Usruldes, traveling
After we crossed the river at Two Ferry Island, I stopped briefly to make sure Cadrees had enough water in him. I ate a ration bar and drank some water too. Then I put on the Usruldes suit, both the clothes and the mindset that went with it. We were under attack so I visualized putting kindness away in a lightproof box with a lock. It was a mental technique I used to be effective as an assassin. Ud promised me long ago that she would rescue me if I ever went too far down the path of a killer and I trusted in her.
She was never far from me, even when I was as far away as the east coast, more than 600 wagon-days from the Fenland. She placed a link between us when I first left her care for Imstay's. If I needed her, I just had to think of her. We chatted around once a rotation, usually when I was traveling for the King. It helped her starve off the loneliness she lived with. It's hard when you're a giant near-immortal magical spider monster to find friends.
It would have been wonderful if Ud came to help repel the invaders. I know she had friendly relations with some of the gods and it would make sense if she defended the shrines, if not the kingdom. The eleven shrines of Foskos were the originals that the gods directed humans to build.
Direct help from Ud was not likely to happen. One of the huge ironies of Ud's existence was that she was a pacifist.
I wrapped myself and Cadrees in the charms of shadows and circular light and flew to the Shrine of Tiki. Passing through the shrine's barrier that most thought could not be passed, we entered the dome over the Well of Tiki. I rang the gong with my mind. It took only a few moments for the High Priestess to appear. I unwrapped the charm and dismounted.
Kneeling, I did my full obeisance, "May the blessings of the eleven gods be upon you, Holy One Foyuna. I wish to beg a boon from you."
"You are?"
"I am Usruldes, called the Wraith. The Queen, Aylem Nonkin, may be at this moment using the charm of ultimate defense in Yant to save the Shrine of Landa, which is currently under attack. I promised her I would try to stay in touch with her. May I ask that you use the great crystal?"
"You have seen the Queen?" Foyuna was taken aback.
"She is with the Blessed Emily. We spoke in person about a bell ago."
"Lord Usruldes, your name is known to me. Pardon my doubting you. May the blessings of the gods be with you too. Please rise, good and faithful servant of the King."
I got to my feet. "Holy One, you were not amiss in doubting one you have never met, especially since I penetrated the barrier around the shrine."
"I am astounded that you did so, though I can tell you are a great practitioner of strange magic whose nature I do not recognize. The aura around you is strange."
"Holy One, one of my other names is Usruldes Udkin for I am a student of Ud and part of her kin."
"Ud actually exists? I see there are many mysteries about you, but that is not germane at the moment. Let me use the crystal for you. No one has used the charm of ultimate defense in over a millennium and it is perilous. It drove the last Queen who used it insane." She rang the gong herself and two priestesses came running out into the dome.
"Byahi, I need a recorder," Foyuna ordered the older priestess in her fifties. "Ioyseeya, this is a servant of the King. The auras of hunger and thirst are upon him and his mount. Please bring him something to drink and something hot that he can eat while flying. Bring something too for the eagle. Delegating some of this is apropos since you seldom do, child, but tonight, time is important."
I bowed to both of the priestesses, "I thank you kindly for your service. I will not forget your names."
Foyuna waited for Byahi to sit at the recorder table and take up her stylus. "Now, Lord Usruldes, let me prepare my trance. But first, tell me, does the Queen have her personal crystal on her?"
"No, she does not. She left it in Aybhas while she was running from herself."
"You put that in an interesting way, Lord Usruldes. Might I inquire as to her state of mind? She is such a powerful mage that it could be troublesome if she were not entirely..."
"Sane? Yes, I agree. She is in her right mind, so do not worry there. She is not completely at peace with herself, but she has discovered where she needs to be mended and with care from the Convocation and the healers, she can be mended. Also, she was rescued by Ud, who has helped her greatly; and she is traveling with the Blessed Emily, who went to find her with Asgotl. I believe you know both Emily and Asgotl, so the Queen is with friends who will protect her."
