“I will do that,” Keris said. “You still don’t wish for Shann and the others to know what you’re planning.”
“No. I have my reasons.”
Laughter drifted over from the direction of the gangway. Shann and Oliah appeared together, locked in animated conversation. The day after their encounter with Patris, Oliah had shown up at the Calandra and introduced herself as one of Patris’ ‘business associates,’ which was to say that she, too, was a street thief. The unlikely pair had hit it off and were now virtually inseparable. Alondo was involved too, although Lyall had firmly told himself that it was none of his business.
The girls were both small and slight, although Oliah was a little older and had short fair hair. They could easily have been taken for sisters. Shann sauntered up to Lyall and Keris with a spring in her step. Oliah was hanging back, peeking out from beneath her delicate eyelids with a coy expression. “Have you seen Alondo?” Shann asked Lyall casually.
“I left him below.” The girls turned tail and left together, arm in arm. “Don’t take him away from his work,” Lyall called out after them.
“We won’t,” Shann promised. Both girls erupted again in peals of laughter.
Lyall and Keris stood side by side, watching them go. Finally Keris spoke under her breath. “They have no idea what they are facing.”
For once, Lyall was in complete agreement with her. He felt an odd twinge. Worry? Regret? Fear? And once more, the spectre of the decision he would soon have to make rose in his consciousness like a maralah, its four penetrating eyes demanding his attention. Not yet.
There was a further sound coming from the direction of the gangway, but this time it was not laughter. A shout of greeting. Two more in acknowledgement. Patris’ narrow face and hook nose were followed by his slim body, clothed in an expensive looking purple and yellow suit. He hurried towards them across the deck. He was all smiles. “Good news,” he beamed, “Your lodestone is here.”
~
The wharf area–the very heart of the port city of Sakara. By night, a place of scarlet pools. Of secret shadows. A tall, broad man stepped forth from one. He strode purposefully to the edge of the dock. Ships great and small lay alongside one another, framed as silhouettes against the dimly lit cloudscape. Their hulls creaked gently like a row of old men turning over in bed. Waves lapped gently against the breakwater.
Most of the gangways had been taken up, but one had been left conspicuously rolled out. It vanished into the bowels of one of the larger vessels. Inviting. The man moved silently up the gangway and into the dark recess of an upper deck.
He paused a moment to allow his eyes to become accustomed to the gloom; a tiny point of light was visible towards one corner. The man headed for it, ducking carefully to avoid the low beam work. The light gradually resolved into a flickering candle, set in the centre of a small round table. Before the table were two stools, one of which was occupied by a figure in a dark, close fitting jacket. The candlelight cast his features in sharp relief. One hand was by his side; the other rested on the table, revealing a bronze ring on his index finger, set with a black stone. He motioned to the other stool and the broad man took a seat.
The man at the table raised his Ringed hand. “Fealty and service to the Three and the One.”
“Fealty and service,” the newcomer intoned.
“My Lord, Saccath,” the man at the table began. It is good to meet you at last. I am called Girmala. I have the honour to be the eyes and ears of the Prophet in this city. I have been informed of your arrival by the keep at Chalimar. I am to do all in my power to assist you.”
Saccath nodded slowly. “Very good. You have been briefed as to my mission here?”
“Somewhat,” Girmala affirmed. “I am aware that you are pursuing the renegade, Keris. Armed with that intelligence, and in anticipation of your arrival, I have had the subject under surveillance for a number of days. The group she is travelling with is staying at the Calandra. What is not clear, however, is the reason for their presence here. They appear to have allied themselves with one of the thief gangs.” He screwed his face up. “It is difficult to believe that a servant of the Prophet would consort with such people.”
Saccath ignored the man’s thinly disguised attempts to curry favour. It had been a long journey here and he did not have time to waste. He needed information, information that would enable him to deal finally with Keris. Murderer of Nikome and Mordal. Traitor to the Prophet. Betrayer of everything she stood for. Somehow she and the group she was travelling with had survived the Pits of Kharthrun. He had promised Mevan and himself that if any of them reached Sakara, then he would see to it that that would be the end of their journey. He intended to make good on that promise. “What else have you discovered?”
“They have purchased a ship and appear to be modifying it, although I cannot say to what purpose. Their destination, too, is something of a mystery. Most curious of all, they have acquired a quantity of lodestone.”
Saccath’s ears pricked up. “How is that possible?”
“We do not know. We… were unable to track the source.” Girmala’s eyes flicked to the other man and then down at the table.
Saccath did not care about delivering a rebuke. The Guilds were supposed to be prohibited from acquiring or trading in lodestone. Clearly the authorities in Chalimar had underestimated their resourcefulness–and their treachery. He would have to report the matter in due course. For now though, he did not care about anything other than his quarry. His eyes became distant. “Why would she require lodestone?”
Girmala took the question as addressed to him. “I will investigate.”
Saccath roused himself. “No…no, I want you to take the woman Keris into custody as soon as possible. I will interrogate her myself. She must be taken without interference from the city watch.”
