“So the town was built on top of the tomb?” Raven asked. She leaned forward, showing a surprising amount of interest. I also noticed that after the first couple of sips, she’d left her goblet untouched on the table. “But why didn’t anyone go down and check it out?”
“Because it was sealed,” said Greystone. “I have spent no great length of time in Elladorn, but I well remember the place where the tomb now lies. Before the beginning of the war, all you would have found there was a wide circle of stone with a single pillar of marble in the center. Atop the pillar was a glass orb, half filled with water. The water, curiously, did not rest in the bottom of the glass orb, but the top.”
“What? Like it was floating?” asked Calvin.
“It is a simple enchantment,” Greystone said, shrugging. “Lord Miles could perform it right this moment, even with his limited amount of training. As a result, I thought the circle of little consequence. The folk of Elladorn would visit it often, placing their hands on the orb and asking for its blessing. It seemed a local superstition and nothing more.” He shook his head. “To think that one of the tombs of the six was beneath my feet on countless occasions, and I never knew.”
Blade gave a theatrically loud, long sigh. “Oh my God, guys, I’m falling asleep here. What’s the point? Somebody get to the good part.” He drained the last of his goblet and held it up for a refill.
Greystone glared at him. “There are six tombs,” he said, “but five have been lost to us since long before I was born. Now we have discovered one of them, but only because the forces of Chaos went to great lengths to secure the town in which it lay, and then to open it.”
“Still bored,” Blade said. “Why would they do that?”
“We don’t know,” said Sarah, leaning forward to place her elbows on the table. “And I think that’s the point. Isn’t that right?” She looked to Greystone, who replied with a nod. “But if Chaos went to all that trouble, there’s probably something pretty important about the tombs.”
“The pedestal,” said Tess quietly. “There was something on that pedestal down in the tomb. But it was gone.”
Greystone nodded again. “That is what I fear. An artifact of the original Six, claimed from the tomb for a purpose that we do not yet fathom.”
“Couldn’t it have just been another one of those orbs of water?” I asked. “Like on the pillar that used to be above the tomb?”
Greystone shook his head. “Impossible. As I said, the orb had no inherent power. It was a child’s enchantment. No, I believe that the orb was a signpost. But the tomb itself was built to protect the object on that pedestal.”
“Which was what?” asked Blade.
“Do you listen to anything at these councils, or do you merely pipe up when your tiny mind has fallen too far behind?” Greystone snapped. “It was built millennia before I was born. I have no idea.”
Blade made a show of looking apologetic. “Sorry. It’s just so hard to wrap my head around the idea that anything existed before you were born.”
Nestor stared at Blade like a third arm had suddenly sprouted from his chest.
“Wait, wait,” said Calvin, butting in. “You said five tombs were lost. What about the sixth?”
That’s when one of the chamber doors swept open with a bang, making us all jump. Elanor strode in, her elaborate white dress fluttering behind her like the smoke trails from a jet. She stopped dead six feet into the room, her poise as rigid and beautiful as a dancer’s. Her skin was alabaster white, her long, perfectly braided hair a color in between blonde and red. Every feature seemed designed to make her more beautiful, but it came off like a mask after you learned what was on the inside.
We’d only met Elanor a couple of times, but that had been enough to learn that she didn’t like us at all. Now she stared at the King wrathfully while ignoring everyone else at the table. Nestor, meanwhile, avoided her gaze, suddenly finding the tabletop very interesting.
Oh, great, I thought. She must not have been told about this meeting at all. That’s why she hadn’t been here when we arrived.
“My King,” said Elanor evenly. “Please accept my humblest apologies for my absence. I find it most difficult to arrive on time for a council when its existence is hidden from me.”
“It is a matter of small importance,” Nestor said, eyes still fixed on the tabletop. “I thought not to trouble you with it.”
