Читать книгу Return of Magic - Steve Reilly - Страница 8

Chapter 1

Who are they?” demanded Nakime as she paced the floor of the sitting room. The question was directed at her new husband, Tyjan, as they sat in their new apartment surrounded by the valuables collected over her short lifetime—tapestries, sculptures, and paintings, all family heirlooms passed down through generations. But unless the gods came to their aid everything would soon be lost. That could not be allowed to happen. It had only been a few weeks past that she had turned thirteen allowing her to take the position from her father and become Empress of Ortalia, the most powerful and feared person in their nation. She looked about at her treasures. Some were no more than keepsakes that reminded her of loved family members while others represented the wealth and power of the House of the Dragon. Her husband, fifteen years her senior, was also heir to the House of the Serpent. She had believed that together they could not be defeated. Now these invaders threatened these beliefs as well as her Empire.

She turned her attention back to her husband. The slave girl who had shared Tyjan’s night had been sent away when the news arrived. His bedroom door still hung open showing the unmade bed beyond and the slaves whose job it was to see to such matters would need to be punished if that was not corrected soon. Tyjan interrupted her thoughts. “They must be the warriors of Greche for who else could it be. The message said only that the wall has fallen and an army from beyond the Empire gathers outside Anaan.” They had only been married on the day of her elevation giving her the final requirement for that rise but she had given him permission to speak and she expected much more of her second cousin. Her father had selected him to stand beside her as she ruled not only for the strength that the Serpent could offer but also for his abilities in politics and his understanding of the Empire and the world.

“I know what the message said,” spat Nakime, “but what did it not say. I too know the ways of our people and it makes no sense.” Tyjan bowed his head. Even though they were married, it was not his place to contradict the Empress. She growled at him in frustration. “Don’t become stupid now. I know you are an intelligent man. You would not have been selected as my husband if you were not. And I may only be thirteen but I have been trained to rule Ortalia. We must put tradition aside and work together if I am to save the Empire. And you are of no use to me if you do not speak your mind and offer insight into this trouble. Tradition is for my people and when we are amongst them. Now I ask again, who are they?”

Tyjan considered his words. There was much more to the question than his wife asked. This was his chance to prove his worth to the Empress. “If they are not Grechan warriors, I do not know where they came from,” he admitted quietly while lost in thought. “And whether they came through the gate or through the wall, they have come across Greche. Ortalia has long had a treaty with Greche and it is this, more than the wall, which has kept your people safe and secure from the world beyond for far longer than the Dragon has ruled.”

As a leading member of the House of the Serpent, Tyjan knew of the treaty. For the last eight hundred years, that, and their proximity to the wall, was the reason the House of the Spider had been granted the honour of maintaining the guard and the people of Ortalia had lived apart from their neighbours to build the lives they now enjoyed. But this news brought the world and all its troubles to them.

“I do not believe they are Grechan warriors,” agreed the Empress. “So, I am afraid that Greche must have fallen to more powerful forces. We both know the power that was Greche, so this force must be both strong and efficient. I am forced to accept that without the treaty our world has now changed even if we can defeat these invaders, which I fear will not be so. But I do not believe we can win if we allow traditions to rule our actions. We must watch closely and see how your father fares. If he fails we can hope to find our success in his defeat.”

“From the message sent by my father, we can comfort ourselves that these warriors at least understand the rules of battle and hold outside the city. I will have your warriors prepare to go to Anaan and help,” offered Tyjan.

“My warriors stay here.” Her words were delivered with the cutting sharpness of a sword. Tyjan’s head snapped up at her barked statement but he said nothing. Nakime explained, “If, as you say, these invaders understand the rules, and follow them, then your father has enough warriors to field against them. But I fear that is not the case.”

Tyjan’s brow furrowed as he asked, “What else could it mean?” He could not see that anyone would break from tradition.

“These are not warriors of the Empire. The one leading these invaders has no reason to respect our rules of battle and if I were leading them, I would not either.” Her remarks were unexpected and Tyjan searched her face for clues as to their meaning. “The warriors of the Serpent are well protected behind the walls of the Houses of Anaan. Their leader would want to draw them out and what better way than to allow your father to believe that the proper etiquette still applied,” she explained. “My question is however, how did the invaders learn of these values?”

