The Death of Chaos Read Online Free PDF Page A

guard outside Krystal's door, and he rapped on it, but didn't let me in. He never did, not without Krystal's command, and I'd never pressed it.
       “Yes... good! You're here.” She motioned, and I stepped past Herreld.
       Once the door was closed, and I saw that no one else was in the conference room, I gave her a hug, but didn't get as far as a kiss.
       “I love you, too, but we don't have much time before we meet with Kasee.” Her eyes had deep circles under them, and she pursed her lips after speaking.
       “What's the problem?”
       “Ferrel's dead. At least, we think she is.”
       “That wizard of the new Duke's?”
       “Something like that. I'll tell you what we know when we get to Kasee's study.”
       That was serious. I'd never been invited to the autarch's private study. Krystal did give in and kissed me warmly, if quickly, after she pulled on the vest-jacket with all the braid proclaiming her the subcommander. She straightened her blade, the same one I had bought for her in Recluce when we were still training for the dangergeld, back when I thought she giggled too much, and when she probably wished I'd grow up. She had stopped giggling, mostly, but I felt I still had some growing up to do, even if I was considered an adult with a profession-or two of them.
       We walked down one flight of stairs and turned right- toward the wing with the autarch's quarters, offices, dining rooms, who knew what else. Even as a walled residence, and not a palace, the place smelled important-scented lamp oil, wood polishes, a spray of lemon incense, and, underlying it all, the distant odor of polished metal and working leather.
       The whole setup was much less grandiose than, say, the palace of the Prefect of Gallos, with its fountains and columns, and carpets. The modesty impressed me. There were two guards outside the study door, the no-nonsense kind that look able to cut you apart and not raise a sweat. Krystal and I could have taken them, but, then, she could have done it single-handedly.
       The autarch, who insisted I call her Kasee, even if I didn't always think of her on a name basis, sat behind a wide table heaped with parchment, scrolls, and even a set of ledgers. She did not stand up when we entered.
       The table wasn't that good despite all the ornamentation, and I could see where the grain hadn't been quite aligned right in the inlays, and that the larger spooling on the front legs was too much larger and visually unbalanced the piece, so much that it seemed to tilt forward.
       I bowed.
       “Order-master.” She gave me a respectful nod in return. “I wish I were glad to see you, Lerris. I have this feeling that I'll always see you either before or after some disaster.” Her black hair-shot with silver-gray-was not neat, as at functions, but unruly, and she had a black smudge above one eyebrow. The green eyes met mine for a moment, not quite twinkling.
       “I hope not.: .”I still didn't feel right not putting a title in, and my words trailed off.
       “That's the problem facing wizards and rulers. No one really wants us around, and all their troubles are our fault.” She brushed a strand of silver-gray hair back off her forehead before continuing. “Krystal has told you about Ferrel?”
       “Only that you believe she is dead. We came immediately, and Krystal didn't have time to tell me everything.”
       “There isn't much else. There were two survivors, lucky laggards.”
       “How many did you lose?”
       “Two squads.” Krystal rubbed her forehead. “That's just as we're finally getting back up to strength. You can't train good troops overnight.”
       “Do you know how?”
       Krystal and Kasee exchanged glances. Finally, Krystal spoke. “No. The two troopers who escaped said the Hydlenese troops-or the wizard-used some sort of firebolts. They were waiting for Ferrel.”
       “Did Ferrel just march down the road toward the