Disciple of War (Art of the Adept Book 4)

by Michael G. Manning

  Will paused. “If you won’t teach me, I could ask Lognion.”

  “Are you being serious, or are you just trying to piss me off? Think carefully before you answer.”

  “Why?”

  “Just answer the damned question!” yelled Arrogan.

  Will replied through clenched teeth. “I’m dead serious.”

  Arrogan’s answer came not in words, but as a surge from the ring as he rushed out to invade Will’s body. Will caught him at the start, and he wrestled with the old man. Arrogan’s will was impossibly strong, stronger than Ethelgren’s had been, and if he had been caught off-guard, Will would almost certainly have lost.

  But it was his body. He had the high ground, and his will was just enough to keep his grandfather from taking control. Forcing the old man’s soul back into the ring, he dismissed the limnthal.

  The fight was over, for unlike Ethelgren’s relic, the Ring of Vile and Unspeakable Knowledge was tied to his limnthal. If the limnthal wasn’t active, Arrogan wasn’t conscious. Will sighed, feeling a sense of deep regret, then he removed the ring and dropped it into his pocket. The limnthal was too handy to stop using, so it was easier to give up the ring, at least for the time being.

  Hopefully, he’ll understand when this is all over.

  Since he was already out walking, he turned his steps in the direction of the palace. He’d made up his mind.

  ***

  “My Son, it is always good to see you,” enthused Lognion without taking his eyes from the roses he was trimming.

  They were in a small, private garden in the rear courtyard behind the palace. The footman had brought Will straight there after he had requested an audience. He had been surprised to find Selene’s father wearing sturdy work clothes and heavy leather gloves. The monarch appeared to be sincerely working on the garden. “I didn’t expect this,” said Will honestly, ignoring the king’s excessive good humor.

  Lognion turned and smiled faintly. “Just because I find it entertaining to torture people doesn’t mean I don’t have other hobbies, William. Try not to be so closed minded. The world is not nearly as simple as you suppose.”

  “I just never imagined you as a gardener.”

  “I find the exercise profitable for both body and mind, and I rather enjoy bringing order from the natural state of chaos present in growing plants. Leave them to themselves and they run riot, until the weeds choke them out, and then every bit of man-made organization vanishes as the plants begin to compete with one another. My garden is rather like a microcosm of the kingdom. I enjoy bringing order out of the native madness. The only difference is that here, rather than pruning men, I prune branches.

  “Sometimes I remove an entire plant.” Lognion pointed to an empty place where something had recently been uprooted. “That spot could be called ‘Arenata’ or ‘Spry.’ Now I will plant something new in its place, and my garden will benefit as something stronger sprouts in that place.” He gave Will a meaningful stare.

  Will had no interest in entertaining the evil bastard’s philosophical musings. “I came to ask a favor of you.”

  The king stopped what he was doing and removed his gloves. “Oh. This is a rare occasion. You have my full attention.”

  “I need to learn the heart-stone enchantment.”

  “And why would someone who so reviles the wickedness of that magic suddenly wish to learn it? More importantly, why would I share such an important secret, a secret I have kept to myself throughout my life?”

  “When you offered me the link that controlled Selene, I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have freed her,” Will admitted.

  Lognion frowned. “You’re telling the truth, yet I’m certain you don’t wish to enslave her. You’re going to have to explain, William.”

  “I have more than one reason,” he replied, being careful to stick to the truth. “One reason is that in the future I may wish to travel. Being able to communicate with her at a distance would be useful. Simultaneously being able to know the truth of her every word, as well as being able to give her a particular command would ease my mind.”

  “And your other reasons?”

  “Someday I’m going to kill you. I’ll need that knowledge to successfully hold Terabinia together.”

  Lognion laughed. “I wondered if you’d lost your nerve. You already missed your best chance.”

