[Lanen Kaelar 01] - Song in the Silence (27 page)

“It goes well, Master, does it
not?” said the other voice. It was high and nasal and extremely
unpleasant, and I recognised it at once. It. was Caderan, the weaselly creature
that danced attendance on Marik. I had no idea why he had come on the voyage,
and as long as I could avoid him I didn’t care. “Fruiting trees on your
first voyage; It will be a triumph! And you will soon be uncomfortably wealthy.”

“I look forward to such
discomfort,” said Marik lightly. The beauty of his voice was even more
marked in contrast to Caderan’s. “May I be thus burdened as long as I
live! I trust you have worked well this day.”

“Indeed, my lord. I have
prepared the salve you requested as protection, and the rite is prepared for
sunset this very day. But I must tell you, my lord, that what you plan with the
articles Magister Berys prepared for you is not possible.”

“What do you mean, not
possible?” Marik ·snapped.

“My lord, I am doing what I
can—but you ask much, and all takes time.” He lowered his voice, but I
could still make out his words. “The summoning of demons is a delicate
art, my lord. It cannot be rushed, and what you demand is far beyond the
ordinary. I am no Magister of the Sixth Circle.”

“Damn Berys anyway. Why could he
not simply grant my request in full and save both you and me this concern? Only
now do I learn that the articles he sent will do but half of what I need!”
I could hear Marik glaring at this Caderan. “I must have them, Caderan,
and they must serve me as I have said. There is a great deal of ground to
cover, and I will need more time. When all is finished tonight, let you
consider what you may do to enhance their virtue. I must be able to walk at
least ten miles undetected.”

“Ten miles? My lord, you know
not what you ask! Magister Berys sent me to serve you, but his own puissance
could never do such a thing. How should I better his work? The boots he
provided will serve you so far, in truth, but the others will not last more
than half that time. Such puny assistance as I may render will take you only
half again as far, and at that I will be near my limit.”

“Then I would recommend that you
extend your limit if you intend to leave this place whole as you came,”
growled Marik. The change in his voice was shocking. The music had gone sour,
and in the discord was a heavy strain of menace. “I tell you I must have
more time.”

Caderan’s own voice went hard in
response. “My lord, I pray you, leave off this pretence. You hold my life
in your hands—but the reverse is also true. Do not try to threaten a demon
master. I am still alive because I refuse to listen to threats. It is the
essence of my profession.” He checked himself and spoke again in a more
appeasing tone. “Lord Marik, let us not quarrel. It is neither seemly nor
profitable. I will strive for the measure of eight miles, my lord, and nothing
you can say will force me to more. Can we not agree on that?”

“Agreed, then,” said Marik,
his voice recovered. “At that I should have at least some idea of what I
can bring out in safety. After the ritual I would ask you to complete the preparation
of the other articles, and of the summoning for tomorrow, should it be
required. Make certain all is your best work, for my life—indeed, all our
lives—will depend upon it.”

“So it shall be, my lord,”
said Caderan. “Do you still intend to speak to the winged ones
first?”

“If I can. Why should I put
myself in danger if I can win all by negotiation? I have my guards searching
for the horse breeder, she can’t have gone far. I had hoped we might find her
ourselves.”

“I told you she would be here,
my lord, and there is but one path. We have not met her, therefore she is ahead
of us and must return this way.”

“So you said. But I have seen no
trace of her.”

“Only let us wait, my lord. She
will come.”

Damn. No way out. But what did I have
to do with his negotiations?

“You are certain she has spoken
with them?”

Ah.

“Yes, my lord. So I have been
informed.”

“Your informants are never
wrong?”

I felt Caderan’s laugh shiver down my
back. “You are pleased to jest, my lord. No, they are never wrong. I pay
them well; they would not dare to be wrong. Even demons can die.”

I was barely breathing, keeping as
still as I could, praying they would not come any farther. My fir trees
suddenly seemed no protection at all. I did not fear Marik physically—I carried
a dagger still, and felt certain I could at least hold him off. But I feared
that demon master with all my soul. Oh, to be a Dragon—
idiot!
Tell them!
Call them with truespeech and warn them!

If I had stopped to think I wouldn’t
have done it—but I have never been accused of too much thought. I closed my
eyes and concentrated.

“Akor? Akor, my brother? Eldest
Shikrar, do you hear me? It is Lanen who calls.”
I
waited a moment in silence, repeated myself, still no answer. I didn’t know how
to do what I needed to do, so I simply opened my mind as best I could and more
or less yelled.
“I send warning to the Greater Kindred. There is on
this island a demon master, by name Caderan, who is in league with the Merchant
Marik. They seek to negotiate with you. They plot some mischief, but I cannot
tell what. If I should die, warn Lord Akor, I pray you. Be ‘ware!”

There was no reply. I had no way of
knowing if I had been heard or not, and once I took a moment to think about it
I blushed there in the trees and groaned silently. If Caderan could detect such
things I was dead where I stood. And how many thousands of years had the Kindred
been looking after themselves with no help from my worthy self? I realised I
had called them simply out of my fear, my helplessness and my anger at Marik. I
hoped Akor, if he heard me, would not be too angry. Perhaps no one had heard a
thing, perhaps I had to be closer… .

Then a voice came in my mind.
“You
have been heard, Lanen Maransdatter. Shikrar speaks. We thank you for your
warning. Are you in present danger?”
His voice was dispassionate but
kind. At least he didn’t sound angry.

I pondered the question, and found
that the contact had relieved my fears. I concentrated and replied,
“I’m
not certain, but I don’t think so.”

“You have our gratitude. If
danger threatens, do not fear to call upon us for such assistance as we may
give. Farewell.”
I breathed a small, noiseless sigh
of relief. I hated to ask for help, but once offered I would not refuse it. I
smiled to myself. Shikrar had a kinder heart than he admitted to.

