The Last Wizard of Eneri Clare (63 page)

With Tashroth adding his own sage advice, they discussed what the Lady Regent was prepared to offer Drogue, what she wanted in return, which were negotiable points or deal-breakers, and what information it would be useful for Candelinda to glean while she was there. Jorelial Rey was happy to grant this dragon broad powers, representing the Crown. She also warned her about Drogue’s rumored congress in dark sorceries, urging her to watch her back at all times.

“Do not forget that this man can smile and seem charming and reasonable when he is really plotting stratagems to serve his own agenda. I myself have been at least somewhat taken in by him until recently. I found him tiresome, but never guessed the depths of his ambition and his evil. Be careful. Be gracious and courteous, and generous if he is willing to be turned from his express intentions. But don’t let him get anything from you without concrete proofs of his intentions.”

Candelinda raised an eyebrow, very like Jorelial’s own habitual gesture, and nodded her understanding of all she had been told. She was eager to be off about her errand at once, which suited the Lady Regent as well. But it was agreed that she should take some time first in surveying the situation around Drogue’s compound, and not request a formal audience until she was sure his ships had returned with the news of their defeat. The Mountain Lord might be more open to discussion once he had been knocked down a peg in his own estimation. Jorelial Rey thanked Candelinda, and wished her success. But was it only her imagination, or was there indeed a private glance, a word, a brief touch between the two dragons on Theriole’s rooftop, just before the white beauty lifted off and winged away in the distance?

“You were so right about her, Tash.” Rel mused, watching the small shape recede into the starry deeps. “She is a perfect choice to entrust with such an important task.”

“She will do well, and return to us safely.” The deep voice answered her, while dragon eyes remained fixed on the distance.

Rel lowered her eyes and scraped a toe over the old stones beneath her feet, then decided to voice her suspicions. She looked up to meet her beloved companion’s gaze, “You know your happiness means everything to me. We’ve never had any secrets from each other, you and I. And she certainly is the rare one I’d even consider to be worthy of you.” Her smile held a touch of mischief, “So, is there anything you’d like to share, Tash?”

Tashroth seemed to be smiling, although a dragon’s expressions can be difficult to interpret, “We shall wait, and see. She has my attention, that one. Perhaps…” He spoke dreamily, as if he did not realize the words were sounding outside of his own head. He shifted his focus back to Rel, “I might mention a rumor I heard of a very novel tactic someone used to rouse the young wizard from his trance only yesterday, hmmm?”

Jorelial Rey pulled back, aghast. “He was…I was only…there wasn’t any…oooh, I am going to kill Delphine!” she spluttered, but the dragon was chuckling.

“Do not worry, dear one. We will always be joined, you and I. Whatever else comes, for either of us, is a cup overflowing.” His tone shifted, as he began to tease her, in his familiar way, “Your concern for me is most touching, Jorelial Rey, but I trust you will
not
be planning any unsolicited interventions on my behalf? You will leave things to me, dear, and to the lady?”

“I, interfere?” she jested back at him, “Why, I wouldn’t dream of such a thing. No, no, not a word from me. You can count on it.”

“Hmmmm… ” he growled, and the two of them smiled, faces pressed together in silent communion.

The next morning was Tvrdik’s healing day, but, luckily, the patient load was lighter than usual, and he had seen everyone who was waiting for his attentions by noon. Delphine was still helping him on those days when she could spare the time. But, for the last few weeks, he had also invited Andrus to come and work with him, whenever the physician’s duties at the palace allowed. Andrus had long ago abandoned his original posture of egotistical protectionism, and was only too glad to have access to Xaarus’ legendary pharmacopeia, and the opportunity to see it in action. He was a great help to Tvrdik, making the busy hours pass swiftly. And he was always overflowing with questions that were both insightful and caring. They worked well together, teaching each other techniques and tools from separate healing traditions.

