I nodded in grim agreement. “Of that, I have no doubt,” I agreed, unable to help myself from envisioning Dancer getting eviscerated in yet another display of Gaeld’s brutal efficiency.
I turned to leave the foyer, but saw that Dancer had something to ask from the expression on his face. I stopped and turned to face him again. “What is it, Dancer?” I asked.
Dancer ground his teeth for a moment. “Where Antolin’s Champion?” he asked, which seemed to come out of nowhere and caught me completely off-guard.
My heart sank almost instantly and I couldn’t take my eyes off the stone walls behind Dancer for a moment, but eventually I managed to recompose myself. I straightened my posture and answered, “Antolin’s Champion is lying in a bed at Coldetz Castle.”
Understanding swept across Dancers face and he nodded curtly before turning to go out into the yard. He knew he wasn’t allowed off the grounds but he enjoyed his mid-day calisthenics on the well-manicured lawn, and if that was how he decided to rest and relax in anticipation of a fight then that was his affair.
Chester came back to the foyer just as I was about to leave and caught my attention. “The runner is here, Lord,” he said in that perfectly practiced butler voice of his. “Shall I deliver the parcel to him, or do you prefer to do it yourself?”
I shook my head. “I think it’s better if I do it, but I need a pen and some paper,” I said, reminded once again by just how smoothly the house’s affairs ran under Chester’s draconian leadership.
“Very good, sir,” he replied and without even making eye contact with her, one of the women stewards flitted down a hallway in search of the writing materials. “If I am not being too forward,” began Chester after the woman was out of earshot, “might I inquire as to when we can expect Master Antolin?”
That was actually pretty forward for Chester, so I decided to cut straight to the heart of the matter. “What’s wrong, Chester? Is there some house business which requires the Master’s attention?”
Chester’s well-manicured veneer wilted for a moment as he responded. “There are certain…financial matters which require his attention.”
I couldn’t help but laugh—which I did a bit longer and much more loudly than I would have liked. I was reminded of the old saying, ‘when it rains, it pours,’ and that seemed pretty appropriate at the moment.
After regaining control of myself and catching a look of concern on Chester’s face, I wiped my eyes and shook my head slowly. “I think it’s best if I’m the one to deal with whatever it is, Chester,” I assured him, “Master Antolin won’t be coming back any time soon…if I understood him correctly.”
Chester looked confused for a moment. “Then he informed you of the issue?” he asked rhetorically with relief in his voice.
“No,” I answered, “he most certainly did not inform me of any financial issues, but seeing as I’m the only present member of House Wiegraf there doesn’t appear to be an alternative, does there?”
Chester straightened his shoulders and regained his practiced demeanor. “Very good, sir,” he said matter-of-factly. “I shall have the particulars collected for your review this evening.”
I nodded appreciatively, or at least as appreciatively as I could manage given that he was apparently handing me a bill which had him more than a little bit concerned.
The woman re-entered the room holding a small tray with the writing materials I had requested. She placed it on one of the narrow tables near the wall and quietly left the room. How people managed to make so little noise while moving around so quietly, yet so quickly still impressed me.
I went over to the tray and composed the letter in a hasty hand. Penmanship has never been a strong suit of mine, and I’d almost had to learn how to write in their hand completely from scratch over a year before. Usually—like when writing Antolin’s research papers—I used an enchanted pen which would transcribe my words automatically, but for this task I really didn’t want anyone knowing the contents of the message.
After a few minutes—and at least a few smudged out corrections which made me flush with embarrassment—I dried off the paper and rolled it carefully before folding it and sealing it in hot wax with the House Wiegraf seal.
I made my way outside and saw a tall, thin man standing outside the gate wearing the familiar uniform of a Veldyrian Courier, or ‘runner’ as they were usually called. The garment was made of a skin-tight material which conformed almost as well as spandex, and it was colored in alternating horizontal lines of bright red and yellow about two inches wide.
