Tavantis smiled, showing his fangs. “Of course, Lord Malaiss. It was a shrewd decision, and you’re right, I could be of great help to you. Whatever you need, all you have to do is but ask.”
Malaiss eyes narrowed with suspicion. This was not how the wizard had been described to him. He was told the man was obnoxious, rude, and extremely egotistical. He gazed deep into the sorcerer's eyes, letting his power seep forth. “Before we go any further, I must command you to never do me or any of those under my protection harm, do you understand?”
Tavantis nodded. “Of course, I have no intention of doing anything of the kind. If I was you, that would have been the first words out of my mouth when I arrived, and I take no offense to your command, my lord.”
“Well, I glad you understand…” Malaiss blinked at the sorcerer. For a moment, the half-elf seemed to momentarily blur and flicker. “What is this?”
“What do you mean?” the wizard said, taking a step back.
Before Malaiss could respond, the wizard shimmered before his eyes, taking the form of Siro the necromancer. The ugly little man cringed before him.
“What devilry is this?” Before Siro could answer, a stake burst through Malaiss’s chest. He felt the wooden spike pierce his heart. The Lord of the Vampires looked down at its point protruding from his torso. Arms wide and mouth open, Malaiss dropped to one knee. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the wizard materialize behind him. “You backstabbing cur, I commanded you to do me no harm.”
Tavantis shook his head like a teacher correcting a student. “No, you commanded Siro to do you no harm, and he isn’t a vampire. I assure you I won’t be looking into your eyes any time soon.”
An evil laugh issued from the wounded vampire. “You have made a fatal error, wizard. Do you really think a mere stake will do me in? I am going to tear you to pieces,” Malaiss screamed, lurching to his feet.
Stepping back from the enraged vampire, Tavantis raised a finger. “No, I really never believed the stake alone would do the job. Siro, if you please.”
Malaiss turned to face the necromancer. The ugly hunchback held a small shard of blood wood in his hand. “Sorry, Malaiss,” Siro said, snapping the small splinter in half. The Lord of the Vampires blew apart, covering the two sorcerers and most of the library in flaming chunks of undead flesh. They sizzled and popped around on the floor until nothing was left of the vampire but ashes and a little dust.
“Well, now, there is something you don’t see every day,” Tavantis said, straight faced.
Malaiss’s servant Karl came shuffling into the room. He looked around the smoke filled library. Meeting Tavantis’s gaze, his wrinkled lip quivered and tears welled in his eyes. The wizard moved to the old man with vampiric speed and snapped his neck without a word.
“Why were you apologizing to Malaiss?” Tavantis asked his shaken accomplice as he dropped Karl’s limp body to the floor.
Siro shrugged. “He helped you when I summoned him, I guess I felt a twinge of guilt in tricking him like that.”
“Be glad the glamor I put on you and my invisibility spell lasted as long as they did. I thought that dried up old fiend was never going to come downstairs. A little longer and you would have felt more than a twinge from him.”
The two magic-users both heard a great deal of commotion and the sound of footsteps coming towards the library. “Most likely that’s the rest of his servants and men at arms,” Tavantis said. “We should be going.” Siro put his hand on his master’s shoulder and the two vanished.
***
Thinking they were going back to the tower, Siro was amazed to find he was standing out in the gloomy night a short distance from the dilapidated castle. He started to ask Tavantis why, but held his tongue. His master was studying the old structure intensely. Alarm bells were ringing now; those inside Malaiss’s keep had discovered their lord’s remains. “Master, shouldn’t we leave? Malaiss’s men at arms and servants will soon come pouring out of the castle searching for us.”
Tavantis waved his hand at Siro, shushing the necromancer. “Have you noticed of late you have taken to talking too much? Now stop worrying, I have no intention of letting them harm you or of leaving anyone behind that might feel the need to avenge their master.”
Siro cocked his head and began nervously wringing his hands. “What are you talking about?”
