Kingdom Come (Price of Power Book 1)

by Blake Bisciotti

  The men huddled around their leader, but as Ostinus went to file in their ranks, Mikael pulled him back. “This effort will need to be carried out perfectly in order to be effective, if there is even any hope at all.” He looked over the soldiers. “We will lead them together,” he said to the young warrior. The soldiers hopped from their horses and took a knee facing the two men. They were ready to hear a plan. Ostinus looked over the men, then to Mikael, then back to the soldiers. He didn’t know what would happen when he had initially questioned Mikael Witten. He acted off of impulse, something that ha gotten him in trouble many times in the past. He looked at the soldiers again.

  “With our lack of numbers, we must pick our opportunity wisely. We have to feed off the defenses of Victus and his men. When we strike, we strike hard and catch the enemy off guard and vulnerable…lending support to the defense and, if the gods will it, changing the tide of the battle.” Ostinus looked around at the men and then to Mikael who nodded his head several times in agreement. “This does not need to be a suicide mission.” He said, but there was not a clear way to think it was anything but that.

  Chapter 22

  The site before him defied reality and it tantalized his brain to try and understand it. The room he had entered was the most massive room Ardius had ever seen. It spanned hundreds of feet in all directions including, most stunningly, up to the ceiling. He had only descended a flight of stairs. Ten of the houses he had entered could fit inside the room. Immediately Ardius understood that what he saw was the work of magic. He rubbed his bald head and continued to look around in awe.

  The ceiling high above looked like black and white spaces on an ivory chessboard. Individual squares seemed to illuminate from time to time creating a remarkable display. To the immediate left was a site that struck Ardius as strange, even for this bizarre room. It was a cornfield about twenty feet deep and twenty feet wide. The stalks were full grown and had healthy cornhusks growing off them. A few men walked about observing the small field. To his right were two ordinary looking men and another that was dressed in a red robe with long braided hair. This man very much had the look of a wizard. Near one man, on the ground, lie a rope and in front of the other was a small flame in a pot. Ardius watched as the wizard nodded and both other men put their hands up and muttered some words. He was impressed as the rope sprang up as if it were a snake in front of one man and the flame danced and twisted into shapes in front of the other. The man with the braided hair nodded his approval.

  “Amazing isn’t it?” Pleshil asked.

  Ardius came out of a trance and nodded his agreement. Pleshil began to walk ahead. As Ardius started to follow he looked up and saw that the chessboard like tiles were no longer above him, but rather the ceiling seemed to be a canopy made from tree tops as if they were walking through a jungle or forest. A smile crossed the bald man’s face as he was entertained by this all. He did not know why he was here however. As a ranking officer of the Crimson Fox, Ardius knew well that the group had ties with magic. He knew that several magic users were employed by and practiced discreetly under the Crimson Fox’s protection; however never did he imagine that they would have an operation like the one he saw now.

  Pleshil continued to walk. Straight ahead of them, across the room, was an interesting building. It was purple and had a triangular roof. As he got closer Ardius realized that the roof looked like a giant faced down book. He even saw white trim along the top where the roof met the walls, which looked like pages.

  “That is the school.”

  “Ah, makes sense.” Ardius remarked.

  A bright flash brought his attention back to his left. They were strides past the cornfield and he had occupied himself with observing the school so he didn’t notice the spectacle to their left until the bright flash appeared. Ten dummies were set up to represent men. They looked similar to scare crows, but with less hay. Seven wore black shirts and three crimson. Three of the black and one of the crimson were charred and smoking. Two men stood nearby and one was reprimanding the other.

  “You would have killed one of our own men with that bolt? See, you claimed to be ready and you’re not. Can’t move too fast now, it is a dangerous endeavor. As you can see here, one of our own brothers would have been burned to a crisp.” The man pointed to the Crimson dummy.

  The other man just sighed heavily, clearly disappointed with himself.

  As they approached the purple building, Ardius was excited to see the inside of the school, but he quickly realized he would not be going in at this moment. Pleshil stopped walking.

  “You will see more of this place later if you wish. You must now speak to The Grand.”

  “Great. And you won’t tell me what this is about, right?”

  “That is for you to speak with him about.”

  “Right.” Ardius looked around again. “So where is he?” He was so shocked by all that was happening that he forgot to think about why he was in this magical place. Why was he being brought to meet The Grand?

  “In there,” Pleshil pointed to the wall over Ardius’s shoulder.

  Rubbing his bald head, Ardius stood confused. “Where?” He squinted his eyes and saw nothing but the wall. “Wh-” he started to question Pleshil again, but then he began to see something. A slow transformation was occurring, first with the outline of the door, then the door itself. He couldn’t tell if the door was originally there or had just formed. At this point, he didn’t know what to expect from anything in this place. He started walking towards the door without a look back to Pleshil. The door slid open as he approached. Ardius stopped before entering. There was nothing but blackness inside.

  “Enter.” A voice just above a whisper sounded in the depths of his mind and he obeyed by walking into the room. A lantern flared up just as the door slid closed behind him. The room was empty. He turned back and the door was gone, there was just wall. Nervousness was setting in. The surprises continued; as Ardius turned back around he saw two chairs in the previously empty room. One was vacant and in the other sat a man.

