“Brighter. Add energy to it. Look away and make it bright enough to blind someone coming at you.”

  That took a long while to make happen, and Daren had to run, to get a log for him to set alight, but when that was done, and put out again, Erold had run through almost everything he’d learned that morning.

  Which had the guard taking a deep, shaking breath.

  “You truly only started to learn today? Do you think you can use that while under attack?”

  The Prince frowned then.

  “I don’t know?”

  That had Daren grabbing a wooden blade and trying to hand it to Anders. Which got a head shake in return.

  “That won’t work. He knows me too well to think I’d truly harm him. You as well, Daren. Fenris Cohen, if you will? Break bones and render him unconscious, if you will? No explosions, Erold.”

  The magical battle was fast, intense and not at all perfect, on Erold’s part. He had a shield, but dropped it, when he tried to attack with a push, which had the guard cleverly dodging and throwing things, to good effect.

  The thing was, in the end, the Prince managed to win, more or less. Cohen was on the ground, panting, waving his left hand.

  “I yield. That works! How many with such skill can you field, right now?” There was energy in the question, and it was a bit odd to ask. Probably meaning that the man was acting as some kind of spy that Anders didn’t understand. He was from Yanse, but declaring that openly and as if it weren’t important, was strange.

  So he shrugged and told the truth.

  “This is it, for now. We may have more by the time we head to the front, in some weeks. Possibly not.”

  He was given a strange look, from the guard, and then the man blew a large breath out.

  “Do that. They need to pay for what they did to my family. Not to shock you, but I’m a Duke. Of Yanse. King Mathias took me in, after King Yarler, the dog licker, betrayed me and killed my entire line. About six months back. I signed on as a guard here, to try and repay the kindness shown me. I don’t have riches any longer, so have to use my body to do that. Now I see what the new Captain has planned. Not to punish me for being from the lands of an enemy, but to have me meet you three, to give me hope!” He moved in and slapped Anders on the arm. “How do we see to this training, for others? I have no coin to speak of, but I’ll go to my knees and beg for it to happen, if it will help?”

  Instead of letting him answer, Prince Erold bowed. A martial thing, with his hands in front of his body, palms together.

  “We need people willing to learn. Anders is doing the work on that teaching, so far. If you can find anyone with the main magical talent, I can get them into such lessons. Do you have that trait, sir?”

  There was a head shake at the words.

  “No. Much to the disappointment of my mother, before she passed. It’s in the family, but didn’t take with me, so I was tutored in combat. A noble enough pursuit, of course. I shall seek those who will act and send them to you? I don’t know how to do that, but I’ll find a way. I’m... A bit surprised that many aren’t volunteering. It is clearly a way to riches. Even if only trained to the level of Erold here, a poor man would be wealthy, by the end of the war, I’d have to think.”

  Anders looked away then, in thought.

  “It’s that people in Istlan used to fear magic. That is changing now, but we’re only a day into trying to bring that into being. If you talk to anyone, remind them that’s changed now? We might have one of the servants here, the stalwart man Jeld, coming for lessons. Princess Mathia is taking such, already, of course. Prince Erold, as well, so that sounds impressive and expensive, doesn’t it?”

  The man, clearly no fool, bowed toward Erold then.

  “I missed that, Prince Erold. Sorry there. No insult meant.”

  The words got a wave of the hand.

  “None taken. This is Prince Anders and Prince Daren. Both princes of Barquea, as well as being from here. Anders is the bastard of my brother, Alpert. Daren was a serving man here, who so impressed the Sula of that far off place to be given a chance to earn his way to leadership of that entire land. Anders was as well, but he has relatives that way, after a fashion, so it was easier for him, or so I heard?”

  There was teasing in the tone, but it wasn’t that far from the truth of the matter, so Anders nodded.

