War of Shadows (56 page)

“Nor did I,” Sapphire added. “Reese was impertinent, and he has been censured. As for his ‘crimes’—this is a new era. New rules apply.”

“I don’t think we went far enough by half,” Gray replied. “This isn’t the first time Reese has overstepped his boundaries. He serves no one but himself, and his dealings will cause grief for all of us. I’d like nothing better than to see him turned to ashes.”

“Kings are not the only ones who can wield power,” Jade said, with apparent indifference. “The Knights of Esthrane have returned, and while their numbers are small, they are a powerful force to return the kingdom to stability.”

“Lord Blaine McFadden, Lanyon Penhallow, and I have already made an alliance with General Dolan and his Knights,” the Wraith Lord argued. “Together with McFadden’s allied warlords, more than half of the kingdom is being returned to the rule of law, including Castle Reach. Reese has tried, and failed, to prevent that from happening. If you desire stability, there is no benefit to freeing Reese.”

“The situation is still fluid,” Thrane argued. “Why not allow Reese and his allies to fight for their vision of the future of Donderath and let the decisions about the future fall to the victor?”

“You mean, winner take all.” The Wraith Lord’s voice was cold. “Much like the ‘decisions’ that brought the kingdom to its knees in the Meroven War.”

Thrane wheeled to face the Wraith Lord, and for an instant, Connor could see his geniality slip, revealing a canny predator beneath. “Yes, if that’s the way you wish to put it. Let the strongest survive. Remove the most dangerous predator, and you have a war among the weak. That proves nothing. If the
others wish to fashion the kingdom in their own mold, then let them emerge victorious.”

“If the Elders had followed your logic, Reese would have been destroyed, not imprisoned,” Silver replied disdainfully. “Reese’s forces lost decisively at the Battle of Valshoa to McFadden and the Knights. By our own law—
talishte
law—Reese compromised himself when he sent his men to attack the Wraith Lord.” Connor felt the Elder’s anger and contempt for Thrane. “We have been merciful in our judgment. You are not wise to press for more.”

“I agree with Thrane,” Saffron said. Her voice was cold with anger and impatience. “The time of the Elders has ended.
Talishte
will find their place in this remade world, and we will not need to have a ruling body to keep our people from offending mortals. This time, we claim a seat at the table, instead of being the lackeys of the king.”

“The last time magic failed, there was a century of bloodshed until the kingdom became stable once more,” Brown replied. “I have no desire to return to constant warfare. I like being civilized, and civilization requires stability. The sooner Donderath’s forces find balance, the better our existence becomes.”

“If you’ll recall, we existed on the edges of that civilization,” snapped Amber. “Sometimes tolerated, often hunted, and our lands confiscated, our homes and resting places burned. I’m tired of looking to mortals for permission to exist. I welcome a change.”

“As do I,” Aubergine replied. “I see no further reason for the Council of Elders to exist.”

“Then dissolve,” Thrane challenged. “Your purpose was to protect
talishte
by making them invisible and harmless to mortals. We have no king left to fear. How can we emerge to own the future unless we seize our opportunity?”

Connor could feel the Wraith Lord’s anger. Thrane’s arguments
were having an effect. Those among the Elders who had been unwilling to put Reese to death were clearly in support of Thrane’s vision for the future. Even those who had voted to punish Reese seemed to be giving serious consideration to what Thrane said.

It was equally clear that others were growing increasingly angry with Thrane. “Enough,” said Onyx. “You petitioned to speak to the Elders. You have made your argument, but we are not obliged to reconsider our decision. As for the role of the Council of Elders, that is not your concern.”

“Maybe not,” argued Emerald, “but he’s only said aloud what we have each wondered privately. Without a king to persecute us, there is no central authority to fear. We need not dread the judgment of mortals; they are not strong enough to threaten us. That makes the Elders unnecessary. Let circumstances sort themselves out, and if there is need of us, then we can reconvene. I move to disband the Council.”

Can they do that?
Connor asked the Wraith Lord silently.

Technically, yes
, the Wraith Lord replied.
Any member of the Council can bring up a matter for a vote
.

“I agree. Disband the Council.” The second vote came from Aubergine.

“Our role in this new landscape may be different, but we are still a force for order, which is necessary even for
talishte
if we are not to become savages.” Onyx crossed his arms across his chest.

“I rather like savages,” Saffron replied. “They’re tasty. I welcome the chance to operate openly, making no secret of who we are, using our abilities to carve out a piece for ourselves. I vote to disband.”

“You are voting for your own downfall,” Silver argued. “Even
talishte
need rules. No one is honest enough to remain civilized without some kind of sheriff waiting to punish wrongdoers.”

