“This is Drake Sharazi,” Bane replied. “And this is –”
“Dear god!” the old man gasped. “Is that…Princess Lenora?”
Lenora bowed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Max began to wave them inside frantically. “Come. Quickly now, before someone sees you.”
He ushered them through a small kitchen into what looked like a study, although it was hard to tell, given the mountains of books and papers stacked all over the floor and on practically every other flat surface available. Short on seats, Max disappeared and returned a moment later dragging a rather large square cushion, which he handed to Bane.
“What the hell are you doing here, Samuel?” he demanded while clearing papers away from the chairs. “And with the princess, no less.” He glanced over to Lenora. “Please forgive my rudeness, Your Highness.”
“There is nothing to forgive,” she responded. “I thank you for allowing us in.”
“We need your help, Max,” said Bane.
“My help?”
Once they were all seated, Max retrieved a bottle of wine and poured each of them a glass. Drake could see that the man was nervous, though being in the presence of royalty could certainly account for that.
Max plopped down into the one remaining chair and took a long drink. “Ah, much better,” he sighed. “Now then, how can an old fool of a mage help the Princess of Vale?” When Bane opened his mouth to answer, Max’s hand shot up. “I was not speaking to you, Samuel.”
Lenora smiled warmly. “Aside from what you have already done, I am not sure. We are fleeing and have nowhere else to turn.”
The already deep lines in Max’s face deepened. “Fleeing? From whom?”
“My brother,” she replied.
“Prince Salazar?” He shot Bane an accusing stare. “What have you done, boy?”
“This has nothing to do with Samuel, master mage,” said Lenora. “He is my cousin, and he’s put himself in grave danger to help me.”
His eyes darted from Lenora to Bane and back again. After a long moment, he began chuckling softly. “Your cousin, you say? Well, doesn’t that beat all? I always knew there was something different about him.”
“As I recall, you said there was something wrong with me,” Bane corrected.
“After you became a professor, yes, there was. As a student you were definitely special. But that didn’t prevent you from turning into the worst damn teacher I ever saw.”
Lenora laughed. “I heard all about that. You challenged the headmaster to a fight, I believe?”
Bane spread his hands. “What can I say? The man was an ass.”
“That may be, but you were a mere junior professor. You should have kept your mouth shut.” Max shook his head. “Keeping his mouth shut was one skill Samuel never managed to learn.” He looked over to Drake. “And you, sir. I’ve heard your name. You wouldn’t be the same Drake Sharazi convicted of killing Lord Malcoy, by any chance?”
“I am,” he affirmed.
“Did you do it?”
“No. You have my word.”
Drake left it at that. He didn’t want to divulge details about what had happened or why they were there. The less the old mage knew, the better it would be for him should they be discovered.
Max regarded him for a moment before turning to Bane. “I can tell that your companions are trying to conceal what is going on from me. I assume that’s out of concern for my safety. You, on the other hand, Samuel, know better. Which is why you’ve come here. So out with it.”
“We’ve endangered you enough already just by being here,” Lenora cut in. “We only need a place to stay until we figure out what to do next.”
Max smiled and took a sip of wine. “Your Highness, I am an old man. And the one thing about old men is, there’s very little you can take away from them. I’ve lived my life, so they can have whatever is left, including my house and profession, if that is to be the way of things. But what they cannot take is my honor. If the Princess of Vale is in need of my help, it shall be hers. Even if she doesn’t want to accept it.”
“And if it means finding out you’ve been believing a lie for your entire life?” asked Drake. “Would you still want to know then?”
“My boy, I would rather die knowing a terrible truth than live on believing a pleasing lie.”
Lenora eyed the old man with open admiration. “Then I will tell you all I know. After that, you can decide what help you are willing to offer.”
Lenora recounted the events leading up to their arrival, Drake and Bane adding their own parts of the story as they came up. Throughout, Max simply sat back in his chair staring at them, his hands steepled beneath his nose.
When they were finished, Max rose and poured himself another glass of wine. This was consumed in a single gulp. After pouring another, he lowered his head, closed his eyes, and spoke softly to himself.
“To think of all those innocent people starving. And for what? To fulfill the petty ambitions of a powerful few.”
He reflected in silence for another few seconds before suddenly looking up at Lenora. “And should you find a way to stop your brother, what then?”
“I honestly don’t know,” she replied. “I wish I did. Even if I succeed, the high mages will still be in control. The land will remain plagued by their tainted magic, and the people will continue to starve.”
Max returned to his seat. “You know, I saw that study your brother did. The headmaster gave me a copy. He thought it would keep me busy and out of his hair. The dimwit didn’t understand a thing about it. He didn’t see what I saw.”
“And what was that?” asked Drake.
“That Vale will soon starve. Not just the outer provinces; all of it. There are simply too many people to feed, and the population is still growing.”
“So you think Salazar really is trying to save Vale?” Drake was horrified at the thought.
“That’s what it looks like to me,” the old mage replied. “And in a twisted way, he’s right. A massive reduction in population would indeed save those left alive from starvation.”
