The Guild's Bard, page 17
She bowed her head slightly and then rose, still looking at me. “Why have you come?”
“I told your warrior,” I said, taking a gamble and assuming that was what he was, “that we have come because of an influx of your powder into our city. We are trying to understand the reason.”
She regarded me for a long moment. “How much did you find?”
“There was a wagon filled with those jars,” I said, motioning to the man who still had the jar that I had offered. “Several dozen of them. And from what we know, they are incredibly valuable.”
“Several dozen?” She was hesitant as she spoke, and I wondered if the words translated as well as intended.
“Several dozen,” I agreed. “We do not know what it means.”
She stood quietly before finally taking a seat. She clasped her hands in her lap and then nodded to the jar. “That is the amount we would normally trade.”
“At a time?”
“In a year.”
I blinked. Something was wrong here. “Then how did so much powder get exported from your lands?”
“That is a very difficult story. We collect the powder and keep it for ourselves and for our celebrations. It is considered sacred to us. We move where we find it, where we feel it.”
Feel.
That suggested they were aware of its power.
“And it is difficult to gather in such a quantity,” she said.
“Then what came into my city is significant.”
“Yes,” she said, and her expression darkened.
“Do you have any idea how?”
She looked around before her gaze settled once again on me. “We are not the only clan on the island. We were once a single clan, but we have split. And some view the sacred powder differently.”
“What happened?” Waleith asked.
She turned, her gaze seeming to weigh him, as if she was deciding whether she wanted to answer. “We were once one, and now we are divided.”
I could tell that it bothered her. “What happened?”
“Another thought that they could lead.”
“They wanted power,” I said.
“They wanted money,” she said. “And they wanted to move. They felt that we have been confined to the island for too long. But we have been drawn here, and the Great One has asked us to stay to protect the resources and to ensure that those who are not worthy do not reach it.”
“Do you know who they were meeting with?”
“Outsiders,” the first man said, his voice rough and hoarse, and seemingly irritated. He glanced at Waleith as he spoke, but he didn’t have that same irritation in his gaze when he looked at me. It was only for Waleith.
“Not outsiders like us,” I said.
“No,” she said. “These outsiders are worse.”
“How are they worse?”
“They see us as less than we are. But then, perhaps all of your kind sees us as less than we are.”
I wished that I could tell her otherwise, but I could easily imagine how most people would view the horse lords.
“You are welcome to stay with us, sit by the fire, and you are welcome to learn what you can of the powder, but I doubt you will learn anything of use. It is merely sacred, and not dangerous, at least not to anyone that we have interacted with.”
I wasn’t sure if that was true. But I also didn’t know if she recognized that the powder carried with it some power. If not, should I show her it did?
Not unless I really understood why it was sacred to them.
Which meant staying, if only for a little while.
I looked over at Waleith, who was quiet. We had come here hoping to find who was responsible for trading the aelith powder, and I didn’t feel we were anywhere close to an answer. It was unfortunate, because these mysterious outsiders were obviously the ones who were drawing it into Busal City.
But now we had to deal with the dynamics of clans battling one another.
And that would make things difficult.
I didn’t know how long I could stay. If the answers weren’t here, then maybe we needed to find the other clan, find who they were trading with, and force them to answer.
Only…
Only having seen the horse lords of this village, and how obviously powerful they were, I doubted that we would be able to force anyone to tell us anything.
And if that was the case, then maybe this journey was in vain.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Isat off to the side of the fire, watching the crackling flames. Waleith was quiet, picking at some of the food they had provided for us. The horse lords were nothing if not hospitable hosts.
“What are you thinking?” I asked, glancing at Waleith.
“I’m thinking that we are not going to find our answers here.”
“That is my concern as well,” I said. “But I keep thinking that they have to know something.”
“We need to go to the other clan,” Waleith said.
“And do what? Force them to tell us what they have been involved in, or try to wait and see who they are trading with?”
“Perhaps both.”
He took another bite of bread. It was somewhat sweet and filling. There was some kind of meat baked into the bread, so it was a little chillier and saltier than I was accustomed to. It was still tasty.
The woman who had spoken to me before came over. “I would like to talk to you, if you don’t mind, and if your friend does not mind,” she said.
“That would be fine,” I said. “Here?”
“I would walk, if that is all right with you.”
I didn’t feel I was in any danger, but then again, walking off with this woman could place me into a dangerous situation.
I got up and glanced at Waleith, who nodded as if to tell me that he was going to keep track of me.
Then I followed the woman.
“I don’t even know your name,” I said to her. “I am Zaren Joha.”
She looked over. “I am Hodanna.”
