by Guy Antibes
“We need to hire a few horses,” Trevor said, his head spinning from the transfers. He put his purse in Lissa’s hand. “I have to go outside.”
He turned as soon as he stepped in the stable yard and emptied the contents of his stomach. Trevor didn’t know if Lissa was in the same shape he was, but he began to wobble as he tried to make it back inside the stable yard office and collapsed as soon as he made it inside the door.
When Trevor woke up, he was tied onto the back of a horse, leaning forward. “Untie me!” Trevor called out to Lissa, who rode ahead of him, holding his horse’s reins.
She stopped and did as Trevor asked before helping him down.
“Are you feeling better?”
Trevor blinked hard, trying to repress the headache that he felt. “Better than what? I’m only feeling slightly better than being killed on the road.”
“Then let’s rest a bit. We are an hour past the town where you passed out.”
Trevor found a waterskin tied to his horse and took a few big gulps. “I think I’m good enough to continue as long as we go slow,” he said. “I won’t be trying that again. How do you feel?”
“Woozy and drained, but I’m not as bad off as you are. If we weren’t needed in the Kyrian capital, I would have had us spend the night, but as it turns out, we are only half a day away.”
“I can make it for that long,” Trevor said. He took another long pull from the waterskin and poured the rest over his head. “Let’s go.”
They mounted up, and Trevor fought for the energy he needed to keep riding. They reached the capital as the sun set, and Lissa kept them going until they reached the Dryden church. They entered the building, but Trevor stopped before he made it through the door.
“I’d like to see the seer. It is a matter of importance,” Trevor said.
Trevor and Lissa sat on a bench in front of a prayer stand and waited. A cleric in fancy robes walked up to him. A man walked at the seer’s side, but he didn’t wear a cleric’s robes. Trevor leaned over. “Is there a man next to the seer?”
Lissa furrowed her brow. “Man?”
Trevor stood, fighting a moment of weakness. He drew his sword and pointed it at the seer’s companion, a Maskumite magician. Now he knew the source of the assassins. A white bolt splashed against his Maskumite diving outfit, and that was all Trevor needed to run the man through
The seer backed up. “Help! This man has just tried to—” The seer looked down as the Maskumite magician began to appear. “What is this?”
“A little voice that persuaded you to do bad things,” Trevor said. “I am Trevor Arcwin, and this is Lissa Caspur.”
“Seer Caspur’s daughter?”
“I am,” Lissa said. “You’ve been ensorcelled by the Maskumites.”
The seer shook his head. “Perhaps.” He raised his hand as Trevor and Lissa were surrounded by clerics. A few brandished knives.
“Here,” Lissa handed the seer an invisibility charm. “We’ve been too late in getting these out,” she said.
“Take the body to the constabulary,” the seer said, looking disdainfully at the bleeding body. “You managed to evade the man’s attack. I wonder how long the leech has been sucking the vitality from me.”
Lissa gave the seer a sympathetic expression. “Whenever your people say you and your actions changed. The same thing has been repeated in other countries.”
The seer nodded. “Come with me,” he said, fingering the charm before putting it over his head. “I have heard of both of you, but from different sources.”
They followed the seer to his office and sat down. “I would offer you refreshments first, but after I’ve had the worst of my curiosity satisfied. I was told you would be coming north from Sirland, and I felt that you had nothing but ill will toward Kyria.” The seer put his head in his hands. “I’ve also been fighting with the king about sending troops along with the Viksarans.”
“Arguing against?” Trevor asked.
The seer looked disgusted with himself. “Of course!” He pulled a bag of charms from his desk. “I kept these in the drawer, but Viksar also sent a messenger with charms to the king, who distributed all of his. So the Maskumites turned to me, who didn’t take the charms seriously.”
Trevor nodded. “As long as you recognize what happened, we will visit the king. I suggest you come with us and tell the king what you have done so he can take steps to mitigate your actions.”
