Archmagister

by Kerns, Robert M.

  “Well then, thank you both for your time, and find me if you need me.” Gavin stood, prompting Valera and Wynn to do so as well, and left.

  * * *

  Gavin approached the Grand Stair just as Declan was placing his right foot on the first step. The bard looked over his shoulder and smiled upon seeing Gavin.

  “Ah, there you are, Milord,” Declan said, turning to Gavin. “I was hoping you might have some time.”

  “Of course, Declan,” Gavin replied and pointed to the Grand Stair. “You want to take the quick way or the long way?”

  One of Declan’s eyebrows quirked. “Uhm, the quick way?”

  “Paedryx,” Gavin invoked, causing a sapphire archway of crackling energy to rise up from the floor. It became a doorway to a hallway in short order, and Gavin gestured for Declan to lead the way.

  “I wasn’t aware it was possible to teleport to the Citadel,” Declan remarked as the archway disappeared after their transit.

  Gavin shrugged. “It isn’t, unless you happen to be the Archmagister.”

  They walked a short distance down the hallway, and Gavin turned into the sitting room where he’d hosted Garris Roshan, gesturing for Declan to pick his seat. Before they even had a chance to begin, Hartley arrived.

  “May I offer you refreshment, Milord?” the specter asked.

  Gavin looked to Declan, giving him a questioning expression.

  “No, thank you,” Declan replied.

  Now, Gavin nodded once. “I’m good for now as well, Hartley. Thank you.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  Once the specter faded away, Gavin shifted his attention back to Declan, saying, “So, what’s on your mind?”

  “I just wanted to inform you that my associates have spread the word throughout our respective chapter-houses to be aware of Lillian and Mariana. We have no reason to believe there are any specific threats to them lurking out there, but it never hurts to be vigilant—especially when you’re traveling.”

  “Thank you for that,” Gavin said. “How has everything else been going?”

  Declan smiled. “Quite well. I’ve been working on my various projects, one of which chronicles the rise of a new Kirloth.”

  Gavin fought the urge to roll his eyes. “I’m not sure I’m worthy of a chronicle, Declan.”

  “Let’s see…” Declan lifted a hand and raised fingers, counting. “First, you’re the first new member of House Kirloth known to exist in six thousand years. Second, you ended slavery across the known world. Third, you are the first Archmagister since Bellock Vanlon. Hmm…I do believe you are worthy of at least one chronicle, Gavin, possibly more.”

  “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

  Declan grinned, his expression totally unrepentant. “Of course not. I’m a bard! Your exploits are the stuff the greatest chronicles are made of.”

  “Okay,” Gavin said, heaving a sigh. “I won’t fight you about it on the condition you never make me listen to it. I’m sure it will be a masterwork, but it would just be too embarrassing to sit through a performance or reading of a chronicle based on my life. Deal?”

  “Of course, Gavin. We can agree on that much. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

  Gavin nodded. “I’d like you to speak with our mutual associates to arrange a comprehensive report on the state of Tel. Torval and the others are already preparing reports for me, but they might not know all the necessary information I need. Besides, there’s always the chance they’ll filter what they tell me based on what they think I want to know.”

  “That won’t be a problem, but honestly, I don’t see the dukes and duchesses filtering information about their provinces,” Declan said. “They need you far more than you need them, but I suppose it will be a good way to verify they’re as truthful as we expect them to be.”

  “I’m also putting together a governance council for Tel. What are your thoughts on one of your associates attending that council?”

  Declan shook his head. “I don’t think that will work. My associates strive to reduce the attention directed their way, and attending a governance council is pretty much the opposite of no attention. Whichever poor soul attended would be visible to everyone else on the council and would be questioned mercilessly about the sources of the information they presented. It’s far better to keep them away from prying eyes.”

  Gavin nodded. “Very well. If you’ll see to the report, I’d appreciate it.”

  “What’s next for you?” Declan asked.

  “I’m supposed to stop in and visit with Wynn and my apprentices,” Gavin replied and chuckled, shaking his head. “As often as it’s Wynn training them instead of me, they should probably be Wynn’s apprentices.”

