He would have to be careful.
Chapter 29.
'Denser!' Thraun's voice was low and urgent.
It was mid morning. The sounds of fighting at the east gates of Xetesk rolled up the gentle slope, filling the air with discordance. From where he had been lying, Denser had guessed that the combat was mainly magic-based, the two opposing armed forces having all but fought themselves to a standstill.
But this morning, both sides would have renewed hope of a breakthrough. With no Protectors in the Xeteskian lines and no elves in the allied lines, both were weakened in muscle and in spirit. Mere men opposed each other now. And those with the greater will, who had remained the stronger through the days of battle, would prevail.
Denser scrambled to his feet. Above him, the trees were calm and a warm sun dried the sodden ground. While he had been resting on leather under his elven-made bivouac, the mana had coursed into him through the dark gateway Xeteskians had used for centuries, and the mana storm had blown itself out.
Thraun was sitting by the embers of the night's fire, one leg stretched in front of him. The trouser had been cut away and he wore clean bandages through which a hint of blood had soaked. Next to him lay Erienne, beautiful but so pale in the broken sunlight. He stroked hair from her face and looked up at Denser.
'She is strong,' he said. 'I told you.'
Hope gripped Denser. He dropped to his knees at her side and stared at her face. Beneath their lids, her eyes were moving.
'Erienne,' he said, leaning in close, his lips brushing hers, feeling their warmth. 'Can you hear me, love?'
'She fights,' said Thraun.
'How long has she been like this?'
Thraun frowned, struggling to frame the words. Denser prompted him.
'An hour ago? Just now?'
Thraun nodded. 'Now,' he affirmed. 'The sun helps her.'
Denser understood. Thraun had refused to leave her side when Denser had been forced to rest to regain mana stamina. She had slept in his arms under a leather and leaf shelter, his warmth about her. They went back a long way. Thraun had been a good friend of Alun, her first husband, and now the troubled shapechanger was uniquely positioned to understand her pain. Like him, she was possessed of a force she hated and craved in equal measure.
'You think Cleress is there?' he asked.
Thraun nodded again. 'Her spirit is calm.'
'Thank you, Thraun,' said Denser. 'What would I do without you?'
Thraun shrugged. 'Raven,' he said by way of explanation. 'You must rest more.'
Denser couldn't refuse. He looked into Thraun's eyes and saw the frustration boiling there. He didn't think Thraun would ever quite recover himself. The worst thing was that Thraun knew it too.
'I know it's hard,' he said, climbing slowly to his feet and putting a hand on his chest. 'But in here, you are everything you always were, and we'll never forget that.'
He walked back towards his bivouac. Placed at the heart of the elven camp, they were shielded from the prying eyes of the Lysternans near them. It was probable that the allies suspected they were here, or at least very close. The mana storm would have seen to that. But the camp was sealed by TaiGethen and ClawBound. None would dare cross the line. The elves would not hesitate to fight back.
He paused by the sleeping forms of Hirad, Darrick and The Unknown. Men pushed right to their limits and now paying the price. On their arrival back in the elven camp it had been immediately apparent that all needed spell treatment in addition to their bandaging and wound cleansing. Their plan to leave at next dusk was simply not practical.
Darrick was the worst. He'd collapsed from his horse the moment they'd stopped. His blood loss was serious, the wound across his hip deep and open through his forced action. The spell had knitted the damage, bandages held the wound closed but only time would replace the blood. He would be weak for days.
Hirad's armour was being repaired elsewhere. What was left behind was a shirt barely recognisable as such. Both arms were ragged, his chest was bandaged from throat to gut and his forehead too was hidden beneath clean coverings.
The Unknown had fared better in the fights but had followed that exertion by all but carrying Darrick for over two hours into the teeth of a gale. His was a muscle weariness only rest would relieve.
Strange. Before meeting the elves of the Al-Arynaar and TaiGethen, there was no way The Raven would have slept without one of their number on guard. How necessity bred reliance and trust, how the world moved on. Denser dragged the leather from his bivouac and lay down in the warm open air. He began to relax into himself, seeking the demon gateway from where the mana flowed to feed Xeteskian mages at rest. The demons would close it if they could but until that day, it was the best source of stamina replenishment a dark mage had.
Dimly, he heard the soft padding of a panther, no doubt come to check on Thraun and Erienne. That was why The Raven could rest. Denser closed his eyes.
'She is so close,' muttered Vuldaroq. 'And we are powerless.'
He pushed a forkful of food into his mouth and chewed slowly, looking up and across the table at Heryst only when he'd swallowed. He reached for his wine glass and sipped.
Lystern's Lord Elder Mage had arrived in Dordover the previous evening to discuss the next moves in the war. So far, the allies had been less than convincing in their efforts to overcome the defence of Xetesk. They had been surprised by the tenacity of the enemy and had been forced to commit too many men to the watcher ring around the city. Rightly they feared the excursions of familiars and assassins but had failed to stop the attacks by both demons and Cloaked mages. They had also failed to stop supplies entering the college, and The Raven were still free.
