Shadow Magic, page 15
“Chaos mage?” Nord said. “That’s a new one to me. What exactly is chaos magic?”
“What we call magic is just the manifestation of a vast energy source called the ether. The ether is pure chaotic energy. Even without wizards it affects things at random,” Arkon began. “A wizard seeks to impose order on a minute portion of that energy. The vast majority of wizards try to eliminate all potential random outcomes for a spell. When dealing with power as great as the ether, random occurrences can be lethal. Chaos mages are a splinter group that seeks to increase their power by taking advantage of, rather than suppressing, the ether’s natural chaos.”
Totally confused Nord said, “Huh?”
Arkon thought for a second then said, “Try this. If I wanted to destroy something, I might carefully weave energy into the precise effect I wanted, say a fireball. A chaos mage would just rip a chunk of energy from the ether and weave the desired result into it: the destruction of a particular object. He might get the fireball I so painstaking created or he might get something else. The chaos mage hopes for a more powerful effect than what he might get from a more traditional spell.”
“So basically they’re just lazier than the average wizard,” Nord said.
“Some think so. If you ask me, I think they’re insane. Lucky for the rest of us chaos mages tend to have short careers.”
“Why?”
“Usually they blow themselves up.”
Nord grunted. “You could say that about most wizards.”
“True,” Arkon said, “but chaos mages tend to die even more often than average.”
“Maybe Benwa will blow himself up before we arrive,” Nord said. “That would save us all kinds of time.”
“Don’t count on it,” Arkon said. “Duke Benwa is older than you. If he hasn’t blown himself up by now, I don’t think it very probable he will any time soon.”
They rode through that day and the next with no sign of danger, and no ambush was sprung upon entering the forest.
Now, the morning of the third day, they had only a few miles to go before reaching Benwa’s keep.
“Why don’t they do something?” Nord grumbled under his breath.
“Did you say something, lord?” Arkon asked.
“We’ve been riding through Benwa’s land for a day and a half. Why hasn’t he tried something, anything? I feel more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”
“Another of your charming northern expressions?”
Nord smiled to himself. “That was one of Father’s favorites.”
He sighed. Nord missed his father. Even though the old sultan had chosen his brother to succeed him, Nord still loved the old man.
He’d been close to his father, perhaps closer than either of his brothers. That made his decision to let Vilos take his place all the more painful. Nord felt certain his brother had poisoned his father against him. Once he finished his business here, Vilos would pay.
Arkon slapped his shoulder. “Nord, company.”
Nord looked in the direction Arkon indicated. Sure enough four horsemen were riding toward them. Nord noted with some surprise that the lead rider carried a white flag.
“Looks like they want to talk,” Arkon said, mirroring his own thoughts.
“What do you think? You sense any magic out there?”
Arkon’s eyes narrowed as he focused on the approaching riders. After a moment’s study he said, “Nothing. I can’t sense anything.”
“No magic. What could they be up to?”
“Maybe they really do just want to talk,” Arkon said.
“Assuming they didn’t come out here to commit suicide, that’s the only course that makes sense.” The riders had stopped about two hundred yards away. “Probably shouldn’t keep them waiting. Cavalry Unit One, with me.”
Nord, Arkon, and twenty heavily armed men rode out to greet the messengers. As they approached Nord noticed that none of the messengers had any weapons and two were women. Nord and his men stopped about twenty feet away from the strange group.
The two women rode forward. They were a study in contrasts. The one on the left was tall and thin to the point of emaciation. She had hair as black as a tax collector’s heart and eyes so pale they seemed to have no color at all. The other woman was shorter, had blond hair, and the sort of curves Nord could appreciate after almost two weeks in the saddle.
“Greetings, Prince Nord. We bring a message from Lord Benwa,” the skinny one said.
Nord dragged his eyes away from the blond’s curves and faced her companion. “Well, let’s hear it. I’ll warn you up front if this is one of those ‘turn around or else’ speeches you can save your breath because I’m not turning around.”
