The Wizard's Council (18 page)

“That may be true, but your retaliatory attack was savage. You slaughter many of my men while they were unarmed.” He grimaced in pain as she touched his leg.

“It never happened. Some of the witches have expertise with illusion magic. You were duped into thinking there was a fight. We barely had enough people to take you alone.”

“I don’t understand, there were thousands and thousands of you fighting us off all those years ago. How can you have been weakened so?”

“I know you think us all quite evil, but there are factions within the witches.  We have been fighting amongst ourselves for several years now. Our numbers dwindle under the brunt of these new leaders,” The witch worked on his leg as she spoke.

“You’ve brought me here to take the power away from those currently in charge and give it to you?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

“Then you can keep your remedies, and I will keep my injured leg. I will neither work for or with any witch,” Gareth’s statement and demeanor were unyielding.

“They will undo us all, you must listen to us.”

“I’ve heard your words, and they are poison. You’ve given me no reason to unseat those in power.”

The witch finished mending his leg before she stood up. Gareth could see the exhaustion and frustration in her face. She handed him his meal before heading for the door. He accepted the meal graciously and watched as she shook her head and left the room.
Don’t fall for their lies
, he told himself as he began to eat the meal. He was surprised to find that, though it had been sitting there for some time, the meat was warm and the bread soft. It seemed as though the meal itself were trying to convince him to assist with the witches. He finished it off and leaned back down on the bed with a sigh. His nerves slowly subsided as sleep began to settle in. The Grand Crusader attempted to fight off the feeling, but with time he gave in. Dreams filled his head as he drifted further and further into his slumber.

*

James slowed his pace as the castle came into view. It towered over the surrounding landscape. The castle had been built on a large cliff near the water’s edge, giving it excellent strategic positioning. There were only three entrances to the castle, the main gate, which was on the main winding path that lead up to the castle, a side gate, which was on a branch of the main path, and the Sea Gate, which was situated atop a path that lead from the docks up the cliff to the castle itself.  The castle walls were twenty feet tall, but the hill it rested upon made them far more effective than their height. Outside the wall, on the eastern side of the castle, was a vast farmland that was accessible only via the branch off the main path. There was a much smaller, five foot, wall that surrounded the farmlands on the edge of the cliff, making a climb up the cliff impossible. The castle had no easily visible weakness, a fact that had left it unconquered since it was built more than a thousand years ago. James stopped to gaze upon the castle in awe.

Cardinia was a sister kingdom of both Carmalia and Sardinia. It served as the link between the other two in times of trouble. Each of the other kingdoms saw Cardinia as their superior due to the massive fortifications that stood before James. The fire magic expert desperately hoped that they would not only join in the fight, but would also bring Sardinia along
, as well. He nodded and smiled to several people passing by.
More hustle and bustle than I would have expected
, James thought as he continued on his way to the castle. There were numerous carts parked along the path up to the main gate. James could make out an entire crowd full of merchants making their way from cart to cart. He frowned as he noticed a few groups of people be turned away from the main gate.
Perhaps they aren’t as friendly as I assumed
, he thought as he approached the guards in front of the gate. He stopped a moment to catch his breath before addressing them.

“Pardon me, but I seek entrance,” He said, leaning on his staff for support.

“Are you a cripple that you must rely on your staff to stand?” The guard asked, causing his companions to laugh.

“If you must know, I am a Wizard. I’ve tired myself on this trek
, and I need a good rest.”

“If you are a Wizard then I am the King of Galimdor!”

James shook his head and stopped leaning on his staff. He raised it up in the air and then slammed it against the ground. A small ripple shot out from the ground where the staff hit. It knocked the guards back a foot or two. The closest of the guards drew his sword and stepped toward James. He cautiously swung the sword at the Wizard’s shoulder. James stepped back and out of range of the strike. He shook his head in frustration as the guard advanced further. His grip tightened around his staff as he thrust it out at the man’s chest. A small burst of flame exploded out of the end of the staff as it connected, causing the guard to fall back with a yelp. Two of the other guards rushed forward and helped out their companion.
These fools don’t know who they are messing with,
James thought as all three readied their weapons. He slammed his staff into the ground once again, this time creating an even larger ripple that knocked the guards onto their backs.

“Do I have your attention now?” He asked.

“You’re lucky we don’t toss you in the dungeon.”

“That would be quite counterproductive. I don’t think you want that. Now, if you please, I would like an audience with your King.”

“I’m afraid I don’t have that authority, you’ll have to speak to my boss,” The guard motioned for his men to open the gate as he spoke.

“I sincerely hope he is more amiable than you are.”

The guard stared at James for a moment, but didn’t reply. He motioned for one of the other guards to lead the Archwizard to the captain of the guards. James followed the man through the main gate and found himself staring in wonder at what he saw. The vast courtyard was teeming with all sorts of plant life. It was quite obvious to James that a great deal of what he saw was Melissa’s handiwork. The courtyard was quite opposite from the desert that he was accustomed to and, unlike the other gardens he had seen before, this one was full of specimens from all across Canai. 
That is certainly one way to make an impression
, he thought as he caught up to the guard. The courtyard had four entrances. One that lead out the main gate, two that lead into the city, and one that lead into the keep. It seemed strange to give such easy access to the keep, but the Cardinian Kings were known for placing the lives of their people above even their own safety. James glanced back at the courtyard as he entered into the keep, wishing he had more time to explore the city.

“Captain Alan Graystone is who you are looking for. You’ll find him through the first door on the left,” The guard announced before exiting the keep.

