Trillium - Sky Trillium Part 20

But even though they both tried to bespeak Anigel, she took no notice of them, but continued her stuporous sleep, unable to respond to the magical summons. Kadiya then asked the talismans if her sister and the others were safe from danger.

No.

"Can you tell us how we may aid them?"

No.

"Where are they going?"

To Brandoba.

"Good G.o.d!" Kadiya exclaimed. "Can it be true?"

The question is impertinent.

She laughed. "Yes, of course it is... Tell us if the Star Men plan some villainy during the festival in Brandoba."

The question is impertinent.

"Tell us where Orogastus is."

The question is impertinent.

Kadiya and Tolivar opened their eyes and exchanged rueful glances. "I think our talismans will say nothing of the foul sorcerer and his minions because the Star protects them," she said. "But when your mother awakes we can try again to bespeak her, and mayhap succeed." Their hands separated and the occult radiance was extinguished.

"Lady," Sir Edinar said, "how did our dear Queen and her companions seem? Are they truly uninjured?"

Kadiya described the vision to the others. As she spoke of the frowsy leader of the riders, Critch broke in: "This ragged redheaded man you saw may be Archduke Gyorgibo, the Emperor's younger brother. He disappeared many moons ago while hunting in the Forest of Lirda."

"Where is the place?" Kadiya asked.

The Cadoon pointed toward the mountainous skyline across the bay. "It is an imperial preserve, the haunt of fierce beasts and carnivorous birds such as the terrible nyar, and lies deep in the eastern highlands on the other side of Brandoba. It has long been forbidden to human commoners and to all Folk. Only the Sobra-nian n.o.bility hunt there-and not even many of them, for within the past two years the Lirda has become notorious as a haunt of sorcerers. When the Archduke disappeared, all but one of his party were found slain. The surviving huntsman was mortally wounded, but before he died he said that Star Men led by the outlaw Archd.u.c.h.ess Naelore had seized Gyorgibo. Since then, no one has dared to enter the preserve except the renegade lords who support Naelore's claim to the throne. If your Queen travels through the Forest of Lirda, she may be in great peril."

"The riders with my mother did not seem to be fearful or in flight for their lives," Prince Tolivar said. "Indeed, they seemed only exceedingly weary, and their mounts near worn out."

Kadiya shook her head slowly. "I can think of no way we might help them. But there is another person we must bespeak now: King Antar. You must help me again, Tola, since I have never been able to bespeak ordinary humans, as your Aunt Haramis can."

They called out, and behind their closed eyes appeared a clear vision of Antar roused suddenly out of sleep in his chambers at Ruwenda Citadel. The King was astounded that Kadiya had her stolen Burning Eye back and that it was once more in working order.

Kadiya brushed all this aside. "Dear brother-in-law, I have some encouraging news." And she went on to tell the King what the talismans had revealed about Anigel.

Antar's joy was only slightly dampened when he learned what had befallen Haramis. "Perhaps," he said, "the White Lady has gone to the Three Moons in order to enlist the help of the Sky Archimage. Perhaps he knows a way to destroy that wretched Orogastus once and for all."

"I suppose it is possible. After all, Denby did help us before... But now I must tell you that there are rumors of impending trouble in the Sobranian capital. Orogastus and his Star Men may be on the verge of making their move."

"Is there anything I can do?" Antar said. "I feel helpless, being so far away."

Kadiya thought hard for a moment. "I think you should have a Nyssomu friend summon numbers of the Vispi to you, using the speech without words."

"Immu can do it. We rescued her from the swamp."

"Excellent. If we do manage to rescue Ani and the other kidnapped rulers and take ship out of Sobrania, the Vispi Folk can fly on their lammergeiers and spread the tidings to the other governments." She paused. "If we fail, or if Orogastus mounts a successful coup and topples Denombo from his throne, that information must also be transmitted."

"No matter what happens," the King said, "all of the Peninsular nations will have to make immediate preparations for war.

There is no time to waste holding conferences, as Haramis hoped to do."

"I fear you are right."

"Most of the court turned back with me to the Citadel because of the severed road," Antar said. "But General Gorkain and Marshal Lakanilo pressed on to Derorguila with a small band of stalwarts, and they will rally our lowland subjects while I raise a smaller army here to defend the Mazy Mire. Even so, there will be little we can do to counter sorcery without the a.s.sistance of the White Lady. We must pray for her swift return-and hope that you are wrong about Orogastus going to war."

"If he conquers Sobrania, he will certainly use the great fleet of imperial galleys to invade the eastern nations. I intend to do my utmost to forewarn Emperor Denombo, and give him what help I can with my talisman once Ani and the other hostage rulers are out of danger."