  “I heard that, as well. Now, we should go and practice more. We need to set a camp in the woods, with the ladies.” He grinned at Duke Cohen as he spoke. “Which sounds far more adventurous than it truly is. We have several princesses who are as good with magic as we are here. The plan is to set them to making roads for us, as a test of their skills, instead of sending them to war. You would have been training them today as well, but it was deemed improper, earlier. Due to their delicate natures. Which is a shame, since I found this effort beneficial, if a bit painful, in places.”

  He rubbed a few of those, where he’d been hit earlier.

  Which got a chuckle from each of the other men. All in sympathy.

  There was a lasting smile, from Cohen.

  “I will find those men for you. Women, too? You mentioned princesses, not ladies in general being forbidden?”

  Thinking for a moment, Anders frowned.

  “Both are welcome. If any wish to come, they’ll be working with you each day, as well? Probably in the time you should be sleeping, since you have a sworn duty here. I want the women trained to fight well enough that if anyone tries to take them by force, they can resist long enough to use their magic to finish the task.”

  That got a serious, wide eyed, grunt.

  “Understood. There was an event, at winter’s edge, where a group of women and children from here had been taken by the Yansian army. They were planning to rape and enslave them all. Illian Darca, the illusionist, stood for them. He was going to be put to death for it, until King Yarler ordered that our army wasn’t allowed to rape any longer. Istlan has held to the same rules of conduct, but no one knows why, exactly. It hasn’t been the tradition, between us.”

  “Good.” Anders felt that way, and didn’t know why it was policy now, either. “It might not hold, so I want any women working with us to be as protected as possible. We can’t always be there to guard them, so they need to be capable of doing that on their own.”

  The man straightened, oddly, but in a way that seemed powerful and official.

  “It will be done! Thank you. All of you! I was close to taking my own life in despair, now I have some hope returned.”

  With that, the man turned, and left. Apparently to another task, since he went to speak to his fellow guards. Anders was about to suggest they go and continue learning for the day, when Erold hit him on the shoulder.

  “Lady Martya is trying to get your attention. By the castle?”

  Turning, feeling a flash of nerves, if not real fear, he forced a smile and waved back.

  “I should see what’s needed? I can meet with you both... Honestly, Daren, I’ll be with you as soon as possible, in the Ambassadors’ hall?”

  The former servant bobbed in place.

  “I’ll see to that directly.” Then he hurried off, in the same direction that Anders was going, to meet with Lady Martya. When he got to the curly haired woman, her skin and eyes light in color, which helped her seem rather pretty, he stopped and bowed.

  Then shrugged.

  “Ganges. Rothina, as well, of course? So good to see you! I didn’t know you were here the whole time, before. You could have mentioned something? Have you seen Hoatha around, yet?”

  There was a blink and instead of an instant fight starting, the woman hugged him.

  “You know? I’m not even being set on fire or plagued with rats yet, so that’s a grand sign you aren’t too angry with me for not approaching you first thing. I came for you, as soon as I heard that the crystal had taken hold, and ended up getting here far too soon. Now, Ganges is here, you say? I haven’t noticed him at all. Is that...” She made a rather cute face then and wrinkled her nose. “Has he come to kill me, do you think? He loved you, for longer than this place has been a proper kingdom. That can be hard to shake. The plan really could be to take me out of things, so that he won’t have any competition.”

  He got to shake his head, at least.

  “Not that I know of? Last I heard, the plan was to throw me at you, since Anders seems to enjoy women, instead of men. Not that Farad was of that sort, either. I guess... Really, I should test you, later, to see if the stories match up, don’t you think?”

  The woman, one he’d known most of his life, who had been kind to him and friendly, but not to a level that had seemed strange or even reminded him of Ganges in any way, stuck her tongue out and rolled her eyes. It was adorable, though clearly planned to reach him in a way that spoke of being harmless.

  “Of course you should. Really, you should probably try to kill us both or at least send us away. I just missed my friend, so much, for so long. I... Went a bit insane, after you... Died.” She shook herself a bit then. “Forgive me. That was a long time ago. I recall it, but only vaguely. Now, Daren Willet has become a Prince? That’s all the talk at court right now. I was asked to help your mother put a party together. Say, does she know? That I’m Rothina, not just Martya?”

