Fortress Draconis (70 page)

Then again, if someone did…He shivered and walked over to Crow and Resolute. “What happened?”

The Vorquelf frowned. “They assumed that Orla and Kerrigan knew too little of magick. She and the Adept had worked out some of what the spells affecting her were. I told them what she had told me, but I was dismissed as well. They proceeded to unravel magicks they did not fully understand, and they paid a fearful price.”

“Is it going to kill them?”

“Arrogance should, but it will depend.” Resolute looked out to the east. “If they were truly the best healers in Rellaence, yes, it probably will.”

It took theWhite Shark four more hours to reach Rellaence. The elven pilot brought the ship in from the northwest, through a narrow channel, then hard to port. The high cliffsides had been covered in green, with sea breezes teasing broad, flat leaves that glistened with spray and sunlight. Birds that nested in rocky niches swooped out to greet them, calling defiantly as they soared effortlessly around the ship.

As theWhite Shark came around the headland, the harbor opened up to display Rellaence and the winding silvery ribbon of river that plunged east and deeper into Loquellyn. The splendor spread over the landscape all but dragged Will to the bow so he could study it. So many elements presented themselves he could concentrate on one for only a heartbeat before the next distracted him, and the next, overwhelming him with intoxicating intensity.

More than the visual stimulus worked through him, though. Grand groves of silverwood trees with their argent foliage dancing and flashing would have been more than enough to occupy him, but he could feel the trees as easily as he could see them, or hear their leaves rustle. Something in the very nature of Loquellyn seemed tangible, but not like the heavy air of a humid day. Instead it felt friendly and accommodating. Not a lover’s caress—not quite that intimate—but still inviting.

He couldn’t identify it exactly until its opposite floated up from memories. There had been countless times in his youth when he’d felt hunted and alone, oppressed and fearful, as if he could have vanished and his passing would have gone unnoticed. Here, sailing into Loquellyn, he knew he would be missed and mourned even after so brief an introduction.

The city itself barely looked like a city because trees and plants predominated. Buildings did rise up through the foliage canopy, with a tower here, an exposed wing there, and glimpses of warehouses near the docks. Even such utilitarian buildings, however, had ivy growing up over them, and flowers blossoming in niches.

The buildings themselves had a different nature from anything Will had seen in Yslin or beyond. Not only were they not built of stone, but their wooden construction had a curious flow to it. As nearly as he could tell from a distance, it appeared as if the buildings had been assembled from pieces of trees that had been barely altered. One tower with crenellations and all appeared to have been a huge piece of driftwood that had been worn smooth and grey by the sea’s waves. In other places branches and trunks had been fitted together like a puzzle. As the ship drew closer, he sought any sign of joints, but he couldn’t see them, and windows and doors appeared to be natural hollows and knots in the wood.

That didn’t mean there was no shaping or woodworking, because doors and shutters had clearly been fashioned instead of grown. Light and dark woods, silver, red, and brown even, had been inlaid together to create pictures and heraldry, or to trace out words in an ornate and twisted script. Will couldn’t read a word of it, but the soft forms and the flow of the letters enchanted him.

Two small elven boats came out from the pier and took bowlines from theWhite Shark. The human and Panqui sailors shipped their oars, and the sail was furled then lowered, as the elven boats dragged the pirate ship to the dock between two of the shark galleys. Elves made the ship fast, but before anyone could alight, an elven delegation made its way down the pier.

Qwc rode on the shoulder of a white-haired elf with a long face and square jaw. He bowed his head as he came aboard. “Greetings to you, Captain Lombo. I bid you and your people welcome. I am Dunerlan and will be honored to be your host.”

Lombo seated himself on the deck and sniffed the air. “Richlife, this place. Lombo is pleased.”

Dunerlan opened his arms and his smile broadened. “To all of you, welcome.” His head came up and the smile tightened as Kerrigan emerged from the cabins and Perrine came after him. Several of the other elves backed up a bit when they saw the Gyrkyme, but Dunerlan’s right hand came up to forestall any comments.

“Qwc, when you told us of Peri and how she helped you fly the DragonCrown fragment to safety, you did not mention she was …”

“Female? Qwc said female.”

“Indeed, but you left us with the impression she was aSpritha female.” A look of concern flashed over the elf’s face. “This could be difficult.”

