Gloria Oliver (22 page)

Kel once more moved as if he would glance back at her, but stopped before he did so. And though the boy beside her gasped at her revelation, no one else in the room seemed at all surprised. Talia felt her stomach cramp again.

Lareen leaned back against the desk. “I see,” she said. “Why don’t you tell us about it?”

Feeling their eyes riveted on her, she looked down to stare at her hands. “I’d found a gem in my room, a large one. I’d thought it was Kel’s, so when I went to breakfast this morning I returned it to him.” She didn’t and hoped she wouldn’t have to tell them why she’d thought it was his. Lareen already knew about Kel’s other strange activities, but the others didn’t. It wouldn’t help Kel to bring them up; if anything it might make things worse. She hoped they wouldn’t be.

“Go on.”

She took a deep breath before doing so. “Kel seemed to recognize the gem when I gave it to him.

He—he was furious, but not at me. He then left the dining hall.”

“What did you do then?” Lareen asked.

She bit her lip, not wanting to lie, but knowing if she told of what came next, she wouldn’t be helping his case.

“Talia?” Lareen prompted.

She decided to go ahead, knowing they would have heard or already figured out most of this on their own. “I-I realized Kel was going to go see the owner of the gem, so I went after him to try and stop him.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kel start to turn again as if he would finally look back, but he didn’t. “I didn’t make it in time.”

“I see.”

Talia could make nothing out of Lareen’s neutral tone.

Stumblingly, she then told of what she’d seen of the chase. She tried to tell it as simply and as quickly as she could. When she was finished, she realized her stomach was no longer hurting. Come what may, she’d stated her blame, though she wasn’t sure what difference it would make in Kel’s defense.

“Thank you,” Lareen said once she was through. “I do believe this clears up a few things.” She gave her a quick smile. “Now it’s your turn, Elar.”

The boy visibly shrank in his chair. Despite everything, Talia found herself feeling curious as to why he’d been called.

Lareen walked over to him. “Do you recognize this?” She pulled out the light blue gem Talia had given Kel.

Elar’s eyes grew wide, his gaze snapping to the back of Kel’s chair before he quickly nodded.

“Is it yours?” Lareen asked.

“N—no!” His eyes moved in panic between the chained squire and the gem. Then for the first time, he glanced over at Nertak before he stared only at the floor.

“Don’t be afraid. Nothing will happen to you,” Lareen reassured him. “We all know this gem actually belongs to him.” She waved her hand in Nertak’s direction. She stepped back to give the boy room.

“You held this gem in your possession for a time, did you not?”

“Yes.” The boy’s voice shook almost uncontrollably.

“And it was given to you by Nertak, was it not?”

“Yes.”

“Why would he do such a thing?” Lareen asked quietly.

Talia noticed both Nertak and LaSeren were staring at the boy with detached interest.

“We—we,” Elar stumbled, still staring only at the floor. “We’d made a deal.”

“A deal?” Lareen asked. “What kind of deal?”

Talia noticed movement coming from Kel’s chair and saw his right fist clenching and unclenching at his side. How was all this connected?

Elar’s cheeks colored. “I would get a discount on armor magics if … if I’d plant the gem somewhere in …

in her room.” He pointed at Talia without actually looking at her.

“Did Nertak tell you why he wanted you to do so?” Lareen made the question sound trivial, though Talia was suddenly sure it was the pivotal question, the one which would answer everything about this ordeal.

Elar hesitated a long time before answering. As it was, once he did, Talia was forced to strain to hear his words—and she was sitting next to him. “Yes. It, it was supposed to take an inventory of her room. I was supposed to put it in her room and then pick it up the next day and bring it back.”

She stared at Elar in disbelief. The gem would take inventory? What did that mean?

Lareen spoke, almost as if she’d read her mind. “Yes, take inventory. How exactly does it do this, Nertak?”

The old man sat back, reflecting, and pulled at his short beard. “Oh, once set where it would be still for about an hour or so, it would instantly start cataloguing anything and everything in the room, pictures included. Process normally takes a few hours, so overnight normally does fine.”

