Necrosworn: Chronicles of the Wizard-Detective

by J. B. Markes

  The door swayed open and I flattened myself against the wall, but when the guard stepped through to examine the broken hinge, it was obvious he couldn't see me. I slipped out of my sandals and crept up behind him to await my chance. As soon as he was completely through the doorway leveraging his weight against the wood, I raised my palm and pushed the door away. It tipped back against the stone and the guard lost his balance and lunged forward, so I jumped through the entrance and left it all behind, almost spilling over when I landed on one foot.

  I wasn't sure how long the potion would keep me hidden, so I ran whenever the hallways were empty and walked briskly but silently when I had to pass someone. I only got lost once, but doubled back as soon as I realized where I was. Soon I came to the grand entrance leading out to the royal garden and had a rush of relief when I spotted Princess Meridale near the orange helenium bushes.

  I paused on the warm stone courtyard to put on my sandals then proceeded down the path into the fall foliage. There were only half as many guards as before, and they seemed less attentive today. I was wet with sweat so I fanned myself by pulling the front of my robes in and out.

  "Meridale," I whispered when I had closed within arm's reach. The princess stopped her stroll and turned around in a circle. After she made two full revolutions, I whispered her name again and she faced me, reaching out her hand. As soon as I clasped her fingers, my invisibility faded. I must have blinked into sight instantly, because she took a step back and let out a laugh that was almost a shout.

  One guard responded to her call, but when he saw me hand-in-hand with the joyful girl, it put him at ease. He apparently hadn't noticed her walking alone before, because he returned to the trees and resumed his relaxed patrol.

  "Isabel, what are you doing here? You are most welcome, of course. That was quite an entrance." Her words spilled out in one long stream until she had to stop to take a breath. Her eyes sparkled in excitement that soon melted away into concern. "Are you feeling okay? You are covered in sweat!"

  "I had to rush all the way here to make sure I met you in time," I said. When I hiccupped, she looked at me as if I had the plague.

  "I am delighted you came and feel free to do so any time, especially if you are willing to show me more of your magic. But I believe you almost scared me to death—"

  "Maybe we don't have lots of time, Your Highness," I said, luring her away from the courtyard. "I have some couple questions I really need for you to help with. It's about Prince Brother—your brother, the prince."

  "Have you found him?" Her tone fell flat and she stopped in the middle of the path, looking deep into my eyes. "Do you know where he is?"

  "I could ask you the same thing," I said. "But I won't."

  "My father refuses to cancel the wedding. He still hopes Jasper will turn up."

  "When's the wedding?"

  "Just less than a month from now on the new moon. Master Xavier chose that date a long time ago. He claims it is an auspicious day. Maybe you should return to your room and lie down. You look tired."

  "I don't know astrology," I said, fighting my wooziness. "But if Master Xavier did a reading for your brother, that should mean it's a pretty good day for you, too, eh?"

  "How so?"

  "You're twins, right? Born only minutes apart. Your fortunes must be same."

  "I have never considered it, but it must be true." She looked up toward the leaf canopy and nodded sagely.

  My hiccups started again, so I held my breath as I scanned the trees for eavesdroppers. "Does your mother approve of this wedding?"

  "She never talks about it these days." Meridale eyed me as if I were a wild animal that had somehow strayed into the artificial forest. "Why would she disapprove?"

  "I've heard mothers can be protective of their children, particularly of their first-born sons." I stared eye-to-eye with her for as long as I could stand before finally shaking my head. It was no use; she was clueless and I wouldn't be the one to break down her illusions. "Maybe she doesn't trust the Ashdowns," I said. "I've heard stories about royal alliances of the past. All sorts of intrigue."

  "It is possible," Meridale said. "But in the old stories they normally saved the intrigue for after the wedding. Have you heard something?"

  "I need your help, Your Highness—Meridale. I need to talk to your father."

  "My father?"

  "In private." I nodded. "I need to ask him to stop this duel between Gustobald and Master Xavier. And a few other things."

