by Bob Blink
That raised many questions of why he would do such a thing. Of course, he had trapped them in the chamber, something she was certain of but which Hyndl had argued against. Perhaps now that they were free, Nyk planned to eliminate them before they realized he was hunting them. But where had he been all this time? Too much had taken place that Kytra was certain he would have responded to had he been lurking somewhere in the background. That hadn’t happened, which lead her to reject her momentary fears.
That left a void. If it wasn’t the wizards, and it wasn’t Nyk, who was left? Had one of their group escaped the chamber before it had been destroyed? That was impossible. The other two had still been under the sleep influence of the chamber. Even Hyndl and Tryll had been unable to save themselves, and they had been waking for several weeks before the wizards had plundered the valley. There was only one person left with the power to do what she believed necessary. Hyndl! It wasn’t beyond belief that Hyndl was making a move to become the sole ruler of this land. Brryn had been plotters in the past, and while he and Kytra had been close, perhaps he saw an opportunity. Kytra had been somewhat at odds with him since they had escaped the chamber. They had seen the way forward differently. Now that most of the rebels had been eliminated, he might have decided he didn’t really need her help any more. She would have to be careful around him and watch to see if he made any slips that indicated he might know more than he was revealing.
Once they were back at the island, one place Kytra was certain the rebels would have no knowledge of, nor any ability to reach, she could focus entirely on what Hyndl was saying. He reminded her of the matter of the disruptive Bypass the three of them had detected the previous week, and how they had chased but lost the rebel wizards responsible. That Bypass had displayed signs of disruptive magic, one of the exotic forms that Nyk and others had used against the rebel wizards just before the great fall. How had these wizards acquired it, and how did they manage to control it? There was something about them they had failed to understand. Clearly they were more dangerous than had been believed.
Kytra couldn’t explain away the strange incident, but she wasn’t yet ready to accept the wizards she had studied for so long had managed to hide such powers from her. It simply wasn’t possible. She was also uncomfortable when Hyndl suggested he move in and stay with her on the island. He would be inside her primary defenses. Fortunately, he didn’t push the issue.
The reaction of the two Brryn was forceful. They returned to Nulwar and leveled the port city, killing most of the inhabitants in the process. They made it clear this was a warning to any who might think to interfere with or act against either of them in the future. Then they posted a large reward for everyone on the top of the most sought after wizards. They couldn’t know that any of them were involved in what had happened to Tryll, but even if not, they were people they needed to eliminate in any event, and for now it would serve their needs to blame them.
Rigo was appalled at what had happened. There was no doubt in his mind that he was more than a little responsible for the deaths of those who had died in the Brryn attack on Nulwar. He had hoped to go after the Brryn one at a time, but now he realized that such an approach would result in more reprisals. Somehow they would need to find a way to take down both Kytra and Hyndl, at the same time no less. Taking on either one was going to be a problem. Rigo was certain that they were stronger than Tryll had been, and she had nearly bested them. How in Risos’ name would they handle both at once? Another bad thing in all this. They couldn’t afford to take any risks. That meant they needed to develop a plan that would see the Brryn killed. The chances of capturing one for questioning were impossibly slim. That meant any chance of learning how to free Mitty was fast disappearing. Rigo didn’t want to admit it, but he didn’t think he was going to discover the secret.
The Brryn, on the other hand, couldn’t know how many of them might have the power. They hadn’t singled out Rigo and Nycoh with their bounties. They were after everyone on their list. That suggested they worried that there might be a number who had learned some of the Brryn magic. Maybe they knew about the Void, and the discovery of their corrupted portal had provided them with a clue what had happened. Whatever they thought, it would have to make them a little more cautious.
