Into The Ruins (46 page)

She realized that control of the situation was rapidly being lost.  For the briefest of moments Carif wondered if she should have handled the entire situation much differently, informing the Queen immediately upon learning of the outsiders.  Then there would have been none of this suspicion and awkward probing from Rosul, and more than likely the Queen would have tasked her to deal with the strangers.  The thought didn’t reach its natural conclusion.  That simply wouldn’t have worked.  Rosul had long hoped for the discovery of another civilized society with which to interact, and would have been inordinately interested in the four strangers who had come out of the Wastelands. 

They worried Carif immensely.  For many seasons she had stared at the images in the ancient devices and pondered the implications. 
Who were the people there and what were they like?
  Once she had become aware of the magnitude of magic they controlled, she’d become even more concerned.  Even if they were friendly and non-aggressive, they could well alter the status that existed between the Guild and the Crown.  Slowly the Guild was assuming control, and she hoped within her lifetime, the Guild would openly be the dominant power in Sedfair.  When the outsiders appeared out of the Wastelands, a territory that the people of Sedfair had never been able to penetrate, her immediate concern was how much power they must be capable of controlling to be able to accomplish the crossing.  She’d also wondered if their appearance signaled the beginning of a large number of outsiders yet to come.  She’d required answers, and to that end had pursued a course that she had hoped would reveal what she wanted to know.

Now her investigations were in jeopardy.  Carif had been greatly upset when Kimm returned and informed her that the one called Rigo had revealed that members of the Guild had been exploring deep into the Wastelands.  She had several reasons for hoping to keep that secret.  Once revealed, there had been no chance that the Queen would allow it to pass, and within a day Carif had been forced to address the matter personally.  Fortunately, the Queen’s wish that this new ability be used to track and discourage the Baldari was easily set aside.  Carif explained the only places they had been able to go were locations the outsiders had visited.  Finding these small patches where the Wastelands lost their control was a task that required some form of magical assistance they lacked, and the locations they had learned of from the Reading hadn’t encountered the Baldari.  The Queen wasn’t satisfied, and Carif knew that if Rosul weren’t within weeks of resigning the throne, she would have found a way to insist on further exploration.

The whole matter of the woman who had died under examination had been another area they had clashed.  The Queen had made her displeasure known – to her, the Saltique of the Guild.  The very Guild that had many years ago elevated Rosul from an unknown to ruler of the land.  The Queen had accused her of overstepping her authority and of placing the country at risk of attack.  Should the inhabitants of the Three Kingdoms learn of the treatment of the woman, they might elect to consider it an act of war.  Carif attempted to put aside the issue indicating the strangers had invaded Sedfair, but the Queen insisted on referring to them as emissaries.

Then the Queen had insisted on relocating the prisoners.  They were to be taken out of the dungeon cell and boarded in one of the guest cottages located between the castle and the Guild.  It would be easy enough to implement the same blocking inside the structure, and her guards would be able to control the coming and going from the structure, but now they would be exposed to more people.  Their existence would become widely known, something that she’d hoped to prevent.  The only thing worse would be for the Queen to publicly announce the existence of outsiders, something Carif wouldn’t be surprised to see.  Carif knew the only reason the Queen hadn’t withdrawn Carif’s involvement over the outsiders completely was the standing law on how gifted prisoners were to be controlled.

In short, the only good thing that had come out of the past couple of days was the revelation that some kind of talisman had been required by the outsiders to overcome the barrier the Wastelands presented to the creation of effective
Doorways
.  She was certain the talisman had been the two staffs they had found.  The secret was in their hands, if only they could decipher it. 

“What have you learned about the staff?” she asked the eight women who sat at the large table with her.

“Nothing,” Rynm replied.  “The material is not wood as we suspected.  It is something quite different.  The material is some form of uncommonly hard material, finely inter-linked with quartz crystal powdered to a degree we have never seen before.  I think the properties would have been quite interesting to observe in the active state, but since it has failed, we cannot tell what it was once like.”

