9th Day of Harvester, 565 CY
Vesve Forest
(About 24 miles west of Ironstead)
Nesco abruptly reined her horse to a stop.
"Cygnus!" she ordered. "Cover your light! Tojo, Aelfbi- up here! No noise from anyone!"
The dark of a Vesve night closed in around the septet as Cygnus slid shut the lid of the tiny wooden box that was attached to a chain around his neck. The continual light cast on the pebble inside was covered up.
Nesco looked behind her. Her party was visible only as little more than mounted silhouettes standing in a sea of black pillars that had been trees in daylight.
The sound of hooves moving amongst a carpet of fallen leaves; noisier than Nesco wished, melded with the sounds of crickets and night peepers. An owl hooted off in the distance as two dark shapes the ranger knew were a human samurai and a half-elven cleric came up on either side of her.
"I thought I saw the light from a fire up ahead," Lady Cynewine said quietly," but it went out as soon as I noticed it. You two have the best eyes and ears here. Anything?"
Nesco tried to keep her horse silent and still while her two companions examined the forest in front of them. Forest that looked exactly the same as the woods they had been traversing for the past thirty-six hours.
"Someone there." Tojo's voice was a harsh whisper. "Heard footsteps."
"I saw undergrowth moving," added Aelfbi quietly. "More than this slight breeze would allow. It's stopped now. If I had to guess, I'd say they're hiding."
"Preparing an ambush?" Nesco asked.
The samurai shrugged.
"Cannot say. That for you to decide, Nesco-sama."
The ranger groaned to herself. Nesco Cynewine decides again. In her recent experience, that never seemed to turn out well.
She considered. If her party had been detected first, Golatunt wouldn't attack them without confirming that they were hostiles first. The problem was, if this was not Agarth, Golatunt and the sellswords ahead of them, then announcing their presence would give their unknown foes the first strike.
While Nesco would later berate herself for not acting more quickly, the decision was nonetheless made for her. A voice from ahead cut through the dark.
"You're at bow point! Advance and identify yourselves!"
Nesco relaxed, at least partially. Golatunt.
On an impulse, she decided to take a chance. If they didn't know yet in Ironstead, Golatunt wouldn't know.
"Lady Cynewine, Ranger of the Azure Order!" she called out. "Show yourself, Golatunt, and those with you!"
There was a short pause.
"Very well," came the voice of the scout. "Advance likewise and be recognized."
"Bring the light back out, Cygnus," Nesco said to the mage, then added to all present. "I'll go first, just to make sure."
Saxmund and Tojo already had their bows out and arrows notched. The rogue nodded.
"We'll cover you."
First one and then two torches sputtered to life about seventy feet ahead of the ranger as she eased her horse ahead at a slow walk. One torch bent down and Nesco saw a hurriedly-extinguished campfire slowly come to life again.
Golatunt's face was illuminated from below as the woodsman straightened up. He was tall and lanky, with a face partially surrounded by a bristly mane of hair with too much gray for his mid-thirties age. The scout sheathed the sword he held in his right hand as he peered at the ranger who came to a stop ten yards away.
Nesco saw three men in chainmail nearby. All were partially hidden behind trees. Not for total concealment- their posture indicated a deterrent more than an ambush- but it would make them harder to hit from afar. She could see little than their coifs- and the longbows with their arrows aimed squarely at her.
There was no sign of any blue giant.
Nesco crossed her arms and looked down at the scout.
"You disappoint me, Golatunt. I did not think that gold alone would suffice to lead you to desert your sworn duty and place the king's men at the crash site in jeopardy."
An oily grin appeared on the man's features. He rubbed his stubbly chin as he replied.
"I know not what you mean, Lady Cynewine."
"Don't play the fool," Nesco growled. "You're making no effort to hide your trail in order to make better time to the steelsphere."
Golatunt gave a look of wounded pride that reminded Nesco of Argo.
"Not so, my Lady. I have made every effort to conceal any signs of our passage. If I have failed, it was only because a superior tracker such as yourself was able to find any minute sign I might not have completely erased. Surely the orcs here have no trackers on a par with yourself. I think we can agree on that."
