Trial of Fire (15 page)

She couldn’t be right, and yet, there was no other answer. Tempting as it was to throw such an idea away, he’d done that before and regretted it. This time, he couldn’t afford to be blasé, no matter how impossible it sounded. After all, he would never have thought it possible that the Key would give the Enemy the Word of Destruction – and after that, any concept, no matter how bizarre, was worth examination. And how had the Key managed to hide itself all these centuries?

‘You have your peace for another night,’ he allowed, feeling magnanimous. ‘I might even send you some supper.’ After that he turned away.

It would never do to spoil the fun by indulging too much in one day.

So a mask it was – but even with a mask, there was always the chance it might slip. Was Douglas strong enough to keep such a mask going, day and night, for ever? And what would he do the day he faced Nash – would he do so with the Key in his hand? If he did, he would lose without a fight.

Nash would keep Seeking. Not even Robert Douglas was strong enough to keep a mask going for ever – and when it did slip, then Nash would find him, find him weak, depleted, needing sleep and rest.

The best time to kill the Enemy was when he couldn’t fight back.

With a laugh, Nash returned to his triangle of fires, his blanket, and his Seeking.

‘Wait, wait.’ Aiden raised his voice again, trying to get their attention. ‘Please, gentlemen, we won’t get anywhere like this. We have to take it one step at a time.’

One by one the others quietened, leaving the bedchamber heavy with expectation and light on explanation. It had taken them four days to reach this point. With Patric’s fever sapping his strength, it had been difficult to get answers from him.

Finally, with Patric’s consent, he’d called a meeting, though John had insisted that it be held in Patric’s bedchamber, ensuring that he did not leave his bed and tire himself unnecessarily. Extra chairs had been brought in and the table pushed to one side and laden with bread and cheeses, some sweet fruit from the southern continent, wine and ale; the fire was banked with warming coals. Seated around the room were the others of Robert’s council: Deverin, Payne, Daniel Courtenay, and Owen. Joshi never left Patric’s side except to get him something. The others had found that disconcerting, especially since it appeared Joshi spoke little of their language.

‘I’m sorry, Bishop,’ Daniel said into the ensuing quiet, ‘but I still don’t know why Patric went to the southern continent in the first place. Why would what happened there almost six hundred years ago have a bearing on what’s going on with Robert?’

‘And why,’ Payne added, ‘is this the first we’ve heard about it? Damn that man! If he didn’t work in secret so much …’

Aiden silenced him with a look. This was not the time to be tearing Robert’s character apart. They could all indulge in that luxury after this whole war was over, and when Robert was with them to offer what defence he could. ‘I know there’s a lot you don’t know. But we can remedy that. If you can contain your questions for a while, I’ll try to explain what we know and then let Patric tell his story, so you know what he was doing and why.’

At that, Patric leaned his head back against his pillow, his voice coming out in a harsh whisper. ‘By the gods, we’re wasting so much time! I need to speak to Robert
now!
Do none of you know how I can find him? Is there no way you can contact him?’

‘Not without pulling him away from what he is doing, no,’ Payne
replied. He sat back in his chair and folded his arms. ‘Unless you can explain why you need to see him?’

‘My lord,’ John interrupted quietly, ‘Patric is Robert’s friend and has been since they were both boys.’

‘I’ll grant that,’ Payne nodded, obviously not impressed, ‘but he’s also been out of this country for the last eight years. How do we know what happened to him in that time, or how his loyalties might have been affected? After all, he did bring this friend back with him.’

‘A friend,’ Patric shot back, ‘who has done absolutely nothing to harm anyone here! Why do you insist on suspecting us? What have we done wrong? Why can’t you at least allow us to explain? Don’t you think there’s a possibility that Robert will
want
to know what I have to tell him? Don’t you think that’s why he sent me to Alusia in the first place?’

For a moment, Payne was silent. Aiden looked at the others; although they’d said nothing, it was obvious they felt the same. Then Payne said, ‘I don’t doubt he will want to know what you discovered, but I will not allow you access to him until I am sure neither you nor your friend can do him any harm. I’m sure, as his childhood friend, you can understand my reasoning.’

