Watt-Evans, Lawrence - Annals of the Chosen 01 (68 page)

"Whether
it
was
true.
Whether
it
really
happened,
or whether
maybe
someone
played
a
trick
on
you
..."
"It
wasn't
a
trick."

"She
is
the
world's
greatest
thief,
and
one
of
the
Chosen," the
Seer
said.

Sezen
turned
to
the
Seer.
"My
wife
is
really
one
of
the Chosen?
The
heroes
who
guard
Barokan?
My
wife?"
"She
is."

"And
that
raccoon
is
the
Wizard
Lord?"

"No,
it's
a
raccoon—but
the
Wizard
Lord
is
controlling
its actions
and
speaking
through
it."

"The
raccoon's
true
name
is
..."
The
Speaker
completed her
statement
with
an
untranscribable
chittering.
"It
is
not Laquar
kellin
Harrio,
known
as
the
Wizard
Lord,
now
the Dark
Lord
of
the
Galbek
Hills,
though
he
guides
its
thoughts at
the
moment."

The
raccoon
suddenly
turned
and
scrabbled
up
the
wet thatch,
then
stopped,
shivered
for
a
moment,
then
came inching
back,
claws
extended.
Breaker
only
realized
that
he had
drawn
his
sword
when
he
saw
it
in
his
hand,
ready
to thrust
upward.

"Don't
say
the
names,"
the
raccoon
said.
"You
broke
my hold,
and
I
am
not
done
speaking."

"This
is
insane,"
Sezen
said,
staring
at
the
raccoon.

"No,
it's
...
yes,
it's
insane,"
Merrilin
replied.
"It's
not our
business.
Send
them
on
their
way;
we
have
work
to
do."

"If
you're
the
Wizard
Lord,"
Sezen
said,
ignoring
his wife,
"then
do
you
know
why
it's
raining?"

"Does
the
rain
trouble
you?
Then
I'll
stop
it."

A
roll
of
thunder
sounded,
and
the
rain
began
to
let
up.

"You
see?"
said
the
raccoon.
"I
am
who
I
claim
to
be."

"Why
was
it
raining
like
that
in
the
first
place?"
Merrilin demanded.
"We
don't
want
anything
to
do
with
this,
Sezen; they're
dangerous,
all
of
them."

"I
can
hardly
deny
that," the
Leader
said.
"And
really, who
isn't
dangerous,
under
the
right
circumstances?"
He smiled
at
Sezen.

Sezen
paid
no
attention;
he
was
staring
up
at
the
sky.

"You
did
it,"
he
said.
"You
made
it
stop."

Breaker
looked
up
as
well,
past
the
possessed
raccoon;
the skies
were
still
gray,
but
the
rain
had
indeed
ceased,
though water
still
ran
from
the
eaves
and
dripped
from
the
trees.

"And
I
can
make
it
start
again,"
the
raccoon
said.
"I
can summon
the
lightning
and
the
storm,
the
wind
and
the
rain;
I can
shake
the
earth
and
drive
beasts
mad,
haunt
your
dreams and
break
your
sleep.
I
am
the
Wizard
Lord,
protector
of
all
Barokan,
master
of
all
that
lies
between
the
Eastern
Cliffs
and
the
Western
Sea.
Do
not
defy
me."

"He
is
all
that,"
the
Leader
said,
in
a
conversational
tone that
seemed
eerily
loud
in
the
rainless
semi-silence,
"but he's
also
as
mad
as
a
ferret,
drunk
with
power,
and
a
murderer
many
times
over,
and
as
the
Chosen,
we
are
sworn
to
remove
him
for
his
crimes."