Reunion (11 page)

The throne room now looked very much like a throne room, Corwin noticed. All the rugs, tapestries, and side tables were in place. Corwin saw that one side table still had a dent in the leg from where he'd kicked it over weeks ago, and he smiled. The two-stepped dais was in place, with two high-backed thrones on it. One throne was occupied by an uncomfortable-looking young woman whom Corwin assumed was the Saxon girl Roxanna. The other held His Majesty, King Vortigern, in stiff purple robes, looking decidedly less casual than he had the first time Corwin had met him.

All three mages stood beside the dais, huddled together and watching Corwin and Nia intently. Beside them stood Prince Vortimer, arms folded across his chest, his mouth set in a gloating smirk.

The guards forced Corwin and Nia to their knees before the thrones. “Majesty, we bring before you the two criminals who attacked your son.”

“Well, well, well,” Vortigern said, staring at Corwin. “If it isn't the young prognosticator and lackey to a clumsy thief. I'll have you know, fellow, that I had the viaducts below the castle searched, and there are no fighting dragons there. You must have been mistaken.”

“As I told Your Majesty,” Corwin said, “the visions may have had nothing to do with you. You had no reason to be angry.”

The guard beside Corwin cuffed him on the ear.

“Who gave you permission to speak? A king's wrath is always justified, let that not be forgotten.” Vortigern turned his attention to Nia. “And what is this bizarre creature whom you have selected to join you in your life of crime?”

Nia tried to stand but the guard beside her kept her down with a hand on her shoulder. “Your Majesty,” she cried, “I am Niniane of the Bluefin Clan, last Avatar of the ancient kingdom of Atlantis.”

At this the throne room erupted in a hubbub, and the three mages stared and whispered to one another. The king held up his hand and the noise in the room subsided. With a disbelieving raise of the eyebrows, Vortigern said, “Go on.”

“I beseech you to help us. I meant no harm to your son. But his companion had taken a shell that contains the last prince of Atlantis, and I had to rescue the prince—”

At this, the king burst out laughing. “You have a prince . . . in a shell? Tiny like a fairy, is he? Curled up like a little pearl in an oyster?”

“If you please!” Nia cried. “If I could have the shell, I could show you.”

Vortigern looked at his son, Vortimer. “Is there a shell?”

“Indeed. A pretty thing that we took as a tithe from an old button-maker. Faustus had it last.”

“Go and fetch it hither.”

With an annoyed rolling of the eyes, Vortimer left the throne room.

“Thank you, Majesty,” Nia said. “That is wise. For what destroyed my city may come to conquer your kingdom, too.”

Vortigern's visage immediately lost its mirth. He leaned forward on his throne, resting one elbow on his knee. “What is this danger you speak of?”

“We had a king who was banished from the High Council,” Nia began, her voice clear and her speech smooth. “His name is Ma'el. But he didn't accept his banishment, and he has tried to seize more power by killing all of the High and Low Councils. He can take sorcerous power from the kings he has killed, and by now he is the most powerful Avatar that Atlantis has ever seen. But he also wants to rule the land-dwelling kingdoms. Once his control of Atlantis is complete, he will one by one destroy all the land kingdoms until he rules the entire world. I beg you, let us be in alliance together against him, so that I may have some chance to save my people and yours.”

A deep silence filled the throne room. Corwin did not like what he saw on Vortigern's face. Fear, suspicion, and anger were warring behind the king's eyes. At last, Vortigern said, “Who sent you, girl?”

“Sent me? No one . . . I came here . . . your guards brought me. . . .”

Corwin was momentarily distracted as the prince-voice in his mind cried,
What is happening? What is happening?
Corwin felt as though he were being lifted up and carried.
Ah. Vortimer must have found our prince. Relax, little one. You're being brought to us.

I am afraid
, the prince responded.

“Do not act the innocent, child,” King Vortigern was saying, as he stood and walked down the dais toward Nia. “I have many enemies. Any one of whom would love to have a spy in my court, and to see me quaking in my boots over some supernatural threat to the throne. I seem to have gotten a reputation as one who will believe any sort of superstitious nonsense. Well.” He leaned down toward her. “I don't believe
you,
or your ridiculous story about Atlantis!”

