The Wayfarer King (20 page)

He tongued the gap between his teeth while he contemplated what Jennalia had said.
Without
vusar
, how will you return?
The question struck him deeply. If his connection to Daia didn’t stretch across the boundary between realms, he could very well be stuck there. King Arek had no mystical conduit to help him, but he still found his way home. If Gavin had to use King Arek’s method of finding the vortex without Daia’s help, then Jennalia was right. He needed much more practice using his hidden eye. In the beyonders’ realm, he would have to find a vortex before summoning Ritol and hope he had time to open it before the demon — and all the other beyonders — killed him.

“What’s on your mind?” Daia asked.

“Thinking about how I’d get home if I couldn’t find you from another realm. If I can’t open a vortex, then I’m stuck.”

“If we had a way to create a more solid connection between us...” She tapped her chin. “I wonder... do you still have that ring you took from Ravenkind.”

The idea lit up in his mind like a torch in a cave. He snapped his fingers. “That’s it. He used the gem in his ring to control Lilalian and the others.”

“If we could get one of the necklaces they were wearing, maybe we could use the ring and necklace to find each other.”

“I broke the connection between those gems at the cave, remember?”

“Couldn’t you reconnect them?”

“Maybe. Or get new ones made.”

After asking several people on the street, they found a gemsmith’s shop fifteen minutes’ walk from the inn. When they entered, Gavin sensed that the proprietor was more than a gemsmith. He felt a peculiar tickle in his gut and knew she had the ability to read hazes.

Comely, blond and voluptuous, she didn’t fit his image of a gemsmith. He supposed he wouldn’t fit her image of a king, either. “Good afternoon. Welcome to Gemma’s Gems,” she said. “I provide full-service gemsmithing: cutting, setting and spelling.”

Gavin waved a hand in front of her in the fashion of a mystic. “I sense... your name’s Gemma.”

She smiled slyly. “No, it’s Brandalyn. I named the shop after my mother.”

Daia laughed and slapped his arm playfully.

“Damn. It was a good guess, though.”

“How might I help you today?”

“Awright, well, Brandalyn, I have this gem.” He showed her Ravenkind’s ring. “It used to be connected to another like it.”

“May I?”

He handed it to her. Brandalyn went to the desk against the wall, held it under the light of a lamp and peered at it. “Yes, I see. The connection was severed quite violently, it seems.” She opened a drawer and pulled out a contraption which she slipped onto her head. It appeared to be a jeweler’s loupe attached to a strap, but the loupe laid between her eyebrows rather than over one eye. “There was more than one. Dozens. This was skillfully spelled. Did you do this?”

“No. I’m the one who broke it. We were wondering if the connection can be repaired somehow.”

She took the loupe off and returned the ring to him. “I’m afraid not. The gem is quite fragile now. Try to use it once and it’ll break into bits. You might as well sell it as jewelry scrap.”

“Oh.”

Daia asked, “Do you have a gem to replace it? Something we can pair with another?”

Brandalyn gestured to a table. “Absolutely. What we do is spell one gem then cut it into two or more pieces. Have a seat. I’ll show you what I have.”

They pulled a pair of stools out from under the table and sat while Brandalyn retrieved a flat box from the adjacent room. After setting the box on the table, she opened the lid. Inside were perhaps three dozen gems of various colors, all smoothly cut into round or oval shapes and polished to a shine. One in particular drew his eye, a brilliant blue gem.

“What’s that one?” he asked, pointing to it.

“That’s a sapphire. It’s particularly good for spells involving locating people or things. Many people use it in divining wands, but it’s especially favored among matchmakers.”

Daia looked at him with raised brows. “You have a good eye.”

“What’s your purpose?” Brandalyn asked.

“Finding someone,” Gavin answered with a grin. He nodded his head toward Daia. “Her in partic’lar.”

Brandalyn blinked. “I’m not sure I understand. Why would you need to find her if she’s right beside you?”

“She gets carried away picking berries and gets herself lost.” He smiled teasingly.

