AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I can’t forget that when Dalos tried to murder all of you at the Equinox Summit, Eudias was his channel.”
“Eudias’s late master used him.”
“You go ahead and give him the benefit of the doubt. I’ll think ill of him for you, and between the two of us, we’ll find the truth.” Mak rapped his knuckles on the door, which hummed with his wards. “Apprentice Eudias, Ambassador Deukalion would like a word with you about your request.” After so warning the mage, Mak opened the door and brought Lio inside.
Mak was right about the apprentice’s unusual confidence. Eudias waited with his hands in his sleeves, not even fidgeting. He would not meet Lio’s eyes, but he stood up straight. No longer slouching, he proved himself to be as tall as Tychon.
Eudias’s tidily arranged possessions looked surprisingly familiar to Lio. An admirable collection of scrolls and writing supplies were organized on the desk, one spare robe hung upon the stand by the dressing screen, and a rarely touched shaving kit occupied the wash stand next to a basic but well-used bar of soap.
“Apprentice Eudias,” Lio greeted him, “it is my understanding you have requested to speak with Lady Cassia.”
“Yes, Ambassador.” He was soft spoken as always, but did not stammer. “It is imperative that I be allowed to speak to Basilis.”
“Under the terms of your house arrest,” Mak reminded him, “you are not permitted contact with any of your fellow Cordians or the Tenebrans. The Guardian of Orthros will not approve your request unless the ambassador deems it of importance to the Summit.”
Eudias gave a deep nod. “I will meet with Basilis wherever and with whatever escort the Stand requires. Ambassador, what must I do to earn your permission?”
Lio opened his mind to Eudias’s, although he made no intrusion into the young man’s thoughts. “May I ask why you wish to speak with her?”
“With all due respect, Ambassador, this is not a matter of diplomacy with Orthros.” Eudias’s thoughts and tone were equally courteous. “It is a conversation between two members of the mortal embassy to your lands.”
“I am afraid I must remind you that it is the Tenebran embassy. Unfortunately, under the present circumstances, any discussion that occurs between Tenebra and Cordium here is indeed the affair of Orthros’s diplomats.”
“I understand. I make no objection to you being present for the encounter. I only ask that I be allowed to speak with her.”
“Perhaps if you explain your reasons for this request, we can come to an arrangement. What is it you wish to discuss with Lady Cassia?”
A sense of conviction stirred in Eudias’s aura. “You say ‘Cordium’ as if it is the name of a single entity, but Cordium is not one mind, and that mind is not the Akron’s.”
“I beg your pardon,” Lio said, to encourage Eudias to continue.
“Did you know that war magic is the least common affinity among the mages of Anthros? The vast majority of our Order are warders, geomancers…weather mages. The Aithourian Circle is small enough for me to know each of them by name. Yet they wield a disproportionate amount of power over all the ranks of our cult and, indeed, the world. The Akron is an administrator who always rises to power from among mages who rarely set foot outside the temples of Corona. It is the Synthikos who drives policy within the Order, although his priorities are even more distant from the concerns of most worshipers of Anthros.”
“I am sincere when I say that I appreciate your insight into the inner workings of your Order. It was never my intention for this Summit to be a one-sided exchange, and I value the opportunity to learn from you, as we have tried to demystify our own people in your eyes.”
“Yet you must be wondering what this has to do with my request.”
“I think if I wish to find answers to my questions, it behooves me to listen.”
“Thank you.” Eudias hesitated. “Critical analysis is a time-honored philosophical pursuit in my Order, although the application of reason to magic and magical institutions is much more dangerous now than it was in the past. I am not afraid to speak of facts with you, however.”
Lio spread his hands. “As a heretic, I am not one to report you to the inquisitors. Dare I hope you are convinced of my people’s love for the free investigation of ideas?”
“Sophia Eudokia’s time with me in your libraries has given me great food for thought, as did Princess Alexandra’s demonstration and my conversations about magic with Muse Menodora. I hope I have also convinced you of my priorities as a mage.”
“It is clear to me you are a dedicated and well-read scholar with a keen awareness of your Order’s history.”
“Magic is the pursuit of truth, not ambition. Not all of us are like the Dexion. That is what I wish to say to Basilis.”
“I see. It would not satisfy you for us to carry a message to her?”
Mak nodded. “A message, at most, is what the Stand can allow.”
Eudias shook his head. “This must be said in person.” He hesitated again. “I was sent here with two tasks. To serve the interests of my Order and to protect Basilis from magical dangers. Those two imperatives have proved to be opposing ones. I wish to offer my regrets to her that the magical dangers my masters pose have imperiled her cause.”
How well Lio understood opposing duties, especially regarding Cassia. “I am certain she will appreciate your concern. However…”
Eudias’s aura gave a throb of protectiveness, an echo of what he had felt when he had told them of his village, which he had once safeguarded from bad weather and famine. “Basilis has dealt fairly with me, and I regret that I have not been in a position to reciprocate.”
