Ari Marmell - The Warlord_s legacy

"But it wasn't just nobles," Irrial noted from atop the stairs. " 'Rebaine' butchered Guildsmen, too."

"Oh, I can answer that, too," Corvis told her. "Only a few Guildmasters would be in on this scheme-and some of them probably decided it was too treasonous even for them to swallow. So they had to go, before they could talk. And that also nicely covered up the fact that most of the intended victims were nobles.

"None of which answers my main question: Why Khanda?"

Salia said nothing, her face stiff.

"Because he knew you well enough to make the murders truly convincing," Nenavar answered in her stead. "Because he possessed enough power to reach the targets no matter what precautions they took, and because it put a neutral third party-that would be me, since I was technically working for both sides-in position to force either the Guilds or the Cephirans to abide by the terms of the agreement, should one or the other attempt to renege. Although any demon would have done for those latter purposes, of course."

"And me?" Jassion's voice shook, making his words almost unintelligible. "Where do I fit in?"

Perhaps sensing the growing fury mere feet behind her, Salia decided that silence was no longer the prudent course. "We had to look as though we were dealing with the threat of Rebaine, and we had to ensure that he didn't pop up somewhere public and put the lie to what we were doing. And in so doing, we would also punish him for the crimes he committed against Imphallion so long ago. Something else," she added bitterly, "that Khanda was supposed to make happen."

Minutes passed, and nobody spoke. Corvis glared down at Sunder, battling a desperate need to kill something.

"I don't believe it," he said finally, tearing his gaze from the demon-forged blade. "Oh, it makes sense, but… Mavere was there, when Audriss summoned the Children of Apocalypse. I saw you," he continued, now turning toward her, "how you reacted. No political scheme would entice you to risk that happening again."

"I was assured there was no risk," she muttered, but she could not meet his eyes.

It was, perhaps unsurprisingly, Irrial who figured it out. "She was afraid."

"Shut your mouth, you godsdamned-!"

But nobody was listening to the priestess at that point. "Of me?" Corvis demanded. "More than she was of a demon? I was bad, but I wasn't that-"

"The demons didn't threaten to take her mind from her, Corvis."

Finally, finally he understood. "You thought you might be one of them," he whispered, marveling. "You figured out that I'd charmed many of the Guildmasters, and you were afraid you were among them!"

"Until you had to hold that damn axe to my throat to force me to bring you here, yes," Mavere admitted, her shoulders sagging. "How could I know otherwise? How could I be sure that any choice I made was my own? I had to know I was free of you, you bastard!"

"Well," Corvis said dully. "Congratulations on your success."

Mavere turned away, and again there was silence.

"We should continue," Nenavar said finally. "We're almost ready." Again he began bustling about, while the trio on the stairs descended into the cellar proper.

"What exactly are we doing, Rebaine?" Jassion demanded.

"A banishing incantation. An exorcism, if you prefer. Nenavar called Khanda, so Nenavar is best suited to send him back. It's no easy spell, though."

"We can't just kill the old man? Isn't that what you did with Audriss, to banish Maukra and Mimgol?"

"I never did learn if it was killing Audriss or burning the book, actually," Corvis corrected. "But no, not all summoning incantations work that way. This one doesn't, it appears."

"Too bad. It would've made things much simpler."

Corvis nodded his agreement. Only then did they glance at each other, horrified to realize how alike they were thinking. Jassion scowled and moved across the room.

"All right," Nenavar said, standing as straight as his aged back would permit, "I need everyone to move away from the sigil, and to keep silent. Once I've begun, I can afford no-"

Corvis recognized the sound from above, the hideous shrieking of displaced air, but the wide-open cellar offered nowhere to hide. Portions of the ceiling burst in a rain of stone as Khanda's pillar of eldritch force slammed into the earth, hurling people around the chamber, dolls caught up in a child's tantrum. Even as he smashed into the far wall, his head ringing, his lungs burning as the breath rushed from them, Corvis could not help but note that neither Nenavar himself, nor the arcane runes upon the floor, were touched.

The old wizard raised his hands, seeking the source of the attack. "Come out, Khanda!" he cried. "You know you cannot harm me!" He clenched a fist in anger, and from somewhere in the broken house above, a voice shrieked in agony.

But Corvis saw, too, a dark-clad figure slipping through the ruins of the cellar, concealed from the others by piles of rubble-a figure that was most assuredly not Khanda.

"Mellorin!" He tried to shout, but his words emerged in only a ragged wheeze. "Mellorin, no! You don't know what he is! You don't-"

For an instant she rounded on him, her eyes blazing. "I know exactly who he is! And I know who you are, Father! I'm just glad I'm here to see you get some sliver of what you deserve."

"No, please…"

But she was already moving. Nenavar had only just heard something, only begun to look behind, when she whipped the pommel of a heavy dagger across the back of his head, watched as he tumbled senseless to the debris-strewn floor.

Corvis struggled halfway to his feet, reaching out imploringly for his daughter, when his ears were assaulted by the shriek of another spell from above. He saw only an instant of the second detonation before he tumbled, limp and senseless, to the far corner.

ONCE AGAIN, AWARENESS RETURNED to Corvis's body at a slow creep, accompanied by the sharp pain of rocks splayed beneath him and the throbbing ache of bruised, maybe broken, limbs. Despite that pain, his mouth curled in a faint smile. Any human opponent with a shred of sanity would have slain him while he lay helpless, but for once, Khanda's hellish nature was working for them. So deep did the demon's innate cruelty run, he had to keep Corvis alive as witness to his ultimate triumph.

Of course, had Khanda known that the old warlord would not long remain as weak as he appeared, he might have acted differently.

Around him, Corvis heard the faint patter of falling dust and settling stones, along with an occasional whimper or moan, and knew he must not have been unconscious long. He heard, as well, Khanda's voice, echoing from all sides. It took him a few moments to recognize, with a dull but growing horror, the familiar syllables.

He struggled to focus, to spur his sluggish thoughts into motion. The demon must have been inside his head once more, extracting the last bits of Selakrian's spell, and Corvis was pathetically grateful that he'd been oblivious during this second violation.

For the decay in his mind, there was little to be done, but his physical hurts could yet be assuaged. Corvis forced his breathing to remain steady as the worst of the pains faded-not entirely or even substantially, but enough to become tolerable. His lips twitched in relief, and he wondered what his companions must be thinking as they felt the same healing touch.

Opening his eyes, he could see clearly into the manor's upper levels. Bits of rock trickled down from what remained of the ceiling, and the cellar's stone floor, except for the area circumscribed by the sigil, had fared little better. Great chunks of it were shattered or missing, revealing pits of clay or soil below, filling the air with a rich, earthen scent.

And there, across the room…