11. The Eagle's Nest

Despite herself, Kel couldn't help being impressed at the sight of the Eire. Built directly on the rock face of a sheer mountain, the castle looked almost like it had been pulled out of the stone. At the base where the field met mountain was a small town encompassed by a sturdy wall. The ground rose behind the wall until the mountain sliced into the slope. Where they collided, a long stone building and cylinder tower guarded the base of the Eire.

Four walls leaned out from hights, each of the two outside corners flaunting an even higher watchtower. Kel's experienced eyes made note of the fact that the side using the mountain as a wall was completely secure. No person, less an army, could scale down its bare face. Within the outer walls, two smaller ones were just visible behind them - the castle keep. On the North side bulged a massive curve of what looked like another tower, only it was separated from all other walls, suspended above the valley. Almost as large as the castle keep, every window glowed a welcoming yellow.

Tavis noticed her gaping and smiled. "That's the Eire of Horus. Took our people generations to build it. There are even more rooms dug right into the mountain."

A long blast on a horn interrupted her response. The gates to the town swung open. All along the wall people appeared bearing torches of red fire. Maggur turned his horse and called back.

"Sergeant! Bring the Protector to the front."

Tavis rode forwards, leading Kel's mare. Maggur smirked.

"Now my people will have full faith in me. You're country will fall."

Kel glared sitting iron straight in her saddle and ignoring the pull of the rope around her wrists. "My country will last for centuries. We have not been forced into loyalty, we have earned it. My king does not have to do great deeds to ensure our loyalty. He understands his people."

A small corner of her mind sarcastically observed Yes, but he gave you an unfair probation to become a knight. And here you are, defending him. She snapped back at the voice. I'm defending the reason I wanted to become a knight in the first place - to protect the people.

Maggur pulled her horse to the gates. In the dead silence, he held up the red rope which bound her and announced.

"My subjects, I have gone out to meet the enemy and captured their beloved 'Protector of the Small'. The cursed Tortallians with their over-lauded magic wielders could not keep her safe. Now I will fulfill the prophesy that our gods have given us."

A sudden wave of depression swept over Kel as she listened to the chanting of the Scanrans. Far behind enemy lines, spelled on by some unknown magic, and alone, she closed her eyes. Abruptly they snapped back open. He was doing this. Manipulating her emotions to make her feel defeated. Kel glared, letting her full hatred focus on his triumphant back and holding her head high. With satisfaction she caught the slight flinch of surprise in Maggur's prideful smile at her regained control.

They marched through the gates to the chanting citizens.

"Maggur the Red! Maggur the Red!"

888

Candles burned low in their holders, dripping wax on a badly stained table from many other late nights like this. Numair Salmalin groaned and sat back from intensively studying a parchment which lay half-curled in front of him. He pulled out the leather tie in his thick black hair and scratched furiously at his scalp. Pushing back a padded chair, he stood and stretched five hours worth of kinks out of his six foot five frame, accompanied with multiple pops from complaining joints.

"Getting old." He muttered.

"Find anything interesting?"

He turned and smiled at his beloved. Daine had been with the horses once again by the looks of her grass smeared tunic and dusting of hair.

"Myles did. I honestly don't know how that man finds out what he does. The latest is that Maggur has returned to his capital with the Lady Keladry. All this talk about a prophesy has me confused though."

Daine frowned, moving from the doorway to his desk to get a better look at the message.

"From an enemy comes salvation,

From the gods come unity.

The one who comes from Southern nation,

Beneath the Red, victory to thee.

Beasts of iron, marching on,

To fate, to war, to destiny.

A red sun rises, heed the dawn,

One to unite, make a people free.

Let none stop thee,

Power will rise,

Power like none will believe

Raise up the power to die.

Fly on wings of white,

Ye of victory.

Bind the hearts of man's delight

He unites, she the key."

She shrugged. "Awful poetry if you ask me."

Numair gave a short laugh as he slumped back in his chair. "It's more dramatic in ancient Scanran. But for an entire nation to go to war on a few words - I fear something else."

Daine set the parchment back down. It unrolled the rest of the way and a name written down in the corner caught her eye.

"Gissa of Ranchne?"

Numair stiffened. "What?"

"It's written down here."

He snatched it up. "Mythros, Mynoss, and Shakith!" He stared disbelieving at the neatly printed name before looking back up. "Maglet, it looks like the past is returning to taunt us."

