Magician (17 page)

Pug glanced at Tomas, finding his
friend lost in his own discomfort. Pug returned his attention to
Carline. He felt overwhelmed by the Princess, but her allure was
tempered by a strange discomfort he felt whenever she was near. As
beautiful as he found her—her black locks and blue eyes
igniting some very uncomfortable flames of imagination—the
images were always somehow hollow, colorless at heart, lacking the
amber-and-rose glow such daydreams had possessed when Carline had
been a distant, unapproachable, and unknown figure. Observing her
closely for even as short a time as he had recently made such
idealized musing impossible. She was proving herself to be just too
complicated to fit into simple daydreams. On the whole he found the
question of the Princess troublesome, but seeing her with Roland made
him forget his internal conflicts over her, as a less intellectual,
more basic emotion came to the fore. He was becoming jealous.

Pug sighed, shaking his head as he
thought about his own misery at this moment, ignoring Tomas’s.
At least, thought Pug, I’m not alone. To Roland’s obvious
discomfort, Carline was deeply involved at the moment in conversation
with Prince Calin of Elvandar, son of Aglaranna. The Prince seemed to
be the same age as Arutha, or Lyam, but then so did his mother, who
appeared to be in her early twenties. All the elves, except the
Queen’s seniormost adviser, Tathar, were quite young looking,
and Tathar looked no older than the Duke.

When the meal was over, most of the
Duke’s court retired. The Duke rose and offered his arm to
Aglaranna and led those who had been ordered to attend them to his
council chamber.

For the third time in two days, the
boys found themselves in the Duke’s council chamber. Pug was
more relaxed about being there than before, thanks in part to the
large meal, but Tomas seemed more disturbed than ever. If the taller
boy had spent the hour before dinner staring at the Elf Queen, in
these close quarters he seemed to be looking everywhere but in her
direction. Pug thought Aglaranna noticed Tomas’s behavior and
smiled slightly, but he couldn’t be sure.

The two elves who came with the Queen,
Calin and Tathar, went at once to the side table that held the bowl
and the artifacts taken from the Tsurani soldier. They examined them
closely, fascinated by every detail.

The Duke called the meeting to order,
and the two elves came to chairs on either side of the Queen. Pug and
Tomas stood by the door as usual.

The Duke said, “We have told you
what has occurred as well as we know, and now you have seen proof
with your own eyes. If you think it would be helpful, the boys can
recount the events on the ship.”

The Queen inclined her head, but it was
Tathar who spoke. “I would like to hear the story firsthand,
Your Grace.”

Borric motioned for the boys to
approach. They stepped forward, and Tathar said, “Which of you
found this outworlder?”

Tomas threw Pug a look that indicated
the shorter boy should do the talking. Pug said, “We both did,
sir,” not knowing the proper address for the elf. Tathar seemed
content with the general honorific. Pug recounted the events of that
day, leaving out nothing he could remember. When he had done, Tathar
asked a series of questions, each jogging Pug’s memory,
bringing out small details he had forgotten.

When he was done, Pug stepped back, and
Tathar repeated the process with Tomas Tomas began haltingly,
obviously discomfited, and the Elf Queen bestowed a reassuring smile
on him. That only served to make him more unsettled, and he was soon
dismissed.

Tathar’s questions provided more
details about the ship, small things forgotten by the boys: fire
buckets filled with sand tossed about the deck, empty spear-racks,
substantiating Arutha’s surmise that it had been, indeed, a
warship.

Tathar leaned back. “We have
never heard of such a ship. It is in many ways like other ships, but
not in all ways. We are convinced.”

As if by silent signal, Calin spoke.
“Since the death of my Father-King, I serve as Warleader of
Elvandar. It is my duty to supervise the scouts and patrols that
guard our glades. For some time we have been aware that there were
strange occurrences in the great forest, south of the river Crydee.
Several times our runners have found tracks made by men, in isolated
parts of the forest. They have been found as near as the borders of
Elvandar, and as far as the North Pass near Stone Mountain.