  "They have plans to duel? Will it be public?"

  "Meridale. Please."

  "Why are you asking me? You should ask the Sentinels to stop them."

  "They won't listen to the Sentinels. And Chalke is ready to kill them both if they get out of hand. Only the king can command them to call it off. I don't trust anybody else and I can't get to His Majesty on my own. But I know you can."

  She crossed her arms and inspected the dry leaf under her toe, crushing it over and over while she debated exactly how much trouble it would mean for her. Finally, she took a deep breath and let it out all at once. "Okay," she said. "But give me your wand and satchel first."

  I didn't hesitate handing over my belongings; I should have given it more thought. To her credit, Princess Meridale knew her way around the palace. She escorted me in a roundabout course that took us past as few people as possible, none of whom were sentinels. It was much easier than I expected. Everyone we passed bowed their heads in reverence as she approached, and by the time they looked up they could only assume the yellow-robe in her company was the Royal Seer's daughter. I made it all the way to Meridale's quarters without so much as a greeting from the palace guards.

  When the princess left me to wait within, I gave myself a tour of her posh lifestyle. The bed was the most imposing feature, with posts twice my height draped in delicate fabrics. There was a mountain of felt-lined pillows at its head, arranged in such a way that warded off all designs of comfortable sleep.

  A pair of angled mirrors in the corner called to me. I spun around slowly, taking advantage of the setup that allowed me to see myself from all directions. My unkempt hair and pale skin made me look like one of Gustobald's experiments, so I soon lost interest.

  As I passed a doorway, I saw the adjoining room was devoted entirely to clothing, with tailor dummies and changing screens scattered about in no organized fashion. I moved to the whitewashed vanity desk and ran my finger across a porcupine brush which had been carelessly placed on top of a small diary. I flipped through page after page of poetry before returning the book to exactly where I found it.

  A pair of windowed doors led out to a balcony overseeing the same gardens Meridale spent so much time wandering. I stepped outside and looked left and right along the sheer wall. There were no other terraces in sight. The balcony wasn't high enough to see over the distant city wall, but it offered a great view of the approaching sunset, more forbidding than romantic. Reds and purples bled into the grey horizon. Already the breeze was picking up, shaking the spent leaves from the unsuspecting trees below. A storm was approaching.

  The autumn wind felt much colder of a sudden, so I returned to the bedchamber and locked the windows. For the first time I noticed the portrait over the door: the twins that looked nothing alike. It was an old painting, commissioned when the children were no more than toddlers, but managed to capture them at their most regal, posed facing each other, tall and rigid and dressed in their fineries.

  I cast the truesight spell to search the room for anything that might be hidden, but my spell failed. I repeated it twice to no avail but the third time it worked. It was in vain; there was nothing to see, so finally I rested on the comfortable bench near the balcony doors. It felt so good to sit down that I rocked over and lay on my side. It wasn't long before Meridale returned. I rolled off the bench as the princess entered and bowed my head, kneeling in respect. I was unable to see the surprise in store for me, although I could hear many sets of feet filing in.

 
"Stand up." Queen Valora's voice was soft but firm. She smiled down at me as I struggled against my dress robes and lightheadedness in order to regain my footing. She was accompanied by her personal guard, most of whom waited in the hallway. The two who entered were sentinels, so I knew this would get back to the Seeker. The red-headed sentinel was cloaked in invisibility, reminding me that I never canceled my trusight. The king was nowhere to be seen. "The necromancer's assistant," Valora said accusingly.

  "Your Majesty." My mind wasn't working fast enough. Meridale was smiling with her best intentions. I was certain this was my last moment as a free woman. "Isabel Ives," I said, bowing my head once more. "Pleased to officially meet you, at last."

  "We shall see." The queen sent a private signal to the closer sentinel and he joined his comrades in the hallway, closing the door on his way out but not pulling it to. "You asked to see the king privately, but he is busy running his kingdom. What is this about?"

  "Forgive me, Your Majesty. It's of a sensitive nature. I'd rather us speak alone."

