Chapter 8

They were as they had been when they started, walking slowly around the periphery of the audience chamber. The Emperor was no less agitated now than he had been then.

"I am telling you, Z'haas, there is little to worry about from Freya," Gronnus declared. "I have already spoken with her."

The Emperor cast a dubious gaze at the Overlord. "From what I have heard, 'talking' is not a means by which she obtains what she wants from other Overlords."

Gronnus allowed himself a sly smile. "Well, I will admit... having her attempt to use her other means of persuasion on a man gives her an advantage over the other Overlords. But I daresay that I handled myself with..."

"I do not wish to hear the details of your sexual prowess, Overlord," Z'haas said in a disdainful voice. "Get to the point."

Gronnus frowned deeply at the Emperor, but moved on. "Anyway, it was as I had suspected. She simply wants something from Roquan, and does not necessarily believe in his cause."

"And what does she want?"

"Likely the same thing she always wants from an Overlord. A sweet deal. A trade or purchase of slaves."

"So what makes you think she will side with you rather than Roquan?"

Gronnus laughed. "Your little trade agreement cancellation has placed him in dire straits financially. Roquan cannot even begin to offer her what the other Overlords could. Why, I alone could give her six choice slaves and still have enough good ones to contract to my own clients."

The Emperor sneered. He despised hearing an Overlord boast about his slaves. It was not that he found slavery itself distasteful; indeed, the practice went back centuries, even before there were Overlords. It was simply another reminder to him of how powerful and influential the Overlords were. No group, no matter what their business, should be that powerful.

The only other Guild that had approached the power of the Overlords was the Mages' Guild, and the Emperor had succeeded in taming them. Witness the ease at which Z'haas had managed to recruit one of them for his cause. It had been Q'yros himself, the best Mage in Oceanus, that had willingly adjusted Roquan's Portal to bring Sirinna to the palace.

It had helped that the Mages' Guild had little use for another power in Narlass attempting to devise new weapons of war. If there was one thing the Mages' Guild liked above all else, it was the status quo, which they ruthlessly maintained with cold and calculating precision. It was little wonder there had been no serious technological advance in a century. The Mage Guilds across the world would debate endlessly about each one before finally accepting it. By that time, they had imposed so many restrictions on its use that it might not have been invented in the first place.

"What of the other Overlords, Gronnus?" demanded the Emperor. "My intelligence has had little to say of them."

Gronnus allowed himself a small, smug smile. Despite his allegiance with the Emperor, he did not take kindly to Imperial spying. He had quietly warned many of the other Overlords he had met, and they had unobtrusively increased the security around their Manor and surrounding lands. That, he hoped, would be a sign to Z'haas that he should not meddle with the balance of power between the Imperium and the Overlords.

"A fair number will side with me," he said simply.

The Emperor gave him a sharp look and stopped walking. "A fair number? And just how many is that?"

"At least five."

Z'haas' eyes burned. "That is not even half!"

Gronnus sighed. "Z'haas, realize that an Overlord tends to play his cards close to the vest at all times. The fact that I could get five to openly cast their lot behind me before we even arrive at the Conclave is nothing short of an amazing show of support for our cause!"

The Emperor did not look the least bit mollified. "This Conclave worries me, Gronnus."

Gronnus was taken aback. That was the first time he had heard Z'haas ever openly admit something like this. "Does it?"

"Several times I have considered abandoning this plan and going with my alternate idea."

The Overlord looked alarmed. "Is that your 'more permanent' solution, Z'haas?"

"Yes, it is."

"You had better not mean assassination!"

The Emperor said nothing. The intense look in his narrowed eyes was answer enough.

"Do not be a fool, Z'haas!"

Z'haas bristled. "And do not think you are protected by your association with me. You will not resort to open insults against your sovereign."

"If you do such a thing, you will bring about what you fear most! Murdering an Overlord by Imperial order will bring about civil war!"

"Not if it is made to look that the Imperium had no hand in it."

Gronnus stared at the Emperor. "You intend to frame another for it? Exactly who?"

"That is not your concern."

"I cannot even conceive of how you would manage to infiltrate... !"

"That is not your concern, either, nor a problem," said the Emperor with a trace of pride in his voice. "The infiltration has been handled most satisfactorily."

"Hellfire, Z'haas, you can't... !"

"It is time you stop informing me what I cannot do and focus on what you can do!" the Emperor thundered. "If you do not wish me to take this course of action, then you will insure that the Conclave goes as desired."

"It will, Z'haas! I can guarantee you of that! We will have Freya on our side. Doran is no match for that."

"You had better be right about that. You will not have much time."

Gronnus frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Emperor Z'haas turned more fully towards the Overlord. "I give you a half-moon from this point in time before I proceed with my alternate plan."

"From today?! But the Conclave is in another quarter-moon!"

"The remaining quarter-moon should be enough time."

"Not at a Conclave it isn't! You obviously have no concept of them. We spend a quarter-moon just sizing each other up, weighing the initial issues, and making deals."

"You will not have that luxury this time," the Emperor stated blandly. "You must hurry the Conclave to a decision."

