“I am one of them,” said Caina.
“A Ghost and a valikarion?” said the Cataphract. “There were a few like you in centuries past. Only a few, but they changed the path of the Empire. But as I said, I built this Tower for my own glory, but I gave it to the valikarion and the Ghosts. Use it as you will.” He gestured, and a thrum went through the floor beneath her feet. “I have granted you access to the Tower’s corridors and halls. Make what use of them as you wish.”
He started to raise his helmet to his head once more.
“Wait,” said Caina. “The four who came before us. They seek some weapon of power, something that is above us. Can you tell us what they seek?”
“There are many things secured within the chambers of my Tower,” said the Cataphract. “I concealed many weapons and evil things here, things that should never again see the light of day. The intruders seek one of them. They are powerful enough to resist the defenses of the Tower.”
“Can you help us stop them?” said Caina.
“No.” The Cataphract donned his helmet once more, and the black pyrikon staff floated into his armored hand. “I have been too long from my vigil. If you wish to stop your foes, it is up to you. But you are on the right path. Continue to ascend, and you will come to the chamber where I secured the great weapon I stole from the high magi. It was a power too great for those fools to wield. Go with the Divine, valikarion and Ghost. Perhaps if the hour of fate has come, we shall meet again.”
With that, he turned and strode to the Mirror of Worlds. He stepped into it and vanished.
They stood in silence for a moment.
“Well,” said Morgant at last. “Wasn’t that vexingly enigmatic?”
“Yes,” said Caina. “More mysteries. But we can ponder them later. At least we know we’re on the right path. We…”
A surge of arcane power blazed behind her, and Caina whirled.
###
Calaver Aberon moved in silence through the corridors of the Tower of the Cataphract, his black sword in hand.
He was limping a bit. The last attack of the phobomorphic spirits had been almost more than he could handle, and a fist had impacted against his left leg. It hadn’t broken the skin or the bone, but by the gods, it smarted. Calaver had fought his way through the phobomorphic spirits. He had wrapped his sword in a spell to harm creatures of the netherworld, and his skill with the summoning spell had allowed him to invert it, creating a potent spell of banishment.
Even then, he had barely made it through the phobomorphic spirits. Calaver wished he had been able to compel the Kindred or the Broken Shields to accompany him, but both the assassins and the mercenaries had refused. The Tower had such an evil reputation that the Kindred would not go anywhere near it, and the mercenaries found the bloody campaign against the Umbarians in Nova Nighmaria still more congenial than daring the Tower of the Cataphract.
So Calaver had entered alone, following the trail of Caina Kardamnos and her allies.
He wasn’t entirely sure why.
The Tower might solve all his problems. No one who went into the Tower ever came out again, everyone knew that. Decius had gone into the Tower to find some ancient weapon of sorcery, and Caina Kardamnos had gone to stop him. That would be that. The Tower’s defenses would kill them all, and it would no longer be Calaver’s problem.
And yet…
His father was desperate, but not stupid. He would take risks to save his position, but not suicidal ones. What if he succeeded? What if he brought some grisly relic of sorcery out of the Tower, something that would secure his position and perhaps even let him dominate the Empire? Calaver might never be rid of his father.
It was a practical problem, he told himself. If Decius found the weapon, then Calaver would never be free of his domination.
Despite his focus on necessity, Calaver’s conscience flickered to life within him, annoyingly enough. Calaver had seen so many men die in the civil war. How many more would perish if his father found the weapon?
Though the best possible outcome would be for Caina and Decius to kill each other. Then Calaver could claim Caina’s head, present it to Corbould Maraeus, and that would be that. Calaver would be rid of his father and gain a powerful new patron without having to lift a finger.
But Calaver had been a soldier for too long to trust his luck would prove that good.
The suspicion was confirmed a moment later when Caina turned and saw him.
