Mordant's Need

by Stephen R. Donaldson

  ‘As long as we get to talk to her,’ replied Geraden, ‘I don’t care who else hears us. Take us to see them both.

  ‘Just do it.’

  To his own obvious astonishment, the Alend leader turned and organized his men to escort Geraden and Terisa toward the encampment. A pair of the Alends galloped ahead; the rest formed a knot around the travelers.

  Suddenly giddy with relief – perhaps because her horse had stopped shying – she took the risk of giving Geraden a wink. He pretended not to notice it.

  They were closer to the siege than she had realized. In only a short time, they came in sight of the Alend army and Orison.

  She was surprised by how small the castle looked under these circumstances, invested by ten thousand soldiers, half a hundred siege engines, and an uncounted number of servants and camp followers. Orison’s bluff gray stone, which should have appeared impregnable, bore an unexpected resemblance to cardboard; tiny flags fluttering from the towers gave the place the air of a child’s plaything.

  At the same time, the breach partially covered by the curtain-wall seemed to gape unnaturally wide, as if it were bigger than it used to be, darker; a fatal wound.

  The men who had ridden ahead had already caused a commotion: Terisa could see the army and its adherents shifting to receive her and Geraden. People ran forward to stare; questions were called which the Alend leader either ignored or shouted down. The attack on the gates used only a fraction of Prince Kragen’s forces; the rest had nothing to do at the moment except wait and worry. Some of the soldiers only wanted news. But others offered jokes and insults that turned Geraden’s eyes as sharp as bits of glass. He preserved his expression of serenity, however, and followed the patrol in through the camp.

  They passed an area of tattered and scruffy tents where the poorest of the camp followers lived, ankle-deep in the overflow of their own squalor. Then the order and cleanliness of the encampment began to improve, according to the increasing status of its occupants. In minutes, the patrol brought Terisa and Geraden to an open area like an imitation of a courtyard, around which were pitched several tents so large and luxurious that she felt sure she and Geraden had reached their goal.

  Their immediate goal, at any rate. In order to enter Orison, they first had to get past Prince Kragen.

  He came out of one of the tents into the evening shadows before anyone had a chance to dismount. He moved as if he intended to approach the riders directly; but as soon as he saw them he stopped. He planted his fists on his hips when Terisa met his gaze; his black eyes flashed as if she had given him a slap. For a moment, forcing himself to be thorough, he turned his head and considered Geraden; then he faced Terisa again.

  ‘“Servants of the Queen”?’ he demanded of his men in a tone that might have been jesting or bitter. ‘They said that, and you believed them? Did not one of you louts think to ask them their names?’

  He didn’t give the leader of the patrol a chance to respond, however. ‘Oh, let it pass. They would have lied about their names as well, and then you would have been worse fooled than before.

  ‘At least have the common sense to disarm them. Then go.’

  Stung, the leader of the patrol snatched away Terisa’s and Geraden’s weapons, the swords the Termigan had given them. Then the men withdrew.

  Prince Kragen gave the impression that the patrol had already ceased to exist as far as he was concerned. He was concentrating exclusively on Terisa.

  ‘My lady Terisa of Morgan.’ He spoke slowly, drawling in a way which suggested humor or scorn. ‘You astonish me entirely. And your companion must be the infamous Apt Geraden, the butt alike of mirth and augury. I can think of no other possibility.

  ‘However, you may amaze me there as well. Since you are out here’ – he released one fist from his hip to gesture at the ground between the tents – ‘when it is obvious that you ought to be in there’ – he indicated Orison – ‘I conclude that you have a remarkable story to tell me.

  ‘You will tell it’ – gradually, his tone convinced Terisa that he wasn’t in a happy mood – ‘now.’

  ‘My lord Prince,’ Geraden put in steadily, as if he weren’t interrupting the Alend Contender, ‘where is the lady Elega?’

  ‘I am here, Geraden.’

  Terisa turned in her saddle and saw the King’s daughter.

  Elega stood between the flaps of one of the tents. A streak of sunset caught her face, so that her usual paleness was covered with an orange-gold blush, and light muffled the vividness of her eyes. In that way, she looked like she had become an entirely different woman since Terisa had last seen her.