Daine blinked. "Is it really her?"

"I know of no other. We never found her body."

"But Iakoju said that both the other mages were dead. One from falling off a hurrok, the other from starlings."

"She could have been only unconscious. Ogres, you must admit, are not the brightest of immortals."

The wild mage looked up in apprehension as he stood. "Where are you going?"

"To talk to Jonathan. If she's still alive, he needs to know. She was willing to make bloodrain, who knows what she's doing now."

"Numair -"

He paused at the tremble in her voice. "Do you think she'd do it again?"

In two steps he had pulled her into a hard embrace. "Maglet, Jon has the Dominion Jewel. We beat her and the others before, we'll hold her off again, one way or another."

888

Kel had been locked in what appeared to be a guest bedroom. Careful searching resulted in nothing useful for escape so she resigned herself to taking a quick scrub in a knee deep bath, leaving the snake-bat to roam where it could. When she emerged, her chain mail and cloths had been removed and substituted with a simple dress of gray. Next to it were a neatly folded green wool shawl and long green belt. Growling at the implication, she put them on. Just as she had finished brushing her hair at the mirror the door opened and a small, blond servant girl curtsied.

"My lady, the king requires you're presence."

With a sigh she nodded. Her new immortal friend draped itself over her shoulders beneath the shawl. The halls would be pitch black if not for the red torches lighting the way. Walking carefully down a long spiral staircase, the girl pushed open a heavy wooden door. A guard on the other side grunted something, to which she murmured,

"My king's request."

The man nodded, not even sparing Kel a second glance. They crossed a long room which echoed eerily. Two other doors were just visible opposite one another at the end of what appeared to be the mess hall. The girl laboriously pulled open the right door, carefully shutting it behind them once they were through. Another staircase was unlit. The girl lit a torch from the single burning light at the base of the steps and gathered her skirts in one hand. Softly she cautioned.

"Take care, the stone is sometimes uneven."

Kel nodded. They traveled up and up into darkness. She couldn't help wondering how high they were inside the mountain. To her surprise, the next door appeared to be a trap door in the floor of whatever next room they were to enter. The girl beat her fist against the wood three times, waited, then repeated. A rasping came from the other side as something was unbolted. Kel winced at the bright light when the door was flung open.

"Ah, the Protector. Do come up and meet my lords."

A possessive hand closed around her arm and pulled her up. King or not, she jerked away from his touch. Mask in place, she calmly eyed the others in the room.

"May I present the lady knight of Tortall, Keladry of Mindelan. Also known as the Protector of the Small."

"Really sire, is this girl really worth all your trouble?"

Maggur turned a vicious smile on the thin, sharp faced man to the left. "Atch, she is. Do not doubt my judgment."

The man bowed.

"Lady Keladry, may I introduce Apep of the Viper clan, Atum of the Black Hawks, Bast of the Lynx, and Ma'at of the Staghorns."

Bast was the only woman in the room besides the ever present Gissa. Tattoos around her eyes gave her a slinky look as they blended into her pale hair streaked with black. She raised an eyebrow at Kel. The men had fewer markings. Apep bore a snake down the center of his forehead to the bridge of his thin nose. Atum's bare arms were marked with the outline of wings, but his face clean and cold. The last man's hands had been blackened and he wore the skin of a mighty buck with an air of rather odd dignity.

Kel gave them all a Yamani bow, but kept her face impassive. Maggur poured a goblet of wine for himself and laughed.

"Don't let her fool you. She's wondering how only a few tribes have held her country under such terror."

She clenched her jaw at his intrusion. The others were startled.

"Majesty, you've bonded to this girl?"

The king's eye hardened. "Do you dare question me?"

Apep flinched.

Maggur glared for a moment. "If you wish to test her, then by all means do so."

It was clearly a challenge that none moved to accept. Gissa soothingly slid her metal hand across his shoulders.

"My lord, you must be tired from the journey. Let us retire." Her golden eyes glowed dangerously. "If they touch her, I will take care of them for you if you wish."

The clan leaders murmured their promises to return to their rooms.

Maggur rose from his seat. "I think it is time to reaffirm your fealty to me."

Gissa drew out the golden flask and held it out.

"Receive the blessing of Ra-Atum and the host of the Ennead."