Veilspeaker (Pharim War Book 2) Page 6

  The captain eyed Jez. “But Mage Villia...”

  Villia raised a hand and the corridor dimmed. She stood up straight, and somehow, she’d gained two feet of height. Her eyes glowed an angry violet, and the guards backed away. One man’s hand was shaking so violently he dropped his sword. Villia’s voice seemed to come from the stones themselves. The air hummed with power.

  “I am a master mage in the service of King Haziel himself. My commands supersede those of any lordling. You will do as I say, or you will suffer the consequences.”

  The last word seemed to hang in the air for several seconds. As it faded, the lights returned. Villia was back to normal size, though Jez hadn’t seen her change. The guard who’d dropped his weapon scooped up his sword and shoved it in its sheath as if afraid for Villia to see him with a weapon drawn. The captain nodded.

  “Please,” he said in a shaky voice. “Follow me.”

  The other guards fell into step behind him. Jez and Villia followed a few steps behind.

  “That wasn’t exactly subtle,” Jez said, pitching his voice low.

  She smiled. “When you have weapons pointed at you, the time for subtly has passed. I may not like to work overtly, but I can if I have to.”

  Jez’s heart was pounding as they made their way through the keep. Some of the servants and nobles whispered as they passed, though no one tried to stop them. Whenever Jez tried to meet anyone’s eyes, they turned away. The guards led them to the same dining room Osmund had originally been arrested in. They walked in, and Jez froze.

  There, on the floor with chains around his legs and wrists, was Osmund. A brown robed woman with a blue sash stood near him, holding her arm toward him. Power flowed out and held Osmund’s power in check. A guard held a sword to his back. For a second, Jez just stared. It was only when someone pushed past him that he blinked and gathered his thoughts. Varin and Lina, who had come in after Jez, walked to the other side of the room and stood next to the king. Lina refused to look at either Osmund or Jez, but Varin’s face was twisted in a scowl.

  “I ordered the Jezreel taken.”

  Villia stepped forward. “And I ordered them to bring him here.” She narrowed her eyes. “And it is Baron Jezreel, Lord Varin, not simply Jezreel. You are not so highly regarded that you can ignore the rules of the court, and you don’t have the authority to order the arrest of a baron.”

  A cold grin formed on Varin’s face. “Well, it seems the boy has managed to form an alliance after all. Too bad it’s too late.” He turned to the king who had been impassively observing the conversation. “Your Majesty, the evidence is clear. The boy’s bodyguard attacked and killed my men, almost certainly under his instruction. Once he is arrested, the threat to your throne will be ended.”

  Almost immediately, the gathered nobles went silent. A few stared at Varin, and Jez resisted the urge to smile. Varin had made a mistake. If he could order the guards to arrest him, he could do the same to any noble in the room, and they knew it. Haziel wouldn’t be able to allow this. From the grin on Varin’s face, he hadn’t realized his blunder. The king raised a hand and those few who were still speaking quieted.

  “No,” Haziel said in a quiet voice.

  There was a collective sigh of relief. Some of the nobles started murmuring to each other. Jez wasn’t close enough to hear any details, but the general tone was angry, and more than one gave Varin a piercing glare. Color had drained from Varin’s face.

  “Your Majesty?”

  “I said no, Varin. Mage Villia is right. I will not permit you to ignore the forms when you’re right in front of me. If you have an accusation against a baron of Ashtar, I will hear proof.” Varin sputtered for a second, but said nothing. The king turned to Jez. “There is ample evidence against your bodyguard, I’m afraid.”

  “It wasn’t me,” Osmund said, but one of the guards slapped him.

  “What evidence?” Jez asked as he glared at the guard. The man turned away and started muttering to a companion, as if afraid to meet Jez’s gaze.

  “He carries a sword.” Varin practically spat the words.

  “He’s my bodyguard,” Jez said. “He’s supposed to carry a sword. Anyway, he hasn’t even had one since he got hurt.”

  “Maybe not,” Varin said, “but Brallion’s sword wasn’t found with his body.”

