Michael Foster - She Who Has No Name

‘Indeed,’ Samuel replied, as a busy servingwoman dumped a plate, piled high with foodstuff, before him. There were a couple of other plates sitting abandoned at the end of the table, but the lady seemed happy to let the half-finished breakfasts clutter up the table.

‘Master Celios has indicated that we will stay another day,’ Tudor revealed.

Samuel raised an eyebrow. ‘Oh?’

‘Timing is critical, Samuel,’ Master Celios said,his wordsbarely intelligibledue tothe great mass of eggs and breadinhis mouth. His lips were dripping slop and sauce all overhis cloak. ‘Last night I had a very strong feeling. We have a role to play here and the Koians have also not yet played their part.’

‘When will we leave?’ Samuel asked.

‘When the time is right,’ Celios replied.

‘When will the time be right?’

Celios looked back at him, almost in disbelief. ‘When the time is right, Samuel!’

Samuel could see Eric covering his amusement with the back of his hand. It seemed Master Celioscould giveno particular reason why they should stay and be embroiled in the coming battle, when they had a perfectly good opportunity to slip away-but that was the way with Master Celios.

‘So we are going to assist with the defence of Ghant?’ he asked.

‘If necessary,’ Tudor replied. ‘We will do what we must.’

Just then, something caught Samuel’s eye, there near the kitchen door. He just had time to spy a figure-someone he was sure he recognised-darting away down a side entrance, although it hardly seemed possible in this far-flung place. The little person even seemed to wave at him, as if to catch his attention, which seemed even stranger.

‘Excuse me a moment,’ he said, standing from the bench and sliding out beside the table.

‘Oh?’ Grand Master Tudor said with interest, pulling his staff aside before Samuel knocked it over. ‘Something caught your eye?’

‘Someone,’ Samuel replied, peering towards the corridor. ‘I’ll be back in a moment.’

Samuel darted off after his prey, finding that the doorway opened directlyonto an outdoor area where the cooks were hurrying about with their goods and carting wood for their ovens. There, across the hay-strewn floor, the dwarfish figure disappeared into another corridor. Samuel had not seen the man’s face, but everything about the man, and especially his aura-which Samuel had a knack for remembering-seemed to confirm the fact thatthe manwas known to him.

That next door led away past great barrels of water, each piped and connected and surroundedbypuddles on the floor. The little man was standing at the end, as if waiting for Samuel and,when he got nearer, he even smiled in greeting, which was brave, because Samuel had the compulsion to kill him right there on the spot.

‘Doonan!’ he said. ‘I knew it! What in blazes are you doing here, you evil little monster? I should kill you now.’

‘Poor Doonan,’ came another voice, and someone else, whom Samuel also knew very well, stepped beside the tiny man. He was tall, neatly dressed in a finely-cut suit, and looked very sure of himself. His name was Balten and he was surrounded by an aura of the sturdiest kind. ‘Don’t harass him, Samuel. That’s not fair of someone of your stature. I thought the Order was more benevolent than that.’

Samuel looked between the two of them, for he was not sure which one disturbed him more: Doonan, the spy-assassin-midget who had captured him and helped Ash with his conquest of the Argum Stone;or Balten, a senior member of the Circle of Eyes, who had threatened Samuel on multiple occasions and manipulated him for his own ends who knows how many times.

‘Calm now, Samuel,’ Balten said smoothly. ‘You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.’ Samuel was about to hurl insults at the man, but Balten already had his palms held up in defence. ‘No need to become agitated. Wait a moment while I tell you what is happening, and then feel free to abuse me as much as you wish.’

At this, Samuel took a calming breath. ‘I don’t know why I should, but I will give you a chance. What are you doing here?’

‘He’s just like you said,’ Doonan said in his squeaky voice, arching his neck to look up at the tall man beside him.

Balten only smirked. ‘Yes, he’s very excitable. Let me have a chat with him while you go back to the others,’ to which Doonan scurried off. ‘Now, first of all, I’m here because I’ve been waiting for you, of course. Once word reached me that you had been sent on this god-forsaken mission to rescue your Empress, I knew I would be able to find you here. I do have an offer to make to you, as you probably expect, but you may be surprised to learn I have actually come here with instructions to help you.’

Samuel decided to disbelieve anything that came out of Balten’s mouth from that point on. ‘How is that?’

‘As I’m sure you are aware, there is about to be a rather extensive battle here. With you being as important as Cang believes you to be, I have been instructed to help defend this little tower of rock and its inhabitants, so that you won’t be killed. What do you think of that?’

The smirk on Balten’s face was just far too big.

‘Firstly,’ Samuel began, ‘I don’t want your help and,secondly, the moment anyone here discovers who you are, you will have a lot of trouble keeping your head intact.’

Balten’s smile became even wider. ‘Oh, I don’t know about that. Let’s go give it a try.’

With that, Balten started back towards the dining room. The man who had towered over Samuel when they first met, was now only a head taller, but he strode with such gusto that Samuel had to scurry to keep up.

‘This way, is it?’ Balten said, gesturing into the room and he stepped in and went right up to Grand Master Tudor’s table.

‘Grand Master-’ Samuel began, but his mouth only hung open when he saw Balten sit down at the end of the table, where the midget Doonan was already eating with zest, and he, too, began eating away at the plate of food that remained.

‘What’s that, Samuel?’ Balten said. ‘You were about to say something? Go on?’

‘Sit down, Samuel,’ Grand Master Tudor insisted, ‘and stop gawking. Yes, I know who this is and I know he is a member of the Circle. I have known of Balten for a long time and,although he is no friend of the Order, we find ourselves in a situation where we require his considerable talents. We have been talking through most of the night and I can see that he was correctinhis estimate of your reactionto his offer of assistance. I was going to break the news to you gently, but you rushed out after them like a dog after ahare.’

Samuel sat back down at his place and looked at the two Ericsindisbelief. He hoped they wouldfeelas outraged as hewas, but they were only waiting calmly to see how the discussion would progress.

‘I don’t know what he’s told you, Grand Master, but this man-both of them-cannot be trusted. They are from the Circle of Eyes. Don’t you understand what that means?’

‘Yes, I do,’ Tudor responded flatly, taking a bite from his well-buttered bread and letting the crumbs tumble down and gather in his beard.

‘They are killers! Assassins! Spies! They are…they are-’ he struggled for more words to appropriately describe them.

‘Scoundrels,’ Balten suggested.

‘Cut-throats,’ Doonan squeaked, looking up from his plate with one eye.

‘But necessary,’ Tudor finished. ‘Master Celios gave me some forewarning that the Circle would have a presence here and, believe it or not, Samuel, the Order has had contact with the Circle at various times before-even if it is one of our deepest, darkest secrets, which it is to remain,’ he added,looking towards the two Erics to ensure they understood. ‘I have dealt with the Circle before, although admittedly never of my ownvolition, and I have heard many colourful things about Mr Doonan here, who was quite often in the employ of our belated Archmage. Despite all this, the situation is quite clear and requires that we put our differences aside. We must save the Empress and the heir to the Empire. To do that, we must get through these mountains andin orderto do that, we must defend Ghant. We need all the help we can get.’