King Justin and the others watched as they slowly trotted off under the warming sunlight of late morning, silently wishing them a safe journey. A short time later, Nicholas and his companions had diminished into mere specks against the horizon before disappearing altogether. The vast army now trudged southwest, making for the southern edge of the Rhoon Forest, and beyond that, the realm of Kargoth.
“I wonder how long until we see them again,” William said to his brother a short time later. “For I do expect to see them again.”
“Oh?” his brother asked.
William nodded. “You returned, after all, unscathed. I’m guessing Nicholas and the others will have an easier time of things compared to what you went through.”
“Let’s hope they do,” King Justin said. “And let’s hope they have that same assured attitude of yours, William. Such an advantage will serve them well.”
“Vellan’s arrogance and overconfidence may be our greatest advantage,” Tolapari said, his eyes fixed ahead on the gently rolling landscape. “He already lost two battles by stretching his armies thin, and his Enâri forces were destroyed in the blink of an eye. Vellan’s house is crumbling and we must provide that last push to topple it.”
“Let’s push hard and fast,” King Rowan replied. “And though you earlier said that evil tends to collapse upon itself, we can’t manipulate the turmoil inside Vellan’s stronghold or depend on him to make any more mistakes. We must give our all, perhaps our very lives, to end this scourge. If not for us, then for the generations ahead.”
“Well said,” King Cedric remarked, giving him a reassuring nod. “Eh, Justin?”
“Hmmm?” King Justin snapped to attention, having been mulling over King Rowan’s statement. “Yes, yes. I heard and agree. We can’t manipulate the turmoil, etc…” He glanced at his fellow Kings as a swirl of muddled thoughts crystallized in his head. “Well spoken, Rowan,” he replied with a perfunctory nod. “Well spoken indeed.”
They camped at twilight after reaching the drooping and somnolent eaves of the Rhoon Forest and traveling southwest alongside them for a couple of miles. Wisps of purple and orange clouds lingered above the horizon, reflecting the last rays of the setting sun upon their gauzy edges. Small bonfires popped up one by one in the numerous camps scattered along the tree line and about the adjacent field. And though the army was still many miles away from Kargoth, the spirits of most were contemplative and subdued tonight, knowing that they were so close to Vellan’s backdoor.
Caldurian sat alone by a snapping fire later that evening beneath a star-strewn sky. His tent was situated on an edge of the field away from most of the others, though four pairs of guards still kept watch at a respectful distance on four corners of a surrounding invisible square. The wizard gazed into the hypnotic dance of flames as black shadows wavered upon a handful of nearby saplings. He looked up warily when hearing whispers from somewhere in the darkness. A silhouette among the gloom walked toward him. He sat up on his pine log seat, recognizing King Justin’s familiar outline.
“To what do I owe this nighttime visit?” he pleasantly asked. “It’s rare that you come to see me.”
“Evening up our score,” he said. “But I won’t take much of your time, Caldurian. I know how you like to use your free moments to think.”
“I’ve had much free time lately, King Justin. A visit is appreciated, though I don’t think you’re here on a social call.” The wizard indicated a small pile of split wood next to the fire. “Pull up a chair.”
“No, thank you. I’ll make this brief. I wish to retire early.”
“I rarely sleep of late,” he replied. “I can only manage a few hours at a stretch. I guess the effects of the âvin éska might have something to do with it.”
“Perhaps you have a case of melancholy brought on by Vellan’s recent failures,” the King remarked dryly. “More specifically, your contributions to those failures.”
“Many have contributed,” he replied with a hint of annoyance. “But your point is well taken. Now how may I help you?”
“I just spoke with Carmella. She is camped out near those trees,” the King replied, pointing into the shadowy darkness beyond the tent.
“And how is my former student doing these days?”
“Just fine.” King Justin folded his arms, caressing his chin with one hand as he cautiously eyed the wizard. “I told her that I no longer would object if she wished to accept your invitation to meet with her.” Caldurian flashed a surprised glance at the King. “She said she would like that. Tomorrow, if it suits you.”
