The Last Whisper of the Gods (23 page)

“He won’t kill me. He’s been protecting me for mor’n ten years. He needs me. Before I see him, it’s a good idea to remind him of that.”

“How?”

“Can you find me a safe place to stay? Even if I don’t leave the city, I want to let them think I’m gone. I want to give them something to worry about. Something to make them wonder about what I might do next.”

* * *

Following the ceremony, Azarak and Ferguson retired to the king’s private audience chamber where they sat across the table from one another, sipping from a vintage of deep ruby Andel wine.

“I feel sorry for the girl,” said Azarak. “She looked so lost and alone. So much for the day of Maturity being the happiest day in one’s life.”

“Sentiment is your strength and weakness, Your Majesty. We all have our assigned duties. In comparison to yours and mine, hers is mild. Marriage to a wizard is hardly a horrifying proposition.”

“Or fifteen years of relative isolation if he doesn’t claim her.”

“If he doesn’t claim her, this city won’t last those fifteen years.” It was a harsh assessment.

“Still, she’s so young… just a child.”

“No, as of today, she’s a woman. We must trust that Duke Carannan has prepared her to bear this burden. He has known since her birth that this is her destiny.”

“Do you know who the boy was? The one sitting behind her. He looked out of place. A guard or peasant of some sort. Carannan mentioned an attachment between Alicia and him. If they're in love with one another, it seems unnecessarily cruel to have him there to watch her promised to another man.”

“His name is Sorial. He’s a member of the duke’s militia. He worked for many years as a stableboy at Warburm’s inn. As you said, he and the Lady Alicia have formed an inappropriate attachment. He asked for - and was refused - her hand in marriage.” Ferguson surprised the king with his ability to catalogue the life of one so nondescript.

"Lamanar’s son, isn’t he?"

“Yes, Your Majesty. But there’s something else you need to know about Sorial, something important. The
real
reason he was at the ceremony. He will be Vantok’s next wizard.”

It took Azarak a long moment to recover his wits. “You’re certain?”

“I am. His mother carries in her blood the strain of a long-revered family of wizards who repeatedly intermarried to keep their line pure. His father is the sole living direct descendant of Altemiak the Destroyer - the son of a son of a son, going on for more than sixty generations. Their breeding was even more select, with brothers often marrying sisters. If the offspring of those two cannot wield magic, the second era of wizards hasn’t come. There’s more potential concentrated in his veins than is likely to be found anywhere in the world today.”

“What good fortune he happened to fall in love with the one determined by custom to be his wife.” Azarak's tone was thick with sarcasm.

“You are right to suspect this didn’t occur by chance. Duke Carannan and I, with the help of others, contrived for the two to meet and spend time together. Encounters they saw as coincidence were orchestrated. We wanted to make the match pleasant for them both. There’s no reason an arranged marriage should be uncomfortable.”

Ignoring the implication regarding his own situation, the king asked, “Does he know?”

“Oh yes, he knows. Not before today but his eyes were opened during the ceremony. Whether he believes it or not is another matter. Most people, be they learned or ignorant, doubt that magic ever existed, let alone that it might have returned to the world. It remains to be seen whether Sorial’s mother and guardian have prepared him for his role.”

“So what now?”

“We exercise patience, Your Majesty. We allow things to unfold as they will. Sooner or later, Sorial will come to us. Then we can put into motion plans that have been in development for some time. An agent of mine is close to him and about to become even closer.”

“You seem remarkably well-informed, Prelate. I thought spymastering was a secular art not one practiced in the temple.”

“Only the poorest priests ignore the secular, Your Majesty. We can no longer rely on prophesy to be our guide; it died with the gods. Before their passing, they provided visions to let us know the path of our survival. The question is whether we are worthy of the custodianship they entrusted to us.”

* * *

Alicia was gazing out the single narrow window in her new room in the temple when a knock came at the door. With a sigh, she turned from the sight of the massive building’s inner courtyard and went to see who was there.

