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Topiara - Chapter 9
As Lyara led her small party through the gates of Tandri, she knew the kind of relief at arriving home safely that she had formerly associated with docking safely after weathering a storm at sea. She gladly let Farranby lead them the most direct route to Dilan's Hall, thrilled with the prospect of being finally rid of her responsibility to Dynia and her still-constant complaints. Word of their impending arrival had reached the Hall before they did, and Dilan stood waiting for them as they entered the courtyard wearing the same, grim and adamant expression Lyara remembered from their first meeting. Ignoring him at first, she quickly dismounted, and helped Farranby get down from his pony. Although much healed over the days since his injury, he still moved painfully and slowly; and the stiffness in his side prevented him from waving aside the aid - even though he was aware that the one who aided him hurt still from her own wounds.
"And where's your monitor, girl? Don't you Guides have any sense of respect for your clients?" Dilan's wry voice sounded behind her and made her jump.
"She's too full of herself to show any respect for her betters," Dynia snorted from where she had alighted, and Dilan turned to give his future daughter-in-law a piercing look.
"I suggest you go inside and rest from your journey," Dilan growled at her, not at all pleased with the tone of voice she had used. "I'm sure you will feel better and be more able to find a suitable tone of voice once you are yourself again."
"Don't count on it," Lyara commented dryly as the golden-haired aristocrat turned angrily to follow a liveried servant into the depths of the Hall. "I believe you will find that her tongue has a permanent barb, whether she be rested or not."
"When I wish your assessment, I'll ask for it, Guide," Dilan chided sharply. "And you still haven't answered my question. Where's the other Guide who went out with you? And what did you let happen to my trusted steward?"
"She risked her own life defending the girl and her maid from Kaulut raiders," Farranby spoke up in her defense before she even had a chance to open her mouth, still leaning on his pony for support. "She fought two of them alone while I was wounded by a third. The other Guide was murdered before we arrived in the mountains."
Dilan showed some surprise. "Quite a bit of blood for a simple trip to and from the mountains, don't you think?"
Lyara shrugged. "No journey is certain to be safe, even far from the dangers of the northern frontier. Talandri highwaymen kill travelers just as dead as any other foe."
"She can't be held responsible for what happened, Master Dilan," Farranby insisted. "I've been with other Guides who I'm sure could not have handled themselves as well under the same circumstances."
"You've a staunch defender there," Dilan admitted, nodding in Farranby's direction, "but then it seems you must have done fairly well to merit such defense. Farranby is one who is difficult to impress." The Master detached a small pouch from his belt and tossed it casually at her. "In light of the circumstances, and Farranby's explanation, here is a bonus to your payment for your services. I will not object if you do not turn it over to your own master and keep it to yourself."
Lyara hefted the pouch and heard the clink of specie as she caught it again. "You are more than generous, Master Dilan, although you may regret the fact that I made it through safely when you get to know Dynia better."
Dilan snorted. "She'll soon discover that her bloodlines count for very little here in Tandri, and Choran is more than capable of handling her. Save your sympathy for her; don't waste it on my son."
Lyara chuckled. "As you wish, Master Dilan. If there's nothing else then, I'll be on my way back to my master's Hall."
Dilan nodded and turned back to his Hall. Farranby waited until the man was no longer looking, and then caught at Lyara's arm. "I heard some of your conversation withe old healer in Changdu, and I want to give you my word that no one will hear of it from me. And if you even need anything, you only have to ask me." He held out his hand to her. "You did save my life, and I am in your debt for that."
Lyara clasped his hand firmly. "Stay well, Farranby, and thank you for your silence." She remounted Surefoot and, with a jaunty wave at the steward, kneed her mount into a walk.
oOoOo
"I'm not surprised at the news," Lyndon commented evenly leaning back in his chair. "Karlo had changed a great deal when he came back to us, too quiet and sullen and not at all willing to tell anyone of what was troubling him." He leaned forward again. "But you say you saw no signs of the ones who did this to him?"
Lyara shook her head. "The tracks in the clearing were several hours old by the time we found him, Master. And the Kauwlut raiders that caught up to us on the return trip said nothing of having killed a Talandri Guide earlier."
"Ah, yes. About those raiders. You say there were four of them?"
"That's right, four of them all dead now."
"What did you do with the bodies?"
Lyara stared at him for a moment before answering, unable to fathom his line of thought. "Master Dilan's steward, Farranby, was badly wounded in the battle, and I felt it was more important to get him some help. We left the bodies where they fell." She frowned. "Why?"
Lyndon leaned back in his chair again and scratched his chin thoughtfully. "There've been rumors of trouble brewing in both the northern and southern frontier regions for weeks now, and some claim that the Kauwlut and Vryes have established an alliance ever since the Oracle died. Lately, it has only been because the Oracle left prophecies of engagements to come that have kept our northern and southern farmlands from being raided more often than they have been. For that matter, Karlo is not the first Guide killed on an assignment; but the circumstances of his killing just don't match those of the others." His gaze turned more piercing. "Are you sure there wasn't another reason that Karlo was killed, could he have been in some sort of trouble?"
Lyara shifted in her seat, acutely aware of the lump of the pouch in her trousers pocket. "All he would tell me was that he had had some trouble with a client he was guiding on an informal basis, and that the job had ended suddenly, and that possibly the man might be after him for some reason that he never did explain."
