Trial and Glory (19 page)

That shouldn’t be too hard. I have the advantage of schooling, and even though he wields the scepter, my contact with it left me better able to draw on power myself.

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” a voice called out.

Nareash spun. “Yes,” he said, bitter at having his thoughts disrupted.

Hezen looked over the edge of the cliff and grunted. “I’m impressed. It looks as though Guwan will have everyone ready in time. I see you’re allowing him to restructure the ranks and combine the Kifzo into one unit.”

“They are the best at what they do.”

“And what is that?”

“Winning.”

Hezen nodded. “So Guwan was telling me the truth. This is the final push. There is no retreat.”

Nareash narrowed his eyes. The man was fishing for information. “This is it.”

Hezen grunted. “So, you finally found a way to counter Krytien?”

Nareash flinched. He tried to hide his surprise, but it was too late. Hezen noticed the efforts.

“Yes, I know that’s been the reason for your delay.” Hezen continued. “I’m not an idiot.” Something must have flashed across Nareash’s face because Hezen took a step back. He held up his hands. “Wait. I’m not here to ridicule you. In fact I think you were wise in not rushing against the man. Asantia is proof of what he’s capable—”

“Asantia was not caused by the efforts of one man,” said Nareash, shaking his head.
He did not have the scepter then. It was hiding as a blasted candleholder in front of everyone’s faces.

“Alright. So be it. I still think you made the right decision.”

Nareash rubbed his eyes. He didn’t need the validation of a failed ruler. “Why are you here?”

“I was just curious how you would approach Krytien.”

Nareash turned away. “It’s none of your concern.”

Hezen walked away without a word.

* * *

A false dawn crept into the sky, its gray hue muting the bright half-moon that had yet to descend behind the horizon. Nareash walked through camp, tense, on his way to his tent. His stomach rolled with nervousness.

“Master! There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you,” said Colan. He fell in beside the High Mage.

“What is it?”

“I just wanted to thank you for the opportunity you’re giving me today.”

“Opportunity?”

“Yes. Hezen relayed your orders to me some time ago.” He paused. “They were your orders, correct? Part of the reason I sought you was to confirm their authenticity.”

First Guwan acts on his own. Now Hezen. It appears my concerns about them were valid.

Nareash halted. “What did he tell you exactly?”

Colan inclined his head. “That you want me to engage Krytien. I know the mage is not without skill, however I’ve progressed so much under your tutelage, I feel confident that I can dispense with him quickly now that you’re allowing me to attack him unhindered.”

“Hezen told you all of this?”

“Yes, of course. Why?”

Why indeed? Because he doubts my success? Or perhaps it is meant to embarrass me if Colan is successful?
Nareash thought about Hezen’s orders.
I am not the fool you think I am, Hezen. And when it comes to matters of the scepter, you know nothing. If Krytien uses it, Colan will die quickly. But perhaps that is for the best. Plus, I can use the exchange to more closely examine Krytien’s tactics.

He smiled. “It’s nothing. You’ll do fine.”

Chapter 13

Krytien opened his eyes, and quickly squatted, clutching the slate roof beneath his feet. It was slick with morning dew, but he stretched his neck over the side anyway. The activity below confirmed what he already knew.

One Above, it worked.

He had managed to successfully teleport out of his room to the top of the fortress’ keep.

And not even the slightest bit of nausea.

His heel turned, shifting a piece of slate. His hands shot out to steady himself, pushing away from the edge of the roof.

Alright. You’ve proved your point.

Krytien closed his eyes, canted the spell to combat nausea that Nora showed him, then immediately slipped into the spell of teleportation. He had performed each so frequently, the ritual only took a matter of seconds.

He opened his eyes once again in his quarters.

That’s twice now.

Before tonight, he had never attempted such a distance nor attempted to travel to a place not within his line of sight. He beamed with pride, but only for half a breath, realizing that the High Mages of Cadonia had been able to teleport leagues, sometimes to places they had never visited.

Still not good enough.

A knock sounded at the door. Krytien opened it. Wiqua stared back at him.

