5.Death of Chaos
CXXV
I BRUSHED MY grays a last time, and Krystal pulled on the braided vest.
“Do we look impressive enough?” I asked, glancing around the small oak-paneled room and the two single beds we had pulled together side by side. While I could not see the harbor from the window, I could sense that two of the Brotherhood's ships had pulled into the port since our breakfast and morning tour of the harbor, and that some considerable activity surrounded them.
“You look impressive. I don't know about me.”
“You're the one who looks impressive.”
“You're obviously in love.”
“I wouldn't deny it.” I hugged her gently, not wanting to dishevel her. “I suppose I should bring my staff.”
“I suppose you should. Tamra will.”
We stepped into the corridor and walked down the hall and down the stairs to the foyer. Everyone was there, except Justen and Dayala.
“As usual,” muttered my father, “Justen runs on his own schedule.”
“Don't get excited, dear,” my mother said. “I think he's coming down the stairs now.”
Justen, like me and Tamra, wore grays, and a look of disgust. Dayala remained barefoot in the soft brown clothes she always wore.
“Before we're off to see the mighty Council, we need to confer,” said Justen.
“We need to agree on a rough plan,” my father concurred, looking at me as Justen did.
My thoughts were rough, indeed, but I offered what I had. “There's a great deal of elemental, or near elemental chaos, beneath the Gulf, and the iron runs from the inland ranges in a line out under the Gulf. The water's relatively shallow there... from what I can sense.”
“Only about fifty to seventy cubits until you get several kays offshore,” added Justen, “and then it runs around a hundred fifty and drops off gradually.”
“If you”-I looked at my father-“and Tamra can call up the storms, and Justen can bring in as much order as possible, I think I can direct that chaos in order-tubes, as Justen did in the Easthorns, up under the Hamorian ships.”
Tamra looked puzzled for a moment, then nodded.
“But we'll need a place where we can see.”
“There's a flat space on the cliffs near the west end of the wall,” suggested Aunt Elisabet. “You can see the Gulf and the harbor.”
“Rather rough, I'd say,” observed Justen, “but there's not much strategy involved here. Anything else?”
I couldn't think of anything, except now that I'd spoken I just hoped I could deliver that chaos as planned.
Getting to the Council chamber involved walking perhaps three hundred cubits eastward through the emerald-green lawns and along the stone walks Krystal, Tamra, and I had left more than three years earlier.
A few about - to - be - dangergelders sat on benches or walls.
“Darkness! One of the big mages, the fellow in black...”
“Are the ones in gray... are they gray wizards?”
“The blade-she's some high officer...”
I glanced at Krystal. “You look impressive.”
“Only to the impressionable.”
I could sense she was slightly pleased, and so was I.
The waiting room outside the Council chamber was large enough for all of us, with some room to spare. A young man and woman in black stood by the closed double doors.
My father walked up to them. “I am Gunnar, from the Institute, and we had a meeting scheduled with the Council.”
“Let me see if they're ready for you.” The man slipped inside the door, only to return almost immediately. “The Council will see you now,” he announced with a smile, holding the door open.
The woman offered Tamra a tentative smile.
My mother, Elisabet, Sardit, and the guards remained in the waiting area, although Weldein's hand seemed to stray to the hilt of his blade. Tamra raised a single eyebrow, and he took a deep breath.
I let Justen and my father lead the way, and I lugged my staff along, as did Tamra. The room was large enough, but somehow seemed confined, despite the windows overlooking the Eastern Ocean and the high ceilings. Every item in the Council Room seemed dark-black tables, dark gray stone floors, immaculately polished, and even black frames on the pictures of the silver-haired man and red-haired woman on the wall behind the council table.
The Founders looked sad, somehow, I decided, for all of their handsome and clean features. The painter had captured a darkness behind Creslin's eyes, perhaps because the picture had been done in the long years when Creslin was blind, perhaps not.
My father gave the slightest of nods to the three behind the table, who had stood as we entered and remained standing.
My father straightened. “You know me, and this is Justen, of whom I'm sure you have heard much. This is Dayala, representing the druids of Naclos. You may recall Tamra, Krystal, and my son Lerris.”
“The Council has invited your assistance, Masters Gunnar and Justen, and that of Tamra and Lerris. I am Heldra.” The thin-faced woman nodded to the others who sat behind the table. “This is Maris, the Council's representative from the traders, and Talryn, who represents the Brotherhood.”
I knew Talryn, impossibly broad-shouldered and short and stocky, but he wore black instead of the gray I had last seen him wearing. Maris was thin like Heldra, but sported a squared-off beard that he fingered as he nodded.
“We appreciate the assistance of the Great Forest,” responded Heldra, her eyes on Dayala.
“Thank you,” the druid answered quietly.
“Lerris looks somewhat... more mature,” observed Talryn.
“The results of my efforts to slow Hamor,” I said.
Talryn frowned, and I had a sense of his order probing, but that probe seemed tentative, almost weak. I smiled politely, and Krystal's wry amusement bubbled up around me.
“You seem to have brought a few others beyond the scope of the invitation,” Heldra said.
“We did.” My father offered the words with a smile.
“They were not... invited...”
After begging for help, for the Council to quibble... Krystal nudged me gently, and I bit back the words.
