Illyia shrugged. 'If you grow up in Kolbyr, as I have, you become accustomed to it. The effects of the curse are manageable, though it does take some effort to resist them. Newcomers to the city, such as yourselves, are the most vulnerable to the Fury. Since they aren't local, there's less reason for citizens to care about not harming them, which makes it more difficult to resist the Fury. Newcomers aren't affected by the curse right away, but the Fury is both powerful and insidious. Over the space of just a few hours, it will slowly worm its way into your heart without your realizing it, and it will fill you with anger… anger that you have no experience at managing. Newcomers often succumb to the Fury within their first day in Kolbyr. It's why we're so leery of strangers, as I'm sure you noticed as you made your way through the city.'
Tresslar didn't feel any anger building within him. All he felt was the general irritation he often experienced at the annoyances presented by day-to-day living. Was Solus-?
The psiforged's voice whispered in Tresslar's mind.
I cannot counter magic, but as we first approached Kolbyr, I used my psionic abilities to strengthen everyone's emotional self-control to help slow the effects of the Fury. So far, my efforts seem to have been successful.
Tresslar's first impulse was to chide the psiforged for altering people's minds without permission, but he decided not to worry about it, especially since it did appear to be working. Still, before long someone would need to explain to Solus that it was a good idea to ask before using his psionic powers in such a fashion-especially on friends.
Illyia frowned slightly, and Tresslar wondered if she were somehow aware of the telepathic communication that had occurred between Solus and him. But when she spoke, she said, 'So, have you come to acquire one of my sculptures, or are you perhaps here for a different purpose?'
'We're friends of Tinker,' Tresslar said.
'Tinker?' Hinto said, scowling. 'Who's…?' He trailed off, a sly smile coming onto his face. 'Oh… right.' He winked knowingly at Tresslar.
Now it was the artificer's turn to roll his eyes.
Illyia laughed. 'Come with me, and we'll see if Tinker is home.'
She turned and, for the briefest of instants, Tresslar thought the bubbles of her gown turned transparent. But before he could get a good look at what lay beneath, the bubbles returned to their blue-green hue.
Illyia headed toward a door at the back of the shop, walking with perhaps a bit more sway in her hips than was strictly necessary, and Tresslar, Hinto, and Solus followed. Suddenly Kolbyr-curse or no curse-didn't seem like all that bad a place to the artificer.
Not bad at all.
Yvka stood across the street from a two-story building decorated with elaborate stonework. Intricate designs of sea creatures had been carved into the building's face, a quartet of granite gargoyles perched upon the roof, and a pair of manticore statues flanked a huge oak door at the top of marble steps. Casual passersby would appreciate the building's beauty, but few would realize that, should the need arise, the gargoyles and the manticores would come to swift and deadly life.
There was no sign to indicate the name or even the nature of this establishment, but then none was necessary. Only those who already knew of the Culinarian sought it out, and few of those were permitted entrance. And of and those who got inside, even fewer knew the restaurant's true nature.
Though Yvka hadn't let on to her companions, this wasn't her first time in Kolbyr. She had no specific reason for not telling them the truth, and she wasn't sure why she'd kept that information from them, and especially from Ghaji. Habit, she supposed. By necessity, operatives of the Shadow Network lived by a strict code of secrecy, but living by that code came with a price. Operatives couldn't afford to get too close to anyone, even other members of the Network. Stay silent, stay guarded, stay alone, stay safe. That was an operative's motto, and while Yvka had never come out and directly admitted to belonging to the Network, her friends knew the truth. That was why she stood out here hesitating. It was possible-no, almost certain-that the man she had come here to see was aware she'd become too close to Ghaji, Diran, and the others. The question was what, if anything, he planned to do about it.
She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and started across the street.
She walked casually, seeming relaxed and comfortable, but inside she was tense and alert. As she approached the stairs, she had to force herself not to look at the gargoyles and manticores. She could feel their cold stone eyes upon her, and though she knew it was probably her imagination, she sensed displeasure in their gazes, as if even the guardians knew of her failure to remain detached and professional.
