Chapter 42

The diversion to the northwest was a judicious one. While Duric's army did meet with fresh legions arriving from the occupied lands to the west, and the resulting heavy fighting did take its toll on his men, his reward was the liberation of the city of Gahlsan. Here, men still fiercely loyal to the Noble Lord that once ruled this Province greeted Duric enthusiastically and swelled his ranks, more than compensating for the casualties lost from Boddas' bombardment. His army was once more as strong as it was when it had first crossed the border.

Now, it seemed, it was only a matter of time before they would reach the Palace and bring this madness to a final end.

Twilight brightened towards dawn, the soft glow of deep azure skies chasing the darkness from around the bed that Sirinna and Amanda shared. It had begun with simple comfort after another nightmare. Comfort gave way to moans of mutual pleasure as they sought to drown their concerns and worries in shared lust. Now the two snuggled contentedly with one another, their sexes sated and their minds calm.

"How is your arm this morning, love?" Sirinna asked.

"Oh, it's much better!" Amanda replied brightly. "I can finally lift my arm above my head without it aching. It's still just a tiny bit weak, but Lanno said that will clear up in another few days."

Sirinna hugged Amanda. "I can't stop thinking about how much worse it could have been."

"Please, Sirinna, it's okay."

"I know ... it's just hard to let go of it." Sirinna sighed. "Love, I don't ever want to give up what you've taught me, but it makes it harder to leave things like this behind."

"It's something everyone has to learn. You will. I don't dwell on every bad thing that ever happened. I've managed to be happy."

Sirinna smiled weakly. "I just don't want to disappoint anyone, either you or Master Roquan."

Amanda grinned. "You won't, I promise."

They embraced each other again and held a lingering kiss. "Walk with me to the kitchens?" Sirinna asked hopefully.

Amanda smiled and nodded.

They got out of bed and helped each other wash before emerging into the cool and clear morning air. They walked hand-in-hand, and took the path that let them linger along the shore. Amanda liked listening to the surf and feeling the spray in the air. It had a soothing effect.

The sands were still cool against their bare feet, the sun only now poised to rise above the trees to the east. Amanda gazed over the wide and seemingly endless expanse of deep indigo. Her eyes followed the unbroken line where it met the sky.

Only this time, it was not unbroken.

"Sirinna, wait," Amanda said, coming to a stop.

Sirinna turned. "What is it, love?"

Amanda stared hard into the distance off to the southwest. She pointed. "Do you see that?"

Sirinna scanned the horizon. "I'm sorry, love, I don't ... oh, wait ... yes, I think I see it."

The two of them stared at the small, dark spot as it traced a path through the water, leaving tiny dots of sea foam in its wake. Amanda stepped forward and squinted, standing still until the object had approached close enough for her to see its sails.

"That's a ship!" Amanda cried.

"Oh, then perhaps it's a merchant clan."

"They wouldn't come around this side of the island, would they? The port is at the north end."

"I don't really know." She smiled gently. "You haven't taught me anything about this yet."

Amanda managed a tiny smile in return, but her tone remained serious. "Sirinna, I think we better tell Master Roquan about this just to be safe."

"You think there's something wrong?"

"That's just it, I don't know. I just never remember seeing a ship out there. And this one looks like it's headed towards us. Come on, let's go!"

Q'kollan leaned back in his chair as he shuffled through a few of the many frayed and yellowed parchments before him. "Remarkable, absolutely remarkable. It is hard to believe that it ultimately went nowhere."

"Only because they didn't know the formulae to apply to them, Mage Q'kollan," said Katla in the seat next to him.

"And do you, Mage Q'yoona?"

Katla smiled very slightly at the use of her official title. Peers called one another by the title Mage. The term Master was meant to be used by one of an inferior rank referring to a full Mage, or as a title of honor. The latter was the reason many still referred to Q'yros as Master. "Not quite yet. My friends and I have been looking them over rather intensely."

