by Guy Antibes
“Go on to Samira,” Ricky said. “I will head to Applia on my own. I may be able to join up with you before you arrive at the castle.”
Zaria gave him a salute, and Ricky veered to the east. He looked towards the south and watched the sorcerers disappear from view. He picked up his speed, and in his still-depleted condition, he couldn’t make it all the way to Applia. Ricky didn’t want to chance an inn just inside the border with Paranty, so he found a Hessilian village to spend the night.
Once he was in his little room, he linked with Pira.
Ricky, are you all right? You left me hanging. He could feel panic and concern in her emotions.
I am fine. I was in a tight spot for a bit, but I fought my way out of it. I overextended, as usual, so I couldn’t link. I had to save my power to interrogate a captured sorcerer. Tell Hemo that I am bringing the spell back. That is the good news. The bad news is that University sorcerers taught the Duterians the spell. The ancient library that I discovered was the source, just as we thought. The Ring sorcerers already had the compulsion spell, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a trade.
You weren’t injured, were you? Pira said, interrupting him.
Nothing that I couldn’t heal myself. I had to use compulsion on the Duterian sorcerer, a Botoyan. I felt ashamed doing it, but we needed to know. The Duterian army was smashed once we obliterated their sorcerer circles. We lost four of our men, but Gruntal would have suffered many more casualties if we hadn’t shown up.
Were they suitably appreciative? Pira asked.
It seems I won a medal and honorary citizenship. The Gruntalians gave Zaria large purses for the fallen sorcerers. I didn’t like losing our people, but they fought well, and the rest have probably had more experience than they wanted.
The same goes for you, my knight.
Ricky snorted, glad that Pira couldn’t hear it. All quiet in Samira?
Except for Pirie. She has a little temper and is learning how to use it. She’s reminding me of myself. When will you return?
A few days. The sorcerers have proceeded ahead of me. I’m making a detour to Applia and, if necessary, to Tossa. They fly more slowly than I do, so it is possible I can arrive around the same time they do. I won’t be long. Good night, my princess.
Come back to me, my shining knight.
Ricky sighed and went down for a late dinner, very glad for journeying to Gruntal. However, he doubted if he would ever be welcome in Duteria again. He realized that he couldn’t hide out and wait for the conflicts to end like he had first thought when he rescued Princess Pira from Sealio. He felt bad for initially wanting to exile himself to Samira, but he was now in Samira under quite different circumstances. He looked forward to the conflict with Sealio now that he knew the sound isolation spell worked better than anything else, he felt that they might have a chance in a conflict with King Leon.
~~~
Chapter Thirty-Three
~
D uke Noacci met Ricky in a palace garden.
“I am sorry about Rachael and Pub,” Ricky said.
“You might include Gobble Bangatelli, if we are to get personal. I am not an infallible man,” the duke said. “I have made decisions I am not proud of, and I have made decisions that I felt good about, but they turned into disasters.”
“I’ve done the same,” Ricky said.
Noacci kicked at the gravel path. “And you’ll make more. Just be prepared to minimize the damage.” Noacci sighed.
“Have you recovered from your beating in Sealio?”
“I’m not sure. I will have to wait until I am recovered from the betrayals of my childhood friends. It seems that allies and friendships shift over time. I forgot that.”
Ricky hadn’t seen the duke so down before. “You sound like I did when I flew using the floating method. For some reason, it makes the flyer depressed.”
Noacci nodded. “I am depressed.” He sighed and put his hands behind his back. “Now tell me all about your trip to Hessilia.”
Ricky described the quick trip in as much detail as Noacci could stand.
“So you learned about the sound isolation spell and what the Sealian sorcerers used on you? Just that made your mission successful, much less saving a city from destruction.”
“More destruction. However, now that the spells are known by Gruntalian sorcerers, including flying, they will be able to defend their city should the Duterians try to mount another attack,” Ricky said.
