That reminded me, I still hadn’t set up any regular messengers. The only people I had available to me were the townsfolk, those few that weren’t involved in preparing the foundation for the dam. It seemed I was doomed to be perpetually short-handed. “Dorian can handle it. It will sound almost as good coming from him anyway.”
Since I couldn’t try my next experiments without the glass I spent the afternoon reading the books I had brought from my new ‘home’ in Albamarl. It had been over two weeks since we had left and I had yet to spend any time perusing them. I found a quiet corner in my room and settled down with ‘A Definitive Guide on the Creation and Maintenance of Teleportation Waypoints’. It turned out to be every bit as interesting as the title sounded, which is to say not at all.
I forced myself to focus and spent the next several hours wading through the basics of teleportation magic. I had assumed it would be easy, but it appeared that creating a pair of linked circles was fiendishly difficult. In theory a mage could teleport without using a circle of any kind, but in practice it required a prohibitive amount of complex mathematics to precisely arrive at any given location.
It would never have occurred to me before that the motion of the world itself would be a factor, but it was. Because of this circles had been designed to create artificial anchors in reality. A circle created a sort of independent location in space that didn’t vary in the same way other points in space did. The result was that two circles, properly keyed to one another could be used to teleport easily from one place to another with no risk of a messy ‘accident’. Any halfway decent mage could safely use one once it had been created.
People without magical skills could also use them, provided a practitioner provided the magical power to activate it. The possibilities for using the circle in Albamarl to move supplies immediately came to mind. If I could create a circle here to match the one there I would be able to easily move large amounts of materials or people with ease.
I had one major problem however. I had only briefly looked at the circle in the capital, and at that time I had been ignorant as to which parts of it were key to identifying it. The only way I could get the information I needed would be to make another trip there and back again.
I tossed the book aside in disgust and rubbed my temples, I had developed a distinct headache while reading it. I rested my eyes for a few minutes before I looked at ‘The History of Illeniel’. My short time examining it before had left me with more questions than answers, so I was still eager to read it. It had to be more enjoyable than studying teleportation. I opened it again and spent a few minutes finding my place before continuing:
The wizards of those times learned to be wary of the dark gods even as they shunned the new gods. None would treat with the dark gods or pay heed to the shining gods. Mankind controlled its own fate. Things might have remained so had one young wizard, Jerod, of the line of Mordan not given into greed and lust for power.
Jerod had been born to power but was not strong enough to speak to the earth. His jealousy of the existing archmages is part of what led to his downfall and his betrayal of humanity. At that time two archmages were alive, Gareth of the line of Gaelyn, and Moira of the line of Centyr. There were rarely more than two or three archmages alive at any time in history, so this was not uncommon.
Jerod had fallen in love with Moira of the Centyr, but she had eyes only for another, an unremarkable mage from the line of Illeniel. The details of their unfortunate love triangle did not survive the dark times that followed but it is known that Jerod gave in to the temptations of the dark god, Balinthor. Promises of power beyond that of the archmages seduced young Jerod. Believing that greater power might woo the archmage Moira he summoned the dark god and opened his mind to him.
Balinthor possessed him completely then, and used Jerod to open a world-bridge that he might cross over into the lands of men. Once he had crossed, Balinthor consumed Jerod’s mind and took his body for his avatar.
The creation of the world-bridge drew the notice of many of the greater wizards of the time and they strove to contain the dark god. Led by Gareth Gaelyn they rallied against Balinthor but were unable to prevail. Gareth was slain and the wizards were thrown into disarray.
It was at this time that the ‘shining gods’ took their place in the forefront of people’s hearts and minds. Many lesser wizards and other men who later came to be known as saints made pacts with the shining gods, Millicenth the Evening Star, Doron the Iron God, Karenth the Just, and Celior the Luminous.
The greater wizards and the archmage Moira Centyr remained mistrustful of the shining gods but worked with the growing power of the churches to save what remained of their shattered civilization. Their war against Balinthor and his minions was protracted over many years but it eventually became apparent that they could not win.
Mankind was driven inexorably closer to the brink of extinction until at last only one stronghold of note remained, in a land now known as the Kingdom of Lothion. Moira, the greater wizards, and the saints of the new churches fought long and hard but in the end they knew defeat was close at hand. In despair Moira called upon the earth in a way that no archmage before her had ever done. A great stone rose up, a stone which still stands in what later became the capitol of Lothion, and she treated with the earth.
The wizards then knew that all things, living and unliving, were sentient and aware. The earth itself was the greatest and largest of those things, but its mind was strange and foreign to the minds of men. Archmages past had been able to call upon it to perform great feats but their connection was limited. Moira cast aside her humanity and joined with the earth fully, stepping into the stone that had risen up before her.
The events that occurred afterwards are difficult to accept, but for the physical evidence left behind for modern scholars. A massive stone colossus was birthed by the Elentir Mountains and fought directly against the dark god. Balinthor’s power was unrivaled by any mortal creature but he was dismayed by the near unending power the earth’s guardian possessed. He was driven back for days and weeks, until he came to a land then known as Garulon.
