Who-she thought, desperately trying to make her body work again. How How - - But that magnificent creation that had served her so well for all these years was not responding. Her legs would not move; she could barely move her arms. As the last of her power bled away from her, and she began to black out from weakness, she tried to reach out with one hand for the bell to summon a slave.
Her vision narrowed, and sparks danced in front of her eyes.
She could feel the end of it-she almost had it- Then- sound sound, overwhelming-the roar of an avalanche-the crash of thunder- The transportation-spell?
And with that, she dropped into darkness.
Chapter 23.
FEAR- Shana"s stomach lurched and twisted; she was disoriented, dizzy. Was she falling?
Fear- the growl of thunder the growl of thunder- Sound, an unending roar, a cacophony, overwhelming, surrounding her- - where am I where am I- Nothing-not blackness, nothing nothing -all around her. -all around her.
Dizzy- sick sick- thunder pounding the senses thunder pounding the senses- She panicked; couldn"t remember where-what- -and dropped with a b.u.mp b.u.mp that tumbled her rump-first down to the ground onto the lawn of the Citadel cave. The others apparently had no better luck with their landings than she did; when her head stopped spinning and she could look about, she saw them sprawled in varying degrees of disorientation beside her. that tumbled her rump-first down to the ground onto the lawn of the Citadel cave. The others apparently had no better luck with their landings than she did; when her head stopped spinning and she could look about, she saw them sprawled in varying degrees of disorientation beside her.
She coughed, and cleared her throat. In the near distance, where the Citadel bulked against the back of the cavern, there were shouts. Surprise, alarm, confusion; the entire Citadel had been aroused.
"I-didn"t claim it was a quiet quiet spell," she said weakly, as people poured out of the building. spell," she said weakly, as people poured out of the building.
Valyn had the presence of mind to cancel the magic that made Shadow look full-elven, and to cast a hasty illusion of halfblood appearance on himself; she saw the features on both of their faces blur and reform at the same moment. In the general disturbance as the transportation-spell"s effects died down, she doubted if anyone noticed the light breath of music that came with his magic.
Right now she didn"t want to even think about casting another spell. No wonder the old ones didn"t do this often No wonder the old ones didn"t do this often . She had known this would be more difficult than the simpler version she and the others had used to steal goods from the elven overlords-but she had not antic.i.p.ated anything like this. . She had known this would be more difficult than the simpler version she and the others had used to steal goods from the elven overlords-but she had not antic.i.p.ated anything like this.
Zed reached them first, running as if his feet were on fire. When he saw who was sprawling all over the gra.s.s, he slowed, then stopped beside Shana, a strange mixture of surprise, apprehension, and wry amus.e.m.e.nt on his face.
"Well, Shana," he said, looking from her to Valyn and back again, "you certainly know how to make an entrance."
I don"t believe it. The one time I do something I"m sure is right and it turns out to be completely wrong don"t believe it. The one time I do something I"m sure is right and it turns out to be completely wrong . .
Shana buried her head in her hands; Keman sat down on the bed beside her, and patted her shoulder sympathetically.
She couldn"t believe what a mess she"d made. She just couldn"t believe it. She"d turned the entire place on its ear and undone hundreds of years of secrecy in one afternoon. How did she do these things?
"Hey," said Zed. She looked up, and he handed her a cup of hot tea. "Look, it could be worse," he continued, squatting on his heels next to her. "So, you didn"t know the transportation-spell can be traced-so what? There was no reason you should know that-and I"d be willing to bet it was only a matter of time before the elven lords learned where the Citadel was."
"But I"m the one who broke the disguise," she said miserably. "It wasn"t chance, or fate, it was me-doing something stupid."
"So?" Zed didn"t look terribly worried. "There were a lot of us who wanted to face the elven lords straight on; now there"s no choice. We fight, or we get wiped out."
"If that"s supposed to make me feel better, it doesn"t," she told him sourly.
