by Clark Bolton
Autbek cast a night sight spell on himself and then one on Murac, figuring he could afford now to spend some energy on it as they were nearly home free. With Murac leading they passed through the sleepy compound without encountering anyone.
They met up with the two guards who had waited near the compound then headed back quickly through the forest. When they reached their camp they found the other two guards ready and waiting.
“Captain, what now sir?” One of them asked Berdtom.
“Murac, what’s your suggestion?”
“Leave before sun up.” Murac replied. That got a number of groans from the tired party members who had figured they could get some sleep before morning.
“Agreed!” Berdtom said with force, putting an end to the discussion. “No reason to take the chance we were seen back there. At this point we are just a group of travelers doing curious things in the dark.”
“Not an hour to first light anyway.” Autbek noted as he prepared to saddle his horse. “Can’t wait for the first inn we come across though.”
“That’s almost two days from here!” Haspeth whined as he began packing himself.
“Being a battle-mage getting to you?” Castor chided as he and Lit packed their stuff.
Haspeth seemed too tired to take the bait and so the group packed in relative quiet, and soon they were back on the road heading toward Astrum.
Chapter 18
Castor had climbed through this particular window of the palace countless times and so knew well the layout of the storeroom he now stood in. Lighting a candle he then produced a small mirror and proceeded to apply enchanted chalk to his face and then with the help of a few cantrips he became Nek, the palace scribe, and then proceeded to dress in the cloths he had stashed here on previous visits.
Slipping out into the corridor he then headed for the wing of the palace that was home to the Earl’s family, knowing it would be the most likely place to find the person he sought. He had ridden hard the day before alongside Berdtom after leaving the rest of Autbek’s party in Yesic. It was in Yesic they had received word of the conspiracy against Valice and as soon as they did they had conceived the plan he was now in the process of executing.
“They will wait until they hear news of my return.” Berdtom had assured him. “It will be more dramatic and they will hope then that the Earl will see fit to be rid of me out of embarrassment if nothing else.”
Castor hoped Berdtom’s assessment was right as he walked boldly through the palace. As of yet there was no sign of the Comusa and he expected none as he had been careful to mask himself within the anti-detection spell Autbek had been perfecting. The scroll given to them by Eifled had turned out to be an invaluable aid and had been just the thing needed by Autbek to create the spell. With the spell in place and the knowledge that with a few arcane-script syllables he could largely nullify any Comusa Searafacts, he wasn’t too worried about being foiled by anyone, though finding the documents he needed to find was a real worry.
When he came to the entrance to the family wing of the palace he was ceremonially greeted by two guards stationed there. The two brought their pole-arms to bear just enough to look menacing. “Message for the fourth Earl of Astrum!” Castor replied in a loud steady voice. Neither guard even bothered to look at him closely as they relaxed and then stood aside.
He past only a couple servants on his way to Fesmbol’s suite, and so waiting a moment for them to be out of site he knocked on the door and then tested to see if it was locked. It was so he waited patiently for a couple of minutes until Bek opened it.
Explaining that he had to deliver the message personally to Lord Fesmbol and that it be best done in private he soon found himself inside the lavish suite. “Captain Berdtom sends his regards, my lord.” He said to Fesmbol when the man finally came into the sitting room.
“Does he now!” Fesmbol said with a smile as he extended his hand to receive the message. He was taken back a bit when Castor refused as he motioned toward Bek.
“A delicate matter, my lord.” Castor said dryly.
“Scribe! Shall I have the guards come and give you a thrashing first?” Bek barked at him.
Fesmbol raised his hand to silence his friend. “Exactly why have you come, scribe?” Fesmbol asked as he closely sized up the small man.
“The location of the documents.”
Fesmbol paused in thought for a few moments before sitting down. “Ah, well I can’t say…but only because I don’t know. However, I do know a bit of Cachner’s plan.” The statement seemed to make Bek nervous but another hand gesture from Fesmbol kept him quiet. “Is Berdtom back in the city?”
“He is and he will come to the palace in short order as soon as I have the information.”
Fesmbol nodded his head. “When Cachner gets word of Berdtom’s return he will summon a few select members of the court…particularly Lord Bloew. He’ll have the documents with him then so as to show the court…including my father I would think.”
“Which room is the most likely?” Castor asked carefully.
Fesmbol pursed his lips before saying, “I would guess my father’s private audience chamber that would make it much more likely that he would be present.”
Castor nodded his head and then prepared to leave. “What is on the parchments he has?” He asked with his hand on the door.
“Oh just enough to make Valice look very nervous and make Cachner look almost cleaver.” Fesmbol replied. “If you do get a hold of them…by some dramatic means…what do you plan to do with them?”
“Keep them safe.” Castor replied sarcastically.
“That’s not good enough!” Bek said loudly. “We want them returned as some of them belong to us.”
Fesmbol rolled his eyes before stating. “As a favor for a favor…I ask that they be returned or else proof of their destruction, though how we could trust you to prove such a thing I can’t say.”
Castor smiled as he opened the door. “You’ll have your proof!”