Wiqua looked concerned. “Is now a bad time?”

“No, please.” Krytien moved aside. “Come in.” He glanced around his bare quarters, then gestured toward his cot. “Make yourself as comfortable as you can.”

“Thank you. The floor is fine.” He entered and sat cross-legged.

Krytien eyed the old man and grimaced. Given his girth, he could not imagine ever looking so comfortable in that position. He chose the small chair at his desk. “Is there something you need?”

Wiqua shook his head. “Actually, I was hoping there was something I could do for you.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“I heard the news about the Kifzo. Kaz expects another full assault tomorrow.”

Krytien nodded.

“He also believes that if all goes according to plan, Nareash will finally show himself.”

“It’s likely.”

“Are you ready to face him?”

Krytien laughed. “One Above, no. He’s a High Mage.”

“So?”

“So, he’s one of the best.”

“I’ve told you about your potential before.”

“I don’t need potential. I need training.”

Wiqua nodded to the books on his desk. “Aren’t you getting that?”

“It’s not the same.” He sighed. “I wish I would have listened to my Master all those years ago on Mytarcis.”

“Maybe it’s better you didn’t.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“Nora told me you wanted a spell for nausea. Has it helped?”

“Yes.”

“So, you’ve been able to teleport without the disorientation?”

“Yes. But how did you know that? I never told her specifically what I needed it for.”

“Teleportation isn’t anything I ever studied myself, but I’m familiar with it. Tell me about the spell. From what I gather it is very complicated.”

Krytien shrugged. “I thought so at first. But that was only if I performed it as Amcaro outlined.”

“What do you mean? You changed it?”

“More like modified it. There were too many redundant steps. I combined them to reduce the time necessary to cast the spell.”

“And to counteract the nausea, you sought to combine two spells into one?”

“Not exactly. I just perform the spell Nora showed me first. Before it wears off, I teleport.”

Wiqua smiled. “And that is why you should not think so lowly of yourself. Forgive me if this comes out wrong, but I only mean what I’m about to say as a compliment. You remind me of Sacrynon, or at least what I know of him.”

Krytien’s blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Sacrynon visited our islands several times before the scepter’s allure overpowered him. My people taught him many of our healing methods, and in turn, he showed us some of the other forms of sorcery we felt comfortable practicing. All of the accounts I’ve heard about him indicate that the ability to wield raw power isn’t what made him great. He was a master at improvising, finding the best solution to a problem, never afraid to try something different.” He pointed toward the books on Krytien’s desk. “For as great a mage as Amcaro was, he could never match his master in that regard. Amcaro was a man who believed in the rigidity of rules and structure. That is how he taught. The problem is that those within that system are often hesitant to deviate from that structure.”

Krytien chuckled. “I appreciate the praise, but casting a simple spell to combat nausea and then making a few tweaks to another spell is not enough for me to consider myself as great as Sacrynon.”

“Not yet, anyway.”

The old man stared at Krytien, making him uncomfortable.

Not yet? You act like I have the years it would take to even reach that level.

“So how can you help me?”

“Of course. My apologies.” Wiqua stood, and held out his hands. “Please give me your hands.”

Krytien raised them. “Why?”

“I’m going to show you a better spell for nausea and disorientation. The basic structure is the same, just a few small changes here and there, subtle movements with the hands. I want to make sure you have the shapes correctly formed. This version is ten times stronger, and will last much longer than the one you’re using.”

Krytien watched Wiqua first. He then repeated the movements until he had them down perfectly.

“Thank you. Though I’m not sure how much that will help me when I do face Nareash. Teleportation seems like its best used to avoid a fight.” He tried to laugh, but the noise came out wrong, almost like a wet sob.

“So, you haven’t practiced any of the more difficult offensive spells then?”

“No. I can’t practice those here. Not when tens of thousands could die by my hand.” He recalled Asantia’s destruction. “And the spells I do know, although effective, will likely not be enough against Nareash.”

