The Baldari (Book 3) (63 page)

A threesome consisting of Rigo, Kaler and Daria set off for Nulwar, the port city where Tryll was supposed to have established herself.  Rigo transported them using the
Transfer
magic he had acquired since it was undetectable, and found it was easier and faster than creating an arch and having to walk through it.  Their arrival triggered a number of memories for Rigo, few of them pleasant.  He couldn’t help recalling that his first introduction to the port was related to his time with Inge, which in turn brought his thoughts to Mitty.  Time remained a pressing issue, although given how long it had been since Mitty had become trapped within the strange cylinder, Rigo had to concede that time either didn’t matter much, or any deadline to save her had already passed.  He couldn’t help fearing the latter.  He also couldn’t help wondering if she was alive, was she blissfully unaware of the passage of time and where she was, or was every moment one of shrieking fear and agony.  The constant worry weighed heavily on him, and he felt the need to find the answers that would release her and end his wondering.

Nulwar looked much as Rigo remembered it.  The city was still an energetic center of commerce.  It was almost as if the problems facing the rest of the kingdom were not relevant to the busy citizens of the port city.  People bustled and hurried, going about tasks Rigo could only guess at.  The harbor smelled of rotting fish and refuse as always, and as usual there were half a dozen ships tied up at the docks.  Some were offloading goods while others were in various stages of preparation for a voyage outward.  Rigo wondered if the residents of the city had any idea who was hiding among them.

Suline had already informed them of what she had found in the eastern islands so far away.  Far physically, but with the recently acquired ability to
Transfer
, a simple thought away.  The Ruins provided little hindrance for Rigo or Nycoh any longer.  Unlike the limitation posed with a
Bypass
or
Doorway
, the
Transfer
would take them across the Ruins in a single jump.  He could easily relocate himself and his team from here to the far off island on the other side of the Ruins without needing to make multiple hops.

Four more Casters had been added to Suline’s team.  That gave them enough to establish a full watch over the activities taking place.  The construction of the house where an older building had once stood strongly suggested Kytra intended to use the island as her base.  They would verify that was true and learn what kind of schedule she followed.  Would the other Brryn relocate to the island once the facility was complete?  Rigo hoped not.  They wanted to be able to find times when the Brryn were isolated and alone.  He also hoped once the construction was complete, Kytra would relax her personal guard, and not feel the need to be shielded while on her personal retreat.  For that reason alone it was important she not discover they had located her.

Nycoh and Lyes were heading up the hunt for Hyndl.  He had appeared in several villages in Sedfair, alerting the population to the change in leadership and warning against any assistance to rebel wizards.  The list of those most sought had been circulated, and while Rigo knew they could count on most to say nothing, the addition of a promised reward would bring out those who would side with any enemy for a profit.  Some groups of hiding wizards had already been betrayed by the promise of gold.  That was one reason they kept their whereabouts secret from all but a select few.

Just because Hyndl was most often seen in Sedfair, didn’t mean that was where he was hiding.  Everywhere in Sedfair and the Three Kingdoms were equally accessible to him.  For that reason, Daria had arranged for the Wanderers to activate their network of spies and watchers and pass any information that might relate to the Brryn back through trusted sources.  Since the Wanderers didn’t exist in Sedfair, they had approached former Queen Rosul.  Lyes knew she had once run an extensive secret network, and asked that she reach out to those people to sift through any unusual activities that might disclose where Hyndl might have settled in.  With access to Casters, the timely flow of information was possible, although care had to be taken because their
Doorways
could be detected if the enemy was in the area.

Each of the three groups could now move about relatively freely, without fear of detection, which would allow them to meet as needed.  Rigo and Nycoh could use the undetectable
Transfer
, and Suline had her
Ghost Doorway
, which by now they had verified went unnoticed by the Brryn.   Jeen would be the group coordinator, with the various teams reporting in to her.  She would arrange any required meetings.  She was also keeping the King and Queen informed of their plans.

They did have to be conscious of the ability of the Brryn to detect the inherent magic of wizards, but that required proximity.  Rigo was careful to minimize his contact with others, preferring to watch from a distance and let Kaler and Daria do the mixing.  The Brryn they sought wouldn’t be able to tell them from anyone else.

Just before the three groups set off on their assigned tasks, they had all gathered together to consider the situation.  Rigo wasn’t kidding himself.  He had been lucky enough to acquire some of the Brryn magic, but that didn’t make either himself or Nycoh an equal to those they hunted.  The Brryn had grown up with the magic they used, and were comfortable and skilled with it.  Rigo and Nycoh were new to the skills, and in some cases had yet to test their new abilities against an adversary.  Then there was the matter of strength.  Abilities within the wizard community varied greatly.  It had to be assumed that was true of the Brryn as well.  Since neither Rigo nor Nycoh was a true Brryn, it was unlikely their strength matched that of any of the three individuals they sought.  In addition, it was also probable their adversaries controlled magic that Rigo and Nycoh knew nothing of.  It would be highly unlikely that Rigo’s brief tapping of magic in the Void uncovered everything of use.  The fact he hadn’t found the key to releasing Mitty was proof enough that there was more to be learned.

That meant to have any hope of success they needed to deal with the Brryn singly, and hopefully engage them before they discovered that their own magic had been compromised.  If the Brryn believed Rigo and Nycoh were simply among the strongest of the rebel wizards using the limited magic of the wizard community, they wouldn’t be expecting to be attacked with anything that could realistically harm them.  That might result in them being careless, or allowing themselves to be more exposed.  It would also be more likely that a situation could be arranged where Rigo and Nycoh could double up on one of the Brryn, and in that way overpower him or her.

