She smiled. "I love your confidence."

From the entrance came the sounds of argument. The loudest voice belonged to Trenlen. Darkhorse glanced at his companion. Trenlen had gotten to the entrance just in time, but judging by the others' insisting tones, there was no telling how successful he would be in keeping the newcomers out. By rights, the man could not keep customers from their mounts. He risked his business by doing so, not to mention raising questions better left unanswered.

An idea occurred to Darkhorse, one that would solve a small problem nagging him. "Yssa. I need a little more time for this. You had better help Trenlen delay them. Give me but two minutes, then hurry back. They must not enter, or they might see something they should not. I am going to have to create a very particular type of blink hole."

She looked uncertain, but finally agreed. "I'll do what I can."

"Then hurry." The shadow steed nudged her forward. Yssa ran toward the entrance, not looking back. Darkhorse watched her for a second, then backed into the most shadowy corner of the stable.

The woman was capable and had already helped him much, but what Darkhorse intended he had to do alone. He could not risk another 's life nor could he risk his own concentration. The shadow steed had enough to concern him without also worrying about Yssa's safety. He had resigned himself to her presence, but secretly had hoped for some excuse to leave her behind for her own good. Now he had the opportunity.

The moment she was out of sight, Darkhorse acted. He did have to make a blink hole to enter the palace, but not one as complex as he had indicated to Yssa. Still, one part of his explanation to her had been true; no one else could be allowed into the stable while he was creating it. Blink holes ofttimes opened up with a bright flash that no one could have missed.

Darkhorse pictured the layout of the palace, combining what he knew of its exterior with what Trenlen's map revealed. It gave him a more than adequate path to create. Even if Aurim proved not to be in the chamber, Darkhorse expected to be able to sense the lad once he was so near. Cabe would have called him overly optimistic, but the shadow steed did not see it that way.

The hole opened up instantly, a glaring circle of light in the darkness of the stable. Several horses stirred, some of them kicking at their stalls or trying to pull free. Then, with one glance toward the entrance of the stable, Darkhorse sloughed off his disguise and darted inside. As he entered the blink hole, he thought he heard someone call out, but by then it was too late to stop him.

Darkhorse wasted no time trying to reach his destination. He wished that he could have used a quicker teleportation spell, but the shadow steed wanted some advance warning should there prove to be a defensive spell between himself and his destination.

A moment later, that proved to be a fortuitous decision, for Darkhorse nearly collided with a peculiar field enshrouding the entire palace. It was a complex warning spell, one that would have alerted everyone in the building had the shadow steed simply tried to transport himself inside. The field was an admirable effort on someone's part, probably that of Saress. None of the other spellcasters was likely this competent.

Despite its complexity, however, Darkhorse was not deterred. He had faced far more cunning spells. The knowledge gathered over centuries easily enabled him to cross through without causing even the slightest ripple.

He materialized in the chamber without difficulty, only to find that it was empty. Yet, Darkhorse still sensed the lingering presence of the young sorcerer. Aurim had been here not long before. It was very possible that he had missed Cabe's son by as little as an hour. Darkhorse, his sight completely adjusted to the gloom, glanced at his surroundings. The room was spa.r.s.ely decorated. There were a few old tapestries on the walls, tapestries that were tattered and moldy, as if the chamber had been forgotten for several years. A single chair stood in the very center of the room, the only piece of furniture in sight. Dust covered everything but the chair and a path from the only door.

A slight tingle coursed through him. Something, some trace, reminded him of the past. . . but of what part of his past Darkhorse could not say. He searched with his power, but whatever it was was overwhelmed by Aurim's recent presence.

If the lad was not here, then where? The shadow steed reached out beyond the confines of the chamber, seeking the young sorcerer in every direction. Lanith would want to keep his prize nearby.

His probes met with no success, although once he thought he sensed Aurim. The trace vanished before Darkhorse could get a fix on it, though. He was forced to extend his search. As yet he had not sensed Saress or any of the other spellcasters, but the farther afield he had to search, the greater the risk that one of them might notice him.

Aurim, where are you? Darkhorse started to fear that Lanith had killed the young sorcerer, perhaps because Aurim would not agree to be his va.s.sal. It was the only explanation that he had for not being able to locate the golden-haired spellcaster.

Darkhorse?

The mental plea was so tentative that at first the eternal did not realize what it was. Darkhorse sought out the source, but once more he was unsuccessful.

Darkhorse? Is that you?

Aurim? It felt like his friend, but still the shadow steed could not locate him. Where are you?

In a dungeon! Aurim sounded frightened yet relieved. They've got a spell on me that won't allow me to use my powers to escape! Darkhorse, they tried to take control of my mind!

