The Traitor and the Chalice

by Jane Fletcher

  “Surely you cannot value sorcerers’ lives so cheaply.”

  “Like you did when you tried to murder Jemeryl?” Tevi cut in.

  Levannue flinched. “I had no desire to harm her.”

  “I’d hate to see what you’d do to someone you really had it in for. And how about Druse and Aris?”

  “Aris was an accident. I knew she was unstable, but I didn’t think she’d kill herself. I had her treatment planned for when she came back. I didn’t mean for her to die.” Levannue stared unseeing into the fire. “That’s when it became serious. Until then, finding the chalice had been a game. Piecing together scrambled clues from Orrago, hunting through the library. It was such an absurd rule, there seemed no harm in breaking it. Then Aris killed herself. She was under a loose link to me, but I couldn’t pull her back. I felt her die, and I knew it wasn’t a game anymore. It was only a couple of hours later that Druse asked me about the book I’d taken from the library. I was still shocked. I panicked and swapped his drugs. He didn’t notice. He was too ill...and too trusting. Next morning, when I woke, I rushed back to stop him, but it was too late. Druse was a friend. Do you know how much I’ve regretted his death?”

  Would you have regretted Jemeryl’s? The words were on Tevi’s lips. Jemeryl could see them as clearly as if they were spoken.

  The silence was broken only by the crackle of the campfire and the rush of wind. Jemeryl watched the column of sparks rise up into the darkening sky and drift away. A whinny and stomp of hooves came from a short distance off.

  Tevi got to her feet. “I’m going to check on the horses before it gets too dark.”

  Jemeryl nodded. Levannue did not stir as Tevi left the fireside. The elderly sorcerer’s eyes were fixed on the flames. By the pained set of her lips, she was viewing other scenes, other times. Jemeryl sat quietly, ready for Levannue to speak or keep silent, as she wished.

  “Did you talk with Bramell after I left Ekranos?” Levannue’s voice was stretched. It was the first time she had mentioned her partner’s name.

  “No. Tevi spoke to him a few times, but he’d left for Lyremouth by the time I was well enough to talk.”

  “Do you know how he took my...departure?”

  “I’ve heard that he was upset, but he was coping.”

  “He would.” Levannue managed the ghost of a smile. “Was there talk of him resigning?”

  “Some.”

  “Do you think he knows that I still love—” Levannue’s voice broke off. Her head dropped. Jemeryl reached out to touch her shoulder. She was interrupted by Tevi’s excited shout.

  “Look at that!”

  Levannue tensed and drew away.

  “What?” Jemeryl’s attention was torn.

  “Do you get fireflies here? I saw some before, in the desert.”

  “No. We’re too far north.”

  Jemeryl scrambled to her feet. She halted, unwilling to abandon Levannue in her distress. However, the older sorcerer had withdrawn into herself. Her face was averted, and both hands gripped the opposing elbow, barrierlike, in front of her. It was clearly an end to the conversation.

  After one last pitying look, Jemeryl turned away.

  *

  Tevi waited on the other side of the road for Jemeryl. “Look there, by that beech tree.”

  “What is it?”

  “I’m sure I saw lights.”

  Jemeryl’s face scrunched as she peered into the dimness. Suddenly, her expression changed to horror. She spun back to where Klara sat sentry, oblivious to any danger.

  “Oh, gods, no!” There was panic rather than denial in Jemeryl’s voice. “Klara can’t see them.”

  “What is it?” Even as she asked, Tevi felt a cold fist clamp her stomach. “Ghouls?”

  Jemeryl did not bother to give confirmation. She held her hands out as if to ward off an attack and slowly turned around.

  “How many?” The news had brought Levannue to her feet.

  “The whole foul town. We’re surrounded.”

  “You said they didn’t travel,” Tevi protested.

  “These ones have.” Jemeryl looked to Levannue by the fire. “What do you recommend?”

  “Rissom’s web?”

  Jemeryl gave a sharp nod. “Tevi, quickly, get the collar off her.”

  The urgency in Jemeryl’s voice goaded Tevi to retrieve the key from the cord about her neck, but as she reached for the collar, she hesitated. “Can we trust her?”

