Into The Ruins

by Blink, Bob

  He had come here today to discuss plans for their Binding Day, still more than two months away, but which was turning into a bigger event than he’d envisioned. Lady Mos’pera, now the Queen of Branid and a close friend to them both, had insisted on a Binding to be held in the castle with all the trappings of a ceremony fit for heads of state. Inge had been pleased at the idea, while Rigo had to go along, wishing they could have found a much less formal way of being joined together. He also would have preferred that the day was already behind them. When he had asked for her hand, Inge had readily agreed, but when it came to setting the day she had insisted that it be delayed so that their Binding would take place on the same day of the year that her mother and father had chosen. It seemed a silly requirement to Rigo, but he’d been warned that women often had unusual ideas regarding the importance of such things.

  The afternoon had begun smoothly enough, as they finalized the guest lists and made plans to have the invitations sent. Some would go to heads of state in the other kingdoms, and it was best to give as much advance notice as possible. Of course Kaler and Daria already knew and would be there without fail, as would Ash’urn and Jeen who were the people closest to Rigo after the adventures they had shared. Inge and Jeen had become close of late, and Inge had informed him that she suspected Jeen would be not long behind them in announcing her own Binding Day.

  Somehow the matter of Rigo’s proposed journey had come up, despite his efforts to avoid the topic today. He probably should have known there would be no way to avoid it, especially with his departure only a few days distant. He hated to argue with Inge. It left him distracted and confused, almost unable to function clearly. Unfortunately, the harder he tried to avoid the matter, the more determinedly she had fought to force the discussion. That had brought them to this point, with voices that were raised louder than he would have liked. Rigo was certain that their conversation was easily overheard.

  It wasn’t like the expedition was something Rigo had suddenly sprung on her. They had talked about it as long as four months ago when the second of the towers had been badly damaged by one of the Morvane, the larger version of the Hoplani-like beasts. Of course then it had been more in the category of a partially formed idea, rather than an expedition that was nearly upon them.

  The problem was that something must be done. Three times now since the barrier was first repaired a full season ago, one or more of the towers had been seriously damaged. Each time it was one of the Morvane that was responsible. Usually it took two of the creatures to bring down a tower. The act of disrupting the function destroyed the creatures, but it also opened up a gap that hundreds of Hoplani took advantage of and they flowed almost as though directed through the break until the tower was repaired and brought back on line. That took time as there were only four wizards among them at the moment who knew how to implement the repairs, and with everything else he hadn’t had time to see to training others. He had asked Nycoh to consider doing it, as she had the knowledge, and perhaps more time available than the rest of them. Thus far she and Ash’urn had been too busy with some special project to see it done.

  Daim and the wizards of his time had never had to deal with the larger creatures that Jeen had dubbed Morvane after a mythical creature in one of the children’s stories. Once the barrier was in place, the wizards of old had been safe. Rigo knew it was only a matter of time before the towers were breached in larger numbers and the Hoplani would be free once again to head west toward the settled areas. There were simply not enough wizards to restrain them once that happened. Lopal would bear the brunt of the initial attack, but eventually the magical beasts would reach everywhere in the three kingdoms. An answer needed to be found, and the only place he could see that happening was somewhere out in the far reaches of the land he admittedly didn’t really want to venture into anymore than anyone else. But who else would? He was probably the strongest among them, and he carried the advantage of the memories that Daim had left behind. How he wished he had known that Daim would fade and had made an attempt to harvest all the knowledge the Master Wizard had carried in his head. So much had been lost when he disappeared from Rigo’s mind.

  “You know what will happen if we don’t find an answer?” Rigo asked, presenting the core of his argument in favor of making the trip.

  “You are afraid the barrier will fail completely and the Hoplani will be unstoppable,” Inge replied. She had heard the argument too many times.

  “It has only been a year and the barrier has had more failures than Daim would witness in a dozen years. Each time we have to fix or rebuild a tower, there is a great risk to the wizards who are forced to work in the midst of the creatures. It is only a matter of time before the beasts learn how to bring down multiple towers simultaneously.”

  “You speak as if they are intelligent,” Inge protested.

  “Something drives them. They sometimes act like brainless beasts, and other times seem almost to be guided in their advance. We know so little about them. Without that knowledge we are limited in what we can do to protect ourselves.”

  “Perhaps the attacks will stop. If they are intelligent, they will soon see that each time one of them attacks the barrier, it dies, and the barrier is soon back in place. Maybe they just need time to adjust to the reality of the barrier.”

  “You know that Queen Mos’pera has said otherwise. She claims her visions showed the barrier down.”

  “She didn’t say when. We don’t even know if her visions are correct. She is still new to her power, which has grown with the birth of her daughter, but which still isn’t very specific. I have talked with her about her visions as well,” Inge said.

