The one exception was a sixth aged sorcerer who was also present for the debriefing. Wizard Ebnik Vlastorus had listened carefully to her report, and he nodded at her conclusions, but he no longer had any official standing within the Council. His presence in the chamber was mainly a courtesy that the Council had extended to him as a respected visiting sorcerer and former council member. He also had an interest in the proceedings, since it was his ring that had been stolen.
The antechamber was a square room with long bench seats along the side walls. An open archway allowed access to the chamber from the main hallway, and the back wall was dominated by large wooden doors that opened into the Council Hall. Maroon tapestries with a simple diamond pattern of white lines woven into them draped the walls above the benches. The tapestries were more for muting noise in the antechamber than for any decorative purpose. Banners hung on either side of the doors, topped with the Symbol of Sorcery and proclaiming the entrance to the Council Hall.
The Symbol of Sorcery represented the four primary elements of spell casting: the Well, the Link, the Focus, and the Incantation. The Well, which served as the source of vaetra, was represented by a large sphere. The Link, which represented the path by which vaetra was channeled, took the form of a thick stem that extended up from where it clutched the top of the sphere. The Focus was a smaller sphere cradled within two curled branches that extended up from of the top of the Link. The curled branches represented the many manifestations of vaetra. On the Link was a single rune that represented the Incantation.
Daven sat on one of the benches. He leaned forward over the floor with a small knife and a block of wood in his hands. He was carefully carving a shape out of the wood while Sulana paced. The shavings fluttered to the floor where they landed in a small pile on a piece of canvas that he had spread at his feet. "Wearing a rut in the floor won't make them decide any faster," he said.
Sulana stopped next to Daven and watched him carve for a moment. "I know, but they called Ebnik back into the hall a while ago now. I thought they were going to give us their decision."
Daven snorted. "You know how they are. Sending out another team will be expensive. They have to be convinced of the need first. I think Talon and Barek had the right idea. Go do something useful while the Council makes up its mind."
"You're still here," she pointed out.
Daven waved his carving and knife. "I can do this anywhere. I just choose to do it here. Besides, I'd like to know what they decide too."
Sulana sighed and sat on the edge of the bench next to him. She looked over at his work, which seemed to be evolving into some kind of animal. "What are you carving?"
"An arbolenx. Now that I've seen one up close, I think I can do it justice."
One of the doors to the Council Hall opened, and Ebnik slipped out, closing the door carefully behind him. Sulana jumped to her feet, and Daven stopped carving to watch the old man approach.
Ebnik's weathered and lined face betrayed nothing as he slowly walked over to Sulana. His long brown robe shifted around his legs as he came forward. The robe was reinforced with leather strips across the shoulders and down the front. Its voluminous sleeves were trimmed with dark brocade that shimmered from the silver threads woven into it. The wizard stopped in front of them, his long-fingered hands folded in front of his waist.
Sulana tilted her head back to look up into Ebnik's severe grey eyes, which softened when he saw the anxious look on her face. Standing so close to him, the thick mane of white hair framing his face and cascading down his shoulders made his lean height even more imposing.
"I'm sorry, Sulana. The council decided not to send your team back out," he apologized.
Sulana's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you serious? Don't they see this sorcerer as a threat?"
Ebnik motioned her to sit, and he sat next to her as she did so. "We have the ring back, thanks to the good work of your team. We only have a thief's second-hand word that a sorcerer is involved. There's simply no evidence of a conspiracy or any danger to the mundane public."
Sulana winced and shook her head. "Who but a sorcerer would hire thieves to steal that particular ring? And why would he do it if he didn't have plans for it?"
Ebnik waved his hand in a conciliatory gesture. "I agree with you. The situation bears more investigation, but it is a practical matter of evidence. We have nothing strong enough to convince the Council that the cost of sending you out again is justified."
Sulana sat back hard against the bench and pressed the heels of her hands to her temples. She squeezed her eyes closed and then slapped her hands back down and gripped the top of her legs. "They need evidence, but they won't let us go get it. That's just the kind of circular logic I'd expect from councilors with tight purse strings."
Ebnik chuckled and put his hand on her shoulder. She relaxed a bit at his touch. "Don't give up yet. I'm not quite done with them myself. I just need a little time to come up with more information and a more compelling argument."
"But we may not have time. We don't know how long the buyer will wait at this village, Buckwoods did you say? Eventually he'll figure out that the ring isn't coming and he, or she, will suspect we are on to him."
Ebnik nodded as she spoke. "I argued that point myself. In fact, they believe the buyer is already gone by now, so the trip would be wasted even if something is going on. Buckwoods is just a small fishing village, if memory serves. There's no reason for the buyer to remain there for an extended period of time."
"So how are you going to convince them?" she asked with a helpless spread of her hands.
He patted her shoulder and smiled as he stood up. "Leave that to me. If something significant is happening, it will cause ripples. I intend to find a ripple big enough to get the Council's attention. This was no random theft, and the person behind it has been careful to remain at a distance from Archives agents and sorcerers. That level of caution indicates something important at stake...something that doesn't bode well for any of us."
