“I do not want the Nomad killed,” said Livanna. “I want to question him. After that, he is yours to dispose of as you will. But do not make the mistake of underestimating him. He is dangerous.”
“I had already discovered that,” Edric replied. “And I am in no great rush to kill him. I want him to live long enough to regret having interfered with me. And once I am through with him, I will take care of Kieran.”
“Do not overreach yourself,” Livanna said. “What of Ankhor? Does he know anything of our arrangement?”
Edric shook his head. “No, he suspects nothing. He assumes our business is concluded. He is smug and overconfident. He believes his money can buy anything, and that will be his downfall. Just let me know when you are prepared to make your move. The Shadows stand ready. They blamed me, at first, for the ambush they rode into, but I managed to convince them Ankhor had betrayed us. They’re chaffing for revenge.”
“Wait until I give the word,” Livanna said. “The timing must be right. For now, the Nomad is the first priority. And I want to know the moment you have him.”
“Why such an interest in this elfling pretender?”
“Pretender?”
Edric said, “The Crown of Elves, indeed. His arrogance offends me.”
“Pretender or no, Nibenay wants him. Princess Korahna was exiled by her mother to protect her from her father’s wrath because she had taken the vows of a preserver,” Livanna said. “When Sorak brought her back to Nibenay, she joined the Veiled Alliance, and since then they have been sheltering her. They have made much of the conversion of a daughter of the Shadow King.”
“Yes, of course,” said Edric, nodding.
“Sorak has contacts with the Veiled Alliance in Nibenay,” Livanna said. “If we can find out who they are, we can take steps to get Korahna back.”
“And teach her the error of her ways?” Edric smiled. “I didn’t think the Shadow King would care about one errant daughter; he has so many others. It seems we both have unfinished business with the elfling, but it will not remain unfinished long. I’ll send word to you the moment we have him, but on one condition. When our business is concluded, you’ll remove the spell that links us.”
“When our business is concluded, I’ll have no further use for it,” she said. “Until then, try to exercise more caution. I have no wish to feel your aches and pains.”
“Then perhaps you should have trusted me, without the spell,” said Edric.
“Trust an elf?” said Livanna. “I think not. Until you have fully lived up to your part of our bargain, the spell is necessary.”
“So be it, then. Are we agreed?”
“Agreed.”
Edric nodded. “I thank you for the healing. I’ll be in touch soon.”
He turned and walked off down the corridor. Livanna watched him go. She did not and would not trust him for a moment, except where his own self-interest was concerned. He might not be as quick to betray a templar of the Shadow King as he was to betray Ankhor, but if there was enough profit in it, he would certainly consider taking such a risk. She wanted him to know just how much of a risk it was.
But if the Shadow elves could capture Sorak, it would save her the trouble of going after him herself. There was, of course, a chance that they would be unable to take him alive. That would be regrettable, for she wanted to force him to reveal what he knew about the Sage. Still, if he were dead, he could be no threat, and the Sage would lose his champion. Either way, the outcome would be favorable.
In the meantime, she had work to do. Kah was waiting.
* * *
A caravan coming into town was always an event, one eagerly awaited by the populace. It meant more business for the shopkeepers, more guests for the inns, and more patrons for the gaming and pleasure houses. When the dust cloud was sighted in the distance, the word quickly went out through the streets, and by the time they rode into town, a large crowd had gathered to welcome them.
Lord Ankhor himself was on hand. He greeted Kieran effusively, then listened gravely to his report of the attack, the caravan captain standing nervously by.
Uncertain how Lord Ankhor would react to seeing him, Sorak had hung back with Ryana until Kieran turned and pointed to him, apparently telling Ankhor about his heroics in their defense. Instead of beckoning him over, Lord Ankhor came to him, with Kieran by his side. There was a broad smile on his face as he extended his hand to Sorak in greeting.
“So we meet again, Nomad,” he said. He turned to Ryana and greeted her respectfully. “Welcome to Altaruk, my lady. It is a pleasure to see you again, and on so auspicious an occasion.” He turned back to Sorak. “It seems each time we meet, you come to my rescue.”
“I fear that was not the case on our last meeting,” Sorak said. He was not anxious to bring it up but wanted to know where he stood. “Are you glad to see me, even after that?”
“If you are referring to the matter of the princess you ‘escorted’ from my caravan, that was Viscount Torian’s loss. She was his concern, not mine. I understand the matter was resolved between the two of you.”
“I thought Viscount Torian was your friend,” said Sorak uncertainly.
Lord Ankhor shrugged. “A business acquaintance, no more. In trade, I was obliged to extend certain courtesies to him, but his involvement with the princess was unwise, and I feared it might have repercussions. Frankly, I was relieved when she departed. Torian’s demise may have made me suffer a slight, temporary
