Into The Ruins (62 page)

“I didn’t remember the damage as being this great,” Kall said as they walked through the rubble of what had been the private rooms of Rosul and himself.

“Daria indicated they were tearing down some areas for rebuilding,” Rigo reminded him.  Rigo felt a shudder as a blast shook the building deep below the floor where they now stood.  One of the groups was encountering some resistance.  A shout down the hall brought his attention back to their own problems.

A dozen armed guardsmen, were charging towards them.  It was incredibly brave as the soldiers had to suspect they were wizards, and if so, any attempt to engage them was destined to fail.  At the head of the group of soldiers were three women with staffs, these with the familiar glowing crystals.  The one on the left discharged a bright beam of
Brightfire
, directed at the center of Rigo’s group.  Everyone in Rigo’s team was dressed the same.  They all carried swords and looked like soldiers.  Some were, but the others were wizards.  It added a bit of confusion, and Rigo hoped the other side would believe they were all skilled in magic.  The beam was a strong one, but nothing he couldn’t handle, and he relished the look of confusion on the face of the Caster when her supposedly irresistible beam of magic simply faded away harmlessly.  Rigo’s delight didn’t last long, as the second of the Casters released one of the beams of green colored energy.  Rigo’s attempts to block it failed, and the beam sliced through a half dozen men, some soldiers, and couple of wizards.  He was about to trigger his own force when the Caster stepped back behind a nearby wall.  At almost the same time Burke wrapped the final Caster in a whirl of spinning fire, ending any chance of more of the beams.  A bolt from a crossbow crossed the room and buried itself in the chest of the first Caster before she could trigger another one of the deadly beams of her own.  Daria and Kaler were making sure Rigo was safe once again.  He looked for the Caster who had produced the unstoppable green beam.  Rigo needed to find out what kind of magic those green beams represented, and find a means of countering them.  Unfortunately, the Caster appeared to have fled.

They had discussed the green beams at length back at the Outpost.  Each time they encountered someone who could produce them, they were at a distinct disadvantage.  Lyes had suggested that they would need to capture the staff of one of the responsible Casters.  From what he knew, only Carif and members of her Eight had the ability to produce the unusual energy.  The runes required would be imbedded into their staffs.  If they could capture one of them alive, they might even be able to learn the triggering phrase.

The soldiers slowed their charge, uncertain how to continue after the two Casters had been so easily dispatched, and seeing the third had deserted them.  Before they could decide what to do, Kall stepped forward so he could be recognized and shouted at them to stand down.  “The Queen commands it,” he ordered.

“They killed the Queen,” one shouted back.

“I suppose they killed me as well,” he countered.  “You have been lied to.  I come with the Queen’s commands.  Once this castle has been made safe she will return. Your real enemy, and the enemy of Sedfair, is the Saltique.  She has plotted to take control of the land.”

The guardsmen were clearly confused by the unexpected charges.  They recognized Kall, and they had been told he had been kidnapped or killed as well, yet here he was.  Several had trained or ridden with the King in the past.  Yet, the Saltique had warned them against the outsiders.  Uncertain whether they were being tricked, they slowly lowered their swords.  They were loyal to the crown.  If the King told them it was so, they would accept his word until it was shown he lied.

“Come,” Rigo urged his group. “We need to see how the others are doing.”

Outside in the great hall they found Jeen’s group.  She had encountered a dozen novice Casters each carrying one of the training staffs.  It had taken little effort for her to block them en masse.  They were now resentfully staring at Jeen’s wizards, unable to respond. 

“Take them to the oasis,” Rigo commanded.  They had decided the oasis where they had staged their attack would be a good enough place to hold any captured Casters for the moment.  There were guardsmen there to watch them, and the small oasis had now been covered with the blocking mesh so any arriving Casters would be fully cut off.  If the Saltique noted where the
Bypass
endpoint was and sent a force, they would be surprised to find themselves without their magic and facing a group of soldiers more than willing to cut them down if they resisted.