Garulon was a beautiful country in those days, but it had already been devastated by the war. The inhabitants of the region were all dead or had fled with the remnants still resisting Balinthor. The earth chose that place for Balinthor’s grave and there it was that the colossus grappled with the dark god. It bore him to the earth and the land itself rose up over them. A great pit opened beneath them and Balinthor was swallowed up, to be crushed within the earth’s bosom. His death released a powerful blast and what remained of the region was torn asunder, leaving a great chasm that was soon filled by the sea.
This was the event known later as the ‘Sundering’. Once the god had been slain the remnants of humanity destroyed his servants, dark beings known as the ‘shiggreth’. Creatures of unlife, the shiggreth were difficult to root out but eventually they were all undone. Humanity was safe once more.
Civilization slowly rebuilt itself, but there were no archmages left alive and few mages of the great lines remained. The new religions had gained numerous followers during the war against Balinthor and their power grew among the rulers of the new nations. Jerod’s action in unleashing the dark god upon humanity was not forgotten and people grew fearful that another wizard might repeat his mistake.
An accord was reached, between the rulers of that time, the new churches, and the remaining wizards of the great lines. To safeguard against weakness and human fallibility each wizard with the strength to potentially create a world-bridge would form a magical soul-bond with another person. The bond would shield their minds from undue outside influences, such as the dark gods, and if they should betray mankind by voluntarily giving themselves over to one of the dark gods the bond-mate would be able end the life of the offender. The bond would link the life of the wizard with his bond mate; the death of one would ensure the death of the other.
In time the bond bearers were named Anath’Merid
um which meant ‘Pact Bearer’ in Lycian. They were the final protection against another tragic mistake. After that time no new archmages arose and the great lines dwindled. The bond meant that any powerful wizard was twice as likely to die due to accident or illness and they were much more vulnerable to assassins, despite the Anath’Meridum’s legendary combat abilities.
My head was swimming with the information I had just read. The creation of the Anath’Meridum was the result of some sort of treaty? It sounded as if the remaining wizards left after the sundering had been at a serious disadvantage politically. Even more important, it was clear that wizards had been around for a long time without needing the bond to save them from madness. More and more it was becoming certain to me that the reasons for the bond revolved primarily around the threat of a repeat mistake and the political necessities of the time.
Another thing that truly fascinated me was the term ‘archmage’. I had no frame of reference for it, but it sounded as if hearing ‘voices’ was not such a bad thing after all. From my experience before my bonding I had clearly been able to identify one of the voices as belonging to what I would have described as the earth itself, if so did that mean I was potentially an archmage? Again I found myself cursing the fact that my biological father had never lived to teach me anything. I had no clue what the implications might be if I was, I was still figuring out what it meant just to be a wizard.
That also left me wondering about the stone-lady. She had been very different from the other ‘voices’ I had heard and I now suspected she might be the archmage mentioned in the book. “Moira Centyr...,” I mused aloud. If only the book had given the name of her lover. It had said that he was of the Illeniel line, but if his name had been the same as mine I could have been sure that she was one and the same person as my ‘stone-lady’. If she really was some historical archmage; still alive after centuries of living within the earth itself... I couldn’t begin to imagine what knowledge she might have.
A knock at the door forced me to return to the present, I found Marc standing outside. “Come in,” I told him. “I haven’t seen much of you the past day or two.”
“After I delivered your message to Arundel I found myself called upon minister to the sick,” he replied. “There were several there who had suffered injuries during the summer.”
“Oh,” I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“I thought you should know however, Sheldon returned yesterday evening in a terrible humor. You really made a great impression on him.”
I smiled grimly, “The feeling was mutual. What did he say?”
“I won’t waste your time with most of it. He’s not a very inspired orator, the closest he came to an original insult was ‘pig-lord’,” Marcus smiled at me for a moment before his face grew serious. “Of more concern is that fact that he is already making preparations to winter in the capital.”
“He’s leaving already?” I was surprised he had moved so quickly. “What did he tell his people?”
“Nothing, it would almost seem to be a normal trip abroad, except for the fact that he’s taking all of his fighting men with him... and packing up every valuable possession he owns.” My friend shook his head, “He plans to leave them behind Mort.”
My poor opinion of the baron had lowered even more; his sheer indifference to the fate of his people irritated me more than I could say. “Has he left yet?”
“He was still there when I left. I think he plans to start out in the morning.”
A plan began to percolate in my head. It probably wasn’t the wisest thing I had ever considered doing but my conscience wouldn’t let me do otherwise. I went downstairs to make preparations for the next morning.
Chapter 24
The good baron was just leaving his manor when we arrived. I think he was surprised to see me, and not pleasantly so, which suited me just fine. Penny rode beside me to my right, while Marc sat upon his palfrey to my left. Behind us were ten men of the Washbrook militia.
