“Where is Elena?” He asked.
“I am here,” she replied.
“Thank you for your assistance. Had you not come,” he didn’t finish the sentence.
“Had I not come you still would have found a way out.”
The Archwizard shrugged. They saw him as more than just their leader. He was something of a hero in the Desert of Solitude. The camp was much the same as he had remembered it. James had made a point of being more like the nomadic peoples of the desert. As a result, he was the only Archwizard with more than one conclave. The desert life forced the occupants to stay on the move. Massive scorpions, bandits, snakes, and desert cats were always a danger. Many of them were constantly on the prowl for their next meal. There were a few cities in the desert, but even they had their dangers. The one friendly town was the one that James and his people had helped to found. They used it mainly as a trading post and a watering hole. The inhabitants would take turns staying in the town and moving with the caravan.
“I fear we may have attracted more attention than we can handle,” James said.
“What makes you say that?” Elena asked.
“The dragons won’t be happy to know that I survived their suicide mission and the Holy Order will surely want to retaliate against us for the attack. I should have seen this coming. It was a mistake to head north.”
“You couldn’t have known that. This was the smartest move.”
“Smart or not, we need to move or prepare for war.”
The others watched James as he headed for the largest tent. Though it had been months since his last visit to the desert, he would always know the leader’s tent. Elena followed closely behind him. Her tent now, he thought as he paused to open the flap for her. She smiled at him as she entered the tent. He followed her inside and quickly began looking for a map. Several others entered the tent as well. James recognized most of them, but some of them were new to him. Those that he did know were members of a council. He nodded to Elena in approval before turning back to the maps. Knowledge would be their most powerful ally at this point. The others were already gathered around a table by the time he found a suitable map. He unrolled it onto the table in front of all the others. Unsure of whom to address as leader, the others sat silently as he and Elena exchanged glances. He motioned for her to take the lead.
“We need to decide on the best course of action for our people. It appears that the dragons led our fearless leader into a trap.” She looked up at James to make sure he wasn’t upset.
“The two options that I see are running and fighting. It is up to the rest of you to decide which is best for our people,” he said.
“We’ve always looked to you for guidance, why should we stop now?” One of the others asked.
“Because I got you into this mess in the first place.”
“Whether or not that it true, we still value your input,” Elena said.
*
Kergan held up his hand in the air. He waited for the caravan to roll into place before signaling for the others to fire their arrows. Half of the raiders loosed their arrows as the other half drew their swords and followed Kergan’s lead in charging the convoy. Before they arrived, several guards fell to the barrage of arrows. The caravan’s guards ordered the drivers to keep going without them. Kergan paused to whistle to his troops. Several of the archers mounted their horses and rode for the fleeing caravan. The rest of the raiders engaged the caravan guards. Their leader dispatched two of the guards himself as his men each killed one. The remaining caravan guard dropped his sword and fell to his knees. Kergan approached him and held his sword to the man’s throat.
“You are going to deliver a message for me,” he said.
“Who are you?” The man asked.
“We are the Swords of Justice. Tell your leaders to pull back their support of the dragon King or their will be consequences.”
Kergan pulled back his sword and ordered the man to his feet. He complied and began running as the Swords of Justice formed up. They headed down the road after their fellow soldiers. The rest of the raiders had caught up to the caravan and easily subdued the drivers. One of them stood guard over the prisoners and the others were rummaging through the contents of the wagons. They all stopped what they were doing when their leader arrived. Kergan returned their salutes and ordered them back to work. He examined the goods from the caravan before walking over to the prisoners. There were two drivers and one guard. He ordered his men to tie-up the soldier and cut the bonds of the two drivers. They followed his orders and he brought the two drivers away from the guard before talking to them.
“Is either of you a member of the Carmalian army?” Kergan asked.
“No sir, we are wagon drivers and they forced us to drive their caravans.” One of the drivers answered.
“Are they your wagons?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You can keep what is yours, but we are taking the goods.”
*
Rolin sighed as he took a seat at the dragon’s council. They claimed to keep him around for information, but it felt more like slavery. Melissa’s condition was no better than before, James had disappeared, Janessa was dealing with her own problems in the Gloomvale Isles, and Paul had stormed off to see Emily. The elderly Archwizard felt quite alone among the dragons and their newly recruited magician allies. He had pledged to himself to not let the council fall out of his influence, but it hadn’t made much of a difference. The dragon King seemed to know that something was brewing on the horizon. Rolin only wished he knew more about the others’ plans. Paul and Janessa were both on the edge of open revolt, but that had come as no surprise to any of the Wizards. The Archwizard felt Melissa’s mental absence worst of all, with James’ absence coming in a close second. Neither of the others bothered him much. They had to choose their own paths. Melissa, James, and Rolin, on the other hand, were far too intertwined to make decisions on their own.
“You are shielding your thoughts from me,” Lethos, Rolin’s mindmeld partner, said.
“I am only reminiscing about old comrades, some alive, some dead,” Rolin replied.
“Then you have nothing to hide from me.”
