The Godling Chronicles 02 - Of Gods And Elves (23 page)

Millet left the inn and made his way to The Plank
Walker’s Café. Once there, he scanned the place for a
familiar face but saw none. He took a table near the edge of the deck
so he could see people as they approached, and ordered a bowl of
seafood stew.

A few minutes went by when a tall, slender man with
dark, shoulder-length curls that fell about his shoulders, walked to
the table. His sharp, angular features and soft, white, cotton
outfit, spoke of wealth and breeding. A small dagger sheathed in a
jeweled scabbard hung from his belt and he carried a bottle of wine
and two glasses.

“
Millet, I presume,” said the man. His voice
was deep and masculine, yet smooth and pleasing. “May I join
you?”

Millet tensed but held out his hand, motioning for him
to sit. “And you are?”

“
You may call me Yanti,” he replied, bowing
his head. “It was I that sent you the note at the Malt and
Mane.”

“
How do you know me?” Millet shifted in his
seat.

Yanti smiled “My good man. I'm the enemy... so to
speak.” Millet started to rise.

“
Don't fret,” said Yanti. “You are in
no danger... yet. But that could change should you leave before I've
had a conversation with you.”

Millet slowly sat back down. “What do you want?”

“
From you, nothing,” said Yanti. “Lord
Starfinder, however... from him I want a great deal.”

“
You waste your breath, Yanti,” said Millet.
“I have no idea where he is. Even if I did, I would not tell
you
.”

Yanti covered his mouth, laughing quietly. “My
good man. I would not presume to think you would betray your master.
No. I only want to convey my deepest respect and admiration, in the
hopes that we can come to an agreement.”

Millet's face hardened. “If you think Lee
Starfinder will come to terms with you or any servant of the Dark
One, you're mistaken.”

“
That may be,” said Yanti. “But I
would have you deliver my message none-the-less. And to show you my
good will, I will make no move against you or his son... Jacob, I
believe his name is.”

This sent chills down Millet's spine. “If I were
you, I would leave Lord Starfinder and his family alone.”

“
I know how formidable Starfinder is,” Yanti
responded, with a tinge of amusement. “But, rest assured, I
mean his family no harm. In fact, I wish to reunite them, if only he
can be reasonable.”

“
Then deliver your message and be gone,”
said Millet, his fear turning into anger.

Yanti laughed softly, unimpressed with Millet's display.
“Simply tell him that should he decide that his wife and son
are more important to him than a race of Gods that have long
abandoned this world, he can leave this conflict behind. We promise
to allow him and his family to live in peace. They can even return to
his home in Hazrah, if that's what he would like. In fact, we can
ensure that his remaining years are quite rewarding.”

“
Is that all?” asked Millet.

“
One more thing,” Yanti continued. “Should
he consider an unwise course, remind him that his wife resides in the
court of the Reborn King.”

“
I will see to it he receives your message,”
said Millet. He tossed a couple of coppers on the table and rose to
his feet. “You'll pardon me. I've lost my appetite.”

Yanti smiled and nodded. “It was a pleasure.”

Millet's face was stone as he turned and headed back to
the inn.

Yanti watched him as he disappeared into the distance.
He waved for the serving girl to bring more wine. Just then,
Salmitaya walked up and took a seat.

“
Did it go as you'd hoped?” she asked.

“
It went as I expected,” Yanti replied. “And
I expect you will do your part as instructed, my love.”

“
You can depend on me, my lord,” she
replied.

“
Considering the dangers involved, you seem at
ease. You aren't thinking about betrayal, are you?” His eyes
darkened.

“
I will do exactly as you have told me,” she
said. “You have no need to worry about my loyalty to you, or my
commitment to our cause.”

“
That's good to hear. I would hate to think of you
sharing the fate of Lord Starfinder.”

“
What fate is that?” she asked.

Yanti flashed an angry look. “You know perfectly
well not to ask these questions.” Salmitaya lowered her eyes.

Chapter Eighteen

Millet struggled not to break out into a dead run. His
conversation with Yanti unnerved him to the core. All of their
attempts to go unnoticed had failed. It seemed that no matter where
they went, The Dark One wasn't far behind. In fact, most of the time
it was as if he were ahead of them... waiting.

He hoped to find Jacob waiting for him, but was
disappointed to find he had not returned. He decided there was
nothing he could do but hope that Lee would contact him soon. He
waited in the common room, staring at the door, hoping for Jacob's
return. If this Yanti fellow was smart (and Millet thought he
probably was), he wouldn't move on Jacob until after he had found
Lee. It was clear that he hadn't, or at least he didn't want Millet
to know he had, and he couldn't think of why he would do such a thing
in view of the message he was to deliver.

The door opened and Millet straightened, hoping to see
Jacob. Instead, he saw another familiar face. It was Jansi, long time
servant of Lord Lanson Brimm. Jansi scanned the room until he spotted
Millet, then strode over to the table.

Jansi was of medium build and average height, with pale
skin, and short cropped gray hair. He wore light green cotton shirt
and trousers. Millet noticed how much he had aged since he had last
seen him. He stood up, smiling and embraced the man warmly.

“
It is certainly good to see you, Jansi.”

“
And you, Millet,” Jansi replied. “Though
I wish it were on more pleasant circumstances.”

“
Then you know what I'm doing in Baltria?”
asked Millet, trying to hide his anxiety.

“
My Lord filled me in,” he said. “At
least to the extent I need to know. He wants you to know that Lord
Starfinder is in Baltria. He and a young woman named Celandine are
staying at his property near the merchant district.”

