He recognizes Ronan Vizia, of course. Leader of the Locksmiths, wanted criminal, and apparently now engaged to the Voice of Vara. Dark hair, bronze skin, and deep eyes that lock onto Karis the moment the door opens. When Karis sits next to him at the head of the table, Ronan smiles so softly that Evain feels a little embarrassed looking at him.
Then there’s Captain Edith Tanner, a stout woman with a braided crown of blond hair. She’s one of the few ranking members of the Radiant Order who kept her contract with Vara, which has left her mostly in charge. Given that she spent most of the past year hunting Ronan across Charain, seeing the two of them at a table together is amusing.
Evain doesn’t recognize the other two people. The woman across from Ronan has deep tan skin, darker than Evain’s, and pin-straight black hair to her shoulders. Her eyebrows are sharp, like the longsword at her side, and she wears a crescent moon pendant over her midnight-blue tunic. Beside her, across from Tanner, sits a plump, nervous-looking man with ink-stained fingers. His tunic is Charaini green, and his clothes are very expensive to Evain’s discerning eye.
Karis introduces the strangers as Evain lounges at the other end of the table. “This is Sir Haldis, a paladin of Sephine.” He gestures to the woman first, then the man. “And this is Telvin, a herald from the palace.”
“Pleasure to meet you both,” Evain drawls, before remembering himself. He straightens in his chair instead of sensually draping himself over it. “I’m Evain Marha, wandering philanthropist and philanderer. Recent good deeds include risking my charming skin to help unbind your gods from cruel imprisonment. Which I would have done for free, out of the goodness of my heart, but it just so happens you’ll want to repay me.” Looking at Karis and Tanner, Evain weighs his next words. Their god’s jurisdiction includes truth; best to be forthright. “I’ll cut to the chase. I need an army.”
To Evain’s disappointment, nobody gasps with shock.
Haldis’s sharp eyebrows draw together, and Telvin shifts in his seat. Ronan opens his mouth as if to say something, then glances at Karis and sits back in his chair.
“Why do you need an army?” Tanner says. “And why in Vara’s name should we give one to you?”
Evain spreads his hands on the table, wishing he had a map to dramatically point to. Ronan always had convenient maps to gesture at during Locksmith meetings. Instead, all Evain can do is fix his gaze on each person at the table in turn. “The Northern Barrier was tied to the spell that bound your gods. Without the Binding, it will fail within the year.”
This time, the room falls dead silent. Evain’s sense of drama is appeased.
Karis’s eyes flash with golden Radiance, and he pales under his freckles. “He’s telling the truth.”
Tanner swears, and Telvin makes a warding gesture. Charain has relied on the Northern Barrier to keep demons out for the past two centuries. Losing it—especially as the country still reels from the Unbinding—is a catastrophic threat.
“I come from Lyrisenia,” Evain says, which is partly true. Lyrisenia was the first human land he crossed to, two hundred and fifty years ago. “Things were bad when I left, and they’ve only gotten worse. Vaidkos, demons, rifts between realms. Without the barrier, no matter how strong your gods are, Charain will face the same fate within the century.”
Telvin sits up straight, hands clasped earnestly. “One hundred years? That’s plenty of time. We can call our finest mages together and fix the barrier. We can build a better one.”
“No,” two voices chime in at once. Haldis and Karis, acolytes of the moon and sun.
Haldis continues first at Karis’s gesture. “Mother Sephine spoke to me in a dream last night. She told me to come to the Bright Cathedral and listen to the promiscuous man.” Evain hears a snort of derision from Ronan. “She also reminded me that my mission is not restricted by arbitrary borders.”
Karis props his elbows on the table. “Vara said similar. Plus, Sir Arthur and his necromancer rode in from Lanwatch two days ago, and they had the same concerns about vaidkos activity on both sides of the border. Fuck, I killed a vaidkos myself the other month, just two weeks out from Ostaris.”
Tanner winces when the Voice of Vara swears.
“The trouble is the rifts,” Evain says. “They allow demons into this realm without the control of a summoning mage, and one rift left untended spawns more in the vicinity. The landscape warps around them, which is very, very bad. Vaidkos are the least of your worries if rifts start popping up across Charain. You’ll lose entire harvests to wild magic flares. If you’re very unlucky, greater demons will cross over. Demons of death, hunger, desire, and other unsavory elements. Dangerous, intelligent demons. However.” Leaning back in his chair, Evain twists the end of his braid around his finger. “I have good news.”
A suitably dramatic silence hangs around the table. Much better.
Evain continues with a smile. “I know how to close the rifts, and I can teach others to do it too. Give me a group of capable mages and paladins, and I’ll lead them north to start cleaning up Lyrisenia.” He looks directly at Karis, who wields the real power in this room. “The barrier will hold for another year. Help me use that year to restore my homeland, and you won’t have to worry about yours meeting the same fate.”
The Northern Barrier was only ever an awkward splint over the Lyrisenia problem. It’s long past time to set the bone.
Karis’s eyes gleam gold. “How many mages?”
“We can’t just give him an army,” Tanner interrupts. “I know you’re all used to your clandestine criminal conspiracies—” She glares daggers at Ronan. “—but this is big enough that we need to coordinate with the crown and the military.”
“I’ll go.” Haldis touches her pendant. “I don’t need to coordinate with anyone but my god.”
Evain says, “At least three mages with a talent for fighting. Or fighters with a talent for magecraft. Send the army after us when you’ve sorted out the politics.”
Settling back with a smile, he listens as they debate. There are logistics to be sorted out and jurisdictions to be determined. Further meetings to be arranged with the crown, council, and military. But Evain knew as soon as Karis asked, “How many mages?” that his demand would be granted.
Within two hours, he has his shopping list checked off. He won’t get an entire army; the Radiant Order and—assuming the crown’s agreement—Charaini army will stay in Charain, guarding various borders. But Evain will get two Varans, two Sephinians, and a necromancer to lead into the wilderness. A pretty good day at the market.
Haldis leaves first, saying she has a fellow Sephinian to invite. A harried Telvin leaves next, with a sheaf of stressful notes to convey to the High Council. Then Karis, with Tanner at his heels.
Only Evain and Ronan remain in the chamber. Ronan was silent for most of the meeting, but when they’re alone, he asks, “Is this why you found me three years ago?”
