Chains of a Dark Goddess (32 page)

“I should
not
have left him. What if she’s there? What if—” 

She broke down sobbing. The Matriarch reached out and placed a hand on her arm. 

“Dear Ilsimia. We must trust in the Goddess and in Kedimius’ strength. He has seen the undying wretch that Breskaro is now. He can see evil for what it is. He is a good man. He will hold true. And you did the right thing coming here to me personally.”

“But you were worried, were you not? You didn’t want me to leave him. This is why.”

The Matriarch sighed. “I do not think he will go over to the other side, but I am afraid his affection for Breskaro will weaken his judgment. I was more worried about keeping General Togisi in check. Ease your mind, Ilsimia. You are tired and need rest. In the morning, we will take action.”

“What will we do, your excellency?” Llia asked. “We’ve sent all the forces we can already.”

“Do we have more matrixes that can be spared?” Ilsimia asked.

The Matriarch grasped her belly and closed her eyes. “We must act decisively to counter Harmulkot. We cannot allow her even a small victory, nor underestimate her. We will deploy the White Guard.”

“The city would be defenseless,” said Ilsimia.

“It could withstand a siege for months with a skeleton guard by using the militias, even if there were a threat nearby, which there is not. We will take the White Guard into battle, and more. I will unlock the vault and empty every crystal we have. We will send every priestess we can spare who is capable of wielding one into battle. We will deploy every member of my Scarlet Guard. They, too, shall ride into battle.”

“Your excellency, no!” both priestesses exclaimed.

“I shall
wield
the Crystal Sword of Seshalla, the Prime Matrix.”

“
No
, your excellency,” Ilsimia said. “No, you cannot—”

“We will ride into battle. Ilsimia, you will fight by my side. Sister Llia, you will come as well but stay far away from the fighting. It is best that you remain safe.”

Llia fell back against the wall, stunned.

“Your excellency, you
cannot
risk fighting,” Ilsimia said.

“I bear the spirit of Seshalla who fought and banished Harmulkot before. I must see her defeated again. That is why my dreams have been disturbed. That is why the baby kicks within me.”

“But if you should die—”

“It is a risk I must take.”

The Matriarch called out to the seneschal. He rushed in.

“Urdaros, bring forth my battle armor and prepare it. Prepare me a steed as well. Prepare the Matriarch for battle.”

He stood, unmoving. He fumbled for words and failed.

“Urdaros, I realize that you have never had to do this in your lifetime, but I trust that you were trained in how it is to be done. We Matriarchs once rode into battle regularly.”

“Of course, your excellency. But are you sure you—”

