Iago smiled. “Should I be?”
The fat man smiled back, shaking his head. “You cheat death more times than anyone has a right to.” He walked back to the table, and leaned on the edge. “And now you come to me with some deal involving crystals? You want me dead also, boy?”
Iago lost his jovial expression. “We need a favor. And we can make it worth your while.”
Galen stared at Nentini Oln, a slaver, a man who made money from the suffering that happened in this part of the Valley. Like last night when he met Cyara and Ballok, he was taken aback at what the man looked like. He’d expected someone gruff, and hard, like Ballok only taller and meaner, but what surprised him more than Oln’s appearance was the comforting feeling he exuded, almost grandfatherly. He waited for something to happen to make him hate the man like he should.
“Tell me, then. I can’t promise anything, but let’s at least find out what you want.”
Iago motioned to Galen. “This is Galen Corovin. He has all the authority to make a deal with you... on behalf of our supplier.” Galen waited a moment, unsure if he was supposed to talk. A gesture from Iago told him he was.
Galen took a deep breath, and then began. “We have a large supply of untreated Mergoran crystals, sire, but we have lost our means to purify them. We seek to find some kind of arrangement where, in exchange for purified crystals, we could either provide a bulk sum of raw crystals, or split the purified ones.” Galen could feel his hand shaking as he recited the proposal. He had practiced it over and over during the last week and was surprised he remembered it all.
“Who is ‘we’, son?” asked Oln.
Galen was taken aback by this question. He hadn’t expected it, and he wasn’t sure if that information should be shared, yet. Frantic, he tried to decide whether he should tell him who they were, or make up something else. In the panic that ensued, however, all he could manage to say was, “Um…”
“The Wind Riders,” Iago said calmly, saving Galen from having to make the decision. He saw Oln’s eyes widen, the expression on his face turning into genuine astonishment.
“The Wind Raiders?” said Oln, talking to Iago now. “How did you manage to get involved in that?”
“That would be a long story. And I don’t think now is the best time to tell it,” Iago replied. Oln nodded slowly, watching Iago carefully, then he turned to Galen and paused for a long moment. Galen wondered if he should break the silence but he remained quiet, hoping Oln would say something soon.
Finally, “So, you want me to get you a crystal purifier, and in exchange I would get either raw crystals or a split of the purified ones?”
“Yes, sire.” Galen hoped he was being polite to the man. He knew of no other proper title to give him.
“Where would this happen?” Oln asked.
“We can bring the raw crystals to a location we both choose, somewhere in the foothills most likely, and do all the purification there. We would need to meet there once every month or so, I think, and we would be able to pay you each time.”
“How many crystals are you talking about? Per month?”
Galen stopped to think. Previously they would be able to bring more, but now, with only two working ships, and a Tyran airship flying around as well, they would end up capturing far less crystals. He tried to think of a safe number. “About two barrels or so, maybe three. Every month.”
Oln’s jaw almost dropped to the floor when he said that. He wondered if the number was too low.
“Three barrels!” Oln exclaimed. He looked around at Cyara, then at Ballok, both who remained somewhat expressionless. “Are you serious?”
Galen hesitated. “Yes, sire. Maybe more, but I can only promise three for sure.”
Oln looked at Iago, his eyes wide. “How do I know this is real?”
“Give him the bag,” Iago said, and Galen held out the small bag of crystals he had clenched in his hand. Oln took it from him and opened it. After peering inside, he closed the bag and gaped at Galen, then at Iago.
“You ask a lot from me, Iago. This is quite a favor you need.”
“Aye. It’s dangerous, but also profitable.” Iago pointed to the bag of crystals. “That bag alone could make a poor man wealthy for life. Think what a share of three barrels a month could bring.”
Galen realized just then the value of what they were dealing with. These crystals were the only source of magic in the world. They were prized, and expensive, but it never occurred to him just how precious that made them, especially given how easy it was for him to get crystals as a Wind Rider. A successful raid on a mining caravan could round up twenty or thirty barrels, more than enough to last, even with Pilots continually using them up on training. But here in the city, they were priceless.
Iago continued. “And before you try to get even more out of this deal, remember that I could have gone to Azris or Krolt. They both have better means of doing this. But I trust you more.” Iago smiled.
