Chapter 12
CHAPTER
TWELVE
“They’ve already broken through the outer defenses?” I said, horrified.
“No, because apparently the minute we became aware of the riders and their acid, Aric ordered his earth witches to strengthen the main walls and the war room against it.”
A foresight that might have saved Zephrine from complete annihilation. “How many casualties are they looking at? And how did the riders even get there? On birds? Overland? Or has Kriton fallen to their ships?”
“Kriton remains untouched, because they came around Mareritten. Tayte reported?—”
“Oh fuck, how’s he coping? Neither Damon has a high opinion of him.”
“He’s obviously capable or Aric wouldn’t have left him in charge,” Garran said. “Remember, our western king values his throne above all other things, and he wouldn’t jeopardize it by leaving it in the hands of a ninnyhammer during a wartime standing.”
“Our western king wants total control over all of Arleeon and isn’t too particular about how he gains it,” Neera growled.
“Does anyone else think the timing of all this is rather convenient? Like, after centuries of attacking us, the Mareritt suddenly realize destroying our war room will eliminate our top brass, and the riders just happen to supply them with a weapon capable of doing just that?”
I frowned at her. “The riders have the advantage of seeing things from on high?—”
“Yes, but Aric was already on his way back to Esan when the attack happened, and that suggests he was well aware it was coming.”
I stared at her for a second, then shook my head. “Aric has proven himself well capable of treachery, but even after what he did to me and Damon, I still can’t believe he’d totally betray the whole country like that.”
“I have to agree with Bryn on this,” Garran said. “While I do agree the timing is extremely odd, Aric would not jeopardize his own kingdom to gain ours. It’s more likely that he has foreign spies in his court who were relaying information back to either the Mareritt, the riders, or even both.”
“But they both have unusual coloring and builds,” Neera countered, “so it’s not like they would go unnoticed in either his court or ours.”
“There are ways and means of disguising features,” Garran said. “And there are always those willing to betray their fellow man if the right amount of pressure or monetary gain is offered.”
“Or maybe,” I said, “his tame witch with the ability to foresee the future saw the destruction of our war room and everyone within it, and he believed it was his chance to sweep in and take over rather than having to wait until Damon—his Damon, not mine—had a son he could place on the throne.”
Garran glanced at me. “Given his very recent actions, that’s definitely the most likely scenario.”
The emphasis he placed on “definitely” had trepidation stirring, but before I could question him further, Jarin returned and handed him several sheets of paper. “That’s the numbers as best his people could ascertain as of ten minutes ago.”
I shifted position and leaned over Garran’s shoulder, my horror growing as I read down the list. While they’d had enough warning to start evacuations, hundreds had still been injured or killed, and at least a third of the city had been destroyed, having been hit directly by the exploding orbs or buried under landslide rubble cause by orbs hitting the mountain slopes around them.
But the walls still stood, the military section remained almost untouched, and the air mages had cast a protective air cell—which was basically an envelope of fierce winds preventing anyone or anything entering a defined area—over the entire fortress and her surrounds.
If the riders, their birds, or indeed their orbs tried to enter the wind zone, they’d be swept up and spat out, usually with enough force that they broke and died—or exploded, in the case of the orbs—on impact with the ground or mountains.
Such cells could be dismantled by magic, of course—and the Mareritt had certainly learned to do that—but the riders’ mages hadn’t shown any capacity to control the weather to date, even though they could control the earth.
Maybe that was their next step—though surely if they had the capacity to bring down an entire fortress, they would have done it here.
I glanced across to Jarin. “How were the orbs delivered? Via the birds?”
He shook his head. “They came with the boats.”
“Meaning it was Zephrine’s sky they were going to cover with gold, not ours,” Garran said grimly. “We were merely a distraction.”
“Hardly a distraction, given the toll they’ve taken on us.” I hesitated. “But thinking back to what the Rayabar said about our lands soon being theirs, it’s now obvious he meant our half of the continent, not the whole thing.”
“A pre-agreed splitting of war spoils?” Garran scrubbed a hand through his hair.
“It would certainly explain why the riders have moved the barges to the northwest of K’Anor and why they’re massing on the Sheer.
They were never intending to hit us—they were simply using both as waystations on their way to Zephrine. ”
“Or they’d discovered Zephrine didn’t have the drakkons and were a far easier target.”
