The Ambassador's Mission

by Trudi Canavan

  Forlie said nothing as she walked with the magicians and Thieves. They backtracked down the stairs, along the wide corridor, and into the room they’d spent most of the night in. The magicians retrieved their coats and stepped into the alley outside. Skellin wished them all well and said he would be in contact as soon as he had something to tell them. At the end of the alley, Cery stopped.

  “Good luck and all that,” he said to Sonea. “I’ll be in touch.”

  She smiled. “Thanks for your help, Cery.”

  He shrugged, then turned away and strode to where Gol was waiting, concealed in the shadows of a doorway opposite the old butchery building.

  “Who was that?” the big man asked, stepping out to meet Cery.

  “Black Magician Sonea and Lord Regin.”

  “Not them.” Gol rolled his eyes. “The woman.”

  “The rogue.”

  “No she isn’t.”

  “Not our rogue. Another one.”

  “You’re joking with me?”

  Cery shook his head. “Wish I was. Seems we’re still on the hunt for our rogue. I’ll explain later. Let’s get home. It’s been a long night.”

  “Sure has,” Gol muttered. He looked back. Following his gaze, Cery saw that Regin and Sonea were still standing by their cart.

  “That’s odd. Sonea was in a hurry to get back,” Cery said.

  “This whole thing has been odd from the start,” Gol complained.

  He’s right, Cery thought. And nothing more odd than Forlie herself. The way she looked at Skellin when Sonea asked her a question … as if looking to him for instruction.

  There was no doubt about it. Something wasn’t right. But they had caught a rogue magician. Maybe not the rogue magician he suspected had something to do with the death of his family, but at least there was one less rogue available for hire by unscrupulous characters like himself. Life in the city’s underworld was dangerous enough without magicians hiring themselves out.

  Though it would be handy having one to call on now and then. It might make finding my family’s killer a lot easier.

  One thing he was sure of, though. The other rogue would not be so easy to catch.

  Lorkin sat down on a dried-out old log and waited. Somewhere ahead, several Sachakan magicians and their slaves, a Duna tribesman, and one Kyralian Ambassador were making their way toward him. Somewhere behind him, Tyvara and Chari waited. And all around him, Traitors were taking positions ready to spring the trap they’d planned.

  He was alone.

  Despite Speaker Savara’s air of confidence, he knew what they were planning was dangerous. She wouldn’t tell him how they planned to separate Dannyl from his companions. She’d said nothing when he’d asked if they were planning to kill anyone. He assumed they weren’t, because they seemed anxious not to give the Sachakan king reason to enter their territory, and the obligation to retaliate or seek revenge for Ashaki deaths would certainly provide that.

  Savara had told him he would not have much time. Once the Ashaki realised Dannyl had been deliberately separated from them they would be determined to find him. And if Lorkin was still with Dannyl, he’d be captured.

  Lorkin sighed and looked around at the bare, rocky landscape. He hadn’t been alone in weeks. It would have been a nice change, if it weren’t for the circumstances. But he doubted he was unobserved.

  If it weren’t for that, I’d try contacting Mother.

  The blood ring was now a worrying burden. It wouldn’t surprise him if the Traitors searched him before or just after he arrived in Sanctuary. Though they did not treat him as if he posed much of a threat, he wouldn’t expect them to trust him completely.

  And when they do, they’ll find Mother’s ring. It’s too obvious that something has been stuffed into the spine of my notebook. They’ll investigate. They’ll find it and take it off me in case I let her know where I am. Do I trust them to keep it safe?

  He wasn’t prepared to take the risk. So far he’d come up with only two solutions: hide it somewhere, or give it to Dannyl. He’d decided on the latter.

  Wait a moment … that means I can use it now. It won’t matter if anyone sees me and works out what I’m doing. He’ll have it, and he’ll take it away with him.

  He was surprised at the relief that flooded through him, but not at the sudden reluctance that came afterwards. While he wanted to explain what he was doing to his mother, and reassure her he was fine, she was going to take some persuading.

  Still, he had to try. And he didn’t have much time.

