Author: Andrew Q. Gordon
Category: LGBT
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“That won’t be an issue for where we go next,” Nerti said. “After that, we can assess things and act accordingly.”
Farrell shrugged. Her acceptance confirmed he’d made the right decision. “Problem solved.”
“Is it still your plan to leave today?” Basje asked.
“No.” Kel gave Farrell a snide look. “My grandson has delayed our departure for the rest of the day.”
“Excellent.” Basje nodded to Esward, who bowed and walked off. “The clans would like to send off two of our own with a celebration tonight.”
Farrell suppressed a sigh. Another celebration. Maybe he could convince Kel to leave before it began.
NERTI LED the five travelers north. The party had been more subdued than Farrell had expected. He thought of it as an extended goodbye with food and not a celebration. Rojas was the center of the festivities, and the Bendari acted like they didn’t expect him back. Indeed, the panther had glanced back many times already.
“I doubt it will change much while you are gone,” Farrell said, trying to cheer him up.
“The Endless Snows will endure as they ever have.” Rojas trotted ahead and Farrell took the hint.
“Did I say something wrong?” he asked Nerti.
“Rojas is not permitted to return except in your company.”
“What?” Kel looked over at the sudden outburst and Farrell waved him off. “Why not?”
“No male cub has ever had the gifts to be She Who Guides,” Nerti said. “When Rojas was born, the clans wanted to put him to death. They called him an abomination. Tojas and the Shaman convinced the clans otherwise. But only Pojas can lead when her mother passes on the title.
“Rojas was born to leave the Endless Snows. That is his destiny, and it begins today.”
Farrell hadn’t been old enough to remember his ancestral home when he left. Once he knew the truth, however, leaving Yar-del always tugged at him. He couldn’t imagine never being welcome home again.
A pang of sadness enveloped him as he watched Rojas run ahead of them. It didn’t seem fair that those who fought to save the world had to lose everything they knew. Kel didn’t join the conversation, but Farrell assumed his grandfather knew.
“Where are we going?” Farrell asked out loud.
“Tilerstig,” Kel said.
He’d never heard of it. “Which is where?”
“Erd.”
Farrell rolled his eyes, but Kel didn’t see him. “Erd’s a big place. Can you narrow it down a bit more?”
“Northeast Erd.”
“Please stop being evasive.” He did his best not to sound as annoyed as he felt. “If you won’t tell me, I might as well go back to Haven.”
“What?” Kel looked confused.
“I want to know where we’re going and why, and your answers don’t tell me anything.”
“My apologies.” Kel nodded. “I was thinking about our destination.”
Farrell squeezed his lips together so he didn’t say something snarky. He allowed Kel a moment before he spoke again. “That’s fortuitous since that is where we are going.”
Kel chuckled. “Indeed. The kingdom is located in the tundra of northeast Erd.”
“What’s there? I mean, why are we going to Tilergist?”
“Tilerstig. What you really mean is why are we going to a place you’ve never heard of before.”
Farrell took the ribbing in the spirit it was meant. “Something like that.”
“The short answer is they oppose Neldin and will help us.” Kel stared into the distance again, so Farrell let him proceed at his own pace. “Centuries before Beatrice or I disappeared, the Six told us to gather a few of our descendants. They told us to bring only master wizards and no one in my immediate line of succession. I then hired a small force of soldiers eager to start a new life, and we headed to Northern Erd as directed.”
“You founded another kingdom that no one knew about?”
“No, but in truth, that is what we thought we were doing. Then as now, Erd was a lawless land of small kingdoms and city-states that always seemed to be at war. Some escaped the constant conflict. Bowient was Falcron’s home and remained neutral. No one marches on Fracturn because it is impenetrable. Tilerstig remained untouched because it is nearly impossible to reach.
“The land immediately north of the Tiler Mountains is fertile and well settled. Beyond that, the tundra stretches all the way to the northern coast. It is too cold to grow most crops, there are few trees, and little rain much of the year. The winters are long and summer is rarely hot. The ground stays frozen except for the top few inches of dirt. What does melt can’t seep into the land, so lakes, ponds, and marshes pop up in summer, often in new locations each year. The size of these seasonal water spots varies based on the amount of rain in a given summer.”
“Are there clans like in Arvendia or Bendar?”
“You would think they’d have moved in, but they didn’t. Most stay to the south where the grazing is better and lasts longer. But there is one part of the northeast that is habitable. Near the northeast tip of Erd are two peninsulas that look like bent fingers. The water tempers the climate, the land doesn’t freeze as long, and it drains better. The only deep-water port is between the two fingers. That is where Tilerstig began.
“For centuries the kingdom lived in relative peace. The tundra was too wet in summer and too cold in the winter to march an army across and the port too well defended. But as with all things, there is someone for everything. In time, Tilerstig attracted the attention of a greedy warlord.
“When Beatrice and I arrived, the warlord had surrounded the city and it was in danger of falling. Needless to say, he did not expect an attack from the rear.”
“Or from Kel and Beatrice,” Farrell said.
“Beatrice has never been good at combat magic. She protected our forces while my descendants and I broke the siege. The fight was short. Our enemy hadn’t shielded their rear, and my spells proved quite devastating.”