He grinned. "We"re not exactly helpless, you know-and anybody who"s afraid to fight can pack their things and head into the wilderness or the desert." He paused a moment, then added, "Besides, even though they won"t tell you this, I will. The elves only know where we are in general. They don"t don"t know the exact location of the Citadel. That gives us a really good tactical advantage when they move into the area to try and find us." know the exact location of the Citadel. That gives us a really good tactical advantage when they move into the area to try and find us."
"But that wasn"t what I wanted," she protested unhappily. "I didn"t want to force anybody into anything." She glanced sideways at Shadow and Valyn, who occupied the room"s only chair and the top of her little chest. "All I wanted was to get myself and my friends to someplace safe."
Zed shrugged. "So it didn"t work out that way. Despite what anyone else says, I think we"re ready to take the elven lords on. Provided we aren"t taking on all of them at once."
At that, Shadow looked up. "I"ve been keeping track of the Council through the lovely Triana," he said, "just in case the wizards decided they weren"t going to tell us us anything. They"re divided on it. In fact, it"s business as usual. Some of them think this is a trick by one of the others, some are certain it isn"t serious, and some just want to play games of politics with the situation. And of the ones that want to come wipe us out, most think that there isn"t more than a dozen of us. That lot is arguing about who"s to be in charge, and who is to report to whom-where the troops are supposed to come from-who"s going to supply them. It"s funny, really. While they"re debating, Dyran, Cheynar, and a couple of others are stealing a march on them and coming after us." anything. They"re divided on it. In fact, it"s business as usual. Some of them think this is a trick by one of the others, some are certain it isn"t serious, and some just want to play games of politics with the situation. And of the ones that want to come wipe us out, most think that there isn"t more than a dozen of us. That lot is arguing about who"s to be in charge, and who is to report to whom-where the troops are supposed to come from-who"s going to supply them. It"s funny, really. While they"re debating, Dyran, Cheynar, and a couple of others are stealing a march on them and coming after us."
Shana was surprised; first, because she hadn"t known that Shadow"s reach was that far, second, because of the elven lords" behavior. It seemed so ridiculous- But Zed nodded. "That was what I thought would happen. Back during the Wizard War they were united. Nowadays they"re so used to betraying each other that it"s second nature to them. That"s That"s the weapon that is going to win this one for us." the weapon that is going to win this one for us."
"Win?" Shana squeaked. "I"ll be happy just to survive! You haven"t seen what they can do-"
Valyn finally roused enough to take part in the conversation.
He had been acting so-flattened. As if when his plan went wrong and she took over, all ambition and energy seemed to drain out of him.
"Shana, don"t write us off the record before we even try!" He turned to Zed. "You can work that business of dividing them up even with the ones that are allied," he said slowly. "At least you can with Dyran"s faction. No one trusts anyone in that cabal. If we can defeat them quickly, we"ll frighten the rest-and I think at that point there would probably be enough elves on the Council who are concerned only with their own skins and prosperity that we might be able to get them to sue for peace before they figure out how few we are."
"Now that that is what I was hoping to hear," said a voice from the doorway. Shana"s old mentor Denelor entered, on the heels of his own words. "I"ve been studying the histories, you know," he said, rubbing a tired eye with one finger, "and I"d noticed something about the elven lords. Since the Wizard War, every bit of real, physical fighting that"s ever been done has been fought through humans. You don"t like to risk your own lives at all, do you, lad?" is what I was hoping to hear," said a voice from the doorway. Shana"s old mentor Denelor entered, on the heels of his own words. "I"ve been studying the histories, you know," he said, rubbing a tired eye with one finger, "and I"d noticed something about the elven lords. Since the Wizard War, every bit of real, physical fighting that"s ever been done has been fought through humans. You don"t like to risk your own lives at all, do you, lad?"
He looked directly at Valyn when he said that, and it took Shana a moment to realize that the wording of that last question was significant.
Valyn paled, his fists clenched, and he looked about him as if trying to figure a way to escape.
"Do relax, there"s a good lad," Denelor said wearily. "I have no intention of doing anything about you, other than picking your brains for information. You there, youngster, give me that chair, will you? I"m too fat to want to stand for long. Which one are you, Mero or Keman?"
"Mero," Shadow said, giving up the chair and taking a seat on the floor instead, relaxing under Denelor"s matter-of-fact att.i.tude. "Keman"s on the bed. How did you know Valyn was elven?"
