Part 51 (1/2)

”By the same manner as their leader. He was a wolf raider, probably an officer.”

”Wolf raider. . . .” Darkhorse glowered as only he could. ”Even without an empire, they still manage to meddle. This explains such a fanatical mission. Only an Aramite officer would see to it that neither he nor his men would survive if the plot failed. Good in one respect, for it means less to hunt down afterward. May the Lords of the Dead have no pity on their souls. It's over, then?”

Cabe could not prevent a sigh this time. He hoped that his companion would not read too much into it. The warlock was not certain that he could maintain the lie if pressed. ”This is. There may be repercussions, though. Kyl was quite shook-up.”

”So I would think.” Darkhorse scuffed the soil, sending large chunks of earth flying. ”I am still not certain about this matter, Cabe. I think someone else was behind this.”

”You do?” He tried not to reveal his anxiety.

The eternal dipped his head in an equine nod. ”I would not be surprised to find the talons of Toma sunk deeply into this travesty!”

Seizing the notion and turning it to his own use, Cabe agreed. ”You may be right.”

”We need to find that reptilian fiend and put an end to his misdeeds! I will not rest until that has happened!”

This time, the warlock had no difficulty agreeing. Even if the renegade drake had not been involved in Darkhorse's capture, which was still not a notion that Cabe could entirely dismiss, he had much else to answer for.

”We'll find him, Darkhorse. Somehow we will.”

The nightmarish stallion again pawed at the ground. The spark in his eyes rekindled, becoming a blaze. Yet, his form noticeably wavered, as if he still did not have complete control over it. The pupilless eyes peered down at him. ”Do you intend to return to the Manor now?”

Cabe gently touched the box in his robe. He hoped his own presence s.h.i.+elded the artifact from Darkhorse's senses. Despite the shadow steed's manner, it was clear that he was weak, which was the only reason that the warlock hoped he could keep the box concealed. Darkhorse would want to destroy the box and, in truth, Cabe would have been hard-pressed to prevent him from doing so without revealing just exactly why it was necessary to keep it in one piece. The mage himself was not exactly certain why; he simply felt that the sinister device would prove a d.a.m.ning bit of evidence when he faced the one responsible. ”Yes. I want to look around here a little first, then I'll be returning to the Manor.”

Again the shadow steed's form wavered. This time, when Darkhorse spoke, his voice was m.u.f.fled, as if someone had in part succeeded in gagging him. Yet, his tone was still one of unbridled self-confidence. ”Then I shall trust to your safety since all the villains are dead. In the meantime, there is a hunt that I must begin. Toma must needs be taught a proper lesson for this!” The eternal began to turn away. ”If I find anything of significance, I shall come to the Manor; I promise you.”

”Are you . . . are you certain that you'll be all right, Darkhorse?”

The ebony stallion swung his head and chuckled. ”Of course, I will be! I am Darkhorse, am I not?”

Cabe could only smile and shake his head. No matter what dire straits the shadow steed faced, it seemed that there were some character traits forever ingrained in his rather eccentric personality. On the one hand, the sorcerer would not have wanted Darkhorse to change, but on the other hand, it likely would have been better for all concerned if the shadow steed was better able to restrain himself when it came to certain matters. Certainly, Cabe would sleep easier. Unfortunately, Cabe was aware that nothing but imprisonment or destruction would sway the injured stallion from his chosen path.

”Fare you well, Cabe, and my thanks. . . .” The ma.s.sive equine began to trot . . . and was suddenly nowhere to be seen. Swifter than the wind was a phrase that failed to describe the eternal's speed.

He doesn't realize, the master mage thought as he stared where his companion had stood not a breath before. Hopefully, it'll remain that way.

Alone, Cabe finally turned and gave the dusty remains of the conspirators one last cursory glance. Already Cabe knew that there was nothing to be learned from these. Even the leader's empty armor and cloak left no secrets. After a minute or two of futile searching, the warlock turned his attention to the horses, but a thorough examination revealed that the saddlebags contained only some food, water, and a few other necessities for travel. The contents told him only one interesting thing; the sparsity of food meant that either the hooded figures had planned to locate supplies elsewhere, or they had not expected to ride much further after this. Cabe knew of nothing nearby. They could not hope to catch sufficient game in this area, either.

The evidence would have been circ.u.mstantial to most, but to the uneasy spellcaster, what he knew was sufficient to condemn. He dared not deal with the matter this night, though. Best to return home and face this when I've rested. Maybe I'll still find another answer. Maybe.

He remained long enough to send the horses through a blink hole, one of the large, magical portals a spellcaster could create, that would leave them in the royal stables of Penacles. One of the animals carried a note on its saddle, a missive from the warlock to the Gryphon explaining what had happened. As with the explanation to Darkhorse, it left some things unsaid.

Satisfied that the Gryphon would know best what to do with the dead a.s.sa.s.sins' things, Cabe prepared for home. A good night's sleep was what he would need, especially if he planned to go through with his accusations. He would need all the strength he could when it came time to reveal what he knew.

