Shadow Magic, page 12
The little wizard bowed, his head coming about even with Vilos’s knee. “I have troubling news, Majesty.”
Vilos tried in vain to look through narrowed eyes. He finally gave up. “Can you do something about that glare?”
Abin looked around and realized what Vilos meant. “Sorry, Majesty.” He muttered something and a small cloud appeared over him. “Better?”
“Much,” Vilos said. “Now what’s the problem?”
“I just received two messages. Black Moon Oasis and Zorn’s Oasis are besieged.”
“Damn. Nomads?”
Abin nodded.
“Find out how bad off they are and tell them we’ll get help to them as soon as possible.”
Abin bowed and trundled off.
Vilos started pacing. “Why would the nomads attack again?” he wondered out loud.
“I’ll tell you.” Yosef approached with a small man dressed in the loose white robes favored by the nomads. “This is Elder Rao. He is speaker for one of the two clans not at war with us. Tell him what you told me.”
The elder nomad cleared his throat. “Several nights ago,” he began in a halting voice. “Seven families were killed while camped near different oases. Also every wild oasis has been poisoned. Many of my people died before we realized what had happened. From several fouled oases camel tracks led back to your towns.”
Vilos nodded, seeing the picture. “We wouldn’t poison oases. We’re as dependent on them when traveling through the desert as your own people. The other nomads must know this, Elder.”
“We held a gathering and some argued as you do, myself included. Others spoke angry words. They blamed your soldiers and said we should fight. There was great anger and little sense in these words. When we explained our positions the rash ones couldn’t change their minds without looking weak. We held a vote. All but my clan and one other chose war.”
“I thank you for the warning, Elder,” Vilos said.
“That is all the help you will get. We will not fight our own people.”
“If we can find a way to purify the oases, will your people end the war?” Vilos asked.
“I don’t know, Sultan. Many have died and others will want revenge. Even if the oases are made safe, I can’t say what my people will do.”
“I understand. Is there some way I can contact you if I need to?”
Rao held out his arm and let loose a shrill whistle. A falcon descended from the sky and alighted on his arm.
“Tie a message to his talon and he will seek me.” Rao urged the bird away and it flew up into one of the garden palms. “I must go. My clan grows restless.”
“Thank you again, Elder. Tell your clan that they can have as much water as they can carry.”
Rao bowed and shuffled toward the gate. Vilos and Yosef watched him until the gate shut.
“What do you think?” Vilos asked.
“There’s magic in this, no doubt about it. Your friend the sorcerer, perhaps?”
“No perhaps about it. Who else could poison every oasis in the High Kingdom so quickly?”
“What are we going to do about it?” Yosef asked.
“We’re going to have to fight. How many men can we muster?”
“Five thousand can march tomorrow if needs be, and I can call up another ten thousand reserves.”
“Call up half. We’ll send them out to reinforce the other towns. You and I will lead the regulars north to relieve the besieged towns.”
“If the oases are all poisoned, the nomads won’t be able to last long,” Yosef said. “If they can hold out a few days dehydration will take its toll.”
“We can’t count on that. I’ll bet they have a secret source of water besides the oases.”
Yosef nodded. “I’ll start calling up the reserves.”
Yosef left and Vilos went to check on Abin’s progress. The wizard sat hunched over his crystal ball when Vilos entered his tent. Vilos stood quietly and watched as Abin weaved from side to side. He knew better than to interrupt a wizard at work. A couple minutes passed before the wizard shuddered and sat up.
“What news?” Vilos asked.
Abin started then turned to face Vilos. “Both towns’ garrisons are holding. That attack last month might have been a blessing in disguise. The soldiers were extra alert and they got the gates closed in a hurry. No deaths reported on our side, yet. I also sent a short message to all the other towns warning them to keep their gates closed and barred.”
“Good, that’s better news than I feared. Now I’ve got another job for you. Someone has poisoned the wild oases. I want you to find a way to purify them.”
Abin frowned. The thought of actual work probably didn’t appeal to him. “What about messages?”
“Your apprentice can handle it, can’t he?”
“Yes, probably, but…”
“But nothing,” Vilos said. “Find a way to purify the oases, now.”
Vilos turned and left before Abin could think up any more excuses. When Vilos reached the soldier’s camp he bellowed, “Quartermaster!”
The quartermaster, a grizzled veteran that had served Vilos’s father before him, appeared as if by magic. “You yelled?”
“Yes, how much water would we need for ten thousand men for five days?”
“Marching through the desert you’ll need a gallon per day each so fifty thousand gallons should do it.”
“Very well, take whatever men and material you need, but get that water ready to go in three days.”
“Three days? Why can’t we just take the usual two gallons per man and refill at the Twenty Mile Oasis?”
Vilos frowned and briefly explained the situation.
“Damn me. Who’d be fool enough to poison water in the desert?”
Vilos offered a humorless smile. “My guess would be the same fool that flattened half the palace. Get that water ready.”
The quartermaster saluted. “Will do, Majesty.”
Vilos left to the sound of orders being barked. If anyone could get the job done, his trusty quartermaster could.
