Legends of the Dragonrealm, Vol. III

Suddenly the eternal loomed over him. “It’s true, then? My captors are dust?”

“All of them.” Cabe almost winced as he told the lie. “It wasn’t a pretty way to go, Darkhorse. I think you can be satisfied that they’ve paid.”

The shadow steed snorted. “I will have to be, I suppose.” He cocked his head. “I wonder what they wanted of me. How long have I been a prisoner?”

It had not even occurred to the sorcerer that his friend knew nothing of the dire deeds that had transpired since his imprisonment. Cabe swallowed. “There’s much you’ve missed, Darkhorse. Too much.”

Some of Darkhorse’s fury abated. “Your tone is not one I find I like, Cabe. What is it? What’s happened?”

The tale spilled out of the warlock’s mouth almost of its own volition. He described the foul spells that Toma had imprinted on the minds of his son and Ssarekai, then proceeded to tell of the tragedy that had befallen the kingdom of Penacles.

Darkhorse was still when Cabe at last finished. The icy eyes glowed with much less fury but more frustration.

“I am . . . sorry . . . about Toos. He was an interesting human, Cabe. Such an end was hardly fitting. So his assassins also are dead?”

“By the same manner as their leader. He was a wolf raider, probably an officer.”

“Wolf raider. . . .” Darkhorse glowered as only he could. “Even without an empire, they still manage to meddle. This explains such a fanatical mission. Only an Aramite officer would see to it that neither he nor his men would survive if the plot failed. Good in one respect, for it means less to hunt down afterward. May the Lords of the Dead have no pity on their souls. It’s over, then?”

Cabe could not prevent a sigh this time. He hoped that his companion would not read too much into it. The warlock was not certain that he could maintain the lie if pressed. “This is. There may be repercussions, though. Kyl was quite shook-up.”

“So I would think.” Darkhorse scuffed the soil, sending large chunks of earth flying. “I am still not certain about this matter, Cabe. I think someone else was behind this.”

“You do?” He tried not to reveal his anxiety.

The eternal dipped his head in an equine nod. “I would not be surprised to find the talons of Toma sunk deeply into this travesty!”

Seizing the notion and turning it to his own use, Cabe agreed. “You may be right.”

“We need to find that reptilian fiend and put an end to his misdeeds! I will not rest until that has happened!”

This time, the warlock had no difficulty agreeing. Even if the renegade drake had not been involved in Darkhorse’s capture, which was still not a notion that Cabe could entirely dismiss, he had much else to answer for.

“We’ll find him, Darkhorse. Somehow we will.”

The nightmarish stallion again pawed at the ground. The spark in his eyes rekindled, becoming a blaze. Yet, his form noticeably wavered, as if he still did not have complete control over it. The pupilless eyes peered down at him. “Do you intend to return to the Manor now?”

Cabe gently touched the box in his robe. He hoped his own presence shielded the artifact from Darkhorse’s senses. Despite the shadow steed’s manner, it was clear that he was weak, which was the only reason that the warlock hoped he could keep the box concealed. Darkhorse would want to destroy the box and, in truth, Cabe would have been hard-pressed to prevent him from doing so without revealing just exactly why it was necessary to keep it in one piece. The mage himself was not exactly certain why; he simply felt that the sinister device would prove a damning bit of evidence when he faced the one responsible. “Yes. I want to look around here a little first, then I’ll be returning to the Manor.”

Again the shadow steed’s form wavered. This time, when Darkhorse spoke, his voice was muffled, as if someone had in part succeeded in gagging him. Yet, his tone was still one of unbridled self-confidence. “Then I shall trust to your safety since all the villains are dead. In the meantime, there is a hunt that I must begin. Toma must needs be taught a proper lesson for this!” The eternal began to turn away. “If I find anything of significance, I shall come to the Manor; I promise you.”

“Are you . . . are you certain that you’ll be all right, Darkhorse?”

The ebony stallion swung his head and chuckled. “Of course, I will be! I am Darkhorse, am I not?”

Cabe could only smile and shake his head. No matter what dire straits the shadow steed faced, it seemed that there were some character traits forever ingrained in his rather eccentric personality. On the one hand, the sorcerer would not have wanted Darkhorse to change, but on the other hand, it likely would have been better for all concerned if the shadow steed was better able to restrain himself when it came to certain matters. Certainly, Cabe would sleep easier. Unfortunately, Cabe was aware that nothing but imprisonment or destruction would sway the injured stallion from his chosen path.

“Fare you well, Cabe, and my thanks. . . .” The massive equine began to trot . . . and was suddenly nowhere to be seen. Swifter than the wind was a phrase that failed to describe the eternal’s speed.

He doesn’t realize, the master mage thought as he stared where his companion had stood not a breath before. Hopefully, it’ll remain that way.

Alone, Cabe finally turned and gave the dusty remains of the conspirators one last cursory glance. Already Cabe knew that there was nothing to be learned from these. Even the leader’s empty armor and cloak left no secrets. After a minute or two of futile searching, the warlock turned his attention to the horses, but a thorough examination revealed that the saddlebags contained only some food, water, and a few other necessities for travel. The contents told him only one interesting thing; the sparsity of food meant that either the hooded figures had planned to locate supplies elsewhere, or they had not expected to ride much further after this. Cabe knew of nothing nearby. They could not hope to catch sufficient game in this area, either.

The evidence would have been circumstantial to most, but to the uneasy spellcaster, what he knew was sufficient to condemn. He dared not deal with the matter this night, though. Best to return home and face this when I’ve rested. Maybe I’ll still find another answer. Maybe.

He remained long enough to send the horses through a blink hole, one of the large, magical portals a spellcaster could create, that would leave them in the royal stables of Penacles. One of the animals carried a note on its saddle, a missive from the warlock to the Gryphon explaining what had happened. As with the explanation to Darkhorse, it left some things unsaid.

Satisfied that the Gryphon would know best what to do with the dead assassins’ things, Cabe prepared for home. A good night’s sleep was what he would need, especially if he planned to go through with his accusations. He would need all the strength he could when it came time to reveal what he knew.

Even then, Cabe was not certain that he would be strong enough.

XVII

Despite his determination the night before, the new day found Cabe ensconced in his study, his mind a raging maelstrom of doubt and contradiction. He had been there since his return from tracking down the assassins. Neither Gwendolyn nor the children had been able to stir him from the emotion that bespelled him, and they had finally resigned themselves to allowing him to find his own way back.

Cabe could not explain to them, not without revealing what he felt should not be revealed. There had been enough tragedy and violence already; the knowledge . . . the suspicions . . . he entertained were enough to start a new war.

The damning box sat on the table before him, a dark thing both revealing and mysterious. No one knew it was here; he had cast a cloaking spell around it at first opportunity. Since no one here had known of the box in the first place, the few moments it had been unshielded had not mattered. Besides, there were so many other concerns already being dealt with that it was doubtful anyone else had had the time to even notice the brief existence of the foul artifact.