The Archmage unbound

Chapter 8

I walked confidently down the corridors, heading directly toward the king’s chambers. My senses were on high-alert and I made every attempt to avoid encountering other people in the hallways. The one or two times it was unavoidable I simply nodded at them in passing and moved purposefully onward. Whoever Ruth might be I had a feeling she was moderately important and it was probably normal for her to be moving as if she had someplace to be. I only hoped I wouldn’t encounter anyone that knew her well.

As I got closer to the king’s personal rooms I noticed a much larger number of guards. Men had been tucked into every available corner and at every doorway along the hall. It hadn’t been like this the last time I had come here. Of course on that occasion I had been slightly intoxicated, answering a summons from the king and walking with James Lancaster. It was entirely possible I had missed noticing them, but I doubted it. Cyhan must have delivered my message, I thought with a smirk.

As I went I also noticed the guards stood straighter when they saw me coming and whatever small talk they had been engaged in ceased entirely. That gave me all the information I needed regarding Ruth’s possible role here. I put a bit more confidence in my stride and boldly met the eyes of any guard who dared to look at me. In every case they met my gaze calmly and without question. I had no more doubts, Ruth was their superior, or at the very least much higher up the food chain.

I stopped before the door leading into the private audience chamber, the same one that King Edward had met me in over a half a year past. Two men guarded it and they seemed worried when I stopped. Protocol for a guest would have been to have them call for the king’s chamberlain and request an audience, or at the very least announce my presence. Ruth was not a guest however and I got the distinct feeling they had expected me to enter without pausing for permission or waiting for the chamberlain.

“You!” I snapped at the man standing to the right, “Has anyone entered or left in the past hour?” I was hoping to cover my hesitation with questions.

“No milady!” he answered loudly.

I brought my hand up to rest a finger against my lips and the man visibly flinched. He thought I might strike him! Whoever Ruth was she clearly led an interesting life. “Very well,” I told him, “Open the door for me.” I wanted him to do it in case there might be a secret signal; one never knew when it came to guarding royalty. If I attempted to open it myself without following whatever the proper protocol was it would be a dead giveaway.

He leaned over and opened the door. If there had been a secret knock or other signal I saw no sign of it, and I wound up feeling a bit foolish. I didn’t bother looking at him as I entered. I already knew there was only one person inside, the chamberlain unless I was mistaken. Let me correct that, there was only one person ‘within’ the room. Two hidden side doors had several guards waiting behind them, watching the area.

The chamberlain started as I entered and rose quickly from the chair he had been resting on. “I hadn’t expected…,” he began.

“Don’t bother,” I told him. “Is he in his rooms? I need to talk to the king right away.” I was already walking toward the doorway that led toward what I presumed was his Majesty’s private living area. That was my first mistake. Apparently Ruth didn’t outrank the chamberlain… I should have known.

“Ruth! Stop! What do you think you are doing?” he exclaimed indignantly. I could sense the men behind the hidden doors tensing.

The time for subterfuge was over. I had sincerely hoped I could reach King Edward without kicking up a fuss, but it seemed my wish was not to be. “Shibal!” I said loudly, putting a good deal of force into it. The chamberlain went down immediately, as did three of the men behind the hidden doors. The fourth was either a stoic or had something shielding his mind, for he never even faltered, the door he stood behind slid aside and an arrow was already in flight toward my head before I had finished putting his comrades to sleep.

I hadn’t been in any sort of serious conflict since the end of the war with Gododdin two months past, yet it that time had left its mark upon me somehow… for I found myself enjoying the adrenaline. I smiled as the arrow shattered against my shield, savoring the look on the bowman’s face as he realized he was in more trouble than he was ready for. Since the man was immune to mind affecting spells I spoke again, sealing the door he had just passed through with another shield and as an afterthought I repeated the process to seal the doorway I had entered through as well.

I walked toward the guard… still smiling. He tried another arrow and seeing that fail drew his sword. With a flick of my wrist and a whispered word my magic ripped the blade from his grasp and sent it spinning through the air, only to have it return, pointing at him, scant inches from his face. “Turn around please,” I told him calmly. “Put your hands behind your back, I’d really rather not have to hurt you.”

