Legend of the Ravenstone (26 page)

“He has the Ravenstone,” William said. “He took the time to locate it and unearth it. Now he resides in Orecir, and he has been making alliances.”

“A political strategy to gain support,” Arcturus said with a sigh. “Perhaps he wishes to purchase some land, form a treaty, or marry a foreign princess. What does it matter what Emperor Diemh wishes? Politics change the map of our world constantly. He can don any title he wishes, but the idea that one man will rule Secramore is nearly as ludicrous as William’s proposal.”

“Does he want to rule Secramore?” Hawkwing asked. “It is not the Priagent that concerns me.” He looked at the wizard. “And I doubt his ambitions are what concern you.”

William’s mouth twisted in a strange expression as he held his tongue.

Hawkwing glanced at Jinx and Kariayla. “Have you told them what the stone can do?”

“We have discussed the lore,” Arcturus said, dismissive.

“Not entirely,” William admitted, and Arcturus glared at him.

“It has the potential to unravel magic,” Hawkwing said.

“Ya mean like undo spells?” Jinx asked.

“That is one consequence among many,” William said. “If magic can be unraveled, think of what it could do to a being with magic in its blood.” He nodded to Kariayla, Hawkwing, and Arcturus. “It could destroy each and every one of you. That’s why I was hoping Jinx might be willing to carry the stone.”

Jinx bit his lip.

“And I suppose the Ravenstone would be safest in your hands,” Arcturus said to the wizard.

“I respectfully decline,” William said. “It should be taken to Veloria.”

“Then by all means...” Arcturus gestured again to the loom.

“I cannot become involved,” William said tightly.

Arcturus’s ire had stirred again. “Yet you can send others in your stead? Never mind that this is your idea. You are far better suited to the task.”

“He can’t,” Hawkwing said quietly.

Arcturus’s heated stare alternated between them. “More secrets,” he grumbled. “How is it that
you
know so much?”

Hawkwing started to speak, but William was quicker. “I told him about the Watchers, lad. I had to, in hopes that he would accept your company on this mission.”

“Ah, yes, the Gray Watchers. How did I forget?” Arcturus said wryly. He started to pace before the loom.

“Do you know what they’re talkin’ about?” Jinx whispered to Kariayla. She remained speechless, ensnared within the exchange transpiring before them.

“The point is, the Ravenstone must be recovered,” William said. “Without knowing Diemh’s intentions, too much is left to chance.”

“He also has the Prophet and the White Demon at his disposal,” Hawkwing said.

Arcturus stopped pacing and thumped his staff impatiently. “If that is meant to support your cause then—”

“I’m in,” Jinx blurted. He shrugged at the faces around him. “If I get to meet the Prophet and the Demon, then I’ll go. I’m not scared of a rock. I ain’t got no magic.”

“My boy, you do not know what you are saying,” Arcturus said.

“I’m not a boy,” Jinx asserted, puffing out his chest. “I can go if I want to, and I want to help Bill.”

“I hope you are satisfied,” Arcturus snapped at the wizard. “And I believe
you
were conspiring with him this entire time,” he said to Hawkwing. “To conveniently appear when William most needs you.”

“Believe what you will,” Hawkwing said, “but I came back because this danger is real. There is no one else to shoulder this task.”

“
That
is absurd. No one else? No one but three average citizens of Secramore...and one personal spy?”

“There is nothing average about any of you,” Hawkwing said. “But neither I—nor Bill—” he looked sternly at William—“will force upon you this burden.”

Jinx nodded. “I’ve always been just a thief.” He came to stand next to Hawkwing, the reluctant imp unsuccessful at pulling him in the opposite direction. “You don’t gotta go, Ruby. You can stay with Bill. He’ll take good care of you ‘til I come back.”

“You may not come back.” Kariayla, who had been silent until this point, looked up at the thief. “I want to help as much as you do, but we don’t know anything about the Priagent, the Ravenstone, or the Merchants’ Guild. The mission seems dangerous enough for someone who knows what he is doing.” She could feel Hawkwing looking at her, but she refused to look back. “How do we know that we are capable of helping at all? Isn’t there a special authority or group of wizards that can contend with the Priagent and the stone?”

“I am relieved that someone else in this room believes in logic,” Arcturus said. He patted her shoulder.

