Fifthwind (39 page)

"So
even the contacts don't ever get the whole story," mused Ben.

"Usually
not. They might get a nice chunk of knowledge now and then, but they
rarely receive consecutive reports from the same watcher. Plus, their
memory is not nearly as good as mine."

"Amazing,
that you can do this day after day and remember everything you hear."

Mott
smiled again like a grandmother humoring a child. "We each have our
own calling. I've heard what you can do with that sword of yours. A
ghastly talent if you ask me, but there's no denying your skill."

Cobalius
asked again, "Fahd Ektos and Fahd Malbucon, what word have you?"

Mott
paused a moment and toyed with one ear as she recalled the
information she held. "They have discovered an arm of The Magus
Core operating in the port cities of the southern coast. They are
currently investigating in the city of Kinston where the Dark Guild's
influence appears to be strongest. Fahd Ektos has isolated a den of
Warbrides and will move to destroy them within a week's time."

"Warbrides?"
Ben asked.

Cobalius
said, "Witches. Young, female practitioners of magic that are not
nearly as powerful as the sorcerers of The Core, but in numbers, they
can be dangerous. Unfortunately, they are very sympathetic to The
Core's cause and wherever they're found, The Core is almost always
nearby. This is not a good sign."

Cobalius
asked his next question, "What are the goals of The Core in Kishell
Springs?"

Mott
considered the question carefully before answering. "First you must
understand that there has been no word from our watcher in that area
for months. We fear that she has met with a terrible fate. The Core
is constantly trying to identify our watchers. If they were able to
locate myself or one of the other Perceivers and then succeeded in
gleaning the information from our minds..."

Cobalius
quickly finished, "Let's hope that never happens."

Ben
asked, "What was the last report your watcher gave before you lost
contact?"

"A
Kingdom officer had arrived by the name of Haddaway. It seems he may
have accidentally uncovered a plot to use the Gray-folk in that area
to scare away the locals. Whoever was behind it, turned against
Haddaway and made things very difficult for him. Our watcher believed
it was an arrogant and selfish spell-caster seeking power for himself
alone."

"A
renegade Magus operating outside the authority of The Core,"
Cobalius mused.

Ben
asked, "Why would one of their own do this? With the power of The
Core breathing down his back, he couldn't possibly hope to succeed.
Could he?"

Mott
said, "You are aware of the significance of Kishell Springs by now,
I would think. It's unlikely that he could reach the prize first, but
if he does, he will wield power so great, that even The Core would be
unable to stop him."

Cobalius
stood and moved to the back of his chair and squeezed the rich
upholstery. "He would have to bide his time carefully and act at
the last possible moment. If The Magus Core suspected anything at
all, he'd not see another sunset."

Mott
tilted her head from side to side in an undecided manner. "Maybe
yes, maybe no. The Core has done stranger things. I wouldn't put it
past them to have somehow planned it this way."

"Who
is he?" Ben asked. "Did your watcher report an identity?"

"That
was not known at the time of the last report, but our watcher felt
that his arrogance would be his undoing. He is dealing with forces
far greater than he understands. I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you
more on this matter.

Ben
addressed Mott, "Tad Haddaway was killed months ago. Are you sure
there is nothing new since then?"

"Nothing.
I'm sorry. But thank you for the update."

"Does
King Erlich know of any of this?" Ben asked. "Is there any way to
warn him?"

Mott
lowered her head. "Kings and Generals will not hear our whispers.
Nations are only lines on the ground of an invisible map. The land
and its people must be protected, not Tania or Kreggoria, which are
just names of places. Rulers come and go, and lands change names...
but the people must endure."

Cobalius
said, "Based on your last reports, it's possible that The Core
might not have a formal presence in Kishell Springs. I've monitored
activities there myself since Ben's arrival, so if things have not
changed, then I agree that it appears we might only be dealing with
an individual."

