Page 48 of Witchcraft and Fury (Chronicles of the Divided Isle #1)
‘My lord, I’m afraid I don’t follow your meaning,’ said Solar, attempting politeness, although she suspected that she was less successful with her tone of voice than her choice of words. ‘Please, speak plainly.’
The lean man rocked back in his chair and laughed.
‘Sceotend, the girl has no respect for you whatsoever. It is so delightfully refreshing. Girl, Gaderian may have turned you into a witch, but clearly he has made no effort to teach you how to mingle with the aristocracy. Lucky for you that we come as friends, otherwise your prickly manner could get you into serious trouble. Sceotend here is a man of considerable power. ’
Solar made to retort, but Lord Sceotend cut over her.
‘Yes, Solar. Friends. We offer you our friendship. Trust me when I say that you dearly need it, and that we have only your best interests at heart. You have arrived in a nest of vipers and are not at all equipped for survival. I will not stand by and let you, a poor girl plucked from obscurity and ignorance, make mistakes at the palace that could prove disastrous for your career as a magician in the years to come.’
‘Nest of vipers? What do you—?’
‘I mean that, from your perspective, there are two kinds of people living on The Rock. Those who are a threat to you, and those who mean to use you.’
‘But of what importance am I?’ said Solar, her voice rising. The two men were talking in riddles, and it was making her angry. Why would any of the lords and ladies take any notice of her ?
‘Of what importance?’ asked Lord Sceotend incredulously, as if he could not believe his ears.
‘My dear girl, do you think that no one at court pays attention to the mind roosting reports Gaderian sends to the king’s Magic Circle each evening?
Do you think that your successes in the field have not been noted, that your growing magical powers have not attracted great interest?
Of course there are those who desire nothing more than an assassin’s blade to find its way to you one night, simply because you are a witch.
And a commoner. A challenge to the very structure of our society. ’
Solar felt her blood chill. Were they threatening her?
‘But there are others who see your potential,’ the man continued.
‘An uncommonly talented trainee who will one day grow into a gifted magician. They see your common birth not as a defect, but an opportunity. Your classmates are of noble birth and will most likely stay true to their houses in adulthood. But you, Solar – you have no allegiances. No famous name to defend. No family fortune securing your loyalty. You are a blank slate. Already there are those in the palace who are watching you closely, learning as much as they can about you. Soon they will approach you and offer you the hand of friendship. To mentor you. To show you the ways of the court, the corridors and halls of power. But do not be deceived. They seek only to use you. A powerful magician is a great asset to any court faction. And what a powerful magician you will become if the feats you have already accomplished in such a short space of time are anything to go by.’
Solar’s mind was spinning. It was too much to take in. She wished that Pingot was there with her, to help her make sense of it all. ‘I don’t bel—’
‘You don’t believe me? Tell me then, Solar: have you made any new acquaintances recently?
The guardsman Lar, for instance? Was his friendship not too easily attained?
Did you not find it a coincidence that he just happens to come from your home city, so far from Riverhawk? What are the odds of that, I wonder?’
‘Lar is a friend!’ shouted Solar. Her voice echoed around the room. ‘Don’t you dare accuse him of anything!’
‘Lar is a liar!’ said the man sharply. ‘He was recruited into the palace guard just two weeks ago on the orders of Lord Heolstor, who is the king’s own priest and one of the most influential members at court.
Though he may have the king’s ear, he has his own agenda too.
Heolstor ordered Lar to watch you, to befriend you, to learn all he can about you and report back to him.
From what my own spies have told me, Lar has been very successful at this.
Let me guess: before my servant collected you this afternoon, Lar was already letting you beat him at dice?
There is no surer way to win a friend than to lose money to them.
However, in reality, it is but a small loss to him; Heolstor will be rewarding him handsomely for his services. ’
Solar opened her mouth, but again Lord Sceotend cut over her.