“Returning to this was not a decision I made lightly,” Hawkwing said. He sat in a chair beside the loom. “No one, save the few in this room and perhaps a couple others, knows about the Ravenstone. The danger in seeking help to obtain an object of considerable power is the temptation of using it for selfish gain. The stone was buried for a reason. The more involvement, the greater the threat. To whom would you turn? Who do you trust?”

Kariayla fell silent.

“I will take the lead,” Hawkwing said. “There are no guarantees, and there are plenty of risks. But for any who choose to follow me, I will do everything in my power to protect you.”

“Like you did on the path in the Plains,” Arcturus said. “Forgive me if I am less than assured.” He turned to Jinx. “James, please reconsider your involvement. I know I have been a stubborn companion, and our opinions have differed along our journey, but I do truly care for your welfare. I do not want to see you sacrifice your life needlessly.”

Jinx said nothing, but gave a slight nod.

Arcturus sighed. “I am finished with this discussion. It should never have happened, and I am disappointed that it has. I hope the two of you will come to your senses, but at the very least, I ask you not to pressure the minds of James and Kariayla with notions of heroism and bravado, lest I hold you personally responsible for the fate that befalls them.” He gave William and Hawkwing a lasting look before he left the room.

~*~

“W
hat is this place, Arcturus?” Kariayla asked. For all appearances, he had brought them to an abandoned shop.

The Markanturian looked over his shoulder before he pushed open the door to allow the companions inside. “Let us just say that it is a retreat where we can talk without certain influences.”

Jinx crouched by the hearth, Ruby at his side. “I’d build us a fire, but there ain’t no wood.”

“I do not intend to be here long, James.” He offered a chair to Kariayla and eased himself into the other. He pulled out his pipe and started to pack it. “The truth of the matter is that my placement of trust in two notable individuals has been shaken. Though I admit that I have never had complete faith in our guide.”

“Before you say more, you gotta know I made up my mind,” Jinx said. Where usually he might have produced his knife to fidget with it, his focus was completely on his companions. “I’m going with Hawkwing.”

“James—”

“Lemme say what I gotta say.” He stood facing Kariayla. “I know we made a pact to stick together, but I kinda feel I gotta do this. I’m sorry, Kariayla.” He ran a hand through his mass of black hair. “I thought about it a lot, and I ain’t done nuthin’ right all my life. Lorth, I’m even a bad thief.” He glanced at Ruby, who remained by the hearth. “Alright, Ruby was the best thing I ever stold, but I can’t ever go back. I can’t go home, either. I got nowhere to go and nuthin’ to do.”

“You can remain with us,” Arcturus said, “and not waste your life needlessly.”

Jinx mustered a smile. “You guys are the first folks to really care about me. Thing is, I want to do something good. Not sayin’ I could be a hero, but if the Deem guy is really dangerous, and I’m the only one who can take the stone, then I wanna do it. If it means gettin’ caught and...well...” He made a gesture across his throat with the knife. “At least I tried to do something right, and Jedinom himself can’t say I didn’t.” A little grin dashed across his scruffy face. “And I do really wanna meet the Demon and the Prophet. I never thought I’d get a chance to do that.”

Arcturus’s smile was a sad one. “I will not attempt to dissuade what your heart has decided, but we will miss your company. I do wish you would join us, for I believe we would seek our own adventures.”

“I know. I’ll miss you guys too. I just gotta ask one thing.”

Arcturus took a deep breath. “Yes, James, we will look after Ruby.”

“Thanks,” he said, his cheeks rosy. “You...um...you ain’t gonna leave before Bill sends us, are you?”

“I am afraid I do not want to tarry in the company of those who have since lost my respect. Kariayla and I will leave in the morning.”

Jinx nodded. “Then I won’t say goodbye yet. I’ll get to see you before you go.”

“Of course,” Arcturus said.

“But what about you? Where are you gonna go?”

Kariayla spoke up. “Arcturus talked about Caspernyanne. Such a grand kingdom would have an equally grand library.” There was no excitement in her voice. “After that, we aren’t sure.”

“Not every adventure is planned in detail,” the Markanturian said, taking a puff from his pipe.

“Guess not,” Jinx said. “Never thought I’d be on any adventure.”

“Do take care of yourself,” Arcturus warned. “I would like to think that our paths could cross again.”

