Tales of Vyscher Book 2

Chapter 21

Lady Bawnia entered her bed chambers after dark. Dinner had been a frustrating affair with Wahvel having no good news at all. If anything, the news was worse than ever. Not only had no more of the Bishops been killed, but two more teams had been added to the ranks, and an attempt to eliminate one by Ordence had failed.

She moved to her desk, pulling out a piece of parchment and writing down notes about the additional things that should be done in order to bring down Vyscher's downfall. At her age, she may never see it happen, but her actions would most certainly lead to it happening. It was just a matter of time!

She'd pulled out two additional pieces of parchment before she was finally done with all her ideas. With a sigh, she stood up, walking to her full length mirror, and studying where she would want the changes. Could the mages in Vyscher change her? Make her look younger like those with the elven blood? She'd had a hatred for them for the last 50 years, ever since her father had been killed while kidnapping some dwarven craftsmen. It wasn't fair for Vyscher to horde their resources like that!

Movement in the reflection behind her made her gasp. Two women, one with a pair of swords, and the other with glowing violet eyes materialized behind her. She whirled with a snarl on her lips. "Get out of here Vyscher scum!"

"And why would we do that?" Vic asked while Rek picked up the parchments that she'd just been writing on.

"You have quite the imagination," Rek snickered. "But really, where does one find a horde of goblins that can fly these days? Or do you have another one of those fancy flying ships that you were so kind in giving to us?"

"Ha! The idle musings of an old woman, that means nothing." Bawnia sneered at the pair, trying to tamp down the fear bubbling in her guts.

"But such musings could get you killed," Vic told her with a cold smile. "If they were thought to be true, I might feel as though you threatened our country."

"You wouldn't dare! You would start a war over that? Ridiculous!"

"But what if war was already declared? What if there was a scroll that gave orders to an monstrous cyclops to bait and kill Bishops like us? And what if that order came from you? Should we consider that an act of war Lady Bawnia?" Vic snarled stepping close. "Should we burn this manor to the ground, and then do the same to the king? You know there is no reason that Vysher doesn't take over this pathetic little squabbling kingdom other than our mercy. So, why provoke us? Do you have a death wish?"

"Wha- what?" the old woman stammered. They knew about Stommrin? "What cyclops?"

Rek just snorted. "You declared a personal war on Vyscher. You killed its protectors who had done nothing but defend the nation and its people. You sat here and pulled little strings and had your puppets do your bidding. Well, we followed those strings here to your bedchamber. Normally we would refrain from killing an old crone like yourself, but in this case, you've earned an exception."

"No! You can't do that!" Bawnia cried out. She let out a shriek when her body was magically lifted into the air and pinned to the wall.

The warrior unslung a large ballista quarrel, pinned all the parchment that she'd just been writing on to the tip, and held it out to the mage, who was concentrating lightly on keeping the old woman still. With barely a gesture, the mage floated the large missile into the air, making it flicker with a purple light.

"Your war is over!" Vic snarled. With a gesture, the bolt flew through the air, hitting the woman in the chest and impaling her onto the wall. She was kind and had made it quick.

The door to the chamber flew open, and the tall, thin form of Wahvel raced into the chamber, his sword already drawn. "No! Bawnia!" he cried, as he came up short, staring in horror at the figure pinned to the wall, blood dripping from her in a steady stream. He never noticed Rek moving smoothly towards him, but he felt a burning pain when her sword sliced through his neck, severing his head from his body, which tipped over with a loud thud.

"I think we left a good message," Rek muttered grimly. "Do you think things will get worse now?"

Vic shrugged. "Perhaps. But it will draw the pressure away from Southglade, and they'll probably more obvious attacks."

"You know, what you said to her about us taking this country over was true. Why don't we just do it and have peace?" Rek wondered.

Vic thought about that for a moment. "I don't really know. Maybe that's something to think about."

Fehrys and Alia entered Kivath's shop after a flight into the city on Maltia. Fehrys only hoped that the dwarf hadn't been too distracted by his new lady friends to finish the armor! But he needn't have worried.

"Fehrys and Alia, my two favorite people!" Kivath yelled over the noise of his forge. "You have excellent timing, I have everything ready for you!"

"Thank you Kivath, I knew you'd come through for us," Alia said with a tired smile. Fehrys had really underestimated the bond she had with the dragons, and it worried him that she was going to potentially be going off on her own.

"Would you like to try it on?" the dwarf was rubbing his hands together eagerly, as though he needed to show everything off.

"Absolutely!" Of course, Fehrys wanted to do the same, to see what the fuss was about.

Kivath went back through the opening to the rear of the shop and wheeled out two mannequins. One wore the suit of armor, and one had a nice set of what looked like clothing. On the base were a pair of riding books, and a pair of fancier dress boots for the outfit. Fehrys couldn't help but to be impressed, they both looked stunning. If they fit as well as they looked, he'd be thrilled.

"Kivath, those look perfect!"

"Ahh, but we need to make sure they fit perfect too!"

Fehrys wasted no time stripping out of his current armor, and then into the new dragonhide suit. He noticed that while a lot of the armor was the supple hide, his vital organs, back and joints were all reinforced with the scales. It wasn't just gorgeous, but functional as well. When he finally got it all on, then slipped on the boots, he was even more impressed. Kivath handed him over a helm, made of the hide on the inside and plated with the scales, with a pair of smaller horns for decoration. It would be an intimidating set of armor too!

Alia walked around him, surveying the suit. "Kivath, you've outdone yourself. This is truly a stunning piece! I hope you're ready for a lot more."

"More?" Kivath staggered back. "You have more?"

Alia brought her sack out and started pulling out the hide and scales from Czanther and Hrushmia, making Kivath almost weep with joy. "These need to be treated with the utmost care and respect. We're going to be sending you more Bishops, and they need to be protected as well as Fehrys." She hoisted the heavy treasure coffer and opened it up for him. "This should cover all the expenses."

"These colors are gorgeous!" the dwarf murmured. "These pieces of armor will be true works of art! And I thank you for the payment and the trust. It will not be misplaced!"

"Can I get a something done early? Before people come for their fittings?" Fehrys asked. "I need a gift."

"It depends on what it is," Kivath stated. "If it something simple, I can do it without measurements, but armor like yours would need the same measurements I took from you."

"What about a cloak for someone who came up to my shoulders?" Fehrys wondered.

"Ah! That I can do." The dwarf was nodding rapidly. "I could even do that today!"

Fehrys turned to Alia. "Is that okay with you? Can you stick around for a day before you have to go?" Truly, he hoped to persuade her to stay, but he wasn't sure that was possible.

"I'll spend the night here and leave at dawn. Does that work for you prince?" She gave him a soft smile, and this time it reached her eyes. "You do know, the only thing keeping me here any more is you. With the dragons gone, you're my best friend. We've been through a lot together, and I'll miss you. I'm happy that you turned out to be a brother, even in such an odd way."

He pulled her into a hug as the oblivious Kivath got to work on the cloak. "Come on, let's go get some food. If you're truly going to leave, then you deserve a final meal with me."

"Then lead the way!"