Ascendant (29 page)

“
You are all in agreement,
then?
”
Carlana
asked.

The four
wizards nodded, and Mwazo spoke.
“
The
boy
’
s power is
truly frightening. Astonishing would be a better description. It was like
looking into the noonday sun. And his power is still growing! Until he is ready
to learn to control his power by himself, we need to keep his abilities hidden,
even from the boy.
”

“
Especially from the boy.
”
Shomas added quietly.

"Are you
certain that is necessary?" Carlana asked sharply. "You said that in
a few short years, when his power becomes so great it is impossible to conceal,
you will trust Koren with his immense power. Yet you do not trust the same boy
now, when his power is so much less? It seems a contradiction."

The other
wizards looked to Paedris, as he pondered how to respond. To give himself time
to think, he drained the last drops from his wine glass, refilled it from the
decanter in the middle of the table, swirled the wine in the glass, held the
glass up to the light for inspection, and finally took a sip. "Ah, that is
good wine. The issue is not whether Koren Bladewell, until recently a farmboy
from a small, little noted village, can be trusted to use his power, the issue
is whether he can be trusted
not
to use his power. To not use his power
until he is ready to use it without injuring or killing himself, until he can
actually control his power. If he tried to use his power now, it would
certainly come to the notice of the enemy, and then Koren would be in grave
danger, for he would be unable to control his power enough to defend himself.
Can he be trusted to not use his power, if he saw someone in trouble, or he is
attacked? No," Paedris shook his head, "the temptation is too great.
Consider, Madam Regent, your own daughter. She, too, will be entrusted with
immense power in a few short years. If she had the power, now, to defend you
from your opponents on the Regency Council, could she be trusted to conceal
such power, for years? No matter what the situation?"

The Regent
took a sip of her own wine.
“
Perhaps
not. No, she couldn't. Could anyone? Then, I don
’
t see that we have other choice but to
conceal the truth from Koren, but I fear you are playing with fire, and it will
blow up in our faces some day.
”

“
How so?
”
Paedris asked.

“
Lord Salva, to you
wizards, Koren is a mystery, a gift unlooked for, a reason to believe that we
will win this war. You see his potential, as a weapon against Acedor. But he is
also a young man, like any other young man. Consider this: Koren was exiled
from his home town, because he is a wizard. His parents abandoned him in the
wilderness, because they were afraid of him. He lost his family because they
didn't know the truth! He saved my daughter
’
s life, and the only reward we gave him is a
life of drudgery as a common servant. My daughter tells me that some of the
other servants around the castle are mean to Koren, because they are jealous of
him. Some day, not too far from now, Koren will learn that all his troubles are
caused by his wizard power, and that we conspired to deceive him, and hide the
truth from him. Lord Salva, you told me Koren
’
s life has been jinxed, that he has been
cheated, that his destiny has been stolen from him. We, here around this table,
have conspired to continue that deception, to cheat him of the life that should
rightfully be his, should have been his. These deceptions are well intended,
I'm sure, but when he learns the truth, he is likely to be angry, an angry and
very powerful young man. And the people who mistreated him might be very sorry
about that.
”

The four
wizards all looked down into their mugs of wine.

Paedris let
out a long breath and slumped away from the table.
“
I fear the same, and have
been afraid to say it. Whether Koren will ultimately resist the temptation to
use his power for revenge, I cannot say. He is a decent boy, and very
resilient. Most boys who went through everything that has happened to Koren
would be bitter and angry. Koren is mostly happy, he is loyal to his friends,
and the stable master tells me all the men there treat him with respect and
affection. I have only known Koren for a short time, but I think the goodness
of his character exceeds even his power.
”

Mwazo cleared
his throat.
“
We
too often use the word destiny lightly,
”
he said in a tone that implied
‘
we
’
did not include himself.
“
Whatever the personal cost
to him, I believe what has happened to Koren so far
is
his destiny,
however unfortunate for the boy, and his family. If his power had been
discovered early, he would not have been considered a jinx around his village,
his family would not have been exiled from their home, his parents would not
have abandoned him. He would not have been there, in the wilderness, when
princess Ariana needed him. And Tarador would now be torn apart by the royal
families fighting over succession to the throne, leaving us ripe for invasion
by Acedor. If Koren has been jinxed, has been cheated, he has not been cheated
by us, he has been cheated by his own destiny. I do not know where his destiny
leads, but I cannot believe it a coincidence that he arrives here, now,
unlooked for, just as our need for such power is greatest. Whether he accepts his
destiny, or becomes bitter at it, will likely determine our own futures, and
the future of this land.
”

Madame Chu
nudged Paedris under the table. "Speaking of the future, Lady
Trehayme-"

Carlana braced
for the inevitable argument about sending the royal army out on adventures once
the weather warmed, an argument for which she had a ready answer: no. No, not
this year. Again.

"-Lord Mwazo
wishes to read your fortune, if he can." Paedris continued.

Carlana was
unprepared for this request. "Read my fortune? I thought you were no
longer able to do that."

"Recent
events have raised the possibility that may be changing." Mwazo said
carefully. "We thought since, as Regent, you influence the fate of so many
people, that the path of your fortune would be strong enough to overcome the
difficulties we have communicating with the spirit world, in that area of
magic."

"I
see." Carlana saw right through Mwazo's clumsy attempt at flattery.
"You wish a drop of my blood, I believe that is how your spell
works?"

"Yes,
Lady Carlana." Mwazo said with surprising hope. He hadn't expected this to
be so easy.

