Chapter 22

Illton was barely a village. This tiny sliver of bare civilization which curved around an ill-placed inlet had seen most of its sea traffic go to the larger port in Lerrusburg just to the south. The sea merchants came to this hamlet only when the ports at Lerrusburg were too busy or its taverns too full.

The commercial center of Illton centered around a lone tavern, itself a decayed hulk with walls held up by hastily tacked on timbers, the placement of the nails marked by streaks of rust. Most of the nearby shops were closed with signs which told one to find the owner in his residence if you really wanted to buy something, and a dusty town square surrounded a cracked, empty dais. Beyond lay sparse dwellings and a few small fields of wheat and vegetables.

"I know this place," said Frenon, shouldering his crossbow. "I believe it was once planned as an extension of Lerrusburg."

Tarras lowered his hood. "It appears those plans were for naught."

"Likely a Noble who decided to invest his platinum elsewhere." He looked at Tarras and frowned. "You should not reveal yourself out in the open."

"There are no Cohorts here, as they do not appear to bother with such tiny villages. The main road bypasses this place, so it is unlikely we will encounter anyone passing through."

Frenon wore an expression indicative of his thoughts on the matter but said nothing in protest. "Do you know where you are to meet Rennis?"

"We did not settle on an exact location. He has a tendency to find me ... as I believe he is about to do now."

From the tavern, a figure had emerged, a traveler's hood obscuring his face. The rest of his clothing, however, was recognizable. Tarras thought it ironic that the man who complained so much about Tarras being recognized varied his own attire very little, save to tack on things like the hood as an apparent afterthought.

The figure glanced about as he crossed the square, then finally uttered a sigh and lowered his hood. "I suppose I should not care anymore about discovery," he said in a sour voice.

Tarras smiled. "Well met, Rennis."

Rennis turned to Frenon. "So you managed to protect him after all."

"He made it difficult for me, but, yes, I managed it," said Frenon.

"It was well worth it," Tarras said. "For I have learned much about the Inonni's standing with the peasants."

Rennis' face hardened, but he forced a curt nod. "I should have expected that would be the very first topic on your lips."

"It is as I had suspected, Rennis: the peasants are indeed the key to stopping the Inonni, but perhaps not quite in the way I had intended."

"Oh really?" Rennis said with a small sneer. "I suppose you can give us some insight on what the rest of us are doing wrong."

Tarras tilted his head. "Doing wrong? Oh, do you mean your attempts to befriend the Village Elders?"

"It has been little more than an exercise in frustration."

"Yes, you are right, that was horrible advice on my part."

Rennis stared, then rolled his eyes skyward and threw up his hands. "Then why in blazing hellfire did you--!"

"Because I was working on erroneous assumptions. But I will gamble you had luck with the idea the Overlord system would not return."

Rennis' face looked strained. "In the few times I could force myself to say it, yes. But they still wanted little to do with the former Nobility or Overlords. Though in some cases it seemed like a difficult choice."

"And I can offer you insight on that matter if--"

"Pardon, my Lords," said Frenon as he stepped into their midst. "But I see a plume of dust on the road to the south. Some traffic is likely coming this way from Lerrusburg. We should not remain out here."

Rennis yanked his hood back up. "This way."

The former Overlord led the others to the edge of the square, away from the sea, and down a path overgrown with underbrush. "Where are we headed?" Frenon asked. He brandished his weapon. "Should I take the lead?"

"No, we're safe for the moment, soon as we get to the edge of town."

"And what is there?" Tarras asked.

"A place to stay. And beyond that ... a gathering place."

Tarras jogged to catch up with Rennis, though the narrow path would not allow him to walk alongside. "I beg your pardon?"

"We have organized a group of former minor Lords and Ladies, some Sheriffs and other administrative officials, and heir-apparents of former Noble Lords."

"For what purpose?"

Rennis stopped and turned, and Tarras nearly ran into him. "To rally."

"I beg your pardon?"

"To rally them, Tarras. They need to be focused. They need a morale boost. And they need a leader."

Tarras sighed. "Rennis--"

"I do not want to hear it! I am tired of trying to convince you of the significance of your leadership."

