The struggle for authori.., p.36
The Struggle for Authority, page 36
Thomas did not seem at all surprised. He approached Nistinaa. “I am Thomas Stablehand,” he said gently.
He studied her for a few moments, then his face grew grave. He turned to Ennawi next, and his eyes quickly grew wide with alarm.
“Thank you,” he said to Nistinaa. “I will meet with you again soon.”
He turned to Amyra. “I must speak with you. It is extremely urgent.”
She frowned at him, still struggling to overcome her frustration at the outcome of their attempted rescue.
Seeing her hesitation, he reached out a tentative hand.
She pulled away instantly. “Don’t touch me,” she snapped, more irritated than ever. She glared at him, refusing to budge.
Thomas sighed. “I wanted him back as much as you did,” he said quietly. “I’m truly sorry about what happened.”
She felt a flush rising to her cheeks at the implication of his words. If he thought this approach would win her over, he was badly mistaken.
His face hardened. “There was a reason why Will sent them instead of coming himself. He decided that the reason was more important than his own safety. Do you want to hear what it was, or not?”
She glared at him for a long minute. “Very well,” she said sullenly. He’d have been wasting his time if he appealed to anything except her curiosity. Perhaps he was smarter than she’d thought.
Thomas turned and headed away from everyone else. She followed him, although she didn’t do it with any grace.
He didn’t stop until the others were well out of hearing range. Then he turned to face her. He stared awkwardly at her for long enough that she began to feel uncomfortable, then he shook his head and slowly released a long breath.
She frowned at him in bewilderment.
“I have something to tell you,” he said. “You won’t want to hear it, and you definitely won’t like it. But I’m doing it for Will—he would want you to know. If you care about him at all, you’ll hear me out.”
She glared back at him defiantly for a moment. But she nodded. She was skeptical about what he was going to say, and she made no attempt to hide it. But he had succeeded in getting her attention.
“I need you to promise you won’t tell anyone what I’m about to reveal to you.”
“If you insist,” she said.
“I do.”
She shrugged. “Get on with it, then.”
“I’m sure you must have wondered why the three of us came here,” he began.
“I’ve never made any secret of that,” she snorted.
“And you must have wondered why Will brought me in particular.”
She didn’t bother to deny it.
“You were there when Will read the scroll aloud,” he said.
She frowned. “Are you talking about that old scroll at Ishitar Ataye?”
He nodded.
“That was utter nonsense,” she scoffed.
He sighed. “You agreed to hear me out,” he reminded her.
She scowled at him, but she subsided.
“The scroll talked about three stones of power. One of them was the Stone of Knowing. Will knows where that stone is, Amyra. He knows that I have it. He sent Nistinaa and Ennawi to us for one reason—so that I could use the stone to discover everything they know about Agon and his plans. Ennawi can’t speak, and he can’t write, so the king has known he’s safe. He’s been confiding in him for years. Will knew that I could use the Stone of Knowing to find out everything that’s passed between them.”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Surely you don’t expect me to believe any of this.”
He ignored her reaction. “I don’t use the stone to pry on people I know, and that means I’ve avoided using the stone to discover your thoughts. But I can use the stone anytime I choose. If you want proof, I can offer it right now.”
Amyra’s eyes narrowed as she considered this. She didn’t believe him of course. But even the idea of having her thoughts exposed gave her pause. “Are you claiming you can find out something I’m thinking?”
His eyes bored into her. “Not just something you’re thinking, Amyra. Everything. Past and present. Your hopes and dreams, your memories, your secret desires. All of it.”
She blushed scarlet, unable to prevent herself.
“Choose any topic you like,” he said boldly. “I’ll pick you clean. You can try to hide your thoughts if you want. It won’t make any difference.”
She stared back at him, and he didn’t blink. She faltered, suddenly unsure what to think. She reached a decision very quickly though. It wasn’t a risk she was willing to take. Not under any circumstances.
“Go on,” she said warily. “I’m listening.”
“I’ve done what Will wanted me to do. I examined their thoughts, and now I know what Agon is up to.”
Her eyebrows drew together. “Come on, Thomas! You can’t have looked at either one of them for much more than a minute!”
“I didn’t need longer than that,” he told her. He took a deep breath. “Look, I can well imagine that you don’t want me poking around in your mind. But if it’s the only way you’ll believe me, I don’t see that we have much choice.”
“Go on with whatever you were going to say next,” she said stiffly. “Like you would if I believed you.”
He looked at her hesitantly for a moment, then he shook his head. “It won’t be useful to continue if you don’t believe me.” He took a deep breath. “I told you that I’ve avoided using the stone on you, and that’s the truth. But I did use it when we first encountered you.”
Her shock turned to anger before she could blink.
“Why should that be a problem?” he asked pointedly. “You don’t believe any of this is true.” His tone was mild, but she saw the intensity in his eyes.
“What did you see?” she asked breathlessly.
“That you were no real threat to us,” he replied. “That was my main purpose in checking.”
“And what else?” she insisted.
He gazed at her hesitantly for a moment. “Your father,” he finally offered.
