“Mihaela,” said Zalandris, voice calm. “It is the role of the Speaker to stand for the Scholae. Not for a mere Seeker.”
“Forgive me, Master,” said Mihaela.
But Caina saw the flash of hatred in her blue eyes.
“You have seen the demonstration, my lords,” said Zalandris. “Let us now return to the Hall of Assembly. Refreshments have been prepared, and we can talk in comfort. And we shall…how do the merchants say it? Ah, yes. We shall let the bidding begin.”
Chapter 9 - Haggling
“That,” said Halfdan, “was rather cleverer than I expected.”
“It is utterly impossible,” said Claudia.
Caina had no answer for that. She had seen sorcery do strange and terrible things…but she had never seen something like the glypharmor.
They had returned to the Hall of Assembly. Slaves had set up tables and chairs, and now circulated among the nobles and sorcerers with trays of food and drink. Yet few seemed to have any appetite.
The First Magus, Caina noted, ate heartily.
She looked at Claudia and Corvalis. Halfdan had led them to a table in the corner, behind Lord Titus’s bodyguards, and so far the First Magus had not noticed his estranged children. But if he looked too closely…
“That kind of sorcery should not be possible,” said Claudia, her arms folded across her stomach. The carnage in the smaller hall had shaken her. “There are limits to the amount of sorcerous force a material object can contain. The kind of power it would take to move that much metal that quickly…gods, it should have blasted half the Tower of Study to ruin. It’s impossible.”
“Impossible or not,” said Corvalis, “we saw it with our own eyes. Here, have some wine.” He plucked a glass from a passing slave. “It will help settle your stomach.”
Claudia took the glass with a murmur of thanks, and Caina looked at the far end of the Hall and into the round chamber.
The suit of glypharmor stood at the edge of the molten pool, the sullen glow reflecting off its polished plates. Mihaela waited at the foot of the armor, looking over the ambassadors with a cold expression. Khaltep Irzaris stood at her side, speaking. From time to time Mihaela’s lips twitched in amusement, but her expression did not change.
“It is,” said Caina, “a very clever trick.”
“But what’s the trick?” said Claudia, shaking her head. “The Scholae promised a weapon, and it’s as powerful as they claim.”
“Because,” said Caina, still watching Mihaela and Irzaris, “a hundred of those things could conquer the world, but I’d wager every denarius in the Empire that the Sages know how to disable them. And they’re selling the glypharmor itself, not the secrets of how to construct it. That armor is tough, but I doubt it’s invincible. Some idiot could drop his suit into a lake, or a clever foe could bury it in a landslide. Which means that whatever nation buys the glypharmor will need to buy more…and they’ll become completely dependent upon the Scholae for their power.”
“A nice little trap,” said Corvalis.
His hand found hers beneath the table, and Caina gave it a squeeze.
“Well reasoned, daughter,” said Halfdan. “But what do we do about it?”
“That,” said Caina, “is a much harder question.”
“We could just kill Mihaela,” said Corvalis, “if she’s the only one who knows how to make the things.”
“Corvalis!” said Claudia.
“His name is Cormark,” said Halfdan.
Claudia gave an impatient nod. “Yes, yes, our disguise. Which should remind you that you are not an assassin any longer!”
“No,” said Corvalis, “but the skills haven’t left me. And you saw how she butchered her way through those prisoners. If someone like our father buys the glypharmor, the same thing will happen across the world.”
“It may be too late,” said Caina. “Mihaela couldn’t have built that suit entirely by herself. Zalandris and some of the other Sages most likely know how to do it. And she may have kept records.”
“Or her knowledge might fall into the wrong hands,” said Corvalis. “You know how a man like the First Magus thinks, Basil. He might decide to kidnap Mihaela and torture her into revealing her secrets.”
“That would be a bold risk,” said Halfdan, “given how the Scholae would respond to an attack.”
Corvalis gestured at the glypharmor. “A tremendous risk…but an equally tremendous payoff.”
“If the knowledge of how to create glypharmor spreads,” said Caina, “the world will rip itself apart in a war.”
