Keeper (First Ordinance #2)(8)

"I did not intend to hit him so hard. He rushed toward me, intending harm."

"What were you intending toward Quin?" Justis hissed. "I fail to find reason in her request to spare your life. Nevertheless, the King has seen fit to let you go, if you agree to stand beside me when I travel to Fyris in three days. We may be fighting Tamblin before this is over, and you may as well pay Quin back by acting as a proper guard."

"Fyris?" Hope lit Ardis' eyes for the first time in years. "I would be grateful for the chance to kill that bastard."

"I am ahead in that line," Justis said. "You will be without rank—you lost your captain's privileges when you followed Halthea to the Library instead of coming to me, first."

"It will not happen again, I swear it," Ardis slapped a fist on his chest.

"Not for Halthea, anyway," Justis huffed. "Come. There is much to do."

*

Shaaliveer

"How much do we have left?" Marid asked.

"Father, we have hundreds of spelled spheres filled with it," Morid replied. "More than enough to destroy millions." Morid was glad that Marid had temporarily backed away from his scheme of ruling Siriaa. The fact that Cayetes stopped sending threatening communications helped a great deal.

"Millions is exactly what I intend to make off it, too," Marid smiled. "Our first endeavors have gone well, don't you think?"

"People are dead because of it," Morid pointed out. "I never thought you to involve yourself so readily in murder. Cayetes is sick from it, too. I'm just glad he isn't still trying to get back at us for mishandling the poison."

"Cayetes knows better than to come against an entire family of powerful wizards. Besides, do you think your protection spells do not cause deaths?" Marid snapped. "Think again."

"If someone attacks one equipped with protection spells, then they get what they deserve. These were unsuspecting and potentially innocent."

"Faugh. You think too much," Marid waved a hand. "Get your equipment packed. We leave Shaaliveer in three days."

*

Grey House

"Grandfather, I have news," Nissa said as she slid onto the chair before Glendes Grey's desk. All her life, her grandfather had never changed his private study. The spelled desk with clawed feet stood upon a priceless Serendaan carpet, also spelled against signs of wear.

Glendes, too, looked no different than he ever had. The Greys were nearly immortal, after all.

"What news?" Glendes looked up from his comp-vid—Grey House had just reported a profitable year and paid taxes to the Reth Alliance.

"I heard the Belancours are moving away from Shaaliveer."

"Marid, that old dinosaur, is finally leaving? The local government is likely cheering him on."

"I heard it from Mom," Nissa reported. "She says there are other things going on, too. She wants all of us to be wary."

"Queen Lissa said that?" Glendes' interest increased immediately. "Did she tell your father as well?"

"Daddy knows," Nissa nodded. "We had lunch with her yesterday."

"Why should we be wary?" Glendes asked.

"She says there's a poison out there that appears to be radiation poisoning connected to nuclear waste, only she says she's never seen anything like it before," Nissa said. "It's showing up in dead bodies, on planets that have nothing nuclear about them. There's a rumor, too, that the Hidden may have been involved in this before they died."

"So there's an unknown poison and the Belancours are moving. Anything else?"

"No, only that the Belancours suddenly seem to have plenty of money, and six months ago, I'd have said they were nearly bankrupt."

"I'll have someone investigate that. I don't know what to do about the poison, except limit visitors to Grey Planet."

"That's what I was going to suggest, Grampa," Nissa sighed.

*

Avii Castle

Quin

Dena and Berel had become friends quickly, and both were overjoyed to be going to Fyris. Amlis was happy enough to be returning, although Rodrik looked grim and Beatris unhappy.

Omina was determined, however, once she learned that three huge ships the size of small cities would be carrying her back to Fyris. I went in search of Wolter. I could find him and any other, after all.

Wolter, Sofi, Deeds, Orik, Yissy and Fen stood against the balustrade of the Library terrace, watching the sea. There, the water was clean and blue—no litter or slop from fishing boats had been callously dropped into it. It smelled of sunlight and salt instead of fish guts and garbage, as the harbor in Vhrist did.

"Which way will the boats come?" Yissy turned to me, her voice high-pitched and happy.

"From that way, where Yokaru lies," I answered, pointing westward. "They should be here before the morning sun."

"Do they travel fast?" Orik asked.

"I assume they do. The airchoppers the Kondari build are quite fast indeed. I can only imagine that their ships are also fast."

"They travel by air?" Deeds asked.

"They do, only machines must serve as their wings."

"Have you flown in one of those machines?" Wolter asked.