Kahldris cocked his head, his lips feigning a pout. ‘Oh, thank you, boy,’ he crooned, his voice sickly-sweet. ‘Your warning warms my heart. Have you not seen how the baron does my bidding? He is mine, body and soul.’
‘No, not anymore. He’s changing. And you can’t stand that, because then all your plans for revenge will be finished, and you’ll have to go back to living in a cage.’
Kahldris’ face began to boil. ‘Why are you here?’ he demanded.
‘To put you on notice, demon. I’m done being afraid of you. I’m going to keep telling everyone what you really are, and I’m going to show Thorin that he doesn’t need you. He’s remembering the man he used to be!’
‘Do that, and you will pay,’ spat Kahldris.
‘You can’t hurt me, Kahldris.’ Gilwyn relaxed, sure of his hunch. ‘If you do, you’ll lose everything.’
Kahldris smiled. ‘You are tasking me. But let’s not play this game. Tell me what you want. It is something, surely. Something you want me to reveal, perhaps?’
His guess unbalanced Gilwyn. Feigning disinterest, Gilwyn shrugged. ‘You’re not going to reveal anything you don’t want to,’ he said casually. He turned and rounded the dais again. ‘Anyway, I think you know you’re in trouble. Your brother is on his way, and you can’t stop him. You wanted me to help you find him, and now it’s too late.’
‘I will deal with my brother,’ Kahldris rumbled. ‘Happily.’
‘You’ll have to, because he’s coming. And until you do you won’t be able to have your revenge on the other Akari.’
‘But I have patience, Gilwyn Toms! Don’t you know? I have been entombed for eternity. I can wait.’ Kahldris put his gauntlet to his heartless chest. ‘And what will happen to your precious White-Eye then, do you think?’
Gilwyn saw his move and countered. ‘You may kill her, I know that. But it’s the same problem. Anything more you do to her will hurt me, and Thorin wouldn’t like that.’
Kahldris snorted. ‘You are very brave. And stupid. You may not be afraid of me, boy, but you should be.’
Gilwyn shook his head. ‘Nope, no longer. I’m here to tell you that the challenge is on, Kahldris. From now on I’m going to do my best to win back Thorin’s soul. I’m not leaving him. Who knows? By the time your brother Malator gets here, Thorin might already be rid of you.’
‘Stop talking about my brother, you wretched imp!’
‘Look at you,’ Gilwyn taunted. ‘You’re afraid of him, too. Why?’
‘You horrible little toad. .’
‘Everyone says what a powerful summoner you were, what a great general! I don’t believe them. You can’t be all those things and still be so afraid of a single Akari!’
Before Gilwyn saw it, the metal hand shot out and struck him hard across the face. He fell backward, skidding along the floor, his head striking the dais. Dazed, he looked up into Kahldris’ maddened face, and knew he’d hit the right note. With a grimace of pain he touched his crushed lip.
‘Go on,’ he said, staggering to his feet. ‘Hit me again!’
This time, Kahldris backed away. ‘Do not speak of my brother.’
‘Why? What’s he going to do to you? Why can’t you beat him?’
Kahldris was about to erupt, then stopped himself. His eyes turned to shrewd little slivers. ‘Oh, you clever little boy.’ He clenched his fist, holding back his rage. ‘Now I see what you’ve been up to. The library hasn’t been much of a help to you either, has it?’
Gilwyn smirked. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘You’ve been trying to find a way to defeat me, but you haven’t yet. And you won’t, because there is no way. I am indestructible!’
‘I don’t believe you,’ said Gilwyn. ‘Your brother has the means.’
‘Then you’ll just have to wait for him,’ snarled the demon. ‘Because I won’t help you.’
Gilwyn knew his ploy was over. Angry, he stepped up to the Akari. ‘You’re still being challenged, Kahldris. I may not find a way to beat you, but I may not have to.’
‘Do not talk against me to the baron, boy,’ Kahldris warned. ‘I have other ways to harm you.’
Gilwyn began to walk past him. ‘I’m not listening to your threats anymore.’
Kahldris put out his arm to block him. ‘You should listen,’ he said with a grin. ‘I can turn you inside out with fear.’
For a moment Gilwyn paused, remembering Ruana’s warnings. He had seen what Kahldris had done to White-Eye, driving her madly into the desert, chasing a phantom that didn’t exist.
‘Good-bye, Kahldris,’ said Gilwyn calmly. ‘You can battle me for Thorin’s soul, but you’ll lose.’
The demon lowered his arm for Gilwyn to pass. ‘Don’t forget what I’ve said here tonight. Don’t forget that it’s you who’ve challenged me.’
The lantern burned on the floor, beckoning Gilwyn. Kahldris stepped aside. The armour would find its way back to the dais, Gilwyn knew, and no one else would know what had happened between them. Sure that he’d let a cobra out of its basket, Gilwyn picked up his lantern and left the chamber.
Gilwyn blew the dust off the row of books, smiling as he read the titles printed along the spines. Carefully balanced on his step stool, the branches of a birch tree tapping at his window, he ran his fingers lovingly along the top of the manuscripts, comforted by their permanence. The library had been destroyed and then rebuilt, but the words within its books were forever, and Gilwyn took care with them now that he was home again, treating them as though they were his own precious children. Tucked in his belt rested a feather duster, dirty from the morning’s work. He had spent hours alone in the rotunda, cleaning up the debris that had settled on the woodwork and books from all the recent construction. Once, the rotunda had been the library’s grandest reading room, and had been remarkably unscathed during the bombardment from Norvan catapults. Under Thorin’s direction, the wood paneling and plaster ceilings had all been carefully restored of cracks and blemishes, and nearly all of the books and manuscripts remained, just as they had been when Figgis was alive.
For Gilwyn, his work in the library was a joy, one he had never dared hope to have again during his long stay in Jador. He awoke early this morning, eager to return to the huge chore of getting the library back in order. If it was to ever reopen to the public — which was Thorin’s promise — it needed to not only be repaired, but also restocked and returned to its original order, and only Gilwyn knew how to do that. Figgis had taught him much in their years together, and Gilwyn remembered everything. Whenever a book was out of place, he knew exactly where it belonged. And so he worked diligently but carefully, using his stool to reach the higher ledges as best he could and wishing his friend Teku could help him. In the days when Gilwyn had been Figgis’ apprentice, the little monkey had helped the crippled boy with everything, even fetched books off the highest shelves. She had been given to Gilwyn by Figgis, but she was always meant to be more than a pet. She was more than a friend, even. Teku had made the challenge of working in the giant library a possibility for Gilwyn, and even seemed to sense his moods and needs. As his eyes absently scanned the shelves, Gilwyn thought about Teku. He
missed the little beast, just as he missed everyone in Jador.
His mind began to wander.
Another week had passed since he had confronted Kahldris in the cellars. Despite the demon’s dire pledges, it had been a wonderful seven days. Kahldris had remained quiet and aloof, allowing Gilwyn to continue bad-mouthing him, and Thorin gradually continued his slow-climb back to normalcy, taking interest in the small things in life again. He and Gilwyn continued to go riding almost every morning, and each night before he went to sleep Gilwyn made sure to spend an hour or so with the baron, usually playing cards or sampling from Lionkeep’s wine stores. Ruana continued to caution Gilwyn about Kahldris, but even she was forced to admit that the Akari’s threats had baffled her. He had done nothing to harm anyone, and soon Ruana, too, began to believe Gilwyn’s claims that they were untouchable.