The congruent king, p.4
The Congruent King, page 4
part #5 of Congruent Mage Series
“I wouldn’t like having a beast ten times the size of a flathorn tromping around near my home,” said Néàch.
“Neither would I,” said Arminta. “We need to stop them before they get to our settlements.”
“That will mean stopping the elephants on the plains of the Abbenoth Valley,” said Amber. “We can gate in our three hundred mammoths on level ground, bash the Roma elephants, and—with luck—gate them out with the mammoths back to northern Bifurland so you won’t have to worry about them attacking your homes.”
“I like the sound of that,” said Néàch. “Except for the part about fighting on level ground. We never do that. The invading Roma will kick our —”
“As much as I agree with your opinion in general,” said Arminta. “I think we need to hear Amber out about how best to use mammoths against elephants in battle.” She turned to the wizard. “Bifurland will be providing troops as well, correct? We’d be glad to accept a few thousand of your warriors with axes and round shields to help put the invading legions in their place.”
“My king and queen are glad to offer such aid,” said Amber. “Have you heard of the Orluin Alliance?”
“Bifurland, Tamloch, Dâron, and the Roma of Occidens Province coming together against these newly arrived Roma?” asked Arminta. “I heard about it, but don’t expect it to last more than a few months.”
“It will last until we starve out Sírénae’s forces and remove them from our lands,” said Amber.
“I’d drink to that,” said Néàch. “And if we get to pick our ground, I can think of quite a few traps that would work on a plain, not a mountainside.”
“You have my attention, wizard,” said Arminta. “Tell me more…”
Chapter 6
Underground Roma
“Mater, when can I go out and play?” asked Tertia.
“You can play any time you want,” said her mother Laetícia. “There are lots of children your age in this cave-complex, that’s one of the reasons we’re here, not some other cave.”
“I don’t want to play underground,” Laetícia’s younger daughter protested. “I want to play in the sun. I miss it.”
“We all miss it,” said Laetícia. “But we all have to make sacrifices to defeat Sírénae.”
“She’s not a nice person, is she?” asked Tertia.
“That’s an understatement,” said Laetícia.
Tertia looked at the stone walls and tooth-like stalactites and stalagmites around her. “It’s an underground understatement,” she said, proud of the new phrase she’d created. “I want to put Sírénae underground, but not in a cave.” The little girl slashed the air with an imaginary sword.
“I keep wondering if you’re going to be a wizard, like me, or a warrior like your father when you grow up,” said Laetícia.
“Why can’t I be both?” asked Tertia.
“It’s seldom done,” her mother replied.
“Felix is both,” said Tertia. “He has the claws and spikes on his cat armor, and he’s a wizard.”
“He’s a better wizard than a warrior,” said Laetícia.
“Didn’t he rescue you on the evil emperor’s flagship?” asked Tertia. “I overheard you telling Pater.”
“That’s right, he did,” said Laetícia. “Maybe you can be a wizard and a warrior. You don’t have to decide a path now. You’re only three.”
“Almost four,” said Tertia. “How will I know when it’s my birthday if I can’t see the sun to count days?”
“The grownups are keeping track,” said Laetícia. “We’ll be sure to tell you when it’s your birthday.”
“Good,” said Tertia. “Pater promised I could have a real knife on my fourth birthday.”
“Let’s hope that’s still an option now that we’re in hiding,” said Laetícia. “A great many things are different now.”
“I have complete confidence in the governor-general,” said Tertia, repeating a phrase she’d heard Laetícia say hundreds of times.
Laetícia laughed and hugged her daughter. “So do I, dear one. Your father will find a way to keep his promise, I’m sure.”
“He’d better,” said Tertia. She pouted and stamped her foot, just to make her mother laugh again, then she smiled. “When will Pater be back?” Tertia asked.
“Soon,” said Laetícia. “He’s gone through a gate to a cave-complex west of here with Felix. They’re looking for a cavern large enough to drill legionnaires.”
