Into Chaos

by Toby Neighbors

  “Won’t she turn back once she has seen what is happening in Falxis and Osla?” Branock suggested. “If you go to Baskla, she may have returned to Yelsia even before you do. Then we can know what is taking place in the other kingdoms.”

  “No,” Zollin said. “I’ll go to Baskla after I find Brianna.”

  “Tell me you have not felt the evil rising in the east,” Branock said. “There are dangerous times ahead.”

  “Would you turn your back on your own kingdom?” Hausey said, turning around but staying close to the fire. “Would you allow thousands of innocents to die because you refused the request of your chosen king?”

  “That’s not fair,” Zollin said. “Why not send Branock?”

  “I do not have a dragon at my disposal,” the elder wizard said.

  Zollin caught the hint of humor in Branock’s voice. His carefully constructed demeanor slipped only for a split second, but Zollin saw through the ruse. He knew that Branock had a plan, but he could do nothing until the scheming wizard made his move. Zollin hoped at that point that it wouldn’t be too late.

  “I don’t trust Branock, my lord,” Zollin said. “You have to know that he is an evil, deceitful man.”

  “My king,” Branock said in a humble tone. “I am afraid that I do nothing but hinder your purposes in this matter. I will excuse myself.”

  Zollin watched as the elder wizard bowed, then left the room. For a few moments, the wizard and the king stared at each other. Then Hausey moved a chair that was close to the fire. He stretched his boots out toward the flames and rubbed his balding head.

  “Zollin, please sit down,” he said in a tired voice.

  Zollin sank down into the chair opposite Hausey. He felt guilty knowing that his objection to Branock was making things harder for the king, but he couldn’t pretend that he didn’t object to the elder wizard having wormed his way into Hausey’s good graces.

  “This job is much more complex than I ever imagined. You would not believe the number of people who want things from me. Everyone talks about the good of the kingdom, but in fact what they’re really after is something that benefits themselves. I have to weed through the lies and the flattery to find the truth and weigh that against the good of the kingdom. In the King’s Army, things were simpler. I may not have agreed with every order I received, but I knew my duty was to carry it out regardless of my personal feelings. Now things are more complex; the truth isn’t merely black and white. And finding the best path for our people is elusive.”

  “I’m sorry if I’m making things more difficult,” Zollin said.

  “No, don’t be sorry. In a way, your honesty is refreshing. It reminds me of how things used to be. I know that Branock has done terrible things. He came here of his own volition, willing to face the consequences of his actions. The only problem was that very few people really knew what crimes he had actually committed. I saw an opportunity to use his strengths to my advantage. I’m not foolish enough to believe that he doesn’t have an agenda of his own, but I know I need to get as much good from him as I can for as long as I can.”

  “He is evil,” Zollin said.

  “He is useful,” Hausey argued. “And being without someone who understands magic is a mistake I cannot afford to make. If you would stay and take his place, I would send him away.”

  “I can’t do that,” Zollin said.

  “So we are at an impasse on this matter. Let us move on to other matters. Branock tells me there is a sense of evil magic that is growing across the Five Kingdoms.”

  Zollin didn’t respond. He had sensed the evil growing too and had thought at one point during their dinner that Branock was the source, but Zollin could sense nothing from the older wizard. And while the sense of evil was strong, its source felt far away, as if they were just sensing the ripples of strong magic from a great distance.

  “What do you know about this evil?” Hausey asked.

  “I’ve sensed it,” Zollin said. “I’ve seen some strange creatures that I think were strengthened by it. But I don’t know where it is coming from.”

  “I have to know the answers to these questions, Zollin. And while I wish you would stay here, the truth is I need you to go and find out what is happening in the Five Kingdoms. Surely you see the need for that.”

  “What I know is that it is dangerous to keep him here.”

  “There’s an old saying that goes like this: ‘Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer.’”

  “That may be wise,” Zollin admitted. “But you don’t know how powerful Branock is.”

  “More powerful than you?”

