Dagger's Edge (Shadow series) (15 page)

As it was still daylight, there was no one in the empty building adjoining the temple, and Jael was easily able to gain entry to the Temple of Baaros’s cellar. Once there, however, Jael found herself uneasy. Something had changed about the cellar, something more than just the additional boxes and casks that had been stacked there. Somehow the cellar seemed colder and darker than it had been, and Jael could hear a distant rustling—were there rats here?—and a muffled sound as if something heavy stirred. Jael shivered, but did not retreat; likely there were vermin in the subcellars.

Jael had at first thought to wait in the cellar for a while to see if Tanis would come down; the rustling, however, made her decide that she would rather take the chance of being discovered than the risk of being rat-bitten. Jael crept cautiously up the cellar steps, peering out before she ventured farther.

Thanks to the additional priests and acolytes Urien had brought with him, the upper temple was much busier than it had been before, and it was some time before Jael found an opportunity to dart out of the stairwell and hide herself in her usual nook, where she could wait more safely for Tanis to appear. It was nearly an hour before the young acolyte appeared, but fortunately he was alone. When Jael whispered to him, Tanis glanced about him and quickly ducked into Jael’s hiding place.

“What are you doing here?” he whispered. “Everyone’s here, even High Priest Urien.” Tanis’s eyes narrowed. “Unless you came to see him.”

“No, I came to see if you wanted to go to the market, like you said before,” Jael whispered back. “I couldn’t very well send a messenger, could I? Can you go?”

Tanis nodded.

“High Priest Urien just dismissed me,” he said. “I was waiting to see if Thuvik would be dismissed, too, to go with me to the market. But I’d rather go with you. Let me walk out first, and I’ll wave if there’s no one coming.”

With Tanis watching the hall, it was simple for Jael to dart to the cellar steps and make her escape through the empty temple. Tanis met her at the edge of the Temple District.

“Have you heard the news?” he said excitedly. “The second and third signs of Baaros’s prophecy have happened, and just today, too!”

“What, earth flying in the air and stone opening up and swallowing something down?” Jael asked surprisedly. “All today? I didn’t see anything of the sort.”

“There was a mage in the market this morning boring a well,” Tanis told her. “Suddenly there was a good-sized explosion, and bits of dirt and rock were hurled all over the market—earth falling from the sky. A few people were hurt, too.” He frowned briefly. “But the curious part is that the explosion broke into one of the underground springs and must’ve ruptured a good-sized cavern down there. Three of the market wells just drained right down into the hole.”

“But that wasn’t anything divine, just an accident,” Jael protested. She wondered uncomfortably when the explosion had happened in relation to when she had been watching that very mage.

“High Priest Urien says the sign was real,” Tanis told her. “But anyway, we don’t have to sneak around in the back roads now. High Priest Urien announced the change in temple doctrine at the ritual this noon, when he informed the worshippers that all the signs had occurred. High Priest Urien said he hoped to encourage the elven merchants to join the temple, too. There was quite an uproar, I’ll tell you that for nothing, and half the worshippers walked out of the temple right there even after the signs, but we expected that. Most of those who left weren’t merchants anyway.”

“What difference does that make?” Jael asked curiously.

“Merchants are the worshippers we want to attract,” Tanis shrugged rather apologetically. “Baaros
is,
after all, the god of profitable trade. Merchants make generous offerings once they’re established in the temple, and they also spread the sect to other cities. I suppose that’s one reason the main temple sent High Priest Urien to put Ankaras back in line. Other cities won’t welcome our temples if they have a reputation for making trouble for the ruling families.”

“That’s what Lord Urien told Mother and Father,” Jael agreed.

“So what about this elven ritual you mentioned?” Tanis said, changing the subject. “I didn’t know you were a worshipper of—uh—what was it?”

“The Mother Forest,” Jael told him. “I’m not. It wasn’t really that kind of ritual. It was a kind of adulthood ritual, supposed to make me stop fouling up other people’s magic.”

“Supposed to?” Tanis asked, glancing at Jael sideways. “Didn’t it work?”

“Nah, I guess I fouled that one up, too,” Jael said sourly.

“I’m just glad you didn’t ruin the Lesser Summoning,” Tanis grinned. “But High Priest Urien and his lesser priests have been casting private rituals every night to commune with Baaros, and all the signs have been true, so He must be pleased with us.”

