Kevin Stein: Brothers Majere

"Come, Caramon."

"Sure. Is something wrong?" the warrior asked in concern.

"We must speak."

Caramon felt himself grow cold. The warrior had awakened from a deep, nightmare-ridden sleep to find himself lying in a bed in Barnstoke Hall, his brother watching over him, guarding his rest. Raistlin had treated his brother's wounds and told him that it was all over, it was time to leave Mereklar.

"Then the city's safe?" Caramon had asked.

"I'll tell you all later, my brother!" Raistlin had said, "When I feel the time is right."

That time, seemingly, was now.

The twins left the road. Walking into a sparse forest, they picked their way carefully through the undergrowth. Raistlin moved slowly, his strength waning. Caramon grimaced with every step.

"Does your shoulder hurt?" Raistlin asked.

"Like fire," Caramon admitted.

"I will change the dressings."

The mage's slender hands, which could be gentle when he wanted them to be, ministered to Caramon's wound, washing it with cool water from the stream. Raistlin spread a salve of his own invention over the inflamed area. Caramon grunted, sighing in relief as the balm eased his pain.

Raistlin settled himself on the bank of the stream and stared for long moments into the rippling water. Caramon waited in trepidation. He had never seen his brother so withdrawn, so silent and preoccupied.

"Shavas is dead," said Raistlin suddenly.

"What?" Caramon gasped. "Dead! How – "

"I killed her."

Caramon made a strangled sound. Raistlin glanced up at him. His twin was gazing at him in horror. The expression on his brother's face was familiar. Raistlin had seen it once before – in the Tower of High Sorcery. The mage's thin lips twisted in bitterness.

"Perhaps I should explain – "

"Yes, perhaps you should!" Caramon's voice grated harshly.

"I will start at the beginning. Since her banishment from the world, the Dark Queen has always sought a to reenter. She lacks the strength to do so on her own, and so she decided to attempt to take advantage of the power unleashed by the Great Eye.

'To this end, she sent her agents into Mereklar. The gods of neutrality were tricked by Takhisis and her cohorts into building the city, not knowing, at the time, that they were forging an entrance from the Abyss into the world.

"The gods of good discovered the plot, however, and constructed the city's three gates in such a way that they would close if the forces of evil tried to escape. In addition, to make amends for the part he played in the trickery, the Cat Lord offered his services and those of his kind to guard the city. But that, my brother, is another story and one which I have neither the breath nor the inclination to relate."

"Agents?" said Caramon, regarding his brother skeptically. "Who were the Dark Queen's agents in Mereklar?"

"The nine members of the council – "

"But there were ten members," interrupted Caramon.

"And Lady Shavas," Raistlin concluded softly.

The warrior rose to his feet, glaring at his brother in anger.

"Sit still, Caramon, and listen!"

Pierced by Raistlin's golden-eyed stare, Caramon subsided and reluctantly sat back down.

"The council members were, in fact, demons from the Abyss who murdered the original members and took their form and features. Lady Shavas was…" Raistlin hesitated.

"Was what?" Caramon demanded.

"An… evil wizardess," the mage lied, his gaze leaving his brother, moving to gaze at the water. 'This is the chain of events as I have been able to reconstruct it.

'The demons arrived in Mereklar and, aware of the prophecy, immediately began to get rid of the city's cats. They reduced the feline population slowly, in hopes that they would not arouse suspicion, but it didn't work. The townspeople became upset and demanded action. To keep up the pretense, the Dark Queen's agents were forced to appear to be interested in hiring someone to solve the mystery. That was why they posted that reward announcement."

"And that was why Lord Manion tried to kill us!" Car-amon said, his suspicion starting to crumble beneath the weight of his brother's words.

"Yes. When that attempt failed, we made it to the Black Cat Inn and revealed our intent to go to Mereklar. The demons feared then to kill us outright, afraid it would start a panic – perhaps even a revolt – in the city. Councillor Shavas had to pretend to be thankful to see us. She had to make a show of offering us the job. I don't believe she was ever much afraid of us," Raistlin added dryly. "She knew she had a hold on us both."

Caramon's face burned. He lowered his head and moodily began to toss bits of bark into the stream. "Go on."

"Shavas even managed to gain control of the kender, trapping Earwig with the gold ring. It turned him into a spy and eventually put him under the sway of the Dark Queen.

"When we were at the Black Cat, I had seen a magical line of power flowing into Mereklar. I discovered three of them, forming a triangle that ended at the councillor's house. I didn't understand their meaning until we visited the cave of the dead wizard. Our doing so, by the way, was all arranged by the Cat Lord. As a demi-god, he could not interfere directly, but he managed, nonetheless, to guide us toward the truth. I have the feeling" – Raistlin smiled slightly – "that Bast does not always play by the rules, even those laid down by heaven.

"The dead wizard showed me what I needed to know – both about Mereklar and about Shavas."

"He didn't say anything about her!" Caramon protested.

"He did. To me."

"Why would he?"

'To avenge himself, avenge his death. Shavas killed him, you see, my brother. He was a threat to her. He knew the truth. 'A mask of flesh.' " Raistlin sighed. "I saw her truly for what she was the first time I met her. I saw – " He paused, shuddering.

"What?"

Raistlin looked at his twin intently, then sighed and glanced away. "It doesn't matter what I saw. You wouldn't understand. At any rate, I knew the truth. I knew what she was. I knew why she had tried to have you assassinated – "

"I don't believe it I" Caramon shook his head stubbornly.

"Don't persist in being a fool! She was the only one who knew we would be returning to the inn at that time that night. She sent her assassin ahead of us, to wait for us in our room."

"But it was me he tried to kill!"

"So that you would no longer be around to protect me."

"Oh, you're saying she wanted you?" Caramon sneered.

"Yes, but not the way you imagine. She wanted… my soul."

Raistlin whispered the word. Caramon, seeing his brother's strained face, could not repress a shiver. Against his will, he was beginning to believe.

"When the attempt to kill you failed," the mage continued, "Shavas seduced you, rendering you helpless to harm her. She sought to catch me in a magical trap. That, however, failed. She was not too concerned, believing that I, too, would fall under her spell as had you. Then, disaster struck.

"The Lord of the Cats, enraged by the murder of his people, appeared. He knew the demons for what they were, but not why they were here. He tried to get information from them. When that failed, he started killing them, one by one, hoping to scare the others and rouse the townspeople to a knowledge of their danger.

"The rest of what happened after that – about the gate, the demons' entry into the world, and their failure – you know, my brother, for you were part of the reason they failed." Raistlin fell silent.

"Shavas?" Caramon persisted, softly.

"Yes, Shavas. I knew she had to be stopped. She was supremely powerful. If she were free to act, she would have insured her Queen's entry. You and the kender and perhaps even the Cat Lord would have fallen. And so, I prepared a poison. I took it with me to her house and I put it in the brandy. To allay her suspicions, I drank the poison along with her."