I shot through the air like an arrow launched from a bow, gaining altitude and speed as I went. When the rushing wind became too powerful, I created a long tapering shield around myself, pointed at both ends. I continued adding speed to my flight.
The ground shrank beneath me, and the tops of the trees began to blur. I was already traveling at a velocity that would be fatal if I hit anything, no matter how strong my shield was. I had once discovered that even if you could create a shield that wouldn’t break, your body could still be reduced to jelly from the shock.
It had taken weeks to fill and level the crater that I had produced in the yard of Castle Cameron while learning that.
It was almost a shame I wasn’t immortal anymore. That had been my most memorable landing. Exerting my will, I flew faster still.
The sun was devastatingly bright this high up, with few clouds to mitigate its rays. It bathed me in warmth and seemed to thaw my heart. The world below was a rapidly changing vista of trees, rocks, rivers, and mountains. I kept pressing, accelerating even as I added a sonic shield to protect my ears. I knew what was coming.
Without my hearing, I only experienced the shockwave as a powerful shiver that passed through my body. I had broken what my son’s friend Gary called the ‘sound barrier’. According to him, that meant I was moving at somewhere around seven hundred and forty miles an hour, the usual speed of sound in air. It didn’t mean I couldn’t go even faster, though.
The force of the air against my shield was powerful and intense, creating heat that I was forced to compensate for. It was exhilarating. Even a tiny defect in my shield would rip me apart. Death was close and friendly, patting me on the back as my stomach fluttered with excitement. I pushed harder, my focus absolute, my will harder than steel. For a short time I was a god—again.
It felt magnificent, and I reveled in the power and majesty of the sky as I tore through the firmament. I kept the blistering speed up for almost an hour before I let my pace slacken. Even with my reserves, using that much power to fly was exhausting. Not to mention a little foolish. Dropping down to a speed that was probably still several times faster than anything ever managed by one of Mother Nature’s creations, I cruised over the world.
Having flown many times, I was familiar with the landscape, so I recognized immediately when I was nearing Albamarl. I slowed even more, and used the last part of my journey to relax myself; spinning and diving, twisting and flying in loops, enjoying my mastery of the air.
Briefly I toyed with the idea of increasing my speed again before flying over the capital. A sonic boom would probably scare the citizens half to death. Being a grown up (ostensibly), I dropped the notion as childish. They’re lucky I’m so mature, I told myself. Then I imagined what Penny’s response would have been to that statement. Good thing she hadn’t heard my thought.
My first stop was at the office of David Summerfield. It was located across the street from my home in Albamarl. I had only recently acquired the building he was in, so I could install my factor there with some semblance of dignity. David was a solid man, but he had suffered a tragedy in the past year. He had been betrothed to Lilly Tucker, my children’s nanny and one of our household servants. She had died trying to stop the kidnapping of my youngest daughter, and while David had managed to forgive one of the culprits, Alyssa, he couldn’t bear to live near her.
Alyssa was serving as one of my current servants, under a sort of house-arrest, and she was pledged to marry Gram Thornbear. It wasn’t likely she’d be leaving any time soon. So instead, David had begged me to place him elsewhere.
His new job as my factor was something of a step-up, but it made a lot of things easier for me. In the past I had borrowed the use of Lady Rose Hightower’s factor when I needed business conducted in the city. It had probably been well past time when I should have hired my own factor to manage such things. Since I was a grown-up nobleman now, after all.
I drifted down slowly, like the leaves on an autumn day, and stepped lightly onto the cobblestones in front of his office. The people on the street looked at me with some amazement and then recognized me, by my clothing as much as my face. They hurried on, keeping their faces pointed firmly at their feet.
I rapped on the door once, just to be polite, then let myself in. It was my building. David stood just inside, standing very close to a young woman who didn’t look much like a trading partner. In fact, he had had his arms around her only a moment before, but he had withdrawn them at my sudden knock. Magesight was a wicked thing sometimes.
It had only been a little over a half a year since Lilly’s death, but he was a relatively young man, with an important job, living alone in the most populous city in Lothion. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Everyone deals with grief differently, and I promised myself I wouldn’t judge.
Barely a half a year and he’s already moved on, I thought. Yeah, I was judging, but I was determined not to let it show. “Hello, David,” I said brightly.
“My Lord,” he exclaimed with only a hint of nervousness. “I didn’t expect you today.”
“I felt like getting some fresh air today, and Angus needs more materials for the new work in Halam,” I told him. “I figured it wouldn’t hurt to run my own errands for a change. Introduce me to the young lady.”
He took her hand immediately, stepping back and giving a half bow as he presented her. “My Lord Cameron, this is Sarah Beckins, who I have only recently had the benefit of meeting. Sarah, this is Mordecai Illeniel, the Count di’ Cameron.” He had probably added that ‘recently’ part for my benefit.
I took her hand and brushed my lips across her fingers, barely making contact, as was the custom. “A pleasure to meet you, Sarah.”
She blushed and curtseyed, “The pleasure is mine, milord.”
It was clear she was not a noblewoman, but she was definitely well mannered. I released her hand and glanced around the room. Making a quick assessment, I asked her, “Do you work at the flower shop down the street?”