Patric turned towards the window, where sunlight could hit his face. His eyes were open, but they saw nothing of the bright day. ‘Then you choose not to trust me.’

‘Yes,’ Payne replied, unrepentant. ‘But we have the safety of a nation to consider. We don’t have the luxury of trust.’

Patric came back with, ‘And yet you would complain that Robert doesn’t trust you.’

‘Arguing the point will not make me change my mind. Bishop,’ Payne turned to him, ‘tell your story, and let us be convinced. Until then, neither Patric nor Joshi will be allowed to leave Bleakstone, nor to speak to Robert.’

Aiden looked at the man on the bed, and the younger man seated on a stool by the window. It was unfair to assume they were a danger to Robert, but while he’d been left the position of leadership of this council, Payne had the responsibility of keeping them all safe, a role he took very seriously.

‘It’s hard to know where to begin, so forgive me if I touch on things some of you already know.’ Aiden began, taking a sip of his brew. It was cold now, but he didn’t bother getting another. ‘Six hundred years ago, when the old Empire still stood, sorcerers were an accepted part of the world, and were called the Cabal. Back then, every prince, every lord with any power at all, had a sorcerer at his court. They were paid well, and their abilities highly prized. We don’t have much detail on what else they did, but suffice to say the Guilde and Cabal worked together closely, with many of their ventures jointly led. Also too, the Guilde did much of the
documentation of sorcery. As a result, many of the Cabal’s most important works were written by Guilde scribes.’

‘So what happened?’ Daniel asked, leaning forward on his seat. ‘Why did the Empire go to war with the Cabal?’

‘Historically, it’s never been clear – though of course, the Cabal was always blamed. My research suggests otherwise. However, we do know that a rift formed and the Empire eventually declared war, with battles and raids, palaces destroyed and the like, until over a year later, when the Cabal and the Empire’s forces met on a field in Alusia.’

‘A battle,’ Payne added quietly, ‘which the Empire won, sending sorcerers into exile.’

‘Exactly,’ Aiden nodded, surprised by the tone in the Earl’s voice. ‘At the time, the premier Cabal Palace was Bu, in Budlandi. It still stands today. Robert visited it a number of times, most recently, just before the Battle of Shan Moss, when he went with the Lady Jennifer.’

‘I never did understand why he went,’ Daniel said.

Aiden went to take another sip of his cold brew, then realised what he was doing and put the cup down. There was some part of him which didn’t want to tell this story, knowing how personal it was to Robert, and how very private a man he was. Still, these men needed to know. ‘Robert’s powers began to develop when he was only nine, and so he made his first visit to the Enclave. You all know about the Key – well, it gave Robert a Prophecy that named him as the Enemy, Jennifer as the Ally and a third person as the Angel of Darkness—’

‘Nash.’ Payne growled.

‘Yes, Nash. It’s in this Prophecy that Robert and the Angel are supposed to fight. But Robert was also given an ending to the Prophecy that he’s always hated and he’s spent many years trying to prove the entire thing is false, or at least the ending. His trip to Bu was in the hope that he would find out more about the Prophecy and his and Jenn’s roles in it.’

‘And did they?’ Payne was gazing steadily at Aiden, almost willing him to conjure up the right answers.

‘No. Instead, they found the wall where the Prophecy was written had been completely defaced by the Guilde, not long after the battle with the Empire.’

Daniel frowned. ‘I’m sorry – why would the Guilde destroy the Prophecy?’

‘That’s a good question,’ Patric interrupted with some fervor. ‘Another question is, how did they find out about it, since, as far as anyone can tell, the Prophecy was a huge secret, known only to a handful of people – and all of those sorcerers.’

‘But didn’t you say, Bishop, that the Cabal and Guilde had always
worked together closely?’ Daniel looked from one man to another. ‘If they kept all the Cabal records, then wouldn’t somebody have heard about the Prophecy, even written it down?’

‘That is possible,’ Aiden agreed, ‘but we have no way of proving it. I only wish we could. That would have saved us a lot of time and effort.’

Payne came to his feet and walked over to the other window. He rested his elbow on the ledge and turned back to face the room. ‘All this work, all this effort, just so you can find out the answer to this Prophecy, which affects nobody but Robert? Is that what you’re saying?’

