Night of Madness (51 page)

“And about time she did,” Nerra said. “She spent most of the last year sitting around complaining how bored she is.”

“I wonder why Uncle Faran didn't make it a point to look for an apprenticeship for her, then. I mean, I know she wanted to be a magician, and of course he wouldn't allow that, but surely he could have asked the other lords or found her a respectable trade somewhere.”

Nerra looked up at him, startled. “You really don't know why she wouldn't take an apprenticeship in the Palace?”

Hanner's puzzlement was obvious. “Should I?”

“Yes, you should. Sometimes, Hanner, you can be blind. She didn't want to stay that close to Uncle Faran for the rest of her life, where he would try to run everything she did.”

“Oh,” Hanner said. “But then, couldn't he have found her a respectable apprenticeship somewhere else?”

“Uncle Faran didn't want the distraction,” Nerra said. “And he wanted to keep her around so he could marry her off to Lord Ederd's son, so she'd wind up the mother of an overlord.”

“I heard him suggest that,” Hanner admitted. “In fact, I knew he wanted to arrange good marriages for both of you, but I didn't realize he was that determined—or that you didn't like the idea.” He frowned. “Ederd the Younger is only a year younger than I am.” He glanced at Nerra. “Why didn't he try to marry
you
off to him?”

“He did,” Nerra said. “Remember when we sailed to Ethshar of the Sands last year? But so far we weren't cooperating, Ederd and I, so he wanted Alris as his last resort.”

“Then what did he plan for you, if Alris married Ederd?”

“I was to marry a high-ranking wizard, so I could be his spy in the Guild.” She grimaced. “I hate wizards.”

That sounded very like Uncle Faran.

“So what do you plan to do now?” Hanner asked. “Alris found an apprenticeship, but you're already eighteen—
you
can't do that.”

“Oh, I expect I'll marry someone,” she replied. “I don't have anyone in mind yet, but I have someone playing matchmaker.” They had reached the end of the corridor; Nerra opened the door at the end, and they stepped through it, out into the central hallway.

“Who's your matchmaker?” Hanner asked. “Perhaps I could help…”

“She is,” Nerra said, pointing.

Hanner turned and saw Mavi standing near the entryway, silhouetted in the light.

She was more beautiful than he remembered. He instantly forgot about Nerra and hurried toward her, leaving his sister laughing at his back.

Mavi heard his approaching footsteps and turned; she recognized Hanner, and her face lit in a shy smile.

Hanner was overwhelmed by the sight of that smile; he had feared she would frown or turn away.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hello,” Hanner replied, stopping a respectful distance away, unsure of his reception. She seemed happy to see him, but he still remembered the look on her face when he admitted that he was a warlock.

Mavi's next words dispelled some of his remaining concern. “I missed you,” she said.

Hanner made a happy, wordless noise of agreement.

Mavi stepped toward him. “You know, Hanner, I think I'm getting over my aversion to warlocks,” she said. “You and your Council have really done an amazing job of making them respectable.”

Hanner smiled broadly and took her hand; she did not pull away.

“We could make
you
a warlock,” he said.

She laughed. “I'm not
that
fond of warlocks!”

Then she stepped into his arms and added, “Yet.”

Epilogue

It was later established, by a commission of scholars appointed jointly by the overlords of the Hegemony of the Three Ethshars, that the creation of the warlocks began four hours and eighteen minutes after sunset on the fourth day of Summerheat in the Year of Human Speech 5202.

This seemed to hold true throughout the inhabited World; the nightmares did not arrive any sooner in Aldagmor than in the farthest corners of the Small Kingdoms, nor did those who later became powerful warlocks receive them a moment earlier or later than those who never again showed any sensitivity to this new sort of magic. Everywhere, and for everyone, the dreams and the magic came at the same instant.

In Ethshar of the Spices the final count of persons reported missing on or immediately after the Night of Madness was 1,108. Forty-one people died in the confusion; how many of the 41 were warlocks or other magicians was never reliably determined.

In Ethshar of the Sands there were 983 missing, 38 dead.

In Ethshar of the Rocks there were only 622 missing, but due largely to the actions of one particularly dangerous warlock, Shemder Parl's son, who was eventually removed by the Wizards' Guild, the death toll still reached 42.

No adequate counts were ever made for the rest of the Hegemony, or for any of the lands outside the Hegemony. The number of disappearances for the Baronies of Sardiron unquestionably ran well into the thousands, and the deaths and acts of destruction were numerous and widespread there, while the more southerly Small Kingdoms were barely affected—for Sardiron the Night of Madness was a major crisis, yet in Semma and Ophkar it went completely unnoticed. Reactions by those governments were in proportion; however, the decree of a death sentence for performing warlockry in the Baronies of Sardiron was rescinded in the month of Leafcolor after several unpleasant incidents involving Called warlocks on their way to Aldagmor.

By the Festival of the Year of Human Speech 5203 the Council of Warlocks under the direction of Chairman Hanner reported a total membership of 7,976 acknowledged warlocks, counting apprentices.

The ruling triumvirate of the Hegemony found this entirely acceptable.

Tor Books by Lawrence Watt-Evans

Night of Madness

Dragon Weather

Touched by the Gods

Split Heirs
(with Esther Friesner)

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel are either fictitious or are used fictitiously.

NIGHT OF MADNESS

Copyright © 2000 by Lawrence Watt-Evans

All rights reserved.

A Tor Book

Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC

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First Edition: November 2000

eISBN 9781466874923

First eBook edition: May 2014