Something whizzed from the midst of one of these groups and struck Gerrard's foot. He leaped, startled.
There was a burst of laughter. A courtier lumbered toward him as quickly as his grotesquely fat body would permit. He bent with a grunt and retrieved a small, furry creature. Chuckling, he held it up for Gerrard's inspection. It appeared to be a species of rat, somewhat larger than Gerrard was used to seeing. Its tiny eyes glittered, and its whiskers moved back and forth as it twitched its nose. Its tail was at least a foot long and ended in a sharp cluster of spikes. Deftly, the Mercadian flipped the rat on its back and scratched its stomach. A small panel opened, showing a tangle of machinery and a tiny glowing stone.
Gerrard gasped and said to Takara, "It's a toy-with a powerstone."
"Yes." The Rathi woman stepped closer and stared intently at the mechanical creature.
Glancing around the room, Gerrard noticed a number of the other nobles were playing with toys. Many were in the shape of animals; others were fashioned in the likeness of engines and vehicles. All were small but animated by power stones. He looked at Takara and grinned. "Our terms have just gotten steeper."
Moving very little, the magistrate beckoned to Gerrard. His voice was high and strained, and Gerrard could barely hear it above the other noise in the room. The words were High Mercadian, but on the lips of the magistrate they sounded even more coarse and degenerate.
Takara translated. "The magistrate asks who you are and what you offer, to approach his exalted figure."
Lifting his eyes to the man, Gerrard said, "I am the legendary outlaw Gerrard, giant killer."
That caused a sensation. The courtiers paused in conversation and looked up. A few gathered their grapes, and cheese, and little mechanical toys, withdrawing along the wall. The guards in the room also tensed.
The magistrate's eyes darted nervously toward the door.
"Call them off, Magistrate. I have slain whole companies of your soldiers," Gerrard lied. "I will slay these and you, too, if you don't call them off."
With a pallid nod, the magistrate sent the soldiers back to their posts.
"Good," Gerrard said. "We have come to make a bargain."
"To make a bargain you came?" echoed a mocking little voice-a Kyren. He emerged from beside the ivory throne, where others of his kind stood. They were garbed in fine silks and shadows. This one walked very erect, its eyes pinning Gerrard's insolently as it approached. "Most respected Magistrate of Mercadia, may the gods bless and keep your name," observed the Kyren, "does not your ineffable wisdom truly spread wherever the name of Mercadia is known? Might a humble servant of your divine mightiness presume to offer some small tidbit of advice on the matter of this stranger?"
The magistrate gestured meaninglessly.
The goblin continued. "Would it not be proper and advisable to determine why we should give any audience to a' brigand? Would it not be advisable to call the city wizards, or failing them, the city guard, or failing them, the city waste managers?"
The insouciant Kyren had ventured a little too close. Takara lunged, grabbed the beast by the throat, and hoisted it in one hand.
Guards who had not rushed to the magistrate's aid now ran toward Takara. Gerrard turned and drew a sword to ward them away.
Takara meanwhile stared into the goblin's bugging eyes. Her own eyes narrowed, and her mouth was a toothy gash across her face. "Look at me, you little bug. Look at me. Really look, and you will see why you must listen to us!"
Gerrard busily circled the pair, keeping guards at bay. Over his shoulder, he glimpsed the goblin's face. At first, there was only angry umbrage and the panic of suffocation. Then suddenly, there was something else-abject terror.
The Kyren waved the guards back.
Takara nodded, lowering the beast to the ground. She released him, and the Kyren staggered away slowly, clutching his neck.
Gerrard hissed to her, "What did you do?"
Through a humorless smile, Takara whispered, "Just let him see my hate. It is a powerful thing."
Coughing raggedly, the creature retreated toward the chief magistrate. "Might I suggest… the chief to treat these folk
… as privileged citizens… instead of outlaws?"
The fat man's chins quivered like the wattle of a chicken. "Very well. The magistrate accepts your advice." He nodded to Gerrard.
Gerrard said, "I am the legendary Gerrard, giant killer. I would triumph no matter what forces you sent against me. My folk are as powerful as an army. Our prowess is not diminished by the fact that your troops are pathetic, listless, and hopeless. Are you satisfied with the state of your army?"
One of the goblins replied, his voice oily and unpleasant. "Is Mercadia not still threatened by enemies from abroad, and yet our armies are untrained? Is not their skill with arms poor? Are not the weapons they possess badly maintained? Have you weapons you can trade? Have you sufficient soldiers to fill our ranks?"
"Better. The legendary Gerrard will make a bargain with you," Gerrard said. "I will train your troops in the use of weaponry. I will train them how to train others. I will turn your army into a fighting machine that will be, itself, legendary."
"You will train our armies in return for what?" the Kyren asked.
"Freedom for my folk, first of all," Gerrard said. "I want them to walk the streets as citizens."
"Is there nothing more we can offer?"
"There is plenty more. When I have finished training a division of your troops, I will be granted them to march into the Rushwood to fight the Cho-Arrim. I seek to regain the airship I was falsely arrested for trading to them."
Avarice flared in the goblin's eyes. "Why would we refuse the offer of legendary Gerrard to lead our armies against our enemies?"
"Once I retrieve my ship, I want facilities here to repair it-"
"Why would we refuse to grant facil-"
"And assistance in gathering power stones to repair the ship."
"Do we not know legends of power stone troves?"
"And last, but certainly not least, I want a thousand gold coins given to the farm family of Tavoot, in payment for damages incurred."
"A thousand gold?"
"Are the terms of this bargain accepted?" Gerrard asked. "Think twice before you answer with another question!"
The Kyren's eyes grew wide.
The magistrate himself answered. "The bargain is accepted, I legendary Gerrard, giant killer. Train our troops, and your folk will be treated as citizens and honored guests. You will be granted the right to lead a division to regain your ship. If you regain your ship, you will be allowed to use our facilities to repair it and benefit from our assistance in obtaining power stones to complete the job. And a thousand gold pieces will be granted to the farm family you mentioned. Agreed."
Legendary Gerrard nodded, smiling with satisfaction. "Good."
Beside him, Takara whispered, "Good for now, but that was too easy. Nothing here is as it seems. We must proceed cautiously."
Chapter 5
The dark water spread out in a V behind Orim as she swam. Ripples ran away from her across the lagoon's surface. A few shafts of sunlight reflected off the water, glinting in the evening air.
It was, as nearly as Orim could determine, about a month since her capture by the Cho-Arrim. On the forest floor it was difficult to be certain of the passage of day and night. The light was always the same soft, gray glow of the tree trunks. Within the village a fire burned at all times, and the ChoArrim moved about it immersed in their everyday routines. Orim slept when she was tired and awoke feeling rested and refreshed, but she had no idea whether she had been asleep two hours or ten. Perhaps the best measure of how much time had passed was how well she had picked up the Cho-Arrim language. Total immersion had taught her many words very quickly.