  “She claims it will happen before her daughter is grown and reaches adulthood,” Rigo countered. The vagueness associated with a seer’s predictions made them difficult to use for arguing a position. “She also told me she suspects it will be much sooner than that, but cannot justify why she has that belief.”

  “If this is true, why have none of her other people seen the same thing? Some of them are said to have the same abilities as Queen Mos’pera, and they have more experience with the ability. You told me you asked her mother to speak with those in the village where Queen Mos’pera was born to see if the visions were being experienced by others with her talent. No one has had any visions to verify what she claims.”

  Rigo nodded. “Queen Mos’pera’s visions have been unique. She is also recognized to be the strongest in that way among her people. With the birth of her child, her abilities have blossomed. Most in her village only have visions regarding immediate family or friends. Seldom anything regarding events beyond the village itself. None had any foretelling of the arrival of the Hoplani. It is not surprising they have no inkling of what might happen to the barrier.”

  “Perhaps Queen Mos’pera is simply giving voice to what she fears. She and King Rhory are more aware of the situation than almost anyone because of Jeen’s official presence in the royal court and your frequent visits. What does King Rhory say about the trip?” Inge asked.

  “Wizards are not subject to the rule of any King,” Rigo reminded her. “That’s the way it was in Daim’s time, and it was the agreement that was struck with the rulers when magic was made known to the people of the kingdoms. But, I have discussed the matter with him, and he believes the investigation to be important, although he wishes that the task be given to someone else.”

  “See,” Inge said, glaring at him.

  “He personally asked Queen Mos’pera about the journey,” Rigo reminded her.

  “I know,” Inge agreed petulantly. “You told me. She claims her vision is hazy, but that you will return.”

  “So there is nothing to worry about,” Rigo pressed his argument. “Remember that Queen Mos’pera knew that King Rhory was alive when everyone believed him dead. Whatever will happen out there in that miserable place, you can be assured that I will not perish during the explorations.”

  “She told you other things as we
ll,” Inge said softly. “She told you that your return would be a time of sorrow. She also said that you would not find what you seek in the Ruins.” Inge glared at him and dared him to deny the truth of her claim.

  Rigo hadn’t told Inge of the two predictions from Queen Mos’pera. He wondered how she knew.

  As if reading his mind, Inge said, “I’ve known the Queen longer than you. You might remember that I introduced you. She told me in confidence what she had seen last week when I was at the castle to discuss our Binding Day with her.”

  “She isn’t able to explain what she means by a time of sorrow,” Rigo replied uncertainly. “I fear it means the barriers will have been breached and the beasts are running free. Maybe I should be here when it happens, but one more wizard won’t change much.”

  “You don’t know that,” Inge countered.

  “No. No, I don’t. But then she has no more idea what the feeling she had means either. But, remember she said I will return to you unharmed.”

  “Those weren’t her exact words,” Inge said. “But if you believe that, then why don’t you accept her other vision that you will fail to find what you seek? You can’t have it both ways. If you believe she correctly predicts your return, then you must accept that the whole thing is a waste of time.”

  “Daim said that what the seers see must be carefully interpreted. He claimed they were always right, but that it was surprisingly easy to misinterpret what the vision was saying, and only afterwards was the context able to show how the vision had correctly foretold of the future. Lady Mos’pera said I would not find what I seek, but she did not say that the trip would not be useful.”

  “If she is wrong about that, then perhaps she is wrong about your safe return,” Inge protested.

  “That prediction is much more specific,” Rigo noted. “I think we can reasonably expect my journey to end safely.”

  “We both want to interpret her predictions as fits our argument,” Inge pointed out. “I respect the Queen, but I find I’m not yet at ease with the idea that someone can know what is yet to be. All my life I’ve heard of fortune tellers, and most of the time they simply made things up.”

  “You’ve come to believe in magic, haven’t you?” Rigo asked.

  “That’s different. The results are immediate and plain to see. I do not relish trusting our future together to a vision that even the seer doesn’t fully understand.”

  Rigo knew they could continue this sparring forever. He felt he had to go, despite the friction it was causing between Inge and himself. He was the strongest among the wizards, and he had the advantage of some of Daim’s knowledge. He would be failing himself, and the three kingdoms to do otherwise.

  “Look. I’ll be back at the end of each day,” he reminded her, hoping to somehow take the sting out of his determination to go and his refusal to bend to her demands.

  That was true. They would travel by Bypass to the farthest distance that had been traveled at the start of the day, work their way deeper into the desolation, then come home as night approached. Food and rest would be in familiar surroundings, and they would venture out again the next morning, picking up where they had left off. Each day he would be able to show Inge that he was unharmed, and tell her what they had learned. It would even be possible to skip a day, or even several, and pick up where they left off. That would be useful if they located something they wanted to discuss with scholars or other wizards back here in the three kingdoms.

  “Maybe if this foolishness is more important to you than I am, I won’t want to see you when you return each day,” Inge said angrily. “Perhaps you should leave now and decide what is really important to you. If you are going to be like this all the time, perhaps a life together would be ill advised.”