“Urdaros, that is an order. The Matriarch shall ride into battle.”

~~~

The first rays of dawn struck gilded armor as one hundred members of the Scarlet Guard and four thousand knights of the White Guard rode from Issaly. At their lead was the Matriarch in armor of gold and silver with joints of black leather. A white cape trimmed in crimson fluttered behind her. On her head she wore a conical helm with a tuft of crimson feathers jutting out from the top. A crossbar came down over the bridge of her nose. In one hand she held the Prime Matrix, a crystal sword which had belonged to Seshalla. Strapped to the arm that grasped her mount’s reins was a shield bearing the emblem of a bleeding rose on a plain field. She had left the Spear of Endless Dawn behind. Not even she could wield it.

Just behind and to either side rode Ilsimia and Llia in resplendent armor, given to them by the Matriarch, along with cloaks of gold. Behind them rode the Captains of the White Guard and the Scarlet Guard. 

They rode out through the city’s northern gate, encouraged by the roar of thousands on the streets, who threw flowers and cheered for their Matriarch. It was said she was going into battle against Breskaro to prove Seshalla’s might over any evil. They did not yet know that Harmulkot had returned, anymore than they knew Breskaro was not a corpse possessed by an evil spirit. And it had not yet occurred to any of them that if the Matriarch were needed in battle, the situation might be dire indeed.

“And so we go,” the Matriarch said to Ilsimia as they exited the gates. “Remember this day. Such a day has not been seen in centuries. It may never be seen again.”

Chapter 47

The Issalian Army advanced toward Kerokar Pass. General Togisi, Colonel Threnna, and the other commanders gathered at the front of the cavalry, along with twelve priestesses arrayed for battle and led by High Priestess Blasidia. Directly behind them, in the vanguard, rode the First Lancers. Behind them rode the rest of the Issalian knights, starting with Threnna’s new command, the Second Lancers. In front of the army’s leaders and columns of knights marched the mass of Issalian regulars, archers and infantry, save for three reserve units guarding the supply train. In front of the regulars marched three columns of volunteer troops: impoverished rural knights without commission and peasant infantry.

“The scouts report that the pass is open,” General Togisi declared, “though Colonel Threnna and I feel there must be a trap of some sort. Therefore, I have decided to let the rabble lead. They are expendable.”

“General Togisi!” said Kedimius. “Those men are
not
expendable.”

“If there
is
a trap, Colonel Threnna, would you rather have more useful troops perish?”

“If we believe the pass to be dangerous, perhaps we should ask for volunteers willing to go first. It would be an honor for me to lead the Second Lancers in, and if a trap presents itself, we will deal with it.”

“There is no honor to be won here, only victory. These fools ahead of us are as much a liability as they are an asset. You were at the fall of Brekka, Colonel Threnna. You have seen the chaos they unleash.”

“Their hearts have led them here to serve Seshalla.”

“Just as many have come for rapine and plunder,” said High Priestess Blasidia.

“It is not
fair
to misuse them so,” said Kedimius. “There are good men among the wicked, and even many who will do wrong in the siege have come here with good intentions.”

“What would you have me do, Threnna, risk my best men? That is foolishness. High Priestess Blasidia and I will go and tell them that because they have volunteered to join us that they are being given a position of honor to lead the way in. They will go forth knowing they are blessed and held high in esteem by us all, and by the Goddess.”

The other military men nodded their approval.

“But you
don’t
hold them in high regard!” Kedimius argued. “I know they are the most expendable, strategically speaking, but I still feel that this isn’t right. We used to ask for volunteers for such tasks, so that men could choose their honor. At Giliran we went among the troops and those who wished to lead volunteered, and we had to turn away men because so many were eager. Then Breskaro led...” Kedimius trailed off from the look in Togisi’s eyes.

“Colonel Threnna,” said Blasidia. “This is a good plan. If the scouting reports are correct, the volunteers will march through safely, and if something goes wrong and they should all perish in some foul plot, then they will go into death with the blessings of the Goddess.”

Kedimius looked at the people who surrounded him and his shoulders sank. He shook his head. “Fine. But if the volunteers are going first, then I shall lead them. Colonel Huro can take over my command while I lead them through.”

“This is foolishness,” said General Togisi, “but if it will satisfy your sense of duty, then so be it.”

Togisi dismissed them all except Kedimius. 

“And what if something does happen?” Togisi asked, coldly.

“If we are attacked, we are attacked. I will go down fighting in what I believe in.”

“Very well, Threnna, but do
not
stand up to me like that
again
. You weakened my leadership and authority. Do so again and I’ll strip you of your command, regardless of who appointed you.”

~~~

Breskaro, Aleui and Harmulkot, Whum, Larekal, and Esha waited at the the tunnel’s end, where it could open into Kerokar Pass. As soon as their scouts reported that the Issalians had broken camp and were on the march, Breskaro led this team and his mounted Valiants down through the passageways. The Valiants behind them waited silently, unmoving. The mounts were strangely calm as well. The mechanical beast waited with them, steam puffing out from his nostrils. 

Harmulkot ghosted up and only a hand’s width out from the rock wall, so that it would be almost impossible for anyone to notice her. She returned. “They are sending their volunteer army in first. I’d guess about ten thousand of them.”

