Garunetto stalked through the camp, his aura so smoldering red with fury that anyone with even the slightest magical sensitivity moved swiftly out of his way. Reaching the pavillion where his fellow Sorcerers lounged, he flung back the drape and glared in at Topaza and the others, who looked up in surprise.
"Carunirian. Where is he?"
Torumarin lifted a perfectly arched eyebrow at him from where she lounged on her chair of half-naked male servants. "I haven't seen him for several hours. Why are you so upset, Garunetto?"
"Because I just found some of his handiwork." The last word was a snarl, and they all looked at each other. Oparu coughed, delicately.
"I take it the, ah, 'handiwork' is one of the soldiers? I can't see even you getting so upset over the death of a servant, Garunetto."
Garunetto ground his teeth, for the umpteenth time cursing the circumstances that had forced him to ally himself with these people. Dealing with them was like sleeping in bed of diseased worms. "Yes, it's one of the soldiers, and not surprisingly, it's all but destroyed troop morale. There have been three deserters since the body was found. He could have at least been discreet---he didn't have to hang the boy from a damned tree! So where the hell is he?"
"I'm right here, Garunetto. Take deep breaths, or you won't last until the battle." Carunirian brushed past him to saunter into the tent, smiling languidly. His knee-length blonde hair was unbound and flowing over his shoulders in a dark golden torrent. Garunetto resisted, with difficulty, the urge to rip a handful of that beautiful hair from its owner's scalp by the roots.
"If this army turns on us, Carunirian, it will be your fault," he snapped coldly, following the man inside and closing the tent flap. "I told you to confine your little games to your personal staff."
Carunirian shrugged carelessly and flopped himself on the cushions behind Torumarin's chair, reaching up idly to caress the thighs of the young man she was currently sitting on. "I ran out."
Rage swamped Garunetto; he snarled inarticulately and took a step toward the Viscount, seeing only Carunirian's blood spilling onto the rough wooden floor of the hastily-erected pavillion. Topaza, thank Kami, quickly interposed himself between them, gripping Garunetto by the shoulders.
[Don't let him do this, Garunetto.] Topaza's voice was as cold as his icelike pale blue eyes, and just as sobering. [He wants you to challenge him. He wants an excuse to fight you. Can't you see that?]
Garunetto glared at him for a long moment, and finally nodded, barely, to indicate that he'd heard and understood. Topaza released him. Both of them flinched, however, at Carunirian's peal of raucous laughter.
"Why did you stop him, Topaza? It might have been interesting, to see the master of escape pitted against the master of entrapment, ne? Sort of the irresistible force versus the immovable object. We could use some entertainment around here, after all!"
They both turned to glare at him. Carunirian had not moved from his languid pose, although his silvery eyes glittered with something like excitement. His hand had slipped inside the scanty strip of cloth covering the servant's genitals, exploring and caressing. Garunetto could see the youth's face, normally as impassive as that of any of Torumarin's living furniture; his eyes were wide, face flushed.
Topaza turned to Carunirian, evaluating and discarding him in a single scathing glance. "We are not here for entertainment, Carunirian. This is about business. Can you not even discipline yourself for a few days?"
Carunirian snorted and pinched the servant, whose eyes flew wide with sudden pain. The boy did not move, however, and so Torumarin left her riding crop in its place on her lap. "Why should I? He was handsome. I liked him. I invited him to my tent. He came willingly. I can't help it if he was too fragile to handle some of my... 'little games,' as I believe you so eloquently put it." He smiled, his hand stroking the servant again, pulling aside the encumbering garment. "The conditions here are barbaric. If I play with a few of the soldiers to keep my mind off my misery, where's the harm in it? They're just commoners."
Oparu, licking his lips a little, his small piggish eyes fixed on Carunirian's hand, chuckled a little, too loudly. "But... Garunetto has... a point, Carunirian. At this point, we need the soldiers; the school may be defended against magic but not against pure physical force. We dare not alienate them. Ne?"
