The Moons of Mirrodin

CHAPTER 19

They left for the Quicksilver Sea immediately. There was still a few hours of dark before the yellow moon rose over the Glimmervoid. Slobad rode atop Bosh, and Glissa had taken her normal seat in the crook of the golem’s iron arm. They backtracked up into the mountains for a while before turning and heading in a new direction. Glissa could see the Glimmervoid off to her left through the mountains.

“We’re going to need information about the vedalken,” Glissa said to the goblin. “Do you know anything at all about the Quicksilver Sea?”

“Know that humans live on edge of sea, huh?” said Slobad. “Wizards, mostly. Have no need for goblin repairs, so Slobad leave alone. Never go back, huh?”

“Wizards?” said Glissa. “The robed figure was a wizard, but he was vedalken. At least we assume he was. At the very least, he definitely was not human-not with four arms. If these humans live near the sea, though, they may know something about the vedalken. It’s as good a place to start as any. We’ll find ourselves a wizard and ask some questions. How far is the sea?”

“Not far,” said Slobad. “Not on Bosh’s shoulders, huh? Be there one rotation, maybe less.”

* * * * *

The next day, Glissa, Slobad, and Bosh emerged from the mountains. Small outcroppings of tubular iron dotted the slope ahead of them, but beyond those lay a flat valley that led to the shores of the sea. Glissa looked up and down the mountain range. To her left, the range flattened out to meet with the Glimmervoid off near the horizon. The valley and the sea snaked in and out at the edge of the mountains. To her right, she could see that both the mountains and the sea ended abruptly in a curtain of green haze just at the limits of her vision-the Glimmervoid.

Glissa searched for signs of habitation. She didn’t know if the humans lived in the mountains, in the valley, or on the sea. She hoped they didn’t live in the Dross. Her gaze kept wandering back to the Quicksilver Sea. It glistened in the light of the moons, seeming almost alive. From her vantage point in the hills above the valley, she could see its silvery surface swirl and ripple in a hypnotizing pattern of blue, red, yellow, and black shadows.

The ripples were chaotic. As children, Glissa and Kane would toss small bits of metal in rain barrels to watch the tiny waves build and move across the surface and break against the edges. The Quicksilver Sea, though, undulated at random, as if something just below the surface, or the sea itself, were alive.

Glissa tore her gaze from the sea and concentrated on the valley. As they moved past the last of the iron formations, she saw at the edge of the sea a town of some sort. Shelters had been built in circles around a central structure much larger than the rest. A series of large planks stuck out from the shore at the edge of the town. In between these planks Glissa saw transports of some sort that must be used to cross the sea.

“There,” she said, pointing to the human town. “We’ll find our answers in that settlement.”

“You think they talk to goblin, elf, and golem?” asked Slobad. “Never see elf this far from Tangle. Nobody ever see the golem before, huh? And goblins and humans never get along, huh?”

Glissa thought about it. “You may be right,” she said. “We won’t get any answers if they think it’s for the goblins, and Bosh will just scare the flare from them.”

“We capture one?”

“No. If the humans aren’t working with the vedalken, we don’t want to alienate them. If they are, capturing one might expose us.”

“What we do, huh?”

“Glissa can impersonate a human,” said Bosh. “Just conceal her ears.”

“And her claws, huh?” added Slobad. “They scary, too.” He smiled.

Glissa stopped and looked back at her companions. “Are you serious?” she said. “I’ve never even seen a human. How can I pretend to be one?”

“You have better plan, huh?” asked Slobad. “Wait for hover birds come back and follow them?”

Glissa considered that one for a moment. “No,” she said. “Okay. We’ll try deception. It might work if I don’t stay too long. Just ask some questions and get out. I’ll need something to cover my ears. I can’t just tie a sword belt around my head.”

“Leave to me, huh?” said Slobad.

