by Bob Blink
The wizards had already learned a great deal about the protective barrier of the shield. Once Koess was set to thinking on what he’d learned, he was able to dredge up considerable background. The shields could obviously be used for personal protection, and when used as such were able to not only block all tested forms of magic, but would stop arrows and spears as well. Anyone wrapped in such a shield was able to operate normally, and could “lock” the shield in place and essentially ignore it until he wished to drop it.
Others could be shielded as well. This was most effective if they were included in a shield that encompassed the entire group. That made the barrier somewhat cumbersome and restricted movement. With a little experimentation the wizards learned to make the shield larger than the party being protected, which allowed for more freedom of individual movement. Unfortunately, as the shield grew in size, its ability to block physical items dropped off, and given a large enough barrier, arrows were able to make it through, although their direction of flight was disturbed.
More importantly, a wizard could shield others by enclosing him, her, or them inside a barrier independent of his own. The second shield required constant attention, however, limiting the wizard’s ability to perform other tasks. There was something else at work they didn’t understand, because Nycoh was able to shield a separate group, and still operate her other magic unimpaired. She was thus far alone in this ability.
Finally, objects could be shielded. The same kind of shield that could be used to protect a separate group of individuals could be applied to an object or a structure. However, for a structure, the shield could be locked in place, and it would last for an extended period with the continued attention of the wizard who had created it. If a group of wizards Linked, they could shield a large area, with a far stronger barrier than any one was able to create. A shield created by such a Linkage appeared to be extremely long lasting, and needed only infrequent boosts to keep it in place. The boost could be supplied by any of the wizards who had participated in the Linking that had created it.
Another task that Daim had initiated after the attack was a careful search for all members of the wizard community. Based on the reports for those who had been in Pagner, far more wizards and Casters had been controlled by the Brryn woman than they had anticipated. That suggested others had disappeared without their being aware of the fact. This was confirmed, when the wizards in small villages and far-flung areas were found to have disappeared. The Brryn had been searching them out, probably using the knowledge gained from those she had initially captured. To ensure this didn’t happen again, all were encouraged to return to the Outpost where closer accounting of their numbers was possible. Based on the number that couldn’t be accounted for, the Brryn had more in reserve than they had feared.
Daim selected Jeen and Nycoh to travel to Sedfair to meet with the leadership there. Jeen would meet with Queen Jusay, both to formally carry the thanks from King Rhory for her support of Pagner, and to inform her of recent developments. Nycoh’s task was to meet with Ardra and Lyes of the Guild. The recent discoveries needed to be passed to the wizard portion of the Sedfair gifted. As their most powerful mage, a term becoming more common for those who demonstrated both inherent and symbolic magic, and as a frequent resident of both lands, Nycoh was seen as the best representative for this task. Rigo and Mitty knew the specific individuals better, but they were clearly being targeted, and Daim felt that Mitty would be far safer at the Outpost than anywhere in Sedfair. The Guild was nowhere as secure as the Outpost, especially now that the protective barrier had been erected into the very stone that formed the outer shell.
In addition to the newly learned magic, Nycoh carried word of what else they had learned. That included the location of the staging area, the death of Shym – something that would be very well received by Sedfair’s leadership - and the concern that more wizards and Casters than realized were being taken by their common enemy. Sedfair would need to perform the same kind of checks that Daim had initiated in the Three Kingdoms.
Finally, Nycoh was to inform the Guild that a plan was being formulated to send a large force into the jungle starting at the staging area that Suline had discovered. The force would include a large number of wizards. No Casters would be sent because as yet they were unable to erect their own protective shields. Each of the wizards would have to be strong in Greenfire as well. Daim wanted Sedfair to know his intentions, and allow them to send along some of their own wizards if they wished. Now that they had the ability to be protected from any magic that had been thus far displayed, Daim wanted to seek out and discover the location of the Brryn woman and the strange pod which Mitty saw her in. From the revelations Koess had provided, there was potentially a real concern if the woman, and possibly those encapsulated with her, were able to get free to operate more directly. Using the captured gifted, she was limited in what magic could be brought to bear, but if she controlled some of the magic that Koess had described, they might find themselves at a disadvantage once again. They had an opportunity to act, and needed to do so before their situation deteriorated. Especially worrisome was that Mitty had reported that despite efforts to block her visions, she was certain at least one other of the Brryn in the chamber was regaining consciousness.
“It’s unfortunate that this Koess wasn’t able to bring back the other magic he described,” Ardra said, after Nycoh had finished explaining all they had learned and how.
“There is much he might have sought to learn had he any idea he might some day be rescued. One can easily forgive his lack of diligence. He was left there, completely alone for more than a dozen years. It’s a wonder he remained sane, let alone brought back what he has. Besides, he claims much of the magic he was too unskilled to learn.”
“I’m not sure what that means,” Lyes said.
