The City of Towers: The Dreaming Dark - Book I (33 page)

“My lady—”

“I told you, Pierce. Up here our best defense is to look harmless.” She held out her hand. “As long as you follow my lead, everything will be fine. Don’t worry. You’ll get it back before we return to the lower wards.”

“Very well.” He pulled the weapon from its harness and handed it over.

“Thank you. Now, I think the best idea is for you to play the role of a house servant. Remember that pompous ass Domo
at Round Wind? I know it’s not what you were designed for, but the war’s over and servants are something the people here understand.”

“What about a bodyguard?”

Pierce’s tone seemed slightly stiff, and Lei gave him a curious glance. Had she insulted him? “Fine. You can be my bodyguard. But I’m still keeping the flail out of sight. It’s just a little too … well, blunt for this crowd.”

Eventually the lift came to a stop at an open-air district, a network of platforms and bridges bound to the massive central towers. Lei led Pierce off of the lift and onto a quiet street. It was a residential neighborhood, filled with orderly rows of wood-and-plaster houses. Most of these homes were identical, painted white and trimmed in brown. But here and there a few trellises were covered with Eldeen rainbow ivy, creating living murals of vivid color.

“They call this area Ivy Towers,” Lei said. “Many of the students and scholars of Morgrave University make their homes here. The university itself is just around the ring.”

“And who are we visiting?”

“A friend of mine, Lailin Calis. We spent a year at Arcanix together. I’ve never had much luck with augurs, but I’d feel foolish if I didn’t at least talk to him. Hopefully he’s still here. And Pierce? I hate to ask, but if there was ever a time to lay on the ‘my lady,’ this would be it.”

“As you wish, my lady.”

They continued down the quiet street. A patrol of the Watch passed by with only the slightest glance at Pierce. A turn of the corner, and they came to a house covered with myriad shades of blue ivy.

“This would be his,” Lei said. She stepped up to the door but paused even as her hand went for the bell-pull. “What is it, my lady?”

“There’s a note tucked into the door,” Lei said, pulling it from the frame. “And it’s addressed to me.” Cautiously unfolding the paper, she read:

Dearest Lei
,

I’m sorry that I cannot be here to greet you in person, but I am attending a
gathering on Pride of the Storm. I hope that you can join me there. I will tell Lord Dantian to expect you and your companion. Any skycoach can bring you up to the yacht at Dantian’s expense. Such arrangements are typical for his gatherings. I hope to see you soon
.

Yours
,

Lailin

“Apparently we’re expected,” Lei said, handing the note to Pierce. He read it somberly.

“Impressive,” he said. “But I admit to some concern. An augur would need to inquire specifically about you to gain such information, would he not?”

Lei shrugged. “The sphinx said that we could be seen from far away. I guess she’s not the only one who sensed my arrival.”

“Hence my concern. May I have my weapons back, my lady?”

“Please, Pierce,” Lei said. “We’ve been invited aboard a Lyrandar lord’s yacht. Even if I gave you the weapons, they’d be confiscated at the door.”

“So you intend to accept this invitation? What possible purpose could it serve?”

“Let’s see … first, if Lailin is such a talented diviner, who knows what else he could tell us? At the least, he might be able to track down Jode or this Rasial.”

“True,” Pierce said.

“Second, I don’t know how long we’ll be in Sharn. As I see it, we could use all the contacts we can get, and this is an excellent opportunity to mingle with a class of people we normally would never see.”

Pierce said nothing.

“And finally, you’re talking to a woman who’s been living on gruel and water for six months—and army rations before that.
You
may not eat, but if you think I’m going to pass up a chance to dine with one of the wealthiest men in Sharn, you’re mistaken.” She grinned. “Now let’s find a coach.”

Menthis was a center of entertainment and nightlife, so they had little trouble catching the attention of a skycoach—a
slender vessel apparently designed for gnomes and halflings. Lei was comfortable enough, but Pierce could barely fit in the ship.

“Don’t worry, lady,” the coachman said. An elderly halfling with long gray hair, he spoke with a strong Talentan accent. “I’ll take things slowly. Keep the big ’un from falling.”

Lei smiled. “My thanks, sir. We are expected at the
Pride of the Storm
. Do you know of it?”

“Ei,” the halfling said, nodding. Lei took that as an affirmative. “Guests of the Lyrandar, yes?”

“That’s correct,” Lei said, wondering if it was true.

The Mark of Storm gave House Lyrandar power over wind and water, and the heirs of the house had dominated the shipping trade for centuries. In recent decades, an alliance between Cannith, Lyrandar, and the gnomish shipwrights of Zilargo had resulted in the creation of the first true skyship. Propelled by the power of bound elemental spirits, these airships had revolutionized trade and transportation and proved to be a powerful weapon of war, but the bound spirits were difficult to control, and only a stormchild could command their absolute loyalty. It was unlikely that the Lyrandars knew of her excoriate status, but she couldn’t lie about it, and she had no idea how the House of Storm would treat an expelled Maker.

The halfling did not ask for payment—apparently Lailin was as good as his word. The skycoach rose up to the highest spires of Menthis. They were almost a mile above the ground, and Lei’s head swam as she looked down at the world below and tried to pick out the spires of High Walls far, far below. Winds whipped at her hair and shoulders, but the coachman was as good as his world and took the ascent slowly. Lei gripped the rails and gritted her teeth, waiting for the ordeal to pass.

