by Blink, Bob
Carif had wanted Suline to head the group. Not only had she made the trip and spent more time in the Wastelands than any of their people, but she had frequently demonstrated her resourcefulness. She was the perfect choice for the mission ahead, even though Carif was somehow uncomfortable with the woman. That certainly could be dealt with at a later time. Unfortunately, Suline had suddenly disappeared. All attempts at locating her failed. Carif began to wonder if she was one of the traitors within the Guild, perhaps one of those who were loyal to Rosul. If so, that would mean the Queen was aware of what had happened, and that they had successfully traveled into the Three Kingdoms where their former prisoners had originated. Carif didn’t want to think what that would mean.
Unable to find Suline, she had tasked another with the mission, directing the two other women, Sali and Shurl, who had traveled with Suline and knew the area, to be guides. Neither Sali nor Shurl were competent to lead the group, but they had strength and their power would aid in the attacks. She had also triggered a countrywide alert for Suline. She’d sent a special team back to her former village along the border to see if she had been seen there. All to no avail thus far.
The attack against the west had gone smoother than she could have hoped. The entire network was down, and many of the towers were damaged or destroyed. She had hoped they could destroy them all before being forced to leave, but her team leader was adamant that it had become necessary to return before that task was completed. Meanwhile, the Specialists had been busy, and now the entire reserve of staffs had been assigned to new Casters. Many were not of the skill level of those who normally received the staffs, but the added numbers would increase their strength, and mask the more capable Casters from the enemy.
There remained many other issues to be dealt with. They still had learned nothing about the whereabouts of the former student Lyes, nor how the Queen had managed to create the blocked areas inside the castle without her awareness. Carif was convinced the woman was hiding something significant. Also, she had to replace the guardsmen who had been killed. It would be difficult to find those who were as dedicated to her on short notice. Besides the guardsmen, some suggested she should implement additional protection for the Guild itself. Up to now, threats by those with magic had not been a serious consideration. Now, they might have to fend off those with powers equal to or greater than their own. Finally, there were all the lesser matters of changes to official policy she wanted the new Queen to propose as part of her initial acceptance speech.
On the positive side, the Guild had been successful in the creation of additional amulets. They had six of the copies of the marvelous devices at the moment. Each had been tested and found to work nearly as well as the original. Unfortunately the copying process wasn’t as smooth as Carif would have liked. It was difficult to make the amulets, and only one of their people had mastered the skill of making them. Currently they were able to make two or three functional units a day. Even at that slow rate, however, by the time the elections were over and they had a new Queen, one that Carif manipulated as she wished, they would have half a hundred of the devices. The one problem with the devices was their tendency to fail without warning after a limited number of uses. The failure was usually benign, with the device simply crumbling, looking much as the staffs they had taken from the outsiders. Thus far, duplicating the resilient material of the outsider’s amulets had not been possible. As a result, those with the amulets could potentially become trapped, unable to return if the device failed at the wrong time. The solution was to ensure more than one of the devices was carried by each team, something that would be possible later, but at the moment they simply didn’t have enough of them.
Carif had dispatched four search teams into the Wastelands, despite the risks of the flawed devices. They needed their own oasis to expedite travel into the Three Kingdoms. If an all-out war were to start, they couldn’t rely on being able to use the guarded oasis as they had been doing thus far. The four teams had consisted of two Casters per team, all who jumped to the same location near the oasis Suline had originally used to make her trip. Unable to return home without making their way into the enemy occupied oasis, now a more significant task as security was substantially increased, the teams headed into the Wastelands in four directions, hoping to locate another oasis unknown to the westerners. It was a risky effort. Carif had not made the true risks known to those who had been sent. They carried water and food, but unless they found another oasis within a reasonable time, they would perish. There was no way they could be rescued and no way to make a Doorway back without one of the uncorrupted zones. As yet, none of the four teams had been heard from, but it had only been a couple of days. Carif still had hopes at least one would be successful.
Carif’s musings were interrupted by an urgent knock at her door.
“It’s open,” she said loudly. It could only be one of her Specialists here in this building. The area was off limits to everyone else. Moments later Rynm appeared. Carif looked at the fair-haired Specialist expectantly.
“I believe we have visitors again,” she said urgently.
“Outsiders?” Carif asked, quick to take her meaning.
Rynm nodded. “A Doorway exit appeared a short time ago. It was unmasked, and the origin is from deep in the Wastelands. I hoped it might be one of the teams returning, but they were directed to use only masked Doorways, and they would have come directly here to the Guild, not into the city.”
“Where did they exit?” Carif asked.
“A short distance from the castle. They must have scouted for a short time, but then they opened a second Doorway that took them directly into the Queen’s quarters inside the castle.”
“How many of them are there?”
“A small number. Perhaps a half dozen. Not many more.” The Doorways could be monitored to reveal rough estimates of how many passed through. The results were seldom exact, but lent one an idea what kind of force one was dealing with.
