The Lodestone Trilogy (Limited Edition) (The Lodestone Series) (10 page)

A shape appeared at the edge of the firelight and moved towards them. Alondo dropped lightly to the ground next to Shann and grinned at her, firelight and shadow lending his visage a ghoulish appearance.

“No signs of pursuit,” he declared.

“All right.” Lyall retrieved his stick and began drawing in the sandy soil as the other two watched. “Two days to the edge of the Southern Desert.” He drew a line. “Then five more days across the desert to Gort.” He placed a stone to indicate the position of the fortress. “There are outposts here.” He pointed. “And here, where there are water holes and supplies. However, I think it best that we skirt around them.”

Alondo pursed his lips. “No point in taking on the Prophet’s soldiers before we have to.”

“Actually, I’m more concerned about them raising the alarm. The powers in Chalimar will no doubt have Ringed every town, village and outpost from here to the Aronak Sea.”

“Ringed?” Shann broke in.

“Yes.” Lyall turned to her. “You remember that I mentioned that there were different kinds of lodestone? There is a kind that allows two people to communicate at great distances. I don’t know exactly how they work, but the Keltar use them. It seems unlikely that Keltar would be stationed at a desert outpost, but I would rather not take any chances.

“When we reach the desert we travel by night to conserve water. We rest during the day. Try to stay covered up to avoid sunburn. And keep alert. There are dangerous creatures in the desert.”

“What happens when we get to Gort?” Shann asked.

“Yes, well…I have a plan, but I think it best we discuss the details when we get nearer our destination. If we can free the tributes, I believe many of them will join us. In any event, we will have dealt a serious blow to the Prophet’s supply of the stones. And that is only the beginning.”

He poked the fire with his stick once again. The fire coruscated into the night sky.
What will be the Prophet’s reaction when we start poking sticks into his schemes?

“At any rate, it seems we are not followed,” Alondo offered, “That part of the plan seems to have worked, at least.”

~

Keris sat on the bed in her room at the Silver Flagon in Lind. A small closet stood in the corner and there was a table by the bed with a bronze oil lamp. As Keris watched, it flickered slightly.

This investigation was taking its toll. She had arrived at the town in late morning to find that the Spring Gratitude Festival was in progress. Acolytes in red robes herded people into the chapel, relieving them of “offerings” and marking young people for tribute.

She needed information, but with the service in progress, there wasn’t much more she could do but watch the proceedings. It struck her as ironic that the name had been retained; the participants looked anything but grateful. Before the Prophet’s arrival, the festival had been a joyous, pastoral occasion. Now, gratitude for the Three had been replaced by “gratitude” to the Prophet, although for what she wasn’t sure exactly.
You’re starting to sound like a heretic.

A burly acolyte stepped up and grabbed a youngster by the arm, yanking him away from his mother. Keris watched as the woman cried out and tried to hold on to the boy. A brief tug of war ensued until a second acolyte strode over and struck the woman in the face. She cried out as the boy was dragged off to have the flame marking of the Prophet branded into his neck. The woman fell to her knees. Hands covered her face as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Keris felt her eyes starting to water.
What “grand purpose” of the Prophet could justify this?

“Faith,” Mordal would say. “Faith and Patience.” The words had a hollow ring as she watched the celebrants file silently past the woman, who was still kneeling on the grey stone floor.

There could be no question of her intervening. Keris the diamond merchant was a simple trader, nothing more. Keris the Keltar had no authority to interfere in the selection of tributes. She turned away, feeling as helpless as a flame at the mercy of every draught of air. The lamp by her bed guttered once more.

Keris centred herself on her obligation and her duty.
It was time.
She raised the back of her hand to her mouth and spoke a word into the Ring on her third finger. The Ring was bronze, set with a single dark stone.

“Keris.” The Ring glowed with a delicate green phosphorescence as she spoke.

A moment later, the Ring glowed once more.

“
Report.”
It was Mordal. He had never had any time for pleasantries.

Keris spoke directly into the device. “There is no word on the impersonator. He does not appear to be known by anyone I have spoken to. However, I have discovered that his accomplice fled to Lind, so I have journeyed there to pursue the investigation.”

“Captain Sallidor has returned.”
The Ring luminesced.
“He says you ordered him to return to the Keep.”

His men attacked me!
Keris realised that to tell Mordal that, however, would only make her reasons for ordering the withdrawal appear petulant. “He was making no progress in the investigation. He had executed an innkeeper and was only succeeding in antagonising the townspeople.”

There was a pause.
“I see…continue.”

“Two people were buying up supplies in town yesterday. The man is a local musician. I don’t yet know how he is connected. However, the girl fits the description of the impostor’s accomplice. Among the items they purchased were two morgren from the stables.”

There was another pause. Then Mordal completed the thought
. “They are headed for the Southern Desert, the fortress of Gort.”

“Exactly,” Keris affirmed. “It makes perfect sense. Where would a man who wishes to free tributes go, if not to the compound at Gort?”

“I will Ring the fortress and make sure there is a nice surprise awaiting them at the compound should they make it there. Excellent work, Keris. How do you intend to proceed?”

