“Are you stalling?” Dariana curiously asks, concerned that she cannot read the man’s thoughts. All she can see is the grinning face of the dragon that winks at her every time she tries to peek into the Pillar’s mind. “You’re wearing a powerful telepathy deflector. I’m not used to being blocked. It’s an honor to meet someone I can’t see the mind of.”
The cloaked man gives her a polite bow and extends his hand to Delvin, his grip surprisingly strong. “Thank you, ma’am. I take that as a great compliment from someone with your mental abilities. Now, we wish to be more than a delivery port for Nevra Coil. There was word among the gnomes that a bigger transport system was being designed. It would require a land location as a nexus to all of the routes they are planning. We wish for them to use Everthorne, which means we can discuss a full import and export agreement. Being in the sky, Nevra Coil is sure to need basic supplies such as food and clean water.”
“Now how far off the ground are you talking?” Sari interrupts. She scratches her head as she tries to imagine a large city hovering above the ocean. “Too low and ships would hit it. Too high and nobody can get to it without permission. Why would you put a city in the sky anyway? It could fall.”
“I am sure they have planned for such an event,” Timoran claims with a smile.
“They’re gnomes after all,” Nyx points out, rubbing her amethyst necklace. She jumps when she hears her father’s tired voice ring in her ears. “Sorry, dad. I didn’t mean to call you. I must have slipped. Won’t happen again. We’ll talk later. Love you.”
“Are you okay, Nyx?” Dariana asks, noticing that the channeler is sweating. “You don’t look very good.”
“I just thought of something that I don’t want to talk about,” she timidly replies, catching Luke’s gaze. The two stare at each other for a few seconds before the forest tracker figures out what is on his best friend’s mind. “Yeah. Luke and I might have some personal business in Nevra Coil. Fizzle too.”
Delvin tightens his grip on the Pillar’s forearm, neither man wanting to be the one to break the hold. “Sorry about those distractions, sir. As you can see, we really want to visit Nevra Coil. You have my word as the Mercenary Prince that we will petition for Everthorne to be a nexus location. Hopefully we can bring you good news when we return. All I ask is that you be patient, sir, because we don’t know what we will face up there. It suddenly feels like we’re going into a viper’s pit.”
“Thank you,” the man says as the other Pillars vanish into the thickening shadows. “Please return to your accommodations and we will contact the gnomes. Though we encourage you to enjoy our city before you leave. Have a good voyage.”
The doors burst open to release a cloud of billowing dust that temporarily blinds all of the champions. When they can see again, the chamber is empty and the torches are dead. The circular room shows no sign of having been used, including the smoke that once hung in the air. Warm sunlight pours through the vents in the ceiling, which are working perfectly and have multiplied. A collection of tapestries depicting each of the current Pillars hang on the walls, covering the plain stones. What had been a dark meeting chamber is now a small ballroom complete with a tarnished chandelier.
*****
Not wanting to intrude, the curious citizens give Luke and Sari some space and avoid staring directly at them. Every now and again, a child bounds up to the two champions to ask for a hug or to tell the gypsy she is very pretty. Their parents stare at the ground in embarrassment until the kids return to be dragged away in the modest crowd. Located in a large courtyard, the marketplace is quiet and slow compared to those of the other Sister Cities. The adventurers find themselves wandering through a laidback atmosphere where nobody is in a rush. Even the storeowners are relaxing within their canopied stalls. Each one waves to anyone who looks in their direction, but they never shout or force their wares on potential customers.
Hoping to take advantage of their peaceful surroundings, Luke and Sari stop at an open air restaurant. The view is mostly of the marketplace, but they can see the tops of the ice field’s glaciers in the distance. The frozen caps emit ribbons of vapor that become vertical rainbows when embraced by the sun. With such serenity around them, the pair finds it difficult to talk about what is on their minds. For a long time, they quietly sip at their drinks and pick at their steadily cooling food. Every time Luke tries to speak, he gives up and takes a bite out of his sandwich. As if clinging to this bizarre defense, the half-elf orders two more dishes and a small dessert.
