The Warlock Senator (Book 2) (28 page)

A trio of footmen
rushed forward, one of them scooping Master Lin’s scimitar up and aiming for Orres’ neck. Just before the blade connected, another sword appeared over Orres and stopped it from completing its deadly arc.

“We’re here,” a wheezy voice yelled. O
rres looked up and saw Master Wendal wielding a sword in his left hand while throwing fire balls with his right.

“I’m out,” Lady Arkyn shouted as she dropped from the rafters above to the floor. Orres saw her pick up Stormfan
g and rush to stand beside Wendal. The other masters were working their way forward too, cutting through footmen and dodging blades and spears.

Orres tried to push hi
mself up, but he had no more strength left. He fell to his face with a
thud
. The wood floor vibrated under his face as heavy footsteps danced all around him. As his blood leaked out of his body, he felt hope going along with it. There were far too many footmen. He knew that the cause was lost.

“Wendal, get them out,” he said. “Get them out.” It was hard to breathe now. “Escape,” he whispered.

*****

Eldrik sat in the stable, still shaking and breathing hard. Vengeance had come quickly, but it had not ended his pain. He struggled to understand why instead of satisfaction he felt remorse. He scooted his back against the corner of a stall and kicked a horse apple out of the way. “Mother will be proud,” he told himself. “Mother will be proud.”

“That’s right,” a voice said from the darkness beyond the stall.

Eldrik looked up, peering into the darkness. He rubbed his cold shoulders. “Who’s there?”

“No need to be afraid, boy, I am a friend.”

Eldrik could tell the voice was female, but he didn’t recognize it. “Who are you?” A woman stepped just out of the shadows enough for him to make out her shapely figure. She was not as tall as he, but she was definitely older. He could tell that from the width of her hips and the tone she used speaking to him. If she would only take one more step forward, then the moonlight would illuminate her face.

“I am the one who helped you find Lord Lokton,” the woman said.

“What?” Eldrik reached up to the side of the stall and pulled himself up to his feet. The woman stepped forward. As the moon revealed her face, he did recognize her
. “You are the fortuneteller,” Eldrik said.

“And I helped you find the
alleyway Lord Lokton would come through and where you could hide to catch him.”

Eldrik swallowed hard, though his throat was dry. What did she want?

“Don’t worry, I am here to help you again,” she said.

“I don’t need more help,” Eldrik said.

“Don’t you want to know
how
I knew where Lord Lokton would be?” she asked.

“What do you want from me?” Eldrik pressed, finding a sprout of courage from within.

“You have great potential, Eldrik Cedreau,” she said. “I am a friend of your family, and I am here to help you develop your talents.”

“I don’t recognize you,” Eldrik said.

“That doesn’t matter,” she assured him. “I spoke with your mother, and she wants you to come with me. We can help you rebuild House Cedreau and make it great again.”

Eldrik
stepped forward. “What do you mean you can make my house great again?”

“You think the only thing Lord Lokton took from you is your father?” she asked. “He took more than that. Many years ago your family owned all of the lands now under House Lokton’s control. Your great grandfather was conned out of the land by Lord Lokton’s grandfather. You see, they have always been scheming against your family.”

Eldrik felt the fire return in his chest. “How do you know this?”

“Come with me, I will show you the truth about the treacherous Loktons. You will be a hero!”

“A hero?” Eldrik asked.

“The senate had sentenced Lord Lokton to death. He escaped and ran do
wn the alley you found him in. So you see, you are a hero for catching a convicted traitor and giving him the justice he so deeply deserved. Now, I can help you regain your family’s true stature and you will be known for generations as the noblest among the Cedreau clan. The king will likely reward you himself.”

Eldrik smiled at the thought. It was tempting, very tempting. “What is in it for you?”

The woman smiled wide. “Oh, well you see I owe your mother a great deal. This will be my way of repaying her the kindnesses she has shown me over the years.”

Eldrik smiled. “Then I accept.” He stepped forward and looked in the woman’
s eyes.

The woman
smiled wide and said, “Come with me, we have a lot to discuss, and the others are anxious to meet you.”

“The o
thers?” Eldrik asked curiously.

“Yes, there are many who would see House Cedreau return to its former glory.” Eldrik nodded as though he understood. The woman put a hand on his shoulder. “Of course, they will be looking to have their loyalty rewarded, but we can see to that once your family has been restored to its former glory.”

“What shall I call you?” Eldrik asked.

She smiled wider and squeezed his shoulder. “I am Merriam.”