“But Gruntal was unprepared before you showed up. Don’t minimize your contribution, but don’t think you can always duplicate it. Every battle is different. Take the three attacks on Samira, Applia, and Tossa,” Noacci said.
The duke’s depression disappeared as he described each conflict and contrasted how the commanders on the ground used different means to defeat the royal forces.
“If King Leon had used a combined force and taken each city one at a time, he might have prevailed.” Noacci looked at Ricky. “We faced sorcerers, too, but by not relying on magic, we didn’t have to worry about the resonance thing. General Farlotti had thirty ballistae built with well-disciplined crews. The sorcerers’ shields couldn’t stop a bolt heading directly towards them.”
“We have weaknesses, too.”
Noacci nodded. “Good planning can minimize weaknesses, Ricky. Mattia is a good strategist, and with Zaria Laccia to help him with the sorcery part, he put up a worthy defense, but Leon’s forces might have succeeded if you hadn’t destroyed the circle. You can make up for weaknesses. You did it in Duteria, as well.”
Ricky just nodded. “We all do what we need to.”
“And some need to act more than others. I’m just glad you are on my side.”
Ricky changed the subject.
“I was wondering if you would support building a hospital in the parkland east of the Cistia Palace? The healer who came to Samira said teaching hospitals are more effective if they serve more people. There aren’t that many potential patients in Samira.”
“Would you feel slighted if someone built something worthwhile on land adjacent to Samira castle?”
“Not at all. I’m planning on doing that when I create the sorcery college.”
“Then why should I object? You can name it after me, or something,” Noacci said, chuckling. “Permission granted.”
They talked about Pira and Minnie’s administration of the castle. Noacci’s mood seemed to become more melancholy, so Ricky asked him if a trip to Tossa would be useful.
“I’m not sure it would at this point,” Noacci said. “You are in contact with Baron Mansali when you need to be. He is firmly in control of the city and has already set up a new council to run Tossa. I don’t want to see Paranty turning into Hessilia, but for now, spreading out the administration isn’t affecting the Order’s ability to focus on Sealio. We are all together, aren’t we?”
Ricky nodded. “We are, Duke Noacci.”
“Good. Your princess is waiting. You should join her. I’m glad we had this talk. I’ve needed to discuss my feelings about Pub and Rachael. I think we have done that well enough that I can look forward without looking too far back.”
~
Without the intended side-trip to Tossa, Ricky arrived in Samira only hours after Zaria did. He found Pira talking to Zaria about the medal ceremony in Gruntal.
Her eyes brightened when she saw Ricky walk in. “My hero,” she said as she hugged Ricky.
“I guess I’d better leave,” Zaria said.
“No,” Ricky said. “I didn’t go to Tossa, but I had a good conversation with Duke Noacci. You have his regard for your unit’s valor.”
“It wasn’t my unit,” Zaria said.
“In the fight once the sorcerers blew up a wall? That wasn’t me. You split the sorcerers up, and you led them. I went off on my own. As Kened Gostok described, the Gruntalian battle sorcerers did more observing until they found out how effective you were,” Ricky said. “And now we have more tools to fight against the
University sorcerers. Hemo and his group will get the sound spell documented, so we can train your people, and then we can use it against our enemy.”
“As you wish,” Zaria said, grinning. “I will say, the battle sorcerers have more confidence than they ever had. We had some great nighttime discussions on our trip from Hessilia about how we can improve.”
“Those ideas would have never come up if I was around,” Ricky said.
“Maybe not,” Zaria said. “Regardless, we had a successful trip. Minnie Dastoya has taken the purses for the families of those lost and will get the funds to them if they are outside Sealio and keep the rest in trust for those who we can’t reach.”
“Good.” Ricky looked at Pira, who stood with her arms folded. “Now you can leave.”
Zaria winked at Pira and left them looking at each other in the study.
“Where is Minnie?” Ricky said, noticing the clean desk for the first time.
