Wartorn Obliteration w-2

by Robert Asprin

  There were other operations for the Circle to undertake. They couldn't relax their efforts now. He had been candid with Quentis earlier. Things were only going to grow more violent and dangerous.

  And eventually, hopefully, these people of Callah would follow the Broken Circle's lead and rise united against the Felk.

  It was well past curfew. Bryck was in his bunk, behind his screen of painted birds in flight. He hadn't eaten, unwilling to risk vomiting again. As with most nights, sleep wasn't coming easily. He had tried repeatedly to clear his mind, but such efforts only seemed to spur his thoughts faster. He knew the only thing to do was to wait for physical fatigue to overcome the mental agitation.

  After some long while he felt the first threads of dreams poking through his tiring consciousness. These were odd nonsensical intrusions that vanished the instant he focused his mind on them. Some he recognized fleetingly as memories, mostly from his distant past, incidents from his boyhood distorted and reshuffled into strange episodes.

  It was dark in the room, and there were others in here, already sleeping. It might be time for the Circle to find new, bigger lodgings. Or perhaps they could spread their numbers out to different locations.

  Inevitably an erotic image of Quentis surfaced in his dwindling thoughts. It was a fantasy Bryck had visualized before, often enough apparently for his mind to mistake it for a memory. It played out familiarly, and he felt a vague pang of shame for the arousal he was experiencing.

  But when he distantly heard the screen around his bunk being softly jostled and felt the warm hands searching under his blanket, Bryck responded as he would in the fantasy, drawing the visiting body onto the bunk and pressing himself eagerly against it.

  Until a sudden alarming thought cut through him.

  "Quentis?" he breathed, his heart pounding in the darkness. "It is you, isn't it?"

  "Yes," she said. "It's me." And her mouth closed tightly over his.

  As the fantasy became reality, the fabrication became a true memory; and when she left his bunk later that night, after the full satisfaction of the event, Bryck clutched that memory and did not let go.

  RAVEN (4)

  The two agents stared at her with cold eyes. Raven didn't flinch.

  "We are officers in the Internal Security Corps," the taller of the two of them repeated. Then he added, with emphasis, "We report directly to Lord Abraxis."

  "Show me your orders," Raven said, standing her ground. These two had appeared out of a portal just a few moments ago, without much warning. She had come as soon as she'd heard.

  The shorter agent slapped a scroll grudgingly onto her palm. "And who are you to question us?"

  She returned them a mild gaze, one full of the sort of passive sexual confidence that she had discovered unnerved so many men. It was as if she were allowing these males this glimpse of her beauty, deigning to let them stand in her presence, but if they thought for an instant they could attain her, in any fashion, she would cruelly crush their dreams.

  "I am the chief of Military Security," she said, tone almost nonchalant.

  "Military Security?" The tall one sniffed. "Yes, we've heard about you."

  "Lord Abraxis made it quite clear to us that you have no official authority," said the shorter one.

  "Did he?" Raven purred, taking her time reading the orders. She finished and handed back the scroll. "Well, what do you two want here in this camp?"

  The two agents glanced at each other, incredulously.

  "Didn't we just say you have no authority over us?" asked the short one.

  "No." Raven shook her head. "You said Abraxis said Military Security has no authority over you. However, you two aren't in Felk now, or skulking about in some conquered city-state. This is the field. And it's my jurisdiction, whether you want to acknowledge it or not."

  They gaped at her. Hers was a simple tactic. She was simply refusing to bow to these Internal Security officers, however rightful their authority might be. Weisel had almost certainly overstepped himself by creating his Military Security agency and appointing her as its head, but that didn't mean she was willing to cede her position just because these two had shown up.

  "I ask again," she said. "What do you want here?"

  They traded another uneasy glance. The tall one cleared his throat and said, somewhat contritely, "We're here to investigate the disappearance of Mage Kumbat."

  "Surely you've heard the report we relayed to Lord Matokin, via Far Speak," Raven said.

