by Guy Antibes
Sovad tried to pull tighter, but the ground shook under him. His hands were being forced from each other. He fought with the unseen force that Panix projected. Panix focused on Sovad’s belt buckle. The smell of burned leather and flesh filled the air. Sovad dropped the garrote and staggered into the kitchen to pour water on the melting buckle, now embedded in his sizzling flesh.
Panix ran to Lorna to see how badly the butcher’s wife had cut her. He cut off a length of Hera’s dress and tied it around her shoulder. He went back after Sovad with the knife.
Sovad stood with a sword in his hand, a towel clutched to his stomach. “Is there no end to your novelty?” He gasped for breath as he said it.
“You taught me the methodology. It’s the need, not the technique. It’s been the base of all I’ve been able to do.”
Sovad dropped the sword as it began to burn his hand. “I give up.” He barely made it to a chair and gingerly sat. “Get me to a healer before my guts pop out.”
Panix pulled out a message coin. He grabbed a pen and paper on top of a bookcase in the narrow room and summoned help and a healer.
Panix picked up the dropped sword and stood over Sovad. The assassin was close to fainting from the pain. What justice to end this man’s life now, rather than wait for a hangman. The rage built within him, but then he took a deep breath and automatically fell into his calming technique. He sensed the damaged skin in Sovad’s abdomen and dropped the sword. He wouldn’t be the instrument for this man’s death. Someone else would have to take the credit.
“Stay still.” He rummaged around and removed the metal burned into Sovad’s flesh. “There. That will simplify things for the healer.”
Sovad, white-faced, looked at Panix in astonishment. “You are just the kind of person I thought you were.”
~
The knife wound in Lorna’s shoulder was bleeding and hurt, but she checked on Hera and rose to her feet. Harlan should have come with him, she thought, as she picked up the knife and moved to join Panix. Sovad and he were engrossed in a conversation while Panix fussed with Sovad’s stomach.
Just as she stood at the door, Lorna heard faint footsteps. She turned around and found herself pushed aside. Hera approached Panix with a meat hook and drove it into Panix’s shoulder.
Lorna stood and looked at her knife. Hera’s back was turned. Could she act? Did she have the courage to use her weapon.
Panix wailed and that galvanized Lorna. She plunged her knife into Hera’s back and watched her fall to the floor. Sovad clutched his stomach. Panix bled at her feet as well.
She heard shouts and the door to the butcher shop flew open as Harlan pushed his way through. People she didn’t know also filed in.
“Panix, he’s hurt.” She looked at Sovad and Hera. “I guess everyone’s hurt.” Lorna felt her legs shake as the intensity of the moment beganbegan to lessen.
~
Lorna sat at Panix’s bedside. She saw his eyes began to lift. He tried to get up and Lorna gently pushed him down.
“You saved me,” he said weakly. Lorna withdrew her hand to give her some water. “What happened?”
“Sovad had a case of severe indigestion and it seemed the butcher’s wife had visions of hanging you up along with the other carcasses.”
His smile warmed Lorna up. “You? You’re all right?”
“My wounds weren’t too physical and they won’t be healed until you are.”
“I’m glad you saved me—really glad. I’m glad you’re a member on my team.” Panix returned to sleep with a faint smile on his face.
Team? What did Panix mean? He’d lost a lot of blood and that meat hook nearly punctured his lung, perhaps delusion ruled his thoughts.
~~~
Chapter 28
Trumpets blared in the Great Temple of Gerell as Boidan Tisano solemnly marched up the wide aisle. The priestess of the Goddess of the Earth intoned blessings in a dead language that Panix couldn’t understand and incense filled the air. The priests of the Paired God didn’t worship with all of these trappings. Panix never liked all of the pomp and ceremony. He looked at Lorna sitting by his side, clutching his arm, enthralled by Tisano’s coronation.
The dark recesses of the Goddess’ temple were lit with gaslights. The flickering added to the mystery of the coronation, but Panix impatiently waited for it all to end.