Denelor smiled a tired smile. "Two things, I suppose. One was his name-I know something about all the major elven lords and their heirs, and "Valyn" isn"t a human name, anyway. The other was the fuss that occurred when Dyran"s heir and the heir"s bodyslave went missing at about the same time, and the fact that it was hushed up so quickly. That told me that the youngster was probably either a runaway or an abductee, and more likely the former. We don"t all all bury ourselves under this mountain, and ignore the world outside, Shana." That, she presumed, was for the look of surprise she must be wearing. bury ourselves under this mountain, and ignore the world outside, Shana." That, she presumed, was for the look of surprise she must be wearing.
Denelor settled himself in the chair with a sigh. "At any rate, I keep a quiet eye on the affairs of our neighbors; I put all the facts together and added the faint glow of illusion that hangs about you, and concluded that the V"ka.s.s el-Lord Valyn and the Valyn that materialized with our Shana were one and the same." He gave Valyn a kindly smile. "Sometime if you feel like talking, you"ll have to tell me what led you to bolt, lad."
"Does anyone else know about him?" Shana asked anxiously.
"No," Denelor replied, folding his hands over his stomach, "and I don"t intend to tell them. It isn"t relevant. A lad who would keep his halfblood friend-relative?-safe for years, then turn and run with him, is not the kind who would betray us. What is relevant is what you can tell us about our opposition."
"You were right about them not wanting to risk their own lives," Valyn said, slowly relaxing again. "That"s absolutely true. That"s why feuds never turn into a.s.sa.s.sinations. When you have as long a prospective lifespan as one of us-well, you don"t want to cut it short. If we can defeat the forces under Lord Dyran and make them think that we could just as easily defeat anything anything they"d bring against us, the Council is very likely to want to sue for peace. Especially if-" they"d bring against us, the Council is very likely to want to sue for peace. Especially if-"
He stopped, his expression clearly saying that he was torn between wanting to continue, and wanting to let his words remain unsaid.
"Especially if we can kill one or more of the elven leaders and bring it home to the rest that the immortals can can be slain. Is that what you were going to say, lad?" Denelor asked softly. be slain. Is that what you were going to say, lad?" Denelor asked softly.
Valyn nodded, reluctantly.
"That"s easier said than done, Master Denelor," Zed said with direct matter-of-factness. "There aren"t a lot of things that"ll kill an elven lord. Magic, if you can get it past his shields. A sword, a knife, poison, if you can get within range to use them. Projectiles can be gotten rid of at a distance, so arrows are out. Except for elf-shot, and we don"t have any of that-"
"We have something like it," Shana interrupted. -.Keman, should we let them know what you are -.Keman, should we let them know what you are ?: ?: Keman shrugged slightly. I don"t know why not. Between Mother and me, we"ve pretty well let the secret out I don"t know why not. Between Mother and me, we"ve pretty well let the secret out .: .: :Then go ahead. Just don"t fill up the room, please.: "Oh?" Denelor said, turning back to Shana. "And just what is this- my word]" my word]"
Keman, who had transformed himself back into his real shape, though at less than one quarter of his real size, grinned toothily. Shana"s bed creaked and threatened to collapse, and he slid quickly from it to the floor. Zed and Mero scrambled hastily out of the way, and Zed"s eyes were as big and round as wine goblets. Shana couldn"t help herself; she chuckled, just a little, to see the otherwise unflappable Zed so thoroughly discomfited.
"Dragon-claws, Master Denelor," Keman said, hissing the sillibants just a trifle. "You may ask Valyn if they are effective. Clippings from my claws can be made into an arrow-point, just as elf-shot can be. They pa.s.s magic-shields, and they are quite poisonous to those of elven blood."
He transformed again, back to his halfblood shape, and Zed moved cautiously back to his place, although he kept a wary eye on the young dragon.
"My word," Denelor said weakly. "This is-rather astonishing. But-there is nothing of magic about you, no telltale-how-"
"It"s not an illusion, Master Denelor," Shana told him. "It"s a true shape-shift. Use an illusion-breaking spell on him and he"ll look exactly the same. That"s dragon magic, to change the shapes of things, including themselves."
