by C. R. Daems
“Good noon, Master Docury. Is Zeph around?”
“He’s in the back working on a special order for a carriage. I want to thank you for that leather you helped Zeph buy. I didn’t realize how much Merchant Licek charged because of his reputation,” Docury said.
“If you don’t like to bargain or don’t know good quality leather, Merchant Licek’s fair. He sells good quality and he won’t cheat you.”
“I’m going to let you and Zeph do my shopping from now on. Go on now. Zeph’ll be happy to see you.”
Liada strolled off, pleased with herself. Maybe that’s what she should do for a living, shop for people. She chuckled. No one would pay for someone else to do their shopping.
“Liada, what are you doing here?” Zeph said, putting aside the harness he was working on.
“Just came to talk.” The worry about Tali had her stomach all upset. She had to talk to someone. “Do you know anything about the Priests? I haven’t ever seen one at the market.”
“They protect us from the First Ones.”
“How do we know? We haven’t seen a First One.” She had but had the priests?
“Maybe that proves they do a good job.” Zeph grinned.
“No, I meant about them as…people.”
“No, only rumors. People say they’re ruthless, but who knows? Supposedly, they take people to dungeons under their temples. I heard they torture people to learn where the First Ones hide. Then they send the Quag after them. But Pa said the House of Laws has started clamping down on their authority.” Zeph stared at Liada, his face scrunched in a deep frown. “Why?”
“You know me. I’m curious about everyone and everything. Maybe I should go to the temple and ask them.” Liada forced a grin.
“Please, Liada, don’t. I don’t think they’d like a young woman with sweet smiles asking questions. They might just have questions of their own.”
With that, both lapsed into silence, although Zeph kept frowning at her. Talking hadn’t helped, and she still didn’t know how to find Tali.
Chapter 4
Ostono: Stonecross
Liada woke from another restless night. She felt like she hadn’t slept at all, waking at every noise and hoping to find that Tali had returned. She dawdled as she dressed then forced herself towards the barn for her morning chores. She stopped in mid-stride.
“Tali,” she almost shouted, catching herself at the last moment. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did. A second later, she felt the feather-light touch to her neck.
“Yes, we are back,” Tali said.
“I was so worried. I thought I’d gotten you killed.” Liada didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so she did both. Tears streaked down her face while she laughed. For the past three days, she’d agonized over her decision. She could no longer imagine a world without Tali.
“Don’t worry, Liada. We are safe. It didn’t take us long to enter the house with servants coming and going. Once in, however, the door to Imorla’s study was closed. We had to wait until that evening when Imorla entered her study. When she left several hours later, we began our search. We could not move anything for fear of not being able to put it back in the exact position and alerting her to someone’s presence. We were lucky to find it on top of a pile of papers. The letter was short and written in the Ostono language.”
Liada sat milking the cow as Tali perched on Liada’s shoulder.
“But you couldn’t leave because the door was closed?” Liada asked, knowing the answer. A definite problem she’d need to consider in the future—if she could bring herself to ask Tali to do anything like that again. But if she didn’t, there was the problem of the mystery man.
“That is correct. We had no option but to wait for Imorla. She returned the next afternoon, but before we could exit, we saw three priests behind her. We had to hide. A senior priest entered, carrying a Quag, followed by two junior priests. Quag can see us, whether we are visible to you or not, but they must have a direct line of sight. They can’t see through objects. We were, therefore, fortunate we hid before they entered the room.”
“Quag?” Liada asked. She’d heard the term many times and Tali had explained they were malformed First Ones. She’d seen one that day the priests burned a house, and shuddered.
“This one was a malformed Firebird. A true Firebird is beautiful with a white-feathered, tufted head, and straight white peak. Its wings fade from yellow at the top to brilliant-orange string-like feathers at the end. Its tail is twice as long as its wings and in beautiful shades of oranges and reds as though it dances in the flames of a fire. Each Quag varies from the other. The one perched on the Senior Priest’s shoulder had a brown body, motley feathered wings, no tail feathers, three legs, and two heads.” Tali’s voice quivered with distress at the description.
“Do the Firebird Quag have the same powers as the true Firebirds?” Liada asked. It was frightening and exciting at the same time, learning secrets hidden for centuries.
“Similar. Each Quag varies. The biggest difference is in the control of the fire. Firebirds have perfect control. The Quag can’t control the fire and are doubly dangerous to everyone in the area.”
“So what happened?” Liada asked. She could picture the scene and feel the mounting tension.
“The high priest thanked Imorla for the gold Tarsses and informed her that the Quag would remember her for it. Imorla said she had friends who may contribute except most no longer believe in the Quag since they had never seen one. Others believe the First Ones are all dead and no longer a threat. They need proof. She added that she did believe in the Quag and the threat from the First Ones.”
The senior priest called out the name Alaziz and a Quag became visible on his shoulder, holding a dead sprite in his talons. The priest told her that the Quag had caught the First One before it could attack the city. Imorla fell to her knees asking the Quag for its blessing, crying, and exclaiming she existed to serve him and the priests. She promised more gold Tarsses when she told her friends she had seen the Quag and knew the priests spoke the truth.