  That caught Jez by surprise. Most demons didn’t have weapons, but there were plenty that could pick one up and use it.

  “I saw Osmund after the men were killed. He could barely stand. There was no way he could overpower a guard and take his weapon.”

  “You saw him?” the king asked. “You didn’t report him? This is not looking well for you, Baron.”

  “I didn’t know you were looking for him until I came out of the south tower. I didn’t think it was the best idea to be walking around in his condition, but he wasn’t on the run as far as I knew.”

  Villia raised a hand. “There is evidence enough to hold Osmund.”

  “But...”

  She looked Jez in the eye. “We cannot ignore the fact, Baron Jezreel, however, once your new information comes to light, I’m sure he will be released.”

  “What new information?” Haziel asked.

  Jez looked at Villia, and she nodded. Jez took a deep breath. “Those men were killed by demons.”

  “Demons?”

  Varin laughed, but the other nobles exchanged glances. For once Jez was happy about the rumors that had been circulated about him. They should lend his words more weight.

  Villia raised a hand and the room went silent again. “There’s more.”

  Varin paled a little, and Jez suddenly found his mouth going dry. The thing he was about to accuse Varin of was worse than murder. Summoning creatures from the abyss to take a mortal life was one of the most perverse acts a person could do with magic. Every eye was on him. He swallowed and forced himself to speak.

  “We found the summoning circle in your quarters, Lord Varin. The demons were summoned by you.”

  CHAPTER 18

  The room went completely silent. Varin stared at Jez with his jaw practically on the floor. The illusion on Lina’s face wavered for a second before solidifying. The king’s expression shifted between shock and rage. Osmund looked up, and the men standing over him were too distracted to stop him. He glared at Varin, and for a moment Jez thought he saw the other boy’s eyes glowing, but if they had changed, they returned to normal after barely a heartbeat.

  “You would dare accuse me of that?” Varin’s voice shattered the silence.

  Lina’s face twisted in a scowl. She might have said something, but her words were swallowed in the commotion as everyone in the room started to shout. It went on for several seconds before the king cleared his throat. Those nearest to him went silent, but some of the other nobles were still crying out at Jez. Haziel rose, and as people saw him, silence spread out from the throne like a wave. When the entire room had quieted, he sat down. His eyes locked onto Jez.

  “I presume you have evidence of this?”

  “Your Majesty,” Varin said with barely controlled outrange. “Surely, you can’t believe him.”

  “Lord Varin, you have been accused of a high crime by a noble of this court before witnesses.” He let the last word hang for a second as he glared at Jez, and Jez wondered if he should’ve addressed this quietly. “I cannot ignore that. Baron, this is a serious accusation. What proof do you offer?”

  Jez hesitated. “I smelled it, Your Majesty.”

  Some of the gather nobles snickered, but the king raised a hand, silencing them. “You smelled it?”

  “When I saw Sileon and the dead guard. I smelled sulfur in the air. It happens sometimes when I run into demon magic.”

  Varin sneered. “You expect us to believe you can smell demons?”

  “It’s not an unheard of ability,” Villia said. “I’m told the baron has a natural skill at binding. That would lend itself to such an ability. I would think you’d know that. Dusan ha
d unusual abilities of his own, the two of you were friends once.”

  “Ridiculous.” Varin waved at the bound Osmund. “He’s just trying to throw suspicion off of that thing.”

  “Mage Villia is a higher authority than you in this matter, Varin. If she says such an ability can exist, I have no reason to doubt.” Haziel returned his gaze to Jez. “I still haven’t heard any reason to accuse Lord Varin.”

  “Like I said, Sharim and I saw the summoning circle in his quarters. It was hidden, but Sharim was able to take down the illusion hiding it for a few seconds. I recognized the symbols. Something like that is only used to summon powerful demons.”

  “When Villia sent you to deliver a message,” Varin said in a flat tone.

  Jez met Varin’s stare without flinching. It was the king who eventually spoke, and Jez realized the entire room was staring at the two of them.

