Mask of Dragons (10 page)

“Earnachar was the fifth,” said Riothamus.

Sigaldra stiffened. “Earnachar?” 

“Yes,” said Riothamus. “He was in the vision as well.” 

“Why?” said Sigaldra, the hatred plain upon her face. 

“Perhaps you should rest first,” said Molly, “and speak of the vision later. It has taken a great toll upon your strength.” 

“It has,” said Riothamus, “and I will. But first I must speak. The matter is too urgent.”

“Very well, then,” said Mazael. “Speak your vision.” A flicker of alarm went through him. He didn’t really understand how the Sight worked, but he did know that it was often ambiguous, showing things that were symbolic or that could be interpreted in any number of ways. It rarely offered a great deal of clarity about the future. 

When it did, though…when Riothamus received visions like this, it was best to pay attention. 

“It was a vision of the future,” said Riothamus, “and of two paths the future might take, like a man coming to a crossroads in a forest cloaked with mist. In the first future, I watched the army of the Grim Marches take the Weaver’s Pass and enter into Skuldar. After hard fighting, we forced our way to the gates of Armalast and laid siege to the city.”

“What happened then?” said Mazael. 

“We were slain,” said Riothamus. “Every last one of us. You, me, Molly, everyone in this tent.” He looked at Sigaldra. “I heard your sister screaming from the mountains of Skuldar. As she screamed, the mountains erupted in fire, and cracked open like an egg. A colossal spider rose from the mountain, and it devoured Armalast and consumed the army of the Grim Marches. Its daughters spread across the world and cloaked the nations in their webs.” 

Mazael remembered his dream of Marazadra, of the titanic spider he had seen in the final moments, and felt Romaria looking at him. 

“Then we are doomed,” said Sigaldra. “We cannot prevail.”

“No,” said Mazael. “You said the vision showed two potential paths of the future. What was the second?”

“In the second,” said Riothamus, “you went into Skuldar.” 

“Alone?” said Romaria in a sharp voice.

“No,” said Riothamus. “You went with him. So did Lord Adalar, holdmistress Sigaldra, and headman Earnachar. The five of you went to Armalast. There Liane awaited you, and the Prophetess and the Champion guarded her. I saw four other things. A gate made from dragons, a mask wrought from spiders, a horn that could call forth the shadows of the past, and a dagger sheathed in blood.” 

Mazael frowned. Rigoric had worn a mask of swords, and the Prophetess had spoken of something called the Mask of Marazadra. The dagger coated in blood was probably the maethweisyr that had drank Mazael’s blood. He had no idea what the gate of dragons or the horn of shadows was. 

“And the end?” said Sigaldra. “If we take this path, what happens?”

“I do not know,” said Riothamus. “That future is uncertain. Anything could happen.” 

“But,” said Mazael, “if the host marches for Armalast, then we face certain destruction.” 

“Yes,” said Riothamus. “Beyond all doubt.”

“That is madness,” said Sigaldra. “Five of us? Five of us against all of Skuldar and the valgasts and the soliphages?” 

“Perhaps,” said Riothamus.

“Your vision must be mistaken,” said Sigaldra.

Molly scowled, but Riothamus remained calm.

“I fear it is not, holdmistress,” said Riothamus. “I wish it were, for the Sight is often as much a curse as a blessing. But this is beyond all doubt. If the army marches to Armalast, it shall perish.”

Sigaldra scowled, trembling with rage. “You are saying that because you are Tervingi. You care nothing for the fate of the Jutai, or of my sister…”

“You,” said Molly in a cold voice, “should hold your tongue.” 

“And you are married to a Tervingi,” said Sigaldra. “Of course you would care more for them than for the Jutai.” 

Molly’s gray eyes narrowed, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Are you calling my husband a liar, Lady Sigaldra? I hope for your sake that you are not.”

Sigaldra drew herself up, her eyes flashing. 

“That’s enough,” said Mazael. Some of his anger must have bled into his tone, because both women fell silent and looked at him. “If Riothamus says his vision is true, it is a true one. And if we cared nothing for the fate of the Jutai, we would have let Earnachar kill you all and saved ourselves much trouble.” 

Sigaldra stared at him, and then offered a stiff nod, folding her arms across her chest, tension radiating from her every line.  

“Now,” said Molly, “if we’re finished with tantrums…”

Sigaldra started to speak again. 

“Molly,” said Romaria. 

Molly blinked and fell silent. She often listened to Romaria when she would not listen to Mazael.

“Forgive me,” said Molly in a quiet voice. “I know what it is to care about sibling. Or, at least, I did, a long time ago.” 

