The Lodestone Trilogy (Limited Edition) (The Lodestone Series) (46 page)

Lyall and Alondo had been friends since childhood. The musician’s ready smile and easy manner had led him into numerous close friendships with women, but none that Lyall could recall as being serious–until now. Lyall was grateful in a way, since it made the decision he had come to, the decision he was going to have to announce a little later this evening, somewhat easier.

Before that however, there were two small but important matters to deal with. The first was purely to do with morale. He smiled at the group. “Our ship needs a name.”

“It already has a name–the
Soraya
,” Shann reminded him.

“The ship is ours now.” Lyall pointed out. “Besides, a ‘soraya’ is a sea creature with four eyes and tentacles.”

Alondo had a puzzled look. “I thought it was the name of a local soup?”

“It is,” Lyall confirmed. “That’s what’s in the soup.”

Alondo suddenly looked ill. “That’s what I had for breakfast. No wonder no-one would answer me when I asked what the bits were.”

Shann stifled a giggle.

“Well, I think we can do better. Suggestions, people?”

Alondo and Shann looked at each other. Shann’s face lit up. “How about
Stormchaser
?”

“I like it,” Alondo beamed.

“So do I. However, I don’t think we want to give Patris quite such an obvious clue to our intentions, do we?” asked Lyall. Shann and Alondo both shook their heads.

Alondo interrupted the silence. “We could name her after Oliah, here.” Oliah squeezed his hand, looked up into his face and smiled.

“
Annata
.” All eyes turned to look at the Chandara.

Lyall nodded. “That seems good. After all, it is she who started us on this journey. It’s a reminder of why we are all here.”

“
Annata’s Reach
,” Shann added.

“Perfect. Are we all agreed?” There were nods from around the table. Lyall broke the top off a bottle of narrian wine and filled five goblets. He raised one. “The
Annata’s Reach
.”

“Annata’s Reach,”
the others chorused.

Lyall put down his goblet. “Well now that that’s decided, there is another thing for us to take care of.” He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it carefully. Set within it were the two Speaker Rings that Keris had acquired back in Gort. “I think it is time for us to put these to use. Alondo has explained to Oliah where we are going. She has agreed not to tell Patris. She has also agreed to care for the Speaker Ring on this side, to keep us informed of developments here. Of course, we cannot be certain that the Ring will function across the Great Barrier, but Keris and I both feel that it is worth the risk.”

He passed one Ring to Alondo, who took Oliah’s hand and put it on her finger. The fair haired girl was looking up at him all the while.

“The Rings must first be Linked.” Lyall handed the second Ring to Alondo.

“What do I do?” Alondo asked.

“Hold the Rings against each other so that the stones touch.”

Alondo touched the Ring to the one on Oliah’s hand. They looked into one another’s eyes. After a moment an ethereal green light filled the space between them. Finally, the light died. Alondo handed the second Ring back to Lyall, who placed it back in the box and closed the lid. Oliah looked down at the Ring on her finger as if it were a thing of wonder.

“Thank you,” Lyall addressed her. “We will be relying on you.”

“I will not let you down,” she said.

“I have one more favour to ask. I need to talk to Shann and Alondo alone for a moment. Is that all right?”

Oliah smiled bravely. “Of course. Come on, Boxx.”

When the two had left, Lyall looked at Shann and Alondo in turn. Now that the moment he was dreading had finally come, he found himself torn by indecision. A part of him wanted to excuse himself. To say it was nothing, that it had all been a mistake. But he was locked onto a path that allowed no turning. He pressed on. “You have both been an essential part of this journey so far. I could not have asked for braver companions.” He paused, looking down at the table; then raised his head to look into their eyes once more. “Or truer friends.

“Now we are facing our greatest challenge yet. To save this world, we must attempt to cross the Great Barrier of Storms. Yet, even in spite of all of our planning and preparation, we may not survive. That is why I have decided…that the two of you should stay behind.”

“
No!
” It was Shann who reacted. Alondo just looked stunned.

“I have thought about this carefully,” Lyall pushed forward. “Boxx is essential to the fulfilment of Annata’s plan. He will only deal with Keris, so she has to come, too. Besides, there seems to be no safe place left for her here. Patris is needed to sail the ship. As for the two of you–well there is no compelling reason to risk your lives further. Besides, Alondo has…ties here now.”

“Oliah and I have already discussed this together,” Alondo said. “She believes in what we are doing and she wants me to go.”

Lyall had a wry expression. “You know little about women, my friend. She will tell you what you wish to hear, but I was watching her tonight. Her face betrays her true feelings.”

“This is about what happened at Persillan again, isn’t it?”

Lyall felt Alondo’s words hit home. “It has nothing to do with that. I simply will not risk more lives than is absolutely necessary.”

“Persillan?” Shann asked.

“It’s something that happened a long time ago, Shann. It has no bearing here.” Lyall looked at Alondo, willing him to silence.

Shann pulled down the collar of her tunic, exposing the bare olive flesh of her neck. The flame brand was clearly visible, the mark that he had put there with his own hand. “I got
this
trying to free the tributes at Gort from slavery to the Prophet. I am coming with you, whatever. Unless you intend to throw me off the ship.”

