Sovereign Stone (22 page)

“On the run. He’s being hunted by the army and Wizard Raj.”

He turned his gaze to Alexander and Lucky. “Who are your friends?”

Lady Buckwold stood. “Father, this is Lord Alexander Ruatha and Master Alabrand. They brought Nero’s treachery to light.”

Alexander stood and his cloak slipped away from his hip revealing the hilt of the Thinblade. Baron Buckwold stared at it as if he wasn’t sure he could believe what he was seeing, and then he smiled.

“So the legend has come to pass,” he whispered. “Help me up,” he said to his daughter.

He was a bit unsteady on his feet but managed to stand with her help. He extended his hand to Alexander. “My name is Carson, this is my daughter Elise. I just have one question for you, Lord Alexander. Do you serve the Old Law?”

Alexander smiled as he took his hand. “I do.”

Carson Buckwold appraised him for only a moment. “Good enough. I pledge the support of Buckwold in service to my King. I’d bow, but I’m afraid I’d fall over.”

Alexander chuckled softly. “I’m just glad to find another friend.”

Buckwold smiled knowingly. “I was born into power. It’s a lonely life. There are precious few you can trust and even fewer who can truly understand your burden. Come, I have something to show you.”

With the help of his daughter, Carson Buckwold led them into a room in one corner of his suite. It was a comfortable little library. Once the lamps were lit, Buckwold pointed to the tapestry that hung in the center of one wall between two bookshelves. It was very old but held its color well. It was a picture of two men standing arm in arm. When Alexander looked closer, he saw the hilt of the Thinblade at the hip of one of the men.

“This is the first Baron of Buckwold standing with his dear friend, the King of Ruatha.” He smiled. “I’ve often looked at this tapestry and wondered about those times. There are several books in this room that tell stories about the origins of Buckwold. I’ve read them all. When I felt the warning spell and knew Phane walked the Seven Isles again, I hoped for your rise with all my heart. I’ve also read stories of Phane and I fear for the future if he succeeds.”

They talked late into the night. Alexander told him of the war and the battles he’d fought. He told him about Blackstone Keep and the details of Headwater’s treachery. Buckwold listened intently and questioned him intelligently, then pledged two of his three legions to help defeat Headwater and to support Ruatha after that battle was won.

When he learned how Commander Kern had assisted Alexander, he promoted him to the rank of general and gave him command of the two legions. He sent a letter to his brother-in-law, the Duke of Warrenton, explaining the situation and gave Alexander assurances that Warrenton would support him and Ruatha.

Alexander slept well that night and woke the next morning anxious to be on his way. The Baron wanted him to stay longer, but Alexander explained that he was on a mission of great importance. Carson didn’t ask any further questions or press the issue. Instead he ordered horses and supplies made ready and gave Alexander a letter of safe passage through Buckwold and Warrenton.

They had a hearty breakfast together and Alexander and his companions were on the road by midmorning.

Chapter 18

 “I don’t like the looks of that place, Prince Phane,” the ship’s captain said, eyeing their destination as Phane stood next to him. The big man held the ship’s wheel tightly to guide the galleon into the calmer waters of the little cove. It was midday, but the sky was dark with swirling clouds that seemed to rotate around the volcanic peak of the central island of Tyr. The occasional spurt of lava that splattered into the sky from the broad crater gave the clouds a reddish tinge.

Phane smiled at the captain reassuringly—but after spending several weeks in the company of Prince Phane, the smile was anything but reassuring.

The captain had first ferried the Prince to the Reishi Isle. During that voyage, they had come under relentless attack from the sky by wyvern riders armed with magic and steel. The riders had tried repeatedly to sink the ship, but Phane had lashed out at them with ferocious magic that either drove them away or sent them into the cold embrace of the black waters. Several wyverns and their riders died during those attacks.

When the ship reached the Reishi Isle, they took refuge in a tight little cove surrounded by rocky spires that reached from the water into the sky. The captain remembered the reassuring smile Phane had given him then. For five days he and his crew had huddled under the protective cloak of Phane’s magic while the wyvern riders searched for them and while Phane traveled inland with half a dozen men to find the Reishi Keep.

The Prince had returned alone, empty-handed and furiously angry.

On their voyage away from the Reishi Isle, the wyvern riders attacked again. This time Phane engaged them with rage and glee. He struck out at them with dark magic that made the air feel heavy with hate. Unwholesome shadows formed out of the thick sea air and chased the wyvern riders toward the horizon.

Now the captain was again looking at a place he would rather be sailing away from. He’d heard the rumors about the central island of Tyr. Rumors of dragons. No one sailed near the island, not just for fear of dragons but for fear of the island itself. It was a live volcano.

At night its radiant fire could be seen for miles. Sailors who passed too close told stories of rivers of molten lava flowing into the sea and bringing the ocean itself to a boil. Others told of giant rocks and globs of lava being cast high into the sky only to come crashing down into the ocean. Smart sailors avoided these waters.

He eased his ship into the cove and commanded the sails to be furled and the anchor dropped. All the while, Phane stood on the bow looking intently at the volcanic light show playing out across the angry black clouds swirling overhead.

“We’re ready to launch the longboat, Prince Phane,” the captain said tentatively.

Phane ignored him for a moment before turning without a word and taking his place on the small landing craft. The Prince sat quietly watching the glowing summit of the island while the sailors rowed and the captain manned the tiller.

When they made landfall, Phane stood without a word and stepped off the boat onto the rocky shore. He wasn’t three steps away from the boat when the air near him turned deathly black. With a thump, Kludge appeared out of the cloud of now rapidly fading darkness.

“Ah, Kludge, what news do you bring?” Phane said, stopping for his familiar with a smile of genuine fondness. The little creature hovered slightly lower than eye level in front of Phane, wringing its clawed little hands while its batlike wings flapped furiously.