“You have learned nothing about how it functioned?” Carif asked, her frustration showing.

“The staff was a repository of both energy and magic in a way we have attempted on a cruder level.  It appears that upon failure, the staff was designed to release all contained energy in a manner that wiped all indications of what was stored from the crystals.  There is no way we can recover what was once there.”

“You are telling me the staffs are useless,” Carif summarized what Rynm was saying.

“Unfortunately yes,” Rynm agreed.  She hadn’t wanted to state the answer so bluntly.  Carif was known to be difficult when she didn’t receive an answer she wanted.

“Then they must have another staff hidden somewhere,” Carif insisted.

“Unless they are truly trapped here as he told the Queen,” Kimm suggested.

Carif shot her an irritated glance.  If Kimm were right, then there was no way they would learn the secret. Rosul would never allow Carif to question the outsiders in a way they would reveal their secrets, and from what Kimm had reported back, they claimed they had no idea how the staffs worked.  They were supposedly a relic from a time long past.  Carif had to admit the possibility.  The strangers had spoken of the plague.  Sedfair had its own history with the plague, and magic from the distant past was known to have been stronger than what they could access today.  She would very much like to know how many more of these staffs or like talisman existed in the homelands of the outsiders. 

Carif frowned and considered how to proceed.  They had learned nothing with regards to the other secret Rosul had revealed.  She was somehow and for some reason aligned with rebel Casters.  Could that activity be somehow linked to her interest in the outsiders?  Had Carif underestimated the Queen in some important way?  It was very fortunate that Rosul’s days in power were limited in number.  She was becoming too aggressive and too involved in matters that conflicted with Carif’s own interests.

Thus far they had not discovered what had happened to Lyes.  The family estates of the Queen had been carefully monitored, and all known friends of the young man had been investigated.  He had simply disappeared.  The likely answer was that he was being hidden somewhere in the castle.  If that were the case, in a matter of weeks they would know.  He would be unable to even make a
Doorway
out without being detected.  They would grab him sooner or later.  If there were other spies or informants within the Guild, they had thus far not discovered them either.  Unfortunately, the word had gotten out that the Eight were seeking some kind of informant, so any who might exist now had ample warning and would be better able to mask their trail. 

Carif didn’t see how she would be able to regain full control of the situation.  She had no informants within the Queen’s inner circle.  Both of her advisors and the men she chose for her personal guard had proven extremely loyal to the Queen.  Add to that, the Queen had the strongest public approval of any monarch in recent history.  She had the support of the people and would be able to manipulate events how she wished. 
A pox on the woman!
  Her removal couldn’t come soon enough.

“The relocation of the prisoners is to happen this morning?” Carif asked.

Kimm nodded.  “The cottage has been prepared as you instructed.”

“At least six of our best guards are to be located around the facility at all times,” Carif instructed.  “If they go anywhere, our men go with them.  The only exception is inside the castle where the Queen can enforce her will as she did the other day.  I want two of you with them anytime they leave the cottage.  I realize that will interfere with other tasks to be completed, but I am not convinced they are as controlled as they appear.  If they should regain access to their powers, I want at least a pair of our strongest Casters on hand to deal with them.  I also want to know everything that is said to the Queen.  Allow no private or privileged communications.”

“You mentioned a back-up team,” Shym prompted.

“That is correct.  In addition to the team on duty, I want a second team ready to respond quickly should it become necessary.”

“What do you expect to happen?” Juli asked.  “They are banded.  That has been enough.  There isn’t much they can do.”

“I’m not certain, but I want to be ready.  In addition, I want to review all of those in the senior class that can be advanced to full staff status, and anyone from the previous three classes that were bypassed but could be called up if we need to augment our forces with additional Casters.”

“You sound as though you anticipate some kind of attack,” Delril said.

“We are unable to question the prisoners as intended.  I cannot be certain they are alone as they have indicated.  I wish to be ready if the need should arise.”

