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Kurik started to swear.
‘Father?’ Sparhawk asked.
‘I told you that this is none of your business, Sparhawk.’
‘We don’t keep any secrets from each other, Kurik.’
‘You’re going to push this, aren’t you?’
‘Me? I’m just curious, that’s all. This is a side of you I’ve never seen before.’
‘I was indiscreet some years ago.’
‘That’s a delicate way to put it.’
‘I can do without the clever remarks, Sparhawk.’
‘Does Aslade know about this?’
‘Of course not. It would only make her unhappy if I told her. I kept quiet about it to spare her feelings. A man owes that to his wife, doesn’t he?’
‘I understand perfectly, Kurik,’ Sparhawk assured him. ‘And was Talen’s mother so very beautiful?’
Kurik sighed, and his face grew oddly soft. ‘She was eighteen, and like a spring morning. I couldn’t help myself, Sparhawk. I love Aslade, but …?
Sparhawk put his arm about his friend’s shoulder. ‘It happens sometimes, Kurik,’ he said. ‘Don’t beat yourself over the head about it.’ Then he straightened. ‘Why don’t we see if we can catch up with the others?’ he suggested, as he swung back up into his saddle.
PART TWO (#ulink_5ad36d9f-f290-5e70-a6d8-22cffd7b0dfe)
Chapter 10 (#ulink_a9b53296-d507-57a5-848b-7ea897b66c2d)
Lord Abriel, the Preceptor of the Cyrinic Knights of Arcium, stood at the green-draped window of Vanion’s study in the south tower of the Pandion Knights’ chapterhouse, looking out at the city of Cimmura. Abriel was a solidly built man in his sixties with silvery hair. His lined face was devoid of humour, and his eyes were sunk deep in their sockets. He had removed his sword and helmet upon their arrival, but still wore the rest of his armour and his pale blue surcoat. Since he was the eldest of the four preceptors, the others deferred to him. ‘I’m sure that we’re all aware of most of what’s been happening here in Elenia,’ he began, ‘but there are a few things that need a little clarification, I think. Would you mind if we asked you some questions, Vanion?’
‘Not at all,’ Vanion replied. ‘We’ll all try our best to answer any that you might have.’
‘Good. We’ve had our differences in the past, my Lord, but in this situation we’ll want to set those aside.’ Abriel, like all the Cyrinics, spoke in a considered, even formal, fashion. ‘I think we need to know more about this Martel person.’
Vanion leaned back in his chair. ‘He was a Pandion,’ he replied with a trace of sadness in his voice. ‘I was forced to expel him from the order.’
‘That’s a little terse, Vanion,’ Komier said. Unlike the others, Komier wore a mail shirt rather than formal armour. He was a heavy-boned man with thick shoulders and large hands. Like most Thalesians, the Preceptor of the Genidian Knights was blond, and his shaggy eyebrows gave his face an almost brutish look. As he spoke, he continually toyed with the hilt of his broadsword, which lay on the table before him. If this Martel’s going to be a problem, we all ought to know as much about him as we can.’
‘Martel was one of the best,’ Sephrenia said quietly. She sat in her hooded white robe before the fire, holding her teacup. ‘He was extremely proficient in the secrets. That, I think, is what led to his disgrace.’
‘He was good with a lance, too,’ Kalten admitted ruefully. ‘He used to unhorse me on a regular basis on the practice field. Sparhawk was probably the only one who was a match for him.’
‘Exactly what was this disgrace you mentioned, Sephrenia?’ Lord Darellon asked. The Preceptor of the Alcione Knights of Deira was a slender man in his late forties. His massive Deiran armour looked almost too heavy for his slight frame.
Sephrenia sighed. ‘The secrets of Styricum are myriad,’ she replied. ‘Some are fairly simple – common spells and incantations. Martel mastered those very quickly. Beyond commonplace magic, however, lies a deeper and far more dangerous realm. Those of us who instruct the Knights of the Church in the secrets do not introduce our pupils to that level of magic. It serves no practical purpose and it involves things that imperil the souls of Elenes.’
Komier laughed. ‘Many things imperil the souls of Elenes, my Lady,’ he said. ‘I felt a certain wrench in mine the first time I contacted the Troll-Gods. I gather that this Martel of yours dabbled in things he should not have?’
