Legends of the Dragonrealm Vol III Part 43

"I think that something can be arranged, Scholar Traske," the enchantress finally conceded. "We'll talk later."

"Yes, Lady Bedlam." Benjin Traske's somber demeanor gave way to growing curiosity. "Lady Bedlam, what, if I may ask-"

"We'll talk about that later, too."

"As you desire." Bowing once more, the tutor departed.

"What was that you said about him coming with us to Penacles?" Cabe asked his wife. "I thought that he would be staying here just as he did when we journeyed to Talak."

"First, we really had no right to make him stay here last time. You and I both know that. Traske could have traveled with you if he so desired, but he chose not to rather than argue with us. Arguing is not his way. Second, he really should have the opportunity to see his work in Penacles . . . and I have decided that I shall stay home for all but the most essential days of the visitation."

The Gryphon did not take this news well. "Troia was hoping that you would come with the others. She does not feel as comfortable around the people of Penacles as she does around you, Gwendolyn."

Considering his mate's feline tendencies, Cabe did not find that at all surprising. The attention that she received as the former king's bride did not help the matter any. Troia was not used to being such a center of attention, and now that she had a small child to rear, it bothered her even more.

The Lady Bedlam smiled, thinking of the cat-woman, but still said, "I promise that I will see her when I do arrive, Gryphon. I remained behind when Cabe traveled to Penacles because I wanted to help the children prepare for being masters of the house, but on that score I no longer have any worry. You know what still bothers me, though. I'm sorry, but even the thoroughness of your spell can't completely shake the fear from me concerning Toma's invasion. I need to be here, can you understand that?"

Cabe certainly did. Had he been given any choice, he, too, would have remained behind. One of them, however, had to go to Penacles. Had his wife been the one forced to make the journey, she would have spent most of the time fearing for their home, their children, and all those whose lives depended upon them. Cabe himself would certainly worry, but knowing that the enchantress was watching over everyone would ease much of his fear.

The Gryphon also understood her concerns. "Then I will pa.s.s on that message to Troia."

"When time permits, I will come for a more extended visit; I promise her that."

"And she will hold you to that." The lionbird chuckled and clasped his taloned hands together. "Now, I regret to say, I must depart. There are some other tasks I must perform before I transport myself back to Penacles." The distinctive human/avian eyes widened. "Aaah! What a fool I am! Before I forget again, will the eternal be coming to the gathering? I know he joined you on your trek to Talak, Cabe. Will he also do so when you bring to us the Gold Dragon's heir?"

Thinking back, the sorcerer could not recall whether or not he had ever discussed Penacles in particular with Darkhorse. They had mostly talked about the mountain kingdom. Still, Darkhorse was always more welcome in the court of Toos the Regent than he was in that of Melicard. Cabe saw no reason why the shadow steed would not make the journey. "I would think that he would be there, but no promise was made."

The Gryphon laughed at that. "Then I shall warn Toos to be ready for him! The shadowy one, for all he is known in Penacles, still makes most of us jump! If he could only be taught to appear in a less dramatic fashion than is his wont, things would be so much quieter."

"If I see him, I'll be certain to pa.s.s on that suggestion." Having seen the reaction of the Talakian guests to Darkhorse, even after Melicard's warnings, Cabe had no desire to witness a repet.i.tion.

"Good! Then if the two of you might be willing to lead me to the edge of the barrier spells . . ."

"I could simply transport us there," reminded the warlock.

"I think that I can spare the two of you the extra few minutes . . . unless you fear my close proximity to your lady?"

"Not as much as you should fear the claws of your lady if she learns about that close proximity," Cabe countered.

"Yes, there is that."

"We would be delighted to walk with you, Gryphon." The scarlet-tressed sorceress took hold of the lionbird's arm.

