Chapter 28

Archer, Anka, and Sol emerged among the wheat fields of one of Frinian’s kingdoms.

The harvest was underway, so the three easily found people who could give them directions to the royal residence.

The serfs pointed south and told them that King Gelberd’s castle was three days away, in the capital city of Markonia, in the Kingdom of Mar.

The three companions took to the air on their motorcycles and headed south, following the roads below.

They passed villages and wheat fields, rivers and lakes, forests and small fortresses.

Before long, they saw a medium-sized city surrounded by a tall wooden wall, with an imposing stone castle rising along one side of it.

The guards at the city gates stared openmouthed at the sight of three riders flying through the air.

“We have come to speak with your king,” Archer announced to them.

“Yes, my lord,” replied the senior guard, a man dressed in leather armor who respectfully lowered his head. “The street from this gate leads directly to the castle.

“You may follow it.”

“Thank you,” Archer said.

He flew above the houses, following the street toward the castle.

At the castle entrance, they were met by soldiers in iron armor.

Unlike their colleagues at the city gates, these men regarded the arrival of three flying riders as a threat.

A bell began to ring.

Metal boots clattered as soldiers came running.

Archers appeared along the walls.

“Who are you?” the captain of the guard demanded as he emerged through the castle gates.

Archer made the front of his helmet transparent, revealing his face.

Then he glanced at Sol and Anka, signaling for them to do the same.

They followed his example.

“My name is Archer. These are my companions, Anka and Sol,” Archer said, indicating each of them.

“We are free citizens from a world called Ankarian, and we have come to deliver an important message to King Gelberd.”

The captain looked the three of them over suspiciously.

“Wait here,” he said. “I’ll inform the king.”

The captain disappeared through the castle gates.

“Free citizens?” Anka asked.

“I didn’t know how else to introduce us,” Archer said.

They waited for about five minutes.

Then the captain of the guard returned.

“Leave your flying machines here,” he said. “Leave your weapons here as well.

“And follow me.”

Archer and his companions complied.

They landed their motorcycles beside one of the castle walls and left their rifles and pistols on them.

The captain led them across the main courtyard, into the castle, and finally into a small, modest throne room.

A heavyset king sat upon a wooden throne.

Beside it stood a massive two-handed sword.

The Painter noticed that the throne room was occupied mostly by soldiers of the royal guard, all of them armored and armed.

“Before you stands Gelberd, King of Mar, Champion of the Triple Contest, and bearer of the Sword of Posion!” the herald proclaimed ceremoniously.

“King Gelberd.”

Archer bowed his head.

“My name is Archer, and these are my companions, Anka and Sol.

“We come from a world—”

“Ankarian,” the king interrupted.

“Yes. I’ve heard about you.

“Mar has diplomats at the court of the blind king.”

“Good,” Archer said. “We’ve come to speak about King Akbert and what happened several days ago.

“Have you heard anything about the incident involving Archmage Kronveld?”

“Yes,” King Gelberd replied.

“We—and, I assume, every kingdom in Frinian—were informed that your group of four lured Master Kronveld into the magical dimension, where you dishonorably attacked him using forbidden magic.

“Then, while attempting to flee from him, you killed five Arkonian mages and escaped through the portal.”

“Very interesting,” Archer said.

“Did this report say anything about the fourth member of our group, Marv Galsius?”

The king sighed deeply, as though disappointed by Archer’s reaction.

“Galsius, we were told, is dead.

“And Sol, we were told, should also be dead,” the king said.

“Yet you tell me that this man standing beside you is Sol.

“So what am I supposed to make of these contradictory reports?”

“Kronveld is lying,” Archer said.

“Yes,” the king replied. “Perhaps Kronveld is lying.

“Or perhaps you are.

“Either way, King Akbert has promised your weight in gold to whoever captures you and delivers your heads to him.”

“Kronveld is lying!” Anka cut in.

“We didn’t attack him. He attacked us!

“He killed Sol, Archer, and Galsius, and he nearly killed me.

“Sol and Archer can come back to life indefinitely.

“But Galsius can’t.

“And for Galsius’s death, we’ll make that bastard Kronveld pay tenfold.

“And God help anyone who stands in our way!”

Silence fell over the throne room.

Only the clinking of the guards’ metal armor served as a reminder that the three of them were surrounded.

“Hmm...” the king said thoughtfully.

Then he laughed.

“Yes, I believe you.

“God help anyone who stands in your way. That much I believe,” King Gelberd said with a laugh.

“But then I have a question.

“What is Kronveld planning?

“Why would he frame you?

“Why would he attack you?”

“Because we were getting too close to exposing him!” Anka said.

