Puzzled, she nonetheless obeyed his suggestion, closing the door, then settling down beside the curious warlock.

It seemed to Aurim that Benjin Traske was apprehensive about something. There was just the slightest hesitation in his movements and his breathing was a bit fast. "Are you all right, Scholar Traske?"

"Sssome decisions had to be made at the proverbial spur of the moment, Master Aurim. They are not decisions that I am comfortable with, but there really is no other choice that I can see at this time."

"What do you mean?"

The tutor advanced so that he was within arm's reach of both of them. He looked down at the two with what Aurim believed almost fatherly concern. Why not? Benjin Traske had watched all of them grow up. Surely he must sometimes think of them as his own children?

Putting a hand on each of their shoulders, the tutor sighed, a sound that was almost a hiss. A slight smile peered out from within the beard. "I mean that I can take no chancesss."

Aurim felt the power swelling within Benjin Traske, but the comprehension was too late in coming. A thick malaise suddenly enveloped his mind. Somewhere distant, he heard Ursa gasp. Traske himself seemed to shift, becoming something else briefly, something that stirred memories.

The warlock remembered. It did him no good to do so, but nonetheless, he remembered. He remembered seeking out with his power and, through it, discovering something terrible happening. Ssarekai, his mind pleading, had been put under some spell. The other mind, that of the caster of the spell, had been two minds. On the surface, it had been Benjin Traske. Below, it had been a creature most vile.

Toma. Aurim had discovered that Benjin Traske was Toma.

He managed to rise to his feet, but that was all. Even that made the false Traske hiss in surprise. Then, however, the golden-haired warlock's strength gave out and he fell back onto the bed.

Consciousness fled.

ALTHOUGH SHE HAD no control over her movements, Valea found that she could still shed a tear. Her world was in tatters. Benjin Traske was-possibly had always been-Duke Toma, the deadly renegade. He had listened to her as she had revealed all her deepest secrets to him. He had betrayed the trust her entire family had placed in him. Now, evidently in part because of her, Traske/Toma was going to seize control of the Manor by making one last use of his false ident.i.ty. The drake intended to use the face of Benjin Traske to get close enough to each member of the family, whereupon he would catch them unaware with his power.

She had no idea why he did not kill them all outright. She did not even have any idea as to why he had left her frozen like a statue in Kyl's room, her mind still very much functioning.

None of that completely explained the tears. Valea was well aware that much of the reason for her crying concerned Kyl. Kyl and his betrayal of her.

The other drakes remained in the room, awaiting Duke Toma's return. They were all highly anxious, especially the traitorous heir himself. Valea hoped that Kyl was feeling pain. She hoped all of the drakes, Grath, Faras, and Ssgayn included, were feeling pain and remorse, but most of all she hoped that Kyl did. The enchanted witch wanted him to feel so much pain that it would make his heart burst.

"Where isss he?" muttered Kyl as he paced.

"You know very well where he is," responded Grath, looking up from a book. The younger drake sat in one of the chairs, hands steepled, eyes keeping track of his brother's movements. "If the spell on Ssarekai has failed, then it stands that Aurim, too, is near recalling. That ha.s.ss to be the first thing that is dealt with and the duke must do that on his own. It would look too suspicious for all of us to go with him."

"I want them handled with care, that isss all." Kyl glanced rather guiltily at Valea. "They dessserve that much."

"I know that. Our brother only does what he has to do. They would kill him instantly if they knew he was here, Kyl. Do you think that's fair? Toma will fight to preserve his life, that is all. Look how long he has lived among us, yet never has he tried to harm anyone. That more than anything else, isss proof of his intentions."

He's killed no one here because that would mean chancing discovery. It was enough just risking the spell on Aurim and Ssarekai. Toma wants Kyl to give him a place at his side, one where the Dragon Kings can't touch him! She wondered how long Kyl's reign would last once the renegade had a secure power base again. With the confederacy of the dragon clan survivors to back him, the duke would have enough influence to perhaps alter the law that said he could not be emperor himself.

Despite her bitterness over Kyl and all else, Valea could not help but admire Duke Toma's incredible patience. All those years of masquerading so that he could be an influence on the life of the young emperor-to-be. He had helped mold Kyl-and Grath, too-had learned the innermost secrets about his greatest enemies, and prepared the way for his return to power.

She tried to speak, but, as before, Valea might as well have not even made the attempt. There was no movement whatsoever. She could see, blink, swallow, and breathe, but nothing more. The witch remembered the stories her mother and father had told her about her mother's imprisonment by her grandfather. Azran had left her sealed in amber for . . . what? One? Two centuries? At least Gwendolyn Bedlam had not entirely known what was happening around her. The few minutes that Valea had been helpless were already driving her close to the edge.

