Deomans of Faerel_Contemporary Fantasy Read online

  Just as the giant glob was nearly on him, he fizzled out of the room…

  Valengi was the dwarf’s name, the same dwarf Andin had been conversing with in the street booth. And Som was practically furious at the thought that he had agreed to even speak with him.

  “You have fun down dair? Deed you?” The chocolate-colored dwarf teased. He jabbed at Som with a twisted wooden cane then jut out his hand.

  Som wasn’t sure if he should shake the colorfully dressed dwarf’s hand or spit in it. Judging from his sunny disposition, he was either toying with them or had a very short memory. But he reached out and shook it anyway.

  The innards of the Ten Tankards tavern, of which Valengi was the proprietor, were poorly lighted and billowing with banks of silvery smoke. All about the low-ceilinged den, dazed and oblivious dwarves, and more than a few men, reclined on shelves and niches, long snaking tubes attached to spiraling glass hookahs hanging from their drooling lips.

  The dwarf turned his attention to Andin. “What kin I say,” he brazenly continued. A gang of dark dwarves clad in thick plates of onyx armor lingered in the corners of the establishment. “You owed me money, Andin. And now that the bet was doubled, I have my money back and more.”

  Andin forced a smile. “Yes, how nice.”

  Valengi made a face as if he’d just been insulted. “Whot? You deedn’t tink I would let you go all dis while without some payback? Huh?” He snorted, then pushed his fingers through the mountain of gold coins strewn across the table before him. “Ah, but a good bit of gravy on top to nice tings up. Andin, you are a good man, and a good friend. We are square.”

  Valengi called for drinks and, despite the sour taste in his mouth, Som had to admit the dwarf had a strange appeal. The dastardly business now over, he divided up the winnings and shared a fairly substantial portion with them. It didn’t lighten the ordeal Som had just endured, but he had pulled through. To some extent, it had even alleviated some of his animosity toward Andin. After all, Som knew what a pinch one could get himself into when it came to gambling.

  After a few rounds, a man wearing a plum-colored hat with a wide, sweeping brim and a long, blue plume jutting out the back rose from one of the tables. He looked oddly familiar. The charismatic man threw back a cloak of a similar hue, revealing a shiny, blue armored breastplate. He swept his gloved hand down a thick mustache and beard, and then stepped forward.

  “Such a fine display,” he said, removing his hat and bowing eloquently. He swept back his long black hair and returned the hat to his head. “I wish to offer my sincere congratulations.” The armored dwarves pressed in. Valengi waved them off.

  “I deed not see you enter. Who might you be?” Valengi asked.

  The mysterious man placed his hands behind his back. “Simply an admirer of fine talent.” A long sword with a rather ornate handguard made of silver hung from his waist.

  The dwarf snorted again, this time almost nervously. “Well, my friend. De night is young. Sit and share a bottle wit us.”

  The man smiled and gave a quick nod. He took up a chair at the end of the table. Valengi poured him a drink and then briskly slid it across the polished wood. The enigmatic figure opened his palm and caught the glass without so much as a glance. He downed the entire contents in one swift gulp.

  “You were in the streets when I first contacted Valengi,” Andin commented. “And I saw you again in the gambling den.” He leaned forward. “Why are you following us?”

  The man’s grin faded and his face took on an air of business. He flicked his wrist.

  A large, blue diamond rolled in Valengi’s direction. The nimble dwarf quickly snatched it up.

  Valengi struggled to retain his composure. “Perhaps it would be best ef we continued dis conversation in private.”

  Valengi led them through a door that looked more like a steel hatch, to a back room draped in red velvet. There was another bar here, smaller but immaculately clean and well-stocked. There were a few gambling tables here as well, dice tables from the looks of them, and a big round table surrounded by a half dozen, padded chairs. There were armored dwarves in here as well.

  A large creature that had been skulking in the corner of the main bar followed them all in. Som had assumed it was a statue. When it moved he nearly choked on the last of his ale.