* * * * *

After the moons set, Slobad slipped into the town while Glissa and Bosh skirted around to the docks, heading for several large buildings near the ships Slobad said were used for storage. Glissa wandered around the storage shed. Several dismantled ships from the docks sat inside. Glissa didn’t know if they were being built, destroyed, or fixed. From their appearance, though, she could tell they weren’t vedalken. These ships were crude compared to the hover beasts she had fought. They looked more like something Slobad would build. The sides were hammered, and the connections were visible. The hover beasts had been sleek and self-contained.

Glissa climbed up on the deck of one of the ships. It was nothing more than leather hide stitched together and strapped across a metal-and-bone frame. Two large tubes of iron supported the leather deck. Glissa suspected these had been taken from the mountains. No wonder they don’t get along with the goblins, she thought. The humans have been stealing goblin metal.

She heard a noise and dropped to the deck, but it was just Slobad returning. The elf clambered down from the ship and took the bundle he handed her. She unwrapped the package to find a dark, hooded robe and matching blouse and boots.

“Where’d you get those?” she asked.

“Borrowed them, huh?” said the goblin, grinning.

The clothes were like nothing Glissa had ever seen before. They smelled like leather but were supple and flowed like water in her hands. She looked closely at the material. It appeared the leather had been cut into fine strips and woven together.

Glissa stripped off her jerkin and pulled the new blouse from the bundle. Slobad spun around and Glissa thought the goblin’s neck turned an even darker shade of red.

“No time for modesty, Slobad,” she said as she slipped the new shirt over her head.

She pulled off her tattered boots. The cultists had done a wonderful job repairing them, but they wouldn’t last much longer. She pulled on the new boots. They were a little large, so she tied them around her leg with a few strips of leather from her old boots, slipped the dagger sheath into her new boots, and stood up.

“I found out leader’s name,” said Slobad, still facing the wall. “She female named Bruenna. Live in big building, huh? Middle of town. Big building, huh?

“You can turn around now, Slobad,” said Glissa. She pulled the cloak around herself. “I’ll go pay Bruenna a visit.”

“Wait until the first sun is about to rise,” said Bosh.

“Why?” asked Glissa. “She’ll be alone now. This will be the best time to talk to her privately.”

“She will not expect a guest at night,” replied Bosh. “She will be suspicious. Go while she breaks her fast. You avoid the crowds but do not raise suspicion.”

“Fine,” said Glissa. “This is your plan. I’ll wait.” She pulled her hood over her head and walked to the back corner of the shed to lie down. “Wake me when it’s time.”

* * * * *

Bosh shook Glissa awake. “The blue sun rises,” he said.

Glissa looked at the metal man through bleary eyes. “What?” she asked.

“The blue sun,” he said again. “It will crest over the Quicksilver Sea momentarily.”

“Oh. Fine.”

She walked to the door, readjusting the hood to cover her ears and most of her face. She then folded her arms inside the folds of the cloak to hide her claws. Those parts of her skin that were still visible she covered with mud, hoping no one would notice her green hue. Slobad opened the door, and Glissa peered out.

“Most of the ships are gone from the docks.”

“Fisherman, maybe? They early risers, huh?” said Slobad. “All leave while you sleep.”

“What’s a fisherman?” she asked.

“A man who fishes, huh?” said Slobad. He continued as Glissa stared at him with a blank expression on her face. “You crazy again, elf? Humans catch fish-food-in sea. Bring home to eat, huh? Man who catches fish is fisherman.”

Glissa nodded. “Well, find yourselves a good hiding spot until I get back,” she said. “In case someone comes back needing parts.” She slipped through the door and crept to the side of the shed. She saw nobody walking about in the lanes between the shelters. It looked as if Bosh was right. She turned the corner and began walking slowly and deliberately toward the center of the town, keeping her head down and her hands tucked inside the cloak.

She passed a few humans heading toward the docks on her way through the ring of homes surrounding the main town building. She nodded at them as they passed, but they mostly ignored her. Glissa didn’t know what a fisherman would look like, but these people were all dressed in robes like her own and had an air of magic about them. She wondered if they used magic to catch the fish.

