The Archmage unbound

Chapter 7

The next several days flew by and I could no longer put off my trip to Albamarl. I didn’t want to give King Edward too much time to brew over my message, and he’d surely received it by now. It was time to pay him a visit.

I had told Penny of my plans several days before and I let her know that today was the day after we finished our breakfast. She was still rather nervous about it, but she had conceded the necessity. “I wish you’d let me come with you,” she said again.

“Absolutely not, you’re not an Anath’Meridum anymore and more importantly you’re with child, we have too much to lose now,” I reminded her.

“No need to be mean about it,” she complained. “Consider my point of view, if we lost you now what would that mean for me and your child?”

I winced, it always came back to that, and in truth she was right. Still we had discussed it already; I didn’t see a better alternative for securing the future for our family… and our people. “I’m sorry love. You know I’d choose a safer path if I thought there was one,” I replied.

“So you admit there might be a better way,” she said. She was quick to catch on.

“I’d be lying if I pretended to have all the answers. What is true is that I don’t know of a better way,” I said honestly.

She ran her hand across my chest, feeling the fabric of my tunic. “I’d feel better if you at least wore mail. Any fool with a dagger could put a hole in your back.”

“That would make my task more difficult. I’m actually trying to be sneaky, besides I don’t need armor to keep me safe,” as I spoke I made my shield flash with light for just a moment. My skill with mundane uses of magic had gotten much greater.

“That didn’t do you much good when the shiggreth grabbed you,” she noted. It was not only a reminder of my vulnerability but also a reminder of the fact that she had been the one to save my bacon that night.

I grimaced. “There shouldn’t be any shiggreth to worry about during this little adventure and if there are… I’ve prepared a new strategy.”

She was cynical, “such as?”

“I can’t show you here. It might damage the room,” I said evading the question as best I could.

The look on her face was wistful and a bit sad at the same time. “One of these days you’re going to find out you’re not as smart as you thought and I’m going to have to pay the price.”

I laughed, “Did you have another vision?”

Penny frowned, “No, and that’s why I’m not objecting too much. I feel certain that something as important as your impending doom would trigger my foresight. Since my ‘intuition’ has remained silent thus far I’m willing to let you take more risk than is probably wise.”

I decided not to argue that point, her ‘intuition’ and I had already butted heads once before in the past. The result had been her near death. Still I doubted I would back down if I were forced into a corner like that again. I can be notoriously stubborn when I choose to be. Rather than remind her of my penchant for mule-headedness I agreed with her, “I’m glad of that. If things go well I should be back late tonight, or tomorrow at the latest. I may stay and have dinner at the house with Marc. I haven’t had many opportunities to explore the library lately.”

I finished my good-byes and an hour later I was standing in the hallway of my house in Albamarl. Teleportation was one of the nicer things about being a wizard, although I had very few places I could use it to reach. It required a pre-made circle at both the point of origination and the destination, and the two had to match.

Currently the only places I had available were my home in Cameron Castle, Castle Lancaster, and my house in Albamarl. I intended to expand on that number a bit during my stay in the capital though. Once I had reminded the king of my traveling abilities he might decide to try and cut down on my options by having my house watched.

I glanced down the hallway and let my senses expand until I had located Marc. True to his word he was sitting at one of the reading tables in the library. My first impulse was to walk in and say hello but after a moment’s thought I decided to test out my plan for infiltrating the palace. I had several spells in mind but I hadn’t actually tried them out in a practical situation. I spoke a few words and ran my hand over my boots, which should silence any sound my footsteps might make, while leaving me free to speak as need be.

I walked silently until I stood near the door to the library. Marc had thoughtfully closed it after he entered, which made entering the room unseen and unheard more difficult. Perfect. Watching him mentally I made sure he wasn’t facing the door, and then I quietly whispered a few words. They were similar to the ones I had used to silence my boots, and their effect on the door was the same. Putting my hand on the handle I opened the door and stepped inside.

So far I remained unnoticed, Marc was still reading intently but I knew he might look in my direction at any moment and I was far from invisible. I needed to cast another spell but realized that standing in the same room there was a strong chance he would hear me, even if I spoke very softly. I needed a distraction. Glancing toward the opposite end of the room I chanced a whispered word and focused my will. The sound of a book falling to the floor and claws skittering across wooden boards came from that end of the room immediately; drawing Marc’s startled attention in that direction. I spoke quietly again and settled what I thought would be the perfect disguise across myself. This last spell was something new entirely, a way of creating a false appearance. I had chosen the likeness of his sister Ariadne in advance.

