Thraxas and the Ice Dragon t-9

by Martin Scott

  «Thraxas, if you slap me again I'll make your head explode.»

  We sit Lisutaris down on the garden chair and start pouring deat inside her. The Sorceress shakes her head.

  «Spell must have been too powerful. But Arichdamis's thazis is inferior. I was just trying to boost it a little.» She yawns. «I'd better lie down for a while.»

  «You can't lie down!» exclaims Makri. «Have you forgotten the meeting?»

  «Meeting?»

  Makri brings Lisutaris up to date with recent developments. Lisutaris's eyes open wide.

  «I don't want to meet Barons. I'm not ready.»

  Horses hooves and carriage wheels sound in the street outside. Lisutaris casts a baleful glance in my direction, then rises to her feet. Her legs give way and she slumps back into her chair.

  «I can't walk,» she says, rather feebly.

  «Arichdamis,» I say. «Tell the Barons that Lisutaris will receive them in the back garden.»

  At this moment the junior dragon, until now absent from the proceedings, decides to put in an appearance. It wanders out from a clump of bushes and makes straight for Makri.

  «Go away you vile beast,» says Makri.

  The dragon starts rubbing itself against Makri's legs. Makri tries to shove it away, which only makes it more enthusiastic. It rises on its hind legs and tries to lick her face. Makri winces as it digs its claws into her shoulder. She bats it back to the ground, quite violently. The dragon, thinking this is a splendid game, purrs in pleasure and starts climbing up her again.

  «I'm getting fed up with this,» says Makri.

  Baron Mabados, Baron Marcos, and Lasat Axe of Gold come storming into the garden.

  «What is the meaning of this change of location?» demands Lasat. «It shows an outrageous lack of respect for the council.»

  Elupus, his bodyguard, is next into the garden. Several more Samsarinan Barons follow, along with their entourages. After them come a group of Sorcerers, including Kublinos, and various men in military uniform, Generals from the Samsarinan army. Finally Daringos, the King's Chief Steward, resplendent in his crimson robe, strides in with his nose in the air. There's some confusion, with questions being asked from all sides. The loudest voice comes from a Baron I haven't met before, an extremely large man, at least in girth, who demands to know where the refreshments are.

  «Don't tell me we've been invited to a house where's there's nothing to eat?» he says, looking round the empty gardens with some dismay.

  «Never mind food, Baron Girimos,» says Daringos. «I'm still waiting to hear why Lisutaris has chosen to inconvenience us all.»

  A full complement of hostile eyes turn towards Lisutaris. Unfortunately she hasn't yet recovered her wits. She looks around her, eyes not quite focused, and mumbles something unintelligible. Lasat studies her very suspiciously. I think he might be sniffing the air for traces of thazis. I hurriedly put my foot over the pile of ash.

  «It's quite simple,» declares Makri, loudly. «And Thraxas, Chief Adviser to Lisutaris, will now explain everything.»

  I purse my lips. This was always going to be the difficult part. A flaw in my plan, you might say. But only if you were unacquainted with exactly how resourceful a man like Thraxas can be in a crisis. Sharp as an Elves ear, as my admirers have been know to say. I march over to the table, sweep up Arichdamis's plans for the crossbow sight, and brandish them dramatically.

  «Lisutaris realised that Arichdamis — finest inventor, mathematician, and scientist in the West — has hit upon a device so vital, so important to our war effort, that she was unable to leave it unguarded. She decided, quite rightly, that the meeting must be re-convened here, to prevent any risk of it falling into enemy hands, before she's had time to construct a mighty spell of protection.»

  Lasat Axe of Gold frowns. «Couldn't she just have brought the plans with her?»

  «Too important to carry around,» I say, though I know right away it's not the most convincing of answers.

  «Lisutaris has also been busy helping me look after the young dragon,» says Makri. «You know how important that is to the King.» At this moment the young dragon decides to give Makri a playful nip on the ankle. «Damn you!» she cries, and deals it a hefty kick in the ribs.

  Lasat Axe of Gold is by this time looking completely exasperated, and from the expression on Chief Steward Daringos's face, he won't be reporting that favourably on Lisutaris to the King.

