Chapter 23

Andras laughed to himself as he strode toward Fistandantilus's laboratory. He had done it. The church was shattered, the Kingpriest and highmage both slain. As for the Divine Hammer—well, if war with the Order of High Sorcery didn't destroy the knighthood utterly, they could be finished off later.

The Accursed were quiet as he passed their cages. Beyond, the laboratory door stood ajar. That was odd. In all his time serving the Dark One, it had always been closed. His grin faltered, his forehead creasing as he reached for the handle. The creak of the hinges seemed unusually loud.

"Master?" he asked, peering inside. Then he stopped, his eyes widening. The laboratory was empty.

Everything was gone: the tables, the glasswork, the herbs and viscera, the thousands upon thousands of books—even the candleholders that had been bolted to the walls were missing. Nothing remained but bare rock, here stained black with soot, there rusty with dried blood. A chill settled over him as he stared about the chamber.

"M-master?" he repeated, his voice very small.

He was trapped. There was no way out of this place but magic, and he didn't know how to teleport. Without the Dark One's spellbooks, he could never hope to learn.

He waved his magical light deeper into the room. It hesitated, as if afraid—ridiculous—then glided slowly through the derelict laboratory, to the passage beyond. He couldn't say how, but he sensed something there, deep in the Pit of Summoning. He passed through the door—also ajar, its warding glyphs inert—and down the twisting tunnel, the magical light quivering ahead of him. It was afraid. So was he, but still he went, compelled.

Then he saw the Pit's ruddy glow, flickering along the last length of the passage. He could hear the water bubbling. When he reached the cave where the enchanted pool lay, he saw that it was boiling, Abyssal light bathing the walls. He stared, shocked by the sight of it. Someone had begun a summoning spell.

He knew it was foolish of him, but he couldn't stop himself. He entered the room. Warmth radiated from the pool, perspiration beaded on his brow. Trembling, he looked inside, half-expecting to see the childlike quasitas swimming within. Yet there was nothing—only water and the horrible glow. The spell at work was incomplete.

He frowned, puzzled.

Without warning, the room grew wintry cold, freezing the drops of sweat on Andras's skin. He stiffened, knowing that chill, then slowly turned. There, standing in the entrance of the cave, was Fistandantilus. The Dark One gave no greeting, and his black hood kept his face in shadow as always, but Andras could tell the Dark One was angry. The air around him seemed to glitter with rage.

"Master!" Andras exclaimed, trying not to let fear curdle his voice. He forced a smile. "I bring good news."

Fistandantilus didn't respond at first. He simply stared, his gaze heavy from within his cowl. Then he walked forward, his robes whispering with every step.

Andras blinked, backing up a moment before he remembered he was near the Pit. He stopped himself, swaying slightly and wishing there was somewhere he could go to escape the Dark One. Slowly, the archmage drew near.

"Wh-what is the matter?" Andras asked. His teeth chattered in the cold. "You d-don't seem pl-pleased…"

"I am not pleased," Fistandantilus replied, drawing up before him. The Pit's crimson light made him look drenched in blood. "You nearly killed the Lightbringer."

Andras blinked, surprised. "Nearly? He lives?"

"He does—and it is a good thing for you. If he had died, I would have torn the flesh from your bones."

"I—I don't understand."

Fistandantilus nodded. "You would not. You have been concerned only with your petty revenge. My designs are greater, and for them to succeed I need Beldinas. The Divine Hammer I care nothing for, and I will not miss Vincil. But the Kingpriest must live."

Andras shook his head. None of this made any sense. "Master, I don't understand…"

"Of course you don't," Fistandantilus replied, "but as I said, he has survived. It took a miracle for that to happen, but then, miracles are what the Lightbringer is best at. Don't worry, boy. I'm not going to kill you."

Relief washed over Andras. He smiled, spreading his hands before him. "Thank you, master," he sighed. "I won't—"

The Dark One moved so quickly, he seemed not to move at all. Steel flashed in his hand, sweeping up, leaving a trail of red droplets behind. Andras felt a tug at his left hand, then an explosion of pain. His little finger—the finger that had grown back when the Kingpriest healed him—arced through the air, then landed behind him with a splash.

A sob bubbled through his lips. Whirling, he watched as the finger bobbed in the roiling water, then sank out of sight. His knees buckling, he went down hard upon the rocky floor. He jammed his ruined hand into his armpit, his mouth twisting with agony as blood soaked into his robes.

