“The Duke of Olasko has a man serving with him. That man did not come with him to Roldem, which doesn’t surprise me. He rarely leaves Opardum these days. It may be that Mother has placed Alysandra in Olasko to influence Kaspar, but more likely she has her there to keep an eye on this man.
“He uses the name Leso Varen, but that is no more his name than any of a dozen others he has used over the years. My father has faced this man before. He is as close to my father’s counterpart as the enemy has, for he is a magician of terrible power and subtle craft. He is mad, but he is no man’s fool. He’s dangerous beyond contemplation and is the true heart of evil behind Kaspar’s ambitions.”
Caleb added, “This is no exaggeration, Tal. The man is evil incarnate.”
Magnus said, “This much you should also know. We who serve my parents and the others who lead us will see no victory over our enemies in our lifetime or the lifetime of our grandchildren’s grandchildren.
“We struggle because we must. Evil has an advantage, for it is served by chaos and confusion. It can destroy and ravage, while we must preserve and build. Ours is the more difficult task.’’
Caleb said, “Nakor once told Magnus and me that by its nature, evil is madness, and if you think back to the destruction of your village, you must agree.’’
Tal nodded. “That Kaspar could destroy my people just because of his evil ambitions . . . you’re right, it’s madness.’’
“So, to the point,” said Magnus. “We will never defeat evil entirely, but we work to stem it, to protect as many innocents from the forces that destroyed everything you knew as a child. To that end, we agreed in council what must be done, but each of us has a different role to play in how we achieve the goals we’ve established.”
“So the goal is to kill Kaspar?” asked Tal.
“Perhaps,” said Caleb. “Almost certainly, eventually, but right now we must bide our time and see if we can isolate Leso Varen. If we can somehow, finally, destroy him, we will have set our enemies’ cause back . . . centuries.”
Tal said, “You’re now speaking about things that I can’t imagine, Caleb. I won’t be here centuries from now.’’
Magnus said, “It’s a habit learned from those who have far longer life spans. No, we don’t expect you to understand everything, Tal, but if you can imagine someday being a father, what you do now will help secure a safer future for your children.”
Tal was silent for a moment. He had become so estranged from his own history, from who he had been, and become so lost in the role of Tal Hawkins that thinking of any sort of personal life in which he might someday wed and father children had almost no meaning for him. Then he remembered those heady weeks with Alysandra when he had ached to imagine they would be together forever; the girl might have played him false—for whatever reason—and he might hate her for that, but his feelings had been real: he had wanted to wed and be a father. At last he said, “I understand the point.’’
“Good,” said Magnus. “Now, have you given any thought to Kaspar’s offer?’’
Tal said, “I’m wrestling with it. I will almost certainly go to Opardum and hear him out, listen to what he proposes, but I can’t imagine taking service with him.’’
“It would put you close, Tal,” said Caleb. “You could help our cause a great deal if you were to ingratiate yourself with Kaspar, and if you could gain access to Leso Varen.’’
“I’m Orosini,” said Tal. “I may look like a gentleman of Roldem or a Kingdom nobleman, but I am still Orosini.” He touched his cheeks. “I may not have my clan tattoos, but I am Orosini.’’
Caleb said nothing, just looked at Tal and waited for him to continue. Magnus raised an eyebrow, but also kept silent.
“If I give my oath to Kaspar, I will keep it. I cannot give false oath. It is impossible. I cannot serve the Conclave and serve Kaspar at the same time. I understand how Alysandra or others can, but I cannot.” His voice dropped. “I may be the last of my people, but that is our way, and I will not abandon it.’’
“Then you must not,” said Caleb.
“Besides,” said Magnus, “Kaspar will have the means to determine if someone has a false heart when he swears an oath. Leso Varen might not actually be able to read your mind as such, but I suspect he’ll be able to tell if you’re lying.’’
“So, then,” Caleb asked Tal, “what do you propose to do?’’
“I told Kaspar I’d come to Opardum after I took care of some family business.”
“What is this family business?” asked Magnus.
With a deep sigh, as if something tormented and angry was being allowed to escape, Tal said, “Vengeance.”