  The Grand was a normal looking man. He had short dark brown hair with a scruffy beard. His eyes were dark brown, the color of chocolate. He was around fifty years old. The clothes he wore were blue and were made of a remarkable material that seemed like a mix of fine cotton and silk. The garments looked expensive and fit his body perfectly; the long sleeve top buttoned up the middle. On his left hand middle finger was a sparkling gold ring with a sole large crimson gem.

  “Please…sit,” said the mysterious leader of the Crimson Fox. Ardius did as he was told. “You’ve been doing very well lately, Ardius. You see, in our business…sometimes it is a man’s connections that make him succeed. Sometimes it is his physical prowess. Often it is his wisdom. But to get the job done the right way…some people just know how it works.” The Grand smiled at him. It was pleasant enough of a smile, but Ardius could find no comfort in it. “What history has taught us is that the connected will get backstabbed, the mighty outwitted and the intelligent overpowered. But some people, like yourself, play each attribute right.”

  Ardius had no idea where the conversation was going, but enjoyed the compliment nonetheless. The Grand had dove right into the conversation, but that seemed reasonable given he must have little time to waste given his position. Ardius felt tense and even a little intimidated. He was sitting alone in a dark magical room being praised by the leader of all of the Crimson Fox.

  “Thank you sir.”

  “Do you like this place?” He asked and, as he did, the room became more illuminated. It was a simple room. Ardius knew he must have meant the whole complex. The Grand sat up in his chair and continued before Ardius could respond. “It is amazing, the most amazing place I’ve ever experienced. What do you know about magic?”

  The question lingered in the air. “Well…” Ardius rubbed his head, “not much to be honest.”

  “Have you ever dabbled?”

  “In Magic? No. No. No. When I said I don’t kn
ow much about it, I meant I hardly have any knowledge at all. Mostly stories from the past, as a thing of the old times. I’ve seen a few magical items-”

  “Ahhh…stories from the past.” The Grand interrupted. You see, magic was a part of the Crimson Fox from the beginning, generations before our time. In light of this, I did a lot of research. When I was younger and ambitious I realized that I would have to be involved with the arcane arts to continue to progress in the path I had chosen. I read books and spoke to mages and sages and men that thought they were mages and sages.” The Grand stood up, never removing his eyes from Ardius. He then continued to talk as he walked to the back of the dimly lit room. “Magic was such a large part of all of Herridon. Many towns and villages had magicians to tend the farms, manipulate the weather, move objects; every army had battle mages. Each king had a high wizard on his court. I learned that civilizations had fallen under the powers of spells and powerful leaders were manipulated by hexes. Also, some men did unimaginable good deeds; others were entertained by creating harmless chaos. It was a natural force that used men as a conduit and men harnessed its power.” He grabbed a glass decanter off a small cart, poured its contents into two small goblets and then carried them back to his empty chair.

  Ardius accepted the drink and began to wonder again why he was having this conversation with the leader of the Crimson Fox. The Grand raised the glass and Ardius matched it with his own. He enjoyed whiskey; however this was like no other whiskey he had tasted before. He raised the glass again to show his appreciation.

  “I speak only of the magic of men for I do not know much about the magic of other races like elves or dwarves…or orcs, goblins etc. Just as men do with most fragile things that hang in the balance of good and evil, a few hundred years ago men took advantage of magic and abused it. As nature so often responds, it saw this abuse for what it was and took magic from man, making it dark and unpredictable, unable to be controlled or used. But that is not how it was meant to be.” He paused, holding his cup up, but not yet drinking. “Since the Crimson Fox has most of the magic users south of the plains, we use the arcane arts sparsely and with constraint. The greed and power lust of men is prevented and dissuaded. An effort that must be carried out carefully and cautiously.” He sipped his whiskey again and Ardius did likewise. “Do you wonder why you are here, Ardius?” Perking up in his chair, Ardius hoped his expression didn’t make his confusion with the matter evident.

  “Yes...yes I do,” he replied then took another small sip of the whiskey.

  “This world has become a strange place. Thousands of our men are away at war, fighting a force the likes of which the world has never seen. A force that might end up being too powerful for men south of the plains to deny. This we will have to wait and see.” He sipped his whiskey. “What we do know is that every possible situation that could unfold presents opportunity for our organization. This is no different. Magic…is no different. Some of the things we do are immoral. Some are considered crimes. But I also know that the corruption that mires the councils of our cities is no better. It is time for our power to grow. Three councils govern three cities. We are one force that runs through all three. It is soon time to exert our power. The council’s are fickle.”

  Ardius sat nodding, his pale green eyes staring intently.

  “We are not here to judge and it is not our place to do so. Men make their own decisions. Societies of men that make the most productive decisions, for good or for bad, advance and become strong. The balances of life are precious. Here we have many greedy men governing the cities. A group of men dictates what happens to the lives of thousands and thousands of people. And some of these men serve their own interests first. I am not saying all are treacherous; some are honest and noble men who mean well and work to protect our people. But many are not. The Crimson Fox quietly has guided the development of these cities since their birth but has not often added its stirring spoon to the pot of politics. Not yet at least.”

