In Treachery Forged (The Law of Swords) (48 page)

The dragon looked away. “I believe, Sword Prince Maelgyn, that if I said he was the most powerful Human mage we Dragons have ever even heard of, that would be an understatement.”

“Paljor’s a High Mage,” Uwelain summarized, more to express his own disbelief than to convince Maelgyn. “And his own people don’t even know....”

Maelgyn’s head spun. There was only one way to save the world from whatever menace the Elves of Poros were planning, and that was to save his kingdom. There was only one way to save his kingdom, and that was to bring the Golden Dragons into the war. There was only one way to bring the Golden Dragons into war, and that was to defeat the man known as Paljor. And Paljor was a High Mage. How did one defeat a High Mage?

“Well,” he finally said. “I suppose we’ve got our work cut out for us, don’t we?”

Chapter 28

“I suppose I’ll accept that explanation,” Euleilla said, privately amused at how much her husband cowered. Truthfully, she wasn’t too upset with him – she realized, when she joined Sir Leno’s expedition, that she’d probably lost her place in the Dragon negotiating team – but she wanted to make him squirm nonetheless. It was best to keep him on his toes. Besides, while she suspected the explanation he gave about Sekhar’s child needing protection from the heat was true enough, she questioned whether he’d actually thought about it
before
he left… or after.

“From now on,” Maelgyn continued, “I will not leave your side. But I expect you to make the same commitment to me, as well. Otherwise, love, I might be a trifle upset with you, too.”

“Don’t worry, husband,” Euleilla answered him. “I went on that mission only because I believed it was the only way it would be successful. I was somewhat disappointed with my role in that last mission, and it wasn’t successful at all. From now on, I will stay by your side.”

“What?” Maelgyn said, sounding suspicious. “What role did you think you’d have?”

Euleilla hesitated. She didn’t want to get Sir Leno and the others in trouble, but she supposed she would have to tell her husband why she really went on that mission, now. “I had been recruited to volunteer for the mission by Sir Leno and Wangdu. I was told that if I went along, there was a chance that the Borden Island Council would overthrow King Paljor on its own without needing to involve you at all. We hoped that if I met with the council, they would accept the marriage of a commoner to Sviedan royalty as evidence that Sviedan customs were indeed changing. However, I never had a chance to meet with the council, so we have no idea of knowing if it would have worked or not.”

Maelgyn took a deep breath. “Well... I wish it
had
worked. You haven’t yet heard about what the Dragons told us, have you?”

Euleilla shook her head. “No, what did they say?”

Maelgyn spent the next few minutes relaying everything he had learned from the dragon known as Khumbaya, finishing it up with the explanation of Paljor’s offense. When he was done, Euleilla couldn’t help but be horrified.

“A High Mage, slaughtering an intelligent Dragon because he wants a new piece of armor? That’s... that’s...” she stuttered, unable to find the words.

“Quite worrisome,” Maelgyn understated. “A High Mage with better dragonhide armor than I’ve got... and one we have to kill. I don’t like the sound of this. When it comes to magical combat... well, I know how it’s done in principal, and you tell me I have such a natural talent for it that just might be a match to his, at least in potential... but I’m not ready to face someone of his level, and I’m not sure I will ever be.”

“We do have a few advantages, you know,” Euleilla noted, reaching out to run her hand up and down his arm comfortingly. She knew just how powerful he was, and believed he could meet the challenge. “If Baron Uwelain is correct and we can get the Borden Isles council to join us in overthrowing him, we have a pretty good chance. Even a High Mage can theoretically be overwhelmed... especially when there are two first rates, a second rate, and an Elf massed against him.”

“Even you, me, Leno, and Wangdu couldn’t handle him on our own,” Maelgyn sighed. “He has dragonhide armor – as do I, but my armor can only protect me. Our magic will be ineffective against him because of that armor, but the strength of his magic has been tested even against Dragons.”

“You have Sekhar, as well,” Euleilla noted. “Physical attacks will be our best bet, and I think that he’ll be a good weapon for you.”

“He’s just about the
only
effective weapon I’ve got.”

