"THEY"VE KILLED HIM, Cabe. . . ." The Gryphon snarled, his claws unsheathing and sheathing. His entire body quivered with unreleased fury. His mane bristled as the lionbird struggled to maintain his control. "They killed Toos!"
Cabe Bedlam stared in horror at the grisly tableau before him. The regent of Penacles lay face forward in the Gryphon"s arms, a scarlet blossom of blood across his back. The bolt had penetrated so deeply that it had nearly burst through the rib cage, if the warlock was any judge. It was a wonder that the old mercenary had lived even the few moments he had. That he had done so had made the situation that much more tragic, for Toos had lived just long enough for the Gryphon to return, then had died almost in his former commander"s arms.
When the Gryphon had looked up from his so-far futile attempts to free the minds of Aurim and Ssarekai and warned about danger in Penacles, his companions had been stunned. Cabe knew that his old friend kept some sort of link with both his mate and his former officer, but not even the warlock had known how strong or immediate those links were.
The lionbird had not even paused to explain. He had asked permission to leave, received it, and had vanished, leaving the Bedlams to recover their wits on their own. Naturally, Cabe and his wife had followed as quickly as they could, but even then it had been too late.
The arena was in chaos. Guests ran about in full panic and there were shouts of "a.s.sa.s.sin!" from all corners. Toos was sprawled on the floor of one of the boxes used by the chess players. Kyl was gone, evidently spirited away by his two bodyguards. Around the fallen regent and his former commander stood a wary and fearful group of human soldiers.
Cabe had never seen the Gryphon this distraught. It was clear to the warlock that he would have to handle matters for the moment. "Which way did the bolt come from?"
One of the guards pointed upward and to his right. He added, "Our men already give chase, Master Warlock! We shall have them before the hour is ended!"
The mage was not so certain. "Have you discovered how they got so close?"
The sentries looked frustrated. The spokesman slowly replied, "No, Master Warlock. . . ."
"This . . . smells of . . . of magic," Gwen commented. Cabe glanced at her. There were tears streaming from her eyes, but there was also a hardening in her face. He knew that his own visage now held a similar cast.
He made a decision. Too much time had already pa.s.sed. "You stay here with the Gryphon, I"ll-"
Cabe was interrupted by a group of pale guardsmen. Two of them carried bundles. An officer, a captain by rank, gave the Gryphon a half-hearted salute, which the lionbird did not even notice. Cabe signaled the officer his way.
"You know who I am?"
"Yes, Master Bedlam!"
"You can tell me everything. Have you found them?"
This last caused the captain to grimace. "In a matter of speaking, my lord. . . ."
"Please, Captain . . ." begged one of the men. In one hand he carried a glove that appeared to be full of some substance. The Bedlams glanced at one another, then Cabe indicated that the officer should explain his words.
Swallowing, the captain indicated the bundles two of his men were carrying. "I think . . . uh . . . I think this is all that"s left of them, Master Bedlam."
"What?" For the first time, the Gryphon acknowledged the presence of the newcomers. Still clutching the form of his old comrade, he glared at the captain and added, "What do you mean?"
"One of the men s-saw it, Your Majesty." The captain had the bundles brought forward. He also signaled the man holding the one glove to join them. "The a.s.sa.s.sin . . . he . . . he was . . . my lord . . . he was crumbling! Darion saw him and Darion doesn"t lie, Your Majesty!"
"Aye! I"ll swear to it, my lord!" added one of the guards laden with a bundle. The burly soldier looked around as if daring someone to contradict his words. "It"s truth!"
"Explain in more detail," encouraged Gwendolyn Bedlam.
His arms filled, the guard called Darion used his chin to indicated his captain. "He said it all! I saw the man . . . it was a man, lordships-ugly and bearded. Looked like a northern type maybe. All I really saw was him look my way, then his eyes, they went wide, they did." The veteran hesitated, still unnerved by the sight. "Then . . . then, he just went to pieces, like he dried out and crumbled to sand!"
The captain took over. "Your Majesty, we brought all that was left of him. Some others found a second figure, but he . . . he was already dust."
The Gryphon looked up to his two comrades. "Could you . . . do you think you can verify . . . ?"
