of the danger we face, and I need to root it out now, rather than
later."
“ Why a bear, Lord Salva?
Why a wild beast, why not a human assassin? That wouldn't have been simpler? ” Duke Yarron asked
quietly, slightly out of breath from climbing the steep slope. They were
struggling up a ridge, through thick, tangled woods, stumbling and slipping
over moss-covered rocks, banging their knees and shins, pulling themselves up
by hanging onto trees and vines. The sky overhead hung low, gray clouds sodden
with rain. It had rained several times throughout the day, the trees were still
dripping water down onto Yarron ’ s
head, soaking his silver hair and beard. The Thrallren woods, at the eastern
end of Duke Yarron ’ s
LeVanne province, was part of the border with Acedor. Elsewhere along the
border, Yarron maintained troops, reinforced by part of the royal Taradoran
army. But since the Thrallren woods were so thickly tangled, and the land was
nothing but sharp ridges, deep gullies, and impassible dark woods, that Yarron
only posted a few sheriffs there. He could not imagine an enemy invasion force
coming through the Thrallren woods. Until now.
“ Because, ” Paedris explained, “ if Ariana had been killed
by an assassin's blade, such an action would likely pull the Dukes together
against our common enemy. But if she was simply killed by a wild beast, an
accident in the wilderness, you and the other six Dukes would be fighting each
other to control the throne. And that would leave us weak and divided, open for
invasion. ”
“ Ah. ” Yarron said simply. He
had much to think about. The wizard was correct, the seven Dukedoms of Tarador
could not agree on much, other than that they all wanted more power. And,
almost as important, they all wanted to prevent the other six from gaining more
power. Carlana was serving as Regent, not because she was qualified to rule Tarador
in her daughter ’ s
name, but because the Dukes had been unable to agree on anyone else as Regent
after her husband the king had died. “ Ariana ’ s father was my strongest
ally, and my friend, I care for that girl as if she were my own daughter. For
the enemy to attack her, on my land, while she is under my protection- ”
“ Halt! ” Paedris called out in a
loud hiss. “ Halt,
you up there! ”
The three
scouts ahead froze, turning around slowly. They waited for the wizard to make
his way up to their position, offering hands to help him scramble over the last
rock. “ Thank
you. ” Paedris
huffed and puffed, catching his breath. He was very glad that he had switched
his official purple robes for plain brown pants and a warm jacket. “ There is a ward spell up
ahead, between those two boulders. ” Paedris pointed to a pair of giant rocks, which had tumbled down the ridge long
ago. They blocked the way above, the gap between them was the only way to the
top of the ridge.
One of the
scouts kneeled down, waving his hand over a place where moss had been
flattened. “ That
is where the trail leads. The enemy ’ s
tracks go in that direction. ”
“ And they knew we would
follow the trail if we were tracking them. Stay here. ” Paedris approached the
boulders, stopping just short of where the ward lay across the gap like an
invisible spider web. The ward was powerful and somewhat crude, typical of the
enemy ’ s
magics. He could not release the ward without alerting the enemy. What he could
do is fool the ward, so it didn ’ t
react to troops passing through it. It was a simple matter for a master wizard,
he waved to the scouts to him when it was done. “ What lies beyond the top of this ridge? ”
One of the
scouts spoke. “ I ’ ve only been here once,
Lord Salva, but what I remember is a shallow gully, then another ridge, a bit
lower than this ridge. Beyond that is a deep, wide gully, almost passes for a
valley in these woods. ”
Duke Yarron
held out a hand for his scouts to pull him up. “ A valley? I am ashamed to say that,
later."
“ Why a bear, Lord Salva?
Why a wild beast, why not a human assassin? That wouldn't have been simpler? ” Duke Yarron asked
quietly, slightly out of breath from climbing the steep slope. They were
struggling up a ridge, through thick, tangled woods, stumbling and slipping
over moss-covered rocks, banging their knees and shins, pulling themselves up
by hanging onto trees and vines. The sky overhead hung low, gray clouds sodden
with rain. It had rained several times throughout the day, the trees were still
dripping water down onto Yarron ’ s
head, soaking his silver hair and beard. The Thrallren woods, at the eastern
end of Duke Yarron ’ s
LeVanne province, was part of the border with Acedor. Elsewhere along the
border, Yarron maintained troops, reinforced by part of the royal Taradoran
army. But since the Thrallren woods were so thickly tangled, and the land was
nothing but sharp ridges, deep gullies, and impassible dark woods, that Yarron
only posted a few sheriffs there. He could not imagine an enemy invasion force
coming through the Thrallren woods. Until now.
“ Because, ” Paedris explained, “ if Ariana had been killed
by an assassin's blade, such an action would likely pull the Dukes together
against our common enemy. But if she was simply killed by a wild beast, an
accident in the wilderness, you and the other six Dukes would be fighting each
other to control the throne. And that would leave us weak and divided, open for
invasion. ”
“ Ah. ” Yarron said simply. He
had much to think about. The wizard was correct, the seven Dukedoms of Tarador
could not agree on much, other than that they all wanted more power. And,
almost as important, they all wanted to prevent the other six from gaining more
power. Carlana was serving as Regent, not because she was qualified to rule Tarador
in her daughter ’ s
name, but because the Dukes had been unable to agree on anyone else as Regent
after her husband the king had died. “ Ariana ’ s father was my strongest
ally, and my friend, I care for that girl as if she were my own daughter. For
the enemy to attack her, on my land, while she is under my protection- ”
“ Halt! ” Paedris called out in a
loud hiss. “ Halt,
you up there! ”
The three
scouts ahead froze, turning around slowly. They waited for the wizard to make
his way up to their position, offering hands to help him scramble over the last
rock. “ Thank
you. ” Paedris
huffed and puffed, catching his breath. He was very glad that he had switched
his official purple robes for plain brown pants and a warm jacket. “ There is a ward spell up
ahead, between those two boulders. ” Paedris pointed to a pair of giant rocks, which had tumbled down the ridge long
ago. They blocked the way above, the gap between them was the only way to the
top of the ridge.
One of the
scouts kneeled down, waving his hand over a place where moss had been
flattened. “ That
is where the trail leads. The enemy ’ s
tracks go in that direction. ”
“ And they knew we would
follow the trail if we were tracking them. Stay here. ” Paedris approached the
boulders, stopping just short of where the ward lay across the gap like an
invisible spider web. The ward was powerful and somewhat crude, typical of the
enemy ’ s
magics. He could not release the ward without alerting the enemy. What he could
do is fool the ward, so it didn ’ t
react to troops passing through it. It was a simple matter for a master wizard,
he waved to the scouts to him when it was done. “ What lies beyond the top of this ridge? ”
One of the
scouts spoke. “ I ’ ve only been here once,
Lord Salva, but what I remember is a shallow gully, then another ridge, a bit
lower than this ridge. Beyond that is a deep, wide gully, almost passes for a
valley in these woods. ”
Duke Yarron
held out a hand for his scouts to pull him up. “ A valley? I am ashamed to say that,
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