The Magi woke a few hours later, at Aleister's return. The Sky Fox turned Arkaddian servant had brought food with him, liberated from the kitchens. He also brought a wealth of knowledge, which he shared as he passed the food over to them and settled down on his own pallet, dispelling the illusion as he did.
“I've mapped out the area. Gaining Nobunaga's quarters in the dark should be no problem. I've learned much from the Harriers, enough so that I should be able to become one of them if needed. It'd be better if I had another day or two to prepare, but I gather time is of the essence, here?” Aleister said.
“The sooner, the better. The Khan could decide to move his army any day and that's much more likely if he's under Grosso's control,” Kalla said.
“Well, then. What better time than tonight?” The laughter in his voice died away, replaced by more sober tones. “You might also be interested to know that the Harrier who brought us here, Kasai, has left the city. He and his wyvern have gone out into the plains, but I have no idea what they are up to. The servants who tend to the Harriers needs said that he was very agitated when he left.” Kalla frowned and exchanged another look with Vander, thinking back to Tama's parting words. She wondered if his disappearance had anything to do with the elemental's message.
Arkaddian Plains, Evalyce, Year of the Mythril Serpent, 2014 CE
Kasai paced back and forth in tight, agitated circles, his mind in turmoil. All these years of searching and his quarry had come back home, right to the Harrier's very doorstep. Kasai ground his teeth at the thought that he had faced Aleister on Sevfahl and discarded him as being Kaze. He'd let the Fox slip through his fingers because he just couldn't believe that the warrior's child who'd killed his own father and fled the Plainslands could have ended up a mere thief. And now that thief was bound as a magister!
And that was his problem now, wasn't it? The debt of his people to the mage Aleister belonged to. All of Arkaddia owed Kalla kyl'Solidor their very lives and livelihood, so what would her reaction be if he killed Aleister? What would the Khan's reaction be? No doubt he'd be labeled a traitor and executed accordingly. Kasai could accept that, as long as he took care of Kaze first. But what would Kalla do? If she was strong enough to banish the storms, was she strong enough to bring them back. Or visit a worse punishment on them for his actions?
The Harrier sighed. He didn't want to hurt the Healer. He found that he genuinely liked her and that, too, warred with his need for revenge. Did she even know what her magister had done? Would that make a difference? Kasai doubted it. Magi claimed condemned criminals as their magisters and she must have thought him responsible for the assassination he'd been incarcerated for, even if he and Aleister knew the truth. It was quite obvious that she cared a great deal about her magister and that he returned the affection. If she loved him, knowing the truth of his past, then her reaction might be fearsome indeed.
And how did the flame-haired Dashmari mage play into all of this? Even if Kalla didn't retaliate, Vander might and Kasai sensed that he could do quite a bit of damage if properly motivated.
Kasai bared his teeth in a wordless frustration as he continued to pace in tight circles. Back and forth, he went, bouncing the thoughts around in his mind. Thiassi sat hunched in on himself, sharing his rider's agitation.
The Harrier was due back in Karokorum within three days. He needed to make a decision before then, on how to deal with Aleister. Hounds help him if the mage actually managed to oust Grosso and free the Khan. More debt they would owe the mage, more guilt to stay his hand, yet the need for revenge against the half-brother who'd killed their father was a burning goad in his heart, a blazing inferno that consumed his common sense.
Karokorum, Arkaddia, Evalyce, Year of the Mythril Serpent, 2014 CE
Night-time and Kalla prowled the room, restless. The rest of the day had passed with little fuss. Ari had come back to check on them and said that the Khan was still indisposed, but would see them in the morning. The three had spent the afternoon playing chigali and, towards evening, made their way back outside to check on both the ship and Amaterasu. The fire wyrm had made fast friends with the frost wyrms and now the whole flock was clustered around the airship. The wyvern had confirmed that an agitated Kasai had departed with Thiassi about two hours after they had entered the city.