“But the cost…” said Lenora. “All of those people…”
Bane sniffed. “I know it sounds terrible. But ask yourself this: How would he actually go about it? He simply doesn’t have the manpower to succeed. People in the provinces outnumber those in Troi by at least fifty to one. Even if he send out every member of the royal guard, they still couldn’t kill that many. And that’s assuming they’re all as insane as Salazar himself and were prepared to go along with his idea in the first place. I know people can be selfish, but to think they would simply stand by while the king engages in genocide...” He shook his head. “I refuse to believe it.”
“My brother has a plan. That much you can count on.”
“Is there anything at all you can think of that might tell us what that plan is?” asked Drake.
Lenora shook her head. “Nothing. He never spoke of it to me. Nor did my father, beyond saying it was something terrible that must be stopped.”
“Well, we need to figure it out somehow. Or find someone else who knows.”
“Like who?” said Bane. “Short of sneaking back into Troi and kidnapping the king, there’s nothing we can do.”
Max spoke up. “There is someone I can think of who might be able to help. But you’re not going to like it very much.”
“At this point, who cares?” remarked Drake.
“Exodus.”
“What? Have you lost your mind?”
“You said they held Prince Salazar prisoner for several weeks. Surely they interrogated him.”
“That’s true,” said Bane. “But I doubt they’d be willing to help us. Not after Drake destroyed their base and killed their people. Oh, yes…and rescued the very man who intends to wipe out practically all of Vale.”
“There is an old saying about a common enemy,” Max pointed out.
“How would we even contact them?” Drake asked.
&nbs
p; The old mage cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well…I actually know one of them.”
Bane raised an eyebrow. “You? Since when do you associate with such dangerous types?”
“It was unintentional, I assure you. One came to me for help a couple of years ago. He was a student of mine, but the magistrate discovered he was part of Exodus. I let him hide out here until he could find a way to get to his people.”
“And you have a way of contacting him?” asked Drake.
“I think so,” he replied. “He left instructions should I ever need him. It will take a few days. But I can try.”
“What do you think?” Drake asked Lenora.
She thought for a lengthy moment. “I see no other option. As Samuel pointed out, unless we try to capture my brother, we need help from others.”
Max drained his glass. “Then it’s settled. I’ll leave in the morning, and you three will wait here until I return.”
“You should let one of us come with you,” said Drake.
He laughed. “Which one do you suggest? Of the three of you, Samuel is the only one not being hunted. And with his reputation, I’d be far better off alone.”
Drake was not sure how good an idea this was. Lenora was right, though; they had no other options. They could only hide for so long. And hiding would do nothing to stop Salazar.
After showing Lenora to the spare bedroom, Max brought out blankets and pillows for the other two to use in the living room.
“You can use my bed tomorrow after I leave,” he told them.
Drake thanked him and then walked out onto the back porch. The night air carried a slight chill. He took several deep breaths, allowing it to fill his lungs while thinking back on his short time with Salazar after his rescue. He had not seemed unbalanced; though equally, he had appeared to be more than a bit preoccupied with the welfare of the people. Small things he’d said now sprang to mind. At the time, they hadn’t seemed particularly important; just a word here and there. Had Drake understood more, though, they would have surely served to tell him of Salazar’s mental state. He sighed. Even now, knowing full well of his once best friend’s crazed plan, he still could not reconcile it with the man he thought he knew.
He heard the door open, and the pleasing scent of lilacs drifted on the air.
“I should have brought more things with me,” said Lenora. “Max was kind enough to lend me a robe, but it’s really a bit on the large side.”
This was hardly an exaggeration. The white cotton robe hung loosely about her, and the sleeves swallowed up her hands. Her hair was wrapped in a towel, with a stray curl peeking out pressed against her brow.
Drake smiled. “You could wear a suit made from mechanic’s rags and still look beautiful.” Almost at once, he winced at his own words. But corny or not, Lenora blushed anyway.
“You have always been so generous,” she replied. “Even when you are lying.”
“Lying? Me? Never.”
She touched his cheek, the robe’s sleeve rolling up over her slender wrist as she did so. “It’s good to see that the hard years did not kill the man I knew,” she whispered. “I had feared that life in the provinces might change you.”
The warmth of her touch had him shutting his eyes involuntarily. “They did. I’m a much different person from the one that left Troi.” Suddenly, he was keenly aware of the lines and cracks on his face that nearly a decade of life as a hawker had added.
“I know. But not in the ways that matter to me. You are still kind and thoughtful. Even after all the horrors you have seen, your heart remains the same.”
Drake took hold of her hand and met her eyes. “I need to ask you something, Lenora. Did you know it was your brother who killed Lord Malcoy?”
“Eventually. Yes.”
The words stabbed at his heart. Still he could not summon even a hint of anger. Not for her.
“When?”
“He told me about a year ago. He said that someone had changed the video to incriminate you, but he wouldn’t tell me who it was. I wanted to go to Father, but Salazar assured me he didn’t have the original recording. And without proof, there was nothing I could do. Please believe me, I was desperate to do something…anything...”
