The Eighth Warden Bk 04 Ch 15 16

Chapter Fifteen

"Did anything else happen while you were home?" Ellerie asked as she lay facing Leena, idly running her fingers through the other woman's long, black hair and brushing it back behind her ear. It was midmorning, and they were still in bed. "We didn't spend much time talking last night."

"Udit wants to get a dog, but Grandmother won't let him," Leena said with a smile. Then her expression grew serious. "And I told Pavan about us. He was disappointed--I think he was hoping for something more than a business transaction with me."

"What did he say?"

Leena rolled onto her back and sighed. "We talked for hours, and we didn't really come to a decision. My suggestion was that he and I have children together, but that we don't marry. That would leave him free to seek out a real wife. It's not how this sort of thing is done among the Zidari, but if I'm gone half the time, perhaps we can get away with it. Pavan isn't so sure--he's more traditional."

Ellerie nodded but didn't speak, unable to think of any appropriate words. She didn't like the thought of her lover taking someone else to bed, but she couldn't deny Leena her wish to have children.

"Once we reach Four Roads, I may invite him to come visit," Leena said.

"What?" Ellerie asked, propping herself up on her elbow. "Why?"

"Because I want the two of you to be friends. I think you'd like him if you got to know him, and if he's the father of our children, he'll be around."

Ellerie did find it easier to make friends with men than with women, but did it have to be this particular man? It was important to Leena, though. "I'll try," Ellerie said.

Leena smiled and leaned up to give her a quick kiss. "What about you? Did anything happen here?"

"I met with the investors and finished things off with them," Ellerie said. "We should be ready to go in a few days. Senshall still wants to hire you, by the way--they doubled Marco's offer."

"After Davir, that wouldn't be a good idea," Leena said. "If I don't say much at home about what I'm doing here, everyone can politely ignore it, but working for a trading company would be different."

"I thought it was against the law."

"Not exactly," Leena said. "Among the Zidari, when we talk about our own laws, those are more like customs than actual laws. They carry nearly the same weight as a law, but only among the clan. It's hard to explain to someone who hasn't grown up with it. If I were to deliberately show my tattoos to someone other than a lover or another Zidari, I'd be considered impetuous or reckless, or even unreliable. The exact outcome varies depending on

which

tattoos I showed."

Leena's high-necked, long-sleeved dresses hid the fact that her body was half-covered with tattoos. Some were intricate but most were simple, identifying various facets of her life. Ellerie liked to trace them with her finger, trying to guess what each one meant.

"I'll tell Senshall you're not interested," Ellerie said. "They might ask if you can deliver a letter to the other Travelers for them, though."

"I can do that, and then let Pavan or Rohav come up with a response." Leena sat up, letting the sheet fall from her body. "But for now, we should probably get up."

"Or not," Ellerie replied. "I don't have anything to do today that can't be put off until tomorrow. We can just stay here."

Leena gave her a brief smile. "I'm supposed to help Boktar with the provisions."

Ellerie frowned. "You don't have to be the cook anymore. We're all going to take turns until we get to Four Roads. I think Corec plans to hire someone once we're settled." She didn't like the thought of Leena continuing to act as the group's cook now that her contract with Senshall had come to an end. It seemed too much like being a servant.

"Yes, but someone has to buy the supplies, and I already know what we need."

"Well, if you're busy, I suppose I can go to the Tailors' Quarter," Ellerie said with a sigh as she slipped out of the bed. "I do need a few things. Oh, we never hung your dress up last night. It's still on the floor." She reached down to pick it up.

"No, wait!" Leena said, her voice panicked. There was a thunk as something heavy fell from the folds.

Ellerie watched the jade bracelet roll until it bumped against the wall. She didn't recognize it at first. She picked it up, wondering if it was a gift from Pavan that Leena hadn't wanted her to see. Then she realized what it was.

"

You

?" she asked, her voice catching. "We've been looking for this for months! We thought it had been lost, or stolen.

You

took it?" The sense of betrayal bit into her, making her feel sick to the stomach.

Leena scurried out of bed. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, tears gathering in her eyes. "I had to! It's what I was sent there to find. It's how I'll save my brother!"

Ellerie didn't understand at first, but then she looked up. "Your Seeking? I thought it sent you to Corec."

