Usruldes, tent city, Black Falls
The Holy Kamagishi warned me when she left to return to Is’syal that something could happen in the Black Falls tent city during the night. She thought it might be an attack by a remnant Impotuan force but Aylem did a survey of everything within five wagon-days and found nothing. Regardless, I postponed the return of most of my wraiths to their usual posts, kept them in Black Falls and upped the number of people they guarded. I had faith in the Holy One's precog ability. She wasn't the best at seeing the details of a future event, but she was never wrong that something would happen and when.
I kept Cadrees saddled and the two of us found a nice tree where we could catch a nap. I was short on sleep and had been for days. I managed to sleep for about a bell when Owl mindcasted me. He spotted attackers arriving at the camp on flying mounts. His skills with clairvoyance and seeing in the dark impressed even me which is why I gave him night duty as much as possible.
I woke Instay with my half of our crystal pair. Then, I mindcasted Lord Skalta haup Black, all of my wraiths, and Captain Tyoep. Most of the impromptu army that Imstay gathered as he marched south had already departed for their homes and farms. The only armed forces left in Black Falls were guards from the garrisons of Black Falls, Gunndit, and Aybhas.
I directed several of my wraiths to where the healers had placed the badly-wounded Coyn from Uldlip. I guessed the attackers would go there looking for the absent Blessed Emily. I was thankful that my mother had already left for Aybhas, taking the Blessed Emily, Kayseo haup Pinisla, and several others with her. She would return tomorrow with an eagle litter to carry the Holy Senlyosart up to Aybhas.
As soon as I was in the saddle, Cadrees and I left our tree and climbed for altitude. Of course, I wrapped us in our usual charms of circular light and shadow and added misdirection as a precaution. I also put up a barrier. Then I spread my clairvoyance across the tent city.
My clairvoyance revealed more attackers than I expected, with at least two in the air. I hefted one of the glass balls of instant fire I had saved and had Cadrees match the flight of the first mounted pair, which looked like a griffin and rider. I timed my leap and landed behind the rider, which turned out to be a her. I pulled her collar and stuffed the glass ball down her back. Leaping off the griffin, I broke the glass with my mind’s hand.
The griffin and rider on fire in the sky alerted the night patrols in the camp. I expected things to accelerate now. I saw the second enemy mount, a flying horse, intersect the one on fire. The rider's charm to snuff fire worked for only a breath. Then the white fire started again. The screams of the first rider and her griffin were terrible to listen to as they tumbled to the ground. I knew this death would haunt me like many of the others I had killed in the past.
Cadrees kept pace with the second flier. The rider, a man this time, wore a cape. That made it more difficult. I took another glass ball from the basket, dropped my charms, and flew out of the saddle this time.
"Catch," I yelled and tossed the glass ball. The rider turned and saw the ball. He instinctively caught it before his brain caught up with his reflexes. By then it was too late. I had already broken the glass.
I intersected Cadrees and once again spread my clairvoyance, scanning for trouble spots and trying to ignore the cries of the second mount and rider I had just condemned to a painful death.
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Imstay, royal pavilion, Black Falls
On the day after the attack on the Blessed Emily, we saw the Blessed Lisaykos off as she led the transport of the worst patients to Aybhas. She would return on the morrow to transfer the Holy Senlyosart in a four-eagle litter, which should tell you just how bad her injuries were.
Aylem and I turned in early and spent more time talking than rumpling the bedding. We stayed up too late as we discussed purple wet weed and whether we should try to cultivate it. We talked about Lord Gunndit's plans to extract sugar from hog beets. It was past the half-night bell as we discussed the damage that paper had brought to the vellum and parchment makers. Then chaos ensued.
Neither I nor Aylem had strong precog, but like most silverhairs, we had just enough to know when something was about to happen. Aylem noticed first and had already cast a barrier over the bed by the time my own warning sense twitched. Then my crystal linked to Usruldes vibrated. That told me that this was bigger than just an assassination attempt.
Aylem’s quickly-cast barrier saved us both from the fireball aimed at the royal pavilion. By the time the fireball collapsed, the four citadel guards for the encampment, one wraith and eleven attackers were on the ground on fire. So was our pavilion and all the tents around it. Whoever cast the fireball didn't care about other attackers on the ground.
Then there was Garki. The boy had been sleeping on a ground pad under the sand table. He had a short sword through his guts and the undertunic he slept in was burning.
"No!" Aylem screamed. All the flames vanished. Then she cast an area stasis on everyone on the ground.
Aylem ran over to the boy without surveying her surroundings, showing her lack of battlefield experience. I threw a barrier up over her and the wounded. She started the slow process of pulling out the sword and healing the tissues in its wake. Several more citadel guards and five wraiths arrived at a run. I gave them orders to check all the tents and secure the royal encampment.
