The Baldari (Book 3) (35 page)

To the south of where the castle had once stood, Tara unleashed a beam of
Brightfire
at the three Casters who were supporting a large group of Baldari.  Her beam struck one of the three, causing his body to flare brightly for a brief moment, and then simply fade away.  The two that remained now had her triangulated, and they unleashed their own magic in her direction.  She ducked behind the hardened structure, and felt the shudder as the powerful energy slammed into the hardened stone.  More blasts followed, and she knew they were keeping her head down while they sent Baldari warriors her way.

In the past glass she had seen a number of her fellow wizards fall to the attackers.  While one or two might have been wounded and might yet survive, the power of magic was so great that a strike was almost always fatal.  They had managed to hold the attackers at bay, preventing their advance, but the cost had been horrendous.  At least nine wizard friends were almost certainly lost.  Now Tara was alone.  She was also wounded, and was finding it more and more difficult to continue the fight.  Her partner had been killed almost a half glass earlier, very early in the battle.  She probably should have withdrawn, but she’d had hopes of finding Burke, and somehow freeing him from those who were using him to attack his own homeland.

Another blast struck the side of the structure, and she saw a crack forming in the stone that protected her.  It was time to go.  She was too tired to continue fighting, so she made the
Bypass
that would take her back to the secure chamber.  Maybe these bastards would be foolish enough to follow, if they had the ability to track where she was going.  If so, they had a surprise waiting for them.  Smiling, she painfully made her way into the
Bypass
, and disappeared.

“I think they are withdrawing,” Rigo shouted. 

He and Jeen had ended up in the same location as Nycoh after the latest encounter.  Now he could sense a reduction in the number of energy beams being exchanged.  The Baldari were still swarming in huge numbers, but something in their combined motion suggested they were retreating rather than advancing.

Nycoh nodded.  “I think you are right,” she said.

Rigo could sense the frustration in her.  They had taken out a large number of the attackers, but Burke and Shym had been impossible to harm.  He had witnessed part of an interchange Nycoh had had with the Caster.  Despite the power of Nycoh’s
Greenfire
, the Caster had been unharmed.  Nycoh had been forced to withdraw when three of the enemy Casters had closed on her position, targeting her with
Brightfire
.  The older magic might not be as strong as
Greenfire
, but it would have been fatal if it connected, and not even Nycoh could turn away multiple beams simultaneously.  When she had fled, Shym had recovered, and when the bright balls around her faded. She had disappeared into a
Bypass
. 

They would have to tell Daim about the size of the force that had been deployed here.  The Brryn had somehow gathered together more wizards and Casters than expected.  That meant they were being sought and picked off somewhere.  Those who lived away from the Outpost were at risk, and they would have to bring them together so they couldn’t be taken so easily.  Sedfair would have to be informed as well.  It was damn fortunate they had the forces from Sedfair here today.  Without the Casters that Queen Jusay had provided, they would have been at a disadvantage, and might not have been able to force the enemy to flee. 

The change in the intensity of the battle was obvious now.  Within a few moments, the coordinated withdrawal had been implemented.  Rigo wondered what it would be like to be able to control one’s forces so easily.  He wished they had a chance at more of the Casters and wizards controlled by the enemy, but all he saw at the moment were several hundred Baldari.  Some of the defensive forces were sending blasts of energy into the warriors, killing them by the dozen.  Even as he watched, Rigo saw one group entirely eliminated. 

Suline watched intently as the Baldari withdrew.  She was tired and dirty, having been close to the ground battle and forced to take cover in some of the less desirable spots.  She had killed a great number of Baldari warriors, and even taken out one of the wizards the Brryn was using to lead her army.  Now, knowing the battle was about over, she could simply wait it out and be safe enough.  It was the prudent thing to do.  She also had the option of eliminating a couple of dozen Baldari as they made their way toward the open
Doorway
on the far side of the small square.  They wouldn’t return the attack.  They were focused on retreat.  From what she had seen, they would follow the commands they had been given, regardless of the cost to them in numbers.  Somehow attacking them under such conditions felt dishonorable to her.  They were retreating, and did what they did because of the control being used on them.

