Mindbender (14 page)

“General Kishor, you will assemble your three legions to the west of the city and prepare to move north to join the Gate legions as soon as possible. We will send out a call to arms to all provinces of Ithilian. All will be expected to contribute to this struggle. I will stay here and negotiate a settlement with Grafton Province. I am prepared to acknowledge their sovereignty in exchange for the safe and immediate return of Princess Evelyn and assurances that they will not assemble any more than one legion of soldiers.

“The battle on Ruatha will be fierce, but with the aid of Ithilian’s soldiers, Lord Reishi assures me that victory is certain. Once the enemy has been routed from Ruatha, we will consolidate our forces and pour into Fellenden to destroy the invaders from Zuhl and restore security within the mainland of our most important trading partner.”

Abel stopped talking and the table fell dead silent for several moments. Alexander appraised the colors of the men in the room. The wizards and soldiers were all clearly willing to do what they could to stand against the enemy, but the colors of the delegates and the Chancellor reflected schooled rage and indignation.

“Surely you don’t mean to form an alliance with Lord Reishi without the consent of the assembly,” Chancellor Cassius said with a little more rancor than even he wanted to display.

Abel responded with the smooth and easy delivery of one skilled in the art of political infighting. “Cassius, you assured me that you would place your full support behind an alliance with Lord Reishi against our common enemy. Has the assembly rejected your counsel?”

The room again fell silent. Alexander watched the colors of the Chancellor twist and contort as he fought to maintain his composure.

“As I’m sure you well understand, Lord Abel, these things take time. Surely you don’t want to act without giving the voice of the people a full hearing.”

“I’m afraid that this is a matter of war more than one of alliance,” Abel said. “While I fully agree that any formal declaration of alliance should only be made once the people have had a full hearing, the domain of war is mine alone. Swift action is necessary or we will quickly find ourselves surrounded on all sides by conquered lands with nowhere to turn for aid.”

“A few days are all we need for a thorough debate,” Cassius said. “Surely the world will not fall for the delay of a few days.” His tone was now completely in control and he spoke with almost syrupy condescension.

“Time is of the essence,” Abel said. “Our legions will attack the Reishi Army Regency forces on Ruatha in seven days.” He stood to punctuate the end of the meeting. “Mage Jalal, Lord Reishi has requested a private meeting to consult with you on a point of magic. General Kishor, I need to discuss the details of your troop movements.”

Mage Jalal stood and bowed formally to Alexander. “Lord Reishi, I am at your service.”

Some of the delegates were hotly discussing the sudden change in circumstances. They were alarmed at the speed with which events were moving and their apparent lack of input into important decisions. Alexander watched the Chancellor slip out of the room in the commotion of the meeting’s adjournment.

Everyone in the chamber froze when an alarm bell tolled high overhead in one of the towers.

The doors burst open and a squad of palace guards hurried in and made a straight line to King Abel.

“Lord Abel, there’s a dragon!” the squad leader said breathlessly, his face pale white. “It’s landed on the outer battlements.”

“Do not attack!” Alexander commanded. “Take me there at once.”

The squad leader looked to Abel.

He nodded. “Take us there quickly.”

A procession of soldiers and wizards strung out down the hall following Alexander as he ran through the keep with the palace guard. Jataan was a step behind and to the left. When they emerged into the morning breeze, Alexander surveyed the scene. It wasn’t a dragon—it was a wyvern. It had landed on a round corner tower of the outer wall of the family keep. There was a wide pathway along the top of one outer wall that led to the corner tower and then away along another wall. Soldiers were arrayed on both walls facing the wyvern and its dismounted rider.

“Hold!” Alexander called out to the soldiers. They stopped their slow advance and held their positions a good fifty feet from the intruder.

“Jack, Abel, please come with me,” Alexander said. Jataan fell in behind him without a word.

“Stay hidden and stay close, Little One,” he said to Chloe without speaking.

“I am here always, My Love,” Chloe replied within his mind.

Alexander scrutinized the rider, who was standing calmly at the foot of her steed. She looked middle-aged and beautiful, with strawberry-blond hair and an unmistakable air of authority. More than that, her colors radiated power with the same intensity of a mage, yet somehow different.

The cluster of soldiers parted to allow them through. Jataan put a hand on Alexander’s shoulder and brought him to a stop.

“This is unwise, Lord Reishi,” Jataan said. “Her name is Magda. She is the first triumvir of the Reishi Coven. I have had dealings with her in the past. Her power is not to be underestimated.”

“I understand,” Alexander said. “She’s the one who took Isabel and Abigail.” He turned and strode toward her with the confidence of a king.

From somewhere behind him, he heard Jataan say, “There’s another high in the sky.”

Alexander cataloged the piece of information and brought his full focus to bear on the moment. He surveyed his surroundings through his all around sight. Mage Jalal and Mage Lenox had moved to stand with the cluster of soldiers on the wall. Magda stood still and proud, wearing riding leather that made her look more like a soldier than a witch.

Alexander stopped ten feet from her. “You abducted my wife and sister. Return them and I will spare your home.” Alexander felt rage boiling within him. He reminded himself to be ruled by reason but driven by emotion. The old refrain taught to him by his father so many years ago schooled his desire to strike her down and reminded him that battlefields come in all forms.

She surveyed Alexander calmly and then turned to Jataan P’Tal. “Commander P’Tal, it’s good to see you again. You’re looking well.”

“As are you, Mistress Magda,” Jataan said politely. “Lord Reishi has spoken. You would do well to accede to his demands.”

“I must say, Jataan, I was surprised to learn that you have chosen to serve young Alexander here,” she said like an elder speaking about a wayward child.

“Lord Reishi is bonded with the Sovereign Stone,” Jataan said. “His age is of no consequence.”