"I wish we could speak at length on this but I know you are pressed for time. Have you seen the King yet, Lord Usruldes? We have not been able to pass messages through the barrier, which I dare not drop."
"I can pass the barrier and can carry any message you need. I wanted to know of the Queen before I reported to Imstay King."
"Thank you. I will invoke the crystal now. It will be up to Tiki if I am permitted to see as far as Yant."
"I know. I have confidence in the god's favor for you."
She dropped into a trance and the flame in the crystal burst into a ball of light. That flame was Aylem's, that she placed there 26 years ago. It provided power to the crystal so others could use it if Tiki allowed it. From the ball of light, I knew that Tiki would favor Foyuna's efforts this evening.
I had never witnessed the great crystal in use before. A scene began inside it of Aylem calmly floating over ranks of soldiers in red tabards who faded away into nothingness underneath her. It was one of the strangest and most disquieting things I have ever seen. The scene shifted as Foyuna took advantage of her connection with the crystal to look around Yant. The city was on fire in at least twenty different places. A force of Impotuan soldiers was assaulting the gates of the shrine.
A priestess adept of Landa on the roof of the shrine guided a glass globe with a glowing substance I recognized. She snuck it under the barrier that protected the Impotuan battle mages from overhead attacks. She then exploded it just over their head so that the phosphorus would splash all around. The adept manipulating the balls of phosphorus was quite clever.
The results were horrific. Phosphorus will continue to burn until all of it is consumed. I almost felt sorry for the invaders. Watching this reminded me that Emily is not someone you ever want as an enemy. Since the adepts of Landa had their hands on white phosphorus, then Emily must be safe at the shrine. This was a great relief to me.
Foryuna moved back to viewing the Queen, who was finishing up with destroying thousands of lives. When she was done, she floated down to the ground and looked right at the crystal.
* Foyuna, I can tell Usruldes is with you. Tell Usruldes I have succeeded in my task and the northern army is no more. I will see all of you in a few days. And now, I must rest. *
The crystal went blank and Aylem's steady flame replaced the scenes we had just seen.
Foyuna stood up abruptly. "That's amazing! I don't think that's ever happened before. I've seen no mention in the historical records of a Queen far from the shrine using the Great Crystal to communicate with someone who was here using it."
"Really? I do not know very much about the Great Crystal. It did surprise me. We are many wagon-days distant. The Queen's strength as a mage is unbelievable." I really was surprised, though I already knew she was a monster in terms of magical ability.
Several priestesses including Ioyseeya appeared with two hand-sized hot chicken and onion coffins, a skin with bog berry juice, and two skinned rabbits for Cadrees.
"Do you have any message for the King?" I asked Foyuna.
"Tell him we are fine here. We have a well in the second basement so there is plenty of water and we have three rotations of edible though not palatable rations. The barrier has six mages maintaining it day and night. He does not need to worry about our holding out."
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"Excellent. I do not know if I will be able to return, but I will if I can." I got up on Cadrees and strapped myself in.
"Thank you for the rabbits," Cadrees said to the priestesses, shocking them since mounts seldom speak to people other than their riders.
"Farewell and stay safe Holy One," I called out as Cadrees took wing. The two coffins were gone down my throat before we got to the barrier. I think I may have been a bit hungry.
I wrapped myself and Cadrees in the charms of shadows and circular light and passed out of the barrier. We coasted downward toward the King's pavilion in the middle of his fortifications. He had surrounded the Impotuan force with a manned palisade-style siegeworks on both sides of the river. How I wished for Emily's phosphorus bombs right at the moment to drop on the enemy.
Cadrees and I did our usual routine. I cast misdirection on him to befuddle the mounted sentries. I leapt off his back and floated down to the camp. Cadrees went to find a spot to wait until I called. I pulled out my crystal and made its twin around Imstay's neck vibrate. Then I strolled into the guarded pavilion still cloaked. The war council was standing at the sand table.
"Usruldes," the King address the pavilion door, "have you news?"
I knew he loved to do this to his captains and generals so I played along even though it was a bit silly.
