Alastair Archibald - A mage in the making

It was good that Xylox had proved so competent in this role, but the House had Quests of its own to fulfil. It was never known when a Questor might be needed to foment covert insurrection in some hostile region, to abstract some item from its current owner or to carry out some political assassination. However, High Lodge tended to risk its own mages only in hours of great need, and Thorn was only too happy to volunteer the services of his own.

The Prelate hated politics, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to juggle the demands of High Lodge, so that his status with the ruling body could be improved, along with that of his own Presidium. This should increase Arnor House's wealth and prominence, so that his standing with regard to the rest of the Guild remained good.

High Lodge might have the casting vote on electing the next Dominie, but it would be a bold High Lodge Conclave that chose to ignore the opinions of the individual Houses who, after all, were the ultimate source of that august institution's vast wealth and power.

The new Questor, Dalquist Rufior, had performed well on his first Quest. The former Lord Grall of Shelt had been abstracted from his well-guarded fortress, with only a few casualties among his more zealous guards and delivered, trembling, to his brother Burres. Within a day, Grall's head had been placed on a spike and Burres had been declared the Duke of Shelt. Arnor now had free passage through the town, and a Duke who was far more receptive to Thorn's requests.

As if by providence, the green scrying crystal on his oak desk lit, and a familiar mind wound its way into his own.

Thorn drew the crystal towards himself.

Yes, Lord Dominie Horin? he thought.

Lord Prelate Thorn, I offer you greetings! I would like to thank you personally for the recent aid of your Questor, Xylox. Your continuing services to our Guild are appreciated greatly, not least because of the noble efforts of the estimable Questor on our behalf. Xylox has been well rewarded for his valour and your own House's share of the proceeds will be, of course, handsome.

Thorn found this welcome news, and he said so.

We may have another Quest for you in the near future, replied the Dominie. A Questor and a Shapeshifter would be of great benefit to its successful completion. Do you have anybody in mind?

I have a new Questor now: Dalquist Rufior, who has performed well on his first Quest, thought Thorn, with not a little pride, and our latest Neophyte Questor, Erek Garan, is surely very close to the completion of his education. I will be happy to offer their services to our common cause.

I congratulate you on raising another Questor, Thorn. Perhaps we could… Thorn felt a sudden upsurge in the Dominie's emotions.

Your new Questor-I trust he was not responsible for that little incident in Shelt?

The Dominie's mental tone was far from congratulatory, and Thorn wondered if he had overstepped the mark.

Indeed, Lord Dominie. Questor Dalquist may well have transgressed the letter of his orders, but we now have a regime in Shelt, one far more attuned to the needs of the Guild…

Well, thank you very much for that, Thorn, hissed the Dominie's reply. For your information, we at High Lodge already had our collective eye on that particular town. We were in the process of gathering mages together for a Great Spell to persuade Duke Grall to mollify his attitude towards us. Burres is a callow, ambitious upstart who could well destabilise the entire region!

Thorn gulped. He had hoped that the downfall of Grall might gain him compliments rather than angry rebukes.

I am prepared to stand behind any Prelate who seeks to extend his influence, continued the Dominie, but this little escapade has cost me no little loss of sleep. Other towns in the region, towns allied to the Guild, are wary of what Burres' next move will be. He is not at all popular with them, and they believe he may already be beginning to eye their own lands with some avarice. I regret that I will not be engaging your services on this occasion, Lord Thorn.

Thorn all but exploded in his seat. For a few moments, he pounded his fists on the table, unseen by his lord and master. At last, having composed himself, he asked, Have you any reason for this, Lord Dominie?

You have done well for us in the past, conceded Horin, but I think it best if your mage, Dalquist, lies low for a time, while I resolve this situation as best I can. I will contact Prelate Zhar at Brelor House. The services of his mages Garan Soul-stealer and Targu the Flier should suffice.

In the depths of his being, well hidden from the mind of Horin, Thorn fumed. His mother would be furious at the thought of that bloated charlatan, Zhar, stealing his thunder once more.

Olaf Demonscourge is well rested after his last Quest, Lord Dominie. I am sure he would be happy to aid High Lodge once more, suggested Thorn, wheedling as best he could. He knew that to propose Xylox the Mighty once more would be taken as a sign of weakness.

Olaf was once a potent Questor, Horin shot back, but he is older than either of us. This is a young man's game, Thorn, as you well know. I could hardly expect a Shapeshifter to be much younger than sixty years of age, but a Questor? Even Xylox the Mighty is entering middle age. Where are your experienced thirty-year-old Questors; young lions, hungry for battle?

Once prominent in the Guild, Arnor House had been diminishing in reputation for two decades. Each year, fewer and fewer families sent their offspring to Arnor, and, despite the availability of many charity places, even these were poorly subscribed. Thorn was not prepared to admit that to anybody, not even his Dominie.

We have had some near misses recently, Dominie, he protested. You know how it is. One cannot predict when a new Questor will arise. I have recently enrolled the grandson of Loras Afelnor, and I have high hopes for him.

Afelnor? spat Horin's thoughts. Were you so desperate as to take in the seed of that traitor? Still, far be it for me to lay the sins of the father onto the head of his son. Thorn could not see Lord Horin, but he could envision a dismissive shrug as if the Dominie were standing before him.

I congratulate you on your adherence to the true spirit of the Guild, continued Horin. Few Prelates would be able to countenance accepting the progeny of the would-be murderer of a House Prelate into their ranks. I know the guidelines on the acceptance of charity Students give priority to the descendants of thaumaturges, but this seems to stretch those guidelines to the limits!

Thorn knew he was fighting a losing battle, but he persisted.

Think of the prospects, Lord Dominie. If the boy is a tenth as powerful as his grandfather, we could have a potent, useful Questor on our hands, so long as the blood runs true.

It is not as simple as that, Thorn, as well you know, shot back Horin. If the boy is of regulation age, it will surely be another decade before you can be sure of any Questor talent, or indeed any mage talent, within the lad.

Let us assume that, by the alignment of the factors of fortune, the boy does hold the promise of becoming a Questor. You will then need to tread that narrow path we both know so well and, should Afelnor have enough power to shame his grandfather, it might all be for nothing in the end; the ways of blood are fickle and unreliable, and the boy might not even be suitable for assessment as a Reader, let alone strong enough in mind to become a Questor. If he is tried as a Questor and he proves unsuitable, more years will pass before you find his true vocation, if any. By that time, he will have reached the age where he can leave of his own free will.

Thorn licked his lips, determined not to back down.

The boy has great inner strength and will, Lord Horin, just as Loras did; I have seen him myself. His will is strong, and I am sure that Loras Afelnor wants him to persist until mastery, if he is able. He may become no Questor, but I am certain that he has the potential to carry the Staff in some guise, should he persist.