“Welcome, Baltazar.”
Lord Gordon Siberius rose to greet his brother, looking him over. Baltazar, who probably would have preferred to be called by his unpronounceable wizard name, hadn’t changed much during the long years since their last meeting. He was short and skinny, with thin blond hair tied back; his shrewd blue eyes added some refinement to the face, but overall, he had always been the least noticeable of the five Siberius brothers. Gordon often wondered whether this was the reason Baltazar had sought magical powers.
“Have a seat. Thank you for heeding my call.”
Baltazar lowered himself in the leather armchair he was offered. “How could I not? Gordon the Great flees Sormaria! Not only that, he suddenly wishes to see his wayward brother tainted by wizardry connections. I had to know what it’s all about.”
Gordon expected the partly deserved sarcasm and was prepared to deal with it. “I’ve never shunned you, have I?”
“Not openly, no. Let’s just say you haven’t been too eager to keep in touch.”
The lord held his brother’s narrowed gaze. “You are a smart man, Baltazar. You know my situation. I haven’t disowned you, but I can’t exactly flaunt the relation, or show any approval of your chosen path. With that said, I would come to your aid in a time of need, just like I’d do for anyone of my clan. It’s been my understanding that you would do the same for me. Was I wrong about that?”
“I’m here, am I not? What’s the problem?”
Gordon sighed. He didn’t like admitting mistakes, especially before his brothers. “I underestimated King Gelleran. He caught me off guard. I panicked, and I’m afraid I have done something foolish.”
Baltazar raised an eyebrow. “Foolish? You? Do tell.”
“I attempted to eliminate Fredric, Gelleran’s best and favorite knight. I came up with a clever scheme but didn’t bother to cover my tracks very well. I figured if Gelleran finds out, he wouldn’t dare to confront me about it. Well… I was right. He didn’t confront me. No official charges were filed, but…”
Gordon stopped, hesitant. He thought he could relay the incident in such a way that would allow him to keep his dignity; now he wasn’t so sure.
Baltazar smiled. “Let me guess. The king used your own underhanded methods and taught you a lesson.”
“You have a way with words, brother. Yes. You are right.”
“What did he do?”
Gordon held another pause. There was no way around it, he’d have to tell the whole truth. “You have certainly heard about the dark elf Gelleran has captured, haven’t you?”
Baltazar made a dismissive gesture. “Yes, I’ve heard that nonsense. What of it?”
“You call it nonsense?”
“Of course. I hope you haven’t bought into it. There’s no such thing as dark elves. If there was, I would have found a way to strike a deal with them long ago, and the whole political map of the world would be quite different, I assure you.”
“And what if I tell you that I saw the creature, as close as I’m seeing you now?”
The wizard shrugged. “Whatever you saw was no dark elf, it’s that simple. I would, however, be interested to hear your description. I’ve been mildly curious about the whole thing. My guess is that it’s a half-breed who happens to be good with magic. Perhaps very good, since he’s given everyone such a scare.”
“He looked like a full-blooded elf to me. Tall, huge… and with red eyes.” The memory gave Gordon shivers; he shifted in his chair. “Have you ever seen an elf with glowing red eyes?”
At last he seemed to have his brother’s interest.
“No, I have to admit that I haven’t. Are you sure?” Baltazar asked.
“Of course I’m sure! I stared into those eyes for nearly a half hour as he lectured me!”
The wizard looked puzzled, but only for a moment. “Are you telling me Gelleran sent the elf to give you a piece of his mind?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I am telling you. It’s all true. Not only had Gelleran captured the creature, he’s found a way to make it do his bidding. The thing ambushed me in the garden!”
“Your garden? You mean in the castle?”
“That’s right. My own garden, in my own castle, guarded with over a hundred swords. I had my blade, too, but… he had me paralyzed. I’m not talking about being paralyzed with fear; I mean actually losing control of my limbs. First my legs gave way, and I collapsed on a bench. I tried to get up, call for help. I couldn’t move, couldn’t even open my mouth.”
