Moonstone, Magic That Binds (Book 1) (37 page)

“Could you do that as a boy?” His question met with silence. He didn’t tell them that the flame had been an illusion from the start and that he felt drained after going through all of the variations of the spell. He wished that the little trick didn’t take so much power or it could have been used on the battlefield, if scaled up.

“My name is Lifton,” The older wizard said before he introduced the other wizards.

Lotto could see that they didn’t trust him any more than they had before, but he wouldn’t be accused of a lack of talent, not from the look of awe in their faces after he performed his trick. He thanked Mander, wherever his mentor was at the moment, for letting him take the folio, his key to creative magic.

“We have another two or three days for you to master the techniques we will be using when we arrive at Happly. Our mission is to destroy the magicians that the duke has retained before they can use their powers against our army.”

“We left Captain-General Beecher at the crossroads two-thirds of the way to the Gensleran border,” Lifton said. “I’m not sure she had much of an army.” The man nearly sneered as he gave him the information. Could a battle mage be more disagreeable?

“I just received this message on my way in.” Lotto unrolled it and read the tiny print. “Restella’s army has more than doubled by the surprise arrival of a force from Prola.” He couldn’t resist smiling. “A friend has returned with help.”

“Restella?” Lifton said, as his lip curled. “You are rather familiar with the princess.”

“As I am with Fessano, Mander Hart and the King himself. The princess has given me permission to call her by her first name.”

Lifton colored a bit and straightened out his vest. Battle wizards dressed as common as possible in the field so they wouldn’t be targets.

Lotto had tried to be as cordial to the man as possible. But his every effort seemed to be rebuffed. The man’s behavior would not be tolerated in the field. Perhaps tomorrow, he’d be able to make things right, if Lifton’s position had been given based on power rather than seniority.

Heartwell came into the room and Lotto rose from his chair. “I want our little group to eat together. Could you set up the tables where the scouts are so we have one big group?”

“Anything you wish. Those are really Valetan battle wizards?”

Lotto turned back and looked at Lifton’s group out of the corner of his eye. “I think so. We’ll be heading out for a day trip tomorrow and I’ll know by the time we return. Our group leaves day after tomorrow, in any event.”

“Happly?” Heartwell said.

Lotto put his finger to his nose and kept a smile off of his face. “A secret for you to bear.” He nodded and Heartwell called his maids together and they began to move tables.

The leader of the battle wizards looked over at the commotion.

