The Dread Lords Rising by J. David Phillips
Dawn was hours away. Davin wiped the sleep from his eyes as he sat in the Sartor manor’s spacious kitchen sipping a mug of hot, mulled cider. He yawned and asked his question again, hoping he had not heard correctly, but Maerillus told him again that Count Joachim had already left with his parents. Davin thought about that for a moment. “We promised them that we would let then know about anything new that came up.”
Niam remained adamant. “And they’re not here!”
“Exactly,” Maerillus said. “Which is why we should tell them when they get back.”
Niam opened his mouth, but Davin knew what he was going to say, so he beat his friend to it, “No,” he looked at Maerillus, “I agree with Niam. It’s why we’ve got to move on this now.”
“You can’t be serious,” Maerillus sputtered. “What are WE going to do?”
Davin sighed. “We can’t do nothing.”
“We should leave this to—”
“—The experts?” Davin interjected. “How many experts do you suppose there are lying around Pirim Village?”
“Look what’s happening!” Maerillus said hotly. “People are dying!”
Davin couldn’t help noticing Niam’s face drop at this. “We know Jort was a Hammer like Kine. We know that he was killed because of something going on here in the Lake Valleys—”
Niam interjected. “Kreeth killed him!”
“Yeah, and Kine is the one whose job it is to take down people like Kreeth,” Maerillus said before Davin could get another word in.
“But that is what I am trying to get at,” Davin said, raising his voice. “Jolan Kine is an agent of the Crown.”
“One who does this sort of thing,” Maerillus said, emphasizing his point again.
“One who also is subject to the laws of the realm,” Davin said.
Niam sat at the table across from them, brooding as if Davin and Maerillus were hangmen determining his fate. In a way, that is exactly what he and Maerillus were doing.
“Your point is that we don’t have to do anything because the Voice led Niam into making the connection between his dreams, the boxes, and Kreeth—and that we can tell Kine about this and turn him loose on the sorcerer. Am I right?”
Maerillus paused for a moment and then nodded his head. “That about sums it up.”
“But—” Niam started to say something until Davin cut him off again.
“BUT.” Davin said. “There’s a big ‘but’ that no one is thinking about. The laws covering what a Wizard’s Hammer can and cannot do are very specific.”
“And just how do you know?” Maerillus challenged.
“Because for the past several days I’ve been sitting in your library reading up on it.”
“Oh,” Maerillus said, unhappy that Davin was about to explain why they should go out and tempt death again.
“Hammers must have real evidence that there is a sorcerer or rogue mage at work before moving against them. And he has to have a second Hammer approve anything he does. He must have a warrant.”
Maerillus’s face brightened. “Then that means there’s another one we don’t know about working here!”
“I think Jort would have been the ‘other one,’ Maer. I think Kine has come here on his own. And that means the only way he could do anything is if Kreeth made a move in the open.”
Maerillus looked deflated as he realized his only chance of handing this off to someone else was dwindling.
“Kine has been all over Pirim Village. He’s on to Kreeth. But he can’t do anything direct until he has cause. It’s the only way around a warrant.”
“But he’s got ways of finding it,” Maerillus objected.
“Maerillus, where are your parents going today?” Davin asked, trying to take another tack with his argument.
“To Kalavere.”
“And where has Kine gone with Lord Joachim?”
“To Kalavere.”
“And whose idea was it that we all remained together here at your estate?”
“Lord Joachim suggested it and my dad would have insisted on it anyway,” Maerillus said, growing impatient with Davin’s obvious attempt to make his idea sound so simple even a child could follow along with it.
“I’m sure Jolan Kine added his copper crown’s worth in it as well.”
“Where are you going with this?” Maerillus asked, his voice heavy with impatience.
Davin rolled his eyes as if the answer were self-evident. “Don’t you find it odd that Kine left the area with everyone else?”
Maerillus scrunched his eyebrows. “Maybe.”
“We also know that Lord Joachim meets with other regional lords at the same time.”
“Yeah, and . . .?” Maerillus said, letting his voice trail off, not quite sure where Davin was going with this. “All that means is that we’re here alone.”
“Exactly!” Davin exclaimed. “I’m not home helping my father get ready for the winter. They won’t let Niam stay home alone. We’re here. I think right where Kine wants us. I’ve seen the way he looks at us. I don’t think anyone knows what to make of us—except that we have a knack of getting into the center of hornets’ nests everywhere we go lately. “
Maerillus inclined his head, not happy with the thoughts that were now running through his mind.
“Don’t you think it’s odd that Lord Joachim and Kine left together—very visibly together?”
“I had wondered,” Maerillus admitted. “Especially after we told him what Niam overheard Kreeth saying about us.”
“He wasn’t happy that we were putting our noses where they didn’t belong. Yeah. We’ve brought attention to something Kreeth is doing. Jort must have had something on him. Now, because of us we’ve given any Wizard’s Hammer even more reason to look hard at what’s going on here.”
“So why leave when we’re so obviously a target?” Maerillus asked, perplexed.
“Because I’m willing to bet Kine is up to something. I’m also willing to bet he knows we’ll keep doing what we seem to do best.”
Maerillus groaned. “You mean put our noses where they don’t belong.”
“Well, we’re not exactly bound by the laws governing a Wizard’s Hammer, are we? We can do what Kine cannot do right now.”