Eldrik walked into the chamber wide-eyed and mouth open slightly. His pulse raced within him. His mind soaked in the sights before his eyes and his skin tingled at the cavern’s coolness.
It was as if he had finally returned home, only he hadn’t the slightest idea where he was or who this Merriam woman really was. Still, a part of him coveted the power he sensed within her. Instead of being repulsed by the magic mixture that opened the door to the underground cave, he had been elated. He thirsted after the power.

“This is your new home,” Merriam said as she gestured out with a sweep of her arm. “We can train you here, and you can raise your army from here as well.”

“My army,” he repeated. He liked the sound of that. “We have men at Cedreau manor,” he put in quickly.

Merriam nodded. “Yes, but for the task at hand you will need men who are more, shall we say, experienced.

“You said there were others here waiting for me, where are they?” Eldrik asked.

Merriam nodded and motion
ed for him to follow her. Eldrik did so, following her and gazing into the mysterious pools of glowing water. Occasionally he saw a frog, or a long tailed colorful fish that he didn’t recognize, but otherwise the cavern was empty, save for a large cauldron, a few desks and some bookshelves.

They left the main cavern and walked through a short tunnel to a secondary hall, filled with benches and pews. A dais with four chairs was positioned at the front of the room. Two women were sitting already. An older woman sat at the far left and a younger woman sat at the far right, leaving the two middle chairs open.

“Come, we should be seated,” Merriam instructed.

As Eldrik crossed the brown stone floor a few people started to filter in from side tunnels and sit at the pews. Some of them wore regular clothes, others wore leather armor or long robes. Eldrik didn’t recognize any of them.

“These are friends of my family?” Eldrik asked as they took their seats on the dais.

The old woman leaned over and placed a hand on Merriam’s leg. Eldrik couldn’t make out what she whispered, but he could tell by the look on her face and the way that Merriam averted her eyes that something didn’t sit well with the old woman.

The young woman leaned in and brushed Eldrik’s hair off his brow. “We are happy to have you here,” she said. “I’m Silvi.”

Eldrik turned and found himself falling deep into her blue eyes as though he were diving into two cool pools without a bottom. He wanted to say something to her, but he managed
only to offer a goofy smile. Silvi giggled and patted his back before sitting back in her seat.

He
soon forgot everything else in the room except for Silvi. He inched to the edge of his seat, trying to be a little closer to her, stealing sidelong glances at her as the chamber continued to fill. He didn’t notice the disapproving frown Merriam shot Silvi, nor did he catch Silvi’s nonchalant shrug.

After a while the old woman stood up and walked to the front of the dais.

“Welcome, brothers,” she said. “May the night grant its blessing to all of you.”

The seated audience responded in unison. “May the shadow encircle us all in its wisdom.”

The old woman turned back and pointed to Eldrik. “This young man is destined for greatness,” she said. “I have seen the signs, and read the portents. House Cedreau shall be great again.”

The audience cheered and clapped, stomping their feet against the stone floor. “The woman produced a knife from the folds of her robes. Eldrik watched with heightened interest as the blood-stained blade was held out in the woman’s left hand. It was the knife he had used to kill Lord Lokton.

“How did she get that?” Eldrik asked.

Merriam leaned in
from his right. “You dropped it outside the stable, so I picked it up before coming in to speak with you.” She looked into his eyes, but he did not find comfort there. Silvi put her hand on his leg and he turned back to her. Instantly he felt at peace as he looked into her beautiful eyes.

“It is a necessary step in regaining your power,” she said. “Do not be afraid. No one here means you any harm.”

Eldrik nodded dumbly and went back to watching the old woman. She chanted a phrase that he did not understand, and then the knife began to hover in the air, pointing down at the ground and spinning slowly. The blood began to glow. Eldrik watched the blade intently.

“What is happening?” he asked.

“Come with me,” Silvi coaxed. She slipped her hand around his and gently pulled him up to stand before the knife. Merriam rose and stood opposite him, obscuring the audience from his view. Silvi pushed him closer to the knife and then stood so that the three women formed a triangle around Eldrik and the spinning blade.

Merriam added her voice to the chanting and the blood began to grow brighter. Eldrik found himself mesmerized by the blade. He watched as the blood once again became liquid and started to drip from the blade until the knife was clean and bright. The droplets never touch the ground, though. They hung in the air just below the knife.

He wasn’t sure why, but he reached out with his right hand to touch the blood. As his finger pushed into the red orb it rippled and jiggled. He could feel the heat inside it. What’s more, he felt a strange surge of power as he pushed his finger inside the orb. As he marveled at the spectacle, the blood coursed up his hand, tickling the hairs on his forearm, and disappeared under his shirt as it travelled quick as a snake to rest on his chest.

