“The battle—how did it go?”
“Not so good at first. Because of the storm we couldn’t gather our forces in time to prevent a small invasion through Eastgate. We lost Fentai—damned pigs burned the whole village down! But we sent scouts to evacuate Gebi and the other villages, which freed us to go on the offensive until help arrived: a large cohort of riders out of Welfené, and Boroné from Léiff soon after. Then the Hodyn were trapped. Only a few survived, escaping back east across the Telquayen.”
Soren gripped his shoulder. “Well-done as usual, Tenlar.”
His green eyes widened suddenly, and he spun on his heels. “Give the proper homage to your superior!”
The entire party, reluctantly as it seemed, murmured
my Lord Soren
; yet it did not escape the recipient’s notice that Tenlar had forgotten this protocol as well.
“Dengar!” Tenlar snapped. “Set the watch and find lodging for the patrol, while I take counsel with the
Supreme Raén of Ada
,” he added. The man bowed curtly, then took his horse and relayed his orders.
♦
Tenlar’s mouth fell open as they entered the roofless mercantile store. It changed to a grin when he saw Telai rising from her chair.
“Nothing stays hidden from the Grand Loremaster for long.”
“How nice. You heard I was looking for them, I suppose.”
Tenlar shrugged, an enigmatic curl to his lips. “Yes—but the Hodyn aren’t the only ones with spies.”
This wasn’t the first time his penchant for glib humor set her teeth on edge, and she was in no mood for it now. She pointed at the mattress beside her. “Caleb needs help, not jokes, Tenlar!”
He raised his eyebrows at Soren, then knelt beside the mattress to examine Caleb’s arm. “He doesn’t seem to be in any danger, Telai. Is there something about his condition I should know about?”
She sighed. “No—well, there is, but it’s nothing you can help. Sorry I snapped at you,” she said flatly.
“Forget it,” he said, smiling. “Helps keep me on my toes.”
Soren dragged another chair toward the stove. “We will, of course, repair or pay for the damage and the food.”
“I’ll take care of that,” said Tenlar, shedding his coat before he sat down. “Come spring, we’ll dispatch carpenters and other tradesmen from Spierel to help.”
“As you wish. Gebi falls under your jurisdiction, of course.”
“Before I ask how all this happened,” Tenlar said, waving a finger at the missing roof, “why didn’t you move your friend to better shelter?”
“This,” Soren answered, handing him a slice of cheese from a small table nearby. “The food supply. It’s warm enough here, as long as the weather holds. I’d rather not break into any more private property if I can help it.” He shook his head slowly. “Tenlar, I don’t know where to begin.”
“I heard most of what happened at Udan, but not the details. Perhaps you can start there.”
“You had to command your horsemen to give me the proper greeting. Is that the common state of mind in Ada?”
Tenlar squirmed in his chair. “Among the rank and file, maybe a little. Most are shocked by the apparent fulfillment of Yrsten, of course. They have no wish for anyone associated with it to return to Ada. As for me, I was so surprised to see you I neglected the usual greeting. My apologies—Lord Soren.”
“Your lapse needs no apology, Tenlar. You’ve spoken to me with appropriate respect.”
“And those in authority are of like mind, for the most part,” Tenlar replied. Telai wondered if the same respect was still afforded her, but said nothing.
“Well, the Overseer issued a warrant for Caleb Stenger’s arrest, not mine,” Soren said. “Yet we barely escaped a scouting party in Enilií. Who authorized this?”
Tenlar straightened. “That’s news to me! Are you sure they were Raéni?”
“Not really. I only asked to confirm my suspicions. We were pursued by Hodyn in northern Trethrealm.”
“
That
I can imagine. But Enilií? I wouldn’t discount the possibility of a few zealous Raéni taking matters into their own hands. It’s been known to happen. Besides, the few times the Hodyn tried to disguise as Raéni were spectacular failures.”
“Yes—though I must point out that we would only know about the failures,” Soren said. “And don’t forget those damned messenger falcons of theirs. How else could they have timed the ambush at Caleb Stenger’s ship so precisely?”
Tenlar considered this. “If you’re right, they’re getting too good at it for my peace of mind.”
