Into The Ruins

by Blink, Bob

  “Should you have brought him here?” Stev asked.

  “I thought about it, but his ability appears to be normal Casting, and I’m not sure he would have been happy being forced to leave behind his family. I’m hoping he will survive unscathed. I asked the Queen to have her informants watch out for him. If needed, there is probably still a chance to extract him.”

  “I think there is going to be a war,” Ruchs said suddenly. He sometimes made such predictions, and was seldom wrong.

  “With the outsiders?” Stev asked worriedly.

  Ruchs shook his head. “No, I think the Guild is going to try and take control of Sedfair. Rosul’s replacement and the arrival of the strangers will provide them the incentive to make their move.”

  “I hope you are wrong,” Stev said. “Sedfair is barely holding its own against the Chulls and the Baldari. Now with the outsiders, who represent an unknown, we cannot afford to go to war among ourselves. The Guild has been manipulative, but without them, I doubt we would have been able to survive this long.”

  “The Guild won’t see it that way,” Ruchs said. “They think they can win, and by doing so they will control the country. Their magic would continue to repulse the border skirmishes, and they might even learn something from the outsiders. For them, it looks like a winning opportunity. If they allow a new Queen to establish herself, they might be facing another popular Queen in a few years. They discovered they didn’t really know Rosul until it was too late. They are unlikely to be willing to risk that happening again.”

  Lyes agreed, but then they had known this was where matters were heading for a long time. Queen Rosul had told him as much several years ago when she’d invited him to join their secret community. Unfortunately for their side, until they were able to replace the magic of the Guild with something else, the uncertain political environment they had now was preferable to war. Magic was needed to protect Sedfair, and their inherent abilities fell far short of what was required.

  Chapter 43

  “When is she supposed to be here?” Kall asked. A day more than planned had passed, but it had given them more time to set key activities into motion.

  “Soon,” Queen Rosul said. “You have activated the runes in the meeting room?”

  “Yes, of course. But she will sense what is happening as she enters the room. This could be dangerous.”

  “That woman is always dangerous. But she seldom comes with her staff. It is a breech of etiquette to do so. One doesn’t bear arms in the presence of one’s Queen. It just isn’t done. Besides, she is confident she won’t need it. If she comes with it today, we will know she already suspects something.”

  “And if that happens?”

  “I still have my personal guard who I know are completely loyal to me, and several have reasons to dislike the Saltique. They have the special arrows even Carif would find a problem. All we have to do is get her into the room, and then she is at our mercy. For once we will be on equal terms.”

  “You are certain she doesn’t know about the room?”

  The Queen had asked Lyes to construct the blanking runes on the walls under the wall hangings. They had been in place for several seasons, and Carif had never commented during other meetings that had been held there. Of course, they hadn’t been activated, fortunately something Kall had been able to have Lyes do before he left the other night.

  “I paid special attention when she first came after we had them put in place. She showed no discomfort or awareness that something had changed. Either that, or she is a great actress.”

  “I still believe we should have a better backup plan if she comes with her staff. Her abilities to resist without it would be restricted, but with her staff she is the most powerful Caster in Sedfair. Now I wish we’d had Lyes wait until she was in the room to trigger the spell. The risk would have been less.”

  “It’s too late for that now, and we wanted him well away from all this.”

  Her words were underscored by a familiar voice in the outer hallway.

  “I don’t need an escort,” Carif said, the annoyance obvious in her voice. “Don’t you think I’ve been here a thousand times.”

  They could hear her footsteps on the stone floor as she made her way toward the room where she and Rosul always met. There was no time for further discussion. Carif’s arrival made the discussion moot. Kall timed his departure so that he reached the door just as the Saltique did.

  “Carif,” he said, “You look agitated for some reason.” Kall noted that she hadn’t brought her staff which was a good thing. He’d been prepared to use sudden force to separate it from her had she done so. There are ways to make an adversary release a held weapon, something he’d learned in combat training many years ago. He doubted Carif would be aware of such techniques, and he could have taken her by surprise if he acted quickly. At least that wouldn’t be necessary.

  “I have things to be doing, and your consort has decided to demand my presence regardless of whatever else I have to attend to,” she snarled. “I’ll be glad when her last days have come. She has become overbearing in the last months.”

  “I’m sure you will,” Kall said as he politely stepped out of the way of the irate Saltique, and as she moved toward the doorway, he stepped quickly in behind her and gave her a shove that propelled her into the room.

  “You clumsy oaf,” she said as she stumbled and fought to regain her balance. Then she suddenly realized what was different. “This room is blocked,” she said shocked. “How is that possible?”

  “We need to speak with you and this time your magic won’t be available for you to alter the nature of the conversation,” Rosul said as she signaled Kall to enter and close the door behind him. A half dozen of her personal guard now stood ready just outside.