“I agree,” said Halfdan. “So. This leaves us with two options. We either try to destroy the glypharmor and all knowledge of its creation here. Or, we make sure that the Emperor obtains the glypharmor…and then we destroy it.”
Claudia blinked. “You will not take it back to your Emperor?”
“No,” said Halfdan. “I have seen war, daughter. It is already terrible enough without the use of glypharmor.”
Caina nodded. “A worthy task.”
“But a daunting one,” said Corvalis. “And we are short on time. For all we know one of the embassies will buy the armor tonight.”
“No,” said Halfdan. “They won’t. I suspect the Masked Ones like to do things in a leisurely fashion. Comes from living for centuries, I suppose. And Lord Titus told me what they have planned. Zalandris will meet with each of the embassies individually and hear their offers. After that, he will announce each bid and give the embassies a chance to make counter-offers. Only then will the Scholae decide who receives the armor.”
“Quite the elaborate little game,” said Caina.
“But what do the Masked Ones even want?” said Corvalis. “They already have the sorcerous power to rule the world. What more do they want? Cities? Lands? Slaves? Riches?”
“An end to war,” said Caina.
The others looked at her.
“You heard what Zalandris said,” said Caina. “He thinks the glypharmor is so powerful that kings and lords will not dare to use it, that mere fear of the weapons will keep men from launching wars.”
“I assumed that was just rhetoric,” said Corvalis.
“No,” said Caina. “I think he truly believes it. He’s a fool. A learned, powerful fool…but a fool nonetheless. He truly believes the glypharmor will bring an end to war.” She looked at Halfdan. “That is how you can get Lord Titus to buy the glypharmor, if it comes to that. Have him claim that the Emperor will put an end to war if he obtains the glypharmor.”
“Do you really think,” said Corvalis, “that the Masked Ones are such fools?”
“I do,” said Caina. “They never leave their city, and they spend all their time with their spells and books. For all their power, they have no idea how men truly act. If the glypharmor leaves Catekharon, it will spark a war unlike anything seen in history. But the Masked Ones are foolish enough to think it will bring peace.”
Claudia sniffed. “Is not bringing peace a noble goal?”
“Aye,” said Caina, “and it’s also a noble goal to feed the poor and hungry. But if I try to feed them with rocks and stones, that makes me a fool. A well-intentioned fool, but a fool nonetheless.”
Claudia said nothing.
“Very well,” said Halfdan. “I shall speak with Lord Titus. Hopefully your insights will give him an edge over the other ambassadors.”
“I doubt,” said Corvalis, “that it would occur to my father to frame his offer in terms of peace.”
“That is my hope as well,” said Halfdan, rising to his feet. “You two stay here, and try to slip away soon as Zalandris opens the doors. If the First Magus sees you, he will realize that you are Ghosts, and that would be disastrous.”
“I think,” said Caina, “that I shall speak with Kylon.”
“The stormdancer?” said Claudia with a frown. “Why? He is a foreign sorcerer. No doubt he would run amok with the glypharmor if given the chance.”
“I don’t think so,” said Cai
na. “He has seen what too much power in the wrong hands can do.”
“Very well,” said Halfdan.
Caina gave Corvalis’s hand one last squeeze and stood, her eyes sweeping the embassies. One of the slaves caught her eyes. Shaizid, the young man who had brought her coffee. He stood staring at Mihaela with mixed fear and longing on his face.
Gods, she hoped the poor fool wasn’t in love with the Seeker.
Shaizid saw her staring, flinched, and hurried back to his work.
Caina felt her eyes drawn to the towering suit of glypharmor. Something about it…fascinated her. Not that it was a weapon of death unlike she had ever seen, an engine of killing. No, she felt…drawn to it, almost compelled towards it.
It reminded her of that strange attraction she had felt to Maglarion’s great bloodcrystal, the huge crystal he had created from her blood.
The thought chilled her.
The strange attraction was likely a result of the spells Mihaela had bound upon the armor.
Caina put aside the thought and went in search of Kylon.