Rigo was suddenly glad they had left Tryll where she could be found by her friends. They had discussed taking her and burying her in the Ruins. If they had done that, the Brryn might have wondered if she might be alive, and what she might be revealing. This way they thought their secrets were safe. They didn’t know how much the few items Ashli had recovered with the Reading had actually revealed. Most importantly they didn’t realize that the wizards knew about Kytra’s island. Now that they had a memory inside the underground area, the team had been withdrawn. Suline was convinced she could monitor both the upper area and inside the secret quarters via the Ghost Doorway, and it was safe from detection. They would run some tests against an area shielded with the Brryn shields, but Rigo was certain she was right. The Ghost Doorway had already proven itself an anomaly the Brryn couldn’t have anticipated.
The next morning they had their proof. Suline opened a portal that allowed them to have a look into the underground chamber. It was surprisingly sparse, but Rigo believed that the passing years had taken their toll on the inside just as they had above, and Kytra had yet to repair the damage time had wrought. Daria was hoping that she might get a chance to repeat what she had done to Shym through the Doorway, but Rigo was certain that Kytra would remain shielded, and didn’t want to reveal the secret of their spying by taking a chance. Both Rigo and Suline thought they could sense the faint fuzziness of a protective barrier. It was difficult to tell through the monitoring portal.
Nycoh had gone to bring the good news to S’erom. The Baldari would be going home. They would find their villages in rough shape after being left untended for so long, but the fact they were back in their jungle where they belonged would make up for that. Odd as it seemed, the people of the north now had a friend in the Baldari. Communication was a significant problem, but a few of the Baldari, especially the younger ones, had learned some of the speech used in the kingdoms. It would be something to pursue once this was over. S’erom indicated that he and a number of his warriors wanted to be part of dealing with the Brryn. Nycoh promised she would keep him in mind, but at the moment she couldn’t see a role for them. The Brryn were too powerful, and they didn’t even know where Hyndl was hiding.
It was somewhat ironic that they were searching everywhere for Hyndl, and he and Kytra were searching for them. It was impossible to tell from watching Kytra’s sanctuary what she and Hyndl were up to. Hyndl made frequent appearances, but was not staying there. Their communication had to be via their mental link, because while they were together, no words, in any language passed between them.
Neither the Wanderer’s nor Rosul’s spy network had unearthed any sign of Hyndl or where he might be staying. He and Kytra, usually together, but not always, made appearances throughout the kingdoms as they followed up informants suggestions where those they sought might be hiding. Several were located, and executed on the spot. The two surviving Brryn were taking no chances. They had to be concerned that as yet they had encountered no one with the advanced magic.
One day Jeen informed Rigo that Queen Mos’pera wished to see him. Uncertain and a little uncomfortable, not having seen the Queen of Branid since some time before the fateful journey that had cost Ash’urn his life, Rigo went along.
“I am sorry about Mitty,” Queen Mos’pera said when they were seated in a small room in the mountain residence where she and King Rhory were in hiding. “Jeen told me that you were unable to learn how to free her when you questioned the Brryn woman.”
“There are two more of them. One will reveal to me how to release her.” Rigo didn’t know if Mitty was alive or not. Ashli had taken another look, and admitted she couldn’t tell either, and that her earlier belief the cylinder was killing her was probably w
rong. She sensed the same unusual readings when she tried to tell what Mitty’s health was. Whatever magic was at work, it made her efforts no more than guesses.
Queen Mos’pera shook her head. “I don’t see how that can happen. From what Mitty has told me, you will be fortunate to be able to best these two tyrants. There may not be an opportunity to ask the questions you hope to put before them. Have you reconciled that to yourself?”
This was something that Rigo feared, but had sworn to himself he wouldn’t allow to happen. He would find a way to learn the secret before the Brryn were both killed. He told the Queen as much.
She frowned, but then changed the subject. “I have asked you here today because I have had a vision. I thought it best to share it with you. I have heard that you have not always felt I have been entirely up front with what I sense of the future. While I am not sure it is wise, I have decided this time I will hold nothing back.”
Rigo shot a quick look at Jeen. She returned his glance guiltily. Well, there was little doubt where the Queen had learned of his displeasure.
