The Archmage Unbound (11 page)

“Is that what I sound like?” Marc said,
rather surprised.

I started to reply, thinking it was an
honest question but he didn’t wait for an answer.

“Damn, no wonder the ladies find me
irresistible!” he stated matter of factly.

I repeated my disguise spell and a
moment later he was staring at his own face as well, then I spoke up, “Damn, no
wonder people think I’m a conceited ass!”

“That’s not what I said,” he replied
adroitly. “If you’re going to copy me you need to stick to the proper dialogue.”
He stared at me for a moment longer before continuing, “That really is
unnerving… like staring into a mirror that has a mind of its own. Hey! I
don’t suppose you can use that spell on someone else could you?”

I thought about it for a moment, “I
think I can, why?”

He grinned, “Make me look and sound like
you. I have some things to tell you.”

I could only imagine the mayhem that
might ensue if we started an insult contest while disguised as each other. In
fact the vision kept me spellbound for a solid minute before I replied, “No,
absolutely not.”

Marc glared at me, “Why not?”

“This power is too great to be put in
the hands of the feeble minded,” I told him solemnly.

“Spoilsport,” he replied glumly.

“Did you deliver Rose’s missive to her
father?” I asked suddenly, changing the topic.

He switched gears and leaned back in his
chair and putting his feet up on the table, “Indeed I did. I left it with the
doorman. None of them saw my face.”

“That’s a relief then. Any luck with
the research yet?” I asked.

His face fell, “Not so far. Do you see
how many books are in this place? It could be a year before I’ve checked them
all.”

“Well, keep your eyes open for
interesting information, even if it isn’t directly related to the gods,” I
reminded him.

He gave me a look that told me I was
restating the obvious again. It was a frequent flaw of mine. We talked for a
bit more before I took my leave and headed into the city. I had a lot to
accomplish and it wouldn’t do to waste any more daylight.

I kept my senses alert as I left the
house and stepped onto the common road outside. It would be a reasonable guess
for the king to figure out I was using my father’s house as a means of ingress
and egress to the city, but I didn’t need to confirm the fact for him. I
didn’t sense anyone nearby so I relaxed and began walking slowly up the road.

Before I had stepped out I had copied
the features of Cecil Draper. I hoped he wouldn’t mind and in any case I
hadn’t known him long enough to do a perfect job of it. I doubted anyone in
the capital would recognize him anyway so I should be effectively anonymous.

I spent the next couple of hours
circling the royal palace slowly; paying particular attention to points where I
thought the wall might be relatively unobserved. If I could find a good enough
spot I might try to enter during the daytime. If not I would have to wait for
cover of darkness.

The palace had an outer wall that
encircled the entire building and its gardens, providing privacy and security
for both the king and those who enjoyed his hospitality. That outer wall was
nearly as impressive as the wall that surrounded the city itself and likewise
it was guarded by towers every fifty yards or so. The towers themselves were
only fully garrisoned during an active defense. During normal, peaceful times
there were only guards stationed in the corner towers, with regular patrols
walking the walls between them.

For a normal thief or assassin that
would be just as formidable a barrier, but it made things much easier for me.
With my senses I could easily find the locations of the guards patrolling and
assure myself that there were not others waiting within the wall towers. That
made it fairly easy for me to guess at whether I was actually being observed at
any given moment.

After my second full circuit of the
perimeter I chose my point of entry, a shadowed portion of the eastern wall,
near the middle of that side. I left the road and moved up near the wall where
one of the towers bulged outward, using it to shield me from view in one
direction at least. The afternoon shade made it more difficult to see me but
it was by no means impossible. Any passerby would be able to spot me quite
easily, as could the guard in the tower on the southern end of the wall I stood
against… should he bother to look out and downward.

I had made two plans to handle this
situation. The first, which I had chosen before I ever sent Cyhan home to his
king, was to use a spell to assist me in climbing the wall. With a bit of
cleverness I could imitate the ability of a lizard to cling to walls. The main
drawback would be that I would be very visible and exposed as I reached the top
of the wall, which made my second option more attractive.

I had only recently been inspired by
this idea, mostly by my conversation with Moira Centyr… or her echo. I was
having a hard time keeping the two separate in my mind. In any case her lesson
with the stone had given me a new idea, the main drawback being that I wasn’t
entirely sure I could actually make it work. I would need time, I couldn’t
rush something new.

I created a new illusion over myself as
I stood facing the wall; this one was smoother and less detailed. Once I had
finished I looked like a part of the wall, or rather it appeared that the wall
possessed an irregular rounded protrusion. It wasn’t perfect but unless
someone looked closely I should be able to remain where I was for a considerable
amount of time without drawing any attention.

I focused on the wall beneath my hands.
My mage-sense told me that it was nearly ten feet thick at the base, solid
stone for two feet on the outer and inner surfaces, with gravel and mortar
sandwiched between. It might be difficult but it was entirely possible for me
to make an opening using my power. The problem lay in the fact that I doubted
I could do it quietly, and that I couldn’t remove the opening without leaving a
lot of rather messy evidence afterward. Perhaps if I had a few hours and no
one bothering me I could do such a thing, but I didn’t think I could do it
unobserved.

Closing my eyes I narrowed my attention
until the wall in front of me was my entire world. I cleared my mind and
listened… listened for the voice of this one small part of a much larger
world. Unlike the stone I had held in my hand this wall was composed of many
separate stones, and the material between the inner and outer surface was a
complex amalgam of material. I didn’t let that distract me though; as I
listened I began to hear it within my mind, a chorus of many voices. They were
all part of the wall, separate and yet joined. Together they wove a harmony of
existences joined together for a single purpose and the sudden beauty of it
almost drew me in. For a moment I wanted to be a part of that melody, to join
the stones in their quiet vigil.

