Even sleeping, said a soft baritone voice, the beasts are magnificent.
Startled, Dulsaer jerked around to see Dai Shan standing in that straight, still, and somehow vaguely dainty way of his. The Shou s breath steamed, but other than that, there was no indication that he felt the chill in the air, even though his long green overcoat didn t look all that warm. The longhouses of Immilmar with their peaked sod roofs stood a long bow shot behind him, brown accents in a world of winter white.
Dulsaer s mouth tightened. He d never liked Dai Shan, and disliked him still further since the merchant had made a fool of him in front of the Wychlaran. Still, he supposed it behooved him to show the man a modicum of civility.
Yes, they are, he said. Did you hike out from town just to look at them?
Dai Shan smiled as he said, It was griffons that lured us all here, brave captain. Naturally, I d like to become more familiar with them. And now that the Iron Lord has posted guards to keep us from approaching too close to the wild ones, I have nowhere else to study them. I must say, these look every bit as strong and as fierce as the ones we re squabbling over.
Dulsaer nodded. Absolutely, he said.
Which begs the question, said the Shou, if Aglarond already has griffons of such quality, why are you so intent on acquiring the ones in Rashemi hands?
What the simbarchs want, their servant delivers.
But I have absolute confidence that such a shrewd officer knows why they want them, and could enlighten me if he chose.
Dulsaer shrugged. I suppose it s not a secret, just common sense. When it comes to a weapon like griffons, you can t have too much of it. You re also wise to keep your enemies from getting any. The first time Aglarond tried to take back the Wizard s Reach, that turncoat Fezim brought griffons against us, and that was part of the reason we lost. For that matter, Thay itself once had a Griffon Legion. Don t you think they d rebuild it if given a chance?
It may be so.
And Thay s the enemy of every other land in the East. But if you had the griffons, you d sell them to Szass Tam, wouldn t you? You d figure his gold spends the same as anybody else s.
It grieves me, valiant sir, that you appear to regard my profession with disdain. I humbly concede, it s not heroic like your own, but still, it would be a cheerless, hardscrabble world without commerce.
Maybe so, but tell me I m wrong about the griffons and you.
About me, personally, you are. I have some insight into the source of Szass Tam s powers, and the unfortunate things that would befall any realm that came under his sway. But I must admit, my elders in the House of Shan might not see that as clearly as I do, and I too have orders to obey. Happily, I enjoy a certain amount of latitude as to how I interpret them.
Dulsaer cocked his head. What are you getting at? Say it straight out.
As you wish. In front of the hathrans, carried away by the enthusiasm of the moment, I expressed my intent to destroy the creatures troubling this realm. But later, I reluctantly came to the conclusion that you were right: My little band lacks the resources to accomplish any such thing. You, on the other hand, possess precisely the armed might necessary Except that, if rumor can be trusted, you haven t had any luck locating the enemy.
So you re suggesting a partnership?
Of a kind that ought to suit you very well. If I don t help you win the griffons, you naturally owe me nothing. But if I do, you ll still take possession of all the animals, and simply pay a fee for my assistance. You ll go home with everything you came for, and I ll reap sufficient profit to satisfy my father even though it s not the prize he sent me to fetch.
Some people say you ve already made a deal with Mario Bez. That you were seen talking to him the last time his skyship flew back into town.
Seeking opportunity, a trader talks to all sorts of people. That doesn t mean I wouldn t prefer a covenant with an honorable officer over a sordid arrangement with an infamous mercenary.
Hm, Dulsaer murmured as he turned the proposal over in his mind, looking for a flaw. Feeling a bit like a cunning, greedy merchant himself, he asked, How big a fee?
As she tramped along, planting the butt of her staff with every other stride, the snow crunching beneath her war boots, Jhesrhi kept an eye out for tracks and figures lurking behind the trees. It was probably a waste of effort. Aoth and Zyl were likely to spot trouble before she did. But life had taught her never to entrust her safety entirely to others if she could avoid it.
How much farther? Aoth asked, a hint of impatience in his voice.
Not far, the black hare answered, so stay close. We ll come up on the sentries soon, and we want to make sure they understand the two of you are with me. Humans aren t generally welcome this deep in the forest.
Aoth snorted. Does Rashemen have any woods that aren t forbidden, sacred, or both? he asked.
Not many, Zyl replied. Fundamentally, it s a land of spirits and fey, who tolerate what they consider to be lesser creatures just as long as we show the proper respect.
We? Jhesrhi asked.
Zyl laughed a shrill, pulsing sound enough like a human wail of pain to be unnerving. I really am just an animal, a fire spirit, he said, although one who s learned some useful tricks since a precocious child awakened him on a whim. There are those who d say you belong in the courts of the fey more than I do.
For some reason, she said, you have a mistaken impression of me. It s true I ve acquired an affinity with fire, but I m still a human being.
If it pleases you to think so, lady, then who am I to argue otherwise? Zyl said.
I see one of your sentries, said Aoth. Ahead and a little to the left.
With that to guide her, Jhesrhi spotted the watcher, too. He somewhat resembled a slender elf archer with pointed ears and slanted eyes. But the elves she d seen had little body hair, whereas the sentry appeared to have a tawny down covering him. His face was narrower and less manlike than an elf s, and she couldn t read its expression. Long canines extended from under his upper lip, and smallish antlers jutted from his brow with shiny metal objects attached to the points.
Interesting, said Aoth. I haven t run across folk like that before.
They started out as elves, Zyl said, or so the story goes. But then, in a time of desperation, they asked a spirit called the Stag King to save them from the doom that was coming to claim them. He agreed to do it if he could lie with three of their maidens. Perhaps not understanding just how strong his blood would prove to be, the elves agreed. After a few generations, they were all like him, and made no objection when he returned to rule as their king.
As Jhesrhi and her companions marched onward, Aoth pointed out other archers watching from hiding like the first. In time, a silvery chiming like sleigh bells sounded at the sellswords backs.
What s that? asked Aoth.
The bells in their antlers, Zyl replied. Their way of telling you that now that you ve come this far, you can t turn back.
In other words, said Aoth, they think they can scare us onward like beaters flushing game. That s not very flattering or friendly, either.
They re not a friendly people.
Then why serve them if you re not really a dark fey yourself?
You ve seen that I have powers.
Yes.
Well, like the elves in the story, I had to bargain for what I wanted with one who was willing to trade with me. Now, look sharp. We re almost there.
The travelers wound their way through a thick stand of ash and alder to the clearing on the other side. At first, Jhesrhi couldn t see any reason why no trees grew on that particular patch of ground. Then she took another step, and a castle wavered into view in front of her. The lines of the spires and battlements had once been graceful and harmonious, and the walls once adorned with intricate mosaics. But everything was crumbling and faded.