by Randy Nargi
BRYN ERESTHAR WOKE WELL BEFORE DAWN WITH AN IDEA. He crawled out of bed and made his way from his sleeping chamber to the privy, formulating his thoughts. Then he returned to his sitting-room, where he found Hirbo Thrang tending the fire.
“You really do not sleep, do you?”
The mage shrugged. “You’re up as well.”
“Yes, my mind has been abuzz all night. I have some ideas.”
“Proceed.”
"Firstly, I intend to address my Council and staff to tell them the news," Bryn Eresthar said.
“Yes, you don’t want them hearing anything secondhand.”
“Next, I will have everything in this house crated up and shipped to Standon’s Gate.”
“What’s in Standon’s Gate?”
“An old manor house I inherited some years ago. It currently stands empty and it’s suitably out of the way.”
“It certainly is.”
“I want to create the appearance of a man defeated, tucking his tail so to speak, and withdrawing from it all.”
“Why can’t you withdraw to somewhere warm?”
Bryn Eresthar ignored him. “I also need to know about scrying crystals. Specifically how we can obtain something like the Eye of Werna.”
Hirbo Thrang laughed out loud. “Yes, and let us obtain a Sceptre of the Clouds while we are at it.”
“I want to infest this entire castle with devices that will allow us to listen to Asryn’s plans.”
“That is your idea?”
“Yes. If I am to surrender this place, I wish to put it to good use, to a strategic use.”
“First of all, there is only one Eye of Werna. And from what you learned at your trial, it is in Asryn’s possession. That’s what you told me. Remember?”
“There must be other devices that work in a similar way? Scrying crystals that we can hide—”
“Scrying crystals require quite a bit of a mage’s power to activate and use. They are not like wards.”
“But surely there must be something that works in that way.”
“A spy ward?” Hirbo Thrang asked.
“Yes, exactly.”
“No such thing. Unless one exists among the artifacts from Zantu. It’s a superb idea, though. If we could go back in time and speak to the elder mages, I’m sure they could construct such a device. Besides, as you well know, every significant room in every Council hall and anywhere else is checked daily for magic. Any sort of magic.”
“Yes, of course,” Bryn Eresthar said. “But with the majority of mages being detained in Old Lausk, there will be a lot fewer available to do that type of scanning.”
“That is true, but remember what we learned from Jetherd: Asryn was in trouble with the doldar. He will be extremely cautious. Paranoid, even. I don’t blame him. He’ll have this house examined brick by brick before lets his guard down for a single moment.”
“You are right, of course,” Bryn Eresthar said glumly.
“Being right all the time is my curse.”
“Is there nothing we can do? Nothing we can prepare?”
“I know dozens of wards and traps, but none are undetectable. Besides, he’ll be expecting something like that.”
Bryn Eresthar sighed and flopped down in a brocaded chair in front of the fireplace.
“If you think about it, we don’t really need to know what Asryn’s future plans are,” Hirbo Thrang said.
“What do you mean?”
Hirbo Thrang gestured at the room around them. “This was Asryn’s end game, wasn’t it? He destroys his own city, frames the Guild and you, and forces the Viceroy to give him the second wealthiest and most powerful province in the Empire. He’s done.”
“I don’t know.”
“You think there’s more? What else could he get?”
“My head?”
“Oh, he’s probably still working on that, but think about what Asryn’s accomplished. He’s just moved up one rung on the ladder. One big rung.”
“Now I am even more depressed. I actually did not think that was possible.”
“Are we still going to see your sister?” Hirbo Thrang asked.
"I thought more about that and you're right. It would just be putting her in danger. For now, it is enough for me to know that she is safe and for her to know that I am safe."
“For now.”
“Yes, for now.”
“So what, then?”
“So, I do what I need to do. Then we find Bander. Make our report. Let’s see if the genius can come up with a solution.”
Hirbo Thrang said, “I already know what he’ll say.”
“I think I do too. Take out Asryn.”
“He always makes everything seem so simple.”
