Mindbender (19 page)

Kevin looked at the man for a moment before he made his decision. He vaulted over the side of the wagon and strode up to Daley, drawing his sword. The stout guild master jutted out his chin and faced Kevin in defiance.

“Did you incite this riot?” Kevin asked calmly, holding his sword casually at his side.

“Of course I did!” Daley said. “These men pay me to get them the best wages I can no matter what it takes. Now that you see our resolve, you’ll pay what we ask.” He looked so smug. The simpleton actually thought he’d won.

“I find you guilty of arson, murder, and treason,” Kevin said loudly enough for the men nearby to hear. “I sentence you to death. Do you have any last words?”

A flash of fear transformed into rage before Daley took a step forward. “You wouldn’t dare! I’m an important man in this town and I only did what I had to for my guild.”

Kevin unceremoniously drove his sword into Daley’s chest and through his heart. He looked the self-righteous little man in the eyes as his life faded.

“Cut off his head and put it in a bag,” Kevin said. “Put the rest of these men in an unused barracks building under heavy guard while I figure out what to do with them.”

By noon the prisoners were secured and Kevin had called a meeting of the rest of the guild masters. They were assembled and waiting for him to arrive. The walls of the council chamber were lined with armed Rangers.

Administrator Crandall had gone silent and wore a look of fear as if the whole world he understood had somehow morphed into something horribly outside the realm of his comprehension.

Kevin stood outside the council room with the administrator. He was waiting for the tension in the room to rise. He wanted the rest of the guild masters to be afraid of him. They clearly didn’t understand honor or duty or loyalty to a cause—but they understood fear quite well.

Kevin turned to Crandall. “It’s really quite simple, Administrator Crandall. Obey the Old Law. No backroom deals, no special treatment, no bribes, no rioting when you don’t get your way.”

He left the man standing in the hallway pondering his new reality and strode into the council room carrying Daley’s head in a bag. The stink of fear was palpable.

He casually dumped the head on the table, leaving a red stain where it landed and rolled to a stop. The eyes of the guild masters widened and the room fell deathly silent.

“Daley chose to riot and burn the shipyard because he didn’t get his way,” Kevin said calmly. “I killed him for his crimes. For those of you who consider the punishment excessive, hear me now. He committed arson, murder, and treason. The penalty for these crimes is death. You will go back to your guilds and tell them that they will work for the going rate. The alternative is the immediate dissolution of your guild charter. You will each be held personally responsible for violence by members of your guilds.

“Tomorrow we will begin building a navy to serve Southport and Ruatha. I have a treasury full of gold that I intend to spend building defenses for the people of this territory. If you and your guild members wish to work and be paid, there will be no shortage of things to do. Your guild members can all do very well over the coming months. I suggest you tell them to go to work and take advantage of my desire to build a navy as quickly as possible. This is an opportunity for those who want to contribute their skill and labor to this community. For those who don’t want to work, tell them to stay out of the way. The docks and shipyard are vital to our defense. Any attack against them will be treated as an act of war.”

***

A few days later, Kevin stood on the keep battlements looking down on the docks and shipyard. The guild masters had all decided to make the best of the situation. There were no more disturbances. The guilds had opened their doors and taken in new apprentices. The city was abuzz with a new sense of purpose. The shipyards had four berths, the beginnings of a fast-attack boat growing within each.

Kevin had assembled a number of ship captains, master shipwrights, and several military officers to design the new Zephyr-class fast-attack boat. The design was sleek and efficient. There were two masts with enough sail to offer good speed when the wind permitted as well as a bank of ten oars on each side. Its main weapon was a powerful heavy ballista mounted on the foredeck that could launch an oil-filled firepot over two thousand feet with surprising accuracy.

Kevin looked off toward the Reishi Isle, idly wondering about his sister, when he saw the silhouette of the Angellica on the horizon. The flagship of the Southport navy was returning to port. Maybe Captain Targa would have news of Alexander and Isabel. Kevin scanned the horizon before heading down to the docks. The telltale plume of dust rising from the road to the north caught his eye. Riders from New Ruatha were coming fast.

Chapter 13

The Ranger scout entered the command tent still coated with road grime. Duncan sat at the head of a table surrounded by military officers and a few wizards. Hanlon sat at his right. The conversation stopped abruptly when the young man entered the room. He came to a halt and delivered a crisp salute.

“Report,” Duncan said.

“The enemy is returning to the Gate,” the scout said. “Our infiltrators report that they have begun to build a fortification around the Gate itself and are moving the bulk of their force behind the Gate.”

“Thank you, soldier,” Duncan said. “Go get yourself something to eat and some sleep.”

The man saluted again and left the command tent without a word.

“Looks like Alexander’s plan is working,” Hanlon said.

Duncan nodded. “I just wonder how long the ruse will hold them at the Gate. Should be good for at least a few more days.”

“I wonder how he managed to dupe Phane into responding to a feint,” Wizard Sark said. “Phane is no fool. I suspect he’ll be furious when the Gate does not open three days hence and deliver Alexander into the waiting arms of the Reishi Army Regency.”

“If three days is all we can count on, then we’ll need to take advantage of it,” Duncan said. “Begin the evacuation of New Ruatha to Headwater and Blackstone Keep. Send word to Northport to evacuate to Southport through the forest and over the water with every ship they have.”

“General Valentine, shouldn’t we consider dividing our forces to provide some defense for Headwater and Northport?” asked General Markos.