I handed him the note, which he placed inside the small tube fastened across his chest with a cross-strap before screwing the cap on. He then looked at me expectantly, and I leaned close to his ear and whispered his destination to him. The runner then nodded his acknowledgment of the destination and set off running down the street at a pace I would have been lucky to match in my best shape, back in my own body.
I watched the runner until he turned right and headed back toward the city center, at which point I made my way back into the house. I had some research of my own to perform, and I needed to clear my head before the runner returned with the reply.
I entered Magos Antolin Wiegraf’s private library, and even though I had been standing in a far more impressive collection less than an hour before in Arch Magos Rekir’s study, I was still impressed by the collection my relatively humble Master had acquired.
The dimensions of the room helped with the collection’s presentation, since the shelves were all about eight feet tall—much shorter than Rekir’s library—and the tops of the shelves were actually covered with artifacts of various origin and meaning which only Antolin could explain. There were a few small tables, but no grand desk like Rekir’s imposing, stone slab. I actually found that I preferred the library-style arrangement Antolin had chosen compared to the imposing monument the Arch Magos had designed.
Pi’Vari was quietly flipping through a few of the mundane books, and the library consisted of both ‘normal’ books, as well as the enchanted tomes which contained magical algorithms and formulae. The enchanted volumes were kept under a simple locking mechanism which prevented them from being removed without the proper access code, which was entered by touching various glyphs carved into the end of the wooden shelves.
Antolin had given me access to all of the shelves except for one, and while I was sure that the information contained in those tomes was far more valuable than everything else in the library put together, I knew that breaking the code which prevented my access would take more time than I had. So I ignored them and began looking for volumes I thought might help me understand the powerful ritual described in the book we recovered from Sherwyn’s mansion.
There were treatises on the transformation of materials from one form to another, as well as books describing the latest models of human consciousness. Studying Somnomancy had given me a basic understanding of parts of the human psyche, but I needed a much more complete knowledge base if I was to understand the ritual or—should it prove necessary—if I was to actually attempt it.
I really didn’t have any desire to attempt that particular ritual, but I needed to keep my options open. Antolin had given me the location of that book for a reason, and I needed to study it thoroughly in the absence of a more obvious course of action.
So I spent the next hour in quiet study, cataloguing the books I would need to retrieve from the library so I could collect them all when we were ready to leave. Studying them in the Estate would take weeks to make any progress, so I didn’t want to waste my time. Every minute I stayed in the Imperial City was, to my way of thinking, more dangerous than any week had been since leaving.
Chester cleared his throat softly from the door, and both Pi’Vari and I looked up simultaneously from different desks. “Courier for you, sir,” he said simply and displayed a neatly folded piece of parchment.
I stood abruptly from the table, banging my knee on its rounded wooden leg as I went arou
nd it. I stifled the string of curses which usually erupted from my mouth from such unexpected bumps and made my way to where Chester stood.
I accepted the parchment and he turned to leave the room, quietly closing the door behind him. The parchment bore the wax seal of House Listoh—otherwise known as ‘The Guild’ among Veldyrian’s elite—and I was about to find out if my best potential plan had any hope of success.
I carefully unfolded the parchment after breaking the white wax seal and once again flushed red in the face at the elegant handwriting I read. I recognized the writing, which meant that my letter had reached its intended target, and that was a start at least. The letter began with a formal introduction which still made me uneasy:
Journeyman Jezran von Cobalt, of House Wiegraf,
Your request for a formal audience has been received, and House Listoh would be pleased to accept you at tonight’s banquet at Listoh Estate. Those festivities will precede the annual House Listoh Reading for this year’s College hopefuls.
The evening’s events will begin at sundown, with the official readings of the Listoh crop of applicants occurring at midnight as is customary. You are expected before sundown, and we will be happy to hear your matter as soon as the affairs of the Reading are concluded.
