Toman had taught them breathing exercises before one went into battle. He used these to calm and settle himself before he began planning. He would need to go to the library and research everything that he could find on Dethara. In addition, it was time to start asking the priest of death, who resided in the caverns, questions. He could pose as someone curious. While most placed in highest honor the god of their sphere, this was not always the case. It would not seem too far out of place for him to be seeking spiritual answers. It was a part of the caverns that he had avoided having no desire to add the gods to dragons in his current plight. Now, it would not be a lie as he was curious, he mused.
Alador paced back and forth trying to figure out what moves he could still safely make. What was now too much a risk? The only thing he knew for certain was that Dethara knew he had more power than Luthian had been counting on. He also knew there was a good chance that she would share this with the High Minister. He could see little benefit to the Goddess in withholding the information. His mind spun in a thousand directions, all trying to grasp possible outcomes. Again, he was so deep in his thoughts that he was startled from their grasp by a loud knock on the door.
“Alador, I know you are in there.” There was a heavy masculine voice. “The only way the door can be barred is from the inside.” He slowly realized it was Sordith’s voice.
Sordith was not supposed to come for a few hours. How much time had passed? Going from fearful to relief, he hurriedly moved to the door and threw the bar up. He opened it about to welcome Sordith when he saw the new High Master at his brother’s side. His open mouth shut slowly.
He saluted across his chest and dropped his eyes. “High Master,” he acknowledged.
“Might we come in and speak?” The new High Master asked with an unusually polite manner.
Alador was confused why man was asking and not just striding in, but he nodded yes and moved aside to let the two men enter. He looked up and down the hall to see it was full of curious eyes, sighed and shut it again. He latched the door and slowly turned to face the two men. The High Master was looking about curiously by his bed, Sordith was across the room. It suddenly seemed too small of space with the other two men standing there.
“I am fairly sure, Alador, that we had discussed you keeping your head down and not making a scene.” Sordith crossed his arms and leaned back against the wardrobe on the far wall. “I have heard you have been doing everything but.” When Alador glanced with alarm at the High Master and back to Sordith, the Trench Lord grinned. “Ah, may I introduce a trusted friend,” He waved his hand and gave a bit of flourish. “And one of my now highest placed men, Reynel Bariton, now High Master Bariton.”
At Alador’s tense posture and confused facial expressions, the High Master spoke. His rich baritone voice was low to stop those surely pressed with their ear to the door from hearing clearly. “Before we speak further, may I suggest you shield your room, mage?” He gave Alador a wink, then sat down on the bed; he picked up the strand of red kelp looking at it curiously before setting it back down.
Alador nodded. It had never occurred to him to shield his room, but obviously the High Master had reasons for concern. Alador, not wanting to touch that internal sense of the ocean again, reached for the small private pool that was close by. The shield was not made of water, but he pulled the power of water to garble and mute sounds. Using this, he shielded the room. His hands and voice weaving the spell into a tight net. When it was done, he reopened his eyes and took a breath before nodding to the two men.
“Let us start with the most pressing matter.” Master Bariton eyed Alador. “It is not normal for mages.” He looked pointedly at the seaweed and back to Alador. “To just disappear in the middle of a meal and conversation, even less so for those in the Blackguard.” His voice held a bit of awe. “No one saw you cast a spell or reach for any additive item. What, by the gods, happened?” Alador saw genuine curiosity.
Alador flashed Sordith a concerned look. “You’re sure?”
“As sure as a man can be in this city,” Sordith answered with a shrug. Sordith still was leaned back with his arms crossed. His eyes held the same curiosity that Master Bariton’s held.
Alador was slowly learning to trust Sordith in all matters. He remained standing erect and began to explain as best he could. Alador started from the moment that he had toasted Nemara and had realized he could touch the seductive power of the ocean. He left only two things out, the kiss of the Goddess and her recognition of his state as a pseudo-dragon. Neither the High Master nor Sordith interrupted Alador as he relayed his experience. When he had finished, the silence was overbearing and he looked up; both men were staring at him as if he had lost his mind.