"I'm not buying, Golatunt," Nesco replied as she swung down off her horse and approached the woodsman.
The three sellswords kept their bows pointed at her.
"You're making far too good time to be covering your tracks. In fact, I'd say if you are covering them as you claim, it hasn't slowed you down at all. I think Major Standish would agree, don't you?"
Golatunt frowned and licked his lips, but then a smirk came over the scout's face as his gaze settled on her horse.
"And has the Major rescinded his orders of no mounts on this trail?" he asked snidely. "I was told no exceptions."
Scat! I didn't think of that!
"Our mission is of the highest urgency," Nesco said after a moment's hesitation. "Major Standish has authorized them for us and us alone."
Golatunt did not seem deterred. "And how will the urgency of your mission save the lives of the soldiers guarding the sphere when an entire tribe of orcs tracks you to their locale?' he inquired. "You know as well as I do how hard it is to conceal a mounted party's passage in here, Lady Cynewine."
Nesco gave him a hard smile.
"Well then, since we're both heading in the same direction and we're traveling faster than you, I expect you to cover both your own tracks and any minute sign that I might miss as my band and I move on."
The scout's face lost it's faux friendliness.
"I do not take your orders, Lady Cynewine, nor do I from any of the king's men. Our relationship is based on mutual advantage and mutual protection. Abuse that and you lose our trust."
Nesco was about to reply when she heard two sounds. One was the sound of hoof beats which signaled the rest of her party advancing up to her position.
The second was the sound of one of the mercenaries sucking in his breath in surprise. The man stepped out from behind his cover.
He seemed about thirty to Nesco. She noticed several unruly curls of blond hair peeking out from underneath his chainmail coif. His right cheek sported a large, faded scar. His expression was that of a seasoned warrior, but he wasn't staring at Nesco anymore.
The ranger looked over her shoulder and saw that the sellsword was gazing at Tojo.
And Tojo was returning the stare.
Suddenly, the samurai leapt down off his horse in a single move. Nesco tensed, but Tojo merely faced the man and- to her astonishment- gave him a slight bow.
When Tojo straightened up, a rare smile graced his features.
"Greetings, Quthfor-san. It is good to see you again."
"The Journeymen?" Nesco had asked Tojo several minutes later after all weapons had been put away. "The ones who accompanied you into Bellicose's lair? The ones who helped Aslan slay Chic? These are the Journeymen of Hardby?"
"You sound disappointed, Lady Cynewine," Quthfor commented, eyeing her closely. "I hope your companions were not telling you tall tales."
"No." Nesco shook her head. "I just didn't expect to find you this far north, that's all."
"We go wherever the gold leads, my Lady. Such is the life of a sellsword."
"You could sign up at Ironstead," Cygnus suggested. "They're in desperate need of men there."
Quthfor nodded. "We hadn't known previously; this is our first foray into the Vesve. When our current assignment is over, we may well take that route."
"Speaking of which," added Saxmund, frowning as she looked in a circle around the campsite. "Where is your current employer? Is he going to skulk around in the undergrowth all night? Admittedly, that's quite a feat for someone his size, but-"
"It's all right, Agarth!" Quthfor called out. "There is no danger here!"
The words had not yet died off before the mercane appeared out of thin air in their midst.
It was all Nesco could do not to gasp. Only in height and skin color was there a resemblance to Blackthorn, but it was a strong enough instinctual reaction that the ranger had to force herself not to draw Sundancer.
Agarth's head long and thin; more so than a human's by proportion. The mercane's eyes were a pale green behind a pair of simple round spectacles and his ears, heavily studded with rings, were elven in nature. Small tusks, like those of Laertes, jutted from his lower lip. An elaborate hat, something like a turban but with the horns like a giant ram, was perched on top of his hairless head. His neck was completely covered by a thick, dark blue ring of fabric.
The mercane wore voluminous dark blue robes, similar to the type many modern human wizards wore. The sleeves were large, and the giant kept pushing them back up to his elbows as he moved. His boots were of the traditional Baklunish style; curving upwards at the tip. Agarth wore enough gold rings, bracelets and other jewelry to make sure no one could miss them. A huge, forest green cloak swirled around him.