It didn’t take long to secure the castle.  The forces from the Three Kingdoms had suffered some losses, more than ten of their number killed by the Guild’s wizards before the enemy could be rendered impotent or killed in return.  Once the word spread that King Kall was part of the force, and that he promised the return of the Queen, most of the guardsmen quickly surrendered the fight.  Those that didn’t were “frozen” by a new spell that Nycoh had discovered.  It wouldn’t work on gifted, but the guardsmen found their muscles locked and unable to move.  Most fell to the ground unable to retain their balance.  They were kept that way until they were disarmed, at which time they were released from the spell.  The few Casters who were captured were sent to the oasis as well.  They would all be taken to the special facility prepared for them in the Three Kingdoms.  Their part in the coming fight was already over.

“That was easier than it might have been,” Burke said once the castle appeared secure.

Rigo couldn’t help thinking of the men he’d lost.  “It’s going to get worse.  I’m sure our presence is known by those just over the rise.”

There was no retaliation to their taking the castle.  That surprised Rigo.  It also suggested that the Saltique had taken note of the forces aligned against her and had chosen to forget the castle and prepare for any attack in her own territory.  Rigo had no doubts that taking the Guild would be nowhere as easy as taking the castle had been.  In fact, he had hoped for an attack by the Saltique and her people.  As brutal as that would have been, it would have brought the sought after individuals into the open where he would know where they were.  One of the problems fighting those with magic, was how elusive they could be.  That was especially true of the Saltique and those of her group who could mask their
Bypass
portals, so they could slip away to an unknown location, which could be far away or suddenly be on your weak flank.  Had they attacked, Rigo believed his force would have been the victor, although not without losses.  Queen Rosul had already agreed the castle could be considered forfeit.  If it needed to be destroyed to bring Carif down, that was a cost she felt Sedfair would accept.  But it appeared that it wasn’t going to happen that way.  After nearly a day in residence by the forces from the Three Kingdom’s Outpost, no sign of the Guild’s forces had been detected.  Rigo decided they were going to have to go to the Guild.

Word was already getting out to the citizens of Nals that King Kall was back, and that the outsiders had not been responsible for any harm to the Queen.  Stories were passed among the populace that the issue was an internal one, with the head of the Guild responsible for acts against the crown.  It was a frightening possibility to the people of Nals, who wondered how the Queen would fare against the power of magic controlled by the Guild.  The stories told that the Queen had the support of the outsiders, who brought their own magic power.  Magic against magic.  Many prepared to leave the city.  Such an encounter could not be healthy for any normal citizen.  Uncertainty spread.  Many had grave doubts and were uncertain which of the stories being circulated to believe.  There had been no sign of the Queen, as yet, which might have helped settle matters.

Reluctantly Rigo submitted to the demands of Queen Rosul, who insisted on returning to Sedfair.  Word was sent back to Sulen where she waited, and soon she arrived, escorted by Ash’urn and a handful of others.  Ash’urn had made the
Bypass
that brought her to Nals.  Carif most likely believed the Queen was not in Nals or she would have greeted her people.  Rigo didn’t want Carif to know when she arrived, but even Carif couldn’t tell who was coming through the many
Doorways
, assuming she was attempting to monitor them all.

Ash’urn walked beside the Queen until they had reached where Kall and Rigo waited.  He carried the familiar staff carried by the Senior Casters of the Guild, but no one would mistake him for one of the enemy.  Ash’urn, even more than Rigo, was known by virtually every wizard of the Three Kingdoms.  He smiled at Rigo as he approached.  Ash’urn had wished to be in the thick of any fighting, but Rigo had objected.  Ash’urn was new to his powers, but more importantly, he and Lyes were a secret weapon of sorts.  At the moment, they were the only wizards with the ability to create the masked
Bypass
, a skill that Rigo hoped could be passed to others before long.  Until that time, they needed to be available when such portals were required.  As long as the Queen was in Sedfair, one of Ash’urn’s responsibilities was to be ready to quickly whisk her away to safety in an unknown location should she become threatened.

