Don Bassingthwaite - The doom of Kings

“The Silent Clans know their craft,” said Ekhaas. “They’ve lived apart since ancient times, and they keep their secrets. Anyone can hire them with absolute confidence, but they teach their ways to no one. Haruuc paid a lot to have them fetch you.”

“Maybe not that much.” Geth looked around, then dropped his voice. “Chetiin and I spent time talking while we traveled. He wouldn’t tell me anything about why Haruuc wants to see me, but he’s interesting-I like him. Did you know his first contract was with Haruuc when Darguun was founded? They’re old friends.”

Ekhaas nodded. “I’m not surprised. The Silent Clans are reliable, but I know Haruuc wouldn’t have trusted just anyone to find you.”

The sun was only a handspan above the horizon when their coach pulled into the lightning rail station at Sterngate. Geth swung out of the cart and down to the platform to look out at a scene that reminded him more of his time as a mercenary during the Last War than it did of any of the other stations they’d stopped at.

Sterngate itself was a bulky fortress nestled into the foothills of the Seawall Mountains with only a scattering of buildings- the lightning rail station among them-outside it. Steep earth embankments and wide ditches made it impossible to approach the stopped coach from anywhere other than through the station. Geth could see similar arrangements of embankments and stone walls restricting access to the other buildings and even to the trade road that ran past the station and directly into the fortress.

“There’s more like this on the other side of Sterngate,” said Chetiin. Geth had stopped trying to keep track of the goblin. The goblin elder’s sparse hair was gray as cobwebs, and yet he still moved like a shadow.

“What’s it for?”

Chetiin gave him a rare smile. “To stop Darguuls from getting into Breland unannounced. Sterngate guards the western end of the Marguul Pass.”

With most southbound passengers on board for the gnome nation of Zilargo, there were few passengers boarding the coach to continue on from Sterngate. Even fewer were disembarking-the delegation of Darguuls were the only ones to come off the coach. As cargo was shifted, a squad of Brelish soldiers came marching out from the fortress to meet them. A lieutenant in a crisp uniform spoke with Tariic and checked papers. Geth was in no way surprised to discover that, aside from Chetiin, there was no sign at all of the goblins of the Silent Clans. It was as if they had simply vanished.

“How good is Sterngate at keeping Darguuls from getting into Breland?” he whispered to Chetiin.

“Good enough,” said Chetiin without seeming to move his lips. “Less good when it comes to the Silent Clans.”

Diplomatic status of the delegation confirmed, the soldiers marched back to the fortress. The delegation was left alone on the platform save for laboring porters and a single gnome who sat on a bench reading a small book bound in yellow silk. As the soldiers marched away, he glanced after them, then closed the book, hopped down from the bench, and sauntered over to look up at the Darguuls. Geth watched him. Startling blue eyes peered out of a long, sun-browned face made even longer by a shock of pale hair above and a curling patch of beard below. The gnome wore clothes that were dusty from travel and sturdy boots that had seen hard use.

“Tariic of Rhukaan Taash?” he asked. His voice carried the accent of Zilargo and was surprisingly rich coming from a body that was no larger than a goblin’s.

Tariic looked down at him and gave the gnome a deep nod of respect. “Master Davandi,” he said, then gestured for Geth, Ekhaas, and the others to join him. He presented them all by name, then introduced the gnome. “This is Midian Mit Davandi of the Library of Korranberg.”

“The last person to join us,” said Vounn with a cool glance at Tariic. “And tell me, what is his role in your mysterious plans?”

Midian raised a thin eyebrow, and his lips curved. “I make the tea.”

Geth couldn’t hold back a smile. Vounn saw it and turned her nose up at him. He ignored her.

“Midian is a researcher for the library,” Tariic said in answer to Vounn’s question. “He’s an expert in the history of the Empire of Dhakaan. And I’m certain you’ll be pleased to know that he’s not a guest of Haruuc, but an employee-Midian is being paid for his services.”

“That tells me very little about what he’s doing here.”

Tariic’s ears lay back. “You shouldn’t concern yourself with every matter of Haruuc’s court, Vounn,” he said. “Not all of them affect House Deneith. If my uncle wishes to tell you more, I’m certain he will.”

Vounn said nothing more, but her jaw tightened. Midian, however, leaned over, nudged the lady seneschal’s leg with his elbow, and gave her a conspiratorial wink. “Haruuc wants to know how the Dhakaani made tea,” he said in a mock-whisper.

This time, Geth wasn’t the only one who smiled. Ashi and Tariic laughed. Chetiin’s mouth twitched. Even Vounn’s face relaxed slightly at the gnome’s humor, and a smile of triumph at having cracked her icy shell put a wide grin on Midian’s face. He turned back to Tariic. “My pack is at the inn with your horses. I’m ready to go when you are.”

“You found our horses?” Tariic asked.

Midian shrugged. “Sterngate is a fortress. There aren’t that many places for visitors, especially Darguuls, to stable their mounts.”

Of the group that had gathered around Midian, only one had betrayed no humor at the gnome’s joking manner. When Tariic had announced Midian’s area of research, Ekhaas’s eyes had widened and her ears had flicked sharply. As the rest of the delegation finished unloading all of their gear from the lightning rail coach and prepared for the short walk to the fortress, Geth moved close to Ekhaas and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Ekhaas shook her head. “Nothing you need to worry about.”

“It doesn’t look that way.” He followed her eyes. Her gaze was on Midian. “You don’t like him. You didn’t know he was coming?”

“No, I didn’t. And I don’t know if I like him or not yet, but he shouldn’t be here. I can’t believe Haruuc hired him.” She shouldered her pack and turned away. Puzzled, Geth let her go.

The moment everything-including the two caged tigers-was unloaded, the whistle screamed from the crew cart of the lightning rail and the coach began to move, continuing its journey. The delegation made its way from the platform, through the station, and onto the road beyond. At the wide gate where the trade road entered Sterngate, the lieutenant who had checked their papers waited with a pair of soldiers. They fell in behind the delegation, not so much as an escort, Geth guessed, as to be certain no Darguuls stayed behind or strayed from the road.

It would have been difficult to do either. The road was virtually a tunnel within the fortress, walled in and roofed over. When the tunnel finally did open up, it was onto a wide courtyard with only four exits: the trade road behind, the trade road ahead, a heavily guarded gate leading into the fortress proper, and, incongruously, a large inn bearing the House Ghallanda seal built as a separate structure within the courtyard.

“The captain of Sterngate doesn’t like visitors getting into the fortress,” said Chetiin. “Anyone who needs to stay the night here stays at the inn.”

“I don’t imagine House Ghallanda makes a profit here,” Ashi said.

Close to her, Midian spoke up. “You’d be surprised. Sterngate and Marguul Pass are the easiest way to reach Rhukaan Draal and most of central Darguun. I’ve stayed at the Sterngate Inn myself, and House Orien caravans come this way frequently. Ghallanda has a captive market here. They put good money into Sterngate. You wouldn’t see that kind of attention at an end of the trail inn.”