  “My most important goal is the safety and security of the people of Terabinia. Currently that means supporting you,” said Will. “But in time, that may change. It’s even possible someone else might do the deed. Either way, I need to be ready to take the reins of power when that time comes.”

  “Such noble goals!” said Lognion, smiling broadly. “I applaud your pragmatism, but still I cannot give you such valuable knowledge without gaining something of tremendous value in return.”

  Will winced. He’d been afraid of that. “What do you want?”

  “What I’ve always wanted, William. Your service.”

  “I won’t swear fealty,” he answered. “I’ve told you that before.”

  “And I don’t need it. I’ve told you that I trust you more without it. What I want is your actual service. There’s something that needs doing.”

  “You’ll have to be specific.”

  “Darrow. Give me Darrow.”

  Will gaped at him. “The nation?”

  Lognion nodded. “As you know, they’ve become extremely bothersome. Their military still hasn’t recovered from the disaster in Barrowden a couple of years ago, yet I’m almost certain the vampire problem was of their doing. The only way to permanently solve this problem is to reunite our country, to bring Darrow under our rule.”

  “You want me to kill the Patriarch?”

  “That would be the finishing touch, but I’m asking for something more substantial. I want you to subjugate them.”

  “By myself?”

  The king laughed long and hard. “I almost believe you would attempt it if you had good enough cause. No, William, not alone. I would send you at the head of my armies.”

  “The head? I don’t know anything about leading an army!”

  “You would have my finest commanders with you. You won’t need much expertise of your own. If you wish to take my place someday, you’ll need to learn the art of war anyway. I merely want you to lead them as a figurehead, as Selene’s husband, as my representative. Leave the strategy to the generals, but I feel your presence may be necessary to ensure success.”

  “Or to get me killed,” Will pointed out.

  “As a ruler, I try to ensure I profit no matter how events play out. That might be a small prize should you fail, but I would rather you succeed.”

  “Explain it for me,” said Will. “I’m trying to get my head around this proposal.”

  “It’s simple. I’ll teach you the enchantment, and in exchange, you give me Darrow. Ride with my armies. Field Marshal Linville will handle the details, but he will ultimately answer to you. Failure or success, the credit will go to you, for good or ill. Is that clear enough?”

  Will struggled to think of an answer. “I can’t leave. Selene—”

  “Not now, William. Next spring. Even though summer is just beginning, it’s not advisable to start a campaign this late. You have eight or nine months until the excitement will start.” When Will didn’t say anything, Lognion prompted him. “What will it be?”

  “Can I think about this?”

  “Now or never,” said the king. “If you want the secret of the heart-stone enchantment, you’ll say yes and give me your word on it. Do that and I’ll teach you right here. Also, it goes without saying, but I’ll expect you to delay any assassination attempts until after you honor this promise.”

  “And you’d trust me if I agreed to this?”

  Lognion flashed white teeth as a wicked smile crossed his features. “Any man who would go to such lengths to refuse to swear fealty to me all this time can be counted on to keep his word. Besides, once you’ve learned this, and won
your first war, it won’t matter if you attempt to kill me then. You’ll fail, of course, but on the off chance that you succeed, you’ll have proven your worthiness to succeed me. So, what say you?”

  Will felt as though he was standing on the edge of a cliff, but he knew Lognion well enough to know the man wouldn’t wait. Aside from detesting lies in others, the king had always been brutally honest. If he said he wouldn’t make the offer twice, he meant it. But I’ll have to go to war. He’d seen enough of that when he’d fought to liberate Barrowden. What new atrocities would he experience if he returned to the army? What atrocities will I be responsible for, as the leader of Terabinia’s army?

  He wanted to say no, but in his mind’s eye all he could think of was Selene’s tears as she had failed for the past week. She would grow old long before him—that was her fear. At the same time, a small voice in the back of his head made a suggestion. How many atrocities could I prevent if I’m there to make the decisions? War was always bad, but maybe it wouldn’t be as bloody if he was in charge. Was refusing the king really the moral choice? Lognion would have his war either way.