"What man?"
Lyara grimaced, as much from the ache in her still-healing thigh as from having to decide how much information to give her master when she would have preferred to tell him everything. "He never gave me a name, just that he was from the northeast."
Lyndon's brows knit, and he fell silent. Lyara fidgetted on her seat in front of the desk, and to calm her nerves and give her mind something else to focus on besides the pain in her thigh, she began studying the images of the deities that adorned the shelves in vain for the strange, Wolf-Faced One that had been so important in her vision in Changdu. With the realization, she became filled with an urge to find this Wolf-Faced One and with it perhaps her lost past.
"Oh. You can go back to your quarters now, Lyara. We'll discuss the details of your payment later."
Lyndon's voice jarred her back to reality, and Lyara rose gladly and walked from the office and down the long corridor to the chatori's quarters for a lengthy and well-deserved rest. Grateful that her roommate was not present, she made fast the door of her room so as not to be disturbed unexpectedly, tossed her clothes pack on the narrow bed, and then seated herself next to it. Comfortably sprawled, she then drew the leather pouch from her pocket.
Her shaking fingers made it difficult to untie the thin drawstring so she could finally get a good look at her treasure, and Lyara could hardly contain a gasp of pure amazement as the gem tumbled from its leather prison into her open palm. Multifaceted and a clear, warm golden color, the huge crystal was as warm to the touch as it was to the eye. Hypnotized by its magnificent beauty, Lyara found her vision, and indeed her very thoughts, drawn deep into its golden depths. In the center of the gem a patch of cloudiness developed, and she blinked her eyes rapidly twice believing that it was just weariness. But the obscurity remained and grew until it was a swirling cloud of fog that seemed to be trying to part and then close in again.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the fog dissipated to reveal again the enigmatic face of the Wolf-Faced One adorning the shield decorating her father's tent; but then moved to reveal other details of the surroundings. Many tents were gathered in the usual circle, with her father's in its rightful place in the center as the chief and shaman. The tall hills beyond the tents were a vibrant green, as if it were the beginnings of spring; and many skilled riders thundered toward them on yet another raid on the lazy southerners. The stone then led Lyara's attention to a tall, heavyset man standing next to the entry of her father's tent, his face weather-beaten yet gentle. The furred robe that draped his shoulders was of the finest to be had, and the finely crafted belt of tanned leather and silver that she herself now wore seemed as if it were a natural adornment. That same belt had been the one momento she had been allowed or allowed herself as a reminder of the life she had had on the plains and could no longer remember even in her dreams.
Lyara was given but a few moments to assimilate the memory of her father before the fog in the gem's depths closed in again and blocked the vision from her sight. The cloudiness remained but a second or two before clearing away again, this time more rapidly. It was not a place that was shown to her this time, but a flute fashioned of highly polished gold with odd symbols and figures etched on its entire length. Lyara could hear the lilting melody the flute played as if she were sitting right next to the player, one that carried a hint of sadness in its melody and strained at the limits of her hearing. The melody drifted away, and then the clouds closed in and masked the flute from view. But when the clouds cleared again, the visions were gone, leaving her staring at the dancing, golden lights of the jewel itself and back in her own world again. But, in the very back of her mind a name formed that moved closer to her consciousness; the name Topiara — the name of the stone she held in her hands.
Lyara blinked rapidly and then looked around her in surprise as if amazed to find herself once again in the chatori quarters she called home. Quickly she stuffed the gem back into its pouch, tied the drawstring and shoved it into her pocket. Lyndon had mentioned that the Oracle was dead, hard as it was to believe such a thing. And from her experiences, it seemed that the stone had indeed found her to be a satisfactory channel for its power, even to the point of giving her its name so she could call upon it if the power were needed. And it had given her a first glimpse of the flute, which was fabled to be its mate, the vision a challenge to find the flute and bring them together with the melody.
The importance of all the facts that she suddenly understood dawned on her, and she rose shaking her head as if to clear the cobwebs. With staggering steps she managed to gain the washbasin and splash some of the clear, cool water on her face. Talia had said that the flute lived in the South and that she should go there to seek the flute if the Oracle were dead, but the old woman's directions were incomplete. Where in the South? How far South?
Filled with frustration, Lyara flung herself down on her narrow bed and stared at the beam work of the ceiling. Ten months remained to her contract with Lyndon's Guides; months that from now on would seem to creep by. Topiara had come into her possession more or less by accident; the flute would require conscious effort - the kind of effort she would not be able to give while guiding a client through the region. Master Lyndon's reputation, as well as her own personal honor, would prevent her from taking the time from her assignments in the South to follow her search. No, she would have to wait until the ten months were up and she was free once again.
Never mind, a new part of her mind whispered silently, you will not be unhappy. You have much to learn and relearn about yourself and the Power you possess through me. The time will be well-spent, and you will know what you will need to in order to find my mate and make us whole again.
Lyara shook her head and sat up. Where were these thoughts coming from? Suddenly it seemed as if another entity were living inside her head.
Indeed we will work well together, answered the little voice in her mind. See how quickly we have grown close enough to hear each other's thoughts?
Lyara's hand swept down to the lump in her trousers pocket. Topiara?
The answering sensation of warmth on her leg almost made her smile.
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