"Please sit down, Novice Coleni. I have more questions for you,” Sonja said.
Coleni sat down stiffly, fighting to gain control of her emotions.
The general continued. “Pleates’ diversion to tour the western boundary instead of returning directly to the army after swearing in the new Novices at Inhestia was a ploy to find the Hermanian camp, attack it with his new weapon, grab the source, and make a daring withdrawal. His plan went awry when his weapons exploded, killing four Aggressors. He has blamed the failure, in his official report to me, on Aetria's starting her attack too early. Yet we have heard it was his group of Novices that started the battle, as it was planned to do. It appears he may have lied about what happened at the ‘Battle of the Novices.'
"But Magess Corerilla will point out that Magess Chalinee would lie to protect her ‘daughter,’ and Aetria's sister Coleni would do the same. Are we any nearer to the truth? I suspect I could call as witnesses some of those Hermanian troops who survived being sacrificed to Pleates’ weapons to say who fired and when, but then they are ex-enemies and their word suspect also. There is truth here somewhere, but we need to search a bit more."
Sonja looked at Coleni to ensure she had control of herself and then glanced at Aetria. Aetria gave the general a nod, indicating she thought it was all right to continue. Aetria knew the next round of questions was going to be hardest on her sister, and Coleni knew what could happen when she answered them.
"Novice Coleni, I am going to ask you some questions which might be considered detrimental to your welfare. A Mage of your Order will hear your answers, and she is not bound by the Delmathian Order's rules concerning conduct of spell casters. She is subject to our Delmathian laws, as Hermania agreed to in their suit for peace, so your life cannot be threatened. However, our laws cannot protect you from being banned from your profession. Do you understand?"
Coleni said calmly, and with emphasis, “I understand."
Looking at Chalinee, the general asked Coleni, “Have you ever experienced this condition called grid burnout?"
"Yes, three times. Once in my Novice training; once when I was cloistered; and the last time when I was captured.” Her matter-of-fact delivery of the answer belied the horror Aetria knew Coleni must feel in condemning herself before Chalinee. A quick glance at Chalinee showed the only reaction from the Magess was a tightening at the corners of her lips.
"After your first burnout, did you experience any change in your spell abilities?"
"Not after the first,” Coleni answered. “I think because I was a first year student, I was not dealing with that much Power. It horrified my teachers that I had suffered it, and I was treated accordingly, but I didn't notice any change. After the second burnout, I ... I...” She hesitated. She had no choice now but to say she knew she had changed and had not told anyone. “I, like Aetria, could sense an aura of stored Power in sorcerers. I also found I was sensitive to a new energy present in sources that I couldn't perceive before. I know I should have told my mentor, but I was being punished by my Order, and I had no one to talk to, and I was angry at being cut off from my friends and training, and I ... Well, I didn't tell anyone."
"So you can sense the same strange energy coming from Pleates’ source as Aetria can?"
"Yes."
Sonja turned to look at the Magi. “Even for a non-sorcerer like me, it seems remarkable that these two women have experienced the same ability to sense something different in sources and to see stored Power. It could be because they are twins, but I have a deep-seated feeling this is not the case. Mage Kelristo, you are the Master of Healing here. What do you think?"
Aetria looked at the Mage. He had been twitching in his chair as if he could not contain his interest in what he had just heard, and the general was quick to bring him into her argument.
"This is very interesting and I must have an opportunity to examine these two women. You may be right, General. The burnouts may have changed their perception of Power and allowed them to see it in a way different from the rest of us. Now I can set up an experiment—"
Corerilla cut him off harshly. “The Council is not here to discuss the possibilities of wild aberrations of Power, Mage Kelristo, but to condemn its use in our one sorcerer, Aetria. The other perpetrator, Coleni, will be left to her own people to handle."
"Thank you for focusing us on our purpose here, Counselor,” retorted the general, “but you only did so for two of the charges. I believe that such a discussion is needed for me to determine the validity of the third, and highest precedence, charge of high treason. A charge, I submit, that applies as well to Adept Pleates and anyone else who supported him in his efforts."