That was one of the reasons Rigo had chosen Tryll as the target he wished to pursue.  From eyewitness accounts of the attacks on the Guild and the castles in Kellmore and Branid, in addition to his own witnessing of the destruction of the Outpost, Rigo believed that she was the weakest of the three.  She was also more of a loner.  Kytra and Hyndl were observed more frequently together, with Tryll part of the group less often.  He believed they had a greater chance of overpowering her than either of the others. 

And that was what they needed to do.  Simply killing her wouldn’t serve all of their needs.  True, it would reduce the number against them, but it wouldn’t provide Rigo access to the information required.  He still didn’t know how they were going to accomplish that.  By some means they needed to overpower her, and prevent her from using her magic.  Unfortunately, Daim’s bands didn’t work against the Brryn.  Unless something else developed, Rigo believed they would have to render her unconscious, keep her that way, something Ashli might be needed to help with, and then perform a Reading on her while she was out.  Readings were normally more successful when the subject was awake, but that might not be an option.  A final resort was
Linking
, as Jeen had done.  Jeen recommended against it, claiming she was lucky that her subject had been still recovering from the effects of the chamber.  She feared even an unconscious Brryn might be able to assume control of anyone who tried to
Link
.  Rigo would pursue that only if there was no other option, and it would be he who took the risk.

Once they had the information they required, all agreed they would have to kill her.  It was a little cold-blooded, but they couldn’t risk her getting away.  They simply did not know what powers she could command, and whether she might be able to overcome any attempts to subdue her.  They couldn’t keep her unconscious forever.  Koess had suggested exiling her to the Void before he left to return where he’d been in hiding before coming forward with his plan to visit the Void.  Jeen disagreed with that plan.  The Brryn had created the rods which were used to trigger the Ruins.  They might know of the Void and how to enter and leave it.  They couldn’t take the risk Tryll would somehow be released to fight against them later.

They found Tryll in the upscale mansion along the coast at the extreme northern edge of town exactly where Jeen’s contacts had said she would be.  It was set on a small rise overlooking a small bay close to the water.  Whoever had owned it had been rich, and hadn’t mingled with those in the town often.  In fact, for much of the year, the place was empty.  This year, however, someone was in residence, yet the usual demands for servants and orders of food and other necessities had changed abruptly. 

They had found they could get a close look at the residence from a craggy bluff that sat opposite the hill on which the mansion had been built.  The bluff was covered with heavy brush that afforded the needed concealment, and they moved into place under the cover of darkness.  Once they had made themselves a comfortable spot from which to watch, Rigo could move them in and out at will without being detected.

It hadn’t taken long to spot her.  Rigo recognized her from the encounter near the Outpost.  She liked the balcony over the ocean, and would come out for half a glass in the morning, and for long periods in the evening.  During the day they didn’t see her at all, which suggested she might have left to join the other Brryn.  In the three days they had been watching, neither Hyndl nor Kytra had been seen at the residence.  It was possible they had arrived inside, and left again, but that didn’t seem to be the case.  More importantly, the evenings Tryll seemed to spend alone.  That’s when they would strike.

Tryll wasn’t completely alone.  Frequently they saw a male come out onto the balcony.  From his actions he was some kind of a servant.  On the second day Rigo was able to get a close enough look using the small telescope Lyes had provided. 

“It’s Brock,’ Rigo said when he realized who he was seeing.

“Who is Brock?” Daria asked.

“A wizard.  Relatively new to the group, but moderately capable.  She must have taken control of him somehow.”

“How would she do that?” Daria asked.  “We were told the three
Duneriders
have been left undisturbed.  How would she be able to place a crystal in him?”

“Perhaps they can do it themselves,” Kaler suggested.

“Then why would they have had the
Duneriders
?” Daria asked.

“Maybe the success rate is better when the
Duneriders
perform the insertion,” Rigo suggested.  “We have seen how many we lost when they attempted to remove the crystals.  Maybe Tryll killed a few before she was successful.  That wouldn’t bother her particularly.”

“Let me look,” Daria said.

Rigo handed her the telescope.

After a moment, Daria asked, “What’s on his head?  It looks like one of those bands that Nycoh picked up in the chamber.”

Daria passed the telescope back to Rigo, who took another look. 

“I thought it was just a cloth, but I think you might be right.  Do you suspect that might be how she is controlling him?”

Daria shrugged.  “Maybe Jeen or Nycoh knows.”

Rigo nodded.  “I wonder if it would work on a Brryn?  If it would block their magic, we might have a way of controlling them.”

“It’s too risky,” Daria said.  “You don’t know what it does nor how to activate it.”

“Maybe it is automatic,” Rigo said.  “Daim’s always were.”

“Our plan needs to be based on things we can control,” Daria insisted.

Rigo nodded, but he decided he was going to have a look at the bands Nycoh had brought back from the valley anyway.

They decided over the next day how they would proceed.  The attack would involve most of their team.  Rigo, Nycoh, Kaler, Daria, and Lyes would participate in the attempt on Tryll.  Ashli would be on call back in Sulen where either Rigo or Nycoh could fetch her if needed.  For whatever reason, Tryll varied the shielding she used around the mansion.  During the day when she wasn’t present, and late at night when they assumed she was sleeping, she used the stronger shields the Brryn favored.   However, during the mornings and evenings when she liked to be out on the balcony, she only used the common shields any wizard could make.  They could breach either variety, but Rigo preferred making the attempt when the lesser shields were in place.  From the experimenting he and Nycoh had done, he had learned that only the
Transfer
would allow them to teleport into an area protected by the strong Brryn shields, but that any Brryn inside would be aware that a penetration had been made into the area.  That would alert Tyrll, and perhaps give her a chance to escape.