by Lyndon Hardy
Alodar remembered the images still fresh in his mind and almost instinctively turned his head and raised his arm across his face. Kelric laughed a second time, turned, and continued his slow shuffle down the passageway.
After a moment, Alodar lowered his head and replaced the sphere in its pouch. He smoothed down the front of his tunic and exhaled deeply. So that was the great Kelric, the master sorcerer of all of Procolon. He shook his head and began to pace slowly down the hallway, hands clasped behind his back. And now what course? Should he seek a sorcerer of less renown? Perhaps someone away from the court, one whose limits bad not yet been tested.
Alodar looked down at his side. Such a search would take him away from the fair lady. And he had pledged to seek Aeriel's aid in unsheathing Cedric's sword for the queen's cause. Yes, Aeriel! For both the marines and dealing with Kelric, lady Aeriel would provide the aid.
Alodar slapped the hilt at his side and increased his pace. And there was still time enough to arrange an appointment before the end of the ball.
The guardsman coughed softly as he ushered Alodar into the small, plain chamber, and Aeriel's face brightened with recognition. "Why, what a coincidence! It is Alodar the thaumaturge. And I see by your garb that you ply your craft to much greater profit than when we last met."
Alodar looked intently at Aeriel as she rose to greet him. She clutched an old shawl around her bare shoulders, not seeming to care how out of place it looked, draped over the richness of her ballgown. Her lips curved in a broad smile, but he could see the fatigue that pulled at her eyes as well. Behind her on a simple table, between two teetering piles of parchment, was scattered an array of seals, colored candles, inkstands, and quills.
"My fortune does not extend from journeyman training, my lady," Alodar answered, "but it does provide the means by which I may consult with you for sage advice."
"Advice?" Aeriel asked. "You seemed quite sure of yourself in Iron Fist, Why now would you need my council?"
"The ways of the court are not so straightforward," Alodar said, "especially when they concern the opinions of the queen."
Aeriel stopped and visibly stiffened. "The opinions of the queen," she repeated slowly. "By that do you mean you still quest for the fair lady?"
Alodar saw her change in mood and darted his eyes to the side. He paused a moment, then looked back into her eyes. "So I have done since we parted," he said with difficulty, "although oftentimes my thoughts have…" He trailed off and took another breath. "Yes, I still seek for the hand of the fair lady, and your parting words led me to believe that you would not look with disfavor upon such a goal, if it were in the interest of the queen."
Aeriel was silent for a moment and then returned to her seat behind the table. "I encourage any endeavor that truly assists the crown," she said. "And such aid is now sorely needed." She rubbed her eyes and waved her hand at the documents on the table. "Writs for the armory, rum allocations for the crew, promotions and certifications of skill, they all must be decided before we sail. And despite the seriousness of the hour, no one else will take the responsibility, so much do they fear offending one of the suitors by their choice. Many beseech my favor in intercession with the queen, Alodar, but I have little time for such petty intrigues, especially now."
"But it is an audience with Kelric that I seek," Alodar said. "I will gain the favor of the fair lady on merit, not because of some arrangement with the nobles of the land."
"And why then do you desire audience with the sorcerer?" Aeriel asked. "He traffics in the frivolities of the court no more than I."
"Because I bring to the fair lady a gift that surely is the equal to those offered by the others," Alodar said as he removed the orb from its pouch and held it forward. "I need only such meager instruction as is necessary to activate it properly and I am ready to pledge wholehearted service to the queen. Kelric mentioned the enchanting of thousands. Surely such an ability will be of great value when she has to face the armies of the south."
Aeriel touched the sphere, and her lips pursed in surprise at its coldness. She studied the delicate sculpture of the eye and then looked at Alodar in silence, frowning in thought. After a moment, she reached out tentatively for his arm but then quickly shook her head and withdrew her hand before he could respond.
"Your boldness is no less than I have judged, Alodar." She sighed. "And in the calm light of reason, I see you as worthy a suitor as the others. I have pledged my service to the queen. If you do likewise, then I must aid you as I can. Come, follow me to Kelric's quarters. I can persuade him better than most."