It wasn't.
"My answer is no." Carlana said, taking a sip of wine to conceal her
sudden anger.

Chu spoke up.
"We would not ask, if we were not confident the spell is beginning to work
again-"

"I don't
care." Carlana said with venom in her tone. "I don't want your
so-called magic to work again. If it ever did. My husband died because he
believed you knew the future. Yet you didn't foresee his death, did you?"

Paedris stare
down at the table, a mixture of anger and guilt flooding through his mind. It
was because of advice from Paedris that King Trehayme led his royal army out
that fateful summer, led the royal army to stop what the enemy had intended as
a surprise attack, to seize a vital river crossing, and therefore remove
thousands of acres from the realm of Tarador. The magic of fortune-telling had
already well faded by then, but Paedris knew something bad, disastrous was
about to happen, based on the fortune cards, and intelligence reports both
magic and mundane.

Carlana saw an
opening to shame her court wizard, who was far too arrogant for her. "My
husband
died
because he-"

"Your
husband died because he was a foolish ass." Shomas said quietly. As he
rarely spoke in formal meetings, everyone turned to him in shock. "I must
say, this is exceptional beer, my compliments to your brewmaster."

Carlana's face
was beet red. "How
dare
you-"

"I dare,
because I am not a citizen of Tarador, nor do I serve the royal court. I am a
guest here, and guests, like children, may speak the simple truth. Your husband
was wise to take Lord Salva's advice, and brave to lead his army into battle
against our terrible enemy. He was foolish to think he should personally be at
the head of the charge when they retook the bridge. The enemy was hoping to
kill or capture the king of Tarador in battle, and he fell headlong into their
trap. An army commander
commands
, he doesn't fight like a common
soldier. A commander, a king, belongs in the rear, where can see, and direct
the battle. That is his responsibility to the army that fights for him, while
your husband put his royal guards in danger because he was reckless. Your
husband saw a chance for personal glory, and he died because of that. Not
because of any failure of magic, or wizardry."

Paedris agreed
with everything Shomas said. Paedris had been there, at the battle, although he
had been on the other side of the river, battling enemy wizards and a troop of
orcs who had sworn to kill him. He had not seen the king personally at the head
of the final charge until it was too late, for Paedris was too far away, and
too hard-pressed by enemy wizards, to intervene. The final charge was
successful, ensuring Tarador's victory in the battle, but it was a victory
empty of joy. The king had taken a poisoned blade under the arm, a gap in his
chainmail, and he succumbed hours later, despite the best efforts of Paedris
and other wizards.

Agreeing with
Shomas, believing he spoke the truth, was far different from agreeing with the
other wizard's blunt talk. "Lord Feany, I insist you apologize to her
Highness the Regent. Her husband was brave-"

But the Lady
Carlana had heard enough, heard such talk before. That her husband had been
impulsive, in battle, and in his choice of wife. Through eyes half blinded by
tears, she stood up abruptly. "That will not be necessary. Lord Feany, I
understand you plan to leave shortly, before the winter snows block the roads
to your home? See that you do so. Good evening to you all." Without
another word from anyone, she spun on her heels and left the room, slamming the
heavy doors shut behind her.

After a minute
of stunned silence, Chu spoke. "That could have gone better."

Shomas shook
his head. "No it couldn't. She wasn't going to allow Cecil to read her
fortune, no matter what we said. And she needed to hear the truth about King
Adric."

"Shomas,
she is a widow, still grieving-"

Shomas cut off
Wing with an angry gesture. "She was a grieving widow, before she decided
to become Regent. Once she put that Regent's crown on her head, she needed to
put her grief away, and do her duty. Those in power most need to hear the
truth, and not indulge in happy fantasies of what they wish to believe. If she
believes that wizardry, not personal foolishness, led to her husband's death,
we need to correct those notions. Perhaps then she will not be so reluctant to
send the royal army out to challenge the enemy, rather than sitting uselessly
in garrison all season."

None of Lord
Feany's companions could find fault with his reasoning. "Now, since there
is nothing more to discuss, and I will be leaving Tarador sooner than expected,
perhaps we should not let all this delicious food and drink go to waste,
eh?"

Whatever the
four wizards had discussed with the Regent, Koren saw that everyone left the
dinner in a glum mood. Even Shomas, who ate his fill of the best the royal
kitchens had to offer. The wizards talked late into the night, and awakened
late, to be delighted that Koren had breakfast ready and their clothes cleaned.
After Koren left to care for the horses, Madame Chu returned to the subject
they'd discussed late the previous evening. "Cecil, you need the Regent's
blood, because you think you saw a regency crown on your card?"

"Yes. It
was more an impression, a feeling, than something I can say for certain that I
saw. We must understand what the spirit world is trying to tell us. If we have
a chance, any chance, to know any small part of the future, we must know
it." Mwazo said vehemently. "The enemy is also blinded to the future,
we can be sure the demon seeks any advantage he can seize. With the Regent of
Tarador so adamantly against us, I do not see how we can do, what we must
do."

"There is
another way." Wing said hopefully. "Her daughter, the crown
princess."

Mwazo shook
his head. "No. Ariana will not become queen until her sixteenth birthday.
Whatever the card tried to show me, that future is closer."

"I didn't
mean Ariana's future. The Regent is her mother, so-" Her voice trailed off
meaningfully.

"They are
connected! Yes, yes, good thinking, Wing!" Shomas said with great
enthusiasm. "Excellent."

"I don't
quite understand." Paedris said, confused. In this area of magic, he was
no master, to his embarrassment.