He stood up from his chair abruptly, successfully toppling it this time, hands slamming down on the desk with a loud bang. Papers went flying across his desk, the inkwell tipping over.
“WHAT?!”
Confronted with an angry, incredulous king, I wrestled my own anger back down and carefully made my explanation neutral. “There are three types of magic in this world. One of those types is blood magic—what the Star Order uses. It’s a corrupt version of magical power, really, but can be quite powerful.”
He met my eyes levelly. “The Priests have said for centuries that their powers come from the Guardians themselves, that this is a divine calling.”
I was shaking my head even before he finished. “That is not possible, Your Majesty. It’s magic. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be able to detect it or defeat it.”
It took several long moments before this truly sank in. When it did, he nearly shook in growing rage. “They’re magic users. Those hypocrites are magic users, and they dare to pass judgment on my grandson?!”
They’ve done more than that, but I bit my tongue before saying so. I didn’t think it wise to say anything at this point. A man is more likely to move, and be more persistent about a problem, when it’s closer to home. If this is now more personal for Vonlorisen, I am perfectly happy to leave it that way.
Vonlorison vibrated in place a moment before launching into one of the most spectacular diatribes I’ve ever heard. I hadn’t thought anyone could out rant Chatta but he was proving me wrong. The force of Vonlorisen’s rant propelled him across the plush carpet to pace back and forth in front of the fire, hands waving and slicing through the air. His pitch would go from under his breath to loud bellows of curses. I could feel my own anger start draining away with every pass Vonlorisen made, and I heard Night softly snickering in the back of my mind. I caught Shad’s eye and he looked pretty impressed, with that look of taking mental notes.
Vonlorisen stopped after five minutes, hands braced on the austere fireplace mantle. He took a deep breath, then another, regaining a false layer of calm. He whirled around to face us, dressing gown askew, showing a hint of a white shirt and baggy pants underneath.
“You knew this all along.”
I refrained from saying of course, but I’m sure my body language said as much.
“Why didn’t you ever say something? People listen to you. Kings listen to you. Why didn’t you try to expose them for what they are before this?”
The question had a weight to it that I could not dismiss. Answering this question correctly might very well be a turning point for me with this man. I took great care to form my words before I said them.
“If I had said something, if you had believed me, what would you have done? What would any ruler have done? There has already been an argument about the proper use of magical power, with people divided into two camps—the result of that argument nearly destroyed this nation. I couldn’t risk inciting a similar incident.”
The other man huffed. “You truly have no concept of a bargaining chip, do you? I am beginning to see what Guin meant.”
Eh? What did Guin say about me?
With a shake of the head, Vonlorisen moved on. “Very well, Magus, since you are the only magician,” and the king’s face looked like he had bitten something sour, “that I can trust to speak truth to me, explain to me how this magic of the Star Order is different from yours.”
Shad had to step in at one point, as he has more experience with blood magic than I, but between the two of us we managed to explain the major differences between both magics in layman’s terms so that Vonlorisen could understand.
Vonlorisen regained his seat during the explanation, and sat quietly for several moments after we had finished. “So this magic of theirs requires ritual and life-sacrifice.”
“That’s it in essence, Majesty,” Shad agreed.
“This hampers the plans that I’ve been making to disband them. I had thought to simply take away their authority for arrests and executions, since they are given divine power, but that is not the case. I cannot give them free reign, but must annihilate the Order entirely.” His expression gathered into taut lines, highlighting every wrinkle, aging him another ten years before our eyes.
“Your Majesty.” He lifted his eyes from the desk and back up to mine. “Majesty, I have not abandoned this country. I never will. Whatever you need to make my homeland safe for magicians again, I will do.” I paused, wincing at what I was about to say next. “I am at your service.”
“The service of the Advent Mage? Well.” His scowl eased under a wry and knowing smile. “That is a bargaining chip, indeed. I take you on as my…magical advisor, then. Sit, Magus.”
