Ghost in the Tower

by Jonathan Moeller

  There were no other options.

  Caina suspected that Valron would be more effective as First Magus than Decius had ever been.

  A few hours after Valron’s election, the embassy of Lord Valerius Hadrazon and Lord Conn Maraeus returned to the city, bringing with them momentous news.

  The city of Arzaxia had rejoined the Empire.

  Maxentius Traegast, provost of the Umbarian order, had betrayed his comrades and handed the city of Arzaxia to Lord Hadrazon. In return, Traegast would receive a full pardon, a title of nobility from the Emperor, and lands in the western Empire, far from the civil war. With Arzaxia returned to the Empire, the Emperor’s forces finally had a port on the Alqaarin Sea, which had previously been a battleground between the Umbarian fleet and the Kyracian privateers. But with Arzaxia returned to Imperial control, the Emperor’s forces could invade the Saddaic provinces from the sea, cutting off the Umbarian forces in Nova Nighmaria.

  Combined with a new First Magus who would no longer attempt to obstruct the war effort, it was possible the course of the Empire’s civil war had changed in a single day.

  Caina didn’t know. She had seen enough wars to know that the outcome was never certain. Grand Wazir Erghulan Amirasku had been confident he would crush the Istarish rebels. Rezir Shahan and Andromache Kardamnos had seized the city of Marsis in a single day. Cassander had almost destroyed Istarinmul. All three of them had failed in the end. Maybe the Umbarian Order was about to experience a failure on that scale.

  Maybe the book that Talmania had taken from the Tower of the Cataphract would change the course of the war.

  Caina didn’t know. She had her own responsibility, her own way to make sure the Umbarians were defeated. Specifically, she needed to get the Sword of Rasarion Yagar out of Artifel and away from the reach of the Umbarians. Now that Arzaxia had returned to Imperial control, she could take a ship from Artifel.

  But after some of the things Caina had seen in the Tower of the Cataphract, she wondered if there was another way.

  ###

  The next day, Lord Conn asked Caina to walk with him.

  Caina, Kylon, Morgant, Sophia, Seb, Ilona, and a slightly bemused Calaver Aberon had spent the night at Ariadne’s house. After the events of the last few days, a rest would be welcome before they set off for Iramis, and the new First Magus showed no inclination to enroll Sophia or arrest Caina. Ariadne’s seneschal Libius and his team of servants and cooks had been up to the task of feeding and housing so many guests, and Libius barked orders like a Legion centurion as he prepared dinner.

  It had been a fine meal, and Caina had taken the opportunity to observe Lord Conn.

  She was surprised by how happy Ariadne seemed around him. Lord Conn reminded Caina a great deal of his father Corbould Maraeus. There was the same grim, grave air, the same aura of command. He looked like a younger version of Corbould, with the same hard features and cold eyes, though his hair was still more black than gray. Yet his eyes softened as he looked at Ariadne, and from time to time he held her uninjured hand beneath the table.

  Conn Maraeus, commander of Legions, Lieutenant Marshal, and grim lord of the Empire, had fallen in love.

  Caina thought it spoke well of him.

  After breakfast the next morning, Conn asked Caina to walk with him, and she accepted. It was an overcast day, a cold wind whistling through the streets of Artifel. Two Imperial Guards in black armor followed at a discreet distance, their purple cloaks stirring in the wind, their hands never far from the hilts of their broadswords.

  “My father,” said Conn at last, “wants to kill you.”

  “Yes,” said Caina.

  “I have come to believe that would be folly,” said Conn. “And not just because your death would alienate both the Padishah and the Prince of Iramis from the Empire. Ariadne believes that Aiodan’s death was not your fault, and in matters of sorcery she is usually correct.”

  “I did kill him,” said Caina. “I wish I hadn’t, but I didn’t have any choice. He was possessed by the spirit of Ranarius, one of Decius Aberon’s supporters. Ranarius attacked me and made sure there were witnesses when I killed your brother. Then his spirit moved into a new body.”

  “Damned sorcerers,” muttered Conn. “More trouble than they are worth.”

