Wild Sorceress

by Margaret L. Carter

  "What is this ‘discordance’ you feel?"

  "Trelana's question exactly. My answer: I don't know. It is not something you sense with physical senses, but a parallel from the physical sense of sound helps me to describe it. It is like two singers trying to sing the same note, but one is ever so slightly off. I have exposed myself to other sources since the second burnout, and I don't really experience the same intensity of that odd feeling I do with Pleates’ source, although all have some amount of ‘discordance.’”

  "Sounds odd to me, Sorceress. What did Trelana say?"

  "Never been heard of before."

  "What did she counsel you to do about it?"

  "She thought it was the same manifestation I had experienced before, being super-sensitized to a source. I am to keep her informed of any changes in my spell casting."

  Sonja finished her wine. “I get the feeling you are not finished with your story about your trip to Trelana, but enough for now. You are to get rest and heal. I am ordering Adept Jorell to make a special case of you. I want you on your feet in three days."

  Aetria slowly eased her back off the saddle and pulled the blanket up to her chin. “Yes, Ma'am, General, I will report for duty in three days."

  * * * *

  Aetria was ready in two days, making good use of her borrowed healing spells and the services of Loreana. When she was able to stand and move about, she looked for “her” source, as she thought of Crusher's source now, and was distressed to find it missing from her tent. She knew she had it in her possession when she started out after the Hermanian sorcerer, but after the skirmish and her wounding, she had no memory.

  Because of her lowered Power condition, she sensed sorcerers arriving outside of her tent before the request to enter was called out. She granted permission and was surprised when General Borlock brushed through the door veil.

  "Good evening, Sorceress. I am very pleased to see you up and about. I have brought a present for you.” Sonja held back the veil for two members of her Royal Guard, who entered carrying a litter with a body covered over with a blanket except for its hood-enshrouded head. Trailing them were Adept Jorell and Lieutenant Valetti, the general's aide.

  Aetria's puzzled look brought a smile to Sonja's lips. “You wanted a Hermanian sorcerer. Now you have one."

  The guards set the litter down and withdrew hastily as a moan escaped from the hidden figure. Loreana moved in swiftly to kneel beside the awakening enemy sorcerer, speaking softly in reassuring tones. Aetria watched as the healer removed the hood from the sorcerer, and would have fainted except for Sonja moving in quickly and bracing her with a strong arm around the sorceress’ shoulders.

  "Double surprise, Sorceress. I caught you."

  The shock in her face changed to bewilderment as Aetria looked at herself lying on the litter. That “Aetria's” hair was much longer, down on the shoulders as Hermanian women wore theirs. As the healer peeled back several layers of blanket, looking for wounds, she exposed the dark gray robe of the Hermanian army's Sorcerer Corps, the sash insignia ranking her as a Novice officer. No traces of blood or entry sites for wounds were evident.

  Aetria asked anxiously of Loreana, “Is she all right?"

  Before Loreana could reply, Sonja spoke. “She took a sling bullet in the ribs, which might have broken one, but other than that we didn't lay a hand on her.” Sonja led Aetria to a chair and eased her down into it. “Now calm yourself while the lieutenant gives his report."

  Loreana poured a few drops of an amber liquid into the awakening sorceress’ lips, and the woman soon relaxed into a coma-like state. While the Healer attended to the sling bullet damage, she also listened intently to Lieutenant Valetti's story of the enemy sorceress’ capture.

  "We took the source that the general ‘borrowed’ from you while you were asleep yesterday and, with the help of a platoon of the general's personal guard, set up a trap at the location of your skirmish. Your dead horse and gear were still there, although getting a little ripe with decay. We scattered the contents of your saddlebags as if wild animals had been into them, left the source slightly ajar in the debris, then hid ourselves.

  "We had expected a much longer wait than we experienced and were surprised when the enemy showed up near dawn this morning. We were prepared for a stiff fight and had spread the platoon out around the bait to give us the maximum amount of warning time from our sentries as possible. The sorcerer came alone, passing by our sentries unnoticed."