Sephrenia sighed again. ‘Yes,’ she admitted. ‘He came to me asking that I instruct him in the forbidden secrets. He was very intense about it. That’s one of Martel’s characteristics. I refused him, of course, but there are renegade Styrics, even as there are renegade Pandions. Martel came from a wealthy family, so he could afford to pay for the instruction he wanted.’
‘Who found him out?’ Darellon asked.
‘I did,’ Sparhawk said. ‘I was riding from Cimmura to Demos. That was shortly before King Aldreas sent me into exile. There’s a patch of woods three leagues this side of Demos. It was just about dusk when I passed those woods, and I saw a strange light back among the trees. I went to investigate and saw Martel. He’d raised some kind of glowing creature. Its light was very bright – so bright that I couldn’t make out its face.’
‘I don’t think you’d have wanted to see its face, Sparhawk,’ Sephrenia told him.
‘Perhaps not,’ he agreed. ‘Anyway, Martel was speaking to the creature in Styric, commanding it to do his bidding.’
‘That doesn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary,’ Komier said. ‘We’ve all raised spirits or ghosts of one kind or another from time to time.’
‘This was not precisely a spirit, Lord Komier,’ Sephrenia told him. ‘It was a Damork. The Elder Gods of Styricum created them to serve as slaves to their will. The Damorks have extraordinary powers, but they are soulless. A God can summon them from that unimaginable place where they dwell and control them. For a mortal to attempt that, however, is sheer folly. No mortal can control a Damork. What Martel had done is absolutely forbidden by all of the Younger Gods.’
‘And the Elder Gods?’ Darellon asked.
‘The Elder Gods have no rules, my Lord – only whims and desires.’
‘Sephrenia,’ Dolmant pointed out, ‘Martel is an Elene. Perhaps he felt no obligations to observe the prohibitions of the Gods of Styricum.’
‘So long as one is practising the arts of Styricum, one is subject to the Styric Gods, Dolmant,’ she replied.
‘I wonder if perhaps it might have been a mistake to arm the Church Knights with Styric magic as well as conventional weapons,’ Dolmant mused. ‘We seem to be dabbling in an area best left untapped.’
‘That decision was made over nine hundred years ago, your Grace,’ Abriel reminded him, coming back to the table, ‘and if the Knights of the Church had not been proficient in magic, the Zemochs would have won that battle on the plains of Lamorkand.’
‘Perhaps,’ Dolmant said.
‘Go on with your story, Sparhawk,’ Komier suggested.
‘There’s not too much more, my Lord. I didn’t know what the Damork was until Sephrenia told me about it later, but I knew that it was something we were forbidden to contact. After a while, the thing vanished, and I rode in to talk with Martel. We were friends, and I wanted to warn him that what he was doing was prohibited, but he seemed almost mad somehow. He shrieked at me and told me to mind my own business. That didn’t leave me any choice. I rode on to our motherhouse at Demos and reported what I’d seen to Vanion and Sephrenia. She told us what the creature was and how dangerous it was to have it loose in the world. Vanion ordered me to take a number of men and to apprehend Martel and to bring him to the motherhouse for questioning. He went completely wild when we approached him, and he went to his sword. Martel’s very good to begin with, and his madness made him all the more savage. I lost a couple of very close friends that day. We finally managed to overpower him and we dragged him back to the motherhouse in chains.’
‘By the ankles, as I recall,’ Kalten added. ‘Sparhawk can be very direct when he’s irritated.’ He smiled at his friend. ‘You didn’t endear yourself to him by doing it that way, Sparhawk,’ he said.
‘I wasn’t trying to. He’d just killed two of my friends, and I wanted to give him plenty of reasons to accept my challenge when Vanion was finished with him.’
‘Anyway,’ Vanion took up the story, ‘when they brought Martel back to Demos, I confronted him. He didn’t even try to deny what he’d been doing. I ordered him to stop practising the forbidden secrets, and he defied me. I had no choice but to expel him from the order at that point. I stripped him of his knighthood and his armour and turned him out of the front gate.’
‘That could have been a mistake,’ Komier grunted. ‘I’d have had him killed. Did he raise that thing again?’
Vanion nodded. ‘Yes, but Sephrenia appealed to the Younger Gods of Styricum and they exorcized it. Then they stripped Martel of the most significant of his powers. He went away weeping and swearing revenge upon us all. He’s still dangerous, but at least he can’t summon up horrors any more. He left Elenia and he’s been hiring his sword out to the highest bidder in other parts of the world for the past ten or twelve years.’
‘He’s just a common mercenary then?’ Darellon asked. The slender Alcione Preceptor had an intent look on his narrow face.
