Chapter 6

“Leena of the Matihar Zidari, and her bodyguard,” the butler announced, leading Corec and Leena into a parlor. The wooden shutters in the room were standing open, allowing the warm air to circulate. On Leena’s advice, Corec had dressed light, but the heat in Sanvar had still come as a surprise at this time of year.

The pleasant but modest home, smaller than Corec’s family’s manor house, wasn’t what he would have expected for a queen’s residence. A young woman, presumably the queen herself, sat comfortably ensconced on a wide, cushioned chair, holding a sleeping babe wrapped in a blanket. An older woman stood at her side, and a man with an arming sword on his belt waited behind her, his arms crossed.

When Leena and Corec entered the room, Yassi passed the child to the other woman. She braced herself as if to stand to greet them, but then she looked up and froze in place. An expression of shocked recognition crossed her face when she saw Leena, changing to fear when she caught sight of Corec. She quickly schooled her features.

“Merice,” she said, her voice calm, “maybe you should take the baby for a walk in the park while the weather is nice. Lucanus, will you accompany her? She shouldn’t go out alone.”

Corec’s eyes shot to the other woman. Merice? Marten’s queen was here as well? This woman looked more like a doting grandmother than a regal figure.

The armed fellow had straightened up when he saw the hilt of Corec’s greatsword rising above his shoulder. It was an unlikely weapon for a bodyguard to carry.

“I think I should stay,” the man said, eyeing Corec with suspicion. His accent sounded Valaran. “Narini and Tarun aren’t back yet.”

“It’ll be all right, Luc,” Yassi said. “I just need to speak with Leena about some private family matters.”

Lucanus looked like he wanted to argue, but when Merice left the room without him, he muttered something under his breath and followed her out.

Yassi waited until the butler had left as well, then spoke in a low tone. “Please don’t hurt my friends,” she said to Corec. “They don’t have anything to do with this.”

“You don’t have anything to fear from me, Your Majesty,” Corec assured her. “You know who I am?”

The queen hesitated before speaking, looking down at her clasped hands. “He made me watch you; made me tell him what you were doing.”

“You’re a Seer!” Leena said. To Corec, she added, “Like a Seeker, but she can see things at a distance instead.”

Corec shivered. Barat hadn’t been certain what sort of magic Yassi controlled—or perhaps he’d been trying to protect her secrets. The idea that someone had been spying on Corec that way made his skin crawl, though it explained why Rusol had always known where to send his red-eyes.

But Yassi wasn’t Corec’s enemy.

“I apologize for not announcing my visit,” he said. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be willing to see me. I’ve heard from Sir Barat a little of what happened to you—and Empress Shereen told Leena you’ve been freed from the compulsion spell?”

The queen looked up, hopeful. “Is Sir Barat free as well?” she asked. “I’ve seen him with you, but I wasn’t certain.”

Which meant she’d continued watching, even after leaving Rusol’s influence.

“A friend of mine was able to remove the compulsion, but Barat hasn’t been able to tell me much—he says Rusol never confided in him. Do you know why your husband keeps trying to kill me?”

“He thought at first that the wardens murdered his brother,” Yassi said. “He talked about it so often, I believed it too. We learned later that it wasn’t true, but by then he’d already killed Leonis and sent his hunters after you.”

Corec nodded. Barat had told him the Leonis story, but if Yassi was right about the rest of it, that meant Rusol couldn’t have been the one who’d killed Prince Rikard.

“If he realized I wasn’t responsible, why didn’t he stop?” Corec asked.

“He did, for a while, but then you sent the demonborn woman,” Yassi said.

“Razai only wanted to talk to him.” Hopefully, Corec reminded himself. He trusted Razai, but he wasn’t always sure when to believe her.

“I wasn’t there, I didn’t see what happened, but Rus believed you’d sent her to assassinate him. That was the first time he realized you knew who he was, and that you could get someone into the palace. I think he believed he didn’t have a choice, and that you wanted revenge for the earlier attacks. I was able to escape after that, so I don’t know much about what happened next.”

“Did you hear about the battle with Sir Barat’s forces?” Corec asked.

“I didn’t watch the fighting,” Yassi said. “It was too much—” She stopped and shook her head. “I knew you won, and that Sir Barat stayed behind when the knights left.”

“The bulk of the forces were Rusol’s mercenaries,” Corec said. “They broke and ran, the ones that lived. I don’t think many of them would have returned to Larso. The knights were present as well, but there aren’t enough of them to be a real threat outside Larso’s borders. What I really need to know is how much control your husband has over the rest of the military.”

Would she be willing to answer? By all accounts, she’d been one of Rusol’s victims, but that didn’t mean she’d side against him.

“The army?” Yassi asked.

“And the lords’ men. By law, Rusol can’t send soldiers outside of Larso without approval from the peers, but will he hold to that? Does he need to? Barat thinks he’s compelled some of the army officers.”

“He has, as well as some of the lords who reside in Telfort. I don’t know if it’s enough to bypass the rest. I’m sorry—he never told me any of the details.”