"May the Lords of the Air a.s.sist you," Antar said.

They discussed strategic matters for a few more minutes, and then said farewell. Kadiya and the Prince opened their eyes.

"You did not tell Father that I had the magical coronet," Tolivar said in a low voice.

"No. Let him learn of your foolishness after you have freely returned the talisman to your mother. It will mitigate his sorrow and anger." She then bade Tolivar join hands with her a final time. "We will now try to inform the Sobranian Emperor of his peril."

They commanded their talismans, and a vision of the ruler came to them. Denombo was sound asleep, alone in his sumptuous chamber except for a pet snithe curled up on a rug at the foot of his bed. His dearly beloved wife Rekae had died six years earlier, together with the stillborn baby boy who would have been the imperial heir. In spite of the urgent pleas of his counselors and the subkings of the loosely knit barbarian empire, Denombo had not remarried.

Kadiya bespoke him softly: "Emperor! Emperor of Sobrania, awake."

The sleeper stirred beneath a great mound of down quilts. He was wearing a gold embroidered nightcap and his face was half-buried in the bed linen. When Kadiya called him again, a single bleary eye opened slowly.

"Who is there?" Denombo mumbled, through unkempt brick-red whiskers.

"I am Kadiya of the Mazy Mire, sister to Queen Anigel of Laboruwenda. I speak to you by magical means."

The Emperor sat bolt upright, instantly awake, and his gaze swept the room. No one was there.

"Avaunt, dream-demon!" he croaked. The startled snithe, spine-scales erect with anxiety, got up and trotted to the side of its master, uttering muted howls.

Kadiya tried to rea.s.sure the ruler. "I am no demon, Emperor, but your friend, come to give you an important message. Do not be afraid."

Denombo's eyes bulged and his face turned purple with anger. "Sobranians are afraid of nothing! Show yourself, d.a.m.n you!"

But Kadiya, although slightly more expert in the use of her talisman than Prince Tolivar, had never been able to Send an image, nor could she do it now with the two talismans working together. When she tried to explain this to the Emperor, the barbarian whisked a large dagger from beneath the pillows, flung back the bedclothes, and bounded onto the floor with the weapon ready.

"I know who you are!" he bellowed. "You are an evil wizard- one of those d.a.m.ned Star-bearing lackeys of my traitorous sister! Guards! To me! Guards!"

"Emperor, the sorcerer Orogastus may be planning to attack you! Listen to me-"

But Denombo only continued shouting. The door of the bedchamber banged open and a dozen warriors armed with swords and battle-axes charged inside. A great altercation broke out, with the Emperor giving incoherent orders to his men (for he was actually terrified by the disembodied voice), and the warriors yelling and stomping about, overturning chests and chairs and tables, slicing up the wall hangings in search of lurking villains, and even skewering the pillows and heaped-up quilts of the imperial bed in case Star Men were hiding among them.

The Lady of the Eyes sighed and said: "Talismans, enough..."

The tumultuous scene vanished.

She let go of Tolivar's hand and thrust the Burning Eye back into her belt. "It's no use. The Emperor is too frightened of the Star Men to pay heed to any message that smacks of magic. I shall have to deliver the warning in person." She turned to Critch. "My friend, are you satisfied now that we mean you no harm? Will you carry us to the Sobranian capital in your boat? Of course we will pay you well."

"I will take you to Brandoba without payment," the Cadoon said, "now that I am certain you are an enemy of the Star Men. But there is something in my hut that you might gladly buy- trade goods that I held back from market this season because of the disquieting rumors."

Sir Edinar gave a scornful guffaw. "Feathers? Hah! Surely you are joking! What use would they be to us?"

"My home is in a cove not far from here," Critch said. "Come and look at what I have for sale, and then we will see who laughs."

Chapter Twenty-One.

DAWN had come to the Forest of Lirda. Having finished his light repast in the imperial suite of the great hunting lodge, Orogastus strode to the windowed door leading onto the balcony, flung it open, and went outside. The lodge was perched at the edge of a dramatic bluff, and in the canyon below were rapids where the oddly chalk-colored waters of the River Dob raged and rumbled over enormous boulders.

The morning chill struck through the padded linen under-garmets the sorcerer wore in preparation for donning his armor, but he paid it no heed, moving around a corner so that he was able to look down on an open section of the lodge grounds, bordered by enormous trees. There his small army had encamped for the night. The warriors moved slowly in the morning mist, dismantling their tents and packing their gear with sloppy carelessness, coughing and spitting and grumbling and snarling at the sergeants who tried to hurry them along. The quartermaster, Star Captain Praxinus of Tuzamen, was shouting furiously at the fro-nial wranglers over some botch-up concerning the supply wagons. There were going to be delays before the force moved on to the final staging area for the invasion of Brandoba.

