Diary of a Conjurer (35 page)

Silvio scratched his beard, perplexed. “Why
has she stopped her attack? What’s she doing?”

Promise lifted her head to listen. A few
voices from the ships could be heard, a bell, and then silence.

“She’s waiting for something. I can’t think
of any other reason she hasn’t retreated. She knows she can’t break
through the shield.”

“Waiting for something?” The sorceress was
hovering, a vulture circling its prey and Silvio couldn’t guess
what she was doing. “She knows something we don’t.”

“I think you and I know.” Promise reached for
his hand and he gave it to her. “Go, Silvio. I fear for your life.
I’m not the one you should be concerned about. Care for your own
safety, the Xylonites, and for the sake of those people. The world
needs you alive.”

“Bah. Without my magic?”

“Your magic still lives, as does mine. But
you are the only one who can keep it from the queen. If you don’t
persuade Ivar to return your powers to you, the fate of everyone
sways on the edge of destruction.”

“Humph. Ivar!” He could be inside the Shield
with the others. Or he could be somewhere else. “Don’t like it. Not
one bit, leaving you here. I’ll tell Amleth about you, and that
you’re out here. We’ll come and get you. Stay and wait.”

He hadn’t seen how tense she’d been until her
shoulders settled when he said he’d return for her. He helped her
sit down behind a boulder and made sure she was well concealed in
the shadows. Taking a moment to wrap her furs around her neck, he
stepped away and looked at her. “Don’t worry. The good Kaemperns
wouldn’t leave a blind girl out here all night by herself. Not
during a war.”

“Hurry, Silvio,” she must have heard his
breath, felt his movements to know that he was still hovering over
her like an old man would his granddaughter.

Silvio turned, took one forlorn look over
his shoulder, and then waddled ahead to the golden globe. He stayed
in the darkness, remaining obscure, ready to take the shape of an
old pine tree if he had to.

He didn’t see the door
until he neared the edge of the shield. The entry was a foreboding
gate-a darker gold, hinged with beads of fire, he dared not come
too close, but instead paused to look at the stars. It was a night
like any other, save for the crisis at hand.
Oh what I’d give for peace again!
With a deep breath, he stepped forward. Inside the globe
stood two guards who turned in surprise when he stepped into view.
The shorter of the guards opened the door and stepped
outside.

“What’s your business?” He said, drawing his
sword.

Silvio stepped back. “The business of an old
wizard seeking refuge. I have urgent news for Amleth.”

The soldier looked him up and down. “The
legendary wizard?”

Silvio was unaware of any legends about him.
He shook his head, not understanding. The man went on.

“I must say, you look everything the wizard
I’d imagine, just as our tales describe you.”

“Tales?”

“Our namesake, you know?”

“Oh. I’m not Kaempie, if that’s what you
mean.” Silvio gestured to let him in. Surely they could have this
conversation while safe within the Dragon Shield.

“You aren’t Kaempie? Ah, well, a wizard’s a
wizard I suppose.” The soldier finally broke a smile.

“Friend of Xylon.” The conjurer answered.

“Weapons?”

“Bah! Even my magic is gone.” The wizard held
his hands out in surrender and the man nodded and bowed slightly,
ushering him inside. “Follow me.”

Silvio had never been under the cover of
anything like this before. Yes, he’d known magic and power, but
never to this degree. The golden aura of the Dragon Shield sheathed
the entire village. The homes made of wood, their rickety porches,
the cobblestone streets, the gardens, the goats and lambs, the
picket fences. Trees and flower bushes, ivy and hanging baskets.
Everything in the entire town took on the same golden aura. Even
the people who hurried about were radiant with the light from the
Dragon Shield. The power that kept the shield in place came from
the songs that the villagers sang. Music resonated through the
streets from a choir of children’s voices and the melody was
everywhere.

It’s a bit like stepping
into the afterworld
, Silvio
thought.

He laughed a little and nodded as a Menek
family passed by. There was healing in the shield’s power.
Effortlessly he straightened his back, bones popping in place. His
pace quickened and he found he could now keep up with the quick
moving Kaempern soldiers.