Corec nodded. “I’ll have to assume it’s at least possible he could mount another attack. Do you think he will? We made it clear we’re not an easy target.”

“If he thinks he’s threatened, he’ll attack.” There was a note of certainty in Yassi’s voice. “He’ll find a way. Right now he thinks you’re a threat. Can you convince him you’re not?”

She’d realized Corec was reluctant to strike back. Rusol deserved to face justice for the deaths he’d caused, but he was a king. If the knights failed to depose him, and Corec tried to hunt him down, more people would die. Was it worth losing those lives as well, if it could be avoided?

“How would I go about convincing him?” he asked. “Will you help?”

The queen was silent for a moment. “You don’t know what you’re asking of me.”

“I’m not suggesting you go to Larso, for the same reason I wouldn’t ask Barat, but if we’re going to negotiate for peace, the message has to come from someone Rusol will believe.”

She looked away, then nodded. “I’ll not mourn my husband when he dies, but I will mourn those who die alongside him. I’ll write a letter telling him you’ll refrain from taking action against him as long as he does the same. I can’t promise he’ll listen to my counsel—he never has before.”

“It’s worth trying,” Corec said. “Thank you.”

“I can deliver the letter to Telfort,” Leena said. “I know people there. Someone will be able to get it to the palace.”

Yassi nodded. “Return tomorrow and I’ll have it ready for you.”

With their task done, Corec and Leena bade the queen farewell and went on their way. Corec was lost in thought, remaining quiet while Leena searched for a carriage.

Finally he spoke. “How many of these Seers are there?” he asked.

“About as many as there are Travelers,” Leena said. “Most can’t reach as far as the free lands, though.”

“I know they’re your countrymen, but I don’t like the idea of being watched all the time. Are they all Sanvari? Zidari?”

“The Seers are, though some wizards have scrying magic that does much the same thing. But there are warding spells that block scrying, like the wards that protected the Snake cult. They’ll even block Traveling, though there are ways to let specific people through.”

“Does Ellerie know a spell like that?”

“No, and she’s dealing with a lot right now. Priests can cast wards too—maybe Treya or Bobo can help?”

Corec nodded. “It can’t hurt to ask.”

“Your target is the stable!” Sarette called out to the soldiers standing before her. “It’s the enemy’s command center, and there’s a wizard there who can cast Ellerie’s beam spell. There are three other mages between here and there, and you don’t know what they can do!”

She was standing with Georg on a small rise overlooking the terrain they’d prepared. Between the secondary barracks and the outer stables, both of which had been constructed a short distance south of Hilltop, they’d added a warren of two dozen temporary wooden walls to serve as a practice ground. Each was meant to represent a building, and they were arranged as if they were within a town or city.

Two squads, the First and Second Infantry, were awaiting her order to begin. The First was still led by Nedley, though that would have to change in the future as he spent more time training with the knights. The Second was led by Enzo, a mercenary from Tyrsall. Cenric was in command of both squads for the training exercise.

Rather than carrying their typical shields and swords, the soldiers were armed with crossbows and had staff-spears strapped to their backs. If they were going to be effective against mages, they would need the more versatile weapons.

“Remember!” Georg shouted. “Split up and keep behind cover! Don’t let them see you! If you find a mage, attack from a distance. If you lose your bow, rush them before they can finish casting their spell.”

Sarette had worked with Georg and Cenric to create a series of tactics that took the knights’ training on how to fight mages and combined it with the High Guard’s strategies for small-scale skirmishes and ambushes. Instead of fighting in shield formations, which would be counter-productive against magic, the soldiers would learn to attack at range, or with speed and surprise on their side.

They would also need to learn how to adjust their tactics based on who was fighting alongside them. Providing backup for Corec or Ariadne was different than serving as bodyguard to Katrin or Shavala, which was different than following up an attack by Sarette while the enemy was still disoriented. That part of the training would take longer to achieve.

With everyone ready to begin, Sarette started the exercise by launching streamers of lightning across the field, streaking over the stables.

“I’ve cleared an archer company from the enemy headquarters!” she announced. “Treya’s fire-protection spell extends as far as the yellow stakes. Go now!”

The two squads rushed into the field, splitting up into small groups and hiding behind the wooden barriers.

“Set the lightning rods!” Cenric called out.

Six more men ran into view, in two teams of three, each team carrying a fifteen-foot copper pole. The two soldiers at the front of each team carried the bottom end of the pole, weighed down with its heavy, shaped-stone base, provided by Ellerie’s apprentices. One man in each group ran at the back, holding the top of the pole to keep it from dragging on the ground.

The teams planted the lightning rods near—but not too near—the other soldiers, hammering the accompanying grounding rods into the earth. The grounding rods, attached to the poles with copper wire, would direct the lightning charge away from the men. The devices were designed for quick deployment, though in situations where more time was available, they could be tied down with straps and stakes to keep them from falling over in heavy winds, and the grounding rods could be buried at a safer depth.