Warlords Rising

by Honor Raconteur

  Trev’nor nodded emphatically. “Yes. Do that. Also note that she’s in my custody.”

  “You’ll take her, sir?”

  “I’m not about to leave a member of my family behind, Captain. I mean, they’re all related in one way or another, but—”

  Hadi lifted a hand. “I understand, sir.”

  Trev’nor had no idea what he’d do when it came time to leave Trexler, but for now, he wasn’t letting this girl out of his sight. “Find me the keys to these cufflinks,” he demanded.

  One of Hadi’s lieutenants slithered around him long enough to unlock Parisa before going back to the cell he had been working on. Trev’nor gave him a nod of thanks and gave himself a mental shake. He had a job to do before he could focus on Parisa.

  Because her magical power was too young, she had no amulets on her, which made it easier on Trev’nor. He picked her up and set her on a hip, and walked around with her that way, pointing out the people that were not magical for Hadi.

  Three times, Parisa asked him if they really were related, and he answered her patiently each time that yes they really were. When she finally accepted this as a truth, only then did she really settle against him and put both arms around his neck. It tore at Trev’nor’s heart. Bad enough to be born into this abysmal place, but to be an orphan in it? He couldn’t imagine it. Didn’t want to.

  In this dim place, time had no meaning and he had no way of marking it. But Trev’nor felt like roughly an hour had passed. Most of the room was unshackled now, sorted into magicians and non-magicians. Trev’nor could see the sorting had unnerved people and went back to the center of the room to explain, so that everyone could hear him. “We’re holding a trial for the warlord now,” he said, trying to broadcast his voice. “We need to prove he was holding non-magicians as slaves to the people. That’s why we separated you. Don’t worry, it’s….” Argh, busted buckets, what was the word for temporary?

  “Todokii?” Hadi offered. “Short amount of time.”

  Trev’nor inclined his head. “Yes, todokii. We’ll reunite families after the trial is over. There is a white dragon at the castle. If you give her your name, she can tell you if we have already freed your families or friends in Tiergan.”

  There were happy exclamations over this, although some seemed to still be in shock. Trev’nor let them each take things at their own pace. It would all sink in eventually.

  Hadi gathered people up, instructing them to stay together as he and his team would escort them to a safe place.

  The mirror broach hanging around Trev’nor’s neck came alive. “Trev?”

  He picked it up and held it closer to his mouth. “What is it, Becca?”

  “Are you ready to head back? Our judges are almost through with the last of the officials and they want to do the warlord next.”

  “We’re heading back now. I’m not far, so if they can give us a few minutes? I’m bringing twenty-three with me for proof.”

  “That’s quite the number. Alright, I’ll pass that along. How many people altogether? I have Ehsan preparing rooms here in the castle to put people into.”

  By which she meant Ehsan was scaring the castle staff into line. The man had no sense of humor where former slaves were concerned. “Hold on. Hadi, what was our exact headcount?”

  “Sixty-two, Raja.”

  “I heard him. Any surprises?”

  “One,” Trev’nor answered, leading the line of magicians out of the door and into the outside. Parisa’s hold on him became almost strangling. Wasn’t used to going outside? The thought broke his heart all over again. An Earth Mage, no matter how young, should not be cut off so completely from the world. “Becca. I found a Rheben.”

  Her breath caught. “REALLY?!”

  “Rhebenparisaan,” he answered. “She’s…Parisa, how old are you?”

  “Eight,” she said confidently.

  “Eight years old? Oh my. Trev.”

  “I know, I know, too young to take with us but old enough that magical accidents might start happening soon. We’ll figure something out. But Bec, I’m told that she’s the last member of her family. I took custody of her.”

  “I wouldn’t expect you to do anything different. Alright, I’ll pass this along to Nolan. We’ll figure something out.”

  Trev’nor already had a hunch of what would need to happen. It would be similar to what he had gone through, when Garth had taken him from the Tonkowacon. As hard as that had been for him, as much as he hated to do it to someone else, he wasn’t seeing any other options. “I’ll be there soon.”