“Agreed. Could you spare a small company of Raéni to guard his ship?” Soren asked. “He was careful to lock it this time, but there’s no point in taking chances.”
“I’ll send out a few riders first thing in the morning. But what do the Hodyn want with Caleb Stenger’s ship?”
“I’ll tell you shortly. I would gladly offer my life to take back what happened here last night.”
Soren plunged into a full account of all that had occurred since Udan. Telai only spoke when her part of the story came in. She observed Tenlar from the start, wondering how long his doubt would last. When Soren finally ended at Warren’s abduction, Tenlar’s face paled, his grim stare lifted to the splintered ends of rafters dangling from the walls.
“I think I never really accepted until now that Yrsten had come to pass,” he murmured. “You’ve done nothing wrong, Soren, not if my judgment means anything. But this man,” he said, nodding toward the mattress. “Isn’t the Lor’yentré powerful enough without his strange weapons to add to it? What good will swords be against such an advantage?”
“What do you know about it?” Telai snapped. “Or what his father had to go through to save his child? Keep your opinions to yourself!”
“That’s enough!” Soren shot. “The Master Raén of Spierel is free to voice his opinions. In fact, it is his duty. As Loremaster you are obliged to
obey the law that separates civilian and military authority!”
A tense quiet followed. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled at last, face burning.
“It was only my fear speaking, Telai,” said Tenlar. “I’m sure he’s an honorable man.”
She nodded, the heat of her wrath dissipating. “We’ve discovered something that might help.” She lit a small oil lamp, using a glowing brand drawn from the stove, and placed it on a stool near her feet. “A strange presence appeared to us earlier today, a comrade of Rennor’s. He seemed to offer a way out of this, and knew of your arrival in advance.”
Tenlar leaned forward, the tiny flame amplifying his shadow on the canvas behind. “What help?”
“Who knows?” Soren replied. “I didn’t want to hear any more of his promises until the first one was put to the test.”
“When will he reappear?”
“He only told us to summon him,” Telai said, “though I wish I’d asked how.”
“If he is trustworthy, he will come,” said Soren.
Telai sat squarely in preparation, but there was no need. Tenlar gasped and sprang to his feet, and she spun in her chair. A pearly light hovered beyond the narrow doorway of their enclosure, much more vivid now in the darkened room. It reminded her of the
érdru’rai
, the rare and beautiful lights she had seen dancing like ghostly flames among the stars far to the north.
Soren pulled the canvas to one side, widening the view. The visitor was a blurred yet a fully discernible human shape now, his words echoing audibly instead of only in the mind.
Hail, Master Raén of Spierel,
he said, bowing.
I am Ksoreda.
Tenlar nodded and slowly lowered himself to his chair again.
“You’ve proven yourself in small matters,” Soren said. “Now let us see how you fare in larger ones. Tell us—using plain speech, mind you, and not any of your riddles—your plan to right the evil your people have done.”
The luminous shape swelled, as if from pain or irritation.
You must travel northwest—back to the place you call Tnestiri. I’m not allowed to appear in bodily form outside its borders, or even as you see me now except at the utmost need. Only deep within the forest’s heart can I help you.
“Tnestiri? Why there? Tell us what we need to do here, now!”
Impossible. It requires a tool, one which I must give you in person. Otherwise there is no hope for you. Housed in the body and mind of a remarkably intelligent boy, the spirit of Heradnora has achieved great cunning. To enact her revenge, she will use the Hodyn with cruel efficiency. Simple weapons will no longer help you. Only greater power.
Telai stiffened. “What do you mean?”
You must come to Tnestiri for that answer—and before Heradnora finds you.
“Again, more mysteries, more excuses!” cried Soren.
A burst of anger swept through Telai’s mind like ripples in a pond. The phantom brightened and took on more detail, and they caught a glimpse of a bald-headed man with a kind face, save for the eyes, which flashed dangerously.
You have no choice! Go to Tnestiri! Or not!
The aura faded and lost some of its features, and the others relaxed.
I’ll suppress the barrier of fear surrounding the forest, but not before you arrive. If Heradnora detects my presence and tries to wrest the secret from me, the laws of my people will force me to leave this world and take away your last hope. It is the only way.
His vague form shifted slightly, as if regarding each of them in turn.