Carif outlined what she wanted, including those of the Eight who had special responsibilities for the upcoming “Leap of Faith” ceremony.  She was anxious for that to go well, for within a month of the conclusion of the ceremony, the new Queen would be crowned and most of Rosul’s influence would be stripped.  Once that happened, Carif was confident the shift in momentum would return to her.  She simply needed to restrict the damage in the meantime.

“In many ways they are more advanced than us,” Ash’urn noted. 

“Their society didn’t suffer as greatly as our own from the plagues,” Rigo said.  “They understood early what was causing them and wiped out the flowers whenever they appeared.  They didn’t lose as much of their knowledge.  The Three Kingdoms are still trying to learn back much of what we lost.  Even in Daim’s time they had many of the things we see here.  Their magic is different, but I’m not certain it is more capable, although there are clearly capabilities we can use.  If they ever had wizards with our abilities, it appears as if they died off long ago and have been forgotten.”

They make a fine ale,” Lorl said as he took another swig from the large tankard.

Ash’urn grinned and raised his own tankard.  Lorl had his own priorities.  “Do you see anything that might help us against the Hoplani?” Ash’urn asked Rigo.

“Their fight against them is less sophisticated than our own.  That doesn’t suggest much.  We have been restricted from learning about their magic.  We just don’t know enough.”

Rigo had noted the ever-present symbols scattered everywhere through the city.  Magic at the basic user level was far more dispersed here than back home.  He was starting to grasp the link between the symbols and the simplest level of magic that people used without conscious thought.  It was the more sophisticated spelling that he hadn’t been able to learn much about.

“Their magic is not unrelated to our own,” Ash’urn said after he swallowed the ale.  “The language used to trigger even the common spells is clearly related to the spoken spells that I learned back in the Three Kingdoms.”

This was something they had talked about at length.  As they had been shown around, Ash’urn had filled in many of the gaps in how spelling worked here.

“I now know why I could never find a spell for something as simple as fire,” he said.  “The
Fire
spell is one of the simpler spells that use the common trigger phrase.  If I had known the phrase, but attempted it without the glyph that is required, the phrase wouldn’t have had anything to direct its activation.  The same phrase is used for dozens of spells.  The spoken spells I used were those that were specific to a given spell.  For that reason, I could activate it without the symbols.  Had I had the symbols at hand, my spells would have been far more powerful.”

“But you claim that certain of the spells require the symbols to be created by the wizard using them?” Rigo asked.

“That is part of it I haven’t worked out.  There is clearly a great deal more to the system than I understand.”

“How does it link to the magic I can create?” Rigo asked.

Ash’urn shook his head.  “I can’t see any linkage there at all.  It’s like what you do is a totally separate form of magic.  But just because I don’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there.  In fact, given that their magic symbols are able to block your access to magic, there has to be some kind of a relationship.”

Lorl banged his empty tankard onto the table.  “Let’s go look at some ships,” he said, tired of all the talk.

“We’ve seen the harbor,” Ash’urn said, surprised.

“I like the sea air,” Lorl said.  “I was born near the sea, and it makes me feel more at home.”

Rigo knew the confinement was wearing on Lorl.  Their inability to access magic, and the knowledge that even if they could, there was no way home, struck each of them differently.  Only Ash’urn seemed generally unaffected by their being trapped here.  He saw Sedfair as something to be studied and understood.  While he worried about the problems back in the Kingdoms, he was able to accept his inability to affect them for now and focus on other matters.  That was why he was now almost fluent in the language and why he’d noticed so much about the way magic worked.

Their situation had changed markedly in the past couple of weeks.  True to her word, the Queen had seen them relocated out of the dungeon into a comfortable dwelling.  There was room for far more than the three of them, and the Queen had made an effort to see they were comfortable.  Unfortunately they were still banded, which cut off their magic completely.  Rigo had found no means around that as yet.  They also were still guarded by the same group that had watched over them in the dungeon, and whenever they went anywhere, a pair of staff-carrying women accompanied them.  The Queen had explained the situation, and while she personally would have been willing to release them, as ruler she had to consider the welfare of the country.  Hopefully over time, the situation could be changed.