“No,” Duncan said. “As it stands we have ten legions assembled here at New Ruatha, two from Warrenton, two from Buckwold, three from New Ruatha, one from Northport and two legions of Rangers from Glen Morillian. The enemy is ten legions strong. If we split our forces, they’ll be able to easily overwhelm us on whichever front they choose to attack.

“We’ll maintain our fortified position on the plains north of New Ruatha. If they want to fight, they’ll have to engage us on our terms. If they do attack, Duane will bring his legion south and hit them from behind, supported by Erik and the legion stationed at Blackstone Keep. If they want to take Northport, it should be close to deserted by the time they get there and we’ll be in a good position to exact heavy casualties with the Ranger cavalry. If they move for Headwater, we can head them off easily enough.

“I’m concerned that this is just the first wave. We’ve had no word of General Talia’s campaign against Kai’Gorn. If another legion of Andalian Lancers makes landfall, the enemy will have a distinct advantage. And there’s no way to know how many soldiers Phane still has on Karth. If he can get them here, we’ll need all the men we can get.”

“There’s still the matter of the scourgling,” Wizard Sark said. “Mage Gamaliel is working on a containment vessel for the beast but he was not optimistic when last I spoke with him.”

“I wish I had an answer for you, Wizard Sark,” Duncan said. “That thing makes me nervous. I’m kind of surprised they haven’t unleashed it on us already.”

“I suspect they fear we would contain it,” Sark said. “As long as it stays with their forces, they can prevent us from trapping it within a magic circle. However, I’m sure that they’ll lead with it when they decide to attack.”

“We still don’t know what happened to the one hunting Alexander,” Hanlon said. “Maybe he could offer us some advice.”

Duncan nodded. “It’s worth a try. Send a message to Blackstone Keep and have them put the question on Alexander’s message board. Also, send word south to Kevin in Southport. He needs to know refugees are coming. Have him relay orders to General Talia to send whatever forces he can spare north through the forest.”

“I’ll dispatch riders right away,” Hanlon said.

Chapter 14

Lacy Fellenden had never seen her father afraid before. He sat at the head of the table, wearing the long red robes with gold filigree that signified his station as the King of the territory of Fellenden. Once, long ago, the family of Fellenden had ruled over the entire island but that was before the Reishi War. Now the House of Fellenden was just the largest landholder on the island, with eleven other territories also holding significant lands.

Lacy had heard the rumors of the army that had appeared out of nowhere. The report of the scout rider confirmed it. An army bigger than all of the armies of all of the territories of Fellenden put together was headed for the city of Fellenden.

At hearing the report, her father’s face had slowly lost color and then grown white. It looked like he’d aged ten years in a matter of minutes. He was already an old man, but she had never seen him look as old as he did at this moment.

He shook his head in denial. “Surely, your estimate must be mistaken. How could such a large army have suddenly appeared right in the heart of Fellenden?”

“They come from the direction of the Reishi Gate, Your Majesty,” the scout said. “I can only surmise that the ancient enemy has returned.”

“Why would they come here?” Prince Torin asked. “We pose no threat. The war ended two thousand years ago. Surely the Reishi do not still hold us responsible for opposing them so long ago.”

The King of Fellenden wasn’t listening. He sat shaking his head ever so slightly and staring at the table before him with a blank look in his bleary eyes. After a moment of silence, he looked up with a start, then looked around at his family and courtiers. His distant gaze found the court wizard.

“What say you, Wizard Saul?”

The wizard was an old man with long white hair and a neatly groomed white beard. He wore simple grey robes and carried a well-worn oak staff for a walking stick. Even with his advanced age there was still a look of keen intelligence in his slate-grey eyes.

“I know of no magic save the Reishi Gate that could account for the presence of this army,” Wizard Saul said. “As for their purpose, I cannot guess except to say that they do not mean us well.”

The King of Fellenden turned to a big burly man wearing armor. “General, can we defend the city?”

The general shook his head slowly. “No, we have only a single legion. They have ten. Perhaps with the aid of the rest of the territories, we could mount a defense but we haven’t the time.”

“What are we to do?” the King of Fellenden asked the ceiling. “We haven’t faced a war for centuries. We’ve lived in peace for so long, we’re ill prepared to fight.”

“Perhaps, if we knew their intentions, we could negotiate a peace with them,” Torin said.

“That is doubtful, Prince Torin,” the general said. “With such a large army, they can dictate their terms and we will have no choice but to accept.”

The door to the council chamber flew open and a breathless soldier burst in. “The enemy’s envoy is at the gate,” he said. “They’re demanding to speak with you, Your Majesty.”

The procession to the city wall seemed surreal. Lacy followed her father and a gaggle of courtiers and royal guard through the streets of Fellenden. The fear was palpable. People looked at the King but drew little strength from his haggard and distraught appearance. Lacy tried to look confident in spite of her terror.

She stood just over five and a half feet tall with strawberry-blond hair and deep-blue eyes. She was beautiful by all accounts and smart as well. Deep down, Lacy knew that she had never been challenged in her life. She’d always had everything she wanted handed to her without question. Her father doted on her and her brother protected her.

She did her best to play the part of a princess but somehow knew that she was just going through the motions. All her life it was taken for granted that she would marry the son of the ruler of one of the other territories and in that way solidify an alliance that would serve her family and her people.

Part of the fear she felt as she followed the procession through the streets of her home was the knowledge that she wasn’t prepared for what was coming. She rationalized that no one could be prepared for a thing like this but knew even as she formed the thought that she was lying to herself.