by Martin Ash
Leth went first to his children’s chamber. They were awake, Galry leaping up and down on his bed, shouting, ignoring the demands of his nanny, Mistress Flenda, for calm. Jace was playing quietly with her doll. Little Lir was curled in her cot, still sleeping, or pretending to.
At the sight of his father Galry stopped jumping and ran to leap into his arms. "Daddy! Daddy!"
Jace looked up and smiled - again Leth was reminded so strongly of Issul. Taking her doll she came to him with her arms raised. Balancing Galry on one hip Leth lifted Jace onto the other.
"When is Mummy coming home?" asked Jace.
"Soon, my sweet."
"But when? I want to see her. I miss her."
Leth gazed into her wide, limpid green eyes. "And I know she misses you, my darling. Both of you. And I know she’s doing everything in her power to speed her journey back to us."
He turned, intending to carry them to breakfast.
"Uncle Leth."
He turned back. Little Lir had stirred and was kneeling up in her cot. Her elfin face was slightly tilted, her dark tousled curls falling over her forehead, her eyes deep green and bright. "Uncle Leth, why do you say this?"
"Why? Because I believe it to be true, Lir."
"But you don't know."
He looked at her in some surprise. She was two years old. He’d never heard her speak so before.
"Aunt Issul might be dead."
"Lir!"
Galry and Jace set up a barrage of protest. "No! Don't say that! Mummy isn't dead. She's coming home, isn't she Daddy? Isn't she?"
"Of course she is," replied Leth tensely. "Lir, what makes you say such a thing?"
Lir became interested in the fluted rail spanning the rim of her cot. "I heard people say."
"What people?"
"Servants. They think I don't listen or understand, but I do."
"I’ll speak to the servants."
"And they say my Mummy is mad."
"Do they?" Leth's brow creased. "Do you know what that means?"
"Yes. She hasn’t got her mind. And it's true, Uncle Leth, isn’t it?"
Leth drew a long breath, disconcerted by the tiny child. She should not have been capable of understanding such concepts. As far as he had been aware Lir had command of no more than a few basic phrases and sentences. Uncomfortably he said, "No, it isn't true, Lir. Your Mummy has been taken ill, but she should be better quite soon. I'm sure she will be. Now, we are all going to breakfast. Would you like me to carry you too? I think I can just about manage three."
Lir gave a pout then shook her head. She settled back and snuggled beneath her covers again.
II
An hour later King Leth gave Sir Cathbo his final instructions and bade him farewell. Two companies of troops had still to ride south. Cathbo would lead the last company out of Enchantment's Reach, late in the morning.
Sir Cathbo had been gone but a few minutes when Leth was told that Lord Fectur waited outside. He suppressed a groan. He had wanted to avoid Fectur, at least until after he had spoken with Grey Venger again. His concentration was sharp and he felt ready for Venger. It nettled him, but he acknowledged that his hope of staying clear of Fectur had really been unrealistic from the outset.
Fectur entered as though hurled from a ballista, his voice loud and forceful. "Sire, I was expecting word from you last night, or at the very latest first thing this morning."
"I don't know why, Fectur. I gave you no reason."
"You agreed to apprise me of details of your meeting with Grey Venger."
"And so I shall, when the time is right."
"I think that is now, Sire," said Fectur, uncharacteristically displaying his agitation. "I am Master of Security, after all, and this is an issue of highest value to the Crown."
"My business with Grey Venger isn’tyet concluded, Fectur. When it is, and I’m satisfied that I have all the relevant information to hand, I’ll summon you. Meanwhile, if you will excuse me. . . ."
"I happen to know that you have confided in another. It would have been proper to have come to me first."
Leth stiffened. "Pader Luminis was, in my opinion, the man most qualified to provide me with the answers I sought after last night's meeting. My judgement was not misplaced, nor was it anyone else's concern."