Not for the first time, Orogastus rolled his eyes heavenward and asked the spirit of Nerenyi Daral why she had sent him to Sobrania, of all places, to reinst.i.tute the Guild's great work. The people were intelligent enough, but they were also stubborn and willful and p.r.o.ne to dispute the simplest commands. And if these, his own elite fighters, were so lacking in discipline, then how could he hope to keep control of the larger partisan force being mobilized in the capital by the secret followers of the Archd.u.c.h.ess Naelore? Once that gang of bravos got their hands on weapons of the Vanished Ones, they might go berserk in the heat of battle. Even the power of the Star might not suffice to restrain thousands of rampaging barbarians who had suddenly discovered the lethal potential of high technology. It was vital that he secure a talisman in order to insure that the a.s.sault on Denombo adhered to his own meticulously drawn plan.

It was time to exert the ultimate pressure upon the boy.

Orogastus left the balcony, returning to the pseudo-rustic imperial sitting room with its carved rafters, polished log walls, gem-bedizened candle sconces, and feather rugs. He sat down again at the table where he had earlier eaten a frugal meal of ferol porridge and fruit, and spent some time gathering his thoughts. Then he took hold of his Star medallion and observed Prince Tolivar at some length.

It was not yet a propitious time to bespeak him, but the time would soon come. Orogastus turned to the more difficult task of communicating with Haramis. Unlike Tola, whose ambivalent feelings left a c.h.i.n.k in his talismanic barricade, both the White Lady and her sister Kadiya were fully shielded from both his oversight and mental speech; but there was a long chance that Haramis's love might render her receptive to his Call.

He took up his Star again.

My love! I know that you can hear me if you want to. Answer! It is your last chance to avert war. Say you will come to me. Together we can restore the lost balance of the world and prevent its destruction. Answer me, I beg of you!

But he heard nothing, save the distant roaring of a nyar or some other forest predator, and the squeals of the army's fronials as they submitted unwillingly to saddling. Haramis was aloof and silent, as she had also been yesterday, when he had called out to her before leaving Castle Conflagrant.

Haramis! You must believe that I underwent a change of heart during my sojourn on the Dark Man's Moon. My ambition is no longer to rule the world, but to save it! I will accomplish this by force only if the restoration can be done no other way... You can compel your sister Kadiya and your nephew Tolivarto give you their talismans. You and I will then a.s.semble the Threefold Sceptre, and together we will use it to heal the wounded land and banish the Conquering Ice forever. Haramis! Speak to me!

He had risen from his seat and approached the windows above the encampment. Whips were cracking and wagoners shouting to their teams. The slow-moving supply train and its mounted escort would depart first and the main body of warriors would follow shortly. He and his Guildsmen would leave the lodge last of all after holding a brief council of war.

Haramis... I will even agree to let you yourself wield the Threefold Sceptre against the planetary imbalance. Only come to me, beloved! Let me tell you what I learned from Denby's archives of the Vanished Ones- dire intelligence that the Dark Man seems indifferent to.

He paused, his brow furrowing with anger as he recalled the old man's apathetic reaction to his discoveries, his senile laughter and the contemptuous way he had dismissed the fate of the world, saying: "Let it be, lad. No sense in messing about, trying to interfere with the direction that the cosmos wheels. You might manage to deflect the inevitable for a little while, but in the long run things will happen as they were supposed to happen..."

If Denby does know that disaster impends, he refuses in his madness to do anything about it. Speak to me, my love! Say you will come and I will turn my army back at once and withdraw to the castle. Otherwise this war must commence according to my plan, and I will have no way of halting it. My dearest Haramis, answer!

His eyes closed, he saw her in yearning memory, tried with all his soul to project his love, his willingness to turn aside from violence if she would only join with him. But there was no reply. His shoulders sagged and his ringers, which had clamped painfully around the Star, relaxed. He opened his eyes, and within the dark pupils glowed two cold points of light.

Very well. Let it be as the Dark Powers of the Star Guild command.

As if in reply, he felt the lodge tremble slightly. It was only one of the harmless small earthquakes that were commonplace in the region, called by the locals the Sighs of Matuta and alleged to signify the forbearance of the G.o.ddess before the manifest sins of mankind. When Orogastus first came to Sobrania the tremors had alarmed him; but Naelore declared that never in the history of the nation had the earth movements caused any damage, nor had the great mountain range above Brandoba ever shown signs of noteworthy seismic or volcanic activity.

The sorcerer touched his Star. "Dark Powers-are these underground disturbances a symptom of the greater imbalance of the world? Do they portend the disaster to come?"