  He nodded.

  “Most here know that, or will soon. Not everyone, since it doesn’t matter that much. I mean, if you and Hoatha are both here, being pleasant and not trying to take the world over, then we have no need to be upsetting in your direction. Not that we really could. Still, you’d both go away if we asked. That being true, there’s no real reason to request that. Not at the moment.”

  The words got him hugged, for some reason.

  “Many will be baffled, going up against you, Anders Brolly, as you age. That... Ganges never really understood that part of things. It took time for it to make sense, even to me, and I lived it. I’m Rothina. Not Ganges in Rothina’s body. Not just Rutha, the farm girl and Ganges the wizard of the ages stuck together. It took time, but I learned, over the ages, to be myself. I have all the memories and parts of those others, inside. It makes a different being than either would have been.”

  Anders had felt that, for himself.

  “Yet you ran across half the world, to see your old friend Farad, killing who knows how many to do that, with blood magic.”

  That was waved away.

  “Blood magic? Why would I do that? I just schooled my mind for several months and collected my own powers for it. If you have time, you don’t need as much power to reach the same end point. It was difficult, but I didn’t kill tens of thousands to see you again.” She grinned then. “Yes, I did stay here, instead of traveling that way twice, even if it meant waiting for years, but I recalled your hatred for blood magic and haven’t used it for... Oh, hundreds of years or more? Which... Well, I left three months ago, but then traveled backward in time, to get here.”

  He snorted.

  “You still ran halfway across the world. Just to see me? A mere copy of a man you once knew, after a fashion. When you were Ganges. In part, at least...”

  “Of course! I’m me, but not immune to the memories I hold. Still, Anders... If you need your freedom from me, I will leave. It’s enough, I think, to have my old friend back.”

  Ganges had said the same thing. It could be a manipulation, or simply a thing they both shared.

  “Well, would you meet with me, and perhaps some others, so we can try to talk you out of making war against the world?”

  She shrugged then and frowned.

  “Certainly, though it isn’t about grabbing power for myself. We can have a better world. The initial disruptions will be hard. Especially for those who don’t want to lose what they have. In the end we can make it so that most people have more. Not just here, but in hundreds of other lands. This isn’t just a thing taking place here or in the south... Every continent is being affected by my works. Even if I were to stop this moment and leave off, the world will be changing. In the end, it will be worth it. I have to believe that.”

  That made a certain amount of sense to Anders.

  “Ah. Well, I can’t handle that. The best I can do is try to protect my people, here. If that works, I can worry about the rest of the world. Now, you stopped me for a reason?” He managed a smile for her, even if he didn’t enjoy the words she’d just said.

  She nodded, suddenly pleased seeming.

  “I did! Prince Daren is having a party. Lyse and I were told that we were picked for it, by name, because we’d know who needed to be there for it, but we honestly don’t know who that’s supposed to be. Do you have any ideas?”

  “Oh... Not really. Um... Everyone from Barquea, including the servants. They treat them differently there, more like family, so that’s needed. His parents and brothers. The head servants from here, of course. Also, enough nobles to show to these people that this is a real thing and not a game being played. Nice ones, who won’t be snooty about his once having been a servant here?” If such mythical people existed, of course.

  Some of the nobles and high types were nice enough.

  “Master Tolan, Hoatha and Depak, Tag Seness?” That last name was added just because the alchemist was friendly and had been kind to Anders, in the past.

  Martya tilted her head, rather prettily.

  “The Modroc, as well?”

  He nodded.

  “Yes. We should put on a show. Something using magic, but different. You saw the little thing I threw together, last night? We need something better than that. Music, maybe?”

  She gave him a pensive look.

  “Many of those people, the servants from here, will be left afraid, if magic is at play.”