Without waiting for a reply, Aeriel quickly swept through the room and out into the hallway. Alodar followed her through the maze of passageways in the huge palace. Unlike the buildings at the Cycloid Guild, the royal residence was a one-story sprawl, a jumble of wings and annexes added over the centuries as the power of Procolon grew.
Aeriel whirled past guard stations without explanation; after several minutes of bewildering turns, she ducked into the low and open entryway of a softly lit chamber.
He looked about in the dimness, straining to distinguish form from shadow. In a feeble flicker in the center of the room, between two giant columns of smouldering incense, he saw Kelric sitting cross-legged, clad only in a simple loincloth, with his chin slumped forward on his bony chest. A brazier hung on a tripod, its meager flame providing the only light. Against the far wall, a lady of the court, her hair hanging long in imitation of the queen's, stood tensely erect, watching the scene.
Alodar started to speak, but Aeriel put her finger to her lips as Kelric opened his eyes wide in a glazed stare and sluggishly extended clinched fists. He opened his left hand over a disk suspended above the brazier, dropping a fine sand onto its shiny surface. With his other hand, he struck the shallow bowl sharply, setting up a complex set of vibrations as it swung. Kelric stared at the dance of sand in silence, eyes unblinking and seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.
"I see the camp," he said in a voice as thin as a distant wind. "The fire burns low and the sentry slumps at his post. The one for which you care is not asleep. With his head propped by his elbow on the ground he talks softly to the one who rests next to him."
"What does he say, does he speak of me?" the lady asked. "Is my favor still bound on his arm?"
Kelric's other hand opened and a second load of sand hit the disk. He clanged it again just as the first vibrations began to subside. "My ears hear the voices," he said, "although they are soft and faint." Kelric closed his eyes and was silent for a full minute, swaying his body back and forth with the rhythm of the gently swinging disk.
"It is not only Bandor and the other leaders, I tell you," a voice, deep and youthful, broke from Kelric's lips as he rocked. "Each commander leads his own troops as if he were possessed as well. They will not ask for quarter so long as one of them remains standing. This siege will far outlast the season."
"Yes, and there are so many imps darting about," a second voice came from the sorcerer. "The talk of the camp has it that the barrier between the worlds has been weakened, and stronger demons can pass through without being called. Do not look even into our simple campfire, I say. Who knows what lurks behind the flame to grab your will as well?"
"But what of me?" the lady interrupted. "What are his thoughts of me?"
Kelric opened his mouth to speak but then fell silent. Gradually the sand stopped its jumping, and his eyelids slowly opened. "It has faded, Umbriel," he said groggily. "Any more would be greater than fair trade for what you have offered." With a trembling hand, Kelric reached for a cup at his side and drained its contents. He shook his head violently from side to side and arched his back. Finally, he struck his face with a series of sharp slaps and grimaced at the shock. "And so a little more is gone," he muttered as he hesitantly got to his feet.
Umbriel saw his slow motions and started towards the doorway. The sorcerer quickly sprang to life and jumped in the way. "And a payment promptly rendered reflect
s so nicely on the debtor," he said with a toothless smile. "Come forward, my dear, and linger as long as you like."
Umbriel sighed and shut her eyes. She took a single step and then hesitated. She pursed her lips and extended them forward briefly, brushing the sorcerer's cheek.
"That is a kiss one would give to a brother," Kelric grumbled. "Remember, in a fortnight you will wish to see again how fares your heartthrob on the battlefield. And before I perform, you must have a clear account for what you have learned tonight."
"But I found out nothing of what I wanted," Umbriel said. "I heard but a snatch of conversation and then you were done."
"You know that he is safe," Kelric replied. "That alone is worth the price."
Umbriel sighed a second time and took another step forward. Kelric reached out and swept her into his bony arms. He thrust his lips on hers. With surprising strength, he resisted her attempts to push away his chest. After a moment, he released his grip, and she staggered backwards, face flushed and panting deeply. "That is more to my liking," he cackled. "And perhaps in time you will learn to enjoy it as well."
