Chapter 32

Kyllos stepped out from behind his desk, giving his visitor a respectful bow of his head. "Good blessings to you, Brother of The Order."

From just inside the closed door, where the Inonni Portal had deposited him not moments ago, the robed and somber form of Holy Order Elder Iridus closed his eyes and bowed his head in return. As he lifted his gaze, the lines etched into his thin and sallow face sharpened. "And to you, Fledging Brother of The Order."

Kyllos smiled and folded his hands before him. "From your choice of address I can assume the purpose of this visit is not to convey full Elder status to me quite yet."

Iridus' lips twitched as if they intended to respond to the attempt at humor. The rest of him remained rigid, giving his somewhat gaunt form a stick-like appearance. "Were I here to do such a thing, Kyllos, I would do so in full view of your Cohorts, so they may celebrate in the moment," he said in a formal voice. "It may happen yet."

"I will be honored when and if that day comes."

"Perhaps that is something you should keep in mind in the days to come."

"Oh?"

"You have heard of the great tragedy at the former D'ronstaq Manor? And the one who is accused of doing it?"

Kyllos uttered a slow, quavering sigh, and his eyes misted. "If you have come to seek insight as to the actions of my beloved Wanderer, I fear you will be disappointed. I have no more knowledge as to the inner workings of his thoughts which led to this deed than anyone else."

Kyllos was aware of the Holy Elder's scrutiny, looking for any sign of duplicity. The Elder would find none. Kyllos had taught Jollis how to control and manage his emotions, yet he needed to call upon every scrap of discipline he possessed in this ancient skill. His betrayal of Jollis was necessary if he were to continue in his role of exposing the horrid cancer which had infested the body of the Inonni people.

"While such insight would prove valuable, Kyllos, it is not our immediate concern," said Iridus, his tone lofty. "We have our best warriors searching for him in the jungle, and we watch the ports. He will be found before long. Then, perhaps, I will seek your counsel again. Until then, there are more important matters to consider."

"Such as?"

Iridus laced his hands together, his long, thin fingers twining like bony snakes. "Such as what I have heard of the recent activities of the Oceanus Mages."

One of Kyllos' eyebrows rose slightly. "You will forgive me, but I have been tracking a great many activities of all the Oceanus Guilds. The Mages, apparently, are not the only ones acting in a manner obstructive to--"

"It is only the Mages who concern me, and I should think you would know of what I speak."

Kyllos looked into the cool eyes of the Holy Elder and realized there would be no dissuading the man from his course. He understood how Jollis had felt in the days leading up to his necessary if distasteful action: not knowing whom he could trust. Someone among the Cohorts who knew of the intelligence reports concerning the Oceanus Mages had taken it upon themselves to voice their concerns to a higher power.

"Yes, I do recall that now," said Kyllos. "They experiment with Portal energies at a former Overlord Manor."

"And you saw nothing which warranted concern?"

"No, Iridus, I did not. Understand that I have many responsibilities now that Emperor Z'garon has proven so intractable. I need to be selective with my attentions."

"Then perhaps I can take this particular burden from you and investigate it myself."

Kyllos paused. As polite as the statement had sounded, it was tantamount to both a threat and a show of disapproval. "With all due respect, I feel it will be a waste of your time."

"And why is this?"

"They can gain no insights into our Portal technology by simply dumping energy into one of their own tired Portals."

"That is not what concerns us."

Kyllos remained quiet, his folded hands tightening.

"If it were at all possible, we would not wish Oceanus to have Portal technology of any kind whatsoever. Perhaps if we better controlled the means of transit across this continent, we would have fewer problems."

"Is that how the former Noble Lord Tarras continues to escape your notice? He has acquired Portal access?"

Kyllos' expression did not alter in the tense silence which followed. He realized that hurtling a veiled insult at the Elder was not the wisest move; the continued freedom of the few remaining former Lords and Overlords was a thorn in the side of the Holy Order.

"We have detected no such thing," said Iridus in a crisp voice. "He is likely holed up somewhere, or traveling by back roads through sparsely populated farmlands. Please do not distract us from the main point of this conversation."

"My apologies," said Kyllos with a bow of his head. "Since you are so concerned, may I assume that plans to shut down the former Overlord Portals at the Manors we control will be accelerated?"

"We will do so as soon as we have learned all we can about the Oceanus level of technology," Iridus responded in a more casual voice. He gave Kyllos a pointed look. "And then we will destroy the Portals at the Manors we did not occupy."

"A prudent measure, yes. You intend to do so with the one which has held the Oceanus Mage Guild's attention of late?"

"Yes."

"Surely you will wait until the Oceanus Mages are done with their experiments."

"And why should we wait?"

Kyllos gave Iridus a small smile. "I find I am able to accomplish more in bringing Enlightenment to Oceanus when we do not seek confrontation. I fear that is what you will engender if you interrupt the Mages in their work."

Iridus shook his head. "Not me, Kyllos. You."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Recall my statement earlier. Your elevation to full Elder may come soon. We will be watching you carefully as to how you handle this situation."

Kyllos maintained his smile and easy manner. "If you have some insight into their actions that I do not, Iridus, I would be most appreciative of being further enlightened."

"You have as much information as we do, and likely more."

Kyllos wondered if the Holy Order knew more than they let on of the Oceanus Mages' intentions. "I do my best to keep on top of things," said Kyllos. "Even those I do not believe are yet a threat. However, I will take your concerns into account."

