by A. F. Dery
“I’m on my way to meet with the High Lord. Whatever you wish to say will have to wait,” Thane said coolly, taking care that each word was pronounced as precisely as possible.
“I have been summoned as well. He is unlikely to begin without us. Please, Thane.”
Thane barely prevented his mouth from dropping open in shock. A “please” from Malachi? Had the world truly gone mad, then? What in the world could he possibly say to this?
“I thought it was supposed to be a private meeting,” was what he settled on. “But if what you say is true, being late is not in your best interest. He does not seem pleased with you these days.”
Malachi grimaced. “Life has been difficult.”
Curiosity conquered Thane’s pretense of aloofness. “Difficult or not, what kind of idiot ignores the High Lord’s summons?”
“It may not have been the wisest course, I’ll grant you,” the other man said through clenched teeth. “But I felt I had no choice. My Lady was in a bad way from the beginning. Before we meet with him, though…there is something I need to clear up with you.”
“With me?” Thane lifted an eyebrow. “What could you possibly have to clear up with me?”
Malachi looked decidedly uncomfortable, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “It seems…well…I wrote a letter, some time ago. To the High Lord. Complaining about you. I misunderstood the situation entirely, you see, and I accused you of something- well, I realized later that I was mistaken. And I did write him again telling him so, but he never acknowledged it. I’m…concerned…this meeting will be about that. And I wanted you to know. I will of course explain myself to the High Lord, but-”
“Wait just a moment,” Thane interrupted, struggling not to raise his voice. He could feel the heat flooding his face. “What kind of accusation did you make, exactly? What could you possibly accuse me of doing to you?”
Malachi took a step backward and cleared his throat. “Well, you must remember, I thought…well, I thought you disliked Maggie, given your disapproval of our relationship. She was getting very sick, and it turned out she was being poisoned. The servants indicated they had been serving her the cider you sent on the occasion of our wedding, so I assumed-”
“YOU THOUGHT I WOULD SEND YOU POISON?” The words came out as an indignant bellow. Thane’s fingers twitched for his ax. Malachi winced a little, looking away and having the grace to look sheepish.
“I quickly realized my mistake-”
“But not before you wrote the High Lord to accuse me of attempted murder!”
“Not, not that quickly. But still…it will all be cleared up shortly, you see? I just did not want it to blindside you, especially after…well, after what you did for Maggie.” His eyes met Thane’s again. The haunted look in them jarred him. Do I look like that, when I think of Kes after what happened with the pig-man?
The memory of this hardened his resolve. “Yes, indeed it will be cleared up. As will be what you tried to do to the same woman who helped your wife. You must realize that I wrote the High Lord about that. You cannot possibly think that having her abducted would not be a violation of the concord.”
“Abduction?” Malachi frowned. “What are you going on about? I’ve never abducted anyone. I’d never even seen the Mirror until you sent her to us.”
“The pig,” Thane spat, his hands clenching into fists involuntarily. “The pig took her. He used a fogger, Malachi, that he could have only gotten from you and he took her to the cabin you knew about in the Northern Wood. He was going to torture her. I still see her on the floor of that cellar in my nightmares, you son of a bitch!”
Malachi went white. He stared wide eyed at Thane, holding up his hands. “I swear to you, Thane, I did not send that thing to abduct…you can’t think that I…no. No, no, no. That…pig…irritated the hell out of me, so I sent him to you. I knew he was tracking someone, he did say that much, but I had no idea that this someone would be in your country…I mean good gods, a foreigner camping out in Eladria? The very idea is ridiculous! I swear I didn’t know it was the Mirror he was after, I didn’t even know the Mirror was there. He only came to me because he was escorting the Mirror the High Lord sent! I thought to have a laugh when a creature such as he received the fabled ‘Eladrian hospitality.’ That’s all there was to it. As to the fogger, well, I have no idea how he got hold of one, but he had no want for opportunity. He was unattended for quite some time, you know I’m not the most attentive host.”