“Very much so!” Caldurian replied, his tone sincerely grateful.
“But you will still be under guard, mind you, though I have informed my men not to interfere with your visits.”
Caldurian held his breath. “Visits? Are we allowed more than one meeting?”
“I suppose so. At least until we are deep into Kargoth,” the King said. “We’ll play it by ear after that. Still, one wrong move to betray my trust…”
“Fear not, sir.” He stood up, bowing his head slightly. “I wish to thank you, King Justin, for this most unexpected change in attitude. But I’m curious if you’re allowing this visit because of the information I provided about Vellan’s second spell.”
The King smiled slyly. “And I’m curious if you gave me that information just to get a visit.”
The two men stared at one another for a long, silent moment as the flames snapped and a cool, thin breeze rustled through the grass.
“Well, I guess we both choose to remain curious,” Caldurian replied pleasantly, retaking his seat.
“I suppose so,” King Justin said amiably. “And now I must bid you goodnight. Enjoy your fire.”
“Enjoy your sleep.”
With that, King Justin disappeared into the darkness, leaving Caldurian alone as he had found him. The wizard, soaking in the warmth of the flames, smiled to himself, concluding that King Justin consented to his meeting with Carmella out of a grudging sense of obligation as he had hoped. He saw it as a sign of weakness on the King’s part, wondering if Tolapari had raised any objections.
But it was done, and that was all that mattered. Caldurian reached into one of his deep cloak pockets. He removed the small, amber-colored vial containing the remaining potion that Vellan had created to doom Arileez to a mortal life. He gazed into the liquid now wildly illuminated by the firelight. Caldurian saw himself standing on Vellan’s mountainside balcony that overlooked Del Norác, soaking in the view of his new domain.
“In time,” he whispered to himself. “All in good time.”
CHAPTER 97
Where There’s Smoke
Caldurian tossed a chunk of wood onto the fire the following evening. It erupted in a swirl of sparks that cut through the night like a cloud of fireflies, illuminating the curious skepticism on Carmella’s face as she sat by the blaze. The wizard sat down beside her, flashing a friendly smile at his former student. The army was encamped along the eaves of the Rhoon Forest. Caldurian, with King Justin’s consent, had asked his guards to escort him to Carmella’s camp.
After engaging in small talk, the wizard and former student stared at one another until their uneasiness subsided. Caldurian, wrapped in a black cloak, blended in with the night. Carmella seemed to mirror the firelight in her brightly hued cloak and beige gloves. Eight members of the King’s Guard, in four sets of two, observed them from a respectful distance and just out of earshot from their usual square-corner positions.
“Let me begin by apologizing for my behavior two decades ago, Carmella. Your cousin and I took advantage of your hospitality. We used your home to escape from our foiled kidnapping plot and concealed five hundred Enâri in the nearby woods without your knowledge.”
Caldurian’s seemingly sincere words mixed with the eddying smoke trails rising above the crackling flames. Carmella grimaced slightly, not wholly convinced of their authenticity, though she had no intention of shooing the wizard away.
> “No apology for casting a sleeping spell upon me?” she asked.
“Yes, that too,” he replied. “Not my finest moment, but I was in desperate straits.”
“Yes, you and Liney had certainly made a mess of things back then,” Carmella remarked with a pensive sigh as she looked into the fire. “Now, too,” she added, throwing a sharp glance his way. “So that naturally leads me to this question–why should I believe anything you say tonight? What are you really after, Caldurian?”
The wizard seemed taken aback, appearing hurt by such blunt words. Slowly, his lips morphed into a thin smile.
“You see right through me, Carmella, even after twenty years, though part of my apology was sincere. That bit about the sleeping spell, I mean. How long were you out?”
“Almost three days. It was more than enough time for you to flee Red Fern before I contacted the authorities. But King Justin and his men eventually caught up with you in Kanesbury which turned out to be the slow start of Vellan’s undoing.”
