Balancer (Advent Mage Cycle) Read online

  Night acquiesced with a bob of the head and then focused intently for a moment on the inside, tail idly swishing. “They’re coming.”

  I waited several moments for them to appear. They didn’t come through the door or front windows, but from a side alley off to the right. To my complete lack of surprise, they didn’t look in the least bit mussed. Knowing them, they’d probably found some out-of-the-way perch where they could watch the show.

  Xiaolang jabbed a finger toward the building, a dark scowl on his face. “Your doing.”

  Hazard gave his captain a sheepish smile. Shad just waved his hands in a calming manner. “Now, now, C2,” he soothed, impish light in his eyes, “We had a very good reason for it.”

  “Oh did you now.” Xiaolang crossed his hands over his chest and stared at them with hard eyes. “I’d love to hear it.”

  “Well, you see we were in there trying to gather some information from the afternoon crowd,” Shad started. From his manner, he didn’t look the least bit worried that Xiaolang appeared perfectly ready to start strangling him.

  “Right, and while we were sitting at the bar, I spotted a man that looked to be a Priest,” Hazard added. “From the younger group, you know.”

  “In fact, the whole tavern gave us the impression of being a Star Order sanctuary,” Shad supported with a thoughtful nod that didn’t fool anyone. “But we had no way to really prove it.”

  “So we thought, well, if those Priests got into any trouble, surely their friends would come to their aid, right?” Hazard gave us a stunning smile.

  “And so you started a bar fight to see who would come to the Priests defense.” Xiaolang stated so neutrally that it was impossible to discern how he felt about it.

  “Right!” Shad confirmed cheerfully. “It worked splendidly. We confirmed seven people in there.”

  If Xiaolang hadn’t had a headache before, he had it now. Their logic even hurt my brain. “I’ll call Saroya,” I volunteered, digging out my mirror broach. “We need somebody to take these men into custody.” Not to mention a lot of somebodies to stop that fight.

  Xiaolang pointed at them, jaw rigid. “You two are never partnering again.”

  “Aww, C2…”

  “No.”

  ~*~

  We didn’t wait long for a unit of Special Forces to arrive. Once they had the situation in hand we retreated back to the palace grounds. Most of the day was gone at this point, so we couldn’t have been out for more than another hour or so anyway. I think the timing was just as well—Xiaolang clearly didn’t trust Shad and Hazard anymore. Apparently, those two were not a good combination.

  I took the time to unsaddle Night and get him settled for the night before I went into the building. I’d barely crossed two feet into the main foyer when I nearly ran into a man that I didn’t recognize.

  He had the Chahiran fair hair and light blue eyes, but his skin was a dark gold in color that said he spent most of his time outdoors. He had a powerful build to him—this was a man that could wrestle bears in the morning just as a warm-up exercise. I judged him to be in his mid-thirties, but that could be just because of his height. He was unusually tall for someone of Chahiran descent. He had on the black robe of a Wizard, but cut to knee-length. For fighting ease, I would guess, considering the twin swords strapped to his back.

  “Wizard Kamik Dassan,” he introduced himself with a spread of the hands and a slight bow. “We seek the balance.”

  “Magus Rhebengarthen,” I responded with a polite bow in response. So, this was the blood magic expert, eh? “We are very glad to have you, Wizard Dassan.”

  Recognition dawned in his eyes and he gave me a very intent perusal. “My pleasure to help. Truly. I’ve been itching to knock the Star Order off its pedestal for years.”

  The door beside me opened and Chatta stepped out. She looked just as tired today as she had yesterday, but now she had a grand ink smudge along one cheek. I reached out and started rubbing it off with my thumb. “Another day?”

  “Another day,” she sighed, tilting her face so that I had easier access. “So I did get ink on myself?”

  “A nice, long streak,” I assured her with an amused smile.

  “How did your day go?” she asked.