  Caina raised her eyebrows. “You married one, my lord.”

  “As did you, my lady,” said Conn.

  “That I did,” said Caina. “My lord, when I was young…”

  Conn snorted. “Young? Younger, anyway. You cannot yet be thirty.”

  Caina conceded the point with a nod. “When I was younger, if I had been given the chance to kill every wielder of arcane force in the Empire, I likely would have done it. But that would not change anything. It would be like killing all the nobles, or all the commoners, or all the merchants, or all the priests. The problem isn’t nobles or sorcerers or commoners or priests. The human heart has both wickedness and virtue in it, and some of us choose evil and some virtue.”

  “Ariadne is fond of saying that,” said Conn. “My father thinks that there are no good people, that all men are motivated by base and selfish desires.”

  “What do you think?” said Caina.

  “I think both my father and Ariadne are right, and that I am not wise enough to comprehend the entirety of the truth of human nature,” said Conn. He paused. “Ariadne tells me that you saved her life.”

  “Yes,” said Caina.

  “Thank you for that, Lady Kardamnos.” He smiled, which softened his harsh features. “I confess that after my first wife died, I expected to marry again at some point. Likely some noblewoman the age of your liegewoman Sophia, some political alliance to shore up the influence and prestige of House Maraeus.” He shook his head. “I did not expect to meet Ariadne.”

  “And you did not expect to fall in love,” said Caina.

  “No,” said Conn. “I did not. I imagine you experienced something of the same when you met Lord Kylon.”

  “Truth be told, we tried to kill each other multiple times on the day we met,” said Caina.

  Conn blinked, and laughed aloud. “What a peculiar tale. I will speak to my father when I see him again and attempt to convince him to lift the bounty on your head.”

  “I would be grateful, my lord,” said Caina.

  “I think the Empire is going to need you in the days to come,” said Conn. “Perhaps you would like to live quietly in Iramis…but I suspect that is not going to be your fate.”

  ###

  Ariadne found that she enjoyed having so many guests under her roof.

  Her house, if she was honest with herself, was too much space for one woman. Even Alassan Maraeus, as energetic as he was, could only do so much to fill the space. After Caina and Conn left to speak together, Ariadne wandered through her house, checking on her guests. It was nice to talk to Seb at length again. She had not been able to see him regularly since the civil war started. On one level, it was good to see how obviously attracted he was to Ilona. Katrina’s death had been hard for him, and Ariadne wasn’t sure if he would ever move past it.

  Ariadne wasn’t certain she approved of Ilona, though.

  She found Kylon in the library, standing near the fire and frowning at an open book in his hand.

  “Reading?” she said.

  Kylon looked up, blinked, and smiled. “Trying to, anyway.” He closed the book and slid it back into the proper place on her shelves, which immediately made Ariadne like him all the more. “Caina reads for enjoyment. I find that utterly baffling.”

  “I have been married three times, Lord Kylon,” said Ariadne. “You never really understand everything about the other person. Not even stormdancers who can sense the emotions of others.”

  Kylon sighed. “The second time for me. And you are correct. Though here is something I do understand. I am glad Caina had the chance to meet you.”

  “Oh?” said Ariadne. “Why is that?”

  “Before you, the only members of her
family she had met were Seb and Talmania,” said Kylon. “She gets on well enough with Seb, but Talmania reminded her too much of her mother. And Talmania nearly killed us all.”

  “Talmania almost killed you,” said Ariadne. “That must have been hard for Caina.”

  “Yes,” said Kylon. “Ever since…there has been a shadow in her emotions.”

  “Do you know,” said Ariadne. “When I first saw Caina beneath the Great Dome, it gave me a fright. I thought she was Talmania.” Ariadne felt a rueful smile go over her face. “And Caina thought that I was Talmania. Ah, but House Scorneus has a long and tangled history, and we seem to produce heroes and villains in equal measure. Talmania and Rania are among the villains…and Caina one of the heroes.”

  “She would hate to hear it,” said Kylon. “She says the Balarigar is a myth and a legend.”

