Toby Neighbors - Crying Havoc

“I don’t know the man,” Zollin said around a mouthful of food.

“I’m guessing you know the dragon well enough. Well, now we do, too. It attacked our trebuchets and cut a swath through the Boar Legion as well. We’ll be lucky to have three thousand men to defend our city when the army returns.”

“The dragon is with the army?” Zollin asked. “Or did it just attack and leave?”

“I can’t say for sure where the beast is. It’s too bad you weren’t able to conquer it, but it was as I expected, under the control of the Torr.”

Zollin’s mind was racing. He couldn’t believe his ears, and yet it made perfect sense. If the Torr controlled the dragon, Brianna might be under their control as well. The dragon could have delivered her right to them.

“I should go and deal with it,” Zollin said firmly.

“No, that’s not a good idea,” the King said. “I know you have a history with the beast. Hausey gave me a brief report before bringing you here. We need to consolidate our forces. The army will be here soon. They’ve marched all night. They’ll need rest and healers to help the wounded. If you leave the city, you’ll be exposed, and we won’t be able to help you.”

“That’s all right,” Zollin said. “It’s my choice.”

“And you won’t be able to help us,” the King said pointedly. “We’ve done our best to stop this invasion, to push the enemy back and make their progress too painful to continue, but they outnumber us, and there are reports from Ebbson Keep of military forces building up at Fort Jellar. If Baskla or Ortis marches against us from the east, we’ll be hard pressed to survive.”

“Without their dragon, they won’t have much chance of defeating you inside the city,” Zollin said.

“That’s true enough, but I doubt defeating us is what they’re after. They want you; they want our resources. All they’ve got to do is lay siege to the city, and wait. In the meantime they can pillage the towns and villages at will, while we slowly starve to death. And if they have reinforcements coming in from Baskla, they could have enough troops to overrun the city.”

“If they’re after me, why not just send me to them?” Zollin asked.

“We aren’t giving up that easily. We can fight. With your help, we can hurt them badly enough to withdraw.”

“What about the treaty? I thought that using wizards in the military was banned when the Five Kingdoms formed the confederation.”

“It was, but you have to understand we didn’t start this fight. The Torr pushed this invasion because we weren’t willing to turn you over to Offendorl,” the King said.

“You’re saying it’s my fault they invaded Yelsia?” Zollin asked.

“Not your fault. No, you are just one part of their plan. Offendorl can’t let you go free. He’s here to take you back to the Torr or see you dead. The other kings want to crush me and divide Yelsia between them. They drew first blood; they invaded our kingdom. That gives us the right to fight back however we choose. They have a wizard, and we have a wizard. There is no unfair advantage to that.”

Zollin found a nearby stool and sat down. Once again he felt the desire to just give in. Why shouldn’t he join the Torr? Perhaps it was for the best, he thought. If he had, this army wouldn’t have invaded Yelsia, and if this Offendorl had Brianna, or at the very least the dragon, he could finally get some answers. On the other hand, if Brianna was still alive somewhere, he could never go to her if he joined the Torr. And neither could he go with Mansel to save his father.

“Gentlemen,” the King said, speaking to his generals. “I want weapons and supplies stocked in every part of the city. For now, the Wolf’s Legion remains on watch, but I want the Fox, Boar, and Eagle Legions assigned to various sections of the city. We need clear lines of communication and contingency plans in place to move soldiers across the city if needed.”

He continued giving orders, mainly for the rest and nourishment of the troops he was expecting to arrive at the city. Zollin heard little of what was being said, but soon most of the military personnel had left the room, including Commander Hausey. Zollin had finished eating the food he had picked up, but he didn’t remember eating it.

“I think you need something a little stronger than fruit juice,” King Felix told him. “I know you’ve got a lot on your mind. I need you here, though. I need you to fight with us,” he said as he poured a goblet of wine.

Zollin sipped the drink. It was strong and it burned all the way down to his stomach. The magic inside of him seemed to react to the wine, his power growing with each hot sip.

“I’m certain of two things,” King Felix said, sitting on a chair opposite Zollin, with a goblet of wine in his own hand. “First, I’m certain that Offendorl means you harm. He may not kill you if you give yourself up, but he will enslave you. The Torr was meant to be a society of wizards, a place where people like yourself could grow in your skills and benefit the Five Kingdoms. Instead, it has become Offendorl’s personal menagerie of magic users, each answering to him and increasing his own personal power. He’s old and he’s devious. We can’t trust him. You should never trust him.

“Secondly, I’m sure he means to give Yelsia to the other kings as payment for their troops. He doesn’t have to of course; he has the power to force them to do his bidding, but I’m sure King Belphan and King Oveer were all too willing to join his little invasion.”

“So what do you want from me?” Zollin asked. “I have things to do besides pull Yelsia out of the fire every time I turn around.”

King Felix was shocked by Zollin’s tone. He wasn’t arrogant, but clearly frustrated. It was a tone that the King was not used to hearing from his subordinates. He had to swallow his own frustration and remain calm. Zollin had not been in the field with the army, but he had suffered loss and endured hardship. He had earned the right to question the King, at least this one time.

“I am your King,” Felix said. “Even wizards are beholden to their rulers. I don’t have your power, and I’m not the type of man who would make you use your magic against your will. But Yelsia needs you, now more than ever.”

“I don’t know,” Zollin said, throwing his hands up into the air. “It seems like I cause more problems than I solve. I don’t mean to be rude, Sire, but it’s hard for me to wonder what I can do that would actually be of service.”

“That’s a good question, and to be honest, we won’t know until the invaders arrive. But I know one thing for certain. If the dragon returns, we will need your help. You’ve done nothing wrong. You had every right to refuse the Torr. The treaty said that we, the kings of the Five Kingdoms, would turn over our wizards. In other words, that we would not keep wizards in our armies. But the Torr has changed, and you have never been part of the King’s Army, at least until now. We have done nothing wrong, certainly nothing that would warrant sending an army onto our sovereign soil. Had you been here in Orrock when the wizards of the Torr first found you, I would have counseled you to do as you did. It was not their place to take you from your home by force.”

“So what do you want from me?” Zollin asked.

“I want you to stay close until we know exactly what we’re dealing with. I want you to help, where and when you can. For now, that is all I want. Once we know more, we can make a decision together. And whatever your decision, I’ll support you.”

Zollin wondered if the King really meant what he was saying, but he had no reason to believe otherwise. Still, he sensed that the King wanted Zollin within his control. That was always behind their seemingly genial conversations, as if Zollin were just a tool to be used by King Felix, instead of a person with hopes and dreams of his own.