“Don’t assume anything,” he replied. “Madeline and I parted company weeks ago when the snow was still flying. She most likely made it to Del Norác, though as to her desire to meet with Vellan, well, I don’t dare speculate on that visit.”
“What are you saying?” Caldurian asked, clearly worried.
“I’m saying that Madeline got her wish. At least I think so,” Mune said, warming his hands by the fire. “We spotted a distant company of Islanders in the middle of winter as we made our way through Kargoth. By that time my desire to be in this dreadful realm had long since disappeared, not that it was strong to begin with. But Madeline was determined to find Vellan and decided she could best achieve that by getting captured on purpose. Companies of Islanders were leaving the southern parts of Kargoth and heading to Vellan’s stronghold to regroup after the Enâri were destroyed. Madeline thought it best to abandon our slow and stealthy approach and tag along with Vellan’s allies instead.”
“Then why are you still here?” Caldurian asked, taking a seat by the fire.
“Because I finally came to my senses, that’s why! I was leery about meeting Vellan, especially after failing him at the Citadel. But I tagged along with Madeline out of a begrudging sense of loyalty, hoping that one day before we reached Del Norác that she would come to her senses, too. But when we saw some Islanders while hiding out in the hills, she decided the quickest way to Vellan was through them. At that moment, I knew reaching Del Norác was about to become a terrifying reality, so I did what came naturally to me. I panicked.”
“But my cousin went on with her plan?” Carmella inquired.
Mune nodded. “To make a long story short, we debated, then argued, and then decided to go our separate ways. Madeline left our location in the hills and sought out the Islanders, promising not to tell them about me. I assume they took her with them as a prisoner, but they were too far away for me to clearly see anything. Since then, I’ve been living in empty houses and barns during the winter, slowly making my way back southeast to get out of this place and settle down somewhere. I’m tired and need a long rest. I’ve decided to be loyal to me for the foreseeable future.”
Caldurian grunted. “Apparently you had no loyalty left to spare for me after all the lucrative work I’ve sent you over the years. As soon as plans broke down in Morrenwood, you and Madeline fled south to Vellan, abandoning me as a prisoner in Montavia.”
“Things didn’t work out there either?” Mune asked. “I had heard rumors.”
“No, they didn’t.” Caldurian explained how Montavia had been liberated and how Tolapari had disabled him with the âvin éska spell. “But things are turning around. I’m nearly my old self again, no thanks to you or Madeline.”
Mune sighed. “I’m sorry, but at the time my mind was otherwise occupied. Madeline insisted that we find Vellan as King Justin’s soldiers were closing in. I’d have been tossed in prison if they caught me. And as for Madeline, well, she had said that–” He quickly caught himself and went silent, catching Caldurian’s probing gaze.
“Had said what?” the wizard asked with an icy calmness. “What did Madeline say as you fled the Citadel?”
Mune glanced at Carmella for advice. But when none was forthcoming, he looked at the wizard, riddled with guilt. “She had said–and it pains me to repeat this, Caldurian, though you’re bound to get it out of me sooner or later–but Madeline said that you had outlived your usefulness. Her words, not mine!”
Caldurian moved his lips as if about to respond, but then simply stared into the fire, crushed by the comment. Carmella and Mune noted his distress and eyed one another. Mune shrugged, not knowing what to say, so Carmella broke the uneasy silence.
“Caldurian, you know that my cousin has a tendency to speak before thinking,” she said in gentle tones. “I’m sure Liney never expected you to hear those sentiments and probably regretted the words the moment they left her lips.”
The wizard shook his head as a grim smile crossed his face. “No. Madeline meant every word. And I see her point,” he said, briefly looking up. “I was ultimately responsible for the raid on the Blue Citadel even though I was in Montavia. I must shoulder the brunt of the blame. Still, I don’t know if I can ever forgive her.”
Mune swallowed hard. “Do you forgive me?”