Baltazar was listening with full attention now. “How did he do it? You don’t happen to remember the incantation, do you? At least a part of it?
Gordon shook his head. “There was no incantation. It just happened. All of a sudden, I see this dark figure blocking my way, and the next thing I know, I’m on the bench, utterly helpless.”
“What happened then?”
“The elf approached and stood about three steps away. He started a fire, magically, all around us. As he spoke, the fire crept closer to the bench, but it wouldn’t come near him.”
Gordon fought back another shiver. He’d never forget the sight of those flames getting closer and closer, the heat growing around his powerless body.
“Was that real fire or an illusion?” Baltazar asked.
“I am not familiar with illusions. How can one tell?”
“An illusion would usually make no heat, although more sophisticated ones can imitate it; but the most telling thing is the aftermath. An illusion would not have burned anything. Was the garden ground charred?”
“It was. The grass was burned all over the place. And I could feel the heat. Not just that, but one of my boots was singed.”
“Very interesting. What did the elf say?”
Gordon frowned. No one ever dared to speak to him in such a way before, and repeating the words was not easy. “He told me I had been ‘a nuisance’ and my plot against Fredric was ‘the last straw.’ He ordered me to get out of Sormaria. And if I ever attempt any scheming again, against Fredric or the king, the elf will find me, anywhere in the world, and make me pay.”
“Impressive.” The wizard remained silent for a few moments, his keen eyes studying Gordon. “Anything else?”
The lord chose not to reveal the rest. The elf had concluded the meeting by asking him whether he understood everything and whether he was going to comply. Gordon had then felt his numb mouth come alive; his voice was back. “Yes, yes! Stop it, for Arian’s sake!” he had cried out in a most undignified manner. His brother didn’t need to know such details.
“Nothing else,” Gordon said, holding Baltazar’s fixed gaze. “He extinguished the flames with a snap of his fingers and left. Shortly after that, I had regained the ability to move and speak.”
“And so you decided to follow the king’s order and leave Sormaria. Understandable choice, given the circumstances. I see nothing foolish so far, unless you were referring to the very idea to mess with Fredric.”
Gordon shook his head, averting his eyes. “I wish. Perhaps that one wasn’t the smartest, either, but I’m afraid I did something far worse. I packed what I could and fled, but I wanted to have the last word, so I… I sent Gelleran the golden dragon you gave me.”
Baltazar leaned forward, as if he wasn’t sure he heard it right. “You sent him my killer dragon?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve assassinated the king of Sormaria?”
“Yes! At least I’ve attempted to. It was a rash decision, and it worries me now. Is the thing traceable? I mean, we haven’t yet heard of his death, but when it happens, how hard will it be to determine that the dragon was the cause? And will they find out who sent it? I used fake names, of course, but still.”
The wizard rubbed his chin, thinking. “It shouldn’t be traceable. That’s the whole point of the dragon: its magic is of a kind that is neatly concealed, for a time. Even spell-breakers shouldn’t see it. And when the spell completes its task, which doesn’t take long, it goes back into hiding. So, unless a spell-breaker happens to see it at work, no one should make a connection between the dragon and the king’s sudden death.”
“What about the elf, though? Would he sense something? It’s got my blood on it, after all.”
“Only a drop, and it disappeared as soon as you’d put it on the dragon’s teeth, right?”
“Yes. Just like you told me.”
“The blood isn’t there anymore. It was consumed by the Darkness.”
The statement made Gordon uneasy. “The Darkness?”
Baltazar smirked. “What did you think, brother? You didn’t expect Arian and his Light to be behind such a toy, did you?”
“Well, no, but… All right. So what does it mean?”
“What does what mean?”
Gordon made an impatient gesture. “That a drop of my blood was consumed by the Darkness! Is it a common thing?”
“Common enough when it comes to destructive magic. As to the implications… why, you sold your soul, of course. I figured you understood.” Baltazar sat there with an impenetrable expression, clearly enjoying Gordon’s stunned silence. In a moment or two he let out a chuckle. “Just a joke, brother! You should see your face.”
