Into The Ruins

by Blink, Bob

  It was about time for the meetings to begin, so Rigo followed as the King and Queen lead the way toward the conference room. As they approached, Rigo noted the King of Kellmore in a private conversation with the Lamane of Lopal. Rigo hadn’t seen Os’car in a long time, and he looked older and more tired than Rigo remembered. He was probably feeling the pressure of dealing with the effects of the Hoplani invasion. Word had come that two groups had broken through the Patrols. Rigo nodded as he passed. Ahead, he saw something that needed his attention. It appeared that Jeen and Mitty were engaged in an animated discussion, as impossible as Rigo knew that had to be.

  As he drew closer, he saw that he had been correct, and somehow, Jeen was suddenly fluent in the language of the eastern lands. She and Mitty appeared to be getting along well, and he detected the sparkle in the eyes of two women who were sharing secrets. He wondered what they were discussing, but even more he was intensely curious what had happened in the glass and a half since he’d last seen Jeen. She hadn’t indicated at the time that she had somehow acquired knowledge of the language. Jeen noted his approach, and greeted him in the formal Sedfarian manner.

  “How did this happen?” he asked, speaking in the eastern language to further convince himself that he wasn’t mistaking something.

  Jeen grinned. It wasn’t often that she was able to be so far ahead of Rigo, and she enjoyed her moment of triumph. “After you left the Outpost, I had a little time before I was to meet with Nycoh, and I was curious about the new wizards you had brought from Sedfair. I was curious if they truly were like ourselves, and asked Lyes if I might try and Link with him. It’s an ability that might be important if we go up against the Guild’s Casters. It is far too soon to see if any of the three will develop the ability to initiate a Link themselves. That ability is somewhat rare, but if they are truly compatible, then my Linking to them should be straightforward. We linked, and attempted a couple of small tasks. But, as a side benefit, when we broke the Link I discovered that I had acquired their language, and they had acquired ours. The melding of the minds allowed the information to be exchanged, much the same way as we pass knowledge of magic between ourselves and new recruits.”

  Rigo stared at her, momentarily stunned. It was too easy. “Are you certain this works for everyone? Like Nycoh, you have often demonstrated skills that others cannot duplicate.”

  “We tried it with several others. We found that a large Link, initiated by myself, with a dozen of our own people Linked into Lyes, would result in all acquiring the language. We can easily pass the knowledge to every wizard in the Three Kingdoms, and all of them can learn our language. It will make things so much easier. For example, there is no need for you to stay through the negotiations today. I know you would be bored. I can fill my usual role since I can now translate for everyone.”

  “There’s no hope of passing this same knowledge to one without the gift?” Rigo asked. He was thinking how useful it would be if the King and Queen could learn the language so quickly.

  “We’ve never been able to pass any of our knowledge or ability to an ungifted before. I doubt it will be possible in this case. They will have to learn the old way, or rely on one of us.”

  The next several days passed swiftly. As Rigo and Mitty were not required in the meetings, Rigo took the opportunity to show the young woman around the Three Kingdoms. He discovered a growing bond developing, and sensed she had feelings somewhat like his own. It was an odd sensation. It had been a very long time since he had allowed anyone to reach him in quite this way. Mitty was very different than Inge, not only physically with her white-blond hair and greater height, but with more practical experience as a result of her employment in the shipping business. Rigo hadn’t thought he could harbor the same kind of feelings again, but he found he was wrong.

  The talks between the various leaders progressed more swiftly than was reasonable. Os’car was initially difficult, wanting someone to blame for the losses caused by the unprecedented act of terror resulting from the release of the desert beasts upon his country, but soon enough had to accept that Queen Rosul was not the responsible party. An alliance was drawn up, and the leaders pledged mutual cooperation and assistance, and Queen Rosul authorized the use of force within her lands by the wizards and forces of the Three Kingdoms in an attempt to remove Carif from her leadership of the Guild.

  One of the other agreements made was to relocate everyone who was hidden on the island to the Outpost. Many were wizards who should be elevated. Their capabilities would be important in the confrontation that was expected, and leaving them in Sedfair left them exposed to retaliation by the Saltique. Rigo lead several teams who saw to the relocation. Lyes’ brother Stev partnered with Rigo to reassure those on the island that this was something sanctioned by their Queen. Daria and Kaler traveled with Rigo wherever he went, but there were no encounters with the enemy Casters.

  The relocation had been completed in two days, and the island was now deserted. Even if discovered, Carif’s Casters would have no idea who had been there or where they had gone. Rigo was tired from the constant jumping around and the relocation of so many people into the Outpost. The place hadn’t been this crowded in years. He was just about to settle in for a quiet evening. He hoped to spend tomorrow with Mitty, when Ash’urn arrived at his door accompanied by Fen and Lyes.

  “I think you need to have a look at this,” Ash’urn said after Rigo invited them into his quarters. He handed Rigo a section of netting, that had several familiar symbols integrated into the mesh.

  “These look like the ones that were used to block our magic in the cells,” Rigo said, looking at the mesh.

