Chapter 26

"Are you mad?" Gronnus roared.

Jollis stood, calm and implacable, and regarded the Overlord. "Is there a problem with the offer, Overlord?"

"I would say there is a rather large problem with it! My remaining slaves are worth three times that amount!"

"My Masters beg to differ. This is their offer. You have only to accept it."

"I do not accept it!" Gronnus yelled, shaking his fist. "They are cheating me! I paid far more than..."

"You did not hear me properly, Overlord," said Jollis patiently. "I said you need only to accept it. There is no choice not to accept."

"What are you talking about? It is an offer. I can do what I want with it!"

"The Imperial legions bearing down on your Manor would say otherwise. I am told that they are no more than three days from here. There is no time for alternate solutions. There is no time for negotiations or counteroffers. You accept this amount, and my Master will begin taking your slaves through his Portal. But we must begin today."

Gronnus clenched both hands and teeth. He looked ready to explode, but soon let out a despairing sigh and covered his face with his hands. "What have I come to, Jollis? I started with so little when I took this Manor from my clan, and now I am left with even less than that."

"Forgive my apparent lack of sympathy, Overlord, but I cannot delay any longer. I have many things to do before I, too, must move on."

Gronnus dropped his hands and gave Jollis an imploring look. "You've made arrangements for me, haven't you? You said you would! You said..."

"I have done so," said Jollis in a tight voice. Watching the Overlord's sniveling, cowardly behavior was taxing his patience to the limit. "As I have told you several times."

"Yes, you have, but you have not been keen on giving me any details!"

"There are few to give. Once the Manor has been emptied and all personal effects accounted for, two Portals will open. One for me. One for you."

"But am I not going to the same place as you?"

"Yes."

"Then why two Portals? Why can I not..."

"The hand of the Emperor is about to strike, and you worry yourself over little details such as this?"

Gronnus bit his lower lip. "All right. I accept the offer."

Jollis bowed his head. "Very good, Overlord. I will inform them at once. My Cohorts will begin arranging things here."

"Why not you?"

Jollis uttered a tiny sigh. "I have much unfinished business to attend to first."

Gronnus glowered. "I do not like these ... these Cohorts of yours. They frankly make me nervous."

"That is not my concern. Leave them alone and they will not bother with you."

"They already treat me as if I were invisible!"

Jollis could not help but smile. "They simply know how to remain focused on their task. That is most critical at a time like this. Now, I need to take my leave of you. I have a short trip away from the Manor I must make."

Jollis turned away. Gronnus smirked at his back. "Oh, I know where you're going, merchant. I know very well."

Jollis paused at the door and turned. He did not bother to hide his impatience. He would be glad to be rid of this Overlord's companionship. It was becoming more difficult to maintain his usual stoic air around him. "Do you?"

"You're headed off to see Freya."

Jollis folded his hands. "You appear rather confident of that assertion, Overlord."

"All I know is she seemed very interested in talking to you when she contacted me this morning." He shook his finger at Jollis. "Don't you dare attempt to shortchange me by offering her a better deal for all her slaves than you did mine! Hers are no better! I'll know if you did, mark my words!"

Jollis thought to inquire as to why the Overlord thought Freya would be interested in selling off all her slaves as well, but he had no wish to prolong the conversation. "I submit to your superior insight. I will attempt no such deals, knowing your ever-watchful eye will be on my every move. Good day."

Jollis swept out of the room before the Overlord could respond. When he emerged outside, a Cohort was waiting for him.

"Wanderer, we have been contacted by Overlord Freya," he said in a concerned voice. "She wishes to see you at once. In person."

"Indeed, does she?"

"She has even offered to power her Portal for you. She will be contacting me again soon for your reply. What shall I tell her?"

"Tell her she need not bother, that we have been using Gronnus' Portal and thus have one that is already at full charge. I will use an Inonni Portal to go to her today."

The Cohort frowned. "Wanderer, I do not like this. This could very well be a trap, if she knows you were the one that infiltrated her Manor the other night."

"Nevertheless, I am intrigued. Overlord Gronnus appears to believe that Freya wishes to sell all her slaves to me. I do not see what would motivate her to do so."

The Cohort nodded. "Our brethren watching her Manor report that activity has increased to nearly frenzied proportions. Something is happening, but we know not what."

"Then I am further intrigued. Inform me when she contacts you again. Then I will use a Portal to see her."

"I fear for your safety, Master."

Jollis smiled. "And I do not intend to throw caution to the wind. Have the other Cohorts outside her Manor be ready to advance. Freya is not skilled in any sort of combat that I am aware, and her guards are no more than simple men-at-arms."

The Cohort bowed his head. "At once, Wanderer. And if she has not discovered you?"

Some of his smile faded. "Then I will do what I must. I will stop her and her Healer from spreading the new Draught any further by whatever means I can muster. No matter how distasteful it may be."