Sigaldra opened her mouth, closed it, and looked at Adalar. Then she offered a stiff imitation of a Marcher bow.

“And…I should not have questioned the Guardian’s motives,” said Sigaldra. 

“A more important question,” said Adalar. “What are we going to do? If the Guardian’s vision is true, then marching to war against the Skuldari will bring disaster.” 

“Yes,” said Mazael, thinking hard. Ever since leaving Greatheart Keep, he had been wary of confronting an enemy that he did not fully understand, and both his dream of Marazadra and Riothamus’s vision confirmed that fear. If Riothamus’s vision was true, and Mazael had no doubt that it was, besieging Armalast would lead to disaster. 

“You’re going to do this, aren’t you?” said Molly.

“I’m considering it,” said Mazael. 

“Forgive me, Lord Mazael, Guardian,” said Adalar, “but a vision is still just…a vision, and nothing more. I doubt not your word,” Molly’s glare faded before it began, “but three men and two women going alone into Skuldar is madness.”

“Especially when one of the men is a rat like Earnachar son of Balnachar,” said Sigaldra. 

“What if we do nothing?” said Mazael. “What if we wait here, and wait for the Skuldari to come to us?” 

“And abandon Liane?” said Sigaldra at once. 

Riothamus’s eyes closed as he fell back into the Sight, the cords standing out on his neck. A fresh sheen of sweat glimmered on his forehead, and Molly watched him with concern. 

“Then I see destruction,” said Riothamus in a rasping voice as he opened his eyes. “The spider arises in Armalast and consumes the city, and then comes to the Grim Marches to devour us all.” He shook his head. “Besides, I know you, Lord Mazael. You will refuse to do nothing.”

“True,” said Mazael, still thinking. 

“Nor will Lady Sigaldra leave her sister to her fate,” said Riothamus. 

“Liane,” said Mazael. “Liane is somehow the key to all of this. The Prophetess went to great lengths to kidnap her. Whatever she intends, she somehow needs Liane to accomplish it.” He rubbed at his jaw for a moment. “So. Without Liane, her plan fails.” 

“What are you suggesting?” said Romaria.

“Simple,” said Mazael. “We sneak into Armalast, kidnap Liane back, and return to the Grim Marches. Without Liane, the Prophetess cannot do whatever it is she is planning to do. Once we have Liane safe in the Grim Marches, we can then crush the Skuldari and drive the valgasts back into their tunnels.” 

“Easier said than done,” said Adalar.

“Most things are,” said Mazael. 

“What about Earnachar?” said Sigaldra. “You cannot seriously trust that man.”

“Of course I do not trust him,” said Mazael, “but trust is not necessary. We…”

“That shall be his trial,” said Riothamus. 

They all looked at him.

“His trial?” said Adalar at last. 

“I could not decide Earnachar’s fate because I did not know his heart,” said Riothamus. “He claims that he planned to reveal the Prophetess’s plans to Lord Mazael, that he was infected with a heart spider before he could reveal her intentions. The Sight gives many abilities, but I cannot see into his heart. Therefore, he shall be tested, and this shall be his trial. He will help rescue Liane from the grasp of the Prophetess. If you are successful, then he shall be free to resume his position as a headman of the Tervingi nation. If you fail…then he will be executed.” 

“Though if we fail,” said Adalar, “then it is likely he shall be killed anyway.”

“That is his trial,” said Riothamus. “And that, I fear, is our chance of defeating whatever dark power the Prophetess thinks to raise in the mountains of Skuldar.” 

For a moment they stood in silence. 

“All right,” said Molly. “If you are going to do this, father, then let us think about how to do it rationally.” 

Riothamus offered a smile. “Logic from you, wife?”

“I was an assassin before I met any of you,” said Molly. “Irrational assassins tend to become dead assassins in very short order. So. You are Mazael Cravenlock, liege lord of the Grim Marches and hrould of the Tervingi and the Jutai…and you can’t just go riding off while the host of the Grim Marches goes to war.”

“No,” said Mazael. 

“Nor can you simply say that you are following a vision of the Guardian of the Tervingi,” said Romaria. “The Tervingi and a few of the wiser lords will heed the words of the Guardian. Most of the lords will not. If you say you are riding off on a quest from the Guardian’s vision, they will challenge your authority.” 

“Of course they will,” said Mazael. “So we won’t tell them.”

“You will simply disappear?” said Adalar. “That would be even worse.”

“No,” said Mazael. “I’ll send Sir Tanam out to scout in force. We’ll set out with him, and then depart on our own. You will be in command here, Molly.”

“Me?” said Molly, frowning.

“You are the heir to the Grim Marches,” said Mazael. “You’ve also been ruling in Sword Town for some time now.”

