Darkening Skies (The Hadrumal Crisis) (30 page)

‘Good day, Baron Halferan.’

‘Good day to you, Archmage.’ Corrain bowed. He had silently sworn not to be subservient but this was neither the time nor the place for arrogance.

Plain tables were framed with benches, running down the length of the hall. At the far end, the hall had the customary dais, though this one was raised much higher than Halferan’s. A long table set crossways was backed by tall carved chairs. The Archmage sat in the centre, his seat no more ornate than the rest.

Corrain strode resolute down the length of the hall and he looked up at the wizard.

When they had met before, he could have taken the Archmage for some prosperous market town’s reeve; neatly dressed in black broadcloth doublet and breeches, free of unseemly ostentation.

In this hall of wizardry, the lean-faced man wore a broad-shouldered black velvet mantle over an old fashioned tunic, buttoned high to the throat. Most of the portraits lining the whitewashed walls were dressed in the same style.

Planir leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, his chin on his interlaced fingers. ‘Have you finally come to ask for wizardly aid in rebuilding your manor?’

‘I—’ Corrain hadn’t expected this genial query. ‘No. We wish to rebuild Halferan through our own efforts, my lord.’

Planir raised his brows, dark with no hint of the silver which shaded his temples and beard. ‘Why?’

Corrain answered with swift certainty. ‘To give every man, woman and child a stake in the barony’s future. To teach them all that their surest defence is their neighbour.’

‘Spoken like a true guardsman,’ Planir observed. ‘Then what do you want with me, and why,’ he continued before Corrain could answer, ‘have you spent the time, trouble and coin to come here in person rather than use my gifts to Lady Zurenne and Lady Ilysh to communicate your concerns?’

‘You know that the Mandarkin mage Anskal believes that we are concealing further magic from him.’ Corrain knew his voice betrayed his desperation. He didn’t care. ‘He says that I must hand this magic over or he will come north with a fleet of raiders. That he’ll leave Halferan ruined. I saw what he did to the corsairs and I know that we cannot stand against him. But I have no notion what he wants—’

Corrain couldn’t continue. The appalling recollection of the blind corsair’s trireme burning and his pavilion’s destruction was bad enough. The thought of such violence crushing Halferan’s recovery was too much to bear.

Planir studied him for an interminable moment before speaking.

‘I know what the Mandarkin seeks. He has discovered some stash of ensorcelled artefacts among the corsairs’ loot. He believes that more such treasures remain on the mainland. Unfortunately my gifts to Halferan’s ladies have convinced him that you possess some.’

‘I know nothing of magical trinkets beyond chimney corner stories for children,’ Corrain protested helplessly.

‘Quite so,’ Planir agreed drily. ‘But I doubt that you’ll convince him, especially now that he has discovered there are mageborn among the Aldabreshi, when you swore to him the islanders had no wizards.’

Corrain couldn’t make any sense of that. ‘But the Archipelagans abominate magic.’

‘Indeed. Well now, the last time we met,’ the Archmage continued more briskly, ‘you offered me a bargain, you and Lady Zurenne. Provided we helped you drive away those corsairs, you wouldn’t disgrace Hadrumal. If we refused, then you would tell the world that Master Minelas was a wizard as well as a thieving murderer.

‘Are you offering those same terms?’ he enquired conversationally, ‘for our help in rescuing you from the consequences of your own folly? You went seeking alliance with this wizard, Anskal. You brought him south.’

‘I did.’ The admission left Corrain feeling sick to his stomach. ‘I will submit to whatever punishment which you think fit. Throw me from the top of your tallest tower if you must. As long as you keep Lady Zurenne and Lady Ilysh safe—’ He broke off. ‘Are they safe? I had to leave them to come here. But if I had stayed, I cannot fight this mage—’

‘They are safe and sound,’ the Archmage assured him, ‘though the demesne folk are baffled, my lord baron, to see you abandon rebuilding your manor to go off on some jaunt without so much as your household guard troop.’

