Legends of the Dragonrealm, Vol. III

A movement near Valea tore Cabe’s gaze from the deadly drake. To the sorcerer’s shock and amazement, he watched as Grath, materializing out of the shadows, seized hold of the young witch’s arms. Kyl’s brother bore an expression of interest in the proceedings, nothing more. Cabe did not even have to utilize his skills to know that Grath was no prisoner, no enchanted victim. He was a willing participant in Toma’s madness.

It was all the mage could do to keep his fury under control.

“It isss cussstomary to kneel before the emperor,” Toma announced.

“I am not a drake, as you know,” returned Cabe. He gave the renegade a slight smile. “Besides, I recall the ascension being some days away still . . . if it still comes after what you’ve done.”

At that, Kyl leaned forward. There was something in his manner that the warlock thought bespoke of built- up tension. The heir resembled a trap set much too tight, so that the slightest touch would set it off. Cabe thought it an interesting contrast to the attitude of the other two drakes. “What do you mean by that?”

“He meansss nothing by it, Your Majesty. He isss seeking to undermine you, to ssstir phantom fears in the hopesss that you will be a less able monarch becaussse of them.” Toma took a few steps upward as he spoke. Almost midway to the top, he turned to again study the human. “He hasss never desired a strong ruler for our race. That would be too much a danger to growing human control. That would be too much a danger to the power that he and hisss friends wield.”

Cabe wanted to laugh, although the duke’s words were anything but humorous. “I’m hardly you, Toma. I never asked for or desired my power the way that you covet not only yours but everyone else’s. Neither I nor any of the others have tried to seize the entire land . . . unlike you.”

“I did what I did in the name of my father, the emperor.”

“And now you do it in the name of your brother?”

“Of course,” replied the duke in all solemnity. “Ssserving the emperor hasss always been my duty . . . but perhapsss you cannot fathom sssuch thinking, warlock.”

Cabe took a defiant step forward. Kyl leaned back in the throne, his eyes darting from the warlock to Toma and then back to Cabe again. Grath tightened his hold on Valea, who was clearly under some spell that did not allow her to move of her own accord. Cabe was, however, fairly certain that she could both hear and see him. “Oh, I can fathom such thinking, as you say, but not in regards to you, Toma. I know you. I remember. Perhaps you did have some loyalty to the Gold Dragon, but I wonder just how much of that has been transferred to the one who, because he bears the markings that you feel life cheated you of, sits on the throne that would have been yours, otherwise.”

The duke hissed in anger, but said nothing. Cabe noted with interest how Kyl studied his supposed champion. It was not the type of look that he would have expected. The heir was not so pleased with Toma as the warlock had first imagined. What else have I been mistaken about?

“You have ssstill not anssswered my question, Massster Bedlam. What do you mean when you sssay that my ascension to the throne isss now in jeopardy?”

He had Kyl listening. That was more than Cabe could have hoped for under the circumstances. Toma clearly wanted to find some reason to prevent the warlock from answering, but to interrupt again would only serve to indicate the danger the duke felt Cabe’s response represented.

“First, I must assume that it was not the duke’s original intention to cause such chaos so close to the culmination of his plans. I must assume that he wanted you to be firmly ensconced on the throne . . . with Grath beside you acting as his mouth.” The last was only a guess, but from the way Kyl’s brother behaved, Cabe had to assume that he had spent most of his life misreading Grath. The younger drake was no innocent; he was definitely allied with Toma. The reasons behind that alliance would have been interesting to know, but now was hardly the time to pursue such questions.

Toma laughed, a harsh, raspy sound containing little humor. He turned partially toward the heir and pointed an accusing finger at the warlock. “You see how hisss mind works! You need to forget whatever supposed friendship he extended to you, my liege, and recall only hisss dissstaste for you whenever you were near hisss daughter.” The renegade’s eyes burned bright as he returned his attention to Cabe. “Hisss Majesty isss well aware of the circumstancesss that forced me to abandon a plan ssso well conceived and executed that I walked among you for years! An accidental encounter that could have been forgotten if not for your precocious ssson! No one would have had to come to harm or trouble. You would have all sssimply been made to forget. What your get did to my ssspell I do not know, but by meddling when he should not have, he forced me to defend my emperor.”

Now it was the sorcerer’s turn to laugh. “‘Defend my emperor’? Nothing would’ve happened to Kyl if you’d left. In another day, he would’ve simply met with Lord Blue and, I’ve no doubts about this, Kyl would have gained his support without trouble.” Cabe’s expression turned grim. “I wonder, too, how you planned to make us forget Ssarekai’s death on top of matters, Toma. He remembered you, didn’t he? Poor Ssarekai. Knowing him, he tried to stop you himself. You didn’t have to kill him, especially not the way you did, but that’s typical of you-”

“Toma!” hissed Kyl. “You told me that Ssssrekai wasss alive but bessspelled!”

The duke’s taloned hands folded into fists. Cabe felt a mild tug on the powers around them. Toma was doing something, but it was too weak to be a spell of any danger. What then?

“An accident, my liege,” replied the sinister drake. “I acted without thinking, for a knife wasss at my throat. I assure you, I did not want the ssstable master’s death-”

“I’ve told you about Toma, Kyl,” interrupted Cabe. “Others tend to die around him.”

“I will have you sssilent!” roared Toma. This time, there was the definite buildup of power. Cabe quickly threw up a magical shield, all the while silently praying that he had not underestimated the intensity of the duke’s assault.

The area surrounding the warlock flared bright orange.

“Toma! Ssstop! I forbid you!”

The renegade did cease his attack, but was otherwise paying little attention to Kyl. He descended to the last step, eyes wide with hatred and lipless mouth open to reveal the sharp, predatory teeth. Cabe strengthened his shield again, but Toma unleashed no new spell.

“Ssso much planning wasted after ssso much success! Daysss from my goal and children ruin everything! Ever hasss there been a Bedlam acting as a thorn in my hand! The cossst of the ssspell that allowed me to masquerade as the tutor left me without physical ssstrength for days and little ability to touch upon the powers for monthsss.” Here, Toma clasped a hand over the blade that Cabe recognized as the one Traske-the drake-had always worn. Now the sorcerer knew what it was and the knowledge made him curse himself for never noticing. Small wonder that Toma had been so weakened after endowing the blade with his spell. The complexity of such a design staggered Cabe. Toma would have to look, act, sound, and even feel like Benjin Traske, a human, at nearly all hours. He could never be certain that someone might need to speak to him in the middle of the night. More dangerous was the fact that, with so many others around him, the drake would have to be concerned over an accidental touch by a passerby. Yet, despite living among his enemies for so very long, Toma had been able to succeed with his masquerade. Cabe had shaken his hand on many occasions. He should have been able to note the difference. Worse, the warlock should have sensed the sorcery at work.

Something must have happened that night that Aurim had noticed Toma. Perhaps Toma had lost control of the knife. Aurim probably recalled now. If Cabe survived . . .

“Jussst a little longer,” Toma continued, oblivious to the intense interest Kyl now had in what he was saying. “Jussst a little longer and then he would have been emperor. I could have been introduced to him ssslowly, firssst as Benjin Trassske, his advisor, and then asss myssself.”

Someone would have had to pave the way for that to happen. Cabe looked up at Grath, who was growing uncomfortable. That was why Toma needed Grath. Kyl had always looked to his brother for advice; if the younger drake recommended leniency, even a position of importance for the renegade, Cabe did not doubt for one moment that the new emperor would eventually grant the duke both.

How long after would Toma be all but emperor? Could Kyl not see what Toma’s plans would ultimately mean?