"I am having trouble connecting your Provisioner with Logathian gems."
"I know I talk in circles. Bear with me for a few more moments. There is a connection.” Aetria took a swallow of wine. “Perhaps because he had upset me, he offered a bit of information I might find useful. He ‘wondered aloud’ as to why the spy, who turned out to be Adept Pleates, commander of the Delmathian Sorcerer Corps and his own superior, had chosen to help the Hermanians and turn traitor on his own people."
"Did he know the answer?"
Aetria threw caution to the wind, deciding to try to save Coleni from her traitorous status in the eyes of the Hermanian Order. “Yes, he did. They got the answer after torturing a Hermanian sorceress they had just captured. According to her forced answer, he did it for a landed estate in your Logathians. Now why would a smart man like the Adept trade his loyalty for an estate of worthless rock? Is it truly worthless? My father doesn't think so. He sent me to try to find out the real answer. It has to be gems, minerals, or gold."
"Good thinking, but not if you knew the man Pleates. He was not specifically interested in wealth. He wanted control—to rule."
Aetria caught her breath. At last, the information she was seeking! But Chalinee stopped.
"You met the man?” Aetria blurted, panicking.
Chalinee took a sip of wine, coolly looking at Aetria over the rim of the goblet. She lowered the wine to the table and folded her hands in her lap. Aetria tried desperately to think of something to say to draw the woman out, but her mind could not come up with anything. When Chalinee started talking again, Aetria almost missed what she was saying.
"He came to our Order's lodge six years ago with an offer of selling information to us about your army in return for a secluded valley in our mountains. The area he was asking for was known to us, and we knew there was no mineral of any value there, having been explored by our own miners. We were leery of his offer, as it did not make sense to us.
"Sensing our reluctance, he explained to us that he wanted to establish his own Order. The land he sought would support a lodge; it had water, and forests for furnishings and fire, quarries for buildings and fortifications. That, the land had. He said he wanted to be left alone. What did we care if he wanted to escape from the world and make his own little kingdom? We needed his help. If he became a problem later on, we could eliminate him if necessary."
Aetria's heart was pounding with excitement. Crusher had been spying the entire time he was in the army. That meant he must have turned against the lodge even before joining the army. What had caused him to do that? Aetria felt Chalinee's deep-set eyes on her, and she looked up at the woman. Aetria snatched a sip of wine, splashing some up onto her cheek and into her nose. Coughing, she wiped the wine off her face with her sleeve.
"Meloses said Pleates was a ruthless and mean spirited man, and very calculating. I think I see now why he turned traitor. I don't know that much about our sorcerers, but I don't think they would allow him to split off and form his own order. They are pretty clannish. His only hope would be if your side won. He would then be given his own estate and he could do what he wanted."
Chalinee's stare sent a chill down her spine. Had she gone too far? Had she exposed her true sorceress self? Why would a merchant be excited about the Delmathians’ sorcerer lodge being torn asunder? The idea flashed into her mind and she hurriedly spoke it before the Hermanian Magess cut in. “To make an estate of any size he would have to have gold. Did he ask for gold?"
Chalinee shook her head.
"There, don't you see? He didn't ask for gold. He wasn't making gold off the war like some sorcerers I know. Delmathian sorcerers only take in what they need to survive, or so they tell us all the time. He couldn't borrow from family or friends. There has to be wealth in those mountains! How else could he have started his own Order?"
Holding her breath, Aetria waited for Chalinee's reaction to her ramblings. The Magess’ initial response was a tight smile, then a quiet laugh.
"You are more the Tieri daughter than I thought. I detect a youthful enthusiasm that overrides fact. You are a dreamer, Aetria. Maybe Pleates had found gold in the Logathians, but if he had, his discovery probably died with him. Chase your dream, Aetria. I almost hope you find it."
Chalinee stood up, her entourage rising to their feet in response and moving forward. Orders in the Hermanian language flew from her lips, and they rushed to obey.
