Into The Ruins

by Blink, Bob

  Nycoh looked over Rigo’s shoulder and nodded at someone standing there. A young wizard Rigo knew only casually stepped into the room.

  “Thirty-eight towers are damaged,” he reported. “Ten are all but destroyed.”

  That was bad news. It would take weeks to replace those that had been destroyed. It was anyone’s guess how long repairs would take on the others without a careful examination.

  “Two of our people were killed,” Daim added as he stepped belatedly into the room. He had just arrived from his own examination of the southernmost towers.

  Jeen and Rigo had the same immediate thought. It was bad enough to lose more people, but if the enemy was increasing their stock of the travel devices, it would only get worse.

  “No,” Nycoh said, after hearing their concern. No one is wearing the amulets unless they are specially tasked with going to the Hoplani Farms.” She then asked Daim about the ability to duplicate the devices.

  “I never considered the need to protect the design,” he said slowly. “It would take someone with considerable insight to do so, but it would not be impossible for a copy to be made. Most likely, they would make something that would work on a limited basis, failing after a number of uses. The magic that offsets the Ruins is not that difficult to understand, but the special binding that holds the amulets together is rather unique. I would suggest I modify the design so all future devices are bonded to the user in a manner somewhat like Rigo’s staff, but with a built in self-destruct if taken from the owner.”

  “See to it,” Nycoh commanded. “It would be best to have those immediately. We still have people out in the Ruins, and will need to send more so they are protected.”

  “If they are indeed using the lost amulet, and relying on Orna’s knowledge to make the trip, they have to be coming via either Oasis Three or Oasis Four,” Rigo said after a moment’s thought. If we can man those locations sufficiently, we can stop them from crossing over, or from getting back home if they are already in the Three Kingdoms.”

  “That’s manpower we can ill afford,” Nycoh said.

  “It’s manpower we can’t afford not to have,” Rigo countered. “We can’t afford to allow them a foothold or to take command of those locations. We would find ourselves blocked in the event we wished to take any action against them.”

  Nycoh nodded, her lips in a tight line. “Let’s get started. I’ll send more people out there and the distribution of the teams going after the Hoplani, while Daim sees to making modifications to the amulets. For anyone who is wounded or killed, it is essential we make sure to recover the amulets. Rigo, you have a look at the towers, and Jeen should alert the royal families to the problem.

  “What if they locate another oasis to use instead of the two we are aware of?” Jeen asked.

  “Then we have no way to stop them from getting here,” Rigo said. “That should take time, however, and hopefully by then we can do something about this.”

  By the end of the day, they knew how bad it was. Tens of thousands of Hoplani were on the march toward Lopal. After pouring through the broken barrier, they had dispersed in the vast expanse of the Ruins, and while some large herds were located and destroyed, there was little doubt that a great many of the creatures were going to reach the border where they would inflict severe casualties. The people in the villages were being warned, but it was anyone’s guess how many would leave in time, or where they would go. Wizards were making Bypass portals to help the evacuations, but the problem was just going to be repeated farther inland as the creatures advanced. Jeen and Rigo had returned after searching for the missing amulet, but as expected, it wasn’t found. Odds were the Guild now had it.

  Rigo was about to head back out to join one of the search teams, when Ash’urn and young Fen appeared at the door.

  “We’d like to show you something,” Ash’urn said.

  Nycoh smiled at Ash’urn. She knew he wouldn’t be here requesting her time if didn’t relate to the problem at hand. “What do you have for us?” she asked.

  Ash’urn waved a short wand. It was made of cheap wood and just a little longer than his arm. “If you could come to the balcony?” he asked.

  A short walk later they were assembled outside overlooking the valley. “Fen here is extremely skillful with the symbols required to initiate the spells. We were able to locate this one by working through his books, and he transcribed the necessary gylphs. He is a wonder at making precise runes. He was able to carve them into this piece of wood. Watch what happens. You all have witnessed my limited ability with Brightfire initiated with the spoken commands.”

