Into The Ruins (56 page)

“So you’ve come back,” said a voice he recognized behind him.

Rigo turned and watched as Mitty strolled confidently into the hallway from the room where the Queen lived.  She did not appear at all intimidated by his display of power.

“I wondered if we would see you again.”  She looked at Jeen as if evaluating a rival, and then to Daria and Kaler who stood with weapons drawn a short distance away.

Rigo saw the Queen step into the hallway behind her, followed by Kall with his own sword drawn, ready to defend the Queen with his life if need be.  Rigo thought well of the man for his actions.  He had to know if his guards had fallen so easily, there would be little he could do if it came to an altercation.  He could see uncertainty in the Queen’s eyes as she evaluated him in a different light than before.  He could tell she was fully aware he now controlled immense power, whereas before he’d been helpless against her guards.

“Please come in,” she said after a moment’s pause.  “You must be here to talk.”

The foursome followed the Queen, Kall and Mitty into the room.  Rigo could tell that this area hadn’t been blocked, and after establishing that no one else was inside, he nodded to Jeen, who quickly made a
Bypass
and went for Burke and Tara.  Moments later they all reappeared

The Queen examined the newcomers.  “I’ve never seen any of you before.  Where are those who were with you before?”

“They are back home,” Rigo replied.

“And these are more like you?” she asked.  Kall and Mitty watched and listened from a few steps behind her.  Kall still had his sword, but it hung loosely by his side.

Rigo nodded.  He didn’t think this was the time to explain that Kaler and Daria lacked the gift.

She smiled sadly.  “So you lied to me after all.  I had thought myself a better judge of character.”  Rigo could tell she was nervous, but she was still the Queen and wasn’t going to be cowed by their obvious control.

“I didn’t lie to you,” Rigo objected.

“You said that no one from your homeland would be able to come here, and that you couldn’t go back.  Obviously those claims were both untrue.  I’d call that lying.”

Rigo nodded as acceptance of her claim.  “Something happened that I would have thought impossible.  The means of opening the Wastelands was rediscovered, and their arrival made possible.  It also made it possible for me to return home.”

“The specifics of your departure has made matters difficult.  You killed a great many guardsmen and Casters.  Carif has made quite an issue of the danger your land represents to Sedfair.”

“The level of violence was dictated by the Guild.  They attempted to prevent our departure, and would have killed us had they had the chance.  There was no other choice.”

“And so you escaped.  Why are you back?  Are there a great many of you and are you planning to invade my country?  Was Carif right after all?”

“It was you who attacked us,” Rigo replied angrily.  “Your Casters came and destroyed the barrier that has long protected the Three Kingdoms from the Hoplani, the Chulls, as you refer to them.”

Queen Rosul wasn’t prepared for the surprising accusation, nor for the venom in Rigo’s statement.  It took her a moment to realize the implications.

“You must be mistaken,” she said lamely.  “I have told you we have no means of crossing the Wastelands.  That was why we were so surprised at your unexpected appearance before.”

“We believe that during our escape we lost one of the special talismans that allow us to make the crossing.  It is likely it fell into the hands of your Guild leader, and using this and the memories of my friend whom they killed when I was incarcerated here, made the crossing and launched an attack.”

“I know nothing of this,” she stammered.  “If true, that is an act of war.  She had no right to take such action.”

Rigo had been watching the Queen closely as she spoke.  He could detect no sign of deceit.  His eyes found Mitty’s, which were wide with surprise and shock.  Rigo looked at Jeen and explained what had been said.  She shook her head.  She didn’t believe they were lying either.  Even though she was unable to understand the language, the body language had been quite obvious.

“You didn’t know?” Rigo asked, his voice calmer and less accusing now.

“Nothing,” Rosul said obviously shaken.  She walked over and sat into a large chair.  “What is the consequence of the loss of these towers of yours.  I recall you mentioned them, but we never pursued the matter very far.”

