you. I—I—” Sura was giving him that look, the one that stopped his thoughts in their tracks.
“What?”
Mik looked down. “I wonder what the mentor meant by pressures. At the Conclave, I mean.”
“Uh-huh. I’m sure he’ll tell us when we need to know.”
He shrugged and put his arms around her. “You’re right. There’s not much to look at out there, now. Maybe we should work on our… Chaos magic.”
Sura laughed and returned the embrace. The barge grew quiet in the deepening twilight.
Chapter 4 - At the Conclave
Mik stood on the Wide Lady ’s pointed prow, gawking at the endless procession of buildings, docks, and landings. The polemen, who would have normally cursed him as an obstacle, gave him a nod and plenty of space. Mik had helped to foil a raid along the way, and had stood watches with them. He was one of them.
“You can hear about something, but sometimes you have to see it to understand.” The voice behind him spoke softly but with a touch of humor.
“Yes, sir,” said Mik, turning to look at his mentor, Bailar the Blue. “Even Exidy seemed big, when I first saw it. But this…” He waved at Queensport, sprawling on both sides of the Wide River. “It’s hard to take in.”
Bailar caught the railing and held on. “Queensport is a great city, perhaps the greatest of our time. But it is a shadow of Camac That Was or even Old Koyr, from before the Age of Heroes.”
“Have you ever seen them?”
“No, but I have spoken with travelers. Camac is now a sprawling ruin, inhabited mostly by those who still quarry the great stonework left by the original inhabitants. Koyr was partly rebuilt by those who rule from the acropolis above the city.” Bailar shook his head. “Now there is a proud and prickly people. Ak’koyr was the chief city during the Age of Heroes, and they haven’t forgotten. You’ll meet some of them at the Conclave.”
“Easterners too?”
Bailar chuckled. “Quite likely. But have no fear, they will not be rogue enchanters like Ahm Kereb. Or if they are, they will take pains to hide it. All put aside their differences at the Gathering, for the good of all.”
Mik nodded and looked around. “Where’s Sura?”
“She’s making ready for us to debark. Oh, don’t worry. She has always done it, and she knew you would have to see Queensport.” Bailar paused, watching the city glide by for a moment. “The first year she traveled with me, she did this too. The barge captain said she made a fine figurehead.”
“Beg pardon,” said a poleman. “The cap’n says we’re nearin’ the canal and ya need to rejoin the other passengers. If ya please.”
“Yes,” said Bailar. “It would not do to interfere. Let’s go see if Sura left anything for you to pack.”
The barge captain stalked up and down the length of his vessel, shouting orders and curses at his crew in his Low Speech argot. Under his direction, the barge slowed, the stern canting port-side, drifting downriver at an angle close to the west bank. “Now! Heave to, boys! Ram it home!” Twenty polemen to port, ten to starboard, strained at their poles; the Wide Lady changed course, slipping through an open gate and into the canal.
“Job well done!” the captain barked; behind them, the gate swung closed and they drifted down the canal. “Now straight ya turn her, and for home we make! Rest ya can, when tied we are!”
“Thanks for taking care of all this,” said Mik, sitting with Sura atop their small pile of luggage.
She laughed. “It’s not that much. Besides, it’s your turn when we get back home!”
“Fair enough!”
Sura watched Mik watching the city for a while. “You think this is something,” she said, “wait until you’re in the middle of it. Where we’re going is… well, you’ll see.” She grinned and stood. “We’ll be busy, but we’ll have a little free time.”
“Good.” Mik sounded distant, distracted by all the sights. “What happens when we get off this
“What?”
Mik looked down. “I wonder what the mentor meant by pressures. At the Conclave, I mean.”
“Uh-huh. I’m sure he’ll tell us when we need to know.”
He shrugged and put his arms around her. “You’re right. There’s not much to look at out there, now. Maybe we should work on our… Chaos magic.”
Sura laughed and returned the embrace. The barge grew quiet in the deepening twilight.
Chapter 4 - At the Conclave
Mik stood on the Wide Lady ’s pointed prow, gawking at the endless procession of buildings, docks, and landings. The polemen, who would have normally cursed him as an obstacle, gave him a nod and plenty of space. Mik had helped to foil a raid along the way, and had stood watches with them. He was one of them.
“You can hear about something, but sometimes you have to see it to understand.” The voice behind him spoke softly but with a touch of humor.
“Yes, sir,” said Mik, turning to look at his mentor, Bailar the Blue. “Even Exidy seemed big, when I first saw it. But this…” He waved at Queensport, sprawling on both sides of the Wide River. “It’s hard to take in.”
Bailar caught the railing and held on. “Queensport is a great city, perhaps the greatest of our time. But it is a shadow of Camac That Was or even Old Koyr, from before the Age of Heroes.”
“Have you ever seen them?”
“No, but I have spoken with travelers. Camac is now a sprawling ruin, inhabited mostly by those who still quarry the great stonework left by the original inhabitants. Koyr was partly rebuilt by those who rule from the acropolis above the city.” Bailar shook his head. “Now there is a proud and prickly people. Ak’koyr was the chief city during the Age of Heroes, and they haven’t forgotten. You’ll meet some of them at the Conclave.”
“Easterners too?”
Bailar chuckled. “Quite likely. But have no fear, they will not be rogue enchanters like Ahm Kereb. Or if they are, they will take pains to hide it. All put aside their differences at the Gathering, for the good of all.”
Mik nodded and looked around. “Where’s Sura?”
“She’s making ready for us to debark. Oh, don’t worry. She has always done it, and she knew you would have to see Queensport.” Bailar paused, watching the city glide by for a moment. “The first year she traveled with me, she did this too. The barge captain said she made a fine figurehead.”
“Beg pardon,” said a poleman. “The cap’n says we’re nearin’ the canal and ya need to rejoin the other passengers. If ya please.”
“Yes,” said Bailar. “It would not do to interfere. Let’s go see if Sura left anything for you to pack.”
The barge captain stalked up and down the length of his vessel, shouting orders and curses at his crew in his Low Speech argot. Under his direction, the barge slowed, the stern canting port-side, drifting downriver at an angle close to the west bank. “Now! Heave to, boys! Ram it home!” Twenty polemen to port, ten to starboard, strained at their poles; the Wide Lady changed course, slipping through an open gate and into the canal.
“Job well done!” the captain barked; behind them, the gate swung closed and they drifted down the canal. “Now straight ya turn her, and for home we make! Rest ya can, when tied we are!”
“Thanks for taking care of all this,” said Mik, sitting with Sura atop their small pile of luggage.
She laughed. “It’s not that much. Besides, it’s your turn when we get back home!”
“Fair enough!”
Sura watched Mik watching the city for a while. “You think this is something,” she said, “wait until you’re in the middle of it. Where we’re going is… well, you’ll see.” She grinned and stood. “We’ll be busy, but we’ll have a little free time.”
“Good.” Mik sounded distant, distracted by all the sights. “What happens when we get off this
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