“Cowardly but easier for us,” replied Breskaro. “We’ll allow five thousand to get through the pass. Then we spring the trap.”

Harmulkot returned outside to watch. 

“Not the way you would do it?” asked Whum.

“No,” said Breskaro. “When I made the tactical decisions, we sent our best troops or asked for volunteers in such situations. It was a position of honor. But Magnos was never keen on sending the best first unless there was a clear advantage in doing so.”

Harmulkot zoomed in and merged with Aleui. She pressed one of the hidden triggers and chanted. There was a groaning noise. Then nothing. She tried again. More clicks and clacks. Nothing.

“Too many will be getting through,” said Breskaro. “Our forces on the other side need as much advantage as possible. I don’t want to lose any men unnecessarily.”

“I warned you this might not work,” Harmulkot replied. 

Esha ran over and pressed the switch. Nothing happened.

“Try harder,” Harmulkot told her. “Think of how much you want to succeed. Think of Mokelmot, my brother. He was a kind but naive soul, a little mad and always obsessed with his creations. Think of the metal beast he made. The one you tamed. He would have liked you. Think on that.”

Esha thought hard and then said, “
Please
, Lord Mokelmot, allow these machines to work. Please do this for me. I beg you.” She pressed the switch again and the ancient mechanisms flared to life. Tremendous booms and bangs, clanks and tearing noises erupted from the mountainside.

~~~

With a long face and his eyes darkened by lack of sleep, Kedimius rode at the head of the volunteers. These men had been well motivated by the speeches of Blasidia and Togisi. And to have Kedimius, a renowned knight, choose to lead them bolstered their confidence further. 

It took half an hour to cross the narrow pass on horseback. Kedimius was the first to the other side. He rode out a few hundred yards, glanced around, saw nothing amiss, and rode back to encourage those who were starting to file through the end. 

A thousand had crossed when he snapped to attention. 

Something’s wrong here. Something’s changed.

He rode a hundred paces back inside the pass and spoke to those moving through. They were calm. No one had seen anything wrong.

Then, amidst the jingling of weapons, the echoing tread of feet, the creak of a few essential supply wagons, and the voices of the volunteers chatting, came an odd clanking sound. Then another. And a third that was like the grinding of gears in a mill. 

He turned to one of the men. “Did you hear that?”

“Yes, sir.”

A few men had noticed and glanced around but they didn’t seem alarmed.

“Probably an odd echo,” he muttered to no one. He started to ride back toward the entrance. 

Another round of clanks, creaks, and booms sounded. Then half the mountainside exploded at the southern entrance to Kerokar Pass. 

Kedimius spun his mount around and stared in horror. Before he could further react, the pass exploded on the Mûlkran end as well. 

Two thousand would be cut off outside the pass on the Mûlkran side. Four thousand within. Hundreds would die beneath the collapsing mountainsides.

Gravel and massive boulders tumbled down toward Kedimius. He ducked his head, spurred his horse, and rode in the only direction he could, deeper into the pass. Men screamed. Dust billowed out into the pass until no one could see anything. Pebbles rained all around. A boulder rolled into his mount. The horse fell, throwing Kedimius from the saddle. More rubble fell around him as he blacked out.

Chapter 48

“It is time,” said Harmulkot.

“Esha,” said Breskaro. “Stay with Whum and Larekal. Watch the southern side to see if anyone tries to come over the rubble.”

The debris was piled the height of six men on each side. Going over it would prove difficult, if not impossible since the rocks would shift underfoot. 

As Esha opened the doorway, Aleui and Breskaro cast the
spell of unimpeded sight
on themselves and the Valiants and then the
spell of obscuring mists
. The mists rose through the chaos of the panicked volunteer soldiers. Breskaro’s forces, however, could see through the mist and the dust still swirling through the pass.