Stupid, stupid, stupid! was all that came into his head, as he closed his eyes and waited for Horin's sentence upon him.
'Xylox is a good judge of human character, if a little harsh on occasion,' the Master of the Guild intoned. 'Will you tell me he's wrong in his assessment of your character, Questor Grimm?'
The Questor shook his head. His mouth seemed unwilling to obey his commands.
'Excellent!' the Dominie said. 'You may be just the man I need! I know from your actions last night that you are a loyal Guild man, but I wanted to see that you were also not some mindless automaton. Are you willing to help me?'
Grimm could do no more than nod.
What's he playing at?
'This kedgeree is delicious, Questor Grimm. May I help you to some? Come, eat; you need to get some meat on those bones of yours. We'll discuss what I have in mind later. Eat, I say!'
The rest of the meal passed in a blur. All Grimm knew was that the Dominie had subjected him to a test, and that he had, somehow, passed it. If he ate or not, he did not know, but he did know that his reckless explosion had been, in some manner, acceptable to Horin. He had no appetite for food, but he hungered to know what the old man had in store for him.
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Chapter 18: Trust
Grimm sat in silence and watched as the Dominie worked his way through a mountain of food: kedgeree, poached eggs and whole lambs' kidneys, amongst other things. Horin seemed a single-minded man; he said nothing during the meal, his attention focused on the task at hand.
At last, the Master of the Guild pushed his plate aside and smothered a nascent eructation.
'Why, Questor Grimm, you don't seem to have eaten a thing! Breakfast is an important meal, especially for growing youths. I insist you try something.'
'Lord Dominie, you mentioned that you might require my help. That is more interesting and important to me than food, at this time.'
Horin chuckled and dabbed his lips with a white silk napkin. 'Ah, the impetuosity and impatience of the young!'
He put the napkin on his plate and sat back in his comfortable armchair. 'Very well, young Questor, I'll tell you, but only after you answer a question of mine: is there any aspect of your visit that you're not telling me? I can tell you're still hiding something from me. I need to be able to trust you without hesitation, if I'm to make use of you as I require.'
Grimm felt sure that Horin had already used the Sight on him on several occasions during their meeting; he could not believe that the Dominie would be prepared to entrust a callow, unknown youth with secret information otherwise. He felt the fires of curiosity flicker in his stomach, as he yearned to hear what the older mage wished to propose. Nonetheless, conflict raged inside his head.
Lord Thorn told me not to reveal this Quest to anybody, including the Presidium.
But that was because he already knew Lizaveta's Order was under Horin's protection! The Dominie knows all about the Sisters of Divine Mercy now.
No. Lord Thorn placed his trust in me. It's not for me to question his orders.
Despite his interest in Horin's proposal, whatever it might be, Grimm felt he could not disobey the Prelate's strict, direct order with impunity.
He took a deep breath, resolving to be true to his word. 'I'm sorry, Lord Horin. I can't tell you.'
'What?' the senior mage expostulated.
'Lord Dominie, if I may quote Rule 17.8: 'No Senior may come between a Junior and his conscience'. This matter concerns my conscience, Lord Horin.'
Horin leapt from his seat, vibrating with annoyance. 'Don't quote Guild rules at me, you insolent young whelp!' he shouted, wagging a finger at Grimm. 'I'll mention another, Rule 4.7: 'In all matters of Guild security, the Dominie's word is law, and may supersede other rules and regulations, as the Dominie sees fit'! How does that sit with your lawyerly compunctions?'
Grimm felt a new shock coursing through his spine, but he said nothing.
Horin sighed and sat back down, brushing a few wayward strands of hair from his eyes. 'I could have a pair of Seventh Rank Mentalists in here in a few moments, and I could make you tell me. But I won't do that. I want you to tell me of your own free will.'
His eyes locked on Grimm's. 'Trust me, Brother Mage; I wouldn't be asking you if it weren't important. I'm not playing puerile games with you. I need to be able to trust you implicitly.'
Grimm licked his dry lips. Horin had placed a heavy burden upon him. Should he tell of his mission and flout his sworn word to Thorn, or should he make an enemy of the most powerful man in the Guild? He rubbed his temples, which had begun to pulse like some metronome of discomfort.
Trust; such a small, simple word it was, yet so significant and weighty. After wrestling with his conscience, he decided that Thorn's admonition must have been superseded by his earlier revelations… perhaps.
'Dominie,' he said, still troubled by his shaky reasoning, 'I told Lord Thorn of my suspicions after Necromancer Numal convinced me of the truth of my vision when I was last here. Lord Thorn told me he had long suspected Lizaveta's Order of skulduggery within High Lodge. I was to gather information and evidence about Lizaveta's actions, and to report back to him alone, without alerting anybody within the Lodge.'
'Interesting,' Horin said in a soft voice. 'I should have thought that Lord Thorn would have alerted me first, if he suspected undue interference in Guild affairs.'
'Perhaps he already believed that you'd been… affected, Lord Dominie.'
Horin sat a moment in silent contemplation before speaking again.
'Questor Grimm: will you agree to submit to the use of a spell of Divination? I admit I have used Mage Sight on you before; that may be a breach of Guild protocol, but my needs are great, and I alone have that right. However, the technique is severely limited, and I want to put you to a more searching inquisition before I divulge any further information.'
Grimm considered his answer for some time. Divination was something of which he knew little, and he had thought that mastery of the sleight was confined only to Mentalists such as Magemaster Kargan at Arnor. From what little he knew of the spell, if he were subjected to such deep scrutiny, the older man would surely discover his liaison with Drexelica. That was something he was unwilling to surrender, at any cost.
It seemed the older man had sensed the Questor's unease. 'I already suspected that you have… another person in your life, Brother Mage,' he said. 'Your aura bears a taint of rose hue, a faint but undeniable indicator of requited love to those who understand the colours a little better than most.'
Grimm started; his deepest secret was discovered! However, Horin's next words acted as balm on his rising panic.
'Put your mind at rest on this score, young Afelnor: this is not blackmail. I am prepared to overlook such an indiscretion, as long as it doesn't interfere with your dedication to the Guild. Whether or not you agree to submit to my Divination, I swear on my honour as Dominie that I will divulge this to no other. The sign will mean little to other mages, even those who break the taboo on using the Sight on their peers.
'If you decline, I will ensure that you remember nothing of our meetings, other than the details I choose to allow to remain in your mind, I will send you back to your House, happy and fulfilled, but ignorant of our discussion.'
With the knowledge that his relationship with Drex was already in the open, Grimm found his decision easy.
'I will submit to your questioning, Lord Dominie.'
Horin shut his eyes and began to mumble; his voice rose to a shout as he rushed into a complicated, impeccable dance with the powers of runic magic.
This is no simple spell, Grimm thought as the old mage's face ran with perspiration. He's no Questor, but he's