Gwendolyn nodded. Without a word, the two spellcasters took the bundles from the grateful warriors. The third man held out the filled glove toward Cabe.
"What"s this?" the warlock asked.
"It"s one . . . uh . . . it"s one o" them, lordship."
Cabe almost s.n.a.t.c.hed his hand back, but if the guards had forced themselves to bring back some of the remains, it behooved him to do what he could with it.
The enchantress inspected her bundle. "What about the weapon? Where is it?"
There was something stiff in Cabe"s bundle. Gingerly, he opened up the cloth, which appeared to be some sort of glittering cape folded inside out, and discovered a crossbow. Oddly, there were no more bolts to go with it. "I"ve got it here."
"These will need a more thorough examination later," Lady Bedlam commented, her interest in discovering the truth for the moment overwhelming her sorrow, "but there is something we can do now."
Both of them were already at work. Those who had gathered around watched in wary curiosity. To the eye, all that the two did was pa.s.s a hand over each bundle, Cabe also repeating the process for the glove and its grotesque contents. He gasped as his fingers traced patterns over the glove. It was as the guard had said; this had once been human. He could tell no more about the unfortunate a.s.sa.s.sin save that whatever had killed him was no ordinary sorcery.
"This . . . is . . . strange," was all his wife could add at first.
From where he squatted, the Gryphon c.o.c.ked his head. There was an unhealthy look in his avian visage, Cabe thought. "You said "strange." How so?"
"It reminds me of . . ." She looked at her husband for aid.
"We both know what it reminds us of." The warlock hesitated, but when he saw the further tensing of the Gryphon"s body, he decided that a swift response was the better choice regardless of what results the truth might then bring. "It reminds both of us of Darkhorse. It bears his trace."
"Or something akin to him," interjected the enchantress. There had once been a time when Gwendolyn Bedlam would have been the first to call Darkhorse demon, but now she was his champion. He had saved the lives of all the Bedlams more than once.
"There is nothing we know of in all the Dragonrealm that is akin to Darkhorse." Yet it was clear that the lionbird did not think the eternal was responsible for the day"s tragedy. He looked down at the still form in his arms and in a much gentler voice added, "But perhaps he, like old Toos, has become a p.a.w.n."
"He"s still missing," whispered Cabe, his blood going cold. He had feared that the shadow steed had been captured by the one who had set the magical snares, and now it seemed that that fear was likely a thing of substance.
The Gryphon started to rise, but could not without leaving the body of Toos lying alone on the cold floor. Freeing one hand, he waved the nearest sentries over. "Take him gently. Bring him to his bedchamber and have the doctors clean him up as well as they can. I also want a pair of you to take these bundles and bring them to my rooms. They should be guarded until I have time to more thoroughly inspect them. I shall give you further orders when you return."
The ease with which leadership shifted from the murdered regent to the former king did not surprise Cabe Bedlam in the least. The Gryphon was legend and the regent had always made it quite clear that he would have gladly stepped aside at any time. There was also inherent in the lionbird"s manner a natural sense of command, one which made others willing to follow him. He was, the warlock concluded, meant to be a leader, and now, despite his best attempts to forever discard such a role, it appeared as if the Gryphon once more had a kingdom to rule.
With great care, the guards slowly lifted the body of Toos from the floor. The Gryphon, rising, watched each and every movement. Under such a baleful gaze, the men dared not fail in maintaining their holds. No one desired to test the wrath of the distraught monarch.
Two of the men who had brought the remains of the a.s.sa.s.sins took both the bundles and the glove back. Cabe was not sorry to give up the gruesome objects. The Gryphon was welcome to do what he wished with them as long as it helped them discover who was responsible for the death of Toos.
When the guards and their terrible burden were out of sight, the Gryphon at last returned his attention to the mages. From the crowd still gathered emerged his mate, Troia. She moved past the Bedlams and enveloped her husband in her arms. The cat-woman was well aware of the place Toos had had in the Gryphon"s life. The tall, cunning general had been family, a brother in spirit if not in blood.
Taking hold of his wife, the Gryphon looked at Cabe Bedlam. There was now a cold calm in his voice that did not bode well. "I want the one behind this, my friend. Was it . . . do you think it was Talak?"