“Of course,” the seer said dejectedly.
~
Trevor’s next stop was Okora. He had wanted to wait for the Viksaran army, but they were a few days away from the capital of Kyria before turning southwest toward the Sirland–Maskumite border.
Trevor failed in convincing King Bingador to join in the fight. The Okoran monarch was adamant about being neutral, even when the Okoran seer, Morra Deepen, tried to get the king to provide a small force, but Trevor was able to get the king to provide food and supplies to the armies. Trevor was disappointed the king was stingy with his men, but the provisions were needed as much as men were.
Morra Deepen asked Trevor to communicate with the head seer to ask for more charms. At least King Bingador believed in the power of the charms. The head seer had received reports from Dorwick and East and West Moreton about the charms detecting Maskumite magicians. Although the fight was too far away for them to join in, they all had executed any Maskumite magicians as spies. No one had heard anything from Presidon, but Trevor had ignored them and never expected any help from his former country.
At last, Trevor and Lissa returned to Argara in Jarkan and met with King Turgul. The plainsmen army was reactivated, with a large fighting force headed south. The Brachian army approached the Maskumite border after skirting the capital. Trevor gave them as much information as he could before teleporting to General Henkari’s garrison.
The Maskumites had finally caught on that they were in a fight for their lives. The border skirmishes increased in intensity, and dispatch riders began circuits from the coastal border around to the mountain outposts west of General Henkari’s garrison.
The Brachian army had arrived at the border before the war started. Viksaran and Kyrian troops were still more than a week away from Sirland when Trevor and Henkari met with the Brachian general and Prince Akku, who would be the titular head of the plainsmen forces.
“Dauntless Brightwork,” the Brachian general introduced himself to Trevor when they met at a conference room inside Henkari’s garrison.
“A name of valor,” General Henkari said. “We don’t adhere to the custom in Jarkan, but I must admit, sometimes I think I’d like it. Right, Desolation?”
“Dauntless,” the general said, thinking to correct Henkari.
“No. He means me,” Trevor said. “I went by the name of Desolation Boxster when General Henkari and I met. It is my old mentor’s name. I went by Des, but that was until I became the duke of Listenwell. I’m now called by my given name of Trevor Arcwin.”
“I’ve heard of your story. A few of my officers and a contingent of soldiers are from Listenwell. Their version is a bit different from the one circulating in Bassington,” Brightwork said.
“You will have to introduce me to the Listenwell soldiers,” Trevor said.
General Brightwork nodded. “Once we find out where we will end up on the border.”
“And that is why we are meeting,” Henkari said.
Trevor traced his finger along the border on a large map of Maskum. “There are three armies on the northern edge of Maskum, and there will be three on the eastern side.” He ran his finger along the mountainous west. “The west is undefended since the mountains are an effective barrier between Maskum and Ternus.”
“Without a naval force, we can’t stop the Maskumites from sailing away,” General Brightwork said.
“Sirland has ships,” Trevor said. “All we need to do is block Khartoo.” He put his finger on the capital. “The Maskumite enclave is our goal. I don’t care about the res
t of Maskum.”
“That might be doable,” Henkari said. “The harbor often has more ships from foreign countries than it does its own. Most are from Sirland and Ternus.”
Trevor pursed his lips. He was back to thinking about the invasion as a game. “And where is Ternus? Are they an ally or an enemy?”
“You’ll have to ask the Sirlandians,” Henkari said.
“I will. I haven’t been west of Jarkan’s capital, but I can visit Prime Minister Crater,” Trevor said. He bit his lip in frustration since he hadn’t thought about closing off the sea sooner.
“You are thinnest in the mountains,” General Brightwork said. “Why don’t I move through the mountain region toward Khartoo. I have soldiers enough to leave pockets of men if the Maskumites attempt to head west.”
“That will also eliminate any chain of command issues,” Trevor said. “I suggest we use Potur Lott as the liaison between the two armies.”
