Until All Curses Are Lifted

by Tim Frankovich

  Seri pointed again to the ship. “That ship’s hold is full of imprisoned wild magic users. That’s all Tezan is: he uses wild magic,” she explained. “But his power is to draw from their power. He has no power of his own.”

  Volraag took this in and looked back to the ship. “The entire hold?”

  “Yes, there were a couple dozen people in there, if not more. That’s why he can appear so powerful. Individually, they’re not all that much, but put them all together…”

  “And you can duplicate a King’s magic,” Volraag finished.

  Seri nodded.

  Volraag looked at Ixchel. “You saw this, as well?”

  “My Lady does not lie.”

  “Of course, of course.” Volraag appeared to be thinking. “Who else have you told about this?”

  “No one yet. I considered several others, but you seemed like the one most likely to be in a position to do something about it.”

  “He must be exposed,” Volraag said. “We cannot let Rasna have a puppet King over all Antises.”

  “Oh, but the most important thing is that the wild magic users are all prisoners!” Seri said. “Lord Tyrr will murder their families if they don’t cooperate with him!”

  Volraag nodded as if this did not come as a surprise at all.

  “Let me be sure I have this right. Tezan draws his power from the other wild magic users, not from himself or Antises or anything else.”

  “Yes, he can transfer magic from one person to himself,” Seri said. “Or another, I guess. That’s what one of them told me.”

  “So if he lost his connection to them, he would have no power of his own.”

  “Yes, but how do we protect the families from Lord Tyrr?”

  Volraag didn’t answer. He stared out at the ship.

  “Did you hear me?”

  Volraag seemed to come to himself. He turned back. “Yes, I heard you. It’s a complicated mess, but I believe I know what to do.”

  “You do? What?”

  Volraag placed a hand on Seri’s shoulder. Ixchel took a warning step closer. Volraag removed the hand and held it up with a smile. “I apologize, Holcan. Had I wished your Lady any harm, I would never have rescued her from my father.”

  Ixchel said nothing, but stared at him. Volraag chuckled.

  “At any rate, thank you for telling me about this. I will take care of everything.”

  “You will?”

  “Lord Tyrr and Tezan will be exposed. He will not become King.”

  “The Passing is tomorrow!” Seri said. “Will he–”

  “He will not fool anyone at the Passing,” Volraag said. “I will make sure of it.”

  “But what about the families?”

  “The families will not be harmed, if I do this properly.” Volraag glanced once more at the distant ship. “Thank you again, Seri. You have done a great service for the entire realm. All of Antises owes you a debt.”

  Volraag gave her a short bow and departed. Seri and Ixchel stood alone on the wall.

  “Well. That went better than I had anticipated,” she said. “What did you think?”

  Ixchel looked surprised to be asked her opinion. “I am not sure. There is something about him I do not like.”

  “Really?” Seri watched the young Lord-to-be walking across the courtyard. “I think he’s… pretty amazing.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR

  MARSHAL AND AELIA enjoyed their day together more than any day Marshal could remember over the past few years. They roamed the city and shopped the marketplace. They bought nothing, except a new deck of Mages and Lords for Victor. Marshal double-checked it to make sure it held all the cards. But the highlight for him was the moment they stood on a rooftop looking out over Lake Litanu. He had never seen that much water before.

  “If we traveled south through Rasna, we would eventually reach the ocean,” Aelia had said. “It’s… well, this lake is really rather small in comparison.”

  Marshal couldn’t see how that could be possible.

  “Out there, in the center of the lake, is Zes Sivas, home to Kings and mages.” Aelia had gotten a wistful look on her face. “I never got to see it. But you will. You will. I believe it.” She was silent for a long time. When she whispered, Marshal could barely make it out. “I have to believe it.”

  That night, Marshal again had trouble sleeping. At one point, he rolled over and found Aelia awake and watching him. The look in her eyes was one he had never seen before, haunting and sad. He started to lift himself up.