“Who’s to say what we do is wrong?” Red challenged. “Is the wildcat wrong because it kills a deer? We are the superior beings. We determine what is right and what is wrong. I vote to disband.”

“We are not gods,” Gray countered. “And whenever we have forgotten that, we have paid dearly. The Council keeps the actions of a few from jeopardizing the rest of us. I oppose disbanding.”

“The Council exists because we will it to exist, and it ceases to exist if we declare it so,” Sapphire said. “And I declare the Council disbanded.” With that, Sapphire left the circle.

“Agreed,” Red said, and walked off.

Saffron, Amber, and Emerald followed them without a word. Thrane glanced around at the empty places by the standing stones, and walked away, chuckling as he went.

Aubergine remained behind to savor the broken circle. “What becomes of your rule of law now?” he taunted. “You are no longer needed.” With that, he headed into the darkness beyond the standing stones. Jade lingered a moment, and then followed.

Six of the original thirteen remained in their places. Connor did not need to see their faces to read the shock and confusion in their posture.

“What now?” Silver asked. Her voice was carefully neutral, but Connor could see the uncertainty in her stance.

“We could do exactly what Aubergine dared. We who remain are the Council. No one legitimized the Council’s formation; we need no one to validate our continuance,” Gray replied. It was clear to Connor that several of the remaining Elders were angry and ready for a fight.

“Even if we remain a body, our influence is diminished,” Brown said. “We became Elders because we were the oldest of the
talishte
,” Brown continued. “And because we had the largest broods, and controlled the most
talishte
. What we banned or what
we permitted became the law to our own get. That accounted for the majority of
talishte
in the kingdom. And it still does.”

“We can still exert influence, and that may be enough to change the tide,” Onyx replied. Onyx was angry, as was the Wraith Lord.

“Without the full council, it would be a shadow of our former control,” Gold replied. “Perhaps too little to matter amid such chaos.”

“Maybe not,” Silver challenged. “A boulder can change the course of a mighty river. Onyx still holds Reese prisoner, which alone could change the outcome.”

“I agree with Brown,” the Wraith Lord said. “We are not many, but our edicts control the allegiance and actions of hundreds of
talishte
. Just a handful of
talishte
can affect the course of a battle. We can still present an impact out of proportion to the size of our forces. It could well be enough to determine who becomes the next mortal king of Donderath.”

“The remaking of the Continent will be like weighing beans on a scale,” Onyx said. “At some point, one more bean throws the scales out of balance, but no one knows until it happens which bean will make the difference. Our small factions are like those beans, and sooner or later, one of us will tip the balance.”

“Then we are agreed,” the Wraith Lord said. “We may not be the Council of Elders, but we will remain a council of equals, and where we can lend our influence to restore a stable kingdom, we will seek alliance to do so.”

“Agreed,” replied Onyx. “And I shall do everything in my power to keep Reese imprisoned, according to his sentence.”

“Yes,” Silver said. “But more than that, we’ve let Penhallow’s brood bear the brunt of the fighting thus far. If we expect to restrain Reese and Thrane, we’d best be willing to bring our own soldiers to the fray.”

“We are agreed,” replied Brown, after a murmured consultation with Gold. “Both against Thrane and with stepping into the fight with our own broods. We have remained on the sidelines too long.”

“I don’t know what game Thrane is playing, but I’m happy to be on the other side,” Gray said. “Agreed to both propositions.”

The Wraith Lord nodded. “Very well. Your broods become a thousand spies. If you have something of significance to report, summon the rest of us.”

“Do you think Thrane will raise Reese’s get to come against us?” Brown asked.

The Wraith Lord and Onyx both nodded. “I think it’s entirely likely,” Onyx replied.

Onyx gave the Wraith Lord an appraising look. “This McFadden you’ve allied with. He brought back the magic, and anchored it. But can he lead an army?”

“His forces did just fine at Valshoa, and again at the Battle of the North,” the Wraith Lord replied. “If there’s anyone who can unite a shattered kingdom, Blaine McFadden is our best chance.”

“I never would have figured you for a kingmaker, Kierken,” Onyx replied.

“I don’t like the other options,” the Wraith Lord replied with a shrug. “Penhallow and I have seen this kind of thing happen too often before, done nothing, and we found that we didn’t care for the results. So this time, I’m not leaving it up to chance.”

“That’s a dangerous game,” Gold warned.

“I don’t think there are any other kinds left in Donderath,” the Wraith Lord replied. “But I am quite certain that our fates hang on the outcome.”

Later that evening, at Solsiden, Vedran Pollard looked up in annoyance as Kerr stood in the doorway to the study, a look of fear and chagrin on his face. “My lord,” he said. “You have a guest.”