Her visitor was a priest, not that she had expected anyone else. To Alicia, one priest looked pretty much like the next, but she believed this one had been “assigned” to her. Upon their first meeting, he had said he was there to “serve” her. She assumed “serve” was a code word for “spy on.”

“Yes?” she inquired in a bored voice. She had only been here for several days and already she was longing to return to her father’s mansion. At least there, there were things to do. And there was Sorial… Then again, he wasn’t there anymore. She wondered if he had made good on his threat yet and disappeared.

“My Lady, Duke Carannan requests an audience.”

Alicia almost smiled. Although she was a prisoner, her attainment of Maturity meant her father could no longer see her at his pleasure. Now, he had to ask permission. Not that she would deny it. She'd see anyone to break the tedium of staring out at the damn courtyard or pacing the floor.

“He may come.” Turning from the door, she hopped onto the bed and arranged herself sitting cross-legged, with her white dress - the same one worn during the previous day’s ceremony - tucked under her legs.

Carannan entered quietly and faced his daughter. His face showed the strain of recent events. Alicia felt a pang of sympathy; none of this had been easy on him. But even though he was doing what he believed to be right, it was hard to forgive him for his role in the deception that had put her here and Sorial wherever Sorial currently was.

“I understand you dismissed Vagrum,” he said without preamble.

That had been hard. Alicia loved the big, gruff man and knew the feeling was mutual. But his betrayal had stung her. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t been a full party to Carannan’s plans. He had been
involved
. Vagrum had begged her forgiveness and she had given it, but she had dismissed him nonetheless. From a practical point of view, he was no longer necessary, although the priest had said Vagrum could continue in his role as her protector if she so desired. But, like her childhood, it was done. Let him find happiness on his own.

“I trust you understand why,” she said.

“He was less implicated than you think. He only did what was expected of him, what his position required.”

“He was supposed to protect me not aid in some mad scheme to push me and Sorial together.”

“Only someone tragically naïve would say something like that. You’ve always known that Vagrum was a hired hand. I paid him a good wage to do what he was told and not ask questions. One of his duties was to watch over you but the full scope of his work was broader. Don't pretend that’s a surprise. Calling it a ‘betrayal’ is unfair.”

Alicia wasn't in the mood to weigh the fairness of her father’s argument. But even through the hurt, she cared about Vagrum. “What will happen to him?”

“I’ve offered him a post in my militia. I don’t know whether he’ll accept it, but I hope he does. There are many options open to a man of his skills. I suppose he could return to the North although I think he’s come to see Vantok as his home.

“What about you? Are you comfortable here?”

“Look around,” said Alicia, gesturing negligently. It was an elegant chamber, all frills and lace and overstuffed pillows. The colors were white, pale yellow, and powder blue. “I have a window overlooking the inner courtyard, where I may go any time I wish. If I want to wander elsewhere, I have to get permission from one of the bishops and be accompanied by a small army of priests and guards. I can receive any visitor I want as long as they see me here or in the courtyard. I assume I’m under constant surveillance, but they’re very discreet about it.”

“I’ll have your things brought over tomorrow.”

Alicia was tempted to ask:
What things?
As if having her clothing and jewelry and personal possessions would make this more like a home.

“Have you heard from Sorial?”

She shook her head. “Not since the palace. He’s a little shaken right now and needs time to sort things out. Time away from me. I don't know what’s going to happen. Bride of the Wizard. I almost wish you’d married me off to an earl or a count. Then I could have run off with Sorial. Now, it’s all too complicated.”

“I would have thought the truth about Sorial would give you both comfort. Now, there’s a chance. A hope. If he claims his birthright…”

“The truth as you see it! Do you know how deluded you sound? How deluded you all sound, even Sorial? The Wizard of Vantok? Any attempt he makes to ‘claim his birthright,’ as you put it, will end in his death. How is that supposed to give me comfort? Better to wait the fifteen years and marry him when I’m freed of this place.”

“He can’t run from who he is. Neither can you.”

