The summoner cotn-1

by Gail Z. Martin

  "Tris, you've got to read this!" Kiara called excitedly, beckoning him to stand beside her. He bent over her shoulder, following her finger as she traced the lines while Royster read.

  "'For three days, and three nights, the battle arcane raged between the Obsidian King and the sorceress Bava K'aa,'" he read. "'"Yield to me!" the Obsidian King demanded, "and I will grant you a painless death."

  "T will yield only with your death," the sorceress replied.

  "'Believing she was wounded mortally, Bava K'aa loosed her last, most potent spell-a gray magic which would bind both of their souls. The Obsidian King had wrought a magicked sphere, which opened into the Abyss itself, with which to catch and bind souls to strengthen his power. Into this Abyss Bava K'aa thought to seal the Obsidian King, even if she must forever stand guard.

  '"As Bava K'aa spoke the words of binding, there appeared a great light, and the image of the Lady appeared with them within the warding, between Bava K'aa and the Obsidian King, so that when the final words of power were spoken, the spirit of the King was bound to the crystal orb, but the spirit of Bava K'aa the Lady did not permit to pass. We blinked, and the light and Lady were gone. Bava K'aa fell to the floor. We lifted her up and bore her away, as her wounds, though grave, were not mortal. And the orb was given to the sons of Dark Haven to guard, where it remains to this day.'"

  "That's it," Tris breathed. "The Soulcatcher."

  Kiara looked to him, puzzled. "Soulcatcher?"

  Tris told her of the pulsing orb in Arontala's quarters. "I've been afraid that somehow Arontala found a way to bind Kait's spirit," Tris said. "I keep seeing her in my dreams, pressed against a glass prison, calling for me."

  Royster was deep in thought. "Dark Haven is a holding on the Principality border of Margolan," he mused. "Foor Arontala came from there."

  "Foor Arontala was one of the sons of Dark Haven," a familiar voice said from the shadows. They looked up to find Gabriel standing in the moonlight that streamed through the mullioned windows. "He betrayed us, and stole the orb."

  Tris felt a chill that had nothing to do with the winter night. "Can he free the spirit of the Obsidian King?"

  "He will try," Gabriel said. "At the Hawthorn Moon. He has great power, and the blood magic he works has strengthened him even further. You must stop him."

  "That's half a year away," Tris replied. "The summer solstice."

  "When our world and the spirit world have few, if any, boundaries," Royster said quietly.

  "I remember the misery that dark wizard brought. This land cannot sustain another mage of his evil," Gabriel replied.

  "You knew my grandmother?" Tris asked. The vayash moru nodded.

  "She was a great woman," Gabriel said. "And a trusted friend."

  "Who are the sons of Dark Haven?" Kiara asked.

  Gabriel looked at her, his dark eyes luminous against his pale skin. "The sons of Dark Haven are Those Who Walk the Night," he replied. "Long has Dark Haven been a refuge for out-kind. Longer still has the temple to the Dark Lady in those hills been sanctuary."

  "If Arontala was one of the sons of Dark Haven," Kiara said, "then he is-"

  "He is vayash moru," Gabriel confirmed.

  "But that doesn't make sense," Kiara argued. "The refugees told me that Jared Drayke was trying to exterminate all vayash mora."

  "It is the truth," Gabriel replied. "Arontala is a traitor to his kind because he fears us. He believes that were we to act together, we might be successful against him. There is one more thing he fears, even more," Gabriel said, looking at Tris. "He knows now that you are a spirit mage. He, too, would have been able to feel the power you wielded in the Ruune Vidaya. Arontala fears that we would follow you, should you rise against him."

  "And would you?" Tris asked neutrally.

  "I believe so," Gabriel replied. "Never have my people sworn allegiance to any mortal ruler. We are a solitary lot," he said, licking at his thin lips. "But I have been to Margolan, and I have seen the burned bodies and severed heads of my kind, and of mortals, killed like vayash moru to feed the fear of those around them. If there are any left when you return, my lord, I believe they will follow you."

  "I thought Dark Haven was abandoned," Kiara said.

  Gabriel shrugged. "When Arontala stole the orb, he rent the foundations of the great house. In the chaos, the lord of Dark Haven died. Since then, the great house has been empty, awaiting the will of the Dark Lady. But what is ten years out of the course of hundreds?" he replied. "There will be another lord."

