In the Claws of the Tiger (8 page)

Something stirred in Janik’s heart. It had started with the merest trickle the night before, a sense that he wanted to plunge deeper into his research, think harder about the issues his visit to Mel-Aqat had raised. Now that trickle was building to a flood. For three years, the name of Mel-Aqat had conjured a single thought, like a dagger in his mind. Now other images were reawakening. He recalled the sight of the ruins looming before them for the first time as they crossed the desert. He felt the thrill of moving through the ancient halls, shining his lantern on inscriptions that verified all his theories and speculations. He remembered fighting shoulder to shoulder with Dania, keeping a pack of insectlike waste-dwellers away from Mathas and Maija. I’ve missed this, he thought. Maybe I could go back …

“For
us
to return?” he asked Dania. “You would come?”

Dania smiled. “Of course I’ll come, Janik. You think I’d miss it?”

Janik knew exactly what she meant. Another image forced itself into his mind: Krael’s superior smirk as Maija handed him the sword.

“All right,” he said. “I’ll go.”

The three companions boarded an airship the next morning, destined for Sharn. Janik spent the bulk of the first day pacing the deck, casting a wary eye at the skies all around the ship. He slept fitfully, Krael’s warforged assassin featuring prominently in his dreams and usually living up to his name—Sever, Tierese had called him.

He rose early the next day and resumed his pacing. Dania approached as he stood at the stern, following his gaze out at a speck in the distant sky.

“It’s a dragonhawk,” she said.

“Too far east,” Janik replied.

“I don’t know anything about their range,” Dania said, “but I know a dragonhawk when I see one.”

“You’re just saying that because you know it’ll never come close enough for us to be sure.”

“It
is
close enough for me to be sure.” Dania smiled. “The fact that your inferior human eyes can’t make it out doesn’t make it false.”

Janik grinned. They had shared this argument many times, playing endless variations on essentially the same lines of dialogue. “So if it’s a dragonhawk, and it’s flying over southern Thrane, does that mean someone’s riding it?”

“No,” Dania replied. “No one is on its back.”

“I hope your superior half-elf eyes are right.” He turned around and leaned back on the railing. “It’s good to see you again.”

“It is good,” she replied, still watching the circling dragonhawk. “And good not to be arguing.”

“Dania,” Janik said seriously, “I never apologized.”

“No, you never did.”

“I am sorry for everything.”

She gave him a sideways glance. “I already told you it’s all forgiven.” She smiled, then looked outward. “Look, it’s diving!”

Janik saw the distant speck plummet earthward, pulling up an instant before colliding with the ground. He imagined he could see the beating of powerful wings as it climbed back into the sky, but it was like seeing the twinkling of a star.

“It caught a sheep,” Dania said. “That will be one unhappy farmer.”

“You’re making this up.”

She turned to him and smiled. “Hey, Mathas is down there having breakfast. Let’s join him. We can talk about what we need to do in Sharn.”

“I guess I could eat breakfast.”

They walked together across the deck and went below to the elegant dining room. Mathas, as usual, sat gazing out a window on the starboard side. Janik pulled a chair from a nearby table while Dania sat across from the old elf.

“It’s the most remarkable thing,” Mathas said. “I just watched a dragonhawk grab a sheep. It’s unusual to see them this far east.”

Dania burst out laughing, and Janik scowled at them both.

“I don’t know how you did it,” Janik said, “but somehow you two planned that.”

Dania laughed harder, but Mathas was utterly bewildered. Janik glared at them as he accepted a menu from a waiter.

“I thought we could start planning our time in Sharn,” Dania said after she and Janik ordered their food.

“Good idea,” Mathas said, picking at his plate of fruit. “Janik, our passage to Xen’drik is all set?”

“Yes,” Janik said. “I stopped at the Sivis enclave and spoke with Captain Nashan before we left Flamekeep. It’s a good thing I did, and probably the first time of many that
I will express my gratitude for the Church’s generous letter of credit. We’ll arrive in the city in the evening on Zol, then we’ll have only Wir and Zor to prepare before we leave on Far.”

“Only two days!” Dania said. “There’s a lot to do in a short time.”

“Yes. Of course, we’ll have as much time as we need to really stock up for the journey once we hit Stormreach.”

“Will we have trouble with the letter of credit there?” Mathas asked.

“We shouldn’t.” Janik answered. “House Kundarak still has a bank there, I think. I’ll check on that. I’ll also have to talk with the sahuagin to get us safe passage through Shargon’s Teeth.”

“Right,” Mathas said. “Is your contact—what’s his name?—still around?”

“Shubdoolkra,” Janik said, punctuating the sahuagin name with a weird popping sound around the D. “I don’t know. I’m completely out of touch. A lot can change in three years.”

“Speaking of change,” Dania said, “I hate to bring this up, but there are fewer of us than last time. Should we think about finding a fourth?”

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Janik said.

“For all her faults,” Mathas said, “Maija proved very useful in certain areas. Healing, for example.”

“That’s true,” Dania said. “The Silver Flame has granted me some ability to heal wounds, but I would be happier with a cleric along.”

“Do you have contacts in the Church of the Silver Flame who might fill that role, Dania?” Mathas asked. “You were working with a cleric in Karrnath, were you not?”

“I’m not eager to work with Kophran ir’Davik again,” Dania said. “Pompous ass,” she muttered, and Mathas laughed.

The waiter returned, set plates of food in front of them, then bustled off to another table.

“My thought,” Janik said, “is that it might prove fruitful to find someone who can cover a couple of weaknesses. I don’t want to go in there with more than four people—with too many, we’ll be stumbling through the ruins like a thunder-herder in Sharn. But in addition to healing, remember that we had trouble in Mel-Aqat with traps, as well as unsafe walls, ceilings, and floors.”