“You can’t force a man to do something he’s not suited for. Right now, Sorial is probably thinking that living in a small farming community far away from Vantok is better than anything you or anyone else can offer. I may be an ‘enticement’ but I imagine survival is a stronger one.”

“Neither you nor Sorial are seeing things clearly right now. Everything is too new. I don’t agree with how he was informed but that wasn’t my decision. All I’m saying is that time changes perspectives. Have patience, Alicia, and you may find that things aren’t as bad as you fear.”

After he was gone, Alicia reflected that if anyone else told her to have patience, she would likely slap them.

Fuck patience. She wanted action.

It was early in Planting but the heat and humidity were worse than they should have been at the height of Summer. Every indication was that this year would be worse than the last, which in turn had been hotter than the year before.

Warburm faced Carannan across the desk in the latter’s study. It was getting to the time of the year when the duke would move into the cellar during his working hours. There, buried beneath the earth, it remained comfortable during even the most unbearable of weather. Here, both men were sweating profusely.

“I wish we had the luxury of waiting, but we dinna. With the heat gettin’ worse, there ain’t no telling how much longer this city will be habitable. People can dig cellars and live underground, but without crops to sell at market and grain to feed hungry mouths... Plus, there be a danger that wells could start dryin’ up. Vantok be runnin’ out of time. We done borrowed some by switching the farming seasons but it won’t be long before the Winters are like Summers used to be and the other three seasons’ll be worse. Already, people be migrating north and more traders and merchants ain’t coming this far south. This be as much an attack as if an army was marching on us.” Warburm used a stained handkerchief to mop his brow. It was an unusually long speech for the fat man, whose preference was for grunts and short sentences.

“Until Sorial makes his whereabouts known, there’s not a lot we can do except wait,” said Carannan. It had been a half-season since Alicia’s eventful Maturity Day. Since the dramatic events of that day, Sorial hadn’t been seen.

“I done have to admit, I never expected him to react like this. I’ve known the lad all his life and vanishing ain’t his style.”

“No one knows his whereabouts. Not my daughter. Not his mother. Not any of his friends in my militia. I’d be surprised if he’s still in Vantok.”

“Oh, he be here,” said Warburm. “I’d bet my inn on that. Sorial ain’t never been away from Vantok and ain’t no one outside the city seen him. Ferguson ain’t the least bit worried. Claims to have ‘reliable information.’ A source or something. For someone as resourceful as Sorial, avoiding detection in Vantok wouldn’t be too hard - unless, of course, we was to put him on the official ‘wanted’ list. The greed that comes with a reward, even a modest one, would encourage someone to give him up.”

“Not something we want to do.” Carannan had been the strongest opponent of punitive tactics. They wanted to seduce Sorial not threaten him.

“No,” agreed Warburm. “Unless it be a last resort.”

“We have some time. Even if he agrees, he couldn’t leave until Harvest. A journey south in this heat would be rough on him and his escort.”

“A journey south in any season will be rough, but that be a risk we got to take. There ain’t much choice in the matter. That gives us two seasons to convince him and prepare him for the trip. But before we can start, we have to find him.”

“If we can figure out some way to get a message to him… Let him understand why we’ve done this,” ventured Carannan. “Whatever he figured out, or thinks he figured out, he almost certainly doesn’t understand the full implications. You’ll recall that I argued against keeping this from him for as long as we did. And I wasn’t the only one, but you had to have your way.”

The innkeeper’s expression soured. “‘I told you so’ ain’t ever helpful. Yes, looking back, it might have been smarter to tell Sorial sooner, but the majority agreed with me.”

“Ferguson agreed with you, assuring the dissenters would be few. Who wants to be on record as opposing the prelate? However much you might like to believe you’re in charge, Warburm, he’s the real leader.”

“Course he be. Never in doubt. Back from the days in Sussaman and I ain’t never pretended different. But like all priests, he don’t like to get his lily-white hands dirty. At this time, he can’t afford to be publicly associated with us. So he stays in the background and lets me be the ‘face’ of the group.”

