This Dark Mirror

by Tricia Owens

  "Hadrian is not solely to blame. You have Gavedon and Life to blame for that," Manix cut in sharply. "Gavedon dared encourage the teaching of a skill that goes directly against the edict of Life. The very nature of sorcery is what makes men fear it. The burning of Rhiad was a terrible thing for which there will be a reckoning, but that alone was not what made your decision to join the Order a poor one, Jessyd."

  "My sister took me there—"

  Caled snorted. "You seem to have difficulty leaving situations you don’t agree with. Can you never say no, Jessyd?"

  A flash of rage lit Jessyd’s eyes. But along with it, Manix thought he sensed panic from the young man.

  "Why are you afraid?" Manix urged his horse closer to the sorcerer’s. "What are you withholding from us, Jessyd?"

  The younger man took a deep breath and bowed his head. Watching him, Caled and the others were tense, expecting the worse. But Manix waited patiently and when Jessyd raised his head again, he was not surprised to find that Jessyd had composed himself.

  "I’m withholding nothing from you," he said in a flat voice. He gave Caled and Hadrian what looked like a humble nod of acknowledgement. "My issue isn’t with you, it’s with Gavedon. I admit it’s difficult for me to separate the son from the father. I apologize. I need your help. I need your protection. There’s no one else I may turn to for these things." His jaw shifted as he looked at the two men. "I apologize for what I said to you before—in the water. It was needlessly cruel. If-if you want me to grovel I’ll do it. What need do I have of pride when my life is in the balance? I need your help. Desperately."

  Caled stared at him for a long moment, his face taut with distrust. The thieves looked uncertainly from Jessyd to their blond friend, waiting for guidance from the mercenary. It was Hadrian who broke the stalemate. He turned his head and murmured something too quietly for Manix to hear. Caled frowned and leaned over Hadrian and said something in response. The raven-haired sorcerer nodded and closed his eyes wearily. When Caled sat up again, he didn’t look pleased, but the tension was gone from his posture.

  Good boy, Manix thought at the sorcerer. He didn’t bother saying it aloud; Hadrian appeared to have lapsed into unconsciousness.

  Caled cradled the sorcerer as he pulled up the reins. "As much as a good grovel would entertain me, it means nothing in the end." The mercenary guided his horse around. "Know this, Jessyd: I don’t possess Hadrian’s misguided guilt. The next time your tongue turns sour I’m cutting it off. You’re with us by his grace only. I’d sooner abandon you." As Jessyd’s expression crumpled, Caled added, "Now let’s find a place on this forsaken rock to set up a proper camp. We’re not going a step further until we’ve set things to my liking."

