‘You can look and look forever, boy,’ he taunted. He snapped the book closed and tossed it into the room where it landed near Gilwyn’s table. ‘What have you found? Anything? Is there anything at all in this whole cursed place that’s any help at all?’
Gilwyn rounded the table to face the spirit. ‘You finally decided to come yourself, eh? No more apparitions of my mother?’
‘Your mother tires me,’ sighed Kahldris. ‘Don’t worry, boy — I will think of other nightmares for you.’
‘Go ahead,’ challenged Gilwyn. ‘I’m still here. You can’t frighten me away, no matter what form you come in.’
Kahldris floated into the reading chamber. ‘I have frightened you. You haven’t come back here for days. My little trick scared you, didn’t it, boy?’
Gilwyn hardened. The way Kahldris had turned the familiar library into a labyrinth had indeed frightened him, but he would never admit it to the demon. ‘You can’t keep me away from here. Somewhere in here there’s a book that will tell me what I want to know.’
‘You’re wasting your time,’ said Kahldris. He waved his ethereal hand at the books on the table. ‘All this superstition and nonsense, writing of shamans and charlatans. What do you hope they will tell you? Your own Akari can’t tell you how to beat me!’
‘Get out,’ Gilwyn thundered. ‘Go, get away from me.’
Kahldris looked hurt. ‘Oh, now you’re angry. What will you do? Tell Baron Glass? Go run to him like a little boy? You haven’t done that yet, and you won’t because he won’t have anyone speak against me. Don’t you see? You’re losing him.’
Infuriated, Gilwyn stood his ground. ‘If I was losing him, you wouldn’t be here. You’re the one who’s afraid, Kahldris. That’s why you’re here to threaten me.’
‘No, indeed, Gilwyn Toms,’ said Kahldris. His expression was mischievous. ‘I’m here to warn you, that’s all.’ He cupped a hand to his ear. ‘Listen. .’
Against the silent backdrop, Gilwyn heard footfalls suddenly. His heart tripped. ‘What’s that?’
‘A surprise,’ said Kahldris.
‘Another of your tricks.’
‘Not a trick,’ said the demon. He stepped aside so that Gilwyn could see down the hall. ‘You have visitors.’
Gilwyn heard voices rolling down the corridor, the rough sounds of men. He looked around suspiciously, but so far nothing in the library had changed.
‘I assure you, it is not my conjuring,’ said Kahldris. ‘Go and see for yourself. And remember what I said, Gilwyn Toms — you are losing Baron Glass.’
As quickly as he’d come, Kahldris disappeared, blinking out of the chamber, leaving Gilwyn alone and bewildered. From the corridor outside, he heard the voices nearing, swarming through the library on booted feet. Alarmed, he hurried out of the chamber toward the noise. It wasn’t Thorin, Gilwyn knew — he would have recognized Thorin’s voice immediately. But Thorin hadn’t told him about any visitors to the library, and as Gilwyn rounded a bend in the hall he was stunned by what he saw at the other end.
A man was moving through the library, backed up by a dozen Norvan soldiers. More soldiers moved behind them, fanning out through the halls and varied chambers. As Gilwyn came to a halt, the man caught sight of him and stopped, and suddenly a wide grin cut his rocky face. He was dressed like a nobleman, his vestments velvet and expensive looking, his black boots polished to an ebony shine. A blue cape drifted off his wide shoulders, flowing down his arrow-straight back. He acknowledged Gilwyn immediately, summoning him forward like a stable hand.
‘You, boy,’ called the man. ‘Come here.’
Gilwyn hesitated. The soldiers were Norvan; he could tell by their dark uniforms. Norvans were common in Liiria, but he had never seen the stranger before. ‘Who are you?’ he asked. ‘What are you doing here?’
The man in the blue cape strode toward him, followed directly by his bodyguards. ‘Your name is Gilwyn Toms, yes? I expected to find you here. Baron Glass told me to find you.’
‘Thorin? What’s he to do with this? Who are you?’
