Fallen Tiers

by Cheryl Matthynssens

  Luthian sipped at his drink. “Well, preparation could mean other things too. It does not seem to be something to be alarmed about. Perhaps she is just being cautious.; another storm could descend on us.”

  “But, milord,” Severent cautioned, “that is not all.” He took a swig of his drink as if to fortify himself and went on. “My ‘eye’ in the Blackguard says that there seems to be an escalation of training and preparation of weapons. What if the Blackguard intend to join in this attack by the Daezun? The city could be taken on two fronts.”

  “Seems to be?” Luthian asked. “I see no reason to worry about what ‘seems to be.’” Bariton always had the Blackguard at the ready, or the High Minister would have his head. Why was his man running scared?

  “And then my ‘eye’ in the trench has witnessed the Trench Lord and his man Owen in secreted conversation several times this past week.” Severent’s eyes squinted in distrust. “You know he holds no love for the members on the higher tiers of this city, especially you, milord.”

  “I really do not see what you are so worked up about, Severent.” Luthian rose and headed back toward the sideboard for a refill on his drink. He was perfectly aware of the Trench Lord’s animosity – that was the reason he was having him watched. “It is only natural that the Trench Lord and his man should have meetings.”

  “But this is the most important piece, milord,” Severent said, “the ‘eye’ I have in the Daezun community sent me a message by bird today. There has been a mass exodus of adult Daezun from all the villages he has contact with.”

  Luthian stopped in his tracks and turned back. “Where did your ‘eye’ say they had gone?”

  “Unknown… His note said they ‘disappeared.’” Severent downed the last of his drink in one long drought.

  This was a revelation. The Daezun had to be coming on foot, or those slow korpen beasts they used. They could not be here before Luthian had the opportunity to prepare a warm welcome for them. He put down the glass and went back to his desk. He almost grinned at this juicy piece of information. He had time to call in Levielle’s troops and alert Morana so she could bring her dragons. This was almost more than he could have asked for. The Daezun were going to walk right into a trap he would set to take them all down.

  “Severent! Position men around my mansion. I have plans to execute and I do not want them interrupted.”

  The man placed his glass on the mantel and gave the High Minister a slight bow. Luthian smirked and waved him away. He had taught this man how to serve and respond properly… he would teach the Daezun to do the same.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  The army’s scryer ran through the camp to deliver the urgent message to the general. He wove in and out between the tents and campsites with only an occasional burst of profanity from someone he accidently kicked dust on. He slid to a stop outside the main entrance and took a couple of breaths before he entered the tent.

  The four men gathered round the table eyed him with dark scrutiny. He stammered, “Message from the High Minister, General.” He handed it across, his face white and his hand shaking. He had not meant to interrupt an important meeting, but the message was urgent.

  Levielle looked toward the other men around the table and smirked at the young scryer and his disheveled state. “I’m shocked it hasn’t exploded into flames.” Levielle waved the man a dismissal. “Get yourself some water and then return to your post, master scryer.”

  The young man nodded thankfully and scurried from the room.

  “Hmm…” Levielle read the note slowly as he paced around the room. Finally, he crumpled the parchment and tossed it to the corner. He considered the questioning looks of the other men about the table. “It seems the High Minister is having a bit of a Daezun problem in his city.”

  “Daezun? Have the Blackguard revolted?” Berg was a shrewd Lieutenant and was better at reading Levielle then the general liked.

  “No, it seems that the Daezun have mounted an attack against the city and are trying to seize it.” Levielle almost chuckled at the mere thought. Alador was proving to be a mage to be reckoned with. The pieces were falling into place. “We are ordered to make haste to the city, and defend the council from harm.”

  “I will have the word spread to prepare for immediate march.” Orrin was all business. The man was the youngest in the group and from a military family; he would make a good general himself, one day.

