finger on it, but I’m sure there is some foul play at work. Every time I see him I get a distinct feeling that he appears to be something he is not.’
Lomar offered a suggestion. ‘If he is using the dark arts, then perhaps it is affecting his very life energy. I have heard some mention of this, but of course it was only conjecture.’
‘Perhaps,’ Samuel said.
‘So,’ Master Glim mused, ‘what do you plan from here?’
‘It’s very simple,’ Samuel stated. ‘I will find Ash and then I will kill him. As for the Emperor and the war and all the rest of it, I could not care less. Since I left Tindal, all I can think about is putting my hands around Ash’s neck and throttling the very life out of him.’
Master Glim shook his head. ‘No, Samuel. Such revenge is foolish. You will be tried for murder and hunted down by the entire Order. You must remember that you also bear the responsibility of the Order, even if you do not want it. You are a magician and nothing can change that. There is much more at stake here than just your personal tragedies, however terrible they may be. The world is speeding towards war. The Order is full of plots and I am growing old and tired of it all. We still must do everything we can to prevent this war. If we fail, then you can still go and throttle Ash as you wish, but if you kill him now it will only make matters more complicated for us. Countless lives are at stake here, Samuel, so please try to think beyond your own vendetta. You are a gifted magician and, with us, you can help us to set some of these wrongs right again.’
‘I must agree, Samuel,’ Lomar added. ‘I know you have your mind set on revenge, but such an act is petty in comparison to what we face. Can you not put aside your vengeance a while longer for the sake of what we stand to lose?’
Samuel was hesitant. ‘Ash killed my mother and father, my sister and all my brothers. Now, he has killed Leila and still, I cannot seem to have my revenge on him.’ He felt bitterness climbing in his throat, but he forced himself to swallow it down. ‘If anyone has a just cause for revenge, it is me. Can’t I put my family’s memory to rest?’
‘You can, Samuel, but not yet,’ Master Glim told him. ‘Trust me. At present, we three, along with the Erics, represent the only hope of averting the coming war. You can help us, Samuel. Remember that the soldiers from both sides are not playing games. In times of war, terrible things are done by all sides. Their armies will forge a path of destruction wherever they go. Women, children, the old and the invalid, will not be spared. Towns, villages and cities alike will be razed and burnt by the dozen.’
‘Very well,’ Samuel finally agreed. ‘I can see you are right. I will help you, but I promise you, I will kill Ash the moment I get the chance. If you don’t want that to happen, I suggest you keep us apart as best you can.’
‘Oh, don’t worry, Samuel,’ Lomar said. ‘I am sure there will be some opportunity for violence ahead. I have no love for Master Ash and if he ends up getting in the way, I will gladly hold him down while you get to work. How does that sound?’
At one time, Samuel would have laughed to see the lanky man making such threats, but recent events and the long sea voyage had drained Samuel’s capacity for mirth. Instead, he nodded glumly.
Master Glim then began to outline his plan. ‘We cannot act openly, but we must find a way to defy the Emperor’s call for the Order’s assistance in the war. For years, the Grand Master managed this by training the students in other areas, actively avoiding spells with such potential for warfare, but now Master Dividian has undone all that good work. There are hundreds more young magicians training even now in camps around the Empire, learning to coordinate with armed troops. The Emperor is only waiting for confirmation from the Council that all is ready. That is where we must strike-in the Magicians’ Council. We must convince those fools to reverse all the foolishness they have wrought-to vote “no confidence” in the Order’s ability to help in the war.’
‘But that has been tried time and time again,’ Lomar noted. ‘The Council, now more than ever, is aligned with the Emperor’s goals.’
‘And we shall follow their example,’ Master Glim explained. ‘We are backed into a corner, gentlemen. We need to get our own members on the Council, and those who don’t see our point of view will need to be removed by any means. Lord Jarrod manipulated the membership of the Council to suit him and we will do the same.’
‘We can’t just begin killing everyone,’ Lomar stated with some concern.
‘No, no-we won’t. The Archmage would simply step in and annul the whole Council altogether if it started getting too messy. We must keep our actions unseen. We must find out who on the Council is still sympathetic to our cause and find ways to convince the others, or, as I said, have them replaced. We don’t need everyone seeing eye-to-eye with us-just enough of them to throw some anarchy into their discussions.’
‘So who on the Council would help us?’ Samuel asked.
‘It’s difficult,’ Master Glim began. ‘Lord Goodwin is really the only one still arguing for reason, but he cannot do much on his own. I feel some of the other councillors would join him, if not for the fact that Jarrod is there. High Lord Rimus is obviously the most influential of them all but, while he is no friend of Lord Jarrod, he is a stout Imperial and would never dare oppose the Emperor’s view. While their causes are allied, like this, we have no chance of succeeding. We need to talk some sense into High Lord Rimus and break Lord Jarrod’s hold on the others.’
‘Rimus is an intelligent man,’ Lomar noted, ‘and he is not actively supportive of the war itself. He understands the effects of such things. We could conceivably bring him to our side if he can be seen to save face with the Emperor. It’s tricky…but possible. Lord Jarrod…I just don’t know.’
Master Glim nodded in understanding.
‘Did you say Lord Goodwin?’ Samuel asked, cutting in. ‘Tulan Goodwin?’
‘Yes,’ Master Glim answered. ‘Do you know him?’
‘Of course, although I would never have thought he would involve himself in such politics, let alone join the High Council. He always seemed uninterested in such things.’
‘I do not know him well,’ Master Glim said, ‘but he seems to have garnered many strong friends within the Order. That is how he gained his place on the Council and how it is that he still remains.’
‘I am sure that Tulan would help us,’ Samuel said. ‘And what of the Archmage? What has he been doing through all this?’
‘He says very little,’ Lomar said, scratching his long neck.
‘He meets with the Magicians’ Council rarely and even then only to settle minor disputes,’ Master Glim explained. ‘He seems to have no interest in the fate of the Order any more. It is said that at the last meeting he attended; someone commented on something he had suggested and he stormed out like an angry child. I cannot begin to conceive what is running through his mind. Seemingly, he has lost it altogether.’
‘I have heard some rumours…’ Lomar began, but trailed off.
‘Oh? Go on,’ Master Glim implored.
‘It is nothing substantial-possibly only wild accusations from those who oppose him-but there are whispers that the Archmage has been consorting with the desert folk, experimenting with their potions and exotic extracts to regain some of the vigour of his youth. It goes further. Some say he has been keeping strange company in his chambers at all hours of the night, but even my sources will dare not say any more.’
‘What kind of company?’ Master Glim asked, but a knock sounded on the door and all eyes moved quickly to it. ‘Who’s there?’ Master Glim then called to those outside.
‘Erics!’ returned the familiar voice of Eric Pot.
‘Come,’ Master Glim instructed and the door creaked in.
Eric Pot entered, beaming with joy upon the sight of Samuel. Eric Goodfellow followed him in, adjusting his rounded spectacles and smiling like a birthday boy himself.
‘Samuel!’ Eric declared. ‘It is wonderful to see you!’
‘Samuel!’ Goodfellow echoed.
Both had matured somewhat, a little taller and broader in general. Samuel threw his arms around them both in turn and laughed with genuine pleasure.
‘I only wish it was under more fortunate circumstances,’ he told them.
‘How is that?’ Eric asked.
Samuel quickly explained the events in Tindal to the newcomers and the conversation he had been having with Master Glim and Lomar.
‘But I fear we may need to do something drastic about Lord Jarrod,’ Master Glim added at the end. ‘I am sure he will not easily be dissuaded. He has been pursuing his own agenda for many years, and now that he has the