Later, in the Palace with the reception for Gerellia’s new King in full swing, an orchestra played at one end and at the other tables were full of food while an army of servants served wine, liquor and punch.
Panix looked across the room at the new king talking to the Marquessa of Pent. He caught her eye and she motioned him over. It was Panix’s first opportunity to congratulate the King.
“Congratulations, your majesty. I, for one, am extremely grateful for this day.” Panix bowed again to the King.
“I should be congratulating you. Without your efforts, Jorlan,” he looked over at an unhappy looking Jorlan Roccoa speaking to a few courtiers, “would be standing here.”
The Marquessa touched Panix’s arm. “I’ve been talking to the King, Panix. We are unsure of a proper way to thank you and your partners. The situation is a little odd. You’re a Korvannan from Pent performing all your derring do in Gerellia.”
“I don’t need a reward. Just seeing Gerellia and Pent free from Murgontia is reward enough for me,” Panix said in all earnestness.
“You are serious and I believe you, Panix. Should you ever want or need anything, lands, title, the resources of Pent, within reason, they are yours. I’ve already made the offer to your friend, Harlan, and he is dedicated to following your lead.”
“Likewise, Gavid.” The new king clapped Panix on the shoulder. “My offer is the same as the Marquessa’s, anything, anytime. I think the Marquessa would like more private words with you. Please excuse me.” The King left them to talk to other well-wishers.
The Marquessa led Panix out to the patio. She looked at the gardens of the Palace. Flowers exploded with blossoms and fragrances now that the rains were over and the sun’s light created a riot of growth. “It’s the same in Pent. It’s beautiful—a little late in coming, now that summer is nearly over.” She shook her head, picking a flower and inhaling its scent. “Nearly as fragrant as my own garden.” She grinned at Panix, who stood waiting for the Marquessa’s point.
“Panix, there is one thing I am not willing to give up and that’s Lorna Baltac. I am setting up an intelligence agency and I want her to work within it. She will receive proper training from Pronat Nox, my new intelligence chief with some help from Corilla.”
He looked back into the reception room and saw Lorna looking at the conversation. “Does she know this?”
“Yes, I told her just before the coronation.”
“I’ll be leaving in a few days myself to return to Korvanna. I intended to ask her to come with me since I’m going to start a new arm of the KII. We’re going to solve things, like we did when we found Sovad. I’m going to recruit a certain magician who is currently training at Morven. We’ll have Harlan and Moshin Twent. I wanted Lorna as well, but I’ll have to find someone else with a good head on her shoulders.”
“I want you to have this. It’s a Pentish penny. It doesn’t look like much but—”
“—It’s a messaging token.”
“Of course.” The Marquessa laughed. “You would know that. Lorna has its twin. You can instantly message whenever you want. Who knows what the future will bring.”
Panix bowed to the Marquessa. She turned again to look at the garden as he walked back across the room to Lorna.
“Did she tell you?” Her eyes glistened.
“She did. The Paired Gods aren’t anxious to see us together solving problems any time soon.” Panix took her hand. “Congratulations on your new job.”
“No, but the gods seem to be too anxious to see us go our separate ways.” She unclenched her other fist. “We have these.” An old Pentish Penny was in her palm. “Look
at the figure on the penny.”
Panix looked. “That’s me?”
She nodded. “Look at yours” Panix looked at the head on his penny. Lorna’s face looked back at him. “Father had these specially made. Your old crew and my father made sure the likenesses were as perfect as they remembered. You can always send a message to me and I’ll find a wizard to send mine. Anyone but Fennel.” They both laughed.
~
The Marquessa picked up Lorna at the Korvannan Embassy, the next morning before Panix woke.
“Why so morose?” Moshin said bringing a full plate of breakfast to the table. “Think of it as an avoidance of unpleasantness. I think that Marquessa is a wonderful woman. Too bad Foald Baltac has the inside track with her. Bah! She’s too tall for me, anyway.” He shook his head in mock despair as he started to eat.
