Turning their steeds around, the squad rejoined the trolls outside the gate. Gock and Bocha dumped the soldiers on the ground beside the wall before leading the cart after the column of hunters.
When they were far enough away, Torva asked his captain quietly, "What was that about? Are we planning on starting a war with our own wizards now?"
"If Echolus won't cooperate, Zarl is about ready to remove him as head of the school. He has been acting out like this for weeks now. We've even caught a spy working for him in the barracks."
"Would Lord Devolus approve?" the squad leader inquired curiously.
"The lord refuses to leave Litsarin, so it is up to us to try and keep this city together. We will do whatever is needed in the end to save it."
Megan had needed to sneak Torva into her room using portal magic. They could no longer eat dinner together in the main hall. Going to the barracks was as likely to be a problem as visiting the school for the wizard hunter. After finding a spy trying to monitor Zarl, she could possibly have been grabbed for being a spy also. It was fairly well known that she and Torva were a couple, but as the two divisions looked at each other as enemies, they were left praying that Sanctuary would be built before they were separated permanently by this new feud between the heads of the factions.
The woman entered the emperor's spire a few days later as usual to spy on Amelyer, or whatever her mission had lapsed into by now; when she found a number of servants and Amelyer's guards milling about with the doors open to his suite.
"What happened?" she asked one of the servants who was trying to look into the general's rooms.
"A kiriak climbed in through the general's window and tried to kill him in his sleep apparently," the other woman stated. She was human and didn't seem to care about Amelyer at all. Wondering if the woman truly didn't care or might just have been in shock, Megan decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
One of the regular guards noticed Megan milling towards the back of the small crowd. He was the soldier who had protected her from the orc the day of the battle in the hall as well. Much taller than the girl and clad in his armor, the man towered over her making her feel small. He was larger than Torva, but gave off the same protective feel around her. His dark hair and blue eyes above his shadow of a beard would probably attract many of the girls, but he wasn't Torva, the wizard thought as she gave him a slight smile.
"Megan, you can come through. The general might even be glad to see you."
"Are you sure, Rystlin?" she asked him by name. The wizard hadn't committed all of the guards' names to memory, but they had the bonding experience of the fight unlike the other men.
Nodding at her, he gently cupped her arm dragging her towards the door. Lukash, her current body checker noticed the woman and started towards her as usual.
"Come on, Lukash, you know that she's not dangerous. Just because Megan's pretty doesn't mean you have to keep doing that," Rystlin chided his fellow guardsman.
The other guard paused and gave a shrug. "The general still has me do it."
Gesturing with his head towards the other servants looking on, Rystlin pleaded quietly, "Not in front of an audience at least."
Lukash looked beyond them and nodded. It was bad enough that news of the attack would spread like wildfire from so few servants, but to add Megan's name in that way didn't seem appropriate apparently so the guards passed her through for the first time. Since she didn't carry weapons anyway, the wizard thought it just an excuse for the men to have some fun with her. Why General Amelyer kept up the pretense was beyond her when he had begun to confide in her more and more.
Inside the sitting room, she spotted Niadene sitting on one of the sofas looking pale. She wasn't dressed in her usual uniform and Megan realized that the maid had likely been with Amelyer during the night. While there had been signs that the other girl was interested in him and he, to at least some extent, in her; the wizard hadn't realized that Niadene was apparently also his bed warmer.
"Are you alright, Niadene?" she asked moving to the other woman's side in concern. Though Megan had tried to remain detached from Amelyer and Niadene, she did care enough to show that to her.
The slim blonde was wrapped in a robe and looked at the wizard appearing to be in shock.
"We were lucky," Niadene replied sounding numb. "Amelyer has been having trouble sleeping of late. I tried to help him sleep better, but I can only distract his mind so much I am afraid. I think he still missed Heline," she finished with words of disappointment. The maid had to be in shock letting her secret relationship just come out unbidden, even if she considered the two of them friends. Amelyer would likely want to keep such a relationship secret. A general with a mere maid might be scandalous; but if he truly cared for her, General Corven or other unspoken enemies might try to use Niadene to get at him.
"They said a kiriak climbed into the room to assassinate him?"
Nodding, the woman added, "It cut the glass of the window and pulled it free with the flat of its hand. I never heard it, but I was asleep. Amelyer woke me leaping out of bed. He keeps his sword beside the bed and fought the monster.
"When it realized that the general was still awake and able to fight, it tried to flee and was stabbed by Amelyer. His sword killed the thing by stabbing it in the back. I don't think he meant to do more than wound it, but it happened too fast to avoid. Now we won't know for sure who sent that thing to kill him."
Megan felt the casting of magic from the bedroom and her body stiffened with tension. Playing it off by standing up, the wizard stepped towards the bedroom placing her back to the girl long enough to use a lesser known bit of magic. Her hands moved but instead of casting a spell that might have been sensed from the other room, Megan concentrated on her inherent magic condensing it into a ball and burying it deep inside of her.