‘I am Duke Cajanis,’ the man pronounced, as if offended Gilwyn didn’t know. ‘You are Gilwyn Toms, aren’t you?’
‘Yes,’ said Gilwyn cautiously. He had heard the name Cajanis before, mostly among the Norvans who protected Lionkeep. ‘Duke Cajanis, from Hanging Man?’
‘There is no other Duke Cajanis, boy,’ laughed the nobleman. Like sycophants, his bodyguards laughed, too. ‘Why do you look so surprised?’
Gilwyn wasn’t sure how to answer. ‘I wasn’t expecting anyone here today, my lord. I was working alone when I heard you and your men.’ He shrugged. ‘I don’t understand why you are here.’
Duke seemed puzzled. ‘We’re here to protect the library. Don’t you know that?’
‘Protect the library? No, my lord. .’
‘Yes, boy, yes,’ Cajanis insisted. ‘We’re here to see what’s needed.’ He looked over his shoulder, saying to his men, ‘It should be easy to defend. Frial, go with your men. Have them go around the back of the hill. I want to see if there’s any other way up here.’
One of the man nodded and broke away. Another offered his own appraisal. ‘We can dig in on the road, my lord. And barricade the courtyard. We can station archers in the towers to keep from being charged.’
‘What?’ Gilwyn blurted. ‘What’s going on here?’
Duke Cajanis turned on him, annoyed. ‘I told you, boy, we’re here to start defending the library. There’s a lot to do, you know, and you’ll just be in the way.’
‘Duke Cajanis, I don’t understand,’ Gilwyn pleaded. ‘No one told me anything about this. I wasn’t expecting you or anybody! Please tell me what’s going on.’
The duke’s eyebrows knitted, seeing Gilwyn’s distress. He told his men to go about their business, then put his big hand on Gilwyn’s shoulder as he led him down the hall. ‘Gilwyn Toms, you can help me,’ said the duke. ‘Baron Glass says you know this place better than anyone.’
‘Baron Glass hasn’t told me a thing about this!’
The duke guided Gilwyn away from the others. ‘I see that,’ he said, not unsympathetically. ‘How old are you, boy?’
‘Nearly nineteen,’ replied Gilwyn.
‘Nineteen? Then you are man enough to know the truth. Liiria is in danger. The Reecians are on the march again, and word from Marn is that Nithins are coming, too. They’re making ready to war on us, and we’re making ready to defend ourselves. That’s why I’m here.’
Gilwyn was shocked. ‘Thorin didn’t tell me about this. .’
‘Baron Glass likes to keep you in the dark, it seems. No matter. You’ll know it all soon enough. He sent for me and my army to help defend Koth. The rest of them will be coming in the next week or so. We’re going to make sure nothing happens to the library this time, so don’t be afraid.’
‘No, this can’t be right.’ Gilwyn reeled away from the duke. ‘Thorin would have told me!’
Duke Cajanis stiffened. ‘Ask him yourself if you don’t believe me. War is coming, Gilwyn Toms. The Reecians have already reached the Kryss. There are five-thousand of them, and no telling how many Nithins are on the way.’
It was all too much for Gilwyn, who could barely believe what he was hearing. If the Nithins were on their way, that meant Lukien might be with them. But what about the Reecians? Hadn’t they been trounced already? Gilwyn tried gamely to keep calm, wondering just how much Thorin had withheld from him, his heart breaking with the thought.
‘Duke Cajanis, what’s going to happen now? I mean, what is Thorin planning?’
‘Planning? What he’s always been planning, boy! To kill his enemies.’
‘Yes,’ said Gilwyn with a nod. ‘His enemies. .’
‘They’re all coming now. They mean to take Koth for themselves. Norvor too, if we let them.’ The Duke put his hands together, cracking his knuckles. ‘But we’re stronger than they think.’
‘Yes.’ Gilwyn grimaced, knowing the duke was infected by the same paranoia as Thorin. ‘So Thorin sent for you, then. He told you to come here to the library?’