“What drug did you use?”
“It was just lavintha combined with milk thistle. It’s what the healers use to dull pain. Enough of it renders a patient unconscious.”
“And how did you administer the drug?”
Commander Hausey was torn between his friendship with Zollin and his duty to his King. He knew he had to answer; the only question was, could he live with himself if he answered truthfully?
“We mixed it in some fruit juice, which we gave him the morning of the trial,” Hausey said, the words tumbling out of him and causing him to sag.
“Fine. I need you to take this message to the enemy,” King Felix said. “Give it only to the wizard Offendorl personally, and wait for his reply. This task is of the utmost importance. Complete it well and you shall be richly rewarded,” the King said.
Commander Hausey snapped to attention and saluted his King.
“Go quickly. I must have the answer before sunrise,” said King Felix.
He watched as Hausey hurried from the room. Then he sent his servant to prepare a mix of lavintha and milk thistle. He closed his eyes and slept as he waited for the response to his message.
Chapter 34
Offendorl sat brooding in his wagon. Sleep would not come, but he had not expected it to. He was frustrated at the way things had turned out. He had not expected Zollin to know that lightning was the one thing dragons feared, nor how to conjure a storm. Someone must have instructed the young wizard, and Offendorl, like his minions before him, had underestimated Zollin’s magical skills. Now he would have to fight the boy, and that was not what he wanted. It was so much easier to usurp power when it was given willingly. Now he would have to take the boy’s power, and Zollin would be constantly striving to get it back.
The dragon had fled north again. Offendorl was coming to think of the beast as a skittish creature. It ran to the mountains at every opportunity. The distance was not a concern for Offendorl, as he still had the golden crown that enabled him to call the beast whenever he wanted. He was certain now that the dragon could not resist his commands, and that knowledge was enough for him at the moment.
There was a knock on the wagon’s door. Offendorl scowled and stood up, his ancient joints popping as he did so. He opened the door and found one of the many military aides waiting for him.
“Excuse me, Master Offendorl, but there is a messenger from Orrock with a letter for you. He says he can only give it you and has to wait for your answer. It has the royal seal.”
“Fine, bring him to me,” Offendorl said.
He didn’t know what sort of trickery this was, but he was willing to play along for now. Curiosity had always been his weakness. He simply wanted to know everything, and in some ways that passion had aided him. He had grown in power as he increased his knowledge, but there were, of course, times like this when his curiosity seemed like more trouble that it was worth.
Commander Hausey came striding purposefully toward the wizard. He was surrounded by no fewer than eight guards, all with weapons drawn. Hausey handed Offendorl the message. The seal was genuine, and the ancient wizard slid a crooked finger under the wax, popping it free from the paper. He unfolded the message and read it, his eyes narrowing gleefully as he read it.
“My answer is yes,” he said. “If your King can deliver the boy as promised, I shall withdraw my forces.”
“I shall convey your reply personally,” Commander Hausey said. “With your permission,” he said as he turned and strode back toward his horse.
Offendorl smiled wickedly. Things were turning out better than he thought. King Felix was obviously frightened, and that was exactly what the wizard needed. The King had just offered to turn Zollin over to Offendorl in exchange for the wizard’s withdrawal from Yelsia. Of course, Offendorl had promised that King Belphan and King Zorlan could make their own terms for peace, but without his presence, he doubted the two bumbling rulers would be much of a threat to anyone.
Now, the Master of the Torr had only to wait for dawn. It was still a couple of hours away, but he suddenly felt like he could rest. There were no more worries to keep him awake. He returned to his wagon and lay down, his aging body relived.
* * *
Commander Hausey was troubled. He had come to respect Zollin. The boy had considerable power, but more importantly he was bright and compassionate. Now it seemed that King Felix was simply going to turn Zollin over to the Torr. Hausey knew that the treaty signed by all five kingdoms centuries ago forbade any kingdom from drafting a wizard into its military, but he didn’t think that meant that Zollin should be forced to join the Torr.