Momentarily he wondered whether Fectur had approached Pader Luminis directly, whether he had with veiled threats or subterfuge drawn from him details of their conversation. But he satisfied himself that it was more likely that one of Fectur's spies had simply reported the meeting. If Fectur knew what had been said his approach now would have taken a different turn.
"Sire, in a matter as important as this the Lord High Invigilate has every right to be fully informed. I take great exception to your decision to exclude me from the interview yesterday evening, and I consider your failure to consult me afterwards indefensible."
"And I take exception to your interfering!" snapped Leth, his temper breaking. "You will be informed and consulted at the proper time, Fectur, and not before. Do you understand?"
Lord Fectur took a deep breath. He thrust his jaw forward and linked hands behind his back. "I understand perfectly, Sire. I understand also that it is perhaps your actions, rather than mine, that may be endangering the state at this time."
Leth fought back his rage. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Simply that your judgement at present leaves some room for question. Perhaps not surprisingly, considering the pressure you are under. But of course, your enemies will not consider that."
"You overstep yourself, Fectur!"
Fectur appraised him, his lips compressed. "I merely advise proper consultation. You are acting entirely on your own, more and more. It’s not a wise course, and I’m not the only one aware of it."
"I am acting in the manner I judge best suited to the circumstances. I am not helped by the persistent attentions of persons whose motives I am not always entirely certain of. We will speak later of this, Fectur. For now, be good enough to step aside. I have a meeting to attend."
All the good work done by Leth's night of sound sleep had been undone. He strode from that brief, unscheduled meeting with Fectur seething with anger. He felt himself in no state to deal effectively with Venger now, and halted outside the small counselling chamber where Venger waited. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply and gathering his thoughts before entering.
*
"The King Without a Soul, Venger. You say his soul - my soul, as you put it - has been cast away. Do you know where, or how?"
If Venger was aware of Leth's inner fury he gave no sign. "Your soul was cast away at birth, Leth. So it is written, for the gods judged you unfit to house such purity. Without a soul you should not have lived, yet the power of your malevolence is such that you did."
"Then where is the Soul now?"
"The One God sealed it in a crucible of shining adamant, and guards it in his sanctum high in his fortress in Enchantment."
"And if it was returned to me, what then?"
"That cannot be!"
"Is anything written that tells of what would happen?"
Venger's hard eyes narrowed. "It cannot be."
"What is the name of the One god who guards it?"
"Seek not to draw secrets that may not be drawn, Leth. The One God is the One God. That is all you may know."
"I detect a conflict here, Venger. You say that the Legendary Child will be supreme over all, but that also the land will become the domain of the One True God once again. Is this not a contradiction?"
Venger straightened his spine, folding his arms upon his chest. "The One God is the father of the Child."
"They are to rule together?"
"As one," replied Venger, "in Unity. The Child will be among us to reveal the way of the Father."
His arms had tightened; Leth sensed his discomfort. There was something here that Venger was not sure about, or did not want to speak of.
Concerned that he might wholly alien
ate Venger if he pressed the point, Leth shifted to a different tack. "Let us talk of the Karai for a moment, Venger. They storm nations, emboldened by the patronage of a god. Is it the One True God who favours them?"
"The Karai are outlanders, ranged with others to combat your evil, just as it was written."
"But what is their connection? Do they, or their god, seek the Child? If so, why?"
Venger shifted in his seat. "They have their reasons. It is not for the Grey Venger to reveal."
"Is that so? Or are you simply unwilling to admit that you do not know?"
Venger thrust himself erect, his eyes ablaze. "The Grey Venger has secrets! Fantastic secrets! The One and True Sept knows all! But to the King Without A Soul some things may never be imparted!"
"The True Sept has attempted illicit contact with the Karai," said Leth. "That is a crime in itself, enough to condemn you and your followers to death as spies."
"I have told you, I have no fear of death at your hands, Leth. My death will not harm the True Sept. We are like water, ever elusive to the grasp of one such as you."