With Cabe leading, they departed Aurim's chambers. More at ease, the trio's conversation turned to more pleasant things, such as the activities of the Gryphon's second child or the school of magic. Cabe had hopes for the future of the school; while its initial students seemed destined to be minor spellcasters at best, the openness in which the school operated was making the people of Penacles more comfortable with the concept. None who showed any promise was refused a testing, and none who took the test could claim that they had not been treated fairly, whatever their place in society. That was another reason both Bedlams desired the chance to return more often to the City of Knowledge. It behooved them to do whatever was in their power to keep the school a place that folk everywhere would admire, not fear. It was not merely for their own sake; it was for the sake of their children and other mages to come.

The Gryphon was describing the practice sessions of a student whose impatience rivaled that of Aurim when the young warlock himself appeared in the hall. With him was Ursa, who seemed to be supporting the Bedlams' son.

The brief interlude of peace was immediately shattered as parental concern seized control. Stepping toward his son, Cabe asked, "Aurim, are you well?"

The younger Bedlam glanced up. Embarra.s.sment colored his cheeks. "I slipped and struck my head, Father. It's nothing, really."

"Merely a large lump and a maddening headache," Ursa added with a wry smile. "I still don't know how he did it."

"I wish I knew, so that I wouldn't do it again!"

"Where did it happen?" Perhaps it was because of the discovery that they had made in Aurim's room, a discovery that Cabe was still debating about mentioning to his son, but the warlock needed to know.

"At the beginning of the maze. It was such a good day that I'd been practicing in there instead of here. I supposed I was still thinking about the spellcasting and just misstepped." The young warlock shook his head. "Everything pounds now!"

Cabe was disappointed. For reasons that were not yet clear even to him, he had almost expected that his son's accident had taken place in or around the stables.

"Then, there's no sense in you standing here," admonished Gwendolyn. "Ursa, if you would see him to his room, I will be back in a few minutes."

"Certainly, my lady. I will stay with him until you return."

Aurim did not like being treated so. "All I need to do is lie down, Mother. There's no reason to worry."

"I will be the judge of that. If you please, Ursa?"

The beauteous drake led the feebly protesting Aurim away, his mother's gaze remaining on the pair until they were well on their way.

"A fine boy," remarked the Gryphon, but his tone hinted that his thoughts were, in part, on another boy long dead.

"But very stubborn," insisted the Lady Bedlam.

"I, for one, am not surprised."

She took the comment for the compliment it was supposed to be. As they moved on, the enchantress added, "It is not the worst trait he could have."

"Not by far. Will you be bringing Aurim and Valea to Penacles when you make your extended visit?"

Cabe's wife considered that. "It might be a good idea. With Kyl, Grath, and Ursa gone, the Manor will certainly seem empty for the two of them."

"The Manor will seem empty to you, too, won't it? After all, many of those who live here will be leaving with them, won't they?"

"Many of the drakes will be leaving, and some of the humans, too, but some of those are returning to the domain of the Green Dragon, who originally brought them to the Manor. Actually, anyone, either human or drake, who desires to remain behind is welcome to do so. I have hopes that most will."

They had reached the staircase. The Gryphon glanced at Cabe, who had been silent for the past several moments. The warlock had been listening, but he had also been brooding over his earlier notion concerning the stables. He could not say why; after all, the Gryphon's search had yielded nothing, and if there was anyone other than Darkhorse whose power Cabe respected, it was the lionbird.

"I hope you and your entire family will dare to take some time to visit us after Kyl is ensconced on the throne of the Dragon Emperor, Cabe. Things should be much more peaceful by that time, and I think that Troia may not desire to travel much out of the city. Not, at least, for several months." There was a twinkle in the lionbird's arresting eyes as he saw comprehension slowly creep into his hosts' countenances. "I would say that Troia will be showing very soon."

"Another child? How wonderful!" The sorceress hugged the Gryphon.

Cabe, forgetting all else, reached forward and shook his old comrade's hand again. "Was that the true reason you came?"

"Oh, the others were good, too, but I decided to save the best news for last." The Gryphon tilted his head a bit. "I would be happy with a female this time, but another male would be loved just as much!"