"Never," Umbriel choked. "I was weak with worry because I have not heard. For no other reason would I seek your service or agree to what you demand for it."
"Never is a long time," Kelric said. "And you will come again, I know it." His eyes widened and he stared at the woman. "And perhaps the next time you will not find me so repugnant."
Umbriel shuddered and then bolted for the door. She raced between Aeriel and Alodar and was in the hallway before Kelric's raspy laugh echoed after.
"It is unkind to treat her so, Kelric," Aeriel said. "She has done you no harm."
"Nor has she shown any favor," the sorcerer snapped back. "We had a fair agreement, and she was obligated to hold to her end of it." He waved his arm in irritation. "She is like the rest, choosing to ignore me until the need is great, and then expecting my gracious acceptance of a mind-numbing task for a mere pittance of fee. If she does not show me a little tenderness, then our relation will be governed instead by fear."
Aeriel pulled her lips into a tight line. "The queen is judged by the court she keeps," she said. "There may come a day when shortcomings of your craft outweigh the advantages you provide to the crown."
Kelric laughed again. "You are in fine spirits tonight, Aeriel," he said. He ran his hand across his bare chest and leered at her figure. "But I am most happy that you choose to see me at this hour. It must mean only that you have come to surrender your virtue for the sake of my person only, not for some service that I would provide in trade."
"I come as always on the affairs of the fair lady," Aeriel said. "If you instruct Alodar here in the manner of your craft, then the safety of the queen will be greatly augmented."
Kelric turned to look at Alodar and wrinkled his brow in recognition. "I have dismissed him already, and the matter is closed. Come now, let me see at least some of what lies underneath that silken gown."
"Your talk is far worse than your deed, Kelric," Aeriel said. "My request has royal authority behind it; you cannot dismiss the matter so lightly."
"Then perhaps an illusion for just the three of us? The young man here would be as interested as I in how you might look unclothed."
"You have no basis on which to paint such an image," Aeriel said coldly. "It would not bother me if you did try."
Kelric stomped his foot in frustration and looked around the room for a robe to cover his bony frame. "Oh very well, Aeriel. This meeting will be for business, the same as always, but one of these times I will loose my control and then who can say what might happen?" He opened his eyes wide and stared at Aeriel as he had done at Umbriel, but Aeriel did not turn away.
Kelric sighed in final defeat and turned to some chairs stacked in the corner of the small chamber. As he arranged them for sitting, he continued the conversation over his shoulder. "It is a sorcerer's eye, Aeriel," he said. "Most rare and powerful, I do admit. I have heard of it only from others who long ago used the last of their vital forces in our craft. And they had heard from older ones still. None of us have had the opportunity to see if what is reputed of it can actually be true."
He finished positioning the chairs to his satisfaction and motioned for Aeriel and Alodar to join him in the small circle. "Great enchantments, it is said, come from the holder of the eye. Nearly instantaneous and subtle, like the ones talked of in the sagas. But enchantments I risk no more, my lady. Even a single one would more than deplete what remains of my life force."
"You are far craftier than you lead us to believe," Aeriel said. "You bemoan the loss of your powers and that you must carefully husband what meager resources remain. Yet for a single embrace, you search all the way to the west for a lovesick maiden."
"It is true, nonetheless," Kelric protested. "And the few kisses and squeezes I receive for what remains are far more valuable than whatever pile of jewels the queen could heap upon me."
"You would not have to use the eye," Alodar interrupted. "I am willing to take whatever risk is involved. I want from you only the instruction that will make it possible for me to do so."
"But then, Vendora sails tomorrow across the sea," Kelric said. "There is too little time remaining for me to explain something as potent as this. Any execution must be built upon a firm foundation of well-learned fundamentals."
"With lady Aeriel's help, I can come as well," Alodar suggested. "You can teach me during the voyage."
"Then there is the matter of payment," Kelric said, his face brightening as he looked at Aeriel. "What do you offer me in exchange, my lady?"
