Troy Denning - The Obsidian Oracle

As the king passed, Agis noticed the shadow of a mocking smile upon his lips. “Don’t even think of trying to betray me,” said the noble, lifting his chin toward Kester. “I’m paying that tarek well, and there’s not so much as a king’s bit in your satchel.”

Tithian paused to look back, an expression of feigned indignity on his face. “Am I really so predictable?”

“Be quiet and get on with yer crawling!” called Kester. “That derelict’ll soon be under the silt.”

Tithian finished crossing to the Shadow Viper , where Kester seized him and unceremoniously pulled him over the rail. Once the king stood safely on deck, the noble wasted no time crawling onto the gangway. He had gone no more than two yards when a deep rumble sounded from within the bow.

On the Shadow Viper’s deck, Tithian closed his eyes in concentration.

Agis had just enough time to curse the king before the gangway trembled violently. A terrible cacophony of creaks and groans sounded from the wreck, then the derelict’s bowsprit rose skyward and its aft end sank, sending a great plume of dust into the sky. The plank slipped and fell free, then Agis felt himself following it into the gray sea. He tried to scream, but managed no more than a strangled gasp as the mordant taste of silt filled his mouth.

Agis snapped to a stop less than a yard above the gray sea, his legs dangling in silt and his nose burning with hot loess. It almost felt as though someone had caught him with a safety line, though he knew that could not be. Nymos and Kester began calling his name, then the noble felt himself slowly rising through the gray cloud. The only explanation he could think of was that the blind sorcerer had used a spell to catch him.

As Agis rose through the roiling cloud of dust, he prepared a mental attack, determined to prevent Tithian from launching another assault on him. By the time he finished, the Shadow Viper’s hull was visible through the haze. He could barely make out the forms of the tarek captain and the others standing at the edge of the deck. Tithian was staring at him with a look of intense concentration, while Kester was grasping the gunnel and peering at him through the dust. Nymos stood at the tarek’s hip, his ear slit cocked toward Agis.

“Stop him!” the noble croaked, pointing at Tithian. He could barely choke the words out through all the silt clogging his throat.

Neither the tarek nor the wizard moved toward the king, so Agis drew his sword. As soon as he came near enough to the ship, he reached for the gunnel and pulled himself onto the deck. Kester intercepted him at the rail, blocking his way and grabbing his sword arm.

“It was Tithian that saved ye, so ye won’t be killin’ him on my ship,” said the tarek. “It’d bring an angry wind upon us.”

Scowling, Agis pulled his arm free and stepped around the tarek to see that Tithian had sunk to his knees. He was gasping for breath, while a pair of slaves supported his arms to keep him from collapsing altogether. His face looked even more haggard than when Agis had found him.

The noble sheathed his sword and stepped to the king’s side. “What’s your plan?” he demanded. “Why did you save me?”

“You could have let me die on the wreck,” Tithian whispered, peering up at Agis. “Now we’re even.”

The noble shook his head. “You’re not the kind who repays his debts.”

Tithian accepted the frank appraisal with an impassive face. “There are exceptions, you know.”

“Not likely,” Agis snapped. “You wouldn’t have saved me unless it served your purposes. Are you going to tell me what they are?”

“I have,” the king replied.

“As you wish, then,” the noble said. He grabbed a piece of giant hair rope off a stanchion cleat, then stepped behind Tithian and began tying his hands. “In the name of the Council of Advisors, I charge you with the high crime of slave-taking. You’re to accompany me back to Tyr, where you’ll answer for your misconduct before the Court of Free Citizens.”

Tithian jerked his hands free and struggled to his feet. “What’s this?” he demanded. He glanced at Kester and Nymos to make sure they were listening, then asked, “Has your jealousy grown so much that now you can appease it only by fabricating council charges against me?”

“Save your breath. Your act won’t fool anyone here.”

“Kled was an accident,” Tithian said. “My raiders weren’t supposed to attack it.”

“Then why did they do it?” Agis asked.

Tithian stared at the noble for a long time, then asked, “You mean you haven’t figured it out?”

“Tell me.”

“Borys,” replied the king. “They were collecting prisoners to fill the Dragon’s levy. Why do you think he hasn’t shown up since Sadira returned from the Pristine Tower?”

A knot formed in Agis’s stomach. It might have been anger or pity, or even guilt-he didn’t know which. “Thank you for being so frank,” he said. “I’m sure the Court will want to know that you’ve been buying Tyr’s peace with innocent lives.”

Tithian broke into a fit of laughter. “I fear your wits have left you, my friend!” he chortled, shaking his head in disbelief. “Do you really think a Court of Free Citizens will condemn me for sparing them the wrath of the Dragon?”

“Yes,” he answered. “You’ve broken Tyr’s most sacred law.”

Tithian grasped Agis’s arm as if they were friends. “Then you’re a fool,” he laughed. “If you give a man the choice between his family’s safety and someone else’s pain, the stranger will die every time. Your court will declare me a hero, not a criminal.”

“This is a matter of law,” Agis replied confidently. “It’s the foundation of the Free City, and I’ll personally make sure that our court understands the gravity of your crime.”

“And will you present a new plan to spare our citizens Borys’s ravages?” Tithian inquired. “Perhaps you’ve found the Dark Lens? Are you ready to kill the Dragon?”

Agis bit his lip, angered more than he liked to admit by the king’s mocking tone. Together with his friends Rikus and Sadira, he had spent much of the last five years searching for the lens. They still had no idea where it was.

“However we protect Tyr, it won’t involve slave-taking,” Agis replied.

Tithian sneered. “Then I’ll be glad to stand before your Court of Fearful Citizens,” he scoffed. “When they understand the alternative, I think they’ll find your law a petty thing.”

“I think they’ll understand that a king who would do such a thing would also betray his own people,” Agis said, moving once more to bind Tithian’s hands. “Your subjects are not so foolish as you think.”

“Nor are they so brave as you believe,” the king replied. Again, he moved away to prevent himself from being tied. “But before we begin our journey home, perhaps you should know why I’ve come all this way.”

“That would spare you a considerable amount of pain,” interrupted Nymos. He stepped forward, his forked tongue flickering in suspense.

Agis pushed the little sorcerer away. “He won’t tell the truth,” said the noble. “He’s just trying to turn me from my purpose.”

“Not at all,” said the king, meeting the noble’s gaze. “In fact, I think you’ll find what I have to say very interesting.”

“I doubt that.”

“Then you’ve lost interest in the Dark Lens?”

“Of course not,” snapped Agis. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“I’ve found it,” the king replied. “In fact, I’m on my way to recover it right now.”

“What’s the Dark Lens?” demanded Nymos.

“The Dark Lens is an ancient artifact, Nymos,” Agis explained. “The sorcerer-kings used it more than a thousand years ago to create the Dragon-and without it, we can’t destroy him now.” The noble returned his gaze to Tithian. “But I think the king is lying about knowing where it is. My friends and I have been searching for it for years. If we couldn’t find it, I see no reason to believe he did.”