Thane glowered, but something in the words triggered a sense of unease in him. “The pig came with the other Mirror…the High Lord sent them both to you together?”
“Indeed.”
“Did he know…but why…” Thane muttered more to himself than to Malachi, his mind racing. The very thought was horrible. Even if the High Lord had known that the pig-man was after Kesara, and had found out that Kesara was living in the Keep (damn Eva’s treachery!), why send him to her by way of Malachi? Why not just send him straight to Eladria? Why help the pig at all?
There were still too many missing pieces…assuming that Malachi’s words could be trusted.
But even after all that had passed between them, he could not bring himself to believe that Malachi would lie to his face about something like this. Malachi lied whenever he felt it suited his best interests, of course, but an act such as this was not the kind of thing he would deny. Oh, Thane could imagine him denying that there was anything wrong with doing it, coming up with all manner of explanations to justify the behavior, but not denying that it took place, or that he was responsible for it.
Besides which, Thane could think of nothing to be gained by lying about it now. Malachi was already in dire circumstances where the High Lord was concerned; salvaging relations with Thane should have been the least of his worries.
Then something occurred to him. “Tell me Edmund…do you know why the High Lord wanted to see you so badly before this conclave?”
Malachi sighed, visibly relaxing, no doubt because Thane no longer quite looked like he would take off his head with his bare hands.
“I’m not entirely certain, although I have my suspicions. He’s been wanting me to design sentries for the Western Range. I was working on a particular prototype right before Maggie got with child that he seemed very interested in. I was flattered at his interest, at the time; I know he comes up with his little projects for you all the time, but it was the first time he’d shown any real interest in my own proclivities. I thought it boded well for the future, but as soon as I reported my first breakthrough, he became very insistent on meeting with me as soon as possible. But he never indicated why in his summonses, so I still don’t know if it’s related or not. It seems strange to say the least that he’d get so worked up so early in the process, so perhaps I’m wrong.”
“Or perhaps not. You can’t have missed the fact that we were just attacked by Lyntara?”
Malachi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “No, no, I heard the chaos. But you’re right. That would certainly explain his sudden interest in pursuing every possible avenue of security.”
Thane hesitated, torn between confiding in his former friend and keeping the confidence of the High Lord.
Malachi read the look of indecision on his face at once. “Let me guess, he has you working on something along the same lines now?”
Thane thought of the solution the High Lord wanted to destroy bodies without destroying the earth beneath. It makes sense now, if he predicted a Lyntaran invasion…word of such a battle on his own soil would undermine his credibility before the rest of the Union. He was appointed High Lord because he has the power to intervene if one of us breaks the concord. If he can’t even keep the Lyntarans outside of his borders, it calls his very position into question.
To erase all signs of such battles would not just mean making Lyntarans vanish, but the Western Range’s casualties as well. Thane felt something inside of him twist at the thought. He came to a decision. He looked Malachi in the eyes grimly.
&
nbsp; “He asked me to find a way to destroy evidence of a battle, as if nothing had taken place there,” he said at last. “He did not use those words, of course, but I no longer doubt that is what he had in mind.”
Malachi nodded, his eyes narrowing. “I think it is no coincidence that he sent that pig to me, Thane. He had to know how I would handle that, it’s no secret what kind of ass I am. I think he was making certain we would not have a conversation like this, that we’d be unable to bear each other’s presence long enough.”
“Such a plan would work to keep me from tolerating you, but you? What reason do you have to avoid me? Surely you’re not suggesting the poison…” Thane trailed off at the murderous look dawning in the other man’s eyes.
“There was a time neither of us would have doubted the High Lord’s reach,” Malachi said tightly. “We both know it’s possible that he got to my servants somehow. My borders are not closed, my sentries do not question who passes by them. And then sending the Mirror for Margaret…oh, he’s a brilliant bastard. Because of course that indebted me to him still further. Once she died, the Mirror would be free to return to him, and so would I. I would have all the time in the world, and owe him every moment of peace she had before she died.”
