Blood of the Earth (25 page)

Magda and Cassandra spent time exchanging knowledge about magic and history with the wizards. Wizard Hax was especially interested in their perceptions of magic and spent many hours engrossed in deep conversations with the witches about esoteric topics.

Kelvin worked tirelessly on the creation of a new collar of binding that could be used against a shade or a wraithkin. Alexander intended to find and face Jinzeri somewhere on the Reishi Isle and he needed every advantage he could get.

A flight of Sky Knights arrived during the week and moved into the aerie, bringing a significant military capability to Blackstone Keep. Within a day, they were flying aerial patrols over the northern half of Ruatha. Duncan sent a wing to support Duane in the north. He wanted to eliminate Elred Rake’s legion of troublemakers in the northern wilds without risking too many of his men. The Sky Knights would be invaluable as scouts and support when the time came to attack. He wanted Duane and his Rangers to learn to work with the Sky Knights prior to the battle that was coming.

A second flight of Sky Knights, commanded by Mistress Corina, was preparing to fly to Fellenden to augment the assault force that would attack through the Gate.

Lieutenant Wyatt was promoted to captain and given his pick of any Rangers in the army to reconstitute his force. He chose a number of the most skilled and experienced men and women that he could find. Alexander asked him to accompany Abigail to Fellenden.

Captain Sava split his forces in two, leaving half on Ruatha under Duncan’s command and taking the other half with the bulk of the army to Fellenden. Two platoons of dragon-armored cavalry mounted on rhone would be a significant addition to Abigail’s forces.

Abigail’s command staff was selected—Connor Ithilian, Mage Dax, Wizard Sark, Mistress Magda, General Markos, and General Kern would accompany her, along with Anatoly, Mistress Corina, and Knight Raja, who would be her wingman when she was riding Kallistos. Another six wizards were selected to join the assault force to offer their expertise and assistance against Zuhl and his minions.

Duncan was to remain behind on Ruatha with Hanlon, Kelvin, Lucky, and the majority of the wizards who were still busy exploring and cataloging the contents of Blackstone Keep. In addition to Duane’s legion, three would remain behind as well to provide security in northern Ruatha in the event that Phane managed to land another force.

Jataan was healing slowly but was no less busy for it. He had called forth the Reishi Protectorate to Blackstone Keep and many of his agents were already arriving. After a personal interview with each, he made careful notes of their capabilities and skills so that he could decide how best to use them. He was building a royal guard force, an intelligence service, and a group of operatives who could be sent on missions of vital importance.

Alexander visited him occasionally during the week, ostensibly to receive reports on his progress, but actually to see how he was healing. He wished the battle mage would be accompanying him. Without Jataan or Boaberous or Anatoly, Alexander would have no protector. While he was confident in his own abilities and knew Isabel and Jack could hold their own in battle, he wanted a bit more muscle … and another person to stand guard wouldn’t hurt.

Jataan solved the problem when a pair of his agents arrived: twin brothers from Karth named Hector and Horace Lal. They had served as infiltrators within the Reishi Army Regency for several years, sending reports to Jataan whenever the means presented itself. When they heard the summons, they abandoned their posts and deserted the Regency Army to make their way to Ruatha.

After Jataan had interviewed them thoroughly, he asked Alexander to speak with them. They were identical in appearance, save the scar on Hector’s right cheek. Each stood just over five and a half feet tall and had a medium build, nondescript brown eyes and brown hair. All in all, they looked completely ordinary, except Alexander knew with a single glance at their colors that they were anything but. Both had the subtle magic of a sorcerer, their abilities manifesting in very different ways.

Hector was capable of transforming himself and all of his belongings into a gaseous cloud of vapor that vaguely resembled his solid form. He could make the transformation with breathtaking speed, one moment being solid and the next becoming insubstantial. While in his vaporous form, he could flow through the cracks in a door with ease and was virtually immune to normal weapons. However, he was also unable to attack when gaseous.

Horace was able to manifest an invisible being of limited capability within a hundred feet or so. His magical servant wasn’t very strong and couldn’t attack very effectively, but it was highly useful for performing a variety of tasks at a distance.

Alexander asked both men to demonstrate their powers while he watched their colors closely. He was becoming accustomed to relying on his all around sight. He could still see colors through it so the only real limitation due to his blindness was a lack of distance vision. Within a hundred feet, he was able to see everything quite clearly.

His evaluation of their colors told him that they were both loyal to the Reishi and were both accustomed to handling themselves in dangerous situations. Each was competent in his own right, but together they were formidable, relying on the strengths of the other and communicating with an almost telepathic link.

Each was skilled in combat, their weapons of choice being a pair of short swords. They were also talented spies, capable of moving silently, picking locks, climbing walls, concealing themselves in plain sight, and blending into the background of nearly any gathering. Neither looked particularly intelligent but after an hour of questioning, Alexander discovered that both were highly trained, expertly skilled, and quite capable operatives who had survived undercover within a hostile force for years without being detected.

When he asked them if they would like to accompany him on a mission of great importance and great danger, they were both eager for the assignment. While Alexander didn’t know them well, Jataan assured him that they were loyal to the Reishi. Their colors confirmed it and Alexander felt better having them along.

***

The morning of departure arrived. Kelvin had given Alexander the newly fashioned collar of binding the night before, and Lucky had given every member of his party a pouch of potions for their journey, including several healing draughts and a jar of healing salve each. Alexander had split his supply of fairy dust into two vials, keeping one with him and secreting the other in the tower. Isabel’s life might depend on having the fairy dust when he needed it, and he certainly didn’t want to risk losing all of it on his journey. He also took one of the vials of Wizard’s Dust back from Kelvin and put it with the fairy dust, just to be sure he would have what he needed for the potion when the time came.