Alondo leaned forward. “That goes for me, too.”

Lyall looked at their earnest faces and felt his heart melt. His best friend and the girl who had saved his life twice.
How could he forgive himself if anything happened to them?
He wanted to plead with them both–to beg them not to add to his pain. Alondo was right. It was the pain associated with those events eleven turns ago that had shaped his life ever since. That pain had compelled him to attack a Keltar in Corte and to try in vain to free the tributes at Gort. Now it was driving him to hurl himself at the Great Barrier itself.
Aune. Are you still alive somewhere? Will I ever see you again?

In that moment, the door flew open, and Patris appeared. His breath was short and his eyes were grave.
“Keris–she’s disappeared.”

<><><><><>

Chapter 29

The room at the back of the Calandra seemed crowded. Shann, Lyall, Alondo and Boxx were joined by members of the thief gang. Oliah’s arm was linked in Alondo’s and the girl seemed to be leaning against him for security.

Shann too felt conflicted, but for different reasons. If the Prophet’s men had indeed snatched Keris, then that would suggest that her claims to have broken her ties with Chalimar were genuine. However, she could just as easily have gone with them voluntarily to make it look as if she had been kidnapped–perhaps as a last ditch attempt to delay their departure? If that were the case, then the best thing to do would be to leave her in the company of her Keltar friends and sail without her. However, something told her that Lyall would never agree to that.

Patris stood at the head of the table. “They have her at one of their safe houses.”

“Safe houses?” Lyall asked.

“The Prophet’s agents have several business fronts and safe houses in the city,” Patris explained. “Your companion is being held at one on Cyrran Street, near where the shipwright’s office is located.”

“Then we must go there and free her,” Lyall said.

Patris shook his head. “That would be unwise. She is being held on the uppermost floor and there are guards on each level. You would not get anywhere near.”

Lyall frowned. “What do you suggest?”

“I am not sure–I don’t see how I can help you. Our thief company is a co-operative–I can’t order them to undertake a mission such as this and to be honest; I wouldn’t even if I could. To do so could lead to open war with the Prophet’s forces here in Sakara–a war that we have neither the people nor the resources to sustain. I’m sorry. I won’t do it.”

“We could get straight to the top floor.”
Shut up, you fool,
Shann berated herself. Yet despite her misgivings, it still felt wrong to abandon someone–even Keris.

Lyall appeared lost in thought. Then he turned to Patris. He seemed to be weighing his words carefully. “I appreciate your situation. However, we must attempt a rescue of our companion. As you say, there is an element of risk. And…you have not yet been paid for your services on our behalf. If we were to meet up with an accident–”

“That would be most unfortunate,” Patris completed the thought.

“Yes,” Lyall said. “Yes it would…Of course, our chances of success might well be enhanced if there were some sort of unforeseen diversion–say for instance, a fire suddenly breaking out in an adjacent building?”

Patris quirked one side of his mouth. “I believe there is a blacksmith’s shop next door. It’s quite possible that a stray ember might spark a blaze of sizeable proportions.”

“Might such an accident occur later this evening?” Lyall probed.

“It’s a distinct possibility.”

“Then we have an understanding?”

“I believe so–oh, by the way, I wonder if you would excuse me. I have suddenly remembered some pressing business I must attend to.”

“By all means. Don’t forget to be aboard the ship by first light. Our departure will prove to be…somewhat hasty, I would think.”

Patris and Lyall exchanged a look. Then Patris signalled to the others in his group and they filed out.

When they had gone, Alondo turned to Lyall. “You had him eating out of your hand.”

Lyall laughed. “I just played on his weak spot–money. Besides, I think he enjoys the thought of taking the Prophet’s forces down a peg. I just needed to show him a way of doing that without risk to his own people.”

Shann had a serious look. “You realise this may be a trap.”

“You’re right, it may,” Lyall said. “However, I don’t think we have much of a choice.” Shann saw the resolve in his eyes.
No, I don’t suppose that you do.
“Shann and I are the only ones who can get to the upper floor without having to go in the front door. So we will be the ones to free Keris.”

“What do you want me and Boxx to do?” Alondo asked.

Lyall put his arm around Alondo’s shoulders. “I’m glad you asked that. I have a special job for you, my friend.”

~

Ail-Mazzoth lay low in the west, casting a ruddy glow over the rooftops of the port city. Sounds of merrymaking drifted up from the various hostelries, as clothier and baker, seaman and sail maker, raised a stoup to one another’s health. In an alley to the rear of the safe house, hidden deep in the shadows, two cloaked figures were crouched down side by side, waiting.

A shout…then another.
Not the sounds of casual revelry. These were cries of alarm. Patris’ little diversion was underway.
Time to move.

Lyall and Shann moved stealthily along the alley until they were directly beneath the building where Patris had indicated that Keris was being held. The edifice rose before them, indomitable like a sheer cliff face, punctuated by lit windows at regular intervals. Four storeys. It would take a considerable leap to reach the uppermost level. Following the battle with the Kharthrun serpent, Shann understood the basic concept of co-operative mechanics. If they timed it correctly…