Goland Ire nodded, his back to his son. It’d taken Mason five days to reach New Perth; he knew absolutely nothing of what was happening in Sidnie or what was going on with Riley. They’d blitzed their way here—him, Erin, the two kids, and Lucie.
The group had arrived two hours prior, and now Mason sat in front of his father, explaining the situation.
“And Verith. He didn’t make it?”
Mason shook his head. “No, sir. He didn’t.”
Goland turned around. His face was thinner than when Mason had last seen him.
“What do you think the outlook is for Riley?”
“I don’t know. I really don’t. If they don’t find that woman—her name is Linda—it’s not good.”
Goland made his way to his chair, slowly sitting down. Tobacco sat on a small saucer, along with rolling papers. He began to sprinkle the tobacco in the yellow-tinted paper, not looking up. “Linda… I know the name, but not much else. It’s a crazy tale you’ve given me, son. People who live underground. This Linda woman somehow still being alive. I’m unsure what to believe. I’m unsure if perhaps Rendal didn’t scramble your brain during your time with him.”
Mason remained quiet, letting his father think.
“We do not have either of our Right Hands, and our greatest general is dead. From what you tell me, Rendal’s influence and power have grown tremendously. He’s no longer a possibility to be feared in the north, but an active threat coming from the east.”
His father started rolling the cigarette.
“Do you think he’s coming?”
“Yes,” Mason answered. “If he’s not here yet, he will be soon.”
“What do you think we should do?”
They were standing in his father’s chambers, and with that question, Mason walked to the chair in front of the desk. He sat down and crossed one leg over the other. “We could poison the whole city before he gets here. Kill everyone and leave him poisoned water to drink.”
His father looked up, one eyebrow raised. “Funny.”
Mason smiled, although it faded quickly as he considered the question. “We have two options. We can try to fight him, or we can surrender immediately and hope Riley and William return.”
“I’m going to die one day, Mason. Given the way I feel right now, it might be sooner rather than later. You’re going to have to make decisions, although you’ve known that since you were nine years old. Tell me the pros and cons to both of those ideas.”
“If we fight,” Mason answered, “he may destroy the entire kingdom, buildings and citizens alike. Yet, if we win, Rendal dies. If we surrender, we’ll save a lot of lives, but Riley may not return. Or if she does, she still might not be able to defeat him.”
Goland nodded. “You’re not as dumb as you look, son.” The old man grinned, then put the cigarette in his mouth.
“You saw Riley fight him. What do you think? If she returns, can she win?”
Mason remembered the cage. His time with Rendal had been a nightmare, but he’d sat inside those metal bars and watched Riley go toe-to-toe with the madman. She wasn’t as skilled as he was, and she didn’t have the sheer power or the knowledge of how to use what she had as he did.
Yet she hadn’t backed down. She hadn’t submitted. She’d fought him to a standstill.
“If she can’t, she’ll die trying.”
“That’s avoiding the question, son. We may all die trying. Can she succeed?”
Mason leaned forward in his chair, placing his elbows on his knees. “She can.”
“We’ll start preparations, then.” Goland took a drag on the cigarette, releasing the smoke into the air a moment later. “We’ll prepare for war and hope for peace.”
There was a knock on the door and Mason stood, turning around.
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Goland said. “Come in!”
The door opened and a scout walked in, followed by a guard. The scout had a deep tan from his time outside the walls, and sand crusted his skin and hair.
“Your Grace, this is Bentley Little,” the guard commented. “He works the eastern perimeter. He has urgent news.”
“Go on,” Goland commanded. “Let’s hear it.”
“He’s coming, your Grace.” The scout was clearly frightened, his eyes wide and his voice strained. “His army… It stretches as far as I could see. It didn’t appear to end.”
Mason looked at his father.
The old man took another drag on his cigarette. “Bentley, did you leave your balls out there while you were scouting?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Buck up, man. We’re New Perthians, not cowards who shake in our boots. He may be nearly here, but that doesn’t mean we have to cower before him. Show some backbone.”
The scout looked down at his feet. “Yes, your Grace. I apologize.”
Goland gazed to Mason. “All right, son. Let’s get ready to greet the bastard.”
Rendal didn’t just like what he saw; he loved it.
“Harold, have you ever in all your days viewed anything so beautiful? Nothing ever created looked better than this.” He smiled. “I must say, I have arrived.”
“Yes, sir. I would say you have,” Harold answered.
Before Rendal stood tens of thousands of soldiers, men and women alike. Battalion after battalion, some on camelback, some on foot. Some held swords, others maces. The archers were next; they marched close to Rendal, who rode above it all in a large tent-covered vehicle that towered above those he had mastered.
His best warrior mages surrounded him, teenagers that he’d personally helped train.
All of them ready to do battle.
And in front of this army? New Perth. Archers stood atop the kingdom’s walls, their arrows ready to fire at the Prefect’s word.
Rendal didn’t give a damn about those silly archers. He didn’t care about the force that awaited them behind the walls, either. He was a returning king, come to take his land.