Girmala smiled; shadows cast by the candlelight lent his face a ghoulish appearance. “Do not concern yourself, Lord. We have done this sort of thing a number of times before at the behest of the Unan-Chinneroth. We are quite good at what we do.”
Girmala was a little too self-assured, a little too complacent. His use of the Prophet’s formal name was calculated to impress. It had the reverse effect. Saccath found that his dislike of the other man was growing by the moment. This had to be done right. There was no room for mistakes. He leaned forward, the single flame reflected in each eye. “Listen carefully. This woman is no mere petty thief or corrupt city official. She is one of our own, a trained Keltar with skills well in excess of those of your men. Even unarmed, she will not be taken easily. The operation will need to be well planned.”
Girmala’s smile vanished. “It will be as you command.” He paused, weighing his next words carefully. “We have discovered a further piece of information that may be of use, my Lord. It seems that one of those travelling with her–the coward who attacked a Keltar in Corte and then fled–has been identified as the same person who led an attack on Persillan eleven turns ago. The Prophet has a special interest in him. In fact, his sister is being held in custody at a secret location, in the hopes that he would show his face again.”
“I see. Well, we will deal with the rest of them, as soon as the woman Keris is out of the way,”
“Understood.”
Saccath rose from his stool and turned to leave. He heard Girmala’s voice behind him. “What will happen to her?”
Saccath did not turn around. “She will not leave this city alive.” He strode off into the darkness, leaving the other man seated alone at the candlelit table. Girmala leaned forward, cupped the flame gently in one hand as if it were a life, and blew it out.
~
“We sail on the morning tide.”
Lyall made the announcement to the gathering seated in the back room of the Calandra that had become their unofficial meeting place. Keris and Patris were off making final arrangements and were expected shortly. Shann and Boxx sat on one side of the table; Alondo and Oliah were
on the other. Oliah’s eyes were red rimmed, as if she had been crying. She kept looking at her hands.
Lyall and Alondo had been friends since childhood. The musician’s ready smile and easy manner had led him into numerous close friendships with women, but none that Lyall could recall as being serious–until now. Lyall was grateful in a way, since it made the decision he had come to, the decision he was going to have to announce a little later this evening, somewhat easier.
Before that however, there were two small but important matters to deal with. The first was purely to do with morale. He smiled at the group. “Our ship needs a name.”
“It already has a name–the Soraya,” Shann reminded him.
“The ship is ours now.” Lyall pointed out. “Besides, a ‘soraya’ is a sea creature with four eyes and tentacles.”
Alondo had a puzzled look. “I thought it was the name of a local soup?”
“It is,” Lyall confirmed. “That’s what’s in the soup.”
Alondo suddenly looked ill. “That’s what I had for breakfast. No wonder no-one would answer me when I asked what the bits were.”
Shann stifled a giggle.
“Well, I think we can do better. Suggestions, people?”
Alondo and Shann looked at each other. Shann’s face lit up. “How about Stormchaser?”
“I like it,” Alondo beamed.
“So do I. However, I don’t think we want to give Patris quite such an obvious clue to our intentions, do we?” asked Lyall. Shann and Alondo both shook their heads.
Alondo interrupted the silence. “We could name her after Oliah, here.” Oliah squeezed his hand, looked up into his face and smiled.
“Annata.” All eyes turned to look at the Chandara.
Lyall nodded. “That seems good. After all, it is she who started us on this journey. It’s a reminder of why we are all here.”
“Annata’s Reach,” Shann added.
“Perfect. Are we all agreed?” There were nods from around the table. Lyall broke the top off a bottle of narrian wine and filled five goblets. He raised one. “The Annata’s Reach.”
“Annata’s Reach,” the others chorused.
Lyall put down his goblet. “Well now that that’s decided, there is another thing for us to take care of.” He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it carefully. Set within it were the two Speaker Rings that Keris had acquired back in Gort. “I think it is time for us to put these to use. Alondo has explained to Oliah where we are going. She has agreed not to tell Patris. She has also agreed to care for the Speaker Ring on this side, to keep us informed of developments here. Of course, we cannot be certain that the Ring will function across the Great Barrier, but Keris and I both feel that it is worth the risk.”
He passed one Ring to Alondo, who took Oliah’s hand and put it on her finger. The fair haired girl was looking up at him all the while.
“The Rings must first be Linked.” Lyall handed the second Ring to Alondo.
“What do I do?” Alondo asked.
“Hold the Rings against each other so that the stones touch.”
Alondo touched the Ring to the one on Oliah’s hand. They looked into one another’s eyes. After a moment an ethereal green light filled the space between them. Finally, the light died. Alondo handed the second Ring back to Lyall, who placed it back in the box and closed the lid. Oliah looked down at the Ring on her finger as if it were a thing of wonder.
“Thank you,” Lyall addressed her. “We will be relying on you.”
“I will not let you down,” she said.
“I have one more favour to ask. I need to talk to Shann and Alondo alone for a moment. Is that all right?”
Oliah smiled bravely. “Of course. Come on, Boxx.”