  “At the moment … yes. My strength is slowly returning, but the Witch’s War stripped me of most of my powers. Branock has a great advantage over us both in that he knows our weaknesses yet we know nothing about him.”

  “I can have him watched day and night.”

  “You’ll only see what he wants you to see,” Zollin said. “Do not let him into your confidence and do not give him a chance to hurt you.”

  “That will be difficult,” Hausey said. “But it is nothing I have not already done. Branock will remain here where we can keep an eye on him. We stand a better chance of uncovering any treachery with him close than if we were to send him away. In the meantime, I need you in Baskla. You gave me this crown,” he said, as he waved at the golden crown that was displayed on a faceless bust near his desk, “but I wear it now, and as your sovereign I must ask this of you. Go to Baskla, find out why my emissaries have not returned and what is happening in the east.”

  “I will go,” Zollin said, the words tasting sour in his mouth. “But if Brianna returns before I do, I ask that you make her stay.”

  “Why wouldn’t she wait for you?” Hausey asked.

  “She has a mind of her own and isn’t keen on waiting for others. She needs to know what I’m doing and that you are the reason I’m doing it.”

  “Fine, I can do that.”

  “All right,” Zollin said, feeling guilty but knowing he couldn’t refuse Hausey.

  Everything the king was asking was reasonable, and if Zollin was right about the evil spreading from the east, then going to Baskla would allow him the opportunity to search for it as he went. He could also stop at Ebbson Keep and check on the work that Kelvich had started in translating the scrolls they’d found in the Ruins of Arnak.

  “Do you need anything from me?” Hausey asked.

  “Food for the journey,” Zollin said.

  “I shall have it waiting for you at first light, along with a letter that you must place in King Ricard’s hands alone.”

  “All right,” Zollin said. “I better get some rest. Ferno will be waiting for me on the watchtower at dawn.”

  “The dragon?”

  Zollin nodded.

  “I shall have everything ready and I’ll warn the soldiers on duty there to watch for the dragon’s return.”

  Hausey rang a bell, and a steward entered the room. He was a young man with an eager expression on his round face. Hausey gave him orders, and the steward led Zollin to a quiet room on the second floor.

  “Can you wake me a half hour before dawn?” Zollin asked the steward.

  “Of course, my lord,” the man said.

  “You can call me Zollin.”

  “I am Loman, the king’s under-steward.”

  “Thank you, Loman. I appreciate your help. I’ll need a letter delivered to Estry the tailor. Do you think someone can do that for me in the morning?”

  “I’ll see to it myself, Lord Zollin.”

  The young wizard smiled. “Thank you,” he said.

  The steward bowed, then left the room. There were writing utensils on a table near the fireplace where a warm fire was already burning. Zollin was tired, but he sat down to write a letter before he slept. His mind was so full of possibilities and worries that it was hard to focus, but eventually he got the task done.

  As he laid out on the soft bed, he thought of Brianna. She hadn’
t come to Orrock, which was strange, but perhaps she had her reasons. Zollin couldn’t pretend to know what she was thinking; he only hoped that she would eventually come back to him. The thought of not pursuing her felt like a hot blade slipping between his ribs, but he couldn’t make decisions based on his emotions. Not when he could sense things beginning to take shape in the kingdom around him.

  It was no coincidence that Branock had returned. The elder wizard deserved to be locked away, but the king’s pardon was absolute. If Zollin attacked Branock now, he would be guilty of breaking the king’s law. And the spread of evil across Yelsia was almost certainly affecting Baskla. Going there now was the right thing to do, even if he didn’t want to do it.

  He closed his eyes and did his best to sleep, but he felt exposed. He was on Branock’s turf, and that meant even closing his eyes for a moment could be deadly. If he was taken in the night, there would be no one to help him, yet he had to rest. Eventually he drifted off to a fitful slumber, but he couldn’t hold back the nightmares that invaded his dreams.

  Chapter 3

  Brianna was torn about her decision to go south without Zollin. She wanted the thrill and freedom of being on her own. She wanted adventure and passion in her life, but she was lonely, and instead of adventure all she seemed to be finding was trouble.

