“I swore I’d never drink with you again.”
“Suit yourself.” When Alina turned around there was a goblet of golden liquid in her hand. “You always drank too much anyway.”
She walked across the room and sprawled languidly on a velvet couch. The amethyst flames flickered, casting violet shadows across the room.
“After I heard about Jode, I did a little investigation of my own, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised to find that you were accompanied by a young lady.” She gestured idly, and an image of Lei’s face shimmered into existence in the air before her. “A dragonmark heir, no less. Coming full circle, Daine?”
“Leave her out of this, Alina!” said Daine, striding over to her seat.
“Are you certain about that, Daine?” Alina’s face was expressionless, but her eyes glittered in the firelight. “I understand that the young lady is in a difficult position at the moment. Perhaps-”
“I said, leave her out of this! You’re dealing with me.”
“So I am.” Alina closed her hand, and Lei’s face vanished. “And what is it you want, Daine? What do you have to offer?”
Jode stepped forward. “I’m sorry if I misled you, Lady Lyrris. We are seeking honest work, not some sort of gift or exchange. With the loss of Cyre, we must all find our way in this new world. A simple job, a chance to make a few sovereigns … you employ dozens of people, don’t you? Surely there’s something you could use us for.”
Alina laughed musically, sending a shiver down Daine’s spine. “Honest work? You’d make a fine fool, Jode.” She stared into the fire for a moment. “You must be truly desperate, to come to me for honest work. Yet …” She studied Daine carefully. “Perhaps there is something you can do for me. A servant of mine-a courier engaged in good, honest work-has gone missing. I believe that he has betrayed me and stolen my property. He wouldn’t be the first. Until I … sort things out, yes, I imagine that I could use a little outside assistance. If you reclaim what has been stolen from me, I should think a reward would be in order.”
Daine glanced at Jode. It sounded harmless enough. “What can you tell us, my lady?” Jode said.
Alina gestured at the wall. The image of a man appeared in the reflection of the room. Whether through coincidence or artifice, his location and posture mirrored than of Daine, and when Daine moved, the image duplicated his actions. Daine walked up to the wall to take a closer look at the stranger in the mirror.
“This is Rasial,” Alina said.
He was human, early twenties, with lank black hair that fell to his shoulders and spread across his chin. Under the right circumstances, he might have been handsome, but his eyes were haunted and he had a hungry, desperate look. He wore dark cavalry leather and a short black cloak, and he held a dagger in his right hand.
“Rasial used to be a windchaser-an aerial racer-with a gifted touch for hippogriffs and daggerhawks. He stopped racing after a terrible accident, but he still had talent and ambition. I helped him get back on his feet, and in return he perform certain services for me-notably, bringing certain exotic goods to Sharn through the air. Recently, I paid him a great deal of money to bring a special package into the city. I know that he returned to Sharn yesterday, but I have not received my merchandise, and he has gone into hiding. There are many possibilities, but I suspect that Rasial’s greed finally outweighed his loyalty. As I said, it’s not the first time someone has taken advantage of my generous nature.”
“So you want us to hunt him down for you?” asked Daine.
“You wound me, Daine. I am not a vengeful woman. You’re still alive, aren’t you? I don’t care what becomes of Rasial, but I want what I paid for-the goods he was carrying, or at the very least the knowledge of who has them now. Deliver the shards, and I will pay you … say, three hundred dragons? That should be more than enough to get you established in Sharn or wherever you intend to settle.”
“Four hundred,” Jode said. “There are four of us.”
“You actually think of your warforged as an ally? I’ve always seen them as pets.”
“He’s right,” Daine said. “Four hundred.”
“Three and a half,” she said languidly. “Half the coin for half a man.”
“He’s worth more than I am, Alina.”
“What made you think I was talking about your warforged?”
“Four or not at all.”
“Oh, Daine,” Alina heaved a dramatic sigh. “Do you suppose I can simply conjure platinum coins from thin air?”
“Do you really want an answer?”
The gnome studied him solemnly and finally allowed a smile to cross her perfect features. “Very well. For old time’s sake. Four hundred it is.”
“So what are we looking for?”
“Khyber dragonshards,” Alina said. “A very rare form of Khyber shard, at that.” She waved a finger at the mirror, and the dagger in Rasial’s hand shifted into a shard of black crystal laced with purple veins. The veins were faintly luminescent. Every now and then, they would flare up with a brighter burst of light. “I could give you a tedious lecture about their origin and value, but I imagine that your lady friend can do that just as well as I can. I know Rasial hasn’t left the city yet. He may still have the shards, or he may have already sold them. In either case, finding Rasial is probably the best place to start.”
Daine studied his counterpart carefully. “Is he dangerous?”
“Who isn’t?” Alina lazily swirled her wine about in the goblet.
“How do you know he hasn’t left the city?”
“I have my ways.”
“Helpful as always. Is there anything in particular about him that we ought to know?”
“Now that you mention it … if you should cross blades, I suggest that you don’t let him touch you.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s all you need to know.”
“I’ll bear that in mind.” Daine turned away from the mirror. “Look, Alina, I’ll be the first to admit that we can use this money. But why are you doing this? You could hire a Tharashk inquisitive for a fraction of what you’re offering us. Are you telling me you can’t find him yourself?”
“Daine,” she said reproachfully, “you won’t take my gifts. Can’t I help out an old friend by giving him a simple job?”
“Your gifts are never free, and we were never friends. What’s your angle here?”
She laughed. “It seems ten years isn’t such a long time after all. You know me too well. You’re right. I have a reason for wanting to use you for this.”
“Fresh faces?” said Jode.
“Indeed. There is a delicate balance of power in this city. Rasial has friends. If he has betrayed me, there are people who can trace my usual sources. You’re outsiders. You can’t be immediately connected to me.” She smiled. “And if anything bad happens to you, what have I really lost?”
“Funny,” said Daine.
“Lady Lyrris,” Jode interjected. “I assume that time is of the essence. What can you tell us about Rasial or his associates? How many shards does he have? How large are they?”
Alina reached under the sofa and produced a small packet wrapped in black leather. “All of the details are here.” She tossed the packet to Daine and then produced a smaller purse. “Here’s a few sovereigns. It should be enough to get you started. Let me know if you need more. And now, if you don’t mind, I do have other business to attend to.”
She gestured toward the door, and it opened again.
“By the way, Daine?” she said as they were leaving.
“Yes?”
“If I were you, I’d buy a sword.”
CHAPTER 7
If the dragonmarked houses held power to rival nations, then the district of Dragon Towers was where they maintained their embassies and consulates. Dozens of shops promised the mystical services of the true heirs of each house, and beyond these little businesses lay the enclaves of the houses themselves-massive towers where the heirs lived and learned their arts. The Great Healing Hall of House Jorasco was the largest to be found in Breland, and Sivis Tower was a nexus for communication across Khorvaire. The services of the dragonmarked were expensive, and the people who thronged the streets were not the peasants and beggars found on the lower level. Here aristocrats rubbed shoulders with knights and merchant princes. The street was a tapestry of colorful silk, and the air filled with the scents of rare perfumes and the exotic spices of the Ghallanda vendors.