“We will be spending the evening getting to know each other. If you would take your drinks over to the scouts in our band, I will make introductions.

~~~

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

~

T
HE FIRST DAY ON THE ROAD EXHAUSTED
R
ESTELLA.
How could her idea turn out any worse? Men were scattered all over the northern edge of Happly. With Workman’s rangers performing as messengers and troubleshooters, the second day’s travel became a bit more coherent and the third day on the road, a relieved Restella could finally worry about strategy more than logistics.

“Send a bird to Mistad that we are heading to Happly and expect to meet the first elements of the Happly army within the week.” The lieutenant in charge of the birds rushed off to follow her order. Lotto should be heading for the border by this time. She couldn’t do anything more. At this point, archers were assigned to every traveling unit, ready to bring down any wizards that the Happlyans put in their path. The Generals had only given them three battle wizards and she wanted them in the main column to remove any trees from the primary road they would use to retreat. Lessa had demanded that and she concurred.

Restella picked her way through the forest. She didn’t travel at the head of the main column, delegating that responsibility to one of her lieutenants. Most of her army traveled on foot, threading their way through the forests that covered most of the country. Lessa traveled to her west and Silver managed the group to the east. She focused on the main force that wound its way along the main road and a few miles on either side.

Each of the groups had men assigned to draw maps and obstacles along the way. If the Happlyans compromised the road, she wanted alternate exit paths. She refused to think of using them, but better Happlyan maps would serve Valetan for many years. What she had seen that had been made a generation ago hadn’t even been very accurate and only displayed a small swath not much wider from the road on either side from Happly Keep to the border.

A scout rode through the forest and pulled up in front of her. “A small force five miles to the east. Captain Silver said there is no need at this time to converge. They are traveling south, like us, in a column on a parallel track. He thinks he will set up an ambush with his groups.”

Restella thanked him and gave him permission to ride back to Captain Silver. She called one of the scouts assigned to her and scribbled down the message to send to Captain Lessa. Armand. He had certainly made an impression on her and she had missed his antics at their meals after splitting up.

The invasion would take nearly twice the time, but the delay would pay off if she arrived at Happly Keep intact.

Three days later, Restella’s group met armed resistance. As all groups converged on the enemy, they quickly put down the few men who harried them. Reports from both of her wings indicated the same thing. Skirmishers. Restella wondered if she had missed something. She had expected a major action by now and all of the skirmishes had seemed more like tests. She decided to stop their progress and meet with Lessa and Silver before moving forward.

Her soldiers had stopped for the night when her two captains rode into her camp. She had a meal prepared for them, sitting on her camp table. The nights were colder in the midst of Happly’s unending forests, so she threw a cloak around her shoulders despite the daytime heat.

Lessa arrived first and sat down to regale her with war stories before Silver showed up. But he only had told her one before Silver rode into camp.

“I’m afraid that we’ve missed something,” Restella said after they exchanged reports of their skirmishes. “We should have had encountered a major force before now.  Could they have possibly gotten around us?”

Lessa sat up straighter. “I agree, but how could they do that?”

“I know,” Silver said, “They could have traveled into Valetan territory before we separated and we wouldn’t have known it. All we’ve done is look forward. I propose that we send scouts to our rear and assess our position.”

“Where is Lieutenant Workman?” Restella said with a growing fear that she might have gotten them into trouble.

“I’m here, Captain-General. I rode in with Captain Silver.” Workman stepped into the torchlight. “I will have my scouts out within the half hour reconnoitering forward positions and rearward positions.”

“Stay here tonight, Captains. We will wait here for word.”

Workman left on horseback. He had a squad of six scouts who took off in different directions.

Restella retired for the night, after eating a bit without appetite. Could she bear another blunder? She tossed and turned on her cot and it didn’t take much to hear the challenges and the passwords. Sleeping in her clothes, she rushed out of her tent.

“We have an entire army following our tracks.”

“Head out. We will converge,” Restella said, ducking back into her tent for her maps. By the time she came out, a bleary-eyed Lessa and a composed Silver stood at the table. “We’ve walked into a trap. We can expect the same report from our forward scouts.”

Silver spoke up. “Where are they?”

“Less than half a day’s march. If we hadn’t have split up, they would already be harrying our flanks. How could we have missed them?”

She looked down at the map for a suitable battlefield.

“Here,” Silver pointed to a small plain beneath a set of cliffs the scouts had found. “We have to avoid being surrounded, so we can make our stand here.” He pointed to the spot. “If we can meet them here, then, if we have to, we can use this edge to funnel our troops to the west, and escape towards Gensler.”

“What about Lotto and his men? He’ll show up at Happly Keep and there won’t be anyone there,” Lessa said. “He needs to know what’s happening. We should send a bird.”

“Yes, yes.” Silver said. He looked down at the map and then up at Restella. “We’ve been fools.”

“Too late for regrets, Captain. Let’s get our troops together into large units and then get to this spot. If something goes wrong…”

Workman rode into camp and jumped off his horse, nearly slamming into Lessa. “Wizards are part of an advance group, but they aren’t the Ropponi. The force from Happly is only a few hours away.”

“I can’t rely on a bird. Workman, head west. You know Lotto’s intended path as well as anybody. Warn him.”

Lessa rubbed his chin. “We stand a chance with our increased numbers, but if I hadn’t have joined you…”

An orderly ran into the circle of torchlight.  “Our battle wizards have run off along with half of Captain Silver’s lieutenants!  Conflicting orders have been left; our men are wandering around the forest. It will take some time to assemble them.”

Treachery!  Did Lessa betray them? But that couldn’t be true since the disappearing men were under her command. She didn’t have time to find out. “Captains, work through your sergeants and get our soldiers to the cliffs. There is no time to lose.

“Anything else for Lotto?” Workman said as he led his horse to Restella. Lessa and Silver had just departed.

“Tell him we’ve been betrayed and he is on his own to take care of Happly’s battle wizards, but there may be traitors among us, including the wizards that travel with him. That message is only for him and not for anyone else, not even Captain Lessa or,” she paused, “…Captain Silver.”