Rigo knew that was unlikely.  He’d learned a great deal more from the outgoing and talkative Mitty.  Rigo had to assume that was the Queen’s intention when she had assigned Mitty to oversee the three of them, organizing tours and showing them around the city.  The Queen had to know what kind of person she was, and that she would freely answer most questions, eager to tell the strangers about her homeland.  Rigo sensed the Queen wanted them to see and understand the people of Sedfair, hopefully as a step toward more normal relations. 

Mitty was very blond, and of far more than average intelligence.  She was also extremely attractive, something that hadn’t gone unnoticed by either Rigo or Lorl.  With almost white blond hair that was cut very short, light brown eyes and a generous smile, combined with what appeared to be an interesting figure hidden by the odd clothing so common to the citizens of Sedfair, her presence was a pleasant distraction that the men looked forward to.  She was apparently an apprentice businesswoman who worked for one of the Queen’s daughters and at the Queen’s request had been made available to help Rigo and his friends settle into the adjusted situation.  The Queen had visited with all three of the men more than once, and in addition to Mitty, at least one of her advisors was always present during one of the outings.  While the other women were helpful and informative, Mitty was by far their preferred escort.

Mitty looked at Rigo expectantly, a sparkle in her brown eyes.  She seemed to always be amused by their language, and unlike Rigo who was fluent, and Ash’urn who could make himself understood, Lorl had learned little of the language other than isolated words, such as the one for “ale” and the words for directions.  She waited for Rigo to translate what Lorl had said. 

“He wants to go back to the harbor,” Rigo told her.  “It’s his favorite place in the city.”

Mitty nodded her understanding.  “Perhaps we could get permission to go out into the harbor on one of the ships.  Maybe sail up the coast for an hour or two.  You could see some of the country outside of Nals, and get a sense of what the countryside is like.”

Rigo knew that he’d like that as well.  Lorl had even suggested they try for such a thing, hoping they might find a way on the ship to break free of the bands that held their magic at bay, and overpower the crew.  Rigo had explained such an action would leave them with nowhere to go, and would undermine the goodwill that they had established with the Queen.  For now he wanted them to see how the current situation would work out.

At the same time, he was convinced they didn’t have too much time, and they had to be alert to any means they might be able to fall back on to escape, although where they would go and what they would do with the freedom he didn’t know.  A part of him wished to be free of the bands, demonstrate the power of his magic, and then show the Queen he had no intention of either running or taking any action against the people of Sedfair.  In his mind, that might be the most likely means to change their status on a more permanent basis.  He was concerned that the Queen’s wishes might not be able to protect them from the head of the Spellcasters Guild indefinitely.

If what Mitty had told them was correct, the Queen had less than two months left of her reign.  After that, a new monarch would be in power, and the situation of Rigo’s team could change drastically.  The way Mitty explained things, the change would be driven by a law that bound the allowable age for the ruling Queen.  It was worrisome enough that a new Queen would be chosen, but Mitty was quite frank that the Queen would be chosen under the guidance of the Guild, and historically the head of the Guild, the same woman Rigo feared, would likely direct the novice leader’s actions for some time.  Mitty was openly critical of the system, perhaps because she was close to the existing royal family, and was influenced by their opinions.  From the limited exposure he’d had to the young woman, Rigo had formed the impression that she was not only beautiful and smart, but was clear headed and quite forceful in her opinions.

“Who would we have to speak with?” Rigo asked her.

“I’m certain if we asked the Queen’s daughter back at the warehouse something could be worked out.  The Queen did grant you freedom to explore as you wish, and we’ll have these keepers to see we don’t cause any trouble.”  Mitty indicated the guardsmen who stood against the front wall watching as they ate, and the two Specialists from the Guild who were also present with their ornate staffs.  Rigo was starting to recognize them and learn their names.  Today they were accompanied by two of the more friendly Casters, although none were very pleased to be stuck with watching them.