The strained relations with the elves hadn't helped. They couldn't deny their intervention was valuable, even critical, to the effort. But it wasn't as a partner in belief. The elves had their agenda. And now they'd taken what they wanted and were moving on. That changed the battle plan, as did the worsening of the Julatsan mana focus.
Vuldaroq found himself wondering about the benefits of Julatsa failing terminally. Heryst, he was sure, was not.
'We will bide our time and wait for our opportunity,' said Heryst. 'She and The Raven have the protection of every elf on the battlefield. We cannot act now. She's going nowhere except, presumably, Julatsa. We can wait.'
'Tempting, though, isn't it?' said Vuldaroq.
Heryst smiled briefly. 'You and I can sit here and say that. My commanders on the east gate front would say otherwise. I suspect we do not have the warrior or mage strength there to take them on though we outnumber them almost three to one. And even if we did, we would have to leave the east gate unguarded to do it. Like I say, we wait. She will fall to us eventually.'
'And when she does, we must be agreed on how she is handled,' said Vuldaroq.
'She must be treated as a joint asset, Vuldaroq. We have been through this already. Please don't claim fealty over a woman who does not see herself as belonging to any of us.'
Vuldaroq held up his hands. 'Another time, my Lord Heryst. Other matters are more pressing.'
'We agree there.'
'Now, clearly your forces at the east gate will be most affected by the departure of the elves to Julatsa. And, with Izack's very astute decision to reinforce the north front with Lysternan forces, you are further weakened there. I have some reserve still in Dordover that I can offer to you. What do you need from me? Men? Mages?'
Vuldaroq smiled inwardly at Heryst's reaction. How easy it was to disarm a man who expected nothing from you.
'That is a most kind offer. I thank you for it.'
'Surprising too?' Vuldaroq couldn't help himself.
Heryst raised his eyebrows. 'It is not your most common stance,' he said. 'We are, I believe, faced with a critical decision. My commanders, who have briefed me extensively, are in no doubt that the war will turn upon it. It has doubtless been on the minds of you and yours.'
Vuldaroq inclined his head, sure of Heryst's direction. He was not disappointed.
'Xetesk wants Julatsa gone and the elves threaten that. Their move north will not go unchallenged and that has an effect directly on us, which is why Izack has reinforced the most likely place for an attempt to break the siege.
'But, in my opinion, we have to take wider factors into account. I am not sure that providing extra strength at the east gate is the best use of our forces, not least because they may be too late. After all, the breakout is liable to be staged very soon, and there is no doubt that we will struggle to contain them, given the information we have about their reserve strength.
'As you'll be aware, Baron Blackthorne has joined the struggle on our side and has brought with him seventy swordsmen and eight mages. This represents almost all of his trained guard and he has taken the gamble of leaving his lands guarded by Baron Gresse whose small militia is already stretched over almost the whole of the south. Why are they doing it? Because while this war goes on, the economics of the entire country are destroyed more each day.
'And they are not alone in their anxiety. Havern is sending men, so is Orytte, so is Rache. Many other Barons aren't capable of sending anyone, of course. But again, reinforcing the east gate might be pointless. It may be that riding north to Julatsa is the better decision.'
'Sorry,' said Vuldaroq, raising a finger. 'You sound as if you don't necessarily agree with the turn of events.'
Heryst refreshed his water glass. 'It adds a layer of complexity. Blackthorne has agreed to put his men under the command of Izack and indeed is not planning on staying too long on the field himself. That's because he feels he needs to exercise his diplomatic skills in the heart of the country. He, as you know, along with Gresse, is an exception. Both are Barons working for the common good, not purely self interest. Many of those deciding to join the battlefield have more personal agendas to complete.'
'But you can't deny that more forces committed to bringing down Xetesk has to be a good thing from our point of view.'
'Are you really convinced of that, Vuldaroq? I suggest you familiarise yourself with the histories of some of the relationships between those ostensibly coming to help us. We may be here to restore the magical balance by first deposing the current Circle Seven but there are landed Barons out there who would like to see all the power of the colleges subservient to them. We must be careful that we remain the directors of this war.'
Vuldaroq smiled indulgently. Heryst sometimes thought too hard. On the other hand, it wouldn't do to unnecessarily raise his suspicions.
'I have been open with my talks with any Barons or Lords,' he said. 'Any forces I am hiring are signing themselves to serve under my battlefield commanders. You do not have to worry about their conduct. We are all after the same thing.'
'Are we?' Heryst's smile was thin.
'Who among us does not want peace for Balaia?'
'Vuldaroq, that is not in doubt. It is the nature of that peace which taxes me.'
'Then we must strive to ensure it is a peace which suits us all,' said Vuldaroq, feeling a growing irritation. 'But we are diverted from our task for today. You were talking about the east gate before outlining our options as you see them?'
'I was,' said Heryst. 'If I don't have enough men to preserve the balance now, there will not be time to reinforce. However, I have hope. I may have lost the elves but I have gained Blackthorne's men and magic, and Xetesk has lost the Protectors. We have no choice but to fight there and occupy as many Xeteskians as we can.
'We have no more men to commit in time. Indeed I suggest that we never really had enough to force a significant breach in Xetesk's defences though we have all fought hard.
