Lightnings Daughter (21 page)

"I wonder how much cooperation the Fon is getting from the Pra Deshians,” said Athlone.

"We'll find out tonight from Khan'di,” Gabria said.

The chieftain nodded once. "If he comes."

The travelers rode on in silence. After a while, the road curved away from the river and left the busy market streets behind. The riders passed through an entertainment district of theaters, libraries, and a huge amphitheater to a quieter residential area. The houses here were two-story stone and wood edifices set back from the streets behind privacy walls. The houses were older and showed signs of age, but most of them were well-maintained and their gardens overflowed with flowers.

The road began to rise up a gradual slope until abruptly the riders reached the old city wall. There was a wide gap between the houses and the towering wall, and Gabria felt vulnerable as she rode across the open space to the gate. The Sun Door was a high, arched entrance with two tal gatehouses to either side. A rising sun was carved on the huge wooden door that stood open to allow traffic to pass. More soldiers, these wearing the red of the Fon's own guard, stood on both sides of the entrance and careful y scrutinized those who passed through.

They ignored the glares and the ugly remarks hurled at them by the city people who went by, but they kept their hands on their swords at all times.

As unhappy as she was to leave Nara, Gabria was glad now the Hunnuli mare had stayed behind.

The guards would have noticed the huge black horse instantly. As it was, they still paid more attention to Gabria and her companions than she cared for as she and the two men rode by.

Athlone nodded to one guard and passed under the arched gateway as if he'd done it al his life.

Bregan and Gabria were quick to follow. The road led them deep into the maze of crowded, crumbling houses and dark al eys of the old city. Then, unexpectedly, the road split. The right hand way led uphil , and the left gradually dropped down toward the harbor.

Athlone reined his horse to a stop in the middle of the fork and studied each road.

"Which way, Lord?" Bregan asked, coming up beside him.

"Khan'di said to look for the tall buildings with the flags,” said Gabria. "But I don't see any."

The three gazed at the city around them. To their right and atop a huge hil sat the temple of Elaja, its white columns and facade shining in the late afternoon sun. On a neighboring hil to the south was the magnificent palace of the Fon. Even from a distance the riders could see the palace's multi-storied wings and the crenellated wall that surrounded the huge edifice.

Several buildings close by seemed to be barracks, and Athlone thought there was a dangerously large number of soldiers about. The presence of so many armed men around them alarmed him, so thinking quickly, Athlone spurred his horse to the left fork and trotted downhil . To his relief, the way opened up after a block or so, and he saw the ful expanse of the busy harbor. At the bottom of the hil , just outside the city walls, were rows of tall buildings, each flying a different colored flag. Beyond those were the teeming wharves and the great crescent-shaped harbor.

Athlone allowed himself a grin of relief. He had not fancied the idea of asking a guardsman for directions. By the time the riders reached the rows of warehouses, the sun had sunk below the tops of the hills, the sign for laborers and workers to end their day. Athlone, Bregan, and Gabria found Keth and Valar loitering in the shadow of an al ey between two warehouses. From there they watched the wool house and kept track of the workers as they left.

"Where's Piers?" Athlone asked when he dismounted.

Keth shrugged. "I don't know. We haven't seen him or the Turic."

"You don't think he's lost,” said Valar.

Athlone scratched his beard. "I doubt it. Piers knows this city better than any of us."

"Maybe he went to find old ghosts,” Gabria said, as if to herself. The men glanced at her in surprise.

"Well, we can't look for him. He'l have to make it here on his own,” the chieftain noted. He took his place in the alley and waited for the remaining workers to leave the warehouse.

Twilight settled into the streets of Pra Desh, and the warehouse workers slowly filtered out and left. No one noticed the five riders waiting in the heavy shadows between the buildings.

At last the street was empty. Athlone was about to approach the warehouse when three horses, two packhorses, and a dog jogged down the street. The chief stepped out to meet them.

"Where have you been?" Athlone demalJ.ded.

"Gathering information of our own,” Piers answered. He helped Tam down from the horse.

Athlone crossed his arms. He had been more worried than angry. "You could have been betrayed to the guard."

"Not by the people I talked to."

"You real y don't trust him, do you?" asked the chieftain.

"Khan'di?" Piers's shoulders shifted slightly under his healer's robes. "Yes and no. I trust him only as long as we are useful to him."

