City of Towers_ The Dreaming Dark - Keith Baker [74]
“Yes. So you did know about Rasial’s connection to the Tarkanans?”
“Of course.” She turned to face him and tapped her hand. “I told you not to let Rasial touch you, if you recall. That’s why I haven’t been able to employ my usual sources. The balance of power in the city is shifting. There are a number of old, established forces that have been part of Sharn since the first towers were built. But new powers have arrived in the wake of the war—myself among them. Now it is a game of alliance and subterfuge, to see if the newcomers can set roots and dislodge the old, established trees.”
“I never thought of you as a gardener, Alina.”
“I have a knack for making things grow. You of all people should know that.”
“And where do the Tarkanans fit into your garden?”
“At the moment, the Tarkanans have remained neutral in this struggle. I doubt they would be pleased to know that Rasial had been working for me. But even so, if something had to be done about him I didn’t want it to be traced back to me. I can’t afford to have the Tarkanans as enemies … yet.”
“Why didn’t you mention this before?”
“There are things I simply can’t say, Daine.”
Daine was surprised to see Jode’s shocked expression; this was more or less what he’d expected Alina to say.
“I knew you’d encounter the Tarkanans,” Alina continued. “The less you knew about the situation, the more natural your reaction would be—and the less chance of their recognizing the connection. At this point, I think you’re safe enough from them. You made quite an impression.”
“So what about our freakish friends in High Walls? What do you know about that?”
“You know that I hate to admit my own limitations, but until yesterday, I knew nothing whatsoever. I have a few contacts in High Walls, so I’ve heard about the corpses. Do you know why you were attacked?”
Was she telling the truth? Daine wondered. Alina was as unreadable as always. Her features might have been carved from white marble.
“I had hoped that you could tell us,” Daine said. “I think your friend Rasial had dealings with them.”
“Ah.”
“Ah, indeed. You know more about your stolen shards than we do, and more about magic than I ever will. Do you have any idea why a cackling changeling and a woman with a new eye on her hand would want your shards?”
Alina paused, her eyes distant. She sat down and reached behind her chair, producing a glass of shimmering light. She took a thoughtful sip. “I don’t know.”
“Really? Or is this another of those things you ‘can’t say?’”
Alina looked up at him, her eyes cold and hard. Daine held up a hand in apology. Remember who you’re dealing with. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long day, and we’re barely at the first bell. But we’re running out of leads, Alina. Anything would help.”
She nodded. “I don’t know … but it’s possible. The dragonshards are ideally suited to holding certain types of magical energy. In theory, if you charged the stone then ground it to powder and infused it into a liquid form …”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking!” Lei said. Alina glanced at her, and she looked away.
“I can’t say exactly what would happen,” said Alina. “I’ve never acquired stones of this caliber before, which is why I was trying to acquire this batch. But in theory, if you were trying to induce a magical transformation and you weren’t concerned with the possible side effects on the subjects … yes, the shards might be extremely valuable to your monster makers.”
Daine nodded. “So what are they worth? How much do you think they paid Rasial?”
“You’ve worked with me before, Daine,” Alina said. “I think that Rasial knows better than to cross me for something so petty as gold.”
“He was willing to cross the Tarkanans to work with you,” Jode commented.
“True, but I don’t think Rasial has ever really seen himself as a Tarkanan. They base their membership