“And the equipment you had Raker and Drake work on? Kaz told me you had something planned there.”

Krytien shrugged. “It could work if we get lucky, but I’m not counting on it.”

He tapped his cheek in thought. “Well, perhaps you can outlast Nareash.”

“Not likely. He’ll have a great well of power to pull from.”

“So do you. Since you don’t feel comfortable using your power for offensive means, perhaps you should change your strategy.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m about to give you some rushed lessons in the art of healing. Granted, we won’t have time to do it properly. However, I can at least show you something to heal yourself from common injuries when your guard begins to fail.”

“But we only have a few hours until dawn.”

Wiqua ignored him. “First lesson, healing burns.”

* * *

Elyse had just crawled into bed when the knock sounded at her door. She thought about ignoring it, her body craving even an hour of rest. Her mind won the battle over her body, and she managed to force herself out of bed and to the door. On the other side stood Niken.

“Your Majesty, I’m sorry for disturbing you, but Kaz said it was important to see you in the war room. He expects tomorrow to be the day.” Niken didn’t need to specify what that meant. Elyse knew.

There’s no way I’ll sleep now.

He continued. “He wants to make sure you’re aware of the general strategy while he updates his captains. There’s also some new information that’s come to light.”

She nodded. “Give me a moment to dress.”

* * *

Elyse listened as Kaz relayed his conversation with the captured Kifzo.

When he finished, Jeldor cleared his throat. “I don’t like it. Faking Kaz’s death will only entice Nareash to attack sooner. He will think he can finish us off.”

“That’s the idea,” said Kaz. “The Kifzo cannot defect to our side unless they are deployed into battle. There is no way Nareash would let them just stride out of camp. It’s possible they might be sent in the first wave to press us. However, I’m willing to bet Nareash will continue to hold them in reserve.”

“How long will we need to hold? Hours? A day?”

Kaz shrugged. “As long as we need to. Yanasi and I worked out troop positioning earlier.” Kaz looked to his captain.

Yanasi stepped forward with a confidence that Elyse took note of. The young woman had grown significantly during her time in Cadonia. Watching her captivate the group of veterans with her knowledge as they asked pointed questions of the strategy she and Kaz had devised made Elyse see Yanasi in a different light. She watched in fascination as the young woman moved representations of their forces around like pieces on a game board, explaining how things might evolve over the course of battle.

Impressive. Just the sort of person I need if we can win here. . . .

When everyone seemed satisfied with her answers, Yanasi stepped back.

Jeldor clicked his tongue. “The strategy is sound, but I think we’re gambling too much on these Kifzo. One Above knows we could be playing into their hand.”

“Yes. But our options are dwindling, my lord. Sometimes a calculated risk is the only choice.” Elyse faced Kaz. “If the Kifzo come to our side, will we win?”

“Of course,” said Kaz, quickly looking away.

He’s lying.

For a brief moment, his efforts to keep hope alive touched her heart. She pushed them aside, remembering her promise not to allow her feelings for him to surface again.

“I need the truth, Commander. Do not placate me.” Her tone came out harsher than she intended. “Will the addition of the Kifzo be enough to hold the High Pass and turn back this army?”

Kaz scratched at his goatee. “Will the addition turn back an army? Yes. Your army is filled with great fighters. But only a handful, most of those in the Hell Patrol, could compare to the Kifzo. The Kifzo, plus our own forces, can hold out against what they still field for quite some time.”

“But . . .”

“But Nareash could change all of that. The group of mages he’s pulled together have been plentiful enough to compensate for their lack of skill against our own. I still can’t fathom why he hasn’t entered the field, but with the belief that I’m dead, he’ll see that now is the time to end this. I only knew him briefly on Hesh, but I saw him do amazing things.”

“Krytien has also done amazing things,” said Drake.

“Yes, he has. And Wiqua believes Krytien could defeat Nareash, but it doesn’t matter what Wiqua thinks, or anyone else for that matter. He needs to believe in himself.”

“I see,” said Elyse. “Where is Krytien, anyway? I thought he would be here.”