There was no explanation, Tavantis only winked at him, then dramatically raised his arms and began to speak. The words of power that issued from the arch-mage grew louder and louder until Siro had to cover his ears. The wizard’s voice boomed, echoing off the mountainside like thunder. Tavantis clenched his fists and the ground shook. Siro heard an ominous rumbling and then a great rush. Even in the dark, he could see that a portion of the mountainside had come free. He watched in awe as it roared toward Malaiss’s lair. The massive pile of soil and rock swallowed the old castle, burying it beneath a huge mound of broken land and shattered stone.
Tavantis lowered his arms as a fine powdered dust from the avalanche mixed with the light mist, covering them both in a delicate filth. Siro slowly uncovered his ears as his mouth fell open in disbelief.
“Master?” was all he could manage to get out.
Tavantis looked at his hands a moment then folded them in front of him. “I told you the vampire and his entourage were nothing. My power is growing, Siro. Soon no one will be able to stand against me, not even my brother. Now let’s go home and get you a hot bowl of soup.”
***
Siro spent the next few days leisurely tending to his menagerie of animated corpses and pursuing his necromantic studies. Luck had been with him in Trimenia and he was very pleased to still be alive. He had thought Malaiss would be a much more dangerous foe. For all his age and vampiric powers, Tavantis had swatted him like a fly. Once again, his master had surprised him in the lethality of his mind and the might of his magic. It was very few sorcerers that could bring down the side of a mountain after causally dispatching a vampire lord. In fact, none he could think of.
Tavantis’s power was increasing. There had to be an answer for the augmentation of his magical strength. Perhaps Shiavaka had enhanced his power again? Siro thought of investigating the situation, but decided against it. Best to let Tavantis’s secrets stay secret. If he did discover the source of the arch-mage’s enhancement, he doubted he would like its origin. The soundest thing he could do was forget all about it.
At least now that they had finished violating the laws of the unnatural world, they could get back to their research. If the master could just stay focused on his studies and their revolutionary experimentation, there was no limit to how powerful he could become. Tavantis was completely unafraid of transcending the boundaries of known sorcery. The arch-mage never allowed the laws of magic or the morality of men to hinder him. There was only one obstacle in his master’s path to greatness: his madness.
Siro knew he too had a touch of insanity, it ran in his family, but Tavantis had completely lost his grip on reality. He hid it well, to be sure, but there was just no denying it. His master lived in a world of delusions and derangement, and that was a very dangerous place to call home. Sometime he considered leaving the tower and striking out on his own, but the prospect of gaining more knowledge and the appeal of the power the Dark One wielded was just too alluring for him. Besides, Tavantis had always indulged his eccentricities. Not many would put up with his unusual fascination with the dead. They were both madmen, trying to twist the world into a place where their dark souls would be content to dwell. He just hoped Tavantis would find that contentment before his madness destroyed them both.
The necromancer finished his work and fed the dead their late snack. He was headed to bed, but decided to see if Tavantis needed anything before he retired for the evening. He found the sorcerer in one of the upper rooms, staring into a large stone bowl sitting on a pedestal. The magical device had always reminded Siro of a birdbath. “What are you doing, Master?”
“What do
es it look like I’m doing?”
“You’re using the Bowl of Divination, so I would say scrying for something.”
“Not something, someone,” the wizard answered.
“Who?”
“My brother.”
Siro hung his head, always the madness.
***
The queen gazed out one of the large throne room windows at the small army of laborers diligently working to restore the royal gardens. She had promised Talorn she would wait two years before staring the project, and despite her husband’s opposition and a very lean treasury, Raygan began the construction two years to the day after she had made the promise. It was a struggle to pay for the materials and the manpower to rebuild her beloved gardens with most of her treasury going to the military, but she was determined to find a way to manage the exorbitant cost. It would take years for the garden to truly return to its original grandeur, but she was pleased the process had at last begun.
