The Sorcerer's Scourge (23 page)

“I recall someone forcing me to say some words of some sort, but I was more focused on stealing the King’s ring at the time. I am fairly certain oaths made under such duress and threats of a lonely wedding night are invalid.”

Miranda clenched her jaw in frustration at Azerick’s stubbornness. “Do you wish me to go in your stead? Shall your wife fulfill your responsibility for you?”

“I would rather you did not, but I shall not force you to do anything or abstain from anything you have a mind to do. I am not a controlling a person. I do however think you are being foolish.”

With a roar of anger and frustration, Miranda hurled the hammer at Azerick’s head. He laughed as he easily dodged the intentionally poorly aimed projectile and heard it bounce off his steel construct with a loud clang.

“So you are willing to let me ride off to do battle?”

"I will not order you not to. I fail to see that as my right.”

“Even if it means putting your child into danger?” Miranda asked and crossed her hands over her stomach.

Azerick felt his knees almost buckle as he took several unsteady steps towards his wife and reached out tentatively towards her. “You are with child?”

All of the anger she had been feeling evaporated in an instant and she smiled brightly. “I believe so.”

“Why did you not say so in the first place?” Azerick asked.

“Do you think you are the only one capable of being difficult? Now I hope you feel sufficiently embarrassed to do what you know is right.”

“It is all the more reason for us both to stay.”

Miranda shook her head. “No, Azerick. I will not have our child hearing that his or her father is a man that shirks his duty. It will know you are a man of loyalty and conviction and I will have no one have reason to say otherwise. You may not care about Jarvin or anyone else who sits the throne, but whoever rules will have a great influence on the world in which our child grows up. I know Jarvin is a good man and a good king. He will provide a far better kingdom for our children than anyone seeking the throne, and without your help, I do not believe he can win it back.”

Azerick weighed her words and knew that she was right. He thought about the convictions and high standards his father had held and knew that he would be sorely disappointed in his son if he were to foreswear his duties.

“I will prepare myself to go in the morning. I must finish this tonight before depart,” Azerick told Miranda and jerked a thumb at the huge construct behind him.

“What is that thing anyway? You have been working on it for months.”

“Protection,” Azerick replied.

Miranda folded her arms around her husband and Azerick returned her embrace.

“You had best come back to me and soon,” Miranda ordered as she buried her face into Azerick’s shoulder.

“The best guarantee is not to go at all.”

She pulled back just far enough to look him in the eyes. “You know I could not live with that.”

Azerick smiled down at her. “I know, and I could never live with disappointing you or our child.”

They held their embrace for several minutes before Azerick insisted that he get back to work so that he could be ready to depart. Miranda told him that her mother, along with the recently promoted General Brague, were working tirelessly to get as many men armed and ready to march as they could in the next two days.

One of the first things the Duchess did after Ulric’s failed siege was to create a standing army as well as maintain a ready militia. Azerick helped fund the soldier’s pay and the crafting of a large stockpile of weapons. Thanks to Jarvin having ended the war with Sumara a decade ago, there were plenty of able bodies from which to establish North Haven’s military.

It was late by the time Azerick completed his golem. The last step involved enchanting a fist-sized gem that acted as the golem’s source of power as well as its creator’s instructions. Azerick secured the gem inside the thick chest cavity of the construct before completing the final component. The last piece to be enchanted was a silver necklace with a small pendant in the shape of Azerick’s personal sign.

He trudged off to bed and gently slipped beneath the covers so as not to disturb his sleeping wife. His attempts at stealth failed as she immediately rolled over, wrapped her arms around him, and held him tightly. She smiled when he kissed her forehead before quickly drifting off into what was probably his last good night’s sleep for some time to come.

Breakfast began as it usually did, with all of the senior school members sitting around the table discussing the running of the school and other bits of information anyone thought important to bring up. Azerick started the conversation once everyone was seated.

“I imagine most of you have heard the grim news out of Brelland?” Azerick asked. “North Haven is sending all of its available resources to aid Jarvin in End’s Run and to put him back on the throne. Apparently, I am counted amongst those assets and will be riding out with the army on the morrow.”

“Not without me you’re not,” Allister grumbled as he buttered a biscuit.

Azerick breathed a sigh of relief. “I was hoping you would come, Allister. I was trying to figure out how to ask.”

“I think by now you should know asking is unnecessary.”

Rusty piped in, “Of course I am going as well.”

As much as Azerick valued Rusty’s help and friendship, he was uncomfortable about placing him the kind of danger they would soon be facing.

“Rusty, I think you should stay here for this one. You have two young children, and I would rather not have that to worry about.”

“Well there is a surprise. Azerick thinks the entire world revolves around him and everything that moves is a result of the wake he leaves in his path,” Rusty proclaimed sarcastically.

“Why else would you willingly go to the frozen north to fight for Jarvin?” Azerick asked, feeling a little insulted at Rusty’s snide comment.