The poor fellow was so unnerved he obeyed immediately. Drawing my dagger I cut the belt from his waist and used it to bind his hands. “Lie down on the floor,” I added and he readily complied. “Look, I understand you’re in an awkward situation here,” I told him conversationally. “You’re the only one conscious and now you’ve been tied up, uninjured and unbruised. It might look bad when they free you later. Would you like me to rough you up a bit? I’d rather not get you into trouble if I can avoid it.” I honestly meant every word as I said it, but apparently it was a bit too much for the guard. He moaned in an entirely unmanly manner and a moment later I smelled a distinct odor of urine.

“Aww… what the hell?” I said in dismay as I saw the stain spreading on the rich carpeting of the floor. Ignoring his loss of bladder control I took a moment to shatter his sword and rip up his clothes… perhaps that would be enough to keep him from being flogged later. I felt distinctly bad about it though as it only served to frighten him even further.

I left him then and headed through the doorway leading into the king’s private demesne. It led into a long corridor, richly decorated and with multiple doorways leading off in every direction. More guards were already heading my way, but none of them were stoics and I put them to sleep before they got anywhere near me. Since my disguise was no longer effective I dropped it.

Taking a second to focus I used my arcane senses to examine the rooms around me. The king’s quarters were a veritable warren of chambers, gardens, baths and bedrooms, but it took me only a moment to locate King Edward. He was waiting in his bedroom, sitting calmly at a side table. I have to give the man credit, he might be on the verge of assassination but he faced it with remarkable aplomb.

I followed a circuitous route to reach his bedroom door. I was tempted to knock down some walls and cut a direct path but I figured I should be more diplomatic. There were four men standing in the ante-chamber outside of his room but I didn’t let that worry me, they weren’t armed and seemed to be wearing nothing more than plain robes. I calmly opened the door to the sitting room and stepped inside. That was when all hell broke loose.

My eyes immediately confirmed what my mage-sight had already told me; these men were not armed or armored, but as soon as I entered light flared around them. Each one gained an aura, though they varied in color… silver, lavender, greenish gold and blue, these were devotees of the four shining gods. Channelers, great.

I was temporarily blinded as their power slammed into me, encasing my shield in coruscating light and nearly crushing me with its force. I should have expected something like this, I thought suddenly. Why hadn’t I brought my staff? I was trapped… it took nearly all my strength to keep my shield intact. As my senses adjusted I realized only three of them held me, while the third was concentrating on something. The look in his eyes told me it would be something unpleasant and I immediately remembered the spell I had once used to cut through my opponents shields. If he used something like that I would be cut in two. Shit.

Individually none of the channelers were powerful enough to be a real threat, but together they were perhaps more than I could handle. I had one advantage though, while they were used to handling power only on rare occasions, I dealt with it on a daily basis. As the free one focused on his spell I changed my shield from a spherical to a tear drop shape, using the force of my opponents grip to send me hurtling sideways.

I wasn’t a moment too soon, a flickering beam of green light sliced into the space where I had just been a moment before and cut through the stone walls behind me. As I went flying sideways the three who had held me were disoriented and lost their grip. That was all I needed.

The moment the forces against my shield let up I diverted my strength into a new spell, “ Pyrren ni’Tragen.” Flames exploded outward to engulf the entire room. Two of the men had been using all of their power to pin me, leaving them unable to maintain a shield to protect themselves. Their fate wasn’t pretty. The other two had been better able to balance their use of power and were instead merely flung backward by the force of the explosion.

One of them lost his focus and his shield disappeared after he struck a wall. Meanwhile I was already rising from the other side of the room where my shield tactic had tossed me. I didn’t bother to waste my power, I already had a stone in my hand and as I stood back up I breathed upon it sharply, “ Tielen striltos,” I said and it streaked across the room. The unshielded man’s head flew back and bits of blood and bone stained the walls.

I walked carefully across the room to the last man who was struggling to focus his power into an effective shield. Something about the clumsy way he wielded his magic made me laugh and a sickening laugh escaped my lips as I approached him. I focused my attention and encased him in a crushing bubble of pure force, much like the one they had used to pin me a moment before. His face went white with strain as he struggled to keep it from killing him. “You’re not having a very good day,” I told him with a smile.

He grimaced, “You cannot win. The gods are united against you.”

I increased the pressure on him a bit. He obviously had too much energy left for talking. “So they have decided to support the king against me?” I glanced around the room, noting the symbols on their robes… Doron, Karenth, Millicenth… all of the shining gods were represented here. Looking back to the man before me I saw the golden flame of Celior on his chest. “Why?” I asked.