  "We have." The shorter one nodded.

  "And? It was unclear that Kumbat was Far Moved from this location and failed to arrive at his destination?" Raven shrugged. "My understanding is that Far Movement magic isn't entirely trustworthy... though that's kept hushed up for obvious reasons."

  "We've heard the report," the tall one said firmly. "But we are here to investigate, nonetheless. I hope, for your sake, that you don't intend to impede us in any way." His tone turned subtly threatening.

  Raven didn't respond to it. She merely nodded. "Very well. The two of you will have the cooperation of Military Security, assuming you don't make nuisances of yourselves. Remember, this is military territory. These brave men and women and wizards have been fighting this war step-by-step, while types like you have probably been luxuriating back at the Palace. If you treat these soldiers and magicians respectfully, you'll have fewer problems. Understood?"

  The two nodded mutely, plainly undone by her very convincing bluff.

  Raven all but dismissed the pair and walked off.

  That was well done, Vadya said.

  Thank you. Raven, too, was proud.

  She strode along, noting the preparations under way. Scuttlebutt had it that the army was going to move east, against the city-state of Ompellus Prime. It would probably happen soon, by the look of things.

  Raven hadn't been officially informed, but, then again, she wasn't really a part of General Weisel's senior staff. Her position was unique. Evidently, Weisel didn't think she needed to be notified about the tactical movements of this army, and he was probably right in that judgment.

  Besides, Weisel always seemed to call for her at night, receiving her alone in his pavilion. Those visits, of course, weren't all business.

  Raven smiled to herself, even as she stifled a small yawn. Weisel was a fine lover, but lack of sleep was taking its toll on her.

  Even so, she was more than alert enough to carry out her duties, including the special one that Vadya had conceived—to keep an eye on both Weisel and Matokin, to see that neither man, through stubbornness or stupidity, sabotaged the efforts to establish an Isthmus-wide Felk Empire.

  Of course, the arrest and subsequent cover-up of Mage Kumbat was certainly an unorthodox move on Weisel's part. Raven had appeared to accept Weisel's charge of treason against the powerful wizard at face value, but she had wondered what machinations were involved. Surely this was something she should report immediately to Lord Matokin.

  Then why haven't you? Vadya asked.

  Raven was startled. She hadn't been aware she had "spoken" the thought so that Vadya could hear it. Then again, their affinity was strong.

  I want to know what General Weisel is doing before I report, Raven said.

  Is that entirely wise? Vadya asked.

  Maybe not. But there has to be a reason he wanted Kumbat.

  It may merely be as I've warned, Vadya said. Men like Weisel create trouble for themselves and those around them simply because it's their nature.

  Raven found that strangely annoying. She walked on. Finally, she reached the small guarded tent that was her destination. The guards saluted and held open the flap for her. She stepped inside.

  Kumbat was bound and gagged, sitting in a chair. His bleary, frightened eyes opened wide at the sight of her. He made urgent muffled noises under the gag.

  Weisel had decided to take no chances. Restrained like this, the mage wouldn't easily be able to enact any magic. Raven regarded him a moment. Then she came forward
.

  "You'll keep your voice down?"

  Kumbat nodded, head bobbing a bit wildly.

  Raven unknotted the gag. She poured water into a cup from a jug and held it to the wizard's lips. He drank eagerly.

  "Will you untie the rest of me?" he pleaded.

  "No," Raven said. "But we can have a little time to talk."

  The mage sighed, "Very well." He sounded defeated.

  "Do you still deny the charges against you?" Raven asked.

  "Yes," Kumbat said emphatically. "I am no traitor."

  "General Weisel thinks otherwise."

  "Weisel is—" he started, then bit down on the words. He visibly gathered himself and said more evenly, "The general is mistaken. I serve the empire faithfully. I serve the emperor. Lord Matokin—"

  "Lord Matokin is not the one accusing you of treason," Raven said.

  "I have done nothing to make General Weisel think I am in any way disloyal."