Gronnus huffed. "You again ask for the impossible!"

"Even so. This is what you must do. Now, I must ask you to leave. I must begin planning for the aftermath of the Conclave."

Gronnus uttered a long and tired sigh. "It would help, Z'haas, if perhaps you would give me some more insight into exactly what it is you are worried about from the west. I still see no overt threat!"

The Emperor drew in his breath and let it go as a slow sigh through his nose. His eyes took on a momentarily distant look. "I may tell you after the Conclave is concluded."

"If the Conclave goes as planned, you might as well forget it then. Keep your little secrets, Z'haas, if they comfort you!"

Gronnus turned and stormed off without waiting for leave by the Emperor.

Emperor Z'haas watched the Overlord depart, not moving or altering the expression on his face one iota until he was alone. Then his eyes narrowed and a sneer came over his face.

He hoped that Gronnus would fail. He hoped that he would have to activate his field agent from among the merchants. It would be a pleasure to bring down two Overlords at once. For if Roquan was to die, Gronnus would as well. Kill the two of them, and make it look as if Gronnus had chosen to kill Roquan, and the two had instead killed each other. The threat would be ended, and the Imperium would be safe for a time.

And without proof of the Emperor's involvement, there would be no civil war.

The golden column of energy filled the center of the chamber, held in place magically by the polished mirrors on floor and ceiling. It cast an undulating radiance as slow pulses rippled along the surface of the column from the crystal cage suspended at its center. The light was mixed with crimson from the blood-red jewel that lay inside the cage.

Before the column stood the slightly stooped form of the Mage Q'yros. A small smile played on his cracked lips -- one part joy for his work, one part smug satisfaction -- as he examined the gem within the cage. His dark blue eyes were as sharp as needles as they focused on his task. He raised an aged, bony hand and waved it before the cage. It slowly came to a stop and opened for him, the golden energies growing quiescent.

His form and his advanced age belied his strength; as one of the most powerful Mages in Oceanus, anyone who dared to attempt to sneak up to him would either live to regret it, or simply not live, depending on the Mage's mood.

Nothing, however, could protect him from the glowering looks of the Overlord behind him.

Roquan stood close behind the wizard, his arms folded across his chest, observing the Mage intently. He had no knowledge of magic, at least not this advanced. He knew how to operate the Portal, and that was it. Yet he hoped that his presence would remove the temptation for Q'yros to do what he had done before. It was this Mage, Roquan believed, that had "adjusted" his Portal to allow the Imperial agent to take Sirinna from the Manor. Roquan had vowed never to let the Mage back into his Manor again.

Yet Q'yros had said that if the Manor ever needed a Mage again, and the Guild decreed it to be Q'yros, then Q'yros it would be. This had come to pass, and was the reason for the smug grin on his lined face.

The Mage had no intent for mischief today. The Emperor had bid him no further tasks. He would do what he had come to do, which was maintain the Portal. Oh, but there was one additional matter, and he took care of it with a mere flick of a hand and a single mumbled incantation. The jewel flashed dimly once, causing Roquan to glance over the Mage's shoulder suspiciously, but the deed was done. The adjustment that allowed the Portal to open to the Imperial palace had been removed.

"Maintenance only, Q'yros," Roquan rumbled.

The Mage smiled to himself, the lines on his face multiplying. Not that the cretin would know if I had done anything, he thought to himself. "That is what you wished of me, is it not?" he asked in an gravelly voice.

"See to it that it stays as such."

"Do you always insult the skilled artisans that come to your Manor, hmm?"

"Do not play games. I know what you had done."

Q'yros pretended to study the jewel more closely, tapping his staff absently against the floor. "Done? Ah, yes, I have heard of your accusations leveled towards me. Quite amusing."

"I found nothing at all funny about it."

Q'yros waved a hand. The cage closed and began to turn. The energies flowed again through the column, filling the room with its low thrumming. He turned to face the Overlord. "Is this where I am supposed to say 'why, Overlord, I have no idea what you are talking about'?"

Roquan's eyes narrowed, and he said nothing.

"Rest assured, Overlord, the Portal will cease to trouble you no more in that regard."

Roquan looked askance at the Mage, who looked back with a serene smile. "Are you saying you have removed your 'adjustment' just now?"

"I have removed what appeared to be an aberration in the matrix, yes."

"Then you admit to your treachery!"

Q'yros laughed and shook his head. "I admit no such thing. You had an aberration, I removed it. It is very true that such things can accidentally open local Portals. You are fortunate no one was hurt."

Roquan's eyes flashed with anger. "And you claim no knowledge of how it got there?"

"Oh, I know how it got there. You are so lax in the maintenance of your Portal, Overlord."

"Portals do not spontaneously produce new endpoints!"

There was not a modicum of alteration in the Mage's smile.

"You're taking me for a fool, and I will have no more of it," Roquan said dismissively. "If you have completed your work, I will pay you and you can leave."

"I have indeed finished, your Lordship."

"It will cease to leak energy then?"

Q'yros paused. "I beg your pardon?"

"That is why I have called you here. Surely you saw that for yourself when you examined it."