The senior priest told her to hurry. He had been told by the Quag that the First Ones were planning their first attack in Spoorish in ten sixdays, Gorlack in five sixdays after that, and Ostono five sixdays after that. With that the priests left.
“Did you know the dead sprite?” Liada asked, afraid to know the answer. She could imagine Tali hanging from the Quag’s talons and shuddered as an icy shiver passed through her.
“Yes.” Tali was quiet for a minute. “This was the Quag that almost killed me. We have been watching the priest’s temples for some time, waiting to see what they and the Quag would do now. People are losing belief in the threat, and the priests are losing power. My circle and I were separated when the Quag attacked me. I chose not to respond and tried to escape. Its attack drained my energy so I could no longer fly. It would’ve taken the last of my energy if Hadiyyaibitihajlateehah hadn’t intervened. She was the sprite the Quag had in its talons. After it killed Hadi, the Quag couldn’t locate me as my energy was so low. My circle managed to distract it. If you hadn’t found me when you did, the Quag would have eventually found me and taken my light.”
Liada could feel Tali’s sorrow and thought she felt a tiny tear touch her ear.
* * * *
Liada suspected that her mother was happy to see her smiling and interested in the cooking lesson. They’d prepared a goulash this morning, a new variation on the two she’d been taught. Her mother explained that the difference was in the herbs used and the amount of each. Recipes tended to vary with the region it was from. The one you used depended upon the taste preferences of your customers. By experimenting, it was also possible to create new recipes of your own. Good cooks did just that. Conversely, Tybes and Kesti weren’t so happy to see her in a good mood as that meant longer lessons. As Tybes was doing well with his sums, Liada left him with several exercises and took Kesti outdoors. There she tried something new.
“Wha
t is that, Kesti?” Liada asked while pointing to a tree.
“A tree, silly,” Kesti replied.
“Good. Now look at these symbols. Those symbols stand for the word ‘tree.’”
“Why don’t they just draw a tree?” Kesti asked.
“Because it would take too long to draw a tree, a house, a horse, and everything you wanted to write about. Besides, it would be very confusing unless you were a very good artist. Even so, how would you draw ‘my garden’?” Liada said, trying to explain the problems to her sister. She stopped at ten words and thought Kesti had begun to grasp the concept of symbols representing words.
Her chores finished for the day, Liada decided to disappear somewhere quiet where she could talk to Tali, so she wandered into the trees behind the inn.
“Tali, can your circle keep watch so no one can hear me talking to you?”
“They always keep watch. With the Quag, there are always dangers. Now that I have made friends with you, there are additional problems. But it is always smart to be careful.”
“You have talked about the Sprites, the Firebirds, but not the Seadragons. What are they like and what are their powers?”
“The Seadragons are, in their own fashion, as beautiful as the Firebirds. They are shaped like tiny horses with leafy wings instead of legs. Seadragons can control weather and water. They can create gigantic storms that could unleash destruction on whole cities.”
“I’d love to see one,” Liada said.
Firebirds. Seadragons. A world of wonders.
She must find some way to see this world and not just her parents’ Inn.
“We have company, Liada,” Tali said. “Our mystery man is back.”
“Well, Liada, have you decided yet?” he asked, as he walked up. As usual, the clothes he wore obscured his looks.
Liada suspected he used the same makeup that traveling performers wore, as his face seemed different each time she saw him. She wondered what he was hiding under the makeup. Not wrinkles. She thought he was a young man, but he was hiding something.
“You owe me five silvers.” Liada wanted to laugh at the look on his face. She managed to keep it to a smile.
“I heard of no break-ins on Lower Terrace Place.”
“That would be sloppy. Don’t you want better work than that?” With all the worry, this assignment cost her she was going to enjoy keeping him confused.
“Do you have the letter?”
“If I did, you would have heard of a break-in.”
“How do I know you’ve seen it and can remember it all if you did?”
“Madam Imorla, the Roganista thank you for your precious gift. Be assured it will be used to support the Quag without whom our way of life would be destroyed by the evil First Ones who are now planning a new invasion. It will begin soon in the Sporish Empire.”
“High Priest Ayotho,” Liada repeated as Tali whispered in her ear—the one turned away from him.
He said nothing for a long time. “You’re a very dangerous young lady. You could find out who I was if you wanted, couldn’t you?”
Liada said nothing. She was suddenly worried. He obviously didn’t like being surprised and worse, it threatened him. Before she could react, he continued. “Imorla had a visitor yesterday. It’s too bad you couldn’t have listened in on it. It might have clarified things.”
Liada sat still, thinking. Should she tell him? He already thought her a danger; what would happen if she told him she knew what had gone on there?
The other question was whether her information would be used for good or evil. How could she decide? If he knew Imorla, he wouldn’t have had to ask her to get information Imorla already had. And Imorla was working for the priests so the mystery man didn’t. The priest wanted to kill the First Ones. They wanted to kill Tali.