Jinx brightened at the thought. “Yeah, they could.”

There was a knock upon the door, and Arcturus frowned. “Even here we cannot enjoy privacy,” he grumbled. He rose from his chair and opened the door a crack. “What could you possibly have to say that has not been said?” he demanded.

“More of the truth, perhaps,” came William’s voice.

Jinx and Kariayla exchanged a glance. “We should go,” she mouthed, and Jinx nodded.

“No, no—I just need Arcturus,” William said, peering through the crack from outside.

The Markanturian hesitated, then nodded at his companions. “If you will excuse me...” He drew his cloak tighter and headed out into the blustery evening. “I have nothing to say to you, William,” he asserted, pipe between his teeth.

“Then allow me to talk.” The wizard gestured down the path, and the two began to walk. “I realized I approached this in the worst possible way.”

“Hmph!”

“I...er...have no doubt you recall the incident over your staff.” William tapped Whitestar with the brim of his hat.

“That particular ‘incident’ has been at the forefront of my mind,” Arcturus said, “and it is entirely why I do not trust you now. Here we are with another cantalere you covet, and you want someone to retrieve it for you. You had this fever in your eyes when the staff fell into your hands. You were not going to let it go, and what was I to do? I do not know all your secrets, William, but had you not finally relented, I dread to think of the consequences. I will not be placed in that position again. And I certainly will not follow a guide I do not trust. What is especially troubling is that he seems privy to those secrets you keep from me. This secret city and its school...how dull do you think I am? It seems to me that you are not the one in control—that it is you who answers to an unknown superior.”

“You are not far from the truth,” William said, “but you must believe me when I say I cannot elaborate.”

“‘Hawkwing’ knows, does he not?” Arcturus’s dark eyes narrowed upon him as they walked.

“Regretfully so, and Hawkwing knows a great many things that one man alone should not know. He does shoulder a great price for that knowledge.”

Arcturus wore his doubt plainly.

“He is an incredible individual, and I do put many fears to rest with him at the forefront of this mission. It is unfortunate the two of you are at odds, because I had so hoped to have you a part of this.”

“Why?” Arcturus demanded.

“Well,” William said, “for all of Hawkwing’s talents, he is not a politician. Your logic and ability to argue reason excels in much the same way his instincts and intuition are his assets. You will be able to relate to the Priagent in a way no other can. Your knowledge of Secramorian history and magical antiquities will make this venture believable. You are a formidable leader, and as you have told me yourself, nearly rose to office because you had earned the faith and trust of your people.”

“Yes, and instead I was exiled and became a cantankerous old man stuck in a world of Human discrimination. Do not think you can flatter me into this journey. I hold no illusions about my past or my current situation.” He stopped before a bridge so he could lean on the railing and catch his breath.

William studied him as he finally went back to his pipe. “Old and cantankerous though you may be, you are still the feisty Markanturian I met in Mystland all those years ago. And you are my good friend. I mentioned Whitestar for a reason. You saved me from a grave error.”

“Hmph.”

“Think what you will on your role, but I am as ashamed now as I was then that the staff had such a hold over me. But you should realize that the Ravenstone is no less powerful, and it
is
real. I do not want it, and I would not take it if you handed it to me from your pocket. But Priagent Rashir Diemh has the stone, and assuming he knows how to use it, he has no one to stop him from accessing that power. It is because you witnessed my weakness that you know what is at stake here. You can pick and choose what you heed from my words, but deep down, you
know
.”

“And you wish for me to slap him on the wrist and tell him how morally wrong he would be to abuse such power,” Arcturus said, waving the pipe.

“No, that is why you have with you a thief to steal the stone.”

Arcturus made a face. “Children, William! They are children, and they do not know the value of their lives. How can you entice them and believe it just?”

“They are infinitely younger than you, yes,” William said, holding his ground, “but they are not children. The young man is a young man and quite capable of his own decisions. He was making them before you plucked him from the street, and he is learning from them. I have kept nothing from him about his potential role, and he has acknowledged the risks. You are fond of the girl, and you want to protect her, but when you leave this place, what will you do? If you were anyone but a Markanturian and a Nemelorean, you might travel the Link, but you know as well as I do the reality of that dream. From what you have disclosed to me, you have already faced it.”