The God-Stone War

Chapter 20

I was numb with shock as I stared at the blue light. Not blue, I thought to myself, it should be red. I can’t fight without magic! Panic overwhelmed me for a moment, as all my well made plans crumbled around me, falling apart like a house of cards. Everything had hinged upon my magic, without it I couldn’t face the gods, without it I couldn’t use the enchantments that I had prepared.

Black despair devoured my courage as I realized that everything I had worked for was about to be destroyed. Everything I had ever done would be wiped out. After they kill me, they’ll undo everything I’ve ever done. It was all for naught… The urge to vomit sent me to my knees. “They shouldn’t be here yet,” I said quietly.

Looking up I realized that every eye in the room was upon me. I was their hope, and most of them had no idea that something was seriously wrong with me yet. Run! I wanted to scream at them. There is no hope. Once they discovered that my magic was gone, they would surely panic anyway.

A small voice cut through the madness in my head, “Dad? What’s happening?” Matthew’s small hand was on my arm, and then I saw his blue eyes, looking to me for reassurance.

I spit, trying to clear my mouth and stop my urge to retch. “I’m a little sick. I think I ate something bad, but I’ll be alright.” I’ve been poisoned, came the thought as I said that. “The blue light means that we are under attack, and that the castle defenses have been activated.” Taking a deep breath, I stood and stroked his hair. The gesture was to calm myself as much as it was for him.

Dorian’s gaze bored into me. “Your orders, my lord?” We had stood together through worse before this.

“This should be a red condition,” I told him without explaining.

His eyes widened slightly, “It’s too late for that, the plan is too different. Yellow is the best we can manage if people are already heading for the blue meeting points.”

He was right of course; it was a flaw in my plans that there was no easy way to switch from blue or yellow to red. It was also something I should have realized before now. “Give the men orders for yellow then. I’ll find Walter and have him change the color immediately.”

My friend nodded and turned to his fellow knights, “You heard our Lord! Pass the word and get to your stations. Encourage everyone to pick up their pace! We need everyone to head for the teleportation circles in the courtyard immediately.”

Penny stood next to me now, with a hand on my arm to steady me. “What’s wrong with you, Mort?” she said quietly.

I wanted to lie to her. I needed to lie. If I didn’t she might not leave me to do what must be done, but as I looked into her brown eyes I felt my will falter. “I think I’ve been poisoned.”

“Then you’ll come with me,” she answered immediately. “You can’t fight like that.” Her part in every one of the plans was to take our children and retreat to our hidden mountain cottage.

“No,” I said firmly. “There are things that must be done.”

“You said your magesight was gone. What of your magic?” she asked pointedly.

I already knew the answer to that question. Whatever else the poison might have done to me, it had completely snuffed out my power. “I will have to find Walter and instruct him on what to do.”

Penelope’s cheek twitched as she clenched her jaw. We both knew I was likely condemning myself, and Walter as well, to death. In years gone by, she would never have cooperated with such a plan, and her eyes showed me clearly how she felt about it, but she was a mother now. Instead of arguing she kissed me quickly before whispering, “You’re a good father and a stupid husband. I love you.”

“I love you too,” I managed to reply before she turned away. Tears were starting in her eyes.

Penny began issuing orders immediately, “Rose, you will accompany me. Is Gram in the nursery? We have to stop there first anyway, to collect Irene.”

Before Rose could respond, I spotted Elaine and her brother George heading for the door. “Elaine!” I said loudly, to get her attention.

She stopped and walked toward us instead. Elaine had been avoiding me since our ‘conversation’, and something in her step now told me that she’d rather not have to deal directly with me, even now. “Yes, my lord?” she asked.

“Where were you going?”

“To the building in the yard, to begin transporting people to Albamarl, that is my assigned task if the blue beacons are lit,” she replied calmly, though she had an edge about her.

“I’m changing it to yellow once I reach the central chamber,” I informed her, “for now I want you to escort Rose and Penny.” I put a hand on George’s shoulder, “I want you to handle the teleportation circles. Go now.”

Walter’s only son straightened a bit, and with a mute nod left. His sister seemed confused, however. “You don’t trust me to handle my task?” asked Elaine.

“No, it’s because I trust you that I’m sending you with my family. They will likely need a wizard with them in the days to come, and I won’t be there,” I told her.

