The Last Wizard of Eneri Clare (33 page)

“Tvrdik is an unusual and compelling character, as you will no doubt discover for yourselves. Hearing all of this from me is a poor substitute for our original intention, which was for him to come before you with his own tale, his ideas, his passion, and his absolute commitment to the path that Xaarus, his master, has set his feet on. Let me tell you, that passion is contagious. This very morning, having only just emerged from his own life and death struggle, he was determined to rise from his sickbed and come before you. Of course, I persuaded him that the wiser option was to concentrate on his own recovery. I promised him that I would reveal to you the capsule version today, and give you an opportunity to question him further as soon as he is strong enough. I cannot know how much time we have to prepare for what is coming, but I suspect there is little room for delay. We must all decide on a course of action together, and begin constructing our defenses and our plan of action as soon as possible.”

There. She had done it. There was nothing left except to await their reactions. But what greeted her as she finished her narrative was absolute silence. The Ministers were staring at her, speechless and open-mouthed. A wall hanging shifted in a breeze from the open window and banged against the stones. A chair creaked as someone in the audience shifted on it. Otherwise, silence.

“Your thoughts?” She tried to encourage them, standing before them in the awkward pause. Finally, it was Lord Maygrew, so recently her champion, who stood and presumed to speak for the rest.

“Rel, what is this all about, really? You can’t seriously expect us to believe this fantastic story, can you? Is this some sort of a test?”

“No, my lord. I swear I have told you the whole truth as I understand it. I admit I was as skeptical as you, at first, and most unhappy with the facts. But, as I began to see things fall out exactly as Tvrdik had predicted, I became convinced.”

“Still, all this silliness about time travel and changing the future, and wizards appearing out of nowhere and then disappearing…. You say only this young man can see Xaarus, when no one else can? It’s, well, a very pretty fiction, perhaps, but…I mean…you must see how ridiculous it all sounds?”

The Lady Regent’s tone of voice sharpened just a notch, “I am surprised at you, Lord Maygrew. You always claimed to be a good friend of Xaarus.”

“And so were most of us here, and we miss him sorely. But it has been over a decade now that we have done without magic at court, and we have learned to use our wits and our own two hands to deal with adversity in the
real
world.” Rel’s eyes narrowed, and she felt her jaw tighten.

The Minister of Justice jumped in with his own concerns, “And, my lady, even if any of this were feasible, which I highly doubt, how do we know this young man isn’t just mentally deranged, or part of some nefarious plan of, say, Lord Drogue himself, to leave us defenseless? How do you know he speaks for Xaarus at all? Have
you
seen or heard Xaarus? I had assumed he had been dead for years.”

Jorelial Rey had known she would encounter some resistance from the old guard, but the events of the last two days had left her short on patience. She spoke a little more forcefully, taking the room back from the murmuring and private whispers. “Yesterday, you all saw him change forms right before your eyes, and we know what he was doing at the time, so I cannot see how you could attribute any evil intent to the man. When he first came to see me, he presented me with one of Xaarus’ old calling card coins. I remembered it well from my childhood – you recall the coins I mean – and I knew there was no way he could have that item if he had not come from Xaarus as he claimed.”

A voice from the back of the room called out, “How if he did study with the old man in his youth, and just kept the coin all these years as a memento, but comes back now with his wits turned or on some other agenda, and uses it to give credence to his story?”

There was a general murmuring from the floor. Jorelial felt her face grow hot, and her fingers were twitching in frustration. She had a strong impulse to find the man who had just spoken and shake him hard. But, she knew an angry outburst would not advance her cause. Biting her lower lip, and breathing deeply through her nose, she lifted her voice once more with a veneer of calm. “Gentlemen, gentlemen! I understand that I have given you a great deal to swallow today, much of it difficult and strange. One reason I delayed bringing Tvrdik before you when he first arrived was my own uncertainty about what he was telling me. I wanted to take the time to observe both the circumstances and the man, to test his authenticity before I wasted your time. As I mentioned, circumstances have been proving him right time and again. And, in the two weeks I have been spending time with him, I have never known him to be anything but kind, generous, bright, talented, humble, hard-working, and passionate about succeeding in his mission. If any of you still value the judgment of dragons – and may I remind you that it is impossible to deceive a dragon by any means – I would add that Tashroth, at my instigation, subjected Tvrdik to scrutiny far more intense than anything humans could devise. Tashroth finds him to be without guile, malice, or any deception whatsoever.” With that, she felt she had delivered the most incontrovertible evidence.