He gestured to the chairs across from his desk and I sat, Shad joining me in the other available armchair.
“Very well, I shall be frank. There will be… some difficulty in disbanding the Star Order,” Vonlorisen admitted reluctantly. “I have been making plans, preparing new laws to be passed, all in preparation. However, I can’t implement any of them at this time. My wife, as you might know, is a firm believer of that sect. She has the influence to undermine every command I give. I’d put her under house arrest somewhere, but she has too many connections. I’m afraid it wouldn’t do any good.”
That was a serious problem. Guin might consider taking her as a political prisoner, but that would cause problems. He could hardly hold her forever without some sort of political backlash hitting. We needed someone who was not politically connected to Chahir to serve as jailer…. I froze when a thought occurred.
“I might have an idea. Have you thought about speaking with the Remnant about this?”
Vonlorisen gave me blank look. “The Remnant? No, why?”
“They are still very interested in Chahir’s future. I think they’d be willing to hold your wife.” I certainly thought it would be worth the trip to ask them.
“Magus, I have no way of contacting them that wouldn’t take months to do,” Vonlorisen spread his hands in a helpless shrug. “If you have a faster means of communication, by all means, let’s ask them. It will probably be better coming from you anyway.”
Considering how their last meeting with Vonlorisen had gone…he had a point there. “Understood. I’ll do that tomorrow.”
“Thank you. I shall be awaiting word from you. In the meantime, I want you to do some research and tell me how to stop the Priests from using this magic.”
I wasn’t sure if there was a seal or barrier of some sort that would work on blood magic. It might be a simple case of needing more magicians over here to act as a hunting party against the Order. I prayed it was not the latter. That would surely open the doors to a bloody civil war.
“I shall consult with the Sojavel Ra Institute.” The hidden library I’d taken there probably had the answer to this question. “There are experts there that can tell me what is to be done.”
“Very good.”
I relaxed a little, relieved to have a firm direction. “Then good night, Your Majesty.”
“One last thing, Magus.” He softened, the hard edges of a King’s expression turning into that more resembling a grandfather’s. “How is Nolan doing?”
“Very well,” I assured him. “Queen Chaelane has taken him into her care. They’re growing quite fond of each other.”
He nodded, relieved. “Good. Just… good. Thank you, Magus.”
“It is my pleasure,” I assured him gently. And it truly was a pleasure to rescue other magicians and see them settled in a place that gave them safety and security. “Good night, Your Majesty.”
“Good night, Magus.”
~*~
As it was very late at night, I didn’t choose to go to Coven Ordan immediately. Asking favors in the dead of night never works. Instead, Shad, Night and I retreated back to my parent’s house long enough to catch eight hours of sleep and eat a hearty breakfast. I did take a few minutes to check on everyone. They were moving better today, having benefited from a
ll of the healing spells, potions, and hours of rest. I felt better watching them. Especially since Aletha, even convalescing, was running verbal rings around both of my brothers. I’ve never seen them at such a loss for words. It was hilarious just sitting there and watching.
There was so much to do that day that I couldn’t stay at home long. After breakfast was over, I stood and poked my head out the back door. “Night, I’m going to the Sojavel Ra Institute, then to Coven Ordan, then to see Vonlorisen, and then going up to visit Chatta. Do you want to go or stay?”
He gave me a horrified look. “Be in the earth for hours at a time while you zip all over creation? I’ll stay, thanks. Just don’t get into any trouble.”
I gave him a casual salute. “Then see you later.”
I dropped onto the earth path and started toward southern Hain. Once I was close enough, the Institute registered like a lodestone to my magical sense. The building itself was large enough to be a small mountain, which is part of the reason why it was so clearly defined for me. The other part, of course, is that its chock full of magicians. Witches and Wizards have always had this distinct feel for me, one hard to capture in words. I tried explaining it to Chatta once, and the closest metaphor I could think of was that Witches and Wizards are like hot magma. The way their magical cores shift in hot, dense flows as they moved about strongly resembled the way magma travels.
