James Galloway - The Tower of Sorcery

"He's…in the Cathedral…," she panted. "He's…being held…underneath it."

"The Cathedral of Karas?" Darvon said in surprise. "Are you sure, your Highness?"

"Positive," she panted.

"I never thought I'd have to attack my own church before," Darvon grunted. "But if you say he's there, then he's there. We'll just have to go get him."

"They must…have dug out passages…not on the plans I had of it," she said, recovering her breath. "But I don't understand why they took him. It doesn't make sense."

"It makes this a siege, Lord General," Manx said. "That means I'll have the better chance."

"The Cathedral is huge, Colonel Manx, and the Priests there will no doubt use their magic to defend it. I think we should start by trying to negotiate. After we surround the building, of course. The priests of Karas are one of the arms of our own faith. I can't see any reason why they would kidnap Tarrin, but maybe I can convince them to let him go without combat. Once I make it plain that the Knights will assault the Cathedral if they don't, they may change their minds."

"Miranda, go fetch the plans I have," Keritanima said to her maid. "We can use them."

"At once, Highness," Miranda said, scurrying off with Sisska behind her.

"You have plans of the Cathdreal, Highness?" Manx asked curiously.

"I needed them. Let's not go into that right now," she said decisively. "We need some katzh-dashi , gentleman. If we have to attack, we'll need Sorcerers to disrupt the priests' magic. Trying to attack the cathedral without magical assistance would be suicide. Did you talk to the Council, Allia?"

"No, but I did talk to Dolanna," Allia said stiffly. "She is rounding up Sorcerers we can trust."

"Trust? What in the Nexus is going on?"

"It is bad," Allia said in a trembling rage. "Dolanna had horrible news. I cannot face the Council right now. I would have to kill them."

Darvon gave Allia a startled look, but it was nothing compared to the way Manx was gaping at Keritanima. "Would you mind explaining to me what you're talking about?" Keritanima demanded.

"Tarrin was turned Were by the Council ," Allia announced in a voice trembling with rage. "It was the Council that captured Jesmind and sent her after him. The same collar they used to control her was stolen some days ago, and Dolanna suspects that it was used to capture Tarrin."

Keritanima stared at Allia for a long moment, then she sighed. "I knew that the katzh-dashi were doing more than it seemed," she said in a disgusted voice. "I'm not surprised. They even had the foresight to send Dolanna to bring Tarrin back, just so a Sorceress with experience in dealing with Were-kin would be there to keep him under control."

"You mean to tell me that the Council had Tarrin infected deliberately?" Darvon demanded of Allia, his faced splotched in pure rage.

Allia nodded. "I have not heard it from them, but Dolanna is someone that I trust. If she says it is so, then she believes that it is so. She would never lie to me about something as important as this . That is enough for me."

"It may be enough for me too," Darvon said in a grim tone, "but it's something that I'll hear out of the Keeper's mouth for myself. Right before I smash her teeth in."

"May I watch?" Allia asked in a savage tone.

"I'll hold her so you can break her nose," Darvon growled.

"I would find that very pleasing."

"Let's not drift off course here," Keritanima reminded them. "When Miranda gets back with the plans, we'll need to organize a way to quickly surround the building without raising too much attention to it. Today is a service day, so we may be able to get in place before they realize what's going on." She grinned evilly. "They can't sneak him out, because I can pinpoint his location with Sorcery. If they start moving him, we can adjust our deployment to keep him solidly inside our lines."

"Pardon my boldness, Highness, but when did you learn strategy and tactics?"

"I do more than admire pretty dresses, Colonel," she said brusquely. "Now hush."

"Yes ma'am."

Miranda arrived with the plans, and she had company. Dolanna and a small group of robed Sorcerers were following her, numbering fourteen, and they included Sevren, Elsa, and surprisingly, Lilenne and Brel. One noticable absence was Jula, but perhaps Dolanna simply couldn't find her in time. Faalken was marching alongside the small dark-haired Sorceress protectively, and it was clear from Dolanna's expression that she had suffered some kind of emotional trauma. "Dolanna," Keritanima said gently. "We appreciate your help, and the help from all the rest of you."

"Tarrin is Ungardt, and from a clan allied to my own," Elsa, Mistress of Novices, said gruffly. She was carrying a wicked-looking axe, which looked a bit out of place for someone wearing a robe. "Ungardt care for their own."

"Now gather round everyone, let's get ready."

"Where is he?" Dolanna asked.

"Under the Cathedral of Karas," Keritanima replied.

"And by what right do you command us?" Brel asked sourly.

"By the fact that I'll have Binter here grab you by the ankles and tear you in half if you don't like it," Keritanima snapped, her eyes blazing.

"You're only an Initiate."

"She also happens to be a Princess," Manx warned in a flat tone. "We do as she commands."

"The Knights stand under her banner, Sorcerer," Darvon warned. "We will follow her commands as well."

Brel gave Darvon a look, then nodded. "Now your judgement I'll trust, Darvon," he said. "If you say she commands, then she commands. Let's see what we're going to do about this, your Highness."

Keritanima gave Brel an impish smile, then unrolled the plans, flattened them out with Sorcery and hung them in midair. "There are six entrances we have to cover," she said, pointing them out. "What he have to do is surround the Cathedral without raising an alarm. Right now, they're about to start services, so we should be able to do that. Once we're in position, our seven strongest Sorcerers will circle and create a Ward around the cathedral that blocks all magic. That's going to keep the priests from using magic to repel us if we invade."

"Our priests are trained for fighting, Princess," Darvon said. "They'll fight hand to hand."

"Yes, but they're nowhere as well trained as your Knights and my Marines," Keritanima said calmly. "Without their magic, we should be able to roll them under quickly and without a bloodbath. We're not there to slaughter everyone. We're there to get Tarrin and the people that took him. It's a big place, and I seriously doubt that everyone in there knows that Tarrin's being held there. Until we manage to figure out who did it, and how involved the church is, there's no need to kill everyone in a frock. They could be innocent."

Manx nodded sagely, and Darvon voiced agreement. "We will have to move quickly," Darvon said. "The Sulasian Army won't like armed columns laying siege to the city's cathedral. We have to get him out of there before the King's men can respond, so there's a certain call for haste in this."

"Yes, but after we have the cathedral completely overwhelmed, I hope they'll see reason and simply hand him over. But trust me, gentlemen, one way or another, we will get him back," she said adamantly. "After we have the cathredral Warded, we send in Darvon to negotiate. If he can't get satisfaction, we allow the worshippers to leave, then we invade. The mechanics of the invasion will be up to you, Colonel and my Lord General. I won't step on your toes in that regard. But I would like to see the cathedral taken with a minimum of killing. We'll save killing for the truly guilty."

"My men are trained for non-lethal combat, Highness," Manx promised. "There will be a minimum of bloodshed."