The Seeker wore her usual boots, trousers, and black leather vest, her blue eyes cold and hard in her lean face. She climbed the stairs, and Caina saw the heavy muscles shifting in the woman’s arms. As she drew closer, Caina felt the tingle of sorcery. Mihaela wore an odd variety of earrings, rings, and bracelets, and Caina was sure every last one of them carried protective spells.
She reached the top of the terrace, frowning at Caina like a scholar scrutinizing a rare manuscript.
Caina bowed. “Seeker.”
“I remember you,” said Mihaela, her Anshani thick with a Szaldic accent. “The merchant’s daughter, the one who kept flirting with Irzaris. As I recall, the sight of blood was too much for you.”
Did Mihaela know that Caina was a Ghost? Had Sicarion told her?
Best to maintain her masquerade.
“I am sorry if I spoiled your demonstration, Seeker,” said Caina. “All that blood was too much for me…”
“You do not appear to have a single thought,” said Mihaela, “in that pretty little head.” She smiled. “How hard you must work to maintain that impression. Are you a sorceress?”
Caina blinked. “I’m sorry?”
Did Mihaela know that Caina carried the Moroaica’s spirit? Sicarion knew, and if he had told her…
“Are you,” said Mihaela, speaking slowly, “a sorceress? Do you have a knowledge of the arcane sciences? Can you wield your thoughts as a weapon? Do you practice the sciences of pyromancy, oneiromancy, necromancy, or wield the elements themselves as a weapon?”
“No,” said Caina. “I am just a simple woman, I fear.”
Mihaela gripped a ring on the middle finger of her left hand. Caina felt a tingle, and realized Mihaela was using the ring to cast a spell. She reached for a knife, but Mihaela released the ring.
“Not a sorceress,” said Mihaela. “I thought as much.” She looked at Corvalis. “And are you?”
“A sorceress?” said Corvalis. “Surely the stubble should give it away.”
“Do not display impertinence with me,” said Mihaela. “Do you have arcane ability or do you not?”
Corvalis shrugged. “I just kill people who need killing.”
“A fine sentiment,” said Mihaela. “Come along. I will speak with your master.”
She walked away without a backwards glance. Corvalis looked at Caina, and she shrugged. Best to see how this played out. Caina followed Mihaela, Corvalis at her side, and the Seeker entered the palace proper. She slid aside the paper door to the guest suite. Halfdan still sat at the table with Claudia, eating breakfast.
Claudia’s eyes grew wide.
“Seeker,” said Halfdan, rising with a bow. “You do me honor. Have you come to peruse my wares? I have many fine jewels in my inventory, and…”
“Do,” said Mihaela, “be silent.”
Halfdan shrugged and stopped talking. Mihaela paced back and forth, scowling, her heavy boots clicking against the gleaming floorboards. She walked to the window, gazed at the lake for a moment.
“This used to be a volcano,” she said, “the prison of a greater fire elemental. The Scholae built the Tower of Study here to tap the elemental’s power.” She waved a hand at one of the aqueducts crossing the lake. “All that molten metal is part of the spell keeping the thing bound. But the Sages can’t give up the power now, even if they wanted to, because the fire elemental would consume them.”
“So to paraphrase the old Szaldic proverb,” said Halfdan, “they have a wolf by the ears, and cannot let it go.”
“Precisely,” said Mihaela. “Though the Anshani and the Istarish say a lion, not a wolf.” She turned from the window, scowling. “Let us lay aside all games and speak plainly.”
“Nothing,” said Halfdan, “would delight me more.”
“I doubt that, Basil Callenius,” said Mihaela. “I know that is not your name. I know that you are a Ghost, probably a high-ranking one, and that these,” she waved a hand at Caina and the others, “are your spies.”
“That,” said Halfdan, “is an interesting supposition. Who, I wonder, put such ideas into your head?”
Mihaela smirked. “Did Sicarion tell me, you mean?”
Caina’s hand twitched towards the hilt of a knife.
“Sicarion?” said Halfdan.