Oln chuckled back. “Do you now?” He walked over to Cyara and gave her a few crystals from the bag. “Take those to Havrin. See if they’re real.” Cyara left the room through the right side door, clutching the crystals in her hand. “I tell you what. Give me a day to check on these. I’ll meet you tomorrow night at the six bell, next to my docks in Harbortown. If they’re good, I’ll have a purifier with me and I’ll send a group with you then to find a spot to make the deal. Ballok will take them. I’ll take half of any purified crystals as payment, just so you know you’re not getting cheated. That’s a fair deal if you ask me and you won’t get better from anyone else.”
Galen glanced at Iago, who nodded back at him. “Agreed,” Galen said. “Tomorrow night, then.”
Oln laughed out loud. “Excellent!” He walked up and shook Galen’s hand, then grasped Iago in a bear hug. “I look forward to a long relationship with the Wind Raiders then.”
“So do we,” Iago said. “And it’s Wind Riders.”
Oln chuckled. “Ballok. Show them out.” Ballok walked towards the door and opened it as Oln retreated back to the far side of the table. “Well met, Galen Corovin.” Oln called out after them as they filed down the hallway. “Don’t let me down now!” Galen looked back at Oln and gave him a polite nod, then continued on down the hall and through the first room.
Galen sighed in relief as they left, feeling the weight of this mission lift from his shoulders. Tomorrow night they would be out of the city and on their way back with a deal in place. He’d done it. The Pilot’s Council very nearly dared him to fail, but he’d succeeded. He took a deep breath and realized he felt normal again. No more churning in his stomach, or shaking hands, or sweating. Just blissful weightlessness. Everything could go back to normal.
Ballok stopped outside the doorway and watched the group leave. Iago took the lead, heading back the way they came, crossing up through alleys and down streets. Galen barely paid attention to their route, though. They could be walking right into the palace of the Clerics and he wouldn’t have noticed. He was lost in elation. Until Margis snapped him back out it.
“Shouldn’t we send someone back to tell the Council?”
Galen turned to see Margis walking next to him. “What?”
“If we send someone back early to tell the Council, they can get a party formed up to start moving the crystals out of camp and towards the meeting spot. That way we don’t have to take Oln’s men with us back to our camp.”
“Take them back to the camp? Why would we do that?” Galen asked.
“The deal you just made. His men will travel with us tomorrow night. Rather than leave them at the meeting spot, or taking them with us back to camp while we announce the deal, why not just send someone ahead to let the Council know, so they can have people moving the crystals to the meeting spot already?”
Galen finally saw the point Margis was trying to make, and he groaned. He had forgotten they would be taking Oln’s men with them once they left. It would be incredibly disrespectful of them to ask Oln’s men to wait in the mountains for several days while they went back to camp to round up people and crystals.
Iago pursed his lips, having overheard the conversation. “That's a good point.” He stopped and looked at the others. “So who’s going back?”
“I will,” Margis said, eagerly.
Galen nodded. “I would have to stay anyway, so I can’t go.”
Iago looked at Margis for a second. “You’ll need help getting back.”
“I remember the path. I can get back just fine. I’ll avoid the Cliffs this time. And those Happaran buildings.”
Iago shook his head again. “No. It’s not safe to go alone.” Margis turned to Galen for support but found none. He was foolish to think he could make the trip back by himself, Galen thought. Why would he even want to?
“Saalis, Hal, you two want to go back with him?” asked Iago.
“Aye,” Saalis said. “I’m not too eager to stay here any longer than I need to.” Hal nodded in agreement.
“Good.” Iago said. “We split in half then, one Pilot to two Landers. You three should be safe enough traveling back if you’re careful. Just avoid any large groups.”
“So we’re leaving now?” asked Hal, a hint of sadness in his voice. Everyone became quiet, realizing that after all this time together, they were about to go their separate ways.
“We should go back to the inn and gather our packs. The sooner we leave the better,” Margis replied.
“Agreed," Galen said. "I guess we can all go back and see them off, then?”
Iago nodded. “Let’s go. It's time to pass on some good news for once.”
* * * * *
After reaching the inn and waiting for Margis, Saalis and Hal to pack, Iago led them back through the Avis district into Ohvro until they reached Dyfin Way. They reached the intersection just inside the entrance to the city, where they stopped to make their goodbyes. Iago gave Saalis a few more tips on avoiding trouble spots on the way back while Galen told Margis what exactly to tell the Council. After several minutes of chatting, reminiscing and well wishes, the group split and Iago, Jonir and Galen stood on the side of the road, watching as Margis, Saalis and Hal stepped through the city gates. A moment later the three of them turned left through the crowd of people returning from Harbortown, and then they disappeared past the walls, and out of sight.