The lord suppressed the urge to get up and whack him. “Not funny at all.”
“Sorry. Sometimes I can’t help it.”
“Never mind. So what about the elf? Do you think he can see through the dragon’s magic and trace it to me?”
Baltazar pondered it for a few seconds. “I don’t know who or what this elf is. Based on your account, I do have some theories, but nothing solid so far, so I can’t tell what he’s capable of. In all honesty, though, I don’t think he’ll bother chasing you after the king is dead. Gelleran had captured and somehow subdued him, but when Gelleran’s gone, why would he continue to do his will? Or care to avenge the death of his captor?”
“True.” Gordon had thought of it, but he still had fear. Hearing the same argument from his brother helped to relieve his concern. “Very well, then. How long do you think it will take for the dragon to do away with Gelleran?”
“It shouldn’t take long. I’m surprised he isn’t dead already. When you applied the blood, you said the king’s full name, of course?”
Gordon grew cold. He had forgotten that part. “Uh… no.”
The wizard stared at him in disbelief. “What? You activated the dragon but gave it no specific target?”
“It slipped my mind, all right? I sent it to the king as a personal gift, and assumed that would be enough. I wasn’t thinking straight. Don’t tell me you never forget anything.”
“Gordon, that’s beyond foolish! Did I not warn you that this dragon was a very special and very dangerous weapon?”
“You did! What can I say? Obviously I’ve messed up, there’s nothing I can do about it now. So will you sit there and make big eyes or tell me what’s going to happen now?”
The lord knew he was being a little harsh, but he was a man of action, he had no use for emotions and pointless accusations.
Baltazar tested his patience some more, saying nothing and shaking his head. “The dragon will kill anyone who touches it,” he spoke at last. “There will be a string of sudden deaths at the royal palace. Since the death does not come instantly at the moment of touching, there is a chance the dragon will not be blamed. But there is also a possibility of someone noticing the connection.”
Gordon swallowed. “That means the dragon might never get to the king.”
“If there’s a suspicion that it’s enchanted, sure.”
“Holy Arian… Gelleran will investigate, call in spell-breakers. And probably the elf.”
“Very likely. Hey, don’t glare at me, it’s your fault.”
Gordon clenched his teeth. His hand began to shake; he hid it under the desk. “Any advice or help you can offer?”
Baltazar looked annoyingly calm and detached. “Like I said, I don’t know what the elf is capable of. I need to look into the matter.”
“I think you should be a bit more concerned. If I go down, Gelleran will want to know how I obtained the dragon, and even if I refuse to tell him, the answer will not be too difficult to guess.”
The wizard’s gaze hardened. “Thank you for the warning, but it doesn’t change anything. I have to look into the matter before I can suggest any steps.”
“How long will it take?”
“There’s no telling. I need to put many pieces together: find accurate information about the elf and how the king controls him, see what’s been going on at the palace.”
“I have my sources there, I could try to get in touch with them.”
“No, do not risk it. I have informants as well, and so does the Order of Onyx. I’ll use them. Lie low, don’t make waves. Don’t give Gelleran any reason to think you are plotting again. I’ll let you know when I find something out.”
Baltazar left. The days that followed were agonizing for Gordon; he couldn’t stand being kept in the dark. Can’t he send at least a brief note? the lord asked again and again, pacing in front of the window of his small rented cottage. Come on, Baltazar! Granted, you couldn’t have gathered much information yet, but some update would be nice!
When a letter from his brother finally came, it was infuriatingly short and vague, especially considering the magnitude of the news it hinted at. The wizard wrote in the code language the Siberius family always used for their private correspondence, but even encoded, he felt the information was not safe to share.
I have made some stunning discoveries, the note said. I will not entrust the details to paper; suffice it to say that things are not as we had perceived them, not at all. More investigating needs to be done, but I have a plan. If everything goes well, we should be able to take care of both Gelleran and the elf.
***