###
“Gods of storm and brine,” said Alcios, yet again.
Kylon could not blame him.
They sat at one of the tables, flanked by the ashtairoi guards. Kylon stared unseeing at a glass of wine in his hand. Alcios ignored his food, too stunned to eat. Only Cimon, with the instincts of a veteran soldier, ate the food.
Perhaps he was the only sensible man in the room.
“Think of what the Assembly could do with a hundred warriors arrayed in glypharmor,” said Alcios, his eyes bright. “We could at last smash the Legions of the Empire in open battle. We could tear down the walls of Marsis and claim it for our own. Gods of storm and brine! We could even assault Malarae and claim the Imperial Citadel itself! Our ancestors warred with the Empire for centuries, and we could do what Old Kyrace never did! We could throw down the Empire itself, and…”
“No,” said Kylon, voice quiet.
The mood of the Hall of Assembly washed over his arcane senses. He felt a great deal of fear and anxiety. But there was also a tremendous amount of raw excitement. Of anticipation. Lust, almost. Every man here had seen what the glypharmor could do…and every man now dreamed of using that raw power to destroy his enemies.
The glypharmor was a slab of raw meat thrown into waters churning with sharks.
The resultant carnage would not be pretty.
“No?” said Alcios, astonished. Contempt flooded his emotional sense. “My lord thalarchon, why not? Why should we not claim this weapon? For if the Empire takes the glypharmor, they shall use it to break down the walls of New Kyre and smash the Pyramid of the Storm to rubble.”
“Because,” said Kylon, “we are the fish, and the Sages offer poisoned bait upon a steel hook.”
“I do not understand,” said Alcios.
“The Scholae offers to sell the glypharmor,” said Kylon, “but will they sell the secrets of its making? No. If we take the glypharmor and use it to conquer our enemies, we will become dependent upon it. And that, in turn, means that we shall become the slaves of the Scholae. How will we repair the glypharmor if it is damaged or lost in combat? What price will the Scholae demand for new suits of glypharmor?”
Alcios’s frown deepened, and Kylon sensed a thread of doubt in the older man’s emotional aura.
“It seems clear,” said Cimon around a bite of cheese, “that whatever happens, we must keep the Empire from claiming the glypharmor.”
Alcios scowled. “How can you eat at a time like this?”
“You have spent more time upon campaign than I, my lord High Seat,” said Cimon, unfazed. “A soldier must eat when he can.” He took a drink of wine. “Especially when the battle seems close at hand.”
“Do you think it will come to violence?” said Alcios.
“Unquestionably,” said Kylon. “It would not surprise me if someone tries to kidnap Mihaela, or steal…”
He blinked.
The Ghost stood some distance away, staring at him.
“Pardon, my lords,” said Kylon, rising.
“What?” said Alcios. “Her again? My lord thalarchon, this is hardly the time for a seduction.”
“It is not,” said Kylon, “but it is precisely the time to learn what I can about the Empire’s intentions.”
He walked away without another word.
The blue-eyed Ghost waited as he approached. Her emotional aura, that peculiar mixture of icy cunning and burning rage, washed over him. “Lord Kylon.”
“Anna Callenius,” said Kylon, “though I assume that is not your real name.”
“It is not,” said the Ghost.
On impulse he offered his arm, and she took it. Physical contact would give him a better handle on her emotions. But she would know that.
Which meant she wanted him to know that she was telling the truth.
They walked into the empty space of the Hall, alongside the river of molten steel.
“Tell me,” said the Ghost, once they were out of earshot of the others, “what did you think of Zalandris’s demonstration?”
“It reminded me of Andromache,” said Kylon.
The Ghost turned her cold eyes towards the hulking suit of crimson armor. “Andromache was shorter.”
“But she said many of the same things,” said Kylon. “She claimed the power in the Tomb of Scorikhon would bring victory and security to House Kardamnos and New Kyre. Now my men say the same thing about the glypharmor. Yet the power in Scorikhon’s tomb was a trap.”
“And you think,” said the Ghost, “the same thing of the glypharmor?”
