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hands. "If that is true and I do recall my father being very enthusiastic over
something he found in Lady Morthena's books then the rebels might have done
just that, and we need to discover what it is that they found!"
"Agreed!" said the Councilor in blue, instantly. "Someone should
begin immediately!"
Iwish mother could hear that. My father has just gone in aninstant
from crazed eccentric to vindicated.
He turned to Lord Kyndreth. "My lord, if I may be so bold anyone can
track down fugitives; it's only a matter of havinggood hunters and endless
patience but I know the direction ofmy father's research as no one else could.
Would the Council be pleased to permitme to course this particular hare?"
Lord Kyndreth's speculative expression gave Kyrtian the thrill of
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excitement that the sham battle had not. "What, pre-cisely, was he looking
for?"
"A way, or perhaps a device," Kyrtian said, very slowly, "for those
with little magic to amplify that magic." Even as he saidthat, he realized
that this would not be pleasant hearing forthose whose powerful magic kept
them at the top of the hierar-chy. "Presumably it would do the same for those
with great magic as well," he added quickly. "I would assume it wouldwork for
anyone who used it, whether 'it' is a device, an object, or a method."
"What sent your father into Lady Morthena's library, Lord Kyrtian?"
asked the wine-loving Lord, with every evidence ofinterest.
"He was a student of our history, and could not fathom why we were
unable to replicate some of the feats of the Ancestors, when according to the
fragments of chronicles he found, eventhe least of the Ancestors could
accomplish what the GreatLords could," Kyrtian replied carefully, looking
earnestly into the older Lord's intent eyes. "And he could see no reason why
magic should be thinning in our bloodlines."
"A good point." Kyndreth mulled that one over, as the other
Councilors looked interested, even eager. Even the sour-faced one lost some of
his dour look.
Kyrtian thought about saying more, thought again, and held his peace.
It was Moth who dropped another tidbit into the pool for the shining carp to
gobble.
"It was all of the oldest books that were left lying about," she
observed innocently. "The same sorts of chronicles exactly that
Kyrtian's father used to look at. And my word the dust wasunbelievable!"
"Kyndreth, I think we ought to let the boy investigate this,"the
sour-faced Councilor said decisively. "Let him keep hisown fighting slaves in
case he finds nothing and elects to hunt down our fugitives, while you take
the rest of the army back to the mustering-barracks. We can decide what to do
with it after Kyrtian determines if there's anything to this hunting about in
the old chronicles or not. Meanwhile, we've got men and arms ready to send out
on the chance that one of our puppies man-ages to scrape together another
force and mounts an attack on one of the outlying manors."
"Good plan!" seconded the one in blue, and drained hiswineglass.
"Personally, I think they're going to crawl back to us begging for mercy, but
I'd rather be ready for the treacherous young dogs just in case."
Lord Kyndreth looked in bemusement from one to another ofhis fellow
Councilors evidentlyhe was the one who normallyconcocted all the plans in
Council of late, and he was somewhattaken aback that these three had suddenly
devised a solution oftheir own.
"We don't need a majority vote for this, Kyndreth," the wine-lover
pointed out. "Kyrtian won't actually bedoing any-thing, not unless he decides
that there's nothing to be found inthat library, and by then the whole Council
will have had achance to sit."
Lord Kyndreth laughed. "I see that you have already madeup your
minds," he said, genially though Kyrtian wondered ifthere was a hint of
annoyance, and even anger, under hissmooth words. "As it happens, I am
entirely in agreement withyou, if for no other reason than that it gives our
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fine young com-mander an opportunity for some well-earned leisure before we
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