Agarth's eyes found Saxmund and Aelfbi, and his brow furrowed.
Sir Corvis stepped forward and bowed.
"We will arrive at the sphere first, master mercane. As an associate of mine once asked me, shall we embark upon this enterprise as allies, or rivals?"
The planar merchant stood motionless for a moment. Then, one long arm languidly moved. Double-jointed, thin fingers pointed at the campsite.
"Sit," Agarth said.
A dozen individuals sat around the campfire. Agarth and Tojo were in the lotus position, while the others made themselves as comfortable as possible.
While Nesco distributed the food and water that Aelfbi Gemblossom had created for them, Cygnus watched as Agarth conjured up a teak wood chest with a wave of his hand.
About three feet by two by two, the chest sported fittings and nails crafted from platinum. With spider-like grace, Agarth pulled a long key from within his robes and used it to open a lock on the chest. The mercane swung the hinged lid open and began to pull food and waterskins out of the chest.
Far more than should have been able to fit in it.
One mystery solved, thought Cygnus as the mercane handed what looked like a roasted pheasant to Golatunt, who tore it into pieces and distributed it. Several bottles of what might have been wine followed and also shared amongst Agarth's party.
The wizard's stomach grumbled at the thought of bland food and plain water.
In the meantime, Sir Corvis took the lead in the conversation.
"I know that you were not able to come to an agreement with Saxmund and her allies back in Chendl," the knight said. "However, this might be a good time to reconsider your position. Certainly a share of this find is preferable to none."
The mercane wiped his mouth with an enormous handkerchief, which he carefully folded up and placed in a pouch on the inside lining of his cloak.
"Getting to the pod first will avail you little," Agarth said calmly. "Your lack of knowledge will set you back far more than our lack of mounts."
"Pod?" queried Zantac, frowning. "Is that what you call the sphere?"
"Your question only confirms your ignorance," the mercane answered, a smug expression settling on that angular face.
Zantac flushed red, but Cygnus stepped in first. "We're not nearly as ignorant as you think. My friend Tojo and I have also been on board the Mary Celestial, an experience you have yet to enjoy. If we are able to summon the astral ship to this world, I dare say we'll be able to utilize it faster and more efficiently than you will."
Agarth removed his spectacles, wiped them on his sleeve, replaced them on his long face and peered down at the wizard.
Cygnus returned his gaze but said nothing.
Eventually, Agarth seemed to come to a decision.
"We will share information," the blue giant said. "You first."
The wizard hesitated and looked over at Nesco.
The ranger could feel a knot tightening up in the pit of her stomach. How am I supposed to decide? I know nothing of either magic or planar matters!
But then she realized that this decision really wasn't about either. It was about reading the otherworldly merchant. Judging his character. His truthfulness.
Nesco stared at Agarth for a few seconds, and then turned and nodded at Cygnus.
The Aardian wizard gave a reasonably accurate account of his and Tojo's experience on the Mary Celestial. The others listened, enthralled. Even Zantac and Nesco had not known the details of this particular adventure.
Cygnus had sidestepped from the matter of where he and Tojo had actually come from, but when he had finished his tale, there was a thoughtful expression on the mercane's face that he did not like.
"So," the giant mused aloud. "An astralship specifically designed for an alternate Material route. That is very rare. Difficult to navigate."
"Wait a minute," Cygnus protested. "I didn't say anything about other Material worlds!"
Agarth's smug smile returned.
"You did not have to. It is obvious to me you are not from this world. Neither are those two," he said, indicating Saxmund and Aelfbi with a lazy wave of his hand. "This is no surprise."
Damn it, thought Cygnus. I hope I didn't give too much away. "Now you," he said brusquely.
"Very well," agreed the mercane. He finished off one of his bottles of wine and then looked around at the entire group arrayed around the campfire.
"What do you know of The Great Wheel?"
"Only that we're a small cog in it," quipped Zantac.
"Small perhaps, but not insignificant." The mercane leaned over and began to draw a diagram with his finger in the dirt around the campfire that had been cleared of leaves and other detritus.
