The High King: Book Two of the 'Riothamus' trilogy (42 page)

He grinned at
the memory, “I had a hard time of it trying to cut down the numbers
to six. Would you believe that every last man in the Guard,
including those who were recovering from massive wounds, put up
their hands to go? To be equitable I chose three from Wolf Company
and three from the Bears.”

“Who will lead
the Wolves with you gone Darven?” Alissa asked.

“Urden,”
Darven replied. “He is the best of those remaining and was only
lightly wounded during the ambush…besides the Wolves are going to
be left out of the next engagement.” He shook his head, “They have
instead been co-opted by Captain Maran into teaching those who were
absent the ways of how the Thakur fight.”

Aran smiled
grimly, “That was my doing. The Wolves fought over and beyond what
was expected of them. They deserve some time to rest and recover
their strength.”

“They will be
soon ready,” Darven said confidently. “Already they are grouching
about how unfair it is that they are being left out of the next
battle…”

*

“You called a
meeting my lord?” Drayden’s voice interrupted their low
conversation.

Aran turned
and peered into the snowy darkness, “Aye…Drayden. Have you the
other mages with you?”

“We are all
here,” the High Earthmage replied, striding out of the snow with
the five mages at his heels. He turned to introduce them, “Trevan
you know.”

Aran smiled
warmly at his old friend, “I am glad that you are coming,” he said
simply.

Drayden
ushered the mages forward, “The others are strangers to you.”

Aran greeted
the contingent with a courteous inclination of his head. “Not
strangers, Drayden,” he corrected. “I remember these faces from
those who came to the Keep.”

“You have a
good eye and memory, my lord,” remarked Genn. “I did not think you
would remember us.”

Aran smiled
and clasped the other’s hand, “I never forget a face, although your
name eludes me.”

“Master
Healermage Genn, my lord,” introduced Trevan dryly. “Although I am
his senior in years, he outranks me in Ability. You have gained a
fine Healermage my king.”

Aran nodded
and cast his eyes about until he encountered Hela standing over to
one side.

“And I
remember you, Weathermage Hela,” he said, holding out his hand in
greeting. “For the short time I was at Glaive all spoke with
admiration about your weather talents.” He smiled and his eyes
softened, “I am glad to have you along. I know Alissa will be
grateful for some female company.”

Hela bowed,
her eyes puzzled at the unforced courtesy and manners of the
king.

“The other two
are Master Earthmage Theaua, and High Weathermage Trenny,” Drayden
said.

“Theaua,” Aran
said looking at the slender dark-haired woman who seemed to be in
her late-thirties. “This will be a hard journey. Are you certain
you wish to join us?

“Of course my
lord,” she replied crisply, glancing at Drayden in some amusement.
“In fact there is nothing that could have kept me away.”

Alissa
intercepted the look directed at the High Earthmage’s impassive
face, and smiled. She suspected there was another reason for
Theaua’s inclusion in the group.

“And High
Weathermage Trenny,” said Aran holding out his hand. “I thank you
also for your presence and support. We will have much need of your
skills in the coming journey.”

Trenny nodded,
but did not take the offered hand. He had his own suspicions of
what had happened to the Archmage after the battle, and despite
what Maran said earlier, did not yet trust the young Warriormage
and King.

Aran saw the
emotions flickering across the other’s not quite veiled face and
shook his head imperceptibly at the obvious wariness of the
Weathermages to him. Aran stepped back, and held open the flap to
the welcome warmth of his tent.

“It is cold
and dark,” he said. “Will you not come in?”

*

“So we are to
go through the forest,” Aran said finally after hearing what the
mages had related to him. “Is that wise, I have heard that there
are all sorts of dangers there.” He paused and scanned their serene
faces, “We at least know what we are facing on the plains.”

“The plains
would be quicker,” Bini agreed, leaning forward.