Her eyes narrowed. “What about my father?”
“You feel abandoned by him.”
She didn’t respond.
“He loved you, Amyra. He died to protect you and your mother.”
Tears came unbidden to her eyes. “How dare you?” she asked furiously. “How could you possibly know anything about my father?”
“You don’t remember him—you were too young. But the memories are there, locked away in your mind. I saw him when he left you for the last time. You were wailing, and he kissed you on the forehead. He had tears running down his cheeks.”
She was sobbing now. “It can’t be true. I wasn’t thinking about him when I first saw you.”
“You didn’t need to be thinking about him. It stood out, because it’s such an important issue in your mind.”
He was trying to be gentle, and she could see he was feeling wretched himself. It didn’t help. She shook her head in angry denial.
“Let me try again,” he said with a sigh. “When we first met the thing uppermost in your mind was the man who had been trying to woo you. He’d been pestering you for weeks, and you find him intensely annoying. He tried to give you a valuable gift—a horse—and you refused it. He thinks you need to become submissive.”
Her tears ended abruptly. She stared wide-eyed at him. “What was his name?”
“I don’t remember. But there was something about a pig.”
A snort escaped her lips. She wasn’t sure if it was laughter or astonishment. “That is his name. It sounds a little like the Aen-ur word for boar.” She screwed up her face. “Far too close for comfort in his particular case.”
She ran a trembling hand over her eyes, and her breath hitched as she mastered herself. Then she faced him. “I believe you, Thomas.”
He looked shamefaced. “I’m sorry I did that to you, Amyra. I’m truly sorry. I know it’s a violation, which is why I avoid using the stone around people I know.” He glanced up at her face apologetically. “My wife is much better at this kind of thing. I mainly rely on the stone to find out people’s motives and intentions. She’s able to use it to help people. She’s a lot like your mother...”
“What about my mother?” she asked sharply.
“Never mind,” he said, his expression suddenly guarded.
He seemed to recover himself. “That isn’t all. There’s more you need to know.”
“I’m not sure how much more I can take,” she said unsteadily.
He shook his head. “I don’t mean like that. The scroll talked about another stone—the Stone of Authority.”
She’d been so ready to scoff at the scroll before, but her ridicule had dissolved like the morning mist. “It supposedly lets you control other living things, especially people.”
He nodded. “Agon has it.”
She looked at him in alarm, hoping he could somehow be mistaken. “How do you know?” she asked.
No hint of sarcasm remained in her tone. Impossible though all of it was, she no longer doubted him.
“From Ennawi’s thoughts and memories.”
She frowned, more from surprise than skepticism. “It’s hard to imagine anything meaningful going on in the mind of that one.”
Thomas shook his head firmly. “Don’t let appearances deceive you. He’s both intelligent and aware. He’s only like he is because Nistinaa drugs him.”
Her eyes narrowed in disapproval.
“There are reasons why she does it. None of that matters though,” Thomas insisted. “The scroll suggested that it takes two weeks to completely bend someone’s will. Will has been with Agon for almost a week now, and the stone has begun to have an impact on him.” He eyed her uncertainly for a moment, then he seemed to reach a decision. “You might as well know the truth. I was able to witness his interactions with Nistinaa in her memory. He’s already been badly affected.”
Her eyes grew wide again, this time with horror as the implications began to sink in. And she wasn’t alone in her concern about Will—Thomas looked pale enough to be ill.
“What’s worse is that Will knows what’s happening to him,” Thomas continued. “That’s why he sent them instead. Even if we could get him away from Agon right now, he wouldn’t be himself. He’ll never be himself again—not until Agon loses the stone or dies.”
Her heart had begun to pound. She stared at him, speechless.
“It doesn’t end there either,” he told her miserably. “Agon is planning to attack the Aen-ur. And he’ll soon be in position. Once he crosses the river he’ll be very close to Aen-irac.”
“But why attack them? Because of the bridge?”
“No! He has no idea who’s responsible for collapsing it. He hates the Aen-ur for reasons that aren’t important right now. His motive is that he believes he’s found a way to live forever. He intends to do a deal with the dark gods. His end of the bargain is to provide rivers of human blood, and he’s planning to start with the Aen-ur. He’ll have them rounded up and slaughtered. That will only be the beginning—the people of Arvenon will be next.”
It was all so much to take in.
Thomas continued with barely a pause. “Will went to great efforts to make sure we would find out. The Aen-ur need to be warned!”
A look of determination came to his face. “Somehow we need to stop Agon and find a way to free Will.”
39
The column stretched far ahead of Will and even further behind as he rode beside the king. The enforced delays lay behind them at last.
A makeshift bridge had been erected over the river, allowing horses and their riders to continue the journey. The wagons filled with provisions were another matter. The column had been obliged to wait while an endless line of new wagons, all of them fully laden, were assembled on the other side of the river. It had been enough of a challenge to replace the food and drink and other supplies left behind. Replacing the tents was going to take much longer. The king, Lady Ona, and a small number of others would sleep under cover that night. Everyone else would be camping in the open.
