Jalia Prevails (Book 5) (25 page)

BOOK: Jalia Prevails (Book 5)
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“I would bet money on it,” Daniel agreed.

“Let’s go back, shall we?” Nin suggested as he looked around him more than a little nervously.

“It would probably be wise to ask the locals about possible dangers before we venture any further,” Daniel said.

Jalia snorted in disgust and kicked at the piles of leaf mold at her feet. A hairy spider much bigger that anything any of them had ever seen in their lives scuttled away out of sight.

“Perhaps you’re right,” Jalia said as she too moved to the middle of the path. She took her time about it and did it much more casually than Cara and Hala had managed, but she still ended up in the middle with the other women.

To take her mind off large insects, Cara engaged Jalia in conversation as they walked back, asking questions about their latest fight.

“Why would Gally Sorn want you dead when she was singing your praises the day after we left Wegnar?”

“I might be able to answer that if you can tell me who two men called Oto and Maximus might be,” Jalia replied.

“You two are really ignorant about Slarn, aren’t you?” Don said from behind her. “Mother insisted we learn about the key people in Slarn’s politics from an early age.”

“Don always paid more attention to mother’s lectures than I did,” Cara said and sighed. “You tell Jalia about them. If I do it, you’ll start correcting me before I’m halfway through.”

Don grinned at the opportunity to impress his friends with his knowledge and started to lecture them as though he was a teacher.

“The city of Slarn is split into three equal kingdoms called Triums. The Triums are known as Tallis, Dalk and Jenver. A king of Slarn is selected in the order of rotation Dalk, Tallis, Jenver whenever the current king dies. The last king was Grissom the Tenth and he was the father of Oto the Ninth, who is current king of Tallis. Maximus Tallis is Oto’s younger and more dangerous brother. As a Tallis born king was the incumbent, the next king is to be selected should come from Jenver.”

“Gally Sorn’s father is Derren Sorn and he is a supporter of Oto as the Sorn family lives in Tallis. The Sorn family are power brokers and occasional traders, sometimes in things far from legal. There are claims they do darker things than trade illegally. Some people hold Derren responsible for the assassination of Prince Jared of Dalk a few years ago, though nothing was proved. Jared was the eldest son and heir to the current King of Dalk, Gillan the Twenty Third.”

“Where does Lady Sala Rotiln fit into this?” Jalia asked.

“Her family are longtime supporters of the royal house of Tallis and King Oto. They give money to the royal house and are highly regarded as diplomats.”

“It must be awfully confusing though, having four kings in one city at the same time,” Daniel said.

“They have been doing it in Slarn for more than a thousand years, so I expect the locals have got used to it,” Don replied.

“This Maximus Tallis, what’s he like?” Jalia asked.

“Mother says he was born to cause trouble and has been doing it his whole life. He’s an ambitious man with nowhere to go and is reputed to be very cunning, especially in his alliances. He doesn’t get on well with his older brother, who is a more cautious and statesmanlike. There have been public fights between the two and I believe Maximus was once banned from the Tallis Court for over a year.”

“You have to understand that despite the rivalry between them, the royal houses of Slarn are all one big family, as are the people of Slarn. People from different Triums have been marrying for centuries and no one could be considered to be of pure blood. Much of the rivalry between the royal families is just to please the people of their Trium.” Don paused for breath before he continued.

“It was Jenver’s turn to nominate a king and there is no male heir for them to choose. Kalenda is a very effective Queen and is liked by everyone, including, as I understand it the kings of Dalk and Tallis. But tradition says that only a man can be raised to the throne of Slarn and powerful people have been pushing the royal houses into a war.”

“Tonas’s swords are likely to tip the balance?” Daniel asked.

“So long as whoever gets them has enough swordsmen, then I think they will,” Don replied thoughtfully. “But there are players with other motives. Have you wondered why the Boat Company has set the price so high for travel to Slarn?”

“Because they are damned profiteers who saw a good excuse?” Jalia offered.

“It took me a while to figure out the real reason,” Don told them. “The Boat Company is a unifying force in Slarn. They never take sides and have harbors in all the Triums. They are a major reason for the prosperity that Slarn enjoys and there is no profit for them in a war between the Triums.”

