For the Love of a King (Blades Prequel)

Chapter 11

[Freshly edited July 25th, 2021.]

First Month of Spring

Third Era, Year 351

With a cavalry and an infantry, Ardan realized that the only unit left to find was an army of mages, since a navy would be impractical. Caolan asked him why he didn't want to be that general himself, and the answer was easy to give.

"I can't be there with you if I'm to direct the fighting myself. I'd rather keep the role of court sorcerer."

Caolan nodded. "I accept that."

Six days later he was searching yet another city for someone loyal enough to lead the mages, of which they had twenty so far. He retired for the night to his inn, planning to scout the city again in the morning, but decided to take some time to sit in the tavern first. It was one of the best ways to find fighters in general. He could easily test someone's loyalty and place a map into a mind without attracting too much attention. And it was relatively easy to find people loyal enough to join the fight. He could encounter a dozen or more in any given tavern at night, and they needed those fighters just as badly as they needed the generals.

Almost as common as the loyal fighters were the ones who weren't loyal or honorable of character. They were the ones who heard the nonsense words instead of a true question, who would raise a commotion and demand to know what he was on about. But that was unavoidable. Not everyone could be willing to upset the balance of power.

This time it was the young sorceress in the corner who attracted his attention. Even from a distance he could see the red of her eyes - the same color as his. As far as anyone knew, only twelve people with red magic lived at any one time. Why was someone with such rare and powerful magic sitting in a tavern and earning coin by selling charms and doing tricks?

As the night grew later, the crowd thinned. When she had been alone for a while, Ardan rose from his table and went to hers. She gave him a curious look when she noticed his eyes. He folded his hands on the table and returned the look.

"Why are you here?" he finally asked. A much simpler question than the ones he usually used, but effective.

"Why are you here?" she replied immediately.

"Looking for someone like you. I have a far better job for you, if you'll speak to me in private."

She narrowed her eyes. "I'm not a tavern whore," she hissed.

He smiled. "That's not what I'm offering." He leaned closer and added quietly, "The prince lives."

That got a reaction out of her. Though she tried to conceal it, her eyes brightened for just a moment.

"I will explain everything, but away from here," he told her. "I have a room upstairs."

She nodded. "I'll come."

He shielded the room against listeners as soon as they arrived, then pulled the necklace he wore from beneath his shirt. Much to his surprise, she recognized the dragon symbol.

"King Caol's court sorcerer," she stated, eyes wide. "You've been missing for almost twenty years."

"Only missing to the right people," he replied. "How did you recognize this?"

"I was a mage in the overlord's army. We were taught to recognize the symbol so we could imprison you if we ever found you. The thought was that you had taken the prince away from Ryal before the city fell."

Ardan nodded. "That's exactly what I did. Caolan lives outside a village five days' ride from here. There is an army in the foothills that is growing in number every day, and will continue to grow as soon as he announces himself. I have been looking for his commanders. We have twenty mages thus far, and I'm not willing to lead them. I'm a court sorcerer, not a general."