“I’m sure. Besides, we need to contact our visitors eventually, and it wouldn’t do for them to underestimate our fortress,” Desa replied, grinning at Evrial as she stretched. “I’ll go down and get about fifty of them ready to go.”
“Be safe, Desa! I don’t want to have to take your place!” Evrial told her, shaking her head. Desa stuck her tongue out at her friend, heading downstairs as she hummed to herself.
“Looks like our opponents have come out to greet us, Captain,” Reva commented, seeming at ease despite the arrayed opponents.
Vendis examined the Kelvanis soldiers critically, internally shaking her head. There were only two hundred and fifty of them, and it looked like they had a single platoon of mages. They were outnumbered almost two to one, and none of the buildings in the town looked like they could be properly defended against a force of their size.
“Indeed they have. I don’t think I like what the fight’s going to look like, but I sincerely doubt they’ll manage to stop us, sir,” Vendis finally said, nodding to herself. “Any further orders?”
“No, just follow the plan. Let’s get this done,” Reva began. “I… wait, the gates just opened to the city.”
Vendis peered toward the city, and as figures began to march out, her eyes widened in surprise.
Desa grinned as she followed the golems out the front gate of the city. They were marching five abreast and ten rows deep, and these golems were significantly different from the one she’d seen before. That one had been a carefully crafted golem with enchantments forged into it, suitable for a dungeon, not a battlefield.
Each of these golems were granite sheathed in a finger-thin shell of tempered steel, and each held a golem-sized halberd in one hand. They were simpler than the other golem had been, and despite adding the steel, Sistina had indicated that each took only about a third as much mana to create. The dryad had still all but run herself completely dry of mana creating the city and golems, but this was only part of the army she’d built, and it would be a supremely unpleasant surprise for Kelvanis.
“Wedge formation!” Desa called out. The golems instantly responded, moving to take up positions around her, and Desa grinned even more, advancing toward the Kelvanis formation with complete confidence. She was mostly curious if their commander would fight, or surrender.
“Damn,” Captain Marath scowled, looking between the approaching golems and the elves. If the golems had shown themselves earlier, she wouldn’t have been willing to wait and attack the Sifaren army to begin with. She’d hoped to do enough damage to cripple the army, but now her force was about to get devastated. She didn’t even have a chance to escape, not with the snow.
“Captain?” Garath asked, hand on his sword nervously, looking between the two forces. “Maybe if we retreated to the barracks we could slow them down enough to do some damage? I don’t know how much good it would do, but—”
“No. All that would do is get our men and women killed for nothing,” Marath hissed angrily, glaring at the armies to either side. After a moment, she took a deep breath to steady herself, then continued. “Tell the troops to stand down, and get someone out there to negotiate a surrender.”
“Ma’am? Are you serious?” Garath asked, looking utterly shocked. “We could always retreat.”
“Perfectly serious, Lieutenant. Golems don’t get tired, and they don’t feel fear! They’d run us into the ground, and then there’d be nothing we could do,” Marath told him, strangling the urge to bite his head off. “As much as I hate to give up without a fight, I’m not getting our people killed for no damned reason at all.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll deal with it,” he replied in a subdued tone, lowering his gaze. He hesitated a moment, then asked, “Ah, who should I negotiate with?”
“Both of them,” the captain replied simply, shrugging and pulling her cloak in closer. “Try to get the best terms you can.”
“Captain Desa? Is that you?” Sergeant Berys asked, trying to keep the surprise out of her voice. She’d been skeptical that it was actually her old commander, but it certainly looked like Desa.
“Berys? Ah, a sergeant now?” Desa blinked and smiled. “I’m glad to see you! Assuming that you aren’t here on a fool’s errand, at least. How are you?”
“I’m fine, Captain. And you? What’s with the city?” Berys asked, nodding to the city, then looking at the golems nervously. “Or the golems, for that matter?”
“I’m quite well, or will be once I’m out of this cold. As to the rest… well, Sistina happened. Let’s leave it at that.” Desa raised an eyebrow at Berys, then nodded at the elves on the opposite side of the Kelvanis formation. “What are you doing here, anyway? I made my demands of them, and they said they’d have to wait for your little army to make a decision before replying.”