Barely anytime passed before I found a clear spot in an open courtyard and rose to the surface again. Coming to the Institute was the easy part of this—finding the right expert to consult with would be the real challenge. In fact, locating the right person to talk to might very well take all morning. Wasn’t that just a joyful thought?
Praying to the gods that they might have mercy on me, I walked in through the first side door I could reach. This door opened up directly into a side hallway, and as usual in the Institute, the walls had so many boxes and odd paraphernalia leaning up against them that it’s a wonder anyone can navigate their way through. I dodged and squeezed past perilous stacks of who-knows-what, making my way to the main part of the building.
“Hey now, this is a restricted area!”
I turned toward the outraged male voice (carefully to avoid knocking something over) and took him in with some surprise. I hadn’t felt anyone behind me. He looked like a Wizard researcher—I’m not saying that because of the long black robes, or the wand in his hand, or the spectacles perched precariously on his nose. It was the half-purple hair, green smears on his hands, and the odd way his right eye kept twitching that indicated he was playing with something he shouldn’t have.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized, “I’m looking for an expert on blood magic. Can you tell me who I need to speak with?”
He harrumphed. “Blood magic is evil.”
“Yes,” I responded patiently, “I know. I need to know how to combat it. Who do I need to speak with?”
He eyed me suspiciously. What, did he think that I wanted to know dark arts for some nefarious purpose? After a long hesitation he finally responded, “Roarke Kartal would probably be the best person. He isn’t here right now, however.”
Now, wasn’t that just ironic? The one time I actually want Kartal, he isn’t around. “Who would be a good second option?”
“Coven Ordan, I would think. At least, that’s who he keeps consulting with.”
Coven Ordan. Now why didn’t I think of that? I had to go there anyway; wouldn’t it have been more efficient for me to just skip the Institute altogether? I felt like smacking myself in the forehead for being an idiot. “Thank you.”
Since I had nothing but stone under my feet, I dropped directly onto the earth path from there and sped toward Bromany. Since no one was with me this trip (and therefore I didn’t have to take it easy) I went as fast as I wanted; which, as it happens, was almost recklessly fast. I had a ball doing it. I also went deeper than I normally do, because I had to get under the ocean to keep travelling. Water and I do not exactly get along.
It wasn’t until I was up in the mountains, facing Coven Ordan, that I realized I had a little problem. It was all fine and well to know that there was a major glamour spell hiding the base holding the city up—just like there was a glamour hiding the bridge connecting mountain and city. But knowing and being able to discount it is two separate matters. I had no way of dispelling the glamour so that I could actually enter the city.
Well. Now what?
Could I count on someone noticing me and letting me in? Probably, but how long would that take? I wasn’t willing to stand out here for a few hours.
Hmmm…well, if I can’t use their bridge…maybe I should just make my own? I’d dismantle it after I used it. Not seeing any drawbacks to this plan, I went with it. There was a sheer cliff face off to one side, with all sorts of lovely rocks exposed. I used them, melting the stone and reforming it into a bridge that stretched to the city. As it was only going to carry me, I made it two feet wide, wide enough for one person to walk across without worry. When I was sure the bridge was sturdy enough to use, I walked across.
I was maybe three quarters of the way there when someone appeared outside of the city. I had to squint a bit before I recognized Wizard Raile Blackover, unofficial mayor of Coven Ordan. He was waving a hand to catch my attention.
“Welcome, Garth!” he called, feeble voice barely audible. “You could have called, you know, we’d let you in!”
“I wasn’t sure how to, sir!” I called back. “And I’m in a bit of a hurry, so I figured I’d just take myself across. Don’t worry; I’ll dismantle the bridge when I’m done with it.”
“That’s fine,” he assured me. I was close enough now to see that he was slightly worried. “Is something wrong?”