Both Lord Skalta and Captain Tyoep were giving me their initial reports when Aylem finished with Garki. It took her at least an eighth of a bell to remove the sword, which told me just how serious the wound had been. She walked over to join us. I handed her an unburnt housecoat of mine to put over her nightgown, which was a little too revealing in my opinion. The last thing we needed was an epidemic of nosebleeds in the camp.
“Aylem, please, if this ever happens again, you should just cast stasis on the injured while a battle is in progress. The time to heal the wounded is after the battle, I smiled to take the edge off the criticism, wary of that temper of hers. “Now, can you please scan the camp for ongoing fights and attackers still loose?” I asked.
She flushed red and clenched her fists, then she closed her eyes and exhaled. “Yes, I get it,” she said through a grimace. Then she walked to an unburnt bench, sat down, and dropped into a trance.
Usruldes, tent city, Black Falls
Something tugged at my mind. Then I saw it: a moving shadow in the area for the residents of the shrine. Cadrees dove and I leapt. I had to fly all the way to catch up with the shadow. Whoever it was reached the tent before I could. I already had my knives in my hands since I knew it was the quickest way to stop the attack. Charms cast from a distance were twice as slow as a knife throw and I wasn't fast enough to catch up in person. I was in the process of aiming my throw into the shadow's back when I was blinded by a flash of light. Fear surged through me for the residents of the tent.
Instinctively, I dove for the ground and rolled. I felt the force of a charm pass over my head and miss me. When my eyes finally could see again, the person I was chasing was floating, helpless around the ceiling pole that held up the roof. The tallest girl in the tent cast a charm of eternal sleep as I watched. Then she removed the levitation charm and let the attacker drop ungently to the ground.
"Is everyone in this tent alright?" I asked. "I am calling more wraiths to protect you."
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"Who's there?" the tallest of the girls said and lit all the light gems in the tent. I was shocked to see that it was Princess Opo'aba. She certainly proved she was her mother's daughter by casting all those charms and then sensing me when she was only 13. She could be another monster in the making. But where was Flea who was assigned to watch her?
I dropped the charms that hid me and got on my feet. The girls gasped. Two screamed.
"I was readying my throw to stop the attack when there was a bright flash of light that blinded me." I put my throwing knives back in my wrist sheaths.
"Since your assailant is out for the night, can you please tie him or her up and remove any crystals and weapons." I took out some line and tossed it to the Princess. I mindcasted for any nearby agents to come to this tent. Then I knelt next to the attacker's head. It was just a boy: a halfhair and barely old enough to shave. It was tragic that his life was now over.
I extended my clairvoyance in the meantime and found my missing agent with an arrow through him. I took out the crystal that linked me to just my agents and mindcasted that there was an archer loose that we needed to find and stop. Then I mindcasted that news to the King. He cast back that the Queen was scanning the camp.
A whistled signal informed me that Squirrel was now here.
* Squirrel, put a barrier upon this tent. Keep a watch on the captive and the six girls and don't let them wander. We've got an archer somewhere. Flea has an arrow in her. I'm going to see if she's alive. *
Squirrel flashed the sign for yes and I sprinted to where Flea had fallen, in the gap between two tents. I levitated her out from between the tents and felt her skin. She was still warm and her eyes had not clouded yet. I put her on the ground and cast stasis on her, hoping that I or someone like my mother or the Queen could bring her back.
I heard Owl's and Vole's whistles followed by Cricket's and Snow Bear's. Now I had enough agents. I picked up Flea and walked back to the girls' tent.
Priests and priestesses from the Sassoo shrine were running over to see what was happening. It was starting to get crowded around the girls' tent. I didn't like crowds since a crowd is an experienced assassin's friend.
* Everyone. I am Lord Usruldes. I wish to speak to the supervisor for this tent of trainees. Everyone else, please return to your tents. There may still be assailants in the camp and a crowd can hinder our response. Thank you for understanding. *
"Snow Bear, take Flea to the healers. She is under stasis. It may be possible to revive her. Request the Queen if she's available. She's the best with arrows. Squirrel, can you drop the barrier for a moment? Owl, please take our captive to the Guards' main station. The captive is under a charm of eternal sleep. Squirrel, Vole, you're to keep watch on this tent until relieved. I believe the captive was targeting the tallest one, the one with the dark blue eyes."
I put a barrier back up and walked up to Opa. "You are Voice Trainee Opa hat Kas'syo of Is'syal, whom the Blessed Emily was looking for when she was attacked, yes?" I took out my paper notebook.
"Yes, Lord Usruldes."
"How can you be sure I am Usruldes?" I wanted to know since all of my agents dressed the same as myself.
"You're the only wraith who is as tall as the King," she explained. Well, the Princess was correct. I topped my agents except for Snow Bear by half a head or more.