"So you choose instead to simply thrust it upon me."

"You seem to do best in that situation. I do not like throwing it in your face, but it is necessary."

"I have nothing to say to them," Tarras said in a flat voice.

"It will be a few days before they get here. You will have that time to figure out what to tell them."

"Then we will need to answer a crucial question," said Tarras. "What are we fighting for?"

Rennis stared, his eyes wide.

Tarras nodded in satisfaction. "So I am not the only one to have asked that question. A small comfort, I suppose. Who was it? Uridon, perhaps? Though a bit surprising, coming from a merchant."

"It was Q'garra, the Mage Guildmaster," said Rennis in a hollow voice.

Tarras' eyebrows rose. "Really? Then he is indeed the most forward-thinking Guildmaster the Mages have had in a long time. Do you have his Farviewing pearl with you?"

Rennis stiffened. "Yes, I have it."

"Capital. Then I may indeed have something to say at this rally once I have had a chance to consult with the esteemed Guildmaster."

Frenon blanched.

"You can't do that!" Rennis exploded. "Don't you know anything about history?"

"Really, Rennis, I would kindly ask you not insult me even if you--"

"Mages cannot be involved in the governing process!"

Tarras fell silent, and gave Rennis a look of both expectation and forced patience.

"They cannot be involved even peripherally. People will think we want to go back to the days when Mages ruled as Emperors."

"Utter nonsense," Tarras snapped.

Rennis recoiled as if struck.

"This is not about who will rule or how. This is about the very structure of the future society of Oceanus. Get this through your head, Rennis: the old structure is gone and will never return. If you are expecting me to make some glorious speech about how we will rebuild the fortunes of those who have been deposed from power, then you should select yourself a new leader, for I refuse to tell them something I know will never be."

Absolute silence followed in Tarras' wake. Behind him, Frenon shouldered his crossbow and looked on with interest.

"The old rules no longer apply," Tarras said in a lower voice. "If we're to create something in the place of the Inonni, it has to be from the ground up."

Rennis paused for another few breaths before he finally said in a measured voice, "Next you will be telling me we need to reject Monarchism."

Both Frenon's and Rennis' gazes were tense as they lay upon the former Noble Lord. Finally, Tarras said in a low voice, "I do not know."

Frenon raised a single eyebrow, but otherwise did not react. Rennis remained stone-faced. "Well, it would be interesting to hear Emperor Duric Z'garon's thoughts on that," Rennis said with a slight acid tone to his voice.

"I said I do not know," Tarras declared. "You see, Rennis? This is what I am talking about. There are no simple answers. From your tone, you fear I am about to reopen the debate of Republicanism versus Monarchism. My point is even that argument may be moot. It is too simplistic a dichotomy. It is too black and white. Do you understand now?"

Rennis uttered a sigh. "No, I don't. But maybe that's just my problem." He frowned. "I was an Overlord. That is all I ever was. I was not a politician, except when circumstance forced it upon me. But I do understand something you finally made me see. Whatever this new society of yours comes to be, I will have no part of it."

"Rennis, do not reject it until you know what it is. I do not even know what it--"

"That is not what I mean!" Rennis shouted. "I will have no part of it because there will be no part for me to play. I will be of no further use."

Tarras' eyes saddened. "I am sorry," he said in a softer voice. "I had no idea this is what you were really concerned about."

Rennis waved his hand and sneered. "Spare me your pity. All I ask is you stop trying to convince me of the merits of this new future, for I will never be able to accept it."

Tarras wanted to say something in reply, but no words would come to him.

"So my answer to the question 'what are we fighting for' is: I don't care anymore. From this point on, I will do whatever is asked of me to help rid Oceanus of the Inonni, but then my part is done. I will fade into retirement like Vanlo." His face became drawn. "Or maybe I'll die in the attempt to oust the Inonni. Maybe then I will have served some useful purpose."

Before Tarras could say a word, Rennis spun around and marched down the path. Tarras uttered a small, forlorn sigh as Frenon watched in apparent equanimity. They set out after Rennis, but not another word was exchanged between the three.

Jollis roused himself from a troubled sleep.