“I assure you both, that is the truth of the matter.” Alador added quickly. He moved to the seaweed and held it up as evidence to his claims.
Sordith stroked his chin, one arm still crossed and holding the other. “Yes, well we can’t exactly offer that to the hundred or so that witnessed your disappearance,” Sordith pondered. “Or the young guardswoman who became quite hysterical after you were gone.” Alador groaned at the mention of Nemara.
Master Bariton was nodding as he considered. “I may be able to use this to my advantage.” He glanced up at the Trench Lord.
Alador shifted uncomfortably. “How will you use my disappearance?”
“It is an opportunity to cement my position. Very few of the guardsmen know me much more than a member of the High Master’s advisers. They have no idea of my level of mage skills or by sword.” Master Bariton looked between the two men, his brow wrinkling somewhat.
“I shall say that I summoned him due to his consistent lack of timeliness, and of course, follow through to the corrective duties assigned to him.” He looked at Alador with a grin. “You are about to become a rebel, son. This garrison is sadly lacking in moral. It will make you friends amongst those that oppose the tyranny of the tiers.” He nodded to the Trench lord.
“Something Sordith tells me that you could use. So we serve two purposes: Increasing fear of what ‘I’ can do, and increasing your reputation for what you have done.” Bariton sounded quite pleased with himself.
Sordith chimed in as he shook a finger at Bariton. “It will be important that you and he have the same tale. Others have seen us enter here, tonight.”
“Yes, yes, you may be right Lord Sordith,” Bariton acknowledged with a wave of his hand. “How you found yourself before me, and how I went through your file and discredited your every action.” He counted these off on his fingers. “How I threatened you that if you were NOT the High Minister’s relative that I would dismiss you from the guard or worse.” Master Bariton looked at Alador to make sure he understood.
Alador was not sure how much he liked this idea. He had tried to remain unnoticed for the most part. He did not really want to be the center of attention. He thought back about two turns ago when he had thought it was all he would ever want and need. He had been so wrong. If he could turn back the wheel of time, he would warn his younger self. He would have let Mesiande have the find and welcomed his status of outcast. It was far more distasteful to be different with hundreds of eyes watching your every move than it was to be discounted and overlooked for those differences.
“Yes, High Master,” he responded politely. He did not really know what else to say.
Master Bariton moved to him and clapped him on the shoulder with what turned out to be a large heavy hand. Alador winced slightly. “I shall put the boy on lock down except for his half-days with Luthian.” Master Bariton was now speaking directly with Sordith who was still leaning against the wardrobe with a look of amusement. “That will allow him to do what must be done freely since we now know he can use a travel spell. Will that suffice?”
Sordith kicked off the wardrobe and moved to Alador. “It will do more than suffice.” Sordith met Alador’s worried gaze. “When enough time has passed, come and see me in Trench Hall.” Sordith turned to the High Ma
ster. “We will have to do something about the girl,” he said, there was an edge of steel in his tone. Bariton gave a solemn nod.
Alador’s heart leapt and he rushed forward grabbing Sordith’s arm. “No, I need her free. She is part of the plan.” Alador insisted with a clear sense of panic. He didn’t know what doing something about her meant to most people, but he knew what it meant to Sordith.
“Oh, when were you planning to enlighten me on these… changes… in our plan?” His voice was full of censor and a hint of sarcasm.
Sordith looked at Alador with a stern gaze, and Alador felt a leap of adrenaline in response. He saw for a brief moment what those who crossed the Trench Lord must experience. It was not pleasant.
“When next I saw you. I need a message given to her and I can further this plan of Master Bariton’s.” He looked between the men.
“I can call her before me with a stern lecture boldly heard by others on how her behavior was unseemly for an advanced student of the guard.” He nodded to Alador, “And pass your message.”
Alador let loose a sigh of tension. “Tell her to meet me where we spent our first evening.”
