Fallen Magician (The Magician Rebellion) (29 page)

“
After we kill the current heir to the throne, you mean!” Byrn cried exasperated at the foolishness of the discussion.

“
Yell much, Byrn?” Sari cut in; her voice was tense. She was more accustomed to being the hunter than the hunted and the hiding was getting to her. Byrn nodded showing he understood her point.

“
I will be the one to kill Janus,” Sane said resolutely. “All the blame will go to me. You just need to be willing to step forward when the time comes. That is all I ask.” Byrn was about to protest again, but then Sane said something that Byrn could not argue with. “If you become king one day, then you can make sure that what happened at Lion’s Landing never happens again.”

“
When you say it like that, it seems I have little choice. We should go to the Collective. They can help us.” Byrn suggested, surprised at the excitement in his own voice. He truly missed the magicians there, especially Alia.

“
From what Kellen said, these friends of yours sound like a nasty lot.”

“
They are,” Byrn agreed, “Being hunted your entire life can do that, besides Kellen saw them through the eyes of a prisoner. Were the Kenzai any less ruthless in Lion’s Landing? If anything the Collective showed restraint in comparison. They just want their freedom and they are willing to fight for it to the death if need be.

“
Who knows? If you bring your plan to them, it could save much bloodshed in the future.”

“
When you say it like that, it seems I have little choice,” Sane said, dryly echoing Byrn’s words. To Marian and Sari, he asked, “Where do you ladies stand in all of this?”

The women exchanged glances and nodded in an unspoken agreement.

“
I will go where my son goes,” Marian told them, “I will not be left behind again.” Her last comment was aimed at Byrn.

Sari only nodded.

The half-moon was well overhead when Kellen returned to the Sneaky Weasel, where his friends were holed up. Earlier that day he took Aldyd to see Lord Nightwind so that they might put an end to the rumors of Sane’s plans to overthrow the kingdom with the assassination of Prince Janus. The only problem was that it was no rumor at all; it was the truth. Sane truly meant to betray the kingdom and he expected that Kellen would be by his side as his accomplice.

The knight wondered if he was doing the right thing as he climbed the stairs leading up to their second story room. He took an oath to the kingdom just as Sane had done and that oath meant something to him. “You ask too much of me, my old friend,” Kellen said to himself.

He knocked on the door- two wraps, a pause, then three more wraps. The door was opened by a young man wearing a red cloak. “Byrn!” Kellen said in surprise. He did not expect Byrn to awaken so soon following the last time Kellen drained his magic just before dawn.

“
Does anyone know the meaning of keeping a low profile,” Sari grumbled from somewhere behind the door where she would be out of sight from inn patrons that might pass by.

If the knight was surprised to see Byrn up and about, then he was doubly surprised to see Marian Lightfoot, awake and healthy, as if Donovan’s attack had been nothing more than a bad dream.

“
You seem spooked,” Marian laughed warmly.

“
The healer did a wonderful job on the both of you,” Kellen ventured.

“
Hardly,” Sane corrected, “It was Byrn that restored her. He was awake by the time I returned with the priest and he learned how to perform healing magic just by watching him.”

“
You truly have a gift,” Kellen told Byrn.
Or is it a curse upon us all?
He wondered, thinking of the orc magikan’s prophecy. Deciding to change the subject Kellen, took a seat on one of the beds near the table in the room’s center. “You are no doubt wondering how our meeting with Lord Nightwind went and why Aldyd is no longer with me.” The group sat patiently waiting for him to begin. “Lord Nightwind did agree to meet with us and agreed to hear our side of the story, but he wants to hear from Sane and, now that he is awake, Byrn personally. Lady Marian, as a noble pledged to Lord Nightwind’s service, he will want to see you as well now that you are fully recovered. He expects all of us to turn ourselves in tomorrow morning.”

“
Turn ourselves in?” Marian asked, “That makes it sound like he has already made up his mind.”

“
We should run,” suggested Sari, “with our combined wood lore and magic we can live comfortably in the wilds indefinitely. I tire of all this fighting and worrying. Soon I won’t be any better than a city elf.”

“
It is merely a precaution,” Kellen assured them, “He seems quite amenable to our cause, but Nightwind is a shrewd man. He has taken Aldyd on as a ‘guest.’ The old man is being treated well, but if we refuse to come then he will be thrown into a dungeon for the rest of his days, branded a conspirator to our cause.”

“
I have a bad feeling about this. You should all go as Sari suggests,” Sane told them, “This was my idea and it is my mess to clean up. I will speak with the warlord, but I will do it alone.”

“
Nonsense,” Marian objected, “Byrn and I are still vassals of Lord Nightwind and we have done nothing wrong. We will go with you and ensure Aldyd’s safe return.”

“
It seems that our course is clear,” Sari mumbled disapprovingly. She let her head hit the pillow unwilling to discuss it further.

“
You were not summoned by Lord Nightwind,” Kellen told her, “He recognizes your sovereignty from the kingdom and considers you blameless in both the fall of Everec and these rumors that are flying about the city.”

The elf did not care to respond. Others might have seen this as an act of defiance, but Kellen knew her lack of response to be indecision as she considered his words. Sari was torn just as Kellen was.

