Even that paled in comparison to the final new vision. It was the first of its kind that any of them had ever come across, and its existence shattered every theory that the master warlock or his wife had ever devised concerning the ghostly images.
Aurim had seen his father.
Cabe had joined the ghosts of the Manor.
The image was a very recent one. That, too, was unsettling. Aurim"s description of the short scene had registered in the elder Bedlam"s memory. It had taken place but a few days prior to their departure for Penacles. The occurrence had not been of any significant moment as far as he could see. It was merely Cabe using a knife to cut open a srevo, one of the lush fruits often found in the markets of Penacles and long a personal favorite of the sorcerer. Cabe was not one to use his power for something so simple as cutting up fruit. He considered such misuse both wasteful and criminal. That day, however, the black-haired mage wished that he had broken his cardinal rule.
Aurim"s description of what had followed was exactly as Cabe recalled it, save that much of the surrounding scene was missing. The vision revealed Cabe holding the large, round fruit and making the first cut. Then, as he had readied one half for another attack with his knife, something had caught his attention, making him turn as he lowered the sharp blade. In real life, that something had been Benjin Traske, come to ask a question about the then forthcoming trip to Talak. The interruption itself had been minor, but the warlock, eyes turned away, had cut into his thumb.
He still remembered the pain. The wound had not been deep, but surprise had amplified his agony. Cabe had no qualms about using sorcery to repair even the most minor injuries, particularly those causing him torment, and had healed it almost immediately. By the evening of that same day, he had forgotten all about the incident.
For some reason, though, the Manor had not.
And why is that? he wondered. The spectral images had never made sense to him. Why would the ghost of such a trivial incident be created? What logic did the Manor follow? Is there any logic? I keep a.s.suming that there has to be, but who knows who built this place? They might"ve been mad, for all I know!
The situation was certainly insane enough. Cabe slumped back in his chair, willing to admit that after all these years he was no closer to understanding the magical citadel than he had been the first time he had entered it. It reminded him of the fact that the structure would probably still be standing long after he and his children had become nothing more than . . . memories?
A movement behind him quickly dispersed all thought of the Manor"s eccentric ways. Cabe pushed his chair back and turned, expecting one of his villagers. His eyes bulged as what should have been an impossible sight stood before him.
It was a drake warrior. His eyes searched the room with avid interest. He wore a cloak, and the dragon"s head crest on his helm was one of the most extravagant that Cabe could recall. The drake"s red eyes seemed to burn. His coloring was dull green mixed with touches of gold.
It was a drake warrior, one known to Cabe Bedlam.
It was Duke Toma.
Although to the warlock it seemed as if his reflexes had slowed almost to nothing, still he succeeded in gathering his power and striking at the deadly drake before Toma even seemed to notice him. A whirlwind formed around the reptilian invader, a funnel of dizzying speed that affected nothing else in the room, for its object was Toma and Toma only. At Cabe"s silent command, the tornado seized the sinister drake and threw him to the ceiling.
That is, it was supposed to throw him to the ceiling.
Toma stepped through as if not even noticing the whirlwind. His eyes still darted left and right, never seeming to focus on his foe. Cabe pointed a finger at the draconian figure"s armored chest. Sleek, black tendrils formed around the deadly duke"s upper torso, tendrils designed to pin the drake"s arms to his sides.
The tendrils tightened . . . and continued to tighten through Toma"s body.
"What-" Daunted but not defeated, Cabe began to rise from his chair. At the same time, Toma"s piercing eyes turned his way . . . and continued past, at last focusing on the wary sorcerer"s desk.
Only then did Cabe Bedlam realize that, if he stared hard, he could just barely make out the door through the chest of the drake.
An illusion? I"m fighting an illusion? He stumbled closer, still not positive that this was not a trick. Toma seemed to walk toward him, although after a moment Cabe decided the horrific duke was actually walking toward his desk. The warlock stepped to one side, studying the figure as it went past.
There was something familiar about the illusion. It was not a proper illusion, for if it had been, he would not have been able to see through it. Toma was a phantom, a ghost.
Ghost or not, the drake seemed very familiar with this chamber. He walked quickly to the shelves that held Cabe"s personal library, works that the warlock himself had gathered over the years, as opposed to the ancient library elsewhere in the Manor. As the specter searched the shelves, Cabe struggled to understand the madness happening before him. This was either a very elaborate hoax, a trick played by Aurim, perhaps, or . . .