Recalling how distraught Aurim had been when he had discovered that Duke Toma had once played with his memories, the eternal understood just how upset his young companion had to be now. Very few things frightened Aurim Bedlam as did the idea of another manipulating his thoughts. Have they hurt you?

No, but they'll be back to try again soon! Darkhorse, you wouldn't believe the power that Lanith controls! It- You can tell me later, Aurimi The important thing now is to help me locate you so that we can depart this terrible place! You must concentrate! Concentrate as hard as you can so that I can find your position!

I'll try! The sorcerer ended the conversation, but did not sever the weak link. Instead, Darkhorse felt an increased sense of Aurim's presence. The younger Bedlam was powerful and even despite the handicaps his captors' spells had put on him, his will was great. In fact, it was more focused than Darkhorse could ever recall. If one thing good had come out of the kidnapping, it was Aurim's increased control over his will.

Slowly the eternal homed in on Aurim's location. Deeper down, as he had expected, but far more to the north. That placed Aurim near the vicinity of the Magical Order's living quarters.

Darkhorse had already risked discovery the moment he had abandoned Yssa and the protection of her medallion. By entering the palace he further increased the threat, yet he had no choice. I must act the moment I know exactly where they keep him! We must be gone within seconds!

He sent a subtle probe in the general direction of Aurim, trying to detect the nearby presence of Saress or any of the others. Darkhorse sensed nothing, but briefly he experienced a peculiar echo effect, as if his probe had turned around and detected his own presence. The effect was momentary and he shrugged it off. What was important was to rescue Aurim.

Darkhorse? Are you still there?

I am, Aurim. Prepare yourself Are you chained?

Yes. They're iron chains. If I could use my powers, they wouldn't matter.

Any guards?

No. They didn't feel I needed one.

That was good. One less hurdle. Darkhorse readied himself. Very well, Aurim. Here I come!

The short distance was nothing in comparison to his earlier treks. Darkhorse vanished from the one chamber, almost instantly appearing at his destination. He felt a brief disorientation that caused his vision to blur, but the sensation pa.s.sed.

"Darkhorse! Are you all right?"

"Aurim?" The shadow steed twisted around, finally locating the sorcerer. Aurim Bedlam was chained against the far wall of his cell. Torchlight shone weakly through the bars of the small window in the cell door, just enough illumination to reveal the haggard, pale features of the young spellcaster.

With a snort of disgust for his companion's captors, the eternal stepped closer and inspected the chains. They were, as Aurim had said, simple iron chains. Under normal conditions, the lad should have been able to remove them without any trouble, even considering his past lack of control.

A simple glance by Darkhorse caused both bracelets to quietly open. Aurim rubbed his wrists, smiling in grat.i.tude.

"We must be away from here immediately, Aurim! Mount up and I will take us back to your parents"

The sorcerer quickly obeyed, saying nothing. Darkhorse concentrated. No blink hole, this time. He needed the swiftest if least secure teleportation spell he knew.

The cell faded away. The vague outline of what Darkhorse knew to be the gardens of the Manor formed around the pair. They were nearly home.

That was when something pulled them back. "Darkhorse!"

He could not reply to his friend, so caught up was he in trying to fight the forces acting against them. Whatever power Lanith had raised, it was stronger than he would have believed. It was also the most unusual force Darldiorse had ever fought, for it seemed to come from a number of sources even though it acted as if it came from only one.

Lanith's sorcerers working in concert? Darkhorse could not believe that the ragtag bunch could summon such strength even together. More important, he doubted that they could coordinate their efforts so effectively. This attack was being guided by a masterful force.

An intelligent force . . .

His struggles went for naught. Darkhorse and Aurim finally rematerialized, but their new location was neither the Manor nor the dungeon. The shadow steed and his companion now stood in the center of the very same dust-laden chamber that Darkhorse had first visited in his search.

This time, however, it was not uninhabited. A single torch posted in the wall by the door illuminated the room enough so that they could readily see King Lanith sitting in the lone chair. The horse king's eyes gleamed as he stared at the ebony stallion. It was a possessive stare, one that unsettled Dark- horse more than it should have.

"At last. . ." Lanith smiled wide. "Magnificent!" Darkhorse attempted another spell. The same force that had brought him here crushed his attempt.

The horse king stood. "You're even more amazing than I could've believed! Truly you're worthy of being my mount!"

"Worthy of what?" Despite their predicament, Darkhorse could only laugh. "I? You think me your mount? You are more than mad, King Lanith!"

The monarch of Zuu paid his retort no mind, instead looking up past the shadow steed. "Aurim."

A pair of hands, Aurim's hands, touched the eternal on the neck.

Darkhorse lost all control of his form. His legs stiffened as if frozen and he found he could not even move his neck. When he attempted to alter his shape, nothing happened.