‘Not quite common, my Lord,’ Sparhawk disagreed. ‘He’s had Pandion training. He could have been the very best of us, and he’s very clever. He has wide contacts with mercenaries all over Eosia. He can raise an army at a moment’s notice and he’s totally ruthless. I don’t believe that Martel believes in anything any more.’
‘What does he look like?’ Darellon asked.
‘A little bigger than medium size,’ Kalten replied. ‘He’s about the same age as Sparhawk and me, but he’s got white hair – he has had since he was in his twenties.’
‘I think we might all want to keep an eye out for him,’ Abriel suggested. ‘Who’s the other one – Adus?’
‘Adus is an animal,’ Kalten told him. ‘After Martel was expelled from the Pandions, he recruited Adus and a man named Krager to help him in his activities. Adus is a Pelosian, I think – or maybe a Lamork. He can barely talk, so his accent is a little hard to identify. He’s a total savage, devoid of human feelings. He enjoys killing people – slowly – and he’s very good at it.’
‘And the other one?’ Komier asked. ‘Krager?’
‘Krager’s fairly intelligent,’ Sparhawk replied. ‘Basically, he’s a criminal – false coins, extortion, fraud, that sort of thing – but he’s weak. Martel trusts him to perform tasks that Adus wouldn’t be able to understand.’
‘What’s the link between Annias and Martel?’ Count Radun asked.
‘Probably nothing more than money, my Lord.’ Sparhawk shrugged. ‘Martel is for hire and he has no strong convictions about anything. There are rumours that he has about a half-ton of gold hidden somewhere.’
‘I was right,’ Komier said bluntly. ‘You should have killed him, Vanion.’
‘I made the offer,’ Sparhawk said, ‘but Vanion said no.’
‘I had reasons,’ Vanion said.
‘Was there anything significant about the fact that there were Rendors in the party that attacked Count Radun’s house?’ Abriel asked then.
‘Probably not,’ Sparhawk replied. ‘I’ve just come back from Rendor. There’s a pool of mercenaries there in the same way that there is in Pelosia, Lamorkand, and Cammoria. Martel draws on those people whenever he needs men. Rendorish mercenaries have no particular religious convictions, Eshandist or otherwise.’
‘Do we have enough evidence against Annias to take before the Hierocracy in Chyrellos?’ Darellon asked.
‘I don’t think so,’ Patriarch Dolmant said. ‘Annias has bought many voices in the higher councils of the Church. Any charges we might bring against him would have to be supported by overwhelming proof. All we have now is an overheard conversation between Krager and Baron Harparin. Annias could wriggle out of that rather easily – or simply buy his way out of it.’
Komier leaned back in his chair, tapping at his chin with one finger. ‘I think the Patriarch has just put his finger on the key to the whole affair. As long as Annias has his hands on the Elenian treasury, he can finance these schemes of his and continue to buy support in the Hierocracy. If we aren’t careful, he’ll bribe his way to the Archprelacy. We’ve all stood in his path from time to time, and I’d guess that his first act as Archprelate would be to disband all four militant orders. Is there any way we can cut off his access to those funds?’
Vanion shook his head. ‘He controls the Royal Council – except for the Earl of Lenda. They vote him all the money he needs.’
‘What about your Queen?’ Darellon asked. ‘Did he control her too – before she fell ill, I mean?’
‘Not even a little,’ Vanion replied. ‘Aldreas was a weak king who did anything Annias told him to do. Ehlana’s an altogether different matter, and she despises Annias.’ He shrugged. ‘But she’s ill, and Annias will have a free hand until she recovers.’
Abriel began to pace up and down, his lined face deep in thought. ‘That would seem to be our logical course then, gentlemen. We must bend all of our efforts to finding a cure for Queen Ehlana’s illness.’
Darellon leaned back, his fingers tapping on the polished table. ‘Annias is very cunning,’ he observed. ‘He will easily guess what our course is likely to be and he’s certain to try to block us. Even if we succeed in finding a cure, won’t that immediately put the Queen’s life in danger?’
‘Sparhawk is her Champion, my Lord,’ Kalten told him. ‘He can cope – particularly if I’m there to back him up.’
‘Are you making any progress on a cure, Vanion?’ Komier asked.
‘The local physicians are all baffled,’ Vanion replied. ‘I’ve sent out requests for others, though, but most of them haven’t arrived as yet.’
