The Baldari (Book 3) (33 page)

The man’s eyes had found Daria’s hoping for mercy, but she had already seen what was there.  He would beg, and promise, but he was a snake, and it was obvious he was only hoping to get free.  Given the chance, he would repeat his actions again on some other innocent victim.  Daria wondered how many he had killed similarly over the years.  In her early days as the
KalaBhoot
, she had made the mistake of granting mercy when she shouldn’t have.  As a result, two more innocents had died before she was able to rectify her error.  That would never happen again.  Let the bastard stew.  Let him ponder what Voni had felt as he had brought her to this point and tossed her over.  He’d have to know he was going to follow her down.  It was simply a matter of when.  He’d already wet himself as he looked at the open drop beneath him.  Daria was glad she’d gagged him.  Otherwise he’d be screaming his head off begging for mercy that wasn’t going to be granted.

She had thinned the branch, making a few precise cuts in the wood near where the rope attached.  Those cuts had weakened the branch, and it would only be a matter of time before the offshoot broke.  As she’d made the cuts, Daria had explained to the desperate man hanging below her what she was doing and why.  It was not enough that he simply pay for what he had done.  Daria could imagine the terrified Voni as she’d been brought to the edge, and then tossed over.  It was important to others that they realize the punishment for such crimes would not go unanswered.  The note she had pinned inside his shirt warned that the
KalaBhoot
had seen a need to return, and any others who committed such crimes might find themselves in a similar situation.  She didn’t plan on resuming her old profession, she enjoyed her life at the Orphanage, but any fear she could instill in such animals might help prevent such crimes.

It was late now.  In the morning they would return to the Orphanage, their mission a failure in many ways.  None of the women had been saved.  Daria would have to inform Torusk.  At least those who had committed the crimes had paid.  Daria wouldn’t sleep tonight.  She had far too much to think about.  The emotional toll of the past couple of weeks had been great, and she knew she had pushed Kaler out of his comfort zone.  He was happier in direct conflict, not in vengeance.  In truth, she hated it herself, but what choice was there?  While she dreaded heading back and admitting to failing to rescue the three women, something in the back of her mind urged her to return.  Something was wrong, she was certain of it.  She hoped Rigo and her other friends were okay. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden sharp crack.  Kaler had gone to their saddlebags for the wineskin, and was some distance away.  She glanced quickly toward the edge of the cliff, knowing what had happened.  The end of the branch was gone.  So was their prisoner.  Slowly she stood, and looked over the edge.  It looked like he had fallen more than five hundred paces before he struck the small outcropping of rock below.  Even as she watched she could see the dark form rolling down the steep incline far below.  In the morning, the villagers would find another body.

Kaler handed Daria the wineskin as he looked toward the edge of the cliff.

“Let’s go home,” he urged.

“In the morning,” she replied.

“How about the Wanderer camp?” Kaler suggested.  He knew that whatever sad news they carried, the presence of her friends would help lift her spirits and wash away some of her anger.

Slowly Daria nodded.  “Let’s go,” she said and turned to make the
Doorway
.  They led the man’s horse through the
Doorway
.  The Wanderers could always use another mount and none of this had been the horse’s fault.

Rigo found Ash’urn and Nycoh engaged in a whispering session when he dropped by to see how his old friend was doing.  They had their heads close together, and were clearly intensely involved in a discussion of some sort, but one that they didn’t wish overheard.  If he’d had any doubts, Rigo would have known immediately he was right by the sudden way they broke off their discourse when he stepped into the room.  Nycoh looked at Rigo, the slightest trace of guilt momentarily flashing across her face.  Rigo wondered what they had been talking about, but was astute enough to know he wasn’t going to learn anything.

Instead, Rigo focused on Ash’urn.  He looked so much better.  In fact, in some ways he looked better than he had in a long time.  He seemed healthier, and with an inner glow that had been missing for some time.  Relief washed over Rigo.  He had been fearful that Ash’urn wouldn’t be able to bounce back after such a debilitating incident.  That didn’t mean that Ash’urn had escaped without scars.  His left arm still looked somewhat puffy and Rigo would have wagered a hundred Royales that Ash’urn hadn’t gotten his strength back.  But that would change.  The worst was his friend’s face. While the left side looked considerably improved over the skull-like appearance of a couple days earlier, it was still shrunken and gaunt when compared to his right.  The medical wizard Ashli had warned him this would likely never improve.  Ash’urn would be stuck with it from now on.  They didn’t know why some areas responded and others not.  The magic that had caused this was still somewhat of a mystery. 

The beard on the left side had been burned away, and the few day’s growth that had returned looked thin and poorly developed.  The damaged eye was also very apparent.  Not one to hide such things, Ash’urn had disposed of bandages and patches once the repairs had gone as far as possible, and the milky orb filled the socket where his left eye had once been.  He would have to get by with his right, which hadn’t been damaged at all in the encounter.