  “We’ve got no choice. I can’t hold them off on my own, and right now, she’s in as much danger as us.” The words were thrown over Jemeryl’s shoulder while she dug frantically through the baggage.

  The collar fell from Levannue’s neck. The elderly sorcerer gave a convulsive shudder and took a deep breath, sucked through flared nostrils. Jemeryl stood up, wrenching two staffs free. She tossed one to Levannue and then spoke to Tevi.

  “Stand between us. We’re going to create a barrier to keep them out. Stay inside, and try not to panic. It won’t be easy, but the barrier will dampen their projections.” Jemeryl’s voice dropped. “Keep your sword unsheathed and to hand. If you see the net fail before sunrise, use it on yourself. I’ll be doing the magical equivalent... if I can.”

  The two sorcerers faced each other a dozen feet apart. Levannue clasped her staff in both hands and raised it above her head. Jemeryl was only an instant behind her. They began to chant in unison, a driving rhythm that rose and fell in power—strange words, yet disquietingly familiar to Tevi’s ears.

  She stared around, wondering what to expect. The chant stopped as abruptly as if a knife had severed the string of arcane syllables. Lines of white light leapt between the tips of the staffs and collided in midair. New rays shot from the points of impact, criss-crossing, colliding, and bouncing to the ground. More lines flared from the staffs. Within seconds, a complete dome had been formed over the three women. The web of light glowed luminously in the gloom under the trees.

  All action stopped. Minutes passed, and nothing happened. The silence was unnerving. Both sorcerers were rooted to the ground, their sights fixed on other dimensions. Tevi drew her sword, mainly for comfort, and scanned the woods for florescent lights.

  Jemeryl’s final sentence echoed in her head. Too late now to wish that they had exchanged more personal words, if they were to be their last. Tevi rubbed her face, feeling the chill of her skin. It was also too late to wish they had positioned the barrier with the campfire inside. Tevi stared ruefully at the warming blaze. With no one to tend them, the flames would soon die.

  An unearthly scream rent the air behind her. Tevi spun about as a green, glowing figure hurled itself against the net, shrieking in manic fury. Behind it a second form, pale as a corpse and blotched with vivid purple, crawled across the ground. It shuffled through the leaves until it nosed close to the net, then it plucked at the lines with stubs of fingers sprouting from a wasted arm. Its movements were confused, clawing swipes, and all the while, the ghoul whined and sobbed. More figures emerged, clothed in yellow and green fluorescence. They spun about the web, tearing the silence of the night with screams and howls. Eyes set in molten faces leered in.

  The sword slipped from Tevi’s hand, and she dropped to her knees. Her whole body shook, fighting back the nausea that churned her stomach and the terror that set the pulse jumping at her throat.

  Across the road, the horses grazed calmly as if nothing more dangerous than gnats were abroad. The ghouls seemed equally unaware of them. The focus of their onslaught was the net of light and the three women it sheltered. The deformed shapes writhed around the dome, flowing in a depraved dance. Whispers came from lipless mouths. Towering shapes crashed down upon the net, and senseless, silly, smiling faces chewed on its strands. Unbelievably, the web held firm.

  Slowly, as if she feared that a rash movement might provoke a greater frenzy, Tevi grasped the handle of her sword and then edged back to Jemeryl’s feet. She averted her eyes from the horror surging outside the net and picke
d a point near the apex of the dome where the lines of light showed crisp against the night sky. All Tevi could do then was sit, wait, and pray for morning.

  Above the mountains, the stars stepped slowly across the heavens while hell ran brawling through the forest. Tevi marked the night’s progress by watching the turning sky slide stars from line to line across the web. In desperation, she kept her eyes locked on the stars, battling the urge to cheat herself by moving her head.

  Hours crawled by. A dozen times, Tevi’s hopes betrayed her when she thought she saw the first hints of morning to the east. In the end, she felt something like surprise when she realised the sky beyond the mountains was truly beginning to pale. She rubbed her eyes and took several deep breaths, then looked again. There was no doubt.