“Tens of thousands of the Chulls are marching westward toward the Three Kingdoms.  It is likely that thousands of people will die as a result. There are too many and they are too widely scattered to be able to stop them all before they can destroy any number of villages.  It is unknown what will be required to rebuild the damaged towers and reestablish the barrier.  It could take years, during which time the Chulls will have free access to the Kingdoms.  The death toll could be very large.”

“This is unconscionable,” Rosul said softly.  “Does that mean you have declared war upon Sedfair.  Is that why you are here?”

“We came to understand if this was truly an act of war or the actions of a single entity,” Jeen said, speaking for the first time.  Once again Rigo had to translate her words.  “I am an official emissary selected by the leaders of the Three Kingdoms to investigated if a diplomatic solution with Sedfair seems feasible.  It appears the rightful rulers were not a party to this attack.  That means there is a chance for some kind of agreement, but this Guild and its leaders will need to be held accountable.”

“That will not be so easy,” Queen Rosul said.  “They hold power similar to your own, and if it comes to a confrontation, we have no means to constrain them.”

“We have the ability to deal with them,” Rigo said.

“They will know you are here,” Mitty said.  “As you haven’t brought a large force, you will be badly outnumbered.”

“How can they know we are here?” Rigo asked.

“There has been a lot of talk about you, especially since you left.  It is said you don’t know or don’t bother to hide your
Doorways
.  They can sense the arrival, they monitor all
Doorways
in Nals, and can tell from where they originate.  If you came from the Wastelands, they will know.  Also, they can tell approximately how many passed through.  They will know you are few in number.”

Rigo explained to the others what Mitty had just told him. 

“Are they likely to attack here in the castle?” Rigo asked.  “I would have guessed not,” Rosul said, “but given what you have told me, I cannot say for certain.  Politically it would be unwise, but who knows what Carif might do.”

Rigo turned to Tara.  “Go back to the Outpost.  Have Nycoh send the additional force.  We might need the strength to prevent being taken.”

Tara made a
Bypass
and quickly disappeared after a meaningful look at Burke.

“We are going to need to discuss how to proceed,” Rigo said.

“I have people who might be able to help,” Queen Rosul explained.

“Lyes,” Rigo said, looking at Mitty.

“Him, and others,” Rosul agreed.  “He has spent years inside the Guild’s University and will have information that will be helpful.  He might also be able to show you how to mask your
Doorways
.  He has that ability.”

“How do we join up with this Lyes?” Rigo asked.  He had met the young man before and wanted to check out his inherent abilities more closely now that he could do so freely.  He also wanted to know if the Queen had more like him stashed away.  If she was willing to reveal their existence, that said a great deal about her willingness to cooperate with them.

“It will be tricky,” Queen Rosul said.  “They are many days travel away from here using conventional means, and if you make a
Doorway
to where they are, Carif will know where you went.  That would expose a place I’d rather keep secret.”

“I can take him out of town,” Mitty offered.  “We can get far enough away the
Doorway
won’t be detected.”

“That would work,” Kall agreed.  “A half day’s ride should be sufficient.”

“Why not simply jump back to the Ruins, and then to where you want to go?” Kaler asked, after Rigo explained to the others what was being suggested.  “I don’t like the idea of us being split up.  We are too small a force as it is.”

“Theoretically they could follow our jump into the Ruins, and then to wherever we went,” Jeen explained.  “We need to be able to make the
Bypass
without them being aware we did so.”

A convoluted conversation ensued as the group considered their options, with Rigo caught in the middle as the translator, being the only one who understood both languages.

Daria was the first to hear the shouts and clang of steel upon steel.  “There’s fighting in the hallway,” she warned, withdrawing a pair of knives from her special vest.

The others could hear the fighting as well.  “Would Carif attack the castle?” Rigo asked Mitty.

“Not openly,” Mitty replied, her eyes wide at the sounds coming from the far side of the door.  “An attack from the outside would be too public and bring attention to the division between the Crown and the Guild.  But inside, where it wouldn’t be obvious, she might.”