Athlone agreed. "All right. Listen to him tonight and tell me afterward what you think."

The healer nodded with satisfaction. He had dreaded the possibility that Gabria was walking into a clever trap set by the Fon, a trap that sported Khan'di Kadoa as bait. Two magic-wielders would be an invincible weapon in the Fon's hands. But after what Piers had heard this afternoon from old friends and connections in the Healers' Guild, he doubted Khan'di was planning to betray Gabria.

It was common knowledge around the city that the Kadoa family had suffered severe financial losses because of the Fon.

Khan’di's wife and son were in hiding, and several other family members had been arrested and had subsequently disappeared into the depths of the palace. The powerful Kadoa family had no reason to love the Fon and every reason to dispose of her. Several contacts had even hinted to Piers that Khan'di, as the most influential nobleman left in Pra Desh, stood a chance of assuming the coronet of the Fon if she were removed. Piers knew his former friend well enough to know that possibility alone would be enough to ensure Khan'di's trustworthiness. The healer patted his mare thoughtful y. He would be very interested in hearing what Khan'di had to say tonight.

At a word from Athlone, Piers handed his reins to Sayyed and followed the chieftain toward the fifth warehouse. The others stayed behind to wait.

The huge timbered building loomed above them, dark and strange in the deepening twilight. The warehouse's big wooden sign creaked in the night breeze. Athlone stifled a shiver as he looked up at the building. Its unfamiliar size and blank walls made him distinctly uncomfortable.

He was about to knock on the warehouse entrance when the door was whisked open and a short, portly man rushed out. The man was going so fast he did not see Athlone and slammed full force into the big Khulinin. Both men grunted and staggered back. The stranger would have fallen if Piers had not caught him.

The man gasped at the sight of the two strangers at his door and threw his hands up in alarm. The hand lamp he was carrying swayed wildly.

"It's all right," Athlone hastened to explain. "Khan'di sent us."

The sound of that name seemed to reassure the man, for he straightened up and looked closely at the two men in the light of his lamp. When he saw the healer's face, he lit up in amazement. "Piers Arganosta! I thought you were dead!"

Piers grimaced. "I've heard that a lot today."

"You probably don't remember me,” the Pra Deshian said with a grin. "I was quite a bit thinner in those days."

The healer studied the other's face for a moment, then he smiled in recognition. "Lord Athlone, this is Sengi Kadoa, Khan'di's younger cousin and a page to the Fon."

"The old Fon,” Sengi corrected, his voice edged in anger. "Today I am a wool merchant and---" a devious look flashed across his features in the lamplight “---a spy. That woman on the throne looks to me for mercantile advice." Sengi looked around and ushered the two men into his warehouse. The door opened into a room obviously used as an office. He lit another lamp, and in the increased light the two men were able to get a closer look at their host.

Sengi bore a strong resemblance to Khan'di in the shape and density of his body frame, the heavy lines of his features, and in the ruddy coloration of his skin. But where Khan'di's eyes were sharp and calculating and his expression readily showed his cunning intelligence, Sengi's face was placid and his eyes were framed by skin crinkled from laughter.

The merchant straightened his rumpled robes with nervous hands and flicked his eyes from one man to the other. "Did Piers say 'Lord Athlone?'" he asked after a hesitant pause. "You are a clan chieftain?"

"Of the Khulinin,” Athlone replied shortly.

The Pra Deshian's expression melted in obvious relief. "Did you bring the sorceress? Is she here?"

Athlone jerked his head toward the door. "Outside."

"Ah, praise Elaja!" Sengi clapped his hands. "Please, bring her in. The warehouse is empty. She will be safe."

"What about our horses?"

"There is a closed shed in back I use for the dray horses. There is enough room and grain for yours.

Grain, ah!" He smacked his forehead. "I'll be back." With that, he bustled from the office, deeper into the warehouse.

Piers met Athlone's eyes and shrugged slightly. "He's always been like that. Busy. But he's an honest man to his friends. He'll do what he can." In a short time, the travelers settled their horses in the shed behind the warehouse and gathered in the office to wait for Sengi. He came back carrying a bottle and a tray of food. His eyebrows went up at the sight of al the people, their gear, and the dog.

"Goodness. I did not expect so many." He looked over them all, especially Sayyed and the little girl, and was rather puzzled. "Is the sorceress with you?"