“Well, I certainly don’t intend to go stumbling about the countryside by Ail-Mazzoth’s light. They have a day’s head start at most, and they have slow moving morgren. It should be a simple matter to overtake them. Right now, I intend to get a decent meal and a good night’s sleep.”

“Very well, Keris. May the Prophet guide your steps.”
The Ring fell silent.

Keris extinguished the lamp and sat in the dark for a long moment. Then she got up and left the room, closing the door behind her.

<><><><><>

Chapter 6

Shann looked tiny and distinctly uncomfortable clad in the flying cloak of a Keltar. It felt like she was being made to become the thing she most hated in all the world.
This is
necessary,
she told herself. What was it Lyall had said?
Once you understand the source of a tyrant’s power, you can use it against them.
She adjusted the fit across her shoulders as best she could.

“It feels a bit heavy,” she commented.

Lyall stood opposite the girl, an identical cloak draped about his shoulders. “That’s the downward pressure from the lodestone layer pushing down on the bronze layer below it. Try retracting the bronze layer a bit.” She adjusted the control at her neck. “Better?”

She nodded.

“All right. The first thing you need to realise is that the flying cloak does not enable you to fly–at least, not in the same way as a mylar or any other bird. It would be more accurate to call it a ‘leaping’ or ‘jumping’ cloak. You remember the discs? Lodestones will push against all materials, but the push is greatest against other lodestones. There are naturally occurring lodestone deposits in the ground from meteorites which have been falling for millennia. We use the refined lodestone in the cloak to push against these deposits to gain lift.”

“How do I do that exactly?”

Lyall gestured with his hands. “You need to ‘feel’ for deposits. It’s something that will come naturally once you get the hang of it. Start by retracting your bronze layer very slowly, bit by bit. Stop the moment you feel anything unusual.”

Shann moved the control slowly with her fingers. She stopped. “There, like a slight pressure.”

“Good, now can you tell which direction it’s coming from?”

“Over there.” Shann pointed to the left.

“Come on.” Lyall set off in that direction. “Tell me when you feel it move under you.”

They set off across the broken savannah. After a little way, Shann held up her hand and they both halted. She turned to look up at him. “So if I can use my cloak to detect deposits, why doesn’t the Prophet mine loadstones that way?”

“Because it just isn’t exact enough. For example, the deposit you are detecting now. Can you tell where it is precisely? How large is it? How deep? Lodestone ore hardly looks any different from normal rock. You would need to dig and sort through tons of dirt by hand, and that would take a small army of Keltar. Can you imagine Keltar doing that?” He was smiling at her, and she forced a smile back.

“Anyhow, it isn’t necessary,” he continued. “In the Southern Desert the ore that falls from the sky is clearly visible on the surface. You don’t need Keltar to find it, just a herd of slaves who don’t mind dying from heat and exhaustion.”

Which is why we are here,
she thought. “All right, so what do I do?”

“Try jumping up and at the same time, extending the upper lodestone layer of the cloak. Remember, you won’t travel straight up because there will always be some slight deviation from the vertical. Think of being pushed up by a fountain of water. Go on, give it a go.”

Shann bent her knees and leaped up, flaring the cloak as she did so. She sailed upwards, stifling a cry as she did so. Her legs bicycled in the air and she tipped over, landing a few steps away in a crumpled heap. She got to her hands and knees in time to see Lyall, hands on hips, throwing his head back in laughter. She frowned, angrier at herself than at him.
I’m never going to get the hang of this.

Still chuckling, he walked over, offering a hand. She took it and allowed herself to be pulled up. “Don’t feel bad, everyone does that the first time. Actually, that was pretty good for a first try.”

“I’m fine, thanks for asking.” Shann adjusted the cloak and brushed off the dust and sand as best she could.

Lyall looked as if he was enjoying himself. “All right, time for lesson two. Remember, the lodestone will always push you in the opposite direction. If you detect it to your left and you flare the cloak, then it will push you to your right. You can angle the cloak by twisting in the air, adjusting your trajectory. Try again, but this time instead of fully flaring the cloak, do a small jump and blip the control until you get used to the feel of it.”

Shann felt the deposit to her right and behind her. She did as Lyall suggested and leapt a short distance to her left. She stumbled a little on landing, but regained her balance.

“Good.” Lyall was clapping. “Very good.”

He walked over and looked into her eyes with intensity. “The real secret to using the cloak is always to be thinking one step ahead.” He flattened his hand to simulate her pattern of flight. “As you leap,” he moved his hand upward, “you should already be looking for another deposit to push against or a safe place to land. If you detect another deposit you can push off it,” he moved his hand in a different direction, “and remain aloft.

“Remember; always be thinking what your next move will be. And be careful not to over commit. Always leave yourself with a safe option.”

Shann nodded thoughtfully.

“Now let me ask you something. What would happen if I leapt, and then at the apex, I extended the lower bronze layer in the cloak?”

Shann furrowed her brow. “The lodestone would push against the bronze and the bronze would pull away from it. You would be forced downwards.”

“Quite right. I would be accelerated toward the ground, which would normally be a very bad idea.” His mouth quirked a little. “However, there are some circumstances where you may wish to slow your leap, perhaps to angle yourself toward another deposit. Blipping the bronze layer can work as a brake, giving you more control.”