Her flush became much deeper and I knew I had hit on the truth. For a moment I felt like Lady Rose herself with my inductive leap. “Y—yes, milord,” she answered, stammering slightly. “I am surprised you know of it.”
I smiled, hoping to make her more comfortable. I had scared her, scared both of them, and I felt a little guilty for it. Still, I didn’t want to waste a good leap of logic. “My house is just across the street,” I said casually. “Though I don’t stay there often, I try to keep abreast of what goes on in the neighborhood.” I let my eyes rest on David. He would be wondering how I had known where she worked, whether I was watching him somehow.
He was too rattled to consider the fact that there were flowers set in several locations around his office, in vases and pots. I had known a small bit about him during his time courting Lilly Tucker, and never had I noted any particular love of flowers. Oh, he had brought her flowers on occasion, but these flowers were in his office.
And they hadn’t been there two weeks ago. So obviously, he had taken to stopping at a flower shop regularly. The easy answer for why, was Sarah.
The young lady made her excuses and left. Once she was gone I gave David a friendly look, “I like her.”
“I don’t know too many people in the capital, yet,” he responded, somewhat nervously. “She’s just a friend.”
That was a patent lie, based on what I had seen before I knocked, but I didn’t mind. It did bother me that he might have found love again so soon after tragedy, but it wasn’t my business. I had never been in his position, so I did my best to rein in my opinion.
I rattled off the list of things Angus required and left him to recover from the shock I had given him. As I stepped into the street I pondered visiting the Queen, Ariadne.
Just a few years back, it would have been unthinkable for a nobleman of my rank to visit the capital without making his presence known to the sovereign. It hadn’t quite been a law, but not presenting yourself before the crown would have been an
almost unforgivable social faux pas.
The rule hadn’t applied to peer who lived within the capital, but for one as far removed as I was, it applied. That was before the World-Road had been built. Travel to and from the far corners of the kingdom was now commonplace, a matter of hours.
Because of that, the old social rule no longer made sense. The new rule was predicated more on time and frequency of visits. If you came often, it would be pointless to seek an audience with the monarch for no real reason. I hadn’t seen my royal cousin in years, so a visit was technically required. I wanted to see her for my own reasons, though. Not out of any desire for socializing, though, but as a precaution. For the same reason I had been exploring the small towns and villages of Dunbar: ANSIS.
We didn’t know for sure, but it was likely that the enemy was still out there. The last thing I needed was to discover it had infiltrated the government of Lothion and taken control of the queen, or her functionaries.
There were only a small number of wizards in the world, and we had yet to find an easy way to spot ANSIS, other than direct inspection with magesight. The little mechanical monsters could be hiding in anyone. I had even begun considering sending the few wizards we had to visit far-flung cities at random.
Was I paranoid? Maybe. But then again, it isn’t paranoia if there really is someone, or something, out to get you.
Calling the wind, I rose once more into the sky. Why walk when you can do this? I thought to myself.
Chapter 4
The royal palace had undergone a lot of renovations since the first time I had been there, a few decades ago. Perhaps renovation wasn’t the right word, large portions of it had had to be completely rebuilt. But then, you have to expect that sort of thing when you have a battle between an insane god, an archmage, and an ancient dragon.
They had used the same rose granite that was a defining feature for most of Albamarl, but the architectural style had been changed somewhat, probably due to Ariadne’s good taste. Her father, James, had been the first monarch to sit on the throne after the timely demise of King Edward, but Ariadne had already been old enough at that time to make her opinions known when the reconstruction started.
As a result, the palace was less a fortress and more suited to serve as a diplomatic bastion for visiting dignitaries. The gardens had been expanded, more fountains and artistic sculptures added, and the windows were broader and more welcoming. It was far less defensible should an invader breach the walls of the city.
The Queen hadn’t been entirely impractical, though. Her actual residence was in the old keep that had survived. It had been reinforced and made stronger, but it was hidden by the newer buildings around it. An invader would have a hard time getting to her if they did get into the city, but the larger portion of the palace would probably have to be given up as a lost cause rather than defended.
I passed over the outer gate and landed in one of the private gardens before marching in to the section that Ariadne reserved for her public business. Given the time of day, I doubted she was in the keep. I passed through the wide hallways of the guest quarters and into the areas where the minor functionaries held sway. A multitude of offices were there, each with its own door and a pretentious sign proclaiming the name and title of whichever lordling or scribe worked within.
Walking briskly, I didn’t bother with any of them. By flying over the walls, I had bypassed a host of self-important men and useless protocols. I went past a number of courtiers and their ilk as I stalked the corridors, but since I looked as though I knew where I was going and had a determined look on my face, they didn’t bother stopping me to ask questions.
My original plan had simply been to walk and use my magesight to spot the Queen, so I could approach her with a minimum of fuss, but I had forgotten the privacy shields installed by Gareth Gaelyn. A large number of rooms and important places within the palace were protected from prying eyes and ears, and that included magesight.
Glancing around, I decided to interrogate one of the servants. By luck, I knew one of the men who was walking down the hall, his back to me. Picking up my pace, I closed the distance and caught the man by the arm, “Where’s the Queen today?”