He closed his eyes and stood utterly still, letting all thought drain from his mind so that it might be more receptive to a response. But the Powers had never bespoken him directly through his Star, nor did they give a clear answer now. A second tremor, so minuscule that he would never have noticed it under ordinary circ.u.mstances, caused the lodge floor to vibrate beneath his feet.

It might have been only a coincidence, or perhaps the Dark Powers had replied as best they could. He sighed, knowing that the whole truth would not be known until he asked the question of the Three-Headed Monster. Then he put on all of his armor save the glittering helmet with its halo of pointed rays, which he carried under one arm, and went downstairs to confer with the other sorcerers.

There were thirty fully adept members of the Star Guild, but two had been left at the castle to supervise the royal hostages, and Praxinus had his hands full coping with the balky army. The others were gathered in the main lounge of the hunting lodge, a chamber with a monstrous fireplace (now harboring only a meager fire), and grotesque furniture fashioned from bones of the imperial hunters' quarry. The walls were crowded with dusty trophy heads of animals and formidable birds, together with cracked leathern shields and displays of primitive weaponry.

Gathering the Guildsmen in an informal group before the hearth, Orogastus reviewed with each one his upcoming role in the a.s.sault, speaking last of all to the Archd.u.c.h.ess Naelore.

"The ship bearing the magical armament will reach Brandoba late tomorrow," he said. "Can we be certain that no busybody port official will board it?"

The Star Woman uttered a cynical laugh. "The wharfingers and excise agents will all have gone home to prepare for the Festival of the Birds, abandoning their duty. Even though the festivities do not properly commence until the fireworks display at midnight, the entire city begins roistering as soon as the sun sets. Have no fear, Master. My faithful friend Dasinzin will unload our cargo without hindrance."

"The only thing I fear," he said coldly, "is that incompetence among your loyalists might cost us the element of surprise."

She was immediately contrite. "Forgive me if I spoke disrespectfully. All will go well-I swear it! The lords who support my bid to overthrow the usurper are a rough and ready lot, but they are not stupid. They realize fully that their only chance to seat me upon the throne depends on your magic. They would die for me, but they would prefer to live and regain their lost power."

"And our disguises? My Star has as yet shown no sign of your people transporting anything to the staging point in the forest."

"The carts will slip out of the city in late afternoon tomorrow, as revelers begin to converge from the surrounding countryside in antic.i.p.ation of the celebration. We will have the costumes in plenty of time-entirely black, as you commanded. And the loyalist forces will wear scarlet, so that we may readily identify them."

The sorcerer nodded his approval. When there were no more questions, he said to the a.s.sembled Guildsmen, "All that remains is for me to bespeak our fellows at Castle Conflagrant, notifying them that all is well. You may prepare now for departure."

The sorcerers dispersed except for Naelore, who stood quietly by as Orogastus used his Star to call to the two young Star Men who had remained behind to guard the hostages. Unaccountably, communication with them proved to be impossible. The sorcerer then used his magic to oversee and overhear the ordinary persons within the castle, and almost at once he discovered the escape of the prisoners and the grisly fate of their pursuers.

"Dark Powers have mercy!" he whispered, stricken with horror.

Naelore approached. "Master, what is it?"

"There has been an appalling disaster!" Speaking in an undertone, he told her what had happened. "This means that we shall have to postpone-or even abandon-our campaign."

"Surely not! You had intended to use the hostage rulers only after the conquest of Sobrania. We can easily recapture them in time."

"But I had also counted upon Queen Anigel being a key bargaining piece in regaining the Three-Headed Monster from Prince Tolivar. Without his talisman, my overall strategy may collapse."

The Archd.u.c.h.ess would have spoken again, but he motioned for her to desist and took up his Star again to search for the escapees. "There they are," he muttered, "traveling along the trail not far from the Great Viaduct. I cannot see Anigel, but she must be there, shielded by her trillium-amber." He cursed under his breath. "They are at least six hours' ride from the lodge! If I send a troop of Guildsmen to recapture them, the army will be deprived of vital leadership during the invasion... but I could never entrust ordinary warriors with the task. Their loyalty to the Star is shaky at best, and the hostage rulers would doubtless offer irresistible bribes." He drove one silver-gloved fist into the other in helpless rage. "There is no alternative. We shall have to call off the invasion until the escapees are retaken. It means a delay of at least a day, and losing the advantage of striking during the Imperial Handsel, when the Emperor is most vulnerable." He caught up his helmet and started after the Star Men who had already left the lodge.

"Master, wait!" Naelore called out in a low, excited voice. "I have an idea how we might salvage the situation."

"What?" He spun about.