The Tierian woman turned to Aetria. “You will not be disturbed further this night. In the morning, I suggest you retrace your steps down the road and take the left fork, the road our lodge is on. The valley you seek is two day's ride away. You will come to a river after one day; follow it upstream until it narrows to become a brook. You will be where Pleates wanted to be. When you have exhausted yourself seeking needlessly, return to our lodge and they will give you an undisturbed night's sleep. Farewell, Daughter of Tieria, Issue of Grelnes, Clan of Menhala."
* * * *
Aetria sat in the cover of the trees at the base of the gorge that led into the mountain and stared at the hole in the mountain's side. Her horse was tethered behind her, deeper in the forest, out of view of anyone or thing watching from above her. The hole was not a natural cave, neither was it dug out of the solid rock like the entrance to a mineshaft. It wasn't very deep in the side of the mountain, more like a gash than a hole. On the left side of the gorge, facing east, it sat at the bottom of a vertical cut in the wall of the mountain, as if a gigantic ax had clipped off part of the hillside, the rock chips hurled outward and down the slope.
The hole was thirty or forty feet in diameter and, from where she sat, Aetria couldn't see how deep. It was relatively new, as the plant life that covered the rest of the mountain was gone from in and around its outer edges. Judging by the growth of the plants that had started to reclaim the area, the hole must have been created within the last several years. Tucked as it was up a gorge, way off any path or trail, one would never have seen it unless one walked directly across it or sensed the energy coming from it. She had found the source.
She continued to study the area around the hole, searching with all her senses, non-magical and magical. The strength of the new energy pouring forth from the hole made it hard to see any other magical emanations, but she felt confident there were no Powered sorcerers nearby. There were traces of discordance, but none of the Power generating energy of a true source. If there were guards posted, human or animal, she couldn't see them. It was time to move in. She decided to investigate the hole as she was with no disguise. Her Power level was such that she could not waste it, and if attacked would need it more for escaping than avoiding discovery. She emerged from the tree line at the foot of the mountain and started up the slope.
The relatively short journey uphill was certainly strenuous, and not without danger from slipping and falling, but she arrived safely, albeit hot, sweaty, and breathless. The “cave” was about thirty feet deep. The ridge opposite the entrance ensured that the sun never reached the perpetual shadows at the back of the space. The sun, overhead now, provided sufficient light to see clearly the smoky appearance of the rock making up the cave. As she searched inward, she discovered a black, dust-like substance coating the sides of the cave. She found a pocket of dust in the wall and collected a sample, wrapping it in a piece of cloth torn from the rag she used to maintain her weapons.
The further back she went, the closer the ceiling came down, the nearer the walls. She found black crystal flakes scattered about, and she stopped to examine one piece, a nagging familiarity about the crystal gnawing at her mind. She couldn't pin down the feeling. Not too surprising, though, with the flow of that new energy inside the cave a constant hum in all directions on her magical senses. She was able to orient on several very strong spots within the walls, the strongest coming from the rear, in that portion of the cave where darkness dwelt.
Aetria was forced to light the torch she had brought from her saddlebags. The torch flared into brightness
, casting light into an area that had not seen the light of day since its creation. She was struck dumb by the myriad twinkling reflections bouncing off the black and blue crystalline structure of the rear wall. As she scanned the chamber, her mouth open in wonder, she wandered over to take a closer look at the wall and stepped with a snapping crunch onto the legs of a skeleton on the floor.
Her scream echoed back into her ears as her eyes locked onto the empty eye sockets of the fleshless skull staring back at her.
* * * *
Dismounting at the crest of the hill, Aetria looked down upon the familiar valley of her Order. Darkness had fallen and the lights of the Order's stronghold made it stand out starkly against the black plain surrounding it. The general's camp sat directly over the road, blocking entrance into the castle. She couldn't help but feel a sense of siege between the two. The castle was even better lit than she had seen it during festivals, with more than the usual number of Sorcerer Guards walking the walls. The army camp was laid out as it always was, but there was evidence of increased sentries. There was almost no traffic within the camp, normal during a siege but abnormal with the continuous celebrations of the victory she had seen since the last battle. There was no flow of traffic between the army camp and the sorcerers. In a real way, this was a standoff.