Nothing would have pleased him more than to discover Jothan had indeed had malevolent intent. According to the tenets of his own faith, he could declare as such now, as Jothan was clearly acting against the benevolent guidance of the Inonni. If not malevolent, certainly barbaric.

And yet he refused to accept such a simple dichotomy.

The moment he ventured forth from his sleeping chamber, his two loyal Cohorts stood before him. He found the adjective "loyal" most distasteful. It implied few could be trusted beyond this tiny circle.

"Have you more news?" said Jollis.

The Cohorts would have looked askance at the avoidance of tradition only a day before. In Inonni society, one always greeted the morning with salutations and an invitation to partake of a morning meal before any business was discussed. Yet now they appeared relieved to be given leave to speak.

"We have spent much of the night retracing Jothan's steps to ascertain his purpose and intent," said Rolas.

Hurus flexed his laced fingers. "It was necessary ... for some deception on our part."

Jollis waved a hand. "You are absolved. The greater good is what matters. Continue and dwell on it no more."

"As best as we can determine, he was searching for something outside the Manor grounds. We do not know what or exactly where he was searching."

"Though we believe he was in the vicinity of the old tradesman's hut," said Rolas.

Jollis eyebrows rose, and he clamped down on his emotions. Would nothing cease to remind him of Amanda? How could his discipline be slipping away so fast? "Is there still no sign of Jothan?"

"None, Wanderer," said Hurus. "And Mage Verano was observed visiting Jothan's residence. He spent long enough to have searched it."

"Did he find anything?"

"Nothing we could see."

"And what of deciphering the runes from the pearl?"

"The task continues. We have only one fellow Cohort who had any Mage training, and he had only just reached Journeyman before he left the Mages and joined the Cohorts."

Jollis tried not to let his face reflect the foul taste in his mouth left by his next question. "Can he be trusted?"

"I will vouch for him, Wanderer," said Rolas in earnest. "I have known him for some time. He was most displeased to learn of our suspicions, but he is more concerned for the greater good." Rolas paused. "He hopes you are wrong."

"No one wishes so more than I," Jollis said. "Is there anything else?"

Rolas glanced at his companion. Hurus said in a cautious voice, "Just before dawn, the warriors once more cleared the area around the gate."

"Again?"

"Yes, and we believe Mage Verano was behind it once more. We caught only a glimpse from a distance as he left the Manor, accompanied by two Cohorts carrying something."

Jollis frowned. "Carrying what?"

"We do not know, yet it was large and heavy enough to require two people to carry it. It was wrapped in some sort of cloth."

Jollis considered. "Do you know where Mage Verano is at this moment?"

"He has morning meal with Elder Yurton every day, Wanderer," Hurus said. "We assume he is there."

Jollis nodded. "I will require a means to get outside the Manor without being detected while the Mage and the Elder are occupied."

The Cohorts exchanged an uncertain look before Rolas spoke. "Wanderer, the gate is always guarded. Surely they will let you by, but they may alert Mage Verano or Elder Yurton."

"The gate is largely for show," said Jollis. "No fence defines the perimeter, only jungle foliage thick enough to discourage casual attempts to circumvent the gate."

"Wards exist to detect movement, however."

"Ground movement, most likely, to catch clumsy attempts at infiltration. I will be traveling considerably higher."

Rolas stepped forward. "I do not like this, Honored Wanderer. You are taking a great risk. Perhaps I could go in your stead."

Jollis smiled. "You honor me with your concern and your bravery, even if the latter is misplaced. You do not have the skills I command. You can, however, assist in one part of the effort."

"Yes, anything."

"While the most expedient route would be the jungle between the gate and the sea, that will make it easier to spot me. I will instead cross the perimeter from the other side. I will require a moment of diversion so the Cohorts at the gate will not see me cross the road."

Hurus stepped forward. "We will make it so. Tell us what you want us to do."

Jollis began changing his clothes to prepare himself for his impromptu mission. "Now listen closely, as we do not have much time..."

