Veilspeaker (Pharim War Book 2) Read online

“Who did this?” Jez pitched his voice low as his eyes darted around, making sure no one was close enough to hear.

  “I don’t know,” Osmund said. “My attacks kept on missing. It’s like they weren’t there. I think some of them might’ve been illusions. Their fists were real, though, and I did manage to blacken one’s eye.

  “Illusion,” Jez said under his breath.

  “Lina’s specialty,” Osmund said. “She certainly has a reason to hire men to attack me.”

  Osmund tried to sit up straighter, but after a few seconds, he slouched back into his bed. Jez moved closer and took the cup from his hand and put it on a nearby table.

  “Don’t strain yourself. I’ll take this before the king.”

  “We don’t know anything for sure.”

  “We know someone who was good with illusion attacked you.”

  Osmund let out a long breath. “I don’t think that’s enough, Jez. You might be out of your league here. Lord Varin—”

  “I still outrank Varin.”

  “Rank isn’t everything.”

  Jez shook his head. “I only need political maneuvering if I’m planning on being subtle.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Jez strode up to the door of the throne room with his head held high and glared at the guard who stepped in front of him. Rather than move, the stony faced man lifted a hand and held it to Jez’s chest. Jez wondered if he could feel his heart racing. He scowled.

  “Let me through.”

  The guard brought his free hand to the hilt of his sword and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, sir. I can’t do that.”

  “I am the Baron of Korand, and you will let me through.”

  “The king is in conference with Lord Varin.”

  “Good. That stops me from having to summon him.” Jez looked into the guards eyes, and emphasized every word. “Now. Let. Me. Through.”

  It was almost laughable. The man was at least a foot taller than Jez and built like an ox. Faded scars ran down his arms, and his hands had the callouses that only came from years of working with the sword. He didn’t even flinch. In a straight fight, Jez wouldn’t stand a chance, but he had never intended to fight fairly. The guard wore a mail shirt, and though Jez hadn’t studied terra magic in depth, it was an area he was naturally gifted in, especially in the application of brute force. He raised a hand and caught the guard’s armor in his power. With a grunt, the man fell to the ground, held down by his own mail shirt. Jez stepped over him and pushed open the door.

  Jez stepped inside to find the king, Lord Varin, and Lina glaring at him. Sharim and Villia, both of whom stood nearby looked surprised, but Varin’s face was red with anger. The bearded man Jez recognized as one of Lina’s guard took a step forward to intercept him, and Jez saw his blackened eye. Instantly, rage filled Jez, and blue light shone from his hands. Propelled by his armor, the guard flew back and slammed against the wall. The impact of metal on stone sent sparks flying.

  “Villia,” the king said in a steady voice.

  Jez felt a barrier forming between him and his power. His eyes widened. He’d learned how to do that at the Academy. Forming a barrier required countering the magic that was being worked. Only then could they be cut off. It couldn’t be done otherwise, but yet he could feel the barrier forming while he held the guard against the wall. His eyes locked on Villia who had her hand raised toward him. Sharim stood behind her with eyes wide. Jez could sense the energy welling up in her. He formed a barrier of his own. The guard slid down the wall as Jez tried to separate Villia from her power. His barrier fizzled as Villia’s settled into place.

  “His power is bound, Your Majesty,” Villia said.

  “Good,” Haziel said. “Now, Baron Jezreel, would you care to tell me why you charged into my throne room and assaulted those under my protection?”

  The man who’d been guarding the door came in with his sword drawn. Haziel lifted a hand but didn’t order him to put away his weapon. Jez suddenly found himself feeling less sure of himself. The king’s steely gaze felt like it put the weight of a mountain on him. Jez clenched his teeth and glared at Varin.

  “I only did what he already did.”

  “What he already did?” the king asked. “Even if that were the case, that is a child’s excuse.”

  “It’s not unexpected, Your Majesty,” Varin said. “After all, he is a child.”