On this day, the three of them attended to all who came in need in the space of a few hours, stopped for a brief lunch furnished by the reliable Mrs. Praeger, and headed out to the fields, where maneuvers were already beginning. Tvrdik was grateful for the lack of patients today, as, while he felt obligated to make himself available for healings, he did not wish to be absent from the field on the day Corbin Maygrew and General Boone were coming to review the troops. As they approached the crowded gaming fields, the mage was deep in conversation with Andrus and Delphine about a challenging case they had encountered. So, at first he did not notice the change that occurred the moment he stepped on the field. Startled by the uncharacteristic quiet which greeted his ear, he looked up from his conversation to see every individual in the Legions of Light - man, woman, beast and magical creature, many hundreds that day, row upon row – all standing at attention before him, still, silent, eyes fixed on him as if waiting for something. Confused, he looked around for the object of all this attention, and then settled his regard on Delphine, hoping for an explanation. She obliged, “It is a gesture of honor and respect. They have all seen or heard about the remarkable victory you engineered just two days ago. They are recognizing you as a great leader.”

“What do I do?” Tvrdik whispered, taken off guard and near panic.

This time Andrus answered, “You must acknowledge the gesture, and release them to continue their work.” Tvrdik searched the faces of his companions for more, but they would only smile. He squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, let it out, and stepped onto the field, facing the rows of waiting warriors. His eyes scanned the sea of faces looking to him with trust, and hope. Humbled and overwhelmed, he gripped his wizard’s staff for support and sank to one knee, head bowed. The field erupted in cheers. Delphine, looking on, shook her head, thinking his response so charming and unassuming, typical of the gentle man she had come to know over the past few months. It was good to know success hadn’t changed him one jot. While Tvrdik wasn’t looking, she raised both of her hands high, behind him, and waved at the assembled troops in a gesture she hoped would encourage them to return to their labors. Comprehending, they ceased their shouting and whistling, and turned back to the business of the day. Tvrdik, raising his eyes, saw that practice was resuming, and pulled his long frame up from the ground, using his staff for support. With a sheepish expression, he turned to Andrus and Delphine.

“Do you suppose that was good enough?” he asked.

Delphine grinned, “It was…unexpected – rather original, even. And, it will do nicely.” She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. Then, spotting Mark, she moved off with Andrus to find their respective units.

Tvrdik strode out toward the benches on the sidelines, where he could watch what was going on. It wasn’t long before he was joined there by Jorelial Rey, followed by a very agitated looking Corbin Maygrew.

“There you are, mage! I’ve been hoping you would appear. You know, what you folks have done here is remarkable: so many creative ideas from so many sources, and many of them do make a great deal of sense. Boone is already out there with the Lady Brendelle, refining technique, or some such. But, I am most fascinated with this ‘secret weapon’ of yours. It’s quite impressive how you’ve trained everyone in manipulating it, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what it is, or what it is supposed to do. Can you explain it to me?” Maygrew was referring to the giant, polished, shield-like accessories that many of the legionnaires were wielding in their varied maneuvers.

Tvrdik patted the seat beside him, inviting Lord Maygrew to settle there. Jorelial Rey had already climbed to the spot on the mage’s other side. She was listening to the conversation, but her eyes were on the field, watching what Boone was doing with the troops there.

“It is really the centerpiece of our campaign, Lord Maygrew,” Tvrdik began, “but you haven’t seen it in action yet, as its true function can only be released through magic. It will be my task in the coming weeks to infuse every one of those pieces out there with special spells and energetic signatures. I haven’t done it yet, as, to be frank, I am not at all sure they can be turned off once activated, and that seemed a little too dangerous for practice.”

“You, yourself, must activate each and every one? That seems a daunting task, especially if you get little notice of an assault. There must be thousands of them.”

“There are exactly a thousand, to be precise, and at the moment, there is no one else capable of that sort of magical work. But I am sure that once I get the hang of it, it will not take long. I’ve made myself a prototype, with which I have been working, and I am fairly certain that they will do what they are supposed to do. Although, I will admit that the results are a bit unpredictable…”

“But, what
are
they supposed to do? They look like great, shiny shields. Is there more to it than protection?”