Q'kollan rushed through the corridors of the Mage Guild clutching several scrolls to his chest. He nearly dropped them when his tired legs faltered as he clambered up the steps from the testing caverns, where the apprentice Mages performed their coursework behind the relative safety of many arm-lengths of solid rock. A few tendrils of smoke from a failed experiment curled about his feet until he reached the top of the stairs.

The Mage Elder fought against the tide of younger Mages heading for morning meal and finally intercepted Uroddus and Katla at the head of the hallway leading to the Guildmaster's office. "There you are," he said in a winded voice as he staggered before them.

Katla's eyes widened. "You look terrible!"

Q'kollan gave her a wan smile. "As tactful as always, I see."

"Are you quite all right?" Uroddus asked. "You do look as if you have been up all night."

"That is because I have. I have forgotten just how much stamina the young appear to have these days."

Katla tilted her head. "The young?"

"Ah, you followed my advice," said the Guildmaster.

"I did indeed," said Q'kollan. "And found they were all too eager to burn the oil all night."

"I don't understand," Katla said.

"I suggested he use the same technique that Most Honored Mage Q'yros had used while searching for clues about the Inonni Portals," said Uroddus. "Allow the apprentices and journeymen to contemplate the problem, as they often come up with theories the older Mages may not consider."

"Which has come to fruition," Q'kollan said. "Thus I implore we return to your office so I may present their findings before I get some well-needed sleep."

"Of course."

Upon their prompt return to Uroddus' office, Q'kollan surged forward and dropped the scrolls onto the desk. Katla pounced upon them immediately and muttered short incantations over each scroll as she unrolled it to force it to remain flat.

Q'kollan fell into a chair in the corner. "I'll summarize. Essentially, it appears my theory may be correct. What you see there is a progressive series of experiments with the old Overlord Portal, the energies a little more refined each time."

"As if they were learning over time how to properly operate the transdimensional nature of the Portal," Uroddus said.

Katla uttered a small gasp as she read over a key formula. "Yes, look here! It's like they're trying to build up some sort of master equation to apply to the energies to control the Portal. This looks like some of the early work we did."

"Yes, I thought you would recognize it," Q'kollan said.

Katla looked up. "But we're already far beyond this point. And they've already made a basic mistake here. This particular numeric transformation can't be applied to--"

"Look at the next scroll."

Katla's gaze darted to the next one. "Oh, yes, I see. They corrected that." She snorted. "Only to make yet another mistake!"

"The point is, Master Q'yoona, it is very clear the vaunted Inonni Portal technology does not include the knowledge to properly operate a transdimensional Portal."

"And they are using the Overlord Portals to educate themselves," Uroddus said. "Interesting."

"And attempting to cover it up. It's important we don't forget that fact."

"Yes, I agree. They obviously do no want anyone to know of their weakness in this area." Uroddus leaned back in his seat. "This experimentation looks too organized to be a spur-of-the-moment project. Their conquest of Oceanus could have been a means to obtain Portals just for such experimentation."

Katla looked up. "But who's to say they're not doing this sort of experimentation in their own homelands as well?"

Q'kollan shook his head. "One of the lesser known facts about transdimensional Portals is when enough are used for a long enough period of time, a faint resonance is left behind which can be detected over vast distances. It shows up as a sort of 'haze' to someone with particularly strong Mage Sight using a powerful distance viewer. Such hazes have been seen over Oceanus and parts of the Urisi Nation. None have ever been detected elsewhere."

Katla frowned. "They never taught us that."

Q'kollan gave her a polite smile. "Another example of the subtle bias among the Mage Elders against the transdimensional Portals."

Uroddus steepled his fingers. "Do we have enough data to estimate how long until the Inonni achieve a working transdimensional Portal?"

"I don't see how they can," Katla declared. "They're taking a purely Empiricist approach, and we're realizing it might not be enough."

"Then consider this question instead: how long until they attain an Empiricist understanding of transdimensional Portal mechanics equal to our own?"

Katla cast her gaze down to the parchments. "I'd have to run this by the others to get some accurate numbers, but I'd guess not more than another quarter to half moon."

"So we have a quarter moon to devise some sort of counter-move."

Katla's eyes widened. Q'kollan forced himself to his feet with a grunt and said, "I beg your pardon, Guildmaster?"