Jael found, to her disgust, that she had left the castle so quickly that she had not thought to bring any money, so Tanis treated for balls of a light dough that had been fried in hot fat, then dipped in honey and cinnamon. They nibbled on the sweets and watched a troupe of jugglers perform at the center of the market. Apparently these were honest jugglers, using no magic to aid in their tricks, because nothing dropped or broke during their performance. Jael was so relieved by this blessing that at the end of the performance, she begged Tanis to give the jugglers a whole Sun, promising to reimburse him as soon as she could get her pocket money from the castle.

After the honey cakes and the jugglers, Jael took Tanis to the city wall and talked the guards into letting them up to watch the moonrise. Tanis had never been on the wall and was duly impressed with the view to the west—the width of the Brightwater River and, beyond it, the vast expanses of gently rolling farmlands.

“They’ll be threshing soon,” Jael mused. “As soon as we get enough sunny days in a row.”

“Does Allanmere have a harvest festival?” Tanis asked. “Most cities do, but we came here after the harvest last year.”

“There’s one here and one in the Heartwood,” Jael told him. “Different times, of course, so the elves who live or trade in town can go to both.” She chuckled. “Can’t cheat an elf out of a festival. The elven festival, the Fruiting of the Vine, will be right after the last of the moondrop berries have ripened and been pressed and the wine kegged. The city’s harvest festival will be sooner, as soon as the grain’s brought in. A week or two, probably.”

“I went to a couple of harvest festivals in Loroval,” Tanis said. He hesitated for a moment. “Would you want to go to the festival with me?”

Now it was Jael’s turn to hesitate. Harvest fest would be delightful with Tanis, a thrilling adventure—but what if Lord Urien later invited her? It wouldn’t be fair to Tanis to accept and then cancel.

“I’d like to,” she said slowly, “but I don’t know if I can promise yet. Sometimes my parents expect me to show myself with them. But the festival will run for three days; surely I’ll have a little free time somewhere in there.”

“I’d like that,” Tanis said, rather shyly. “Especially now that neither of us will be in trouble for being seen together.”

“Wasn’t there someone selling dragon here a day or two ago?” Jael asked suddenly, remembering when she and Urien had driven through the market. “Are they still here?”

“I think so,” Tanis said, catching Jael’s eagerness. “Let’s find out.”

Most of the dragon had already sold, but fortunately there was a little left, still fresh due to its preservation spell; Tanis had barely enough money left to pay for two slabs of the strong-flavored meat, well basted with spicy sauce, and mugs of dark beer, the only possible beverage to drink with dragon. Jael reminded herself sternly to give Tanis back some money; temple acolytes couldn’t have much coin to spend in the market, and dragon was expensive.

Roast dragon and beer combined in one inevitable effect, and Tanis and Jael walked back north laughing as one or the other belched resoundingly.

“I suppose you’ve made up for two days of fasting,” Tanis laughed.

“I suppose I have,” Jael admitted, belching so loudly that passersby turned to stare with mild reproof.

“Is that a new dagger?” Tanis asked, pointing to the sheath on Jael’s hip. “I’ve never seen you wear it before.”

“Aunt Shadow gave it to me before she left this afternoon.” Jael drew the dagger and handed it to Tanis. “Watch out, it’s very sharp.”

“By Baaros’s eyes, it certainly is!” Tanis said, staring at the thin line of blood on his thumb; Jael’s warning had come a bit too late. “But it’s so light. I’ve never seen one like it. Where did it come from?”

“Uh—” Jael wondered whether to tell Tanis the whole story; after all, he was her best—and only—friend. But most humans had strange ideas about paternity, and Mother doubtless would ask her not to tell anyone. “You know, I don’t think Aunt Shadow knew exactly where this was made or what it’s made of.” Which was true, in a way.

“I’ve never seen you carry anything but your eating dagger,” Tanis said, carefully sheathing the dagger. “There hasn’t been any trouble, has there?”

“No, it was just a gift,” Jael said quickly. “But it’s unusual.”

“Like you,” Tanis quipped. He grinned to take the sting out of his joke. “I’ll stop by when I have some free time again. High Priest Urien doesn’t have much use for Ankaras and the rest of us since he settled into the leadership of the temple.”