  "I must talk with your soldiers about their laxity, Lieutenant,” Sonja said with a frown.

  "I already have, Ma'am, but in their defense they were looking for an armed force with accompanying sorcerers, not for a wolf."

  Aetria looked from the aide to the sleeping sorceress, “She came alone, disguised as a wolf?"

  "Yes, Ma'am. Slipped right past our guard. Only noticed her when she, I should say the wolf, ‘nosed’ around in the debris and picked up the source. One of my men saw the wolf as it started to run away from the dead horse and let fly a sling bullet, hitting it in the side. The wolf let out a human shriek and there she stood. My men rushed in upon seeing a sorceress standing where a wolf had been. She would have escaped, but she suddenly dropped unconscious in her tracks."

  Sonja glanced at Aetria as she asked her aide, “Now, how could she have escaped from a platoon of soldiers rushing her, being on foot in the middle of the them?"

  The lieutenant, with a slight smile on his lips, answered, “The dragon had pretty much captured all of our attention."

  Aetria reacted as if she had been stabbed in the back, jerking upright and gasping, “A dragon?"

  "Yes, Ma'am. A really fierce, fire-breathing, roaring monster with huge teeth, razor claws, and terrible disposition."

  "What ... what color?” Aetria asked in a little girl voice.

  "Red with blue belly scales."

  "Oh!” Aetria said and sat down.

  "I take it then, Lieutenant, that you overcame your fear of the dragon, stood your ground, and discovered it was an illusion?” Sonja asked her aide.

  "No, Ma'am, truth being, most of troops turned tail and ran. I would have also, but I was there when the ‘elephant’ guard charged the Saphradean line, and I knew we didn't have any elephant cavalry. I know dragons don't exist, except in children's tales, and I've always had a fondness for them. I was scared stiff, but fascinated. I just stood there with my mouth open catching flies."

  "Nice image, Lieutenant, but—"

  "I guess with the sorceress passed out, there was nothing to direct the dragon. It charged off into woods, running through some of my men and nearly giving them heart failure. I snapped out of my paralysis and ran over to capture the sorceress. Took me quite by surprise when I rolled her over and found myself staring at Captain Aetria. She was cold as ice. I had to wrap her in a couple of blankets before I bound and hooded her. I then spent the rest of the morning rounding up my troops."

  "Thank you, Lieutenant. That was excellent work, and thank you for telling me the truth. I would have probably been leading the troops in their headlong rush away from such a monster."

  "Begging the general's pardon, Ma'am, but I think you would have probably walked up to it to study it better."

  "Perhaps. You're excused. Get some rest. First, though, express my thanks to the Guard."

  The Lieutenant saluted and left. In the silence of his departure, Sonja moved take a chair next to Aetria. “You knew the color of the dragon, Sorceress?"

  Aetria nodded her head. “As a child I had often dreamed of such a monster. He was my special friend, Rajii. His belly scales were green, but only I could talk and play with him."

  "Seems as if someone else shared your dreams, like maybe your twin sister?"

  "I was an orphan, raised by foster parents. They told me I was the sole survivor of a raid by bandits on my parents’ trading caravan. They said nothing of a sister."

  "Maybe the bandits took her. You can't deny the similarity of your looks. Sh
e also has the talent for illusion—and also apparently your lack of control. Why did she attempt to capture the source on her own? Was she under orders, or taking matters into her own hands like a sorceress I know?"

  "When she awakens, I'll find those answers for you, General, and some of my own."

  A rider dismounted outside the tent and hurriedly asked for the general. Lieutenant Valetti answered him and led the messenger into the tent. Loreana covered the Hermanian's face.

  By his colors and insignia, the messenger was from the general's Royal Guard cavalry. He saluted the general. “General, Squadron Commander Preldones sends his respects and reports he will be entering the camp within the hour with an emissary from the Mage Council."

  "Thank you, Soldier. Tell Commander Preldones to meet me at my command tent."