Euleilla huffed. This wasn’t right – Maelgyn was giving up, and that was more likely to get him hurt or killed than the odds that had been stacked against him. She had to do something to snap him out of it, or else they really wouldn’t have any chance of success.

“Husband,” she growled, magically smacking him to bring him to his senses. “Shut up. You are betraying yourself.”

Maelgyn choked slightly, coughing and sputtering. “What? Why—”

“Do you want to die?” Euleilla asked furiously. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“No! Of course not!” Maelgyn protested.

“Then stop talking like you do!” Euleilla hissed. “The more you talk about how hopeless this is, the more you convince yourself you cannot win. If you are convinced you cannot win, you will not win. The only chance you have disappears if you assume you will lose. You know how vital confidence is in the use of magic.”

“I know,” Maelgyn huffed, clutching his head in his hands. No matter how much magical strength a person actually had, they could only use as much as they believed they could, which meant a crisis of confidence could be fatal in a battle of magic. “I know, but I can’t help it. I don’t see a way to win... and I know if I do not win, I might as well abdicate right now, because Svieda is doomed.”

Euleilla pulled him into her arms. “I’m sorry, husband. I know this must be hard for you, but I cannot allow you to collapse on us. We all need to be at our best if we want to keep even the slim chance we have.”

“I know that, love,” Maelgyn began hoarsely, “I
know
that. I keep telling myself that, as well, but it’s not always easy to act on what you know. I do have one thing to say, however....”

“Yes?” Euleilla said.

He took a deep breath. He knew she wouldn’t like this, and anticipated an explosion. “I think it would be best if I fought him alone. His magic is so strong, and that dragonhide armor will help him so much, that you and Leno will be ineffective... and if I fail, well, Wangdu will be needed to cover any sort of retreat you might make.”

“You are not leaving me behind,” Euleilla snapped.

“No, I’m not,” Maelgyn agreed. “But I’ve got to ask you to do something very hard. If I am killed, I want you to leave me behind – I want you to live, and perhaps make something of yourself. We haven’t been married very long, love, and you’re still young and beautiful. If something happens to me, well....”

“Then I will be right there, and I will fight for you until I’m sure you’re dead. And then I will stay and protect your body, until I, too, am killed,” Euleilla firmly announced.

“But—”

“No, Maelgyn,” she answered. She couldn’t solve his confidence problem herself, but maybe she could motivate him to do it himself. “I need you to realize this. If you insist, I will allow you to fight him alone, but I’m not allowing you to die alone. I will die with you, fighting to avenge you. If you won’t fight to win, fight to survive... because if you don’t survive, then it’s unlikely I will, either.”

Maelgyn felt his stomach drop. She was serious, and he knew it, but he had to talk her out of it. “If I fall, someone will have to lead Sopan....”

“That someone won’t be me, and you know it,” Euleilla sighed. “I am still just Princess Consort, you know. If you die before I have your children, I’m as good as a commoner again, save I’m more of a public spectacle. Lord Valfarn and his family will take over as regent, again, until the throne is secure and the line of succession is re-assessed.”

Maelgyn cocked his head. “I’d forgotten about that. If we live through this, remind me to get Wybert to invest you – in the absence of a Sword King, a second Sword Prince should have the power to invest you as a full Princess.” He paused. “I guess there’s no way to convince you to change your mind, is there?”

She grinned cheekily at him. “No.”

“And if I don’t beat him myself, you’ll really challenge him?” Maelgyn continued in wonder.

“Yep,” she answered again, still smiling with a touch of humor but turning serious. While she’d said it to motivate him, she had suddenly realized she would really do it – if he fell, she would stand over Maelgyn until the one who killed him was dead, or she was.

“And if I tried to stop you?” he asked, the fear for her making his voice crack.

“Can’t,” she replied, shaking her head. She knew it hurt him to take her along, but she knew he wouldn’t fight as well without her around. She would be his motivation to stay alive in the coming battle, and there was nothing he nor anyone else could do to stop her from being there.