Journeyman Marizzi von Magenta, of House Listoh
I breathed a sigh of relief after finishing the letter, and Pi’Vari quirked an eyebrow from his chair at the far end of the table next to which I was standing. “I would hope it contains good news,” he said before muttering, “since we could certainly use some of that.”
“I have no idea if it’s good news, to be honest,” I replied honestly. “But we’ll find out later tonight.”
“House Listoh?” he groaned. “We rest our fates on the will of The Guild?! If I recall correctly, you are not their favorite person.”
He had a definite point there, but it didn’t matter. I knew I could convince them to help us; the only question was how far they would commit when they learned that doing so would put them in direct opposition to House Tyrdren.
I knew that House Listoh and House Tyrdren were chief rivals for the pole position in Veldyrian politics, with The Guild’s power stemming from their monopoly on the magics which safely bound otherworldly creatures to the will of High Wizards. House Tyrdren, on the other hand, controlled more tangible assets such as mineral wealth, food production and other essential commodities, which gave them far more political leverage with the vastly larger non-wizard community. It should be noted, however, that House Tyrdren was also well-known for its constantly-evolving, brutally effective line of combat magics.
There was little doubt that Listoh had the greater assembled magical firepower however, as it had been said that Listoh’s High Wizards had not lost a proper Wizard’s Duel in over a hundred years—a claim which even House Tyrdren had actually bolstered on more than a few occasions with failed challenges from members of its ranks looking to erase the ‘zero’ on Listoh’s long-running record.
Wizard’s Duels were incredibly rare, happening only every few years—the last between an Arch Magos named Euripides Crenshaw and the leader of a now-defunct rival house whose name I could not recall. Euripides was noteworthy for having never employed a Champion—a gesture which encouraged frequent challenges, which I assumed was the point.
Normally a High Wizard’s Champion acts as a proxy when it comes to challenges. Seeing as High Wizards are incredibly pragmatic and never wish to place their Champions in harm’s way unless it is absolutely necessary, there were even precious few of these types of Champion-on-Champion challenges outside of the ranks of young Journeymen looking to strut boastfully.
“We don’t have a choice,” I said after thinking it through, “The Guild is the only major house which even recognizes House Wiegraf with official treaties and reciprocal research agreements.”
Pi’Vari rolled his eyes. “House Listoh,” he lectured, “has upheld the practice of ‘befriending’ smaller, financially unstable houses for centuries in the hope of gaining leverage over them should they accomplish something noteworthy, or even if they should be crushed under their debts and require dissolution.” He shook his head sadly, which was an odd expression coming from my usually stoic herald. “House Wiegraf is nothing special in The Guild’s eyes; we are merely a potentially undervalued asset in which they have made a modest investment with little chance of future devaluation.”
I shrugged indifferently. “Either way they’re our only option. So after you finish researching here, you need to get into your best outfit. We’re expected at Listoh Estate before sundown, which means we probably need to leave at least an hour before that if we’re to arrive on time.”
Pi’Vari looked at me in confusion. “Listoh Estate is scarcely ten blocks away. Even taking a leisurely pace, the walk will require no longer than twenty minutes.”
“You’ve got the distance figured,” I agreed, “but I’m expecting company of another kind on the way.”
From the looks in his eyes, I could see that Pi’Vari understood as he shook his head. “I told you we should have brought Baeld,” he reprimanded. “We would have suffered no such interruptions had you heeded my advice.”
He was probably right, but I was sick of dodging the seemingly endless line of people who wanted to take a bite out of me. “It’s time we gave these people something to think about that doesn’t involve us being some sort of juicy target,” I said coldly. “Dancer will do that, and then some, if I let him have his way.”
Pi’Vari reluctantly nodded. “I admit that I will enjoy the spectacle, regardless of the outcome,” said my herald with the hint of a sneer.
