"Excuse me, Director, but I have an appointment scheduled, and my guest has just arrived. Please excuse this humble diplomat. By my oath, I will contact you as soon as 1 have arranged for our meeting."
For the first time since he picked up the mirror, Veza's expression was less than polite. She seemed to be peering at him as if seeing him clearly for the first time, sizing him up as a potential ally or opponent.
"Thank you, Ambassador.
"Thank you, Director."
"I hope I can count on you to assist me. We are both in a unique position to help the empress, the empire, and ourselves."
"Nothing would please me more. I will make some inquiries and arrange for a time and place to share my findings with you." Provided, of course, Laquatus thought, that it serves my needs, and I haven't had you or the empress killed by then. "As I said before, for the good of the empire."
"Long live the empire. I will await your notice, Ambassador. I can be reached any time, day or night, on this mirror."
"Very well. I, on the other hand, will not be available. I will have to contact you. It could be a matter of hours, or a matter of days. But I will contact you."
Veza scowled. "Agreed. Until then, Ambassador, you have my thanks and those of the empress."
"Long live the empire," Laquatus said. He touched a gem on the mirror's handle, and the vision went blank. Turg belched loudly, and Laquatus muttered, "Go back to sleep," so the great frog rolled happily back onto its side.
Laquatus put the mirror back into the trunk and locked it up tight. He could sort out where to have a clandestine meeting with Veza and what kind of misinformation to feed the empress later. As intrigued as he was with the sight of another merfolk like himself, right now he needed to check in with his Cabal hosts and arrange for a meeting with the First.
Laquatus's spies in the Cabal had told him that an artifact of immense power had been recovered and brought safely into the city. Laquatus had felt the presence of the artifact himself, but he had not been able to determine what, or exactly where, it was. According to his sources in the Order, however, high- level adepts of every description were honing in on the artifact like sharks on a bleeding fish.
Laquatus felt an opportunity growing and was determined to make the most of it. Powerful, functioning artifacts were nearly impossible to come by these days, and if this one was as impressive as it seemed, then Laquatus would claim it in Aboshan's name. The emperor would use it to solidify his grip on both the seas around Otaria and the continent itself. In turn, Laquatus would also use the artifact to strengthen his hold on Aboshan. He would continue as he had for the past several years, supplanting the churlish emperor one step at a time, bit by bit, until there would be no more need for Aboshan, his exiled wife, or any of her prying, spying, low-level functionaries.
Laquatus stripped off the blue silken robe and began rooting around for something more dazzling. He would request an audience with the First, check on his hidden troops in the sea caves, and put Turg through his paces in the pits. Before he went to sleep that night, he intended to have seen the mysterious device with his own eyes.
He knew that once he had seen it and determined how to make use of it, there was nothing on land or in the seas that could stop him from acquiring it.
Chainer and Skellum were admitted to the First's study without fanfare. Deidre led them through the door, then began to skulk along the walls and shadows with the rest of the First's armed guards. The skull attendant returned to his post at the First's side. Master and pupil both waited for the First to hail them, but he simply stood staring at the pair calmly with his arms behind his back.
"It is called the 'Mirari,' " the First said calmly. He stepped aside and presented the treasure to them with a wave of his robed arm. The First had Chainer's sphere set floating above a polished rune-silver base, which was in turn set into a small wooden stand. The entire apparatus was enclosed in a clear glass cover that fit snugly onto the stand. Lit by torches, the Mirari seemed to be floating above a floating stand inside a floating glass bubble.
"Quite astonishing, Pater."
Chainer simply gaped. "Mirari?" he said.
"Mirari," the First confirmed. "It's an ancient word for a fantastic wish-granting artifact."
Skellum stroked his thin beard. "Simply astonishing."
"So it grants wishes?" Chainer couldn't quite pin down why that disappointed him. Perhaps because his vision had seemed so much grander than even his wildest dreams.
"It might," the First said. "Among other things. We haven't had enough time to fully determine all its uses, but simply possessing it has given me a clearer mind and more energy than I've had in years. I'm almost aglow with good ideas lately.
"Even as we speak, mages are on their way here to find out what I have. I can feel them coming like moths flitting above a spider's web. They don't even know what it is, yet they want it. It is part of this object's nature. They simply can't help but want it.
"But you," he said to Chainer. "You found it, and you brought it here. You put thoughts of the Cabal and of your First before thoughts of yourself. I must ask you to do so again."
"We are yours to command, Pater," Skellum said.
"I am speaking to Chainer." The First came within a foot of Chainer and looked down into his eyes.
Chainer fought the weakness in his legs, redoubled by the proximity of the First. "I am your obedient child," he said.
"My son." The First stepped back and gazed into the Mirari. "Tomorrow, the three-day lunar games begin. The Mirari shall be in the prize cache."
"Pater?" Skellum jumped in to prevent Chainer from doing so, but the young man simply stared calmly at the First.
"Yes, Master Skellum?"
Still covering for Chainer, Skellum said, "Your wisdom is unquestioned. But my ignorance is vast… What is the advantage of offering the device up to chance before we know what it can do?"
The First stared stonily at Skellum for a long moment. Then he smiled humorlessly. "You are young, Master Skellum, and impatient. I have led the Cabal for a very long time, and served it even longer. I have seen into the hearts of men, and I have owned items of power. And I say the quest for this thing, this Mirari, will destroy many who seek its power. When their schemes are all spent and they themselves lie undone, the Cabal will be there to claim the prize once more." He crossed his arms in front, and his attendants knelt in readiness beside him. "Master Skellum, Apprentice Chainer, believe in your First. Right now there is no one on Otaria who can control the Mirari. But in time it will show us the mettle of our rivals and distinguish the smart and the strong among them from the stupid and the dead. By then, I will be ready to use it for the glory of the Cabal, and there will be no one left to interfere."
"Truly, you are wise, Pater." Skellum said. "Isn't he wise, Chainer."
"The First is wise," Chainer agreed dully.
"Outstanding. There is one more thing, before I dismiss you."
"We stand ready, Pater."
"Tomorrow, a warrior from the mountains will arrive in the pits. He is known to the Cabalists there by reputation and by first-hand observation. They say he is quite ferocious, a champion among his own violent people. He is here undoubtedly seeking the Mirari. Of all those who are coming for it, I think he may have the single best chance of winning it."
"Is he that good, Pater?" Chainer asked.
"He is easily capable of earning the right to choose his prize through combat. He is also uncharacteristically intelligent for his kind and may recognize the Mirari's value among the rest of the dross. I want you," he said to Chainer, "to guide him through the competition."