Now all I had to worry about was
outwaiting Marik here on this lonely path. He and Caderan were speaking quietly
about the size of the Harvest and other small matters, and seemed prepared from
their voices to wait until midnight if need be, when of a sudden Marik groaned.

“My lord?” said Caderan,
his voice touched with just the light amount of concern.

“Unh. The lansip has worn off.
Damn it to al the Hells, why now!” His silken voice was rough with pain,
though I couldn’t imagine what from.

They say all knowledge comes to those
who wait.

“Such conditions have no cure
and few releases from suffering, my lord,” said Caderan, with what almost
sounded like a trace of smugness. “When you win back the Farseer, and not
before, the ceaseless pain that plagues you will end forever. So much Magister
Berys told me. That which you made was invested with much of your own essence,
and long parting must needs be painful.”

“You can stop preaching at me,
sorcerer. I have lived with this for twenty-four years. There is nothing you
can tell me about this pain that I have not long known.” A low moan escaped
him. “I have sworn it, I will find that thief and recover what is mine or
die trying. But not here.”

“My lord?”

“She may be coming but I won’t
stand here in the cold waiting for her. She must return to the camp
eventually”. Help me back along the path. I’ll send out my guards for her
when I get back to my chambers.”

“As you wish, my lord,”
smarmed Caderan, and I heard their voices dwindle in the distance. I waited the
best part of half an hour before I emerged from the trees.

I tried to think straight, to
consider what I might say to Marik when he caught up with me—for he would, no
doubt, I had nowhere to run—but my mind would not stay still. I was far too
frightened, and my mind would not keep on my own danger no matter how I tried
to force it. Instead, I considered what I had heard. I assumed that
“undetected” meant he was to cross the Boundary, but what did he
seek? Dragon gold? Perhaps—but that was only a rumour, and surely with this
harvest of lansip leaves, and now fruit, there was no need to face such extreme
danger for such a mundane metal, rare and valuable ,as it was.

I thought about this, for I could not
bear to think about what he might want with me, or how powerless I was to stop
him.

Akhor

It was well done, I had to admit. If
I had thought for a year I could not have come up with a more dramatic way to
introduce her to the Kindred.

I had settled my thoughts and let the
Discipline of Calm soothe my emotions. It was early afternoon when I began the
summoning.

Calling the Kindred to Council is
neither swift nor simple. The full Council meets once every five years at
midsummer; summoning all of us together in the meantime is difficult and tends
to meet with resistance. Sorme are busy raising younglings (though not in these
latter days); some have studies or travels of exploration that take their time;
some of the Elders meditate for years on end and find the regular Council
trouble enough.

I had convinced perhaps half of my
people when Lanen’s call rang out like a youngling in distress.
“Akor?
Akor, my brother?
Dear friend dear one hear me
Eldest Shikrar, do
you hear me?
anyone listen hear me
It is Lanen who calls
fear fear
danger.”

That alone would have convinced any
who doubted she had truespeech, let alone what followed.

“I send warning to the
Greater Kindred.
I hope someone can hear me, hear me
hear me danger!
There is on this island a demon master, by name Caderan,
\voice of a Gedri boasting of his ties to the
Rakshasa\
horrible man look like a weasel he’s proud of his corruption how
sickening
who is in League with the Merchant Marik.
Damn him, fear
danger sorrow loss fear
\vision of the tall fair-haired hawk-nosed Merchant
who had appeared at the place of Summoning
\
They seek to negotiate with
you
. He spoke of preparations and walking undetected eight miles that’s
all Caderan could give him
They plot some mischief, but I cannot tell what.
Marik spoke of ‘what he could bring out in safety’ what does he seek I don’t
know
If I should die, warn Lord Akor, I pray you.
\great longing for Akor\
Danger to me now to you soon damn Marik
Be ‘ware!
danger beware
beware!”

There was no mistaking the truth of
that call, nor the fact that most of the Kindred heard it. It was not unknown
anyone could bespeak us all if they didn’t care who heard. I instantly
addressed my people in much the same manner, telling them that it was a
special case, the subject of the Council meeting at the morrow’s dawn, and that
most of the danger was in the mind of the youngling. Shikrar told me he had
answered her from the guardpost and that she was well. I had to leave it at
that, for I had too many others to attend to. She was frightened, certainly,
but his response seemed to relieve her fears. She did not bespeak us again.

It took some time to sort out all the
replies, but in the end it seemed that most of my people would be there. Even
Kédra welcomed the call as a distraction from the coming of his youngling.

I would have to tell Lanen how
successful her call had been. At sunset.

Lanen

I was stopped by Marik’s guards about
half a mile from the camp. They escorted me—kindly enough, for the most part
into the clearing where the cabins stood. Marik waited at the door to the
largest. I walked up the few steps to the door with the guards right behind me.

Damn him, for all I knew about him he
was still beautiful. His fair hair seemed to glow in the late-afternoon sun,
his eyes grass-green and flecked with gold, his figure slim yet strong, making
him appear far younger than he was. He spoke politely as he asked me to come in
and sup with him. His voice showed no trace now of the pain I had heard
earlier, and even though I knew he used his voice as a weapon I had to fight
hard to stay angry.

No, Lanen, truth—I had to fight to
keep from agreeing with everything he said.

I was thinking of so many things, I
had forgotten the amulet he wore in Ilsa. They are, after all, designed to
conceal their existence from those they affect.

“Good Lanen, come inside and be
comfortable.” I went in and took off my cloak. The guards closed the door
as they left. “I thank you for answering my summons,” said Marik.
“I hope those great boors were reasonably polite.”