Children of Prophecy (31 page)

She saw Shel’nart step forward almost before she’d finished speaking. “The King’s Fifth ride with the Princess,” he stated loudly, for all to hear.

Another Kings-Colonel stepped forward. “As does the Fourth,” he said, joining with his comrade.

“And the Twelfth!” a third voice shouted.

“The White Magi will not,” a cold voice said, cutting off the surge of volunteers. Every eye, including Brea’s, turned to see the Lady of Life standing at the table. “I refuse to allow this
child
, who is not even a Mage, to lead the Order to its destruction!”

“Then you are a fool,” the Eldest softly. “I will not allow you to destroy the Kingdom. You are relieved of your authority.”

The crowd stared at the old woman in shock. The authority to relieve the Lady of Life of her control over the Order rested in the Eldest’s hands – but it had
never
been done.

“The White Magi
will
ride with you,” the Eldest continued. “It is fitting that we should follow the
shek’sali.
The Wolf Lady.”

Brea looked at the Eldest in shock. “I am not yet a Mage,” she protested.

The Eldest looked over at the other members of the Council of Life Magi – no longer including the former Lady, who had slumped back into her seat in shock – and they nodded.

“That can be changed,” the Eldest told her. Silence reigned throughout the room as the Eldest stood and walked over to Brea. “Kneel, child.”

Brea knelt. “Recite the oath,” the old Mage ordered.

“I swear to stand between the innocent and destruction,” Brea recited wonderingly, “between Order and Chaos, between innocence and war. I swear I shall not wield life for my own gain. I swear to serve and aid those who cannot aid themselves. I swear to be the strength for those who are weak, the Life for those who are dying. I swear to be the order in the chaos. I am the growth; I am the beginning. I am Life.” The formal words rolled off Brea’s tongue without slowing.

The Eldest nodded. “You have chosen the path of your oaths and duty, over all else,” the old Mage told her. “You have proven your responsibility, your courage, and your heart. You are accepted as a Life Mage of the Order. Rise.”

Brea stood, and faced the Council table once more. “Who rides with me?” she asked again, softly.

Kelt’ahrn stood. “I will not see you ride into battle alone, daughter of mine,” he said finally. “Every lance, every sword, every knight that can be spared will ride with you, to Drago Pass and either our destruction… or the salvation of our people.”

The Eldest stepped forward. “The White Magi ride with the Wolf Lady,” she affirmed again. “To our destruction or Vishni’s salvation – or, perhaps, to both.”

The Council slowly dispersed, each leader heading off to gather their followers for the battle to come. Brea’ahrn remained, wavering between shock, fear and exultation. She’d succeeded. What happened now? She wasn’t quite sure.

Footsteps brought her out of her reverie, and she looked up to see the Eldest approach. “Come, Lady Brea’ahrn,” the old Mage said, “We have much to do to prepare for this road you have set our feet upon.”

Brea looked at the old woman. “Did I do the right thing?” she asked softly. “I am… unsure.”

The Eldest smiled at her. “Yes, my child,” she told the Princess. “You did
exactly
the right thing. Now we must prepare to ride.”

Brea followed the Eldest out of the Hall, lost in her thoughts. Then she saw something that stopped her in her tracks. The Eldest looked back at her. “What is it?” she asked.

“I’ll rejoin in a moment, Eldest,” Brea said, then walked over to where the former Lady stood. “Greetings, Mage,” she said softly to the older woman, realizing that she did not even know the older Mage’s name.

The former Lady looked at her with daggers in her eyes. “Have you come to gloat in my destruction?” she demanded.

“No,” Brea said, horrified at the thought.

“Well, I hope you’ll still be so proud of yourself in a week,” the older Mage snarled, “after your insane crusade has destroyed the Order and left the heart of Vishnean chivalry dead upon the field,” the Mage spat.

“It will depend on whether we win the battle,” Brea said softly.

“You will destroy the Order, fool child,” the older woman predicted. “What gain could possibly be worth that loss?”

“The survival of our people,” Brea replied. “Don’t you understand that? The Magi exist
for
Vishni, not the Kingdom for the Magi. Our duty is to serve and
protect
, not allow the Kingdom and its people to be destroyed to save ourselves.”

“The Magi will not survive this battle, child. What is Vishni without us?” the former Lady demanded.

“It is Vishni,” Brea replied softly. “It is what we fought for.” She paused. “Ride with us. We could use your skill and power.”

“No,” the Mage snapped flatly. “Someone must remain to rebuild what you will destroy.”

Brea nodded sadly. “Very well,” she said. “May the Gods protect and keep you.”

“May they keep your foolishness from the undoing of us all,” the older Mage returned, turning even the polite formulas into insults.

Brea rejoined the Eldest confused. “How can she be so blind to what seems so obvious?” she asked.

“Els’nit has… blinkers is the best word, I guess,” replied the Eldest. “For ten years, it has been her duty to preserve the Life Magi. Unfortunately, it seems she has come to believe that only Life Magi are worth preserving, and that that preservation is the only duty worth performing.”

Brea nodded slowly. “I tried to convince her to ride with us,” she admitted.

“She won’t,” the Eldest said quietly. “To ride with us would be to admit that she is wrong. She is incapable of doing so. It is an occasionally useful trait in a leader, but is dangerous in a politician.” The Eldest shrugged. “However, I have little time to worry over Els right now. Come. I am not going to let you get away with not helping us organize this trip you’ve sent us all on.” The Eldest gave Brea a surprisingly young-looking grin.

Brea returned it. “I thought getting you all out of your chairs and on the road was enough work for one day,” she replied.

The Eldest shook a finger at her. “Far from it child,” she told the new Mage. “We have much to do if we are to leave in time to do Tal any good at all.”