No apprentices were taught such things. This was something that had been discovered when a warlock, who had chosen to hide his abilities to avoid the hunters, was eventually tracked down though not because his aura had given him away. The story followed that he had tried to save the life of a man to which he owed a debt. While that man kept his secret, someone else in his household had witnessed the event and chose gold over his father's friendship to the warlock who had saved his life.
The bounty given for turning in wild wizards and those who escaped was significant enough to not care about the bonds of honor for his house.
Megan was a teacher and had learned many things, some of which were hidden away in Ensolus' library where they weren't intended to be found. This story and the ritual used to delete one's aura was in a secret part of the library allowed only to those who had earned the right to go there as a teacher or higher level wizard. Even a younger teacher like the girl could read those tomes, but she wasn't allowed to teach her students any of what she learned there. It had been decreed that way by the emperor himself as the librarians loved to warn her every time she wished to enter the special room.
Moving behind the sofa, Megan placed her hands on the other woman's shoulders and felt the knots of tension there. Squeezing and massaging Niadene's shoulders, the wizard said, "You poor thing, it must have been horrible to see. Your life was in as much danger as the general's, I bet. Now you are just a ball of knots."
A sigh came from the maid's closed mouth and her head bent forward allowing Megan to continue her work on her neck as well.
Amelyer stepped into the room from the direction of the bedroom and said, "We know who must have sent it. Obviously Corven has decided to avoid a long drawn out fight between our armies and sent the assassin. He has those things among his troops, so one must have been ordered to kill me!"
A warlock and a pair of men in officers' uniforms followed the general. The man Megan had feared discovering her replied, "It is likely, though I am afraid that I can not be completely certain of that as a fact."
"Mertyn, who else would benefit from sending a kiriak to my apartment to kill me? Of course it's Corven,
" the general stated unwilling to be swayed from the idea.
"I am just saying that my magic wasn't able to verify anything along that line. I can try to follow its trail at least for you, general; but one can assume that it would come from the west. Maybe there we can learn more."
"Do what you can, Mertyn, I can't rely on the wizards' school to help me in this. My people tell me that Echolus not only won't back one of us, he is trying to worm his way to the throne instead. He can't get much backing outside of the school, but he's still a threat," Amelyer told the warlock.
"The lords of Seteroth and the other elven forts would likely support you over the grand master. Echolus has done a lot to make enemies among the lords. It is why so few of our people come to Ensolus to train now. Since the emperor never forced the issue so long as we filled his armies without question, it never became a problem.
"As to the grand master, do you think that he could be behind this attack instead? This doesn't seem like something General Corven would try. I think he would rather kill you in battle than have one of those creatures do it for him in the night," the elven warlock voiced his observation.
"Well, it would certainly be a trick worthy of the man, but I don't know if he has the connections to make it happen. My men tell me that the orcs, goblins and the rest might back Corven. There are no kiriaks among the wizard hunters and that would only be a problem if Zarl was willing to support him also. So I find it hard to believe, but I am not ruling it out."
His eyes spotted the two women and he called to Megannah, "Go bring me one of the platters with its cover, Megan."
Looking at his warlock, Amelyer stated, "I will find out if Corven is behind this soon enough. Maybe a little gift for him will bring the truth out of him."
He noticed Megan linger as she listened and the general frowned angrily before ordering sharply, "Now, woman! We need to strike while the iron is hot. Go!"
Hurrying from the room, the wizard wondered what gift the general meant. Though she never asked aloud, Megan wondered if she had brought bad luck to herself even so; when Amelyer disappeared into his room and soon returned with the covered platter.
"Take two of my men with you and bring this to General Corven," he ordered darkly.
"To general..." Megan started wide eyed as worry over what might happen along the way began to play in her mind. There was a saying about what happened to messengers with bad news.
"Corven," he echoed with a frown.
"And what should I tell him?" the woman asked as she held the platter. It felt heavy like a large steak was hidden beneath the cover, she thought.
Considering the question more than Megan would have thought, Amelyer replied, "Tell him that I am returning his gift. He can pick up the rest later, if he wishes."
The young woman paled thinking what was likely to be hidden under the cover. With no omissions left for her to question, Megan took a deep breath and moved to go outside.
She looked at the men around her and decided to address one of the soldiers that she felt could be trusted, "Rystlin, the general wants me to take this with two men to General Corven's rooms."
His eyes widened slightly and murmured, "That might be dangerous for an entire squad."
"Amelyer said just me and two guards," she pleaded with her eyes and Megan could see the man soften.
Nodding he directed his gaze at another guardsman and said, "Well, you've been touching her body lately, Lukash, now it is time to protect it; if we can."
"But..." the guard started.
Megan pushed the covered platter into her inspector's hands and said, "Please carry this for awhile. It is heavier than it looks."
Chapter 23- On a Silver Platter
Megan walked the halls feeling blind. She continued to keep her magic contained, but in so doing the wizard lost much of her basic instincts and the sense of magic that let her see the auras of other wizards. If she were to run into another wizard or warlock on the way, the woman would never know it. The only positive part of it was that, if Corven had any of his warlocks nearby, they would be blind to her power as well.