  Aelia’s expression immediately changed. She put out her hand. “Hush. Go back to sleep,” she whispered. “I was just checking on you.”

  Marshal put his head back down and closed his eyes, or at least pretended to. He kept one eye open enough to watch his mother. She took a deep breath and smiled at him, then moved away. He closed his eye fully and fell back asleep.

  In the morning, her behavior mystified him. When she emerged from her room, Aelia was wearing the elegant burgundy dress she had worn to deceive the soldiers. Her hair shone with bright contrast to the darker ribbons woven through it. She looked more beautiful than he could remember.

  “Wow,” Victor said.

  “You are stunning,” Nian said in an odd tone. Marshal couldn’t place it.

  Aelia smiled and nodded to each of them, then glanced to Talinir. “Nothing to say, warden?”

  “I have no words appropriate for this occasion,” Talinir replied.

  Aelia gave a slight tilt of her head to him and turned back to Marshal. “It is time, my treasure. Let us go to the temple.”

  The streets were quieter this morning, with fewer people going about their business. It wasn’t a Rest Day, if Marshal remembered rightly. Today was the day of the Passing, though. Back in Drusa’s Crossing, people knew the date, but that was all. It wasn’t a big deal. He wondered if the people of Reman treated it like a Rest Day or if there were some kind of celebrations taking place in another part of the city.

  The temple was deserted and the gates locked. Nian produced a key and let them in. The outer yard felt eerie in the silence. They started up the steps and Aelia paused.

  “I must speak with Victor, alone,” she said.

  Marshal watched in curiosity as his mother took his friend aside and began speaking. He couldn’t see Aelia’s lips, but had no trouble seeing Victor’s reactions. He appeared shocked and tried to say something only for Aelia to cut him off. Whatever she said then clearly upset him and he looked angry. Then his eyes widened even further and he shot a look at Marshal. She must be telling him her intentions. Marshal wished he could assure Victor that she wouldn’t die. The conversation went on for almost ten minutes. How much was there to say? At one point, Aelia handed something to Victor. He looked at it curiously, then put it in his pack. From Marshal’s point of view, it looked like a rock.

  When they returned, Victor appeared subdued. He glanced repeatedly at Marshal, but didn’t say anything.

  “I believe we are ready now,” Aelia said. “Shall we enter?”

  “We are not alone,” Talinir said. He stood at the base of the steps, facing the gates with his sword drawn. Marshal looked toward the gate and took a quick intake of breath.

  Three eidola stood inside the gates, out in the open and facing them. Marshal looked around at the others. Clearly, everyone could see them this time.

  “I will prevent their entrance into the temple,” Talinir said. “You go on ahead.”

  “I’ll stay with you,” Victor said. He drew his own weapons and stepped down beside Talinir. The warden nodded.

  “I don’t understand,” Aelia said. “Who are they? Why would they try to stop us?”

  Talinir glanced back at them. “Now is the time, Aelia.”

  “This way.” Nian gestured to them and they hastened up the stairs. Marshal glanced back and saw the shadow warriors moving slowly toward Talinir and Victor.

  Nian pushed open the first set of doors leading into the temple. “You
must leave your weapons here. This is the holy chamber,” he announced with a broad gesture. “Normally, you would not be allowed in here. Beyond this is the holiest chamber. None of us may enter there, no matter what.” Aelia placed her short sword on the final step. Marshal placed his sword beside it, but kept Volraag’s dagger hidden within his tunic. Together, they entered the temple.

  Marshal was surprised at the sparseness of the chamber. Based on the exterior, he had expected something massively elaborate. Four columns held up the rectangular roof that loomed far above them. To the left stood a long table, coated in gold, but bare. To the right, a basin of water was built into the wall itself. Water flowed from a hidden pipe into it, presumably draining out in a similar way, keeping the water constantly in motion.

  In the center of the chamber stood an altar made of stone. The stains that ran down its sides spoke of innumerable sacrifices, though it stood empty now. An opening in the tall ceiling let the sunlight in directly above it.

