"That's all it is? There's nothing else."
"You're so pretty when you're serious, Dion."
"Parrus!" I pushed him away.
He shrugged.
”I don't think so; though I did hear all kinds of wild rumors about Hierarchs fleeing the country, people being killed by necromancers and fiery angels battling demons over the sea for the souls of the Burning Light. I called on some fellows in the college while I was there. The White College doesn't seem overly concerned, though of course they are sending regiments of mages with this invasion force. It's just politics, Dion. Hierarch Jarraz has been making very critical prophesies about the Patriarch. The Patriarch might be sympathetic to the Burning Light's desire to reform the church, but he cannot be seen tolerate it when they go so far as to criticize him personally."
"So the Duke has known about there being necromancy in Moria for some time."
"No Dion. He's been saying he knew. It's quite a different thing. That's politics, not fact."
Duke Leon was a well-liked ruler and it was unusual to find a Gallian being so cynical about his motives. However Parrus' late father Tirus had been involved in an early plot to put the Duke's brother Dane on the Gallian throne and the family was still laboring under the punishments they had received. For instance, Parrus, who was a mage, had been forbidden to attend the White College in Gallia and had had to be educated in the far southern state of Borgon well outside Leon Saar's influence. This was also the reason he was "rotting in this Godforsaken backwater" instead of having a position as a mage somewhere.
I thought again of the dreams. Horror filled me. What if it was not just politics and the Duke and the Patriarch knew more than they were saying.
"Necromancy in Moria. That's terrible. We ... We must all go and join the army, join the fight."
"Well where do you think I've been? But it was all for nothing. My mother says three of us are enough for the army and I've been sent back here to rot while the others get to go ... You're not upset then? I've been being so discreet and now it seems you know all about it."
"Discreet? Upset? Why should I be?"
"You're Morian. The wars against Moria. I thought ..."
"I've got no objection to the Duke kicking the Burning Light's arse for them. The quicker the better."
"And then ..."
"Well he's been a good ruler to Gallia. It's peaceful. People are left alone to get on with things. That's all you can hope for from a ruler."
"What a little cynic you are, sweet Dion," grinned Parrus.
"I can't help thinking I should be going now to Gallia to offer myself for the army. I mean, necromancy. Every mage should ..."
"Dion, Dion, Surely you're not going to fall for their words. I doubt if there is any real necromancy in Moria. It's just an excuse for the Patriarch to put the Burning Light back in its place and for the Duke to increase his power. Anyway you're only a woman. I know you've trained as a mage, but fighting's no place for women. I mean what could you do?"
The problem with Parrus was that I'd never told him what I was really capable of. Certainly he knew that, unlike most girls who were trained only as healers, I'd been privately educated as a mage, but he had no idea that I was the so-called Demonslayer of Gallia. It was something I'd wanted to forget so I hadn't told anyone. Also men don't usually like you to be better at things. Even I knew that.
So I'd been dishonest. Only in a sense though. I mean he'd never asked, after all, and I could imagine the scoffing my claims to be the Demonslayer would have earned me. Anyway, as Parrus continually reminded me, our relationship wasn't really serious, so there was hardly any need for him to know.
Deep down I knew that I just didn't trust him enough. My time as Dion the Powerful Mage had been marked by betrayal; the discovery that my foster father had purposely kept me ignorant of what I could do, an assassination attempt arranged by a close friend and later and much more bitterly betrayal by a lover, if Andre/Bedazzer could be called such a thing. I had thought about it often in the last three years. How could the powerful ever really know the motives of those who claimed to love them? Did my brothers back in my hut really care enough to protect me or was I just a useful tool to them? No wonder the Duke of Gallia, who had sipped from the cup of power and betrayal all his life, was such a cold man. Better to be perceived as nobody particularly useful. Then you could be more certain of sincerity.
Of course all this meant it was impossible to discuss the issue of what I should do about my brothers, what this suspected necromancy in Moria really meant, and even my disturbing dreams, with Parrus or really anyone in Cardun. Except maybe my Wanderer friend Causa, who had guessed something of my past. But who knew where she was?
"My brothers took me to see the army," Parrus was saying now. "It's huge. Most of the mages in the White Colleges of Gallia and Ishtak are going. There are four platoons of fighting mages. Then the Ishtaki merchants have hired three companies of Soprian mercenaries on top of the normal soldiers. And all of them have groups of healers in attendance. In all that company they're not going to miss you. Or me, unfortunately. Say what you will about Leon Saar, he doesn't go into battle half prepared. He must have been planning this little trip for months. Any way," he waggled an admonishing finger at me. "Your duty is first and foremost to the Parish Board who employ you. And to your parishioners. You can't just run off and leave them to fend for themselves. Duke Leon will do fine without us, I tell you."
I stood there wringing my hands. I really should tell him. I needed to talk this over with somebody. I had no doubt he was right about the Duke being well prepared. If there was more to the reports of necromancy in Moria than a fight between the Patriarch and Hierarch Jarraz, he could be counted upon to know about it. The Duke would have sent for me if he'd felt he needed me. He knew where I was and what I was capable of. To tell the truth I had no desire to become Dion Michealine the mage again. It wasn't cowardice. Or was it? But I'd been so unhappy living among the court. Out of place and always fearful of who was and wasn't my friend. It was just that I was one of the few mages on the Peninsula who had any experience with necromancy and I was powerful. Possibly I could be useful.
"So who are those two in the hut Dion?" Parrus asked with studied casualness. "I saw them go in so I thought I'd wait till you'd finished. Are they patients? They don't look like locals."
I shrugged.
"Or maybe they're suitors," he teased. But with Parrus everything was half serious. "Is that it? Dion. Am I cramping your style?"
"Oh Parrus! If you must know, they're my brothers out of Moria."
"Brothers! I never knew you had family. How fascinating."
He looked back down the track a little nervously. I knew what he was thinking. He was my lover, but he had no intention of marrying me and a brother might well be expected to take offence at that.
"So how come you're not back there talking to them?"
"We had a disagreement."
"Ah," said Parrus. "Family quarrels. I know that story so well. I've had quite a falling out with my mother ..."
"They want me to come back into Moria of all things," I burst out. At least I could tell him about this. "Would you believe it?"
Parrus was startled. "Seven! They're crazy. You mean they just came in here out of the blue and asked you to ... The Parish Board would never allow you to take a risk like that. Aumaz! Look, I'll go get some fellows and have them run off if you like. The cheek of them."
"Parrus. No! It's not such an unreasonable request." I had wanted Parrus's agreement but perversely now I'd got it, I found I disagreed.
”Yes it is. You let people impose on you, Dion. It's outrageous.”
"Well it's not necessarily a death sentence. I've met healers who went into Moria and came out