"Very good. But I hoped and believed that our mutual aim was to work together to find a way to restore the Sept."
Grey Venger gave a cynical laugh. "Do you think the Grey Venger is so easily gulled, Leth? You have no intention of restoring the True Sept. Why would you?"
"My intention is to save Enchantment's Reach. I will do anything in my power to accomplish that."
Venger shook his head with a haughty and contemptuous smile. "It is far too late for that. Far too late. Already it has begun. It can’t be stopped now. You are doomed, Leth, as are all who have listened to you."
*
Leaving the chamber of counsel King Leth turned from the main corridor and passed along a passage leading eventually towards the residential wing. A blue gonfalon upon a wall twitched then billowed as he passed, and Pader Luminis stepped out from behind it. He closed the small portal at the back of the gonfalon, checked that it was concealed, and fell into step beside Leth.
"You heard all?" asked Leth.
Pader nodded. "It is a jumble. Vaguenesses and evasions. It’s impossible to know whether there is anything there that can be genuinely relied upon. Venger does give the impression of having more to give, but it may be an act. I don't doubt that he believes everything he is telling you. It is the belief of a lifetime, of generations. For him it must be true, for it shapes his world. As a child he would never have been permitted to question it; as an adult he is no longer capable. But there are intriguing aspects to what he says. You should speak with him again later, I think. In the meantime I’ll apply myself to the Arcane College to seek information on the One True God and the King Without A Soul."
"I am beginning to suspect he knows nothing more about the Legendary Child."
Pader scratched his nose. "It’s possible. Or he may be waiting."
"For what?"
"Something more from you, perhaps. Or a sign from the Child itself."
"He speaks of the King's Soul being sealed in a crucible within Enchantment," Leth mused, half to himself. "Is it possible that there is something in Enchantment that might aid us?"
"We don’t lack for tales of Enchantment's marvels, but in the end what good do they do us? A lost soul within a crucible of adamant? Perhaps, but it’s beyond our reach."
They parted and Leth continued on towards the royal apartments, wanting to spend some time with his children again.
*
The day passed; Sir Cathbo departed Enchantment's Reach with his detachment of elite troops. Leth watched them go with some misgivings. Could they accomplish anything? Sir Cathbo's instructions were precise. His task to harry and hinder, make lightning strikes and vanish, in a manner similar to that of the Karai to date. To anger Anzejarl was the goal, to use his own methods to goad him in the hope that he would make an uncharacteristic move. It was just possible that what could not be achieved by an army on the wide field of battle might be done by a smaller, mobile force which never struck in the same place twice.
There was no chance of actually defeating the Karai by this method; it was a testing time, nothing more. Leth needed to try Anzejarl's defenses and reactions, and gain first-hand intelligence as to the deployment and discipline of his troops. A small, highly mobile force should achieve that.
Or were his men riding to their deaths? Leth felt the weight of their lives on his conscience. Was it Anzejarl who had goaded Leth into uncharacteristic action? Were his intelligence units already apprising him of the movements of Sir Cathbo's troops? Was he even now preparing to snare them?
Leth paced his chamber, his head bowed, profound apprehension and nervous exultation warring within him. He felt now, with deepening certainty, that he was on the edge of something. Or beyond, in fact. He had stepped over, committed himself. It was as though he had until now been poised upon the battlements of one of the highest towers upon the great outer wall of Enchantment's Reach, and now the stone was no longer beneath his feet.
Had he stepped over, or been propelled? He was unclear, but he knew he was not quite falling. He was suspended above the great forest, which was like a swelling sea so far, far below. He was borne upon the wind, with nothing beneath. At any moment he could plummet to certain death an infinite distance below, yet ever terrifyingly close; or he could somehow command the wind, or himself as he rode it. Yoke the forces that had both propelled him from the Reach and now bore him up. Or be destroyed by them.
