The Magic Council (The Herezoth Trilogy) (31 page)

“Like you possibly…. You don’t know no
boys, no boys but….” Ursa cut herself off mid-sentence. She froze for a moment,
then looked to the door and turned back with a loud, incredulous laugh.

“Well that’s somethin,’ that is. That’s
just grand. Zalski’s nephew?”

August’s cheeks began to sear. She lacked
the strength to look at her sister, so she studied the floor instead. “He has a
name and it’s Valkin, after his father. He’s genuinely kind. He thinks of other
people besides himself, and he just might be the bravest person I ever met. He
was a baby when Zalski killed the king, and he’s his own person, not simply
that man’s nephew. I do think I’m falling in love with him. I don’t know what
will happen down the road, but that’s none of your concern.”

Ursa laughed again. “You were frightened
o’ Dorane, an’ you think you’re in love with Zalski’s nephew? Do you realize
the target he’ll have on his back if certain people figure out who he is?
Honey, Dorane’s nothing compared with paranoid freaks, or disgruntled nobles
or….”

“Stop it,” said August. “You’ll stop it
right there, or I’m leaving. I care about him, and I won’t let you bully me out
of living my life.”

“Maybe I’m offended you’d take up with
someone who ruined mine.”

“Don’t you go there. You ruined your own
life.”

“Maybe I don’t like the thought o’
maniacs threatenin’ my sister.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have let Dorane
in the mansion I was living in. He tried to smother me!”

“You shouldn’t have gotten involved when
the king made his move. And I apologized to you. I apologized, an’ I’m tellin’
you, Dorane’s a puppy compared to what some people could….”

August rose. Her hand shook, but her gaze
was firm now. “I’ll leave. I don’t want to walk out on you, but I’ll leave if
you say one more word about Val.”

“Fine,” Ursa agreed. “It’ll be your
funeral.”

August’s hand was shaking more than it
had been. She grabbed it with her other to stop it trembling. “Did you have
something else to tell me?”

“Yeah.” The glow of resolve left Ursa,
and she looked weak and pale again. August returned to her seat. “I do feel bad
for how I treated you, an’ for what Dorane did, an’ I’m glad you came by before
they cart me off north or drag me out an’….”

“They’re not going to kill you, Ursa.”

“I think they might. But even if they
don’t, I wanted to tell you the mansion’s yours. I ain’t gonna make no use of
it, so my money, an’ the mansion, an’ all the stuff that’s in it, just take it.
‘Cept my books, the books are Dorane’s.”

“Ursa, I don’t want….”

“Then sell it all. Give it away. Dump the
china in the river, I don’t care. It’s yours. I figure I owe you somethin.’”

And August realized Ursa truly felt
remorse for what she had put her through. August might want nothing to do with
the mansion and the articles it held, but material gifts were the only way Ursa
knew to prove her emotions. To reject the gesture was to spurn Ursa’s apology,
as heartfelt as it was, if not quite eloquent.

“Thank you,” August told her. “Thanks,
Ursa.”

“Will you forgive me?”

“I’m trying. I’m really trying.”

“How are the boys?”

“They’ll be just fine. I mean, I don’t
think you scarred them for good or something like that. That’s what you’re
asking me, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. Yeah it is.”

Ursa paused, and before she spoke again,
as she had introduced the topic of the king’s children, August told her about
her post as Melly’s nurse. Ursa was stunned to think her sister could have
gotten on without the gifts she had just bestowed on her; she even seemed hurt,
a bit resentful. They spoke of insubstantial things for another half hour or
so, until Vane came in to tell August she could stay no longer. The jail had a
time limit for visits. August told Ursa she’d come back, and a guard entered to
escort the prisoner away.

“You were right,” August whispered when
she and Vane were alone again. “She’s not who she was. I don’t think she’s
eating…. I did need to come. And I’m so glad you came with me!” Vane pulled her
in a one-armed hug from where he stood beside her, and she said, “Let’s get out
of here. This place, it’s horrid. I don’t think I could eat either if I had to
stay.”

“You feel sorry for her?”