“Our scouts have tried for weeks
to find these men, but only tracks could be seen. There were none of
the usual things that would be expected of a scouting or raiding
party. These people were taking great care to disguise their
presence. Had they not passed so close to Elvandar, they might have
remained undetected, but no one may intrude near our home and go
unnoticed.

“Several days ago, one of our
scouts sighted a band of strangers passing the river, near the edge
of our forests heading in the direction of the North Pass. He
followed for a half day’s march, then lost them.”

Fannon raised his eyebrows. “An
elven tracker lost them?”

Calin inclined his head slightly “Not
by his lack of skill. They simply entered a thick glade and never
appeared on the other side. He followed their tracks up to the point
where they vanished.”

Lyam said, “I think we know now
where they went.” He looked uncommonly somber, resembling his
father more than usual.

Calin continued. “Four days
before your message arrived, I led a patrol that sighted a band near
the place of last sighting. They were short and stocky men, without
beards. Some were fair and others dark. There were ten of them, and
they moved through the forest with little ease; the slightest sound
put them on guard. But with all their caution, they still had no idea
they were being tracked.

“They all wore armor of bright
colors, reds and blues, some green, others yellow, save one in black
robes. They carried swords like the one on the table and others
without the serration, round shields, and strange bows, short and
curved in an odd doubled-back way.”

Algon sat forward. “They’re
recurved bows, like the ones used by Keshian dog-soldiers.”

Calin spread his hands. “Kesh has
long been gone from these lands, and when we knew the Empire, they
used simple bows of yew or ash.”

Algon interrupted in excited tones.
“They have a way, secret to them, of fashioning such bows from
wood and animal horn. They are small, but possess great power, though
not as much as the longbow. Their range is surprisingly—”

Borric cleared his throat pointedly,
being unwilling to let the Horse-master indulge himself in his
preoccupation with weaponry. “If His Highness will please
continue?”

Algon sat back, blushing furiously, and
Calin said, “I tracked them for two days. They stopped and made
cold camp at night and took great care not to leave signs of their
passing. All food scraps and body wastes were gathered together in a
sack and carried by one of their band. They moved carefully, but were
easy for us to follow.

“When they came to the edge of
the forest, near the mouth of North Pass, they made marks upon a
parchment as they had several times during their trek. Then the one
in black activated some strange device, and they vanished.”
There was a stir from the Duke’s company Kulgan especially
looked disturbed.

Calin paused. “The thing that was
most strange, however, was their language, for their speech was
unlike any we know. They spoke in hushed tones, but we could hear
them, and their words were without meaning.”

The Queen then spoke. “Hearing
this, I became alarmed, for these outworlders are clearly mapping the
West, ranging freely through the great forest, the hills of Stone
Mountain, and now the coasts of the Kingdom. Even as we prepared to
send you word, the reports of these outworlders became more frequent.
Several more bands were seen in the area of the North Pass.”

Arutha sat forward, resting his arms on
the table. “If they cross the North Pass, they will discover
the way to Yabon, and the Free Cities. The snows will have started to
fall in the mountains, and they may discover we are effectively
isolated from aid during the winter.”

For a moment alarm flickered on the
Duke’s face, betraying his stoic demeanor. He regained his
composure and said, “There is still the South Pass, and they
may not have mapped that far. If they were in that area, the dwarves
would most likely have seen signs of them, as the villages of the
Grey Towers are more widely scattered than those of Stone Mountain.”

“Lord Borric,” said
Aglaranna, “I would never have ventured from Elvandar if I had
not thought the situation critical. From what you have told us of the
outworld Empire, if they are as powerful as you say, then I fear for
all the free peoples of the West. While the elves have little love
for the Kingdom as such, we respect those of the Crydee, for you have
ever been honorable men and have never sought to extend your realm
into our lands. We would ally with you should these outworlders come
for conquest.”

Borric sat quietly for a moment. “I
thank the Lady of Elvandar for the aid of the elven folk should war
come. We are also in your debt for your counsel, for now we can act.
Had we not known of these happenings in the great forests, we would
likely have given the aliens more time for whatever trouble they are
preparing.” He paused again, as if considering his next words.
“And I am convinced that these Tsurani plan us ill. Scouting an
alien and strange land I could see, trying to determine the nature
and temper of the people who live there, but extensive mapping by
warriors can only be a prelude to invasion.”

