Robert Newcomb - A March into Darkness

Reznik looked over at Einar. Knowing better than to speak during this momentous event, Einar only smiled. The two servants humbly backed away.

Lunging for the altar, Serna lifted her squirming child and held her close. As she did, Clarice’s wispy, dark hair quietly brushed against the dead rose secured in Serena’s bosom.

Reunited at last, Serena’s heart cried out.

Crying, laughing, and then crying again, Serena turned to her mystics. Tears ran freely down her face.

“Well done,” she whispered.

She stood that way for some time, rocking her child and lovingly remembering the man who had fathered her. Clarice’s crying soon quieted into a soft gurgle.

Serena turned to the door and sharply called out. One of the trusted handmaidens she had brought from the Citadel obediently entered the room. Her name was Dagmar, and she would serve as Clarice’s nanny and wet nurse. She smiled when she saw the revived child. When Dagmar neared, Serena reluctantly handed Clarice to her. The queen gave Dagmar a grave look.

“If she perishes, you perish,” she warned ominously.

Cradling the reborn child in her arms, Dagmar bowed. “Yes, Your Grace,” she said.

Just then Serena sensed a familiar sensation start to grow in her mind. “Leave us,” she said to Dagmar.

After giving her queen another bow, the wet nurse took the gurgling child from the room. As Einar and Reznik watched, Serena went to her knees.

“I am here,”she said.

“You have done well,”thePon Q’tar said to her.“But your greatest trial is about to start. Your child has been reborn, but it is too late for you and her to flee. So now you must do everything in your power to protect her. The Black Ships approach. But the Recluse defenses are strong, so make the Conclave come to you. Defend Clarice and the Recluse with your life, if need be. Destroy the Jin’Saionce and for all.”

“On my life,”Serena answered.

When she sensed the clerics’ presence fading away, she came to her feet. Just as she was about to address Reznik and Einar, Actinius burst into the room.

“Forgive me, Your Grace!” he exclaimed. “An enveloper patrol has sighted the Black Ships! They can be seen from the tops of the castle walls!”

“I know,” Serena answered quietly, surprising them all.

The three mystics saw a look of grim determination come over their queen. They had finally given her the one thing she wanted most in the world, and they knew that she would do anything, sacrifice anything, to protect her child. She gave her servants a commanding look.

“Hurry!” she said to them. “You know your orders!” At once all four mystics ran from the room.

The battle for the Recluse was about to start.

FROM THE BOW OF THETAMMERLAND, TRISTAN USEDTyranny’s spyglass to look north. What he saw worried him.

Under his orders, the four Black Ships had stopped at a point south of the Recluse and about three hundred meters away. Wigg was still empowering theTammerland. At theJin’Sai ’s order the ship hovered twenty meters in the air. Faegan, Aeolus, and Jessamay soon positioned the other three vessels to hover in a battle line on theTammerland ’s starboard side. As the rising sun cast its rays over the vessels, the massive Black Ships twinkled ominously in the growing light.

Tristan lowered the spyglass and turned to look at his friends. Save for Jessamay, Faegan, and Aeolus, all of the Conclave members-including Traax-were present. Rafe, Scars, Ox, and Balthazar were also there, waiting for orders. Thousands of Minion warriors and highlander horsemen crowded the ships’ decks, every fighter eager for the battle to start. Thousands more waited belowdecks. So far, the fleet had met no resistance.

Tristan handed the spyglass to Wigg. “Give me your opinion,” he said.

Wigg took the glass and focused its lenses on the Recluse. After a time, he shook his head.

“It looks deserted,” he said. “But every instinct in me says that it’s not. It’s a trap.”

“I think you’re right,” Tristan agreed.

Shailiha took the glass from Wigg to see for herself. To her surprise, the Recluse looked abandoned. Under normal circumstances, Minion warriors would have prowled the guard paths lining the tops of the walls. The drawbridge would have been lowered, and more warriors would be seen guarding the drawbridge and the arched bridge stretching over the island’s lake. Other warriors would have been flying patrol in the sky. But today not one could be seen, and the wooden drawbridge was raised. All the blue-and-gold flags displaying the heraldry of the House of Galland had been lowered. An ominous stillness commanded the entire structure and the surrounding land.

Seeing the Recluse like this was eerie, Shailiha realized. In some ways, its seemingly abandoned state was even more foreboding than if it had been swarming with Wulfgar’s once-powerful demonslavers. She lowered the glass and looked at Tristan.

“What are your orders?” she asked him.

Tristan leaned against the gunwale, thinking. He was about to speak when Wigg beat him to it.

“Serena might want us to risk it all on a full frontal assault,” the wizard said. “And I must admit that it’s a tempting idea. But I would caution against it. We still don’t know what kind of strength she has gathered behind those walls. If her forces outnumber us, we could lose this battle soon after it starts.”

Tristan agreed with Wigg. But he also trusted Traax’s opinions in such matters. He looked toward his battle-hardened commander.

“And you, my friend?” he asked. “What do you say?”

Leaving Duvessa’s side, Traax walked closer. Although the warrior was up and about, his left arm was still bandaged. The look on his face was thoughtful, cautious.

“I agree with Wigg,” he said. “If there are too many of them and we attack in force, we could lose everything. Better to let a small group of warriors approach the castle and draw them out to test their defenses. It could be a suicide mission, but we might learn much.”

Tristan gave Traax a wry look. “And I suppose you want to lead them?” he asked.

Traax smiled. “Who better?” he asked. “My left arm might be weak, but my wings and my sword arm are fine.”

Tristan thought for a moment. “We could send a force of one thousand,” he mused. “That would be small enough not to weaken us badly should the group be vanquished, but perhaps large enough to draw the enemy out. As you say, we must find out what we’re up against.” TheJin’Sai went quiet again as he looked back at the distant Recluse.

“All right,” he said to Traax. “You may lead them. But I want half of the warriors to walk toward the castle while the rest circle above, protecting them from the air. That way we might learn what threats await us on the groundand in the sky. If you meet overwhelming odds, sound a retreat. Leave as soon as you have assembled your group.”

Tristan turned to Ox. “You’re in charge of relaying our plan to the other ships,” he ordered. “Be quick about it. Tell Faegan, Jessamay, and Aeolus that they are to take no action without my direct order.” In a flash, Ox and Traax were gone.

Taking a deep breath, Tristan looked back at the solitary Recluse. Soon we will know, he thought. But I fear that Serena’s response will be swift and deadly.

Shortly after that, the Conclave members watched the Minion forces soar away from theTammerland. Traax led the ground forces. With their dreggans drawn they landed warily, then started to advance on the Recluse. The other five hundred stayed in the air as their eyes scanned the sky and the warriors beneath them. Like Tristan had ordered, the flying warriors circled slowly so as not to gain distance on the ground troops.