Legends of the Dragonrealm, Vol. III

cause me affront.”

The lionbird had always struck the warlock as the sort of monarch that he had hoped Kyl would become. Sadly, the young drake had chosen among his own kind for guidance, but fortunately he had at least chosen the Green Dragon as one of his mentors.

Cabe launched into a detailed description of the journey and their stay in Talak. Mention of the Seekers made the Gryphon’s mane ruffle in concern, but the emissary asked no questions. The lionbird was visibly surprised at Kyl’s handling of the untrusting Melicard, especially the request for the private ceremony acknowledging to the lords of Talak the travesties performed in the name of the Dragon Emperor.

Cabe was about to point out Grath’s influence in most of those situations when he felt the presence of his wife’s mind within his own.

Cabe. I tried not to disturb the two of you, but would you please come to Aurim’s chambers?

What’s wrong?

I am really not certain. She broke the link.

“Something is amiss, Cabe.”

The warlock eyed his guest. “You know?”

“You grew slightly distant and your gaze drifted. I have studied sorcery for far too long not to recognize that you were communicating with someone, likely the Lady Gwendolyn. If she feels that something is important enough to create the need to summon you, then I can only assume it is nothing good.”

Rising, the warlock could only marvel at the Gryphon’s guesswork. “You assume right. I’ll explain later, but for now, if you’ll excuse me-”

“Nonsense!” The Gryphon also rose. “If there is something wrong, Cabe, I don’t plan to sit by.” He unsheathed the claws of one hand. With his regal bearing and his polite manner of speech, it was sometimes easy to forget that the figure before him could be every bit as savage as his namesake.

“All right, I won’t argue. You could be right.” The warlock took hold of the Gryphon’s arm. “We’re going to Aurim’s chambers.”

“Lead on.”

The transfer was immediate. Cabe and the Gryphon looked around, searching for any sign of danger. The room, though, appeared completely normal, save for the pensive expression on the face of Gwendolyn Bedlam.

“Always a pleasure to see you, my lady,” the Gryphon said, bowing as gracefully as was possible for him.

“I apologize for not greeting you, Gryphon.” The emerald enchantress continued to look slightly anxious. Every few seconds, her eyes would turn from them to gaze at some random location in the chamber. “I’d planned to, but first I had wanted to talk to our son.”

“Aurim?” Cabe noticed that their son was not in the room, but before worry could overwhelm him, his wife shook her head.

“He’s all right, Cabe. I haven’t summoned him, yet, but I do know where he is.”

The warlock relaxed. “Then what’s the danger?”

She put a hand to her chin and stared into space. “I am not absolutely certain if there even is any danger, but . . . but when I stepped inside, I noticed something that unnerved me.” Gwen blinked, then spread her arms. “Tell me what you sense. Both of you, if you don’t mind, Gryphon.”

“Not at all.”

Cabe cleared his thoughts and sent out a probe. At first, the room seemed no different. Aurim’s presence was everywhere, which was to be expected in a place that he frequented so much. There were other, older traces, but they were so faint as to be inconsequential. Besides, the sorcerer recognized them. They could not be what his bride had wanted him to notice.

He briefly touched the presence of the Gryphon, vaguely noting the differences in their magical signatures. Since that, too, was quite obviously not what he was hunting for, Cabe moved on. He wondered again what exactly it was Gwen had noticed and contemplated asking her, if only to better aid his search.

Barely had the warlock thought that when he discovered the answer. It was an answer he could have done without.

The trace was barely noticeable. He had to concentrate hard to keep from losing the tenuous trail.

“What is it?” the Gryphon asked from beside him. His probe, too, had located the trace, but he did not recognize its origins.

“It feels as if . . . as if . . .” Cabe did not want to complete the sentence, as if that would make it not true.

“It tastes of Toma, does it not?” the enchantress demanded, arms folded tight. Like her husband, she also wished to deny it.

“Toma?” The former mercenary’s voice went cold. “Toma? In the Manor?”

Hearing the hatred, Cabe quickly added, “Not now, but sometime in the past.”

“But how?” demanded the Gryphon. “How could that murderous lizard have gained access to your domain?”

“We have no idea, Gryphon,” the Lady Bedlam replied. She explained how they had come to know the startling truth. The lionbird listened in awe, and even Cabe felt chills as he relived seeing the renegade duke standing in the doorway of his study. Gwen went on to describe the careful search they had made of the Manor grounds, a search which had yielded nothing for all their hard work.

“But then how do you explain this?”

“The trace is very faint. I cannot explain why I noticed it, but I can see how it might have been missed before, especially since Aurim practices his spells in his room. You can feel his overwhelming presence here, can you not?”

The Gryphon nodded. The room was very much the young Bedlam’s domain.

“What worries me is that this might not be the only evidence that we have missed.”

Cabe had not thought of that. True, it was unlikely that he and Gwen had missed any such trace, but what about the areas that Valea and Aurim had been searching? He recalled where he had interrupted Kyl and his daughter. “We should probe the stables again . . . just in case.”

“If I may be permitted, Cabe, perhaps I could do a search of my own.”

“There’s no need for you to-”

“Please. We have been through that before, haven’t we?” The Gryphon turned to Gwendolyn. “What say you, my lady? Will you permit me to attempt a spell of my own? It promises a very thorough scrutiny of this place.”

There was no hesitation on her part. “Do it. I want to be able to rest easy. I want to know.”

The lionbird nodded. Without another word, he closed his eyes. Cabe could feel the stirring of power.

It was as if the Gryphon were everywhere at once. A force radiated from him, a force that spread throughout Aurim’s chambers and continued on, unimpeded by any physical presence. It moved beyond the outer halls and the balcony, out beyond the very Manor itself.

The inhuman mage grunted. Next to him, the warlock sensed a renewed push that expanded the Gryphon’s spell farther and farther beyond the Manor walls. The terrace was engulfed. The stables. The outer buildings, where most of those who served the Bedlams lived. Even the gardens were enveloped. The lionbird’s claws unsheathed and sheathed as he worked to maintain his concentration. The spell did not require that much power, but it did require concentration if it was to be effective, especially since they were searching for what were likely very thin traces of the duke’s former presence.

“The spell’s reached the barriers,” the Gryphon finally announced. “It can go no further without your permission.”

“Let it go just beyond, if you will.”

“A wise thought, Lady Gwendolyn.” The inhuman sorcerer did just that. “My spell now covers the surrounding forest for almost fifty yards in every direction.”

“Do you sense anything?” Cabe asked, fascinated.

“A moment.” The Gryphon’s voice grew distant. “This is a spell that works slowly, and by doing so more