by Lyndon Hardy
The cabin was silent for a minute and Alodar looked at Aeriel, then darted his eyes away. "My quest is for the hand of the queen," he said. "The embrace does not matter."
He nodded slowly and touched the pouch with the sphere at his side. "Let us return to the matter of instruction," he said. "If sorcery is taught by oral means only, how then do new charms ever come about? It would seem that the number would gradually diminish away as masters met untimely ends before they could pass on their heritage."
"New charms are always in the making," Kelric replied. "The trances you see me slip into to aid my concentration in matters of prophecy are not only a crutch for an old man. No indeed, the trance is primarily the means by which the master frees his mind of the encumbrances of this existence. With it he opens up his inner self and seeks out the states where the cadences of charms roll like thunder and the words flash in strokes of lightning before the eyes. Upon return to the here and now, often the mind is exploding with the power of a new charm hitherto unknown to man."
"Then why not effect such a state often," Aeriel asked, "and bring back great powers that can only accumulate with time?"
"Alas, my lady," Kelric replied, "it is as I have often said. Each charm enacted, even the trance of seeking, subtracts something of vital presence from the sorcerer who uses it. Each of us is born with a fixed supply of whatever is his for life; once we have used it all, we perish. And the leeching of inner power depends on the strength of the charm. I restrict myself now only to illusions for the court or simple prophecies of short range and even for those I need the aid of sand, fire, or cards. I dare not try to enchant a single person, no matter how shallow his mind, for fear of consuming all that remains."
"Then why do you not have more interest in the eye?" Alodar interrupted. "You said that it can amplify the powers that a sorcerer naturally possesses."
"No, my pulse does not quicken as I think of the sphere," Kelric said. "I am so small a shadow of my prime that I dare not use such a device. It means nothing to me, though in the hands of a young man, a fool with no thought of the morrow, such an eye indeed increases the charm of enchantment a thousand fold.
"You see, despite the fear in which sorcerers are held, despite the way arms are flung over eyes when we approach, enchantment is not easily achieved. Remember that the charm must be recited thrice and eye-to-eye contact must be maintained throughout the third recital. It is not easily accomplished if the intended victim is on guard. And the more insidious enchantments are the hardest of all to effect. The complete extinction of consciousness is the easiest by far. You become the automaton of the sorcerer and think your own thoughts no more.
"But the more subtle enchantments in which some or most of your own free will and thoughts remain are very difficult. The charms are long, the restive forces great, and the drain on the vitality greater still. Yet, how sublime is that charm that gives you the heart of a lady and changes nothing else! She feels she acts of her own free will but the grip of enchantment binds her to you. It is this power which makes the sorcerer so feared.
"And such is the strength of the eye that it can give the master the potency the sagas ascribe to him. Gaze on it but an instant and you are undone. From the crushing of all free thought to the gentlest suggestion, it will be as the sorcerer wills it. And more besides; when the lid is open, the eye reaches out and compels, drawing you to look, tempting you, forcing you, conjuring you for just one little glance and then you are trapped forever.
"But enough for now," Kelric concluded. "It depresses me to think of it further. Tomorrow, if you still are steadfast in your foolishness, we will start with the cantrip for the tossed die."
"I will be at your cabin door," Alodar said. "Your words have not dissuaded me."
Kelric scowled and then looked at Aeriel. "And now my lady, what are your plans for the next hour?"
"I must readjust some of the berth assignments," Aeriel replied, waving to the littered chesttop, "and then confer with the cooks to reaffirm that we are well enough provisioned."
"Then I suppose the chance of your changing into something less practical while I am here is slight?" He leered.
"Oh, begone, Kelric," Aeriel said, "and try your persuasive manner on one of the other women of the court."
"As my lady wishes." With shoulders stooped the sorcerer shuffled out of the room.
Aeriel and Alodar remained in silence pondering Kelric's words for several minutes longer. Then she arose and turned up the wick of the single lamp hung on the cabin wall.
"You show great trust in me, Aeriel," Alodar said, "and I pledge to show it is well placed. When I can control the eye, I will use it most certainly to benefit the queen."
Aeriel turned to look back at Alodar with a small smile. "You have demonstrated your worth already, Alodar. Else I would not have striven to aid you when you petitioned in Ambrosia. I ask only that you serve her with your head as well as your heart. The latter is too frail an organ to use in affairs of state."
"My motives are indeed from the heart," Alodar admitted, "although not in the way that you might think. But what of you? What draws you to such service of the queen?"
"It is apparent, is it not," Aeriel replied, "that Vendora never can be truly certain of counsel given her by any man? She has great need for someone to see through the emotion to the truth that lies underneath."
"Then what is your reward for the service that you provide to the crown?" Alodar asked.
Aeriel rubbed her eyes and looked at the pile of documents. "There are times indeed when I wonder why I travel the path I do. But my father served Vendora's as minister of most grave counsel. Alas, I was an only child. But I have tried to aid the crown of Procolon in the tradition of my family nonetheless. As for the drones who buzz about Vendora, enough of them seek her favor first through me that I have few idle hours in Ambrosia. Fortunately I am keen enough to see through their interests, so that I have not been greatly disappointed. And those who are not so dull, those who indeed might…"
Aeriel broke off and lowered her head with a touch of color in her cheeks.
