The Trouble With Demons

Chapter 18

My mouth fell open and stayed there.

Normally news like that would have me blistering the air blue, or looking for something to throw or hit. Right now I was too shocked to do any of it.

And I felt too betrayed.

Duke Markus Sevelien was the elven intelligence agency’s chief officer in Mermeia. I’d done some work for him over the years that mostly consisted of finding abducted elves-diplomats, intelligence agents, aristocrats who’d gotten involved in something over their highborn heads. It was gratifying work and I was good at it. Markus had recruited me, and I’d only worked with him. And he’d made no excuses about why he wanted to me to work for him. Markus thought my being related to criminals helped me know the criminal mind. I wasn’t proud of it, but he was right. If it could be picked up, pried off, or in any way pilfered, my family would make off with it.

I liked Markus; he’d always been up-front and honest with me. And if I’d been standing face-to-face with him right now, he’d probably still be honest-his loyalties were to elven intelligence, not to me. He’d put any friendship we had to the side as an impediment to him doing his job. And I knew from past experience that Markus would do his job at any and all costs. Whatever was going on wasn’t personal; it was business.

It was the Saghred.

And since the Saghred had attached itself to me, that made me his business. I could almost understand that; the Saghred was a weapon that elven intelligence wasn’t about to let fall into goblin hands. That meant he couldn’t allow me to fall into goblin hands. Hell, I didn’t want to be in anyone’s hands.

But that didn’t explain the chain of command that led from Markus to Taltek Balmorlan to what had happened to Piaras. Markus had always made it his business to know what all of his people were up to. I was sure that included me. If General Aratus was one of his people, and Balmorlan his lackey, Markus had to know about Piaras.

And Markus had to know what Piaras meant to me.

Some last part of me refused to believe that Markus had ordered Piaras kidnapped for agency use. Piaras was just a boy. Okay, a young man. But Markus wouldn’t order one of his own people taken against their will.

Or would he?

I felt the rage building and did nothing to stop it.

“Girl, we don’t know that Sevelien ordered anything.”

Justinius had been following my every thought. I knew Mychael had. Good. It’d save me explaining why I was about to put my fist through the nearest wall.

“We don’t know he didn’t,” I said through clenched teeth.

“He’s the one you know, isn’t he?” Piaras asked quietly. “The one you’ve worked for.”

I swore silently. I’d never told Piaras about Markus because I didn’t want him involved in any way with the agency. The kid was entirely too good at listening when he wasn’t supposed to. Apparently my efforts at secrecy didn’t work. I took a deep breath, half hoping that it’d calm me down. That didn’t work, either. No sense denying it now. “Yes, he is.”

“I’m sorry,” Piaras said.

I waited a moment for that statement to make sense. It didn’t. “What for? None of this is your-”

“That’s not what I meant, Raine. I’m sorry that someone you trusted betrayed you.” His expression reflected controlled anger. A man’s anger. “No one should treat you like that. You don’t deserve any of this.”

Piaras wasn’t worried about his own safety or why Markus might want him. Right now all of his concern was for me. My vision blurred again. The old man’s fireplace was too damned smoky.

“Thank you.” It was all I could manage to say. I waited a few seconds until I was sure I had myself under control. “Mychael, let’s operate under the assumption that the general and Balmorlan took their craps because Markus told them to.” My voice was hard, my words clipped. “I want to know the instant Markus Sevelien sets foot on this island. I don’t think he’ll come, but if he does, I want to know about it. Immediately. I’ll be telling the same thing to Phaelan and Uncle Ryn. If Markus does show up, I will know about it, and we will have a talk.”

“Raine, I don’t think that’s a-”

“Good idea?” I snapped. “No, it’s not. Markus having anything to do with what happened to Piaras wasn’t a good idea, either.” My voice dropped to a hissing whisper. “And if he was involved, I will make him realize just how bad his choice was.”

“Son, you don’t need five hundred Guardians,” Justinius told Mychael. “Just point this one in the right direction and set her off.”

I couldn’t get my hands on Sarad Nukpana, but Markus Sevelien was flesh and blood. My reaction was violent and primitive, but I was a violent and primitive kind of woman and Mychael knew it. His eyes stayed locked with mine for the span of a few heartbeats. I had to force my breathing back to normal.