A flood of pain hit Rolin’s mind like a rock. He had opened up to Lethos before, but it had never felt like this before. The Wizard looked up at the dragon with a fair measure of concern. I was taken by surprise, the dragon said, using the mindmeld to communicate. Rolin nodded, he understood on some level due to the connection. The dragon had lost companions in the past and feeling the Archwizard’s grief triggered something in the majestic beast. It had fascinated Rolin when he first learned that human emotions could trigger dragon emotions. All prior research on mindmelds (of which there was little) agreed that the bond was merely mental and held no physical or emotional aspects to it. Rolin’s own experience had proven otherwise. The shared physical pain was dull and felt distant, but emotional pain was amplified. Rolin could not help but wonder if magicians of the past used emotions to overwhelm dragons. Lethos did not seem to like the thought of it.
“Your allies are fickle at best,” the dragon King said.
“Paul and Janessa, perhaps, not James though. He may not like the changes that have occurred, but he is smart enough to know how to adapt. The two of us should be able to rein in the others with relative ease,” Rolin replied.
“I have other plans for James. You may attempt to draw back the others, if you wish. It is of no concern to me. We are not short of servants when we need them. Your friends can be among that number.”
“You would do well to share your plans with me. I know the strengths and weaknesses of each Wizard.”
“Do not presume to tell me what to do!” The dragon King bellowed in rage. He turned to some of the knights gathered and spoke, “Get this fool out of my sight.”
“I can see myself out, thank you.” Rolin jumped up onto Lethos back and ordered the creature into the air.
His emotions were in taters as he flew away
from the council. Getting away from the dragon King produced an immense sense of relief. Unfortunately, leaving Melissa caused him no small measure of guilt. His anger at the dragon was far greater than the other emotions. He felt Lethos blocking the emotions as he tried to bottle them up. Hardly a good idea, he thought. Lethos growled in agreement. Rolin sighed as he looked out over the land. He pulled on the reigns, alerting the dragon to head for Cardinia. If he wanted to oppose anyone, he needed to raise an army. King John had been on their side before and Rolin wanted to find out if he would do so again. He shook his head in frustration. It was not the plan he had originally planned, but the dragon King had forced his hand.
“The dragon King used to crush his enemies. Now, his enemies are getting close to crushing him,” Lethos said.
*
Bartholomew looked up from his papers to see one of his underlings entering the council room. This better be important, he thought as he put the parchment down. The servant, a boy that was too young for combat training, stood still and stared at the wall behind the Grand Cleric. Bartholomew began to open his mouth, but the door opened again. Serith walked through and excused the boy as she passed him. He nodded and apologized before heading for the exit. The Crusader glanced back over her shoulder and waited for him to exit the room. She shook her head and sighed before addressing Bartholomew.
“Grand Cleric, the ogres have been dealt with. Our allies should be sending whatever troops they can spare,” she said.
“Good. Where are your men?” He asked.
“Many of them are dead and those who are still alive are recuperating. Only five of them survived uninjured, I told them that they deserved the time off. I hope that I was not out of line.”
“No, I trust your judgment in these areas. We haven’t been as active as I would have hoped lately, but that is hardly your fault.”
“If it is not too bold, why haven’t we progressed as you hoped?”
“I’ve always trusted you, so it wouldn’t hurt to tell you. The dragons and their Wizard allies have proven to be a greater threat than we first envisioned. Zeltos and Xander are tying up loose ends, but I can’t be sure they will succeed. Our new Grand Crusader is not as competent as I once thought. Gareth may have had a different way of thinking about things, but he was a far better fighter and tactician. I fear the Telmac Valley may fall under Xander’s leadership.”
“Why don’t you have him replaced?” Serith asked.
“I want to keep my options open. Others in the order may not see his demotion as prudent. For now, you are to stick by his side and ensure that things go according to plan. How many troops will that require?”
“No more than five hundred.”
“Granted.”
*
Zeltos pushed past the villagers and slipped through the northern gate unnoticed. He chuckled as he looked up at the main keep of Castle Cardinia. This will be far easier than I expected, he thought as he made his way through the crowd. The assassin had faced numerous missions in the past, but few were as prestigious as this. He liked the idea of eliminating a King. There was some part of him that even wanted to assassinate the Grand Cleric or the Grand Crusader. He was in conflict on the inside, half wanting to listen to what he saw as the “will of the light,” and the other half of him wanting to become the most notorious assassin to have ever lived. He sighed as he stalked the streets, keeping an eye on the guards. To the untrained eye, his path made him look like an aimless wanderer. Castle Cardinia was bustling with activity, making it even easier for the assassin to scout out the area.
“Can I interest you in some fine silks? Perhaps you have a lady you wish to impress?” The female merchant draped some silk over her arm as she reached out toward him.
“I’m afraid not, but can you point me to a decent place of lodging?” He asked.
“New, I see. Well, a finely dressed man such as yourself would probably prefer the Puffin’s Perch. Stay away from the Mangy Dog. A right nasty place, that one. The Mermaid’s Blessing is a fine establishment as well, not quite as fancy as the Puffin though.”
“You have been a great help, what is your name?”
