Sovereign Stone (44 page)

“Wizard Ulick is with the legions making preparations to defend Southport against Kai’Gorn,” the terrified aid answered quickly.

“Good, you will take Master Alabrand to the workshop. Get up,” Alexander commanded. “Kevin, assign a squad of Rangers to provide security for Lucky.”

Kevin motioned to his Second, who quickly gathered a squad of ten men and gave them their orders. They were ready in the hall when Lucky left. He passed the commanders as they were escorted into the room.

General Fabian looked furious. He was a big man with closely cropped salt-and-pepper hair and a well-groomed thick black mustache and goatee. He was accompanied by his aide-de-camp and a subordinate officer. His fury morphed into caution when he saw Alexander. The blood splattered across his chest and face coupled with the glittering rage dancing in his eyes was enough to give anyone pause.

The next to enter was a man of medium height and build with short dirty-blond hair and grey eyes. He was clean shaven and fastidiously dressed in the uniform of Highlands Reach. His eyes were filled with intelligence and looked like they took in every detail. He wore the stern expression of a man who demanded a great deal from himself and from those under his command. He appraised the scene in the room at a glance, briefly noting Alexander’s appearance, before his penetrating gaze settled on Anatoly. A slow smile broke across his face and all his sternness faded away.

“Anatoly Grace, you’re looking well, my old friend,” he said, striding over to the big man-at-arms and extending his hand.

Anatoly smiled warmly for just a moment. “General Talia, it’s good to see you as well, sir. I wish the circumstances were different.” His expression turned serious. “I’d like to introduce Lord Alexander,” he said, gesturing toward Alexander with an open hand.

General Talia bowed formally and precisely. “Lord Alexander, your father led a regiment under my command during the border wars. He’s an excellent commander and an even better man. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Thank you, General,” Alexander said, offering his hand.

General Talia didn’t seem concerned about the blood drying on Alexander’s bare chest and arms. He took his hand and returned a firm grip. Alexander appraised the colors of each of the new arrivals and determined that they were all professional soldiers, long accustomed to ordered and regimented lives. They were ambitious but only within the limits of their chosen profession.

“Gentlemen, we have much to discuss. You no doubt saw the scene of battle and the corpse of the Regent in the hall. I killed Regent Landon because he ordered an assassin to murder me.” He held General Fabian’s eyes for a moment with a hard look.

“It seems the Regent was working for Phane. His assassin failed, but only because my wife threw herself in the path of the poisoned arrow.” Alexander had to school his voice to keep it from breaking. He withdrew into that place in his psyche where the witness lived, where emotion and feeling were distant and less important.

General Talia’s eyes danced with sudden anger. “Lord Alexander, you have my condolences. Assassination is the way of the coward.”

General Fabian looked shocked at the revelation of his regent’s treason. From his colors, Alexander could tell the man had no idea of Landon’s secret alliances. “I was unaware of Regent Landon’s divided loyalties. You have my condolences for your wife’s injury as well, My Lord.”

“Anatoly, please brief them on the situation in Kai’Gorn while I finish getting dressed,” Alexander said.

He spent a few minutes cleaning the blood off himself and putting on his shirt, armor, and tunic. He looked in the mirror and struggled to hold back the tears. Everything seemed so pointless without Isabel. If she died, he knew his drive to win and even his reason for fighting would die with her.

When he emerged from the washroom, Abigail and Jack were sitting with Isabel. She was still unconscious. Abigail gave him a worried shake of her head in response to his questioning look. Anatoly, Kevin, and the generals sat around a table talking quietly. Alexander took a chair at the head of the table.

“You have roughly four legions at your disposal. Will that be enough to take and hold Kai’Gorn?” Alexander asked.

“Given the loss of Cain and his brother and the unrest among the populace, I believe our force strength will be more than adequate to the task,” General Talia said.

“I concur,” General Fabian said. “Although, I believe we will suffer heavy casualties at the hands of the Andalian Lancers.”

“The Lancers are formidable, but their strength rests in their mounts and force lances,” Alexander said. “I recommend you engage them in terrain and circumstances where they can’t make full use of their rhone. I trust that you’re more than capable of finding and exploiting the Lancers’ weaknesses. Once you do, kill them to the last man.

“Kai’Gorn must be taken. We cannot allow Andalia to continue landing troops there. If you can take the city intact, then by all means do so. But if you have to burn it to the ground, so be it. Once you’ve secured the city, commandeer every ship you can find, arm them and begin intercepting the Andalian troop transports on the water. Sink them without mercy or quarter.”

General Fabian and General Talia shared a look.

“Say what you have to say, gentlemen,” Alexander commanded gently but firmly.

General Talia smiled without mirth. “We have both served territories led by men who would rather not fight. When forced into battle, they choose limited engagement and half measures. As soldiers, we tend to see things in more absolute terms. For myself, I am relieved to find that my new King understands that warfare is an all-or-nothing proposition.”

General Fabian nodded. “I’d rather not have to send soldiers into harm’s way, but once the decision to go to war has been made, the only honorable objective is total victory.”

“Outstanding,” Alexander said. “I’m glad we understand each other. General Talia, you will take command of the Ruathan forces south of the Great Forest. My father, General Valentine, is the commander of all Ruathan forces; you will take your orders from him or from me. If you need reinforcements, send your request to New Ruatha. Also, send word to Highlands Reach informing your governor of the situation and my expectation of his continued cooperation.”

“By your command, Lord Alexander,” General Talia said. “The governor and I are on very good terms, friends even, so I feel comfortable assuring you that he will provide our forces with all of the support he has to offer.”