“We’ve been foolish,” Jeen said, suddenly seeing the ploy.  “They are aware we are here just as the Queen said, and they are talking advantage of the situation.  They can attack, when the Queen gets killed in the process, part of their plan obviously, it will be the fault of a force from the Three Kingdoms.  The Guild will sadly explain that they attempted to save her, but were unable to do so.”

Alone in her office, Carif was attempting to decide the most expedient way to move forward.  The last week had seen an unusually large number of changes, and many required her personal approval for any meaningful action to occur.  The names of the candidates wishing to be the next Queen were now formally released.  The five candidates were currently being escorted around Sedfair by a pair of the Guild’s Senior Casters, where they were making their individual pitches to the leaders of the major villages.  It was all very proper, and meant nothing at all.  The winner was already selected.  It was simply a matter of going through the formal process to have the votes cast and counted.  Carif knew how that would come out.  Another two weeks and she would be rid of the bothersome Rosul.  At least officially.  There remained several issues that would require follow-up.

Carif was still smarting from the humiliation dealt the Guild by the escape of the three outsiders who she had ultimately been responsible for guarding.  The very public defeat of her guardsmen and Casters was equally upsetting.  Fortunately the most significant losses had occurred far from the public eye, so few were aware just how many people had been lost in the escape.  She still couldn’t believe that so few had been able to overcome the large numbers that had been sent in pursuit.  It was also worrisome not knowing exactly what had happened to those that had disappeared.  At least she had been able to use the violent escape against the reigning Queen, which had kept the woman quiet for the moment.

Sedfair had a large number of Casters risen to the staff.  Nearly eight hundred at the last accounting.  Of course, many of those were village Casters or those assigned to the Army.  Far fewer were Senior Casters capable of exchanging magic with the trained wizards from the west.  Since Nals was the nations capital and the location of the Guild and the associated University for Magic, an unusually large number of Seniors Casters were always located here.  Carif has been even more fortunate that the Queen’s constant pressure to have a force on hand in Nals against Baldari attacks around the country had provided a large base to draw from when the escape had taken place.  After that, as her own plans against the west and concerns about retaliation developed, she’d drawn even more of the experienced Casters away from their assignments around Sedfair so they would be available at short notice.

Carif fingered the amulet that she now wore around her neck.  It had been returned to her after Suline and the two other women had come back from their successful exploration into the Three Kingdoms.  The success of that attempt had been the first bit of good luck associated with this entire affair.  With the return of the three women and their descriptions of what they had found, Carif had chosen a bold course.  She needed to put those in that far away land to the west off balance.  After the successful rescue of their countrymen, Carif could imagine them returning in force to avenge the treatment they had been subjected to.  Given the damage they had shown themselves capable of, Carif wasn’t ready for such an encounter. 

Suline had described in great detail what she had learned about travel within the Wastelands, even with the special amulet.  From what she had learned, it was possible to envision how the outsiders had made their way across the vast desert, discovering the random patches of normal land scattered throughout the Wastelands.  The key to making their way into the Three Kingdoms had been the two oases somewhere near the middle of the vast desert.  Suline had explained how those patches were the only paths known that would allow crossing over.  She also explained how easy it would be to fortify the small oases and thereby prevent their side from using them.  Suline’s bold move of building a
Doorway
into the Wastelands near the oasis and then sneaking in unobserved so she could complete the trip into the Three Kingdoms had shown the woman’s determination.  Unfortunately, the arrangement revealed how easily Sedfair could be cut off.  Carif could imagine a major battle to gain possession of one or both of the two patches of land.

There almost had to be more of the oases.  The explorers from the Three Kingdoms had found many.  Unfortunately the Reading of the woman had revealed no awareness of any others.  That just meant these were the only ones she had visited.  The outsiders who discovered the route had to know of others.  The woman simply hadn’t been part of that group.  At least, that was what Carif believed.