“Yes,” Mathas mused, “it would be fine with me if I did not get separated from the group by a collapsed wall this time.” Dania and Janik both laughed.

“We found you eventually, Mathas,” Dania said.

“Eventually.” Mathas scowled briefly.

“But that’s exactly the sort of thing I want to avoid,” Janik said. “My own skills only go so far, as Mathas will attest. So I was thinking about trying to recruit an artificer to join us.”

Mathas nodded, but Dania looked slightly skeptical. “That could be an ideal solution,” the old elf said. “An artificer would support all of our abilities—make us all better.”

“Maybe,” Dania said. “But three days to find someone we can trust makes me nervous.”

“It makes me nervous as well,” Janik admitted. “But believe me, I’m not going to accept anyone I don’t trust.”

“Well, we’ll see how that goes,” Dania said. “Let’s ask around while we’re making preparations and see who we can find.”

“Sounds good,” Janik replied. “You two will need a place to stay. You’re welcome to stay at my apartment, but …”

Mathas interrupted. “Thank you for your hospitality, but I will stay in Skyway as I always do. I prefer to stay as far above all those towers as I possibly can.”

“And I will find lodging with the Church,” Dania said. “I’ve seen your apartment.”

“I hired someone to clean the place weekly. I have every expectation that she’s been in twice while I’ve been away. I had no opportunity to dirty it up in between, so it must be sparkling right now.”

“That’s fine, Janik,” Dania said, “but all the same, I’ll stay with the Church.”

“Mathas, will you purchase our food for the trip to Stormreach?” Janik asked. “Nothing too extravagant, but I’d like to eat well enough on the ship to keep our strength up.”

“Certainly,” Mathas said.

“Dania, I’d like you to take care of securing letters of marque so we can loot Mel-Aqat with impunity.”

“I’m happy to do that, Janik,” Dania said thoughtfully. “But maybe it would be better if you did. You discovered Mel-Aqat, and I’d think the Antiquities Bureau would like to see your name on the application.”

“Feel free to throw my name around all you like,” Janik said. “But I know quite well that the old fools at the Antiquities Bureau like even more to see a pretty face holding the application.”

Dania raised her eyebrows. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Once you’ve got the letter in hand,” Janik said, “I’d like you to go to the Wayfinder Foundation and find out if they’ve sent anyone to Mel-Aqat since we got back. I’ll double-check at Morgrave, but I think I would have heard if the university sent a team. I like to think the Wayfinders would have told me as well, but I want to be sure.”

“Checking to see if any new information has come out of there?” Dania asked.

“I’m pretty sure the answer will be no. I’m still working my way through inscriptions I copied there three years ago, and publishing bits and pieces as I get them translated. But there are some scholars who would like to add their voices to the ongoing conversation about Mel-Aqat and don’t want to wait for me to publish my findings. I’d also like to be warned if we’re likely to run into other explorers while we’re there.”

“Got it.”

“I think the rest can wait until we’re in Stormreach,” Janik said. “We’ll need more food there—though if you find something good you don’t think we’ll be able to get in Stormreach, Mathas, go ahead and buy that. We’ll need tents, boats … oh, you should get new boots in Sharn and break them in on the ship. You still have your packs?”

“Of course,” Dania said, and Mathas nodded.

“I have no intention of sleeping in a tent,” the old elf added, “as you are well aware.”

“Just as I have no intention of walking into the wilds of Xen’drik without a tent on my back,” Janik replied, “whether I ever use it or not. Some day, somehow, your magic might fail. And my tent will be there, ready to serve.”

They all laughed and settled into an easy banter as they finished their breakfast and walked up onto the deck. As they emerged, Janik gave a careful look at the sky, but soon forgot his worry.

Two days later, the mile-high towers of Sharn came into view. Dania joined the crowd of people at the bow peering over each other’s shoulders to watch the city approach, but Mathas and Janik hung back, sitting on the ladder leading to the aft deck.

“Are you excited to see Sharn again, Mathas?” Janik asked.

“My favorite view of the City of Towers has always been from the quiet solitude of the Seventh Wind in Skyway,” the elf responded.

“Out the inn window, eh?”

“Exactly. I suppose this fascination with windows is not altogether new.” Mathas stroked his chin. “And you? It’s old and familiar to you now, is it?”

“I’ve been gone only two weeks,” Janik responded. “It seems a lot longer. Much has changed.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I left this place alone and wracked with worry about seeing you two again. Now I’ve brought you both back and we’re heading off on another expedition—just like the old days. And yet so different.”

“It’s not the same without Maija,” Mathas said quietly.

“Not at all.”

From their seats on the ladder, the pair could see the spires of Sharn silhouetted against the vibrant reds and oranges of the sky as the sun began to sink behind the horizon. Janik watched Dania hold a small child up to get a better view above the crowd.

“Janik,” Mathas said, “Dania didn’t get a chance to tell you—she saw Maija.”

“What?” Janik nearly stood up in surprise, but he eased himself back down onto the ladder.

“Yes, in Karrnath. With Krael. It was not an amicable meeting.”

“I can imagine not! What was she doing there? What did she say?”

“Dania did not report every word of their conversation, but she said that Krael was seeking an ancient tablet and Maija
was working with him. She seemed to think that Maija was utterly lost to evil.”

Janik scoffed. “She really is a paladin, then. All the world’s in black and white. If only it were so easy to tell good from evil, friend from foe.”

“If only it were.”

The towers of Sharn were all around them now, and the pair rose to their feet.

“We’ll be mooring soon,” Mathas said. “We should collect our belongings.”

“Let Dania know, will you?” Janik replied, heading down the ladder to his cabin.