"There"s no proof one way or the other," Cabe quickly responded, the notion of a war between the two powerful kingdoms filling him with horror. "And I don"t think that it was Melicard, Gryphon."
"I know it isn"t," added Gwendolyn. "Erini would never forgive him, and he cares more about her love than he does his old vendetta."
"Then it seems to me," growled the lionbird, unsheathing his claws again, "that it must be Zuu. They would gain in a war in the east."
Cabe put a hand on his friend"s free shoulder. "Before you do anything, you"d better make certain. We"re so close, Gryphon! Toos would"ve advised caution; you know that."
At first, the angry monarch simply stared at the warlock with his unsettling avian gaze. Then, some of the anger faded. The Gryphon nodded. "You are correct, of course. There are others who would benefit by what happened today. It"s . . . it"s hard to recall that Toos was not even the target; it was Kyl, after all."
"Kyl!" gasped the enchantress. "We haven"t even seen how he is!"
"Then go to him, friends. I"ve lost a dear comrade, true, but the young drake"s faced death up close." The Gryphon looked around at the gathered guards and functionaries. "Besides, I think that there is enough here to keep me occupied . . . for a lifetime, even."
"Will the guards have taken Kyl back to his suite?"
"That would be most likely, yes." The lionbird sighed. "And good luck with him. I cannot say what effect this may have on the heir; we will have to watch him closely."
The warlock agreed. "Once we know a little more about how Kyl is faring, one of us will have to search for Darkhorse. More than ever I fear that he"s in grave trouble."
"I think you are correct." With a shake of his head, the Gryphon added, "Why is the process of peace always so violent?"
Cabe had no answer. Instead, he simply wrapped his arm around his wife and asked, "Are you ready?"
"Yes."
Their surroundings altered. The scene of the regent"s a.s.sa.s.sination became the extravagant chambers put aside for the visiting emperor-to-be. Several draconian guards leapt to action as the pair materialized, but the Green Dragon, standing to one side of the room, signaled for them to relax.
Kyl sat in a tall, cushioned chair next to his bed. At first he stared ahead, but upon the Bedlams" sudden arrival, he turned to the mages. His eyes gleamed with a combination of anger, confusion, and fear. Grath stood beside him. He looked at the two spell-casters with an unreadable expression.
"They tried to kill me!" the heir to the dragon throne abruptly spat. "They tried to have me a.s.sssa.s.sssinated!"
"Did they catch the a.s.sa.s.sins?" the Dragon King asked in a quieter, calmer voice.
"The a.s.sa.s.sins are dead. They either killed themselves or were killed by whoever sent them."
"Ssso no one claimsss to know, then. Convenient." Kyl looked to his brother, who only shrugged. The heir leaned back, his hands gripping the chair arms tight. "I want to go back to the Manor."
"There are still-" began the Green Dragon.
"I want to go back now!"
Under the circ.u.mstances, Cabe could not really blame him. Kyl had been confronted with the ugliest of all aspects of rule: the desire by someone to remove him from the throne even before he was allowed to sit on it. The only reason that they had not succeeded was due to the quick but unfortunate interference of Toos. "Kyl, I hope you don"t think that Penacles was responsible for this-"
The handsome face twisted into a look of incredulity. "I think it pretty clear that it wa.s.ss not, or at lea.s.sst that it wa.s.ss nothing to do with the lamented regent, but the fact remainsss that I am not sssafe here!" Kyl"s hands were shaking. He turned to the enchantress. "Missstresss Bedlam! Will you allow me entrance to the Manor?"
Gwendolyn met Cabe"s gaze. "It might be for the best right now."
"Someone should stay at the Manor, anyway," he returned. "It might be that Darkhorse will still turn up-"
"Darkhorse?" asked the Green Dragon in a confused tone.
"He"s missing. It may be that he"s fallen prey to the same forces behind this a.s.sa.s.sination."
The Dragon King"s only response to that was a low hiss and a nod.
"Will you take usss, then, my lady?" Kyl asked again, more plaintively. "Myssself, my brother, Faras and Ssgayn, and Lord Green?"