Aside from children singing, and the
presence of the armed men, Menek life went on normally, as Silvio
would have expected. Women hauled buckets of water to their homes,
goats bleated as they were milked, savory scents of stew, bread and
fish seeped from open windows. None of their chores were
interrupted unless by a loud crash of Hacatine’s lightning
exploding on the outside of the shield.

“Silvio! Sir!” A voice came from behind a
garden fence surprising Silvio in his tracks. One of Xylepher’s men
stooped behind a cluster of daffodils and called his name. The
soldier clasped his hands over his ears as a blast from an
explosion interrupted the music.

Silvio greeted him with a handshake. “Good
job, little man! Well done.”

“We followed our orders, sir. Alerted the
Kaemperns in time. We ask for dismissal. My men, they are rattled
to the bone. We’re strong, sir, and brave. But the noise is more
than we can bear.”

Silvio nodded. “Go and meet up with Xylepher
and the other. They’ve tunneled in the forest. Take three wizard’s
steps outside the door of the Dragon Shield. Turn to the right. The
tunnel begins in the root of the old cedar. And hurry. He’s waiting
for you but they’re all pretty upset. I expect they’ll run if
something scares them. Gather your men and go now while the
fighting is at a lull.”

“Yes, sir!” The Xylonite leaned over the
fence and tapped the shoulder of another soldier. Soon all the
little scouts popped their heads up out of the daffodils. “Hallo!
Let’s go. We’re dismissed now. Silvio says we can leave.” The
Xylonites took no time to assemble in formation and soon marched
hurriedly up the cobblestone road.

Silvio’s escort led him in the opposite
direction, down a hill and closer to the sea. There were no more
houses in this neighborhood, but rather long lines of wooden
buildings adjacent to each other. This district of Menek smelled
like fish, shellfish, and low tide. The wooden boardwalk creaked
under his feet as he hurried. Soldiers passed him, their faces were
solemn and they carried rifles that smelled of sulfur. Kaempern
troops grew larger in number as they approached the end of the
shield’s boundary. Here, Silvio could see the pier, the wharf, the
enemy’s ships, and the battle in full view. The sight of Hacatine’s
fleet terrifying. He shuddered when an explosion sounded on the
deck of a ship and a missile spun through the air toward him. He
flinched when it crashed into the outer layer of their magical
armor.

“Oh Galbersnatchers! This will be the death
of me!” Silvio exclaimed as he held his hand over his racing
heart.

“Come inside, quickly, sir,” his escort said
as he ushered him into a hut being used for an officer’s quarters.
The light from the Dragon Shield did not penetrate inside the
building and there were no windows. Instead, torches burned along
the walls, and also in the hands of several men who surrounded a
table in the center of the room. Maps were spread out in front of
the officer who were in a discussion over them. Silvio shut the
door after he entered.

“Amleth, sir,” the escort tapped a Kaempern
warrior on the shoulder. “There’s someone to see you.”

Amleth stood erect. Silvio expected someone
older, like himself, but this was a young man, perhaps having seen
only thirty summers. His long ginger hair curled down his back. His
face was weathered with a tan that barely concealed the freckles.
Even in the dim light of the torches, his eyes sparkled a piercing
blue. He looked at Silvio with suspicion.

Silvio cleared his throat. “Silvio’s the
name.”

Amleth’s frown quickly changed to a smile.
“Silvio? The wizard?” Amleth took the wizard’s hand in both of his
and shook it gently. “Thank the North Wind you made it. I can’t
tell you how honored we are to have you here, sir.”

Embarrassed, Silvio bowed his head and looked
away, blushing and nodding. “Well,” he laughed but was at a loss
for words after that. Not used to being greeted by anyone larger
than a green bean, this welcome was warm and tingled his spine,
causing him to stand so straight he surprised himself.

“I would offer more hospitality, but I’m sure
you’re aware of our plight.”

Silvio coughed and composed himself before he
answered. “I’m aware, more than you think. I have news.”

“News?”

They walked to the table. Silvio stole a peek
at the other men. He knew none of them, but they all had the
appearance of rank. Their faces ironed with grave intensity, eyes
fixed on the charts they had made, looking up only briefly to
acknowledge him.