His conscience fought a brief but desperate war. He knew that if he warned Zollin, he could be tried and executed for treason, but it wasn’t just his friendship with Zollin that gave him pause. He had looked into the old wizard’s eyes. He prided himself on being a good judge of character and what he’d seen in Offendorl was a man who could not be trusted. From a strategic point of view, handing over Zollin might seem like a good idea, but in reality it only strengthened their enemies and weakened Yelsia. Still, he was just a commander in the King’s Army. His duty was to his King, and if Felix felt that this was the best plan of action, who was he to second-guess his sovereign?
He was allowed into the city without fuss, and he made his way to the castle. Once again he was not hindered from entering the royal residence, despite the late hour. The city was quiet and so was the castle. Hausey passed by the sick room where Quinn, Mansel, and Commander Corlis were sleeping. He knew he should have gone straight to the King, but he stopped at the room anyway. He told himself if they were all sleeping he wouldn’t wake them, but would go on to deliver his message to the King.
He pushed open the door to the dark room and light from the hallway fell across the three prone figures. He sighed and was about to close the door when a voice spoke.
“Is all well, Commander?” Quinn asked.
“It is, at the moment,” said Hausey. “Will you see your son this morning?”
“I imagine. I’m not sure where he is.”
“Will you allow me to escort you up to his quarters?”
“Oh, is he staying here again?” Quinn asked. “I can find it on my own. I don’t want to trouble you.”
“No,” Hausey said quickly. “It’s no trouble. Come with me.”
Quinn hadn’t been able to sleep very long. He woke up in the darkness, but he felt so much better that he didn’t want to sleep. Not only had Zollin healed his wounds, but he had also cured the cough that had plagued him since before he reached Felson. He wasn’t even sore anymore. He felt strong, almost young again, and he had no desire to sleep.
Now that he had seen that Zollin was safe from Mansel, Miriam was constantly on his mind. He wanted nothing more than to set out as soon as possible and return to Felson. He had meant his promise. He was through chasing his son and serving his King. He wanted a quiet life, and he was determined to get it.
“I couldn’t sleep,” he explained to Commander Hausey.
“I’m Commander Hausey, of the Felson cavalry. Did you know I put your son on trial?” he said as they walked through the castle.
“No, I didn’t,” Quinn said surprised.
“Yes, I drugged his breakfast so that Zollin couldn’t fight me. It was actually very effective. It seems if he can’t think, he can’t do magic. He becomes as helpless as a baby.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Quinn asked.
“No reason,” Hausey lied, not trying to hide his deception. “I’m afraid I must leave you here,” he said outside Zollin’s quarters. “I have a message to deliver to the King.”
Quinn looked at Hausey, who stared right back. It was as if the commander was trying to communicate through that look, but Quinn wasn’t getting the message. Then Hausey walked away, and Quinn was left standing in the hallway. He opened the door to Zollin’s rooms. They were dark and quiet. He went inside and found Zollin sleeping. His son hadn’t bothered get
ting into the bed, he had just lain down across the covers, fully dressed, and fallen asleep.
“Zollin,” Quinn hissed. “Zollin, wake up.”
“What?” Zollin said in a groggy voice.
“Wake up, son, we don’t have much time.”
“Time for what?” he asked.
“Listen to me. Commander Hausey just had a talk with me. I didn’t understand it all, but he was obviously sending you a message.”
“What?” Zollin said rubbing his eyes.
“I need you wake up, son. This is important.”
“Are you feeling okay?”
“I feel fine. Better than I have in weeks actually, thanks to you. Now listen. Commander Hausey was going to see the King, but he stopped by the sick room, and I was awake. He asked if I was going to come and see you. I told him I didn’t know where you were and he offered to walk me up, insisted on it really. Then he told me he put you on trial and that he drugged you. Do you remember that?”
“Yes, it was in Felson, when we were going to fight the dragon.”
