"So tell me of your plans. I would like to know how ye plan to destroy the White. Will ye allow the

seeker to activate the Jewel?"

"My plans are my own and ye will be informed of what ye need to know when the time is right."

Phila stared into the depths of the Orange Jewel. Through the window, a gilt gryfalcon soared. A pair of

striped felines slithered through the doorway. The gyrfalcon landed between the felines. The three posed

like statues. Phila smiled. "As ye see, I have complete control of my Jewel. Can ye send them away without them destroying each other?"

"I have no time to play games. Holders, ye are dismissed until the evening meal. Come, we must allow the servants to set up the tables for a feast of celebration and your public swearing of allegiance." As she watched the women leave, she wished she could take their Jewels and give them to those of her choosing. Women who would appreciate the honor she bestowed on them.

When she entered her suite, the twin to Andalor's com-crystal glowed. She cradled the globe in her hand and studied his face. For an instant, she dreamed of touching him and resting in his arms. Then she recalled why she had sent him from her side. "Where are thee?"

"We've reached Quato."

"We? Oh, yes. The tavernmaid. Send her away. She's no longer of use."

"She owes me a life."

"Superst.i.tious nonsense. Where is my cousin?"

"I have not found her yet."

"Thee must. I'm sure she has reached Quato. If thee had not played hero and then a fool, thee would

have joined her party. Check the ships that have arrived from Thanis. Be quick, before the mages locate her."

CHAPTER 17.

From The Songs of Earda Oh, the Jewels came tumbling down and down And the six Holders took them up And looked into the glittering depths.

Then from their hearts called one more.

Oh, the Jewels came tumbling down.

"Send her on her way." Andalor groaned. Reena's words had troubled his sleep and produced dreams filled with impending danger. Though she had called Disa's need to return a life to him as a foolish superst.i.tion, he didn't agree. The bond between the tavernmaid and him was different from the one between Chosen and Holder, but it existed. No matter what he said or did, Disa wouldn't walk away until she had fulfilled the promise.

He closed his eyes and brought Reena's image into his thoughts. She had changed and he wasn't sure what the change meant. She named me Chosen and sent me away. Does she regret her choice? Didn't she know there could be no other for either of them? The bonds between a Holder and her Chosen were formed before they met.

"Thanks." Disa's voice carried through the door separating his bedroom from the sitting area of the suite.

He heard her knock. "What?"

"Our lunch is here."

"I have to go out."

"After ye eat. I'll go with ye."

"'Tis best I go alone. There'll be places unfit for a woman."

"But I'm your squire."

He shook his head. "I need to go alone."

She piled cheese and fatback on a soft round flatbread. "Then eat this as ye go. Was bought with your

coins."

He smiled a thanks. As he strode from the inn, he ate. At the docks, he inquired about ships from

Thanis.

"Been but one. There've been storms out of season. Ships have been wrecked and lives lost."

"The one ship? When did it arrive?"

"Ye be wanting no part of that one. Was filled with Guards and a pair of mages."

"Guess not." He turned away. What now? His news would anger Reena. She would blame him or

choose not to believe his tale. He left the docks and strode along the beach. His thoughts centered on the

unexplained events occurring in the land with greater frequency every year. He sat on a rock near the water's edge and drew his lute from the soft leather case, a gift from Reena during the days they'd laughed and played at the manor house. He plucked the strings and wove notes into a lament, a song without words or hope.

The sun moved toward evening. He dusted his breeches and continued along the sh.o.r.e. A tavern stood on a spit of land that formed a cove. He entered and ordered a brew. A group of tattered sailors turned to stare. He joined them.

"What do ye want?" one of them asked.

Andalor flipped a silver coin on the table. "A brew around." He put his lute on the table. "Andalor, minstrel, seeker of songs and stories and a bit of information. My lady was supposed to meet me here. She set sail from Thanis but the only ship to land was filled with Guards and mages."

One of the men spat. "Me thinks they caused the storm. A mighty blow and not natural. We be the last of the crew of the Stormy Lady. She set sail from Thanis and was storm wrecked. We abandoned ship. One and twenty of us there was. Nine are left."