  Saluting, the rider dashed from the tent and rode off.

  Sonja looked at Aetria, who gave her a shrug in response to Sonja's unasked question. Exiting the tent, Sonja said, “I'll change into something official looking. Meet me there as soon as you can."

  * * * *

  Aetria rushed towards the entrance to the general's tent, arriving just as Sonja emerged dressed in full armor and beckoned her wordlessly to stand to her left side. Aetria followed the general's eye down the row of command staff tents to the party of an arriving dignitaries, heavily escorted by Commander Preldones’ full squadron of guardsmen. Behind the Royal Guard was another squadron of Sorcerer Guard.

  In their trail were two mounted Aggressor Novices carrying the strange projector weapons of Crusher's design. She recognized the two—Fernonia and Belanar—as the surviving Novices from Crusher's aborted attack. Immediately behind the two Novices was a Magess dressed in the formal black robes of a member of the Mage Council, with the white shoulder to waist rank sash of a counselor.

  By the Power! It was Magess Corerilla, the Adjudicator! With impending sense of doom, Aetria awaited the message about to be delivered.

  The Counselor dismounted with slow grace, handing her horse's lead to a member of her own escorting Sorcerer Guard. She scanned the faces of the soldiers in front of her, briefly locking onto Aetria's. The older woman gave Aetria a frown of disapproval, probably because she was dressed in her Captain of Cavalry uniform instead of her sorcerer robe. She addressed the general formally.

  "I am Counselor Corerilla, sent here by the High Mage Council, to summon the Sorceress Aetria. As she is a member of your staff and not assigned to a sorcerer regiment, I make this in the form of a personal request to you, General Borlock, from High Council Leader Meldoran."

  Sonja made no effort to break the chilly reception of that delivered message by offering the hospitality of her quarters. She doubted if Corerilla would have accepted, with too much animosity between Sonja and the Council of Magi from past disagreements in the way the army and sorcerers conducted the business of war.

  "We are in the middle of a campaign, Counselor. I will release her to respond to the summons when I feel I can afford the loss of her services."

  The Magess Corerilla's initial response to the general's reply was a downward twitch of the corners of her lips. Aetria had the feeling Corerilla had expected such a return message and was trying to keep from making what she considered a proper retort.

  "Of course, General. The Council has every faith that your normally brilliant strategies will bring a quick end to this war and we can conduct our business very soon.” She handed a scroll, pulled from the recesses of her robe, to Sonja. “The reason for the summons is contained therein."

  Sonja handed the scroll to Aetria without even looking at it. That brought another frown from the Counselor, who turned and remounted her horse.

  "Good day, General,” she said, waving her escort forward, not waiting for Sonja's response.

  "I think I would rather negotiate with Hermanians than I would with her. What a cold-hearted bitch she is,” Sonja said to Aetria, turning to re-enter her tent. “Your mentor finally decide to kick you out of the Order?"

  Aetria hurriedly read the scroll. “A charge of unfitness for duty has been made,” Aetria said, as she followed Sonja into the tent. “I am to present my case to the Council, and they will decide."

  Sonja went to the weapons rack and strapped on her sword. “Fine, we will handle that when the time is right. I have made a serious effort to keep the presence of the Hermanian sorceress secret. Adept Loreana, Lieutenant Valetti, yourself, and, of course, I, know she is here, and looks exactly like you. My guard platoon know they snatched a Hermanian sorceress, but will keep that to themselves, at least as best as any group of soldiers can keep interesting events to themselves. Make sure you safeguard that secret well. Have you talked with your sister yet?"

  Aetria had to take a moment to shift mentally from the briefing she was going to give on the contents of the scroll to answering Sonja's question. The general's leap from one subject to another was a sign she was about to take some form of momentous action.

  "No, I have not talked with the Hermanian sorceress yet, and we don't know that she is my sister, General."