  Rigo nodded. He had been the first to be caught off guard when Ash’urn had brought down one of the Hoplani by triggering a series of weak bolts of the magical energy.

  Ash’urn turned toward the valley and picked out a tree some distance away. He raised his hands dramatically and uttered the phrase he’d learned many years ago, except this time, rather than an anemic unsatisfying beam, a bright white blast of Brightfire erupted from the end of the wooden wand and blasted the tree into ash. He turned back toward the shocked group and smiled. “I’ve always wanted to do something like that!”

  “How in Risos’ name?” Rigo asked.

  “The symbols are meant to be linked to the trigger phrase. I told you what we have here is related. Once both components are available, the resulting magic is many times stronger than what is generated by the phrase alone. That is how the Guild operates. We knew they had their staffs to aid their spelling. We tend to forget they aren’t really gifted. I figured what they could do, I could, and with Fen’s help, we did it.”

  Nycoh reached out her hand for the crude wand. “This makes the difference?”

  “The symbols could be inscribed or painted on anything,” Ash’urn explained. “The wand is just an easy object for carrying.”

  “This is remarkable, but how do you propose we use it?” Daim asked.

  This Daim hadn’t existed when Ash’urn had created the Patrols that watched the border, so he knew nothing about the large force that had helped contain the Hoplani before the barrier was fully erected. Nycoh grinned as she saw where her scholarly friend was headed with this. “Ash’urn has trained thousands who know the phrase for Brightfire. If we equip them with wands like this, they will suddenly become as powerful as normal wizards. Our force that can attack the Hoplani has just tripled at least.”

  “We will need thousands of the wands,” Jeen said.

  “We will have every available novice create them using their magic. They don’t need to learn how to make the symbols like Fen did. They can simply lift the pattern from this wand as a template, and burn away the excess wood to imprint them on another stick of wood. We’ll need to get them distributed along the border as fast as they can be made. Ash’urn,” she said, giving him a hug. “You’ve done it again.”

  Ash’urn grinned through his beard, and pointedly looked at young Fen and nodded. Fen grinned happily back at him.

  Chapter 63

  They were still going back. Opinions varied greatly about how the return should be handled. Some wanted a major display of force. A quick response to the act of war that had released the Hoplani from their restraints and allowed them to advance into the Three Kingdoms was believed to be required. Others, led by Rigo, wanted a more restrained initial response. Too much was unknown about who was behind the attack on the towers, although Rigo had his own opinions.

  Diplomacy was still an option, depending on what they learned. Rigo wanted to display their strength. The power of the Three Kingdom’s wizards, especially Linked was something the Casters of Sedfair had yet to behold. If necessary, the group Rigo wished to bring would make an impression before fleeing. High on Rigo’s list was to determine what role the Queen had played in the attacks. She might have been kept entirely in the dark, and Rigo’s news would come as a complete surprise. That was what he hoped. It was possible, however, that she had authorized the attacks, and had been untruthf
ul to him the entire time. It hadn’t seemed that way, but everything that had happened while they had been restrained in Sedfair could have been a lie. The path the Three Kingdoms would follow would depend greatly on her involvement. War was a distinct possibility, even though they were already taxed beyond what they could really handle. On the other hand, if Queen Rosul was everything she had seemed, some arrangement may be possible between the kingdoms. That would mean they would have to support her, and find a way to remove the head of the Guild. So long as Carif was in charge of Sedfair’s Casters, peace would be unattainable.

  “You want to believe in this Queen, don’t you?” Nycoh asked. Rigo and Nycoh were alone in her quarters as they talked. The large room was sparsely furnished, but somehow still reflected the personality of the young leader.

  Rigo smiled. It was true. He didn’t want to think he might have judged someone so wrongly. Even more, there were others there who had struck him as truthful whom he’d come to trust. One in particular. He hoped it all hadn’t been part of a grand scheme to deceive him. “I cannot believe Queen Rosul was false. Ash’urn agrees, and he is seldom wrong about people.”