Sordith clapped Alador on the back. “Good to see you not holding Keelee’s actions against all women, lad. You will have to tell me of your first evening some time over some ale or whiskey.” His tone was filled with amusement. The High Master also chuckled deeply.
“It wasn’t like that.” Alador snapped. He turned red immediately as he realized that it had really been just like that.
“Right…” Sordith nodded with a mischievous grin. He let it go and turned to Master Bariton. “Follow my lead and let us get this new tale of gossip rolling about your dark halls.” He smiled at Bariton as he headed for the door. Sordith’s humor seemed to snap right back into place after he had shown Alador a glimpse of his harder personality. He looked at Alador as he passed him and shook his head. “Try to keep your head down.”
Alador nodded and rubbed his jaw absently. He had felt the harder edge of Sordith’s personality. He imagined the calculated man was worse than the one who had punched him out of sheer anger. He watched as Sordith strolled to the door and flung it open.
“I hardly see why you want to foster such an arrogant mageling upon me, High Master Bariton!” Sordith said, his booming tones filled with disgust. He looked back with a smirk at Alador.
Alador watched as seemingly innocent men and women suddenly hurried off on some remembered task or dashed into a room close by. He shook his head as the two men exited. Bariton hardly missed a step.
“The boy has an arrogance I thought you capable of bringing to heel, Lord Sordith. I would think you would be glad to have the High Minister’s nephew in your keeping.” The High Master seemed to take little note of the scurrying guards as they left his room and headed down the hall.
“You mean get the High Minister’s spy out of your nest and plant him securely into mine? I do not think so, Sir.” Their voices trailed down the hall as the two men cemented their rumor. “He is your problem, not mine! I don’t need a repeat in my halls of what happened to the last High Master in yours.” Sordith’s contemptuous tone trailed off as Alador shut the door with a long-suffering sigh.
Chapter Twenty
Alador slumped into his chair and ran a hand over his face. The cloud of dread caused by Nemara seemed to overwhelm the facts that the High Master was in Sordith’s pocket or that he had just been given the freedom to move around as he needed to between now and the test. Alador considered, he had three things… no four he amended to himself… that he distinctly needed to take care of before the test. He needed to explain things to Nemara, he needed to talk to Sordith, see his family in Smallbrook, then begin the storms on the northern lands. He went over which he needed to do first.
Dethara’s words and actions kept diverting his attention from the things that he needed to do. There was no way of knowing where or how… for that matter even if… she would interfere. His head hurt from the deep thoughts that raced through his mind. He was fairly sure that when Henrick had said that he had the means to complete the geas, no one had counted on a goddess in the mix.
He moved to his bed and threw himself down. Sleep did not find him, and as the bell tolled in the great caverns for the time, it pulled him from his thoughts. Enough time had passed for Sordith to have returned to his own manor. Alador stood and switched his practice sword for a real blade. He pulled the talisman out from beneath his tunic and concentrated on Sordith’s office. As the room manifested, he took a deep breath. It was still a disorienting sensation no matter how many times he had used the talisman.
He looked about as soon as he was able to see that Sordith was not there yet. Alador looked around and found a chair by the wall. He placed it in front of Sordith’s desk then went around and sat in Sordith’s chair. The man had a way of sneaking up and he did not want to be caught off guard with his back to the door.
He scrutinized the redwood desk and was admiring its craftsmanship when the door opened. Sordith upon seeing Alador in the room turned and murmured something before he shut the door behind him. Alador did not see whom he spoke to but as Sordith crossed the room, he merely sat back and slowly put one foot then the other up on Sordith’s desk with a challenging grin.
“And just what do you think you are doing putting your feet up on my desk?” Sordith took off his gloves as he crossed the room coming to a stop next to Alador. He tossed his gloves onto the great desk.
“I do believe, my dear brother, you called me an arrogant mageling.” Alador’s voice took on a haughty air. “I was just confirming the opinion.” He leaned back, rocking the big chair back onto two legs. He crossed his arms behind his head as he grinned up at his brother.