“Unfortunately
we have little choice in the matter,” Drayden said simply. “Our
destination lies in the very heart of Thakur and the truth of it is
that none of us would pass closely as natives of that land.” He
shook his head, “Most of us are so fair that our colouring would
make us stand out to even the most casual scrutiny. Indeed of all
of us here, only Wolf Leader Darven, and Mage Theaua have any kind
of resemblance to the Thakur.”

Darven
frowned, uncertain if he had been insulted or not, “Are you
implying that my ancestry is Thakurian, mage?”

Drayden
shrugged, “You may well have such an ancestry Wolf Leader. I mean
the Serat were occupiers of our land for a number of generations,
and I am certain that many of our women may have been forced during
that time.” He stared at the young Guardsman, “But your ancestry is
not at issue here. What is at issue is that we will have an
impossible time travelling through Erie if we are to be stopped and
questioned by every Thakurian who happens upon us.”

He looked up
at the others, “We will be of little help to our armies and the
province if we are captured and killed within days of us nearing
the border.”

“So what do we
do?” asked Aran. “Should we darken our hair and dress like them to
avoid notice, or fight every Thakur we meet?”

Drayden shook
his head, “That will not be necessary. However we will need to go
to Glade, there will be people there who will aid us in our
journey. In fact we will most likely have a citizen of Glade
travelling with us.”

Aran frowned
again, “Aside from providing us with food and gear for the
mountains, I cannot understand why we need to add an extra body to
the party.”

“The Sages at
Glade have peculiar talents my lord,” Drayden said. “I am under
oath and word not to speak of them until absolutely necessary. Just
take my word that they are crucial to the success of the
journey.”

Aran nodded,
“Then I must trust your word on this Mage Drayden.” He looked up
and met the golden eyes of the Earthmage, “I expect you know your
way through the forest,” he asked blandly.

“I have been
there once before,” Drayden assured Aran. “However, we have been
supplied with maps for Thakur.”

Aran held out
his hand, “Please…let me see.”

The maps were
duly handed over.

Aran studied
the rolls of parchment carefully then finally moved his hand so
they could spring back into place. “They are very detailed,” he
said at last. “Especially those of the Trident Range, but I don’t
understand any of this writing…” He frowned, “There seems to be no
roads or towns marked; only odd text and symbols, and strange
curving lines.”

“That is
because they were drawn by the Ancients, the long-ago seafarers who
settled this land.” Drayden explained, “The reason why there are no
towns or roads marked is because there were none at that time,
indeed the province was wholly wild and unpopulated.”

“They
do
seem old,” Alissa mused, reaching out to run her hand
across the parchment. “But not as old as that surely?”

“I have been
told that they are copies only,” Drayden replied. “The originals
were lost in the destruction of Rapier.”

Aran looked up
at that, his interest caught by the mention of the lost college of
the long dead Warriormages and Metalmages.

“How is that?”
he asked. “How is it that such ancient maps were kept at Rapier? I
would have expected Glaive itself to keep secure such
artifacts.”

“Because
Rapier itself was the first settlement on the island,” Drayden
replied wryly. “We understand that Glaive was built later…several
generations later in fact.”

Aran sat back,
his mind full of questions, “I know that this is irrelevant to the
matter at hand,” he said, “But I would dearly like to know why
Glaive Island was named for Glaive?”

Drayden
shrugged, “It is no great secret. The fact is that Glaive Island
was named such after the destruction of Rapier. Like Seawatch Keep
becoming Andur’s Keep, Glaive Island was once known as Njord’s
Finger.” He smiled dryly, “We cannot explain the origins of the
name, only that it came from the minds of the Ancients who named it
thus.”

“My lord,”
High Weathermage Trenny bluntly interrupted. “As much as this
conversation may be fascinating to you, it is however not getting
us any closer to arranging our journey.”

Aran
half-turned to stare cold-eyed at the older mage, “I would
appreciate not being interrupted, mage,” he said, more than a
little irritated at the other’s words.

“Listen to
your king,” Darven said flatly, his dark eyes also mirroring
anger.