Molly shook her head. “I’ve never commanded the entire host before.” 

“You’ll have Riothamus to help you,” said Mazael. “Between him and the support of the lords, that should let you keep the host in line until I return.” 

“I will come with you,” said Romaria.

“The vision said so, didn’t it?” said Mazael. In truth, he would have preferred that Romaria remain behind, where it was safe. Yet her skills would be useful…and if Riothamus’s vision and Marazadra’s threats came to pass, then nowhere would be safe. “What of you, Adalar?”

“My lord?” said Adalar.

“You are not Tervingi,” said Mazael. “You are not one of my vassals, and I have no command over you…”

Adalar took a deep breath, looked at Sigaldra, and then back at Mazael.

“I promised Lady Sigaldra I would help her recover Liane,” said Adalar, “and I intend to see this to the end. Sir Wesson can keep command of my armsmen and knights until I return from Skuldar.”

“Of course I shall come,” said Sigaldra before Mazael could say anything. “If this is the best chance to save my sister and to save the Jutai from whatever dark power the Prophetess serves, then so be it. I will even…go alongside Earnachar.” She grimaced as if she had just swallowed something vile. “But at the first sign of treachery I will kill him.”

“So be it,” said Mazael. 

“One other thing,” said Molly. “You should take Timothy with you.” 

“He wasn’t in the vision,” said Riothamus. 

“So what?” said Molly. “You saw my father, Romaria, Adalar, Sigaldra, and Earnachar. None of them can cast spells, but all the soliphages can, and the Prophetess can work dark magic. A spell or two might come in handy. Timothy can also detect heart spiders, and if a heart spider infects one of you, he knows how to expel it. Besides, the man keeps his head in a fight, which is more than I can say about many wizards.” 

Coming from Molly, that was high praise. 

“Aye,” said Mazael. “I won’t command it of him.” But he knew that if he asked, Timothy would accompany them. “So be it, then. I shall speak with Sir Tanam, and we will leave at dawn with the advance patrol.”

Adalar nodded. “I had better see to supplies and horses.”

“I shall come with you,” said Romaria. “No doubt upon your abilities, Lord Adalar, but no one here has as much practice as I do surviving in wild lands.”

“Not all of us can become wolves and hunt our own food,” said Adalar. 

Her smile flashed like a white slash across her face. “Then if you travel with me, my young lord, you shall never want for meat.” 

“I’ll speak with Sir Tanam,” said Mazael, “and Arnulf and Toric and the other chief headmen. They will know to heed you while I am gone.”

“They had better,” muttered Molly. 

“First, though,” said Mazael. “We need to have a little talk with Earnachar.”

Sigaldra remained silent, but her scowl said enough.

###

Adalar followed Mazael and Sigaldra through the camp. Mazael seemed calm, though his movements put Adalar in mind of a lion preparing to kill its prey. Sigaldra’s agitation was plain, and her hands kept opening and closing into fists. 

“At the first sign of treachery,” said Sigaldra. “At the first hint of it. I will kill him, and his heart will be revealed for all to see.”

“Yes, you’ve mentioned that before,” said Mazael. 

“I cannot believe you are trusting him,” said Sigaldra.

“I am not,” said Mazael. “I’m giving him the opportunity to prove himself worthy of trust.”

Sigaldra’s lip twisted. “Because he is Tervingi. Because he is powerful and commands many men.”

“No,” said Mazael. 

“If he were Jutai, you would have killed him already,” said Sigaldra.

“No,” said Mazael again. 

Sigaldra let out an irritated snort. “For a man who does not tolerate rebellion among his vassals, you give Earnachar a great deal of…”

Mazael turned so fast that Adalar barely saw it. His expression had turned flat and hard, his gray eyes cold. Sigaldra flinched, losing her balance, and Adalar caught her arm. For a terrible instant, Adalar was certain, utterly certain, that Mazael had lost his temper and was about to kill Sigaldra. 

“What I want,” said Mazael in a quiet voice, “is to kill Earnachar and mount his head upon the gates of Banner Hill as a warning to other fools. But we don’t always get what we want, do we? No. A lord’s vassals should fear him, but they must also have hope. Earnachar claims he was controlled by dark magic. I know what that is like. So I will give him the chance to prove himself. The same chance, I point out, I gave to you when you closed the gates of Greatheart Keep to me. If I was as ruthless as you wished me to be, I would have burned Greatheart Keep to the ground for that insult.” He tilted his head to the side, regarding her with unblinking eyes, and again Adalar thought of a lion. “If I was that ruthless…I suppose that would rather make me like Ragnachar, wouldn’t it?”