“That’s our theory,” Archer explained. “But we still don’t know exactly what happened to Kronveld in the magical dimension or why he did what he did.

“Keep in mind that we came here ourselves to find out what happened.

“And we came unarmed.

“We would have asked our government to act as an intermediary in negotiations with Arkonia, but diplomatic relations have been severed.

“Our diplomats were expelled.

“Going through other channels to uncover the truth is the only option we have left.”

“You’re in a very difficult position,” King Gelberd said.

“Primarily because most of Frinian’s kingdoms have a direct interest in maintaining an alliance with Arkonia.

“The kings of Frinian know that Arkonia will be the final stronghold against the Dreurg invasion.

“That is why everyone is doing everything they can to help King Akbert.

“And now Akbert has declared you enemies of Arkonia.

“Frankly, that makes you very inconvenient guests.

“Even if I believe you, helping you would be digging my own grave.

“The other kings of Frinian would consider any assistance I gave you grounds for war against Mar.

“So the safest course for my kingdom would be simply to capture you.

“Or at least try.”

“King Gelberd,” Archer said, “I understand your position.

“I don’t blame you.

“And we won’t harm you, because you aren’t our enemy.

“But may I ask you to deliver a secret message to King Akbert?”

“What do you want me to tell him?” the king asked.

“That Kronveld is lying,” Archer said.

“That’s all?” the heavyset king asked.

“Basically, yes,” Archer replied.

“There’s something else,” Sol said.

He turned to the king.

“You said that most of Frinian’s kingdoms have an interest in maintaining an alliance with Arkonia because Arkonia can protect you from the Dreurgs.

“What if our country offered you that protection instead?

“And what if our protection were far more reliable than Arkonia’s?”

The king considered this.

“Allow us to demonstrate our weapons,” Sol said.

“Then you can decide for yourself which alliance matters more.”

The king remained silent.

“If you think you can simply capture us, let me relieve you of that misconception,” Sol continued.

“We can teleport back to Ankarian at any moment.

“And we can demonstrate that quite easily.”

“All right.”

The king raised one hand.

“I believe you.

“Go ahead. Show me your weapons.”

The king rose from his wooden throne, picked up his massive two-handed sword, and rested it across his shoulder.

“Let’s go to the inner courtyard,” he said.

“The guards stay here,” he ordered.

They entered the castle’s inner courtyard, where several oak trees grew and three archery targets stood.

With the king’s permission, Sol went to retrieve weapons for the demonstration: an automatic rifle and a space-age pistol.

“Ready?” Sol asked the king.

“Go ahead,” King Gelberd said.

Sol switched the rifle to burst fire, aimed at one of the targets, and pulled the trigger.

In an instant, the entire target exploded into splinters, straw, and scraps of cloth. The debris flew backward and slammed into the castle’s stone wall.

The king looked pleasantly surprised.

“Would you like to try?” Sol asked.

“Yes, I would,” the king said.

Gelberd leaned his two-handed sword against the wall and took the rifle.

Following Sol’s simple instructions, he fired at the second target, then the third.

The result was the same.

“Ha!” the king exclaimed.

“How many of these weapons do you have?” he asked Sol.

“More than enough,” Sol replied.

“And this is only one kind of weapon in our arsenal.

“With what we have, Ankarian can protect Frinian from the Dreurgs—and, hopefully, Arkonia as well.

“If our diplomatic mission to Arkonia hadn’t failed, we would have offered Arkonia that protection.

“But since we no longer have access to the kingdom, perhaps you would be willing to receive our delegation instead.”

“Can you act quickly?” King Gelberd asked.

“What do you mean?” Sol said.

“As I told you,” the king replied, “the moment the rest of Frinian learns that I’ve entered negotiations with you, everyone will want to attack me.

“I’ll need protection.

“I’ll need a great many weapons like these.”

“I think we can help with that,” Sol said.

“Trinity’s arsenal contains many nonlethal weapons capable of holding off even a large army.

“But I want to make one thing clear.

“The three of us do not govern Trinity. We are citizens of Trinity.

“Yes, we have connections within the government, but we hold no actual political authority.

“So all we can do is open portals between our worlds and inform Trinity that Mar is willing to establish diplomatic relations.

“After that, it will be up to you.

“How quickly Trinity is prepared to provide military assistance will depend on the negotiations between your kingdom and Trinity.”

“Good,” King Gelberd said.

“Just move quickly.

“I’d rather not lose my throne—or my head.”

“Do you agree to receive our diplomatic mission?” Sol asked.

“I agree!” the king said with a laugh.

“To hell with it! I agree!”

With King Gelberd’s approval, Archer painted a large stone arch near the castle in Markonia and opened a portal inside it leading to Ankarian—to the spaceport in the skyscraper where the three companions lived.

