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It was a rare evening when an archmage like himself had a free evening like this. Normally, his calendar was quite full: there were dinners to attend, meetings to manipulate, and the general social drudgeries to fulfill. But no. He had his secretary check twice, just to be sure: Ludinus Da’leth had a free evening, and he intended to savor it.
A glass of celebratory wine was in order, as was a comfortable--yet still stylish--robe to wear. A warm fire in the hearth, to protect against the raging Rexxentrum snowstorm outside his window. A good book, too, was needed: something lighthearted, like a history or a war novel.
Of course, he no sooner got settled into his evening when he felt one of his wards trigger. Not all of them--whoever was there was clever enough to bypass most of his protections--but not all of them.
No sense in delaying the inevitable, then. “If you are here to kill me,” he spoke out into the ether of his home. “You should know that I am armed, and this room is layered with traps.”
It did not take long for a voice to come from the shadows. “Why would I kill you? Unlike you and your ilk, I am not in the habit of killing people in their homes, Herr Da’leth.”
Zemnian accent. Holier-than-thou-art attitude. Fascinating magical progress, for such a limited amount of time. “Widogast,” he called out into the dark. “Come out and let us speak, then. I apologize--you caught me unprepared.”
The slim Zemnian materialized into the room, escaping his shadows to come nearer to Ludinus’s hearth. “I was hoping to speak to you privately,” Widogast confessed. “I had your schedule cleared just so we could meet without any interruptions.” He smiled at him, a tight, feral sort of grin. “I do hope you’ll forgive my--indiscretion. But I wanted to be sure there were no wandering ears for this meeting.”
Impressive. And obnoxious. It explained the surprising free evening he had been gifted. He would have to look into how Widogast had manipulated his schedule just so at a later date. “Have you come to reconsider my Assembly position proposal?” Ludinus asked, knowing the answer was no but feeling as though he needed to gain the temporary upper hand. “You’ve proven yourself, once again, as being suited for such a job.”
Widogast scowled at him, and Ludinus felt a sort of glee at having to manipulate him, just slightly.
“No thank you, sir. I am quite content with teaching at the Academy,” a waste of his talents, for certain. “I actually wished to speak with you concerning the future, and to perhaps make a deal with you.”
“Intriguing, Widogast. Speak your case.”
Widogast spoke a word, and from his necklace came stacks upon stacks of papers, notebooks, scrolls, and laid them on his coffee table. It took only a cursory glance to tell what these were--witness accounts and evidence of magical tampering against the crown, under his order.
It was tempting to set it all ablaze and run, but one did not live as long as he had by being rash.
“These are copies,” Widogast spoke first. “Expositor Lionett has the originals. I have no doubt you know what these are--we have used similar effects to take down other corrupt officials within the Cerberus Assembly, to alarming effect. And while I would get a great deal of pleasure in watching you attempt to manipulate the king into disregarding our evidence, I have instead come here to try and make a deal with you.”
He leaned back into his chair, hands touching at the fingertips. A deal? “I’m listening.”
“You have men out looking for Essek Thelyss,” Widogast spoke plainly, blue eyes alight by the firelight. “I wish for his safety and amnesty within the Empire.”
Thelyss? He recognized the name, although it took him a moment to think of him, mostly because he was not thinking of Dynasty officials. “The little drow boy?” Da’leth said, shaking his head. “The one who started the war?”
Widogast’s eyes narrowed. “You played a part in that as well, I believe.”
Ludinus waved his hand. “Regardless, Thelyss is a wanted man, not just by the Empire but by the Dynasty itself. It would not be easy to have the charges dropped against him.”
“But you could do it?” Widogast asked, his tone of voice betraying a hint of desperation.
“Perhaps,” Ludinus leaned back further in his chair. “But I would like to hear what you have for me in return.”
Widogast gestured to the piles of papers in front of him. “All of these remain hidden with me, in secret. They never come to the king’s attention. In return, Essek Thelyss is officially pardoned, and can live freely within the Empire without worrying about the threat of assassins hovering over him.”
Ludinus studied the human man in front of him. “Counter-offer: you destroy this evidence, and I find a way to pardon Thelyss.”
“Negative: there would be nothing stopping you from going after Thelyss as soon as these were destroyed. These stay with me.”
Infuriating. “What’s to stop me from killing you now, and taking the papers on my own? You are in my territory, after all.”
Widogast’s grin remained sharp and feral. “Would you like to try?” he said, sounding far too eager for a man whose life had just been threatened. “Trent Ikithon rots in a jail cell, with no voice and no access to his hands. I carried Vess DeRogna’s body around in my necklace for months. I’d be interested to see which one of the two you most ended up like, at the end.”
