noted.
“Yeel has allies in another world, reachable through his travel devices,” Jymoor said. “His allies can become our allies,” Jymoor explained.
“By allies you mean…kingdoms with armies?”
“Yes,” Jymoor said. “One army, anyway. Yeel knows another very powerful wizard called Vot. I mentioned her in passing before. She has assembled an army. However, they have enemies of their own. Like us, they’re readying their stand at a fortress called Ascara-home. Our proposal is that we stand together. Riken helps Yeel’s friends, called the Ascarans, then they will fight with us. Together, our armies can win two wars where separately they’d fall.”
“Impossible! The army can’t leave in such a time as this! Three great cities have already fallen. Our capital is next.”
“But by helping Ascara-home, you would gain Vot’s people as staunch allies. They would come to our aid in turn.”
“What if our army is destroyed in the fight for Ascara-home? Who will come back to defend the capital? What if we leave and the barbarians arrive while we’re marching off in some other world?”
“Timing is admittedly very critical here,” Yeel said. “But remember, as long as we have the roveportal deployed in Maristaple, we can return directly here. You must understand concentration of force? Our two armies combined will defeat the assault on Ascara-home taking less losses than if a smaller army opposed the Meridalae there.”
Aruscetar looked away from Yeel.
“Yes, the armies would be much stronger if combined. I will contemplate this,” Aruscetar said. “I can promise nothing.”
Jymoor opened her mouth to speak, but Yeel interrupted her.
“Thank you for your consideration, wise monarch,” Yeel said. He looked at Jymoor. He placed a thought directly into her brain without letting the others overhear. “Without the armor, I dare say you would not contemplate arguing with your king?”
Jymoor’s face turned red. The armor had made her bold, indeed! Before she had left on her mission, she was hard pressed to do anything but bow before the king. Now she wanted to argue against his order, to convince him with the fierceness of her spirit!
“Thank you for your consideration,” Jymoor echoed.
“One final note, if I may. This information is best kept secret. There are spies everywhere. Our enemies would prefer to block any plans of cooperation we might make.”
The king nodded. “Of course. I’m not an idiot.”
“I didn’t mean to imply that, I assure you. I spoke only to remind and to implore for further security measures.” Yeel watched the edges of Seer Yune’s mouth turn up ever so slightly.
Chapter 15: Barbarians
Yeel sensed a change in the human soldiers around him. Their movement patterns had changed. Another squad of armored men hurried past.
Not good. They are alarmed. Perhaps the attack has begun?
He found Jymoor at the top of the gate tower where they’d entered the city. She looked out into the distance.
“What can you see?” Yeel asked. “My eyes, without augmentation, are not good at distance.”
“The barbarian army is arriving,” she said. Her voice was somber.
“I guess that’s not surprising,” Yeel said. “We were talking openly about helping Vot. No doubt Yune heard of it and told the Meridalae.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Meridalae always have spies in high places,” Yeel said. “And one of them is Seer Yune. She’s the one who altered my memory augment the very night I read it. They may have learned of our proposal. The surest way to keep us from our plan is to put Maristaple into immediate danger. Even if they aren’t ready to attack the city, their presence here forces the king’s hand.”
“Has Yune been thrown in the dungeon?”
“I haven’t told the king yet. I feared making such an accusation against his mistress would simply anger him and cause him to reject our argument for cooperation with Vot.”
Jymoor opened her mouth then shut it again.
“You’re right. What about the barbarians? Why are they on the side of the Meridalae?”
“They probably aren’t. The Meridalae are masters of manipulation. They seldom do their own fighting. For all we know, this plan is a century in the making.”
For the rest of the day, Jymoor watched the enemy encircle the castle and create huge camps. She gave steady reports to Yeel, who couldn’t see it by himself. All the while, the soldiers within the castle made their last preparations as well. The last few shacks were cleared from outside the wall. Though the vegetation had been cut away weeks ago, scouts milled about outside the wall, making sure everything was in order.
As night fell, Yeel turned to Jymoor.
“I’m going to head