Elanor’s hand flew to the amber amulet around her neck in mock concern, and her voice took on a simpering sweetness that made me want to gag. “Oh, but the slightest concern of my husband is of my utmost concern as a wife,” she said. She looked around the table at us. “Besides, I can scarcely believe that a matter of ‘small importance’ would draw not only the Watcher, but all six of the Chosen from their lair. After all, they have not seen fit to visit us even once since their arrival, as is custom.”
“You know that circumstances of war have prevented it,” said Nestor through gritted teeth. “And you will address them with respect in my presence.”
Elanor gave a curtsy. “I meant no offense,” she said.
Greystone snorted.
“In any case, this is a matter far from your purview,” said Nestor. “If you will return to your chambers, I shall visit after our council is complete. We may discuss the matter at that time.”
“I would never dream of making you repeat yourself,” said Elanor. She turned to one of the servants standing mute in the background. “Move one of the chairs to my King’s right hand. Immediately,” she commanded. “And fetch me some wine.”
Servants rushed forward. Greystone was sitting to Nestor’s right, and Elanor’s command forced him to scoot his chair further down the table, away from the King. In seconds it was done, and she placed her hands in her lap, looking around expectantly. “Please, my Lords and Ladies,” she said. “Do not let me interrupt. I am certain it would take far too much of your valuable time to recount all you have discussed thus far.”
“Just so,” said Greystone.
“Very well,” said Nestor reluctantly. “Where were we?”
“I was asking where the sixth tomb was,” Calvin said. “The one we know about.” His left hand snuck across the table, inching closer to Raven’s goblet where it lay before her.
“Calvin.”
The hand leapt back like it had been caught in a mousetrap. “Sorry,” he grumbled.
Greystone’s jaw clenched so hard that I thought he might shatter a molar, but his voice betrayed no emotion. “The sixth tomb is far beyond the barrier. It is the tomb of Malus, the Mage of Mind.”
“Like me?” asked Tess.
“Just so,” Greystone said with a nod. “Malus was perhaps the greatest of the first six. His mastery of Mind was so great that he developed the gift of prophecy — unheard of in all of mankind. Some elves have the second sight, and it is said that there have been dragons with the gift as well. But Malus is the only human, before or since, to have the tapestry of time laid out before his eyes.
“It was Malus who foresaw the arrival of Chaos and tried to prepare for it. He urged all rulers of the Free Kingdoms to prepare for war. But his warnings fell on deaf ears. The kings of men in those days were petty, obsessed with expanding their own holdings. They saw Malus as a wily pacifist, using a false threat of attack to bring about a cessation of war.
“Soon Malus realized that in order to save Earth from Chaos, he would have to rely not on the power of nations and armies, but of magic. He rode throughout the world, finding and convincing the greatest mages of the age.”
“I’m surprised the wizards didn’t tell him the same thing,” Blade said. He’d kicked his heels up on the table and was halfway through his second cup of wine. His voice was louder than before. “I mean, weren’t they involved in all the wars and stuff?”
If Greystone noticed Blade’s lack of manners, he didn’t say anything about it. “Mages have, of old, kept away from power. As you yourselves develop your gifts, you will see how an un
derstanding of the forces behind all of nature can instill a dislike, even a contempt, for the petty squabbles of men.” He paused for a moment, his look finding Elanor for a moment, before he continued. “Indeed, it is a tenet of the teachings of magic that true power cannot be discovered except once one puts aside the desire of material gain.”
“An opinion that Terrence seems to disprove with his every action,” Elanor said smugly. It sounded like bait.
Thankfully Greystone didn’t rise to it, though it seemed a struggle. “In any case,” he continued, “Malus convened the first circle of six. Their plan was at first to resist the forces of Chaos. After all, they were the greatest sorcerers of their age, each of them worth an army.”
“But it didn’t work, did it?” asked Calvin.
“It did not. The war went badly. At last men across the Free Kingdoms united against the Chaos threat, but by then it was too late. The forces of darkness swept across the land. In those times, they were led by whole armies of hellions like the one you destroyed at the barrier gate. Only these hellions were old, wise, each one stronger than a dragon.”
