23rd Day of Ready'reat, 565 CY

Tesken's Jeweler Emporium

Gradsul, Keoland

Elrohir craned his neck upwards, staring at the sign hanging over his head, a deep frown creasing his face.

I'd say our plan isn't working, but then we never really had a plan, he thought.

Bigfellow's relentless cheerfulness notwithstanding, Elrohir was certain that he, Argo, Aslan and Tojo were accomplishing nothing here in Gradsul other than wasting time and frittering away most of their remaining gold.

Given the nature of the divination, the quartet had agreed that questioning the jewelers of Gradsul would be the best place to start. However, although Elrohir had been to Gradsul once before several years earlier, he had no idea of the enormity of the city's so-called "Gem Row," where literally dozens of jewelers, gem cutters, goldsmiths and moneychanger shops stood side-by-side. The street was canvassed frequently by armed patrols, who, after several days, were beginning to cast suspicious eyes on the four foreigners who seemed intent on checking out every jeweler the city had to offer.

Thus far, no jeweler that they had spoken to had remembered selling any pearl necklace to a dwarf. Many had been reluctant to even talk, citing client confidentiality, which had necessitated bribes just to get them to consult their business ledgers in searches which inevitably yielded negative results. Making matters worse in Elrohir's eyes was that Aslan had refused to use his new helm to check whether or not any of the jewelers were lying to them. When questioned on what they would do after questioning every jeweler in town and coming up empty, the paladin had simply stated that they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

Elrohir glanced at Tojo, but the samurai was wearing his usual blank expression, seemingly unconcerned at their lack of progress so far. He then looked over at Argo, who smiled and shrugged.

"Once more into the breach," said Bigfellow as he opened the door.

A crackling fire; a new sensation in a jeweler's shop, greeted the four as they entered, a little bell affixed over the door tinkling as they did so. The warmth from the fire blazing away in the hearth was welcome to Elrohir and his friends, offering a respite from the cold, dank, overcast weather that had shrouded the city since their arrival. Two padded chairs flanked the fireplace that graced the right wall of the office. Across the left wall stood a glass shelf displaying an assortment of small jeweled items set with semi-precious stones. That was more familiar; no jeweler they had yet encountered put their most valuable wares within easy reach of potential robbers.

Emerging from behind the navy blue curtain that covered the far wall was a gentleman perhaps in his late sixties, with thinning, curly hair and pale, rheumy eyes. He wore a leather doublet with a blue and white checked pattern over a sleeveless tunic, and loose breeches. He was stuffing pipeweed into a wooden pipe and nodded at his new customers, smiling (and showing yellow teeth while doing so) as he reached for a tinderbox sitting on top of the mantel and lit his pipe.

Elrohir and the others waited respectfully until he had finished and stepped behind the glass shelf.

"Good day, gentlemen," the man said, "and welcome to my Emporium."

"Good day to you too, sir," Elrohir responded, falling into the now-familiar routine. "My companions and I apologize for bothering you, for we do not seek to buy or sell. Rather, we were wondering if-"

-"if I've sold a pearl necklace to a dwarf?" interrupted Tesken, his lips curling in a smile around the pipe in his mouth.

Elrohir's mouth fell open, but even as it did so, he heard Aslan's voice in his mind, courtesy of the telepathic link they had established earlier.

It's not that surprising, Elrohir. All our questions were bound to attract attention sooner or later.

Tesken quickly confirmed the paladin's conclusion with his next statement.

"The word has gotten out at the watering holes where my colleagues and I reside," the jeweler added. "I knew you'd be stopping by my establishment."

"Because you are person who can terr us 'yes'?" inquired Tojo.

"I might be," replied Tesken with a slight shrug, "but I am foremost an honest man trying to make a living."

That was Argo's cue to smile and hold up his belt pouch jingling with lions, the Keoish equivalent of Furyondy's gold wheatshaffs.

