“I don’t like debts.” Her voice had an edge. “Tell me what you want.”
“I want a door opened.”
“Who does it belong to?”
“Ulmar Hreban.”
“Are you trying to rob the richest man in Rellas?”
“Do you know whatlugur campuris?”
She made a hissing noise. “How did you come by that?”
“Someone has been making those contracts for Ulmar Hreban. They are hidden in his secret vault, which is sealed with a spell.”
Isadau raised her left eyebrow. “And you want that spell cracked?”
“Yes. There is a catch. Ten years ago, when Damaes had just come to power, he needed a lot of money fast. Hreban offered him an outrageous fortune to seal his vault, and Damaes did it.”
“Fool.”
Damaes understood magic and little else. He spent his time contemplating incredibly complex spells, but he never quite got the complexity of human relationships. To Damaes, doing something for Hreban in exchange for gold was a simple barter. Political or moral implications hadn’t crossed his mind. It was a weakness Isadau had compensated for when they were working together.
“If you break the seal, Damaes will come to see who dared.”
A glint of golden fire sparked in her eyes. “That’s not a catch. That’s a bonus.”
“You will fight again.”
“I’m counting on it.”
“Don’t you need time to meditate and recover?”
Isadau raised her hand. A beautiful red glow coated her fingers and trailed as she moved them.
“Mages meditate to build up their reserves. We set the world ablaze with our spells, so we must stack wood within our soul to fuel them. For two years, I sat by that temple like a mindless beast, while my body absorbed and cycled magic, storing it within me. Had I been in my right mind, I would’ve been spending it casting spells and training. But I wasn’t. My tower of wood is so high, it scratches at the heavens. I’m so full of magic, I’m about to burst. I must burn some of it.”
And it would be one hell of a bonfire.
Isadau cracked her knuckles.
“Take me to this door.”
“Let’s make sure you’re fine first.”
“Tonight,” she said.
“Let’s do it in three days.”
Getting the contracts was crucial. Everything was riding on it. But I wanted her to rest, and eat, and get her bearings.
Erodel motioned me over.
I got up.
“Maggie!”
“Three days. I want you to remember what it’s like to live before you decide you want to fight Damaes again. He might kill you this time.”