“They have stopped the royal families from bringing in mercenaries by setting the price so high. The roads along the river Jalon are virtually impassable and their boats take all the traffic. You have already seen for yourself the risks sailing boats take when they attempt the journey.”

“Now you know who Maximus and Oto are, can you explain why Gally Sorn wanted you dead?” Cara asked Jalia.

“Gally Sorn thinks we might take a hand in deciding where the swords end up. I overheard her talking to Sala Rotiln, who suspects Gally of working for Maximus. Sala is working with Gally, so that’s a deep crack in their team.”

“If Gally’s allies are squabbling with her, then people like us who are wild cards become more of a threat,” Daniel said thoughtfully. “I think you’re right. Jalia; especially if Gally plans to give the swords to Maximus.”

“Her father would kill her if she tried,” Don protested. “Deren Sorn would not tolerate a traitor in his family.”

Daniel looked thoughtful. “If Maximus takes the swords and becomes King of Slarn, Gally’s father will find her relationship with Maximus far too useful to do anything to her. Only if the plan goes wrong will he do anything, and she is still his daughter.”

“You don’t know Deren Sorn,” Don said and shuddered. “Unless she is under the protection of Maximus he will certainly punish her, if not kill her outright. Even with Maximus’s protection she might not be safe from her father’s retribution.”

“Then our plan is clear,” Jalia said with a smirk on her face. “We must take a hand in the delivery of these swords and ruin Gally’s plans while ensuring that her father finds out exactly who she plans to deliver them too.”

“That’s a pretty nasty plan,” Cara said.

“She tried to kill us, Cara. If you had come to our aid, you might have found a knife in your back. Simply killing Gally Sorn won’t be half as satisfying as wrecking her plans and letting her father take care of her. That’s my kind of justice.”

“Aren’t you glad that Jalia is on our side,” Daniel said in a whisper that carried across the entire group.

14.
      
Recovered

 

Jalia insisted on buying fruit before they returned to the Steam Dragon. She sampled all the different types on offer and Daniel was surprised when she bought several small round green fruit that was exceptionally bitter.

She also bought other types of fruits. She even bought a basket to put them in, which was unusually domestic of her. Daniel half expected her to skip back to the boat like a little child and was a little disappointed when she stomped down the streets of Bratin, as she normally walked. When they arrived back in the cabin Daniel decided to raise the matter.

“This is a little fancy for you,” he said, giving the basket a knock with his hand as he spoke.

“Camouflage, just in case Gally Sorn was watching,” Jalia explained. She tipped the basket over and collected the small bitter fruits.

“Would you care to explain?”

“Do you remember I trained as an alchemist?”

It was a strange question as they had talked of it many times. Sometimes Daniel thought Jalia liked to rub his nose in how much better educated she was.

“Of course, don’t tell me those fruits are one of the ingredient for exploding powder. My ears didn’t stop ringing for a week after you blew up the bridge at Taybee.” Daniel stepped back from the bed as if it might explode without warning.

“Daniel.” Jalia stood with her legs apart and hands clasped on her hips. “I spent four years training as an alchemist, doing Marco’s experiments for him and writing his reports. There is a lot more to alchemy than a mix of ingredients to make a big bang.”

“So what do you plan to use them for, making varnish for tables?”

Jalia sighed. Sometimes Daniel’s sense of humor could be a little wearing. She opened a drawer of the cupboard next to her bed and retrieved four rolled up sheets of paper.

“Do you remember these?” she asked.

“The blank sheets of paper you stole from Gally Sorn’s room while I was unconscious?”

“They are not really blank, Daniel. I’m sure there are messages written on them in invisible ink.”

Daniel took the sheets from Jalia dubiously and held them up to the light. As far as he could tell, they were completely clear of any writing. In fact, the paper looked brand new.

“I’d never heard of invisible ink before you mentioned it,” he said as he handed the sheets back to her.

“Why would you? Traders wandering the Golden Triangle with their donkeys laden with fork handles and spades have little need of writing, let alone the secret sort.” Jalia sat down on her bunk and her face took on a dreamy kind of look as she remembered happy times from her childhood.