Within a glass of arriving, the Queen had addressed the guardsmen present within the castle.  Her blunt condemnation of the Saltique and the Guild removed any doubt that a civil war was about to be fought.  Word spread throughout the ranks and into the town that the Queen was present and had declared Carif a traitor and an enemy of Sedfair.  A royal bounty had been placed upon her head and those of the surviving members of the Eight.  Any who supported the Saltique were declared traitor as well, with the ultimate fate of death should they be captured.  A call was made to the heads of the resident Hundred Families to come to the castle for a meeting with the Queen.  Most came, a few chose not to.  The Outpost’s wizards were deployed and ready during the duration of the meeting, but no attack came.  A somber group of nobles left the castle less than a glass after they’d arrived.  The word would spread.  It would take time to reach most places in Sedfair because it would have to travel by conventional means, but within a few glass, all of Nals was aware of the brewing battle. 

Ash’urn made one side trip at the Queen’s request.  He made one of the masked
Bypass
portals and escorted Kall to her family estates in northern Sedfair.  She wanted her family to know about the upcoming altercation and be relocated.  There was always the risk that Carif would attempt to use them in some way against her.  When the two men returned she learned the disastrous news.  The estates had been destroyed, reduced to rubble by magic.  Everyone in her family there had been killed.  The word spread locally was that it was done by outsiders, the same people who had captured the Queen.  Hurried trips to locate other members of her family told a similar story.  Most had been killed.  Several were missing.  None were located.

Queen Rosul was an unusually strong woman, and had seen much adversity over her years as ruler of Sedfair.  But the suddenness and the viciousness by which her family had been stripped away were more than she could take stoically.  Such an action was beyond what even the worst of her enemies should have considered appropriate.  The pain and sadness were obvious in her eyes, each new bit of news falling like a blow.  Kall did his best to console her, but her pain fueled an anger and obsession to see Carif captured and punished for what she had done. 

The prisoners held in the far off oasis had been carefully questioned.  Most were willing to tell everything they knew after learning they had been used by the Saltique, who had misinformed them that Sedfair was being threatened by the westerners.  Sadly, most knew very little.  Only a couple of the more experienced Casters had fragments of useful information. One thing became certain.  The Guild had been preparing for the possibility of an attack by the forces of the Outpost.  Traps had been prepared, and the Guild would not fall easily.  Unfortunately, none knew the precise nature of the plans, although the suggestion was made that attempts would be made to deny Rigo’s forces full use of their magic.  Discussions among the Outpost’s senior people with Kall and Queen Rosul in attendance, left them believing that extensive use would be made of the blocking glyphs that had held Rigo and his friends helpless when he’d been a prisoner.  He could envision areas within the Guild where they would stumble into deadened zones while the defenders attacked from locations where their own magic was unaffected.  They would have to proceed extremely carefully lest they become trapped.

If an attack was made upon the Guild, there was no way to know in advance if the individuals they sought would even be present.  They might have already fled for safety anywhere in Sedfair.  If so, it could be a very long time before they were located and dealt with.  Rigo’s primary and most immediate goal was to deny the leaders of the Guild access to their organization and the powers it represented.  He wanted to destroy their ability to wage war upon the Three Kingdoms.  As much as he would like to kill or capture those who supported Carif, he had to be realistic, and expect they would be able to escape if the battle went against them.  It was difficult to pin down one who controlled the magic they did.

One step in his program was to take the Guild away from them.  The Saltique and her loyal supporters might flee, but the majority of the Casters were innocent and had been mislead.  The Queen was certain that once they learned of Carif’s deceptions, their loyalty would shift.  Rigo would attempt to capture or destroy as much of the Guild infrastructure in Nals as possible.  Carif certainly couldn’t have envisioned matters taking the course they had, at least not so quickly, and he believed that whatever resources she had elsewhere, they would pale in comparison to what the local facilities offered.  He would deny her the base she most strongly counted upon.  The layout of the Guild and its various buildings was well known.  Queen Rosul and Kall had spent many glass describing what existed, and attack plans had been made accordingly.  They would attack in the morning.

Rigo was sitting in a small room with Kaler and Daria, looking over the sketches of the various buildings they would be attacking in the morning, as they tried to think of better ways to press the attack.  Rigo feared that many long-term friends might fall the next day.  Anything they could do to shift matters to their favor would save lives.  He looked up to see Daim headed toward him, carrying a heavy bag.  He was surprised to see the ancient wizard, but glad, as there was something he needed to ask him.  Daim wasn’t supposed to be here in Sedfair.  He was one resource the Three Kingdoms wanted held in reserve.  Like Nycoh, he was frustrated by the restrictions his unique position placed on him, but he was smart enough to know he might have knowledge that could lead to solutions that could potentially save the Kingdoms.  Sedfair and the Guild were not the only threats, although at the moment it was demanding too much of their effort.  The last Rigo had heard, he was working on something with Fen and Lyes. 
What’s he doing here?