“Hey, that reminds me,” Calvin said, interrupting again. “What were the other races doing at the time? I mean, Midrealm’s got elves, right? Didn’t they help?”
“You mean to ask if they fought beside us?” asked Elanor with a harsh laugh. “Of course not, child.”
Nestor shot her a look that made her subside before he spoke. “What she says is true,” he said. “The races have never been able to hold an alliance between themselves for longer than a shadow’s breath. And while our conflicts with all the races ceased during the war against Chaos, still we never set foot on the same battlefield together. Some ancient wounds are too deep.”
Greystone cleared his throat. “At last, it was Malus who devised the plan to create the great barrier and Midrealm. A final measure against Chaos’ victory, which at the time seemed certain. And he already had the means at his disposal: the six greatest mages ever to walk among men, and each of them a master one of the component parts of the universe. They banded together, casting a spell which legend tells us took seven days and seven nights, forming a new world from the ether of nothingness. At the same time, the debris of their spellwork formed the material of the great barrier, and they fashioned it into the same wall that surrounds Athorn today.”
“What about the rest of the world?” Sarah asked, alarmed. “The other races…the other human kingdoms?”
“The barrier could only reach so far,” Greystone said grimly. “And rather than earning their friendship with an act that at last saved our world, their exclusion set a deep resentment in the other races. When Midrealm first came into being, Athorn sent its armies forth beyond the barrier. Freed from the need for defense, they helped scour Chaos from all of the Free Kingdoms. But some could not see past the fact that the barrier we had built protected only ourselves.”
Sarah was looking solemnly into nothingness. Calvin was staring at Greystone with his mouth open, hanging on every word. But impatience had finally gotten the best of me. I tapped two fingers on the table to draw everyone’s attention.
“This is all a great story,” I said. “But what’s this got to do with the tomb of Jada?” The Queen’s eyes went wide at the name, and she looked at Nestor in astonishment. He did his best to ignore her.
“Everything,” said Greystone. “If Chaos is taking artifacts from the tombs of the Six, we must know.”
“To what purpose?” asked Nestor. “What threat do the tombs contain that could concern us?”
“We do not know,” Greystone said gruffly. “And that is precisely what we must investigate. Though I have not stood in the tomb of Malus in well over a century, I remember it well. In its depths stood a pedestal, just as one stands in the center of the tomb of Jada in Elladorn. On the pedestal in Malus’ tomb was a small crystal held in a mount of gold. It is said that the crystal was set in Malus’ staff, and is formed of a material that aids in spellcasting. I know of no such material, but the tale may yet have some truth to it. Much knowledge has been lost since that enlightened age.”
“You say ‘investigate,’ Greystone,” Sarah said. “What do you mean exactly?”
Greystone looked sideways at Elanor before he replied. “I would not risk it unless it were utterly necessary, but on it seems to hinge all of the intentions of Chaos. My counsel is that we should seek out the tomb of Malus beyond the barrier, and see for ourselves if, indeed, the crystal has been taken.”
Before I could say anything, Elanor shot to her feet, turning to Nestor in a rage. “This is why you sought to hide this conspiracy from me? To keep this madness in the shadows where you hoped my ears would not hear it?”
“I hid nothing,” Nestor said angrily.
“Do not lie to my face,” Elanor spat. She whirled upon Greystone. “Will you not be satisfied until our entire kingdom lies in ruins around us? Always you try to goad my King into rash action, angering our enemies and enticing them to strike.”
“Without my counsel, your kingdom would already be in ruins,” Greystone growled. “The Battle of the Circle saved the lives of every man, woman and child in this kingdom, very much including your own worthless neck.”
“So you say,” Elanor said haughtily. “And still I say that our walls would have stood strong against the onslaught, with or without your precious barrier. Our armies are great, and we draft more every day. But your folly sent thousands of our best fighters to die in a pathetic attempt to save the lives of these six children.”