Farrell didn’t ask for more details. He’d seen firsthand the power of Kel’s combat magic. “What did the people of Tilerstig do when you arrived? Where they wary of replacing one invader for another?”
“Beatrice and I expected as much, but they had been expecting us. Honorus told them we were coming.”
“Why would the Six be so concerned about this kingdom?” Farrell asked. “The kingdoms of Erd are in a near constant state of war and They don’t get involved.”
“Not that we know of, at least, and certainly not this directly,” Kel said. “Much as They generally do not explain their plans to you, so it was with this. With the benefit of time, I believe I see Their true motive.
“After Beatrice and I freed the castle, we spent the next ten years protecting Tilerstig. Not with the usual defenses either. We created spells that hid and protected them from their enemies. Everything we did played to the natural strengths of the kingdom; its isolation, difficult terrain, and limited points of access.
“We also brought much-needed people to the kingdom. The war had decimated the wizards and fighting-age men of Tilerstig. At the time we didn’t see it as helping to repopulate a defeated people. It merely seemed fortuitous. The wizards and soldiers found ready work, the men found life partners and a place to retire and raise a family. Nothing seemed unusual.”
“Really?” Farrell glanced at Kel and gave him a skeptical look. “I would think it unusual from the moment They told you to defend a specific kingdom on Erd.”
“Yes, that was odd. Especially the part about bringing our descendants, but even that was explainable. The war began with an attack on the royal family. Their enemy chose the wedding of a prince to strike. Most everyone with a claim to the throne was there. The few who survived led the opposition and died during the fighting. When the war ended, Tilerstig needed a new royal family.”
“They made you their king?”
Kel laughed. “They asked, but I politely declined. I’d given up Yar-del�
��s and I had no desire to be a king ever again.”
Farrell understood that feeling. “So if not you, Beatrice?”
“Oh no.” He feigned a horrific expression. “Not only was she far too wise to ever be a ruler, she would be the first to admit she’d be a terrible queen. But you’re close. Our descendants were almost as suitable to the people of Tilerstig as either of us.”
“Ah.” Now it made sense. “Honorus had you bring along a group of potential kings and queens.”
“Exactly. My great-granddaughter, Lionia, and Beatrice’s great-great-grandson, Mekeral, were both powerful wizards. And they were in love. They were a perfect choice.”
“And then you and Beatrice worked to protect their new kingdom.”
“And we encouraged as many of our other descendants to remain and help.”
Farrell smiled. “As the new nobility.”
“It didn’t hurt to use that as a selling point.” Kel shrugged. “But while it all seemed logical at the time, it hid the Six’s true purpose.”
“Which was?”
“To preserve my descendants.”
If Farrell had been on a horse, he’d have pulled to a stop. “Your backup plan.”
“Not exactly. I don’t expect you to lose,” Kel said. “But it has shielded them from the house of Vedri’s attempts to eliminate my line.”
That Geena was not his heir was welcome news. “So Geena and Bren are not…. wait. Why weren’t these descendants included on the stone in the council room in Dreth?”
Kel raised an eyebrow. “Well caught, Grandson. I removed them and their line from the stone. If the line of Yar-del had died out, their names would have appeared, as would their descendants’. I would also have let the council know what I had done and why.”
“You covered your trail amazingly well.” The admiration in his voice was real.
“I tried. It helped to have the Eye of Honorus.”
Farrell nodded. “That explains why I’ve never heard of Tilerstig. What did you hide there that we’re going to get?”
Kel smirked and paused before answering. “Not what, but who.”
“Who?”
“Many whos, really.”
The failure to give a straight answer irritated Farrell but he swallowed his angry retort. “They have an army?”
“Yes, but they also have some powerful wizards who can help.”
“Will they? Help me… us?”
Kel’s jovial expression faded. “That is reason we are riding now instead of using a Door. Tilerstig has remained isolated for the last eighteen centuries. Their merchants conduct a limited sea trade with the other kingdoms in Erd, but only on their ships. Outsiders are not welcome.”
“I take it you’re not considered an outsider?”
Kel shrugged. “Who can say? After eighteen centuries, much could have changed.”
“And yet we go there anyway?”
“There is no way to make contact with them other than to go there.”
Walking into a hostile environment didn’t seem wise, but Kel didn’t appear concerned. “If you’ve not been in contact with them, how do you know they can or even will help?”
“Remember, I created most of their defenses. Trust that I can see what happens inside the old boundaries of the kingdom. They have the means to help us. As for will they? It is in their best interest to help. Their isolation will only last but so long if Meglar conquers the world.”
“Assuming they let us in to ask.”
“I’m confident they’ll grant us entry. I can turn off their defenses with a thought.”
“And you think threatening them is going to warm them to our cause?”
Kel laughed. “I think my descendants will see the benefit to at least allowing us into the kingdom. Well, entry is the wrong word. They’ll let us stay to say our piece. I also control all Door access as well.”
“Wonderful idea. We open a Door and walk into an isolationist kingdom that doesn’t welcome newcomers. Once there we ask them politely to not only let us live, but to help us defeat Meglar.”