  Even as relief flooded over her, it seemed that the intensity of the ghouls’ attack was decreasing. For a last time, she lowered her eyes and looked at the monstrosities besieging the web. They were weakening, drawing off. Abruptly, the sounds of chaos stopped. The last pale figures faded away as predawn peace settled beneath the trees. In the distance, a bird sang. Still the net held, as clean and true as it had been all night.

  The muscles in Tevi’s legs were cramped and frozen. The cold had gnawed into her bones. It took minutes of painful exercise before she could stagger to her feet. She wondered whether it was safe to step through the net and light the fire. In the absence of advice, she thought it best not to try. Instead, she concentrated on stamping feeling back into her limbs.

  To the east, the light was growing behind the mountains. The stars above were twinkling out when, with an audible snap, the net vanished. Tevi spun about at Jemeryl’s gasp and caught her as she fell forward. Jemeryl’s skin was as cold as ice, and her body was trembling violently.

  “Are you all right?” Tevi asked.

  “I will be. I just want to sit down.”

  Tevi supported Jemeryl’s weight and lowered her gently when, in her inner ear, came Blaze’s sardonic voice, drilling out the lessons of the islands. Never, never, never turn your back on your enemy.

  Still holding Jemeryl, Tevi twisted just in time to see Levannue complete a throwing motion. Tevi had only an instant to realise that nothing as ordinary as a knife was aimed at them. The invisible projectile hit, and red light exploded. She had the distinct sensation of being turned inside out. Up became down as darkness overwhelmed her.

  Chapter Fifteen—In Pursuit

  “Wake up, Tevi. Wake up.”

  Tevi opened her eyes. She was lying where she had fallen. Her body ached, and the pulse throbbed at her temples. Light filtering through the trees was a painful glare. A purposeful rustle came from beside her left ear. Slowly, she rolled her head sideways and found herself staring into two beady eyes three inches from her nose. The effort of focusing at such short range made Tevi groan and close her eyes again. Klara gave a disappointed croak. Then memory of the previous night’s events rushed back, and the pain was forgotten. Tevi shoved herself into a sitting position and looked around.

  The sun had climbed above the horizon. Clean, bright beams fell dappled between trees alive with liquid birdsong. Two horses were grazing at the roadside. By the sun’s position, Tevi estimated that well over an hour had passed since she and Jemeryl had been blasted senseless. There was no sign of any threat, or of Levannue.

  Jemeryl lay sprawled a few feet away. Tevi scrambled to her side. Jemeryl’s hands felt clammy, and her face held a bloodless pallor, but a strong pulse beat at her wrist. A raw graze on her cheek was the only apparent injury.

  “Jem, are you all right?” Tevi shook her shoulder.

  Jemeryl’s face tightened into a frown, and her hands moved slightly.

  “Jem?”

  “I’m cold.” Jemeryl mouthed rather than spoke the words.

  Only blackened ashes marked where the campfire had been, but two blankets were among the scattered baggage. Tevi helped Jemeryl into a patch of sunshine, wrapped her in the blankets and then set about rekindling the fire. By the time that flames were leaping over the logs, Jemeryl was looking more alert. A bowl of porridge further improved her condition.

  “I take it Levannue has fled?”

  “Either that or she’s popped off to pick blackberries for our supper.”

  “And she knocked us out cold so not to spoil the surprise on her return?” Jemeryl had recovered enough to indulge in humour.

  “She might be up to something just as strange. Else why didn’t she kill us while we were unconscious?”

  “Perhaps she lacked the strength after she’d removed the mind-lock from the horse and saddled it. Holding the net was hard work. If she feels like me, she wouldn’t be in a fit state to get serious with a knife.”

  “She could have stabbed us first and then escaped at her leisure.”

  “Perhaps she’s too tired to think straight. I know I am.” Jemeryl rubbed her face. “Most likely she couldn’t face killing in cold blood. I really don’t think she’s that callous.”

  “I guess there’s not much point debating Levannue’s motives. We can ask her when we catch her.” Tevi looked at Jemeryl with concern. “How do you feel? Can you travel? We daren’t stay here another night.”

