Fifthwind (38 page)

"How—"
Ben started.

Mott
held up her hand to silence Ben, but kept her eyes on Cobalius. "They
always ask that the first time they meet me. I can remember when Fahd
Arineptus first brought you before me Cobalius. You were like a lost
child."

Cobalius
smiled and tried his best to wiggle out of the image she had just
painted. He turned to Ben and said, "Mott is a Perceiver. There is
little that happens in this world that she doesn't know about. Her
eyes reach far."

"A
seer?" Ben nodded, "There were some in the west that were quite
good. A few have even foreseen things that have truly come to pass."

Mott
laughed, "Not a seer, young man. A watcher."

Cobalius
elaborated, "She's not a palm reader. She is part of a network of
dedicated watchers. Her eyes are those of many hundreds of observers
scattered throughout the Kingdoms. Her perfect memory allows her to
recall every report she has ever received. She is one of only five
Perceivers, and a friend of The Fahd."

Ben
tried again, "Spies?"

Mott
waved off the comment. "Close enough. Now what brings you to
Mother's doorstep?"

"We
need information regarding the movement of The Magus Core in the
Eastern Realm," Cobalius said. "Events are accelerating, they no
longer hide as they once did."

Mott
turned for the door and motioned for the two men to follow. The
chamber on the other side was dry and well lit. Woven rugs covered an
intricately patterned wooden floor. Tall shelves housing neatly bound
books lined one wall and a comfortable looking sitting area made up
the rest of the space. All was lit by elegant bronze wall sconces
that flickered odd blue-tinted flames against tapestried walls of
deep reds and bright yellows. There were two chairs with fur throws,
and a low padded bench upholstered with dark brown leather. She sat
in one of the chairs, signaling for Ben to take the bench, which left
the other chair for Cobalius.

Mott
reached for a kettle on a side table and poured a steaming cup of
something that she handed to Cobalius. She then poured a cup for
herself and leaned into the soft padded arm of the chair. She glanced
briefly at Ben but offered him nothing. She turned her gaze again to
Cobalius and said in an apathetic tone, "You know I can't give you
any information in his presence until he has been tested?"

"I
am aware of that."

"Is
he prepared for the ordeal?" Mott said ominously.

"That
is his choice."

Mott
set her cup aside and stood from her chair. She walked a short
distance to a bookshelf and stepped up on a footstool to reach a
higher shelf. There, she moved a few books aside to reveal a small
ornate box. She carefully held it in both hands and returned to her
chair. She leaned forward and looked at Ben as if trying to see
something in his eyes.

"In
this box, Bennick Karr, is the Culling Stone. It will tell me if you
are worthy to hear the things Fahd Cobalius has asked of me. When
placed over a man's heart, it has the ability to read his deepest,
most heartfelt needs and desires. If you are not pure of spirit, not
dedicated to the cause of defending the weak, not of virtuous moral
fiber... this stone will know. Only if you prove to be worthy will
you be allowed to hear the secrets I have to share."

Ben
asked, "How does the stone speak to you of its findings?"

"Simple,"
she said. "If you live through the experience you have passed. If
the stone burns white with anger and consumes you, then you have
failed."

Ben
looked at Cobalius, searching for a sign that this was a joke, but
found nothing but a serious expression. He had experienced many
things in the last several weeks that told him that such things could
potentially exist. Was it possible that a stone could read a man's
heart and, if displeased with what it saw, punish him? Ben looked
again to Cobalius for any trace of assurance. "You have done this?"

Fahd
Cobalius nodded.

Mott
slowly opened the box to reveal the stone inside. It was a small
black rock no different than any other he had seen. It rested snugly
in a red-velvet cushion like an expensive piece of jewelry. The old
woman used a small square of silk to remove the stone from its
container, being very careful not to touch it.

She
held it out for Ben to see it better. "Only if you choose..."

Ben
swallowed hard. "Failure means death?"