The threat did not come lightly, and as much as Ludinus would hate to admit it, it was a very real threat, and sent a chill down his spine.
A well-placed check from Widogast, then. But he was not out of options. “And how does Expositor Lionett feel about this deal of yours? I suppose you must have talked to her first.”
“Oh, she hates it,” Widogast confesses. “She would rather see you hang than walk free. But she understands the things we do for the matters of the heart, and is willing to let me go through with this.”
Affairs of the heart? Ah, that explained the fool heartedness of this endeavor. “You love him, then?”
“With all my heart,” Widogast admits. “And I should like to build a life with him. Here, together, in the Empire, safely. So much so that I am willing to compromise my mission of exposing corruption in the Empire, in order to keep him safe. So I do hope that you will be willing to work with me, Herr Da’leth.”
Pathetic, and impressive. What a waste of his talents, to teach at the Academy! He could rule the world with an iron fist, if only he would allow himself a little indulgence. It had been a long time since Da’leth had been out-manipulated like this, and from a lowly human, no less.
In fact, the last human to manipulate him so had been Trent Ikithon, about fifty years ago, now that he thought about it. He doubted Widogast would appreciate the comparison, and so he kept the thought to himself, to save it for a rainy day when he might need it in a future encounter.
Still, humans lived such short lives, especially in comparison to elves. And Thelyss was a young elf, if Ludinus recalled correctly.
“What is stopping me,” he proposed, curiosity in his voice. “From waiting until after your death to go after Thelyss? He will still be around in a hundred years, after all, and you will not.”
Widogast blinked, his eyes a bit softer than they had been previously, as he gave the question some legitimate thought. “I suppose nothing,” he said quietly, a sad note to his voice. “At that time, there would be very little I could do to stop you. But I would hope that by that time, perhaps you might learn to forgive and let bygones be bygones, as it were. A hundred years is a long time.”
To a human, perhaps. Ludinus had taken naps that lasted longer.
He gave a moment of pause, mostly for dramatic effect before he spoke. “He would need a new name, and identity. It would not do to have a drow wander the capital city, at least not openly. And I cannot influence the Kryn into not hunting him, but I can keep my agents off of his doorstep,” at least as long as Widogast lived, he didn’t say. “And so long as my life remains relatively unchanged, and you and Lionett keep your hands out of my affairs--I suppose we have a deal, then.”
He held his hand out for Widogast to shake, and Widogast took his hand, eyes wide, as if he was not expecting to be successful in what he came here to do. “Truly?” He asked, shaking Ludinus’s hand.
“Truly,” he laughed heartily. “I’m an old man, Widogast. I should like to live out the remaining years of my life in comfort, not rotting in a jail cell next to Ikithon. And if it means one little crick escapes my notice in exchange for my continued freedom and comfort, then I would be a fool not to take it.” He stands so that he is eye level with Widogast, as Widogast puts the papers on the table back into his little vault of amber. Together, they began walking towards his front door. “Are you certain I cannot convince you to sit on the Assembly? Your talents are wasted at the Academy.”
Widogast shook his head again. “I appreciate the offer, truly. But I also intend to live out my remaining years in comfort and peace, to raise a family with the one I love. I do not think that Assembly life allows for such creature comforts very often.”
This was true: most of the Assembly was perpetually single, as a life led manipulating others rarely left time for a home and a family.
“If you ever change your mind--”
“I will reach out to you. Good evening, Herr Da’leth. Apologies for disturbing your evening and your schedule.”
Honestly, he ought to thank Widogast for clearing it. He so rarely got to have a night at home like this. “Don’t do it again,” he threatened, opening his front door to let Widogast leave, resetting the wards and alarms at his home.
Finally! He could enjoy his evening of peace!
He no sooner got back to his sitting room when he noticed another ward being triggered, and a kryn drow standing in the corner of his room, waiting for him.
Thelyss, Ludinus recognized. How intriguing.
Thelyss bowed his head before him. “Ludinus Da’leth, I have come to turn myself in, so that Caleb Widogast might be able to live a life of peace and prosperity--”
Lovesick boys! They would be the death of him. “Go home , Thelyss,” he barked at him. “Your husband has already handled matters. Go, before I change my mind!”
Thelyss sputtered at him. “But I--we aren’t--”
“I do not care. If either of you disturb my night again, I’ll send assassins after you both.” That got Thelyss moving, and finally, Ludinus was free, to enjoy his evening and his life.