Toma began to fade away. There was no warning. His form simply began to grow murkier and murkier and his movements slowed until they came almost to a halt.
It was the final confirmation. Everything about the ghostly drake screamed only one possible answer.
The Duke Toma before him was nothing more than one of the Manor"s phantom memories . . . and that could only mean that the deadly drake had paid a visit to the one place the warlock had believed was forever safe from him.
Toma in the Manor. It seemed impossible, but the proof was there. How, though? How could the draconian renegade have made his way past the defenses of the ancient structure?
There was also the question of when. Perhaps it was an old memory from the time when no one had actually lived in the Manor, a time when Gwendolyn had been a frozen prisoner in Azran"s amber cage and a trio of sinister female drakes had usurped the fabled place. The original spells protecting it had begun to deteriorate. Darkhorse had been unable to enter, but Cabe had stepped through without even really knowing what had happened. Of course, at the time, he had been bedazzled by the temptresses" beauty, not realizing that he was to be their meal.
Could Toma have been here back then? It seemed a far more sensible conclusion, yet that reasoning held flaws, terrible flaws. The first and foremost of those was what the drake had been doing. Toma had walked to the desk, which was an addition of Cabe"s. The chamber had originally been devoid of any trace of furniture or other contents. Also, the monstrous figure had been inspecting the shelves, his eyes lingering on particular tomes.
The shelves and their contents were also additions made by the warlock. Before that, the wall had been bare.
He could not deny it any longer. Duke Toma had been in the study chamber searching through the knowledge that his rival had gathered over the years. How long ago, though? It could still have been years-but if so, why had the drake never struck at them? If there was anyone Toma desired to see dead, it was Cabe and Gwen.
Gwen . . . Valea and Aurim . . . Suddenly the warlock grew fearful for his family.
He had to know.
". . . as I"ve said before, Valea," his wife was remarking as he appeared in their midst. The trio paused in their conversation, eyes widening at the unexpected visitation.
"You"re all . . . right!" Cabe gasped, relief bubbling over. In truth, he had expected to find them prisoners of the drake . . . or even worse.
Gwendolyn was on her feet instantly. She put her hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Cabe! What"s wrong?"
Seeing them there, all concerned about his well-being, made his fears now seem laughable. Yet, Toma had invaded their sanctuary at some point in the past. That meant that there had been a threat to them . . . and, in fact, there might still be. The drake had never been one to pa.s.s up a golden opportunity.
He exhaled, forcing himself to relax. Only when he was certain of his control did the sorcerer permit himself to speak again. "Toma. It was Toma."
"Toma? Where?" The emerald-clad enchantress warily scanned the grounds around them. Valea and Aurim looked worried but not panicked. Like their mother, they prepared themselves for the worst.
"Not here. Not now, Gwen. I don"t know when he appeared, but at some point in the past, Toma somehow invaded my study."
"How do you know that?"
Cabe indicated Aurim. "When I went to the study with the notes Aurim had given me, the ones about the hauntings . . ."
"Your pet project."
He nodded. "I was just considering the last one, the image of myself. I felt a p.r.i.c.kling . . . or something. All I know is that when I turned around, Toma was standing behind me, eyeing the room the way a dragon eyes fresh meat. After looking around, he stalked toward the desk and the shelves above it."
"And then?" No one seemed to be breathing. Antic.i.p.ation had made slaves of his family.
"And then . . ." He shook his head. "And then I realized that the Toma I saw was another of the Manor"s living memories!"
"A very timely one, if it was. You are certain that it was not an illusion? Not some trick?" It was clear that Gwen wanted that to be the case.
"No illusion . . . or rather, yes, it was, but only if you count the Manor"s ghosts as such. This was one of those! I know the difference between them! Toma has been here before, Gwen. Not only that, but he had time to search this place thoroughly, I think."
The sorceress released him. Her hands, Cabe saw for the first time, were shaking. "It has to be an illusion! How could he have succeeded in pa.s.sing the barriers? Only we can let anyone in or out!"
The warlock looked at his family. "I don"t know."
"What should we do?" asked Valea. Duke Toma had always been something of a nightmare monster to her, like the creatures children thought lived under their beds. To find out now that the nightmare had invaded their very sanctuary . . .