Aetria's mouth opened in surprise. She quickly shut it, looking at Coleni to see if her sister had understood what the general was saying. She did. Coleni whispered to Aetria, “Sonja has just accused your entire Mage Council of treason!"
Aetria nodded numbly. From the shocked looks of all the people in the room, except Sonja, they all understood.
"General Borlock, are you saying this Council should be charged with treason?” Meldoran asked, his voice quivering with indignation.
Looking hard at the old Mage, Sonja answered. “Maybe so, maybe not. You approved his developing a weapon that neither the king, myself, nor anyone else in the army knew anything about until it killed four of my soldiers! But I am digressing from my point and wish to return to it now. Something happens to sorcerers who experience, and survive, grid burnout. You don't know what it is because you declare it wild magic and terminate its use.
"The fact Aetria uses it to track Power, in whatever form it appears, has been proven. Coleni says she can, and I believe her. The source they have specifically pointed out as being the one that made them aware of this strange new Power is Pleates'. Why Pleates’ source? Aristes made it for him and says the Adept added something. Why? This is not hard to answer. It is because Pleates could sense the new Power also. How was he able to do that? Because he suffered grid burnout, survived, and found the new Power. Don't you all see that?"
Silence, stunned silence. Corerilla did not look stunned to Aetria. Corerilla knew what the general said was true. Is she protecting her son?
"Who was Alicia's lover? I say he was Pleates. Why had he suffered an injury that no sorcerer could be told about? He suffered grid burnout. Why did he suddenly leave his studies and head for the mountains? He found he could track a new Power, a Power that came from source material,” stated the general looking at the Magi.
"Why did he offer to sell out his country and his Order for a mountain valley that no one wanted? Because he found a mountain filled with source mineral, which would make him wealthy beyond anyone's dreams and give him more Power than any Order in the world. Why did he take such an active interest in a red sludge that your engineers had been throwing away for hundreds of years because it had no value? That sludge powers a weapon that would make him invincible to all of our armies. And he would have succeeded except for one thing."
I should know what she is going to say, but I don't know!
Sonja was beside Corerilla, looking at the Counselor as if the woman would give the answer. She didn't.
"The grid burnout that mysteriously gave him the ability to sense the new Power was not unique to him. He knew of one other who had experienced a grid burnout—Aetria. She mysteriously tracks down an errant Novice. She senses an exposed source long before he could. She must sense things differently; she is a danger to him. She doesn't sense the red Power yet, so if she can be gotten rid of, then he is safe.
"You have not yet heard of his setting a trap with your own Sorcerer Guards that should have ended with her death. I can call your Lieutenant Maneles to testify to it. The trap fails. Upon his return to the army camp, I spring my own surprise move and he must react to aid the Hermanians. He cleverly lines his own source with the red sludge so he could track Aetria, whom he had assigned to go with me. The Hermanians do not succeed in capturing me, so he has t
o try himself. He fails and dies."
Corerilla stood up and stepped down onto the chamber floor. She walked up to Meldoran. “A nice summation. A little before its allotted time, but since we are throwing away protocols, let me add some thoughts.” She continued before the Council Leader could say yes or no.
"The general has been good enough to present most of my objections to her witnesses. For brevity, I will say they are relatives, ex-enemies of our country, or confused old women, easily led. I am very pleased to hear Engineer Aristes has solved the problem with our weapon. The only hard evidence General Borlock has presented has only proven the charges against Aetria. As for the skeleton, the possible discovery of what happened to Alicia remains a matter for the law officers. A Court of Land must judge whoever cut that poor, unfortunate woman's throat.
"I, on the other hand, have presented written evidence predating this hearing and reflecting an historical perspective of events that could be judged to be treasonous on the part of Sorceress Aetria. I admit some of my witnesses’ testimony comes from former enemies of our people. If we throw away all the testimony from Hermania and Saphradea, then I submit I still have enough testimony to charge Aetria."