“Master, Karth is secure,” Kludge said with grating subservience, “and the few surviving members of the House of Karth have been scattered into the jungle. Your army is assembled. They will move to Ruatha the moment the Gate comes to life. Andalia is beginning to transport cavalry to Kai’Gorn and should have a sizable army in place within the month.”

Kludge descended a bit and his voice took on a slight whine. “News from Ruatha is not what you hoped for, Master. Commander P’Tal reports that Headwater’s army has been deprived of supplies, and Buckwold has allied with the fugitive. He was last seen by an agent of the Reishi Protectorate riding south from Buckwold toward Warrenton.”

Phane frowned darkly. Kludge wrung his hands. “How soon will Headwater fall?” Phane asked.

“Within the month, Master.”

Phane nodded as he considered the news. “No matter. Headwater has served its purpose. Once I have the Sovereign Stone, the army on Karth will pour forth and crush Ruatha. What of the scourgling? Why has my servant failed to kill the fugitive?”

“Master, it seems that your servant has been trapped within a magic circle.”

Phane chuckled. “This upstart is proving to be quite resourceful. Shame he can’t be persuaded to join with me. He could be useful. Did Commander P’Tal offer any insight into the fugitive’s purpose in Warrenton?”

“Only that Buckwold and Warrenton are closely allied by blood and friendship—where one goes the other will follow. Commander P’Tal also reports a rumor that the fugitive is on a mission to retrieve a book explaining the process for making Wizard’s Dust.”

“So he’s not after Warrenton’s support,” Phane mused. “Yet he goes south from Buckwold amidst rumors of a quest for the secret of Wizard’s Dust.” He stood in deep thought for several long moments. “Walk with me, Kludge.”

He turned away from the longboat and started up the treacherous path leading to the top of the volcano. Halfway up the path, he stopped suddenly. “He couldn’t possibly be that bold,” he said to himself. “It’s doubtful that she would help him, but . . .” His voice trailed off as he worked the problem over in his mind. “Better to be safe,” he said to himself before looking over at Kludge. The little monster flapped its wings faster and rose another foot into the air to meet Phane’s eyes.

“Kludge, go to Commander P’Tal and instruct him to take an adequate force to hunt down the fugitive and kill him once and for all. Then take this,” he handed Kludge a vial of black liquid he produced from his robes, “and go to the scourgling. Splash it across the lines of the magic circle, and my servant will be free to complete its task, should P’Tal fail. Return to me when you’re done.”

“As you wish, Master,” Kludge said. He touched his ring, and the air around him darkened into an inky blackness. There was a thump and Kludge was gone.

When Phane looked up, he took a sharp breath. Perched on the edge of the volcano’s crater was the silhouette of a dragon. He froze and cautiously extended the tendrils of his magical awareness into the mountain. What he saw made his blood run cold. Phane was an arch mage, perhaps the most powerful wizard anywhere in the Seven Isles. One dragon was no match for him.

But when he heard the dragon roar and saw her take to wing, he turned and ran for the boat. He wove protection spells around himself as he ran and used his wizardry to sense the coming attack. Dragons didn’t like to be disturbed and he had just walked into a lair occupied by hundreds of the ancient magical beasts.

He sensed the shadow descending on him from behind and turned to face the onslaught. The fire came only a moment after he raised a magical shield. The heat of dragon fire washed over him in spite of the bubble of magical energy that prevented the flames from actually reaching him. He saw the magnificent creature soar overhead and then he saw a second and a third leap from the lip of the volcanic crater.

He ran with all the speed he could muster and then added magic to his stride and ran faster yet. He reached the longboat and found the sailors paralyzed with fear just as the dragon made another pass. He shielded the little boat with his magic, and the dragon roared overhead into the gloom of the late afternoon.

“Cast off,” Phane commanded as he stepped aboard. “Now!”

He turned to the dragon that was wheeling for another pass and spoke words of power that made the air tremble. A black rope of dark energy streaked from his hand toward the dragon and coiled around her, binding her wings to her body. She toppled over in midair and plummeted to the sharp, craggy rocks below.

The men rowed with strength fueled by panic. Another dragon breathed fire at the little boat, but Phane was able to protect them with his magic once again. He looked back to see another five dragons take to wing off the summit of the volcano. Then the captain called out in terror and anguish. When Phane turned, he saw the galleon ablaze from dragon fire. Burning men were leaping into the water and the ship was listing. A moment later, another dragon plunged into the water not twenty feet from the little longboat. The splash tossed the boat into the air and sent Phane flying.

The Reishi Prince did what he’d always done when faced with defeat. He ran away. He called the door to his Wizard’s Den into existence in the path of his trajectory and he tumbled roughly into the tiny magical room. The portal was a good thirty feet off the surface of the water, floating in midair as if frozen in space.

The men who had manned the capsized longboat were floating in the ocean below. Phane looked at the approaching dragon and judged that he had the time he needed. He held on to the wall and leaned out the door, sending his magic out to take hold of the first man he saw. He pulled him up through the air into his Wizard’s Den. He saw the dragon fire coming toward him when he closed the door to his magical sanctuary, but he was safe, and he had the sacrifice he needed for yet another summoning. He smiled graciously at the doomed sailor.

Chapter 19

Alexander and his companions made good time to Warrenton. The territory was much like Buckwold in their trade and governance; they were prosperous and free with constables who didn’t overstep their bounds yet demanded obedience to the Old Law.

Near the border, they encountered a squad of soldiers riding patrol. The soldiers were courteous and respectful while taking an active interest in the business of those passing into their territory. When Alexander produced the letter from Baron Buckwold guaranteeing safe passage, they were even more respectful and offered to ride as escort. Alexander politely declined.