~~~

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

~

N
ARK
S
ENDER RODE INTO THE SMALL CLEARING
as they set up a rude camp deep in the Happlyan forest. “The army stripped the village of recruits. I didn’t see any able bodied men. I offered to buy supplies, but they asked me if they could buy anything off of me. That’s the third one like that.”

Lotto thought about it. The duke had stripped his own land to populate and supply his army. The man had supreme confidence that he could achieve a quick victory, or he would starve out his own population.

Lifton only sneered. “They are only serfs. What do we care about them?”

Even though Lotto had worked with all of the battle wizards, Lifton still put up every barrier he could. All of the other wizards had bonded in some measure with the scouts, but Lifton? What game did he play? If Lotto were a cruel man he’d kill Lifton before he got to Happly Keep, since he was sure intentionally or not, the man actively resisted their mission.

Dinner didn’t have the usual sense of camaraderie. Lotto could feel that something wasn’t right. No birds had arrived since they left Harveston. The rest of the men had retreated to their tents, but Lotto couldn’t sleep. He walked over to the cage and examined the charm that attracted the birds. Someone had drained the device of its magic. He tore the twine that held it on the cage and clutched it in his fist. Lifton!  The battle wizard knew all of their strategies.

Lotto sought the man out, but the mage had left an empty tent. He roused all of the men in camp and found that another of the battle wizards had gone with him, the strongest.

“We’ve been betrayed!” Lotto said. “The wizards must be found. They can return and kill us in the night. Take your bows. They can kill you with a touch. If you can’t bring them back, you must treat them as the enemy and,” Lotto took a reluctant breath, “take their lives.” The order didn’t bring anger or joy to Lotto, just dismay. “The wizards will either head straight for the keep or they’ll stay around to kill the rest of us.” Could Restella have been betrayed as he had?

Lotto searched out for the link and found her. She was close to the Keep by his reckoning. Either she had been very successful or captured. His shoulders slumped and then Morio pushed him.

“Don’t be so glum. You hold the world in your hands. If it begins to slip away, pursue it!” He laughed and then ran into the forest. “They didn’t take their horses! Spread around the camp and I’ll take the road.” The sky began to lighten and he found that the scouts had tied up the other wizards.

Lotto looked at the three wizards, their hands and feet bound. “I wish I could trust you, but I can’t until I find the others. I’ll be back to let you go.” He took off on the track they had followed.  Neither of them had appeared to be particularly adept on their march. Didn’t those two have any sense? He had no doubt they would find them, after all Gensler possessed no better scouts that these, and that included Morio, for all of his joking around.

As Lotto rode, he stopped to listen in the forest.  He heard voices up ahead. “Where’s Lotto?” He could barely hear the words, but who would be calling him Lotto? Lifton only addressed him as Lieutenant Mistad.

He rounded a bend and in the middle of the path stood one wizard standing ten paces or so from Gully, who held a bow with an arrow ready to fly.

Lifton began to raise his hands, when Lotto recited his heat spell. Lifton began to yell. The man wore metal bracelets and had metal buckles. That would do.

A flash of light headed towards Gully, who easily dodged the errant bolt. Lotto slew Lifton by using his battle staff as a thrown spear.

“Lotto. I only paused because I knew you had battle wizards with you. I thought I was a dead man.”

Gully rode towards Lotto and jumped off of his horse. “Am I glad to see you!” They embraced as Anton Whisperwood exited onto the road.