Rides a Dread Legion Free with Bonus Material Read online

  The Conjurer smiled. Yes, my lord. It is rich with life. Much of it familiar. There are deer and bear, lions and wyverns; game is plentiful. The corn tastes odd, but not unpleasantsweeter than what we knowand the dwarves, for all their despicable flaws, sell their brewing to any and all. The humans and dwarves have herds of cattle and sheep, and the seas are abundant as well. There are riches beyond what weve known in a century. Then he fell silent.

  The Regent Lord stood and said, You have something to say. Say it.

  My lord, said the Conjurer, should I offend you, take my head, but as I am sworn to serve, I must speak only truth. If the rumors of demons reaching here are true, and they do follow us, we are left with two choices: to flee while the humans, dwarves, and our primitive cousins battle the Demon Legion, yet again seeking another world

  Where? injected the Regent Lord. I read every report. You have found no alternative, only harsh places where life scarcely survives, or barren rockno, there is nowhere else to go.

  We stay and fight.

  The Regent Lord said, When my father was a boy, the Seven Clans numbered two million swords, Conjurer. He looked on as more wagons and beasts of burden emerged from the portal. Livestock was now coming through, a herd of razor-spine hogs, being herded by a wolflike dire dog. An especially large dog loped through the portal and came to the Regent Lords side, licking the monarchs hand while wagging a bushy tail.

  Roughly patting the beasts massive neck, the Regent Lord almost crooned as he said, Sanshem, my good companion. He looked fondly upon the animal, perhaps the only being in all Creation for whom the Regent Lord felt genuine affection.

  Looking back at the Conjurer, the Regent Lord said, When my father took the throne, but four hundred twenty thousand swords could answer the call of the Taredhel battle horn.

  When I took the crown from my fathers brow, after demons had ripped his still beating heart from his chesthe almost shoutedI had less than a third that number of warriors! He stood up, patting the dog on its massive head. Since our last battle, we have less than half that serving, with some youth training. He shook his head in open regret. We have children learning to fight, barely more than babes, who have only smelled our own blood and the stench of demons since their birth!

  He gazed down into the lush forest below and said, I am torn, Conjurer. The Demon Legion seems endless. No matter how many we kill, more appear soon after. How could we stand here in this valley, behind wooden walls caulked with mud, when we could not hold from behind the massive walls of Starwell, or keep them at bay with the death towers along the Gap of Doom? The Pamalan Dome collapsed and their fliers descended on the city like an evil hailstorm. Every magic known to the Taredhel defends Tarendamar, and the defenses are unmatched in our history. Yet the demons keep coming.

  So, I thought perhaps we might linger awhile here, while we seek another refuge, and then I came. He looked around at the valley as tree leaves rustled in the breeze, birds darted across the sky, and the only sound was the rumbling of wagons and the tread of boots on the soil. He took a deep breath. No, this is where we shall stand; we have no other choice. And here we shall live or die as the Goddess will it, should the demons come.

  The Conjurer nodded. It was not the time to say what he must say. Soon, but not today. Not after fleeing the Demon Legion across the tundra of Mistalik, hounded for months by creatures so foul and powerful that only the mightiest warriors could delay them, and only the most powerful magic could destroy them.

  As the line of refugees continued to issue from the portal, the Conjurer knew one thing above all else: for the People to survive in this new land, no matter how abundant and hospitable, they would need allies. Which meant generations of making war on all who were not of the People would need be forgotten and aggression as a way of life need be set aside.

  The Regent Lord nodded once to one of his heralds, standing near the portal, and the servant bowed slightly and darted through the magic opening. A moment later he returned, followed by a dozen older elves, dressed in the guild cloth of the geomancers.

  Laromendis knew that they were much needed to repair the damage to the city defenses on Andcardia. He knew what this sight meant: these few remaining masters of earth magic would begin building a new city in the heart of this valley, and the repairs of the last bastion of defense for those behind would be left to lesser masters and apprentices to repair. It was an admission of a choice the Regent Lord had yet to voice.

