“Kinseeker is an interesting name. Why approach my soldiers without announcing yourself?” Demanded Liam, not letting him off the hook just yet.
“My apologies to the… Lady… Phaedra. I came only for my brother, the wind mage who cries out in anguish each night. I followed their soul to the castle over yonder, but he vanished a few months ago, before I could mount a rescue.” Said Elkesidic, sitting up and bowing to Liam.
“Did it occur to you that this wind mage might have died or found peace?” Asked Liam, not wanting to let the elf anywhere near Niana.
“I still hear their tears on the evening winds. They have not perished, though something changed. Are you the brother I seek?” Asked Elkesidic Kinseeker.
Am I? Thought Liam, I have the wind affinity… but I’ve never used it, could it be acting without my conscious knowledge? Troubled by that inkling, Liam pressed for answers.
“Tears on the evening wind? You attack my soldiers after they gave you multiple warnings then you ask to see a mage? The most valuable and least durable of my troops.” Questioned Liam, raising one eyebrow.
“I called for them first! You are a Lightning Lord! Surely you heard my call.” Said Kinseeker.
Call? Oh! The wave of mana, what Niana and I felt earlier!
“Nearly browned my pants.” Muttered Liam.
“My apologies! I have called out to you every night, your powers must be unknown to you. I swear on my life, and all the lives of my people I mean them no harm.” Swore the elf.
“Wind is unknown to me, yet I am doomed to never master it, for I am not the wind mage you seek, nor will I allow you to see them. But, I am curious, what would you say to them if they theoretically granted your audience?” Asked Liam.
“I would invite this wind mage to my home in the great woods, to train them so they might listen to the spirits and heed the breeze’s call. In accordance with the treaty humanity signed ten thousand years ago.” Said Kinseeker, sounding a bit put off by the interrogation.
“No thanks.” Cried a soft voice.
Liam whirled on the speaker, finding Niana crouching behind Arlet. Nyota caught up to the escaped child and scooped her into her arms, turning away from Kinseeker and heading back. He wanted to smile at her outburst, but bit his tongue, gathering his composure before speaking.
“Well, cat’s out of the bag now. Nyota, Let’s hear him out.” Called Liam.
“I’ll kill him. No one is taking her away from me!” Hissed Nyota, baring her incisors at the elf.
Her hiss sent shivers down Liam’s spine, stopping him in his tracks.
“A child? You cannot be serious. You expect me to believe a child calls the wind?” Gasped kinseeker.
“I’m stronger than you.” Sneered Niana, sticking her tongue out at the elf.
Kinseeker looked to Liam, then to Arlet, finding them to be quite serious. His mouth fell open in surprise.
“Wait! A child should have no ability to hear the gale! Show me, and I will leave you in peace.” Said Kinseeker.
“This is going nowhere and Blackwood’s castle is just ahead, we cannot risk a hostile battlemage in our rear. Grant me your leave, Lord Liam.” Growled Arlet.
“Killing people is bad, Greenie.” Interjected Niana.
She ended the discussion with a wave of her hand, summoning two hulks to her side.
Kinseeker closed his eyes and bowed his head. Expression unreadable for several long moments.
“Forgive me. I’ve heard your song, and understand now... Your circumstances have changed, leaving me to chase an echo of the past. As an apology I will grant you anything in my possession. Take what you will from me, but I would give your wind mage a boon. The talisman around my neck will grant you safe passage to our domain, for when you come of age and find that humans can teach you no more.” Said Kinseeker.
Liam nodded to one of the Sintrans and they removed the talisman from around the elf’s neck. It was little more than a stylized feather carved from wood, with a rough blue stone pressed into it.
“Kinseeker, I haven’t seen you in ages…” Said Rhendal.
The sage summoned a ball of shadow and a ball of fire into his empty hand, then juggled the balls with magic, making the orbs spin together within his palm.
“How long has it been Rhendal? A century? How are you still alive?” Asked Kinseeker, recognizing the trick, but not the man.
“Do you know this ma- This elf?” Asked Liam.
“Indeed I do, Lord Liam. Elkesidic kinseeker is elvenkind’s royal ambassador to humanity. He is one of a few dozen elves who seek out wind mages and guide them to the elf’s great forest. Where they are taught the affinity we cannot understand.” Answered Rhendal.
“A royal ambassador? Hmm, I suppose killing him would create problems.” Said Liam.
“Ha, as if creating problems ever made you hesitate!” Exclaimed Rhendal, “Ahem, I do not believe Kinseeker means us any harm, the eternal elves quickly grow weary of children. Nor do they abduct any who would be happier where they are.”
Rhendal, I wish you would speak plainly. That implies the elves abduct unhappy people… Thought Liam, suddenly picturing the elves forest as an emo music festival. Complete with eyeliner and dyed black hair.
“Kinseeker… Sir… Will you fight alongside us?” Asked Liam.
“Fight alongside you? No, we elves do not side with the whims of mortals. Nor is violence acceptable when I know my bro- sister is safe. She,” Kinseeker nodded to Niana, “has no need of my education, but there are others; far to the south another soul sings into the void.” Said Kinseeker.