Moments later they completed their circuit of the towers, and Lei gasped at the sight that lay before them. The flying ships she had seen before were small transports or weapons platforms, like the stormship they had fought at Keldan Ridge.
Pride of the Storm
was in an entirely different class. It was a galleon, easily one of the largest ships she had seen on land or air. House Lyrandar used the kraken as its sigil, and the
stern of the ship was carved in the shape of a vast kraken. The effect was astonishingly lifelike, as if the great beast was in the process of devouring the ship. The kraken was stained black, while the bow and midships were carved from pure white wood. Four silver lightning bolts adorned the bow. Most of the kraken’s tentacles were carved along the side of the ship, but four arched out around, over, and under it, and these wooden beams supported the elemental rings that kept the ship afloat. Where most skyships were supported by a single ring of bound elementals, this vessel had two—a swirling belt of roiling clouds and a smaller ring of pure fire. Lei guessed that the bound air supported the ship while the fire elementals provided motive force. Staring into the flames, she wondered just how fast the galleon could move.

The skycoach came to a halt over the foredeck of the skyship. A servant in Lyrandar livery approached.

“Your name, my lady?” he called out.

Curiously, despite the altitude, there was no wind over the deck. Whether it was an aspect of the elemental binding or the power of the ship’s captain, the howling winds spared the deck of the
Pride
.

“My name is Lei. I come as a guest of Lailin Calis, and I am accompanied by my servant.”

The servant studied a sheaf of parchment then brought up a small footstool to help her disembark. He extended his hand, a smile on his face. “You are expected, Lady Lei. Welcome to the
Pride of the Storm.”

A
s they left the King of Fire, Lakashtai drew up her hood, hiding her face in deep shadow. “Tell me everything,” she said. “How did this begin? What do you know of this hostile spirit?”

“My companions and I were attacked last night on the streets of High Walls. It seemed like a simple mugging, but the leader had this strange laugh that seemed to get into my head, making it difficult to concentrate. After we’d brought down his allies, he … well, I don’t know what he did, exactly. I was overwhelmed with this rush of thoughts and emotions, as if he were pouring his entire life into me. Then we both blacked out.”

“This was almost twenty-four hours ago?”

“Yes.”

“We should have privacy, but this will have to do.”

They’d come to a building that was apparently an inn. Like many of the structures in the Folly, it was one of the strangest buildings Daine had ever seen. The walls seemed to be made of thick crystal, and the torches inside the building spread a glowing radiance across the entire structure. There were no windows, though in a sense the entire building was one large window. Daine could see people moving about inside, though the distorting effect of the thick crystal walls obscured details.

Stepping inside, they found that the entire building was
made of crystal. The surface of the floors was rough, providing traction and a high degree of opacity, but floors, walls, ceiling … all were solid glass. Daine wondered how such a thing could ever be constructed—undoubtedly Lei would know. The furnishings were standard wood and brass, and would have been at home in any Brelish farmhold. Somehow, the presence of such mundane furnishings only enhanced the bizarre nature of the architecture.

A young man with long white hair approached them as they entered. At first he seemed to be wearing a simple white shirt and a pair of brown breeches, but as he came closer Daine say a faint motion in the air around him, and realized the man was also wearing a greatcoat woven from invisible cloth.

“Welcome to the Glass House, travelers,” the host said. “If you have come for the evening meal, we are serving the finest ghostfish in Sharn this evening, along with—”

“A room is all we require,” Lakashtai said. She produced a platinum coin that would have bought a month’s stay in the Manticore. “Time is of the essence.”

The host’s eyes gleamed and the coin quickly vanished. “Please, follow me, travelers.”

The walls were made of glass, but the doors were rough wood, and they almost seemed to be floating amidst the firelit crystal. The room itself was surprisingly sparse, though Daine imagined what Lei might say if she heard that he’d been in a room with a real bed. Embedded in the wall was an everbright lantern with a shutter to hide the light from sleeping eyes.

“Lie down,” Lakashtai commanded. Her words were a song, but there was iron behind the music. She drew her hood away from her face. “Continue your story. What became of the man who attacked you?”

“He fell into a coma, then about an hour ago I thought I saw him on the street. But apparently, I’d passed out and the encounter was all in my mind. We fought and I managed to defeat him, but I doubt the trick I used would work a second time.”

“The physical conflict is only a metaphor,” Lakashtai said. “But you are correct. The longer the spirit stays within you, the
more power it will gain and the harder it will be to overcome. You cannot resist it forever.”

Daine nodded glumly. “I figured as much. Is there anything that can be done?”

“I have a … friend who can help you,” Lakashtai said. “If you are willing, she can reach your mind and attempt to excise the foreign spirit. It’s dangerous, but …”

“What choice do I have?” Daine said. “So, what’s the price of my freedom? I’ve told you I don’t have coin to spare. I’d have to sell my sword to pay back the price of this room, and it isn’t even my sword.”

Lakashtai raised his chin with a finger and stared into his eyes. Her skin was smooth and slightly cold, and as before her gaze was deep and hypnotic. She released him and looked away.

“My people were engaged in spiritual warfare long before the rise of Galifar—before your Cyre ever existed. You cannot put a price on a soul. I will help you because I can.” She looked back at him. “All I ask is that if I should need your help in the future, you remember what I have done for you.”