“Lord Cameron, I had not expected to see you this day,” the baron addressed me. He rode at the head of over thirty guardsmen. I could see heavily laden pack mules with them, as well as an exceptional number of ‘spare’ horses. He had probably emptied his stables. The fact that he cared more for his livestock than his people did nothing to improve my temper.
“You look as though you are off upon a journey my lord,” I replied civilly.
“I plan to winter in the capital. Surely you did not expect me to stay?” his lip curled into a sneer as he spoke.
“I expected you to have the decency to inform your people of the coming war. Only a coward packs his bags and runs without giving his people some warning,” I answered coldly. Evidently he hadn’t bothered to tell his retainers either... I saw several eyes raised among his men as I spoke.
“Take care with your words Lord Cameron, lest I take umbrage. The affairs of my people are none of your concern.” He shifted uncertainly on his stallion but resisted the urge to look at his men, to do so might have shown his fear.
“I see you didn’t even have the courtesy to tell your men. Some of them must have families. Did you fear they would desert if they knew you were leaving their wives and children to die?” I raised my voice to ensure it would carry clearly to those listening. Several people had come out of his manor to see what was happening.
“I’ve had enough of your insults, dog!” the baron’s face was red with rage now. “Cut them down...” Before he could finish his order Penny spurred her horse forward and struck him from his saddle with the flat of her sword. Rising from the ground he drew his own blade, “You dare strike your betters?!” he screamed at her.
I had to give the man credit, he might be an ass but he didn’t shrink from a fight. Penny dismounted easily and strode toward him. Lord Arundel was obviously well practiced with his sword, but Penny was far too quick for him, she sidestepped his first swing and her hand darted out, wrenching the weapon from his grasp. His face registered shock before she struck him with her fist. A moment later he was stretched out face down in the dirt. She put the edge of her sword against his neck to encourage him to stay there, “I’ll dare more than to strike you if you speak again.”
The whole thing happened so quickly no one had moved. The baron’s men sat their horses with gaping mouths at the sight of him so quickly disarmed. To be truthful I was a bit surprised myself. Penny had always been feisty, but now her speed and agility were frightening. I tried not to show my own surprise though.
I addressed the guardsmen and the growing crowd of townsfolk who were gathering, “My name is Mordecai Illeniel, the new Count di’Cameron. I have come to give you the news your lord unwisely kept from you and to offer you a choice.” I had to shout now to make sure everyone could hear me. Nearly fifty people stood around us now. “Gododdin plans to invade in the spring. I gave your baron this news yesterday, but it seems he would rather hide with his wealth in the capital than safeguard his people.”
The gathered crowd gasped at the news and a chorus of hushed voices began talking among them. I worried panic might set in before I could finish. “I am here to offer you a choice. The Duke of Lancaster and I have a plan to meet the invader and defeat him. Any of you who would stay and fight for your homes are welcome to join us.”
Poor Sheldon could not stay silent, “You would steal those in my service? The king will know of this outrage!”
“Kyrtos,” I spoke and his voice fell silent. I could see his eyes bulging as he realized he was no longer capable of speaking.
“Those of you who wish to stay are welcome to come with me. Those of you who can fight may take employment with me. Those of you who fear the baron’s wrath should he return may build new homes on my lands. Where you were ‘serfs’ to this pitiful excuse for a lord you may be freeholders now.”
Someone in the crowd spoke up, “Winter is almost here. It is too late to move now; we would have no place to survive the cold.”
I had expected that
. “You may stay in your homes for the winter if you wish or you may find shelter in Castle Cameron. I need men and women to prepare for the coming war. I will assist you with building homes in the spring, once the war is done,” I answered.
The crowd went silent at that. I suspect many of them were too shocked to know what to make of my offer. I didn’t dare give them time for debate. Taking my staff I drew a line in the dirt, “Those of you who wish to take my offer step forward. Those who wish to return to the capital with this piece of trash simply stay where you are, although I suspect he will only take those who were in his original party.”
Faced with a sudden choice it didn’t take them long to decide. One by one the baron’s guardsmen crossed my line. The townsfolk joined in a rush as soon as it was apparent the guardsmen wouldn’t be standing against them. In the end only two men remained to the disgraced baron. I motioned to Penny to let him up, “Very well Sheldon. You may leave now.” As an afterthought I released the magic that was holding his tongue.
“You will regret this. The king will hear of this outrage,” he told me. I noticed he kept his voice low. He motioned to his remaining retainers to gather the pack mules.
“Stop,” I declared. “You may take only what is on your person and enough food for you and your two servants to make the journey. The rest stays here.”
“So you plan to rob me as well? You are no better than a common bandit,” he spat at the ground.
“What you had came from the sweat of your people. You surrendered your right to it when you abandoned them,” I replied.
He looked at Penny, “At least return my sword.”
Penny glared at him, “It will go to someone who will defend their home.”
“You would leave me defenseless on the roads?” he asked me.
“I think you will find the roads clear,” I graced him with a cold smile.
***