The servant's eyes were closed, his penis swollen and hard in Carunirian's deft fingers. Carunirian smiled and lifted his free hand, idly conjuring a bit of the solid light that comprised his magic, stretching and shaping the glowing material in his fingers. "Oparu. We're paying them enough that we ought to be able to do whatever we please to them. Aren't we? What's the difference between throwing them at the walls of the school as cannon fodder and killing them with pleasure, in a few games? Either way, we've bought their lives to use as we see fit."
"The difference," said Prince Enmarido, rousing from his customary langour on the other side of the tent, "is that we don't want them deciding to rebel against us in the midst of the battle. Which they will do, if we make them angry enough. You know how fickle commoners can be."
"Fine, fine." Carunirian sighed, exasperated, and sat up. "I'll leave the soldiers alone. But only if each of you lends me one of your servants. I refuse to suffer without any sort of gratification for the rest of this godforsaken mission."
He smiled at Garunetto as he spoke, and Garunetto realized with a chill that he knew.
Around him, the pavillion suddenly seemed distant, not a part of his awareness; the world moved on around him, and he barely paid attention. Tourmarin shrugged and stood, gifting Carunirian on the spot with the servant he'd been handling, and even Topaza sighed and offered one of his own. One by one, each of the Sorcerers spoke, acceding to Carunirian's demands.
And Garunetto himself, his eyes locked on Carunirian's smiling gaze, could not. For he had brought only one servant with him, and he loved her dearly, and the thought of offering her to Carunirian for his pleasures was sickening.
Yet if he protested, he would not only lose her, he would lose all status in his fellow Sorcerers' eyes. For no Sorcerer who actually loved a commoner could be the leader of this bunch.
There was only one thing he could do. She would hate him for this, perhaps forever, but he had no choice. "So long as you give them back to us intact, Carunirian..." he heard himself say, distantly. "Some of us invest a great deal of training in our servants... after all."
Carunirian smiled, a slow predator's smile. Torumarin had settled on another of her servants, leaving Carunirian's chosen on his knees in front of his new master. The youth was trembling slightly, and as Garunetto watched, Carunirian gripped the boy's erection in one hand, using the other to insert the little rod of solid light he'd conjured. He did so slowly, watching the boy's face and licking his lips every faint shiver. The rod did not look painful---but it did not take a genius to guess that if the boy lost his erection, Carunirian's little toy would become a tiny piece of agony that might be impossible to remove. And as Carunirian could reshape and direct his solid light with only a touch of his will... Garunetto saw the fear in the youth's eyes. If he did not please Carunirian, he was lost, and he knew it.
Finishing his surgery with a little smile, Carunirian resumed caressing the youth almost tenderly as he watched Garunetto with cruel, lazy grey eyes. "Oh, I'll give your servant back to you, Garunetto-san, most certainly. No killing or maiming, I promise. And thank you, for being so gracious as to offer her. She is your only servant, isn't she?"
Garunetto heard himself speak again, with that same odd detachment. "Yes."
"Ahh." Carunirian stood, unfastening his breeches, and out of the corner of his eye, Garunetto saw Oparu lean forward a little, face flushed and hands trembling a little. "I hope she's pretty. I'd like to take my time with her. Unless you're planning to strike any time sooner than tonight?" Carunirian smiled solicitously.
Hatred twisted in him, but he spoke again, before the hate could betray him. "No. Night is best for the attack; that has been decided."
"Excellent. That will give me a few hours, then. I shall make the most of them. Send your woman to me when I am done here, Garunetto-san." He smiled and kneeled behind the youth, drawing a slim jeweled knife from his belt before laying it aside. "Please."
Topaza looked away, sickened in his fastidious way. Garunetto turned on his heel, nodding curtly to the rest of them, leaving the tent as quickly as he could without appearing to run.
Worms, he thought grimly. A bed of worms.
He was almost relieved to find a soldier waiting for him outside of the pavillion, standing with a tension that could not entirely be excused by his military attention stance. "Forgive me, Garunetto-sama, for not intruding to give you this information. The other Sorcerers were... most insistent that they not be disturbed."
"What is it?"
"We've spotted some people, sir. Here in the forest. We saw them from a distance, but our men are closing."
Garunetto frowned, momentarily forgetting his dark mood. "From the school?"
"No, sir. One of my men recognized them. They're Sorcerer Hunters."
