“As it turned out, Lord,”—Haplo grinned—”Bane almost assassinated the assassin.”
“Indeed?” Xar appeared impressed.
“Yes, you’ll find the details there.” Haplo indicated the journal. “Bane wore an amulet, given to him by Sinistrad, that transmitted the wizard’s commands to the boy, transmitted whatever the boy heard back to Sinistrad. Thus the mysteriarchs spied on the humans, knew every move King Stephen made. Not that Bane needed much guidance in intrigue. From what I’ve seen of the kid, he could have taught his father a thing or two.
“Bane’s quick-witted, intelligent. He’s a clairvoyant, and skilled in magic, for a human, though he’s untrained. It was Bane who figured out how the Kicksey-winsey works, what it’s intended to do. That’s his diagram I’ve included in there, Lord. And he’s ambitious. When it became clear to Bane that his father did not intend for them to rule the Mid Realms as a father and son team, Bane determined to get rid of Sinistrad.
“Bane’s plot succeeded, though not quite as he’d planned it. The boy’s life was saved, ironically enough, by the man who’d been hired to kill him. A waste, that,” Haplo added thoughtfully. “Hugh the Hand was an interesting human, a skilled and able fighter. He was exactly what you were seeking in a disciple, Lord. I had planned bringing him to you, but, unfortunately, he died battling the wizard. A waste, as I said.”
The Lord of the Nexus was only half listening. Opening the journal, he’d discovered the diagram of the Kicksey-winsey. He studied it carefully.
“The child did this?” he asked.
“Yes, Lord.”
“You’re certain.”
“I was spying on them when Bane showed this to his father. Sinistrad was as impressed as you are.”
“Remarkable. And the child is charming, winning, comely. The enchantment his father cast over him would have no effect on us, certainly, but does it still work upon the mensch?”
“Alfred, the Sartan, was of the opinion that the enchantment had been dispelled. But”—Haplo shrugged—”Hugh the Hand was under this boy’s spell—whether by magic or merely pity for an unloved child who had been nothing but a pawn all his life. Bane is clever and knows how to use his youth and his beauty to manipulate others.”
“What of the child’s mother? What did you say her name was, Iridal?”
“She could be trouble. When we left, she was searching for her son in company with the Sartan, Alfred.”
“She wants the boy for her own purposes, I presume.”
“No, I think she wants him for himself. She never went along with her husband’s plan, not really. Sinistrad had some sort of terrible hold over her. She was afraid of him. And, with his demise, the courage of the other mysteriarchs collapsed. There was talk when I left that they were abandoning the High Realms, planning to move down among the other humans.”
“The mother could be disposed of?”
“Easily, Lord.”
Xar smoothed the pages of the journal with his gnarled fingers, but he wasn’t looking at it any longer, nor paying attention to it.
“A little child shall lead them.’ An old mensch saying, Hapto. You have acted wisely, my son. I might go so far as to say that your choice was inspired. Those mensch who would feel threatened by an adult coming to lead them will be completely disarmed by this innocent-seeming child. The boy has the typical human faults, of course. He is hotheaded, lacks patience and discipline. But with the proper tutelage, I believe he can be molded into something quite extraordinary for a mensch. I begin, already, to see the vague outline of my plan.”
“I am glad to have pleased you, Lord,” said Haplo.
“Yes,” murmured the Lord of the Nexus, “a little child shall lead them…”
The storm abated. Haplo took advantage of the relative calm to fly over the isle of Drevlin, searching for a place to land. He had come to know this area quite well. He’d spent considerable time here on his last visit, preparing his elven ship for its return through Death’s Gate.
The continent of Drevlin was flat and featureless, a hunk of what the mensch called “coralite” floating in the Maelstrom. One could judge landmarks, however, by the Kicksey-winsey, the gigantic machine whose wheels and engines and gears and pulleys and arms and claws spread out over Drevlin’s surface, delved deep into the island’s interior.