Dangerous Waters (48 page)

‘No. It never occurred to me.’ As Tornauld apologised, the others shook their heads, sharing his chagrin.

Planir clicked his tongue, exasperated. ‘We know precious little of Mandarkin magic.’

Jilseth could see the remote figures in the scrying spell were hurrying to and fro, gesticulating. What were they doing now?

Planir ignored them. ‘Soluran magic can be impressive, especially in combat. They certainly use a far greater range of quadrate spells to blend the four elements than we commonly do. But their elder wizards, the ones who rule their different Orders of magecraft, have nothing to teach their students to compare with the breadth of Hadrumal’s knowledge.’

He gestured curtly at the scrying. ‘They don’t enjoy the peace that enables our learning to grow and flower with new understanding. Their focus is always on retaliating against Mandarkin spite, on defending against fresh assaults. They can work powerful spells with individual elements but they have no quintessential magic worth the name. Even their most skilful mages have no real experience of working with others in a nexus.’

He shook his head with regret. ‘Soluran magecraft never allows for the unfettered exploration of affinity that’s essential for the growth of a wizard’s elemental understanding. Worse, each Order jealously guards its own archive instead of sharing discoveries and recording conclusions as we have done in our island’s libraries for twenty generations and more. When a Soluran Order is lost, when a tower falls, too often all that hoarded knowledge is lost.’

‘By your leave, Archmage,’ Merenel observed, ‘I don’t imagine that’s of much concern to Corrain.’

‘It’s clear enough what he seeks,’ Tornauld agreed. ‘Since Hadrumal’s mages won’t help him, he’s gone in search of wizards for hire.’

‘His Forest-born friend must have told him of Solura’s mercenary mages.’ Planir was more resigned than concerned. ‘All the same, we had better have convincing proof to set before our own Council before we decide how to hobble his ambitions.’

He swept a hand across the bowl and the green-tinted water pulsed with a fleeting turquoise hue.

Tornauld exclaimed, astonished. ‘Clairaudience through a scrying, Archmage?’

‘Quite so.’ Planir smiled as faint sounds rose from the surface of the water. ‘Now, hush and let’s listen.’

Jilseth watched the surface of the water shiver, casting the distant voices upwards.

How many mages could combine air and water magic like this? If those two elements weren’t as antagonistic as air and earth, they didn’t share the sympathy enjoyed by fire and air or earth and water. For an earthborn wizard to work such a spell so effortlessly? Jilseth hadn’t the first notion how to go about it.

She couldn’t imagine there was another mage in Hadrumal whose skills even approached the Archmage’s, never mind rivalled Planir’s proficiency. Not even amongst those worthy of consideration for the rank of master or mistress of the four elements.

He wore his favourite faded breeches and a loosely laced shirt. It was too hot to wear a jerkin today. Jilseth had always thought he wanted the newly arrived mageborn and lowly apprentice wizards to find him approachable.

Now she was seeing his preference for such humble attire in a new light. She suspected that the Archmage intended to have people underestimate him; most particularly the senior mageborn of Hadrumal as well as the princes and powers of the mainland, from the city states of Ensaimin to the Tormalin Imperial Court. How soon would they learn to regret that?

When Jilseth had gone straight to Planir, to admit her folly in Kevil, to explain how her magic scared the truth out of Lord Tallat at the cost of his humiliation, the Archmage hadn’t chastised her.

On the contrary, he had said, in her position he’d have very likely turned Lord Tallat into stone. Such a statue set outside his manor gates would warn every baron in Caladhria not to take Hadrumal’s name in vain.

Jilseth didn’t think that Planir had been joking.

Tornauld leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. ‘I can’t make any sense of this.’

‘They’re concerned with treating their own wounded and reporting back across the river to their Elder and to Lord Pastiss.’ Planir listened a little longer. ‘Corrain, or rather, his companion’s being told to shut up and wait till they’re done or to start walking if that doesn’t suit him.’

‘I suppose that’s too much to hope for,’ Merenel said ruefully.

‘Quite so,’ Planir cracked his knuckles. ‘Well, I don’t suppose the Soluran wizards will keep them waiting long. They’ll want to start hunting that Mandarkin mage. But we can make good use of even a brief delay. Nolyen, sustain the scrying and Tornauld, can you keep this clairaudience from failing?’

‘I believe so, Archmage.’ The burly mage braced himself for that challenge.

‘Listen for any agreement between Corrain and the Solurans. They’ll have to speak in some language which he can comprehend to do that.’ The Archmage smiled briefly. ‘Merenel, please convey my compliments to Hearth Master Kalion and ask if he will join us. Galen too, if he’s with him.’

As Merenel went to stand outside the sitting room door, to bespeak Kalion through a fresh circle of flame, Planir contemplated the scrying bowl, the whispers rising like steam, incomprehensible.

‘Kalion can tell you what our counterparts make of Corrain’s request as they talk among themselves.’ He looked up, his expression intense. ‘Jilseth, teach this new dowsing spell to Galen and make sure that he can work it through a nexus with Ely, Canfor and Merenel, as well as the scrying that follows it.’

‘Shouldn’t I show you the spell first?’ Then there could be no misunderstanding about who exactly had perfected this magic. Jilseth didn’t trust Galen, or more likely Ely, not to try stealing some of their nexus’s hard-won acclaim.

‘No, I see what you’ve done well enough.’ Planir’s glance took in the four of them, the table, the bowl and the wizardry within it. ‘I need to tell Herion, Rafrid and Sannin what’s happening and I had better pay Troanna and Shannet a courtesy visit with the news.’ He grimaced before looking at Jilseth once again. ‘As soon as Galen grasps the working of this, you must go to Halferan.’

