Chapter 41: In Which Darkness Blots Out Time

Lord Erethill Yunalen sat in one of the armchairs in the Grand Master's private sitting room. He was passing his thin pale fingers over the embroidery of the silk cushions without appearing to notice what he was doing.

The Grand Master knew that this was a misconception, for Erethill Yunalen, whatever else he may be, never did anything without noticing. A master scryer, he was, as always, scrying. He honed the rare ability to scry things. They said that young Yunalen, by mere touch, could detect the past and future of even inanimate objects. The things that people used were an extension of the people themselves, the histories and futures that the silk covering of the couch cushion had was always and only connected with people.

"The finer the silk, the greater its history," the Grand Master said as he sat across from Yunalen. The young man was short in height and slight in build, his skin almost transparent in a way that indicated that he did not often frequent the outdoors. One could not expect young Yunalen to indulge in such acts as rising to his feet to greet anyone who lived solely in the present.

"Good evening, Grand Magic Master," he said in his usual soft voice. "This silk is like a spider's web of history, though its future is uncertain."

"You wished to speak with me, your lordship?" Marning asked. It had been a day full of excitement, and there were more such days to come. It was not made easier by the fact that the Grand Master was not a young man and the sickness had taken a firm hold on him. It had become a real hindrance, even walking was a bother and for the first time in his life, Marning needed the assistance of a cane. He had known the day would come, but he did not expect it to come so soon.

"Yes, Grand Master, there is a matter I wish to discuss," Yunalen said. "It is just that..." The young lord hesitated. "Your Excellence might find this upsetting."

"More upsetting than the curse of the Wielder's Taboo or the mystery of Harlock Cooper's death?" asked the Grand Master wearily. He could not help but sigh. It was wise to take scryers' words seriously and if Yunalen believed that this issue would be upsetting to the Grand Master, then it certainly ought to be. He settled back into his chair bracing himself for the worst. "Very well, Lord Yunalen, please speak freely."

Yunalen nodded. "I have come to warn you, Grand Master."

Marning felt a chill run up his spine, a warning was the worst thing one could receive from a scryer, he had been hoping that this would be anything but a warning.

"There is something amiss with your young apprentice. The one who goes by the name of Rat."

The Grand Master snorted, surprising even himself with the onslaught of humour. "You've noticed that only now?" he asked, his head dizzy with the fever. "Very well, very well, forgive me Lord Yunalen, what more is unusual about that boy?"

"It is not so much unusual as... as frightening, your Excellence." Yunalen moved uncomfortably in his seat, Marning felt as if he had been drenched in cold water. Scrying was one of the most frightening fields of magic. It dealt with not only the past, the present and the future, but also with the dark and twisted corridors of the human soul. Therefore, a Scryer who said that something was frightening had an eerie ring to it. "That boy has no past."

The Grand Master waited for Yunalen to continue speaking, but it seemed the message had been delivered. "Has no past?" he repeated, trying to evaluate the fear-inducing factor about such a prospect. "In what way does he have no past?"

"He does not have what every creature living or dead has," Yunalen explained. "He was never born, he has never grown, he does not truly exist. At least, he didn't truly exist – until today. Today the world has granted him recognition."

"I still fail to grasp your meaning," the Grand Master said slowly. "Are you saying that Rat isn't real?"

"His existence is of a different sort. He is different in a highly dangerous way." Yunalen frowned. "Whatever he is, it is not what you think it is. It is not anything we know."

Marning felt unsettled by the young lord's tone, but also enraged. It was unethical to say that someone who clearly existed wasn't actually real. "I wonder, Lord Yunalen, if you have been affected by the illness as well? Did the boy in question not catch you scrying after him?"

"I did not have to look far to notice," Yunalen said. "He is shrouded in a deeper darkness than even Harlock Cooper had been. He is like a void in the tapestry of the world, and everything he touches, everything, everyone that touches him, becomes part of his void. Including yourself, Grand Master. This is a deeply sinister power that has been brought into our midst. Wherever it is he is going, he will take the entire world with him."

"Lord Yunalen, a person who does not exist cannot Wield magic." The Grand Master steadily felt he was losing his temper with the young lord. "Do not come here to warn me of some baseless nonexistent fear. It seems to me you conclude too much from too little."

