Chapter 49
“Dear Maker! He’s outside in the square, looking up at our balcony right now,” Isabel said urgently as she stood and hurried to the armoires that held their weapons.
Kelvin was on his feet as well. “How does she know he’s here?”
“Her bird. She can see through its eyes when she wants to. I asked her to keep an eye on the people hunting me. We wouldn’t have made it here if it wasn’t for Isabel and Slyder.” Alexander leaned a little to see Isabel around the wall of the archway that led to the entry hall.
She was rushing back into the sitting room with her bow and quiver. She looked so at odds with herself. She was wearing a simple dress that only served to accentuate her natural beauty, but she had a quiver over her shoulder and she was nocking an arrow as she headed for the balcony with a look of grim determination.
Alexander couldn’t help smiling at the sight. He’d known Isabel for a relatively short time but he felt such a deep connection to her. He was more at ease in her presence than he would have ever thought possible. Beauty had always flustered him a bit, but she was so much more than beautiful. The nature of her character, the clarity of her mind, and her simple human compassion easily overshadowed her physical beauty.
Kelvin looked alarmed. “What’s your intention?” His voice was a bit more forceful than Alexander had heard before.
She didn’t stop until she reached the door to the balcony. “I intend to kill him,” she tossed the words over her shoulder like the matter was settled. Alexander could see she was looking through Slyder’s eyes one more time to fix the enemy’s position.
Kelvin took a few quick steps to the door and put his hand against the frame. She looked up at the big Mage with such fierce intensity that he actually took a step back.
“This guy has been chasing us since we left Glen Morillian. He ambushed my brother’s company of Rangers and killed a number of good people, many of whom were my friends. He needs to be dealt with and sooner is better than later.” She tried to open the door, but Kelvin stopped her again.
“Lady Isabel,” Kelvin said, “you will not succeed against this man. Your attack will only serve to alert him to our location. When you attack, he will come for Alexander and we are not prepared to defend against him. Please, do not act rashly.”
Isabel faced him defiantly. “He’s right out there, standing in the center of the square looking up at this balcony. He already knows we’re here. I can get a shot off quickly enough that he won’t have a chance and even if I don’t get him, I want that bastard to know we’re trying to kill him, too!”
Alexander hadn’t seen her this angry before. He watched the confrontation for a moment, simply enjoying the intensity of her passion and marveling at her courage. She stood her ground against a mage without batting an eye, all the while demanding that he stand aside so she could pick a fight with another mage.
“Hang on for a second, Isabel,” Alexander said before he headed into the entry hall.
He could see with his all around sight that she was looking at him with confused anger while he trotted into the other room. He went to the door first. Six guards scrambled to their feet when he opened it. A young sergeant was commanding the guard detail.
“Send a message to your commander immediately. I want this guard detail doubled at once.”
He didn’t bother to wait for a response. He closed the door, dropped the bar in place, and went to the armoires. He strapped on his sword and slung his quiver before taking up his bow and nocking an arrow. He locked eyes with Isabel when he entered the sitting room. She gave him a look of such fierce passion that he had to remind himself to breathe.
Kelvin shook his head. “This is unwise. He can only guess at your location for the moment. If you show yourself, he will attack as soon as he can make preparations.”
“I’ve doubled our guard. He’ll have to get through two dozen men just to get to our quarters and that’s if we don’t kill him right now.” He looked at Isabel. “We’ll move quickly to the balcony, staying low, come up as we draw, take aim and shoot.”
She nodded. Determination sparkled in her green eyes.
Kelvin sighed and looked to Lucky for support. Lucky just shrugged and spread his hands. “He’s always been stubborn once he’s made up his mind.”
Kelvin looked helpless. He snorted, then shook his head again. “Very well, but I would have come much better prepared if I’d known you were going to pick a fight with a battle mage. I can’t talk you out of this?”
Alexander and Isabel spoke in unison. “No.”
Kelvin took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Very well, let me see your arrow heads,” he commanded. When they raised the arrows, he placed a hand on each and spoke softly in a strange language. The spell didn’t take long to cast, and Alexander would have doubted that anything had happened if he hadn’t seen the way Kelvin’s colors swelled and deepened as he spoke.
