The night wind whistled through theruined wall, and one of the vats of solvent for which Muldonny wasjustly famed had fueled the explosion. It would take him years torebuild the supply.
The first order of business,however, was repairing the clockwork guards. A dozen or so had beenheaped in a corner. The exact number was difficult to ascertain,for thanks to the explosion and the battle that preceded it, noneof the guards remained whole. Mendor suspected that he'd be luckyto piece together three or four from the scorched pile of scrapmetal.
Which is why he'd been so pleased toreceive twenty new guards this morning, a gift from Rhendish. Hisold mentor had also sent a dozen devices that would enable Mendorto quickly assume the loyalty of Muldonny's remainingguards.
A clatter in the hall beyond broughta frown of puzzlement to Mendor's face. Three of the constructsmarched into the room.
'I did not summon you,' hesaid.
The guards advanced.
'Stop!'
Still they came on.
Mendor dived for the box of loyaltydisks. Apparently the guards perceived him as an intruder. Heshould have thought of this. Rhendish had. If only he'd had halfthe foresight of his former master!
Two of the guards flanked him,seized him. Mendor managed to slap a disk onto one of theconstructs, but it made no difference. One of the metal guards heldhim while the other threw a chain over the ceiling beam near theremaining vat of solvent.
The new adept writhed and shriekedand cursed as the constructs snapped metal bands around his wristsand attached them to one end of the chain. They hauled him up, tiedweights to his ankles, and dragged the chain across the beam untilhe hung directly over the vat.
No inhabitant of Sevrin, much lessan alchemist, could fail to understand the reference. Eldreath hadbeen dropped into a pit of solvent.
Mendor screamed in terror anddenial.
The third guard raised its mailedhands to its head. It removed the metal helm to reveal not gearsand wires, but a beardless, familiar face.
'Volgo, why are you doing this?' Mendor pleaded. 'We're both Rhendish's men!'
'Are we?'
'Yes!' he shrieked. 'I owe Rhendisheverything! He trained me, he persuaded the council to give meMuldonny's seat! I'm as loyal as you-'
Horror and understanding dawned.'You know I'm no traitor. It's you who've turned yourcoat.'
'Never.' Volgo leaned to one sideand spat. 'Rhendish is a weakling and a fool. A better man hasalways owned my loyalty.'
He reached into his metal tunic andpulled out a silver amulet. Mendor moaned as he realized itssignificance. Like every other alchemist, he knew Eldreath'ssigil.
Volgo gestured for the constructs tocontinue. He watched as the man was lowered into the vat. Mendorscreamed and thrashed until the solution reached hisknees.
Through it all, the surface of theliquid remained perfectly calm. When Eldreath had been lowered intoa pit, the acid roiled like an angry sea and a storm ragedoverhead. Four imps writhed on the ground, burning from the insideout as they gave the last of their magic in an attempt save theirsorcerer lord.
But none of the fools who borewitnesses realized the true nature of that magic: It was not arescue, but an illusion.
And when that illusion faded, onlythree desiccated imps remained.
Somewhere in Rhendish'smansion, a woman shrieked. Honor pushed herself up from the couchwhere she'd been resting and instinctively reached for hersword.
White-hot pain flashed thelength of her sword arm and the room swam and spun. Loss of bloodand the agonizing repairs to her arm had taken too large atoll.
But the sound of runningfootsteps was closer now, and the distant babble of voices had afrantic quality. Honor made her way to the door of her chamber andstepped out into the hall.
An apparition of evil rantoward her, tears streaming down her still-pretty face.
The revulsion Honorexpected to feel did not come. Vishni ran into her arms and clungto her like a child as she sobbed out the story of theimps.
When she was finished, theelf disentangled herself and stepped back. She frowned at the blackfurrows scoring Vishni's shoulder. 'Those wounds need tending. Icould do it, but Avidan could do it better. We should go back tothe Fox Den.'
'I can't! Not likethis.'
'You certainly can't stayhere. Rhendish is a sorcerer.'
Vishni blinked. 'Well. Thatexplains a few things.'
'I'll go with you,' Honorpromised. 'There are things Fox and Delgar need toknow.'
'Then you tellthem!'
'I will, but I can't findmy way into the tunnels without you.'
'I'll show you! There's atunnel opening in the curiosity room. I'll go with you part way.Tell them that I got distracted by a story. They will believethat.'
'Vishni.'
Something in Honor's toneseemed to penetrate the fairy's hysteria. She took a long steadyingbreath. 'I'll come with you.'
'There's a way to undothis,' Honor said. 'An elfin spell, very old and dark. You shouldbe able to reclaim your magic from the imps.'
She snatched a cloak from ahook on her wall and draped it over Vishi. They hurried down to thecuriosities rooms and headed for the cage.
But the creatures weregone. Only a scattering of dust, rust colored and smelling faintlyof brimstone, remained on the floor of the cage.
Someone had gotten herefirst.
'We'll find another way,other magic,' Honor promised. 'But we've got to get your outnow.'
Vishni raise one clawedhand to point. 'This way-'
A man stepped out frombehind a cabinet, a tall fair-haired man with a narrow, austereface. He was neither young nor old, and he looked much as he hadtwo hundred years ago, when he left the forest on a mission ofdiplomacy.
Honor stared at the livingghost. And everything she'd learned about Sevrin's recent historyfell suddenly, horribly into place.
A sardonic smile twistedthe man's lips. 'I see you remember me, cousin, even after thesemany years.'
Honor dropped a hand ontoVishni's shoulder. 'Explosions,' she said. 'Big ones. Rightnow.'
Manic glee suffused thefairy's ravaged face. She flung both arms high, filling the roomwith an illusion of bright lights and whirlingfireworks.
It was an act ofdesperation; for a fairy on the edge of chaos, casting magic of anykind could push her over. But it had the desired effect. Guardscame running, and Honor could hear Rhendish shouting commands as herushed to protect his precious collection.
She seized Vishni's handand dragged her through the magical storm toward the bookcase.'Open the door. I'm right behind you.'
The fairy dropped to herknees and began to fling books aside. Honor ran to interceptRhendish. She drove a fist into his jaw and slung his limp bodyover her shoulder.
She ran to the portal,ignoring the fire in her arm, and dropped the unconscious adept tothe floor. After a moment, Vishni got the idea and helped pull himthrough. Honor ducked in after and slammed the doorshut.
She crouched over Rhendishand slapped his face until he woke up. His eyes shifted to thehalf-transformed fairy and widened.
