The Unwelcome Warlock

that he had gone straight up, and not headed for either Aldagmor or Lumeth, demonstrated that there was some deception involved. He was still getting his thoughts straight, working out what had happened.

He might even be right. Ithinia had said that the Guild didn’t expect Hanner to deal with Vond all by himself, which rather implied they had other plans for dealing with him. This mysterious dream might be part of those plans.

“It must have been a convincing dream, to scare...to startle you out of your sleep so violently,” Hanner said.

“Oh, it was perfect,” Vond said. “It was exactly like the real thing — didn’t I say that was one way I knew it was a fraud?”

“Maybe you did. My experience of the Spell of Invaded Dreams hasn’t been so impressive — perhaps it wasn’t the Guild, but some other magicians.”

Vond waved a hand dismissively. “I haven’t done anything to antagonize anyone else,” he said. “It must be the Guild.”

Hanner remembered Zallin’s description of Vond’s behavior during their tour of the city, which could easily have antagonized any number of people, but decided not to mention it. “What do you intend to do about it?” he asked.

Vond’s eyes narrowed. “That’s a good question,” he said. “I’m not sure yet.” He looked down. “Right now, I think I should put on some clothes, and I have some repairs to make.”

“I’d appreciate the repairs,” Hanner said.

“I suppose you would, since you claim to own this house.”

“I do own this house,” Hanner replied angrily.

“Hanner, you were Called. Called warlocks are considered dead. You may have owned this house before you were Called, but it’s not so clear as all that whether you still own it.”

“I...I don’t...” Hanner let his voice trail off. He had not really given the matter much thought. Like every warlock, he had written a will when he began to feel the Call, and he had left the house to his children, to be held for them by the Council of Warlocks until such time as they claimed it; had they ever claimed it? They weren’t living here, which implied that they had not, and Hanner had returned, and the Council had been disbanded...

This was complicated. It might require a magistrate to sort it out.

“You invited these two to stay here?” Vond said, interrupting Hanner’s thoughts. He gestured toward the two beds.

“Yes,” Hanner said. “They didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

“You have other guests, as well?”

“Yes.”

“All former warlocks?”

“Yes.”

“How many?”

“I’m not...why do you ask?”

Hanner felt himself rise off the floor. “Answer the question!” Vond demanded.

“I don’t know!” Hanner said, as he hung helplessly in mid-air. “I haven’t kept count.”

“You haven’t... Really? Give me an estimate, then. Twenty? Thirty?”

There was no particular reason to hide the truth, and there were others who would tell him if Hanner refused. “Dozens,” Hanner said. “A hundred or more.”

“A...a hundred? Seriously?”

Hanner noticed that the warlock’s clothing was rising up from the room below, slipping through the hole in the floor. “Yes, your Majesty,” he said.

“I don’t see that many.”

“They...they aren’t all in the house itself,” Hanner said.

Vond raised his arms to allow his robe to slide on. “Where are they, then?”

“That’s a little difficult to explain. There’s magic involved.”

The robe fell into place, and Vond’s belt wrapped itself around his waist. “I’m not in a great hurry,” he said.

Hanner did not want to explain. He was afraid that Vond would see the tapestry as a threat, since after all, it was a gateway to a place where his magic wouldn’t work. He feared that the emperor might destroy it. But he couldn’t really see any way to avoid an explanation.

“I bought a spell,” he said. “Before I was Called. I wanted a refuge where warlocks could go to escape the Call, and I hired a wizard to create one for me. It’s a magical tapestry that will transport anyone who touches it into another world, one where the Source couldn’t be heard.”

Vond’s clothing stopped arranging itself. “You had this before you were Called?” he demanded.

“Yes, but only by an hour or so,” Hanner said. “I was Called immediately after testing it, before I could tell anyone it worked, so my family thought it must have made the Calling worse.”

“So there’s a way back out of this other world?”

“Yes, of course!”

“You’ve been sending your guests into the other world?”

“Yes.”

“Huh. Interesting. And warlockry doesn’t work there?”

“That’s right.”

“That sounds as if it might be very useful, under the right circumstances.”

“Well, it’s certainly kept this house from getting impossibly crowded.”

Vond nodded. He glanced down, then looked back at Hanner. “I’m going back downstairs,” he said. “I want to fix the damage, and talk to Leth, and take care of a few other things, but then I want you to show me this magical tapestry of yours. Meet me on the second-floor landing in half an hour, and bring Zallin. And Sterren, if you can find him.”

“Your Majesty, I don’t —”

“Half an hour,” Vond said, as he sank slowly and gracefully down through the hole in the floor. A cloud of debris swirled up from around the edges and began to arrange itself over the opening as the warlock vanished from sight.

Hanner watched him go, then looked at the two women. “I’m very sorry for the disturbance,” he said. “If you would prefer to find somewhere else to sleep tonight, something can probably be arranged.”

“Please,” Pirra said. “Let me get dressed, and then please find me somewhere else.”

Anra looked at the floorboards reassembling themselves, then at Hanner. “He could reach me anywhere,” she said. “I’ll stay here, thank you.”

“As you please,” Hanner said. “Pirra, I’ll be waiting out here.” Then he stepped back, closed the door, and turned to find Rudhira standing there. He started.

“How long have you been there?” he asked.

“I heard you tell him Sterren’s luggage was gone,” she said. “Hanner, it’s not really my business, but are you sure it was wise to tell him about the tapestries?”

“No,” Hanner replied. “I’m not sure at all. I didn’t see a good way to avoid it, though — I didn’t have a set of lies ready, and I’ve never been good at making them up on the spot.”

“I know,” she said. “It’s not in your nature to lie. But tonight I almost wish it was.”

Hanner did not know what to say to that, and instead said, “Can you find another place for Pirra? I need to go find Zallin, and drag him to Vond’s door.”

“He’s probably passed out drunk.”

“That would make the dragging a little more difficult, yes.”

Rudhira grimaced. “Go ahead, then. I’ll take care of this Pirra. Maybe she can demonstrate the tapestry for the emperor.”

“That might be useful,” Hanner said. “If she’s willing.”

“I’ll ask her.”

“Thank you, Rudhira,” Hanner said, as he hurried past her and headed for the stairs. “I don’t know what I