At the Gates of Darkness Part 17

Those at the table turned to see Lord James step into the light as he said, 'It was far too easy for us to find that trail of slaughter. The more I think on that, the more I believe that they did not care that they were seen, or that they wanted to be seen.'

Sandreena studied the way he moved he could well have been the Kingdom agent dressed as a Jal-Pur desertman, who had handed her the message for Creegan. There was something about him that put her on edge, but she couldn't quite decide what it was. It was unlikely that she'd seen him before, she had so little contact with the n.o.bility, that had she met him she would certainly remember where and when.

Pug said, 'From what Sandreena reported, it's guarded.'

Sandreena's attention was pulled back to the situation before them and she said, 'Lord James may be right. I had little trouble getting close and it was only fatigue and carelessness that allowed Kendra to discover me. Had I not removed the magic token that kept him under control, I would have killed him; he's st.u.r.dy enough and a skilled fighter, but they're not feeding their prisoners well or resting them, and so he was weak.

'They are undertaking something on a tremendous scale, Pug, for a lure to a trap.' She reiterated what she had seen for those who weren't aware of what she had reported to Pug earlier in the week.

It was Gulamendis who spoke next. 'I don't know if it's a trap, but it's certainly something neither Amirantha nor myself can reconcile with what we know of demon behaviour. It's far too patient. This device Sandreena describes has been under construction for at least a year, probably two, given the amount of stone in those walls and the number of workers involved.

'Our own geomancers could do it in a fifth of the time; Sandreena, did you see any sign of magicians constructing anything?'

'No,' she replied. 'Three of the four arching towers are finished, and the forth was half-built. They were hauling stones up with a gigantic hoist on top of a series of huge wooden platforms. The workers looked as if they were ready to drop from exhaustion.'

Pug said, 'Jim, I appreciate your impulse towards caution, and I promise that my own experience with demons tends to put my instincts in harmony with your own, but this occurrence is clearly demon controlled, and so we must go down there and put an end to it.'

'May I suggest one more reconnaissance before you launch an a.s.sault? I can provide sufficient distraction for the Keshian court to not pay attention to an army of ten thousand mercenaries, but it would benefit our cause if we didn't get them all obliterated and have to inform Kesh that an infernal invasion is underway on their sovereign territory and, that the Demon Legion is heading straight for them.'

'Then we'll make sure that doesn't happen,' said Pug. 'I will go with Magnus to look over this site.' He looked at Amirantha and Gulamendis. 'I would really find it useful if you two would accompany us.'

'Of course,' said Amirantha, and after considering the request, Gulamendis nodded as well.

Laromendis said, 'We need to send word to the Regent Lord, as well.' He did not look happy at that prospect, and Pug thought it best to ask him about this later, in private.

Pug said, 'Given the time, we shall leave after the evening's supper. Sandreena,' he said, turning to the Sergeant-Adamant, 'would you care to accompany us?'

Amirantha barely managed to hide his surprise at the request, but said nothing.

'Certainly. If there's any way I can find out what happened to Knight-Adamant Jaliel, I will take it.'

'Our first responsibility will be to further evaluate the situation.' To the others in the room he said, 'Continue your duties, but stay alert.' He motioned for a young magician to come to him, and when he was close, Pug said, 'Send word to Lord Kaspar and ask him to join us, too. Tell him we'll have him back inside his palace before anyone notices he's gone. Thank you.' The magician nodded that he understood and departed.

'Let us adjourn; we shall send word when we have completed our reconnaissance.'

The meeting broke up and Sandreena rose quickly from the table, wanting to put some distance between her and Amirantha; she found being with him in the name of duty acceptable, if barely, but would avoid his company if she had the option.

Besides, she was intrigued by the Kingdom n.o.bleman who lurked in the corner of the room, and decided it was as valid an excuse to get away from the Warlock as any she could contrive. She would be forced to confer with Amirantha on matters of demon lore and, more importantly how to eradicate them.

She caught up with Jim at the door and said, 'Excuse me, sir, but have we met before?'

With a slight smile, he nodded. 'On the docks in Durbin. I was the agent who gave you the package.'

'Ah, yes,' she said. 'Still, I have some other meeting in mind. In Durbin I could not see your face, just your eyes...' She squinted slightly. 'There was something about your eyes.'

'Well, then, a formal introduction: I'm James, Court Baron in Krondor, aid to the Prince, servant of His Majesty the King, and,' he lowered his voice, 'member of the Conclave of Shadows.'

