nonetheless were disciplined enough to keep their muttering to a dull roar.
Hearing it aloud was different than simply knowing, though. Theodoric closed his eyes for a moment, trying to reconcile what he knew now with what had been true only moments before.
“How?” was all he asked.
“Judging by the news out of Bastion just before the attack, it was some new magic. A spell that can take men from one part of the world and deliver them to another, far away, in an instant.”
The General’s eyes grew wide as his mind churned through the implications of that. Such an ability would convey an enormous advantage. As any General must, he knew that the primary difficulty in the War was having the men and supplies where you needed them, and if you didn’t have them there then you must get them there. The army that could solve the problems of time and distance with magic…
“This is not good,” Theodoric announced unnecessarily. “Not good at all.”
“You have a talent for understatement, General. This is disastrous, nothing short of that. The Fortress was surrounded inside of two hours. It was taken within five. I cannot begin to estimate the full enemy numbers that now hold Nebeth, as they attacked during the night. I know that we lost at least five wizards, and almost certainly the entire garrison perished – almost a thousand men, General. The men here, and myself, managed to escape through the tunnels we’d been building, secret tunnels with disguised exits to be used in case Nebeth should ever fall.” The wizard smiled bitterly. “We did not expect to need them so quickly, of course.”
Theodoric looked up in alarm. “Tunnels? And one leads here? How could you risk -”
“No no,” said Ethion quickly. “None lead anywhere near here. I destroyed them behind us, in any case. The Fortress was taken three days ago, Theo. I came here because to go anywhere else would take us through land the Enemy may now patrol, and because you needed to be informed.”
“That is most certain,” Theodoric said.
The Enemy holding Nebeth was nothing new, but holding it without holding the land around it was a decidedly unforeseen circumstance. He looked to his maps. Whoever controlled Nebeth could threaten land for many leagues around; always having that secure fortress to fall back to should trouble arise. He looked at Ethion once more. “You were able to warn Bastion of this?”
“Yes, I spoke with Arric himself. He told me that ‘help was on the way’ before the Enemy severed the globe links.”
“Good, good. They’ll send Second Army to contain the Enemy within the Fortress,” Theodoric said, even as he reflected on the fact that with this new spell the enemy could defy such containment at any time. With a finger, the General traced lines on the map, detailing the routes that Second would take to the Fortress. Might the Enemy move men into their path, with this magic? There were places where a few hundred could hold up an entire army of thousands, bleed them within tight spaces, and then magic themselves away again before they were overwhelmed. The more he thought about it, the more dire the situation seemed.
“What else can you tell me about this spell?” Theodoric asked.
“I know almost nothing. I felt the spells in the distance. There was a vast amount of power in them, beyond what a single sorcerer could conjure. With so much power, I would guess that the spell itself is difficult, which would limit its use to the most powerful sorcerers. This, at least, is good news. If they continue to use it, it will tie up their best magical assets.”
And be well worth it, for all that, Theodoric thought darkly. As the matter stood, if Bastion did not find a way to counter or make up for this advantage, they would soon find themselves in a very difficult position.
All at once, the General came to a decision. “We will attack Cairn at once,” he announced, and several of his commanders’ faces brightened at
Hearing it aloud was different than simply knowing, though. Theodoric closed his eyes for a moment, trying to reconcile what he knew now with what had been true only moments before.
“How?” was all he asked.
“Judging by the news out of Bastion just before the attack, it was some new magic. A spell that can take men from one part of the world and deliver them to another, far away, in an instant.”
The General’s eyes grew wide as his mind churned through the implications of that. Such an ability would convey an enormous advantage. As any General must, he knew that the primary difficulty in the War was having the men and supplies where you needed them, and if you didn’t have them there then you must get them there. The army that could solve the problems of time and distance with magic…
“This is not good,” Theodoric announced unnecessarily. “Not good at all.”
“You have a talent for understatement, General. This is disastrous, nothing short of that. The Fortress was surrounded inside of two hours. It was taken within five. I cannot begin to estimate the full enemy numbers that now hold Nebeth, as they attacked during the night. I know that we lost at least five wizards, and almost certainly the entire garrison perished – almost a thousand men, General. The men here, and myself, managed to escape through the tunnels we’d been building, secret tunnels with disguised exits to be used in case Nebeth should ever fall.” The wizard smiled bitterly. “We did not expect to need them so quickly, of course.”
Theodoric looked up in alarm. “Tunnels? And one leads here? How could you risk -”
“No no,” said Ethion quickly. “None lead anywhere near here. I destroyed them behind us, in any case. The Fortress was taken three days ago, Theo. I came here because to go anywhere else would take us through land the Enemy may now patrol, and because you needed to be informed.”
“That is most certain,” Theodoric said.
The Enemy holding Nebeth was nothing new, but holding it without holding the land around it was a decidedly unforeseen circumstance. He looked to his maps. Whoever controlled Nebeth could threaten land for many leagues around; always having that secure fortress to fall back to should trouble arise. He looked at Ethion once more. “You were able to warn Bastion of this?”
“Yes, I spoke with Arric himself. He told me that ‘help was on the way’ before the Enemy severed the globe links.”
“Good, good. They’ll send Second Army to contain the Enemy within the Fortress,” Theodoric said, even as he reflected on the fact that with this new spell the enemy could defy such containment at any time. With a finger, the General traced lines on the map, detailing the routes that Second would take to the Fortress. Might the Enemy move men into their path, with this magic? There were places where a few hundred could hold up an entire army of thousands, bleed them within tight spaces, and then magic themselves away again before they were overwhelmed. The more he thought about it, the more dire the situation seemed.
“What else can you tell me about this spell?” Theodoric asked.
“I know almost nothing. I felt the spells in the distance. There was a vast amount of power in them, beyond what a single sorcerer could conjure. With so much power, I would guess that the spell itself is difficult, which would limit its use to the most powerful sorcerers. This, at least, is good news. If they continue to use it, it will tie up their best magical assets.”
And be well worth it, for all that, Theodoric thought darkly. As the matter stood, if Bastion did not find a way to counter or make up for this advantage, they would soon find themselves in a very difficult position.
All at once, the General came to a decision. “We will attack Cairn at once,” he announced, and several of his commanders’ faces brightened at
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