"You know the peril which now threatens the queen," Aeriel replied. "And I know as well that, beneath the threats and leers, there is the man who still has loyalty to the crown. Loyalty for providing him with bed, food, and protection, regardless of the howls of the ones he had outraged by his actions. It is not a question of payment, Kelric, but one of duty."
Kelric sighed and lowered his head to his chest. For a long moment the room was silent. "Very well," he said at last. "We will begin instruction when we are out to sea and the routine of the voyage has been established."
Aeriel rose and kissed Kelric gently on the forehead. "And your secret is still safe with me." She laughed. "It would spoil your image if anyone knew that a sorcerer's heart was not constructed entirely of stone." She turned to Alodar and extended her hand. "Come," she said, "tell me if it is to Feston or Basil you would rather belong, and I will see that the arrangements are made."
Alodar stood and grasped her hand in his. "To neither. I want no more than to be a member of Quantos' marines."
Aeriel's smile broadened. "Quantos, of course, she said as she looked Alodar in the eye. "It is the right choice for one who is truly worthy."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The Power of the Eye
ALODAR steadied himself with a hand on the ship's rail as the deck rolled beneath his feet. The events of the past two days crowded together in a jumble. Along with the marines, sailors, clerks, heralds, and other functionaries of the court, he had been rumbled onto the giant flagship of state that now beat east in the middle of a royal fleet. The details of bunkspace, battlestation, and the protocols of life aboard ship had occupied all of his time, but soon enough he hoped to see the sorcerer and learn the secrets of the eye.
"An ill-tempered decision to be sure," muttered the leather-faced man on Alodar's left, as they leaned against the rail of the poop deck and squinted into the grayness which surrounded them. "A full complement of officers, rowers and marines stood at the ready for the queen's command. But before we embarked, the courtiers descended upon us, adding two to every one on board. And to what effect. Those silk-armed dandies will be of little value if indeed we do stumble across some privateer in this fog. And the galley and bunks are so crowded that we must take turns on deck in this miserable wetness, while others eat and sleep below."
Alodar grunted a reply as he idly ran his hand along the rail and looke
d up into the rigging. Yesterday the cold east wind had howled, but today, on both of the masts, the lateen sails were furled tightly against their yards, useless in the whisper of wind that barely stirred the fog. Over the side, he watched the lazy rhythm of the oars that maintained their headway. Unlike the sleek wargalleys with their multiple rows of synchronized sweeps, the broad-beamed barge depended primarily on the wind for its motive force. The meager complement of twenty oars to a side was used only in calms such as this or to aid in coming quickly about.
Looking forward, Alodar could barely see the gently heaving forecastle. The bowsprit, some three hundred feet away, was completely hidden by the mist. The main deck ran a full fifty feet beam to beam but was broken into many small areas by the masts, stays, capstans, chests, and hatches which led below. On the poop itself were stowed two longboats for use in shallow water, and a small deckhouse that sheltered the wheel stood near the ladders that descended to midship. All along the superstructure, nothing broke the silence of the calm sea except for the slow creaking groan that coursed down the great ship as each wave rolled under its hull.
"So you are a page to the lady Aeriel," the man continued. "Though I hear that you are also well watched by lord Basil of the bottomless purse."
"Yes, Quantos, that I am." Alodar laughed. "He and his followers at court do not wish me well. Nor, for that matter, does lord Feston?or Duncan, the practitioner in magic. But so long as the queen maintains the ban on confrontation between the factions, I think nothing will come of their desires."
"So I understand," Quantos said. "The court cleaves itself asunder. The lot of them have no courage to stand on their own merit but seek instead to ingratiate themselves with one of the suitors. Depending on who seems to have the upper hand in the struggle for the fair lady's favor, they shift allegiances like the tide, ripping first Feston's colors from their sleeves and then Basil's. Why even Duncan has a following, though he has been here less than a week. And look what distortion it brings to our order on deck. Feston's supporters are to man the starboard watch, Basil's the port; Duncan's cluster about the queen below deck. The rest of us spend our idle hours up here out of the way on the poop. Let us hope that the queen gives no new sign of favor. It will take a good day to reassign the stations once again."