  "What brings you to Westmarch?" Tris asked.

  "I came to speak with Mikhail about some dealings in Dark Haven."

  "And I imagine you'll want to do some reading on your own," Royster said with a grin. Gabriel smiled, a disquieting expression that made his sharp teeth more obvious. "I once thought that immortality would answer all my questions," he said in a voice laced with ennui. "Now, I learn that it only disproves my answers, and replaces them with more questions."

  "If vayash moru are immortal," Carina said slowly, "how can they be destroyed?"

  "Immortal is a relative term, my lady healer," he replied. "Years alone will not destroy us. Nor will disease. But immortality is not the same as godhood. I and my kind can be destroyed, by fire and stake and magic, just as all those the Lady names immortal have some weakness, unless they truly be gods."

  "So Arontala can be destroyed," Carina said.

  Once more, Gabriel shrugged. "I believe so. That he is vayash moru I know without doubt. But what abilities his magic gives him, and what protections his blood rites have wrought, I cannot say. One thing I do know. The power of blood magic comes at a terrible price. Those who use it to gain strength often become quite vulnerable, if a mage knows where to look."

  "Before we leave this place, I will make sure you've seen every text that could serve your need, my lord," Royster said to Tris.

  "We?" Kiara asked.

  Royster grinned. "Of course. I've been waiting for something like this to happen for fifty years. I intend to tutor him in Principality City." He looked at Tris. "Not being a mage and all, I'd do you no good in battle," he said apologetically. "Kessen chose me well-I'm not suited to work that strains the heart. But the head," he said, tapping his forehead, "now that's where I can help. I always had a weakness for the stories of Bava K'aa," he admitted. "I've been scribe to every Sister who has wanted to add to the record over the years. So having me along is just like packing up a good bit of the Library, and a whole lot easier to carry," he said with a wink.

  "We would be honored to have your company," Tris replied. "Although I can't promise that the road to Principality City will be safe."

  "That's an understatement," Carina murmured.

  "I must take leave of you now," Gabriel said, with a courteous bow. "I will see you again. Mikhail is a servant of the Lady; he will be of great help to you. But I warn you," he said gravely, "there are traitors among my kind. Trust no one who is vayash moru unless I send you to them. Arontala's reach is far. Those he has made, and those he has bound, will do his bidding. Do not travel lightly by night."

  Then with a rustle of wind, the vayash moru was gone.

  ONE EVENING AT the start of their second month at the Library, Tris was working his way through a stack of books in the third-floor study. He glanced up when the door creaked open. To his surprise, Kiara slipped into the room with a teapot in one hand and a small cloth sack in the other.

  "May I come in?"

  Tris smiled and set aside his book. "Please," he said with a gesture that welcomed her to a chair near the fire. Kiara brought the teapot over and set the cloth sack down on the table, out of which tumbled a piece of crusty bread, a wedge of cheese and a sturdy mug.

  "Carina sent me up with some of her headache tea," Kiara said. "Since I was headed this way, Royster added the food-seems he and Kessen got into a row in the kitchen and dinner will be late tonight," she added with a chuckle. She sank gratefully into a chair, and declined hi
s offer of food.

  "No thanks. I grabbed a bite for myself while I was in the kitchen," she confessed. "Although I might take a sip of that tea-I have been reading until my eyes feel crossed!"

  She paused. "Sister Taru says that Cam and two friends of yours reached a keep of the Sisterhood in northern Margolan."

  "They're alive? That's the best news I've heard in a long time," he said.

  "Carina was so relieved, I thought she'd never stop crying." She paused. "Taru says that your friends will meet us in Principality City," Kiara added. "She sent them on to start recruiting troops. Cam rode for Isencroft with an elixir to keep the illness from getting any worse. But they can't heal father while the mage lives who cast the illness."

  "Do you know who sent the spell?"

  Kiara met his eyes. "Arontala. He wants father dead-that way, we have no choice but to ally Isencroft with Margolan to survive."

  "I'm sorry," Tris replied.

  She looked away. "You're doing all you can. The elixir buys us time. Carina has found some other things in the books that may also ease his suffering and give him strength until…"

  "Until I can destroy Arontala," Tris finished her sentence.

