Sword and the Spell 01: The Grey Robe (27 page)

First came those from the less wealthy families or
masters of the smaller guilds from their position at the rear of the throne
room followed by those from the older families and the merchant guilds. Finally
those from the front rows came forward. They were from the noblest families,
the winemasters and the guildmasters from the silver and goldsmith’s guild and
ambassadors from other lands. Their gifts were too large to add to the array of
brightly wrapped offerings so, instead, they presented beribboned scrolls of
land deeds and valuable trading concessions.

Daun watched with growing excitement and a bright
smile of anticipation, she loved presents and couldn’t wait to get her hands on
the gifts so she could see what people had brought her. Pellum's gracious smile
never faltered although, once, he did have to stifle a yawn of boredom behind
his raised hand. King Steppen and his queen acknowledged every gift with a
smile of thanks whilst at Steppen's side King Porteous rubbed his hands with
glee and looked overjoyed at the size of the pile of gifts. Even the two
elderly magicians, who were to present their gifts last, smiled benignly. The
only person who looked miserable was Jonderill but his face was hidden from
view.

When all the other gifts had been presented and
everyone had returned to their seat Plantagenet stepped forward, his wand in
his hand and Animus at his side. The buzz of noise from those gathered ceased
and everyone leaned forward waiting to hear what wonderful gift the king's
ancient magicians had to offer the betrothed couple. Daun and Pellum looked
less excited but King Steppen waved for his magicians to begin. Plantagenet
raised his wand and brought his power to focus on the carved wand, yellowed by
time. He looked intently from Pellum to Daun and then concentrated on the
princess whilst in a clear voice, which belied his age, he began the enchantment.

To you daughter, of my heart,

my gift is to remain pure and chaste.

So whilst you two lovers must be
apart,

on others, your maidenhood, you will
not waste.

A sigh of approval whispered across the throne room
whilst Porteous, Steppen and Althea nodded approvingly. Pellum looked at his
bride-to-be with a smugly satisfied smile which was not returned. Only Animus
looked confused and tugged urgently at the sleeve of his friend’s robe; this
was definitely not the gift they had planned to give. Plantagenet was undeterred
though; he cleared his throat and waved his wand again turning his attention to
Pellum.

To you, the princess's husband to be,

from this day forth until you are
wed.

You may kiss and hold any woman you
see,

but not one will you take into your
bed.

   
The slight snigger and titter
of laughter which followed as a result of the magician’s gift was barely louder
than the previous whisper of approval but had a considerable impact on those
who occupied the royal dais. Steppen and Althea looked extremely pleased,
whilst their friend flushed red and felt acutely embarrassed. Standing at the
front of the dais in full public view Daun smiled sweetly at her betrothed, a
look of pure innocence on her beautiful face which did little to disguise the
look of satisfaction in her eyes.

Pellum's charming smile was fixed but if he could have
reached the scrawny neck of the senile old man in front of him, he would have throttled
the last breath from his imbecilic body. Animus looked up at his lifelong
friend and companion, catching just an edge of Jonderill's feelings and
understood why the tall magician had changed their planned enchantment. With a
mischievous grin, which beamed across his face, he bowed deeply and took a step
forward to add his own benediction, hesitating as he reached for his wand.

Jonderill stepped forward to pass it to him but before
Animus could take it there was a commotion at the far end of the throne room
where the massive silver-bound doors had closed behind the two processions.
With a loud crash and a brilliant flash of light the doors flew open and
smashed against the plastered walls. White smoke billowed through the opening
but instead of dissipating in the height of the throne room, it swirled into a
spiral where it coalesced into darkness.

From out of the darkness stepped a tall figure, his
head shrouded in a deep hood and his body robed in black. Four knights rushed forward
to intercept him with their swords drawn. Before they reached the dark figure
they were thrown violently back against the walls by a single movement of the
pale hands which were the only part of the man which was visible until he threw
back the dark cowl to reveal his gaunt features.

"Maladran!" cried Plantagenet and Animus
almost as one, turning to face the new arrival.

Maladran moved slowly towards the raised thrones, his
black cloak sweeping out behind him and his dark eyes set on the king. Steppen
stood and walked to the edge of the dais whilst all his guests pulled back as
far as they could from the black robe. The only other movement in the room was
made by Jonderill who eased forward to get a better view of the magician he hadn’t
seen in years.

"What do you want here, Maladran?" asked
Steppen sternly.

"It's quite a gathering you have here, Your
Majesty," replied Maladran calmly. "Kings, nobility, foreign
emissaries and antiquities." He looked at Steppen's two magicians and gave
a brief but ironic bow. "My master felt very aggrieved when he wasn’t
invited to attend this celebration and sent me to find out the reason
why."

"It wasn’t appropriate to invite your master or
you for that matter, to the happy occasion of my daughter's betrothal."

"That was a very unfortunate decision, Your
Majesty. My master had thought it was an oversight and not a pathetic attempt
to insult him. He’ll be most upset when I tell him he wasn’t wanted here;
particularly as he has sent me with a gift for the beautiful princess I
promised him he would have for his bride."

“You have no right to promise my daughter as his bride
and we want none of Sarrat’s gifts.”

"A gift?" said Daun, undaunted by the
magician's sudden appearance or her father’s outburst. She stepped forward away
from Pellum's side.

"What sort of gift?" demanded Plantagenet,
moving in front of the princess as if to protect her.

Animus hurried after him, his usual smile replaced by
a worried frown. “You’ve heard the king, we don't want any of your gifts here,
Maladran. Why don't you just leave and go back to your tower."