  Her frustration showing, Inge stood and stepped away from the comfortable divan her father had had placed under the large tree for them to sit on when they visited in the garden. “Goodnight, Rigo,” she said, and stormed off toward the house.

  Chapter 11

  “We leave in the morning then?” Burke asked the next day when Rigo returned to the Outpost for the meeting they had arranged with the Elders. Burke was surprisingly anxious to get started. That was almost as much of a surprise as the fact that he and Rigo had become close friends over the past few months given how their relationship had begun. Rigo wished he could find as much enthusiasm within himself, but the visit with Inge still weighed on his mind.

  “We have made all the preparations we can,” Rigo replied. “Unless someone can point to a reason for us to delay, then we will go.”

  “Februus has assigned those who will accompany us on a rotational basis,” Tara said. She would be joining Rigo and Burke as the third permanent member of the expedition. The three of them planned to make the entire trip. To provide exposure to what they learned and make sure there were others familiar with the new territory that was uncovered by their explorations, a fourth member would join them. Since they would be returning at the end of each day, that position would rotate. Five of the Outpost’s wizards had been selected to join them, one each day, with the specific wizard that traveled along following a schedule based on their other duties. The approach would also minimize any necessary time for Rigo and his core group to spend keeping the wizards at the Outpost informed of their progress. That task would be the responsibility of those who periodically joined them.

  “Did I hear my name,” Februus said as the three wizards walked into the room where he waited with his fellow Elders, Gagan and Nadav. The three senior wizards had retained their leadership, but the role they fulfilled had changed dramatically over the last season. Nadav was now almost entirely focused on the training of new wizards, and Gagan provided oversight of the interface between the three kingdoms. Februus was still the senior wizard, but he now led with a light hand, and provided mostly coordination between the various groups rather than firm direction.

  Fewer wizards were seen in the Outpost these days, despite their number having almost tripled since Rigo’s first visit to the place. The younger wizards were resident, but those who had reached full status were spread around the Three Kingdoms, either pursuing a task at the request of the elders, or having returned home to help in their old villages now that magic was no longer in the shadows. Branid and Kellmore were fully supportive of the attempt to grow the wizard community and encouraged the search for those with the gift, but there were still issues with Lopal. Despite I’Vorrris’s best efforts during the year he had assumed the role of Lamane, he hadn’t been able to get all of his subordinates to fall fully in line. Now that he had turned leadership over to Bert’lan, no one was sure whether the effort would continue, or whether Lopal would remain somewhat separate. It was a frustrating situation, because of all the Three Kingdoms, Lopal had the greatest need for wizards trained in the event a breach of the barrier happened.

  Ash’urn still spent most of his time pursuing his researches. He had his own quarters, and seldom returned to Branid with Rigo anymore. He and Nycoh continued to work through the vast number of books, and were passing key tidbits out to the wizard community as well as to the merchant leaders as appropriate. Already, new products were becoming available based on the discoveries of the two determined researchers. Rigo wanted a moment with Ash’urn before they left in the morning.

  “Tara was explaining that you have selected those who will accompany us,” Rigo explained.

  Februus nodded. “Koess will be the first. The others know their schedule and will be present at the appropriate time each day. I could introduce you if you wish, but Tara and Burke know each of them well. Are you certain that four of you will be a sufficient number? What about the Morvane?”

  Their first encounter with one of the Morvane had taken six linked wizards to bring the creature down. They had learned more about dealing with the Morvane since that time, and with their combined power, Rigo, Burke and Tara could reliably dispatch one of the creatures if needed. Normally they would do their best to
detour around any of the beasts they came upon, especially any of the Morvane. If they were to find a large number that wanted to fight, no force of wizards would be adequate to deal with them. Flight would be their only option. The fourth member of their party would provide additional capability, but since the abilities would vary depending on who was with them on any given day, they weren’t expecting to rely on them for their defensive plans.

  “We foresee no problems,” Rigo reassured him. “If something unexpected comes up, we will return to the Outpost and reconsider how to proceed. That is the one aspect of this expedition that is so fortunate. We will not be heading off and out of touch for months. We will return with our findings and progress each day, able to delay or continue as other needs develop. The Bypass will allow us to return exactly to the point we last left.”

  “You will be taking supplies just in case?” Februus asked. “That is a hostile place and you’ll want to be prepared.”

  “Each of us will carry a pack,” Burke agreed. “Actually quite a heavy pack. Water is our greatest concern. We will hydrate before leaving, and each of us will carry a pair of waterskins and two day’s light rations. We also have some other items that should prove useful.”

  “What about weapons?” Gagan asked.

  “Belt knives,” Rigo replied. “We can’t see much need for anything else. With our magic, we are better armed than we would be with any sword, and there is little to be gained by lugging around the extra weight.”