  It looked similar to the creature he had seen in the gambling den, only this one appeared to be made out of iron. The big thing stooped to make it through the doorway, grinding and whirring as it moved. Once it made it in, it pulled the heavy door shut with a clank. Valengi bid them all sit and called for another round of drinks.

  “Okay den,” he said after they had settled, slapping the table. “Whaz dis all aboot?”

  The man, who had yet to give his name, pulled a small box from beneath his purple cloak. He set it down on the table and drew back the lid. A trio of jeweled eggs were inside.

  “I have been entrusted to bring you these.” He carefully pushed the box across the table in Andin’s direction.

  Andin looked at him suspiciously. “What are they?”

  “They are called, pysanky. Magickal eggs. These three in particular are very special.”

  Andin carefully removed one of the garish eggs from the box. He held it up to the lamplight. It sparkled. It was dazzlingly adorned in intricate, crisscrossing patterns of black, red, and yellow bands. Much of the shell was encrusted with what looked like hundreds of precious gems of all colors and sizes. Andin fingered the copper cap at the end.

  “Careful,” the man hushed, holding up one finger. “The finding latch at the end must only be undone when you are ready to use the egg.” He poked simultaneously at Andin and Som. “Two are for you. The last you shall take with you. Simply peer inside and the eggs will take you to the predetermined destination.”

  Andin placed the egg back into the lined box. “And what destination would that be?”

  Again the sly smile. “I am not at liberty to say.”

  Valengi gave a subtle signal. There was the sound of metal on metal. The onyx dwarves closed in with blades drawn. All of them were suddenly pointed at the man’s throat.

  The unnamed man sat calmly, unmoving.

  “Enough of dis already,” Valengi said angrily. He gestured again and the sword tips retreated. “You best get to de point.”

  Not in the least bit phased by the array of sharp cutlery that had been aimed at his neck, the man again reached into the folds of his purple cloak and pulled out a thick chain of sparkling silver. A kind of circular cross shape was attached to the end. He tossed it over to Andin.

  “Take this with you,” he said rather presumptuously. “Never let it out of your possession.”

  Andin picked up the heavy necklace. The look on his face was doubtful.

  “These are very nice gifts indeed.” He tossed the chain back onto the table. “But I’ve no use for objects that obviously hold foreign enchantments. I’ll not be so easily duped.”

  The man smirked. “My humble apologies. My use of The Common Tongue has not yet been perfected. I was unclear. These are not gifts. I am soliciting your services as a courier. This most holy relic must be taken at once to the location to which the pysanky are anonymously coded.” He held up his hands and arched one brow. “Are the two of you not for hire?”

  Andin looked momentarily confused. He looked over at Som and smiled. He leaned back with his hands behind his head.

  “We are. But our services don’t come cheap.”

  “And dis establishment will certainly require a… finder’s fee,” Valengi interjected.

  The man reached down to his belt and unhitched a sack. He tossed it onto the table. What had to be a small fortune in diamonds spilled out.

  “Will this suffice?”

  Apparently it would. Andin gathered up the gems. Valengi reached over, but Andin slapped his hand, reminding the dwarf of the large stone the kind sir had already rolled his way.

  “Another bag of the same once you del
iver the egg,” the man added.

  It seemed a deal had been sealed. They drank a toast, and then several more. Valengi called in some women and musicians.

  The private group wiled away the hours singing and dancing and rolling dice. The strange man imbibed but spoke very little. At last, the wine flowed more slowly, and a good portion of the diamonds seemed to have found their way into Valengi’s grasp. The man rose and slapped Andin on the back.

  “Best to be off,” he said. He raised his cup for one final toast. “And may we all arrive safely at our next destination.”

  Andin woozily handed one of the eggs to Som, who himself felt more than a little tipsy. Nonetheless, they straightened their clothes and undid the finding latches on both eggs. They simultaneously peered inside.

  Som wasn’t quite prepared for what he saw. The insides of the egg glowed with a life all its own, with the dim light of two setting suns that hung low on the horizon over a tranquil marsh. At the center of the scene stood the spiraling golden towers of a vast castle complex, its gilded rooftops glistening under the light of the setting orbs.