  Reaching inside his clothes, he took the notebook out. A bit of pushing and digging later, he had the ring. He took a deep breath, then slipped it on a finger.

  —Mother?

  —Lorkin!

  Relief and worry filtered through to him like muffled music.

  —Are you all right? she asked.

  —Yes. I don’t have much time to explain.

  —Well … get to it then.

  —Someone tried to kill me, but I was saved by a woman who is a member of a people called the Traitors. We had to leave Arvice because it was likely someone would try to kill me again. Now we’re heading toward the secret city she comes from. I’m going with her, but there’s a good chance they won’t let me leave the city in case I tell people where it is.

  —Do you have to go?

  —Yes. She wasn’t supposed to kill the person who tried to kill me. If I don’t speak in her defence they might execute her for murder.

  —She saved you and now you want to save her. She paused. That’s fair, but is it worth being imprisoned?

  —I think I can change their minds. But it might take a while. In the meantime … the Guild doesn’t know anything about them. I want to learn as much as I can. They have magic we’ve never seen before.

  —The magic you went to Sachaka for in the first place.

  —Maybe. I won’t know until I get there.

  She was silent for a long moment.

  —I can’t stop you … You had better be right about talking them into letting you go. Otherwise I’ll come fetch you myself.

  —Give me a few years first. And lots of warning.

  —Years!

  —Of course. You can’t change a whole society overnight. But I’ll try to make it sooner.

  —Well … you had better remember to put on the ring now and then.

  —Ah, that’s going to be a problem. I suspect they’ll search me. If they find a blood ring, they’ll take it off me. They’re very keen to keep their city’s location a secret, and considering what the rest of Sachaka is like I don’t blame them. I’m going to give it to Dannyl.

  —You haven’t spoken to Dannyl yet?

  —No. But I will soon. I have to stop him following me, or the Traitors will have to kill him. I don’t suppose you could get Osen to tell him to stop?

  —Not right now. I’m in the city.

  A movement caught Lorkin’s eye.

  —I have to go.

  —Good luck Lorkin. Be careful. I love you.

  —I love you, too.

  He slipped the ring off and stood up. The movement he’d seen was a Traitor slowly making her way along the top of a ravine. Her attention seemed fixed on something below. Lorkin’s heart skipped a beat.

  Dannyl had better be holding a strong shield.

  Ahead, Unh was casting about, moving in different directions then returning to the same spot. He shook his head, turned and beckoned to Dannyl. For some reason, the tribesman was more inclined to speak to Dannyl now, whenever there was something to report.

  “Tracks stop here,” the man said, pointing to the ground. He looked up at the rock wall that loomed over them on one side. “We try there?”

  Dannyl looked up and judged the distance. The top of the wall wasn’t too far away. Drawing magic, he created a disc of force beneath their feet. He took hold of the man’s upper arms, and the man did the same with his. They had done this many times already that day, either rising up to the top
of a ridge or wall, or dropping down to a ledge or into a valley.

  This close, the tribesman smelled of sweat and spices, a combination that was not entirely pleasing, but not too unpleasant, either. Concentrating, Dannyl lifted the disc upward, bearing them with it.

  The rock wall rushed past, then fell away as they passed the top of it. There was a narrow ridge along the top. Dannyl moved them to the middle of this before setting them down. Beyond, the high peaks of the mountains cut the sky to a jagged edge.

  “If magicians can do this, why don’t they fly over the mountains and find Traitor city?” Unh asked.

  Dannyl looked at the man in surprise. The man hadn’t questioned his ability until now. “Levitation takes concentration,” he replied. “The further from the ground you are, the more concentration it takes. I’m not sure why. But the higher you go, the easier it is to become disorientated, and the further you have to fall.”

  The man pursed his lips, then nodded. “I see.”

  He turned away and began searching the ground. Moments later he gave a huff of satisfaction. He leaned over the precipice, looking down at the Sachakans, who were staring up in puzzlement.

  “Trail goes here,” he called. Then he set off along the ridge.