Daia shoved him lightly. “I am not Golam. I can’t believe you said that.”

“Sounds like what you need,” Brandalyn said, smiling, “is a lover’s tie binding. It helps you feel more connected to each other, however far apart you are.”

Gavin scratched his temple. “Uh, a lover’s tie?”

Daia blushed. “Oh, we’re not—”

“Don’t feel abashed,” Brandalyn said. “I’ve heard of Viragon Sisters and warrant knights falling in love before. It’s perfectly natural. You fight side by side, you live similar lifestyles, have similar codes of honor. It’s easy to see why the two of you would bond emotionally.”

Gavin’s neck started to itch. “How much would a gem like that cost?”

“This one is one hundred twenty-five dyclen without the spell. Two hundred with.”

Daia gasped so sharply, she began to cough.

“Do you have anything in the five dyclen range?” he asked, grinning. He figured she would either laugh and ask them to leave, or ask them to leave first then laugh.

“Five? You’re jesting.”

“We’re beggared.”

Brandalyn lifted her chin toward Gavin’s sword. “That’s quite a fine sword for someone who claims to be pielarless.”

Better leave before this conversation goes too far off-path. “Valour-gild,” he said, standing.

“Why not use one of those gems?” she asked.

“Sentimental reasons. Sorry to waste your time.” He headed to the door.

“May I have a closer look at those gems?”

“We haven’t the time to spare, sorry,” Daia said, taking his cue.

Brandalyn followed them. “Those are far better-quality gems than any I’ve ever seen. Wait.” She caught his sleeve. “Oh, goodness! It’s you, isn’t it? The rune solver. Those are the gems from the Rune Tablet.”

As a shadow reader, she’d be able to tell if either of them lied. Better to address the matter before it got worse. “Look, it’s best if you don’t mention this to anyone, awright? I’m not ready to make the knowledge public yet.”

Her eyes glittered like they were faceted. “The rune solver’s a warrant knight. I knew there was something different about your shadow when you came in. I didn’t know how to interpret it. I’m honored to have you in my shop.” She curtsied low to the floor. “I could sell you the gem for what I paid — seventy-five dyclen. I’d give it to you if I could, my lord, but I have all my money tied up in gems and little enough to spend on food.”

“I understand,” Gavin said. He didn’t want people thinking they had to give him the shirts off their backs just because he was king.

“What about your blue gem?” Daia asked. “I’d understand if you don’t want to cut it, but it’s an option.”

That was a good use for the gem. With the other four in his sword, he didn’t need it to help his magic. He opened his coin pouch and pulled it out. “What about using this one?”

Brandalyn’s eyes widened. “Oh, my. A blue moonstone. That’s remarkable. I’ve never seen one with such depth and clarity.”

“How much to spell it?” Gavin asked.

“My normal price is seventy-five dyclen, but for the rune solver, I’ll do it for fifteen.”

“We don’t have fifteen.”

“Perhaps a marker,” Daia said. “Something you can redeem for coin in a few weeks, once His Majesty gets access to the royal coffer.”

Gavin liked the idea. “If you spell my gem now, I’ll give you a marker for twice your price, one hundred fifty dyclen, and I’ll give you the gem in this ring that you can sell for jewelry.”

“I don’t even know your name, my lord.”

“It’s Gavin Kinshield.”

Her eyes brightened. “Kinshield? We’ll have a Kinshield on the throne? In that case, agreed.” She offered her hand, and he shook it. She cradled her hand in the other as though it were a precious thing. “Oh, this is so exciting. The rune solver is in my shop! When will you solve the last rune and claim the... Oh! You already have the Blood-stone. You’re actually the king?”

“He is, and you’ll keep this knowledge to yourself?” Daia asked.

Brandalyn nodded and swallowed. “Pardon me.” She shuffled to the table and sat on a stool. “Goodness.” She fanned herself with one hand. “Seems I’ve a touch of the vapors.”

Gavin and Daia shared a look of amusement as they sat back down. “About the rings,” he said, urging her back to the matter at hand.