"Very reasonable, Counselor Corerilla. It lives up to your reputation for quickness of thought and use of the spoken word, but...” Chalinee stood and walked behind her chair, picking a long, cloth-wrapped object off the floor. She carried it to Corerilla and thrust it at her. The Counselor took it, almost in self-defense.
"Whether you believe me, or not, I don't care—except for the insult to my professional integrity it presents. A matter we will discuss in the future. I present this ‘hard evidence’ to you, telling you it was given to me by the person who owned it, Adept Pleates."
Corerilla removed the cloth's bindings, exposing a projector weapon.
"There were seven made, according to Engineer Aristes. Four blew up on the hill. Two came back to you here at Inhestia with their Aggressor Novice users. I find it curious no one has asked where the seventh was. All know Pleates had it. He took it with him when he went out with the ‘fake’ general. He gave it to me, telling me that if he failed to return, his part of our bargain was fulfilled. Would you like to comment on that, Counselor?"
Corerilla walked over and put the projector weapon on the nearest cloth-covered table, the one holding Alicia's remains. She turned to face Chalinee. “Pleates had to travel through your occupied territory. It is quite likely you captured it from him or took it from his possessions when you removed the bodies from the tavern. There are many ways you could have gotten hold of this weapon."
"Maybe your own witness can answer how I got the weapon. General, I suggest you recall ex-Sergeant Ventler."
While Sonja called for the Hermanian assassin, Chalinee returned to her seat and sat down. As the limping man came down the aisle, Sonja moved the witness chair further away from Aetria, then walked over to stand by the evidence tables. When Ventler came abreast of the two Hermanian women, he recognized his former superior with an awkward bow. The look he gave Coleni was surprise mixed with hate. He glanced over at Aetria and back to Coleni, then looked at Chalinee as if to say, “I told you so.” He clumped over to the witness chair and sat down.
"Rather than burden Counselor Corerilla with the task of translating for us, as she did previously, I will ask Novice Coleni to do that task. Counselor Corerilla and I will know if she is not translating properly,” stated the general.
Coleni spoke rapidly in Hermanian, explaining to Ventler what the general had said. He eyed Coleni nervously, glancing between her and his Magess.
The general reached over and picked up the projector weapon from the evidence table and walked over by Ventler. “Have you ever seen one of these before, Sergeant?"
Ventler looked at the weapon in Sonja's hands briefly and said, “It is a Sorcerer Guard weapon. I've seen two of their officers carrying them."
"Have you seen the weapons anywhere else, other than here at Inhestia?"
"No."
Sonja looked at Corerilla, but the Counselor showed no change in her expression. Sonja turned her attention back to the assassin.
"You said in your earlier testimony that your squad was sent in pursuit of General Mythrian. When asked how you were able to find the general, you said your attached sorcerer told you where to find him. When asked who that was, you said Coleni. I asked you where Coleni was, and you told me she had been tortured to death by my inquisitors. It appears Coleni survived my inquisitors’ torture."
Ventler was noticeably uncomfortable. His eyes kept shifting from Sonja, to the Council Leader, to Corerilla, and back again to Sonja. Aetria could see the tension building in the man and worried that he might do something if pushed too far.
"Novice Coleni, was Sergeant Ventler ever a member of your attached Assassin squad?"
"At the time of Pleates’ death, I did not have an attached Assassin squad, as I was temporarily working at my Company's headquarters. When I was eventually assigned a squad, Sergeant Ventler was not in it."
Coleni had to hastily translate the general's question to her, answer it, then translate her answer back to Ventler.
"Then whose squad was he attached to, Novice Coleni?"
"You keep asking the wrong person for information, General Borlock,” Chalinee cut in. Ventler all but broke his neck swiveling his head around to stare at the Magess.