  Ariadne smiled. “You say that with the patient air of a husband who has heard that exact speech many times.”

  Kylon laughed. “I have. She would be annoyed to realize it, but I have.”

  “But she is the Balarigar, you know,” said Ariadne. “At least, the myth only exists because of her. If not for Caina, no one would talk about it.”

  “I know,” said Kylon, his voice quiet. “I’ve seen it firsthand. She stopped the Moroaica and Grand Master Callatas. Some of that, I know, she could not have done without me. But she is the one who saw the path to victory. I just carved my way through it.” He paused, staring off into the distance for a moment. “She’s…unique. I know that sounds like a husband who loves his wife, but I’ve never met anyone like her, anyone who has her strange mixture of insight and courage.”

  “She needs you, my lord,” said Ariadne. “Perhaps more than she even knows. A woman like Caina doesn’t need a wealthy man or a noble. She needs a warrior upon whom she can lean.” She grinned. “What she needs is a man who will drop out of the sky when she confronts mercenaries in the street.”

  Kylon snorted. “I didn’t drop out of the sky. I jumped from a nearby rooftop.”

  Ariadne laughed. “Yes, that’s such an immense difference.” She hesitated. “Will you look after her?”

  “Always,” said Kylon. “Thank you for being kind to Caina. She had started to get the idea that her bloodline was cursed to produce women like her mother or tyrants like Talmania.”

  “If I had been fortunate enough to have a daughter,” said Ariadne, “I would have been proud to have her turn out like Caina. Might I ask you a favor, Lord Kylon?”

  “If you wish,” said Kylon.

  “Keep an eye on Seb, will you?” said Ariadne. “I’ve spoken with the new First Magus, and he’s going to send Seb with Caina to help her get back to Iramis.”

  “We will be glad of the help,” said Kylon. “Though I think Seb can look after himself.”

  “Perhaps…not where his heart is concerned,” said Ariadne.

  Kylon frowned. “You don’t trust Ilona?”

  “No,” said Ariadne. “There is something…off about her. I’m not sure what it is. She’s perfectly polite and charming, but there is something about her I dislike, something cold and watchful.”

  “She’s a Ghost nightkeeper,” said Kylon. “Best for her to remain watchful.”

  “An intuition, then,” said Ariadne. “And I fear that Seb cannot think clearly around her. Sometimes a woman can have that effect on a man.”

  “Yes,” said Kylon. “I know it well. Having recently jumped off a rooftop for a woman.”

  “If anything, Caina makes you think more clearly, my lord,” said Ariadne, “for you need to be rational at times when she is not. Please, watch out for Seb. There is something strange about Ilona, and I fear she will bring him to harm.”

  “I will,” said Kylon. “Caina’s become fond enough of Seb that she would be upset if anything happened to him. And he’s a trusty man in a fight.”

  “Thank you, Lord Kylon,” said Ariadne. “I am grateful.” She smiled. “But is that really the best way to make friends? To go into battle together?”

  “It is,” said Kylon. “Caina likes to say that you can see who someone really is by how they treat those weaker than themselves. That’s true enough, but I say that you see a man’s true self when a fight starts. And Seb stood with us against the mavrokhi and a vyrkolak lord and the Umbarians.” He smiled. “Or you can see a woman’s true nature when she walks with us into the Tower of the Cataphract.”

  Ariadne offered a bow. “Lord Kylon, that might just be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

  ###

  Calaver could not quite relax.

  He had his father’s training to thank for that. His mind kept calculating all the possible ways Ariadne and Lord Conn could betray him. Perhaps it was for the best. That paranoia had kept Calaver alive on the battlefield, and hopefully, it would keep him alive a while longer. Plus, the old man in the black coat, the one who called himself Markaine, kept watching him. If Calaver attempted any treachery, the old man with the black dagger would come for him at once.

  Calaver was reasonably sure that Ariadne and Caina had forgiven him for his attempts on their life, but he had been wrong before.

  So, he walked through the frozen gardens of Ariadne’s house, partly to clear his mind, and partly so he had a clear field of vision so no one could sneak up behind him.

