Warlords Ascending Read online

“A Gardener,” Nolan answered, regaining his feet and pulling Danyal in to explain everything in a rapid undertone. Becca kept one eye on that conversation, and the rest of her attention on the warlord. Dunixan became increasingly quiet, if more rattled. The Gardener finally let go of him, turned to give the mages a little wave, and then disappeared into thin air.

  “That poor man.” Becca actually felt a twinge of sympathy for him. Here he was, having no real knowledge of magic at all, and suddenly a Gardener was in his head with little preparation. “Let’s go unscramble him. He’s surely overwhelmed by now.”

  “If we can,” Trev’nor agreed, pushing up to his feet. “I’m still feeling scrambled. Garth told us the stories, but he didn’t explain how intense of an experience that is.”

  “I’m not sure if that’s something that can be explained.” Nolan offered Becca a hand up, which she gratefully took, as her knees were prone to wobble a little. “He might need to lie down and just absorb for a little while.”

  Guardians, but Becca loved that idea. “Why don’t I create some shade clouds and we all lay down until this settles in our minds?”

  “Do it,” the boys commanded in unison.

  Simin the First Guard did not like having a strange creature near her warlord, nor did she like the effect said Gardener had after it left. She kept shifting on her feet, hand on the hilt of her sword, as if itching for a target. The other guards copied her, facing outwards in a rough circle, now on the lookout for any other strange creatures that might pop by. Becca sidled in a little closer to her to speak even as she formed clouds above her head. “First Guard Simin, do not be alarmed. I can assure you no harm has been done to Warlord Dunixan.”

  Simin’s dark eyes narrowed, anxiety rising off the woman’s muscled shoulders like steam. “He is not a magician, like you. He cannot protect himself from such a being.”

  “Gardeners will never attack or harm a person,” Becca soothed, briefly glancing up at the sky to make sure that she had the clouds she wanted. Hmm, not quite. She tweaked a little more to get the cumulus clouds she needed. “And they speak to more than just magicians. My own brother got orders from a Gardener on how to rescue me as a child and he’s not a magician, but a soldier.”

  Eyebrows rising, Simin took this information in for a moment. “And he had no ill effects?”

  “None whatsoever.” Becca realized belatedly that Danyal had closed in behind her, standing in her shadow, and Dunixan had gotten out of his dizzy spell at some point and listened in on this conversation with sharp attention. Turning a warm smile on the man, she said in some sympathy, “It’s just overwhelming as a Gardener speaks directly to your mind and emotions with images and feelings. Takes a bit to unscramble it all. Do you mind my asking what the Gardener said to you?”

  Dunixan grabbed hold of the stone bench behind him and pulled his body back onto it, sitting like a fragile man of advanced years. “She said quite a bit to me. She first explained exactly who all of you are. I understood and yet didn’t. What, exactly, is a Balancer? I received the impression that this is a very important role, one that changes the world itself, and very few are called to be one.”

  The boys flopped onto the opposite bench, Danyal choosing to stand just behind them, intently listening to this conversation. Nolan answered the question, although he kept rubbing at his temples while doing so. “A Balancer is a person specifically called to a task that will help restore the balance of the world. For instance, our mentor Rhebengarthen was tasked with restoring magic to Chahir, which he did. It took him several years of work to do so and he is no longer called to be a Balancer. Becca is a Balancer,” he waved to her with a few fingers, smiling at the double take of his listeners as they turned to stare at her with wide eyes, “and will be for the rest of her life. Her duty is to turn the world back into the green paradise it is meant to be. Khobunter is specifically one of the areas assigned to her.”

  Dunixan chewed on this, staring at her with wide eyes, before blurting, “They’ll call a teenager to this position?!”

  Finding this funny, Becca laughed. “I was actually called to be a Balancer at eight.”

  Everyone but the boys choked, making her laugh harder.

  “Not everyone that a Gardener speaks with is a Balancer, you understand,” Trev’nor tacked on. “Sometimes they just need you to do something specific, and that’s it. They’ll actually call you Balancer if you are one.”

  Dunixan released a pent up breath. “I am relieved to hear this.”