Henkari nodded his head. “That is an excellent choice, but let’s have him select other scouts with mountain experience in Jarkan to help with the units left behind.”
Brightwork squinted at the map. “Then I can start moving my people?”
“No,” Trevor said. He had built a model in his head. They needed to be more strategic in assembling their forces. “If we don’t time our invasion right, we might leave some of our units exposed.”
“Of course,” Henkari said. “We will need more information from the eastern forces.” He looked at Trevor. “Brightwork, Akku, and I will set up the three Jarkanese border armies while you do the same with Sirland, Viksar, and Kyria.”
Trevor nodded. He wanted to fight with the Brachians, but he might still be able to do that. “I’ll get to it,” he said, feeling good that Brightwork and Henkari seemed to be working well together.
Trevor left them to the details as he searched out Lissa, who was back at the inn. They spent an hour preparing for more transferring before winding up in Wistfall. They were admitted into Wistfall Castle and waited until Dirk Crater was free from his ministerial duties.
“You have been busy,” Crater said. “I hadn’t expected Kyria to send troops, but I received word this morning that they had joined the Viksaran army headed our way. I’ve already sent out wagons of supplies to meet them as they come.”
“Where are they headed?”
“Major Boarson will head our forces, so they will stop at the northern edge of our border before being distributed among our forces,” Crater said.
“We’ve adopted a different strategy in Jarkan,” Trevor said. “I suggest you consolidate your army and give each force a sector to manage. If you mix the armies up too much, the soldiers will be confused about who is ordering them around.”
Crater’s eyebrows rose. “I hadn’t thought about that.”
Trevor smiled. “That is why I’m here.” He went over the overall Jarkanese border strategy before discussing possibilities on the Sirlandian side. “This is the overall approach. I suggest the army leaders hash out the details. Kyria might want to handle the northern corner since it is closer to their country.” Trevor shrugged. “I don’t know what their sensibilities are, but I’ll need to meet with the commanders to work out the details.”
“Is that all?”
“Not at all. Do you think we can blockade the Maskumite magician enclave in Khartoo?” Trevor asked. “We don’t have to secure the entire southern coast and not even Khartoo’s entire bay. The only naval resources that I can bring to bear are in Sirland.”
“We don’t have much of a navy,” Crater said.
“For a blockade, any kind of ship will do, but they will need magicians on the decks to fight off the Maskumite enclave.”
Crater wrote a name down. “Seek out this man in Berry Port. He used to be the minister of defense, but his heart was always with the navy. He is the best one I know of to help.”
Trevor thanked the prime minister, and Lissa took his arm as they teleported to docks at Berry Port. They surprised quite a few onlookers, but Trevor looked at the crowd for anyone wearing a fancy uniform. He spotted two men standing together.
“I’m looking for Samar Doford,” he said to the two men.
“He’s a friend of mine. Are you an assassin? You wear clothes that are popular in Khartoo.”
Trevor laughed. “My diver’s outfit? It suits what I’m trying to do.” Trevor introduced himself and Lissa to the men. “It is a matter of utmost importance. You can join us in the conversation if you wish. I have nothing to hide.”
“I’ll do just that,” the friend of Doford’s said. “Follow me.”
The man exchanged a few words with his companion, and Trevor and Lissa followed the man across the wharf, turning down a lane a few streets from the sea. The houses became more fashionable with every step.
“Samar!” the uniformed man pounded on Doford’s door.
“I haven’t lost my sense of hearing,” Doford complained as he answered the door. Samar Doford was younger than Trevor had thought, a little older than General Henkari, and younger than Dirk Crater, the prime minister. He nodded to his friend and then turned to Trevor and Lissa. “Who are you?” he said, rather bluntly.
Trevor introduced himself and Lissa, but this time he gave Doford his titles and told him that he was coordinating the united forces against Maskum.