“This enchantment will make your arrows penetrate most types of armor.” He stood looking at them with disapproval but said nothing more.
Alexander and Isabel opened the door just enough to get out and stayed low as they moved to the balcony.
Isabel whispered, “Stay low for a moment. Let me take another look.” A few moments later, she nodded. “He and the giant are still standing in the center of the square, looking up at us. Should be an easy shot at this height.”
Alexander nodded and they stood in unison, fluidly drawing their bows and taking aim. They released their arrows at the same moment. The shafts sailed through the air and down into the square. They were both on target. Alexander watched the arrows travel to their mark. Only a heartbeat passed, but the man in black stepped aside more quickly than should have been possible. Each arrow passed through the empty space where his torso should have been and drove several inches into the flagstone of the square.
Jataan P’Tal stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at Alexander like he was measuring his worth as an opponent. The big man beside him hadn’t flinched or even paid much attention to the two arrows that just missed him by a couple of feet. Instead, the giant smoothly drew a javelin from the extra-large quiver on his back, took a couple of hop steps and hurled the weapon.
Alexander grabbed Isabel and spun out of the way only a moment before the javelin hurtled over the balcony wall and buried into the top of the doorframe.
Alexander and Isabel both drew a second arrow and sent it at the man in black with practiced ease. Again they missed; this time both arrows skittered across the square. And again the giant returned a javelin thrown with such tremendous force that it stuck eight inches into the stone of the wall behind the balcony, just missing Alexander.
“Stick the giant,” Alexander said as he drew a third arrow.
Isabel nodded, following his lead. They crouched and moved along the balcony a few feet so they could pop up in a different place from where they’d ducked. When they stood, they saw that their enemies were standing at the edge of the square, well out of arrow range.
The man in black offered a salute to Alexander before he turned and walked casually down one of the streets that led out of the square.
Kelvin came up alongside them with Lucky.
“Well, it looks like you won his respect.” The Mage paused, staring down onto the now mostly empty square. “He’s still going to try to kill you, though. I’ll summon a wizard or two to augment the guard force. Two dozen men aren’t enough to stop him.”
Alexander looked at him. “You really think he can make it through two dozen men in a confined space like the glass bridge?”
For a long moment, Kelvin didn’t answer. “He can kill all of your guards without difficulty. Alexander, I don’t think you understand the nature of a battle wizard’s power. He’s lethal in a fight. If he’d had a ranged weapon, he may well have killed you right here on this balcony.”
Alexander thought about how easily the man in black had sidestepped the arrows that would have killed any ot
her man. It was almost as if he could see a moment into the future. He turned and went back inside to the armoire and replaced his bow and quiver but kept his sword. Everyone followed him into the entry hall.
“With your permission, I will accompany you to Blackstone Keep,” Kelvin offered.
“I was hoping you would. I’m sure I’ll need some help figuring the place out. Kelvin, I want you to know that I don’t take your counsel lightly.” Alexander motioned toward the balcony and the square beyond, “That may have been … unwise, but I learned a thing or two about my enemy. We’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning and we’ll slip out quietly. I’ll ask the Regent to announce a banquet in my honor for tomorrow evening to throw off … what did you say his name is?”
“Jataan P’Tal, General Commander of the Reishi Protectorate.”
Alexander smiled at the memory of his childhood lessons. “My father taught me that deception is one of the most effective weapons in existence. Perhaps I can’t beat Commander P’Tal in a straight fight, but that doesn’t mean I can’t outsmart the man. With any luck, we’ll be a day ahead of him before he realizes we’re gone.”
There was a knock at the door. Kelvin was immediately alert and tense. He wheeled on the door and looked intently. Alexander watched the aura of his amulet of seeing pulse with magic as Kelvin looked through the door. He relaxed.
“It’s Regent Cery and your friends,” he said before he lifted the heavy bar from the door and opened it.
The hall was filled with men. There were groups of six at either end and two more groups of six spaced a third of the way inside each end of the glass-encased bridge. They were all armed with crossbows, short swords, and short spears with long, flat-bladed heads that made them look more like a long knife on the end of a staff than a typical spear.
