In The Boneyard - The Meeting - Sight Unseen - Unholy Alliance - Desperate Straits - Restoring The Flow - "Two Should Be One" - Aftermath - The Captive
~oOo~
Pavel enters the North Street Cemetery by the main gate and takes a few moments to find his bearings.
Dawn is still a while away - he has deliberately come early, so that he has time to find somewhere to hide before the others arrive - but there's just about enough light for him to find his way around without bumping into things. He heads straight for the tomb with the boar statue. He doesn't want to hide too close to the tomb, but he figures he might as well start there and work outwards.
As he approaches the knight's tomb, however, he spies a dark figure creeping towards it amongst the gravestones.
Pavel wasn't that keen on skulking about anyway. "Who goes there?" he asks loudly and aggressively as he advances with his club at the ready.
The shadowy figure is obviously startled and doesn't answer immediately, but after a brief pause it advances slowly towards him.
"Pavel? Is that you?" comes a familiar voice, but the smudged face that emerges from the shadows is far from familiar: that of a young lad, dressed in commoner's clothes and wearing a cap. Pavel vaguely recognises him, but can't place him. He does notice that the boy is armed with a quarterstaff, however.
Then he realises his mistake: it's not a lad at all - it's Eren! She's obviously gone to some trouble to make herself look like a boy, but the disguise is not likely to fool anyone for long.
"Pavel!" exclaims Eren, then quieting her voice to suit the setting repeats "Pavel!" in a loud whisper. "What are you doing here? Are you on your way to Salizari's too? I had to sneak out in disguise, how did you get out? Oh, sorry, I'm babbling, I'm just so happy to see any of my friends, I had no idea what was happening with any of you!"
Then she realizes that she just called Pavel a 'friend,' and falls silent, cursing herself for not watching her words more carefully. It is not likely that a golden boy like him would want someone like her claiming friendship! It is just that she always remembers these things too late, and has a hard time really believing that they should matter so much.
"I'm here to spy on events," Pavel says to Eren, "and I was looking for hiding place. Come, we haven't that much time; you can explain things while we wait."
Concealing themselves in some bushes, Eren and Pavel exchange tales.
Eren recounts her encounter with Stockfish and her conversation with her sponsor, Hermeclus. She goes on tell Pavel about the message she'd received from Kiki and her own attempts to contact Salazari. Finally, she tells him how she had slipped out of the College in disguise.
Pavel tells her about Kiki and Pedone's imminent meeting with Stockfish, and their plan: to trick the sorcerer into incriminating himself before some concealed witnesses. He goes on to recount the tale that Bojek had told him about his father and the man who called himself Ugo - the mysterious fugitive that they'd encountered in the marshes.
The connection between the fugitive and House Heligan (and hence Lady Amelyn), which had eventually led Pavel to Kiki, makes Eren's head spin - she wishes that they could talk to Salazari, to see how this new information fits into his magical relationship map. When she mentions this to Pavel, he tells her that Salazari had promised to be here for the confrontation as well, in case things take a perilous turn.
"This place is going to get a bit crowded, then!" Eren whispers, peering into the darkness. "I wonder if anyone else has arrived yet?"
~oOo~
Kiki and Pedone arrive at the gates of North Street Cemetery in the strange, expectant half-light just before dawn. After taking some time to find her bearings, Kiki leads the liturgist to the boar statue. He looks pale and frightened; he hadn't spoken a word to her since they set off from the Heligan mansion.
They'd not seen their host since the previous night. Amelyn and Pedone had discussed tactics for the meeting with Stockfish, but the adept had given no clues as to where or how she and the other witness were planning to hide themselves in order to observe the encounter. She did warn them not to look around for her once they arrived, however, as this might give Stockfish a hint that he was being observed.
As they approach the boar statue, the sky is just starting to grow light. There is a definite chill in the air and a faint pall of mist hangs over the massed ranks of tombs and gravestones. Something that had been tugging at the edges of Kiki's mind since they had entered the boneyard now captures her full attention. This cemetery may be a far cry from the rural village that she'd grown up in, but with its many trees and shrubs, it - along with the city's parks - was the closest thing that Syran had to a countryside setting. And as a country girl she knew only too well what a spring morning in the countryside should sound like. So where was the birdsong? And the rustling of small creatures in the undergrowth? It certainly hadn't been so eerily silent here when she'd last visited the place.
Momentarily pushing this thought from her mind, Kiki takes advantage of the dawn light to look around - although, mindful of Amelyn's warning, she takes care not to peer too intently. At first, it seems that they have arrived before anyone else, but then a large, hooded figure detaches itself from the deep shadows cast by an adjacent tomb. When it steps into the light and throws back its hood, Kiki immediately recognises Master Stockfish, his face still showing signs of the injuries that he'd suffered in the woods.
"Ah, so it really is you, then, Kiki!" he says, smiling broadly, his voice soft and rich, but tinged with an unmistakeable air of menace. "And you've found an ally. How nice." Then his face falls and he raises his voice. "But I also see that we have attracted a bit of an audience. Perhaps some other friends of yours? Come out now, please! Both of you..."
Pavel and Eren, watching from their place of concealment, had seen Kiki and Pedone arrive, but hadn't seen anyone else and hadn't been aware of Stockfish until he'd stepped out into the light. Now, hearing his words, they wonder whether he is referring to them, or to some other hidden observers.
Placing his arm on Eren's, Pavel stays stock still. He focuses on his breathing, to make it as quiet as possible. Eren finds it surprisingly hard to be still, all of a sudden, but she does her best.
Kiki nods at Stockfish's comment. "You feel it too? There are many more than two pairs of eyes on you in this place. This is a place of nature and the Dryad has put her mark on you." She indicates his face. "And now the creatures of this place watch and wait. Did you not notice how quiet the place was when you arrived? Anyway you're too big and scary, so you should be safe enough, even here."
Stockfish chuckles at this. "The creatures of this place, eh? Oooh! Now I'm really scared!" he declares, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "How could I have been so foolish, coming here all by myself!" He turns around slowly, calling out: "Let's be having you then, little creatures. Come out, come out, wherever you are! And that goes for the other watchers too," he adds, raising his voice. "I won't ask you nicely again."
"Enough of this tomfoolery," says Father Pedone, his face flushed. "You know why we are here, Master Stockfish, so let us come right to the point. I have hard evidence and sworn testimony that you have been practising the accursed art of demonology. Not only did you set a horde of hornet demons on this poor young apprentice, but prior to that, I firmly believe, you summoned a carrion demon and left it under the control of another apprentice, who was subsequently found dead near the demon's remains. Now what do you have to say for yourself? Can you deny these heinous crimes?"
Its only now that Kiki notices the scent of alcohol on the liturgist's breath and the slight slurring of his words. She'd noticed him helping himself to the contents of Amelyn's drinks cabinet on a couple of occasions, but hadn't realised how much he'd imbibed until now.