Caldurian flicked his hand back without looking at him. “Fine. You’re forgiven. But it feels worse when such devastating words come from Madeline,” he admitted, talking to the frenzied flames. “Her betrayal has pierced my heart as I had given her so much over the years.” The fire reflected wildly in the wizard’s eyes as he sat seemingly paralyzed. “Other than her undivided loyalty to her assignments, Madeline has given me nothing else in return. I had hoped that one day…”
The firewood crackled and a cool breeze played across the brittle grass. Carmella studied Caldurian’s face and saw him for a moment more as a man with normal emotions than a conniving wizard, sensing that his heart right now was as empty as the one inside his smoky counterpart.
“Did you have feelings for my cousin?” she asked.
He offered a vague smile. “That’s irrelevant now. Whatever dreams this wizard once had when he met that intriguing nursemaid twenty years ago, hoping to take her under his wing and teach her the ways of the world and of magic, well…” He looked up and sighed. “I guess some dreams aren’t meant to be realized.”
“Did you ever approach Liney with your intentions?”
“Not directly,” he replied. “But I could tell early on that Madeline was a focused individual when it came to the magic arts and attaining her place in the world. She hadn’t room in her heart for anyone except herself. Deep inside I knew that and should have let my budding sentiments die years ago, but a fool carries on,” he sadly admitted. “I took pride in my apprentice, but maybe I should have left Madeline at the Citadel after our failed kidnapping attempt. She may have enjoyed happier years. I might have, too.”
A heavy silence fell. Mune looked on uneasily, never having seen Caldurian embroiled in such doubt. He wished he hadn’t secretly followed him and Carmella over the last couple days. If the wizard was losing his edge because Madeline had departed, how would he handle meeting her again, only this time possibly at Vellan’s side? He wondered if he should go his separate way come morning.
“Getting off topic,” he said, “but how did you and Carmella track me down? You had cornered me quite cleverly with the help of that smoke illusion, so I’m guessing you discovered there was only one individual trailing you and not a troop of Islanders.”
Caldurian sat up and stretched, happy to talk about something else. He regretted that he had opened up about Madeline, but the deed was done and it was time to move on.
“It was simple, Mune. I had found your boots.”
“Excuse me?”
“Carmella and I came across a trail of Enâri boots and garments earlier in the day,” he explained. “A sobering sight if ever there was one.”
“I’d come across many such displays in my travels,” Mune said. “And though I knew the creatures were dead and disintegrated, I always felt that they might arise whole again while I was sleeping nearby. Very disturbing.”
“Anyway,” Caldurian continued, “something had caught my eye as I walked among them, namely, a pair of boots that you had once owned and discarded. No doubt you had helped yourself to a better pair left behind by a deceased Enâri soldier.”
“How could you possibly know that?” Mune sputtered.
“Is it true?”
“Well–yes! But how could…?”
The wizard chuckled. “Because it was the same set of boots that I had created for you with dried leaves and magic when we met inside the Cumberland Forest last autumn. The spell had since lost its potency. I noticed that patches of the leatherwork had begun to turn back into leaves after you had discarded them.”
“The soles of my boots were wearing away, and seeing so many Enâri pairs in such good shape, why shou
ldn’t I help myself? Certainly the Enâri had no more use for them.”
“Could we change this ghoulish topic?” Carmella interjected.
“Is Jagga still on your mind?” Caldurian asked.
“Or more specifically, what you had done to him?” Mune added. “The poor thing. I learned how you gave that magic medallion to King Justin and set things in motion.”
“I did what I had to do,” she said defensively. “It wasn’t an easy decision.”
“But a deadly one.”
“Enough, Mune!” Caldurian snapped. “That’s all in the past now. Though if you and Madeline had been a tad more competent orchestrating the Citadel raid, then perhaps we wouldn’t be having this discussion.”
Mune, his arms akimbo, slowly fumed as he took a step closer to the wizard. “I was this close to retrieving the key to the Spirit Box!” he said, holding his thumb and index finger close together. “And you have no idea what I went through to get that close.” He recalled his fight with Leo in the upper turret, making no mention of the soldier in the King’s Guard he had fatally stabbed in the corridor. “Give me some credit for my effort.”
