The Cornerstone by Nick Spalding

home now!’
    Merelie actually had the decency to look a bit scared. ‘Ok, Max. I will… but without you, we’re all dead!’
    ‘Well without you, I’m not! I should - ‘
    We don’t get to hear what Max should or shouldn’t do, as Borne - who’d had quite enough of his mistress being insulted - gave Max a smart whack across the back of the head.
    Nothing too damaging, you understand. He isn’t a barbarian.
    However, the blow was more than hard enough to send Max from standing indignantly in a rage, to laid out on the floor, completely sparked out.
    Borne had actually done Max something of a favour, as several Chapter Guards had started drawing unpleasant looking crossbow guns from their holsters.
    One lunge from Max at either of the Carvallen family members and he’d have been turned into a pin-cushion with frightening speed and accuracy.
    Jacob Carvallen was not the sort of man who got shouted at a lot and nobody had ever called him baldy before. It was an experience he was still trying to process as he looked down at the incumbent form of Max Bloom. ‘He certainly is a strong-willed one. I can see why The Cornerstone likes him.’
    ‘That’s what I said, sir,’ Borne pointed out.
    ‘He could still help us,’ said Merelie.
    ‘I rather think not,’ her father said. ‘There’s no need for this boy to go into battle and sacrifice himself. No darkness is set to engulf us - the custodians have proved it.’ Jacob knelt and checked Max’s pulse. ‘I think you’d have a very hard time convincing him to help us now anyway,’ he added, satisfied the boy’s heartbeat was strong and regular.
    Everyone’s heartbeat shot up as the large study doors flew open and a grossly overweight man in a billowing blue suit waddled in, flanked by several guardsmen, also clad in blue.
    ‘Carvallen! What the hell’s going on?’ the fat man roared. ‘You’ve been away from the table for too long! Falion is spouting her drivel about equality for the masses again and Lord Morodai objects. We need you to mediate!’ He caught sight of Max lying on the ground. ‘Who in the Writer’s name is that?’
    ‘Apologies Osgood,’ Jacob said, ‘I shouldn’t have absented myself for so long. You needn’t worry about this boy. He’s a problem of my daughter’s making, but I think we’ve managed to clear it up… haven’t we Merelie?’
    Merelie said nothing. She was concentrating too much on glowering at the fat newcomer.
    ‘Hello Merelie,’ he said, seeing her for the first time. 
    ‘Good morning Chapter Lord Draveli,’ Merelie responded, with enough ice in her voice to go well with a shot of whisky.
    Osgood Draveli looked at Max and back at the two Carvallens standing over him.  ‘Let me guess Merelie,’ he sighed, ‘this has something to do with your insistence we’re all doomed, hasn’t it?’ He snorted like a pig. ‘You finally did it, didn’t you? Dragged some poor fool from that charmless little existence over here to be part of your delusion.’
    ‘That will do Osgood,’ Jacob said. ‘My daughter has had the facts laid out to her and I’m confident this is the last we’ll hear of this.’ He looked at Borne. ‘Arma, take my daughter to her rooms. I will oversee this boy’s passage back through The Cornerstone. I want his return properly supervised by the custodians. Until then, I’ll have him held in the cells.’
    ‘Father! He isn’t a prisoner!’
    ‘What do you suggest, then? This is a problem of your devising.’
    Merelie thought for a second. ‘Let me take him down to the Library. The Cornerstone will need replenishing anyway, so I might as well.’
    Carvallen looked at his daughter with suspicion.
    ‘Trust me father,’ Merelie said, ‘I know I’ve gone too far. I’ll send him home as quickly as possible.’
    ‘Time is of the essence, Jacob,’ Osgood piped up again. ‘The talks are at a very critical stage and you left at a most inopportune moment. If this doesn’t work out, it