"I'm amazed that you kept the truth hidden from us so long."

"I wanted to tell you when I first arrived, but I had sworn that I would save this news for last, it being the best possible news there could be!" He laughed. "I tell you, there is no reason that Toos could give me now that would make me take the throne back from him! I intend to enjoy the coming peace by watching all my children grow up while Troia and I make up for all the time the war kept us from truly enjoying one another."

"We shall have to visit you the moment after Kyl has ascended to the throne, no later than that!" exclaimed the Lady Bedlam. She and Cabe both knew what children meant to the Gryphon and Troia. For all his warlike past, the lionbird adored the young, but that fact had not been noticed until he had met his mate.

"Kyl . . ." The Gryphon squawked and shook his head. "I am more than happy to be free of the curses of monarchy, but if that's what he desires, may he rule long as long as he rules fair. I wish him the best of luck, of course." He shrugged, and when he spoke again, some of the joy created by the announcement of his forthcoming child gave way to consideration of another child's impending future. "But I hope that he may never have need of it."

XII.

UNLIKE THE CITY of Talak, Penacles, situated to the southeast of the Manor, was a place of tall towers, many of them topped with majestic, pointed spires. It was also a land of gardens, reminding those who had journeyed from the Manor of their home. The gardens were everywhere and ranged from small plots of earth in the center of the bazaar to huge, rolling landscapes toward the eastern part of the kingdom.

Cabe could hardly believe that this day had finally come. It seemed as if the past few days had dragged slowly by. Preparing for this second visit had been only a part of the problem. Cabe and Gwen had also had to cope with the nagging fear that they had missed some legacy of Toma's. There had also been the more realistic problem of Valea, who stared after Kyl at every opportunity. Somehow, Cabe had kept the two apart save on occasions when they were all together, but he knew that after Penacles something permanent would have to be done. Because of Kyl's rank, the warlock had forborne from directly confronting him on this issue, but no more. This was one situation that could not go on.

Penacles had known no overseeing Dragon King for well over a century, not since the Gryphon and Cabe's own grandfather, Nathan, had brought down the Dragon King Purple. The Gryphon had then ruled here until his long-hidden past had forced him on a journey across the seas and into the dark empire of the Aramites. While he fought to bring down the wolf raiders' regime, his most trusted aide, General Toos, also known as the Fox, had ruled in his place . . . and had proved quite an impressive monarch in his own right. Still, even after roughly two decades as lord of Penacles, fiery-haired Toos still insisted he was only holding the fort until his king came to his senses. Hence the tall, narrow ruler's nickname of Toos the Regent.

After Talak, Kyl did not seem as awestruck with Penacles, although that did not mean that the dragon heir was not fascinated. He drank in the wonders of the City of Knowledge. The dizzying heights of the many towers most impressed him, for Cabe noticed the young drake eye them again and again. Grath, too, was amazed. The Green Dragon and Benjin Traske, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to the beauty of the ancient kingdom. Of course, they had been to Penacles many times before.

Things were going well, but Cabe could not shake his uneasiness. He felt that he had a good reason, though; one of his party was missing.

Darkhorse had never promised that he would also accompany them to Penacles, and it may have been that the shadow steed felt it unnecessary since Toos was a much more reasonable ruler than tempestuous Melicard. Certainly, both the former and present monarchs of Penacles were on fair terms with the eternal. Kyl would not have impressed them by maneuvering Darkhorse into journeying with him to this place. The eternal would have understood that, too.

Still, Cabe had expected some word from the ma.s.sive stallion. That this had happened virtually on top of their discovery of Toma's intrusion was likely why the warlock was so bothered. It was not as if Darkhorse had not disappeared without explanation before. The eternal was governed by no one save himself.

"Is that the palace?" Grath asked him, leaning close so as to be heard over the trumpets and the crowds.