The conjurer looked at their sketches.
Positions of the ships were spotted with small shiny rocks so that
they could be moved as Hacatine closed in. Charted areas of burned
forests, measurements of the intensity of the queen’s fire, all the
records of battle were laid on the table before them.

Silvio nodded. “Yes, well it seems you’ve
charted every detail, I suppose.”

“You’ve been out in the wilderness in the
surrounding lands. Does the news you have come from elsewhere?”

“It does.”

“Spies? More ships approaching? Tell us so we
can be prepared.” Amleth gestured toward the table and his
notes.

Silvio’s eyes met his. Suddenly he felt
nervous about telling Amleth what the Kaemperns needed to know,
truths that weren’t going to be easy to convey. His eyes darted to
the men, who now had his attention, and then back to Amleth.

“I . . . I wasn’t expecting such an
audience.”

“We can talk in private.” Amleth nodded to
the others while he led Silvio by the arm outside, and back up the
village road. He turned down a path leading to a quiet yard and an
empty yurt. By the time the two approached a bench woven from
willow, the conjurer’s knees were shaking. He had so little
practice talking to people, and such an important message to
convey. Words were not forming well in his mind.

Amleth sat down and motioned for Silvio to
sit next to him. They were tucked inconspicuously under a climbing
rose bush. The sweet aroma of its petals was a strange contrast to
the smoldering stench of war outside the Dragon Shield. The music
could be heard still, fainter now, more like wind whistling, or a
bird singing.

“Her attacks have waned.” Silvio began,
shuffling to get comfortable on the bench.

“Yes. And do you know why?”

“Your enemy is waiting for something,” Silvio
remembered Promise’s words as he lowered himself next to the chief.
The songs of the children still filled his ears with a sweet
whisper, and the glow of the shield changed the color of their skin
to gold. Drawing his breath, the conjurer moved his tongue inside
his cheeks, trying to think of the right words to use.

“Do you know what she’s waiting for?” Amleth
asked.

Silvio nodded. “Yes. She’s waiting for
power.”

“Power? She’s expecting more power? From
where? From Taikus? More ships? What?”

Silvio shook his head. This was not going to
be easy. The truth was going to stun Amleth. Silvio peered into the
chief’s eyes considering an easy way to tell him. “Were it as
simple as more ships, I wouldn’t be looking for words. She’s
expecting magical power so extraordinary it could change the
outcome of this war.”

“To whose advantage?”

Surely Amleth knew the answer to that
question. Silvio only stared at him, his eyebrow raised.

Amleth studied Silvio’s with great intensity.
“You must know about this power also.”

Silvio nodded.

“Don’t keep me in the dark then, sir. Tell
me!”

Silvio looked north, toward the mountain, but
he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“Deception Peak?” Amleth’s eyes had followed
his.

“I’m not sure where he is. I thought he’d
just go home. But he’s young and foolish.”

Amleth straightened his back. “Who? What are
you talking about?”

Silvio shook his head again, his hair
rippling passed his shoulders. Gathering courage, the conjurer
pierced Amleth with his scowl. “You know him. He says you know
him.”

Amleth exhaled an exasperated sigh. “Great
wizard, don’t keep this a mystery. I need to get back to my troops.
What are you trying to tell me? Who do I know?”

Silvio straightened. “The one you sent out
who had no business going out.”

Silence. Amleth looked away toward the
mountain and then back at Silvio. “Ivar?” he whispered. His face
had turned red in a matter of seconds.

No need to answer, Silvio didn’t even nod.
Amleth stood and stepped away from Silvio, holding his head in his
hands he looked to the sky; maybe to ask for help from the North
Wind, Silvio wasn’t sure. Amleth had his back to him so Silvio
couldn’t see his face, but his body said it all anyway.

The conjurer went on. “He’s not in his right
mind, either. Discovered some things about his past. Wasn’t easy
for him. He’s got some things that don’t belong to him.”

“What kind of things?” Amleth pivoted to face
Silvio.

“Important things.”

“What does he have?” Amleth demanded.

Silvio swallowed. “Well, I gave him
something, and he stole the other.”

“What?

Silvio’s hands trembled. He sat up. His bones
had straightened some since being under this magical light, but any
kind of healing under the Dragon Shield wasn’t going to help him
say what he had to say. “He’s got my magic.”