Panix could hardly eat. “What about Sovad?”
“Sovad told the king that he was willing to bargain for his life. The King took the bait. That Sovad’s a sly bastard. He produced a note Nirov wrote. It instructed him to assassinate the Westters. Proof that Murgontia was behind all of this mischief.” Moshin filled his mouth up again.
“So? He won’t be executed?” Panix had to wait until Moshin’s cheeks were vacant.
“No. The king accepted his defection instead, as long as he went to Korvanna and agreed to banishment from Gerellia. It’s a given that Sovad is a marked man should he step within Murgontia.”
Sovad walked into the room with Harlan. “Breakfast?” Panix sat there, stunned.
Moshin nodded.
“He’s in our care. We will escort him to Korvanna. I’ve recruited him for our new group since Miss Baltac won’t be joining us.”
“But what if I don’t want him?” Panix looked at Sovad as if he was a deadly insect.
“The KII insists. He’s too dangerous to walk about entirely on his own.” Moshin made sure his mouth was full after he said that.
Sovad sat next to the two men, smiling, and dug in. “I like this place much better during daylight hours.”
~
The Head Councilor’s Guards escorted Divvid Mustak and General Buvat Crissor into the Council Chambers of Murgontia. The chairs were full of councilmen. The sun of late summer burned through the windows. Every forehead beaded from the stifling heat.
Wilton sat at the head of the table. “This is the final report of the Pent debacle. Divvid Mustak and General Crissor will give you the details. Let me say that our attempts to invade Pent were thwarted by both countries and aided by the Korvannans. Magicians played a large part in our defeat. We were at odds with the weather and that fact kept us from success as much as any other single factor. Perhaps the Paired Gods were not on our side this time as they have been in the past.
“One of our operatives, the assassin master, Sovad Mustak, failed in repeated attempts to carry out his roles in the operation and has defected to Korvanna. May he rot in that hell of a country.
“I am happy to say we do have two men who recognized our plan was not going to achieve the desired results. They stand here today to give you their detailed report and answer the questions I know you all have after we discuss our second thrust to forestall the spread of steam technology. Kevox Mirrok is currently conducting a successful espionage operation in the city of Mella…”
~
By the end of the third day on the road to Korvanna, four mounted men trotted down a rutted road followed by two packhorses pulling floaters.
“Mella. A beautiful town.” Sovad remembered the last time he talked of Mella and quickly changed the subject. “Where will our offices be?”
“I doubt if there is room in the KII chambers. They were full when I was an active agent. The KII has procured a villa outside of the city gate—up in the hills surrounding the town. I understand you can catch a cool breeze coming all the way in from the ocean. What do you think Panix?” Moshin said.
“I don’t care. One place is as good as another. If we are to do our job, we won’t be spending much time in one place.”
“I’m not so sure. We need a place to try out all of the new ideas we’re going to produce,” Moshin said.
Moshin and Sovad rode ahead of Panix and Harlan.
“Can Sovad be trusted?” Harlan said.
Panix looked at Sovad’s back. Confusion filled his mind. A confusion he hadn’t cleared up when he first knew Sovad would be part of his group. He admired the man’s intellect and the assassin did father the Sovad Approach, but could he be trusted? In a way, Panix could see the thread of honor running through Sovad’s actions, as they began to debrief him. Most of what he told them was true and some of what he told them seemed to be nothing but boasting, he thought.
Perhaps everyone deserved to keep certain things secret. He admitted they didn’t know the extent of all of the man’s powers.
“I don’t know if we can trust him,” Panix finally responded to Harlan’s question. “We’ll have to be vigilant.”
~
Sovad wondered if his ‘drunken’ conversation with Panix back in Pent had done the trick. The fact that he still breathed would indicate that at least sufficient doubt remained.