“Have I mentioned that I’m jealous of how much food you can eat?” Sari casually asks while stirring her steaming soup. Her stomach is in knots, making it difficult to enjoy her simple meal. “You didn’t transform recently, so I assume you’re only nervous. Can you just spit it out so I can get on with my day?”
“I’m not sure how to say it,” Luke admits with a mouthful of food. Swallowing the large bite, he leans back in his chair and flicks his blonde ponytail off his shoulder. “You know that I don’t want to hurt you or Kira. I feel . . . guilty about all of this. I should have stopped after our first kiss, which I tried to do. Then I let my lust get the best of me.”
“You’re saying this has all been lust. How can-”
“It is love, Sari,” he interrupts before the gypsy gets upset. The relief on her face puts him at ease and helps him breathe easier. “I’ll never say that I don’t love you. No matter what happens, part of me will always have feelings for you. That sounded direr than I expected. My point is that I don’t know what will happen. There’s no way to tell right now.”
“Because we’re changing,” Sari says, placing a few coins on the table. She slurps down her soup and heads into the street, Luke following with his remaining sandwiches and the chocolaty dessert in his hands. “I . . . I can’t disagree. I saw how you were in Bor’daruk. Domestication looks good on you, but I don’t think it works for me. I’m always going to be a wanderer. Even if I have a place to call home, I won’t stay there all the time.”
“That sounds like my grandparents.”
“Not a helpful point to make here.”
“Why not?”
“When you break a girl’s heart, you don’t want to give her hope.”
“So I have to decide right now?”
“No . . . I don’t know.”
“Glad this talk is clearing everything up.”
Sari smacks him on the shoulder and storms off to the nearest stall, its front table covered in champion figurines. Two dolls catch the gypsy’s eye, both of them perfect replicas of her. One of them is in a black dress that sparkles in the sun and she feels a little resistance when she attempts to lift it. Letting go of the figurine, she is surprised to see it float to the table as if it has her magic boots. The other doll is in a tight, crimson bodysuit and has a button hidden beneath the soft, blue hair. When the strange bump is pressed, the tiny Sari grins and becomes impossible to move until the enchantment is deactivated.
“They copied some of my powers,” she whispers when Luke joins her. Looking over the table, she cannot find any other copies of the dolls in her hands. “Excuse me, ma’am. I’ve never seen these kinds before. Are they brand new? How much are they?”
“Never seen those designs before either, but I wasn’t really paying attention while unpacking the last shipment,” the old woman replies while chewing on her long-handled pipe. Examining the figurines, she shrugs and puffs out a few smoke rings. “The gnomes might be slipping a few prototypes into the deliveries without telling us. I say two gold for them since it’s you and I don’t know if anyone else would be interested. People are getting a little bored with the amount of Sari dolls that are being made. I stopped counting when they hit ten and that was last month.”
“Oh . . . thanks,” the gypsy says, reaching for her money pouch. She stops when Luke pays the merchant and directs his friend away from the stall. “Is that why you’re growing distant again? I have no thoughts to the future, so I’m no longer in
teresting? Would you say I’m boring, Luke?”
The half-elf stares at her dumbfounded and puts an arm around her shoulders, his restrained chuckling making both of them shake. “Boring is not a word I would ever use to describe you, Sari. You’re a constant source of excitement and fun, which may be another reason I’m pulling away. I don’t want to tame you and I fear that it would go that way if we keep pursuing this. At least, if we settle down as we are right now. I keep trying to explain this without saying we’re done and it will never happen. The truth is that I don’t know what we’ll be like when these adventures are over. Kira could pull away in my absence or you could mellow out. There’s even the chance that I’ll become someone that neither of you want to stay with. Every day I imagine another possibility and all of them involve someone getting hurt.”