Her “borrowed” horse was exhausted from the fast trot she had forced on the mare over the last leg of their return from the mountains. Aetria had had to pull rank on a messenger from the camp headed for the capital, switching horses to gain a fresh mount to catch the general. Close enough now to sense home, the horse lifted her head and looked impatiently at Aetria. Taking the cue, Aetria wearily remounted the horse and headed downhill.
Just before entering the camp, Aetria expended the last of her Power to put on Coleni's aide-de-camp disguise. She rode directly to the general's tent and handed her horse off to the waiting staff. The general was expecting her, having been alerted to her approach by the camp's sentries. She entered the tent and saluted the general. Coleni stood by the general's chair looking very Aetria-like. Sonja returned the salute and turned to the black-robed Magess beside her.
"Is this the Sorceress you are looking for?” Sonja asked politely.
Trelana looked at Aetria, a trace of a faraway look passing over the Magess’ eyes as she looked past the glamor, and smiled warmly. “Oh! Yes, this is the one."
Aetria dropped her disguise.
Trelana moved forward and hugged Aetria, kissing her cheek. When Aetria did not respond, Trelana leaned back and looked into her eyes, puzzled by the lack of warmth from her protégée. “Aetria, have I offended you in some way?"
"You brought charges against me to the Council, Magess! Am I supposed to ignore that fact?"
While she still held onto Aetria, Trelana's face mirrored the confusion in her mind. “I brought no charges against you, Aetria. I am here to defend you! By the Power, child, what must you be thinking of me?"
It was Aetria's turn to be confused. “But if you weren't the one who reported me to the Council, then who was?"
Making a comforting sound, Trelana gave Aetria another hug. “Counselor Magess Corerilla preferred the charges, Little One, and she is also her own advocate."
"I'm doomed, Trelana. Corerilla is a heartless witch."
"Now, Aetria! Show respect for your betters.” The sting of the rebuke was soothed by the smile with which Magess Trelana said it.
"Yes, Mentor, I hear and obey."
The anger in Aetria's face made her response an empty promise. Trelana's heart ached for her protégée, knowing how hard Aetria had worked to be a sorceress, and the problems she faced trying to be a good one.
Aetria broke eye contact and slipped out of the embrace of the older woman, turning to walk over to her sister and acknowledge her with a quick hug. Coleni gently wiped a tear from Aetria's eye.
Sonja watched the drama of the sorcerers with a confident smile on her face, directing all to sit down and relax. She suggested Aetria divest herself of her armor and make use of the water basin standing near the armor rack to wash off some of the road dirt. She had seen the tears as well.
"Is it not irregular for an accuser to prosecute her own case?” Sonja asked Trelana, as Aetria untied the leather corset.
Trelana nodded. “Yes, it is, but in this situation, she is not really prosecuting her own case. She is acting in her position of Council advocate, the actual accuser not being available. She made the charges for the accuser."
Coleni had been listening with a great deal of interest, the methods of her sister's Order being very different from her own. In hers, she would have been tortured until she confessed, then either banned or killed, depending on the severity of the charge. She spoke before the general could. “Then who is the accuser?"
Aetria looked up from washing her face, the water dripping off her chin and onto her underblouse. Her eyes were locked on Trelana's.
"Adept Pleates."
* * * *
The general was met with all the pomp and ceremony Mage Kelristo could put forth. Sorcerers did not believe in ostentatious or portentous displays, preferring to do things inconspicuously.
The student body was assembled to honor the presence of the general, and in a very practical sense, to give them the opportunity to see the Conqueror of Hermania. The Mage Council received Sonja in their chambers, and after the usual required nice things were said back and forth, they held a dinner in her honor.
Because Aetria was not invited, Magess Trelana chose to eat the evening meal with Aetria in the comfort of her own cottage. The general graciously accepted her apology, as she had told Trelana she would the night before. Aetria and her mentor needed the time to talk.
