Soldiers of the Crown

by Stephen L. Nowland

  “Listen to this. ‘Alan, arrange for an explosion tomorrow afternoon on Renown Street, just off Foundation Circle, something big enough to block the street. Do this right and I might forget about how much money you owe me.’ The note is unsigned, but that’s a pretty big clue right there.”

  “He left it on the desk, right where people could see it,” Pacian remarked. “He must have wanted someone to know why he did it.”

  “The question is, where do we go from here?” Maggie asked.

  “Ronan might know more about the sort of people who loan money,” Aiden mused thoughtfully. All they had to do now was deal with the ramifications of having the entire top floor of the tower completely destroyed, and from the crowd of wizards gathering around Sayana, they were about to find out why Nellise had warned them against using sorcery.

  Chapter Eight

  Once they’d reached the ground floor, Aiden and the others noticed the unconscious forms of two students at Valennia’s feet, and a heavy wardrobe that had been moved in front of the doorway. The sounds of urgent thumping could be heard on the other side and the remaining students in the room cowered against the far wall, trying to keep as much space between them and the Akoran warrior as they could.

  “What’s going on down here?” Aiden asked of his new associate.

  “These two tried to flee when the tower shook with fire,” Val explained. “Then others tried to come in through the front door, so I blocked it. I want you to know I made a conscious effort to not kill anyone.”

  Maggie crouched to check on them, while Aiden motioned for the other students to relax. They didn’t appear to share his optimistic assessment however, and continued to cower.

  “Well…” Aiden began, addressing Valennia, “you did what you were told to do. You can unblock the door now.”

  “As you wish,” Val replied, stepping to one side of the closet and pushing it back into place against the nearby wall. Aiden suddenly realised that the furniture was made from thick hardwood, quite possibly weighing a hundred pounds. He idly wondered what sort of muscles the Akoran warrior had hidden underneath her tunic.

  Once clear, Aiden unlocked and unbarred the doors, which immediately burst inwards as a dozen robed men and women rushed forward. Some of them were students and others were, in fact, members of the City Watch.

  Nearly all of them had questions for Aiden and his associates, demanding to know what had happened. He answered questions for ten minutes, unable to leave the tower site until the student who had witnessed the events upstairs came forward to confirm that Alan was responsible for the explosion.

  Finally free from the intensive questioning, Aiden looked through the crowd and could see Sayana dealing with a similar mob of inquisitive wizards and guards, and she was clearly not handling the situation as well.

  “Gentlemen, please, one at a time,” Aiden asked patiently. Valennia crossed her arms and refused to budge, and there didn’t seem to be anyone interested in tackling her for the moment.

  Eager to be done with this, Aiden deflected all further questions to the University staff and flashed the duke’s seal at them to lend further weight to his words. Their co-operation was immediate and Aiden was starting to enjoy having this sort of authority. Sayana seemed to have gained the attention of the arch-chancellor himself, along with Dean Foster and another senior faculty member as Aiden approached.

  “Is there a problem here, ladies and gentlemen?” he asked, gaining their attention.

  “The question is sir, in what order do we attempt to deal with the many problems that have suddenly appeared,” the arch-chancellor replied caustically. “Yet another detonation within city limits, this time on University grounds, the death of a student — the son of a noble no less — and the appearance of a sorceress in our midst. I find it hard to believe that these events are unrelated.”

  “I told you, I wasn’t responsible for that explosion,” Sayana said. “One of those darts that I saw in this man’s chambers,” — she pointed at Desmond — “was thrown at us as we pursued Alan Leonson. The dart erupted in an explosion which destroyed part of the tower.”

  “Yes, I’ve just heard a report from a witness confirming this information,” Arch-Chancellor Zachariah replied before turning to the old wizard next to him. “Dean Foster, could this student have taken one of those darts from your laboratory without you knowing of the theft?”

  “My eyesight isn’t what it used to be, Arch-Chancellor. It is possible one was stolen without my knowledge.”