Then, she suddenly had an idea.  It was risky, but they didn’t know she was here.  If she was quick enough, and held her own magic ready, she might be able to pull it off.  It would have been simpler if she could simply track the
Doorway
being used to move the Baldari to its endpoint, but whoever was making their
Doorways
was able to mask them.  She wouldn’t be able to fight if she attempted this, so she had to hope she could slip in unnoticed.  It wasn’t possible to implement two spells simultaneously, and she needed to be ready to trigger her own
Doorway
at a moment’s notice.  Deciding the possible gain was worth the risk, she stood and ran for the open
Doorway
.  Several Baldari noticed her, but they were in the ranks behind her, and before they got the attention of those who might have blocked her, Suline jumped through the open
Doorway
after the retreating Baldari and disappeared. 

Suline realized the foolishness of her impulsive action the moment she stepped out of the far end of the
Doorway
.  She found herself surrounded by hundreds of Baldari milling around the large, well-worn open space on the far side.  She was pressed almost shoulder to shoulder with them, and wondered if she could make a
Doorway
out of here before one or more of the fierce warriors cut her in half with the sharp blades they carried.  She feared any attempt to use her magic would result in instant retaliation.  Some of the blades being carried in hand, ready for further combat, still dripped blood from the recent slaughter they had inflicted.

Concerned about the Baldari who had watched her slip into the flow leading to the
Doorway
who would be coming through behind her, Suline made a determined effort to push away from the flow at right angles.  She moved slowly between the close packed Baldari, surprised that none had reacted to her presence.  She stood out as being different, and couldn’t imagine what had kept them from reacting violently to her presence.  Then she saw another like herself off to the right ahead.  One of the captured Casters she guessed correctly.  Like herself, the Caster wandered slowly among the densely packed fighters, and like herself, he was being ignored.  That must be why no one had threatened her.  Since she was here, they must assume that she belonged, and was one of those that had been impressed into the service of the Brryn.

Relaxing somewhat, no longer expecting to feel the sharp blade from one of the men around her, she continued to move away from the exit of the
Doorway
that had brought her here.  She tried to take in as much as she could, knowing recognition of the area was why she had come.  She was clearly at one of the gathering places for the Baldari.  This was where they congregated when they were preparing to attack.  She was certain of it.  If she could impress the location into her memory, then survive to get out of here, she would be able to direct the forces of Sedfair and the Three Kingdoms to this place.  It had to be close to the home of their enemy, and maybe even where the Brryn woman was located. 

The gathering place was wide and open, the dirt of the area worn flat without any vegetation from the thousands of feet that constantly passed over the area.  She could see structures which looked like a village, although even she could sense they were no longer occupied.  They had started to fall apart from neglect.  No one lived here any more.  This was simply a place where the Baldari came in order to be sent off on their raids.  Suline continued to move toward the fringes of the activity, and searched for visual clues that would anchor any future
Doorways
she might try and create.  There was a muddy stream that flowed slowly through the area off to one side, and in the distance she saw several tall mountains. One had a strange red color that covered the top third of the mountain.  She wondered if that was the result of a volcanic eruption that had deposited some material onto the peak.  Whatever caused the strange effect. It was clearly distinctive and provided her with a locator that would be useful.

It was time to get out of here.  She had gained more references than she had any right to expect, and she was pressing her luck by staying. Off to the right, just a short distance up ahead, she could see a gap in the mass of bodies.  It might be a good place to make a quick
Doorway
and flee.  The urgency she had felt earlier was gone.  She didn’t need to make the
Doorway
as instantly as she’d believed a few moments before.  It would be better if she could be more covert, and perhaps slip away without being noticed.  If she could escape without anyone realizing she had been here might be best for whatever use the kingdoms would make of her discovery.  Of course, the presence of any
Doorway
might be detected, and her careful departure noted, but it was worth trying.

As she made her way toward the spot she had chosen, Suline became aware that the uncomfortable press of bodies was thinning in all directions.  The Baldari were dispersing.  She could see them wandering off in all directions, the tenseness in their bodies dropping away as they walked away from the exit to the
Doorway
that had returned them here from the fighting in Pagner.  Now that she was paying more attention, she could clearly see a transformation take place on the faces of the warriors as they appeared out of the exit.  They arrived with fierce scowls and blazing eyes, but within seconds, the faces changed and became docile, with a slight look of confusion.  Most seemed unaware they carried bloody swords, and those who noticed wiped the blades and slipped the weapons into carriers as they oriented themselves and then started to walk away from the gathering place.  Suline realized the control that had been forced upon these warriors was being removed.  Now that they were no longer needed to fight, they were freed from the commands that forced them to act a certain way and they were returning to their more normal selves.  She was certain they were wandering off to go to their homes, perhaps confused about what had taken place.

