“Why is that?” Alador considered as he swirled his mug. “Luthian and I have been practicing, and while I am not yet quick enough I do have the spells and power at my command.” Alador looked at Sordith curiously.
“My informants tell me that there is a group of mages conspiring that are against Daezun testing. They are arranging that all the final mages assembled for your fifth tier are ready to kill you,” he warned. Sordith looked back up. “They will not stop if you falter. They will seize this chance to remove what they see as a stain on the tiers.” Sordith shook his quill with concern at Alador. “You are trying to change a practice that has been around for hundreds of years. Change comes difficult to those that are comfortable,” he warned.
Alador sighed and shook his head. “I really hate this place.” He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
Sordith grinned. “Don’t worry, it will grow on you.” He gestured about them.
Alador drained his cup and slapped it down on the desk. “I sincerely hope not.” He ran a hand across his face as he considered this new bit of information.
Sordith refilled both their cups as he spoke. “So let me recap what I know and you tell me if I have missed anything.” He set the jug down and held up a hand. Sordith tapped a finger for each item as he spoke. “The plan for the bloodmine is on target and there will be enough men to pull it off. You are taking a test where every man and woman in it hopes that you will fail.” He continued to count off emphasizing each point with that tap to the desk.
“You are about to bring a deadly winter down on your own people. The man you hate the most is the one you must please right now. The Goddess of Death knows who you are and what power you hold. She just happens to be Luthian’s current mistress or he is a tool she is using.” He looked over at Alador. “Did I miss anything?”
Alador did not even pause. “Our father is a dragon.” His tone was matter-of-fact and devoid of emotion.
Sordith paused as he picked up his cup and took a long slow pull. He licked his lips then simply said, “Interesting.” His face was devoid of any response.
Alador watched him closely and noted nothing but a couple of extra blinks of Sordith’s eyes. “Well, your reaction was a bit calmer than mine.” Alador chuckled and picked back up his cup.
Sordith leaned forward with his mug in both hands. His fingers were a bit pale due to clenching it tightly further showing that the news was at least concerning to him. “So, how do you know this?” the Trench Lord managed to ask. There was a slightly higher pitch as he spoke, and Sordith’s face had an expression that held more dismay than disbelief.
“When I absorbed Renamaum’s power, I absorbed his essence as well. He knew therefore when the maelstrom of memories began to settle that I also knew.” Alador was enjoying the clear discomfort on Sordith’s face. Usually he was the one squirming and trying to adjust to Sordith’s harsh revelations. “Henrick did not deny it when I confronted him on the matter.”
“So…” Sordith took a deep swallow before asking his next question. “Are we… half dragon?” Sordith put a hand to his chest patting about.
“Does it matter?” Alador asked casually sipping his drink. He was enjoying the clear look of distress and the slipping mask of control his brother was so adept at maintaining.
“In fact, it does.” Sordith gave a nervous chuckle. His voice was still high and tense, further giving away that the news causing him a great deal of distress. “If I am half a dragon then will I live longer? Am I missing power that I could be using?” Sordith frowned. “And if I am a half dragon, how could I have failed my tier test?”
Alador chuckled. “Be at ease, brother, you are not half dragon.” Alador thought it far more amusing that Sordith now looked both confused and disappointed at that answer.
“I don’t understand then. How can Henrick be a dragon and we not be half dragon unless…” Sordith squeezed the cup in his hand till the knuckles were white. “...Unless he's not our father?”
Alador knew that Sordith has spent years looking for his father and so considered carefully how to break this next piece of the news to his brother. “The Henrick that would have sired both of us, assuming he was truly your sire, is dead.” Alador softened. “I am sorry, Sordith.” Alador set the cup down and looked at his brother. The teasing gone from his face and eyes as they met Sordith’s. “The Henrick we know, that we both have come to care for, killed him.” The admission was soft, an attempt to ease the blow.
Sordith took a deep breath. “Why did he kill him?” There was no anger in Sordith’s words, more a sense of loss. He broke his gaze from Alador and sat tensely staring at the cup in his hand.
Alador knew that there was no way for Sordith to know with certainty that the Henrick that they knew was being honest. He also had been able to confront Henrick directly and had not had to learn it second hand. “I know it’s hard to comprehend. I’m still struggling with it as well. You have the luxury of not quite being sure that Henrick was your sire. I know for a fact that he was mine.” Alador considered how to continue. “What Henrick said was that he found the actual man to be as bad as Luthian with little in redeeming qualities. Since taking his place would be to his advantage, he killed the real Henrick Guldalian and did so.” He spoke softly and remained quiet as a silence descended between them. Alador knew that Sordith needed time to work this through his own mind.
“So who is the Henrick we know?” Sordith was beginning to regain some internal control as the information began to settle. He drained the cup and immediately refilled it.
“Keensight,” Alador answered.
Sordith blinked a couple of times as he looked at Alador trying to piece where that fit in. “Wait, is that not the name of the dragon you went to see?” Sordith eyes narrowed and the puzzlement left his brow wrinkled as he spoke.