The light of madness was shining in his eyes. “You are an abomination,” he said between clenched teeth. For a second I wondered what my own face had looked like as I had killed his three companions… at a guess I’d bet it hadn’t been much prettier. I am little better than them. Threaten me for a moment and I turn effortlessly into a merciless killer, I thought. A feeling of disgust passed over me but I didn’t lessen the pressure against his shield.

“If Celior has any messages for me now is the time to pass them along, you won’t get many more chances after this,” I responded emotionlessly.

His eyes shifted then and I could see them un-focusing as his god came to the fore. Simultaneously the strength of his shield increased three-fold, Celior wasn’t pulling his punches. “You bear Illeniel’s Doom mortal. You should die now and save yourself from suffering,” he replied. His voice now held the dulcet tones of his god.

“You’ll ruin your puppet if you push too hard Celior,” I rebuked him. Sweat was standing out on my brow now as I redoubled my effort to keep him pinned down.

“His life is mine to use as I wish,” the voice of the shining god responded. Blood was running freely from the man’s nose and ears now, as he was pressed far beyond his limit.

“You’re just like that bitch Millicenth aren’t you? No concern for the people who support you. Why are you really doing this? You should be helping us against the shiggreth, aiding us against the dark gods, against Mal’goroth!” I ground the words out from between clenched teeth.

Celior’s pawn was now wrapped in golden flames as the force of his god’s power overwhelmed his body’s limits. “You broke the accord, child of Illeniel; you will get no aid from us now. You must die before Illeniel’s Doom destroys us all.”

The power being forced through the man’s poor body was simply incredible but he was dying already. I felt myself trembling with effort as I kept him trapped and just as I thought I would surely collapse from the strain the god’s power fell off sharply and disappeared. I managed to stop myself before I crushed the channeler but it was a useless gesture, the man was already dead. His deity’s power had burned him up like a candle, thrown into a furnace; he had been spent in an instant. The sight of his body filled me with anger that we should be so carelessly used and tossed aside. It could have been Marcus just as easily as this man, lying here dead.

The anger was good though, it kept me strong. My struggle with Celior had left me exhausted in a way I hadn’t felt since the end of the war with Gododdin, yet I couldn’t afford to collapse here; I still had a meeting to attend after all. What the hell is the ‘Doom of Illeniel’? I wondered. It had sounded like doom with a capital ‘D’ when he had said it. I never get any good news from deities. It’s always absolutes and ultimatums, no wonder no one invites them to fancy dress balls, I thought to myself.

Breathing heavily I got myself back on task and made sure the king was still waiting a few rooms away. He was. He must have realized that no amount of running would allow him to escape once his four aces were broken. I strode across the room and opened the door that led to his bedroom. A short hallway faced me and I continued onward till I reached the final door that separated us. I still had a shield around myself but it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain it.

That was a bad sign; normally the strain of my shield was not something I’d even notice, even after a long day. It meant I was surely close to the end of my reserves, not a good thing when you’re surrounded by enemies. I decided to try something I had only done once before, when I had needed strength to chase the remaining soldiers of Gododdin back to the river. Focusing on the deep heartbeat of the earth below me I opened myself and drew upon it. Please share your strength with me, was my conscious thought, but it was not communicated in words. Instead my mind connected with something far greater than myself, something so much larger as to be entirely alien to my experience as a human being… for a moment I was part of it. I felt stronger and weaker simultaneously… energy was coursing through me now, yet my mortal flesh was weak, nothing like my normal stone and iron. Then I broke the contact and my mind came tumbling back to the present.

I reeled for a second as I became re-accustomed to my humanity again. That didn’t happen the last time I did that, I noted. Apparently even small uses of my new gift could be dangerous. I had accomplished my goal though; my body was filled with new energy. I felt light and fresh, as if I had slept a full night. There must be some limit to this.

Now wasn’t the time for inner debates and soul-searching so I drew myself up and opened the door in front of me. A long step took me into the personal bedroom of King Edward Carenval. I have to say I wasn’t disappointed by the furnishings. It was every bit as well appointed as one would expect of the room of a king. Silken tapestries adorned the walls and beautifully upholstered furniture graced the room. His bed was a work of art, each of the four posts being lovingly carved to represent one of the shining gods.