‘Physicians don’t always respond to requests,’ Abriel noted. ‘This might be particularly true in a situation where the head of the Royal Council has a certain interest in not seeing the Queen recover.’ He considered the problem. ‘The Cyrinics have many contacts in Cammoria,’ he said. ‘Have you considered taking your Queen to the medical faculty at the University of Borrata in that kingdom? They’re reputed to be experts in obscure ailments.’
‘I don’t think we dare dissolve the encasement that surrounds her,’ Sephrenia said. ‘At the moment it’s all that sustains her life. She could not survive a trip to Borrata.’
The Preceptor of the Cyrinic Knights nodded thoughtfully. ‘Perhaps you’re right, madame,’ he said.
‘Not only that,’ Vanion added. ‘Annias would never let us take her out of the palace.’
Abriel nodded bleakly. He considered it for a moment. ‘There’s an alternative. It’s not as good as having the physician actually look at the patient, but sometimes it works – or so I’ve been told. A skilled physician can learn a great deal from a detailed description of symptoms. That would be my suggestion, Vanion. Write down everything you know about Queen Ehlana’s illness and send someone to Borrata with the documents.’
‘I’ll take it,’ Sparhawk said quietly. ‘I have certain personal reasons for wanting the Queen restored to health. Besides, Martel’s in Cammoria – or at least he’s reputed to be – and he and I have a few things to discuss.’
‘That raises another point,’ Abriel said. ‘There’s a great deal of turmoil in Cammoria right now. Someone’s been stirring up civil unrest there. It’s not the safest place in the world.’
Komier leaned back again. ‘What would you gentlemen say to a little show of unity?’ he said to the other preceptors.
‘What did you have in mind?’ Darellon asked.
‘I’d say that we all have a stake in this,’ Komier replied. ‘Our common goal is to keep Annias off the Archprelate’s throne. We all have champions who stand above their comrades in skill and bravery. I think it might be a good idea for us each to select one of those champions and send him to join Sparhawk in Cammoria. The assistance couldn’t hurt, and the sending of men from all four orders would convince the world that the Church Knights stand as one in this matter.’
‘Very good, Komier,’ Darellon agreed. ‘The militant orders have had their differences in the past few centuries, and too many people still think that we’re divided.’ He turned to Abriel. ‘Have you any idea who’s behind the trouble in Cammoria?’ he asked.
‘Many believe that it’s Otha,’ the Cyrinic replied. ‘He’s been infiltrating the central kingdoms for the past six months or so.’
‘You know,’ Komier said, ‘I’ve got a strong feeling that someday we’re going to have to do something about Otha – something fairly permanent.’
‘That would involve coming up against Azash,’ Sephrenia said, ‘and I’m not sure we want to do that.’
‘Can’t the Younger Gods of Styricum do something about him?’ Komier asked her.
‘They choose not to,’ she replied. ‘The wars of men are bad enough, but a war between the Gods would be dreadful beyond imagining.’ She looked at Dolmant. ‘The God of the Elenes is reputed to be all-powerful,’ she said. ‘Couldn’t the Church appeal to Him to confront Azash?’
‘It’s possible, I suppose,’ the Patriarch said. ‘The only problem is that the Church does not admit the existence of Azash – or any other Styric God. It’s a matter of theology.’
‘How very shortsighted.’
Dolmant laughed. ‘My dear Sephrenia,’ he said. ‘I thought you knew that was the nature of the ecclesiastical mind. We’re all like that. We find one truth and embrace it. Then we close our eyes to everything else. It avoids confusion.’ He looked at her curiously. ‘Tell me, Sephrenia, which heathen God do you worship?’
‘I’m not permitted to say,’ she answered gravely. ‘I can tell you that it’s not a God, though. I serve a Goddess.’
‘A female deity? What an absurd idea.’
‘Only to a man, Dolmant. Women find it very natural.’
‘Is there anything else you think we ought to know, Vanion?’ Komier asked.
‘I think we’ve just about covered everything, Komier.’ Vanion looked at Sparhawk. ‘Anything you want to add?’ he asked.
Sparhawk shook his head. ‘No,’ he said. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘What about the Styric who set the church soldiers on us?’ Kalten asked.
Sparhawk grunted. ‘I’d almost forgotten that,’ he admitted. ‘It was at about the time that I heard Krager and Harparin talking. Kalten and I were wearing disguises, but there was a Styric who saw through them. Not long after that, we were attacked by some of Annias’ people.’