  A group of elders made their way through and came to stand before their Regent Lord, bowing as one. To the oldest of them the Regent Lord said, Oversee the creation of our new home, my lords. Begin at once. Defend the valley and start down there. He pointed to a rise that overlooked the distant small lake that was the center of this valley. Around that lake we shall plant the Seven Stars. On that rise build a new palace. He looked around, as if fixing the sights of Home in his mind. Within the month, all who can be brought here shall come, and we shall seal this portal behind us.

  I return to Andcardia to oversee the fighting. We shall hold the demons at bay as long as possible. To the Conjurer he said, What do you need, to find out the truth about demons here?

  Taking a breath, he simply answered, My brother. No one among the People knows more of demon lore than he, my lord As the Regent Lord was about to object, Laromendis hurried to cut off the objection, I know there are many who see him as the cause of the demon invasion

  If that were true, said the Regent Lord, he already would be dead. I am not so gullible as to believe that he personally summoned the Demon Horde, Conjurer. But I do believe it was the meddling of those like himand yourselfinto realms prohibited by the Spellcrafters that somehow caused the magic barriers to be breached. The Conjurer almost winced at that, for he knew there was no breach of any magic barrier, but rather somewhere a gate had been opened, a portal between the realms, and if that could be foundHe turned his mind back to the Regent Lord, who said, I simply hold him against your good behavior.

  You have my pledge, my lord.

  The Regent Lord looked around once more, breathing deeply, as if to fix the sights, smells, and sounds of the place in his memory as he returned to the struggle.

  Very well. Return with me and change places, Laromendis. You shall be his guarantee.

  Ah began the Conjurer.

  Smiling, the Regent Lord said, When the last of the People are through the translocation portal, then shall I free you to be with your brother. For then no one on Andcardia will be alive. Until then, you are going to use your talents to defend against the Demon Legion.

  Ah, said Laromendis, nodding. No dungeon or cage in the courtyard for him; he would be at the battlements, sending demons back to whatever hell they came from. Very well, my lord. It is as I would wish it, to serve in whatever way you judge right.

  The Regent Lord stepped around a wagon rumbling through the portal, and through the magic curtain. Keeping his features set, the magic-user followed, satisfied that his plan was now under way. He had to make sure he had one minute, no more, with his brother, then he would gladly go and give his life if needed to save the People, but he prayed to an ancient goddess that that wouldnt be necessary. For to save the People, his arts and his brothers, and those of many more, who were considered less than elven by the Regent Lord, those would need to band together to save Midkemia.

  And to do that, changes needed to be instituted, and quickly.

  And that required a little treason.

  He stepped through the portal and vanished.

  CHAPTER 6

  PREMONITION

  Pug cast his spell.

  The assembled students watched in rapt attention as a column of energy rose above the master sorcerer, a column of power speeding upward, unseen. They could sense the energy, though, and some, more attuned to the magic arts than others, almost felt it radiating on their skin. It was a basic skill he was teaching, usually left to those whose time was less valuable than that of ones in the Conclave of Shadows,
but Pug felt the need to be with students from time to time. The lesson was simple: how to feel the presence of magic, to detect it when it was employed nearby. He had been astonished to discover over the years how many magicians and magical clerics couldnt tell a fireball had been cast until the flames singed their hair.

  The young men and women, from many nations and a few alien worlds, were gathered to study under the tutelage of the greatest practitioner of the arcane arts on Midkemia. The lesson today was on perception and reaction to change in magic, and the first step in that was to recognize magic was being deployed. The lesson might seem fundamental to most of the students, but the three people who observed from a short distance away knew better: it was the first step in learning how to react to hostile magic directed at a magic-user by another, and it was that first instant of recognition of changing magic that kept a magician alive.

  Magnus turned to his brother and mother, and said, He seems to be fine.