“I fail to see where that was a falsehood.” Sordith quipped. His foot shot out, catching the chair’s bottom cross piece. With a quick thrust, he gave it just enough to send it out of balance and toppling over backward.
Flailing and failing to catch his balance, Alador found himself landing hard on the floor and tumbling out the chair. The solid thwack to the back of his head brought stinging tears for a moment. “Damn Sordith, you could kill someone doing that!” he grumbled. He rolled up onto his knees rubbing the back of his head.
Sordith set the chair upright and wiped the imagined dust of Alador’s boots off his desk. “Doubtful,” he stated as he sat down in his chair, ignoring the position of his brother next to him on the floor. “Your head is far too hard.” Sordith did not even offer Alador a hand up.
“Bastard.” Alador hissed as he rose up and went around to the chair that he had placed when he first arrived. He was still rubbing the egg growing on his head.
“A fact that is well established.” Sordith grinned at Alador. “You need to be faster and more creative with your barbs. That was hardly original.”
“Yes, well I have a headache thanks to you.” He dropped into the chair and grimaced at the jarring stop.
“You're welcome.” Sordith quipped. He opened a drawer and pulled out two cups and a small jug. He poured each about half full and handed one over to Alador. His face grew serious as he released the cup to his brother’s hands. “We have a lot to talk about.”
Alador sobered as well and nodded. “A lot has happened since last we spoke. Where would you like to start?” Alador sniffed the mug.
“This woman, of course.” Sordith playfully grinned and toasted Alador. He took a drink and sat back to listen.
Alador rolled his eyes and took a pull off the cup carefully. He never knew what Sordith or Henrick were serving. The mage had been right to be cautious as the sweet flavor had a hard burning bite after he swallowed. He grimaced at the burn, and Sordith gave a bit of a chuckle.
“Nemara was the contact that Jon sent to me. She is sorting through the guards to find those with enough hatred of Luthian or the clear disregard for their Lerdenian blood. She is also the one I sent to you with my last message.” Alador added, “Our cover is a
budding relationship.”
Sordith shifted in his chair. “Just a cover? Somehow brother, I get the feeling that you have been quite thorough with that cover.” Sordith grinned wickedly as he sat back holding the cup with both hands.
“It was her idea, and I saw no reason to dissuade her,” Alador admitted with a rueful grin. “I did try to be a gentleman at first, but she was rather insistent.” He shrugged as that really had been the way things had occurred.
“Yes, I saw the woman.” Sordith drew a feminine outline with one hand. “I am sure you suffered greatly to maintain your cover.” Sordith laughed outright on the dark look on his brother’s face. “I jest… I jest.” He put up one hand as if to hold Alador at bay. “Has she had success?”
“I believe we will have about ten to twenty guards to join me at the bloodmine when the time comes.” Alador shared. “It would be helpful if the High Master arranged for those I designate to be in a practice ring or class together.”
Sordith nodded and leaned forward, setting his cup down. He pulled out of a top drawer a parchment and made note. “I will see that is arranged for you after your test. No sense in it if you don’t live.”
“Thanks for the confidence in my abilities.” Alador glowered as he considered his brother’s statement. “I have the right to stop at a lower tier if I feel myself tiring or think I shall be bested.” Alador looked up with a moment of realization and confidence. “I don't really see myself not passing.” Alador pointed out. He went on to explain about the night that he had been with Henrick. How he had spent the night and part of the morning as a dragon and afterwards had received the power of Renamaum.
Sordith was quiet for a time as Alador’s voice trailed off. He considered everything his brother had just said with deep scrutiny. His gaze revealed this calculation as he looked up at Alador. “You are going to need it,” he finally shared, not looking up from his quill to his Alador. “I suspect you will need every spell and trick you can recall from the dragon’s gift,” Sordith said with a touch of concern.
Pseudo-Dragon (The Blue Dragon's Geas Book 4) Page 19