Carif hissed at this news. She was somewhat surprised that they had come back. Was their bold transfer directly into the Queen’s quarters a sign they were somehow in league with the Queen, or that they wished to confront her over the attack on the towers? Carif had never been comfortable with the relationship between the Queen and the three prisoners. Then she realized it didn’t matter. This was even better than she could have planned. The return of the westerners had just handed her an unbelievable opportunity. She could eliminate a major adversary, and send the Three Kingdoms a message regarding the futility of sending forces into Sedfair. Handing them another defeat so soon after the towers were destroyed would be especially poignant.
“Gather a strike force,” she commanded Rynm. Carif realized once again how fortunate it was that she had a large number of fighting Casters readily available. Ironically the Queen’s insistence that Carif be prepared to send a large fighting compliment anywhere in Sedfair in the event of Baldari attack would be her own undoing. It was unfortunate that her force of guardsmen had been seriously weakened by recent events. They were often useful in areas where magic was prevented, and the revelations that the castle had many such areas elevated the importance of the guardsmen. “Take as many guardsmen as are readily available and at least a dozen Casters. More if they can be assembled quickly. Go to the castle. Kill or capture as many of the outsiders as possible. Be sure to check each body for additional amulets. Since they have crossed the Wastelands, they must have brought at least one to enable their passage.”
Rynm started to turn away when Carif spoke again. “It is extremely unfortunate that this attack resulted in the death of Queen Rosul,” she said softly.
Rynm’s eyes met her own, then she nodded. She understood what she was to do.
As Rynm hurried off, Carif was already considering changes to her plans. With Rosul dead, officially at the hands of foreign assassins, she would have greater flexibility. Perhaps she should delay the election of a new Queen. She could gain political advantage by a public
period of mourning, and it would be natural for the head of the Guild to assume certain levels of leadership in the interim period. Being directly in control might be more useful and enlightening than simply directing the new Queen.
She could use the opportunity to whip up animosity toward the Three Kingdoms. Those who had never supported her, would come to her side when they learned the Queen they revered had been brutally slain by the outsiders. Initially she had planned to quickly replace her three slain Specialists to mask the power of the outsiders, but now showing the losses her people had suffered might also gain her support and advantage. She would have to think about it.
Animated with the possibilities, she stood and went in search of the rest of the Eight. They might have other ideas, and they should be available in case this situation grew out of control.
Rigo was about to explain his thinking to the Queen when the doorway exploded inward. Large chunks of heavy stone were thrown in their direction by the blast. Some of them would surely have been badly hurt if Burke hadn’t used his magic to push the flying objects to the side where they smashed into a side wall, severely damaging the structure and destroying the table that was sitting there.
First through the breech were a number of guardsmen. “They are Carif’s,” Mitty shouted upon seeing their distinctive uniforms. Rigo recognized them as well, having been held under their supervision for so many weeks.
Kall had drawn his sword and was advancing toward the group as he once again stood ready to protect his consort and Queen. Kaler was right behind him, the Kellmore blade drawn and ready. Daria was the first to draw blood, her blades flashing across the room, downing the first two of the burly fighters to make their way into the room.
Kaler and Kall complimented one another well, and between them, several more of the lead group of Carif’s fighters were dispatched. The quarters were too confined for sword fighting, and the scattered rubble from the damaged doorway made maneuvering difficult. Even Kaler had to give ground as more and more of the fighters made their way through the opening. Kall caught the edge of a blade along his left arm, and the blood flowed red and wet.
Then the real problem became apparent. Through the dust and the first wave of fighters, more than a dozen uniformed women carrying the ever familiar staffs were headed toward the Queen’s chambers. These were the Guild’s fighting Casters, and they didn’t wait to begin. A sudden beam of bright green energy blasted through the remains of the front wall and exploded against the wall next to the Queen. She was thrown to the side, fortunately only stunned with several bleeding cuts from the flying rock. The staff of the Caster in the lead glowed bright as the sun. A strong beam of Brightfire arched toward Rigo from one of the Casters behind the leader. Another beam from a second Caster just to her right was sent Jeen’s way. Neither beam reached its destination. Both Jeen and Rigo knew Daim’s old trick, and the beams of killing energy simply faded away. The shock was apparent on the Casters’ faces. They had never seen Brightfire simply dissipate as their beams had just done.
The disruption of the spell had worked this time, but these were not novices as Rigo had encountered when he’d performed the trick at the Outpost so long ago. These were skilled Casters, and there were too many of them to hope to block all of their attempts. Rigo wasn’t certain if he would be able to do the same for the odd green colored beam, which he’d never encountered before the attack in the Ruins a few days ago. It was best not to wait and see.
Burke wasn’t able to mimic the trick that Jeen and Rigo had just performed, but released a mighty pushing force that mowed down all remaining guardsmen, and knocked back the unsuspecting Casters advancing in their direction as well. Almost simultaneously he engulfed the lead Caster in a whirlwind of swirling fire, hearing her scream as the incredibly hot magic burned the flesh from her bones in seconds. Rynm died as her fellow Casters unleashed a series of blasts that forced Rigo and his team to seek cover.