  “May I suggest that you go and thoroughly check your collection to ensure all is present and accounted for?” Zach requested of his counterpart. Desmond nodded, and reluctantly turned to head back into the main tower. During this time, the other wizard had been scrutinizing Sayana closely. He appeared to be middle-aged, with a receding hairline partially covered by the hood of his frayed blue robe.

  “What’s your problem?” Aiden asked him bluntly.

  “My ‘problem’, as you put it, is this young lady seems to have the ability to channel magical energies without the use of incantations or any other form of magic practiced by sane people. Furthermore, Arch-Chancellor, I have no recollection of her attending the University, so I must conclude she is a ‘wild talent’.”

  “Are you saying you can recall the faces and names of anyone that studied here with total veracity?” Maggie asked suspiciously, standing almost unnoticed down to Aiden’s right.

  “I can indeed, my raelani friend,” the wizard answered pleasantly, peering down at her. “Sir, I think we should take her inside for further questioning while you deal with this debacle.”

  “Do as you see fit, Dean Webber,” Zachariah instructed, drawing a concerned look from Sayana, who had watched silently as decisions about her life were made around her.

  “She’s done nothing wrong,” Aiden protested as Webber started to lead her away with one hand firmly upon her arm.

  “I believe you, and to be clear, my interest has more to do with her safe descent from the tower rather than the explosion on the road,” the balding wizard explained. “The simple fact of her existence should not be, and we here at the University are charged with trying to determine the exact nature of such… aberrations.”

  “I have the authority of the duke, and I demand you release her at once,” Aiden instructed, retrieving the letter with the seal upon it.

  “As it happens, so do we,” the Arch-Chancellor countered. “If you have an issue with our mandate, I suggest you take it up with His Grace. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must attend to this mess.”

  “At least allow me to be present during her questioning,” Aiden asked, trying one last time to gain some control over the situation.

  “For your own safety, I must deny your request. Only those familiar with the intricacies and dangers of the magic arts should be present at this time, in case she turns out to be as dangerous as we suspect.” Aiden was about to protest further when he noticed Sayana shaking her head at him ever so slightly.

  Reluctantly acceding to her silent request, Aiden allowed her to be taken away with the realisation that if they knew he was capable of some of the things she had demonstrated, he’d be carted away too.

  “Should we attempt to rescue our comrade from the clutches of these weak old men?” Valennia asked as the crowd of curious students, city watchmen and wizards began to disperse, “I could kill them all with a loud sneeze.”

  “They may look weak, but they make up for it in other ways,” Aiden mused aloud.

  “I have yet to meet anyone able to withstand an axe to their face, Aiden. However, as my employer, I will accede to your wishes,” Valennia finished.

  “I’d love an explanation of what gives them the right to haul people away like that,” Pacian remarked, approaching from the nearby scene of Alan Leonson’s abrupt death.

  “Where have you been?” Aiden asked, receiving a nonchalant shrug from his blond friend.

  “Investigating Alan’s body, i
n case there was something important on there,” Pacian explained.

  “Was there?” Maggie asked curiously.

  “Not really. He had a nice ring that he won’t need anymore, though,” Pacian winked.

  “Stealing from the dead, lovely,” Maggie griped.

  “Considering his connections, I imagine he got this beauty with ill-gotten gains, so in a way, I’m stealing from the scoundrels that gave him the money to buy this in the first place.”

  “Or it could be a family heirloom,” she exclaimed.

  “No, there was nothing on it to indicate any sentimental value,” Pacian assured her. “Besides, it has one of those gems what focuses magic, or something. Might come in handy, you know?”

  “Whatever, I really don’t care,” Aiden remarked distantly as he watched the tower doors close behind Sayana and her escort.

  “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine,” Pacian remarked. “From what I could see, they didn’t bother taking away her axe, so look at it this way — she’s allowing them to take her prisoner.”