  On the opposite side of the chamber, a simple door stood closed in the shadows, apparently leading to the holiest chamber Nian had mentioned. Shading the door was a broad balcony that spanned the entire far wall and extended outward about ten feet. A simple staircase on the right wall led to the balcony. A bronze railing lined both stairs and the balcony itself.

  Nian led them around the altar and stopped. He looked at Aelia searchingly. “This is it,” he said. “Are you prepared?”

  •••••

  “We’re not allowed to be there!” Jamana insisted.

  “But we won’t actually be there,” Dravid said. “We’ll be above it.”

  “How is this different?”

  Seri chuckled. It was good to sit and talk again with just the three of them. Ixchel had gone to bed, and no one was quite sure where Adhi had gotten to this morning. Breakfast had come and gone, and the three friends had remained in the dining hall, talking for hours. She hadn’t told her friends yet about Tezan, or the night’s adventure. Volraag hadn’t sent any word to her or anything since their talk, but she knew he would do something, and today was the day.

  The Passing would take place today. The Lords even now prepared themselves, and would be entering the chamber right at noon. The Masters had already taken their places and awaited the proper time. All of this left the acolytes with nothing to do.

  “I want to see it happen,” Seri said.

  “You too?” Jamana said. “I am surrounded by lawbreakers!”

  “Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Jamana. We’re not allowed in the chamber. We won’t be in the chamber.”

  “Hmp. Fine. You two can risk everything. I will stay out here, where I’m not in danger of being kicked out of the Conclave.”

  “You do that,” Dravid said. “Let’s go, Seri. It will take me a while to get there.”

  “And what do I tell your bodyguard when she comes looking for you?” Jamana asked.

  “She won’t,” Seri said. “Ixchel will sleep through the whole thing. I’ll see her again this evening.”

  Jamana shrugged. Dravid pulled himself up and hobbled toward the door. Seri patted Jamana on the shoulder and followed him.

  Dravid had gotten much more adept with his crutch, but he still moved slower than most. Eventually, they reached the entrance to the crawl tunnels. During the clean-up after the earthquake, Jamana had fixed the door on the crawl tunnel. He had also set a small bench under it, to provide easier access.

  Seri helped Dravid, though he insisted he didn’t need it, and then climbed up after him. Together, they made their way through the now familiar tunnels.

  Seri had not been in the tunnels since the time she hid from Curasir, not long after the earthquake had made a mess of them. Since then, someone, probably Dravid, had cleaned things out quite a bit. No dust, no rubble. It was as if nothing had ever happened.

  “We’d better be quiet from here on,” Dravid whispered, then began the ascent that led over the Inner Sanctum.

  Eventually, they reached the observation space, as Seri called it in her mind. The sun filled the tiny round room with light through the ceiling’s window. Dravid and Seri crawled to the floor’s opening and looked down.

  The chamber hadn’t changed, though Seri noted it looked like someone had tried to scrub the floors. The burn marks on the central dais remained the same.

  On five of the six platforms, the Masters knelt in solitude, waiting and meditating. On the sixth, Varioch’s, two lesser mages knelt. Seri assumed they were the closest in line to be the next Master. She glanced upward at the sunlight. It should be noon at any moment now.

  As if on cue, the Masters and the two other mages all stood. Master Korda stepped from his platform up onto the central dais. He spread his arms and looked up. Seri and Dravid ducked back.

  “The hour has come!” Master Korda’s magnificent voice boomed from below. “Beneath Theon’s light, let the power of Antises return to its home and heal our land!”

  A chorus of agreement rose from the others.

  “Let the Lords of Antises come forward!” Master Korda cried.

  •••••

  “I need one last moment with my son,” Aelia said. Nian nodded and took several steps away to give them some privacy.

  Marshal looked at Aelia. She thought this was their last moment together, but it would not be

  Aelia put her hands on his shoulders. “My treasure, remember all that I told you yesterday. I have little else to say to you today.”

  Marshal tried to reassure her with his eyes.

