May still held out hope for the man. “He's been with me throughout my entire reign. He's loyal. This isn't him. You've said it yourselves, it was Cralix working with the amber, not him. He's likely being coerced somehow.”
“Or they're working together.” I suggested. “Toward what goal, I cannot know. It has to be more than simple greed.”
“Does it, Mister Bascombe?” May rejoined, “greed is perhaps the most powerful motivator after love.”
“Of course you're right, Your Majesty. This is not easy. I think we all want ?rdelon to be innocent, or at least not complicit in this treachery.”
“Gods! I forgot my mother. I need to get to her immediately! Margrin, did you find another ring and talisman in ?rdelon's workshop?”
“Aye, Bascombe. In my pocket.”
“Good man!”
“Begging your pardon, your Majesty, but we must get my mother to safety. Dammit! We need two more scrolls for you and I to get back, Margrin. I'm dense!”
“Wait here,” he said. “I'll get them.”
It seemed to take him forever, but Margrin finally made it back with the scrolls. He was ghastly pale. “I saw him, " he said, breathing hard and obviously in pain. “?rdelon was in his workshop gathering more of the included amber. I tried to stop him but he shocked me with some spell, grabbed my arm and it was as if I'd been struck by lightning.”
May brought over a valet, whispered something to him, and sent him off at a run.
“I failed you on that one, My Queen. I'll be better prepared next time.
“?rdelon is a very powerful Wizard, Mister Ephisieryón. It's doubtful you could have given him much of a fight. But your bravado is well-noted. I guess there's no stopping him until we get those vaults built, but I hate the thought of Cralix with the inclusions. She's already dabbling in the Dark Arts from the sound of it.”
“Oh, and you gentlemen may depart whenever you're ready.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. We shouldn't be more than an hour.”
Stepping onto the veranda, we read our scrolls and appeared in the great room at my parents' house in Wikehold. I had only been gone for two weeks, but it seemed like years. So much had happened to me in that short period of time.
Their house is like a museum of wealth. Nothing ever looks touched.
Standing there, we didn't hear footsteps coming up from behind until the man was on us. We both turned to see a figure in black, blending into the darkness of the room, and pointing a loaded hand crossbow at us.
“Ah! Margrin, this is Pharris, our majordomo. Pharris, Mister Margrin Ephisieryón.”
“The pleasure is mine, I'm sure, Sir,” Pharris said dryly. “We weren't expecting you, Master Tendil.”
Pharris despised being caught off guard. “No Pharris, this is something of a surprise, my sincerest apologies.”
“I've come to get mother. She's in quite a bit of danger, I'm afraid. It's that Witch, Cralix, but I won't try to tell you the whole story. We're going to take her somewhere safe for a couple of weeks. “Where is she?”
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“She's in the upstairs reading room, Master Tendil, with Mister Bascombe.”
“With my father!?” I cried.
“Yes, Sir he also came by unexpectedly.
I ran to the upstairs reading room yelling the whole way, “Mother! “Mother!” But there was no answer and the reading room was empty. Father and Cralix had her!
I told Pharris what had happened and he was aghast. “Right under my nose!” was all he kept saying. But it wasn't his fault. How do you prepare for something if you don't know what to prepare for?
“What now?,” asked Margrin.
Well, we can't go to Sandlise. That's the first place they'd expect us to go, and it would increase the risk of them harming Mother.”
“We should go back to Nez Ambríl and put our collective heads together. Someone in that place has an idea. We just need to track it down. Oh, and we need to learn how to fight devils, don't forget. And powerful Witches, and invading armies. So much for doing it one-handed,” he laughed.
Back in the war room, May was in her usual spot with Pelisir and Field Marshal Everyón. They were joined by the envoy, Plogue, and a young female Elf in crimson robes who had taken over the scrying duties in ?rdelon's absence.
The Queen spoke, “Misters Bascombe and Ephisieryón, may I introduce Janiver Phinriel. The headmaster of our School of Magics, Marvale has recommended her as ?rdelon's replacement. Despite being a fraction of his age she is reportedly a much better Wizard. She is up to speed on everything so you may speak freely around her. She will begin working with the inclusions this afternoon and claims to already have some incredible ideas.”
I put my hand out and shook hers. She was a grim looking young lady. Very focused. You could tell she was uncomfortable having to be congenial.
“The rumor is,” said May, “that Janiver was left with her parents by faeries. She exhibits many of those traits. She doesn't speak much, frequently is found alone, so all of you men here, be mindful, people being physically close to her or touching her might elicit a nasty defensive spell. She's only 30, boys. Definitely not ready for romantic attention as pretty as she is. Let's wait until after the war anyway.” This drew moans and grumblings from the young soldiers in the room and a smile from May.