  And then the scene suddenly seemed much closer…

  10

  The Thelsa D’Lune

  It had taken the company most of the night to reach the last hillock that looked down upon the twinkling vale, an exhausting journey spanning more than one hundred miles. Both weyrmen and alt alike were left travel weary and hungry, so the Brotherhood of the Weyr bed down for the night. Come morning, however, the entire company was eager to press on.

  They’d spilled no blood during the journey and their bellies were barren and aching. But they were sure to find suitable sustenance somewhere in the vexatious vale below that teemed with a variety of wildlife. Hunters and travelers alike usually steered clear of the vale, the pesterings of the wild fairies too much to bear. The pranks of their menfolk were also often quite dangerous. The Brotherhood usually kept clear as well, thinking the fairies mostly a nuisance, but Breven had a special connection with the vale that most of the company privately abhorred.

  Although he would never admit it, he was hopelessly in love with Tuyen Moon, who was Rakuyo, a wild fairy. One day he came upon a hidden tarn somewhere at the heart of this very vale. It was where he had first laid eyes on his love. For a brief period the two had shared many days and nights, although from Kellin’s point of view, the scales of love looked a bit askew. Breven knew this to be true, but he cared not.

  Tuyen rarely left the Thelsa D’Lune, and when she did her wild nature almost always led to a swift and disappointing vanishing act that left the young pack leader feeling empty for days. It was something he had grown accustomed to. The others did not understand, could not understand. Some said he had been magicked. But the only spell he was under was love’s grasp. Months had passed since the two had last seen one another. It would make their reunion all the sweeter.

  The company made the tarn by midday, the place having been made more difficult to reach since it never seemed to be quite in the same spot. In fact, it would have been nearly impossible to find had it not been for Breven’s ring, a gift from Tuyen that helped guide the way. This day it was not too difficult to locate, appearing suddenly from the mist as they passed between the trunks of two giant willows that showered the forest floor with an unending deluge of puffy pink and white blossoms. Just beyond the curtains of their drooping bows, past a shaded hillock doused with purple mushrooms, the stepped waterfalls that fed the magickal fairy tarn burst into view.

  The tarn itself was no bigger than a pond, really, but teeming with life. All about the sparkling body of water, upon which sunlight shone throughout all the daylight hours, danced a myriad tiny creatures that, from a distance, looked like nothing more than a gathering of birds, small game and insects. But across the waters of the secret lake, where the foothills of the mountains crept down and the tumbling waterfalls spilled, lay the village that had no name.

  The company waited amongst the mushrooms. There they would stay until it was dark enough to hunt. Some of them rubbed themselves with repellent to keep the pestering fairies away. Breven patted Sunspot on the head. He left the lazy alt to roll in the rubbery patches of fungi as he made his way down toward the hillock.

  Almost immediately, he was accosted by a swarm of nixies who began grilling him in their native tongue.

  “Heh, yu dare! What yu du dun here? Heh?” But the display was mostly a formality. By now, most of the tiny flittering creatures around the outskirts of the tarn had grown accustomed to Breven’s presence. Some of them sitting on the drooped lips of flower petals even winked and gave a wave.

  He tried not to swat at the nixies too much as he made his way down the path and over the arching bridge that led onto the walk that encircled the tarn. They soon flew away in a ball of whirring, unrestrained energy.

  The walk was busy with wild fairies of all varieties. In addition to the few Rakuyo he did spy frolicking about the edges of the pond, he spotted mostly Nychee, the common yellow-and-black spotted variety, a few tiny Niks stood out in their pastel colorings. He even spied a pale Vili, which he passed by quickly with his hand cupped next to his eye. Most of the fairies paid him no mind, the band of white-gold he wore on the index finger of his right hand his passport into a realm most never even knew existed.

  As he passed by the flower shops and spice dens, the open-air cafes and bread markets, the tanneries, tassel shops and teahouses, he kept to himself. Most of the larger species of fairy knew of him and where it was he was going. He was no threat. Many did not even acknowledge his presence.