  “I was not aware you had advanced so far in your studies,” Haziel said.

  Jez looked away for a second. “I haven’t. Not exactly, Your Majesty.”

  “Explain.”

  Jez looked around at the gathered nobles. He was about to ask the king to speak in private, but the look on Haziel’s face told him the king had little patience left. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but it did no good.

  “It had the same symbols Dusan used in his lair in Kunashi.”

  “I knew you had seen it,” Varin cried out. He turned to the king. “Your Majesty, I know you think Dusan did terrible things, but he was also a genius in multiple schools of magic. Even the Academy masters had never seen his equal. I’ve been trying to reconstruct his research. If this child has information...”

  “Dusan got his knowledge from demons.” Jez’s voice was practically a shout.

  “You don’t know that,” Varin said. “You weren’t with him long enough for him to reveal his secrets to you.”

  “He didn’t need to reveal anything to me,” Jez said. “If you’d seen what he did—”

  “Enough.” The king’s voice cut through the conversation. “Varin, I know Dusan was your ally, but what he did bordered on treason. I will not permit you to do the same. That being said, Jezreel, the knowledge Dusan had is not for you to hide or dispense.”

  “Actually, it is, Your Majesty,” Villia said. “What any mage learns in his own research is his alone, and with respect, matters of magic are under the domain of the masters of the Carceri Academy, not yours.”

  “But it wasn’t his research,” Varin said. “It was Dusan’s.”

  “It was research he should’ve never done,” Jez said. “It’s research you shouldn’t be doing.”

  “I will research whatever I choose.” Varin banged his fist on the table.

  “He makes a good point,” the king said. “If Dusan’s knowledge is for Jez to keep, then any research Varin does is his alone.”

  “That’s technically correct, Your Majesty,” Villia said, “but as you pointed out, what Dusan did was very nearly treason. If Varin is duplicating his efforts, he must be stopped.”

  The king pursed his lips but nodded. “But is he doing it?”

  “I’m not,” Varin said.

  “I saw it,” Jez replied and the lord narrowed his eyes.

  “This is easily resolved,” Villia said. “We need only go to Varin’s quarters. If my apprentice was able to find the circle, I can do so as well.” He turned to Varin. “Provided you have no objections, of course.”

  “I most certainly do,” Varin said. “I will not stand here and be accused.”

  “You will permit us to look.” Varin’s eyes practically bulged at the king’s words but Haziel continued. “From what I’ve been told, what Dusan did was foolish and dangerous. We both know you aren’t half the mage he was, and I won’t have you taking such a risk in my keep.” The king motioned to Villia. “Let’s go.”

  CHAPTER 19

  “That went better than expected,” Jez said.

  He was walking alongside Villia. Haziel, Varin, Lina, and half a dozen guards followed a few steps behind. The other nobles had tried to follow, but a curt command from the king dissuaded them. Once again, Villia had formed a barrier so they could speak without being overheard.

  “Only because it was before the other nobles,” Villia said. “We forced the king’s hand, and he won’t soon forget that.”

  “But once we show him the circle, he’ll have to forgive us, right?”

  Villia sighed. “You still don’t understand, do you? Officially, there’s nothing for him to forgive us of, but this will severely damage our influence at court, though yours more than mine.”

  “You know, I really don’t care about that anymore. Once I get Osmund out of trouble, we’re going back to the Academy. If I have my way, I’ll never come back here again.”

  Villia snorted. “Well, I can’t say that I blame you, but it’s not wise to dispense with court politics entirely. If you’re not careful, you might find pieces of Korand taken from you and given to your rivals.”

  Jez grumbled under his breath that they were welcome to it. His rank had brought him nothing but trouble. Then again, he might not be able to get back into the Academy without it. He sighed and shook his head. He just couldn’t win.

  They made their way through the keep until they came to Varin’s quarters. A pair of guards stood watch, but a gesture from the king dismissed them. Villia turned to Varin and motioned for him to let them in. He scowled but pushed open the door. He stepped inside and spread his arms.