“She is using the steward’s office in her quarters. You probably didn’t know one existed.”
Ricky shrugged. “I guess not. What are you going to use this room for now?”
Pira moved closer. “I’m going to call it our kissing room.”
“At least for the next few minutes,” Ricky said.
~
One of the battle sorcerers had volunteered to be the subject of the magic-killing experiment. Hemo, Larna Kokorak, Zaria, Siria, and Mirano looked on. Ricky wrote down the spell and the tune and handed it to Hemo, who read it and passed it on.
This was Ricky’s first time actually casting the spell. He had practiced until he felt the right resonance. He sang the spell. Larna wrote something down on the paper as resonance filled Ricky, and then Ricky employed his will to cast the spell.
The sorcerer looked on. The man sang but shook his head. “I have no magic,” he admitted.
“When it comes back, note the time,” Hemo said. “We need to know if this is the same spell.”
Zaria clapped his man on the back as he passed. “Thank you,” he said. “It sounds the same to me. My question is, what is the range? What is next?”
“Range will depend on the sorcerer,” Ricky said. “The sorcerers’ circle during the battle here caught me while I was about as high as the trees in the forest, fifty or sixty feet, and I wore pillow armor. A strong circle might penetrate the sound spell, but the effects should be lessened enough to allow the sorcerer to fly down.”
Zaria stepped out and brought the next battle sorcerer, a woman. She smiled at everyone and took her place at one end of the room.
“Can you sing the sound spell?” Ricky asked.
She nodded and clearly let the song fill the air. Ricky could feel the shield lock into place by the way sound bouncing around the room changed.
“Now we will do the same thing,” Hemo said.
Ricky was careful to use the same song and the same amount of will. He cast the spell.
The woman stood in her place. Hemo asked if she felt anything different. She didn’t respond, so he wrote the request down and showed it to her. She spoke, but her voice was muffled, and then she let go of the spell.
“Your impressions when I invoked the spell,” Ricky asked.
“I could feel pressure, if that is the right word, but I didn’t feel magic drain.”
“Do some kind of spell where you are familiar with the result.” Hemo asked.
She lit a flame and then frowned. “It is smaller, so my resonance was affected. I think I could still fly away.”
“That was my experience, as well,” Ricky said. “The sorcerers’ ring continued to throw spells at me, and I had to put so much into my own spells, that I lost the ability to do sorcery.”
“A single sorcerer like you would not have had the same effect?” Mirano asked.
Ricky shook his head. “I might have been like our subject,” Ricky nodded at the sorcerer, “limping along. The pillow armor might have been more effective against a single sorcerer, but it failed a lot worse than the sound spell.”
Hemo wrote some notes down. “I think we have enough to go on. Siria, why don’t you try to duplicate the spell before Ricky leaves.”
It took her a few tries, but Siria was able to get the same result that Ricky had through the sound spell, a reduction of resonance, but not a total loss.
“I’m available if you need me,” Ricky said as he left the room. He walked outside towards the training ground to talk to Mattia.
Pira called to him from the battlements. “There you are. We had a bird from Applia. You should link with the duke.”
Ricky engaged with Bocca. What is it?
The royal army has combined and is marching on Applia. We think the force is over five thousand soldiers.
What does the Duke think?
I am not with him. Stay linked, please. Bocca paused while Ricky walked back into the castle.
We have enough soldiers to stall them. The duke is requesting twenty or thirty sorcerers.
Ricky thought for a moment. We can send fifty. They are experienced fighting the Duterians. Do I need to put my troops on the road to Applia?
No. Keep them in reserve. Baron Mansali is much closer and is on his way to Applia. He will be in a position to flank the royal army.
Ricky’s mind whirled with possibilities. How many troops does King Leon have in reserve in Sealio?
Bocca didn’t respond immediately. Are you thinking of attacking the capital?