Tesken smiled, and he and the big ranger went back and forth for a few moments before agreeing on a price that Elrohir thought was much too high, considering they had yet to judge the value of this man's information. Still, he held his tongue until the jeweler had poured the coins into his own belt pouch and cinched the bag closed.

"First question," said Elrohir. "I won't ask if, because the price we've just paid pretty demands that. How about 'when'?"

"Almost a year ago. The thirteenth day of Patchwall, to be precise."

"Next question," put in Aslan. "Where did you acquire this necklace?"

Tesken shook his head, the smile sliding off his face.

"I'm sorry. I have little to fear from a dwarf I met once a year ago, but my suppliers are another matter entirely. I'll only answer queries about the sale."

Elrohir opened his mouth to protest but a telepathic don't bother interrupted him.

"Very well," said Aslan. "Do you remember this dwarf's name?"

"Dumotherain Darkeye," replied Tesken. "I don't normally ask for names, but it came up in conversation."

"Darkeye cran name," mused Tojo. "Have heard dwarf crans simirer to nober famiries of my homerand. This may herp in tracking him down."

"Do you know where he was from?" asked Argo. "Did he say?"

"No, but he wasn't a local. Most likely he was from the Principality," said Tesken, referring to the adjacent land of Ulek.

"Do you know that, or are you just guessing?" Elrohir asked.

Tesken shrugged again. "Call it an educated guess. Most of the old coins he lugged in here were high crowns and forges. Principality coinage."

"Can you describe him?"

Tesken made a wry face at the paladin's question. "Dwarf folk all look alike to me. His eyes were dark, though. Dark enough brown to be practically black."

"Let's get back to the necklace," Argo said. "Did Dumotherain ask for it specifically, or was he just trying to convert coins and didn't care?"

"Dwarves aren't known for being seafaring folk, or at least not according to the tales I've heard," contributed Aslan, stroking his beard.

Tesken hesitated a moment before replying. "He looked at a number of my pieces first, but he knew I had the necklace. I was curious when he first walked into my shop. When they're trading in bulk coins for more portable wealth, dwarves inevitably head for the establishments of my gem cutter friends instead." He looked thoughtful. "I gathered the impression that this Dumotherain was on the outs from his fellow dwarves. I can't imagine any dwarf walking around his clanhall wearing a pearl necklace. He'd stand out like an elf."

Elrohir thought he detected an undercurrent of prejudice beneath Tesken's comments about dwarves and elves. He ignored it however and continued. "Was there anything distinctive about the necklace itself?"

Tesken nodded, glancing over at Tojo as he did so.

"Yes. There was miniscule carving on the pearls. Beautifully done; the work of a master craftsman, to be sure, but as for pearls, it ironically lowered the value of the work. People like their pearls unblemished, as a rule."

"What kind of carving?" asked Tojo slowly.

"Kara-Turan writing," came the reply. "Very old, too. Cost me a bit to have it translated, so that moved the sale price back up. It translated as the phrase She Of Great Fortune."

The look that had passed among the four men had been so electric that even an hour later, as they were enjoying a last drink after checking out of the Purple Boar Inn, Elrohir could still feel its aftershock.

He could only imagine what Tojo must be feeling, but after that first look of near shock, the samurai was displaying only his usual impassive self.

"Well, now what?" the ranger asked, to distract himself as much as anything. "We start walking? Maybe we don't need to. We've been to the Principality before, or at least the border. Can you teleport us there, Aslan?"

The paladin frowned. "That was the Principality's eastern border, Elrohir. We're west of Ulek here."

"We'll head down to the docks," Bigfellow announced, downing his ale and standing up. "Take passage on a ship to their port of Gryrax. We'll be there in a few days."

The others agreed and rose as well. "With a little luck, you'll soon have the Pearls of Hamakahara, Tojo," said Elrohir, grinning at his samurai friend.

Tojo however, frowned back.

"Ruck dangerous thing to rery on, Errohir-sama," he said. "Even more dangerous thing to seek."