At the Gates of Darkness (10 page)

The litters arrived at the entrance to the palace, saving Pug more dark reflection. He glanced over and saw Amirantha studying him. Without saying anything, the Warlock made it clear he understood Pug’s mind had been elsewhere.

The three left the litters and immediately were taken to quarters while Jim was escorted to a reception in the Emperor’s Court. As part of his retinue, they could have been with Jim had he insisted, but Pug had decided there was work they could do, even from closely guarded quarters.

Once they were alone, Pug nodded to Magnus, who went to a chair in the corner of their quarters and sat. Pug said to Amirantha, “These Quegans seem like hospitable enough folks.”

Amirantha looked around the room, a large antechamber for entertaining and casual conversation; there were two doors each on the right and left walls as they entered, and a large vaulted window opposite the door to the hall. Amirantha said, “Lovely view,” and Pug joined him.

“Yes,” said the magician, as they looked down on one of the Emperor’s many gardens. This one was dominated by a large pool in which several people were swimming or lounging near it.

Amirantha’s eyebrows rose slightly when he realized the bathers were all nude, and he said, “Ah, is that the custom here?”

Pug said, “The Quegans are Keshians by ancestry. The Imperial Court of Great Kesh is in a very hot climate, on table lands overlooking the Overn Deep in the heart of the Empire. Their attitudes toward dress are very different than those of us from the Kingdom. We are a cold-weather people most of the time and dress accordingly.”

“I see,” said Amirantha. “I pass no judgment. I just find it…interesting.”

“Ah,” said Pug with a smile. “Don’t let it be a distraction.”

“Unless the librarians are pretty young women wearing no clothing, Richard,” he said, using Pug’s false name, “I think I shall be fine.”

Pug laughed, but his eyes were still searching every inch of the room. They assumed they’d be spied upon as a matter of course, but didn’t know to what extent. It could be something as simple as someone at a listening post in a nearby room, overhearing what was said through a simple sound chamber, a tiny tube of metal behind a tapestry or a decorative plant, or it could be a very complex magic scrying spell. That was what Magnus was attempting to determine.

Pug looked at his son, who opened his eyes and shook his head once. No magic they could detect was at play. “I think I’ll lay down for a while,” said Magnus as he stood up and moved to one of the nearby doors.

Pug nodded agreement and went to another. Opening the door, he found a small but well-appointed room with a simple free-standing closet, a clean bed, one window looking down on a tiny patch of flowers, with a window opposite—another guest apartment from what Pug could tell. He saw no movement through the window and assumed that apartment was empty.

Pug closed the door and lay down, gathering his thoughts.

Since Miranda’s and Caleb’s deaths, any attempt at reflection seemed to plunge him into morbid introspection. He had fought certain battles within his entire life; losing Nakor had begun the struggle, but the death of his wife and son had defeated him.

Still, there was work to do and he had to pull himself back from a deep cauldron of self-pity and rage toward
the gods that shackled him. He had made this bargain, he reminded himself for a countless time; he could have left this life after battling Jakan, the demon disguised as the Emerald Queen, but elected to return and continue the struggle. His price was to watch all he loved die….

He sat up. Something tickled the edge of his mind.

Standing, he hurried to the door leading into Amirantha’s bedroom and quietly knocked. When the Warlock opened the door, Pug held up a warning finger before his lips, then motioned the Warlock to follow him to Magnus’s door. He knocked lightly again, and when his son answered made an encircling motion with his hand. Magnus nodded and motioned for them to enter.

Once in the room, Magnus motioned again for the two other magic users to stand close to him. He closed his eyes a moment, then said, “We are shrouded. It is a very weak enchantment, as it might alert anyone watching closely.”

“We’re being spied upon by magic?” asked Amirantha.

Pug said, “My son has certain skills even beyond mine. As you can sense demons, he can sense the practice of magic, even to the point of understanding the spells and countering them.” He looked at his son with pride in his eyes. “It’s a rare gift.”

“It’s a poor scrying spell being used, easily defeated. But the longer I maintain the illusion that we’re talking about which books to examine tomorrow, the more likely it is someone may discover my counter-spell. So, what is it?”

