Even though Bane didn't move, Qordis took half a step back. When he spoke, his voice was more composed, though it still dripped with anger. 'Get out,' he said, extending a long, bony finger toward the door. 'If you value the wisdom of the dead so much, then go. Leave the temple. Go to the Valley of the Dark Lords. Find your answers in their tombs.'
Bane hesitated. He knew this was a test. If he apologized now, if he groveled and begged the forgiveness of his Master, Qordis would probably let him stay. But he knew Qordis was wrong. The ancient Sith were dead, but their legacy remained. This was his chance to claim it as his own.
He turned his back on Lord Qordis and marched from the room without a word. There was no point in continuing the argument. The only way he could win was by finding proof. And he wasn't going to find it standing here.
Chapter 18
Bane had missed the morning practice session. It wasn't hard for Kas'im to figure out who was responsible for his absence.
He didn't bother to knock on Lord Qordis's door; he simply used the Force to burst apart the lock, then kicked it open. Unfortunately, the element of surprise he'd been hoping for had been lost.
Qordis had his back to the door, examining one of the magnificent tapestries that hung beside his oversized bed. He didn't turn when the Blademaster burst in; he didn't react at all. Which meant he'd been expecting the intrusion.
Kas'im gestured violently with his hand, and the door slammed shut. What he was about to say wasn't for the ears of the students. 'What in blazes did you do, Qordis?'
'I assume you are referring to apprentice Bane' came the too-casual reply.
'Of course I kriffing mean Bane! No more games, Qordis. What did you do to him?'
'To him? Nothing. Not in the way you're thinking. I merely tried to reason with him. Tried to make him understand the necessity of working within the structure of this institution.'
'You manipulated him,' Kas'im said with a sigh of resignation. He knew Qordis had no fondness for Bane. Not with Lord Kopecz, his longtime rival, being the one who'd brought him here. The Blademaster realized he should have warned the young apprentice to be on his guard.
'You twisted his mind somehow,' he continued, trying to draw out a reaction. 'You forced him down a path you wanted him to take. A path of ruin.'
There was no immediate reply. Tired of staring at Qordis's back, he stepped forward and reached up to grab the taller man by the shoulder, whirling him around to face him. 'Why, Qordis?'
In the first brief second that the overseer of the Academy was spun around, Kas'im caught a glimpse of uncertainty and confusion in the gaunt, drawn features. Then those features twisted into a mask of rage, dark eyes burning in sunken sockets. Qordis slapped Kas'im's hand away.
'Bane brought this on himself! He was willful! Obsessed with the past! He is of no use to us until he accepts the teachings of this Academy!'
Kas'im was taken aback: not by the sudden outburst, but by the unexpected glimpse of uncertainty that had preceded it. Suddenly he wondered if maybe the meeting hadn't gone exactly as planned. Perhaps Qordis had tried to manipulate Bane and failed. It wouldn't be the first time they'd underestimated their unusual apprentice.
Now Kas'im felt more curious than angry. 'Tell me what happened, Qordis. Where is Bane now?'
Qordis sighed, almost regretful. 'He's gone into the wastelands. He's heading for the Valley of the Dark Lords.'
'What? Why would he do that?'
'I told you: he's obsessed with the past. He believes there are secrets out there that will be revealed to him. Secrets of the dark side.'
'Did you warn him of the dangers? The pelko swarms? The tuk'ata?'
'He never gave me a chance. He wouldn't have listened anyway.'
That much, at least, Kas'im believed. Yet he wasn't sure if he trusted the rest of Qordis's story. The Master of the Academy was subtle, crafty. It would be just like him to trick someone into venturing through the deadly Valley of the Dark Lords. If he wanted to eliminate Bane without being held accountable, this would be one of the ways to do it, except for one small thing.
'He's going to survive,' Kas'im stated. 'He's stronger than you know.'
'If he survives,' Qordis replied, turning back to the tapestry, 'he will learn the truth. There are no secrets in the valley. Not anymore. Everything of value has been taken: stripped away first by Sith seeking to preserve our order, and later by Jedi seeking to wipe it out. There is nothing left in the tombs but hollow chambers and mounds of dust. Once he sees this for himself, he will give up his foolish idealization of the ancient Sith. Only then will he be ready to join the Brotherhood of Darkness.'
The conversation was over; that much was clear. Qordis's words made sense, if this was all part of a larger lesson to make Bane finally abandon the old ways and accept the new Sith order and Kaan's Brotherhood.
Yet as he turned and left the room, Kas'im couldn't shake the feeling that Qordis was rationalizing events after the fact. Qordis wanted others to believe he had been in control the whole time, but the haunted look the Blademaster had glimpsed gave evidence to the real truth: Qordis had been scared by something Bane had done or said.
That thought brought a smile to the Twi'lek's lips. He had every confidence Bane would survive his journey into the Valley of the Dark Lords. And he was very interested to see what would happen when the young man returned.