“Don’t be upset,” he told her. “I believe you. I truly do. And I don’t want you thinking about my time in the provinces. It wasn’t all bad. The worst part was not seeing you.”
She smiled. “And now here we are.”
Drake could no longer control himself. Taking Lenora in his arms, he pulled her close. Her body yielded instantly, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, their lips met.
The kiss was gentle at first, almost shy. Then, as the years melted away, the intensity grew. Their breaths started coming in short gasps. Desperately they tugged and pulled at one another as if seeking to make their bodies into one. Drake’s passion was a raging storm of lust and desire, tempered only by the deep love and respect he felt for the woman in his arms. He wanted her. And there was no doubt that she wanted him. And he was on the verge of giving in to his yearnings...
The porch door opened.
Even after this most public of interruptions, it was still almost painful to part.
“I see the two of you are getting reacquainted,” Bane remarked, looking at them with an impish grin. “I do hate to interrupt, but Max has asked me to come and get you. He says he’ll be leaving at dawn and wants to go over some things that we’ll need to know while he’s not here.”
Lenora’s face was flushed as she pulled her robe tight. “Yes. Of course.”
Drake watched her hurry inside. He wanted to throttle Bane. “Perfect timing,” he growled.
Bane spread his hands, clearly enjoying the awkward moment his arrival had caused. “What can I say? Max sent me. What was I supposed to tell him? It’s not my fault you thought right now might be the perfect time to revive your romance.”
He was right. Drake was aware of that. Not that this knowledge helped very much.
We still have time, he told himself. But did they? In fact, was it even a good idea to be doing any of this? Was it fair…to either of them? It was difficult enough knowing that, even if they succeeded in stopping Salazar, they would once again be forced apart. Maybe they should just stop now? But of course, there was always the small matter of self-control; and with Lenora, he had none.
He could hear Max complaining inside that he was taking too long.
“Come,” said Bane. “Old men get grumpy at night. Max more than most.”
“You go. I’ll be right behind you.”
With the taste of Lenora’s lips still lingering on his, Drake took a moment longer to calm himself before following.
Chapter Twenty-One
Max told them that he would be back in three days. The few neighbors were not close enough to have a clear view of his house, but he said they should remain indoors except after sundown anyway, and even then only venture as far as the back porch.
Though not exactly becoming distant, Lenora’s affection toward Drake did not continue as he hoped it might. Every time he drew close, her eyes fell on Bane and she immediately shied away. Of course, when they’d first become involved, it had been necessary for them to be constantly discreet. Drake could understand that, after having lived such a guarded life, even now it was uncomfortable for Lenora to make any public displays of affection. He tried a few times to catch her alone, but Bane was always nearby. After the second day, he began to suspect it was intentional. Probably protecting his cousin from future heartbreak and pain, he decided.
They spent most of their time listening to music or watching the holovids, and Bane occupied himself by rummaging through a few of Max’s books.
“Did you really challenge the headmaster to a fight?” Drake asked on the second night, while they were all lazing about in the living room.
Bane smiled and shrugged, wearing his best innocent face. “What can I tell you? I was impulsive, and he
baited me. He found out that my father is, in his words: ‘Nothing but a lowly mechanic.’ After that, he kept on at me until I’d finally had enough. He’s one of those lower Troi fools who thinks he’s better than everyone else. I had to put him in his place. You should have seen him when I reacted. I think the man actually shat himself.”
“Sounds to me like you won the battle but lost the war,” remarked Drake, disapprovingly.
“You could say that,” he agreed. “I was young. The youngest professor there, in fact. If I had it to do over…well…” He paused and then started laughing. “Hell, I think I’d probably do the same thing all over again. I get a bit touchy when it comes to my father.”
“Your father was quite upset with you at the time,” Lenora chipped in.
“My father is always upset with me. He’s never forgiven me for not wanting to follow in his footsteps”
“No,” she retorted. “He was upset because you refuse to live up to your potential.”
Bane’s face twisted into a frown. “And what potential could I live up to in this hell of a world? I didn’t want to end up fixing cars and gadgets. And the idea of ending up like Max was…” He feigned a shudder. “The life of a hawker seemed far more appealing.”
“But at least fixing gadgets doesn’t require that you kill people,” Drake added.
“Then you go work with him.”
“If I had an ounce of talent for such things, I would have.”
Bane threw up his hands. “A killer with a conscience. Splendid. Let’s hope your delicate sensibilities don’t bother you too much when it’s time to kill Salazar.”
Lenora reacted instantly, springing up and glaring at Bane with lips trembling and hands balled into fists. Such was her anger that for a moment it looked as if she might actually strike him. Instead, she spun on her heels and stormed from the room.
Bane’s expression immediately became one of regret.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” snapped Drake, in a hushed tone.
“I’m…I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that.”
“Because you’re an arrogant jackass who tries to pretend he knows everything. You want to know the real reason you got kicked out of the mages’ college? It wasn’t because the headmaster thought you weren’t good enough. It’s because deep down, you don’t think you are.”
The Vale: Behind The Vale Page 24
