Juliet McKenna: The Gambler's Fortune

Planir studied me over the rim of his own goblet. I wasn’t sure, but I thought that sprinkling of gray at his temples hadn’t been there the last time we’d met. What hadn’t changed was the charming manner and subtle desirability that cloaked him like insidious scent and tempted a girl to confide all manner of things in him. I smiled again and thought of Ryshad’s open honesty, his strong arms and the way his hair curled softly behind his ears.

“Thanks to you,” Planir inclined his head with a sardonic smile.

“Thanks to me, to ’Gren and Sorgrad, to the Forest Folk and obviously in no small part to Usara.” My expression was as open and honest as the late-morning sun pouring in through the unshuttered windows. “I do hope you are going to reward him.”

“Usara will reap all the benefits of his experiences, I assure you,” said Planir calmly. Hidden amusement lurked in his eyes but I didn’t go looking to uncover it. The Archmage could play whatever other games he liked as long as I came out ahead in mine.

“So, we have left the mountains secure against Elietimm influence,” I ticked off points on my fingers, tallying like a merchant, “Gilmarten has gone back to Solura to tell his patron to spread the word of their menace among the nobility there. He is confident Lord Astrad will alert King Soltriss as a matter of the utmost urgency. All of which is a bonus really, something we achieved over and above our original intention of finding aetheric knowledge for Messire D’Olbriot. As far as that goes, we have identified the songs of the Forest Folk as a major source for enchantments and charms—”

“A source perhaps, but one that will have every scholar this side of the ocean scratching his head for years to come,” objected Planir mildly. “Your theory may be sound but finding the truth of it will be like hunting pips among peppercorns.”

I smiled as I shook my head at him. “I went looking for knowledge; I never made any promises about the form it might take. Anyway, I’ll bet Guinalle could unravel a few of the mysteries for you. Why don’t you bring her back from Kellarin for the winter? That would be one way of rewarding Usara,” I added slyly.

“Yes, I think he would love an opportunity to exchange theories with her.” Planir’s mischievous grin lifted years from him. “I’ve already bespoken Naldeth and requested she consider traveling back on the next ship for Bremilayne.”

So the Archmage thought he was one move ahead; I reminded myself to play this hand with care. “Then Guinalle will be able to work with Aritane.” I nodded my approval. Rather her than me. As Sorgrad had promised, the vow had been enough to hold the Sheltya woman even when the drags had left her blood, and after that, Usara’s scrying had been able to show her the destruction visited on her people as a result of the enchanter Eresken seducing them into a hopeless war. She had listened to the wizard’s patient explanations of Elietimm treachery and deceit stony-faced and the bitter knowledge had left her set on a quest for vengeance so implacable I was glad I hadn’t realized just what kind of person we’d been kidnapping. I only hoped the soft-spoken Guinalle would be able to guide this remorseless determination into profitable paths for Kellarin and Hadrumal. But that was Planir’s problem, not mine.

“Aritane must have increased your knowledge of Artifice five times over by now. And of course her learning is not only entirely comprehensible, but also proven and tested. The discovery of aetheric lore among the Forest Folk would have been enough to make the journey a success but establishing the Sheltya as holders of such knowledge and bringing a practitioner to help you—that was beyond all expectations. I know Messire D’Olbriot will be delighted.”

“And duly grateful,” agreed Planir solemnly.

“And duly grateful,” I nodded. “Given I have spent a season and a half in his service, risked life and sanity five times over and achieved more than even the most optimistic might have hoped.”

“I wonder if Messire has been able to work out how the tale of your Ryshad’s journey to the Ice Islands got out,” mused Planir idly. “Did you hear that Aritane said her brother got the notion of contacting the Elietimm from a ballad, of all things?”

“Shiv was telling me it was being sung the length and breadth of the Old Empire by Summer Solstice.” I shook my head. “There really is no way of keeping such things secret, when so many people are involved. There’ll be a double handful of versions circulating by now and nothing to be gained by trying to follow them back to their various sources.”

“Oh, I think we can be reasonably certain it came from a Forest minstrel,” said Planir earnestly. “I’ve been looking into it for quite some time. Not that I have found anything certain to tell Messire, of course.”

“There’s no point in wasting his time with rumor, is there?” I smiled. “Not when he has so many concerns over Kellarin, keeping the colony safe.”

“There might be a way of finding out.” Planir wasn’t about to let this mouse get out from under his paw. “I wonder what the runes might be able to tell us. The more I think about it, the more accurate that foretelling you had seems to have been.”

I didn’t let my gaze waver or my expression change. “Indeed. But rather than raking over dead embers, I think you should see if the runes can shed any light on the future. Some notion of what might happen in Kellarin would be most valuable.” I helped myself to more wine. “There’s another thing we brought back from our travels that you didn’t have before. There’s a lot more to the runes than just games of chance.”

Planir spread a dubious hand. “I’m not sure how much use that might be. There are so many variables when it comes to interpreting that kind of thing, and any view is bound to be highly subjective.”

I shrugged. Whether or not the Archmage made use of the Folk’s foretelling was up to him. I’d certainly be finding someone who could pull hints out of a set of runes for me. I had friends in Kellarin, Halice first and foremost, and if the Elietimm were going to come winging in on the northern winds again I wanted her warned. For the present, I wasn’t about to let the Archmage escape his obligations. “So obviously Messire D’Olbriot has much to reward us for. Feel free to agree your own contribution with him. I’m sure you’ll be able to reach a mutually satisfactory arrangement.”

Planir’s expression turned serious and he studied the dregs of his wine. “I have rather a lot of calls on my time just at present. I’ll grant you Hadrumal has benefited from some of the incidental results of your activities but events have also led to considerable demands on me and the Council. It’s all very well you saying the Sheltya undertake to deal with their own culprits but stopping the men of the Gap simply wading into a season of indiscriminate murder and land-grabbing, that’s proving quite some task!”

“Yes, another debt to lay at the feet of the Elietimm,” I agreed regretfully. “They bear a heavy responsibility for starting all this bloodshed. It’s fortunate we were in the right place at the right time to stiffen Forest resistance and stop the whole of Ensaimin catching light.”

“Darni will be suitably honored,” Plank assured me.

“Oh, I have no doubt that you honor every such debt, Archmage.” Curiosity prodded me and I yielded to temptation. “So how exactly did you haul the men of the Gap back from the brink?”

Planir’s mask slipped a little and honest merriment widened his smile. “The main contention in the Gap is over mining, isn’t it? I don’t know if you’ve ever realized, but one way or another there are a sizable number of wizards working up there. Alchemists too, and many of them have links with Hadrumal. They’ve studied here or worked with mages visiting the universities at Vanam or Col. I bespoke some wizards in Grynth and had them contact the heads of the guilds on my authority. Once I had pointed out that I could remove all that most vital assistance inside a couple of days, they were inclined to listen when I insisted they withdraw their support from the fighting.”