‘Archmage?’ She wasn’t protesting. She needed to understand what he wanted of her.

‘We can guess what Corrain’s seeking.’ He gestured at the scrying. ‘We need to know if he’s shared these ambitions with Lady Zurenne, with Lord Licanin or any of those other worthy nobles who came to solicit our help in the spring.’

‘They didn’t even know of the traps being laid for the corsairs.’ Jilseth recalled the barons’ bemusement in Kevil’s marketplace.

‘But they had taken Lord Tallat’s nods and winks to mean they could expect help from Hadrumal,’ Planir reminded her, ‘and his foolish lordship had been encouraged to such boasting by his captain’s hints. The barons will have gone straight home to demand explanations from their captains and sergeants-at-arms. We’ve no idea what Corrain actually promised, to stir the Caladhrian troopers to such boldness.’

Planir shook his head, grim-faced. ‘If Corrain is acting alone, thrusting a pole through the spokes of his cartwheels will be a simple affair. If word is spreading among Caladhria’s barons that magical aid can be bought beyond the Great Forest, we’ll have a very different tangle to bring before the Council of Hadrumal.’

Jilseth nodded slowly. ‘But I won’t be welcome in Halferan, any more than I was last time.’

Planir’s sudden grin lightened the atmosphere of the whole room. ‘Oh, Lady Zurenne will be pouring you iced wine and offering honey cakes once you tell her where that thieving steward, Starrid, is hiding.’

‘Forgive me, Archmage.’ Shock hollowed Jilseth’s stomach. ‘We haven’t found him yet.’

To be accurate, they hadn’t even been looking. Absorbed in the fascinations of quintessential magic, Jilseth hadn’t given the scoundrel a second thought since her return to Hadrumal.

Planir waved her words away. ‘You met the man, didn’t you? You can scry for him from Halferan. He won’t have gone so far away that you’ll need the aid of a nexus; I’ll wager good gold on that.

‘Feel free to work your magic in Lady Zurenne’s presence, or Lord Licanin’s, come to that,’ he added dryly, ‘with as much garish magelight as a first year apprentice. Remind his lordship of the wizardry which he saw in Kevil. The time has come to curb this noble arrogance in Caladhria. We’ll start by reminding them they must still deal with Hadrumal’s Council, as they always have done, whatever bargain they might hope to broker with Solura’s wizards.’

Jilseth swallowed her apprehension. ‘I can certainly scry for Starrid from Hadrumal.’ As long as some of his possessions were lying unnoticed in some corner. ‘It may take some time for Lady Zurenne’s troopers to reach him, once I know where he’s skulking,’ she pointed out. ‘Perhaps longer to recover Halferan’s coin, and Lady Zurenne will want the gold and silver safely back in her own strongroom before she reveals anything of Corrain’s plans.’

‘Bespeak me as soon as you find the rogue.’ There was an ominous glint in Planir’s eye. ‘I’ll deliver him to Halferan bound and gagged before any trooper’s laced his boots. You may hang him by the seat of his breeches from the gatehouse gable to persuade him to spill his secrets.’

‘What if he betrays Minelas for a wizard?’ Jilseth realised she had no idea whether or not the treacherous steward had known his new master’s true nature.

‘Let him blab what he likes.’ Now Planir smiled without a trace of humour. ‘Let Caladhria’s barons learn that they have very good cause to fear any mage not subject to Hadrumal’s authority.’

‘Archmage!’ Tornauld was sitting at the table, keeping watch on their spell. ‘The Soluran wizards have tended their wounded. They’re summoning Corrain and his Forest companion.’

‘Listen close, the three of you.’ Planir gestured at Nolyen, who immediately leaned over the scrying bowl.

‘Hearth Master Kalion’s on his way.’ Merenel hurried back from the doorway and took her seat.

As Jilseth hesitated, the Archmage ushered her towards the stairs. Halting on the threshold, his expression warmed.

‘Before I forget, my congratulations to you all. These spells are a noteworthy achievement and promise new insights into our understanding of elemental essence and interaction. Be ready to demonstrate your working to the Council, as soon as we’ve dealt with this nuisance and can apply ourselves to the proper business of wizardry.’

‘Naturally, Archmage.’

‘We’ll be honoured.’

Jilseth let Merenel and Nolyen speak for her. She had heard the door opening at the bottom of the tower’s steps. Kalion’s voice and Galen’s floated up the stairwell, drowning out the murmurs from the scrying spell.

She had already found this a demanding day, even if success had gone a long way to assuage her weariness after working such intense magic. Now she had to do it all over again with the additional burden of showing Galen the innermost workings of her new spells.

Even if she had the magic to carry herself to Halferan today, Lady Zurenne would have to wait for tomorrow morning before Jilseth could find Starrid for her.

‘Kalion, quietly, I beg you!’ Planir’s bellow reverberated down the stairs.

The Soluran mages’ distant voices drifted through the spell behind them, challenging Corrain to explain himself.

C
HAPTER
T
HIRTY-
O
NE

The Great Forest

8th of Aft-Summer (Caladhrian Parliamentary Almanac)

10th of Lekinar (Soluran calendar)

C
ORRAIN WAS BREATHING
as hard as a man fresh from battle. The sweat beading his forehead owed nothing to the warm day. Even offering these Solurans the briefest summary of Aldabreshin atrocities enraged him. The words had poured from him so fast that he could barely catch his breath.

He forced himself to stop, to allow for some response from the grey bearded mage who’d appeared behind them in the woods. The younger man who’d first been attacked in the clearing had come to summon them to explain themselves, now that the Soluran dead and injured were tended.