Why not? With flying sorcerers, we can take men to the capital and drop them onto the castle grounds. We can land at the University. If we are less successful, we can retreat out of the city. Pira and Nania know the castle. Mattia and Nania know the University. You have people in Sealio that we can use. If most of the royal army is out of the city, we can do some damage.
Duke Noacci thinks it is a large risk.
But is it an acceptable risk? The royal army is sure to have sorcerers in their ranks. Sealio is exposed. I can put more pressure if the Gruntalians march for us. The Gruntalian army’s march can serve as an obvious feint, which means they can march in the open. Gruntal isn’t much farther from Sealio than Applia is, Ricky said.
If Nemo Mattia agrees, then you may begin to march. The duke leaves the capture of Sealio up to you.
Assume we will be preparing to march unless circumstances change. Ricky cut the link and ran up to Pira, who sat in her office with Minnie.
“Your cousin has launched most of his forces towards Applia. Baron Mansali is heading to Applia as a flanking army. They will have more troops than the king. Duke Noacci has given us permission to march on Sealio,” Ricky said.
Pira took a deep breath. “This is it. We march to remove the sorcerers and King Leon.”
“It is unless Mattia disagrees.”
“You will let him dictate if we attack?” Pira said.
Ricky nodded his head. “We are risking the lives of thousands of people. I will call all my advisors together and see if they all agree.”
“I’m one of your advisors, aren’t I?” she said.
“You are. I will get Mattia and whoever else, and you get those in the castle, including Tobia and Minnie.”
Ricky waited in his conference room for everyone to arrive. He didn’t know what the sorcerers would say, but he counted on Zaria to bolster his position with Nemo Mattia.
Everyone showed up except for Wedo, who had gone to the village to see about firebolt shields with Healer Kokorak’s husband.
Ricky told them about the developments to the north.
“I am proposing that we march on Sealio while the army is engaged in Applia,” he said. “We can extract those in the Order who are stuck in the city and fight the sorcerers left.”
“We don’t have a plan for doing that,” Mattia said.
Pira looked at Mattia. “Nania and I can help with the castle. You must know the three non-castle Towers better than I do.”
Mattia pursed his lips. “And if we are stopped along the way?�
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Ricky looked at the map of Paranty spread out on the table. “Then we head to Applia and attack the royal army from behind while Tossa fights them from the south.”
Mattia stared at the map. “It is better than waiting for another attack. Zaria said you were able to duplicate the spell, and you have one that would act as a shield?”
Hemo nodded. “We can do both. Both spells will need to be learned, as well as how to put the battle sorcerers in an effective sorcerer’s circle.”
“And we can fly,” Ricky said. “The city streets of Sealio can be monitored. Since we don’t know how many soldiers remain, we need to be flexible. But there can’t be that many still in Sealio.”
“You are right about that. Even if King Leon had access to all the ex-soldiers, he wouldn’t have enough to fight all three of the city armies. You are right. Applia and Tossa both outnumber him. The challenge has been the sorcerers and the timing.” He nodded curtly. “We can plan more thoroughly along the way.”
Minnie raised her finger. “We will have to assemble our supplies from those areas that we pass. I have taken the liberty of creating three routes for our ground forces, so we don’t exhaust the resources of common Paranty citizens.”
She rolled a hand-drawn map on the table. Mattia examined it closely. “We will still need wagons.”
“Of course, but it would be better to have full wagons when you reach Sealio than arrive without supplies.”
Nemo smiled. “Good. The battle sorcerers can fly in advance to secure food and campgrounds.”
“We can do that,” Zaria said. “I’ve just sent fifty men and women to Applia, but we have enough for Sealio.”
“Then let us go over objectives,” Ricky said.
~~~
Chapter Thirty-Four
~
“Y ou are letting me come with you?” Pira said as they sat in her study.
Ricky nodded. “Nania, too. We are planning while we march. You two know the castle better than anyone. We’ve proven that a few times. I didn’t mention Gruntal’s forces.”