The blond started giggling which created a jiggling distraction. Her companion cleared her throat, silencing her jolly companion. “Our mission is quite the opposite, Prince Nord. We have come to invite you to join our lord for his evening meal. Lord Benwa wishes to discuss your plans as the new ruler of the Broken Kingdom.”
Nord and Arkon exchanged a look.
The skinny one noticed and said, “Had we wished you harm you wouldn’t be sitting there wondering, you’d be rotting in a shallow grave.”
Nord snorted. “The day two little girls like you can hurt me is the day I give up soldiering.”
The skinny one’s pale face turned red and she ground her teeth. “I’ll show you just how dangerous a little girl can be.”
She pointed at a clump of white birch and spat three harsh syllables. The trees rotted to the ground in an instant, leaving nothing but black scars in the earth. Even the roots were devoured by the spell.
“My turn, Skull?” the blond asked.
“Very well, Giggles, if you must.”
Giggles smiled and spat toward a large pine. The glob of phlegm shot through the air with much more force than the little woman could have managed without magic. When it struck the tree it slithered up the trunk, coating the whole thing in clear liquid.
Giggles snapped her fingers. The ooze squeezed until the tree exploded, showering them splinters.
“Disgusting,” Skull said.
Giggles stuck her tongue out at her companion.
Skull turned back to Nord. “As you can see, we are also Lord Benwa’s apprentices. I have no idea why our lord wishes to yield to a weakling like you, but he does. What message should I take?”
“Tell him I’d be delighted to join him for dinner,” Nord said.
Skull nodded. “Let’s go.”
She and Giggles turned their horses around to rejoin their escorts, though judging by the girls’ power he figured the men were just for show. The four of them rode away leaving Nord and Arkon behind.
“No magic, huh?” Nord said. “What do you make of their invitation?”
“I think chaos mages are about as stable as active volcanoes and twice as dangerous,” Arkon said. “Those girls had a point though. If Benwa wished us harm he could rain destruction on our heads with little trouble.”
Nord nodded. “I agree. I had planned to offer Benwa a chance to surrender the same as I did Aaron. It seems he beat me to the punch. I can’t help wondering why he’d surrender if he’s as strong as those two said. You suppose he could just be faking?”
Arkon thought a moment. “There’s an old saying in magic, the stronger the student, the stronger the master. If that’s true then Benwa’s no faker. Both those young ladies were stronger than I and they had enough control to suppress the power so I couldn’t sense it.”
“Guess I’ll just have to ask the man himself. Let’s move.” Nord waved the army forward and they continued on toward the keep.
Duke Benwa’s keep was indeed a much more modest affair than Aaron’s. Nord and his army arrived just as the sun set. The orange sky created a stunning backdrop for the black stone keep. The keep consisted of a single large, square tower surrounded by a fifteen-foot-high wall. A single portcullis blocked the only opening in the wall. On three sides of the keep a dense forest grew.
They paused a half mile out.
“Let’s make camp,” Nord said. “Arkon, you’re with me.”
“Lucky me,” the wizard muttered under his breath.
Nord chose to ignore the comment. He felt no happier at the prospect of dinner with his enemy than Arkon did. Still, if it would spare his men a battle and get them on the road south he figured he could stand it.
They rode toward the portcullis which clanked up at their approach. Nord wore Heat’s Bane but had left his armor in the supply wagon. Arkon followed a little behind in his usual brown robe. When no guards appeared they urged their mounts inside and over toward the tower.
Like the wall the tower had only one door which opened at their approach. Inside stood the woman they knew as Skull. She had swapped her traveling clothes for a sheer black gown and had her hair pulled back in a ponytail.
“Leave your horses in the yard. They will be tended to,” she said.
Nord and Arkon dismounted and entered the tower. When they were out of the way the door closed behind them. They found themselves in a small entry hall. Six suits of archaic plate armor polished to a mirror shine lined the path. A pale light that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time filled the air.