“Not really. She deserves to be here, if
I’m honest with myself, and I think being here has opened her eyes to how
horrible a thing she actually did. She’ll do better when they move her north
and she’s out in fresh air, working in the quarry. That’ll do her wonders. And
we, we can still visit her there, right? You can transport me there like we
came here today?”

“Every three weeks if you’d like. You
can’t visit more frequently. No one can. Would you like that?”

“I wouldn’t, actually. I don’t want to
have anything to do with her, but Val, I probably should. She doesn’t have
anyone else, and she’s in a bad way. She’s worse than I expected. You don’t
think the king and queen would have an issue with me…?”

“They both have siblings, or had, in
Rexson’s case. And allowing visits was part of the bargain we made.”

“I hope Ursa learns to cope with this.”

“She will, in time. Just give her a few
weeks. No doctor or medicine heals like time.”

August sighed. “I think we could all use
a good dose of months, then.”

Vane thought of all that lay ahead: his
first appearance at court, the first mentions of the council he would have to
join, the appointment of other members. He could not help but agree with
August’s sentiments. Just then, he would have given his parents’ fortune to
skip over the next months entirely.

BOOK II

CHAPTER ONE

Carson
Amison

The new year had progressed three days.
Vane and August (holding a happy Melinda) sat with the king around the hearth
in the Palace library, warm in the shadows of the books. Frost on the windows
at their backs darkened the room.

Much had changed in the past four months.
August had settled into new quarters at the Palace, rooms even more expansive
than her suite in Ursa’s mansion. She had yet to decide what to do with that
building and what furnishings she had not moved for her personal use or given
to Vane. He needed to replace the rotted or rusting tables, chairs, and benches
in the sprawling home he had inherited from his parents in the eastern suburbs
of Podrar.

After a thorough cleaning and less than
completed redecorating stint, the manor had housed Vane for a week. Vane
himself felt as refurbished as his home, for he’d replaced his entire wardrobe
of necessity. He’d owned nothing appropriate for formal occasions at court, and
all his clothes were of Traiglandian style. He wished not to associate himself
with Traigland. His previous life would be his own, only his, not public like
everything he did from this point out.

Vane’s Aunt Teena had come to stay with
him at Oakdowns, as the manor was called, for at least three or four months,
until any storms Vane’s presence at court caused blew over. There was always a
chance, if Vane’s history became known, that someone could threaten or harm
Teena to intimidate him, and he could better protect her if she stayed with him
in Podrar. She was nothing but in favor of what Vane was doing, and came to the
capital from Yangerton without complaint.

Despite their new and lavish homes, both
August and Vane had been spending some time in the prisons, she visiting her
sister near Partsvale, he Treel, whose story fascinated him. The first visit
with Dorane’s spy was uncomfortable, for the two men had almost nothing in
common and little to say. The second time around Treel turned hostile,
resentful of becoming a charity case. Vane failed to return after that.

Vane had not yet been to Yangerton to
visit Treel’s uncle, his father’s old butler. He could find no time. He had to
relocate before he could appear at court, and had to appear at court well
before March, to give the nobility, and the kingdom at large, some time to grow
accustomed to his presence before news of the Magic Council hit all Herezoth
square in the stomach.

The bustle and repairs around Vane’s
property could not be hidden, and it was no secret in Podrar or among the noble
class that the late Duke and Duchess of Ingleton’s son must be alive after all,
and intending to exercise his birthright to its full extent. However, Vane had
yet to speak with a single noble beyond Mason Greller, who was the Duke of
Podrar and Rexson’s Chief Adviser, or to attend to any court business. Today
would be his introduction, official if lacking flair and taking place behind
closed doors.

Carson Amison, the Duke of Yangerton, had
come to the capital to meet with the king and with Greller, as well as with the
dukes whose smaller domains were now considered part of the capital but in the
past had comprised their own towns: neighborhoods like Ingleton or Hayden’s Crescenton,
which was nestled in the Podra River’s only bend in the region. The Duke of
Podrar had been managing Ingleton’s affairs since Vane’s parents died, but this
meeting Carson Amison had organized was the perfect opportunity to start
transitioning control to the late duke’s son.

