Raven didn't respond to it. She merely nodded. "Very well. The two of you will have the cooperation of Military Security, assuming you don't make nuisances of yourselves. Remember, this is military territory. These brave men and women and wizards have been fighting this war step-by-step, while types like you have probably been luxuriating back at the Palace. If you treat these soldiers and magicians respectfully, you'll have fewer problems. Understood?"
The two nodded mutely, plainly undone by her very convincing bluff.
Raven all but dismissed the pair and walked off.
That was well done, Vadya said.
Thank you. Raven, too, was proud.
She strode along, noting the preparations under way. Scuttlebutt had it that the army was going to move east, against the city-state of Ompellus Prime. It would probably happen soon, by the look of things.
Raven hadn't been officially informed, but, then again, she wasn't really a part of General Weisel's senior staff. Her position was unique. Evidently, Weisel didn't think she needed to be notified about the tactical movements of this army, and he was probably right in that judgment.
Besides, Weisel always seemed to call for her at night, receiving her alone in his pavilion. Those visits, of course, weren't all business.
Raven smiled to herself, even as she stifled a small yawn. Weisel was a fine lover, but lack of sleep was taking its toll on her.
Even so, she was more than alert enough to carry out her duties, including the special one that Vadya had conceived—to keep an eye on both Weisel and Matokin, to see that neither man, through stubbornness or stupidity, sabotaged the efforts to establish an Isthmus-wide Felk Empire.
Of course, the arrest and subsequent cover-up of Mage Kumbat was certainly an unorthodox move on Weisel's part. Raven had appeared to accept Weisel's charge of treason against the powerful wizard at face value, but she had wondered what machinations were involved. Surely this was something she should report immediately to Lord Matokin.
Then why haven't you? Vadya asked.
Raven was startled. She hadn't been aware she had "spoken" the thought so that Vadya could hear it. Then again, their affinity was strong.
I want to know what General Weisel is doing before I report, Raven said.
Is that entirely wise? Vadya asked.
Maybe not. But there has to be a reason he wanted Kumbat.
It may merely be as I've warned, Vadya said. Men like Weisel create trouble for themselves and those around them simply because it's their nature.
Raven found that strangely annoying. She walked on. Finally, she reached the small guarded tent that was her destination. The guards saluted and held open the flap for her. She stepped inside.
Kumbat was bound and gagged, sitting in a chair. His bleary, frightened eyes opened wide at the sight of her. He made urgent muffled noises under the gag.
Weisel had decided to take no chances. Restrained like this, the mage wouldn't easily be able to enact any magic. Raven regarded him a moment. Then she came forward.
"You'll keep your voice down?"
Kumbat nodded, head bobbing a bit wildly.
Raven unknotted the gag. She poured water into a cup from a jug and held it to the wizard's lips. He drank eagerly.
"Will you untie the rest of me?" he pleaded.
"No," Raven said. "But we can have a little time to talk."
The mage sighed, "Very well." He sounded defeated.
"Do you still deny the charges against you?" Raven asked.
"Yes," Kumbat said emphatically. "I am no traitor."
"General Weisel thinks otherwise."
"Weisel is—" he started, then bit down on the words. He visibly gathered himself and said more evenly, "The general is mistaken. I serve the empire faithfully. I serve the emperor. Lord Matokin—"
"Lord Matokin is not the one accusing you of treason," Raven said.
"I have done nothing to make General Weisel think I am in any way disloyal."
"Perhaps you crossed him personally at some time?" Raven suggested. She had to find out why Weisel wanted to keep this mage in custody.
"Hardly," Kumbat said.
"You're so certain?"
"I have done nothing to offend or displease the general, at any time," the mage said. He added, in a grumble, "Quite the contrary, I've been of important service to him."
Raven took note of this last. "What service was that?"
But Kumbat was shaking his head, looking upset. "Raven, why are you doing this to me? I am the one responsible for your being among the living once more."
"I realize that, Mage Kumbat."
"Doesn't that earn me any favor or fidelity from you?" He was pleading once again. "I gave you back life!"
"Lower your voice," Raven warned, actually feeling a brief pang of guilt.
It was true of course that Kumbat had performed her resurrection. But he had only done so because Weisel had pressured Matokin into making it happen. Kumbat had merely been the tool.
"What service did you do for General Weisel?" she asked again.
The wizard pressed his lips together. "I... cannot say."
That interested Raven even more. "Did you bungle this service, perhaps? Did Weisel order your arrest as revenge against you?"
Plainly, the mage was reluctant to talk. But Raven judged that he didn't possess an especially strong will.
After a moment, Kumbat said, "General Weisel could have no complaints about the quality of my service."
Raven stooped slightly and peered directly into Kumbat's fearful eyes.
"You do understand that as head of Military Security, I hold your life very literally in my hands?" As she asked this, she gently cupped his face in her hands. Then she bent even lower and mashed her lips hard against his.
When she broke the kiss Kumbat sputtered violently. She stepped back and smiled. The combination of threat and sexuality was a potent one. He gasped for breath.
"Very well..." he muttered finally. "If I tell you what you want to know, what do I get in return?"
"You're hardly in a position to bargain."
"Nevertheless, I will not divulge without some compensation." He made a valiant effort to adopt a firm tone.
Raven shrugged. It was fair, after all.
"If you cooperate," she said, "I'll see that a message is relayed to Lord Matokin in Felk, one that says you are alive and well."
Distrust and hope warred on Kumbat's face. He gazed at Raven and finally said, "I want to trust you."
"And I want to know what secret you carry about General Weisel. I suggest you trust me. Your options at the moment are markedly limited."
Kumbat nodded grimly. It was patently true.
He gathered a long breath, then began, "General Weisel isn't entirely who you think he is." The tale the mage proceeded to tell was indeed a fascinating one.
Raven fairly wandered in a daze.
Those two Internal Security agents would never locate Kumbat on their own. The tent was one among hundreds, and the guards were from Weisel's personal squad. Neither would the agents have any luck interrogating the wizards who had supposedly Far Moved Kumbat back to Felk; they were loyal to Weisel and would never betray the deception.
These weren't the thoughts that preoccupied Raven. She was still quite stunned by what Kumbat had told her. Naturally, she questioned the veracity of the mage's claims. But she could find no plausible reason why he would make up something so outrageous. More, there was a great deal of sense in what he asserted.
Kumbat claimed that he himself had effected the resurrection of the ancient Northland war commander Dardas. The vessel for him was Lord Weisel, a Felk nobleman with military aspirations.