by C. Night
“Unfortunately, he is.” Smoke issued plentifully from Cazing’s mouth as he sucked on his pipe.
Liem tilted his chin a smidge higher. It was the only outward indication of fear that he gave. “Then his nickname is well earned. Neither I, nor the queen, nor any of her Council has ever seen him. He truly is faceless.”
Thom almost frowned, and he tilted head questioningly. “How does the Zirite queen serve him, then? How does she get her orders, if she has never seen him? If she doesn’t know where he is?”
“Through his right hand,” Liem replied promptly. “In Zirith, they call him the Warlord. If I didn’t know for a fact that he was a sorcerer, I wouldn’t even be certain he was human.” Liem shuddered slightly. “His face is always covered, and he is still and, as far as I can tell, completely silent. Though he clearly has no trouble communicating Taida’s will to his underlings…”
Rhyen’s eyes widened at the soldier’s words. Was he talking about the Dark Rider? Was this the answer Rhyen had been searching for—the Dark Rider was the right hand of Taida himself? Fear ran down his spine like icy fingers.
Liem rolled his shoulders and looked down. “But there is something else about him… something not quite right.”
“Something otherworldly and sinister,” Rhyen supplied heavily.
Liem looked at him with surprise. “That’s exactly right.” He considered Rhyen. “To be perfectly honest, I pray to the gods that I never meet the Warlord again.”
Rhyen exhaled sharply in a humorless chuckle. He looked down at his hands. They were clenched into fists. “You and me both,” he muttered, quietly enough so that his words went unheard by his companions. He looked up in time to see the gnomes and Cazing exchanging another glance with each other.
Liem ran a hand quickly through his curly black hair. “But, how is it even possible that Taida is still alive? The stories all suggest that he died when the Stone exploded.”
“You know from the legend that he made a deal with a Lesser god?” Rhyen asked sympathetically, shaking himself free from thoughts of the Dark Rider. He knew from unhappy experience the terror of having this information thrust unexpectedly upon oneself, and his compassion for Liem overtook, at least momentarily, his fear.
Liem nodded. “The Fallen One.”
“She protected him, kept him alive when the Stone broke.” Rhyen decided that, if Cazing and the gnomes wanted to include Liem, they might as well do it right and give him all the information. “He is still trying to fulfill his end of the bargain.”
“Which was?”
“To give her the crowns of the seven kingdoms,” Avarek answered.
Liem pulled his brows together as he thought. “Why does he need Conden, then?”
“What do you mean?” Rhyen was puzzled.
“If he is trying for the seven kingdoms, he must realize that Conden isn’t one of them. Perhaps my history is wrong, but are you not referring to the seven Elemental kingdoms?”
Rhyen felt stupid. Why hadn’t he thought to ask that? Of course Conden wasn’t an Elemental kingdom. Why would Taida need it? “Good question…” He looked expectantly at his master.
“Yes, we are,” Cazing replied, also impressed. “But the crown for Pero was divided into two, one for Zirith and one for Conden, when Thronder was split. Therefore, he needs both halves to re-forge the crown.”
Rhyen suddenly remembered the simple silver circlet crown that Terre had worn. Of course, he thought, closing his eyes briefly in his comprehension. No wonder Terre hadn’t traded the crown in for something grander. What he wore was half of the Water crown, forged personally by one of the High gods of old. Simple though it was, it alone was worth more than the entire golden hall.
“I see,” Liem said. He was quiet for another moment, considering. Rhyen raised his eyebrows at Avarek, who almost smiled back. He was already glad Liem had joined the team.
“Could he not just steal the crown? Would that not be sufficient for the Fallen One?”
Cazing shook his head. “Without the power of a nation behind it, a crown is nothing more than fine jewelry. Taida needs both crown and country to fulfill his bargain.”
“But what will the crowns of the seven Elemental kingdoms do for the Fallen One? What will she achieve by gaining them?” Liem asked. Rhyen was impressed. Already Liem was proving a far more intelligent strategist than himself, constantly questioning, trying to understand from every angle. Rhyen had liked him immediately, and found that he was steadily growing happier with his new companion.
