The Babachenko ignored him, but his colors gave away his anxiety. He stopped abruptly. “If reason and pain won’t persuade you, perhaps you’ll respond to the suffering of your friends or family.”
Alexander met his eyes, holding them until the Babachenko looked away. “You wouldn’t be the first to try such a depraved tactic with me, and while I don’t doubt your willingness to stoop so low, I don’t think you have the time. My friends and family are all very far away from here.”
“Are they? We’ll see about that. I find it hard to believe that you would come here alone.”
“I didn’t. Remember the dragon? I came with her.”
“Now that was quite a surprising turn of events, I must say. But no, there are others in Mithel Dour working with you, and I will find them. And when I do, you will give me what I want.”
“Until then, I think I’ll take a nap,” Alexander said, lying down and closing his eyes, leaving the Babachenko staring at him, helplessness swirling in his colors.
Alexander slipped into the firmament quickly, flitting across the city, finding Jack in his little house. He appeared in front of him, startling the bard while he wrote a song mourning the demise of the Andalian king.
“Alexander, I’ve been so worried. What’s happened?”
“I’m being held prisoner in the Babachenko’s residence, behind the wards. Chloe is with me and Anja has fled, hopefully all the way back to the Spires. But that’s not why I came. The Babachenko is going to be looking for any of my friends so he can use them against me. He’s convinced that I have allies in the city and I suspect he’ll be able to figure out who you are.”
“Well now, that wouldn’t be good,” Jack said. “I’ve been contracted to sing at the king’s funeral so I can’t just vanish without raising suspicion.”
“He’s pressed for time, so he’ll come for you the moment he figures out who you are.” Alexander said. “Funeral or not, you need to flee the city.”
“What about you?”
“I’m working on that,” Alexander said. “Vasili Nero, turned wraithkin, is here to transport me to Karth. I figure my best chance to escape will come once I’m out of Mithel Dour …”
Suddenly, he snapped back into his body, gasping for breath. A soldier was just closing the door to his cage, having replaced the collar around his neck. It released its grip on his throat the moment he returned from the firmament.
Satisfied, the Babachenko left without a word, after posted two guards in the room to watch Alexander.
Chapter 26
The Babachenko returned a few hours later, pulling a chair up to the cage once again. Alexander didn’t bother to get up. He’d spent the time poring over every detail his memory contained about his completely unexpected experience in the firmament with Siduri. Unfortunately, he was under duress at the time, so his memory was suspect.
He’d tested the collar by slipping into the firmament, only to find that it worked as expected, constricting his throat until he returned of his own accord or his duress drew him back … which only led him to another question: Why did he project bodily into the firmament when he was being strangled by the collar when always before he was drawn back to his body by serious physical danger?
More importantly, how could he do it again?
He was pondering these questions when the Babachenko entered.
“I’ve been giving this situation a lot of thought. When I met you in the slave yard, I realized immediately who you were and understood just as quickly that you had hidden the Sovereign Stone. What I didn’t suspect was just how far out of reach you had placed it. Now that I know your fairy is real, it all makes perfect sense.
“I’ve been using all of my powers, casting every divination spell I know in an effort to locate the Stone and I’ve failed each and every time. Now I understand why.
“That leaves me with a dilemma. In time, I may be able to devise a means of retrieving the Stone, provided I knew precisely where it was when your fairy moved it out of this world and into the aether. Unfortunately, Nero is becoming impatient.”
“Why don’t you kill him?” Alexander asked, still lying on his cot. “You said yourself, Phane can’t see inside Mithel Dour and you could always blame it on me.”
“That thought has crossed my mind, but Nero is a wraithkin. If I missed, things would go badly.”
“So don’t miss,” Alexander said.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Watching your enemies kill each other? No, I have another idea,” he said, motioning to the guard at the door.
A dozen men filed in, dark and angry colors all, but Alexander didn’t need to see their colors to know the truth of these men. Each had the eyes of a hardened killer-eyes dead to empathy or remorse, windows into blackened souls.
“These men are assassins,” the Babachenko said. “Each is quite capable in his own right, but together they are deadly beyond measure. Give me what I want and I will send them away. Refuse, and I will send them after those you love most, starting with your sister.”
Alexander started laughing, just a chuckle at first but it turned into a deep belly laugh.
“You think this is funny?” one of the assassins asked. “You won’t be laughing after I get done with your sister. I hear she’s something to see.”
Alexander sat up and looked at each of the twelve men intently, burning their images into his mind before he stood and faced them from behind the bars of his cage.
“You are all murderers. I can see that in your eyes. A few of you have magic … not much, but enough to make the difference some of the time. Mostly what I see in you is cowardice-abject fear that people will see you for what you really are, just as I see you, and the perfect knowledge that if they did, if they truly understood the evil within each of you, they would hunt you down and kill you without mercy, just like each of you has done to so many others.
“So here’s your choice, walk away now or be marked for death.”
A few of the men fidgeted; all of them showed a tinge of fear mixed with indignant anger in their colors.
