David Wells - Linkershim

“Isabel, I was so afraid,” Wren said. “They took me from Blackstone Keep in the middle of the night and they wouldn’t tell me where they were taking me.”

“It’s going to be all right,” Isabel said, hoping desperately that she wasn’t telling the girl a lie.

Phane was staring at her smugly when she met his gaze, fury flashing in her green eyes.

“Perhaps you will be more respectful and more forthcoming now that you understand the stakes,” Phane said, sitting down again. “Please, child, sit and eat. You must be hungry.”

Wren looked to Isabel, who nodded. Wren started timidly, but her appetite got the better of her after her first bite and she ate voraciously. Phane watched contentedly, stopping Isabel from speaking with a raised hand when she opened her mouth, waiting until Wren washed her breakfast down with a glass of juice and looked around.

“Thank you, I was so hungry.”

“Rest assured, child,” Phane said, “you shall not want as long as you are in my care. And, of course, you’re free to roam the city as you please. As I understand it, you’re quite a curious young woman, which just so happens to be a trait we share. I encourage you to explore. The soldiers know that you’re under my protection. You’re safer here within these walls than anywhere in all the Seven Isles.”

“Thank you, sir,” Wren said.

“What a delight you are,” Phane said, turning to Isabel with a bright, boyish smile. “Her manners and courtesy are proof of a good upbringing.”

Isabel glared at him but she held her tongue.

“I would say you’re a quick study, Isabel, except that Wizard Enu tells me you’re having a very difficult time mastering the principles he’s been trying to teach you, though I suspect you’ll make good progress in your studies over the coming days.”

He looked back to Wren with his most charming smile. “If you’ve had enough to eat, why don’t you go with Dierdra? She’ll show you to your room and draw a bath for you.”

Wren looked from Phane to Isabel and back to Phane. “I’d rather stay with Isabel, sir. If I may?”

Phane smiled disarmingly. “Oh, she’ll be here when you’re done with your bath, and I think Dierdra has a new dress for you.”

“Go ahead, Wren. I’m not going anywhere.”

Wren hugged Isabel before she left, looking back once with her big, innocent eyes.

“I must say, Isabel, I’ve noticed a marked change in your demeanor,” Phane said. “Perhaps you’d like to explain how you penetrated my defenses, now that we understand each other better.”

Isabel just glared at him, trying to think of a way out, but finding none.

“Shall I have Wraithkin Issa retrieve your friend so that she can participate in our conversation?”

Isabel closed her eyes and clenched her jaw, trying to work through the ramifications of telling him the truth and weighing them against the potential consequences of telling a lie.

“I’m waiting, and Isabel, my patience is beginning to wear thin.”

“I used a Goiri bone,” she said without opening her eyes.

“Really? I never believed the stories. I thought Siavrax was using the threat of such an unlikely creation as a ruse, as a way of forcing us to respond with a larger troop presence to draw men from other, more important positions.

“Tell me, Isabel, where is this Goiri bone now?”

“Gone,” she said, opening her eyes and meeting his. “I crushed it into powder and blew it out the window of my cell the moment I woke up.”

“Ah, what a pity,” Phane said, shaking his head. “I have a very important use for such an unusual item.”

“So did I,” Isabel said, holding his eyes.

Phane started chuckling to himself almost good-naturedly.

“I wouldn’t laugh too hard, Phane. I almost got you.”

“You did indeed, which is exactly why I’m laughing. You are every bit the treasure I was hoping you’d be. Do you have any idea how resourceful you are to have recovered such an item? If I’d been told of your plan before you arrived, I wouldn’t have believed it. Yet, you came closer to killing me than anyone before you, and I assure you that I’ve had my share of very powerful enemies.”

“I don’t doubt that,” she said. “Tell me, why didn’t the poison kill you? You managed to stop my blade before I got it into your heart, but there was enough blackwort on that dagger to kill a horse.”

Phane laughed again, shaking his head. “You see, this is why you have no hope against me. I’m always prepared. I started taking the antidote for blackwort, as well as a number of other poisons common to this wretched isle, the day I arrived.”

“Huh. Well, at least I can take solace in the thought that you know everybody around you wants to see you die.”

He smiled his boyish smile again. “Don’t you see? That is exactly what makes it so delicious.”

“You’re damaged, Phane.”

“Enough distractions. I would like to hear more about this Goiri bone that so effectively nullified my magical defenses. For instance, tell me about the size of the bone you used.”

Isabel hesitated, but Phane cocked his head, looking up at the staircase.

“It was a finger bone, maybe an inch long,” Isabel said after a moment’s more hesitation.

“If I recall correctly, my magic became available to me again once I reached a distance of eight or ten feet from you. Such things usually have power proportional to the size of the item, so it stands to reason that a larger bone might affect a larger area. Does that sound like a reasonable assumption, given your experiences?”

Isabel shrugged. “I suppose.”

“Excellent! I find my mind is afire with all of the possibilities this legend-come-true represents, which brings me to my next question. Where did you find the remains of the Goiri?”

Isabel shook her head slowly.

“Let’s not forget what’s at stake here,” Phane said.

“I understand perfectly well what’s at stake.”

Phane nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose you do, and I can see that I’ve reached a limit of sorts on your willingness to be persuaded by threats against your friend. Honestly, if I were dealing with almost anyone else, I would have Wren dragged down here and skinned alive on this very table while you watched. Unfortunately, I don’t believe doing such a thing would serve my purposes.” He regarded Isabel for several moments before nodding to himself. “Well, no matter. I can guess at the likely location of the Goiri’s remains. From there, it won’t take long to find them. After that, it’s just a matter of sending someone to retrieve them for me.”

This time it was Isabel’s turn to laugh. “Good luck with that. I wouldn’t send anyone you can’t afford to lose.”

Phane smiled his boyish smile. “My Dear Isabel, I am the only person that I can’t afford to lose.”

“And that is why you’ll never win this war.”

He shook his head, feigning sadness. “Don’t you see? I’ve already won. Everything is proceeding according to my designs. Thanks to your rather ambitious attempt on my life, the final keystone is within my grasp. Once I have it, we will travel to the Nether Gate and I will call forth a demonic horde sufficient to scour the Seven Isles of my enemies. This war is nearly over, Isabel, but before it is, everyone you care about will be devoured.”

“You keep telling yourself that, Phane. Alexander will defeat you, of that I have no doubt.”

“Your confidence in him is touching. One day, I hope you’ll hold me in such high regard.”

“Now I know you’re delusional.”

“Don’t be so certain, Isabel. Over the course of my life, I’ve turned many people away from the empty promises of the light. Once people get a taste for the raw power offered by the netherworld, they tend to embrace it with a kind of commitment bordering on fanaticism. I expect you will be no different.”