Glover was uncomfortable in the closeness of the room, finding the scent of the many bouquets oppressive. Some of the flowers were wilted, some fresh cut. The mixture of floral perfume and organic decay was an olfactory confusion. How did Hyde-White stand it? Or was the old man no longer able to smell the blossoms surrounding him?
Hyde-White sat enthroned behind an ancient oak desk whose top was eccentric, the shape of a crosscut bole. His massive gut was wedged into a concavity that allowed him easy reach of the telecom on one hand and the bank of internal intercoms on the other. The grey light of the telecom monitor, the brightest source of illumination in the room, lit his face from below, reversing the normal pattern of highlights. The lighting roughened the softness of the broad face and made his eyes glitter from pools of darkness.
Despite the room’s lack of heat, Glover felt sweat snake out from his armpits to trickle down his sides. He didn’t have Hyde-White’s insulation of bulk, but his fear of the old man’s disapproval warmed him uncomfortably. He felt the temperature rise as the dark eyes across the desk left the telecom screen and focused on him. It was as bad as it had been at university, when the old man had been his teacher.
“So you called upon the guardian I set over you.”
“I did.”
A bushy, white eyebrow rose. “And?”
“It was a powerful spirit, sir.” That was no more than the truth. He wished he knew how to control such spirits. “You are an accomplished conjurer.”
“And you are jealous.” Hyde-White interlaced his fingers and rested his hands on the rotund vastness of his belly. “Jealousy is a power that can fuel a man, goading him to reach for his dreams. You could have such spirits at your call, you know. I sense that you have the potential. You need only to harness it. A man who possesses such power can rise far.”
“I am content with my place, sir,” Glover lied.
“If I believed that, I would not bother talking to you.” Hyde-White chuckled. The sound was an almost subsonic rumble. “Ambition is not a sin, Andrew. A man without ambition is a husk. A useless scarecrow upon whom the crows shall sit and laugh.
“I am old, and not what I once was. In these latter days, it is necessary for me to work with others to accomplish all that I desire. Were I younger, things might be otherwise. But time has taught me that one can get lost pondering might-have-beens. The world’s enduring lesson is that opportunities must be seized. Fail to act with resolution, and you are lost. All your dreams turn to dust.”
The old man was being annoyingly roundabout; making suggestions and prodding him. Was this a test? Or was it something more complicated? A bid for power within the Circle, perhaps? Glover knew his personal power was greater than Hyde-White’s; he had read the old man’s aura during working sessions. But raw power wasn’t everything. Hyde-White was steeped in knowledge, experience, and subtlety beyond even his venerable years. Glover had no intention of being the man’s stalking horse.
“What do you mean by all this, sir? Are you suggesting I disrupt the Circle in some sort of bid for power? I am loyal to the cause, sir. I will not throw our Circle into chaos on the eve of our triumph.”
“The Circle is weak.”
“We shall be strong when the ritual is completed. The blood will restore the land, and the Circle shall become its guardians. We need no longer chafe under the short-sighted leadership of the Lord Protector.”
“Perhaps the Circle will be stronger. But a circle is a chain of individuals dedicated to the same ideals. Like any chain, it is no stronger than its weakest link, and no chain can remain intact when that weak link is subject to stresses beyond its strength. The ritual we contemplate is a powerful force. It must be, to restore the balance so woefully tilted when the Lord Protector snubbed unforgiving stars and neglected proper observances. This work shall demand much of any who attempt it, and the forces that will rise to our call shall demand even more from the leader of the ritual team. Our leader must be strong, else things will go awry. We may do more harm than good.”
The old man’s words were disturbing, but not just for their content. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I have studied you. I think you believe as I do. That the land should always have been our first concern, and that we have failed as its custodians. We were blinded by our arrogance, and thought ourselves rulers instead of stewards. Our species has failed the earth.”
Hyde-White was perceptive, and had indeed touched on the truth of Glover’s convictions. Or at least the surface of them; even stewards had ambitions. But a good steward knew enough to set those ambitions aside until his charge was healthy. For what was a steward, after all, but a parasite? No parasite survived by killing its host.
“I see by your face, Andrew, that I am right about you. The land’s pain echoes in your ears as loudly as it does in mine. I am speaking to you because I do not believe you are one of Neville’s sheep. You do not seek the land’s restoration out of some misguided longing for the restored glory of an aristocratic heritage. You know it is a task that must be done for our very survival. What ambitions you have, you have harnessed to await that time.”
“At first, I thought you were proposing that we break the Circle. I will not do that. The land must be restored, and the ritual is our only chance,” Glover said. “You yourself brought the text from which we devised the ritual to the attention of the Circle. Why are you so troubled about it now? Are you having second thoughts about its efficacy?”
“Second thoughts came and went three years ago. I have progressed far beyond them. While Neville and his misguided followers have been chasing down the bloodlines, I have been studying the lore. I fear that all may not be as simple as Neville would have it.” Hyde-White paused, allowing the brief moment of silence to add weight to his next words. “The ritual is not entírely safe.”
“We all know there will be some personal danger. All rituals involve risk.”
Hyde-White nodded gravely. “Risks to the participants are unavoidable; but that is not what I mean. If the ritual is not performed absolutely correctly, the consequences may be grave, indeed. The gathered power may be warped and, in its corruption, grow to threaten the land itself. Are you ready to unleash more horror on our burdened land?”
“Neville would never allow that. For all his arrogant assumptions of superiority, he feels the land’s pain as much as we do. He would not harm it.”
“He may not be able to prevent the harm from happening.”
“And you can?”
Hyde-White pressed his thick lips together, the area around his mouth going pale. “I do not know. When we realized the Lord Protector was blind to the need, we formed our circle and elected Neville as archdruid of our ritual circle. I fear we may not have chosen wisely, and that his leadership will have dire consequences. But my fear will not lead me to abandon you all, and my conscience will not allow such a breach of trust. I will be present, and do all I can to see that the ritual proceeds as it should. But if it begins to go awry, I would like to know that there is someone else who appreciates that we may have to change our plans. Someone strong enough to take charge and lead us away from disaster. The land needs our help, Andrew. We must do whatever is necessary to heal it.”
“So we all swore.”
“Indeed, we did. But an oath is not strength in itself. I fear Neville will not have the strength to see us through.”
“He is a greater shaman than I.”
“You are young and strong. Though your skill and knowledge may be less than his, your power is greater. Skill and knowledge may be increased with relative ease, but raw power is the gift of the young. Once squandered, it may only be bought at a dear price.
“I am old. With age, my mundane power has grown, while the tribulations of life and magic have slowly leached my occult powers away. I believe I can see clearly what must be done, but I am no longer sure I have the power to do it. You have that power, Andrew. I feel it pulsing in you. I can show you the way, and you can do what must be done.”
Hyde-White lapsed into silence, apparently content to let Glover consider his arguments. If the old man’s fears were real, there was no recourse. The land came first. If this was all a smoke screen for a power play, Glover wasn’t sure he wanted to be involved. Neville was an influential man; his friends were primarily members of the nobility who could use their influence to make or break Glover’s mundane career.
But Hyde-White was a power as well. His GWN Corporation held a significant portion of ATT stock, as well as controlling interests in several other minor multinationals. The sum of his interests gave him considerable direct influence in the corporate community, and made him more powerful than any one of Neville’s cronies. Glover would need time to sort out his options.
“I will think about what you say, sir.”
Hyde-White smiled broadly. “I have faith that you will make the right decision, Andrew.”