“Perhaps,” said Kylon. “Any nation using the glypharmor would become dependent upon it, just as we of New Kyre are dependent upon our fleets for both our security and our prosperity.”
“Yet the Kyracians,” said the Ghost, “can build their own ships. You cannot build your own glypharmor.”
“As you say,” said Kylon. “So you see my fear. If New Kyre buys the glypharmor, we would become the slaves of the Catekhari.” He shook his head. “But I cannot permit the Empire to take the armor. For I know your Emperor would use the glypharmor to smash the walls of New Kyre and subdue the Kyracian people.”
“Or the Magisterium, for that matter,” said the Ghost. “If Decius Aberon claims the armor, he will first use it to claim the Empire, and then to conquer the Empire’s enemies.” She paused, looking up at him. “Would it not have been better if the Tomb of Scorikhon had never been opened? Perhaps it would be best if the glypharmor never saw the light of day.”
“You mean it should be destroyed,” said Kylon, glancing at Mihaela, “and all knowledge of its creation eradicated.”
“My lord stormdancer has a gift for stating matters clearly,” said the Ghost.
Kylon sighed. “Spare me the flowery speech. I have no use for it.”
“But you have gotten better at it,” said the Ghost.
“I am now the High Seat of House Kardamnos and a thalarchon of New Kyre,” said Kylon. “I’ve had no choice. Very well, Ghost. Go back to your masters and tell them that if we have the opportunity to destroy the armor and the knowledge of its creation, you shall have my full aid.” He slipped his arm from hers and looked her in the eye. “But understand this. If the choice is between letting the Empire or New Kyre claim the armor…then I will do my utmost to claim it, regardless of the consequences.”
She regarded him without expression. When they had fought in Marsis, he had thought she would look quite attractive, cleansed of blood and sweat and clad in proper women’s attire, and he had not been wrong. But he knew hers was a perilous beauty. The coldness in her emotional sense never wavered, and if she thought it necessary, she would kill him without hesitation.
Just as she had almost slain him in Marsis.
“Very well,” said the Ghost. “I know you will do what you think is right, whatever the cost to yourself.”
“I will defend my city,” said Kylon.
/> She almost smiled. “Sometimes what you think is right and the best way to defend your people are two different things.”
The Ghost bowed and left without another word.
###
Caina walked away, her boots clicking against the gleaming stone floor.
Kylon’s reaction did not surprise her. His first loyalty was to New Kyre. But he could still see reason, and if she could find a way to destroy the glypharmor, he would aid her. Now if Halfdan could get the aid of another embassy…
A sudden tingle washed over her skin, so sharp that she gasped.
Sorcery. Powerful, potent sorcery, strong enough to overwhelm even the mighty aura of the Tower of Study.
Caina turned, and saw that she had wandered only ten yards from the glypharmor.
The red statue filled her eyes, drawing her like an iron nail to a lodestone…
“Ah,” said a man’s voice. “Anna Callenius. So good to see you again. Who knew that we would meet again here?”
Caina blinked, and saw Khaltep Irzaris standing at the foot of the armor, a smile on his lean face. Mihaela stood next to him, arms folded over her chest.
“Who is this, Irzaris?” said Mihaela, scowling.
“Oh, simply an acquaintance chance-met upon the road,” said Irzaris. He stepped forward, bowed, and planted a kiss upon Caina’s hand. Then he straightened up and guided her towards the glypharmor. The tingling grew worse as they drew closer, and Caina saw hundreds of hieroglyphs crawling up and down the arms and legs of the armor and covering its cuirass in an intricate design.
“Impressive, is it not?” said Irzaris. “I suppose you had no idea that my red iron would be used to create something so…magnificent?”
“Irzaris,” said Mihaela, “we do not have time for this. If you want to find some empty-headed merchant’s whelp to warm your bed, do so later. I require a great deal of…”
“Do not fret,” said Irzaris. “You shall have the materials you require. And this is a night of triumph, is it not?”
Jonathan Moeller - The Ghosts 06 - Ghost in the Forge Page 11