“Who in Raka would be out on a night like this?” Pollard demanded. He rose to his feet, sword drawn.

A dark-haired man with shrewd black eyes strode into the room. He had the powerful build of a brawler and the pallor of a
talishte
. “Who in Raka, indeed,” the stranger said. “I’m Lord Thrane, your new master. Most call me Hemlock, like the poison.”

Thrane peeled off his still-dripping cloak and handed it without a backward glance to Kerr. The doors closed behind Kerr, leaving Pollard alone with Thrane, who had already taken a seat in the best wing chair and stretched out, looking deceptively vulnerable. Pollard did not rise to the bait.

“There are a couple of dead men you’ll need to bury when the storm is over,” Thrane added. “The others obligingly got out of my way.”

“We had
talishte
at the doors,” Pollard snapped. “They were supposed to stop unwanted guests.”

“ ‘Unwanted’?” Thrane mused with a dangerous casualness. “You don’t even know why I’m here.”

“I’m not in need of a new master,” Pollard replied. “I serve Lord Reese.”

Thrane gave an eloquent shrug. “Ah well, there’s been a problem with that. He’s indisposed. But as the stake pierced his heart, I heard him scream through the
kruvgaldur
. And I came.”

Pollard felt a cold dread that had nothing to do with the storm that howled outside. “That’s impossible,” he snapped.

An unpleasant, mocking smile touched the corners of Thrane’s lips. “Oh, I assure you, it happened just that way.” He eyed Pollard like a predator sizing up its prey. “I’m his maker, and I’m here to clean up his mistakes,” Thrane added as the charm in his voice turned to steel.

“Can you prove it?”

Thrane gave an icy chuckle. “I could—but you would not appreciate it.” He met Pollard’s gaze. “You know what I’m saying to be true. You can feel it, through the bond.”

“Reese told me about you,” Pollard said, remaining where he stood. He sheathed his sword, knowing that it would be of little use against a
talishte
of Thrane’s age and strength. “If you’re who you claim to be.”

Thrane gave him a leisurely glance that held an undertone of malice. “You know who I am. Reese was my get, and through him, you are mine.”

Much as Pollard wished he could deny it, Thrane was right. The
kruvgaldur
conveyed a sense of
knowing
. The proof was indeed in the blood. “Reese told me he hadn’t heard from you, hadn’t seen you in nearly a century,” Pollard challenged. “Why come back now?”

Thrane chuckled. “Because now is the perfect time. The Continent is ripe for the taking, even if Reese couldn’t quite handle the task.” He shrugged. “Never send a soldier to do a general’s job.”

Thanks always to my readers, those who are just discovering my books and those who keep coming back for continued adventures. Because you read, I write.

Thanks also to my agent, Ethan Ellenberg, and his team. You’ve got my back, and I appreciate all that you do.

And thank you to my editor, Susan Barnes, and the whole Orbit crew, including Laura Fitzgerald, Ellen Wright, Anna Jackson, and Gemma Conley-Smith, and all the other folks who work hard to make my books happen and get them where they need to go.

Plenty of thanks as well to the wonderful folks at Arisia, Illogicon, Shevacon, Mysticon, Awesomecon, Capclave, Lunacon, Chattacon, Libertycon, Ravencon, Balticon, ConCarolinas, ConGregate, Dragon*Con, Atomacon, Philcon, Contraflow, Confluence, and the Arizona and Carolinas Renaissance Festivals, who have welcomed me as a guest author for so long—as well as the new conventions I have yet to experience. I truly appreciate the warm welcome fandom offers and the chance to participate in convention programming to meet wonderful people and give back to a community I love.

Thanks as well to my Thrifty Author Publishing Success Network Meetup group, for being an awesome group of writers. I have a blast working with you, and together we have all come so far.

Thank you to all of my author, artist, musician, performer, and reader convention friends and Renaissance Festival regulars who help me survive life on the road, to the fantastic bookstore owners and managers who carry on a valiant fight on the front lines of this crazy publishing industry, and to my social-media friends and followers, who are always up for some online mayhem.

And most of all, thanks to my husband, Larry Martin, who plays a huge part in bringing all the books and short stories to life. He’s my best first editor, brainstorming accomplice, proofreader extraordinaire, and in 2015, he’ll become official coauthor of our new Steampunk series. It wouldn’t happen without him, and I’m grateful for his help. Thanks also to my children, who are usually patient with the demands of the writing life, and for my dogs, Kipp and Flynn, who are experts at dispelling writer’s block. It takes a village to write a book, and I treasure every one of you.