She glanced around. 'Apparently I am as well.'

'I heard about Creegan hurrying off to become Grand Master of your order.' He motioned for her to walk with him. The meeting room was in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the castle opposite the pantry and kitchen, and he led her up the stairs to the central keep's great hall. Here tables had been set up and a large fire was burning against the need to feed the thirty key members of the Conclave. 'Walk with me outside,' asked Jim.

Sandreena said, 'I could use some fresh air.'

They stepped outside the central keep and found the marshalling yard relatively empty. Whatever activity the Conclave was undertaking, it was doing a masterful job disguising it, to guard against the possibility they were under scrutiny.

'You and Amirantha?' He looked her in the eye. 'Is something going on between you?'

'It's personal.'

Jim took a slow, deep breath and looked away. He said, 'I was going to have this talk with you tomorrow; I've already discussed it with Creegan and Pug. But now is as good a time as any.'

She caught a glimpse of his profile as he stared into the sky, and for reasons she couldn't name she felt herself tense and her hand moved towards her mace. Suddenly his hand seized her wrist, his thumb digging into a nerve, paralysing her arm for a moment. She instinctively twisted away, breaking his hold, but the damage was done. She could not get a decent grip on her mace with her right hand.

She switched it to her left. 'What did you do that for?' she demanded as she got into a defensive position.

'Your training,' he said backing away. 'I didn't want to take the chance that you'd leave my brains all over the sand before I had the opportunity to explain a few things to you.'

'Such as?' she asked.

'Let's start with the first problem between us, though it is the least important. You've been trying to remember where we have met before, correct?'

'Yes,' she said, still on guard. The numbness in her right hand was wearing off and she tossed her mace deftly from left to right.

'I sold you to the Keshians.'

Her eyes widened. 'You're Quick Jimmy!'

'Jimmy Hand, Jim Dasher, yes.'

He could tell that she was using all of her self-control not to lash out at him right then. Slowly she put her mace back on her belt. 'I will kill you later, if I must,' she said softly, almost a hiss of warning. 'Why? Don't tell me this was some part of a great plan you and Creegan had for me. I was a wh.o.r.e.'

'Creegan had nothing to do with it. He didn't even know you existed,' countered Jim, crossing his arms over his chest. 'And it had nothing to do with the Conclave at that time, at least not directly. I wanted you in bed with that merchant, and we planned to contact you after a month or so, and offer you your freedom if you worked for us for a while.'

'Freedom...?' She paused to consider his words. 'You wanted me to spy on him!'

'Yes. He was well connected to members of the Keshian Intelligence Corp, but he also had dealings with Kesh's criminal empires. The man was a smuggler as well as a trader.' Unfolding his arms, Jim put his right hand on his chest and said, 'I am also the Upright Man of Krondor, and I needed my compet.i.tion from Kesh neutralized.

'As fortune would have it, even though you didn't reach Kesh and instead joined the Order of the Shield of the Weak, I found other means to achieve my end.' He looked at her with a narrowing gaze. Her expression was one of open shock. 'You know what this means?'

'The Upright Man...' She weighed the mace in her hand. 'It means I don't leave this island alive if I don't agree to something.'

He grinned. 'Creegan said the G.o.ddess had better plans for you, and I will not dispute them. You are far too intelligent to wither away in some Keshian lord's bed, or simply retire on the gold we would have given you.

'No, you are destined for greater things, Sandreena.' He took a folded parchment out of his belt and handed it to her.

She took it and saw the seal of her order pressed into heavy wax. She cracked it and unfolded the message. She read it a second time before she softly said, 'He can't be serious?'

Jim was forced to laugh at her response. 'He predicted your exact words. He knows you well, Sandreena. Or should I say, Mother-Bishop Sandreena.'

'Me, in charge of the Order in the West?'

'You already are. As you no doubt realize, the Conclave have not recruited many agents within the various temples. In several of the temples, we have none: Sung, Astalon, and Lims-Kragma being the most difficult. It's their absolutist mind-set, I think. I am as practical a man as you'll meet, and even I feel divided in my loyalties at times, between the Kingdom and the Conclave.'

'Then why compromise?' she asked.

'Because while I love my homeland, Pug is trying to save the world; it will be hard to argue for the Kingdom's interest if the entire planet is conquered by demons.'

She took a deep breath and said, 'What if I don't want to be Mother-Bishop?'

