The Broken Sphere

The half-elf didn't answer right away. His gaze flickered back and forth between Teldin and Julia, and he seemed to be mumbling under his breath.

'An interesting philosophy… Teldin Moore,' he said at last, stressing the name. 'And one the Marrakites of Crescent would easily understand. The followers of the True Path believe there are some people they term 'verenthestae,' who weave the strands of fortune and destiny in different patterns by their very presence.' He smiled mildly. 'An interesting question, Aldyn Brewer-or Teldin Moore. Are you verentheslae?' He shrugged. 'In any case, my captain, your old friend is speaking the truth as she knows it.'

It took Teldin a moment to comprehend what his first mate had just said. Then, 'What?'

'She did come to Crescent by chance, my friend,' Djan confirmed. 'As a Child of the Path, I have some skills in this matter. She was utterly surprised-and both saddened and elated-to find you on Crescent. Her presence here is coincidence'-he chuckled quietly-'for whatever that word is worth in the presence of verenthestae.'

Teldin closed his eyes and forced his breathing into a more normal pattern. He realized his hands were clenched into fists and forced them to relax, laying them flat on the table before him. After a few moments, he opened his eyes again and raised his gaze to Julia. With an ultimate effort, he kept his tone light as he said, 'It seems we have space in the crew for two more. Would you care to sail with us? We cast off tomorrow.'

Chapter Four

The individual who, here on Crescent, was known as Grampian watched the man before him shift uncomfortably from foot to foot. A scrawny, insignificant-looking example of his species, Grampian told himself. The man was less than average height, without much flesh on his bones, and had a face like a malnourished camp rat. Yet, here on Crescent, he was revered in certain circles as the most skilled at his specialized craft.

Grampian kept the face he'd assumed frozen into a hard expression, his cold gaze drilling into his ever- more-discomfited hireling. With every moment he could see the man's fear grow. He'd chosen his current appearance specifically based on what he'd guessed humans would find intimidating, and now Grampian was pleased that his insight had been correct.

He kept the man on tenterhooks for another few moments, then let his face relax into a half smile. 'You have completed your task, I take it?' he asked.

The man nodded quickly and prodded with his toe a leather backpack that lay on the floor before him. 'Right here, everything right here, like you asked.'

Grampian nodded. 'Good,' he pronounced. 'There were no… complications?'

The small man's confidence was obviously returning. He flashed a momentary smile, showing crooked and discolored teeth. 'No worries,' he said, 'I'm good at what I do, I tell you that. Just in and out. Nobody saw me. Nobody knows I was even there, the city guard, the librarians that run the place, nobody. Just like I was a wraith.' He paused for a moment, glancing down at the backpack at his feet. 'These books,' he went on slowly, 'they're worth a lot?'

Grampian almost laughed out loud. This sneak thief may think he's sly and subtle, Grampian thought, but he's as transparent as a fine crystal goblet. He's considering holding out for more money. The thought of someone like this extorting money from one of Grampian's kind was almost hilarious.

Yet Grampian kept his face expressionless and amusement out of his voice. 'Not as such,' he said, and almost smiled as the thief's face fell. 'They mean nothing to me.'

'Then… ?'

'Why?' Grampian found himself enjoying this. Against all his expectations, he realized he enjoyed explaining his reasoning to this mere human. 'Because they're valuable to someone else. Extremely valuable. Their only worth to me lies in the fact that, if I have them, this other can't have them. Do you understand?'

The thiefs disappointment was evident, but he nodded and forced a smile onto his face. 'So I did a good job anyway,' he suggested.

'Perhaps.' Again Grampian was silent and watched the anxiety build on the other's face. 'Perhaps you did a good job,' he said slowly, 'perhaps your efforts are worth a bonus. If you completed all of my instructions.' He pointed to the backpack. 'Did you get them all?'

'Sure I did, every last one on your list.'

'Then, why, I wonder, did the… the subject make arrangements to set sail so soon after he'd visited the library?' Grampian mused. 'It seems as if he found what he was looking for, doesn't it? But how could he, if what he was looking for is in the bag at your feet?' He leaned forward, watched with satisfaction as the thief cowered. 'You did consider the possibility of multiple copies, I take it? Stealing one copy of a book is little use if there's another on the shelves. You did think of that, didn't you?'

'Sure I did,' the thief protested in an aggrieved voice, 'I'm not an idiot.'

But you are, aren't you? Grampian told himself. He could see the guilt, the realization of his own stupidity in the man's expression. He didn't think of multiple copies.

'Maybe he… the subject… found out stuff from other books,' the thief babbled. 'There's lots of books in there. I seen them.'

Grampian sighed. Predictably, the thief was trying to excuse his failure. Of course, Grampian knew better. He understood a little about the indexing system in use at the Great Archive. There was no way that gnome-built monstrosity could have let the subject fill in the gaps left by the stolen books.

'If it's so important,' the thief was still jabbering, 'why don't you just send someone to follow this subject of yours?'

This time Grampian couldn't control his smile. 'I believe I have that covered,' he murmured, 'in several ways.' He reached into his robe and pulled out a small but heavy pouch, lofted it across the room and into the hands of the thief. 'Your payment,' he stated. 'Discuss this with no one if you want to live to spend it.'

Swallowing visibly, the thief shoved the purse into his own belt pouch. He bent to pick up the backpack.

Grampian's sharp order stopped him. 'And leave the books.'

With a quick bobbing of his head-a gesture that reminded Grampian even more of a man-sized rodent-the thief turned and fled the room.

As the door shut behind the thief, Grampian sighed. It was a good plan, he mused to himself. My mistake was to entrust it to an incompetent. But no matter.

He let his magical disguise drop away, stretched the stiffness out of the limbs of his true form. No matter, he thought again. Every good plan covers contingencies, and this is no exception.

If any humans had been standing in the hall outside the room, they wouldn't have known how to interpret the strange, coughing sound coming from the other side of the door. A member of Grampian's race would have recognized it at once, however. Grampian was laughing.

*****

'Captain Brewer?'

Standing atop the sterncastle, Teldin brought his mind back to the present with a start. He looked over to where one of his new crewmen, a rough-looking half-orc, was standing at the top of one of the ladders leading down to the main deck. Although the fellow looked easily powerful enough to tear the Cloakmaster's arm off and beat him to death with it, the man was shifting uneasily from foot to foot as though uncomfortable in the presence of such an august personage as the squid ship's captain.

'Yes?' Teldin asked, suppressing a smile.

The half-ore tugged at his forelock. 'First mate's compliments, Captain,' he said carefully, as though reciting something he'd memorized, 'and he wants to see you down on the wharf, at your earliest convenience.'

Teldin nodded. 'Thanks,… Dargeth, isn't it?'

Dargeth bobbed his head enthusiastically, as though awed that his captain remembered his name. Then he