“Excellent. Thank you, General Talia.”

Alexander took a deep breath and turned to his brother-in-law. “Kevin, you will serve as temporary Regent of Southport.”

Kevin blinked in surprise. “Surely there are others more qualified, Lord Alexander.”

Alexander nodded somberly. “I’m sure there are, but right now I need someone I know I can trust. The post will only be temporary. For now, keep half your legion here and send the rest south under General Talia’s command. Protect the people of Southport, keep the port open, and protect the flow of commerce. Coordinate with Highlands Reach to keep our southern army supplied. And send regular reports to General Valentine. Everything else will take care of itself.”

“As you wish, Lord Alexander,” Kevin said. His mind was clearly still on Isabel. Alexander understood completely.

“Now, gentlemen, if there’s nothing else, I’m going to sit with my wife,” Alexander said as he stood up.

Anatoly walked the military men out into the hall where they talked for a few minutes. Rangers took positions in the hall to provide security.

Alexander sat with Isabel late into the night. Kevin stayed as well. They didn’t talk much but occasionally shared a look of fear and anguish. Lucky returned in the dark of night with Chloe. He entered quietly after a brief discussion with the Rangers standing guard outside.

Order had been restored in the keep and the city. General Fabian had called all of the officers of the Southport city guard together and informed them that Regent Landon was dead and Regent Alaric would be assuming command of the city. They were a bit surprised and confused but they followed their orders without too much question. By midnight, Kevin’s legion had secured the city and was working with the city guard to maintain order and ensure a smooth transition of power. There were rumors of a petty noble or two making noises that they should have been consulted prior to a new regent being named, but they didn’t pose any credible threat, so Alexander ignored them. Instead, he focused his energy on Isabel.

Lucky came up beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder. “I have the potion. It won’t eliminate the poison, but it will prevent it from doing any further damage for a while. I have to caution you though, it’s not a cure. Without magic of greater power than mine, she will eventually die. This potion will keep the poison from killing her until she develops immunity to the potion’s magic. Once that happens, the poison will do its damage.”

Alexander nodded with a mixture of hope and despair. At this point he would take what he could get. “How long will this buy her?”

“A month, maybe five weeks,” Lucky said.

“Who might have the magic to heal her?”

Lucky shook his head. “I know of no healer on Ruatha who is accomplished enough to extract such a virulent poison. Perhaps Kelvin might know of a way. The wizards may have found something within Blackstone Keep capable of healing her.”

Alexander nodded. “I’ll send a message tonight. Will she be able to travel?”

“I don’t see why not. The poison will be held in check so it won’t incapacitate her until the effects of the potion are no longer potent enough to keep it at bay. As soon as her shoulder mends, she’ll feel as good as ever.”

“Should we wake her so she can drink it now?” Kevin asked.

Lucky shook his head. “The healing draught I gave her is keeping the poison from harming her for now. It would be best to let her sleep until morning and then give her the potion.” He handed the heavy glass vial filled with milky-looking liquid to Alexander.

Before Alexander tried to sleep, he sat down to meditate. It took him longer than usual to find the place where he could enter the firmament, but eventually he found it. He coalesced his awareness in Kelvin’s workroom deep inside Blackstone Keep and looked at the message board; there were no new messages.

Next he went to the sleeping chamber of the Rangers assigned to receive his dream whisperings. His message was simple and to the point. He told a sleeping Ranger of Isabel’s poisoning and asked that Kelvin make it a priority to find a way to save her. Then he explained that General Talia was leading the southern army to attack Kai’Gorn, Regent Landon was dead, and Kevin Alaric was taking his place for the time being. He didn’t give the Ranger a chance to ask any questions before he extracted himself from the man’s sleeping mind and returned to his own body.

Alexander slept in a chair beside Isabel. He didn’t want to move her from the couch because the healing draught was still doing its work and he wasn’t about to leave her alone. It was a restless night. He woke often and had trouble getting back to sleep when he did. His worry for her seemed to ebb and flow like a tide, sometimes receding into manageable concern, other times spiking into a mixture of panic and despair that threatened to overwhelm him.

Chapter 39

He was at her side when she awakened. Chloe was curled up on the back of the couch and woke the moment Isabel did.

“Hi,” Alexander said, taking her hand gently. “You saved me again.”

She smiled up at him, but her smile turned to a frown when she saw the worry in his eyes. “How bad?”

“Bad. Lucky made this for you.” He held up the potion. “You were poisoned. He said this will keep the poison from killing you for a month or so, but then . . .” His voice broke into a sob. She squeezed his hand.

“Alexander, I wouldn’t do a thing differently,” she said. “If I’m your wife, then I’m the Queen of Ruatha and I have a great duty to our people. Part of that duty is protecting you so you can protect us all.” She was so strong and brave, but he could see the fear in her aura.

Alexander shook his head. “I don’t care about any of that right now. I need you, Isabel. You can’t die. I’m not strong enough to survive losing you,” he said through his tears.

“Yes you are!” she said, firmly holding his eyes with hers. “Alexander, you have to promise me that you’ll see this through even if I die. Too many people are counting on you. You can’t fail them because of me. I won’t allow it.” She gave him a stern look. “Promise me, Alexander. Swear on your love for me that you will not give up, no matter what happens to me.”

He nodded but couldn’t form any words past the lump in his throat.

“I need you to say it, Alexander,” she said.

He nodded again as tears slid down his face. “I promise,” he said through a sob and then put his forehead on her stomach and cried softly for several minutes.

After he regained his composure, he helped her sit up to drink the potion. Her arm was still sore but she felt well enough to get up for breakfast.