Two days passed in a hurry. The standing army had mustered in the central plaza of the city. A small crowd had gathered to watch, mostly family and curious children. Vilos walked down the ranks. Each man had his armor and weapons polished and in good shape. The archers had their bows restrung and a full brace of arrows. As he passed by Vilos heard several men grumbling about standing around out in the sun. He forced himself not to smile. If the soldiers were complaining it meant things were right about where they were supposed to be.
As he continued down the ranks he noticed some of the men had gotten a little round in the middle. Yosef was right; the men really had gotten soft during his reign. A few hundred miles of marching in the desert would take care of that. Vilos finished his review feeling pretty good about their chances.
The reserves wouldn’t be ready until tomorrow and then they’d march to war.
Vilos sighed. After the Crown War he’d hoped he’d never have to lead men into battle again. A fool’s wish he knew.
He shook his head; wishing was a waste of time. The battle needed to be fought and he would fight it. He left the troops under the watchful eye of his officers and headed to the palace to check on Abin’s progress. If his wizard could purify the oases perhaps some bloodshed could be avoided.
The moment he started away from the troops a score of the palace guard fell in place around him. Now that the stone soldiers had gone, they took their jobs much more seriously. The people made a path for the sultan and his guards. Anyone that didn’t move fast enough got a prod from the butt of a spear. He’d have to say something about that. Vilos couldn’t have his guards striking innocent people.
When they reached the palace Vilos dismissed the guards and made straight toward Abin’s tent. The closer he got the fewer people seemed to be around. A nasty odor filled the air, rather like the time all the camels got that intestinal disorder at the same time. By the time he reached the tent his eyes had started to water. Vilos poked his head inside and immediately pulled it back out. He staggered a step as the stink overwhelmed him.
Abin must have seen him because the wizard’s bald head emerged a moment later. “I’ll be right out, Majesty. I just have one experiment to finish.”
Vilos took a couple more steps to get further away from the stench. That turned out to be a wise move as a few seconds later something exploded and black smoke billowed out the flap. Abin staggered out a moment later coughing and spitting.
“I’m not encouraged, wizard,” Vilos said when Abin had caught his breath.
“Neither am I. Things could be worse though.”
“Explain.”
“I don’t want to get your hopes up so let me first say that I can’t neutralize the poison. Whoever cooked it up really knew their stuff.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
Abin winced. “The base poison is from an Abyssal scorpion. The demonic origin is one reason I can’t neutralize it. The poison has been magically altered to make it exceptionally deadly to humans.”
“I thought you said there was some good news.”
“No, I said it could be worse.” Seeing Vilos scowl Abin hurried on. “For example the water is harmless to animals.”
“At least we can water the camels. Anything else?”
“Just one thing: this time next year the water will be fine.”
“Explain.”
“The nature of the poison will cause it to break down in approximately one year.”
“Why?”
Abin shrugged.
“Very well, any news from the north?”
“None, Majesty.”
Vilos nodded and left the wizard to his stink. One year. Maybe he could make a bargain. Vilos wandered through the garden lost in thought. The area seemed deserted, perhaps thanks to Abin’s exploding tent.
Vilos spotted the nomad elder’s falcon and held up his arm. The bird glided down to him. He took it to his tent, gathering more than a few curious looks as he passed through the more populated areas of the garden.
His guards moved aside as he approached his tent. Once inside the falcon hopped off his arm and onto the back of his chair. He rubbed his arm where its talons had scratched him. Vilos sat down and wrote a brief note asking for a meeting to discuss a possible solution to the hostilities.
Vilos tied the note to the bird’s leg and took it outside. He held up his arm. “Take this to your master.”
The falcon leapt into the air.
Chapter 19
Daktari swore in a language that no longer existed and threw the last of Silvermane’s books into a pile on the floor. For nearly a week he and Bane had done nothing but read everything in Silvermane’s lighthouse. They had stripped the bookshelves of her study and still they found no trace of where the princess might be.
Daktari rose from the soft leather chair and heard his back snap as he straightened. He’d sat hunched over that last book for two hours. “Bane, we’re leaving.”
His homunculus glided down from the bookshelf where he’d been resting and landed on Daktari’s shoulder. “Sorry, Master. I’d hoped for better luck.”
“As did I. You ever have the overwhelming desire to smash something?”
“Whenever you do, Master. Like right now for example.”
Daktari snapped his fingers and they were outside in the darkness facing the lighthouse. A quarter moon hung low in the sky.
He raised his hands and purple fire blazed around them.
A few feet away a huge pair of purple hands appeared and began to mirror his every motion.
He reached out toward the lighthouse and squeezed. Purple fingers sank into the stone.
With one great effort he wrenched the lighthouse free of its foundation and flung it over the cliff into the sea. It crashed into the rocks and shattered into a thousand pieces. Daktari sighed with a mixture of pleasure and disgust at his lack of control and let the hands fade. He took deep breaths, trying to get his strength back.
“Is it wise to waste your power like that, Master?” Bane asked.