The army had gathered around the Ruathan Gate and preparations had been made for the assault into Fellenden. Prior to opening the Gate, Alexander sat down on the Gate platform to meditate, sending his awareness to Fellenden to make sure that everything was as he expected it to be. Two legions were still encamped around the Gate. He was about to ruin their morning.

The last of Kelvin’s larger explosive weapons was loaded onto a wooden ramp which was pushed up against the Gate. The weapon would roll through the moment  Alexander opened the Gate.

Alexander looked to his friends and family for confirmation that everything was in order, then placed his hand on the Gate. It shimmered momentarily before opening to the plains of central Fellenden. The weapon rolled through into the midst of a platoon-sized guard force arrayed before the Gate and an encampment of thousands more sprawling away in every direction. Before they could raise their weapons, Alexander closed the Gate and gave Kelvin a nod. The Guild Mage crushed a small enchanted pebble under his boot.

Alexander waited for a count of thirty before opening the Gate again. This time the scene was very different. All of the soldiers within several hundred feet had been blown to the ground, most of them dead. The enemy in the distance was in a state of sudden panic as they scrambled to make sense of the tremendous explosion that had just eaten a hole out of the middle of their encampment.

Alexander’s heavy cavalry thundered through into the heart of Fellenden, followed by the infantry and archers. Once the lead force of three legions led by General Kern was through the Gate, Alexander and his friends followed. There was nothing but devastation for as far as he could see with his all around sight. He felt a pang of frustration at his blindness. As much as he tried to tell himself that he could overcome it, he had to admit that it limited him in some important ways.

He sent his mind to Chloe and surveyed the scene of battle through her eyes. She flew up a hundred feet over the encampment to get a better perspective. The forces guarding the Gate had been completely unprepared for such a violent and sudden attack. The initial explosion had killed thousands and wounded thousands more. Those who were unscathed were disoriented and unorganized.

Ruathan forces in the initial attack were prepared and fought with a plan. The cavalry split into two forces, turning left and right from the Gate, cutting the enemy force in half. The infantry followed, creating a battle line facing the enemy soldiers that remained in front of the Gate, while the cavalry moved to engage the forces behind it.

Archers came through next, forming a line behind the infantry and immediately attacking the soldiers at the front of the Gate. It took only a few volleys from the legion of longbowmen to send the enemy in front into an all-out retreat.

The plan was to rout those in front of the Gate, then collapse back onto the group caught behind the Gate, run them down and kill or capture the lot of them. Zuhl’s soldiers were fearsome and skilled, but they didn’t fare well against the superior numbers and coordinated attack launched from within their midst. Within an hour, the two legions guarding the Gate had broken and were fleeing from the rapidly growing Ruathan army.

It took the better part of the day for Abigail’s army to move through the Gate. Command tents were erected nearby as the soldiers and supply trains poured through. Alexander and Abigail presided over a meeting to reiterate their battle plan and contingency plans for the coming struggle against Zuhl’s forces.

A flight of Sky Knights commanded by Mistress Corina would be joining them by nightfall, and the Ithilian armada was moving into position to participate in the attack against the shipyards.

Near dusk, after the last of the soldiers had arrived and the army was busy setting up a hasty camp, Alexander prepared to return to Ruatha with his parents and many of his advisors.

“Be safe, Abigail,” he said. “Remember, you don’t have to fight the enemy, you just have to lead the army in battle, but lead from behind.”

“I know, Alexander,” Abigail said, giving her brother a hug.

“Take care of Jack for me,” she whispered.

Alexander nodded and turned to Anatoly. “Watch out for her.”

Anatoly gave him a grim grin and a big hug. “I’d feel better if Commander P’Tal was going with you.”

“Me too, but the pair he picked to accompany us look promising,” Alexander said. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. I’ll look in on you from time to time. Pay attention to your dreams.”

The big man-at-arms nodded and clapped him on the shoulder.

Isabel and Abigail shared a hug.

Jack didn’t say a word to Abigail, but instead took her in his arms and kissed her tenderly but passionately. They shared a look for a moment before he turned away from her and walked quickly back through the Gate.

“I’ve set the Gate so you can open it with the Thinblade,” Alexander said to his sister. “With Kallistos, you should be able to reach it relatively quickly if you need to send word back to Ruatha. Dad will be posting a squad to run messages.”

“Alexander, I know all of this,” Abigail said. “We’ve gone over every detail several times.”

“I know,” Alexander said. “I just want to make sure. I love you, Abigail.”

“I love you too, Alexander. I’ll see you soon.”

With that, he and those of his friends and allies who wouldn’t be taking part in the campaign against Zuhl returned to Ruatha. The regiment he would lead to the Reishi Isle was camped nearby and had already set up his tents. He went to bed early after a quiet dinner with Isabel.

She was becoming increasingly on edge. He could see anxiety in her colors and it worried him but he didn’t ask her about it. She would talk to him in her own time.

The next morning he rose before sunrise and prepared for his journey. At breakfast, a rider arrived with an urgent message from Baron Buckwold. The young man entered, out of breath and coated with road grime. “Lord Reishi, I have news of invasion in Warrenton,” he said.

“Do you have any details?” Alexander asked.

“Only that it’s a legion or more from Andalia,” he said. “They attacked in the night, led by a small force of wizards. They took the ports. Once the first of the Lancers were ashore, the home guard of Warrenton was overpowered and forced to retreat. The Lancers are waging a scorched-earth war against the villages up the coast. They left Warrenton standing but are focusing their attacks on the food crops and livestock.”

Alexander closed his eyes and shook his head.

“All this time I’ve been so concerned about the south, I didn’t even think about the east coast,” he said. “It makes sense, though. Buckwold and Warrenton would have had the best crop of any territory in Ruatha. Makes for the perfect target.”