Twenty people in all were at the meeting, and the round of introductions made Auum’s head spin. High mage, mayor, elder council, general of the militia, general of the college army. . and an Il-Aryn iad called Kerela who had achieved high office. She was someone Auum needed to speak to in private. The meeting took place in a mixture of elvish and human, with translators at the ears of any struggling to understand one or the other.
‘First of all my apologies for keeping you from your beds or for dragging you from them,’ said the High Mage, Sipharec. He was a middle-aged man, clean-shaven, tall and slender to the point of being gaunt. His eyes were a powerful bright blue but there was something behind them, a sadness. ‘But what we have to discuss cannot wait until dawn when the Wesmen resume their efforts to knock down our walls. Walls which we have defended for more than ten days without help from any on the outside, until now. Auum, Drech, Takaar and all your people, welcome, and thank you for giving us fresh hope. Stein, I doubted you could succeed. I am sorry.’
Stein shrugged. ‘It was without doubt a fool’s errand, but this fool is a lucky one.’
‘Auum, I know you have questions,’ said Sipharec in very good elvish. ‘Perhaps you can start the debate.’
Auum inclined his head. ‘My questions are simple enough, but there is a great deal I don’t understand and I will not commit my people to a conflict I do not understand. We’re here; we have secured our mages, and I am content with that. We share a common enemy and I am content with that too. But I am concerned and confused by the alliance you have with the other colleges and I am most concerned by what will happen in this country when the Wytch Lords are defeated.’
Sipharec frowned. ‘I’m not sure I understand your concern. With the Wytch Lords gone, we’ll have peace here and will begin to grow again as colleges. Julatsa will seek to strengthen its bonds with the elves and build a deterrent against any other Wesman incursion. It’s a dream as we sit here, but not something that should give rise to concerns, is it?’
‘I’ll make it plainer,’ said Auum. ‘The Wytch Lords are invading because they want to secure Dawnthief, the spell that seals the stupidity of human magical research for ever. What happens to that spell when the Wytch Lords are defeated?’
Sipharec’s glare at Stein was sharp and poisonous.
‘The search will continue,’ said the High Mage evenly. ‘The spell cannot be allowed to fall into the wrong hands.’
Auum sighed and felt the weight of magic rest more heavily on his soul than ever.
‘Those who seek to own this spell are, by dint of their desire, the wrong hands,’ said Auum. ‘Tell me, what would you do with it, should you find it?’
Sipharec smiled indulgently. ‘Keep it away from those who would research it further and who would use it as a rod of power.’
‘And these people you fear, they represent, who is it. . Xetesk and Dordover? They will fight you for it. You do see that? The end of one war will be the prelude to another as you stab each other in the back for something no one should own. And ownership risks us all. The innocent of Calaius and Balaia will live only at the whim of a group of mages. No one who owns this spell could resist its charms for ever. No elf can tolerate this.’
Auum stared squarely at Kerela. The iad met his gaze but could not hold it.
‘Something to say, Kerela?’
‘You misunderstand the motives of this college,’ she said.
‘Do I? I know you are the only college under siege and hence, to my mind, the college the Wytch Lords feel poses them the most risk. Why is that?’
‘No, no, no.’ The bass voice belonged to the college’s general, Harild. He was an old man but his eyes sparkled with vitality and his body had not withered. ‘Two things have combined to bring the Wesmen to our walls, and neither is our progress in finding Dawnthief. First, we are the closest college for invasion forces coming around the Blackthornes from the north. Second, we have elves here, and the Wytch Lords reserve a special hatred for the elves. Can’t think why.’
Harild raised his eyebrows and Auum almost smiled.
‘That doesn’t explain your desire to own Dawnthief. According to Stein, no one knows where this thing is, is that right?’
‘Yes,’ said Kerela. ‘Septern’s Manse was destroyed utterly when the Wesmen attacked it seeking Dawnthief. We assume the secrets are there, but they remain hidden from us.’
‘Then surely it is in the right place now — out of reach of all. Am I being naive to suggest that if you really want to progress, you must agree not to seek it and make this location off limits. Guard it if you have to. If no one owns the spell, no one can use it, and I for one will sleep more easily.’
‘It’s a lovely plan, but Xetesk will never stop searching. They are terrified of others, particularly Dordover, finding it first.’
‘Forgive me,’ said Sipharec. ‘But is this pertinent to our current situation?’
‘Tell me,’ said Auum, ignoring Sipharec. ‘Which college has the largest army?’
General Harild shrugged. ‘Xetesk, easily. Why?’
‘And yet they haven’t managed to send even a token force to your aid? Not a solitary mage?’
Sipharec spread his hands. ‘They have an invasion of their own to deal with.’
‘How wide can this pass be if it takes three colleges to repel an invasion there?’ Auum looked around the table and was dismayed at what he saw in the expressions on all their faces.
Only Stein could see where he was leading. ‘Understone Pass will take a large cart and team very comfortably,’ he said.
Auum shrugged. ‘Allies, you say? Seems to me they are sacrificing you. Once you’re out of the game it’s one less hand grasping for the spell, isn’t it?’
He was right and they knew it, though none of them would admit it. Sipharec exchanged glances with both Kerela and Harild.
‘So where does that leave you? Will you help us?’ asked Sipharec.
‘The Wytch Lords must be destroyed or they will destroy Calaius. This is where the strength to defeat them lies. But I will not leave us at greater risk in the aftermath of their defeat. I will not fight alongside Xetesk; their true motives are plain enough. And you’ll have to decide where you line up. If I learn we are being used to further anyone’s claims to Dawnthief, I will withdraw every elven warrior and Il-Aryn and return to Calaius. Take our chances there.’
Takaar cleared his throat. He’d been fidgeting ever since the meeting had begun. Auum tensed but said nothing.
‘If I may speak,’ said Takaar.
Kerela favoured him with a warm smile. ‘The chamber is yours.’
‘Thank you.’
Takaar stood and walked around the table as he spoke, stopping to rest a friendly hand on a shoulder or refill a wine or water cup. He didn’t get too near Auum and repeatedly worried at his left arm with the fingernails of his right hand. Auum determined to relax and watch the performance, let him say what he felt he must. Either his instability would trip him up or his supreme arrogance would undermine him.
‘We do not all think as Auum thinks. Auum is a warrior. He is the finest ever to grace the TaiGethen and so the finest ever to set foot in your country. He understands speed and strength of arms. He knows a hundred ways to kill you with foot, fist and blade. But he doesn’t understand magic. He has no conception of the power a union of magics can generate. The Wytch Lords fear a union of elven and human magic, and that is why they are outside these walls. Not to fight alongside Xetesk is patently absurd. Only together can we defeat them.
‘And while Auum’s TaiGethen are a blessing in every fight, they are not critical. My Il-Aryn are. They answer to me and I will bring them to your aid.’
Drech stood, slapping the table. ‘You do not command the Il-Aryn,’ he said. ‘I do.’
Takaar’s face was stone for a moment before his lips twitched and he muttered words in ancient elvish, presumably to his tormentor. A smile slid across his expression but the fury in his eyes was raw and unchecked. Auum sat back, satisfied that the lucidity of Takaar’s speech was about to be comprehensively undone.