Chapter 15
The breakfast crowd at the Snow Creek Inn was light that morning. A young couple who were staying at the inn had come downstairs to the serving room and were yawning over their platters of eggs and cheese. The rest of the tables were empty.
Meldon and I sat at a table across from Dela. We sipped from cups of an herbal tea concoction that Dela had devised herself. Rakerus' joke yesterday afternoon about love potions came to mind, and I hesitated before taking another sip. I looked across at Dela, who was watching me carefully.
"Well, what do you think? Don't you like it?" she asked.
"I do like it. It's the best tea you've made so far," I responded.
She sat back with a satisfied smile and folded her arms. "Thanks. I think it's nice to give the guests something new when they stay with us. What do you think, Meldon?"
Meldon took another sip and made a show of serious contemplation. "I'm not much of an herbal tea drinker, but this is excellent. I give it my highest marks."
Dela smiled and giggled. "Thanks, Meldon. Coming from such an expert, that's high praise indeed."
Dela's face became serious again and she folded her hands on the table. "I understand that things are picking up at Raven Company, but do you have to take every contract that comes along?" she asked me.
"Borlan is short-handed right now. Things have been so slow lately that some of his men haven't been renewing their commitments. My commitment isn't up for another two weeks, and Meldon and I are the only available hands right now."
When I joined Raven Company, I had to give Borlan a commitment for a specific period of time. The commitment period was usually from three months to a year. I could do whatever other work I wanted during that time, but if Raven Company business came up, I was supposed to drop what I was doing and take the contract. You could refuse contracts during your commitment if you had a good reason, but doing so was frowned upon, and refusing too often could get you blacklisted from all future Raven Company work.
She frowned. "Do you have to take Meldon with you? Hiring him to help out around here while you are gone has worked out well. With both of you leaving, it will be hard for Mother and me to keep things going."
I looked over at Meldon, who was watching Dela over the rim of his tea cup as he took another sip. "Borlan convinced me yesterday afternoon that I could use the backup. I'm not sure of exactly what kind of situation I'm walking into," I answered.
Dela reached across the table to grip my hand with hers, her brow creased with concern. "That sounds dangerous. Please be careful."
I flipped my hand under hers and quickly squeezed her hand a couple of times before withdrawing mine. "You know I will be. I faced plenty more dangerous situations when I was with the Guard. My Raven Company work has been pretty safe by comparison."
Meldon put his cup down. "I just hope you're wrong about the magic."
I closed my eyes and silently groaned to myself. I had told Meldon about my concerns regarding the possibility of sorcery because I thought it was his right to know what he was getting himself into. I should have told Meldon to leave that little piece of information out of any discussions with Dela.
"Magic? What do you mean? You aren't going out to fight some magician, are you?" Dela's voice pitched higher and louder with every word.
I grimaced and waved her quiet. "Relax. We don't know there's a sorcerer involved. The situation just has some odd aspects that could have a perfectly normal explanation." I didn't believe that myself of course, but I also didn't have proof of any sinister influences.
She huffed and folded her arms again. "Let the magicians take care of themselves. You should stay away from anything that stinks of magic."
Her words summed up the attitude of just about everyone I knew: stay away from the stink of magic, indeed. If only it were that easy, I thought to myself.
"I took the contract, and we're going," I insisted. Dela's face darkened and she blinked a tear that rolled down one cheek. I softened my voice and tried to sound confident. "Don't worry, we should be back by nightfall and I'll have more coin to show for it."
I reached across the table and laid my open hand down for her to take. She looked down at my hand and sniffed. Wiping the tear from her face, she got up from her chair and marched out of the serving room. I slowly drew back my hand and sighed.
I rolled my eyes at Meldon. "Thanks a lot."
He shrugged. "Sorry, Jaylan. I didn't know you wanted to lie to her about that."
"I didn't want to lie to her, I just didn't want to worry her unnecessarily," I defended.
He snorted. "Well, I'm worried."
I patted him on the back. "You're supposed to worry. Worrying keeps you alive. Now let's go see what's really going on in Buckwoods. If we're lucky, Kefer and Peltor will be back on the road doing their job by now."
Meldon looked at me with one raised eyebrow. "You don't really expect that, do you?"
I swallowed a final gulp of Dela's new tea and got up from the table. "No. I don't."
Chapter 16
Sulana awoke from a dreamless sleep and stretched luxuriously before flipping the covers to the other side of the bed. It felt good to sleep in her own room again after nearly a week of hard travel and stressful days. She rolled over in the complete darkness and felt around for the base of the lamp on the nightstand next to her bed. She closed her eyes and channeled vaetra into it. At the top of the lamp, an igniter-crystal sparked the wick into a flame and room filled with a dim golden light. She opened her eyes into a squint, adjusting to the sudden illumination.