To Jael’s surprise, however, a message had arrived for her while she was gone; even more amazing, however, was that the parchment had been left, still sealed with Lord Urien’s mark, in her room. Donya was keeping her promise, then; Jael would have expected her parents to open the scroll.

The message was simply a polite note asking Jael if she would consent to join Urien on the morrow at midmorning— with appropriate escort, of course—to look at the last house on North Street, and if she might honor him by dining with him afterward. Jael stuck the parchment through her belt and went skipping down to supper; for once she was the first, not the last, to come to table. To her surprise, new light globes had been placed.

“Well, there you are,” Argent said mildly, squeezing Jael’s shoulder on his way to the head of the table. “We wondered where you’d gone.”

“There was dragon in the market,” Jael said with a grin. “Now that I can eat real food, I wanted to get some. But I think I can eat again.”

Markus and Mera followed Donya into the dining hall, but broke ranks to assault Jael from both sides.

“You went off to the forest without even telling us,” Markus scowled.

“And we hardly got to see Aunt Shadow, and she left without even saying good-bye,” Mera accused.

“Even Father and Mother haven’t had any time at all for us,” Markus said. “It must be your fault.”

“It’s
always
your fault,” Mera added.

“Well, it’s my fault again,” Jael said irritably.

“Markus, Mera, that’s enough,” Donya said sternly. “If you haven’t yet learned your lesson about behavior at the supper table, you’ll have to eat in your rooms for another three days. Now sit down.”

“Light globes?” Jael asked Donya and Argent, raising her eyebrow.

“I talked to Nubric and Jermyn after Shadow left this afternoon,” Argent told her. “Nubric would like to try some tests. But in the meantime we’ll just continue as we always have.”

“Lord Urien sent me a message,” Jael said, pulling the parchment from her belt and handing it to Donya. “If you don’t object, and if I can take a couple of guards tomorrow morning, I’d like to go.”
Now
let Donya say she was acting like a child.

“All right,” Donya said, glancing at Jael before she read the parchment. “But stay away from Rivertown, Jaellyn. Last night two elves were found there with their hearts cut out.”

Jael’s mouth dropped open, and even Markus and Mera were silent.

“I think Lord Urien’s announcement at the Temple of Baaros has only inflamed some of the anti-elven factions in the city,” Argent said gently. “This may be the work of some of those who left the Temple of Baaros because of the change of doctrine, as the two elves were minor merchants—elven perfumes and the like. Until it’s been investigated further, however, we’re stationing extra guards in Rivertown, and it would be best for you to avoid the entire area.”

“No doubt of that,” Jael said, shivering. “I’ve never heard of even an assassin cutting out hearts.” She thought briefly of Blade.

“Were they very bloody?” Markus asked curiously.

“Or were the hearts gone? Did someone eat them?” Mera chimed in.

“By the Mother Forest, what a gruesome subject for supper,” Argent said, shaking his head. “Markus, Mera, when we know more, you’ll be told. Now, please, let’s say no more about it.”

Jael would have liked to ask more about the incident, but that would get Markus and Mera started again and upset Father, so she ate a little dinner, more for politeness’ sake than out of hunger, and excused herself.

Back in her room, Jael saw the box of tea, and remembering its pleasant, fragrant taste, she made herself a kettleful and sipped it slowly, contemplating the pendant Urien had given her. She had never seen the like of the rich purple-red stones before, or the delicate gold work. Perhaps it had been made magically, but at least it seemed to have suffered no ill effects from hanging around her neck for days.

The hot tea made her feel warm and drowsy, and Jael took off her clothes and slipped under the covers, pouring the last of the tea into a cup at her bedside. She carefully tucked the pendant into the box hidden in the frame of her bed, where she stored Shadow’s puzzle.

Jael dreamed she lay in a great stone hand, gently cupped and sheltered, safe and surrounded. Above her she could see the lines of another stone hand arching over her. The stone under her was cold, hard but somehow comforting in its solidity. The world was still, the world was stone, peaceful and unchanging.

Gradually Jael became aware that the stone beneath her had somehow changed. Now the hand on which she lay was flesh, warm and softer. Jael felt somehow afraid, not knowing why until she realized that the hand above her was no longer so far away, but was slowly closing over her, descending to crush her, to smother her. She could almost feel the great weight pressing down upon her—