Ash’urn was supposed to be discharged this morning, although he was to make daily visits back to the medical facility for the next week so any changes in his condition could be noted.  Rigo was a bit worried that the sudden exposure to a large number of people might be bad for his friend, but Ashli had told him otherwise, so a group of his closest friends waited for him in the main area.  Rigo had come to escort him to the affair.  Nycoh was supposed to have gotten him ready.  Instead they had been engaged in their secretive talks.

“How are you feeling?” Rigo asked the elder scholar.

Ash’urn smiled wryly, the half beard making the action look almost comical.

“Much better,” he said.  “I’m still weaker than I like, but the pain is gone.  Feel somewhat foolish having caused all this.”

“You couldn’t have known . . ,” Rigo started to say, but Ash’urn cut him off.

“That there were two of the strange rods and they would interact?”  No, of course not.  No more than poor Jeen could have guessed.  Fortunately the rod was pulled from her and she was spared any harm.  But for months I’ve known something was wrong and I never even considered the old artifacts as the possible source.  We have seen the violence of mis-used magic.  I should have at least considered the possibility and looked at what was around me.”

Rigo could hear his old friend in the long tirade, and was pleased to see the old scholar was little changed.  He was about to ask another question, but Ash’urn beat him to it.

“How about you and Mitty?” Ash’urn asked.  “Nycoh has told me of the destruction of your home.”

Rigo looked briefly at Nycoh who nodded.  She had obviously been keeping Ash’urn informed of events during the long hours she had spent by his side. 

“We were lucky,” Rigo replied.  “We weren’t there when they attacked.”

“Why would they burn the house if you weren’t present?” Ash’urn asked.  “It must have been meant to be an attack on you.”

“Mitty, most likely,” Rigo agreed.  “From the reports of those who were nearby when it happened, there were three of them. They used
Brightfire
.  It was intense and sudden, and anyone inside wouldn’t have had a chance.  There would have been no time to make a
Bypass
and escape.”

Rigo looked at Ash’urn and Nycoh. 

“We had just returned home.  They gave us about a quarter glass before attacking, probably to let us get settled and maximize their chances of catching us off guard.  Except, Mitty asked to go to a special spot of ours when we want to be alone.  We gathered up a few items, and I made a
Bypass
and we left without leaving the house.  Those waiting either weren’t checking or didn’t have the ability to monitor for the
Bypass
.  We were far away when they destroyed the house.  We returned this morning and found the remains, and came directly here to the Outpost.”

“The woman in the chamber has discovered who Mitty is?” Ash’urn asked, but it was clear he and Nycoh had already concluded as much.

“Almost certainly,” Rigo agreed.  “She has become ever more aware of Mitty watching her, and it is likely that someone she captured has revealed who we are and where we can be found.  It is disturbing to think that some of the people she controls could be sent into our midst and perform such an act without being detected.  It shows how vulnerable we are.  Everyone is going to have to be very careful.”

“You need to ensure that Mitty is safe,” Ash’urn said.  He had known Mitty as long as Rigo, since the days they were Carif’s prisoners in Sedfair.  “Perhaps it would be best to send her away somewhere.  I would stay away from the house in Sedfair as well.”

“Where could she go and be safe?” Rigo asked.  “That’s assuming she would go, which she has made very plain she won’t.  She feels her visions are important to keeping us informed, and she couldn’t do that from somewhere else.  The best I can do is have someone nearby who can make a masked
Bypass
to quickly relocate her should an attack take place when I’m not there.  She will be at the Outpost most of the time we aren’t together, and the house in Sedfair is being watched.  Maybe we can learn something.”

“The situation is truly grim,” Ash’urn noted.  “From what Nycoh has told me we are still very much at risk and have no ideas where the enemy is hiding.  Unless this new magic is powerful enough to break through their protection, they have an advantage we cannot overcome.  I am disappointed that the Repository has not revealed more of use.”

“The secrets are almost certainly there,” Rigo said, “but I’m sure Nycoh has told you that we have made no progress gaining access.  The Caretakers have been less than useless.  I almost wonder why they exist.”

“What of Koess?” Ash’urn asked, changing the direction of their talk.  “It seems a miracle that you were able to recover him, and that he survived in such an odd and Spartan place.”

“He is reintegrating himself into the wizard community.  He is still a bit bewildered by everything that has happen since he left, but is adjusting.  Daim has had doubts about him, but then he never knew Koess before.  The Casters in Sedfair have cleared him, and Daim will have to agree to remove the blocking bands he has demanded Koess wear for now.  He is currently away with several wizards Daim assigned to watch over him.  They went to southern Kellmore where his family is.  Once he returns, I plan to insist he be granted his full privileges as a wizard.”

“These stories about the Brryn he tells are very interesting.  They almost have to be the same people who we are dealing with.  How do you suppose they survived all this time without being detected?”