  The mercenary rode off, Gam and Lio following. But Manix held back to study the look on Jessyd’s face and attempt, unsuccessfully, to decipher it.

  ~~~~~

  Caled bent over Hadrian where he lay on their combined bedrolls. The blankets were scant comfort against the rocky ground but it was the best Caled could do. Regardless, Hadrian wasn’t in any mood to complain if he was uncomfortable. He’d been dead to the world after urging Caled to leave Jessyd alone.

  "Foolish sorcerer," he muttered, as he ran the backs of his fingers down one too-pale cheek. "You’re in no position to be pardoning others of their crimes." The words were harsh, but they were only air. He wasn’t angry with the other man. On the contrary, Caled was unsettled by the fierce sense of protectiveness he felt toward Hadrian while the sorcerer was laid up like this.

  Many times he’d wished for Hadrian to be injured and yes, even killed. Recalling those malicious thoughts now made Caled disgusted with himself. He was not a cruel man. He should never have allowed his rage and pain to drive him to such a dark place inside himself.

  He’d initially taken up the blade to right injustice. As he’d told Hadrian back in Rhiad, he’d done it to set right a wrong. But he’d lost that purpose when coin became too easy to turn down. He’d become nothing more than a whore with a sword. Taking up the cause of Rhiad had seemed a way to return to his honorable roots. But that was not what had happened. Until only recently, there had been no honor and no respectability in his actions.

  "But things are changing, hmm, sorcerer?" He didn’t feel foolish in the slightest to be asking questions of an unconscious man.

  He watched the slow rise and fall of Hadrian’s chest, measuring how deeply he was asleep. Caled was not happy with what he saw. The other man’s skin had shifted from pale to ashen and was sheened with a light layer of sweat. The purple circles beneath his eyes made him look as if he had been beaten. Hadrian was beyond exhausted. He was at his physical limits. Maybe a day’s rest would help him recover, but Caled doubted it. He predicted a confrontation with Manix was forthcoming. He refused to allow the Elder’s haste in finding the Order put Hadrian’s health in further danger.

  He sat back on his heels and surveyed their surroundings. He didn’t know where they were but he was no longer as fond of it as he had been when they’d first emerged from the crater. The lack of trees provided poor shelter for them. The ground was not dirt, it was rock. Food would be difficult if not impossible to find. Firewood was out of the question.

  Another day or two of travel would most likely bring them into forested lands, but Caled preferred not to travel another foot forward while Hadrian was incapacitated. They’d passed through one, possibly two traps already. Caled was not optimistic enough to believe the road ahead lay clear. If more dark sorcery awaited them, Caled’s sword would be of no help. They needed Hadrian at full strength.

  He looked over his shoulder at the sound of leather scraping over stone. "What do you want?" he growled.

  Jessyd paused for a heartbeat and then continued forward to squat beside Hadrian’s still form, opposite Caled. The sorcerer looked down at Hadrian and shook his head. "He’s unwell, isn’t he? His magicking stole too much of his energy."

  "What do you want?" Caled repeated in a hard voice. Hadrian wasn’t awake to curb Caled’s animosity, so he let Jessyd feel the brunt of it. "If you think he wants your concern you’re mistaken. He still dislikes you."

  "Yes, he’s too good to be my friend." Jessyd’s expression hardened as he looked at Hadrian. "He was too concerned with being the perfect student, the perfect son, to be friends with an ex-whore like me. Yet when it came time to prove himself worthy of his father, he failed and I took his place. Of course he hates me."

  "You mean he refused to go along with Gavedon while you were too spineless to resist."

  Jessyd’s head snapped up. "You have no idea what this is about. You’re chasing a man you don’t understand. Gavedon isn’t a mere man. He is the One. He possesses power that hasn’t been seen in Juxtan since its histories were first recorded. He is all but a god, Caled. If you think a man can leave him—even Hadrian—you’re nothing but a fool."

  "So what are you saying? That Hadrian is still in league with his father and so are you? Are you finally admitting to your complicity?" Caled’s hand edged towards the nearest dagger on his body.

  Jessyd’s eyes tracked the movement, a thin smile coming to his face. "I’m saying the longer you submit to Gavedon’s influence, the greater his hold over you. If you mistrust me, you must do the same of Hadrian. Especially Hadrian." An odd light came to his eyes. "He is the Son of the One, after all."

  "Peddle your lies elsewhere."

  To his irritation, Jessyd made no move to leave. The sorcerer studied Hadrian again, this time with clear curiosity. "What is it that appeals to you? Is it his face? I admit he is uncommonly attractive for a man. But age will remedy that in time. Is it his body? Does it respond well to your touch?" Jessyd’s expression twisted. "Or is it his alleged innocence?" His eyes rose to Caled again. "You’re breaking your oath over him. Tell me what he possesses that makes you believe him? Perhaps even love him?"

  "What I feel for him I will never share with you, even in words," Caled said quietly. Understanding had struc
k him as Jessyd was speaking. Caled’s anger gave way to pity. "It doesn’t serve you to be jealous of him, Jessyd. You and he offer different things. As they say, there is a tongue for every soup."

  "And someone out there is hungry and desperate enough to taste mine?" Jessyd’s voice was full of mockery. "Spare me your condolences." He stood and sneered down at Caled. "You don’t know half of what you should."

  Caled stood with him. He caught Jessyd by the arm. "What should I know?"

  Pain turned Jessyd’s eyes to the color of burning timber. "As far as we’ve come, it doesn’t matter now."

  ~~~~~

  They gathered in a loose circle to discuss their plans. They kept their voices low to avoid disturbing Hadrian who continued to sleep a few feet away.

  "And you say two days farther we come to another canyon and a river?" Gam asked as he gazed towards the twilight horizon. "How wide is the river?"