Captain Berdtom marched through the palace on the heels of the scribe that had informed him of his summons. Guessing where the scribe, and now two of the palace guards were taking him, he was not at all surprised to see the top officials of the Earl’s court all gathered in the room that adjoined the Earl’s private audience chamber.
“Good afternoon, my lords!” Berdtom said loudly to the men and then he turned to Valice who was off to one side with three very large and serious looking guards next to him. “How are you my friend?”
Valice looked rather subdued but did manage to reply, “I’m well enough for now captain, thank you, and welcome back.”
“Good, and it’s good to be back!” He replied a he turned to Cachner. “I’m sure this big misunderstanding won’t take long to clear up.”
Cachner returned a cold smile. “No, not at all, captain, a mere moment of the Earl’s time.”
When the large doors opened all the lords were ushered in where they found Fesmbol, of all people, standing next to the Earl who was sitting at his writing table. Cachner and Bloew wasted no time in approaching the Earl and reaffirming the reasons they were troubling him.
“Sedition is a serious charge, Valice!” The Earl proclaimed as he waved the two lords away. Bloew now carried a large bundle of parchments that Cachner had retrieved from an aid, and was now in the process of unraveling the binding.
“Yes, my lord.” Valice replied sadly.
“If I may, my lord?” Berdtom asked, hoping to be recognized so he could defend his friend.
Cachner quickly interrupted. “The letters will speak for themselves, your lordship. They will detail attempts by this man to corrupt this very court and outline their plans to murderously vacate its offices so that they could be filled by men beholden only to them!”
Berdtom glanced at Fesmbol, who he thought looked rather concerned, and then spoke above the voices of several of the other lords present. “Really, Cachner! I personally don’t think these letters will speak
to anything or anyone at all.”
“POOF!” The sudden noise was followed by a small cloud of dust and the rustling of parchment as the pile Bloew had placed on the table partially collapsed upon itself. After stepping back several paces in shock Lord Bloew looked hesitant to approach the remains of the stack.
Several moments passed before several of the other lords remarked that the parchments were blank, and after several scribes came forward to sift through the letters and gather up those that had fallen to the floor they confirmed the same. After a minute or two of confusion followed by some angry accusations the Earl suddenly stood and had everyone exit the room except for Berdtom.
“Poor quality ink I would say, captain.” Fesmbol remarked with a smirk on his way out, leaving Berdtom with the impression he was happy with the results.
“One of those mages you have in your pocket, Berdtom?” The Earl asked as he examined one of the now blank letters.
“The Vis Mage-Councilor has been in his tower all day I think my lord.”
“Hmm, must I ask about the other one?”
“That one my lord is best not named…it makes him more valuable to you.”
“And to Runeholden?” The Earl asked with a hint of annoyance.
“That I wouldn’t know, my lord, he is from Astrum and so not known to them.”
The Earl sat back down and rubbed his brow for a few moments before saying, “I can’t have you and Cachner at odds like this, Berdtom, it sets a very bad tone within my court. Especially now that my sons are here and every other possible hostage the King could throw at me.”
“I wise move on your part to recall them, my lord, but don’t think Cachner’s worth to approach mine.” Berdtom proclaimed as he walked up to stand at the table to examine the parchments himself. “I tolerate his presence my lord only because you find him of value.”
The Earl opened his eyes and stared at Berdtom. “How should I take your toleration? Is it really yours or Runeholdens?”
“They are one in the same, my lord, and the same may be said of our enemies.” Berdtom stated as he met the Earl’s stare with his own. “Runeholden has no enemies and there are two reasons for that!”
“Careful your tone, Berdtom, Runeholden isn’t so far from Kass that I can’t have them pay your squire a friendly visit.”
Berdtom greeted the veiled threat with a tight smile and then proceeded to ignore it. “The first reason is we don’t seek them and are perfectly happy to placate them even when it seems weak to you Astrum’s. The second reason we have none is like what happened to the ink on these letters…they vanish.”
Berdtom could see that his statement had in some small way startled the Earl who soon recovered enough to ask, “Are you suggesting I should placate Runeholden in some way?”
“No my lord.” Berdtom replied as he shook his head vigorously. “We have placated you by allowing Autbek to remain here in hopes you would eventually tire of him and he of Astrum. But that has not happened and does not look likely to happen.”
“You make it sound like there are others like him! Should I not by rights call them here to Astrum?”
“If there are any they wouldn’t come, my lord.” Berdtom nodded his head to accent the point. “You have one of our own, one that slipped away before he knew better. A mistake we will never make again and one that by now, like our enemies, should have vanished.” Berdtom then changed his tone. “But things have come to light that require Autbek remain.”
“Are you going to tell me now that even Runeholden believes in this foul smelling prophecy?” The Earl said as he shook his head. “I practically created it…you should have learned that at least by now.”
Berdtom shook his head. “Whatever string of fate you grasped at in the beginning to turn things to your own ends has turned out to be a rope instead, my lord. The prophecy is very real, Tenric has convinced me of that as has Eifled. Your desire to gain independence from Bene Aimont is tied to it and it has now bound Runeholden though I’m sure you know not how!”