Niana retreated behind Nyota’s skirt, no longer wishing to be a part of the conversation.
“Lord Kinseeker, the custom is for magical felines to be slain in this land, life has not been kind to her. But she is under the protection of two Lightning Lords now.” Said Rhendal, taking the talisman from Liam and offering it to Niana.
She examined it for a moment, looking at Rhendal with confusion. Soft words of encouragement passed between them and soon Niana slid the talisman over her head, flicking her ears to duck under the band and tucking Kinseeker’s trust into her dress.
“We’ve wasted enough time here. Return his weapons and send him on his way. I dare not leave Blackwood unattended any longer than I must.” Ordered Liam, returning to the wagon.
“My Lord! Lightning Lords are welcome in our lands above all others. I wish to make amends.” Cried Kinseeker.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“I have seen a vision of my death, and it hastens near. We will not meet again.” Called Liam over his shoulder.
Within a minute the caravan was on its way to Blackwood Castle, leaving the elf in their wake. He watched them go, only sparing a moment to wave at Niana before he turned and vanished from sight.
Liam shivered, wondering if he had done the right thing in letting Kinseeker leave alive. The talisman gave off no mana, and Rhendal treated Niana as a granddaughter. He wouldn’t have allowed her to be harmed by carrying a mystical booby trap. Yet, he feared for her safety.
An hour passed as they marched, around them the great blackwood trees disappeared, save for a few notable giants. Isolated farms gave way to subsistence farmers and workshops. With old men working their plots in a frenzy, not sparing a glance for the soldiers.
“Jenkins! What did your scouts find? Why do these farmers ignore our passing?” Called Liam.
“My lord, Blackwood conscripted their sons. Then he conscripted their daughters, the old farmer wouldn’t say why, but I believe Blackwood’s holding them as collateral until the old men bring in the harvest.” Replied Jenkins, signaling for his company to break away.
This was the agreed upon junction where the gorgons would go to the northern gate. Phaedra and the Sintran 8th company marched off, causing no uproar as they marched through the sprawling farmlands.
So shortsighted… I understand conscription, especially since Blackwood knows about the portals. But conscripting the daughters? What could you possibly want with a bunch of young farmgirls… A dozen sordid answers appeared in Green’s memories, telling Liam exactly what Blackwood could want.
Oh… Ugh, why do you choose evil at every turn Blackwood? Your people will not forgive you for crossing this line. They’ll remember it for your entire life and hate you for it. Those daughters will become mothers and teach their children your crimes. You’ll never recover. King Aldric would have to intervene and disenfranchise you… Or relocate you to another county… Miscellaneous events and information aligned in Liam’s brain, neatly explaining everything. Blackwood was running his fiefdom into the ground, extracting every soldier, every grain of wheat, and every ounce of life from them in a bid for ascension. He didn’t care about these people because he planned to leave Blackwood, via an elevation in noble standing. An achievement that required King Aldric’s blessing.
Blackwood is the tool, and King Aldric is the mastermind behind these portals…
The wagon slowed to a stop, and Liam was stirred from his musings by the wooden gates of Blackwood Castle. A twenty foot tall stone wall rose in front of his eyes, squat guard posts rose a floor above the wall every sixty feet, providing small bastions for the guards in times of cold or siege. Dozens of spear wielding conscripts stood atop the wall, looking down at Liam with terror in their eyes.
To his right stood twenty royal cavaliers, and on his left stood another score. Pistols drawn and cocked, as if the mounted outriders expected a siege and wished to be the inciting volley. A figure moved on the battlements, issuing heated orders that were not followed.
Behind Liam, Soren and his magicians filed out of the wagon, forming a line of magical warriors that the king would have been proud of.
“You are a confusing man Renosipe! Sending your mages to our side while issuing orders from across the aisle.” Called Rhendal to the figure.
“Oh hush old man! These louts saw your, uhm… pack… bugs? –absolutely fascinating by the way– and called for Blackwood. Not a single one of these cowards will listen to me. Bah, what does it matter that those bugs are wearing harnesses and yokes?” Sneered Grandmaster Renosipe, leaning over the wall as he spoke.
“Is my family safe Renosipe?” Asked Liam, raising both finger guns and pointing them at the guards.
None understood the gesture as anything other than an idle threat, and held their ground. With Liam’s advanced [mana manipulation] he could chain his lightning through every visible guard.
“Put those away Lord Green, I am here at King Aldric’s command, to ensure his orders were followed. Your family is inside, in better condition than when I arrived. Though some still require healing and we are waiting on a few to be retrieved from across the viscounty. But all our ledgers agree, every felinid is accounted for.” Offered Renosipe, resting his chin in his palm.
Liam felt Nyota go very still upon hearing Renosipe’s words. There were ledgers, hard documentation with leads to follow. Since a ledger would have the names of which merchants purchased which slaves, and where they had gone. They had a paper trail to follow, though it would take time to pursue the slavers, money to fund the trips, and trusted agents to carry out Nyota’s will. The last resource was the greatest hurdle, where were they going to get people who could be trusted, that were literate and cunning enough to hunt down merchants. Then negotiate slaves out of their possession?