"He is yours, Your Majesty." The voice was Aurim Bedlam's, but there was a coldness to it that the shadow steed had never heard before. Darkhorse felt him dismount as he added, "Just as planned."

"Very good. Very good."

Aurim! the shadow steed silently called. Aurim! His call went unheeded, though. Either the sorcerer did not sense it or he had no desire to respond.

The young man stepped before him, then performed a mock bow. "I'll leave you now, Darkhorse, so that an old friend can have a word with you."

Without waiting for permission from Lanith, Aurim Bedlam, smiling pleasantly, vanished.

"Well," the king of Zuu commented to the chamber walls. "You did it. You promised and you delivered."

A giggle echoed throughout the chamber, a giggle that grew stronger with each second. Shadows formed by the king, shadows that began to solidify into one form.

"I told you I would, great majesty, oh, yes, I did! Did you think I would fail you? Never, never . . ."

Had he been able to move at all, Darkhorse would have shivered. He knew the voice. Now the eternal even sensed the growing presence of its source, a thing that he had thought long, long trapped in a place from which it could not escape.

It cannot be . . . it cannot be him . . .

Yet as the shadows became a tiny, ebony puppet that floated at eye level, Darkhorse could no longer deny the truth. Unbidden came the name that he had tried to forever eradicate from his memory.

Ice-blue eyes stared at ice-blue eyes. "And so the story continues . . ." The ebony being giggled despite having no mouth. "And what a part I have set aside for you, my brother, my self."

Yureel . . .

Chapter Nine.

Yssa sensed the spell even as she tried her best to aid Trenlen in stalling the two ranchers seeking to retrieve their mounts. Darkhorse had opened the way to the palace, which meant that she had to find some method by which to send the men away so that she could quickly return to him. The longer the hole remained open, the more chance there was of stirring the interest of the Order despite the talisman.

It was Trenlen who finally solved the problem. He put a companionable arm around each of the pair, saying, "Really, friends, it won't take long. The man's horse is skittish. He bought the thing in Gordag-Ai and you know what kind of horses they breed there." This brought some grudging nods from the men, both of whom, from what the enchantress understood, were members of a family controlling one of the largest breeding ranches of Zuu. "Why don't you come inside and we'll have a drink on me. I'd say that by the time we finish, the man and his horsell be out of our hair. Isn't that right, darling?"

Yssa took his cue. "That's right. You take care of them, my love. I'll see to everything here. Gentlemen . . ."

The two men with Trenlen allowed themselves to be led away, the offer of a drink no doubt the deciding factor. Yssa watched them for a moment, then hurried back inside.

She caught sight of the eternal just as he stepped through a blink hole. The enchantress called out, but Darkhorse did not look back. The moment he was completely through, the hole vanished.

d.a.m.n him! What does he think he doing? Yssa rushed to the empty stall seeking some trace of her companion, but the huge stallion had left no sign. She blew very well where he had gone and the knowledge made her shiver. Poor Miklo had entered the palace and he had never come out. The memory of the last seconds of their link still remained with her. A sense of falling and falling without end . . . then nothing.

Darkhorse was far more powerful than lost Miklo, but that did not mean the magical stallion was immune from danger. That had already been proven to her. More important, Darkhorse did not understand Zuu and its monarch the way Yssa, who had lived here for many years, did. Yssa was old enough to recall Prince Blane and the old king. Lanith was neither his brother nor his father. He had become a driven man, capable of anything if it furthered his goal, and now he appeared to have the power to back his obsessive nature.

I have to talk with Trenlen! He might have a suggestion! The enchantress rushed back to the entrance, wondering how she could interrupt him without raising the suspicions of the two men he had invited for a drink. With Darkhorse gone, Yssa supposed that she could tell them that their mounts were now accessible. If they were still in so great a hurry, perhaps they would forgo the rest of their drink . . .

Unfortunately, she had scarcely stepped outside when she sensed the nearby presence of at least two sorcerers. Not Saress, whom Yssa knew too well, but a pair of less competent ones. They had some power, though. The enchantress tensed. Ponteroy, perhaps. He was the only other senior member of the Magical Order that Yssa had any respect for. The man was an overdressed dandy, but he did have skill of a sort . . . and at this moment he was much too close for comfort.

Reaching into her pouch, Yssa checked for the medallion. Its presence did not do much to comfort her. She found it highly suspicious that the two sorcerers she sensed were closing on her general vicinity from opposite directions. Perhaps she had been wrong to think the medallion had been strong enough to shield both Darkhorse and herself.

Whatever the reason, she had to leave quickly. Yssa did not want to endanger Trenlen. Lanith dealt harshly with spies.

She contemplated transporting herself away, but decided that doing so would do more to reveal her presence. The medallion had its limits. Yssa looked around, studying the vicinity. Better to lose herself among the evening crowds. Her illusion still held, so even Ponteroy, who had seen her once in the past, would not recognize her.

