Maw of the Devourer, page 5
When Solalyn dragged him to the fifth stall, her eyes lit up at the sight of a simple leather band threaded through some kind of tooth. The merchant claimed the tooth came from a shark found on the coast of the Minten Duchy and clearly increased his price once he took in Solalyn’s attire. The poor man faced Solalyn in a heated haggle, leaving both out of breath and Solalyn short of some coin but rewarded with a tooth necklace in hand.
“That hardly looks like something your family would wear,” Lyon said, as they strode away from the stall and Solalyn admired her prize.
“And how would you know that?” Solalyn asked with a cocked eyebrow. She held his flat stare for a moment, then relented. “Fine, it’s for me. But have you heard about sharks? They’re the hunters of the sea!”
Lyon rolled his eyes. “So, you’re going to wear one of their teeth around your neck? In court?”
“Well, no…” Solalyn pulled the necklace around her neck and deftly tied the leather into a simple knot. “But I can get away with it out here.”
Lyon sighed. He didn’t see the appeal of wearing a tooth, but he’d never been one for the finer parts of fashion. He did like to look nice and match the current fashion where he could, but some things about other people’s tastes always evaded his understanding. Still, he shot a pointed look at Solalyn fiddling with her new necklace. “And what about finding gifts for your family?”
She had the good grace to look slightly abashed. “I may have forgotten about that. For a moment.”
“Well, we should at least find something for them if we don’t want this entire trip to be a waste.”
“Fine.” Solalyn grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. “But you can’t rush finding information, you know. Sometimes you just have to wait.”
“My lady, my lord,” a voice said. Lyon turned to see a merchant, a pale man in his forties with brown hair and a goatee, beckoning them closer with a business smile. Something about the man’s smile seemed. Like he knew too much. “Might I have a moment of your time?”
Lyon shook his head, but after a look from Solalyn, relented. He approached cautiously, keeping himself between Solalyn and the merchant. Without warning, the man turned and walked down a nearby alleyway. Lyon shared a look with Solalyn, and neither moved to follow. The man stopped halfway down the alley and beckoned for them to follow him with a knowing smile.
Solalyn took a step into the alley, and Lyon grabbed her arm. “Are we sure about following a clearly suspicious man into an alley? One that looks like the perfect spot for an ambush? Really?”
Solalyn rolled her eyes. “I know that you have to suspect people because it is your job, but come on! He could be harmless and, regardless, we can handle ourselves, come what may.”
Lyon sighed and marched ahead of Solalyn. He kept a hand on the hilt of his sword, eyes darting back and forth, searching for any sign of danger. From the corner of his eye, and despite her earlier comment, he saw Solalyn doing the same. This had always been the most stressful part of his job. The merchant turned down another alleyway, and they emerged into a quiet side street. They followed the merchant to a covered wagon parked in a small enclosed courtyard, and he finally turned in their direction.
“I may have overheard you earlier,” the merchant said with a polite bow. The disconcerting smile never left his lips, even as Lyon tightened his grip on his sword. “And I believe I can help you find the perfect gift for the lady’s family.” The merchant looked Solalyn directly in the eyes. “I think it is perfect for the emperor.”
Lyon’s sword leapt from its sheathe and he pointed it at the man in a heartbeat. His eyes darted about for any other threats, but found none. The merchant stood frozen for a moment before lifting his hands peacefully. Beads of sweat formed on his brow and he looked down at the sharp tip worriedly. Lyon felt Solalyn’s hand on his shoulder and caught her expression from the corner of his eye. He lowered his sword, but did not sheathe it; Solalyn would decide how much of a threat the merchant was.
“Why would you think I am a princess, good sir?” Solalyn asked. A hardness filled her voice and it would settle for nothing less than honesty.
The merchant eyed Lyon’s sword, and he replied in a shaky voice. “Ah, well. You see… you’re clearly well off, young, and—more importantly—you look a lot like the portrait of Princess Solalyn I saw, my lady.”