  "It doesn’t matter," Jessyd replied impatiently. "We don’t need to cross it. If we follow it far enough it empties into a lake surrounded by a thick wood. When I left them, the Order was building a fort there. We’ll be there within nine days if we don’t stop unnecessarily."

  Caled watched Jessyd’s eyes, searching for a flinch that would indicate deception. "How vulnerable are we if we take the same route you did? Will they see us upon approach?"

  Jessyd tugged his cloak further around his shoulders. "Yes, but I’ve thought of that. Once we reach the lake there is a thick field of wild brush to the north. It’s difficult travel, but once we make it through we’ll emerge at the rear of the fort. There’s enough cover for staging an attack."

  Caled kicked the rocky ground. He didn’t like not knowing the area or knowing how truthful or accurate Jessyd was in his description of it. They were walking into this situation blindly and Caled couldn’t help thinking of how much this mirrored his encounter with the Dimorada.

  "Alright, this is the plan," he stated. "At day break, we make for this canyon. Once we reach the river, Jessyd and Gam will go on alone. The rest of us will wait with Lio to see what he sees through Gam’s eye. We’ll act or retreat based upon that information."

  Jessyd looked between Caled and the thieves. "What does that mean, through Gam’s eye?"

  "We’ll explain it to you later," Gam said with a grin.

  Manix clapped Caled on the shoulder. "A wise plan. However I must amend it. There can be no retreat, Caled. If Gavedon is there, we must apprehend him."

  “Time is in our favor. If he’s built a fort, he’s not going anywhere. A hasty attack of the structure without understanding where its weak points are and where it’s strong will only get us killed. We have the time to be smart about this.” Caled shook his head. “What happened with the Dimorada can’t happen again.” He addressed the group. "Everyone eat and get your rest. We’ll take the same shifts as usual. I’ll take Hadrian’s."

  "Will he be ready for travel by morning?" Lio asked, looking soberly at the inert sorcerer.

