Siege of Stone

CHAPTER 9

“I am a wizard of Ildakar,” Renn said, puffing himself up as he faced Prelate Verna in the grand foyer of the Cliffwall archive. The stranger’s face was florid, his cheeks a little jowly, but sagging from weeks of hard travel. He swirled maroon robes around him.

Verna remained unruffled as she crossed her arms over her chest and stepped forward to meet the stranger. Despite his bluster, the self-proclaimed wizard flicked his eyes nervously from her to General Zimmer, intimidated by the grandeur of the portico, the columns, the marble floors inside the enormous cliff overhang. She could sense the gift in him, but she also thought that if she challenged him, his bravado would deflate like a wineskin that had sprung a leak.

“And I am the prelate of the Sisters of the Light,” Verna said. “This Cliffwall archive is a priceless library of profound magical lore, available to gifted scholars who come seeking knowledge, with certain restrictions.”

“It is not available to those who demand,” General Zimmer growled. The burly military man had dark hair and a square jaw that showed a shadow of whiskers even though he had scraped his cheeks smooth only a few hours ago.

Renn sputtered, fidgeted, and sniffed. “You must not be aware of the archive’s origin. The lore in Cliffwall belongs to Ildakar.” He struggled not to sound condescending. “We are grateful that you people have been stewards of the knowledge in the interim, but my city was instrumental in creating the archive long ago, before Emperor Sulachan purged all magical records.”

Ten soldiers wearing unfamiliar Ildakaran military uniforms stood behind Renn, glancing uncertainly at the wizard. Their captain said, “Renn, sir, maybe we should not be so—”

The portly wizard waved him to silence.

Hearing the rising voices, Cliffwall scholars ventured into the grand foyer. They wore comfortable wool and linen garments and soft sandals, showing little difference between the diligent archivists and the recall-enhanced memmers.

Verna calmed herself with a common exercise, inhaling and exhaling slowly. “I am aware of Cliffwall’s history, though Ildakar’s name isn’t as prominent in the archives as you might think. My Sisters of the Light are visitors here, too. We’ve come to study the library and to guard the dangerous knowledge from those who might abuse it.”

Other curious Sisters came into the large chamber, including Sisters Eldine and Rhoda and the fresh-faced novice Amber. Verna saw owlish Scholar-Archivist Franklin enter the foyer alongside the lead memmer, Gloria, a plump and determined-looking woman. Franklin wore an uncertain, welcoming smile. “Cliffwall has been hidden for thousands of years, and the camouflage shroud was only recently dispelled. Our knowledge is meant for all who deserve it.”

Verna remained cautious. “The unwise and unschooled use of this powerful lore has already caused several disasters, and so we must be cautious. General Zimmer and his D’Haran soldiers have sworn to protect the archive.” She narrowed her eyes. “If such powerful magic were to fall into the wrong hands, or even untrained hands, another catastrophe might occur.”

Renn huffed. “As a wizard of Ildakar, my rank and abilities exceed those of anyone at Cliffwall. I’ll take over here.”

“No, you will not,” said Franklin. “I am responsible for the material in Cliffwall.” He was normally a quiet, soft-spoken man more comfortable with books than with people, but his ire had been sparked by the wizard’s pompous attitude.

With a huff, Gloria stepped next to the scholar-archivist. “And I represent the memmers, who have imprinted thousands of volumes in our minds. We’ve maintained the information in Cliffwall for millennia, and we will not surrender it.”

Verna restored the edge to her voice as more scholars stood up to the party from Ildakar. “The Sisters of the Light are also gifted. You’ll find us to be powerful enemies, all of us … if you choose to make enemies.” She gestured toward the increasing numbers of scholars gathering there. “Many of us have been studying ancient spells. If it came down to a battle, I’m sure they would love to practice what they’ve learned.”

Renn was flustered, and his florid face turned a brighter red. “But … but, I’m a wizard of Ildakar!” He paused, as if those words should make them tremble. “Sovrena Thora sent me on a mission to find this archive.” He glanced at the group of soldiers who had accompanied him. “And I have to…”

“You have found it.” Verna stood her ground, but didn’t try to provoke him further. “But the books stay where they can be protected.”