  “What else did she say?” Becca encouraged, taking a seat next to Nolan now that her clouds were done.

  Dunixan looked desperately in need of a stiff drink. “She wanted me to understand that all of my experience, all of my knowledge, was to prepare me to meet you. To work with you. I am to be your ally.”

  A thrill went through Becca. Yes! Finally, finally, an ally they could truly trust, that had the resources and knowledge they needed. She glanced at Danyal, checking his response to this, and he looked equal parts bemused and relieved. So, even he knew this to be a good man? He would have said something by this point otherwise.

  “The last thing she said was that there were others prepared, like I was, and we were to welcome them. That she was proud of me.” Here Dunixan paused, mouth working, as if searching for the words. He put a hand to his heart, tapping it lightly. “That touched me deeply. I felt as if I was speaking to a grandmother who knew me.”

  “That’s not a bad analogy,” Trev’nor agreed, tone soft. “Gardeners are rather like mentors to us, as they watch over and help us in our lives as much as they can. Sometimes, though, they leave things up to us. Now, I’m sure you’re wondering what she said to us?”

  Dunixan nodded fervently. “Can I ask?”

  “Of course,” Nolan assured him, then launched into the short version of their story, catching the man up to speed.

  Becca let this pass through one ear and out the other, instead watching the other men in the group. They moved and stood like soldiers, neither of them anxious to join in on the conversation, instead watching and listening with true intent. Second and Third Guards, perhaps? Becca had to give Dunixan this: the man had moxie for traveling through enemy territory with just five people.

  Her attention returned to Nolan as he said her name.

  “—and Becca isn’t actually supposed to be up here, not originally. But because she took the duty on, they’re changing things so she can stay in Khobunter.”

  For some reason this impressed Dunixan, and he gave her a look of profound respect. “You negotiated with them?”

  Shaking her head, Becca corrected, “I didn’t need to. They saw my determination here, how I felt about this place, and let me have the option. Gardeners never force anything. They suggest, maneuver, influence, but never force.”

  Dunixan didn’t know what to make of this answer. He kept giving aborted shakes of his head. “Why would you choose this?”

  “She’s crazy,” Trev’nor explained seriously.

  Becca reached around Nolan and slugged him in the arm. Danyal, behind her, snickered.

  “Ow, Bec!” Trev’nor complained, rubbing at his abused skin with a wounded pout.

  Dunixan’s eyebrows rose in sharp amusement as he took in the exchange. “You are engaged, then?”

  Trev’nor and Becca exchanged a weary look. “You want to straighten him out, or shall I?” Trev’nor asked with a sigh.

  “Treat us like siblings,” Becca requested of the warlord. “We were raised that way.”

  “Ah, I see.” Dunixan, unlike others who had said the same thing, appeared to truly understand this. “Well, Warlord Riicbeccaan, Warlord Rhebentrev’noren, Prince Vonnolanen, I would like to negotiate a formal alliance. Are you willing?”

  “I think we are. I vote we introduce you to the dragons first, so no one gets accidentally eaten,” Trev’nor opined. “Then, let’s move this conversation inside the city. We have a lot to discuss.”

  Alred still f
elt very unsettled. The citizens cautiously came out of their houses, reluctant to do so, but aware they couldn’t hide forever. Trev’nor saw more than a few of them speaking with the soldiers, relieved and half-disbelieving expressions on their faces when they realized who had conquered the watchtower. Part of Trev’nor wanted to go to some of these people, speak to them personally, but that would have to wait. He needed to have a good conversation with Dunixan first.

  He cast a quick glance over his shoulder at the man following them. Strange character, this one. Dunixan seemed some sort of strange cross between fighter and businessman. He looked and moved like a soldier but his eyes evaluated them in a way that suggested deals and profits. It was an interesting juxtaposition to be sure. The easy way he used the correct terms when addressing them, the knowledge he had of magic, all spoke volumes as well. This was an educated man and no one’s fool. Trev’nor just wasn’t sure if he could be blunt with the man or if he preferred political roundabout.

