Into The Ruins

by Blink, Bob

Carif’s eyes flashed angrily at the very idea, but she took the piece of parchment that Ensay held out. Quickly she scanned the document, her breath hissing between her teeth as she read.

  “She dares to do this?” she asked. “I know Ardra. She is a capable Caster, and is probably doing what she sees as best. She does not know of our plans. Depending on her actions, I might be able to forgive her. But to raise a man to be an equal partner in the leadership is unacceptable. He has not even been formally awarded the staff, yet Rosul intends him to lead our people?”

  Somewhat uncertainly, Ensay said, “At least you know where he is now.”

  Carif’s eyes briefly met those of her wounded subordinate. “Yes. Yes we do. I have been wondering where young Lyes went. Now we know just where to find him when the time is right.”

  Chapter 78

  “Where’s your friend?” Ardra asked, when she greeted Rigo and Ash’urn as they made their way through the gathering of nobles and other important members of Nals upper society during the special event Queen Rosul had insisted must be held. Ardra, a stunning redhead, looked as much at home here in high society as she had dressed in dirty and worn leather armor on the battlefield after encountering the Baldari. Her long reddish curls were decorated in the local style, adorned with a number of colored crystals that caught the light and brought the highlights to one’s attention. Her dark brown eyes watched Rigo openly as he spoke. The dress she wore was a bit garish based on Three Kingdoms’ fashion, but fit in well here and certainly accented a marvelous figure. Even Ash’urn, with his friend Shara in tow, couldn’t help but notice.

  “He was killed during the attack on the Saltique’s quarters,” Rigo said softly. Lorl had sometimes been brash, but he and Rigo had traveled many days together, and he felt the loss of another who he had brought into his adventures.

  “That is too bad,” Ardra said sincerely. “He appeared to be a good man, and certainly was skilled with healing. He saved many of the men that day with his efforts.”

  “Too many have been lost because of the actions of the former Saltique,” Rigo replied harshly. He felt the pressure of Mitty’s hand on his arm, cautioning him this wasn’t the time for such discussions. He looked briefly at the woman who stood beside him, dressed even more formally than Ardra, with some of the same kind of sparkling jewels in her hair. He had never seen Mitty look so beautiful, and despite his discomfort at having her back where Carif might be able to harm her, he was pleased to have her at his side.

  The party was being held in an open area of the castle. A great many wizards were on hand, including the full force of Queen Rosul’s private group of newly minted wizards from the secret society she had kept on the island for so long. They were mixed in among the guests, ready to respond to any action from Carif’s Casters. Rigo had tried to talk the Queen out of this public display, but she had overruled him. It was important that she reconnect with the Hundred Families if she were to rule effectively. Many were uncomfortable with the declarations she had passed down of late, and she needed to win their support. It was important that she could align the nobles of Sedfair against the actions taken by Carif. She needed to bring them in line with her ideas for the Guild, and bring those Casters who had been innocent of Carif’s actions back together. She also wanted the military fully supportive of her new plans. She was going against long established tradition, and without the full support of these people, her attempts at setting Sedfair along the proper path would be extremely difficult. Many of the Hundred families also wanted to meet representatives from the Three Kingdoms, hence Rigo, Ash’urn, Jeen, and a few others were here openly. Rigo had others here concealed in other ways that hopefully hadn’t been detected.

  Entry to the castle was via a special corridor and all guests were monitored carefully for any sign of anything that could be used in place of a staff for Casting purposes. Without such aids, Carif’s people would be unable to be very effective. Most areas of the castle remained off limits, and the area where the party was taking place was fully blocked by the magical glyphs, which restricted Carif, but not Rigo’s people. The special armbands had been given to the Queen’s wizards as well, so they would be able to call upon their newly acquired magical powers if needed. There had been arguments about this among those back at the Outpost, but the armbands were made in such a manner that even if they were taken by one of Carif’s people, they had been Linked to the specific users when supplied, making them useless to anyone else. In addition to the wizards, Rosul had ensured a large contingent of her personal guard was on hand, armed against any more standard type of attack. It should be safe enough, but Rigo would be happier when the evening was over.