  “There is no hurry,” Levielle said calmly, picking up the glass he had been drinking from and taking a leisurely sip. “We will break camp tomorrow morning and begin the march home the following day.”

  The three looked from one to the other. The general seemed very nonchalant about what sounded like an emergency.

  “We defend the city and its inhabitants, not the council itself. The Daezun are attacking the council, very specifically.” Levielle looked at the men around the table.

  “How do you know this, Sir?” Orrin asked. “If the council tier is to be attacked, citizens will be caught in the crossfire. There are families of our men in that city.”

  “There are, and they will be unharmed.” Levielle smiled toward them. “Berg, why am I not concerned?” He looked over at the man, waiting for the response that normally came correctly. Berg was older and had been with him for years.

  The man stroked his iron jaw covered with a thick black and silver beard. “My instincts say you knew the attack was coming and the motivations behind it.”

  Orrin frowned. “Sir, are you about to commit an act of treason?”

  “Committed - I helped plan it,” he admitted, looking over at Orrin. “The High Minister, Luthian Guldalian, decided he didn’t much care for the men, women, and children in the trench, or the families of our men. No…” He hesitated and rephrased his statement. “He decided he wanted power. What better way to deal with the unwashed masses that existed than to use a storm to wipe them out.”

  Levielle leaned on his knuckles over the table, the wood creaking from the shifting weight. “Our High Minister used another mage to put up the walls, and had her killed before he was found out.”

  The three men looked shocked. “Are you certain, Sir?” Tyloris asked. He was a big man, good at leading defense and undercover assaults.

  “Positive! The High Minister told me himself. He destroyed the city, sent a hard winter on the isle, all for a grasp at power.” He looked around the table, holding each of them for a moment in his hard gaze. “Have I ever lied to you before?”

  “No Sir!” All three men replied without hesitation.

  “General, do we tell the men of the attack? I mean… we are the defenders of Silverport.” Orrin looked at Levielle clearly battling with himself over where his loyalties should lie.

  “Our troops will be marching back to assist the Daezun in removing a tyrant and bringing about a rise to a much better ruler. In the meantime, I will see about taking some men back to assist in battling against the mages that are corrupt.” He paused and looked at them once again, standing around the table. “How many days march are we from Silverport?”

  “Three, Sir. The troops will be late to the fight. If you go, who do you wish to take charge?” Orrin’s fists were clenched and his face puckered into a frown.

  Looking toward the man, Levielle sighed and braced himself. “You have something to say, Orrin?”

  Orrin turned to face his superior. His words were to the point and held a bit of accusation. “I do not believe a man who is committing treason by his own admission should be in charge of the army. I apologize General, but I am a man of Silverport and what you have done… strikes me as wrong.”

  Levielle gave a nod after a moment of consideration. “I suppose that is true.” He moved around the table, opposite of Orrin, making sure not to make any sudden moves. “It does require my removal from the army, and the others around this table do get a say in that decision. With or without the army, this is taking place. So, you can call for my removal.” Levielle stopped and c
lasped his hands behind his back, waiting for the man’s response.

  Orrin looked at the other two, then back. “I feel you should step down.”

  Berg and Tyloris shifted uncomfortably.

  Tyloris spoke up. “The General has never lied to us, nor led us astray before, Orrin. I would like to have faith that his words are genuine.”

  Levielle waited. This was not something he could intervene in.

  “Even if his words are truth, he should not commit the army to such treachery. I believe we should leave in the morning. With or without our general’s consent.” Orrin’s insubordination brought even more discomfort to the other two.

  “I am sorry General, but regardless of you commands, I believe, for the safety of the rest of us, the army should march. What if your planned coup fails? The anger will fall upon all of those that command.” Orrin had calmed as he made his point clear.

  “I was still planning on marching toward the city.” Levielle smiled softly toward the men, making his way around the table toward Orrin. “And to your point, Lieutenant, you all are not aware of this happening. If it fails, I alone am responsible, and I will vanish into smoke.” He met all their looks with reassurance. “I’m not bringing anyone down with me.”