  Hopefully blunt. Trev’nor had no tongue suitable for political backtalk.

  They reached the building Becca had claimed as an impromptu office, nothing more than the commander’s office with a few more chairs thrown inside. Chaos reigned inside, stacks of reports on the floor and nearly toppling over, the desk shoved under the window, maps dominating the walls. It smelled like man sweat and dust, not a pleasant combination, and someone had opened the window to help combat it. Becca did not sit at the desk, but instead chose a chair. Trev’nor didn’t blame her. He didn’t think evil was catching, but he didn’t care to test that theory by sitting in that chair. He chose somewhere else as well, as did Nolan after a moment of hesitation. Danyal refused to sit at all, putting his shoulders to the wall right next to the door and firmly planting his feet in a parade rest.

  Dunixan caught this evasion as he stared at the chair in question for a moment before pointing to it and asking, “Something wrong with this one?”

  “Previous commander’s chair,” Nolan explained succinctly, tone clipped.

  “Ah.” Wisely, the warlord shoved it out of the way, grabbing a folding chair and sitting in it instead. “As I stated earlier, I wish to offer an alliance. I believe we’re all amiable to this, especially after our special visitor, but I need to know exactly what you require of me. I need you to understand as well that I will retain my position as Warlord of Dunixan.”

  With everyone settled, Becca seemed to take in a breath before speaking, words chosen carefully. “Warlord Dunixan. I, for one, don’t see the need to take you out of power. There are certain things that we need you to do, and if you can agree to them, then certainly I won’t fight you. Trev, do you agree?”

  “I certainly do.” Trev’nor had to phrase this right, to make sure he wasn’t misunderstood. His Kobuntish had grown by leaps and bounds, but nowhere near fluency, and that left lots of room for misunderstandings. They were managing well so far, but they might have to call for Amir at some point. “First question, do you have any slaves?”

  “Not magical slaves,” Dunixan responded promptly. “I have taken some hundred or so due to conflicts with Riyu and Von, but they are all former soldiers. Is this an issue?”

  “We want slavery outlawed completely in Khobunter. You can take people prisoner, certainly, but you cannot enslave them.” Becca cocked her head, offering, “We can find a way to send them home, either for ransom or bargaining power, or offer them another life. I’ve found so far that if you treat a released slave decently, they’ll bend over backwards to be good citizens.”

  “Is that what you’ve done so far? You told me all of the magicians were sent to an academy, but I noticed that absolutely no slaves were in Trexler. I thought it strange.”

  “We’ve released every slave we’ve come across,” Nolan answered simply. “Will you agree to this condition, Dunixan?”

  “I will. I’ve never had the taste for it, anyway, and my economy is not built upon slave labor. It is no great loss. I take it that you want to make this illegal because of the magicians?”

  “You are correct.” Trev’nor let out a small breath, relieved this first point had been taken so well. “Your attitude is very refreshing. Can I ask why you don’t have magical slaves?”

  “When I visited Bromany, I saw magicians living like every other citizen. I saw what it did to the economy, the culture, to have magic free instead of chained. It made a deep impression on me and, after that point, magical slaves were no longer bought or sold in Dunixan territory. It’s made me somewhat unpopular with my neighbors, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

  The Gardeners sure knew how to pick them.

  Danyal stirred and for the first time spoke. “Warlord Dunixan, can I interpret your words to mean that you will not treat any magician as a tool? That you will always treat them as free citizens in Khobunter?”

  “You may, Commander.”

  Satisfied, Danyal went back to holding the wall up.

  Trev’nor cast him a glance, making sure he didn’t have anything else to add, before continuing, “Second thing we must agree on: You must change your laws to agree with the ones we’ve put into place.”

  Dunixan’s eyes narrowed. “I cannot agree to that unless I know what your laws are.”

  “You’re familiar with the ancient laws of Khobunter, the ones your founding warlords created?” Nolan asked, waiting only for a nod before continuing. “Good, that makes this easier. We’ve basically adopted those laws with a few tweaks. Mostly dealing with slavery and updating the laws dealing with economy. We found them to be good laws, fair ones. We didn’t need to adapt them much.”