“Good. He told me he put the drugs in your breakfast, and then he said he had to deliver a message to the King.”
“So? What are you trying to say?” Zollin asked.
“I don’t know,” Quinn admitted. “But after the shouting match you had with the King, I think you may be in danger.”
“No, I talked to King Felix last night. We both apologized, everything is good between us.”
“So why did Commander Hausey feel like he needed to tell me about drugging you?”
“I don’t know,” Zollin said.
“Well, we’d better figure it out fast. Breakfast won’t be long in coming. The kitchen staff were already hard at work when we came up here.”
Zollin couldn’t imagine why Hausey would tell his father about the trial at Felson. It had been a difficult time for Zollin, but he’d slept through the trial, he remembered that. Kelvich had to use some foul-smelling drug to rouse him. He wondered if it was really possible that someone he trusted, like King Felix, could betray him. Then he thought of Mansel. Whatever his friend’s purposes were, he had slain Kelvich and tried to kill Quinn. Zollin wouldn’t have thought such betrayal was possible, but obviously it was.
“Okay, well, at the very least I’m not eating breakfast,” Zollin said.
“What could happen if you were drugged again?” Quinn asked.
“Kelvich said I was helpless. I suppose they could do anything they wanted with me if I were drugged.”
“Yes, but what would they want to do? How would it benefit them?”
“I don’t know,” Zollin said. “I mean, they could hand me over to Offendorl, but I practically volunteered to do that already, and the King said that it wouldn’t really help matters.”
“You giving yourself up to the Torr might not, but perhaps if the King hands you over he has a better bargaining position. Or maybe he isn’t planning on giving you to the Torr; maybe he wants to throw you in the dungeon or give you to one of the other kings.”
“Either way, we can’t let that happen,” Zollin said. “We could sneak out of the city. I can get us across the river.”
“That’s only a short-term solution,” said Quinn. “We need to think this through.”
“We don’t have much time. It’ll be dawn soon. And the King told me he’s planning to start negotiations at dawn.”
“But Commander Hausey was returning with a message for the King when he woke me up.”
“What are you saying?”
“I think whatever the King is up to, he’s already at it. He may have been working on it before you even came to see him.”
Zollin was frightened. He didn’t like intrigue; it was foreign to him. He had always been an honest person by nature, and dealing with someone who wasn’t intimidated him. He realized the only way to discover what the King was doing would be to play along.
“I’ll have to fake it,” Zollin said. “I’m supposed to join the King at dawn. He asked me to give him counsel in the negotiations. Whatever he’s got planned, I’ll just have to play along until they unfold.”
“But by then it might be too late,” Quinn said. “I don’t like it.”
“We don’t have a choice. If things get out of hand, you’ll have to help, but don’t do anything that could get you hurt. I don’t want you taking any more chances on my behalf.”
“Zollin, you’re my son. I would die if it would save you. That’s just the way it is. When you have children someday you’ll understand that.”
“I doubt that I’ll live long enough to have children.”
“Don’t say that. We’re going to get out of this. What if we just confront the King? There’s nothing he can do to you.”
“No,” Zollin said, “but he might do something to you. Besides, we don’t know how deep this deception goes. For all we know, he may have surrendered the city. The castle could be surrounded by enemy troops right now.”
“So who do we trust?” Quinn said.
“Commander Hausey, maybe. I just don’t know.”
“What about Mansel?” Quinn said.
“What about him? He tried to kill you, dad. He killed Kelvich. He killed Kelvich and I didn’t even know it. I was so busy chasing the damn dragon that I let Kelvich die and I didn’t suspect a thing.”
“You couldn’t have known that Mansel would do something like that. Mansel has been under a terrible curse. When I was under the spell I was planning on handing you over to the witch. I doubt Mansel even knew what he was doing.”
“That doesn’t make it okay that he murdered Kelvich,” Zollin said, his voice rising.