The morning sun slanted into the tower window in bright, delicate fingers of light, touching the still form lying beside him in the bed. Zeii gazed down at the sleeping Marron and wondered again, for the thousandth time, what sort of karmic debt he must have incurred, to have received such fortune. It was a debt he hoped never to have to repay.
Even in the full light of day, there was something of the night and moonlight about Marron. Perhaps it was his perpetually pale skin or his hair, blacker than any shadow, almost luminous in its darkness. Or perhaps it was his eyes, thankfully closed now. Zeii had always feared falling into them. Maybe it was the slim, smooth young body, half-revealed by the sheet he'd shrugged off during his slumber---perfect, full of mysteries waiting to be discovered. Pure.
Even now, he lay with complete ingenuousness, head tossed carelessly to one side, one hand resting near his mouth with the fingers curled loosely, like a child's. Not a child, though. No longer. Even as a ten-year-old, there had been an unearthly knowing in him. And now he was ageless, frozen in the beauty of youth for the next thousand years, or ten thousand. Zeii lifted a hand, still marvelling that he could now do so without guilt, and drew a finger slowly and lightly down the center-line of Marron's torso. Perhaps his, he mused. Perhaps forever.
Marron stirred, opened those terrifyingly bottomless dark eyes for a moment, and smiled at him: bright glimmer of a moonbow breaking through clouds. Zeii stared back, a little dazed, wondering if he would ever get used to the effect this boy had on him. He returned the smile after a moment, surprised at his own shyness. Marron said nothing, his eyes drifting slowly closed again; his body was still recovering. Zeii watched until Marron's breath had evened out with sleep, and finally sighed and sat up. The boy was too lovely. And if he stayed here mooning over him, he'd get nothing done all day.
As if reminding him of his responsibilities, there was a knock at the door. Zeii sighed.
[I can come back at another time, if you want.]
He shook his head, suppressing a smile, and rose to open the door. Nashi looked him up and down, noting his nudity, then glanced beyond him at the bed, where Marron slumbered on amid tangled sheets. She lifted one eyebrow, and he rolled his eyes.
[It's not how it looks, Nashi.]
She stepped into the room while he turned to his chest to pull out pants---out of politeness rather than modesty. Nashi was a child to his years, but she looked like his grandmother, and was fond of acting the acerbic part. She walked over to the bed and gazed down at Marron now, pushing up her glasses to peer at the youth.
[Well, why isn't it how it looks?] she demanded. He looked up at her in surprise, and she smiled. [Zeii, this boy is gorgeous. You'd told me he was handsome, but this is a young god! I'm amazed at your restraint.]
Zeii flushed. [He only just awakened. We needed to talk.]
She snorted indelicately. [You could talk anytime. I think you should have jumped this one the moment he woke up, then talked later.]
He sighed. [Nashi...]
She relented, rolling her eyes. [Just expressing my opinion, O Ancient One. Even you have to admit it's been a long time.]
He sighed in exasperation. Nashi really could be a trial. [Did you come for any particular reason, or just to ogle my---] He startled himself with what he was about to say. It rolled so easily off the tongue. He smiled, knowing she would note his hesitation, and continued. [---my lover?]
She smiled as if she'd just won some kind of victory. [Much as I would enjoy continuing to ogle him, I've come on business. Here.] She put down the parcel she'd been carrying; he smiled to see the black uniform. [He's earned the right to forego any kind of uniform, but if he chooses otherwise... it may help make his new rank more real to him.]
[Aa. I'll begin his retraining when he wakes again.]
[Of course. And there's something else.] Her mobile face, never pretty even in the best light but always lively, grew grave. [The Seer. He has been... blinded.]
Zeii frowned, straightening. [His Sight has failed before.]
[He says that this is different. He feels as if his Sight is being blocked.]
Zeii moved over to the window, pushing aside the curtain, frowning to himself as he extended his senses. The shielding that held the school safe from the outside world was still in place. The valley beyond the mountaintop seemed as placid and lovely as ever---but then clairvoyance had never been his specialty. That had been the Seer's task.
[Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Nashi. Have the Seer's apprentices do sweeps of the entire valley, and see if you can contact a journeyman to do a scan from the outside.]