  “Fair point, I suppose,” Aiden replied, settling down somewhat. His attention was caught by the sight of Sir William waving to them from the top of the cathedral steps. Nellise was by his side, and a number of the clergy were at the door, looking at the commotion and talking amongst themselves. Aiden headed over to speak with them with the others sauntering along behind him.

  “Aiden! What in God’s name happened here, sir?” the knight asked as they took the stairs.

  “Our investigation ran into a little problem,” Aiden explained ruefully. “The man who fell to his death was responsible for the destruction of the pavement on Renown Street, and the evidence we found indicates he was forced to do this by some shady interests. I’ll have a talk to Ronan later on about who might be in the business of loaning out money.”

  “And the explosion?”

  “He had a dart, magically empowered to explode with great force,” Aiden continued to the benefit of everyone standing nearby. “I can only assume he had another just like it to use on the pavement. In any case, that doesn’t give us much to go on. Sayana was just taken away for using sorcery — would you care to enlighten me as to why this has happened?”

  “I did warn you,” Nellise answered, her eyes wide at the news. “I suppose circumstances demanded she act, however.”

  “She was falling to her death at the time,” Aiden confirmed. “So why the paranoia about sorcery? I don’t recall reading anything about any such restrictions over the years.”

  “I’m not privy to all the details,” Nellise remarked in hushed tones, “but in the past there were certain individuals born with tremendous power, who used it… unwisely. The Church lost a lot of good people trying to rein them in, not to mention the civilian deaths that occurred before the Church became involved. It’s been many years since a natural wild talent has shown up, but there are protocols are in place to deal with such people.”

  “What are they going to do with her?” Aiden asked, licking his lips in fear as he thought of Sayana’s safety.

  “Questioning, mostly,” the cleric continued, “under the watchful eye of a room full of wizards ready to obliterate her if she tries anything dangerous. I don’t think we need to be concerned, as her talents seem to be relatively limited compared with those seen in the past.”

  “Wait, are you saying she’s less powerful than the sorcerers of old?” Pacian asked incredulously.

  “That is the general consensus, though as I said, I don’t have all the details. That sort of information is kept strictly secret by order of the Archieros, and the arch-chancellor of the University.” Aiden noticed that Nellise seemed far more pensive and preoccupied.

  “Are you alright, Nel? What’s been going on in our absence?”

  “I have been discussing my recent decisions with Archon Price, representative of the Resolute Heralds chapter here in Fairloch,” Nellise explained quietly. “He has much to say on the matter, though I will admit that it’s going better than I had expected.”

  “Did you mention rescuing the princess?” Pacian prompted. “That might impress him a bit.”

  “Yes, I informed him it was the singular reason for taking up arms as I did, even if it was something of a lie. But this is a personal matter, and I don’t wish to burden you all unduly. Aiden, I want you to come and meet the Archon — he’s interested in speaking with you.”

  “And why is that?” Aiden asked suspiciously.

  “You know why,” she replied cryptically, with the hint of a smile on her features. Aiden suspected it was to do with his return from the dead, during their time in Akora.

  “I can spare a few minutes to speak with him, but I think he’s going to be disappointed,” he warned, stepping inside the doorway.

  “You all go ahead,” Maggie advised. “I’m going to stay out here and see if I can give these people a hand sorting out this mess.”

  “I’m sure the City Watch can handle it,” Aiden said.

  “You’re missing the point,” Maggie replied, raising an eyebrow. “Do I have to spell it out?”

  “Oh, the whole religion thing,” Aiden observed. “Yes, I suppose it might be uncomfortable for you.”

  “Staying out here might be for the best,” Nellise agreed hesitantly.

  “Okay, we shouldn’t be too long,” Aiden advised. “Oh and you did well, back there, by the way. You’re definitely not what I was expecting.”

  “I hear that a lot,” she replied with a sly grin as she turned and walked back towards the crowd. Stepping inside the cathedral, Aiden was immediately overcome by the awesome beauty before him.