He hesitated, wanting nothing more than to start blasting away. Ledgers meant that every human in Blackwood castle no longer mattered, they were nothing more than speedbumps to his goal. Or popcorn kernels waiting to be popped. Yet, they were still people, smashing them to bits would only perpetuate the cycle he was trying to end. Slowly, he lowered his hands, knowing that these menial soldiers were not the ones who had wronged him. They weren’t evil, and slaying these manaless men would be no different from leveling an orphanage. The sound of clanking armor echoed over the wall, as a dozen knights rushed onto the battlements. Led by a slender figure with unusual jowls. The man’s gaze fell on Liam and immediately went wide, fear filling his eyes.
“L-lord Green! I… Was not expecting you so soon…” Sniveled the man, in a tone Liam had never heard from Blackwood before.
How did you get so skinny? It looks like he went through some nasty kind of liposuction. Medieval liposuction? That’s fascinating, what do they do with the fat, and how do they suck it out without damaging any organs or skin– Actually, given that they say vivisections are totally ‘humane’, I do NOT want to know.
“Are you going to shout at me all day?” Challenged Liam.
“I thought only of your safety my lord! There are portals that appear in our courtyard at regular intervals, one will happen soon.” Lamented Blackwood, clearly feeling the stress of his position.
Did a liposuction monster come through the portals? Thought Liam, his lips twisting into a smile. Ah, but that means the portal plague is spreading from Greenwood… Or that Aldric is disposing of a broken tool. If it’s the latter, then Captain Dorian could be Aldric’s hidden dagger. Bah! I’ll have to risk it, we need to get in there. Even if it’s an ambush…
“Captain Dorian, what do you think of a few portals?” Called Liam.
A resounding shout went up from the royal cavaliers, pistols were brandished and spears raised as they howled with eagerness.
“Open the gates.” Ordered Liam.
Blackwood’s mouth worked silently, forming words without sound. Then he flailed his right hand, flapping at his knight officers. Who got the gates moving, creaking open for Liam’s army to enter. We will be most vulnerable the moment after I cross under the portcullis. Thought Liam.
The royal cavaliers were the first to enter, neatly forming two lines and marching through the gates before taking up new positions on the inside of the wall that mirrored their external positions. Twenty on the right, twenty on the left. Liam’s militia and the hulks came next, marching in a formation that could only be called a parody of the royal outriders. Mismatched ranks narrowed as they entered the gate, and lumbering brutes ducked to avoid the portcullis. They nearly started a war, with their insectoid gazes lingering on Blackwood’s men, mandibles clicking as they sought fresh meat. Mana flowed from Niana’s hand, goading the hulks forward, deeper into the courtyard where bodies of hellhounds lay in heaps. She meant to feed only the most unruly hulks, yet all forty of them moved towards the courtyard, lumbering away on lanky arms. Annoyed by their disobedience Niana leapt from the wagon, hurtling across a six foot gap to land on the largest of the passing hulks.
It didn’t stop, simply walking forward. Niana’s claws sank into its chitinous armor, granting her the purchase to clamor atop its shoulders. From her mount Niana guided the hulks, doing her best to make the insectoid monsters share. Liam’s heart thundered as the girl paced on the back of her giant; imperiously waving her hand to settle disputes. Lightning would do little against a hulk, nor would heat, meaning Blackwood had just invited a swarm of F-150 sized locusts into his living room. And Liam was powerless to protect Niana.
Those hulks already ate every horse in Mont St Michel, how long can a four-year-old keep them from turning on us? Our muscle is quickly becoming a garrote.
The hulks pulling Liam’s wagon wore blinders, keeping them docile. A flick of the reins and his wagon passed into Blackwood’s sanctuary, traveling under the portcullis. He steered the pack-hulks away from the carnage, towards the eastern gate. Nervous knights and a twitchy Blackwood watched their fortress be breached, gripping their spears all the tighter. Fear and hope mingled in their eyes, fear at potentially having invited death into their home, and hope at suddenly having hundreds of armed men join them.
Soon the entire column was within the castle’s walls, allowing Liam a moment of peace. One that was ruined by the sight of five turreted towers rising from Blackwood’s castle. They seemed oddly aligned, so Liam yanked the wagon to a stop, running around until he aligned them in conjunction with his nightmares.
There was no doubt left, Blackwood Castle would be where he died. The very same courtyard where his family now stood.
Around him stretched the open courtyard of Blackwood Castle. Ranks of soldiers and servants lined the wall, carrying water and food, or weapons. Archers and peltasts lined the walls, with squires and conscripts retrieving their thrown spears, rocks, javelins, and arrows. They watched Liam with confused glances, unable to find anything grounding as two scores of bipedal insects tore apart the bodies of their slain foes. Mandibles chattering in delight as bones broke between them and marrow flowed down their gullets.