“You’re hardly in a position to make threats,” one said.
“He’s just blustering,” another said.
“Don’t be a fool, Alexander,” the Babachenko said. “None of this needs to happen. Just give me the Stone and you will be free of this war.”
“Did you really think this was going to work?” Alexander asked. “Do you have any idea what Phane has already sent against me and my family? These men are nothing compared to the creatures summoned from darkness that have hunted me for the past year. In fact, Nero could kill all of these assassins by himself. Your threats are empty.”
The Babachenko shook his head sadly.
“You have your contracts,” he said to his assassins. “Abigail Ruatha was last known to be on Fellenden in the central city. Bring me her head and you will have your silver.”
The men started to file out, but hesitated when Alexander started chuckling, several of them looking back nervously as they left the chamber.
The Babachenko looked at Alexander intently, a frown slowly creeping across his face that morphed into an expression of new understanding. His colors began to shine with hope and unexpected optimism.
“You would let our own sister die,” he said, pausing to look intently at Alexander before continuing. “I see now that I was mistaken about you. I thought you were a subject pretending to be a ruler, but now I understand the truth; you truly are a noble. Had I known that, I would have made you a far different offer.”
“What are you talking about?” Alexander asked.
“Oh, come now, Alexander, you understand as well as I do; there are two kinds of people in the world: subjects and nobles. Subjects are encumbered by so many imaginary concepts like empathy, remorse, and honesty. Nobles, on the other hand, are free of such limitations.”
Alexander stared at him as if he’d just transformed into some unspeakable creature from the darkness.
&nbs
p; “It’s all right, Alexander, you don’t have to maintain your façade with me. You and I are cut from the same cloth; we’re both nobles. I see that now. And I have to say, you’ve constructed such a masterful story of yourself as the everyman, champion of all those delusional values that subjects hold so dear, even I was taken in. But that was my failing and you have my sincere apologies for all of this unpleasantness. Had I known the truth of you, I would have invited you to my table with open arms.”
Alexander wasn’t quite sure what was happening, except that the Babachenko’s colors revealed as much genuine sincerity as he was probably capable of feeling.
“We could have been allies … in fact, we still can be.”
“What are you saying?” Alexander asked.
“I backed the wrong horse,” the Babachenko said with a helpless shrug. “Phane would rule with fear and force. As you well know, every noble must be willing to strike fear into the hearts of his subjects from time to time. But you … you are the rarest of nobles. You’ve crafted so masterful a lie that your subjects actually love you and believe in you.
“That kind of power can’t be matched by magic or steel.”
Alexander schooled his expression and held his tongue.
“I don’t blame you for being skeptical, I certainly would be, especially after how I’ve treated you, but I’m hoping we can get past all that.”
“Why would I trust you?”
The Babachenko nodded self-deprecatingly. “An hour ago, I would have made a plea to your essential humanity, I would have tried to convince you to put your people first, I would have offered to place the Lancers at your disposal and implored you to consider the myriad advantages of forging an alliance with me.
“Now that we understand each other better, I will tell you to trust me only to pursue my own best interests, just as I will trust you to do the same. As long as our interests coincide, we’re natural allies. What’s more, Phane will never see it coming. Together we can play him against Zuhl until both are spent and then the Seven Isles will be ours.”
“And what would you expect to get out of this?”
“We both know that you have far more to offer than Phane does.”
“Wizard’s Dust,” Alexander whispered.
“Yes,” the Babachenko said almost reverently. “As you’ve already guessed, Acuna wizards inherit their magic from the most elderly of our order. The first Babachenko constructed a crystal chamber deep under the palace capable of stripping one wizard of his link to the firmament and conferring it upon another. The process is arduous and dangerous, requiring substantial training and mental conditioning prior to the transference, but it has allowed the Acuna to retain power over the centuries, in spite of the fact that not a single cache of Wizard’s Dust has been found on Andalia for over a millennium.
“While the crystal chamber has allowed our order to survive, our numbers have only diminished. In fact, my alliance with Phane has been quite costly in that regard. You see, most of the wizards he sent against you were from my order, so every time you killed one of them, you permanently reduced our number.”
“And after Phane and Zuhl are defeated?” Alexander asked, filing the Babachenko’s words away for further thought.
“In exchange for my allegiance, you would name me governor of Andalia, Karth, and Tyr, quite a reasonable price for undisputed mastery over all the Seven Isles.”
“Your offer would seem far more sincere if it wasn’t coming through the bars of a cage,” Alexander said.
“Indeed, but men in our positions can’t be too careful. After all, you did try to kill me yesterday.”
“I suppose that’s fair,” Alexander said, pacing for a few moments, deep in thought. “If this alliance is going to work, I’ll need a few things from you, starting with the recall of your assassins.”
The Babachenko chuckled again almost wistfully. “Of course, of course … my mentor, the previous Babachenko, taught me many things, but the most important lesson of all was this: Any man will be reasonable and accommodating if you simply figure out what he really wants and find a way to give it to him.”
“Words of wisdom,” Alexander said.