As she reached the spot where she hoped to create her
Doorway
out of here, Suline noticed more of the captive Casters and wizards.  They were milling around aimlessly, far less focused than the Baldari.  When she looked closely at the nearest, she could detect a vacancy in the eyes, a complete lack of awareness.  They were no longer being driven, and with no assigned actions, they simply waited for direction.  This was totally different than the focused attack they had been pursuing a short time earlier.  As the Baldari drifted away, the wizards and Casters were easier to spot.  Suline started to worry that she would start to stand out, and didn’t know if these glazed, half function individuals would realize she didn’t belong.  Certainly her actions were more directed than any of those she saw.

Suddenly she spotted someone she would know anywhere.  Shym!  The former member of Carif’s Eight Specialists stood unmoving a short distance away, as if waiting for something.  Suline wondered if she was still protected by the special barrier that had prevented the defenders from harming her.  Perhaps here, where the fighting was over and the forces secure, she would no longer have the barrier in place.  Suline couldn’t see any sign of the fuzziness around the Caster that typically signaled the presence of a shield.  Suline briefly considered trying to kill her.  She was by far the most dangerous of the Casters who had been abducted.  Then, she reconsidered.  Shym might still be protected, and even if not, launching an attack with so many around would almost certainly get her killed.  As much as she wished to eliminate the woman, her first responsibility was to take back what she had learned.  The long explorations into the jungles by both Sedfair and the Three Kingdoms hadn’t found what she could now direct her friends toward.  She had to get back with the information.

Reluctantly, she turned away from Shym and made her way toward the large tree at the edge of the open area.  The tree would hide her while she made the
Doorway
, and once it opened she would step through quickly before anyone could react.  She would make sure no one came through after her, and would mask it as well.  Even so, she would jump to one of the special escape chambers that had been set aside in case someone followed.  She wasn’t convinced this Brryn woman was as unable to track masked
Doorways
as some believed.  Reaching the spot she had selected, Suline made a quick check to see if anyone was watching her.  Then she focused on the chamber and reached for her magic.  For a moment she almost panicked when the
Doorway
failed to materialize.  Then she reasoned that the location she was focusing on must have been used by someone else, and was now locked off.  Calming herself, she focused on another of the chambers, there were a half dozen that had been prepared, and relaxed when the arch appeared as expected.  Without a moment’s hesitation, Suline stepped into the
Doorway
and escaped, closing it off abruptly behind her.

S’erom had noticed the Tall as she moved through the A’ardaugh warriors.  Something about the way she watched and moved was different from the other Talls who traveled with them.  Once at the battle zone, the Talls were fierce and moved with purpose, but here, both before and after the attacks, they were docile, and wandered aimlessly until they were gathered up and taken to wherever it was they were kept between attacks.  This one appeared out of place, and seemed to be studying the gathering place as if she had never seen it before.  He was certain she didn’t belong, and guessed correctly that she had come through the
Opening
that had brought him and his warriors back.

He sensed this observation was important, and that someone would want to know of this, but he couldn’t think of how or who he would pass the information to.  Unlike some of the other missions where he felt constrained to wait here at the gathering place until he was taken to the other location, this time he felt he was free to return to his home.  Had he been transported to that other place, perhaps his mind would have been scanned, and the information discovered.  As it was, he could think of no way to inform whoever or whatever controlled him of this anomaly.  He also realized he wasn’t certain he wanted to.

Uncharacteristically, he lingered.  Normally once he was released from the mind control that directed his actions, he hurried home to his mate.  This time he was curious.  He watched as the Tall moved slowly away from the center of activity.  She was clearly examining the area.  That was probably a bad thing.  Perhaps she was planning an attack.  If so, she was very bold to scout the area in such a manner, with so many others around.  Of course, maybe she realized after an attack when the mind control was withdrawn, all Baldari thoughts were on returning to the interrupted activities in the villages.  He tried to reach out with his mind to see if he could sense her intentions, but like all of the Talls he had encountered, she was deaf and dumb.  He thought he had lost sight of her, but then she reappeared briefly just before stepping out of sight again behind a large tree.  Had he not been watching closely, S’erom wouldn’t have noticed the
Opening
that formed, nor seen as the Tall deftly stepped into the portal and disappeared. 

Most curious, S’erom thought, as he turned and belatedly started on his way toward his home.  He would have liked to discuss this with someone, but the mental commands that controlled most of his actions of late forbid such exchanges between the warriors.  The mental conditioning was difficult to overcome, and as he walked toward his dwelling, the thoughts of his family pushed all consideration of the strange Tall into his subconscious where he forgot about it.