"There is talk," Yunalen said quietly. "Foreign Scryers have noticed this as well. He draws attention like a flame in a dead forest; he is too enigmatic for this to pass quietly. The future is a dark void," he rose to his feet, "perhaps this means that you can rest assured, Grand Master, for this boy you love and raised from the dregs of Auran is in the future regardless of how it will play out. Sadly, I cannot say the same for the rest of us." He did not ask for his leave, he just left. That was the trouble with Scryers, they were so dreadfully rude.

Marning sat long after, frowning. Finally he pushed these troubling thoughts aside. Of course someone like Lord Erethill Yunalen would dislike the sight of a street-boy competing in the Tournament under the flag of Auranora. It had been the same thing in Cooper's day. People could talk, but if Rat succeeded in bringing the gold, then there would be nothing they could do to Auranora.

Nothing that hadn't already been done.

***

It was a quiet celebration the next morning over breakfast. There was plenty of fresh milk for Burgen and Marning, Rat ate the apple tart, sweet berry bread and honey rolls alone, the other two contented themselves with watery rice porridge.

They mostly ate in silence, the conversation popping up and then fading away in unpredictable spurts. Marning looked from Rat to Burgen – only one thought inhabited their minds, rolling about within their skulls. They were waiting for word of the next competition. Out of the five magicians that had competed for Auranora in the first round, only these two had scored enough points to continue to the next. The second round of war magic was fought in pairs. Now that the group duels had been concluded, the pairings would be made and announced along with the announcement of opponents.

"I don't want Bordinary," Rat suddenly said, thoughtfully waving a honey roll in the air. "After yesterday, I'm thinking Bordinary is stronger than Kir-Moot. But then, maybe I should get Bordinary because you don't want to save the worst for last."

"I was surprised about Iridiya," Burgen said. "I didn't expect them to lose to Bordinary like that."

"But maybe that's the reason Bordinary looked so good and it's Kir-Moot we have to be worried about. That tall lady – what's-her-name – looks like a handful."

"Erbaun?" Burgen offered.

Rat shuddered. "Yeah, her."

"What makes you so certain it would be either Bordinary or Kir-Moot? It's always decided by a lottery," Burgen wondered aloud.

Rat narrowed his eyes. "Let's just call it a hunch," he said breezily.

Burgen shook his head and frowned at his food, the conversation dying once more. Marning continued to stir his porridge. How he wished the Tournament was his only worry – yes, it was important, but with every passing day, its importance was diminishing in the face of other troubles.

Marning's gaze rested on Rat, who was busy crumbling the honeyroll into his plate with the help of his fork. No past? What in the gods' names did that mean? What was it about this boy that was so intriguing? Who was he? Where did he come from? What was his purpose?

Suddenly in his mind's eye Cooper's face appeared, bearing his teeth in an entertained grin; he was looking at Marning expectantly, as if any moment he would understand the joke. But before he could grasp the meaning of this image, everything was swallowed by darkness so thick it lodged itself like a lump in his throat.

"What're you doing?" Rat demanded sharply, his fork falling to the floor with a clatter.

Marning tried to clear his throat. Had he been scrying Rat without noticing it? There was unspoken etiquette to mind-reading – it was alright as long as you didn't get caught, but if you did, you had to be prepared to have an enemy for life, because scrying was not something done to one's friends. No one liked to know that someone else had violated their minds. "What was I doing?" He shook his head. "The sickness is making me feebleminded."

Rat's gaze was dark and suspicious, but before he could say anything else, there was a knock on the door.

"It's here!" cried Burgen, magically oblivious to the exchange and the three of them leapt to their feet at once. They all made for the door, though Rat got to it first, where the messenger handed him the slip of paper.

"I knew it!" he cried triumphantly, "Auranora vs. Bordinary."

"There's no reason to get so excited," Marning said, taking a step toward Rat who was reading the rest of the list.

"Didn't I tell you that Jumma would be up against Kir-Moot? And like I said, Alavan got in and is up against Tardick," Rat said. "I did it, I guessed the results."

"That's impossible..." Marning paused and shook his head to try and clear it. The darkness in his mind from scrying Rat did not disperse, it thickened instead, blurring the corners of his vision.

"Not for me, nothing is impossible for me."

"How did you..." Marning tried asking again, his voice numb and coming from a long distance. He moved a step forward and felt his foot fail to meet the floor.

Rat's dark eyes widened and his mouth formed an O before the darkness closed in and everything vanished.