wary that
he might attempt to make another dash for it but when he sat down
she realised there was no danger.
“I take it you
have been watching me then?” He asked, touching his neck. It ached
from where she had grabbed him.
“No but you’re the
only one we’ve heard of that has a temporal device so I thought I’d
come and speak to you. I take it you are behind them then?”
“Yeah, it was me.”
He admitted, seeing no point in lying. There was nothing to gain
from it. “I’ve opened a few in the last couple of months...but
nothing near where you live. You are still in Scotland right?”
Terry didn’t
answer. Instead she asked, “And why have you been opening
portals?”
“For money...it’s
getting harder and harder to get by these days. Not all of us were
given so much wealth when we were exiled here you know.” He said,
bitterly.
Terry ignored the
comment. “From who exactly?” she asked quickly, more interested in
why he had been ripping open the wall between realms.
“Everyone...a lot
of them are refugees, others are escaped convicts looking for
somewhere to run.”
“Refugees and
escaped convicts don’t exactly have much cash and I seriously doubt
you’d be charging them so little for such a service. Who else have
you let through who has the money?” She asked, peering at him
suspiciously through the grate. She balled her metal hand, as if to
hit him.
“Alright!
Alright!” he shouted, waving his hands about in surrender. “Most of
them were members of the same family and people who worked for
them. Rilario had his lands and property confiscated when the other
ministers in the Southlands learned that he was involved in having
one of the royal family assassinated. He was worried that there
would be reprisals against his family. Most of them were just his
children and servants. That’s all I know, I swear!”
Terry lowered her
fist. “Lord Rilario? Really? Who did he assassinate?” she asked,
surprised. She knew of Lord Rilario, he was a very influential,
well, had been, a very influential politician in the senate of the
Southlands – where the fire and water elementals largely abided.
She had never met the man but she had always heard positive things
about him.
The fire elemental
shook his head. “I don’t know, someone told me the name but I’ve
forgotten it, they were a very minor member of the royal family, a
distant cousin or something to the King. I never even knew they had
existed until I heard about their death.”
“Why would he have
someone killed? I always heard he was a nice man.”
He shook his head
again at a loss. “I don’t know. I’ve never met him, all my business
with him I have done through a middleman.”
Terry leaned
closer to the grate, fixing him with her deadly gaze. “And where do
you meet this middleman?”
“He came here,
once, to Earth. He had portal devices to open rifts to this world.
But he gave them to me and asked to make sure that Rilario’s family
had somewhere to go after they came through, that was part of my
payment. He was one of Rilario’s closest servants. He was being
hunted himself and afraid to stay with them in case he led the
Kindaris right to their door.”
The Kindaris were
the Southlands equivalent to police officers. They were an
honourable, law abiding organisation. They would have come to
arrest Lord Rilario, but not his family or servants unless they
expected foul play. But it was not hard for Terry to imagine that
there would be some, not just among the Kindaris, who would seek
vengeance on the lord’s family for the death of a royal.
Terry thought for
a few moments, taking it all in. “Someone told me that the
Southlands and the Alchemists had gone to war. Is it true?”
The main blinked
at her with wide eyes. “What? Who told you that?”
“Then it’s not
true?”
“No.” He shook his
head. “Why would anyone say that?”
She looked away,
seething. “Nevermind.” Looking back at him she said,
he might attempt to make another dash for it but when he sat down
she realised there was no danger.
“I take it you
have been watching me then?” He asked, touching his neck. It ached
from where she had grabbed him.
“No but you’re the
only one we’ve heard of that has a temporal device so I thought I’d
come and speak to you. I take it you are behind them then?”
“Yeah, it was me.”
He admitted, seeing no point in lying. There was nothing to gain
from it. “I’ve opened a few in the last couple of months...but
nothing near where you live. You are still in Scotland right?”
Terry didn’t
answer. Instead she asked, “And why have you been opening
portals?”
“For money...it’s
getting harder and harder to get by these days. Not all of us were
given so much wealth when we were exiled here you know.” He said,
bitterly.
Terry ignored the
comment. “From who exactly?” she asked quickly, more interested in
why he had been ripping open the wall between realms.
“Everyone...a lot
of them are refugees, others are escaped convicts looking for
somewhere to run.”
“Refugees and
escaped convicts don’t exactly have much cash and I seriously doubt
you’d be charging them so little for such a service. Who else have
you let through who has the money?” She asked, peering at him
suspiciously through the grate. She balled her metal hand, as if to
hit him.
“Alright!
Alright!” he shouted, waving his hands about in surrender. “Most of
them were members of the same family and people who worked for
them. Rilario had his lands and property confiscated when the other
ministers in the Southlands learned that he was involved in having
one of the royal family assassinated. He was worried that there
would be reprisals against his family. Most of them were just his
children and servants. That’s all I know, I swear!”
Terry lowered her
fist. “Lord Rilario? Really? Who did he assassinate?” she asked,
surprised. She knew of Lord Rilario, he was a very influential,
well, had been, a very influential politician in the senate of the
Southlands – where the fire and water elementals largely abided.
She had never met the man but she had always heard positive things
about him.
The fire elemental
shook his head. “I don’t know, someone told me the name but I’ve
forgotten it, they were a very minor member of the royal family, a
distant cousin or something to the King. I never even knew they had
existed until I heard about their death.”
“Why would he have
someone killed? I always heard he was a nice man.”
He shook his head
again at a loss. “I don’t know. I’ve never met him, all my business
with him I have done through a middleman.”
Terry leaned
closer to the grate, fixing him with her deadly gaze. “And where do
you meet this middleman?”
“He came here,
once, to Earth. He had portal devices to open rifts to this world.
But he gave them to me and asked to make sure that Rilario’s family
had somewhere to go after they came through, that was part of my
payment. He was one of Rilario’s closest servants. He was being
hunted himself and afraid to stay with them in case he led the
Kindaris right to their door.”
The Kindaris were
the Southlands equivalent to police officers. They were an
honourable, law abiding organisation. They would have come to
arrest Lord Rilario, but not his family or servants unless they
expected foul play. But it was not hard for Terry to imagine that
there would be some, not just among the Kindaris, who would seek
vengeance on the lord’s family for the death of a royal.
Terry thought for
a few moments, taking it all in. “Someone told me that the
Southlands and the Alchemists had gone to war. Is it true?”
The main blinked
at her with wide eyes. “What? Who told you that?”
“Then it’s not
true?”
“No.” He shook his
head. “Why would anyone say that?”
She looked away,
seething. “Nevermind.” Looking back at him she said,
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