"Sergeant Ventler was attached to my Regimental Headquarters Company.” Coleni's translations were making the Assassin more and more restless. He looked like a trapped animal now.
"Then, Magess Chalinee, you told him where to find the general."
"I did no such thing. I assigned that squad to Pleates when he came through my headquarters. Pleates already knew how to find you."
"Magess Chalinee, when did you first hear about the death of Alenso Mythrian, then believed to be the commanding general of the combined armies of King Phyrlatus?"
"As we were retreating from our defeat at the battle where you first appeared as your true self. I was confident Pleates would have killed General Mythrian and was quite shocked to find out otherwise."
"But Sergeant Ventler said Sergeant Graner ordered him to ride as fast as he could to tell you that the general was dead.” While Coleni translated Sonja's last statement, Ventler turned to look at Chalinee, as if appealing with his eyes for her to back his story.
"What nonsense! Assassin Ventler did not return to my Headquarters until nearly a month later, with a harrowing tale of dodging your troops who had been hunting him furiously. That is why I promoted him to sergeant, and Sergeant Graner to lieutenant. Graner backed up his story."
Sonja's eyes snapped back to Ventler's and saw the fear in his eyes as Coleni translated. The man was sweating profusely.
"So, Sergeant Ventler, you have been lying to me and this Council. Would you like to tell us the truth for once?"
Ventler seemed to explode out of his chair. For someone so injured, he moved with surprising agility. Aetria had only a moment to jump clear, falling backwards into a flip and landing on her feet. His target vanishing before his face, Ventler continued his charge, grabbing the old Magess who had been sitting next to his nemesis. Where the knife came from, Aetria did not see, but it was now poised over Trelana's throat.
"Move, woman dies!” he said in broken Delmathian.
The Council members froze in place. A Magess was in the hands of a maniac, and they were all unPowered except Meldoran. The general's sword was drawn, but she could not save Trelana. The older woman groaned; the heavily muscled arm across her chest held her in a crushing embrace against the assassin's body. The southern door flew open, and Fernonia jumped into the room, a projector weapon in her hand. Ventler whirled to put Trelana's body in between his and the deadly weapon.
Aetria felt the release of the Power before she saw Meldoran gesture. A Grand Master of Illusion, he put a glamor on Trelana that made her into a huge serpent.
A writhing
venomous snake's head appearing before his face broke Ventler's focus on the guard lieutenant. With a terrible hiss, the snake bared its long fangs and started to lunge at his head. He shifted the arm holding the snake against his body and grabbed at the head of the snake.
When the snake glamor enveloped Trelana, Aetria had only a moment to react. Ventler's release of the Magess cleared her throat from the man's knife, and Aetria cast simultaneously. Her knife, thrown from only a few feet away, buried itself almost completely in the left eye of the assassin. The man crashed over backwards, dead before he hit the ground. Aetria rushed to help her mentor, gasping for breath on the floor in front of her. The Council members quickly joined her, Kelristo moving her gently aside as he knelt to aid his colleague. The rigidly formal hearing dissolved into confusion and chaos.
CHAPTER 15
"What was it that Chalinee said to you that made you cry?” Aetria asked Coleni when they were alone in her tent.
The hearing had been recessed for the rest of the day while the injured were cared for and the deceased removed. It was now late in the evening, and the sisters were finished restoring their Power grids. If the hearing resumed in the morning as planned, they would have to deplete their grids again, but no sorcerer liked being Powerless for any period of time.
"She told me that if I hadn't been rutting in the bushes with Lornes, and had been standing a proper sentry watch, he might have been alive today. She did not want to dishonor Hermania by arguing the issue in front of Delmathians."
Aetria saw the sting of that rebuke relive itself in Coleni's face and was sorry she had brought the subject up again.
"There is no way of ever knowing what would, or would not, have happened if any of us had done anything different that morning. This comment comes from a woman willing to sacrifice a hundred soldiers to make Pleates look good. You can't let that kind of talk hurt you."
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