Royal Falcon

by Chris Svartbeck

  Conspiracies

  Mistress Om sat across from Chairman Ro in a room in the Crystal Chamber. “The matter is clear. Ioro must be in contact with a sorcerer.”

  “But it isn’t one of us.”

  “That is dangerous!”

  They stared at each other. Finally, Ro sighed and asked, “Can we defuse the problem?”

  “Not without direct contact to Ioro. And we won’t get that. King Kanata is extremely suspicious of all sorcerers since the assassination attempt on Crown Prince Tolioro. We remain barred from the palace.”

  “Hmmm. I would love to know who contacted Ioro and how he was able to do it. We will have to be more vigilant.”

  “I will look around outside the tower,” Om offered. Ro just nodded and waited until she had left. Om was not among the people he trusted.

  Once he was alone, he went to a large mirror and pushed the curtain aside. He stood before the mirror and observed it for quite a while. The spell on the palace walls, which he had helped cast at the time, was still strong. How then, could sorcerers he could not identify, be in contact with the residents of the palace? He closed the curtain, feeling uneasy.

  Om activated a very special mirror in her tower in which a face appeared; a face with blind eyes. Om quickly explained the situation.

  Then, she concluded with, “We will find this third party. I have a contact in the palace. One I have been cultivating for a long time.”

  “Interesting!”

  Om waited patiently.

  The old man remained silent.

  Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore and blurted, “The mother of the crown prince!”

  The old man’s eyebrows shot up. A deep crease appeared on his forehead. “The mother of the crown prince,” he repeated. “A clever, but also very dangerous move.”

  Om shrugged her shoulders. “She has some influence on Tolioro. Enough for our purposes. Everyone knows Crown Prince Tolioro doesn’t particularly like his brother. He would gladly do anything to harm Ioro. Tolioro will willingly play into our hands.”

  *

  Iragana wandered through the rose garden. Her ladies-in-waiting were sitting gracefully beside the fountain, chatting. With a quick look around, Iragana assured herself that no one was nearby. Then, she slipped into the small gazebo, which was nearly completely overgrown with vines covered in red blossoms. Even the interior walls were covered with rose vines. Iragana waited. When nothing moved, she stomped her delicate foot once. “I know you are here. Show yourself!”

  A shadow emerged from the vines, revealing a small, wiry man in drab clothing. He smiled as he bowed to the king’s consort.

  “It appears the invisibility spell was worth every penny I paid for it,” he said dryly as he stood back up. “There is news.”

  Iragana nodded impatiently. That is, after all, exactly what she was paying the man for.

  “My sources have learned that Ioro is in contact with a sorcerer. He is carrying a magical object with him. We aren’t sure exactly what he is doing with it or with whom he is in contact, but it is probably not a member of the Crystal Chamber.”

  Iragana’s eyes sparkled. This news was as valuable as gold, literally. Ioro had to know how much Kanata hated sorcerers. Yet, he made use of their services?

  A heavy sack of money exchanged hands. Then, the king’s consort went outside, elated. The little man melted back into the rosebush.

  Iragana sent for her son. Tolioro came and was brusque, as usual.

  “What do you want? I have plans tonight!”

  Iragana smiled sweetly and fished out a piece of candy. “Sit down. I have news.”

  She shoved the piece of candy in her mouth. It tasted wonderfully refreshing, like lime and roses. Tolioro stood there, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. Iragana licked her sticky fingers. “Ioro is in contact with a sorcerer,” she said, scattering the first grain of her evil seed. Tolioro suddenly froze. His intense gaze almost frightened Iragana. She quickly continued, “It appears he is carrying a magical object around with him. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to find out what this object can do. So, we have to proceed carefully.”

  She paused briefly. Tolioro was still eying her like a cobra.

  “Anyway, he doesn’t appear to be connected to the Crystal Chamber,” she concluded, slightly uncertain.

  “Too bad.” Tolioro sounded pensive. “If it were the Crystal Chamber, we would already have his head. Father is loath to speak of the Crystal Chamber because they failed to prevent the assassination attempt.”

  “A sorcerer is a sorcerer.” Who can tell where a magical artifact comes from just by looking at it?”

  Tolioro slowly began to smile. His smile became a wide grin. “Quite right, mother, who can tell? We only need one little incident and anyone who might have something to say about it would have to hold their tongue. No matter what!” Suddenly in a great mood, Tolioro threw himself onto the cushions next to his mother and started snacking on the candy, too. “Let’s chat about it a bit!”

  Disparate Duels

  Master Go certainly made things interesting. He deviated from the normal scheme of things. The selection battles would no longer take place on one day, but at intervals of several days. On the second full moon of the monsoon season, Master Go announced the first pair of combatants. Mir would face Tur the next day.

  Mir was lost. Everyone knew it, including her. Still, she seemed determined to put up an honorable fight. Jok stood with the other adepts and Blues on the platform. It was a textbook final round. Mir’s powerful defense forced Tur to fight straight, without nasty tricks. Master Go watched, bored. Jok watched the fight with a cool distance. By the time Mir’s defense finally broke, both combatants were exhausted. Tur clearly had no desire to draw out his victory any longer. Mir stood upright in the center of the arena and waited, without making a sound, until Tur’s mirror had absorbed her.