“Jeen told me you’d be in here,” Daim said, as he placed the bag on the table next to the sketches the three had been studying.  He nodded at Kaler and Daria.  He still didn’t know what to make of the two fighters, but they had proven themselves resourceful, and Rigo was happier when they were by his side.  Before Rigo could speak, Daim explained.  “I had hoped to have these done before your people left, but they were far more difficult than I expected.  I didn’t say anything before, because we were uncertain if what we hoped to accomplish was even possible.  Why get everyone’s hopes up for nothing.”

Daim reached into the bag and pulled out a familiar looking armband.  Rigo frowned, and held up his wrist.  His was firmly attached.  Everyone here with the gift was equipped with one.

“That’s the old one,” Daim said.  He held up his own wrist and Rigo could see that the one Daim wore was different in at least two respects.  The symbols that were engraved deeply into the super resilient material they were made from were smaller and more densely packed, and a faint multicolored light pulsed and wrapped around the center of the band.

“That Lyes knows more than one would expect, and Fen is a master at drawing the symbols.  Lyes claims he’s never seen anyone so adept at making them.  Anyway, we got to discussing the blocking symbols when we made up the netting that is being used in the oases, and certain similarities to the associated magic and the effects the Ruins creates that also block magic.  Since these devices were designed to offset some of what the Ruins does, we wondered if they couldn’t be modified to work against the blocking glyphs as well.”

Rigo looked at Daim expectantly.

Daim smiled and nodded.  “I can’t promise anything, but they work against anything that Lyes and Fen could create, but only for those with the gift.  The new feature which defeats the blocking glyphs is a bit different and doesn’t work for Sedfair’s Casters.  It is something that is only functional for those with inherent magic.  Stand under our netting and everyone’s magic is blocked.  Unless you are wearing one of these.  Then, the magic of those like us is unaffected.  Assuming they work as well against any variant that this Saltique and her people have come up with, they won’t be able to trap you in any rooms like they did before.  I don’t know how they work against the bands you were wearing, as we don’t have any to experiment with, but if they get close enough to snap one of those on you, you have other problems anyway.”

Rigo looked at the bracelet and considered.  Great Risos!  If they worked as Daim claimed, it would make the assault go far more smoothly.  Carif and her loyalists would be in for a surprise if they made any attempts to cut them off.  He wished he could test them, but that would mean breaking into the Guild.  They would have to wait and see.

As they discussed the devices, Daim had been switching their old ones for the new model. 

“Make sure those are all accounted for,” Rigo said.  “The last thing we need is for one to fall in the hands of Carif and her people.  We think they made a variant of the original amulet from one they captured.

“I brought exactly enough for those who are here.  It takes a special code to activate them and Link them, which only Nycoh and I know at the moment.  As I take off the old ones, I use a spell that renders them useless.  Still, we will make a special count before we leave and again back at the Outpost.”

“You’ll be going back then?” Rigo asked, hoping there would be no problem getting Daim back to the Three Kingdoms before the fighting began here.  Rigo still believed he would be somehow crucial in solving the problem with the Hoplani.  He had such feelings about things in the past, and while he didn’t know what drove them, they had usually turned out to be right.

“As soon as I’ve changed these out for everyone,” he agreed.  “Are you still planning to make your attack in the morning?”

Rigo nodded.  “There’s little point of waiting.  It can only work in Carif’s favor.”

“Have you considered the question I asked you back at the Outpost the other day?” Rigo asked.

Daim regarded Rigo carefully.  He had come to accept his new status.  He was no longer the strongest wizard, and Nycoh was reluctant to allow him to put himself at risk.  He truly was irreplaceable, mostly because he had knowledge that none of the rest of them possessed.  Rigo had come to understand during the last long discussion with the master wizard just how much he had missed when he’d shared the mind of the talented man.  “I believe it can be done.  I have brought the necessary materials with me so I can try if you wish.”