“I think I understand,” the gypsy claims, putting her head on the warrior’s shoulder. “I keep saying I’ll never settle down, but one can never truly know at this point. Our battles will change me into someone that a younger me wouldn’t recognize. Especially if you or one of our friends gets killed by the Baron. Stephen proved that our non-champion friends are in danger too. What if Kira gets pulled into this again?”
Luke turns down a side street and they leave the marketplace behind, the ocean glinting a few blocks ahead of them. “I’ve had nightmares about that. That’s why I’m not sure what I’ll be like when all of this is over. If any one of our friends gets killed then I don’t know what I would do. It’s scary.”
“You rely on friends who share your pain, so it’s hard to handle one of them being gone.”
“Can I ask you a difficult question?”
“I figured one was coming, but wait until we reach the water.”
Curious about the request, the forest tracker removes his arm from her shoulders and walks a little faster. They make it down the street with only a few citizens stopping them to talk. Every conversation is quick and filled with awkward praise, typically ending with a brief hug. A sense of relief washes over the adventurers when they see that the dockyards are quiet. Sari hurries to the edge of a pier and looks into the water where a few merfolk pups are playing beneath the surface. They wave to her before darting back to the rocks where their parents are cautiously watching the strangers. With a few graceful movements of her arms, the blue-haired gypsy creates a small ice statue of a naiad next to the adults. The merfolk back away to the sunnier side of the rocks, deciding to give the young woman some privacy.
“We’re alone, so fire away,” Sari states, handing Luke an arrow of water. With a frown, he tosses the dripping weapon back into the ocean. “Sorry. That was mean and I don’t even know what you’re going to ask.”
“You aren’t far off the mark,” the forest tracker claims, rubbing his damp palms against the pommels of his sabers. “I want to know the truth and I’m going to ask Kira this question the next time I see her. What would you do if I chose her instead of you?”
“I can’t answer that if we continue working off the idea that we’re changing,” the gypsy argues while crossing her arms and facing the drab city. She turns away when Luke steps in front of her, but he gracefully moves around her again. “Very well. I’ll answer your question, but you’re going to agree to my demand at the end. I’m getting some peace of mind out of this discussion.”
“Deal.”
With a twirl of her skirts, Sari hops onto a crate and lets the sight of the ocean relax her twisting nerves. “I wouldn’t be happy about it and it would be years before I let someone into my heart again. Nyxie already agreed to stick with me or let me stay with her. Even if she settles down, I’ll have a home and family with her. I believe that would soften the blow. It’s funny how I don’t want to lose you to Kira, but I can’t see myself shattering like a cheap lock if it happens. I think part of me feels used by both of you even though I entered this situation willingly. One could say I concocted some manipulations of my own since I was terrified of being alone back then. Still if I don’t win then it’s hard to believe I was anything more than a temporary replacement for Kira. You can’t blame me for being crushed about that.”
Luke hugs Sari and gives her a kiss on the cheek, causing her to press her face to his shoulder. Every tear that falls onto his shirt is removed before he can feel it, but she knows he can hear her choking sobs. When he moves her away and strokes her chin, she can see a sadness in his eyes. It is shocking as she remembers the passion the chocolate brown orbs once held for her back when they were a beautiful green. There is still love behind the misery that the warrior is putting himself through, which makes her feel even worse about not knowing what the future holds for them.
“You were never a replacement,” Luke whispers, placing a finger on the gypsy’s lips. He catches a tear with his thumb and lets it run down to his wrist. “I do love you, Sari, and I hope you never forget that. If I could find a way to be the only one to suffer here then I’d do it. You and Kira don’t deserve the pain I’ve caused you. Maybe-”
The slap across his face knocks him back a few steps and stuns him enough for Sari to easily grab him by the shirt. “Look here, Callindor! Stop taking all the blame and acting like a foolish child. You’re not the only one in this relationship, so accept that all of us are going to be hurt in the end. There’s no way around that. Now I want you to promise something to me. If I die against the Baron or even before we face him, I want you to marry Kira. I know this sounds like her winning by default, but I need to know you won’t be alone. After all, Luke, I love you and want you to be happy even if it isn’t with me. Remember that if you break this promise, I will haunt you for the rest of your life.”