"I must leave this place now," Fistandantilus said. "Perhaps one day, I will need you again—for now, though, your part in this is done. You shall remain here… but do not fear, Andras. I will not leave you alone."

The cold lifted from the air and he was gone. High above, a door slammed shut. Andras knew it was the only way out, closed to him now. He let out a despairing moan. He was trapped down here—wherever here truly was. Lowering his eyes, he stared into the Pit's blood-red depths. There were shapes down there now, rising toward the surface—misshapen, childlike shapes with horns and wings and stinging tails.

Andras laughed, a broken sound. His children were returning to him.

Cathan sat alone in his chambers within the Hammerhall, toying with a golden goblet. The cup was empty. He had drained it again and again as the night wore on, and now the wine—unmixed with water—burned in his veins. His mood had not been so foul since his days as a bandit, before this all began.

They had buried Farenne and Adsem this morning. The Kingpriest would name a new First Son and First Daughter before the end of the week. Cathan wondered if he might not name a new Grand Marshal, as well.

Sir Marto had emerged as the hero of the battle beneath the Eusymmeas. The big Karthayan boasted to any and all of how he had slain the treacherous highmage in the final moments before the mages escaped. They sang of his bravery in the wine shops, and the Hammerhall rang with the sound of his name.

Cathan, meanwhile, was shut out. Beldinas had not spoken to him or invited him to the closed sessions of the imperial court. The official word was that his responsibilities obliged him to oversee order in the Lordcity's streets, but the truth was there had been scant unrest. Rather than running wild, most folk went to the Barigon to give thanks for the Lightbringer's wondrous return from the verge of death. Day after day, the crowds there continued to grow. When they weren't singing the Kingpriest's praises, they chanted imprecations against the sorcerers, baying for wizardly blood. Rumors spread that Cathan had fallen out of favor for his failure to keep Beldinas safe.

He stared around the room that had been Lord Tavarre's. Tapestries of hunting scenes still hung on the walls, as well as weapons, and the heads of two stags, a giant boar, and a manticore. The last made him shiver every time he glanced at it, its half-human, half-lion features twisted into a ferocious snarl. The banner of Luciel hung over the hearth. He looked at it now, sighing. He could barely remember the town or anything of his life before the Lightbringer.

He didn't hear the knock, so soft it was and so far into his cups was he. When the sound repeated a moment later, though, he looked up, dropping the goblet on the floor. Flushing, he grabbed it up and glared at the door. He was in no mood to talk to any of his knights tonight—not even Sir Tithian, who seemed alone in seeking his company, who alone didn't look askance at him.

"Who is it?" he demanded.

"Your sister," came the reply.

Nearly dropping the goblet again, he got to his feet and hurried to the door. There was Wentha, standing in the lamp-lit hall. She was lovely as always, draped in blue samite, a turquoise fillet in her hair.

He waved her in.

"You've been drinking," she said disapprovingly, "Like that night back in Lattakay, when you dallied with the sorceress."

Cathan shut the door, his eyebrows climbing. "You knew?"

"I suspected," she replied, giving him a look. She crossed to the hearth, then turned to face him, shrugging. "Don't worry—I'm not going to lecture you. I just wanted to ask about it. So much trouble began that night."

Cathan's lips tightened. "We didn't do anything. A kiss, that's all. And we shared her magic—a spell, I mean," he added.

"A spell, eh?" she asked. "A knight of the Divine Hammer, engaging in witchcraft—sounds like heresy to me."

He went to pour more wine. This time he watered it well and handed his sister a cup. "Why are you here?"

"For your sparkling company," she retorted, and raised a hand as his face darkened. "And to say good-bye. I'm leaving for Lattakay tomorrow."

He stared, surprised. "So soon?"

"I've been here more than a week," she replied. "I need to go back, and see what can be salvaged of the Udenso. Besides, the talk is of war with the wizards. I don't want my children anywhere near one of the Towers if it comes to that."

"That makes sense," Cathan said, sipping his wine. He stared up at Luciel's banner again. "Wentha, I want you to know—I'm proud of you. What you've done with your life. My own seems… a wreck."

She smiled, then kissed him on the cheek. "I married well, that's all, but I'm proud of you too, Brother. I don't care what they whisper about you—you're a good man and no coward."