The meeting, though, was not scheduled
for another half-hour. The king had asked both Vane and August to come to the
library beforehand, and August’s arms were filled by her toddler-aged charge,
her eyes by the new duke, who had dressed for the part. She had never seen Vane
in rich fabrics like he wore, a tan vest and collared coat of the latest style
dyed jet-black. The look suited him more than well, and almost made her blush
to think of her work frock stained with spit-up. Vane asked Rexson what this
summons was about, and the king responded, “I wanted to give you these before
you’re in a situation to need them. Hopefully you never will, but in the
eventuality….”

Rexson pulled a long, thin box of wood
from his robes and slid back its lid. Inside were three clear crystals the size
of a thumb, strung on metal chains to be worn like a necklace.

“Zalski enchanted these years ago, and
they still function perfectly…. Let me explain,” said the king, when Vane
leaned away and August drew a deep breath. “This center one’s the master
crystal, which goes to Vane. If I tap the other crystals three times, either
one” (he demonstrated with the left-most) “both that crystal and Vane’s will
glow, either red or blue, depending on the stone. And Vane will know whoever
has the crystal is in trouble. Hopefully he’ll know where that person is
supposed to be and can transport there…. It’s for security. Far from foolproof
and completely precautionary, but I figured you could give them to….”

“August and my aunt,” said Vane. Rexson
nodded, and August shook her head.

“Me? Why? I know you’ll have enemies just
coming to court, but….”

“I’ll have more once the council’s
announced. You know they could discover I come every other day to see you, that
they could use you to get to me. We’ve discussed this, August. Take the
crystal.”

August bit her lip, since holding Melly
prevented her pulling on her hair. Though she had known since late summer Vane
would take up his title, it was only within the last week he had told her about
the council, and why the king had to form it, and why he had to be involved.
Ursa’s voice had been running through her head ever since.

Do
you realize the target he’ll have on his back?

You
were frightened of Dorane? Dorane’s a puppy compared to….

“Is this really necessary?” August asked.

“Probably not,” said Vane. “But it can’t
hurt anything, so why take chances?”

August stammered, “It’s just, I…. The
thought that these belonged to…. How did Zalski use them?” she asked the king.

“His wife had one, as she captained his
Elite Guard. His general used the second. From what Kora described, Zalski’s
intent for them was to expedite message delivery.”

Vane asked, “Can the master crystal
activate the others?”

“Unfortunately, no. It only receives a summons,
so if you
were to find yourself in
trouble….”

“I’m a sorcerer. I can fare for myself.”

“That’s what I’m hoping,” the king
agreed.

“Take the crystal, August,” Vane
directed. August was hesitant, but she had rarely heard Vane speak so
forcefully, so she shifted Melly to one arm and, her other shaking, took the
crystal Rexson had used in his demonstration. It was still glowing blue. As she
held it out of Melly’s grasp, Rexson tapped the master crystal, and its glow
faded.

“Thanks, Rexson,” said Vane.

The sorcerer reached for his chain, and
the king told him, “Keep that well hidden, under your clothing. You won’t see
it if it glows, but it heats as well, so you’ll feel it. You don’t want anyone
glimpsing that, Amison in particular. He was more involved with Zalski’s reign
than he’ll admit, and there’s a chance he’d recognize the thing.”

Vane tucked the crystal away. He took the
box with Teena’s chain from Rexson, who studied the boy and shook his head.
“It’s a bloody shame your parents can’t see you here. What your mother would
say…. She’d be damn proud, Ingleton. Damn proud.”

The king had never addressed Vane by his
title before. He clapped the duke on the shoulder, and then left to give him a
private word with August before the meeting. Melly was squirming to get away,
so her nurse released her. The child started beating a footstool as though it
were a drum, laughing at the noise it made.

“Are you ready for this?” asked August.

“Does that matter at this point?”

August put a hand on Vane’s. “You might
not feel ready, but you are. It’s just nerves, Val. The king and Hayden will
have your back, and you know the Duke of Podrar won’t cause you any problems.”

“The only unknown is Yangerton, that’s
what Rexson says.”

“So focus on Yangerton.” She smiled at
Vane. “You look so handsome, so confident, I can’t imagine he won’t be jealous,
so you’ll have that working against you. But try anyway to make a good
impression.” At that, Vane smiled too.