Talia stared at him, still not understanding.

“Please, Nertak,” Lareen said, “demonstrate its use for us.” She walked over to the old man and handed him the gem.

With a sudden mischievous smile, fitting more with what she knew of him, Nertak rose to his feet. She noticed Kel stiffen again, but he didn’t move.

“The first few images alone will do just fine,” Lareen purred.

Nertak’s smile suddenly soured. “As you wish.” Stepping out near the center of the room, he waved his hand over the gem and murmured a few words too low for any of them to hear clearly. He set the gem on the floor and miraculously, Talia’s room appeared around it.

She gasped, recognizing it at once, not sure how this was possible.

The view changed and was seen through the clasped fingers of Elar’s hand as he stepped into the room.

He tripped over a bucket, then he picked it back up and placed it in a different spot from where it came from.

“He’s sure got a lot to learn.” This came softly from the old man. He sounded slightly disgusted. Talia didn’t know what to make of it. It seemed as if the gem might be able to do more than just take

“inventory”.

After putting the bucket down, Elar walked across the room over to the bathtub and dropped the gem inside it. The view dropped, sinking them in water.

The image grayed for a minute or so and then cleared again. As she watched, Talia saw images of the things in her room appear in sequence. One door, two dressers, a brush, a comb, a mirror, four pairs of socks, three nightgowns—two cotton, one silk. She felt her cheeks warm as the picture of the nightgown she received from Nertak flashed for all to see. They felt even warmer when it showed her underwear, clean and dirty.

“That’s enough, Nertak. I think we’ve seen how it works now,” Lareen said.

The old man stared wistfully at the gem for a moment before he bent to pick it up and murmured more unintelligible words. The images disappeared.

“I’ll take it back now, thank you.” Lareen held her hand out expectantly toward him. “Now if you would explain why you got Elar to deliver this?” She sent the old man a knowing look.

Nertak gave her a half pout. “Telling takes all the mystery out of everything.”

“Nevertheless.” Lareen insisted.

The old man sighed and then went on. “I have two main reasons for having students place inventory gems in a room. First it catalogues the students’ belongings and lets me anticipate what goods might be needed at the store. Second, it lets me see if the student placing the gem has potential in other possible lines of work.” He dismissed the whole topic with a wave of his hand and returned to his chair by the desk.

Talia stared at her lap. Potential for other lines of work? And this potential was tested by breaking into another’s room? What kind of work could he possibly have in mind? Did the guild actually train people to be thieves?

Several things now fell into place, though. She now understood why Daltan wouldn’t tell them what Nertak wanted him to do in exchange for a discount and why he behaved so strangely afterwards. It could also be the main reason for the rumors of peepers Yllin previously told her about.

Still, the one thing all of this didn’t explain was why Kel’s reaction was so violent. At the moment she wanted to murder the old man herself for what he’d done, but why would it have mattered to Kel? He knew what the gem was, and the old man admitted he’d gotten others to do this before. Kel might have even done it to someone else for a discount at some point. So why did he get so angry? She stared at his back, at his stiff posture, but got no answers from there.

“You brought this on yourself, you old fool,” LaSeren said. “Head of your guild or not, there are better ways than this to test for prospective members.”

Nertak glared at the healer. “That may be so, old
hag
, but it wouldn’t be anywhere near as rewarding.”

He suddenly smiled. “Besides, it puts a little spice in life.”

LaSeren snorted in disgust. “I’m sure life has enough spice without needing you to add any.”

“Enough, you two.” Lareen turned a stern eye on the two of them. “Your individual methods for recruitment are not why we’re here today. Though it may become a topic very soon,” she added.

Nertak sat back, scowling.

Talia stared from one to the other of them, trying to understand. The lecher was the head of a guild? A guild inside a guild? And why would the head of a guild be testing people by having them break into others’ rooms and then give discounts to girls for modeling clothes? Might the latter be some kind of test as well? It made her head ache.

“Well, thank you two for your assistance in this matter.” Lareen was looking at both Talia and Elar.