Nycoh glanced at her former lover. There was still a distance between them, and she could tell that he was anxious to learn the new skills she brought. That had been the source of most of the tension between them. He had wanted to match her in every skill. She remembered how gleeful he had been when he had discovered Greenfire with Fen when so many had failed for so long. Briefly she wondered about his girlfriend, Novi, but then pushed the thought aside. She was tired of the games, and truthfully wished they could mend what had been torn, but she had other secrets she wasn’t ready to share, even if he’d been willing. She sensed he might be, but didn’t wish to pursue it.
“Koess is a wizard, but has no background in symbolic magic. You and I have learned that the result of mastering both disciplines is more than the sum of the pair. I suspect that one must be at least skilled in both, and perhaps even something else, before some of the magic he encountered can be learned. It is only a guess, but from what he had explained, that appears likely.”
“And this woman, a Brryn he calls her, might have such skills?”
Nycoh shifted her gaze back to Ardra. She knew that Ardra would be interested in the shields, and disappointed that as a Caster she wouldn’t be able to create them. But Ardra was pragmatic, and she would use the knowledge in a manner that would be most productive.
“We believe it is likely. From the history Koess learned, the Brryn were the most powerful sorcerers of their time. They were true mages, and even more, and if the magic existed, it would be unreasonable to assume they weren’t masters of it.”
“When will the force be leaving the Three Kingdoms?” Ardra asked.
“Three days from now. I’m to transfer the new magic to Lyes so you can distribute it to your corps of wizards. I also am to ask that at least five of your people join us, at least for the jump to the staging area that Suline found. It is up to you whether any become part of the force. Those five are intended to see the area, fix it in their minds, and provide a resource in the event you need or wish to visit the location. It was hard won information and needs to be shared.”
“We will certainly participate,” Lyes said. “The number we can send will need to be carefu
lly considered. We have fewer wizards than the Three Kingdoms, and given the escalation, will need to consider how to protect key locations and people. Some kind of fallback, a hardened bunker protected by these shields seems be called for.”
After working through a few more details, the conversation shifted to a more personal subject.
“Ash’urn seems to be recovering,” Lyes said. “I talked briefly with him at the Repository the other day.”
Nycoh nodded. “He is unhappy about progress there however. He and Fen have been spending long days, too long actually, and finding little. There has been no luck with the viewing monitors, nor with the rods that were supposedly used to trigger the Ruins. Neither yielded more than a few basic instructions and nothing that allowed them to be understood and used in any way.”
“Our progress has been far less than initially hoped,” Lyes agreed. “I’m told we have almost exhausted everything we have that might benefit from translation, and gained very little beyond a better understanding of the history. We are no closer to getting into the documents there, and the Caretakers have been unable or unwilling to provide any insight into how we might proceed.”
Nycoh hesitated. She had an idea, but she might need Lyes to help her with it.
“I have an idea,” she said finally. “With our newly gained ability with the shields, there might be a link to what is protecting the files. Perhaps we can look at the problem together. There are certain aspects of the problem I think you might understand better than me.”
A brief smile flashed across Lyes face. “Of course,” he said softly.
Three days later, a combined force of fifty-two wizards from the Three Kingdoms and Sedfair stepped through a Doorway that Suline created into the clearing that formed the staging area that only she had thus far visited. They couldn’t use any of the mental images obtained from the captured Baldari to make Doorways. For some reason, the images obtained from the Reading were tainted, and simply didn’t work. That had been a major disappointment as they had hoped at least to be able to locate the villages of the captured warriors that way.
After today, there would be many who could make a portal to this place. Tara was in charge, insisting she be part of any effort that might locate her estranged consort. They exited close to the spot where Shym had been killed, but other than a darkened stain in the dirt floor under the canopy of high trees, there was no sign of her. The area appeared tired and deserted. That wasn’t unexpected. Suline had kept a close watch on the area, scanning it several times each day with her Ghost Doorway. She had wanted to come along, but she was denied the opportunity for a couple of reasons. Firstly, she was basically a Caster, and had not learned to make a protective barrier, and she had what remained a unique ability that no one was willing to risk. Daim had obtained special permission from Ardra to keep her on hand at the Outpost for the foreseeable future. Therefore she had made the Doorway for the others, but had remained far away at the Outpost.
More than a glass was spent checking the area, but it was obvious that no one had been here for a couple of days. It had rained three days earlier, and the ground showed no sign of anyone passing through since that time. The Brryn may have abandoned the location, but it was the closest they had come to where the Baldari gathered. Once it was apparent nothing more could be learned here, the group headed out, moving in the direction Suline had seen some of the Baldari heading when she’d been here before.
Chapter 50
Tara was in charge, but she was more than willing to take direction from Debi and Crissi. The two mages from Sedfair, combined wizard and Caster, had spent many days in the jungle and had a far better feel for what was to be expected in this dreadful place than she did.