The group shared dinner with the others in the Palace's feasting hall. Neither the Khan nor Grosso made an appearance, but they did get to meet many of the Clan leaders, all of whom were immensely thankful towards Kalla. Apparently the shaman had told them what she had done. They had, each and every one, offered her some of the finest gifts the Clans had to offer. She had graciously accepted the gifts, for to decline them would have been an affront to the Clan. Three exquisitely worked pouches such as the ones the shaman carried, which were always useful for magi as well. Two finely crafted volumes from the Clans who followed Nobunaga's scholarly bent. A pouch of the rare ensil plant, an herb highly valued by herbalists. It would make a fine gift for Rosalia, when they finally returned to the Kanlon. Tiny statues of Celestial Hounds were given to each of them and to Vander they gave a bronze armband in the shape of a spiraling serpent, more of the finely worked pouches and another bundle of ensil. For Aleister, it was the Harriers who presented a gift, in the form of a shortspear, horn bow and set of slender, matched swords such as the hawks themselves carried- the weapons of a vykr warrior. The gifts touched the magister more than he let show, for they were a reminder of his own lost past.
* * *
Aleister sighed, free once more to roam the Palace. Nighttime was far more his element, the covering darkness that could shield a thief. Disguised as a servant, he threaded his way through the Palace, silent as a shadow. As he drew closer to the section of the Palace where the Khan's quarters were, he dispelled his servant's guise, exchanging it for the black of the Harriers. At this time of the night, only the hawks would have any reason to be out and about in the area. The black, too, would help keep him hidden.
The Fox held his breath as he neared the first of the hidden Harriers. A soft whistle greeted him from the dark and he returned it, giving a sigh of relief and a silent prayer of thanks as he passed the first guard with no problems. He'd spent the better part of the day skulking around the Mews, the Harriers' compound, learning as much as he could. The magister had also shadowed a few of the Harriers as they traveled through the areas where the Khan was currently located and learned of the hidden hawks and (he hoped) the proper responses to their challenges.
He passed the next two Harriers with no problems and finally arrived at Nobunaga's quarters. Before he could slip into the room, however, he was greeted by a fourth guard.
“What business do you have here?” a voice hissed out, as the Harrier stalked out from the shadows. The Sky Fox froze for a half-second, his mind whirring with possibilities. The last guard had been unanticipated. Aleister decided to take a gamble and shifted his features to those of Kasai, before turning to face the Harrier.
“I have important news for the Khan, news that cannot wait,” Aleister growled. The Harrier fell back.
“Of course, Master Kasai. I didn't realize you were back so soon. We thought you would be gone for a few days,” the hawk murmured. One thing Aleister had learned during his time in the Mews was that Kasai was their leader. None of them would question him. Not only that, but only Kasai and Ari were accorded the privilege of unexpected audiences with Nobunaga. Any others seeking audience with the Khan Arkaddia had to go through the Seneschal.
“Plans change. I wasn't supposed to be back, but I've learned something that won't wait.” Aleister pushed through the door hanging without a backward glance. Once inside, he crept quietly to where the Khan lay sound asleep. Conjuring a magickal dagger he slipped the blade beneath the cord holding the jagged spiral. With painstaking care he sliced through it and started to slip the pendant off. He froze as Nobunaga stirred in his sleep, twitching as though in the grip of a bad dream. Aleister waited, barely breathing
, until the Khan finally settled down, then quickly slipped the spiral free. He'd done it! The talisman was theirs. Now all he had to do was get back to the magi.
The Sky Fox grimaced at the pendant's unnatural cold. It felt like ice in his hand and he could sense the corruption that Kalla and Vander had spoken of. He swiftly wrapped it in the cloth the Healer had given him, tucking it into his belt pouch. Vanishing the dagger he crept from the room.
Outside, the young hawk saluted him. Aleister returned the gesture with a curt nod and set off back down the corridor, still wearing the guise of the Master Harrier. He made it past the hidden guards with no problems and picked up the pace, eager to have this done with. The magister was growing increasingly uneasy, despite his success.
His nervousness grew, bolstered by the feeling of something stalking him. Shedding all pretense of trying to blend in, Aleister took the pendant out of his pouch and shifted to his fox form, using illusion to make his fur black. Clutching the package in his jaws, the fox raced down through the corridors, keeping to the shadows. Almost there, almost. Yet the feeling of being hunted was growing stronger.