“You may return to your classes now. Though it would be greatly appreciated if you would keep everything you’ve learned here today to yourselves.”

Elar’s head moved up and down so fast it made her think it might swing off. She didn’t do anything, too stunned to know what to do.

Wulan and the watcher who’d come with them led the two of them out. As they reached the office door, Talia glanced one last time at Kel. He sat just as when she first saw him, his hands on his lap and his eyes forward. She left the room.

Once they were led out into the main hallway past the golden door, Elar hurried away, not once looking back. She watched him go, her mind numb.

“Are you all right?” Wulan’s soft voice brought her out of her distraction.

She made herself look over at him. “Yes.”

“How’s your stomach?” he asked.

She stared at him for a long moment before she realized what he meant. It was only then she become conscious that her previous discomfort was gone. “Much better…?”

“Good.” Wulan smiled. The act made him look even younger than he did already. “You can go back to class then if you want. You should be fine now.”

She nodded slowly. After a moment, Wulan left her to go back through the golden door. She watched until the door was closed behind him before taking her leave. With slow, unhurried steps, she made her way back to her class. All the events she just witnessed kept playing over and over in her mind.

She didn’t realize she’d reached her destination until Helyn spotted her standing at the doorway and called out her name.

“Talia, you’re back.”

Startled, she only stood there.

“Come on in,” Helyn said. The teacher quickly came to her side and guided her into the room. “The others told me what happened. Are you feeling better?”

Eager eyes across the room stared at her, all waiting for an answer. “Y—yes. The healer gave me some medicine. I’m much better now.”

Helyn smiled and let her take her seat. Some of the others welcomed her back quietly as Helyn picked up their lesson where she left off moments before.

Talia’s reception once they were released for dinner, however, was much more vocal.

“Talia!” Mandee ran up to her and hugged her so hard she could barely breathe. “We’ve been so worried about you.” The red headed girl let her go so she could look at her face. “Are you all right?”

She felt a little guilty over all the attention. “I’m much better.” She tried to smile. “Sorry to have caused you trouble.” The two of them walked to the table and sat down. Mandee and Yllin sat protectively on either side of her.

“No trouble,” Yllin said. “We’re just glad you’re all right.” She squeezed her shoulder lightly.

Talia realized they’d truly been worried about her. She felt even guiltier about putting them through all this than before. “Thanks.”

“Say, is the healer’s assistant as cute as they say?” Mandee’s eyes were bright with interest.

Talia was caught off guard by the question. “I … I guess so.”

“Then maybe I could be the one who’s sick next,” she chirped.

“Mandee!”

“It was just a thought, Yllin.” The girl pouted. “You’re only jealous because I said it first.”

“Do you see what I have to put up with?” Yllin asked.

“Yllin!”

Talia couldn’t stop the smile spreading on her face.

Unlike in the morning, she found this time she was actually hungry. She also noticed Mala keeping an eye on her. The watcher winked at her when she saw her looking.

They’d not been eating long when she braved to ask one of the questions which had clung to her mind all afternoon. “Are there any other rumors about Nertak other than he’s a lecher?” She hoped the question came across as nonchalantly as she intended.

“Hah,” one of the boys eating with them said, “there’s almost as many rumors about him as go around about the squire.”

She felt a tinge of pain at the mention of Kel. As of yet, no word had come as to what would happen to him.

“That he’s a lecher is actually a fact rather than a rumor. Even you’ve seen the proof,” Yllin informed them smugly.

“Well, I’ve heard he’s the man to see if you want anything. It may cost you, but if you want it, he can get it.” This came from the boy who’d spoken before.

“I’ve heard he’ll do the same with information, too,” piped in one of the others. “One of the older students said Nertak used to be a spy for the guild.”

She was also told a sorceress supposedly turned Nertak into a toad once. He’d also allegedly won a kingdom on a bet in a whittling contest.

“Are there guilds within the Dragon Knight guild?” She threw the question in before the rumors degenerated further.

“I’ve heard it’s true,” Mandee said. “Since not everyone can become a Dragon Knight, they made guilds within the guild for almost everything else so they can use all of people’s skills.”