  It made no difference. There was nothing here he needed, and Tuyen spent most of her time off in the woods and playing in the hills anyway. It was very unlikely he would find her here. Like all wild fairies, Tuyen required no food whatsoever, only sunlight, which was vital to the existence of all wild fairies. Without sunlight, a wild fairy fell instantly asleep. Deprived of it for more than a few days they became very ill.

  Breven smoothed his golden beard as he hopped down from the walk onto a lane overgrown with twisting vines and clumps of puffy flowers, his eyes darting about in search of the secret pathway that would lead him to a special spot high up in the steppes of the waterfalls. Already he could hear their faint rumblings and he grew twitchy with anticipation. At last, he spotted the alley which led in precisely that direction. With a fresh hitch in his step, he slipped past the unlatched wooden gate that shielded it and continued on.

  Where the alley spilled out, a simple footpath began, rambling on for a ways before plunging over a series of rolling green tuffets down which Breven now eagerly padded. The sound of the waterfalls grew louder, calling to him, urging him on.

  The path narrowed at a spot where a footbridge made of lashed branches adorned with fresh flowers crossed over a gurgling stream of cool, blue water. Breven paused at the sight of the bridge, a plump bee buzzing by his face. Once he crossed to the other side, to where the waterfalls spilled into the ponds, he would be ensnared by their tumbling lullaby, unable to come back unless the one he sought willed it so. He took a deep breath and stepped across.

  Near a secluded pool of fragrant water, Tuyen Moon’s coppery form lay lounging on a flat rock in the sun, her iridescent wings acting as a kind of mat between her soft, naked body and the harsh rock. She had the knee of one slender leg casually bent. Both arms were arched above the short, pink tussles of her hair in a frozen upside-down cat stretch. Scalloped breasts peered up into the sky.

  At his approach she looked over. Her green eyes grew wide. Her wings buzzed as she leapt up with the swiftness of a dragonfly and flew into his arms. She showered kisses across his scruffy face.

  “My love, my one and only love, at long last you have returned!” She grabbed him by the head and kissed him hard on the lips, and then pushed away into a back flip, the tips of her wings flirtatiously dusting his face and ruffling his beard.

  Breven breathed in deeply. The scent of the amorous copper-skinned
beauty was a potent aphrodisiac. The sight of her tanned form, shocking pink hair, pug nose, apple cheeks and full lips only heightened his anticipation. He reached out and gently collected her in his corded arms.

  “My love, my heart has ached for you as well, but there is something I require from you this day.”

  The lashes of Tuyen’s sparking green doe eyes batted with raw desire. “Yes, my love. There is something I require from you as well.”

  Their long overdue union consummated, Breven lay back on the warm stone overlooking the languid pool with his hands stitched comfortably behind his head. To his side, Tuyen flittered in playful circles, stalling her whirring wings just long enough for her glistening body to plunk down into the refreshing waters before she revved them back up to keep from dunking completely under. The sight alone was enough to make Breven once again lose his train of thought.

  Breven shook his head and sat up, gathering his knees up toward his chest. “My love, please.” After a few more whirls, Tuyen landed silently on the rock behind him, purring like a kitten. She pressed her warm skin against his and rubbed his shoulders, leaning forward to coo in his ear.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “You are my love, my one and only love.”

  Breven resisted the nearly overpowering urge to prove it once more. He cleared his throat. “I have a favor t’ ask.”

  “Of course,” she said melodically. “Anything for you. If it can be provided it will be yours at once.”

  Breven was as tactful as he could manage. “I need your help in finding someone, a girl—”

  Tuyen scraped her nails against the furry flesh of his back as she pushed away.

  “A girl! What girl?”

  Breven cringed. He should have expected such a reaction. Damn him and his clumsy words! He slipped from the rock and into the pool, ringlets of blood trailing away into the water. The scratches were deep and stung fiercely. Only the fairies could injure a weyr in such a way. They would take days to scab over.