“But,” Fulusin Telanyahu said, “The Gray Man is no more. There is no one with his power to step in and take the reins. I don’t believe we need to worry about it. I have my own city to run and cannot, will not, waste my time thinking about what other cities are doing. No offense meant to your distinguished guests.”.
“Ah, but you are mistaken.” It was Rindu who spoke. “It used to be, ten or more years ago, that the Zouyim and the Sapsyra were a safeguard. Their whole reason for being was to protect the common people from dangers such as the Gray Man, to prevent any tyrant from becoming too powerful.
“Sadly, the Zouyim and the Sapsyra are no more, not in any strength.” He nodded toward Nalia. “If a charismatic leader from one of the larger cities decides to begin a campaign of conquest, taking over smaller towns and villages, consolidating power, who is to say that there will not be another like the Gray Man within not so many years?”
“Granted,” Akila Gonsh said, “there is no group of people to protect everyone. But do we need such a thing? My city will not be taken easily. We have forces of our own. Even the Gray Man didn’t try to overcome us.”
“Ah, but he did, my dear,” Raire said to her. “We are still trying to find the people of influence in the city who were bought and paid for by the Gray Man.” His wife wore the face of someone who had eaten a bite of food that had gone rotten.
“I, for one,” he continued, “think it is a good idea to prepare for the next tyrant who will come along. If our history is any indication, this will happen sooner rather than later. I’d hate to be the one who prevents our fine city from being part of a coalition made up to protect its members.”
Akila Gonsh glared at him for a moment and then dropped her gaze to the table and allowed her shoulders to slump. “Maybe you’re right,” she said quietly. He smiled and squeezed her hand.
Georg Santas filled the silence. “If I may ask, what is it that you’re proposing, Dr. Walt? Are you proposing to become a ruler in the Gray Man’s place?”
“What?” Dr. Walt’s eyes widened and he put both hands up as if warding off something dangerous. “Oh no! No, I would never do that. The simple fact is that as a historian, I have seen this situation play out countless times during history. In fact, I have seen it play out on two different worlds. I am simply bringing it to the attention of those in power,” he swept his arms out as if to include them all, “you.”
“It seems a sound idea to me,” Georg said, wheezing slightly as he attempted to pull in a full breath, “But remember that we are only three of the cities closest to the Gray Fortress. There are many others who would have a say in this matter.”
“Agreed,” said Dr. Walt. “I have sent messengers to all the major cities, directing them also to stop at towns and villages when possible to spread the word. Whatever form of government we end up with, everyone should have a say in setting it up.”
The four leaders nodded, the Gonshes whispering softly to one another.
“So,” Dr. Walt continued, “if we are in agreement, then I would ask that you think about my proposal while we wait for the other leaders to respond. Once we have more of them all together, we can begin to hash out the details, to talk about specifics.”
“One further question,” Fulusin Telanyahu said. “Where would this new government be located? If hosted in a particular city, there would be unfair pressure to do what was best for that city.”
“Those are my thoughts exactly,” Dr. Walt said. “Forgive me if I have not had time to ask permission, but Sam, would it be all right to use the Gray Fortress as a seat of government? You were bequeathed the entire fortress by the Gray Man. It’s yours to do with as you will.”
Sam started as he translated that last part for his mother. He hadn’t thought he was going to be part of the conversation.
“I…uh…yes. Yes, of course. That sounds like the perfect use for it. There’s more than enough space here and it’s neutral territory, so to speak. It’s a great idea.”
“Splendid!” Dr. Walt said. “Well, then, if there is nothing further, I will allow you to get back to your busy schedules. I will send messengers when the next meeting can be held. I am hopeful there will be other representatives by that time.”
With that, the formal meeting was over. Raire Gonsh immediately came up to Sam, his thin body weaving between chairs to reach him. Sam was occupied for the next few hours discussing many things with him, repeating an account of the battle with the Gray Man and answering questions. When the city leaders had finally retired to their own rooms until dinner, Sam clasped Nalia’s hand, put his arm around his mother, and went off to their rooms. Sam and Nalia reatained their old rooms while Nicole took the room next to Nalia’s.