  Dannyl waited and watched as the Sachakans took it in turns to levitate themselves and their slaves up the rock face.

  “We’re getting further in,” one of the Ashaki said, looking around. “Has anyone gone this far before?”

  “Who knows?” another answered. “We’ve been trying to find them for centuries. I’m sure someone must have.”

  “I doubt we’ve got that close to them,” a third pointed out. “They’d have tried to stop us by now.”

  Achati chuckled and brushed dust off his clothing. “They won’t risk that our Kyralian friend might get hurt. Attacking us wouldn’t bother them, but they don’t dare kill a Guild magician in case it motivates our neighbours into helping us rid Sachaka of our Traitor problem.”

  “We’d better stick close to the Ambassador, then,” the first Ashaki said. Then he lowered his voice. “Though not so close that we have to endure the stink of our tracker.”

  The others chuckled. Dannyl looked beyond them to see that Unh was standing a hundred strides or so away, beckoning to him. It was obvious the tribesman preferred his assistance to the Sachakans’. I can’t blame him. Though I have to admit, the man doesn’t smell too good. Still, I bet I don’t either, after walking through the mountains for days without a bath or a change of clothes.

  He caught up with Unh and they continued on. Soon they had to levitate down the other side of the ridge, then up two more walls. Every time, Unh found the trail again. Time passed and soon the sun was dropping ever closer to the horizon. They entered a narrow ravine. Unh hesitated at the entrance, then indicated Dannyl should walk beside him.

  “You keep magic shield on,” he said. “Keep it strong.”

  Dannyl followed the man’s advice. He felt the skin down his back crawl as he and the tribesman slowly walked down the middle of the ravine. He glanced back to see the Sachakans following, their expressions grim. They were casting suspicious glances up at the ravine walls.

  After several hundred paces the walls began to retreat and the ravine floor widened. Ahead, it became a small valley. Unh let out a breath and muttered something.

  Then a crack and a boom shook the air. The sound came from behind them. Dannyl and Unh spun about, then threw up their hands as stones pattered against the barrier that protected them. They backed away. A fog of dust had filled the ravine.

  Slowly it settled to reveal a huge pile of rocks.

  Where are the Sachakans? Are they buried? Dannyl took a step forward, but a hand caught his arm. He turned to Unh, but the man wasn’t looking at him. He was looking toward the valley. Following his gaze, Dannyl saw a lone figure walking toward them. His heart skipped a beat.

  Lorkin!

  “They’ll be fine,” the young magician said. “They had strong barriers. It won’t take long for them to haul themselves out, then to work out how they’re going to get through to you, so I can’t stay long.” He smiled and stopped a few paces from Dannyl. “We need to talk.”

  “We certainly do,” Dannyl agreed.

  Lorkin looked healthy. He was even a little tanned. He was wearing slave’s clothes, yet he looked strangely comfortable in them. Perhaps only because he’d been wearing them for several days now.

  “Let’s sit down,” Lorkin said. He moved to a low boulder and sat. Dannyl found another rock to sit upon. Unh remained standing. The tribesman watched Lorkin with a cautious, knowing expression.

  Abruptly all sounds in the ravine were silenced. Dannyl guessed that Lorkin had created a barrier to prevent their conversation being overheard. Overheard by Unh, or others as well?

  “You must have many questions,” Lorkin said. “I’ll do my best to answer them.”

  Dannyl nodded. Where to start? Perhaps where it had all started to go wrong.

  “Who killed the slave in your room?”

  Lorkin smiled wryly. “The woman I’ve been travelling with. She saved my life.”

  “Tyvara?”

  “Yes. The one you found dead in my room tried to kill me. Tyvara said that others would try to finish the job, and offered to take me somewhere safe.”

  “Who wants you killed, and why?”

  Lorkin grimaced. “That’s kind of complicated. I can’t tell you who, but I can tell you why. It’s because of my father. But not because he killed any Ichani. Because of something else he did. Or rather, something he didn’t do. Do you remember how someone helped him escape Sachaka by teaching him black magic?”

  Dannyl, nodded.