She sat up and looked around her small and simple chamber. It wasn't much, but it was hers. Her room was only about twelve feet square, but it contained everything she needed: her bed, the nightstand, a dresser, an old armoire, and a small desk with a chair. The solid stone walls made it difficult to hang decorations, but she did have a beautiful tapestry on one wall that depicted the legend of Horace Gaunt, the first Sword Sorcerer and a founder of the Archives. The center of the design featured Horace on his horse with his sword raised. Around him were images related to his travels, including a rendition of the Archives Castle in the upper-right corner.
Sulana's mother had given her the tapestry on her 16th birthday, her Day of Adulthood. She treasured it, knowing that her mother had probably spent the better part of a year's earnings to pay for its well-wrought artwork.
She got out of bed and saw that someone had slipped a note under her door. She brought it over to the lamp and discovered that the note was from Ebnik. He wanted her to meet him in the main library at midmorning. She wasn't sure how late she'd slept, so she quickly got dressed, extinguished her lamp, and walked confidently in the dark around the room's obstacles to her chamber door.
Sulana's room was deep underground, so she had no windows from which to judge the time of day. She needed to go out to one of the exterior rooms or find a suntracker along the way.
As she opened her door, a small illuminator on the opposite wall reacted to her presence and instantly lit the hallway with a bright white glow. Illuminators throughout the Archives were small half-spheres of glass, about two inches in diameter, mounted on a circular brass base with a stem that was embedded into the wall just below the ceiling. The glass focusing device drew vaetra from the stone wall through the metal stem and converted it to light when it detected a person nearby. They were extremely helpful in the dark underground hallways that made up the majority of the castle.
Sulana quietly closed the door behind her. There was something about the utter silence of these subterranean passages that made one speak in a hushed voice and tread lightly. Every sound you made seemed muffled and yet intrusive.
The hallway outside her door connected to a much wider main hallway that led to the front of the castle. She knew she'd find a suntracker on the wall where the halls met. She walked to the end of her hallway past two other doors and looked up at the wall across from her. The suntracker's hand-sized disk was placed just above eye level, and the center-mounted indicator was pointing almost directly to the left. The enchantment that drove the suntracker followed the sun's movement in the sky, turning the pointer around the disk to point straight up at midday and straight down at midnight.
Sulana saw that she had apparently slept longer than she thought. It was well past sunrise, but she still had time to grab something to eat before she had to meet with Ebnik. She turned right and strode down the larger passage.
The large double doors of the dining hall were near the end of the main hallway, and both were swung fully open. The dining hall was one of the few rooms in the castle with an exterior wall and natural lighting. A half dozen robed residents were seated on the benches at various tables around the room. Sulana's stomach growled as she walked along the perimeter of the room toward the aromatic kitchen to see what was available.
After a small but satisfying breakfast, she hurried back into the depths of the castle to the main library on one of the lower levels.
The heavy wooden door to the library swung open smoothly on silent hinges as Sulana entered. She immediately spotted Ebnik seated at a carrel, bent over an open tome. The old man looked up when she walked over, and he closed the book he was reading. "Good morning, Sulana," he said as he got up. He took the book over to one of the library shelves and put it back into the gap where it had come from.
"Good morning, Ebnik. What did you want to see me about?"
He turned to face her, his baritone voice carrying a hint of mischief. "I have a treat for you. We're going to see someone who may be able to help us get the evidence we need to convince the Council to let your team go to Buckwoods."
Sulana tilted her head. "Truly? Who would that be?"
He winked at her. "You'll see. Follow me." Ebnik turned and walked deeper into the library.
Sulana hesitated as he walked away. She had expected Ebnik to leave the library the way she came in, not go the opposite direction. She finally put herself in motion and followed Ebni
k's flowing robes between the stacks to an old wooden door at the back wall of the library. The door had a glass sigil embedded into the wood. Ebnik placed his hand on the sigil, and Sulana saw it glow briefly through the gaps between his fingers. With a distinct click, the door unlocked and slipped open a few inches.
She didn't hear him say the trigger word for the implement on the door, but that wasn't a surprise. Ebnik was more than just a sorcerer; he was a wizard, which meant he could cast incantations and activate vaetric implements with thought alone. It was a rare gift, and one that appeared only after many years of casting experience. It was just one of the reasons Sulana had tremendous respect for the old sorcerer.
The door opened into a passageway that was too roughly hewn to merit the term hallway. It went straight back, deeper into the mountain than any place she'd been before. No illuminators came to life as they entered. Ebnik picked up a lantern that was resting on an old stool on the other side of the door, and lit it with a brief but intense stare. He gestured for Sulana to close the door behind them, and holding the lantern in front of him, he led the way down the passage.
They didn't have to walk very far. The passage turned to the left about thirty paces down and then went another ten paces or so before they came to a pair of doors. One was at the end of the passage and the other was in the left wall.
The end door opened as they approached, and a shaggy-haired, middle-aged man wearing a simple long brown robe stood framed at its threshold. He nodded his head when he recognized Ebnik and stepped back to let them enter. "Welcome Ebnik. It's been a while." He motioned for them to take a seat on a long padded bench near the door, while he sat in a nearby chair.
The Vaetra Chronicles: Book 01 - Vaetra Unveiled Page 14