She reached the steps, ascended them, and stopped before the oak door. There was no knob, no handle, no device for signaling those inside. Yvka simply stood there, and after several moments-a bit longer than strictly necessary, she thought-the door swung inward, and Yvka stepped inside. She found herself standing at the end of a narrow corridor lit by tiny everbright lanterns hovering close to the curved ceiling. The lanterns gave off a soft blue light that only dimly illuminated the way, but they provided more than enough light for elvish eyes to see by. Yvka started down the corridor, and she didn't look back as she heard the door close behind her with a gentle snick that sounded all too final to her ears. No one came forward to greet her, but that was normal here. If the door opened for you, you already knew you were welcome in the Culinarian.
The corridor ran straight for a few dozen yards before opening onto a vast dining hall. The hall was illuminated by cerulean everbright lanterns floating in the air to simulate an underwater environment, and saltwater aquariums filled with exotic sea creatures were placed in various locations around the hall to further enhance the illusion. A long table constructed from coral stretched the length of the hall, and spread out on its craggy surface was a buffet of seafood dishes: lobster, shrimp, squid, crab, clams, mussels, mullet, salmon, scampi, prawns, grouper, conch, blowfish, octopus, halibut, monkfish, and many more. Dishes were served raw, baked, broiled, and fried, along with a wide assortment of vegetables.
The diners sat at smaller tables in groups of two, three, or more. Like the main table, the diners' tables had been fashioned from coral, with animated centerpieces enchanted to resemble seaweed drifting in an underwater current. Servers moved constantly throughout the room, some bringing new dishes in from the kitchen, others carrying plates loaded with food to diners too lazy-or self-important-to serve themselves. The diners themselves came from all strata of society. Some were clad in expensive finery and adorned with jewelry of rare craftsmanship and incalculable value, while others were barefoot and wore torn, dirty rags that could only charitably be referred to as clothing at all. But despite the variance in dress, the rich and poor-or at least, those who appeared to be so- often sat at the same tables, talking, laughing, and behaving as equals.
Yvka stood in the great hall's entrance for a moment as she scanned the tables searching for the man she had come here to see. It didn't take her long to spot him sitting at a table alone, almost as if he had been expecting her. He probably was, Yvka thought.
Zivon was a handsome man who appeared to be in his mid-forties, though Yvka knew he was older, perhaps quite a bit so. Half-elves weren't as long-lived as full elves, but their lifespans were significantly longer than those of their human cousins. His brown hair was pulled back and bound with a leather thong, and he sported a neatly trimmed goatee with more than a bit of gray mixed in with the brown. Full elves didn't grow facial hair, but half- elves could, thanks to the human side of their ancestry. Zivon wore a fine silken robe of aquamarine with white trimming the color of sea foam, in keeping with the Culinarian's underwater theme.
Zivon smiled with what appeared to be genuine delight when he spotted Yvka and waved her over to his table. Yvka returned the smile, acknowledged the invitation with a nod, and began making her way across the room toward Zivon. As she drew near, she saw that the capillaries in the half-elf's eyes were tinted purple, and she knew that he'd been indulging in urchin-sting, a common narcotic enjoyed in the Principalities. She also knew that he was far from the only one in the great hall who had done so this day. Sitting on the table before him was a plate piled high with seafood delicacies, and before Yvka could sit across from him, a server brought her a plate similarly loaded. As soon as that servant departed, another appeared carrying a wine jug. She refilled Zivon's mug, then moved to fill the mug already sitting at Yvka's place, but the elf-woman waved the servant away and the woman moved off to tend to other diners.
As Yvka took her seat, Zivon said, 'I'm surprised you declined the wine. You know I select only the finest vintages for my cellar.' The half-elf's voice was steady, though his words were slightly slurred.
'I also know you lace your wine with urchin-sting to blunt the effects of the Fury,' Yvka said. 'I'd rather my