The newcomers took some time relaxing in their rooms before meeting again for dinner. As Sam entered the dining hall with his mother by his side, he saw Rindu and Nalia discussing something.
“I do not understand, Iba,” Rindu said to her. “Why will you not don your mask once again? I can understand not wearing it in Telani, where you are not considered ugly, but here, your features offend others’ honor. I mean no disrespect, of course, but as a Sapsyr you must be mindful of how your actions reflect upon your honor.”
“I no longer believe that to be true, father,” Nalia said. “My experiences in living in another world have allowed me to see some things more clearly. I know how ugly I am to the eyes of people of Gythe and it is unfortunate if looking upon my face causes discomfort. However, I do not believe it is my honor and respect that is at issue.
“I believe that this mortal shell I wear is not of primary importance. A misshapen rock may still be used as a perfect tool if no other weapon is available. Is it any less honorable an item than a finely crafted sword? I do not think so. I will not cover my face again. If onlookers take offense, then perhaps they should search their own motivations and their own honor for flaws.”
“But Iba—” Rindu noticed Sam and Nicole then and stopped talking. “We will discuss this more later,” he finished.
“Is everything all right?” Nicole asked Nalia in English.
“It is fine,” the Sapsyr answered. “My father disagrees with my actions. It is nothing.”
The three settled into a nice meal, joined partway through by Dr. Walt. Some of the leaders Sam met earlier, as well as some of the servants, were also eating. After dinner, Sam and Nalia remained in the dining hall talking with Rindu, Dr. Walt, and Nicole. It had been a full day and Sam was tired, ready to turn in.
“Sam,” Dr. Walt said. “I wonder if I may impose upon you further and ask you to accompany me. There is someone I would like you to meet.”
Okay, so maybe he would not go to sleep just yet.
Chapter 7
“Sure,” Sam told Dr. Walt, “as long as I don’t have to talk any more about our quest to confront Uncle Grayson. I’m pretty tired of that.”
When Sam was in Gythe before, stranded with no clear way to get back home, he had battled all the way to the Gray Man, in this very fortress. At the end, his friend Skitter saved the day by using his telepathic powers and bringing to light memories the Gray Man had forgotten, memories that he was actually Sam’s uncle. His name had been Grayson Wepp, and because of years of torture by the Arzbedim, the group of evil users of the rohw, he had become the Gray Man. When it was all made clear, Grayson chose to end his own life rather than to live with what he had done, what he had become. Sam referred to him now as Grayson, not wanting to forget his uncle and the sacrifice he made.
“No worries at all,” Dr. Walt said. “In fact, you’ll find that you probably don’t have to answer any of this man’s questions.”
Sam wasn’t sure what that meant, but agreed to go. Nalia and his mother came with him. Rindu politely excused himself, saying he wanted to meditate and go to bed.
Their footsteps echoed in the wide hallway. That is, Sam’s, Nicole’s, and Dr. Walt’s footsteps echoed. Nalia, as always, made no sound.
As they pa
ssed corridor after corridor, unwanted memories assailed Sam’s mind. He had spent a fair amount of time in the fortress after Grayson’s death, but he could never shake the memories of running through the halls and fighting for his life. He saw sprays of blood along the walls, stains that were no longer there. He saw bodies lying where he had put them. The ghosts of his frantic flight through the fortress to reach the Great Hall would not leave him alone.
“Are you okay, honey?” his mother said, snapping him out of his visions. “You look a little pale.”
He smiled at her weakly. “I’m fine. It’s just—” he cleared his throat, “it’s just hard to remember. So much blood, so much death. I’m okay.”
She kissed him on his cheek. “I’m so sorry that you had to go through that.”
He was sorry, too.
“It’s just a bit farther, up this way,” Dr. Walt interrupted.