  «Perhaps the Mistress of the Sky would like to tell us herself why she summoned us here,» he says.

  Lisutaris rises to her feet, a little shakily. «As my Chief Adviser has explained, I've been engaged in important work. I would not have wished to report to the King that the unwillingness of his Sorcerers to travel a short distance had led to the loss of our new weapon.»

  Lisutaris hasn't really said anything more convincing that Makri or I, but she has an air of authority, and it sounds better coming from her.

  «What is this weapon?» enquires Baron Mabados.

  «An advanced crossbow featuring a special sighting device which will enable our troops to bring down an Orcish war-dragon in full flight.»

  «What?» exclaims Mabados. «That's impossible. No bolt from a crossbow could pierce a dragons hide,»

  «I plan to build a device which can fire an eighteen-inch steel shaft with a hardened tip right through its scales,» says Arichdamis, in defence of his pet project.

  «To fire such a heavy bolt high and fast into the sky would require a crossbow of tremendous power,» protests Mabados, who's seen dragons in combat. «Surely such a machine would be too bulky and slow moving? Dragons don't just hang around in the sky, waiting to be shot.»

  «My crossbow is mounted on a rotating trestle and uses a new type of sighting device. I believe I can hit a dragon in mid-flight.»

  Arichdamis's claims are met by some cynicism by the assembled visitors, particularly the military men. But by now, everyone's attention is being drawn towards Makri and the dragon. After some tussles back and forth, the creature has settled down comfortably at her feet.

  «Is that beast purring?» asks one of the Generals, a dark, weather-beaten man in a green military cloak.

  «My bodyguard Makri has a way with wild creatures,» says Lisutaris.

  It is quite an impressive sight. The baby dragon, previously known for its aggression, now seems almost docile in Makri's presence.

  «Have you experience with dragons?» asks the General.

  «I fought one in the arena when I was fifteen,» replies Makri, and no one scoffs at her reply. Even Elupus looks thoughtful.

  With Lisutaris now regaining control of the situation, I take the opportunity to study our visitors. Most of them are still occupied by the sight of Makri and the dragon, but Baron Girimos is looking round him with the attitude of a hungry man. I wouldn't mind talking to Girimos. According to Merlione, he owned the carriage that killed Alceten. I sidle up to him and lower my voice.

  «You'll have to excuse Arichdamis for his lack of preparation. He's too eccentric to provide proper refreshments for his guests.»

  «It's really most unsatisfactory,» says the Baron, with feeling.

  I nod sympathetically. «Don't worry, his servants keep the cellars and pantries well-stocked. Come with me and I'll put matters in hand.»

  Baron Girimos follows me eagerly back into the house. Behind us Makri is answering questions from the General about her days as a gladiator, while Chief Steward Daringos is reminding everyone that they still have a meeting to get through. Downstairs in the food cellars, I find the Baron quite a genial companion. Eschewing ceremony, he takes a whole smoked ham from a hook, drags out a crate to use as a chair, and gets to work. I take another whole ham for myself, fetch two bottles of wine and a small barrel of Elath Mountain Beer from the room next door, and join him on the next crate. We eat and drink heartily, and swap a few war stories. Like me, the Baron has fought against the Orcs. Along with his hearty appetite, it's another point in his favour.
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  «Of course, I was in better shape back then,» says the Baron, patting his considerable belly. «Could you hand me down that duck from the shelf?»

  While sharing the cooked duck, I manoeuvre the conversation round to the present, and manage to gain quite a lot of background information about affairs among the Barons. On the topic of Demelzos and Mabados's marriage, and the upcoming wedding of their son, he's quite informative.

  «Mabados got lucky,» he tells me, while starting on a second bottle of fine red Elvish wine. «Married the richest girl in the country. Commoner, of course, which raised a few eyebrows. Not as many as you'd think, mind you, when word got round about how much money she had. Her father found more queenstone than anyone had ever seen. And Mabados's family was broke. Everyone knew that, though they tried to hide it.» Baron Girimos laughs. «He'd still be broke if it wasn't for her income.»

  «But he controls Elath. Isn't that lucrative, with the baths, and the tournament?»

