Hemlock And The Wizard Tower (Book 1) (48 page)

"
Drink
this potion before you leave your home
for the meeting
.
 
It will make you invisible during the proceedings.
 
Once you return
take this counter–
potion to restore yourself." said Falignus, handing the Senator two vials, which the
latter placed within his robe.

"Of course
,
" said
Samberlin
. "I never fail to be amused by you
r security measures," he added.

"No measures are foolproof.
 
Today you
are disguised as a harlot
coming and going from the Tower
–
tomorrow you will be invisible.
 
None in the Senate must sus
pect that we are in collusion."

"Some probably do, since it should be evident to the perceptive that it would be in my interest to be in collusion with you.
 
As long as we do not provide any proof, all will be well.
 
Farewell."

Samberlin rose and bowed more convincingly than he had moments before.

As the old Senator walked the length of the chamber and exited, Falignus tried in vain to read some cue of the older man’s intentions from his walk.

Is he pleased to be able to speak to Hemlock?

Falignus decided that he would send Kraven, his most trusted advisor on the council, to observe the interview.  Hopefully Samberlin would not be able to manipulate Hemlock under the observation of Kraven.

"Kraven is smart, but Samberlin may be too subtle for him," Falignus worried.  But he knew of no other alternative, so he considered the matter closed.  He rose and exited the chamber.

…

Hemlock
was escorted out of the eastern gate of the Wizard tower,
which was located
deep underground.
 
The
wizards
lit the way by igniting a series of
enchanted magical torch
es,
which were embedded in the rough stone walls
along their path in
the
humid
darkness.
 

She
had been asked
to meet with the leader of the Senate
at the request of Falignus.

She wasn't sure why Falignus wanted her to talk to the Senator, but she was suspicious
of his intentions
.
 
Falignus had said, when she
had
questioned him
about the meeting
, that he
had
merely wanted her to meet the man, whom Falignus
had
said was an important political figure in the City and also an a
dvisor and ally of the wizards.

Hemlock could not escape the feeling, however, that she was being sent
to meet the Senator
in order for Falignus to gain another perspective on
whether she was telling the truth about her desire to slay Gwineval or not.

Hemlock was encircled in a shimmering band of color, which emanated from a staff borne by the Wizard directly behind her.
  The ever changing energy field made her feel sluggish, and she could not attune to it because it kept changing its nature.

Hemlock could not see the
Wizard
who restrained her
, but she knew
that it was the leering winged w
izard known as Kraven, who only disguised his lust for
her when Falignus was present.

Hemlock
knew
that the
wizards
had devised this multi
–
colored spell to attempt to control her powers.
 
It was a variant of the spell which they used in their dungeon, where she had languished when she
had first been brought to the Tower.

Hemlock knew that the spell, which seemed to be a randomly alternating set of debilitating dweomers, had been effective in restraining her in the dungeon.
 
But she wasn't sure whether this weaker, mobile version would restrain her if she
devoted her full energies to escaping.

But Hemlock was not sure that she wanted to escape.
 
She wanted to kill Gwineval, and
she thought that
having the
wizards
as allies cou
ld be essential in that effort.

I can't take on the entire Tanna Varran kingdom by myself.

Falignus had sent four other tattooed
wizards
with Kraven, although they were not able to fly like Kraven could, which Hemlock thought made the
m poorly suited to support him.

After a time the group came to a narrow passage which extended about one hundred feet, and forced them all to walk in single file.
  It ended in
a small, locked iron door
.  A wizard
unlocked
the door
with a gesture, and the group emerged into a narrow
chasm, open to the morning sky.

Hemlock's eyes were stung by the sudden shift from dark to light, but soon she was able to see a grassy rampart which led from the f
loor of the chasm upward.

The group climbed this path, and Hemlock admired the many colorful and flowering vines which clung
to the rocky walls of the chasm.  She also enjoyed listening to
the songs of many birds which flitted about the group
as they walked.

Soon the group emerged o
nto
the long semi-circular road which was located at the center of the City and which surrounded Hemisphere Lake.  They stood on the section of the road which was adjacent to the e
astern side of the moat that surro
unded the Wizard Tower and the w
estern side of
the Lake.

An older man in a loos
ely fitting Senate robe waited.

H
e introduced himself,
bowing, and looking at Hemlock:
"I am
Samberlin
, speaker of the Senate
.
"
 
He nodded to Kraven as well.