  “Xiaolang and I didn’t find anything. But I have to tell you what Hazard and Shad did.” I linked arms with Chatta and gestured for Dassan to join us as I continued to the dining room. I entertained them both with the tale as I led them to dinner. As soon as we entered the dining room, and Shad heard what I was saying, he jumped in with defenses for his actions. It led to a lively conversation around the table.

  After dinner everyone seemed to head off in their own directions. No one said anything to each other, but I think we all needed a break, even if for just a few hours. Chatta and I ended up in a small sitting room that faced the inner garden. I took a large, wing-backed chair and Chatta snuggled in with me. I made way for her with a smile. We sat there, talking about our respective days and whatever came to mind. It was really nice to be able to just sit and do this for once. Of course, it figured it wouldn’t last.

  “Garth, do you have a moment? I was wondering if I might ask you a question. Could you—oh.” Audax walked into sight and abruptly halted. A smile tinged with humor and what on anyone else I’d call sheepishness crossed his face.

  “I do always seem to be intruding on the two of you. My apologies. This can wait for another time.”

  That’s what his words said, but his face spoke of disappointment. I think Chatta saw it too for she said, “No, please. Sit, you’re not intruding at all.”

  “What can I do for you, Prince?” I encouraged with a smile.

  Audax smiled brightly before sitting in a chair across from us. He leaned forward, arms on his knees, hands clasped together. He paused, looking at them before raising cool grey eyes to meet mine.

  “Garth, I am told that you worked quite closely with Life Mages. Would you agree that you have a good grasp of their capabilities?”

  I blinked in surprise. “The best resource for knowing about Life Mages is a Life Mage. Without any of them present, I suppose I am an acceptable substitute. What do you wish to know?”

  “I’m trying to gain an understanding of how Nolan’s talent will develop,” he admitted. “Right now, I have very little information to go on. What can Life Mages do?”

  Ah. Well, he seemed to be a good father after all. An uncaring one would never have hunted me down like this. I smiled at him, glad that Nolan had at least one good parent, even if his mother had been a flibbertigibbet.

  I answered him as honestly and completely as I could. Chatta knew a few things I didn’t, and she shared those facts as well. I discovered that Audax truly enjoyed hearing my own personal experiences with Life Mages the most, as they seemed more real to him than dry facts. With the many internships that I’d done with Cora, and the few projects we’d paired up on, I had quite a few stories to tell.

  He listened intently, and only when I started to run out of stories did he ask, “So they truly can create life?”

  “Yes, they can,” I affirmed. “It’s strictly regulated, of course. But you’ve met a Life Mage creation—Chatta’s meuritta, Didi, is one.”

  His forehead wrinkled in a mild frown. “I’m afraid I’ve only seen glimpses of him.”

  Really? I turned to Chatta in confusion. I would think that Didi would have been hovering over her with all of the maps and little figurines in that room.

  “He was making a pest of himself, so I had to kick him out of the room,” she responded to my silent query. “I told him to go entertain himself, but stay out of trouble.” She opened her mouth, frowned, and then slowly said, “Actually, I haven’t seen him all day.”

  An icy cold shiver of dark premonition raced up and down my spine. “You turned a meuritta loose on this city of pandemonium unsupervised?”

  “I wasn’t thinking clearly,” she responded weakly, wincing. “He was just driving me crazy,
so I threw him out of the room. Um. I better go find him.”

  Chatta hopped up and ran out of the room. I levered myself up as well. I wouldn’t rest easy until I knew where Didi was and verified that he hadn’t gotten into something he shouldn’t have.

  Audax rose as I did, following Chatta’s retreat from the room with his eyes. “Is this creature dangerous?”

  “No, not at all,” I assured him almost absently. “It’s just that meurittas are insatiably curious. Worse, no lock in the world stands a chance of keeping them out. They get into constant trouble by going into places they shouldn’t. Actually, they’re quite affectionate and intelligent creatures, which is why they are so popular as a magician’s familiar. They’re just…high maintenance.” Even that is an understatement.