“Actually, I’m here to ask what terms you were asking for. We don’t have the manpower or time to actually take them captive, and killing them seems a little too ruthless.” Berys admitted, shrugging. “Captain Vendis thought it was you, so Sir Reva sent me over.”
“Ah, Reva Lucien and Vendis, hmm? I’m guessing that Her Majesty wants to make amends,” Desa spoke slowly, pondering Berys’ words. After a moment, she shrugged and added, “As to my demands, they were fairly simple. We don’t want any prisoners either. We’ve asked them to leave any weapons or armor in their barracks, give their word of parole, and leave the area. I don’t know how many of them would keep their word, but it’d avoid bloodshed for the moment.”
“I see. And I’m fairly sure that your guess is accurate. I’ll go back and let Sir Reva know, if you don’t mind?” Berys asked, feeling a bit more hopeful.
“Of course I don’t mind. I look forward to seeing you shortly,” Desa replied gently, smiling back at her.
Nodding, Berys hurried back around the Kelvanis formation to report in. As she moved, she saw a human leave the largest building in town, a dark-haired man who slowly approached Desa as well.
Returning to the army, she quickly approached and took a deep breath before reporting in. “It was definitely Desa, Sir Reva. She explained that the city is the work of Sistina, but I didn’t get any further details.”
“I see. And the terms she chose for Kelvanis?” Reva asked, glancing over at the restless human army.
“Disarmament, their word of parole, and their departure from the area,” Berys explained quickly.
“Fair enough. Let’s just do that. I don’t want to lose anyone if I don’t have to. At the very least it’ll deprive Kelvanis of their equipment, even if they break their word. The more important thing is contacting the princess,” Reva acknowledged, looking at the city with obvious worry. “I see that our mission is somewhat more critical than I had thought it was.”
Watching the soldiers from Kelvanis stream out of the small town for a moment, Desa took a moment before turning her attention to the armored knight nearby. When she did, she nodded. “Sir Reva Lucien. How are you? I can’t imagine it was a pleasant trip.”
“I’m well, Desa. I don’t believe we met directly, but I saw you with Princess Phynis several times,” Reva acknowledged, nodding his head politely. “And the trip wasn’t pleasant, but necessary. Though what we’ve found has been somewhat unexpected. May I request lodging for my soldiers, and an audience with the princess and the dungeon?”
“Ah, you want a meeting with Her Majesty as well! Mister Windgale also requested a meeting, and I agreed to escort him there,” Desa replied, smiling as she nodded to Albert Windgale, adding, “He’s the guildmaster of the Western Adventurer’s Guild.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Windgale. I’m Reva Lucien, Knight of Sifaren.” Reva greeted the human in bemusement, but quickly turned his attention back to Desa. “But I must ask… Her Majesty?”
“Sistina took the ruins of the former capital of Everium and rebuilt them into Beacon, the city before you. She then crowned Phynis Constella the new Queen of Everium,” Desa replied, smiling thinly as she added, “Appa
rently Sistina was a trifle miffed that Phynis was forced to step down as heir of Sifaren, and decided to do something about it.”
The blood drained from Albert’s face, and he asked slowly, “The capital of Everium? Was much left intact?”
“Quite a bit, actually. Shall we? It’s a rather long climb to the palace,” Desa replied brightly, smiling at the two men, her eyes glittering as she did so. “I do hope both of you can keep up.”
Looking at the climb, Reva winced and nodded. “I’ll do my best, Desa. Is there a shortcut?”
“There is, but I think giving the two of you a tour is appropriate,” Desa demurred, grinning broadly as she added, “It’s a brand new city, after all, designed by a dungeon. I think you’d find it fascinating.”
“As you wish, Miss Desa,” Albert spoke smoothly, but his eyebrows knit as he asked, “Though I do hope that the city isn’t the dungeon now? That would be unpleasant.”
“No, no, nothing like that. I’ll let her explain herself,” Desa corrected, smiling. “Now let’s be off.”