"Maybe it sent me there for two reasons. I think the cult members who attacked us were after the bracelet too."

"What does it do?"

"I don't know. I wear it all the time, but nothing happens. I asked Rohav, but he doesn't know either."

Ellerie rubbed her temples, the bracelet in her hand bumping against her cheek. "I just closed out the contract with Senshall. Marco listed the bracelet as missing. You can't just

take

it!" Was this how Leena had felt when she'd learned Ellerie had hidden her identity?

"I didn't have a choice!" Leena protested. "It's what I was supposed to do! Shavala took the staff. Corec took the hammer."

"The staff belongs to the elven people, and no one else can even

lift

the hammer! If he didn't bring it, it would have stayed right where it was. This is different."

"I'll pay for it. Or I'll give it back when I'm done with it." Leena reached out for her.

"Don't," Ellerie said, stepping away. "Let me think. I need to think." She paced back and forth. "I've still got some money left. We just need to figure out how much it's worth, and then I can pay everyone their share. If I talk to Marco alone, I can probably convince him not to ask too many questions."

"I don't want you to buy it for me," Leena said.

"What? Why not?" Somehow that hurt more than the rest.

"Because I'm the one who took it. It's my responsibility. Once I start working as a Traveler, I'll be able to save up enough. I just need some time. Please don't tell anyone I have it--not until I know Udit is safe."

Ellerie stared silently at the bracelet. What should she do? What did Leena

need

her to do?

"Fine," she said, "but we should figure

why

you were supposed to find it. I'm going to try the lore spell." She sat down on the bed, the bracelet cupped in her hands, and murmured the words.

A memory intruded into her mind. She was in a study with stone walls that reminded her of Tir Yadar, fitting the green bracelet over her wrist. It adjusted itself to fit. She took up a quill pen and sketched three parallel lines running horizontally on a scroll, then made a small mark midway across the lowest line.

She stood and stepped away from her desk. Grasping the bracelet with her other hand, she took a deep breath and then... she wasn't quite sure what happened next. It was the same sensation as casting a spell, but she hadn't spoken any words. Before she had a chance to think about it, everything changed. Instead of the study, she was surrounded by endless, swirling gray mists. She felt as if she was standing on something, but couldn't see what it was.

In a sudden panic, she closed her eyes and cast another spell without speaking. When she opened her eyes again, she was back in her study. She pulled the bracelet off her wrist and flung it against the wall.

The memory ended and Ellerie came back to herself with a gasp, almost overwhelmed with the urge to throw the bracelet away as she'd done in the memory.

"Are you all right?" Leena asked.

"I... I think so," Ellerie said, still breathing heavily. She quickly described what she'd seen.

Leena's brow furrowed. "A Traveler among the Chosar?"

"Maybe not in the same way you know them, but Ariadne can teleport very short distances, and she's said there were a few Chosar mages who were experimenting with other methods. Whoever the person in the vision was, I don't think she ended up where she'd planned to go."

"What do the lines mean?" Leena asked.

Ellerie pulled a sheet of paper and a writing stick from her pack and drew out the same sketch. Staring at it, she said, "I think it has something to do with where she was trying to go. Or he." In the memories from the lore spell, Ellerie always took the place of the person whose memory it was, so she usually couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman unless their clothing made it obvious. In this memory, she hadn't looked down at her clothing at all.

Leena frowned down at the page. "I don't see how that would help with Traveling. And where did she go?"

"I don't know," Ellerie said. "But I don't ever want to go there again."

#

Ariadne was sitting next to Corec, playing as his partner in a card game against Katrin and Sarette. He was teaching her to play as they went, and so far, it didn't seem to be going well.

"Katrin played the prince of cups," he said, "but you've got the death of cups, so you can play that and take her card off the table."

"You don't want to do that," Katrin said. "What if we put down the queen or emperor of cups, and you've already used your death card?"

"I have the queen," Corec pointed out. "And there's no guarantee one of you has the emperor. If she uses the death card now, she can keep you from adding to the prince's house. If she waits, the card might go to waste."

