Mageborn: Book 04 - The God-Stone War

by Michael G. Manning

  The messenger let out a grateful sigh. The stairs leading up were hundreds of feet in length before reaching the room with the teleportation circle. The final stair we had just taken was less than twenty five feet.

  The view was spectacular, as usual.

  ***

  “I’m glad one of the messengers found you so soon,” said James, as we retreated to a private chamber to talk. Whenever possible, he preferred to meet with me in less formal settings. Neither of us was entirely comfortable with the nature of our relationship in public.

  Once the door was shut and we were truly alone, I stepped forward, and ignoring his outstretched hand I embraced the man who was something of a surrogate father to me. “Don’t be so damned formal,” I chided him.

  Relaxing, he finally ended the hug with a solid thump on my back. As we parted he spoke again, “I wasn’t quite sure where we stood.” He was referring to our last argument, over the nature of our ‘aid’ to the Kingdom of Gododdin.

  I gave him a dour look. “That was business, even if I do think you were wrong. We’re family after all.” Technically James was my uncle, but the relation was through his wife. In reality I felt a kinship to him more because of my childhood and my close friendship with his son, Marcus. “What did you need?” I asked.

  James had a curious expression on his face, somewhere between boyish grin and subtle embarrassment. “It actually involves Gododdin. Your knights have done such a remarkable job driving out the undead, that King Nicholas has found the time and wherewithal to make the journey here.”

  I raised one eyebrow. “He came here? How much warning did he give you?” I had only met Nicholas once a few years back, when we were ‘informing’ him of our intention to cross his borders to fight the shiggreth. At the time he had been desperate for aid, so permission wasn’t a problem.

  “Almost none,” said James with an audible cough, a sure indicator of his annoyance. “Presumably this was to ensure there would be little chance for assassins, or other enemies to attempt to waylay him. He arrived with only a small escort.”

  With a light laugh I replied, “That’s as may be, but I’m sure he had more reasons than that.”

  “Certainly he also hoped to catch me off guard; to see what he might learn from an unexpected visit, though he cannot afford to damage relations between our nations. It is a fine line Nicholas walks in arriving here unannounced,” James stated bluntly.

  “I’m certain he still needs to court your favor, unless he is a fool, and I certainly didn’t get that impression the one time we met,” I said, by way of agreeing with him. “You still haven’t told me how this applies to me,” I finished.

  James grimaced. “He wants to meet you, to thank you for the work the Knights of Stone have done for his country. He is also hoping you’ll give him a tour of the World Road.”

  “I should have known!” I exclaimed loudly. “I thought we agreed I wouldn’t be giving any more ‘tours’ until next year.” I was a bit annoyed. Although I understood the need to show and explain the purpose of the project, in order to drum up interest and maintain firm support amongst the nobility, James had agreed to leave me alone for another year before setting any more ‘visiting dignitaries’ in my lap.

  He held up his hands, “This isn’t just any diplomat, Mordecai; this is the ruler of Gododdin.”

  “Only because I’m still patrolling his borders,” I snapped back, “otherwise either the shiggreth would have taken them all, or Dunbar would have annexed them.”

  James smiled wickedly at me as he answered, “You were the one who wanted to take the high road and restore him to his throne. As I recall, I wanted the support of your knights in claiming Gododdin for Lothion.”

  I glared back at him, attempting to use the stare Penny used to burn holes in me when she was angry. Unfortunately, I had never come close to perfecting the look. “The Knights of Stone were not created to invade and conquer,” I shot back, repeating my argument from years past.

  “Then you’ll just have to face the consequences and entertain our guest a little bit. It shouldn’t take more than a few hours of your time to satisfy him,” said the King of Lothion, as he firmly drew his verbal trap shut.

  I had been outmaneuvered. “Alright, have it your way. When would you like me to start my dog and pony show?”

  “Tomorrow morning, about ten I should think,” James said smugly, as if he had known I would agree from the start.

  “You already made the arrangements with him, didn’t you?” I remarked in a moment of insight.

  Marcus’ father had taken to kingship as easily as a fish takes to water. With a wink he spoke again, “Of course not! Really Mordecai, you should learn to trust more. I am your monarch after all.”

  With a sour expression I told him, “I’ll see you in the morning,” and taking my leave, I stepped outside and collected George. I had left him waiting while I spoke to the King privately. Whenever other people were present James and I had to maintain a much stricter protocol.

  As we left, I muttered under my breath, “Wily old bastard…,” and George’s young ears caught my words.

  “What did you say?”

  “Nothing,” I groused, but my magesight could see George’s smile as he followed behind me.

  ***

  The next day I arrived bright and early. I had gotten better at being a morning person over the years, but I still found dawn to be a terrible chore. That was quite possibly the very reason James had chosen ten in the morning before consulting me… he had known that anything earlier would be courting disaster.

