“He thinks you’re vulnerable now that Hemlock has left. Jackals strike when they smell blood. Did he steal any secrets on the Seventh Floor?”
“No, it was a clumsy attempt. I had taken precautions to prevent such foolishness.”
“So you’re certain?”
“Reasonably certain, yes.”
“I see.”
“Sometimes I curse Hemlock for leaving like she did. I feel that Jalis might openly revolt at any moment.”
“Have you taken precautions?”
“Some. But the others loyal to Hemlock are not as bold as Miara and I. They still hope to appease Jalis and await Hemlock’s return.”
“Their faith in appeasement is poorly placed.”
“I agree. Wait? What do you know?”
“Oh, don’t be so brazen! Use a little tact.”
"This is childish! Why must we play these games?"
"Oh, we are playing a game. Make no mistake. And it's a game that nobody wants to lose. In this case, the prize is the wizard guild."
"What are you talking about?"
"Jalis. He will move against you at midnight tonight."
"Impossible! Could he organize that quickly? He would had to have been planning this for days. He has been acting decisively lately, so I suppose it’s possible. Still, I guess in the end I didn’t see him having the stomach for an open revolt. He must be braver than I gave him credit for. He must realize that he could be killed."
"He fancies himself to be cunning. That's why he approached me for support. I agreed, of course. At midnight, senate knights will storm the Tower. But I have a feeling that things will not go as Jalis and his allies have planned."
Gwineval was stunned, and did not reply for several moments.
"What are you offering?" Gwineval finally replied.
"We will support you instead of Jalis. My only condition is that there must be no violence. Jalis will realize that he had been out-maneuvered. But we will offer him a way out of his conundrum. Or, I should say, you will. You will offer to let Jalis and those who would join him leave the Tower without violence or fear of reprisal. They will be free from the guild and its rules. You will give them a few hours to pack up what they will. My knights will supervise the departure."
"And why would I allow you to break up the wizard guild like this? Maybe Miara is right about you and your motives."
"What choice do you have? I could support Jalis and then where would you be?"
"But Hemlock would kill you if you did that."
"Perhaps. I could also sit back and let you and Jalis fight it out amongst yourselves. But I don't want violence. The City is already unstable due to all of the recent changes. A war amongst the wizards would make matters far worse. Magic would become even scarcer. Many people would suffer. Is that what you want? Plus, consider that you will be retaining the Wizard Tower if you accept my bargain. That has to be a huge prize for you."
Merit was transfixed by the play of emotion over Gwineval’s features. First he looked furious, then scared, then resigned.
"What will you do if Jalis does not agree to our terms?" said Gwineval.
"We will stand against him."
"Don't double cross me, Samberlin! I will leave information for Hemlock to find, should I not be here upon her return."
"A prudent precaution. Don't worry, Gwineval, I will be true to my word because it's best for the City."
Gwineval laughed contemptuously, but Samberlin paid no heed. "I've told Jalis to assemble his forces in the meeting hall. Make sure you don't tip your hand too soon. If my knights don't get into the Tower, we won't be able to help you."
"Agreed," said Gwineval as he waved a hand to terminate the scrye.
Gwineval hunched over the basin for several minutes. Merit sat in silence out of respect for Gwineval and the weight of the matters that must have been occupying his thoughts.
“We must summon Miara. Merit, can you remain for a while longer? We must discuss these new developments and…we need your counsel,” Gwineval said with a mixture of kindness and urgency.
“Of course, Mr. Gwineval,” Merit replied, his desire to retire to his chambers having been overshadowed by concern and curiosity about the impending coup d’état.
Gwineval returned his attention to the basin and Merit watched as he cast a quick spell. The runes that were painted around the basin shone briefly again.
“Now we wait,” said Gwineval, and he began to pace to and fro.
Miara arrived quickly and took a seat across from Merit. She had her salt and pepper hair tied back, and she wore thick reading glasses, which she hastily removed. She pulled up a chair for Gwineval and gestured for him to sit, but the latter waved off the request and continued to pace. Miara frowned at him in mock disapproval.
“I just scryed with Samberlin,” Gwineval began.
“Oh, and did it go well? Something must have happened to warrant an interruption to my work on the guild by-laws after I asked you not to do just that,” said Miara.
Gwineval ignored her scolding tone: “The scrye was fine—but the news was not. Samberlin says that Jalis approached him to form an alliance. They will move against us tonight! But Samberlin says that he will betray Jalis.”
Miara gasped and sat for a few moments. Her eyes darted around the room as if to search for a handhold against a riptide of chaos.
“Do you believe him?” was her eventual response.
“Yes, I think I do. I think he truly believes that he acts in the best interests of the City at times. He made mention of that very motive just now.”
“If he believes that then he is monstrously self-deluded. But I guess it doesn’t matter. We just need to figure out whether he is lying to us or not.”
“About what?”
“About everything. He could be lying about the entire affair and trying to play us against Jalis. What if he went to Jalis and said that we are plotting against him? If he sees a sign that we are organizing a response, then Jalis might believe. Or Samberlin could be planning to betray us to Jalis.”