As Nia gasped in dismay, Prince Vortimer pressed through the crowd to his father's side. “Here's the shell, Father. Faustus had tossed it into the baptismal font in the mistaken belief that the Devil resided in it. The priests were all too happy to have me fish it out again for them.”

“The Devil, you say? Well, let's just see what's in here, shall we?” Vortigern jammed two fingers down into the hole of the shell.

Corwin felt as though a blow had landed across his arms and stomach. He felt the little Farworlder's pain and fear and knew the prince would try to defend himself.

“Ow!” Suddenly King Vortigern jerked his hand out again. “Something
bit
me!”

Corwin could almost taste the king's blood in his mouth.
Good for you, little squid!
he couldn't help thinking.
You showed him. I wish I could bite him, too.

The courtiers gasped. “Forgive him, Majesty,” Nia jumped in. “My prince meant no harm, but you scared and hurt him.”

Vortigern glared at Nia. “What kind of trick is this? Did you hope to poison me?”

“No, no!”

He gave the shell back to Vortimer. “Put it back in water, but make sure it's boiling water this time. Perhaps we'll serve it up in the evening's soup.”

“NO!” Nia had to be restrained by the guard holding her.

Corwin reached out his arm toward Vortimer as he had to the candle back at the inn. He concentrated on summoning the shell to his hand. But he only succeeded in making him drop the shell once. Vortimer was able to pick up the shell and leave with it without Corwin accomplishing anything other than draining both himself and Nia of strength.

“You fool!” Nia shouted at King Vortigern, tears running down her face.

“What did you call me?!” King Vortigern roared back at her.

“You fool! What have you done? You're destroying my people! You will destroy yours as well!”

“Enough of your insolence!” Vortigern slapped Nia across the face. “You are a spy and hereby sentenced to death!”

“No!” Corwin cried. He lunged forward to somehow protect Nia. But he was tackled by two guards and held to the floor. Because he had expended so much strength trying to retrieve the shell, Corwin could only struggle in vain.

As the guards picked up an angry, glaring Nia, Vortigern commanded, “Put her in the iron cage on the wall. She can entertain the people below with her amusing pleas for help.”

“You will regret this!” Nia cried as she was carried out of the throne room. “Corwin, you must save the prince!” was the last thing she said before the door closed behind her and the guard.

Corwin slumped to the floor in despair.
Again I'm the cause of someone else's death, and in the same way. And Nia is far more innocent than Fenwyck
. Images and strange words flooded his mind for a moment.
This is the Naming
. Nia was trying to teach him the healing ritual, in case he should have a chance to rescue the Farworlder prince.
You are a brave girl
, he tried to send back to her,
but it's probably hopeless
.

Other impressions came to him. The prince's shell had been dropped in water again. Corwin could feel how the Farworlder's skin was being soothed, and he could breathe easily again. The water was tepid warm, but not hot, not yet. There were other sea creatures, mussels and clams and crab, near him, most of them dead. The water tasted of their decaying flesh. . . . A pair of soft leather boots appeared at Corwin's eye level, beneath the hem of a purple robe. “Now as for you—,” King Vortigern began.

“Please, Majesty,” Corwin said, trying desperately to think of some trick, some lie, some deal he could offer that would make the king release Nia. Telling Vortigern of his magical powers would do no good now—Corwin had expended all his sorcerous strength. He wouldn't be able to prove it. All he could say, at last, was, “Punish me. I brought Nia here. The girl is innocent. Put me in the cage, not her.” Then Corwin realized his stupidity.
If I die, she dies anyway. What kind of a rescue is that?
And since when was he so valiant? But deep inside of him, there were new feelings—feelings he'd never experienced before. And he knew that he would be willing to give his life for Nia's, if it were actually possible.

“How very sweet,” King Vortigern said. “But I don't take kindly to threats and insults, as you must have noticed. However, I don't expect she will die right away, a healthy young thing like that. There may still be time to change my mind, if I'm given reason to.”

