The Floodgate - Elaine Cunningham [113]
"I found one of her companions."
She glanced at his bleak face. "Your turn."
Matteo told her about his encounters with Andris and the Crinti. He told her about the jordaini purification rite but did not pass along Iago's speculations about Kiva's motives. He mentioned that Ferris Grail owned the icehouse where Tzigone had been taken.
"Andris's treachery breaks my heart, but this sets me utterly adrift. Can I trust the jordaini order, the guardians of Halruaa?"
"Maybe they think that opposing you is part of keeping Halruaa safe."
Matteo considered this, especially in light of King Zalathorm's explanation of the mysterious power that protected the "heart of Halruaa." Perhaps this "heart" was the jordaini order. Perhaps in deviating from its strict rule, in exploring its secrets, he was doing harm where he meant only good.
He sent a helpless look at his friend. "I don't know what to do anymore."
She sat down beside him. "You know, I'm starting to see some sense in the jordain's creed. You're the only person I know who tells the truth. In a way, that's really stupid, but it's also why you're the only person I really trust. You have a healthy respect for magic but you've learned how to do without it. I've seen wizards who can't hit a chamber pot without casting a spell. Well, I haven't literally seen that, but you get my point. You really are a guardian of Halruaa.
That's worth doing. I've traveled. Halruaa isn't perfect, but it's the best place I've been."
Matteo took her hand. "When did you become so wise?"
She grinned and batted her eyes in a parody of flirtation. "I've always been wise. It's just that I'm so gorgeous, men don't seem to notice my other gifts."
They shared a muted chuckle. "So, what's next?" she asked.
"If the queen is to be believed, war is next," Matteo said quietly.
Tzigone looked dubious. "From all I've heard, the queen is as crazy as a moon moth."
"Yet there may be some significance in the fact that it was Kiva who brought Beatrix to Halarahh."
"So you think the queen and Kiva are allies?"
"It seems unlikely. Zalathorm is a powerful diviner. He has foreseen every major threat to the land for over three-quarters of a century."
She thought this over. "Let's find out if the queen really does know something. Since she's got so many devices around, no one would think much of another one."
"I don't think much of that, myself," Matteo said. "Planting a scrying device means using a magical item, which is forbidden to the jordain."
"It's not forbidden for a wizard's apprentice," she argued.
"Having someone use magic on your behalf is the same thing," Matteo countered.
"On your behalf? Listen to the man! Whose idea was this, anyway?"
"It's foolhardy, illegal, and very likely suicidal," he said heatedly, counting off these points on his fingers. "So obviously the idea was yours."
For some reason, this amused Tzigone. "So where do you go next?"
He glanced at the sleeping jordain. "I'll see Themo to the temple for healing, then I should report to the palace."
"But?" she demanded, picking up the hesitation in his voice.
"Perhaps I should bring news of this attack to Procopio Septus."
"Old Snow Hawk? Why?"
"He has spent a considerable amount of time studying the Crinti. He will wish to advise the king."
Tzigone agreed, not so much because she approved of Matteo's plan but because it suited her purpose. If Matteo wasn't at the palace, he wasn't likely to catch her there.
Experience had taught her to be wary of anything or anyone whose life Kiva touched. It was time to get a look at Queen Beatrix for herself.
Dhamari Exchelsor groaned and lifted one hand to his aching temples. He remembered the twice-cast spell, but that simple overexertion couldn't account for his throbbing head, or for the egg-sized lump he felt just under his hairline.
Then he remembered-his own men had carried him aboard Basel Indoulur's skyship and thrown him into this wooden bunk. His own men!
His eyes focused and set upon Basel Indoulur's face. The wizard leaned against the