the woman. If his blushing bride was going to be a problem, he’d have to put a stop to it. Fortunately, he had plenty of means at his disposal.

  Leaving that unpleasantness behind, he resumed his trek to the throne room. From there he was directed to Wolfric’s private chambers. That was another hike that felt like miles but was really only a hundred yards or so. Finally, he reached an oak door carved with griffins and knocked.

  “Go away.” Wolfric’s voice was muffled by the thick door, but still clear enough to understand.

  “It’s Otto. I have a great deal of news, little of it good.”

  The door opened a moment later. Wolfric stared at him as if expecting him to disappear. The king was trying to grow a beard with little success. He had a few patches of hair clinging to his cheeks and that was all.

  “You look horrible,” Wolfric said. “Come in.”

  He moved aside and Otto strode through. The king’s private suite was luxurious and bigger than many people’s homes. They sat at a table on the opposite side from the huge bed. Wolfric poured wine for them both and Otto gratefully drank.

  “If the servants knew you were pouring your guest wine, they’d have a fit,” Otto said when he’d washed away some of the road dust.

  “They’re always complaining about something I do differently from Father. I no longer care. So, what’s the news from the south?”

  “We’re dealing with more than bandits. Rolan has claimed about thirty miles of the southern province.”

  “What!” Wolfric slammed his fist on the table, making their glasses jump.

  “The one running the raids is a captain in the Rolan cavalry. He said as long as the Southern Army stays in their barracks, he’ll end the raids. It’s a good deal for us right now. I warned him that if the raids didn’t stop, we’d attack and while we might lose, they’d bleed as well.”

  “Do you think they could beat us?”

  “In open combat on the plains, Rolan’s cavalry is the best in the world. Our infantry is skilled, but the Southern Army is half the
size of the northern and less well trained. The assumption was that any war would be fought with Straken not Rolan.”

  Wolfric scrubbed a hand across his face. “How do you know all this? I mean, I was raised in the capital and trained to be king and you still know as much or more about our forces than I do.”

  “Father has few interests, but war is one of them. He insisted that, in addition to my worthless swordsmanship lessons, I learned the history of the kingdom’s military, its strengths and weaknesses, battles fought and won or lost and why. I always enjoyed reading and our family’s modest library was well stocked with books on strategy and history. Having seen your library, I feel confident that you had a wider range of subjects to study than I did.”

  “My father encouraged it as well. He always believed problems could be solved with diplomacy rather than steel.”

  “Pity he was wrong about that last theory.” Otto poured another glass of wine and took a drink. “I dislike fighting but understand its necessity. First, we crush Straken then we move on Rolan. When we do, my wizards will have real combat experience to draw on. That will be a huge advantage.”

  Wolfric nodded. “Agreed, though I don’t like it. Anything else? Some good news maybe?”

  “More bad I fear. On my way to talk to you, I ran into Captain Kelten. Somehow, he tracked Lothair to the Franken Estate. He got little from his discussion with Edwyn’s business manager but now he thinks I might have some information he can use. I told him otherwise, but I’m not sure he believed me. I suggest you have a talk with the good captain, make him admit he has no new information, and put an end to his search. His sniffing around is a distraction neither of us needs.”

  “I’ll speak to him tomorrow. I’ve been patient long enough. You should go home, Otto. I’ve seen day-old corpses that look better than you.”

  “My very plan. Tomorrow I’m heading to the front. Have you had word from the army?”