City of Towers_ The Dreaming Dark - Keith Baker [50]
The rotting man held his gaze for a moment then left without a word.
Dassi the innkeeper finally broke the long silence that followed. “Good to see the back of that one, General. I’m sure you saw worse in your day, but I certainly didn’t like the looks of him. Why don’t I get you another cup of tal, and you can tell us the story about the Olaran orphanage again?”
Daine nodded and smiled, though inside he was cursing all lying halflings.
It was not long before Jode returned. The four retired to their room, and Daine recounted the events of the last two hours.
“Aberrant dragonmarks … interesting,” Jode said, rubbing his own dragonmark thoughtfully. “Disturbing,” Lei said.
“There’s one thing I don’t understand about this,” Daine said. “I’ve heard of aberrant dragonmarks before. But in the stories I’ve heard, the people with these black marks sour milk or scare dogs—that sort of thing. Killing with a touch is a far cry from making paint peel. How come I haven’t heard about this before?”
“Most of the aberrants were wiped out over a thousand years ago,” said Lei. “These days, they usually only appear when two people from different dragonmarked houses have a child together. Instead of possessing the mark of either house, the child may develop a warped, damaged mark—usually with a weak power or no power at all. The common theory is that the damaged mark reflects damage to the soul of the bearer, and those who bear aberrant marks often go mad, or so I’ve heard. That’s why the dragonmarked houses aren’t supposed to mingle their blood.”
“Killing with a touch doesn’t strike me as a weak power.”
“I met a man with an aberrant mark once,” Jode interjected. “He had a chilling touch, much as you described. An unpleasant fellow, no question there. But I wouldn’t think he’d have been able to take you down, Daine.”
“I know.” Lei paused and thought for a moment. “There is one other possibility … but it’s just a legend.”
Daine shrugged. “Tell me a story, then.”
“The War of the Mark established the twelve dragonmarked houses that exist today. Supposedly, the houses came together to put an end to aberrant marks—to prevent crossbreeding and to destroy those already tainted by the darkness.”
“So I’ve gathered.”
“All we have to work with now is legend and hearsay. But according to the tales, the aberrant dragonmarks possessed by Lord Tarkanan and his allies were not weak, damaged marks. They could spread plagues, call fire from the sky, break the earth with tremors, and far worse. But the human mind and body were not made to channel these dark powers, and the marks drove their bearers to madness or caused them to grow ill and die.”
“Which would explain the walking boil and the girl who spends more time talking to rats than people.”
“It’s just a theory.” Lei paused, considering. “I’ve also heard of a substance called dragon’s blood, which increases the power of a dragonmark for a brief period of time. I imagine it would work on an aberrant mark just as it would on a true mark.”
“And don’t forget Korlev,” Jode said, referring to a sorcerer who had served with them for a few months during the war.
While he had no dragonmark, Korlev had learned to manipulate mystical energy to produce a wide range of effects. He claimed to be one of the “teeth of Eberron” and had been quite useful before the Valenar killed him.
Daine shook his head. “Fine. Maybe they’re drug-addled aberrations. Maybe they’re sorcerers. So just don’t let them touch you. Let’s focus on Rasial. Did you find anything useful, Jode?”
“Rasial was well liked. Honest, by all accounts. Had a real knack for working with hippogriffs, and a lot of friends in the local enclave of House Vadalis. Racing and flying were both passions of his. All in all, he was handsome, talented, popular—a rising star. Then he suffered those two accidents. A week later, he vanished. No one has seen him since.”
“Hmm.”
“With that said, there were a few guards who weren’t telling the whole truth—and not the nicest bunch. Rasial may have been honest to begin with, but I think he