The master warlock thought it out. "We have to search this place using our power. We have to carefully go over everything and every place. We-" He blinked. "Where"s Darkhorse?"
The shadow steed had been with his family when last he had left them, and that had not been very long ago. Darkhorse was the only one other than his wife and offspring that Cabe would have trusted with all of this.
"He asked permission to depart only a few minutes ago." Gwen was perturbed. She, too, realized how useful the eternal"s skills would have been for this deadly matter. "He was anxious, as if he had somewhere urgent to be. It was fairly sudden."
Was there a possible connection? Cabe was not certain. He hoped that Darkhorse would have informed him if there was some danger to them. The shadow steed was generally not that carefree with the lives of his friends. Maybe it had something to do with the traps . . . and maybe there is a connection! Darkhorse, however, had departed before the warlock"s encounter with Toma"s specter. "We"ll have to do without him, then. He could be anywhere. The search will be our responsibility and ours alone."
"What are we looking for?" asked Valea.
He wished it was possible to leave her out of this, but Valea"s power was needed. Even with the four of them working in concert, it would take the rest of the day to scour the Manor grounds. "Quite frankly, I don"t know."
"We have to search, though," Gwendolyn impressed upon their daughter. "Toma was . . . is . . . a vicious, cunning creature, the epitome of every terrible tale ever spoken about the Dragon Kings! You know what we have told the two of you about him. Toma was so treacherous, so dangerous, that he became a renegade even among his own kind! He has never forgiven the fact that, had he received the birth markings Kyl was born with, he would have been Dragon Emperor."
The young witch"s mouth opened and her face grew pale. "Do you think . . . do you think that he might try to hurt Kyl?"
Cabe disliked the intensity of her emotions. She had not only not forgotten her infatuation with the drake, but it seemed that somehow it had even grown in their brief absence. That, however, was a matter for another time. All that mattered now was discovering whether Toma had left behind a legacy of his visit.
It bothered him that the drake had been so bold as to wander the Manor as freely as the image seemed to indicate. Toma was arrogant, yes, but to go stomping around in his full glory? What was the drake plotting? Had it been madness that had made him so daring?
He also could not help but wonder why the Manor had happened to reveal the image to him at this particular time. Toma would be interested in the coronation; there was no doubt about that. Perhaps Kyl was in danger. Immediate danger.
Or is he maybe in league with that demon? Should I confront him about it? There was no proof, however, and it would have been unfair to condemn the young drake without such proof. If anything, Kyl was probably in danger. Still, until they knew otherwise, the affair would have to be handled with caution.
His wife had come to the same conclusion. "Kyl may be in danger. All of us may be in danger. This is Toma we are talking about." She paused, paying particular attention to Valea"s reactions. Cabe knew that she, too, was thinking of their daughter"s interest in the handsome heir. "Which means that we must keep this to ourselves for now."
"To ourselves?" Clearly, Valea did not like that.
"The more that know, the worse the danger. Toma may have some allies among the drakes here. I hate to think that way, but it could be true. The four of us need to do this on our own."
"I still don"t know what we"re looking for!"
"Neither do we," Cabe reminded her. "The only thing I can say is to look for anything out of the ordinary . . . as far as the Manor goes." He raised a hand in warning. "If you do notice anything, though, I want you-and that goes for both of you-to find us. Whatever Toma might have left behind would be very deadly. I have faith in your skills, but believe me when I say that even the Dragon Kings fear him."
"Do we start now?"
Cabe and Gwen considered their daughter"s question. The enchantress finally nodded. "We do not seem to have any choice. It might be that there is nothing to fear, but I, for one, will not be able to relax until I know that we are safe."
After a moment, Valea nodded her agreement.
Throughout the conversation, Aurim had remained quiet. Cabe had paid scant attention to that fact until now, originally believing that his son had simply been mulling over the possible threat they faced. Now, however, he noticed the peculiar expression on the younger Bedlam"s countenance, as if his son were trying to recall something of import. "Is something wrong, Aurim?"
The expression faded. Aurim briefly looked annoyed with himself, but then even that expression faded as determination took over. "Nothing, Father. I"m ready to begin whenever you like."
Cabe wanted to sigh, but held back. He most certainly was not ready. Nonetheless, they had no choice. He tried to sound confident as he began, "Then this is how we start. . . ."
X.