Her gaze went to the floor, “You should send my father instead.”

“He’ll be staying with me, and you’ll likely curse me for it later. I’ve chosen you for this, Elaine.” I commanded, and without looking back I began walking. I needed to get to Walter, and I didn’t have much time. Without my magesight, I couldn’t be sure, but at a guess their eyes were on my back. The urge to look back, to see Penny and the children one last time, was almost overpowering, but I knew that if I did so, I wouldn’t be able to continue.

My eyes were burning, and my steps were a bit unsteady, but I made it out of the room without stumbling. The anger helped. People were everywhere in the halls, rushing back and forth, gathering their children and essential items, but they gave way before me, so I had little trouble reaching the entrance to the keystone room.

The wall was unmarked, and few even knew it was there, since I had had it hidden with masonry and enchantment. Even if I had had my magesight I couldn’t have found it; the runes hid it from even magical sight. I hope the door still opens for me, I thought to myself. It didn’t require magic, but I worried that without my magic, it might no longer recognize me. Placing my hand in the proper spot, I was relieved when the door opened silently before me.

Walter looked up in relief as I entered, “I put up the barrier as soon as I sensed him.”

I tried to project a calm I didn’t feel. “Where did they appear, and which one is it?” I asked.

“I’m not sure,” Walter replied, “I haven’t actually sensed one of them. One of Master Grayson’s foresters spotted a large group of foreign men moving through the woods a few miles off.”

A sense of relief flooded through me, if it wasn’t one of the gods we would be fine, assuming I could survive whatever had poisoned me. A question leaped to the forefront of my mind, “Wait… why did you light the blue beacon then?” An attack by a mundane army wouldn’t be enough to justify evacuating the entire town.

“Our scout was undetected as far as he knows, and he spotted them several miles off, but by the time he reached the town gates, he realized that they were close behind him,” Walter explained. “He barely had time to signal the guard to close the gate before they reached it. He said they were moving impossibly fast.”

“What does that mean?”

“They were running as fast as horses,” said Walter, “…even though they wore armor. When they reached the gates, they began pounding upon them with the heavy iron maces that they were armed with.”

His description suggested that they were supernaturally enhanced, much like the Knights of Stone, but there were no such troops that I knew of. “What happened then?”

“By the time the runner alerted me, they had nearly demolished the town gate and some had scaled the wall itself,” replied Walter. “The guards managed to knock several off the walls with poles, but one reached the top and got inside. He killed over twenty guardsmen, and nearly managed to open the gate itself, before Master Grayson brought him down with a lucky shot through the eye.”

Luck has little to do with that man’s aim, I noted silently. “How did they scale the walls so quickly? Did they have hooks?”

“I am told they simply drove steel spikes into the walls and pulled themselves upward, withdrawing the spikes as they went and driving them in higher up.”

“Using hammers, that would take too long, they should have been full of arrows by then,” I observed.

“They didn’t use hammers. They were driving the spikes in bare-handed and pulling them out the same way. A rough count indicates that nearly two hundred of these men are outside the walls now. Should I have used the blue beacon, or simply put up the barrier enchantment?” asked Walter uncertainly.

“Two hundred!?” I said incredulously. There were only twenty Knights of Stone, and I was the only man capable of creating such bonds. The gods had to be involved, of that I could be certain. “You chose rightly,” I reassured Walter. “I’m assuming the barrier enchantment put an end to their attempts to enter.” As I spoke, I leaned against the wall and slid carefully down to the floor. There were no chairs in the room, and I was still feeling very unstable.

“Yes,” he said, nodding. “When it went up, those still climbing were flung from the wall itself. Those battering at the gates haven’t been able to do any more damage at all. Are you alright? You don’t look well.”

“As a matter of fact I don’t think I am,” I said honestly, “I think I may have been poisoned.” To further emphasize my point, I leaned over and emptied my stomach onto the floor. I’ve never been very good at vomiting, and frankly, it wasn’t the sort of thing I really hoped to acquire skill at. They always tell you, you’ll feel better afterward, but in my experience that was generally untrue. Once my belly was empty, the retching simply became more painful.