  Returning to the previous subject, Rigo said, “You will have healers with the same level of skills to support teams in the field from now on. Lyes’ people, those with ability in inherent magic, have been trained in the healing arts. A number are quite proficient now. If any call of an attack is received, at least one qualified healer will be dispatched with the combat Casters and wizards who respond.”

  Lyes has said as much,” Ardra replied. While she was a capable Caster, and skilled at fighting, she lacked the spark that would have allowed her to learn the inherent magic. That meant she didn’t entirely understand what Lyes and his people could do after so little time. It was one reason that Rosul had wanted the top position in the Guild to be manned by both Ardra and Lyes. Their skills spanned both disciplines, in addition to having both a man and a woman as the top members of the Guild. Rosul was sending a message to all with magical ability. No longer would there be any favoritism driven by one’s sex.

  “I think she and Lyes will be better leaders than Carif,” Mitty said softly as she and Rigo made their way across the floor after leaving Ardra.

  “Carif was interested in what she could extract from the Guild for herself,” Rigo said. “Ardra appears to have the well being of those under her as a primary concern. She and Lyes have a major effort ahead of them. They have to spread the word about the changes in the Guild around Sedfair, while searching for any sign of Carif and her followers. She has to coordinate the Army in its fight against the Chulls, and be ready to respond to any Baldari attacks. There has been a bit of a lull since the last major attack, which might be significant.”

  Mitty was silent as she considered telling Rigo about her dreams. This wasn’t the time, she decided. She had hopes of returning to the Three Kingdoms and speaking with Queen Mos’pera before revealing them to anyone else. She planned to corner Jeen this evening and ask about going back to Sulen briefly with her.

  “She’s going to be difficult to catch, isn’t she?” Mitty asked, referring to Carif. As yet they had no idea where she was or what plans she might be formulating. Rigo worried about actions she might attempt here in Sedfair, he couldn’t see her giving up easily, but also what actions she might be able to take back in his homeland.

  “She is very accomplished, as are some of her key people. That makes it difficult to find her, and hold her if we do. I’d never considered the problems associated with a wizard on wizard confrontation. Each of us possesses the power to destroy the other, but at the same time neither can block the killing power of the other. We need to learn where she hides, and somehow block her power so she can be taken, or we need to lure her where we control the situation.”

  “She is too clever to allow that to happen,” Mitty said doubtfully.

  “That is why it is likely many more will die before this is resolved. Some of her magic I can overcome, but she controls a beam of greenish energy that is extremely destructive and which I cannot block. That makes her incredibly dangerous.”

  “I thought you said Ash’urn is looking into that?”

  “He and Lyes are going through the materials in the library at the Guild Headquarters to see if anything that explains the magic can be found. From what we know at the moment, only Carif and her most trusted Casters, probably only members of the Eight, appear to have learned the secret. We’v
e wanted to capture one of their staffs, but thus far have been unsuccessful. It makes me wonder if that secret was one of the reasons Carif destroyed the residences. We might not be able to find the answer we seek.”

  “If you capture some of her people, can’t you have a Reading performed on them to learn what they know?”

  Rigo shuddered. “That has been suggested, but I’m not comfortable with it. It is a decision to be made if we acquire someone with the knowledge we want. Maybe they can be convinced to reveal what we seek by the mere threat of such an action.”

  “I was hoping to encounter you,” said a voice interrupting their discussion. Mitty and Rigo turned toward the voice, and Rigo recognized Lord Chaten. The elder noble’s eyes quickly took in Rigo’s wrists, which had been banded the last time they met.

  Mitty bowed slightly, noting the nobleman’s position. Rigo smiled, and said “I was hoping to speak with you as well. Queen Rosul ensured me you would be present.”