Stockfish's face remains impassive throughout the Father's tirade.
"You are mistaken on at least one count, Father," the adept says in a level voice. "I have no idea why we are here. If you really do have evidence of these alleged crimes, then why have you not handed it over to the proper authorities? Perhaps because your 'sworn testimony' is the fantastical story of an errant apprentice and your 'hard evidence' is nothing more than hearsay."
~oOo~
Kiki's words had given Eren a thought.
She tries bring up her symbolic vision, and splits her focus between what she can see with that, and what she can hear normally. Who knows, there could be unseen watchers, and just maybe she'd be able to do something about whatever magic Stockfish might use.
While Eren looks around, she listens with interest as the man accompanying Kiki - Father Pedone, Pavel had called him - angrily addresses Stockfish.
Her arcane vision reveals more then she expected. Her initial scan of the cemetery is fruitless, but her attention is quickly drawn back to Stockfish himself. The aura of power that she can see surrounding him is not a surprise in itself, as she has studied the essence signatures of other adepts as part of her studies, but its shape and colouration are unlike anything she has encountered before.
When viewed with symbolic sight, a normal healthy person has a faint coloured aura that encloses their body, varying in depth from a finger's breadth to a hand's breadth, and normally largest around their head. Students of wizardry refer to this as their essence signature, as it is unique to each person, although sometimes varying in colour to reflect their emotional state or certain ailments.
The auras of adepts - and to a lesser extent those of apprentices, liturgists and orderlies - are clearer, larger and more defined, a distinction that is even more pronounced when their minds are focussed on magic. At these moments, when concentration and freedom from emotional distractions are vital, an adept's aura normally appears smooth, clear, and pure blue-white in colour. Stockfish's aura, by contrast, is shot through with angry red and sickly green colours, and in several places seems to extend far from his body in softly-pulsing tendrils.
It's only when Eren traces the path of one of these tendrils that she makes an more alarming discovery: several distinct essence signatures are arrayed in a ragged half-circle around the adept, seemingly linked to him by the strange tendrils. The entities that these auras belong to are all hidden from normal view, lurking in shadows or behind tombs and gravestones. Eren counts seven in total, none further than ten metres from the adept. The closest to where she and Pavel are hiding is only few metres away, so she can see that it is about the size of a dog. As with Stockfish's aura, these other essence signatures are shot through with unnatural-looking shades of red and green.
Eren feels more than a bit terrified, but she's always admired Kiki's joyful and exuberent manner, and now she is stunned by the smaller girl's courage. Eren has wished she was more like her new friend ever since they met, and it is clear to her that if she is ever to move that way, she has to be brave now too.
With a quick touch to tell Pavel to stay still, Eren hauls herself to her feet. "Fine, even when people can't see me they think I'm more than one person - I get the point!"
She lurches noisily forward a few steps in the direction of the nearest 'essence signature,' demanding as she goes: "Master Stockfish, I have some questions: How did you get your ethereal signature to look like that? And what friends have you brought? I can't make sense out their essence signatures at all, or how they seem linked to you."
Stockfish stares at Eren in obvious surprise, while Father Pedone turns to Kiki with a frown, a question forming on his lips. When the liturgist see the joyful expression on the face of his diminutive companion, however, understanding swiftly dawns.
"Ah, you must be Eren," he says, turning back to face her. "But what in Arkat's name are you talking about, child?"
Stockfish, meanwhile, seems to have recovered his composure.
"Pay no attention to her," he tells Pedone coolly. "Like so many apprentices, this young lady thinks she can use her symbolic sight casually, like holding up a coloured glass to the world. But to an ill-governed mind, it can seem to reveal the most fantastical phenomena," he concludes. "When in reality the viewer is merely seeing a product of their own, fevered imagination."
The old liturgist snorts. "I hope you'll forgive us if we don't take your word for that, Master Stockfish. Kiki, can you see what Eren is describing too?"
The young apprentice nods. "Yes, Father. But I have no idea what it means."
Kiki had started to use the representational envisioning techniques taught by her college as soon as Eren had mentioned essence signatures. Her arcane faculties paint a discordant image of the sorcerer's essential form, complete with the strange satellites that Eren referred to as 'friends', but she can't make any sense of it.
Pavel, watching from his place of concealment, thinks that Stockfish's aura looks a bit funny, but he can't see the 'friends' that Eren mentioned and doesn't really understand what they're making such a fuss about.
"Enough of this nonsense!" Stockfish exclaims angrily. "You sir! You presumably arranged this meeting with some purpose in mind, and I can't believe that it was solely to make your accusations to my face. I repeat, if you have such clear evidence of these alleged crimes, why are we not having this conversation before a court of law? Who exactly are you, anyway, and what qualifies you to make these accusations?"
Eren's feet stop before she reaches the essence signatures lurking spot, and she realizes one hand is clutched around her orb for whatever comfort it can provide. She pulls it out, then forces herself to take the final steps to the hiding spot, muttering to herself "Come on, do something, help me show what is here...."
Eren hears the others speaking, but their words don't really register. She can feel the orb in her hand pulsing as she moves towards her objective, its strange energies rushing through her body like some singularly intoxicating wine. The essence signature remains completely still as she approaches its place of concealment, but when she peers round the tall gravestone behind which it lurks, she finds...
Nothing.
Blinking, she once again focusses her inner eye upon the numinous, to confirm that this is the location of the mysterious essence signature. Yes, there's no mistaking it: whatever form this entity takes - if indeed it has a form - it is completely invisible to mundane eyes. That is, if it actually is a separate entity and not some bizarre extension of the sorcerer's aura...
As Eren examines the essential form with her symbolic sight, however, it starts to move, seeming to unfold itself. Now Eren can make out features on what had previously been a largely smooth ovoid. First, two pairs of limbs and a sinuous tail resolve themselves, then a head, and finally, as it turns towards her, two huge glowing eyes and a wide open maw...
Eren reacts without really thinking it through, all she knows is that the `thing' she is sensing doesn't belong in her city, and she certainly isn't going to let it hurt Kiki!
She calls up the Rule of Helmat like a memorized script, and starts chanting "Nodes of negativity can be maintained, but belong not in the world. Their maintenance is a twisting of the natural relationships, and like all false relationships are easily dispelled by right thinking and proper action." OK, not quite the words she was looking for, but doesn't the next paragraph get into more detail?
She tries to picture the text, but instead something else forms in her mind's eye…is it the summoning circle from the hidden rooms? No, more like something from the dreams that have haunted her ever since she saw that, something about the connections between law and darkness and several lesser powers. Yes, she can see how maybe this would apply, but what were the words from Helmat, surely they should all fit together if she can just find the right words while channeling the power like this map says she should.
Even when she has Helmat's words and the haunting images from her dreams clear in her mind, Eren realises that there is a final hurdle - actually channelling the power of the banishment spell - that she really doesn't know how to clear.