'You mention Baronial forces joining you. Like I have said, I have others joining me and their management is very important. But the decisions to be made are tactical. The most critical is this. Do we assume the Xeteskians will break through whatever our strategy and therefore let them out and take them on open ground? We still have the time to organise that. Plans are in place.
'But can we prosecute such a fight successfully? Can we contain them on the open field? And if we can, where do we draw our line? Who should be in overall command? There is more, Vuldaroq, but this will do as a beginning.'
Vuldaroq was impressed and annoyed in equal measure. His commanders had not brought up all these questions, some of which were blindingly obvious issues.
'Are you sure none of your people have been in contact with Darrick?' he asked.
'I think not,' said Heryst. 'And I resent the suggestion that he is the only man capable of assessing our tactics. Many of my commanders have served under Darrick in the past. His knowledge has been passed on. I won't deny we could do with him but he made his decision and will live or die by it.'
'And what is the considered opinion of your command team as to our next moves?'
'Our first priority is to give the elves as much time as possible to get away to Julatsa. They are preparing to leave now and will begin travel at dawn tomorrow. We have to hope we can hold the Xeteskians inside the city. We cannot risk Xetesk beating us in the open. If they do, we have nothing left.'
Vuldaroq considered. It was the most sensible solution but also the one Xetesk would expect.
'It has little surprise in it to upset Xeteskian plans.'
'And little room for them to surprise us. Even if they did break out east, for example, we would have considerable forces blocking their path.'
'Have you thought about the remnants of the Black Wing army?' asked Vuldaroq. 'I understand them still to be encamped in significant numbers.'
'They are a leaderless rabble,' said Heryst. 'Selik is dead, my spies report Devun is missing, and every day, more of them are returning to their homes. We should encourage that. Significant numbers, no. There are only a couple of hundred still there and they are the ones with literally nowhere else to go. They are an irrelevance to us.'
Heryst pushed a leather satchel across the table. 'Our full recommendations and current strengths at each front are here. Consult your advisers; mine are on hand to answer questions and I have a Communion link to Izack on standby should you need it. But we need answers fast.'
Vuldaroq nodded. 'I will be back within the hour. Why don't you rest by the fire there? I have a particularly fine spirit you might like to try.'
'Thank you, Vuldaroq.'
The overweight Arch Mage pushed himself from his chair. There were many matters to consider here. Heryst had outlined a solid plan for the benefit of the whole country. Vuldaroq just wasn't sure he wanted to go back to being a mere part of the balance. There was opportunity here, the question was, could he unlock it fast enough?
Sha-Kaan had returned to his favoured place on the upper slopes of Herendeneth, with its views of the terraces and the house below. Calm had returned to the island. The Protectors were back working to repair the damage caused by fight and flood; Cleress was awake and helping Erienne until her energy was gone, and Diera and Jonas were safe once more. No mage bar the Al-Drechar remained alive.
He watched as Diera approached, her boy in her arms though struggling to get out. He could just catch his noises of frustration on the hot breeze and worry filled his mind. How easy for humans to reproduce. Not so for dragons. Back on Beshara, the Kaan birthings were imminent. He should be there, protecting his Brood at their most vulnerable time.
He knew what he had to do. So did Diera; it was why she was coming to see him now. He waited for her to come close, setting her son down. Typically, he gazed at Sha-Kaan until he'd convinced himself he'd seen it before and returned to the more interesting experiments he was conducting with walking.
'He is a remarkable child,' said the Great Kaan.
'I think he understands you are friend not threat. And you have been so good to us,' said Diera.
'We have helped each other,' he replied. 'Your child has been a source of light during these last days, lifting my spirits as I wait for the news I am so desperate to hear.'
'And you have heard it,' said Diera.
'I have,' he said. 'I can almost feel the currents of air over my Broodlands. I can smell the scents of my world.'
'And now you're going, aren't you?'
'I must,' Sha-Kaan said, feeling a pang of guilt. It surprised him but it shouldn't have. He had learned so much about human emotion recently. Why should he not start to feel for them? It was difficult, he conceded, to remember exactly how he had thought before his exile. He determined not to forget how he felt now after he returned.
'Jonas will miss you,' she said. 'So will I.'
'And I likewise,' said Sha-Kaan. 'But I am dying here. I will begin the flight back to Balaia at dusk. I must help The Raven. I cannot afford for them to fail.'
'And that's why I want you to go, more than anything.' Diera smiled. 'Knowing you will be watching over my husband will be a great comfort.'
'But your contact with him will be lost,' said Sha-Kaan.
'I know. But it's a price I'm happy to pay if it means he lives to see us again.'
'I will be speaking to Hirad again before I go. There are things he must know about Xetesk's meddling with inter-dimensional space. Be here with me and you can pass messages to Sol.'
'Thank you, Sha-Kaan,' she said. She reached out a hand and touched his muzzle. He could barely feel it through his thick hide but the gesture was enough.
Jonas had sensed a change in the emotional atmosphere. He crawled quickly to his mother and pulled himself up her leg, looking him in the eye.