  Carif looked around her sensing the barrier between herself and the magic she always felt around her. Unlike some Casters who would only recognize the lack when they were unable to complete a spell, Carif, like all of the strongest Casters could tell when her magic was at hand. She noted the closed door and the presence of Kall inside the room blocked her exit.

  “I don’t like what is happening here. I think this meeting is over,” she said stiffly, and turned toward the door to leave. She was shocked when Kall held up his hand and shook his head.

  “You dare interfere with the Saltique,” she snarled.

  “Sit, Carif,” Commanded Rosul.

  Carif spun to face the Queen. “Just what is going on here and who do you think you are to treat me this way?”

  “I happen to be the Queen,” Rosul replied unruffled. If truth were known, she was enjoying this. Long had she wished to knock the arrogant woman down a notch or two. “I realize that you have trouble believing it, and that you frequently think you and your Guild are actually in charge, but the law is quite specific. The Guild is subservient to the Crown. You are one of my subjects, and as such, you answer to me, not the other way around.”

  “An unfortunate condition that won’t be true much longer,” Carif pointed out, her eyes flashing her anger.

  “Perhaps so, but today, I am still the Queen, and you have been commanded by me to come and answer some questions. You will do so, or I will know the reason why. Now sit!”

  “When my Specialists learn of this, there will be no stopping them from responding,” Carif threatened.

  “You and your Eight hold incredible power, and we all tremble at the thought of your anger,” Rosul said. “But this castle was built to withstand even much of the magic you people command, and most of the Army are loyal to me, not you. Nothing short of an all out attack upon the castle would gain your Specialists any chance of helping you, and how do you think the people of Sedfair would react to an altercation between the Guild and the Crown? As strong as you are, you cannot withstand the ire of the people, and angry they would be. I flatter myself that I am far better thought of than you and your cadre of elite Casters.”

  The Saltique knew there was truth in what Ro
sul claimed. That was one reason the current situation existed where they stayed in the shadows and tried to manipulate the Queen rather than taking power more directly. Many were not comfortable with the power they already had and would have rebelled should they try to take complete control of the land. Carif shot another look at Kall as if evaluating whether she could push past him.

  “If your superior strength overcomes me, there are six large guardsmen just outside with orders to ensure you remain within this room,” Kall told her. “Each has a particular dislike of you personally, so feel free to test the situation.”

  Carif knew when to withdraw. She had been outmaneuvered for the moment, but there would be another day. She would also find out who was responsible for the creation and execution of the blocking spells. That was something that took a certain level of ability. There was obviously a traitor in her midst. She would find out who it was and make a public example of the individual. Her face still red with anger, Carif turned and sat in the chair with as much dignity as she could muster.

  “Alright, what is this about?” she asked Rosul impatiently.

  “Tell me about the prisoners you are holding in the dungeons below the Guild,” Rosul commanded.

  Carif wasn’t completely surprised. It had to be something major for Rosul to take this type of action, but Carif was still a little shocked that the secret had been penetrated so soon.

  “There are several prisoners. Is there any particular ones you are interested in?” Carif replied, just in case her assumption was wrong.

  “It would be interesting to know why you have a number of prisoners locked away, but that is for another time. You know exactly who I mean, so let’s not play games. I want to know about the outsiders your people captured in Slipi a few days ago.”

  “It would be interesting to know exactly how you learned of them,” Carif replied after a moment. “They are not your concern. They are conjurers, untrained and unaffiliated users of magic that need to be restrained and interrogated. We cannot have such groups running free within Sedfair.”

  “They are nothing of the sort. They are outsiders. They come from somewhere beyond the borders of Sedfair, as you well know.”

  “I fear you have been misled,” Carif lied with her usual expertise.

  “The only lies I have been told are those from you,” Rosul snarled, her eyes boring into those of the Saltique. “Kall has been to Slipi in the last couple of days, and we have talked with those who witnessed events there. I know the strangers wear unusual clothing and cannot speak our language. I’ve been told they paid for a meal with a gold coin unlike anything common. I would have that coin to see for myself. I know you have it at the moment.”

  “They are conjurers and they attacked the Guard,” Carif insisted. She was shocked to hear that Kall had been to Slipi. That meant whoever was helping them was advanced enough to be able to create a Doorway. This was worse than she thought. Was there a group within the Guild who were disloyal to her leadership?

  “The story Kall was told was they defended themselves making every attempt to minimize the number hurt. In fact, the only person harmed was the Army Caster who had his staff destroyed and was burned in the process. That was some feat, and suggests a powerful Caster, yet we were also told that these outsiders performed this magic without the staffs that you and your Guild find essential.”

  So, they have heard the full story, Carif thought. “You can see why they were considered dangerous,” Carif responded. “Those with such power must be restrained until we understand who they are and where they come from.”

  “Then you admit to having them?” Rosul asked.