She's had plenty of practice at channelling power with Master Atlan, but always in the context of one of the school spells that he has taught her. Learning how to do this by yourself is one of the main abilities that an apprentice has to acquire before they can become an adept. But it's not just a skill: the apprentice needs to have had their essence carefully shaped and developed by their master over a number of years in order to actively channel the magic that powers a spell. Her essence is simply not ready for this yet!
Even as she arrives at this depressing conclusion, however, Eren belatedly remembers the object that she is holding in her hand. The orb! Perhaps she can use it to help her...
A brilliant beam of light bursts from the orb and strikes the mysterious entity before her. Astonished, she watches as the magical power envelopes it, briefly illuminating its aetherial form. Then, abruptly, the beam cuts off, leaving Eren feeling drained and a little faint, but nevertheless convinced that she had accomplished something that should have been far beyond her.
Pedone and the others had obviously seen the illuminated form of her opponent.
"By Arkat's Holy Blood!" the liturgist exclaims, "There really is something there!" He turns to Stockfish. "What monstrous sorcery is this? Another of your pet demons, I suppose?"
Unfortunately, while the demon - if that is indeed what it is - had obviously felt the spells effects, it doesn't seem to have been adversely affected. Opening its maw even wider, it lets out an unearthly howl and springs towards Eren...
Eren's blood runs cold as she realizes that the best of her knowledge just failed to deal with this situation. She just doesn't know enough — about demons, about banishing, about spells to use—and she hates that feeling. The polysyllabic liturgy of The First Church of the Scripture leaps to mind, but offers minimal practical comfort.
But she does have something more tangible! She thrusts the mysterious orb forward, and throws her will into it, demanding it to radiate true light and power, in the hope that this will put off the demon.
To Eren's horror, this action does not seem to deter the demon at all, which simply wraps its diaphonous green and red form around her outstretched arm and thrusts its gaping mouth into her face.
Then, however, the orb emits a tiny pulse of light, sending a palpable shiver through her opponent. It abruptly halts, only a handsbreadth from the end of her nose, drooling insubstantial ichor onto the front of her robe. Seizing upon this slim hope, Eren draws upon her deepest reserves, silently willing the orb to help her and remembering the exhortation of her church's liturgy to "stand firm in the face of fear and its poison shall not vex thee".
The orb's response is immediate and unexpectedly gratifying. A second, stronger burst of light pulses from the crystal sphere, eliciting a howl of rage from the demon and sending a wave of delicious energy coursing through Eren's body. The malevolent entity recoils, it's inner light obviously dimmed. It crouches on the damp grass, silently regarding her with its enormous luminous eyes, its sinuous tail twitching back and forth like a stalking cat's.
Stockfish curses loudly, reaching one hand inside his robe and making an arcane gesture with the other. Still slightly giddy after the rush of energy, Eren cries out a warning to her friends as she sees the other entities - all attached to the sorcerer by aetherial threads like the demon that she has just repulsed - are now starting to move.
~~
Somewhat forgotten for the instant, Kiki has been scribbling away frantically, drawing while not really looking at what she is doing, instead focusing on what her magical senses are showing her.
"You are right Master Stockfish," she says. "Seeing an image is one thing, interpreting it is another. Fortunately I can let others see what I see in my own way and let them do the interpreting. Father, this is what I see." And with that she shows the sketch to Pedone, then to Stockfish.
Pedone loses his colour "Stockfish have you gone mad... bringing a Web of Shadow Snaps into the city? Do you have any idea what they can do if they get loose? My reputation may be in tatters but what of your own and that of your family? Do you plan to drag them down with you?"
With that he makes a gesture of protection.
"Take heart, children!" the liturgist calls out. "Come here to me and I will try to protect you - we are stronger together! These things feed on fear, but they are weak and cowardly and readily dismissed if you know how. This idiot sorcerer has overreached himself - he cannot hope to control so many for long! And they will surely turn on him when his grip falters..."
Stockfish scowls at the liturgist, but continues what he was doing. Suddenly, the delicate tracery of magical connections that Eren and Kiki have already seen with their symbolic sight becomes visible to all, a skein of shadow-stuff linking the sorcerer to seven brooding shapes and al of these shapes to each other. Stockfish turns to Pedone with a look of triumph on his face.
"So you really do know your demons, then, father?" he comments with an evil smile. "How gratifying. That means you'll understand exactly what I have in mind for you and your young friends. Oh, and you needn't worry about my little friends getting loose: thanks to young Kiki here, I have a potent tool to help me control them..."
Kiki gasps as the adept reaches inside his robe and produces a long, pointed object - the unicorn's horn! Pedone's face, which had been deathly pale a moment ago, is now turning purple with rage.
"Given a few more days, I'd have used this to make a True Wand," the sorcerer continues, in a conversational tone. "But even in its raw form, it gives me more than enough power to dispose of an old has-been and some meddlesome kids..."
And with that he points the horn at Kiki and her friends and says simply: "Kill them!"
"You FOOL! Risking damnation and destruction for this TOY! Truly you are no longer astray - this act of will takes beyond salvation! May God have mercy on on the withered remnants of your soul," Pedone adds, his voice full of loathing. Then he chants his response to the closing demons:
"From the seven corners I cast you out.
From the circle of life I thee ban.
To the darkest pit I conjure thee return.
Begone foul spawn or burn the light of Truth!"
Kiki has remained silent as she focuses on the Horn and who it belongs to. Then she starts walking straight towards the point of the horn.
Stockfish and his sinister minions seem momentarily transfixed by the small girl's bold advance, but then Pedone's banishing ritual starts to take effect. Two of the demons vanish almost immediately, wailing pitifully as they are wrenched back into the Hells.
Then all of the remaining demons begin to howl, a hideous, unearthly sound that has a profound effect on all of the humans present, making them want to flee in terror.
Even Stockfish himself seems to be affected by this, gritting his teeth and grimacing, but he turns to the demon howling at him and snaps: "Silence, you wretched creature!". The demon cowers in response and then promptly disappears into oblivion.
Pedone tries to steel himself against the demon's howls, but he turns pale again and can't help whimpering in fear. But his reaction is short-lived and the colour quickly returns to his cheeks. He allows himself a grin of satisfaction as he surveys the results of his action: three demons eliminated!
"My old master would have been proud," he mutters, with a rueful smile.
Kiki has settled her mind as her mum showed her so often, focusing on her intended action and her friend in dire need. A smile catches the edge of her lips as she remember the caricature she did of Stockfish earlier. How apt now. Thinking this, the word of an appropriate song escapes her lips in her clear pure voice.
"Will your Anchor hold in the storms of life ..."
