love you. “
“There! See? He’s a votary. I’ve laid a loyalty spell on him. He’ll do anything to help me.” Raspnex glanced at the kid, showing his pebble teeth again. “He’d die for me! Actually, his power’s greater than mine. It took three of us to hobble himme and two of my other votaries. Now do you understand?” The mundanes were radiating horror and fright as they realized the possibilities.
Raspnex thumped a massive hand on Grimrix’s shoulder. “Go and scout. See if anything’s happening outside.”
The boy nodded and transported himself down to the front door. He opened it, peered out cautiously, then vanished from Rap’s ken.
It was all so confoundedly obvious now! Zinixo had collected at least a dozen votaries in his brief tenure in the Red Palace. Because he saw danger everywhere, he had also made it his business to identify as many of the other wardens’ votaries as he could. With a sorceress eager to do his bidding, all he had needed to do was set Kraza on the weakest. Then the two of them would have sought out another and jointly imprinted that one. Not just votaries-they must have hunted down every sorcerer they could. And so on … Rap explained to the audience.
“He’s been at it for almost twenty years,” Raspnex added. “He’s got an army of them now, all loyal to the death. We call it the Covin.”
Shandie sank down again on the arm of his wife’s chair. His face was taut. “Why did nobody stop him?”
“Because nobody knew!” the dwarf rumbled in his sepulchral voice. “Except maybe Bright Water, and she was too crazy to care. I think he was extra careful with her brood, anywayhe made his compulsion secondary to hers, to take effect after she died. So she didn’t mind. Now he’s cornered all of the sorcery in Pandemia!”
The crowded room fell silent as the mundanes struggled to comprehend the disaster. Sagorn sat down again, also, muttering and shaking his head.
“So although he has no real sorcery of his own,” Shandie said, “he controls an army of sorcerers? How many?”
“Scores, maybe hundreds. All eager to help. And the little snit may have his own sorcery back too now, if the Covin’s been able to break Rap’s spell. “
“Surely it was the wardens’ duty to prevent such an abomination? “
“It was, but they didn’t know it was happening until Bright Water died. ” Raspnex’s eyes were hard as flint. “They brought me in as the new North in the hope I could stop him, because I knew him and how he thinks. But it was too late. “
The imperor looked around the group, but no one had any comments. “What does he want?”
The dwarf snorted. “Everything! I told you-the greater his power, the more fearful he is! He knew he’d become a threat to the Four, so he feared the Four, because they were the only power that could threaten him. That’s how he thinks.”
“That was why you came to the Rotunda today?”
Thunder rumbled in the ambience. “Of course it was! Why are you so stupid? We expected him to strike when we answered your summons at the enthronement, so he could swat all four of us at the same time. Probably he’d have blasted us as he blasted Ag-an, years ago. Grunth and I got the jump on him. We made you imperor, sonny, but it isn’t going to do you any good. “
Shandie frowned. “And why destroy the thrones? Zinixo did that?”
“No! I did!”
“The four thrones were occult,” Rap said. This conversation was a stupid waste of time! Nevertheless, the imperor had a right to know, and Rap himself had no idea what was going to happen next. If Zinixo’s Covin had already infested the city, then the situation was as close to hopeless as he could imagine. “They were portals into the wardens’ palaces. He could have forced entry through them.”
“I thought you didn’t know all this?” the imperor said.
“I didn’t, earlier. Partly I’m working it out as I go along, from what Raspnex told me as he came in-you
“There! See? He’s a votary. I’ve laid a loyalty spell on him. He’ll do anything to help me.” Raspnex glanced at the kid, showing his pebble teeth again. “He’d die for me! Actually, his power’s greater than mine. It took three of us to hobble himme and two of my other votaries. Now do you understand?” The mundanes were radiating horror and fright as they realized the possibilities.
Raspnex thumped a massive hand on Grimrix’s shoulder. “Go and scout. See if anything’s happening outside.”
The boy nodded and transported himself down to the front door. He opened it, peered out cautiously, then vanished from Rap’s ken.
It was all so confoundedly obvious now! Zinixo had collected at least a dozen votaries in his brief tenure in the Red Palace. Because he saw danger everywhere, he had also made it his business to identify as many of the other wardens’ votaries as he could. With a sorceress eager to do his bidding, all he had needed to do was set Kraza on the weakest. Then the two of them would have sought out another and jointly imprinted that one. Not just votaries-they must have hunted down every sorcerer they could. And so on … Rap explained to the audience.
“He’s been at it for almost twenty years,” Raspnex added. “He’s got an army of them now, all loyal to the death. We call it the Covin.”
Shandie sank down again on the arm of his wife’s chair. His face was taut. “Why did nobody stop him?”
“Because nobody knew!” the dwarf rumbled in his sepulchral voice. “Except maybe Bright Water, and she was too crazy to care. I think he was extra careful with her brood, anywayhe made his compulsion secondary to hers, to take effect after she died. So she didn’t mind. Now he’s cornered all of the sorcery in Pandemia!”
The crowded room fell silent as the mundanes struggled to comprehend the disaster. Sagorn sat down again, also, muttering and shaking his head.
“So although he has no real sorcery of his own,” Shandie said, “he controls an army of sorcerers? How many?”
“Scores, maybe hundreds. All eager to help. And the little snit may have his own sorcery back too now, if the Covin’s been able to break Rap’s spell. “
“Surely it was the wardens’ duty to prevent such an abomination? “
“It was, but they didn’t know it was happening until Bright Water died. ” Raspnex’s eyes were hard as flint. “They brought me in as the new North in the hope I could stop him, because I knew him and how he thinks. But it was too late. “
The imperor looked around the group, but no one had any comments. “What does he want?”
The dwarf snorted. “Everything! I told you-the greater his power, the more fearful he is! He knew he’d become a threat to the Four, so he feared the Four, because they were the only power that could threaten him. That’s how he thinks.”
“That was why you came to the Rotunda today?”
Thunder rumbled in the ambience. “Of course it was! Why are you so stupid? We expected him to strike when we answered your summons at the enthronement, so he could swat all four of us at the same time. Probably he’d have blasted us as he blasted Ag-an, years ago. Grunth and I got the jump on him. We made you imperor, sonny, but it isn’t going to do you any good. “
Shandie frowned. “And why destroy the thrones? Zinixo did that?”
“No! I did!”
“The four thrones were occult,” Rap said. This conversation was a stupid waste of time! Nevertheless, the imperor had a right to know, and Rap himself had no idea what was going to happen next. If Zinixo’s Covin had already infested the city, then the situation was as close to hopeless as he could imagine. “They were portals into the wardens’ palaces. He could have forced entry through them.”
“I thought you didn’t know all this?” the imperor said.
“I didn’t, earlier. Partly I’m working it out as I go along, from what Raspnex told me as he came in-you
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