  Elaine was beside me today. George had been scheduled to escort me the rest of the week but everyone agreed that his sister would be a better choice for entertaining a king, and her appearance today certainly held up that belief. She had dressed in an elegant yellow dress that highlighted her shimmering golden hair. Penelope had even gone so far as to lend her one or two pieces of jewelry to accent her appearance.

  She might only be the daughter of a minor lord (born a commoner), but I didn’t want any foreign royalty looking down on one of the few remaining wizards in the world. Someday I would be gone, and the impressions created by my children and Walter’s children would have a lot to do with the places they occupied in the future. I wanted to make sure those were places of respect and authority. The days of wizards being crippled and slowly eliminated by the church were over.

  I had spent the rest of the previous day working on improving George’s magical prowess. I had planned to take it easy on him, but after my conversation with King James, I had needed an outlet for my frustration. We spent the afternoon using our powers to aid and assist the stone masons working on the World Road. To be fair, I had done just as much work as George, but due to my greater ability, I was far less tired when we finished that evening. In terms of brute magical strength, George fell somewhere between his father and his sister, but he lacked quite a bit compared to either them if you considered their superior finesse.

  Elaine and I were in a side room near one of King James’ reception parlors, waiting for our summons. We had been there for nearly thirty minutes before the door opened, and Adam, the chief chamberlain, looked in on us. “His majesty is ready for you now, Your Excellency,” he told me with a dry tone that concealed any familiarity there might have been between us. Adam knew me from my first stay in the palace years ago, and many times since, but he was far too professional to show it.

  I held out my arm for Elaine as I rose from the cushioned chair I had been relaxing on. “Thank you Adam,” I responded, resisting the urge to tease the man. We followed him into the parlor where the two kings were seated and enjoying light drinks of fresh pressed juice, by the color I judged it likely to be apple.

  “Lord Mordecai Illeniel, the Count di’Cameron, and the Honorable Elaine Prathion, Your Majesty,” announced Adam as we entered the room.

  Elaine and I bowed deeply, then waited quietly before the two monarchs. Protocol dictated that we w
ere not to speak or approach until we had first been addressed by King James, and acknowledged by his guest, and visiting head of state, King Nicholas. After a very brief but noticeable pause, James spoke, “Lord Cameron, please approach and be welcome.” Gesturing toward me, he addressed Nicholas, “Allow me to present the noble Lord Cameron and his companion, Elaine Prathion. Elaine, please come forward as well.”

  With that final statement she moved forward to join us, though we still held our tongues, awaiting Nicholas’ first words. Etiquette will be the death of me, I thought silently. A few short years before, I would have had no idea how to proceed in such a tricky situation; fortunately James had trained me well in the particulars of social protocol.

  Taking a slow breath, Nicholas finally spoke, “Lord Cameron, we have heard far and wide of your daring exploits. We are also grateful regarding the particular elements of your actions that have saved so many of our people.”

  I bobbed my head in a second, though smaller bow, “Thank you, Your Majesty. I am honored to have been of some small service to your people.”

  Nicholas turned his gaze upon my companion. “Elaine, we are given to know that you are the daughter of Lord Walter Prathion and a wizard in your own right. Is this true?”

  She lowered her head gracefully, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “You bear your power and position well for one so young,” the foreign king replied.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

  James gestured toward several empty chairs, “Please sit and be at ease.”

  Elaine and I found our chairs and stood beside them. King Nicholas spoke next, “Lord Cameron, I would prefer to dispense with the normal formalities. Please feel free to speak informally since we are in a private setting.”

  I glanced at James and watched for his nod of agreement before replying, “If that is your wish, Your Majesty. Please call me by my given name.”

  Nicholas smiled, “Then you must call me Nicholas and no more ‘majesties’. James has already informed me that you are his kin, so you should be used to addressing kings with familiarity.”

  “You do me a great honor… Nicholas,” I said carefully.

  The King of Gododdin answered warmly, “And you should be honored. Were it not for the assistance of your knights, I doubt I would still have a kingdom.”

  I gave another bow. “I and my knights answer to our king. It is he who deserves your thanks.” As I spoke, I glanced at James, to make sure he was aware of the irony.

  “No ruler can succeed without the service of wise councilors, and it was your advice, Mordecai, which counseled my decision to aid Gododdin, and your men that acted upon my will. Come sit down. We’re beginning to sound like old men, spending our time praising one another,” James said at last. He handed me a drink as well before offering another to Elaine.

  Elaine accepted the glass while Nicholas turned the conversation to his present desire. “I have been asking James about the construction project you have been about these past few years. I fear I do not fully understand the workings of magic, but he says you will be able to connect the farthest reaches of your nation with but a short one mile road.”

  “The World Road will be closer to a mile and a half in length, Your Majesty,” I corrected out of habit. Fool, I cursed myself silently. One does not correct a monarch idly, even if it isn’t your own.

  Nicholas frowned, “I thought we would dispense with formalities, Your Excellency.” His remark was a pointed reminder that I had referred to him as one would a king.