Concern for her family was what kept her going. She knew that Toma had no intention of letting any of the Bedlams live. Kyl and even Grath might believe otherwise, but she knew too much about the history of the renegade to think he would do otherwise. The Bedlams would always be a threat to him.

There was a quiet knock on the door. Faras, who stood nearest to the door, unbolted and opened it.

Aurim stepped through. Valea's spirits rose, then sank. Behind Aurim came Ursa, but behind her followed Toma, the renegade once more clad in the form of the tutor.

"You see," said the duke after the door had been closed. "As I promised, my lord, here are your friend and your sissster, both unharmed."

"Why did you bring them here?"

With no warning, Traske melted into Toma. The transformation continued to both fascinate and horrify Valea. "If anyone saw them after I had bespelled them, they would have realized something was amiss. I could not simply make them forget. As I said earlier, Your Majesty, things must now be resolved with ssswiftness." Toma looked properly upset, an expression Valea knew was as false as his words. "Thisss is hardly the way I wanted it. I would have preferred your transition to the throne to be peaceful. If you like, I will sssurrender myself to the Bedlams and take their brand of justice. If you think it will benefit your ascension, that isss."

Accept his offer! Valea wanted to shout. It was not that she believed that Toma would follow through on his promise, but rather that she wanted Kyl to understand the dark creature with whom he was dealing.

Kyl, however, shook his head. "No, I know what will happen. Jussst . . . jussst ussse care."

"That I will, my brother. I have promisssed that from the beginning, have I not, Grath?"

The younger drake looked at the heir. "That he has, Kyl. Toma has only worked to serve you for all the time I have known him."

"Now that I have the opportunity to prove myself to you persssonally, I dare not fail to live up to your ssstandards."

Kyl stepped away from the others and out of Valea's view. "What will you do with them?"

Indicating the emperor-to-be with his hands, the draconian knight returned, "As I sssaid earlier, it isss my hope to capture them all and, once that is accomplished, place the entire family under a more subtle, more thorough forgetfulness spell. Already, the children-and, regrettably, sister Ursa-are mine. As Benjin Traske, I should be able to approach both Lord and Lady Bedlam and take them without warning."

"And kill them? I'd imagine that you hate them dearly."

Again, Toma looked properly subdued. "My hatred ha.s.ss dwindled away over the years here, Your Majesty. I've seen them doing both good and ill. Now, I hold no grudges. I cannot say that I have come to love them; I simply understand them better. If they can be convinced to leave me be, then I shall leave them be."

"And if they won't?"

"I would rather not think about that unlessss it becomesss necessary to do so."

"There is no time to discuss this further," Grath interjected. "We must deal with Lord and Lady Bedlam a.s.ss soon as possible."

"There is a piece of news that I have not informed either of you about yet." As Toma spoke, he began to shift once again to the scholarly shape of Benjin Traske. This time, Valea clearly saw that the belt blade, the only item true to both Toma and Traske, glowed. She was fairly certain that it was what allowed the renegade to so well retain the form of the tutor. Drakes generally had two shapes. The first was the dragon form that they were born with, the latter was most often the reptilian knight, such as how Duke Toma looked when he was not being Traske. While the renegade was, by her parents' own admissions, more versatile, there were still limitations. The enchanted knife was apparently a way around those limitations.

"And that news is?" asked Kyl. His tone was so matter-of-fact, so calm now, that Valea wanted to scream. He was, in her opinion, worse than the rest of them, for Kyl, as heir to the emperor's throne, should have been strong enough to withstand Toma's ploys. Instead, he had accepted every word as easily as a sheep would have accepted a handful of gra.s.s. It made the imprisoned witch furious, which only served to fuel her frustration.

"The master warlock is not in the Manor nor is he on the Manor grounds. He has gone to speak to Lord Green. It seems that the monarch of Irillian will be here in only two, at most, three days."

Valea, unable at the moment to think of any drake save dear Ssarekai as trustworthy-and Ssarekai might be dead, although no one had told her so-did not see the visit as any buffer against the renegade's plans. Toma knew the Dragon Kings well. They would be easier to fool than her mother or father.

"Ssso sssoon? I'm not ready for him!" Kyl stepped back into her field of vision. The veneer of confidence had been stripped from his face. He was openly nervous.

"You will be. Grath and I shall see to it that Blue himself will become one of your most ardent supporters by interview's end."

"Have we failed you so far, Kyl?" asked Grath, almost mimicking Duke Toma.

"You know that you have not, Grath, however-"

"Much of what I did, what suggestions I made, originated from Toma, Kyl. He has guided you more than anyone else, both as Benjin Traske and as himself."