“I think we finally understand each other, Alexander, or should I call you Lord Reishi?”
“Only in public,” Alexander said.
“Of course,” the Babachenko said, chuckling. “I’ve always found titles cumbersome. Consider the contract on your sister cancelled. Now, we should discuss tactics, since we still have Nero to deal with and it wouldn’t do for him to learn of our alliance.”
“Agreed,” Alexander said. “In fact, it’s probably best if I stay in this cage until we figure out how to manage him.”
“You don’t really trust him, do you, My Love?” Chloe asked in his mind.
“Not for a second, Little One, but his colors are sincere, so either his offer’s genuine or he’s figured out how to lie with his colors. Either way, this is an opportunity I can’t afford to pass up.”
The Babachenko continued, “I’m glad you suggested that. I feel it’s necessary but was hesitant to bring it up.”
“I could do without the collar though,” Alexander said, tapping the thin metal ring around his neck.
The Babachenko smiled tightly, pausing just a moment too long before nodding, a faint ripple of uncertainty flickering through his colors. He touched his ring and the collar popped open with a click.
“Thank you,” Alexander said, setting the collar on the bed and rubbing his neck. “Those things chafe.”
“I imagine they do. Shall we discuss Nero?”
“We should kill him,” Alexander said with an offhanded shrug. “Also, we should put an end to the fighting in Ruatha as quickly as possible; we’re going to need those troops before this is over.”
“I’ll see to the Ruatha situation at once. As for Nero, while I understand the appeal of his demise, he is a dangerous enemy. A single misstep could be … ruinous.”
“Give me a sword and call him in here.”
The Babachenko slowly shook his head in near disbelief. “That would be suicide. He would kill us both.”
“You don’t have to be here when he arrives. You can leave as soon as you send for him; that way, if he kills me, you can claim ignorance.”
“It’s most gracious of you to think of my interests, but I would be remiss as an ally if I allowed you to take such an unnecessary risk. Surely, there must be another way.”
“I’m open to suggestions,” Alexander said with his hands held wide.
“Perhaps a ruse? We could tell him that you escaped. Send him to track you. When he returns empty-handed, we can always blame him for failing to apprehend you.”
“Nero is a suspicious one,” Alexander said, shaking his head. “He’ll start his search right here and there’s nowhere in this palace that he can’t get to.”
They both fell silent for a moment.
“We tell him that you’re playing me to buy some time,” Alexander said, schooling his expression.
“I don’t understand.”
“Tell Nero that you offered me an alliance to gain my trust and you need more time to get the Stone.”
The Babachenko blinked, pausing for several moments. “He would certainly believe that,” he said, swallowing involuntarily.
“It’s what he wants to believe,” Alexander said.
“He will expect swift action to recover the Sovereign Stone.”
“We’ll leave at dawn,” Alexander said, nodding agreement.
“That … that certainly is swift. Are you sure about this? Perhaps we should assemble a task force to accompany you. There are many stakeholders in Mithel Dour and they must be accommodated. Several factions will wish to send personal representatives on such an historic undertaking. Perhaps three days would make for a more prepared venture.”
“If you insist, but I thought speed would be more desirable. The sooner we get the Stone, the sooner we can start building an army of wiz
ards. I would much prefer a lightning fast ride that brings us back to the safety of Mithel Dour as quickly as possible. Your city is perfectly suited to our purposes since Phane can’t see within. He won’t know what we’re doing until it’s far too late for him to counter us.
“But all of that absolutely depends on secrecy, and you can’t trust a large group of people with a secret … ever.”
“Your logic is irrefutable,” the Babachenko said. “I will see to the arrangements.” He started to get up, his colors steady and genuine.
“If we’re going to make it look like I believe we’re allies, I’m going to need nicer accommodations … and a sword.”
The Babachenko twitched ever so slightly.
***
Alexander wanted to laugh when the door closed behind him. The chambers were nothing short of palatial-guest quarters fit for a king with plenty of servants hovering around and guards at every entrance.
He had finally retired for the night, bolting the door behind himself and leaning his sword up against the nightstand. He drew a magic circle on the floor with a piece of charred wood from the hearth and sat down to meditate. The firmament came almost spontaneously.
He appeared in front of Jack, who was sitting at a table in an entirely different house than his public residence. He was writing by lamplight.
“Oh … you startled me, again.”
“Sorry … weren’t you supposed to be leaving town?”
“You suggested that; I was never convinced that leaving town without you was a good idea. Besides, I got word that we’re expecting guests.”
“Jataan?”
“Yes, but there’s more. Anja is with them and she’s back to being a girl again.”
Alexander snorted, shaking his head. “She’s persistent, I’ll give her that. How far out are they?”
“A few days.”
“Not soon enough,” Alexander said. “I need you to get two fast horses and leave town right now. Get to Jataan as quickly as possible, then head for the Stone. I’ll let him know you’re coming.”
“What’s happened?”
“The Babachenko and I are tangled in a web of lies-we’re both playing the other and we both know it.”
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