Fearful that the oases would be quickly blocked, Carif had elected to strike.  She reasoned that the strike she had planned would serve several important purposes.  The huge towers that protected the Kingdoms from the Chulls were vulnerable to their magic and she was convinced the system could be made to fail.  That would allow the dangerous creatures to move west causing untold destruction and death.  The wizards would be hard put to deal with the sudden migration of so many of the creatures.  From Suline’s reports and what she had seen from the memories extracted from the Reading, the western lands were under siege by a far greater number than Sedfair had ever been required to deal with. 

With the wizards occupied with trying to contain the attacking creatures and restore their barrier, they hopefully wouldn’t have the resources to bother with Sedfair and the Guild.  The images from the woman named Orna had revealed the approximate strength of the wizard community there.  Sedfair had a greater number of Casters, but they were less capable overall.  Carif had discussed the matter at great length with her remaining Specialists.  What they intended was clearly an act of war, and would result in the deaths of untold numbers of innocents, but it would buy them needed time. 

They had finally decided to send a strong force of Casters.  No guardsmen would make the trip.  Care would be required to be able to sneak past the bottleneck oasis and into the Three Kingdoms.  The larger the number, the more difficult the task would become.  The risks were great, and there was the unsettling chance that the team would be detected and wiped out.  That would have not only cost them more of their most talented Casters, but also the amulet which was their only means of making the crossing.

Carif had wanted Suline to head the group.  Not only had she made the trip and spent more time in the Wastelands than any of their people, but she had frequently demonstrated her resourcefulness.  She was the perfect choice for the mission ahead, even though Carif was somehow uncomfortable with the woman.  That certainly could be dealt with at a later time.  Unfortunately, Suline had suddenly disappeared.  All attempts at locating her failed.  Carif began to wonder if she was one of the traitors within the Guild, perhaps one of those who were loyal to Rosul.  If so, that would mean the Queen was aware of what had happened, and that they had successfully traveled into the Three Kingdoms where their former prisoners had originated.  Carif didn’t want to think what that would mean.

Unable to find Suline, she had tasked another with the mission, directing the two other women, Sali and Shurl, who had traveled with Suline and knew the area, to be guides.  Neither Sali nor Shurl were competent to lead the group, but they had strength and their power would aid in the attacks.  She had also triggered a countrywide alert for Suline.  She’d sent a special team back to her former village along the border to see if she had been seen there.  All to no avail thus far.

The attack against the west had gone smoother than she could have hoped.  The entire network was down, and many of the towers were damaged or destroyed.  She had hoped they could destroy them all before being forced to leave, but her team leader was adamant that it had become necessary to return before that task was completed.  Meanwhile, the Specialists had been busy, and now the entire reserve of staffs had been assigned to new Casters.  Many were not of the skill level of those who normally received the staffs, but the added numbers would increase their strength, and mask the more capable Casters from the enemy.

There remained many other issues to be dealt with.  They still had learned nothing about the whereabouts of the former student Lyes, nor how the Queen had managed to create the blocked areas inside the castle without her awareness.  Carif was convinced the woman was hiding something significant.  Also, she had to replace the guardsmen who had been killed.  It would be difficult to find those who were as dedicated to her on short notice.  Besides the guardsmen, some suggested she should implement additional protection for the Guild itself.  Up to now, threats by those with magic had not been a serious consideration.  Now, they might have to fend off those with powers equal to or greater than their own.  Finally, there were all the lesser matters of changes to official policy she wanted the new Queen to propose as part of her initial acceptance speech.