  “At least she kept her composure,” Tev murmured.

  Jok threw a quick glance at Master Go. He seemed disappointed as he tersely confirmed Tur as the victor, then immediately left. The platform emptied quickly. After a few moments, Jok and Tev were alone.

  Jok stepped up to the railing. The arena lay beneath them in the dim, gray light. Tev laid his hand on his shoulder “If these crystals could talk! How many lives have they absorbed?”

  Jok shook. “Dozens, at least. Who would invent such a thing?”

  Tev didn’t respond, he just gripped Jok’s shoulder tighter. Depressed, the two friends went back upstairs.

  Sis and Kai were the next duelists Master Go announced. Jok and Tev realized they would have to face each other. Jok racked his brain trying to find a way around it but couldn’t think of anything. He had the impression Master Go was pitting him against Tev on purpose because he knew they were friends. Both Master Go and Nao had impressed upon him time and again that sorcerers stood alone and were not permitted to have friends or family. It still hurt. Tev was the only person he was still friends with, except the prince, whom he visited in another form. But that wasn’t the same. The prince was an exotic outsider. Jok would never feel as closely connected to Prince Ioro as he did to his friend, Tev.

  Tev felt the same way. “We will have to fight each other,” he said, sadly. “Perhaps you should have turned me into your mirror earlier so it wouldn’t be so hard now.”

  “There has to be another way!” Jok balled his fists. “I am not ready to see you as nothing but my tool for the rest of my life!”

  But no matter how they looked at it, there didn’t seem to be any way out.

  Then, Sis battled Kai. Kai stood in the arena, a flame made of red energy, certain of her victory. Sis’ power seemed like a dark, smoldering ore mine. The first exchange of blows was already testing the limits of the shield Master Go had placed on the balustrade. Jok saw how afraid the new Blues were of the roaring flames in the arena, but their fascination was stronger, and they stayed and kept watching. Both combatants seemed equa
lly powerful. Every time a fireball hit the crystals, the arena walls began to vibrate. Under the constant barrage of fire, the vibrations echoed like the tolling of bells. Jok jerked when a particularly powerful strike from Sis broke off several long crystal icicles, and the rumbling sound was accompanied by a second, brighter tone. He quickly followed Tev’s example and stuck his fingers in his ears. Soon, even that didn’t help anymore. The cavern, the platform and everything else was vibrating and echoing. Master Go’s shield was a net of quivering energy pathways.

  Kai screamed shrilly. Her scream even drowned out the din in the cavern. An arm-thick crystal needle had emerged from the floor and pierced her abdomen.

  “Hah!” Master Go blurted out. His smile almost looked pleased. “So, she didn’t take my advice!”

  The noise ceased and the room fell silent. Only little flashes of light flickered through the crystals on the walls. Kai whimpered pathetically, trapped by the large crystal spike jutting from her chest. Sis took his time. He calmly straightened his robe, shook off the crystal shards, aimed his mirror and then walked over to Kai. He forcefully reached for her mirror, which she still gripped in her hand, and shattered it with a flourish. The crystals in the arena glowed with the sudden burst of energy. Then, almost tenderly, he held his own mirror against Kai’s cheek. The whimpering stopped. Kai’s body dissolved. Sis turned to face the platform and presented his new soul mirror. Master Go applauded him. The Blues hesitantly joined in.

  *

  Ioro shrugged his shoulders, feeling ill-at-ease. His tunic was stuck to his shoulder blades. A mosquito was buzzing in his left ear. He didn’t dare swipe at it; the protocol was unrelenting. As he had feared, it landed on his throat. He could feel the bite. It immediately started to itch. Outside, the rain pounded down, dense and constant like a waterfall. It had been raining incessantly for five days. Nothing ever seemed to get properly dry. Their clothing hung damp in the dressers. The beds weren't much better. Last night, he had found a layer of mold between the pages of his favorite book. Goddess, would he be happy when the monsoon season was finally over!

  It, like this audience, seemed unending. The Toloran emissary was now blathering on for the third time about the high import duties on silks. Ioro knew his father was slowly starting to lose his patience by the twitching of his left ring finger. A subtle wink from Ioro let the vizier know to intervene.

  “Excellency!” he addressed the Toloran ambassador. “I think we can agree on a compromise regarding the import duties. I am certain you will understand that the duties on our spices also require discussion. However, this requires detailed lists and numbers. May I suggest we adjourn this discussion and continue it on another day and at another location? I will, of course, personally take time for it. If your Excellency agrees?”

  The Toloran emissary took the hint and bowed respectfully to King Kanata. “Please, Your Majesty, forgive me for having taken up your time with such trivialities. Of course, I would be pleased to work with your very competent vizier to find a solution beneficial to us all.”

  Kanata nodded graciously and indicated to the vizier that he should conclude the audience. After a brief exchange of courtesies and polite compliments, the emissary bowed his way out of the audience chamber.

