The Ambassador's Mission

The floor was loose gravelly rock, and he half slid down into the space. Looking around, he saw only darkness and the hint of walls all around. He paused as Unh slid down to join him, then he increased the strength of the light...

... and ducked as walls of glittering gemstones shone back at him. A sound echoed in the room, and he realised he had let out a wordless exclamation of fear.

No relentless strikes came. He was breathing heavily, his heart hammering in his chest.

“You seen something like this before,” Unh stated. He was regarding Dannyl with interest.

Dannyl looked at him. “Yes.” No point denying it. His reaction had been nothing less than obvious.

“This not dangerous.”

The man spoke with certainty and authority. Now it was Dannyl’s turn to look at his companion with curiosity.

“You know what this is?”

Unh nodded and looked around, his expression knowing and happy. “Yes. These stones have no power. They have not been raised to have power. They are natural. Safe.”

“So... the stones in the place I was in before were made to be dangerous?”

“Yes. By people. Where was this place?”

“In Elyne. Beneath an ancient ruined city.”

Unh nodded again. “A people once lived in the mountains here. They knew the secret of the stones. But they are gone. All things end.” He shook his head. “Not all,” he corrected. “A few secrets Duna kept.”

“You know how to make gemstones with magic in them?”

“Not me. Some of my people. Trusted ones.” His expression darkened. “And Traitors. Long ago they came and made a pact. But they broke it and stole the secrets. That is why I help the Sachakans, even after what they do to my people. The Duna not forgiven the Traitors.”

“Do the Traitors know how to make caves like the one in Elyne?” Dannyl asked. If he’d known that, he’d never have entered this one like some child exploring for fun.

“No,” Unh replied. “Nobody knows that. Even the Duna forget some things.”

“That’s one thing probably best forgotten.”

“Yes.” Unh grinned. “I like you, Kyralian.”

Dannyl blinked in surprise. “Thank you. I like you, too.”

The man turned away. “We get back to camp now. I found trail.”

It was much harder to get out of the cave than into it, with the stones sliding out from under their feet, but the tribesman set his toes into the rough surface of one side of the crack and climbed out that way. Dannyl created a small disc of magic under his feet and levitated out. Unh seemed to find this very funny.

The walk back to camp was much quicker, since Unh no longer needed to stop and examine the ground. Dannyl was relieved to find that the magicians had let their slaves go to sleep, sprawled on the ground behind them. They were drinking some sort of liquor from the ornate cups each had brought with them. Dannyl accepted a measure of the fiery liquid. He only half listened to their conversation about an Ashaki’s son who had no skill as a trader and was going to ruin his family.

His mind kept returning to the fear that had coursed through him when he’d seen the walls of gemstones. I never even thought to wonder the worth of them as mere jewels, even after I calmed down. Hmm. I don’t think I did last time, either. But then, I was rather distracted...

A memory flashed through his mind of waking up utterly drained of power. Of Tayend, and the realisation of what he’d been hiding from himself for most of his life. That he was a “lad.” That he loved Tayend.

He felt a wave of sadness. A pity we had to change so much. Instead of growing around each other like that romantic notion of couples being like entwined trees, we became uncomfortably tangled, competing for water and soil.

He snorted softly. Such sentimental imagery was more the taste of Tayend’s poet friends. He looked at the Sachakans and Unh. They’d find such notions foolish, though in quite different ways.

Do the Traitors know of the cave? Unh said the crack was recent. I doubt the Sachakans do. From what I recall, the Duna’s main trade is selling gemstones. I wonder if Unh plans to come back with some of his people and harvest them before the Traitors discover them.

Then he recalled what Unh had said. The Duna knew how to make gemstones with magical properties. It was hard to imagine that a people like his could have access to such rare knowledge, yet live a simple, nomadic life.

Maybe it’s not all that simple, after all.

How was it that the Traitors could have such power, but have never left their hidden city? Clearly there were limitations to the gemstones. Maybe they had to be fixed to a surface, in a cave, in great numbers, in order to be an effective weapon.

The records of the storestone did not say it was fixed to anything. If it had been, removing it would have made it worthless. So why bother chasing after the thief?

Lorkin would be very interested to know what he’d learned tonight. But Lorkin was with the Traitors...

... and the Traitors had knowledge of magical gemstones.

Dannyl caught his breath.

Suddenly he understood something that was going to cause him considerable awkwardness with the men he was with, the Sachakan king, the Guild and, not the least, Lorkin’s mother.

Suddenly he understood there was a good chance Lorkin did not want to be found.

Not long after dawn, Savara had called a halt on a high, exposed ridge. The way had grown steeper and more rugged through the night, and all of the Traitors in their group had used tiny, faint lights hovering close to the ground to illuminate the way. After posting guards and sending out scouts, she told the rest of the group to settle just beyond the crest of the ridge, out of sight, and try to sleep.

“Our pursuers are several hours behind us now,” she said. “They’ll have to stop to rest, too, and they’re not as used to moving about in such rough territory as we are. We’ll continue on after sunset.”

The rest of the Traitors wore small packs like the ones Lorkin, Tyvara and Chari had carried since leaving the cart. He now discovered what the rolled-up bundles of thick fabric were. They were unrolling them for use as a mattress. He’d assumed they were some sort of blanket. But it made sense they’d carry a mattress over a blanket: magicians could heat the air but they couldn’t make the ground any softer.

Certainly not around here, he thought as he stretched out next to Chari and Tyvara. The area was all rock and stones, with the occasional twisted tree. Hearing footsteps, he turned to see Savara approaching and quickly got up again.

“I’ve considered your proposal and consulted with the queen,” she told him. Via a blood ring, no doubt, he thought. “If you still wish to accompany us to Sanctuary she will allow it. But she will not be the one to decide if you will be permitted to leave again. That decision will be made by vote, which makes it likely you will have to stay. Many Traitors will fear you will reveal the location of the city if we let you go.”

Lorkin nodded. “I understand.”

“Take some time to think about it,” she said. “But I will need your decision before we leave tonight.”

She moved away, climbing to the top of the ridge and sitting in the shadow of a large boulder. Keeping watch, Lorkin decided. He lay down again, despite knowing he wouldn’t be able to sleep with such a decision to make.

“Nobody would think badly of you if you went home,” a voice said nearby.

He rolled over to see Chari watching him, one arm beneath her head as a pillow.

“This other faction – the one that sent someone to kill me – will they try it again if I go to Sanctuary?” he asked.

“No,” she answered without hesitation. “One of our queens decided long ago that there can be no such thing as assassination in Sanctuary. I think a few of our people decided that if it was a good political tool outside of Sanctuary it would be so inside it too. In Sanctuary, murder is murder, except when it’s execution, which is the punishment for murder.”

Lorkin nodded. Which is what Tyvara is facing.