Elizabeth Haydon - Destiny - Child of the Sky

Rhapsody waited until the door had closed behind him, then leaned against the window and let out a deep, painful sigh. She rested her burning forehead against the coolness of the windowpane, missing Ashe desperately and feeling guilty for it. Her eyes sought the comfort of the dark sky, but through the cloudy pane no stars were visible.

She picked up her glass once more and drank the rest of the brandy, then walked to the fireplace and placed the snifter on the mantel next to Llauron’s. The curve of the bowls caught the somber firelight, a grim toast drunk to a future she wished would never come.

Please tell me this is a joke.”

Gwen smiled uncomfortably, then draped a thin, frost-colored veil over Rhapsody’s head and shoulders. “I’m afraid not, my dear. This is what they wear in Sorbold.”

“Where’s the rest of it?”

“This is all, dear; it’s warm there most of the year, and the proximity that the arena has to the hot springs keeps it very steamy inside. Everyone exposes the body; it’s considered natural there.”

“What is the problem, Rhapsody?” asked Llauron, an undertone of annoyance in his voice. A faint glow issued forth from his hand; he was fingering a small globe of water in which a tiny flamed burned. Crynella’s candle, the token of love that his grandfather, Merithyn, had once given to Elynsynos, his dragon grandmother, was the melding of two elements, fire and water, that served as his key ring. Llauron had once said that he had purchased the ancient artifact from an antiquities merchant, and worried it between his fingers whenever he was frustrated. Rhapsody swallowed nervously and turned back to the mirror.

She stared into the looking glass in dismay. “First, it’s the middle of winter; I’ll catch my death of cold. Second, you want me to go into a barracks of gladiators dressed like this? Llauron, are you out of your mind?”

“Come now, Rhapsody, don’t be so provincial. I would think a forward-thinking young woman such as yourself would be hesitant to sneer at the practices of other cultures.”

“I’m not sneering at anything,” Rhapsody answered, turning her back to the mirror and blushing as she saw how little was covered. “I just don’t want anyone sneering at me. I mean, for goodness’ sake, Gwen, what am I supposed to hold this thing up with—determination?” She gestured uneasily at the entwined scarves that formed the bodice of her outfit.

“Oh, now, Rhapsody, you aren’t that small on top,” said Llauron’s servant woman.

“Bless you, Gwen; I believe you are the first person in my life ever to say that. Under different circumstances I would be moved to thank you, but at the moment I think I would like to go get dressed.”

Llauron stood up impatiently. “You know, Rhapsody, I was under the impression you were serious about this mission; I had no idea you were only toying with the idea. Had I known it, I would not have wasted Gwen’s time or mine.”

Rhapsody looked abashed. “I am serious, Llauron; I just didn’t expect this kind of costume.”

“Well, I’m very sorry, but you have to dress like the people do in the place you have to infiltrate, Rhapsody. If you are annoyed with the choice of location, you will have to take that up with your gladiator friend. But if you were to walk into some parts of Sorbold dressed as you were at supper, you would immediately be sold into slavery, and end up in something even more revealing, no doubt. Now, what will it be? Do you wish to continue with this, or are you going to back out?”

Rhapsody sighed. “Of course I’m not going to back out,” she said, looking around for a robe. She finally went to the coat tree and pulled off her cloak, wrapping herself up in it. She sat in a wing chair near the triple mirror that Gwen had dressed her in front of. “Now, can we discuss strategy?”

Llauron seem to relax. He returned Crynella’s candle to his pocket, then unrolled the large parchment map he had brought. “Well, you’re in luck in a way,” he said. “The gambling complex is in the city-state of Jakar, the one closest to the southern edge of the Orlandan forest; just to the southeast of it, actually. That means you won’t have to travel through much of Sorbold to get there.

“This is a good thing. Sorbold is a far more martial place than Roland, and you would undoubtedly be stopped if you were to ride through much of it.” Rhapsody nodded. Llauron glanced at Gwen, who excused herself wordlessly and left the room.

“Now,” Llauron continued, returning to the parchment, “here is a diagram of the gambling complex. This large central area is the arena, of course; it will be easy for you to lose yourself in the crowds on a day when a bout is scheduled. I doubt you will have seen more people in your life than will swell the thoroughfares.

“If I am not mistaken, they fight on the lunar cycle, with bouts every day except at the new moon and each full-phase day. Your gladiator will have the best chance of being on the bill if we can time your arrival to coincide with the day after the most recent fallow day.”

“His name is Constantin; have you ever heard of him?”

“Yes,” said Llauron. “He’s been in the game for some time. I don’t know much about him, but he is undoubtedly the standard Sorboldian gladiator, all brawn, no agility.”

“Oelendra said the key was not to take him on one-to-one.”

Llauron’s lip curled slightly at the mention of the Lirin fighter’s name. Rhapsody had noticed this infinitesimal reaction a few times before, and never was sure if she was imagining it or not. “That’s going to be a bit difficult, don’t you think? I thought this was a mission of top secrecy.”

“It is.”

“Well, then, who do you plan to have help you if you are going in alone?”

Rhapsody blinked. “Alone? I thought you said Khaddyr was going to be my support. I assumed—well, I assumed that he would bring troops as well, or at least a few foresters.”

“And he will, but not inside the complex itself. I will send Khaddyr and one or two highly trusted others to meet you in the woods just outside the complex. They will be waiting with horses and supplies to escort you through the forest and back to Tyrian. Are you familiar with those woods?”

“No, though I walked through them once on the way to Lord Stephen’s, I think.”

“Yes.”

“But that was just the northern exterior fringe; I have no idea what they look like in the south.”

“That’s where Khaddyr and his men will help you.” Llauron looked at the fire on the hearth; it was burning uncertainly.

Rhapsody’s facial expression was doubtful as well. “I wonder, Llauron,” she said hesitantly, “it seems to me that if I were planning something like this with Achmed and Grunthor, I might go inside to lure the gladiator into the place they’d be hiding, but I don’t think they’d expect me to get him out of there myself.”

A reptilian glint entered the old man’s eye. “Then perhaps you’d like to go back to Ylorc and see if they want to accompany you instead, Rhapsody.”

Rhapsody stared at him coldly in return. They both knew what he had suggested was impossible. Grunthor would not be able to sneak into any place, even a complex like the one in Sorbold, and if Achmed were caught in Sorboldian territory kidnapping a valuable slave, it might mean war with Ylorc.

Seeing the ice form in her eyes, Llauron’s tone became gentler. “Buck up, Rhapsody. Surely one gladiator is no match for the Iliachenva’ar. You have been trained by the Lirin champion, you have the power of the stars and of fire at your disposal, not to mention your music. If all else fails, you have quick wits and a ready smile; they will get you anywhere you need to be.