“Meanwhile?” Chandra prodded.
“Meanwhile, inform the tribe that Chandra has left the monastery.”
Samir shook his head. “If I tell them a falsehood and they find out, then I will lose-”
“It’s not a falsehood,” Luti said. “At least, it won’t be by this time tomorrow.”
“I’m not running away!” Chandra said.
“Of course you’re not,” said Luti. “You are, at my request, leaving on a mission on behalf of the monastery.”
“I am?” Chandra said suspiciously.
“Yes. A mission that only you can accomplish.” Their eyes met. “We’ll discuss the details later.”
A mission that only you can accomplish…
Did Luti want her to planeswalk? Chandra’s curiosity was kindled, but planeswalking wasn’t something they could discuss in front of Samir, so she nodded in acceptance of Luti’s statement.
“So…” Samir looked from Luti to Chandra, then back to Luti. “If I tell the tribe tomorrow that Chandra has left the monastery, I will be speaking the truth?”
Luti nodded. “And if you think it will help cool their rage, tell them Chandra has been sent away as punishment for what happened. That’s not our way here, of course, but I rather doubt that oufes know-or care-what our ways are.”
“Tell them I’m being punished?” Chandra was insulted. “I don’t want a bunch of oufes thinking-”
“Does it really matter what oufes think of you, Chandra?” Luti said impatiently. “If it means these disruptive attacks cease, so be it. I just want to resolve this matter as quickly as possible, so that we can give our full attention to dealing with the Order!”
Chandra shrugged and folded her arms. She didn’t like it, but Luti had a point, so she let it go.
“And speaking of the Order,” Luti continued. “Killing that ghost warden has attracted Walbert’s attention.”
“What?” Chandra said in surprise.
“How do you know?” asked Samir.
“The soldiers from Zinara who saw you in the forest,” Luti said to Chandra, “reported what they saw. And the tale was carried all the way to the ears of the high priest of the Temple.”
“To Walbert?”
Luti nodded. “I received a letter this morning from Walbert himself, brought by courier.” She gestured to a sheaf of papers sitting on the table next to her. “A long letter.”
“What does he want?” Chandra asked.
“His ultimate goal is to shut down Keral Keep and to outlaw fire magic as we practice it throughout Regatha.”
“He wants what?” Chandra said in outrage.
“Of course that’s what he wants,” Samir said. “The rule of the Order can’t spread to the mountains while Keral Keep stands.”
“Precisely,” said Luti. “Oh, Walbert’s letter-which is so long-winded that one can only pity his scribes-he goes on about wanting peace, harmony, and unity; seemingly harmless aspirations. But his righteous language can’t hide the fact that what he really wants is unchallenged rule over all the lands of Regatha. What he wants is total power.” Luti scowled as she added, “He wants power over us.”
“And us,” Samir added.
“Yes,” Luti agreed. “Over everyone.”
“And to have such power,” Samir said, “to rule over all of Regatha unopposed, to ensure that the Order holds sway over the forests and the mountains, as well as the plains… Walbert must eliminate all other power. Or at least nullify it.”
“Particularly fire magic?” Chandra guessed.
“Yes,” Luti said. “If Walbert can quell fire magic, then all the other undesirable practices-the ones he doesn’t like-will become easier for him to control, too.”
“What about this Purifying Fire that you told me about, Samir?” Chandra asked. “Is it really that important to the Order?”
“So people say, in Zinara.”
“Can it be… I don’t know-destroyed? Damaged? Eliminated?”
“What is created that cannot be destroyed? I suppose the answer is yes, but that would mean entering the Temple of Heliud and infiltrating the caverns. One would assume that it is heavily guarded. I can’t imagine they let just anyone in there.”
“It was just a question,” Chandra muttered.
“You’re not going to Zinara,” Luti said firmly.
“What else does the letter say?”
“Exactly what you might expect. Walbert decries the ‘irresponsible’ teachings of the monastery and the ‘dangerous reign’ of pyromancy in the mountains.”
“All because I killed a ghost warden?” Chandra said.
“His letter goes on at some length about the undisciplined nature of fire mages and the destructive influence of pyromancy in magic.” Luti scowled, her intonation emphasizing those of Walbert’s words that she particularly disagreed with. “Well, if I may paraphrase the great Jaya Ballard: others have criticized destruction, and you know what? They’re all dead.”
Chandra asked, “Is Walbert’s reaction what you meant when you said that destroying the ghost warden might have been ill-advised?”
“Yes,” said Luti. “I’ve never seen one, but I know those creatures are supposed to be hard to eliminate. I thought you might attract Walbert’s attention when you killed it. But I’ve changed my mind about that being ill-advised.”
“Why?”
“Walbert has been looking for an excuse to confront the Keralians openly.” Luti shrugged. “Now that he has found one… I realize that it’s a relief. The growing tension has been exhausting. I, too, am ready for confrontation.”
“But will this…” Chandra frowned. “Mother, have I endangered the monastery?”
“No. Oh, you’ve burned down part of the Great Western Wood, turned the monastery into a target for inept assassins, and made Samir’s life a nightmare of frenzied oufes and disgruntled woodlanders,” Luti said. “But if Walbert didn’t have the destruction of that ghost warden to use as an excuse, then he’d find something else. So I don’t believe that this-” Luti picked up Walbert’s letter from the table beside her and waved it at Chandra. “-is your fault. It was going to happen eventually.”
Samir said, “I agree, Chandra. Walbert has been preparing to challenge the monastery for years. If he didn’t feel ready to try to impose the rule of the Order here, he wouldn’t have used the ghost warden’s demise as an excuse.” He added, “Remember, I’ve met Walbert. Nothing he does is done without a great deal of thought.”
“What’s he like?”
“He’s about Luti’s age, tall, gray-haired, thin. He holds himself erect and is very well-groomed. His smile is cold, like his eyes. He speaks in a calm, civilized tone, yet manages to be threatening.” Samir thought for a moment. “The things he says are outrageous and self-serving, but listening to him talk, I’m sure he really believes what he’s saying.”
Luti made a sound of disgust. “Then he must believe that that I can be moved by the transparent posturing in his letter. Does he imagine that the mountain cares, for even one moment, about the shade it casts on the plain? If he supposes that his absurd rhetoric will somehow curb our belief in the power of fire, then he is in for a rude awakening.”
“Oh, I doubt Walbert thinks a letter will cause you to cooperate with his demands,” said Samir. “Instead, I think he hopes the letter will incite you to rash behavior.”
Luti’s angry frown changed to a look of surprise. And then she smiled ruefully. “This is why you’re such a valuable friend, Samir.” She nodded. “Yes. Of course you’re right. Walbert isn’t just arrogant and power-hungry. He’s also shrewd and manipulative. He will need popular support so he is trying to provoke us.”
“But it’s important,” Samir said, “to give careful thought to your next move. Because careful thought is not what he’s hoping for.”
“Actually, my next move doesn’t really call for that much thought,” Luti said.
“Oh?”
“Walbert demands that I turn over Chandra to him-or, rather, ‘the red-haired female pyromancer who attacked four soldiers of the Order after criminally destroying a ghost warden.’” Luti looked at Chandra as she added, “Which is why I think the first thing I should do is send you away for a while. Someplace where Walbert won’t look for you.”