Martin Scott - Thraxas Under Siege (ARC)

"What? Are you lecturing me? Am I actually standing on a beach being lectured by a woman with pointy ears?"

I notice Makri's hand straying towards her sword.

"Stop arguing!" yells Dandelion. "Why are you always arguing?"

I shake my head.

"The war. The Orcs outside the walls. It drives everyone mad. Apart from you, obviously."

Dandelion sighs.

"It's true. Turai is a sad place these days. And now the Orcs are in the Avenging Axe. Do you think that's why everyone's sick?"

"Who knows? We'll check it out when we get back. Meanwhile, could you ask the dolphins if they know anything about local whales?"

Dandelion looks puzzled. I explain to her the nature of our quest.

"Do you really need fourteen thousand gurans?" she asks. "Will it make you happy?"

"We plan to give it to the poor," I say.

"Oh. All right, In that case . . ."

Dandelion turns back towards the water and makes some odd noises. Very odd noises. I'd be more disturbed had I not heard her doing this before. Even so, it's a very strange experience. She makes a sort of whistling, clicking sound, then stares over the ocean, waiting for a reply. I notice for the first time that she has a piece of dried seaweed in her hair, a decoration so strange I can't bring myself to ask about it.

Dandelion converses with the dolphins for a while. She turns to Makri.

"They're pleased you got better."

She looks at me.

"They think you're drinking too much."

"Oh come on, you're just making this up. How the hell can dolphins know how much I drink?"

Dandelion faces back towards the ocean. I'm aggrieved. I refuse to believe the dolphins said I was drinking too much. Dandelion just slipped that one in herself.

After a lot more twittering and whistling, she lifts her arm, and waves goodbye.

"I told them we wouldn't let the city fall to the Orcs," she says.

"Anything on whales?"

Dandelion shakes her head. The seaweed seems to be fixed quite firmly, and remains in place.

"They didn't know what it could mean for treasure to be buried under a whale."

"Excellent," I say. "Tonight has been well worth the trouble. A long walk on a cold beach just to be insulted by a pack of dolphins."

I heard back towards the rocks, followed by Makri.

"Maybe you shouldn't take it as an insult," she says. "Perhaps they were just worried about your health."

I'm not placated.

"Damned fish. They'd do better to worry about their own health. I'll be down on them like a bad spell if they keep spreading rumours about me. Drink too much indeed."

I bring out the small silver flask of klee I always carry, and take a sip. We re-enter the city through the small gate.

"Keep a lookout for anything that resembles a whale," I say, as we pass the harbour.

"I've already looked everywhere," says Makri. "There's nothing."

As we pass the large grain warehouses a voice calls out to us to halt. It's Captain Rallee.

"Captain. On duty tonight?"

He shakes his head.

"Then what are you doing here?"

I had the impression that Rallee spent every spare moment snuggling up to Moolifi, though I don't want to come right out and say it.

"Just looking round," says the Captain. He lowers his voice. "Would you say there's anything in this area that might be described as a whale?"

I look at him sternly.

"Have you been drinking, Captain? No whales around these parts."

"Well it might not be a real whale," says Rallee. "Maybe something else that could be described as one?"

The Captain looks at Makri.

"Any ideas? Any old Elvish words spring to mind?"

Makri shakes her head.

"They rarely talked about whales. Almost never, in fact. It's quite strange how few references there are to whales in Elvish poetry."

Captain Rallee looks at her suspiciously.

"Have you been studying the subject?"

"Certainly not. Thraxas, have I ever studied whales or whale-related topics?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"What are you doing out at this time of night?" asks the Captain.

"Just taking a walk," says Makri. "Nothing to do with whales. Whales didn't even feature in our conversation. Until you mentioned them. But even then, nothing about whales really springs to mind."

I bid the captain a hasty goodnight and drag Makri off.

"Damn it, Makri, do you practise being such a bad liar?"

"What do you mean, bad liar? I thought I was very convincing."

I shake my head in disgust. Damn Tanrose's mother's servant. She's obviously been blabbing to everybody. Soon the whole city will be down here looking for gold.

Chapter Sixteen

It's deep into the morning by the time we trudge back into the Avenging Axe. Makri goes straight up the stairs to check on Lisutaris but I take a walk through to the back of the tavern to check on Gurd. Though I try to remain silent, the slight noise of my entrance brings him round.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to disturb you."

Gurd manages a weak grin. That's more than any of the other malady sufferers have managed. Gurd was always strong, and I don't doubt he'll be up on his feet in a day or two.

"Just had to lie down for a while," he says. "Be better soon."

"You will be."

I marched all over the world with Gurd. I'd have been killed in battle long ago if he hadn't been by my side.

"The tavern . . . is everything all right?"

I reassure him.

"I've got it under control."

"What about Tanrose?"

"Also all right. She'll be better in a day or two. Don't worry, I can keep things going."

Gurd nods. I've never seen the old Barbarian looking so pale.

"Big card game tonight," whispers Gurd. "Sorry I can't play."

"It'll save you money. I'm on good form."

Gurd grins again, but his eyelids droop, and I leave him to sleep.

The scene in my office is not as riotous as I feared. Sorcerers are notoriously intemperate and I wouldn't have been surprised to find them all lying drunk on the carpet. They've remained sober. A sign of how serious things are, perhaps. Coranius the Grinder is sitting behind my desk. Tirini Snake Smiter is in my armchair. And Hanama, to my surprise, is sitting up. The malady is passing. She's still deathly pale but she no longer has the haggard look that comes with the illness.

"Feeling better?" I grunt.

She nods.

"I'll leave tomorrow."

I should be delighted. I realise I don't really care.

I shrug.

"Have you any information about the Ocean Storm?" asks Coranius.

"None at all. How about the Sorcerers Guild?"

Coranius shakes his head. The artefact has vanished from sight. No one has the slightest idea where it is.

"We've been discussing it with Lisutaris. It's a worrying situation."

It has to be worrying if he's talking to me about it.

"What about this woman Sarin?" asks Coranius. "Does she have information?"

"I don't know for sure. I don't think so. I think she killed a thief called Borinbax who had it, but it was gone by then."

"We must question her as soon as she recovers."

"She doesn't know where it is," says Hanama.

"How do you know?"

"I asked her."

"And you believe her?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I know Sarin much better than you realise," says Hanama. "She doesn't know where it is. She came here thinking you did."

I notice that the killer in question isn't in my office.

"Where is she?"

"She dragged herself downstairs," says Hanama. "She said she'd rather lie ill in a store room than stay here any longer."

Sarin has gone. It's good news, though once again I find that I don't much care. I ask Coranius a question.

"So many people have fallen sick here. And it's taking them a long time to get better. Especially Lisutaris. Is there something sorcerous about it?"