The fox slammed into an unseen barrier blocking the corridor. He shook his head, disoriented and turned to go back the way he'd come, but a hand reached down and plucked him up by the scruff of his neck. He yelped, dropping the package and catching it with his paws. He hugged it to his chest just as cold sensation crept through his body, freezing him in place. Aleister panicked as he tried to shift and realized that he was blocked from that also.
“Well now. What do we have here?” a cold voice drawled. “Kage said Kasai had returned. I go looking for a hawk and what do I find? A thieving fox. I wonder whom you could possibly belong to? I didn't think Kalla had it in her to learn summoning, yet here you are kitsune.”
Grosso conjured a globe of magelight, illuminating the corridor. Aleister blinked in the light. Behind Grosso was an Ishkaran male dressed in clothing similar to the Harrier's and Aleister guessed this was Kage, Grosso's magister whom he'd never seen while at the Kanlon. The mage leaned against his staff and lifted the fox higher, but a sharp crack of power drew his attention.
He looked up to find Kalla and Vander now standing in the corridor. Further behind them, the dark forms of Harriers loped up the corridor. With a negligent wave of his hand, Vander sealed the corridors with a ward. Pearlescent blue-white light shimmered in the openings, sealing the three magi, Kage and the fox inside and keeping all others safely out.
“Well, that was fast. I was so hoping to have some fun. But perhaps you'd care to share with the Harriers here just why you were stealing from the Khan, hmm?” Grosso smirked at the two magi, then frowned, realizing that the magister wasn't with them.
Kalla gave a sigh of relief, thankful that he hadn't yet realized that the fox was the missing magister. She glanced back over her shoulder to see that several of the hawks had gathered around the ward. Most looked confused, uncertain of how to deal with the confrontation between the magi.
“We were freeing him from your influence, as you well know. You are an extremely talented Artisan. Certainly you're capable of creating a talisman that would allow you to control Nobunaga. As long as no other magi came snooping around, you were safe enough weren't you?” Kalla asked. Grosso frowned, eyes narrowing.
“And you think stealing the pendant is going to help?” he asked. Vander laughed, baring sharp canines.
“No, but destroying it will,” the War Mage said.
“You can't destroy it. You aren't strong enough,” Grosso replied. Vander grinned, baring his teeth again.
“You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?” he hissed softly.
“We are going to destroy the pendant now. Kalla will shield you, but it's going to get uncomfortably hot for a bit,” the War Mage's voice sounded in Aleister's mind.
“You can't. I know how strong you are,” Grosso muttered, but the Artisan was looking less and less sure of himself. He looked beyond the wards, a grin coming over his face upon seeing that the Khan had joined the Harriers.
Nobunaga looked furious. Behind him, Kalla could see Ari's fretful face and beyond the Seneschal, the Palace guests were gathering. They were attracting all of the attention she'd hoped to avoid.
“Keep telling yourself that,” Vander said. The War Mage exchanged a look with the Healer and Aleister felt the peculiar tingling of shields being woven around his body. Three or four of them by the feel of it. The packet began to grow warm against his chest and he closed his eyes just as it erupted into bright flame, so hot it glowed purple-white. He heard Grosso howl in pain as the hungry magefire sought more fuel. The mage dropped the fox. He and Kage disappeared with a crack of power and muttered curses. The fire blazed brighter and then, just as suddenly, extinguished itself. Of the jagged spiral there was nothing left but a black scorch on the floor.
Aleister staggered to his feet and shifted, earning shocked gasps from the gathered crowd, though more attention was turned to where Nobunaga had been. Vander dispelled the wards and Kalla hurried to where she'd last seen him. The Harriers blocked her path, but not before she'd seen him, crumpled on the floor. The Healer gave an exasperated sigh.
“It was magick that hurt the Khan, and it might be that only magick can save him. Step aside,” Kalla growled.