“Perhaps. But by warning us and telling us where Jalis will be staging his followers he has given us the means to verify—not the other way around.”
“But Samberlin is a master manipulator—he could have arranged for Jalis to meet in the meeting chamber as a response to our supposed treachery. Don’t you see? We are at Samberlin’s mercy if we believe him.”
Gwineval started pacing again.
Miara sat bolt upright. “We should seal the Tower and confront Jalis before he has his band fully assembled. We shouldn’t let Samberlin get involved. This is a matter for wizards, not senators.”
Gwineval stopped. “Normally, I’d agree with you. But are you prepared for bloodshed? Are you prepared for a battle of wizard against wizard through the halls of the Tower? I fear that Jalis might have more supporters than we do. And he certainly has more influence over Sychran and the rest of the First Circle than we do. If the battle wizards side with him then we are finished. I fear that Colberth and Splintor will also side with him.”
Miara slumped back into her chair. “I suppose you are right.”
Gwineval pointed aggressively at no one in particular. “Hemlock has truly abandoned us! She’ll find that her inattention has changed the City irrevocably!”
Miara became attentive again. “Why isn’t Jalis afraid of Hemlock’s threat against him?”
“I’m not certain. Maybe he believes that he can seal the Tower against her? I suppose that it might be possible. But we’d have to teleport out to buy food. It would be an awkward arrangement.”
“But possible, I suppose—if she had no allies within the Tower walls.”
“Yes, I suppose it might be possible given that. So Jalis’ plans must necessarily include all of our deaths.”
“Is he that ruthless?”
“I would not have thought it—but clearly I have underestimated the man in that regard.”
“So where does this
leave us?”
“We must trust Samberlin. The guild will be splintered. Samberlin also insists that we allow Jalis and his allies to leave the Tower freely.”
“Really? That’s a surprise. I would have expected him to insist on a purge. Won’t Jalis just try to retake the Tower later?”
“He might, but those that remain can make that very difficult for him.”
“But what about traitors?”
Gwineval’s countenance darkened even further. “Do we cast out anyone of uncertain loyalty?”
Miara looked up and Merit could see the idea was not well received by her. “If we cast wizards out unwillingly, I fear that that will just make us more unpopular. No, we have to allow people to stay—even if we suspect that they are agents of Jalis. We will have to monitor people closely, and put in safeguards against collusion. But we must be careful to do it in such a way that we preserve the spirit of free magic. I believe the new by-laws are already fairly strong in this area.”
“Miara, you must have the by-laws ready for the aftermath of tonight.”
“It’s too soon! They are not yet done!”
“You must work on them now while I marshal our allies. Those that remain will need confidence in our leadership. A clear statement of our intentions will be invaluable.”
Miara was quiet and Gwineval started to pace again.
When Miara spoke again, her voice was softer than before. “Gwineval, who will be the new leader of the council?”
Merit saw Gwineval’s eyes go wide as he slowly looked up at the ceiling, and then focused his attention inward; finally he sat down heavily on the chair that had been set out for him.
“The wizards will want to know,” Miara said gently. “And I don’t think they will want to hear Hemlock’s name mentioned in that role. I think her time has passed. Maybe she sensed that somehow. It’s your time now. If not you, then we might as well allow Jalis to take control.”
Gwineval exhaled and shook his head back and forth.
“If she planned this, then she is more cunning than I thought.”
“No, I don’t think it was cunning. I think she sensed that she was not suited to her role here. So she just left. I chalk it up to the impetuousness of youth. But sometimes there is wisdom in going with your gut feeling.”
“Well, I hope so, because my gut is telling me that we trust Samberlin.”
Miara turned to Merit. “Merit, what do you think?”
“I think you must do as you plan to do, Miss Miara,” Merit replied. He thought of his recent surprise encounter with Grubbins. “But you must maintain some knowledge of your enemy’s intentions lest you be caught unawares. I would send agents of your own along with Jalis for that purpose.”
Gwineval shot an appraising look at Merit, which made him uncomfortable. He turned away.
“Merit, you continue to surprise me. That is a keen insight and one which we shall act upon,” Gwineval said.
Miara smiled approvingly at Merit, which made him feel proud. She then rose and took Gwineval’s hand, and then she approached Merit, causing Gwineval to rise behind her. She gestured for Merit to rise, and he did so.
They all held hands together. “We are friends and we must remain strong in this time of peril and have faith in one another. We will get through this.”
Gwineval responded with a tenderness that surprised Merit. “Yes, we’ve all decided this together. I have faith in you both and in our decision. We must part now. I will get word to our supporters to loiter in the vicinity of the council chamber near midnight. It’s important that we don’t betray plans by acting unusually. You will both return to your chambers now and stay there until that time.”
Merit agreed to leave first, and as he walked through the Tower, he should have felt scared, but he felt angry instead.
Why did Hemlock ask me to keep this secret from my friends? Would a friend ask that of a friend? She treats me no better than Grubbins!