  "Perhaps you crossed him personally at some time?" Raven suggested. She had to find out why Weisel wanted to keep this mage in custody.

  "Hardly," Kumbat said.

  "You're so certain?"

  "I have done nothing to offend or displease the general, at any time," the mage said. He added, in a grumble, "Quite the contrary, I've been of important service to him."

  Raven took note of this last. "What service was that?"

  But Kumbat was shaking his head, looking upset. "Raven, why are you doing this to me? I am the one responsible for your being among the living once more."

  "I realize that, Mage Kumbat."

  "Doesn't that earn me any favor or fidelity from you?" He was pleading once again. "I gave you back life!"

  "Lower your voice," Raven warned, actually feeling a brief pang of guilt.

  It was true of course that Kumbat had performed her resurrection. But he had only done so because Weisel had pressured Matokin into making it happen. Kumbat had merely been the tool.

  "What service did you do for General Weisel?" she asked again.

  The wizard pressed his lips together. "I... cannot say."

  That interested Raven even more. "Did you bungle this service, perhaps? Did Weisel order your arrest as revenge against you?"

  Plainly, the mage was reluctant to talk. But Raven judged that he didn't possess an especially strong will.

  After a moment, Kumbat said, "General Weisel could have no complaints about the quality of my service."

  Raven stooped slightly and peered directly into Kumbat's fearful eyes.

  "You do understand that as head of Military Security, I hold your life very literally in my hands?" As she asked this, she gently cupped his face in her hands. Then she bent even lower and mashed her lips hard against his.

  When she broke the kiss Kumbat sputtered violently. She stepped back and smiled. The combination of threat and sexuality was a potent one. He gasped for breath.

  "Very well..." he muttered finally. "If I tell you what you want to know, what do I get in return?"

  "You're hardly in a position to bargain."

  "Nevertheless, I will not divulge without some compensation." He made a valiant effort to adopt a firm tone.

  Raven shrugged. It was fair, after all.

  "If you cooperate," she said, "I'll see that a message is relayed to Lord Matokin in Felk, one that says you are alive and well."

  Distrust and hope warred on Kumbat's face. He gazed at Raven and finally said, "I want to trust you."

  "And I want to know what secret you carry about General Weisel. I suggest you trust me. Your options at the moment are markedly limited."

  Kumbat nodded grimly. It was patently true.

  He gathered a long breath, then began, "General Weisel isn't entirely who you think he is." The tale the mage proceeded to tell was indeed a fascinating one.

  * * *

  Raven fairly wandered in a daze.

  Those two Internal Security agents would never locate Kumbat on their own. The tent was one among hundreds, and the guards were from Weisel's personal squad. Neither would the agents have any luck interrogating the wizards who had supposedly Far Moved Kumbat back to Felk; they were loyal to Weisel and would never betray the deception.

  These weren't the thoughts that preoccupied Raven. She was still quite stunned by what Kumbat had told her. Naturally, she questioned the veracity of the mage's claims. But she could find no plausible reason why he would make up something so outrageous. More, there was a great deal of sense in what he asserted.

  Kumbat claimed that he himself had effected the resurrection of the ancient Northland war commander Dardas. The vessel for him was Lord Weisel, a Felk nobleman with military aspirations.

  I now understand why Weisel wants Kumbat close at hand, Raven mused.

  Why is that? Vadya asked, catching the clearly formed thought.

  It's so that Weisel doesn't have to rely on Matokin for his rejuvenation spells, Raven said. Since the outset of this war my fath—Lord Matokin has deliberately kept the secrets of magic out of the general's reach. The very reason I was originally summoned from the Academy to serve Weisel was because he hoped to glean those secrets from me, not realizing that I knew little of the complex magic that interested him.

  You believe Weisel invented this charge of treason against Kumbat? Vadya asked.

  Yes, Raven said, matter-of-factly.

  So do I.

  But, Raven continued, I can understand his motives. I can even sympathize.

  Vadya's surprise was strong enough that Raven could actually feel it.

