A World Without Heroes - Brandon Mull [40]
“What a psycho,” Jason mumbled.
The Blind King raised a finger. “However, Maldor deviates from his sadistically inquisitive pattern when a foe fails to abide by his rules. He abhors the dissemination of sensitive information. He detests the recruitment of neutral parties. It bodes well for you that when Francine is interrogated, she will have no information about the Word or your quest. Had you told her about the Word, I would advise you to hastily gulp down your last meal. Do not take this counsel lightly. If you went around informing every soul you met about The Book of Salzared, you and all of the people you had spoken with—and most likely their relatives, friends, and neighbors—would be massacred.”
“But you and I have talked a lot about the Word,” Jason said.
“You have told me nothing I did not already know. Converse all you want with those of us who share the secret bound in living skin. Once you have been marked as an enemy to Maldor, you are actually safest when consorting with his other enemies.”
“Have I brought danger upon you?”
“Undoubtedly. But I would have it no other way. My only remaining purpose of any consequence is advising those who dare to challenge the emperor.”
The door opened silently, and Rachel entered, wearing the same ill-tailored outfit as the day before. Dorsio waited in the doorway behind her.
“Rachel,” the Blind King said, tipping his head toward the door. “I take it you mean to join Jason?”
“For his sake,” she answered. “It didn’t seem like he’d make it far without me.”
“Ouch,” Jason said. “That’s the problem with homeschoolers. They haven’t learned to interact with their peers.”
“Enough bickering,” the Blind King said. “Save your energy for the road. Dorsio, the surrounding countryside remains clear?”
Dorsio snapped his fingers.
“See that we remain undisturbed.”
Dorsio snapped again and exited.
“Now that I’m officially coming,” Rachel said, “what’s the big secret?”
Jason explained about the book and the Word. She listened stoically. The Blind King advised Jason to wait to share the first syllable until he and Rachel were on the road, then repeated his advice about how to avoid provoking Maldor.
“So we’re going on a quest to find a magic word?” Rachel asked in the end. She seemed underwhelmed.
“Maldor was apprenticed to an evil wizard called Zokar,” the Blind King explained. “As a prerequisite to apprenticeship, dark wizards used to force their novices to allow a destructive spell to be woven into their physical makeup. A key word of Edomic could activate the spell and annihilate them. The practice granted the higher wizard assurance that his pupil would never turn on him.”
“And anyone can say the key word?” Jason checked.
“The key words were designed to be the simplest conceivable activation tools,” the king said. “This gave the mentoring wizard the assurance that he could overcome his apprentice under almost any circumstances. The main protection to the vulnerable pupil was his trust that his master would keep the key word a secret and never use it unfairly.”
“But Zokar shared Maldor’s word,” Rachel concluded.
“Evidently,” the Blind King said. “Zokar must have shared the Word after terminating his relationship with his apprentice. Typically, obscure and slippery words were chosen, to minimize the chances of the destructive spell being triggered accidentally.”
Jason grabbed an extra piece of bacon. “The Book of Salzared said that I have to memorize the syllables,