“Did you help him steal it?” Magda asked.

“No. In fact, I was sent by Phane to kill him the moment he retrieved it from the aether,” Jataan said. “When I witnessed Lord Reishi bond with the Sovereign Stone, I realized I was serving the wrong master and my duty became clear.”

She turned back to Alexander with a little smile. He could see in her colors that she had a certain arrogance about her, no doubt the product of leading a powerful coven of witches and an army of Sky Knights. More importantly, he saw a basic goodness and respect for life tempered by a fierce loyalty to her duty.

Magda then turned to Abel. “You are the King of Ithilian and bearer of the Thinblade.”

“I am,” Abel responded.

“Do you stand with young Alexander?” she asked.

“I do,” Abel said. “I have only known Lord Reishi for a short time, but I have come to think of him as a friend. What’s more, my daughter was recently abducted by forces in league with Phane, so I understand with intimate clarity the pain you’ve caused him by taking his wife and sister. Your tactics are akin to those of Phane.”

“Perhaps, but sometimes the stakes are so high that distasteful things must be done for the good of all,” Magda said.

“Sounds like the rationalization of someone who believes they’re morally superior to other people,” Abel said. “You would do better to obey the Old Law.”

She turned back to Alexander. “Isabel and Abigail think very highly of you,” she said. “They are both formidable women. You should be proud of them.”

“I am. Now bring them back to me,” Alexander said calmly but firmly.

“I give you my word that they are both alive and well,” Magda said. “We’re treating them with appropriate respect and have provided them with comfortable quarters.”

“I know,” Alexander said. “I looked in on them just last night.”

“Impossible,” Magda said with a tinge of ire mixed with worry.

Alexander described their room in detail. He told her where it was within the fortress island, how it was furnished, and commented on the young waifish-looking girl who’d been sharing a meal with them the first time he’d used his clairvoyance to find them.

Magda’s eyes widened a bit and some of the color drained from her face. Her colors showed just a hint of fear. “How can this be? The fortress islands are shielded against magical vision.”

Alexander smiled and tapped the Sovereign Stone glowing softly as it rested against his chest. “I also had a conversation with Dominic Reishi the other night. He was the Second Sovereign, as you may recall. He built the fortress islands, so he had a few very interesting things to say about them. For example, did you know that the holder of the Sovereign Stone has the power to destroy any of the fortress islands on command?”

“That can’t be,” Magda said with rising alarm.

“I have no desire to destroy your home and everyone you know and love,” Alexander said. “But if you harm either Isabel or Abigail, I will.”

“Enough of this! I will not be threatened by a child,” Magda said. “I have come to offer you a trade. Give us the Sovereign Stone so we can ensure that it will never fall into Phane’s hands and we will return Isabel and Abigail unharmed.”

Alexander regarded her calmly in spite of the rage boiling up within his soul. “Your offer is rejected,” he said firmly. “But I have a counterproposal. Join with me in service to the Old Law and help me destroy Phane. Those who stand against him must work together or we will all fall.”

“Surrender the Stone and we will help you against Phane,” Magda said.

“Why do you want the Stone? You have no one who can use it and no way to guarantee that Phane can’t take it from you,” Alexander said. “Could it be that you and yours have stood watch over it for so long that your egos are bruised at having lost it to a child?”

Her face flushed, but Alexander was watching her colors more closely. There was something there in the background of her consciousness that he didn’t quite understand. Then it hit him, and everything made more sense. She was delivering a message that she didn’t fully believe in.

“Isabel is dying,” she said.

Her colors flared with deception. Alexander listened without reacting.

“We tried the magic given to us by Mage Gamaliel and it failed. Perhaps you could find a way to save her if she were returned to you.”

“Don’t lie to me, witch,” Alexander said with an undercurrent of menace in his voice. He spoke calmly but his awareness heightened and sharpened the way it always did when he was in a fight. The stakes of this battle were far more important to him than his own life.

Magda was clearly shocked at his immediate rejection of her lie. She looked at him with a renewed wariness. “There is more to you than we suspected.”

“Isabel has not been given the magic that could save her life,” Alexander said while his eyes glittered with golden rage. “If she dies in your care, I will shatter your home into gravel and scatter it into the ocean. Give her the magic. Save her life, not because I command it, but because you know it’s the right thing to do. Holding her hostage is the kind of tactic I would expect of Phane. Are you no better than he?”

Magda turned to Jataan with a familiar little smile. “I can see why you have chosen to serve him rather than Phane.” She looked down for a moment in thought as if she was fighting a battle within her own psyche. She nodded and looked up.

“Allow me to explain,” she said. “The Reishi Coven and the Sky Knights are ruled by a triumvirate. I am one of three. We act only when there is agreement by two or more triumvirs. I was in favor of exploring an alliance as Isabel suggested. Cassandra and Gabriella, the other triumvirs, were in favor of forcing your hand by using your loved ones as leverage. It’s clear to me now that this course is a mistake. There may be another way, but you will like it even less.”

“I’m listening,” Alexander said.

“The wife of the Reishi Sovereign must be a witch,” Magda said. “Isabel is an impressive woman but she cannot be Lady Reishi. Tradition demands it, but more importantly, there are practical considerations. The Lord Reishi must have a mate who has the power to stand with him in battle. Furthermore, there is the issue of longevity. You have survived the mana fast—you will live nearly two hundred years, more if you survive the mage’s fast. Isabel will die in less than a hundred years.”

Alexander was struck by the inescapable logic of the second part of her reasoning. He dismissed the idea that Isabel couldn’t stand with him in battle because he knew from experience that she could and would. While he was considering the implications of Isabel growing old while he remained relatively young, Magda made her offer.