“And Mister Plogue came back with excellent news: the Hobgoblins will be with us. Seeing the look on Margrin's face, she quickly added, on our Western Front with the High, Moon, and Deep Elves. I recognize that the Siege of the Black Banner is still fresh in the minds of some of our population here. There's no sense in that becoming an issue. The new Hobgoblin War Chief, Krukyar wasn't there at the Siege, of course. Hobgoblins don't live as long as Humans do. But they've got something they call ‘racial memory,’ kept alive by their Bards and Skjalds. He's had similar issues with his troops because they feel the loss of ancestral blood. Mister Plogue explained it to me. Really quite fascinating.”
“If you'll all come with me,” the Queen said, walking out into the corridor, “Field Marshal Everyón will go over the details with us. Janiver, bring your ball!”
We went to a small ballroom overlooking the forest just down the hall from the war room. A large wooden frame had been erected to hang maps and Everyón got right to it. Hanging maps covered in arrows and writing and little squares showing troops and their strength. There was a small table to the right for Janiver’s crystal ball.
The first thing she did at Everyón's prompting was bring up an eagle's eye view of the Swalesian army in motion. It made my blood run cold. A solid mass of fighters, bristling with spears, flashes of light as their armor caught what was left of the setting sun. Everyón pointed to a spot on his big map just north of the fens.
“They are here. They'll March through the night and set up camp here. He pointed to an area just outside the southernmost tip of the Taliswood. This is where they'll establish their staging area and begin to build their siege engines.”
“This army is 600,000 strong. I'm not good with mathematics, but that's a lot,” Everyón chuckled.
“If I may, Sir,” Janiver unexpectedly broke in, addressing the Field Marshal, “ I wouldn't worry too much about that siege machinery, she ended her sentence with a diminutive diabolical snicker.
Everyón smiled, “Any help we can get Miss Janiver. Now don't interrupt again or I'll have you on the wall!” he bellowed.
She suddenly found the need to adjust the crystal ball just so. Avoiding any and all eye contact.
“So,” Everyón continued, the plan is this: the Clouds Elves and Snow Elves come in from behind the Gnolls from the East, harassing them until we, the Gray Elves, make contact in the woods approximately here.”
He pointed to a location roughly twenty miles to the east of Nez Ambríl.
“We bring them into trebuchet and archery range, then give them hell.
“In the West, the Moon Elves skirmish with the mercenaries up to this point about five miles to the West of Nez Clar?. We give them time to encamp, and they might, both the Deep Elves and the Hobgoblins strike from North and South with sorties of High Elf cavalry coming in from the East after we begin to pummel the encampment with trebuchets and archery fire. The Deep Elves and Hobgoblins both will be coming from positions behind the city so as to go undetected. Hopefully.”
At this point, he cleared his throat and his face grew grim.
“Then, we begin our greatest gambit. Everyone knows the story of the Wood Elves and the massacre of the Hask. We are going to try something similar here, drawing the Swalesians in and beginning a harassment campaign from positions of stealth, beating on them all the way to Ilníst. As Janiver has alluded, there will be persistent attacks of a long range magical nature on the enemy from the time they enter Imskíli until they are within five miles of Ilníst.”
We still have ongoing talks with King Cromar of Feersland and with the Dwarves, and are hopeful their assistance will allow us to pull troops to aid against the Swalesians. And that's where we stand. Our situation could be much worse. It could be better, but we won't concern ourselves with what could be. This is a fight for our existence. We've been dealt this hand, and now it's up to us to play it to the best of our abilities, Aye?”
The entire assemblage shouted in unison, “Aye!”
As this group broke up, I took the opportunity to pull May to the side. I hadn't brought her up to speed on what had happened with my mother.
From her eyes, I could feel great sympathy, and also a resolve that was almost frightening.
“You know, Tendil,” she said, with all of this talk about military matters, we've neglected to discuss our greatest threats. We still have Cralix in the West, and Mag'stula in the East. I don't think either one has realized their full potential with the included amber. Our Wizards don't even know what they should be prepared for. This much power has not been placed in so few hands in many millennia. There aren't even songs old enough to suggest the capabilities.”
“My Queen,” I began with all the courage I could muster, “We can't wait to see what the Witches will do. We must take the fight to them.”
“Oh really, Mister Bascombe, and what do you propose? A duel?
“Don't be antagonistic, My Love, There are ways to destroy a Witch which allow you something of an advantage. I'll need a little time to research the topic.”
“Well, that's precisely what you have, Sir, a little time. Very little. Go! To the library! Get Janiver to help if you have any questions about the magic involved.