Read Nightlord: Orb for Free Online

conqueror elsewhere in old Rethven.  Locally, in Karvalen and Mochara, you are more pleasantly regarded—there was no need for savage conquest here, your daughter and granddaughter speak highly of you, and the Church of Shadow is based here.”
    T’yl paused to sigh.
    “It would have been so much simpler if you had simply banned the worship of the Lord of Light,” he told me.
    “I had other things on my mind.”
    “Apparently.  The appointed Baron forbade it for you—whether because your other self ordered it or out of a personal distaste, I have no idea.  They still seem to find Karvalen a congenial location, though.  Whether it is because you moved your capitol—and presence—to Carrillon, or because they feel being close to your chief Temple of Shadow is important, I cannot say.”
    “But… okay, hold on.  There’s a baron in charge of Karvalen?”
    “Appointed to the post, yes.  Baron Gosford.”
    “And the Church of Light is—is it based here, or just gathered here?”
    “That’s one of the things Seldar is attempting to ascertain.”
    “I see.  I think I see.  Well, no, I don’t, but I’ll accept what you say pending further explanation.  Back to the more immediate concerns?”
    “Of course.  By now, Tianna is helping Apostle Beltar evacuate the interior of the mountain—”
    “ Apostle Beltar?”  The actual word was deveas (deh-VEE-ahs), meaning messenger , or one sent forth , with a clear understanding either the message or the sender thereof was of divine origin.
    “Sir Beltar is First of the Faithful, High Priest of the Church of Shadow and leader of the Knights of the Order of the Shadow.”
    See what happens when you believe in someone?  They turn around and believe in you right back.  I could think of other ways he could have shown his gratitude.  Becoming a priest was not my first choice.  Meanwhile, T’yl continued talking.
    “Tort has told your other self the evacuation of the mountain is for security.  With the Church of Light presence in the city and a strong anti-king faction within the Wizards’ Guild, it is a valid concern.  The usurper agreed.  He’s rather paranoid, and he cares not a bit for the trouble and time this will cost others.”
    “I’m not surprised, especially if he knows I’m not in the basement anymore.”
    “Basement?” T’yl asked.
    “Long story.”
    “We do have a few bands,” he pointed out.  Since they tell time around here by using banded candles, that worked out to a couple of hours.  What the hell.  I went ahead and explained.  T’yl was, of course, horrified.  Magicians who messed around with the architecture in their own heads seemed to always go insane.  It was one of the things he and Tort had emphasized in their lectures and training at the Wizards’ Guild.  A mental study is all fine and dandy, but once you’ve got it, stop messing with it!
    A lesson I failed to learn, obviously.  At least, until it bit me.  The burned hand teaches best, and all that.
    “It sounds as though if you hadn’t upset the natural balance of your mind,” T’yl told me, “you would have been able to defeat it.”
    “Yeah, yeah.  Rub it in.  I don’t need you to tell me that; I figured it out all on my own.  Sucking it straight in was a mistake, too.  I’ve got a lot of those on my record, okay?  I’m awesome, not perfect.”
    I saw T’yl’s ghostly image look at something in his hand.
    “Not yet,” he told me.  “Soon, though.  Can you see into the gate chamber?”
    “Probably, but I can only focus on one thing at a time.  If I pay attention there, I don’t think I’ll be able to talk to you here.”
    “I see.  That’s probably for the best, come to think of it.  We do not want you noticed down there.  Can you look elsewhere and tell how many people are still inside the central mountain?”
    “Not exactly.  Not many, though.  I feel… mostly empty.  I can tell there are a couple of people in the gate