  It was a relief to realize he was chiding me for being formal rather than for correcting him. “I’m sorry, Your… Nicholas. Old habits are hard to break.” I laughed inside as I gave that last explanation. If anything, the ways of nobility and royalty were most decidedly ‘not’ old habits for me, but rather the result of extensive practice and coaching from James, Rose, and Marcus. My true intention was exactly what I had presented, the appearance of a noble having difficulty putting aside the trappings of respect and etiquette.

  James was smirking faintly since Nicholas’ eyes were on me. He knew quite well how easily I could revert to casual speech. “Mordecai, I have a favor to ask of you, regarding the World Road.”

  “You have but to ask,” I told him.

  “Nicholas is curious about our project, and considering we may wish to someday include other nations within its reach, I thought you might like to show him your progress and further explain the details of how it will operate.”

  None of this was news of course. Throughout our conversation, Elaine had been watching carefully. Her expression suggested that, aside from her youth, her quick mind understood far more about the undercurrents than might be expected. Turning my thoughts back to the question, I replied, “It would be a pleasure. Do you mind if Elaine accompanies us?” I addressed the question to Nicholas himself.

  “I can think of no more pleasant way to spend a few idle hours,” he responded, before standing and extending his arm to the young woman. With a quick curtsey Elaine blushed and then draped her hand across his proffered forearm.

  Less than half an hour later we were back in the Traveler’s Pinnacle, stepping away from the circle that Elaine had just teleported us onto. We had also gained a small honor guard consisting of two of Nicholas’ men at arms. James had declined to bring any men of his own, stating that Elaine and I, as his vassals, would serve as more than adequate protection. I decided that was probably a compliment.

  Staring down from the highest balcony, Nicholas was obviously impressed. “How high are we?” he asked.

  “Slightly more than two hundred and fifty feet,” I answered in a matter of fact manner.

  His sharp brown eyes caught me, “Is there a purpose to such great height? Is it necessary for the magics?”

  A good question, I thought to myself. “No, the height is purely a matter of defense, and perhaps some small vanity on my part. For such an important structure, I felt that building the world’s tallest tower would be appropriate.”

  The foreign king nodded to himself, “I see. So what is the purpose of the central fortress, merely defense?”

  “In large part, yes,” I said. “It shields the central crossroad, preventing those who will travel the World Road from exiting here near the capital if they are hostile. It will also house the troops that will be vital in protecting the road itself if it should come under attack from without.”

  “Does a road need to be defended so carefully?” Nicholas asked with knowing eyes. He knew the answer already; he simply wanted to hear my explanation.

  James interrupted, “Well of course…,” but he stopped abruptly, looking at me. “Go ahead and give him your rationale, Mordecai.”

  I nodded, taking a deep breath. “The World Road will connect all of Lothion and enable free trade between every part of it. It will revolutionize commerce and become a vital part of our economy. If it were to be misused, it could transport an enemy army from any part of the kingdom to our doorstep in a matter of hours, or anywhere else for that matter. Because of this, the road will have immense military importance. This fortress will control and protect the actual road itself, although there will be only one egress and ingress here, that which leads from the center out to the capital itself.”

  Leaning out between the merlons, I pointed at the road being constructed below us encircling the fortress, “The road itself will be entirely underground once it is finished. This will prevent those using it from exiting without passing into this fortress first. It will also make possible some of our stronger security measures.”

  “Stronger measures?” said Nicholas questioningly.

  I glanced at James and saw him nod before I continued, “We will be able to flood the entire road if necessary to stop an enemy using it against us.” Or simply a quarter of the road, I added mentally. There were four stone locks that would seal the road off into sections, allowing us to flood whichever portion necessary, while continuing to use the rest. I didn’t f
eel it necessary to give King Nicholas that much detail though.

  In fact, the underground design would allow us to flood the road, in part or in whole, without causing water to spill out into the surrounding countryside… salt water. Four entry portals would connect to matching stone portals in the sea itself; portals that had been sunk to the appropriate depth to allow them to fill the World Road, without causing the water to rise above ground level if we were somehow unable to close them. When we desired to drain the water, they could be sealed and complementary drain portals would open at sea level along the coast, allowing the seawater to rejoin the ocean.

  Even more interesting was the second set of portals that were never meant to be used. They were connected to a portal deep underground, one that led to a massive magma chamber. Opening that set of portals would fill the World Road with lava, effectively sealing and destroying it entirely, if our need were ever that dire.

  “Your design seems to be extremely defensible,” Nicholas noted.

  I smiled. “That was my intention. Not only will we be able to seal the road itself and submerge it if necessary, but each gate that opens onto it will be housed within a small fortress at its destination point. The guards at each of those locations will be capable of deactivating or destroying the gate their keep protects if they deem it necessary, to stop an enemy from entering the road.”

  “No one can fault your thoroughness,” replied Nicholas.

  “Why don’t you take us down to see the road itself, Mordecai,” said James to fill the pause. “You really get a feel for the scale of it when you see it up close,” he assured the King of Gododdin.