  "Meridale."

  The princess wasn't happy being asked to leave, and I was similarly put out to see her disappear with my belongings. The invisible sentinel bodyguard remained behind. When I pointed out the interloper, the queen seemed perturbed by my inventiveness. "Jeni stays," she said, but motioned for Jeni to stand in the corner to give us some privacy.

  "Can't hide from me," I said with more cockiness than intended. "Not with that red hair." Jeni eyed me with such contempt I thought she might attack me then and there.

  "Well done," Valora said flatly, crossing the room to the bench and motioning for me to sit.

  "It's my job to expose intrigue." I shook my head and canceled the truesight spell, but it was too late. I felt dizzy and giddy. The training wand had taken much out of me, but it was the continued casting and sustained truesight spell that knocked me off my wits.

  The queen made an odd expression and again pointed to the bench, which I nearly fell over backwards on my way down. I landed roughly on the seat, more or less upright, and swallowed a curse at my own ineptness. I can't recall the rest of the conversation in great detail, but I'm certain it couldn't have gone exactly as I have recorded it here.

  "What is going on here?" she asked, rethinking her decision of sitting beside me and standing a comfortable distance away.

  "I'll ask the questions, Your Majesty, if you don't mind." I stared at her for what seemed like minutes. Finally it occurred to me that she might be waiting for me to ask her something; more likely she was dumbfounded. "When was the last time you talked to the prince? Your son—I mean, the prince. Yeah. Please."

  "I have not spoken directly to Jasper in weeks," she said. "But he is an active young man with a bit of a wild streak. He has caused no end of trouble for us. Whatever comes from this recent development, you can be sure he brought it upon himself, got mixed up with the wrong people."

  "What do you mean?" I hiccupped. "What kind of wrong people?"

  "The prince was more worldly than most highborn," she said. "He liked to spend time on the streets. The guards would take him gambling, drinking, the One God knows what else. He was every bit as stubborn as his father."

  "So he takes after his father more than his mother?" I must have given something away with my smile, because she looked back at Jeni to see if she overheard. I hiccupped again, much louder than the first time. As usual, I couldn't stop myself once I started. The more I attempted to subdue the spasms, the louder they became. The thought amused me, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

  "Have you been drinking?" she asked. "You dare appear before your queen in such a state?"

  "Well, I thought you were the king."

  "We are done here," Valora said. "I hope you have enjoyed your stay, because your time at the palace is finished."

  "I'm sorry, Your Majesty," I said. "I actually came here looking for help with Master Xavier and Gustobald. We might've got sidetracked. Let's start over." She turned to leave and I saw my chance slipping away, so I placed my hand lightly on her arm. "Please listen!"

  "Take your hands off me!" Queen Valora recoiled in horror. "Jeni!"

  The door burst open and the guards rushed in, but Sentinel Jeni was already taking her shot. She extended her hand to release an amorphous plume that screamed in an arc, canceling inches from my face. The rest is hazy but I'm told the close call made me flinch, and I fell backward onto the floor in stitches. They say I never stopped giggling as I pretended to cast fireballs and lightning bolts from my fingertips.

  "You're crazier than that old man," Sentinel Jeni said.

  "Who told you Gustobald Pitch was crazy?" I laughed as the guards picked me up and dragged me away. "That's privileged information!"

  Chapter 14

  My cell at the Astar Hold was just large enough for a bed and not much else, which might have been boring in any other circumstance. It was temporary holding; the more long-term accommodations took up no space at all, being extradimensional pockets that were designed for prolonged psychological torture. Fortunately I was just passing through, but the night was unbearable in my intoxicated state.

  It was hot and I couldn't sleep at all wondering what they would do to me, and what Gustobald would say when he found out I lost control. I kept standing up from the bunk, unable to pace more than a few steps before sitting back down again. The mage manacles were uncomfortable, binding my fingers and hands together so I couldn't cast anything even if I still had my magic.

