‘Is that all?’
‘Yes, my Lord Lockesh. It was a short but pointed conversation.’
‘What did you say to him?’
‘Nothing but to assure him I would pass on his words exactly as I had received them, which I have done. I have left nothing out.’
Lockesh inclined his head a fraction.
‘Your sacrifice is noted,’ he said. ‘You are certain he gave you no specific orders and mentioned no one by name?’
‘Absolutely certain,’ said Hynd, comfortable to pass on the whole truth.
‘Remind us,’ said Killith. ‘What’s the worst-case scenario for you mages if and when the Sundering occurs?’
Lockesh cast his gaze heavenwards.
‘The Sundering is the once-theoretical-now-disastrously-probable shattering of the Triverne stone, the heart of magic on Balaia. You know that each mage uses mana which is channelled and focused through that stone. That’s true wherever we are in the world, whenever we create a casting. So what do you think might happen if the stone shatters?’
Pindock spoke through trembling lips.
‘It would be considerably harder to cast spells, I should imagine,’ he said, plainly hoping that it would be a great deal less serious than that.
‘No,’ said Lockesh, stalking towards the career politician in soldier’s clothing. ‘Until another stone — another heart, if you like — was fashioned, it would prevent us from casting spells altogether. It would render us powerless.’
‘We are inside a sound bubble right now, aren’t we?’ said Loreb. Lockesh simply sighed in his direction. ‘Good. Because this news mustn’t reach the army. That means you, Hynd, can’t tell your pet a word of it. I will kill you, personally, should this news leak out. With your permission of course, Lord Lockesh.’
‘Granted,’ said Lockesh. ‘Hynd, wait for me. Say nothing to anyone. Particularly, as the general says, to Captain Jeral. I will speak to you when we are done here.’
Hynd bowed and left the command post. He was shaking. During and after the Communion, the words had sounded like a death knell in his head but hadn’t truly sunk in. Now they had, they terrified him. He kept sampling the mana flow to convince himself it was still there.
He couldn’t begin to imagine what it would be like to be denied it, to reach for it only to find it absent. Like death, perhaps. It would be an unbearable loss, anyway. He hugged himself, head down, hands rubbing at his upper arms. A vague sense of nausea was building inside him. He sampled the mana flow again. Was it as strong and certain as before?
Hynd stopped abruptly, just a few paces from where Jeral waited impatiently, clearing his throat noisily. To build the shape for a spell and to cast it only for the mana flow to disperse without warning… Gods on a pyre, the effects would be disastrous, catastrophic even, and certainly explosive. Hynd shuddered and shook his head, trying to believe it wouldn’t actually happen.
‘Lost your way? I’m over here.’
Hynd looked up. Jeral was waving at him and had spoken as if he’d been hollering at him from a long distance.
‘Something on my mind,’ said Hynd, trying to relax.
‘Well you look really jittery, if that helps,’ said Jeral, walking over to him.
‘Not in the least.’ Hynd indicated they leave the column and he sat with his back to a tree, ignoring the dampness which spread through the seat of his trousers. Jeral squatted next to him. ‘Funny, isn’t it? When we started this march, I’d have cleared this whole space before sitting down and looked up until my neck hurt to make sure no snakes or spiders were going to drop on my head. Now look at me.’
‘Yeah, you’re a man the Sharps look up to now. But never mind that. Spill. What’s the big news that’s got you so twitchy?’
‘I can’t tell you.’
‘Sure you can.’
‘I’ve got orders.’
‘Yes,’ said Jeral. ‘From me. So what did the old skeleton tell you? Whatever it was, those morons in charge must have reacted badly to it if you’re anything to go by. Come on. I’m not your captain; I’m your friend. The one who clears up your vomit, remember?’
‘I can’t tell you,’ said Hynd. He was fidgeting and couldn’t stop himself. He nodded back towards the command post. ‘Orders from a higher authority. He wants me to wait for him, so you might hear something from him.’
‘Something major, though, right?’
‘Right.’
They didn’t have to wait long. With a stride that indicated his anger, Lockesh marched out of the command post, barking at soldiers to get out of his path. He beckoned Hynd and Jeral to him with a curt gesture and carried on walking, moving further from the column and out towards the pickets, whose firelight was bright in the deepening gloom.
‘Those utter idiots,’ he muttered. ‘Right, Hynd. They think I am ordering you to try to commune with Ystormun again, to get clarification. Never mind that Ystormun chooses when to conduct Communion; their ignorance suits us for now. You and I will concoct a conversation over a bowl of whatever revolting broth is on the go.
‘Jeral… You’ve told the good captain nothing, I presume?’
‘No, he bloody hasn’t said a thing,’ said Jeral.
‘Just as well.’ Lockesh was silent for a moment. Hynd felt him constructing a spell shape and then casting with a circling of his right index finger in front of his face. ‘Right. Jeral, I am going to entrust you with knowledge that, should it become public, will bring about your immediate, untimely and extremely painful death. Do you understand?’
‘Yes, my lord.’
‘Good. Ystormun has sent word that the Sundering might happen earlier than expected but given us no exact time for it. Suffice to say it could happen at any time and there is unlikely to be any warning that it is coming. You understand the difficulties that will cause, I take it?’
‘Hynd has explained it to me before, my lord.’
‘I’m sure he has,’ said Lockesh. ‘Sadly, whatever he told you was no idle speculation. As you can imagine, the prospect of losing all magical support has left our glorious leaders running in little circles of panic and bluster. It is also, already, leading them to make all sorts of rash decisions about our plan of attack that will be the death of us all.
‘You’ve heard the mages’ reports about the position of the city and its angles of approach. Soon you will have more information about its defensive capabilities. I need you to start developing tactics that can be effectively deployed assuming you have no magical resources at all on which to draw. And I also want plans for defending helpless mages from marauding TaiGethen. In fact, as far as I’m concerned, protecting me is far more important than invading any city.
‘Work with Hynd on this. Develop plans which include very limited spell possibilities too… basic shields, walls and so on, perhaps — simple and quick castings. Just in case, you understand.’
Lockesh stopped and turned to face them both. Hynd should have been afraid but for some reason he felt a thrill that he shared with Jeral. From the certainty of failure had leapt the possibility of success, as long as his friend was in charge.
‘The one piece of good news is that you, Jeral, are off their hit list for now. They need every capable soldier they can muster. Nonetheless, Hynd, you must not slacken in your efforts to keep him alive.
‘The potential of a Sundering is going to make the generals rush in when they should wait and watch. They will attempt to seize victory in far too short a space of time and in doing so will make mistakes the enormity of which will be studied by students of war for generations to come. When those orders are given, you need to be ready to step in, Captain Jeral. If your stock is as high as I think it is, men will follow you rather than their orders,
