"I think we'd better go, before Ulger here says something we'll regret," Darvon grunted.
"I'm not offended, Lord General," Cassiter said mildly. "Most Wikuni merchants are money-grubbing cheats. I don't make excuses for my people."
"Well, you're better than most of them," Darvon said with a slight smile. "And I'm surprised you know who I am."
"I have eyes, my Lord General. Your breastplate denotes your rank."
"Not many know that," he said in an impressed manner.
"It's not hard to find out," he shrugged. "If one is willing to take the time to learn, anyway. I'll have the clothes sent to the Tower, Keeper. Shall I drop them off at the gate?"
"I'll make arrangements. Send me the bill when you're done."
He nodded. "Then if you'll pardon me, I have a customer waiting for me on the fitting stand. Holding her arms up with about fifty pins threatening to jab her in many different places. I should really get back to her."
"We'll see ourselves out, Cass. Thank you."
"Any time, Keeper," he said with a nod.
They plunged back out into the crowd, and it was slow going once again. Tarrin didn't feel very comfortable with all those people surrounding him, shouting and calling to Jenna, but his sister wasn't trying to extend the situation. She had the Knights get them back to the carriage, and once inside, the footmen tending it got the carriage out of the crowded square.
Tarrin though they were going back to the Tower, but he found out that he was mistaken. They moved deeper into Suld, to the edge of the wall near the harbor on the south side, and once again they got out. This time there were no throngs of adoring citizens, for they were in what looked to be an area of craftsmen rather than merchants. The carriage stopped before a silversmith's shop, from the looks of it, with all the silver plates and goblets hanging and standing behind a window protected by a very heavy set of iron bars to prevent a thief from simply breaking the window and making off with the display pieces. Jenna told the two Knights to wait in the carriage, then got out and beckoned him to follow her. She entered the shop, and Tarrin was a little curious as to why the Knights were told to wait in the carriage. What was more, he was curious why they obeyed her. They weren't supposed to let Sorcerers go off on their own… but then again, Darvon had said that Jenna was completely safe in Suld. Maybe they were only going to be a moment, and the Knights had a hard enough time climbing in and out of the carriage in their heavy armor. It was a very large shop, from the look of it, with many different pieces of both silver and gold sitting on shelves behind a long counter that separated the long, rather narrow display room. Two armed men wearing chain jacks stood near the door, guards to protect the merchandise, and both nodded to Jenna as she led Tarrin inside. "Is he in?" she asked immediately.
"Aye, my Lady," one of the men replied. The man reached beside him and pulled a rope hanging from the ceiling, and Tarrin realized it was a bellpull when the bell rang behind the door behind the counter. Tarrin spent the time looking at the display pieces, goblets and plates, statues of people and things, even a very impressively detailed one of what he thought was an Aeradalla, with her wings outstretched. He thought it was one, since the statue matched the descriptions he'd heard of them. All of the work was very detailed, very exacting. Tarrin realized they were in the shop of a master silver and goldsmith.
That master came through the door, and Tarrin wasn't entirely surprised. The man was a Dal, a short, stocky, heavy-set fellow with a bald pate and enormous hands. He was wearing a burned, scarred leather apron over a doublet and heavy leather trousers, to protect him from the sparks and bits of hot metal. Dals were very good at metalsmithing, and some of the best smiths and metalworkers in the world were Dal. He figured it was in their blood or something.
"I've been waiting for ye, yer Ladyship," he said with a rough voice, damaged from years of breathing in the smoke from his forge.
"It's ready, then?" she asked immediately.
"Aye. I'll fetch it for ye."
"What's ready?" Tarrin asked, looking at the two very large guards, noticing that their armor was very, very well made. Light yet strong, and kept in immaculate condition.
"Oh, just a little present I wanted to give you later," she replied with a smile. "But since you lost everything, I guess it'll be a good way to start rebuilding."
"What is it?"
"They, and you'll see," she said with a smile.
The man scurried off into his forge for only a moment, then returned with a fairly large towel or cloth or something. Tarrin realized that whatever it was that Jenna had gotten was wrapped in the cloth. The cloth bundle was about four spans long or so and very thick, and just about anything could be inside it. The Dal set it on the counter and stepped back, obviously waiting for Jenna to inspect the merchandise.
"Well? Go ahead, Tarrin," Jenna smiled. "After all, they belong to you."
A little curious, Tarrin approached the bundle, seeing that it was folded in such a way that would allow him to reveal what was inside without having to pick it up. He grabbed the cloth and peeled it back, then peeled back the inner fold, and looked down at what was inside in both surprise and amazement.
There were three things within the bundle. The first was a sword, an absolutely magnificent slightly curved sword whose pommel and hilt were worked to resemble a dragon. Tarrin looked very closely at that hilt, and he realized that Sapphire had been the model for the hilt. He recognized the general shape of the head, which served as the pommel. Tarrin picked up the sword and unsheathed it, and saw that it was sharpened only along one edge. The blade was very thin and almost unnaturally light, and drawing the entire weapon revealed that it had a chisel-style tip instead of a point. This was no thrusting sword, it was designed to slash. And the edge looked sharp enough to be able to slice through armor.
"It was based on the sword you used as a Were-cat," Jenna explained with bright eyes. "Just a little smaller, so you can use it as you are."
Tarrin resheathed it, and looked at the other two objects. They looked like wristguards or bracers, but were long enough to be forearm greaves for armor. They were elaborately decorated with several different etched designs. He saw Sapphire again in those designs, as well as Allia's Selani silhouette, and an Aeradalla, and Keritanima's silhouette as well-the tail gave her away-and swirling roses and vines. And on the top of each of them was an etched form of the amulet he wore around his neck, the shaeram. Tarrin reached down and picked one up, and its touch made his fingers tingle strangely. The metal was blackish in color and almost ridiculously light, but somehow he could tell that its strength was without equal. Just the touch on them told him that. And there was something more… an energy that seemed to infuse them, something that made his fingers tingle and feel hot.
"Go ahead," she urged. "Put them on."
Tarrin turned the one he was holding and put his hand through it, and he jumped in fright when the thing shrunk down to fit his arm! He grabbed at it to rip it off, but Jenna put her hand over his and laughed. "I'm sorry, I forgot," she told him. "It was supposed to do that."
"It changed its size!" he exclaimed. "It's magic!"
"It is magic," she said seriously. "Now put the other one on."
A little disturbed by that surprise, Tarrin warily picked up the other one, and then reluctantly slid his hand through it. When it was in place, it too shrunk down. And when it did, Tarrin felt the strangest tingle roll through his body.
"Good, they work," she said with a mysterious smile. "Very good work, Ardon," she nodded to the smith.
"All was done to yer specifications, yer Ladyship," he said in his rough voice.
"I see your reputation is well deserved." She reached into a pocket in her skirt, and handed the smith a small piece of paper that was within it. "There you are, Ardon. Thank you very much."