Binding Spell (Tales of the Latter Kingdoms) (24 page)

If, of course, Maldis allowed us such a peaceful future. I still did not want to think of what he had planned for Ulias, planned for all of us.

“You are very quiet, my lady,” Beranne said.

“Am I?” I lifted my shoulders beneath my heavy cloak. Since I knew I could not tell her what truly troubled me, I added, “I suppose I was thinking of winter here. It is so very bleak.”

Her gaze was curious. “Is it true that it never snows in the South? That the grass grows all winter?”

“I had never seen snow before I came here. It is beautiful, I suppose, but I had never dreamed there could be cold like this. Ah, well, I suppose I shall get used to it sooner or later.”

Her lips parted as she began to reply, but then the door to the castle opened, and I saw Althan peering outside, shielding his eyes with one hand.

“Ah, my lady, there you are. One of the maids said she saw you passing this way. His lordship would speak with you.”

At once my heart began to beat faster in my breast. Such a summons could only mean that the men had returned from the scouting party. “Of course, Althan. I will come at once.”

Whether my haste to follow him was purely born of a desire to hear what Kadar had to say, or whether I was simply glad of reason to be out of the cold, I did not know for sure. But I hurried after him, Beranne puffing along in my wake, as he led me through the castle’s corridors and on into a small chamber to one side of the Hall of Grievances where I knew Kadar sometimes had private counsel with some of his nobles.

Today, though, he stood there alone, frowning as he watched me enter. That frown deepened as his gaze rested on Beranne.

“Althan, please see that my wife’s companion returns to our chambers to await her.”

“Of course, my lord.” Althan bowed, and Beranne took her cue as well, curtseying before she turned and left. Another bow, and then Althan shut the door behind him.

I had already guessed from Kadar’s expression that things had not gone well, but I still asked, “And what news from the search party?”

“No news.” He came toward me and took my hands in his. I still wore my gloves, but even through the thin leather I could feel the chill of his fingers. “That is, they saw nothing at first, no footprints in the snow, no evidence that anyone had been near either of the warehouses recently. This emboldened them enough to inspect the premises more closely, even though I had told them not to go in too close. But it appears our caution was unwarranted, for while they found some remains of what looked like a vagrants’ camp, left there from the summer, there was no sign of anyone having been there any time since then.”

“Perhaps,” I said, considering. “Or perhaps Maldis only wanted them to think that. I have read that in days past some mages were masters of illusion, and could trick a person into thinking something was there when it was not.”

“Or vice versa?”

“Possibly.” Once again I fought frustration as I thought of all the knowledge that had been lost, all the thousand and one ways magic could be used and which now were only vague tales and legends passed down in secret through the years. “The problem is that I have no way of knowing whether Maldis is capable of creating such illusions.”

“Is Ulias?”

Kadar’s question chilled me. The thought of that gentle user of magic being forced to cast spells for the foul Maldis struck cold through my heart. When I spoke, it was slowly, as I dragged forth words I really did not want to say aloud. “Perhaps. Again, I cannot say for sure. That is, he is capable of great workings of magic, and a simple illusion should be well within his abilities. What I do not know yet is whether he is so far gone that he would allow himself to be used in such a way.”

His fingers tightened around mine. “Let us hope it has not come to that.”

“I can only hope that as well. However, that does not address the core of our problem, which is that we still have no idea where Ulias is. The warehouses could be hidden by some kind of illusion, or they could simply be exactly what they appear to be: two burned-out, empty buildings. And if that is the case, then we are back at the beginning, with no idea of where to look next.”

“It would seem that we must check the warehouses again, guarding against illusion this time.”

“To what point?” I asked wearily. “If Maldis is really protecting them in such a way, then he already knows we have guessed where he might be, and will either have moved his base once again, or at least will be waiting for us. Any element of surprise would be gone.”

A moment of silence then, as Kadar appeared to consider my words. “It would seem that you are determined to be defeated.”

“No,” I replied. “But I am trying to be practical. False hope will only wear me down that much more.”

