Calis said nothing.
Nakor asked, When was the last time you saw Pug?
A year or so ago. He came to visit my mother and Tomas. He looked at Miranda. He was still saddened by your loss, as well as Caleb and Marie.
Miranda couldnt help but gasp, and tears gathered in her eyes. Caleb? Marie? She tightened her grip on his hand; a lesser being would have endured broken fingers. Caleb had been Mirandas youngest child and Marie, his wife.
Calis softly said, In the attack that took you.
Miranda looked away for a second, then finally she composed herself and asked, The boys?
Calis squeezed her hand in return and said, Tad, Zane, and Jommy are well. There were other losses when the demons attacked your island, students and two of Pugs teachers, but given the severity
I remember. She said nothing for a long moment, and then lowered her eyes. I will tell you everything, but not now. A sad sound, barely a whisper of a breath, was followed by silence.
Nakor said, Not that Im unhappy to see you, old friend, but what coincidence brings you here on the very day we arrive?
Not such a coincidence, Im on an errand for my mother. I carry word to young Lord Martin that those sent to us from Crydee to care for are safe in Elvandar.
Composing herself, Miranda asked, Why come this way? Why not take the straighter course south across the River Boundary to Crydee?
Because Martin is not in Crydee, hes here in Ylith.
They have kept you waiting here? She indicated the inn with a quick wave of her hand.
They havent, said Calis. I saw Martin yesterday and paused here on my way north.
Miranda said, Because you had never spent a night in an overcrowded ale house with too many strangers who havent bathed in weeks?
Calis grinned and Nakor laughed. The Prince of Elvandar said, Whatever you may be now, some things about you are exactly as I remember them. He looked across the room to the far corner. Where the bar ended, a small additional room had once been added; there was a step leading down to a pair of tables that had been placed together for a large group. All of the chairs had been moved to allow a band of workers to sit together, save one. A figure wearing a dark cloak sat in the corner, his arms crossed over his chest, surveying the room. He was staring directly at Calis.
Ah, said Miranda taking in the figures hair and ears. One of yours?
Hardly, said Nakor. So, you were curious about that dark elf and decided to linger?
Calis nodded. I was curious to see what a moredhel was doing in Ylith.
And no doubt hes curious to know what a prince of Elvandar is doing in Ylith, said Nakor.
Miranda glanced at the figure half-hidden in shadows and said, How did you know he was moredhel?
Its in our nature to recognize our own kind, and those who are not. He travels as an ocedhel, one of the elves from across the sea, but his disguise is flawed.
Nakor peered at the figure for a bit and sat back. I can see nothing. He squinted, then shook his head. Under the table?
Calis nodded. The boots.
Nakor laughed. Trust a moredhel to be unwilling to sacrifice his boots. Then the little mans expression turned serious. Or his sword, I expect. Though I wager youll have to kill him to get a good look at it.
How do you know so much of dark elves? Miranda asked Nakor.
I travel, was his answer.
Again Miranda was struck by the absurdity of their two sets of memories. Belog had never travelled further than the distance from the archivists quarters to Dahuns palace and back, until he had left the city and encountered Child. Nakor had travelled to every distant part of Midkemia and worlds beyond.
He does looks like a traveller from across the sea, like Caliss wife, granted Nakor. Miranda had rescued Ellia and her sons during the war of the Emerald Queen, across the sea in Novindus and had taken them to Elvandar, where they had met Calis.
Calis said, His tunic, trousers and cloak are simple enough, and he wears no armour, but thats a bad bow: its cracked and has been re-glued and banded with leather, so hes no archer. And he wears fine boots of a craft common to the Dark Brotherhood. He used the human name for the moredhel. Those are unmistakable, and from what I can see, well-made. Hes important, perhaps even a clan chieftain.
Well, that does raise the question of what hes doing here, said Miranda.
Renegade? asked Nakor of Calis.
Calis shrugged. Rare, but not unheard of, although they rarely venture this far south; there are too many places between here and the northland for a moredhel to die alone. The few who are expelled from their clans are usually found in the east, among humans who traffic in weapons, drugs, and slaves.
A spy, then? said Miranda, obviously intrigued by the speculation.
If he is, hes a bad one, said Nakor, standing up. Well, the best thing to do is ask him.
Before either Calis or Miranda could utter another word, Nakor had worked his way through the crowd to stand before the dark-haired elf in the corner. With as friendly an expression as the demon-in-human form could manage, he said, Excuse me, but my friends and I were wondering what you are doing here?
Dark eyes regarded Nakor for a long moment, before the dark elf spoke, not in the Kings tongue but in heavily accented Common Tongue, the trading language of Triagia. Go away, little man.