Take counsel with your people if you must. But do not delay too long.
The pearly light began to fade. “Wait!” Telai cried out, springing from her chair. The image brightened again, and she asked, “How could Heradnora return after all these years?”
Heradnora is Rennor’s daughter,
Ksoreda echoed.
Her mind was damaged many ages ago, when she was only a child. How that came about, and how she came here in the first place, is a story too long to tell. But when she died her twisted and malevolent spirit was condemned to live throughout eternity trapped within the Lor’yentré. We can only guess what Rennor’s plans were. Yet by allowing her spirit to remain in your world, he has committed a terrible crime against your people—and ours.
The light dimmed, and he vanished.
The Grand Loremaster of Ada groped blindly for her chair. Her blood ran like ice. Deep in her mind, as vividly as if she had witnessed it herself, appeared the dust-covered bones lying near the obelisk at Graxmoar. Those men and women of the Raéni had not sacrificed themselves in vain. Their courage and instinct for evil had kept Heradnora’s spirit from reaching beyond the foot of that lonely hill. Now she had returned in the body of a young boy, regaining what Grondolos had taken from her so long ago: the power of the Lor’yentré. Someone needed to challenge that power, and the child who wielded it.
Telai’s blurring vision strayed to where Caleb lay sleeping. Her mother’s voice spoke to her now as clearly as it did on that chilly autumn morning in Gerentesk.
You may be forced to choose between one betrayal and another.
2
Bringer of Strength
Our fears and desires are so often fueled by illusion.
- from
Etre Obald’aseli
FERGUEN, LORD OF
the Hodyn, glared at the servant as he walked through the open doors at the far end of the chamber.
The young man carried a wooden tray in his trembling arms. Narrow windows to his left cast dust-specked beams of sunlight over his cautious footsteps; firelight flickered in a long hearth on the opposite wall. He stopped at the table where Ferguen sat and carefully lowered the tray to the polished surface.
Ferguen’s dark, heavy brows contracted as he scrutinized the cloth concealing the food. He sniffed, snatched the cloth away, and the young man stiffened.
A tall man standing in the shadows behind his chair stirred restlessly. “What’s wrong, my lord?”
“Unsatisfactory!” he bellowed. “Tell that new cook to get his ears examined.”
The servant bowed curtly, then hesitated with the tray in his hands. “Sir—what shall I do with this?”
Ferguen waved an arm. “Give it to the first person you see in the street.”
The man behind Ferguen stepped partway into the sunlight, his face still in shadow, as the servant scurried from the room. “What was it? Stew?”
“Yes—
beef
stew!”
“Hardly a gourmet dish.”
“Compared to what, Gendor? You forget what it was like before my father promoted you to High Commander.”
“I’m still grateful, sir.”
“Damn you, I’m not looking for gratitude,” Ferguen snapped. “Most folk in this city would pay half a week’s wages for a plate of food like this—assuming they
have
wages, of course. Beef is a luxury, a stolen luxury. It’s bad enough to have my meals
served
, but to let people work harder to feed me than for their own children, and risk their lives in the process? Intolerable!”
“May I remind your eminence—”
“Yes, yes, I have as much obligation to maintain my own health as well as theirs.” He moved his chair back and spread his arms wide, revealing his girth. “And this is my answer.”
Gendor stepped into the full sunshine, which accentuated his wiry frame, a rarity among the short, sturdily-built Hodyn. His sharp-eyed, rawboned countenance seldom engendered trust in a subordinate. Even Ferguen, the only man he answered to, was wise enough to keep him on a short leash. Yet when it came to secrecy and subterfuge he had no equal.
“Of course,” he replied. “Shall we speak, then, of the invasion?”
Ferguen scowled. “What invasion? It failed. What more is there to discuss?”
“We must respond to this slaughter, my lord. Five hundred of our best soldiers killed—and for nothing!”
The Hodyn leader rose from his chair and hoisted himself onto the edge of the table. “Respond? With what? What would you do so differently this time that wouldn’t end in another disaster?”
Gendor folded his arms. “I don’t know, sir. But I’ve already suggested that the Falling Man’s
weapons
are the fulfillment of Yrsten, not Kseleksten. They’re a far more immediate threat than some ancient talisman.”