The Earl stood up and paced the room for a moment. “More riddles I don’t need from you, Berdtom! Now tell me how you and Cachner will make peace as I’m sure he is about to break down that door.”
“If he is valuable to you, my lord, I will implement a solution I have in mind.”
“He is!” The Earl replied tersely.
“Then he shall not vanish.” Berdtom said as he walked to the door.
Berdtom sat at his desk in the tower watching Autbek clean the bookbinding they had retrieved from the catacombs below Atkusup Temple. Autbek had first used several different cleaning cantrips and now was using a fine brush and some powders.
“Valice doing well now I take it?” Autbek asked as he worked.
“Couldn’t be better.”
Autbek looked up for a second. “Castor said about as much.” He complained.
“The spell you recommended work quite well.”
“Hmm, thank you.”
“You seem practiced at this, O’t.” Berdtom remarked as he watched Autbek sit back and relax for a moment.
“Yeah … some … used to have to cover up mistakes I or someone else made when ‘crafting’ in Runeholden. Now this should make it readable, that is if anything can!” He announced as he sat back to look at it.
“I already know what it says, O’t. It reads Sta Tesslodken Tobley Bley.”
“How did you know that?” Autbek asked as he read those very words from the front of the cover. The powder had stuck well to the remains of the embroidered runes and so now the title of the book was fairly evident.
“There was enough there readable already, and I did a little research since we got back. The title translates as ‘Tesslodken book of men,’ though I’ve also seen it interpreted as ‘book of warriors’.”
“Hmm, what’s it about, Tom?” He asked turning toward his friend.
Berdtom paused for a few moments then he shifted in his chair. “I don’t know nor does anyone else, at least not in full. There are no known copies of it but it’s guessed that it covers a great deal of the history of the Tesslodken and how they came to be.”
“A history book? Why bury that with the dead of all things?”
“Hmm, not sure. But one thing for sure it was a lot more than a history book, as were the other three that made up the set.”
“Three more huh. I suppose there are no copies of those either.”
“Almost, one at least has survived in part. In fact Eifled is negotiating for us now to get his hands on a copy of what little has survived.”
“Did not know you had such an interest in history, Tom.” Autbek chuckled. Of all the things Berdtom seemed to know, history was the only impractical subject he could think of that Berdtom had in his head.
“I do have, O’t. In fact the Tesslodken have been a subject of mine ever since it was confirmed we are their heirs.”
“Heirs! Is there treasure? And who do you mean by we?”
“Runeholden, O’t. It’s the last stronghold of Tesslodken culture and that makes you and I Tesslodkens.” He said with seriousness. “And no, other than their knowledge and wisdom there is no treasure.”
“Except for these four books you mentioned!”
“Yes, except for the Sta.”
“Hmm, so how you getting that copy or don’t I get to know?” Autbek said with a tight smile. Lately Berdtom had worked out some sort of deal with the Earl but refused to elaborate on it. Berdtom wanted it all ‘well formed,’ he had claimed before letting others in on the details.
“Well now, it’s delicate and confidential, O’t.”
“Sounds like I don’t get to know until Eifled tells me!” He had total trust in his friend so let him keep his secrets, particularly since he kept the Earl and his court at bay. Autbek had to make almost no appearances, and other than rubber stamping Berdtom’s work for the court he almost had no relations with them.
“On the contrary, O’t, it deeply concerns you and the o
ther apprentices. Eifled and I have essentially offered up your entire library as collateral … and in exchange I get two things.”
“Tom, is this risky?” He blurted out before Berdtom could say more. The library here in the tower he had come to know as one of the greatest in Bene Aimont with respect to sorcery. In fact he knew of no other serious one. “We can’t do without … I mean we are practically nothing without it!”
“Now listen, I’ve done nothing rash or even risky, simply a bit unethical and challenging. Now you going to listen?”
Autbek nodded his head as he crossed his arms. He was sweating now just thinking about losing some of the materials in the library.
“As you know the library is almost exclusively made up of scrolls, tomes and the like acquired from Yoss Thie, one of the greatest mages of our time or so Eifled and others believe. Apparently Tenric rushed to claim them upon Yoss Thie’s death. I assume that Tenric’s mastery of divination paid off well here, as it seems in the mage world it’s first come, first serve.”
“Did not have any apprentices, or so I heard.”
“Yes, well whatever happened we now own it, or should I say the Earl’s mage academy owns it. However you look at it we have something so unique even the Un Sha want their hands on it and for a price I’m willing to give them access.”
Autbek let out a great exhale at the thought of loaning things to others. “I don’t see how we could trust others to be in here looking at what we have. I mean we don’t even know all of what we have!”
“Calm down, O’t, and let me explain who the Un Sha are, unless you have heard of them already.”
“No, can’t say that I have.”
“Not surprised, as far as I know only a very few scholars in all of Bene Aimont have. They are a unique cult, and have been around for many centuries as far as can be determined. They have a single temple in a place called Un Sha, somewhere in the lands of the far south, I’m not sure where.”