I had discovered the art of illusion in one of my father’s books only a few weeks before and I had been experimenting with them in odd moments ever since. This was my first time attempting to fool another person with a complete disguise however, so I had no idea how well it might work. Walking forward I stood by the table and waited for Marc to turn back around. At the moment he was still tensely watching the corner, wondering at the noise I had created. When at last he turned back around his expression was priceless.

“What?!” he exclaimed, scrambling backward. Or at least he tried to scramble backward, still being seated in the chair he wound up half standing before falling on his ass. It took all my self-control to stifle a laugh, instead I feigned concern.

“Marcus are you alright? I didn’t mean to startle you!” I said quickly. If my spell was working properly he should be seeing his sister leaning over him wearing a lovely blue dress that I had once seen her in. Call me a pervert if you will but I always remembered her wearing that dress when I thought of his sister.

“Ariadne?” he said tentatively, a suspicious stare on his features. “Is that you? How did you get here?” He rose from the floor and dusted himself off; although the floor was spotless.

I hadn’t considered the conversation beyond surprising him. Now that it was clear my disguise was working I thought I might keep it up a bit longer. My mind raced as I considered my words. “Mordecai sent me. I went to Cameron looking for you and he said you had come to study here. How have you been? Rose told me you have been acting odd lately.” That should keep his suspicions at bay, I thought to myself with a self-indulgent chuckle. I refrained from hugging him, my illusion lacked any substance and my distinctly masculine frame would be a dead giveaway.

Marc looked around, “Is Mort with you?” he asked suddenly.

“No he said he would return to take me home in an hour or so,” I temporized.

“Clever girl,” he said with a sly grin. “We haven’t had any time to ourselves in ages have we?”

The look he gave me was faintly unsettling. I really had no idea what his conversations with his siblings were like when they were alone but something about his tone was odd. “No, we haven’t,” I agreed. “I’ve been worried about you.”

He took a step closer and I instinctively stepped back to avoid contact. “Do you still love your brother?” he asked in a wistful tone, “Even after my disgrace?”

I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation but I didn’t want to spoil my joke just yet. “Of course Marcus, you’ve always been my favorite.”

His eyes had a dangerous glint in them, “Your favorite?” he asked. “Don’t you mean your only? Or have you found someone else?” His voice had developed a distinctly husky sound.

Things had gotten out of hand. “What?!” I shouted in surprise, but before I could say more he leapt forward and kissed me. Shock and outrage were my sudden companions as I tried to throw him off. He clung to me instead and we wound up wrestling on the floor while I attempted to disentangle myself from the sister-loving monster my friend had become.

“Ariadne, I don’t remember you being so hairy but I like it!” he growled. I had finally gotten control of our struggle and I was working to get him into an arm lock. He was laughing now and puckering his lips at me as I twisted his arm. At last I realized I had been had. In disgust I let go of him and with a shove stepped back.

Marc was laughing so hard now he could hardly stand and he collapsed onto the floor again. “Mort you should have seen your face!” he guffawed at me.

His humor was infectious and I found myself chuckling a bit in spite of my indignation. “You’re a sick bastard, I hope you realize that! How did you figure it out?” I asked.

Marc’s laughter slowed and finally he was able to answer more soberly, “Do you really think my sister’s voice sounds like that? That was the worst falsetto I’ve ever heard!”

Of course, I should have known. I did have a better solution for the voice problem but I couldn’t use it without having direct contact with the person I was imitating first. That was academic though, I had thought my generic ‘female’ voice would be enough. Clearly I was wrong. I frowned.

“And that dress, what was that about? She’s only worn that dress to formal balls. Why would she wear that here?” he snickered, but then his eyes went wide. “Oh damn! You have a thing for my sister! Why else would you remember her at her loveliest? Oh that’s low Mort! Wait till I tell Penny!”

“I do not! You sick sister-lover! Wait till I tell your sister you tried to kiss her!” I shot back.

“I knew it was you all along! Who else could get into this place?” he retorted.

I grinned, “She doesn’t know that.”