Kiki cannot help feeling a momentary sense of hopelessness, but her focus and concentration are unshaken. Her voice holds strong, its pure note providing a subtle counterpoint to the unnerving howl. The demon, confused and then enraged by the tiny human's calm response, tries to increase the power and volume of its howl, but breaks it off with a whimper when realises that it is outmatched, cowering pathetically in the face of its diminutive opponent.
Kiki's heart swells with hope and pride. Maybe they can triumph against these seemingly impossible odds!
Pavel keeps his head down, still pretending he's not there, but he can see one of the demons drifting closer and the sound of its howl gives him the willies. Then his hand finds the familiar shape of a home-made talisman in his pocket and he quickly mutters the words that activate it: "No Sir! Not me, Sir!"
The demon seems to start, as if it can sense him casting the spell, but when it turns its head to try to find the source of the magic, the howl dies in its throat. It shrinks back towards its fellow, hissing.
~~
The howling assaults Eren's ears, but even more her mind... or even her soul. She wants to be anywhere but here, and right away! But she couldn't leave Kiki alone to face these demons, she has to try and fight them.
The one point of comfort, of sanity, is the reassuring glow of her orb, still clutched in one out thrust hand. She calls on magic learned in her first weeks at school to focus her attention on the orb, leaning her whole being into that comforting shelter.
Once again the headmaster's gift lends her aid when she needs it, letting her not merely weather the demon's unnerving howl, but daunt the howler with her unexpected equanimity.
Eren realizes that Stockfish is right. The orb helped her drive back one Shadow Snap, barely, but two or more on each of them, driven by Stockfish... how could a mere student fight that? Irrelevantly a quip from Uncle comes to her mind "Old age and treachery will beat youth and enthusiasm every time!"
Or, maybe not irrelevant after all! That uncle was her father's much older brother, and her burly father would always reply "Unless youth and enthusiasm dumps over the table and pounds you with it." Of course she shouldn't be trying to fight Stockfish with magic—but he doesn't look like much of a brawler! Still no need to make her plan too obvious...
"No, don't let it eat me!" Eren shrieks, and starts trundling towards Stockfish, "I'll do anything, here, have the orb - I'll leave the college and nobody will know."
She tries to sound truly desperate and distraught, while hoping that he'll hold back long enough for her to slam into him and disrupt his focus.
Eren's strategy pays off, but only because Stockfish's attention - and that of the demons - has been drawn by Father Pedone's banishing ritual.
As the demons start to howl, she hurls herself bodily at the sorcerer, trying to knock the man to the ground. He notices her at the last minute and tries to move out of the way, but Eren's shoulder-charge catches him a glancing blow that sends him staggering.
"You miserable wench!" Stockfish snarls. "I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget!"
Pausing briefly to snap at the howling demon nearest him (which whimpers and vanishes), Stockfish aims the unicorn horn in his hand at Eren and starts muttering an incantation.
Eren had been so focused on the demon that Stockfish's threat took a long moment to register and she realizes it leaves her with little time to do anything about it. Too many dangers--if only they had more people to help them! That mental lamentaion sparks a thought: Stockfish can't know that there are not more lurkers...
Eren stares to Stockfishes left, pitches her voice to carry across a square at festival time, then blasts out "Aldeth, get him now!" Then, accompanied by a quick magical phrase, her free hand tosses a package of carefully prepared dust and ash in that direction, in hopes that her 'Puff of Smoke' spell will seem threatening enough to attract his spell.
Her desperate counter-measures are about as effective as she could have hoped, seeming to draw the sorcerer's attention at the crucial moment, but the spell that he has unleashed is unaffected. An instant later, Eren starts to scream, only to find the breath abruptly snatched from her lungs as the baleful magic bathes her entire body in exquisite pain. It is as if her very flesh is burning; she dare not look at her arms, for fear she'll see them blistering and blackened with flames.
Stockfish smiles broadly as he watches her writhing in agony, apparently drawing strength from his victims distress.
Through her pain Eren manages to focus on one thing: the unicorn horn. The magic is flowing through it, it is right there pointing at her ...if only she can make her body move, despite the pain, and take it from him!
Then it hits her: if she fails to break this spell, it will probably be her last mistake. She's determined not to fall without trying, no matter how much she just wants to curl into a ball and cry. She remembers her staves training, slide her front foot forward, pivot and throw her weight at the horn with her bottom hand....
But then her foot slips on the dew-slick grass and she finds herself off-balance and reeling. As the ground rushes up to meet her, Eren has a sickening premonition, seeing herself lying prostrate, bleeding from a head wound, with the vile sorcerer looming triumphantly over her. Then her head strikes a gravestone and everything goes black for a few moments.
~~
Pedone thinks he is in he element now as he continues to lambast the demons.
"Scream in the night be silent.
Fear of the nothing be still.
To the dark pit now return
Or burn the light of Truth!"
Kiki has stop her advance just short of Stockfish and focus on the horn rather than the demons. Her song changes to one of love and harmony, of friends parted and then rejoined.
Two of the demons immediately vanish, leaving only their cries of anguish echoing in their wake. The two remaining demons snarl and both hurl themselves at the triumphant liturgist.
True to his word Pedone starts to glow with the inner light of holiness. This has a profound effect on the first demon, which evaporates before it even reaches the liturgist. The second demon seems to be made of sterner stuff, however, latching itself briefly onto its victim, before Pedone rebuffs it. Although slightly alarmed by the sense that the second demon had been sucking away some of his essence, the liturgist is feeling very pleased with himself.
Then he hears a chuckle and turns to see Stockfish raising his grisly wand.
"You seem to have bested my pets, old man," the sorcerer tells him. "But let's see how you fare against a real opponent."
A crackle of magic springs from the wand.
"Why do you grow weary of beating up children?" Pedone tosses back, raising his Cross of Arkat.
As the sorcerer's magic engulfs him, however, Pedone's confident demeanour vanishes, replaced by a mask of excruciating pain. As he writhes in agony, Stockfish giggles with evident pleasure. After a few moments he dismisses the spell with a casual flick of his wrist, leaving the liturgist gasping for breath.
"Now, I think I've wasted more than enough time on this farce," he observes. "For some reason, I thought you might have something interesting to propose, old man, but I see now that you are nothing but a misguided do-gooder. Let this be a lesson to you about the perils of interfering in matters that don't concern you," he concludes, raising his wand once more...
~~
Pavel has been watching from the undergrowth. In particular, there is something about the unicorn horn wand that has caught his attention. Each time the sorceror uses it, it seems to send a shudder up the man's arm; or better, Stockfish has to twist his arm to control the wand.
The magic that flows from the wand seems to want to emerge and flow in a spiral - that would be natural - but Stockfish is twisting it back on itself into a straight beam. It seems to be trying to divert itself away from the girl Kiki - that too makes sense - and from Eren - but it seems to be sheathed in a membrane of Stockfish's own magic.