Mihaela sighed. “Are you incapable of anything but riddling talk, Basil Callenius? Fine. I know that Khaltep Irzaris was found dead in his mansion this morning without a mark on him, though there were signs of struggle. I have seen Sicarion use a spell that kills in such a fashion, a bar of shadow wrapped in green fire.”
“And you know Sicarion?” said Halfdan.
“Yes,” said Mihaela. “He has tried to kill me thrice.”
“I can relate,” said Caina.
“Can you?” said Mihaela with a scoff. “I know why Basil brought you. A pretty-faced girl to seduce the merchants and the lords and part them from their secrets. Irzaris was practically ready to fall into bed with you. Be silent when your betters are speaking.”
Corvalis scowled, but Caina remained silent, thinking. Irzaris had been trying to seduce Claudia, not Caina. Which meant that Mihaela had misjudged both him and Caina. And if she continued to underestimate Caina, that could prove useful in the future.
“As you say,” mumbled Caina, making her voice sulky.
“Better,” said Mihaela.
“Why would Sicarion want to kill you?” said Halfdan.
Mihaela shrugged. “Perhaps I offended him in some way.”
“My lady Seeker,” said Halfdan, “you wish to speak without games and riddling talk? Very well. Since you have entered my rooms, you have spoken of philosophy, history, and made the egregious accusation that I am a spy for the Emperor of Nighmar. Yet for all your words, I notice you have still failed to come to the point.”
Mihaela smirked. “Good. I prefer direct words. Very well. I have a wolf by the ears, to use your proverb, and I think you can help me to release it without having my throat ripped out.”
“The glypharmor,” said Halfdan. “That is your wolf.”
Mihaela scowled. “Precisely.” She paced back to the table. “Do not listen to Zalandris’s fine-sounding words about peace and brotherhood. I created the glypharmor for the same reason I joined the Scholae. Wealth and power.”
“Enough wealth and power to keep you from becoming a slave again?” said Halfdan.
“Bah,” said Mihaela. “You have been talking to Annika, haven’t you? My sister is a wretched fool. The Ghosts would have had us squander our lives luring fat noblemen into bed to steal their secrets.” She shot a look at Caina. “But I had higher things in mind.”
“Such as wealth and power,” said Halfdan, “but the glypharmor has drawn the attention of those with too much power.”
“You know the Bostaji?” said Mihaela.
“The personal assassins of the Shahenshah of Anshan," said Halfdan.
“Twice they have tried to kidnap me at the command of Yaramzod the Black,” said Mihaela. "Once I was almost waylaid by the Immortals, no doubt sent by Callatas and that fat emir, I forget his name. And then that scarred devil Sicarion..."
"He, too, tried to abduct you?" said Halfdan.
"He tried to kill me," said Mihaela, "and he has come close." She flexed her fingers. "I am not without power. Even a Seeker of the Scholae is a match for sorcerers of other lands. I have wounded him in our fights. Yet every time he comes back healed, if more scarred. I am sure he killed Irzaris in order to get at me." She paced back and forth again. "So, yes, Basil Callenius, I have got the wolf by the ears, and if I let go, he'll devour me. I have no wish to spend the rest of my days as a slave of the First Magus or Yaramzod the Black. But the glypharmor, and the knowledge of its creation, is the only thing of value that I possess." She thumped her chest. "I am the only one who knows the complete spell. Not Zalandris, not any of the other Sages. Only me."
"Let us have more blunt speaking," said Halfdan. "You want to let go of the wolf before
it devours you...and to do that, you are coming to the Ghosts for protection?"
Mihaela nodded.
"And what do you offer in exchange?" said Halfdan.
"The glypharmor suits I have already completed," said Mihaela, "and the knowledge of how to create more."
"You'll give them to the Ghosts?" said Halfdan.
"No." Mihaela smirked and pointed at Claudia. "But I might give them to her."
Claudia blinked.
"Me?" she said at last. "Why me?"
"Because," said Mihaela, "you are a magus."
"I...I most certainly am not!" said Claudia. She was a terrible liar. It was a quality that would have been admirable under other circumstances. "I am...I am the eldest daughter of Basil Callenius, and came with him to Catekharon to find a wealthy husband..."