“I’m sure the chamber that Mitty has described has much to do with it,” Nycoh said. She had been uncharacteristically silent up to now.  Given they appear to be located in the southern jungles where no one has traveled at least since Daim’s time, they could easily pass unnoticed.  I believe the strange chamber somehow has kept them alive, but perhaps unable to affect the outside world for the thousands of years since the war that formed the Ruins.”

“And now that they are back they intend to pursue the same conflict that existed in their own time,” Ash’urn noted grimly.

“They clearly appear to have some such intention,” Rigo agreed.  “At least the only one that Mitty has noted is awake and active.  If she can do this much alone, and while still partially trapped, I am fearful of what to expect should her friends wake as well.”

“What about the attack Mitty predicts for Pagner?” Nycoh asked.  “Is the city prepared?”

“Not the way it should be,” complained Rigo.  “Neither Mitty nor Queen Mos’pera can predict when the attack might be, although both believe it is coming soon.  Most of the people there are reluctant to leave behind their homes and livelihoods based on a vision.  Few have the experience we have had with the premonitions.  They want to stay until there is some proof the city is at risk.  Of course, by then it will be too late.  Even King Briz had refused to leave until it is clear there is no other choice.”

“What are you going to do?” Ash’urn asked.  “They must be made to realize the risks.  You would think the stories of what happened in Roin would be enough.”

“We have set up departure zones within the city,” Rigo said.  “These are manned with wizards or Casters capable of creating
Bypass
portals out of the city.  We really don’t believe the attackers will be interested in following the fleeing public.  In the event of an attack, these
Bypasses
will be opened and people can try and escape that way.  It’s far from ideal, but given the resistance, the only thing we have come up with.”

“Pagner itself will fall, however,” Nycoh added.

“If we believe the vision of Mitty and Queen Mos’pera, yes,” Rigo admitted.  “That is most discouraging.  It suggests that we will not have the ability to stop the invaders; that the new magic won’t be able to overcome whatever protection they carry.  We outnumber the Casters and wizards they have captured significantly.  Those will be the only individuals using magic if our previous experience holds true.  However, we expect many of the ground fighting Baldari as well.”

“Burke is expected to be among them,” Ash’urn stated flatly.

“Again, both Mitty and the Queen say that will be the case.  He will be one of the leaders.”

“What will you do?” Ash’urn asked softly.  Although they had started out adversaries, Burke and Rigo had become close friends.  Burke had played an important role in their rescue from the Guild in Sedfair the previous year.

“We have no choice,” Rigo said expressionlessly.  “We will have to try and stop them.  If that means attempting to destroy them, we will do so.”

“How many do we have in place?” Nycoh asked.

“Virtually every Three Kingdoms’ wizard who has learned to cast and can create what is starting to be known as
Greenfire
,” Rigo said.  “Queen Jusay and the Guild have sent fifty of their Casters to augment our own forces knowing we are limited in Casters.  We also have a number of the old border patrol, those who helped with the Hoplani.  The number who have mastered the casting spells for
Greenfire
are surprisingly small, and their version is far less potent than the Casters can produce, but they have been assigned as well.  In addition, we have almost two hundred wizards assigned who will
Bypass
in at the first indication of an attack.  They will be able to support those with
Greenfire
, as well as try and contain the Baldari troops.”

“What about standard military forces?” Ash’urn asked.  “You know that Daria and Kaler would insist they have a role.”

“Kellmore’s King has readied his forces, equipping the men with special arrows and spears imprinted with the symbols designed to defeat magic.  In the past we have found them to be marginal against the protective barriers, but if enough of them are launched at a target, there is a small hope that one or more might strike home.  With no protective shields of our own we can’t predict how effective our measures will be.”

“Not to mention that our own forces will be unprotected against any magic launched against them,” Ash’urn noted.

“The only thing we have been able to do, is magically harden defensive positions.  We saw during the attacks with Carif and her followers, that such hardening was able to resist somewhat the power of
Greenfire
.  We will have to hope the same is true here, and that this Brryn hasn’t given the captured wizards and Casters a stronger version.  Whatever happens, it will be a case of shoot and duck, or shoot and run.  The defensive forces are assigned in teams, so one can attack, and the other make
Bypasses
to reposition.  Each team has a series of locations they are to move between.  They have been practicing the maneuvers the last few days.”

“What of you and Nycoh?” Ash’urn asked softly.

“We will go there when the alert is sounded,” Nycoh replied.  “We are as strong as any, and the best hope for the Three Kingdoms is to eliminate those who have been captured and are being used against us.  We hope to do that at Pagner, even though the city might be lost.”

Ash’urn shook his head.  “It never stops, does it?  What about Jeen?  I haven’t seen her in a couple of days.”

Rigo knew that Ash’urn was concerned that Jeen might feel guilty regarding what happened.