  “I’ll be fine. The blast was a bit much after holding the net all night. What I need is a good sleep. But Levannue must be in the same state. Once she lies down, the end of the world won’t wake her. If you can keep going, we’ll overtake her, and I can guarantee she’ll be too tired to fight off a geriatric dormouse.”

  Tevi nodded and looked at the sun. By the time they were ready to move, Levannue would have a three-hour lead. The hunt would begin again, and this time, Levannue would be expecting them. Jemeryl seemed confident that they would have no problems, but Tevi felt doubts twist in her gut. There was trouble ahead.

  *

  The ground was dry and hard. Even so, Tevi was able to pick out Levannue’s trail, heading west. “She went this way.”

  “Are you sure?” Jemeryl’s eyes were dark hollows in an ashen face. Tevi judged that she clung to the reins more to stop herself falling than to prevent the animal’s straying.

  “I’m sure. I’m not up to the level of a guild scout. But I grew up hunting wild boar through forests like these.”

  “Good. I don’t think I’m up to helping you magically.”

  “Do you think Levannue will keep to the road?”

  “I should think so. As I’ve said, sorcerers don’t find flying a practical mode of transport at the best of times. Right now, Levannue will be doing well just to keep sitting on her horse.”

  Tevi thought that Jemeryl also looked worryingly insecure once she had been helped to mount, although she made no complaint.

  As they left, Tevi gave one last look back at the campsite under the trees. She was relieved beyond measure that Levannue was heading away from Graka. The surroundings looked peaceful. A shudder ran through Tevi. She would never forget the night she had spent there, but she wished so desperately that she could.

  They rode in silence, Jemeryl with shoulders hunched and head sagging and Tevi scouring the ground for hoofprints. The forest stretched away over the hills. The only things disturbing the peace were the rustling of small animals through the leaf litter and the occasional distant bellow of a deer. The air was rich with the musty smell of autumn.

  The sun had just passed midday when a path left the Old West Road, heading south. A few yards farther on, a trickle of water oozed across the side trail. A solitary line of hoofprints was imprinted in the mud.

  Tevi examined the marks. “This is Levannue’s horse. She’s left the main road.”

  “I wonder if she knows where she’s going. Because I certainly don’t.”

  “You don’t have any idea?”

  “None.” Jemeryl scrunched her face as she battled with tiredness. “A group of minor sorcerers established a centre for studying something obscure up in the mountains around here about forty years ago. I can’t remember what, but
the group fell to infighting after a few years. And it was more a hermit’s retreat than a city. They certainly didn’t go in for building roads.”

  “This path is much less than forty years old.” Tevi examined the sawn stump of a sapling. “I’d say this was cut back during the spring.”

  “And if Levannue doesn’t know who’s maintaining the road, it may turn out to be a big surprise for all of us,” Jemeryl said with a trace of a smile.

  The new path was too narrow and uneven for carts. It wound up into the foothills, rolling from ridge to ridge, climbing ever higher. As the afternoon progressed, the trees thinned out. Oaks gave way to birch, interspersed, to Jemeryl’s disgust, with patches of rowan. In late afternoon, the trail crossed a shallow ford. The water rippled over a bed of smooth, round pebbles. To the west, the sun hovered low. Its last misty rays played warmly over a hillside of brown and orange.

  Tevi knelt to examine the marks in a patch of wet sand. “A guild scout could be more accurate, but we’re definitely gaining on her. She can’t be more than an hour ahead of us.” She got no answer. Jemeryl was swaying in the saddle, her face colourless and drawn. “Jem, are you all right?”

  “Do I look it? Don’t panic. I’m just very tired.”

  Clearly Jemeryl was in no fit state to ride. Tevi walked to her side and slipped her foot free from its stirrup. Before Jemeryl could object, Tevi swung up behind her and reached around to take control of the reins.

  “Lean against me. Sleep if you can. We can swap horses when this one gets tired.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  The most worrying thing for Tevi was that Jemeryl was too tired to argue. She closed her eyes and sank back into Tevi’s arms.

  “If we’re lucky, Levannue will be passed out around the next corner, but it’s my guess that we won’t catch up with her until after nightfall. Can you hold out that long?” Tevi asked.