“I am the Empress’s first minister. It is my duty to know that such things are going on. It is your duty to let me know.” She studied him closely.
There was something different about the way he talked to her, about his whole manner. He was more assured, more confident. It was as if he had stepped out of the shadow of her father and become wholly his own person. And there was something else, something she could not quite put her finger on, a subtle difference in the way he carried himself. He was more poised and graceful, seemed to have achieved the control of a dancer or a master swordsman.
“Are you talking about my duty to the Empress or to the Brotherhood?”
“Both.”
“So you speak for the Brotherhood as well as Arachne now?”
“The Council met when news of what had happened to your father reached us. It was decided that I would lead.”
“I should have been there.”
“Alas, you were not here, but do not worry, the meeting was quorate.”
“It’s nice to know that you still consider yourself bound by the same petty rules as others.”
“Do not be foolish, Tamara. We both know the Council’s decision merely reflects the realities of power. They support me because I am the best Terrarch for the job and because I have the most power.”
“And if I disagree?”
“Then you disagree, but your father is dead, killed by some half-breed apprentice, and I do not think you wish to set yourself against the Council.”
In this he was right. The Council contained some of the most potent sorcerers in the Brotherhood as well as some of its richest and most influential members. She felt a growing sense of resentment. Xephan was taking too much for granted, and so were the others. Her father had founded the Brotherhood, and she was his heir. She should at least be consulted. Xephan took her by the arm, gently, as if seeking to mollify her. His grip was surprisingly strong.
“Do not worry,” he said. “Your father did a most excellent job until his regrettable madness set in. We will see that his work is completed and the Enlightened Ones come to rule here.”
There was a total and frightening assurance in his voice, and for a moment, it seemed to her as if something else looked out at her from behind his eyes, something ancient and wicked and not entirely mortal. She was reminded of Rik and what had happened to him, but whatever was in Xephan was both more Terrarch and less innocent than the half-breed youth had been.
“How can you be so certain?” she asked, to see if she could goad him into speaking.
“Because I am their messenger. I have looked into the Black Mirror and seen what lies beyond.”
So that was what had happened, she thought. The Mirror had been centuries in the making, and now they had finally found the courage to use it. Had her father known about this, she wondered? And if so why had he not told her? The Black Mirror was the Brotherhood’s greatest artefact, a device intended to allow communication with Al’Terra.
“That was my father’s role.”
“Your father lacked the purity of spirit. His hungers soiled him and made it impossible for him to look into the depths.”
“So you claim.”
“So I know. Believe me, I now know more about these things than anyone in this world. More even than the likes of Lady Asea or Ilmarec or the other so-called sorcerers of the First.”
There was a fearsome pride in his voice, and a resentment that she understood all too well. They had both stood in the long shadows cast by the First. For someone as ambitious as Xephan that must have been a hard thing to bear.
“I have become greater than your father, greater than the Scarlet sorceress, and soon you shall see proof of it.”
His fingers bit into her arm painfully now, and the malevolent thing behind his eyes looked at her with something like hunger. She began to feel a little bit afraid.
“And you too will have a place in the new order of things, do not worry, Tamara. Your place among us is assured.”
“I am glad to hear it,” she said. “You have taken so much else for granted.”
“The Brotherhood values you very highly,” he said. “Just how highly you shall soon find out.”
“You have a mission for me, I take it.”
“Soon. Soon. Sweet Tamara. After you have renewed your vows of service.”
“To you?”
“To the Brotherhood. We have introduced a new oath and it must be sanctified in the sight of the Enlightened Ones.” Tamara thought she understood where this was going, and she did not like it in the slightest.
“You mean I must look into the Mirror.”
“You grasp the essence of matters so quickly.”
“And what will that do to me?”
“It will give you power beyond your wildest dreams.”
“As it has done for you?”
“Yes.”
“And what else has it done to you, Xephan?”
“What do you mean?”
“I fear you are no longer quite yourself.”
“I do not follow you?” It came to her suddenly, with a certainty that brooked no doubting. The sudden shock of the knowledge made her indiscreet.
“You are something else. Or something shares your body? I fear you are possessed, Xephan. I have seen others like you.”
“There are no others like me.” Anger and fear made her voice harsh.
“I think there are. Someone like you killed my father.”
“I can assure you I had nothing to do with that, Tamara.”
“But it does not sadden you that he is dead.”
“I would be lying if I claimed that was so. His time had passed. A new generation must take their place in the fore. It is our turn to shape the world.”
She could see that he believed that utterly, and he seemed perfectly sincere in offering her a place alongside him. She was no longer sure that she wanted to be there though, if it meant becoming like him, or the thing that was in him. She did not want to become like him or her father or Rik. She wanted to remain herself. She schooled her features to blandness, and smiled at him, not wanting him to know what was on her mind.
“Yes,” she said. “You are right. It is long past time.”
“Then you will come to my apartments tonight and we shall go into the Labyrinth below. The coven meets. You will be initiated into a new and greater mystery.”
His touch made her flesh crawl. She made her smile warmer. “I look forward to it,” she said.
“Then until this evening, sweet Tamara, I bid you adieu.”
She walked back into the outer chamber with a measured tread, feeling as if she were stepping between worlds. Out here everything looked normal. Back in the Prime Minister’s chambers insanity waited. She kept her smile fixed on her face as she departed, wondering what she was going to do now.
Chapter Twelve
Guards waited for her as she exited Xephan’s chambers. Briefly she wondered if this was a trap, and whether she was to be whisked off to the dungeons for imprisonment and torture. Had Xephan’s words been meant merely to lull her into a false sense of security? Had he planned this all along? Perhaps she should have killed him while she was within striking distance, if that was still possible.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. If it was a trap, there would be chances to escape if she kept her wits about her. She needed a clear mind to see her opportunities. She cocked her head to one side and smiled at the guard captain.
“Yes,” she said, putting a hint of empty-headed flirtation into her voice. It never did any harm to have people underestimate her, and such thinking came naturally to male Terrarchs of her generation.
“The Empress commands your presence,” he said, courteously enough. His gaze ran over her body, as if he were imagining what she looked like naked. She held his glance while her thoughts were elsewhere. It seemed she was due for an audience with the Imperial presence today after all.
“I hear and I obey,” she said. She put stress on the word obey and was certain she knew what he was thinking.