21. Velius

Chapter twenty-one

Velius

I sat with my hands crossed in my lap as I watched Ceryl Burner, the country's portly Merchants' Guildmaster, waddle nervously in circles around the chamber. This room, the heart of Melucia's government, contained three ornately carved, high-backed thrones that faced the room's center and were adorned with plush velvet cushions.

The chamber was designed to accentuate the majesty of the ruling council and be uncomfortable—at least for those not seated in the luxurious chairs—and succeeded with most visitors. Those testifying before the Triad stood on a raised, eye-shaped platform at the center, and were forced to turn each time a different member posed a question. An oculus set into the domed ceiling high above shone milky light that encompassed the thrones and the Eye, bathing the members of the Triad in radiance, while the onlookers watched from darkness.

The gallery, one floor above, contained comfortable seats for high-ranking spectators or government officials.

But on this day, the gallery stood empty.

General Titus Vre, commander of Melucia's armed forces, stood stiffly beside his throne. His glare bored holes into the messenger currently cowering from atop the Eye. Voluminous Mages' robes consumed the scrawny man, who blotted sweat from his bony brow. The messenger spun to face me, nearly stumbling off the perch when I spoke again.

"Ceryl, please sit down. You're going to make our poor guest seasick," I barked at the pacing Guildmaster, then eyed the young Mage. "Now, Mage . . . Eric, was it?"

"Yes, sir . . . uh . . . Arch Mage. Eric."

"Mage Eric, walk us through one more time. This time, please just read the transcript of the message Atikus sent. You were in the chamber when I spoke his words to your pen, correct?"

"Yes, Arch Mage." Eric cleared his throat and dabbed sweat from his brow again. "Mage Atikus Dani used Telepathy. You instructed me to transcribe his message as you spoke. Scribes are currently making additional copies for each member of the Triad, but I brought the original for your immediate review. With your permission—"

"Please proceed," I ordered.

Eric cleared his throat again and began to read from the parchment in his trembling hands.

" Our situation is more dire than previously thought.

" The Kingdom is rallying volunteers throughout the land to join in the war effort. They blame the kidnapping of four Gifted on Melucia, but the real catalyst for this invasion was the abduction of the Crown Princess, the fifth such act. The official story blames Guildmaster Burner and a coordinated Melucian plot to destroy the Kingdom's already thin magical line. They claim that his personal seal was found at the site where the Princess was taken.

" Royal Speakers are whipping up crowds in town squares across the country, and flyers with the Princess's likeness call for the people to rise. Roads are clogged with lines of troops headed east. We have even seen scores of siege engines among the caravans.

" Most disturbing, this effort appears to have the blessing of the King. There can be no doubt of the Kingdom's intention to invade with the spring thaw.

" As to our investigation, we found the Healer. Guard Sil Wesser bonded with an eagle and is keeping watch. The Healer's captors are on the road headed to Irina's Seat. We believe she is still alive, concealed in the bottom of a cart, but have no evidence to support that claim. We are currently in Rutin but will leave before dawn.

" I will report again once we reach Irina's Seat. "

Burner stopped pacing and hurled his portly frame onto his throne. "My seal went missing a few years ago. Servants scoured every inch of the building but never found it."

"No doubt our little spy has been busy again." I sat back, steepling my fingers. "Ceryl, it's likely the spy is still working somewhere in the Merchants' Guild. We should redouble our efforts to root him out."

"Yes, yes. I've had my most trusted men on this for months. Any magical help your people could offer would be appreciated."

"Our only Truthreader is sneaking his way through the Kingdom right now. I'll see what else we might offer." I thought a moment. "What about combating the story? Your trade network extends throughout the Kingdom. How can we use that to undermine their propaganda?"

"That's an interesting idea. If I could get word through their lines, we could make a dent in their story, at least get our version out there. Unfortunately, the border has been sealed for months. We haven't seen a single trade caravan return since summer," Ceryl said. "And if they're as angry as Atikus claims, I doubt even my closest traders will listen. They'll fear a traitor's justice for speaking against the King."

After another moment of thought, I turned to the General. "General Vre, please review our defensive status and strategy. "

Vre gave me a pointed look, then shot a glance at the Mage still quivering on the Eye.

"Of course. Mage Eric, thank you. You may leave." Eric bobbed his head toward me and skittered out of the room.

I removed a thumb-sized box from a pocket in my robe. The gilding of the trinket glittered in the light of the oculus. Emeralds embedded on each side and the top cast shards of verdant light in all directions.

I opened the box, uttered a few words, and nodded to the others. "Speak freely now. The chamber is cloaked."

General Vre, ever the military man, stood with his back straight, hands clasped behind his back.

"By all accounts, the Kingdom's standing army boasts more than a hundred thousand well-trained archers, pikemen, and cavalry. If they're recruiting, we should add another fifty thousand, probably more. Their population is twice ours, and it sounds like they're motivated.

