What could we offer in return? he wondered. Protection? With the Ashaki between Duna and Kyralia, and most Guild magicians not using black magic, how could the Allied Lands ever help the Duna?
They couldn’t. Kyralia didn’t have any caves full of stones, as far as he knew, so stone-making knowledge would be equally useless to the Guild. There might be caves in Elyne, or other Allied lands, though. The Cavern of Ultimate Punishment might be such a cave. But he had his doubts about that. It had looked too symmetrical to be natural. He suspected it had been built, or carved out of the rock, and the crystals attached to the walls later.
The Duna knew that they could not gain effective protection from the Allied Lands. They wanted trade. They would supply the Guild with magical stones – once their own caves recovered from the Traitors’ attack. It was up to the Guild to find something the Duna might want in exchange.
The Keeper had told him how the Traitors had always worked to destroy or steal any magical stones the Ashaki had taken from the tribes, and warned him that the Traitors would try to stop any trade with Kyralia. The Duna did not normally allow their own people to take magical stones out of their secret hiding places. A way would have to be found to transport them without raising Traitor or Sachakan suspicions.
Such precautions taken by both Duna and Traitors explained why the Ashaki had all but forgotten that such things existed. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few have a secret stash hidden away in their estates. Maybe they pass down the knowledge of how to use them to their heirs, maybe they’ve forgotten that they own anything more than pretty jewellery.
After all, if the Guild could forget that it had ever used black magic, it was possible the Ashaki had forgotten they had ever stolen magical gemstones from the Duna.
Dannyl hoped they had, otherwise getting the stones from Duna to Kyralia without the Ashaki finding out could be even more difficult. All it would take was one shipment to be discovered to put him in a diplomatically awkward and dangerous position. Achati’s anger would be the least of Dannyl’s worries.
He hadn’t had a chance to contact Administrator Osen yet. He’d been tempted to try back at the tent, but had been worried that Achati would think he was in a greater hurry to report to his superiors than he ought to be, when he’d essentially learned that storestones weren’t a threat and the rest of the information related only to his research.
What about now? he asked himself. He had to admit, he did not like the thought of transferring his attention elsewhere when a deadly precipice was a mere few steps away. The guide had assured them that the horses did not need directing. They knew the path and were as keen to avoid falling off it as their riders were. I’ll just have to trust mine won’t sense my mind is elsewhere and pitch me off for the fun of it. While the horses had so far only displayed a sturdy, placid temperament, he’d encountered enough contrary animals in his life to suspect that the species, as a whole, had a mischievous sense of humour and was inclined to play tricks the moment a rider’s attention strayed.
Pushing aside reluctance, he reached into his robes for Osen’s ring, slipped it on a finger and closed his eyes.
—Osen?
—Dannyl!
—Are you free to talk? I have some information to pass on.
—We are waiting for a Hearing to begin, but I have a little time to fill. I may have to end the conversation abruptly, however.
—I will be as concise as I can. Dannyl described his meeting with the tribesmen and the Keeper, and their proposal.
—How interesting. Osen’s excitement was faintly perceptible, like the sound of a distant vibration. A stone that blocks a mind-read and projects false thoughts.
Dannyl felt amusement and a little frustration. He’d expected Osen to be more interested in the proposed trade with Duna.
—As I said, if the Ashaki and Sachakan king find out about this, they’ll—
—The Hearing is beginning. Sorry, Dannyl. I have to go. Please take off the ring.
Opening his eyes, Dannyl slipped the ring off again and pocketed it. He felt a nagging doubt. Had Osen understood the significance of what Dannyl had told him? Had he seen the potential in trading with the Duna? More importantly, did he grasp the dangers in it, and in the Ashaki finding out about the mind-read-blocking stones?
I’ll have to trust that he does – or will when he gets the chance to think about it. Dannyl pushed the doubt aside. I do wish I could discuss this with someone, but I can’t even confide in Tayend. Not now that he’s an Elyne Ambassador.
The only person in Sachaka with whom he could have discussed the stones was Lorkin, and he was far away in the mountains, a willing prisoner of the Traitors.
The Guildhall echoed with voices as its occupants waited for the Hearing to begin. Standing to one side of the Front, Sonea looked up at the Higher Magicians and noted the same mix of worry and impatience on their faces that was growing inside her.
Where is Osen? Why haven’t Kallen and Naki arrived yet?
Beside her, Lilia seemed oblivious to the rising tension. The young woman’s gaze was fixed elsewhere. Her expression was sad and resigned.
She’s grown up a lot these last few months, Sonea mused. The confused, dazed young woman whose mind Sonea had read after Lord Leiden’s murder had been naïve and short-sighted – as surely anybody would have to be to experiment with black magic without considering the consequences.
To be fair, she was addled with roet and completely besotted. Just one of those could lure most novices into doing things they’d regret later.
Lilia had matured, however. She had learned to stop and try to anticipate the effects of her actions. She was also less trusting. When she’d agreed to escape with Lorandra, she’d made a choice, aware that the woman might not be trustworthy. Though it was a bad choice, it had been, in her mind, the best chance to save her friend.
It’s the fact that she was willing to sacrifice her own future – and perhaps her own life – to find Naki that impresses me. I only wish she’d trusted me over Lorandra. But then, maybe it’s my fault for not convincing her that I was doing all I could to find Naki.
Which hadn’t been much, Sonea admitted. She had left it to Kallen. She would not make that mistake again.
Even Cery didn’t trust me to know that he had Lilia. Perhaps he was protecting us both. What I didn’t know about, I didn’t feel obliged to deal with. It does worry me that he sent Lilia to rescue Naki. Did he not consider that Naki might not want to be rescued? If I hadn’t been there, Naki would have killed her.
She couldn’t help wondering if Cery had hoped to keep Lilia for himself. Would Lilia have agreed to that?
As for Naki, the only crime she had admitted to was learning and using black magic. She had done that out of the same foolish urge that had led Lilia to learn it. Her story of blackmail and working for a Thief was a little shaky. Sonea, Dorrien and Nikea had heard her tell Lilia that she was “learning the ropes”. Perhaps Naki had given up escaping the underworld and figured that her only future was in it – even to the point where she would obey an order to kill Lilia.