The Verdent Passage

by Troy Denning

  Tithian smiled. "You tell that to Kalak. I won't."

  "I'm just a senator," Agis said, smiling and shaking his head. "It'll have to be you. You're the high templar."

  The joke seemed lost on Tithian, who grimaced and replied, "I'm the high templar, as you say. Now I'm not only the High Templar of the Games, but also of the king's works."

  Agis frowned, confused by Tithian's unhappiness over what the senator assumed would be regarded as good news. The templars served the king both as bureaucrats and priests. They performed all of Tyr's civic tasks, such as collecting taxes, policing the streets, supervising public works, and commanding the city guard. They also coerced the populace into venerating Kalak as a deific sorcerer-king, by whose good graces the city was allowed to exist. In return for their worship, the king invested the templars with the ability to use a certain amount of his magic and paid them generous salaries, though they were free to supplement their income through bribery and extortion.

  "Those are two very powerful positions," Agis said. "I would think you'd be delighted."

  Tithian met Agis's gaze with the first hint of fear that the handsome senator ever recalled seeing in his friend's eyes. "I would be ... if I didn't have to finish the ziggurat in three weeks, in addition to finding the amulets the Veiled Alliance has hidden inside it!"

  "Surely with the king's magic at your disposal you'll have no trouble completing the task."

  The high templar scowled. "Do you really think it's that easy?" he snapped. "Cast a spell, find an amulet?"

  Agis weathered the storm with a calm countenance, for he had known Tithian long enough to realize that the templar's outbursts posed a danger only to those intimidated by them.

  "Isn't it?" the noble countered. "I thought that was why people resorted to magic."

  "It's harder than it looks," Tithian replied crossly. "Besides, I tried. The amulets are protected by psionic shields and counterspells. I have people trying to break the safeguards, but if they fail, the only way to find the amulets may be to tear the ziggurat down, brick by brick."

  "But you said the amulets were just annoyances?"

  The high templar seemed about to speak, then let the topic drop.

  Since he had no other suggestions to offer, Agis remained silent, trying to puzzle out why Tithian had picked this afternoon to come visiting. If his guest had been any other friend, the noble would have assumed that the visitor had simply come in search of a sympathetic ear. The high templar, however, was a solitary person who never shared his troubles or his joys with his friends. "Tithian was telling him all this, Agis suspected there was a reason.

  "If you want me to do something about the amulets, you'll really have to tell me a little about them," Agis said last, deciding to press for all the information he could.

  "You?" Tithian asked. "What can you do?"

  "Isn't that why you're here?" Agis asked. "I assume you've come to discuss asking the Senate to support an initiative against the Veiled Alliance."

  The high templar laughed. "What makes you think Kalak cares about the Senate's support?"

  Tithian's reply touched a sore nerve. The Senate of Lords was an assembly of noble advisors who were supposed to have the authority to override the king's decrees. In reality, the body was little more than a paper assembly, for senators who opposed the king invariably suffered prompt and mysterious deaths.

  "Perhaps the king should start caring about the Senate's support," Agis said, speaking more openly in front of his old friend than he would have to any other templar. "He's nearly taxed the nobles into ruin building his ziggurat, and he still hasn't bothered to tell the Senate why he's erecting it in the first place!"

  The high templar looked away and waved his carafe toward the center of Agis's estate. "May we go back to your house? I'm not accustomed to standing about in the sun." Without waiting for an answer, he began walking with a slow, even pace.

  Agis followed, continuing to press. "The caravan captains claim the Dragon is coming toward Tyr, and the king is ignoring our pleas to raise an army."

  "Don't tell me you accept all that nonsense about the Dragon, Agis?"

  The Dragon was the terror of all travelers, a horrid monster of the desert that routinely wiped out whole caravans. Until recently, Agis had believed it was no more than a myth, dismissing tales of the thing devouring whole armies and laying waste to entire cities as fanciful fabrications. He had changed his mind during the last month, however, when sober and trustworthy men had begun to report glimpses of it at ever-decreasing distances from Tyr.

