Canavan Trudi - The Traitor Queen

Glancing at him again, she did not have a chance to search his expression. Regin’s attention had fixed somewhere outside the carriage. He shifted across his seat and leaned forward.

“So that’s the wasteland,” he said in a hushed voice.

She peered out the window. The faint moonlight touched the edges of the landscape below, the ridges of many, many dunes creating eerie patterns.

“Yes,” she explained. “It goes all the way to the horizon.”

“So far. How did we do it?” Regin wondered. “Where has that knowledge gone?”

“Ambassador Dannyl has unearthed some interesting records, from what Osen had told me.”

“Any ideas on how to restore the land?”

She shook her head. “If a magician ever manages to return this to fertile land, it will be the greatest act of healing anyone has ever achieved.”

Regin gazed a little longer at the view, then leaned back in his seat again. “A few hours, you say?”

“Yes. The driver knows the landmark to look for. He’ll drop us there, then continue on to Arvice and the Guild House with the mail and supplies. I told him we didn’t need to go to Sachaka now that Lorkin was free, but we wanted to see the sun rise over the wasteland and would walk back to the Fort.”

“Brave man, travelling without magicians on board,” Regin said. “I suppose none of us would be safe if the Sachakan king decided to attack us. Or the Ichani. Or the Traitors.”

“No, but we have to hope that the Traitors are on our side. They’ve assured us they’ll keep the Ichani and the king’s spies out of our way.”

“Really? I’m looking forward to meeting them.”

She nodded. I am, too. Not only because I’ll finally get to see Lorkin, and ensure he gets home safely, but I want to meet these people who impressed him so much that he agreed to go to their secret city, despite knowing he might never leave it again.

With Anyi and Lilia gone, the underground room was silent but for the sound of breathing. Gol was sitting on one of the mattresses he’d made, his back to the wall. Cery remained on one of the stolen chairs. He considered what Lilia had told him about Kallen and the Guild’s reason for seeking roet seeds.

“He said he would get rid of Skellin after they had seeds, and that they might accept your help then, if you’re still prepared to give it,” she’d told him.

“Can we trust them?” Cery asked aloud.

Gol grunted. “I should ask you that. You’re the expert on the Guild. What do you think?”

Cery drew in a deep breath and sighed. “They’ll look after themselves and the Houses first, and their notion of ‘the Kyralian people’ second.”

“Which doesn’t include Thieves and criminal types.”

“Not unless those Thieves have helped them, and then only in ways the public doesn’t get to hear about.”

“They’ll feel obliged to help us.” The bodyguard looked at Cery. “Even though we aren’t helping them now, and Sonea’s gone. Because we helped them in the past.”

“I hope so.” Cery sighed. “The sooner Sonea gets back, the better,” he muttered, mostly to himself. “I don’t like having to trust Kallen if he’s as addicted to roet as Lilia says.”

“Hmm,” Gol nodded. “If he wanted to sell us out to Skellin he’d have agreed to your plan and said nothing about waiting. He’d have arranged a meeting and Skellin would have arrived instead.”

“That’s true. Even so, I’d rather be here, where we can leave if we have to, than stuck in a room in the Guild.”

God nodded. “At least we can keep an eye on that cellar so we know when they’ve got roet seeds. We should wait until the plants get to the same size as the ones we saw, which was big enough for the magicians to tell they weren’t roet.”

“Do you know what roet plants look like?”

Gol frowned and shook his head. “Anyi might. Didn’t her boyfriend smoke it?”

“Or girlfriend. She never did say.”

The bodyguard’s face darkened in the dim light and he looked away. Is he blushing? Cery couldn’t help smiling.

“They might try other ways to find Skellin before they consider our plan.” Gol drummed his fingers on the sides of the chair. “If they’re reluctant to work with a Thief.”

“If they don’t like working with a Thief, I doubt they’ll be reluctant to use a Thief as bait,” Cery pointed out.

Gol chuckled. “True.”

“If they do want to try our plan…” Cery considered. “I guess we ought to make sure we’re ready for them. We should have a trap all set up, ready to go.”

“It’ll be a waste of effort if they decide not to work with us?”

“What else are we going to do?” Cery sighed. “We’re right underneath the Guild. Surely that’s to our advantage. I wish… I wish there was a way to trick Skellin into walking right into their hands, whether the Guild wants it or not.”

“A trap that’s as much for them as for Skellin.”

“A trap that will get their attention when — and only when — Skellin comes snooping.”

The bodyguard’s eyes brightened. “I know just the thing. It’ll get the magicians’ attention for sure.” He looked thoughtful. “I’ll have to go into the city to get supplies. And we’ll have to set it up somewhere strong, so we don’t accidentally bury ourselves. What’s the sturdiest area down here?”

“I think I know just the place.” Cery picked up a lamp. “Come with me.”

Getting to his feet without even a grunt of effort, Gol followed Cery out of the room. Good to see he’s healed up so well, Cery thought. Between him and Anyi, I feel twice as old as I am. If I ever get my former life back I’m going to keep some grizzled old men around to make me feel younger.

He led Gol out of the room. Soon they arrived at the cluster of rooms where Cery had run into Lilia and Anyi. Gol took the lamp from him and entered the first one, lifting it to illuminate the sturdy brick walls and vaulted ceiling.

“This is in much better shape than the room we’re living in,” the bodyguard said. “Why haven’t we been staying here?”

“Anyi only found the rooms recently.” And there was something about this one that bothered Cery. It set his heart beating a little too fast. As Gol lowered the lamp, a dusty, broken plate caught the light. Cery picked up one of the pieces. A Guild symbol marked the glaze. He shivered as memories wafted up like smoke. Is this the room Fergun locked me in all those years ago? I didn’t get to see it much. I was stuck in the dark for days.

“This is closer to the Guild buildings. A shorter run to escape, if we need to, and not so far for Lilia to travel to see us. Let’s move our stuff in here,” Gol said.

Sighing, Cery pushed away the memories and his discomfort and nodded. “Yes, but let’s choose another room. This is the first one anyone comes to. We’ll want a little bit more warning when someone is approaching.”

As the last of the food-bearing slaves left the Master’s Room, Tayend looked at Dannyl.

“Now that Lorkin is safely away, what are you going to do with our unwanted guest?”

Dannyl looked at his meal and sighed as his appetite faltered. He drew magic and surrounded himself, Merria and Tayend with a shield to prevent anyone overhearing their conversation.

“What do you suggest?” he asked in reply.

A whole day had passed since the failed abduction. Savi was keeping the spy regularly drained of strength. Since she was the head kitchen slave, none of the other slaves thought it odd that she was the only one allowed to see something in one of the kitchen storerooms.

“I can see only two choices: either he dies or Savi leaves.”

The last of Dannyl’s appetite vanished. “Since the latter isn’t possible, that leaves us only one choice.”