  “It would seem you know more about Guild business than is reasonable. There would be little point to deny we have three strangers in custody at the moment.”

  “Three, because you killed the fourth,” Rosul pressed.

  “The fourth died because she was too badly wounded. She resisted fiercely when we tried to capture them. Our healers couldn’t help and indicated she was going to die whatever we did. To try and salvage something, a Reading was performed to learn what we could. Because of the language barrier, not as much was learned as we hoped. Her wounds took her before we finished.”

  “What could have possessed you to take such independent action? You might be precipitating a war. This is a matter for the Crown, not something for the Guild to pursue on its own.”

  “Anything that involves magic is the purview of the Guild,” Carif disagreed.

  “A responsibility that is to be shared with the Crown,” Rosul scolded her. “You have no right to keep matters such as this secret from those who are charged with ruling the country. You have overstepped your authority.”

  “Your days as Queen are few. We thought to learn who these people were. We would have informed your replacement and she could have decided how to proceed.”

  “A replacement you hope to be able to manipulate just as you tried to manipulate me long ago. Well, it hasn’t worked out your way. I know about these people and I want this handled in a different manner.”

  “What do you want?” Carif asked. This was very unfortunate. She had hoped to force information out of the one who spoke their language, something the Queen seemed not to be aware of. Now that would have to wait.

  “I want to see these people. I will have a representative sent to your facility this very day. Any attempt to interfere with my people and there will be an open confrontation between the Guild and the Crown. There are others who know of this situation, and it will be made public. The Guild will be seen in a very bad light if there is any resistance to my demands.”

  Carif would have normally dismissed some of Rosul’s threats, but she obviously had her own network with those who could create magic. With at least one capable of making a Doorway, her people could be strategically spread across the land. For now, Carif might have to go along. She would ferret out these traitors, and soon, maybe not until Rosul was no longer Queen, but eventually, there would be a reckoning for what had happened today. Even Rosul would pay for her high-handed actions, although that might take longer. Carif would have to allow time for the Queen’s memory to fade somewhat before she could see to the proper kind of payback.

  “As you wish,” Carif said finally.

  “I also want to know what you have learned from the one that died,” Rosul demanded.

  “Less than I would have liked,” Carif replied. “We know they came here from out of the Wastelands. Exactly where we don’t know, but there were images of the strangers riding Chulls. They may be from the land that is directing the creatures toward Sedfair.”

  “And you did not feel this important to bring to me?” Rosul asked astounded.

  “We had not finished our examination and questioning of the prisoners as yet. I hoped to have more proof before pursuing any course.”

  “I want a copy of the images that the Reading produced,” Rosul demanded. “All of them!”

  That was a surprise to Carif. The images would be of no use to anyone without ability in magic. Rosul was boldly admitting she had someone who could view the images, and perhaps make use of them. Of course, she had already admitted Kall had traveled to the border village, so she wasn’t really revealing anything that Carif didn’t know.

  “I’ll have Kimm provide them.”

  “All of them,” Rosul repeated.

  “Of course,” Carif lied. She’d have Kimm filter what they had recovered to show what she wanted. She didn’t take orders from Rosul, whatever she believed. There was no way Carif intended to reveal she had learned of the way back to the land of the strangers, a land that she had known existed somewhere for some time. She also didn’t intend to explain they had gone deep into the Wastelands, but had been stopped by the tainted magic there, nor that the strangers appeared to be fighting the Chulls as well. Better she was suspicious of the strangers.

  “You have learned nothing else?” Rosul asked, knowing the woman had to be holding back secrets.<
br />
  “Nothing of significance. Unless you are interested in cultural matters such as the fact the males tend to lead in the society where these people originated.” She wasn’t going to reveal the existence of the staffs, nor of the ill-fated trip into the Wastelands that Kirin and Suline had attempted. Once she was back at the Guild she would make certain all involved were informed such information was a Guild secret.

  “For now we are finished,” Rosul said. “You may leave. Kall will be going with you along with the guards outside. You will personally take him to view the prisoners. If there are any problems, or if anything happens to Kall, the Guild will find itself in the middle of a situation even they won’t be able to control.”

  Carif stood and looked at the King. Once within the Guild she would have control, but Rosul was correct. She could not afford the fallout from any confrontation with the Queen at the moment, especially not knowing who the Queen had swayed the loyalties of. Carif had no idea of the strength of the Queen’s supporters within the community of Casters, and she dare not make a major move without that intelligence. That was the shocking revelation from this confrontation. Not that the Queen had learned of the strangers. That had always been a risk. But to discover the Queen had somehow gathered a number of Casters to her, was a grave concern. Carif realized she had been lax and careless.

  “Carif was holding back,” Kall said later that night after he’d returned from the Guild.

  “There was little doubt about that,” Rosul agreed, “but without knowing what, I had little means of probing.”