VALEA DOUBTED THAT Toma had bothered with the stables, but her father had insisted that she search them regardless of that doubt. In truth, she was certain that it was because Toma would not have come here that her parents had chosen her to be the one to investigate the stables. Her mother and father had chosen to search all of the more likely spots. Aurim, too, had been relegated to probing areas of the Manor grounds where the drake had most likely never set foot. On the one hand, the young enchantress appreciated her parents" protectiveness, but on the other hand, she also resented it. After all, she was a grown woman now, was she not?
Standing to one side of the nearest stable so as not to draw so much attention, Valea began her search. Tendrils of magic visible only to her own senses snaked over and around the building next to her. Unimpeded, they began to sink into the walls and ceiling, hunting. If there was anything unusual in the stable, she was confident that she would find it. Of course, since it was highly unlikely that there was anything to find, the novice sorceress found it impossible to become very excited about her work.
As she had expected, her initial search brought nothing significant to light. The horses used by the Bedlams were stabled here. It had seemed as likely a target for Toma as any of the other structures here, and the fact that she found no trace of the renegade"s pa.s.sing only served to strengthen her belief that this entire location was a waste of her efforts. Still, the witch knew that if she failed to search the stables thoroughly, it would be on her head if Toma had left something behind, something that might later endanger her family.
"Ssseeking a place of sssolitude, Valea?"
She gasped in surprise, then silently reprimanded herself for her reaction. Her probes faded as her concentration broke, but Valea hardly cared.
From behind the stable emerged Kyl. He had changed from his traveling clothes into a fresh outfit-a sleek, dark green piece that happened to be one of her favorites. The high collar and the lack of any lighter colors to contrast the darkness made the drake seem a man of deep mystery.
He had worn it for her; she was certain of that. It thrilled her to think that Kyl had gone to such trouble.
"I found myssself ressstive after I had cleaned up and ssso I decided to take a walk," Kyl continued, shortening the gap between them as he talked. "When I reached the ssstables, it occurred to me that a ride might be in order. Then, I caught a glimpssse of you and recalled that I had never properly greeted you after our arrival."
"There was no need." It was a struggle for her to sound calm. Inside, Valea was again a maelstrom of emotion.
"There wa.s.ss need, though. It wa.s.ss unforgivable."
Only an arm"s length separated them now. The young witch waited for Kyl"s strong arm to bridge that gap, and for a breath it seemed it would, but then the drake"s hand continued beyond her to brace against the stable wall. It was not what she had hoped for, but the action still left the two of them so very close. All he had to do was lean forward a little.
"Talak wa.s.ss fa.s.sscinating, Valea! Ssstrange and beautiful! You have ssseen it before, I know, but I wish you could have been there to sssee it with me."
She was beyond words.
Kyl seemed not to notice . . . or perhaps he only pretended. Valea could not say. "Sssuch splendor! Sssuch majesssty! King Melicard isss rightfully proud of hisss kingdom. He ha.s.ss a loyal following, a magnificent city, and mossst beauteous queen."
Jealousy p.r.i.c.ked Valea. Erini was beautiful, a true fairy-tale princess. She also looked little older than Kyl. With Talak so close to the citadel of the Dragon Emperor, there was no doubt that the demands of his throne would bring the handsome drake and the queen of the mountain kingdom together fairly often.
She realized that she should say something. Anything. "She loves him very much, you know."
It was not what Valea had meant to say. She was certain that her cheeks were crimson now.
"She doesss, indeed." Somehow, the drake had lessened the distance between the two of them even more. Valea was struck by contending choices. One part of her was afraid and wanted to step back. The other part of her wanted the last remnant of the chasm closed. "It wa.s.ss ssstrange, though. Talking to her, being around her, I found myssself thinking of you, Valea."
Her reaction to this declaration infuriated the young Lady Bedlam. As if acting under some impulse of their own, her feet moved, propelling the maiden backward three or four steps until she was beyond the stable wall and out in the open.
To her vast relief, Kyl did not look repulsed. He followed her, albeit stopping at the corner of the building. The special smile that he reserved just for her was there. "I thought about you mossst of the time I wa.s.ss there, Valea. I like to think that you were alssso thinking about me."
Even having heard all that she had, Valea could not believe her good fortune. "Then, it"s true? It"s as Benjin Traske said?"
Now Kyl looked puzzled. "Ssscholar Traske? What ha.s.ss he to do with thisss?"