The High King: Book Two of the 'Riothamus' trilogy (43 page)

Aran handed
the reins to Alissa and stepping up to the High Earthmage, pulled
him aside. “Drayden…I am pleased that both you and Trevan have
elected to come along with us, but I am concerned that we will have
no one else back here at camp that will be able to Scan any suspect
Warriormages.”

Drayden
smiled, “I had anticipated this problem, my lord. I have made
arrangements with a few of the higher ranked Earthmages to be at
the disposal of the Guard and the Legions. If any latent
Warriormages are here they will be found without the Archmage
knowing.”

Aran frowned,
“I had not realised there were such deep divisions between the
different Abilities on Glaive. I had thought that all on Glaive
were loyal to Glaive, and the Archmage.”

Drayden shook
his head, “All mages have a degree of loyalty to Glaive itself, but
their greatest loyalty has always been towards others of their own
Ability.” He looked up and across to the distant mages enclave,
“You may have noticed how the Weathermages are distrustful of you.
They merely take their cue from the Archmage, and you know that he
is the foremost Weathermage.”

“Just as you
seem to be the foremost Earthmage,” Aran replied.

“That is
correct!”

Aran frowned
again, “Then why do you not distrust me?” he asked finally.

Drayden
sighed, “It is in the nature of Earthmages and Healermages to work
closely with all living things. Whether the life involved is plant,
animal or human, our minds and souls are intrinsically committed to
maintaining and understanding the mysteries of life itself.” He
paused as if to better to frame his next words, “The Weathermages,
although equally committed to the preservation of life, are
less…connected… to life in general. Their thoughts and powers
extend to the great mysteries of weather and the movements of wind,
fire and water.”

“This I
understand,” Aran said reflectively chewing on a torn thumbnail.
“Even though he is my kin, Maran has always felt remote to me.
Until now I have never understood the closeness I feel to both you
and Trevan.”

“Just so,”
Drayden agreed. “The Abilities within Earthmages and Healermages
instinctively reach out to foster and nurture all kinds of
life.”

Aran glanced
out towards the distant western mountains.

“So how will
you fare in Thakur? I mean the Thakurian are living beings like
us.”

“I’m not
certain of that,” Drayden said shortly.

Aran turned in
some puzzlement, “How can they not be? They breathe, sleep, eat,
ride and fight like other men.”

Drayden shook
his head, “Whilst I was in Thakur and later, during the battle, I
tried to reach out and connect to the soldiers I saw. To understand
what drove them, to understand their lifeforce.” He looked away in
some consternation, “I was able only to connect with them in the
most limited way. I felt their great hatred of us, and their envy
of our rich, fertile lands. I saw too primal emotions and dark
desires of rape and murder. But beyond that I saw nothing; their
minds seemed closed and blank.” He turned back to Aran, “I looked
for their souls. For the Goddess spark that every living thing
possesses….” He sighed again, “I found none in those that seemed
taken by their Warleader.”

“How can that
be?” Aran was not certain he understood Drayden. “Have they no
souls at all?”

“I found
none…” Drayden repeated. “If they were born with one, it does not
exist now. There is not a fragment of the Goddess spark left to
sense. It seems to have been leached away.”

“Then they are
utterly possessed by their Warleader,” Aran stated heavily. “Not
content with taking their minds, she also has stolen their
souls.”

“I may be
mistaken, but it seems so, my lord,” Drayden replied gravely.

Aran shook his
head at the grief of it.

“How could
they have allowed it to happen?”

“My lord, I
guess at this,” Drayden said, “I assume her influence at first
might have been subtle…later, as her power base grew, more and more
Thakur would have been taken” Drayden mused.

“So are all
the population under her influence?” Aran asked.

“Most,”
replied Drayden. “There are some that seem to be free, however
their voices were lost and difficult to trace.”

“So what will
happen if I kill her?”

Drayden
shrugged, “I don’t know, although I suspect dark consequences for
the Thakur.”

“Then tell
me!” Aran said abruptly.