“It would take a really big cavern to hold a legion,” said Tertia.
“That’s very true, daughter,” said Laetícia. She held back a smile thinking about how precocious Tertia was. The little girl had grown up on her parents’ discussions of logistics, drinking it in as if it were mothers’ milk. “The cavern wouldn’t have to hold all five thousand legionnaires. A tenth of that would be good enough for practice drills. The commanders can rotate their forces through to keep everyone sharp.”
“And every gladius sharp, too,” teased Tertia.
“You’re too sharp for your own good, little one,” said Laetícia.
“Thank you, Mater,” said her daughter. “Will we be fighting Sírénae’s invaders soon? It feels so strange to think of Roma fighting Roma.”
“That’s one of the reasons we’re not confronting Sírénae directly,” said Laetícia. “I don’t like the idea of Roma fighting Roma, either. That’s why we’re hiding instead of fighting. When the invaders run out of food, they’ll have to leave.”
“And we can go back in the sun?”
“That’s right,” said Laetícia.
“I want to go outside sooner than that,” declared Tertia.
“A meeting has been called for all the leaders of the Orluin Alliance,” said Laetícia. “We’ve reached everyone except Eynon and Merry and hope to have it two days from now in a big cavern in the mountains of southwestern Dâron.”
“Can I come?” asked Tertia. “I’m tired of this cave-complex.”
“We’ll see,” said Laetícia.
“That means no,” said Tertia.
“It means we’ll see,” her mother replied. Laetícia knew how the game was played. “Where are your brother and sister?”
“I don’t know.”
“Tertia, I can believe lots of things, but you not knowing where Primus and Seconda are isn’t one of them.”
“They’re exploring,” said the girl.
“Exploring where?” asked Laetícia.
“Side tunnels,” said Tertia.
“Which side tunnels?”
“The ones they’re not supposed to explore.”
“Of course,” said Laetícia. “Why would they be anywhere else?” She raised both eyebrows and changed her line of questioning. “Where’s Noskóma?”
“Nurse is drinking sweetened wine in her chamber.”
Laetícia knew Noskóma’s chamber—a small alcove carved into the rock on the passage where Laetícia’s children slept—was a favorite spot for the children’s nursemaid and governess to enjoy bottles and jugs of wine, rather than glasses of it. “Did Primus give her a jug?” Laetícia asked.
“I don’t know,” Tertia replied.
“That means he did,” said Laetícia.
“It wasn’t a jug, it was a bottle,” said the little girl.
“Thank you, Tertia,” said Laetícia. “Is that why you’re playing out here instead of farther down the passageway?”
“I’m here to be a diversion,” said Tertia. “I’m supposed to tell you Primus and Seconda are visiting the legionnaires and practicing their archery.”
“Instead of exploring places where they shouldn’t be,” said Laetícia.
“I don’t know,” Tertia repeated in a sing-song voice. She smiled at her mother.
“I’m a spymaster, so I can’t tell you to always be honest, little one,” said Laetícia. “But I do have a lot on my mind and don’t want to worry about Primus and Seconda falling into a pit or running into a sleeping cave bear. I have a sizable investment in parenting those two rascals and don’t want to waste it.”
“You could always have more children, Mater,” said Tertia. “Then I would be the oldest.”
“Now you’re sounding like Sírénae, child,” said Laetícia. “She only thinks about herself, not other people.”
“I’m sorry,” said Tertia. “We could go for a walk that just might go past the side tunnel that my brother and sister may or may not be exploring.”
“And you could stop to tighten the laces on your sandals outside the tunnel in question?” asked Laetícia.
“Uh huh,” said Tertia, looking innocent.
“You’re not going to be a wizard or a warrior,” said Laetícia. “I think you’re on your way to being a lawyer.”
“Oh no, Mater. Anything but that!” said Tertia using a tone of voice she’d learned from Primus.
“Come along, daughter,” said Laetícia. “Let’s find your siblings before they run into too much trouble.”