“Sers,” said Justen easily. “With the exception of Gunnar, I know of no one in our group who has any intention of remaining on Recluce after the situation is dealt with. Commander Krystal is on leave, with the permission of the autarch, and Dayala and I will certainly not remain long here, nor will the small guard that accompanied Lerris and Krystal, and Tamra.”
“Lerris and Krystal?” asked Maris, still fingering his beard.
“Although Krystal is the commander of the Finest, the autarch also has some regard for Lerris, for those talents that you have previously noted, and for Tamra.”
“That seems to be settled,” rumbled Talryn, “although I doubt that it ever need have been raised.” His glance at Heldra would have removed old finish from any piece of furniture. Had I misjudged him?
“I only spoke for our heritage,” said Heldra evenly.
“We won't have any demon-damned heritage, Heldra, if they can't help,” snapped Maris.
“That is one way of putting it.” Heldra inclined her head and smiled toward Maris.
“Your time will come,” said Maris politely. “Even the Founders' did, and they had a lot more to offer than you.”
“The business at hand is Hamor,” said Talryn, “and what aid Gunnar and his group will be able to offer us.”
“It is not a question of help,” my father said slowly, “as we all know. If we cannot stop Hamor, neither can the Brotherhood, and Nylan will be destroyed, and Recluce will fall.”
“What are you going to do with the Brotherhood troops and the marines?” asked Justen.
“Have them ready to repulse any invaders, of course,” snapped Heldra, straightening. “Any threat to Recluce.”
“Where?”
Talryn's abrupt gesture cut off Heldra's response before she uttered a word. “You have some concerns, Justen?”
“You can do as you wish. You are the Council. I might point out,” said Justen levelly, “that the Hamorian fleet will probably attempt to drop enough of their cannon shells on Nylan to turn it into finely powdered black gravel. It might be wiser to evacuate the city and marshal the troops where they would not be so obvious a target.” He bowed his head politely for an instant.
“Evacuate Nylan? That has never been contemplated.”
“It should have been,” suggested Talryn, “but that is our worry, and not the reason for this meeting.” His eyes blazed at Heldra for a moment, but the thin-faced woman ignored his glance. “We have learned that the Hamorian fleet left the Great North Bay this morning.”
“They could be here as early as tomorrow,” added Maris. “They're steaming quickly.”
“Might I ask exactly what plans you have?” asked Heldra, her voice dripping honey. “Justen? Gunnar?”
“You could ask,” Justen said almost as politely as Heldra, “but that must remain with us.”
“I had hoped...”
“I'm sure you did,” added my father. “But you can rest assured that we would not have removed ourselves from the relative safety of Kyphros to Recluce without some thought of success.”
I wasn't so sure about that thought of success, but I just nodded, my senses still tied in a shadowy way to the order beneath Recluce.
Grrrrruurrrrr...
Loud as that disruption felt to me, no one, besides Krystal, even seemed to feel it. Were their perceptions elsewhere, or was I becoming more sensitized?
“And from where will you defend Nylan?” Heldra's voice was harsh, almost shrill.
“From where we must,” answered Justen smoothly. His eyes flickered to me.
“From the headlands before the western wall,” I added, “where we can see the Hamorians.”
“I see,” remarked Heldra.
“If that is all,” my father said, “then we will make our preparations, and I trust that you will make yours.” He looked at Talryn. “I might suggest mat what is left of the trio be employed to keep the Hamorian ships off shore, at least to begin with.”
“It will be considered.”
“Good.”
My father smiled, and turned, and we followed him Out.
On the stone walk outside, as we headed back in the general direction of the Council guest quarters, Tamra snorted. “Much good that was.”
“It was useful,” Justen said. “We know that they cannot do anything, nor will they try, beyond suggesting the city be evacuated and sending two ships out.” He continued walking downhill.
“Has Recluce always been so weak?” asked Weldein politely, fingering his blade.
“Not until recently,” said Justen.
“Periodically,” said Elisabet at the same time.
They looked at each other. Then Justen bowed to his sister.
“Outside of the time from Dorrin until the fall of Fairhaven-the white wizards,” my aunt explained, “Recluce has always relied on its great mages to save it, and they have. They will this time. The price has usually been exorbitant, but concealed from the outside. Creslin lost his sight for most of his life; he and Megaera died young and had but a single child. Dorrin also had periods of blindness, died relatively young, and in obscurity. When Fairhaven fell, most of Nylan was destroyed by storms, as were most of Recluce's warships.”
Weldein frowned. “One does not hear this...”
“Do you think it would be in Recluce's interest?” asked Justen.
“There has always been a hidden corruption in Recluce,” added Tamra, “where the whole truth has been hidden behind partial truth.”
“It goes back to the myth of the Founders,” said Justen. “Creslin is portrayed as infallible, but he made a lot of mistakes. That's always the case. The Council he founded, over the years, has become more and more intent on portraying itself as infallible, and that always leads to corruption.”
In a way, I wondered if my own father had been corrupted in a silent bargain. The Brotherhood had said little about his use of order to extend his life, and he, in turn, had said little about the increasing use of the Brotherhood's efforts to ensure that Candar remained divided, fragmented, and chaotic.
Now, I had the feeling they both might end up paying, and so might Krystal and I.
I touched the order deep beneath Recluce and the Gulf, trying to gently coax it nearer to the surface. Justen caught my eye and nodded.
Yes, we probably would end up paying, but I kept working, even as Krystal touched my arm and guided me back toward the guest quarters, as my thoughts continued to open the order channels Justen had suggested I start early.