He paused for a very long time. “Could I at least get you to talk with me like you have been these past few weeks, in complete sentences, rather than just the one-word replies from when I first met you? I think it’s cute when you do that, but I want to hear your voice as much as possible until we fight this battle, because if this is my last stand I want to be able to remember it.”

Euleilla’s heart almost broke at that. “Oh, Maelgyn,” she whispered, pulling herself up to him tightly. “I’m sorry, I was just—”

“Your highness!” the sailor Euleilla recognized as Mogs, from her trip ashore, called, unexpectedly bursting into their makeshift ship’s quarters. The couple broke apart, although their arms remained entangled. “He’s back! He... oh, excuse me, your highness. Your ladyship.”

Well,
Maelgyn thought.
At least he has the decency to be embarrassed.

“Never mind,” he said aloud. “Just explain what it is you came here for, and be quick about it!”

“He’s returned, your highness!” Mogs exclaimed enthusiastically, forgetting his earlier faux pas. “He’s alive after all! He made it!”

“Calm down!” Maelgyn snapped. He wasn’t particularly happy about being interrupted – although Euleilla seemed to be taking it fairly well, considering – but the seaman’s babbling was just getting on his nerves. “Who’s returned? From where?”

Euleilla answered for him, now that she had regained her composure enough to extend her senses. “Forge. The sailor we thought we’d lost during my expedition – it seems he survived after all. He doesn’t appear to be in very good health, though, from what I can feel of him. He has several broken bones, and some flesh wounds which have gotten infected. He’ll need immediate medical treatment. Your friend will live, however, Mogs.”

Mogs stared in awe at her. “Milady, I knew you had magical gifts beyond what even most mages could boast, but can you really tell all of that from down here?”

She smiled at the new arrival blandly. Maelgyn wanted her to speak more, it was true, but she could hardly give away all her secrets, could she? “Yes,” was the only word of explanation she offered.

Maelgyn laughed. “I suppose I’ll forgive you for just the one word that time, love,” he said, squeezing her shoulder with the arm still around her. He had almost been able to read her mind on that particular piece of internal dialog, and it made it all the more amusing to confuse the annoying, moment-interrupting sailor by forgiving her like that. Still, he needed to actually take a look at this “Forge.” There was a chance he had news. “Lead us to him, Mr. Mogs.”

Forge was drinking a cup of Mo’kah tea when Maelgyn and Euleilla arrived, followed by an enthusiastic Mogs. Dr. Wodtke was standing by his bed, accompanied by El’Athras, Uwelain, and a frowning Wangdu. Even Ruznak had made his way down to the surgeon’s table to examine the wounded man.

“Your Highness!” Forge exclaimed, startled to see the Sword Prince approaching his sick bed. “I wasn’t expecting you to come see me.”

Maelgyn grimaced slightly. “Well, I need to know a few things. Like where you’ve been, and how you came back.”

Forge nodded slowly. “I suppose my disappearance was a bit suspicious, wasn’t it?” he asked resentfully. “It doesn’t matter that I hauled myself here despite cracked ribs, a broken kneecap, a torn muscle in my leg, a—”

“We are quite glad to see you, Forge,” Maelgyn interrupted. “But your disappearance was a bit suspicious. I’d like to trust that you haven’t betrayed us, but I would also like to hear your story – it might not be that you have knowingly done anything wrong, but you were allowed to make it here for some reason or another.”

“You think I didn’t realize that was a possibility?” Forge asked, hurt. “Look, they beat me and captured me when we blundered into that stupid trap. I was taken to a castle I think was once Borden City – I was told it was ‘Castle Paljor,’ but I don’t remember anything by that name on our maps.”

“Then how did you escape?” Uwelain asked. “It’s said that no-one who enters Castle Paljor ever gets out... unless King Paljor
wants
you to get out.”

“He probably did,” Forge admitted. “It’s not like I was even questioned after my capture. Nor were there any guards around my cell. The iron door that was ‘locked shut’ just sort of fell open when I leaned against it.” He paused. “They must think I am a complete idiot to not realize they were letting me go, and there would have to be a reason for them to do so.”