But there was more mumbling from the assembly in the room, and heads shaking in doubt. Incredulous, she continued, “Look, I have given you the situation as I have learned it. With any luck, in a few days, Tvrdik will be sufficiently recovered from his wound to address you in person, and you may ask your questions of him. You will make your own judgments of his character and intentions at that time. Meanwhile, I beg you all to sit with this information for a while, and to try and keep an open mind. Let time and reflection recommend my policy to you, or not.” She paused, closed her eyes, took another breath, and changed the subject. “I wish to commend you all on a memorable and wonderful Coronation yesterday. Every detail seemed perfect, every guest well-pleased, and every tradition beautifully observed. It was a testament to all of your diligence that we have smoothly accomplished this major step, despite those who would seek to sabotage it. Well done. Is there other business that needs to be discussed today?”

Again there was silence, most of the cabinet looking down or away to avoid her direct gaze.

“Right, then. I am sure you could all use time to catch up on your rest, or to visit with friends who are preparing to leave the palace for the journey home. We will reconvene as soon as the mage may safely appear before you, or, of course, if some other emergency finds us before that time. Thank you for being here today, and for all you do.”

That was that. Turning her back on the august assemblage, she strode over to the main doors. She briefly considered continuing right through them and away, without another word. But it was as if she felt her father’s firm hand on her shoulder, requiring her to stay at the door and give each Minister a personal greeting as they exited. Even if their less than enthusiastic reaction to her news galled her, she could understand their resistance, and it would not do to alienate her own advisors so early in the game. As most of the participants left, they gave her some curt and courteous gesture of deference, faces solemn or troubled, eyes avoiding hers on the way out.
I’d like to be a shadow on the wall to hear this evening’s hallway
conversations
, she thought.

But, as Minister Boone approached her, she could see he was determined to speak with her, and seemed agitated.

“Minister, is there something you want to discuss? Feel free to speak your mind to me.” She urged, striving to sound more gracious than she felt.

“Yes, my lady. Just this: I was impressed at how you handled our prisoner last night. You managed to achieve your desired end in a way I could not have imagined. I can be open-minded to a point, and I can learn new ideas. I even respect your ability to think in creative new directions. But, I can only go so far, and when you come before us and tell me that my soldiers cannot put down an upstart like Drogue, that in a pitched battle the cream of our land will be defeated and the kingdom lost, why, then, you go too far. It is insulting, and outrageous.”

“General Boone, I apologize. It is a bitter pill to swallow, for myself as well, and is not intended to reflect poorly on your own genius, nor on the worthiness of your troops. I am but a messenger for those who have seen the outcome. Drogue knows some dark sorcery, he is ruthless, and he operates under no rules of civility. There is no telling what he might bring to bear against us. I am trying to save lives here – please do not take offense. I would not knowingly send your fine warriors to certain death, or how could I ever live with myself? Forewarned is forearmed. I pray you, consider again and do not take any of this as a personal slight.” Boone’s brows furrowed in confusion. He gave her a quick little nod and hurried away.