“Harold, do you think we should just attack? I’ve been considering it. Just wipe them off the board with a sweep of my hand. Or should we allow them to surrender?”
“Sir,” Harold responded, “that’s above my pay grade.”
Rendal didn’t care one way or another what Harold thought about this. He was trying to keep his mind off the real problem, the one he couldn’t figure out yet: was Riley here? He understood what he’d done to her, and although he’d had no choice, he was regretting it now.
He hadn’t expected such power from her.
True, he knew her potential, but the way she’d fought him! For the first time in his life, he’d grown frightened, because she might be able to kill him. Not then, not back in Sidnie, but in the future?
Yes. Maybe.
She was most likely dead. It wasn’t what Rendal wanted, but what other choice had he had? She wouldn’t join him, and if her power continued growing unabated, who could tell what would happen next time?
Yet, possibly she wasn’t dead. Maybe she was more powerful than even he thought, and her body was combatting the spell he’d placed on it.
Was she here? And if not, where was she?
Trumpets sounded from atop the kingdom’s walls, announcing the arrival of the Prefect.
Hopefully Mason, too, Rendal thought with glee.
“Move us forward,” Rendal told Harold. “To the front.”
Orders were given, and the crowd of warriors moved. Sitting in the tent that covered his large wagon, he and Harold drew closer to the walls.
“This is nice.” Rendal grinned. He was enjoying it all, though the worry about Riley rested just beneath the surface.
The magnificently huge gates slowly opened outward, and Rendal looked upon those exiting.
Goland Ire was riding a horse in front, and yes, Mason was to his right.
Rendal did not see the big lug, William, nor did he see Riley, which was very curious.
An army spread behind Goland, moving at the pace he set.
Rendal’s camels stopped as he reached the front of his battle line.
“It’s kind of sad.” He looked at the army spilling across the sandy field. “They don’t have a chance.”
“I don’t see them, sir,” Harold responded. “Neither Riley nor William.”
“Neither do I. I don’t sense her either, but that might not mean anything.”
The army halted behind the Prefect, but he and his son continued riding forward. Even the Prefect’s personal guards did not come forward.
Rendal stood inside the tent, it being large enough for him to move around comfortably. He stretched as Harold got up too.
“All right, out we go.”
Workers were already scrambling, placing moveable steps at the tent’s opening. Rendal descended first, Harold coming next.
Rendal touched the ground and breathed in the air. “It’s been a long, long time since I was last here.”
Horses were brought to both men. Rendal mounted his and started forward, and they went a hundred feet before stopping in front of Goland and Mason Ire.
“You were a little boy the last time I saw you, Goland,” Rendal said.
“You were being chased out of New Perth the last time I saw you,” Goland responded.
“Times have changed, no?” Rendal looked to Mason. “You definitely appear healthier than when we were hanging out. Do you miss me?”
“Go fuck yourself, Rendal.”
Rendal’s eyes grew large in mock surprise, and he turned to Harold. “What kind of greeting is that? The mouth on that man!”
“They have no manners, sir. Especially Mason, given the hospitality you showed him.”
“I know.” Rendal nodded. “I gave him free room and board for like a month. Just shows the thanks you get for doing a good deed.” Rendal’s smile died away. “Where is she? Where is Riley?”
“You could have sent a pigeon,” Goland responded. “You didn’t have to come all this way to ask that question.”
“I came all this way to take your kingdom, which I’m not going to have much trouble doing, in case you haven’t noticed.” Rendal’s eyes focused on Mason. “Where is she? Is she here?”
“Why are you so worried, Rendal? You had your chance a little while ago, but you blew it. Now I’m free, and you have no idea where she is. Tell me, what’s got you worried?”
Rendal gritted his teeth, wanting to kill the bastard right then. He knew he couldn’t, though. Not until he was sure about Riley.
“If she’s inside, I’ll find her. We both know she’s not well.”
“I don’t know any such thing,” Mason shot back. “All I know is you came a long way to die.”
Rendal laughed at that and turned his attention back to Goland. “Okay, old Prefect, how are we going to do this? Do you want all those men behind you to die or are you going to let me come in?”
The Prefect was quiet for a moment, holding Rendal’s eyes.
“Turn away. Go back to where you came from. You have no home here.”
“Ha!” Rendal looked at Harold again. “The arrogance! How many years have I struggled to get here? To bring this army to these gates and to make him bow to me? And he thinks he can tell me to just leave?”
“They’re real assholes, sir.” Harold didn’t take his eyes off the two in front of him.
Rendal chuckled, losing his false expression of shock. “I’m not leaving, Goland. You have nothing to threaten me with. The military behind you is pathetic. It’s really your choice. You can watch me destroy everything you’ve built, including many of your citizens, or you can bow to me and let me take my rightful place as Prefect. It’s up to you.”
Again, Goland was quiet for long moments before finally saying, “You’ll have your answer by nightfall.”
“Okie-dokie.” Rendal grinned. “Just remember, at nightfall, either you let me in or that place burns.”
Mason spurred his horse forward a few feet. “I get why you’re worried, Rendal. You know Riley is going to heal, and you know you can’t beat her. She’s going to take your balls off, old man.”