'Well, you were wrong about not leaving here alive. Instead you'll wake up on a beach somewhere near Land's End with a vivid memory of your boat overturning in rough water and you not reaching Sorcerer's Isle. You'll decide that rather than trying again, you should return to Krondor and seek out help there.

'After that, you'll continue as Sergeant-Adamant of the Order while waiting for Creegan to send a new Bishop to run things in the west, and so...' He shrugged. 'Creegan will find another.'

'Another?'

'You're not the only talented youngster in the Order, Sandreena. You just happen to be in the right place at the right time, and, well, you're very talented. Amirantha practically sings your praises on the matter of dispatching demons.' Jim narrowed his gaze as if appraising her. 'You have always been one of the most striking women I've ever seen; there was a reason you commanded the highest price in the brothel. You've kept the core of that beauty despite the hard training, and pounds of muscle you've put on, but I'll tell you this much: he sees more in you than most men do.'

Her expression turned dark. 'He has a pitiful way of showing me.'

'Ah,' said Jim with a single slow nod. 'Now I understand; he sees more than he admits to himself. Very well, that's between you and Amirantha. Now, are you taking the commission or not?'

She looked one more time at the folded message then said, 'Of course I am. If I don't, I'll never get to look for Jaliel.'

Without another word, she turned and walked back to the keep. Jim stood outside, enjoying the cool breeze off the ocean and the relative calm. He knew there wouldn't be peace after today.

Taking a deep breath, he shook his head over how things had turned out, and he chuckled at how well Creegan understood his protege, then he slowly returned to the keep, trying to savour the fresh air before plunging back into the intrigues and murderous needs of the Conclave.

Pug asked, 'Why can't you go?'

Laromendis said, 'My brother and I are not well regarded by our people.' He sat back in one of the two chairs before Pug's desk. The other should have been occupied by his brother, but Gulamendis was somewhere with Amirantha pouring over a volume on demon lore. 'To understand, you'd have to have some knowledge of our history.'

'I know a little,' said Pug, 'from Tomas.'

Laromendis nodded. 'Yes, his memories from the Valheru, Dragon Lords...' The elf's forehead furrowed in an expression of worry. 'There are many things that I still fail to understand, and that particular miracle is one of them, but what he remembers is only what one being saw. It is not the only perspective.'

Pug indicated that the elf should continue.

'I will spare you the long story of our struggles and just say that at the height of our power, the taredhel had become greater than any elf living on Midkemia could imagine. We were rulers of worlds, Pug.

'But with such a change in our nature came a price, arrogance. Few of my race would admit to it, but having spent some time on this world, scouting and encountering-' He took a steadying breath. 'Before I returned to Andcardia with word that I had found Midkemia, I killed a cleric of your race. I captured him, and after I had obtained all the useful information I could, simply disposed of him to ensure no one would know I had been there. Travellers who have ventured too close to E'bar have also been murdered. I know the Regent Lord has ordered raids against farms and villages in the Free Cities, and allowed the blame to fall on our cousins, the moredhel.'

Pug said, 'This is disturbing news. Why are you telling me this if you know this will indispose me towards helping your people?'

'Because within the taredhel there are those who do not agree with this course of action. Before I was born all mystical matters-those that your priests, magicians, healers, are concerned with here-were independent of civil authority.

'Your friend Tomas is wed to the woman who we view as the unbroken connection to our roots as elves primarily responsible for the cultivation and care of the holy groves, what we call The Stars. But real power for our people has resided with the Regent's Meet and the Circle of Light.

'When our people first encountered the demons, the Regent's Meet made a law that all of the members of the Circle of Light must subject themselves to the rule of the Regent's Meeting or suffer the consequences, which were imprisonment or death, the later being the more usual consequence.'

'For what reason?'

'Power. Pure, naked power. The Regent has traditionally been forbidden to take the t.i.tle of King, because there always was a faint hope among the taredhel that we would someday return here and reclaim the world.' Laromendis sighed and shook his head slowly, as if in regret. 'We never expected a world like this. We thought we'd find one in ruins, or perhaps in a primeval state, or even one occupied only by other elves, where we would easily a.s.sume our rightful place as their rulers.

'We even imagined a world where the Valheru were still in residence, and we were prepared to fight them for our freedom. We have evolved. You've seen the other elves of this world, Pug, and you know that we are larger, stronger, faster, and more ruthless. Our magic eclipses that of the Spellweavers of Elvandar.

'In short, the Regent doesn't want allies; he wants subjects. And he is least likely to hear my voice on the subject.'

'You were a member of the Circle?'

