by B. T. Narro
I didn’t feel very comfortable hearing it. Fortunately, distraction came as Jennava arrived. I met her gaze, and she gestured for me. She had a worried expression as I left everyone behind to approach her. Leon and Byron followed me to speak with Jennava. I assumed this was the first time she had returned from Drayer. Now with Aliana’s father there to act as lord, she could be more useful here.
“I heard from…” Her eyes widened as she gaped at me. “Jon, what happened? There’s a tear in your shirt and some snow on your shoulders.”
Leon answered, “The princess was captured by Valinox. Jon got her back with the help of Failina’s snowstorm and Souriff’s dvinia. The demigods are going back for the king and queen now. You didn’t see the snow?”
“I’ve been walking through the forest all morning to get here. Is the princess all right?”
“Fine,” Leon said. “She doesn’t even seem spooked by the event. She’s either stronger or stupider than she looks.” He gave a quick glance over his shoulder after uttering the words.
“You have news from Drayer?” Byron asked.
Jennava took a breath. “There’s a sickness running rampant through Rohaer.”
“What kind of sickness?” Byron asked.
“A bad one. I don’t have many details. A traveler spoke about it upon visiting Drayer, and I believe some of the people there are showing early signs of the illness. We haven’t heard anything from our spy?”
“No,” Byron answered. “He can’t give us news until he’s ready to leave their army for good. That will most likely be before battle.”
“Will you check me for illness, Jon?” Jennava asked.
“You don’t feel well?”
“I feel fine, but I’ve heard infection starts long before we turn unwell. I don’t want to spread it if I have it.”
I gave her body a quick perusal. “Where should I look?”
“In my chest, I’d wager.”
I put one hand beneath her collarbone and the other on the back of her shoulders. Then I closed my eyes and let my mana run through her as I listened.
I found nothing in her chest, but I thought it wise to check the rest of her body. It took several long minutes.
“You’re healthy,” I said.
“Can you be completely sure?”
“I am.”
Byron asked, “How many people in Drayer are sick?”
“Just a few feel unwell, but there could be more. I think Jon should examine every person there. The sooner the better.”
“The king’s going to want to hear about this,” Leon said. “We might be able to use it to our advantage. How long until the rest of our army arrives?” he asked Byron.
“Some will start setting up camp around the fort today. I expect the army to trickle in tomorrow and the day after. There’s time for Jon to heal the people of Drayer.”
“After I eat,” I said, remembering to take time for myself when I needed it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The rest of the day went by slowly. It was good to see Ray and Graham again when I went to Drayer to investigate this sickness Jennava had reported, though I made Graham disappointed when I told him I had not seen or heard anything about his father. They had nothing to say about Luther Prigg, their new lord. He hadn’t left much of an impression on anyone, apparently. I took that to mean things could be much worse.
There were a total of seven people with an infection that I got rid of, but only a few of them had felt weakened by the illness. It had taken the better part of the day to examine everyone, though much of that time had been spent ensuring that everyone came to see me in the courtyard of the lord’s manor. Actually investigating their bodies with mana was quick.
When I returned to the fort, the place looked very different. Hundreds, if not thousands of tents crowded the fort and took up all the space around the outside. Some tents even breached the dense forest that had not been cleared around us.
I had a late supper, missing Hadley and the rest of my peers, and went to sleep in the boys’ tent. The next day brought rain and cold wind, but at least the king and queen didn’t have to soar through that cold air because they had arrived the night before. I found out when I was summoned to his majesty’s tent.
It was a surprise to see Rick standing guard. “I didn't know you would be here,” I said as I shook his hand.
“Souriff brought me here this morning.”
“In the rain?” I asked.
“Yes, it was as unpleasant as you could imagine.” His expression remained indifferent and dutiful. I figured it was the approaching battle on his mind more than the recent flight.
“Did the demigods bring anyone else from the castle?”
“Just the queen. The king’s fire mage is still back there with Randy and the councilman. Some have to guard the castle, just in case something happens while the rest of us are gone.”
It sounded like a good idea to me.
“Jon, come in,” called the king.
I had not seen his majesty until then. I figured he had bunked with his family here, but the queen and princess were out when I entered.
“Sire,” I said with a bow.
“Greetings Jon, come and sit.”
There was a large table within the tent, but it was not the one the king directed me to. Instead, he sat at a small round table and had me take the seat next to him. He leaned toward me and lowered his voice.
“I need to thank you for rescuing my daughter. Now I’m telling you not to do it again.”
Had I heard that correctly?
“I mean what I say.” Nykal leaned closer. “If someone else is captured—and that includes my daughter or my wife—you are not to put yourself at that kind of risk again. I would include myself in that list, but the contract you signed to protect me would implore you to help me no matter what I tell you now.”
“But sire—?”
“But nothing. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, but I don’t understand.”
He leaned back a bit. “I do not know the chances we have of winning this war,” Nykal said, “but they are probably not great. If something was to happen to you, Souriff, or Failina, our slim chance is going to diminish to almost nothing. And there’s even more to consider than just the outcome of the war. If we do lose to Rohaer, you might be able to escape when our loss is imminent. I think you may be able to bring some semblance of peace to an unstable world that will be rife with dteria and sickness. My family and I cannot. If we lose this, we will be put to the noose. Do you understand now?”