  Jez’s face heat up, and he tensed his muscles. Sweat formed on Villia’s brow, and she raised her other hand, but Jez didn’t reach for his power. It would’ve been pointless with the barrier in place. Instead, he pointed at Varin.

  “He sent men to attack my bodyguard.” He looked at the bruised guard. “That one was one of them.”

  Varin chuckled. “Ah, I see. Forgive me, Your Majesty. It would seem this was my fault. I hired away his advisor. It was no more than I would do to any potential rival. I forgot to take his youth into account. No doubt Sir Sileon helped him keep his temper in check.”

  “What?” Jez said, his anger defusing.

  “Brallion,” Varin indicated his guard, “is guilty of nothing more than being clumsy going down stairs.”

  Brallion inclined his head. A smile formed on the king’s face. “Perhaps you’re right. I may have summoned him to court too soon. Perhaps another year or two at the Academy will properly season him.”

  “No,” Jez said, “that’s not—”

  The king’s sharp voice cut him off. “You were not given leave to speak, Baron Jezreel.”

  “But he attacked Osmund. Lina used her illusions—”

  “That’s enough,” Varin said as he came to his feet. “Accuse me if you wish but leave my daughter out of it. She has nothing to do with this.”

  “Who else would have a reason to do it?”

  “Practically anyone.”

  “What?”

  Varin rolled his eyes. “It’s no great secret that your bodyguard is a monster.”

  “Osmund isn’t a monster.”

  “No, he just transforms into a creature who attacks innocent children.”

  Jez bit back a reply about how Lina was anything but innocent. Instead, he turned to the king, but Haziel looked on him as if he was a child. Villia kept her arms raised, and she was shaking her head slightly. Jez let out a breath. He’d blundered badly. He hadn’t even lost control of the situation. He’d never had it. The smile on Varin’s face told him the lord hadn’t even been worried. Jez turned to go, but the sound of the king clearing his throat stopped him. The man who had been guarding the door tightened his grip on his sword. Jez looked over his shoulder. Haziel was glaring at him. Jez realized what he was doing and turned and bowed.

  “With your permission, Your Majesty.”

  “I believe you owe Lord Varin an apology for the slanderous accusations you brought against him and his family.”

  Jez flinched, but there was nothing to be gained by further argument. He nodded.

  “Lord Varin,” he said through clenched teeth. “Please accept my apologies. I spoke without thinking.”

  Varin gave him a patronizing smile. “Don’t give it a second thought. After all, I’m not so old that I don’t remember what it’s like being young. I’m sure given time, you’ll learn wisdom.”

  With those words, Lord Varin neatly painted him as a child in the eyes of the king, and any political power Jez had started to gather had been destroyed. He inclined his head and strode out of the throne room, feeling completely defeated.

  CHAPTER 11

  With no idea of what else to do, Jez climbed the stairs to Villia’s tower to wait for her. Once at her door, he closed his eyes and extended his hand, intending to sense wards or other workings, but the door swung open at his touch. The workshop felt cold without Villia in it. Jez’s eyes wandered upward. The stillness of the ceiling was unnerving after seeing the stars dance across it. He sat at her table and started flipping through a book of astronomy. He’d only been there a few minutes when a shadow appeared in the doorway. Jez r
ose, but it was Sharim. The apprentice nodded at Jez before taking a seat across from him.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” Sharim said.

  “I know,” Jez said. “I expected Varin to deny the accusation, but I didn’t think he’d just dismiss me.”

  “Do you really think he’s responsible?”

  “He said he could take anything from me less than an hour before it happened. His daughter focused on the dominion of shadows at the Academy. She’s obviously good with illusions.”

  “That’s hardly proof.”

  “I think that’s what he was counting on. I can’t really get proof if he has that much influence with the king. He’ll just keep standing in my way. I was hoping Mage Villia could help.”

  “Lord Varin is an expert at subtle manipulations. Have you thought about a more brute force approach?”

  Jez lifted an eyebrow. “How do you think I got into this situation?”

