Chapter 23 #2
Tomorrow, I’m heading into battle, and so many things are uncertain.
I fear for my men and for the unknown threats we will encounter in the mines.
What I’m trying to say, my beautiful Viper, is that if the goddess of fate doesn’t favour us, our love will endure through the Veil and the streams of time.
It will guard you and keep you safe. Just promise you’ll live well, and even if you love again, keep a place in your heart for the man who can’t live without your light.
Yours always,
Reynard.
I sealed the letter, found a messenger, and gave him the missive.
‘If I die, deliver this to the Dark Brotherhood’s mansion for Lady Roksana. If I survive, destroy it,’ I said, and his eyes widened.
‘Yes, Your Majesty. Are we facing defeat?’
‘Not if I can help it, but I’ve fought enough battles to know anything can happen.’
He left, and I looked around. The camp was getting ready for a good night’s rest, except for the sentries huddled together, briefing for their night shift. I should have gone to bed as well. Tomorrow would be difficult, and I needed a clear head to lead this battle.
But I did not look forward to a cold, lonely bed. My hand found the amulet still warm from Sana’s magic, and I stroked it with my finger. I missed my Viper so fucking much, and I wasn’t ashamed to admit it.
I woke as the sun broke over the horizon, but my eyelids were glued together, so I used my fingers to open them. Worse, my head felt heavy, as if I’d been fighting an invisible enemy through the night.
‘Perfect start into a wonderful day,’ I muttered, stretching cold, stiff muscles before starting the morning warm-up.
A rider is heading towards your camp.
The voice in my head stopped my stretching. If this was a dragon, I had to know. I latched onto this connection before it was gone, trying to find answers to at least some of my questions.
‘Who are you?’ I asked, unsure how to project my thoughts to whoever had invaded my mind.
Someone who doesn’t want to be here. Let me go, King Reynard, and focus on your little war.
Sarcastic arse, I thought before asking again. ‘I would kick you out if I could. I’ll ask again. Who are you?’
My name? A human asking for my name? It would burn a path of fire through your fragile mind.
Aren’t you full of yourself? Fine, I’ll call you Arsehole, I thought, because if he’d heard my earlier remark, he could hear this too.
You may call me Cinared, came the reluctant answer, and I huffed in bemusement. So, I had a dragon. Cranky, unhelpful, and driving me mad, but still a dragon, and I had no idea what to do with that information.
Led by curiosity, I left the tent and looked up, trying to find him sailing the sky. It was like seeking a needle in a haystack, especially with the heavy, snow-filled clouds darkening the horizon.
‘My lord, a messenger arrived from Truso,’ the guard said, coming closer.
‘I know, bring him here.’ I returned to the tent to dress myself. A few moments of shirtless exercise in the winter chill were enough to wake me up.
When the tired man stood in front of me, I was ready to accept the dispatches.
‘My lord, the regent sends his report and a message,’ he said, and I frowned.
‘A message that can’t be written in a letter?’ I asked, and he nodded. ‘Speak,’ I said curtly, taking two missives from his hands.
‘Royal Mage Riordan wanted me to tell you he subdued the rebellion, but you might need to remove Yaran from the council at your earliest convenience. And that your Viper bared her fangs when bringing them to heel, but it won’t last long,’ he said, repeating the words and even mimicking the sound.
Riordan hadn’t bothered being particularly cryptic with his message. Yaran had been Tivala’s mouthpiece for longer than I’d been at court, but if the royal mage thought he needed to be removed, maybe it was time to deal with that scum for good.
‘Tell the regent I trust his judgement, and to let the Viper bite,’ I said without feeling a hint of remorse for giving my permission to orchestrate a political assassination.
When he’d left, I opened the first packet and skimmed through the report detailing Dagome’s state affairs.
Unrest between noble families, some openly siding with Tivala, but much to my relief, Riordan had it handled.
I’ll deal with them when I return, and if Yaran’s still alive, I’ll make him a political spectacle, I thought, flipping the page.
A file from the university caught my attention. They repeated everything Tova had already told me, adding a few extra details. I read it several times to ensure I understood the implications. It helped me understand why Tova so obsessively searched for the void cubes, as mages called them
‘Svarog, bless that fucking dwarf,’ I muttered, grateful that he’d kept Sana safe when I couldn’t. ‘Guard! Bring Ivar and Marius here.’