"Usually,
though a few have survived with only horrible disfigurement. Perhaps
the stone went easy on them, perhaps they were just lucky."

He
had never faced an analysis like this before. He had been tested of
his physical capabilities and quizzed on his knowledge of strategic
and tactical warfare, but never had he been subjected to scrutiny of
his deepest self. He faced a stone that would judge his inner-most
character; a tool that could see that which only he himself knew. The
secrets, the fears, the emotions and struggles...

Ben
caught himself and felt a little silly weighing the thoughts. He had
always taken great pride in his behavior and in the choices he made.
He had his fears and doubts like any man, but he never allowed
himself to be ruled by them. If the rock could not find the goodness
in him, then even he did not know his own heart.

Without
a word, Ben laid back on the bench and opened his shirt to expose his
chest. Quietly, he awaited the judgment of the Culling Stone. His
breathing was rapid and his pulse quickened, but he was confident
that he could pass the test. Cobalius would not have brought him here
otherwise.

He
hoped.

Mott
said, "Hold him down by the shoulders, Cobalius. If he burns, I
don't want him running around in here setting fire to my things."

Cobalius
moved to a spot where he could firmly grip Ben's shoulders and hold
him in place. Then, Mott slowly moved the stone over Ben's chest. She
started to lower it to his exposed skin, but hesitated with a
trembling hand.

She
looked at Ben and said, "No matter what happens, please try not to
scream. I've had to hear too many men die. I don't know if my old
ears can bear that again."

Ben
tightened his jaw and nodded once.

Mott
tried her best to smile and looked up at Cobalius who pressed firmly
down on Ben's shoulders and indicated that he was ready. With a
saddened expression, she pulled back the corners of the silk wrap and
delicately placed the stone on Ben's bare skin.

She
staggered back as if she expected it to leap back at her and wanted
to put some distance between her and it. Cobalius, too, let go of Ben
as if she had just thrown wet dough in boiling oil, and took several
steps back.

Mott
screamed, "I said to hold him!"

Cobalius
looked at his hands and then at her. Then they both looked at the
stone on Ben's chest and then finally at Ben. She scurried up to
Ben's side and looked him in his eyes. She almost instantly smiled.
"You didn't even flinch!"

Mott
picked up the stone and tossed it to Cobalius. "Throw that back in
the street when we're done here. You've found yourself a man who is
very sure of himself to serve as your apprentice. What will his name
be?"

"Fahd
Morbis," Cobalius said, tossing the rock from one hand to the
other. "I think the box was a nice touch this time. It made the
rock seem more special somehow. You almost had me believing you
again, just like I did when I faced the Culling Stone for the first
time."

Ben
let out the breath he had been holding and with shaking hands, he
closed his shirt. He took a moment to stare up at the ceiling while
he calmed his nerves and then slowly sat up and swung his legs off
the side of the bench. With his back to Cobalius and Mott, he closed
his eyes and said a silent prayer to any god or goddess that might be
close enough to hear. He was not a man of faith, but he did not
really care at the moment.

It
had all been a charade. He had never been in any real danger. He
considered what his reaction to the episode should be, and concluded
that there was no reason to be embarrassed. The test was meant to
gauge his inner worth, and who better to know what terrible secrets
are within a man's soul than the man himself. The game had been
effective. Anyone committed to less than a virtuous life would have
never taken the test, given the foreboding threat of a horrific
death.

He
turned around at last and said, "Am I to understand that I have
passed?"

Mott
grinned, "Brilliantly!"

"You
have impressed me today, Ben." Cobalius said and returned to his
seat.

Mott
also sat and waited for Ben to get comfortable. She poured him a cup
of tea and laced her fingers over her lap. "As you suspected, I am
part of a large network of information gatherers. You could call us
spies, though I find that description distasteful. We gather
knowledge for the purpose of bringing peace and balance, and not for
wealth, power or any other personal gain."

"But
why withhold what you know?" Ben asked.