“Seers have their reasons,” Rigo said softly. “Mitty kept as much from me as you have. I cannot say I like it, but I have come to understand once again that there might be reasons.”
A wry smile crossed Queen Mos’pera’s lips. “That is reassuring, but this time I want you to know that you will learn everything I have sensed.”
Rigo nodded, but said nothing, waiting for the Queen to reveal what the future held.
“You have been seeking the one called Hyndl so you can plan a simultaneous attack on both of them. Jeen has indicated that Nycoh has suggested an attack inside the fortress Kytra has on her island. You know the layout and can count on them both being present frequently there. I warn you that would be very unwise. Any attempt made on the island is doomed to failure.”
She looked at Rigo intently. “Any attempt to deal with both of them when they are together, will fail. You might attack them simultaneously, but they must be at separate locations and unable to assist one another.”
Rigo wasn’t surprised. He had already decided that the Brryn were too formidable to approach alone. If they were able to aid one another in a conflict, their powers were so much greater than he and Nycoh could manage the battle would be far too one sided. He had been unable to see how they could each take on one of the two enemies and hope to win. An impasse, that he hadn’t found an answer too.
“I understand,” he said softly. Rigo wondered if this was all she had to tell him. If so, it had been unnecessary for him to travel here.
The Queen started speaking again, her eyes watching Rigo intently. “You are seeking the Brryn, but it will be they who find you. Hyndl will discover you, and initiate an attack. You will be unable to best him in this encounter.”
“Are you saying I will be killed, or that I must flee?” Rigo asked.
“If you stand and fight, you will be killed,” Queen Mos’pera said. Rigo could see in her eyes that she was being brutally honest. “If you simply flee, an important opportunity will be lost and it will mean eventual failure, and the Brryn will win.”
“What are you saying I must do?” Rigo asked, now uncertain what the Queen was attempting to tell him.
“Somehow, you must make it so that Hyndl is the one who withdraws. I cannot tell how that might be made to happen, but along that path is the only hope for eventual success. Victory is not guaranteed, but it is the only way.”
Rigo was silent. He didn’t know what to say. He must engage Hyndl, and force the much stronger Brryn to withdraw from his attack. It seemed an impossible task. Rigo had assumed that if Hyndl found him, it would be a fight to the death for one of them. If he and Nycoh found Hyndl, first they would plan how to proceed. He looked at Queen Mos’pera, hoping for something more.
“I have told you more than I deem wise,” she said finally. “In fact, I have told you all that I have seen. Now it is for you to act. This time, you cannot blame me and the outcome on my keeping something from you.”
“I understand,” Rigo said finally, but the truth was he didn’t understand at all. He wished he could ask Mitty about this. As a Seer herself, she might see a crack in the logic.
Jeen stayed behind with the Queen when Rigo left a short time later. As he stepped into his private sanctuary in the Ruins and looked up at Mitty, he wondered if Mos’pera had truly told him everything.
Chapter 84
A week passed without a major encounter, and with absolutely no progress finding where Hyndl might have settled in. Frequent sightings of their target were reported, but nothing that led anywhere. It was apparent that they were being sought in turn, and that Brryn tempers were growing short. Twice, Hyndl had flamed a village when he didn’t find the cooperation he sought. Once he was angered when the village wouldn’t produce Hagen, one of those on the Brryn list and being actively sought. As a result he destroyed the community he felt was hiding him. Rigo knew the village had not been holding back. Hagen had been confirmed killed over three weeks earlier, but the Brryn hadn’t known that. Usually the two Brryn were spotted together, but not always. That offered Rigo a little encouragement, because he was not prepared to face them together. Not only had Mos’pera warned against it, but he hadn’t thought of any means of dealing with them separately, let alone together.