She raised eyebrows, stepping up to stand at the window with him, peering down at the class working on its levitation in the courtyard below. [You think there may be real danger?]
He shook his head. [I don't know. I'd just rather be cautious. Something about this bothers me. I haven't gotten this old by ignoring my instincts.] He turned to gaze at the bed, and at the form lying there, blissfully asleep.
She smiled a little, her eyes knowing, and turned away. [I'll take care of it.] She turned, heading toward the door. [Just call me if you need anything; you won't be disturbed any further. We know he's only visiting for a few days. No one will begrudge you the time off. You've taken little enough for yourself in the last few decades.]
Zeii stared after her. [In the names of all the gods--- does the entire Academic Committee discuss my love-life?]
[Yes.] She smiled at him cheerfully over her shoulder. [It's the talk of the school, you realize. Wonderfully romantic. The head of the Mizu School, noted ascetic and possibly the world's most eligible bachelor---if a little on the elderly side---snagged at last by a bright young prodigy a fraction of his age, after seven years of terribly painful, angst-ridden waiting---]
[I'm going to have to find more for the Committee to do. You all obviously have far too much time on your hands.]
[Don't mind us. It's mostly just envy.] She swept toward the door, then paused at the threshold, turning to smile at him. [And maybe we just think it's nice that you've finally found someone.]
He found himself smiling as she closed the door, and shook his head to himself. Then, sighing and taking off his pants again, he moved back to the bed and---not quite able to hide his eagerness, even from himself---lifted the sheet, sliding in beside Marron. His lover. That sounded nice. He smiled again, slipping an arm hesitantly around the younger man's waist. Still half asleep, Marron murmured something unintelligible and snuggled against him.
Eventually---with difficulty---Zeii slept as well.
"This," Gateau snarled at Carrot, "is all your fault."
Carrot rounded on him furiously. "How the hell is this my fault? If you hadn't started yelling at me---"
"And if you hadn't muttered, 'Pervert,' at me under your breath---"
"Gentlemen," Chocora hissed at her iciest, "now is not the time."
They stood back to back in a clearing, surrounded by thirty armed, silent soldiers who seemed to know how to handle their lances, swords, and crossbows very well.
"I would agree with your scantily-clad friend," said a tall, patrician man clad in supple, well-fitting leathers---the travelling clothes of the wealthy, Gateau noted with a frown. Not surprising; his eyes quickly picked out the inverted triangle tattoo of the Sorcerer class on the man's forehead, partially obscured by a lock of brown hair. "Now would not be a good time to continue your bickering. It would be impolite, to say the least."
But what the hell, Gateau wondered, is a Sorcerer doing in the middle of nowhere---with armed troops?
"Who are you?" Carrot demanded, gripping the handle of his sword more tightly. "What is this?"
"'This' is a capture, obviously. And I am Rimon Topaza, lord of Tispuun." He signalled to the soldiers, who stepped forward to take their weapons. Chocora bared her teeth as her wire line was taken. Gateau briefly considered their chances, glancing at the others in silent query; Tira shook her head quickly, and he sighed, aware that she was right. There were too many soldiers here for them to fight off easily, and there was no telling whether there might be more beyond the clearing.
He focused on the tall Sorcerer, scowling. "Why are you doing this? We've done nothing to you. This is free territory."
"True. But I'm more than familiar with your reputation, Gateau Mocha---that of you and your companions. You've become quite famous, you realize, since Zaha Torte's defeat. And of course, we also know that assaulting Sorcerer Hunters is a violation of the Faarunerian Accords. So we will only detain you for a time, then release you unharmed." He signalled again, and the soldiers took hold of each of them. Gateau snarled at the ones holding him, but they only regarded him impassively.
Tira narrowed her eyes at Topaza, annoyed as her arms were taken as well. "You're a long way from Tispuun, Topaza-san. What are you doing here?"
Topaza turned, gesturing curtly, and the soldiers dragged them along as the Sorcerer began walking back through the forest. "A long story, my young friends. One that I will leave to our leader to explain, if he cares to. In the meantime, perhaps you could tell me what you are doing here. There are no abusive Sorcerers out in this hinterland. And if I recall the intelligence gathered about your team, you're short one member."