Alador had not found that part quite as amusing. Especially since he was certain that the man, or dragon as it was, had seemingly left out the fact that there were stairs to his own cave. “Yes,” he snapped. He shook his head; his displeasure at the fact must have been written on his face because Sordith began to laugh.
“Son of a whore…” his voice trailed off as he sat back and absorbed this into the tale. Sordith drained the cup again. “This type of information should not have been shared until I had consumed a great deal of alcohol.” He pointed at the glass in his other hand. He sobered a little and sat back. “So the man who brought your Daezun girl here, the man who I told I thought was my father, the man who graced these halls: That man is a … dragon?” Sordith’s questioning words and searching gaze gave a hint that he was trying to make sure Alador was not paying him back for the chair incident.
“Yes,” Alador said and waited.
“Well shite, man, why didn’t he just kill Luthian too?” Sordith asked in disbelief.
“I asked that very question.” He sighed out the frustration that the answer had given him then and still did now. “Dragons don’t think quite like we do. They are very long sighted.” Alador paused. “He decided a better replacement was needed before Luthian could be killed or the rituals of dragon bleeding would just continue.”
Sordith nodded as this seemed to make sense. “He and I did speak about that once. He wanted to find and train a man to take … up that mantle.”
“You do not need to talk in careful circles. I already know that he means for it to be me.” Alador shifted uncomfortably. “He is currently residing as Henrick at my home village of Smallbrook. I will need to tell him of this situation with Dethara to get his counsel as to how to proceed.” He looked up at Sordith and hesitated.
Sordith’s quick gaze did not miss it. “What?”
“I left out one thing when I shared my tale of meeting Dethara,” Alador began.
“Lad, if I am going to trust you then you have got to quit showing up with all these things that I don’t know.” Sordith tossed the empty cup onto the table and both men watched as it spun and slid to a stop. “I c
an’t make good decisions on false information.”
“I didn’t want anyone else but you and H...Keensight to know.” Alador explained. He said in a quiet hesitating manner that made it clear that he was not sure if he wanted to tell Sordith.
“Well out with it. Let us clear the table completely.” Sordith was clearly going from shock to irritation.
“While you are not a half dragon, I am a... A pseudo dragon and Dethara knows it.”
Sordith blinked a couple of times. “What, by the gods, is a pseudo-dragon?”
“I didn’t just harvest Renamaum’s power and memories.” Alador explained. “I absorbed him. I am mostly still Alador, but… I am also Renamaum.”
Sordith stared at Alador so long and with such disbelief that the mage became worried. “Sordith?”
“Well shite,” Sordith replied. He gave up using the cup and tipped up the jug.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sordith had always prided himself on being able to take in the most devastating news with a calm demeanor. In spite of this ability, he could not help feeling that his half-brother had completely rattled him, and he did not like it. If he had not seen Jayson crumble before his eyes, then he would not have believed the words spilling out of Alador. He had seen Alador’s power first hand, and he knew that when it came to matters of such enormity, the man did not lie. Well, that and his brother was a horrible liar, he mused.
He sat holding the jug as he considered that he was at a crossroads at this moment. One that would determine the rest of his life, whether it was to be short or long. He could side with the High Minister as the Trench Lord should; it had been his long term plan from the moment he had first stepped into the previous trench lords’ services. Add to that, he would still technically be supporting family.
Otherwise, he could throw his lot in with Alador. This was the riskier path, but it seemed to have greater power to its benefit. The boy had united a few dragons to his cause. He had just admitted that he was some form of dragon. Alador had also just shared that another of the allies that Sordith had been courting as his father was instead a dragon as well. This brought a pull from the jug as he thought things over. Henrick must be a very swift thinker because Sordith prided himself on being able to spot such ruses. The dragon had to be a very old one if he had enough power to effortlessly maintain such a transformation. Though, he mused, it did explain why the man ate so much. This brought an inward smile.
When a polite cough cut the silence, he realized that Alador was quietly waiting for him to speak. Sordith was not sure how to go on. His mind was racing over the facts as if racing over the air course on a lexital, such races were a favorite pastime of some of the younger and bolder of the upper tiers. Speaking of time, he needed to buy more to sort this all out properly. He did not need to rush his decision on who to support even though the news held such enormity for the two possible paths of his future.
He glanced up to Alador who was sitting patiently. “How did he know the details of my mother?” Sordith asked. He pushed the jug away from himself before he just upended the entire contents.
“I don’t know. That is something you will have to ask him if you ever cross paths again.” Alador stood and picked up the cup that Sordith had tossed. He refilled it and pressed into Sordith’s hand.
Sordith took it absently. “You think he will not return to Silverport?” He sat staring into the cup, turning it around and around.
“I know he will not for a time. Luthian banished him as Henrick and he has made me some promises.” Alador sat back down. “Promises ... That I need help from you to fulfill as well.”
Sordith’s mind grabbed at the offering of a concrete task. He set the untouched cup down and picked up his quill. “What is it that you need?” He looked up at Alador.
“I want to minimize the impact on the Daezun as much as possible.” Alador shifted uncomfortably. “How much would it cost for me to send routine secret shipments of basic food needs? Nothing luxurious, but food that people could survive on.”