When the two had left, Lyall looked at Shann and Alondo in turn. Now that the moment he was dreading had finally come, he found himself torn by indecision. A part of him wanted to excuse himself. To say it was nothing, that it had all been a mistake. But he was locked onto a path that allowed no turning. He pressed on. “You have both been an essential part of this journey so far. I could not have asked for braver companions.” He paused, looking down at the table; then raised his head to look into their eyes once more. “Or truer friends.
“Now we are facing our greatest challenge yet. To save this world, we must attempt to cross the Great Barrier of Storms. Yet, even in spite of all of our planning and preparation, we may not survive. That is why I have decided…that the two of you should stay behind.”
“No!” It was Shann who reacted. Alondo just looked stunned.
“I have thought about this carefully,” Lyall pushed forward. “Boxx is essential to the fulfilment of Annata’s plan. He will only deal with Keris, so she has to come, too. Besides, there seems to be no safe place left for her here. Patris is needed to sail the ship. As for the two of you–well there is no compelling reason to risk your lives further. Besides, Alondo has…ties here now.”
“Oliah and I have already discussed this together,” Alondo said. “She believes in what we are doing and she wants me to go.”
Lyall had a wry expression. “You know little about women, my friend. She will tell you what you wish to hear, but I was watching her tonight. Her face betrays her true feelings.”
“This is about what happened at Persillan again, isn’t it?”
Lyall felt Alondo’s words hit home. “It has nothing to do with that. I simply will not risk more lives than is absolutely necessary.”
“Persillan?” Shann asked.
“It’s something that happened a long time ago, Shann. It has no bearing here.” Lyall looked at Alondo, willing him to silence.
Shann pulled down the collar of her tunic, exposing the bare olive flesh of her neck. The flame brand was clearly visible, the mark that he had put there with his own hand. “I got this trying to free the tributes at Gort from slavery to the Prophet. I am coming with you, whatever. Unless you intend to throw me off the ship.”
Alondo leaned forward. “That goes for me, too.”
Lyall looked at their earnest faces and felt his heart melt. His best friend and the girl who had saved his life twice. How could he forgive himself if anything happened to them? He wanted to plead with them both–to beg them not to add to his pain. Alondo was right. It was the pain associated with those events eleven turns ago that had shaped his life ever since. That pain had compelled him to attack a Keltar in Corte and to try in vain to free the tributes at Gort. Now it was driving him to hurl himself at the Great Barrier itself. Aune. Are you still alive somewhere? Will I ever see you again?
In that moment, the door flew open, and Patris appeared. His breath was short and his eyes were grave. “Keris–she’s disappeared.”
Chapter 29
The room at the back of the Calandra seemed crowded. Shann, Lyall, Alondo and Boxx were joined by members of the thief gang. Oliah’s arm was linked in Alondo’s and the girl seemed to be leaning against him for security.
Shann too felt conflicted, but for different reasons. If the Prophet’s men had indeed snatched Keris, then that would suggest that her claims to have broken her ties with Chalimar were genuine. However, she could just as easily have gone with them voluntarily to make it look as if she had been kidnapped–perhaps as a last ditch attempt to delay their departure? If that were the case, then the best thing to do would be to leave her in the company of her Keltar friends and sail without her. However, something told her that Lyall would never agree to that.
Patris stood at the head of the table. “They have her at one of their safe houses.”
“Safe houses?” Lyall asked.
“The Prophet’s agents have several business fronts and safe houses in the city,” Patris explained. “Your companion is being held at one on Cyrran Street, near where the shipwright’s office is located.”
“Then we must go there and free her,” Lyall said.
Patris shook his head. “That would be unwise. She is b
eing held on the uppermost floor and there are guards on each level. You would not get anywhere near.”
Lyall frowned. “What do you suggest?”
“I am not sure–I don’t see how I can help you. Our thief company is a co-operative–I can’t order them to undertake a mission such as this and to be honest; I wouldn’t even if I could. To do so could lead to open war with the Prophet’s forces here in Sakara–a war that we have neither the people nor the resources to sustain. I’m sorry. I won’t do it.”
“We could get straight to the top floor.” Shut up, you fool, Shann berated herself. Yet despite her misgivings, it still felt wrong to abandon someone–even Keris.
Lyall appeared lost in thought. Then he turned to Patris. He seemed to be weighing his words carefully. “I appreciate your situation. However, we must attempt a rescue of our companion. As you say, there is an element of risk. And…you have not yet been paid for your services on our behalf. If we were to meet up with an accident–”
“That would be most unfortunate,” Patris completed the thought.
“Yes,” Lyall said. “Yes it would…Of course, our chances of success might well be enhanced if there were some sort of unforeseen diversion–say for instance, a fire suddenly breaking out in an adjacent building?”
Patris quirked one side of his mouth. “I believe there is a blacksmith’s shop next door. It’s quite possible that a stray ember might spark a blaze of sizeable proportions.”
“Might such an accident occur later this evening?” Lyall probed.
“It’s a distinct possibility.”
“Then we have an understanding?”
“I believe so–oh, by the way, I wonder if you would excuse me. I have suddenly remembered some pressing business I must attend to.”
“By all means. Don’t forget to be aboard the ship by first light. Our departure will prove to be…somewhat hasty, I would think.”