Triumph of the Darksword - Margaret Weis [124]
Yes, the Emperor appeared tense and nervous, but so was everyone else in the house. She was that upset herself it was a wonder she didn’t faint dead away.
Yes, now that she thought of it, Father Saryon had seemed nervous as well. He was very pale and walked as though he was being cast into Beyond. These were terrible times, as she’d been saying to Cook only this morning.
No, she couldn’t recall having seen the gaudy young man with the beard and that suited her fine, due to certain shocking things he’d said to her last night, which she hoped she was never to be put in the way of hearing again or she would be forced to give notice.
“Thank you, my girl,” said Prince Garald abruptly. With a curtsey and a sly smile for Mosiah, the maid departed. The Duuk-tsarith once more sealed the door shut. “Well, that seems clear enough,” Garald continued with a heavy sigh. “Joram’s gone to the Temple, and he’s taken Father Saryon and Gwen with him.”
“Temple? What temple, Your Grace?” asked Cardinal Radisovik, mystified.
“The Temple of the Necromancers.”
“The Almin go with them!” the Cardinal said fervently, making the sign against evil.
“Begging your pardon. Holiness, but I don’t think the Almin’s going to be enough,” Mosiah said. “I think we should be there, too. This is some kind of trap, isn’t it, Your Grace?”
“I don’t know!” Garald snapped, moodily pacing the length of the room “Simkin’s story about Nat or Nate is obviously a lie, yet there was enough truth in it to lure Joram into believing him. And others, too, I might add.” He glanced at Lord Samuels, who stood apart from them, staring unseeing into the garden.
“If my daughter is a Necromancer, this Temple could be the only place in this world where she might find help!” Milord turned an agonized face toward the Prince. “If we go blundering in, Your Grace, we might ruin everything.”
“Or we might save their lives!” Mosiah interjected. “We could take the Corridor, Your Grace, just check to make certain everything is all right. Simkin was with the enemy, after all!”
“I know! I know! I know!” Garald shouted impatiently, striking his hand down upon the table “I know Simkin! I know he’d gamble away his soul, Joram’s soul, and the souls of everyone in this world for anything from a dancing chicken to a boiled potato if it caught his fancy!”
“In which case,” Cardinal Radisovik said softly, “Joram is in real danger. Perhaps, Garald, Mosiah is right….”
A black form appeared in the center of the War Room, coming upon them with the suddenness of a thunder clap. The hands of the Duuk-tsarith were clasped tightly before him as was proper—only they were clasped too tightly, the fingers twisting with the strain. His voice, when he spoke, was tighter still.
“Your Grace, the enemy is on the move!”
“What?” Garald demanded in astonishment. “Are they leaving?”
“No, Your Grace. They are—”
A brilliant, blinding light exploded in their eyes. The huge glass windows imploded. The room was swept by a storm of shattered crystal. Paintings fell from the walls; the walls themselves cracked and buckled. A large ceiling beam split and sagged. The walls, the ceiling, the very foundation of the house shook and trembled.
Nearby explosions completed the message that the warlock, lying dead, his body riddled by shards of glass, was unable to deliver.
Merilon was under attack.
The house of Lord Samuels gave a final shudder. The timeglass, which had withstood the initial shock wave, tumbled from the mantelpiece, the glass case breaking into a hundred glittering fragments. Free from its confines, the tiny sun rolled under the carpet. The tiny world bounced into the ashes of the fireplace.
5
The Temple Of
The Necromancers
The Temple of the Necromancers held an honored place in the world—it stood on the very top of the Font, the tallest mountain in Thimhallan. The foundation on which it had been built had been magically leveled, but the Temple had more the appearance of perching on a rocky crag than resting firmly on solid bedrock. This was undoubtedly due to a trick of the eye, as the saying