She found Bruenna’s home easily enough. It was the largest building in the town, larger than two storage sheds. While the shelters surrounding it were simple metal boxes with leather curtains for doors, this building was ornate. Metal columns supported the roof, and symbols had been etched in the wall above polished double doors. Glissa climbed the wide steps that led to the doors and knocked.

The door opened, and an old human female stood before Glissa. She had long white hair, and her face was almost as wrinkled as a troll’s. The old woman wore dark clothing similar to that which Slobad had stolen for Glissa, but her robes were dyed blue, and strands of silver ran through the woven leather. The dress glittered in the light of the blue moon rising behind Glissa.

“Bruenna,” began Glissa. “I-”

“Are you here to see Mistress Bruenna?” the woman interrupted.

“Yes,” said Glissa. “Tell her a messenger brings news from the vedalken.”

“Right this way,” said the woman. She showed the elf to a chair. “Wait here while I tell Mistress Bruenna of your arrival. May I take your cloak?”

“No!” stammered Glissa. “I–I am cold from my journey through the night. I will keep it for now.”

“As you wish.” The old woman left the room.

Glissa glanced about the room. It was bare. Taj Nar had been resplendent in gold and silver trinkets. The entire city gleamed in the moonlight from all of the polished metal. This house, though, which seemed so grand on the outside, was plain within. Bruenna’s home had few furnishings of any kind and no ornamentation on the walls or tables. For a leader of her people, Bruenna lived a simple life, thought Glissa.

The old woman returned. “Mistress Bruenna will see you now.”

Glissa followed the woman down a short corridor. They entered another room, where a beautiful young woman sat eating, long blonde hair curling around her face. She wore the same blue garment as the older woman, but hers had gold fibers woven throughout the garment instead of silver.

Bruenna was looking through a leather scroll. The table was strewn with piles of scrolls. It looked as if the leader of the humans hardly ever left this room.

“Yes? What is it?” asked Bruenna without even looking up at Glissa.

“I bring an important message from the vedalken.”

“What do they want now?” asked Bruenna. “More wizards? More goblin ore? Well, I don’t have any more wizards to send them, and the next shipment of ore isn’t due for days. Go tell them that, and leave me to my work.”

“They wish an audience with you, Mistress Bruenna,” said Glissa. “To discuss … schedules.”

Bruenna looked up at Glissa. “I–I’ve been called before the Synod?”

“Yes,” said Glissa. “I am to take you there myself.” She was amazed at how well Slobad’s scheme was working. Could she really get Bruenna to take them to the vedalken?

Bruenna was obviously agitated. She slammed the scroll down, almost toppling a plate of food. “I have done everything demanded of me. What more can they want?”

“Perhaps more serum?” ventured Glissa.

The human gave her a cold stare. “Who are you?” asked Bruenna. “Who sent you?”

“I told you,” said Glissa. “I am but a simple messenger of the Synod.”

“Did Lord Xauvrer send you?”

“Why yes,” said Glissa. “I believe it was Lord Xauvrer himself who dispatched me.”

Bruenna smiled grimly. “There is no Lord Xauvrer. Anyone-any human-would know that is not even a vedalken name. Who are you?”

With a quick wave of her hand, Bruenna released a ball of blue mana into the air. It expanded and washed over Glissa like a cold wind, pulling her hood back and ripping the cloak from her body. Glissa pulled out her sword and leaped onto the table.

“I’m no human,” she said, “but you are coming with me to this Synod of yours.”

Bruenna waved her hand again, and a stiff wind tossed Glissa and the table back against the wall. Glissa fell to the floor amidst a rain of scrolls. Her sword clattered to the floor beside her.

“What in the winds are you?” demanded Bruenna.

“I am an elf,” Glissa replied. “An elf who doesn’t want to kill you, but I will if I have to.” She snatched her sword from the ground and jumped to her feet.

“Let’s see you try.” Bruenna waved her hand again.

“You’ll need more than a little wind to stop me,” growled the elf. Another blast of wind slammed into her, but Glissa braced her back foot against the overturned table and held her ground. When the wind subsided, she dived at Bruenna, carrying the human to the floor beneath her.