The Mage wrinkled his brow. He turned and looked back at the glowing column. He opened his Mage senses to it again, then slowly shook his head. "No energy leaks," he stated flatly. "Not before and not now. This type of Portal cannot 'leak'."

Roquan sighed through his nose. He could not tell if the Mage was lying to him or not. Q'yros could very well be covering for a poorly constructed Portal. It had been the Mage Guild under his auspices, when Q'yros had been Guild Master before his retirement from that post, that had built the Portal for Roquan about ten years ago, when the old one had finally failed.

"I am curious," Q'yros said, draping both knobbly hands over the end of his staff. "Why would you believe this Portal would leak?"

"My healer, Vanlo G'tort, is sensitive to Portal energies."

"Ah, yes, I recall that now." The Mage quickly quelled an epithet in his head. It was that infernal Healer that had led to the situation they were in now. True, it had been Amanda that had foiled the plot to kidnap Sirinna for the Emperor, but it had been Vanlo's ability to sense that the Portal had been activated that saved Sirinna's life. Had she died, they would have had only the outworlder girl's story, and the case against the Emperor's involvement may not have been strong enough to convene a Conclave in the first place.

But the Healer was still no expert in Portals, and he found it amusing that this was the basis for the Overlord's desire to have the Portal serviced. "You must have great faith in his Portal knowledge, hmm?" said Q'yros.

Roquan bristled at the dismissive attitude towards his Healer. "A leak was the most probable reason for what he was sensing. The only other one was implausible, that other Portals have been opened close to the Manor."

Mage Q'yros' fingers tensed around the end of the staff. "That is impossible."

The Overlord detected the anxiety in the Mage's voice. "Is it?"

"Yes. A preposterous notion! He is a fool for suggesting it."

"And why is this?"

Q'yros heaved an exasperated sigh. Damn this Overlord. Others simply accepted the word of a Mage and let it go. They did not question such things. He did not want to create explanations for this one. "Simply because the Mage Guild tracks all Portals operated within its auspices, my dear Overlord," Q'yros said, a sarcastic edge to his voice.

"Yet you cannot control incoming Portals, can you?"

Q'yros frowned. "You of all people should know what is needed to open a Portal locally with such pinpoint accuracy!"

Roquan, of course, did, but he was rather curious about the reaction of the Mage to this line of discussion.

Portals by their nature needed to be anchored. Where the Portal energies were generated was one such anchor, and did not move. The other end was projected towards the point of egress, but without an anchor at that end, the endpoint could vary as far as fifty miles from the targeted spot. This was adequate for sending a Slaver to a new world, but inadequate for retrieving her and any Captives she may have secured.

Thus another use of the ubiquitous magical energy focus, the blue pearl. A special spell upon such a pearl allowed it to be used as a homing beacon of sorts. The Portal energies could detect this and focus on it, opening the Portal within mere feet of the one holding it. Its limitation, naturally, was that it required a person at that end to be carrying such a thing.

Blue pearls so imbued were very easy to detect with magical wards, as they pulsed with powerful energy at all times. Thus it was a very simple matter to prevent someone from opening a Portal into a location where it was not desired. The Manor had such a ward, for example, as did all the keeps of the Nobility, and the Imperial palace. Portals were so prohibitively cumbersome to operate, often requiring a full day's time to energize sufficiently, that this also prevented its use as casual transportation, clandestine or otherwise.

"And you control who has pearls for this purpose?" Roquan asked in an even voice.

"No, we do not. But such things command a high price. It is beyond the means of anyone but Overlords, Nobility, and the Imperium." He gave the Overlord a wry smile. "Unless you are suggesting there are Overlords, Nobles, or Imperial agents running amok in the forests outside your Manor, or the nearby islands."

Roquan would not put it past the Imperium to have agents doing just this, but he held his tongue. Yet if it were not this, why was the Mage anxious when he heard that Vanlo was detecting such things?

The only conclusion he could come to was that the Emperor was playing games with him, possibly to affect the Conclave. So be it. He would refuse to play.

"Understand this, Q'yros," Roquan said, raising an admonishing finger to the Mage as if he were one of the Overlord's slaves. The Mage bristled and frowned deeply. "I will not tolerate any further interference with this Manor, or with the Overlords in general. Too many have overstepped their bounds lately, and this will stop."

Q'yros' eyes became ice. "Then, perhaps, Overlord, you should direct your comments to someone more appropriate. The Mages shall have no part of your delusions."

Roquan fumed silently. He reached into a pocket in his tunic and yanked out a leather bag. "I will pay your price and you will get out of my Manor."

"Most happily, your Lordship. One hundred platinum."

Normally, the Overlord would balk at this price, but decided it was better worth his time to be rid of this loathsome person. He counted out ten coins into the outstretched claw of the Mage. Q'yros snatched it away as soon as the tenth fell into his palm and quickly made them disappear on his person.

The two of them exchanged one last spiteful look before parting.

The Mage hurried back up the path, moving as fast as his aged frame could carry him. His face was creased with anger and worry both. He quickly made his way to the outer gates of the Manor, where his coach waited to take him to the docks for his trip back to the Guild Hall.