L. Modesitt - Magi'i of Cyador

Lorn continues slowly back along the perimeter road, and the orangish light of dawn floods up from behind the ward-wall and the green canopy of the Accursed Forest. He studies the unseen darkness that is all too real, and wonders how the coming Patrol will fare.

Shortly, he eases the white gelding past the duty guards and through the compound gates, his eyes checking the courtyard, noting that both Kusyl and Shynt have begun to muster their squads outside the quarters building.

He dismounts outside the stable and leads the gelding inside.

Suforis hurries up. “Ser, you’d not be going on Patrol today?”

“Tomorrow. That’s soon enough.” Lorn extends his mount’s reins to the blond ostler, then unfastens his gear from behind the saddle.

“She be a lovely lady, ser,” Suforis observes, as he takes the gelding’s reins from Lorn. “Though I was surprised that Dustyn asked me’n Lesyna to the festivities.”

“We were glad you were there.” Lorn laughs, almost ruefully. “You two and Dustyn were the only people I really knew.” He shifts his grip on his gear, then nods to Suforis. “I’d best be getting where I should be.”

“Yes, ser.”

Lorn walks briskly to the quarters building, stopping but long enough to drop his gear bag in his duty quarters, and then returns to the courtyard to see Kusyl, waiting before the formed up second squad.

“Ser.” Kusyl bows as Lorn approaches.

“Squad leader.”

“Halfscore and four, ser. One missing, ser.”

“Very good, Kusyl. You may dismiss them to their duties. We will inspect all blades and gear before the noon meal.Once they are working on their gear, I’d like to meet in the outer study.”

“Yes, ser.”

Lorn nods and heads to the first squad.

“Ser, halfscore and five, ser. All present,” Shynt announces.

“Very good, squad leader. You may dismiss them to their duties. We will inspect all blades and gear before the noon meal. Kusyl and you and I will meet in the outer study once they’re working on their blades and gear.”

“Yes, ser.”

Lorn turns and heads for the study, hoping that there are no scrolls or messages bearing ill news. There, the door has been unlocked, doubtless by Kusyl, but the outer desk is bare. He opens the door to the inner study, but his desk is equally bare.

For some reason, that disturbs him more, he feels, than would have scathing scrolls from either Majer Maran or Commander Meylyd. Slowly, he takes off his garrison cap and hangs it on one of the wall pegs, then doffs the winter jacket.

Tomorrow, Second Company will resume its patrols, and Lorn has few doubts that the struggles with the Accursed Forest will continue.

THE EMPEROR LEANS forward in the malachite and silver chair that dominates the smaller audience hall. His eyes are hard as he fixes them upon the First Magus. “If you would, most honored of Magi’i, explain just how you plan to make this barrier work, and how long the process will take.”

Chyenfel bows. “But, of course, Your Mightiness. All know that there are chaos towers that confine the Accursed Forest. As you have been informed, of the dozen towers that once enfolded the Forest, three have failed. Two of thosewere at the cardinal points of the wall. Where once every tower station at the cardinal points had two functioning towers, now only the south and west stations have two towers. The other failed chaos tower is the northeast midpoint tower, and that has meant forcing more chaos energy through the cupridium cables on the northeast ward-wall. That requires more chaos energies precisely from the cardinal point tower stations most burdened. Thus …” the First Magus shrugs, “ … the barrier on that wall is not so strong as on the other walls, and there have been more attempts by the Accursed Forest to break through the wards there.”

In the far more modest malachite chair behind the Emperor’s shoulder, Ryenyel sits, her eyes not upon the First Magus nor upon the Majer-Commander of Mirror Lancers, but, once again, upon Bluoyal, the Merchanter Advisor to the Emperor of Light.

“We will use the remaining power in the towers to create a barrier,” Chyenfel continues, “a barrier like that which separates the inner part of a tower from the outer, and that barrier will also place a slumber-ward, if you will, over all of the Accursed Forest. We think re-setting the chaos fields to do this will take a good two-score mages. It will take a season to assemble all that is necessary, and but an afternoon to accomplish it.”

“ If it can be done,” suggests the Emperor.

“So you should be able to move the towers by the fall if His Mightiness agrees to this now?” asks Bluoyal quietly.

All faces turn to the merchanter advisor at his interruption. To Bluoyal’s right, Rynst nods slightly, almost as if urging the merchanter to go on.

“We are seeing more pirate attacks upon our trading vessels,” the heavy trader continues. “Yet we understand that we can expect less support from the fireships and fewer Mirror Foot on our ships with firelances. For generations, those chaos towers have sat around a forest that hasn’t caused a shade of the trouble that the barbarians or the pirates have, all because the ancients thought there was something there. So a few.wild creatures escape, and a few cattle and sheepare killed. It would be far cheaper to pay for the lost livestock, and move the lancers and the towers to where they can do real good.”

“If you may recall,” offers Chyenfel, “no chaos tower can be moved, unless it was placed in something that contains it and can be moved, such as a fireship. The records and history are quite clear on that. They are also quite clear on the dangers of the Forest.”

“Has anyone tried to move them in, say, the past five generations?” counters Bluoyal.

“Which one would you like to lose, honored merchanter? If we try to move one surrounding the Forest, we cannot contain the wild order, even under the new barrier. Why would we wish to move any of the others?”

“I was not thinking of the others, most honored First Magus.”

“As we have told the Emperor before, although you may have missed such, honored advisor on trade and commerce, the towers will still be there, although none will be able to see or sense them.”

“Not sense them?” Bluoyal raises his bushy eyebrows.

“They and the wards will be twisted so that they will not quite be as they are … or that they do not appear as such, more precisely.”

The Emperor of Light frowns. “If the towers … vanish … will this not alarm the people? You had not mentioned this aspect of your barrier. What of the lancers?”

“We would see no need of the present numbers of lancers,” answers Chyenfel cautiously.

“So that they could be moved northward, or placed on the new sail-powered warships?” interjects Bluoyal.

“That would be the decision of His Mightiness, in consultation with the honored Majer-Commander,” replies the First Magus.

“A moment.” Toziel lifts his hand. “Let me make this most clear. You are telling me that unless I agree to your plan, I will have no choice?”

“Sire …” Chyenfel offers patiently. “You have no choice.If you try to move the towers, they will fail, and the Accursed Forest will reclaim much of eastern Cyador. If you do nothing, the towers will fail within years, if not sooner, and the Forest will do the same.”

Toziel looks at the perspiring magus. “I cannot say that I am pleased with the performance of the Magi’i.”

“Sire … this day has been foretold from the very first. You have read the original writings of the Firstborn ….”

“And I would be the man to be Emperor when it may occur?” Toziel’s words are like cold cupridium. “So … for how many more years will your plan confine the Accursed Forest, so that Cyador may continue to prosper?”