I did, and unfortunately, it was starting to make me lose hope. I gave a nod.
“I don’t believe it’s necessary for me to say the following, but I’m going to anyway just to be sure,” the king uttered. “You are not to repeat what I told you to anyone. Not Michael, not Leon, not anyone. You will demonstrate hope and tell people I brought you here to thank you for bringing Callie back safely.”
“I will, sire.”
“Good, now I don’t believe it’s necessary to have you investigate thousands of our soldiers and supporters for sickness because it will take everyone away from their duties for more than a day. We’ll wait to see if an infection begins to spread, then we will do what we must. In the meantime, I want you to be at my side when I speak to Harold Chespar and Alecott Yorn.”
“Is Alecott Kataleya’s brother?”
“Yes, but that alone does not give us reason to trust him, which was the advice of Kataleya herself after spending time with him recently.”
“She’s here?” I hadn’t seen her, but as the king said, there were thousands of people buzzing around the fort now.
“She is. I spoke with her before calling you here. She feels confident that her brother and the Chespars will do what they can to stop Rohaer’s army and keep dteria out of our land, but they might make a play for the crown depending on how the dust settles.” He lowered his eyebrows. “We have looked at this at every angle and are taking measures to pre
pare for a rebellion at the end of the war, but forcing Rohaer to give up and draw back is our priority.”
“You don’t expect us to…?” I realized then that I didn’t know exactly what I had anticipated would happen in a victory. There were so many enemy troops. Had I really thought that we could decimate them all?
“Don’t expect us to what?” Nykal asked.
“To slay enough of them that they give up?”
“That is unlikely,” the king said. “Our means of victory is through starvation, sickness, or causing distrust and rebellion. We are working on all three.”
“What can I do?”
“Not much. Everything you might be able to accomplish right now puts you at great risk of death. Be calm and patient. There will be a battle soon at the defile. There’s no way around that. Depending on what happens there, we will discuss the next step.”
Kataleya stepped into the tent. She smiled at me briefly. “Jon,” she said with a slight bow of her head, which I reciprocated as she turned to the king. “Harold and my brother are here if you are ready to meet them, sire.”
“Yes, bring them here, then fetch Leon and Byron for me.”
Kataleya gave a quick bow and left.
While those people filed in, I found myself wondering about each of their ranks and how the king would address them. When comparing our army to Rohaer’s, it felt like ours was functioning without a clear hierarchy, but I didn’t know how long that would last, especially if one officer was to fall.
Kataleya’s brother had the same shade of blond hair as she did, but his beauty, or lack thereof, seemed to come from their father’s side. There was nothing particularly odd about his features. There just wasn’t any harmony to his spread-apart eyes, thin nose, and pointed chin.
Harold Chespar entered with his son, Trevor, who I recognized. While Trevor was tall with kind features, his father’s excess weight engorged his similar features to the point of little resemblance.
I felt a surge of mana outside the tent. Soon after, the demigod sisters entered. I hadn’t noticed the king summon them with his callring, but I figured that must’ve been the case.
I recognized Airinold immediately as he walked in behind Failina. He made Trevor look short as he towered over his already tall sisters. He seemed much less thin and frail than the last time I had seen him, when he lay naked in the pool of Gourfist’s blood, which I often wondered if it was the same as his own blood. There was added girth to his body, no doubt toned muscles beneath his simple shirt. His blond hair appeared longer as well, wavy and draped down around his ears or eyes.
I hadn’t heard anything about Airinold since I’d last seen him. I had no idea of his capability with sorcery, but I had little doubt that he was physically stronger than anyone here, except perhaps Souriff.
Alecott and the Chespars were sharply dressed in uniforms, with gold tassels hanging from their shoulders and large, silver buttons abundant down their midsections. They both wore white underneath their uniform, big collars on display. They made most of the rest of us appear underdressed, including the demigods.
I faintly heard Michael’s voice outside the tent as plainly dressed people brought in chairs and set them around the large table. “What’s going on in there?”
Someone replied, though I couldn’t tell who it was or discern what they said.
“They are? Well, who’s the fat one?” Michael asked, and a few of us gazed at Harold, his cheeks reddening as he took on a look of anger.
The king gestured with a turn of his head for me to take care of this. “Have someone secure a perimeter around the tent,” he added as I was on my way out.
I walked out briskly and found Michael speaking with Reuben. I put my hand on Michael’s back and led him away from the tent as I whispered, “We can hear you quite clearly.”
His face went white. “Does that mean everyone heard?”
“Yes, no one is speaking yet, and the walls of the tent do nothing to dampen sound.”
“Why is no one talking?” Reuben asked as he walked with us.
“I don’t know. It’s tense.”
“I should be in there, and so should my father,” Reuben proclaimed. “He’s paying for many of the soldiers who were here before the rest arrived.”