“And you claimed I am royalty just because of that?”
“There’s more.” The merchant wrung his hands, but his unsettling confidence slowly returned. “The young man here matched the description of Princess Solalyn’s Chosen guard and, judging by his reaction just now, I was right.”
There was a challenge in the man’s last words, and Solalyn shook her head with a sigh. Then she turned to Lyon and her mouth quirked into an amused grin. She quickly stifled a chuckle, but Lyon knew she would tease him about this for weeks. He stuck to his quick decision, but it had all but confirmed Solalyn’s identity.
“Fine, you are right.” Solalyn’s demeanour shifted to her controlled, regal attitude. “Still, my disguise should have been enough for your average merchant. After all, no one actually expects to see a princess strolling through a common market. So why did you see through it? And what do you plan to do now?” Solalyn’s last question was sharp and filled with the promise of consequences that depended upon the merchant’s answer. The merchant let out a nervous laugh, then shut his mouth at Lyon’s hard stare. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
When he finally spoke, the merchant’s confidence had returned. “I’ve planned on making some connections at court, with hopes of one day dealing with the imperial family. I hadn’t expected that chance to come so soon!” When neither Lyon nor Solalyn faltered, the merchant rolled his eyes—only to stop part way through, as if he remembered who he was standing in front of. “I’ve done my research into the royal family, of course. During that research, I’d heard rumours about your tendency to leave the palace incognito, Your Highness. Hence, I thought that I’d keep my eyes peeled—just in case. And it worked out, didn’t it?”
Solalyn stared at the merchant for a minute. The man showed a confident smile, but he sweat more and more. Finally, she relented. “Fine. You do not seem to mean harm, so why is it you called out to me…?”
“Ah, my apologies.” The merchant bowed his head. “Anton at your service, Your Highness. As for my reason, well, I didn’t lie. I have the perfect gift for His Imperial Majesty.” Anton’s business smile returned, and he moved with complete confidence in his proclamation.
Anton looked at Solalyn expectantly, who turned to look at Lyon. Of course, she would make him ask. “What is it?”
“A fine question, young man!”
Anton gestured grandiosely to the covered cart behind him. He untied one side of the tarp and pulled it away to reveal the cart’s contents; inside was a large bundle of cloth and nothing else. Lyon finally sheathed his sword, confident that it was not a conventional ambush. Anton grabbed the cloth and undid the tie holding it. Slowly, he unravelled the bundle and revealed a beautiful tapestry.
The tapestry was like nothing Lyon had ever seen. Careful stitching wove the image of a blazing sun with incredible detail as its centrepiece. Around the blazing sun was a circlet of sunflowers, the stems tied together and each head tilted towards the centre sun. Dozens of suns bordered the tapestry, ranging from setting to rising. It was impossible to look at the awe-inspiring piece of art and not think that the emperor of the Lithyan Empire would love it.
Solalyn came to the same conclusion as he did, and her eyes lit with desire.
“You see, Your Highness,” Anton said, “the story of how I came into possession of this masterpiece is funny. A mysterious traveller traded it for a sack of grain! That lucky farmer didn’t know what a deal he’d got. At least not until I came upon him and—”
“How much?” Solalyn asked.
A brief smile flickered across Anton’s lips, gone in an instant, and he shrugged. “Oh, well, I’m not sure. Of course, I can offer an appropriate discount for someone of your status…” Anton let the word linger, his smile hinting at what he left unsaid.
Solalyn rolled her eyes. “Yes, I will negotiate further deals with you in the future, especially if you can procure items of similar quality to this. Name your price.”
Anton’s smile deepened, as if he had just won some prize. Given how rare trade deals with the royal family were, perhaps he had. “A round one thousand gold shall do nicely.”
