A Clash of Magics by Guy Antibes (read this if txt) 📕

“But Des, uh, Trevor could. It was left in Argara, wasn’t it?” Akku asked.

“I suppose I did leave it there,” Trevor said. “We bought it on the way from Argara to Derwizul, and lucky for me, we did. I wasn’t intending on using it, but it saved my life.” Trevor noticed the innkeeper looking anxious with arms folded in the back of the room with a worried look on his face. Trevor smiled at the man and then addressed the assemblage. “I have business with Akku, so I’m going to be cruel and end story time.”

Akku sighed after they walked into the dining room for dinner. “I could have gone on for longer.”

“I’m sure you miss it,” Lissa said.

Akku looked around. “Miss what? There are plenty of places in Argara that let me entertain.”

Trevor didn’t doubt that.

Chapter Thirteen

~

H enkari was chatting with the garrison commander by his horse. He appeared ready to go when Trevor and his friends rode through the open garrison gate.

“Ready to ride? Two nights in good inns, and then it’s the border.”

“What can we expect?” Trevor asked.

Henkari shrugged. “It is a long border, so there are mountains, plains, and forests. Both sides have watchtowers since there has been a history of trouble, and historically, Maskum hasn’t always been the aggressor.

“You have a code to pass between the towers?” Trevor asked, having read about watchtower strategy before.

“The usual flags in the daylight and magic lights at night. Unfortunately, the watch guards aren’t always alert, and there have been undetected incursions from time to time. In my lifetime, that is all that has happened.”

“Incursions. That is like the West Moreton army. They like to press their borders outward. Presidon’s southern borders were mostly hilly forest, but watchtowers would have made observation easier.”

“Has West Moreton been successful?” General Henkari asked.

“Moreso with Viksar than with Presidon, but that might be related to topography. Presidon isn’t a big country.”

The general nodded. “And it was easily overrun by Dorwick and Ginsterian troops during the usurpation.”

“Not to mention the internal allies my mother collected while she planned for the takeover,” Trevor said. “Have you vetted your remaining troops? Erdu had a lot of supporters sent to the south, as I recall.”

Henkari sighed. “A delicate operation. I know who most of them are, but if I remove the rebels all at once, it will affect my southern command structure. I am gradually recommissioning the officers who I temporarily activated during the insurrection.”

“That is a good way to do it. At least Maskum is a common enemy,” Trevor said, recalling Mino’s recent words about the magician cabals having a common enemy in Jarkan. The theory seemed to work on both sides. “I think it is time we saw the watchtowers in person.”

They rode out of Derwizul. Trevor looked back. The little city had a personality all its own, but he didn’t get a proper chance to reacquaint himself and show Lissa since they weren’t in the place for a full day.

The first two days passed without a problem. The southern lands of Jarkan were agricultural. The plains petered out not much farther south than Derwizul to the east, and then there were fields of grains and orchards. It had a different feel than Listenwell, being drier, but it lent a sense of peace and honest work.

Jarkan wasn’t a small country, and the mountains to the west rose higher as they moved south, gradually coming into view to his right. Trevor looked at the blue shapes of the peaks. They looked majestic, but mountains could be natural barriers or hide hidden pathways between Maskum and Jarkan. He was certain that there would be smugglers operating in the rugged country, taking advantage of the terrain.

“Do you have any of your forces in the mountains?” Trevor asked the general.

“We do, but they are mostly scouts, not regular troops. That is because there aren’t any regulars of the Maskumite army operating up there.” Henkari turned to look at the outline of mountains. “Thinking that the mountains are a weak area?” the general asked.

Trevor nodded. “I do.”

“Why try to break through there when the much larger part of the border is flatter. We can’t patrol the entire length of Jarkan.” The general shrugged. “Bad people typically take the easiest and fastest way if the odds of being caught are the same.”

“That is probably the same for good people too,” Trevor said.

Henkari smiled. “I’m sure you are right.”

In a few hours, they reached the first gate on the main road into Maskum. Trevor looked down the straight road and saw three more, all with tall fences extending to the left and right.

“The road is fortified all the way to the border to make it harder for Maskum to attack us with a conventional force,” Akku said.

A few minutes later, the road became a crossroads, and they turned left, traveling along a fenced thoroughfare leading them to a small town. On their way in, they passed a garrison that appeared to be larger than the town. That was where the guards peeled off after consulting with Henkari.

“We will stay in Pokencil,” Henkari said. “It serves the locals as well as the garrison.”

The general took them through the town to the opposite side, where they stopped at a tall, stout fence with a closed gate. Guards watched from the other side from on top of a walkway spanning the gate. Trevor looked at the buildings. Many were constructed of wood, and all looked as if they had been through a conflict.

“The civil war reached the border?” Trevor asked.

Henkari nodded. “Life in southern Jarkan would be different if I hadn’t activated my retired army. The fighting was fierce in Pokencil. Don’t worry about your safety within the town’s