Thread Slivers (Golden Threads Trilogy) (4 page)

“What questions?”

“For one, if he had told anyone of you yet, and the answer is no. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be trying to capture you.” Sula’s smile turned a little knowing. “If he had, they would have told him to kill you outright.” Sula stood up. “I have to report in myself, and there are a number of things to be done.”

Ticca stood, as well. “I’ll pick up the Hand tomorrow and start tracking him.”

Sula walked over to the door and held up a hand. “No, I think it best if you find something else to do for a while. We have to determine if the Hand sensed the spell.” Sula considered a moment. “It will take up to a week, possibly a cycle, to determine if anything has changed unexpectedly. In the meantime, it would be best if you went about your business as usual, so as to not attract undue attention. In fact, it might be good for you to take on small tasks while we check on the results of this evening’s turn of events.”

Ticca felt a sharp pain of concern. “You mean I should put up my dagger?”

Sula reached into her purse and produced a fistful of something, holding it out. “Yes. However, I am in no way finished with your services. I promise I’ll be a repeat client.”

Ticca held out her hand, and Sula opened hers, dropping four small, gold coins into her hand. Ticca’s mouth dropped open. “Four crowns! Are you serious? I was only expecting a cross.”

Sula smiled. “Of course, I am serious. I want you to keep a room here at the Blue Dolphin, where I can find you when I need you. After all, only the really talented Daggers can afford to rent a permanent room at the Dolphin.” Sula turned and unlocked the door. “Doing so will let me find you, and will get you some nice local jobs with silly nobles, both of which will likely help when I come looking for you again.”

With that, Sula slipped out of the room, gently closing the door behind her.

Ticca locked the door. She laid out the coins on the table. Touching them in order, she counted again.
Four crowns so she can find me again! If I get a small room here, this will last almost six cycles. If I start Daggering, I can probably earn enough to stay here as long as I stay alive.
Touching the coins, she thought,
Gold crowns. Now I know she is nobility. Even high-earning merchants don’t normally carry gold.

Ticca took the coins, put them in the new pouch, and set it aside. She looked at the glass vial on her bed.
How did Sula know all that about the poison? Where could someone with such an obviously good upbringing go to learn such things?
Shaking her head, she picked up the vial and examined the stopper again.
So I can open and close this many times. With an average dose being only a couple of drops, there is enough here to last almost forever.

She put the glass vial on the table and picked up the new boots. She loved beautiful boots, and these were unbelievable. The leather felt soft and warm. She ran her hands over every inch, examining all the beautiful handiwork. The stitching was fine and even, running together in an endless string. The interior was lined with an unusual kind of fur. She wasn’t sure what it was. Being raised as a trapper and skinner made her wonder how far these boots had come.
A real shame, they were made for a man’s foot. I bet they’d be comfortable and warm year round.
Looking at the boots more closely, she noted that they really weren’t much bigger than her own.

Slipping her foot into one was like putting on a well-worn and loved glove. It fit perfectly. She slipped on the second. They fit like they had been made for her alone.
How can this be? It was dark, but what are the odds, a random Knife bent on capturing and killing me would have feet exactly the same size as me?
She stood up and moved around the room. They really did fit, and they felt amazing. The unique fur lining made them very comfortable, and it was on the interior bottom too, which she thought was odd, as it would wear quickly. But it didn’t compress as much as she thought it would, and felt almost like walking on soft, grassy ground.

I am too tired to reason this through
. Feeling warm, clean, well fed, and comfortable, she lay down on the bed and fell asleep, still wearing her new boots.

Chapter 2

Cloaks in the Dark

S
OMETHING PASSED CLOSE ENOUGH TO his face that it brushed his beard and momentarily blocked the spinning mass of energy from sight. Thankfully he had spent the entire day using magical sight, so the fine flows of energy he was controlling remained constant. As he tied off one of the flows so it looped around the construction and fed from the artificial artery of power he was building, he spared a bit of concentration to glance at what had touched him. One of the masters was swinging a sword, and was coming back around for another pass.
Seriously, you expect me to worry about that? Every wizard knows how to
—
and does — maintain a personal shield all the time
.

A split second later, another thought brought a healthy dose of real fear.
That damned sword passed within my shield, and this isn’t a training exercise!
He was in serious trouble.

Holding the minute flows under control, Lebuin diverted more power to his shield and shifted his attention fully to the attacker.
Cune! When did he get back?
His mind raced for more defenses as he realized who was attacking. A smirk grew on Cune’s face as he saw that Lebuin now knew this wasn’t going to go well. That pass had been just a warning, so Cune could more fully gloat over Lebuin’s failure. The one rule to this test was that some effort should be made to not kill the candidate.
Damn it, I thought he was out of the country. How did he get back here so fast? For that matter, how did he find out I was going to take the trial?

Cune did not give him any further time to wonder about the situation; he struck hard, fast, and on target. Lebuin dodged while simultaneously sending a hard blast of energy, as much as he could spare without losing the artifact he was constructing. Brushing aside the magical blast as if it were nothing more than a fly sent to pester him, Cune finished his strike. His blade sang as it passed, totally unhindered by Lebuin’s strengthened shield, right through his left sleeve, cutting a deep gash in his arm as it passed. Pain exploded from the wound, and his hold on the artifact’s power flow wavered, threating to ruin the entire construction and thus signal a complete failure.