  I don't know if you can grasp it, Raven said. Existing as a... a passenger within the body of another person is very disconcerting.

  But you have virtually free rein, Vadya protested. Is it not you controlling the movements of this body right now?

  Raven was walking. She deliberately halted, and there was no resistance at all to the commands she was giving.

  Even so, Raven said, the thought that my existence must be maintained from now on through the aid of magic is disturbing. I dread the eventuality of my first need for a rejuvenation spell.

  Indeed, the thought alone made her shudder slightly.

  Are you going to report this to Matokin? Vadya asked.

  When she had finished with Kumbat, Raven had replaced his gag and promised him she would get word to Lord Matokin. But she hadn't promised when she would do so. However, she couldn't see how she could make any delay.

  Telling Matokin, though, would mean betraying General Weisel. Only, he wasn't Weisel! By the madness of the gods, she had been the eager bed partner of a man who had been dead for more than two hundredwinters.

  Raven shuddered again, this time for a different reason.

  Perhaps she should feel a kindredness with Dardas/Weisel. After all, she was in effect Raven/Vadya. And the general, whoever he actually was, had in fact shown her much trust and attention and fondness.

  It was very confusing.

  What's going on? Vadya asked.

  Raven focused. It seemed there was a mounting activity around her. She frowned. It was widespread. She saw the troops stirring, heard the rumble of voices.

  What's going on? Raven repeated Vadya's question.

  After a few moments, it became clear. The horns sounded. The camp was being struck. The army was mobilizing. She guessed they were going to move against Ompellus Prime to the east.

  Raven caught a soldier hurrying past.

  "You there! Are we off to invade Ompellus Prime?"

  The soldier shook his head. He looked excited and afraid all at once.

  "No, the scouts have reported a force organizing to our south!"

  Raven frowned again.

  "There's another army coming to meet us! They say it's a big one!"

  RADSTAC (4)

  She was prepared to kill Nievze if the situation called for it. In fact, she had been ready to do so from the first moment he had appeared in their lives, knocking at their door after curfew, the same night th
e rebels had painted their emblem so conspicuously on the wall of the Registry.

  Radstac had also been prepared to turn the renegade Felk magician over to Aquint. He was, after all, most certainly the type of individual who would interest the Internal Security Corps. What Nievze was not, however, was a rebel in good standing with the local Broken Circle underground here in Callah, who were the only rebels that interested Radstac.

  Deo's position on the matter was something entirely different.

  "You were encouraged to turn your fellow students in as traitors?" he asked the wizard with that same note of excited incredulity.

  Nievze made a small rasp of a laugh. He tossed the gnawed rabbit bone onto his plate and proceeded to lick his fingers clean. "More like we were obliged to do so. I can barely describe the pressure we were under. Your loyalty was always suspect, no matter what you did, however true your allegiance to Matokin was. We took oaths, swearing our eternal devotion, and the next day we'd do the same thing all over again. It was a constant testing and affirming. It was brutal."

  "This Academy of yours sounds like a dreadful place," Deo said. It was, by Radstac's count, the third time he'd said it.

  She let out a short breath. "Then stop making him tell these horror stories."

  Deo gave her a flat glance. Plainly he was enthralled by all this. Nievze was a figure of wonder and mystery to him. He was a Felk wizard who had fabricated his own death and deserted his post before this war had even gotten under way. That he had fled to Callah was, in Radstac's opinion, a tactical error. But perhaps this unfaithful Felk magician had been unable to imagine the rapid success of his home state's military adventures. Callah had fallen to the Felk army less than a lune after he'd smuggled himself into the neighboring city.

  Nievze guzzled down another cup of wine. Deo filled it without making him ask.

  She and Deo—entirely at Deo's insistence—were paying this hostel's proprietress the fee for the room in which Nievze was now staying. The wizard's plans for escape had apparently not included setting aside enough funds to live comfortably once he reached his destination. Laina, the old woman who ran this house, was happy to receive the money.