Michael Manning - The Archmage unbound

“That fact had not escaped our consideration, though we must confess that we have been very curious regarding your motivations. We understand you care more for the people than your own power, but although avoiding a civil war is a good reason, we still wonder that you think it alone is sufficient reason to follow this course… given your advantage at the moment.” It was a very direct question; the king had just openly stated his own vulnerability, something I would have thought unthinkable.

“It is enough for me,” I responded. “My wife is expecting our first child and I would rather seek a peaceful solution than bring him into a world torn by strife. The real question is whether you wish to settle our differences or not.”

“We did not think it a possibility before now, but you have been persuasive Mordecai. The proclamation branding you an outlaw was certainly a misunderstanding, we shall move to remedy it immediately. Similarly we must think of a suitable reward for the hero that saved our realm. Would two weeks’ time be enough for you to prepare for a bit of pomp and circumstance? The crowd does love to celebrate a true hero,” he gave me a smile that sent chills down my spine. I might be forced to hard decisions now and then, but this man made them without compunction or regret. I could see him smiling just as easily after sending an army to its death. The callousness of his regard for his people lit my anger again.

“That sounds lovely your majesty. I would be pleased to take this news to James Lancaster as well. I would remind you though… I will not respond well to a betrayal. What happened here today was no mistake. Do not forget it,” I gave him a feral grin to answer his cold smile.

Edward stood straight up at that point, his eyes flashing with true anger. “We do not take kindly to threats young Illeniel. Remember that well. Nor will we rule as a puppet to some other master. If you would prefer that you should make a more direct resolution of this matter… now!” He slapped his chest lightly to punctuate his remark. “Can we count on your oath of fealty… or not?”

I might not like the man, but I had to respect his courage. I waited a moment before replying, “Yes your majesty, you can.” I stood up and prepared to leave. I still did not bow to him.

His eyes narrowed, “Did anyone see you enter here today?”

“No, unless you count the four channelers,” I told him.

He grinned, “Excellent… that makes things easier for me then. We’ll keep this meeting a secret. Do you think you can leave without being recognized?”

“Of course,” I replied drawing my hood up over my head. I didn’t plan on relying on such a simple disguise, but I still wanted to keep my methods to myself. No one had seen my remove my disguise, although I was certain that a recount of Ruth’s use of magic against the guard would lead to a lot of interesting speculation.

“Perfect,” he told me. “We shall look forward to seeing you in the capital again in two weeks’ time.” I left after that, but as I walked I could hear him bellowing orders. “Someone get the Baron of Arundel… I would have words with him!” I could only wonder how he was going to explain the reversal of fortunes to Sheldon. The last time I had seen the Baron I robbed him of the entirety of his wealth… putting aside the fact that Penny had made a fool of him in front of his men there was no way he could possibly forgive me, without even considering the fact that I had ‘stolen’ all of his retainers as well.

I could only wonder how interesting that conversation would be. I made my way carefully through the palace using the stolen visage of a guard. Leaving was much simpler than entering had been.

I returned home that evening. I felt a bit bad about not staying to eat dinner with Marc but I wanted to tell Penny the news. If things worked out as expected we would all be visiting Marc very soon anyway.

She received the news with less enthusiasm than I had expected, “He wants you to appear in the capital in two weeks?”

There was nothing wrong with Penny’s memory, but for some reason she loved repetition. “Yes, two weeks,” I said again.

“And you think he’s really planning to welcome you back into the fold?” she asked skeptically.

I sighed. “I made sure he knew the consequences if his offer wasn’t genuine.”

“You mean you threatened his life,” she said flatly.

“Essentially yes,” I replied.

She shifted topics, “How many people did you kill reaching him?” The question annoyed me, and I really didn’t want to answer it.

“Four,” I told her flatly.

She raised one eyebrow. “Was it worth it?”

“They were channelers, working for the gods… I had no other options,” I said.

“They were men, and you said you could get to the king without being caught,” she reminded me.

Anger and guilt simmered close to the surface now. “Would you rather we went to war again? I had to meet the king, and I had to do it on my terms if we were to bring him around.”

She knew I was close to snapping and her eyes softened. “I’m not blaming you Mordecai, but I can’t ignore this. As your wife, your partner, I have to be sure you’re keeping your focus on what is important. Stop being defensive and think clearly… was it worth it? Did we gain something worth four lives or should we have tried something different? I don’t expect you to be perfect… I just want to make sure you’re not forgetting the people that suffer for our choices.”

Somewhere in the background of my mind I noted that she used the pronouns ‘our’ and ‘we’ frequently. She was trying very hard to keep me involved in the discussion rather than simply creating a fight. I took a deep breath, “I do think that it was still worth it, though I regret the necessity. Perhaps if I had used a better method I could have avoided killing them, but I’m not sure…”

She stepped forward to put her arms around me, “Don’t do that. Neither of us is perfect. I just want to know that you’re keeping the costs in sight.”

“I haven’t forgotten the watchman, that night in Albamarl, when we raided the royal warehouses,” I told her. “More than any, his death still haunts me…,” I began.

“I’m sorry Mort,” she interrupted. “I didn’t mean to make you think I don’t trust you. Let’s eat, this conversation has turned entirely too morbid. What will Dorian and Rose think when they see us downstairs?” She took me by the arm and pulled me toward the door.

“Well damnitt woman make up your mind!” I exclaimed. “One minute you’re making me doubt myself… the next you’re trying to cheer me up.” I gave her an expression that was equal parts pout and smirk.

We went downstairs, and by the time we arrived both of us had replaced our glum expressions with the more positive demeanor expected of the Count and Countess di’Cameron.

I spent the next week as productively as possible. I actually managed to finish the first set of armor and brought Dorian in to try it on. He tried to hide it, but the look on his face reminded me of a kid who has gotten too much candy and is hoping no one will notice. It took us a good quarter of an hour to get him buckled into it.

“How does it feel?” I asked.

Dorian didn’t answer immediately. Instead he backed up a bit, moving his arms in circular motions, and then he made a sharp lunge forward. He had a very positive expression. I couldn’t help but laugh as he began doing warm up exercises.

“Are you going to talk to me or start practicing your ball dances?” I teased him.

He gave me a boyish grin. “I might just try dancing! How did you do this? It’s even lighter than the chainmail you magicked for me!”