A Magic King (29 page)

Jane looked away, feeling herself blush to the roots of her hair. It wasn't as if she'd proclaimed undying passion for Kyree, but he was the man she intended to marry. She felt awkward discussing her interest in another man. So she decided to change the topic. Feeling strong enough to walk, she wandered over to a bucket filled with symbols of all sizes and materials. Every possible sign from ancient times through modem culture was represented there. She saw a silver Star of David mixed under a few wooden astrological signs. What looked like an Egyptian hieroglyphic was tangled in the golden arches of a fast food chain. She even caught one sports symbol in leather.

"So all this is window dressing?" She was still amazed by the mismatched pile. This is what her people's most powerful symbols were reduced to—a jumbled pile of discards in a wizard's corner.

She glanced at Kyree who watched her with a seductive smile. "I didn't say they were completely useless. Many stones, for example, have real uses. And as for those items, I thought the ancient symbols might mean more to me."

"But they haven't?" she asked. "Not even the pentacle and the..." she didn't want to think about the other symbols of witchcraft.

"Those are my most recent experiments. I found a book with them in it."

Jane nodded, not sure she wanted to know what was in the book he'd found. Then, rooting through the pile, she lifted up a gold cross. She turned it over, noting the simple workmanship, feeling saddened that her mother's most holy symbol rested in Kyree's pile of junk. "What about this? Any power from this?"

"Nothing. At least not for me."

"Oh." She started to set it down, but changed her mind. "Maybe it'd work for me. Do you mind if I keep it?"

He shrugged. "Not at all."

Without a pocket, Jane slipped the cross into her belt buckle, trapping it between the iron and leather of her belt. Then, with a sigh, she brought her attention back to the reason for her visit.

"Uh, Kyree. As long as we're talking about the magic—"

"Do you know what those symbols mean?"

Jane looked up at the sudden interest in his voice. "Uh, yeah. Don't you?"

"No. Or very little. You must teach them to me." It wasn't a request. He was ordering her, and she wasn't sure she liked it.

"Of course," she said casually. "But then you must teach me about magic."

"Naturally, naturally," he waved his hand in dismissal, his attention fixed on the pile. "What about this one?" He leaned down, snatching the sign for Taurus.

"It's..." She stopped herself from answering, realizing if she started on this, he'd never let her stop. Then she'd never get the answers she needed. Answers that could mean the difference between life and death for her.

She reached out, taking the simple iron circle with horns from his hand. "Kyree, I did come here for a reason. I've got some important questions."

"Yes, yes, of course. But what does it mean?" he asked, still pointing to the symbol.

Jane frowned. Her father used to do this to her all the time. He'd toss her simple platitudes as if she didn't know his attention was centered completely on the evening paper. She didn't like it any more coming from her future husband.

"Kyree—"

He grumbled under his breath, then he turned to her. "You want to know what will happen first. Very well." He began ticking items off on his fingertips. "I've already assembled a group of loyal men, mostly mages, ready for my command. Your task, of course, is to supply the other ones with weapons. Once we have enough guns, we will announce both our marriage and our rulership of the Elven Lord's land simultaneously. My men will surround the capitol city to make sure everything goes smoothly."

Jane felt her blood go cold within her. She began slowly, choosing her words carefully. "You want me to supply guns? When we talked before," she blushed slightly at the memory of their "talk", "you said we would usher in a new era of peace."

Kyree nodded with clear impatience. "Of course. But how did you think we would accomplish this turnover of power? Ginsen may be a fool, but he won't hand over his leadership without a fight."

Jane gripped the Taurus symbol as she struggled with her thoughts. How exactly had she envisioned the change of power? "I thought once we announced our marriage, the people would demand the change. Maybe in a popular election. I didn't think..."

"Election? You want the peasants to vote?" His laugh was a cruel disillusionment. "You expect an illiterate peasant, intent on finding his next meal, to care about who rules him in some far-off capitol? Peasants don't understand anything but a weapon."

Jane bit her lip, still fighting the ugly revelations about Kyree's personality. "You told me you needed my popularity with the people. If it's only to be about guns, then why do you need me?"

"Because to hold power afterwards, I need the people's support. My dear there's a great deal of apathy in the population. They'll accept whatever is because they correctly assume they can't change it. If they are to accept what's new, namely us, they need added incentive. And that's you."

"So you violently seize power, then use me to justify your actions."

He nodded, clearly relieved she finally understood. "And," he added with a grin, "this provides the added bonus of an army to support your King Daken against the Tarveen. Perhaps a little later than he'd hoped, but then he'll just have to make do. Add the much-needed military experience, and we are well on our way to building an empire."

"I thought we already had an empire," she said dryly, gently dropping the Taurus symbol before wandering back to her seat. She desperately needed to sit down.

He followed her across the room, dropping his hands on her shoulders, speaking to her as he would a child. "I haven't forgotten all your plans, my dear. You will focus on keeping the peace within the realm. This is where all your wonderful ideas will keep the peasants happy."

"Is that my role in the new order? A new opiate for the masses?" She fought to keep her voice even.

"That is what you're best at, my dear. My role will be to constantly expand our borders, bringing more people under your gentle control."

Jane searched Kyree's handsome face, wondering if she could adjust to this change of plan. She'd still be ruling justly and peacefully over a large territory. It was only the manner of acquisition that differed. "The people would be under my control?" she asked.

Kyree smiled that chauvinistically condescending smile that all men seemed to resort to when a woman got difficult. "Well, I'd advise you, of course. As you would assist me with new weapons. We'd be working together."