On the positive side, the Guild had been successful in the creation of additional amulets.  They had six of the copies of the marvelous devices at the moment.  Each had been tested and found to work nearly as well as the original.  Unfortunately the copying process wasn’t as smooth as Carif would have liked.  It was difficult to make the amulets, and only one of their people had mastered the skill of making them.  Currently they were able to make two or three functional units a day.  Even at that slow rate, however, by the time the elections were over and they had a new Queen, one that Carif manipulated as she wished, they would have half a hundred of the devices.  The one problem with the devices was their tendency to fail without warning after a limited number of uses.  The failure was usually benign, with the device simply crumbling, looking much as the staffs they had taken from the outsiders.  Thus far, duplicating the resilient material of the outsider’s amulets had not been possible.  As a result, those with the amulets could potentially become trapped, unable to return if the device failed at the wrong time.  The solution was to ensure more than one of the devices was carried by each team, something that would be possible later, but at the moment they simply didn’t have enough of them.

Carif had dispatched four search teams into the Wastelands, despite the risks of the flawed devices.  They needed their own oasis to expedite travel into the Three Kingdoms.  If an all-out war were to start, they couldn’t rely on being able to use the guarded oasis as they had been doing thus far.  The four teams had consisted of two Casters per team, all who jumped to the same location near the oasis Suline had originally used to make her trip.  Unable to return home without making their way into the enemy occupied oasis, now a more significant task as security was substantially increased, the teams headed into the Wastelands in four directions, hoping to locate another oasis unknown to the westerners.  It was a risky effort.  Carif had not made the true risks known to those who had been sent.  They carried water and food, but unless they found another oasis within a reasonable time, they would perish.  There was no way they could be rescued and no way to make a
Doorway
back without one of the uncorrupted zones.  As yet, none of the four teams had been heard from, but it had only been a couple of days.  Carif still had hopes at least one would be successful.

Carif’s musings were interrupted by an urgent knock at her door.

“It’s open,” she said loudly.  It could only be one of her Specialists here in this building.  The area was off limits to everyone else.  Moments later Rynm appeared.  Carif looked at the fair-haired Specialist expectantly.

“I believe we have visitors again,” she said urgently.

“Outsiders?” Carif asked, quick to take her meaning.

Rynm nodded.  “A
Doorway
exit appeared a short time ago.  It was unmasked, and the origin is from deep in the Wastelands.  I hoped it might be one of the teams returning, but they were directed to use only masked
Doorways
, and they would have come directly here to the Guild, not into the city.”

“Where did they exit?” Carif asked.

“A short distance from the castle.  They must have scouted for a short time, but then they opened a second
Doorway
that took them directly into the Queen’s quarters inside the castle.”

“How many of them are there?”

“A small number.  Perhaps a half dozen.  Not many more.”  The
Doorways
could be monitored to reveal rough estimates of how many passed through.  The results were seldom exact, but lent one an idea what kind of force one was dealing with.

Carif hissed at this news.  She was somewhat surprised that they had come back.  Was their bold transfer directly into the Queen’s quarters a sign they were somehow in league with the Queen, or that they wished to confront her over the attack on the towers?  Carif had never been comfortable with the relationship between the Queen and the three prisoners.  Then she realized it didn’t matter.  This was even better than she could have planned.  The return of the westerners had just handed her an unbelievable opportunity.  She could eliminate a major adversary, and send the Three Kingdoms a message regarding the futility of sending forces into Sedfair.  Handing them another defeat so soon after the towers were destroyed would be especially poignant. 

“Gather a strike force,” she commanded Rynm.  Carif realized once again how fortunate it was that she had a large number of fighting Casters readily available.  Ironically the Queen’s insistence that Carif be prepared to send a large fighting compliment anywhere in Sedfair in the event of Baldari attack would be her own undoing.  It was unfortunate that her force of guardsmen had been seriously weakened by recent events.  They were often useful in areas where magic was prevented, and the revelations that the castle had many such areas elevated the importance of the guardsmen.  “Take as many guardsmen as are readily available and at least a dozen Casters.  More if they can be assembled quickly.  Go to the castle.  Kill or capture as many of the outsiders as possible.  Be sure to check each body for additional amulets.  Since they have crossed the Wastelands, they must have brought at least one to enable their passage.”