“Regardless, he and his position command great respect.”

Warburm shifted the conversation, which was going in a direction he didn’t care to pursue, back to its original topic. “You sure Sorial ain’t contacted Alicia?”

“She says she hasn’t seen him since the betrothal and I believe her. She puts up a brave front but I know she’s hurting. The priest who serves her told me he can hear her weeping quietly during the small hours of the night. She’s under careful watch and there’s no way Sorial could have slipped in to see her. And, as you well know, he can’t write.”

"Don’t mean he couldn’t have someone who knows letters do it for him. But I take your point. We may have to resort to tactics we wanted to avoid as a means of flushing him out. We’ve come this far. We can’t falter now.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“If Sorial thinks Alicia be in danger, he’d surface to save her.”

Carannan’s expression turned cold. “Harming my daughter is not an option.”

“’Course not! I ain’t talking about
harming
Alicia. But making Sorial think she be in danger... Like when she were ‘attacked’ in the street.”

“As opposed to what you had done to that serving wench he wanted to marry?”

“Alicia ain’t Annie. She ain’t expendable. Annie, for all I liked her, were an impediment that only death could remove. Alicia’s death would be an unmitigated disaster.”

“Threatening my daughter is not conducive to earning Sorial’s trust and loyalty. If he becomes what we hope he becomes, what incentive would he have to work with us if we terrorize the woman he loves? The point isn’t only to unlock Sorial’s magical potential, if he has it, but to ally him with Vantok.”

“You got an alternative?”

“If necessary. Let them marry. Let them enjoy each other’s company for the Summer. Then, when the time comes, he’ll be doing what he has to do for his wife and possibly an unborn child.”

Warburm shook his head. “In that scenario, we lose all control over him. She be his
reward
. You don’t give someone a reward before they complete the task. Plus, who knows how spending a few weeks of marital bliss with your daughter will change him? Maybe his ardor will cool. There be few things more powerful to someone his age than unrealized desire. Letting them fuck now would risk everything.”

“You’re saying we’re at an impasse.”

“Not entirely. As you said, we ain’t rushed to act. Sorial be biding his time but he ain’t gonna stay hidden forever. An’ if Ferguson’s source be right, he ain’t as well-hidden as he thinks. He may have pieced together our plan but he’ll have questions. When he wants those answered, he’ll come to his mother or me.”

“Let’s hope for all our sakes you’re right.”

* * *

Normally, Alicia received visitors in the temple courtyard. It was more private and there was no sense that every word she said was falling on the ears of eavesdroppers. Even though the priests assured her she had complete privacy in her chambers, she didn’t believe them. She had been lied to a few times too often for her to believe anything anyone said. But today it was too hot outside, so Alicia remained in her room.

Her visitor was Vagrum. It was the second time her former protector had come to see her in her new home. He had stayed in Vantok, accepting a senior position in her father’s militia, possibly in the hope he could find a way to redeem himself in Alicia’s eyes. At the moment, he was talking about the comings, goings, and doings of several guards Alicia was familiar with. She listened attentively, pretending an interest she didn’t feel.

When he was done with his accounting, she steered the conversation in a different, more personally meaningful direction. “Vagrum, have you heard anything about Sorial?” No one seemed to know anything about him - not the priests, her father, or any of the few others who came to see her. Either that or they knew but weren't saying. Trapped behind the gilt bars of her cage, she felt isolated and forgotten.

“No, Milady. Nor have any of the other guards. He haven’t been seen or heard of in weeks.”

“But my father is looking for him?”

“I believe so.” There was a note of caution in his voice.

“Has he sent you into the city searching?”

“Aye. But I didn’t see him or meet anyone else willing to admit seeing him.”

“Are you betraying my father by telling me this?”

“I don’t believe so, Milady. Your father never said nothing about not telling you. It ain’t a secret.”

“Vagrum, if it came down to a choice, to whom would your loyalty fall: my father or me?”