“Yes, that blasted business with the key! Had I never ended up in that trifling village, then Frist wouldn’t have sown the seeds of the Enâri’s destruction.”
“You did that, Caldurian, by your misguided actions. Don’t blame Frist for cleverly finding a way to take down Vellan’s army years later. And who would have ever guessed that I would be a part of it?” Carmella again gazed into the fire. She recounted how she had met Jagga and told of his final moments as he disintegrated before her eyes while fighting Madeline. “I’ll never forget that haunting image. And though a part of me grieves for that one particular creature, I do not regret the demise of the rest of them.”
“I can’t even imagine Vellan’s state. I don’t think he could recreate the Enâri race again. Not at his age. It would take too much out of him. Their deaths, I’m sure, weakened him.” Caldurian sounded almost hopeful when he spoke those words. “No, he cannot be a happy man of late.”
“Nor is my cousin,” Carmella remarked. “When Jagga melted into a mound of sand upon her, Liney went into hysterics. I think at that moment she feared for Vellan’s wellbeing more than anything else, and for any possible future she may have had at his side.” She looked askance at Caldurian. “Perhaps as Vellan’s next apprentice?”
Caldurian flinched. “Is that why your cousin fled to Kargoth?” he bitterly inquired. “To be at his side and to ease his sorrows?” The wizard scratched distractedly at his beard. “Traitors! They abandoned me while I was a prisoner in Montavia, only to crawl back to Vellan, no doubt begging for his forgiveness though they hardly know him. Mune has never even met the wizard, though I can picture him groveling before Vellan. He’s only in this for profit and cares nothing about reordering the state of affairs in Laparia. But I thought that Madeline had a bit more character to her, a bit more integrity.” He angrily tossed a few twigs into the fire, quietly fuming. “And a bit more loyalty to me.”
Carmella noted the hurt in his eyes, tempted to feel sorry for him. “Maybe now you’re seeing my cousin as I see her. Liney is in it for herself. She always thought too highly of herself, even while growing up. Her drive and ambition have loosened her grasp on what’s important in life. It’s distorted her senses,” she said. “But you and Vellan are just the same. You elevate yourselves above everyone else, all the while rationalizing the horrific deeds you do. You’re no better than common criminals.”
“Whom you have chosen to associate with,” Caldurian dryly replied. “The only question is–why?”
“You requested this meeting with me, Caldurian, so I’ll ask you the same question,” she said, tightening the cloak about her shoulders. “Why?”
The wizard sat silently, carefully weighing his next words. Slowly his facial muscles relaxed as he glanced at Carmella, having decided that the truth might suit him best. “Let’s not engage in a dance of words. We both know what the other wants.”
“And that would be?”
“To get to Del Norác, of course, preferably unencumbered by this monstrous army. You want to find your cousin and I wish to consult with Vellan,” he said. “No surprise to either of us.”
“Agreed,” she replied. “So is that the only reason you ever wanted to meet with me? To help you escape?”
“Of course not. While I was a prisoner in the Blue Citadel over winter, I requested several meetings with you, but King Justin would have none of it. I wanted to get information about Madeline and learn of your story since our last meeting. Hearing that you had kept up your pursuit of magic in your own fashion over the years, I was curious as to what influence I might have had in that decision.”
“And perhaps recruit me as your apprentice?”
Caldurian softly chuckled. “My powers are a bit off as of late thanks to Tolapari’s meddling, so I don’t know how good a teacher I would be.”
“So I’ve heard.”
The wizard furtively looked around at his distant guards who nearly blended in with the shadows. At the moment, the soldiers appeared more bored than attentive with their assignment. Caldurian lowered his voice to a faint whisper.
“Still–and I’ve revealed this to nobody until now–I have regained some of my powers, but only a little,” he admitted. “Only enough to perform a handful of minor spells, though even those can be tiring as I recover. But I go about my business as if I still suffer from the full extent of the âvin éska, though I suspect that Tolapari suspects I might be putting on a show. Yet we play our little game.”