Drayden
nervously watched the small confrontation of the two volatile
Warriormages, against the hard-minded High Weathermage. If their
differences were not soon resolved, it would cause untold friction
within the group. He sighed heavily, realising that he would have
to have a word with Trenny once they were on the road. It would
bode ill for the peace of the party if the Weathermage kept on
mistrusting and antagonising Lord Arantur. The young king seemed to
have only a tenuous control upon his temper, and Wolf Leader Darven
was already beginning to display obvious signs of the Warriormage
anger.

“My lords,”
Alissa said gently. “It grows late and we have an early start.
Might we not finish our plans and preparations before the sun
itself rises on our deliberations?”

*

“The
Weathermages all seem like hand in glove with each other,” Alissa
mused much later after she and Aran had finally retired to bed.

“Aye…” Aran
sighed, almost asleep after the rigours of their lovemaking.

“Because the
Archmage is of their discipline they think themselves elite,”
Alissa said sourly. “It is obvious to me that the Earthmages and
Healermages are thought of as poor cousins to those of the
Weathermage Ability.”

Aran opened
one eye in protest, “Alissa, it seems to me that all Abilities are
elitist to their own,” he gently corrected her. “What about all
that secret stuff to do with the Sages at Glade that Drayden was
going on about, he is as close about his secrets as the
Archmage…and with less reason,” he finished.

Alissa turned
onto her side and regarded Aran’s silhouette, “I understand that
Drayden is the foremost Earthmage at Glaive, and is widely regarded
to be the next in line for the Archmage’s position if Maran ever
steps down.”

Aran opened
both his eyes at that, “Really…that
is
news to me. I guess
we ought to count ourselves fortunate that we are in his favour. It
would be bad policy indeed to put both the Archmage and the heir
apparent off-side.”

Alissa yawned
and turned to snuggle up closer to Aran, “My love, these are too
heavy thoughts for the hour and this place.”

Aran grinned
in the darkness, “You
did
start this conversation,
Alissa.”

She placed her
lips against his, “And now I am finishing it! Besides I have
another, more pleasurable activity in mind.”

Aran laughed
and turned to her, “You want to do it
again
…”

*

“The weather
seems to be breaking my lord.”

Aran looked up
from his chore of tightening Spirit’s girth strap and saw a faint
line of blue etched against the peaks of the distant Trident
Range.

“Aye Darven,
there is a change coming.” Aran grinned suddenly, “At least it will
make our travelling a little easier.”

“The grasp of
winter is very tenuous where we are going,” Drayden said quietly,
leading his horse forward. “The deep forest is so dense that little
of the snow will reach the ground, and the extreme cold itself is
muted by the presence and life of the wood.”

“Will we be
troubled by the wolves?” Alissa asked, whilst pulling the hood of
her cloak closer about her face.

The mage
glanced across at the young woman and shook his head, “Wolves would
never consider attacking such a large, well-armed group, besides
I’ve never known a wolf to attack a party in which there was an
Earthmage.”

“And we will
have four in this group,” Alissa replied. “Although two, including
myself, have only the latent Ability

“So how will
the Earthmages protect us?” asked Darven.

“Earthmages
have an innate affinity with all animal life and growing things,”
the mage replied. “They would scent us and think we were members of
their own pack. For them to attack us would be akin to the wolves
setting upon their own group.”

“So with the
snakes dormant, we will for a time be safe within the woods,” Aran
stated. Then he turned to the High Earthmage, “I know that you
think that this will be a necessary side-journey Drayden, but it
will delay us and cause us to venture into the mountains in the
very depths of winter?”

Drayden
nodded, “It is true we will be journeying in the worst of that
season, but unfortunately that cannot be helped. The Thakur would
decide to war against us in wintertime, and we
must
get the
assistance of the Sages before venturing into Thakur and the
mountains. Unfortunately this is not a matter of choice, but of
utmost need!”

“Will you not
tell us more of the Sages,” Alissa asked.

Drayden shook
his head, “I am under oath and word not to speak further of them
until we come directly into their presence.” He glanced up and saw
their confusion, “However I can comfort you by saying that they
will give us much aid…their vow commands them so.”