  From the hallway, Chatta’s voice called out in a near wail: “Garth!”

  Uh-oh. I tore out of the room at a fast sprint, then paused in the hallway when I realized that I didn’t know where she was. “Chatta, where are you?”

  “Stairs!”

  I assumed by that she meant the main staircase that led up to the other three floors. I ran the rest of the distance down the hallway, although I had to dodge people a little as practically everyone had heard Chatta’s call and come to see what was going on. When I finally got to her, she was crouched on the bottom stair, holding Didi in her lap. The meuritta was proudly holding up three different necklaces for her to see. They were relatively simple—just a black cord of braided leather with a silver amulet hanging from the middle. From this angle, they spun so much that I couldn’t see any details. Judging from the look on Chatta’s face, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to, either.

  I knelt next to her and lifted one of the amulets in my palm.

  Then I almost dropped it out of sheer reflex.

  There, in my hand, lay the four-prong star crest of the Star Order. Where, by the four winds, had Didi managed to get his hands on three of these?

  Xiaolang leaned over Chatta’s head to see them more clearly. He stared at them for a long moment before asking calmly, “Didi, where did you get these? Some place here in the city?”

  Didi looked a little anxious at the reaction he was receiving. One of his ears went back, and his eyes kept darting between the three of us. Cautiously, he gave a nod. “Di.”

  “In a building?” Xiaolang continued.

  Didi gave another hesitant nod. “Di.”

  “Were there people in the building?”

  “Di.”

  “People that wore necklaces just like these?”

  Didi nodded again, surer this time.

  A building with Star Order Priests in it…all this time we were stumbling around looking for something, and Didi found it by sheer chance?

  Maybe we should just turn an army of meurittas loose on Chahir and see what they turned up.

  Xiaolang touched Chatta’s shoulder, getting her attention. “Chatta, we need a scrying done. Now. Let’s find that building.”

  Chapter Ten: Breadcrumbs

  Someone had the presence of mind to alert Saroya to our find. By the time that Chatta had gathered a large bowl filled with clear water and set it down on the dining table, the Head of the Special Forces had shown up, a little winded from the mad dash he had just performed across the palace compound.

  Didi sat on one side of the bowl while Chatta stood on the opposite side. She concentrated intensely on the surface until an aerial view of the building we stood in waved into crystalline focus.

  “Alright, Didi. When you left, which direction did you go? North?”

  Didi shook his head in a rapid no and pointed west.

  “West, alright. Now, you point which direction I need to go until you see the building where you found your pretty necklaces,” she instructed with a glance at her familiar.

  He nodded to her, seriousness all over his face for once. The expression reminded me of the time when we’d saved Jenna and her sisters from prison so many months ago. He’d had that same sort of determination then, too.

  Chatta started slowly scrying west, angling in different directions as Didi dictated. I admit my focus on the image in the bowl was such that I started when Saroya murmured next to me, “This creature is highly intelligent. Are all meurittas like this?”

  “Yes. Well, some are better behaved than others.” Didi was far too charming. He managed to get out of a lot of trouble on sheer charm. It struck me that Saroya’s question had a ruminative tone to it and I gave him a look out of the corner of my eye. One could almost see the wheels spinning madly. I could almost prophesy what his next question would be. “You don’t have to be a magician to own one.”

  His eyes lit up at this piece of information. “Anyone can own one?”

  “Oh yes.”

  “Where do you buy them?”

  I shook my head sadly at the ignorance of the man. “Saroya, they’re common pets in Hain. As common as stray dogs or kittens here in Chahir. All you have to do is walk through the main street in Del’Hain while waving ribbons around and you’ll have more meurittas than you’ll know what to do with.”

  He blinked at me, as if wondering if I were pulling his leg. “Ribbons.”