I caught myself in time, and refocused
my mind, remembering my purpose. Instead I drew the stones into my own ‘self’,
making them part of my own will. My body was no longer the boundary of my
existence, now I also contained a significant portion of the massive stone wall
before me. Then I moved, opening to allow another part of myself to pass
through. Description fails me at this point, so I’ll resort to what would
likely have been seen by an outside observer. As my body leaned forward the
stones parted before me, flowing like water to let me pass. A moment later I
exited the other side.

I found myself blinded by the bright
afternoon sun falling on the western side of the wall. My abrupt departure
from the stone wall left me disoriented as I became less than what I had been,
my sense of self changed and a moment later I was just Mordecai. I stood there
blinking the sun from my eyes when a voice found my ears, “Pardon me my lord. I
thought the garden was unoccupied this time of day.”

My senses came into sharp focus as I
realized a woman was staring at me. Mentally I cursed my stupidity but there
was no hope for correcting my mistake. The area had been clear when I started
but my travel through the wall had distorted my senses, I had been caught
completely by surprise. Worse yet I hadn’t renewed my disguise, I was standing
before the lady in question with my own face showing. My mind raced to make
sense of her words and formulate a response. “Think nothing of it lady. I was
caught in reverie of the afternoon sun. I hope I didn’t startle you overmuch?”
I said calmly.

Her reaction and attire had already told
me much. She was garbed as a lady of quality, but not to a degree that made me
think she was nobility herself, something about her features belied that
assessment. Her deference made me think she might be a lady-in-waiting to one
of the more notable peers. Luckily I was dressed in all my glory as one of the
ranking peers of the realm. My garb was practical in design but expensive in
cut and material, a black velvet cloak trimmed in ermine all but hid the
expensive butter soft grey leather doublet I wore. My boots and accoutrements
were equally opulent… I was here to meet a king after all.

“No, you didn’t startle me. I just
didn’t expect to find anyone here. Please forgive my ignorance for I don’t
recognize your lordship and I have no idea if I may have given offence in my familiarity,”
she said meekly, lowering her gaze, but not before I had caught a glimpse of
deep brown. Her eyes had shown little of the humility that her voice conveyed.

Having finally regained some of my
balance I swiftly surveyed my surroundings with my mage-sight. The immediate
area was still clear of any other people so I turned my attention to a more
thorough examination of the woman before me. Her simple yet expensive dress
could easily have let her pass as nobility but her attitude and musculature hinted
at servitude. More surprising still she possessed several weapons cleverly
hidden on her person. For a moment her armament reminded me of Lady Rose.
“Fear not, you have done nothing to offend me,” I answered, making clear in my
tone that my social standing was such that she was right to be worried. “If
you will excuse me I should be getting back to my room,” I added with a touch
of brusqueness.

She stepped back lithely to let me pass
and I was struck by her nimbleness. Unlike Rose Hightower this woman had more
than a casual athleticism, as she moved I could sense the taut muscles under
her dress, like steel whipcords, tightly controlling her every movement. I
didn’t let my observation slow me down, I needed to be away from her quickly
but before I got more than a few steps away she addressed me again, “Begging
your pardon your lordship, if I might know your name?”

I paused without turning, by now I was
fairly certain she was no maid-in-waiting, more likely she was a bodyguard,
hired to watch some wealthy noblewoman. Summoning every ounce of imperiousness
I had I spoke coldly, “Tell me yours first and I may forgive your
impertinence.” Benchley would have been proud of me if he could have heard me
then.

She answered promptly, “Ruth my lord,
one of King Edward’s servants.” The lack of any honorific confirmed her common
status, but her position as one of the king’s servitors was a surprise,
especially given her weaponry. I revised my opinion swiftly. Whatever she did
for the king involved staying in peak physical condition, and women were not
highly regarded as bodyguards, so she must be something special indeed.

“Shibal,”
I said as I turned to catch her. My spell rendered her
unconscious before she had a chance to question me further. Gently I eased her
to the ground and pulled her back toward the wall where I had emerged moments
before. A nearby bush helped to conceal her presence from any casual passersby
that might chance along. Since I had been forced to put her to sleep I took
the opportunity to examine the heavy blade she had strapped to her thigh. The
weapon itself was over a foot in length and wickedly sharp, while the metal had
been tempered with a bluish black finish. It was highly unusual in terms of
hidden weapons.

I carefully slipped it back into its
sheath and then I spoke again, disguising myself as the woman sleeping on the
ground before me. Then I touched her throat and used a second spell to imitate
her voice. “Thank you for telling me your name, it would have been very inconvenient
if someone had asked,” I told her. My ears confirmed that my vocal mimicry
seemed to be functioning properly and I rose to continue onward.

I smiled quietly to myself as I walked,
careful not to move too quickly. I was supposed to be a woman after all.
This
should make things much simpler,
I thought. Moments later I was passing
into one of the archways that led into the guest quarters of the royal palace.

I walked confidently down the corridors,
heading directly toward the king’s chambers. My senses were on high-alert and
I made every attempt to avoid encountering other people in the hallways. The
one or two times it was unavoidable I simply nodded at them in passing and
moved purposefully onward. Whoever Ruth might be I had a feeling she was
moderately important and it was probably normal for her to be moving as if she
had someplace to be. I only hoped I wouldn’t encounter anyone that knew her
well.