Storm Rising

Altra looked a bit sheepish, an odd expression on a feline face. :As to that, she's arranging things so that even most of the Sun-priests are not going to be aware that she is gone.:

'Hansa isn't going to 'jump' with her, is he?' Karal felt his own stomach lurch at the idea. 'I don't think that's a very good idea!'

Altra had the audacity to chuckle at him, irritating the Young Sun-priest, although he refused to show his irritation. :No, Hansa and I are going to establish a Gate between us, so that Solaris can come and go without depleting her own powers.:

Oh? This was the first he'd ever heard of that particular talent! Karal allowed an eyebrow to rise. 'Well, isn't that convenient,' he drawled.

Altra sniffed derisively :If you had troubled to continue reading in those books that Ulrich left you, instead of bothering yourself with making letter-perfect copies of your notes to send to Karse, you would have seen that Firecats have created Gates between them in the past, when there have been two or more of them about. It is just an extension of 'jumping,' after all, and you could logically have deduced that. It is not —: he added smugly, :—an ability shared by the Companions.:

Karal rolled his eyes at that last, but let it pass without further comment.

:And I must point out to you that we could not have put you and your mentor in place this way, because I was not here, and I could not have come here without you. I am linked to you and to no one else.:

Another interesting bit of information. Altra was certainly being generous with it today! Was he making up for his prolonged absence by dropping his secretive stance?

:We had always intended to use a Gate in an emergency to remove you—or—or Ulrich, if we had to.: At the mere mention of Ulrich, Karal felt his throat knot and his eyes sting.

:Unfortunately, it takes more time to establish a Gate than we had when—: Altra faltered for a moment, then went on. :Just remember that is always an option for you, if there is an untenable situation.:

'I will,' Karal promised solemnly, after he managed to clear his throat and rub the suspicion of tears from his eyes. 'Now, am I to be the one to make the request for this visit official?'

:Precisely.: Altra tapped the tube with one paw, and it rolled over to Karal until it ran into his foot. He bent down to retrieve it.

:That is an official document from Solaris to Selenay, requesting her permission for a Visit of State.: Altra looked pensive. :I hope she is as sensible as we believe, but this is bound to come as something of a shock.:

Well, that was something of an understatement. The leader of a land that until very recently was Valdemar's deadliest enemy was now asking to come to the heart of Valdemar? 'Then the sooner I get the shock over with, the better,' Karal replied, drinking the last of his tea—more grateful for its stomach-easing properties than ever—and standing up. 'I think I had best get on the way with this now, before something else happens.'

He looked down long enough to put his mug securely on the table; when he looked up again, Altra was gone.

The Queen's Chambers were less impressive than Karal had expected. The furniture was in keeping with her station and extremely comfortable, but hardly constructed of priceless material. It showed slight signs of wear, the wood of the desk and chairs showed a few scratches no amount of polishing would remove. Karal waited, standing in front of that desk in respectful silence with his hands folded in front of him, while the Queen of Valdemar read through Solaris' letter for the third time. Her look of absolute incredulity had not diminished since the first reading.

Talia, however, did not seem particularly surprised. Then again, Karal reflected, she knows Solaris, perhaps better than many of us in Karse.

Finally, Selenay put the document down and looked up into Karal's face. For all the stress she had been through in her life, Selenay looked remarkably young. Karal could easily imagine that in her place, he'd have aged about fifty years in the past ten. 'I have to admit, Ambassador Karal, this comes as something of a surprise,' she said carefully. 'I think I would be safe to say that it is altogether unprecedented.'

'Not entirely, Your Highness,' Karal said carefully. 'The Crown Prince of Rethwellan has been here on at least two occasions; the Prince-Lord Martial Daren also, arriving at the head of an army.'

To her credit, Selenay did not point out that Valdemar and Rethwellan had never been at odds, much less at war for generations. 'But the King of Rethwellan has never been here', she pointed out instead. 'I honestly cannot say that I can think of a single monarch who has made a state visit to Haven. In the past, when monarchs have conferred, they met at the border. This—this shows a great deal of trust on Solaris' part.'