Denelor mopped his brow with his sleeve. "Well," he said, after a long pause. "I thought I would come down here to consult with you about our present situation, then bring something to the elders as a kind of given-but I"m going to bring back a great deal more than even I bargained for. Well." He sat there for a moment longer, looking at each pf them in turn, then heaved an enormous sigh. "Let"s get on with it, then, shall we? There"s no point in wasting time."
Valyn slipped from tree to tree, letting his clothing blend in with the bark as he came up on the enemy"s rear.
Thank the Ancestors he finally had something to do. Something he could could do. He felt so-useless. He hadn"t been able to think of anything for himself lately-his mind just wasn"t working. And every time Shana came up with another brilliant idea, he felt more and more inadequate. He"d a.s.sumed he would be pivotal in this whole rebellion- do. He felt so-useless. He hadn"t been able to think of anything for himself lately-his mind just wasn"t working. And every time Shana came up with another brilliant idea, he felt more and more inadequate. He"d a.s.sumed he would be pivotal in this whole rebellion- Not only was he not pivotal, he wasn"t particularly useful.
It was not a good feeling. And all his life, he"d thought of women as being the useless ones-not really consciously, of course, but-it was one of the "givens," like the fact that the sun set in the west. Shana had turned his "given" on its ear. Sometimes he half expected to find that the sun was not setting at all anymore.
Compared to that, finding himself working against Dyran was hardly worth thinking about.
Though it was odd to think of his father as the enemy. And yet, not odd at all. Somehow they had always been enemies, from the very beginning; and only now had the hostilities come out into the open. He had never really known his father, he thought, as he froze behind a tree trunk. It was strange, but he felt more kinship with old Denelor than he did with his own father.
As far as that went, he"d never really had the sense of family with anyone that the humans and halfbloods seemed to take for granted. Even Mero had always been-kind of an extension of himself. The shadow he had been nicknamed for. Mero had never seemed to have a life or a mind of his own-and one of the few times he"d balked, over handfasting to Shana, Valyn had never once hesitated to use a glamorie to change his mind.
In fact, the only time he"d done something against Valyn"s wishes when Valyn hadn"t hadn"t used a glamorie to bring him round, was over Triana. used a glamorie to bring him round, was over Triana.
And was that because he didn"t think he should-or because he didn"t want to go head-to-head with Triana, he asked himself soberly.
He had found himself feeling very isolated and alone, watching the affection that Shana and Keman shared, the relationships between the older wizards and the children they had adopted. There was room in a relationship like that for quarrels and disagreements, for each party going his own way. There didn"t seem to be that kind of freedom in the bond between himself and Shadow. It would indubitably have been better for both of them if there had been.
Those were uncomfortable thoughts, and he left them gladly enough as he neared the enemy encampment.
He just couldn"t seem to-cope with feeling.
The encampment wasn"t hard to find. The humans of the army were noisy, and they were patently afraid of the forest, covering that fear by making still more noise. Most of them had never been in this wilderland, but they had heard terrible stories about the beasts and monsters that supposedly ranged it. They didn"t know they were about to have their fears realized.
Valyn sought for the peculiar blank spot that was the creature he had nicknamed the "s.n.a.t.c.her." There were several of them in the forest, but this one happened to den very near the elven lords" line of march. It was, in fact, the same creature that had taken his horse the first night in the wilderlands. It wasn"t nearly as dangerous as he had thought-it seldom went after two-legged targets, and it never killed more than it could eat-but they they didn"t know that. didn"t know that.
He crept as close as he dared to the den, then froze where he was still safe-the s.n.a.t.c.her hunted by movement-and sent out a delicate little thread of magic, creating an illusion of a fat pony just outside tangle of fallen tree trunks and thornbushes that hid its den, an illusion complete with rustling leaves and the sound of equine jaws tearing up gra.s.s.