"Trainee, can you please explain the flash of light and the capture of your assailant please?"
"I woke up feeling like something was wrong. Then I saw that someone was coming through the front tent flap. The flash of light is a charm I know and it seemed like a good idea. It works well to disorient people and if it's someone friendly, then no harm is done. When I saw that he had a knife out, I levitated him and cast a hot charm of warmth on his knife so he would drop it."
"How old are you?" I asked, to keep Opa's disguise intact.
"13."
"Are you sure you want to join a shrine?" I asked. "If you are casting like this at 13, I would like to extend the offer to join the wraiths. I could use a talent like you who kept calm and disabled someone who came to do you harm."
"I am flattered, Lord Usruldes," she smiled, "but this shrine is where I want to be."
"If you ever change your mind, just send a letter to the King, since we work directly for him. Who taught you that flash charm?"
"Court Lord Hessakos haup Gunndit taught it to me. He's my guardian. He works for the King." I was glad I had practiced staying calm in any situation because Opa's statement was a big surprise. I never taught Opa that charm. I didn't even know a charm like that. It was probably a variation of a simple light charm but I didn't see how one could get that incredible blinding intensity. I would have to ask Opa later and learn it myself to cover that fast-thinking lie on her part.
"Where is your supervisor?" I wanted to remove Opa from the camp while there was still an archer possibly roaming the tent city. Someone had shot Flea and as far as I knew, we hadn't found any archers yet. That disturbed me.
"We don't have a new supervisor yet," Opa said. "Our old supervisor was removed for attacking the Blessed Emily."
"Trainee Opa, please get dressed. Given that you were Trainee Moyuxkol haup Ixism'os' main target for harassment, I am moving you to a safer place until we locate the archer who shot my agent. Cricket? In the tent please while she changes." I dropped the barrier so I could exit the tent and Cricket could enter. Cricket was one of my female agents. I felt uncomfortable with closing up the tent so the princess could change without an active bodyguard near on hand. If I could use the charm of circular light, so could someone else. I wanted eyes on Opa continuously until the tent city was secure.
* There are no more assailants, Usruldes, * the Queen mindcasted me.
* Did you find the archer? * I asked her.
* What archer? *
* My agent assigned to watch your daughter was shot with an arrow inside Opa’s encampment, about 50 hands from her tent. *
* My daughter? * There was a strong sense of panic from the Queen.
* Opa is safe and unharmed. I'm bringing her to the royal encampment until we can be sure we don't have more enemies on the loose. *
I felt weary. It was another day when I would never get enough sleep. I started to plan when I would have a new opportunity to catch another nap. My life would be easier if Captain Sertfos were present. She had been missing now for three days and I was splitting her duties for the camp city's security with Captain Tyoep of the Aybhas garrison. I was wondering if I should ask the King to find a replacement for me in that role when Opa came out dressed in working clothes of tunics, pants, and boots.
I expanded my clairvoyance to check the airspace over the tent city, picked Opa up in my arms, cast my charms to make us vanish, and flew straight to the royal encampment. Around 50 dead bodies took up the perimeter of the open space in the middle of the encampment. Lord Ixism'os, the father of Trainee Moyuxkel, was one of the dead. The King and Queen stood glowering at 14 living assailants who were kneeling, including Lord Angsum, father of Voice Druyudros. The boy who attacked Opa's tent was on the ground unconscious at the end of the kneeling line. I could feel the charm of compulsion that restrained the captured assailants. Few mages can cast compulsion successfully on another silverhair so the current charm had to be Aylem’s work.
The Queen was wearing one of Imstay's housecoats over her nightgown. Imstay was wearing an undertunic and trews. Both were barefoot. The roof and several side panels of the royal pavilion were burnt. It looked like the attackers targeted the King's sleeping chamber.
The King and Queen were fine though angry. They were unharmed but the attack was not harmless. There were several dark blue and light blue tunics and fighting coats among the dead bodies. Garki, Imstay’s favorite page, was among the wounded.
"Say nothing," I whispered to Opa. "I will take you to a tent I know is empty, but I'm keeping us invisible for now in case someone hostile is watching."
I made the crystal around Imstay's neck vibrate to tell him I was here. Then I mindcasted the King and Queen.
* Great One, Mighty One, I have Opa. I will put her in my tent which I never use. *
I summoned two of my female wraiths to sit with Opa in the tent. I told Opa to stay inside until at least daylight and not return to the encampment for the Voice trainees.
I was off arranging where to confine the prisoners when Ud showed up at the garrison encampment to drop off 14 unconscious attackers, all neatly wrapped up in spider web. Ud usually avoids getting involved with other people's wars, but the ones she captured made the mistake of attacking her. She promised Captain Tyoep that they would all wake up with unbearable headaches.
We never did find the archer that shot Flea.
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