No answer, but he took me in his arms and held me a long while, the warmth of his body finally helping to dispel some of the chill that seemed to have settled in my bones. His voice came at my ear. “Do not despair, my love. For I know that if we have managed to come together like this, then anything is possible.”

I wanted to believe him. For his sake, I would try.

O
f course
we could not stay together that afternoon. He had matters to attend to — he wished to take advantage of the clear day to walk the properties intended for the new exchange, and to meet with his stonemasons and carpenters — and I had my own minor domestic tasks to attend to as well. Midwinter was approaching, with its attendant feasts, and I guessed Althan had put a word in the ear of the head cook, who wished to meet with me to discuss the menu.

Trivial concerns, compared to what confronted us, but we had to put on our public faces while we wrestled with our private problems. There was no one else in the kingdom who could assist us in tracking down Maldis. Well, unless I somehow managed to summon the other mage-born in the land, although I wasn’t sure what good that would do. I guessed that none of them were trained for this sort of thing.

Come to think of it, neither was I. Not really.

But Ulias had said I was a Protector, and so I must carry within me somehow the seeds of Maldis’ doom. I would only have to discover what they were, and hope it wasn’t too late.

I had never met Lander, the cook, before and had somehow envisaged a round, comfortable sort, a male counterpart to Beranne, as it were. In direct contradiction to my imaginings, he was tall and thin, and appeared to have indulged very little in the toothsome offerings of his kitchen.

But his blue eyes were kind, and he even went so far as to inquire whether there were any particular dishes served in my homeland that he might also prepare for the feast here, if the ingredients could be brought to hand. A savory fish stew was a favorite of mine, but that would not work, as the main components were saltwater fish and a particular crab found only in the waters off South Eredor. However, I also enjoyed a certain type of iced cake, and after I described it to Lander, he nodded and said he thought he could make something similar.

I had just thanked him and risen from my seat when a wave of blackness, of crushing agony, passed over me. An incoherent cry wrenched itself from my throat, and I fell to my knees, shuddering as I attempted to draw breath, to force my lungs to keep from collapsing as that weight pressed down on me, heavy as if a mountain had just collapsed upon me. From somewhere within that cocoon of black soul-seizing pain I heard a clamor of voices, felt arms reach out to catch me just as I collapsed, the world spinning, everything around me turning to darkness, blacker than the space between the stars, deeper than the deepest ocean.

And then it was gone, and I was left with blessed nothingness.

“
M
y lady
.
My lady
!”

My eyelids opened against what seemed to be blazing brightness, although I saw after I blinked a few times that it was only the last wan daylight coming in through the chamber’s one window. Lander knelt over me, and Beranne had appeared from somewhere as well, hovering nervously behind the cook’s lean shoulder, her own face robbed of its customary apple-cheeked flush. It was she who had spoken.

Lander asked, “Can you sit up, my lady?”

A question I would have to ponder for a bit. I lay there, staring up at the dark-beamed ceiling, feeling as if every bone and muscle in my body had been pounded with cudgels. What on earth…?

And where the pain had been, a vast gaping emptiness. I realized then what that wave of agony was. Ulias, having the last of his lifeblood stolen from him. Ulias, being torn from this earth, and with that tearing, the connection between our minds torn away as well.

God
…

Somehow I pushed myself upright. The room spun around me, and I gritted my teeth. This was no time for weakness. For if Ulias had met such an end, it could mean only one thing.

Maldis had finally stolen the last of his powers. For what fell purpose, I did not know, but I did know that I could not lie there like some weak-kneed female, not when that foul sorcerer had just given himself powers beyond those of any living user of magic.

“A hand, if you would, Lander,” I said, in tones falsely firm.

He shot Beranne a dubious glance, and she gave the barest of nods. Apparently that reassured him enough for him to extend his hand to me, so that I might use it to pull myself to my feet. My limbs did feel far shakier than I would have wished, and I wondered how long the aftereffects of that blast of psychic anguish would remain with me.