Tyjan’s eyes widened. He was shocked both at the Empress’ apparent willingness to ignore tradition and at her unexpected assessment of the enemy. “But that means he would walk into a trap,” he pointed out. He had no deep concerns for his father whose only interest had ever been for his own standing in the House but the Empress was discussing, without feeling, the fall of his home and its people.

“Yes,” she nodded, watching him closely for any signs of disobedience.

“The city will fall and many family of the House of the Serpent will die. All my family and my House would be no more,” he pointed out carefully.

“If I were leading the enemy that would be true,” she agreed without feeling.

“Then that is more reason you should send your warriors to help.” His voice was pleading as he begged for the Dragon to aid the Serpent. Nakime looked at her husband with pity. “Why?” She could see no reason to sacrifice her House. In her mind the Serpent was already lost but she would allow Tyjan to speak his mind if only to satisfy him that she respected him.

“Our houses are aligned. It is why we were married and if they need help you are obliged to provide assistance. Not to do so would dishonour the Dragon and yourself.” His words were cautiously selected to emphasise his concern for her and the Dragon.

“I was married so I could become Empress,” she corrected sternly. “No more. It was convenient that the strongest house outside the Dragon had someone suitable to offer or the other Houses would have been considered and the Serpent would be forced to wait for years to again become as it is today. The strength of our union only applies when we face the lesser Houses and I will not throw my warriors at the feet of these invaders.”

“Even so, the Serpent is now in need of the Dragon’s aid.”

“Quiet. I will hear no more of this.” Nakime was not prepared to argue but on seeing the hurt on his face she put a hand on his arm and spoke softly in an attempt to placate her husband. “It may be that these warriors understand the rules and it is not a trap or your father may see the danger and hold his warriors behind the walls. We will wait and see what news the next message brings.”

~

The awaited message came quickly to Mubiri.

Riding on a small, single-seated buggy, the woman did not slow till she came to the gates of the House of the Dragon. The Empress was waiting when the woman entered to drop to the floor. Tyjan and Alieah stood behind Nakime. They, too, were anxious for news of Anaan.

“The Empress thanks you for delivering your message personally. She understands that it is not normally the role of family to do this, and so appreciates the importance of what you must say. What news is there of the Serpent?”

The message was as short as it was devastating, but expected.

“Anaan has fallen.”

“And what of my father?” Tyjan cut in.

Nakime frowned at her husband, but allowed the woman to answer.

“Aezar was a good man. When the city fell, he went to his rooms. He was found shortly after.” She puffed out her chest as she added, “His death has maintained the honour of the House of the Serpent.”

“Tell me all that happened after they arrived,” demanded Nakime, ignoring the death of the leader of the Serpent, and her husband’s father.

Her three guests were shocked but she huffed in frustration.

“Now is not the time for tradition. I can speak for myself. We are all family and this is a private conversation. I must know all that happened if I am to save the Empire. I do not have time to waste with tradition and I am sure the gods will forgive me.” The look she gave allowed for no further discussion.

The messenger related all she knew of the attack. By the rules of engagement, the enemy should have stood down, being greatly outnumbered. But they attacked instead. The Empress was intrigued by the story of men who so disregarded their gods to ride on the backs of horses, and the destruction caused by the lancers. But she thought these could be defended. Already she saw that they would be of little use in the confined spaces of Mubiri’s streets although she would have preferred if the streets did not all run straight. It was a flaw in their planning but could be corrected. She would have her people dig poles into the streets to slow their enemy.

“But tell me what you know of these other weapons that bring death from a distance. They are of concern. These small spears you speak of that fall from the sky could destroy the Empire. We must find a way to protect our warriors from them and even learn from them. If we are to win I must have weapons that kill from a distance.”

~

The Empress Nakime walked out of the city towards the hill while Tyjan and Alieah trailed. Both were calling for her return to the safety of the House. Behind them were four of the city’s best warriors wearing white kimonos and armed with swords. A light rain soaked the ground, as it had been doing for weeks, but on this occasion the Empress ignored the discomfort as easily as she ignored the words of her companions.