  The building itself was roughly the same size as the halls of knowledge across the compound. The vaulted ceiling was open and clear nearly all the way to the pinnacle of the structure.

  The walls were made of polished stone and marble, and vast columns along the length of the cathedral held the weight of the massive structure. Fine wooden pews could seat perhaps a thousand people, although only a few dozen were currently in attendance. The whispers of their prayers echoed around the large stone and marble interior, lending an air of peaceful contemplation to an already extraordinary experience.

  Stained glass windows positioned high up in the walls allowed sunlight in, and from what Aiden could see, an array of mirrors reflected the light down below, creating a brilliantly lit interior space. The symbolism of this was not lost on him, though a part of his mind knew the designers had wanted to convey awe upon entering the structure. It worked.

  “Is this the place where you speak with your ancestors for guidance?” Valennia asked.

  “No Valennia, this is where we commune with God,” Nellise explained patiently.

  “And this God, he speaks with you only in this place?”

  “No, God is always with us, though his voice is not something we hear with our ears, but in our hearts,” Nellise told her sagely.

  “Amongst my people, shamans convey the wisdom of those that came before us,” Valennia said, looking around unimpressed. “We do not need a large hall of rock to hear their voices.”

  “I think it’s an incredible building,” Aiden offered, trying to soften the Akoran woman’s harsh sentiments.

  “Magnificent, is it not?” Nellise remarked, her voice softened with similar feelings as they gazed upon some of the finest architecture in the known world. Even Pacian, cynical to a fault, was quiet for a time as they slowly strode the length of the hallway towards the lectern at the far end. His silence didn’t last, however.

  “So, you wouldn’t welcome a druid in your little church?” Pacian teased Nellise. “She’s really small. I doubt she’d be much of a threat.”

  “It isn’t that she would not be welcome,” Sir William answered before Nellise could, “but she might find it uncomfortable standing within these hallowed halls in the presence of a deity that isn’t her own.”

  “I sense we could get into a theological debate here,” Aiden interrupted
. “And it’s probably not wise to be getting mired down in an argument. I’m just going to speak with this priest and then we have to move on and continue the investigation.”

  Nellise guided them towards a man of middle-aged appearance and unremarkable height with short grey-hair and an expression of contentment upon his round face.

  “I trust everything is under control out there?” he asked Sir William.

  “In a manner of speaking, yes,” the knight replied. “I doubt we’ll be interrupted by any further explosions, though I am sad to say that a young man lost his life in the incident.

  “A man involved with crime, as it happens,” Pacian pointed out, “so don’t be too upset at the thought of him falling to his death.”

  “Any death is a loss to the community,” the priest replied evenly, “regardless of your opinion of his character, sir.”

  “Archon, this is Aiden Wainwright,” Nellise said, smoothly redirecting the conversation. “Aiden, allow me to introduce Archon Ashwyn Price, who represents the interests of our chapter here in Fairloch.” The priest’s eyes focused on Aiden, the scrutiny making him a little uncomfortable. He believed Ashwyn would be sorely pressed to find anything divine about Aiden’s face.

  “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance,” the priest greeted him personally. “Nellise has told me some interesting things about you, and I was wondering if I might speak with you alone for a few minutes?”

  “I suppose so,” Aiden reluctantly agreed. “I hope the rest of you don’t mind waiting.”

  “Not at all,” Sir William replied, “I’m going to find my old friend Corvyn Elward and introduce him to our lovely young priestess.” Nellise seemed to blush slightly at this compliment, and she completely missed Pacian’s dark look at the knight.

  “The Patriarch is indisposed at the moment,” Ashwyn informed them, appearing nervous all of a sudden. “Archioness Quinn can tell you more, why don’t you go and speak with her?”

  “I knew that Corvyn’s health was deteriorating, though I had not been informed that he had taken a turn for the worse,” Sir William remarked crisply. “This man is a pillar of the community and more than that, an old friend. I should have been informed of any developments.”