I felt, rather than saw, Cara stiffen down the table, her breathing slowly becoming audible as she seemed to struggle against the urge to speak.
Elanor noticed. She looked at Cara disdainfully. “Captain Gaskill, you cannot tell me that you approve of Greystone’s actions. The needless battle he began claimed the life of your own father.”
I blinked, looking at Cara in shock. Her dad had been in the battle? It was the first I’d heard of it.
“And yet he might be alive today, and the Rune Holders safe within your city,” Cara said through gritted teeth, “if Your Majesty’s stupidity had not held the other legions back behind your own walls.”
Elanor’s nostrils flared, and her chin went up. “You dare to insult me in my own palace?” she said, her voice scarcely above a whisper. “I will — ”
“You will do nothing!” roared Nestor, suddenly coming to his own feet as he slammed his fist on the table. The sudden crash of it made Elanor stop short and sent the goblets on the table toppling. Blade leapt back, cursing, as wine spilled over the edge of the table, barely missing his lap. More splashed across Elanor’s dress, glaringly red against the pure white of the fabric.
“The burden of hospitality rests on you, my Queen,” said Nestor, his voice turning to a sneer on the last word. “And you have failed to carry it. You embarrass yourself. More importantly, you embarrass me. Leave us immediately. I will deal with you later.”
Elanor’s chest heaved as she stared at him in fury. She opened her mouth to reply.
“Go!” he shouted. “Or I will order these Runegard to escort you away. They are not under my command, and yet I suspect that they will be only too willing to follow that order.”
Barius made a noise that might have been a yes, or might have been him just clearing his throat.
Elanor’s eyes darted around the room as if looking for a target for her rage. But the look on Nestor’s face was uncompromising. She turned and swept toward the door through which she had entered. Just before she left, she snapped at a servant by the door, “My dress is soiled, you idiot.” The poor girl ran out after her, trying desperately to scrub at the red stains.
Other servants ran forward, snatching washcloths from their belts to sop up the water and wine that now soaked the wood.
“Hang on,” I said loudly, stopping them. “I got this.”
I reached out with my hands, feeling through the air for the water and wine now spread acr
oss the table and the floor. With a gesture, I sent all of it floating gently upward. Seeing the wine floating back toward his goblet, Blade righted it. I dropped the solid sphere of red wine back into its waiting mouth. The others each righted their own cups, and one by one I dropped their drinks back in.
“My thanks, Chosen,” said Nestor, his voice too even. “But the drinks are nonetheless soiled. Please, fetch them new ones,” he said to the servants, gesturing. Silently the cups were swept away and the servants filed out to get refills.
“I apologize for my Queen’s behavior,” Nestor said shortly. “This war puts a great burden of duty upon us all.”
“You’re all good, bro,” said Blade quickly. “I mean, with a wife like — ”
His voice fell suddenly silent, though his mouth kept moving. He stopped talking, looking down in confusion. That’s when I saw Greystone, with his hand raised and pointed at Blade. It was the same little “mute button” trick I’d seen him use on Calvin the first time we came to Midrealm.
“Blade,” said Sarah. “Shut. Up.”
Blade looked at her gloomily, but he held up his hands as if to say, okay, okay. Greystone lowered his hand, and Blade uttered not a peep.
“Your apology is quite unnecessary,” said Sarah quickly, speaking to Nestor. “Please, let’s just get back to what we were talking about and forget the whole thing ever happened.”
Nestor inclined his head graciously. “Thank you for your understanding, Lady Sarah.”
“As I was saying,” Greystone said, picking up the thread, “I think that it is imperative we visit the tomb of Malus, as quickly as possible. It is the only way to be sure about the intentions of our enemy.”
“Wait, you still think that’s a good idea?” I asked.
Everyone around the table stopped dead.
“Miles, you have a question?” Sarah finally asked.
I spread my hands wide. My cheeks were burning, and all of my anger came rushing back at once. “Why are we going to go out beyond the barrier?” I asked. “It’s the only thing keeping us safe.”
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