Oh, how I wished it were Kadar who was with me now, who offered a solicitous arm to lead me back to my chambers. He could not have felt the torment of Ulias’ passing, and for that I envied my husband. At least he would have an hour or so more of blissful ignorance before he learned of this latest disastrous development.

The walk back to my apartments felt longer than it ever had, but eventually I reached those familiar, welcoming rooms, thanked Lander for his assistance even as Beranne bustled about, stirring up the fire, fetching a fur lap robe for me. The cook left then, looking both worried and mystified, but of course I could not have offered him an explanation remotely resembling the truth. What he must think — and the rest of the castle’s denizens, for I was sure word would spread soon enough — after yet another fainting spell on my part, I didn’t want to know.

Beranne fussed a bit more, then said, “My lady, what should I fetch for you? Some broth, or some mulled wine?”

“Wine,” I replied at once. Perhaps it was not the best idea in the world to be blurring my thoughts with alcohol, but at the moment I guessed I could do with having the edges worn down a bit. Anything to blunt the echoes of pain still shivering through my mind.

She murmured her assent and departed, and I leaned over then, burying my face in my hands as I wept. Dreadful enough to lose Ulias when I had just barely found him, when we had so much more to learn about one another, but to know he had lost his life in such a terrible way only made the pain that much worse.

I felt a cold little nose push itself against my hand as it lay limply on the edge of the chair. Tresi sat there at my knee, her dark eyes staring up at me imploringly. Reaching down, I let my fingers run through her long, soft fur, taking some comfort from her presence, from her instinctive understanding that I needed reassurance just then.

“Good dog,” I whispered, my voice cracking with tears.

A little push of her head against my hand, as if she wanted to make sure I knew she was still there, that I wasn’t alone. I sat there, stroking her, willing myself to breathe, until Beranne returned with a goblet of mulled wine.

I took it from her gratefully as Tresi settled down near my feet. As I sipped the wine, the warm liquid seemed to dispel some of the iciness at the core of my body, but it did little to rid me of the overwhelming sense of loss…or to quell my growing fear as to what Maldis planned to do with the power he had just acquired.

“Any news of the Mark?” I asked.

Beranne shot me a surprised glance. “Why, no, my lady. That is, Althan said he had gone to the site of the new exchange with two of his engineers, and should be back in time for supper. And as it grows dark, I am guessing he will be returning soon enough.”

It grows dark, indeed
, I thought, but of course I did not say such a thing out loud. Attempting to explain the reason for my fainting spell would no doubt frighten her far more than the original swoon ever had. I was glad of her presence, but what I really wanted was for Kadar to be there so he could put his arms around me, so I could take some comfort from his strength, even though I knew that strength counted for very little when measured against the power Maldis now possessed.

And though Beranne’s eyes burned with questions, I told her nothing, only made a brief comment about being overtired. At that her mouth twitched, and I guessed again that Narenna had been telling tales.

How I wished it were simply a night of vigorous love-making that had me weary enough to faint.

I finished my wine in silence, then handed the goblet to Beranne and told her I wished to be alone for a while. Truly, it was more that I had grown weary of not meeting her eyes, of avoiding the questions I knew she wished to ask. Besides, Tresi would keep me company well enough until Kadar returned.

So my maid took the goblet and left, although not without a reproachful backward glance. The ensuing silence did seem rather overwhelming, but I reached down and patted Tresi on the head again, then settled myself on the divan and tried not to stare overlong at the darkness gathering outside the windows. Surely Kadar should be back by now.

Perhaps it was the wine, or simply the soul-weariness that had come upon me with the realization of Ulias’ passing, but I actually fell into a light doze, my cheek resting on one arm of the divan. I skirted only the edges of true sleep, but my mind was fogged enough that it took me a second or two to realize the door had opened, and Kadar had entered the room.

I pushed myself upright and began to smile. But then I realized the odd sound at the edge of my hearing was Tresi growling. Puzzled, I glanced down to where she had been resting near my feet, and saw that she looked toward Kadar, small white wolfish teeth bared as her snout wrinkled.