"That is most inhospitable of you," snapped
Maladran in irritation. "Inhospitable and unwarranted."

He stepped forward again, pushing the two elderly
magicians roughly out of the way and looking the princess in the eye. Daun
didn’t move, held immobile by the magician's black orbs. No one else moved either
except for Pellum, who scuttled backwards to stand behind his father.

"Now listen to me, princess, for your life lies
in my hands and if you should try to escape your fate I will see to it that your
death will be that much sooner and that much more unpleasant than my master has
decreed." Maladran hesitated for a moment as he gathered his power into
the void and then released it to bind his spell. "Before the sun has set
on your sixteenth birthday, the day of your wedding, you will fall beneath the
hooves of a silver horse and die."

"No!" cried Althea, collapsing into her
husband's arms.

"Seize that man!" ordered Steppen.

In an instant the throne room was in uproar. Knights
in full armour drew their swords and rushed forward from the aisles whilst
guards, who had been discreetly placed at doorways and behind the throne, ran
to surround the magician with their tall pikes and halberds.

"Fools!" cried Maladran. “Do you think you
could ever take me?" He spun around to face his attackers, raised his
hands in the air and brought them together with a crash of blinding light.
Immediately flames erupted in a circle around him and those who had rushed in
closest to seize the magician were instantly consumed by fire. They collapsed
to the ground as twisted, blackened husks before they even had a chance to
scream. Those who had hurried to assist in the capture but were furthest away
had their clothes and hair set on fire and exposed flesh blistered with the
heat.

Other guards ran to their comrades’ aid, stamping out
the flames or smothering them with their own bodies. Guests of breeding and
good manners forgot all about decorum and fled to the exits, trampling
underfoot any who were unfortunate enough to fall. On the dais Steppen
comforted his wife and daughter whilst the two magicians huddled together
sharing low whispers. Of Maladran, there was no sign.

*

Jonderill hadn’t been inside the royal apartments
before and in all his life had never seen such luxury and delicate beauty, a
reflection of Queen Althea’s taste and the kingdom’s wealth. Somewhat awed by
the surroundings and the exalted company he was now in, he stood in the corner
with his goblet of mulled wine untouched and tried to come to terms with the
spell casting he had just witnessed. In all the confusion he was the only one
who had seen Maladran leave, surrounded by a dark spiral of smoke which was almost
identical to the way in which he had arrived.

He wasn’t sure how he felt about seeing Maladran again
except that he was shocked to see how much the magician changed. His memories
of Maladran were of someone with angular features which were often softened by
his smile but in the throne room he had seemed much more gaunt and grim than
Jonderill remembered and there was a look of malignance in the dark eyes that
he was certain hadn’t been there before.

Now he had time to think about what had taken place in
the throne room he wondered what had happened to the magician to change him so
much. Only once before had Jonderill heard of him using a death spell and never
against someone as innocent as the princess. Then there was him using elemental
fire as a weapon which went against every magician's code of ethics, or so he
had been taught. Jonderill gave a loud sigh; had Maladran really changed that
much or had he only imagined that the magician had feelings all along?

"Boy, don't hide in a corner, come here and
answer our questions."

Jonderill jumped in surprise at the king's command,
hastily put his wine goblet down on a small side table and went to stand in
front of Steppen. Almost immediately Animus and Plantagenet arrived at each
side of him and he could feel concern and support beaming out to him.

"The guards tell me you have some knowledge of
this Maladran and know him better than most, is that true?"

Jonderill hesitated, wishing that Barrin had kept that
information to himself and uncertain about the threat in the king's voice. He
could feel the sudden surprise of the two magicians at his side at the
revelation. "Yes, Your Majesty, I know a little of Maladran." The
king smiled at him, encouraging him to continue. "It was before I was sold
to your household, where I have served loyally ever since."

"Do you think the magician will carry out his
threat?"

Jonderill looked across the room to where Althea sat
holding her daughter and trying to comfort her. Tears streaked Daun's face and
he felt a great need to protect her. He looked around the sumptuous room for
the other person who should have surely been at her side but Pellum wasn’t
there.

"Well, boy?"

"He’s changed," stammered Jonderill,
"but the spell was a strong one which I don't think he’ll lift."

Daun broke out into a new fit of sobbing and Steppen
looked as if he had been struck. He looked pleadingly at his two elderly
magicians with Jonderill still standing between them. "Is there nothing
you two can do?"

Plantagenet shook his head. "I'm afraid not, we’ve
already given our betrothal gift to the princess and by the time we have
recuperated our powers, Maladran's spell will be irrevocably set."

Jonderill looked up at Plantagenet whilst he fingered
the ivory wand pushed beneath his belt and then back at Animus, wringing his
podgy hands in front of him. "I don't think you have, master," he
said quietly.

Plantagenet looked at him disparagingly down his long
aquiline nose; he hated his wisdom to be questioned. Jonderill pulled Animus's
wand from his belt where he had placed it when Maladran had appeared.

Animus looked surprised to see it in Jonderill's hand
and suddenly remembered he had misplaced it. "By the goddess, the boy’s
right!" he exclaimed in sudden excitement. "Plantagenet gave the
gifts of chastity and celibacy but I didn't endorse them because I didn’t have
my wand with me."

"Then you can remove Maladran’s fearful curse?"
asked the king, a note of pleading in his voice.

"Oh no, sire," explained Plantagenet.
"Maladran's powers are too great for Animus to remove, or both of us
together for that matter, but we might be able to soften it somewhat if we act
now before the spell is completely settled." Plantagenet took the wand
from Jonderill and thrust it into Animus's shaking hands.