"This circle," Agarth indicated, "is your Material world." He then drew a much larger circle around the first one. "The astral. The timeless void between the planes. Portals to any other plane may be found there, if one knows where to look. And that," the mercane finished by leaning back and fastidiously wiping off his finger with his handkerchief, "is where the Observatorium comes in."
"The what?" asked Cygnus.
"The Observatorium," repeated Agarth, his voice carrying a faint but unmistakable condescending air, "is a secret to all but the most learned planar scholars."
"So how'd you find out? You stole the secret from one of them?" jeered Saxmund.
The mercane gave the rogue a cold eye and returned his gaze to Cygnus. "I am under no obligation to repeat myself, so I will not. Listen carefully. The Observatorium exists in a private universe of its own; a demiplane enterable from only one portal in the astral. A portal whose location is lost to history."
"But what is this Observatorium?" Zantac wanted to know. "Some kind of observatory?"
The mercane's mouth curled up in a thin U-shape. It was very disquieting to witness.
"You may think of it as the Archetype Observatory. A huge, spherical construct with the ability to peer into any plane, any realm. Even the gods themselves cannot shut the unblinking eye of the Observatorium."
Everyone as silent.
The possibilities, Cygnus thought. The possibilities.
"And you hope to use the Mary Celestial to find the portal that leads to this Observatorium?" the mage asked. "I don't see how one follows the other."
"But it does," replied the giant. "I think it likely that the unknown creators of the Mary Celestial and the Observatorium are one and the same."
More silence.
"How can you be sure of this?" asked Aelfbi quietly.
Agarth shrugged. "I am not. It is my pet theory only, but I am not, unlike you, without knowledge in these matters. I have compared accounts of the Observatorium with your descriptions of the astralship. I sense too many similarities for it to be a coincidence in my view."
"And what exactly are you hoping to view with the Observatorium?"
The mercane eyed Cygnus coldly.
"That," he said, "is beyond our exchange of information."
"Which leads us back to our underlying problem," stated Sir Corvis. "As of right now, none of us have legal claim to this pod."
"I will secure it," Agarth proclaimed confidently, now looking at Nesco, "from your Royal Court. That pod is a liability to your settlement at Ironstead for as long as it remains where it is. I can arrange to have the pod transported to a more secure location. Your king will accept certainty in gold over vague promises of a flying ship."
"We'll see about that," said Nesco, who squared her shoulders with a confidence that she did not feel at all. "If the Royal Court is informed that a certain blue giant should not be trusted with the Mary Celestial, then you will not end up with this pod at all."
"And who would tell them such a falsehood, Lady Cynewine?" rumbled Agarth. "I have been upfront in all my dealings and as honest as good business practice will allow. I have no hidden, sinister agenda."
"Says you," muttered Zantac.
"May I suggest a compromise?" Aelfbi broke in. "Let us pool our resources to obtain this pod. My companion Saxmund, myself and two others have need of the Mary Celestial, but only for a single trip. After that, and an opportunity for Cygnus and his allies to go where they will if they wish it, we'll turn the Celestial over to you, Agarth. You can then search for this Observatorium to your heart's content. What do you say?"
"I'm sorry, Aelfbi," Nesco interrupted before the mercane could respond. "That's beyond what I can agree to without Aslan and the others being present."
"Then we are at an impasse," Agarth stated without further ado, rising to his feet. "Golatunt," he turned to the scout. "Pitch camp and set your watches."
The planar merchant reached into his chest and pulled out a huge mass of fabric and poles that under his nimble fingers quickly resolved itself into a one-giant tent. He moved off to edge of their clearing and began to set it up.
Nesco and her friends might never have existed for all the notice Agarth took of them now.
The ranger felt Cygnus sidle up to her as Saxmund, Tojo and Sir Corvis began setting up their own camp on the other side of the clearing.
"What do you think?' the mage asked out of the corner of his mouth.
Lady Cynewine slowly turned to meet the wizard's gaze.
"We should have two days with this pod before Agarth catches up to us." Nesco's tone was slow but deliberate. "If there are any secrets left in that sphere, I think we'd better discover them before then."