  Sharim’s face reddened, and he brushed at a nonexistent spot on his robe. “Right. I meant have you tried a purely magical solution?”

  “Like what?”

  “Did you ever study the dominion of secrets?”

  “Theology.”

  “But not divination?”

  Jez shook his head. “It was never an area that interested me. Can you use it to prove Varin sent men to attack Osmund?”

  “Maybe. It isn’t as precise as other schools of magic, but I think it would point us in the right direction.”

  He opened a drawer in the desk and pulled out a silver saucer. Runes had been etched in the metal, though the only one Jez recognized was the one for water. Sharim dipped it into a nearby barrel and brought it back to the desk. The water shimmered in ways that didn’t quite match with the light of the room. Sharim drew a crystal hanging from a chain out of a drawer. He closed his eyes and murmured a few words as he dragged the crystal through the water.

  “He was attacked two hours ago in the alley near Bakers Street, right?”

  “I don’t know,” Jez said. “I never found out.”

  Sharim flinched but nodded. “I think I heard someone say that.”

  “Why are you helping me?”

  “You’re a limaph,” he said with smile, “and I’ve heard stories.”

  Jez resisted the urge to turn away. “Those are just stories.”

  Sharim’s grin said he saw through the lie. “Maybe. Give me a few seconds.”

  Though the water in the saucer was less than half an inch deep, it grew murky until Jez couldn’t see the bottom. Vague shapes moved around inside, there one moment and gone the next. They never resolved enough for him to get a clear picture though. He wasn’t sure how long he stared at the images before Sharim let out a breath and stopped chanting. Instantly, the water cleared.

  “It’s not working.”

  “Well, you did say it wasn’t precise.”

  “You don’t understand. I’ve had divinations give me obscure answers, sometimes to the point of being completely useless. This time, I got nothing.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Sharim shrugged and examined the saucer. “I’m not sure. All the runes look intact, so it’s probably not the scrying bowl. It could be that whoever attacked Osmund took steps to protect themselves from scrying. Still, to stop me from getting even a hint means someone of extraordinary skill and power.”

  “Lord Varin attended the Academy, didn’t he?”

  Sharim nodded. “After his father was raised to the rank of Lord, he had the funds and prestige to attend as a member of the upper tier.”

  Jez paused for a second, trying to puzzle out what he would need to shield himself from divinations. “Protection and secrets.”

  Sharim inclined his head. “They say he was very good at them.”

  Jez raised an eyebrow. “Those aren’t exactly noble areas of study.”

  “Don’t you study protection?”

  “I’m not your average noble.”

  “Neither was Lord Durn,” Sharim said. “He didn’t insist that his son study only proper fields.”

  “So he could’ve shielded himself against scrying?”

  “It’s still not proof. It could be anyone.”

  “Who else has the power?”

  Sharim let out a breath. “I’m not sure. I don’t know for certain Lord Varin does.”

  “But you think he does.”

  Sharim paused and looked away. Jez cleared his throat, and the apprentice met his eyes. He looked scared, but he nodded.

  “Well, you were right about one thing.”

  “What’s that?” Sharim asked.

  “It pointed me in the right direction. I just have to find some way to prove Varin is responsible.”

  “There’s something you’re not considering, Baron.”

  “Oh?”

  “What if no one is treating your accusations of Lord Varin seriously because the king already knows?”

  Jez’s mouth went dry. He considered not answering, but Sharim was already risking himself by helping. Jez nodded.

  “Then, the king is my enemy.”

  CHAPTER 12

  Sharim paled. He glanced at the door as if expecting guards to burst through and arrest them. Jez waited for him to turn back. He was sweating and his eyes darted around the workshop.

  “You know about Dusan?” Jez asked.

  “Your father?”

  Jez tensed. “My adopted father.”

  Sharim’s head bobbed. “Oh yes. I’m sorry. I forgot.”

  “There were...things Dusan needed in Korand. Villia says Dusan manipulated the king into giving him the barony, but I’m not so sure.”