Nine more armed D’Haran guards entered the foyer, climbing up from the cliffside after the intruders. Though these were only a fraction of General Zimmer’s force, they already exceeded the Ildakaran guard. Zimmer put his hand to the hilt of his sword, and the other D’Haran soldiers did the same, threatening. The tension in the room escalated.

The leader of the Ildakaran guard escort interrupted calmly as a flustered Renn wrestled for words. “We’ve had a long and arduous journey over the mountains. I am Captain Trevor, leader of the wizard’s escort. Maybe we should learn more about each other before we argue?”

Quiet and introspective Franklin spoke up. “We haven’t even finished cataloging the material yet. We don’t know the books that exist here in the archive, and our entire library of prophecy was destroyed in a, uh, magical mishap, when a student named Elbert activated a Weeping Stone spell he could not control. All those prophecy books…”

Verna muttered with a sigh, “Prophecy books were no longer relevant anyway, just wasted paper.”

Renn looked from side to side, his thoughts spinning. Obviously, his arrival had not turned out the way he had imagined it after his long journey. “I want to see the archive.”

“The books will remain here,” General Zimmer said firmly.

Renn’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “I don’t think Thora would even appreciate all this knowledge. She always mocked me and dear Lani for how we spent our time reading and learning.” The flustered wizard lowered his voice so that Verna barely heard his last words. “Maybe she doesn’t deserve it.” His entire attitude seemed to change. He deflated, as she thought he might.

Verna took a step forward and spoke in a calm voice. “You’ve had a long journey, and tempers and patience are frayed. Let us get to know one another, as Captain Trevor says. We’re just as anxious to learn about Ildakar as you are to know more about Cliffwall.”

Gloria spoke up. “The kitchens are making cauldrons of lentil and sausage soup and fresh baked bread. Perhaps we can continue to talk over lunch?”

Renn’s eyes widened at the mention of food, and Verna could almost see him drool. The escort soldiers also perked up, looking eager.

Zimmer spoke to Captain Trevor and the nine bedraggled Ildakaran soldiers. “We have a military camp in the valley, with provisions and a place for your men to stay. Soldiers always have stories to exchange, so long as they’re not enemies.”

Trevor responded with a smile. “Yes, so long as they’re not enemies, General. For now, let’s proceed on that assumption.” He addressed his men. “We’ll go make camp and relax. The meadows by the stream looked better than any camp we’ve had since leaving Ildakar.”

Renn seemed reluctant to be left alone in Cliffwall, but he forced himself to relax. “The lentil soup does sound very good indeed.” The pretentious wizard had begun the conversation with escalating demands, but he seemed out of his depth. Verna could tell from the lines in Renn’s face and the barely concealed rips in his maroon robes that he must have had a difficult trek overland.

As General Zimmer led Trevor and the soldiers back down the steep cliffside path to the military camp, the prelate asked the visiting wizard, “How did you even know to look for Cliffwall? We didn’t realize word had spread to the far points of the Old World.”

Renn said, “We had recent visitors, strangers from far away, and a young swordsman named Bannon blurted out the location of Cliffwall. He was traveling with a powerless wizard named Nathan Rahl and a blond sorceress named Nicci.”

Verna caught her breath. “You’ve seen Nathan and Nicci?”

“Yes, do you know them? They are in Ildakar, working with the wizards’ duma.”

Curious, Verna led him deeper into the archive. “In that case, we have much to talk about.”

As large bowls of steaming lentil soup were ladled out and shared around the table, intent scholars clustered around Wizard Renn, full of questions. Verna looked at Rhoda, Eldine, Amber, and her companion Sisters, all of whom listened eagerly.

She had known that Nicci and Nathan were traveling the Old World, since they had sent back records of their adventures by courier. In one such message, delivered by a pair of young scholars from Cliffwall, Nicci had called for soldiers and gifted scholars to help defend the ancient archive of dangerous knowledge. The people at Cliffwall had countless volumes of powerful magic but almost no instruction in how to use it.

After reading Nicci’s request, Verna had joined General Zimmer and more than a hundred D’Haran soldiers on a journey south. Much of the Old World was an unmarked map, a landscape of mysteries, undiscovered cities, and peoples. Even though the ancient wizard wars were over, the Imperial Order defeated, and Sulachan and his undead army crushed by Lord Rahl, there were still many risks in the unruly continent.