“Jeen, a Bypass out of here,” Rigo shouted. He turned to the Queen. “We’ve got to go. There are too many and they will destroy everything here in an attempt to kill us. You should come as well. I don’t think Carif intends for you to survive this.”
Queen Rosul had come to the same conclusion. Carif was taking a risk, hoping to eliminate her once and for all. Rosul had suspected that Carif would have plans for her even after she was removed from power. They had been adversaries too long, and Rosul had let the other woman know that she had secrets of her own. She nodded toward Rigo.
First through the Bypass were Daria and Kaler, helping the badly bleeding Kall. Next were Rigo and Mitty, each holding an arm of Queen Rosul. Finally Burke and Jeen stepped through, the Bypass closing immediately behind them. They would exit deep in the Ruins at Oasis Three. If the Guild was able and chose to follow them, they would find themselves at a serious disadvantage as they encountered the force that Nycoh had stationed there.
As they stepped through the arch, Burke softly said to Jeen, “You realize, of course, we have just kidnapped the Queen of Sedfair. At least that’s the way it will be told.”
Chapter 65
Suline knew that no one would expect her to be in the country village so far to the southwest. She had no reason to have come here. Her family all lived in the north, and she had never mentioned the place to any of her friends. She’d been here once before, more than five years ago, but that had been with someone she had met by chance. He’d died in an accident a short time later, and she had kept the memory to herself. When she had decided it was time to flee, this place had come to mind.
She sat on the balcony overlooking the lake surrounded by tall burken trees, their reddish-yellow leaves catching the setting sun and glowing as if they were on fire. Her eyes carefully studied the grounds below where she sat with her tall glass of clear wine. She was just another guest, and no one, except the man who obviously was interested in her for other reasons, had paid her much attention. With the end of the summer season, the last diehard vacationers filled the rooms here, with most out on the beach below her, enjoying the last of the long warm days before the fall rains.
After returning from her successful mission into the Three Kingdoms, Suline had been upbeat and looked forward to what might be a much-improved future within the Guild. Certain subtle inflections in the promises made by the Saltique when she had made her report and turned over the marvelous amulet had raised her suspicions. Because of that, she had taken the bold action to listen in on the Guild’s leader and her remaining Specialists using one of her unique Ghost Doorways. That’s when she learned what the Saltique was planning.
It wasn’t right, Suline had decided, as she overheard the plan to destroy the towers that created the magical barrier that protected the western lands from the Chulls. She knew a great deal about the beasts having been banished to the border village in western Sedfair for more than a year. Thousands of innocents would likely die once the massive herds were free to move into populated areas. What the Saltique was planning was not only an act of war, but a cowardly one. Equally improper, this was all being done without the knowledge or consent of the Queen. The Guild obviously had its own agenda. At least Carif did, and for all intents and purposes she was the Guild. Sedfair was being taken into a war, without the proper consent of its leaders.
Suline realized immediately that she wanted no part of this immoral plan. She had been one of those who had helped capture the outsiders in the beginning, and she had scouted their homeland without their knowing of it, but those were reasonable actions. The first was to intercept an unknown group who might have harbored hostile intentions toward Sedfair, and the latter was an intelligence gathering mission to see what could be learned about the far off land and whether it could be reached. What the Saltique was planning now was something else.
Suline knew that her disappearance would not go unnoticed for very long. She’d overheard enough of the planning session to have heard that she was to be assigned the overall coordination effort for the group
that would return to the western lands. Part of her was proud that her abilities were being recognized, but she wasn’t going to allow herself be used to kill thousands of innocents. She had to decide quickly what to do. By fleeing, she would make herself the object of a search by the members of the Guild. The Saltique would want to know where she had gone, and whether the information she held in her head was being passed to anyone else.
Once again Suline had considered contacting the Queen. She should be warned of the plans that were being formulated without her knowledge. Unfortunately, Suline believed that was a far too dangerous path to follow and rejected it for the same reasons she had before. Queen Rosul’s days were numbered, with only a couple of weeks remaining. Even if she wanted to contest Carif’s actions, she would have little time to do so, and once replaced with a puppet, Suline now knew from what she’d overheard, Rosul would not be able to protect Suline. The personal risk of following that path was unacceptably high.
For a brief time Suline wondered if Queen Rosul had her own hidden group of Casters. The Saltique had raised the matter in one of the discussions she held with her Specialists. Suline wished she could find out. She would be willing to take the risk and join such a group if it existed. Her future within the Guild was clearly over. Being honest with herself, Suline had to admit that she very much doubted such a group existed. Like herself, most Casters and potential Casters knew nothing of the political maneuverings of the Guild’s leaders. If it weren’t for her ability to eavesdrop, her innocent view of the Guild wouldn’t have been shattered. For most with the demonstrated skill to advance, the chance to join the Guild was a dream that little could stand against. The Queen might have one or two Casters who were loyal to her for some reason, perhaps family ties or a longstanding blood debt, but a whole group who were willing to forsake a chance at a life as a Guild Caster was unlikely. What could she offer them, especially now that her days as Queen were numbered?