"I am Hemlock," she replied.

"Let's walk
."

"
All right."

Hemlock made eye contact with
Samberlin
as they settled into an easy stride, flanked by the
wizards
.
 
She noticed that Samberlin
was careful to stay
at
a reasonable distance from the magical field surrounding
her
, but was still clos
e enough for easy conversation.

"So tell me what happened in the Witch Crags
,
"
said
Samberlin.

Hemlock found the gaze of the older man disconcerting.
 
There was an analytical quality that was constantly present, almost like a third party
to their conversation.

Hemlock decided to divert his
line of
question
ing
with one of her own
. "Are you an ally of Falignus?"

Samberlin
smiled
in
amusement, but Hemlock noted that there was little joy in that smile,
and a subtle hint of derision.

"I wouldn't use the term ally,
"
he responded
.
"I would say instead that we a
re united by a common purpose."

"Does Falignus
appreciate this distinction?"

"Of course.
 
I make no attempt to disguise my
primary motive in life,
which is
self
-
interest.
 
There are certain corollaries that arise from that motive, such as the benefits of government and basic ethics.  But I act in my own interest and e
veryone knows this about me.
 
I think that
in a way,
people trust me because of this, which is somewhat ironic.
 
Perhaps it’s because they know that I do not act rashly or without full consideration of the ramifications of my actions."

Hemlock found Samberlin’s nonchalantly amoral attitude repulsive.  Safreon had always stressed to her that compassion toward those deserving of it was a core value to live by.  Samberlin evidently was diametrically opposed to that viewpoint.

There was a long pause in the conversation.  Hemlock remembered her many days with Safreon and became sad. 

Samberlin broke the silence in an upbeat tone which contrasted starkly with Hemlock’s mood.
"So
how are you feeling, oh great Redeemer, Savior of the City and P
rotector against the threat of the rogue Wizard and his army of unwashed savages from the Witch Crags?"

Hemlock looked at him
, trying to determine whether he was mocking her, but while he was smiling, he also looked serious.

What does he mean?

"That is how y
ou will be known to the people,
as
their Champion against the tyrannical wizard, Gwineval."

"That sounds a li
ttle...theatrical," she replied.

Samberlin
stopped short and looked at her in admiration.
 
"Oh my, Falignus didn't do you justice when he
described you."

"What are you talking about
?
 
It was just an observation."

Samberlin
resumed walking and Hemlock and the escort
ing wizards followed his lead.

"An excellent observation, even if you do not appreciate its significance.
 
You grew up in the Warrens as I underst
and it?"

"Yes."

"What do you know of the Elite
district and Senate politics?"

"As little as possi
ble," she replied sarcastically.

"Amazing."

"What?"

"It just amazes me when I see how well our plans work
sometimes
.
 
We've carefully crafted conditions in the Warrens to produce a stable and apathetic
population
.
 
Your response is precisel
y what I would have hoped for."

Hemlock felt angry
and violated at the same time.

"Don't be offended
–
you've clearly
risen above your modest origins,
"
Samberlin
offered in a conc
iliatory tone.

Hemlock was still angry
.
 
She looked at the older man.
She could see his slight build, which was rev
ealed by his robe as he walked.
He wasn't frail
and was fairly well-conditioned
, but
he looked fragile all the same.
Hemlock thought that she could probably
dispatch
him
with a single blow to the head.

"Listen Hemlock, I need to discuss certain political
and social realities with you.
We seem to have a common goal
–
all of us
–
which is to rid the City of the threat of Gwineval, who now apparently wields a po
wer that could destroy us all."

"Look, it's personal for me with Gwineval.
 
I don't need to hear all of this.
 
All that you need to know is that when I see
him I'll attack."

"Not true.
 
What if circumstances change?
 
What happens after we eliminate him?
 
We are offering you more than a mercenary role in this; we'd like you to become part of our organization.
 
We'd like you to consider our ideology, which I think you may find compelling once you allow yourself to honestly contemplate it."

Hemlock considered his words as she looked at the many beaches and parks that surrounded Hemisphere Lake.
 
Even at this early hour some
people
, who were likely taking a day of leisure, were setting up picnic areas.
 
Far along the shoreline from where they stood, she observed the brightly colored umbrellas of the Elite areas.  Closer were the areas where the people from the Warrens made their picnics – with drab umbrellas that were often tattered or patched.