Ghost in the Council by Jonathan Moeller

Author:Jonathan Moeller [Moeller, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

“Should we intervene?” said Pentarion, watching the struggle.

Talmania considered the question.

The arrival of Kylon had turned the tide decisively against the undead. The Imperial Guards and the Legionaries were holding against the Dead Legionaries, and the mailed veterans had caught the undead warriors in a pincer movement. The soldiers of the Dead Legion were cheap and relatively simple to create, but they were simply no match for living men without superior numbers, especially disciplined and experienced soldiers.

The cataphracti would have made up the difference, but Kylon and the magi were holding the creatures back. The stormdancer and Ariadne, it seemed, had come up with an effective strategy for dealing with the things. The magi hit them with volleys of disrupting spells, not powerful enough to destroy the cataphracti, but just strong enough to stun them. And before the creatures recovered, Kylon destroyed their empowering bloodcrystals.

The Dead Legionaries and the cataphracti were losing, and swiftly.

Yet Talmania could not bring herself to be alarmed.

Something else was happening, something important.

Kylon was here.

Why wasn’t Caina? Had she gone ahead to Istarinmul…or had she remained behind in Malarae? Yet Caina loved her husband and apparently enjoyed his company. Though Talmania couldn’t imagine what the two of them talked about. Ships? Their mutual exile from their homelands?

“No,” said Talmania. “We will watch for now.”

“Provost Rania will be displeased,” said Pentarion, “that we have lost so many undead.”

Talmania stared at him for a moment, and then Pentarion lowered his gaze.

“And are you intending to tell her?” said Talmania.

“I am merely making an observation, provost,” said Pentarion.

“I should hope so,” said Talmania. “Because I am the one who made the alliance with the Temnoti. Rania doesn’t approve of the idea. She considers the Temnoti a backward barbarian cult, little better than the ancient shamans of the Caerish nations. I imagine you would be rather disappointed if Rania ended our alliance with the Temnoti.”

Pentarion stared back at her. The clouds continued writhing and twisting overhead. A crimson bolt of silent lighting flooded the courtyard with harsh light, painting Pentarion’s delicate face the color of blood. Rather fitting, Talmania thought, given what he really was.

“Why should I be disappointed, provost?” said Pentarion. “I am a loyal brother of the Order.”

“Yes,” said Talmania, turning her gaze back to the gate. All the cataphracti were down now, and the living soldiers were tearing through the undead ones. The battle was all but over. And before much longer, the soldiers would see the gate and storm into Sigilsoara itself. That would be unfortunate for them, but Talmania had larger concerns just now.

She waved her hand, releasing her will, and the gate to the material world vanished into nothingness.

Pentarion looked taken aback. “You will just abandon the undead?”

“They are replaceable,” said Talmania. “And we have larger concerns.”

Why wasn’t Caina with Kylon?

A small thing, certainly. A trivial detail, hardly worth her consideration.

But Talmania had learned that trivial details often concealed larger truths.

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