Drayden too
turned to stare into the west, “As an Earthmage I only hope that
the stolen souls return to the host bodies, but I fear that there
will be a more tragic end to the Thakur.”

“They
die?”

Drayden
nodded, “If the Warleader is killed, then the souls and life energy
of the Thakur may die with her. The only ones who will survive will
be those who haven’t fallen under her mage influence.”

Aran was
aghast. “Do you mean to say that if I kill the Warleader, I will be
destroying the Thakurian nation? By Andur Drayden, that’s
genocide!”

“But I might
be wrong my lord,” Drayden hastened to add, “In truth we know
little about the way she has overcome her people. It may be the
fact that her death will release them and they will turn away from
our lands and no longer war upon us.”

“But we’re not
to know this until we kill her,” Aran said bluntly, “Since indeed
she must be killed.”

The mage
nodded sadly, “We have no other choice. If we turn away from our
purpose now, concentrate only upon protecting the province, then
before long her armies will reach beyond their borders and we will
be overcome.”

Aran’s face
grew hard with suppressed anger, “That cannot be borne. If ever I
doubted the need for such a conclusion to this war, then this one
piece of news has only hardened my resolve. As much as I am
revolted by the thought of innocents dying, this mage must be
destroyed before she brings our own people under her unholy
subjugation.”

“That is if
she can be killed at all,” Drayden stated dryly. “It would be wise
my lord, not to go into this with too much confidence. Things have
gone our way so far, but I would not be too optimistic for the
future.”

Aran stared
narrowly at the mage, “Have you further information that you are
holding back from me?” he asked. “Do you have information that
would imperil the hopes of the expedition?”

Drayden
swiftly shook his head, “No, no, my lord. My only concern is that
we don’t know the full strength of this Warleader. She may prove to
be difficult to kill and she will have the benefit of being deep in
her own territory, whilst we are isolated from any support other
than what exists within the group itself.” He shook his head again
realising the full import of what they were attempting to do.
Finally he looked up, “It will be hard enough going into enemy
territory in the depths of a mountain winter without also having to
contend with outwitting enemy patrols, scaling the walls of Erie
and then facing and destroying the Warleader.”

“It
will
be difficult,” Aran agreed. “But as you said before, we
have no other choice…and surrender is totally unthinkable!”

“My lord!”

Aran turned at
the voice and saw Captain Taran and several Legion Commanders
heading towards himself and the Earthmage.

“We were told
last night that you intend leaving today to go on into Thakur,”
Captain Taran said without preamble.

Aran inclined
his head, “Just so, my role here as a soldier is quite finished…I
now have other duties ahead of me.”

Taran nodded,
“It is good that you are taking some of the Guard, I had grave
doubts about you making it alone through the wilds of Thakur…”

“There is a
representative group of mages travelling with the king,” Drayden
said, interrupting. “They have useful skills which will help on the
journey.”

“And I have
Alissa, Darven and Bini also travelling with me,” Aran added. “Do
not be concerned my lords, I will be well looked after and
protected.”

“Alissa is
going?”

Both Taran and
Druec spoke as one.

“Indeed,” Aran
replied gravely. “She would not hear otherwise, even though I asked
and insisted that she remain in the Province.”

Taran shook
his head, and then looked up at his King with desperation written
clearly across his face. “My lord Arantur, I beg of you to try and
turn her from this course.”

Aran shook his
head, “Captain…I have indeed tried to convince her to stay, but she
is insistent that she goes.” Aran pulled a rueful face, “I also
wish that she should stay here, but the truth of the matter is that
if I fail, she will be in as great a danger in the Province as she
would in Thakur.”

Taran bowed
his greying head, “Then protect her for me lord.”

Aran stepped
up and placed a gentle hand on the Captain of the Guard’s shoulder,
“Taran, you know that I would die before I allowed any hurt to fall
upon Alissa.”

“Then see that
you do...” growled Druec angrily, whilst turning and stomping away
from the group.