  Kanata dismissed his entourage with a wave of his hand. Only Ioro was given a curt command to remain behind. Ioro followed his father into his private study. Kanata had a good stretch, then warmed his hands over the brazier that stood on a bronze tripod next to his desk. Ioro raised his eyebrows enquiringly. It wasn’t really cold during the monsoon season, but everything was wet and clammy.

  Kanata furrowed his brow. “My joints hurt in wet weather. The heat seems to do them good.” He turned his hands over the coals once, then again. “The healers say it is age. They cannot offer me a cure. The sorcerers could help me, of course, but I have no desire to be dependent upon them in such matters. That damned Crystal Chamber already tries to gain influence in the palace far too often. That’s just what I need, sorcerers wandering in and out of here.” He stepped back from the ember-filled pan and sat down on the wide, red, velvet armchair. “I want to ask you something.”

  Ioro waited patiently without moving. All he could hear was the roar of the rain and the clicking of Kanata’s fingernails, quietly tapping against the table.

  “You have proven yourself reliable and discreet over the past few moons,” Kanata finally continued. “I am certain you have overheard enough about the political goings on during the meetings and audiences to form a founded opinion. Tolioro will not be here for the next three moons, as he shall be traveling to Tolor as my ambassador. A diplomatic exercise for him and also an opportunity to meet his future wife.”

  Ioro looked surprised. He didn’t know the deliberations regarding a royal marriage had entered such a serious phase.

  “I haven’t made any official announcements yet. My Toloran counterpart is inexplicably of the opinion that his daughter has to agree for there to even be a marriage. We would lose face were I to announce an engagement that may not take place.”

  Ioro continued to wait.

  “What do you think of this union?”

  Ioro considered carefully before responding. “If the Toloran princess is attractive, Tolioro won’t find it difficult to woo her. So, we can expect her to consent. An alliance between Tolor and Karapak, which such a marriage would make possible, would give us clear superiority and absolute freedom to move our military throughout the known world. Trade relationships would also benefit greatly. I estimate we could expect an increase in tax revenue of almost thirty percent. The Crystal Chamber, on the other hand, might think the balance of powers they so carefully maintain is in danger. Officially, the Crystal Chamber would never oppose you, but you would have to expect manipulation, potentially even attempts on your life, father.”

  Kanata nodded. “I agree. I see you not only have a strong sword arm, but also a capable mind. You will need to increase my personal guard for the next few moons. I will also be including you more in meetings. Tolioro will not be available for a while. In the meantime, you shall attend the Privy Council in his stead.”

  Ioro felt the blood rush to his head. He bowed deeply. “You do me a great and undeserved honor, father.”

  Kanata waved his hand impatiently. “A great honor for the son of a concubine, yes, but not undeserved. You have obviously inherited my way of thinking. It is unfortunate Tolioro didn’t get more of that.” An unspoken, “I wish you were my heir” accompanied his words. Kanata did not say it aloud. They both knew what he was thinking.

  Tolioro listened to his spy’s report with a stony face. Ioro would officially represent him while he was in Tolor. He tossed a gold coin to the servant and dismissed him. He didn’t let his mask drop until the door closed behind him. His face distorted with rage, he grabbed a heavy candlestick and smashed it against the divan. Thump, thump! The thick pillows muffled the blows. Still, the fragile legs buckled under the impact. Another blow. The topmost pillow exploded, and its filling of teased wool oozed out. Another blow. And another. And another. The divan finally collapsed on the floor, the frame splintering. Exhausted and his head bright red, Tolioro stopped. This wasn’t helping. He had to plan. No one could know how much his father’s decision hurt him. He wouldn’t give his brother the satisfaction. It was always about Ioro! The perfect image of virtue, integrity and competence his father was constantly throwing in his face! Hah! He would find a way to knock Ioro off his pedestal. He would think of something.

  But first, the Toloran bride. His father would only be satisfied with him if he convinced the girl to marry him. Fine, then he would do his best. By all the rain demons, he only had to marry her. No one demanded the king actually share his life with his consort.

  Tolioro took a deep breath. Then, he summoned his servants. “Take this trash out of here!” he commanded. “And send me a girl from the lower city for tonight. One of the ones no one asks about.”

  The servant
s bowed silently and began to collect the wreckage of the divan. The girl arrived right on time. They knew about Tolioro’s preferred evening pleasures. The rats in the dungeon would have a good meal tonight.

  Sorcerers’ Business

  Kai’s death raised a number of questions. Jok hurried to follow Master Go to his tower room.

  “What do you want?” Go barked, irritated. “I have enough other things to tend to today than dealing with you idiots!”

  “Master, what advice did Kai fail to heed?” Jok asked. He stood before Master Go’s table with his legs apart, refusing to be brushed off.

  For a moment, it looked like Master Go was going to throw him out, then he decided otherwise. “I advised her to neutralize her feminine organs now. She would have had to do it anyway had she ever become a master.”

  “Why?” Jok asked, bewildered. “She couldn’t have children anyway under the influence of the mirrors.”