“Fine,” he said standing up again. “Truce?” he asked, but he was still chuckling as he held out his hand.

I gave his hand a mock-suspicious glare, “I’m not sure that thing is safe to touch,” I said, but then I broke into a grin. I hugged him instead and then we sat down to talk. “How have you been doing?” I asked.

“Good,” he replied, “When there isn’t anyone sneaking up on me and pretending to be my sister.”

“I just wanted to test out the new spell,” I told him.

He snorted, “It’s impressive I’ll admit, though the voice needs a lot of work. I’ve never seen you do anything like that before though.”

“I started experimenting with illusions a few weeks ago. So far they seem fairly simple, as long as it is something I can imagine easily,” I said.

“And my sister is someone you imagine regularly I take it?” he said with a wry smile.

“No damnitt! Anyone I’ve known for a long time is fairly easy. I picked your sister because she seemed the most reasonable person to visit you, besides myself of course. If I try to do a stranger I’d almost have to be looking at them when I cast the spell in order to create a decent resemblance.”

Marc sat up straight for a moment. “Mordecai!” he exclaimed, “Have you shown anyone else your illusions yet?”

“No why?”

“Think about it, the possibilities are endless. You could imitate anyone, the king, the head of the bank… or someone you wanted to frame for a crime!” he announced. As he spoke I could see the gears in his head turning. Marc was extremely intelligent, almost as smart as myself in our academic studies as children and infinitely more devious. If anyone could think of useful ways to use deception, it would be him.

“I’m just planning to sneak into the palace, I don’t need to commit crimes or blame innocents at this point in my career,” I told him.

“Just don’t tell anyone you can do this. So long as you are the only one that knows you have a tool with few limits. Once people know what you can do it will be the opposite… any crime could be laid at your feet,” he explained.

I hadn’t thought of it in quite those terms but I could see he was right. What at first had seemed like a simple spell was fraught with all sorts of major social implications. If I could impersonate someone I could do anything… and if people knew I could impersonate anyone I could be implicated for anything that happened out of the ordinary. Rumor and scandal could easily become the rule of my life. It almost wasn’t worth using the spell at all. I shook my head, “Let’s just finish this experiment. I need to test another spell, one that should provide a better imitation of someone’s voice.”

“Anything would be better than that awful falsetto you used,” he jibed again. “Do you need me to do anything?”

“Not much, just hold still,” I said and then I reached out and touched his throat while vocalizing my new spell. Then I opened my mouth and repeated what he had just said, “Anything would be better than that awful falsetto you used.” The words emerged in an exact replica of Marc’s voice… at least as far as I could tell.

“Is that what I sound like?” Marc said, rather surprised.

I started to reply, thinking it was an honest question but he didn’t wait for an answer.

“Damn, no wonder the ladies find me irresistible!” he stated matter of factly.

I repeated my disguise spell and a moment later he was staring at his own face as well, then I spoke up, “Damn, no wonder people think I’m a conceited ass!”

“That’s not what I said,” he replied adroitly. “If you’re going to copy me you need to stick to the proper dialogue.” He stared at me for a moment longer before continuing, “That really is unnerving… like staring into a mirror that has a mind of its own. Hey! I don’t suppose you can use that spell on someone else could you?”

I thought about it for a moment, “I think I can, why?”

He grinned, “Make me look and sound like you. I have some things to tell you.”

I could only imagine the mayhem that might ensue if we started an insult contest while disguised as each other. In fact the vision kept me spellbound for a solid minute before I replied, “No, absolutely not.”

Marc glared at me, “Why not?”

“This power is too great to be put in the hands of the feeble minded,” I told him solemnly.

“Spoilsport,” he replied glumly.

“Did you deliver Rose’s missive to her father?” I asked suddenly, changing the topic.

He switched gears and leaned back in his chair and putting his feet up on the table, “Indeed I did. I left it with the doorman. None of them saw my face.”

“That’s a relief then. Any luck with the research yet?” I asked.

His face fell, “Not so far. Do you see how many books are in this place? It could be a year before I’ve checked them all.”

“Well, keep your eyes open for interesting information, even if it isn’t directly related to the gods,” I reminded him.

He gave me a look that told me I was restating the obvious again. It was a frequent flaw of mine. We talked for a bit more before I took my leave and headed into the city. I had a lot to accomplish and it wouldn’t do to waste any more daylight.