It was Thom who responded this time. “We can only guess, since we hope never to witness the answer to that question. But I think she intends to break the barriers that chain her in Limbo, to break through the portal in Pero so she will be free to walk the earth. She is barred from Heaven, you see, and so if she can’t have Heaven, we think she intends to have earth.”
“How so?” Rhyen asked. Liem looked curiously at the sorcerer, perhaps wondering why Rhyen did not already know this information.
“Our worlds are stacked together,” Cazing said. “On the bottom, there is earth, where the living reside. On the top there is Heaven, where only gods may trod. And in the middle is the space between. Limbo. The spirit realm. The Sorcerer’s Plane. All these things exist in the space between Heaven and earth.
“The portal to Heaven is in Pero. But the portal itself is like a bridge—one end opens to earth, and the other Heaven. Between the two exists that middle ground, where the Fallen One is currently trapped. She cannot get into Heaven—she is barred from it, and there is nothing that can break into Heaven. She cannot exit out of that end of the portal. But, if she has the keys, she can unlock the earthbound end.”
“So the keys,” Liem said slowly, “are the crowns of the seven Elemental kingdoms?”
“Yes.” Cazing puffed distractedly on his pipe.
“So he is seeking them for her, to free her? But if she was in Limbo, how did Taida contact her to strike a bargain all those years ago?”
“I asked that same question!” Rhyen said triumphantly. Liem raised a brow marginally. Rhyen reddened as he realized that Liem hadn’t heard as he was mentally applauding the intelligence of the soldier’s questions, and regretting that he had not asked them himself. To cover his embarrassment, he blurted, “Through the Sorcerer’s Plane. It’s kind of a Trance thing… But it doesn’t matter,” he added hastily, “since we’re going to stop Taida long before he can collect the crowns to give them to her.”
Liem took all of this information in a much neater stride than Rhyen had. “Fine. So Taida is trying to repair the Pankara Stone so he will have the power to uphold his end of the bargain he made with the Fallen One, and give her the crowns to the seven Elemental kingdoms so she can open the portal and have dominion over earth.” He restated smoothly. “What exactly is your aim, then, so that I might understand the best way to help you?” Liem was professional and smart, and again the four looked at each other, pleased that he had joined them.
“We’re going to find the last pieces and put the Stone together first, so we can harness its power to defeat Taida. Without his influence, Taida’s spells that he has laid on our king, and, we have to assume, Zirith’s queen, will be lifted, and that alone should be enough to cease the war.”
Liem nodded again. “Have you any means of collecting the pieces? I was never able to find that out in all my years in Zirith.”
“We do. The shards lead to each other. We’ll be able to find more with this one we have.” Thom croaked.
“Speaking of Taida’s spells, how did King Terre become like this?” Cazing asked.
Liem scratched his chin, thinking. “It all started the day the new ambassador from Zirith arrived. This was more than five years ago, before I was stationed across the border. He brought with him quite a party when he took his first audience with our king—the usual lackeys as
sociated with politicians and a few of the Zirite guards, all of course unarmed, since Terre still had his wits about him and ordered they relinquish their weapons at the door. But there was also another person with them, a person all in black.”
Rhyen shook his head. “Let me guess. He was the still, silent, and otherworldly right hand of Taida?” Cazing and the gnomes exchanged another sidelong glance.
Liem smiled wanly. “Yes. He was the Warlord I was telling you of. Though, of course, I didn’t know it at the time. It was only later that I learned who he really was. All I knew, at the time, was that he was creepily menacing and obviously powerful. No one seemed to be able to speak directly to him, and he didn’t talk himself. He just stood there in the background, his face covered, absolutely silent. But for whatever reason, he seemed to make the ambassador appear more powerful than he actually was.”
“How were you involved in this meeting?” Cazing wondered.
