Grand Game 505: A or B

Shael didn’t say anything until we exited the building. He didn’t stay silent for long, though. “What was all that about?” he demanded once we were on the street again.

“That was me making sure Loken or his envoy didn’t lay any spells on you.”

“Why would they do…” he began before running aground. “Right, stupid question. But what made you suspect something like that?”

I smiled thinly. “Because that’s what the trickster did to me. After our first meeting, Loken set a tracking spell on me—one that the Albion Bank’s Watchers immediately picked up on. After that experience, it seemed prudent to check you after your own encounter.”

“Huh… I guess.” He paused. “So, does that mean I’ve passed your test?”

“You have.” 

“Good,” Shael pronounced. He waited a beat. “Well, go on then. Tell me what all this is about.”

“I can’t just yet,” I murmured. “There’s another one you have to undergo first.”

“Another one?” Shael glared at me. “Just how many damn tests do you plan on subjecting me to?” he hissed.

“Just one more,” I replied mildly.

The bard put his hands on his hips. “So, let’s get to it.”

“In a bit,” I replied. Taking my bearings, I crossed the street. “I have a short stop to make first.”

“And what stop is—” He broke off. “Wait, don’t tell me. Let me guess: I’ll see.”

I smiled. “Now, you’re getting the hang of things.”

✵ ✵ ✵

We didn’t have far to go. Just one street over in fact.

“The Emporium,” Shael murmured as he caught sight of our destination. “You’re going shopping?”

I laughed, somewhat darkly. “Believe it or not, this is no idle side trip. We wouldn’t be here if the need wasn’t dire.”

Shael sighed, but he didn’t say anything further as I drew to a halt before the gates of the walled compound. Two familiar giants stood guard over it.

“Lake. Ent,” I greeted before either could get a word out.

Ent squinted at me. “Do we know you?”

“No,” I said lightly, “but I know you.” Pulling out the Emporium access card, I flipped it Lake’s way. “And before you think to get rid of me, have a look at that.”

After a moment of silent inspection, the giant berserker grunted. “It’s the real thing.”

Not questioning his companion, Ent swung back the gate, and I stepped through. “Come on, Shael,” I called over my shoulder.

“Not so fast,” Lake said, stepping in front of the half-elf before he could follow me in. “Where’s his card?”

I sighed. “He doesn’t have one,” I said honestly. “He’s my guest.”

Ent shook his head. “No guests allowed,” he said adamantly.

I glared at the giant.

“It’s alright,” Shael said. “I’ll wait here.”

I glanced at him. “You sure?”

He nodded.

“Don’t wander off,” I warned. “I won’t be long.” I turned my gaze on the giants. “And you two, you better keep an eye on him.”

“Yessir,” Lake drawled. “Whatever you wish.” Waving me on, he shut the gate behind me.

✵ ✵ ✵

Like every other time I’d been in the emporium, I was met by a red-robed and hooded woman, one of Safyre’s former colleagues. Ideally it should have been the aetherist standing here, going to meet Kesh, not me.

But matters in the wolves’ valley had forced me to change plans.

And it was not just the matter of Saya’s capture-murder that accounted for the unwanted change. Originally, I’d intended to obtain Safyre’s red robes from the emporium agent in the wolves’ valley. But, unsurprisingly, given the breakout of hostilities, the agent was long gone, necessitating this visit.

“How can I help you today?” the agent asked.

“You can direct me to Kesh,” I replied politely.

The woman shook her head. “I’m sorry, but Kesh is unavailable.”

It was the same response I’d received the first time I’d come here. Then, I’d used Viviane’s token to get past Kesh’s gatekeepers. This time, though, I hoped not to draw more attention than strictly necessary.

I smiled. “I believe I’ve heard that line before,” I murmured and before she could respond, added, “Tell Kesh, Cara’s friend is here.” No one else in the emporium but Kesh knew the name I’d bestowed on Safyre when she still worked for the old merchant. Even Kesh had only heard me use the name once.

Hopefully, it stuck in her mind.

For a moment, the agent said nothing.

“Go on,” I urged gently. “I’ll wait.”

Coming to a decision, the hooded woman bowed low and silently departed.

✵ ✵ ✵

A few minutes later, I was standing in Kesh’s office. 

The old merchant was ensconced behind her desk as always. At my entrance she looked up. Kesh hadn’t changed in the intervening time. Her face was just as seamed, her hands as wrinkled, and her eyes as sharp as ever.

“Michael?” she demanded bluntly, not fooled for a moment by the face I wore.

Not answering, I looked pointedly at the closed door at my back, then at the surrounding walls.

She snorted. “This room is better shielded than any bank. No one will overhear anything you say here.”

“Ah, that’s good,” I said, relaxing. Letting the spell woven about my face dissipate, I sat in the chair opposite the old woman.

Kesh studied me in silence for a moment. “Do I even want to know what trouble you’ve gotten into this time?” she asked at last.

I shrugged. “Probably not.”

“Hmpf. Where’s Cara? Is she…?”

“Safyre is safe,” I replied, deliberately using her real name.

Kesh sat back, some of her own tension easing. “So, it is not about her that you’re here?”

“It is,” I allowed. “But not wholly.”

“Then it’s about the valley,” Kesh guessed.

My gaze sharpened. “You know what’s happened?”

Kesh shook her head. “I know war has broken out, and I know Saya’s disappeared.” She threw me an apologetic look. “I am trying to find out what happened, but I haven’t managed to uncover a single clue.” She sighed, looking disheartened. “I’m sorry, Michael, I know how much she means to you, but I don’t know where Saya is.”