"And what do you propose to do?"

"I will monitor their activities more closely. I will send Jol ... some agents to watch them more closely. I will dispatch a Mage to take more accurate readings on the Portal energies, but it will take some time to get one in place, likely not before a quarter moon. We cannot open a Portal too close lest we alert the Oceanus Mage Guild we are spying on them."

"And yet, if their intentions are innocent, should they care about such scrutiny?"

Kyllos paused. "So you would have me tip our hand so early?"

"Perhaps. If on the outside chance they do seek havoc upon us, this will dissuade them, and, as you put it, avoid confrontation."

Kyllos nodded once. "Your logic is quite unassailable, Iridus. I will set upon this course immediately."

Iridus gave Kyllos a genuine smile. "Forgive me for seeming so harsh. The Holy Order appreciates the hard work you have done and will continue to do. I will make sure you are present for the formal ceremony of shutting down the Oceanus Portals."

"I thank you, Elder. Is there anything else I may do for you?"

"Another Elder will be sent later today to replace the one whom we have so tragically lost," said Iridus. "He will come here first to confer with you. You will accommodate him and provide him a Portal to the D'ronstaq Manor."

"Of course. I am at the Holy Order's service as always."

Iridus gestured. With only a vibrating hum and a faint crackling of energy, a Portal opened behind him. "Good blessings to you."

"And to you," said Kyllos.

Iridus turned and stepped into the Portal. He hurtled away down the silvery corridor at impossible speed before the Portal closed with a faint popping sound.

Kyllos drew a slow, deep breath and let it go. His mind raced. If Jollis' suspicions were correct, then sending an Inonni Mage would surely discover their true intentions, possibly in time to stop them.

He shook his head. What he was contemplating was not just distasteful, it was madness. He felt better to do as Iridus had instructed. He would stop the Oceanus Mages and determine some peaceful means to stop his brethren's work upon the Portals.

But Iridus' words had suggested they were very close to achieving their goal. Then the Inonni would have transdimensional Portal technology, and he could not trust the Holy Order to use it wisely. Such a power simply cannot be used wisely.

Kyllos stepped to the door and passed his hand over a blue pearl embedded in the center. He watched the faint glow come and go as a privacy spell was activated which would allow no stray sound to escape the confines of the room. He withdrew a Farviewing pearl from his robes and passed his slightly trembling hand over it.

After a pause, Jollis shimmered into view, surrounded by deep jungle. A bandage was wrapped about his torso just below his chest. No camp was in evidence. He looked fairly surprised to see his master.

"I am glad to see you are well, Jollis," said Kyllos.

"Forgive me, but is it wise to contact me?" asked Jollis in a bemused voice. "Surely you do not intend to further associate with me."

Kyllos let a small smile play at his lips. "I fear I cannot break myself of this habit with someone who is like a son to me."

Jollis' eyes were liquid. He drew himself up straight and bowed his head. "You have honored me in a way beyond words, Master."

"And, I fear, I must send you once more into danger. I have a new task for you."

Jollis' head snapped up. "I am yours. What do you wish of me?"

Kyllos told him.

Jollis was silent for a long moment, and Kyllos could hear the rustling of leaves and the patter of rain. "This will be most complicated."

"You have every right to refuse, and there will be no fault on your part. I do not feel I have the right to task you with something which could mean more unwanted death by your hand. You ... you have suffered enough."

"I cannot suffer any further than this, Master," said Jollis. "I can be no more the wanted man and no more the fugitive. I am now Wanderer in every sense of the word. Perhaps that was my ultimate destiny and I am simply fulfilling it."

Kyllos nodded, but his eyes glistened. He did feel like he was sending his own son into danger. "I will contact you as soon as possible with the details. I will need to find someone I can trust among the Cohorts."

Jollis considered. "There is one who has worked closely with me. He has done me great service since I first arrived in Oceanus. He is the one called--"

"Yonlas," said Kyllos with a small smile. "Yes, I know him well."

Jollis slowly smiled. "You do him great honor by calling him by name, Master. I will be sure to do the same when I next see him. Good blessings to you, Master."

Kyllos watched Jollis' image fade and heaved a deep sigh. His joy at having another chance to enjoy the presence his best Journeyman was tempered by the realization it would likely be the last.

Katla stood at the podium in one of the training chambers at the Guild Hall, looking over her "class" of twenty assorted Mages who comprised the bulk of her team, save for the few who remained at the site to keep the Portal stable. She saw a collection of Empiricists and Traditionalists, plus three who called themselves Synthesists, the few who took Uroddus' words to heart to find a common ground between the two disciplines.

Katla had finally accepted her role as their leader. She had wanted to consider herself simply another member of the team, assuming Uroddus took the lead role, but he had let her work without interference. If anything, he was behind, as he had not finished reading all the equations her team had produced. Which suited her fine, especially given the worries he had expressed the other night.

"So it should be clear what we need to do," said Katla. "If we're lucky, we can do this in another three days."

"That's putting us a day behind schedule," piped one young female journeyman.

"It can't be helped. Unless someone can suggest a faster way to quiesce the backwash energies, we're not going to get there any faster without blowing ourselves up in the process."

"Are you concerned about how much work it's taking to keep the Portal stable?" asked an older male Mage.