Hakkin nodded. “It wouldn’t prevent them coming back if they were determined enough. But it would slow them down.”
“It is the main trade route, though,” Perkin reminded him.
“Who’s going to trade with them now?” Narvelan asked, narrowing his eyes and looking around the circle.
“An end to trade would harm us as much as them,” the king pointed out. “Perhaps harm us more. They have better access to other lands.”
“I have to agree with you, your majesty,” Dem Ayend said. “When news came that Sachaka had invaded Kyralia some of my people took it upon themselves to murder the Sachakan traders based in Elyne. We will come to regret that, though I’m sure trade links will be re-established in time.”
“Perhaps instead we should build a fort here,” Lord Bolvin suggested. “Control who passes into Kyralia. It would have the same advantage of slowing an invasion, and we would know it is happening. Instantly, if we post a magician here.”
“We could charge Sachakan traders a fee, as well,” Hakkin added. “It might go some way towards helping our people recover.”
Heads were nodding, Dakon saw. The fee could never be high enough, he thought. It can’t be set so high that it discourages trade. And it would go straight into some magician’s coffer, most likely, not into the common people’s hands.
“How likely is it that we will be invaded again?” Lord Perkin asked, looking around.
Nobody answered for a long moment.
“That depends on two things,” Sabin said. “The desire to, and the ability to. Will they desire to? Perhaps we have frightened them into leaving us alone. Or maybe, by killing so many members of their most powerful families, we have set a desire for revenge blazing that could lead to endless conflict.”
“They invaded us,” Narvelan growled.
“True. But Sachakans are nothing less than utterly convinced of their superiority over other races. We have dared to defeat them. They won’t like it.”
“How many Sachakan magicians are left?” Bolvin asked.
“I have kept count of the fatalities as best I could,” Sabin said. “I estimate at least ninety Sachakans have died in this invasion.”
“There were over two hundred in Sachaka, according to my spies,” the king said.
“So over a hundred remain,” Hakkin said. “We number no more than eighty.”
“Some of their magicians are too young or too old to fight effectively,” the king added.
“The odds don’t sound good, even so,” Perkin said.
“I think we’ve learned the hard way that it is not the number of magicians that matters, but their strength,” Narvelan said.
“And their skills and knowledge,” Dakon added.
“It is not only their strength to begin with, though that is important, but their access to strength later,” Sabin said. “They can only bring so many slaves into Kyralia. We have the support of most of our population.”
“I think they’ve learned their lesson,” Hakkin said.
“But how long before they forget it?” Narvelan asked. “Will our children fight and die in another war? Or our grandchildren?”
“Can we prevent its ever happening again?” Sabin asked. He shook his head. “Of course we can’t.”
“Or can we?” Narvelan said. All turned to look at him, many frowning. His eyes were dark as he smiled back at them. “They wouldn’t invade us if we ruled them.”
That sent a ripple of murmuring out from the circle. Dakon saw eyes widen at the possibility, and heads shake.
“Invade Sachaka?” Hakkin scowled. “Even if we had a chance of success, we’ve just fought a war. Do we have the energy for another?”
“We might, if it would ensure Kyralia’s future,” Lord Perkin said.
The king was frowning. “Can we afford to lose more of our own magicians?” he asked, his gaze fixed on the ground. “We may return victorious only to find ourselves vulnerable to attack from elsewhere.”
“Who else would dare, or bother, your majesty?” Narvelan spread his hands. “Lonmar? They are too busy worshipping their god and barely pay attention to what we do. Lan? Vin? Elyne? They are here, supporting us.” He turned to regard Dem Ayend, smiling but with a hint of seriousness in his gaze.
The Dem chuckled. “Elyne has always been a friend of Kyralia.” He paused. “And if you allow it, we would join you in your endeavour. We know we will not last long if Kyralia ever falls to Sachaka. I know I have my king’s support on this.”
Sabin hummed in thought, then looked at the Dem. “Your offer would have to be discussed, but I can see one problem to be overcome. If we are to invade Sachaka, we must do it without hesitation. We have only our apprentices and servants to draw strength from. Like us, the Sachakans will evacuate their slaves so that we can’t gain strength from them. We must give them no time to.”
“We should not kill the slaves, but free them,” Dakon said. He smiled as heads turned towards him. “We couldn’t hope to win without taking their power, of course, but after a country is taken it has to be ruled, and it would be easier if the majority of people were co-operative because we had treated them well.” Dakon was pleased to see the king nodding, his expression thoughtful. “If we must invade Sachaka in order to save Kyralia, let’s not become Sachakans.”
Sabin chuckled. “Their way of doing things didn’t work for them, so it won’t work for us.”
More murmuring echoed around the ravine. The leaders were silent, lost in thought. Then Bolvin sighed.
“Must we invade? I’m tired. I want to go home, to my family.”
“We must,” Narvelan said, his voice full of certainty. “So that your children will have the freedoms we have.”
“Perhaps I can help you decide,” Dem Ayend said.
All turned to look at the Elyne. He smiled wryly as he reached into the satchel he always carried. He glanced down and drew out a small drawstring bag. Untying the knot, he tipped out into his palm a large milky-yellow stone the size of a fist, cut like a precious gem.
“This is a storestone. It’s the last of its kind. It and others were found in ancient ruins in Elyne, built and abandoned by a people we know little about. We don’t know how they are made – and believe me, many magicians have tried to find out over the centuries.”
He held the stone out so all in the circle could see. “It stores magic. Transferring power to it is not unlike sending power to another magician. Unfortunately the magic within must be used in one continuous stream. If not, it will shatter and release the remaining magic in a devastating blast. And once the magic is all used, the stone turns to dust. So, as you can imagine, you must choose the moment such an object is used very, very carefully. Especially since when this one is used, there will be no more left.”
Dem Ayend looked up. His eyes were bright. Dakon saw awe and excitement in the faces of the magicians around him. Looking closely at the stone, he felt something at the edge of his senses. Concentrating on the feeling made his head spin.
The stone was radiating a feeling of immense power, unlike anything he had ever felt before.
“My king gave it to me to use only in the most desperate moment, and fortunately that moment did not come. I have consulted with him via messengers, anticipating this moment. He said if the chance came to conquer Sachaka, then we should seize it. Because I, and my king, can see no cause more worthy of the last of the storestones than ending the Sachakan empire for all time.”
Looking at the faces of the magicians around him, Dakon knew, without a doubt, that he would not be going back to Mandryn to rebuild his life for some time yet.
The morning air was crisp, but Hanara knew that once the sun rose above the mist that shrouded the hills below, baking the air dry, the day would be a hot one. The place Takado, Asara and Dachido had chosen to camp was several strides from the road, out of sight on a rock shelf. If they moved to the edge and looked down they could see the road twisting back and forth down the side of the mountain, curving over hills and eventually straightening and pointing, like an arrow, toward Arvice.
Hanara’s master was not enjoying the view. He was being served by Asara’s remaining slave, while Hanara kept watch on the road. Dachido’s slave was packing up his master’s belongings. The three slaves took turns at these tasks every morning, until all were ready to travel on.