This was incredible. A Council of Wizard member was in his house, and not just any Council member, but the very one who had inscribed his tattoo. Nero’s mind raced with possibilities. Bringing down the Philosophers was critical to the Guildmaster’s plans, and the problem had always been that no one knew who was on the Council of Wizards. But here was a member of the Council in his own home. If he could deliver him to the Guildmaster, the rewards would be substantial.
Nero painstakingly kept his facial expression neutral as he considered his options. He finally said, “It’s an honor to have you in my home, sir. May I offer you something? Tea perhaps?”
“No thank you. I will not be staying long.”
“Then how may I be of service to the Council?”
“You are going to receive a new assignment from Shane tonight, and I wanted to meet with you in person beforehand to underscore its importance. You have been with the Philosopher organization for over a year now, and so far, your performance has been flawless. Based on your record, the Council feels you are ready for more.”
“I appreciate the Council’s faith in me, but assignments aren’t usually handed out by the Council itself.”
“This is somewhat of an informal visit, and off the record. A messenger will come to leave your orders soon enough, but before that happens, I wanted to tell you that the mission given to you tonight will have a great impact on the future of Armena.”
Nero raised an eyebrow. This was definitely worth hearing. “How can that be?”
The wizard seemed to be choosing his words carefully, sifting information in his mind between what he could and could not divulge. “As you know, we have been putting all of our resources, to the detriment of everything else, into finding the First Heir and returning him to the throne.”
“Yes. I was just sent to the Ring Sea to find out what information I could on the First Heir’s disappearance.”
“We know he has been taken into the Underworld, which is one of the main reasons why you have been selected for this new assignment. Your expertise with the Krone is already well known among the Council of Wizards, and your familiarity with the Ring Sea area will also be a benefit.”
Nero already knew what the wizard was referring to but had to play on ignorance for now. “Pardon me, sir, but what is this new assignment?”
“Are you familiar with the events leading up to the exile of Lacrue’s two sons?”
“I heard about it second hand. The King Jalid exiled the sons as retribution for the carelessness of their father. It seemed absurd to me to follow such an old tradition, but who am I to question the Crown? The brothers left Armena about two moons ago and headed northeast toward the Ring Sea.”
“That is right.”
“I haven’t had the chance to write a report to the Council yet, but I actually trailed them for a little while in two small towns called Dowden and Wessex.”
Nero expected surprise from the wizard, but instead he nodded his head as though he already knew the information. “And what did you find out about them?”
Here, Nero had to tread carefully. He couldn’t let the wizard know he had been trailing them the entire time. “I barely missed them in a town called Dowden, but everyone was talking about a group of elves that had just come through. It’s odd for elves to venture that far outside of Armena, so I thought they might be connected with the First Heir’s disappearance. I decided to find out who they were and what they were doing, so I moved quickly to catch up with them in Wessex. By the time I got there they had already been hired by the local mage to destroy a group of giants harassing the town.”
The wizard nodded approvingly. “The brothers destroyed the giants, saved the town from the insanity of the local lord, and were hailed as heroes.”
“How do you know so much information about these two brothers?”
The wizard cracked a smile and shook his head as a parent would with a younger child. “You are good, son, but there is a reason I have the closed book and you have the open one. The Council has its secrets, and the Council keeps its secrets. Tell me what else you discovered about the brothers.”
This wizard was smart. He was going to tell Nero exactly what he wanted and nothing else. If this was how close-mouthed he was with a fellow Philosopher, then how was the Guild ever going to expose and destroy the Council of Wizards?
“I eventually found out they were searching for the First Heir, but what impressed me most was their ability to survive.”
“They continue to prevail because greatness is in their blood and because they were told if they found the First Heir they could return to Armena. The brothers and their companions have also been attacked by the Talon Guild on a number of occasions and survived. Do you know what the Talon Guild is?”
Nero struggled to keep his feelings in check. “I have heard rumors through the Philosopher intelligence network, but I have never seen one of their operatives.”
He felt the wizard observing his reaction as he mentioned the Guild, or was it his guilty conscience that made him self-conscious? “The Talon Guild is involved in all of this somehow, but I do not have any specifics worth sharing yet.”
No specifics worth sharing. Did that mean he had nothing, or that he needed more proof? Either way, Nero could only ignore the comment about the Guild and continue. “So what does all of this have to do with my assignment? In my travels, I trailed the brothers for several days, but once I found out they didn’t know anything about the First Heir’s location, I moved on to other more promising leads.”
“These companions are searching for the First Heir, just as we are, but where we have failed they will succeed.”
“You have an awful lot of faith in two kids’ ability to alter the future of Armena.”
The wizard looked more serious than before, and Nero knew what he spoke was the truth. “You have your gifts; I have mine. I know these brothers are special, and you are going to watch over them for me. That is your new assignment. We know the First Heir was taken into the Underworld, and the Krone are probably involved. We have sent our best agents into the Underworld to bring us some kind of intelligence. The Army of Armena has also sent spies of their own. We have not heard from any of them and assume they have all been lost. We need a fresh plan, and so tonight you are going to be asked to join these companions and aid them in any way you can.”