“Call me Mrs. Dunlon. If ever you need any silk, don’t forget to stop by. I wouldn’t mind a bit of chatting either. We might even be able to get my husband to come around for bit as well.”
The assassin forced a smile before turning back toward the street. He never liked talking with the villagers, but it was essential to his task. They always knew the best inns, whether they recommended them or not. He would visit at least two of the inns she had told him about. From his prior experience, it was best to stay at the moderately priced inns. The other inns were better suited for gathering information and he knew better than to gather too much information at place he stayed. Rich patrons from the expensive inn would be more likely to boast about things, while the seedier inn would Zeltos to trade money for information. The Holy Order operative took a moment to examine the Mermaid’s Blessing sign before entering. He had never seen a mermaid before, but he doubted they looked as human as the inn portrayed. The inside of the Mermaid’s Blessing was not too far off from what he was expecting. Most of the patrons were watching the singer and her musicians.
“Can I get you something?” The innkeeper asked.
“Yes, I’ll need a room for three or four days. A nice hot meal would do me some good. Is there a more private place to eat?” He eyed the innkeeper with a bit of suspicion.
“Nothing like what the Puffin’s Perch has, but we should be able to provide you with a quieter dining experience than most inns.”
“That is satisfactory. I won’t be needing it for every meal, but I might have some associates stopping by later.” Zeltos slid a gold coin across the counter.
*
Paul watched as Kadegar and the others studied Argos. He suppressed a chuckle when the dragon snorted and sent them all running. Emily seemed to be the only one more interested in his presence than the dragon. She had convinced him to stay for two days, but he knew that he would have to leave after that. I’ve chosen my fate, he thought, now to ensure the choice doesn’t kill me. Emily grabbed his arm, making him wonder if she had somehow read his thoughts. He was about to say something to her, but he changed his mind when he saw her face. She was smiling up at him and all he could do was get lost in her eyes. Kadegar cleared his throat as he approached the two. Emily quickly let go of Paul’s arm and looked to the Supreme Wizard. Paul’s hand darted after hers, but he quickly let it fall before turning to look at Kadegar.
“You are always welcome here, Paul. They don’t call it the Isle of Wizardry for nothing. We accept all Wizards. In times past, we even accepted all magic users. Hence the actual name, of course.” Kadegar had a way of relieving tension with simple discussion.
“I am afraid that I am needed in other places. The dragon King is getting impatient. I will gladly return as an ally and a guest, but I cannot become a student at this time,” Paul said.
“That will have to be enough, I suppose. Extend my invitation to the others. At the very least, you can use the Isle of Magic as a base of operations. The dragon King would not dare attack us here.”
“I hope that you are correct. The dragon King is much rasher than I had originally realized. I’m afraid that I need a moment to discuss something with Emily.”
Kadegar nodded and turned back toward Argos. Paul watched as the Supreme Wizard walked back to the dragon. He couldn’t help but wonder how the man had risen to power among the Wizards. The Wizards were unlike the other magic using groups. They rarely put their strongest magicians in positions of leadership. It made a lot of sense to Paul, but it also made him wonder how often the stronger Wizards tried to take the positions for themselves. None of the others had given him much of the history behind the group and it was not something that was well-known to outsiders. Now is not the time to be wondering about that, he thought as he turned to Emily. She looked a lot sadder than she had before.
“Is something the matter?” He asked.
“The way you came back, I got caught up in my emotions. You will return soon, won’t you?” She asked.
“As soon as I am able. The dragon King is not our only enemy. Things are far more dangerous out there than I could have ever suspected. The Holy Order gets stronger with every day. I need to find the others. We need to stick together and work as a team if we want to win this.”
Emily nodded and took a step back. Paul could see the change on her face. He reached out for her hand, but hesitated a moment. It would be safer if you let her go, he told himself. She smiled and shook his hand. As she went to pull hers hand away, he grabbed tighter and pulled her in closer, sliding his free arm around her. He smiled as she threw one of her arms around him and placed the other up to his heart. She pressed her head against his shoulder, which made him want to stand there forever. They held each other for a while before Paul finally pulled back. She sighed and pulled her arm back from around him. He placed a hand on her face and leaned in to whisper in her ear.
“I will always come back to you,” He said before kissing her on the cheek.
Argos lunged forward and Emily started to take a step backward. Paul caught hold of her and led her to the dragon. He motioned for her to climb atop the beast, but she shook her head vehemently. Before she could react, his arms were around her and they were moving toward the dragon. She stopped fighting when he let go of her and swung up onto the dragon. His arm reached down and took hold of her, pulling her up onto the dragon. She grabbed hold of his waist as tight as she could manage. Paul laughed as he spurred the dragon into the air. Argos circled around the island at a slow pace. He dipped low and let his claws touch the water. Paul grabbed hold of Emily and then slid down the side of the dragon. He grabbed hold of the rope that held the seat in place and lowered Emily closer to the water. She reached down and touched the water with her fingers, giggling uncontrollably. Argos grunted and Paul quickly scooped up Emily before slipping back up into the seat.
The Tomes Of Magic Page 11