"Do all Ghosts," said Mihaela, "like so poorly?" She glanced at Caina. "The weak-stomached child and the incompetent liar. Does the Empire rest upon such pillars?" She turned back to Claudia. “I can tell you are a magus, and a strong one. Enough magi have visited Catekharon that I know the aura of a magus when I feel it."
Magi such as Torius Aberon, Caina wondered?
"Why me?" said Claudia.
"Because you are a magus," said Mihaela, "and you understand the responsibility of power."
"A curious thing to say," said Claudia, "given that you tried to use your power for wealth and aggrandizement."
"I spent my childhood as a slave," said Mihaela. "I desired security and freedom, not the good of mankind. Yet even I know what it is to bear power. Sorcery presents its own set of peculiar temptations. I could twist the minds of those around me and make them into my own personal slaves, just as I was once enslaved...but such folly would quickly draw the attention of those with the power to destroy me. So any wielder of arcane science must know a measure of restraint." She leveled a finger at Claudia. "Any sorcerer can understand that, even a tyrant like Yaramzod or the First Magus. But the Ghosts are the only ones who will neither kill me nor enslave me. And you are the only sorceress I know among the Ghosts."
"Very well," said Claudia. "So you will give the glypharmor to me, personally?"
"I said I will consider it," said Mihaela. "I wish you to join me for dinner, tonight, and we shall discuss it further."
"We shall be honored," said Halfdan with a bow, "to attend."
Mihaela scowled. "Not you. Just her."
"Alone?" said Claudia.
"You will be perfectly safe," said Mihaela.
"I am afraid," said Halfdan, "that I cannot allow her to go alone."
Mihaela laughed. "She is in no danger from me, Basil Callenius. I cannot decide to give her the glypharmor if she is dead, no?"
"Nor will you be able to give her the glypharmor," said Halfdan, "if Yaramzod or Sicarion come for you and Irene is accidentally slain in the fighting."
"That is so," said Mihaela. "Very well, you may take one other with you."
Claudia looked from Caina to Corvalis and back again.
"Anna," said Claudia. "I want Anna to come with me?"
"Her?" Mihaela laughed. "The seducer? A poor choice. My tastes run to men."
"And I insist," said Halfdan, "that Cormark accompany them both. A master merchant certainly should not allow his daughters to go unescorted."
Mihaela's eyes narrowed, and then she shrugged. "If you wish. Your little masquerade is no concern of mine."
"And before you go," said Halfdan, "two questions."
Mihaela sighed. "If you must."
"I must," said Halfdan. "First, we suspect necromancy was used in the creation of the glypharmor. Was it?"
"Necromancy?" said Mihaela. "You are jesting, yes?" She laughed. "No, I did not use necromancy. The Sages kill any Seeker they catch wielding it. And necromancy is a crude and...inelegant science. It is beneath me."
"Thank you," said Halfdan. "There is one other point. Some months ago you took a slave named Ardasha as a student. What became of her?"
"Sicarion killed her," said Mihaela.
Caina felt a chill.
"The first time he attacked me," said Mihaela. "He cast a spell...and, well, Ardasha simply got in the way. I fear she was dead before she hit the floor. Now. Do you have any other questions about dead slaves, or shall we attend to more important business?"
"Thank you for your candor," said Halfdan.
Mihaela shook a finger at Claudia. "Come to my rooms by the first bell of the evening. The slaves will know the way. Do not be late."
She left without another word.
"I don't believe," said Caina, "a single thing that she said."
"Oh, certainly some of it was true," said Halfdan. "Sicarion might have tried to kill her. I suspect she began as his student, and fled to the Scholae when her relationship with him turned sour."
"Surely Annika would have known," said Claudia, "had her sister been apprenticed to such a creature."
"Sometimes there are secrets," said Halfdan, "even between sisters."
"What should I do," said Claudia, "if she does give me the armor and the secrets of its making?" She hesitated. "Should I use them?"
Caina frowned. There was an odd light in Claudia's eyes.
"Absolutely not," said Halfdan. "I doubt she has any intention of giving you the armor or the spells to create it. And even if she does, using the glypharmor might be dangerous. The sorcery could have damaging effects upon your mind or body."