Looking down, he saw that blood was already soaking into the fine goldenrod silk of his shirtsleeve and some had splattered on his doublet.
You ruined my best doublet!
He thought.
And I almost dropped the power flow. No you don’t, you bastard, you’re not going to take this from me!
Reaching out to the earth line, he tapped it, adding its power generously to the air and water energies he was already channeling. Spinning around to face Cune, he waited for his opponent’s next move.

Cune either didn’t detect the additional power he was now pooling, or more likely he didn’t think Lebuin would be able to do much with it. He danced the dance of a highly-trained Blade, his weight and balance shifting smoothly, remaining well-distributed and low. Cune brought the sword around again for another attack, lunging hard and fast. Almost too late, Lebuin released all the pooled earth mana, aiming for the floor where Cune’s front foot was going to land. The ground disintegrated in an explosion of dirt and rock. Cune, caught totally off-guard, dropped halfway into the hole before his forward momentum brought his gut into contact with the edge of it. He hit so hard he folded in half, causing his face to slap the stone floor with enough force to smash his nose. The sword broke free from his extended hand and skittered to the far wall.

Dirt, dust and debris parted smoothly around Lebuin as it moved to fill the room. A murmur from the observation deck could be heard as Lebuin cautiously waited for Cune’s next move. As the dust started to settle, he saw Cune still lying where he hit. Expecting a surprise attack at any moment, Lebuin approached his nemesis, who lay half in the deep hole, half face-down on the stone floor, with blood pooling around his head.
Lords, have I killed him?
Bending down, he could see Cune’s chest rising and falling with breath.
He knocked himself out!
A real laugh escaped his mouth. “He’s knocked himself out!”

The murmur of conversation in the observation deck got slightly louder. “Laughing over a fallen enemy is not finishing the work. He might have had some hired Blades with him, or worse, Daggers,” came the sobering comment, reminding Lebuin this wasn’t a simple practice session.

Turning, he scanned the area for any signs of additional attackers. Seeing none, he looked back at his construction and was proud to see that some of the effects were already manifesting, as the dust hadn’t touched it.

“Is he the only threat, then?”

“Life is ever shifting and the world is full of dangers.” A chuckle or three floated down from the observation deck.

Meaning yes, he was it. They didn’t expect him to knock himself out cold, especially after only one real strike
.
All that remains is completing the construction and I am a full Journeyman.
Smiling to himself, Lebuin turned his attention back to completing the artifact. The energies were still holding.
Good thing Cune’s strike didn’t come a few seconds earlier; I might not have been able to hold it together while dealing with his attack.

Keeping an eye on the unconscious figure on the floor for any sign of movement, he returned to the fine work of tying all the pieces together to make the incantations hold their shape. Working with air and water magics was tricky. Still, he had spent a great deal of time figuring out this particular set of incantations, and had been practicing them for almost a year now. Next he took up the carefully selected gems he’d spent two days creating as part of these trials. Each gem was carefully cut to the precise size and shape for the incantation it needed to hold or focus. He arranged the gems on a clasp of silver in the predetermined pattern. The silver clasp had been ordered to exacting detail and carefully adjusted earlier that day by Lebuin as the initial part of this final segment of the trials. Holding the physical pieces together, he moved the energy construct down and into alignment with the clasp and its gems. With an almost audible snap the incantations bound themselves to the gems, the flow of energies melding gems and silver into one; the energies that once existed only because of his will burned their patterns into the gems and silver. The individual parts of matter and energies became a single artifact.

Taking a moment to relax, Lebuin looked closer at Cune’s unconscious form. He remained right where he had been, except now the blood was dried.
He’ll never forgive me for this. Not that he needed much else to hate me for.
Looking down at his own dried blood on the fine goldenrod silk, he sighed.
My best doublet ruined; what am I going to wear to the ceremony? Cune owes me far more for this. It will take years and a few more humiliations to make up for it.

He turned and saw his master, Magus Andros, approaching the doorway to the chamber now unsealed. Looking up, he saw that most of the Magi there had already left; the rest were chatting as they filed out.

Servants rushed around the master to Cune, lifted his body out of the hole and carried him out of the chamber. The master simply walked up to the silver clasp on the bench and began to examine it in detail.

“You realize Magus Cune will retaliate for this.”

“He had to have volunteered to be part of the test.”

“True. In fact, he practically demanded it. I believe he was planning on bleeding you nearly to death and smashing your construction.”

“As I have said before, Magus Cune has purposefully set himself against me and has taken active steps to cause me … issues.”

“You did notice that Magus Cune did not just spear you. You were totally unaware of his entry, approach and initial attack. He would have been allowed to stick you like a pig on the first strike.”

“Yes, I realized that,” Lebuin lied.
Damn it, even when I beat him he still manages to ruin my efforts. Come to think about it, how
did
he get that close to me? I should have sensed his approach.
A quick mental tour of his now practically unconsciously maintained incantations found everything as it should be.
My alarm incantations and shields are still up.