  Miranda shook her head. Seems is the word. Its another bout of melancholia.

  Nakor? asked Caleb.

  Miranda said, I dont know. Maybe. Its been nearly ten years, and he hides it well when he thinks someone is watching, but those black moods come upon him still.

  Caleb, Pug and Mirandas younger son, said, Marie notices it, too. His wife was a woman of keen perception, and in the ten years since she had come to Sorcerers Isle, she had become something of the mistress of the household, a position Miranda was more than happy to cede to her, as she had her own magical studies to conduct.

  Magnus said, I was there, and no one could have done more than Father did. Nakor chose his fate. Letting his voice drop a little, as if speaking to himself, he added, As much as any of us can choose.

  Mirandas dark eyes showed a mixture of hurt for her husbands pain, and impatience, an expression both sons knew well. A tenderhearted woman at times, at other times she could be as unwilling to wait as any child.

  Nakor? asked Caleb again.

  He misses him, agreed Miranda. More than hed like anyone to know. That bandy-legged little vagabond had a unique mind, and even when I was furious with him he could make me laugh. She paused and turned away, motioning for her sons to follow her down the hill from where her husband conducted his instruction, leading them back toward the main villa. But in the ten years since his death, Nakors name usually comes up once or twice a month. Your father has mentioned him a half-dozen times in the last week. Something is on his mind, something new and troubling.

  Villa Beata, the beautiful home, had grown over the years. The single large square main house still commanded the heart of the vale in which it was nestled, but along the ridge line other buildings had been constructed, providing housing and study space for the students that Pug recruited to Sorcerers Isle. They made their way down a long winding path toward what had once been the rearmost garden on the original property; now it was flanked on the north and south with low, barracks-like student housing.

  Magnus said, If Father is anticipating some new trouble, hes not mentioned it to me or anyone else, as far as I can tell.

  Caleb said, Ive seen or heard nothing to suggest the present tranquility we enjoy is in peril.

  Miranda said, Theres always peril. Just sometimes we dont see it coming.

  Caleb smiled and said nothing. He had been given the responsibility, along with his brother and a pair of younger magicians, for coordinating all the intelligence gathered by the Conclave of Shadows numerous agents, many placed in high office in the major nations on Midkemia. There was political rumbling in the Kingdom of the Isles, but then there always had been, so it wasnt seen as a major concern. Kesh was unusually tranquil, and Roldems nobility continued their history of sitting comfortably on their island, secure in their own sense of superiority.

  Once inside the house, they walked to the familys quarters, occupied only by Pug and Miranda since their sons had grown to manhood. Caleb lived with his wife in a small house close by, which Miranda had built for them when Marie had first come to Sorcerers Isle with her son. Magnus still lived in the heart of the students wing of the large estate, to be on hand should the need arise when his father was absent.

  Sitting in her favorite chair, a large wooden one with upholstered seat and back, Miranda said, Something more than Nakors death has been haunting your father for years. She glanced at both boys, as she thought of her sons; only Caleb looked his age, well into his middle years, while Magnus still looked much as he had in his twenties, despite his snow-white hair and being the elder. Neither son betrayed any hint they knew of what she spoke.

  No one knows your father like I do, said Miranda. Hes a man of deep feelings and convictions, as you both know. She pointed first at Magnus then at Caleb. But what you dont know is something happened to him before you were born, during the war with the Emerald Queens army. He nearly died from the demons magic that took him by surprise. She looked off to the left, into space, for a moment as she remembered. I cant get him to admit anything about that time, as he lay near death and every healer we could find worked frantically to save him, but something in him changed after that.

  Nakors death She stopped and said, He was saddened by it, to be expected, but not Again she paused, as if thinking of exactly how she wanted to say what was on her mind. Its more than just a wistful regret. Your father is as complex a man as Ive known. He sees things, considers options, and makes choices before most men even understand what it is they are seeing.