The s.n.a.t.c.her lunged, traveling so fast that it was a mere blur, the "pony" leapt away, then turned back to look at it with astonished eyes. It was very very hard to see, once it stopped moving; it was able to change the coloration of its skin to blend in perfectly with its surroundings. hard to see, once it stopped moving; it was able to change the coloration of its skin to blend in perfectly with its surroundings.
The s.n.a.t.c.her lunged again. Again, the pony escaped, and to the s.n.a.t.c.her it must have seemed oblivious to its danger.
Three more lunges and escapes, and the s.n.a.t.c.her was within sight of the army"s picket lines. The horses sensed something wrong; they began whinnying and stamping nervously just as Valyn banished the illusion. Hungry, frustrated by the inexplicable disappearance of its quarry, and already farther from its den than it like to be, the s.n.a.t.c.her saw the picketed horses, and gave way to temptation.
This time the prey did not escape; one poor, unfortunate beast wound up in the s.n.a.t.c.her"s jaws, and the picket line exploded in panic as the s.n.a.t.c.her snapped the ropes with a claw and retired swiftly to its den. Horses crashed through the underbrush as the ropes holding them broke and let them fly to the four winds. Some plunged through the camp, scattering gear and trampling people and equipment in their panic. Others plunged off into the forest, with handlers shouting after them.
Valyn withdrew discretely, before any of the elven lords thought to look for traces of magic, chuckling quietly to himself.
Mero waited patiently, lying along the tree limb, a position he had taken up as soon as he had determined where they planned to camp. Knowing, as he did, how the current hierarchy was constructed, and knowing where the choice campsites were, it didn"t take a great deal of thought to determine where the various leaders would choose to have their tents pitched and arrange to be in the vicinity.
He had an excellent view of the encampment. Lord Cheynar paced outside his tent beneath the boughs of another tree not far away. Finally, after what probably seemed like an indecently long time to the elven lord, the person he was waiting for appeared.
Cheynar started to relax-then Mero nudged nudged his mind, just a little. Safer, far, than using magic that the elves could set traps for. his mind, just a little. Safer, far, than using magic that the elves could set traps for.
:-Stupid wench- spends all her time at the mirror spends all her time at the mirror- thinks it"s all a game thinks it"s all a game- should never trust women with power should never trust women with power- should never permit a woman to command troops should never permit a woman to command troops.: "You took your time getting here, Triana," he snarled. "Couldn"t you decide what dress to wear?"
Triana, who was garbed quite practically in leather armor very similar to Cheynar"s, frowned. Her Her delay had been occasioned by another one of Valyn"s little ambushes, one that left the entire encampment in shambles, and the picket line decimated. And the horses were supposed to be Cheynar"s duty. Mero reached for delay had been occasioned by another one of Valyn"s little ambushes, one that left the entire encampment in shambles, and the picket line decimated. And the horses were supposed to be Cheynar"s duty. Mero reached for her her mind. mind.
:How dare he! Obnoxious male- can"t trust him can"t trust him- looking for a way to steal my troops, then my Clan looking for a way to steal my troops, then my Clan- trying to discredit me, make me look like a fool trying to discredit me, make me look like a fool-: "It just so happens, my lord Cheynar," she said sharply, "I was seeing that the resupply of horses you you lost due to lost due to your your incompetence was taken care of properly. I don"t leave important business to subordinates!" incompetence was taken care of properly. I don"t leave important business to subordinates!"
Mere reached again. : Uppity b.i.t.c.h! Should be in the bower where she belongs! Probably out scouting the slaves for likely bedmates Uppity b.i.t.c.h! Should be in the bower where she belongs! Probably out scouting the slaves for likely bedmates!: "Really? Was it the horses that interested you-or the horse-keepers?" Cheynar smiled nastily. "It couldn"t have been the horses-we don"t have any stallions here-"
The sound of a palm striking a cheek with a crack crack that made heads turn all over the camp was sheer music to Mero"s ears. that made heads turn all over the camp was sheer music to Mero"s ears.
Shana lay flat on her back in her bed in the Citadel, all alone, her eyes closed, to all outward scrutiny completely asleep.
In actuality, she was very, very busy.