Mason watched his father as the Prefect stood at the window of his chambers. He appeared calm, but there was nothing calm in this city. Outside, the people in the streets were staring up at the great castle, wanting to know what their Prefect would do.
“We can’t protect them,” Goland mused. “I want to. It’s my job. But I can’t, not against that force. I thought we did everything we could to ensure that he didn’t make it here. I thought every action we took was the very best I could make at the time. Yet, Rendal is still outside these walls.”
Mason shook his head. “I know.”
“And yet, here we are,” his father continued.
The two were alone, and both knew it very well. Their Right Hands should have been here with them, but they were gone. Maybe alive, maybe not.
“Do you think he’ll make us dress up and play jester at his court? Maybe make us wear women’s clothing or something?” Goland turned around, a grim grin on his face.
“It’ll be worse than that.”
“Not for me. You might actually look kind of nice in a dress,” Goland joked. “These old legs aren’t going to hold up to the scrutiny.”
Mason smiled.
“We’re going to have to let him in, son. I don’t see any other way.”
“There’s got to be another way. If we let him in, we’ve lost.”
Goland shook his head. “We can go out to our walls if you want. We can walk past with the archers and look at the force he’s brought. Perhaps my father was wrong. Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe we needed magic all along, but it’s too late now. We can’t win. All we’ll do is get our people killed.”
“So, what do we do? Bow down to him?” Mason asked.
“If that’s what he commands, yes.”
Mason stood up, unable to hold back his anger. “That’s bullshit, Father!”
“Calm yourself, Mason. What other choice do we have? He is here, and his army is vast. His mages can burn us alive with their spells. Our duty is to the people, and if we fight, they will be slaughtered. Plus, it isn’t as if we’re giving up. We’re still waiting for Riley. We don’t know what she’s going to do.”
Riley, Mason thought. It all hinges on her; on whether she’s going to live.
“Night’s almost here. Come on, we have to tell him,” Goland instructed.
“Everything we love is being taken from us.”
The old Prefect grinned, something Mason hadn’t seen him do much in his life. “Son, I may be ancient in your eyes, but I still have some tricks up my sleeve. We’ll wait for Riley, and in the meantime, we’ll make life a living hell for this sonofabitch.”
Chapter Three
William didn’t like the old witch. Not one fucking bit.
“I’m not even sure how you’re still alive,” he had told her when they first met. “A stiff wind would probably rip a limb off.”
The old lady, Linda, looked at him as if he were a nasty bug she wanted to stomp on, but simply couldn’t find the energy to do it. After that one look, she’d mainly ignored him.
“This won’t do,” she had said upon entering the broken shack Riley inhabited. “Come, come. We’re not staying here another moment.”
The old witch had made them pick Riley up, get the camels together, and move into the dead city.
“This place creeps me the hell out,” William grumbled.
“He scaredy-cat,” Worth quipped.
They walked through the dark, the old witch leading the way.
Finally, the group reached a squat building that was intact. The road was broken in front of it, of course, but the courtyard and the structure looked as well-kept as anything in New Perth.
“Bring her in here,” the old lady demanded. “Quickly, now.”
She stood to the side and watched as William and Eric carried the cot through the door.
“She’s the only pretty one out of a
ll you,” Linda remarked with a sly grin on her face. “The rest of you look like you fell off the ugly tree and hit every damn branch on the way down.”
William looked at Alexandra, who was smiling. “This is what you brought me across the desert for? To hear some old biddy bark orders and insult my great looks?”
“He sensitive.” Worth laughed, following William inside.
“We’ll see how sensitive you are with my boot sticking out of your ass.”
They moved the cot to the back bedroom, Linda sniping at them the whole time with different comments.
“This one is far too big,” she said of William. “His ass alone is going to break at least half my furniture.”
“This old stuff? I could breathe on it and knock it down,” William fired back.
Alexandra and Eric were mostly quiet, although both wore grins on their faces.
Finally, William managed to get Riley to a back room. They removed her from the cot and placed her on a bed. William tested it with hands, and although he wouldn’t say it to the old witch, he thought it was much more comfortable than the cot.
“Now, move, you animal,” Linda commanded.
William stepped back, grumbling as he did. The old woman walked to the bed, her steps slow and deliberate. William didn’t see how this woman was going to be able to help anything. She could barely move across the floor, so how in the hell was she going to fix Riley?
The old woman didn’t touch Riley at first, only stared at her as she lay on the bed. Riley’s eyes were closed, and her skin was pale and cool to the touch. William hated touching her right now because it reminded him of death. That his friend might die.
Linda placed the back of her hand on Riley’s forehead.
“Who did this to her?”
“A man named Rendal Hemmons,” William told her.
The old lady turned her head slowly, although she kept her hand on Riley’s face. “Who?”
“Rendal Hemmons.” William hated even saying the mage’s damned name, and this old woman had now made him say it twice.
Linda turned back to the bed. “Do you know what is happening to her?”
Magic Unchained (Hand Of Justice Book 4) Page 2