  “Well, that person was a Traitor. He agreed to give them something in return, and he never did. In fact, it was something he was not authorised to give, but I guess he was desperate to go home and would have agreed to anything.” Lorkin shrugged. “I need to sort that out with the Traitors. And … there are other things. I have to tell them what happened with Riva – the slave Tyvara killed – or Tyvara will be charged for murder and executed. So I need you to stop following me.”

  “How did I know you were going to say that?” Dannyl said, sighing.

  “They’ll kill you if you don’t.” Lorkin’s expression was more serious than Dannyl had ever seen before. “They don’t want to. I don’t think they want to kill the Sachakans either … well, they’d love to kill them, I suspect, just not here and now. They know that the more people they have to kill to keep their location secret, the more people will try to find them.”

  Dannyl nodded. “So you want me and Unh to pretend we lost the trail.”

  “Yes. Or whatever you need to say to end the search.”

  Somehow I don’t think it’ll take much to convince the Sachakans, after this, he thought, looking at the rocks blocking the ravine. What about Unh? I guess he’ll follow orders. But maybe the truth will suffice. If I decide we don’t need to find Lorkin, will the Ashaki keep searching?

  Then Dannyl remembered the gemstones. He looked at Lorkin closely.

  “This isn’t just because of your father and this woman, is it?”

  The young magician blinked, then smiled.

  “No. I want to know more about the Traitors. They don’t have slaves, and the way their society is structured is completely different to the rest of Sachaka. I think they may have forms of magic we’ve never heard of – or haven’t seen in thousands of years. I think they might be good people to establish friendly ties with. I think … I think that we need to get on their good side, because one day we might be dealing with them instead of the people ruling Arvice now.”

  Dannyl cursed. “If it comes to a war, don’t take sides,” he warned. “If they lose, you may not be immune to the consequences.”

  “I wouldn’t expect to be.” Lorkin shrugged. “I do realise the problems that would cause for the Guild. For now it would be better if everyone acted as if
I’d left the Guild. I’m not sure how long I will have to stay here.” He frowned. “There’s a chance they won’t let me leave in case I tell others how to find them. I’ve explained all this to Mother, by the way.”

  “Oh. Good.” Dannyl heaved a sigh of relief. “Do you realise how much I dreaded telling her about your disappearance?”

  “Yes.” Lorkin chuckled. “Sorry about that.” The amusement left his face and he grimaced. He looked down and uncurled the fingers of one hand. On his palm lay a blood ring. He held it out to Dannyl with obvious reluctance. “Take it. I don’t dare carry it any longer. If they found it on me it would hardly encourage them to trust me and I don’t want to risk it falling into other hands.”

  Dannyl took the ring. “It’s Sonea’s?”

  “Yes.” A movement caught their attention. Dust rose from the pile of rocks behind them. Lorkin’s gaze flickered to them, and he stood up. “I have to go.”

  At the movement, Unh turned to look at them. Once more Dannyl remembered the cave full of gemstones.

  “My friend here – he’s from the Duna tribes, by the way – told me something interesting the other day. He said that his people have knowledge of how to make gemstones like those in the Cavern of Ultimate Punishment.”

  Lorkin’s eyes brightened with interest.

  “He also said,” Dannyl continued. “That the Traitors stole that knowledge from his people. You might want to keep that in mind. Your new friends may not be without a few nasty traits.”

  The young magician smiled. “Who is? But I will keep that in mind. It is interesting information. Very interesting.” His eyes narrowed for a moment, then he looked at Dannyl and grasped his upper arm. “Goodbye, Ambassador. I hope your new assistant is more useful than I’ve proven to be.”

  Dannyl returned the gesture. Then he jumped as sound returned. Lorkin moved away, pausing to say something to the tribesman as he passed. Dannyl rose and moved to Unh’s side and they watched the lone magician stride away.

  “What did he say to you?” Dannyl asked when Lorkin finally moved out of sight.

  “He said, ‘You’re the only one in danger’,” Unh replied. “He means the Traitors fear I may lead you to their city.”