“In all seriousness, you
can
make a good impression. It’s not as
though you pose any threat to him and all he’s done. He’s engrained himself so
securely into, well, everything.”

“That’s exactly the problem. He’s got
everything to lose, and considering his past, my mere identity makes me
threatening.”

Vane had learned more about Amison since
watching him confront the king the previous summer. An opportunist, and if
Hayden and the king were correct, a coward, Amison had done nothing to resist
Zalski’s reign, and had gone farther than most nobles to court the sorcerer’s
favor. He had refrained from any abuse of power in those days, and as his
father had been alive then, had never held a post of responsibility under
Zalski. This meant that Rexson, reclaiming the throne, had been unable to act
against him, but Amison and the king were far from bosom friends, if for no
other reason than Amison’s marriage to Rexson’s first love. The woman had died
a year later giving birth to a sickly child, who also succumbed after six days
of life. Amison never remarried, throwing all his energies into court,
politics, and the welfare of his city, minimizing all remembrance of his former
life.

Vane had told August all about Amison and
Zalski. Her smile vanished at the reminder of their collusion, for the very
thought of the dictator made her uncomfortable; it always did after that book
she had found back in Traigland. She tried to be positive.

“So Yangerton doesn’t like you,” she
said. “He might make things difficult, or try to convince you to go back under
whatever stone you crawled from. That’s not so horrible, is it? You can’t be
any more a reminder of those days they’d all rather forget than Hayden Grissner
is. He was actually in
the Crimson
League.”

“It’s different with me. Amison had
nothing to do with the Crimson League. He supported Zalski, and he doesn’t want
that recalled. Zalski the sorcerer, like me. Zalski my mother’s twin….”

“It’ll be all right,” she whispered,
adding, “Good luck,” and giving him a big bear hug and a kiss on the cheek. He
started for the door. “Wait!” she called, and scooped up Melly, who had left
her stool behind and was toddling over to pull books from the bottom shelves.
“I rumpled your dress coat.”

She straightened him out with her free
hand and kissed him again, on the lips this time. “Good luck,” she repeated.
“You have no idea how much I admire you for doing this. I’d been wondering why
you’re so adamant about taking your place at court, and I didn’t understand. I
couldn’t, not until you told me about the council and the spot my sister and
her cronies put the king in. I realized you’re doing it to help him. This is
Ursa’s fault, in a very real way, and I’m just so grateful to you for helping
set things right. You know how kind the king and queen have been to me.”

“It’s not just you, you know. They’ve looked
out for me my entire life.”

“Well, they owed that to your parents,
didn’t they? They would have watched over you anyway, that’s just how they are,
but they did owe it to your parents. They never owed me a thing, not a blasted
thing. I’m so ashamed of what Ursa’s done to them, and…. Val, thank you. Thank
you ever so much.”

“Of course,” Vane stammered. He didn’t
know what else to say. He had not been thinking of August when he offered to
join the council. He had mainly been thinking of Zacry, and how much he longed
for his mentor to take up the council instead. He had been thinking of the
king, and how he wished Rexson had never been half so kind to him, so he could
feel partly justified, just partly, in walking away from Herezoth. “Of course.
Listen, I should go. It takes ten minutes to reach the king’s office from
here.”

“I should put Melly down for her nap. Can
you eat at the Palace tonight?”

“I have to, August. With Rexson and
Gracia and Amison and God knows who else.”

“I understand.”

“I’d much rather eat with you.”

“Well, you can tell me all about it
tomorrow when I drop by.”

Tomorrow was Tuesday, August’s day off,
so she had arranged to visit Vane at his estate. Vane could not continue to
visit August as he had before that point; once he appeared at court, he could
not give the impression he was at the Palace every other day meeting with the
king, or suspicions of a sordid, even magical, influence over the monarch were
sure to arise. As Vane did not think it a good idea for August to drop by
openly, he had installed a gate in the wrought iron fence around his gardens.
Only he and August had keys to the lock, the thought being they could meet in
the apple orchard beneath the cover of the trees, or in the gardener’s shack,
where they could light a fire in the grate if the day were frigid.