“I promise, but I expect you to find happiness if I die.”
“You want me to marry Kira?”
“I . . . If that makes you happy.”
“And the truth behind this game comes to light.”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
Sari smiles and gives the half-elf a quick kiss on the lips, lingering for only a second. “Let’s never lose this, Luke. I don’t want to live a life where we’re not talking and making each other laugh. That would hurt more than . . . what in the name of every god is that?”
Winds whip at the dock and a dull whirring scares the merfolk back into the water. A huge ring of metal is passing over the jagged rocks and heading for the city, the strange object veering toward the western side. The outer body of the vessel is a network of iron beams and the glint of light off glass reveals that the spaces are sealed windows. Seven bars run into the middle of the ring and meet at a strange tower that is topped with a spinning mechanism. As the strange object slows down, several metallic legs extend to the ground and the vessel lands in a cleared area. As the ring stops whining and comes to a halt, Luke and Sari clearly see the long blades that are attached to the device on the central column. They watch as slender, brown forms appear on top of the ship and remain at attention while a ladder falls from a hatch.
“Feed and water those golems because we want to get out of here soon,” orders a female gnome as she clambers down the ladder and runs along the dock. Her white hair is molded into spikes and she wears thick goggles that are covered in grime. “Hey, you two! The name’s Jo Ralpago and I’m looking for some champions. We received word that they were here and decided not to waste any time getting them. The stone golems are really tired after getting here in record time, but I want to get back to Nevra Coil quickly. I just want to find these champions, tend to my sturdy crew, and get on home. Any idea where I can find them?”
5
“I lied!” Sari screams as she clings to the railing. Her eyes are clenched shut, but she can still remember the sight of the ocean speeding by beneath the Gnomish transport. “I’m not really a champion! I just wanted attention! Please let me out and I’ll swim back to Everthorne! I don’t want to die like this!”
“Can someone stop that one from screaming like a toddler?” Jo sternly requests
while pulling several large levers. The ship lurches higher into the air, causing the gypsy to shriek in terror. “I might take her up on the offer and toss her out. I heard rumors that she can survive long drops and enjoys the water.”
“Think of this as something similar to riding a very fast griffin,” Luke says while he watches the clouds stream by the windows. “You’ve never been afraid of heights before. If it helps, Timoran looks really pale and jittery too.”
Refusing to open her eyes, the gypsy does her best to glare at the half-elf. “This is nothing like a griffin, Luke Callindor. I’m trapped in a metal container as the world rushes by and we’re instantly dead if it crashes. You know what I’m talking about, Timoran?”
“I have yet to decide if I trust Gnomish technology or not,” the barbarian admits from where he is sitting cross legged. He sips at some mild ale to steady his stomach and repeatedly takes deep, calming breaths. “I am not sure what propels this creation, so I am cautious. All I can tell is that it is not magic, which I am not sure is a good thing. At least magic can be reworked to protect on impact.”
“The flight blades are rotated by pedaling golems,” the grinning pilot explains from her elevated chair. Jo hits a button and the windows gain a dark tint, blocking the sun’s increasing glare. “We created the golems to work in sync and there are spares in the hold. The system works off a more complicated version of what you use to get water from a well. At least that’s the best way to describe it to someone who has no knowledge of technology. You know, we’re thinking of marketing the golem chairs as land transports for kids since we’d only have to add some wheels and a steering mechanism.”
“Hold my hand, little sister,” Nyx offers, taking a seat on the railing. The unbreakable grip of the gypsy sends a jolt of pain up the channeler’s arm. “Please ease up because I still need those fingers. Thanks.”
The Merchant of Nevra Coil (Legends of Windemere Book 8) Page 12