  Declan shrugged. “Will you teach them anything he wouldn’t or couldn’t?”

  “I don’t know. There’s some stuff that Marcus told me, mainly about what it means to be Kirloth, but none of them are Kirloth. I know I didn’t hold anything back in training Wynn and the others, so maybe it would be just as well to make them Wynn’s apprentices.”

  “You’re forgetting one thing,” Declan countered. “There will be a certain amount of prestige attached to being Kirloth’s apprentices, let alone the Archmagister’s apprentices. That could make things better, or worse, depending on who they’re dealing with.”

  Gavin frowned. “You’re saying someone might try to use them to get to me.”

  “It’s always a possibility. It has happened before.”

  “Well, that’s nine kinds of special,” Gavin remarked, a mixture of a sigh and growl.

  “I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” Declan replied. “We make sure they’re well covered if they leave the College grounds, and the protections Marcus and the others built into the College should be more than sufficient to keep anyone with ill intent from entering.”

  “Then, how did those Guild of Shadows people get through? They certainly bore me ill will—to start with anyway.”

  Declan blinked, and his expression turned thoughtful. “No idea, honestly. I can only guess someone invited them into the College.”

  “That makes sense, I suppose,” Gavin remarked. “Anyway, that’s all I had for you, so unless you need me for something else, I’ll let you get back to your day.”

  Declan smiled as he stood, Gavin standing also. “I think I’m good. I’ll find you if I need you.”

  Hartley appeared to show the bard out. Gavin and Declan shook hands, and Declan left.

  Chapter 21

  Unique among her fellow province capitals, Tel Cothos occupied a massive island in a lake from which the kingdom’s two greatest rivers flowed. The Vischaene flowed south to the Inner Sea, and the Cothori flowed west to the ocean through Wygoth Province. Strong breezes were common in and around the city, as the water of the lake leached the heat out of the air and the warmer air from the land rushed in to fill the ‘void.’

  The Cothos Estate occupied a promontory near the island’s edge, with a translucent balcony that extended out over the lake and a large, prominent railing to help any visitors from experiencing vertigo. Lillian and Mariana stood in the estate’s courtyard, a happy smile curling Lillian’s lips as she closed her eyes and basked in the warm sun and light breeze.

  “It is so beautiful here, Mari,” Lillian said, her voice soft. “I don’t see how you ever get any work done.”

  Mariana laughed. “I suppose I’m immune to it by now. It never seemed anything more than home to me.”

  Lillian opened her eyes to regard her friend. “Yes, I can see that. Goodness knows, I don’t see anything special about Tel Mivar.”

  Movement drew Lillian’s attention, and she saw Mariana’s mother approaching them. A groom followed and accepted the reins of their horses and led them back to the stables.

  “Starting the mission to the giants, dwarves, and elves?” Lyssa asked.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Lillian replied.

  Mariana turned and met her mother, pulling her in
to a tight hug as she said, “I thought we’d visit on our way north, Mother.”

  Lyssa smiled. “That’s fine, dear. You know I always enjoy seeing you. How long can you stay?”

  “We were thinking of leaving tomorrow,” Mariana replied. “Has there been any response yet to Gavin’s new proclamations?”

  “Not really,” Lyssa said, leading them into the manor. “It’s only been a few days. I doubt we’ll see much reaction for at least a week. When we finally overhaul the tax laws and implement those changes, I think people will start taking much more notice of Gavin’s reforms.”

  Lillian and Mariana both chuckled. They hadn’t really discussed Gavin’s long-term plans too much with him, but they were aware that Gavin wanted to rework Tel’s tax laws to better distribute the tax burden across the various socio-economic levels of the populace. The challenging part of the plan was the phased roll-out over a period of time; the changes Gavin wanted were too different from the existing tax laws and might break the entire economy if he switched them all at once.

  “How loud do you think the screaming will be?” Mariana asked, her expression almost smirking.