Maerillus groaned in resignation. “And when exactly do you want to do this?”
“I want to be in and out shortly after dawn,” Davin said firmly. “I want to get enough on the bastard to help Kine bring him down.”
Niam remained adamant. “And they’re not here!”
“Exactly,” Maerillus said. “Which is why we should tell them when they get back.”
Niam opened his mouth, but Davin knew what he was going to say, so he beat his friend to it, “No,” he looked at Maerillus, “I agree with Niam. It’s why we’ve got to move on this now.”
“You can’t be serious,” Maerillus sputtered. “What are WE going to do?”
Davin sighed. “We can’t do nothing.”
“We should leave this to—”
“—The experts?” Davin interjected. “How many experts do you suppose there are lying around Pirim Village?”
“Look what’s happening!” Maerillus said hotly. “People are dying!”
Davin couldn’t help noticing Niam’s face drop at this. “We know Jort was a Hammer like Kine. We know that he was killed because of something going on here in the Lake Valleys—”
Niam interjected. “Kreeth killed him!”
“Yeah, and Kine is the one whose job it is to take down people like Kreeth,” Maerillus said before Davin could get another word in.
“But that is what I am trying to get at,” Davin said, raising his voice. “Jolan Kine is an agent of the Crown.”
“One who does this sort of thing,” Maerillus said, emphasizing his point again.
“One who also is subject to the laws of the realm,” Davin said.
Niam sat at the table across from them, brooding as if Davin and Maerillus were hangmen determining his fate. In a way, that is exactly what he and Maerillus were doing.
“Your point is that we don’t have to do anything because the Voice led Niam into making the connection between his dreams, the boxes, and Kreeth—and that we can tell Kine about this and turn him loose on the sorcerer. Am I right?”
Maerillus paused for a moment and then nodded his head. “That about sums it up.”
“But—” Niam started to say something until Davin cut him off again.
“BUT.” Davin said. “There’s a big ‘but’ that no one is thinking about. The laws covering what a Wizard’s Hammer can and cannot do are very specific.”
“And just how do you know?” Maerillus challenged.
“Because for the past several days I’ve been sitting in your library reading up on it.”
“Oh,” Maerillus said, unhappy that Davin was about to explain why they should go out and tempt death again.
“Hammers must have real evidence that there is a sorcerer or rogue mage at work before moving against them. And he has to have a second Hammer approve anything he does. He must have a warrant.”
Maerillus’s face brightened. “Then that means there’s another one we don’t know about working here!”
“I think Jort would have been the ‘other one,’ Maer. I think Kine has come here on his own. And that means the only way he could do anything is if Kreeth made a move in the open.”
Maerillus looked deflated as he realized his only chance of handing this off to someone else was dwindling.
“Kine has been all over Pirim Village. He’s on to Kreeth. But he can’t do anything direct until he has cause. It’s the only way around a warrant.”
“But he’s got ways of finding it,” Maerillus objected.
“Maerillus, where are your parents going today?” Davin asked, trying to take another tack with his argument.
“To Kalavere.”
“And where has Kine gone with Lord Joachim?”
“To Kalavere.”
“And whose idea was it that we all remained together here at your estate?”
“Lord Joachim suggested it and my dad would have insisted on it anyway,” Maerillus said, growing impatient with Davin’s obvious attempt to make his idea sound so simple even a child could follow along with it.
“I’m sure Jolan Kine added his copper crown’s worth in it as well.”
“Where are you going with this?” Maerillus asked, his voice heavy with impatience.
Davin rolled his eyes as if the answer were self-evident. “Don’t you find it odd that Kine left the area with everyone else?”
Maerillus scrunched his eyebrows. “Maybe.”
“We also know that Lord Joachim meets with other regional lords at the same time.”
“Yeah, and . . .?” Maerillus said, letting his voice trail off, not quite sure where Davin was going with this. “All that means is that we’re here alone.”
“Exactly!” Davin exclaimed. “I’m not home helping my father get ready for the winter. They won’t let Niam stay home alone. We’re here. I think right where Kine wants us. I’ve seen the way he looks at us. I don’t think anyone knows what to make of us—except that we have a knack of getting into the center of hornets’ nests everywhere we go lately. “
Maerillus inclined his head, not happy with the thoughts that were now running through his mind.
“Don’t you think it’s odd that Lord Joachim and Kine left together—very visibly together?”
“I had wondered,” Maerillus admitted. “Especially after we told him what Niam overheard Kreeth saying about us.”
“He wasn’t happy that we were putting our noses where they didn’t belong. Yeah. We’ve brought attention to something Kreeth is doing. Jort must have had something on him. Now, because of us we’ve given any Wizard’s Hammer even more reason to look hard at what’s going on here.”
“So why leave when we’re so obviously a target?” Maerillus asked, perplexed.
“Because I’m willing to bet Kine is up to something. I’m also willing to bet he knows we’ll keep doing what we seem to do best.”
Maerillus groaned. “You mean put our noses where they don’t belong.”
“Well, we’re not exactly bound by the laws governing a Wizard’s Hammer, are we? We can do what Kine cannot do right now.”
Maerillus groaned in resignation. “And when exactly do you want to do this?”
“I want to be in and out shortly after dawn,” Davin said firmly. “I want to get enough on the bastard to help Kine bring him down.”