“Milady?” Vagrum’s voice was full of consternation. She was testing him and he knew it.

“It’s a simple enough question. You told me last time you were here that you would do anything to regain my trust. I’m asking how far that ‘anything’ might go.”

“Surely there wouldn’t never be a need to side with one against the other…”

“Assume there might be.” It was a more plausible circumstance than the big man might think. If Sorial’s decision put him at odds with her father, Alicia knew where her loyalty would lie. What about Vagrum’s?

He was quiet for a long while. “If it came to it, I’m your man, Milady. First and foremost. If you’ll trust me again.”

Now for a question to excite the ears and imaginations of any listening spies. “If I was to ask you to help me escape the temple and get to Sorial, would you do it?”

“What you’re asking…”

“I’m not asking anything. I’m proposing a possibility. Nothing more. But I expect an honest answer. You said you’d never lie to me again.”

“I did at that, Milady. Escape from the temple wouldn’t be easy, but if I could arrange it or help in any way, I would.”

“Even if my father expressly forbade it?”

“Even then.”

Alicia realized he could just be saying what he thought she wanted to hear, but she didn’t think so. His tone and expression were sincere. She didn’t think he was capable of lying boldly and directly to her. That wasn’t in his character, at least insofar as she could determine it.

So it appeared she had an ally. Anyone listening would know that as well so she would never use him in the way she had proposed. But there were other possibilities.

“You love him, don’t you?” asked Vagrum suddenly.

Alicia was momentarily taken aback by the question. “Yes.” Her voice was quiet. “But you know that. You were there for everything that happened.” The silent watcher whose eyes missed nothing, he had likely known the truth of the matter before either she or Sorial had realized it. “How much of it was your doing?”

“Not much. The duke made it clear he wanted to ‘encourage’ a friendship between you and the lad. It didn’t make much sense to me - a lady and a stableboy - but I figured your father had his reasons. Turns out I was right, I guess.”

“The night we snuck off to the riverbank, the night the estate was attacked…”

“I followed. I pretended being asleep when you left your room, then came after you at a distance. Your father suspected something like that would happen sometime and warned me to be ready. He didn’t want you stopped, just followed. Followed and kept safe and…chaste.”

“You know this thing they want Sorial to do… it could kill him.”

Vagrum nodded. “I wish it didn’t have to be that way. I like the lad. Have from the beginning. He got a hard path in front of him.”

A hard path, and not one of his own choosing. She was frightened he might do something rash, something that would get himself killed. Something like making a deal with those who had put him in his present situation. He said he'd be back but she almost hoped he had run far, far away.

“You said once that you felt a kinship with Sorial…”

“Aye, Milady. I were a rootless youth like him, sold into serfdom and forced to muck out stables and clean streets. I’ve been where he’s been.”

“In his position, what would you do next?”

“Next? There ain’t no question. I’d do what they asked of me. Any risk, even if there was little chance of succeeding, would be worth taking if the reward was spending the rest of my days with the woman I loved. Thoughts of magic and power might drive other men, but they don’t interest Sorial. They’re just a means to an end: you. They knew that, or at least suspected it, and that’s why they used you as the snare. ’Course it won’t hurt that he’ll be the most influential man in the city.”

Alicia bowed her head so that Vagrum couldn’t read the concern in her eyes. What he had articulated was what she was afraid Sorial would do. He had to be stopped, no matter what the cost. Fifteen years was a long time, but dead was forever.

* * *

The blistering heat had withered the foliage lining the paths in the temple’s inner courtyard. Grass was browned and the flowers were dead. In the old days, the courtyard would have been alive with color and the promise of new life. Now, it was burnt out, and Summer was yet weeks away.

Alicia wandered the courtyard shoulder to shoulder with a companion. Sweat dotted her brow and ran in tiny rivulets beneath her unbound hair and down her neck. Nevertheless, she couldn’t risk this conversation being overheard. Not when she was sure Rexall knew more about Sorial than any other person in Vantok.

“Can we speak freely here?"