“That’s a long story,” I answered with a heavy sigh. I stepped off my bridge, and turned long enough to restore the stone where it had been. When no trace of my bridge existed, I turned back to Raile. “A lot has happened in Chahir in the past week. I’m not sure how much you’ve caught in your pool.”
“Nothing severe enough to prompt a visit from you like this,” Raile answered slowly, eyes searching my face. “I think we best go sit down, Garth. This looks like it might take a while.”
“Yes,” I agreed grimly. “This will take a while.”
Chapter Thirteen: Queens and Pawns
Raile took me back to his house, a modest place that was obviously built for just one person. If the house had more than a kitchen, living room, bedroom and study, I’d be very surprised. From the front, it didn’t look big enough to hold more than four rooms. When I entered the front door, the initial impression cemented in my mind. A bachelor definitely lived here since it was filled to every nook and cranny with books and gadgets. Oddly enough, I felt right at home. It was like visiting O’danne office, or Doss’s.
He waved me into one of the only empty chairs, taking a wing backed chair for himself. He eased all the way back, adjusting his aged frame carefully. Raile had the appearance of a gnome that had been pickled and preserved for the past one hundred years. It always amused me when he moved around like one too. “Start from the beginning, Garth. What’s happened?”
I started from the letter from Vonlorisen, telling about Nolan, and ended up with Vonlorisen’s problems with his queen and the Star Order. I didn’t say anything about Vonlorisen’s request for help. Chatta’s taught me one thing about dealing with people—sometimes, if you let people think it’s their idea, requests for aid go over better. I was banking on the fact that Raile was actually there when Chahir went mad. He had a perspective on this situation that no one else did. If there was anything he could do to help Chahir recover from the war, I knew he would do it.
After I finished, he pondered everything for a moment, rubbing an idle hand against his chin. “So the Queen’s causing trouble, eh? Well. We can’t have that. I assume you came here for an idea of what to do with her?”
I side-stepped the question. “I can’t bring her into Hain; there are
too many political consequences. And Vonlorisen can’t lock her up anywhere in Chahir. She has too many connections that could get her back out again.”
“So you’re hoping that we’ll take her, as we don’t have any direct connection except interest,” he guessed. The twinkle in his eye hinted he didn’t mind the idea in the slightest.
“That’s exactly what I’m hoping, sir,” I confessed.
“Well, your wish shall be granted!” He slapped a hand against the arm of the chair, grinning like a demented meuritta. “In fact, I’ll take her under custody myself.”
He was chuckling so evilly that I couldn’t help but join in. The picture of Queen Vonkaraan, who hated traditional magic with a passion, trapped in Coven Ordan was just too ironic for words. Actually, I thought it poetic justice.
“Excellent!” I enthused. I felt like a hundred pound weight of worry had been lifted off my back. “When do you think you can take her, sir?”
His eyes focused on his shoes as he considered the matter. “Well, I’ll need to run this by the city council, and prepare a house for her, but that shan’t take more than a day or two. Tell you what. Give me three days, just to be safe, and then bring that woman here.”
That sounded reasonable so I nodded in agreement. “Yes, sir.”
“Now, your second question about how to stop the Star Order is a mite trickier.” He sank back into his chair a bit further, hands interlaced comfortably over his rotund stomach. “What do you know about blood magic?”
“Very little. I know that it takes ritual to be able to do anything with it. I know that blood magicians usually link with each other or others in order to boost their power. I know that if you break anything that they are connected to, it knocks them unconscious. Shad told me once that you need a focus for blood magic to be properly channeled. That’s the sum of my knowledge on the subject.”
“In essence, that’s exactly what blood magic needs to operate.” His frown deepened steadily. “Any individual person has very limited magical ability housed in their core. That is why it is so essential for a blood magician to be able to link to other people. It can be done by ritual, as you said, or by sigils that are activated when needed. The Star Order has had nearly two hundred years to fortify their position in Chahir. Rooting them out…shall not be an easy task.”
Advent (Advent Mage Cycle) Page 17