Read Online Elegy for a Lost Star by Elizabeth Haydon - Free Book Online Page A

moment, taking care to blot the last of his writing before allowing himself to stare out the window at the sunset.
    For all that he had modestly chosen to remain regent for a year, even when the Scales of Jierna Tal had weighed in his favor and selected him as emperor, Talquist did not deny himself any of the luxuries of the position that would soon be his. He had been nibbling all day upon the bounty of the shipping trade from which he had arisen as the hierarch of the western guilds: sweetmeats from Golgarn, flaky pastries layered in honey and cardamom, roasted nuts and delicate wine from the Hintervold, where the frozen grapes were pressed through ice to make an incomparable nectar. He had worked in the trade of the shipping lanes of the continent all of his life, and as a result he had developed a taste for and access to the finer things, even when he was a mere longshoreman. Once he became First Emperor ofthe Sun in a few months, he would have even better gastronomical delicacies to look forward to. The kitchens of the palace of Jierna Tal were considered among the finest in the world.
    The splendor of nightfall over the Sorbold desert was impossible to ignore, even for so focused a man as Talquist. The air, normally static and dry to the point of bringing blood from the nose, took on a sweeter, moister aspect for a moment, as if tempting the sun to return in the morning. The winds had quieted, leaving that air clear as well; the firmament of the heavens was darkening to a cerulean blue in the east, with tiny stars glimmering through the cloudless veil of night. In the west was a swirling dance of color, fiery hues that tapered away to a soft pink at the outer edges, wrapped around a blazing ball of red orange flame descending below the distant mountains.
    Talquist sighed.
There is such beauty in this land
, he thought, the fierce pride of his nation welling in his heart.
She is a harsh land, this dry, forbidding realm of endless sun, but her riches are undeniable
.
    The clattering of the hooves of the horses in his escort, fifty strong, roused him from his musings. Talquist reached for the platinum tinderbox, removed the flint and steel, and struck a spark to the wick of the lamp of scented oil on his table. A dim glow caught, then expanded, bringing warm light into the deepening darkness of the coach’s velvet interior.
    Three more days until we reach Jierna Tal
, Talquist thought, his eyes returning to the detailed ledger before him. The thought made him itch; he was eager to return to the grand palace with the parapets nestled deep in the mountains of central Sorbold after so much time on the western coast, attending to business there. An unfortunate accident at the time of his selection by the Scales had taken the life of Ihvarr, the hierarch of the eastern guilds, Talquist’s friend, cohort in trade, and only real competition. Talquist had quickly absorbed Ihvarr’s network of miners, carters, tradesmen, and store owners, which required extensive oversight, and he himself had always had the shipping concerns, which needed even more. But the heavy workload didn’t bother him, because Talquist was an ambitious man.
    The sound of a horse approaching broadside of his coach drew his attention away from his books. Talquist looked out the window to see one of his scouts riding up, signaling for the coach to slow. He tapped the interior window at the base of the coachman’s seat.
    â€œRoll to a stop,” he ordered, then leaned out the window.
    â€œWhat is it?” he called.
    The soldier, attired in the emperor’s own livery, reined his horse to a halt as well.
    â€œM’lord, there is a caravan ahead approaching the mountain pass, four wagons.”
    â€œYes?”
    â€œThey appear to be traveling under cover of darkness to avoid detection. The wagons are full of what appear to be captives.”
    Talquist leaned farther out the window, his brows drawing together in