“Well, of course, they have that benefit too. They can be quite effective as a shield against conventional weaponry. They are strong, light and resilient, and we are training the Legions in regular defensive moves with them. But that isn’t their primary function.”

Lord Maygrew rolled his eyes in frustration. Tvrdik laughed and stood up, gesturing to Praeger, who was not far away. “Hallo! Praeger… Praeger! Would you please bring one of those over here? Yes, that’ll do. Just bring it up, thanks.” Praeger, deducing what was being asked of him, trotted in from the field and up into the stands. He handed his own ‘weapon’ over to the mage, and stepped back to watch what was going on. The Lady Rey’s curiosity seemed piqued as well, though she already knew Tvrdik’s intentions for these tools.

It was, in essence, a very large oval shield: lightweight, gently concave, with a padded handle behind. The surface that would face away from the operator, however, was polished until it shone like a mirror.

“My goodness,” Maygrew quipped, “I can see my reflection in that. Hair could use a bit of a comb. Hope you aren’t planning to embarrass Drogue’s mercenaries to death.” He chuckled at his own joke, and Tvrdik smiled.

“Well, not precisely sir, but you are not so far off the mark. Pardon me a moment, and I will demonstrate…” Tvrdik sat, and laid the shield across his lap, mirror side up. He placed his hands on it, closed his eyes, and began muttering some sort of incantation in a language no one could quite make out. In just a moment, as they all looked on in amazement, the entire oval began to glow and pulse a bright sapphire blue, radiating outward from the center where Tvrdik’s hands rested. The mage’s eyes snapped open, and he lifted his hands, carefully turning the shield over in his lap. “There, now, that one’s ready. It is my contention, sir, that our most powerful weapon in the present struggle is truth, plain and simple. Therefore, I have infused this shield with the sapphire blue energetic ray of truth, and placed within its structure the
intention
that it should reveal to anyone who regards themselves in its reflective surface only the very core truth of their being. That could manifest in a number of different ways, but, from what I have learned in my studies, it is very likely to stop just about anyone in his tracks.”

Lord Maygrew’s eyebrows drew together, “That’s a remarkable notion, young man, but a little esoteric. I’m not sure I grasp how such a weapon could interrupt a charging warrior with a spear, or stop an adversary with a sword who is bent on cutting off my head.”

“Are
you
willing to put it to the test?”

“Why not. I have nothing to fear.”

Jorelial Rey, glancing back and forth between the two men, thought that Tvrdik’s expression seemed almost mischievous, as he rose, and said, “Alright then.”

Without warning, he flipped the shield over, holding it up so that Lord Maygrew faced full on its reflective blue surface. All the cocky sureness drained from Corbin Maygrew’s ruddy face in an instant, and was replaced by a look of surprise. His eyebrows arched upward, and his eyes grew wide. His jaw dropped, and his mouth seemed to be moving, but no words formed. For a heartbeat that seemed an eternity, he looked as though he could not tear his gaze from the vision truth afforded him, even at the cost of his life. And then, he threw his hands up in front of his face, blocking out whatever it was he saw, crying out, “No more, mage, no more! By all that is precious to you, I beg you, lower the shield.” Tvrdik did not wait for a second request. He flipped over the shield and laid it on the bench nearby, face down. He then joined Jorelial Rey at Maygrew’s side. A crowd of curious onlookers were beginning to gather. Boone was heading in from the field at a run, sensing that something was wrong. The Lady Rey had reached Maygrew first, taking him by one elbow and supporting him to a seat. She leaned in to him, “My lord, do you need assistance? Are you hurt?” Tvrdik was at the other elbow in a flash, concern on his pale features. When Lord Maygrew finally lowered his trembling hands, there were tears streaming down his affable face and soaking his grey-streaked beard.