Still wrapped in the charm of circular light, my disembodied voice spoke to those present: "Mighty One, I have just spoken to the Holy One Foyuna haup Foskos. The shrine has supplies for three rotations and the barrier is held by six mages at all hours. The Holy One says not to worry about their safety.
"That's a relief," Imstay remarked and he meant it.
"I have other news." The pavilion went silent. "Impotu sent three armies: the one here, one with 20,000 at Blacks Falls and one with 20,000 at Yant."
"We knew about Blacks Falls," Imstay frowned. "We did not know about Yant since we can't get to the Shrine of Tiki for a reconnaissance. How bad is it up at Yant?"
"The Great One, Blessed Aylem Queen, is in Yant. The town had fallen to the invader and a vanguard of 1,000 is at the gates of the Shrine of Landa. That force is under counter-attack by the adepts of the shrine, who now have the use of instant firebombs created by the Blessed Emily and crafted by the Queen. Because the attack on the shrine was dire, the queen has used the charm of ultimate defense and destroyed the rest of the northern Impotu army single-handed."
"Surd save us!" Imstay was gobsmacked. "How is the Queen? Is she well?"
"She has regained her memory and is in her right mind. The griffin Asgotl and the Blessed Emily found her on the sea coast north of Inkalim. They were able to bring her home. The Queen and Emily will join you in three to four days."
"Usruldes, I have a task for you, "Imstay announced. "We have heard no word from Pinisla. The Impotuan army descended onto the flatland using the road from Pinisla. We have no intelligence on the situation there."
"I will go," I said and then remained standing inside the pavilion to gather gossip and mutterings from the King's captains. I did not depart when they left the king. Dropping the charm of circular light, I fell into a chair at the table, feeling all the distance I had traveled since this morning on the beach. It seemed like it had been rotations ago.
"You are too tired to travel anymore this evening," Imstay stated. "We will talk and then you will sleep. This is an order, little brother."
I knew I could keep going at least until the half-night bell but I knew better than to cross Imstay when he used that tone of voice on me. I grimaced and nodded. "Let me tell Cadrees to find a place a place to rest."
"Tell him to go to the mount camp. The grooms can take care of him for the evening and he'll get a proper meal. I knew how the two of you skimp when you travel hard. I'll have someone at the gate to meet him."
I nodded, "tell them to leave the saddle on and not disturb anything." Imstay and I relayed our respective instructions by mindcast.
"Have you eaten, and I don't mean those nasty ration bars?" Knowing my preferences, he poured me a dark ale and put it in a real glass mug.
"Glass!" I picked it up and studied it.
"High Priestess Raoleer sent me some," he said with a wry smile. "She wants more funding, you see, so she can build a glass factory and a second foundry."
"I can see the glass factory, but a new foundry? Why?"
"She wants to move the sky metal operation away from the river like they did with the copper works. The slags are even worse for the river than the copper ones."
"That sounds reasonable," I considered. "Has she asked what Emily thinks about that?"
"Not yet. You and she have been gone for two rotations." He stepped out to the entrance, "Garki!"
"Coming," Garki's boyish voice responded. I was glad I hadn't pulled off my mask yet. When the boy showed up, he looked like he had grown a bit taller and there was a smattering of white hairs on his head, which was a surprise. He was probably younger than I had originally thought.
"Garki, Lord Usruldes needs some dinner and something he can take with him when he leaves in the morning," the king ordered.
"Yes, Mighty One," and the boy was gone.
"Have you found someone to teach him some basic magic?" I asked. "He's taller and has some white."
"I've been teaching him," Imstay replied, plopping in the seat next to me. "I thought he was a short 15 or 16 since that's what he was telling people last year. It turns out that he's 13. He was afraid his life would be in danger if we found out he had magic. I was bad and sorted through his mind when he was sleeping and it turns out that he's a younger son of one of the big landowning families we displaced when we invaded two years ago."
"In that case, is it safe to keep him in your service?" I worried. "We were not exactly restrained on putting the former ruling families to death when we stole their land."