Will frowned. “Why?”

Dunerlan gave him an indulgent smile. “You are the Norrington. I am honored.”

“And you’re not answering my question.” Will sighed heavily. “I mean, I know the stories about how the Gyrkyme were born and everything. I know you think she’s an animal, but I know she’s not. First time I ever laid eyes on her, she’d spitted a gibberer that was about to have my guts for garters. She’s fought, she’s scouted, and she carried off the DragonCrown fragment.”

Another of the elves, a slender female with blue eyes and auburn hair, moved to Dunerlan’s side. “A trained ai animal would do as much for its master. She was just following orders.”

“Yeah, but she didn’t want to take the fragment. She didn’t want to leave. Alyx, I mean Princess Alexia, had been hurt and she was concerned for her, but she put aside her personal worries for the good of the world.” Will’s expression hardened. “Ain’t an animal I know of, and damned few men, would do that.”

The elder elf raised an eyebrow. “An interesting point for debate, Will Norrington.”

The thief folded his arms across his chest. “Well, add this in. If you’re not welcoming her, you’re not welcoming me. I don’t go where she’s not welcome.”

The elves behind Dunerlan looked surprised and huddled together in quiet conference. The female made to speak to Dunerlan, and Qwc flew off so she’d not be speaking through him, but Dunerlan waved her back after a few whispers. “Would you take full responsibilities for her actions?”

“Of course.”

Dunerlan nodded, his expression easing. “Then your pet will be allowed into Loquellyn.”

Will’s eyes blazed. “She’s not my pet.”

“No?”

“No!”

“Yes, Will.”

Perrine’s quiet comment brought Will around wide-eyed. “No, Peri, I won’t let them treat you like that.”

The Gyrkyme smiled. “Yes, Will, it will be permitted.”

“But…”

She smiled. “It is part of elven tradition, one we respect.” Peri’s voice rose and remained clear. “When someone new is invited into an elven home, they are sponsored by a member of that family. The sponsor takes responsibility for the actions of the guest. These Loquelves are here to act as our sponsors, which is a great honor for us. You, Will, are being asked to be my sponsor. I thank you for accepting that responsibility. I will neither embarrass nor disappoint you.”

Will wanted to continue his protest, but the effect of her eloquence on the elves stopped him. Most of the crowd behind Dunerlan had shrunk and gone white. Dunerlan had a curious smile on his face, and the female seemed both intrigued and afraid.

The thief glanced at Peri. “Are you sure?”

“Quite.”

“Well, if that is the way of things, okay.”

Dunerlan clapped his hands once. “Very good.” The leader of the elves turned and began to introduce the various hosts to their guests, which gave Will a chance to pull Perrine aside.

“Why are you letting them do this? And don’t give me that tradition stuff.”

Peri winked at him. “It’s simple, Will. We’re bound for Fortress Draconis. In one of the elven galleys, the journey will take five days, perhaps less. On horse it will take close to a month to get there, and I’d have to be flying around the long way, through Saporicia.”

Will nodded. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

“Goldwing and I worked it out as we came in.” Peri shrugged. “I can put up with a little discomfort if it helps us, and if we get to dispel some myths about the Gyrkyme for them, all the better.”

“Oh, we’ll do that, all right.”

Dunerlan finally approached Will, and the female came in his wake. “Will Norrington, this is Trawyn. You will be staying with her.”

Will glanced up into the female’s blue eyes. “Think there will be enough room for me and my’pet‘?”

“I should hope so.” She gestured toward a silverwood grove on the north side of the harbor. “The palace is, after all, large and quite accommodating.”

Will woke with a start, then sank back against the soft mattress and luxuriated in the warmth of the thick quilt covering him. Since he’d left Yslin he’d not had such comforts, and since leaving Svoin, sleep had been snatched here and there. He stretched and couldn’t even find traces of aches he’d known from the days past.

He opened his eyes and lifted his head a little, glancing over at the corner of the room. Perrine had taken several of the pillows from his big bed, and a couple of spare blankets, to form a little nest for herself. She’d positioned two chairs and stretched a blanket between them for some privacy, and it took Will a second or two to register that the cloth she used as a halter and loincloth had been draped over one of the chairs.