“This way, gentlemen.” She led them down the hall to a heavy oak door. It swung open at her gesture.
Inside was a large dining hall. A fire burned in a massive hearth along the far wall. A table of dark wood dominated the center of the room. Six chairs of matching wood were arranged around it. Another door on the left-hand wall led out of the room.
“They are here, Master.”
An older man rose from the chair closest to Nord and Arkon. Nord hadn’t even noticed him. The man, whom Nord assumed was Duke Benwa, looked about ten years his elder. He had salt-and-pepper hair and a gray beard down to his stomach. He wore black robes with silver trim.
“Prince Nord,” Benwa said, his voice soft and melodic. “Good of you to join me. Please have a seat.”
“Thank you.” Nord took the chair to Benwa’s right and Arkon the next chair down.
Benwa sat down. “Lady Skull, be a dear and see what’s keeping my daughter.”
“Yes, Lord Benwa.” Skull left by the same door they entered.
“You’re no doubt wondering why I’ve decided not to fight you,” Benwa said.
“I am curious,” Nord said. “I thought you wanted to rule the Broken Kingdom.”
Benwa chuckled. “I have no interest in ruling anything. It takes far more time than I care to devote to anything besides magical study. My main concern is not being ruled by anyone else.”
“Then why surrender to me?”
“Does the name Daktari mean anything to you?” Benwa asked.
Nord shook his head. “Should it?”
Benwa smiled. “I am a wizard of considerable power. Daktari is a sorcerer of almost unimaginable might. He is also your mysterious benefactor.”
Nord nodded again as he began to see the picture.
“Were we to come to blows, even with your army, you wouldn’t win,” Benwa continued. “But for some reason, Daktari wishes you to rule the Broken Kingdom.”
“I get it,” Nord said. “You figure you can take me, but if you do you’ll piss off this Daktari guy who’ll come crush you between his thumb and forefinger. That about right?”
Benwa tapped his fingertips together and sighed. “A crude way of putting it, but I won’t disagree. I’m willing to make a deal.”
Nord grinned. Benwa sounded pretty desperate. “Seems like you’d do whatever I want to save your skin.”
Arkon elbowed him in the ribs.
Benwa’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t push me. I may just kill you and take my chances.”
Nord laughed. “I’ve known men like you all my life. You don’t have enough nerve to try anything.”
Benwa’s eyes started to glow and Nord had just enough time to think he’d pushed his luck too far when a crushing weight settled on his chest.
Nord gasped and fell out of his chair.
It felt like an elephant was standing on him.
Arkon began weaving a counterspell but Benwa shot him a glare that said a quick death lay on that path.
Arkon’s hands stopped moving.
Nord cursed his coward of a wizard.
Benwa looked down at Nord where he lay writhing in pain. “I’m only going to say this once. I brought you here to bargain, not to prostrate myself before you. There are only two ways out of this castle: as my ally and new ruler of the Broken Kingdom or in pieces. Choose.”
“A bargain sounds fair,” Nord gasped.
“I suspected it might.” Benwa gestured and the elephant climbed off Nord’s chest.
He sucked in a lungful of air and let it out slowly. Nord eased himself into his chair and massaged his chest. While he tried to collect himself the door opened and Skull and Giggles came in.
“I found her napping,” Skull said.
Giggles leaned over and kissed Benwa on the cheek. “Sorry, Father.”
Nord began easing his hand down toward the hilt of his sword. He wouldn’t allow Benwa, or anyone else, to insult him.
A voice appeared in his mind. He’ll stop your heart before the blade clears the scabbard.
Nord’s first thought was that Arkon was trying to warn him, but when he looked at the wizard he seemed not to have a clue. A quick glance at the others showed Skull staring right at him.
That’s right. It’s me you’re hearing. If you wish to get out of here alive you’d best learn to control those violent impulses.
Mind your own damn business and stay out of my head.