“I know,” Liada finally said. She hoped she’d made the right decision.
He shook his head like a dog did when it was wet.
“Another five silvers, one-half Tarss total,” she said.
“Another dilemma, Liada: should I kill you and lose a good informant or should I let you live and risk betrayal?” He smiled. “Perhaps I should let you live.”
When he reached inside his cloak, Liada prepared to run, hoping Tali would help. He came out with a Tarss and threw it to her. She stared at it. One seldom saw a Tarss since it was worth twenty silvers. Even to her parents it was a lot of money.
“I don’t have change for this,” Liada said, unable to take her gaze off the gold coin. The side she could see had an engraved picture of a High Roganista priest holding a staff of power and the year 4480. The year the wars ended and the Roganista priests were created.
“What was said?” he asked, ignoring her comment.
Liada turned the coin over. The other side had an etching of the Roganista temple at Stonecross and the date 4580, which was the year it was minted, three years ago. She took her lower lip between her teeth. Had he really been thinking of killing her?
She repeated the conversation Tali had told her, frowning as she tried to be sure she didn’t leave anything out. But Liada decided not to mention the kind of Quag. The mystery man stood still for some time.
“Careful, Liada. The information you just gave me could get you killed if you were lucky. If you’re not, they’d use imprisonment and torture to find out how you knew what had been said.” Nodding as if he just made a decision, he continued. “L’Engrist has people trying to find you. He is your immediate problem. Perhaps I could help you.”
“If?”
“If we can come to trust each other.”
While thinking about everything that had just happened, Liada watched him disappear into the trees. She had a gold Tarss piece she couldn’t show anyone. It would raise too many questions she couldn’t answer without putting them in danger. L’Engrist had people looking for her. Why? What would happen if they found her? He was a member of the House of Laws, and she would have no one to defend her from him. And, if that weren’t enough, whom did the mystery man represent? Certainly not himself. What was his purpose and those he represented? Her head ached.
“Tali…I’m confused. Am I helping a man who’s good or evil?”
“It depends on what you consider good and evil. The priests believe the Quag are good and the First Ones are evil. They believe they are right in doing anything that eliminates us. They do not care if innocent people are tortured or killed so long as those who support the First Ones are caught in the process. They believe the Quag are the true First Ones, and that they, the priests, are the keepers of gods and answer to a higher law. Over the years, the empires of Ostono, Sporish, and Gorlack have fought each other. Which empire was good and which evil? In some respects, it depends on where you live. If you live in Ostono and Ostono goes to war with Sporish, you think Ostono is good and Sporish evil. But what is the truth?”
“That doesn’t help, Tali. I need to know if the mystery man supports a good cause or an evil one,” Liada said. She wrung her hands together, confused, frustrated, and frightened.
“He will tell you honestly that he supports good. And he will believe it.”
“But does he?”
“He thinks so, but you may not.”
“You’re giving me a headache.”
“You are young, Liada. The First Ones have lived for thousands of centuries, and even we do not always know good from evil. If we did, we would not have taken different sides in the humans’ war. We would all have chosen the good side. Nor would we have gone on killing each other when the humans had settled their dispute. Perhaps we were evil in not accepting Quag as our brothers and sisters. No, Liada, the First Ones will tell you there is no absolute good or evil—just our flawed perception. The best we can do is to follow our conscience.”
“What about l’Engrist?”
“l’Engrist is not concerned with good or evil. He does it because he wants to, because it gives him satisfaction, and because he can. We will keep watch, but you must be
careful. He is ruthless and powerful. A bad combination.”
* * * *
Over the next few days, Liada jumped at every sound. She scrutinized every stranger at the inn and those who passed her on the road. She agonized over the mystery man and his purpose. And even over the money she was accumulating. She couldn’t tell anyone she had it, couldn’t spend it, and couldn’t let anyone find it. It was more trouble than it was worth. She was constantly distracted while in the kitchen with her mother and when teaching Tybes and Kesti.
“Liada, I don’t know what’s wrong with you the past few days,” her mother said one morning a couple of days later. She held Liada’s shoulders with both hands while looking directly at her. “What’s going on?”
Liada loved her mother even when she was mad at her, and she didn’t want to hurt her. But she had too many secrets that could put her family in danger. Besides, the more people who knew, the more chance of the secret being discovered. She finally decided if she shared one secret with her mother, she would have one less to hide.
“A few days ago, while I was returning from the markets, a man stopped me and tried to force me into his carriage. That was the day you sent Zeph to look for me. I got away by throwing dirt in his eyes. I found out he’s a member of the House of Laws, and I think he’s looking for me.” Liada hoped her mother wouldn’t ask how she found out.
“We should report him,” her mother said cautiously.
“To whom?”
Her mother turned loose of her shoulders and took a turn around the kitchen. “You’re right. The priests won’t care and the House of Laws protects their own. You’re right to be worried. You should have told me right away. Where did this happen?”
“On Port Street just before Lansee.”
“Very close to home. Let me talk to your father about this.”
This didn’t solve most of her problems, but it did help sharing at least one secret.
* * * *