Even then, Cabe was not certain that he would be strong enough.

XVII.

DESPITE HIS DETERMINATION the night before, the new day found Cabe ensconced in his study, his mind a raging maelstrom of doubt and contradiction. He had been there since his return from tracking down the a.s.sa.s.sins. Neither Gwendolyn nor the children had been able to stir him from the emotion that bespelled him, and they had finally resigned themselves to allowing him to find his own way back.

Cabe could not explain to them, not without revealing what he felt should not be revealed. There had been enough tragedy and violence already; the knowledge . . . the suspicions . . . he entertained were enough to start a new war.

The d.a.m.ning box sat on the table before him, a dark thing both revealing and mysterious. No one knew it was here; he had cast a cloaking spell around it at first opportunity. Since no one here had known of the box in the first place, the few moments it had been uns.h.i.+elded had not mattered. Besides, there were so many other concerns already being dealt with that it was doubtful anyone else had had the time to even notice the brief existence of the foul artifact.

”What do I do about you?” Cabe muttered not for the first time. He prodded the box ever so slightly. ”I should destroy you now, that's what I should do.” Destroying it was not truly the answer, however. That would only leave the incident unresolved, possibly forever. The box was proof.

He knew that, but the warlock could still not bring himself to take it to its former owner. This could set kingdom against kingdom . . . create civil wars. . . . Cabe wondered if the one responsible for the box had foreseen that. Had they actually wanted that?

Cabe? The voice that suddenly echoed in his head made him grateful he had also taken the precaution of s.h.i.+elding part of his mind. Despite the fact that she was now linked to her husband, Lady Bedlam would not be aware of the thoughts running through his head. She, especially, could not be told just yet.

It was possibly the first time he had kept something of such importance hidden from her. Cabe struggled with the shame as he responded to her mental summons. Yes?

At last! came her response. I was beginning to fear for you, you know! This isn't the first time I've tried to contact you.

He grimaced. Cabe did not even know how long he had been sitting here, save that the small breakfast he had forced down no longer was enough to sustain him. At present, his stomach was sounding much like a volcano preparing to erupt. I'm sorry.

Where are you?

In my study.

The surprise was almost vocal. Still? Darling- Before she could ask the question that he would again be forced to ignore, Cabe interjected, What is it? You sound as if you have some news.

I do. It was clear that she did not like her questions being shunted aside again, but knew better than to argue at this point. For that, the frustrated mage was happy. This morning there was a missive from the Green Dragon.

He straightened. ”What does he want?” he asked out loud before recalling the link. Fortunately, asking the question was the same as framing it in his mind.

The master of Irillian by the Sea is demanding to see Kyl sooner than we'd planned. In fact, the missive clearly indicates that we can expect him to leave his kingdom tomorrow or the day after.

Of all the things that the missive might have contained, the meeting between Kyl and the Dragon Kings' chosen representative had been the only matter the warlock had not worried about. Yet, it should have not been so surprising. Of course the Dragon Kings would know almost instantly about the botched a.s.sa.s.sination; they would be justly concerned about the state of affairs at this point. This alteration in the schedule was as much to a.s.sess the change the attempt might have had on the heir's mental state as it was anything else. Cabe could not blame the drake lords, but he certainly wished that they had not reacted so. It meant one more terrible concern to add to the mountain already looming before him.

Is the meeting place still the same or has he changed that, also?

That's what makes this even more important. The Blue Dragon is coming here.

Cabe grunted. There really had been no reason to think that the Blue Dragon might have wanted to change the location of the meeting, but the warlock had wondered. Now he was being rewarded for the curiosity.

There is no stopping the Blue Dragon. Therefore, Lord Green would like one of us to come see him. There are some details that he would like to go over; things we might have to do differently now that the Manor is the location. I think he might have some concern about Penacles and its stability, too. The Dragon Kings might be anxious about the Gryphon resuming control. That may be one reason that Blue will not wait. I know that doesn't quite make sense, but the message indicated such a fear.

Toos only died the other day, the somber mage noted to his wife. Does the entire continent already know? There really was no reason to be concerned about the return of the lionbird to the throne of Penacles; the policies of the general and his former commander were of a like nature. If the Dragon Kings had not been overly fearful of the regent's rule, then the return of the Gryphon should not be bothering them that much. They could certainly not be thinking that the monarch of Penacles had war in mind. Cabe found the Green Dragon's fears questionable.

Will you go or shall I, Cabe?

He realized that he had drifted away from the silent conversation. The warlock tapped a finger on the arm of the chair. He knew what he wanted to say, and he also knew it was the coward's way. After some deliberation, Cabe finally sighed and replied, I'll go.

There was a still moment as she obviously waited for him to continue. When it evidently became clear that he had finished, the enchantress returned, All right. I hope everything goes well.

Her concern, her love, was quite genuine, as it always was, and knowing that only served to make him feel even more guilty for hiding what he knew from her. Not for the first time, he was amazed that she still loved him so after all these years.