5.Death of Chaos
XCVI
“WHAT BRINGS YOU here to Mattra, Gunnar? Usually, I'm the one who has to seek you out.” Elisabet opened the door and stepped aside.
“This.” The sandy-haired man held up a scroll. “Might I come in?”
“Certainly. I'll even get some redberry. It must be something to pry you out of Wandernaught. For once, I'm not chasing you.” She grinned and headed for the kitchen.
Gunnar pursed his lips, but followed. His sister set a pitcher and two mugs upon the table. Gunnar looked at the pitcher, then sat. Elisabet filled both mugs before seating herself.
“The Council has learned that the Emperor is sending his fleets against Kyphros,” said Gunnar after taking a short swallow of redberry. “This is good.”
“Thank you. It's fresh.” Elisabet offered a brief smile that faded all too quickly. “I would have thought they were going to send a fleet against us. After all, Recluce has kept Candar weak and fragmented. By opposing any real changes within the isle, the Council has kept us from getting much stronger, and that means we're comparatively weaker. So why is Hamor going to attack Kyphros?”
“Lerris and his consort Krystal have apparently thwarted their takeover of Candar.”
“I'm afraid your son's taking more after Justen than you, Gunnar.” Elisabet laughed. “But that doesn't make much sense. Didn't the trio sink nearly a third of the Hamorian fleet before the fleet sank the Llyse?”
“You knew about the Llyse?”
“Gunnar, I listen to the winds as well as anyone.”
The sandy-haired mage shook his head. “That's probably why. They don't have enough ships around Candar to feel safe about attacking Recluce. It wasn't a large fleet anyway, not compared to what they have and what they're building.”
“It's already built,” pointed out the sandy-haired woman. “It has to be, from all the growth of chaos. That means the Council wants Kyphros to be our buffer?”
“It's more complex than that. I think the Emperor knows that Recluce has never had more than a handful of powerful mages, and most of those are now in Kyphros. The royal house there has carried a grudge against us since even before the present Emperor's grandsire was exiled.”
“Now that Austrans bow to his every whim, the Emperor is ready to expand Hamor's control in our part of the world?” Elisabet pulled at her chin. “And his scheme is to weaken Recluce before they ever attack us directly?”
“Exactly. And that's the way the Council would have it. They'd be happy to have Kyphros and the rest of Candar fed to the mountain cat first, but I'm going to Kyphros.”
“You really are, aren't you?”
He nodded.
“Justen said something about that once, about Candar being the shield of Recluce in the end.” The sandy-haired woman looked off the porch toward the shop where the sound of a cross cut saw is followed by the susurration of finishing cloths. “I'm not sure that Justen's not right.”
“You always did stand up for Justen.”
“Gunnar, you're too old for self-pity and 'Elisabet loved Justen best.' You have to believe that Justen was right.”
“Oh?”
“We've used what he taught you, haven't we? Otherwise we'd long since be buried with the High Wizards of Fairhaven-excuse me, Frven.” She offered a sad smile. “Actions tell where the heart is.” She poured more of the cold redberry into his mug.
“They're worried.”
“Do tell. They want you and Justen and Lerris to rescue them again. Is that why you're doing it?”
“If I don't go, Justen will slip away, and Lerris will have to save Ruzor alone.”
“Getting soft in your dotage, aren't you?” Elisabet smiled at her brother.
He grinned at her. “A little.” The grin faded. “Lerris is on the way to finding out how to destroy us all. Put him and Justen together...” He looked down at the table.
“You knew it would happen sooner or later. How long did you think what Justen discovered could be hidden?”
Gunnar laughed. “Not as long as it was. The Council was more adept-”
“More ruthless,” snapped his sister, “and Hamor wants a reckoning in blood.”
“I suspect Dorrin was right.”
“Much good that will do us now. Do you want help? I can go with you.”
“Not now. Perhaps later.”
She smiled. “If there is a later.”
“There will be.” His eyes lifted to the mug of redberry. “There will be.”
“Yes. That reckoning has been waiting for a long time, hasn't it?”
“Since Dorrin.” He nodded. “Maybe since Creslin and Megaera. Maybe since the angels.”