Traske/Toma moved toward the door. "We will have time to talk later. For now, I mussst locate and deal with the Lady of the Amber before her mate returns home." He bowed. "With your permission?"

"You may-" Kyl began, but then he glanced at Grath. "One moment. You should take Grath with you, perhapsss. The better to occupy Lady Gwendolyn's attention while you prepare to take her. What do you sssay?"

Valea saw the merit in the heir's plan, which made her hate him all the more. Grath found it of interest, also.

"An interesssting notion," returned the renegade, his smile more open. He was no doubt pleased by this sign of Kyl's cooperation in this foul venture.

If I only had a few seconds of freedom! She had already planned and replanned how she would have dealt with the drakes. As to whether or not her ideas would have succeeded, Valea did not care. Trapped, the mental images of Toma and the others, especially Kyl, at her mercy was the only thing she had to keep up her hopes.

"Interesting," Traske/Toma continued. "But unnecessary. I have thingsss worked out, Your Majesty. Besidesss, your safety isss as great a concern. The humans tried to a.s.sa.s.sinate you once; they may try again. Grath'sss place should always be by your side."

"Surely I am sssecure here."

The false scholar indicated himself. "Where I can enter, who can sssay what others might have followed?"

Kyl quieted instantly.

Traske/Toma bowed again. "Once more, with your permission, I shall now leave." His eyes darted from Kyl to Valea. The glance was only brief, but the hatred she felt in that look would have been enough to make her stumble away had the spell not prevented her from doing so. "Before thisss day isss done, Your Majesty, I promise you that the Manor will be secure." He returned his gaze to the heir. "Then, your future may begin in earnessst."

XIX.

CABE LEFT THE caverns of the Green Dragon feeling drained and still more confused. He did not know how to behave toward the Dragon King and was aware that he might possibly never resolve that problem. Eventually the warlock would also have to tell his wife. She would know that something was wrong.

He had left the matter of the Dragon King's relations with the Gryphon and Darkhorse in the claws of Lord Green himself. The only thing that Cabe had promised was that he would not permit war. Somehow, if the truth came to be known to either of the two, Cabe would have to see to it that they did not attempt to seek justice-or vengeance-against the master of the Dagora Forest. That would be only the beginning, for the drakes would see such an attack as an a.s.sault on their race. Even the more level-headed Blue Dragon would likely join the fray.

Why is it that justice and right aren't always necessarily the same thing? Cabe pondered as he exited the cavern mouth into the forest. I can see why the Green Dragon did what he did and I can see why he should be punished for doing so. Yet, to punish him would create an even greater conflict and accomplish nothing good. Might as well punish the drake guards who, trying to rescue Kyl, pushed Toos into the path of the bolt. No one intended to do the last. The drake bodyguards had only been performing their function. They had not known about the a.s.sa.s.sin with the bow until it was too late.

There was only one thing good about this situation. The Green Dragon was very remorseful about what he had caused to happen. He had known Toos well; Cabe knew that the Dragon King was already punishing himself for the a.s.sa.s.sination. Behind the false helm, the reptilian eyes stared too often into empty s.p.a.ce.

The only Dragon King who would feel remorse in the first place over something like this. It's almost ironic. If Black or the Storm Dragon had been behind this, they would have shrugged their shoulders in disappointment that more had not died.

He took a moment to simply stand in the midst of the forest, drinking in the peacefulness of his surroundings. Cabe would have liked to have stayed longer, but Gwendolyn would be expecting him and there was much to do before the Blue Dragon's arrival. They might have as little as a day and a half before the drake lord showed up. Someone would have to see to Kyl so that he would be prepared when the time came. That might take some doing, Cabe thought, for the last he recalled, the heir had still been secreted in his chambers.

The warlock did not intend to argue about the Dragon King traveling to the Manor, even though it went against his earlier wishes. Under the circ.u.mstances, Lord Blue could hardly be blamed for wanting to come so quickly. Had it been any other drake lord, Cabe would have remained adamant in his refusal, but Blue he trusted, if only because of the Gryphon's friendship with the Dragon King's son, Morgis.

Knowing he could delay no longer, Cabe pictured the main hall of the Manor. With a sorcerer of his skill, thought was as good as action. Cabe's surroundings faded away to be replaced but a moment later by the very location he had just imagined. The warlock was pleased by the smooth transition. Sometimes, when his thoughts were as scattered as they felt now, his travel spell either took more time or left him more weary. On a rare occasion, he even ended up in a different location.

With his sorcery, he sought out his wife. Unlike the travel spell, this proved more troublesome, for, although he found her with little effort, she seemed not to notice him at first. At least, the sorceress did not respond immediately. Only when Cabe pressed for contact did the link establish itself.