  “You will be taking a grave risk. More of you would provide security and strength that couldn’t easily be overcome.”

  “They cannot be spared. We are spread far too thinly here at the moment. Besides, too large a group would appear as an invasion. I hope to approach this quietly. The four of us are far stronger than they realize. If we do not return as scheduled, the way there is known and you can follow with a substantial force. There are several now who know the way and where we are going.”

  The team would consist of himself, Jeen, Burke and his consort, Tara. The four wizards were well known to one another and could operate effectively alone, or if required, could quickly Link to provide an enhanced level of power that Rigo was certain was beyond anything the Guild had experienced before. Linking reduced their flexibility, however, as they became a single powerful wizard rather than four independent entities. Kaler and Daria would come as well. They had made their thoughts about his going into danger without them well known, and they would be a force easily underestimated and difficult to reckon with should they find themselves with their magic cut off again.

  Fen had provided them a weapon against the blocking symbols. The young man had investigated the runes back in Sedfair after he’d discussed them with Lyes, and knew how they worked and what was required to disable them. Lyes had provided the key, and the senior members of the Guild would be surprised that a novice who hadn’t even attended his first year had independently learned the trick to disabling them. One had to know they were present, and had to trigger the appropriate phrase before being blocked by their influence. The Guild normally counted on having banded those they wished to control even before they were placed in the blocked areas. It was unusual for those with magic to fall into a trap as Rigo and his friends had back in Slipi. It had taken the four wizards a bit of practice, but now each was able to deactivate the runes. They would do so immediately any time they encountered them.

  “Do not take risks,” Nycoh emphasized. “They have shown they can be treacherous, and we don’t know who can be trusted. If you have any doubts, flee and we will reconsider how this matter must be approached.”

  “Agreed,” Rigo said, although he hoped it wouldn’t be necessary. The Three Kingdoms had more than they could handle already, and if Rigo’s visit failed, the immediate future looked grim. As it was, the wizard community was attempting to deal with tens of thousands of Hoplani spread over the vast stretches of the Ruins as they moved westward. The two key oases were heavily manned against additional appearances of Sedfair’s Casters since they still believed that was the most likely route they had followed. Even if the Guild had the ability to travel the Ruins without the missing amulet, they hadn’t known the way or they would have visited long before. The whole of the Three Kingdoms was being alerted to watch for strangers carrying the distinctive staffs. Fortunately, the Casters had to carry their staffs or some other means to activate their magic. Fen had shown them how the key spells could be carried around in a more concealed manner, but the staffs were still the most functional, and had the advantage of the amplifying crystals, which gave the Caster additional power. Finally, the key leaders in each of the Kingdoms were under watch by teams of wizards. That simple task alone was a surprising drain on manpower.

  “We need to go,” Nycoh said suddenly. “Everyone will be gathering and wondering where we’ve gone.”

  Rigo stood quickly. This had been Nycoh’s idea, and Rigo agreed wholeheartedly. He was disappointed he hadn’t thought about it himself. They walked toward the door of her room, each grabbing one of the Casters power staffs that Jeen had brought back after the encounter with the enemy Casters just the other day. They proceeded to the grand meeting hall, where a group had assembled. There weren’t as many as Rigo would have liked, but that was because most were away dealing with the problems the downing of the towers had created. Those that were here were between shifts and would have been sleeping had it not been for this event.

  Rigo and Nycoh marched onto the stage at the front of the room carrying the two staffs. Nycoh had carefully used her magic to strip the personalized symbols from the area where Casters engraved their own spells, leaving only the standard collection of runes that were common to all of the staffs carried by the Guild’s Senior Casters. The room grew silent as Nycoh prepared to speak. Only a few knew what was planned.