I shrugged. “You can take that up with the king afterward. I’d best get back. Reuben, will you take responsibility for keeping people away from the tent where they might overhear?”
“Yes, I can do that,” he said dutifully.
“Thank you.”
As I returned to the tent, I seemed to be stepping into the middle of an argument.
“…you would still be in your castle,” Harold was telling the king. Everyone was seated, but close to the edges of their chairs. “I have been with my troops for months. I know what they can do and what they cannot do, and they cannot hold back thousands of dark mages attempting to cross the defile. If you managed to capture or kill this metal mage, perhaps there would be a chance of avoiding slaughter, but as it is now I cannot condone the destruction of my men.”
“So you propose we allow Rohaer onto our land?” the king asked incredulously. “After coming this far, you’d simply let them pass through the defile? No, that is not an option. They must be held back as their supply line is weakened. That is the easiest means of victory. If you go against this order, you are dooming your nation and defying your king.”
Harold looked as if he’d bitten into a lemon and was trying not to give a reaction. “Your majesty, I am merely attempting to discuss tactics with you. This should not be a time to order us to your will but to discuss strategy openly.”
“Then I suggest you change your tone, and I may do the same.”
A silence held in the air like a string about to break.
“How many sorcerers do you have?” Leon asked Harold.
“None who can use their magic as a shield, as I’ve heard you can,” Harold replied. “We have a number of fire mages who pose as great a risk to the men around them as they do to their targets. Everyone will be clustered in the defile. Our shield wall will be blown apart, and our weapons will be melted by the army with the superior sorcery. I would agree that normally stopping the larger army in a narrow pathway would be the right choice, but because of the current circumstances it is not the case. It was a good plan months ago, but it has not come to fruition as we all had hoped. Our sorcerers are too weak and too few.”
Nykal glanced at the demigods. “We just have to keep them from progressing,” he told the sisters. “The two of you should be able to hold the line on your own, and yet I’ll have my strongest sorcerers with you, Jon and Leon.”
Souriff scowled and shook her head. “Absolutely not. Valinox will break through if we are there. The only hope is for us to take him out of the fight by creating a snowstorm and forcing him away from the defile. I must stay with Failina to keep her alive when Valinox attacks. Even then, it might not be enough to distract Valinox during the entire battle if it is expected to go on most of the day.”
Most of the day? I’d certainly had a different idea about this battle. I had assumed it would be like the others I’d experienced, quick and bloody. Now it sounded as if the battle would entail a lot of casting against magical and physical barriers, almost like a tug-of-war match with magic.
Reuben suddenly ran into the tent. “It’s Valinox,” he said as a commotion broke out outside. “He approaches the fort.”
“With how many others?” Nykal asked as everyone stood.
“It’s just him.”
I ran out past Reuben. I didn’t have on my armor, but I always kept my sword with me. I noticed everyone standing on the ramparts facing east, so that’s where I flew. I landed beside Michael as he stood at the ballista, which was already aimed at Valinox.
The demigod walked around the tents outside our wall, approaching us with his arms in the air. “I came to discuss peace.”
“Let me shoot him. I can do it,” Michael muttered to
Aliana as she tried to gently pull him away from the weapon.
“You will not unless the king gives the order,” she said.
“Come on, let me do it.”
“There’s a reason Byron put me in charge of you. Now listen!”
Michael didn’t back off. Valinox pointed at him as he lowered his eyebrows. “I recognize you, wind mage. If you fire that thing at me, I will block it. Then I will twist your head off your body.”
“I’d like to see you try to stop one of these bolts,” Michael muttered too quietly, thankfully, for the demigod to hear.
Souriff landed behind Michael and grabbed him by his shirt. She tossed him off the ramparts as he squealed like a thrown piglet.
“Finally, you show some sense, sister,” Valinox said as he continued to approach. “I’m here to make peace.”
“Why the hell would you do that?” Souriff asked.
“You’ll find out,” he said. “Let’s talk.” He continued through dense clusters of soldiers as they watched him with their weapons ready.
“Fine. No one is to attack Valinox.”
“Little good it would do anyway.” Valinox took to the air, soaring over our heads and landing near the king’s tent, where our leaders were gathered among dozens of soldiers just a sword’s-length away from him.
Airinold came toward Valinox from around the back of the group. They shared no words as Valinox froze and appeared shocked. Then Airinold walked forward to meet his brother.
While Valinox was tall and strong, Airinold was bigger in every sense of the word. Airinold did not speak, just held his older brother in his gaze as he waited.
“It’s been a long time,” Valinox said, with a tinge of apprehension in his tone I had not heard from him before.
“It hasn’t been that long,” Airinold said with a mean glare. “I saw you while I was stuck in Gourfist’s body.”
“You mean when you tried to kill me,” Valinox replied defensively.
“I wish I had succeeded. Look what you have done with your life. You have given power to the mortals who crave it the most, and at the same time taken it away from the good people who don’t desire to lord over their friends and family. By doing so you have fomented a world in which the worst of mankind is rewarded. It is the exact opposite of what dteria was created to do. Don’t you have shame? Or is it so overshadowed by your deep need for validation that you no longer feel it?”