  “Then will you allow us to march in the morning?” Orrin asked, clearly uncomfortable with the position he was now in.

  “Of course,” Levielle nodded slowly, “I will admit, I thought that you all would be more…accepting.” He sighed and moved away from the table.

  “Then I vote that the General does not give up his command,” Tyloris stated.

  “I also vote that we follow the commands of our General and trust him to lead us faithfully as he ever has,” agreed Berg.

  Orrin looked at them evenly. “I do not concur, but I am outvoted.” He looked to Levielle. “If you play our men false, I will find you and kill you,” he stated evenly. “I respect you, but this is wrong.”

  “It is wrong, Orrin,” he agreed softly, looking out of the tent where the flaps tussled in the wind before looking to the one dissenter in his midst, “but I’m afraid there is no other way to bring about the change we need. And that is why I acted.” He moved over to Orrin’s side, looking down at him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “Trust me.” He gave the shoulder of the man a squeeze and a gentle shake.

  “Who will be in charge when you leave?” Orrin looked up at him; doubt was in his eyes, but he was a man of business.

  “You will be, Orrin.” Giving a small shake once more, Levielle let him go. “You have my full confidence.”

  The man was surprised, particularly after his objections, but he gave a curt nod. “Permission to order an assembly. I will not mention why, other than we are returning home.” He thought of something else. “You may need to silence the scryer.”

  Levielle nodded. “Good point. Give the order.”

  Looking to the other two men, Levielle shrugged. “Anyone want to join me in causing some trouble?”

  “I will.” Tyloris gave a grin. “In for a trading token anyway, so might as well go the full slip.”

  “Any other men that may want to join in taking down a tyrant?” Levielle waited.

  “I think I should stay with Orrin.” Berg said. Levielle could almost see him mentally winking. The wise old soldier would keep an eye on the young newly-elevated leader of the troops.

  Orrin looked at Levielle. “What do you want done with the prisoner?”

  “I’ll take her with me,” he stated firmly. He did not want any resistance on this matter. “Tyloris, do you have another five or so men that might be willing to join us?”

  “I am sure I can find some if I tell them the High Minister ordered the sealing of the trench.” The man looked pleased at the idea of a real battle for a change.

  “Very well, you are all dismissed.” Levielle nodded.

  All three men left swiftly. Orrin and Berg went to give the order for a pack up to begin. Tyloris went to gather men to travel with their general.

  Levielle watched as they left, pulling out a small amulet from his pocket. He smiled down at it, giving it a slight rub. “Seems we need to travel fast, old friend.”

  ===***===

  Levielle passed the guard and knocked on the wood pole outside Ruby’s tent. The camp was already readying itself for the long march ahead.

  “Come,” Ruby called.

  Levielle ducked as he entered. “Hello, Ruby.”

  He was still amazed at her resemblance to Lady Aldemar. After questioning Ruby, he felt very confident she was his old friend’s daughter. The young woman said she was raised in an orphanage. Severent came each year to test the children and any who showed magical talent were taken away. When she set her bed on fire during a particularly bad dream, Severent was summoned and she was taken into Luthian’s private orphanage to be put with other children with powers. There they were trained at a very early age to be efficient assassins. This culling of talented orphans must have been the High Minister’s first attempt at building a magical army before he thought to breed the Blackguard.

  Ruby’s resemblance to Lady Aldemar was uncanny. When Levielle went to see her after the surgery, while she was resting he noticed the heart shaped birthmark on her shoulder. It was identical to the one on Aldemar.

  Levielle also remembered the extended stay Aldemar had with her aunt years ago up the northern coast. That time coincided with the approximate age of the young woman before him.

  With all these factors in play, he had revealed to Ruby his suspicions of knowing who her mother was and where she was.