  ‘So it is true, my lady Terisa,’ she said clearly, lifting up her voice as though this were a formal occasion. ‘It was always true. You are an Imager.’

  Prince Kragen’s mouth moved under his moustache, swearing. When he spoke, however, he kept his tone neutral. ‘How do you reach that conclusion, my lady Elega?’

  Elega’s gaze didn’t shift from Terisa; she studied Terisa through the failing beams of the sun. ‘As you said, my lord Prince, they are not in Orison. It is doubtful that they were able to creep out through your siege. Therefore they must have removed themselves by Imagery.’

  ‘Or someone else removed us,’ Geraden put in acerbically. ‘Don’t forget that possibility. You don’t think Gart does his own translations, do you?’

  An unexpected silence fell over the tents. Elega half raised a hand to her mouth, then dropped it. A glint of white teeth showed between Prince Kragen’s lips. From somewhere in the distance, Terisa heard a methodical booming, a deep thud at once so hard and so far away that it seemed to come through the ground rather than the air. Men shouted faintly. Her presence there, and Geraden’s, must have come as a complete surprise to Elega and the Prince. Now the idea Geraden suggested appeared to shock them further, as if it made the whole situation incomprehensible.

  Well, Terisa thought, this was better than being tied up – or cut down. She felt an off-center, almost loony desire to give Geraden a round of applause. The men who had taken Queen Madin were Alends. And Terisa and Geraden had so many questions— And they wanted to get into Orison. If Kragen really had ordered the Queen’s abduction, their only hope was to keep him off balance and pray for something unexpected to happen.

  Trying to make a contribution, she asked, ‘My lord Prince, may we get down? I’ve been on this horse ever since I can remember.’

  A small shudder seemed to pass through Prince Kragen, a brief convulsion of will. At once, he became calmer, as if his self-possession had been tightened a notch.

  ‘Of course, my lady Terisa.’ He moved toward her. ‘Where other matters are concerned, I have said that the debts between us are settled. Yet you are a friend of the lady Elega’s, and so you are welcome among us. Permit me to offer you the Alend Monarch’s hospitality.’

  He reached up his hands to help her dismount.

  That was a courtesy to which she wasn’t accustomed, but she did her best to let him assist her. Geraden swung down and came to her side; at once, he bowed formally to Prince Kragen.

  ‘My lord Prince, I haven’t been properly presented, but you’ve named me. I’m Geraden, the seventh son of the Domne, an Apt of the Congery of Imagers.

  ‘As you say, we have a remarkable story to tell.’ Somehow, he contrived to sound like he couldn’t think of a single reason to distrust the Prince. ‘And there must be a lot you could tell us, if we can persuade you to do it.’

  ‘Geraden.’ Elega had come forward while Terisa was focused on Prince Kragen. Her face and form were in shadow now, with the paradoxical result that she looked brighter, keener; more capable. ‘What does this mean?’ she demanded. ‘Why are you here? And how? Surely you will not ask us to believe that this is nothing more than another of your colossal mishaps?’

  ‘No,’ Geraden replied. ‘On the other hand, I do expect you to believe that it’s hard for me to trust you enough to tell you anything.’

  There:
he had given the first hint of his loyalties; therefore of his intentions. Terisa held her breath, afraid that he might be risking too much too soon.

  Fortunately, Kragen wasn’t surprised enough to react badly. He knew what had happened to Nyle’s attempt to reach the Perdon: he was probably able to take Geraden’s loyalties for granted. Before Elega could respond to Geraden’s gibe, Prince Kragen stepped between them and took Terisa’s arm.

  ‘We will discuss such things thoroughly, I assure you,’ he remarked, ‘but I can see no reason why we should not discuss them in comfort – and in private.’ With his hand on her arm, he urged Terisa into motion, steering her toward the largest of the surrounding tents. ‘In addition, I have offered you the Alend Monarch’s hospitality, and he does not like to be refused.’ As if she weren’t already moving – as if she had a choice – he asked, ‘Will you come with me?’

  Terisa nodded. But she didn’t let out her breath until she saw that both Geraden and Elega were following.

