'Could you two talk about who-knows-what later?' Richmond had joined them. 'I'm interested in this thing of Denser's.'
'Right.' Ilkar glanced over at Denser again. The Dark Mage was apparently paying them no attention whatsoever. 'Put simply, Denser's Familiar is a conjuration similar in construction to the girl you found through the rip. Where it differs is in what it can do and how it survives. As soon as it's created, a Familiar has to meld its mind with its master.'
'Has to what?' Hirad poured another goblet of wine and offered the skin to Ilkar and Richmond.
'You'd have to ask Denser, though I doubt he'd tell you. A Familiar is a very Xeteskian thing, it comes from their association with the demon dimension. Anyway, the result is that they share part of each other's consciousness. They are a pairing that can only be broken by the death of one or the other.' Ilkar paused to sip his wine. 'A Familiar has its own brain and can reason and act on its own initiative, but it will always be at the beck and call of its master and will never go against him. It's the kind of unswerving obedience you don't get anywhere else.'
'So what's the purpose of having one?' asked Richmond.
Ilkar blew out his cheeks. 'That rather depends on the individual mage. In Denser's case it clearly acts as a guard, a companion, a scout, a message-bearer and, I should think, a powerful offensive weapon.' He indicated the stairs to the workshop. 'Right now, it'll be looking for anything that's of interest, and no doubt it'll tell Denser all about it later.'
'They talk?' Richmond frowned.
'No, as far as I know, they don't talk. But close to, they can communicate. It's a kind of rudimentary telepathy,' said Ilkar. 'I mean, they can converse over a reasonable distance but it would be very draining.'
'So what does it actually look like?' Hirad nodded in the direction of the hole in the floor. The noise from below had stopped, at least temporarily.
'I can't say for certain, but they have an aura that can scare people rigid, almost literally. Imagine your own picture of a demon - you know, ugly with wings and a tail - and you probably won't be far wrong.'
'And what happens to it if Denser dies?' Richmond finished his wine and reached for the skin. Hirad prodded it towards him with a toe.
'It would die too. It can't survive without him.'
'Why not?'
'Something to do with how it lives, what it eats and the twinning of their minds, but I'm not clear on the details.'
'And what happens to Denser if the Familiar dies?' asked Hirad.
'Pain,' said Denser. The Dark Mage had put the book down and was standing up. He brushed himself down. 'Pain like someone reaching their hands inside your skull and squeezing your brain.' He walked towards them, acting out his words with a clenching of his fists. 'Luckily, they are very difficult to kill.' As he spoke, the cat appeared at the top of the stairs.
'I wonder if it knew we were talking about it,' mused Richmond.
'Oh, yes,' confirmed Denser, his face bleak and serious. 'It knew very well.' The cat jumped into Denser's robe and snuggled against his chest.
On the fire, the pot of water was steaming away.
'Hot drink, anyone?' Richmond asked.
'Yes, please,' said Ilkar. 'Tell me something else, Denser. What did you make of that place?'
'How do you mean?'
'Never mind that they walked, why were they all dead in the first place?'
'I'll tell you why,' said Hirad. 'You saw the searchings and burning. The Dragons got there and they came to rule. That's why.'
'Gods alive,' breathed Talan.
'And if you're right,' said Denser, 'just think of the consequences if the Dragons got here.'
'I told you,' said Hirad quietly. 'And you wouldn't listen.'
'It won't come to that,' said Denser.
'When this is over, that amulet goes back to Sha-Kaan,' said Hirad. 'Somehow we'll have to find him.'
'It's too late for that,' said Ilkar. 'Because we already have the knowledge. But it is down to us to prove that we can use that knowledge wisely.' He looked hard at Denser. 'If we don't, if we abuse what we now know, if it falls into the wrong hands, then we can expect nothing less than the removal of Sha-Kaan's protection.'
'I hope you're listening to this, Xetesk man,' said Hirad.
Denser nodded. 'Yes, I am. And I agree with everything he's saying. Now, please could I have a drink? I'm parched.'
Chapter 13.
Thraun brought them to a halt off the track that led directly to the gates of the castle. They made camp about one hundred yards away, hidden from the track by bushes and trees. Rather than risk an open fire, Will unpacked his smokeless stove and set it going. Although very efficient for heating cooking pans, the wood-burning stove gave next to no light and channelled its heat upwards to the hot plate rather than outwards at those crowded around it. As a result, they chilled as a cloudless, breezy night fell.
The journey from the river valley had been made largely in a sullen and angry silence. Thraun had had to comfort Alun's tears on more than one occasion, and Will's snarling asides brought with them the threat of violence. Jandyr watched it all from the periphery, wondering how they would pull themselves together closely enough to have any chance of rescuing Erienne and the boys.
With the stove heating a pot of water and one of porridge oats, Thraun spoke.
'We are only an hour's walk from the castle,' he said. 'I will tolerate no raising of voices and no disappearing without my knowledge of where you are. Now, after we've eaten, Will and I will circle the castle, try to find a likely entry point and see if we can make any sort of guess as to the numbers we are facing. Meanwhile, Jandyr, you stay on guard; Alun, try to rest, you look exhausted. Any questions?'