“Perhaps your old servant will be more willing to take me to your vedalken masters,” Glissa gasped, pinching her legs together to hold Bruenna in place.

“You leave my mother out of this,” shouted Bruenna. “I won’t let you harm her.”

The human brought her hands up between her and Glissa. Glissa tried to grab the mage’s wrists to keep her from casting any more spells. The two women scrambled on the floor, but before she could get Bruenna’s arms secured, Glissa felt a strange tingling on the back of her neck. She threw herself off Bruenna and rolled into the corner of the room.

The wall erupted behind the human, showering the room with scraps of metal. Electricity danced across the remains of the tattered metal wall. A moment later a second bolt of lightning screamed through the hole and blasted the upturned table.

“Aerophuis!” shouted Glissa. “I knew you were in league with the vedalken. How did you call them here so quickly?”

“How did I call them?” demanded Bruenna. “Look what they did to my wall.” She scrambled to the other corner of the room and put her back up against the wall. “You must have brought them with you!”

“Your master’s assassins, come to help you defeat me,” snorted the elf. “Well, I’ve fought aerophuis before. They don’t scare me.”

“They scare the wind from me,” retorted Bruenna.

“Why would they attack you?” asked Glissa. “Aren’t you allied with the vedalken?”

“Allies? No. We’re little more than slaves.”

Glissa considered Bruenna for a moment. She didn’t know if she should trust the human at her word. The aerophuis made up Glissa’s mind for her. The tingle returned to the back of her neck.

“They’re coming in for another pass,” she shouted. “Come on.”

The elf scrambled to her feet and ran from the room, slicing through what was left of the table with her sword. She could hear Bruenna running behind her. Glissa dived to the ground in the front room just before the next impact. When she glanced down the hall, all she could see was smoke and lingering electricity where the corridor wall used to be.

Bruenna’s mother ran into the room, screaming. “They’re back, they’re back, they’re back! Why are they back?”

The human ruler ran to her mother and wrapped her arms around the older woman. “I don’t know, Mother. We must have displeased the Synod.”

Glissa stood and sheathed her sword. “It’s my fault,” she said. “They’re after me. If you’ll help me, maybe I can help you.”

Bruenna looked at her mother, then looked down the corridor at the wreckage. “That would be dangerous for me and for my people.”

“More dangerous than staying here?” retorted Glissa. She felt a familiar tingle. “Decide now. The aerophuis are returning.”

Bruenna and her mother shook in fear, but the young mage found the courage to reply. “Defeat the aerophuis and save my people. Then we’ll talk.”

“Fine.” Glissa ran for the front doors. “Once I’m outside, they should leave your house alone. I could use your help, though.”

The elf emerged into the blue dawn and ran down the steps. She felt rather than saw the human mage behind her. The pair sprinted toward the ring of shelters surrounding Bruenna’s home. Glissa heard the aerophuis roar over the house behind them.

“See if you can slow them down with that wind of yours,” she shouted as she ran.

“I’ll try.”

Glissa’s ears popped as the air pressure dropped suddenly behind her. She looked back and saw two aerophuis tumbling end over end backward toward Bruenna’s home.

“Well done!”

“You still haven’t defeated them,” shouted Bruenna.

“I have friends down by the docks. They’ll be able to help us if we can get there.”

The two women ran side by side through the town. People rushed back and forth looking for protection from the attacks. Some villagers called to Bruenna for help. Between strides she ordered them to return to their homes.

Lightning bolts flew behind them, but Bruenna’s spells kept them safe long enough to reach the docks. The elf banged the door open to the storage shed and ran inside, slamming it behind Bruenna.

“Slobad, Bosh,” she called. “Where are you? We need you. Now!”

Nobody was in the shed. One ship was missing. Glissa frantically searched the shed.

“I’ll go find them,” she said. “You stay here.”

Bruenna didn’t argue. Glissa opened the door and changed her mind about leaving. At least ten of the silver assassins were arrayed just over the docks. They hovered there, facing the door. She slammed the door shut.

“We have a small problem.”