  The Prince took her into what she realized after a moment was a foretent. It was lit only by the braziers which warmed it, with the result that its furnishings were obscure, vaguely ominous; the chairs seemed to crouch in the dimness, as unpredictable as beasts. Prince Kragen clapped his hands, however, and called for lamps as well as wine. The servants responded almost instantly; soon warm yellow light filled the foretent, and the danger crept away, hiding in the darkness at the tops of the tentpoles, or in the shadows behind the chairs.

  ‘The Alend Monarch has gone to his bed,’ Prince Kragen said casually. ‘Otherwise he would welcome you himself. This tent serves as his council chamber, and I doubt’ – he smiled – ‘that there is a man in all the camp who would dare eavesdrop on what is said here. We will speak freely.’

  Briskly, he got Terisa, Geraden, and Elega seated. When the wine had been served, he took a chair himself. Terisa drank a gulp of the fine vintage, trying to control her nervousness; but Elega watched her and Geraden, while Geraden faced the Prince.

  Prince Kragen toyed with his goblet. ‘My lady Terisa, Geraden, these are complex times. I suspect that all stories are remarkable. Nevertheless your arrival here suggests questions to which I must have answers.’

  ‘Forgive me, my lord Prince,’ Geraden put it as if he hadn’t heard Kragen. ‘So much has happened – The last we knew, Cadwal was marching. A vast army. Where is it? What’s happened to the Perdon? How has Orison been able to hold you back so long?’

  ‘Geraden, I am in command of this siege.’ The Prince’s voice became a soft purr, a threat. ‘This army is mine. I wish to understand how you come to be here.’

  ‘Of course’ – Geraden allowed himself a slight, suggestive pause – ‘my lord Prince. On the other hand, I wish to be able to measure the consequences of what I tell you. I’m talking to an honorable enemy and a dishonorable friend.’ He ignored the way Elega stiffened, the violet flare of her gaze. ‘Knowledge is power. I don’t want to place a weapon in the wrong hands.’

  ‘You will not.’ Prince Kragen might have been a cat pretending that he wasn’t about to spring. ‘You will place it in my hands.’

  Geraden didn’t blink. ‘Or else?’

  The Prince shrugged delicately. ‘There is no “or else.” I simply state a fact. You will tell me your remarkable story.’

  His tone left Terisa’s stomach in knots. When she looked in her goblet, she found that it was already empty.

  ‘Geraden,’ Elega put in, ‘why did you come here? You have never been stupid. You knew that this situation would arise. You knew that both the Prince and I desire the defeat of Orison. And you knew’ – she seemed to falter, but only for an instant – ‘that we cannot afford to let you keep your knowledge secret. We are too much at risk. My life is perhaps a little thing, but the Prince is responsible for the whole Alend army. In the end, he is responsible for the survival of all his father’s realm.

  ‘And for that,’ Elega added firmly, ‘I have my own responsibility. Like the King, I have brought us to this place.

  ‘Why did you put yourself and the lady Terisa in our hands, if you do not intend to tell us what you know?’

  ‘Because we are unable to reenter Orison without your consent.’ Geraden didn’t elaborate.

  ‘That is what you want?’ demanded Prince Kragen softly. ‘You wish to be allowed to enter Orison, so that you can tell King Joyse the story you mean to withhold from me?’

  Geraden contemplated this view of the situation. ‘That’s essentially true, my lord Prince.’

  ‘I suspected as much.’ The Prince held his hands together on his thighs, the tips of his fingers touching each other lightly as if his self-command had become perfect. ‘My mind is not like my lady Elega’s. When you entered my camp, I did not say, Here are Imagers. I said, Here are scouts who wish to report to their lord.

  ‘If you believe that I will let you pass my siege in order to take assistance or information of any kind to King Joyse, you are seriously deranged.’

  Geraden shrugged. Judging by the blandness of his expression, he had no idea how seriously he was being threatened.

  Terisa was too full of anxiety to sit still. Without asking permission, she stood up and went to the wine decanter. ‘Why don’t we trade?’ she said impulsively. Fatigue and the first effects of the wine might have been speaking for her. She had played the game of trading information with King Joyse: she knew it was dangerous. But it was the best she had to offer. Her goblet full, she returned to her seat. ‘You tell us something. We’ll tell you something. Fair exchange. That way we don’t have to trust each other.’