  “Alright.” The connection abruptly died.

  Knowing what would probably happen next, Trev’nor decided to try and prepare Parisa as much as possible. They walked the street toward the castle, the guards herding the slaves along and keeping them away from what few civilians braved the streets. Trev’nor kept an eye out, too, ready to throw up a wall and sink someone into the ground as necessary. As he kept watch, he talked to the little girl in his arms. “Parisa. You actually have a lot of family.”

  She sat up straight in his arms, attention riveted. “I do?”

  “Yeah. Aunts, uncles, cousins, the works. I’m actually your cousin.” This news made her happy, which relieved Trev’nor. Alright, maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as when he had been forced to leave the Tonkowacon. “We have a cousin that runs a magical academy in Chahir. Strae Academy. Well, he and his wife both run it. His name is Garth.”

  “Is he like us?”

  “An Earth Mage? He sure is. His wife is a witch, though. Her name is Chatta. You’ll like her. You’ll like them both, actually, them and their kids.”

  “They have kids?”

  “They sure do. Three of them. One of them is an Earth Mage like you are, but he’s a little older.” The more information he gave her, the more comfortable and curious she became. “You have aunts and uncles and more cousins than that living in Chahir too, mostly in the northern part of the country. So you see, I’m not your only relative. I’m one of many.”

  “I don’t remember my parents,” she told him sadly. “They went away when I was a baby.”

  “Went away?” Trev’nor wasn’t sure if she meant died or was separated from her.

  “They were sent north,” she explained.

  Ah, so not dead. Well, possibly not dead. Trev’nor really hoped for not dead. “I promise to look for them as I go. But for now, kiddo, I think our best option is to send you to your cousin Garth.”

  Now she finally looked uncertain, peeking up at him through her lashes. “I can’t stay with you?”

  “I’m going to have to do a lot of fighting to look for your parents, and free all of the other magicians,” he explained. “Besides, don’t you want to go learn how your magic works? Meet all of your other family? Play with your cousins?”

  Being a child, one limited to understanding how the outside world worked, she could only imagine what he meant by this. “Maybe.”

  “There’s flying cats there, you know,” he informed her, trying to connect this idea with a little girl’s sense of wonder. “And talking horses. You’ll live in a huge castle, bigger than this one is, and be surrounded by magic.”

  While this intrigued her, she wasn’t sold on the idea. “Will you go with me?”

  “That’s the part we have to figure out.” Trev’nor really didn’t want to go to Strae just now, partially because he would have to face the music, but also because it would take a lot of time. More time than he really had to spare. What he’d likely have to do was send her via dragon to Q’atal and have them notify Garth. Or drop her off in Q’atal himself and have them notify Garth. Either way, Q’atal seemed the best option for a drop-off point.

  Even though the logistics of this whole thing made his head hurt, Trev’nor was still very, very glad to have found her. He sent a prayer up to the heavens that he’d be able to find her parents too. But all of this would have to wait.

  They had a warlord to deal with first.
<
br />   Becca put the mirror broach back in her pocket. While she would dearly love to go meet the people that Trev’nor had found, she couldn’t afford to move from this spot. They had divided up tasks before the trials started. Azin and Nolan were in charge of defending the castle, Ehsan preparing to deal with the influx of magicians that would come in, the militia were dragging out officials from their offices and riding herd on the trials. Commander Danyal, the Rikkan and Rikkana, and of course Rikkshaya Jasmina conducted the trials.

  While they were the ones making the accusations, citing laws, and judging, it didn’t mean that they could proceed without any oversight. Nolan had been firm on that when they were planning yesterday. Someone, either Becca or Trev’nor, needed to at least stay and observe. As the future rulers of Khobunter, as the new rulers of Trexler, one of them had to sit in judgment over the last warlord.