Walter went pale and covered his own mouth with his hand. Evidently he wasn’t the sort of fellow with a strong stomach for such things. He managed to keep from joining me, though. After a few minutes I had regained control of myself, and I moved away from the mess I had made. Idly I wished that Walter was good enough at healing to block my nausea. That had been a useful trick I had learned during Penny’s pregnancies, but it required a certain degree of sensitivity and a lot of confidence to accomplish. Though I trusted Walter with my life, I didn’t trust him enough as a healer to ask him to muck around with my brain like that.

“It looks worse than it is,” I told him eventually, as I tried to regain my dignity.

“And it smells worse than it looks,” he answered acerbically. Walter occasionally showed signs of dry wit.

“Thanks for your sympathy,” I responded, with a crooked smile.

“Don’t we have a healer who can help?”

I shook my head negatively. “No, just you and me, and I’m afraid I won’t be doing any healing for a while.”

“I know nothing about treating poisons,” said the older wizard.

“Neither do I, and the only person that I know of who does, is in Lancaster,” I told him.

“Who?”

“Lady Thornbear… don’t you remember how she kept you drugged until I could question you?” I reminded him. Many years before, Walter had been forced to aid in the kidnapping of my wife. He had been captured and Dorian’s mother had kept him drugged and insensible for days, before I was able to talk to him.

He shuddered at the memory, “I was sick for days after that. I think I’d rather die than take any remedy she offered.”

“Heh…,” I uttered, giving a half-hearted chuckle, “I can’t say I blame you. I’d probably feel the same if I’d been in your position.”

“You should let me take you to Lancaster. Perhaps there’s something she can do for you,” he suggested before adding, “How serious do you think this poison is?”

“I thought it was bad, but now that a few minutes have passed, my symptoms seem to be improving,” I replied.

“Why would anyone bother poisoning you with something non-fatal? Your enemies aren’t known for their mercy,” Walter argued. A moment later he clarified, “Not that I’m hoping it’s a fatal poison, you understand.”

I waved my hand to indicate that I wasn’t upset. Just moments before I had been convinced of the same thing, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the poison’s purpose had probably just been to render me unable to fight, and if that were the case, then it probably wasn’t something lethal that I had been given. Ultimately the goal would still be to kill me, but my death would probably come as a result of the assault on the castle, rather than because of whatever had been put in my drink or food.

I explained my reasoning to Walter, as well as describing the primary effect the poison was having, namely the complete suppression of my magical abilities. As I spoke his face grew pale, and rather than finding reassurance, my friend seemed to be becoming more anxious. Finally I stopped talking and just stared at him. “What?” I asked.

“It’s magebane,” he replied simply, as if that one word was enough.

“You’ll have to explain. I’m afraid I’ve not heard the term before,” I told him, but even as I said it, the word tickled the back of my mind, stirring one of my ‘other’ memories, a memory of a classroom from a time well over a thousand years past. In my mind’s eye I saw a thin, balding man pacing in front of his students while discussing what had seemed at the time to be an interesting, but useless bit of trivia. The plant we call ‘magebane’ today, was originally called ‘glintel’s flower’, and supposedly was one of the few things known to be highly poisonous to the She’Har. It was renamed later when it was discovered that, while it had been thought to be harmless to humans, it is in fact deadly when given to those with any degree of magical ability.

“I know only what my father taught me,” said Walter, “According to him, it was a deadly poison manufactured to kill wizards. It was used by some assassins not long after the Sundering. Though it can’t be proven, it was thought that the secret of making it was held by one of the four churches.”

“Did he happen to tell you how it might be countered?” I asked without much hope.

“No. He said no one knew what the poison was made from, and neither did they know of an antidote. It completely suppresses magical ability in the short term, and most victims die a painful death a few days later,” Walter’s voice was apologetic as he finished.

“This is still better than I expected,” I told him with a wan smile.

“What?”

I laughed sardonically. “When I came in here, I was expecting you to tell me that we were under attack by one of the gods, in person. Without my power, I figured the two of us would die trying to tr…,” I paused as I realized I had been about to give away one of my closest secrets. “…trying to keep them from getting the stone,” I amended.

“How would you fight them without your magic?” asked the other wizard.

“The barrier enchantment still works, though my own strength is gone,” I told him by way of example. “I’ve spent years preparing for this. I have other surprises waiting, though I’ll still need your help, since I can no longer sense magic.”

“So you planned on volunteering me to assist you in your last stand?”