I kept my senses alert as I left the house and stepped onto the common road outside. It would be a reasonable guess for the king to figure out I was using my father’s house as a means of ingress and egress to the city, but I didn’t need to confirm the fact for him. I didn’t sense anyone nearby so I relaxed and began walking slowly up the road.

Before I had stepped out I had copied the features of Cecil Draper. I hoped he wouldn’t mind and in any case I hadn’t known him long enough to do a perfect job of it. I doubted anyone in the capital would recognize him anyway so I should be effectively anonymous.

I spent the next couple of hours circling the royal palace slowly; paying particular attention to points where I thought the wall might be relatively unobserved. If I could find a good enough spot I might try to enter during the daytime. If not I would have to wait for cover of darkness.

The palace had an outer wall that encircled the entire building and its gardens, providing privacy and security for both the king and those who enjoyed his hospitality. That outer wall was nearly as impressive as the wall that surrounded the city itself and likewise it was guarded by towers every fifty yards or so. The towers themselves were only fully garrisoned during an active defense. During normal, peaceful times there were only guards stationed in the corner towers, with regular patrols walking the walls between them.

For a normal thief or assassin that would be just as formidable a barrier, but it made things much easier for me. With my senses I could easily find the locations of the guards patrolling and assure myself that there were not others waiting within the wall towers. That made it fairly easy for me to guess at whether I was actually being observed at any given moment.

After my second full circuit of the perimeter I chose my point of entry, a shadowed portion of the eastern wall, near the middle of that side. I left the road and moved up near the wall where one of the towers bulged outward, using it to shield me from view in one direction at least. The afternoon shade made it more difficult to see me but it was by no means impossible. Any passerby would be able to spot me quite easily, as could the guard in the tower on the southern end of the wall I stood against… should he bother to look out and downward.

I had made two plans to handle this situation. The first, which I had chosen before I ever sent Cyhan home to his king, was to use a spell to assist me in climbing the wall. With a bit of cleverness I could imitate the ability of a lizard to cling to walls. The main drawback would be that I would be very visible and exposed as I reached the top of the wall, which made my second option more attractive.

I had only recently been inspired by this idea, mostly by my conversation with Moira Centyr… or her echo. I was having a hard time keeping the two separate in my mind. In any case her lesson with the stone had given me a new idea, the main drawback being that I wasn’t entirely sure I could actually make it work. I would need time, I couldn’t rush something new.

I created a new illusion over myself as I stood facing the wall; this one was smoother and less detailed. Once I had finished I looked like a part of the wall, or rather it appeared that the wall possessed an irregular rounded protrusion. It wasn’t perfect but unless someone looked closely I should be able to remain where I was for a considerable amount of time without drawing any attention.

I focused on the wall beneath my hands. My mage-sense told me that it was nearly ten feet thick at the base, solid stone for two feet on the outer and inner surfaces, with gravel and mortar sandwiched between. It might be difficult but it was entirely possible for me to make an opening using my power. The problem lay in the fact that I doubted I could do it quietly, and that I couldn’t remove the opening without leaving a lot of rather messy evidence afterward. Perhaps if I had a few hours and no one bothering me I could do such a thing, but I didn’t think I could do it unobserved.

Closing my eyes I narrowed my attention until the wall in front of me was my entire world. I cleared my mind and listened… listened for the voice of this one small part of a much larger world. Unlike the stone I had held in my hand this wall was composed of many separate stones, and the material between the inner and outer surface was a complex amalgam of material. I didn’t let that distract me though; as I listened I began to hear it within my mind, a chorus of many voices. They were all part of the wall, separate and yet joined. Together they wove a harmony of existences joined together for a single purpose and the sudden beauty of it almost drew me in. For a moment I wanted to be a part of that melody, to join the stones in their quiet vigil.

I caught myself in time, and refocused my mind, remembering my purpose. Instead I drew the stones into my own ‘self’, making them part of my own will. My body was no longer the boundary of my existence, now I also contained a significant portion of the massive stone wall before me. Then I moved, opening to allow another part of myself to pass through. Description fails me at this point, so I’ll resort to what would likely have been seen by an outside observer. As my body leaned forward the stones parted before me, flowing like water to let me pass. A moment later I exited the other side.

