Alchymist

'Did you know he's a morphmancer?'

'What!' he rose out of his chair. 'Where did you hear that?'

'I spied on him before we went into Jibstorn. He doesn't assume a disguise at all — he simply shapechanges, clothes and all, and it only takes him a minute.'

Flydd let out his breath so violently that the candle flames flickered and danced. 'I often wondered how he did it so perfectly, and so quickly.'

And you never asked?'

'Every craft has its secrets. As long as the job's done, what does it matter how it's done? Why didn't you tell me this before?'

'You get cranky whenever I approach one of your precious mancer's secrets, Xervish.'

'Cranky, me? Is there anything else you want to get off your chest?'

'Well, er …'

'It's important, Irisis,' he said snappishly. He sat down again, pulling his chair closer to the fire.

'What else was Muss looking for in Snizort?'

'What do you mean?'

'Apart from the flesh-formed creatures, and the phynadr we stole?'

'That's all.' He seized her hands in his gnarled paws. 'Why do you ask?'

'After we'd found them, he was still looking for something. Muss didn't find it and was mightily put out.'

'Put out?'

'It's the only time I've ever seen him show emotion. He was really vexed.'

'What can he have been looking for?' Flydd began to pace back and forth on the worn flagstones. 'He's a morphmancer, a powerful adept. And he went to Gumby Marth just after the battle, defying my orders.' He paled. 'He must have been after the tears.'

'Did he know about them then?' said Irisis.

'I told him when he met me, after Troist picked me up …"

'So why was he looking for them at Snizort, weeks before?'

'I don't know. No one knew …Unless …'

'Xervish?'

'What if it was him all along?' Flydd breathed. 'Muss had charge of the device Ghorr gave me in Nennifer, to break the node-drainer. And a morphmancer might easily overcome the scrutator magic that sealed the box. What if Muss tampered with the device, so as to create the tears?'

'If he did, why didn't he use it himself?'

'No one could predict what would happen. Safer to let you and me do it.'

'If it was Muss, why didn't he go directly to the node? Why was he looking for the tears in Snizort?'

'He must have thought they'd form at the node-drainer,' said Flydd. 'By the time he realised otherwise, the tears were gone. Jal-Nish had them.'

And Muss has been hunting them ever since,' said Irisis.

'I wish you'd mentioned this before I sent him back to Lauralin.'

'Why does he want the tears anyway? Who is Muss?'

'He's been my faithful, meticulous spy for many, many years. It's hard to believe he could be otherwise.' He stood up. 'But one good thing has come out of your news, Irisis.'

'What's that, Xervish?'

'I feel inspired again.'

'No progress on the construct mechanism, Yggur?' Flydd said the following morning.

Yggur had just emerged from his workroom, looking as though he'd neither slept nor changed his clothes in days. On returning from Snizort he had taken the construct's mechanism to pieces and begun working on it by himself.

'I don't expect miracles. It's only been a few days.' He did look disappointed, though.

'I wonder how Tiaan managed it?' said Nish. 'It didn't take her long to make one fly.'

'Now there's a thought,' said Yggur. 'What happened to the flying construct after Vithis took Tiaan?'

'It burned. It was covered in tar.'

'Did you learn anything while you were in it? About how she made it fly, I mean?'

'It was Tirior's construct, but Tiaan made it go when Tiror could not, using the amplimet to draw on a distant field. A little later, Tiaan had us blindfolded while she did something to the mechanisms, and after that it flew.'

'But how did she make it fly?' said Yggur to himself.

Vithis had custody of her amplimet for a long time,' said Flydd, 'yet never succeeded in making any of his constructs fly. Which means …'

'That Tiaan alone knows the secret and he couldn't get it out of her,' said Nish.

'There must be more to it,' said Flydd.

'There's more,' said Yggur with a remote smile. 'I've had a full report come in by skeet. When Tiaan escaped from the Aachim she had the amplimet, but the construct didn't fly. Something vital must have been lost in the one that burned, and she couldn't replace it. We're getting closer.'

'And she's getting further away,' said Flydd.

'After flying a construct, merely hovering must be galling to her. She'll want to replace what was burned as quickly as possible.'

'She'll go back to Tirthrax,' said Flydd, bright-eyed, 'where she first discovered the secret, doubtless with Malien's aid. We can expect to see a flying machine again before too long.'

'Malien's still alive?' Yggur exclaimed. 'That is good news. What can you—?'

Ask Nish,' said Flydd. 'He's met her!' It galled Flydd, for he'd desperately wanted to meet the legend when he had been in Tirthrax, but she hadn't shown herself.

'I had a couple of run-ins with her,' said Nish, looking down at his hands. 'Neither to my credit, though at the time I thought I was doing the right thing.'

'I'm beginning to see a possibility,' said Yggur. 'I've a mind to take the air-floater to Tirthrax and talk to Malien.'

'You can't have it!' said Flydd.

Yggur grew very still. 'You, a beggarly ex-scrutator, presume to tell me what I can do?'

'It's all we've got and if we lose it, we're finished,' said Flydd, daunted but defiant. And we will lose it. The lyrinx will be watching the skies, and so will the scrutators.'

What's the point in having an air-floater if you haven't the courage to use it?'

I need it for a plan of my own. Anyway, I thought you were going to make a flier with the construct mechanism?'

It may take years to discover a secret that Tiaan or Malien could show us in a few minutes. What's your plan?'

Flydd hesitated. Secrecy was a way of life to him. His tired eyes searched Yggur's face, then he seemed to come to a decision. 'It also relies on a flying construct, though I'm not planning to build one. I'm going to track Tiaan down and ask her for the secret. Then, go to Tirthrax and make a flying construct from the damaged machines there.'

And if that fails?'

Attempt it at Snizort, where there are hundreds to choose from.'

And once you have your flying machine, what then?'

Flydd studied his adversary. It was hard to overcome this instinctive rivalry, not to mention his dislike of a man who seemed so much more than he, in every respect, yet was reluctant to use his talents for the war.

With an effort, he put the feelings aside. 'Nennifer, the scrutators' secret bastion, isn't designed for defence against flying constructs. They'd never expect us to have one, or to attack them. I plan to go in at night, through the roof, and take them by surprise. In half an hour it could all be over.’

'Just you against eleven Council members and their thousands of guards and mancers?'

'I'll go alone, if no one will come with me,' said Flydd. 'The Council must be overthrown and I've sworn to do it, whatever it costs.'

Yggur regarded him, smiling faintly. 'You took your sweet time about it, but for once I agree. I will work with you, after all. First we must have flight. Once we have it, we bring down the Council and replace it. Only then can we plan how to end the war.’

Flydd stood up and shook his hand. 'I'll send Flangers out in the air-floater, to contact Muss …' His eyes met Irisis's. 'Yes, Muss. If anybody can find Tiaan, he can.' If he's still working for me he thought.

And I'll send skeets to my factors, with the same message.’

said Yggur. 'It seems that we have the beginnings of a plan.