James nodded to the man and then turned to examine the entrance hall of the keep. It was far less extravagant than he was expecting. There were tapestries lined up along the walls, but they were rather plain by King’s standards. On the far end of the hall, the King’s banner hung alone, just above the doorway into the throne room.
That’s interesting
, James thought as he examined the King’s banner. It depicted a fearsome lion watching over a small lamb. The background was a simple gray cloth with some green near the bottom to signify grass. He turned toward the left side of the room. There was a simple wooden door with a placard next to it that read “Cardinia Royal Barracks.” Above the door hung a simple tapestry with a blade on a blue background, two men were standing outside the door wearing armor with the same crest. He approached the two men and inquired about the captain. They swung open the door and bid him enter.

“Who might you be?” A tall bearded man asked as James entered the room.

“I am James, of the Desert of Solitude. I bring grave news to your King. If it I permissible, I would like to speak with him as soon as possible.” James gave a small bow.

“Well met, James of the desert. I am Alan Graystone, captain of the King’s guard of Cardinia. Unfortunately
, the King is not currently accepting visitors. Perhaps you can speak with me about it first?” Alan motioned for James to sit at the table in the middle of the small room.

“While I accept your offer, I must first explain to you that I haven’t a lot of time. When I say grave, I mean urgently grave. It is dealing with Carmalia and Galimdor.” James took a seat next to the captain.

“Galimdor and Carmalia you say? Perhaps the King will want to hear about this, please, go on.”

“The Galimdorians have besieged Carmalia, the outer wall has been breached. My good friends Rolin and Melissa are trapped inside the keep wi
th the King. All of the Wizard Conclaves have been contacted, and we are working on getting an army to confront the Galimdorians. It was my hope, and Melissa’s, that your fair country would join our cause.”

“A bad omen, that. The King will most certainly want to hear the news for himself, and if it is about Melissa, the Queen will
, as well. Come with me, you can wait in the entrance hall until they are ready for you.” Alan stood up from his chair and started walking toward the door.

James nodded and followed suit, ecstatic that the captain had agreed to speak to the King for him. He couldn’t help but wonder, though, if they should have sent one more familiar with the Cardinian ways. The Archwizard reentered the entrance hall and began examining it again. There were three statues on either side of the room, none of them was of a person he recognized. In between the statues hung more banners. One of the banners depicted a shorter man standing with his foot on the chest of a significantly larger man who was sprawled out on the floor. Another of the banners depicted a man on a horse with a great beam of light engulfing him. The last two banners were like the King’s banner, except they each also had a cross behind the lion. James looked closer at each of the statues. Two of them were soldiers, one of them was a king, and the last three looked to be regular citizens.
I wonder what they did for Cardinia
, he thought.

“The King has agreed to see you,” The captain of the guard announced upon his return.

“That was quick, I had expected it would take longer than that,” James replied as he followed Alan through the doorway.

“I didn’t tell him the whole story, after I mentioned that Carmalia was under attack
, he sent me back to get you.”

James entered into the throne room behind Alan. It was much plainer than the average throne room. The throne was made of wood with no ornamental fabrics or object upon it. There were a few tapestries along the walls and a single carpet stretching up to the throne, but otherwise the room was devoid of decorations. Even the king’s crown appeared to be made of some material other than gold. The
King was adorned in fine clothing, but nothing that would normally be associated with royalty.
This is most refreshing
, James thought as he approached the King. Like many Wizards, James felt little need for the fancier aspects of life. While he saw nothing wrong with being presentable, he did think that a man should be judged on his character and not his appearance. It was a fine line to tread as a man could show his character as much with a lack of proper apparel as with too extravagant of apparel. In James eyes’ the King of Carmalia fit in between the two extremes quite well. The Archwizard bowed low before addressing the King.

“Your majesty, I am James of the Desert of Solitude. I bring grave news from Carmalia. They have come under attack from Galimdor. We know not the full extent of the threat, but the king, our Archwizard, and your own Archwizard are holed up in the keep hoping for their allies to come to their aid.” James desperately hoped that the
King was as understanding as Melissa had always told him.

“Well met, Archwizard. You may call John, in this chamber we are equals. These must be dire times indeed for one of your rank to be sent forth to us. Melissa has told me about you and from her description, you are a good man. She even went as far as to say that you are one we can trust, a hard commodity to find these days. Unfortunately, we are dealing with our own problems at the moment.” The King stood up from his throne and motioned for James to follow him.

“What problems might those be? I know not what problems I could solve that Melissa could not, but it would be a disgrace for me not to try.” James followed the King out into the royal garden.

“I know not if Melissa could fix these problems for they have arisen after her absence. There have been rumors coming out of Sardinia. They tell of a Wizard trying to take power for his own. He sty
les himself the Emperor of the southern kingdom, or so they tell me.”

“Might I i
nquire as to whom it is that is telling you these things? I know Leon, this would not be like him or any of his men that I have come across. He is power hungry, yes, but not so bold. Not the Leon that I know.”

James ran his fingers across his beard as he assessed the situation. King John had no reason to lie about Leon. Likewise, he had no reason not to send aid unless there was some merit to the rumors. James glanced up at the king. He could tell by the look on John’s face that the
King was trying his best to work out the right words to say. The fire Wizard let out a sigh.
If the rumors are indeed true then I must confront Leon myself
, he thought as he waited on the king’s response. He so very much despised the politics of it all. The King needed to be careful in letting out information on his sources or his well of information could easily dry up. King John let out a deep sigh before turning to address James.