  His mind works in ways that I cant begin to fathom. Oh, some of the magic she glanced at Magnus, discipline I recognize, but beyond that

  She caught her own breath, realizing she was no closer to sharing her concerns than she had been minutes before. It was Caleb who said, Hes waiting for the other boot.

  Magnus said, What?

  The old expression, waiting for the other boot to drop. Still the older brother didnt seem to understand. Comes from wearing sandals, I guess, said Caleb with a smile. Youre in an inn and someone on the floor above removes a boot before going to bed. You hear the first hit the floor. So you wait until you hear the second before your mind returns to what it was on before.

  Magnus nodded. He does appear distracted from time to time.

  Preoccupied, said his mother. He just hides it well, from everyone but me.

  Father is anticipating something? Magnus said rhetorically. He glanced out the window at the warm afternoon sun and said, Well, as you said, he masks it well.

  Caleb shrugged. Why dont you ask him what he expects?

  You think I havent? She stood up and crossed to stand before her younger son. Looking into his eyes, she said, He is adroit at not telling me what he doesnt want me to know. She smiled ruefully. I just tell him to mind his own affairs and leave me alone. Hes more diplomatic than that. With an aggrieved sound, she added, I hate it when he does that!

  Both sons laughed. Their parents loved one another deeply, as they did their sons, but both Magnus and Caleb knew their parents marriage was occasionally tense. Their mother was a woman of strong will and older than her husbandthough both conceded that when both partners were over a century in age, the difference was mostly academic. Still, they both knew something was bothering their father.

  Pug had assumed a huge amount of responsibility over the years since he returned to Midkemia from his life on the now destroyed world of Kelewan. First he had ended the war between the Tsurani and the Kingdom of the Isles, then he had founded the colony of magicians called Stardock.

  Magnus said, And he has been visiting Stardock more often than usual.

  When Stardock had become rife with politics and intrigue, he had quietly started his school here on Sorcerers Island. The outside world considered the island a place to avoid, and ships from all nations gave it a wide berth; it was an attitude Pug encouraged with deftly planted rumors and occasionally a display of frightening images should a ship venture too closely.

  The truth was that Pug was close to achieving his dream, creating the pl
ace Stardock was originally intended to be, an academy where magicians could come study and practice their arts, exchange information, and leave a wealth of knowledge to be passed on to future generations of magic-users. The mandate he hoped to leave as his personal legacy, Pug was building a haven for those who wished to be free from petty politics, the bigotry of superstition, and where those who learned were inculcated with the desire to serve and benefit their people rather than use their great arts for personal aggrandizement, gain, or dominion over others.

  Miranda said, I count that as another sign hes worried. He rarely bothers to check up over there, unless hes summoned. Hes rarely pleased with the current political situation there.

  He had some good reasons, said Caleb. There was that envoy from the Kingdom who had some nonsense to offerwhat was it?

  As soon as Father learned it involved once again pledging fealty to the Kingdom, he rejected it out of hand, reminded Magnus.

  Miranda nodded. He wouldnt hear the man out. He never told me, but last time I was at Stardock, one of the students took evil delight in telling me the envoy from the Kingdom suddenly found himself in the lake, about a hundred yards off the docks at Landreth.

  Caleb laughed. I assume the poor man could swim, else wed be at war with the Kingdom. Drowning envoys doesnt sit well with kings.

  Magnus said, They would never openly start a war with Stardock. They still fear magic too much, and with that many spellcasters He left the thought unfinished. While a single magic-user could be quickly overcome by intent soldiers, a company of such, determined to ignore casualties, could eventually overwhelm the magician. But hundreds of magicians?

  Miranda said, The Kings men are often stupid, but they are rarely suicidal.

  Pug had learned bitter lessons from the Academy. He had bequeathed daily control of Stardock to those who lived there, at first angering the Kingdom of the Isles, which had considered the island in the middle of the Great Star Lake as one of their minor holdings, though they elevated it to the status of duchy to serve their own political ends.