by B. J. Beach
Here she looked down at Karryl whose eyebrows were scrambling for his hairline. “If he is, then you young Master are in for a surprise. You’ll find yourself doing things you never thought possible. You might think you’re an accomplished magician now, which to be sure you are, but wait ‘til Redmond’s finished with you. And don’t be misled by the form he has taken. He may not seem to be much older than yourself, but he’s older than any of us.”
Karryl was intrigued. “Well, who is he then.”
The silence in the room was almost palpable as Evalin considered her reply. “I believe you all know D’ta quite well?”
At this, Mordas’ eyes opened wide with surprise. Kimi, who had been sitting very still and taking it all in, also perked up and sat straighter in his chair.
Evalin continued. “Redmond is her elder brother.”
Kimi reverently sketched a symbol in the air in front of him. “God of our people, Ramnor-kudani-te.”
While the others were letting all that sink in, Dhoum pushed himself up out of his chair and gathered up the empty tankards. “Thirsty work, this. Hungry too.”
Evalin watched as he left the room, then bent down to whisper to the others. “Say nothing that matters while he’s gone. The ward of silence has been removed.”
They confined their conversation to more mundane matters until Dhoum eventually returned with full tankards and handed them round. A few minutes later a beaming innkeeper bustled in bearing a huge tray laden with platters of food, cutlery and condiments.
After placing it on a sturdy table set to one side of the room, he turned to his guests and executed the best bow his portly body and well fed paunch would allow. “I do hope everything is to your liking. If there should be any complaints, please don’t be shy about ringing the bell.”
Evalin thanked him on behalf of them all, and he left the room, still beaming and rubbing his stubby fingers together. As the door closed behind him Dhoum quietly replaced the ward of silence.
Ever practical, Karryl eyed the Grrybhñnös with suspicion. “I hope you paid him for all this.”
Dhoum rumbled. “He thinks he’s been paid.”
Mordas gave a disbelieving gasp. “You didn’t cast an illusion did you? The dear man has a living to make!”
Dhoum’s chuckle was deep and melodious, his expression smug. “I gave him coin, but with what else I gave him, he’ll never have to work again.”
While his mystified companions looked at each other in turn, Dhoum took a hefty swig of his ale and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “He’ll find it in the morning. Liked the man. Very helpful... and honest.”
Now deep brown flecked with amber, his eyes found Evalin’s and held her gaze for a long moment. Suddenly she threw back her head and laughed until her shoulders shook. “Dhoum, to be sure, you’re priceless!”
When it became obvious that Dhoum had no intention of explaining any further, Karryl went over to the side table and helped himself to a plate of food and some cutlery, closely followed by the others.
It was far into the night when they finally left the inn, having polished off most of the food and a few more tankards of ale. Thanking the helpful innkeeper as they walked back through the bar-room, they stepped out into a night that was clear and cool. The rain had stopped, and although the pavements were still wet, the deep bowl of the sky was flooded with the light of a full moon and liberally sprinkled with stars.
As they set off towards the palace, Evalin glanced upwards and lifted a hand towards the brightly lit sky. “I fear there will not be many more nights such as this for quite a while. Now it’s time for a good night’s rest. Starting on the morrow there is much to be done.”
It turned out that Evalin’s accommodation was not, as Karryl had assumed, in a wing of the palace. Instead, the little party accompanied her to a large house located just outside the palace grounds.
As she unlocked the door, Karryl moved to stand beside her. “You never did tell us where Symon went.”
She chuckled and gave his hand a little squeeze. “Indeed, I did not, but don’t be worrying. You’ll find out soon enough.” She gave the others a smile and a graceful wave of her hand. “Goodnight, and sleep well.”
With that she stepped quickly inside and closed the door, leaving the young magician more mystified than ever. Kimi then struck out for the barracks where he had civilian quarters, while Karryl and Dhoum accompanied Mordas to the door of her ground floor apartment near the rear of the palace, about two minutes away from the one which Symon and Karryl now occupied.