Being grabbed suddenly, from behind, was not ordinary palace behavior, as was evidenced by the man’s startled expression and accelerating heart-beat. He gaped at me for a half a second before his normal bland expression returned. He recognized me of course, for it was Benchley, the former valet of the Duke of Lancaster.
Recovering from his surprise he gave me a short bow, then spoke, “Your Excellency, I don’t believe you were expected today.” His tone was dry, with a hint of superiority, but unlike the days of my youth, there was a bit of humor in his eyes. “The Queen is visiting with someone of importance at present.”
His implication of course, was that I wasn’t that important.
It was a game we had been playing for years. When I had first met him, I had been a commoner, a playmate of the Duke’s son perhaps, but a commoner nonetheless. During my early adventures, he and I had had our moments of contention, mainly over my refusal to play by the rules required of my social standing.
Since then, I had become one of the most important men in the kingdom. By some reckonings, I might be the most important man in the kingdom, regardless of my rank. After all, it had been me who had put James Lancaster on the throne. That had resulted in another of my less well-known names, Kingmaker.
Benchley knew all this, naturally, but it was a mark of our friendship that he still pretended I was a minor nobody. Well, I think it was anyway. He would never break character long enough to admit it to me.
In mock umbrage, I replied, “Who could be more important than I am?”
He answered with his best droll tone, “Any number of gentlemen and ladies I would imagine, milord. Shall I consult the heralds to draw up a list for you?” In the strictest sense, his remark was true, but it was also cheeky enough that if he had used that line with some peers of the realm, he might have been whipped. That’s how I knew he liked me. He knew I had a sense of humor.
Probably that was it. Either that, or he was well enough protected as one of the Queen’s most trusted servants that he knew most noblemen wouldn’t dare try to call him out on such a minor insult.
No, I told myself, he definitely likes me. It had to be that.
“I’ll pass on the list,” I told him with a grin, but before I could ask my next question a roar shook the palace.
Benchley gave me a disapproving stare, “You didn’t come through the gate, did you, milord?”
“Well…” A second roar from outside confirmed my suspicion, the Queen’s dragon, Carwyn was sounding the alarm.
The only mage who spent a significant amount of time in the palace was probably Gareth Gaelyn, but I believed he kept his residence elsewhere. However, while dragons couldn’t personally use the power they contained, they did have magesight. That meant Carwyn served a special purpose as a guardian at the palace, and my arrival had alerted him. A powerful mage shines like a beacon to others with magesight.
Even though he was just doing his job, I thought the roaring was a little excessive. I was Carwyn’s creator after all. Surely, he would realize I didn’t represent a threat to his royal mistress? A third roar dispelled that notion.
Guards were appearing in the halls and everyone there on honest business disappeared into their offices or lined up against the walls to make it easy for the soldiers to pass and verify who was who.
I gave Benchley a sheepish look, “Perhaps I should go…”
The traitor raised his hand and pointed at me, signaling to the nearest group of guards, “He’s over here!”
“Benchley, that wasn’t very nice,” I admonished him. “After all the years we’ve known each other!”
He merely shrugged and moved to stand by the wall, the bastard. Within seconds I was surrounded by men in armor, all of them waving sharp pointy things at me. Some of them were yelling orders, bu
t they all spoke at once, so it was difficult to know what they wanted.
“Do you want my hands up or do you want me to lie on the floor?” I asked. “I can’t do both.”
Another was shouting for me to identify myself, which I thought was pretty silly, since it was obvious by the mutters of a few of them that they already knew I was the ‘Blood Lord’. I extended my shield out for several feet in every direction to keep them from getting too close.
“Has anyone seen Sir Harold?” I inquired. “He will vouch for me.”
Since I wouldn’t let them arrest me, or even approach, they just kept me surrounded until Harold arrived.
Harold had been one of my knights originally, until the Queen had poached him from me. Dorian had trained him into one of the deadliest knights in the kingdom, and I was rather proud of my small part in that. These days he was the captain of the Queen’s Guard.
He looked surprised when he pushed his way through the crowd and saw me. Then he shook his head in disbelief. “I should have known,” he said.
“Hi, Harold!” I waved at him. “Do you think you could call off your men?”
They stepped aside as he approached. “Did you ever think of just using the gate like a normal person?” he asked.
“I just wanted to make it a quick visit,” I told him. “You know, avoid all the commotion of pomp and circumstance.”
Harold looked around and waved his hands at all the men surrounding me. “This is your idea of a quiet visit?”
“Well, my plan sort of backfired,” I admitted.
Harold sighed, then he gave the order to the guardsmen, “Back to your posts, I’ll escort the good Count di’ Cameron.”
Some of them relaxed, but several were not so easily convinced. One spoke up, “Are you certain, Sir Harold? He looks dangerous, and he’s already committed a crime by climbing the walls.”
I protested, “I didn’t climb anything! I flew.”
Harold looked down his nose at the guard, “Ned, do you really think you could stop him with a spear? If he wanted, this man could have buried you all up to your necks in the stone floor with little more than a glance.”
Mordecai Page 4