Nero had to admit that everything was proceeding exactly as the Guildmaster predicted. He just had to play along a little while longer. “No offense, but why should the Philosophers send skilled agents to help these green exiles? It seems to me that our resources would be better spent on our own investigation.”
“All the resources of the Philosophers and the Army of Armena will continue to press the enemy and possibly find the First Heir, but I believe these exiles have the best chance of all. So it is with them that I lay my hopes. The enemy will not suspect them and will not see them coming.”
Nero knew how wrong the wizard was and it gave him confidence. With any luck the companions were already dead, but if not, the Inner Circle would certainly see them coming from far, far away. “I believe I am beginning to understand, and I’m honored to go where the Council commands.”
“Nero, your assignment will be what your assignment will be. I only came to tell you the gravity of the situation and to ask you for a favor of sorts. A half-elf by the name of Xander is traveling with the exiled brothers. I want you to keep an eye on him and see if you think he would make a good Philosopher agent. I want you to contact me if you think he is worthy of consideration.”
Nero’s eyebrows rose as he considered this favor. It sounded too good to be true. “How will I contact you if this Xander is worthy?”
The wizard handed Nero a gold coin with an open book on one side and the library of Bethel on the other. “Spin this coin like a top and my image will appear before you to hear what you have found.”
Nero would gladly do anything the wizard asked if it opened a door to the
Council of Wizards. “I understand. Is there anything else?”
“Actually, there are two more things. The wizard stepped forward and handed Nero a scroll. “This is a teleportation scroll that will transport you anywhere in Tellus you wish to go.”
“Thank you; I’m honored.”
“And the second thing is ...”
There was a sharp knock at Nero’s door. He was startled for a moment and reflexively turned around to have a look. He immediately realized his mistake and quickly turned back to look at the wizard. The wizard had disappeared in that instant and left Nero with nothing but questions. How did the Council of Wizards know about these companions, or Xander for that matter?
Nero opened the heavy oak door and found a small wooden box pressed up against the door frame. The messenger standing in the deep shadows of the alleyway across the road turned around and walked away as he bent down to pick up the box.
Nero took the lid off the tiny box and found a scroll inside that bore Shane’s personal seal. Nero broke the wax seal and read the scroll silently to himself.
It simply told Nero what the wizard had said. Nero reread the scroll several times and committed it to memory before he held it up to the candle and let the flame dispose of the evidence. Nero sighed, took a look around his home, blew out the lamps around the house, and moved to the door. He picked up the traveling bag he had left only a little while earlier. A Philosopher was always prepared.
Chapter 48: Stealing from a Thieves Guild
A short time after deciding on a rescue plan for Valihorn, the companions approached the edge of the tree line in front of the steel doors to the fortress and stopped. Evisar turned to everyone and said, “The plan starts here. Xander, good luck.”
Xander nodded knowingly, whispered a prayer, and vanished right before their eyes. Evisar had been invisible once before, but it still took his breath away to watch Xander disappear five feet in front of him.
Evisar turned and marched boldly out of the woods toward the front gate with Tristan and Jefon on either side, waving a white cloth in front of him. The guard manning the steel doors on top of the wall and the two guards in the watchtowers on that side of the fortress perked up as they approached. Evisar got to within ten feet of the gate and stopped. The guard above the door did not know what to make of them, as it was unlikely they got many visitors and even fewer elves. The tension built as no one said anything for many heartbeats. The guard seemed to be waiting for Evisar, but Evisar’s face was stone calm. In a negotiation, power was everything, and he who flinched first did not have the power.
Eventually the guard looked angry and said, “What do you want?”
Evisar gave a curt response. “We wish to speak to Ramon.”
“Why?”
“Tell him those he fought on the river would like to negotiate for their friend.”
The guard chuckled down at them. “So you’re the friends of that wizard fellow Ramon came back with this morning, huh? I don’t think Ramon will give a hoot about you one way or the other, but if you toss me up a platinum coin I’ll go and see if I can find him.”
Evisar had faced many warriors before, and he knew a pissing match when he saw one. If he threw up a platinum coin the guard was just as likely to laugh in his face as go and get Ramon. Fortunately, the guard did not know him and that gave him the advantage. Evisar put on as serious a face as he could manage and said, “If you don’t go and get Ramon, then as you have irritated me the most, you will be the first to die.”
The guard studied Evisar’s face for a sign of doubt, and the two remained deadlocked for several more breaths. The guard eventually caved and saved his pride by spitting off the edge of the wall at Evisar’s feet before grunting loudly and disappeared from view. Nothing happened for a long time, and the companions were left wondering if they were being set up. Eventually a voice on the other side yelled loudly, “Open the gate,” and the companions heard heavy bars being lifted. The steel doors began to part.
Three things immediately caught Evisar’s attention. First, there seemed to be an entire city of buildings inside the Old Shetley Fortress with a large courtyard. Second, the fortress commander had twenty men-at-arms on the ground and ten archers on the surrounding walls. Third, the fortress commander who faced them was a male Krone who looked just as Jefon had described a short time before.