  “There. You see? There’s no summoning circle. Can we get back to dealing with the actual murderer?”

  “It was hidden by an illusion when we were here before,” Jez said.

  Haziel nodded at Villia. “Mage Villia, if you please.”

  Villia inclined her head and closed her eyes. Jez did the same, trying to find some sign of the working hiding the circle. He had tried to learn illusion at the Academy, but he was hopelessly inept at it, and he had no sense of it. He opened his eyes, giving the effort up as pointless. Villia spoke after a few seconds of tense silence.

  “There are a few illusions here,” she said without opening her eyes. “I’m going to start taking them down. I would recommend Lady Lina leave.”

  “You will not give me commands in my own quarters, mage,” Varin said.

  “I was not intending to be rude nor was it a command. It’s the nature of illusions to be difficult to tell apart, and I wouldn’t want to take hers down by mistake.”

  Lina paled a little, and her fingers went to her cheek. She removed them a second later and clenched her teeth. The scar appeared, though almost instantly, she returned her hand to face to cover the mark.

  “You may continue, Mage Villia. I have removed my illusion.”

  Jez and Osmund exchanged glances, and Lina grew red when she saw the expressions on their faces but didn’t say anything. Villia nodded. She splayed her fingers and violet motes appeared around her hands. The gold frames of the paintings dimmed, and the sunlight streaming through the window suddenly didn’t seem so bright. The entire room faded. All the changes had been subtle, and the chamber was still ostentatious, but it lacked the radiance it had held a second ago.

  Varin frowned. “Are you satisfied now?”

  “Villia?” Jez asked.

  Villia opened her eyes and shook her head. “That’s it. There are no other illusions in the room.”

  “But the circle,” Jez said.

  “If there was a circle here, it is gone.”

  “Now that we’re done wasting everyone’s time, perhaps we can get back to the sentencing,” Varin said.

  “But...”

  The king’s voice cut Jez off. “Lord Varin is right, Baron. You’ve wasted quite enough of our time with this baseless accusation.”

  “I saw the circle,” Jez said.

  “Did you smell anything?” Villia asked.

  “What?”

  “You said you can smell demonic energy. The circle in Dusan
’s lair required an enormous amount of power. If the one you saw was anything like that one, it would be extremely difficult to hide it from your senses. Do you smell anything?”

  “No.”

  “What about before. If Sharim really took down an illusion hiding it, you would’ve smelled something then. Did you?”

  Jez thought back and shook his head. “No, but I know what I saw.”

  “Your Majesty, I’ve had quite enough of this,” Varin said as he scowled at Jez.

  Lina was standing next to him. The illusion over her scar had been reapplied. She wore an expression similar to that of her father, though if anything, she looked even angrier.

  “As have I,” the king said. “Baron Jezreel, this was a clumsy attempt to divert attention, and I see no option but to take it as proof that your man is guilty and that you were trying to hide it. You are hereby forbidden from leaving the keep until we’ve determined whether or not you gave the order for your bodyguard to commit those murders. As for Osmund himself, out of deference to your position, I will not execute him. He is hereby sentenced to life in prison.”

  CHAPTER 20

  Sharim ran the crystal through the water in the silver saucer. Once again, it clouded, and Jez thought he could see images inside. After a few minutes, the clouds vanished. Sharim let out a breath.

  “I’m sorry. I still don’t get anything.”

  “Can you try scrying for something else? Something simple.” Jez put his hand behind his back. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

  Sharim smiled and walked over to the water barrel to empty the saucer. “It doesn’t really work that way.”

  “I was hoping that with the circle gone divination would work again.”

  “Maybe he made another one.”

  Jez nodded. “Maybe.” He looked at the large blue crystal sitting on a nearby table, almost a perfect match for the one at the Academy. The speaking stone had been in the workshop when they’d gotten here. “I think I should contact Master Besis. This is getting too complicated.”

  “It won’t work,” Sharim said. “That’s why Villia had it brought here. I tried to contact my parents earlier today, and it failed to establish contact. It makes sense since the speaking stones use a form of divination.”