Journey To Light: Part I of the High Duties of Pacia Read online

CHAPTER 25

  Euclind § 3

  When he heard the news, Euclind took no satisfaction from the fact he had warned everyone ahead of time. The blockade of the Eastway Road was a very serious matter and Euclind had never been someone who said I-told-you-so anyway. At least his warning had spurred the Mayórę of Torae to send a squad of mounted soldiers to patrol the highway eastward to Iteneris. Half way there, the men encountered travelers who were fleeing in fear back to Torae. Then they discovered the reason for the panic. The road was blocked by a barricade and four indescribable metal-clad monstrosities.

  Euclind suffered a moment of intense concern for the citizens of Lucidus. If the Zafiri captured Anglio, Iteneris would fall next and then Lucidus would be in serious danger. Lucidians were adept at many things but made poor warriors. Euclind loved his people for that very reason but the city could not defend itself for long if attacked. He had another concern as well. Although Madrére Sybille had sent him no message for fear it might be intercepted, when she left Matik he had deduced her destination and was expecting her. He worried about her safety but believed she may have taken another route rather than the Eastway Road. After all, he would have heard something if she had stayed on the highway so he hoped she had found a safe detour around the trouble. Euclind dispatched scout riders to the edge of the Veridis Hills, telling them, “Watch for travelers coming from the direction of the High Road and help any that you find, especially if you meet any women.”

  Post-riders earned every bit of their pay over the next few days and very many mice in Lucidus died at the hands of boys to provide rewards for kestrels. When the news reached Matik, Patroness Gildea used the same bird to send a reply to Lucidus.

  “Tell the good Mayóręs of Anglio and Iteneris that the mother-city Matik marches to their rescue,” she wrote. “We are prepared to force open the road whatever the cost and will stand over our brothers to protect them from evil.” Euclind gagged when he read it.

  “She ought to let one of her scribes compose her letters for her,” he said to himself. “Her language is both pompous and insincere. And she might be more convincing if she actually knew the names of Mayóręs Hadwin and Aidano.”

  A soft knock on the wall beside the open door preceded Radbert’s entry with another letter, this time from Premier Ermine in Riviarre. It was virtually identical to Gildea’s. Euclind already knew about both of their secret weapons foundries and shook his head sadly.

  “I do worry, Radbert,” he said while the man was still actually in the room. “We must defend ourselves but at what cost? If every leader becomes as eager for violence as Gildea and Ermine, what will become of the people?”

  “I’m sure I don’t know, sir. It seems like the world is going to hell since the High Protector died. I wish we had another one.”

  Euclind’s head perked up at the man’s words, but all he said in reply was, “So do I, Radbert.” Sensing that his employer would say no more in explanation, the man returned to other duties.