Beyond the Sapphire Gate: Epic Fantasy-Some Magic Should Remain Untouched (The Flow of Power Book 1) (40 page)

“You would think so, wouldn’t you? Has he mentioned attempting to contact my sister, yet?

“No. No one has mentioned it. I would have expected this to have occurred as well, by now,” the big woman said, confusion evident in her tone.

Crystalyn stayed silent, quietly fuming. Why hadn’t Durandas mentioned from the start that he could have ordered a Contacting? She knew the answer. He’d been afraid of the very thing that had happened to Lore Rayna. Now that he’d seen her heal, that reason carried less weight, though Crystalyn wasn’t sure she could do it again, but he wasn’t aware of that. The golden symbol had held, but who could say for how long? Her white one had crumbled in seconds, but no one knew that, nor would anyone as long as she kept it to herself. So why had the Circle flatly refused to help?

LORD CHARN

The aging tavern woman thumped two mugs onto the table. She glared at Crystalyn as if holding her personally responsible for having to wear the drab, too tight clothing and work in such a dingy place. Seizing the coins Atoi had set standing on edge, she gave her a final glare and strode away.

The woman’s reaction was typical, happening whenever she found herself around women her age or older, usually when she wore new purchases. Youth and fashionable clothing triggered the female rivalry gland for some reason. Perhaps at middle season it would happen to her, too, though she preferred not to think about it now, the day had been too grand. They’d squandered some of Atoi’s wealth spending much of the day finding suitable clothing, which always seemed to be among the most expensive the merchants offered.

Atoi had paid for everything without protest, without a single scowl, but she rarely smiled either. Crystalyn hadn’t asked how the little girl always seemed to have the coin available, extracting it from a thin leather belt worn under her clothes. Did she really need to know? After all, the lacy blue dress—donned right after its purchase—did go well with her eyes. Not to mention, she would now blend in better with the locals: even the kell leather she’d got from Hastel had stood out. With the assortment of outfits they’d bought, they’d had to purchase large bags. Interestingly, silver seemed to have greater value than gold, she’d gleaned that much from their travels.

She was tired but pleasantly so. The shopping experience had been therapeutic. After a week of recovering from removing the mind worm, then another demonstrating her symbols, she’d needed to get away before she throttled the entire bloody Circle of Light, starting with the First.

Durandas had contacted the Lore Mother about her student’s recovery, but had refused to risk another worm encounter looking for Jade, not without the Lore Mother’s help, he’d finally admitted. She’d at least gotten him to commit to performing one when the old woman arrived, but only after she’d threatened to stop demonstrating her symbols for the Circle. Fervently, she prayed Durandas would stick to the bargain, though she didn’t want to put anyone in danger again, she had to locate Jade. All of her companions from the journey to Surbo she counted as friends, the Lore Mother included.

Kara Laurel’s rigorous training designed to keep her from frying precious oxygen in her blood whenever she used her symbol had gobbled up much of the past week. The training had made the demonstrations for the Circle easier, though she felt like some weird, newly discovered technology on display.

Now here they were at some seedy inn, waiting on Hastel. The Creeping Vine Inn, he’d called it. “Did the note say why Hastel wanted to meet here? Why not back at the Dome of Light, in our room?”

Atoi’s green eyes shone briefly. “I didn’t know a man would offer an explanation, particularly when it’s a drinking establishment.”

Crystalyn smiled. Atoi’s humor was old for her age, and funny. She had to keep reminding herself how ancient her young companion really was, especially now that she seemed to have gotten over her fear of being in Surbo, at least for the moment.

“To be truthful, it looks like he has started on the drinking part as scrawled as the note is. Do you want to see it? He wants us to meet him here after the fifth midday bell, which it is,” Atoi said, lifting her mug for a swallow.

Raising her own mug, Crystalyn tasted a semi-sweet red liquid with a faint acrid taste. She took a longer draught before setting it down. “I’ll accept your word on that. How long do you want to wait? Myself, I want to sort through all these wonderful clothes.”

Atoi shrugged her petite shoulders, taking another swallow.

“What about your clothes? Don’t you want to go through them, even though they look nearly identical to what you’ve been wearing lately?” Crystalyn looked at the black pants and matching shirt Atoi wore. They fit the young girl snugly and felt strong and supple when she’d handled the ones Atoi purchased. “What material is that anyway? I’ve been meaning to ask.”