* * * *
"What a surprise for you, Aetria—a twin sister. She looks so very much like you, but I sense a tension in her you don't have. She seems angry at the world."
The page was off attending the festivities, so Aetria cleared the dishes from the dining table. She spoke as she worked.
"Coleni's life has been quite different from mine, Magess, and a lot harder. She is not as idealistic as I am. She is more practical. For a Hermanian, she is very flexible in her thinking and can be rash in her actions. I find she has most of the qualities I lack, and she tells me I have the ones she doesn't want. It is almost like we were a whole person once, then split in half. It has been an interesting six weeks living with her."
Trelana got up from the table and took a bottle of wine down from the storage rack in the cabinet next to the kitchen door. She gathered up two goblets from their shelf in the cabinet and walked into the study. Aetria met her there, accepting a glass of wine and sitting down in the hard student chair next to her mentor's.
"The general has told me she wants Coleni's presence kept secret, Aetria. I will, of course, respect that as long as it does not become a problem for the Council later on. She will not be allowed to be in the hearing. Neither for that matter should the general, but Mage Meldoran has made an exception for General Sonja."
"That was very wise of the Council Leader, Magess."
Trelana sipped her wine and looked at her favorite. The shock of having to stand before the Council had made Aetria a little bitter towards her Order.
"Whatever Corerilla has planned, she is holding very closely to her own heart. I do know she had received a number of messages from Pleates and has not shared them all with the Council, saying the messages were between a Mentor and her student. I told the Council of your concerns about the projector weapons which upset Corerilla very much. I wonder if she is trying to punish you for casting doubt on Pleates? Well, we can only hear the charges, Aetria, answering them as honestly as we can."
"I intend to answer everything honestly, Magess, I just hope the Counselor does also."
* * * *
"Sorceress Aetria Menhala, please come forward and face the Council Leader,” Magess Corerilla intoned, her words fading off into the vastness of the Council chambers.
The Council sat at the northern end of the huge rectangular room, occupying exactly half of it. They sat behind a table, the front and sides of which were covered with a thick, black cloth. The table stretched around the western, northern and eastern sides of their end of the room. The table and chairs of the Council sat on a platform several feet high. This allowed the members of the Council to look down into the square. The chairs they sat on were made of wood, high backed and ornately decorated.
In the middle of the square formed by the Council seats stood a table with three chairs. Seated at the table were Sonja and Trelana, who had preceded Aetria into the chambers. The southern end of the chamber was filled with row upon row of bench seats, presently unoccupied.
The room was familiar to all students of Inhestia because it was in the center of that square they stood to be tested by the Council—to demonstrate their abilities to become sorcerers. Their peers would sit silently on the benches and observe what it was like to come under the scrutiny of Delmathia's most senior sorcerers.
Aetria, wearing her bright red Sorceress robe, self-consciously marched up behind the empty center chair of the three and said in a loud, clear voice, “Let it be recorded correctly. I am Sorceress Tierii Aetria Menhala v'Grelnes, Captain of Cavalry."
"It is so recorded,” Counselor Corerilla said coldly. “Since we have established your identity before the Council, Captain Grelnes, it is appropriate at this time to point out to you that you are now under the jurisdiction of the Mage Council and your duties as Chief Advisor to General Sonja Borlock are suspended."
Sonja stood, clad in her golden armor, her hand on her sword hilt. Head held high, she spoke commandingly. “This is not a Delmathian Court of Law, empowered by King Phyrlatus to pass judgment on the land's people. The Council does not have the power to suspend the duties of Captain Aetria.” She remained stiffly standing, eyes locked on Mage Meldoran, the Council Leader.
Meldoran looked around the table, his ancient eyes gauging the reaction of the Council members to the general's pronouncement. He saw defiance in some, pleading in others, and studied interest from a few. Magess Corerilla's cheeks were flushed with anger; her eyes mere slits with hatred for Sonja. She had argued vehemently to exclude the general, fearful of just this kind of interference.
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