Rigo was concerned that Kytra and Hyndl might attempt to set a trap for him. Queen Mos’pera’s warning about the encounter had made him cautious, and he wondered each day whether this would be the one when it happened. He had discussed it at length with his friends the obvious contradictions in Mos’pera’s warnings, and they had made plans as best they could. Now Rigo would simply have to be alert and hopefully make the right choices which would supposedly assure his survival, but give the kingdoms a chance to prevail over the cursed Brryn. He hoped Mos’pera had been up front with him. He hated being a pawn.
It began suddenly and without warning. Rigo stepped out of an inn in the small village of Torask in Northern Lopal where he’d been chasing down a rumor that Hyndl had been seen nearby several times. As he stepped into the street, a man with lavender hair stepped into the street from a shop across the way. There weren’t many with the color hair shared by Rigo and the Brryn. They knew one another on sight.
Rigo didn’t want an exchange in the middle of the village. He knew Hyndl would destroy the place without a thought. Rigo also had to be mindful of Mos’pera’s warning. He didn’t dare risk simply fleeing. He needed Hyndl to follow. He needed to make this develop along the lines that would offer them hope. He also wanted to feed the doubt that might yet exist in Hyndl’s mind whether he had any of the Brryn powers. Therefore, he left, but he did so by stepping into a masked Bypass he created. A Bypass he knew that Hyndl could follow. Before he entered the arch, he carefully snapped the colored bracelet he wore around his left wrist.
The abandoned mine that Rigo exited into had been chosen with care. The large bowl that had been excavated some years before was cut out of the hard, solid stone. Around the rim of the bowl were many shafts that went back into the sides of the mountain where the miners had made test holes looking for more of the valuable ore. There were multiple places to hide, places where Rigo had visited and could Transfer to in an instant. Hiding, however, wasn’t going to resolve this matter.
Hyndl had followed him. Rigo saw the Brryn appear suddenly a couple of hundred paces away. He was being cautious, and had wanted to see where Rigo had taken them before jumping into the unknown. He must have been satisfied, because a moment later he appeared a mere twenty paces away, facing Rigo, his shields clearly in place. Rigo couldn’t have missed the telltale fuzzy band that surrounded the Brryn.
“Finally we meet,” Hyndl said, his speech clear and without accent. “You are the one called Rigo, I believe. I see the stories are true. You obviously have a great deal of Brryn blood. The question remains, am I correct in assuming you have somehow learned our magic as well?”
Rigo had though
t of what he would say if they were ever face-to-face, but he didn’t get a chance to answer. Hyndl triggered one of the helix beams almost before he had finished speaking. The colors were almost blindingly bright as they intertwined in the separate helixes flashing toward him. He no longer needed any proof that Hyndl was stronger than Tryll had been. Fortunately, the encounter with Tryll had taught Rigo something. He had also matured somewhat as well. He couldn’t say why, but use of his power had somehow allowed his own abilities to grow. He was far better prepared for this encounter than he would have been if he hadn’t fought with Tryll. It was a good thing too. Instinctively he adjusted the shield to provide most of its blocking in the front where he faced his adversary.
“So, you have learned how to shield yourself,” Hyndl shouted as the beam struck.
The magic rocked Rigo with its power when it hit. He felt the shield flex under the attack. He was forced to step back a step, and even as he did so he suspected Hyndl was holding back. He was certain the other wanted to see what else Rigo might have learned. Hyndl didn’t want to kill him right off. He wanted to see if Rigo could attack using the advanced magic. Rigo knew it was time to show him what he wanted. There was no way he could chase Hyndl away using the older magic, and if Mos’pera was to be believed, that was the task set for him in this encounter. He didn’t forget that the Queen had told him he would likely lose in a direct encounter.
Rigo triggered his own identical beam, which flashed toward the other. Far less intense than that of Hyndl, it was nonetheless, stronger than the beam that Tryll had been capable of the other day. Rigo almost flushed with pleasure at how his power had grown in the last few days. He had sensed the change, and had practiced each morning to see what gains he had made. He knew it wouldn’t rock the other as he had been, but it would show that he wasn’t going down easily.