“I was actually there to make a report to Terre about some of Corna’s more ambitious criminals. You see, both before and after I joined the King’s Eyes, I worked closely with Condenish police on the more major crimes within capital walls. But halfway through my report, the ambassador just walked in, and no one stopped him.” Liem hesitated. “To tell you the truth, I don’t think anyone could have stopped him, even if they had wanted to. With that dark figure at his side, it was impossible to resist him.”
“That is because Taida’s affinity is Persuasion” Cazing said heavily. “It would make sense that he would choose his right hand man based on that same trait.”
Liem sighed. “Damn. If his right hand is that powerful, how much more so is Taida?”
They all pondered that for a moment.
“So the king went mad after he met with the ambassador?” Avarek asked, bringing them back to Cazing’s question.
“No,” Liem answered. “He was nervous though, after the group left. The ambassador was too confident, and proposing—demanding, really—a lot of radical changes to the treaty. Terre was nervous. That’s when he told me to go away to Zirith, and to get close to their queen, to learn what I could.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “That’s the last sane conversation I had with Terre. I left for Zirith right away, and only returned a few days ago.” He looked down guiltily.
“What’s wrong?” Thom asked, his slanted eyes narrowing into slits.
Liem wiped his mouth. “As I was leaving the Palace that night, I saw the Warlord, flanked by two Zirite soldiers, going towards the King’s Council Room. I knew Terre was in there, but I was anxious to be gone, since he had told me to hightail it to Zirith.” He shook his head sadly. “I should have stopped him. I’ve asked around since I’ve returned, and apparently the next day, the king had completely changed his mind about all matters concerning Zirith. And he started squandering Conden’s reserves. He wasn’t the same man. But he had dozens of guards with him, and I thought he’d be safe. So I didn’t stop the dark figure. I just let him pass.” Liem lowered his head into his hands. “I failed my king.”
“No offense, Liem,” said Cazing gently, “but you couldn’t have stopped Taida’s right hand. You would have been killed, or driven mad too. It’s just as well you let him pass, because now you have five years of intelligence to give us, and you can help us bring Taida down and avenge your king.”
“I suppose,” Liem reluctantly agreed.
“What’s done is done, lad,” Thom remarked. “There is no advantage to dwell on it. Let’s focus on what we can do now instead.”
“But I don’t see how the spell could have lasted so long,” Rhyen interjected before the subject could change. “None of mine last that long, nor Cazing’s. I know Taida is supposed to be the most powerful sorcerer to have ever walked the earth, but his right hand bears no such claim. How could the Dark Rider have Persuaded Terre so completely, and for so long?”
“Do spells wear off?” Liem asked, taken aback. “I thought magic was permanent.”
“Nothing is permanent,” said Thom. “Even the mountains are beat down with time.”
“But yes, spells do wear off,” Rhyen answered. “So how is Taida still controlling the king?”
“Well, I don’t know if this helps,” Liem started, “but his right hand gave Terre something.”
“A trinket?” Cazing asked, eyes narrowing.
“A mark.” Liem’s face was taut. “It’s a red welt that won’t go away on the king’s forehead. You might have seen it. It sort of looks like an old scar.” He looked hard at Cazing. “Is it possible that the mark is magical and that is how Taida is continuing to Persuade Terre?”
Cazing nodded. “I’ve never seen such a thing, but I believe it is possible.”
Liem exhaled sharply. “I knew it. I’ve known Terre for ten years, and I never remembered him having that mark before. My sources in the Palace say he’s had it since the day after I left.” The soldier grimaced. “All the guards had it, too. The ones who were with the king the night I departed…I heard they went mad, but they’ve all passed now.”
“I’m sorry,” Rhyen muttered.
Liem shrugged. There was a momentary silence. “So you have a way to track the pieces, then? Where will we start?”
“We’ll start south,” Avarek said.
“Wyda, specifically,” Rhyen stated firmly. Cazing and the gnomes looked at him in surprise.
“Why Wyda?” His master asked incredulously.