  ‘Who will speak first?’ asked Elega in a carefully neutral tone.

  ‘You will.’ Terisa didn’t hesitate. ‘We’re in your power. You can do anything you want to us anytime you want. What have you got to lose?’

  She sat down.

  Geraden kept his reaction hidden. The lady Elega looked at Prince Kragen.

  The Prince thought for a while; he didn’t appear to be aware that he was chewing his moustache. Two of his fingertips tapped soundlessly against each other, measuring the menace in the foretent. Then he said with steady nonchalance, ‘I think not.

  ‘My lady Elega,’ he continued before Terisa was sure that she had heard him right, ‘you have not heard the details of our guests’ arrival. You will be interested, I am sure.

  ‘Geraden and the lady Terisa made no attempt at stealth. They confronted one of my patrols’ – he paused ominously – ‘but they did not request an audience with me. They did not request permission to approach Orison. No, my lady, they demanded the right to speak with you.’

  Involuntarily, Elega caught her breath.

  While she stared at Geraden and Terisa, Prince Kragen added, ‘It is clear that whatever device or policy they have prepared to get them into Orison is directed at you. They believe that they have the means to persuade you.’ Again, he paused; then he remarked cryptically, ‘It is even conceivable that they are aware of the existence of a precedent.’

  In response, Elega’s eyes widened with pain and anger. ‘That is unfair, my lord.’ Almost instantly, however, she seemed to catch the implications of what he said. In a rush, she asked, ‘Geraden, have you seen—?’

  So suddenly, so loudly that the sound made Terisa’s heart lurch, Prince Kragen slapped his hands together, interrupting Elega; stopping her.

  ‘My lady,’ he articulated, ‘I have said that I do not wish to trade stories with them. When they have told us what they know, I will decide what they may hear.’

  Elega held her tongue; yet her face showed the difficulty of restraint. Abruptly, Terisa became aware that she wanted to hear Elega’s story: the Elega she remembered wouldn’t have suffered a command to shut up so compliantly. What had happened to change the lady, to make her acquiescent? What kind of contest was going on between her and the Prince? Was it just a question of blame because her attack on the reservoir had misfired? Or had she done something else to earn Kragen’
s distrust?

  Because her heart was still racing and she wanted to be calm, Terisa went to get some more wine.

  As if they were being polite, the other people in the foretent waited until she had seated herself again. She had the impression that they were all watching her.

  ‘You serve a heady wine, my lord Prince,’ Geraden murmured softly. ‘I haven’t tasted anything like it for a long time.’

  In Terisa’s opinion, that was an odd thing to say at a time like this.

  Apparently, Prince Kragen agreed with her. He ignored Geraden’s comment. Still speaking to Elega as if she were the true subject of his scrutiny, he said, ‘In any case, my lady, I have not yet told you everything you must hear. When Geraden and the lady Terisa demanded to speak to you, they gave a most interesting explanation. They said that they had messages for you from Queen Madin, your mother.’

  At once, Elega was on her feet. ‘The Queen?’ She didn’t appear to realize that she was standing. ‘You have spoken with the Queen? She sent messages for me?’ Her eyes shone with excitement and anguish; her voice held a visceral tremor. ‘Doubtless you told her of my part in the siege. What does my mother wish to say to me now?’

  Terisa was bemused to find that she had slipped down in her chair. The wine seemed to have made her top-heavy.

  Pushing herself upright, she said, ‘We can tell you who the traitors are inside Orison. Who the renegade Imagers are. We can tell you how they planned all this with Cadwal. Together, we might be able to guess what kind of trap they plan to spring.’

  Prince Kragen’s gaze burned darkly at her. For no particular reason, she added, ‘If you want to trade, we can even tell you what Domne and Termigan and Fayle are going to do about it.’

  As far as she could tell, Geraden and Elega and Kragen were all speaking at once. Geraden asked, ‘Do you know what you’re doing? You look like you’ve had too much wine.’ He sounded like a man who had lost his sense of humor.

  At the same time, Elega protested, ‘No! I will hear my mother’s messages!’