  Ardius silently thought about whether or not he agreed with the last statement made by The Grand.

  “Leaders.” The Grand sipped his whiskey yet again. “Leaders are of utmost the importance to any society or civilizations. They should do what is best for the whole and make the decisions that enable them to do so . Even these Faletonians must have leaders. By no means could savage races come together in unity unless there was a body of leadership overseeing things. What does it take to be in charge of something? You oversee several operations, and quite successfully. You know what leading is all about. What is it Ardius Ehroes does to lead?” He looked at Ardius and went silent, awaiting a response.

  “I do what it takes to be successful and am measured in my approach to all things,” replied Ardius.

  “Ah, do you connive and betray in order to do whatever it takes?”

  Ardius was taken aback by the question. He shifted his position in discomfort and replied “No…no, I try to do things right. I try to keep my honor, but some situations…are challenging.”

  The Grand smiled. “I know. I know how you conduct your business.” He stood from his chair and moved to the wall, wiping his hand across it slowly. A door appeared and slid open. It led back out to the massive magical room. A dim light bathed The Grand, his older features looking relaxed in its hue. First it was neon green and then changed to yellow. Ardius stared at The Grand as he stood by the door. He was still pondering the purpose of their conversation. He then looked beyond into the massive chamber but could not see the source of the light that bathed the leader of the Crimson Fox; but he knew it was some sort of brilliant magic being practiced nearby.

  “I have a job for you.”

  “Ahhh, finally,” Ardius thought to himself waiting for his confusion towards the purpose of the meeting to end.

  “Come.” He called Ardius to the door. He was again amazed as he saw a bright orb floating high in the air. Its light was illuminated the room as if it was a small sun. After looking around for a moment, the orb’s purpose became clear to him. The cornfield basked in the rays of what served as an artificial sun.

  He continued to stare in awe at the cornfield when The Grand abruptly said in a stern voice. “Ardius, I want you to eventually oversee all operations involving Magic for the Crimson Fox. I want you to lead this vital undertaking and manage one of the Crimson Fox’s greatest assets.” He spoke with great conviction. “I need a man who is true of heart as well as driven, resourceful and intelligent. I need a man to strike a balance between the needs of the streets and of the councils all while tempering the over ambitions of the magic users. This man, Ardius, is you!”

  Such shock and confusion overcame Ardius that he could not speak. Barely audible sounds were coming from his mouth. He never could have expected this. No one could have. Perhaps he heard incorrectly. There had to be a mistake or misunderstanding.

  “But…” He had nothing to say. “But sir…I don’t think I understand.” He mumbled.

  “Yes you do.” The Grand said as if leaving Ardius with no choice but to comprehend.

  “But me? Sir, like I said…I know next to nothing about magic.”

  “That is another reason you are the right guy!” The Grand’s voice was loud with excitement. “I cannot entrust this position to someone who uses magic. This is something I realized some time ago. Some men can handle the use of magic, but all men change when they feel its power. Living a normal life as a magic user is hard enough, but leading a complex operation that commands great power is another thing altogether.” He put his hands on Ardius’s shoulder and turned him so that they were facing. His brown eyes locked on Ardius’s gentle face. “Magic will be a key tool that will give us leverage when we take the Crimson Fox to new levels, which will happen soon, Ardius. Like I said earlier, you understand what it is that we do and I know you will understand how to manager this situation as well. I have thought this through thoroughly. It can only be a certain type of man to handle this role. In the past, throughout the realms, arrogant
men that have had both power and magic have found themselves in dangerous situations that ultimately ended poorly. You know the histories. You must know the stories of men such as Felix the Brazen or Umbargard Potash.”

  Again Ardius sat silent. He, like most men, did know the stories of those two men. They were two different mages in two different eras who eventually let their distorted megalomaniacal ways bring death to many men as well as themselves. Something still seemed out of place. How could he take on such an undertaking? His ignorance of the subject of magic had to preclude him from this job?

  “Times are changing Ardius. We could very well be entering the dawn of a new era. Victus, a law abiding good man has employed the wonders of magic on his crusade. The city has already paid us well for the services of our mages and they will pay more upon their return. Soon the role of these ancient and uncanny arts will expand exponentially. Currently a man… a great man, by the name of Rez Mostin is in charge of our operations that relate to magic. His position is known as the Magi Warden. Rez has served loyally for many years. He became Magi Warden even before I came to power, but he is now old and wants to live out his late years in peace.” The Grand’s tone made it clear he had respect for Rez Mostin. “You will begin to work with him soon. Your current street operations will go on as normal, however you will have all the help that you need since your time will be sparse. Waiting for you now in your home are several volumes on magic, its history, its abilities, its most infamous users and anything else you may need or want to know. All works selected by Rez Mostin. Read these things for knowledge is power. When the time comes you will begin meeting with Rez.” The Grand put his hand on Ardius’s shoulder, his impressive blue garment draped off of his arm. His chocolate colored eyes found Ardius’s and he asked, “Do you accept this great responsibility. Will you work to be The Crimson Fox’s next Magi Warden?”