  Agis replied, "I think the king would be well advised to take the threat seriously. He should stop wasting his money and manpower on the ziggurat and start preparing for the defence of our estates and his city."

  "If he believed in the Dragon, I'm sure he would," Tithian replied.

  They crested the gentle hill that hid the reservoir from the rest of Agis's estate. Below them stretched green acres of tall faro, the dwarf cactus-tree grown as a cash crop by many of Tyr's nobles. The faro itself was almost as tall as a man and had a handful of scaly stems that rose to a tangled crown of needle-covered boughs. The fields were crisscrossed at regular intervals by a network of muddy irrigation ditches. In the center of the farm sat the ancestral Asticles mansion, its marble dome echoing the shape of the distant mountains that ringed the Tyr Valley.

  "What's your secret, my friend?" Tithian asked, pausing to run an appreciative eye over Agis's lush fields. "It's all that anyone else can do to produce a few hundred bushels of needles a year, but your farm is covered by an orchard."

  Agis smiled at the compliment. "There's no secret to it," he said. "I just took a lesson from a druid."

  "And what did you learn?" Tithian asked.

  Treat the land well and eat well. Abuse it and starve." Agis pointed at the tawny plain of barren dust and sand lying beyond the borders of his estate. "If everyone followed that simple rule, the rest of the Tyr Valley would be as lush as my farm."

  Perhaps you should come and explain this discovery of yours to Kalak," Tithian replied, his cynical tone suggesting that he found what Agis told him difficult to believe. "I'm sure he'd be interested in such a marvel."

  "I doubt it," the noble replied. "Kalak's only interest in the valley is draining it of every last ounce of magic-giving lifeforce it can provide, regardless of what it does to the land."

  "Be careful who you say such things to, my friend," Tithian said. "That comment borders on treason."

  Still carrying the ceramic carafe of wine, Tithian started down the narrow path that led toward the estate mansion. As he descended the slope, Agis was surprised by the total absence of slaves in his fields. It was true that he worked them mainly in the relatively cool hours of the morning and evening, but even in the heat of the afternoon there should have been a few men in the fields to watch the irrigation ditches and clear any blockages. He made a mental note to speak to Caro when he returned to the house, then turned his thoughts to what he might learn from Tithian.

  "A week ago, Urik's emissary threatened war if we don't start shipping iron again," Agis said, bringing up a point that he knew the templar could not dismiss lightly. "We can't do it because Kalak has taken the slaves out of the mine to work on his ziggurat. How long does the king think he can continue to ignore the city's problems?"

  Tithian stopped and faced Agis. They were now surrounded by snarled faro boughs. "How did you find out about the emissary?" the templar asked, clearly shocked.

  "If the high templars have spies in the Senate," Agis responded evenly, "it stands to reason that the Senate has spies in the High Bureaus."

  The truth of the matter was that the Senate had been trying for years to recruit a spy in the king's bureaucracy, which whether they liked to admit it or not, was where the real political power lay in Tyr. Unfortunately, they had always failed. Agis was simply trying to confirm a rumor he had heard from a caravan merchant. If he happened to cause a little turmoil among the te
mplars, that was fine.

  "How did Kalak respond to Urik's threat?" Agis asked.

  To the noble's surprise, Tithian sighed, then dropped his gaze. "He sent the envoy's head back, carried by a merchant caravan."

  "What?" Agis shrieked.

  Tithian nodded grimly.

  "Is he trying to start a war?"

  The high templar shrugged. "Who knows? All I can say is that he seemed very pleased with himself."

  Agis was almost as shocked by Tithian's candor as he was by the news itself. Normally a high templar, especially this one, would be discreet about such things. "Why are you telling me this, Tithian?" the senator asked suspiciously. "What do you want from me?"

  Tithian appeared hurt and did not answer immediately. Instead, he took a long drink from his carafe, then studied the contents for several seconds. At last, he looked up.

  "I suppose I deserve even your suspicion, Agis," he said.

  You must know that you're the only man I have ever considered a friend."

  "That's very flattering, Tithian," Agis answered care-fully, "but we're hardly in the habit of sharing confidences. Forgive me if I seem skeptical."