Calaver had been walking down a corridor lined with those damned glowing mirrors. The corridor ended in another round chamber with a spiral stair climbing into the ceiling. The faint sound of voices came to his ears, and Calaver spotted Caina and her allies standing in the room. He watched them for a moment, uncertain of how to proceed, his power held ready, and then Caina turned and saw him.
She was looking right at him, just as she had done during his failed ambush. How did she know? Calaver was beginning to think that the tales of the ancient valikarion had not been exaggerated.
The others with her turned. Kylon Shipbreaker lifted that mist-wreathed valikon. Ariadne Scorneus began a spell, gesturing with her left hand while gripping her staff with her right. The strange old man in the black coat raised a crimson scimitar and a black dagger. The girl Sophia Zomanek had a crossbow. It would have been useless against the phobomorphic spirits, but it could kill Calaver just fine.
For a moment they stared at each other.
“You might as well take off your mask, Calaver Aberon,” said Caina. “We know who you are.”
Calaver sighed, pulled off his mask, and tossed it aside.
“Gods,” said Kylon. “He does look like him, doesn’t he?”
“Like who?” said Calaver.
“Corvalis Aberon,” said Caina. “Or Torius Aberon.”
Calaver tried to smile. He didn’t do it all that often, so he wasn’t good at it. Probably made him look more menacing than anything else. “Torius was an ass. Died in Catekharon, I think, when the First Magus wanted the weapon of the Scholae for himself.”
“He did,” said Caina. “Corvalis killed him.”
“Did he?” said Calaver, and he laughed. “I never knew that. Torius thought his sorcerous power made him invincible. Guess Corvalis proved him wrong.” Calaver adjusted his grip on his sword, watching the others. “How did Corvalis die?”
“Saving my life on the day of the golden dead,” said Caina, voice quiet. “If he hadn’t…the golden dead wouldn’t have been stopped. It would have gone on and on until the world was destroyed.”
“He would have laughed to have known,” said Calaver. “We would get drunk together, sometimes, and talk about how the world deserved to burn. He didn’t care about the Empire or the Magisterium. But he did care about his sister. Ran off to save her from our father. Looks like he succeeded.”
Suddenly Calaver understood just how Caina knew Corvalis. He had died saving her life…and he would only have done that if he loved her. The rumors had said they were lovers, but that still startled Calaver. He wouldn’t have thought Corvalis capable of falling in love. Then again, he had left the Kindred and chased across half the Empire to save his sister, so perhaps Corvalis had possessed a well-hidden romantic streak.
“He did,” said Caina. “I suppose the question now is whether or not you’re going to save yourself from your father.”
“We know why you’re here, Calaver,” said Ariadne. She looked a great deal like Caina, come to think of it. Well, House Scorneus was a large and powerful family. “Decius sent you to kill Caina.”
“Yes,” said Calaver.
“He’s only using you,” said Ariadne. “He arranged for those five murders with the help of an outlaw sorceress. He sent Caina to investigate murders that he caused, and he dispatched you to kill her in a desperate bid to keep his authority.”
“With respect, high magus, I’m not an idiot,” said Calaver. “You might have known my father longer, but I know him better. I know how his little games work.�
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“Then you know he’ll cast you aside once he has what he wants,” said Caina.
“Yes, probably,” said Calaver. “You might be a bit of insurance against that.”
Caina raised her eyebrows. “How so?”
“The First Magus is probably going to fall,” said Calaver. “If he doesn’t get killed here, you will likely kill him. Or he’ll find that weapon and push too hard and bring the Emperor down on his head. But you, Lady Caina…Lord Corbould would pay a great deal to know where you are.”
Kylon’s eyes narrowed. “It’s dangerous to threaten her in front of me.”
“I’m not threatening, I’m negotiating,” said Calaver.
“You’re negotiating with bad information,” said Ariadne. “Caina killed Aiodan Maraeus, but she wasn’t the one responsible for his death. One of your father’s former supporters sent his spirit into Aiodan’s flesh, used him as a puppet.”
“Which one?” said Calaver.
“Ranarius,” answered Ariadne.