As Mordas’ door closed, Karryl turned to Dhoum. “Where do you stay then?”
The Grrybhñnös stroked his beard, his round eyes a deep blue. “Nowhere particular. You got room?”
Karryl chuckled and placed a hand on Dhoum’s shoulder. “D’you know, somehow I knew that was coming. Of course I’ve got room. You can sleep in my room and I’ll take Symon’s. You don’t snore too loudly do you?”
Dhoum’s round eyes glinted with amber, and he grinned widely. “Like a Geffendrogger.”
Totally devoid of any idea as to what a ‘Geffendrogger’ might be and assuming the worst, Karryl gave a theatrical grimace then began to chuckle. Dhoum joined in, and the two wandered unsteadily along the cloistered corridor to Karryl’s apartment.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The clear sky which came behind the previous evening’s rain had held promise of a fine day to follow. Karryl stood at the window watching a golden sunrise.
Dhoum’s deep voice rumbled to him from the kitchen. “D’you want breakfast?”
“Yes please. Whatever’s going.”
He smiled to himself as the image flitted across his mind of Dhoum’s hairy head poking round the bedroom door earlier. Sometime during the night the seemingly imperturbable and unpretentious Grrybhñnös had resumed his normal deceptively ungainly form. After a few hours of sleep, punctuated by short spells of thunderous snoring, he had risen while it was still dark and informed Karryl rather gruffly that it was ‘time to get out and about’. He then trundled off to the kitchen where, judging by the cacophony of clattering and rattling which ensued shortly after, he had proceeded to search every shelf and cupboard from top to bottom. The end result of all this activity turned out to be a breakfast of almost gargantuan proportions, which the two of them wasted no time in demolishing.
Breakfast over and dishes washed and set to dry, Karryl sat down again at the table to enjoy a second cup of tea. It was almost time to join Mordas, Evalin and Kimi in the big hall for another day’s training, provided that everything was as well as could be in this afflicted city. He sorely missed Symon, and felt a little guilty about sleeping in his room last night, when he had only been gone such a short while. As Karryl sat thinking, Dhoum had begun a slow rolling pace up and down the room. The conversation during breakfast had been at best perfunctory, and Karryl now realised something was weighing heavily on the Grrybhñnös’ mind. Not wishing to disturb his companion’s train of thought, Karryl, lost in thoughts of his own, quietly sipped his tea.
The magnitude of Dhoum’s ponderings became clear when he finally spoke. “Need all the power we can muster for this one.”
The creature had ceased his pacing and stood gazing at him, long scaly fingers clasped in front of his face.
Karryl narrowed his eyes and looked hard at Dhoum. “Would you care to explain that?”
Dhoum’s eye colour changed to a pale smoky blue, within which shining flecks of deep midnight blue seemed to dance. “As things stand, whatever power or strengths, talents or skills you acquire or develop in the time that remains, they won’t be enough to combat those you will have to contend with.”
Karryl raised a sceptical eyebrow. “So what’s the point then? Why have I been spending all this time doing all this if it’s going to be of no use?”
Dhoum rumbled in his throat. “Don’t be defeatist. It was only a short while ago we discovered the potential power your adversaries will h
ave at their command.”
Karryl held up a hand, palm forward. “Hold on a bit. Adversar…ies? As in more than one?”
The Grrybhñnös sprang lightly onto the square stool he favoured as a seat, not bothering to tuck his robe up neatly, but letting it hang shapeless round the legs of his chosen perch. “One main adversary. Same as them. Lots of reinforcements. Same as them. You’re the channel the power goes through. They’ve got one as well; someone I believe you know. What we have to do is make sure our channel has more running through it, and more effectively than theirs.”
Karryl let out an uncharacteristic sigh of exasperation. “But you just said I wouldn’t have enough in whatever time is left!”
Dhoum pushed his face forward into Karryl’s as if to emphasise a point. “As… things… stand. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can do about it.”