  He went to the young woman and squatted before her. Ruby was stitching up holes in her clothing, and wore only a simple dressing gown. She looked up, her long hair loose only adding to the vision of the Lady of his prior affections.

  “How is your arm?” he asked.

  “Healing, but still uncomfortable.” She pointed to the still reddened bandage where her mark of death once laid.

  “Yes, well, you aren’t dead,” he smirked. He stood and backed away a step. “I wanted to ask, are you ready to meet your mother?” Levielle palmed the amulet, comforted by the feel of it once more in his hand. The young woman had had time to consider his revelation for several days now.

  Ruby looked hesitant. “I do not think I will ever be truly ready. My mother… she may reject me. I know not why she gave me away in the first place.” She looked at him evenly, her cultured tones unmistakable to any familiar with the upper tiers.

  He nodded, acknowledging her concern, but smiled reassuringly. “I doubt that. I have known your mother most of my life and I have never known her to be uncaring.”

  Setting her sewing aside, Ruby returned a weak smile. “When are we leaving?”

  “In an hour’s time. We’ll be there soon after.” Grabbing the side pole of the tent, he looked down at Ruby. “Your mother could likely use an extra pair of hands to help with the healers, when we get there.”

  “You know my sphere is not in healing, milord.” Her quiet words lay between them. “Fire is what I control.” She held out her hand, palm up and a flame materialized. It danced around on her hand until she extinguished it by making a fist.

  “You were the one who started the fire, that distracted my guards, the night you attacked me.” Levielle said with conviction. That was another thing he had puzzled out, and explained why she came from behind that night. She was late to the tent – lucky for her.

  “Yes, and you have powers too,” she pointed out. “Severent had no idea you were a mage.” She shook her head with amazement. “How have you kept it hidden?”

  “Let’s just say that, in a different life… I had many more secrets.” Pocketing the talisman, he extended his hand before her. Pulling power to it, shadows from about the room pooled in his hand. An inky blackness filled his palm and formed a ball, pulling up into the air just above it as if liquid evaporating.

  Ruby’s eyes opened in surprise. “You’re a Death
Mage! Is that how my companions failed?” she whispered. She had wondered where they were when she woke in the tent after the attempt on his life.

  “Perhaps.” He admitted softly, looking at her eyes rather than the ball in his hands. He chuckled and let the shadows flow off and back onto the floor, vanishing as they did.

  “I will be ready when you call for me, General.” Her hands moved down her form almost seductively, and her clothes shifted into red robes. The sigil of fire appeared on the sleeves.

  Levielle only watched her face. He smiled toward her, remembering the robes he wore so many years ago. Another lifetime indeed. “I will send for you in an hour.” He opened the flap and moved outside in one motion.

  ===***===

  Ruby was ready and appeared with the guardsman sent to retrieve her. Her hair was tied back in a severe style, but it only accentuated her resemblance to her mother. He could easily picture Lady Aldemar at this age - only their robes were a different color.

  Various men were gathered, looking for blood - specifically the High Minister’s blood. They stood silently in the tent. Placing his hand in his pocket Levielle felt the talisman. A reminder of vast powers.

  He beckoned Ruby to his side and smiled. “Ready?” he asked quietly under his breath.

  “Yes,” she responded equally soft, but with an air of excitement.

  Levielle spoke up. His voice took on the commanding tone that came with his station. “Everyone must be connected. Form a circle and grasp a hand, wrist or shoulder. Also, I suggest you close your eyes; this will be… interesting… if you’ve never experienced it before.”

  Ruby placed her hand upon Levielle’s arm and closed her eyes. She was no stranger to traveling spells. She had cast them numerous times. She smiled thinking of how many would vomit when they arrived at their destination.

  As Levielle pushed out a small amount of power, he could feel the energy of everyone interconnecting for the moment, assuring him they were all touching.

  “Be ready,” he said, muttering the incantation as one poor soul asked, “ready for what?”