“Sir,” Mychael said, slowly taking his eyes from mine, “do you have enough strength to ward Piaras’s mind against Sarad

Nukpana? I’ll be assigning four Guardians to help him resist any impulse that may get through, but Piaras needs to know when he’s being tampered with.”

The old man snorted. “Of course I have the strength. Which four Guardians?”

“Herrick, Arman, Drud, and Jarvis.”

Justinius whistled and shook his head. “You’re not taking any chances, are you, son?”

“No, sir, I’m not.”

Piaras paled. “Who are they?”

“They’re the men who will prevent you from doing anything Sarad Nukpana tells you to do.” The old man’s eyes gleamed. “They’ve done this before-and they’re good at it.”

“Good at it, sir?”

“Exceptional.”

“What about spellsongs?”

“What about them?”

Piaras winced apologetically. “I’m kind of fast-”

The old man chuckled. “You’re not that fast, boy.”

Piaras gulped audibly. “This sounds painful.”

“Not if you stop when they tell you to.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “He can’t use any magic? Just how the hell is he supposed to defend himself?”

“Those four Guardians will defend him,” Justinius told me.

“And should they require any assistance-and that is highly unlikely-they’ll know the difference between Master Rivalin’s magic and Nukpana’s. They’ll stop the goblin, not Master Rivalin. They’re four of Mychael’s best.”

Mychael spoke. “I have the same hopes for Cadet Rivalin.”

The archmagus smiled in genuine pleasure. “Cadet? So you want to be a Guardian?”

“More than anything, sir.”

“Ronan told me as much.” He looked to Mychael. “That means an induction ceremony.” He grinned slowly. “Considering present circumstances, it would need to be public, wouldn’t it?” His grin broadened. “And it would need to be soon.” It was obvious that the old man was hatching something.

“And it would be best if you did the induction yourself,” Mychael said. “My men need to see that-and so do the Seat of Twelve.”

“To let everyone know that I didn’t try to kill you?” Piaras said.

“That, too. I’d hardly induct my own assassin, now would I? This way I kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.”

“You’ll be using Piaras to show you’re back in power,” I said quietly.

“You see anything wrong with that?”

“Not a thing. The sooner you get out of that bed, the better.”

“Everyone who needs to know that I’m back in command will be there. Do it once, and do it right-prevents any rumor or doubt as to my condition.”

“I’ll have the papers brought for your signature,” Mychael told Justinius. “That will make it official in case our hand is forced before the ceremony; and I’ll tell Herrick and the others. Since they’ll be guarding Piaras, they need to know that he’s one of ours.”

I held up a hand. “Hold on a minute. If Piaras is a Guardian cadet, he answers to Carnades until Justinius is back on his feet. I don’t want Piaras under Carnades’s control for one second.”

“Which is why we’ll be keeping his new status quiet until the ceremony,” Mychael said.

“When I will be back in charge.” The old man sounded like he couldn’t wait to clean house once he was.

“Raine, I consider Taltek Balmorlan the greater evil right now,” Mychael told me. “He-and the people above him-are the ones pulling Carnades’s strings whether Carnades is aware of it or not. Piaras being a Guardian cadet protects him against arrest, prosecution, or extradition.” Mychael looked at Piaras. “Once you become a Guardian cadet, you will no longer be a subject of the elven crown. You’ll be subject to Guardian law and under our protection.”

“I really like the sound of that, sir.”

Yeah, it sounded good, but the agency wasn’t known for giving a damn about anyone’s laws. Like certain members of my family, if they saw something or someone they wanted, they just took it or them. Mychael glanced at me. He knew it, too. But right now, getting Piaras into the Guardians was the best he could do. I had to agree; anything was better than nothing at all. Besides, it was what Piaras had always wanted.

“We’ll go ahead and have you fitted for your uniform,” Mychael was telling Piaras, “but you’ll wear civilian clothes until then.”

“How long, sir?”

“Two days at the most, and I’ll be on my feet and back in charge,” Justinius said.

“At least three,” Mychael countered.