“Just Hodanna?”
She nodded. “We have little need for second names. I know who I am, and I know who my family is, and that is all that matters. If you need more specificity, I could tell you that I am Hodanna, daughter of Stig and Alansari, sister to Olash and Prillinna.”
“So just Hodanna,” I said, laughing softly.
“It would be easier for you, I would imagine.”
She wasn’t wrong.
“Do you know much about our people?” she asked.
“Not particularly,” I said. “I’ve traveled some, but all I know about your people is that you tend to be somewhat reserved and a little suspicious of outsiders.” I watched her as I spoke.
“That would be accurate,” she said. “We have not had much experience with outsiders, nor do we have much interest in engaging with them, at least traditionally.”
“But you do engage in some trade with outsiders. The powder does make its way to our shores.”
“It does. But it is out of necessity. There are items that we aren’t able to obtain on the island that provide us with some benefit. So we trade the powder for them.”
“Not for money.”
“What need do we have for money?”
They had seemed a simple people, and didn’t actually look as if they had need of money. “Do any of your people ever leave the island?”
Hodanna was quiet for a moment. We had reached the outskirts of the village. Stars twinkled high overhead, and it was a clear, cloudless night. The wind picked up, carrying a hint of salt and the occasional cawing of seagulls. It was peaceful, inasmuch as a place so foreign to me could be peaceful.
“There are some who fall to the Inaran sickness.”
I frowned. “And what is that?”
“It is the term we use for those who decide that they can no longer abide living on the isle. It’s not common, but it does happen from time to time. And we would rather see those few flourish rather than fade into a shell of what they could be.” She looked at me.
“I see.” I’d been feeling a little uneasy about the similarity of my build to that of the horse lords since we had arrived here. When Waleith had suggested that I would look something like them, I had not really anticipated finding an entire island filled with men who had my size. And it had raised a number of questions I would like the answers to. “Is that why you wanted to talk to me?”
Hodanna tipped her head. “You have the look.”
“Of one of your people. So you think that my family, particularly my father, was one of your people.”
My father had much of my size. My mother did not resemble the horse lords, but then again, she hadn’t been a petite woman by any means.
“It is possible. Most who fall to the sickness do eventually return. They will often find that the outside world is not at all what they believed it to be, and they will return, seeking permission to rejoin the clan, to rejoin the ride. They are welcomed, though it is a difficult transition.”
“And you thought that I came here because I wanted to ask if I could join the clan.”
Hodanna was quiet again.
In the distance, I saw rising hills dotting the darkness. There were some scattered trees filtering out some of the light up ahead, and beyond that, I couldn’t see much. I could hear the sea, so I suspected she was guiding me toward the shoreline, perhaps to push me off if I were to refuse her offer.
It put me on edge.
I had a vague awareness of power near me, but that was nothing new on this island. I suspected that most of it was the powder, but not all of it.
Waleith, I suspected. He was probably following me, which was good. I was thankful that I would have his support if I needed it.
I didn’t think that I would need it, though. I wasn’t in any obvious danger here, but Hodanna could try something. Given the quantity of powder that I felt here, there was a distinct possibility that she could use it to harm me. It would be more than I could overwhelm.
“If you wanted to, you would only have to ask,” Hodanna said.
“I don’t think I would feel comfortable asking that,” I said.
“Have you wondered?”
It was such a simple question, and it was one that I didn’t have a good answer to, but I felt I needed to.
“About my family?”
“About where you belong.”
“I think everybody does at times,” I said, choosing my words carefully, “but I wasn’t raised among your people. I don’t know this place.”
“You could. I can see it in your eyes. You felt something when you came here. A familiarity, probably. That is what most who return say. They feel as if some pressure has been taken off them.”
Had I felt that?
I had been aware of a tension once we had reached the island, but I wouldn’t call it a change in pressure.
“We really are here only to try to understand what’s happening,” I said. “There is a danger in my city.”
“But not your city.”
“No,” I said. “Not mine, at least not originally. But it is now. And it still could be. Not only that, but I feel I need to make sure that the city is safe. That is what I have committed to doing.”
Hodanna nodded. “And you want to know who is responsible for moving the powder. Unfortunately, I do not have that answer for you. It was not from my clan, but as you have come to learn, we are not the only clan on the island, and you have likely learned that the other clan is different.”
“Possibly,” I said. “But I am hopeful that you will make an introduction.”
“They may not make the same offer to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, there were other reasons for the split of our lands. They feel there was a way to profit from the sacred powder, but they also feel that those who leave the island because of the sickness should not return. They view it as a true sickness, not one that can be cured.”
“So you think they will react poorly to me.”