I took a moment to stare at the opulence… even the floor was a masterful artwork of wooden parquetry. Finally I settled my eyes upon the man waiting quietly in a comfortably designed chair. He was sitting beside a small table and had a glass of wine in hand already. His outward appearance was remarkably calm, considering how I had arrived but when he sipped at his wine I could see the liquid trembling. “Come, have a seat,” he invited me.

Remembering our last meeting I couldn’t help but smile at being invited to sit. “Some of your servants were a bit rude out there… I hope you train them better in future,” I replied and took a seat on the other side of the table.

“It is difficult to get good help these days,” he agreed. “Care for some wine?”

The last thing I needed was to be poisoned after all my effort to get there. “No thanks, I’m not thirsty at the moment.”

“We can understand that,” said King Edward. “Fortunately that is one worry we don’t have at the moment.” He raised his glass to me and took a long drink, finishing over half of it at one go. I couldn’t blame him; if I were in his shoes I’d have been incredibly nervous as well.

“I trust Cyhan reached you with my message?” I asked.

He looked sharply at me, blue eyes locking onto mine for a moment, “Yes he did. We are surprised you released him.”

I smiled in a rather unfriendly way, “You yourself just mentioned how hard it is to find good help. I thought it would be a gesture of good will to return him to you unharmed.”

A saw a flicker of hope cross his features but it was quickly hidden. He was perhaps realizing that I hadn’t come to assassinate him. “Can we take that to mean you are still concerned with things such as good will?”

I laughed, “Your majesty, you do me a disservice, surely you do not doubt my loyalty?”

“We would be lying if we said we weren’t wondering. Your action in defeating the incursion from Gododdin has left us in an awkward position. Our relations were already strained and now we must either acknowledge you as a hero of the realm or see you vilified and replaced quickly. We could not help but notice you made no move to bow or recognize us as your liege when you entered the room,” he responded.

I was shocked at how quickly he had gone on the offensive once he realized I didn’t mean to kill him. I suppose being a sovereign all these years had made him a tough negotiator. I decided to put him in his place quickly, “We are alone here, with none watching. I saw no need for formal gestures.” It was both a statement and a challenge. After a long pause I added, “…sire.”

Edward’s eyebrows went up, “You play a dangerous game Mordecai. Are you sure this is what you want to do? It might be easier for you if you ‘simplified’ your situation now.”

Did he just suggest I’d be better off if I killed him? I wondered. That certainly took guts. After a moment I answered him, “Every choice leads to its own consequences. I would rather look to the safety of the realm. Civil war would only lead to our downfall at this juncture; it is in everyone’s best interests if we cooperate.”

I could almost see the gears in his head turning. “Do you and James still keep close counsel?” he asked. For King Edward it was a very direct question, and its meaning was clear. He wanted to know if I had an older, ‘wiser’, head advising me.

I nodded, “Of course, James and I have never been closer. The man has been like a father to me, especially since my own loss.” It was a statement loaded with double meanings.

The king’s eyes flickered for a moment as he remembered, then they assumed an expression of deep sympathy. “Ah yes, we had heard about your father’s death. You have our condolences. It was an unfortunate accident, or so we are told.”

My father had been wounded by arrows from a royal guardsman while we were ‘liberating’ supplies for the defense of Lothion from the king’s warehouses. Edward had to be wondering if I held a grudge, even though I bore as much responsibility for that event as he did. Swallowing I kept my tone even, “Yes your majesty, it was a terrible accident. I’m certain that everyone involved regrets what happened.”

Edward drank another long swallow of wine. His hand no longer shook, so I could only assume he had at last relaxed. “You have presented us with an interesting conundrum young Illeniel. The clergymen of all four churches have been after me to have you executed. They claim you committed some sort of heresy during the battle. Meanwhile I have received report after report detailing your astonishing victory against the army of Gododdin. Cyhan tells me that you have broken your bond and have likely gone mad.”

I nodded in agreement. “I have broken the bond and it is no secret that the gods have turned against me. Apparently they do not like their chattel to show signs of independence.”

“You do not seem like a madman, despite your dramatic entrance today,” he observed.

“I like to think that I am not,” I said, then glancing at the door I added, “Your men are about to charge the door… there are quite a few of them out there.” In fact there were twenty men preparing to rush the room and more were taking up positions throughout the royal suite. “It might be best if you let them know you are alright before some of them hurt themselves.”