That thought stripped any humor from Brea’s mood, and she nodded grimly. “Yes. Lead the way.”

Brea led her horse out of the city into the morning sunlight, reflected off the armor and weapons of ten thousand armored knights. She gazed out on the massive host her call to arms had mustered and was torn between pride and fear. Pride that these thousands had answered her call, and rode willingly to fight for their people. Fear, that coming to her call would lead them all to their deaths.

As she rode out into the host, she began to realize just how hard it was going to be to find a specific group of people among ten thousand knights and two thousand Magi. Just as she was wondering if she should resort to scrying, she heard a voice shout her name.

She turned to find Shel’nart riding towards her, a party of lancers riding with him. “Lady Brea’ahrn,” he said, pulling up his horse. “It is a pleasure to see you this fine morning.”

Brea inclined her head to the man. “Likewise, Colonel,” she greeted him.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Shel asked, with a sweeping gesture that indicated the host around them.

Brea nodded. “Very impressive. Too impressive, almost,” she admitted. “I was wondering if I could borrow a guide to my father?”

“Of course,” Shel said immediately. “I need to finish my circuit, but…” he motioned the captain with him over to them. “Captain, take ten of your men and escort the Wolf Lady to the command group.”

The captain saluted noisily. “Yes, sir!” he replied. Gesturing for some of his men to follow him, he rode over to Brea. “If you will follow me, milady,” he said, bowing in the saddle.

Shel grinned at Brea. “He’ll get you there, no worries,” he told her. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some sloppy soldiers to terrorize.”

As Shel rode off, Brea turned back to the captain. “Lead the way, Kings-Captain.”

Her father and the Eldest were waiting for her. The leaders of the various contingents of the army and of the Mage force were gathered as well. The Eldest saw her approach first, and gestured her forward.

“You are well come, Brea of the House of Ahrn,” the old woman said. “All is in readiness.”

Kelt’ahrn nodded. “We have mustered every soldier that can be spared,” he told them. “We are ready to move.”

Brea looked at them. “Why are you telling me this?” she asked. “You are in command.”

“Actually, no,” the Eldest told her. “
You
are, Wolf Lady. As the Black Lord’s betrothed and deputy, we have come to your call and await your command.”

Brea paused for a moment, more than slightly stunned.

“Who else can command both the Life Magi and the armies of Vishni?” Kelt’ahrn asked. “You are my daughter, and you are
his
lady. By blood, by betrothal and by necessity, this authority is yours and yours alone. The Army awaits your command, Wolf Lady.”

Brea turned in the saddle, looking out over the vast sea of humanity and horseflesh that waited, ready to ride. “Everything rests on us,” she said softly. “If we fail…”

“We know, daughter,” Kelt’ahrn replied, equally softly. “We won’t.”

Brea’ahrn, Life Mage, Wolf Lady, Princess of the Kingdom of Vishni and betrothed of the Black Lord, nodded. “No. We won’t,” she said firmly. “For Vishni and for the Gods, let us ride!”

Kelt’ahrn waved his hand, and messengers leapt onto horses and rode out. The King inclined his head to his daughter. “By the Wolf Lady’s command, let us ride.”

Brea had not realized how much
noise
twelve thousand horsemen made until then. Within an hour of her giving the order, the entirety of the Host had taken up a full gallop to the northwest. The noise was louder than any thunderstorm she’d ever heard.

She’d wondered how the Host would ever manage to arrive at Drago Pass in time, but she discovered that quite quickly. She and the Eldest found themselves busy revitalizing the horses of the command group, keeping the brave steeds from faltering or floundering.

Two thousand Magi each kept six horses alive as the Host rode at a pace that should have killed the beasts. In the first day, the Host covered forty miles, twice what they would have covered riding normally, half again what the Battlemagi would have made.

At the end of that day, even Brea was exhausted and collapsed gladly into her sleeping furs. Even at this rate, it would take four more days to reach the pass. Tal had left four days before them, and had only barely hoped to beat the Swarm to the Pass.

It would take everything the Host’s Magi had to get there in time.

Each day of the ride was almost identical. Brea pulled herself from her tent, something that grew harder each morning, and then, as soldiers took down her tent behind her, linked her magic to her horse and the others she was responsible for.

Then, once the Host was mounted, they would ride into the dawning light. They’d keep riding, at a speed that would have killed the horses without the Magi, until it became too dark to see. Once the Host stopped, Brea and the rest of the Life Magi would simply collapse.

On the night before the last day, a messenger calling her to a meeting awoke Brea. She wrapped her furs tightly around herself and followed the soldier into the night. A small group of soldiers and Magi waited for her.

She inclined her head to her father and the Eldest. A bone-deep weariness prevented her from doing anything more.

“My liege, the Life Magi can do no more,” the Eldest said. “We’ve pushed ourselves to our limits. If we are to be of any use tomorrow, we must all ride without the Magi’s aid.”

“Of course,” Kelt agreed quickly. “We will need you once battle is joined.” A dark cloud cut across the moon, blotting out the light. “Where is the Swarm?”

Brea concentrated for a moment, trying to remember the scrying she’d done earlier. “They’re encamped on the wastes before the Pass,” she told her father. “They will enter it tomorrow.”

“So we are in time,” Shel’nart said from behind her.

Kelt’ahrn shook his head. “That depends,” he said quietly. “Depends on whether or not Tal’raen is still alive for us to aid.”

Brea looked into the night to the west, where Drago Pass waited. “He will be,” she said firmly. “Trust me.”

She didn’t miss the look that passed between the Eldest and her father. “He is powerful indeed. Nonetheless, we can only hope and pray,” the Eldest said softly.

“Hope, pray, and slaughter the poor Swarmbeasts who get in our way,” Kelt’ahrn said, his statement met with a series of growls from the Kingsmen commanders gathered around.