If the beam could just be split, Pavel realises, it might just twist and direct itself according to the unicorn's nature rather than the man's. Pavel's mind runs an unusual course. He remembers, in a flash, an image from Perronele's raided workshop. His attention had been drawn not to the lenses and the triangular glass blocks, but rather to a beam of light that was coming in from a crack in the wall. The beam was striking a small sheet of metal. Rathern than reflecting off the surface, the light seemed to pass through and, on the floor, produce a rainbow pool of coloured light. At the time, Pavel had takien a moment to look at the sheet. It appeared smooth, but somehow light was passing through. The boy hadn't quite understood, until now, or hadn't realised it, but there were a thousand tiny holes in the metal. Suddenly, he knows what he has to do.
Emerging from the bushes, he rushes over to Eren in a crouch, as if to offer her aid. He grabs the front of her robe, though, and unceremoniously yanks at it, rolling her over and lifting it off her. He inspects the front of the garment and sees the holes in the homespun. But that is not enough. he quickly sniffs at one patch of the robe, then another and another. He squints and then smiles slightly. He has found the spot where the demon drooled.
Pavel takes a moment to grab the robe in both hands, and holds it up before him, making a shield where the demon ichor has slightly stained it. Bellowing, he charges at Stockfish.
The adept, who had been about to unleash his cruel spell on Pedone once more, greets this unwelcome interruption angrily.
"Another idiot child!" he sneers. "When will you brats learn that you shouldn't try to interfere with the affairs of your betters?"
Taking aim at the apprentice with his wand, Stockfish sends a coruscating beam of magical energy crackling towards him. The sorcerer's face twists into an expression of malevolent glee as he anticipates the spell's effect on his seemingly defenceless victim.
Pavel reacts quickly and courageously, raising Eren's tattered robe to intercept the spell. To his inner eye, the pattern of magical energy is revealed - and he feels a moment of triumph when it confirms his suspicions. Stockfish has perverted the natural flow of magic from the unicorn's horn, wrestling it by sheer force of will to do his bidding. Ironically, the tension created by this is actually sapping the effectiveness of the sorcerer's magic, making the benefits of using the so-called 'true wand' almost negligible. But there's no time for Pavel to ponder the implications of this, because the blast of magic has already struck his makeshift shield...
As he had hoped, the magical component of the demon's ichor has a subtle destabilising effect on the magical energy, but as soon as it strikes, Pavel knows that this alone will not be enough to disrupt the flow. Steadfastly ignoring the pain as the spell's effects take hold, he instinctively reaches out with his still-nascent essential body and delicately guides the magical energy into a new configuration. He encounters virtually no resistance: freed from the constraining influence of its originator's might will, the magic eagerly resumes its natural, spiralling flow.
The effect of this is immediate and extremely gratifying. The spell's intended effect - causing the victim a huge amount of pain - is replaced by an all-pervading sense of well-being, like being bathed in warm sunlight. Pavel stops his advance and grins broadly at the adept, basking in the sweet, benevolent power of the unicorn's resurgent magic.
It takes a moment for this feat to register on Stockfish, who at first seems only mystified by his victim's unexpected reaction. By the time he has realised what is wrong, however, matters have already taken a new turn. The sorcerer, distracted by the failure of his spell, had inadvertently relaxed his control of the magic issuing from the wand. Almost immediately, he registers his mistake, but before he can correct it or even halt the spell, the unfettered magical energy spirals out of control. Travelling back along the path of the beam towards him, the spell slams into Stockfish with the force of a thunderbolt, lifting his feet off the ground and hurling him bodily across the graveyard.
Abruptly, the magic fizzles out, leaving the adept moaning feebly on the ground.
For several long moments, there is complete silence, broken only by an abruptly-truncated yelp of pain as the last remaining demon is wrenched back from whence it came.
Pedone, who is still panting heavily, is the first to speak.
"What... in the... holy name... of Arkat... just... happened?"
~~
Someone pulling at her robe roused Eren a bit from her daze. She discovered it was Pavel, and thought "Oh, that's OK then, he normally has good ideas, even if he doesn't quite know what he's doing." She managed to shift around a bit to help him get her robe - fortunately she still has her 'messenger boy' outfit on underneath.
She knew she should be doing something, but for the moment watching Pavel seems more interesting - what on earth is he doing? Her inner sight was still working, so she had a fantastic view of the unravelling of Stockfish's spell.
In the stunned silence that follows she musters her determination and focus to try to gather her wits together - there is one thing she wants to make sure of: that the unicorn horn ends up with Kiki, the only person she trusts with it. After that perhaps she could sleep for a while? Or they were supposed to be going to see Salazari... maybe she could sleep there?
Staggering over to Stockfish, Eren is a little alarmed to see that the unicorn's horn - still lying in the fallen sorcerer's hand - is smoking, or perhaps steaming. When she gingerly picks it up with the aid of a handkerchief, however, she finds that it's cool to the touch. The adept's fingers twitch as she removes the 'wand' and his eyelids spring suddenly open, nearly causing her heart to skip a beat, but he makes no other move.
Then an unfamiliar woman's voice rings out, its tone imperious and commanding.
"Step away from the sorcerer and touch nothing!" the voice commands. "You have already done more than enough. Let me deal with this now."
Once Pavel has returned Eren's robe to her, he simply stands and gloats, watching Amelyn and Kiki, to see what happens next.
~~
Eren turns to see three newcomers approaching. The first, a tall woman in a long, hooded robe that largely conceals her face, is closely followed by a maidservant - the same woman who'd delivered Kiki's message, Eren realises. The third figure is another stranger, following a few paces behind the others, his face set in a deep frown; he seems to be dressed in ecclesiastical robes.
Eren was startled by how quickly Kiki was by her side, taking the horn....and casting some sort of spell? And the newcomers are being awfully bossy, something Eren is beginning to find rather irritating--why do adults always feel they can just order students around with no explanation?
Eren wishes Kiki well, but without understanding what the smaller girl is doing, she can't really help. So she stands there, lending what moral support she can, ready to help with whatever the aftermath is.
~~
Kiki keeps her focus on the task ahead: her only concern is the horn. She calmly ignores Amelyn command and gently strokes the horn with one finger.
"The two should be one. Remember!"
A pair of half-suppressed memories are unleashed by these words.
Her mother, wreathed in a garland of flowers, leaves and twigs, standing in a starlit forest glade and chanting, with a halo of magical energy forming before her. Her heart beating wildly with the thrill of the illicit, as she watches in wonder. The sharp thorns concealed in the undergrowth that she foolishly chose as her hiding place, painfully drawing blood from her unprotected flesh.
The attic at college, scattered with her half-finished canvases. A vivid painting of a wild-eyed horse and potent symbols of magic that float, glowing softly, in the air before it. A strange, metallic taste in her mouth. Then a soft whinny and the feeling of hot breath on the back of her neck.