"But what's the bigger threat?" Katrin asked. "The prince or the emperor?" The redheaded human woman was barely holding back a grin. She was clearly the best player at the table, yet there seemed to be an element of lying and bluffing to the game. Ariadne couldn't tell if her advice was sound or if she was trying to trick them. It seemed Corec couldn't either, as he glanced through Ariadne's cards again for another choice.

Before he found one, Ellerie joined them.

"I've got the final payout from Senshall," the elven woman said. "I need a day or two to show Deshin how the shaping spell works, but after that, I'll be able to leave whenever you're ready."

"Deshin?" Corec asked. "The bookseller?"

"Varsin hired him for the job. Senshall has worked with him before."

Corec nodded. "I'll have to check with Boktar, but we should be ready to go in two days. After being stuck on the ship for so long, no one seems interested in waiting around here."

Ellerie nodded.

Ariadne had known this time was coming, but she hadn't figured out what to do yet. If the group was about to leave, it was time for her to make a decision.

"I could use some advice," she said to the others. "Sarette suggested that I wait until she returns home before I go to visit her people."

The stormborn woman nodded in agreement. "I can show her Tir Navis, and introduce her to the scholars at the civil academy."

"How much are you going to tell them?" Ellerie asked Ariadne. "The historians in Snow Crown are going to have a lot of questions about the Chosar, especially if you hint that your people built the ruins. If you can wait until summer, our books might be finished by then. That might help you avoid answering all the same questions you've been answering for me."

"Summer is the earliest we'd go," Sarette said. "And maybe not even then. I'm not going to leave if the rest of you might be attacked."

"I don't plan to tell the stormborn anything, but perhaps I'll take copies of the books," Ariadne said. She'd spent months providing notes for Ellerie and Bobo, and had no desire to repeat the process. "I'm not sure what to do until then, though. I don't think there's anything I can learn here in Tir Sal." According to Ellerie, even the local historians didn't know for sure that Tyrsall was a Tir, though some had speculated about it. A few buildings made of shaped stone still stood in the center of the city, but no one seemed to be aware of just how old they were.

"You're still welcome to come west with us," Corec said. "Are you planning to visit the seaborn? They live to the west."

"Maybe later. I'm not sure how long it would take to get to Pado and back, and the seaborn on the ship didn't seem to know much." Even Loofoo, who'd grown up in Pado, hadn't been able to answer her questions. And he was gone now anyway--he'd had just three days of shore leave before the

Peregrine

had shipped out again. Ariadne wasn't sure if she'd ever see him again, but the thought of him reminded her that there was something she needed to speak with Marco about.

"Two is supposed to be seaborn," Corec said. "The Second Warden, I mean. He'd be older than Hildra, and might know more."

"Do you know where he is?"

Corec shook his head. "No, but Hildra mentioned a name. Kono, I think?"

"That sounds familiar for some reason," Ellerie said, then shrugged. "But seaborn names all sound the same to me."

"Emperor Kono?" Ariadne asked. Loofoo had mentioned him.

Ellerie's eyes widened. "That's where I've heard it. Most of our agreements are with the seaborn enclave rather than the homeland itself, but my mother mentioned him a few times."

"Hildra would likely know for sure," Corec said. "We need to send her a message anyway, right, to let her know the contract is approved?"

"Yes," Ellerie said. "And to get the other spell book back. But it would make sense if Emperor Kono is a warden. I'm trying to remember the story, but haven't the last several seaborn emperors all gone by the same name? What if they were all the same person?"

"I didn't even know the seaborn

had

an emperor," Corec said. "Their ships dock in Larso, but only for trading; their people don't come inland. If Hildra says he's the warden, we should reach out to him first before going there. Treya's friends in the Three Orders may know how to get a letter to him, so we're not just intruding into his territory."

Ariadne hadn't intended to bring Corec or the others with her, but either way, she supposed it was a good idea to make contact first before visiting.

"That will take time, too," she said. "If my people are still around..." She had to pause and start again. She'd come to realize that none of her traveling companions believed the Chosar still lived, and she feared the same thing herself. "If my people are still around, I don't think I'll find them so easily. I think I should try something else. I'd like to look for mages who can wield both arcane and elder magic."

"Like you?" Ellerie said.