“Still mighty presumptuous of them to be dividing spoils before their victory, given neither fortress has ever fallen,” Neera commented darkly.
“Against the Mareritt, no,” Garran said. “But neither they nor we have seen the likes of the Stymphalian birds or the acid tubes their riders use before now, so I’m not surprised they were both very confident of victory. They just didn’t count on us using the drakkons.”
“Which we don’t have enough of,” I said. “And I can tell you now, we won’t be flying to Zephrine’s aid. Not until we’re safe here and they can guarantee they’ll stop fucking hunting their drakkons.”
“Oh, I think you’ll find once this mess is over, Aric will not want us having a military advantage over them. He will be demanding his own drakkons.”
“He can demand all he wants. It’s up to the fucking drakkons, not us.” I glanced at Jarin. “What of the boats? Are they still anchored near Zephrine, or do they move on to Kriton?”
“They’re anchored in Deep Water Bay. Scouts report they’re unloading men and supplies. It’s presumed they’ll be marching on Zephrine by nightfall.”
Deep Water was a two-day ride from Zephrine, if I remembered rightly. “I’m surprised they didn’t sail around the peninsula and hit Zephrine from behind.”
“Except the Mareritt don’t sail, and they have never breached the defenses of either fortress, so cannot give the riders a detailed chart of our seas and lands,” Neera said.
“The riders don’t need a chart when they have the birds,” I said.
“The fact they could have wiped out a good portion of the continent before we’d even become aware of their presence suggests they prefer to destroy all known defenses, then take their time erasing the unknown.
” Garran straightened and handed the papers back to Jarin.
“Tell Tayte we’ll send warships to help protect Kriton and the peninsula, but we cannot spare any air mages, so it will take longer than usual for the fleet to arrive. ”
Jarin saluted and moved away. I glanced at Garran. “It’s a dangerous strategy to send the boats, given they have little in the way of defenses against the birds.”
“Aye, but given the havoc you’ve now wrought on their winged force—both on the Sheer and the islands—I’ve a feeling the riders will be concentrating on protecting the forces moving against Zephrine rather than attacking West Arleeon and her ports.”
“Well, I for one hope your gut is right.” I motioned to the old scrolls on the table. “What have these got to do with the situation?”
“Nothing.” His gaze met mine. “Aric has captured Damon.”
Fury—and fear—rose, pressing heat against my fingertips even though I was well aware he wasn’t yet dead. The link between us still pulsed, and if life had been snatched, it would no longer exist. But if he was Aric’s captive, then death could be only a few heartbeats away.
“Why the fuck didn’t you lead with that when I got here?”
“Because you needed to be aware of the Zephrine situation before you stormed away,” the Prioress said. “It may be the only thing capable of breaking through the veil of Aric’s madness.”
“I take it, then, he’s now demanding my presence, even though he’s well aware I will burn his black heart from his chest and render his flesh to ashes?”
“As much as I approve of that course of action,” the Prioress said, “he will undoubtedly use Damon as a body shield.”
I glanced at her. “But Damon is a blood mage—why can’t he raise a shield against my fire?”
“The problem with using blood to create spells is the very fact you have to use blood,” she said dryly. “He will be bound and immobile. Aric is no fool.”
“Then what’s the plan? I take it you do have one?”
“Indeed—I’ll spell a fire shield onto your knife, and all you have to do is stab him with it.”
I blinked. “Stab Damon? Seriously?”
Amusement played across her thin lips but failed to reach her eyes, which were flat, cold, and very, very furious. She’d kill Aric herself if it didn’t mean breaking her vow. “Better you stab him than burn him alongside Aric, surely.”
“Well, yes, but as you said, Aric is no fool. The first thing he’ll demand is that I drop all weapons.”
“Well then, you’re going to have to be very fast with your stabbing, aren’t you?” She raised a hand and made a “give me” motion. “Your knife and your wedding ring, young lady, so I can spell them.”
I frowned at her. “Why the wedding ring?”
“Because as we have established, Aric is no fool. He will know you’ll have a tracker and demand it be crushed underfoot before you get anywhere near him, so I’ll magic a temporary one on the band.”
“He’s going to demand I drop my weapons along with the tracer.”
“Undoubtedly, which is why you will wear your sword, and I will place an invisibility spell on the knife.”
“You can do that?”