“The answer,” said Pug, “is the reason King Carol must exercise the mutual defense agreement he has with Great Kesh. The Ambassador must urge the Emperor to call north those garrisons on the eastern seaboard of the Empire, and quickly. The Roldemish navy must go to those ports, then transport those soldiers to anchor off Opardum.
“King Ryan will send an army up to threaten Olasko Gateway, and Squire Hawkins will lead a force into the citadel itself. All of this must be completed before winter comes, for Kaspar is readying himself to make his true move on Midwinter’s Night. In the citadel at Opardum, in a wing of the building where few are permitted, resides a man known as Leso Varen. He is a mage of great power and black arts. He serves forces of evil and chaos that seek to obliterate all laws and covenants, traditions and social contracts, all that makes men lawful and peaceful. I cannot stress strongly enough the concept you must accept, that these powers dwarf your normal notion of what good and evil entail. If you’re sane men, I think it impossible for you to envision the degree of horror that awaits this world if this man Leso Varen isn’t stopped.”
“So you need all the eastern garrisons of Kesh and the Roldemish navy to destroy this one man?” asked the Keshian Ambassador.
Pug said, “In a nutshell, yes.”
The King said, “While we waited for the council, we consulted our archives regarding you, Duke Pug. If what I read is to be believed, you yourself are a magician of great power. Your age alone gives me cause to think these reports are true.
“That being the case, why have you not sought out and destroyed this Leso Varen?”
Pug smiled, and there was pain in the smile. “I’ve faced this man before, Your Majesty. He has used several different names along the way, but I recognize the stink of his black arts the way you know a skunk by its smell. He is not an easy man to kill. Trust me when I tell you I have tried.” His voice lowered and his eyes became reflective for a moment as he said, “Once…I thought him dead, but obviously I was wrong.”
“Very well,” said Duke Rodoski. “You’ve painted a bleak picture of this man’s powers, and told us a story of something dangerous that was destroyed years ago. Would you like to tie this up so that we understand it?”
Pug said, “It is my belief that Leso Varen is in the process of creating another Lifestone. And that he means to use it on the darkest night of the year, Midwinter’s Night.”
The King sat back. “Another Lifestone? What exactly will that do?”
Pug said, “Sire, it is something that can be utilized in any number of ways, some for good in the right hands. But I will wager my life and the lives of everyone I have ever loved that in Varen’s hands it will be used for evil.
“A new Lifestone will allow him to wage war on a scale not seen since the invasion of the Isles by the Emerald Queen’s army.” This was something of an avoidance, for only a handful of men ever knew the truth: that the Emerald Queen had been murdered and replaced by a demon in disguise. That detail would only have confused the members of the King’s court. After a pause, Pug continued, “With each death in its proximity, the Lifestone becomes more powerful. It doesn’t matter who dies or on which side they fight. If Varen stands near the vanguard of Kaspar’s army, he will be more powerful at the end of a battle than he was at the start. And each battle will give him more strength.
“Ultimately he will hold in his hand a weapon that will afford him the power to rule the world, and more: the power to challenge the gods themselves.
“Then war will rage in heaven, and the very ground beneath your feet will be char and ash.”
“I can scarcely believe it,” said the King.
Pug waved his hand, and Pasko stepped forward, holding a pile of old documents. “These are from the archives at Rillanon. King Ryan permitted me to remove these. Here I give you every official document on file, including one by Prince Arutha’s own hand and several by me, detailing all I have said, or at least as much as was known at the time of the Riftwar. Also, there are reports from the Serpentwar, including a report made by Eric von Darkmoor. Each is authenticated and vouched for by the Royal Archivist.
“Beyond what I have given you, I have told you all we know.”
“Who will bear the cost of this?” asked the Keshian Ambassador. “Not just in gold, but in suffering and lives?”
“Your Excellency,” Pug said, “I will make you the same offer I made to King Ryan. I will underwrite the cost of your efforts. Gold I can get. But procuring brave men willing to risk all to free the world from a coming horror no man can truly imagine, that is beyond my powers.
“My lords, Majesty, if we do not act now, by Midwinter’s Night this world will begin a slide into darkness beyond comprehension. You must take this decision, if not for yourselves, then for your children, and the children they will someday bear.”