SPIRIT OF SILVER LIGHT

The news was not good, Estora reflected. Fire raged through the lower city, and the main gate was likely to fall this night. Trace Burns remained unconscious in the mending wing, and without her connection to Captain Connly, they no longer received the benefit of Zachary’s advice or knew exactly the location of his army. He could not arrive soon enough. Now she and her small contingent of advisors must make decisions on their own and pray for the army’s swift arrival.

She ran her fingers through the fragrant leaves of sweet fern. She’d had several of her potted plants brought to the throne room where they thrived in the light that fell through the tall windows. Her apartments had turned into something of a jungle, and bringing some of the plants down cleared out her living space to a degree, and had the added benefit of providing calming greenery to a chamber that was anything but with all the battle talk.

Currently her advisors were discussing what they’d be up against if Second Empire took the lower city, and any additional measures they could take to contain the fire.

The throne room doors opened and a figure covered in ash was admitted. A Green Rider. The eyepatch helped her quickly identify that it was Karigan. Karigan came before her and bowed. Soot was smeared across her face, and there were pinprick burn holes in her green coat. She smelled strongly of smoke.

“Rider?” Estora said. Had Karigan been ordered to ride into the fire? The look of consternation on Lieutenant Brennyn’s face suggested she had not.

“My lady,” Karigan replied, “Second Empire has entered the lower city.”

Estora closed her eyes as the voices of her advisors rose. Zachary would arrive soon, but would it be soon enough? When she opened her eyes, Karigan was doubled over in a coughing fit, and Lieutenant Brennyn had her hand on her shoulder. Estora summoned Castellan Javien to her side.

“Send for Mender Simeon, and have a servant bring some water for Rider G’ladheon.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Karigan tried to explain between coughing fits all she had seen in the lower city. Water helped her some, but it wasn’t until Mender Simeon came and placed his hand on her back that the coughing subsided. She had looked at him in surprise, and Estora suspected he’d done a true healing on her. He also gave her a cup of herbal tea.

“The honey,” he told Karigan, “will help your throat.” Apparently satisfied that she was doing better, he left.

Estora watched as Karigan took a deep breath without coughing. An expression of relief crossed her face.

“You have heard much of what I had to report from Private Seften,” she finally continued. “Captain Nolder said that he and his warriors would try to hold the lower city for as long as they could.”

“Yes,” General Meadows replied. “They’ll harass the enemy all the way up the Winding Way. The fire might actually prove an advantage to us, and a hindrance to Second Empire.”

“Anything else, Rider G’ladheon?” Estora asked.

“Not concerning the enemy,” she replied. “I tried to help people evacuate the lower city as I could, but I’m afraid there are many who are still trapped there.”

Estora was not surprised that Karigan had done this.

“We tried to prepare the people,” the general said. “Warned them to be ready, but it’s inevitable that not all listened or could be helped.”

“Well done, Rider,” Estora said. “You may be excused.”

Karigan bowed and strode from the throne room.

Strategizing continued with messages coming in from the city, though little of it clarified what was actually happening. The Winding Way stymied General Birch’s army, as intended. The street did not travel in a direct line to the castle, but rather looped around the city. If an invading army attempted to use side streets, their narrowness would cause a bottleneck. Choosing either route for its advance, Second Empire would find itself an easy target for the city’s defenders. Unfortunately, the defenders were few.

Something else came out from those reporting in, tales of a silver light that had helped guide civilians out of the smoke and mayhem, of a Green Rider leading families, the wounded, and many others out of harm’s way. Some spoke in awed voices of how she was like a miracle of the gods and described her as a “spirit of silver light.”

Karigan, Estora thought. They were talking about Karigan and her moonstone.

“Hundreds,” the sergeant said. He’d been stationed at the gate between the lower and middle cities. “She helped hundreds find their way to safety with that magic light of hers,” he said, “and then went back into the smoke for more. That light was a beacon—it shot clear to the heavens. I swear it!”