“I’m duty bound to go to my King’s aid.”

“How so?”

Rusty put down his fork full of eggs and looked at Azerick as if he were an imbecile. “You might remember my father, Lord George Cossington. It is an inherited title and with it comes the rights and responsibilities it holds. I had to affirm my title and oaths on my sixteenth birthday. Idiot.”

“I always knew there was something wrong about you,” Azerick poked back. “I just thought it was your terrible grasp of magic.”

“You were probably picking up on my terrible ability to choose good friends,” Rusty shot back.

Azerick shrugged. “That could be it.”

“I think I should go as well,” Alex said.

“I don’t know, Alex. You are a big part of the martial training, and having one more sword for Jarvin is hardly worth the expense to the school. No offense.”

“If it were just about having another fighter I might agree. Brague is a good leader, but North Haven has not had this many soldiers before and he does not have a strong leadership element practiced in leading large numbers of troops. Of his subordinate officers, I doubt many of them are Academy trained,” Alex countered.

“You do make a good point. Besides, we still have Ewen, Jansen, Zeke, and a few other senior fighters well-practiced in the drills and exercises,” Azerick agreed.

Jansen, who rarely spoke at the morning meetings, or at all unless running sword drills, broke in. “I will go north.”

It took Azerick a moment to realize who had spoken. “Please tell me you are not some secret lord as well.”

“I have taken oaths. I will go north and fight for the King,” Jansen answered flatly in a voice that would brook no argument.

“All right then. Is there anyone else we should bring? Ken the blacksmith or Agnes the cook maybe?”

“What about Joshua, Maira, or Umair?” Rusty asked.

The three former Black Tower students had shown themselves to be very capable wizards. Both Joshua and Maira now held the rank of full wizard and were invaluable in teaching the younger students. Even as an adept, Umair showed a level of maturity and responsibility that made him a good teacher for the novices.

Azerick shook his head. “I would not ask that of them. Besides, with me, Rusty, and Allister gone, the school will really need them to cover for our absence.”

Aggie spoke past a mouthful of potatoes. “I suppose that leaves old Aggie on babysitting duty again?”

Azerick smiled fondly at the gregarious old wizard. “You are the only one I trust to keep this school together while I am gone, Aggie.”

“Ha! I’m about the only one that keeps it together when you’re here!”

Azerick shared a laugh along with everyone else at the table with the exception of Jansen who no one had ever heard laugh before. Now that they had taken care of the expedition planning, Azerick felt it important to impose some restrictions while he was gone.

“Given the current state of realm, I want everyone to avoid leaving the school grounds as much as possible. I definitely do not want any of the students going to North Haven until things are back to normal. Caalendor knows that North Haven and this school supports Jarvin, and I do not want to present him with any opportunities to use one of you or the students as leverage against us. I am sure Allister and Aggie have sensed and looked into the strange gathering of magic to the north. If not, I am sure you have heard Brother Thomas mention it in church. I hope to investigate what is happening before I return.”

Allister and Aggie both nodded as they had both been studying the phenomenon for several weeks now, but something was blocking any attempt at scrying or divining its intent. Once breakfast was over, they all went their separate ways to prepare or attend to their duties. Azerick needed to go and find Ellyssa before he began packing his own supplies.

Ellyssa was usually with Roger, Sandy, or Wolf, assuming they were not all together. Roger had mostly forgiven Ellyssa for getting him into trouble so they might be together, and since Ellyssa was still trying to make it up to him, there was a good chance Roger was in charge of the day’s activities. That usually meant the library.

He headed up the stairs and entered the library. Azerick paused when he entered as he always did, still amazed at how Aggie had transported the entire contents of the Black Tower’s store of knowledge and deposited here. The sorcerer scanned the room and received a few waves from the students that saw him enter, but there was no sign of Ellyssa or Roger.

Azerick decided the next best place to look was the kitchen. If she was with Wolf or Sandy, odds were almost a certainty that they had passed through there. Retreating down the stairs, Azerick stepped into the busy kitchen, bustling with activity as the staff busily cleaned up after the morning meal.

It took a moment, but Azerick soon spied Agnes directing the cleanup efforts with brisk efficiency. Threading his way through the busy women, he reached Agnes and narrowly avoided getting a pan of soapy water dumped on him.

“Master Azerick, you are a loose wrench in my cogs,” Agnes informed him, not pleased to have an outsider in her kitchen even if he did own it.

“Sorry, Agnes. Have you seen Ellyssa, Wolf, or Sandy?”

“Ellyssa and that boy with the club foot came through earlier and piled up enough food to feed a platoon of lancers. Then I saw them and the fat little dragon walking out towards the north wall. My guess is they were heading out the gate to the east woods to meet up with that thieving little wildling and his hairy friend.”

Azerick smiled, knowing that despite Agnes’s complaining, she rather enjoyed Wolf’s spirited antics. It helped break the tedium of kitchen life. Of course, she would never admit to such a thing if her life depended on it.