  Lyssa shrugged. “There’s no way to tell, really, but I do think Gavin’s reforms will be more popular with the middle and lower classes. Once everything has a chance to take hold, I think everyone will see improvement in their finances…as long as they manage their money well. But that’s enough work chat for the moment. Let’s get you girls settled.”

  * * *

  The palace gates in the capital city of Vushaar hadn’t changed since Braden had last seen them. Several Cavaliers milled about the courtyard and waved upon seeing Braden arrive. Braden greeted those he passed as he crossed the courtyard to the palace complex’s main entrance. A short time and some exploration were all Braden needed to find Varne, the Royal Herald.

  “Braden!” Varne smiled upon seeing his visitor. “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. What brings you back to Vushaar?”

  “The Archmagister has sent me with an invitation for Vushaar to send a representative to Tel Mivar for a meeting of the old alliance,” Braden said. “Is today one of the days His Majesty holds court?”

  “It is,” Varne replied, “but I’m afraid you’re already too late. Court is over for the day. Still, I’m sure His Majesty would consent to a private audience, especially for one of the Apprentices. I’ll just go ask him about it.”

  Braden grinned. “Thank you, Varne. I appreciate your time.”

  “You’re welcome, Braden.” Varne led Braden out of his office. “As far as I’m concerned, Vushaar has a long way to go in repaying the debt we incurred to the Archmagister and the Apprentices. The five of you quite possibly saved Vushaar, and that’s certainly not something to take lightly.”

  “I don’t know that I’d characterize it that way,” Braden said.

  “Well, I certainly would, and I’m not the only one, either.”

  Varne and Braden continued chatting as they moved through the halls of the palace complex. Before Braden realized it, they were at the door to Terris’s private study.

  “Give me just a moment,” Varne said. “I’ll see if His Majesty has time for you.” Varne knocked twice and stepped inside. Moments later, he emerged, smiling. “His Majesty is happy to see you now, Braden. Please, enter.”

  Stepping inside the study, Braden saw that it hadn’t changed since the one time he’d visited after reconstituting the section of the outer wall. Terris sat at the desk and immediately stood, crossing the room to greet Braden with a respectful handshake. Varne quietly withdrew from the study.

  “Thank you for receiving me on such short notice, Your Majesty,” Braden said. “I greatly appreciate it.”

  Terris waved the matter away. “You’re welcome. But please, think nothing of it. Also, I thought you were one of the six people permitted to address me by name.” One of the king’s eyebrows quirked upward.

  Braden took a deep breath and nodded. “Of course…Terris. It’s not easy, though.”

  “Do you address Gavin as ‘Milord’?”

  “Oh, no,” Braden answered, shaking his head. “It didn’t take us long to see what he thought of his friends addressing him as the Archmagister, no matter what official protocol decreed.”

  Terris smiled. “Well, if it helps, consider me the same as Gavin. Please, have a seat. Make yourself comfortable.”

  “Thank you.”

  Terris returned to the chair by the desk, and Braden sat on one end of the nearest sofa.

  “So,” Terris began, “what brings you back to Vushaar so soon?”

  “Gavin asked me to visit you, Othron, and the dracons to deliver invitations to send a representative to Tel Mivar. He wants to start rebuilding the old alliance. Lillian and Mariana left just before I did on a mission to visit the giants, dwarves, and elves.”

  Both of Terris’s eyebrows shot up, showing his surprise. “Gavin certainly doesn’t wait around, does he?”

  “Not at all,” Braden agreed. “He’s already disbanded the Royal Guard, and despite what a lot of us expected, that went fairly well. From what I understand, Gavin only had to kill the head of the Royal Guard who was trying to stylize himself as the next King of Tel.”

  Terris chuckled. “Yes, I’m sure that didn’t go over well with Gavin, especially considering his feelings toward the previous King of Tel.”

  Braden nodded. “It’s a bit morbid to say this, perhaps, but it’s probably for the best that the former royal family of Tel died during Gavin’s purge of anyone who used the slave brands. Gavin probably would’ve arrested them for the various crimes they’d committed and had to execute them anyway.”