Lyon’s eyes bulged, shocked by the man’s audacity. One thousand gold was easily a small fortune, enough to buy a house in the common areas of Solare, with some to spare. But Solalyn nodded as if she expected the number. “Deal.” She eyed Anton suspiciously. “I hope you know that I have guaranteed no further dealings, merely the opportunity for you to present your wares to me.”
“Of course, Your Highness. I expect nothing less.”
Anton swiftly fetched some parchment and wrote up a simple contract binding Solalyn and himself to the sale. Solalyn read over it and nodded before she signed it. The whole time Lyon just stood there, dazed at the thought of the small fortune that was just handled in front of him. They paid him well as a Heart Mark, but that was still more money than he’d be willing to spend on a gift for anyone in his entire lifetime.
Once they had signed the contract and Anton put it away for safety, he turned back to them. “Very good. I shall deliver the tapestry to the palace later today.” Solalyn nodded at that; then Anton looked shiftily around as if to check that no one was watching them. “Would you also like to purchase some information on what you are searching for?”
Lyon’s hand went to the hilt of his sword. Even Solalyn’s hand had shot to her blade, and she stared at Anton askance. Anton’s eyes flickered between each of their swords, and his business smile faltered a little. Solalyn stared at the merchant with cold eyes. “Speak carefully.”
“I’m sorry, you see my research was thorough and I…” Anton looked hopefully at Lyon and Solalyn, then he relented. “Fine, I may have recognised one of your guards and overheard them asking certain questions when they were supposedly off duty. So, I took it upon myself to investigate on my own.”
“And what did you find?” Lyon asked without thinking. Solalyn shot him a look, but did not motion for him to stop.
“Well, first there is the small matter of payment…” Anton looked expectantly at Solalyn.
Solalyn nodded, clearly annoyed by the man’s dithering. “Yes, I’m certain that I can include a bonus with the purchase of the tapestry…”
The sly look on Anton’s face made Lyon repeat himself with a growl. “What did you find?”
Anton held up his hands. “Pursuing certain sources, who shall remain unnamed for their peace of mind—I’m sure you understand. Anyway, I have supplied a rather curious estate in the Outer District with food every few days.” Anton smirked at Lyon’s attentive gaze. He leaned forward and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “They always ask for enough food to feed dozens. Now, it may not seem suspicious. Nobles are an odd folk—no offence, of course.” Lyon doubted that the merchant actually meant that, and he saw Solalyn roll her eyes. “But during the odd hours they force me to make my deliveries, I have seen far too many people visiting for the owner of the estate to be merely an eccentric noble.”
“You think this estate is suspicious, then?” Lyon asked, hoping to speed the man along to the more useful information he claimed to have.
“And do you usually go to this much trouble investigating your clients?” Solalyn asked.
Anton waved a hand dismissively. “No, no. I only did so since I believed you would find the information quite useful, Your Highness. I assure you.” That was most definitely a lie. “But, of course, I would not have wasted your time with mere suspicions. I may have overheard one of the estate’s guests refer to themselves as a member of the Amber Eyes. Now, that you have to agree is quite suspicious.”
Lyon tried to keep his face impassive. It was not a guarantee, but it was suspicious. An odd organisation with a reference to an eye in their name and a cultist leader in a similar situation. It had to have something to do with the cult, and it was the only lead Lyon had found so far. Well, a lead that had found him.
Lyon shared a look with Solalyn, and she had clearly reached the same conclusion. Trying not to sound too eager, Lyon asked, “And would you be able to tell us where this estate is?”
Anton’s eyes twinkled, aware that he had caught their attention. “I can do better than that. The estate is guarded—not so heavily as to incite undue attention, but enough that sneaking in would prove difficult. However, you have access to a merchant who is scheduled to bring a covered cart of supplies to the estate every few days…”
Solalyn shared a look with Lyon and nodded. She turned back to Anton and said, “Very well, expect us for your next delivery.” Solalyn held up a hand to stop Anton from speaking. “And yes, if everything works out, you can expect a bonus.”