  "Yes, well, when you are as comfortable with that fact as I am, you will feel much better about it. In the meantime, I have a battle to fight, which will probably make your Counselor's prediction come true. You are to remain here and question the ‘Hermanian sorceress.'” Sonja put up a cautioning hand to cut off Aetria's protests. “No, you are not riding with me; you are still too weak from your wounds. Get the answers to my questions, Sorceress. That is an order."

  * * * *

  Aetria's fears of conducting the interrogation through a translator were dispelled the moment she entered her tent and found the Hermanian sorceress talking with Adept Jorell in Delmathian. Loreana smiled at Aetria and introduced her patient.

  "Aetria, this is Coleni. Coleni has promised to behave herself, so I have released her restraints. Coleni, there are plenty of guards to prevent you from escaping, so please don't try. With that, I will leave you two to get acquainted, or should I say, re-acquainted."

  The two women watched the Healer leave and stood warily studying each other. Aetria spoke first. “Coleni ... I have heard that name before!"

  "Why, I didn't know my fame had spread to the Delmathian army. Perhaps you should show me more respect. Why have I been captured?"

  "I am supposed to be asking the questions here, Coleni. Once you have answered them, you will be free to go."

  "And if I don't?"

  "Then I will turn you over to our inquisitors and let them get the answers to my questions. They will not be so willing to let an enemy sorceress go. They may have some questions of their own to ask."

  Coleni stood stiffly erect, her face set in defiance. “You will learn nothing from me, Captain."

  Forcing herself to relax, Aetria held out a hand as if to plead with the other woman. “Look, Coleni, I am not after military secrets, at least I don't think the answers to my questions are. I think of this as an exchange of information, not an interrogation. That is why I am willing to let you go after the coming battle."

  Reacting to Aetria's silent plea for cooperation, Coleni walked over to a chair and sat down, crossing her arms over her chest. “Very well, ask your questions. If I think my answers have military value, I will not speak them."

  "That is reasonable.” Aetria walked over to the remaining chair and picked it up, positioning it across from Coleni several feet away, and sat down. “A little background first. We recently uncovered a spy in our staff. He was the Commanding Officer of the First Sorcerer Regiment, Adept Pleates. Did you know him?"

  "That could be military information, so I won't answer it."

  "Pleates is dead, so you do not have to protect anyone."

  Coleni dropped her crossed arms, resting her hands in her lap. She carefully considered her response before speaking. “I saw him when he passed through my unit on his way to kill General Mythrian. He ordered my superior, Sorceress Telori, to brief him on all she knew about the g
eneral's whereabouts."

  Aetria hesitated a moment before asking her next question. She wet her drying lips with her tongue. “I am curious as to how he reacted when you met him. You look so very much like me, he must have been taken aback by the likeness."

  "Sorry, I was not introduced to him. Being a lowly Novice, I was not allowed access to that meeting."

  "For a lowly Novice you know a lot about what was going on."

  Coleni stiffened at her remark and Aetria regretted making it. The tone of Coleni's voice was edged in coldness when she responded. “This is turning into an interrogation, Captain. If you are going to question everything I say, then bring on your inquisitors."

  Aetria made a noticeable effort to relax her stiff posture and sat back into her chair. “Now I am the one who needs to say she's sorry. I am so anxious about getting answers to my questions that I have been rude. Please forgive me."

  "Not that I have a lot of choices, but I will forgive you, Captain Aetria. You have probably guessed that I was eavesdropping on their meeting. I have a reputation of being a curious person, sometimes to my detriment."

  "Weren't you a little surprised when an enemy Adept sorcerer appears in your midst and starts ordering Hermanians around?"

  "Not really. Before being sent out on our mission, our Adept Commander had very strongly stressed the importance of finding and capturing the general. She said our High Command had placed such a great importance on this mission that they were willing to pay the price of exposing their highest placed spy in the Delmathian army staff to get the information on the general's movements. Since they were expecting the spy to flee, they warned us he might appear at one of our intercepting units. We were given a description of the spy and told we were to take orders from him. When he showed up—"

  Leaning forward in her chair, Aetria asked eagerly, “Did he say how he knew where the general was?"