“This is madness. We already weren’t on speaking terms, why go to all this trouble?”
“Perhaps he underestimated the Eladrian stubborn streak and thought we’d get over it sooner than he wanted,” Malachi suggested.
Thane snorted. “Oh yes, because amicable relations are such a hallmark of the Malachian disposition.”
“Be that as it may,” Malachi said primly. “He was right to be concerned.”
“You think we would have just ‘gotten over’ something like that?”
“Not anytime soon, but surely after Maggie and I had been married a couple of decades, you would have come around.”
Thane sighed. “You know what my objection was, Edmund. I have nothing against Margaret, and nothing against you marrying. But the way you went about it was wrong, and once, you would have agreed with me. You knew about…about my mother. And it didn’t bother you at all to put Margaret into the same sort of position.”
Malachi studied him silently for a moment. “I think I see why it upset you so much now,” he said quietly. “Yes, you told me about your mother, but to be honest Thane, it didn’t even occur to me that you’d drawn parallels in your mind between her and Maggie. In my mind…we were in love and we knew what we wanted, so there was no logical reason to wait if it could be avoided. I never saw her as a child, and I think you’d understand why if you would have spent any time around her. But, after what happened with the babe…gods, Thane, if I could take it back, do it over again, what you’d call ‘the right way,’ I would. I don’t know if things happened this way because she’s so young still, but if there was any chance…just to spare her all that, being cut open like that and all the pain she had to go through to even get to that point. I didn’t think of your mother before I married her, but watching her with our babe, wondering if he will join his brother in the grave, I think of her now, believe me, and it scares the hell out of me. It’s all I can think about.”
Thane was quiet a moment, both surprised by Malachi’s words and deeply saddened by them. He thought of how he would feel if it were Kesara who had been poisoned, Kesara who had lost one child and might lose another. The thought turned his blood to ice.
“What happened…it’s over now,” he said finally. “You know how I feel about it. There’s nothing to be gained by continuing to argue it. The thing is done.”
“That it is,” Malachi held out an arm. Thane almost smirked when he saw it was the metal one. He reached out and clasped it by the forearm.
“We need to stand together now, and get some answers about all of this,” Thane told him gravely.
“I couldn’t agree more.” Malachi smiled. “And then after, we need to have a serious talk about women. From the look on your face when you speak about that Mirror, it looks like it may be time to tell you how little Eladrians are made.”
“Perhaps you’d best keep it to yourself if you want your widow to be able to find all the pieces of your body for burial,” Thane suggested pleasantly, smiling back with all his teeth.
Malachi wisely kept silent.
The High Lord’s private study, like the rest of his rooms, was the picture of opulence. Shelves of books filled one wall, and rich tapestries adorned the others. Plush cushions in jewel tones lined the heavy, ornately carved furnishings and the carpets on the shining floors were so thick, even Thane’s heavy footfalls were muted to silence. In a brass censer in one corner of the room, a sweet smelling incense was smoldering.
The High Lord himself was seated behind a large desk at the back of the room, which was every bit as ornate as the rest of his surroundings. He was dressed in dark blue, handsomely tailored robes and, apart from the appearance of fatigue in the lines around his eyes, looked immaculate.
He rose as one of his servants showed Thane and Malachi into the room, spreading his arms in a gesture of welcome. “What interesting times have befallen us, my allies. It is good to have you both here at last.” He placed a subtle emphasis on the word “both,” his eyes flicking pointedly to Malachi.
Thane and Malachi both bowed their heads briefly, as protocol in such circumstances dictated. Before either could speak, however, the High Lord added, “I know you both must be wondering why I summoned the pair of you here at the same time. It should be clear under the circumstances that the strength of the Union is of the utmost importance, and this feud between the two of you must end before it jeopardizes us all. Some very grave accusations have been made on both sides, so I think before we proceed any further, they must be addressed and put to bed, as it were.”