It made Sam drop his other thoughts and think about where he was going. “Dr. Walt, who is this man you want me to meet?”
“His name is Lahim Chode. You might remember him. He was the only prisoner in the Gray Man’s, I mean Grayson’s, dungeon who survived.
“Oh, I remember him,” Sam said. “When I left, he still couldn’t speak, still wasn’t conscious.”
“Yes, yes, that’s him. Well, he is conscious and speaking now, though he is still weak and bedridden. Ah, here we are.” They were at a wooden door that looked like the dozens of other wooden doors they had passed on their way.
Dr. Walt knocked softly on the door, then opened it. He walked into the room followed by Sam and the two women. It was a moderate-sized chamber, with a large bed off to one side, a bookshelf and night stand flanking it. There was a small dining table with four chairs to the right of the room. A large wooden wardrobe finished the furnishings. In the fireplace, a fire glowed merrily, chasing away the chill that seeped out from the stone walls. A large window was on one wall, shut against the night.
The man was sitting in his bed, pillows behind him to prop him up. He was sickly, very thin, and pale, almost as if Sam could have looked right through him to the wall behind. His long auburn hair was in disarray and looked not to have been washed for a very long time. He turned his sunken eyes toward the newcomers and Sam noticed what he thought was a small smile play across the man’s face.
“Sam Sharp,” the man croaked, voice raspy with disuse. “It’s an honor to finally meet you. Please forgive me for not getting up, but as you can see,” he motioned with his hand, calling attention to his skeletal frame, “I have seen better days.”
“Hello, Master Chode,” Sam answered. “You are in much better shape than last time I saw you, just a few weeks ago.”
“Yes.” The man coughed, took a long drink from a cup he picked up from the night stand, and then cleared his throat. “Yes, a few weeks for me, but more for you. Many more.”
Sam looked to Nalia and then to his mother. Finally, he turned to Dr. Walt, who seemed content to let the conversation go along as it had started.
“Dr. Walt tells me that you wanted to talk to me?”
The man looked into Sam’s eyes. Sam thought he saw something there, some type of recognition, almost as if he had just confirmed something. It made him uneasy.
“Actually, I just wanted to meet you. I wanted to make sure it was you that I saw.” He took another drink from his cup. “It was.”
“Sam, Lahim here has a talent. He is able to view things. He sees other places, other times. He told us two days ago that you would be arriving today. He said Nalia and someone else would be with you. We wrote it off as feverish dreams, but here you are. Here you all are.”
Sam laughed, but then cut off again immediately when no one seemed to be laughing with him. “Are you kidding with me?” he asked. No one else was smiling. “Come on. Telling you that I would show up is a very good guess, a large coincidence, I’ll give you that, but things like that happen all the time. No offense, Master Chode, but I don’t think it proves that you’re a seer or an oracle.”
“A viewer, actually,” the man said.
“A view…wait, what?” Sam looked to the others for support, but none met his gaze.
“Sam,” Dr. Walt said, “Lahim is a viewer. On our world, the skill was known as remote viewing. It’s sort of an out-of-body experience that allows the viewer to project himself along the path of time and space to view things. The United States government actually had a sophisticated program to train and utilize remote viewers for espionage. There are numerous accounts of viewers looking forward into the future or even viewing other planets. It’s fascinating, really.”
“I…I—” Sam couldn’t think of what to say.
“Sam,” Lahim Chode said. “It’s no problem. I didn’t ask to see you to make you feel uncomfortable. I just wanted to confirm that it was in fact you that I saw. When you were here last, I was unconscious and so never really had a chance to see what you look like.” He took another drink from his cup and re-adjusted himself on the bed.
“More than anything, I wanted to make sure my talent still worked, that I was not fooling myself into thinking some fever dream was a viewing. The torture the Gray Man subjected me to has had a serious effect on my body. And on my mind. I wanted to be sure I could still use my skills. Thank you for coming to see me. It was very nice meeting you. I hope to see you and have a proper conversation with you when I’m not so weak.”