His mouth set in a determined line Karryl started to get up from his chair. “Well, in that case, we’d better call on the others and get to the hall. It seems we have a lot to do.”
With a surprising turn of speed Dhoum hopped lightly down from his perch. Clapping his scaly four-fingered hand on the young magician’s shoulder he dumped him back in his seat. “Not so fast. Nobody’s going to the hall. Not for a while anyway.”
Momentarily taken aback, Karryl’s mouth fell open. A ripple which might have been a smile stirred the long sleek fur covering Dhoum’s face.
Karryl ran his fingers through his own thick, dark hair. “Where are they going then?”
Dhoum took a moment or two before replying. “Mordas and Evalin will be visiting the homes affected by the enchantment. They will overlay a little harmless spell over mine. Won’t take them long, and will give a bit of moral support to the distressed parents. Kimi is returning to his people in the foothills of the Ingalian Mountains for a short while.”
Before Karryl could say anything further, the Grrybhñnös had looked about him and was waving a hand around. “Help close all doors and windows.”
“What for?”
Dhoum didn’t answer, just ambled off towards the bedrooms while a slightly puzzled Karryl headed for the kitchen and studies. He returned to find Dhoum in the process of placing a ward on the apartment’s heavy double entrance doors.
Karryl folded his arms and looked down at the Grrybhñnös. “Do you think that’s necessary?”
Dhoum’s eyes glinted. “It’s just a precaution. If a magician entered here and had the power required, he or she might be able to discover our location. Then things could get nasty.”
He made a wide gesture towards the door as if drawing a line across it. The result made Karryl realise that this magic was rather different to his own. Dhoum’s magic came with full visual and sound effects, in this case anyway. The air in front of the door rippled and shimmered in waves of blue and silver, while the entire room was filled with a deep humming which reverberated gently before gradually fading away.
Dhoum regarded Karryl as if gauging his reaction. “Like it? Don’t always do it like that. Felt like a bit of fun.”
Karryl grinned. “Quite impressive, but what’s all this in aid of?”
Dhoum’s midnight blue eyes held his own. “In aid of you, that’s what. You can translocate if I remember correctly?”
Unsure of where this was leading, Karryl sat down on a small wooden bench beside the door, and gave Dhoum a long look from under his eyebrows. “Of course. But where are we going?”
His hairy companion chuckled. “To join Symon of course.”
Karryl was delighted to hear this, although his tone was one of exaggerated patience. “But I don’t know where he is, and unless I can visualise the location I can’t get there.”
Dhoum flapped a dismissive hand. “Leave me to worry about that. Do your preliminary stages then grab my hand.”
Karryl shrugged and got to his feet, not because he thought lightly of the matter, but he was beginning at last to understand that, as Symon had said, there was a lot more to Dhoum than first met the eye. He remembered feeling the same initial distrust when he had first met Kimi, and that feeling had also proved to be unfounded. Now he found himself tied in with another comparative stranger, without whose help it seemed he would be unable to validate the trust which the others, particularly Symon, had placed in him. That was one thing he was determined should not happen.
Despite the gut-wrenching horror of his encounter with the grelfons, it had been the wan expressionless faces of the children who had fallen under the evil enchantment which had finally put everything in perspective. Until then he had been concentrating on his studies, practising hard day after day, towards the time when he could justifiably carry the appellation of Master Magician, the Mage-Prime it seemed he was pre-destined to become. Now all that seemed to fall by the wayside as he finally understood he had a job to do. More importantly, it had to be done properly. Without the moral and magical support of his fellow magicians, his own already quite substantial powers would not be enough. This was no time to be insular.
Dhoum’s deep rumbling voice cut through his thoughts. “When you’re done thinking, perhaps we can go?”
Karryl nodded and crossed to stand beside Dhoum, settling his mind firmly on the spell which would transport him in millions of swirling motes to materialise, in this case, at a destination he knew nothing about.
He looked down into Dhoum’s soulful eyes. “Where is Symon, exactly?”