‘Not exactly.’ Aiden also stood, unwilling to get bogged down like this, but also needing to be clear. ‘I said only the
end
of the Prophecy affects only Robert. The rest of it affects all of us: Lusara, Flan’har, Mayenne – everyone. The Angel of Darkness is evil personified and one way or another, Robert is destined to fight him.’

He accepted the cup of wine John brought him, took a sip and looked around the room before continuing. ‘About the same time Robert and Jennifer decided to go to Bu, Robert sent Patric to Alusia. The trip was prompted by the same documents which said the Prophecy would be on that wall. These documents all but described another Cabal Palace, in Alusia, which had, for reasons we had to guess at, developed a rift with Bu a year or so before that last battle. This was the first mention we’d had of a Palace in Alusia. Robert had been there and found no suggestion of it, so it was worth investigation, especially with our need for information.’

‘And what caused the rift?’ Payne asked levelly.

‘We had to infer that the cause was the Prophecy itself. That there was another version of the Prophecy which differed to the one Bu had. This was why it was so important to send Patric. That, and hopefully, that he would make contact with the remaining Cabal.’

To a man, they all looked at Joshi. The young man took in their scrutiny without flinching. As Deverin regained his seat, Aiden stoked up the fire a little, trying not to feel like he was on trial here. But it was hard with Payne watching him as he was.

‘So, is that it?’ Payne said after a moment, not moving from the window. A thread of sunlight crossed his head, making his light hair glow like a halo, an image which didn’t suit his character at all. On any other day, Aiden would have smiled at the thought. ‘Is that what this is all about? This Prophecy? Robert’s run us all ragged over the last, what, thirty years, all because of a Prophecy? Because he doesn’t like how it ends?’

‘Don’t trivialise it, my lord,’ Owen spoke up. One eye was patched, the other glared at the younger man. ‘You know full well there were many more pressures brought to bear on Robert other than the Prophecy alone.
His vow of allegiance to Selar for one. The same vow you yourself took, as I recall.’

Payne stared at him a moment, then turned his gaze out the window. He didn’t move for a minute as the rest waited uncomfortably. Then the Earl turned back to the room, his expression no longer so hard.

‘You hate the waiting,’ Deverin ventured, ‘as do we all.’

‘Aye,’ Payne agreed, ‘I hate the waiting. Still, let’s hear this story. After all that, Patric should be allowed his say.’

*

Dusty light streamed through the windows of the council chamber, bringing a feel of spring to the room for the first time. As the light hit the thick carpets on the floor, the colours came alive, awakening the painted ceiling and giving the whole room a warmth Aiden had never seen before.

He kept to one side, out of the way, as the others systematically cleared the table of books and papers and stacked them neatly in the chests along the south wall. As each was filled, Payne went along and turned a key in its lock. When all was cleared, Payne joined Aiden by the fireplace as servants came in and set the table for a meal. The Earl didn’t look at Aiden, however, but instead, clasped his hands behind his back and feigned a complete interest in the menial tasks being performed in front of him.

Aiden had known this man many years now, and was not so easily fooled. ‘You don’t think it’s a good idea to let Patric out of his bed?’

Payne raised his eyebrows a little. ‘I think he’s at least well enough to sit at table with us, and I’m sure he will appreciate the change of scenery.’

‘Except that he can’t see it.’

The Earl replied, ‘I don’t think that makes a difference.’

‘What
will
make a difference?’

Payne frowned and half-glanced at him, not quite meeting his eyes. ‘What?’

Aiden placed one elbow on the mantel stone, enjoying the warmth from the fire. ‘To you. What will make a difference to you?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘It’s not the waiting, is it? You’ve always been restless, but in the last week or so, it’s grown noticeably worse. And never before have I seen you so critical of Robert.’

‘Oh, come,’ Payne scoffed, ‘I have never ignored his faults.’

‘No, but you never used to advertise his failings, either. So what has changed? Is it since Father John arrived? Has his joining us changed something?’ Aiden paused, watching the other man’s face carefully. ‘You know I have to ask these questions. We must be unified. If we are called upon to act as Andrew’s council then …’

Payne sniffed, lifted his chin and turned his gaze out of the north windows where billowy clouds tumbled across the sky with abandon.