  «Should be, if he wasn't such a fool with money. Terrible gambler, you know. And he made some bad investments in shipping that all went down the drain. The yield from his farms hasn't been that great recently, either. Doesn't matter too much though, while they've got the Queenstone mines.»

  All of Demelzos's property will, of course, have been transferred to the Baron on their marriage, enabling him to waste money as he chooses. I ask Girimos about the upcoming wedding.

  «I'll be a fancy affair. Mabados's son and Baron Vosanos's eldest daughter. Vosanos is one of the wealthiest men in the country. Shouldn't be surprised if they bring in some top foreign chefs for the catering.» Baron Girimos obviously relishes the idea of a banquet prepared by top foreign chefs. It's not hard to see why he's a man of such impressive girth. I'm liking him more and more. By this time the Baron is so genial it's not difficult to raise the subject of the runaway carriage that killed Alceten.

  «Sad affair,» says the Baron. «Still no idea who took the carriage.»

  «It was stolen?»

  «Yes. It disappeared from my stables the night before the accident. Thieves up to no good, no doubt. Elath's like that, when the tournament's on. A lot of rascals arrive in town.»

  When we emerge from the cellars, the meeting is well under way. Given the unpromising start, it goes quite well. Lisutaris talks with authority about her plans for rallying Sorcerers, troops, and governments. Lasat and his detestable minion Charius attempt to undermine her, but I wouldn't say they have the best of it. Lisutaris is still labouring under the disadvantage of having allowed Turai to fall, but she's been in battle on many occasions, and her reputation as a war-time Sorcerer remains high. Several of Samsarina's leading military men have seen her in action, back in the Orc wars when they were junior officers and she was a promising young Sorcerer. The meeting adjourns, and arrangements are made to talk with the King in two days time, along with several more foreign ambassadors who should have arrived in Elath by then.

  «I'd say you're still in a strong position,» I tell Lisutaris, after the Barons have departed. «Particularly as the Elves will still support you.»

  Lisutaris is not convinced. «Did you see the way Lasat objected to everything I said? The man hates me.» The Sorceress frowns. «Why did you tell everyone I was protecting Arichdamis's new weapon like it was the most important thing in the world?»

  «I had to come up with something to cover for you.»

  «I suppose so. But I'm going to look silly if this weapon doesn't work. Where is Arichdamis, anyway?»

  «Examining the ruin of his cellars. Baron Girimos has a very hearty appetite. I tried to restrain him but it was practically impossible. Who was that General who seemed so interested in Makri?»

  «General Hemistos. He's in charge of the infantry phalanxes.»

  «Hemistos? The young centurion who led the expedition over Gazgar Bridge?» I remember him now. He was decorated for his bravery, eighteen or so years ago. I didn't know he'd become a General. «Just goes to show, some countries reward their war heroes properly. If Turai was like that, I'd be a General too.»

  «Undoubtedly,» says Lisutaris, and brushes her long brown hair back from her forehead. She stares at her silver and queenstone bracelet. A present from Kublinos, I believe.

  «I apologise for my mistake with the thazis. I won't allow it to happen again.»

  Makri has finally got rid of the dragon, shooing it back to its nest in the trees. «General Hemistos wants to watch me fighting at the tournament,» she says. «Was he really the most decorated centurion in the last war?»

  «Maybe,» I reply. «But you know these Samsarinans. They give out medals for anything.»

  «Where are the plans?» says Lisutaris, suddenly.

  «What plans?»

  «The plans for the crossbow and sighting device. You know, the important military secret I'm meant to be protecting.»

  «They're on the table.»

  «No they're not.»

  We all stare at the table. The plans are gone. I yell for Arichdamis. He pokes his head out of the window. He doesn't have them. The four of us engage on a frantic search of the vicinity. The blueprints are nowhere to be found. Arichdamis moans, and sits down heavily.

  «How can they just disappear?» demands Makri.

  I ask Lisutaris if she can perform some sort of quick searching spell. Unfortunately Lisutaris is no longer listening. Her bag of thazis is open on her lap. She swiftly rolls a huge stick, snaps her fingers to ignite it, then inhales deeply. I sit down next to her.

  «Give me some of that,» I say.

  «Me too,» says Makri. «We're really in trouble now.»