"If she doesn't intend to give her the armor," said Corvalis, "then what is the point of this? Why bother with the dinner?"
"She needs something," said Caina. "Whatever her purpose for creating the glypharmor, I doubt it is as simple as selling it for fortune and glory. She has something else in mind. But she can't get it on her own. Which means...which means it must be something you can do, Claudia."
"Me?" said Claudia. "I am quite out of my element in this business. What could I possibly do?"
"I do not know," said Halfdan, "but I intend to find out, if you think you can go through with this. Mihaela may intend you harm."
Claudia took a deep breath and glanced at Caina. "I can do it. I suppose if you can go blade to blade with the likes of Sicarion, I can sit down to a pleasant dinner with a dangerous woman."
Yet the strange, fascinated light did not leave her eyes.
"Glad to hear it," said Halfdan. "Perhaps tonight we shall finally have some answers.
###
That afternoon Caina napped, hoping to conserve her strength for the dinner with Mihaela.
And this time, the Moroaica came to her dreams.
Again Caina stood on the strange plain of gray fog, the mists billowing around her. The Moroaica waited a short distance away, clad in her crimson gown, her black hair hanging wet and loose around her shoulders, her black eyes pits into nothingness.
They stared at each other.
“Better,” said Jadriga at last. “It grows harder to resist your summons, child. A pity you have no arcane talent. You would have made a formidable sorceress.”
“Don’t insult me,” said Caina. “What is Sicarion doing in Catekharon?”
Jadriga shrugged. “Killing people, I imagine. He enjoys it.”
“Why did you send him here?” said Caina.
Again the Moroaica shrugged. “Who says I sent him here?”
Caina took a step closer. “Answer the question.”
Jadriga’s red lips moved into a smile. “Child, child. You can summon me in your dreams…but you cannot compel me. You are not strong enough for that. No more than I am strong enough to force you to submit to my will.”
Caina could not force Jadriga to answer any questions. But Caina’s mind was her weapon, not her strength. If she wanted any useful information out of the Moroaica, she would have to use her wits to get it.
“Mihaela,” said Caina, “reminds me of you.”
“Does she?” said Jadriga. “I doubt that. Nor does she remind me of you. She has known pain as a child, as we did…bu
t both you and I responded in the same way. We sought to change the world. She merely wishes to become strong. She was tyrannized as a child…and now she seeks to become the tyrant.”
“Then she is not,” said Caina, “one of your disciples?”
“Ah,” said the Moroaica. “Clever. No, she is not one of my disciples. I have never met her.”
“Then has Sicarion met her?” said Caina.
Jadriga smiled again. “Knowledge has a price, child. I will answer your question…but, in turn, you must answer one of mine.”
“Very well,” said Caina. “Did Sicarion meet with Mihaela?”
“Probably,” said Jadriga. “I do not know for certain. When I am not there to control him, Sicarion tends to pursue his own amusements. Nor am I aware of his every action. So he most likely met with Mihaela. But I cannot say for certain.”
“Then you are certain necromancy was used to create the glypharmor?” said Caina.
“That is another question,” said the Moroaica. “If you want the answer, you must answer one of mine.”
Caina sighed. “Fine. What do you want to know?”
“Do you love Corvalis?”
Caina blinked. Of all the things Jadriga could have asked, she had not expected that. “What?”
“It is a simple question,” said Jadriga.
“Yes,” said Caina. “I do.”
“Why?” said Jadriga.
“I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” said Caina.
“You mistake me,” said Jadriga. “You have seen my past. I understand love. I loved my own father…just as you loved yours. So. Why do you love Corvalis Aberon?”
“That,” said Caina, “is a second question.”
The Moroaica nodded.
“Because he is brave,” said Caina. “Because he has suffered so much, endured so much, and it hasn’t ruined him. Because he is strong enough to defy his father, the Kindred, and the entire Magisterium because he knew it was the right thing to do.” She swallowed, forced herself to calm. “Because…he knows what it is like to be alone, too.”
“He will turn on you, in the end,” said Jadriga.
“Because he is one of your disciples?” said Caina. “A treacherous scoundrel?”
The Ghosts Omnibus: The Kyracian War Page 82