King Gelberd also gave them a detailed map of the continent to help them establish contact with the other twenty-six kingdoms of Frinian.

“And it would be better if the three of you stayed in Ankarian for a while,” King Gelberd said.

“Your very presence here is a provocation.

“You’re giving the other kingdoms a reason to side with Arkonia.

“It would be better if Frinian’s first contact with Ankarian came through your diplomats rather than through the three of you.

“After all, you’re considered criminals now, and there’s a bounty on your heads.”

“We’d rather spend that time here on Planet, studying magic,” Archer said.

“Magic?” the king asked in surprise. “You have technology that advanced! What do you need magic for?”

“To understand Kronveld better,” Archer said.

“And to be able to defend ourselves against him.”

“Hmm...”

The king thought for a moment.

“I suppose something could be arranged.

“I can assign you an adept of magic, and you’ll need a secluded place to train.

“But I shouldn’t know where that place is.

“I’m afraid the mages of Arkonia might come and force that information out of me.”

“Arkonian mages can do that?” Archer asked.

“Oh!” King Gelberd suddenly said. “You apparently don’t know.”

“Don’t know what?” Archer asked.

“The Arkonians are far from saints,” the king said.

“Especially their mages.

“How do you think they came to control an entire continent?

“War and violence. That’s how.

“And I suppose you don’t know about the genocide of the forest elves either?”

“No,” Archer replied.

“Arkonia is the homeland not only of the human race, but of the forest elves as well.

“Because of their biology, forest elves can survive only in forests.

“Even if you forcibly remove a forest elf from the forest, they will soon die.

“And right now, Arkonia is being forced to cut down its forests to build the largest naval fleet in the world.

“Arkonian armies are already marching toward the areas where the forest elves are concentrated.

“Akbert’s army advances first, driving the elves back.

“Behind the soldiers comes an army of lumberjacks, cutting down every last tree.

“The elves have no choice but to flee or fight.

“But soon, there will be nowhere left to flee.

“If Akbert’s shipbuilding campaign isn’t stopped, there will be no forests left in Arkonia at all.

“And then the remaining forest elves will die.”

“What the hell?” Anka said. “Akbert seemed like such a reasonable and honorable king.”

“Well, you can understand him,” Gelberd said. “Why do you think he’s blind?”

“I don’t know. Why?” Anka asked.

“About four years ago, when he first began his campaign to build the fleet, he was more lenient toward the forest elves.

“He set aside preserves for them—protected forests where the elves could live in peace.

“Yes, the preserves would have been crowded. Yes, the elves would have been forcibly relocated there.

“But at least they would have had something left.

“The elves didn’t like the plan.

“The forest elves gathered their finest assassins and, one night, launched an attack on Pogrimar Castle.

“They spared no one.

“They killed servants, guards, mages, and—most importantly—the royal family.

“Akbert fought to the very end, back-to-back with the captain of his guard.

“The captain took an arrow through the neck.

“Eventually, a forest elf’s blade slashed across the king’s face and took both his eyes.

“It seemed the king was finished.

“But someone arrived just in time.

“Guess who?” Gelberd asked.

“Kronveld?” Anka said.

“Yes! The very same!” the heavyset king said.

“King Akbert was critically wounded and couldn’t see what was happening, but he heard Kronveld fighting the assassins and driving them back.”

“I don’t believe it.”

Anka shook her head.

“Yes, yes,” King Gelberd continued. “Kronveld arrived at precisely the right moment.

“A minute earlier, and the king might have kept his sight.

“A minute later, and he would have been killed.”

“What about Vidya, the king’s adopted daughter?” Anka asked. “Where did she come from?”

“Vidya was the daughter of the captain of the guard who died protecting Akbert,” Gelberd explained.

“Her entire family was slaughtered by the forest elves.

“The girl herself survived by hiding in a well.

“That made her one of the few survivors of that savage attack.

“Akbert was deeply traumatized—not only physically, but emotionally.

“He lost his wife and all three of his heirs.

“Vidya was the only child left alive in the castle.

“So he took her in as his own.

“He raised her. He loved her.

“She’s the only thing he has left of the captain of the guard—who, incidentally, was also one of his closest friends.”

“Kronveld’s arrival was remarkably convenient,” Anka said.

“Indeed,” the king replied.

“That entire nighttime raid by the forest elves seems very strange.

“The forest elves never admitted responsibility.

“In fact, their emissaries categorically denied that their people had anything to do with the attack.

“I don’t know.

“Maybe they were lying. Maybe they simply refused to admit their guilt.

“Or perhaps the forest elves themselves didn’t know that a secret movement had formed among them to oppose the destruction of the forests.

“It hardly matters anymore.

