3 When Darkness Falls.8 (85 page)

But to be home, home,
home
again. Armethalieh was where he belonged. He had been homesick every minute he was gone, and when he'd discovered how much danger his beloved City was in, he'd been terrified. When he'd first met Kellen — and been afraid that Kellen wouldn't help — he'd been so afraid and angry that he would have done anything to force Kellen to help them, because Armethalieh was in danger and the thought that she might be destroyed terrified him more than the thought of his own death.

He thought of Stonehearth. Grandur and Sarlin and all his Centaur friends there. They'd been so kind to him when he had not deserved it.

They'd taught him, he realized now, to be human. To see past surfaces. To see
people
, no matter how they were shaped.

It was a lesson Armethalieh desperately needed to learn.

Finding out back in Stonehearth that his Gift wasn't gone — that he could do something to help, to
fight
— was a moment of both terror and joy. Because he could do so little by himself. And because his Gift was supposed to be gone — Anigrel had been supposed to destroy it — and that meant that things were even worse in the City than he thought.

But he was here now, home now, and no matter what happened here today there would be
something
he could do to help Armethalieh.

The spell faded. The chamber darkened, and he could see properly again. Cilarnen swayed a little, blinking in confusion. Lord Volpiril put a hand on his arm, steadying him.

"My lord Mages," Volpiril said. "It is time to vote. Do you accept Cilarnen Volpiril of House Volpiril as Arch-Mage of Armethalieh… or no?"

His father had told him in advance how the votes would be signified. Blue Magelight for "yes." Red for "no." Unlike a vote of the High Council alone, only a simple majority would be needed here.

But when the lights began to rise up in the Temple of the Light, every one of them was blue.

THE ceremony itself — the formal investiture — would not occur for a sennight, as — this time — the High Council was determined to do everything in the traditional fashion. Though Cilarnen was technically a member of the Mage Council, he would not join it until then.

He did not mind. Let them have their small victory. He had won the greater war.

At last, released, he had gone outside the walls to find Kellen and seek news of his friends.

And to tell them his.

* * * * *

"ARCH-MAGE?" Kellen's jaw dropped gratifyingly. That gawky farmboy look was back.

Cilarnen found it rather endearing, actually. If — after all Kellen had seen and done — he could stand there and gawp at Cilarnen like a rustic fresh from the villages, well, perhaps Cilarnen need not worry
too
much about becoming cold and distant and proud once he was given the ring and staff of the Arch-Mage's office.

"Apparently nobody else wanted the job," Cilarnen said, though that wasn't exactly true. "Do you want to come to my investiture? Kardus will be there."

"Kardus is a
Centaur
," Kellen said, nearly sputtering.

"I know Kardus is a Centaur," Cilarnen said patiently. "But he's my friend. And since I'm going to be making a lot of changes in Armethalieh, I thought I'd give everyone fair warning of what to expect. I've asked him to stay and help me settle in. And he's agreed."

Kellen shook his head. "'Know what to expect.' They'll never expect you."

"I know. But they're stuck with me now. The appointment of an Arch-Mage is for life — or until I resign. And I intend to live a very long life, and make a lot of changes. You'll see."

"I suppose we all will," Kellen said.

* * * * *

THAT evening Kellen dined in Redhelwar's tent. It was a melancholy occasion, with so many familiar faces absent, but Vestakia was there.

With the death of the Prince of Shadow Mountain — her father — and the routing of the Demon Army, Vestakia, too, had recovered much of her health and former vitality, though she was still too thin. But the wellspring of life that surged outward from the Standing Stones had affected her as much as anyone else.

"The Healers say that the wounded are recovering much faster than normal," she said. "And the Wildmages — "
those who are left,
Kellen mentally supplied, "well, they say their Healing Spells are working far better than even
they
expect. So it is a very good thing for everyone!"

"A very good thing indeed," Redhelwar agreed. "The army should be ready to return to Sentarshadeen within a sennight. The Centaurs, the Wildlanders, and the Mountainborn wish to go directly home, of course, and I see no reason why they should not. Which is why I have another task for you. Kellen."

"As always, I am at your disposal," Kellen said automatically.

"Good," Redhelwar said. "I wish you to take a strong force, five thousand horse, and follow the trail of those creatures who fled the battle. I do not think — now that
Their
power has been broken — that they will be able to enter the Elven Lands, but I will not have them settle in anywhere to cause trouble. Take any who will volunteer to go with you — by now you know the quality of this army as well as I. It would please me greatly did you report upon your progress when you can."

"I will leave at once," Kellen said. He'd be just as glad to be gone from Armethalieh, all things considered.

Redhelwar hesitated. "Do all that you can, but join us in Sentarshadeen in three moonturns. We shall… say goodbye to Idalia then. You will wish to be there. Andoreniel will wish it also."

Kellen bowed his head. "I'll be there."

* * * * *

HE spent the next day assembling his force and getting together his supplies — all from Armethalieh, this time. Early the next morning, they rode out. No trace of fire damage was visible in the forest now.

Though Vestakia would have been useful in tracking the Tainted creatures, Kellen left her behind with Redhelwar's force. Her presence was not absolutely vital to the success of his mission, and she was still recovering from the effects of her long linkage to the Demon Prince's mind. It was better that she travel with the slower-moving army, in relative safety.

After so much death, so many losses, he could no longer bear to risk her life.

Scouts ranged ahead of the column of Elven Knights and light mule-drawn wagons, searching for signs of the Enemy, whether its monsters, or the vassal-races that had fought beneath the Endarkened banner. Kellen doubted they'd find many of either here in the Delfier Valley; it was far too warm, and the creatures of the Endarkened were creatures of darkness and cold. Without the magic of their masters to protect them, this would not be a comfortable place for them. Still, it didn't hurt to be careful.