BANDER FIGURED HE HAD BEEN ABLE TO SLEEP MAYBE THREE HOURS. Everyone had stayed up talking and strategizing until dawn until no one could think straight. Finally, he had told them all to go to bed and that they would continue in the morning. Faramir Boldfist had volunteered to sleep in the stables to provide a proper bed for Meomannan Quill, and they all crawled off, eager for sleep.
Now, looking out of the tall narrow windows in the hall and judging the angle of the sun, Bander concluded that it was still well before noon—and from the relative silence in the lodge, he was probably the first one to wake.
He made his way outside into the cool morning mist and walked a perimeter before using the back house. When he returned to the lodge, he heard voices in the kitchen. Jaden was helping Caddakin prepare the morning meal. Within an hour, they were joined by the rest of the team, no doubt drawn by the scent of baking bread and frying eggs.
Once they had all settled down at the long dining table, Bander called for everyone’s attention.
“Last night we spent a good many hours speaking of what our foes might do next and how they might strike, and what their goal might be, but now I want to shift the focus. I want to know who we are fighting.”
Niam spoke first. “From what I have observed, Asryn has only a small group that he trusts, and just two men that he travels with: his Magister of the Wand and his bodyguard.”
“And we know Asryn has met with Gredarl Kar,” Jaden said. “At least once.”
Etthar Calain nodded. “Gredarl Kar was responsible for shipping the poison to Kreed’s Keep. We have proof of that.”
“And Gredarl Kar—along with his lieutenant Daras Mirth were responsible for the death of Tarthas Jorr in Laketon, and likely Tobin Leroth in Waterside,” Bander said.
“Yesterday, we connected Chiran Hemmig to Daras Mirth, and most probably to Gredarl Kar,” Jaden said.
“Chiran Hemmig was also involved with producing false evidence against Tarthas Jorr and causing his death. Again, likely working with Daras Mirth in Laketon.”
“And don’t forget Ronan Alm,” Meomannan Quill. “Your former commander nearly did the both of us in.”
“We cannot tie him directly to Asryn nor Gredarl Kar, I’m afraid, so there is at least one loose thread in all of this,” Etthar Calain said.
“Actually, there are several,” Bander said. “And they are all mages.”
“I see where you are going, Captain,” said Meomannan Quill. “The operation of the Donden Cage would require a mage.”
“Are you sure?” Silbra Dal asked. “Not all artifacts are activated by spell.”
“Child, your lack of knowledge concerning artifacts is matched only by your ineptitude with wards, I see. No matter. As I have already said, I reviewed the archives pertaining to the Donden Cage. It had been studied numerous times by numerous mages over the past three hundred years or so. Mechanical activation in every conceivable way has been attempted. So indeed I am certain that you couldn’t just press a button or flip a lever to activate it.”
Bander poured himself another mug of moxa from a silver urn. It had been made strong and dark, in the northern style, just the way he liked it. “So there was the mage who activated the Donden Cage—”
“And perhaps lost h
is life doing so,” Meomannan Quill said.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that the interval between activation and function may not have been long enough to teleport out of the blast range.”
“But who would create a device that would kill the person using it?” Dusk asked.
The old mage shrugged. “We know next to nothing about those who created the artifacts and wielded the old magic. Some speculate that death cults existed back then. We just do not know.”
“So, at least one mage was needed to activate the Donden Cage,” Bander said. “But there are likely more involved in this conspiracy.”
“Lestralle,” Silbra Dal said.
“Laketon’s Guildmaster?” Meomannan Quill asked.
“He tried to have me murdered.”
“Pity he didn’t succeed,” Meomannan Quill said quietly to himself.
“What?”
“Nothing, child. Pray continue.”
“I cannot be certain if it is connected, but the Captain was a witness to it all.”
Bander nodded. “After we were attacked in Waterside by Asryn’s men, and subsequently escaped, Silbra Dal surrendered herself to Lestralle. He commanded her to travel by horse to Ramipoor in Rundlun. And he assigned a battle mage named Raggur Nil to accompany her. An odd order, don’t you think?”