  There was no reason to be circumspect this time, and Lord Chaten broached the subject of Rigo’s possible heritage as soon as the formalities of greeting were accounted for. He asked what memories Rigo had, and if he could recall any of his younger years. While they talked, Mitty excused herself. She had seen Jeen across the room, and took the opportunity to speak with her alone. When she returned with Jeen in tow a short time later, Lord Chaten was just finishing up. “I think you need to visit the estates,” he said. “It might trigger more memories. I am encouraged that you recalled what you did.” He bowed, and made his departing remarks to the ladies, and then headed toward the Queen.

  “You remembered something?” Jeen asked, having overheard the last of the discussion as she and Mitty approached Rigo.

  “Most of what he described to me might as well have never happened,” Rigo said. “But I might have vague recollections of my mother. I recalled an eye patch in an otherwise striking woman. Lord Chaten says my mother, or at least the woman who he believes was my mother, had lost an eye at an early age from a childhood accident. It’s an unusual enough coincidence that it would be interesting to follow up. I think I’ll want to visit the estates when the situation permits. Maybe I can find some answers.”

  Mitty examined Rigo carefully. She sensed he was hopeful he might have found something that would tell him about his early life. She took his arm and held it close.

  “You have that look,” Rigo said to Jeen. “You have something you want to tell me.”

  Jeen smiled. “I can make masked Bypass portals,” she said with a barely suppressed grin.

  Rigo’s eyes widened. “How did you learn that?”

  “Lyes,” she replied.

  “First Ash’urn, and now you,” Rigo complained. “How is it he can teach you and not me?” Rigo was glad that more were learning the skill, but it was something he dearly wished to know.

  Jeen laughed. “He can now. A few days ago you passed him the ability to ‘teach’ our magic to others, so any new prospects with the gift can be trained here rather than at the Outpost. He discovered he could pass the masking skill to some of those he worked with. It isn’t something everyone can do, but we have a half dozen with the ability now. When he told me, I asked him to try with me. It worked. Tomorrow I’ll see if I can pass it on to you.”

  “I thought you were going home tonight?” Rigo asked.

  “Something came up. I decided to stay until tomorrow. We can make the attempt before I leave.” Then Jeen looked past Rigo’s shoulder. “Duty calls,” she said. “The Queen has a new group she wants me to meet.”

  It was very late when the party guests had all departed, and Rigo and the other wizards could relax. The usual guard was posted, and finally Rigo was free to retire. Mitty and he both had rooms in the castle, but they were in different wings. Her quarters were closer, but Mitty indicated she wanted to talk with him, and they walked arm in arm toward his room. She didn’t get around to leaving for her own room that night.

  Chapter 79

  The Hoplani appeared out of nowhere in the town square in central Sulen less than a quarter glass walk from the castle. More than fifty of the enraged beasts poured through the Bypass that had been created, the far end originating somewhere unknown in the Ruins along the border with Lopal. The Hoplani were dangerous under normal conditions, but abrupt transition caused by passing through the magical portal confused, and therefore, enraged them even more than usual. They found themselves surrounded by unfamiliar structures and hundreds of screaming humans, whereas they had been purposefully crossing the quiet desert sands just moments before. Finally, and extremely important, they were no longer under the influence of the tainted magic of the Ruins. The crystal buried within each Hoplani not only powered the beasts by absorbing energy from the Ruins, but was designed to trigger a change in the creatures once they left the regions corrupted by the destructive magic that infused the Wastelands. The changed Hoplani became a viscious weapon, with the goal of killing and destroying anything living that was encountered. While they were considered dangerous to those who had encountered them as they wandered the Ruins, the Hoplani were a very different creature this far from the Ruins where they were usually encountered. Normally the transition was a gradual one, as the creatures crossed the border regions and left the desert behind. As the effects of the warped magic faded, and they needed to seek normal sources of food to provide the energy to continue on, the purpose behind their existence also changed. The transition through the Bypass exacerbated that more gradual change.