She was surprised by the feeling of a sense of loss. It was like her magic had been stolen from her. There were spells that could strip a wizard or warlock of their powers. She had only heard of one person the spells had been used on in almost two hundred years though.
It was said that the emperor had stripped Garosh of his power, though perhaps it didn't count since the power taken had been bequeathed to the man at his birth by the emperor as well. Still from what she had heard, he had forcibly ripped the magic from the giant and drawn it into himself. It was likely a variation of the spells that could do the same to any wizard.
Luckily, the feeling was an illusion. Megan had contained her magic and there was a simple way to undo the locking rite. Still, the girl hated not having her magic at hand as she had almost half her life. She had been found at thirteen with the power and had lived at the school ever since. Magic had been a part of her life for over twelve years and she could no longer remember a time without the feel of it in her.
"This is insane," Lukash said in a hushed tone as he followed Megan, who in turn followed Rystlin. She felt tiny between the soldiers. Rystlin was larger than Torva. His human side and years of working with weapons and other exercise made him much heavier than the slim, elf like girl. A lesser elf, as some called her ancestors, Megan was only a quarter of that race and the rest was human; but unlike some half elves she had retained many of their traits including slightly pointed ears.
Lukash was larger than Rystlin. A blond compared to Rystlin's darker looks, he was as big proportionately as the other soldier, but he had a few inches on the man who had drawn him into this mission. It made him almost a foot taller than the smaller girl.
Turning slightly to look back at him as they walked, Megan replied, "As insane as sending a maid to do his dirty work for him?"
Rystlin commented from the front, "You will likely be safer than us. Our armor paints us as their enemies. You are just a pretty maid forced to follow the general's orders."
"I might be pretty to elves and human men, but Corven is half orc."
"The word from the servants is he likes human and elven women too. Well, at least he is known to take them for sexual partners anyway," Lukash remarked casually.
Megan stiffened at the thought, however, and worried that the orc took women against their wishes. It made her wish that she could have Torva with her now. She also wished that she dared keep her magic handy, but if all went well they would just deliver whatever was under the cover to him with the general's message. The latter could make things difficult, even if what was under the cover wasn't capable of doing that as well.
Wanting to check on what they carried blindly, the girl forced her feet to carry her onward without giving into that temptation; even if it meant that she couldn't be prepared for Corven's reaction to it at the same time.
Orcs and goblins started to become prevalent as they neared the general's quarters. It was like they had picked one side of the spire to take as their own, while Amelyer and his men took the other. Such a standoff echoed what was happening in the city and perhaps throughout the empire, if everyone knew what was going on here.
They still had a ways to go when a group of orcs in Corven's dark red armor barred their path.
"Where do ya t'ink yer goin'?" the deep voice of their leader questioned as weapons were drawn to bar their path.
Megan stepped forward before Rystlin could think of an answer. "I have been chosen as a messenger for General Amelyer. He has sent us to speak with your general."
"Wut's undur the covur?" the muscular looking orc questioned pointing towards the platter in Lukash's hands.
"I don't know," she replied with a shrug. "The general said that he is returning a gift to your general."
The orcs took a threatening step forward. "Open it!" he ordered.
"I was told only to bring it to General Corven. I think it is
probably wise to keep it covered until then for you as well. Your general might become angry if he knew that you had tempered with his gift and the message that I am to give him."
Weapons threatened the girl, but she continued to stand between them and the soldiers in brown with silver markings.
"That sounds like a t'ret to our leadur. Open it!" the orc demanded again, and seemed unwilling to pass the girl as he blocked her path. The orc soldier was much taller and broader than Megan filling much of the hall in front of her. She guessed that he was nearly twice her weight and could likely shove her aside without any real effort, yet the wizard sensed that he had considered her warning as well.
Shaking her head, the girl answered, "I will not. If you want to do it, then any penalties will be on your heads not mine. General Amelyer will forgive me because he can't expect three of us to possibility protect this from you, but if you are wrong and General Corven grows angry with you..."
While Megan didn't know what, if anything, Corven would do to the other orcs; they seemed to worry about what would happen to them also. Orcs were considered rather expendable in the emperor's army most of the time. Their power, especially in numbers, was significant and necessary on the battlefield; but that didn't mean that a general wouldn't send them to their deaths in battle without a second thought even so.
She wasn't very surprised when the orc finally decided, "You bring it. We'll be keepin' an eye on you."
The warning was received with nods from the three humans.
Walking the remainder of the hallways between there and General Corven's base within the spire, for that was what his suite of rooms had become; they eventually came to a pair of doors barring their way along with about twenty guards. Four of them were trolls in heavy armor. Scimitars were on their belts and heavy poleaxes in their hands ready to use. The remainder of the men were orcs, though some were only half orc, the wizard guessed as she noted the typical wide shoulders and broad chests of true orcs mingled with those of more human dimension.
Battle Mage Broken Empire (Tales of Alus Book 14) Page 30