He couldn’t seriously believe they trusted him. He believed that he was the real reason of the paucity of office space at the KII. See if the Murgontian could be rehabilitated, but keep him at arms length.
But all in all, Sovad couldn’t be happier. A level of reconciliation with his son was totally unexpected. With his sponsor on the Murgontian cabinet dead, coupled to his failures in Pent and Nirov’s death, all that awaited him in Murgontia was an appointment with the executioner. Ah, an active retirement, yet here he rode towards something that seemed inconceivable a few weeks ago.
Panix. What a unique person in the world. Sovad felt a bond to the man back in Baltac’s shop. Another son, even if he did try to kill Panix a few times, and he would do Sovad proud. The way Panix had found him at Abnar’s was astounding. The boy still needed seasoning and Sovad was only too happy to move him along.
“When do we get started?” Sovad said as Panix rode up.
“We need a task to get us all working together,” Panix said. “I’ve found the perfect first case. We’ll find out who assassinated my father.”
~~~~
Panix in Charge
Book Six
Chapter 29
“Surely you wish to perform a great deed that will help Korvanna now,” Harlan said. The team walked through the old mansion sitting in the hills above Mella.
“My mind is made up, Harlan. Seeking out my father’s assassin serves two purposes. In fact, I’m more convinced now than I was the first time I mentioned it a month ago on the road from Gerell. We can see if we can work well as a group and test our collective ability to innovate. We let our team work for the result rather than just use the tools at hand to follow a pre-defined process.” Panix paused in front of a large window looking down at Mella, below. The mansion used to be the Murgontian Embassy, but recently, with the episode in Gerellia and Sovad’s defection, the Murgontian diplomatic mission had been recalled and the mansion had come on the market. “Sovad, have you ever been here?”
Sovad wondered if Panix probed to see if he perpetrated his father’s murder. All he had to do was ask his stepmother and his timing ruse would crumble, but then Polla didn’t know a man named Sovad Mustak. “Yes, a few times. There are some interesting enhancements that I can show you.”
“I see our new recruit has just arrived,” Panix said, looking out the window. “Harlan, let’s go down and welcome him. Sovad, if you could find Moshin and bring him here, we can all meet him.”
Sovad came to the window and looked at the cobbled drive below. A gangly red-haired man had just ridden up the road and currently looked for a place to tie up his horse.
Another magician. Sovad threw up his hands and looked for Moshin. He went to the third level to see if Moshin had wandered up there.
Moshin tested out walls for sec
ret passages. “Sovad, have you been here before?”
“Panix asked before you. We are to be down in the main room. It seems a new recruit has arrived and I can tell you all at once. To keep suspense at a minimum, the place is riddled with them.” Sovad walked to a corner and pressed a part of the decorative chair railing. The edge of a door came into view. “Riddled with them,” he smiled. “Do you have the kind of magic to find them?”
“No. I’m somewhat limited.” Moshin opened the door a crack. “Do you think these could be booby-trapped?”
“I’m like you, my magic is limited.” Sovad waited for a reaction.
“You? Magic? I thought all Murgontians deplored magic.” Moshin laughed as he said it.
“I did when I was young. That was before I entered the Assassin’s Guild. There are more magicians working for Murgontia than you think, but the training is very, very poor. I generally use magic for airlights and then only if I’m alone.”
“Well. Perhaps your joining us was fate.”
“I’ll take fate, when it lengthens my life.” The two men smiled and left the room.
~
“I’d like you all to meet Tellus Zenttet, formerly a first year fellow at the Morven Academy of Magic. He has some unique talents that I think we can use. Introduce yourself, Tellus.”
The red-headed magician looked nervous and sounded like it. He smiled with a bashful look on his face. “I’m Tellus,” he waved at them standing around him. “I have three certificates, not like Panix, here. He’s a legend at the Academy. Uh, they are teleportation, healing and metallurgy, like Panix.”
“Healing?” Moshin said as he looked at Panix. “That should be a useful talent.”
