The Lost Star's Sea

by C. Litka

  04

  We reached the little woods on the edge of the island without trouble or being followed, that I noticed, anyway. At least no one had emerged from the edge of the encampment, the better part of a kilometer behind us. Even so, we walked around to the far side of the woods before pushing our way into the thick vines and underbrush of its dim green interior. Ahead I heard Hissi and Siss bark a greeting.

  'Up here,' called Naylea from high in the branches of a wide-spreading fist tree. Py and I found vines to haul ourselves up through the maze of branches to a green-lit open space - between the branches of the fist tree below and under the spreading fern-like branches of the fern top trees that had quickly recovered from the great serrata 3,000 rounds ago.

  Naylea was standing on top of the maze of branches still in her blue uniform. ''Greetings, brother,' she said cupping her hands and bowing.

  Py followed suit. 'Greetings, sister. I am LinPy of Cloud Home Community, Daeri.'

  'NyLi of Jade Peak Community, Tydora' she replied.

  Py stared sharply at her. 'Why you're the Jade Peak advocate who oversaw the construction of the SaraDal Island's defense system!' He bowed again. 'I am honored to meet you.'

  I stared at her and then laughed. 'Of course!'

  Who better to set up a modern surveillance system than a former thief who is not only familiar with the technology but trained to detect and defeat it? Still ?

  'Weren't you being rather reckless - coming here to confront the Temtres with your accomplishment? DeKan might possibility have found that amusing, but I doubt many others would've.'

  She flashed a fleeting smile and shrugged. 'Who better to convince them of the risks they run than someone who knows all about them? I did, however, assume that I'd be dealing with DeKan. I'd have nothing to fear from DeKan?' she said, growing sad, adding, with a glance to me, 'He was an honorable man.'

  I nodded. 'I'm sure he was. From his letter, he sounded eager to see us both again.'

  Py gave us each a questioning glance as he said, 'I knew the Order had charged several advocates with the letter, hoping one might succeed, but I never expected to meet you, of all people, here. How did you convince them to bring you here on one of their own ships?'

  'It was just as simple as I assured my mentor that it would be. I'm sorry that they didn't believe me. In any event, I caught a Fray Clan ship out of the Principality of ShantaRain. As a gold-token agent of the Temtres, I had a right to claim passage to the Assembly. And I wasn't a Laezan when I boarded. I saved that surprise until we arrived. Captain FrayDar was dumbfounded when I set out from his ship as a Laezan, and was even more so when I returned, especially after I put a half dozen Din Clan members, hanging about the Dagger, to sleep.'

  'NyLi? Of course!' Py muttered, his face brightening with a wide smile and a boyish laugh. 'Why you are Wilitang's Naylea Cin - the girl he has been searching for!' He beamed.

  Naylea gave him a questioning look, and a bemused smile. 'I was known as Naylea Cin in the past. But that past is behind me. And yes, I must admit to knowing Litang in that past. But how is it that you know about me? I know he's fond of telling tales, but certainly that would be an old tale by now.'

  Py clapped and laughed and then put his arm around my shoulder and drew me towards Naylea, so that he could put his arm around her shoulder as well. 'Why, I knew Wilitang when the story was fresh! When I was a new magistrate and he was one of my lieutenants. And now you meet again! The Way is wonderful in its mysterious workings!'

  Naylea allowed a tentative smile and gave Py, at his simple, boyish best, a searching look. 'Litang - a magistrate's lieutenant?'

  'Yes. And he took the minor orders, which he has not renounced, so he is within the Order. Everything is proper!'

  I was not familiar with all the ins and outs of being a Laezan, but I'd a feeling that being within the order was a requirement of Laezans becoming partners. From the look Naylea gave him, Py was racing far ahead of her thoughts, and mine as well.

  'Good,' she said, quickly stepping back. 'I'm glad that he's a member of the Order since he must bear the risks we need run to complete our mission. It looks to be a more desperate one than we had bargained for.'

  Py stepped back as well and sobered up. 'Yes. Wilitang told me of the unfortunate death of the clan-king and his likely successor. It seems that our chances of success have been greatly diminished. I have, of course, copies of the Order's missive and have been carefully instructed as to what the Order wishes to convey. However, as the prime advocate of the mission, you, no doubt, have a far greater appreciation of the situation than me. You must take the lead in this mission.'

  Naylea nodded. 'Right. And my first order is to hand over that satchel with the char-buns in it. I can smell them from here and I'm starving.'

  I did as ordered, and as she opened the satchel, Siss appeared at her side. She took out two char-buns, and handed one to Siss, who wolfed it down.

  'Don't you hunt anymore?' I asked Siss.

  She gave me a dismissive hiss.

  Hissi drifted up as well, no doubt looking for another char-bun.

  'Hissi, this is NyLi. We knew her as Naylea Cin. She was the one who suggested I have you for breakfast, back when you were in the shell.'

  Hissi moved nose to nose and gave Naylea her most fearful growl, showing her teeth.

  'Nice to meet you Hissi. Glad you're looked after Litang. I suppose you want a char-bun too.'

  'Hissi barked an enthusiastic "Yes!" as Naylea handed her one. Naylea knew Simla dragons.

  'Right,' she said after several bites. 'The first thing to do is to get out of our blues. This is clearly an undercover mission. Out of our blues we can can come and go in the Assembly as we please. Neither of us are well-known enough to run much of a risk of being identified.'

  'Py can pass as a Temtre, but you can't,' I pointed out. 'You're fine-feathered.'

  She reached into her kit bag and drew out a long broad-feathered wig. 'I can. As an advocate I often had to work under cover,' she replied between bites. 'You'll notice my sandals are designed to give the impression I'm long footed. I've nothing to worry about. You, as a fine-feathered retainer, might run some risks. There are far fewer of them and you might be recognized?'

  'You can buy me a broad-feathered wig?'

  'You'd also have to shave off your sinister whiskers. I'm sure Brother LinPy and I can do whatever will be necessary to complete our mission without you getting us into trouble,' she adding, after another bite, 'We'll make formal plans once I've had one or two smoked lizards on a stick, changed, and visited the Talon Hawk?'

  'That's crazy,' I exclaimed.

  She shook her head. 'DeKan was a friend. I have many friends on board. I need to see them. Besides, I'll get a sense of what we can expect going forward. And with DinDay out of the picture for the moment, there shouldn't be any fuss. The longer I wait, the more people I'll have to get through to see the people I want to see,' she said. And grabbing two sticks of roasted lizard meat, added, 'I'm on my way. Siss, you stay here and entertain the boys - let them arrange your feathers or something. When I get back I should have a good idea about how DeKan's death will all play out and we can plan accordingly. I suggest that you change while I am gone, Brother LinPy.'

  'Buy me a broad-feathered wig,' I said. 'If you can pass as Temtre, so can I. We're in this together. Do you need coins?'

  She shook her head, no, and grabbing her kit bag slipped down between the branches and out of sight.

  'Are you going to let her order you around like that, Teacher?' I said to Py.

  He smiled. 'I think I will.'

  Chapter 33 The Ultimatum