The memories recede and Kiki finds herself back in the present. Then, calmly and confidently, she reaches out with the unicorn's severed horn and uses it like a pen, drawing a quick series of symbols in the air - symbols that feel disturbingly alien and, at the same time, curiously familiar. In a matter of moments it is done and she belatedly realises what she is doing. The stern warning of her tutor rings in her ears: "Creating a portal is not something that you should even attempt by yourself, not until your master tells you that you are ready."
I'm ready, she thinks.
With that she releases the energy she has been building within her in a gush of love and happiness that she puts her very soul behind. Then she slumps to the floor, a spent force.
The horn has vanished.
~~
Eren grabs Kiki as the smaller girl slumps to the ground, awkwardly catching her shoulders, causing her head to jolt, but at least keeping it from hitting the ground. She spares a brief glance for the new intruders--the clothe and tone of voice of the tall one just scream 'noble'--and says "Excuse me ma'am, let me help my friend here."
She gives up on supporting Kiki and lays her to ground. She shrugs back out of her ruined robe and wads it up under Kiki's head, whispering 'stay down for a moment--and tell me later what you did'
Finally she hauls herself back to her feet and demands "So then, who are you, and who are you to be giving orders here?"
She knows she shouldn't talk to a noble that way, but she has no patience for their pride at the moment.
The woman throws back her hood, revealing fine features marred by an ugly scowl. "Who...?" she begins, her eyes flashing with anger. "Why, I..."
The maidservant interrupts hurriedly. "She is the Lady Amelyn, and my mistress," she explains, giving Eren a pointed look. "And she is here at your friend Kiki's behest, so there's no need to be afraid."
Amelyn stares at her servant in silence for a few moments, making the young woman blanch, but when she turns back to Eren her expression has softened considerably. The apprentice notes that, freed from the raw emotions that were distorting it a moment ago, her face is actually quite beautiful.
"Forgive me if our appearance alarmed you, apprentice," the noblewoman begins, her tone stern but even. "I am Amelyn, of the House of Heligan, and an adept of the School of Tenebrous Wisdom. My companion is Archdeacon Varanal of the Stygian Church of Syran. Our purpose here, as your friend will confirm, was to bear witness to this... meeting, in the hope that it would confirm the serious allegations that Kiki has made regarding Master Stockfish."
She pauses, glancing at the still-prone Stockfish.
"I must confess," she continues. "That I did not expect him to confirm those allegations in quite such a... conspicuous fashion. The reason I was 'giving orders' is obvious: this vile miscreant," she says, gesturing at the still-prone sorcerer. "Remains a grave danger and you should not go anywhere near him if you value your life."
As if to confirm this warning, Stockfish lets out a low moan and makes a feeble movement, but almost immediately falls till again. Lady Amelyn, who had been watching him intently, heaves a deep sigh and then turns back to Eren. She makes a rather unconvincing attempt to smile at the apprentice.
"Now, please tell me: where is the wand?"
Before any of the apprentices can answer, Father Pedone speaks up.
"It's gone," he states gruffly. "Must have been destroyed by whatever happened when that vile sorcery backfired. You must have seen what happened: damnedest this I ever saw! I thought he was going to fry that boy to a crisp, but then..."
"Be silent, you old fool!" Amelyn snaps, her face once more disfigured by anger. "I saw enough to know that the wand was still in his hand when he fell. And this one," she adds, nodding at Kiki. "Did some kind of working with it. I can still feel the echo of it..."
She returns her piercing gaze to Eren. "So tell me child: where is it?"
Eren, rather relieved to be able to tell the simple truth, replies emphatically: "I have no idea where the wand went."
But then she realized the illogic of focusing on the wand. "But isn't Stockfish the bigger danger? I mean, the wand, without him, shouldn't matter SO much. What are you going to do to secure him? You saw how far outside the covers he's gone - who knows what other magic he has?"
Amelyn frowns and opens her mouth to answer, but then seems to think better of it.
Kiki gives a tremble in Eren's arms and gives off a faint noise that sounds suspiciously like a whinny. She is coming back round.
"Quite!" Pavel chimes in, "You'd think," he says, panting slightly melodramatically as he hands Eren's still-glowing robe over to the girl, "that we might get a pat on the back for aprehending a miscreant." Noticing that one of Stockfish's hands is lying over a rock, Pavel steps rather heavily on it and shifts his weight about, hoping to hear a crack. He eyes Amelyn with care even as he does this, talking some more on the master's evil ways, the fact that he brought demons through from who-knows-where and generally trying to slow things down to see the woman's reaction.
"As for the wand," he says suddenly. "Well that's gone, and probably a good thing too, for no-one'd not want that to fall into the wrong hands, would they?" Pavel's face is blank as he says this, and he pauses for a moment, but his eye is on Amelyn. He moves back to the master. "So what do we do with him?".
"We do nothing," the noblewoman tells him. Her voice is level, but her expression betrays strong (but, to Pavel at least, unreadable) emotions. "However, you need to step away from that man and let me ensure that he is secure."
As the apprentice obediently moves away from Stockfish, Amelyn raises her arms. Her robe's deep sleeves fall away to reveal pale, slender forearms and hands adorned with gem-encrusted rings. Muttering incantations, the adept points a long finger at the prone master, her other hand holding a sheet of paper. Concluding her invocation with a sibilant syllable, she sends a jet of black liquid streaming towards the sorcerer. As it strikes, the stream seems to burst, spiralling around its target's body, until Stockfish is wrapped in a swathe of inky bonds.
As Eren watches, she feels a chill run down her spine. This woman just cast the same spell that one of her would-be abductors had used to incapacitate her in the College garden!
Amelyn has approached the incapacitated sorcerer and is leaning in close, apparently checking his bonds. Pavel watches her suspiciously. Is she still looking for the wand? Or just making sure that their opponent is really secured?
The noblewoman turns back to the apprentices.
"You're right, of course," she begins. "Finding the wand is less important than securing this monster." She pauses to kick the bound sorcerer, who merely grunts. "But it is still important, if only because of the harm it could do in... well, the wrong hands, as you put it," she observes, glancing at Pavel.
Kiki sits up and looks up at Amelyn. "There was no Wand. It's a horn, a horn that holds part of the soul from a living breathing creature," Kiki adds with a passion. "Fortunately Stockfish had not the chance to corrupt it. For someone so foul to try and use something so pure makes me sick. It should be no surprise that it back-fired on him."
"Thank you for your aid in this matter. I trust we have carried out our part to your satisfaction?"
"Yes... yes of course," Amelyn says, giving Kiki a wan smile. "You and your friends have been very brave. The Archdeacon and I will ensure that this vile sorcerer is dealt with as he deserves. And the wand... sorry, the horn... well, it is perhaps for the best that it was destroyed. As you say, the thought of abusing such purity for selfish ends... it is unthinkable."