“I’m glad you agree.” He frowned as he looked over. “Trust that I am not planning anything that will get us killed.”
Farrell nodded. “I’m sorry. I know you won’t do that, but I still have a lot of questions.”
“I know you do. That is why we are going to ride today and go to Tilerstig tomorrow.” Kel reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a book. “But first I want you to review the spells that guard the kingdom. It wouldn’t hurt for you to be able to turn them off if needed.”
“YOU WEREN’T exaggerating when you said the terrain wasn’t favorable for moving an army.” Farrell looked around as Nerti picked her way across a pockmarked landscape.
“The main road is that way.” Kel pointed to his left. “It is hidden, but Flemin can see it through my eyes.”
Unlike the beauty of the Endless Snows or the dazzle of the Lourdrian Desert, this place was drab and dreary. The grass had died and turned almost the same color as the dirt. There were few trees, and those Farrell saw were barely taller than his head when mounted. Shrubs were more numerous, but they contributed to the dull landscape.
Rojas followed Nerti and cautiously placed his paws where she stepped. The fur on the lower parts of his legs had already turned brown, the result of not paying enough attention. The thin ice layers covered in dirt wouldn’t support his weight, and he made sure not to stray again.
“Does it ever improve?” Farrell asked.
Kel kept his eyes on the ground ahead of him. “Does what improve?”
“Anything.” He waved his hand in front of him, not that his grandfather could see it. “The color, the travel conditions, the quality of the vegetation?”
“The tundra is not meant to be inviting. The kings and queens of Tilerstig have made no efforts to change what is a powerful defense.”
“I can see that. Keep it ugly enough and no one will want to come here, much less invade.”
“I’d recommend you not refer to the land as ugly. The average Stigerian finds it soothing.”
“Stigerian?”
“That is how the people of Tilerstig refer to themselves,” Kel said. “Ah, here is the road.”
Flemin’s gait had changed. When Nerti joined him, Farrell could feel the firm ground beneath them. He twisted in his seat and scanned the horizon.
“I can’t see how this is soothing.”
“This is the best time to travel. Soon it will get colder and the water hazards will go away, but the cold, biting wind will sap your energy. In summer the icy ground melts and the little footing we had will turn to mud. Even this road will be harder to use.”
“The Endless Snows are more hospitable than this place,” Rojas said. “Why would anyone want to live here?”
“The land closer to the coast is much more habitable,” Kel said. “And the majority of the people live on the fertile plains of the two peninsulas.”
Building your kingdom on the other side of such land made strategic sense. But it made trade and the free flow of goods more difficult as well.
With Nerti on better footing, Farrell studied the magic Kel had used to defend the Stigerians. Had his grandfather not attuned him, Farrell doubted he could have found all the spells. They were also buried beneath layers of newer spells.
“Did they know your spells were there?” he asked. “When they added theirs, I mean.”
“They did and did not. What you see on top are their efforts to improve on my original defenses.”
Farrell raised an eyebrow. “Improve them? That’s some hubris.”
“Indeed, but that is the nature of wizards, especially those of my line.” He started at the ground for a few moments. “The ones below were meant to remain hidden, and it appears they have. Those allow me free access even if they changed my spells, which they did.”
“You turned off their defenses?”
“No. If anyone not a friend to Tilerstig were to follow
us, the spells would work as intended.” Kel sounded pleased with himself.
Farrell would have been too. Almost two thousand years later his secret spells still worked. But it raised a different question. “Did you build similar overrides into other places?”
“How else could I come and go without being noticed?”
“But….” The situation bothered him, but he didn’t know why. Any wizard worth his training wouldn’t create combat spells that worked on them. “Even in Yar-del?”
Kel laughed. “Especially there. I was king for a long time. Fear not, Grandson, you can see them now that I’ve attuned you to these. You need only look for them.”
He nodded because he couldn’t think of anything to say. Everything Kel did had a purpose that might not be met for centuries. It seemed unlikely even Kel knew why he’d needed to insert a hidden precaution into his spells.
If his masters had acted in such a manner, Farrell hadn’t noticed. Then again, if they had created hidden safeguards in their spells, they wouldn’t be a secret if Farrell knew about them.
They rode without speaking for almost an hour. Farrell hadn’t meant to be silent, but he lost himself in his thoughts and Kel didn’t intrude. That didn’t surprise him as much as Nerti’s silence.
“Is anything wrong?” he asked her.
“Like you, I’ve been deep in thought,” she answered. “But thank you for your concern.”
He knew her tone and didn’t ask what occupied her thoughts. Instead he checked on Rojas. The snow panther had never been away from his family or the Endless Snows. Not that it showed. His head flicked in all direction as he took in their surroundings. The world around them might be drab to Farrell, but to Rojas it must be incredibly diverse.
Nerti stiffened a moment before Rojas’s head snapped around and he stared forward. Facing forward, Farrell saw a company approach. The ground trembled and a soft rumble shook the road beneath Nerti. A company ten times that size shouldn’t have created such impact. But the riders approaching were not an ordinary mounted unit.
“By the Six! What are they?”