Sordith pulled out a book as well then dipped his quill and quickly did some calculations, using this book for reference. “Well, there is the leasing of a less reputable ship, the extra fee the captain will charge because he hates Daezun… whether he truly hates them or not.” He mused as he worked. “There is the cost of the goods themselves, I can afford to give you those at my cost.” Sordith quit speaking as he calculated how much a ship could hold. He looked up when he was done. “You are looking at about one hundred seventy-five full medure slips a trip.”
“How long would such a trip take to the closer ports and back?” Alador’s face was scrunched up as he also calculated.
“Depends on the seas, the winds and the port.” Sordith trailed off.
Alador jumped in at the pause. “Let us assume the winds are fierce and the seas rough.” Alador pressed.
“Well if in one direction the wind was favorable, maybe two weeks to the nearest port and back.” Sordith was now watching Alador closely. “What are you thinking?” He looked up at Alador with a bit of disbelief. Surely the boy was not going to try to feed an entire nation of people.
“What if I could guarantee the cargo? The captain can sell any exchanges the Daezun can give him for his own profits? Bloodstones… ore… gems and such.” Alador pursed his lips. “In addition, I can guarantee that ship safety from the storms and pirates? What would my cost be then?”
“I don't truly know lad. I would have to approach the two or three captains I have in mind and see what they say.” Sordith laid down the quill. “I can tell you that the one thing I am going to hear is that you can’t guarantee safe seas.”
“I think I can,” Alador’s firm tone spoke of confidence. He paused for a moment. “Approach your captains with my offer. I'll pay eighty medure up front for the cost of the supplies and I'll pay another one hundred upon the return if the seas are rough or pirates encountered in addition to what goods were not damaged and sold.”
“What if they are calm and pirate free?” Sordith wanted to have all the facts to take to the captains.
Alador considered then went on. “It is unlikely that they'll believe such safety is of my doing. They can sell the cargo with a guarantee of the one hundred from me. I will make up the difference if the cargo is light. They can keep any additional profits over one hundred as well."
“You realize that you are encouraging them to lie for the additional profits.” Sordith shook his head. “It is to their benefit to tell you the seas were rough or they barely escaped from pirates, or even a step further and hide a portion of the cargo.”
“Then I guess you had best make sure they understand that I'll know if they lie.” Alador’s eyes glistened with mischief.
“And just how will you do that?” Sordith could not imagine any way that any mage could be certain of such a thing for a two-week trip.
“You don't get to know all my secrets.” Alador shook his head and firmly stated. “I will, however, give them a flag to fly. It will be required for them to receive the protection of fair weather, and other protections.”
Sordith was quite surprised at Alador’s change in his carriage and confidence. This was not the same man that he had punched in the gut for being an arrogant bastard to Mesiande. He considered the proposal. The negotiation tactic was a smart one for such a risky venture. Whatever captain might take the commission would be risking both the wrath of the Lerdenian council and the risk of pirates. There were few in the water in the winter, but the risk still existed.
“I'll propose it,” he agreed with a nod; he picked up the quill and quickly noted Alador’s terms. “Are you sure you want to spend your own slips?” He looked up at his brother with concern. “
“The trader who paid me is dead. The stone I sold was worthless. I am going to be the cause of a storm that is rarely seen on the isle. I think…” Alador wiped his hand over his face before he continued. “I think this is my responsibility to ensure.” He sighed
with the weight of that responsibility.
“We are talking about a large number of slips. How flush are you?” Sordith was truly curious.
“I still have a great deal left. I will bring some down before I leave the city.” Alador left it at that, and he did not look Sordith in the eyes. Had his brother found a dragon’s hoard with these new skills of his?
He decided a change of subject was in order. “You realize, that there are so many places that this plan could go wrong, right?” Sordith replaced the quill in his hand with his cup. The spreading warmth of the alcohol he had already consumed was soothing his fractured composure.
“It may have already gone wrong with Dethara’s more personal appearance.” Alador admitted. “But if I fail, at least I know I'll have tried to make right all the things that I inadvertently made wrong.”
“Much of that was not your responsibility,” Sordith pointed out.
“No, I am responsible.” Alador stared into the cup that sat on the desk. “I have had so many chances to do things differently, but either my pride or my temper won out.”
Sordith chuckled, unable to disagree with the mage. “I am glad you finally acknowledge you have a temper, and often jump without looking.” He shook his head with a rueful grin. “Here I thought about finding a trace of family, and I think what I found was a nest of vipers better left alone,” he quipped.
“Ah yes, speaking of viper nests.” Alador shifted his posture. “I have another need for your unique ... skills.”
Sordith raised a brow. “Oh, what is that?” His brother was asking for help, which in itself was a vast improvement. Since he had met the boy, he had been rushing off with knee jerk decisions. It was a welcome change, he thought, as he waited for Alador to answer.
“I need a spy in the temple of Dethara.” Alador said.
Pseudo-Dragon (The Blue Dragon's Geas Book 4) Page 20