I was about to return to my task of indexing when I stopped, feeling anger rise in my gut at Pi’Vari’s nonchalant attitude. I walked over next to him and leaned down emphatically with my knuckles pressing on the table.
“You had better decide whose side you’re on, and do it soon,” I growled, “or the next time you cross that line you seem so infatuated with, I won’t be using my pathetic fists to reset your priorities.” I paused emphatically before standing straight and looking down on him. “This is your last warning, Pi’Vari: you’ll either decide you are with us or you are not, and any future whispers or mumbles to the contrary of that decision will probably be the last words you ever say.”
He locked gazes with me and I could see that he was unmoved him, but I didn’t care. I really needed to distance myself from all the people who seemed hell-bent on my death and dismemberment, and from where I was sitting it seemed that Pi’Vari was on the first page of that particular list.
I pointed to the library’s entrance and continued, “The door is right there, and you’re welcome to use it—for the last time—right now. As the only known surviving member of House Wiegraf, I’ll release you from your obligations here and now without prejudice if that’s your choice.”
Pi’Vari actually looked stunned for a moment as he considered the offer I had abruptly extended. I had no use for him if he wasn’t one hundred percent with me, and frankly I didn’t intend to be close enough to Veldyrian to ever need a herald again.
“Jezran,” he began, “I admit to being concerned with our direction since leaving the Imperial City many months ago.” He ran a hand through his light blue hair before continuing. “We are dangerously close to what many would consider heresy against the Empire’s ‘Guidance by Enlightenment’ doctrine, and I find it difficult to understand why we pursue such a course.”
“That isn’t your concern, Pi’Vari,” I retorted hotly. “The terms of your service to House Wiegraf do not include the right to vote on—or even inquire as to—our course of action. Either you will follow House Wiegraf’s leadership, or you will find yourself expelled from it immediately.” I paused to consider my next words carefully. “Your knowledge of matters both mundane and arcane is unequaled,” I said evenly, trying to ignore the mounting anger I felt, “and I’ve relied on your advice time and time again sinc
e bringing you into my troupe. That advice has saved our lives more than once, and it’s for that reason—and that reason alone—that I give you the choice right now: with me or not?”
Pi’Vari stood slowly and faced me. “I have faithfully served House Wiegraf’s true leader for years,” he hissed, “and you, Journeyman Jezran, are not he.”
I looked around pointedly before folding my arms across my chest. “Do you see a higher ranking member of House Wiegraf anywhere?” When he locked his unflinching eyes with mine, I could see barely-contained rage behind them but I didn’t care. I met his icy, blue eyes and continued, “Imperial Doctrine—which you hold so dear—quite clearly states that in the absence of its Master, the highest-ranking wizard of an Imperial House shall take over essential duties as he or she sees fit.” I jabbed my thumb into my chest, “That would be me.”
We stood there in a silent battle of wills for what seemed like minutes before he tilted his head slightly. “I live to serve House Wiegraf,” he said finally.
I nodded curtly. “I’m glad to hear that, Pi’Vari,” I said with a hard edge to my voice. “But I already know of your divided allegiance, and very soon I will require a more tangible gesture to back up your words.”
Once again my herald looked stunned, but he didn’t bother to refute my allegation. “We ought to put this aside for now,” he said coldly, “as we have much work yet to do before tonight’s events.”
“On that, we agree,” I said levelly, and we returned to our previous tasks in silence.
Chapter XXIV: More Answers Means More Questions
After I had finished cataloguing the forty or so books I would need to retrieve before returning to Coldetz, Pi’Vari announced that he was ready to brief me on his findings.
I sent for Dancer, because even though he was unlikely to contribute significantly to the discussion, I felt like it was important for all of us to be as well-informed on our enemy as possible. When the little man came into the library, he looked completely out of place in his tribal garb, having kept the bearskin cloak he had taken from Coldetz before leaving for Dome Mountain, or whatever it was called.
Revelation (Seeds of Humanity: The Cobalt Heresy) Page 28