Part 44 (1/2)

”Could webuy a refuge, then?” Hanner asked her.

”That might be possible,” she admitted. ”You wouldn't need to trouble the Guild about that; just find a wizard who knows appropriate spells and hire him to do the job. You can expect to pay an obscene amount for it, though.”

”I see,” Hanner said, and he pushed it to the back of his head, to be attended to when other matters were under better control. The Council had money, but not an obscene amount of it as yet.

He might mention to Lord Azrad the idea that it would be worthwhile for the city to finance such a purchase, so as to have a reserve of powerful warlocks in the triumvirate's debt who could be called upon in an emergency.

That a.s.sumed, of course, that Lord Azrad had any interest in Manner's desires, and didn't intend to order the Council out of the city. For the past three sixnights Hanner and his representatives had been dealing peacefully with the city government, but always through intermediaries-usually Azrad's brothers, Clurim, Karan-nin, and Ildirin-and never directly with the overlord. This audience-if itwas really an audience with Lord Azrad, as Hanner noticed that the message did not actually say Azrad would be in the audience chamber-might indicate that the overlord had changed his mind again. Hanner certainly hoped not, and did not intend to do anything to antagonize Lord Azrad.

Accordingly he arrived in the entrance hall of the Palace exactly at the appointed hour and was greeted and escorted through the great velvet curtains that were serving as a temporary replacement for the not-yet-repaired golden doors.

The room was more populated than it had been on that dreadful occasion when Faran had led in a horde of angry warlocks, but still far from crowded; perhaps a hundred guards, servants, and courtiers were arranged here and there, standing, seated, or going about various errands. Hanner noticed his sisters standing in a knot of n.o.bles near the east wall.

He had not heard from them in a twelvenight, and he had been too busy with Council business to worry about that silence; he hoped they were well.

He hadn't heard from Mavi, either, but he firmly pushed that thought out of his mind and concentrated on his surroundings.

As expected, Azrad was indeed present, sprawled heavily on the throne, sitting motionless as Hanner was led in and presented.

”Hanner the Warlock, Chairman of the Council of Warlocks!” the herald announced, and Hanner bowed deeply.

”It's good to see you again, Hanner,” Azrad said when Hanner straightened up.

”And of course, it is always a pleasure to see you, my lord,” Hanner replied.

That said, the two men stared silently at each other for a moment. Then Azrad said, ”You're here because I wanted to see you in person, rather than doing everything through my brothers. I wanted to see how you'd changed.”

Hanner bowed again, this time with arms spread. ”I am as you see me, my lord,” he said.

”You're wearing black.”

”I'm a warlock, my lord.”

”You look well. Have you lost a little weight?”

”I might have, my lord; I'm not sure. I've kept very busy of late.”

”You've been eating well?”

”Oh, yes. My housekeeper sees to that.”

Azrad nodded. ”That's good. We should have met somewhere less formal, perhaps-the private audience chamber or my apartments-but I wasn't sure of the protocol, given your new status.”

Hanner smiled. ”I'm still me, Lord Azrad. I would be pleased to meet with you wherever you might choose. As Chairman of the Council, I am still subject to the laws of Ethshar-treat me as you would anyother magician.”

”Yes, well-you shouldn't be a magician.” Azrad frowned. ”You never served an apprentices.h.i.+p. I don't approve of this mysteriousthing that happened, not at all-but I do accept that it happened, now, and I'll live with it. I can't fight youand the wizards.”

”We have no desire to fight anyone, my lord. We just want to live in peace. The madness of the Night of Madness ended long ago.”

”Yes, I accept that,” Azrad said irritably. ”I said so. And that's why you're here. If you warlocks are going to be magicians like all the others, then you're responsible for any damage you do with your magic.”

He gestured at the far end of the room. ”Are you going to pay for those doors? And the chairs? The artisans are askingthree hundred rounds of gold to repair just the doors!”

Hanner blinked, then turned to look thoughtfully at the velvet curtains.

”We can't afford that much at present, my lord,” he said, turning back, ”but I believe we can repair the doors ourselves. War-lockry can repair as well as destroy. Surely you've heard that we have been aiding in repairs elsewhere.”

It was Azrad's turn to be surprised. ”Yes, but.. . those doors are huge!”

”I believe we can handle them.” In fact, heknew his warlocks could handle the job; this was exactly the sort of thing warlockry did well.

”Can you really? Excellent!”

Hanner could not resist a small jab. ”We have not done so previously, my lord, because you have maintained strong restrictions on admitting warlocks to the Palace.”

”Well... yes. Fine. The restrictions won't be applied to anyone who comes to make repairs.”

”Then I'll send some warlocks as soon as I get home,” Hanner said.

”Good!” Azrad smiled. ”I hate those curtains. It's drafty in here, even with the window repaired.”

”We could have done that as well, had you asked,” Hanner said.

”Don't worry about it,” Azrad said, waving away the subject- which Hanner a.s.sumed meant it had been done by the palace staff, or by workmen who charged far less than goldsmiths. ”But the chairs ...”

”I'm not sure about those,” Hanner said. ”My warlocks will look at them and let you know.”

”Good, good.” The smile faded. ”That brings us to personal matters, the other reasons I insisted thatyou come, rather than one of your underlings.”

”Yes, my lord?”

”We still have your uncle's remains,” Azrad explained. ”I'm really not sure what to do with them-an intact statue would join the others, and an ordinary corpse would be properly burned or otherwise dealt with, but a shattered statue ...” He turned up a palm. ”Perhaps you could rea.s.semble the pieces somehow,maybe even bring him back to life.”

Hanner considered that for a moment. He was fairly certain that warlockry could indeed rea.s.semble the pieces and fuse them back together, but restore Faran to life? Warlockry couldn't do that; only wizardry could, if it was possible at all.

And since Faran had been killed by the Wizards' Guild, Hanner doubted any wizard would dare attempt a revival.

But it would be a proper and respectful thing to rea.s.semble the pieces and set the statue somewhere.

”Thank you, my lord,” he said. ”I would be pleased to take Lord Faran's remains.”

”Good,” Azrad said, clearly relieved. He looked up and beckoned. ”Clurim, it's your turn!”

Startled, Hanner turned to see Lord Clurim emerge from the little cl.u.s.ter of n.o.bles to the east.

”We understand that you're now the head of your family,” Azrad said. ”As such, Lord Clurim has a request to make.”