“It was either you or one of your children,” I said with a shrug.

Walter flinched at the thought, “Point taken.”

“I’m a father too. I figured you’d agree with my reasoning.”

“I still don’t see how this is better than what you expected,” he replied.

“If it’s just high-powered warriors assaulting us, we can win easily, which means you don’t have to die as well,” I explained.

“Better still, I’ll take you to Lancaster. If there’s any chance that Lady Thornbear can help, then you should take it. I can return and help the knights repel these invaders,” Walter suggested.

As he spoke, I couldn’t help but remember the man I had first met, a man so gentle and unused to violence, that he cried when he thought he had killed one of his enemies… a man afraid to face the shiggreth with me. Then I remembered the stories of what had happened when he went to rescue his wife and children, only to be told that they had been killed. He didn’t find out until almost a day later that his family was still whole, but that was too late for the men that had held them prisoner. Walter had hunted the survivors mercilessly through the wilderness.

It made me a bit sad to think that such a kind soul had become acclimated to violence, just as I had. I pushed the thought aside; what was done was done. “You are probably right, but I will at least wait until the evacuation is done,” I replied.

He shook his head in resignation, “Your stubbornness will be the death of you, Mordecai.”

“Stupid never dies,” I said in rebuttal, but Walter didn’t laugh. If Marcus had said that, it would have been funny, I thought to myself sourly.

A faint vibration passed through the ground, and a small bit of dust sifted down from the ceiling. Walter’s eyes widened in shock, “What the hell was that?”

“A bit of dry wit,” I shot back, “no need to act so surprised.” I knew very well that he was referring to something else, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“Something powerful just struck the barrier,” said Walter, ignoring my second attempt at humor.

And that would be one of the gods, accompanying his enhanced warriors, I thought with a sinking stomach; so much for seeking an antidote. My heart sank, as my short lived bit of hope died a quick death, but rather than panic I took refuge in sarcasm, “Could you at least pretend to laugh at one of my jokes?” I said petulantly. “Dying wouldn’t be half so miserable if you’d just let me think I was funny.”

Walter gave me a look I had seen many times, the ‘is he serious or just crazy?’ look. After a moment he gave up and went to the stone pedestal that controlled the barrier enchantment and the magical windows we had crafted. As he activated the various ‘windows’ one by one I was annoyed to realize that without my magesight, I could see very little through the tiny glass panes. That hadn’t really seemed like a problem before, when all I needed was a small opening to sense everything beyond it.

When he got to the window that looked out from the town gate, Walter visibly stiffened, and his hands gripped the stone pedestal, as if he needed it to remain standing. Without my senses, I was effectively blind to what he was experiencing, but the memories of my battle with Celior were still with me, and I could guess that he must have opened a window close to where one of the gods was standing. He’s being overwhelmed by the oppressive aura they have around them, I realized.

I had barely withstood the same thing by armoring my mind with every bit of strength I had possessed, and even then I had been unable to move. I’d had to draw upon the power of the earth to completely resist the effect. That’s how powerful they were. Walter wasn’t an archmage, and his power as a mage was probably less than half of my own. He didn’t have a chance in hell, unless I could close the windows… and I needed magic to activate the controls, even if it was just a tiny bit.

Frustrated, I watched him struggle, as the god slowly crushed his mind. He had gone pale now, and his knees buckled, which caused him to sag slowly downward beside the pedestal. Only his hands, which were tightly gripping the sides, kept him from falling. Rising as quickly as I could, I tried to hold him up, though I knew it was a futile gesture. It didn’t really matter if I kept him standing, if an immensely powerful, supernatural creature destroyed his mind… or worse, possessed him. “Damnitt!” I cursed helplessly.

Just as I thought he was lost, Walter stood up again. His body had relaxed, and his hands released the stone pedestal. “It’s alright,” he reassured me, and reaching out he touched the runes and deactivated the window portals.

I watched him suspiciously. He couldn’t have resisted something like that. It’s taken his mind, I thought, but I held my tongue. “What happened?” I asked instead.

He gave me a tired smile. “I don’t have your strength, Mordecai, but I have other ways. I was overwhelmed at first, but then I made myself invisible to magic.”

