Rebellion

CHAPTER 83

“I just heard about the chancellor,” said Tobry as he entered the healer’s tent at dawn. He was grey-faced and covered in snow. “How is he?”

“Rage doesn’t begin to describe his mood,” said Holm exhaustedly. It had been an eternal night and the day didn’t promise any better. “Grandys cut down his guards, stabbed the chancellor in the left arm with Maloch and left without saying a word.”

“Why?”

“A warning. I could have killed you but this time I chose not to. But wherever you go, and no matter how many guards and magians you surround yourself with, you’re at my mercy.”

“Bastard!”

“Did you find Tali, Rannilt or Glynnie?”

“Yes and no.”

“They’re not — ?”

“No,” Tobry said quietly. He took Holm by the arm and led him outside where they wouldn’t be overheard. “Tali and Rannilt are gone.”

“What do you mean, gone?”

“I lost their tracks in the falling snow, so I went down to help round up the horses. There was one missing, the one Tali and Rannilt had been riding. And I found this, tied into my horse’s mane.”

He handed Holm a little twisted strip of paper, unsigned. It said, You know where we’ve gone.

“Tirnan Twil?” said Holm.

“Where else?”

“It’s about eight hours’ ride from here. They’d be halfway there by now. Is there any point — ?”

“We’d never catch them,” said Tobry. “Besides, we can’t go after them without alerting the chancellor — and Tali’s search is something we definitely don’t want him to know about.”

“What about Glynnie?”

Tobry let out his breath in a rush. “I’m pretty sure Grandys has her.”

“Why would he take Glynnie?”

“To get at Rix,” Tobry replied. “Maybe he won’t do what Grandys wants. It’s no secret that Rix and Glynnie are close.”

“No chance of a rescue, I suppose?”

Tobry shook his head. “What a rotten, lousy night.” He turned back to the tent. “How’s his arm?

“Not good. When Grandys uses Maloch, it’s cursed, and with the chief magian dead, nothing can be done about the curse. It’s as though the arm is poisoned.”

They went into the tent, where the chancellor lay on a stretcher. Several healers were gathered around, applying one balm after another to the livid gash on his upper arm, but his twisted fingers had already gone black to the second joints and even as they watched the blackness inched up.

“Enough, dammit,” he said roughly. “You’re making it worse. Bandage it up and get out.”

“Bandaging such a wound can do no good,” said the first healer through pursed lips.

“Do you think I don’t know that? You’ll have to come back and cut the arm off. Get out!”

He looked up at Holm and Tobry. “What the hell do you want?”

“Tali and Rannilt have run off,” said Holm.

The chancellor cursed. “Take a squad and find her.”

“No tracks. The snow fills them in in minutes.”

“Wonderful! Have you got any other good news?”

“Grandys has taken Glynnie, presumably to get at Rix.”

The chancellor tried to shrug and gasped with the pain. “Nothing — I can do.”

“Why did he attack you?” said Tobry.

“He holds me in contempt.” The chancellor smiled through his pain. “It’s how I like to be held.”

“Why?”

“Contempt is a mind-addling emotion that obscures reason. The more contempt he feels for me, the more he’ll underestimate me — to his cost.”

“Then you have a plan,” said Tobry.

“I’ve always got a plan. Most of the time I have too many. Grandys is more dangerous than a wounded caitsthe.” The chancellor shot Tobry a sardonic glance. “Yet he commands fanatical loyalty.”

“But surely, after this — ” said Holm.

“Don’t think it for a minute,” said the chancellor. “The common people, who have been suffering under the nobility for centuries — ”

“And under the chancellors too,” said Tobry.

“You’ve no idea what a pleasure it’s going to be to see your blood spilled, shifter.”

“Death is like an old friend. I’m looking forward to opening the door to her.”

The chancellor scowled. “As I was saying, the common folk will be delighted to hear that Grandys strikes down and humiliates the mighty. They’ll forgive him anything.”

“What are you going to do?”

“He’s gone south, back to Gordion, I assume. We’re riding west with all possible speed, to meet my army near Nyrdly.”