  “They are,” nodded Ash’urn. “Lyes is familiar with the blocking spell and the activation because he helped Queen Rosul set up the areas inside the castle which surprised the Guild. Daim has been interested in this new magic, and got involved in one of our discussions. The result is what you have in your hands.”

  “What exactly is this?” Rigo asked.

  “We can make it easily, and in large sizes. Sections can be linked together so they act like a larger piece. The netting mesh can be strung over an area, say an oasis, and once activated, it blocks any magic just as you were blocked back in Sedfair. That would leave anyone transitioning into the oasis caught just as we were in that inn when we used a Bypass to get there.”

  “Wouldn’t it block our own people as well?”

  “Of course, but we can set up selected zones where we place people who are outside the mesh. They wouldn’t be blocked and so would have access to their magic. Enemy incoming wouldn’t be able to overcome the situation. It is also possible to have a section where the effect can be turned off without unblocking the whole oasis. That would give an area allowing for the creation of Bypass portals for those we authorize to travel. It will deny the Guild’s Casters the use of our oases.”

  “You’ve tested this?” Rigo asked.

  “Of course. It works just as I’ve described. We want to show it to Nycoh and get permission to set it up. Oh, and Daim has an idea that he says will significantly alter future interactions with the Casters, but he wouldn’t explain. He disappeared a little while ago to work on it. He says it might take a day or two. You might want to speak with him as well.”

  Rigo fingered the thin mesh. Whatever they had used to make it had been strengthened with magic. It wouldn’t tear and he could envision one of the oases covered with the stuff. Ash’urn wouldn’t have claimed it could do what he had unless he was certain. This might be the protection they’d needed. If the Three Kingdoms could be made secure against the Casters, and blocking the Casters’ ability to cross the Ruins was the way to do that, the Three Kingdoms would be freer to send large numbers of wizards into Sedfair after the Guild’s leaders.

  “Let’s go see Nycoh,” Rigo said as he stood. “How long to make up enough to cover Oasis Three?”

  Ash’urn’s smile was easily seen under his beard. “Already done,” he said. “Already d
one.”

  Chapter 69

  The Saltique had sent four teams of two Casters each into the Wastelands with the important mission of finding an alternate path through the hostile desert. They had arrived just over two days earlier, coming from Sedfair and exiting their final Doorway several hundred paces outside the perimeter of the oasis adjacent to the facility where the Chulls were being produced. Shurl knew the spot well, as she had visited here before when she had been part of the threesome who had first scouted the Three Kingdoms. Now she was back, and wasn’t certain she was happy about it, but when the Saltique gave an order, one obeyed. That’s just the way things were. At least she had been made lead on this mission, not that it had much meaning once the teams parted.

  Each team consisted of a pair of Casters. Each of the Casters was capable of making a Doorway, perhaps the primary skill required for the mission at hand, beyond the ability to withstand the heat and live on a minimum amount of food and water. Their mission was to locate a new oasis, one of those small patches of land in the Wastelands that allowed their magic to operate normally. One of the oases was necessary if they were to move freely between Sedfair and the Three Kingdoms. The ones they knew of at the moment were occupied by the westerners, and from what Shurl had seen when they arrived, every effort was being made to fortify them against the possible arrival of Casters. Shurl carried the special talisman that was necessary for magic to function out here. Each team had one. The Saltique had explained that they simply didn’t have them in sufficient numbers to supply each Caster with one, so they would have to make do by sharing a single amulet between the two teams members.

  She wondered how the other teams were doing. She and her partner had been one of the two groups that had set off from the oasis where they had arrived. They were headed north, while the other pair of Casters had headed west. The remaining pair of teams had waited until they were well on their way, a full half a day, then hopefully had been able to sneak close enough to the oasis and to create a Doorway that would take them farther west to the next oasis occupied by the westerners. Had they spoken the Three Kingdoms’ language they would have known that was called Oasis Three. There they would split as well, one team heading south, and the other back this way toward the east.

  Ideally, each team would eventually encounter another oasis. It was essential to their goal that at least one team did. The Saltique believed that they were not uncommon based on the memories they had harvested, and it was simply a matter of enduring the hateful Wastelands until one was finally located. Once an oasis was found, they would use the talsimen to bring themselves home. They would be received as heroes, and Sedfair would have an alternate pathway for future missions.

  Shurl now knew that the mission was likely a death sentence. Without an oasis, they couldn’t make a Doorway that would take them anywhere useful. They couldn’t reach Sedfair from the blocked zones, nor could they reach the Three Kingdoms. The food they had brought was limited, knowing that water was more important. Shurl had never before seen a place where water simply didn’t exist. Since the oasis had water, she had assumed that it would be found in the Wastelands as well, but thus far they’d seen nothing. Once the water they carried ran out, they would die of thirst. Obviously they had been deemed expendable. If they failed to find an oasis, they would never make it home. Shurl chanced a glance at her partner, wondering what thoughts she was thinking. The other Caster’s hair was matted against her head, the heat of the Wastelands causing her to sweat profusely. She used far more than her share of water, something that Shurl had come to resent.