‘Soon Heolstor will approach you. He’ll attract you with the glamour of his little cult, which is so fashionable these days, ply you with praise and trinkets and slowly earn your trust. You will not even realise he is bending you slowly to his will.
And then, when you finally become a qualified witch, you will utterly be his creature.
‘Or maybe another will beat Heolstor to you. My spies report that the wizard general Bronson Ironhand is planning his own advances. He will try to fashion you into a tool to his liking, as surely as you will one day seek to fashion a staff. Every time you return to the palace throughout your training, he will groom you a little further. He will seek to maintain close contact with you whilst you are on the road, too. He has ways of contacting magicians, ways other than mind roosting. Or maybe the king’s most senior diplomat, Lord Fra—’
‘Enough!’ said Solar, leaning forward suddenly in her seat. The man spoke too much, barely pausing for breath. ‘Why are you telling me this? What is it to you if I’m assassinated or recruited? Do you plan to use me for your own ends?’
The lean man held up a hand. He had a clean-shaven, chiselled jaw and close-cropped, brown hair.
He fixed her with grey eyes. ‘We each have a reason for bringing you down here, Solar. Lord Sceotend wishes to mentor you – to help you navigate court life whilst you are here for the king’s coronation, and on future visits.
You have attracted much attention, and through your friendship with Lar you have already demonstrated that you are too trusting of others by far.
Sceotend can help you tell friend from foe, see through lies, plots and machinations.
And his power and influence will be enough to protect you from all but the most reckless assassins. ’
‘And what do you want?’ asked Solar. ‘You haven’t even told me your name.’
‘I am Sir Egeslic. You have heard of me, surely?’
Solar nodded. He was a wizard of no little fame, and she knew of his feats from many a song. But he was not a rover like Loveday. He was a treasure hunter, famous for his looting of troll and dragon hoards.
‘And what do you want?’ she asked again. But she thought she could already guess.
‘To take a special interest in your magical studies. To teach you everything I know. You can continue at Gaderian’s encampment, of course.
In fact, I encourage it. He too has much that he can teach you, and I would not deprive you of that.
But at night, I would teach you more advanced magic.
Distance will not be a problem; until you have mastered mind roosting, we can use other magical means of communicating. ’
Solar decided not to mention that she had already managed communication using mind roosting once before. She sat quietly, mulling over Sir Egeslic’s words.
Lord Sceotend seemed to take her silence as an encouraging sign, for he leaned forwards and began speaking in an animated manner, a fierce light in his eyes that had not been present before.
‘What we are proposing, Solar, is an alliance. Egeslic and I can offer you protection and knowledge, a path through this vipers’ nest – not just to survival, but to greatness.
And in the years to come, just think what the three of us could be: I, with my political clout; Egeslic, with his experience and vast private fortune that he has amassed in his years raiding dragon hoards; and you, with the special aura that surrounds you as the only witch in the kingdom, and with what Egeslic and I both suspect is the raw magical power that lies within you.
Why, one day you may be more powerful than Gaderian and Bronson combined.
And, when the time comes, two men such as ourselves could help you make an excellent, powerful marital match.
Someone far more suitable than that boy just about every spy within the palace has seen you coquetting with, a boy all but disowned by his lord father—’
Solar leapt to her feet. She strove to keep her voice steady.
‘I thank you for your time, Lord Sceotend, Sir Egeslic. But you overestimate my talents. And it seems to me that you would rescue me from one vipers’ nest only to place me in one of your own making.
You are just like the foes you warn me of. ’
Lord Sceotend’s eyes hardened, and Sir Egeslic pursed his mouth into a thin line.
‘Think carefully before you next speak, girl,’ said the treasurer. ‘The hand of friendship won’t be extended again.’
‘Then I accept your advice. I will be more careful in my friends, and will begin to apply such caution from this very moment. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a room of guardsmen to cheat at dice.’
She turned on her heel and strode from the room, heart hammering, making every effort not to break into a run. The men behind her stayed silent.