  Becca had a young sergeant by the name of Amir at her elbow, translating for her, as the Khobuntish flew fast and thick. The citizens of Trexler filled the courtyard, watching as the accused were brought up one by one in front of the judgement table, their names and crimes rattled off, and then they had one chance to defend themselves. Just one. After that, anyone in the courtyard could speak against them, and if there was evidence at hand, that was presented.

  One could argue about the fairness of the trials, but usually the evidence was so overwhelming of their guilt that even the men accused had a difficult time coming up with a defense. Becca stood three feet behind the table, lending silent support and power to the proceedings but not interfering. She didn’t understand enough about Khobuntian law to intervene, and honestly understood only one word in three anyway. If not for Sergeant Amir, she’d be lost completely.

  Tilting her head, she whispered to him, “I count ten officers, three ministers, and four retainers sentenced.”

  “That’s correct, Raya.”

  “Is that the full inner circle for a warlord?”

  “Nearly, Raya. But there’s three more to be sentenced.”

  Commander Danyal was clearing out the entire inner circle, eh? “Sergeant, how does Commander Danyal know exactly who to judge? And what they’re guilty of?”

  “Commander was stationed here from the beginning of his service, Raya, up until seven years ago. He was here for nearly fifteen years before they transferred him to Tiergan.”

  Something about the way he said that made a bell go off in her head. “He was transferred to Tiergan as a punishment. Wasn’t he.”

  Amir gave her a confirming look. “Yes, he was. He won’t tell anyone what for, but when he came, Captain Hadi came with him, and the captain said the commander authorized a release of prisoners when he wasn’t supposed to.”

  She didn’t need to ask any further questions. Becca had an idea of what had happened. Trexler had ordered his army to overtake either a town or watchtower, they had succeeded, the local people taken as prisoners as usual. Only Danyal hadn’t turned them into slaves but instead let them go. “I knew I liked the man for a reason.”

  Warlord Trexler—soon to be known as ex-Warlord Trexler—stood from his chair, wrestling with the guards on either side of him, and bellowed like an enraged bull. What, Becca couldn’t decipher, as his voice was too thick with rage and slurred his words enough she couldn’t make it out. Didn’t care to, either. This was the twelfth time he had done this, and she was getting tired of the repetition.

  Amir started forward, ready to lend a hand, but she stayed him with one hand. “Sergeant, step back four feet.”

  Confused, but too trained to not obey a direct order, Amir promptly moved back four feet. Becca snapped out her weapon’s shield to the max, knowing that it was visible to the non-magical eye. Hers was a little different than most mage’s, as lightning arced along the edges, sparking and vibrating. It was like a light show at high noon, power pulsating in visible waves.

  The courtyard went still, shocked and unnerved by the show of power. Becca ignored them all, her eyes locked on the warlord’s who stared at her in muted horror. He looked pale under his tan, body shrinking into the guard’s hands. With open menace, she commanded, “Be. Still.”

  Trexler dropped into his chair, eyes nervously on hers, like a rabbit keeping track of a wolf nearby.

  The man couldn’t stay cowed for long, but Becca hoped this would hold him at least until his own trial. She let her shield drop and said to her judges, “Apologies. Continue.”

  It took a few minutes, some nervous clearing of throats, and more than one look in her direction before the trial picked back up. Amir hesitantly came back to stand at her side again and she rewarded him with a quick smile. “My weapons shield can hurt someone if they come into contact with it,” she explained calmly. “That’s why I had you step back.”

  “I understand, Raya.” The expression on his face said he not only noted that for future reference but would pass the word along to everyone else as soon as he could.

  Nothing interrupted the rest of the trial for the Minister of Trade, who was more than guilty of human trafficking, and he was sentenced to execution. Becca had not asked Danyal what execution meant in this country. Part of her didn’t want to know. She didn’t think it would be something cruel, though, not with Danyal in charge of it. For now, that was enough.