Atoi glanced down at herself. “It’s a blend between black wolf and kell, expensive, but worth it. I like the way it feels on my skin. It’s rare, so only the bigger cities carry it. The wolf material is hard to come by and kept secret, but I have ways to acquire it.”

“Tell me of the kell, do I know what they are?”

Atoi regarded her over the rim of her mug. For once, the little girl seemed to be quite lucid. Atoi’s ancient entity residing in her was a keg of knowledge Crystalyn wanted to tap during those moments of lucidity. Most times, though, she didn’t know if she was talking to the shade or the child. “You may not,” one of the Atois was saying. “It’s a furry river creature found only in one place on Astura−though they are fairly abundant there−the Black Wolf Valley.”

“Well, that’s convenient for you, isn’t it? Both materials for your silky, shadow clothing gained from bloodshed in one place, does it matter to you that it’s made from living creatures?”

Atoi blinked.

Crystalyn regretted her irrational outburst almost as soon as she’d said it, even though she probably couldn’t have stopped it. Her mind spat what it would from her mouth sometimes. Nevertheless, a moody, defensive companion was the last thing she needed, right now. “Don’t answer that. We’ll save it for later. When Hastel gets here, help me pressure him into going before the Circle with me. He seems to know how to get things done. Perhaps he’ll have better luck with them. They’ve kept me waiting for days with their petty politics. I’m not asking for them to hand over the world, just a little help.”

“Your scarred companion won’t be successful,” a female voice said.

Face smooth, a dark-haired woman from the Circle of Light—who so far had argued the most against helping them—sat down. Crystalyn couldn’t recall her name, if she ever had known it. “Most of the Circle now believes as I. A Contacting would be extremely risky to those making the attempt, for the sake of finding someone who may or may not be found,” the woman went on, her light-blue eyes boring into Crystalyn’s. A hooded red shawl draped across her thin shoulders stood out over a skirted yellow tunic. Much different attire than the yellow robe she’d worn at the Assembly Hall.

“You haven’t been invited to share our table,” Atoi said, her voice low but distinct.

The woman ignored the comment, gazing at Crystalyn as if expecting something.

Crystalyn tried to recall which position the woman held on the Circle. Ninth? “Did you stop by to gloat, or tell me I’m wasting my time? I’m not giving up on finding my sister, even if I have to camp outside the Circle of Light’s bloody assembly chamber.”

The woman leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice. “A Contacting isn’t the only way to find someone on Astura. I have... other ways at my disposal, should you be interested.”

Atoi banged her mug on the table, and then leaned forward. “Don’t trust her Crystalyn. I don’t like her or any of those like her. Their assistance always comes at a steep price.”

Her smooth face unperturbed, the woman’s blue eyes stared placidly at Crystalyn, showing no indication she’d heard Atoi. She looked prepared to wait patiently through the night for a response, though a flicker of haughtiness marred her composure now and then. Tiny streaks of red pulsed along the blue of her corneas an indication of her addiction to the Flow, also a mark of her strength as a User, according to Kara Laurel. “Why would you help me?”

“I, too, have a sister.”

Good answer,
she thought. Perhaps the woman could help; she was on the Circle, and the Circle of Light was supposed to be working for the good of the White Lands. It should be safe to work with her, yet one never knew. What did the woman hope to gain by helping her?

Atoi made eye contact with Crystalyn. “How do we know she has a sister?”

Crystalyn looked to the woman. “Good question. Can you offer proof?”

Her smooth façade crumbled with a frown. “You don’t have to accept my word; my
proof
is far from here in another…city.” The woman arose. “Do as you will. I simply offered aid, nothing else.”

Crystalyn rose to her feet. “Wait! What’s your name?”

Pulling the red hood over her head, the woman paused, her face shadowed, but her pale blue eyes shone brightly before fading. “You may know me as Khiminay.”

“Okay Khiminay, how do I find my sister? What other methods are there besides a Contacting?”

“Follow me. I will answer your questions, perhaps all of them,” Khiminay said softly, walking away.

“Wait!” Crystalyn called.