“No, it doesn’t,” Quinn said in a calming tone. “And I doubt that Mansel will be able to forgive himself once he realizes what he’s done.”
“Why do you always take his side?” Zollin said. He could feel the old resentments and jealousies that had plagued him in Tranaugh Shire rising to the surface once more. “I’m sorry I’m not like him, but I’m your son. He’s just your apprentice.”
“Don’t misunderstand me,” Quinn said patiently. “I’m not excusing Mansel and I’m not taking his side. He threw me overboard in the Great Sea and all I had was a wooden bucket to keep me from drowning. He has a lot to answer for, but when he threw me overboard, the shock somehow broke the witch’s spell. Maybe almost dying did the trick for him. If it did, then we may have an ally that no one knows about and that we know we can trust.”
“But how can we know that the spell’s broken? How can we really trust him?”
“It’s easy,” Quinn said. “If he can say anything bad about the witch, we’ll know her hold on him is broken. When you’re under her power, nothing seems important except being with her. If he’s still in her power, he won’t say anything negative about her, or let us say anything.”
“All right, let’s go. But we need to be careful. I don’t want to lose you, dad. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Zollin. I’m incredibly proud of you. We’ll figure this out together, okay?”
Zollin nodded and the hurried from the room. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and only the servants seemed to be moving around the castle. They made it back down to the sick room without being questioned. Inside, Zollin lit a lamp so they could see. Commander Corlis and Mansel were still asleep.
“Wake him up,” Zollin whispered.
Quinn shook Mansel and said his name in a whisper by the big warrior’s ear. Mansel’s eyes fluttered open. He looked at Quinn and the shame on his face was plain to see. Tears welled up in the warrior’s eyes.
“Are you all right?” Mansel asked.
“Yes, I’m fine, thanks to Zollin,” Quinn said.
Mansel looked at Zollin, and the wall that held back his grief broke. He sobbed quietly. Zollin was surprised. He had never expected to see Mansel cry.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “Oh, God, I killed Kelvich. Oh, no.”
“Pull yourself together,” Zollin w
hispered. “We’ve got trouble and we need your help.”
“What you did was terrible, but you were under the witch’s spell,” Quinn said. “She’s a vile bitch, that one. She deserves to burn in hell.”
Quinn was looking at Zollin when he spoke, and they both looked at Mansel.
“I was a fool,” he said. “I would have done anything for her. How is that possible, Quinn?”
“Magic is powerful,” Zollin said. “And we need to be sure the spell is broken, Mansel. I need to hear you denounce her.”
“Denounce her? I’ll kill her if I ever see her again, even if it means my own death. She can’t be allowed to go on. There’s no telling what she can do, Zollin.”
“We’ll deal with her when we can, but first we have a situation here.”
“What sort of situation?” Mansel said.
“We’re in Orrock; did you know that?” Quinn asked him.
“Yes, I remember everything,” he said bitterly, as if the words were acid in his mouth.
“Then you know there’s an army laying siege to the city,” Zollin said.
“And I think there’s a plot against Zollin,” Quinn said.
“What are we going to do?” Mansel said.
“Play along for now,” Zollin said. “But I need you to watch Quinn’s back.”
“I will. I won’t let anyone near him.”
“All right, good. Give me a little time. I’m supposed to meet with the King soon. I’ll be pretending to be drugged. I want you guys ready to move at a moment’s notice. Don’t worry about me, just make sure you get out of the city safe, if you have to.”
“All right. And Zollin, I’m sorry.”
Anger fought with sympathy inside Zollin as he looked at Mansel. He could see the contrition on Mansel’s face, but it didn’t bring Kelvich back. The old sorcerer had been Zollin’s mentor and a good friend. The thought of Kelvich dying with strangers was incredibly painful, but he didn’t have time to grieve. He’d made that mistake with Brianna, and it had cost Kelvich his life. He didn’t want anyone else to die because of his anger or rage. He put it from his mind and nodded.
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