Chapter thirty-two a

Advanced Mage Studies School, another part of Kinspit

 

The University at Kinspit was an old, august and sprawling entity; spread out over the flat western coastal plain of southern Paror. As new schools opened, so new buildings were constructed, all in the classical, and what Huw knew now was Helian, form.  The Advanced Mage Studies school was a very recent building – just a few hundred years old, In it were some eager, capable, students studying for their Doctor of Philosophy degrees and then a larger group who never wanted to leave academia – only some of them were official facility members.

It was to one of those shadowy hangers-on that Huw had come:  Euclid the Sophist, a wise but dangerous man. He had to find his way to the fourth floor, right at the back of the huge, crumbling, building. He also had to ask several people the way – they either claimed they had no idea who Euclid was, or they knew well enough but would only give instructions in whispers. Huw knew that this was a desperate measure but he had no idea who else to ask, particularly as he felt too guilty and awkward to ask anyone in the coven.

When he finally found Euclid’s room it turned out to be suspiciously spacious for someone with no official role. The door was open, and Euclid called him in from a comfortable armchair. The room was full of artworks, of a style he did not recognise. His eye was caught, however, by a painting of a dragon – fiercely devouring a deer, but with fur instead of scales. There was something else strange about it, but he didn’t have time to put his finger on it.

‘Come in – Covener Hargest’

‘Thank you for seeing me, Professor’ said Huw, stepping forward and offering his hand. Euclid ignored the gesture.

‘I’m no professor’ cackled the old elf, ‘and I need to see your elf rounds before I can be of any help at all’

Huw pulled out his purse from his pocket. It was heavy with gold coins, all obtained from the Grand Imperial Bank in Eth City, where for every two Ethian gold sovereigns they will gladly give you one Imperial gold sovereign.

He passed the purse over to the elf, who still remained sitting..

‘Fifty – as we agreed’

Euclid emptied the purse into his lap and counted the shiny gold coins. He took his time.

‘All there – you can sit down’

All there was to sit on was a hard wooden chair, which was piled up with books, and which he had to retrieve from a corner of the room. He placed it a few feet in front of his host and sat down on it. His feelings of apprehension had not gone away.

‘So, why are you paying me for information? You’re a witch and a coven member, there can’t be much that you don’t know already’

Huw saw no reason to dissemble. He continued in Archaic Elven.

‘I am beset by a dark force, and I would like to be rid of it’

Euclid laughed again. He continued in Ethian.

‘The old words won’t protect you, you know; it’s just another language’

Huw shivered. Reluctantly he continued in the common tongue of humans.

‘Kratos, the Archwitch – that is who is invading my mind’

Euclid made a whistling noise.

‘I should have charged two hundred elfrounds’

‘Can you help me?’ asked Huw, a note of desperation had crept into his voice.

‘Of course I can’t help you’ sniggered Euclid, ‘and even if I could, I wouldn’t. No-one want to make an enemy of a necromancer’

Huw’s face crumpled. It was all he could do to stop himself weeping in desperation.

‘But…’ he started

Euclid cackled again

‘Which doesn’t mean I can’t find someone who can help you, of course…’

‘But who?’ half-snivelled Huw

‘The most powerful mage in Paror’

‘Who is that?’

‘I can’t tell you, but I can send a message and get an audience. She owes me several favours’

‘I have no more money…’ whispered Huw

Euclid shrugged.

‘She doesn’t care about money; she’s only interested in power. I’m sure she will be delighted to help a Coven member…’

‘Who is she?’ asked Huw

Euclid considered this

‘Who is she? Or, who does she want to be? Which question were you asking?’

Huw shook his head

‘I have no idea…’

‘And if you did I wouldn’t answer either question, anyway’

Huw was too bewildered to respond to this. Something else sprang into the front of his mind.

‘Can she stop the voice in my head’

Euclid laughed cruelly.

‘Assuming you’re not insane – I’m guessing yes’

‘And when can I meet her?’

‘Tomorrow, three hours past noon – in The Senate Building; she has rooms there’

 

 

‘You haven’t been avoiding me have you, acolyte?’

It was that voice in the middle of the night again. The voice that taunted and tempted him.

‘Of course not’ he responded. He knew from earlier experience that Kratos could only communicate with him, he could no way sense his surroundings. He knew, nothing, for example about the Angharad’s Fakenham Cage. Here, however, he had no defences against the enemy.

‘It seems like such a long time since we chatted. And I have so much to tell you…’

Huw lay in a pool of his own sweat. It was cold outside, but he was burning up. The spell that the archwitch was using was powerful and unstable.

‘What do you have to tell me?’ asked Huw flatly.

‘How to unlock powers you might think are impossible; how to control yourself and others. All the witchcraft you could ever want at your finger tips’

‘Thank you for your benisons to me, my lord’

The voice became impatient.

‘But you have accepted none of them, Covener Hargest. In fact, you have proven difficult to pin down’

There was a pause, during which the heat in Huw’s head and limbs became almost unbearable.

‘You have told no-one of our encounters, I hope’

‘No, no. no’ moaned Huw, lying. He dare not think to himself as he had no way of knowing if Kratos could read his mind.

‘We must meet soon’ insisted Kratos.

‘Yes’ agreed Huw

‘How about in two days’ time?’

 ‘Of course’

‘I will come to you tomorrow night and tell you where to meet in Eth City; I will show you wonders’

The voice cut off suddenly. His head was quiet.

By tomorrow night I hope to be free of you Huw whispered into the cold dark

 

The Senate Building was the oldest and grandest of the building in the central part of Kinspit .It was here that the mages sat in conclave and descided on the academic fate of hundreds of students – elf and human. However, the building was so immense that it housed numerous other organisations and even, it seemed, some private citizens.

He had a sealed letter of invitation from Euclid, which he was praying wasn’t just a sham, and a room to find: room twenty-four in the west quadrant, fifth floor. Those were his only instructions – go to the room and deliver the letter.

He searched for the western part of the building, and after several stumbles and backtracks he found the right place. The room was a plush, purple place guarded by two burly elves, each with long, evil-looking, swords hanging from their belts. They watched him as he went in, past heavy ornately carved wooden doors. It looked like a waiting room for some southern potentate. Who was he going to see?

At the far end of the room was a heavy table. Sitting behind the desk was a middle-aged female elf. She nodded at him as he handed over the letter, but said no words of acknowledgement or greeting.

She opened the letter and read it quickly. Her expression remained impassive. Then she got up , went to a door behind her, opened it slowly  and walked through. She closed it just as carefully behind herself and disappeared from view.

It was agony, but Huw had to wait only five minutes or so. The elf returned.

‘Queen Sophia will see you now’ she announced.