On their search for Cliffwall, Verna and her companions had come upon the coastal town of Renda Bay, which had been plagued by ferocious raiders that ransacked and burned villages. General Zimmer had left part of his expeditionary force there with instructions for Amber’s brother Captain Norcross to help Renda Bay drive off the Norukai slavers if they should return.

It was just one step in building the defenses of the Old World as part of the expanding D’Haran Empire. Complete security would take a long time, Verna knew, but as the Cliffwall scholars often quoted, “A book is read one page at a time, a shelf is read one book at a time, a library is read one shelf at a time.” Verna hoped Norcross and the people of Renda Bay would be safe and secure, but she did know that three large sailing ships had remained anchored there as a defense.

Cliffwall had suffered terrible tragedies when their naive scholars dabbled with magical lore, accidentally unleashing destruction when they didn’t know what they were doing. Verna could only imagine how much worse it would be if a tyrant like Emperor Jagang were to get his hands on such lore and actively use it as a weapon.

As soon as they had arrived at the Cliffwall canyon, the D’Haran soldiers studied its defenses. The archive had been built inside an alcove high up on a sheer cliff, which made the place relatively secure, but Zimmer planned even more rigorous defenses, barricades and battlements. Even though the entrance to the enclosed canyon was difficult to find, Zimmer wanted to increase guards. Such prominent defenses had caused consternation among the scholars, but they had already seen the devastation of the Lifedrinker and the monstrous uncontrolled sorceress Victoria.

Now Renn scooped soup into his mouth, ravenous. “I’m used to feasts in Ildakar. Roast yaxen, fine desserts, candied fruits.” He slurped another mouthful and wiped his lips with soft, warm bread. “This would be considered food for the lower classes, even for slaves. I never knew it could be so delicious!”

“We eat what the valley provides,” Gloria said. “We’ve had to be self-sufficient for a long time. Cliffwall has little contact with the outside world.”

Franklin added, “Here in the canyon we have orchards, crops, flocks of sheep. Notice the minced lamb in your soup?”

“Delicious,” Renn repeated. He seemed satisfied now, and his arrogance was gone. With a sigh, he looked around the table. “I’d like to stay here for a while—on behalf of Ildakar, of course.”

“Why exactly does Ildakar need all this magical knowledge?” Verna asked. “In ancient times, wizards hid the books here so Sulachan couldn’t destroy them. We don’t want to create another ruthless tyrant.”

“Oh, the wizards of Ildakar would never become tyrants! They would never misuse…” He paused. “Well, Sovrena Thora did send me here because she wanted to control the power. And Wizard Commander Maxim has already unleashed some dramatic spells to protect our city.” He scratched his cheek. “By the Keeper’s beard, I’m actually not certain why they’d want all this knowledge.” He lowered his voice. “I’m not convinced they should have it.”

He chewed on a roll, silent for a moment, then continued, “Maybe they didn’t care. It is possible they never believed I would find Cliffwall at all. I had only sketchy directions, very few supplies. Captain Trevor and his men had never led a long expedition, nor were they trained in wilderness survival. They were just city guards.… We had a difficult time and lost three of our men on the way. It was only through luck that we even found Cliffwall, and just in time.”

His expression darkened, and he seemed preoccupied. “Sovrena Thora sent me into that mess. I wonder if she was trying to get rid of me. Thora never forgave me after Lani challenged her rule.” He scratched his neck, patted his potbelly. “I was younger then. Some might even have called me handsome, but after Thora turned Lani to stone, I just didn’t…”

Renn shook his head. “I am still a loyal citizen of Ildakar, but the city is not the sovrena. After all those centuries under the shroud of eternity, Thora herself might have become stunted, like a tree trying to grow inside a glass bottle.” He reached across the table to grab the large serving bowl and ladled more lentil soup for himself. “Yes, I’ve decided to stay here and learn more. Maybe the Cliffwall archives should remain exactly where they are.”

Verna nodded, somewhat relieved. Beside her, always attentive, Amber listened to everything but held her questions back. The prelate said, “Cliffwall has a lot of information, and so do you, Wizard Renn. We want to hear all about Ildakar, and any news you can tell us of Nicci and Nathan.”