Legends of the Dragonrealm, Vol. III

compulsion.

No great revelation came to him as he stepped out. Still, the breeze that touched his face calmed him a little. He leaned on the carved handrail and peered down. People, both human and drake, went about their businesses. Off in the distance, Aurim could make out his sister and Ursa. Probably pining for Kyl! he thought with a snort. Kyl was his friend, but Aurim doubted that any relationship between the drake and his sister was a wise thing. Try telling that to her, though.

The throbbing continued unabated. Trying to keep his mind from it, Aurim continued to study the areas below. Perhaps if he took a walk through the maze. That always soothed him. If his mother had no need for him, he would do that. The garden maze had been his own personal world when he had been tiny: a fantasy realm where he had sometimes fought heroic battles and other times simply sat and enjoyed the peacefulness.

He looked to his left. The stables, as usual, were fairly active. Some of the horses were being walked. Two figures were inspecting the hoof of a bay. One of them straightened, shaking his head. Ssarekai.

Ssarekai.

“Toma . . .” he whispered, not realizing what he had uttered until a moment later. When he became aware, Aurim’s countenance paled. He did not remember everything, but he remembered something.

Toma! That night I woke . . . the stables . . .

“Ssarekai?”

He did not even recall transporting himself, but suddenly Aurim was standing before the drake. The bay whinnied and tried to shy away from him, but the stable hand who had been conversing with Ssarekai managed to maintain his hold.

“Master Aurim! You should never-”

“What happened, Ssarekai? What did he do?”

The drake looked at him as if the warlock had gone mad. Perhaps he had, but Aurim did not care. He only wanted some answers to the horrible memories suddenly filling his head. Without thinking, he reached for the servitor and pulled him close. Ssarekai did not struggle, perhaps recalling that as a mage of great potential, his young master could have as easily thrown him across the span of the Manor grounds.

“You were with him! Somewhere below my chambers! You were with Toma!”

He had never seen a drake blanch before, but Ssarekai managed to do just that. The drake shook his head and his tongue darted out and in. He was so frightened that his sibilance became even worse than Kyl’s.

“Not sssso, Masssster Aurrrim! Not sssso! I would neverrr have anything to do with that rrrenegade, that monsssster!”

“I saw you! I also saw him-” Saw him do what? Do something, but I can’t recall what it was Toma did!

“I know nothing; I sssswear that by the Drrragon of the Depthssss!”

“Aurim!”

He ignored the call, his concern only for an answer to the scene replaying in his head. It was like reading the same page of a book over and over. He saw-or rather had sensed-the two of them below. Ssarekai himself the warlock could not really recall noticing, but he had been there; Aurim knew that now. Ssarekai had stood in silence while something had happened to Toma, a spell that the renegade himself had cast.

“Aurim!” This time the voice would not be denied. A hand clamped onto his shoulder to emphasize that fact.

Abruptly aware of what he was doing, the young sorcerer released his grip on the drake. Ssarekai hissed in relief, then stepped back just enough to be out of reach. Everyone was staring at Aurim . . . including his mother.

She almost seemed ablaze. The enchantress took hold of her son by the arms and looked him straight in the eyes. Under that gaze, he could not turn away.

“Listen to me!” she demanded. “Do you know what you’ve been doing?”

Much of the fight left him. He had come close to using his power on a trusted retainer, on someone who was a friend. He had been about to unleash his power without any thought as to the consequences.

“Do you know now?”

Aurim nodded. Only then did it become possible for him to look away. In a voice much younger, he whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not the one to apologize to.”

He understood. Turning around, he faced the still wary Ssarekai. Two stable hands were half-supporting the drake. “I’m sorry, Ssarekai! I really am!”

His extended hand was at first greeted with a stare. Then, the drake slowly extended his own. The two clasped hands. Ssarekai even smiled.

Although everyone else had begun to relax, Aurim was still anxious. His mother must have noticed, for she again drew his attention to her.

“Now tell me what happened, Aurim. Think it over carefully and answer me as best as you can.”

Taking a deep breath, Aurim related his tale, beginning with waking up and feeling the urge to go to the balcony. The emerald sorceress’s eyes burned when he mentioned suddenly recalling the presences of Toma and, belatedly, Ssarekai. What they had been doing, he could not remember. Aurim only knew that something had been happening to the renegade.

When his story was finished, Gwendolyn Bedlam turned to the unnerved Ssarekai, who had spent the last several seconds shaking his head in denial of his young master’s condemning statements.

“You’ve been with us since the beginning, Ssarekai. I won’t judge you without first hearing what you have to say.”

“I am innocent of thissss, misssstressss!”

“Calm yourself.” She touched him on the shoulder, touched him gently so that he could know that she was not going to harm him. “Tell me.”

Hissing, the drake sputtered, “I remember nothing of the fantastic tale Massster Aurim related! I would never deal with the likesss of that monster Toma! Never!”

Gwen glanced at Aurim. “What night was this? Do you remember that?”

He tried hard to recall. The best he could give her was a period of time spread across four days.

Again, Gwen questioned the drake. “Do you recall anything about those nights?”

Ssarekai looked even more distressed. “Misssstressss, I generally sleep very ssssoundly at night. I recall nothing of thosssse nights!”

“Nothing?” Her hand slid an inch or two across his shoulder.

“Nothing.”

“I know what I saw!” Aurim exclaimed. Now that he had remembered, it amazed him that he could have ever forgotten. How had it been possible, unless . . . unless Toma had cast some spell on him?

Toma in his mind. He recalled that now, too.

“His mind has been tampered with.”

His initial thought was to believe that his mother was speaking of him. Only when he realized that she was looking at Ssarekai did Aurim understand.

“The spell is very subtle,” the enchantress went on. “And unless we were looking for it, it would be almost impossible to notice. I’d wager you have something akin to it in your own mind, Aurim, but because of your power, the spell could not affect you as thoroughly as it did Ssarekai.”

The drake should have been pleased to have verification that he was innocent of the young warlock’s accusations, but discovering that the renegade had toyed with his mind had quickly destroyed that brief pleasure. Still, Ssarekai was not the type to let his fears rule him. “Can you remove it, Mistress Gwendolyn? I would remember whatever shameful thingsss the monssster had me do ssso that we can begin tracking him down!”

She concentrated on him, seeming to stare into the drake’s very soul. However, after more than a minute of this, a minute which to Aurim felt as if it were an hour, the enchantress shook her head. “No, not now. He’s somehow bound it to you. It will take more effort, more study. I think I would prefer that my husband or perhaps the Gryphon worked with me.”