"As for our forces, the Rangers number a little over one thousand, and are divided between our western and eastern borders. Our army, stationed in three primary locations, numbers just over twenty-two thousand. If we're lucky, we could recruit another twenty or thirty thousand, but there wouldn't be enough time to train them before a spring assault. They would die and likely do little to slow the well-trained Kingdom forces. It would be a waste of lives .

"The Kingdom allied with the island tribes on Vint and Riz long ago. Their navies will make any counter by sea impossible. They'll also no doubt use them to blockade our ports, stifling trade and resupply.

"Unless you have some powerful magic up your sleeve, this isn't a fight we can win."

"Well, that was uplifting," Burner sniped. "What about the border nations? Surely they would offer aid."

Vre rolled his eyes.

He despised the rotund trader and rarely hid his disdain, especially in closed session. For reasons I never understood, the General believed Ceryl's constant optimism to be a false veneer masking some greedy ploy to take over more of the nation's wealth. Never mind that Ceryl's job was to grow trade and wealth for the Merchants of the Empire—and he was good at it.

Vre still despised the man.

I pursed my lips at the prospect of playing referee yet again.

"They're useless," the General said. "They have no standing army, other than a weak Constabulary that barely keeps order on their roads. Besides, they can't stop squabbling over fishing rights long enough to work together, even if it means their downfall. They'd surrender to the Kingdom before the first arrow was loosed."

I gripped and released the arm of my chair. "We are more powerful than the Kingdom where magic is concerned. Our Mages could hold off their army in the mountains for a few months, but we would eventually break. Mages tire, where armies with an endless supply of men do not. Here in the capital, where we have access to the tower and its wellspring, our power is amplified. That would increase both our potency and longevity but does not address our greatest weakness. Most of our Gifts are peaceful, aimed at Healing, growing crops, or other mundane tasks. With the offensive wielders we do possess, we could defend Saltstone for a time but not forever."

The mood in the chamber, already somber, seemed to darken the more I spoke. Even the light streaming through the oculus dimmed as clouds filled the sky above. "The gravest problem would be feeding our people throughout an extended siege. The rest of the nation would fall if we consolidated the army here, leaving Saltstone an island amid a hostile sea. With no way to resupply our stores, it would only be a matter of time before we were forced to surrender."

As I spoke my final words, us rulers stared into the Eye.

It offered no wisdom.

After a long moment, I stood. "Gentlemen, I would like to consult with my Mages, see if they can come up with options we have missed. In the meantime, Ceryl, check with your network. There have to be some in the Kingdom who would be sympathetic. They have certainly enjoyed our coins over the years. If nothing else, they may be willing to share intelligence from their side of the mountains. Our spy network is even thinner than the ranks of our military; your primary focus now is to strengthen it. Use your traders to contact the border nations and island tribes, anyone who can hold a spear or sword. I agree with the General on the status of our neighbors, but we have to try."

Ceryl gave a quick nod.

"General, we need immediate plans for a mass recruitment effort. Include options to draft any man, woman, or child of fighting age, then have your staff develop strategies for the defense of the western border. I'll have my Mages focus on defensive options in that region, as well. If we have any hope of bottling them up, it will happen in the mountains. Once they get past Grove's Pass, the Empire will fall."

Vre grunted his assent. No doubt, the proud man loathed taking instructions from anyone, especially a Mage. But with war on the horizon, petty rivalries and matters of ego had to be cast aside.

Neither Vre nor Burner knew of the mission to Rea Utu. They were unaware of how Atikus had been tasked or how he passed that quest on to Ranger Declan Rea. I'd known Declan since he first set foot in our compound all those years ago. He was precocious, willful, and most of all, insecure. He wrapped his failings in the cloak of humor and hid behind a mask of charisma; yet, beneath his fa?ade, I knew Declan feared truths buried deep within. I knew him for the broken, flailing child who sought acceptance above all else.

As a Mage, I valued knowledge above most everything, but in that moment, I wished I knew far less.

The fate of our nation likely rested in the hands of an untested, Mute boy.

Foolish scarcely described our predicament.

Reckless might have been a better word.

I was unsure if I could trust Burner, but I wanted to at least tell Vre, to offer him some sliver of hope as he stood before our troops and rallied them to fight against an invincible foe. I trusted the General. He was a good man. He deserved the truth. He deserved to know.

But he could never know.

Neither of them could.

No nation was worth risking the Well.

No people were worth magic itself.

"One more thing," I said, pausing until both men looked up. "We need a plan to evacuate the city should the worst happen. The Guard is our best force to execute such a plan, so I will see Commander Albius when we adjourn. Once his office has a plan in place, I will ask him to share it with us."

Ceryl's eyes widened, and he covered his mouth with a laced kerchief.

Vre blinked a few times, then allowed his gaze to falter and then fall.

I hoped that was exhaustion and not prophesy of days to come.