'When will we make the rescue attempt?' asked Alun. He could hardly function any more, his anxiety making him jittery and keeping him from rest.
'Not tonight.' Thraun raised a hand to quell Alun's automatic protest. 'We've had a long day's ride, we're all tired, and after we've done the scouting there won't be time to plan and execute tonight. If all goes well, we'll go in tomorrow in the early hours of the morning when the guards will be at their most sluggish. Agreed?' Heads nodded. 'Good, now let's eat.'
It wasn't until after lunch the following day that Hirad voiced the fear that had nagged at him since Ilkar had read the parchment. The journey had been uneventful. Talan's wanderings of the previous afternoon had revealed a probable trail, and sure enough, they'd walked their horses into much more usual terrain and conditions well before the sun had reached its high point.
Relaxing slightly now the influence of the rip was behind them, The Raven and Denser had stopped in the lee of a hill they had descended. Richmond lit a small fire and the tendrils of smoke were picked away by a gusting breeze and blown into a sky half covered with slow-moving cloud. When the sun appeared, it was warm too, but a cool mood settled on them all as each had time to reflect on what they had lost and the enormity of what was still to come.
'We need more people,' said Hirad.
There was silence around the crackling fire. They were all looking at him, none willing to speak. Richmond pushed a ripple of thick soup around his plate with some soggy bread. Denser relit his pipe, blowing gouts of smoke from the corner of his mouth. Talan, eyes hooded from the sun, was absently sharpening his sword, the whetstone rasping on the metal while Ilkar chewed his lip thoughtfully before speaking.
'I'm glad to hear that from you. I expect we all are.'
There were nods and grunts of assent.
'So . . .' Talan led the train of thought.
'Exactly,' said Hirad. 'Where do we find people good enough that we can trust? Because of our need for secrecy, we'd have to take great care in town.'
'I'd go so far as to say we can't risk going into anywhere bigger than a village this side of the mountains and the College Cities,' said Denser. 'Too many tongues and too much greed.'
'That's all very well, but if we don't take the risk, we'll get nowhere.' Talan had pocketed his whetstone and was examining the edge he'd honed. He glanced up at Denser. 'You don't get groups of likely people loitering in the countryside waiting for the would-be saviours of Balaia to ride by.'
Ilkar laughed. 'It's an interesting image though, isn't it?'
'Ridiculous,' said Hirad. 'That anyone could ever see you as a saviour of Balaia, I mean.' Ilkar held up a middle finger. Hirad's face became serious once more. 'So what's the answer? We just aren't enough like this. Even with Sirendor and The Unknown, we'd have been pushing it.'
'I guess the first question is, do we try to recruit now or after the Black Wings' castle?' asked Talan.
'After,' said Hirad immediately. 'No one interferes with those bastards' deaths.'
Ilkar stared at him, tight-lipped. 'And there was me thinking you were about to be reasonable. Now you're asking us to storm a castle, just the five of us.'
'I'll do it alone if I have to,' said Hirad evenly.
'As it happens, it makes sense to do the castle first,' commented Richmond. He clacked his teeth. There was quiet for a moment.
'This must be some strange kind of sense I haven't encountered before.' Ilkar sniffed.
'No, I really think we can do it as we are,' said Richmond. 'As I understand it, although Travers himself rarely leaves the castle, most of the Black Wings are out doing their questionable deeds. There'll be twenty at most, I should think. Just enough to keep the castle running. Don't forget, they never have been a particularly numerous group. Just zealous.'
'And if you're wrong?'
'If he's wrong, Ilkar, we'll all die in one big bloodbath.'
Denser sighed. 'You know, Hirad, that really isn't the attitude we need to adopt if we're going to succeed.'
'Well, bugger me blind, is that right?' Hirad swung on the Dark Mage. 'I'd forgotten that correct procedure was to go rip-hopping while carrying the Dawnthief parchment.'
'All right, Hirad.' Ilkar raised his hands. 'But it doesn't change the fact that we'll be taking one hell of a risk going in there as we are.'
'God's sake,' muttered Hirad, getting to his feet. 'You're at it as well. Just when was it we all got careful? I must've blinked and missed it 'cos when he-' he jerked his thumb at Denser - 'jumped into the Dragon's bloody lair we weren't doing it, and we're not about to start now!' He turned and walked away to where the horses were quietly grazing, unconcerned by the troubles of men.
Denser made to rise but was restrained by Talan's hand on his ankle.
'Let it be,' said the warrior.
'He's right, Denser, you won't change his mind now.' Ilkar dipped his mug into the pot of coffee over the fire.
'So that's it, is it? We just go to the castle short-handed and take our chances because he's got some petty revenge to carry out?' Denser felt the surge of resentment as he spoke. His heart skipped a beat then began to race, his cat squirming uneasily in his cloak. When he looked round, Richmond, Talan and Ilkar were staring at him, expressions telling him he'd stepped badly astray. At least in that moment he had an inkling of what being a member of The Raven meant to these people. Ilkar's words reinforced his growing realisation.