"I tell too much," she said. "The petitioners who beset the fair lady concern me not at all. I am no longer Vendora's companion in whispered schoolgirl romances. She is now the queen and I her counselor. Such petty concerns are from long ago."
"Shall you then spend the rest of your days in Vendora's shadow, passing into spinsterhood as the reward for your dedication?"
"I said, Alodar, that I have not been disappointed in my dealings with the men of the court, nor have I been a recluse. As for the course of my life, it will depend upon the man the fair lady settles upon as her consort. If he is strong enough to rule Procolon through her, then perhaps I will no longer be needed and can then seek my own destiny."
"For my own part, I thank the random factors that no such decision has yet been made," Alodar said. "Though obviously Vendora does not lack ardent and able suitors."
"Ardent yes, but able, only perhaps, Alodar. The man who fills the needs of the queen and the kingdom has yet to prove himself. And be forewarned in your own quest that more than chance affects the queen's moods. She is strong willed and can be influenced only by subtle pressures.
"Feston struts about the court in jingling mail, but then must show his empty pockets. Basil gives great strength to Vendora's coffers, but must apologize when one of his band refuses to draw sword. And Duncan will find that he is called upon to do far more than merely throw his sphere about the queen
"And if you prove as incomplete as the rest, Alodar, repeated opportunities to lose face will present themselves to you as well. My task is to give Vendora the man who is the best for Procolon, and I work diversely at my craft."
"Then you have been my unknown ally all the while," Alodar exclaimed. "While I toiled in the alchemist shop and the magician's Guild, I despaired of returning in time. But through your machinations, I dare say none of them can show himself supreme."
"Take care at what
I say, Alodar," Aeriel replied. "Vendora makes the final decision still. Feston and the rest have already established their claim to be suitors. I strive to delay Vendora's choice, not for you, but for the best, whoever that may be."
"And if the hero for Procolon does come forth and you are then free of your charge," Alodar asked, "what sort of man then would you seek for yourself?"
Aeriel laughed. "In truth, I have no answer." She paused and then after a moment continued softly. "Suffice it to say that the man in my dream knows full well how to judge the relative worth of two women."
Aeriel slowly swept her hands back to rest on the chest behind her and looked deeply into Alodar's eyes. Her face was framed with twin cascades of amber, falling upon shoulders that beckoned in the lamplight. Her eyes sparkled with the deepness of jet, and her lips, though turned in a small smile, were taut with resolution and challenge.
Alodar took a step towards her, then another. She said nothing; her eyes held his and there was no change in her expression. He stopped and with slow deliberateness surveyed her body. He locked his eyes back on hers and advanced another step forward. Aeriel, still silent, flicked a curl from the cascade behind to fall over her shoulder.
Alodar stopped and blinked, trying to understand the intensity of the feeling suddenly rushing over him. His loins tightened and the image of Vendora, this time only days old would not come. He saw only Aeriel, proud Aeriel, warm Aeriel, challenging him in his resolve.
He struggled to hold on to his quest, but in a flood of emotion, it was swept away. "At the ball, I saw the object of my deepest desires," he said simply, "and it was you."
He swept her into his arms, half expecting a haughty laugh at his weakness, but he did not care. He thrust his lips on hers and pulled her body to him, pressing the breath from her lungs.
Aeriel did not resist, but clasped her bands behind him and grasped as savagely as did he. After a long moment be pulled his head back slightly, but Aeriel pursued and reattached her mouth to his. Some time later, how long Alodar could not tell, their crushing grips relaxed, and he led her to sit on the bunk behind them.
"When I saw you again in the palace," Aeriel said as she recovered her breath, "I remarked on the coincidence. That was because the vision that I saw in Kelric's illusion was you."
"My thoughts are a jumble," Alodar said, shaking his head. "For nearly a year I have pursued the queen. I turned away the favor you showed me at Iron Fist for the quest of her hand. But somehow, Aeriel, I have seen too much of the woman you are, and the strength to resist is now far harder to find."
Aeriel smiled at Alodar and then looked down to his side. She squeezed his hand and gently touched the pouch that held the sorcerer's eye. "You have made my heart glad, Alodar," she said, "although by my selfish actions I do not deserve it."
She was silent a moment and then trembled with a deep sigh. She squeezed her hand into a fist until the knuckles showed white and looked back into his eyes. "Why do you quest for the fair lady," she asked, "if not for her beauty and power, like the rest?"
"It is for my heritage," Alodar replied. "I desire to recover my rightful peerage of the realm and the respect that goes with it. As consort to the fair lady, none could deny them to me." He stopped and thought of his dream of the hero's welcome in Ambrosia. "And for the touch of glory that goes with it as well," he said quietly.
"And I have pledged to serve the crown," Aeriel said. "To see that the best man stands at Vendora's side." She paused and lowered her head. "Continue with your quest, Alodar. The fair lady needs you far more than I."