“Two, with no arguments.” The old man’s bright blue eyes narrowed in challenge.

“We’ll see.”

“Mychael, you can prop me up with a stick if you have to, but come hell or high water, in two days I will be robed and in the Great Hall tapping Cadet Rivalin on the shoulders with a sword.”

“Sir, I-”

“Son, you know as well as I do that I needed to be on my feet yesterday. That’s not possible, but in two days, I will be making a speech and lifting a sword. I will show myself to be completely in command of this island. I have no choice. We have no choice, and you know it.”

Mychael’s silence said the old man was right; the scowl said that he didn’t like it one bit. I didn’t want Justinius to hurt himself, either, but the quicker Carnades got booted out of the big office, the better off we’d all be.

“Good. Since that’s settled, how about I plant a little surprise for Sarad Nukpana.” Justinius crooked a bony finger at Piaras and indicated the chair next to his bed. “Contact is necessary for this, Cadet Rivalin.”

Piaras looked as if getting within touching distance of the archmagus was the last thing he wanted to do. Though with the alternative being Sarad Nukpana roaming around in his head, the kid quickly got over his squeamishness.

It just looked like the old man had his hands on either side of Piaras’s head. From the sweat starting to bead on Justinius’s forehead, there was a lot of hard work going on. After at least five minutes, the old man released Piaras, leaned back on his pillows, and took a couple of deep breaths. Warding Piaras had taken more than he could really spare. He glared at Mychael like he defied him to say one word about it.

“There,” the old man said when he had his wind back. “That’ll take care of it. And I left a little something extra for the goblin. The worse the impulse he tries to plant in Cadet Rivalin’s head, the worse the shock that goblin’s going to get.” He winked at Piaras. “A little negative reinforcement.”

“Will I get shocked?”

“Nope, though you might feel a twinge.”

“Oh boy,” Piaras muttered.

Justinius’s eyes narrowed. “What was that?”

“Thank you, sir.”

“That’s what I thought you said.” He leveled his gaze on Mychael. “So, are you any closer to finding the Hellgate-opening son of a bitch who tried to spellsing me to death?”

“Not yet, sir.”

“Most of the best mages alive are on this island,” Justinius snapped. “Make them earn their keep and go slam that Hellgate shut; the work will do them good.”

“Unfortunately, sir, we suspect some of our most qualified mages are helping Rudra Muralin open it. At least six of them. And I’m certain he has more allies among the Conclave and/or our faculty.”

“Do you have names?”

Mychael nodded. “They’re all on your list.”

“Would those be the same enemies he’s watching slither out of hiding?” I asked.

“The very same.” Mychael handed Justinius a familiar folded parchment. “This was delivered to Tamnais Nathrach this morning. It’s Rudra Muralin’s demands.”

The old man took it. “Why Nathrach?”

I thought I’d answer that one. “He hates Tam more than anyone else on this island-besides me.”

Piaras gave me a questioning look.

“Rudra Muralin wants the Saghred,” I told him. “He’s made a deal with the demons; they get the Saghred for him, and in return, they get all of the students and mages on the island.”

Piaras stood straighter. “Sir, where’s Katelyn?”

“She’s safe,” Justinius told him, never taking his eyes off of the letter. He finished it, carefully folded it, and calmly handed it back to Mychael. “This Rudra Muralin. Exterminate him.”

I liked the old man’s choice of words.

“Now, what are you doing to find and close that Hellgate?” he asked.

Mychael told him the same thing he’d told me. Guardians, watchers, demonology faculty, and some grad students taking the ultimate final exam.

“That’s one problem and hopefully a solution,” I said, “but we have another one. A bigger one. Rudra Muralin wants the Saghred, and he’s opening a Hellgate to scare us into giving it to him. But the demon queen wants to release what’s inside the Saghred. I don’t know if Rudra Muralin knows about the Scythe of Nen and the queen’s plans. The cocky bastard might know and just not give a damn. But those demons do. The only thing we need less than Rudra Muralin and rampaging demons is a demon king freed for the first time in a couple of millennia-along with anyone or anything else that can squeeze out of the Saghred with him. There are no containments on that rock in your basement. If the demons get their claws on that Scythe of Nen, reach the Saghred, and open it-”

Mychael interrupted me. “Potentially thousands of souls looking for bodies to possess, and my Guardians will be first ones they find. Yes, I know. My men are aware of the danger and are taking measures to defend themselves.”