Reality had finally broken through her illusions, thought Jane with a bitter twist of her lips. Kyree only wanted her for her knowledge of technology. In that, he and Daken were identical. What horrified her more was that she was still considering Kyree's proposal. Every good ruler had to learn to compromise. Perhaps a totally pacifist world was not an option.

But there were things she did not accept—primarily his proposed division of power. Fortunately, she knew how to handle men who wanted to usurp her responsibilities. She lifted her chin, leaning back in her chair to stare straight into his jet black eyes.

"I don't think so, Kyree."

His eyes narrowed, but she refused to be intimidated.

"I want complete authority over the people. You can take your armies and gobble up territory if you like, assuming it's done in a reasonable manner. The people come under my control. My rulership."

He didn't answer. His eyes bored into her. He leaned over her, trying to dominate her with his body. When she didn't react, keeping her eyes steady and her breathing slow, he switched tactics. Leaning further down, he tried to kiss her, but she held up her hand, stopping him inches from her face.

"Even I'm not that stupid, Kyree. Sex is fun, but we're talking about power."

He stood slowly. He didn't withdraw, he just pulled himself up to his full height. Still he said nothing, and Jane wasn't foolish enough to think he'd acquiesced.

"I'm curious, Kyree. Exactly why is it you want to rule? I thought you shared my same visions of peace and prosperity."

"Of course, I do."

Jane laughed, a short, tight mockery aimed more at herself than him. "I don't think so. What is it you hope to gain by seizing control?"

She could feel the anger growing in him, but this wasn't something she could back away from. If she shared an empire with this man, she wanted to be sure she understood all the motivating forces.

"What is it you want most in the world, Kyree?"

She looked around the laboratory, her eyes flitting from one book to another object to a pile of chemicals. Slowly, understanding seeped into her brain.

She hadn't noticed it at first because she still saw things with her modern eye. In the twentieth century, Kyree's collection from the chemicals through the books would be relatively easy to come by. But in a world with travel by donkey cart and printing by hand, his laboratory was an impressive display.

The metal and crystals must come from the dwarves. The chemicals might be refined here, but more likely, they were done somewhere to the south. She had seen only one apothecary in the marketplace, and Steve told her they were supplied from the south. Last, but certainly not least, her gaze fell on his wall of books.

"I bet those came from places all over the world. Perhaps, not exactly through ethical means."

Kyree's lips tightened.

Add his vehement interest in the symbols and she came up with what should have been obvious to her. "You want knowledge because knowledge is power. Now that translates to wanting me, first and foremost, because I'm the Keeper of Knowledge. But you also want a kingdom with the might to take what you need." Her gaze fell on a beautifully carved tripod holding a small bronze bowl. The metal was intricately wrought with a delicacy that wasn't available even in her time. "I bet you want to conquer the dwarven lands. They must have ancient secrets, dwarven magic, to create such fine pieces."

She swiveled around, following Kyree as he began to pace about his room. "What about the birdmen to the north? I heard they use magic to fly. Now there's some real power."

Suddenly Kyree moved forward, his voice low, his steps timed precisely with his words. "Not just for me, Jane. For you too. You want to bring peace to this troubled land. I want to study, to learn the world's secrets. These goals aren't mutually exclusive. Remember, you need my power to keep control of the land. And I want your knowledge. We are the perfect combination."

"So you keep telling me." Jane pursed her lips, seeing her opening, but careful not to reveal her interest too soon. "But you see, if I'm to strike a bargain with the devil, I need some assurances first."

He didn't move. His intense expression didn't change, but she knew he'd suddenly become ten times more wary. When he spoke, his voice was silky smooth, very sexy in a dark sort of way. "What assurances do you want?"

Jane shifted her position. Wanting to match his seductive pose with a little distraction of her own, she draped herself more alluringly in the chair as she gave him a casual smile.

"We'll naturally have to come to some agreement on the exact division of power."

"Naturally," he concurred, and she could see this was exactly what he'd anticipated. So she went the opposite direction.

"But not at this moment. First, it occurs to me that I have yet to see a demonstration of this much vaulted magical ability of yours."

He drew himself up, insulted to the core. "You doubt my abilities?"

"I haven't seen your abilities."

He raised up his hands as though to cast some great spell, but she stopped him.

"I don't want some light display designed to fool the peasants, Kyree. What I have in mind is something much more specific."

He lowered his arms as he raised one eyebrow in surprise. "Exactly what did you have in mind?"

This time, she was the one who stood up to pace, suddenly nervous as she began to expose her biggest vulnerability. "You may have noticed I am not well."

"I take it you've more than a simple infection?" He sounded almost pleased.

She stopped in front of his bookcase, quickly scanning the titles for anything that might help her. Nothing. So she pushed ahead, returning to Kyree as her only hope.

"It's called radiation poisoning, but there's a cure. Centuries ago, the survivors changed somehow to accommodate the new radiation, the new magic."

Kyree watched her, his entire body seemingly relaxed as he absorbed her information. But his next words revealed how very alert, how very keen his razor sharp mind was. "You haven't adjusted, have you? You are dying as the Old Ones did. The ones who didn't change."

"I'm not dying, Kyree." She said it as much for herself as for him. "Even without a cure, there are healers who no doubt can take care of the problem."

"But only temporarily. You would require monthly, maybe weekly healings."

"A court healer—" she began, but he cut her off with a firm shake of his head.

"There are only a few healers, and each is a king in his own right with better things to do than loiter about court for you."