She began to lead the way, and with sighs, several others began to follow.
Chapter 55
Phynis swallowed as she heard the approach of her two guests. Evrial had taken the stairs that separated the terraces to ensure that she had forewarning, which had been appreciated, but she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the size of the throne room. It was beautiful, but it was just so huge. Sistina was sitting on a chair behind and to her right, though, which was helpful, as was Farris standing silently behind and to her left.
She studied the group as they approached. Desa was leading Berys, Reva, and Vendis, as well as the human guildmaster, Albert. She was happy to see Berys and Vendis again, but the other two left her with some trepidation. Why had her mother sent Reva to see her? To try to lure her back since she had liked him, maybe? If so, Phynis would be unhappy. Even so, it wouldn’t be proper to assume that such would be the case.
Finally, Desa came close enough and bowed deeply, announcing loudly, “Your Majesty, may I introduce Sir Reva Lucien, Captain Vendis Cascade, and Sergeant Berys Mara of Sifaren, as well as Guildmaster Albert Windgale of the Western Adventurer’s Guild?”
“You may,” Phynis replied gravely, suppressing a smile at the ad-hoc formality that Desa had chosen to adhere to. They really needed to figure out what formality they needed.
Turning back to the others, Desa spoke calmly but clearly. “Ladies and Lords, I present unto you Queen Phynis Constella of Everium, Lady Sistina, Dungeon of Everium, and Court Mage Farris Skyblessed.”
The group stared at them for a moment, especially at Sistina and Farris, but quickly bowed respectfully. Albert spoke first, his voice clear. “It is a pleasure to visit your domain, Your Majesty. A bit of a surprise as well, but you have a lovely city.”
“Thank you, Master Windgale. You all may rise,” Phynis replied, pausing a moment before adding dryly, “Also, Captain Desa may have decided to add formality all on her own. I only learned I had a domain at all this morning, at about the time Sistina brought me into the palace. There’s no need for formality yet.”
“It’s good to see that you’re doing well, Your Highness. I mean Your Majesty.” Reva flushed slightly as he corrected himself, shaking his head. “My apologies. This is most unexpected. What in all the gods is this place? How did a dungeon build it so quickly?”
“On that, you’d have to ask Sistina, but… well, let’s just say that the magical theory went well over my head,” Phynis told him in amusement, glancing at the dryad, who had her eyes closed. “She just called it high magic, and said that it was the most efficient way to get the job done.”
Reva opened his mouth to ask a question, but Phynis raised a hand, forestalling him a moment as she said, “Wait, please. First I want to ask how Berys and Vendis are doing. Business can wait for a few minutes.”
“Of course, Your Majesty,” Reva conceded, and Phynis looked at the two with a raised eyebrow.
“Well?” she prompted.
“I’m well, Your Majesty. I’m sorry for leaving you, but I wanted to go home,” Berys spoke first, her voice soft. Glancing at Farris, she asked, “Umm… what happened to Farris?”
“I’ll let Farris answer that question later. If we answer all your questions, we’ll never get the important business dealt with,” Phynis told her, smiling. “I understand your decision, though. It is what it is.”
“Your Majesty. I’m relieved to see you’re well, and that you didn’t need another rescue,” Vendis spoke almost normally, smiling slightly. “And I see you found a throne anyway.”
“More like was given it without notice,” Phynis replied dryly. “And I’ll have you know that I’m working on learning magic to defend myself. Living in an ancient dungeon with an intact magical academy helped.”
Albert seemed to choke at that, and couldn’t help but gasp. “You… you have a magical academy? Completely intact?”
“Not completely, but mostly,” Phynis informed him, then paused, considering a moment, and decided. “We’ll handle the business with you first, Guildmaster. No offense, but I believe that yours is the least sensitive of the subjects to deal with.”
Reva silently ceded the floor, taking a step back as the human took a breath, then nodded. “I suppose that is true. My apologies, Your Majesty, but your statement was stunning.”
“You’re quite forgiven. May I ask why you wished to see me?” Phynis asked patiently.