"I grow impatient, Lord General!" snapped Emperor Z'haas. "They broke through the pass days ago. Why have they not yet reached the infernal D'yoran Manor?"

"They are moving as fast as humanly possible, my Emperor," said the image of Rithas as it hovered before the throne. "Three more days at the most."

"If you were with them, they would move faster."

"I do not consider myself that inspirational, my Emperor."

"Do not spar with me! Where are you now?"

"In the field, at the northern border."

Z'haas frowned. "And what in the blazing hells are you doing there?"

"Protecting the northern approach, my Emperor. I suspect that the enemy may attempt a strike from the north, believing our best forces to be on the other side of the mountains."

"I have seen no intelligence to this effect."

"It is quite recent, my Emperor. Perhaps a clerical error has prevented you from receiving it, or it simply has not gotten to you yet."

The Emperor frowned. "You seem to have ready answer for everything, Lord General. I put you to the task of commanding my legions, not making excuses for incompetence."

Rithas was making a monumental effort to remain calm, and it showed. Certainly it was not lost on Mage Q'holan, who stood quietly to the side waiting patiently for the Farview audience to end. He shuffled his feet and braced himself for an explosion from his sovereign.

"My Emperor, my battle instincts tell me than a counterattack is imminent," explained Rithas with forced calm. "All the signs are there. I must be ready with a swift response and pursuit."

"Pursuit?" said Z'haas in alarm.

"Limited pursuit," corrected Rithas. "The Imperium will not be left weak."

The Emperor gripped the hand rests on the throne. Knuckles turned white and a vein throbbed in his forehead. "Lord Duric's forces are close at hand, Lord General."

Q'holan's eyebrows rose. He could actually hear the fear in Z'haas' voice.

"Lord General V'gyth is quite competent, my Emperor. And he has strength of numbers. And he has a legion near the north that he can call for reserves. Duric will be no match for him."

"I would prefer you be with me at the Imperial Palace, Lord General. I would feel safer with you in charge of the Imperial Guard."

Rithas paused. "Are you suggesting a demotion for me, my Emperor?"

Z'haas scowled. "Certainly not!"

"That is what such a reassignment would entail."

"Stop putting words into my mouth!" Z'haas shouted.

"My apologies."

Z'haas took a moment to calm down. "Very well. But be close at hand if I need you at a moment's notice."

Lord General Rithas smiled. "Would it help if I had my field command in the rearward legion? The one that could be called in reserve if needed?"

"Yes. Yes, Lord General, that is exactly where I wish you! You can swoop down from the north and outflank any attack from Duric. You and V'gyth will crush them between you."

Rithas' smile widened. "Of course, my Emperor. You are most wise in matters of war."

Q'holan raised an eyebrow. Even he thought that so uncharacteristic of Rithas that it had to be sarcasm, but the Emperor did not seem to notice.

And it had the desired effect. Z'haas relaxed and settled into his throne in a more regal and confident pose. A smile even graced his lips. "That is it all, Lord General," he said loftily.

Lord General Rithas bowed, and his imaged disappeared.

Z'haas peered imperiously at Q'holan. "Yes, Mage, what is it?"

Q'holan stepped forward. "You wished a report on the Portal activity in and around the D'yoran Manor."

"Yes, what of it?"

"Well ... there is nothing to report."

Z'haas nodded once. "Excellent. Perhaps this enemy agent Jollis has exhausted his luck."

Q'holan looked uncertain. "My Emperor, I think ... I think you misunderstand. It is not that I have heard that no Portals have opened, it is that I have heard nothing at all."

The Emperor frowned. "What are you babbling about?"

"I have had no report from the Mage Guild. A request I put in for information has been unanswered. It is as if the Guild Hall has gone completely silent."

Z'haas waved a hand dismissively. "If they are silent, then it is obvious that there is nothing to say."

"But..."

"Stop wasting my time, Q'holan! The Guildmaster is an ally. He knows not to bother me when there is no need."

Q'holan sighed. "My Emperor, I am concerned because it does not make sense. Why would the Portal activity suddenly go silent unless the agent has left already?"

Z'haas leapt to his feet. The Mage staggered back, despite the ten arm-lengths between them. "He has not left! No, Q'holan, I finally have him. I will spill his blood in the same way that he spilled my brother's blood. I will be my brother's avenger. I will finally see justice done. And I will bring an end to this foreign threat."

Q'holan remained starkly silent, afraid to interrupt the Emperor's tirade.

The Emperor slowly sat down. "Yes. It's all his doing. Jollis is the threat. Once he has been dispatched, Oceanus will again be safe. The Far West will know that my will is indomitable. And then I will remake Oceanus in my image. It will become the nation it was meant to be. Only I can do that, Q'holan. No one else. You will see. It will be a new golden age for our nation. A purification. An ... enlightenment."