Change his mind? Then there's a chance! But what is it he wants?
Corwin wondered. “What . . . sort of reason might that be, Majesty?”

“You call yourself a seer. Perhaps you can . . . foretell what reason may sway me.” The king stretched and yawned. “I feel like taking a bit of fresh air in the courtyard. Let those who would enjoy my company come with me.” Vortigern walked away. In fact, the whole throne room emptied, as all courtiers wished to be in the company of the king. All departed, except the guard, who was nearly sitting on Corwin, and the three mages.

The blue-robed mage, whose name was Anguis, approached him. “Will you promise not to harm us and not to flee if we send your guard away? It is in your interest, and that of your friend, if you so promise.”

Fenwyck had taught Corwin that promises were merely ways to make other people do what you wanted, and a way to buy time for yourself. Corwin decided, however, that the stakes were too high this time to lie. “Yes, I swear.”

Anguis nodded at the guard and Corwin felt a great weight come off his back. As the guard walked away, Corwin sat up. For a moment he was tempted to jump up and head for the door. But he did not want to buy his freedom again with someone's life. And it would hardly matter—as soon as Nia or the Farworlder prince died, he'd die, too. Therefore, he stayed.

“We have convinced His Majesty to give you this chance,” Anguis said, “because we feel you have genuine talent. On the night before your last visit here, we cast oil upon the water and read the scapulae, and received an oracle similar to the vision you described. However, we”—Anguis looked back at Red Robe and Leather Cap—“know our king's moods and chose not to speak of our visions. We put forth great effort to find you, hoping that enemies of the king would not find you first.”

Corwin paused at this new turn of events.
It seems I might have a card worth playing after all
. “But His Majesty disapproved of my vision.”

“His Majesty is of a nature to misread things in light of his fears.”

“How might I prevent his displeasure again?” Corwin asked carefully.

“By giving His Majesty what he wants.”

Corwin stifled his impatience. “And what might that be?”

Anguis sighed. “We're trying to tell you, boy. Speak to the very things he fears. As you have heard from the king's own mouth, he has enemies who wish to take the crown from him. They believe he won the throne unfairly, that he isn't the rightful king.”

Corwin kept his mouth shut, lest he blurt out that he believed that, too.

“His Majesty would like to know,” Anguis went on, “who these enemies are, preferably
before
they have the chance to strike and do harm. If you have the ability to identify who is likely to lead such a rebellion, His Majesty would find this information . . . very useful.”

Corwin's heart fell as he realized the trap he was being led into.
If I name someone, anyone, as a rebel, that person will die. So I can only buy Nia's life with that of someone else. I could name someone vile, like Anwir. But then I'd be sinking even lower than him. And what if the king wants more names? How many would I doom with words just to save my own skin and my friend's? No, even I can't stoop to this.
“I . . . can't see the future like that,” Corwin tried to explain. “I can't choose what to see. The visions just happen. And I almost never see a person's features or hear a name.”

Anguis pursed his lips. “Nonetheless, if you tell us the details of your visions, perhaps we may be able to divine the meaning of the symbols. For example, we believe the bear that you saw charging across the ocean to be the brother of the late former king, Uther Pendragon. We may be able to read what you, who are untrained, cannot.”

So you get to choose who dies
, Corwin thought.
I don't think that's much of an improvement
. Something else occurred to him. “Wasn't there something in your vision about the tower that included a sacrifice?” he asked. “I remember Prince Vortimer mentioning that.”

Anguis flushed in embarrassment, then cleared his throat. “Well. I must ask you to speak nothing of what I am about to say to the king, or anyone else. The tower he is building is on unstable ground. Beneath this castle are labyrinths of catacombs and waterways that served the Roman fortresses. Many of these are collapsing from lack of repair, and the additional weight of the tower is only making matters worse.

“But you've seen how His Majesty deals with setbacks. He doesn't believe his architects, and therefore he consulted us. We had to give him some sort of supernatural reason, and therefore a supernatural cure.”