“I remember him,” said Calaver, recalling a cold, arrogant man with more ambition than sense. “He disappeared right after the war with Istarinmul started…ah. I suppose you know what happened to him?”
“He died,” said Caina. “Several times, thanks to his dabbling with the necromantic sciences.”
“My point is that you might get less reward from Lord Corbould than you think,” said Ariadne. “Especially since I will be there to tell him the truth.”
Calaver snorted. “Corbould Maraeus is not known for listening to his daughters-in-law.”
Ariadne smiled. “I’m very persuasive and persistent.”
Well, that was the gods’ own truth, wasn’t it? Ever since she had become a high magus, Ariadne Scorneus had been a persistent thorn in the side of Decius Aberon.
“I think you should help us,” said Caina.
Calaver laughed. “The Balarigar is asking for help from a battle magus? You hate the Magisterium.”
Caina shrugged. “There are levels of hate. And it seems I’m related to half the Magisterium anyway. But I’m looking at this from your perspective, Calaver. The First Magus is about to fall, you said so yourself. Maybe he’ll win and take the weapon out of the Tower, destroy the Emperor and the Umbarians both, and become the new magus-emperor. But we both know that isn’t very likely. He’s more likely to fall in the next few days, and if you’re standing with him, you’ll go down as well.”
“And maybe,” said Kylon, his hard eyes settling on Calaver, “maybe the cost will be more than you can bear.”
Calaver frowned. “What do you mean?” The Shipbreaker had a dangerous reputation. The destruction of the Empire’s western fleet had been a crushing defeat during the war with New Kyre, and the lack of ships hindered the fight against the Umbarians to this day. Calaver had supposed the Shipbreaker’s reputation was exaggerated, but looking at the valikon swirling with freezing mist and the stormdancer’s steady gaze, Calaver found that he believed it.
“If the First Magus wins, if he can use that weapon to destroy the Emperor and the Umbarian Order, he’ll only do it atop a mountain of corpses,” said Kylon. “I don’t think you could live with yourself if that happened.”
Calaver smirked. “I’ve done his dirty work for years. Why shouldn’t I be able to live with myself? What are a few more corpses?”
“Because,” said Kylon, “you can barely live with yourself now.”
They stared at each other for a long moment. Calaver’s fingers tightened against his sword hilt, as did his grip on his power.
“They say it is useless to lie to a stormdancer of the Kyracians,” said Calaver, “for you can read the hearts of others.”
Ariadne let out a disapproving cluck of the tongue. “Really, dear, you should know better. Kyracian stormdancers do not use the sorcery of the mind, but the science of elemental water does allow them to sense emotions.”
“There’s no need to read your mind,” said Kylon, “when your emotions are all but screaming it.”
Calaver let out a sigh. “What do you propose?”
“Your father is working with a renegade sorceress named Riona Canwyll,” said Caina. “She murdered the five high magi and a serving maid to empower an ancient Maatish relic. The relic will let her enter the Tower’s high chamber, which is apparently where this weapon waits.”
“What is the weapon?” said Calaver. “Some relic of old Maat? Something from the Fourth Empire?”
“I don’t know,” said Caina. “I would rather not have to find out. Which is where you can help us. Help us stop your father, and then we can go our separate ways.”
“I would like to take Decius alive, if at all possible,” said Ariadne. “To make him stand trial for his crimes. Either way, we will have a new First Magus. Valron Icaraeus, most probably. A First Magus who will use the Magisterium’s strength to win the war, not waste it in meaningless political games. If that is not enough for you, Calaver, then I will speak to my husband and see that Lord Conn gives you a position somewhere. Lord Corbould is still vigorous, but Lord Conn is his heir, and someday he will have as much authority as his father.”
“I don’t care about position,” said Calaver.
Caina raised her eyebrows. “Then why do you want to sell me to Lord Corbould?”
“Because I will need a patron after my father falls,” said Calaver. “The bastard sons of the First Magus, as I’m sure you know, are not widely loved. But I wish…I wish only to be a battle magus, and nothing more. To do my duty.” His mouth twisted. “Not to waste my time with…with my father’s meaningless political games, as you called them.”