“Surely, my Lord, the Lyntarans are of a greater concern than any feud between myself and Lord Malachi,” Thane said formally. “I was not three hours ago upon the field of battle myself. I must ask, what has happened here? Why do the Lyntarans invade with such audacity? Have you need of further reinforcements from Eladria?”
The High Lord smiled and motioned to the chairs arranged before his desk, seating himself behind it once more. “Ah, you’re always faithful, Thane. I can’t tell you how I appreciate such fidelity in these troubling times.” He waited while Thane and Malachi sat down, Thane only just managing to gingerly fit in one of the carved chairs. “Now, I don’t want you- either of you- to be overly concerned about these Lyntarans. Their behavior is…unfortunate. But I assure you the situation is well in hand.”
Only by great effort did Thane manage to keep his face schooled into neutral stillness.
Malachi, on the other hand, erupted into a startled laugh. “Well in hand, my Lord? Knowing Lyntara as you do, you must know that was surely only the first wave of whatever they have planned. My wife is still recovering from childbirth, it is not a comforting thought that she and my new heir are stranded here in the thick of it.”
“Do you doubt my ability to protect my honored guests, Edmund?” the High Lord asked silkily, but his voice was cold.
“When you have to send your honored guests into the battlefield to save your keep from being overrun, yes, yes I do,” Malachi said bluntly. “There isn’t a soul within five miles that wouldn’t hear the clanging of Eladrians going into battle.”
“Enough, Malachi,” Thane growled.
“Hardly. I would know just how an attack by Lyntarans is merely unfortunate. I take it they were easily repelled, then, my Lord? No reinforcements called in, no lives lost to our defense? Just a hiccup in the conclave, like being served the wrong sort of tea?”
“I can understand your skepticism. At one time, an altercation with our neighbors from the North would be considered just shy of cataclysmic. But for all the animosity between us, we have lived in civil coexistence for many years now. I have reason to believe the forces which attacked are rogues only, not actually sent at their lord’s behest. If the situa
tion were truly dire, do you not think, for the safety of my own people, I would have called in all of my allies from the Union, and not only those present here and now? Lyntara is one of the chief reasons the Union exists, after all. I knew that Lord Eladria and his men were more than sufficient to handle the situation, and indeed they did so with great success.”
“I lost men to the Lyntarans, my Lord,” Thane said quietly, unable to let that one pass. “It is possible those losses could have been prevented if we had been forewarned of what the situation was like here. I could have brought greater numbers, in the least made certain they were better equipped. As fine as the smiths are of the Western Range, their make is not like that of Eladria’s own.”
“There was no way of knowing when a company of rogues would decide to attack, Thane,” the High Lord answered, shaking his head regretfully. “My heart goes out to the fallen of Eladria and those left behind, of course, but you of all people know, being the warlord that you are, that these things happen and cannot always be foreseen.”
“Are you certain you foresaw nothing, my Lord?” Malachi pressed. “There was a time when your spies could tell when a flock of birds changed their flight pattern, but now you know of no stirrings from just beyond your next door neighbor’s border?”
The High Lord’s expression did not change, but his shoulders tensed beneath the fine blue robes. “I knew there were rogues, of course, but not of their specific plans. Such scrutiny on Lyntaran soil is difficult, at best.”
“With respect, my Lord, they were not surprised to see Eladrians coming to meet them. I believe they know of the conclave. They are observing you closely, even if you are unable to observe them in kind,” Thane said, with a humble bow of his head. “I have only too recently had the experience of discovering a traitor within my own Keep. Perhaps it is possible that you experiencing the same now.”
“Possible, I suppose, but unlikely. Truly, this event was an aberration,” the High Lord insisted. “And it has been dealt with. So if we could move on to the matter of this feud-”