A busy inn a short distance down the street seemed the perfect destination. Yssa walked casually toward it, trying not to look around any more than what would be normal. The two sorcerers were very nearby. Now she sensed that one was definitely Ponteroy, his presence ever tinged by a dark, almost oily aura. It was hard not to underestimate him because of his appearance.

The inn was as crowded as the enchantress had hoped it would be. The tone was slightly more subdued than she recalled from her years past here, but that was not surprising considering the current situation. Lanith might have his people stirred up for war, but that did not mean that they did not contemplate the possible results of that war on their own time. Yssa knew that the majority of Zuu's inhabitants preferred the peaceful life. They were always willing to defend themselves or a cause they believed in, but conquest was not a national goal. That was a part of their kingdom's nomadic past. Only Lanith dreamed of creating an empire, but then, Lanith was king and in Zuu that was enough for the people. He commanded and they obeyed.

Locating a seat deep in the common room, Yssa did her best to look like a weary traveler. A serving woman glanced her way but did not immediately come over, more concerned, it seemed, with the male customers. Yssa, who had plied such a trade for a time, grimaced briefly. Men and women in Zuu might be more or less equal, but personal prejudices were rampant. She would be lucky if any of the serving women came by soon.

Even among so many people, it was not difficult for her to sense the presence of the nearby sorcerers. They were not trying to shield themselves, which possibly meant that they were not actually after her. Yssa hoped that was the case, but their path continued to hint otherwise. Now they were both so near that she almost expected to see one of them walk through the inn door.

A huge woman carrying a tray stepped in front of her. "Do you want food or drink?"

Ignoring the serving woman's flippant tone, Yssa replied, "I want some ale." Her eyes darted back to the door. "Some bread, too."

"I'm not certain about the ale, darling, but they'll certainly serve you bread in the dungeons."

The enchantress stared into the eyes of the serving woman. "h.e.l.lo, Yssa," smirked the tall, plain figure.

She felt an invisible web fall upon her, a web of sorcery Yssa immediately knew had been designed to sap her of her strength. It would have worked, too, but the ploy was so typical of her adversary that even without forethought Yssa was prepared for it. Before the web could completely settle, Yssa vanished.

She reappeared an eyeblink later in an alley not very far from the inn. The maneuver had been a risky one and only Yssa's comprehensive knowledge of Zuu had prevented her from possibly materializing in a wall. Such swift transportation spells were ever risky, especially those cast in the midst of danger . . . and there was no danger greater to Yssa than Saress.

I overestimated myself. She had evaded Saress for so very long that she had not sufficiently taken into account the other's skills. Yssa had told Darkhorse that the other sorceress might be a little stronger than she, but what she had failed to add was that Saress was also more practiced. Saress was at least a hundred years old, and it was said that at one time she had even convinced Azran Bedlam to reveal some of his secrets to her.

The alley was empty and Yssa sensed no sorcerers nearby, but she knew better than to believe that she was safe. The pair she had noted had possibly been decoys designed to keep her from noticing a shielded and disguised Saress. Now all three of them would be shielded. Worse, one of them had to be Ponteroy, who also could be quite devious. Saress would not waste her time working with the less competent spellcasters. She had been hunting for Yssa for far too long now to take such chances.

Hoping that the medallion would shield her to some extent, the disguised sorceress leaped to a new location. This time when she appeared, vertigo nearly overtook her. Yssa leaned against the wall of an elaborate house belonging to one of King Lanith's own generals, a veteran named Belfour who had been an admirer of hers when she had worked as a serving woman. Yssa often thought that it would have been better if Belfour had become king, he being remotely related to Lanith.

According to her sources, Belfour was supposed to be out in the field drilling His Majesty's armies, which was the reason she had chosen his estate for a momentary respite. Yssa doubted that Saress would expect her to use the home of so august a person as General Belfour. More likely the other sorceress would still be searching the vicinity of the inns and the grand marketplace.

It would have made sense to depart Zuu entirely and return to the safety of her father's domain, but Yssa was not quite ready to abandon Darkhorse despite his having left her. Of course, by this time the shadowy stallion should have rescued Aurim Bedlam and departed the kingdom for Penacles, but Yssa suspected that such was not the case. First, she was fairly certain that Darkhorse would have come back for her. Second, the confrontation with Saress had been too well executed to have been spur of the moment. Someone had been watching out for them.

The enchantress recalled her own words to Darkhorse. An intelligent force. She still recalled the first time she had sensed it. Never in her life had she felt such a peculiar, unsettling presence . . . although now that Yssa had spent some time around Darkhorse, she realized that there was something about the stallion that reminded her of Lanith's creature.