Caina looked at Kylon.
“He’s telling the truth,” said Kylon.
“I thought you couldn’t read minds,” said Calaver.
“You believe you’re telling the truth,” said Kylon. “It’s not my fault your emotions are radiating that.”
“We’ll have to teach you a proper shielding spell, dear,” said Ariadne.
“Though I strongly suggest you don’t betray us,” said the old man in the black coat. His grin made his face look oddly skull-like. The dark-haired girl standing next to him scowled at Calaver.
“As if I could,” said Calaver. “The eyes the valikarion would see it coming, and the stormdancer would sense treachery even as I thought of it.”
“Then prove your faith,” said Caina. “Come along, and let’s put an end to this.”
Calaver nodded and took another step forward.
And as he did, pain exploded through him. A snarl came from his lips, and he staggered and went to one knee as agony filled his mind.
The strange mirror on the right-hand side of the round room flashed brighter.
###
Calaver Aberon fell to one knee with a grunt of pain, and Caina saw the arcane power flash and twist around him.
Her first thought was that Decius had somehow laid a loyalty or a compulsion spell on his bastard son, something that would kill him when the first thought of betrayal crossed his mind. Caina started to raise her valikon, intending to pierce Calaver’s skin and break the spell before it could kill him. But the glow of the spell ripped from Calaver, shot across the room, and sank into the huge Mirror of Worlds the Cataphract had used.
“What did you just do?” said Ariadne, eyes narrowed, power glowing around her hand.
“I don’t know,” said Calaver in a shaky voice. “I didn’t do anything.” He got to his feet, grimacing as he rubbed at his forehead with his free hand.
“You were holding a spell, weren’t you?” said Caina. “A spell of summoning?”
“Aye, to call more earth elementals,” said Calaver. “Just in case negotiations didn’t go well. Then that damned glowing mirror…pulled the power away from me, like…like…”
“Like a lodestone drawing an iron nail,” said Caina, her unease growing.
“Aye, exactly like that,” said Calaver.
The Mirror of Worlds rip
pled, its glow brightening. To Caina’s valikarion senses, it brightened with fresh power. The Mirror had absorbed the summoning spell and augmented it.
“Did you cast your summoning spell since you entered the Tower?” said Caina.
“No,” said Calaver, giving the Mirror a wary look. “I cast its opposite, to banish the phobomorphic spirits that came out of those damn mirrors.”
“That was wise,” said Ariadne. “We should…”
The Mirror rippled and then went black.
No. Not black. Granite-gray.
A mass of stone erupted from the Mirror and rolled across the floor.
Caina had never seen anything quite like it before. The thing looked like a sphere of gray granite, yet it rippled and undulated as if it had been made of liquid. She saw a powerful arcane aura around it, and the sphere unfolded, becoming a vaguely rough-hewn shape that stood about twelve feet tall.
“It’s a spirit,” said Kylon. “A powerful spirit. A lord of the earth elementals.”
“It was your spell that summoned it,” said Ariadne to Calaver. “Can you control it?”
“No,” said Calaver, his green eyes wide. “I can’t. It’s too powerful. And it’s annoyed that I…”
The earth elemental let out a sound like a snarling roar and surged forward with terrifying speed despite its stony bulk.
Chapter 17: Sisters
“Banishment spells!” snapped Ariadne, raising her hand and summoning as much arcane power as she could hold. “Now!”
Calaver looked astonished at the appearance of the elemental lord, but his combat reflexes were good. He recovered his balance and started the banishment spell. Ariadne struck first, hurling a fist-sized spark of blue light at the elemental lord. Calaver followed suit a half-second later, a smaller spark leaping from his left palm. Both sparks struck the earth elemental, and the creature froze. Its body reshaped itself, and a dozen tentacles of stone lashed out in all directions, whirling around the creature like frenzied whip blows.
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