Gracefully walking up the dais, the queen sat down on the fabled Phoenix Throne, shifting the beautiful red dress she wore so it would lay perfectly. Sighing deeply, Bandara’s famed monarch rested her small chin in the palm of her hand. Raygan’s mind as always drifted back to the man she loved. Rhys had only been gone a few months, but it felt as if he had been gone for years. How could she ever spend her life like this?
She was almost sure the healer’s last visit had deposited another child inside her. This time she hoped it would be a girl, Corwin and Ian needed a sister and she would adore having a proper young lady to shamelessly spoil. It was so unfair that Rhys couldn’t share in the lives of his children. The poor man didn’t even know he was a father. She wanted to tell him when they were together last, but his sisters seemed to always interrupt when she had finally worked up the courage to confess the secret.
It was probably best that the truth remain hidden for now. Rhys’s sensitive and loving nature would never let him stray too far from his children and that would cause an intolerable problem for her husband. Talorn was kind to her and asked for very little of her attention. Though she possessed no romantic feelings for him, she didn’t want to hurt the man. Talorn was well aware of her love for Rhys. It was an unspoken truth between them, so he pretended not to know and she pretended to be his dutiful wife. Talorn’s honor had suffered enough from the horrible crimes his father had committed and the shame he had brought to their house. Though she didn’t want to wound Talorn’s heart any more than she already had, it was her kingdom’s welfare that really held her back from telling Rhys the truth. The king’s pride could never stand for the slight and the last thing Bandara needed was any more internal strife. For now, the true father of Ian and the baby inside her would have to remain a secret.
Her melancholy mood was interrupted by the creaking of the throne room doors. Isabella marched across the large room directly towards the throne. Her sleeveless white blouse was soiled and she was wearing a pair of trousers the queen thought were far too tight. Raygan could also see the girl had acquired a swagger in her step.
She flashed Raygan an impish smile as her hand came to rest on the hilt of the thin bladed sword that hung low on her hip, the sword of the Phoenix. It had been given to Isabella by the Dark One. Her former handmaiden coveted the weapon, though Raygan didn’t know why. Legend said it had been buried with the original Phoenix Queen. How the despicable wizard had gotten his hands on it was anyone’s guess, though Raygan did not think the sorcerer above grave robbing.
Isabella had changed over the last two years. She had always been pretty but her boyish physique and unruly blonde locks were things of the past. Now her hair fell in waves of loose golden curls and the girl’s once thin frame offered the tight curves of a strongly built woman. Her looks had captivated many men throughout the city of Turill. Nobles and commoners alike were enthralled by her generous attributes and mischievous smile.
Raygan could only marvel at her friend’s resilience. Despite the fact that the young lady had lost an eye and a hand, Isabella had countless suitors and admirers. Of course, she spurned them all. Raygan doubted Isabella would ever be interested in a relationship with any man, and who could blame her after what she had been put through at the hands of Raygan’s brother Cain and the vile Duke Blackthorn?
“Where have you been, young lady?”
“I have been at practice,” Isabella said, patting her sword's hilt.
“Well, that explains why you’re all sweaty, and I have no doubt, you smell atrocious.”
Isabella sniffed her blouse and wrinkled her nose. “You are very perceptive, Majesty.”
“I thought I was going to have tea with a lovely young woman today, not a foul smelling…warrior.”
The two women giggled. “Would you like me to freshen up?” Isabella said, adjusting the black patch that covered her eye.
“Of course not, I have been waiting long enough for my tea.” Raygan came down the steps of the dais and took Isabella by the arm. “I am well aware that my best friend is a rogue swordsman and there might be times when I have to endure unpleasant smells.”
Isabella pulled her hair behind her ear with her remaining hand. “I will try to keep those instances to a minimum, milady.”
Both women smiled and started for the queen’s private chamber. The air shimmered before them and a woman appeared, dressed in a lacy black gown. Tossing her head back, she shifted a considerable amount of red hair out of her face.
