“No wonder Usara wasn’t telling.” And I’d just thought the wizard was enjoying having the whip hand for a change.
“So who’s the dancing bear?” ’Gren was ready for any amusement this new turn of events might offer.
“His name’s Darni.” I laughed at the notion of the burly warrior with a ring through his nose, capering to the goad of a stick. “But you don’t get inside the reach of a bear’s chain, do you? This one’s just as dangerous.”
“Livak,” Darni greeted me with a curt nod, as if we’d spoken no more than a few days since. “Or are you going by something else? Terilla, wasn’t it?” His slab of a face was as hard to read as ever beneath the obdurate beard but this was as close as he was going to get to a joke.
I smiled back thinly. “Livak will do.” Terilla was the name I’d given this charmless bastard when I’d been pretending the valuable tankard I was selling was my own and he’d been pretending to be an honest merchant buying it. “ ’Gren, this is Darni, agent to the Archmage. He’s the one who gave me the choice of working for Planir or being chained up and handed over to the Watch.”
’Gren grinned up at Darni. “Looks like you owe our girl then, pal.”
Darni looked down at him. “Besides saving her life?”
“You and half the wizards of Hadrumal,” I scoffed. “Anyway, we’d already escaped from the Elietimm before you turned up.” As I spoke, something teased at my memory but fled before I could grasp it.
“So where’s ’Sar?” Darni turned in his saddle and I realized he had a companion. The second man urged his horse forward. He was of common height and build with middling brown hair and the pale skin of someone used to an indoor life. His eyes were large, liquid brown, a shade darker than his hair and wide-set beneath high, arching brows. His undistinguished face was adorned with luxuriant mustaches, chin clean-shaven apart from a tuft of beard.
“So who’s your friend?” I countered.
“My name is Gilmarten Forn,” the stranger replied obligingly, a Soluran lilt to his words. He swept off his lavishly plumed hat and made a creditable bow for a man on horseback. “I am of the fifth order of Eade and professed to Lord Astrad of Castle Stradar.”
“Good for you,” murmured ’Gren.
“A pleasure to meet you.” I was about to say I had no idea where Usara was when I saw the mage hurrying toward us, Sorgrad walking more slowly behind him. “There’s your wizard.”
Darni dismounted and accosted a rather vacant-looking boy, giving him a couple of coins. “Here, you, take these horses up to the guard stables at the castle. Tell the commander to stable them on Lord Astrad’s authority.” The boy gaped. “Just do it.” Darni unhooked his saddlebags and glared at the lad. “What are you waiting for?”
The man Gilmarten slid from his own horse, face alight with curiosity as he studied Usara. The lad decided he’d rather brave the known evil of the Guard commander than risk further words with this dangerous-looking stranger and hauled the animals off hastily.
“Darni, good to see you,” Usara said a little breathlessly. “I wasn’t expecting you for another couple of days.”
“Planir said it was important,” replied Darni. “So, where can we talk?”
I pointed to a house with a besom nailed up over the door, Solurans not going in for real tavern signs. “Over a drink?” The midday thirsty had already gone back to their labors. The place was nearly empty when we went in and, under Darni’s hard-nosed glare, those still idling over their tankards decided they had better places to be.
We sat on low stools and were served with palatable ale, ’Gren and Sorgrad studying Darni, Gilmarten watching Usara, and the wizard glancing at everyone in turn. I caught his eye and held it. “So now that I know we’re to have the pleasure of Darni’s company, what next? How soon can we be back in the uplands?”
Usara looked shifty. “I think we have learned as much as we are likely to on this trip, Livak. Darni is on his way back to Hadrumal and we should travel with him. He’s all the escort we’ll need through the Great Forest, and once we’re back in Ensaimin we can get a coach to Col and pick up a ship there—”
“You just rein it in, wizard!” I sat, open-mouthed. “You’re quitting?”
“I’m acknowledging we have come to the end of our journey.” He cleared his throat. “We have determined that there is aetheric lore in the traditions of these Sheltya and that is valuable information. Planir can decide how best to pursue it.”
“What we want to pursue is that cold-faced piece of work who threw us out!” I retorted.
“When she can turn every single mountain dweller against us, needing no more than her unsupported word?” demanded Usara.
“You never had any intention of going back, did you?” I cursed myself for a trusting fool.
“I thought it possible that Gilmarten might be able to help,” replied Usara, trying to sound affronted. “That turns out not to be the case, so I’d say that has to be the end of the matter for the moment.”
“Hold hard.” I raised a finger. “How do you know that, if the pair of you have only just met?” I swung around on my stool to give the newcomer a searching look.
“It is true that we have only just met,” he said politely, “but we have been in contact for some days now.”
“You’re another—” I managed to stop myself from punctuating my words with obscenities—“wizard?”
“Of course,” Gilmarten nodded, faintly puzzled.
“You’ve been in contact for some days?” I rounded on Usara who had the grace to redden. “What’s going on?”
“I’ve been looking into the ways Solurans train their wizards.” Darni replied for the mage with the arrogance I’d so disliked before. “Gilmarten is coming to Hadrumal to meet Planir. Once it looked increasingly likely your scheme would come to nothing, Planir told me to meet ’Sar here and escort him home.”
Darni would be taking goods home to the Archmage while I was left empty-handed? Not if I could help it.
“So you’ve been in touch with Planir as well, Usara? You didn’t think to mention it? Have you had any interest in our search or was I just saving Planir the cost of hiring you a wet-nurse for your journey?” I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of losing my temper but rage was scalding my throat and boiling behind my eyes.
“I think that I have made best use of so much traveling by handling several commissions at once,” replied the mage pompously.
“Most folk reckon a fool chasing two hares is going to end up with neither,” I snapped.
“If he doesn’t want to see the task through, we’re better off without him.” Sorgrad spoke up from the corner where he had been sitting silently watching. “We’ll just take the road east and do it that way.”
“Which puts us halfway back to Messire as well,” ’Gren chipped in, never slow to take a hint.
I nodded and nailed on a broad smile. “It always was an even bet Gidesta would pay off better, wasn’t it?”
Sorgrad was unconcerned. “It was worth testing the water here, since we were coming to the Forest anyway.”
“I’m sorry?” Usara was baffled by this rapid change in mood.
I waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry about it. You just do as Planir tells you. Messire will pass on what he thinks you need to know.”
“In due course,” added Sorgrad.
“So, you are a mage as well?” I turned to Gilmarten, who was looking frankly bemused. “But here in Solura, you aren’t under Hadrumal’s thumb?” I was all polite curiosity, like the Tormalin noble ladies who’d patronized me to screaming point over the Winter Solstice.