  “Meurittas love string. ALL string, no matter the type or color. They’re famous for snatching anything string-related unless stopped. It’s the easiest way to get their attention.” Even as I explained, my eyes returned to the scrying. The image showed a great deal of older, large buildings that were meant for storage or some type of industry. It didn’t seem like a section of town that was well kept or very populated.

  “That building?” Chatta asked, peering at it carefully. “Are you sure?”

  “Diii!” Didi assured her with a happy chitter.

  “Alright then. Xiaolang, do you have this marked?”

  “I do,” he assured her, scribbling information on a map. “Saroya, how do you want to deal with this?”

  “I have enough men to surround the building and take it.” Saroya frowned down at the image. “That’s assuming, of course, that they don’t pull out those fancy weapons and shields of theirs. I lost too many men the last time we fought against armed Priests.”

  “What if we cast a circle first?”

  We all turned to Dassan as if he had just spouted wisdom directly from the gods.

  “You can do that?” Chatta asked incredulously, eyes flaring wide. “But we don’t know how many people are in that building!”

  “Not now, but we can,” he assured her. “We do, after all, have several triangles on us that can tell us how many are in that building. We can send someone out right now to take a quick look and report how many we’ll be dealing with.”

  “We’ll send someone out tonight,” I said firmly. “But do you think we have enough magicians to handle this? Even a guess is fine at this point, but we need to know if more magicians should be called in from Coven Ordan now otherwise they won’t have the time to arrive and be briefed.”

  “We have enough. No matter how packed that building is with people, there can’t be more than a hundred or so and we certainly have enough magical power to cast a circle large enough to handle a group of that size. And right now, we have a lot of magicians that we can call upon. We can cast a circle right there, without entering the building, and cut their combat abilities in half.”

  “Well that would’ve made things go a whole lot faster had I known that,” I heard Shad mutter under his breath.

  Audax took one second to consider things. In his mind, I must be the one in charge of all magical operations, for he turned to me and said, “Do it. Call in whoever you need to. I grant you the authority.”

  I gave him a half bow in acknowledgement. “Yes, Highness. Dassan, Chatta, let’s sit down and see if we can’t make some rough estimates.”

  Chatta panned the view out a little more in her bowl before waving a wand over the surface. “I’ve frozen the image so that you can study it without me. Gentlemen, one word of experience: when a magician is stri
pped, they’re usually in severe shock afterwards. They’re not going to be capable of putting up much of a fight.”

  Saroya’s stern expression relaxed into something that might have been a smile. “I’m glad to hear it. We’ll prepare for the worst just in case, though.”

  “Probably wise,” she allowed with a wry curve of the lips.

  ~*~

  Most of the night was spent in preparation. Saroya, Xiaolang and Audax put their heads together and outlined the best way to breach the building. Chatta was often drafted to scry around every nook and corner of the building so that they had an exact picture of the entrances. After seeing every angle of the building upon request, I could tell from Saroya’s expression that he now had a whole new appreciation for having magicians around. For that matter, I think the prince was plotting on just keeping Chatta.

  Shad and one of his Wizards—Bornemeier, I think—actually went to the building and did a search with the triangle to determine the exact number that we were dealing with. When they came back, Xiaolang and Saroya had to rework the entire plan that they’d been devising. Apparently, we would not be dealing with a hundred people as they’d pessimistically assumed. From what I heard, only forty-seven were actually in the building. Whether that number stayed consistent through the night and into the next morning, well…that was anyone’s guess.

  As I wouldn’t be part of the military end of this operation, I didn’t pay a lot of attention to what they planned. Dassan and I instead worked out the right number of magicians to call a circle together, and which magicians we could afford to yank quickly from the field. The building was the size of a warehouse, and we couldn’t be sure that the number reported to us wouldn’t change at some point during the night. On the one hand, no blood magician was as powerful as a normal magician, so it didn’t take as much effort to strip their magic. On the other, we didn’t want to be cocky and not have the power we needed. It made deciding on an exact number for the circle tricky, to say the least.