Chapter 7
At Farnam’s Cabin
Eynon and Merry popped into the air above Farnam’s cabin, a way-stop for travelers on the Rhuthro. A gentle wind kept things cool in the river valley, and the hardwood trees in the surrounding forest were a hundred shades of green with new spring growth. Ace jumped from Merry’s flying disk, spread the thin membranes between his front and back legs, and soared, reveling in the clean, fresh air.
Chee let out a single sad cheee, and Ace circled around to allow Chee to jump on his back and enjoy his flight.
“That’s odd,” said Merry when she finally had a chance to look around after observing the two familiars’ playful antics.
“What?” asked Eynon. He was still a bit disoriented from the falcons’ attack.
“That,” said Merry, pointing toward the cabin.
“It looks the same to me,” said Eynon. “Log walls. Shingled roof. Chimney with white smoke drifting east in the breeze.”
“Think about that last part,” said Merry.
“Oh!” said Eynon. “Someone’s in the cabin.”
“Exactly,” said Merry. “But are they friend or foe?”
“I guess they could be more Southern Clan Land raiders,” said Eynon.
“Maybe,” said Merry. “It seemed like the ones in the quarry were the vanguard, though. I don’t think they’ve made it as far as the river yet.”
“Agreed,” said Eynon. “Maybe they’re stragglers who didn’t make it into the caverns?”
“The two dukes did a good job of rounding up strays,” said Merry. “My father said everyone from the valley had gone to caves in the mountains north of the earl’s castle at Rhuthro Keep.”
“How do you propose figuring out who’s inside?” asked Eynon.
“I was thinking we could try going up to the door and knocking,” said Merry.
“That works,” said Eynon. “We’ll keep our shields up. Do you want to use your magic to disguise us as old women offering apples or something?”
“What, do you expect to find a fair maiden and seven short miners inside, like in the children’s tale?”
“Wouldn’t it be fun if we did?” asked Eynon.
Merry laughed. “I think we should just be ourselves. It’s simpler. Let’s land.”
The two of them brought their flying disks down on an open space near the entrance to the cabin. They stowed their disks across their shoulders and stepped to the heavy oak door. Eynon looked at Merry for guidance on next steps. She rolled her eyes, raised her hand, made a fist, and rapped the door three times. The sound echoed and moments later the door opened.
“What are you doing here?” asked Gruffyd, Merry’s childhood friend.
“We might ask the same of you,” Merry replied.
“Show some courtesy and invite them in, Gruffy,” came a pleasant soprano from inside the cabin. A few seconds later, Nyssia, Gruffyd’s new wife, appeared in the entryway beside her husband. Her long blonde hair was in a single tight braid and she carried a thin sword with a polished hilt on her belt. Nyssia was of medium height, about the same size as Merry, but beside Gruffyd’s height and bulk she seemed tiny.
“Yes, Gruffy, invite us in,” teased Merry. “It’s good to see you, Nyssia. You, too, Gruffyd.”
“Hello,” said Eynon from two paces back. Of all the people he considered might be in Farnam’s cabin, Merry’s old friend and his new wife weren’t on the list. After standing quiet for a few seconds, looking like an owl in bright sunlight, he said, “Weren’t you both in Brendinas?”
Nyssia tugged Gruffyd back out of the doorway and into the cabin to make room for Merry and Eynon to enter. She hugged Merry as she entered and smiled up at Eynon, sensing that he wasn’t himself as yet.
“Sit down,” said Nyssia, pointing at two of the rough-hewn wooden chairs by the cabin’s table. “I’ll get you some strong cider. You look like you could use it.”
“I could, certainly,” said Merry. “But none for Eynon. He was just injured and is processing a healing potion.”
“One I made myself, Merry tells me,” said Eynon. “I’m not that good at making them.”
“The cuts on your face seem to be getting better from minute to minute,” said Gruffyd. “That means you can’t be that bad at making them.”
“You’d be surprised,” said Merry. “He tested the first one he made on himself and it made his face turn green.”
