The Gates of Night_ The Dreaming Dark - Keith Baker [95]
“What manner of creature are you?” Xu’sasar said. She held the bone wheel in her hand, ready to throw, and the points were sweating venom in response to her anger. She knew Kin was a trickster. This power alone was no proof of treachery, but she held herself ready to strike.
“Oh, did you not know?” Kin said. His voice was deeper, slower. He pulled back the hood, and now his skin faded to dull gray, and his eyes became as white as Xu’sasar’s own.
“You’re a changeling?” Lei said.
“Yes,” Kin replied. “I was born in the land you know as the Eldeen Reaches. The people of my village follow the ways of the Greensinger druids and have close ties to the faerie court. As a child, I caught the eye of my mistress, and she brought me to Thelanis to serve as her envoy.” As he spoke, he resumed his Riedran guise.
“Wait,” Lei said, considering this. “So you’re a … changeling?”
“I suppose so,” Kin said. “Yet what I am now is your guide. The monolith we seek is a few leagues to the north. The lords of this land have impressive supernatural powers, and I suggest that we move quickly.”
“What about this?” Daine said, gesturing with the scabbard.
“Keep it, if you want,” Kin said. “Otherwise, I’ll hold onto it.”
“Fine.” Daine tossed the jeweled sheath to the changeling and mounted his horse.
“What dangers can we expect?” Xu’sasar said.
“The people of this land prefer not to travel,” Kin said. “With luck, the only challenge will be the guards at the monolith itself. If we do encounter anyone, let me speak on our behalf. I can be quite convincing, when I need to be.”
“I don’t think any of us speak Riedran anyway,” Lei said.
“You are mistaken, Lady Lei. My mistress fed you knowledge as well as food. Thanks to the waters of Dusk, you will understand all languages, and all who hear you speak will know the meaning of your words. The effect will fade, but it should suffice for the task you must accomplish—here and in Dal Quor. Now follow me.”
Xu’sasar considered the Queen of Dusk. She disliked Kin, all the more now that she had seen his true face. This Thelania … it was obvious that she was one of the great spirits, and she had been most generous in her gifts. Yet she too concealed her nature behind an elven face. Vulkoor was the great scorpion, the deadly hunter who strikes unseen. What primal nature was Thelania hiding?
They rode across a vast plain. Xu’sasar was born in rolling jungle, and this flatland was strange to her eyes, so empty, lacking even the hills or tors of the Huntsman’s realm in Thelanis. The fields were filled with tall grasses, and rodents and insects scattered as the fey horses pounded across the plains.
Daine rode next to Lei, and the two spoke quietly. Though Xu’sasar was still learning the customs of the outlanders, she could see that they did not wish her company, so she stayed close to Kin, keeping an eye on the changeling and the shadowy landscape.
“What’s that?” she said, pointing to the west. She could see a slight break in the silhouette of the grasslands, a sharp edge rising above the swaying plants.
“Ruins, I should think,” Kin replied. “This land has a long history of war, and when the current overlords took power, they razed the old cities and built anew. There are ruins scattered across Sarlona, usually far from any current village.”
This thought brought some small comfort to Xu’sasar. Xen’drik was a land of ruins, and the Qaltiar used these remnants of giant civilization as shelter, moving from one shattered city to the next. Surely these ruins differed greatly from what she was used to. Nonetheless, it was comforting to know that there was shelter in the wilds, if they should need it.
“There’s our destination,” Kin said, halting and pointing. A black teardrop was silhouetted against the stars, rising