It was a bittersweet moment for Iago. Seeing the three of them out of the city and headed back to camp where they would be safe made him feel like he'd accomplished something. He had no doubt that they could get back without any problems; Hal and Saalis were more than capable of avoiding any danger on the way back. But it also made him sad to watch them leave. He'd grown used to spending so much time with them, after feeling so alone for so long. Working together like this, for a common purpose and for so many days, had created a bond. He'd known these people for a year, but the last nine days had cemented their friendships.
“Back to the Inn?” Jonir asked.
Iago shrugged. “No point just standing out here.”
“One more day,” said Galen as turned to go back the way they came.
“Will be nice to get back, and get out of this city,” replied Jonir. “I never liked it here.”
“I lived here maybe ten years, and not once was I ever happy to call it home,” Iago said. “Not one time.”
“How can you stand all the people? I feel like I’m being caged no matter where I go.”
“You get used to it," Jonir said.
Iago chuckled. “You want to see a lot of people? You should see the Trade Market. That’s a mess of Anzarins you don’t ever want to find yourself stuck in.”
“Yeah, that’s an image you won’t forget." Jonir laughed. "You’ve never seen so many desperate and loud people in one spot.”
Galen frowned. “I’d rather not.”
“Well, we do have the rest of today and tomorrow to get through,” Jonir said. “We should find something to do to pass the time.”
Iago sighed. Wandering around the city aimlessly was risky, especially when he could run into people who didn’t need to know he was back, but he also had to admit that they couldn’t just sit in the inn until tomorrow night. They would go crazy from boredom. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to find something to keep us busy. We might need to find another place to stay tonight anyway. Can’t hurt to keep moving.”
He had a notion to stay outside the city tonight, in Harbortown, which would ease their minds a bit. He felt like being a little more relaxed today than normal, and since they weren’t pressed for time, he didn’t take a direct route back to the Honest Soldier, instead cutting across a few streets on the way, just to see how time had treated some of the places he remembered.
This had been a far better trip to Tyr than his last one. Making this deal didn’t entirely redeem him, but he was proud of the fact that he’d taken these men to Tyr and struck a deal with Oln that made both sides happy in the process. Oln would make a fortune, probably making him wealthier than anyone else in the city other than the Clerics, provided he kept it a secret, and he would owe it all to Iago. He hoped that favor would come back to help him someday. And with purified crystals the Wind Riders could fly again without fear. They still had to do something about this powerful new Tyran airship that now roamed their skies but he knew the Pilot’s Council could figure something out, especially now that their lifeblood had been restored.
Iago stopped. He’d turned down a side street, moving back towards one of the main roads, but a crowd of people lined up along either side of the road ahead of him, blocking the way. The three of them approached carefully and Iago looked over their shoulders to see what the commotion was about. Most of the crowd stared off to the left so he glanced down the road in that direction, then groaned in annoyance.
“What’s going on?” asked Jonir.
Iago pointed down the left road, at the rows of horses and chariots approaching. “It’s a Cleric procession.”
Jonir sighed and shook his head. “Should we go back around another way?”
“It’s almost here. Might as well wait it out, now.”
“What’s a Cleric procession?” asked Galen.
“It’s when a Cleric-Major gathers his Clerics and guards, and marches them up and down the roads, to remind everyone in his district how powerful and important he is,” Jonir said, not really hiding his disdain very well.
“I don’t think this is a Cleric-Major,” Iago said, squinting at the oncoming carts and wagons. He turned to Jonir. “This is a procession for Dahral.”
“Are you sure?” asked Jonir, surprised.
“Look at the third cart coming up.”
Galen watched the scene with great interest now. “Isn’t Dahral the Cleric-Justicier?” Iago and Jonir both nodded. “So we’re about to see the ruler of Tyr?”
Jonir stared down the road, trying to verify Iago’s claim. Suddenly, he froze, and opened his mouth in astonishment. “That’s Girkax,” he said, barely getting the entire word out. Iago nodded in quiet fascination.
The first cart was an open topped chariot with some green-robed women standing in it, throwing red and yellow petals out towards the throngs of people on either side of the street. The second was a covered chariot, with several Clerics seated inside. Clad in their gold-colored robes, they did nothing save watch everyone they passed with dour looks. None of them seemed too interested in catering to the masses today. But it was the third cart, which actually was a cart, that caught everyone’s attention, and their cheers.