"I have not quested in blind steadfastness," Alodar protested. "Along the way I have faltered and puzzled at the path I choose. And nothing has given me such pause as you, Aeriel. Can I truly throw my heart into pursuing a goal if you are not part of that success?"
"We are both tired, Alodar." Aeriel shook her head gently. "You from the battle and I from the work that must go on. The fatigue weakens our judgment and makes us easier prey to our desires. I apologize for tempting you so. In the morning we will be refreshed and have reaffirmed our resolve to do what we must do."
Alodar frowned at her words, his head reeling from the emotions that swung back and forth as if at the end of a snapping whip. He tried to remember the forces that drove him on, and in the corner of his mind he finally saw a vision of Vendora, the queen. "Perhaps you are right," he said, "but I do not think a single night will unscramble my thoughts. I thunder after an abstract goal, Aeriel, but have no idea what I will do after it is achieved."
"It is a conundrum," Aeriel agreed. "But for now, Procolon is in peril, and you must learn how to use the sorcerer's eye."
Alodar nodded his head slowly and started to speak again, but suddenly two soft knocks echoed from the cabin door. "The queen's council assembles to plot the course for the morrow, my lady," a voice said from without. "Your presence is requested at once."
Aeriel's expression melted into one of annoyance and Alodar let out his breath as the tension oozed away. The mood was broken and Aeriel spoke as if nothing had happened as she waved him to the door. "I must prepare. Good luck, Alodar, good luck in your quest."
"My lady," he mumbled thickly and left with eyes averted.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Sorcerer's Revenge
ALODAR steadied himself against the roll of the deck as he walked slowly towards the small hole in the corner of Kelric's cabin. Two weeks had given him sea legs. Holding his head and eyes steady, he concentrated on the two tiny sparkles of light which stared back at him. A bare three feet away, he lowered himself to his knees and began to undulate his hands in the outline of a pie-shaped wedge. A tiny nose poked out of the hole; long whiskers jutted hesitantly into the room.
Alodar rapidly ran through the glamour, his face contorting into a grimace as he labored to stutter past the last few words. As he finished, the rat extended its head from the hole and then its entire body. Torn between instinctive fear and unbelievable good fortune, the rodent moved slowly across the intervening space towards Alodar's hands.
As the rat advanced, Alodar felt the reaction, an uncomfortable tug that pulled from his toes and fingers up through his body and then spilled out into the air above his head. Like a nail against slate or bone against jagged bone, the feeling coursed through him, too much to ignore, yet somehow too undefined to merit the aversion it produced.
He shook his head in annoyance. The rat suddenly halted in midstride and looked nervously back to its hiding place. Alodar frowned with renewed concentration and slowly started the enchantment. He stared at the rat as he spoke, trying to bore past the gleaming eyes into the small mind behind. He completed the first recital and the rodent did not move; during the second it resumed its cautious tread forward.
Alodar began the third. Although his mouth seemed filled with cotton, and nausea bubbled up from his stomach, his pulse quickened when the barrier suddenly gave way. In a rush, he felt himself drawn into the small confusion of the rat's mind, tasted its hunger and felt the sharp edge of its fear. For a moment he paused, marveling at what he had done, but the growing discomfort forced him to continue his task. He frowned deeply and then carefully separated the pulsing emotions from his own. Like a potter at his wheel, he massaged the simple thoughts and reshaped them, rounded the corners of the apprehension to a smooth pebble and tickled the stomach to growl all the more.
Alodar unstuck the last word from his throat and the rat did not bolt away. With trusting eyes it sat placidly on the planking and curled its tail about its legs. The uneasy tug at Alodar's innards continued for a minute more but then began to fade. He sighed with relief, knowing that he had succeeded and the worst was over. He marched the rat, stiff-legged like a child's doll, towards the illusion of the cheese at his feet. When the twitching nose was within inches, he released control of the limbs and let the rodent pounce on the imagined feast of its own will. The rat showed no concern for Alodar's presence; with a vicious bite, it snapped its jaws on
empty air. Alodar felt the upwelling of simple anticipation in the rodent's brain and carefully stimulated the tongue and stomach to make each gulp a savory delight. In a moment the phantom morsel was completely devoured, and the rat again curled its tail in contentment. Alodar watched for a second and then suddenly took away the cloak that sheltered the fear. The rodent started and quickly scampered back into its hole.
"You must maintain eye contact at all times, Alodar," Kelric said over his shoulder. "Had you not laced yesterday's bait with that sedative, the rat would have broken away when you faltered. And the discomfort you felt was nothing compared to what it would have been if the charm was not completed."
"I will gradually reduce the dose," Alodar said. "In a few days more, I will be able to enchant a rat as well as one who does not have the benefit of alchemy. And by working up gradually, I think I progress far faster than otherwise." He bent down and picked up the crumb of cheese he had dropped nearby. "It is the same with the illusions. By starting with a real sample, I can make them more realistic with far less effort. The drain of the vital force made me hesitate, but without the aid of thaumaturgy I would have been unable to get both the glamour and the enchantment finished together."
"Oh, you are progressing well enough without such aids," Kelric growled. "Your mind is quick and there is no reason not to proceed as I did in my youth."