The Mage could only nod. No words would come to him that he could dare speak.

"Do you have anything else for me, Mage?"

"No, my Emperor. Nothing."

"Then leave me. I must plan for Oceanus' great future."

Q'holan bowed and exited the chamber as fast as dignity would allow. He did not stop fleeing until he was back in his room. He closed the door with a thud and leaned against it. Yet it would not keep out the inescapable conclusion.

The Emperor was insane.

Jollis stood at the gate, not having been allowed any further by the guards. This concerned him, but he remained unperturbed.

It was not long before Overlord Freya came to the gate, walking in her typical, sultry, sashaying fashion, the kind that rewarded anyone watching her with brief glimpses of her sex. She stopped just inside the gate and smiled, tilting her hips provocatively.

"My, but you're fast," she said with a sly grin.

Jollis smiled and bowed. "Ah, but you did give my Cohort a sense of urgency when you summoned me."

"Hmm. One would think you had a Portal device powered all the time just so you can make these deals quickly ahead of the competition. If the local merchants catch wind of that, you could be in trouble."

"It was merely fortuitous in this case. And my secrets of success are indeed just that: secret."

Freya chuckled. "Okay, let him in." The guards lowered their crossbows and stepped out of the way. "Sorry about that. I had a brigand of some sort who managed to sneak into the Manor."

"I am quite sorry to hear that, Overlord," said Jollis as he stepped inside. "These times do not appear to be safe for anyone."

"You have a gift for understatement, considering what I'm facing. Come, I have a deal you would be interested in."

Jollis came alongside Freya as she headed back to her quarters. "Has something happened that I am not aware of, my Lady?"

Freya gave Jollis an odd look. "You're not serious, are you?"

Jollis paused. "My apologies. So much to keep track of these days, and so little time. Could you remind me, please?"

Freya stopped and faced him. "Well, it should be obvious which of those things you're supposedly keeping track of that I am talking about," she said in irritation. "Unless you somehow missed hearing about the Emperor's legions."

Jollis thought carefully, even though it delayed his response.

He wondered why would Freya be concerned about those legions heading to Gronnus' Manor, considering the contempt she felt towards him. Perhaps she was afraid they would turn towards her? But there was no immediate threat, and Freya gave him the impression that she believed herself invulnerable and untouchable.

"Ah, yes, of course," Jollis said. "I have indeed heard of that."

Freya snorted. "I figured that was why Gronnus was all hot to get rid of his slaves, so he can get out of there. Well, I need to do the same, and that's where you are going to help me."

Jollis considered. "If I may ask a question, Overlord. About these legions, where did you hear about them?"

"What difference does that make?"

"Please, humor me. And then I will discuss a deal with you."

"Overlord Trennan first broke the news to me," said Freya. "It didn't make any sense. I never treated with the Emperor in my life, what grievance would he have with me?"

Jollis nodded. "Yes, what, indeed! I have heard the Emperor is not making the most rational decisions of late."

Freya shook her head. "Try mad. Or insane. Or delusional. Anyway, I confirmed it. I already spoke with... " She paused and smirked. "Well, sort of spoke with Roquan, and then some of the Appalanchian Lords. They all confirmed it. So now I need to get the blazing hellfire out of here in six days, and that's where you come in."

Jollis understood now. "Ah, yes, of course, Overlord. I will help however I can. You wish to sell some slaves to me?"

"I wish to sell a great number of slaves to you, Jollis," Freya said with a sly smile. "And I will expect nothing less than top coinage for them."

"All your slaves, my Lady?"

She shook her head. "No. Some I will be taking with me. I have arranged to travel by Portal to another Overlord's Manor. Once I get this deal done with you and have seen those slaves off, I will power my Portal and leave."

"I would be most happy to look over the ones you do intend to sell to my people, Overlord. I am sure I can arrange for something quickly, as I am already doing a similar deal with Gronnus."

Freya smiled. "Mine are so much better than his, you realize. You could simply break off the deal with him and deal with me exclusively."

"Ah, but I have already agreed to the deal with Overlord Gronnus, I am afraid. And it does not do well for my reputation to break such things after they have been done."

Freya sighed. "A pity. I hope your people know how to do remedial training, because they will need it for those dregs that Gronnus will sell you. Well, come along..."

Jollis spent the rest of the morning viewing slaves and negotiating hard with Freya. Once he was done, he bid her good day and headed out of the gate. He walked down the road and past a bend, until the Manor was swallowed in the foliage. A Cohort waited for him alongside the road.

"Well, Master?" the Cohort asked. "Is it done?"

"No."

The Cohort looked confused.

"Do you know of any reports of any of the Emperor's forces headed towards Freya's Manor?"

"No, Wanderer."