“How many hundreds?” Castellan Javien asked. Estora liked to think of him as the court skeptic.

“At least five hundred,” the sergeant replied. “Maybe more. She would have stayed longer, but we had to close the gate and I made her come back.”

Estora shook her head. Karigan, who was the Winterlight of the Eletians, had become a guiding light for the residents of Sacor City. There were tales of heroic deeds being made by many all around the city this night, and there were undoubtedly more to come as battle with the enemy continued, but with Karigan, there was always that extra something, whether it was traveling through time to the future, and returning to warn of the realm’s imminent peril, or the light of a moonstone she used to show people their way to safety.

The evening continued with Estora and her advisors poring over plans and a map of the city, a map that would be much altered as soon as the damage from the fire was assessed, and she received ongoing reports from exhausted and smoky soldiers and Green Riders. The Sacoridians were slowing down the advance of Second Empire but, of course, not stopping it. The fire continued to burn, but the remaining fire brigades had halted its advance west and to the north. Second Empire did not send anymore flaming projectiles. Perhaps, Estora thought uneasily, they were saving those for the middle and upper city.

When the sergeant from the middle gate returned, his expression was grim.

“The enemy has not reached the gate in force,” he reported, “but they’ve pulled one of their catapults some distance into the city and cast the heads of Captain Nolder and some of his warriors over the wall.”

Estora stifled a cry and forced herself to retain her composure. The heinous nature of the act made her want to rush to the nursery to seek the comfort of holding her children in her arms, but she must not. In Zachary’s absence, she must remain strong for her people, if not for herself.

“Thank you, Sergeant.”

He bowed and left to resume his watch at the gate.

“Captain Nolder was a capable and good man,” General Meadows said.

The throne room grew quiet as those present remembered a friend and colleague, and mourned the loss of so many good Sacoridians.

Anna Ash then entered the throne room and made a beeline to Lieutenant Brennyn. She whispered into the lieutenant’s ear. Lieutenant Brennyn’s posture straightened, and surprise registered on her face.

“Is something wrong?” Estora asked.

“I do not believe so, Your Majesty, but may I be excused for a few minutes to attend to some Rider business?”

“Anything we should know about?” Javien inquired.

“That’s what I’d like to verify,” she replied.

“You are excused then,” Estora told her, her curiosity piqued.

“Thank you. I will not be gone long.”

The lieutenant was true to her word and soon returned accompanied by another Green Rider, one Estora had not met before. The Rider was small and plump, with pink ribbons in her curly hair. Lieutenant Brennyn brought her before the throne. The girl’s eyes were big and round as she took in everything in the throne room, including Estora herself.

“Your Majesty,” Lieutenant Brennyn said, “this is Rider Notman. She bears word from King Zachary.”

There was an uproar among the officers and counselors. Estora once again fought to maintain her composure. This time it was a surge of hope that filled her.

“Rider Notman,” she said, “how is it you bring word from our king?”

The Rider actually curtsied. It was gracefully done, odd as it looked that she had done it in her uniform. Had the circumstances been different, Estora might have been amused.

“It is such an honor to meet you, Your Majesty,” Rider Notman said. “I can’t tell you how much I admire you.”

“Megan,” the lieutenant said in a tone of warning.

“Well, it is.” Rider Notman then cleared her throat and leaned in, and whispered, “I floated here. And let me tell you, it was really smoky. I don’t know if I’ll ever get the stench out of my clothes and hair.”

A smile twitched on Estora’s lips despite herself. She now recalled that this was one of the Riders who had been abducted by the Darrow Raiders. Trace had spoken of how Rider Notman’s ability had been used to spy on the enemy in the Eagle’s Pass.

“The king, girl!” Javien demanded. “Has he arrived?”

“Nearly, my lord. He holds the Scangly Mounds. I certainly couldn’t have floated all the way from the mountains, could I?”

“Megan,” an exasperated Lieutenant Brennyn exclaimed.

The Rider’s impertinence did not seem to register with the others, not even the castellan, but the news that Zachary had finally reached them did.