  Most of the citizens of Sulen had never seen a Hoplani. They had heard tales of the dangerous beasts, and a few had seen drawings, some accurate but most not, of what the creatures looked like. They were not something that was part of their normal existence. Despite the threat the Hoplani had posed for many years, that threat had always been far away, on the eastern edge of Lopal. Those more attuned to the problem might have realized that with the failure of the barrier, the possibility existed that the Hoplani might some day reach into Branid and become a direct threat. Even those individuals saw the threat as sometime far off, as the creatures would have to first traverse the mountainous regions of Lopal. Many weeks of warning would be expected before the creatures could even reach the border of Branid.

  The first Hoplani through the Bypass charged through the crowded market place trampling the nearest screaming humans as they ran from the abrupt transition of the Bypass seeking something familiar. The screaming and running of the humans further distracted them, and they began firing the blasts of killing energy from the horns along the top of their heads. Many of the blasts missed, but given the density of Hoplani and the number of fleeing humans, far too many of the blasts found a target. Some victims were killed outright, whereas other were badly burned, collapsing from the trauma. Many of these were trampled by the charging beasts, while others could only hope that help would arrive to save them.

  Within seconds the market became a jumbled and disorganized mess of overturned stands, widely scattered goods that had only moments before been offered for sale, dead and dying of all ages, and hundreds of screaming, fleeing individuals, pushing, shoving, and trying to be the first out of the area. The panic only made matters worse, and many of those who might have escaped had a less panicked approach to getting away been pursued, died as a result.

  Not too far away, Benni watched the destruction his actions had unleashed upon the citizens of Sulen. He had hoped to deposit the small herd of Hoplani into the courtyard of the castle itself, but he’d discovered that both here and in Kellmore, it was impossible to make a Doorway onto the grounds of the castles. At first he’d been surprised and wondering what he was doing wrong, but after a little experimentation he’d come to the conclusion that the castles were being protected somehow. That had led him to change his strategy. The small herd of Hoplani he’d found had been on the run when he’d opened the Doorway directly in their path. Most of the herd had missed the opening, but those that had charged into the arch had
been transported here. He’d arrived after the first of the herd, stepping into a side street where he could watch the results unobserved and out of danger. When he saw the scale of destruction he momentarily felt a pang of guilt, but then he recalled that the Saltique had said these were the enemy, and that they threatened the future of Sedfair. Even though none of those in the square were wizards or guardsmen, the terror would serve to warn the Three Kingdoms what they could expect if they continued to pursue the war.

  The citizens of Sulen were fortunate that the castle was close. Because of the ongoing situation with the Guild, a number of wizards had been temporarily located where they could help protect the King and Queen. It didn’t take long before news of the Hoplani reached those in the castle, and shortly thereafter five men and women appeared, releasing precise beams of Brightfire into the Hoplani. Benni had to respect the strength and skill with which they attacked the beasts. While the first group was busy, an even larger force of wizards appeared and proceeded to help finish off the remaining beasts. It was time for him to leave before he was noticed. Future efforts would have to be directed to places a little less likely to have wizards nearby. He didn’t know how so many had been directed to the site so quickly, but he was certain having the castle nearby was part of the problem.

  The second attack was both more and less successful. A far greater number of Hoplani were routed from the Ruins into the target area, this time through four separate Doorways simultaneously. Despite the fact the attack happened the day after the Hoplani had been sent into Sulen, Benni was not involved in this effort. A force of six Senior Casters, part of the force that Carif had sent into the Three Kingdoms, had planned and executed this attack.

  More than three hundred Hoplani fled in panic and confusion from the four Doorways into the open valley that was filled with the tents in the home village of Lopal’s Lamane. Unlike the castles of the other leaders, the Lamane lived in the style of his ancestors, and the large cloth tents that formed the village were augmented with only a few wooden structures. The tents provided no protection against the charging herd, and any encountered were quickly swept away. Any individuals inside the first tents to be struck were killed by the charging beasts. Then, as the alarm spread, the people fled the fragile structures, many jumping on horses and grabbing children and women, rode for cover, away from the charging beasts.