'That is why you are an outsider,' said the elf carefully. 'You have to understand the bonds that hold The Raven together. Even in death they are unbreakable. It is the strength of Hirad's feelings, those that drive him to need Travers' blood, that is the reason we can trust him utterly.' He paused to eat some bread. Denser watched him, seeing the thoughts chase themselves across his face as he marshalled his next words.
'We're all alike,' he said at length, indicating himself and the two warriors. 'We're just not quite so outspoken about it. Never speak of petty revenge where The Raven is concerned and particularly where Sirendor Larn is concerned. You seem to forget that he died in your place, and when that happened, Hirad lost his closest friend. You're fortunate he didn't hear you.'
'I'm sorry,' said Denser. Ilkar nodded.
'While we're doing this,' said Richmond, his tone gruff but not unfriendly, 'perhaps we should clear up a couple of other things. Firstly, if anyone has the final say now The Unknown's gone, it's Hirad. It certainly isn't you, Denser. Second, while we all understand what we are doing, or trying to do, we are The Raven first and your hired hands second. So, if Hirad wants to take the castle first, that is what we will do.'
Denser gaped inwardly, confused by a conflict he couldn't untangle and was sure shouldn't have arisen. The destruction of the Wytch Lords had to be their only goal but they couldn't see it. Wrapped up in The Raven and its struggles, he was sure that they had no real conception of the disaster that would be visited on Balaia if they failed and the Wytch Lords won the ultimate battle. Xetesk would be gone, all realistic hope would go with them and The Raven would be blown away like so much chaff in the wind.
He drew in breath to speak but there was no point. Anyway, Talan got there first.
'We all want to succeed. But you have to keep in mind that until you joined us, only three people had died fighting for The Raven in more than ten years.' Talan glanced across at Richmond whose head was hung, eyes closed. 'We trust to our ways and our instincts because they are nearly always right. You know we wouldn't have taken this job if you'd been honest with us, but you involved us and two of us are dead in a week.
'See it from our perspective and don't try to comment on what you don't understand. We're alive because we're good and if you keep your nose out, we'll probably stay that way.'
'I'm sure we can agree a compromise,' said Denser evenly, beginning to see what he had taken on.
Talan's face softened and he smiled, rose and clapped the Dark Mage on the shoulder.
'That was quite a lecture, wasn't it? Maybe you could similarly enlighten us some time soon, eh?' He pulled down his jerkin where it had tucked up under his belt. 'Right now, I think we should be on our way. Hirad?' He walked off towards the barbarian. 'Hirad! Horses, please, we're leaving!'
Erienne felt awakened from a long nightmare. They were scared and a little dirty but her boys were fed and warm and had befriended one of their guards, a point she didn't fail to note. The relief she felt as she held them close and the love that flowed between all three of them re-energised her aching body. This time they had not regarded her with any doubt in their eyes. The guard had given them an explanation of why she couldn't see them that they had believed, and for that she was grateful.
The Captain had allowed her a full hour with them before coming in person to respectfully ask her to join him for some dinner, and so they had returned to the chairs by the fire in the library. This time, she allowed herself a glass of wine.
Now, as she regarded the slight smile that touched his otherwise serious face, she realised what it was she was about to do. She only hoped the Gods, or more accurately the Dordovan Masters, would forgive her for it. She didn't hold out much hope.
'Am I not a man of my word?' The Captain spread his hands wide.
'Don't expect me to rush into your arms just because you've let me see my own children.'
'Come now, Erienne, don't spoil the moment.'
'I am very happy they are alive and well and very unhappy that we are held here against our will. There is no moment to spoil,' she said coldly. 'Now tell me exactly how it is you want me to betray my own morals.'
'I don't want you to feel like that,' said the Captain. 'What I am doing is-'
'Save it for people who swallow your stories. Just tell me what you want, then let me get back to my children.'
The Captain looked at her, sucking in his cheeks. He nodded.
'Very well. It's quite simple. I need you to confirm the authenticity or otherwise of artefacts and information that might come into my possession concerning Dawnthief. If I am to control this spell for the protection of Balaia, I must be on solid ground.'
'You have no idea what you are dealing with,' said Erienne. 'This is a power far, far beyond your comprehension and if you are unfortunate enough to be successful, even in gaining key information, you and your monkeys will all be killed by those willing to do anything to get it.'
'Erienne, I am well aware of the dangers, but it is up to me to face them. Somebody has to.'
'Yes!' she said, leaning forwards, threatening to spill her wine. 'The four Colleges must guard this discovery, if such it is, collectively. It is the only way to ensure it is never used.'
The Captain laughed. 'I cannot believe you want me to leave this spell with the very people who are capable of using it. If I hold it, we are all safe.'
'If each of three Colleges holds a catalyst, it is safer still.'
'And you expect me to believe your curiosity won't lead you to experiment?' He was dismissive. 'I know mages. I know how they think, as do you. Only a non-mage can be charged with guarding Dawnthief. And that person will be me, with or without your help. Do you agree to do as I ask?'
She nodded, the fight leaving her. At least here she might exert some influence. She dropped her head. Control had nothing to do with it. She was helping him for one reason and one reason alone. And no magical moral was as important as the lives of her children.