Kulgan sounded fatigued as he said,
“They most likely will come with a mighty host.”

Tully shook his head. “Perhaps
not.” All eyes turned to him as he said, “I am not so
certain. Much of what I read in Xomich’s mind was confused, but
there is something about this Empire of Tsuranuanni that makes it
unlike any nation we know of; there is something very alien about
their sense of duty and alliances. I can’t tell you how I know,
but I suspect they may choose to test us first, with but a small part
of their might. It’s as if their attentions are elsewhere, and
we’re an afterthought.” He shook his head in admitted
confusion. “I have this sense, nothing more.”

The Duke sat upright, a commanding tone
coming into his voice. “We will act. I will send messages to
Duke Brucal of Yabon, and again to Stone Mountain and the Grey
Towers.”

Aglaranna said, “It would be good
to hear what the dwarven folk know.”

Borric said, “I had hoped for
word by now, but our messengers have not returned, nor have the
pigeons they carry.”

Lyam said, “Hawks, perhaps. The
pigeons are not always reliable, or perhaps the messengers never
reached the dwarves.”

Borric turned to Calin. “It has
been forty years since the siege of Carse, and we have had little
traffic with the dwarves since Who commands the dwarven clans now?”

The Elf Prince said, “As then.
Stone Mountain is under the banner of Harthorn, of Hogar’s
line, at village Delmona. The Grey Towers rally to the banner of
Dolgan, of Thohn’s line, at village Caldara.”

“Both are known to me, though I
was but a boy when they raised the Dark Brothers’ siege at
Carse,” said Borric “They will prove fierce allies if
trouble comes.”

Arutha said, “What of the Free
Cities, and the Prince in Krondor?”

Borric sat back. “I must think on
that, for there are problems in the East, or so I have word. I will
give thought to the matter this night.” He stood. “I
thank you all for this counsel Return to your quarters and avail
yourselves of rest and refreshments. I will ask you to consider plans
for dealing with the invaders, should they come, and we will meet
again tomorrow.”

As the Elf Queen rose, he offered her
his arm, then escorted her through the doors that Tomas and Pug held
open. The boys were the last to exit. Fannon took Tomas in tow,
leading him to the soldiers’ commons, while Kulgan stood
outside the hall with Tully and the two elven advisers.

The magician turned to his apprentice.
“Pug, Prince Calin expressed an interest in your small library
of magic books. Would you please show them to him?”

Pug said he would and led the Prince up
the stairs to his door and opened it for him. Calin stepped through,
and Pug followed Fantus was asleep and woke with a start. He threw
the elf a distrustful look.

Calin slowly crossed over to the drake
and spoke a few soft words in a language that Pug didn’t
understand Fantus lost his nervousness and stretched forth his neck
to allow the Prince to scratch his head.

After a moment the drake looked
expectantly to Pug. Pug said, “Yes, dinner is over. The kitchen
will be full of scraps.” Fantus moved to the window with a
wolfish grin and used his snout to push it open. With a snap of his
wings he was out, gliding toward the kitchen.

Pug offered Calin a stool, but the
Prince said, “Thank you, but your chairs and stools are of
little comfort to my kind. I will just sit on the floor, with your
leave. You have a most unusual pet, Squire Pug.” He gave Pug a
small smile. Pug was a little uncomfortable hosting the Elf Prince in
his poor room, but the elf’s manner was such that the boy
started to relax.

“Fantus is less a pet than a
permanent guest. He has a mind of his own. It is not unusual for him
to disappear for weeks at a time, now and again, but mostly he stays
here. He must eat outside the kitchen now that Meecham has gone.”

Calin inquired who Meecham was. Pug
explained, adding, “Kulgan has sent him over the mountains to
Bordon, with some of the Duke’s guards, before the North Pass
is snowed in. He didn’t say why he was going, Highness.”