Kiki watches the adept carefully as she speaks. It's clear from her tone and the emotions playing across her face that her feelings are at odds with her words, but Kiki isn't sure what that means. Amelyn might simply be worried about the unicorn's falling into the wrong hands - but she might equally be angry or disappointed that she was not able to obtain it herself. Either way, she's not being entirely truthful...
~~
Eren is glad that she was looking at Stockfish when she recognizes the spell, because she is sure her face shows her shock. She struggles to control her expression and come up with a quick plan as the others talk about the wand.
When they are done, she turns back to Lady Amelyn and gushes: "That is a fantastic spell! So much better than my plan of just sitting on him!" Hopefully she isn't pushing the enthusiasm too much? "I didn't even realize you were an adept, Ma'am, so sorry. I can't wait until we learn something useful like that—please tell me you learned that spell at Imperial?!?"
She watches the noble lady carefully, watching for any signs of guilt or anger around the subject of the spell.
"As I'm sure I mentioned before," Amelyn tells her sharply, eyes flashing. "I am an adept of the School of Tenebrous Wisdom. Your school may have accumulated a ragtag collection of low magicks and dubious spells from even more dubious sources, but I can assure you that you will not find that particular spell - nor any of the arcane knowledge that we have accumulated - in your Library."
Eren's pride in Imperial is pricked! She lifts her chin and huffs: "Well then, I'll have to make sure to find the counter to that spell in our library!"
Amelyn snorts in amusement, but says nothing.
The apprentice has obviously struck a raw nerve here, but she doesn't think that Amelyn feels remotely guilty about the spell that she just used. Quite the opposite, in fact: she's obviously very proud of her school - which, Eren belatedly remembers, focusses its studies entirely on the element of darkness and has strong ties with the Stygian Church and the Obscurist Order. There are persistent rumours that some of the gloomers' spells are morally dubious, but the same can be said of some of the spells in the Imperial Library's Restricted Collection.
This does, however, seem to confirm the affiliations of her would-be abductor: if he knew that spell, then he must be a Tenebrous Wisdom adept too. And Imogen had told her that she'd seen Vey talking to a gloomer master.
In the interests of fairness, Eren speaks more politely to the adept.
"We are thankful for your taking care of Stockfish," she tells Amelyn. "I'd not have wanted the keeping of him when he awoke! I'll go back to classes the happier for not worrying about him."
After a moment's reflection, she adds: "And I'll be all the happier when I've heard what becomes of him. She glances back and forth between the noble lady and esteemed cleric, and pleeds: "We will be told what happens with him, right?"
Varanal nods. "You have my word, young lady."
The Archdeacon is a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion, deep-set eyes and an unusually broad face. His voice is rather nasal and his expression is rather sour, but his tone as he speaks to the young apprentice is surprisingly warm.
"I have no doubt that this villain will be tried and convicted by the Ecclesiastical Court," the Archdeacon continues. "And your role in bringing him to justice will not be overlooked. But I hope that you and your friends will not be called upon to act as witnesses - my own testimony regarding the abominations that I have just witnessed should be more than sufficient. It *is* possible that Father Pedone will be called upon, however," he adds, turning to the liturgist with a frown. "Although that may raise awkward questions..."
Pedone prostrates himself before the Archdeacon.
"I apologise for my presence in the city," he says. "But as you have seen a member of my parish was in dire need and came to me for help. That issue is now resolved so if you wish I will leave the city forthwith..."
"There is no need for you to apologise, Father," the Archdeacon tells the man. "You had good reason to return to the city and your role in this... episode is deserving of praise. I would also ask you to remain here for the time being. I cannot promise that your presence here will be welcomed by the Bishop, but under the circumstances I don't see how he could possibly object. And as I said, you may be called upon to testify at this miscreant's trial."
"There is one item of import," interjects Pavel with rather less of the genuflection than might be required when addressing such a notable. "Of import to me at least," he says, producing a short piece of knotted rope and bending down to hook it over Stockfish's foot and quickly tighten it. "According to city regulations, if a member of the City Watch (and as a member of the Dock Guard I am included) aprehends a felon, that member must accompany the felon, or suspected felon, until he, or she, is delievered to the appropriate authority. There may be some complications in determining the appropriate authority in this case, so I would be neglecting my duty to the City if I didn't accompany the felon, or suspected felon, from here on."
Pavel falls silent and flashes a brief smile, grimacing slightly to demonstrate how irksome a duty this is.
Varanal's first reaction is to stare in mute disbelief at the apprentice, but then a deep frown creases his brow and he starts clenching and unclenching his jaw. Amelyn, however, seems rather amused by Pavel's bold gambit.
"Well then, Master Dock Guard, you must certainly accompany us!" she tells him. "But I hope that your friends will trust you to ensure that Master Stockfish arrives at his destination?"
Varanal gives her a quizzical look, but says nothing.
"Father?" Amelyn continues, turning to Pedone. "Can I ask you to escort the other two apprentices back to their colleges? The masters are jumpy enough already over the death of that other boy, without having three more of their apprentices go missing."
"That would be good I am exhausted" Kiki replies gesturing to Eren that they need to talk.
"Pavel, when you can, come and see us....oh darn the lock-down! Send a message, or something."
Thinking quickly, Eren then adds, rather loudly "We need a master to sign the three of us out together, from our respective colleges. We do really all need to report on things!"
She doesn't know if Salizari is actually monitoring the situation, or if he'd be so bold as to gather them from their colleges, but she's done what she can to send the message that they need to talk to him.
That if anyone else is both listening and thinking, they now also know that she thinks a master might be listening and interested in talking to the apprentices, doesn't occur to her until later than night.
Seeing that Eren has dropped her robe again, Pavel stoops to pick it up and hand it her.
"Send word to my uncle Bojek," he says softly. He turns and smiles fatefully at Amelyn then stomps over to Stockfish as if to lift the man up, all the while expecting the woman to use some magic to do so.
Pedone would love to know what is going to happen to Stockfish now but does not want to push his luck so instead he replies:
"That would be my pleasure it would be good for them to get back to normality. Though I suspect that in Kiki's case some explanation may be required to cover her disappearance. Will the truth suffice or would be better to say as little as possible at present?" ...
"Tell the truth, but be circumspect," suggests Amelyn. "Kiki came to you for help after a terrifying ordeal with a Master and you brought her here to confront the man, who confirmed his guilt and is now in the custody of the Ecclesiastical Court."
Pedone then bows to Amelyn and Archdeacon and takes his leave with the two apprentices.
~~
The girls and Father Pedone naturally leave through the Western entrance to the graveyard, garnering a few wide-eyed looks from the dawn traffic on the road.
Eren become conscious that she must make something of a sight, between her 'messenger boy' disguise and her rather thoroughly ruined cloak. She really needs to see if her family is back in town soon, and if they'll buy her some new clothes. Or else find some other source of coin.
