Read Online The Dream Spheres by Elaine Cunningham - Free Book Online

of his weight had settled in his haunches and hams. His sandy hair was shorn close to his head, and his beard was trimmed to a sharp point—no doubt in an effort to suggest resemblance to a satyr. In reality, the overall effect was nothing loftier than a two-legged billy-goat.
    The merchant immediately began to regale Elaith with stories. Since the only escape the elf could see involved a quick dagger and a faster exit, he merely let the slurred words flow over him as he observed the crowd.
    There was much to learn at such gatherings, and the elf’s quick eye had already discerned several interesting meetings, some unusual alliances, and some outright deals. He had long been of the opinion that information was as valuable a currency as gold, and already he had gained enough to repay himself for the tedium of attending the dreary affair.
    ” … sell the elf gem right out from under him, I will,” boasted the merchant.
    Elaith’s attention snapped back to his captor. “The elf gem,” he prompted.
    “Big thing,” the man said, beaming at this sign of interest. “A ruby, full of magic.” He leaned in and elbowed the elf’s ribs sharply. “Getting fuller by the day, too, eh? Eh?”
    Elaith grimly added the presumptuous lout to the list of those whose funerals he would dearly love to
    attend. A list, he added, that was growing nearly as fast as Danilo’s skyflower bush. It was so much tidier to kill people as you went along and have done with it. Isabeau Thione might be beyond Elaith’s blade, but this man was shielded only by a bit of unlearned information.
    “I am remiss,” Elaith said in cordial tones. “Your name has escaped me.”
    The merchant drew himself up, weaving only slightly. “Mizzen Doar of Silverymoon. Purveyor of fine gems and crystals.”
    “Of course. And the gentlemen who is the target of your clever plan?”
    Elaith’s questions had an unforeseen effect. As the merchant gathered himself in an effort to form an answer, his vague smile wavered, and his bleary eyes focused and then went bright with fear. “I know you,” he said in a clearer tone than he had used thus far. “Damn me for a fool! You’re That Elf.”
    The man spun and reeled off with indecent haste. This garnered Elaith a number of suspicious glances and set a good many tongues wagging.
    The unfortunate result, he noted wryly, of a long and misspent life. For decades he had cloaked his misdeeds with his handsome elven features and abundant charm. Eventually, deeds had a way of growing into reputation.
    All things considered, he was not very surprised when a servant discreetly handed him a folded note along with a goblet of wine. Probably a request from his redoubtable hostess that he remove himself. Or, just as likely, a summons from one of the apparently staid and proper members of the merchant nobility, who wished to make a deal beyond the gleam of this gilded circle.
    A glance told the whole tale. On the paper was a maze of tiny lines—undoubtedly a map. Interesting. It was unlikely that any of the merchant nobility would risk contact with the rogue elf unless the matter held considerable urgency. Most likely, it was a summons
    from a member of the Thann family or one of their retainers, judging from the complexity of the map. He could always deal with Mizzen later.
    With a faint smile, Elaith slipped the note into his pocket. He finished the wine and then drifted out into the gardens, and toward the meeting to which he had been summoned.

    Alone in the alcove, Danilo slumped against the wall and considered his predicament. Isabeau had robbed more than a dozen guests. Lady Cassandra would be mortified and shamed if it became known that a thief had been working her party. Danilo, for all his disagreements with his mother, had no wish to see her suffer such humiliation.
    Neither could he hold her entirely blameless. He had warned Lady Cassandra that such a thing might occur. Isabeau Thione had been trouble from the day he’d