I inclined my head. “I don’t hold you accountable. What’s happened is not your fault.”

“I’m not done yet,” Kesh said grimly. “I won’t give up on Saya; my people are still looking. But I don’t want you to get your hopes up. After this long…”

I shook my head. “I appreciate the effort, but it’s not necessary. I know what’s happened.”

Kesh’s eyes narrowed. “You do? Tell me.”

I hesitated.

“Tell me,” she demanded. “Whatever it is, I want to know.”

“This may be one of the things you’re better off not knowing,” I suggested delicately.

“No,” Kesh refuted, glaring at me. “Saya and I may not have met, but we’ve corresponded for months, and I consider the young lady one of my own. She is as much mine to protect as any of the emporium’s agents. Do you understand?”

I exhaled heavily. “I do.”

“Then go on,” she said peremptorily. “Tell me.”

I slid the note Shael had given me across the table. “That was sent a month ago,” I said softly.

Picking up the slip of paper, Kesh read the short message inscribed within. “Who is this from?”

“Loken’s envoy.”

Kesh inhaled sharply. “Loken. What interest does he have in Saya?”

I shifted uncomfortably. “You remember the marauders?”

“Yes, Kalin’s people who blockaded the tavern,” she said impatiently. “What about them?”

“I may have struck a bargain with Loken’s envoy to get them to stop.”

Bowing her head, Kesh pinched the bridge of her nose. “Foolish boy,” she muttered. “It is never wise to trifle with the Powers, especially not one of Loken’s caliber.”

“Be that as it may, I had no choice in the matter,” I said stiffly. “And for reasons I can’t go into right now, the attention of the Powers is not something I’m ever likely to escape.”

Kesh sighed but didn’t pursue the subject further. “What deal did you strike with Loken’s envoy, and when did you break it?”

“I didn’t break my bargain with the envoy.” I grimaced. “But circumstances in the valley changed while I was… away.”

“The war happened, you mean,” Kesh guessed.

“Yes. I’m not sure who or what started it, but Loken’s may have taken it as a sign I was reneging on our bargain.”

Kesh pursed her lips. “Then this is all a misunderstanding?”

I breathed out heavily. “I’m not sure. Either way, I can’t let things stand as they are.”

“Of course not,” Kesh said primly. “And Saya? Do you know if she is still…”

“Alive?” I completed for her.

Kesh nodded.

I barked a laugh. “I don’t know,” I confessed. “She may be. Or she may not be. With the trickster one can never be sure.”

The merchant did not refute my statement. “Do you have a plan?”

“Two actually.”

Kesh leaned across the table. “Go on. Tell me.”

“Are you sure you want to involve yourself in this?”

“Yes,” she said simply.

I did not demur again. “Plan A is to sneak into the envoy’s base and rescue Saya.” A low guttural growl escaped my throat. “And after I’ve seen her safe, I will burn Loken’s envoy’s house down around her and purge the valley of Shadow’s minions.”

“A noble aspiration,” Kesh said acerbically, “if somewhat unrealistic.”

I didn’t argue. Kesh was right. Going to war with Loken—even if it was not him directly that I attacked—was madness. But it was the kind of madness I would not shrink from if it meant seeing Saya safe. 

“Let’s set aside Plan A for now,” Kesh continued. “What’s Plan B?”

For a long moment, I didn’t say anything. Plan B was something I was still mulling over. It was risky and daring, but admittedly had more chance of success than going scorched earth on Shadow. It was also the more measured approach.

“Michael?” Kesh prompted.

I sighed. “Plan B is reaching out to Loken.”

Kesh searched my face. “You think that will work?” she asked skeptically.

“It might. I suspect his envoy is acting without his blessing.” I grimaced.

“So why the hesitation?”

I grimaced. “Well, for one there is no way of telling if my suspicions are correct. Asking Loken won’t help us any. The trickster will certainly have no issue disavowing his envoy’s action if it suits him.”

“But if it gets Saya back, who cares?”

“There’s that,” I allowed. “But there is also the fact that meeting Loken is dangerous.”

Kesh did not laugh as many likely would’ve in her place. Coming face to face with a Power like Loken was never safe. “Dangerous in what way specifically?”

“If he manages to analyze me, it will be disastrous,” I said obliquely. “Not only for me but for everyone else I know—Saya and Safyre included.”

“We can arrange for the meeting to happen in a shielded room, one with a dampening field,” Kesh suggested.

I nodded. “That was my idea too. But even with that to mitigate the situation, the risk will not be completely eliminated.”

Kesh stared at me. “You’re that worried?”

I laughed. “No need to be polite about it. I’m not worried, I’m afraid.” But it was not for myself that I feared. It was those who depended on me that concerned me. Endangering their lives was not as easy as risking my own.

Kesh drummed her fingers on the desk. “Plan B is still your best option,” she said, gently nudging me in the right direction.

I sighed. “I know that. It’s a large part of why I’ve come here.”

“Shall I arrange the meeting then?”

I nodded. “Do that. Use the Wanderer’s Delight.”

“The hotel is a good choice,” Kesh agreed. She paused. “Should I share any details in the invitation to Loken?”

I shook my head. “No. No need to forewarn him. I want to see Loken’s face when I tell him the news.” While trying to figure out if the trickster was lying or not was likely an exercise in futility, I might still be able to gain some insight into his thinking.

Kesh nodded. “I’ll see it done.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Now for the next matter.”

“Safyre,” Kesh stated.

“Yes,” I agreed. “It’s time we discuss Safyre.”