“He’ll see you now,” said Jax.
“Do you know what’s going on?” Kelvich asked.
“No idea, but everyone is very busy,” he said cheerfully.
Kelvich followed Jax into the room and found the Duke standing at the conference table. On it was a large map of the Five Kingdoms, held down by heavy brass candle holders.
“Ah, yes, Master Kelvich,” the Duke said. “I’ve been expecting you. How does the translation work go?”
“It’s fine, my lord. Slow, but steady,” Kelvich said.
“Yes, it’s sometimes hard to wait on scholarly men. They seldom understand the need for haste don’t they? Well, I’ve more pressing concerns at the moment. We’ve had no word from the west, apart from what you can tell me of your travels there. Have you heard word of problems? Political upheaval? Anything of that sort?”
“No, not specifically,” Kelvich said. “I know that King Felix is well, or was well. I know that he sent men to escort Prince Wilam home from Osla.”
“Do you know why?” asked the Duke.
He was a big man, with round shoulders and a barrel chest. His stomach was large, too, but it seemed to fit his body rather than hinder it. He had a thick beard that he kept trimmed, and his shaggy hair was held in place by a leather strap.
“I was not in Orrock,” Kelvich tried to explain.
“But your friend the wizard was, I believe. What did he tell you?”
“Not much really, we were focusing on finding a dragon.”
“Please, Kelvich. We seem to be blind here. Troops are gathering at Fort Jellar. They don’t seem to be in a hurry and they aren’t doing much once they arrive, but it’s the first time I’ve seen troops mobilizing across the border. Any small bit of information would help. Now, why would the King send for Prince Wilam?”
“Well, according to Zollin, Prince Simmeron was poisoning the King. When Zollin healed King Felix, they learned that Prince Simmeron had sent assassins to kill Wilam.”
“I see,” said the Duke. “That is foul news to be sure. I suppose you’ve heard that a Council of Kings was called?”
“Yes,” Kelvich said.
“It appears that something is afoot in the Five Kingdoms. We’ve had no word that anything dire has happened to the Prince, but it might be possible that an assassin could have missed his target and harmed someone else. Especially with all Five Kings gathered together. And it does not bode well that King Felix sent for his son when a Council of Kings has been called,” the Duke was speaking as much to himself as anyone in the room. “We must be prepared. If the King has withdrawn his support of the Confederacy, we could be vulnerable to attack.”
He turned to one of the soldiers standing nearby.
“I want battle stations manned at all times,” he said. Then he turned to another man in gleaming armor. “I want the watch doubled, and let’s make sure that there are working spyglasses on every watchtower. Gentlemen,” he said in a loud voice addressing the entire room. “Be sure your men have their gear ready. As of this moment we are on call. I want everyone to refresh his knowledge of the signal flags. I want all the livestock moved into the Keep, along with as much food, wine, and medical supplies as possible. All leave is canceled. I want everyone on high alert. We may not be at war, men, but we must be ready for it.”
There was a chorus of “Yes sir’s” and “Aye, my lord’s,” then most of the men shuffled out of the room.
“Kelvich, stay with me a moment,” the Duke said.
He moved over to a large chair and filled a mug with water before sitting down. He rubbed his eyes and then waved to an empty chair.
“Please, sit down. I’ve forgotten my manners. Would you care for a drink?”
“No, thank you,” Kelvich said as he took a seat in one of the many chairs around the Duke’s large desk.
“We haven’t had much time to get to know one another. I’m very excited about the collection of manuscripts you found. And to be honest, I’m honored that you brought them here.”
Kelvich wasn’t sure what to say. He wished that he had asked for a drink so that he could use it to stall for time while he thought of the right thing to say. Kelvich didn’t feel comfortable around powerful people. He had seen power abused, had even done things he was ashamed of with his own power. As a sorcerer, Kelvich could control and use the power of other magic users. He had little real power himself, but in the presence of a wizard or warlock, he could essentially steal their self control and make them do whatever he pleased. In the past he had used the powers of others for his own ends, but in time he had come to believe that usurping someone’s will was wrong, and he had vowed never to do it again.
“I’ve had two passions all my life,” the Duke continued. “I’m a military man, there’s no denying that. I love this castle. I love that my family has held the Keep for over five hundred years. But I also love academia. Not that I’m a learned man. I’ve never had the time to devote myself to one of the scholarly disciplines, but I love books. I used to sit in this room and watch my father read. We would drill with swords all day, then spend our evenings reading. I got those two passions from my father, and I suppose he inherited those same passions from his father. I don’t care for court or politics. My place is here, defending the eastern border, even if there hasn’t been a threat here for over three hundred years.”
He smiled at Kelvich, who nodded encouragingly.
“Young Jax is quite a lad,” the Duke continued. “I’d say he’s smarter than half the people in this castle combined.”
“Yes, he’s very bright.”
“He’s the type of person who combines practical knowledge with genuine concern. His idea of having the children run messages was a stroke of genius. My tutor tells me the classes in the essentials school are more productive than ever. And that’s with a portion of the children out of the classroom everyday. I should have thought of that years ago. I know it would have made my life during essentials school much more enjoyable.”
“I suppose so,” Kelvich said.
“I want Jax to stay here,” the Duke said. “As my ward, of course. I think he could be an invaluable asset to the Keep.”
Kelvich was surprised and not quite sure what to say.
“Well,” he said, struggling to find the right words. “He’s an orphan, so I suppose that would be up to him.”
“Good,” said the Duke. “I was hoping you’d agree. I’ll talk to him soon and see how he feels. I’ve sent messengers to Orrock, letting the King know what we’re seeing here. My question for you is, when might we receive your friend, the wizard?”
“I’m not sure,” Kelvich said. “I’m supposed to return to the Ruins of Ornak once I learn all I can from the scrolls. He’ll only come here if he returns from the highlands and I’m not there.”
“I don’t suppose I could talk you into staying here then, could I?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if war is coming, it wouldn’t hurt to have a wizard on our side.”
“I really can’t believe that war is brewing. We haven’t been at war for over three centuries. Isn’t it more likely that the troops you’re seeing are just replacing the troops normally stationed at Fort Jellar?”
“That’s a good point, but the there are no troops leaving the area. More and more come in every day, but none leave.”
“Perhaps it’s just ordinary maneuvers,” Kelvich said.
“I’ve been the Duke here for over twenty years. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
He stood up and walked over to the large window that faced east.
“Look at this. Tell me what you think it might be.”
Kelvich waked over to the window and what he saw surprised him. Fort Jellar was easily over a mile away. There were several tall, stone structures and a long timber wall that surrounded the sprawling compound. Beyond that were rows and rows of small, white tents. Kelvich recognized the tents because they looked exactly like the tents used by the King’s legion, which had marched up the Great Valley with the wizards of the Torr in search of Zollin.