My order to fetch the second-in-command and the head of battlemages was met with a sharp nod before the soldier strode away. I didn’t have long to wait.
‘My lord, you wanted to see me?’ Ivar was the first to arrive, but a pale Marius was scurrying right behind him.
‘Read it!’ I passed the report to the mage before turning to Ivar. ‘How are the preparations going?’
‘The reconnaissance unit is ready. They’re awaiting your command. The army is preparing to march in under fire. I moved the cavalry to the rear as this terrain isn’t suited for them. They’ll serve better as support and a defence against a flanking attack.’
I put my hand on his shoulder, pride and simple soldierly camaraderie warming me from the inside. ‘Once we’ve dealt with the worst of the threat, I’ll leave you in charge. Men like you make it easy to be king.’
He frowned, and then a suspicious redness crept over his cheeks. ‘It’s my duty to serve,’ he said, avoiding my gaze, but a covert smile appeared on his lips. ‘No praise required.’
‘My lord, the report. No wonder my men are as sick as dogs. It’s our magic activating those boxes.
Portals to the void. What sick mind would invent that?
’ Marius was shaking. His lips were bloodless from how hard he pressed them together.
‘No wonder your dwarf followed us like a bad omen. He knew… He bloody knew all of this.’
‘Yes, he knew, and despite your protests, he did what needed to be done,’ I said. Not without satisfaction, remembering how much the mages protested destroying the boxes. ‘M?ot hates magic. He wanted to eliminate anyone using it, and he found a way.’
The understanding in his gaze gave me a strange sense of satisfaction, and I wondered if M?ot knew his intricate mechanism was being destroyed by his own kin and in the simplest of ways.
‘That’s your proof that he was right all along.
’ I pointed to the opinion written by the Head of the Dagome Artificer mages.
‘It wasn’t a spell that saved your colleagues, but a pissed-off dwarf with an axe.
’ I smiled at the beautiful simplicity of this act, speaking to the depth of my berserker’s soul.
Ivar grabbed the paper and read it too. ‘Perun’s arse… yes. So, this thing inside the box is…’
‘Nebra cypher,’ Marius said.
‘This Nebra cypher needed to be smashed to smithereens, and that’s it?’ Ivar grinned like a madman, and I felt the urge to join him.
‘But we’ll have ice wraiths and the deadly fog to deal with if they become charged,’ Marius said, but I clicked my tongue at his pessimism.
‘I have a simple solution for that,’ I said, pointing out something he’d clearly missed. ‘Assign your most sensitive mage to Master Orenson. That way, he can destroy the void cube before it’s charged.’
Marius’s jaw hung open, and for a moment, he looked as if he’d received a divine revelation. ‘You want me to use a mage as bait?’ he asked, and I grinned again.
‘More like a weathervane to detect the flow of aether,’ I answered, and he sighed.
‘As you command, sire,’ Marius said, turning to my second-in-command. ‘Ivar, send two men to the mage’s camp; tell them to find Sorsha, the healer. She’s the most sensitive mage we have.’
He nodded. ‘And if they find one?’
‘Then Master Orenson will know what to do,’ Marius said with a sour expression. I knew he wasn’t happy with the plan, but that didn’t concern me in the slightest.
I looked up at the sky, the dawning sun painting the clouds with its warm light. ‘After that, get our men ready. The first unit marches in half an hour, and the rest will follow them at regular intervals until we get to those strange trenches.’
They left me to finish reading. I couldn’t help but smile at Riordan’s comments on how Sana dominated the council meeting after poisoning a quarter of its members.
‘Royal shadow – no, Viper – you are the queen-in-waiting,’ I whispered, lifting the other letter to my nose.
Lilac and honey filled my senses, sending delicious tingles down my spine.
The urge to read her words was overwhelming, but I had a duty to my men, and I didn’t trust myself not to delay the battle to read her words over and over.
‘This will be my sweet reward.’ I said, inhaling her scent.
I exhaled slowly, my hand shaking a little when I placed the missive into a hidden pocket in my gambeson.
I would take it to the mine with me and read it while sitting on M?ot’s gem-encrusted throne.
Maybe there would even be parts I could read to him.
I’m sure he’d love to hear the words of the woman he tried to kill.
My Sana would appreciate such poetic justice.