“Yes,” Meomannan Quill said. “Why not teleport with her to Rundlun and make the report to Ramipoor yourself? Most unusual.”
“That’s what I thought. So several hours south of Laketon, I made the effort to liberate the young lady. Sadly, it did not go well.”
“I should not be surprised. Captain, what were you thinking, going up against a battle mage.”
“I had to resurrect him,” Wegg said.
“It is true,” Bander said. “I was not conscious so I was unable to witness Raggur Nil’s betrayal.”
“But I did,” Wegg said. “The battle mage turned on Silbra Dal and tried to kill her.”
Silbra Dal didn’t say anything.
“Is this true?” Meomannan Quill asked. “Battle mages are trained to be paragons of virtue. Their incredible power demands incredible safeguards. We work long and hard to instill them with the strongest ethical standards and values.”
“Well, this man wasn’t a very good student. He was actually glad that we had attempted to free Silbra Dal because it provided a credible excuse for her death. He boasted something to that effect. ’Too bad I couldn’t save her from bandits.’ or some such.”
“It is worse than that,” Silbra Dal said. “He cast dreahna on me.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“I didn’t believe it either. I knew dark mage spells were forbidden by the Guild. Now, of course, I know why.”
“That is a discussion for another day. Nonetheless, this certainly is troubling.”
Bander said, “So we have Asryn’s Magister of the Wand—”
“Aglaard Shie,” Meomannan Quill said. “He is quite learned when it comes to artifacts.”
“And he managed the entire Esoterium,” Silbra Dal said.
“Yes, Aglaard Shie. We also have Lestralle, possibly. Raggur Nil, possibly.”
“You never told me how you managed to escape from him,” Meomannan Quill said.
“Wegg saved us,” Silbra Dal said. “The Captain was down, I was nearly dead—”
“As was I,” Dusk said.
“Me too,” Faramir Boldfist chimed in.
“I got lucky,” Wegg said. “He was weakened and I snuck up behind him and brained him with a log.”
“That took more than luck,” Silbra Dal said. “It took courage.”
“Agreed,” Bander said. “So maybe three mages, maybe more.”
“What about Dreda Moy?” Etthar Calain asked. “She evacuated Waterside’s entire guildhall right before the city was destroyed.”
"Yes, but she may have been duped," Meomannan Quill said. "She believed it was Bryn Eresthar who contacted her by scrying stone. The ring we recovered from Ronan Alm could have created such an illusion."
“Or she was lying the whole time,” Dusk said.
“Always a possibility,” Bander said.
“So we don’t really know about Dreda Moy,” Jaden said.
“No,” Bander said. “But it doesn’t matter. Three mages, four mages. Could there be more, Grand Guildmaster?”
“I would say not, but then again, I am surprised that even a single mage would turn traitor.”
“Fair enough. So now let’s think about chain-of-command. Asryn, Gredarl Kar, and Chiran Hemmig are all powerful men, but I find it difficult to believe that they are all equals in this endeavor. Chiran Hemmig, for example, is an old soldier who rose through the ranks. He is not a leader and never will be.”
“Asryn, too, was elevated beyond his station—after a fashion,” Etthar Calain said. “He had been Bryn Eresthar’s Magister of the Measure in Waterside. After the unfortunate incident with his wife, Asryn was named Lord Governor. And by all accounts, he has struggled in that role. He, too, is not a natural leader.”
“Which leaves Gredarl Kar,” Jaden said. “What do we know of him?”
“I don’t know much. Other than he rose to power fairly quickly.”
“What we know of his past is murky. There are rumors that he was born in Gadmark, that he was once a slave, but no details beyond that. He runs a massive criminal organization, with political ties, and ties to prominent families,” Etthar Calain said. “Because of that, it strikes me as much more plausible that he is their leader.”
Bander shook his head. “Asryn is arrogant. So is Chiran Hemmig. I cannot see either of them bowing their heads to a crime lord.”