“It is possible,” she said. “And I do not know if they will provide you with the answers that you seek. But we can try.”
“Do you get along with them?”
“Do you get along with all members of your family?”
“I don’t have many left,” I said.
“One more reason to consider a return,” Hodanna said softly, and there was a distinct sense of welcome and warmth to the way that she spoke.
“Thank you, but I don’t think this is the right time.”
She nodded. “We don’t always get along, but we don’t always fight, either. And we will do our best. I have already sent word, as I suspected that was going to be your request.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Hodanna nodded. “Now, you may return to the fire, sit and enjoy, and feel the warmth on your face.”
I followed her, and once we reached the outskirts of the village again, I let her pull ahead. It wasn’t long before Waleith joined me.
“How much of that did you hear?” I asked.
“Most,” he said.
“Did you know?”
“That they were going to think you were of their people?” He shrugged. “Not exactly. I thought that it was possible. There aren’t many who have your size. But I didn’t realize that so many of their people had departed the island.”
“I’m not so sure it’s that many. And I suspect that most return, at least considering what she said.”
“And your father? That’s who you think is connected to these people.”
“He seemed content,” I said.
“Or perhaps he never really left the island,” Waleith said. “Perhaps when he was serving, he would return.”
I frowned. That was certainly possible.
“Maybe. I don’t know enough about his service to know. I do know a few people who served with him, though, and…”
And thinking about it made me wonder if perhaps I should have been asking more questions all this time.
But I had never had any reason to. I had never had any reason to question my father about his history. I had just not known about much other family.
And another thought came to me.
When I had returned to the farm after my service had ended, I had found it sold, or in reality, abandoned and claimed by someone else.
What if that had not been the case? What if my father had returned?
And if so, would that mean that my mother was here as well?
No. That wouldn’t be the case. If they were here, then Hodanna would have mentioned that. She would have mentioned the return of somebody from the sickness, that they had left behind a child. Wouldn’t she?
Maybe she wouldn’t.
I felt strange.
“Anyway,” I said. “She’s already sent word to the other clan. We will hopefully find out who the outsiders are by the end of the evening. Then we can make our way back to the ship, get back to the city, and deal with this.”
Waleith watched me, and there was an unreadable look in his eyes.
“I’m fine, Waleith,” I said.
“I hope so. We’re going to need your focus. At least, the Queen is.”
“And I told you that I am fine.”
We headed back to the fire and took a seat. I sat for a long time, and it was not long before Hodanna came over. She smiled.
“Unfortunately, the other clan is not willing to discuss the terms of their trade arrangements. We can ask additional questions, but it is possible—and quite likely—that they will not discuss their trading activity with us.”
As I waited for her to explain, there came a strange, unsteady trembling.
At first I thought it was just the horses moving toward their village, but this was a little different.
As soon as I realized what it was, I jumped to my feet, drawing my blade. “An explosion. An attack.”
And with that, the earth thundered all around us.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chaos began to build.
The horse lords quickly reacted, gathering their horses and streaking off into the darkness. Hodanna issued a command to another standing next to her before turning in my direction.
“Is this our fault?” I asked her.
“It will not be yours. We sent word, and perhaps they did not care for the fact that we had welcomed outsiders.”
I wondered if they were going to give us up, but I didn’t have that impression from Hodanna.
“We need to go,” Waleith said. “We need to figure out what’s happening, and if there is an attack here, we shouldn’t get caught up in it.”
“We need to understand the powder, right?” I looked over at Hodanna. “They use it. It’s important to them.”
“Sacred,” she said.
“So it’s sacred to them. And with that being the case, we need to understand why they are willing to sell it in such quantities. There has to be some reason. Once we figure out who they are working with, then we can go.”
“Not here,” Waleith said.
There was another explosion, this time from the far side of the village.
Waleith started away.
I hesitated, but then I started after him. Maybe he was right. Maybe we needed to use the distraction.
We reached the edge of the village. Waleith looked around, and then his gaze settled on me.
“You can feel the powder. I wonder why I can’t.”
I nodded. “I can. It seems to permeate everything. I don’t know how they can tolerate it.”
“They probably don’t feel it as you do.”
That struck me as unlikely. They had to sense it in some way to even be aware of the powder in the first place.
As Hodanna had mentioned, the powder was sacred.
Before I had an opportunity to say anything to Waleith, a painful streak of magic began to weigh down upon me. When it faded, I breathed out a sigh of relief.
Waleith dropped to his knees, his blade in hand, sweeping his gaze around before looking over at me. “One lesson for today. Each Blade has their own talent. And you tolerated that better than I could have.”