Nord felt the contact break off. Despite his bluster he decided the scrawny bitch had a point. He brought his hand back on the table.
Arkon must have noticed the tension because he said, “I thought this was going to be a dinner party. I’m starving.”
Benwa smiled. “Quite right. Ladies, please take your seats.”
Giggles sat opposite Nord and Skull sat across from Arkon. Nord noticed Arkon offer Skull a friendly smile but he got nothing but a cold stare in return.
Benwa clapped and the unused door opened. A moment later plates laden with food began to drift in.
They ate in silence. Nord brooded. He’d thought Heat’s Bane was the ultimate weapon. The fact that a wizard with a little power could render it useless was quite a letdown. Still, the blade was useful in any combat situation.
“Lord Benwa,” Arkon said. “May I ask you something?”
Benwa smiled. “I’ve never met a wizard who could resist a chance to talk shop. Ask away.”
“I had heard that you studied chaos magic but I’ve seen no sign of it.”
Benwa nodded and took a sip of his wine. “I did study chaos magic for a while. The results were too random to be of any real use.”
“That’s what my teacher always said.”
The wizards blathered on about the vagaries of all things magical. Nord tuned them out and tried to think how best to approach the negotiations. He devoured the plate of ribs before him without even tasting them. He’d learned long ago to eat whenever he got the chance.
When everyone finished Benwa clapped again and the plates drifted back the way they’d come. When the door closed behind the last plate Benwa said, “Shall we begin our discussion?”
“Fine,” Nord said. “What do you propose?”
“I will give you my support; in exchange I ask only to be left alone. I control an area about twenty miles square and have no interest in more. Do whatever you like with the rest of the Broken Kingdom. I don’t care.”
“A fair offer,” Nord said. “The only thing I ask in addition is that you act as my regent while I’m away.”
“Away? Where are you going? You’ve won the war.”
Nord laughed. “This was only the preliminary. As soon as I get the supplies I need, I’m marching on the High Kingdom. Once I’ve crushed my brother, I plan to rule a new High Kingdom that includes the old one and the Broken Kingdom.”
“Interesting,” Benwa said as he pulled on his beard. “This latest campaign was just to consolidate for an even bigger attack. Very well, I accept your offer. We will look after the Broken Kingdom while you’re gone.”
“Excellent. I in turn recognize your autonomy assuming you do nothing to oppose me.” Nord stood up and stuck out his hand.
Benwa stood as well. When the wizard grabbed his hand a jolt passed through his body.
Benwa smiled and pumped his hand once.
Benwa retired shortly after that. Skull was given the task of showing them out.
When they reached the outer door Nord paused. “Why did you warn me in there?”
Skull hesitated and Nord thought she might just ignore the question.
Finally she said, “Lord Benwa didn’t wish to kill you, and I didn’t wish to see him forced into something by your foolish pride. My lord got what he wanted, that is all that concerns me.”
The door slammed in their faces.
“Friendly, isn’t she?” Arkon said.
Nord grabbed him and jerked him off his feet. “You miserable coward. What’s the idea leaving me hanging in there?”
“Put. Me. Down,” Arkon said. Nord heard iron in his voice that he’d never noticed before.
He lowered the wizard to his feet. “Prince Nord, I respect you, but I won’t commit suicide for you. If I’d done anything besides what I did we’d both be dead right now.”
“When I make a move I expect you to back me up,” Nord said, his voice rising. “If you’d distracted him I might have gotten my sword free.”
“And I would have been killed. When I signed up it was to provide magical support and to advise you. I will continue to do so, but if you expect me to sacrifice myself you can forget it. If that’s unacceptable to you, tell me now and I’ll take my leave.”
“Take your leave?”
“Yes, seek other employment. No competent wizard has trouble finding work. I’ll go away and you can try and find a wizard with less good sense. What do you say?”
“You’re right,” Nord said. It pained him to admit it. “I’d like you to stay on.”