  Tithian gave Agis a smile. "Believe me or not, it makes no difference. There has always been a certain bond of circumstance between you and me. More importantly you've always treated me with consideration-even when others didn't."

  "I don't think the worst of anyone until I've seen it for myself," Agis allowed cautiously. "Still, you must admit, this is the first time since we were boys that we've truly spoken of friendship."

  Because their family estates were near to each other Agis and Tithian had grown up as friends. They had even attended schooling in the Way of the Unseen together, though Tithian had hardly been an enthusiastic student. Unfortunately, his indolence and rebelliousness had made him something of an outcast with the master and other students, but Agis's friendship had not wavered.

  Later, Tithian's father had selected a younger brother to lead the Mericles family. Tithian was so furious that he had committed the ultimate class betrayal and joined the ranks of the templars. Agis's friendship had not wavered even when the younger brother had died under mysterious circumstances and everyone had suspected Tithian— unjustly, the senator had believed—of committing the murder to recover control of his family estate.

  Though their friendship had never really come to an end, they had drifted apart over the years. Tithian had risen higher and higher in the templar ranks, Agis had inherited his family's estate, and their interests had grown increasingly opposed to each other. In the end, it had simply been easier to let their close fellowship drift to an end than to strain it by trying to ignore their conflicting concerns.

  The templar sipped at the wine in his carafe. When he did not respond to Agis's observation after several moments, the noble continued in a careful tone. "What is it that you need from me?"

  Tithian's face clouded with anger. For several moments, he stared at Agis with a sneer upon his lips. Finally he hurled the carafe to the ground. It shattered into a dozen pieces on the hard-packed soil of the path.

  "I speak in the king's name!" the templar spat. I have the power to cake anything I wish from you!"

  Glancing at the smashed carafe, Agis calmly raised an eyebrow. "Why is our friendship suddenly so important?"

  Tithian ran his soft, bejeweled hands over his face. "With all that's happening," he said, "I just want you to know how I feel."

  As if embarrassed by the emotion, the high templar started back toward the house. Agis followed, silently wondering if he had been treating his boyhood friend unjustly.

  A few moments later, Tithian stopped in the middle of the trail. With his eyes fixed on the faro alongside the path, he reached for the dagger beneath his cloak. Following the templar's gaze, Agis saw a two-foot slug inching its way up one of the trunks. It was covered with half-a-dozen green scales that served as excellent camouflage, and it had a long snakelike neck that ended in a narrow head with a beak as sharp as a faro thorn.

  Agis quickly caught his friend's arm. "There's no need to kill it."

  "But it's a fruit varl!" Tithian objected.

  "I can afford to lose a few pieces of fruit." Because faro trees blossomed only once a decade, each piece of the sweet fruit was a delicacy worth almost as much as the tree itself.

  Shaking his head, Tithian said, "With thinking like that, I don't know how you pay the king's taxes."

  "It's because of such thinking that I can," Agis explained. "All things are linked together in a chain of life.

  If you destroy one of the links, then the chain is broken"

  Tithian scoffed.

  "You commented earlier on my orchard" Agis said "Would you like to know one of the reasons it grows so well?"

  The templar raised an eyebrow.

  Agis pointed to the scaly slug. "When the varl eats the fruit, it eats the seed. As the seed passes through its system, its stomach fluids eat away the black coating on the outside. Seeds without black coatings sprout twice as often as seeds with coatings."

  "How do you know all this?" Tithian asked.

  "I spent a week following varls," Agis replied, allowing an embarrassed grin to creep across his lips.

  "Most ingenious," the high templar replied. "You can rest assured that your secret will be safe with me."

  "Tell anyone you like. It won't affect the price of faro needles," Agis said. "Too many people would rather sell their fruit today than harvest their needles tomorrow."

  "That's certainly true," Tithian said. He smiled and returned his dagger to its sheath, then started toward the house again.

  Agis followed.

  "You didn't get to where you are today without being as intelligent as you are ruthless, Tithian," the noble said diplomatically. "So I'm sure you've already figured out exactly how you're going to meet the king's deadline for completing the ziggurat."

