Watt-Evans, Lawrence - Annals of the Chosen 01 (93 page)

During
one
of
the
lulls
between
arrivals
Breaker
became aware
that
the
Leader
was
trying
to
get
his
attention;
he turned
and
said,
"What
is
it?"

"Could
we
speak
in
private,
Sword?"

Breaker
did
not
want
to
talk
to
the
man,
but
he
could
see no
graceful
way
to
avoid
it;
he
sighed,
adjusted
the
sword
on his
belt,
and
accompanied
the
Leader
for
a
walk,
away
from
the
tower
and
the
wagon,
up
across
the
next
hill.
When
they
were
out
of
sight
of
the
others,
both
wizards
and
Chosen, Breaker
stopped.

"What
do
you
want?"
he
demanded.

"We
need
to
discuss
what
happened.
These
wizards—
they'll
want
details,
and
our
stories
must
match."

Breaker
stared
at
him
for
a
moment,
then
asked,
"How
long
did
the
two
of
you
conspire
together?"

Boss
swallowed.
"Five
or
six
years,"
he
said.
"Ever
since
the
massacre
in
Stoneslope."

"So
you
knew
what
he
had
done."

"Yes,
I
knew—though
I
didn't
know
it
was
as
bad
as
you
and
the
others
say
it
was.
The
Seer
told
me
there
had
been killing,
and
I
came
here
and
talked
to
the
Wizard
Lord,
and he
told
me
all
about
it,
and
asked
what
I
was
going
to
do,
and I
saw
my
opportunity."

"Opportunity?
A
hundred
men,
women,
and
children slaughtered,
and
you
saw
an
opportunity?'

"Yes,
I
did!
Go
ahead
and
be
self-righteous
if
you
want, Sword,
but
those
people
were
already
dead,
and
I
saw
that
I had
a
chance
to
do
something
new,
to
make
us
rich
and
powerful.
Don't
you
see?"

"No.
I
don't."

"Look
at
it—the
first
Council
was
so
frightened
of
power
that
they
deliberately
set
up
a
system
to
prevent
anyone
from using
it
freely.
The
Wizard
Lord
restrains
the
Council,
the
Chosen
restrain
the
Wizard
Lord,
and
the
Council
restrains the
Chosen,
and
nothing gets done
—each
little
town
goes
on
about
its
business
in
its
own
individual
way,
and
Barokan
stays
a
patchwork
of
priesthoods.
But
if
two
of
the
three

sides
were
to
join
forces,
think
what
we
could
accomplish!"
"What?"

Boss
stammered,
then
said,
"Anything!
Don't
you
see?"
"No."

"Well,
/
do,
and
I
did
from
the
moment
I
became
the
Leader.
I
didn't
find
a
way
to
bring
it
up
with
the
old
Wizard
Lord
in
Spilled
Basket,
but
this
one—I
got
to
know
him
a
little,
and
then
when
he
got
his
nasty
little
revenge
I realized
I
had
a
hold
on
him,
and
something
to
offer
him,
and
I
agreed
to
lie
to
the
Seer
about
the
killings
in
exchange
for
his
help.
Together
we
would
rule
Barokan
outright,
not
just
in
the
limited
way
the
Wizard
Lord
usually
does—I
would
keep
the
rest
of
you
from
interfering
with
him,
or
if
I
couldn't
I
would
help
him
capture
you,
and
in exchange
he
would
use
his
magic
to
help
me
get
whatever I
wanted.
With
my
own
magic,
my
persuasive
powers,
and
his
knowledge
of
true
names,
I
could
have
anything
I
wanted.
I
have
a
palace
back
in
Doublefall,
Erren,
a
palace,
with
a
dozen
beautiful
slave
girls
waiting
on
me
hand
and
foot."