Keith Baker - The City of Towers

Then he realized. He could see the birds in the mirror, but …

“The mirrors … where are our reflections?”

“I don’t think they’re mirrors, Daine. If I recall correctly, we’re on the wrong side of the tower for a view of the Dagger.”

“Illusions?”

“That’s my guess. I’ll bet these images can be adjusted on demand.” Jode studied the window. “The real question is-is this actually what’s going on above the Dagger right now? Or is it all imagination?”

“That’s what keeps it interesting, isn’t it?”

It was a woman’s voice, low and rough, but with a lilting, lyrical cadence. It had been a long time since Daine had heard that voice, but it wasn’t something you forgot. Alina Lorridan Lyrris was one of the most beautiful women Daine had ever seen-for all that she was only three feet tall. She was dressed in a diaphanous gown of white cloudsilk embroidered with intricate patterns of pure gold, which broke the light into thousands of shimmering shards as she moved. Her large violet eyes were a perfect match for the amethyst necklace. Her pale hair nearly matched the gold of her gown. It was split into dozens of braids, each bound with rings of silver and threaded into eyelets on the arms and back of her gown, creating a billowing golden cloak that shifted as she moved.

Daine hadn’t see her a moment before. Either she’d been invisible, or she’d walked out of one of the mirrors. He and Jode appeared to be alone with her, but he knew from experience that there must be bodyguards nearby. If Alina could arrive unseen, the guards might already be in the room. Were the walls even real?

Alina showed her perfect teeth in what most people would see as a smile. “Daine, how lovely to see you again. When I received Jode’s message … well, I never thought that our paths would cross again so soon.”

“Eight years is a long time, Alina.”

“I suppose it is … for you. Such a pity to fade so fast. Still, I was pleased to hear that you survived your service in the war, and the disaster that stole Cyre from us.” She walked over to the menagerie and looked down at the birds. “Can I get you anything? Water? Wine? Dreamlily? I have a fine Cyran vintage. It might be the last chance you have to taste it.”

“I swore I’d never drink with you again.”

“Suit yourself.” When Alina turned around there was a goblet of golden liquid in her hand. “You always drank too much anyway.”

She walked across the room and sprawled languidly on a velvet couch. The amethyst flames flickered, casting violet shadows across the room.

“After I heard about Jode, I did a little investigation of my own, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised to find that you were accompanied by a young lady.” She gestured idly, and an image of Lei’s face shimmered into existence in the air before her. “A dragonmark heir, no less. Coming full circle, Daine?”

“Leave her out of this, Alina!” said Daine, striding over to her seat.

“Are you certain about that, Daine?” Alina’s face was expressionless, but her eyes glittered in the firelight. “I understand that the young lady is in a difficult position at the moment. Perhaps-”

“I said, leave her out of this! You’re dealing with me.”

“So I am.” Alina closed her hand, and Lei’s face vanished. “And what is it you want, Daine? What do you have to offer?”

Jode stepped forward. “I’m sorry if I misled you, Lady Lyrris. We are seeking honest work, not some sort of gift or exchange. With the loss of Cyre, we must all find our way in this new world. A simple job, a chance to make a few sovereigns … you employ dozens of people, don’t you? Surely there’s something you could use us for.”

Alina laughed musically, sending a shiver down Daine’s spine. “Honest work? You’d make a fine fool, Jode.” She stared into the fire for a moment. “You must be truly desperate, to come to me for honest work. Yet …” She studied Daine carefully. “Perhaps there is something you can do for me. A servant of mine-a courier engaged in good, honest work-has gone missing. I believe that he has betrayed me and stolen my property. He wouldn’t be the first. Until I … sort things out, yes, I imagine that I could use a little outside assistance. If you reclaim what has been stolen from me, I should think a reward would be in order.”

Daine glanced at Jode. It sounded harmless enough. “What can you tell us, my lady?” Jode said.

Alina gestured at the wall. The image of a man appeared in the reflection of the room. Whether through coincidence or artifice, his location and posture mirrored than of Daine, and when Daine moved, the image duplicated his actions. Daine walked up to the wall to take a closer look at the stranger in the mirror.

“This is Rasial,” Alina said.

He was human, early twenties, with lank black hair that fell to his shoulders and spread across his chin. Under the right circumstances, he might have been handsome, but his eyes were haunted and he had a hungry, desperate look. He wore dark cavalry leather and a short black cloak, and he held a dagger in his right hand.

“Rasial used to be a windchaser-an aerial racer-with a gifted touch for hippogriffs and daggerhawks. He stopped racing after a terrible accident, but he still had talent and ambition. I helped him get back on his feet, and in return he perform certain services for me-notably, bringing certain exotic goods to Sharn through the air. Recently, I paid him a great deal of money to bring a special package into the city. I know that he returned to Sharn yesterday, but I have not received my merchandise, and he has gone into hiding. There are many possibilities, but I suspect that Rasial’s greed finally outweighed his loyalty. As I said, it’s not the first time someone has taken advantage of my generous nature.”

“So you want us to hunt him down for you?” asked Daine.

“You wound me, Daine. I am not a vengeful woman. You’re still alive, aren’t you? I don’t care what becomes of Rasial, but I want what I paid for-the goods he was carrying, or at the very least the knowledge of who has them now. Deliver the shards, and I will pay you … say, three hundred dragons? That should be more than enough to get you established in Sharn or wherever you intend to settle.”

“Four hundred,” Jode said. “There are four of us.”

“You actually think of your warforged as an ally? I’ve always seen them as pets.”

“He’s right,” Daine said. “Four hundred.”

“Three and a half,” she said languidly. “Half the coin for half a man.”

“He’s worth more than I am, Alina.”

“What made you think I was talking about your warforged?”

“Four or not at all.”

“Oh, Daine,” Alina heaved a dramatic sigh. “Do you suppose I can simply conjure platinum coins from thin air?”

“Do you really want an answer?”

The gnome studied him solemnly and finally allowed a smile to cross her perfect features. “Very well. For old time’s sake. Four hundred it is.”

“So what are we looking for?”

“Khyber dragonshards,” Alina said. “A very rare form of Khyber shard, at that.” She waved a finger at the mirror, and the dagger in Rasial’s hand shifted into a shard of black crystal laced with purple veins. The veins were faintly luminescent. Every now and then, they would flare up with a brighter burst of light. “I could give you a tedious lecture about their origin and value, but I imagine that your lady friend can do that just as well as I can. I know Rasial hasn’t left the city yet. He may still have the shards, or he may have already sold them. In either case, finding Rasial is probably the best place to start.”