“What did she say?” Lorl asked, impatient with Rigo’s extended exchange with Mitty.  Ash’urn noted this with a wry grin.  It was obvious to him that both men were taken with the comely young woman, and that Lorl felt at a disadvantage because he could only speak to her through either himself or Rigo.  Anytime he asked Rigo to translate something, he was handing the other man an opportunity to interact with the woman even more.

“We’re going to see if we can arrange for a boat ride,” Rigo explained, and watched the grin spread across Lorl’s face.  “No games,” Rigo warned.

Lorl wrinkled his nose in displeasure, but nodded.  He would keep his eyes open, however, and if he could get away with some kind of tool that might help remove the bands, he wouldn’t hesitate.

Mitty nodded to the two Specialists, and took a pair of gold coins from her purse and laid them on the table to cover the cost of their lunch with a generous tip.  The Queen had made sure she had sufficient funds to cover anything the three men might wish.  That had included clothing, as what they had with them was worn, and in need of replacement.  A couple of days previously they had spent much of the day in the shopping district looking for items the men could wear without feeling too much out of place.  As a result, they now wore an odd mixture of clothing from Sedfair and the Three Kingdoms.  Even if the Queen hadn’t publicly announced that the city was host to representatives of another land, the entourage of guardsmen, staff toting Casters, and the odd clothing would have announced they were not native to the area.

Outside, Rigo checked the sky.  It was clear and blue, but the wind was picking up.  The winds had started coming off the sea more frequently, which Mitty explained was a sure sign the first of the fall rains were coming.  They had walked from the castle to where they were, but the harbor was far enough that Mitty had the guardsmen locate several coaches so they could ride down to the ocean.  Soon they were on the way, with Rigo, Lorl, Mitty, and one of the Casters in the front coach.  Ash’urn rode with the second Caster and a couple of guards in the second, asking questions constantly as they rode.  The remaining guards crowded into the third coach, and brought up the rear.

As they rode, Rigo couldn’t help but compare Sulen to Nals, where he’d spent most of the time in Sedfair.  Nals was clearly the nicer city.  It was cleaner, with wider spaced roads, and the buildings were more uniformly laid out and built with greater care.  The covered sewers and the drainage system were something he’d like to see copied at home, then sadly realized it was unlikely he’d ever get a chance to tell anyone about what they had seen.  He had grown to trust the Queen and Mitty especially.  Mitty was quite frank about the problems Sedfair faced, and the capabilities they had.  Traveling into the Wastelands had been something that no one had pursued with any success, and unless the Guild was holding something back based on what they had recently learned from Rigo’s unfortunate friend Orna, they lacked the capability as well. She told Rigo about the history of attempts to travel there and of the Queen’s extended, and fruitless, search for other people, both by land and via the special ships she had chartered.  The fact the Guild hadn’t been able to press the confrontations against the persistent Baldari was sufficient proof to Rigo that they would not be able to help him get his team back home.  There was only one last hope, and that a very thin one.  If he could become accepted here, and gain access to his magic, he thought he might be able to dig through his shared memories and figure out how Daim had made the staff.  Even if he could do that, he wasn’t certain he could duplicate the process.  He was nowhere near as strong as Daim had been, and with only Lorl to Link with, he doubted he would have the necessary ability.  He knew too little about those with magic here, and even if he could Link with them, would he be able to find someone who wasn’t loyal and bound to the Guild?  There was much to learn should he ever be given the chance.  He hadn’t mentioned any of this to either Ash’urn or Lorl.  He didn’t want to raise false hopes, and he didn’t want anyone else to even think he might have the answer locked in his head.

Soon the harbor came into view, and Mitty directed the carriage toward the large warehouse that Rigo recognized.  They had visited here twice before.  Perhaps Lorl was right.  The sea air did feel invigorating.  Maybe a boat ride would clear his head and give him a fresh perspective.