Sennar
thoughtfully glanced across at Aran, “I know that you are taking
some Guardsmen with you, ought then you not also take legio
too?”

Aran shook his
head, “We must try and get into Thakur unobserved. If I increase
the size of the party we will stand out to any Thakur who happens
to be watching, besides the legio and the remainder of the Guard
will be needed to fight and hold this position against any
advancing Thakur.”

“And after
that?” asked Taran.

Aran glanced
towards Drayden.

“Earthmage,
how many routes could an army take out of the mountains to enter
the Province?”

“An army must
take only one,” he replied quickly “The main southern road to
Riggeltz is the only route safe enough and wide enough to allow the
quick passage of large numbers of soldiers and their attendant
supply wagons.”

“But there are
other routes?”

Drayden
nodded, “There are several small track ways that lead from the
mountains to the grasslands of the plain. We ourselves will be
taking one that exits to the south of Warning Peak. I have flown
over this particular track way, for it follows a small tributary of
the Trident River deep within the range itself. This is our best
route for we will bypass the city of Thakur and strike instead for
the rear of Erie. This way we will hopefully avoid most of the
patrols which will be out and about on the main Thakur/Riggeltz
road.”

“And we will
be exiting the same track way once our mission is successful?” Aran
asked.

“Yes, although
there are other, more northerly routes out onto the plain, they are
much higher in altitude and would not be passable in winter.”

Aran turned
back to the Captain of the Guard, “Then to answer your question
Taran. Once your job here is finished, I would like you to take the
Guard and Legions south of the ambush point and wait for our
return. Your presence there will be like a cork stoppering the neck
of a bottle, and will prevent any other Thakur incursions
northwards from Riggeltz.”

“And how long
should we wait my lord?”

Aran glanced
back at Drayden.

The Earthmage
quickly supplied the answer.

“We should be
returned by end of winter. The horses will help us only until we
pass the foothills of the Trident Range, after that the depth of
snow, the climb, and the absence of feed will only hamper our
mounts, and we must abandon them and go on foot.”

“Will they be
safe?” Aran asked.

Drayden
nodded.

“And they will
be near enough to call for when we return out of the mountains,” he
stated. “For an Earthmage, that information at least can be simply
communicated to the horses.”

“Good.”
Despite the prospect of such a long walk ahead of him, Aran was
pleased that he did not have to contend with the extra worries that
bringing horses would have entailed.

Aran turned
back to the Captain of the Guard. “So know you know our plans. The
remaining Guard and legio will need to establish another
semi-permanent defensive camp similar to what has been done here,
at a position south of the ambush point and north of Warning Peak.
During the time we are gone, you are to send out patrols along our
borders to ensure the Thakur don’t break through north of your
position, and also hold any further incursions from the south road.
If all seems secure, then you might look to regaining and
rebuilding what is left of Riggeltz. That is if the Thakur have
left us anything standing at all,” he added grimly.

“And you will
return by winter’s end?” Taran asked.

“At the
earliest,” Aran replied, “Look for us by early spring, but we may
be delayed by late-season snowfalls, so do not be alarmed if we are
late.”

“How long
should we wait, my lord?” asked Urskar. “In Andur’s name we cannot
afford to be delayed in the south too close to summer. We will have
sufficient people at home to plant the summer crops, but by
harvesting we will need all the fyrd back at their villages, else
we will be courting famine.”

Aran smiled
wryly, “I fear Commander, that if we don’t return by summer we will
most likely be not returning at all. In that case the Province must
look to its defenses.”

Aran looked
around at the glum faces, “Is there anything else?”

There was
silence and some head shaking as the Commanders digested that
information.

Aran then
turned to the soldiers, “I dislike farewells. Mind you keep
yourselves safe, and protect the Province for me in my
absence.”

Captain Taran
bowed, “My lord. We will allow the Thakur not one acre of our
land.”

“Not one life
will be lost in vain, my lord,” added Sennar with a forced laugh,
failing completely to hide his misery in blustering
cheerfulness.