“No.”
Like any exercise, using huge amounts of his power left him tired and weak. The more massive the effort the more tired he felt. On the upside every effort also increased his power once he recovered.
“But I needed that, Bane. I needed to vent the rage. Now my mind is clear, for a little while at least. Let’s go home. In the morning we’ll visit Kent and put the last player on the field.” Daktari snapped his fingers.
When they appeared in the cavern Daktari said, “Use the crystal ball and check on our agents’ progress. I must rest.” He staggered off to bed leaving Bane to his work.
Daktari collapsed onto the mattress. A week of using magic to keep his body constantly alert had taken its toll. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
It seemed no time had passed when Daktari found himself drifting through a dark void. There was no up or down, no sensation of any sort. Daktari had used spirit projection enough times to recognize that his spirit now wandered free of his body.
The question was why.
In the darkness time had no meaning. He tried to will his spirit back to his body with no success.
After an unknowable time he began streaking through the darkness. He fought the pull but seemed powerless to affect it. Soon he found himself floating before a huge black stone statue. All around him bursts of random light and magical energy exploded. Swirls of pure ether appeared and disappeared. The chaotic energy gave away his location.
The dark between solar systems. Out here, with no sentients to impose their will on it, the ether reverted to its true, chaotic nature.
So if that’s where he was, then the statue had to be…
“Daktari!” A voice of infinite depth echoed all around.
Balthis.
He’d forgotten to raise the spirit wards before he went to sleep. The elder demon must have dragged Daktari’s spirit here. “How much longer must I wait? The girl is ready.”
“Not long, my lord,” Daktari said. “There were some difficulties we didn’t anticipate.”
“I grow impatient, sorcerer. I have waited millennia to escape this prison.”
“I know, lord. But let us not rush now that we are so close. You will walk free soon.”
“Do not cross me, Daktari,” Balthis thundered.
Daktari grabbed his head as lances of pain shot through it. When the ringing faded he said, “I have never broken a pact, Lord Balthis. I will see the ritual completed as we agreed, you may depend upon it.”
“Well enough, Daktari.” Calm settled over the demon as quick as rage. “Besides, what is time to one who is eternal?”
With a mental flick Balthis sent Daktari hurtling back the way he’d come. Daktari sat up in bed. By the nine, their meetings never failed to overwhelm him. The elder demon’s presence was incredible.
Master? Are you all right?
I’m fine, Bane. What time is it?
The sun is up. Beyond that I couldn’t say.
Very well, I’ll join you in a moment.
Daktari sat on the edge of the bed collecting himself. If Bane had felt the psychic shock of his visit to Balthis, then it must have unnerved him more than he’d thought. Served him right for not putting the spirit wards up.
Daktari stood and stretched. His muscles ached. He must have clenched up in his sleep.
He stretched the kinks out as he walked between the bedroom and the work area. Bane flew over and landed on his shoulder as soon as he entered the cavern. Like a cat seeking reassurance, Bane rubbed his head against his master’s cheek. Daktari rubbed between Bane’s wings until he started to trill.
When he stopped Bane asked, “Are you all right?”
“Yes, though more through luck than anything.” Daktari related the details of his conversation with Balthis.
“We must make haste, Master.”
“Yes, Bane, but we mustn’t rush so that we make a fatal mistake. When the time comes, we may only get one chance to grab the princess. We must not fail.”
“We won’t, Master.”
Daktari smiled and scratched Bane again. “Of course not. Now, tell me how the others are doing.”
“I contacted Zin,” Bane said. “Nord has defeated one of his two main rivals. Zin says he used Heat’s Bane to good effect.”
“Excellent, I had hoped he’d get a chance to practice. Continue.”
“The nomads have besieged two northern towns. They’ve done little damage so far. Vilos has called up the army and plans to march north.”
Daktari nodded. “And the priests?”
“They reacted as planned to the dream you sent, but their champion failed.”
“Good, that should build up a large chunk of resentment. What about Kent?”
“When I checked he was alone in his office.”
“Well done, Bane. I’m going to pay Kent a visit. You get some rest.”
Bane flew off to find a niche somewhere to sleep. Daktari couldn’t remember how many times he’d offered to make a little bed for his homunculus. Bane always said he preferred to sleep in the shadows among the stalactites. Daktari shrugged and went to gather his golems.
Daktari appeared in Kent’s office. He’d been forced to arrive elsewhere in the city then make a second, line of sight teleport into the office. The man sat behind his desk reading some papers. He must have sensed something because he looked up an instant after Daktari appeared.
He smiled and Kent went pale. It seemed he knew with whom he dealt. Good, that would make things easier.
“You know me,” Daktari said.
Kent nodded. “You destroyed the White Palace.”
“Hardly destroyed. I’ve come to make you an offer, your brother’s stone soldiers in exchange for Princess Shara.”
“I don’t have the princess,” Kent stammered.
Daktari’s smile broadened. The fool was shaking in his boots. “I’m aware of that. What you do have is resources. Use them. Find the girl.”
“If I find her, I get to keep the golems?”