Gateau felt his stomach tighten; he didn't dare look at the others. Topaza smiled, reading their silence accurately. "Yes... The magic user, I see. Garunetto will be interested to know this."
Carrot made a faint, strangled sound beside Gateau, and Gateau pressed his lips together grimly. This Sorcerer knew entirely too much about them. And who was this Garunetto? Some flicker of a memory stirred in his mind, and he frowned, developing an unpleasant suspicion...
They trudged on in silence from there, and presently came to a camp in the midst of the forest. A huge camp---at one look, Gateau felt something inside himself quail. Hundreds of soldiers could easily be coordinated from such a point. Especially one as well-organized and orchestrated as this seemed to be.
Grudgingly, Gateau admitted to himself that perhaps he couldn't blame Carrot for their capture.
Topaza led them into the heart of the camp, stopping before a large pavillion, and their captors held them more firmly as the tent flap lifted. And then Gateau stared, feeling hopelessness wither into something far uglier, as not one, not three, but eleven other Sorcerers stepped out of the tent to gaze at them. Most of them were smiling.
Well, no wonder, Gateau thought to himself, feeling only a kind of mad, cynical cheerfulness in that moment. It's not every day that Sorcerer Hunters are captured by their prey.
"The Conclave..." Chocora mumured under her breath, and then her eyes hardened. "That's who you are."
Another of the Sorcerers stepped forward, hands on hips; he was a bear of a man, bearded and glowering. "So you know who we are, and we know who you are. The question remains: what do we do, now?"
A slender, blond male Sorcerer made a thoughtful sound, watching them with arms folded, smiling in a way that made the little hairs on the back of Gateau's neck rise. "Perhaps they're expendable, Garunetto. If so..."
The one called Garunetto turned to glare at the blond scathingly. "No, damn it. We're violating the law enough as it is. If we harm any of them, we've nailed the lids on our coffins."
One of the women stalked forward, her eyes roving Gateau from head to toe in a way that, under happier circumstances, would have pleased him. "What if we don't want to harm any of them?" She smiled covetously. Garunetto rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"We'll keep them imprisoned until our business is finished. Then they go free." Garunetto turned to regard them, looking each of them in the eye. "I hope you understand, Sorcerer Hunters. We bear you no ill will. We just can't allow you to interfere. If you don't give us any trouble, we'll part ways when this is over, and none of you will have been harmed in any way." He waved, and their guards began to drag them away, but then Topaza spoke.
"Their missing member is Marron Glaces. A journeyman from the Mizu School, according to the mercenary captain. It's possible that the disturbance I felt in the valley yesterday was related to his absence from the team today."
"Ahhh..." Garunetto stepped down from the elevated platform of the pavillion, walking over to them with new interest in his eyes. "Is this true, then? The school doesn't know we're coming?"
Gateau looked at the others; they all looked at Carrot, who looked back at Garunetto, as confused as they all felt. "I don't know," Carrot replied carefully. "Marron didn't tell us why he wanted to come back here."
Garunetto glanced at the other Sorcerers; some of them shrugged and returned to their pavillion, losing interest. Beckoning for Topaza and the guards to follow with the prisoners, they were led to a smaller tent. Here the guards had them stand back to back as they were shackled together.
Gateau grimaced, checking his bonds surreptitiously; the metal was stronger than it looked. He could probably break loose, but only with an effort, and the guards would notice before he would be able to free the others.
Garunetto and Topaza followed them in, conferring with one another. "Oi," Carrot snapped, twisting around in his shackles to get a good look at them. "What were you talking about, a disturbance? What's all this about the school? What's Marron got to do with it?"
Topaza looked mildly surprised; Garunetto's expression didn't change. "Your brother, as I can see you don't know, has returned to the school where he did his early training," Topaza explained after a moment, with a hint of censure in his voice. "Probably to take the Mage trials, if my information about him is correct. He is considered an exceptional magic-user---for a commoner---and would be an ideal candidate."
Now it was Gateau's turn to feel confused, and he frowned. Mage trials...? "What are you talking about?" he demanded. "What's your interest in this?"