The three women clasped hands and their chanting grew louder. The men in the audience rose to their feet, adding their low, rumbling voices to the chant.
A dark purple light appeared around the dagger, forming a column from the ground to the ceiling. Eldrik felt the blood on his chest start to heat up and bubble on his skin. The heat scorched and stung his skin for only a moment before a tentacle of purple light reached out from the knife and shot through his shirt to the spot on his chest where the blood boiled. Searing pain ripped through his body and the dagger began to spin faster and faster. The chanting grew louder and louder. Some of the men were shouting while others were wailing in an orchestra of shouts and mumbles that assaulted Eldrik’s ears.

The dagger vibrated and hummed as it rotated up so that the point aimed at Eldrik’s chest. His eyes went wide as the knife slowly traveled down the purple arm toward his chest.
To his relief the dagger stopped as the tip rested on his skin. It twirled quickly, opening a small hole in his skin and then all of the blood from the knife vanished into his own body and the purple light coursed into him. Instead of pain, he felt only heat and power. His body tingled from his head to his toe as the light continued into his body. The light pulled back then, taking the knife with it until the blade hovered in the exact middle of the triangle.

Merriam and the others had ceased chanting now and only wailed and screamed. Eldrik’s body grew numb and then became very heavy at the same time. His heart rate slowed until he was sure he had no pulse at all. He fell to his knees momentarily and then he felt a rush of strength and power fill him from within. Eldrik rose back to his feet and instinctively took the knife from the air.

The handle was cold as winter’s first snow, but he took it anyway. It vibrated in his hand. He could feel his skin sticking to the handle, forming a bond with the weapon. His hand began to glow and the same purple light that had coursed through him went out from his hand and into the knife. The blade turned dark and then the bond with his hand dissolved and the ritual was complete. The three women let go and broke the triangle. The audience ceased their chanting. It was as if they had all been connected somehow, and knew exactly when the ritual had finished.

Eldrik turned the knife over in his hand. It was still extremely cold, but now there was no humming. No vibration. It was as inanimate as it had been before. “What just happened?” Eldrik asked.

“You have been initiated into the fold,” Merriam said warmly.

“You, are the newest warlock in our coven,” Silvi added.

Eldrik tucked the knife into his belt. “A warlock?” he said.

The old woman turned to him. “To restore House Cedreau, we must return to the old traditions. Your great-great grandfather was once a warlock in our coven. That is why our cavern is located on your lands. However, when your great grandfather lost half of House Cedreau’s lands, your grandfather denounced him and turned his back on us. These men here tonight are here to see the coven restored, and House Cedreau will flourish with their aid.”

Eldrik nodded. He could still feel the new power and strength running through his veins. “I thought warlocks were evil?” he stammered.

Silvi tur
ned him to look into her eyes. “Warlocks are only what they are,” she said. “Are
you
evil?” she asked.

Eldrik melted into her eyes again and shook his head. “No, I want only justice.”

“Then let us help you find that justice,” Silvi coaxed.

Eldrik nodded. “What must I do?”

“For tonight, you have accomplished enough. Now it is time for you to sleep. In the morning we will continue with your next task.”

Merriam stepped forward and took Eldrik by the elbow. “Come with me, I will show you to your room.”
The two of them quickly walked out of the chamber.

The old woman approached Silvi.
“You ought not to have hypnotized him, Silvi,” she said.

“We are too close to let him slip through our grasp, Hairen,” Silvi replied.

Hairen chuckled and shook her head. “Perhaps you are right, but I think he would have joined us of his own free will without magical coercion.”

Silvi shrugged. “It matters little now,” she said. “Have you chosen a sacrifice?”

Hairen surveyed the crowd. “I will ask John Popper to stay behind.” She flattened her skirt and looked back to Silvi. “He has reached the pinnacle of his talents, and his power would be better utilized by the boy.”

Silvi nodded. “That is a suitable choice. Shall I bid the others leave?”

Hairen shook her head. “No, give them a proper feast. Some have made an extremely long journey.” She started to walk away and stopped suddenly. “And
all
of us have waited for this night a very long time.”

Silvi smiled. “Does this mean you are no
longer angry with Merriam and me?”

Hairen scowled. “No, I a
m still unhappy with the way Nora has been treated.”

“But you approve of the results?”

Hairen nodded. “I believe the boy will do splendidly.”