"Yes. Almost everyone who can do it is either Chosar or descended from the Chosar. You told me once that there are mages among your own people that can wield both magics. Your people must carry at least a bit of Chosar blood. You're our descendants, in a way."

Ellerie was silent for a long moment. Finally, she said, "You might be right, but the

nilvasta

are... wary about anyone who questions our origins, or claims we're not true elves. You wouldn't find a warm welcome in Terevas. I'm sorry."

Ariadne slumped. "Are there any others?" She glanced across the table. Sarette was an elementalist, and she'd mentioned wizards among her people.

The stormborn woman shook her head. "Our elder magic has been dying out for generations. There are only a few of us left. If it ever happened, it would have been a long time ago."

Ellerie said, "With the amount of time that's passed, almost anyone could have a Chosar ancestor. The easiest way to find someone who can use both magics is probably to look for elder mages, and then test them for wizardry. Elder magic expresses itself whether you've been trained or not."

Ariadne nodded. That matched what she knew, though her own elder magic was weak enough that she'd barely noticed it.

"Then I'll search for elder mages," she said.

"Like the druids?" Corec asked. "The wood elves?"

Ellerie shook her head. "No. The

dorvasta

already test for wizardry, but they have so few wizards, I doubt any of them are also druids. If we stay near Four Roads, the closest group would probably be the witches who live north of Larso." Corec frowned at that, but then his look turned thoughtful.

"Then it seems I should come with you, at least for now," Ariadne said. Privately, she had to admit the decision lifted a weight off her mind. She hadn't felt confident about striking out on her own in this new world where so much had changed. Going west would put her closer to both Pado and the elder witches Ellerie had mentioned, as well as allow her to accompany Sarette to Snow Crown when the time came.

She hadn't been completely truthful about her reasons for seeking out mages who could wield both magics. Thedan had been a Mage Knight almost since the order was founded, and he'd been a teacher for most of that time. If he'd lived long enough, he might have taken on more students. Perhaps he was even still alive. He might know what happened to the Chosar. And he could certainly explain to Ariadne why he'd left her behind in Tir Yadar.

Ephrenia was harder to predict, so Ariadne would focus on Thedan for now.

And whether she found him or not, she would still look for mages who could wield both arcane and elder magic. She was safeguarding nine mirrorsteel panoplies and blades belonging to the order of the Mage Knights. If the order no longer existed, it would be up to her to train new members. She'd prefer to teach Chosar mages, but anyone who qualified for the order was likely to have at least a small amount of Chosar blood in their lineage.

In a way, it would let her be with her people again, even if they didn't

look

like her people.

The Mage Knights could rise again.

#

When Katrin returned to the inn, she found Shavala still in their room, reading through her notes from Cordaea.

"How did it go?" the elven woman asked, looking up from her work.

"The cheapest couriers I could find wanted forty-five silver to go to Circle Bay, and they wouldn't guarantee the package would arrive safely," Katrin said. Ellerie had given out the final payments on the shares, and Katrin still had half of hers left. While the money lasted, she wanted to send twenty gold to her brother to keep him from doing anything stupid.

"Are you going to hire one of them?"

Katrin sighed. "I'm not sure. What if the courier gets robbed, or steals it himself? And I don't even know what my brother's doing. It's been a year since I spoke to him. He could have left Circle Bay by now, or he might be in prison again."

"Why not ask Leena to do it?" Shavala said.

"Corec's worried about bothering her with personal requests, since her family doesn't like that she's helping us," Katrin said. "And I don't think she's ever been to Circle Bay." But maybe she should ask anyway. Leena made it seem so easy, traveling vast distances in an instant.

There was a knock at the door, and Katrin opened it to find Razai on the other side.

"Is he here?" the demonborn woman asked, glancing around the room for Corec.

"No, he went out to look at wagons with Boktar."

Razai grunted. "Well, did he get it?" she asked. "I'm ready to go. I don't want to wait around any longer than I have to."

Katrin took an armored vest that was laying on the bed and handed it to the other woman. "This is the new one," she said. "He reused the armor plates from the last one, so it should fit you."

Razai slipped the vest on over her shirt, fastening the small metal buckles in front to close it, then stretched her arms out to the sides to test her range of motion.

"This... isn't bad," she said. "It's better than before. I didn't like the sleeves."