Planir leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. ‘Please, continue with your demands. I see you have more to ask of me, even though you claim you’re not offering me terms.’

‘I ask nothing for myself,’ Corrain insisted. ‘But there was a lad taken captive with me and he’s still a slave on that corsair island. I swear by all that’s holy I would have brought him away with me if I could. I thought he must surely be dead but now Anskal says he’ll return him to us if we surrender what he seeks. So we know that he’s alive. But we have no magic to give him,’ he protested. ‘Since he doesn’t believe us, he will surely kill the lad and he is innocent of all my follies, my lord.’

‘So you wish me to save the boy, though you’re making no demands?’ Planir’s eyes flicked past Corrain towards the back of the hall. ‘Nolyen? You have a question?’

‘When the Mandarkin mage, this Anskal, came to threaten Lady Zurenne, did he say anything to suggest what he might intend, once he has gathered these ensorcelled trinkets together?’

Corrain turned to look at the Caladhrian wizard, hearing frustration and apprehension equal to his own.

‘No.’ He shook his head, so desperately wishing he could say something else.

‘It is for us to discover what the Mandarkin intends.’ Planir laid his hands flat on the table. ‘It is for you to make amends for your arrogance and your defiance,’ he told Corrain ominously, ‘and to lessen the burdens which Hadrumal now has to bear as a consequence of your follies.’

Corrain braced himself. ‘Tell me what I must do.’

The Archmage leaned forward, folding his hands together. His ring snagged the edge of a sunbeam, throwing out a flash of light to dazzle Corrain. ‘You must go to Solura.’

‘What?’ That made Corrain blink a second time. Whatever he had expected, of all the possibilities which he had debated with himself on the road and onboard ship, he had never envisaged this.

‘You will go to Solura,’ Planir repeated. ‘You will find your erstwhile ally, the Forest born lad, who escaped from the corsairs with you. Kusint, wasn’t that his name?’

‘Yes, but my lord—’ Corrain protested. ‘He and I parted as enemies. He told me not to strike a deal with the Mandarkin.’ Regret strangled that admission.

‘Then you will find him and humbly beg his pardon and tell him that he was right,’ Planir said relentlessly. ‘Then you will go and find those mages of the Order of Fornet whom you also so grievously offended and you will admit your guilt to them. You will submit to whatever punishment they decree for you. That may well cost you a flogging but as long as you tell them you’re under my protection, it won’t cost you your head.’

‘I—’ Corrain stared at the Archmage. ‘Why—?’

‘Kusint can bear witness that you did all this alone, without my knowledge or agreement. The wizards of Solura have friends among those adept with aetheric magic, who use it in the Soluran king’s service. Artifice will prove the truth of whatever you tell them. I recommend you do not lie,’ Planir advised, his tone cutting. ‘You have significant amends to make for the strife which your foolishness has caused between ourselves and the wizards of Solura.

‘Once you have convinced the Elders of Fornet that you alone are responsible for bringing this Mandarkin wizard southwards,’ the Archmage continued, implacable, ‘you will present my compliments to them and ask on my behalf, for whatever lore they or the Elders of other Soluran Orders might care to share about the ensorcelling of artefacts. I am particularly interested to learn if they know why this mage Anskal might find such things so intriguing. We will be indebted to them for any spells they may have for drawing the sting from such things. Do I make myself clear? Do you have any questions?’

‘My lord,’ Corrain protested. ‘It took me the whole of For-Summer to reach Solura. I have no notion where to find Kusint. Who knows how long it could take me to track him down—’

Planir burst out laughing. Corrain reddened with furious humiliation as he realised an instant too late what the Archmage would say.

‘I can send you there between one breath and the next,’ Planir assured him, ‘and we can help you find Kusint. We were following your journey this summer with keen interest, weren’t we, Nolyen?’ He glanced over Corrain’s head again.

‘You followed us?’ Corrain looked around at the young wizard, disbelieving. Then he recalled Planir’s earlier words. ‘You say that you know what the Mandarkin has found among the corsair loot? You’re watching him by means of some spell? Along with my lady Zurenne and her daughters?’