“Alchemists have been making invisible inks since before the rise of the Magician Kings. They sell well among the political classes. Some people trade in nothing but secrets and don’t want to lose the value of what they know. There are many kinds of invisible inks that have been developed over the centuries. Did you see any marks of heating on the paper when you looked at the sheets?”

“No, should I have done?”

“The simpler forms of invisible inks become visible when the paper is heated. This is usually a one-way process. Once the paper has been heated, the ink stays visible long after the paper has cooled.”

“So either these papers have never been read or their author used some other form of invisible ink?” Daniel asked as he followed her logic.

“Gally Sorn has read these messages. I am sure of it.”

“She could be acting as a courier for her father,” Daniel suggested.

“This is Gally Sorn we’re talking about. Do you think she could resist finding out what was in those messages if she didn’t know?”

“She could have written them herself to deliver in Slarn.”

“Why bother when she could simply tell the person when she returns home? These messages were written to Gally Sorn and they were so important that she kept them locked within her puzzle box, which was further hidden within a pillow. And I want to know why.”

“So why haven’t you used your vast knowledge to read them then?”

“Because there were no alchemists in Wegnar or Bratin. I asked the crew of the Dragon and the locals when we arrived. The substance I need to reveal such messages is contained within the juice of the balbub fruit and that only grows in Akbar Arout.”

“Balbub fruit is bright yellow. Those things are green,” Daniel pointed out.

“When you learn to become an alchemist you distil the essence of things and then you taste them so you will recognize them when you find them,” Jalia explained.

“Isn’t that sometimes fatal?” Daniel asked as he had a vision of Jalia chewing on a rock. The rock was coming off worst in the encounter.

Jalia laughed, “Sometimes. But alchemy students are told which ones to avoid. Alchemy grows strong on the bodies of dead alchemists who kept meticulous records of their experiments. We were taught to keep detailed records of everything we did for just that reason.”

“And the point of all this wonderful information is?”

“These green fruit have the same underlying taste as the ingredient in Balbub that reveals the ink. All we need now is a scent spray.”

“I think you smell pretty good the way you are.”

“Idiot,” Jalia said good-humoredly and thumped Daniel on the shoulder. “We need to spray the liquid as a fine mist; otherwise it will end up making the writing unreadable because wet ink smudges very easily. As the paper dries out the writing will fade again.”

“And where do you plan to obtain a scent spray from, my genius alchemist?”

“I intend to pick it up from the same place I will retrieve my ring and your dagger,” Jalia said triumphantly.

“But you have already searched Gally Sorn’s suite from top to bottom.”

“Not from Gally suite. I will get our things and the scent bottle from Sala Rotiln’s suite,” Jalia explained. “She is working with Gally, but that fact has been kept secret. She is the only the person Gally would entrust the dagger and ring to.”

“Even if you’re right, won’t stealing something so obvious alert her to the theft of the ring and the dagger?” Daniel asked. “Wouldn’t it be safer to steal a scent bottle from someone else? As soon as Sala spots the bottle missing she will check on the dagger and ring.”

“I am tired of skulking around and letting Gally Sorn think she is so clever. Let them confront us if they think they can get them back. I want to rub Gally’s nose in our triumph
before
we go on to destroy her.”

“Just so long as you are not doing this for petty personal gratification,” Daniel said and laughed.

Jalia leapt up and put her arms around Daniel, kissing him on the nose. “That’s why I sometimes let you into my bed. Because you so understanding of a woman’s needs.”

“Do we have the time to satisfy your other needs, or do you have to run off about your thieving?”

“We have more than the five minutes you take.” Jalia giggled. “Besides, I plan for you to distract Lady Rotiln at dinner tonight while I carry out a serious investigation of her rooms.”

“Well then, if I am to distract a woman later I must be completely relaxed beforehand. Do you know of anything you might do to help me?”

“I might be able to put my hand on something.”

“Oh, I want far more than just your hand.”

Daniel lifted Jalia off her feet and carried her to his bunk.

 

Daniel and Jalia arrived early at the dining room; catching Lady Rotiln and Halad al’Faran as they sat down to eat. Since the Steam Dragon had left Wegnar, they had been eating early, usually leaving before Jalia’s and her friends arrived. Jalia walked over to the table to Lady Rotiln’s evident discomfiture.