  “If memory serves, Amir dropped off our paperwork here already…” Becca trailed off as she went to the desk, rifling through several boxes before going, “Aha! Here, this is the short version of the laws. Read through this.”

  Dunixan took the pages she handed him and read with considerable speed, eyes panning the page back and forth. He stopped mid-way through the second page and glanced up at them. “You have eliminated the laws about taxes. Why?”

  “We don’t actually agree with the tax system in Khobunter,” Becca explained, perhaps a trace apologetically. “It seems to be counterproductive. Most of them are far too high and drain the economy to the point of poverty levels. I want to redo those laws, but we haven’t had the time to come up with a thorough enough system to replace them; hence we left it blank for now.”

  Dunixan’s expression cleared slightly, although a faint frown lingered around his mouth. “I understand your concerns, but that needs to be addressed.”

  “I’m perfectly willing to do so,” Becca assured him. “We have basic taxes in place now as a place holder of sorts. Once the economy recovers enough to support true taxes, we’ll sit down and revisit it.”

  He gave a noncommittal hum and continued to read. When he reached the last page, he settled them in his lap, thinking hard before his head came back up. “I do not find anything to object to except the taxation laws. And those, I think, we can come to an agreement on. Very well, I accept the second condition. Do you have any others?”

  “Only one, and I think you’ve already done that,” Trev’nor responded. For his first negotiation, things were going swimmingly. He might as well enjoy it while it lasted, as he doubted the second would go as well. “You have to recognize us as warlords in our own right and accept us as rulers.”

  Dunixan’s eyes crinkled up in the corners, a faint laugh coming from him. “Yes, Warlord Trev’nor, that I can agree with. I now understand what you need from me. Can I list my needs, now?”

  “Please do,” Nolan encouraged.

  “I need your acknowledgement of my power and position as Warlord of Dunixan, as discussed. Any issue with that?” Pleased with their shakes of the head, he continued, “I saw the gardens, irrigation systems, and water reservoirs that you put in Trexler. I want the same done to Dunixan, throughout my territory.”

  “Done,” Trev’nor agreed instantly. “I don’t
know when we’ll be able to, but I think we can work up a timeline and tackle it in stages.”

  “Agreed.” Dunixan looked very pleased by this. “I agree to supply military support to you during this war if you agree to supply military support to me whenever I need it.”

  Becca nodded firmly. “Agreed. Not that we’d ever ignore it if you were attacked, you understand. If any part of Khobunter is invaded, we’re going to respond.”

  “I don’t actually expect anything else, but it needed to be said,” Dunixan acknowledged. Setting the papers aside, he loosely clasped his hands together. “My final point is that when we have Khobunter settled under your rule, I want magicians stationed in Dunixan. I want the same environment and perks that I saw in Bromany, and that requires magical power.”

  Trev’nor thought that was obvious, but perhaps in Khobunter, it wasn’t. He looked to his co-ruler, and Nolan, and saw no objections. “I think that’s common sense, Dunixan, but we agree. You’ll have magicians in Dunixan. Anything else?”

  “No.” For the first time, the man relaxed enough to actually smile at them. “We’ll need to write something official up, but you have my verbal agreement of an alliance.”

  “Excellent.” Becca clapped her hands together, beaming at him. “I’m so glad. One thing, though. You’ve said that you have experience with magicians. That you visited Bromany and saw for yourself what a country is like when they accept their magicians. If you’re wondering what our end game is, then you can use Bromany as your example.”

  Dunixan went taut in his chair, attention riveted to her. “Just like it?”

  “Well, no,” Trev’nor felt he had to step in and correct this a little. “We don’t mind the Khobuntian culture. Some of the rules and customs here are quite lovely. We like this people as a whole. It’s your rulers and current laws that are the problem. So we’re keeping true Khobuntian culture, what it was in the beginning before slavery and greed messed you up.”

  “Right, right,” Becca agreed, nodding along. “But we make it more. Greener, lusher, more inviting to people. We give it the land necessary to support cities and dragons. We make the laws more humane, like the rest of the world’s, so people can actually thrive here.”