But as Naitachal blinked, and looked down at the sword in his hand, his expression turned soul-sick and filled with repugnance for what he had done. With an oath, he cast the Death Sword from him, and it disin- tegrated in mid-air.
Time froze for an instant. Lyam, the King and Kai stared at the Dark Elf with fear and horror in their eyes. Those few guards that remained tried to crawl away.
Alaire did not consciously decide what to do at that moment. He saw only the agony in his friend's eyes, and he acted on it, with sure and certain instinct.
He walked across the room to Naitachal, looked up into his Master's eyes, and placed one hand trustingly on his arm. "Master," he said, calmly, and simply, "you yourself have taught me that there is a time for making and unmaking. There was no other choice."
The fear faded from Lyam's eyes, and Kai's.
Captain sheathed his sword, the movement dr Naitachal's gaze to where he stood.
The Captain nodded, then said, gruffly, "Some- times the only weapon you have is one you hope you never have to use. It happens. You move on, and try to make up for whatever you did, using that weapon."
Naitachal regarded him gravely for a moment, then, slowly, nodded "I cannot bring back those I slew," he said, "but at least she will no longer be working her will on the unsuspecting."
He turned to the King, and bowed gravely. "The power that moved against you is no more, Majesty, and the back of the revolt has been broken. What is your will?"
Archenomen blinked, as if astonished that this crea- ture of Power should ask him for his will. Then he drew himself up to his full height, put one arm around his son, and took on a dignity and power that Alaire had never seen him possess before. And only then did he realize how much of a shell the Archenomen he and Naitachal had seen had been.
"I think," Archenomen said, weighing his words carefully, "that we all must go and rebuild what Jehan and his mistress have tried to destroy."
Naitachal sank down into a chair, feeling bone- weary and sick to his soul. The last of the Association mages had been brought to him for disposition -- him! As if he was any less guilty than they! They had been only too happy to tell their stories of corruption under Jehan's leadership; the tale of their duplicity was more than enough to finish the Association and all it stood for. There would be no more Association regu- lating mages in Suinomen, and no Swords to enforce their will.
There had been a single moment of mild amuse- ment, when the King's guards had brought Soren before him. The chief of the King's mages had been blubbering with fear, and not because of Naitachal!
No, he had been holding the ring he had taken at arms' length, terrified of it, and yet more afraid to put it down. When he had seen Naitachal, he had been incoherent with gratitude, and had pulled free of the grip of his captors to fall at Naitachal's feet.
"Please, please take this b-b-blasted ring back!" he had sobbed. "In the name of the gods, please! It' I've -- "
Naitachal never did learn what it was that the ring had done to Soren, but the man had practically been incontinent with fear of it. He had plucked it o Soren's nerveless fingers, while the man babbled grati- tude, and pledged to reveal anything Naitachal wanted revealed....
Now he turned the ring over and over in his hands.
His father's ring, the ring of a Necromancer.
Like me... like me...
How could he live with himself, now? More impor- tantly, how could he ever trust himself again? And if he could not trust himself, how could anyone trust him?
He stared into the ruby eyes of the skull; they seemed to wink at him with sardonic amusement. See, they seemed to say, your father was right, all along.
"Naitachal?"
The familiar voice broke into his despondent mus- ings, and he looked up. Alaire stood beside him, harp in hand, Naitachal's harp tucked under his arm.
"Master," the boy said, with grave formality, "would you come with me for a moment? I really need your help with something."
More mages cowering under their bunks, most Naitachal thought glumly -- but it was something to do, something constructive.