His words confused me for a moment before I realized what he meant. In the past we had learned that just as making yourself invisible to normal light made you blind, so making yourself invisible to magesight made you unable to sense magic. He hadn’t stood up to the god’s mental assault directly; he had made himself unable to ‘feel’ it. “That was damned clever!” I said clapping him upon the shoulder.

“They’re inside Washbrook,” he said, ignoring my compliment. “The barrier around the town is broken already.” His face was downcast.

“Is the gate between the castle and the town still open?” I asked.

He nodded, “No, I closed it just now.”

“There are probably still townsfolk trying to get into the castle. You have to check that gate,” I told him.

Fear was written on his face. “If I open the window and that god is there, I don’t know if I will be able to escape his grasp again.”

“So it was either Doron or Karenth?” I questioned.

“I’m not sure, but I got the impression it was masculine,” Walter answered.

I filed that away mentally before continuing, “The castle gate is on the opposite side of Washbrook from the town gate, they probably haven’t gotten that far yet, but I’d bet my arm there are townsfolk trying to get through.”

“If you’re wrong…,” said Walter carefully, letting the sentence trail away without finishing it.

We both knew the risk. “Do it,” I told him.

Reaching out, he touched the stone pedestal again and another of the glass squares lit up as light began passing through it. Knowing that I’d have difficulty seeing, I had positioned myself close to it to get a better view, wishing again that I still had my magesight. Even as poor as my view was, I could see that a crowd of people were beating against the invisible wall of force that my barrier enchantment had created. Guards stood on the inside. They had opened the physical gate, but were helpless to allow anyone through the magical barrier. People were screaming to be let in, and the guards were frantic to help them.

“Open the barrier for them!” I shouted.

“He’s close, Mordecai! I can feel him already, and his warriors are at the outskirts of the crowd!” Walter replied desperately, indecision warred within him.

My own decision seemed crystal clear, “Open the gods-damned gate! The Knights can deal with those of the enemy who slip through! Now!”

Walter opened the gate, and the people flooded through, spilling into the courtyard while the soldiers and two of the Knights of Stone stood back to let them pass. It took what seemed like an eternity for the crowd to push through, and even after the initial press there was still a steady stream of stragglers coming through. Some of the enemy’s fighter’s came through as well.

Ignoring the people, they raced through on feet that seemed to have sprouted wings. Their movements were such that they had slipped through the crowd and past the castle defenders before they could be stopped. At least eleven or twelve of them came through the crowd in a rush.

Not all of them made it past the guards, however. One quick young soldier managed to tangle the legs of one of the foreigners, sending him into a sprawling roll. Two other guards stepped forward, and thrust their spears through his midsection before he could regain his feet, but the man ignored the wounds and stood anyway. His lips split wide in a bloody grin as he ran up the spear one of the guards held, and brought his heavy iron mace down upon the startled man’s head. Blood and brains flew in all directions.

The soldiers of Cameron Castle looked on in dismay and disbelief, fear taking root in their hearts. For a moment the battlefield seemed to freeze, as the soldiers morale wavered, then Sir Ian’s two handed sword took the man’s head and upper torso off in a clean sweep. “They’re berserkers, but they can still die!” he shouted to the defenders, and as quickly as that, the spell was broken. The defenders took heart and renewed their attacks on those of the enemy that remained within reach.

It broke my heart to watch them fight through the tiny window, but I had no way to help them. Walter’s voice caught my attention, “He’s here!” The light from the window was replaced by a view of the cold stone that lay behind the glass, as he shut off our view and closed the barrier’s gate. My last sight was of a woman and her child running for the gate. They, and many others, didn’t reach it in time. All my plans and preparations, and yet I still failed to protect them, I realized. My own pride and cleverness blinded me to the possibility that they might just be cunning enough to do something like this.

I slid back down against the wall. Nausea, brought on by the poison combined with my own remorse, and I felt hot tears leave burning tracks down my cheeks.

Before I could get far in my self-recriminations, Walter interrupted me, “What’s next?”

Taking a deep breath I wiped my face and looked up. “Now we wait, until whichever god it is breaks the barrier.”

“That’s it?!” said Walter in a voice that had an edge of hysteria in it. “I thought there was a plan?”

“There is,” I explained, “but it begins after the people are evacuated, and the barrier comes down. After that we begin a deadly game of cat and mouse.”

“Which part do we play?”

I laughed wryly, “Without my power? We play the mouse.”