  She met his eyes, then looked down and nodded. "Yes." She was silent for a while longer. "I want to do a scrying," she said finally. "To see if Cam arrived safely and see if father is doing better. " Tris poured a cup and slid it toward her. She took a few sips, and closed her eyes.

  "I never had the chance to ask you more about your magic," Tris said, watching her in the firelight. Jae hopped down from his perch on her shoulder and Tris offered him bits of cheese. Jae snapped up the treats before curling into a ball on the edge of the desktop.

  Kiara shrugged. "It's not really sorcerer-caliber talent," she admitted. "The gift is very limited. Scryings, some battle divination-things directly related to the safety of the kingdom," she said. "It shows only snatches of information, out of context." She sighed. "On the future of Isencroft, it has been silent."

  Tris sipped his tea. It began at once to ease the tension in his shoulders and the reaction headache that throbbed in his temples. "Maybe

  the future is yet in motion," he said gently. "Maybe we alter it, even now, by what we do."

  "Perhaps," she said. "I'd like to think so."

  Tris slipped another crumb of cheese to Jae, who gobbled it then stretched out lazily, lolling to one side to invite a belly scratch. "He isn't like that with just everyone," Kiara observed. "You've made a real friend."

  "I hope so," Tris said, meeting her eyes. She looked away, her cheeks coloring slightly, as if she caught the full intention of his comment.

  "Thank you," he said. "For the tea. And the company. It gets too quiet up here."

  "You're welcome," she said, daring a glance back at him. She held out her arm, and Jae waddled toward her, making a gurgle of protest as he lighted on her shoulder.

  "Kiara," he said seriously, "please don't scry without me. Just a feeling I've got… Taru went back to the citadel to confer, Gabriel is gon I wish you'd reconsider."

  Kiara shook her head. "How could we be any safer than here, behind all of the Sisterhood's spells? Carina's desperate to see that Cam is safely home, and I'm as lonesome for a glimpse of father as I am anxious to see how he's doing."

  Tris sighed. "We're probably as safe as we'll ever be. But please, wait for me."

  "All right," she said, "you've got a deal."

  AFTER SUPPER, CARROWAY favored them with several new stories; then three of the Keepers joined him for a candlemark of chamber music. Tris drank another mug of the mulled wine and breathed deeply, enjoying the first chance to relax. He was enjoying Kiara's company as much as the entertainment, and could see that Carroway was relishing the opportunity to entertain with the lute the Keepers had given him.

  When the program ended at the tenth bell, everyone congratulated Carroway and the other musicians. As the group filed from the room, a handful remained behind.

  "What's going on?" Vahanian asked as he passed Tris.

  "Kiara wants to do a scrying to see how her father is doing," Tris replied. "She'll need a few of us to hold the circle, but we've got enough that you're off the hook."

  Vahanian gave him a sideways glance. "I think I'll stick around outside the circle and watch your back, if it's all the same, Spook," he said. "After all, if you get your royal ass fried to a crunch with some magic-gone-wrong, the rest of us have a one-way trip to the hangman's noose."

  "I want to watch," Berry chirped.

  "No," Tris said.

  "Absolutely not," Carina echoed.

  "Isn't it late for you to be awake?" Vahanian asked. Berry made a sour face.

  "I don't have a bed time," she announced. "I've never seen a scrying. It will be fun."

  "It can be dangerous," Tris said.

  Berry dismissed him with a gesture that looked oddly like one of Vahanian's mannerisms. "I'm not afraid. I've fought slavers and seen ghosts and vayash moru."

  "She's actually handy in a fight," Vahanian said off-handedly, and Berry beamed. "All right-I'll let you stand behind me, on one condition."

  "All right!" Berry agreed enthusiastically.

  Vahanian fixed her with a steady gaze. "No matter what happens, you don't get in the way."

  Berry gave him a smug look. "Of course I won't get in the way. I wasn't in the way at the forest throwing rocks, now was I?"

  "It's possible that you pair are two of a kind," Tris observed dryly as they followed Kiara into the parlor.