He realized that his boiler temperature was rising again, so he focused on calming himself until he reached his chamber. Once he got there he found that he was too restless to read Julius’ diary. His thoughts alternated between Hemlock and the impending confrontation.
Though he still felt some residual anger, Merit felt a growing sense of forgiveness for Hemlock.
She’s my friend and she made a mistake. I will discuss it with her upon her return.
A part of him—a dark part—felt some fear about whether he would be around to see her return. But he easily squelched that feeling. He was confident that Gwineval and Miara would outwit Jalis.
And Mercuria! We must summon her!
Merit rose quickly and moved as quickly as his stubby legs would allow toward his door. As he strained to reach the handle, he paused.
Gwineval and Miara will think of that. They told me not to leave my chamber. I have to have faith.
He reluctantly returned to the small desk that had been made for him and sat down.
The next hours passed with what Merit perceived as an excruciating slowness. Every time he had an idea of something to do to distract himself, his thoughts returned to the coming events, and he felt unable to think of other things. Finally midnight was close at hand, and he emerged from his chamber and made for the rear stair.
As he reached it, he thought he heard furtive footsteps both above and below him. But nobody was visible when he looked up and then down, though the spiral curve of the stair obscured most of the visibility to the adjacent floors.
He knew that he couldn’t be quiet, but he did his best.
Soon he reached the hall outside of the council chamber on the sixth floor near the former location of the emerald stair. The mysterious seventh floor atrium loomed above him, but he quickly noticed a number of shadowy figures lurking behind the columns that lined the wall and supported the balcony above them.
The familiar faces of Gwineval, Miara and the other wizards loyal to them were soon visible. That comforted Merit greatly. Gwineval appeared to be warding the area, so Merit approached Miara. As he did so, he noticed the comparatively slender Mercuria standing beside the wizard.
“Miss Mercuria! I feared they would forget you!” he exclaimed.
“No, Merit, we would never do that,” chided Miara kindly. “We feared that Jalis would move against her just like you apparently did.”
Merit smiled, which was a recent new ability of his and still caused him some exertion to achieve. But the expression was beginning to come naturally now that he had re-discovered its use.
Suddenly Gwineval shrieked at the far end of the hall. “What’s this?”
Miara and Mercuria rushed to his side as the other wizards, though curious, gave them room to pass unhindered. Merit followed along as quickly as he could.
“There is other Imperial magic at work here! And it’s all over the hall!” Gwineval hissed loudly.
A stunned hush replaced the murmur of concern that had filled the hall just a moment prior.
“What type of spell? Is it some sort of trap?” asked Miara.
Gwineval closed his eyes and held his hands out before him. As he slowly rotated, the glowing outlines of cunningly fashioned runes were revealed along the length of the inner wall. Each rune was shaped like a small, arched doorway situated about a foot above the floor, and a solid line of magical power extended toward the floor from each portal. Merit saw that a bright line of magic power ran along the seam where floor and wall met.
Gwineval opened his eyes and the last of the doorways quickly faded from view. Some forty of them had been revealed as he turned.
“Someone has created secret entrances to this room,” hissed Gwineval hoarsely.
“To what end? To ambush us? But who among us is familiar with Imperial magic besides you?” asked Miara.
“None, to my knowledge. Jalis must have discovered some secret that we missed. I have to try to bind these portals with my own spell. Stand back! Give me space! There is little time!”
&n
bsp; “Gwineval, can you manage such a spell?” Miara asked.
Gwineval ignored her as he drew a large piece of glowing chalk from his cloak and began muttering and moving his hands in graceful arcs. All of the portals glowed fiercely in response. Next he knelt in front of the first and began to draw a series of offset circles that extended across the front of the portal. When that was complete, he drew six arcs from the line formed by the circles to the glowing intersection of the wall and floor. As he connected each arc, there was a crackle of magical power, and the circles glowed with increasing strength. He quickly moved to the next portal and repeated the exercise in front of it.
Everyone in the room watched Gwineval nervously, feeling impotent.
“Someone needs to lookout for Jalis!” Merit cried with a shrill blast of steam.
Miara looked at him and nodded. She turned and pointed at four wizards who quickly moved toward the passages to the central stair and the rear stair.
Gwineval had completed his runes in front of about half of the portals when Mercuria broke the nervous silence. “Do you think he will complete it in time?”
As if in answer to her question, there was a subtle but detectable shift in the air pressure in the chamber.
“The front gate has been opened. Surely Samberlin and his knights have arrived,” whispered Miara.
Everyone looked at Gwineval and noted that his progress seemed to be accelerating. He had completed the warding of nearly thirty of the forty portals.
The wizards returned from their positions of sentry over the stairways. They reported that Jalis and a large group of wizards and knights were approaching on the central stair.
“They are pausing at each floor to look for those who might be caught unawares,” said one of the scouts.
“Good, that will buy us some time,” said Miara. “Position yourselves for battle and consume your Oberon doses! Face the stairs and do not worry for our flanks! We must trust that Gwineval will complete his spell in time! First Circle wizards in front! Battle wizards behind them. Warders and healers in the rear!”
Hemlock And The Dead God's Legacy (Book 2) Page 12