Leth gave an anguished cry, pressing his hands to his temples. "How? How? I am but one man!"
He sank to his knees. "The gods toy with me! They seek my end!"
He was slipping, then; the unseen wind no longer willing to bear him, the ground far below pulling him to it. He glanced back. Upon the grey battlements his enemies watched. The creased white face of Prince Anzejarl, jewel-eyed and expressionless, a mysterious red-headed beauty at his shoulder; Grey Venger, tensely exultant, a bony fist raised. And a short distance off, not so greatly separate from the others: the Lordh High Invigilate, Fectur.
"No! No! You will not destroy me!" Leth saw his children, Galry and Jace further along the parapet. They were calling him. Issul stood a way behind them. Issul, Issul. She had to be alive!
Leth scrambled breathless to his feet, banishing the images of his foes from his mind, clinging only to the thought of his children and their mother. There was a knock upon the door. Leth quickly recovered himself, stood firm. "Enter."
His head steward, Ardenmor, came in. "His Excellency the Lord High Invigilate instructs me to inform you that the assembly awaits you in the Hall of Wise Counsel, my lord."
Leth frowned. "I have no meeting scheduled, with Fectur or anyone else."
"That was his instruction to me, my lord. He did add that I should stress that your presence is eagerly awaited."
"Who else attends with Fectur?"
"I am not informed. I simply bear the message."
Leth quickly left the chamber and went to his office. There he checked with his secretary, fearing for a moment that his memory had played him false or his staff had failed to keep him informed. But his first impressions were borne out: he had no meeting scheduled at this time.
Curious, Leth made his way directly to the Hall of Wise Counsel. He entered through the main double door at the rear of the hall, rather than passing on to the side portal which was by custom the monarch's entrance and which led directly to the dais upon which the Seat of the Sovereign was set. As he passed through the doors he stopped short in shock.
About forty persons occupied the Hall of Wise Counsel. They were dignitaries, members of the Crown's Advisory Committee, men - and some women - of very high station. The heads and deputies of all the recognized factions were among them, with the exception of the True Sept, indicating the extraordinary nature of this convention. Pader Luminis was noticeably absent. Around the walls were positioned a score of guards from the Security Cadre.
All rose as
the King came in, though they did so without hurry, almost casually, and their faces as they turned towards him were almost uniformly solemn, even stony.
Leth's gut twisted, but he strode forward. "What is this?"
Fectur rose and stepped forward. "Sire." He performed a deep bow, his eyes never leaving Leth's face, a chill, fulsome smile upon his lips. With one arm he gestured towards the Seat of the Sovereign.
Leth hesitated, then moved past him and ascended the three steps to the dais and seated himself. He felt vulnerable and alone; no other person occupied the dais, as would have been proper. Even Fectur remained upon the floor. Leth scanned the faces arrayed before him. He saw and felt only coldness, with the exception of Doctor Melropius who looked tense and uncomfortable, and one or two senior knights.
"This is highly irregular," he said, addressing all. "I was not informed of any assembly. Would you mind telling me what this is about?"
"It is an assembly convoked under exceptional circumstances," replied Fectur, still standing. "Convoked as a matter of urgency, in response to a matter of unusual concern. As you see, a majority of the Governing Council is present, as is the Crown Advisory Committee and senior representatives of the citizenry."
"Well please, enlighten me as to the reason. It seems that all are informed but the King."
Fectur considered the marble mosaic in front of his feet for a few moments, then looked up. "Considerable debate has passed between our members, severally and in toto, over the past days and nights. A single issue concerns us. I will be candid and to the point: we, the assembled, representing the government and people of Enchantment's Reach, are gravely troubled by the manner in which you, our King, have chosen to exercise your responsibilities in recent days. Our nation lies beneath a dark cloud of conflict, and we consider that you have not acted to its or our best advantage. Serious doubts have been raised as to your state of mind and ability to rule."