Corbin Maygrew stepped up right behind him, taking her hands in his and speaking low, “Rel, I hardly know what to say. Only a week ago, I put you forward as the only candidate I thought stable enough to handle this position, and you are already flying off into territory that causes me grave concern. I know you are tired, overworked – you’ve been through a personal attack and a great deal of stress. If you are not up to the challenge, say the word, and we can change things…”

“Please stop, Lord Maygrew. A week ago I assured you that I had no desire for this position, but I am stuck with it now, and I promise you, all my faculties are perfectly clear and in good working order. I know that what I have told you is difficult to believe, but do not judge me just yet. Wait, at least, until you hear from the wizard himself. Search your own heart, your memories of Xaarus, your belief in what is right. Your support and good counsel mean a great deal to me, but, in the end, I must decide what action is for the highest good of all concerned, with or without you.” The man stood very straight, clearly taken aback by her passionate words. Indeed, she could hardly believe they had come out of her mouth, and was beginning to wish she could take them back, when all at once he narrowed his eyes, leaned in, and looked her straight in the eye, as if searching for something there.

“There are times, Jorelial Rey, when you sound so like your father that it is almost uncanny.” He sighed, “Alright. I will give this some more time, and reserve judgment, as you suggest. But do not disappoint me. Be prepared to present your case well.” He squeezed her hands and strode from the room. Jorelial closed her eyes and sighed, feeling that she had just passed a very arduous test that she hadn’t even seen coming. Weariness was beginning to overtake her, and she was very glad to be done with the whole business for this day…

“My lady? My Lady Regent?” She opened her eyes to see one last person waiting for her attention, hanging back until all the others had gone. She refocused her eyes. It was Verger, the Minister of Finance. In fact, he had held that post since the current king’s grandfather had appointed him to the position decades ago, and he had proved invaluable in it. Quiet, and timid by nature, he rarely ventured an opinion on matters of State, preferring to spend his time with books and figures. He could do wonders with budgets, accounts, and numbers, and could be a brick wall when he deemed it necessary to block what he considered profligate or ill-advised spending. But, otherwise, he tended to let the more outspoken of his colleagues argue policy. And so, his presence here at the end of the line, and his obvious desire to speak with her took Jorelial Rey by surprise.

“Yes, Minister Verger. What can I do for you?”

“I only wanted to say that you shouldn’t let them discourage you, or take them too seriously. They have always disliked things that are unfamiliar – things that they do not understand. Some of them will come around in time.”

Jorelial was moved. “Thank you, Minister Verger. I appreciate your staying to tell me that. It has been a difficult twenty-four hours, a difficult two weeks. Dare I ask what you yourself think?”

“Lady Rey, I am with you all the way. I believe you were quite bold to share this information as you did, but it is what we all need to hear.”

“Why do you feel that way?”

“Xaarus was always a good friend to me. We had many long talks on, oh, so many deep subjects. This all sounds very like him. One thing he always did was to challenge us to stretch our minds further than what was comfortable for us. He was a master of that, he was. But now, we have grown complacent and bored, and we have forgotten how to think outside of ourselves and see a bigger landscape. If Xaarus could, I believe he would reach out even from his grave to shake us up and make us try to imagine more.”

“Verger, your friend is not in a grave. He is very much alive, and desperate to get our attention. Xaarus is trying to help us triumph…”

“I begin to believe it, my lady, and if it is so, we would all do well to put our trust in him. I spend my life with books and numbers, long columns of them, endless calculations. Numbers do not lie. They are refreshingly honest and simple. But, when you come to know them better, numbers can be quite magical as well. They dance, they interact, they can be elegant and profound, and lead us to mind-expanding ideas. Lady Rey, all of my life I have sought the truth that lies beneath the surface of things. I do believe you are about to lead us into the most exciting adventure of our lives, something with meaning and nobility. And I will follow wherever it takes us.”

She hadn’t realized the courage and depth of this quiet, deceptively dull little man, and was so grateful to have found a single, powerful ally, that she almost hugged and kissed him right there. “Sir, your words have salvaged the day for me. Your support means more than I can find words to express.” She took his hand, warmly, “Thank you.”

He beamed at her, “I look forward to meeting this young wizard of yours. He sounds very likable.”

“You shall see him soon, sir, and he will enjoy meeting you as well, I am certain of it. The two of you will understand one another.”