  Chapter Thirteen

  Gloom descends over Arichdamis's house. It's hard to believe that someone stole the plans from right under our noses. Arichdamis is frantic, believing that enemy spies have made off with them. He's already imagining himself being executed for treason. Neither Lisutaris, Makri nor I believe that an enemy spy took the plans. It's far more likely that Lasat Axe of Gold was behind it.

  «He'll do anything to discredit me,» says Lisutaris.

  «If Lasat did take them, what will he do with them?» wonders Makri.

  «He'll produce them whenever he thinks it's most damaging,» says Lisutaris. «Probably along with some fake story about an Orcish spy stealing them from me, and him heroically recovering them.»

  «We should have reported the theft when it happened!» says Arichdamis. «Now it looks like we're colluding with the enemy.»

  «We can't let anyone know. It will look too bad for Lisutaris.»

  Arichdamis has taken to pulling anxiously on his long grey beard. He goes away muttering about what a black day it was that he allowed Turanians into his house. Relations between us, previously cordial, have plummeted. Makri watches him go. «Now we've offended Arichdamis,» she says, and sounds genuinely upset.

  «If we're sure Lasat took the plans, shouldn't we be trying to get them back?» I suggest.

  «Lasat will have them well hidden by now,» says Lisutaris.

  «So? You're more powerful than he is. Or you were till recently.»

  Lisutaris's eyes blaze. «What do you mean by that?»

  «I mean you don't have so much power when you're continually intoxicated by thazis.»

  «Don't lecture me on intoxication,» cries Lisutaris.

  «Why not? You haven't been thazis-free since you set foot in this place. No wonder Lasat got the better of you.»

  «You're being unfair!» says Makri. «After all, Lasat is a secret addict too. He takes dwa, remember? Probably he's even more intoxicated than Lisutaris, some of the time.»

  «I'm not intoxicated!» cries Lisutaris. «If I was, could I do this?»

  The Sorceress whips out a vial of kuriya, a black liquid used for various magical purposes. For most Sorcerers, controlling it is a difficult art. Not so for Lisutaris. She pours the liquid into a saucer and snaps her fingers.

  «I'll show you who's intoxicated. Kuriya, where are the plans?»
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br />   Makri and I peer at the pool of dark liquid. Lisutaris, using her mighty powers, should be able to produce a picture of the current location of the missing item. We stare for a long time. Nothing happens. The Mistress of the Sky tries again.

  «Show me the location of Arichdamis's plans.» Nothing happens. «The moons are obviously in the wrong alignment,» says Lisutaris. «I must consult my charts.»

  With that, she strides off briskly, leaving a non-functioning kuriya pool behind her. Makri looks at me with a worried expression. «Are her powers really on the wane?»

  I shrug. «It's hard to say. Looking at the kuriya is always difficult, and it hasn't been working well for a lot of Sorcerers lately. The three moons do go through cycles. Maybe we're entering a bad one.»

  Makri's first fight is scheduled for later in the day. Both she and Lisutaris are planning to visit the Queen's Bathing House before going on to the tournament field. I'm heading off to investigate. I'm still far from certain that there's really anything that needs investigating, but I'll do it anyway. I plan to visit the King's Record House, where Alceten died, to examine the scene and ask questions. There were witnesses who should be worth talking to. Before I leave the house I offer a final word of encouragement to Makri.

  «I've bet all our money on you. If you don't win your fight we'll be begging on the streets.»

  Equipping Makri used up most of the money I borrowed from Baroness Demelzos. I only had sixty gurans left, a frustratingly small sum given the good odds which were available at the bookmaker. Big Bixo was offering six to one on Makri winning her first fight, sixteen to one on her qualifying from her group, and a hundred to one on her winning the tournament. I'd hoped that her odds for winning the tournament might be better, given that she's completely unknown, but the bookmakers here won't offer anything larger, in case an unknown fighter turns up who happens to be a sword-fighting prodigy. That's extremely rare, but it has happened. No one knew me when I gloriously defeated all opposition all those years ago.

  After studying the odds for a while, and weighing up my options, I place thirty gurans on Makri to win her first fight, and thirty more on her winning the whole tournament. I still regret only having sixty gurans to gamble with, but at least it's a start.