“I suppose you’re entitled,” the wizard coolly replied.
“But I’m glad Leo Marsh got the best of you in the end,” Carmella said. “However, Mune, you got off too easily in my opinion. Unlike you, Leo still suffers from the effects of opening that box, so you might want to stop your bellyaching.”
Mune scowled. “Just my luck. I leave Madeline only to end up with her equally exasperating cousin. What are the odds?” he muttered. “You women are almost as irksome as Leo Marsh and Nicholas Raven. Those two have been nothing but trouble.” He turned to Caldurian, shaking his head in disgust. “Why didn’t you hire those locals from Kanesbury to kill Nicholas instead of just getting him out of the village? Would have saved us a whole lot of trouble in the long run.”
“Mune!” Caldurian admonished his associate with a caustic glance, but his words had already piqued Carmella’s interest.
“You’re behind Nicholas’ troubles?” she said, jumping to her feet and walking over to the wizard, simmering with anger. “You’re the one who ruined that young man’s life?”
“Thank you, Mune,” he responded sarcastically before turning to Carmella. “Now before you start lecturing me, too, let me just say that I have no intention of confessing or apologizing for my actions in Kanesbury. I had my reasons for what I did there.”
“But what you did there was–!”
He held up a hand to silence her. “I understand you’re fond of Nicholas, but what’s happened has happened. He unfortunately got caught up in my plans and–”
“What plans?”
“Not important,” he replied, suddenly ashamed to reveal what he had done to Otto Nibbs, Maynard Kurtz and an entire village just to satisfy his thirst for vengeance. That Nicholas Raven had become a casualty of his machinations was now beyond his power to reverse. “You are more than free to tell Mister Raven that I was the cause of all his woes the next time you see him, but don’t expect me to go into detail about those–details!” He looked at Carmella, offering a smile in hopes of salvaging their fragile camaraderie of late. “You may have been harboring vague hopes since we’ve teamed up that I could change or may have changed or might even want to change who I was, Carmella. But as I said before, my path is my path, and parts of it are not very pleasant to look upon. You knew who I was before we started this grand adventure, so don’t be surprised when new and unpleasant details are accidentally revealed.”
Carmella composed herself and took a deep breath. “I suppose you’re right. We each know who the other is and probably shouldn’t let our recent familiarity cloud our better judgment.”
“Agreed,” he said. “But still, let’s not throw out all that we’ve accomplished these past few days. There are some genuinely good moments to salvage among all the obvious flaws–most of them mine, I’ll freely admit.”
“Agreed.” Carmella eyed the two gentlemen, wondering what she had gotten herself into but knowing it was too late to turn back. “All right then. So, who wants supper?” she asked, ironing out the wrinkles in her cloak. “It’s my turn to cook.”
The trio departed early the next morning under hazy blue skies. Mune, though still reluctant to meet Vellan, decided to accompany the others to Del Norác after learning that there was a massive army heading their way from behind. Caldurian assured him that King Justin’s scouts would most likely be fanning out through the woods, along the river and among the mountain foothills, making his journey out of Kargoth questionable at best.
“And they will not take kindly to you once your identity is discovered,” he warned. “King Justin knows all about your past deeds. You’re better off staying with us.”
Mune scratched his head. “I suppose this is the safer route, but somehow I feel doomed no matter which way I go.”
“Then what have you got to lose?” Carmella said.
CHAPTER 99
The Drusala River
King Justin rode his horse alongside Tolapari beneath a hazy, midmorning sky. It was the day after Caldurian had engineered his smoky disappearance. The long line of troops and supply wagons had been on the road for several hours, trudging determinedly through the lower region of Kargoth. The towering mountains to the north gazed ominously upon them. The King cast an inquisitive eye upon the wizard when he chuckled to himself, apparently in a good mood despite Caldurian’s clever escape.
“Will you share with this tired monarch what has put you in such high spirits?” he inquired. “I could use a good laugh to counter my lack of sleep these past nights.”
“I was thinking about Caldurian.”
“With amusement?”