“Serves them right,” Doford said after Trevor’s introduction. “The Maskumite magicians have been involved in nasty schemes for as long I’ve been alive. Come in.”
“To be honest, I have another engagement,” Trevor’s escort said. “Be certain I’ll be back to see what this young man has to tell you.”
Doford led Trevor and Lissa into his sitting room.
“What did Crater tell you?” Doford said.
“I want to blockade the magician’s enclave in Khartoo while the armies converge on Maskum’s capital to destroy the magicians.” Trevor told him about the meddling Maskum’s cabals had done throughout the world. “Since all the ships are in Sirland, he said you’d be able to tell me if such a thing is doable and that you could manage the task.”
“The queen would never allow me to do something like that,” Doford said. “She was the one who dismissed me. Undoubtedly, the Maskumites didn’t want an experienced man in charge of Sirland’s forces. The navy doesn’t have a chief naval officer at present.”
“If Crater appointed you, would you accept?”
Doford snorted. “Of course I would, and I’d get oars in the water and sails in the wind in an instant.”
“What would you do?” Trevor asked.
“I’d shut down Berry Port and commandeer all Sirlandian vessels. We have four naval ships in port, but that isn’t near enough.”
“Work out a plan and an estimate of when your flotilla would be arriving in Khartoo. Keep your strategy to yourself. I doubt Maskum has ignored something coming in from the sea.” Trevor said.
“And what will you be doing while I get all that information together?” Doford asked.
“Getting you permission to invade Maskum by sea. I’ll be back,” Trevor said.
~
Chapter Twenty-Two
~
T he commanders in the room looked down at the map that Trevor had brought east from General Henkari’s garrison. Trevor went over the northern strategy, as he called it. The Brachians would travel through the mountains to Khartoo using multiple paths that Potur Lott and others knew. The plainsmen would support the regular Jarkanese army as a striking cavalry, as Henkari described them.
Trevor stood back and let the eastern commanders present their strategy. Rather than invade as a long front, since the purpose was destroying the magicians at Khartoo, there would be three columns burrowing their way deep into Maskum. They would end up within a day’s march of each other. A Sirlandian home militia was being raised as they met, and they would act as a shield on the eastern border against Maskum forces entering into Sirland. No one mentioned the naval operation,
and that was what Trevor intended.
The less said about blocking the Khartoo harbor, the less of a threat that might seem to the enclave magicians. Trevor asked them much the same questions he had asked General Henkari. When they were finished, everyone had hashed out the invasion so that by the time the armies united around Khartoo. The allied forces would encircle the city like a tightening noose.
“Figure out what can go wrong,” Trevor said, “and come up with something to counter setbacks. I’ll be rotating around, but don’t rely on me. At some point, I may not be available.” Someone tapped him on the shoulder.
“Can we come with you?”
Trevor turned to look into Win Fenton’s eyes. Behind him stood Glynna Bostik and Gorian Custik.
“Did you bring Siranda?”
Win gave Trevor a sad smile. “She asked me to damage a few Maskumite magicians for her and her father.”
Trevor slapped Win on the shoulder and looked at his two magical friends. “Do you think you can charge my sword and cuirass, so I won’t have to spend days catching up to you?” Trevor said to Gorian.
“It can be my contribution to the effort. I’m not very good with a sword, and I’m not too keen frying fellow magicians, but you can count on me for magic along with Glynna and Lissa.”
“I can do a bit of both,” Win said. “I’ve had a little training when I learned to do magic, but I’d prefer to use a sword and wear a fistful of charms as a defense against the Maskumites.”
“Don’t count on me!” Glynna said. “Gorian talked me into coming along to witness some history. All I’m interested in doing is writing a book after all this is over.”
“Then you can take notes as I explain our strategy.”
Glynna pulled out a portfolio from behind her. “I’ve already started to do that.”
“Stay here while I meet with someone else, and then we can work on getting everyone teleported to the other side of Jarkan,” Trevor said.