Putting those thoughts aside, she whispers to Kiki: "Salazari's gate is right there... but he'd have kittens if we brought your priest with us, I think? Do you have any way to send him off?"
"Not without him getting suspicious," Kiki whispers back. "Besides between my disappearance and what's happened to your clothes I think we could do with some back-up for our story when we get back to the Colleges. Besides if folk find out your clothes were ruined fighting off a Sorcerer you might get some replacements," Kiki adds, looking on the bright side as always. "Anyway we really could do with talking before we go and see him."
"You always makes so much sense!" Eren replies, in something at least resembling a whisper.
Then she pauses, and looks longingly at the pass gate to Salazari's. Finally she says: "Very well, we should get back to our colleges, but we do need to find a way to meet up later. I'll try to get permission to come to staves practice with you the next half-day, if we can't manage it before."
The liturgist delivers both of the apprentices to their respective colleges without incident.
Kiki is welcomed back at the School of the Sacred Image with relief and is almost immediately spirited away by the school nurse. Eren waits in a corridor outside the Master of Tutors office, her dishevelled appearance attracting more than a few curious glances from passing students and masters, half-listening while the liturgist gives an account of Kiki's misadventures.
Eren's return to the Imperial College is much lower-key. She explains to Pedone en route how she had managed to sneak out earlier that morning and shyly asks him if he can help her to return by the same route.
"Looking like that?" he comments, gesturing at her tattered robes and ruined disguise. "I think we need a better plan..."
Later, rushing along the corridor to her first class of the morning, Eren can't help wondering about Pedone. She's still not sure about the gruff old liturgist' s motivations, or his connection with the Lady Amelyn, and she can't begin to see how - or even if he would fit into the complicated diagram that Salazari had drawn. One thing is for certain, though: he has a kind streak that she wouldn't have expected.
It was with some reluctance that she'd left behind the black novice's robe that he'd acquired for her, donning her rather crumpled spare robe instead. Even though it is second-hand, the robe is probably the finest - and certainly the cleanest - item of clothing that she possesses. He'd obtained it for her from the Obscurist monastery in Northside - he'd simply walked in with her, greeted one of the monks by name and asked him to find an old robe that "might fit my new novice". Wearing the anonymous dark grey robe and travelling in the liturgist's company she had gained admittance to her College with scarcely a glance from the porter and was able to duck into the apprentice's dorms without being noticed.
A Stygian novice's robe may come in handy if she ever needs another disguise, but sadly that will probably be the only chance she has to wear it again. There's nothing else for it: she'll have to ask her parents to buy her a new apprentice robe when they return from their latest tour.
~~
Pavel is disappointed when the adept makes no move to assist him in picking up their captive, magical or otherwise.
"Patience, give the young man a hand, would you?" Amelyn tells her maidservant. "It's quite a walk to the Consistory Court."
As Amelyn looks on, the maid silently obeys her mistress, gesturing to Pavel to take hold of the bound sorcerer's feet while she takes his head. When they try to hoist Stockfish between them, however, he groans and starts to struggle weakly. Varanal moves to assist them, but it's clear that it's going to be very difficult to transport their captive like this.
"Put him on his feet and see if he can stand," the Archdeacon suggests.
Before long they have Stockfish up on his feet, supported on either side by Pavel and Patience. The master is still insensible, but he automatically supports some of his weight. Moving is more difficult, as the inky bonds that still surround him restrict his movements, but it's easier than carrying him. Besides, Pavel is more concerned that the sorcerer will recover his senses and attack them. At least Amelyn is on hand to deal with him if that happens...
They make their way out of the cemetery and turn left, heading south down North Street. At this hour the street is relatively quiet, but they draw a lot of curious glances when they reach the Grand Piazza. At this point Varanal tells them to wait and disappears inside the looming Stygian Church. As they wait, Pavel notices that the inky bonds around Stockfish are starting to disintegrate.
The Archdeacon returns with two large novices, who relieve Patience and Pavel of their burden. They set off again, now heading west, but before they exit the piazza a young man runs up to Amelyn. He executes a cursory bow and thrusts a small piece of paper into her hand, fidgeting and looking very nervous as he watches her read it. Having done so, she looks up at him wordlessly. The youth nods once and then flinches as his mistress screws up the note and flings it at him, her face distorted with rage.
"The... the... the brother!" she spits. "The one he keeps closeted. Get him. Get him now!"
"The brother?" the man echoes. "Get him?"
"Are you deaf or stupid?" the adept snarls. "Tell Tulio to fetch the sellsword's brother. Take him to the house. If he... if that..." she breaks off, shaking with anger now. "If that... that... that... murderous dog thinks he can slaughter my bro..." she breaks off again, gasping for breath. "Slaughter my brother and then just walk away, then he has much to learn of House Heligan. Go!"
The young man nods and then dashes off back in the direction that he came. Amelyn turns to Varanal.
"I'm sorry," she tells him. "But I really have to go. My... my brother has just been killed in a duel and I must..." She shakes her head, tears running down her cheeks. "I must go to him. I'm sorry," she repeats, then turns to leave, gesturing at her maidservant to accompany her. Patience hesitates.
"But Amelyn," Varanal begins. "What about..." The Archdeacon looks pointedly at Stockfish. The adept pauses, then turns to face him, her eyes narrowing.
"You will have to deal with him yourself," she says curtly. "Have the Apparators clap him in irons and throw him in a cell. And don't let him anywhere near that bag of tricks. Better still give it to me," she adds, snatching Stockfish's bag from the Archdeacon's hand. Pavel remembers the sorcerer producing improbably large objects from it on the field trip and wonders what else is in there.
Varanal still looks troubled, but he says nothing more. Amelyn turns to leave again. "Patience - with me," she snaps.
As the maid obediently follows her mistress, she gives Pavel a worried, almost apologetic look.
The young apprentice has been watching all this with a suspicious eye, but he is forced to conclude that Amelyn is either a very accomplished actress or else she is genuinely distressed by the news that she has just received. Glancing over at Varanal, he sees a fearful expression on the man's face as he considers their captive. Noticing Pavel's scrutiny, the archdeacon seems to steel himself.
"Come on then," he snaps at the novices holding the sorcerer's arms. "Let's get this miscreant into the cells where he belongs."
The final leg of the journey to the Consistory Court is short, but to Pavel it seems to last an age. He watches Stockfish like a hawk, certain that the man is biding his time as he plots his escape. Even when they have reached their destination and handed the still-docile sorcerer over to the apparators, he continues to feel anxious and insists on accompanying them to the cells. Only when Stockfish has been manacled and locked in a cell does he finally start to relax.
On his way out of the Court, Pavel notices another robed figure in one of the cells and idly wonders what this fellow has done. Only when he is halfway back to the Naval College does he realise who the other prisoner had been.
It was Salazari.
~oOo~