Tolapari nodded with a relaxed smile. “I’ve got to hand it to that scoundrel. A smoke apparition of all things! The moment I stepped inside his tent and detected the whiff of stale smoke and noticed a dusting of ash on the floor, I knew what he had done. No doubt with help from Carmella as I’m guessing his powers haven’t fully returned. Still, a simple plan elegantly implemented. No wonder Vellan has kept him around for so long.”
“You had exploded in anger this morning,” the King reminded him. “And nearly a second time when I refused to send out a party to pursue them.”
“I apologize again for having been so abrasive,” he replied. “However, you should have tracked them down.”
“Understood,” the King replied as he gazed across the grassy terrain. The woods to their left were dappled with the morning sun, the budding boughs and sinewy trunks obscuring the view of the Drusala River snaking along on the opposite side. “But now that we’re back on the road,” he continued, lowering his voice, “I’d like to give you my reason.”
“The final decision was yours, Justin. You need not explain.”
“Still, I want you to know why I didn’t send soldiers to track down Caldurian.” He leaned in closer as their horses sauntered across the hard ground, mindful of others within listening distance as he lowered his voice further. “And why I allowed him to escape.”
“Allowed? Did I just hear you correctly, King Justin?”
“You did, my friend. And as you rarely address me as King Justin, I shall assume you are a tad upset with the news.”
Tolapari, bubbling with consternation, fixed his eyes forward as some uneven terrain unfolded before them. “I don’t know any adjectives that would appropriately describe the level of my upset.” He kept his voice at a conversational level so as not to draw any attention, but could not conceal his reddening countenance and the wild look of utter disbelief in his eyes.
“Let me explain.”
“Please do!” he replied in a sharp whisper. “How could you allow our enemy to escape–and right near Vellan’s doorstep?”
“Perhaps I phrased things incorrectly. I didn’t actually allow Caldurian to escape as I didn’t really know that he was planning an escape. However, I did purposely let my guard
down and relaxed the restrictions upon him, hoping to nudge him into contemplating an escape.”
“What’s the difference?” Tolapari grunted with mild disgust. “The result is the same–Caldurian is gone! I’ll wager you a creel of fresh trout that he’s on his way to Del Norác.” He glanced at the King with fiery hope in his eyes. “It’s still not too late to pursue him.”
“I have no intention of doing so, especially when it was you who gave me the idea of allowing Caldurian to slip away.”
“Me?” Tolapari was aghast. “During my many visits to the Citadel, not once did I utter a supportive word about Caldurian and his reprehensible deeds. Where did you get the idea that I wanted him released, especially when we finally had him under lock and key?”
“You said something several days ago which only grabbed my attention when King Rowan referred to your words two days later. That’s when I started to think about how we might use Caldurian to our advantage,” he said. “I had no guarantee if anything positive would result, so I kept silent. But I knew I had to try.”
“Tell me, Justin, those words I uttered that prompted you to release one of our vilest enemies into the night.”
“You spoke them after Caldurian explained how Vellan had deceived Arileez with that magic potion.”
“The one that freed him from his island prison?”
“Yes,” the King said. “It was then when you had commented that evil tends to collapse upon itself.”
“I had said so after learning of the treacherous second spell in that elixir.”
“King Rowan later referenced your words, Tolapari. He said that we must give our all in the fight against Vellan since we couldn’t manipulate the turmoil within his stronghold. I agreed at first, then began to wonder if we actually could secretly manipulate the goings-on inside Vellan’s mountain, or at least muddy the waters a little bit.”
“What are you saying, Justin?”
“I’m saying that Caldurian was not wholly confident of Vellan’s leadership abilities after his defeats in Rhiál and Montavia. Coupled with the destruction of the Enâri, it’s no wonder Caldurian was having visions of himself sitting in the seat of power in Del Norác. He told me as much during our conversations this past winter,” King Justin said. “I’ve spoken to Carmella several times, too, who offered similar stories of the wizard’s disappointment with Vellan’s rule. And do you recall what she told us about her recent confrontation with Madeline?”
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