Engines of Alchemancy (The Alchemancer Book One)

Chapter 17. Betrayal

ENSEL RHE HAD DETECTED THE character change in Serena almost immediately. Her formality, her hesitance to let either of them enter their guest rooms, the nervous quiver in her voice when he'd announced his departure so soon after just arriving. Not that the last was all that unusual. He'd never stayed long during past visits. But this time was different. He hadn't arrived carrying missives and would not carry the responses to such letters when he left. There was no longer anywhere to take such things. His journey from this point went forward to some place new, some place of his own choosing. He'd no idea where he'd go. Not home. Never there. Perhaps the windswept plains of Kallendor, or the lake lands of Vranna. Both fiefdoms of men, but men most often understood what he was about. They understood loss and the need for revenge. Ansanom had called Krosus and his pack tenacious. But they only hunted one boy. Ensel Rhe hunted an entire race. He'd kill them all, too. Every last one, until he found his Hannu. Once satisfied that Ansanom had nothing nefarious in mind, his duty here would be done. But not before.

He stalked into the room, expecting a trap. Always assume the worst. It was a soldier's mantra he'd learned long ago. It kept his hand on the pommel of his khatesh and his senses on alert as he circled the chamber, inspecting everything. This was a sorcerer's abode, where even the furniture might pose a threat. But though he circled the room twice, neither the bed nor the armoire lurched to life. Nor did an inspection for secret doors in walls or beneath the rug reveal anything. A look outside through the room's stained-glass window—it did not open—revealed nothing but darkness. The tub was empty. When Ensel Rhe tested the spigot, only water came out. There was an array of lit candles and a tray of food and wine, the latter possibly poisoned or, more likely, magicked. No way of knowing unless he sampled them, something he had no intention of doing.

Not satisfied, he circled the room once more, checking everything again. There was nothing between the mattresses, beneath the bed, in drawers, or on ledges. If there were secret openings, he could not find them, though he suspected the gap between door and floor was adequate to admit a gaseous attacker if that was how Ansanom meant to deal with him. The wizard would make it quick. He'd not want to take any chances. Perhaps while he slept, or a toxic mix while he bathed.

Ensel Rhe stopped prowling the room. He took a deep breath.

Perhaps there was no trap at all. He'd detected nothing untoward about the old wizard, and he and Aaron had been well-treated. Ensel Rhe reminded himself that they were here because of Aaron, not himself. This was not his life, with murder and betrayal around every corner. Ensel Rhe unbuckled his sword and tossed it onto the bed. Gloves tucked under his belt followed. Clearing his mind of suspicion and paranoia, he realized the only naysayer was Ursool, whose warnings and predictions were often right, but not every time. Perhaps, in this case, she had misjudged things. The witch had never even met Ansanom, so what did she really know about him?

Ensel Rhe might have let it go, but something about Serena's reaction troubled him. The statement had unbalanced her. Perhaps it was only genuine surprise that he'd leave so quickly after just arriving, or perhaps his departure conflicted with her master's plans. Ensel Rhe imagined her running down the stairs right after he'd closed the door, off to tell her master. Cursing himself for not having cracked the door to observe, he went there now. He put his hand on the knob.

It would not turn.

He firmed his grip, adding his second hand to the effort. Still nothing. Ensel Rhe stepped back, centered himself, then launched a booted foot into the door. There was an audible thump, but the wood did not yield. There was only one way out of the room, and it was not here.

Ensel Rhe retrieved his sword and gloves, then moved to the table with its tray of food and wine. He swept the tray aside and immediately regretted it as the wine bottle shattered into a cloud of sapphire-colored smoke. He eyed the expanding cloud for less than a second, then he seized the table with both hands and threw it through the stained-glass window. It had the desired effect, leaving only a few jagged pieces that Ensel Rhe promptly punched away. Beyond was a thin ledge and creeping vines that grew the length of the wall. Remembering the danger that had chased them here, he scanned the ground below for the hounds and their master. Seeing no sign of them, he took hold of a thick strand of the vines and stepped out onto the ledge. With singular determination, he made his way toward Aaron's room.