Millet nodded. He was familiar with the house. “I
require your help. My presence is known to our enemies. I was
approached by an agent of Angrääl earlier, and they know
where and who I am.”

Jansi's eyes widened. “Do they know where Lord
Starfinder is?” he asked.

“
No,” replied Millet. “As least he
didn't seem to. He asked me to give him a message when I found him.”

“
Good.” Jansi sighed. “It would not do
for Lord Lanson to get mixed up with those people.”

Millet looked confused. “What people?”

Jansi lowered his voice. “The ones from Angrääl.
They're everywhere these days—you didn't know?”

Millet shook his head. “I have only just arrived
in the city.”

“
I see.” He took a deep breath. He proceeded
to inform Millet about the
faithful
and the ambassador, along with recent events regarding the assaults
on the temples.

Millet was dumbfounded. “You must take me to Lord
Starfinder. But, I must get there without being seen.”

“
I have a carriage waiting just outside,”
said Jansi. “If you leave through the kitchen you can get to it
through the alley. I'll meet you there.”

Millet nodded and got to his feet. “I'll be there
in a moment.” He watched as Jansi left and made his way to the
kitchen. He slipped the innkeeper a gold coin and instructed him to
tell anyone who asked, that he had gone to his room feeling ill, and
to tell Jacob to wait for him there.

He was relieved to find no one at the rear entrance as
he made his way around the back of the inn, then around the side
through the alleyway. He could see the carriage. Jansi was in the
driver’s seat and the door was open. Millet raced inside and
slammed the door shut.

Jansi expertly navigated the streets until they reached
their destination. The sun was sinking over the horizon and Millet
looked out the windows for signs of pursuit. To his great relief only
a few people were about and none seemed to take notice of them. He
slowly crept from the carriage and walked to the front door.

Lee opened the door just as Millet was about to knock.
He pulled him inside... Jansi quickly followed.

Lee embraced Millet so tightly he could hardly breathe.
“It’s so good to see you, my old friend.”

“
It's good to see you too, my lord,” Millet
grunted through the embrace.

Lee released him and walked him to living room. Dina
awaited them on the couch, a cup of wine in her hand, and wearing her
wool traveling clothes. When she saw Millet, she sprang from her seat
and flung her arms around him.

“
I knew you'd make it,” she said.

“
Indeed,” said Millet, smiling. “And
I'm pleased your trip was uneventful.”

“
We moved too fast to have any adventures.”
Dina laughed. “People scarcely knew we had passed.”

Millet's face turned grave. “They know now, I'm
afraid.”

“
Sit,” said Lee. “We can tell our
tales later. I must know where my son is.”

Millet and the others took their seats, Millet just
beside Lee. Jansi excused himself and went outside to the carriage.

“
Your son is safe,” said Millet. “By
now he's probably back at the inn. But now that I've found you, we
should leave the city immediately.” He recounted the
conversation with Yanti.

Lee lowered his head, deep in thought. “I want you
to take Jacob to Dantary in the eastern desert,” he said
finally. “He'll be safe there.”

“
That might be a problem, my lord,” replied
Millet. “Why is that?” asked Lee.

Millet took a deep breath before he spoke. “Your
son is a bit... stubborn. I don't think you will be able to talk him
into leaving. He's quite determined to rescue his mother.”

Lee nodded with understanding. He knew what Millet meant
by stubborn.

“
Then I'll have to convince him. I'm sure he holds
no love for me, but I'll not have him die needlessly.” Lee got
to his feet. “If this Yanti person knows you're here, he may
very well know where I am. If so, it's likely he's waiting to strike
until we're all at the same place at the same time.” He walked
to the window and peered out.

“
If that's the case,” said Dina. “We
should split up and leave the city in different directions.”

Lee shook his head. “I'll not let any of you out
of my sight.” There was no hint of compromise in his tone. His
hand slid to the hilt of his sword, his knuckles white.

“
If the Dark One thinks I'll bend to his will,
then he's a bigger fool than I thought.

And as far as this
Yanti
...
if he's stupid enough to hinder us, I'll make him regret the day he
was born.”

“
What about these people that call themselves
the
faithful
?” asked Millet. “Even
you cannot fight a hundred men at once.”

“
We'll move with speed,” said Lee. “We
won't give them a chance to do anything about it. It takes time to
organize enough men to stop the likes of me, and if Yanti has the
same intelligence as Harlando, then he'll know what I am.”

“
But what if he's like
you
,”
said Dina. “You know... a half-man.”

Lee flashed an evil grin. “Then I'll kill him
first and slaughter his followers last. It's more than my blood that
makes me formidable. I have trained under the greatest warriors the
world has ever known. Unless he has done likewise, it is
he
that should fear
me
.”

“
Still, it may not be so easy to convince Jacob to
leave Baltria,” said Millet. “His... dislike for you is
quite strong. I think we should overcome that obstacle first, don't
you?”

“
No doubt,” Lee agreed. “Go back to
the inn and bring him here. If you're not back in an hour, I'll know
something is wrong.”

“
You don't mean to send Millet out alone, do you?”
Dina protested.

“
If they wanted to harm Millet, they would have
already done so,” said Lee. “No. It's me they want.”
He turned to Millet. “Still, be careful.”

Millet nodded and left. The streets were busy and it
took Jansi nearly twenty minutes to get back to the inn. Millet
didn't bother to try to hide his presence.
If
they see me, they see me
, he thought. As soon
as he was inside, he saw Jacob seated at a long table, playing dice
with two other patrons and draining a large jug of wine. Millet
walked straight up to him and pulled him by the arm.

“
What do you think you're doing?” Jacob
protested.