  Caled caught Jessyd watching him for his response. He looked directly into the sorcerer’s eyes and said, "He’ll be fine."

  ~~~~~

  He dreamed of Rhiad.

  He dreamed of the loft.

  Moonlight held the two of them but it was Hadrian’s voice that carried on the air, Hadrian’s moans and Hadrian’s surprised cries of passion that lent beauty to the night. Caled was inside him, his hips pumping steadily but carefully to keep him within the tight heat of the other man’s body. The enjoyment he experienced was secondary, however, to the wonder of watching Hadrian come undone beneath him. He smiled as he watched the younger man’s face reflect confusion and ecstasy and surprise all at once. It was too much for Hadrian to sort through, and Caled loved being the first man to give him all of it.

  He lowered himself to cover Hadrian’s open mouth with his own, greedily swallowing the other man’s groans and gasps. He kissed Hadrian breathless, and laughed softly when Hadrian’s hands tangled in his hair and simply held on, unable to decide whether to push or pull him away.

  This is mine, Caled thought. No matter what happens, no one can take this moment away from me. It belongs to me.

  But even as he thought that, he heard someone climbing the ladder.

  He concentrated on Hadrian beneath him, trying to use the sight and sounds of him to drown out the awareness of their intruder. But Caled still heard the footsteps in the hay. They were heavy, somber, and for an unexplainable reason Caled became certain that it was Gavedon who had found them. A hand grabbed his shoulder. Caled began to snarl—

  "By the gods, wake up!"

  Caled’s eyes snapped open. Lio was bent over him. One look at the thief’s face had Caled scrambling to his feet. He sucked in his breath when he saw why his friend had woken him.

  The blackness of night was broken by the blazing blue glow of a Shielding Cast. The glowing ball was the size of a horse cart, its walls opalescent. Its light spread far across the darkness, as though it were a small moon. In its illumination stood Jessyd, facing the ball with a look of intense concentration. Manix and Syellen were nowhere to be seen, but Caled thought he had a good idea where they might be.

  "Are Manix and Syellen alive inside that thing?" Caled asked.

  Gam appeared by his side. His lip was split, blood staining his chin. “Jessyd put the Cast on them while they were sleeping. Manix woke up too late to prevent it. I was on watch and I saw the glow. I jumped him, but—"

  "It doesn’t matter." Caled pulled his sword from beneath his bedroll while keeping a watch on Jessyd. He had already slipped a dagger into his throwing hand. He was doubly armed.

  The sorcerer’s concentration was fully fixed on what he was doing. Perhaps Manix was fighting him from inside the sphere; Caled had no idea how such things worked. He only knew that Jessyd needed to be brought down and now might be his best opportunity to do so.

  "Gam, Lio," he began, never taking his eyes from Jessyd, "if my knife misses him or if it doesn’t drop him— I want you two to run from here. Run as far as you can and call the horses to you only after you think you’re far enough away."

  Gam gasped. "But, Caled, don’t you need us—"

  Caled finally looked at his friends. "If I don’t get him with this first hit none of us stands a chance. Not without Manix. Not without Hades."

  Lio visibly gulped. Gam clutched his fellow thief’s arm. "You’ll hit him," Lio whispered, but he was afraid. He and Gam both were. They weren’t fools.

  Caled gave them both a rueful smile before flipping his dagger end over end so that he pinched the blade loosely between his fingers. "You boys are buying me the next round if I make this."

  He ratcheted back his arm and hurled the knife with all his strength.

  It flew true. He knew it would. He wouldn’t have risked it in favor of a sneak attack to Jessyd’s blind side if he didn’t trust in his skill.

  Skill, however, meant little when one was protected by magick. Caled heard the fateful clink! and watched his blade fall harmlessly to the ground. For a split second he was transported back to Annick, watching his foiled attempt to assassinate Hadrian. But this time he wasn’t hauled away by Master Taron’s apprentices to be lectured by the Master mage. Jessyd turned his head. The blue glow made his face look like a skull’s and his grin could have belonged to Death Himself.

  "Run!" Caled yelled.

  "Caled!" Gam bleated in distress, but the thieves sprinted off into the darkness as he’d wanted.

  Jessyd’s attention shifted to the fleeing thieves, so Caled shouted, "No! You know they’re nothing. I’m your threat, Jessyd."

  He heard Jessyd laughing. The sorcerer lowered his extended arms, but the Shielding Cast continued to glow and entrap the two mages. "So you are," Jessyd chuckled. "So you think."

  Caled transferred his sword to his strong hand and stalked forward. In the many fantasies he’d formed about his face-off with Gavedon, he’d never imagined that he’d fail. But as he approached Jessyd and fe
lt the buzz of powerful magick that surrounded the young sorcerer, Caled realized he’d been deliberately fooling himself. Without Hadrian by his side, Caled was but a nuisance against a sorcerer. He was a gnat. His blade was as effective as a stalk of grass. He broke out into a sweat as that realization struck him. It wasn’t fear that set his heart to pounding. It was alarm over how much he’d overestimated his strength.

  "Why, Caled, you don’t look surprised at the turn of events," Jessyd taunted.

  "I knew you were a liar the moment I met you." Caled was close enough now that the hair on his head and arms was starting to dance from magickal energy. "That pitiful story of yours—even Hadrian never whined as much as you did. Your body fairly reeked of deception and cowardice. And here you prove it: working as a lackey for a man you don’t have the bollocks to leave."

  "Who says I wish to leave him? This whole plan was my idea. I’m the one who offered my life to bring him what he wants." Jessyd’s brows lowered ominously. "And that’s exactly what I am about to do."

  Caled hefted his sword. He rose to the balls of his feet. "I won’t let you take him."

  Jessyd raised his hands. "You can’t stop me."

  Caled surged forward, blade extended. A fierce battle cry ripped from his lips. His eyes were on Jessyd’s throat, envisioning his blade embedded in that soft flesh. His feet left the ground, taking his body and his sword arm to an angle that lifted him above his opponent’s guard.

  But Jessyd wasn’t his normal opponent, and his guard wasn’t made of metal. A terrible tingle burned Caled’s skin. He couldn’t see or brace himself for the invisible punch of energy that hammered him square in the chest, sending his arms and legs flailing in different directions while his sword flew off to clatter in the distance. The air parted around his head and shoulders and they were first to strike the ground as his body skidded across the rocks. His lips parted to gasp in pain but no sound came out. He couldn’t draw a breath.

  Standup!Standup!Standup!