Anton nodded gratefully, unabashed by his greed being pre-empted. Solalyn quickly covered the details, finding out that they expected Anton at the estate in two days, close to midnight. After Solalyn extracted a promise from Anton to meet back in the side street before the delivery, Lyon and Solalyn departed.
Once they were well away from the side street and making their way back to the Sunrise palace, Lyon spoke quietly to Solalyn. “What do you think of that one? Can we trust him?”
Solalyn walked quietly for a moment, considering her reply. “I think for now we can.” She rolled her eyes at the look Lyon gave her. “Of course, we can’t actually trust him—trusting a merchant that acts like he knows too much is downright foolish. But I don’t believe that he is deliberately giving us false information.”
“Then you think we’ve found the cult leader already?” Lyon doubted that himself, but hoped that Solalyn could convince him to have some hope.
Solalyn shook her head. “Doubtful. If they are so secretive that Lith himself has trouble tracking them, then they wouldn’t let things like that slip. But the people at that estate could be a branch of this cult that leads us to further clues.”
“And what about Anton, who so conveniently appeared with the information we needed, right after we mentioned it in conversation?” When Lyon thought about it, Anton’s timing was far too apt to be pure chance.
Solalyn chuckled at him. “There is no doubt in my mind that he figured out who we were long before he approached us. Perhaps he was waiting for some kind of dramatic entrance—he certainly seemed to appreciate flair and dramatics. Annoyingly so, might I add? But I highly doubt he is anything more than an ambitious merchant.”
“Then we agree to be wary of him?” Lyon asked. Solalyn nodded her agreement, but gave him a look that said he was an idiot if he had thought otherwise for even a moment. “Let’s just hope that he hasn’t fooled both of us and we wind up delivered to an ambush.”
“Don’t worry. If we get ambushed, we just have to fight our way out of it like a pair of heroes from a story. Nothing too hard.”
Solalyn’s grin frightened him. Partly because an ambush was the worst thing for a guard like him to worry about, but mainly because he knew she anticipated an ambush. As if it was some kind of challenge to overcome—one that she believed herself capable of facing.
Lyon sighed, his mind wrenched about between his own excitement, regardless of how immature it was, and his very rational worry at the whole idea.
***
The tingling in the back of Azure’s head warned her of his arrival.
She’d left Veyor to think over their plan a few minutes ago and had made her way out of the village to where she had practiced her lyre the night before. He was not something that she wanted to deal with, but it would save her a lot of problems if she kept away from prying eyes when she shooed him away.
After waiting for a minute, movement caught her eye. A small grey feathered bird, with shades varying from the light grey of small clouds to the darks of a storm cloud, flitted down to her eye level. It shifted, becoming something formless akin to a cloud and grew larger, until a bird nearly as tall as her hovered in front of her. She was long used to the uncanny way Stratos floated in the air without actually beating his wings, not to mention his disturbingly indistinct form.
“Azure.” Stratos’ voice boomed and rumbled like thunder.
Suddenly, Azure’s plan to convince him to leave seemed like too much effort. Instead, she ignored him and bent down to inspect a daisy. She thought for a moment, then plucked it and twirled the flower in between her fingers.
“Azure, there is something that we must discuss.”
With a yawn, Azure stretched and felt her bones pop. Groaning, she turned back to the village and strolled towards it.
“Do not ignore me.”
She did just that, sighing inwardly in relief when Stratos shifted back to the inconspicuous small bird that he’d been when he first arrived. Stratos did not like being seen by people other than her and he usually took on that form to avoid that, but part of her always feared that he wouldn’t just to spite her. Intelligent eyes stared angrily at Azure as the bird flitted around her head. Like it was an afterthought, Azure stopped and put the daisy behind her ear. She stared pointedly towards where Veyor frowned and mumbled to himself. Stratos followed her gaze and growled like rolling thunder.