  Fresh torches burned in the sconces and a fire blazed on the hearth. In the room's center was a small table surrounded by six chairs, and on the table sat an amber scrying ball the size of a melon, on a stand of tangled bronze dragons. "It's beautiful," Kiara commented, reaching toward it and pulling her fingers back just before they touched its smooth surface. Jae flapped nervously on her shoulder, hissing.

  "I'm still not comfortable about this," Carina said. "At Isencroft you had the chamber, and it was spelled and warded. When Alyzza and Tris tried a scrying with the caravan, there was… something… out there looking for him," she recounted with shudder.

  "You are in a fortress of the Sisterhood," Royster interrupted. "It, too, has safeguards." He jumped as if jabbed from behind, and glared at the empty air. "Did we ask you?" he snapped at the ghost. Tris saw Kessen tugging at Royster's shirt, for once completely devoid of mischief.

  "I think he's trying to tell you something," Tris said. "I don't think he's joking."

  Royster stopped in amazement, unused to others seeing his ghostly companion. "All right," he said abruptly to the ghost. "What, then?"

  "What did he say?" Carina and Kiara asked in one breath.

  "Did you just talk to him, Tris?" Berry asked excitedly.

  Tris nodded. "He doesn't think it's a good idea."

  "I have to know," Kiara persisted stubbornly. "I'll be all right."

  "But Kiara-" Carina protested.

  "I'm going to do it-alone if I have to."

  Carina finally nodded. "All right." She looked at the others. "Once everyone is seated, I'll begin the warding," Carina said.

  Vahanian and Mikhail stood near the door as the others found their seats. Kiara stood before the scrying ball, with chairs for Carina to her right and Tris to her left. Devin was next to Tris, then Maire and Royster to complete the circle. Kiara closed her eyes and stood in silence for a moment, readying herself. Carina moved slowly around the room, setting the wards into place. Silently, Tris repeated the warding ritual in his mind to add his strength.

  "Powers that be, hear me! Goddess of Light, attend!" Kiara recited, her eyes still closed. "I am the Chosen of Isencroft, the line of the blood. We gather to invoke the ancient Powers."

  "Spirits of the Land, hear me!" Kiara said, laying a hand on the amber globe in its dragon-winged holder. "Winds of the north, obey! Waters of the southlands, bend your course to the will of the Chosen. Fires of the eastern sun, be bound by
my command. I compel you by the right of the heirs of Isencroft to reveal what is hidden and find what is dear. Let it be so!"

  A glow began deep within the heart of the scrying ball, a swirling mist that sprang from its deepest center. Slowly, the glow grew brighter and brighter. Kiara stared intently into its depths.

  "Look! There!" Carina whispered, bending as close as she could without breaking the circle of hands. Tris let his own mage senses stir in sympathetic union.

  "Father," Kiara breathed. "Dear Lady, he's looking better, Carina, can you see?"

  Carina nodded, wide-eyed, her smile joyous. "He does look better, though not his old self. Oh! Kiara, look!" she cried, tightening her grip painfully hard on Kiara's hand. "Cam is with him!"

  "Wait, it's shifting again," Carina said.

  The mist closed over the globe like a coming storm. All at once, the temperature in the room plummeted, and from the depths of the globe, a blood-red glow began to stain the mist, until out of its depths burst a ray of brilliant crimson light that struck Kiara full in the chest. Kiara sagged to her knees. "Break the circle!" Carina hissed to her. "You have to break the circle!"

  Kiara, unresponsive, stared straight ahead, her eyes fixed and her form rigid.

  "Wind and Fire, Land and Sea, I release you!" Carina commanded, her voice just shy of panic.

  "Those are not your powers to command," a deep voice boomed from Kiara's open mouth.

  "Kiara!" Vahanian shouted, diving toward her. Mikhail pulled him back.

  "You can't stop it," Mikhail said. "Leave it to Tris."

  Tris released the hands of those sitting next to him and took a step around the table toward Kiara. "Let her go," Tris said evenly.

  The light pulsed and Kiara shuddered, her face contorting in pain as Carina and Berry screamed.

  "Let her go!" Tris commanded once more, focusing his power and his will. "What do you seek?"

  "I seek Martris Drayke," the voice rasped, tearing the words from Kiara's throat. "And a bargain."

  "What bargain?"

  "Surrender yourself, and I will not kill your friends."

  "We've got our own scores with this one," Vahanian growled. "No bargains."