  He saw when Caina and Lord Conn returned to the house, trailed by a pair of Imperial Guards. The Guards and Conn went into the villa. Caina paused at the door, seeming to stare at nothing, then turned and walked towards Calaver.

  Calaver took a deep breath. “Valikarion.”

  Caina inclined her head. “Battle magus.”

  “It was funny,” said Calaver.

  “What was funny?” said Caina.

  “Watching you address the high magi,” said Calaver. “Telling them what a scoundrel my father was. I don’t think a valikarion has addressed the high magi since the time of the Third Empire. Half of the high magi were hoping you were a fraud, and the other half were scared to death of you.”

  “They will learn to adapt,” said Caina. “The Emperor has renewed the Pact of Iramis. The valikarion aren’t going to disappear. It sounds trite to say it, but the world has changed. The Magisterium is going to have to change with it.”

  “Maybe it’s for the best,” said Calaver. “You know what I think makes people good?”

  Caina shrugged. “Any number of things.”

  “No,” said Calaver. “Fear. Fear of the consequences. My father was never afraid of the consequences. But if he had been afraid that one day a valikarion would come for him, then maybe his life wouldn’t have ended the way it did.”

  “Maybe,” said Caina. “What are you going to do now?”

  “The new First Magus is going to the front,” said Calaver, “to take charge of the magi there and make sure they’re helping the war. I’m going with him, as part of his guard.” He rubbed his jaw. “That was always the biggest advantage we had against the Umbarians in the field. The Magisterium knows how to cooperate in a battle, how to support the Legions. The Umbarian magi could never manage it and aren’t above stabbing each other in the back during a battle. My father was always the biggest obstacle to getting anything done. Valron Icaraeus has a better head on his shoulders.” He shrugged. “But we’ll see what we’ll see.”

  “We will,” said Caina. “Then I wish you good luck, Calaver Aberon.”

  Calaver felt himself smile. He did it so infrequently that it felt odd. “The Balarigar wishing a magus luck?”

  “We live in strange times,” said Caina. “Can I ask you something?”

  “If you wish,” said Calaver.

  “How well did you know Corvalis?”

  Calaver considered that. “Why do you care? What was Corvalis to you?”

  “We were lovers, you know that.” There was a flicker of old pain on her face for an instant. “It is as I said. He died saving my life on the day of the golden dead.”

  “St
range,” said Calaver.

  “Why is that?”

  “You’re blond. Corvalis usually liked dark-haired women.”

  To his surprise, Caina laughed. “I dyed my hair. I looked too much like Talmania and didn’t want to be recognized.”

  “Mmm,” said Calaver. “Well, that proves it. You’re not a fool. Corvalis never got along with fools. He didn’t really trust women, either. For a while, he was with a woman…”

  “Nairia,” said Caina.

  “You’ve heard the story, then,” said Calaver. “Our father thought Corvalis was becoming weak, so he hired Nairia to kill Corvalis in his bed. He killed her, instead, but he never really trusted anyone after that.” He paused. “He trusted you, though. Corvalis and I were friendly enough. He wasn’t a magus, so we couldn’t really threaten each other. I am glad he got away from Artifel. I suppose Claudia finally persuaded him. Does Claudia still think she knows what’s best for everyone?”

  Caina laughed. “Aye. Though now that she is Lord Martin’s wife and a mother, she has a son and an entire household to manage. That absorbs most of her impulses to improve things.”

  “Corvalis would have been pleased with that, I think,” said Calaver. “And I am pleased to have met you, Balarigar. I hope the next time will be under more cheerful circumstances.”

  “Because you already wasted your one chance to kill me, you mean?” said Caina.

  Calaver burst out laughing. “Yes, Corvalis would have liked you.”

  ###

  Caina walked back into Ariadne’s house, lost in thought.

  She felt the weight of the Sword of Rasarion Yagar over her shoulder, but it weighed more heavily on her mind. Talmania knew that she had the Sword, and she was going to come for it, sooner or later. Probably sooner. Which meant that Caina had to move.