“I must say,” he began speaking with a cocky tone, not waiting for her to address him, “I am surprised to find you calling. Surprised, but curious.”
“Is that because you know your master, Izefet, has betrayed me?”
“Izefet is yet another humble servant to our greater cause … a cause he serves well.”
“And what cause is served by gaining my enmity and that of Lord Skullreaver? Are you certain the path you’re pursuing isn’t merely foolishness, disguised?” Aware she was eventually going to ask for a favor, Annoxoria first wanted her adversary to squirm and second-guess his allegiances.
“The Name of the Beast is rising, whether or not you can fathom it, Annoxoria Nefzen,” the man replied. His bravado had clearly swelled since their last conversation. “Why is it that the Lady of Drachenmark has called upon me?”
Annoxoria paused – she had to play this just right. “I know what Izefet desired the Living Fire for. And seeing as how he so rudely tried to dispose of me, I’m going to make sure he doesn’t get what he wants … unless I get something I want in return.” The expression on the young man’s face stiffened, though he tried to appear unchanged.
“Your resilience is impressive, My Lady,” he finally said. He turned his head briefly to look over his shoulder before continuing. “While we all serve the same purpose, we are not all the same. I’m willing to hear you out.”
“Good. Perhaps you shall not share the fate of Izefet for betraying me. You are one of Cauzel Blackfeather’s apprentices, no? I presume you have not yet been discovered and have access to his tower?”
The man opened his mouth, then closed it. “I have … been inside the Perch, yes,” he eventually replied.
She felt uncomfortable revealing what she was about to, but Izefet had found out her secret and already shared it, for all she knew. “I need any magical research your unsuspecting master has collected on transmogrify – transformation magic. Can you bring it to me?”
Annoxoria’s scrying partner raised his lower lip as he considered her request. “I might be able to do that. Cauzel has left Ifelian on a journey, or at least I’m fairly certain. But if I were to risk theft against the most powerful Shaper in Ifelian, I would need the reward to be mine, more than merely a promise not to thwart Izefet.”
“So, you do care more for yourself than your cause – it’s as I expected.” I didn’t really matter what this pawn desired in return. She knew now that allegiance to this cult was simply an excuse for self-serving cowards to hide behind the cloak of anonymity. Still, she would play the game and ask. “What is it that you want?”
“One of your slaves,” he replied without hesitation. “The dark-haired apprentice you captured. I want you to release her to me, but in such a way that she knows I rescued her.”
That was not at all what Annoxoria had prepared to hear. It didn’t matter that the slave in question was a thousand miles away and probably dead. “That can be arranged, if you deliver what I’m seeking.”
“Well, then,” the young man said, his tone smarmy and pleased, “I shall contact you about the exchange once I’ve succeeded.”
“I’m sure you will,” Annoxoria replied. She reached down and dipped a finger into the water, disrupting its surface and ending the magical conduit. She had little confidence this initiate would actually come through, but it was a possibility, nevertheless. The thought left her energized, and she decided to spend the rest of the afternoon in bed, warming herself up for Thuvian.
A few days later, Pereen Guillory returned from his mission to Pasaxtree. Thuvian called for an audience immediately upon being informed of his arrival, and Annoxoria joined him in the throne room. She was eager to learn any news of Izefet, prepared for the worst yet still eager for what she might learn.
“My apologies if I kept you waiting, My Lord and Lady,” the spymaster offered in a sullen tone that cast his genuineness in doubt. Still, he kept his head respectfully low. “I imagined you’d be otherwise occupied when I returned.”
Thuvian’s throat rumbled before he ever opened his mouth. “Don’t compound it with empty pleasantries, Pereen. What did you learn of this cult’s plans in Pasaxtree?”
Annoxoria crossed her arms and stared unsympathetically at the spymaster, who looked vexed by his Lord’s reprimand.
Pereen cleared his throat. “The Name of the Beast’s influence is … intricate, to say the least. Conflicting rumors accuse different members of their merchant guild and the City Council as being loyal to the cult. None of the actions that can be traced back clearly demonstrate such allegiances, though I have my own suspicions. Not even my operatives have found anyone who claims to know of, let alone personally met, Izefet.”
“So the demon-spawn is content to lie in the shadows?” Thuvian stood from his throne, stepped down the dais, and began pacing. “But for how long? Crafty as he is, he must still know he alone cannot overcome the Ellafous. If he wants access to Rinn-Rhulian, he will need help.”
“He has the Aasimar,” Annoxoria mentioned. “We don’t how many. We only saw one or two at a time, but there may be more.”
Pereen cleared his throat again, this time to reclaim attention. “There is more news from Pasaxtree, I’m afraid.”
Thuvian stopped moving. “What is it?” he hissed over his red-caped shoulder.
“Their Council is displeased with the raids along the Corridor.”
“I know, that’s why I stopped them,” Thuvian spat. “It was the price of our treaty and trade agreements. Come spring, the influx of goods will help my kingdom flourish.”
“Only, they haven’t stopped, My Lord. They’ve reportedly grown in frequency as of late.”
“What?” Thuvian spun on his heels. “I haven’t authorized an ambush in weeks.”
The spymaster interlaced his fingers and licked his lips. “And yet, according to the Merchant Guild of Pasaxtree, there have been more casualties than ever.”
Thuvian looked dead at Annoxoria, his nostrils flaring. “Is this the cult, or Sepathia?”
Pereen kept talking, even though he was no longer being addressed. “Pasaxtree thinks it’s you. They recovered rubies from your mines on one of the slain lizardfolk, or so it is claimed.”
Despite her lover’s perturbation, Annoxoria felt oddly calm now that she was finally receiving clarity. “It’s probably both of them. We know Sepathia has influence over lizardfolk, and Izefet stole from us before abandoning Nightwing Castle. He could have planted the rubies. Now we know why your sister hasn’t attacked … she’s trying to get a human army to do it for her.”
Thuvian growled at the mention of Sepathia. “I will not have all my efforts unravel because of my sister’s lies. Besides that, we are not ready for war with Pasaxtree.”
Annoxoria shrugged. “What do you want to do? We can destroy whoever we have to.” She felt her draconic blood coming to an ecstatic boil at the thought of all-out conflict, though she knew such a choice was unwise. Would that she were living in the right body.
Even as her emotions started to simmer, Thuvian’s seemed to cool. “No, not yet, though that time may come. We need to convince the humans of another course.” He looked back to Pereen. “Perhaps it is time for the Lord of Drachenmark to address the leaders of Pasaxtree in person.”
The spymaster nodded once, then bowed. “As you wish, Lord Skullreaver.”
PHILLIP M. LOCEY
Phillip studied Creative Writing at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a Master’s in
Library and Information Science from the
University of South Florida.
Weaned on the fantasy genre from a young age,
he spent decades creating the imagined world of Elisahd,
where the majority of his tales are now set.
Visit elisahdbooks.com for more stories,
artwork, and news about books to come!
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The Saga Ends with
“A World in Shadow,” Book 4 in The Chain of Living Fire
The Hall of Doors Page 29