Cabe shelved his thoughts and studied the structure looming ahead of them. "Yes, that's it."

He knew why Grath had asked him. The palace of the lords of Penacles was a sharp contrast to that of the kings of Talak and also, in fact, to the city of Penacles itself. With so much beauty everywhere else, it was surprising to first-time visitors to discover that the palace resembled nothing more than a great stone fortress. The walls were a drab, unadorned gray and the only entrance was a ma.s.sive iron gate. Huge marble steps that seemed to go on forever led up to the palace. There were no decorative columns, no gardens, and no statuary save the lone marble figure of a gryphon in flight. The last had been a gift to the lionbird from some of the citizenry during his long and productive reign. Toos had left it where it was as one more reminder that he was not king.

The honor guard that had been provided for them led the caravan directly to the palace. As in Talak, they were met at the steps. Toos was there, accompanied by the Gryphon, four officers who were a part of the regent's personal staff, and a small honor guard. The former general had never taken a queen, although in the past year he had begun to court one or two women. Despite his resemblance to a man entering his latter years, the vulpine monarch had at least a good fifty years left of life. That was because mixed in with the graying red hair-red hair that had once made Cabe joke that Gwen and the regent might be very long lost cousins-was a streak of silver. Toos, like Cabe, was a mage, but in the former mercenary's case, the magic apparently manifested itself as an uncanny ability to outmaneuver his opponents, be it on the field of battle or in the intrigue-laden courts of Penacles. The only other sign that Toos was a man of magic was his age. A sorcerer could live to be three, and in some cases, four, centuries old. Toos was already well beyond the normal life span of a human.

"Welcome, Lord Kyl." The voice was strong and, while formal, still quite different from the practiced tones of the aristocracy. There was also a look in the regent's eye, a look that hinted of humor.

"Greetingsss to you, General Toosss," replied the young drake, executing a bow. The two then shook hands.

Cabe held back a smile. The heir, possibly with a little reminding from Grath, had remembered that Toos did not care to be called king or lord. The regent considered himself a soldier and so preferred to retain his rank.

"Your journey went well?" asked Toos.

"Quite well, thank you. I had forgotten what a wondrousss land Penaclesss wa.s.ss, or what a fa.s.sscinating place the city proper isss."

"You're not referring to the block of stone behind me, I hope," commented the regent with a foxlike smile.

Kyl was momentarily taken aback by the openness of Toos. The young drake had met the human on occasion over the years, but not for quite some time and most often for only a few minutes. Cabe had warned him about the general, reminding him that Toos had been a mercenary and warrior for far longer than he had been lord of a mighty kingdom. Even the warlock, who had known Toos since the days when the angular commander had led the defenders of a besieged Penacles against the invading dragon forces of the Dragon Emperor, could not always adjust to the man's mercurial style. As a soldier, Toos had constantly kept his adversaries off guard, the better to defeat them swift and sure. The style had suited him in his present role as well.

"The palace isss very-"

"Functional. The inside is not much of an improvement, although the grand ballroom and the royal court are decorative enough, I suppose. We'd best leave it at that." Again, there was the foxlike smile. "Now, Lord Kyl, if you will allow my staff to see to your people, we shall end this greeting and instead save our breaths for climbing these steps."

The drakes were not at first certain as to how to take the almost flippant manner of their host. The warlock smiled slightly. Toos had changed since their first introduction.

Grath whispered something to Kyl, who eyed the steps. The emperor-to-be nodded, then replied to the waiting Toos. "Yesss, the sssuggessstion ha.s.ss merit, General. Much merit."

Snapping his fingers, Toos sent two of his officers to deal with the caravan. Then, waiting for Kyl to step up beside him, the general led the way. Everyone soon saw the wisdom of the regent's words. The climb was exhausting, even to those who had been prepared for it. Progress slowed the higher they climbed, but at last the party reached the top of the steps.

Toos glared at the path they had just tread, grumbling, "That you can blame on one of your own, Lord Kyl. Someday, I must do something about it."