Dhoum stroked his golden throat-patch. “Exactly? Hmmm. Couldn’t say. Know how to get there though. That’s what matters. You ready?”
Taking a deep breath, Karryl then released it in a sigh of resignation. After confirming his readiness to Dhoum with a brief nod, he closed his eyes. He had found, like Symon, that the rippling of the air just prior to dematerialisation tended to make him a little queasy. Setting only basic parameters he reached out for Dhoum’s scaly fingers. He felt the contrasting softness of the palm against his, the brief hard contact of the claw-like nails on his skin as the four-jointed fingers wrapped around his hand. Had anyone been watching they would have seen the strange pairing dissolve into the air like sugar into water. They may even have heard a faint popping sound as the last trace of their presence disappeared.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The old man woke, fully alert, from a troubled sleep. Lying perfectly still he listened to the stirrings of the night, sensing rather than hearing another’s presence outside the hut. Biki’s sleeping form was a dark silhouette against the glow of the little brazier’s dying embers. Casting his mind cautiously outward, the old man grasped at the tendrils of the other’s thoughts. Meeting with no resistance, he sought to recognise the unique pattern of consciousness which would identify his visitor. As the pattern quickly emerged, the old man’s heart sank and he broke contact. With a deep sigh of resignation he rolled out of his blanket and pulled on a warm woollen robe. He picked up a water-skin, stepped carefully over the sleeping Biki and out into the chill night.
A half-grown moon revealed a dark-clad figure crouched, one foot forward of the other, on the hard baked earth a few feet away from the hut. At arm’s length in front of him the old man dropped down to sit cross-legged, holding tightly to the water-skin.
The visitor pulled away the veil of black fabric which covered his lower face, and touched two fingers to his forehead, lips and chest. “Would you share water with one who only wishes to serve?”
The old man nodded and held up the water-skin across his palms. “Water is life. I will not deny you life.”
Taking only a small token swallow, the visitor stoppered the water-skin and handed it back.
Placing it behind him, the old man looked into the dark-skinned, hawk-like face. “How would you serve me Miqhal?”
The desert warrior responded with the traditional reply and, the formalities over, some of the tension left the old man’s body and he wriggled himself into a more comfortable position.
* * *
Ghian leaned back to watch a
bare-breasted servant girl pour wine into a finely wrought silver goblet set with sapphires. Supporting the filled goblet in both hands, she sank to her knees and held it out to him. He leaned forward, taking the wine with one hand while with the other he reached out and grasped her chin, forcing her head upwards to look at him. Devoid of expression his face loomed over her, his hard bruising grip bringing smarting tears to her large dark eyes. Pulling her head closer he smelled her face, snuffling deliberately loudly around her ears and down her long slender neck. He released her chin and leaned back slightly, letting his eyes roam over her adolescent breasts and long smooth limbs. The tension in the room sang like a choir of demons. The girl held herself rigid, not daring to move or protest.
Noticing a single teardrop make its slow progress down her high-boned cheek, he lifted the corner of his mouth in a lascivious smirk. “Tender, are you my lovely? That’s good. I like my meat tender.” He darted his head forward to thrust his mouth against her ear. “And I’ll wager you’re untouched, eh?”
The girl nodded and lowered her head. Her tormentor reached swiftly down and squeezed her breast in his hard fingers. Her grimace of pain went unheeded.
He gave her breastbone a contemptuous poke with his forefinger. “You may leave now.”
Quickly she rose to her bare feet and hurried across the room, her footsteps faltering as he called after her. “Stay close at hand. I may need you later… for something or other.”
Pain and fear shone from her eyes as she dared to glance back at him. Her hand against her bruised breast she hastily left the room, darting her slender body between the woven silk strands of the curtained doorway.
“Are you upsetting my staff?”
Turning in the direction of the voice, Ghian allowed his eyes to feast on the statuesque figure of the woman who, for the last few weeks, had been his lover. She too was bare breasted. A finely pleated ankle length kirtle of white silk shot through with golden threads swung from her waist as she seemed to glide across the room towards him.