  “I’ll do it.”

  The words were out before he knew he was saying them. Lognion’s eyes flashed with delight. “Just for me, say it properly.”

  Will’s eyes met the king’s. “I’ll prosecute your war against Darrow. I’ll bring them under your rule and reunite Greater Darrow, but this time under the flag of Terabinia. You have my word on it.”

  The king nodded, and a force-dome sprang up around the private garden. “Pay attention as I show you the rune structure.”

  “Here?” asked Will. “I’ll need some paper.”

  Lognion shook his head. “You’ll memorize it. Never write it down. I’ll go over with you as many times as necessary. If you forget, return and I’ll refresh your memory, but never write it down. This knowledge is too dangerous to put on a page where it could be stolen.”

  Will nodded.

  “Now, watch me—"

  Chapter 5

  When Will got home that afternoon, he went immediately to the study and repeated what he had learned twice, constructing and dismissing the complex enchanting rune structure to make sure he hadn’t already forgotten it. Despite its wicked potential, it wasn’t too much to remember. He had already memorized quite a few spells that were far more complex, like Selene’s Solution, which was eighth-order. While the heart-stone enchantment wasn’t a spell, its complexity was comparable to a spell of approximately sixth-order.

  That was enough to make him nervous about memorizing it perfectly without notes to refer to for a few days. More than anything, he didn’t want to have to return to the king and admit that he had forgotten part of it.

  A knock came at the door, and Will called out, “Come in.”

  Selene entered. “We’ve hardly spoken today.” Her tone was flat, matching the barely hidden look of dejection on her features.

  “About that. I’ve been thinking—”

  She glanced up at him with red-rimmed eyes. “You’re having second thoughts, aren’t you?”

  “What? No.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t deny it. I’m doubting myself. I can only imagine what’s going through your head as well.”

  “Well, about that—I think I’ve found—”

  Selene interrupted, “You don’t have to make excuses for me, William. This is new for me. I’ve never really failed at anything before, but now that I’m dealing with the most important challenge of my life, I’m useless. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but I won’t let it break me.”

  Will smiled. “Good. That’s what I like to hear.”

  “We should separate,” she announced.

  He almost fell out of his chair. “Huh?”

  She gave him a sincere look, her eyes welling with tears. “You’re going to live centuries, and I—I won’t. We’re young. Given who my father is, it isn’t practical for us to divorce, but the pain will be less if we end it now. You could find happiness with—”

  “Will you please shut up!” he barked, cutting through the pitiful speech. Selene looked surprised, but she stopped. “I’m trying to tell you I’ve found an answer.”

  She gave him a skeptical look.

  “The heart-stone enchantment.”

  “What?”

  He nodded, as though confirming his own statement. “The enchantment your father used to enslave you and every other wizard that graduated from Wurthaven, we can use that to overcome your problem.”

  Her expression changed. “You want to use it to order me not to use magic. Is that what you’re thinking?”

  “Exactly that. You lived with it for years. It should work, shouldn’t it?”

  “It should,” she said slowly. “But I shudder to think of allowing myself to be chained again. You have no idea how horrible it was—when he ordered me to murder you—” Selene shivered visibly.

  “Obviously I won’t order you to kill me,” said Will.

  “I’m also terrified,” she admitted. “Every time we’ve tried it, the fear gets worse. It’s like drowning and being burned alive at the same time.”

  “You trust me, don’t you?” He rose and walked around the desk to stand in front of her.

  Selene nodded. “I trust you, but it’s easier said than done. Fear isn’t a rational thing. If it was for anything else, I would be able to say yes easily. But knowing that if I agree to let you put the enchantment back on me, the very first thing you’ll do is put me through the compression trial again—it terrifies me. I can say I trust you, but just thinking about it makes me want to run screaming.”

