Sianim 02 - Wolfsbane

command. “Plague it,” she said.
    She took Sheen a safe distance from the other horses and tried to get a handle on her temper. “I’m sorry for that,” she said finally. “I know that we are all under a great deal of strain. It absolutely was not Cain who ensorcelled Father. He does not work with black magic any longer.”
    “The ae’Magi,” said Correy in hushed tones. “That’s the evil man you’re talking about. He just died a couple of months ago.”
    “Don’t be an ass, Correy,” said Falhart with a laugh. “He was the kindest of men . . . warmhearted and generous to a fault.”
    Correy started to say something further when Aralorn caught his eye and shook her head strongly at him.
    “You’re right, Falhart,” she said quietly. “He was a most unusual man.”
    “A man of sterling character,” said Gerem. Unlike you, he meant. “I never met him, but I never heard anyone say a word against him.”
    “Never,” agreed Aralorn solemnly.
    “Never,” said Correy on an indrawn breath. “Not once. No complaints—everyone loved him.”
    “Absolutely,” said Falhart seriously.
    “I wonder,” said Correy thoughtfully, to no one in particular, “where his son picked up all the knowledge of black magic.”
    Aralorn smiled at him approvingly before sending Sheen down the trail to Lambshold.

    She took her time grooming Sheen, as did Correy his own horse. Falhart and Gerem left for their own business, and as soon as they were gone, Correy turned his horse out into its run and leaned against the wall near where Aralorn was running a soft cloth over Sheen’s dappled hindquarters.
    “Tell me about the last ae’Magi,” he said, kneeling to pet Wolf.
    Before she answered, she glanced casually around the stables, but there were no grooms around near enough to overhear. “Why do you ask?”
    “Because you’re right. I’ve never heard anyone say a word against him. That’s just not natural.” With a last pat, he stood up. “I met him several times at court, and I liked him very much. I never talked to him—but I had this feeling he was a wonderful person even though I didn’t know him at all. It didn’t even strike me as odd until I thought about it today. And Hart ...”
    “Yes?” asked Aralorn with a smile.
    “He despises courtiers of any type—except those of us related to him by blood. He only tolerates Myr because the king is a wonderful swordsman. There is this as well: Falhart makes an exception for you and his wife, but he really doesn’t like magic. He prefers things he can face with his broadsword or quarterstaff. That attitude tends to carry over to sorcerers. Oh, he’s not as bad as say, Nevyn, about it—but, I’ve never heard him approve of any of them. Yet he considers the last ae’Magi a paragon among men? Hart has never mentioned anything in particular that Geoffrey did to inspire the kind of enthusiasm he showed today.”
    “Geoffrey,” said Aralorn quietly, “was a Darranian. Did you know that?”
    “No,” said Correy, with the same disbelief she had felt the first time she’d heard it.
    “It twisted him, I think. You’ve seen what being a Darranian wizard did to Nevyn. Nevyn pretends he is not a mage; Geoffrey had to be the greatest. So he looked farther for his power than a less driven man might have.”
    Wolf growled at her.
    She smiled at him. “All right, so perhaps he was just evil.” Turning back to Correy, she said, “It doesn’t matter why he was the way he was, only that he was a black mage such as the world has not seen since the Wizard Wars.”
    “The ae’Magi was a black mage? Why didn’t someone notice?” asked Correy.
    “Hmm.” Aralorn began brushing Sheen again. “One of the first things we all learn about magic is that a mage cannot take over a man’s mind, that free will is stronger. That may be true of green magic, like mine, and all other forms of human magic—but it is not true of black magic. I saw the ae’Magi whip the skin off a man’s back while the man begged for more. The ae’Magi created a spell that made everyone his adoring slave. It protected him and gave him easy access to his victims. As he amassed more power, he extended the spell. Even now, his magic hasn’t faded entirely—as you saw with Falhart.”
    “Why aren’t you or I afflicted?”
    She shook her head. “About you, I don’t know for certain. Some people seemed a little immune to it, though most of them were mageborn. You have a priestess