Gwen?

Cabe. You're back.

Her thoughts did not reach him as intensely as they should have had. Are you all right? You don't sound very strong.

She took a second or two to respond. There has just been so much to do, so many things to keep track of.

I understand. Now was not the proper time to tell her the truth about the Green Dragon and the a.s.sa.s.sination. That suited the exhausted mage. He was very much tempted, in fact, to simply wait until Kyl was on the throne and he and Gwendolyn finally had some time for themselves again. You're in the library?

Yes, I am.

I'll come to you, then. He broke off contact with her. Cabe was almost ready to transport himself to the library when a terrible ache in his stomach reminded him that he had still not eaten. Not wanting to disturb his wife again, the warlock decided to make an unscheduled stop in the kitchen.

When he materialized in the kitchen but a second later, the familiar smells of herbs and spices almost overwhelmed him, so hungry had he become. Cabe looked around, intending to apologize for his entrance, but neither Mistress Belima nor any of her helpers were present. The kitchen was completely empty. There was not even anything baking or cooking at the moment, a truly rare occurrence. Mistress Belima lived in the kitchen. She had once informed the master warlock quite testily that cooking was how she relaxed. Considering the delicious meals that the woman organized, Cabe no longer even brought up the subject.

"h.e.l.lo? Is anyone in here?"

His question was greeted with silence. Cabe studied the room again, but other than the fact that no one was here, there was nothing unusual to see. He finally shrugged it off and began searching for something to eat. It would have been easier to conjure up bread and fruit, but with Mistress Belima's kitchen, it paid better to search. One never knew what delight she had concocted and set aside.

Sure enough, besides the fresh bread that the woman always had ready, Cabe also found fresh oatmeal and raisin cookies, cheese, and a small bowl of some sort of vegetable mix. The warlock made himself a quick, makeshift meal, then bolted it down. He would have liked to have savored it more, but Gwendolyn would be wondering where he had gone. He located some milk to wash down the food and finally, because it was a rule no one dared break for fear of incurring Belima's wrath, cleaned up after himself. Cabe was just about to shift to the library when he noticed that he was no longer alone.

Aurim stood across the room from him. The younger Bedlam looked rather bleary-eyed, as if he had not had much sleep in the past few days. The sun-tressed warlock stood on unsteady legs, gripping one of the tables. He blinked two or three times at his father, but said nothing.

"Aurim!" Cabe rushed to his son's side. "Are you well?"

"Father, I . . ." He shook his head. "I don't remember what I was going to say. . . ." A sickly yet somehow triumphant grin crossed Aurim's countenance. "But I know that there's something else to rememb-remember. . . ."

The master sorcerer slipped an arm around his eldest. "You shouldn't even try to speak right now, Aurim. Let me take you back to your room."

He blinked again. "No . . . I have to tell you . . . the spell, I played with it. . . ."

The spell? Toma's spell? What had his son done to himself? "You shouldn't have worked on it on your own. I'd better bring you directly to your mother. She'll better understand what you've done. Hopefully, she'll also know what to do about it."

"Mother?"

"She's waiting for me in the library," Cabe explained, but his son no longer appeared to be listening. Aurim's brow was furrowed in an attempt at deep thought, although the attempt was already looking to be a failure. "You relax. Don't try to think about it. There'll be nothing to worry about."

"Yes, there is."

"Sssh! Hold tight."

Aurim obeyed without protest. Cabe cleared his thoughts and transported the two of them from the kitchen to the library.

The room was immaculate, as always. The Bedlams treated the collection-and books in general-with respect. Volumes were always carefully returned to their original locations. Pages were never bent; bookmarks were always used. A preservation spell kept the books from deteriorating, but Gwendolyn had laid down a rule that no unnecessary light enter the room, for sunlight still damaged books over time. Instead, carefully positioned reading chairs were spread throughout the library. Some caught the light from the one window allowed for circulation while all had candles nearby. However, most of the Bedlams, being spellcasters one and all, provided their own illumination in the form of tiny spheres that they conjured. The magical light did not harm the books and generally gave better illumination than either the candles or the narrow stretch of sunlight. In truth, the library had been well-kept before their coming, but Cabe and his wife had felt that they should not allow the Manor's ability to fend for itself cause them to become careless and slovenly.

He did not see Gwen at first, not until he turned halfway around and discovered her standing only a few feet from him. She looked mildly surprised at the sight of his companion.

"What's wrong with Aurim?" she asked quietly. The enchantress made no immediate move to aid Cabe with his burden.

"I think that he's been trying to free himself from Toma's spell. I think he's done something worse now." Cabe began helping Aurim to the nearest chair.

"He should be in his room, then."