Mott
cleared her throat, "Be careful that you do not assume too much.
Change can occur quickly and with little warning. It's been a while
since that last report. By now, much could have happened."

Ben
leaned forward in his chair, but was stopped before he could ask his
next question.

Mott
met his eye and with a simple look that conveyed her heartfelt
understanding, she shook her head with a stern sincerity. "That is
all. I will answer no more questions today. Please, be my guests and
stay for dinner."

Cobalius
leaned forward and kissed the old woman on the cheek. "It was a
pleasure seeing you again. Thank you for what you have offered, but
we must be on our way. If I make it as far as the southern shores, I
will seek out a Perceiver, and send my thanks again."

Mott
patted him on the back and chuckled. "If you make it to the
southern shores, my watchers will inform me long before you locate a
Perceiver. Our channels are fast, and we keep a particularly close
eye on the whereabouts and dealings of the Fahd."

After
a few farewell pleasantries, and a lengthy journey through the
winding maze of passageways between the homes and shops of the
dark-stoned city, Ben found himself back on the streets of Eskerwold.
There was no doubt in his mind that it would be impossible to retrace
his steps and find the home of Mott. Even if he managed to locate the
exact door, something told him it would probably open into a vacant
alley.

It
was cloudy and cold, a weather arrangement that was becoming terribly
redundant. It was mid-morning, and the crowds moving about their
business on the streets were growing. Ben, still draped with the
trappings of a Kreggorian officer, was not feeling as invisible as he
would like. However, it was apparent that Cobalius had no intention
of staying in the city and soon they were heading south through a
sparser collection of small scattered buildings.

Once
they reached the outskirts, Cobalius stopped at a particularly
uninteresting structure and asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Starved,"
Ben said. "I was beginning to think that you declined Mott's offer
of dinner to punish me for asking too many questions."

The
small kitchen had only three tables and no guests. They were able to
get a nice platter of roasted meat and a loaf of bread at a cost not
worth mentioning. Times were hard on this side of the mountain, and
the once busy battlefield cook was happy to earn what he could. The
food was good, but Ben once again had to wash down his meal with a
Tanian ale that left a bitter tang in the back of his throat.

"Mott
is an unusual name," said Ben.

"I
doubt it is her real identity. All the Perceivers have equally
strange names; the only other I've met called herself Yasp."

"Are
they all women?"

Cobalius
said, "The Perceivers are, but the watchers could be anyone. Men,
women, the elderly, or the young. There are even children. The
combined influence of all that knowledge, when applied in the right
way, might surprise you. In fact, The Watchers are responsible for
ending the long war with Kreggoria."

Ben
said, "I wouldn't be one to try and say that we ended it through
strength alone. Everyone knows that it was getting difficult to keep
the effort going and both sides simply tired of fighting. Are you
suggesting that the mutual weakening of spirit was fabricated?"

Cobalius
nodded. "They were once the intelligence gatherers of Tania, but
they grew tired of the endless fighting and political posturing, so
decided to use the information they had amassed to undermine the war
efforts on both sides. No one knows for sure when the Perceivers
infiltrated and took control of the network, but in the end, they
ceased to be a tool of the Empire. It's quite probable that they also
commandeered many of Kreggoria's informants and spies as well and
assimilated them into the vast network that The Watchers are today."

"And
now that the war is over?"

"The
Perceivers are neutral and hide themselves from those who would seek
to regain control of them. Information is a powerful tool that, when
leveraged correctly, can have a substantial impact. They care only
for balance, and they've maintained their network of watchers in
order to keep that balance. The Fahd have developed a special
relationship with them, but they hold true to their principles and
will not always give us the information we want."

Cobalius
added, "She probably knew more about Kishell Springs than she told
us, but too much knowledge in any hand is a dangerous thing. The Fahd
understand this and respect their decisions on what is spoken of, and
what is not."