  From her pocket, there was a buzz of noise and she lifted it to her mouth to say quietly, “What is it?”

  “Becca,” Azin said clearly, “a situation has developed out here. Nolan and the dragons are dealing with the guards as carefully as they can, and we’ve announced to about half the city that we’re holding trials against the warlord and his officers, but we’re not getting the reaction we expected.”

  Anger? Fear? Panic? That was what Becca was expecting. “What reaction?”

  “Some people are demanding to be let into the trials. They want to add to the charges. They’re also wanting to know who exactly is being tried.”

  Just how badly had Trexler managed his people that they would so readily rise up against him? “I’ll have a full list of people and their convicted crimes made up and posted outside the gates. Tell the citizens they can come check for themselves.”

  Amir acted as if she had just given him an order, as he saluted her and then took off to the far side, where three soldiers were frantically making a transcript of the trials.

  “That will help, thanks.”

  “Are they really that ready to throw their leaders under the cart?”

  “As bad as it was in Rurick and Tiergan, I think it was even worse here. They abused their authority pretty badly. All we had to say was that we were releasing the slaves and the army to go home and we automatically had people swearing allegiance.”

  Becca rubbed at both eyes and suppressed the urge to find a hard surface and bang her head against it a few times. She might not really know how to govern a land, and it would certainly take her time to get the hang of it, but she could never be as bad as the men she was replacing. It took effort to be that hated. “So, no problems?”

  “A few,” Azin admitted, “mostly from corrupt officials or men with a strong enough sense of patriotism to think that they have to fight back. But we’re subduing them quickly. Most people are so scared of the dragons that they don’t even want to move or breathe loudly.”

  “Trev’nor is almost back. Do I need to send him out again to help you?”

  “We have a lot of slave pens to empty. We could use the extra hands.”

  “Then I’ll send him out. Which part of the city are you in now?”

  “Ah, almost near East Gate. Nolan is at North Gate.”

  “I’ll send him either west or south.” She dropped that connection and called up Ehsan. “Ehsan.”

  “Here.”

  “Trev’nor is coming with sixty-two people. Get down here, I need your help with them.”

  “Coming.”

  Not a man of many words, their Water Mage. The thought made her smile fleetingly.

  So, the people
of this city hated their leaders and were terrified of the dragons. No wonder the city had fallen with such little resistance. It had struck Becca as strange, both Rurick and Tiergan had fought back harder than this, but it now made more sense.

  Amir came trotting back and snapped a salute. “Raya. A list of the convicted with their crimes is being made now and will be posted immediately. Updates will be tacked on as the trials continue.”

  It felt strange to do so while not in uniform, but Becca returned the salute with military precision. “My thanks, Sergeant.”

  He didn’t smile but fell back into place at her side, picking up his whispered translations of the proceedings. Still, Becca felt like he was smiling on some internal level. These men liked having a leader that saluted them, showed them respect, and valued them. They had never in the course of their careers had such a leader. It was probably why they had so quickly latched onto her.

  Trev’nor and Ehsan arrived at practically the same time. Ehsan was quick to step in and explain things to the ex-slaves, although because he was on the opposite end of the courtyard, she couldn’t hear what he was saying. Trev’nor handed a little girl over to him, who must be Parisa, and then gestured for a second group to follow him toward the tables.

  Knowing full well who they must be, Becca caught Amir’s eye and gestured for him to take care of things. The sergeant immediately went into motion and to Trev’nor, directing where the ex-slaves should sit.

  Becca cocked a finger at Trev’nor, and he obeyed the silent summons to stand at her side. “How are things going?”

  “Speedily,” Becca decided after a moment. “Our Commander Danyal knows exactly who’s guilty of what, and it’s not taking him long at all to move the trials along.”

  “I’m very, truly glad that man is on our side.”

  “Amen to that. Do you have a triangle, by chance?”

  “I do now. When the commander told me his plan, I searched the guardhouse and found a few. I figured you’d need them for demonstration purposes.”