As was frequently the case, Agon was restive and disgruntled. Both the delays and the disappearance of Ennawi had contributed strongly to his irritation.
Ennawi’s disappearance was especially baffling. An exhaustive search had failed to find any trace of the slave. He posed no threat, but he was Agon’s property. Whether he had wandered away or fallen in the river and drowned, he had no business doing it without the king’s permission.
None of this troubled Will. Although the circumstances of Ennawi’s departure were known to him, he was firmly convinced that it was not his business to intrude in the matter. As for the king’s moodiness, that wasn’t his concern either. His purpose was only to further the king’s interests.
His current state of compliance had not been reached overnight, and he knew that even now a part of him still fiercely resisted any notion of bowing to the will of the king. It wasn’t as if his objections had gone from his mind—it was rather that his former reasoning no longer seemed compelling.
The king guided his horse alongside Will’s. “It is a glorious day, is it not?” asked the king, a savage smile creasing his lips. “Very soon I will carry out final judgment upon the Aen-ur devils,” he said. “My soldiers will burst upon them unawares. They will be herded together, and I will watch with delight as they are slaughtered.”
“How will such bloodletting further your cause?” asked Will bluntly.
The look on Agon’s face turned rapidly from astonishment to anger. The anger soon faded, though, to be replaced by a smug smile. “You cannot imagine how satisfying you are, Will Prentis,” he said. “At last I have someone capable whose only goal is to further my cause.” Then his face grew harder. “I will be lenient this time, but never question my plans again. It is enough for you to know what I wish to do.”
Will nodded. It was true that he didn’t need reasons. As long as he understood the king’s will, nothing further should be necessary.
At the same time, the king’s plan raised uncomfortable questions for him, questions that would persist even when the resistant part of his will had finally been suppressed. He had never countenanced the indiscriminate killing of non-combatants, and he could not stand by while women and children were slaughtered. Yet if he had understood Agon’s words correctly, the king was planning exactly that.
Will shook his head in confusion. Not having ever been confronted with a conflict between his duty to his sovereign and his convictions before, he had yet to decide how he should handle it.
* * *
A brutish soldier was ushered into the king’s tent, and Agon bared his teeth in a semblance of a smile.
He turned to Will. “Will Prentis, I want you to meet the commander of my soldiers,” he said. “This is Wannyk.”
Wannyk bowed stiffly. Will greeted him with a non-committal nod. He had already encountered enough Rogandan army commanders to last a lifetime.
The king addressed Will. “My commander has been considering how to respond should my enemies attack us on our journey. He would like your thoughts and opinions.”
Will stared back at the king cautiously.
“Do you hesitate to take any necessary measures to protect your sovereign?” snapped Agon irritably.
After a moment’s hesitation, Will shrugged, nodding his acceptance. What harm could there be simply in protecting the king?
Wannyk pulled out a parchment, and Will saw that it was a crudely drawn map. No writing appeared on it anywhere, so it was impossible to tell which region it depicted.
“Suppose our forces were deployed here, and the enemy here,” began Wannyk. “What would you do?” He eyed Will skeptically.
Will glanced at the map for a moment. He pointed at a particular location. “They would expect you to deploy your main defenses here.” He pointed again. “And they would attack here.”
Wannyk was unimpressed. “That is obvious,” he grunted.
Situations like this were child’s play for Will, and he found himself rising to the challenge. “You would instead carry out a preemptive attack here,” he said, stabbing a finger at a different location. “They would be forced to move soldiers to that location to counter the attack. It would only be a feint. Your main attack would be carried out here.” He pointed once more.
Wannyk’s eyes went wide.
“Well?” demanded Agon. “Get onto it immediately!”
Wannyk scurried from the tent.
Will frowned. “What just happened, Your Majesty?”
“Don’t trouble yourself, Will,” said the king loftily. “It was nothing more than a training exercise.” Agon’s smile seemed even more false than usual.
Had Will just given Agon’s commander a strategy for attacking the Aen-ur?
He gritted his teeth in annoyance. Acting against his convictions had never been an option for Will. But he wasn’t used to working with a sovereign who deviously manipulated his subjects, and he couldn’t escape the feeling that he had just been played.
He would need to be doubly on his guard, because it surely wouldn’t be long before he faced a similar situation again. And he had no doubt that the stakes would be higher next time.
* * *
The road along which the column was traveling still ran parallel to the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Outliers of the forest that covered the slopes stood to the right of the road. No trace of the river remained; it had long since bent sharply away from the road, stretching up into the mountains where it had its source.
To the left of the road lay a series of rolling hills leading to vast expanses of grazing land.
A distant rumble caused Will to glance upward. No storm clouds had gathered in the sky, and he drew his horse to a halt in bemusement as the rumble continued to grow in volume. The column moved on, but others had also noticed the sound, and many of them were beginning to peer around nervously.
The noise grew abruptly to a deafening roar as the hills to Will’s left burst suddenly into life. A vast mass of stampeding cattle thundered across the nearest ridge, charging straight toward the column. Long horns flashed ominously, picked out by rays of the late afternoon sunlight.