  Far to the west, the team heading south had not done well. They had made the jump from the first oasis, and with a confident wave had separated from Shurl’s team. The southward headed pair was the only team that had a male member. Benni was paired with an overbearing woman, who despite his being the stronger Caster, carried their talisman and had been placed in charge. He had volunteered for the mission. He had grand hopes of rising within the Guild, despite rumors that the roles of men would be sharply restricted once the new Queen was named. He didn’t believe that was the case. His abilities topped most of the women in his class, and he benefited from having served in the Guard for two seasons before being accepted into the University at an advanced age. The combination of his fighting skills and his strength with magic had made him a powerful Caster, and he had won the staff easily.

  Two days from the departure point they had been crossing a wide rocky plain. Then they had encountered a vast expanse of some kind of sharp prickly crystals that stuck out of the sands and been forced to alter their direction. The rolling terrain hid the landscape, making it impossible to tell what was just over the next rise. They could have easily passed several oases without knowing it. The woman he traveled with had become impatient, and eager to get out of the rolling hills, had crossed over the peak of one without properly checking and led them straight into a herd of Chulls. The Chulls were bad enough, but this group was being led by a Durvin, the big brother to the Chulls, and it had spotted them immediately.

  Benni knew when to run, and had tried to get his partner to do so. Stupidly, she had chosen to fight, and had triggered a blast of Brightfire at the beast. Benni knew from past experience with the large beasts that even the Brightfire from a single Caster wasn’t going to stop one of the Durvin, and that was when the magic was at full strength. Here, with the Wastelands blocking their magic, the beam the woman Caster had produced was well below what she was normally capable of. Even if he’d wanted, he couldn’t have helped. Without a talisman of his own, he couldn’t create even a weakened beam of the powerful magic.

  The Durvin had responded predictably, and had charged the woman Caster. She had realized too late what trouble she was in, and unable to escape, had been blasted with the Durvin’s own magic, then soundly trampled by the herd. Benni had a head start having run when he’d first seen the creatures, and had managed to escape, the beasts tiring of the chase before too long as the landscape hid him from their view. Unfortunately, the encounter had left him alone, and without a talisman. He’d searched for the remains of his former partner, but the land looked the same in every direction, and the rolling hills that had helped him escape hid too much. He’d become disoriented as he’d fled, and knew he could spend weeks looking without much hope of finding her.

  His situation was now quite grim. Even if he found a new oasis on his own, he wouldn’t be able to return to Sedfair. Making a Doorway for that distant jump required one of the magic amulets. That meant, even if he found an oasis, he wouldn’t be able to complete his mission. At best he could make a jump into the Three Kingdoms. Those could even be reached from an oasis without the talisman. He’d been told as much by Shurl before they entered the Wastelands.

  Benni made his decision easily. His best chance of survival would be to try and find his way back to the oasis held by the westerners. He thought he knew the direction based on the large colored mountain in the distance. If he could get back, then he might be able to sneak onto the oasis just long enough to create a Doorway into the Three Kingdoms. The memories they had each been implanted with before setting out gave him several reasonable destinations. Once in the Three Kingdoms, he could initiate action against the westerners, and hopefully at some point link up with others from Sedfair when the Saltique began her planned attacks against them. His decision made, Benni turned and started back along the path he’d come. He wouldn’t come home a hero, but survival was the most important thing now.

  The team Benni had waved farewell to a few days earlier as he’d headed into the orange sands was doing no better than himself. Near evening of the third day the two Casters had encountered a cluster of a strange, unfamiliar plant. The plant emitted some kind of a poisoned pellet, and when one of them was struck, she died almost immediately, collapsing in the middle of a cluster of the dangerous bushes. The second Caster had hurriedly backed away, eager to get away from the bushes, and carelessly had tripped over a rocky ledg
e and broken her ankle. Now she sat, unable to walk, with her water reserve slowly dwindling, trying to work up the courage to return to the putrefying body of her former friend. The talisman, which she would need to perform any magic remained around the neck of the corpse. Even with it, she didn’t know how she could hope to go on, but without it, she had absolutely no hope. Finally she started crawling toward the body. Maybe she would be lucky.

  Six days into the search, the last of the four groups was at the end of their strength. They had found nothing in the previous hard days of travel. They had run out of water as they’d set out this morning, and had hoped for a miracle. It was a miracle that hadn’t been answered. Now, one had collapsed, unable to go on. The remaining Caster, the one with the talisman, stared at the hated sands that surrounded them as far as she could see. There was nothing out here. She could see a considerable distance, and there was nothing that showed the slightest hint of green. They had failed!

  Bitter with the suicide mission the Saltique had sent them on, she decided it would be better to be a prisoner than to die out here. They would go back, and turn themselves in to the westerners. Maybe they would kill them, but more likely the westerners would take them somewhere to question them about the Guild. At least she would be alive.

  Walking back to the starting point was out of the question. They could no more walk back the way they had come than they could continue on. It would take five days to do so. She could, however, attempt something they had been warned against. With the talisman she could make a Doorway back to where they had been. She could tell that she couldn’t reach the oasis with the limited range of the Doorways out here, but she could get most of the way. Then she could make a second Doorway to travel the rest of the way back.