"As have I," said Uroddus from behind his desk. He appeared stiff, as if still uncomfortable with conducting business in his office. Providing chairs for his vistors' comfort helped somewhat, and made him feel less aloof. He saw now how all the accouterments of power could go to one's head. "But I cannot devote as much time to it as I wish."

"You have enough to do running this place, Guildmaster," said Q'kollan.

"That is unfortunately true. Which is why I called the two of you here this morning. I wish both of you to work together in bringing both sides into full collaboration."

Katla's eyes widened. "You want me to coordinate the Empiricists' side of it?"

"Yes, otherwise our fellow Empiricists look too much to me instead, and that again will appear as favoritism."

"But you're the most knowledgeable of all of us."

"And I will continue to contribute as I always have, but I cannot be directly in charge of one side or the other."

Q'kollan nodded. "I think that's wise, and I will have no trouble working with Mage Q'yoona."

Katla nodded her appreciation to Q'kollan.

"There is something I would like to request," Uroddus said. "Something on which to focus first. We really must know the basis of the interaction of magic upon memory."

"Isn't that jumping ahead a bit?" Katla asked.

"I would tend to agree," said Q'kollan. "I don't profess to understand even half of what I am reading, but I would say there are some even more basic tenets to understand first."

"Yes, you can't build a complete formula when you don't know all the variables yet."

"I know," said Uroddus. "But I am bothered by something that I read in one of the scrolls. Mage Q'kollan, could you find number nine please?"

Q'kollan shuffled through the scrolls again and extracted the requested document. He handed it to the Guildmaster.

"Thank you. Here near the bottom it states something about an effect derived from the combination of similar memories across multiple people. It implies a transcendence of physical boundaries to accomplish a complete linkage."

"Yes, I saw that," said Katla. "Unfortunately, we don't understand what it means because the next few pages are among the missing ones. Complete linkage of what?"

"My reason for concern has to do with something mentioned earlier in these notes," said Uroddus. "Where it is theorized that one can harness memory to create certain magical effects involving action at a distance."

Q'kollan nodded. "I had seen that as well. I thought it meant that one could use these mind magick techniques to perform transport magic at a much greater range. Or perhaps through a sort of proxy."

"Action at a distance," Katla repeated. "You're not thinking Portal magic, are you?"

"There is no evidence that its effect on Portals was ever conceived at the time," said Q'kollan.

"I know, but I see the Guildmaster's point. Just because they didn't think of it back then doesn't mean that it cannot be applied to it at all."

Q'kollan looked doubtful. "That's a bit of a leap of logic."

"It could very well be," said Uroddus. "But anything that has to do with a potential new use of this new Portal technology is of a concern to me."

Katla sighed. "We'll do our best, but I think we're going to be stumbling around in the dark."

"If it does not appear it will work, we will abandon that line of thinking for now."

"It's worth a try, Mage Q'yoona," said Q'kollan, rising to his feet. He handed the scrolls to Katla. "If nothing else, we will learn from the process."

Roquan lifted the distance viewer to his eye and swept it towards the approaching vessel. He was silent for a few tense moments as those gathered around him waited anxiously. "It is most definitely not a merchant vessel."

"May I see, Master?" Amanda asked.

Roquan lowered the device, which to Amanda looked exactly like a spyglass. Amanda accepted it and trained it on the ship. Now she could see it in remarkable detail. She could see the three masts and their sails billowing in the morning breeze. She could see the plumes of spray and foam as it plowed through the waves.

"Is it at all recognizable to you, Amanda?" Roquan asked.

"Um, sort of. It looks a little like ships that were sailed by the British Empire a few centuries ago." She turned her head towards the Overlord. "That was a seafaring nation on my world. It was as large as Oceanus at one time."

Roquan took the device from her and raised it to his eye once more. "Yes, it is flying the banner of the Imperium."

Amanda exchanged an anxious look with Sirinna. "Master, are we in danger?"