Nakors grin broadened even more. We could have some fun. I could tell this crowd exactly what you are. Many are from the north and have no love for your people; and then we can see how long you survive. Or, you could simply answer my question.
Lowering his voice so those at the next table couldnt overhear, Arkan of the Ardanien said, Or, I could simply ignore you until you go away!
Nakor kept grinning. I can be very persistent and patient.
And annoying, apparently. Arkan stared Nakor in the eyes, then suddenly stood up and pressed past the little man. With no apology, the moredhel chieftain pushed his way through the crowd eliciting complaints and muttered threats.
Reaching Calis and Miranda, he spoke in a language only Miranda and Nakor could understand. It was High Elven, the common ancestor language of all branches of the elves. Had you wished to know my reason for being here, Prince of Elvandar, you could have simply asked, rather than send over that annoying little human.
Miranda tried not to chuckle.
Calis said, You know me?
By reputation, said Arkan. You are eledhel, but you are not. Theres something about you that is human. He said the last as if it was an insult. There is only one being like that: the son of the Queen of Elvandar.
Calis raised his eyebrows slightly and tilted his head, as if what he had heard was of little importance. It is true, I was curious.
Which is why you followed me into the inn when you were obviously about to depart this pest hole of a city.
So, are you going to tell us why youre here or do I send for the city watch and begin some carnage? asked Calis.
Arkan studied the Prince of Elvandar. Like others north of the Teeth of the World, he had heard of the bastard son of Aglaranna and that abomination in the garb of the Valheru. Yet Calis wasnt anything like he had imagined him to be. Save for his ears, which were less pronounced, more human-like, and the faint sense of power that emanated from him, he seemed surprisingly ordinary. His plain garb was that of a hunter or traveller, his bow was superbly made, but otherwise of simple design, and he wore no jewellery or badges, no bracelets or hair ornaments. With his traditional grey armour and black cloak he could have passed for a member of one of the moredhels southern bands.
Finally Arkan said, While I would happily kill everyone in this room, given the opportunity, he fixed his eyes on Calis, and finish with you, Prince of the Light Elves, I am forbidden from such sport. I am pledged to a quest.
Now, this is getting interesting, said Nakor. What sort of quest?
Im to find a man, a human. That is all I know. Arkan briefly told them of his mission and saw that, while the humans were ignorant of Liallan, Calis was not. Finally he said, It is simple. I am to find this human no matter what the cost.
And then what? said Miranda having already formed an opinion on who Arkan was seeking. Kill him?
Arkan smiled and for the first time Miranda, Calis, and Nakor saw a genuine expression of humour in the demeanour of a moredhel. Actually, quite the contrary. I am to protect him with my life if needs be.
Now that was unexpected, said Nakor with glee. I do so love surprises!
I think youd better sit down with us, said Miranda. I think we have a great deal to talk about.
Arkan hesitated, finding the situation as absurd as Nakor, he nodded once and sat in the empty chair, while the others retook theirs.
Arkan retold his story briefly and when he was finished, he said, And that is why I am here in this pest hole of a city.
Nakor grinned. If you think this is a pest hole, you should visit Durbin!
Miranda put her hand on Nakors and said, Enough.
Calis said, You said you are of the Ardanien. You knew Gorath?
Arkan looked surprised for the first time. He was my father.
Calis nodded. I see the resemblance. I met him when I was young. You had a remarkable father, Arkan. He was the first moredhel I had ever spoken with and he bore a terrible burden.
He is counted a traitor by most of our people. He glanced at the three faces confronting him and felt reluctant to discuss family history, but he was surprised to discover that Calis had met his father. I know there are rumours and some, like Liallan, think him a saviour, but the truth of those days is shrouded by lies and rumour.
Perhaps Pug can shed some light on that time? said Calis.
Pug?
Nakor said, The man in black, in your aunts vision, is almost certainly Pug or perhaps his son Magnus. Both are given to wearing black, and both are great sorcerers who struggle to protect this world. If the vision of dragon riders is more than mere metaphor, they would be the Valherus most powerful opposition. He glanced at Miranda.
She looked deeply troubled. We know things, she said to Arkan. Some of which are best discussed after we find Pug. We seem fated to travel together. If we can contrive some way to get past this invading army and navy blocking our way! She sat back in her chair with an audible sigh and said, If there was some way I could contact Pug, reach out with my mind and tell him Tell him what? she wondered silently. That his dead wifes memories had been attached to a demon queen, who under any other circumstances would happily rip off his head and devour his brain; but who would now like nothing more than for him to hold her? Tears threatened, and she willed herself away from that emotional trap.