Renegade on Kara, The Great Basin: Chapter 14, Illset to Catlin

An infant dragon, an unfinished wagon and the longest stretch of the road are only a few of the problem Roger now must face.

The elder, two guards, and one other, a younger Ikerid, slowly made their way to where Roger sat. Other Ikerid followed them out of the city but peeled off to both sides, looking over the damage. That elder took slow precise steps, taking care to make each step. Was it pride that prevented him from using a carry chair or magical aid to get around?

As he got closer, Roger could see pain in his big, alien eyes. Once again, Roger resented the very unfairness of restricting magic on this side of the Armstrong gate. One thing NewGate offered the races that their Kara Legions and Dragon Legions conquered was their computer designed healing spells.

Did pride stop that elder from using some type of magical assistance to get around?

On arriving where Roger sat, the young Ikerid with that group, possibly the elder’s aid, created their version of a sandstone chair facing Roger. Relief at sitting filled his eyes.

It has been many of your years since I have set foot outside our walls. I never expected to again.

Roger knew that thought had been for him alone. He replied aloud. “I am sorry, most wise elder of Illset. It had been my plan to only trade the information to you that the Confederation could bypass these defenses and have access to mages that have ability far beyond what they let people know about. My plan had been to be beyond your city and alone on the road when Joshua hatched,” Roger said, reaching up and scratching Joshua behind his ear. “I meant for none of this to happen.”

Yet it did. You cost us much.

“Have I? Only two bricks and those bows were destroyed. Those other bricks would have had to come out anyway to fix the hole in your defenses. You now know the flaw in your bow design and can build ones without it. The information I have given you already is worth many times the cost of those bows, that wagon, and all the trade goods I have asked for. Your town will be more stable and prosperous if you expand the walls a few meters.”

More prosperous means more enemies.

Roger sighed. Apparently, this elder belonged to the faction against expanding. “Not under these conditions. Both of your closest neighbors would like a bigger, more prosperous town to trade with. Also, they would like the insulation that a bigger town would give them against other threats on the road, most especially from The Confederation. You simply cannot get big enough that the Confederation considers you a threat. Expanding is not only safe, but a good tactical move all around. It will not mean more enemies, but more friends. How far of a move has been under discussion for expanding it?”

They want the walls moved sixteen cubits, the elder sent.

That was also the current height of the walls, Roger picked up on a sideband thought. It looked to be close to five meters. “Then allow me.”

Creating, then casting the spell came so easily as to take nearly no effort. Five meters out from their wall, exactly the width of their walls’ foundation, he used almost the same spell he had just used to clean the stable with different parameters. That sand started dissolving to create a meter deep trench to set their foundations in.

“What are you?” the elder hissed aloud, as every Ikerid there got excited. They had gotten the implication. That same spell could have taken out their walls.

Roger decided to play it up. “I was in training to become the kind of mage the Confederation doesn’t want nonhumans to even know exists. You don’t want the Confederation to find out I was here and send someone they think strong enough to take me on. You really don’t. Even after improving your walls, you do not want those mages anywhere near here.”

That was unfortunately a very real possibility. If the Confederation asked, NewGate may just send someone if they believed him still anywhere near. Not for a nice formal duel either.

“I could have entered your town invisible and unnoticed. If you rebuild in the way I have said, making it very difficult to find those bricks, that becomes far far more difficult.”

“But not impossible?” the elder said aloud again instead of sending it.

“No, not impossible. Any mage with my training that wanted to put in the time and effort could get around it still without you ever knowing. But they could not do so nearly as easily as I did.”

The elder paused and cocked his head. “Very well. The others have voted. You will get your wagon, loaded, but as is. You must put the finishing touches on it yourself away from here. We will not inform your enemies that you came here and entered our city. We will rebuild larger, hiding that our walls were damaged. Do not come back this way.”

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