A huge metal cage sat snugly in the cart, easily ten feet tall and six feet wide in both directions, holding a strange and fearsome creature. It stood upright on thick, muscular legs that protruded out from either side of a broad, scaled body, and it had four arms, two on either side of a torso that looked human, except for the light-brown scaled skin, from the waist up. Below the waist however, right where the legs began, the torso turned into a huge tail, making the bottom half of the creature look like a snake with two powerful legs. The head was smooth and hairless, and the face resembled a mix between a human and snake. Two small, black eyes were lodged under a smooth, sloped forehead. There were holes where the ears should be, and the creature’s mouth was wide, and curved into an expression resembling a frown. It stood about seven feet tall, around the same size as a Garn, only much more menacing and lethal. Its head slouched down, making it appear to be sad, if it was possible for the beast to feel that way, but it turned every so often to watch the people on the street cheering at it. Its hands grasped the bars of the cage but it didn’t seem to be trying very hard to break free.
“What is that?” asked Galen, completely in awe.
“That’s a Malsohn," Iago explained. "They live in the Baran Desert.”
“I’ve never seen one before.”
“Not many have. They’re almost mythical because they live underground. This one is Girkax. Its Dahral’s pet. He uses it to fight in the Pits sometimes, and it’s never lost. I’ve heard it tears people apart without even trying.”
“It’s a fearsome looking beast,” Jonir added.
“Aye. The only one ever captured, too.” They watched the cart pass by as the spectators yelled wildly. They seemed to revere the creature as a city treasure more than a spectacle. This wasn’t the first time Iago had seen the beast. He had been to the Pits before to see fights, and Girkax was brought out to liven up the crowds by tearing up pigs and cows, but he’d never seen it in an actual match. From what he heard, though, a Malsohn was a savage and cunning opponent, not the mindless beast some would have you believe.
After Girkax passed by, another chariot came, with more Clerics inside, each looking bored as usual. However, the fifth one, larger than the others, got the most cheers of all. Several high-ranking members of the Tyran Guard walked alongside, each wearing a gold sash over their normal red and brown tunics. Seated in the back of the chariot, waving at the crowds as he passed, was the Cleric-Justicier of Tyr, Dahral, one of the most powerful people not only in the Lore Valley, but the entire land of Leranon. The crowds were likely more excited to see the Malsohn, but they cheered nonetheless at their ruler, an old man who was still healthy and spirited. He smiled at his people, turning and waving to either side of the throng. He wore the gold robes of the Clerics but his had several dark blue sashes.
Iago stared at Dahral as the chariot passed by. He had never met the Cleric-Justicier, but he knew things about him, and many other Clerics, that would disgust most of the people here. How happy would they be to know about the torture and mutilation happening in the dungeons hidden below their feet? Or that the Clerics rounded up beggars and madmen to practice their Magics on? Dahral himself was known to enjoy particularly gruesome experiments on the very same Tyrans he’d been chosen to rule. Iago loved his people, but he hated the Clerics, and he only hoped Dahral was alive to see his own demise when the Wind Riders brought it about.
“So he just rides by with his pet to get everyone excited?” asked Galen, interrupting Iago’s thoughts.
Jonir nodded. A man standing just next to them, who had heard Galen’s question, leaned over. “The Clerics are rallying the people. They announced this morning that they’re sending the airship out again, to finish off the Wind Raiders.”
Galen, Jonir and Iago all stared at the man, then at each other, trying to cover their sudden surprise.
“When?” asked Jonir.
“It’s flying in two days,” the man called out over the crowd noise. Iago struggled to keep himself calm. The Wind Riders would be safe, he assured himself. There was no better place to hide than in the Lore Mountains, an area they knew better than anyone. The Tyrans found them once, when they weren’t expecting it, but the Wind Riders were more careful in their camp sites now. The Tyrans would have to be terribly lucky to stumble upon them again.
Iago stepped back down the cross street, away from the crowd. Jonir and Galen followed with solemn looks on their faces. “They’ll be safe,” he said.
Galen nodded. “Only from the disfavor of the Basarah would they find the camp again.”
“Aye,” Iago nodded in agreement. “Exactly what I was thinking. Let them wander all over the mountains for weeks, or even months. Let them use up their crystals while we rebuild our supply. We’ll be fine.”
“Let’s go back,” Jonir said. “I'm starting to get tired of these crowds.” Iago nodded and led them away from the procession. He would take the long way around back to the inn, then get them out of the city and find a place in Harbortown. He decided he’d had enough of Tyr to last him the rest of his life.