The Blood Knight - J. Gregory Keyes [209]
“You!” he shouted. “Who are you?”
The man stepped forward.
“My name is Brother Ashern,” he said, bowing. “I am also at your service.”
“Are you Hierovasi or Revesturi?”
“I am neither,” he said. “I am pledged to the saint of the mountain. That appears to be you, Stephen Darige.”
“You’re all mad, aren’t you?”
“No,” Fend replied, “not mad. Determined, yes. And unfortunately, there isn’t time enough for the sort of discussion that will clear things up entirely. Praifec Hespero and his men are nearly here. It would be a mistake to let them enter the mountain. Even on the slopes, Hespero might be able to draw on the power of the seven fanes. If he enters the mountain, even the woorm might not be able to stop him.”
“Yet if Brother Stephen had time to walk the faneway—” Brother Ashern began, but Fend shook his head.
“That would take days. Hespero is approaching. I’ve seen him. Isn’t that right, Stephen?”
“He’s been following us,” Stephen admitted. He looked sharply at Fend. “But you and he were allies.”
“I once worked with him,” Fend admitted. “It was necessary to reach this present point. But our interests no longer coincide. He wants what is yours by right. You wended the horn that woke the Briar King. You found this place.”
“But I don’t even know what this place is!”
“Don’t you?” Fend asked. “Don’t you know who your first predecessor was? The first of your kind to come here?”
“Choron?”
“Choron? No, he was merely returning something to its proper place. It was Virgenya Dare found this place, Stephen. This is where she walked the faneway. This is where she discovered the magicks that destroyed the Skasloi. Would you give that kind of power to Hespero?”
“No,” Stephen said, his head whirling, “but I wouldn’t give it to you, either.”
“I’m not asking for it, you half-wit,” Fend snarled. “I’m only asking you take it for yourself.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s the only way,” Fend replied. “The only way to save our world.”
“I still don’t understand what you expect me to do.”
“I am at your command,” Fend replied. “The woorm is at your command. These warriors are at your command. Simply tell us what to do.”
“You expect me to believe all this?” Stephen snapped, his frustration reaching a boil. “I was brought here against my will. Now you claim you’ll follow my orders? It doesn’t make sense!”
“We had to bring you here,” Adhrekh said. “I’m sorry we had to use coercion to get this far, but we cannot force you any farther. You are Choron’s heir. If you want to leave, leave. But if you do, this other one will take your place.”
“Are you saying you would obey Hespero?”
“It’s the geos of this place,” Fend said. “If you do not take up the scepter, someone else will. And when they do, we must follow them. You must decide.”
“If I agree, and if I tell you to destroy Hespero and his forces?”
“We will try,” Fend replied. “I think we will win. But as I said, his power waxes. Unlike you, he has dreamed of this place for decades.”
Stephen glanced at Zemlé, then turned his gaze to Adhrekh.
“I want to be alone with Sister Pale for a moment,” he said.
“Don’t take too long,” Fend warned. “A decision delayed may be a decision denied.”
“There’s something really wrong here,” he told Zemlé once they were alone.
“It’s certainly confusing,” she admitted.
“Confusing? No, it’s more than that. It’s madness. Do you know who Fend is? The things he’s done? Whatever else I know or don’t know about this situation, I know Fend can’t be trusted.”
“That may be so, but if they’re right about Hespero, maybe we should worry about the Sefry later.”
“You mean I should do what they’re asking? Order them to attack Hespero? I—No, this makes no sense. If Fend is eager for me to do something, that’s an excellent sign that I shouldn’t do it. Besides, Fend and Adhrekh seemed agreed on the matter of the praifec. Fend’s been riding the woorm, so I assume he has some control over it. Adhrekh and his people have been acting pretty freely. So why do they need me to tell them to do what they already want to do?”
“They said something