“Lady Sala, I believe you have been avoiding Daniel and me. We have hardly seen you in days.”

“We have taken to eating early, my dear. How is that delightful little girl of yours? She has been much less visible than I have,” Lady Rotiln said as Halad stood as a mark of respect.

“Hala has found a boy who needed looking after. The mothering instinct is very strong in women, is it not?”

“I would not know,” Lady Rotiln admitted with a sad smile. “I have never felt the urge to procreate, though I have always found the act of trying enjoyable. I thank the gods for Gintel leaves as they have spared me such problems.”

“Perhaps we might join you for your meal?” Jalia suggested. “We are nearing Slarn and I am sure you know many things that would be of great assistance to us. As does Halad; I am equally sure.”

“We would be delighted, my dear. Perhaps you should call your man over. He is looking rather lost.”

Daniel was indeed looking lost, as he had decided his best strategy was to let Jalia talk to Lady Rotiln while he stayed away. It is, however, hard to look dignified while standing pointlessly in the center of a room filled with empty tables. Daniel found it difficult to know where to put his hands. Rolf Waner walked past him several times as he laid the tables; giving Daniel puzzled looks, which didn’t help Daniel at all.

“Daniel, get over here,” Jalia called sharply and he trotted to her side.

“You train your man rather well, my dear,” Lady Rotiln said with a broad smile on her face. “Perhaps you could give me some pointers on how to get Halad fully under control.”

Halad and Daniel gave each other pained looks as Daniel held out a chair for Jalia so she could sit at the table.

The conversation between courses went well as Sala and Halad competed with each other to name places that Jalia and Daniel
just had to visit
while they were in Slarn. It appeared that Slarn was a city with more than its fair share of notable buildings, museums, parks, statues and the like.

“I suppose there are so many places to visit because each of the Triums competes against the others,” Daniel remarked.

Lady Rotiln gave him a dark look. “There is no competition. Tallis has always been the superior Trium.”

“Sala is correct,” Halad said quickly. “Tallis has always enjoyed better leadership and under the late King Grissom, Slarn enjoyed many years of unparalleled prosperity.”

“I did hear from someone that Maximus Tallis will replace King Grissom as King since Kalenda Jenver is unacceptable as Queen,” Jalia offered.

“Maximus is unsuited to be king of anywhere and whoever is spreading these malicious rumors is a liar,” Lady Rotiln retorted angrily. “However, it is true that we do not have Queens ruling Slarn, though the Triums sometimes have queens. It is an ancient and honorable tradition that the city is ruled by a man. And that man should certainly be King Oto.”

“I see you have strong feelings on the matter,” Daniel said calmingly. “Perhaps you could tell us more about King Oto? What kind of a king is he?”

Before Lady Rotiln could answer, Jalia clasped at her tummy and doubled over.

“Is something a matter, my dear?” Lady Rotiln asked.

“I think I had rather too much fruit in the Greenhouse,” Jalia confessed with her hands pressed tight to her guts. “I’m afraid I must take my leave of you urgently. But do continue to tell Daniel about King Oto and then he can tell me all about him later.”

Jalia rose from the table and staggered out of the room, running in to Hala and Nin as she walked into the corridor beyond.

“Are you all right?” Hala asked in concern as she saw Jalia bent double.

“I’m fine,” Jalia said, winking at her and Nin while remaining doubled over. “You two go to our usual table. Daniel is keeping Lady Rotiln occupied. Perhaps you could visit their table first and tell them I was heading for my cabin and you hope that I make it in time.”

“Be careful, Jalia,” Hala cautioned as Jalia staggered off.

“What was that about?” Nin asked.

“Just be sure you don’t give Jalia’s game away when we go and talk to Lady Rotiln. The pain relief you might get from me tonight is dependent upon it.”

 

Jalia stopped bending over as soon as she reached the end of the corridor. She made her way up to Lady Rotiln’s suite, which was one deck below that of Gally’s apartment. Jalia stood in front of the door to the suite and looked carefully both ways down the corridor. There was neither sight nor sound of anybody so Jalia dropped to her knees to flip the lock open. After a few seconds effort she realized the door was already unlocked.

BOOK: Jalia Prevails (Book 5)
10.73Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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