Evisar visibly tensed as he caught sight of the Krone commander, and Jefon’s reaction was even more pronounced as he gripped his bow with all his strength, barely managing to fight off the involuntary reflex to reach into his quiver for an arrow. The Krone, for his part, did not seem surprised to see two surface elves before him; no doubt he had been told ahead of time who was at his gate. Evisar raised his right arm slightly to calm his brother.
As he lowered his arm, Evisar heard Xander’s voice in his ear. “This just keeps getting better and better.”
Evisar waited a few heartbeats before walking forward with Tristan and Jefon on either side. The Krone commander was roughly the same age Evisar’s father had been when he died. He wore a chain mail shirt with a coat of arms on his breast plate that Evisar didn’t recognize. He had the ears of an elf and the dark skin and white hair of a Krone. He had a deep scar both below and above his right eye, and it looked as though his left hand was missing the last two fingers. Krone did not venture to the surface of Tellus very often and were known for their far-flung campaigns against their many enemies in the Underworld. Evisar concluded this commander was no doubt a seasoned general with many victories to his name. The Krone wouldn’t show weakness by sending anything less. Evisar stopped at the gate entrance and waited for the commander to say something.
When the Krone commander spoke, Evisar was shocked by the civility of his manner. “My name is Seril. And who might you be?”
“I am Evisar. This is my brother Jefon and my companion Tristan.”
Seril nodded in respect and put a hint of a smile on his face. “You must’ve made quite an impression on Ramon. Normally, he would have just ordered me to kill you or take you prisoner.”
Evisar returned the wit, but not the smile. “Ramon has made quite an impression on us as well. It’s not just anyone who can take one of our companions away from us.”
“You are here to negotiate for his release?”
“That’s right.”
“Ramon has agreed to hear you out. Will you please come with me and leave your weapons by the gate?”
“Only if you give us safe conduct for this meeting.” Evisar wouldn’t step foot inside the fortress until he had some assurance he wouldn’t be immediately captured and killed.
The Krone didn’t get angry, but said, “It is you who have come to negotiate with us. You are the one who is choosing to come into our territory. I see no reason to make a promise like that to a surface elf.”
Evisar took a calculated risk. “Did Ramon order you to bring us before him? If so, he would be disappointed if we just turned around and left. I am eager to meet with him in order to negotiate in good faith, but I can’t simply hand myself over to you. Krone are not known for keeping their word, but you seem honorable to me. Give me your assurance of safe passage, whether it is true or not, and we will come with you.”
Seril turned up a smile of respect and said, “You are correct, Evisar. Ramon did command me to bring you before him, though it would make little difference to him if I simply turn you away. Very well, I will grant you safe conduct for this meeting, and see you safely outside the walls. Will that suffice?”
Evisar inclined his head saying, “It will. Thank you, Seril.” Evisar walked into the fortress with Jefon on his right and Tristan on his left. Evisar moved over to the fortress wall and reluctantly removed all of his weapons. Jefon and Tristan did the same. As soon as they were inside, two human guards on top of the wall began to shut the steel gate. Evisar hoped Xander had been close enough behind to make it into the fortress.
Evisar walked up to Seril and the men-at-arms formed
a half circle around the companions. The companions had their backs to the gate. To the left, and closest to the gate, was the largest and least impressive structure. It was a single story building made of wood with a sod roof. It probably served as a barracks for the common soldiers, with an armory and a kitchen to feed the mass of troops. Past the barracks was the inner keep. The slate roof building was two stories tall and solidly made out of stone and mortar. To the right of the inner keep was another two story building with stone walls on the first level and a wooden structure on the second level. The windows had iron bars and the door was made out of reinforced wood with metal braces, giving Evisar the impression it was a dungeon of some sort. There were countless other buildings inside the vast fortress further off in the distance, but they did not seem to be the sort of places you kept prisoners.
Evisar leaned toward his brother’s ear and whispered, “Xander, check the dungeon building next to the inner keep.”
Xander’s voice came like a whisper on the wind to Evisar’s ear from across the courtyard. “I’ll start there first. Good luck.” Evisar had to admit he was impressed with Xander’s divine gift. In addition to his invisibility spell, Xander had also cast a spell that would allow the two of them to talk from almost anywhere inside the fortress as though they were whispering in each other’s ear. That meant Evisar could negotiate for Valihorn’s release at the same time Xander was searching for Valihorn’s cell, and they could still keep in contact. If negotiations broke down, then maybe Xander would succeed. Either way, the chances of freeing Valihorn were doubled.
Evisar stopped ten feet in front of Seril and asked, “What are the Krone doing working with the Talon Guild, and why are you abducting wizards and priests?” It was a risk telling Seril everything he knew, but he was hoping Seril would give him more information in return. Being this close to Seril, Evisar could see that life in the Underworld must be harsh indeed. Seril’s face and arms were full of scars both large and small. Evisar wondered how many of the scars were inflicted in battle and how many were inflicted by his own people.
Do the Gods Despise Us? Page 12