Pug said, “Amirantha, I need to ask you something. We have spoken so much about what we know of demons and what we don’t know, occasionally a question gets set aside and we just forget to revisit it.

“We spent so much time speculating on what happened to Maarg at Shila, we never got back to something you wished to discuss.” Then he said quickly, “You were surprised at the demon captain Jakan seizing the Emerald Queen’s body…”

“Demonic possession is rare,” said Amirantha, also speaking softly and quickly. “And it has been limited to a particular sort of creature…I think of them as spirits or ghosts as much as the demons we face. The idea of a powerful demon lord, one of the great captains, or one of equal strength…” Amirantha shrugged. “I really don’t remember what I wanted to ask at the time. Mostly I am confused by it.”

“Why?” asked Magnus.

“It’s not typical of their behavior. Piecing together what you’ve told me, and what I learned from Gulamendis, I’m just now beginning to get a rough idea of demon society, if it can be called that. Rather, how things are done in the demon realm. It’s chaotic by our standards, yet it has its own rules and boundaries. This demon possession by a powerful, magic-using demon…it doesn’t fit in.”

He looked around, appeared frustrated. “This really is something we can’t speak of in a short time, but it’s good you brought it up. If you don’t find this one tome we’re seeking, do be alert for any other references to demon encounters or lore. It might provide us with additional insights.”

Pug nodded. “We’ll talk more when it’s safe to do so.”

They parted company and Magnus dispelled the illusion he had conjured in the counter-spell and they waited quietly in their rooms until they were summoned for supper with Jim.

The meal was sumptuous in the Quegan fashion. Four long tables were established in a square, with just enough space between the corners to allow servants to move inside the open area bringing trays of food. Each guest was free to pick that which appealed to them or wave the servant past. Behind them young men and women moved with large vessels of wine and a very light ale.

The servants were uniformly attired in a simple tunic
that fell below the knees, cinched at the waist with a double cord. Pug thought of them as boys and girls as they were all young, none looking older than late teens, or early twenties, and all were exceptionally attractive.

The nobles were all minor palace functionaries. Only the Imperial Chancellor was of note; he was there as a concession to Jim’s diplomatic rank. Normally a Kingdom Baron wouldn’t be entitled to so lofty a host, especially one sent on an academic mission with little political or military significance, but it was probable that the Quegans suspected Jim of being more than he appeared. Jim’s own spy network wasn’t the only one operating in the Bitter Sea, and no doubt he had attracted Quegan interest over the years as much as he had Keshian interest.

The other nobles were all mid-level functionaries, and Pug had been paired with a very attractive middle-aged woman named Livia, who reclined on the large settee employed by the Quegans for dining. She waved away a servant holding a tray of candied fruits and said, “Too sweet. I like simple foods, I confess.”

She wore the traditional Quegan toga, which clung to her well enough to promise a full healthy body. Her features were strong yet feminine, and she had deep, dark brown eyes, and a tiny touch of grey amid her auburn hair, worn loosely to her shoulders. While Pug had little interest in dalliance, he still found her attractive and interesting. She was introduced to him as a fellow academic, an archivist assigned to assist him and his companions the next day. Pug was certain that she’d prove helpful, just as he was certain she was charged with observing everything the three visiting academics did and would report back. What he didn’t know was if she was an archivist playing at being a spy or a spy playing at being an archivist.

“Really?” said Pug in a noncommittal tone as he selected a ripe pear lightly coated in honey and sprinkled
with crushed almonds. He bit into it and said, “Unusual, but very good.”

“You get bored with…” She sighed. “I’m not very good at this sort of thing. My parents were very minor nobles, ragged cousins of some very important people. I was not likely to marry well, so they secured me a position here in the palace.”

Unsure what to say, Pug merely nodded. Then he asked, “Do you enjoy it?”

She seemed less than enthused, but said, “It can be interesting. Occasionally someone such as yourself arrives to disrupt the monotony.”