"She
does know more than she's letting on," Ben said. "Tad died within
a day of my arrival. She knew my name, but did not know of his death.
Her watcher, even if killed, should have known both."

Cobalius
said, "That's very observant of you, but don't get in the habit of
trying to second guess a Perceiver. If she has chosen to withhold
information, then she has done so with extremely careful
consideration of the consequences."

"You
trust them that much?" Ben asked with more than a hint of
skepticism.

"Yes."
Cobalius' answer was unyielding and beyond question.

Ben
really couldn't think of any good reason to doubt Cobalius' stance.
If The Watchers were composed of informants from both sides of the
border, then the internal balance would be easily maintained,
providing that the five Perceivers were truly unbiased. He considered
what Mott had revealed. "Do you think it's true that The Man in
Gray is acting alone?"

"It
doesn't really matter," Cobalius said. "Even if he has abandoned
The Core and is seeking power for his own benefit, The Core would not
be far away. They'll not sit on their hands and watch from a distance
as a traitor toys with things he does not understand. They've waited
too long to risk losing everything now."

"Then,
maybe we're in luck and The Core will stop him."

"The
involvement of The Core can't be seen as a blessing in any light,"
Cobalius corrected. "If it came to that, we'd be better off facing
the Man in Gray alone. The Core hasn't waited a thousand years to
have the rug pulled out from under them. Trust me, they know what's
happening and they're watching closely."

They
finished their meal and then left Eskerwold behind as they headed
south, higher onto the mountain. The two days spent in the city had
been both enlightening and disturbing. He had seen how the other side
lived, and had not expected to find that it was not really much
different than the place he called home. The city of Eskerwold was a
ravaged town that would have a long and unforgiving memory of the
pains of war, just as the many war-tormented towns on Kreggoria's
northern border.

Yet
again, Fahd Cobalius had subjected Ben to lessons he would not soon
forget. Regardless of the color of a uniform, soldiers were soldiers.
They were more alike than they were different.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

The
common room of the Masked Pig housed the last few survivors of the
relentless nightly assaults by the Man in Gray and his horde of
enslaved Murg. The sun had set hours earlier, and night would bring
the next wave.

"Secure
that door!" Mason said as he stormed toward the stairs. "Archers
in every window, observers up top!"

Kyla
came to his side, "There aren't any archers, Mason. We are all that
are left."

Gordo
said, "Why did that coward leave us when things turned bad? If he
was afraid and didn't want to fight, he could have just said so, and
we could have all left for safer havens."

Mason
kept his chin high. "Lieutenant Karr will not forget us. He would
never leave us here to die."

Vincent
laughed, "Say what you want, but it seems that he has done just
that." The old scholar was peering out the front window, and then
quickly closed the shutter and latched it. He said with a cold voice,
"The Man in Gray is coming down the street with a dozen Murg at his
side."

Kyla
balled her fists and marched to the door. "Close and lock the door
behind me. It's time to end this!"

Mason
reached out and grabbed her by the arm. "Don't be ridiculous. There
is nothing you can do."

"Watch
me!" Kyla tore herself free from Mason's grasp, and pulled the door
open. She took a last look back at her father, who only nodded in
surrender, then she marched out onto The Step and immediately started
gathering her power.

Her
hair stood on end, and her face twisted from the strain of containing
the force growing within her. She would unleash whatever power she
could muster in a single blow of absolute destruction aimed at the
cause of their hardships.

The
Man in Gray stopped several yards in front of her and laughed. "Your
power is weak, and your gathering of it is slow. How fitting you
should die before you even have the chance to realize your full
potential."

The
Man in Gray pulled back his hood to reveal a smooth, featureless
face. He raised one menacing hand above his head and gathered an orb
of glowing white energy to him without any difficulty. Without
preamble, he hurled the ball of force at Kyla and it impacted with an
explosion of such force that she was instantly incinerated. Once the
rumble of the attack diminished, only the sinister laughter of her
killer remained.