“The forest elves’ days are numbered.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Anka said. “You’ve told us a great deal today.

“It’s hard to believe we knew none of this and were actually planning to help Arkonia.”

“Glad to be of assistance,” the king said with a smile.

“I’ll send a magic adept to you.”

The king returned to the castle.

“Everything King Gelberd told us should be verified through other sources,” Archer said.

“Agreed,” Anka replied.

“Archer, perhaps we should bring the adept back to Ankarian and study magic there,” Sol said.

“If Arkonia really is as ruthless as Gelberd claims, they may be searching for us even here in Frinian.

“According to King Gelberd, they might even torture him for information.”

“Yes, I agree,” Archer said.

“Let the diplomatic mission do its work, and we won’t provoke anyone by remaining here.

“We’ll give diplomacy some time.

“We still have a year before the Dreurg invasion.

“But I’m worried about the forest elves.”

“Yes!” Anka said. “Isn’t there anything we can do to help them?”

“First, we should meet them ourselves,” Archer said.

“See who they are with our own eyes and hear their side of the story directly from them.”

“They probably won’t be very happy to see a human,” Sol said.

“So, as with the Dreurgs, I suggest that I go alone.”

“Yes, that may be best,” Archer said.

“Arkonia thinks Sol is dead. No one will be looking for him.

“Although if the Arkonian mages see a flying motorcycle, they may quickly figure out where he came from.

“Then Sol would become a target.”

“Archer,” Sol said, “you can paint a portal with a specific destination in mind: a portal to a forest inhabited by forest elves.

“I’ll go through on foot, without a flying motorcycle.

“After I speak with the elves, I’ll simply teleport back to Ankarian.”

“And if you don’t?” Anka asked.

“Then the forest elves defeated me,” Sol said, “and a new copy of me will take my place.”

“I think that’s reasonable,” Archer said.

“If the forest elves really are facing extinction, we can’t afford to wait long.

“We need to find out what’s happening as soon as possible.

“Sol, are you ready to go to the forest elves now?”

“Yes, Archer,” Sol said.

“Let’s not waste another minute.”

“All right,” the Painter said.

With his brush, he painted a small stone arch:

a portal to a forest inhabited by forest elves.

The portal materialized and began to glow.

“Sol,” Anka said.

“Yes?” he replied.

Anka walked over and hugged him.

“You’re not just a copy,” she said.

Sol hugged Anka back.

“Thank you,” he said.

They released each other, and Sol stepped through the portal.

Archer immediately erased it with his brush.

A few minutes later, the magic adept arrived.

“Hello,” said a young man in a brown robe. “My name is Mailik. I’m an adept of magic in the service of King Gelberd.

“He ordered me to teach you magic and placed me at your disposal for as long as necessary.

“He said we’re supposed to go somewhere secluded—a place he knows nothing about.”

“Hello, Mailik,” Archer said. “I’m Archer, and this is Anka.

“Actually, we’re going to an entirely different world.

“Ankarian.

“Ever heard of it?”

“No, my lord,” Mailik replied, looking bewildered.

“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine,” Archer said.

“You’ll teach us magic, and you’ll get to see how people live in a civilization a thousand years ahead of Planet.

“It’ll be interesting.

“Are you ready?”

“I don’t think I’m ready for something like that,” the young man replied.

“What can I do to help you feel ready?” Archer asked.

“I don’t even know,” Mailik said. “Maybe we could just talk for a while first.”

“Sure,” Archer said.

Archer and Anka told Mailik the five-hundred-year history of Trinity.

They told him about Trinity’s connection to the world of the Four Crowns, about space-age technology, and about everything they had learned from the Dreurgs and the Erians.

Archer emphasized how important their mission was to the fate of the two human-populated continents.

But in the end, something else proved decisive.

Archer told Mailik that they could give him space armor just like theirs.

For protection.

That was enough to give the young adept the courage to join them.

“I’m ready,” he said.

“Mailik, you understand that you can refuse, right?” Archer asked.

“But I can’t refuse,” the adept replied. “The king gave me an order. I have to obey.”

“We do things differently where we come from,” Archer said.

“Everyone is free and has the right to make their own choices.

“So I want you to decide for yourself whether you want to come with us.”

“I want to be a faithful servant to my king,” Mailik said.

“So I will go with you and teach you magic.

“I’m not permitted to decide for myself whether I want to go with you or not.”

“Archer,” Anka said, “let’s not impose our modern standards on someone from another era.”

“All right.

“Get on Anka’s motorcycle, and we’ll fly to Ankarian.”

Archer and Anka mounted their flying motorcycles.

Mailik climbed on behind Anka.

They took off and flew through the portal beside Markonia Castle.