“Because it tasted like moldy skunk cabbage leaves, not because it didn’t work,” said Eynon.
“How would you know if it worked or not?” asked Merry. “There was nothing wrong with you when you took it.”
“True enough,” said Eynon. “Though I felt sick to my stomach immediately afterward. Thank goodness the unpleasant sensation didn’t last.”
Nyssia jumped in. “I’m just glad you’re on the mend. What brings the two of you all the way to this cabin? I thought you’d be in the southern caverns with King Nûd, working on ways to drive out the invaders.”
Eynon was about to answer, but Merry spoke first. “We were at the quarry west of the Coombe, near Wherrel. Have you told Nyssia about that yet, Gruffyd?”
Her childhood friend shook his head from side to side.
“I guess that’s not important,” said Merry. “I didn’t know about it until I met Eynon. It’s not far from where he grew up and it turns out to be where Viridáxés had been sleeping since the time of the First Ships two thousand years ago.”
“The great green dragon?” asked Nyssia.
“That’s him,” said Merry. “Anyway, the quarry turned out to be full of magestones, or magic-infused rocks at least. Viridáxés soaked up magic for all those years and grew bigger and bigger. When he broke free the floor of the quarry ended up covered in fragments of stone just waiting to be ground up into powered magestones.”
“What’s that good for?” asked Gruffyd. He put a mug of hard cider in front of Merry and another filled with cool river water beside Eynon. Both drank, then sighed.
“We use powered magestones to make wide gates,” said Eynon. “Like the ones we sent the wisents through to defeat the Tamloch forces south of Brendinas.”
“It’s important, then,” said Nyssia.
“Correct,” said Merry. “But what’s really important is that we ran into five wizards from the Southern Clan Lands at the quarry. They were checking it out to get their own powdered magestone dust and to reconnoiter the Coombe and the Rhuthro Valley before they invade it.”
Gruffyd smacked his hand into his fist. “That’s not good,” he said. “We’re in real trouble if the valley is being attacked from the east and the west.”
“I imagine the Southern Clan Landers are putting themselves in line to be attacked by the invading Roma, too,” said Nyssia.
“They’re just too dumb to realize it,” added Merry. She shifted her gaze from Gruffyd to Nyssia and back. “We’ve told you why we’re here, now tell us why you’re here.”
“No you haven’t,” said Gruffyd.
“Haven’t what?” said Merry.
“Told us why you’re here,” said Gruffyd. “You told us why you were at the quarry, but not why you’re here.”
“She sort of did, Gruff,” said Nyssia. “You had to read between the lines.”
“I hate to read,” said Gruffyd. “Explain it to me.”
Merry was used to dealing with Gruffyd’s obtuseness from their time together as children, so she added more details. “Eynon was attacked by the Southern Clan Lands wizards. He was holding them immobile with bands of solidified sound, but they attacked him with falcons—their familiars—and left deep puncture wounds in his face and scalp. I gave him a healing potion as soon as I could, but we thought this cabin would be a good place to come to give Eynon time to recuperate before going back to the caverns to report.”
“How did you drive off the wizards?” asked Gruffyd.
“With beams of tight light”—Merry used strands of force to press Gruffyd against one wall of the cabin—“and illusion magic”—she cast a simulation of an angry bear ready to attack because it was more impressive than simulated soldiers with crossbows. After three breaths she released Gruffyd and canceled her illusion.
“That was impressive!” said Gruffyd when he was released, and his eyes had returned to their normal size. “I’m glad you’re on our side.”
Nyssia began to clap. “Well done,” she said. “I’ll bet they ran back home as fast as they could travel.”
“Flew back,” said Eynon. “They were on flying disks.”
“Right,” said Nyssia. “You sound like you’re starting to feel better. I’ll fetch more water from the river and get you some clean cloths so you can get the blood off your head and face and chest.”
“Thank you,” said Eynon.
“I’ll go with you,” said Gruffyd. “You’ll need someone to protect you from hungry bears.” He looked at Merry and smiled.