The others turned to leave, but Chode spoke up once again. “Sam, I wanted to tell you that earlier today, I had another viewing. This one was not so clear as when I saw you arrive, but where it lacks clarity, it makes up for in its ominous nature. The viewing was jumbled, but I saw a woman in a corridor. I believe it was this very fortress. She witnessed a murder but escaped unharmed. Another image came to me, showing her learning, training in some way, becoming more powerful. Finally, she came into her power and began to use it for selfish ends. I could almost hear someone speaking as I watched her planning, ‘She is coming for you, she is coming…’”
The man coughed weakly, took a drink, and was silent. No one else moved or spoke for seval long moments.
“Why don’t we allow Lahim to rest now?” Dr. Walt said. “Even conversation is taxing to him in his weakened condition.” He shepherded the others toward the door. He stopped when he was about to go through into the hall.
“Did you need anything Lahim? Some food, more drink, anything?”
“No, Dr. Walt, but thank you. The servants have been doing a fantastic job in keeping up with my needs. You are much too kind to someone such as I.”
“Nonsense. You were subjected to horrors beyond our imaginings. The least we can do is to help you heal. Be sure to let us know if there is anything you need.”
On the way back to the part of the keep where their rooms were, Dr. Walt told Sam about Lahim Chode.
“He used to hire himself out to the wealthy, using his talents to help them make decisions. He made quite a name for himself and he was pampered and paid well by many different families.
“Apparently, the Gray Man, or one of his minions, heard about his skill. Your uncle was always on the lookout for more information, so he had his Collectors apprehend Chode and bring him to the Gray Fortress.
“He was asked to describe exactly how he did what he did. When it made no sense, the Gray Man…I mean Grayson…no, the—”
“It’s fine, Dr. Walt,” Sam said, patting the doctor’s arm, “don’t get too tense about it. I know who you mean. Thank you for caring enough to try to remember to call him Grayson.”
“Oh, yes, yes my boy. I understand the trauma in learning he was your uncle. It must be difficult. Anyway, Chode was tortured so that the truth could be extracted from him. The problem was, Chode really didn’t know how to explain it. How can you explain to a fish how to breathe air? So, he was tortured off and on and left to deteriorate in the dungeons. If we hadn’t found him when we did, he would have died like the rest of the prisoners.”
Sam thought about what the doctor had told him. “So, you really believe he has some talent, that he can actually see across space and time?”
“I don’t know, Sam. I have seen things in my research that boggle the mind. I have seen you yourself do things that seem impossible. What is one more unexplained mystery? If Lahim Chode can actually get information that could help us in anything we do, I think we should listen.”
Nalia, quiet up until this point, spoke. “Sam, it is a little thing to hold off on judging if this thing is real or fantasy. It will cause no harm to keep an open mind. Have you not learned this in your studies?”
Sam felt his face grow warm. One of his ongoing problems with learning to use the rohw was his disbelief in things he could accomplish with it. Nalia and Rindu had demonstrated to him pointedly that his doubting mind was a large hindrance to progressing in his training.
“You’re right, Nalia. Sometimes I’m just cynical. I’ll try to ‘empty my cup,’ and keep an open mind.”
To him, her beautiful smile was better than a gold medal.
Chapter 8
The next morning, Sam found a spot tucked out of the way in one of the smaller courtyards near one of the doors into the keep. He spent some time learning the vibratory signature of the place and then teleported back to his workshop. Within minutes, he teleported the entire structure and everything in it to the place he had learned. Now all his belongings would be near at hand.
He opened the workshop and checked on the cats. Stoker meowed enthusiastically, explaining all the terrible wrongs he had suffered by being locked inside for an eternity. The mother cat, which Sam had decided to name Molly, looked less haggard than the day before. She was lying down and allowing the kittens to nurse again. She purred at him when he stroked her fur. All of the felines seemed to be doing well.
Harmonic Magic Series Boxed Set Page 59