“One moment,” said the king. Striding to the door he threw it open and began bellowing. I was impressed. I hadn’t realized such a volume of sound could come from such an unimposing frame. “Anything that was going to happen has already happened no thanks to you lot! Get back to your posts… and someone clean up this mess out here!” I could only assume he was gesturing at the bodies of the four channelers. He returned to his chair and refilled his own cup. “Did you have to make such a mess? Between the blood and the fire the room is ruined out there.”

I could only wonder at a man who could be so droll in commenting on the deaths of four of his retainers, well… allies at least in the case of the channelers, but I wasn’t there to reform the man. “They forced my hand. I would rather not have killed anyone,” I told him.

Edward looked at me oddly for a moment, “We do believe you, but sometimes one must break a few eggs to make an omelet.”

“They were your eggs, or doesn’t that bother you?” I asked.

“No, they were borrowed at best and since you’re being so sociable we are beginning to think perhaps we are better off without them. They were beginning to get a bit unreasonable,” he replied.

“The church would attempt to force concessions from the king?”

“They have been over-bold since your father’s death. Without a wizard we have been forced to rely upon them whenever magical assistance was required. Especially when we thought we might need protection,” he gave me a pointed stare as he said that last part.

Something about his statement rang false however. I could not put my finger upon what exactly, but I could tell he was not telling the truth… or at least not the complete truth. “If you had a source of magical support you would not be quite so beholden to them… at the very least you could seek balance by focusing their energies upon a different opponent.” I wanted to make it clear that I was aware of my value in other regards… assuming we did agree to get along.

“That fact had not escaped our consideration, though we must confess that we have been very curious regarding your motivations. We understand you care more for the people than your own power, but although avoiding a civil war is a good reason, we still wonder that you think it alone is sufficient reason to follow this course… given your advantage at the moment.” It was a very direct question; the king had just openly stated his own vulnerability, something I would have thought unthinkable.

“It is enough for me,” I responded. “My wife is expecting our first child and I would rather seek a peaceful solution than bring him into a world torn by strife. The real question is whether you wish to settle our differences or not.”

“We did not think it a possibility before now, but you have been persuasive Mordecai. The proclamation branding you an outlaw was certainly a misunderstanding, we shall move to remedy it immediately. Similarly we must think of a suitable reward for the hero that saved our realm. Would two weeks’ time be enough for you to prepare for a bit of pomp and circumstance? The crowd does love to celebrate a true hero,” he gave me a smile that sent chills down my spine. I might be forced to hard decisions now and then, but this man made them without compunction or regret. I could see him smiling just as easily after sending an army to its death. The callousness of his regard for his people lit my anger again.

“That sounds lovely your majesty. I would be pleased to take this news to James Lancaster as well. I would remind you though… I will not respond well to a betrayal. What happened here today was no mistake. Do not forget it,” I gave him a feral grin to answer his cold smile.

Edward stood straight up at that point, his eyes flashing with true anger. “We do not take kindly to threats young Illeniel. Remember that well. Nor will we rule as a puppet to some other master. If you would prefer that you should make a more direct resolution of this matter… now!” He slapped his chest lightly to punctuate his remark. “Can we count on your oath of fealty… or not?”

I might not like the man, but I had to respect his courage. I waited a moment before replying, “Yes your majesty, you can.” I stood up and prepared to leave. I still did not bow to him.

His eyes narrowed, “Did anyone see you enter here today?”

“No, unless you count the four channelers,” I told him.

He grinned, “Excellent… that makes things easier for me then. We’ll keep this meeting a secret. Do you think you can leave without being recognized?”

“Of course,” I replied drawing my hood up over my head. I didn’t plan on relying on such a simple disguise, but I still wanted to keep my methods to myself. No one had seen my remove my disguise, although I was certain that a recount of Ruth’s use of magic against the guard would lead to a lot of interesting speculation.

“Perfect,” he told me. “We shall look forward to seeing you in the capital again in two weeks’ time.” I left after that, but as I walked I could hear him bellowing orders. “Someone get the Baron of Arundel… I would have words with him!” I could only wonder how he was going to explain the reversal of fortunes to Sheldon. The last time I had seen the Baron I robbed him of the entirety of his wealth… putting aside the fact that Penny had made a fool of him in front of his men there was no way he could possibly forgive me, without even considering the fact that I had ‘stolen’ all of his retainers as well.

I could only wonder how interesting that conversation would be. I made my way carefully through the palace using the stolen visage of a guard. Leaving was much simpler than entering had been.