‘Rimus!’ Anthem called as he approached. ‘Keep your hands of that staff!’
High Lord Rimus scowled back. ‘Well, it seems all your scheming has finally been effective, Grand Master. The Empire will quickly fall into a state of chaos once news of this gets out. You’ve really outdone yourself this time. I’ll see your head is removed before the sun can set on this day!’
‘It was nothing to do with me!’ Anthem said back. ‘We all saw it was Lord Goodwin who killed the Archmage and I think we’ll find the men who killed the Emperor, if not Gartens themselves, were in Garten employ. If that proves true, this may be part of a greater move against the Empire and we should check our borders carefully. A new Archmage must be quickly elected. Until then, the Staff of Elders must be placed under the protection of a Manyspell. No one person can be allowed to touch it. It is too powerful to be used without the utmost care.’
Rimus eyed Anthem carefully. ‘Very well, Grand Master. Unfortunately, it seems I must agree with you on all points. The notion of your treason can be looked into later. Come then, we can see to the Staff at once.’
Anthem nodded, before turning to Samuel. ‘Samuel, you won’t be needed after all. You had better go help the others then. I will keep an eye on the Staff until it is safely stowed away.’
Samuel nodded in turn, but spoke up before he left. ‘High Lord Rimus!’ he asked as the men were turning away. ‘What of Master Ash? Have you seen him?’
‘It is curious you should ask.’
‘Why is that?’ Anthem asked the tall High Lord.
‘It seems other foul play was at work today. Lord Jarrod has been found in his room with a dagger in his eye and Master Ash is nowhere to be seen. Either he’s met a similar fate or else he’s responsible. Either way, he has some questions to answer.’
Samuel cursed under his breath. He had been robbed of his chance to kill Ash once again.
‘What of the Argum Stone?’ he asked.
Rimus raised an eyebrow. ‘There has been no further progress with that infernal thing. I’m beginning to think it was some kind of hoax on Lord Jarrod’s part, but I guess we’ll never know now, will we?’
At that, the Councillors marched up towards the palace with Grand Master Anthem following at their heels. High Lord Rimus carried the Staff of Elders, wrapped in its cloth, and Samuel’s gaze followed the thing as it went. Its power had been astounding and he found himself already hoping he would have a chance to get his hands on it again soon.
Samuel then turned to survey the sorry scene below him. People were scurrying in every direction, tending to the injured where they lay or hurrying others away on stretchers. Piles of the dead were already being made-one bright in the colours of the Royal Guard; the other a mound of black.
Almost every experienced magician in the city had been slaughtered. It was a tragic blow for the Order and it would take years to replace such valued men. Samuel shook his head and started back down the stairs to help as much as he could. It would be a long day yet.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Samuel awoke with an awful headache. It seemed he had been doing this quite often lately, but this time, it was entirely his own fault. He remembered coming back to the school with Lomar, Master Glim and Eric the day before to find Goodfellow. After briefly discussing the events at the palace, the five of them had gone into the city for a night of celebration at
He climbed out of the chair in which he had awoken, his limbs feeling awkward and heavy, and stepped out the door. He relieved his bladder onto the ground the moment he had his trousers loosened-without even a thought of making for the privy. Much relieved, he stepped back inside. Eric was asleep in his bed, his mouth wide open. He looked almost dead.
Samuel tried to cast a spell to clear his head a little, but the ability evaded him. His head had an incessant ringing inside and it made thinking decidedly difficult. Thinking this early in the day, he decided, was definitely a bad idea. Instead, he stumbled from Eric’s room and out into the grounds, drawn by a compulsion to put something solid in his gut. Making for the Masters’ kitchen, his body carried him forward like a mindless creature.
He could not tell what time it was, but the sun was a fair way in the sky. An apprentice trotted past and called ‘good day’, but Samuel’s head was too thick to reply. The cooks made him a meal and it helped to settle the uneasiness in his stomach somewhat.
It had been a week since the death of the Emperor and Samuel found himself striding through the lamplit city streets between the two Erics. Master Glim had sent urgent word for them to come to the palace for a meeting, so the three of them had hurried off at once with all haste.
‘Watch this!’ Eric told his friends as they made through one of the many smaller markets. A line of camels was being led along the street by a tanned easterner. People, mostly wealthy visitors’ and merchants’ children, paid to sit on the backs of these animals and be led around the city. The experience was said to be interesting, but akin to voluntary torture. ‘
The three young men laughed and ducked from view before the swearing teamster could spy them.
‘What did you say?’ Goodfellow asked.
‘I heard one of them say it one time. It must mean “
They all laughed again and continued merrily towards the palace.
On arrival, they were led to a large meeting room in the palace, which was centralised by a long, dark- timbered table. Sitting around it were Lomar and Master Glim, Grand Master Anthem with the comparatively- youthful Grand Master Gallivan seated beside him, and a number of the councillors including High Lord Rimus and Lords Vander, Hathen and Irshank. The three new arrivals each sat in a vacant chair as directed.
‘Welcome, Samuel, Master Pot, Master Goodfellow,’ Grand Master Anthem began. ‘High Lord Rimus has asked me to brief you on what we have been discussing. Much has been happening since the unfortunate demise of our Emperor and the tragic events of the palace grounds. I will bring you up to date on what has occurred over recent days and then we have something to ask of you. First of all, I will inform you that Master Lomar and Master Glim have been appointed temporary positions on the Magicians’ Council and they can also help to fill you in on any other details once we are done. Lord Coombs was an unfortunate casualty of the recent altercation and Lord Jarrod’s murder also creates a vacancy that must be filled.’ Samuel and his friends nodded at the statement and Grand Master Anthem continued. ‘You all know of the events that occurred here last week. We now know that our beloved Archmage and Emperor were killed by Garten infiltrators-’ His voice did not carry any great tone of sincerity, but of course it would not be wise for anyone to publicly rejoice over the deaths. Even during their drunken celebration in The Pride, they were very careful in everything they said. It turned out the owner had forced all the other patrons outside and barred the door once the magicians’ tongues had started flapping a tad too freely. ‘-and the Order lost many wise and good friends. These losses, however, will only serve to make us stronger. We have been in close discussion with the Empress, the Emperor’s civil and military advisors and key Turian nobles.