“What if there is another?” Silbra Dal asked. “Someone orchestrating these events from the shadows.”
At that moment, one of the wards went off.
“I guess at least one of them works,” Meomannan Quill said.
Bander yelled, “Take your positions. Faramir Boldfist, Jaden, guard the Magister! Silbra Dal, can you discern who’s there?”
“Two men on foot.”
“Easy enough. Stay here. Grand Guildmaster, come with me!”
They left the manor house and took up a position in the underbrush. After a few minutes, they heard the sound of two men talking as they walked down the road. Bander could not make out what they were saying, although the voices sounded familiar.
They circled around the intruders and snuck up behind them.
Suddenly, a sphere of protection shimmered into being around the intruders and the two men sprung around, alert and ready for battle.
But Bander recognized his two friends and they recognized him.
“A fine welcome, Bander!” Bryn Eresthar said.
“Yes, well, things were heating up in Rundlun, so I am taking no chances.”
As they moved closer, Meomannan Quill stared at Hirbo Thrang. “As I live and breathe, it’s none other than Hirbo Thrang.”
Hirbo Thrang tilted his head slightly, acknowledging the older man. “Grand Guildmaster.”
“What strange bedfellows this crusade makes!” Meomannan Quill said.
“Not to worry,” Hirbo Thrang said, with a faint smile. “We can kill each other when this is all over.”
They all returned to the lodge, where Bryn Eresthar recounted the events of the past 24 hours, and Bander shared his assumptions about their foes.
Bryn Eresthar nodded. “It’s all beginning to make sense.”
Jaden asked, “But who might this puppet master be? Who could control a Lord Governor, an Imperial Magister, and a crime lord?”
“There is one way to find out,” Bander said. “Follow these vipers to their nest and kick it apart.”
Chapter Sixteen
LESTRALLE LOOKED OUT OF THE BARRACKS WINDOW, TO THE NORTHWEST. He still did not see the signal. But that not concern him. His orders were to check every hour starting at noon. He was to look for a flash of light between two hills of th
e Dragon's Teeth. Once he saw the flash, he was to proceed with the plan.
Aglaard Shie could have contacted him via farspeech, but there was a chance that those monitoring the Citadel for magic use would be able to tie it to him. And that would displease Morin very much.
The Guild Master looked out at the mountains again, hoping to see the signal. He hated to wait. For anything. He was a man of action and was eager to set these particular wheels in motion. But he was disappointed. Nothing this hour.
He decided to walk down to the second floor to check on Raggur Nil. His partner had been tasked with recruiting other battle mages to the cause. Raggur Nil had been told what to say and to whom. He knew all the arguments, and how to be persuasive. He would get the job done. Lestralle had no doubts about his apprentice. But still, he wanted to look him in the eye one more time before the operation began.
They had decided to focus on liberating the battle mages for obvious reasons. But the Viceroy had played right into their hands by ordering that the battle mages be the first ones to be rounded up and brought here to this internment camp. So last night and this morning, the mages began to arrive. And most of them were battle mages.
Lestralle walked down the old stone hallway and to the circular stairs in the corner tower. Even though he himself was technically under protective custody, he was granted freedom of movement within the Citadel. This was partially due to Chiran Hemmig’s orders and partially because he was not of the Black Following, the group that was believed to be behind the attacks on Waterside and Kreed’s Keep. Mages of the Black were singled out and the first to be imprisoned in the newly-constructed relorcan cells.
On the second floor corridor, he passed a group of Shielders who nodded deferentially at him. He walked past the three cells holding the Guild Masters of the Black Following: Dreda Moy, Savar Ossiline, and Herron. If these mages were an actual threat, it would be foolish to keep them in adjacent cells, where they could easily communicate and plot. But all they could do was sit and fret.
He looked in on Herron, who was in the last cell down. The man was reading a thick tome.
“Master Herron, is there anything I can get you?”
The Guild Master stood up and walked to the barred door. “The ear of the Viceroy perhaps, so I might convince him of my innocence.”