The hawks hesitated for a moment, then let her pass, keeping a watchful eye on her. The Healer knelt by the fallen Khan's side. He was soaked in sweat, as if he were in the grip of some terrible fever and though his eyes were open, they were unfocused. Kalla gently touched his forehead, seeking the cause of the problem. As she suspected, it had to do with the destruction of the pendant. Grosso had tied it to the Khan's essence more thoroughly than she'd given him credit for. The magefire that had destroyed the talisman had also raged through the Khan, burning out Grosso's dark magick, but injuring his spirit in doing so.
The Healer slowly eased her way into his mind, seeking a spark of consciousness to draw back. Memories assaulted her, images of his past. A young boy covered in blood, the body of a huge, maned longtooth at his feet. The same boy, several years later, at the vanguard of a war party. His struggle to become the Khan Arkaddia. The passing of his wife. His refusal to take another. Grosso's coming and the mage's insidious suggestions to make war on the peaceable Rang'moori. The Khan's initial resistance and his unknowing capitulation as the talisman began to influence him.
Finally Kalla found what she sought, a faint flicker of personality. In her mind, it was a dying flame and she gently blew on it, encouraging it to grow strong and burn brighter.
When she was satisfied that the fires of his being were strong enough Kalla withdrew her mind from Nobunaga's. His form was more relaxed now, his eyes closed. Someone, at some point, had covered him with a cloak.
The Healer swayed slightly as she stood, though Aleister and Vander were quick to support her. She frowned. Obviously she'd been under for much longer than she'd thought.
“Grosso and Kage gone. The Harriers have thoroughly searched the Palace and the grounds and there's been no sign of them. I doubt he'll return, not after this.” Vander murmured in her ear.
She winced. Too long. She'd been under too long, if the hawks had completed a search of the whole building and outlying camp. Nobunaga had been even more badly damaged than she'd initially thought if it had taken her that long to heal his mind. She looked about her and found Shukke and Koumugi. She gave them a tired smile.
“The Khan is free. His mind is healed. He will be just as he once was, when he wakes.” She waved a hand towards Nobunaga. “Not exactly how I had hoped things would turn out, but it was for the better. He might very well have died, if the talisman had been destroyed and he wasn't close enough that we could see the damage it left behind. Please accept my apologies,” Kalla said softly. She leaned against Aleister, grateful for the added support, then turned to the Harriers and twitched a wry grin.
“No doubt you will wish to restrain us. Do as you feel necessary.
We will await the Khan's judgment wherever you wish,” she said. The Harriers closest to them exchanged glances and started to move forward, but Ari's soft voice stopped them.
“I don't think that will be necessary. I trust confinement of quarters is sufficient. If you've truly freed us of the mage's influence, then you've done us yet another great service, Lady Kalla. We shall see what the morrow brings,” the Seneschal said and with that, they were dismissed.
Three of the Harriers carefully picked Nobunaga up, gently carrying him back to his room. Two others followed the magi and magister back to their quarters and took up positions near the room. The Healer was too tired to care and fell asleep almost as soon as she collapsed on the pallet. She hadn't fully recovered from all she'd done that morning and the adventures of the evening had drained what little energy she'd recovered.
Dashmar, Evalyce, Year of the Golden Hart, 2013 CE
Blinded with pain and fury, Grosso fled Karokorum, drawing upon the Nagali's power to teleport to freedom, such as it was. Al'dhumarna was angered at the loss of his control over the Arkaddian ruler and he made it perfectly clear to his servant. Somewhere in the dizzying, stumbling series of jumps that followed, Kage's presence disappeared from his mind. The magickal strain of moving two people so far, even with the Nagali's aid, tore down Grosso's defenses and the sundering of the magisterial bond drove the pain-crazed mage further within himself. He finally wound up in a warm dark room that seemed 'safe' drenched in sweat and in pure agony. Shock and pure exhaustion overwhelmed him, pulling Grosso into a dream-tormented sleep.
Whispered voices in a guttural language teased Grosso awake. He lay there a moment, trying to get his bearings, but his tenuous grip on reality shattered and he slipped back into restless slumber. When he woke next he found that he had been stripped and was covered to the waist with a warm blanket. A young woman was applying a cooling salve to his burns. Greater wakefulness brought the pain crashing back and with it all his anger and fear.
Lady of Wolves (Evalyce Worldshaper Book 2) Page 5