Carmella’s suspicion was evident. “Why are you telling me this, Caldurian? I might go back and inform King Justin about your confession. He might double or triple the guard around you, or worse. Perhaps Tolapari might slap another spell upon you before your strength fully returns.”
“You could do that, and I suppose I wouldn’t blame you. But I was hoping to build a bond of trust between us.” He turned to her, appearing at her mercy. “We need each other right now, Carmella–you, to get me out of this place, and me, to lead you to Del Norác, into Vellan’s very stronghold where we both assume that Madeline and Mune are currently his guests.” The wizard furrowed his brow. “Or perhaps prisoners. One can’t be too sure. But I’d rather pay him a visit on my own terms, as I’m sure you would, rather than being dragged there.” He pointed to Carmella’s gloves. “You don’t want to live with pumpkin-colored hands all your life, do you?”
“I’ve grown attached to them. The color complements my wardrobe,” she replied with a smirk before her expression grew serious. “Liney’s amusing little spell isn’t the only reason I’ve been seeking her out for the last twenty years. I have others, too, though I wouldn’t expect you to understand them.”
“Try me.”
Carmella, a bit uncomfortable, decided to open up to cultivate a bond of trust. By doing so, she hoped the wizard might teach her some spells before she encountered her cousin the next time. A bit of candor was a small price to pay for some lessons in magic.
“I’ll tell you why I’ve been searching for Liney, but you may change your mind about forming an alliance with me,” she replied. “In addition to getting my misguided cousin to lift her spell, I was hoping to draw her away from you and Vellan. She’s my blood relative. She was like a sister to me in our younger days. And though the odds are against me, I must try. Liney was a headstrong woman as she grew older, yet we remained good friends despite our disagreements. But seeing what she had become after throwing in her lot with you and Vellan, why, it nearly broke my heart.”
“Madeline never talked about her family,” Caldurian said, “except for you on occasion. How did her parents react to her sudden departure?”
“They were devastated,” she replied, as if the answer should have been obvious. “Liney was their only child who had left them without as much as a goodbye. Later, when they heard rumors about what kind of life she was leading and the trouble she had caused, they felt as if their daughter had died. My aunt and uncle spent years grieving for her even though she was st
ill alive. That’s why I promised them that I would find her, and if possible, bring her back home.” Carmella recalled the wonderful times she had shared with her cousin during childhood, picturing the younger Madeline as an entirely separate being from her current self. “But sadly, my aunt and uncle, along with my parents, have since passed away before I could fulfill my pledge. Still, I will keep trying, though this will probably be my last chance with war about to break out and all of us in the middle of it.” Carmella sighed. “And all of this mess can be traced back to you, Caldurian, when you seduced my cousin when she was a nursemaid in the Blue Citadel.”
“I suppose it can,” he admitted, “though I never considered matters from your point of view. All I ever saw in Madeline was a vast potential to master the magic arts. All I wanted was to teach her what I knew, just as Vellan had done for me. I never bothered to learn much about her personal life, though she rarely talked about it anyway. I simply acted and she followed.”
“Maybe you should have bothered, but I suppose that’s not a priority when one doesn’t have a sense of honor or a conscience.”
“My, but we are being honest this evening, aren’t we.”
“I am.” Carmella’s words dropped like a heavy stone. “And regardless of any agreement we make to help each other, I am in no way excusing you for your past transgressions. I’ll help you escape if you help me find Liney. But I do not now nor ever shall consider you a friend. Your charms will not work on me, wizard.”
“Fair enough,” he said.
“And,” she quickly added before he could utter another word, “I insist that you teach me a few magic spells as part of our bargain. Enough to give me a fighting chance against my cousin should our next encounter prove less than civil.”
“I suppose I can instruct you in a few basic spells despite my incapacity. In fact, I could show you a simple one right now that you might find intriguing,” he said with a glint in his eyes. “It may come in useful down the road.”
Nicholas Raven and the Wizards' Web (The Complete Epic Fantasy) Page 153