Gabria stepped forward to meet him. She untied her scan and lowered the veil from her face. "I am Gabria."

Sengi blinked at her, then he smiled with welcome and relief. "Your disguise is good, Lady. It hides your fairness like a leather bag can hide a jewel. Please, come."

The merchant, still carrying his tray, led the party into the main warehouse. Even in the darkness they could sense the vast size of the room and hear its echoing emptiness.

"My stock is low at the moment,” Sengi said, directing them toward the building's rear. "The Fon has not interfered with my business as she has with Khan'di's, but she has imposed heavy taxes on all of us to finance her plans for war. I expect more wool soon from the north country." He shook his head.

"But that bloodthirsty woman will suck up all of my profits. If we do not act soon, she will destroy the economy of this city; and without the merchants. . ." He let his sentence trail off, then ducked into a narrow gap in a pile of big bales. The pile reached up out of the range of the lanterns, into the darkness that clung to the high ceiling.

From the smell, the clansmen realized the bales were wool fleeces packed and tied together. One by one, the travelers fol owed the merchant through the gap and into a narrow space as wide as two men side by side and twenty paces long. The wool bales and the warehouse wal surrounded them.

Sengi set the tray and his lamp down on a wooden crate. "I created this space two months ago after Khan'di left for the plains. I thought it might be useful. My workmen will be here tomorrow, but if you are quiet and stay out of sight during the day, you can stay here as long as you need to. I will care for your horses."

The men looked around the space dubiously. "Is all of this secrecy really necessary?" Bregan asked.

The wool merchant glared at him. "If the Fon hears even a rumor that the sorceress is in the city, she will tear Pra Desh apart to find her."

Athlone nodded once and set his gear down. The others fol owed his example. Sengi looked around to be sure al of his guests understood his warning. "Now then, I must get some more food." Again he rushed away into the warehouse.

While the merchant was gone, the travelers piled their weapons and packs out of the way and settled down to wait.

Piers picked up the bottle, uncorked it, and sniffed the contents. "Andoran Wine," he said in delight. He found his own horn cup and poured a ful measure.

The wine was being passed around when Sengi returned. More bread, cheese, sugared dates, and another bottle of wine filled his arms. Khan'di followed in his wake.

The others stared in amazement at the nobleman as he stepped into the lamplight. His travel-stained knee-length robes and leggings had been replaced by resplendent robes of brilliant blue and gold, trimmed with white furs and embroidered with gold threads. Rings clustered on his fingers, and a heavy gold chain with the dolphin emblem of the Kadoa family hung about his neck.

Khan'di smiled at their reaction. "I've been to court this afternoon to pay my respects to the Fon.

That is only right, since I am newly risen from my sick bed."

Athlone cocked an eyebrow. "Sick bed?"

"Before I left Pra Desh I had my seneschal spread the word that I had fallen ill with a contagious disease. My healer has convincingly kept up the lie for all these weeks. Now, at last, I am well. The Fon seemed disappointed."

"Was it wise to reveal your return to health now?" Piers asked.

"It was the only way I could learn what I needed to know." He rubbed his hands together. "We have come just in time." He waited for a few minutes while Sengi bustled around, bringing a jug of water, a couple of leather stools, and another lamp.

When the wool merchant was satisfied, he nodded farewel to his guests. "Until tomorrow. And, Piers, I hope you wil tel me how you came to be among the clans. Good night."

When he was gone, Khan'di lifted the hems of his robes and sat down on a stool. The travelers helped themselves to the food and wine and gathered around him.

Khan'di hesitated another moment before he began. "The Fon has accomplished a great deal while I was gone,” he said. "The entire kingdom of Calah is now completely in her grasp. No one has seen the young prince for days. It is rumored she had him thrown in the pit beneath the dungeon. She has either beggared, bribed, or destroyed many of the old noble Pra Deshian families, and the merchant guilds are almost bankrupt." There was a deep undertone of anger and sadness in his voice, and as Gabria listened to him, she began to understand that Khan'di's motivations were not totally selfish. He truly cared for his city and its well-being. He wanted to protect his power, influence, and wealth, but he also wanted to protect Pra Desh. Perhaps Khan'di had earned Piers's distrust those many years ago in the old Fon's court, but now he was striving to save his city---not just himself---from the ravages of a merciless ruler.