  “I realize how busy all of you are, so this will be brief. Rigo and I felt it important, however, to take this opportunity to share this moment as we move forward into the grave dangers that are facing us. We can’t be certain what the coming weeks will reveal, other than they will be trying, and some of us could well be killed by the dangers we must face. Among our group is one who has frequently helped us, yet not been properly recognized. We also have a new member, who already has made an important difference in our abilities to deal with the issues we face.”

  Nycoh scanned the group, and then pointed at Ash’urn and Fen. “Please come up here with me,” she said.

  Ash’urn looked surprised by being singled out, and Fen looked uncertain when Ash’urn softly translated Nycoh’s words for him, but both walked forward, and then stood beside Nycoh and Rigo.

  “Ash’urn, this has been far too long in coming, but now, with your recent accomplishment, a means of truly recognizing what you have become is possible. And, for our newest member, this is something that would have one day been yours had you come from a land that was more just, but you have already shown that you deserve the honor.”

  Nycoh handed Ash’urn the staff she held, and Rigo handed the other to Fen. Ash’urn looked at the staff he held uncertainly.

  Nycoh resumed speaking. “You are part of the wizard community, and despite not being born with the gift, you have learned to master the secrets of magic. I know that your abilities will grow even stronger in the coming years, but you are the first of a new breed of wizard. I name you First SpellCasters of the Three Kingdoms. Welcome to the family of wizards.”

  Many of the wizards present could only guess at the significance of what had just happened. They had not seen the power of the Casters trained and carrying the staffs. They only knew what they had been told. Ash’urn knew, of course. He already had demonstrated the power he could now control with hand crafted spells that he and Fen had produced. Now, with one of the staffs in hand, he was on the way to controlling the same kinds of power his friends had wielded for years. Rigo could see his friend’s eyes were slightly shiny as he stood proud in front of those he’d come to know so well. He’d spent his life seeking those with the power of magic, and now, against all odds, he was one of them himself. Fen, also knew what he’d been given. Despite not yet knowing more than a few words of the local language, he understood what had just happened. He was accepted here. In Sedfair, it would have been years before he’d been allowed to have a staff like
this, and then only if he’d performed acceptably and been politically approved. Here, he’d already been accepted.

  Briefly, Rigo, Ash’urn, Daria, Kaler, and Jeen stood together. The five companions stood alone despite being surrounded by dozens of others.

  “I should be going along,” Ash’urn said hoarsely. “We should be together once again.”

  “You know why you need to stay here,” Rigo said. “There is much more you can do, and you are the only other person who knows the language. That needs to be spread as well.”

  Rigo looked at those who would be going. “We need to go,” he said. They stepped away after each embracing Ash’urn, and while he and Fen were congratulated by the rest of those present, Rigo and his five traveling companions headed toward the area used for making Bypass portals. Daria and Kaler had known what was planned for Ash’urn. Rigo had indicated they could have one of the staffs as well and Ash’urn could help them acquire the magical skills, but both had declined. They were happy as they were, although both indicated they might have him teach them the spells associated with making a Bypass some day. Rigo warned them that might be difficult, as only a few of those in Sedfair seemed able to master that particular bit of magic.

  Rigo opened the Bypass that would take them to Oasis Three feeling unusually at peace inside. He allowed the others to go first, wanting to be the last, which gave him a few moments more to hear the sounds of the group in the far room still congratulating Ash’urn and Fen. He recalled the first day he’d met the elder scholar, and realized they wouldn’t have come anywhere near as far as they had without his help.

  From Oasis Three they made the jump to Oasis Five and then all the way into Nals. There was no longer any point at trying to mask the route to the Three Kingdoms. Clearly, it was already known. He’d spent enough time in Nals to know any number of convenient locations to appear, and chose a spot not too far from the castle. They were attired to fit in, their clothing modified from those Jeen’s team had worn on the last visit based on suggestions from Fen. Each of the team carried a Kellmore blade, although none besides Daria and Kaler were very skilled with them.