  Tithian nodded, lifting his head so he could glance toward Agis's house. "Why yes, I have."

  "Still, since you've come as a friend, it doesn't see out of place to offer a friend's advice," Agis said.

  Tithian paused on a small stone slab bridging an irrigation ditch, looking at Agis out of the corner of his eye.

  "And what would that be?"

  "Treat your slaves as you would your own family," Agis responded "Feed them well and give them a warm place to sleep. Not only will they be stronger, they'll work harder."

  "Out of gratitude?" Tithian smirked. He shook his head, then resumed walking. ''If you believe that, then I've picked a fool for a friend."

  "Have you tried it?"

  "Agis, for your own good, listen to me," Tithian said, speaking over his shoulder without slowing. "No matter how well they're treated, slaves hate their masters. Maybe they don't let it show, and maybe they don't even realize it themselves. But give them the opportunity and they'll massacre us every time—no matter how tame they seem while we're holding the lash."

  "If they're murderers, it's because their owners make them that way," Agis objected.

  "Yes," Tithian replied, touching a finger to his forehead. "You're beginning to understand."

  Agis bristled at the templar's patronizing tone. "My slaves—"

  "Would like to be rid of you as much as you'd like to be rid of Kalak. The difference is that you might be foolish enough to give your slaves a chance," Tithian said. "You'll have to be more careful during the next few weeks."

  '"What do you mean by that?" Agis demanded. He was still talking to Tithian's back and resenting it more with each step.

  Tithian ran his hand over the top of his head and down his tail of braided hair. "Nothing threatening," he said evasively. "Things are growing difficult in Tyr; you must be on the watch for treachery everywhere. Just this morning, I discovered that one of my own slaves is in the Veiled Alliance."

  "No!" Agis exclaimed, unable to stifle a chuckle. The thought of the Alliance operating right beneath a high templar's nose was too
much for him to bear in silence "Yes, it's quite amusing, isn't it?" Tithian's voice was tinged with acid.

  "I'm sorry," Agis said, suddenly understanding Tithian's comments regarding his slaves. "What did you do?"

  "Nothing, yet," Tithian replied, crossing the last ditch between the fields and Agis's house. "I haven't been able to go home to attend the matter."

  Tithian stepped out of the faro into the house's formal rear garden. The garden was a comfortable space designed to remind Agis of Durwadala's oasis. In the center of the reserve sat a small pool of azure water, bordered by a sandy bank and a few yards of golden whip grass. It was covered by the gauzy white boughs of a dozen chiffon trees.

  Although Agis had designed the garden to serve as a sanctuary when in need of a tranquil place to retreat, he felt anything but peaceful as he entered it now. He heard the subdued murmur of hundreds of hushed voices coming from the other side of the mansion.

  "What's that?" Agis demanded, stepping to Tithian's side.

  The high templar's face remained impassive. "Perhaps it's your happy slaves gathering to welcome you back.

  The mocking tone alarmed Agis. "What's happening here?"

  Without waiting for Tithian's reply, the noble closed his eyes and focused his mind on his nexus, that space where the three energies of the Way-spiritual, mental and physical-converged inside his body. He lifted his hand and visualized a rope of tingling fire running from the nexus through his torso and into his arm, opening a pathway for the mystic energies of his being.

  Unlike magic, which drew energy from the land and converted it into a spell, the force Agis was about to use came from somewhere other than Athas—though no one knew exactly where. Some practitioners believed they summoned it from another dimension. Others claimed that living beings were infused with unimaginable amounts of energy, and that they were merely tapping into their own resources.

  Agis believed he was creating the power. By its very nature, the Way was a cryptic and undefinable art, relying on confidence and faith instead of knowledge and logic. In contrast to the precise incantations and rigid laws of balance governing magic, which caused Agis and many others to think of it as more of a science than an art, the Way was fluid and malleable. With it, one could do almost anything—provided he could create and control the energies required without destroying himself. A practitioner could call upon the Way as often as he wished or summon as much of it as he needed, without fear of harming the land.