Before Roquan could answer, there was the sound of running feet approaching the beach.

"My Lord!" Lanno called out as he rushed forward. "I heard that we had a ship approaching? And you just said it was Imperial navy?"

"That is what I am assuming. Why?"

"I had an older cousin that did a stint in the navy for awhile when I was a kid. He used to show me all the different types of ships when they were in port. May I look?"

Roquan handed him the distance viewer. Lanno stepped forward and stared through it. "Yes, that's a warship all right. Small one, though. Can't be much more than Firespark class. It's got decent guns, but only for ship-to-ship engagement. I doubt it has any heavy bombardment guns."

Amanda appeared a bit relieved. She shielded her eyes from the sun and scanned the horizon. "I don't see any more of them."

"One is more than enough," Roquan commented sourly.

"No, I mean if this is a small ship, what's it doing alone?"

Lanno lowered the viewer. "Amanda's right, my Lord. That's just a support vessel, to keep enemy ships from bothering the capital ships if they're busy with bigger fish, or to get in some quick shots before the big boys show up." He raised the viewer again and swept it slowly across the horizon. "I don't see any more. If there was a fleet headed this way, we'd see a whole line of them by now."

"Maybe he's just lost, Master?" Sirinna suggested tentatively.

Amanda squinted. "Wait, is that ship lowering its sails now?"

Lanno swept the viewer back. "Yes, they are. And ... I think they're lowering the anchors now. Wait ... I think I see something else, hold on."

The was a long pause.

"What is it, Lanno?" Roquan asked impatiently.

"Hold on, I need to make sure I'm seeing this right." He lowered the viewer and handed it to Amanda. "Here, take another look yourself, you have a really sharp eye. Look at the ship, then look back and a bit to the left."

Amanda nodded. She lifted it to her eye. It did not take long for her to stop it. "I see it! There's a little boat headed this way. I can see men on it rowing."

Roquan frowned. "Amanda, go to my quarters right now."

"But..."

"This is for your own safety until I know what this ship's intentions are, so do not argue with me." He turned to Sirinna. "Sirinna, I need you to get the slaves that live in quarters within sight of the beach and have them head towards the gardens for now."

"Yes, Master, at once!" Sirinna declared. She immediately trotted away. Amanda handed the viewer back to Lanno and left as well, though reluctantly.

Roquan took the viewer from Lanno. "Return to the Healer office and alert Vanlo. I will summon the guard."

"Explain to me, Fleet Captain, why I should not have you killed on the spot for your incompetence!" Z'haas demanded. "Why should I not brand you a traitor for firing on our own men? And considering how long it took you to contact me, why should I not assume you have begun working for the enemy?"

Boddas tried to appear calm and collected before the Farview image of his Emperor, but worry and fear shimmered in his eyes. "My Emperor, no one is as much angry and aggrieved over this travesty as I."

"I could dispute that, Captain. Your actions directly led to the complete rout of an entire Imperial legion. Duric should have been stopped here, and yet he continues onward!"

Boddas swallowed. "Be that as it may, my Emperor, I acted on good faith according to the intelligence I received."

"And what intelligence is this?"

"The coastal towns have been relaying information to me about Duric's movements. I was assured that this information was correct, that it was Duric upon the hill and not our forces. Had I known what was really happening, I would have halted operations immediately."

"And you expect me to believe that no one contacted you at all during the bombardment?"

Boddas thought the Emperor of all people would know that there was no formal communication between the legions and the navy. Where the navy was a permanent presence, and the Imperial legions intended -- according to the Charter -- to be temporary in nature, no Farview pearls were exchanged. There had been no expectation of coordinating land and sea. It had been fully expected that the navy would sit out the war.

"No one in your legion had any Farviewing pearls bound to me or to anyone that could contact me, my Emperor. Please, you must believe me. I am a loyal servant of the Empire. My record has been spotless. I am of the belief now that the town was compromised by Duric's forces and fed me false information. This is not my fault!"