Between her native ability and the amount of practice she had in using the amplifying powers of her stones and crystals, her "touch" in the use of the spells that moved things about was unrivaled, even by older wizards. Add that to her ability to levitate objects, and she was, essentially, an invisible, undetectable saboteur. So she had taken it as her task to make life interesting for the elves hunting them.
At first, she had confined herself to simple sabotage. Now she was after bigger game.
From Mero"s mind, she found Dyran"s tent. With that location verified, she could "look" inside it, and even peer within caskets, "read" unopened doc.u.ments, and sift through piles of papers without moving any of them.
Thus, letters vanished from a locked box in Dyran"s tent, and reappeared under a pile of dispatches on Triana"s portable desk. Cheynar"s secret dispatches to the Council appeared in Dyran"s correspondence. A series of small, valuable objects belonging to various subordinates ended up among Lord Berenel"s personal effects.
A large cache of gold coins, moved from the storage vaults under the Council chamber, appeared in Berenel"s luggage.
She still had some strength left after all this, so she concluded her exercise by disarranging the papers in all the elven lords" tents, making it look as if someone had been rummaging through them.
Then, greatly daring, she eased a touch into Cheynar"s mind. .-Something is wrong .-Something is wrong ,: she whispered into his thoughts. ,: she whispered into his thoughts. :You can"t trust anyone. Dyran is a powerful mage, and even Triana could be hiding something besides who she wants in her bed. Perhaps you had better check the tent :You can"t trust anyone. Dyran is a powerful mage, and even Triana could be hiding something besides who she wants in her bed. Perhaps you had better check the tent -: -: Shana found the dim lighting of the Citadel meeting-room restful to her tired eyes. The other four looked just as weary; even Keman had been hard at work, keeping watch as best he could on the elven lords" thoughts.
The council of war in the wizards" meeting-room included the four youngsters for the first time, at Denelor"s urging. Up until this moment, their efforts had been discounted-but the effect they were having at slowing the elves" advance and disrupting their movements had finally convinced the older wizards that they knew what they were doing.
"... and I think think it"s working," Shana concluded wearily. "I think we might be able to get rid of them without exchanging a single blow ourselves. They haven"t moved their camp for the last two days, and yesterday Cheynar came so close to challenging Dyran that I was ready to place a bet." it"s working," Shana concluded wearily. "I think we might be able to get rid of them without exchanging a single blow ourselves. They haven"t moved their camp for the last two days, and yesterday Cheynar came so close to challenging Dyran that I was ready to place a bet."
Denelor straightened his tunic and nodded. "There"s no doubt that what you"re doing is keeping them distracted. More than that, really. The seeds of mistrust you planted are flowering so that they are finding finding excuses to quarrel. What I cannot comprehend is why things haven"t fallen completely apart by now." excuses to quarrel. What I cannot comprehend is why things haven"t fallen completely apart by now."
Valyn, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. "It"s Dyran," he said softly.
All heads turned in his direction.
"Would you care to elaborate on that, lad?" said Denelor.
"It"s Dyran," Valyn repeated. "Haven"t you noticed that while all the others are at each other"s throats, he he never gets angry, never makes accusations? That"s been one thing that he"s been noted for, all of his life. He may never gets angry, never makes accusations? That"s been one thing that he"s been noted for, all of his life. He may betray betray his allies, but he will never, ever lose his temper with them. He saves his tempers for his slaves-and for the halfbloods." his allies, but he will never, ever lose his temper with them. He saves his tempers for his slaves-and for the halfbloods."
Denelor nodded thoughtfully, as if Valyn"s words confirmed a guess of his own. "Go on, lad. You obviously know something we don"t."
Valyn frowned. "He"s always been able to keep people under his thumb. He"s a master at it-threats, bribes, persuasion, glamorie-it doesn"t matter, he knows how to handle them all. He"s the one who"s kept the quarrels patched up, who"s found a face-saving explanation for the inexplicable. I don"t know why why he"s so determined to find us, but he is, and he isn"t going to let anything or anyone get in his way." he"s so determined to find us, but he is, and he isn"t going to let anything or anyone get in his way."
"Dyran is the real foe here?" asked Garen Ha.r.s.elm, his green eyes icy and calculating.