  Anders nodded, attempting to seem wise.

  “Yes. People here used to be afraid of magic. Now it’s merely a slight bit of nerves, which they quickly set aside. I decided that was changing, as of last night. Put the word around about that? I mean it, in case it sounds like a jest. We’re all just pretending that no one cares any more about magic than they do about a smith or healer. It won’t work, but I’m trying to make being relaxed around magic fashionable.”

  That got a soft chuckle, which was a bit friendlier than he was used to hearing from the woman. As if she were making an effort to be alluring, for some reason. Outside of the idea they’d spoken of. It wasn’t as if she wanted to seduce him, as much as placate him, for some reason.

  “It’s worth trying? You’re looking at something that will take years, perhaps decades, to bring about, but you have the time, so why not?”

  Before he could find a way to excuse himself, there was a commotion off to the side, under the covered walkway. Two men shouting at each other, with rather a lot of force. One of them was Baron Kilroy. The other was a younger man. Not that the Baron was old at all. It was simply that the other fellow seemed to be just a few years over two decades. He had bright red hair, and very pale skin. He was, also, pushing the Baron, physically.

  Which was a dangerous thing to do, if Anders had heard correctly. The Baron was known to get himself into duels fairly often. Then, those he fought, died. Except that, in this case, the red-haired man seemed to be the one starting things. From the calling out, it wasn’t at all about a death or a great wrong.

  Just the younger man screaming about having been bumped into. Some time before, from the sound of it. The Baron was yelling, but only to be heard. His words were, clearly, a rather abject apology, instead of an offer to see the other man die in a bloody fashion.

  Lady Martya tightened her mouth and looked away.

  “Lonn Verit. Count Verit. He came a month back and has been trying to start fights with everyone he can. Last week he attempted to push Sir Humphries around, if you can believe it. I can’t see it as a true plan either. He’s simply angry and wants to make the world a worse place.”

  Anders took a deep breath.

  “Grand. I suppose he’s going to try for me, next? I’m not important, but I’m short enough to seem a target for that sort.”

  Martya smiled at the words.

  “You know... That might work. If he attacks you, as a Prince from another land, that would be grounds to have him removed. True, you’d probably have to take a beating, since killing him would be wrong. Still...”

  He didn’t love the sound of that, but nodded.

  “I see. Well, you know how to regrow teeth, right?”

  She tilted her head.

  “You can’t do that yet?”

  It was a good point. He couldn’t, but it was clearly possible. There just wasn’t enough time in the day to learn everything. Not all at one time.

  Anders suddenly walked away, over to the new fellow and Baron Kilroy. Lady Martya, smiling peacefully, followed behind, about ten paces back.

  “Excuse me, gentlemen?”

  The red-haired fellow was actually foaming at the mouth, when he turned to stare at Anders, his lips ringed in white.

  Instead of screaming at him, for interrupting, the young man heaved, trying to breathe, clearly far too angry for something minor that had taken place days before. There was a rough and tight nod, as if he couldn’t speak.

  Baron Kilroy, for the first time, moved his hand to the knife on his side, ready to pull it. Meaning that Anders wasn’t going to be attacked too easily, it seemed. For his part, he bowed, using first courtly.

  “I have some training in healing. May I examine you, using magic? There seems to be something wrong. Does this happen to you often?” He left his voice sounding bland and controlled. The other fellow, shaking now, closed his eyes.

  “Always. I... can’t... do it. Whatever this magic is.”

  Anders fell into a trance, hoping it wasn’t the wrong thing to do. The man seemed fine, at first. Until he tried to feel the inside of the other man’s head. There, near the center of it, was a lump. A thing pressing on the inside of him, in a way that was pressing him to rage. Anders didn’t know what to do about it, but he could tell what the problem was.

  “I see... There’s a growth, in your head. It will have to be removed. Magically, and very soon, except that I’ll need to work up a new procedure for this, which might take some time.”

 

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