  “Yes, a nasty situation all the way around, that. I agree it was better for Gavin to indirectly dodge it.” Terris leaned back in his seat. “As for the reason of your visit, Vushaar is quite happy to send a representative to Tel. When does Gavin want to hold the meeting?”

  Braden blinked. “You know, he didn’t say. That’s a bit of a glaring oversight, isn’t it?”

  “He probably has so much going on that it just slipped his mind,” Terris remarked. He swiveled his chair and grasped the nearby bell-pull, pulling twice. Moments later, the study door opened, and a servant entered.

  “You rang, Your Majesty?” the servant asked.

  “I did indeed,” Terris answered. “Thank you for such prompt response. Would you please ask Q’Orval and Roth Thatcherson if they have time for me?”

  The servant bowed deeply at the waist once more. “Of course, Your Majesty.”

  “Thank you.”

  The servant backed out of the study, and it wasn’t long at all before Q’Orval and Roth arrived. Both gentlemen looked a bit surprised to see Braden sitting in the king’s study.

  “You sent for us, Your Majesty?” Q’Orval asked.

  Terris nodded. “Thank you for coming so quickly. Lord Wygoth brings a message from the Archmagister of Tel. It seems our friend is already working toward strengthening the old alliance and has invited us to send a representative to Tel Mivar. I’m thinking of sending Roth, and Q’Orval, I wanted your thoughts on the choice of delegate.”

  “I couldn’t think of a better representative, Your Majesty,” Q’Orval replied. “The Archmagister already knows him and has a good working relationship with him, at least as far as I know.”

  Terris turned his attention to Roth. “Your thoughts, Roth?”

  “I’m happy to serve however you need, Your Majesty,” Roth answered. “I don’t know that I really have much of a working relationship with the Archmagister, but Q’Orval is correct that we do know each other.”

  Terris nodded again. “Thank you. The precise timing of the meeting, conference, or what have you is a bit unclear at this time, but I trust you and Lord Wygoth will be able to sort it out. Keep me apprised, please, and expect that I’ll want a full report of each meeting.”

  Roth nodded once, snapped to attention, and saluted Terris. “Yes, Your Ma
jesty.”

  “Very well, gentlemen,” Terris said. “Thank you.”

  Q’Orval and Roth turned to leave, and Braden took that opportunity to stand.

  “Your Majesty, with your permission, I’ll go with Roth to discuss potential days for the meeting before moving on to the next on my list.”

  “Of course,” Terris replied, nodding once. “Safe travels, and thank you for bringing the Archmagister’s request. Are you sure I can’t offer you our hospitality for the night? I’m sure Kiri would appreciate hearing how her friends fare.”

  Braden weighed the options in his mind and decided that he might as well accept Terris’s offer. He’d told Gavin that he was planning on taking a few days with this, so spending a night in Vushaar wouldn’t be a bad thing.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty,” Braden agreed. “I would be happy to accept your hospitality for the night.”

  “You’re welcome. Q’Orval, would you mind letting Kiri know that Lord Wygoth is visiting from Tel?”

  “Not at all, sire,” the aged majordomo replied. “I’m happy to do so.”

  With that, all three of Terris’s guests filed out of his study.

  Chapter 22

  The next morning, Lillian and Mariana set out from Tel Cothos. A ferry delivered them to the northern shore of the lake, where the ages-old trade route would take them to their ultimate destinations. In the years since the royal family took over the civil administration of Tel, trade between the members of the old alliance gradually waned, much like the diplomatic relationships. As such, the old trade route was little more than a forgotten track the farther they traveled from Tel Cothos.

  “Do you think Gavin will be able to rebuild the old alliance?” Lillian asked as their horses clip-clopped along the road that had weeds growing up between the paving stones.

  Mariana shrugged. “This probably sounds like I’m avoiding the question, but if anyone can, it’s Gavin. He has a lot of work ahead of him, though. Most of these problems are six hundred years in the making.”