Boddas hated himself for groveling before the Emperor, but he had no choice if he did not want to lose his rank or his life. The Emperor glowered, but finally let out a single, long breath. "Very well. What town was it that gave you this false information?"

"Port Planata, my Emperor."

"Destroy it."

Boddas paled. "My ... my Emperor?"

"They failed me, Captain. They failed the Empire. They have shown themselves to be traitors. Burn the town to the ground."

Before a shocked Boddas could respond, Z'haas terminated the Farview.

If they give free passage to Duric's armies, and willingly supply them, that makes them the enemy.

Boddas slowly collapsed into the chair. But it was not like that. Duric must have taken the town. He must have garrisoned it. He...

Especially if the Emperor decrees it.

Boddas let out a tremulous sigh. He knew peasants had died in his previous bombardments. A few houses here and there, some unlucky travelers on the roads. It was a matter of scale.

Except that it wasn't. What was different was that the destruction had been hidden, no more than numbers on a ledger if that. Here he would see the town burn. He would see the residents running and screaming in their own hellfire.

A knock at the door startled him. "Cap'n? The men are waitin' yer orders!"

Boddas rose from his chair. He opened the door to the expectant face of his First Mate.

"Cap'n?"

A matter of scale.

"Weigh anchor," said Boddas. "And set sail for Port Planata. And ready one Mage Gun."

The First Mate cocked his head. "A Mage Gun? Only one?"

"Do you intend to question all my orders?"

The First Mate blanched. "No, Cap'n! We set sail at once! One Mage Gun! Aye!"

By this time, Roquan could clearly see the impressive uniform of the sole passenger of the vessel. Roquan watched as the four oarsmen edged the boat carefully into the shallow waters just short of the beach, then turned towards the array of six guards behind him.

"You will keep those weapons lowered at all times unless otherwise ordered, or clear hostile action is taken against me or this Manor," the Overlord said. "Under no circumstances will you engage in any aggressive action otherwise. Is that understood?"

"Yes, my Lord," said the head of the guards. The others nodded.

Roquan turned towards the shore. He tugged at his tunic to straighten a few wrinkles. It had been some time since he had worn his more formal attire, and he had had no time to have his slaves smooth the fabric for him.

The two oarsmen in the fore dropped their oars as the boat ran up to the water's edge. They jumped out just as it struck bottom. Those in the rear grabbed crossbows and jumped out, then took position on the beach. They stood at attention, holding their bows across their chests as the first oarsmen pulled the boat more solidly onto the beach. Roquan's guards tensed, but remained still.

The uniformed passenger rose and stepped onto dry land. "As you were."

The two in front fell to a more at-ease posture, dropping their crossbows to their sides and stepping apart. Their somewhat heavyset commander stepped forward and cast his steely gaze at Roquan. "Are you the Overlord of this Manor?"

"Yes, I am Roquan D'ronstaq," said Roquan smoothly and politely. "To whom am I speaking?"

"Lord Admiral Vortas V'quenna of the Imperial Navy," the man declared. He looked up at the guards arrayed behind Roquan, and then past them. "Tell me, Overlord, are these your only armed forces at the Manor here?"

"I have several more guards engaged in other duties, Lord Admiral. I have at most as many more as you see here and that is it."

"And they are simply men-at-arms and not soldiers?"

Roquan raised an eyebrow slightly. "That is correct. May I ask why... ?"

"Please, bear with me for a moment longer, Overlord, and I will explain. Do you have any other form of military standing here?'

Roquan frowned. "I am not sure I understand the question, Lord Admiral."

"Mage-fire guns. Arms and ammunition above what is needed to supply your guards. Siege towers. Catapults. Anything that could be used to wage war or supply those that wage war."

"Nothing of that sort at all, Lord Admiral," Roquan said firmly. He narrowed his eyes. "Is that why the Emperor sent you? To find an excuse to view the Manor as a military threat?"