"Did ye have pa.s.sengers?"

"A la.s.s and her brother. Lovely she was, with blue eyes and ebon hair."

Andalor strummed a discordant chord. "Was she in one of the boats?"

"Nay. We were three boats. Neither of the pa.s.sengers was there. I fear she dances with the fishes."

"No chance she lives?"

"A wee one. The ship's steward, a Desert Rider, stayed to help her with her brother. He'd took sick.

Was a small boat. If the larger ones went down, not much chance for them."

After buying another round for the remaining crew of the Stormy Lady, Andalor played for a bit. What now? How would Reena react to the news that her cousin had died? He didn't know her anymore.

He left the tavern and continued along the strand heading away from the tavern and Quato. In the distance, he spotted a boat pulled onto the sand. When he reached it, he saw the name on the side. He turned and ran back to the tavern.

"Where did ye land?

"At the Quato docks."

He sat with a thud. Reena's cousin had arrived. He had to find her. Did she now travel with two men? If so, a Desert Rider should be easy to spot.

Before returning to the inn, he stopped in the market and inquired about a woman accompanied by two men, one of them a Desert Rider. His queries were met with shrugs. His shoulders tensed. How long would Reena wait before she sent a mage sniffer? He had no desire to partner with one of that ilk.

After First Moon rose, he returned to the inn, ordered tragon and dinner. Disa wasn't in the suite and no one had seen her since lunch. He played a few songs for the gathering and then went upstairs. There, he took out the crystal and tried Reena with no success. He tried again just after Second Moon rose.

"Report," she said.

"Thy cousin has reached Quato."

"Have ye joined her party?"

"Not yet."

"When?"

"Soon." He looked away to hide his failure. "My traveling companion has vanished."

"Forget her. She has no place in the matter. Thee must find my cousin. I must know where she goes. Do

not report her presence to the Guards, for I fear the mages have infiltrated them."

"She may have a second companion."

"No matter. She is the important one."

He touched the crystal and imagined her soft skin. "I would rather be with thee."

"Oh, Andalor, 'tis not to be."

"Are thee all right? Thee look tired."

Her eyes narrowed. "'Tis not thy concern. If thee do not find my cousin, 'twill mean my death."

CHAPTER 18.

Sayings of the People Friends expect naught from ye in return for what they give ye.

Disa lingered in the bustling market. She'd sold the sheep-silk gown, the cloak and the trinkets. The pouch she'd tucked inside her shirt was weighty and she no longer had to depend on the minstrel for her keep. Not that she planned to leave him. She still owed him a life.

She bought a chunk of chakla-flavored toffee and savored the sweet. "Come." She frowned. No call had come while she'd been on the road. Why here and why now? She thought about ignoring the silent command, but found herself striding away from the center of the market.

A pair of mages engaged in earnest conversation caused her to step into the shadows beneath a canopy.

"I say she drowned in the ship wreck."

The other shook his head. "The master says she has arrived and we must find her before the Queen's minion does."

They moved away. The tension in her body eased. Who did they mean? If she knew, she would warnthe woman that the mages were on the hunt. "Come." She left her hiding place and hurried past booths selling everything imaginable and some things she couldn't name. Her path took her to the animal sellers' compound situated near the city walls. Smells a.s.saulted her. The cacophony of animal noises made her want to cover her ears. At the horse sellers, she stopped and looked at a group of s.h.a.ggy beasts. They resembled horses but they lacked a horn and their coats were long and matted.

One of the beasts came to the fence. Its coat was brown with splashes of rust and white. She touched the rough fur. "Be ye interested?" the seller said. "They're not much for beauty but they're st.u.r.dy beasts." "What are they?" she asked. "I've never seen the like." "Hill ponies from Thanis. Don't get many here. Brought in by a group of mages." Disa noticed the sores beneath the brown and white coats. "They've been mistreated." "That they were, but not by me. Mages have no care for their beasts."

Disa backed away. She refused to be tricked into speaking against the mages.

"Didn't mean anything," the man said. "Just hate to see good beasts ruined. Ye could have the lot of them cheap. Hill ponies are known for their stamina."