Raygan covered her mouth and let out a tiny shriek. Isabella moved, her sword clearing its scabbard as she stepped forward to defend her queen.
Smiling, the woman bowed low and ignored the naked blade. “I mean you no harm, Majesty.”
“We shall see about that, sorceress,” Isabella said, raising her sword.
Raygan grabbed her arm before she could strike. “No, Bella, I know this woman. If she wanted to hurt us, she would have already.”
“Thank you, Highness, I am flattered that you remember me.”
“Of course I do, Scarlett. You aided us in regaining the city from my brother, and you still have my thanks, but there are proper ways to seek an audience with the queen.” One of Raygan’s hands settled on her hip and the other gave her hair an exaggerated flip. “Furthermore, I don’t care much for people using magic to pop into my palace unannounced. If a priest or one of my nobles had seen that, we would both have some explaining to do.”
Scarlett folded her hands and took a deep breath. It was clear to Raygan that the witch was trying to compose herself. “I beg you to forgive my abrupt intrusion, Highness. It’s just that I have an urgent request to make of you and it could not wait for me to make an appropriate request to see you.”
“You want a favor? Well, barging into my palace is not the way to get on my good side. Maybe I should just call for the guard,” the queen said, looking towards the doors.
“Please just hear me out, Highness. You will see that what I have to say is as important to you as it is to me.”
Raygan put her hand on her stomach, remembering the bloody day on the palace steps when the redheaded sorceress had spirted her away and kept her safe until the dangerous confrontation had ended. “You were kind to me in a desperate time, so I will overlook your breach of decorum and your blatant use of magic in my presence and listen to your request.”
Scarlett sighed and nodded. “Thank you, Majesty. I know this will sound strange, but you must do as I ask. Have the royal falconer gather your birds and take you on a hunt. Take a company of your husband’s knights along with the royal healer. Follow the old dirt road to the south, the one that passes to the west of Braxton Bluff. If you leave today, you will arrive in time.”
Raygan narrowed her eyes at the sorceress. “What in God’s name are you talking about, in time for what?”
“I don’t know myself, Highness. My sister Destiny is a seer, and she bid me to come ask this favor of you. She didn’t offer me a reason why, though she said it was imperative that you must leave today bef
ore the sun sets. My sister has seldom been wrong about such things, Majesty. It would be a mistake not to heed her words.”
“So a soothsaying witch wants me to go on a hunt? My dear Scarlett, I don’t hunt. I have never done anything like that in my life. I think I will have to decline to follow your sister’s wishes.”
“Destiny told me if you refused, to tell you that the hunt is to help Kian Cardan and Endra Korlest. She asks the boon in their names because they are unable to ask for it themselves. She said a great sorrow will befall them if you do not leave today.”
The queen’s hand went to her throat and she began fidgeting with the collar of her dress. “Isabella, tell the Captain of the Guard to gather me a company of knights and send word to the royal falconer to prepare for a hunt. We will leave as soon as I can get changed. I know just what I’ll wear.” The queen turned to leave then abruptly spun back around. “Oh, and Scarlett, you are coming along with us.” The red-haired witch curtsied and inclined her head in agreement.
***
“I think we’re lost, Nick. I haven’t seen a farm or even a cow or sheep in a long while, and we’re all hungry,” Tressa moaned as she trudged along beside the cook.
“We must be in a very unpopulated part of Bandara, Tressa. As soon as we find something, I will fix it for you. I am sure we will come across something we can scavenge very soon.”
The girl frowned. “Can’t we just stop at the next farm we pass and ask for something to eat?”
Nick Nock shook his head. “You know that’s a bad idea, Tressa. Someone could report us to a local friar or priest. Besides, I don’t think your mother would like us begging. ”
Song Of Fury (Gods Of Blood And Fire Book 2) Page 26