The Green Dragon straightened. "With your permission, my liege, I would like to conduct my own invessstigations into this terrible event. Between Ma.s.sster Bedlam and myself, I think then that we shall have most probabilities covered."
Kyl was clearly on the edge of collapse. He waved a dismissing hand. "Then by all meansss, go. If you can find the fiendsss resssponsible for this disssa.s.sster, then so much the better . . . but I want them brought before me."
"Of course."
"If I may," said a voice from behind Cabe. "I would like to return to the Manor with the others. I can serve no true purpose here."
The Bedlams turned to find Benjin Traske standing next to a small wall table. He had been so still and quiet that the warlock had not even noted his presence, an unnerving thing to Cabe. Still, it was not as if he had been consciously searching for the man.
The emperor-to-be gave his former teacher a cursory glance. Kyl now seemed only half-aware of what was around him. "If you mussst. I don"t care. I jussst want to go back now."
Traske bowed, then joined his two former students.
Cabe hugged his wife goodbye. As they pulled one another close, he whispered in her ear. "Keep a very good eye on Kyl and wish me luck. This could be more complicated than we imagined."
"What are you saying?" she whispered back. "Was Toma responsible for this, too?"
"I don"t think he"s any more responsible than Talak or Zuu is. I . . . I have some strange suspicions." Cabe released her without explaining further. She looked him in the eye, then finally accepted his enigmatic response. The Lady Bedlam knew that her husband would not long hide things from her. If Cabe did not want to tell her now, it was only because he did not have much to support those suspicions.
Stepping away from her husband, Gwendolyn Bedlam joined the two drakes and the scholar. She waited just long enough to a.s.sure herself that they were prepared, then, with one last glance at Cabe, vanished with her charges.
The remaining drakes looked to Lord Green for guidance. He seemed to consider their position, finally commanding, "Rejoin the rest of the caravan. Someone will be there to take command before long." Facing the warlock, he asked, "Friend Bedlam, do I have your permission to have sssomeone take charge of the caravan and return with it to the Manor?"
Cabe had not given that part of the situation any consideration, but he realized that they could not just abandon the drakes and humans in Penacles. "Yes, I think that would be fine."
"You have your orders, then," the Dragon King told the guards. "Be certain that you have a human essscort, however, and by all meansss, do not become involved in any altercation with our hosts here. Those who do and survive to tell about it will not be plea.s.ssed that they did. I will guarantee that."
"Perhaps we had best escort them as far as the arena, Your Majesty," the warlock suggested. "With tensions the way they are at this moment, we don"t dare let any of your people wander around without guides."
"Yes, that would be best."
As it turned out, their return to the arena was uneventful. The Gryphon was still there, as Cabe had rightly a.s.sumed. He was talking to two warriors clad as champions of the chess game. Brow furrowing, the curious sorcerer stepped up his pace.
Noticing the mage"s return, the lionbird dismissed the two combatants. He acknowledged the Dragon King but focused his attention on Cabe. "I have been speaking with the two warriors who did battle when the a.s.sa.s.sination occurred. They told me one or two interesting things."
"What would those be?" the drake lord asked before Cabe could speak.
Looking at both of them, the lionbird replied, "During their battle, at the moment just prior to the attack, both had difficulties keeping their grips on their weapons. The man who wore the armor of king, especially, claimed his weapon seemed to have a life of its own. He reports that it fairly flew out of his grip and headed straight for where the heir and Toos stood."
"It fell several feet short, if I recall," commented the Green Dragon.
"Yes, it did. The timing is too good, however. At the very least, the flying weapon was a decoy, I believe, designed to draw the attention of the victim and those around him. No one would be watching. The a.s.sa.s.sins would then strike . . . and die. Someone invested much sorcery to make this work, but they underestimated poor old Toos." The Gryphon blinked. "How is the emperor-to-be doing?"
"He requested to be brought back to the Manor," Cabe replied, judiciously avoiding mentioning the manner in which Kyl had put the request.
"No longer trusting Penacles and its ability to protect him, eh? I cannot blame him. My Lord Green, Cabe, I"ll tell you now that any agreements made between Toos and the drakes will be held to. I will see to that-" the lionbird sighed "-as the ruler of this realm."