"I've been watching carefully," Imstay sighed. "He's not a vindictive lad and I haven't picked up any hostility from him. Yes, I have been snooping in his mind." Imstay looked at the ground with a sad expression. "I have been sending him to Heldfirk's lessons since he is literate. It turns out he's quite sharp. He took to the queen's numbers in a flash."
"You need to be careful, you fool," I snapped. "Don't let your liking for the boy cloud your judgment like you let your fondness for your uncles lead you astray." I regretted saying it the moment it left my mouth. I was too tired to watch my tongue.
Imstay's brow clouded and he scowled in anger. He glared at me. I merely returned his glare with my gaze since it was how I honestly felt. I would not lie to cover up my tactlessness.
Then Imstay surprised me and sighed, shook his head, and let his anger go. "Like usual, you are correct. I am too fond of people when I should be a better judge."
"When this little altercation is over," I said, "I will dig deep into the matter of this young man and give you my appraisal as to what we should do with him."
"Fair enough," Imstay said, fatigue falling off his words.
"You really have gone through a change, big brother," I studied him. "If this were two years ago, you might have taken my head off in anger."
"Having to watch my favorite two uncles betray my trust with their reprehensible behavior did something to me," he admitted. "I came out of that feeling that everything I ever thought was true was now in doubt. Some days I feel like I don't have any foundation to stand on anymore and there are few I can trust."
"Speaking of trust," he sighed again, "how is the Queen, really?"
"Shaken. Drowning in self-doubt and trying to put a brave face on her loss of self-confidence. What she needs are friends and to be honest, she doesn't have any. There is no one she confides in besides that griffin of hers. My mother is the closest thing she has to a human confidante. Even Mother is wary of Aylem's power and they live in different cities on top of that. You might even say that her griffin is her closest friend, but how can a griffin help her with restraining her use of magic when angry?"
"So what can we do to help her?" Imstay was sincere with that question. Two years he wouldn't even have bothered to ask.
"I'm not sure. To be honest, if Emily had not been kind to Aylem when we lured her out of where she was hiding, I don't think she would have returned. Emily also got her to admit that her temper was a problem that needed help from the healers, and then got Aylem to promise to go the shrine in Aybhas and do something about it."
Imstay gaped in astonishment.
"Ware the royal pavilion," Garki called from the front entrance.
"Come," Imstay replied.
The boy carried in a tray full of different foods. "There wasn't any hot food left but I found several things that will travel well cold," he put the tray on the table. "There are several different kinds of cheese, a crock of salted butter, some cold wood grouse that should travel well, four small loaves of bread, a wrapper of flatbread, dried apples, some pickled garlic, onions, radishes and eggs, and mutton meatballs wrapped in sage leaves. I also found some waxed bison leather pouches to carry it in."
"This is a feast, child," I looked at Garki with his earnest look. "Thank you. This is more than I expected." Garki nodded at me.
"Mighty One, may I turn in or do you need me more tonight?" Garki asked Imstay.
"Turn in, we'll be fine; and wake me at quarter to the first bell please, in the morning."
"Of course," the boy smiled, did obeisance, and retreated.
"This is impressive," I looked at the pile of food, grabbing a loaf and a hunk of cheese.
"He's very good. I think he's the best personal page I've ever had. He's always this efficient and effective. As I said, he is sharp. Quiet and unassuming, but sharp. And he keeps his mouth shut too."
"If he wasn't the scion of a conquered people, he'd be perfect," I remarked.
"Hey, let me change the subject. I'm concerned about Pinisla. General Bobbo was up there with his newly-adopted daughter, Healer Kayseo. I'm quite worried about their well-being. You know the fate of nobles at the hands of invading armies. The thought makes me sick that something might have happened to those two."
"That sweet girl was in Pinisla when this army passed through?" I grimaced. "Stuff sleep. I'm leaving now." I started to get up and Imstay pulled me back down.
"Sleep first. Remember, this is an order, little brother."
"Blarg."
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