“I don’t see that many.”
“They…they aren’t all in the house itself,” Hanner said.
Vond raised his arms to allow his robe to slide on. “Where are they, then?”
“That’s a little difficult to explain. There’s magic involved.”
The robe fell into place, and Vond’s belt wrapped itself around his waist. “I’m not in a great hurry,” he said.
Hanner did not want to explain. He was afraid that Vond would see the tapestry as a threat, since after all, it was a gateway to a place where his magic wouldn’t work. He feared that the emperor might destroy it. But he couldn’t really see any way to avoid an explanation.
“I bought a spell,” he said. “Before I was Called. I wanted a refuge where warlocks could go to escape the Call, and I hired a wizard to create one for me. It’s a magical tapestry that will transport anyone who touches it into another world, one where the Source couldn’t be heard.”
Vond’s clothing stopped arranging itself. “You had this before you were Called?” he demanded.
“Yes, but only by an hour or so,” Hanner said. “I was Called immediately after testing it, before I could tell anyone it worked, so my family thought it must have made the Calling worse.”
“So there’s a way back out of this other world?”
“Yes, of course!”
“You’ve been sending your guests into the other world?”
“Yes.”
“Huh. Interesting. And warlockry doesn’t work there?”
“That’s right.”
“That sounds as if it might be very useful, under the right circumstances.”
“Well, it’s certainly kept this house from getting impossibly crowded.”
Vond nodded. He glanced down, then looked back at Hanner. “I’m going back downstairs,” he said. “I want to fix the damage, and talk to Leth, and take care of a few other things, but then I want you to show me this magical tapestry of yours. Meet me on the second-floor landing in half an hour, and bring Zallin. And Sterren, if you can find him.”
“Your Majesty, I don’t -”
“Half an hour,” Vond said, as he sank slowly and gracefully down through the hole in the floor. A cloud of debris swirled up from around the edges and began to arrange itself over the opening as the warlock vanished from sight.
Hanner watched him go, then looked at the two women. “I’m very sorry for the disturbance,” he said. “If you would prefer to find somewhere else to sleep tonight, something can probably be arranged.”
“Please,” Pirra said. “Let me get dressed, and then please find me somewhere else.”
Anra looked at the floorboards reassembling themselves, then at Hanner. “He could reach me anywhere,” she said. “I’ll stay here, thank you.”
“As you please,” Hanner said. “Pirra, I’ll be waiting out here.” Then he stepped back, closed the door, and turned to find Rudhira standing there. He started.
“How long have you been there?” he asked.
“I heard you tell him Sterren’s luggage was gone,” she said. “Hanner, it’s not really my business, but are you sure it was wise to tell him about the tapestries?”
“No,” Hanner replied. “I’m not sure at all. I didn’t see a good way to avoid it, though – I didn’t have a set of lies ready, and I’ve never been good at making them up on the spot.”
“I know,” she said. “It’s not in your nature to lie. But tonight I almost wish it was.”
Hanner did not know what to say to that, and instead said, “Can you find another place for Pirra? I need to go find Zallin, and drag him to Vond’s door.”
“He’s probably passed out drunk.”
“That would make the dragging a little more difficult, yes.”
Rudhira grimaced. “Go ahead, then. I’ll take care of this Pirra. Maybe she can demonstrate the tapestry for the emperor.”
“That might be useful,” Hanner said. “If she’s willing.”
“I’ll ask her.”
“Thank you, Rudhira,” Hanner said, as he hurried past her and headed for the stairs. “I don’t know what I would do without you!”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Kirris crouched in the closet, alone in the dark, trying to stop trembling. She was terrified. This was not what was supposed to happen.
Vond had been fooled by her remembered dream, but only for a moment. He had figured out the truth with frightening speed. That did not fit Kirris’ expectations; she had been given the impression that the emperor was a rather stupid man. He did not seem stupid now.
At least he had not guessed all the details. He had accepted the idea that he had been the target of the Spell of Invaded Dreams. That meant he had not assumed the magician responsible for his nightmare was nearby, since wizardry could work at great distances, and he had not gone looking for the perpetrator. If he had realized the dream came from a witch, he could have easily found Kirris – found her, and killed her.
Her first reaction had been to think that she had to get out, and get away, but then she had caught herself. If she was seen fleeing, that would be highly suspicious. Vond had no reason to suspect her presence, and if she stayed here, in the mansion, she could spy on him, and perhaps do some good.
Staying in the closet would be suspicious, too, of course. She had to slip out and find somewhere else – an empty bed, perhaps. Unfortunately, she could not get out as easily as she had gotten in; other people had been awakened by the racket when Vond awoke and smashed his way through the ceiling, and were standing outside the bedroom door, talking quietly. Getting past them unnoticed would be difficult; they would be alert, and her usual distraction spell would not be reliable.
Kirris listened as Vond talked to Hanner, and she read the emotions of the woman in Vond’s bed – Leth, he had called her. Kirris could not hear Leth’s thoughts through the closet wall, and through the haze of magical energy Vond was creating by levitating himself, but she could sense what the other woman was feeling. She was oddly calm. Part of that was sleepiness and the happy relaxation that followed hours of passion, but even so, she seemed surprisingly unsurprised. Maybe she had had previous experience with powerful warlocks.
Leth did not really matter, though, so far as Kirris was concerned; it was Vond who was the problem. He was talking to Hanner, and Hanner was answering his questions, and then Hanner was going off on some errand, and Vond had descended back into his bedchamber. He told Leth to get dressed and go, and Kirris could sense Leth debating, as she retrieved her tunic and skirt, whether or not to demand her money now. Vond was paying her no attention at all, but reassembling the ceiling he had smashed.
The ease with which he restored broken beams, torn fabric, and shattered plaster to its former undamaged state was frightening; Kirris did not remember any of the other warlocks she had known having that much power and control.
She could not stay in the closet; Vond might notice her as he checked for damage to repair. She quickly opened the closet and headed for the bedroom door. She had belatedly realized that the former warlocks would find nothing suspicious about her presence; to them, she would be one more house-guest curious about all the racket. She tried to project her customary don’t-notice-me magic, but she knew her effort was shaky.
She stepped out into the lamp-lit corridor just as Leth emerged from Vond’s chamber. Kirris met the other woman’s gaze, and realized she had been so intent on not being seen by Vond or noticed by the other guests that she had done nothing at all to avoid Leth’s attention.
There were a dozen other people standing in the hall or on the stairs, drawn by the shaking and noise, and several of them glanced at Kirris – her witchcraft was not effective in her agitated state. Others stared at Leth, in her red skirt and low-cut tunic, as she ambled toward the grand staircase.
Then Hanner came trotting down the stairs at the other end of the passage, a candle in his hand, and it didn’t matter whether Kirris had been noticed or not, as the former chairman’s presence distracted everyone. Kirris was able to reshape her spell, reinforcing it so that no one would see her unless they actively looked. As she did, several voices called out.