And vigilance took his mind off other things.

Idalia had not been laid to rest here in the forest. Redhelwar had told him that she was being taken back to Sentarshadeen. The Wildmages had bespelled her body until it could be hung in the Flower Forest itself. It was, Kellen knew, a very great honor.

He'd rather have had his sister back.

They spent three days in the Delfier Valley, crisscrossing it, looking for signs of the Enemy. They found none. But they did find a number of villages that had been hastily destroyed by Demon magic, their inhabitants taken to fuel the Demon Queen's spell, and a few terrified surviving refugees who told grief-stricken tales of Demon raids. They fed them, did what they could for them, promised them that the Demons were gone, and sent them to Armethalieh, promising them that more help would be provided to them there.

Now, at last, it was true.

On the morning of the fourth day, they reached the edge of the bounds.

Here they stopped to convert their wagons to sledges, though even beyond the edge of the Mages' weather-workings, the snow was beginning to melt and soften. Despite that — and though the Wildmages who still traveled with them said that the time of heavy storms were past — True Spring was sennights away.

Kellen held himself fortunate that he
did
have Wildmages. Though the Mountainborn were returning home, several of the surviving Lostlander Wildmages had agreed to accompany Kellen's army — at least as far as their own settlements at the western edge of the Elven Lands.

They journeyed onward.

* * * * *

THEIR first destination was Stonehearth.

The Centaur village was the closest settlement outside the Delfier Valley, south and east of Armethalieh. It was where Hyandur had taken Cilarnen, and Sumaraldiel, one of Kellen's trackers, reported that
something
had passed this way ahead of them, a day or so before, though the wind had blurred the tracks in the snow so much that he could not tell what it might be.

Whatever it was, Kellen was sure it must be something bad. The Delfier Valley refugees would have headed for the City, and Wildlanders in this area would not have dared to move at all — at least not in the last few days.

He was right.

They caught up to them just outside Stonehearth; a mixed force of Frost Giants and dwerro traveling together. Less than fifty of them, but certainly enough to destroy Stonehearth, if they managed to reach it. They were quickly and efficiently overwhelmed by a tiny portion of Kellen's force, without injury to the Elven Knights.

But the battle made Kellen think, and think hard.

The remains of the Enemy forces would be straggling across the Wild Lands in small clumps such as these — all across the Wild Lands. If he kept his own force together — large, comparatively slow-moving — he would never be able to search out all their hiding places before they dug in. Or raided and moved on. He wasn't sure where the Enemy stragglers were going — probably they didn't know themselves, but it was a good bet they were trying to either get back to the Demon stronghold — wherever it was — or at least back to the mountains beyond the Elven Lands before summer.

That evening he called all his Commanders together.

"I have a proposal to make to you," he said. "You saw the battle we fought today — not much of one, compared to the Battle of Armethalieh. You know the orders Redhelwar has given us. Given me. I believe that the enemy that we follow will be scattered and disorganized, fleeing — as this one did — in small groups. Easy to kill. I propose, therefore, that we seek him out in the same fashion. In small groups, no more than fifty horse each. In that fashion, we can cover much more territory, find the places they are most likely to seek out. I believe they will attempt to raid the villages and farms of the Wildlands first, and then head around the edge of the Elven Lands into the High Reaches if they can. Just as we do, they will need food and supplies. They may have other needs as well. But whatever they want, we can't let them have it."

"You propose, yet you do not order," Calundil observed quietly.

"Today we won our battle without injury," Kellen said. "If we do what I propose, we will face our Enemy perhaps on equal terms, perhaps at a disadvantage. Thus, I would hear your words — all of you — before I considered giving orders."

"It would be good to know how we will provision such smaller commands," Laurindiel said. "We do not have the capacity to send provision trains with as many forces as you propose to create. I speak without disrespect; even had you decided upon this course before we left, neither we nor the human city could have provided the wagons and the draft animals that would be needed."

"I have considered that," Kellen said. "We have enough wagons to equip perhaps half our force. For the rest — the Wild Lands are well-settled. I believe the villages will provision us. I do not expect you to go so far as to be completely out-of-touch with one another, and… the power that began at the Standing Stones in the Delfier Valley is spreading, I think. Meriec, we would welcome your counsel."

Meriec was one of the Lostlander Wildmages who traveled with the army. Even now he wore the traditional Lostlander garb of high sheepskin boots over thick full breeches, heavy knee-length tunic, and long goatskin coat, though, as many had, he had taken the opportunity on the journey south from Sentarshadeen to add a heavy cloak of Coldwarg fur to his outfit. There was one thing good about the hellbeasts, Kellen thought. If you could manage to kill and skin them, they did provide nice warm fur.

Meriec stood and bowed.

"I and my brothers and sisters agree, Kellen Knight-Mage. The power that Idalia Wildmage called forth at the Standing Stones continues to pour forth over the land, healing all that was blighted. We all feel it, as must you. The Springtide will be more than fruitful — and there is more. Those beasts not slain by the Tainted creatures will be returning to their old places, and the creatures of byre and pasture will bring forth young in great numbers, come the day."

"Still," Kellen said, "I suppose that still means 'no hunting.' So many animals have been killed off that we'd better not touch the rest. So we'll have to rely on our supplies, and on what the villages can give us. If you all agree to my plan."

"Indeed, Kellen, it would be foolish of us to doubt this plan. It seems a sound one. And you have led us to one great victory already," Vorendel said chidingly. "So I believe I speak for all here when I say that we will do as you ask."