"We
operate silently and for our own purposes, and we will never provide
information that would upset the balance, be that the balance of
business or the business of war. We see every underhanded business
deal and every unsavory handshake in the dim places of the world. No
plays are made or deals struck without our knowing. We can steer
events and control outcomes by supplying information to the right
recipients at the right time, but we do not engage in political
games. Kings and generals will never hear our whispers."

Cobalius
said, "Perceiver, I'm in need of your help."

Mott
winked at Ben and thumbed toward Cobalius. "When he gets formal
like that, I know it must be serious." She turned back to Cobalius
and said, "Of course you are, or else you would not have come."

Cobalius
said, "What news have you of Fahd Ektos and Fahd Malbucon?"

Mott
sighed and stood up, motioning for the two men to do the same. "Come
with me."

CHAPTER THIRTY

Mott
moved to the bookshelf and pushed gently on one side, swinging it
open into a hallway that was concealed behind. She motioned for Ben
and Cobalius to follow and they stepped through. On the other side,
the passage was well lit and carpeted with intricately woven rugs
over a polished marble floor. The hallway ran for only a short
distance until it came to the foot of a gracefully winding staircase
that led upwards one level.

Mott
gripped the banister and slowly worked her aged legs one step at a
time until she reached the top. "It's getting harder to do that
with each passing year. Soon, I might have to have an assistant greet
my visitors downstairs on my behalf."

Cobalius
steadied her by the hand until she was sure of her footing. "You've
earned that privilege I should think. With all that you and the other
Perceivers have done over the years, you should be allowed as much."

"But
then I'd just get lazy and wind up dead sooner, rather than later."

They
had entered a vast parlor from a small nondescript alcove in the
rear. The richness of marble tiles and the craftsmanship of the
artisan chiseled columns rivaled that of the King's Court. Ben had
not expected to find such a warm and inviting residence anywhere in
the blackened city of Eskerwold. Surely such a place was completely
hidden or disguised from the outside.

As
soon as Mott made her appearance, a messenger raced up and whispered
a short report into her ear and then scurried away as quickly as he
had come. Another few steps into the room, and another did the same.
Mott paused and intently listened to each with her full attention
before moving on.

"Come
with me to my sitting room," Mott said, "and I'll do my best to
answer your question about your associates, Ektos and Malbucon. We
will not be disturbed there for a time."

Ben
followed behind Mott and Cobalius to a large double door flanked on
either side by uniformed guards. He did not recognize the emblem they
bore on their green and brown tunics, and wondered if such a service
existed on the Kingdom side of the mountains. Just before entering,
another messenger trotted up and spoke briefly to Mott who nodded her
appreciation and sent the runner away.

Mott
spoke to one of the guards as she moved through the doors. "I'm not
to be disturbed until dinner."

"Yes,
Perceiver!" the guard snapped with all the discipline of a Palace
Guardsman.

The
three passed into a small, comfortably furnished room and the doors
were closed behind. The room was similarly decorated as the one that
they had just left behind in the basement level, but was warmer and
had a table that offered a variety of fresh breads, fruit and meat.
If this were meant as a prelude to dinner, then Ben looked forward to
the main course. Mott noticed his interest in the food and smiled.
"Help yourself, I kept you waiting down in the damp long enough to
know that you must be hungry. Eat what you want, but save room for
later."

Ben
could not shake the feeling that he was visiting some long-lost
wealthy aunt in an exquisite estate. He had never had such a
relative, but he truly felt at ease in the hospitable home of this
host. He quickly gathered a few morsels onto a napkin and joined Mott
and Cobalius near the fire where several chairs were arranged.

Ben
settled into a chair and between bites said, "Those messengers who
spoke with you on the way in... were those the watchers you spoke
of?"

Mott
said, "No, they are contacts that receive the reports from our
watchers and convey the messages to me." She chuckled softly, "I
receive hundreds of pieces of information each day, and combine them
in this head of mine with the things I learned yesterday. Sooner or
later, the random snippets start to paint a picture."