“Wyda hell not?” Rhyen echoed Cazing’s old words. The old sorcerer blinked and chuckled. Rhyen smiled wanly at his master and continued. “We’ll start there because of the Goldenmere mine. The soldiers pulled the same stunts there that they did on Caliena’s farm, making everyone leave, taking over the mining rights…”
Cazing closed his eyes and sighed. “Very clever, Rhyen. I’d forgotten all about Wyda.”
“Really?”
“Well, I’ve repressed the memory. It’s still too painful.” Cazing chuckled and explained his old business to the spy and gnomes. “They swindled me out of buckets of money,” he finished, “but I’m sure Rhyen is right—there is a shard in the mine.”
“And if not,” Rhyen added, “the Stone will point us in a different direction. But I figure it’s as good a place as any to start.”
“Excellent. Let’s get started,” Liem said briskly. “I recommend we go to the most western edge of the Condenish coast. It’s just south of Corna. There is a port city called Adom, and I have a friend there with a fast ship…”
Chapter 27
They spent the rest of the afternoon planning their course south, avoiding areas that were likely to be populated by Zirite soldiers. Liem again and again proved he was an invaluable asset, well worth his weight in gold. He was extremely well connected, and had a veritable army of contacts scattered through the kingdoms. He was a skilled strategist, an intelligent and resourceful soldier, and a shrewd spy.
Liem left just before dinner to return to the palace and grab his things. He was also planning on using the royal coop to send a message ahead to his friend in Adom by raven, warning her to ready her ship. They planned to leave first thing in the morning.
Rhyen decided to walk him out, and just as they were descending the stairs, Caliena opened the door and, humming to herself, walked inside. She was very pretty with her hair pulled up in a long shiny trail, fastened high on the crown of her head like the silky tail of a thoroughbred horse. The blue in her clothes made her eyes sparkle brighter than usual, and her white cheeks were pink still from the sun. She was lightly holding a brown-wrapped rectangle in her hand. She saw Rhyen first and called out enthusiastically to him. “You’re back! Happy Name day, Rhyen!” Suddenly she caught sight of Liem and halted as though frozen. She smiled uncertainly, eyes flitting between the newcomer and Rhyen.
“We’ve got a guest,” said Rhyen unnecessarily.
“I see that…”
“This is Liem,” Rhyen said by way of introduction. “And this is Caliena.” They reached the bottom of the stairs, and Liem properly took her hand and bowed over it, kissing her white knuckles.
She blushed and lowered her gaze. “Hello,” Caliena said breathlessly. She was obviously very taken by his dark hair and eyes and his chocolate skin.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Liem said, his sharp eyes roving over her face. “Forgive me, but you seem familiar. Have we met before?”
She looked up, surprised. “I was just thinking the same thing!”
He tilted his head. “You’re from Conden?”
“No, it’s my first time here.”
Liem nodded. “Then it must have just been a dream.” He was quite polite, but Rhyen, for all that he liked the soldier, felt a pang of annoyance. He noticed Liem hadn’t yet let go of her hand.
Caliena bit her lip, smiling shyly. “Well, have you been to Maypole? That was my village.”
“I can’t say that I have.” Liem said, smiling crookedly. He was still studying her face as though trying to place her.
Rhyen felt another rush of irritation as Caliena blushed deeper under his scrutiny. He was embarrassing her! Rhyen opened his mouth to change the subject, but before he could, Caliena spoke again.
“But I feel I must know you!” she insisted.
Liem laughed. “It seems not. Yours is not a face any man would be likely to forget.”
Caliena giggled softly and stared at him as though entranced.
“I did not realize you all had another colleague,” Liem remarked, all the while still holding her hand. “And I especially did not expect such a beautiful one.”
“No,” Rhyen retorted. Rhyen had initially liked Liem, but found that his opinion of the soldier was spiraling downward with every passing minute. He tried to check his tone. He cleared his throat and tried again. “She’s not our colleague. Caliena is my companion.” Liem looked at Rhyen skeptically. “I mean, not my companion, of course, but our companion. My master’s and mine—she travels with us.” Rhyen inwardly swore. What the hell was he talking about?