***

It was the small hours of the night and everyone slept except for Kellen who took the first watch as he always did. Even in the safety of an inn the group did not feel secure enough not to post a guard. They knew Warlord Nightwind’s men would have followed Kellen back and would be watching them.

It was during those hours that Kellen’s mind turned over and over. There was no right in this situation. No matter which side he fell on he would feel like he betrayed someone that he owed loyalty to- Sane or Aurelia. That was his choice.

He surveyed those around him as they slept. Kellen’s bed was against the left wall. Next to him slept Sane followed by Byrn who was sprawled out in a wooden chair. The younger magician gave his bed up to Sari saying that he had enough sleep to last him for a while. That was a thoughtful gesture for one who very well might be a great blight upon the kingdom, or maybe it is only the orcs he was a threat to. Byrn single-handedly stopped their army and drove them from Everec. Maybe that was what the orc’s vision had foretold. One man’s devil could be another man’s savior. In the last bed on the right was Marian. Healed of her injury and reunited with her son at last.

Stop thinking such things it only makes this harder.
Kellen reached into his pouch and pulled out a pair of simple gold collars.
Turn back while you can.
No, it was too late for that. He could not allow this madness to continue.

The kingdom must be protected. Sane was not thinking clearly. He was still grief stricken over his sister’s death. If he were in his right mind, he would never consider such a course of action. Sane needed time to come to terms with his sister’s death without doing anything rash and Kellen would give him that time just as Lord Nightwind had suggested.

Kellen had gone to the warlord’s castle to speak on his friend’s behalf or at least that was his intention, but Lord Nightwind had seen through the knight’s lies and half-truths. The strange thing was that Lord Nightwind understood his dilemma and was sympathetic. He could plainly see that Kellen was torn between honoring his bond of friendship against his bond of service to the kingdom.

Once Kellen began speaking earnestly he found that he could not stop. The knight told all he knew of Sane’s loss in Lion’s Landing and Byrn’s foray into the sewers of Baj and when he was done he felt like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Kellen owed no allegiance to the warlord save that they were both servants to the crown and kingdom, but he was glad to be rid of such inner turmoil if only for a while.

“
It sounds like the sorcerer has had a hard time going of late. Perhaps he just needs a little time to cool off- to gain some perspective on all that has transpired,” Lord Nightwind had told him, “Given time to think, he would surely see the folly of his actions.”

“
My lord speaks truly. Grief can drive a man to do things that he would never consider in his right mind,” Aldyd had added. The old counselor seemed as outwardly disturbed by these revelations as Kellen felt within.

“
We cannot lock Sane up in Baj!” Kellen insisted.

“
Perish the notion,” Nightwind said dismissively, “I have been given a device that cancels a magician’s power. This will allow Sane to have the time he needs to think without being a danger to Janus or anyone else.” The warlord held up a golden collar to Kellen’s inspection and a plan was made that would serve the kingdom and perhaps save Sane.

The knight shook the memories free and slid one end of the collar carefully under Sane’s neck until it came out on the other side. Kellen snapped the clasp close as quietly as he could. Sane did not stir, but Byrn shifted in his sleep startling the knight for the briefest of seconds.

After calming his racing mind, Kellen made his way to Byrn creeping quietly around Sane’s bed careful not to make any noise that might rouse the others from their sleep. Kellen slipped the collar around Byrn’s neck and was about to snap it shut when the magician’s eyes popped open. Kellen was thrown into the wall in an instant. No magic words were said and Byrn held no staff or grimoire, but the Kenzai was pinned against the wall all the same.

“
Hungry for some more of my magic?” Byrn hissed still in his chair. “I have plenty to spare. Or did you just want to put me back into a coma?” A look of shock followed by genuine anger crossed Byrn’s face as he noticed the collar in Kellen’s hand. “Where did you get that?” Byrn’s tone was menacing.

“
Lord Nightwind gave it to me. He told me they are being circulated among the Kenzai and the warlords as a way to negate a magician’s magic,” Kellen told him, “to detain him without risking harm to the magician or anyone else.”

“
Detain
him
?” Byrn’s eyes went to Sane and he saw the collar on him. “If you truly believe that then you are a fool,” Byrn growled. The others were waking up at the sound of the argument, but he seemed not to notice. “That is a tool that robs a magician of his freewill, not his magic, and makes him a puppet. You just made Sane into a living weapon!”

“
You lie!” Kellen accused, “All the collar does is negate magic.”

“
Really?” Byrn asked sarcastically, “Sane, what do you think of all this?” He waited, but the sorcerer did not answer though he was clearly awake now. Byrn knew he could not answer without the rod bearer’s permission. “Nothing to say? It’s like you don’t have the will to even speak.” Byrn feigned shock with his gaze locked on Kellen. He was about to undo the collar’s clasp when the door to their room was kicked open and a quartet of Kenzai entered with lustrous blue swords at the ready.

“
Kill the magician,” one of them said coolly. Byrn spun to face them, but just as quickly turned back to Sane when he realized the one who spoke held Sane’s control rod.

Sane lunged at his former apprentice grabbing at Byrn’s throat, but the younger magician would have been able to toss him aside easily even if he wasn’t channeling physical magic into his body. The aged magician landed on the opposite side of the table at Sari’s feet. The elf tried to remove the collar, but Sane pushed her aside reaching for the bone staff as it clattered onto the floor.