Read Torn By War: 4 (The Death Wizard Chronicles) for Free Online

rushed out of the room.
    WHEN NAVARESE WAS gone, Eadwig strode over to the archbishop. “What was that about, your grace?” he said with obvious irritation.
    “He needed to be taught a lesson, my lord,” Bernard said. “With humbling comes wisdom.”
    “He is young and brash, but his genius cannot be denied. He remains our greatest hope in the wars to come.”
    “No, Eadwig, he does not. Ekadeva is our greatest hope . . . our only hope.”
    “We’ve been through this before, Bernard. Faith is one thing, foolishness another.”
    Finally Laylah had caught her breath. Almost everything she had witnessed since entering the Throne Room had confused her. While the remaining eleven members of the Privy Council gathered in a tight circle and continued their noisy debate, Laylah joined Torg on the stairs.
    “Torg, what happened this time?”
    The wizard chuckled, but there was little pleasure in it. “Apparently, the general was ‘cut down to size,’ as my Vasi master used to say. And I was the weapon used to do the cutting.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “Despite Bernard’s fervor, I doubt he truly would have Jivita lay down its arms. Of all the people I have known, only Sister Tathagata would support such extremes. But it appears that the archbishop and his allies feared that Navarese was becoming too confident. After this, the general will move more slowly and with more respect for those who disagree with some of his viewpoints.”
    Laylah sighed. “And this is a good thing?”
    “It would seem so.”
    “But the real problem wasn’t resolved. If the queen were to fall, Jivita would be without a leader.”
    “In most ways, the White City runs itself. The queen is a powerful figure, but there is only so much she can do, especially when it comes to the minutiae of commanding such a large population. If Jivita were without a Sovereign for a short period, little harm would come of it, other than the loss of the inspiration she provides.”
    “Which is not what it was,” came a voice from the side. Bernard stood there, wearing a sheepish grin. “I apologize, Lord Torgon , for my behavior here today. It is likely the general will eventually become our king. His support has outgrown mine. But he isn’t ready yet. For his benefit as well as ours, I had to put him in his place. I would have explained my plan to you beforehand, but you were . . . unavailable .”
    “Believe me, Lord Torgon, ” came a second voice, this time belonging to the high justice. “I was unaware of any of this. The archbishop took it upon himself to humiliate the general.”
    Lady Margaret and Baron Kentigern joined them. Margaret slapped Torg on the back playfully. “I would love it if you were our king,” Margaret said cheerfully. “ I wasn’t pretending, at least.”
    Kentigern chuckled. “Torg is too homely for such an honor.”
    “ You should know,” Margaret said.
    Torg and Laylah laughed, but the archbishop grew serious.
    “One disaster has been averted, at least for the time being,” he said in a low voice. “But the larger one remains. Some members of our esteemed council still fear for the queen’s sanity. Lord Torgon , we all know she listens more to you than anyone else. Is there something you can do?”
    Then in an even more serious tone, he added, “Do you have the strength to heal her mind?”

2
     
    PEERING THROUGH solid stone was one of the most difficult feats Invictus had ever attempted, causing his eyes to burn and water. The sensation was unfamiliar. Other than the horrendous agony of the solar eclipse, he had felt little discomfort in his entire lifetime. It was a distasteful but interesting experience.
    Invictus was convinced that Bhayatupa again hid somewhere in the peaks of Mahaggata. The dragon wouldn’t be so careless as to return to the deep cavern where Invictus had originally discovered him, but the young king believed that the traitorous beast was somewhere in the snarl of mountains