Topaza lifted an eyebrow at him. "If Marron Glaces survives the trials, he will become a Mage. Like Big Mamu, and the Haz Knights. And Zaha Torte. You are, I assume, aware of the power such creatures---for they can only technically be considered Human---possess." His smile was both sardonic and sour. "Many times the power of any single Sorcerer. Naturally, this is not something which pleases us."
"The schools of magic have been happily cranking out Mages left and right for centuries," Garunetto growled suddenly, his expression grim. "Threatening to disrupt the balance of power between Sorcerer and commoner. In spite of the treaty which expressly forbids the use of magic by commoners. They were warned. They were warned!" He turned away, pacing, knuckles white on his hands. And suddenly suspicion crystallized into cold, hard understanding in Gateau's mind.
"The school." He stared at them, amazed at their audacity, horrified by their intent. And his own obtuseness. "You're here to destroy it." Tira gasped as well, and Carrot flinched beside him.
Topaza regarded them with mild amusement. "Of course. We had assumed you knew of our mission, and had been sent by Mamu and the High Court to intervene." He glanced at Garunetto, who was still pacing and seething. "It's obvious that they're completely ignorant about this, Garunetto. Marron Glaces must have told them nothing as a precaution against just such a situation. And Mamu would do nothing to jeopardize the treaty. We won't get any additional information from them."
Garunetto paused to glare at them for a long moment, finally nodding reluctantly. Both men turned to leave, but then Carrot lunged forward, jerking all of their arms painfully. Gateau bit back his curse, however, when he saw the wild-eyed look on Carrot's face.
"You can't destroy the school," Carrot said urgently, desperately. "Marron--- my brother, he's--- he's still up there. If you attack that school, he might be hurt. Or even killed."
"That is the idea," Topaza replied, speaking slowly, as if to a simpleton. "If he survives the trial, he'll simply be yet another threat to us. It will be best if we eliminate him now, while he's weak and unskilled." He paused, oblivious to their stunned and angry reactions. "Most likely, however, he's dead. Or mad. Most who attempt the trial end up that way."
Gateau felt his blood turn to icewater.
"This can't be legal," Chocora snapped, her voice shaking with anger and fear. "Do you think Mamu will allow this kind of violation to go unpunished? The Haz Knights---"
Garunetto regarded her impassively. "We know we're violating the treaty, young woman," he said gravely. "We fully expect to be censured by the Faarunerian government for what we're about to do. We're doing this to preserve the peace, whatever you might think of us. The balance of power must be maintained. The schools of magic are the ones committing an evil, by violating the treaty and threatening that balance---and the peace that comes with it. We've chosen to destroy one cowering warren of insurrectionists as an example rather than allow war to break out, which is what will inevitably happen if the schools continue their defiance of Sorcerer rule. We intend to send a message that no one on this continent, Sorcerer, commoner, or leader, can ignore."
"The schools are doing no harm," Tira cut in hotly. "They just provide things the people need. Sorcerers won't spare magic on commoners---how else are ordinary people supposed to get Healers and---"
"And rebels and Sorcerer Hunters!" Garunetto shouted, rounding on her. Tira flinched and fell in to a white-lipped silence.
After a moment Garunetto heaved a sigh, looking at their stricken and angry faces. "I'm truly sorry about the deaths our actions will cause. Including your companion's. But he's part of the problem, and his death is a necessary evil."
Carrot's head was down and he was trembling---whether with fear or anger, Gateau could not tell. Rage was his own emotion of choice at the moment.
He glared at Garunetto. "You can rationalize it however you want," he growled. "The fact remains that you're about to launch a completely dishonorable surprise attack on people whose only real crime is existing. And we're going to stop you."
Garunetto regarded them for a moment longer before turning away. The soldiers took up positions inside the tent, on guard. "You're welcome to try, Sorcerer Hunters," said the leader of the Conclave. "But you'd better do it before tonight." Topaza lifted the flap for him and he stepped out, pausing and turning at the threshold to gaze back in at them for a moment. "After that, your friend and everyone else within the walls of that school will be dead."
The Sorcerers left. The sound of the heavy tent flap, dropping back into place in their wake, was like the boneless flop of a corpse.
**End Ch. 5