Will immediately blushed, then turned away from her. A stray ray of sunshine lanced through the window and poked him in the eyes. He yipped, then rolled onto his back again, all but blinded. Peri rose from her nest in an instant, unconscious of her nudity, leaving Will both happy and sad that he’d been sun-dazzled.

“It’s okay, Peri. Just had the sun in my eyes.” The Gyrkyme nodded, stretching her arms and wings out. The room, which had an ovoid shape, was large enough that she could spread her wings wide. The wood’s dark hue all but matched the color of her feathers as they played along over the smooth surface. Unlike a man-home, the walls were not flat, but instead flowed more naturally, with large niches fitted with cabinets, and smaller ones supporting flowers and other foliage.

The door to his chamber opened and two servants of indeterminate age—heck, all elves look ageless—swept in before Princess Trawyn. One of the servants bore towels and clothes, the other had a tray set with fruit, cheese, and warm, fresh bread from which steam still rose.

Trawyn smiled at him. “Good morning, Will. I have fond hopes you slept well.”

“I did, very well.”

Her smile grew. “Splendid. We hoped the repast we prepared for you would be restful.”

“Huh?”

Trawyn began to tick things off on her fingers. “The wine, not too strong nor bold, the bread from fine-ground flour, the soup with a variety of vegetables, yet not too spicy. Fish, not meat, so as not to introduce inflammatory humours into your blood. We hoped it would work for a man.”

“Oh, right.” Will forced a smile on his face because he’d not really understood what she’d said. After a month of army food and what passed for the same on a ship, fresh food served hot had filled his belly and he found it very easy to curl up around it and drift off to sleep in a warm bed. “And thank you for having food sent up for Perrine.”

Trawyn did not look in Peri’s direction, but nodded. “More is coming for her presently. After you break your fast, bathe, and are dressed, I thought you might like to take exercise in the garden. Your … friend may stretch her wings. After that we will join the royal councils as they discuss your plans for the DragonCrown fragment.”

Will heard disapproval in her voice, more for the fragment plans than for Peri taking wing. Before he could ask what she was thinking, one of the servants set the tray with his breakfast on his bed and withdrew along with Trawyn. The other servant walked to a spot in the oval to the right of Will’s bed. He traced a finger over and around the grain in the wood. Noiselessly a panel in the wall swung out, bringing with it a bathing tub of seamless wood. The tub itself began to weep and a fragrant steam twisted up from the water being collected therein.

Will ate quickly and tossed Peri what he would have taken to be an apple save for the bluish tinge to the skin and a melon scent. The elven servant either missed the toss, which did take place when he was not looking, or had decided to ignore anything having to do with this strange human and his abominable pet.

After finishing his meal, Will bounded from the bed, doffed the borrowed nightshirt, and slipped into the tub. He scrubbed himself well using a soap that smelled of flowers—less because he was worried about how clean he had to be than because the servant looked ready to apply a brush to him if needed. Will sent the elf off to take away the empty dishes, which seemed to offend the servant somewhat.

Once the door had closed behind him, Peri laughed. “They’ll be talking about you for years, Will. Imagine asking a body servant to perform a scullion’s duty.”

“I don’t think anyone will notice. I brought a pet Gyrkyme to Loquellyn. They’ll be talking about that forever.” Will shivered as a thought occurred to him. “If elves live a long time, does that mean those servants will be servants forever?”

Peri shook her head. “Chances are very good that he wasn’t a body servant yesterday, and might not be one tomorrow.”

Will shook his head, spraying water from his hair. “What?”

“Elves are not strictly bound by caste the way we are.” Peri sat and hugged her knees up to her chest. “This is one of the things elves hate about the Gyrkyme. Because of my coloration, I am a Talon, fit for war. Plumes are our nobility and leaders; Wise is the caste of our philosophers. Among us, as your mother was, so shall you be, and those things do not change.”

He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around himself as he emerged from the tub. The basin slowly absorbed the water, just as the wooden floor drank in the puddle around his feet. Will used a second towel to dry his hair, thinking as he did so. “But, Peri, do you ever want to do anything else?” She shook her head. “War is what I do best. It is the duty my people have for me. I could no more perform well the duties of a Swift than one of them could make war. Our society is stable because of our system.”