  He put his arms around her. “I won’t force you to do anything. It’s your decision.” He kissed her lips quickly, then pulled away to look her in the eyes. “But don’t even joke about separating. Whatever happens, you won’t get rid of me. I’ll take however much time we have and be grateful for every minute.”

  Selene blinked, then kissed him. “You’re such an idiot.” They held each other for a minute or so, then her head popped up again. “Wait, how did you learn the enchantment? Did Arrogan teach it to you?”

  Will grimaced. “No. He got rather upset when I asked. I had to go to your father.”

  “You what? Tell me you didn’t!”

  He shrugged. “I did. You know I’d do anything if I thought it would help you.”

  “But him, he’s a monster.” Her eyes widened. “What did he want in exchange? I know my father. He wouldn’t trade something like that without receiving something of equal value.”

  “Darrow.”

  “Darrow?”

  He nodded.

  “The nation? He thinks you can give it to—” Her mouth formed an ‘o.’ “He wants you to go to war for him! Oh, William, why?”

  “It was going to happen eventually anyway.”

  “Not to you! Not to us! Why would you promise something like that?”

  Will offered a crooked grin. “Because I thought it might help you.”

  Tears began rolling down her cheeks in earnest. “But I’m too scared to let you use it on me now. I’m a coward, William. There’s no nice way to say it. I’ve lost my nerve and now you’ve paid a terrible price for nothing.”

  He squeezed her tightly. “Don’t say that. I’ve been through it—once—and it scared me to death. I can’t imagine how you’ve managed to try so many times already. Whether you ever try again or not, you’re the bravest person I’ve ever known. Who knows, maybe I’ll find some other use for the damned enchantment? No matter what, I’m not going to regret trying to help you.”

  She held onto him for a while, but collected herself before too much time had passed. No matter what she claimed, Selene was made of stern stuff. Together they ate supper and whiled away the evening without any more unpleasant discussions. But that night, after they had gone to bed, she clung to him with quiet desperation, her arms giving voice to the fear she couldn’t face.

  Will slept fitfully, but when he
woke in the morning, he found she had already risen. He had just begun to get dressed when she strode purposefully into the bedroom. Selene looked to be fully prepared for a long day. She was dressed in an austere dress meant for work rather than society, and her hair was tightly braided and pinned back behind her head.

  Without pause, she circled the bed and stopped in front of him. “Do it.”

  His foot was halfway down the leg of his trousers, and he froze, then grinned. “Do it? Is that a command I need pants for? Or is this a no-pants situation?”

  “You’re going to need a bandage if you make any more jokes,” she snipped. “I’m serious. Do it. Put the enchantment on me.”

  Will frowned. “Are you sure?”

  “Now, William! Please. Before I lose my nerve.”

  He nodded. “All right. But don’t worry, I won’t give you any orders unless you agree with them beforehand.”

  She shook her head. “No. I’ll back out. After you put it on me, just do what you need to do and don’t listen to me if I change my mind.”

  “Really?”

  Her head bobbed up and down. “Hurry up.”

  He formed the enchantment, not even bothering to finish pulling on his trousers. Being fairly new to it, it took him almost two minutes to form the two ends of the construct. When it was ready, he passed the ‘slave’ end over to her hand. “You have to voluntarily apply that end to yourself,” he told her.

  “I remember,” she said nervously. Her hand trembled slightly, then she took a deep breath and pressed it against her throat. The runes unlaced and circled her neck, then sank into her skin and vanished. Meanwhile, Will placed the master end against his chest and felt it lock in place. Unlike Selene, he could undo the enchantment from his end, but there was still something disconcerting about feeling it attach itself to something deeply fundamental within him. Is that my soul? he wondered. If Arrogan’s previous descriptions were correct, it was.

  “It’s done,” he announced. Then he looked at Selene. “Help me out with an experiment. This isn’t an order. Lie to me about something.”

  She gave him an odd look, then smirked. “Your hair is perfect this morning.”