  It was dead quiet, but sometime in the middle of the night I finally heard movement in the hallway that suggested I wasn't alone in this dismal place. Seconds later my door slid open, but my hopes were dashed when the First Seeker stepped inside my cramped room and stood over me.

  "You have gall," she said, leaning on the smooth stone. "The palace guard thinks the magic has taken you, that you've lost your wits."

  "I meant no disrespect," I said. "I have very low tolerance it seems. It's been a long time since I've cast anything more than a cantrip."

  "There isn't a mage among the Sentinels or the academy who doesn't know what it's like to be spelldrunk. And there is a call for leniency from your friend the inspector."

  "That's good." I held up the manacles but Seeker Celeste made no motion to release them. She gave me a queer smile and crossed her arms, so I dropped my hands on my lap and sighed. "I'm sure you've heard a lot of things about me and Gustobald," I said. "Some of it's probably true. But there are so many rumors created by angry, spiteful people. You've no idea how cruel they can be. Archseer Bartleby would weep to see where things are heading."

  Here I paused to see her reaction, but I fear my casual glance was nothing of the sort. She was unreadable except for the spark of suspicion in her eye at the mention of Bartleby's name. We let it hang in the air between us, but finally I lost my patience.

  "You knew the Archseer personally," I said.

  "Where did you hear that?" she asked, her doubt slowly replaced by irritation.

  "Is it a secret? I heard you requested to investigate the Archseer's murder yourself. You must have some connection with him, or why go out of your way for something that's not your duty?"

  "What is a Sentinel's duty if not to punish the wicked?"

  "I think there's more to it than that."

  She swept her braids back and took a deep breath, shuffling her feet. I slid to the side to give her room to sit on my bunk but she didn't accept the offer. Instead she turned toward the door as if she might leave, but then reconsidered. Maybe she was just hiding.

  "Yes, I knew him," she said, turning back to me but keeping her eyes on the door. "And I didn't trust the investigation to anyone else. I was upset when His Majesty rejected my request to visit the academy. Master Bartleby was a great man and didn't deserve to go out like that. He was a powerful seer; I knew whoever took his life must have been equally powerful."

  "They were," I said. "But not anymore. Gustobald saw to that."

 
"Gustobald Pitch. The only reason I allowed a necromancer into the Silver Palace is because the Archseer looked upon him favorably, and because I respect Mr. Pitch for avenging his death."

  "I never met the Archseer," I said.

  "I met him some time after I was inducted into the school of enchantment."

  "Wait, you're a mind mage?" I asked. "I thought you were a summoner."

  "Eventually I became a summoner," she said, turning back to me but keeping her distance. "Before that I was a poor excuse for a wizard. And the initiates at the Tower of the Mind were relentless in their abuses. They said and did things to me that no child of seven should ever suffer. I was a rare specimen at the Tower of the Mind, one of the few who could still remember her parents. It is shocking what jealousy will push people to do.

  "There was a particularly vile girl named Tess who reveled in her tortures. There was a stray cat I used to feed with leftovers I snuck from the dining hall. The cat always used to run away from people, but finally grew comfortable enough around me to let me pet it. One day Tess got inside my head. She compelled me to beat it to death with the loose leg of my writing desk."

  I let out a curse but Celeste didn't hear it. She was back in that time and place, her eyes glazed over and her fingers clenched into fists.

  "Don't think for a moment you know anything about how cruel people can be," she said. "The worst part was that I enjoyed every swing of that club until the spell ran its course." Her face was contorted in anger and self-loathing. Her voice was losing its edge but she spoke all the faster for it, as if she were afraid she wouldn't get it all out. I didn't want to hear any more, but I didn't know what to say to stop her talking.

  "As Tess's abilities improved, she found more inventive ways to punish me, until the day she finally learned how to alter my memories completely. Today I have precious few memories left of my parents that haven't been erased or corrupted by her ungodly work. To be honest, I can't be sure what's real and what's not." She looked down on me and I dropped my eyes to the floor. "I've never told anyone about that stupid girl before except for Master Bartleby."