  Sorva didn’t understand, which wasn’t surprising to Brianna, since she didn’t understand exactly what she was feeling herself. Sometimes she felt as if she’d been too hasty with Zollin. She thought that perhaps she should have opened up more about her unhappiness in Brighton’s Gate. But at other times she bristled at the thought of even considering another’s person’s opinions. She was tired of following Zollin’s lead or making decisions based on anyone’s opinions but her own.

  Still, if her experiences had taught her anything since the Witch’s War, it was that the people who cared about her were dwindling. Over the last year she had been exposed to vile treatment in Brighton’s Gate. She had thought that by coming south she would be remembered for her part in the Witch’s War, but instead she had been hunted and feared. Zollin, Quinn, and Mansel were the only people that she knew who accepted her for who she was. She missed that and didn’t want to ruin those relationships, but she knew her life was about to change forever. She was pregnant, and that meant she no longer had the luxury of just thinking about herself.

  It was late, the stars were hard points of light high overhead, and the air was much cooler than it had been, but Brianna couldn’t rest. Sorva was out hunting, and Brianna decided to take a walk. The mountains of Walheta were tall and rugged, but not barren crags like the Northern Highlands. In the Walheta Range, she was surrounded by towering pines and stately fir trees. There were huge boulders covered in thick green moss, and ferns grew in bunches around the roots of the trees. It was a beautiful place and more temperate than the highlands. Brianna could only imagine how much snow had already fallen on their home in the Great Valley. She had always liked winter, especially the way snow made everything look new, clean, and magical. Snow fell in the higher elevations of the Walheta Mountains, dusting the evergreens with white but not piling up in huge drifts all around.

  She walked through dark forest, listening to the nocturnal sounds of small animals around her. The night was peaceful, easing the distress she felt in her soul. She desperately wanted to go south, to see what had become of Falxis and Olsa, and most importantly to see if she could learn the fate of Bartoom. The ancient black dragon had slain one of her own pride, but it had been under the influence of an evil wizard, and Brianna still felt a connection to Bartoom on a deep level. She was still thinking of the great black dragon that had awakened her kinship with the noble beasts when she heard a strange sound.

  In the darkness of the forest, Brianna’s ears had become accustomed to the sounds of animals, the wind filtering through the trees’ scratchy branches, and insects singing among the fauna of the forest. The new sound stood out in stark contrast. It was a raspy, labored breathing. Brianna waited for a few seconds, making sure that what she heard was what it sounded like. Then she crept toward the sound.

  Everything around her was dark; she could see the forms of trees and plants, but not their details. Many things on the ground were lost in the shadows, but Brianna waited until she was close to the creature making the wheezing sounds. She lifted her hand over her head and let her fingers combust into flames. Light shone from her hand so that she could see, and to her great surprise, she recognized the creature on the ground. It was Jute, the leader of the Yel clan of dwarves. There was dried blood on the side of the dwarf’s face, and even though he was unconscious, he held his right arm close to his body as if it were injured. Most of the dwarf’s beard had been burned away, and his skin was covered in soot.

  Brianna reached down with her free hand and touched the dwarf’s forehead. His skin was hot to the touch with fever, but his eyes fluttered open, and the wheezing turned into a wracking cough that shook the dwarf’s entire body.

  “Fire spirit,” he whispered, the corners of his mouth turning up just slightly.

  “Jute, what has happened?” Brianna asked.

  The dwarf passed out before he could answer, and Brianna knew that something was terribly wrong. Jute needed help, but she didn’t want to move him, and all her supplies were back at her own camp. She realized she would have to leave him, but first she gathered wood and built a fire close enough to the dwarf that he could feel the heat. She had no illusions about the dangers the forest posed. The smell of blood on the dwarf’s head would carry to predators, and Jute was in no condition to defend himself. She hoped that the fire would keep any creatures that might be looking for an easy meal away until she could return.