Khiminay’s pace never slackened; soon she pushed through the tavern’s front doors, letting them swing closed behind her. Crystalyn scrambled to gather her bags. “Hurry, Atoi. I don’t want to lose sight of her.”

Atoi slipped her purchases over a shoulder. “I don’t know what the big hurry is,” she said, though she remained close.

Crystalyn spotted the red hood as soon as she stepped onto the market street. Winding her way to the crowd’s center, she found Khiminay’s eyes upon her, staring from the hood’s shadow. She was comfortable nestled inside the throng about her. No one jostled her, several even stumbling over each other to keep their distance. The red hood provided plenty of advance notice, practically shoving the throngs aside. Apparently, everyone in the city knew the woman, or the woman’s place on the Circle from the sight of the hood, perhaps both.

Come, I have an offer to help find Jade I don’t dare refuse,
Crystalyn sent to her link mate.

Broth loped up beside her from the side street where he’d waited. Merchants had been aghast when he accompanied them inside their store as they shuffled through clothes. The tavern may not have minded, but Crystalyn hadn’t argued when he suggested keeping vigilance in the alley.

As with Khiminay, the crowd scattered out of his way.
Exercise caution, Do’brieni. Do not let your desire cloud your judgment. This side of Surbo is relatively lawless.

Khiminay eyed Broth, but said nothing. “One of my…outlying residences is not far from the bazaar. Please follow me and stay close.” Without another word, Khiminay started down the street, striding through the crowd as if she were out for an after-dinner stroll.

Crystalyn didn’t have to work hard to stay close, at least not until Khiminay swerved into a side street heading east toward the lower-class part of Surbo. The mob thinned noticeably, allowing their guide to set a faster pace.

Crystalyn refused to run most occasions, she’d never been a runner. After a few blocks of her fastest walk, she began to wonder if she ought to run. By the time she strode through a gate leading out of the city, Khiminay had widened the gap by a hundred yards.

She finally broke into a sprint, charging past the gate and its two guards in time to spot the red hood ducking into an unobtrusive tent among an ocean of canvas. Crystalyn slowed. Roped hitching posts dotted the open space in front of many tents, some with horses tied to them, grazing passively on frugal grass below. A slight breeze brought the foul scent of waste and manure. Wrinkling her nose, Crystalyn kept her gaze fixed on Khiminay’s tent while trying to watch where she stepped.

This place has the repugnant smell of unwashed humans and equestrians.
Broth observed, echoing her sentiments and making her smile.
Wardens do not inhabit such a place, nor would we wish to spend any length of time away from our beloved forests.
Crystalyn draped her arm over his shoulder, sending feelings of fondness and sympathy into the link. She understood how hard it was to be away from family and loved ones, to be traveling through unfamiliar places, uncertain if she’d ever see home again. Tears stung her eyes, but she forced them away.

Once she stood outside the tent, she glanced at Atoi, whose tiny, white face was impassive. Not even the smell could get to her. Thankfully, the guards had remained where they were. “What is this place?”

“Surbo’s illustrious temporary city,” Atoi said, gazing into the distance as if she could see an end to the tents. Perhaps she could. Who knew what the Dark Child could do? “It was built at the beginning of the Hundred Season War as a refugee camp for the destroyed towns of Gray Dust and Grit Eye City but has been long since adopted by the Great Plains nomads and those wishing to remain anonymous from the rest of Astura. The city has persisted as landscape clutter, blocking Surbo’s easternmost gates for twice that of the war. It’s one of Astura’s seedier places, particularly after nightfall. The best part is the mighty Circle of Light has not been successful in getting them to move, though they have managed to enforce the restriction of permanent shelter construction. Bringing wood and rock across the flatlands is difficult; the distance is too great due to the Circle of Light controlling the nearby quarries. The nomads who roam the Great Plains on their horses are most comfortable in their tents anyway, preferring to pull out anytime they choose.”

“It’s been a tent city for a hundred seasons?”

“Yes, humans hold onto an infatuation with temporary cities.”

Crystalyn whistled softly wondering at Atoi’s choice of words. Or was it Atoi speaking? Likely not, since she’d spoken of humans as a different species. “What’s this place called?”

“Welcome to Rancid City. It is one of my most profitable haunts,” Atoi said. Then she blinked. “I am surprised someone like Khiminay would own a place here. Didn’t we see her on the Circle?”