I found myself blinded by the bright afternoon sun falling on the western side of the wall. My abrupt departure from the stone wall left me disoriented as I became less than what I had been, my sense of self changed and a moment later I was just Mordecai. I stood there blinking the sun from my eyes when a voice found my ears, “Pardon me my lord. I thought the garden was unoccupied this time of day.”

My senses came into sharp focus as I realized a woman was staring at me. Mentally I cursed my stupidity but there was no hope for correcting my mistake. The area had been clear when I started but my travel through the wall had distorted my senses, I had been caught completely by surprise. Worse yet I hadn’t renewed my disguise, I was standing before the lady in question with my own face showing. My mind raced to make sense of her words and formulate a response. “Think nothing of it lady. I was caught in reverie of the afternoon sun. I hope I didn’t startle you overmuch?” I said calmly.

Her reaction and attire had already told me much. She was garbed as a lady of quality, but not to a degree that made me think she was nobility herself, something about her features belied that assessment. Her deference made me think she might be a lady-in-waiting to one of the more notable peers. Luckily I was dressed in all my glory as one of the ranking peers of the realm. My garb was practical in design but expensive in cut and material, a black velvet cloak trimmed in ermine all but hid the expensive butter soft grey leather doublet I wore. My boots and accoutrements were equally opulent… I was here to meet a king after all.

“No, you didn’t startle me. I just didn’t expect to find anyone here. Please forgive my ignorance for I don’t recognize your lordship and I have no idea if I may have given offence in my familiarity,” she said meekly, lowering her gaze, but not before I had caught a glimpse of deep brown. Her eyes had shown little of the humility that her voice conveyed.

Having finally regained some of my balance I swiftly surveyed my surroundings with my mage-sight. The immediate area was still clear of any other people so I turned my attention to a more thorough examination of the woman before me. Her simple yet expensive dress could easily have let her pass as nobility but her attitude and musculature hinted at servitude. More surprising still she possessed several weapons cleverly hidden on her person. For a moment her armament reminded me of Lady Rose. “Fear not, you have done nothing to offend me,” I answered, making clear in my tone that my social standing was such that she was right to be worried. “If you will excuse me I should be getting back to my room,” I added with a touch of brusqueness.

She stepped back lithely to let me pass and I was struck by her nimbleness. Unlike Rose Hightower this woman had more than a casual athleticism, as she moved I could sense the taut muscles under her dress, like steel whipcords, tightly controlling her every movement. I didn’t let my observation slow me down, I needed to be away from her quickly but before I got more than a few steps away she addressed me again, “Begging your pardon your lordship, if I might know your name?”

I paused without turning, by now I was fairly certain she was no maid-in-waiting, more likely she was a bodyguard, hired to watch some wealthy noblewoman. Summoning every ounce of imperiousness I had I spoke coldly, “Tell me yours first and I may forgive your impertinence.” Benchley would have been proud of me if he could have heard me then.

She answered promptly, “Ruth my lord, one of King Edward’s servants.” The lack of any honorific confirmed her common status, but her position as one of the king’s servitors was a surprise, especially given her weaponry. I revised my opinion swiftly. Whatever she did for the king involved staying in peak physical condition, and women were not highly regarded as bodyguards, so she must be something special indeed.

“Shibal,” I said as I turned to catch her. My spell rendered her unconscious before she had a chance to question me further. Gently I eased her to the ground and pulled her back toward the wall where I had emerged moments before. A nearby bush helped to conceal her presence from any casual passersby that might chance along. Since I had been forced to put her to sleep I took the opportunity to examine the heavy blade she had strapped to her thigh. The weapon itself was over a foot in length and wickedly sharp, while the metal had been tempered with a bluish black finish. It was highly unusual in terms of hidden weapons.

I carefully slipped it back into its sheath and then I spoke again, disguising myself as the woman sleeping on the ground before me. Then I touched her throat and used a second spell to imitate her voice. “Thank you for telling me your name, it would have been very inconvenient if someone had asked,” I told her. My ears confirmed that my vocal mimicry seemed to be functioning properly and I rose to continue onward.

I smiled quietly to myself as I walked, careful not to move too quickly. I was supposed to be a woman after all. This should make things much simpler, I thought. Moments later I was passing into one of the archways that led into the guest quarters of the royal palace.