“I need to find out what this Scythe of Nen is and get it,” I told him. “Quickly.”

Mychael frowned. “You?”

“Yes, me. You know anyone else better qualified than a seeker and a Benares to find and make off with something valuable?” I turned to Justinius. “You wouldn’t happen to know what the Scythe of Nen is, would you?”

“Not a clue.”

I had no idea what time it was; my body was telling me it was way past time to get some sleep. I blew out my breath and gave the old man the shortened version of the demon queen’s demand delivered by her undead warriors at Sirens.

“So the demon queen and Sarad Nukpana both want this Scythe of Nen,” he said.

I nodded. “Right. Nukpana doesn’t know what it is, but the demons do. And to add a sick twist on this whole mess, the demon queen-or that bobbing, talking head thing she sent to Sirens-wouldn’t tell me. She thinks that I know what it is, where it is, and that I’m lying to keep her from getting it.”

“A scythe would indicate a blade of some kind,” Piaras offered. “Or so you’d think. But aren’t scythes large and used to harvest wheat or something?”

“Size is relative,” I said. “The Saghred is its own self-contained world. The smallest dagger would be massive if seen from inside.”

“Every type of steel, stone, and spell has been used to try to destroy-and open-the Saghred,” Mychael said. “Obviously none have succeeded.”

“Professor Berel was killed because the demons believed he had it,” I reminded them. “He was screaming that he didn’t have it-not that he didn’t know what it was.” I liked this train of thought; it might actually lead somewhere besides a dead end. “Professor Niabi said she didn’t know what Berel could have been carrying that the demons would want, but she did tell me that demonologists have all kinds of talismans and trinkets. She just might know what this Scythe of Nen is. If so, it’d save us time that we may not have. If not, I’ll just do it the old-fashioned way. Have the locations of the demon sightings been reported to you or the chief watcher?”

Mychael’s brow creased. “Both.” He didn’t know where I was going with this, but I finally did. At least I felt as if I knew something; it was a welcome change.

“It stands to reason that if the demons were sent to look for something, they’d pop up as close as possible to where they thought it was. Those locations just might help us do more than find that Hellgate.”

Justinius Valerian’s eyes were brilliantly bright. The old man hadn’t heard my entire idea, but he liked what I’d said so far-a lot. In an instant, Mychael’s solemn expression turned forbidding.

I held up my hands defensively. “I’m looking for the Scythe of Nen, not a pack of dark mages bent on world domination. Yes, I would love to get my hands around Rudra Muralin’s throat. All I’ve managed to do to him so far is leave my teethmarks in his ear.”

Justinius grinned impishly. “Your what?”

I told him about my tussle with Muralin on the catwalk above the stage at Sirens right after the goblin had tried to spellsing him to death.

Justinius laughed, a dry wheeze. “He tried to kill me, and you bit him.”

“And used my knees, elbows, and fists anywhere on him I could get to. Unfortunately, that’s all I could do.”

“Sounds damned gratifying to me.”

“I didn’t get nearly as much out of it as I wanted.”

“A dead goblin.”

I nodded. “Would have been the ideal conclusion. And if I could have done that then, we probably wouldn’t be doing all of this now.” I rubbed my eyes. “What time is it?”

“Probably a little after two bells.”

The sun would be up in a few hours. “I don’t have time to sleep, but I need it,” I said.

“Yes, you do.” Mychael glanced at Piaras. “You both do.”

“Cadet, I have a spare room down the hall,” Justinius said.

“Until Mychael can get your big brothers on guard duty, you need to sleep somewhere warded. Sarad Nukpana can’t reach you here. And Miss Benares, I have a guest room right next to this one that you’re more than welcome to.” He winked. “Don’t worry. Your virtue’s safe with me.”

I snorted. “Because you don’t have the strength right now to get out of bed.”

“Sadly true.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t want my sleep warded. I want Sarad Nukpana to come looking for me.”