Xetesk wasn’t far. None of the Colleges was far from each other. When they had set off, they had a little over two days’ ride ahead of them. Now they were no more than half a day from the closed City, and so much was still to be straightened out.
At least the Dordovan chase had been called off. Denser, following another communion, had confirmed that a four-College meeting had been called at Triverne Lake. The secret of Dawnthief would soon be out.
But there was going to be trouble at the gates of Xetesk. Plenty of it.
Will had refused point-blank to enter the City and wouldn’t even ride near Denser and the Familiar. He was still shaking slightly; his nerves - his lifeline - had not recovered and yet the nightmares with which he was plagued worried him less than the grey which flecked his hair.
And Hirad. Hirad didn’t want the two catalysts entering the City but he hadn’t informed Denser of this. His view was that they might need some bargaining power, and Ilkar was inclined to agree. As for Denser himself, he was curiously tight-lipped. Brooding on something he’d heard in communion.
Ilkar, for his part, was just plain scared. He’d never visited Xetesk - few Julatsans had - but he knew he’d have to go in. And so would Erienne. What Jandyr and Thraun - now back in human form but still tired - thought, he couldn’t guess. Confusion, probably. And wishing they hadn’t bumped into The Raven, certainly. Only Erienne had a smile on her face, and for some reason he couldn’t fathom, that worried him. Much of the time they rode in silence, keeping to the main trails now they were free of pursuit, but still wary.
Ahead of Ilkar, Hirad, who had done little but stare at The Unknown and glare at Denser, was finally talking to the latter. Ilkar urged his horse forwards, anxious to hear what was being said.
‘. . . I haven’t given up on you, Denser. I just want to know where you stand.’
‘I’m not sure I follow.’
‘I mean do you align with The Raven or with your masters?’
Denser thought for a moment. ‘If you’d asked me that a week ago I’d have been firmly with Xetesk, the way I was when I met you. But now there’s no definite answer - wait, before you say anything, let me explain.
‘What I believe is that Balaia faces disaster if we don’t recover Dawnthief and use it to destroy the Wytch Lords. In this, I agree with my master that The Raven was, and still is, the most likely route to success.
‘But as regards Sol, they have misled me, betrayed your trust and beliefs and so damaged our chances severely. I cannot forget that, because it was a conscious decision to send him and I’m not sure I buy the story that we were the subject of an experiment.’
‘Meaning?’ Hirad frowned.
‘Meaning someone there has a vested interest in my - our - failure.’
‘But—’ Hirad was at a loss. ‘But if we fail—’
‘Not everyone in Xetesk accepts the threat from the Wytch Lords needs to be met with the casting of the spell, but everyone wants Dawnthief to be found. There is a power struggle going on in the Mount, and ownership of Dawnthief will end it. I’m sure Ilkar would be happy to tell you that in Xetesk, Mount politics cloud every decision.’
‘All right.’ Hirad tried to sort things out in his mind. He rubbed his nose with thumb and forefinger. ‘So who sent you out in the first place?’
‘My master, Nyer.’
‘Well, that’s something I suppose, isn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ agreed Denser. ‘And it is he I talk to in communion and who has warned me of potential danger inside the City.’
‘So what’s the problem? Won’t he protect you?’
‘Possibly. But it was he who sent Sol to us. Look, I think we’d better all stop and talk before we go any further.’
Hirad nodded. They rode off the trail a short distance and Will set up the stove.
‘Xetesk is a very different City to Dordover,’ said Denser, once a cup of coffee was in his hands.
‘I bloody hope so,’ muttered Thraun.
Denser ignored him. ‘Not only does my presence not guarantee our safety, in certain circles it will invite trouble. Dawnthief and the Wytch Lords have caused a split of opinion as wide as Understone Pass. We must have a strong bargaining position and this is what I suggest.
‘I have to go to the Mount with Sol, and to give us the best chance of fair treatment, Ilkar and Erienne should be with me. As a three-College party and with representatives already in Xetesk, we should be all right. You two?’
‘I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,’ said Erienne, smiling at him. He smiled back.
‘Agreed.’ Ilkar was less than enamoured to hear the confirmation of his fear.
‘And as for the rest of you, the good news is that I think you should stay well away from Xetesk,’ said Denser.
‘But the bad news is you want us to guard the catalysts while we’re at it,’ said Hirad. Denser nodded. ‘Good. I wondered whether you’d see sense.’
‘So did I,’ muttered Ilkar.
‘Well, we all harbour misconceptions, don’t we, Ilkar?’ said Denser shortly.
‘If that’s what you want to call them,’ replied Ilkar with equal cool.
‘You know, I thought we were really coming to a meaningful understanding.’ Denser sighed.
‘On the occasions we have had to work together, the situation has been successfully resolved.’ Ilkar chose his words with care.
Denser shook his head and pursed his lips. ‘What hurts me is that we have really suffered together. Do all those hours with the Black Wings mean nothing? Or our fight to keep Hirad alive? What else do I have to do to prove that I am different from your image of me?’
‘Bring The Unknown out alive. Really alive. Then I’ll believe. Until then, I can’t forget where you were schooled and what that has meant for countless hundreds of years.’
‘Julatsa!’ Denser threw up his arms, got up and moved away, spilling what was left of his coffee. ‘You look forward with both feet planted firmly in the past. You know something? Around this stove it’s you who everyone sees has the closed mind and the chilled heart. I make no secret, Ilkar, that I respect and like you despite your College ancestry. I think I deserve the same treatment from you. Shall we ask what the others think? Shall we?’
Ilkar said nothing, just stared back, impassive.
‘This is a fascinating debate I’m sure,’ said Thraun. ‘But tell me, is it how the Triverne Lake meeting will proceed? If it is, we might as well all fall on our swords now, because you’ll still be bickering when the Wytch Lords stroll in and take your precious Cities.’
Denser and Ilkar looked at him as if he’d spat in their dinners.
‘It won’t be far off the level of debate, I can assure you,’ said Erienne before either could reply. ‘It’s getting us nowhere, and there’s something else I think we’d all like to know: what exactly will this meeting achieve?’
‘Well, isn’t it obvious?’ Denser frowned.
‘No, it is not,’ said Erienne. ‘If Xetesk is as split as you suggest, then the message you bring to the table will be confused and likely to cause further division.’
‘No.’ Denser shook his head. ‘It won’t be confused. The Lord of the Mount is delivering our message personally. The College delegates already accept the threat, and Dawnthief is the only solution.’
‘I hope you’re right,’ she said.
‘So do I. We mustn’t lose the four-College co-operation or any force will be too weak and the Wesmen will sweep us into the eastern seas.’
‘Cheerful, isn’t he?’ said Hirad.
‘Getting back to the reason we all stopped,’ said Jandyr. ‘What is the risk to us outside Xetesk?’
‘To be honest, I’m not sure,’ said Denser. ‘I’ve been away a while and I don’t know the strength of those who want Dawnthief for themselves. However many, they’ll be dangerous if they discover your location.’