  She had wandered farther from her own camp than she realized, and running through the forest, even with her hands ablaze to shed light on her path, was difficult. When she got to her camp, Sorva was circling. Brianna didn’t wait for the dragon to land to gather her things together. A questioning image of her frantic efforts filled her mind. She sent back an image of the injured dwarf in reply and then waited while Sorva landed in the clearing.

  “There’s no room for you to land,” Brianna explained. “Try and find a place close by and bring the rest of our supplies.”

  She hung the oversized saddle bags across Sorva’s back. The black dragon growled deeply, but Brianna recognized it as a sign of affection. Dragons didn’t understand romantic love, but they were fiercely loyal to their pride mates, and Sorva considered Brianna to be dragonkind.

  “Be careful,” Brianna warned. “Something isn’t right here.”

  Sorva dipped the elegantly shaped head on the long, supple neck, then took to the sky. Brianna had a canteen of water and some food, which she carried back to Jute. The night was half gone by the time she reached the injured dwarf. The fire had nearly burned through the first load of wood. She set the food and water down, then added more branches to the fire.

  As the flames grew brighter, Brianna turned her attention to the dwarf. Jute was unconscious, and Brianna had to lift his head to dribble water onto his lips. She wished more than ever that Zollin was with her. He could have used his power to heal the dwarf, but Brianna could only nurse Jute and hope that he came around. His mouth moved as the water trickled in, which Brianna took as a good sign.

  After giving the dwarf a drink, she wet a scrap of cloth and began dabbing at the dwarf’s bloody face. There was a gash on the side of Jute’s head, just inside the hairline. Brianna cleaned the blood around it but could do nothing to close the wound.

  “You’re a welcome sight,” Jute whispered after she’d cleaned his wound. His voice was hoarse and weak, but Brianna heard the playfulness she remembered from the dwarf.

  “What has happened?” she asked.

  “Long … story,” he said in a wheezy whisper.

  She lifted his head and let more water dribble into his mouth. She could tell how eager he was to drink, but she forced him to take thing
s slow.

  “All right, you can tell me later,” she said after she laid his head back down again. “Tell me what’s hurting.”

  “Broke my arm,” he said.

  “I’ll fix a splint for that. What else?”

  “What you see is what you get. I’m half burned and nearly starved to death.”

  Brianna tore some of the softer parts of the loaf of bread she carried with her from her own camp. Jute ate several bites, then drank more water before passing out again. He was pale once she had washed the soot from his face, and his skin was still roasting from a fever. It was dawn before she finished seeing to his needs, and Jute slept most of that time.

  Taking a break until the sun was fully up, Brianna had time to wonder what terrible thing had happened to the dwarves. She knew that Jute had been with the warriors that Zollin had convinced to march with the king’s army from Yelsia against the witch’s monsters. She had recruited many dragons from the Northern Highlands to join the fight as well, but once Zollin had defeated the witch and her armies had retreated back to the south, the dwarves were not seen again. There had been reports that their position was overtaken, but even when Brianna searched for evidence of the dwarves among the dead, there was no sign of them. She knew something evil had happened, but until she found Jute, no one knew what had become of the dwarf warriors.

  She was just getting to her feet and stretching tired muscles when Sorva came wiggling through the trees. Sorva could bend its long, black body almost like a snake. The dragon wiggled through the forest until Brianna saw the huge beast. She came and took the rest of her supplies.

  “You’ve fed?” she asked Sorva.

  An image of a mountain goat with thick, curved horns flashed into Brianna’s mind.

  “Good, we’ll be staying in the mountains for a while. I have to find out what happened to the dwarves. You can hunt and explore, but don’t go too far. There’s only so much I can do for Jute on my own.”

  Sorva growled. The dragon wanted to stay with Brianna, but there was simply no room where they were. Brianna went back to the dwarf and looked at his body. She knew from lifting his head to help him drink that he was incredibly heavy. There was no way she could carry him through the forest to a more suitable camp, but if she could get him on some type of litter, Sorva could drag it.