‘Holding true to our edicts means that we do not intervene in mainland warfare,’ the Archmage said, steely-eyed. ‘That does not mean we do not observe and make ready to act in case our own interests demand it. Let us hope that we can deal with this Mandarkin before he causes too much commotion amongst the Archipelagans. Let us hope that you can secure the Solurans’ forgiveness, so they will share the lore that will help us to safeguard Lady Zurenne and Lady Ilysh.’

Standing beneath the Archmage’s withering gaze, Corrain felt a chill run down his spine. He raised his chin to answer the Archmage.

‘I will go to Solura. I will admit my folly. I will take whatever punishment comes my way. I will do my utmost to return with the lore that you seek.’ But he wasn’t ready to surrender completely. Not yet. ‘If you’re keeping watch on Anskal, surely you can rescue Hosh? I can tell you what he looks like. I can tell you which galley we were chained in, which oar.’

‘I’m sorry.’ For the first time, Planir’s expression softened. ‘There would be no surer way of letting Anskal know that we are watching him, for us to pluck your friend from his grasp.’

Corrain wanted to argue but he could see that there was no point. Worse, he couldn’t argue with the Archmage’s reasoning. Antagonise Anskal and the consequences for Halferan could be deadly.

‘We can warn the Mandarkin off any more visits to Caladhria without making our interest so obvious,’ the Archmage offered. ‘Allow us to help rebuild Halferan Manor. That will explain a mage’s presence and whatever Anskal has planned, he won’t draw attention to himself by challenging one of our own directly. Not yet.’

Once again, the Archmage glanced over his head. Corrain had no doubt that Planir knew far more than he was telling. So how much did the Caladhrian wizard Nolyen know and was there any way to get anything useful out of him?

Planir looked back at Corrain. ‘Is that agreeable? Then you can be certain that Lady Zurenne and Lady Ilysh will be safe while you are in Solura.’

He nodded and the Archmage smiled with austere satisfaction.

‘Nolyen will see you to an overnight lodging. We will find Kusint and send you on your way to meet him tomorrow morning.’

Corrain shook his head. ‘Can you send him a letter from me? Send me somewhere for him to come and find me? If he chooses not to answer, I will find these Elders on my own, I swear it.’

He owed Kusint that much; the chance to throw that letter in a fire and walk away without a backward glance.

Planir pursed his lips. ‘If that’s what you think best.’

‘I do, my lord.’ Corrain bowed to the Archmage and turned to follow the Caladhrian mage out of the hall, leaving Planir seated at his high table.

Despite the daunting prospect of an unforeseen journey back to Solura, Corrain felt unexpectedly relieved. He had always been used to following orders, albeit allowing for his tendency to interpret such orders as he saw fit, to secure the best outcome. Though he had better curb any such impulse to unsanctioned deeds on this journey.

As they went down the outer steps, Corrain tallied up the roll of these unexpected runes. Not be able to bring Hosh safe home was a bitter blow. The reverse of that loss was knowing that Halferan would be guarded by a wizard, keeping Zurenne and Ilysh safe from that Mandarkin bastard’s malice.

Aye and Halferan Manor would be restored all the faster, maybe before the worst winter weather. Though Corrain would need to explain this about-turn to Zurenne and young Lysha would be insufferably smug to think that she had got her own way.

‘Master Nolyen?’ Corrain halted as the younger wizard turned, his amiable face expectant.

‘Is there some way for me to send a message to my lady, to let her know what’s passed between me and the Archmage? I should let her know that I won’t be back for some while, and that she can expect Hadrumal’s help with the rebuilding.’

Corrain guessed that Planir would send the magewoman Jilseth. She was a proven friend to Halferan and her magic was rooted in stone and earth. Who better to offer such assistance? And it would be far more seemly for a lady wizard to keep Halferan’s ladies company while the manor’s lord was away.

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