“The trees are taller and far less densely packed,” Debi said softly as they moved down the narrow path into the jungle and away from the long deserted village that had been in the gathering place.
They walked well spread out, with the majority of the wizards separated by a dozen large paces. Only Debi and Tara walked side by side, so they could easily discuss what they saw and make decisions without having to make much noise. Everyone was concerned about the strange pit that had cost a wizard who had gone in search of Burke’s team. If such a pit opened up here, they wanted most of the people to be outside the area that opened up. Hopefully they could use their magic to pull out any who fell in.
The pathway was easy to follow. Nothing had grown on the hard packed earth for a very long time. Hundreds, probably thousands, of feet had walked along this path, rounding the earth into a soft trough and packing the dirt so solidly that it stayed in place. The grasses that grew along the edge would have been trampled out of existence as they tried to spread into the open earth of the path itself. A glass later the jungle thinned even more, and a vast area opened before them. As far as they could see were tall plants topped with the deep red that Burke had described near where he and his team had disappeared. It was an uncomfortable memory, and the presence of the reddish, foul smelling plants suggested danger as a result. Most everyone was tense as they followed the trail through the fields, which were clearly cultivated. Tara guessed that the Baldari were close.
Twice the trail split, one option veering off to the right, and the other to the left. Each time the path split, Tara went to the left. She was not guided by any particular insight, but had long chosen this method. She wouldn’t randomly move forward at each juncture, and unless there was something that suggested otherwise, she would take the leftward option. Having done so, if she was forced to backtrack, she would know automatically which way she had gone at each intersection, and would be able to systematically work her way through the options.
Colorful birds squawked as they passed, some seemingly following them as they moved along. The birds flew from the tops of the trees, keeping an eye on them. Other creatures swung from the vines that hung from high above, most watching them with uncertainty until they moved from view. Several times they saw a couple of the strange mounts the Baldari used wandering free in the distance. It was impossible to tell if they were part of a wild herd or something the Baldari had somehow domesticated. None of the wizards were happy. The beasts were dangerous and nasty tempered.
Four glass after they had departed the staging area where they had arrived in the jungle, they worked their way up a steep hill. As they crossed over the crest, they found themselves looking down on a large collection of huts spread out below them. Dozens of female Baldari moved around, some tending the cooking fires and others carrying unidentified loads on their heads. Youngsters played in and around the open area in the center of the village. Tara called a halt and quietly the group found cover so they could observe the activity below them.
“I don’t see many men,” Tara said after they had watched a while.
“They might be off hunting, or perhaps tending fields of this red stuff we see almost everywhere,” Crissi suggested.
“Possibly,” Tara agreed. “But look at the size of this place. Given this many huts and so many women, one would expect to see at least a few men. If nothing else, some of the older men.”
“The Baldari have taken some heavy losses,” Debi said. “It might be there aren’t any older men anymore. They may have all been killed.”
“Let’s have a closer look,” Tara ordered.
She wasn’t too worried about an attack. With the shields they each were capable of making, the Baldari weren’t much of a threat. Their arrows and swords wouldn’t pass through a personal shield, and even if the captured wizards or Casters were lurking nearby, none of them had demonstrated magic that could get past the protective barrier. They were here to find the enemy, and if they needed to trigger an attack to do so, she was willing to follow that path. She signaled those behind her, and started down the trail that led to the village.
S’erom watched from cover as the large group of Talls started down the hillside toward his village. So, it came to this. Now they had come into his homeland and were br
inging the battle to his own village. He didn’t know how the force that often had controlled him knew they were approaching, but earlier he had felt the familiar pressure in his head telling him to prepare for battle. At first he had expected to be directed back to the gathering place, but that hadn’t happened. More of the Baldari from the three remaining tribes had poured into his village, and he realized the battle was to be here.
That had truly frightened him, and he wanted to scream out against the directions he was given. To fight here was to place his family at risk. The peril would be great, and many innocents would die. Yet he knew that was the way it was going to be. The women were no longer docile, and had taken to sharpening sticks so they could join in the fighting. The children were out playing, but that was simple diversion, making the village appear normal. In addition to the men that had come, their women and children had followed, obviously under the same kind of control as himself. The women from the nearby villages had moved into the empty huts, and had started fires to make everything appear normal. The plan was to lure in the Talls, and then kill as many of them as possible before they were killed in turn.
Now he watched as the Talls walked onto the flats and made their way toward the village. He would allow them to get most of the way across toward the village before he signaled the attack. He and his infantry, and those riding the U’nydyn, would close from the rear. The arrows would be released first, then they would close with the swords. The women would attack from the front when they heard the signal. His own mate was near the front of the village, and therefore would be among those most exposed. The thought tore at him, but there was nothing he could do about it. They would soon be dead. He knew that beyond any doubt.