"I said that for years, Toos," retorted the Gryphon. "You would have to tear down everything here, though. That would be a ma.s.sive undertaking."

"Each time I climb those steps, it becomes more and more tempting, I'll say that."

Cabe surveyed the others and found to his surprise that, other than the sentries, who would not think of showing their exhaustion, the only one who appeared unaffected by the climb was Benjin Traske. The warlock stared hard at the ma.s.sive tutor and finally had to ask, "Are you well, Benjin?"

"I have always believed in maintaining both the mind and the body, Lord Bedlam."

"So I see now." He shook his head. With a minor spell, the sorcerer could have reinvigorated himself easily, but like Talak, Penacles had its special defenses. Some remained from the days when the Dragon King Purple had ruled, and others from the reign of the Gryphon, but there were also a vast number of new spells protecting the city, placed there at the regent's request.

Toos looked over his guests. "If we're all ready to continue, I've planned some food and entertainment. Lord Kyl, have you ever witnessed a living chess game before?"

The young drake's eyes were wide with curiosity. "I mussst sssay that I have certainly not." He glanced down at his brother, who shook his head in equal confusion.

"Then I think that you have a treat awaiting you. If you'll all follow me?"

PENACLES HAD BEEN at peace for years, their neighbor to the east, mist-enshrouded Lochivar, having been quiet since the Gryphon had nearly dealt its master, the Black Dragon, a mortal blow. The darksome lord of the Grey Mists still lived and ruled, but it was said that he could barely speak and that his powers were waning.

That meant that Penacles had an army that trained and trained, but had no enemy to fight. While Toos looked forward to peace as much as most other folk did, he believed in maintaining a strong force. One never knew when times might change. Therefore, it had behooved him to find some way in which his men could keep their skills paramount.

War games had solved that problem, at least where his soldiers were concerned. Each month, various units would maneuver against one another in the nearby hills and valleys. Men who excelled in skill and ingenuity were rewarded. The soldiers also kept wary, for it was possible to be injured. Officers worked to see that such injuries happened as rarely as was possible, though.

Yes, Toos had solved the problem of keeping his men at their best, but he could hardly join them on the field, however much he would have wanted to do so. There was the risk that something might happen to him, either by accident or due to some a.s.sa.s.sin. No ruler who desired to survive dared believe that there was not an a.s.sa.s.sin lurking nearby. Simply because the Black Dragon had made no new a.s.saults on the kingdom in years did not mean that he had withdrawn his spies.

From his long years as the Gryphon's second, the vulpine soldier had picked up a fondness for chess, especially its constant demand for reevaluating one's strategy. Simple chess had been sufficient for some time, but then, while visiting the magical libraries of Penacles with the Gryphon, the bored regent had commented on his need for something further.

"To my surprise," Toos said to his guests as he considered his next move, "the gnome spoke up."

The libraries of Penacles were a magical wonder dating back possibly beyond the present city. No one knew much about them save that they were larger than should have been physically possible, some corridors stretching for what seemed miles underground, yet apparently movable, and accessible only through a wondrous tapestry hidden in the palace.

The libraries also had a librarian . . . or perhaps many, although if the latter was the case, then all of them were identical in form. For as long as either Toos or the Gryphon could recall, they had always been served by a small, squat, completely hairless gnome wearing a robe much like that of a mage. All one had to do was tell the gnome what one was searching for and the odd little figure would locate it. Rarely, however, did the gnome offer words of advice.

Toos made his move and continued. "He suggested a field, a life-sized board, and living champions to do combat. I scoffed at the idea at first, but . . ." The general indicated the area just before them. "You see what I've done."

In what had once been a small arena where human slaves had fought for the personal amus.e.m.e.nt of the Dragon King, there was now a black-and-white pattern of squares, each approximately three feet by three feet. There were viewing boxes on each end of the board, providing seating for perhaps two dozen people apiece.