Cy 4822 Febrian – Gran Breton – Jarik & Malador (the night after Malador and Vance first fight.)
"Malador," Jarik muttered angrily,
"If you are in my thoughts then hear this," he now thought silently.
"Well you have made a mess of things. I counselled caution and would you listen? No, instead you acted as if Vance was easy. And now … well now things are much more difficult. You have alienated the emperor, blown the cover of Iliam, angered Vance and gained the attention of Malkar – and by extension Willow Star, and to cap it all you’ve lost an eye and been poisoned. You will be as ugly as me now. Worst of all, if the account I heard is true, you ran away. I am presently working on how one might ‘spin’ your ‘retreat’ among the ‘great and good,’ else it might become embarrassing to act as your factor.
If your words are an attempt to elicit an angered response then I counsel caution. The actions of Malador are seldom without care and my actions last night were a small piece in a much larger jigsaw. Vance Dexton is central to my plans and should I have wished him dead then he would be no more. My aim was incapacitation rather than death and although you suspect I failed in fact I triumphed. I achieved exactly what I intended.
Alienation of the emperor was not my intention though his anger serves my purpose presently. Sarrik Ramadius II will be a great leader – his strength will serve us all well. The Chancellor Illeum Runesabre is already mine…
The loss of one eye is a small price to pay for the success of my venture. I could replace it with a demonic prosthetic but I feel that an eye patch will add a distinguished air to my appearance!
As for the gods I am already number one on their list of enemies. This is to be expected and I am not surprised. You should take a care with their counsel however, for a panoramic view of the bigger picture may serve you better in the long run. If you place all your turnips in the same cart you may not be able to sell them if the wheel falls off on the way to market…
"If you think me impertinent, then that is because I am impertinent, impertinent and neutral. As a child I had recurrent nightmares, I have dreamt things the chaff will never see, heard music that crafts existence from madness and yet pulverizes existence back into the madness from which it came. In my dreams I am shredded by the Maelstrom, no torture could match this imagination. But, imagination cannot match the power of everything.
We share similar dreams then. The maelstrom of which you speak comes from within your soul and you are one of the few people who are haunted by them…it is the reason why I was drawn to you in the first place. Like it or not, Jarik, you and I are very similar.
"I do not fear you Malador, you are but one chord in an incomprehensible anthem that is the Summation of all. And just like music balance is frequently sought; all is smooth, the tempo regular, keys, chords and melody harmonic, predicable and regular. But at other stages the universe requires discords – agents – sometimes as foul and levelling as the sound and smell of burning slaves singing – scorching staves.
I embrace the possibility that your voice needs to be heard, and that balance might be found through it. But likewise, Vance might be that discord. Equally likely, you are both as vile and nihilistic as the other. Grayhawk would be mad to ever embrace either, ancient, arrogant aristocrat.
True enough I need a voice to be heard and what better agent than one so eloquent? But the words you utter must heighten the sense of complacency and confidence. Tell them I have turned and run like a coward, inform them of the great scar on my face and the deep burning that the Water of Death inflicts on me. Draw out my enemies and make them rash.
Let them think that Malador is on the run. It will give me the time I require to move onto the next phase of my plan.
"And the likes of me – forgotten though we seem, we stand between. Small though we are, we neither quiver nor fret. We will listen, prepare and finally … we will follow our hearts.
To follow your heart is an emotional choice but to follow your instincts is far harder. What happens when your instincts lie in the dark swirling power of your soul? What terrors lie within? One day – soon perhaps – I will reveal to you what lies within your own personal maelstrom, Jarik, and when that day comes we will stand as brothers against our enemies.
Seek comfort in your heart by all means but be mindful of your instincts…one day it will be those instincts that save your soul…