“Certainly. As I’m certain you know, the Adventuring Guilds stay out of political… incidents as much as is reasonably possible. We focus entirely on dungeons and delving into them. Thus, we find ourselves somewhat distressed by the apparent disappearance of the dungeon,” Albert explained, folding his arms behind his back and speaking with growing confidence. “We wish to know if the dungeon is still accessible, and if you will be attempting to regulate it.”
“One moment. Sistina? A moment of your attention, please?” Phynis turned to look at the dryad, snapping her fingers in front of her lover. The dryad took a few moments to open her eyes, and when they did, she looked at Phynis’ fingers, then arched an eyebrow at her.
“Yes?” Sistina asked. “Am tired.”
“I know you’re tired. The guildmaster here is wondering about the dungeon. You didn’t say much about it, so I need you to tell me what’s going on with it now,” Phynis explained.
Sistina nodded, and wordlessly raised her hands, concentrating a little. A moment later a spectral image of the city appeared above her hands, including the town just outside the gates. She pointed, and a point near the base of the mountain started to glow. It was a straight shot from the gate to the dot, and she spoke simply. “Entrance. Dungeon remodeled.”
“I see. Anything else?” Phynis prompted gently.
The dryad seemed to consider a moment, then nodded, adding softly, “Nearby buildings. Shops, guild house. Old designs.”
“Thank you, Sistina. You can go back to what you were doing,” Phynis told her, smiling as the dryad nodded, and then closed her eyes again. Looking at Albert, who appeared rather shocked, she raised an eyebrow. “Hopefully that answered most of your question. And no, I’m not regulating the dungeon. That’s just stupid. If you want to live inside the city you’re going to have to rent buildings and pay taxes, once we figure them out.”
“That seems… fair. Does she normally act like that?” he asked, gesturing at Sistina.
“No. She’s usually a little perkier. However, she just expended what she claimed was something like three years of mana accumulation, gathered with the help of the priestesses, so I’m not surprised she’s a bit fatigued,” Phynis replied firmly. “Now, since I’ve answered your question, may I have some privacy for diplomacy?”
“Of course. Thank you for the information,” Albert replied, bowing his head slightly. He started to leave, then paused, turning back as he added, “Oh! Before I get distracted, may we move into this guild house she mentioned? I’m more tha
n happy to pay rent or the like, so long as the rates are reasonable.”
“Certainly. We’ll discuss it sometime later this week,” Phynis replied, and gestured for him to go. The human quickly left, his steps fast, a hand going through his hair as he muttered under his breath.
Once he was gone and the doors had shut, Phynis looked at Reva and asked, “Now, I’m certain my mother sent you. What does she want?”
“The original goal when I was given this task was to gain copies of the library so that further research could be made on the slave brands, and to make amends with Sistina and yourself if at all possible,” Reva explained forthrightly, and Phynis couldn’t help but blink at his refusal to dance around the subject. He forged onward, his voice clear as he looked her in the eyes. “I was chosen since I was on relatively good terms with you beforehand. With the information you sent on the brands, it was no longer necessary to return with copies of the library, though the Royal Archivist was horrified at the change of plans. Instead, with Sifaren now the primary target of Kelvanis, we’re to disrupt Kelvanis’ plans if at all possible before returning. But still, my primary mission is to try to mend the rifts between you, Sistina, and Sifaren.”
“I see. I admit, I want to help Mother and Sifaren, not the least because I hate Kelvanis,” Phynis admitted, frowning as she sat back. She considered for a long moment, then looked at Sistina again, debating, and finally added, “I’m going to have to ask Sistina. She was the one who was truly disrespected.”
“Ah, with all due respect, Phynis, you were the one who nearly died,” Desa interjected nervously.
“Yes, and all of it due to people not trusting Sistina. Because people were so paranoid after years of war that they didn’t believe that someone might be willing to help without any ulterior motives,” Phynis replied, her voice filling with iron as she looked at her guardian. She paused for a long moment, and slowly continued, “Sistina may be the turning point in this war. She’s the one who can make golems and put them under our control. So I’m going to ask her opinion.”
Spells of Old (Ancient Dreams Book 2) Page 38