"You are quite sure of this?"

"Quite sure, Master. Our brethren would know immediately and would have informed you right away. Both legions that broke through the pass are headed towards Overlord Gronnus. Why do you ask?"

"Because, my friend, it would appear that several people have gone to great lengths to convince Freya that there is indeed a legion bearing down on her Manor."

The Cohort frowned. "But for what purpose?"

"I do not know."

"Did you correct her misconception, Wanderer?"

"No. It may serve a greater purpose. It may allow me to perform my duty in a far less distasteful manner."

"I am not sure I follow, Master, I am sorry."

"Do not be. I will explain it as we head back."

" ... why he does not stand up to Q'ixanna? He has more magic in one finger than..."

" ... unconceivable that he could allow himself to be retired..."

" ... is ludicrous, I tell you. He cannot possibly stand for..."

" ... and haven't I said all along that Q'ixanna wields too much..."

" ... refuse to believe that! Q'yros would not cow to Q'ixanna just for..."

" ... anyone could stand up to him, it's Q'yros, by the gods! So why..."

Uroddus did his best to pick up whatever snippets of conversation he could as he threaded his way around groups of older Mages moving slowly in the halls. They were everywhere to be heard. Not a single Mage of Master level was for lack of urgent, whispered debate among at least one other of his peers.

Uroddus heard everything from shock to frustration. No one liked this recent turn of events. He had grossly underestimated -- and he imagined the Guildmaster had as well -- the amount of resentment that was felt against Q'ixanna.

The crowd finally thinned by the time he reached the far end of the Guild Hall, where the residences of those of Master level resided. A private room was one of the perks of Mastership. Journeymen had to share three to a room, and Apprentices lived in a dormitory.

Uroddus came upon the door to Q'yros' room. A blue pearl was mounted to the center of the door. It glowed faintly as Uroddus drew close.

"Journeyman Uroddus Q'garra," he said in an even voice, adjusting his spectacles. "Personal business."

As soon as he spoke, the pearl glowed brightly as the guard spell upon it was activated. A moment later after he had finished, it turned red for a few moments and then went dark.

Uroddus frowned. "It is urgent. It may be a matter of life and death for Master Q'yros."

The pearl remained dark for a long time. Uroddus was about to speak again when it burst again into brilliance, this time flashing green before winking out. There was a metallic squeak and a thud as a latch released. Uroddus pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Q'yros' room was only lightly adorned. Not exactly spartan, but the few decorative items he could see appeared to be carefully chosen and arranged around the periphery of a room that was impossibly neat and tidy.

The dim lighting gave the chamber a sepulchral look. Low flames crackled in a fireplace, sending shadows dancing along the opposite wall. A single plush chair was turned towards the fire and away from him. Uroddus could see an arm lying sedate against an armrest, and a staff leaning against the side of the hearth.

"Master Q'yros," Uroddus said in a low, urgent voice.

A tired sigh came from the chair. "I allowed you in simply to tell you how much I abhor such blatant lies," came Q'yros slightly wheezing voice. "Especially when used for something so trivial as to breach a Mage's private residence when he obviously did not wish to be disturbed."

"But, Master Q'yros, if you would just listen for..."

Q'yros raised his arm. The staff quivered, then flew towards him. He snatched it in his raised hand and flicked the staff backwards. At once, the door opened wide and a hurricane-force wind drove Uroddus towards it.

The Journeyman stumbled but recovered quickly. He thrust a hand forward, palm out. There was a flash of light as the wind struck the shield he had conjured. Both spell and counterspell canceled each other, and the room was still again.

"I did not lie to you, Master Q'yros," Uroddus said. He flicked a gesture over his shoulder, and the door slammed shut. "I admit that I am unsure as to whether circumstances will be detrimental to you, but..."

Q'yros raised his staff. His chair neatly turned to face the younger Mage. As it did, Uroddus caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a discolored glass orb sitting on a small ornate pedestal.

Q'yros seemed to have aged a decade in just over three days. The anger in his face drew every ancient line into sharp relief. "There is nothing that will threaten me here," Q'yros said. "The Guildmaster has seen to that. Unless you are unaware of my retirement."

"I am quite aware of it. As is the entire Guild, and that is the problem."

"You are not making sense."

"Perhaps you do not realize how many people at the Guild regard you highly. They are not at all pleased to hear of the Guildmaster's actions. There is much anger and complaining from the elder Mages."

Q'yros narrowed his eyes. "And why would this be a concern to you? Or to me?" Despite his attempts to hide it, there was an unmistakable nervous quaver to his voice.

"Master Q'yros ... I know of the Oath that you are under."

Q'yros' eyes widened in shock.

"I do not know enough about this type of magic. I have attempted to research it, but much of it comes from rather ancient scrolls that are difficult to interpret."