  Aelia gazed back at him. “This is goodbye, Marshal. If we are successful, your curse will be lifted and your life… your life will change in so many ways.”

  He shook his head. No.

  Aelia’s eyes welled up with moisture. “Stay close to the friends that have joined us on this journey. Victor… he has changed since we began. I think he will be your truest friend, and not because of the Binding. And Talinir will do all within his power to protect you.” She glanced to the side. “Even this priest, though we have known him only a few days. He seems to be someone you can trust, perhaps someone you can… talk to.”

  Talk. Marshal had difficulty grasping the concept. That he might have an actual conversation with Nian? Or Victor or Talinir? Or… Aelia. To ask her all the questions he held inside, all that he desperately wanted to know from her.

  “I wish I could be here, to hear you…”

  She would be.

  “…but this is the cost. To lift a curse, there is a price to be paid. I pay it willingly and without reservation. For you, my treasure.”

  Aelia pulled him to her in an embrace fiercer and tighter than any he could recall. His head swam. She genuinely wanted to sacrifice herself for him. But he would not allow it. He wanted to tell her that. But all he could do was return the hug in the same way it was offered.

  At last, Aelia pulled away and kissed him on the forehead. She looked to Nian. “I’m ready now.”

  Nian stepped forward and gestured to Marshal. “This way.” He walked to the stairs and began to climb them. Marshal followed, with constant looks back at his mother. She would be safe. She had to be.

  Nian led him to the center of the balcony and pointed to a golden circle about two feet wide engraved in the floor. Marshal could make out a faint image of what looked like three circles connecting. He assumed it had something to do with Theon. “You must stand here,” Nian told him. “If this is to work at all, if you have any hope of honoring your mother’s resolve, you cannot leave this spot until it is done. Do you understand?”

  Nod is yes. But…

  Nian put a hand on his shoulder. “Whatever happens, do not leave this spot. Everything depends on it. If you love your mother, if you respect what she is doing for you, you must stay right here!” He leaned in closer and whispered, “She will not die. But do not leave this spot.”

  Marshal nodded again.

  Satisfied, Nian left him there. Marshal looked around. The balcony w
as empty other than this gold circle. He stepped to the edge of the circle and put his hands on the railing. From here, he could see Aelia, but the sunlight streaming in from the open roof above kept getting in his eyes. He tried shading them with one hand.

  Aelia stood beside the altar, looking up at him. Even when Nian returned and spoke with her, her eyes never left Marshal. His hands began to tremble.

  Nian appeared to be doing something behind Aelia. He guided her to stand directly against the altar, still facing Marshal. Marshal couldn’t tell, but it seemed that Nian passed something – a rope? – around Aelia’s waist.

  A shadow passed in front of the sun for a brief second. Marshal glanced up and immediately regretted it. He blinked to recover his vision. When he could see again, he looked back to Aelia.

  An eidolon stood beside her, sword drawn. And then Marshal saw the blood.

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE

  SERI RISKED A quick peek and saw that Master Korda was no longer looking up. She and Dravid both resumed their observation. In the gap between platforms, the door to the Sanctum opened. Lord Tyrr stood in the opening, resplendent in his uniform of gold and bronze.

  “From the land of Rasna, we welcome Lord Tyrr!” Master Korda said.

  Lord Tyrr entered and strode confidently to Rasna’s platform to his immediate left. Only then did Seri recognize the platforms and banners were arranged according to geography, rotating around the room from the southwest to the southeast. The doorway stood directly south, where the lake opened into the ocean.

  “From the land of Varioch, we welcome Lord Varion!”

  Seri repressed a shudder as Lord Varion entered the chamber. Over a week had passed since her encounter with him, but she didn’t think she’d ever get over those hands touching her, pulling on her robe…

  Dravid touched her shoulder. She realized she had closed her eyes and gripped the edge of the opening with white knuckles. She relaxed and smiled at Dravid. “I’ll be all right,” she mouthed.

  “From the land of Ch’olan, we welcome Lord Rajwir!”