  “Dusan gave up his lands north of Rumar for that assignment.”

  “I know.”

  “It wasn’t exactly a good deal. The timber industry alone was worth almost as much as the gem mines of Korand. The gold mines are worth more.”

  Jez cocked his head. “You seem to know a lot about it.”

  Sharim shrugged. “I grew up in Ebon. It was the center of Dusan’s lands before he surrendered them to the crown.”

  “I don’t suppose you know anything about his relationship with the king.”

  Sharim shook his head. “I was already Mage Villia’s apprentice when Dusan got the appointment, but they didn’t exactly discuss it with me.”

  Jez got up and paced back and forth through the workshop.

  He stopped in front of the half-carved statue of the dog. Villia hadn’t done much work on it, but now the dog’s body was emerging from the stone. It almost looked like it was trying to climb out of the rock and come into the open.

  “Maybe if I expose Lord Varin, I can convince Villia to support me openly.”

  “How do you intend to do that?”

  “What would it take to block a divination like that?”

  “It’s not something that can be done easily. Varin would’ve had to do a major ritual, maybe even with a focusing stone.” Sharim’s eyes wandered up to the ceiling while he thought. “He couldn’t have had much time to put it together. No one knew Osmund was going to be alone and in the city where he could be easily attacked. Varin almost certainly has a greater circle somewhere. We could try finding it. I’m not sure there’s anything else Mage Villia would accept as proof.”

  “But that would be a little obvious, wouldn’t it? It’s not like greater circles are easy to hide. I mean wouldn’t he destroy the evidence?”

  Sharim shook his head. “If he did, he wouldn’t be protected.”

  “So then, I have to find this circle. Where could he put it?”

  “Somewhere out of the way, obviously,” Sharim said. “He’d have to go there regularly to pour power into it.”

  “His quarters, then.”

  “Don’t you think that would be a little obvious?”

  “If, as you say, he didn’t have a lot of time to set up this ritual, he wouldn’t have had very many options.”

  “That’s true, I guess.”
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  “Let’s go then. Where are his quarters?”

  Sharim raised his hands and started shaking his head. “Now, just a second. I didn’t say I would help you.”

  Jez stood up. “Fine. I’ll find out myself. Thank you for the information.”

  Jez turned but he hadn’t made it to the door before he heard the chair scraping across the ground. He turned and saw Sharim walking toward him.

  “I didn’t say I wouldn’t help you either.” Sharim paused and took a deep breath. “Villia told me about the runes they found in Dusan’s lair.” Jez’s jaw dropped, but Sharim shook his head. “Nothing specific, but she said that from what she could tell, he was trying to summon a great evil. She was scared. I’ve never seen her like that. If Varin is trying to do the same thing, he has to be stopped.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Varin’s chambers were in the north wing of the keep. Sharim put illusions on them to hide but as soon as they neared, the illusion fell. They exchanged glances, but Jez shrugged. Certain parts of the Academy were warded against illusions as well. There was probably some way to get around that or else Lina would never be able to maintain her disguise. Such a thing was normally done with a command word or talisman, but figuring that out was more trouble than it was worth. A pair of guards in the livery of Lord Varin stood at the door to the chambers. They stiffened as Jez and Sharim approached.

  “I have a message from Mage Villia for Lord Varin,” Jez said.

  One of the guards snorted. “Is the baron reduced to being a messenger boy now?”

  Jez tried to look embarrassed. “Look, just let me in.”

  The other guard let out a nervous laugh. He brought his hand up and absently ran his fingers across his mail shirt. No doubt he’d heard about the incident in the throne room. Jez briefly considered moving them out of the way but decided against it. The second guard cleared his throat.

  “Lord Varin is still in conference with the king.”

  Jez pulled a folded sheet of paper out of his doublet. “I need to leave this for him.” The guard reached for it, but Jez pulled back. “Mage Villia put a ward on it to guard against any hand but Varin’s. I’m not sure what will happen if you touch it.”