Pug smiled as if flattered. He was now certain she was a spy, sent to seduce him and discover if there was anything more to him than the story provided by Baron James of the Prince’s Court in Krondor. He glanced at where his son reclined, and saw that a somewhat younger and equally attractive woman had been paired with him. Amirantha was paired with a very academic-looking gentleman, and Pug held a grin in check. Amirantha had revealed himself to be something of a lady’s man over the time Pug had known him, while Magnus…Pug occasionally worried about his last surviving son. Magnus had been terribly hurt by a young woman when he was barely more than a boy, and had retreated from becoming involved with women since then. Pug was certain he occasionally succumbed to his more fundamental needs—he was injured, not dead—but while he might have enjoyed the company of a courtesan in Kesh or a better brothel in Roldem, Magnus had avoided several advances by young female students at Sorcerer’s Isle over the years. It would have worked out better for the Quegan intelligence apparatus had they placed the academic gentleman with Magnus and the pretty woman with Amirantha.

Pug turned his attention back to Livia and asked, “Seriously, do you like working in the archives?”

She shrugged. He had touched on something and wondered just what preparation for this visit she had been given. If she was a Quegan agent, she would have some knowledge of the archives, but would hardly be an expert.

She said, “To be truthful, it’s a boring calling. Once in a while I get something to read that is interesting, and I don’t mind those hours. My task is to write a one-paragraph précis of the work, assign a location within the archive, and ensure that my entry is copied into the main codex of the archive.” She fixed him with a calculating gaze. “I could return to your quarters with you, if you’d like, to discuss some of the more esoteric volumes in the archives. Some are quite…revealing.”

Pug held a smile in check and merely inclined his head slightly, as if thinking about the offer.

“Unless you prefer to stay for the orgy?”

Pug’s eyebrow lifted slightly. Of all the nations in this part of the world, he had visited Queg the fewest times, and had forgotten that some of their customs were radically different from the Kingdom or even Great Kesh. Now he remembered why all the servants would be young and attractive. The after-dinner orgy was a staple of grand welcomes for foreign visitors and certain holidays. He had no moral qualms about other people’s behavior for the most part, but his own feelings demanded intimacy be limited to a committed love.

Not having to feign his feelings, Pug softly said, “I just recently lost my wife.”

Livia’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry. Was it sudden?”

“Very,” said Pug. “It will be a while before I’m…”

She reached out and touched his hand lightly. Her tone remained bright, but her expression was solicitous. “If I can do anything, please.”

Pug admired her persistence. He sighed. “Someday, I’d like to return and then, perhaps.” He slowly rose. “Now if
you’ll excuse me, I think I shall retire before the…festivities commence.”

“Of course.”

“I look forward to seeing you in the morning,” he said.

“Until then.”

Magnus and Amirantha both had noticed him stand up and were watching. Pug made a slight inclination with his head toward his two companions, indicating they should leave as soon as possible. Jim was deep in conversation with a noble but Pug knew he missed nothing.

Pug retired to his quarters and found wine, sweets, nuts, and cheeses waiting, and sat heavily in a divan before the window. He hadn’t eaten much at the supper, and wasn’t particularly hungry now, but he did feel like a sip of wine. He picked up the carafe and then closed his eyes. He had learned a spell years before, one that would cleanse the wine of any drug designed to incapacitate or poison. He doubted this was necessary if the object of the exercise was to aid a seduction, but caution was the byword on this journey.

A few minutes later Amirantha appeared. Laughing slightly, he said, “You and Magnus get the pretty girls, but I get the scholar who wants to ply me with questions about Muboya!”

“Well, that is logical,” said Pug. “Most people love to talk about their homes and the Quegans view all outside this island as potential enemies.”

“I told him plenty,” said the Warlock, sitting down in a chair on the other side of the room. “Some of it was even true.”

Pug smiled broadly at that one.

Magnus entered and with a raised eyebrow said, “Orgy?”

“It’s a local custom,” said his father.

“Maybe we should come back?” quipped Amirantha.

Both father and son looked at him with a narrow gaze,
one of the few times a resemblance was evident. Magnus was tall and pale, while his father was short and dark, but that look was identical.