'Barely. My brother and I are young compared to the others of the Circle. I was a member for less than ten years, Gulamendis not at all; Demon Masters are not well regarded, even among the most accepting of our people.'

'Amirantha suffered the same regard,' said Pug. 'Or should I say lack of regard.'

Laromendis said, 'He is the first human my brother has developed some affection towards; it's quite remarkable. As I said, we are an arrogant people.' He sighed, then said, 'I do not particularly care for your race, Pug, but I do not hold you in disdain. If I were to admit my shortcoming here, it is that I don't feel much kinship with anyone besides my brother. Perhaps that is due to our upbringing, but I feel much the same way towards the other elven races on Midkemia.

'But to return to our original subject, I believe anyone you choose to speak to the Regent will have difficulty.' He narrowed his gaze. 'The only person I can name who might persuade him to mitigate his position regarding alliances is Lord Tomas.'

'Why?' asked Pug, now intrigued.

'The Regent honours the Queen, but he doesn't respect her. The eledhel are seen as rustics, simple, lacking the sophistication of the Eldar. The other Eldar, the ones who did not become the taredhel, are viewed with even greater distrust.' He made a small motion of dismissal with his head, Pug knew he meant the moredhel, glamredhel, and others were not even worth discussing. 'But the Regent cannot completely rid himself of our heritage. He fears Lord Tomas. As much as he would like to displace him and the Queen and proclaim himself King of all Edhel, he doesn't dare think about the consequence of trying. You don't need to see Tomas on the back of a dragon, to know that he is Valheru when he stands in his armour.' Laromendis nodded slowly. 'Yes, have Lord Tomas speak with the Regent Lord, and perhaps then some good may come of it.'

Pug was silent, then said, 'Thank you, Laromendis. Both for the suggestion and your frankness. The truth is the few of your people I've met, besides yourself and your brother, strike me as being just as you have described.'

'I have another name for you,' said Laromendis standing, as he knew this discussion was coming to a close. 'Tandarae, the newly appointed Loremaster. He understands there are powerful beings on this world and that having them as friends is a better choice than trying to conquer them. Were there a million of us, the war would already have begun, I fear, but we have perhaps ten thousand or so who now cling to the legacy of the stars. It's both a sad time and a time for opportunity, Pug. Tandarae; keep his name in mind if you ever have cause to speak with anyone in the Regent's Meet, it would have to be with discretion, but he's the one.'

Pug nodded. 'I will remember. Thank you.'

Laromendis left, and Pug sighed. He had much to do, but it seemed that a quick visit to Elvandar was now at the top of his list.

Amirantha was astonished by elf's insight and observational skills. Gulamendis had quickly digested all that Amirantha had come to understand from the tome they had removed from Queg, and had drawn conclusions from the material that had left him doubting his own intelligence; they were obvious once they were pointed out. The elf was slightly arrogant at times, but was for the most part respectful of the work Amirantha had done and had complemented him on a particular insight on more than one occasion. Amirantha could have become increasingly annoyed with the elf's att.i.tude or accept it for what it was; he chose the latter, because he was forced to admit that his own behaviour mirrored that of the Demon Master more closely than anyone else he had ever met.

He left Gulamendis alone, taking a break from the work, as the Warlock had given everything he had to give, and was tired of reading, discussing, and wondering. He simply needed a few moments outside, in the fresh air, away from worry and concern.

That sense of freedom vanished a moment later when Sandreena's voice cut through the air: 'Amirantha! I need a word.'

As he turned to watch her approach, two things struck him simultaneously: the first was that she still took his breath away, despite her martial apparel. He knew all too well how she looked without the armour, tunic and trousers. The second was that he knew she would want more than one word. He recognized that expression.

Deciding it was time to say little and listen, he said, 'Of course, Sandreena. What is it?'

She paused, gauging his expression and manner, deciding what to say next, then she blurted, 'I've been made Mother-Bishop of the Order in the west.'

He inclined his head slightly, smiled and said, 'Congratulations. Deserved without a doubt and I know you will excel in your new post.'

She blinked, revealing that whatever she had expected him to say, that wasn't it. Then suddenly she reached across and backhanded him across the face, knocking him to the ground.

Amirantha sat stunned for a moment, then reached up and put his hand to his now throbbing right cheek. Finally he said, 'I wish you'd stop hitting me.'

Her eyes shining with emotion, she hissed, 'Just be glad you're needed; otherwise I'd have no compunction about killing you!' With that she turned and hurried off, back to the keep.