Into the Void

Teldin realized he'd been holding his breath. He emptied his lungs with an audible sigh. He'd found the creators….

So why, then, was he feeling uncomfortable? He couldn't isolate the feeling, couldn't examine it, but it was there and it was strong. There's something very wrong here, he told himself. He needed time to think. And, he realized, he needed to keep the arcane talking. 'How do you know that?' he temporized.

'Do you see the pattern in the weave of the lining?'

T'k'Pek asked. 'The three-petaled flower? That flower is a symbol widely used by, and widely associated with, my race. See?' The arcane extended his left hand. Around one of its long, multijointed fingers was a heavy ring of gold. The top of the ring was flat, like a signet ring, and bore a design. The pattern was complex, but at its center was, unmistakably, the trilaterally symmetrical flower woven into the cloak's lining.

'That flower is unique to the arcane?' Teldin asked-more to give himself time to think than because he wanted to hear the creature's answer.

'That is so,' T'k'Pek told him. 'That representation of the flower is used only by my race.'

T'k'Pek's lying! The thought was so strong that, for a moment, Teldin imagined he was 'hearing' Estriss's mental voice. He quickly realized, though, that the thought was his own. His eyes locked with those of the blue giant. Why do I think you're lying to me? he asked silently. No, the real question is, Why are you lying? If T'k'Pek were human, Teldin might have seen some reaction in his eyes. But the eyes that looked back were steady, cold, and very alien. He suddenly recalled a comment his grandfather had once made about a man that they both knew and disliked: 'If the eyes are windows to the soul, he's learned how to close the shutters.'

Teldin heard someone shifting behind him: Aelfred, it had to be. He could sense his large friend's puzzlement. He wants to know why I don't ask the arcane to remove the cloak, Teldin reflected, but I can't, not yet. The next thought was like a cold wind blowing through his soul: Maybe the arcane could do it.

T'k'Pek was still watching him silently. If the arcane sensed his deliberation, he gave no sign.

'So the cloak is an arcane magical device,' Teldin said slowly. 'Tell me about its powers. What can it do?'

'There are many such cloaks,' the arcane said easily. 'Most are made for specific purposes, so their powers vary. This only makes sense.'

'Give me some examples,' Teldin pressed.

The giant's eyes shifted; for the first time he seemed uncomfortable. 'The powers vary,' he said again. 'None are greatly significant: protection against cold, perhaps, or immunity to fire.' His eyes were now fixed unblinkingly on Teldin's. Watching for a reaction? Teldin wondered, like a fake fortuneteller watching for a clue to better tailor the story? 'Some may allow their wearers to fly, or maybe to breathe in the void. The cloak's power will probably be something minor along those lines.'

'Power,' Teldin mused. 'Each cloak will only have one power?'

'Not necessarily,' T'k'Pek replied quickly. 'Again, the cloaks will vary. As I say, my people create them for different purposes.'

Teldin nodded. He suddenly felt very tired, very old. He knew what he was going to do, and that knowledge was like a heavy burden on his shoulders. Once more, his gaze met the arcane's. 'I understand,' he said quietly. 'Thank you for your time. I appreciate your help.'

The arcane's eyes opened wide in surprise, a ludicrous contrast to the creature's uninflected voice. 'You want nothing more?' he asked.

'No,' Teldin told him honestly. 'I apologize for the inconvenience. Again, thank you.' He turned away. Neither Aelfred nor Estriss said anything, but their looks were questioning. Teldin shook his head.

'Wait.' For the first time, there was a trace of intensity in the arcane's voice. Teldin turned back. 'The cloak was created by my race,' T'k'Pek said. 'I would like it returned. I wish to purchase the cloak from you.'

'I'm sorry.' Teldin shook his head. 'It's not for sale.'

T'k'Pek was shifting uncomfortably in his chair. The arcane looked almost desperate. 'I offer you a price of fifty thousand gold pieces,' the creature said.

Teldin wasn't familiar with Toril's currency, so the offer made no sense to him, but from Aelfred's startled reaction, he realized that it must be a huge sum. 'I'm sorry,' he said, turning away.

'One hundred thousand gold pieces.'

Teldin didn't even turn back. Estriss was watching him closely. Aelfred leaned closer and whispered, 'One hundred thousand! You could buy the Probe and have enough left over to buy your girlfriend a new mosquito.' Teldin shook his head. The other two followed-a little unwillingly, in Aelfred's case-as he headed for the door.

'Name your price.' The arcane's voice had taken on a sharp edge of desperation.

'Thank you for your time, T'k'Pek,' Teldin said. 'I'll be in touch.'

Neither Aelfred nor Estriss spoke to him on the return flight to Rauthaven or the trip back to the Probe. Teldin was glad for the silence. He had a lot to think about. On returning to the hammership, he left the others and went below to the officers' saloon. Rianna had headed into the city on a shopping trip, he'd been told. It was just as well, he figured. While he'd have welcomed seeing her, he knew she'd have asked him questions that he couldn't even answer for himself yet. He pulled a chair to his normal place near the circular port and settled himself comfortably. The ship's gentle rocking relaxed him, cleared his mind.

What in the Abyss am I doing? he berated himself. The arcane made the cloak; the pattern's the same as the one on T'k'Pek's ring. Why didn't I ask the giant to remove it?

Partly because T'k'Pek lied, he answered himself. That flower isn't exclusively an arcane symbol. T'k'Pek couldn't answer my questions. He just tried to tell me what he thought I wanted to hear. He didn't even guess that I needed the cloak removed.

Or that I was disguised! he finished. That was the most telling point, Teldin thought. The arcane had sensed somehow that Estriss had shapechanged, but not him. Why not? Particularly if the cloak-and its powers-were created by T'k'Pek's own people? Shouldn't the creature be more attuned to the powers of his own race's artifacts?

He sighed and fingered the cloak's hem. The material was thin, almost weightless, but now the garment seemed to weigh down on him like a millstone around his neck. I should be free of this, he told himself.

At least his decision wasn't irrevocable. That was his one consolation. If he'd had the arcane remove the cloak-provided he could remove it-and handed it over, then found he'd been wrong, there would be nothing he could do. This way, he still had a chance to change his mind. He could always contact T'k'Pek- the arcane's eagerness to pay a king's ransom reassured him that he'd have little trouble setting up another meeting-and ask for the creature's help with the cloak. The blue-skinned giant wouldn't be leaving Rauthaven until after the auction the next morning.

Teldin forced himself to relax. He still had time.

Chapter Thirteen

Teldin spent the night aboard the Probe. The three gnomes were ashore-presumably still tracking down material for their invention-so he had the cabin to himself. At around midnight, Rianna returned from town, as excited as a child at her purchases. Mostly she'd bought clothes for herself, ranging from demure to downright naughty, and she hinted at how much she was looking forward to sufficient privacy to model them for Teldin properly. She'd also picked up a gift for him: a short sword with an elaborately gold-chased hilt, which she slipped into his scabbard. When he remarked that it looked too expensive, she feigned anger. 'It's my money I'm spending, Teldin Moore,' she told him, hands on her hips, 'and if I think you're worthy of what that gift cost, then you're worthy of it. Anyway-' her frown broke into a jesting smile '-who's to say I didn't steal it from the hip of some sellsword who tried to win my favors?'

They spent the rest of the night in each other's arms. Although he could tell from her manner that she wanted to know how his meeting with the arcane had gone, she apparently sensed his confusion and didn't raise the issue. Teldin appreciated this, another indication of the woman's sensitivity-as if he needed anything more after her reaction to learning his true identity. As they finally drifted into sleep, he found himself wondering how he'd ever