Regent Cery was accompanied by his court wizard Izar, General Markos, and Minister Savio. Anatoly, Jack, and Abigail were with him. Anatoly looked concerned at seeing so many guards.
“Why the increased security?” he asked.
Isabel answered before Alexander could. Anatoly had been one of his teachers and he’d learned to choose his words precisely when answering Anatoly’s questions. The old man-at-arms dealt in reality as it is. He had no time for anything else and wasn’t afraid to say what he thought, especially to Alexander and Abigail. More than that, Alexander wanted his mentor to respect him, so he always took care to be precise and accurate, which usually meant taking a moment to choose his words before answering him. Isabel had no such concerns.
“The man in black who’s been chasing us is here in the city. He was out in the square a few minutes ago so Alexander and I took a shot at him.” She reported the facts calmly and succinctly like she was addressing her commanding officer.
Anatoly stiffened a bit at the news. “I take it you didn’t hit him,” he said.
This time Alexander answered. “No. Apparently he’s a battle mage named Jataan P’Tal and he’s the General Commander of the Reishi Protectorate.”
Anatoly’s face lost a little color. More than anything else, seeing the look on Anatoly’s face at the mention of Jataan P’Tal’s name frightened Alexander.
“I know who he is,” Anatoly said. “If he’s here, then we must leave. I’ve seen the man fight. He fought in the service of Kai’Gorn during the border wars as part of an agreement to allow several operatives of the Reishi Protectorate to serve in a number of important offices in the city. I watched him wade into our forces with nothing but a sword. He killed thirty-four men in just minutes. It broke the spirit of our unit, and the commander ordered a retreat. I’ve never seen a man move so quickly or with such sudden violence. When he struck, men fell. Alexander, you can’t stay here.”
“I know,” Alexander said. “We’re leaving tomorrow morning, first thing. Mage Gamaliel will be coming with us.” A bit of the tension eased from Anatoly’s face. He nodded his approval.
Alexander turned to the Regent and said, “Regent Cery, I’d like you to announce a banquet in my honor for tomorrow evening as a ruse. Cancel it at the last minute with my apologies.”
“Of course, Lord Alexander,” Regent Cery said. “I was planning a formal banquet anyway a few days from now. I’ll just move some of the preparation up a bit. There is still the matter of the council meeting. The local petty nobles will be assembling in less than an hour. I would strongly advise you to attend. Your presence will solidify your claim to the throne.”
The council meeting was about what Alexander expected, a bunch of self-important petty nobles preening and posturing for each other and for Alexander. Each of them tried to sound important without saying anything of consequence and without making any firm commitments. Alexander listened politely for about an hour while each noble pledged his support to him provided he could produce the Thinblade. It seemed that none of them believed he would be able to, so they could be gracious and offer their support while secretly thinking that they would never have to deliver on their promises. He studied their auras and remained impassive while they spoke. He didn’t call them out when they lied to him or made conditional promises he knew they had no intention of keeping. Instead, he gave them rope.
He made a mental note of every promise offered and every claim of loyalty to the Ruathan bloodline. He didn’t offer anything himself, but simply listened to their long-winded speeches that strung one word after the other without any meaning.
These men lived in a world where the meaning of words was fluid, where there were no absolutes. Everything was a matter of interpretation or opinion. Truth and fact mattered little to them. Power was their stock in trade and it was clear after the meeting that most of them didn’t care much how they acquired it. Alexander reminded himself that Phane was more than happy to play off such desires and was in a position to offer these men a great deal in exchange for their allegiance.
By the end of the meeting, he better understood Regent Cery. He was a man who simply wanted a stable and consistent world to live in, and having found others unable or unwilling to provide such a place, took it upon himself to do so for his community.
Alexander could just make out the silhouette of Blackstone Keep through the twilight when he returned to his quarters. He was comforted by the presence of a wizard and two dozen well-armed soldiers guarding the glass bridge.
Isabel and Jack had accompanied him to the meeting while the rest of his party had stayed in their quarters preparing for their journey.