He sighed unhappily. "I'll miss you," he said. "I'm running short of friends here."

"You'll find more," she told him, patting his arm. "And if you ever truly need me, you know where I am. Try not to wait quite so long before visiting next time."

He smiled then, and surprised both of them by embracing her tightly. He smoothed her golden hair, as he'd always done when they were younger. "I won't, Blossom," he said. "I promise."

Wentha's eyes shone. They looked into his own without flinching.

"Come on, then," she said. "Let's not let the rest of the wine go to waste."

They sat together, talking, long into the night.

The imperial summons was waiting for Cathan the next day when he returned from seeing Wentha and her children off at the harbor. His heart leaping to his throat, he left the Hammerhall immediately, making his way through the crowded streets to the Great Temple. Beldinas was in his manse, sitting on the balcony that overlooked the steaming gardens. It had rained early that morning, and the sun was doing its best to dry up the moisture. Quarath accompanied him, his face pinched with disdain as Cathan bowed before the Kingpriest.

The Lightbringer had recovered from his near-death experience, the light of his aura shining bright again. Cathan knew enough about Beldinas's healing powers to understand that he wouldn't even bear a scar where the dagger had pierced his breast. His eyes, however, were not the same as they had been before. Cathan could see the fear in them even now.

"Things have gone too far," the Kingpriest said flatly. "The sorcerers must pay for what they did—both here and in Lattakay."

This is a test, Cathan thought, glancing from the Lightbringer to Quarath. They want me to prove my faith.

He touched Ebonbane's hilt. "If Your Holiness demands war, we shall have war," he declared. "Is it certain sorcery is to blame?"

"We found Revered Son Suvin's body two days ago," Quarath replied, "beneath a pier at the wharf. The thing that attacked His Holiness was some kind of magical double. The wizards clearly conjured it as part of a trap—just as they conjured the quasitas for their lackey Andras to slaughter your men."

"There will he war," Beldinas insisted. "The people of Istar will no longer suffer the evils of sorcery within our realm. Nor will Ergoth and Solamnia."

Cathan nodded, picturing Duke Serl and Lord Yarns. The two had left the Lordcity the day before, setting sail across Lake Istar after the funerals. Both their faces had been set with grim determination as they stepped aboard their ships.

The Kingpriest continued. "We have reached an agreement—the first such, between our three nations. The Towers of High Sorcery must fall."

Cathan couldn't help his reaction. His mouth fell open.

"We mean to besiege them," Quarath said, smiling a tight, wolfish smile. "If they do not surrender before Spring Dawning, we attack."

Madness was the word that flashed through Cathan's mind. He glanced east, toward the bloody-fingered spire that loomed over the Lordcity. "What about the haunted groves?" he asked. "If we try to storm the Towers, they'll turn us back. I know—I've felt it myself."

"Uso dolit," Beldinas replied simply.

The god will provide.

It was no kind of answer. Cathan bowed his head, feeling older than his years.

"What is my part of this to be, sire?"

Within the light, Beldinas smiled. "At the fore, as always, my friend. You and your men shall ride out tomorrow to Losarcum."

"Losarcum?" Cathan repeated, shocked. He had expected the Kingpriest would name him to assail the Lordcity's own Tower. Quarath grinned again, and he understood. With him far to the south, the elf would lead the main action here.

Beldinas nodded patiently. "Just so. It will be the first attack. The sorcerers expect us to act here first, or perhaps Palanthas or Daltigoth. They will be least prepared at Losarcum. If we win there, they may surrender without another fight. If not, we will continue, one Tower at a time, until they do."

It was a fair strategy, Cathan had to admit. If Serl and Yarns had agreed to it, it might work. It still felt like exile, though—but how could he decline?

"Very well, Holiness," he said, kneeling. "I will go to Losarcum. I pray, though, that this may yet end without more bloodshed."

"As do we all, Grand Marshal," Quarath said curtly.

Beldinas raised his hand, signing the holy triangle "Palado tas drifas bisat, my friend," he intoned. Paladine guide thy steps. "I will see you again when this is all over."

It was a brisk dismissal. Cathan had hoped to speak with the Kingpriest alone, to express his dissent without Quarath present. Now, looking at the new caution that lurked in Beldinas's eyes, he knew that would not be allowed. Dutifully, he signed the triangle, bowed, and left the balcony, bound for the Hammerhall.