She stopped.

“Wait here,” she commanded without turning.

“It is not safe,” Alieah pleaded, tears almost threatening to shatter her words.

“I will be safe. Someone has come here and watched without harm every day since they arrived. They expect it.”

Her companions still had not come to accept that the Empress spoke to them in public and were uncertain of how to make her see the dangers she faced. Nakime walked forward, alone, to the top of the hill where the enemy camped beyond. She stood in clear view and watched. This was the first time she had laid eyes directly on the army that had invaded her Empire. Even though she had been receiving reports about them, she was surprised by what she saw. Below her was apparent chaos. People moved about everywhere and her eyes were drawn to the mass of horses tethered to one side. Slowly the movement began to make sense as the layout of the camp became clearer. She could make out cooking fires, people preparing weapons and makeshift latrines. She watched until she could gain no further purpose from being there. Only then did she return to her companions to walk back to the uneasy shelter of House of the Dragon.

~

“If you were the leader of our enemy what would you do?” Nakime posed her question to her speaker, Alieah, as they sat cross-legged on the floor. The girl had been her childhood companion and had been elevated to the family on her coronation. She had joined the Empress in all her classes and Nakime respected her opinions though she could not show her feelings in public.

“I would have honour and fight by the rules,” Alieah responded meekly.

“But they see our rules only as a way to gain advantage. They expect us to act by them and they prepare knowing what we will do. Rules do not apply against an enemy who does not respect them. Worse, they give an enemy much more power than they have earned.”

“To ignore the rules would dishonour you. The Houses will not follow an Empress without honour,” Alieah begged.

“But if I follow the rules I will be dead. The Houses will not follow me then either. Think Alieah. We grew up together and I know you understand.”

Alieah knew the Empress well enough through recent events to accept that she would defy tradition if it meant saving herself and the Empire. The two girls sat on the floor in the quiet of the Empress’ rooms and Nakime gave her friend time to consider her reply.

“I would first wait to see if the warriors come out to meet me in the field as Aezar did in Anaan and as they wait now. When the warriors do not come I would be forced to attack the city. I would have no other choice. I could not turn and walk away having begun this war.”

Nakime smiled and nodded her agreement with Alieah’s answer.

“And how would you do that, knowing what we do of them.”

“I would approach each House in turn and use the little spears to shoot over the walls and kill those beyond.”

“But my warriors can wait inside the buildings until you run out of these spears. You would not know if you had succeeded and you dare not move on and risk leaving warriors behind you.”

“Ladders,” offered Alieah after some thought.

“What?”

“Ladders! I would bring ladders to stand against the walls. I would know you do not have weapons that kill from a distance or they would have been used at Anaan. My fighters can stand on the ladders and see beyond the wall. They will not be firing blindly and they will know when the House is defeated.”

Nakime now understood more of the activity she had witnessed in the enemy camp. They were building ladders.

She asked slowly, “So how do I defend myself?”

“You do not wait behind the walls.” Alieah seemed to grow in confidence as she spoke. “You send the warriors into the streets to face them. I am sure your warriors are their equal at close quarters.”

“But then I face the first problem again, the horses,” Nakime pointed out. “Our streets are too straight giving them easy access to attack and even the poles we add would work against us. I will call for their removal.”

“Then you have no other option I can see. You must put warriors on top of the walls to face them there. I doubt they could fire their weapons effectively while evading a sword.”

“That is good and we can defend for a time but I cannot win this way. If I cannot defeat them my Empire is lost. We will need help. I will send for warriors from the other houses and we will make our stand at the Dragon. I will also send for warriors from the northern cities but I suspect they will be facing their own problems. This army would not attack along the south if the north was left alone to circle them. I fear a second force is attacking along our other shore.” Nakime sat silent while she considered the possibilities. When she was ready, she turned to Alieah for help. “I want you to do two things for me.”

“Of course.”

“First, take a message to Tyjan. Tell him he is to build scaffold around the wall. Explain what it is for, and tell him to hurry. I think the enemy will be here before we are ready. While you do that, I will send word to every House in the city telling them they are each to send their best twelve warriors here to concentrate our forces.”

“And the second request?”

Nakime explained.