“Yes, the rings. Right. Do you have another ring to set the other half of the gem into?”

“No,” he said, trying to look pitiful. For one hundred fifty dyclen, maybe she could include one in the arrangement.

Brandalyn laughed. “That’s not a problem. I can find something to give you, though the fit may not be perfect. Does this ring have any sentimental value?”

Both shook their heads with matching expressions of disgust.

“Very well. I’ll be only a moment.” She took the box of gems and Ravenkind’s ring into the next room and returned a few minutes later. On the table, she laid several steel rings of various shapes and sizes, each with a setting to hold a gem. One she pulled away from the group. “This is the ring you came in with. If it fits one of you, I’ll reuse it, but feel free to choose the two that fit you best.”

They tried the different rings on various fingers, and each chose one that fit better than the others. Gavin selected the largest one of the bunch, which fit the middle finger of his right hand. He didn’t want it to slide off easily and didn’t want to wear anything on his sword hand that might interfere with his grip. Daia chose one for the third finger of her left hand, the finger women usually chose for a wedding ring. When Gavin gave her a questioning look, she shrugged.

“I’m ready to spell the gem for the lover’s tie— and I presume perhaps you’re not... never mind. The spell is the same regardless.” Gavin handed her the blue moonstone, and she wrapped her fingers around it. “If you would, Lady Sister, place your hand on mine, and you, my lord king, place yours on hers.” She waited until everyone’s hands were into position. “Good. Give me a moment.” Gavin saw Daia connect with Brandalyn, who gasped. “Goodness! So that’s what the flame in your shadow is.”

“Thought maybe it would help,” Daia said with a grin.

“This will be a very strong tie.” Brandalyn whispered something Gavin didn’t quite hear. A white spark rippled across his haze and another across Daia’s. The gem now had a faint white haze of its own. “And it’s done.” They withdrew their hands. “I’ll need about a half-hour to cut the gem in two and set the two halves securely into your rings. Feel free to wait here or return.” She went into the adjacent room.

“Let’s take a walk,” Daia suggested. “We can practice a bit more without the rings.”

Chapter 27

The next morning, Gavin awoke with a start as he did every morning, only this time it wasn’t beyonders that had startled him but Ritol itself. The things Jennalia had said pressed heavily on his mind. He sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands, wondering how the hell he was going to make it through all this.

Daia came in carrying a bucket of steaming water. “Good, you’re awake. I was getting some wash water. The cook is baking bread. We have time for more practice before it’s ready.”

“We have the rings. We don’t need to practice.”

“What if one of us loses it?” Daia asked.

“You got an argument for everything, don’t you?”

“When my king’s life is at stake, I won’t gamble.”

Gavin took a few minutes to wash and dress while Daia waited outside. When he was ready to begin again, she moved about the room as he practiced finding her with his eyes open, eyes closed, sitting, standing, and even balancing on one foot while reciting a children’s nursery rhyme. That was the hardest, not because he struggled to remember the words that had once come so easily to him, and not because he had to recite it while concentrating on finding her, but because the only one that came to mind had been his daughter’s favorite: Three Pigs in a Pit. The old, familiar pain in his chest made the task that much harder.

“That’s enough for now,” he said.

“We need more practice. Perhaps the nursery rhyme was a bad idea. I’m sorry. Let’s keep going.”

“I’m hungry.”

“You’re moping. Shut your eyes and find me.”

“Leave off, Daia. I’ve got the knack.” He stood and put his arm through the strap of his scabbard.

She watched him for a moment with her mouth pinched closed. Her light-blue eyes were shocking in their paleness, but they weren’t nearly as expressive as her mouth. She’d asked him not to read her haze, so whenever Gavin wanted to get a sense of what she was thinking, he didn’t look at her eyes. She’d become adept at hiding her thoughts behind a steady gaze, but her mouth betrayed her. The smallest of twitches, the wrinkle above the upper lip, all were signals that Gavin was learning to read. And while her pinched lips communicated her annoyance, there was something else, a tiny pursing of the lower lip that told him she was also contemplating something.