Vortas smiled humorlessly. "The Emperor did not send me. But he did send the fleet that is approaching from the east and will arrive in less than a quarter moon. I am here to discover why."

"I could tell you, but you will not like the answer, and will brand me a traitor."

Vortas shook his head. "I am a seaman, Overlord, not a politician or an enforcer of the Emperor's will. Please, tell me your opinion."

"Very well. The Emperor is mad."

There was a pause as Vortas looked thoughtful. "He is certainly misinformed, if what you are telling me is true."

"I am an Overlord, Lord Admiral. I deal in one thing only, and that is slaves."

Vortas gave Roquan a sardonic smile. "Yes, indeed, you can imagine how much the crew has been clamoring to be granted liberty here."

"That would be most unusual and unprecedented."

"And we live in unusual and unprecedented times, do we not?" He waved a hand in dismissal. "No, I will not inflict my men upon you. I respect tradition and protocol. And the Charter, for that matter, which is why I am here."

Roquan sighed. "So the approaching fleet was given orders to attack this Manor."

"Yes."

"And are you here to stop it?"

"Make no mistake, Overlord. If I did believe that you were engaging in military operations, I would indeed see to it that you were shut down permanently," Vortas said firmly. "But there are ways to do such a thing without incurring needless loss of life."

"There are no military operations here, Lord Admiral. The Emperor is delusional if he thinks otherwise."

Vortas looked back towards his men for a moment. "Would you consent to taking me on a tour of the Manor? That would be sufficient evidence to take to the Fleet Captain in order to countermand his orders." He slowly smiled. "And I will admit that I have always been a bit curious as to how a Manor is run, so this is the perfect excuse to indulge myself."

Roquan found it an affront to be forced to prove that he ran nothing more than a simple Overlord Manor. Yet the reality was that this was bigger than he could hope to contain himself. He could offer no defense against direct military intervention. "Very well, Lord Admiral. So long as you are not troubled by displays of nudity."

Vortas smiled. "I could stand to see a bit of beauty, Overlord. It will be quite the refreshing change from seeing nothing but wooden decks, haggard men, and ocean water for moons on end."

Evella smiled gently at the slave seated upon the examination table. "That should clear things up. You need to be more careful in the gardens and better recognize the pattern of leaves so you can avoid that nasty rash again."

The slave smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Mistress. I have trouble telling it from the other one. And it has such pretty flowers!"

Evella was no longer so disturbed by the nudity. She was grateful for this chance to continue her Healer work in the mornings with Amanda still recovering from her injury. She would not have been able to take her "training" with Sirinna with Amanda around anyway.

"Perhaps I can talk to Vanlo and see if there is some way to desensitize you to that plant." Evella turned away from the slave to gather up the vials of salve she had used on the girl's rash.

"I hope so, Mistress. I seem to be the only one that has trouble with it. All my friends like putting the flowers in their hair."

Evella paused and shivered. Her thighs trembled.

The slave cocked her head. "Mistress?"

"What?" Evella said, distracted. "Oh. Um ... no, definitely don't put the flowers in your hair, that would cause an awful reaction ... o-on your scalp."

Evella had tried to turn to face the slave and nearly gasped in mid-sentence.

The slave nodded. "May I go, Mistress?"

"Yes, of course, I'm done," said Evella in a strained voice.

The slave smiled and leapt from the table. She trotted out of the treatment room.

Evella gripped the side of the table for a moment, hoping the sensation would pass, but it seemed only to grow worse. She forced herself to let go, panting lightly. She gathered the vials and other supplies she had used, then swallowed hard and started across the room.

Her pussy rose and strained, making her stumble. She staggered to the cabinets just as it let go. She bit her lip to stop her from moaning through her orgasm, only to have it escape as a whimper through her nose.

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She forced herself to straighten up, even as her thighs still trembled and her sex still throbbed faintly. Vanlo appeared at the door. "Is there a problem, Evella?"