Adele was waiting in the foyer when they entered. “Lord Alexander,” she said with a bow, “if you’re hungry, dinner can be served any time you like.”
Alexander suddenly realized he was famished. He smiled graciously even though he was still a bit irritable from listening to a dozen liars talk for what seemed like hours.
“Adele, that would be wonderful, I’m starving.”
She beamed. “I’ll begin at once,” she said with another bow and hurried off.
Alexander could hear the bustle of a small serving staff bringing food and dishes into the dining room as he took a chair in the sitting room with Anatoly, Lucky, and Abigail.
Abigail smiled with mischief. “How were the nobles?”
He gave her a smirk, “Less than noble.”
She chuckled, “Better you than me, Big Brother.”
Lucky cracked the shell of a nut from the bowl on the low table in the middle of the room and popped the meat of it into his mouth. “Did you learn anything?”
It was a question that Lucky had asked him countless times during his childhood. Alexander had discovered that upon reflection he could usually pinpoint some detail or element of any experience that broadened his understanding in some way or another. He thought for just a moment before nodding.
“Regent Cery is the right man for the job. None of the other petty nobles in the territory of New Ruatha can be trusted.”
Anatoly grunted, “Not surprising.”
“How’d your inspection of the military go?” Alex
ander asked while he fished a nut from the bowl.
“They have about ten thousand heavy cavalry, twenty thousand infantry, and another twenty thousand archers. They’re well trained and organized. General Markos is a good commanding officer. His men respect him and he knows his business. Precious few have any battle experience and their equipment is a bit old and worn, but all in all, they’ll be a good addition to our forces. I’d like a little time to train them and improve their equipment before sending them into a fight, though.” True to form, Anatoly delivered his report succinctly and clearly, without embellishment.
Abigail picked up when he stopped. “I was impressed by their archers. They have a larger bow than I’ve ever used. It’s no good for riding, but on foot it can send an arrow about twice as far as my bow with three times the force. The thing stands a few inches taller than me and the arrows they use are a good six inches longer than the ones we’re used to.”
“Huh, that could be useful. Are the raw materials to make more readily available?” Alexander asked.
“Yep,” she said. “We walked through the trees they use to make them in the northern edge of the forest. I talked to the head bowyer, and he said he could make a thousand a month if he had a hundred men to help him.”
“Good, the more the better. I’ll talk to the Regent and ask him to make the arrangements to start stockpiling weapons.”
Alexander turned his attention to Jack. “How’d it go with your bards?”
“Quite well, actually, they took to the lyrics and music quickly and with enthusiasm. I guess it’s to be expected given that this is the biggest story to be told in millennia. I also told them about the wanted posters. Those will be discredited and torn down by week’s end,” Jack said confidently.
“Sounds like we’ve accomplished everything we needed to. If we can just lose Commander P’Tal, we’ll be in good shape,” Alexander mused.
Adele entered tentatively. “Lord Alexander, dinner is served.”
Alexander and Lucky stood in unison, both with a smile.
“Thank you, Adele. It smells wonderful, even from here.”
They enjoyed a leisurely meal while they discussed strategy and politics. Alexander knew he could win some of the territories over for a time without the Thinblade, but he would need the ancient badge of office that the magical sword represented if he was going to have any chance of uniting the whole island of Ruatha. That meant Blackstone Keep. He started to feel anxious to be on the road again. He felt safe enough here with the heavy guard and the palace secured against any unfamiliar visitors, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the enemy attacked. When they did, there would be death. The best way to prevent that was to deprive them of their target.
After dinner, he walked Isabel to her room and kissed her goodnight. They shared a look of longing and desire. They had agreed to wait until they were married, but sometimes they both regretted that decision.
Alexander looked into her eyes for a long moment. “We’ll have all the time in the world,” he whispered before kissing her on the forehead.
Her hand slipped from his as he turned and willed himself to put one foot in front of the other. He dared not look back. Once he was in his room, he closed the door and leaned against it like he was holding it shut against an irresistible force.
Thinblade (Sovereign of the Seven Isles: Book One) Page 51
