"I know that, Alise. I've looked for him. So, where is he? And Melchor and Arnod."
"Where the Prophet wills." She looked away.
"And where might that be?"
"Where the Prophet wills."
Sandon grimaced. It was the same set of stock answers again. "All right. I understand," he said.
Alise nodded, her face still serious; then her expression lightened.
"Then let us find you a worthy robe," she said. "Come." She held out a hand, and smiled.
Ten
Jarid paced around the confines of his private workrooms in the Guild quarters, almost as if measuring the limits of his allotment. Yes, lesser status, lesser space; that was how it worked. A slight sneer came to his face, and then, with an effort, he forced himself to forget about it. There were more important things to do than worry about the size of his rooms. If he could actually get Markis to play, without gaining direct knowledge of the game he was playing into, or of the real nature of Jarid's plans, then all the better.
He stood looking at his communication screen for a few minutes considering. He knew what he was going to say, but it didn't hurt to go over it one more time in his head. Markis would have to feel threatened enough to drop what he was doing and come rushing back to the Guild rooms. Jarid would have to feed him enough information that he'd doubt, without giving the entire thing away, and that was a delicate juggling act. His brother had never been a really big thinker, however, and that should work to Jarid's advantage.
The screen stuttered and flickered a few times before the image stabilized. Jarid pursed his lips as he was waiting. Already the interference was bad. He drummed his fingers on the table, killing time while the various connections directed the call through pathways that would guarantee the best signal. It took longer than usual, but at last, the symbol indicating connect wavered into solidity in the screen's center. It flickered once or twice, shuddering and jerking in and out of definition while he waited for Markis to respond. His brother was probably out at the mines right now. He'd have to get back to the screen to answer, but any call at this time should be enough to prompt him to hurry back to the mobile communicator wherever he might be. He pictured Markis reaching for his prompter, the look of concern on his face, a muttered curse, then the looks, this way and that, working out how he was going to make his way to the communication station. As Jarid waited, the screen faded in and out. The image wavered, shook, solidified and sparked across with random lines. It seemed to be taking forever. He stood and stretched a few times waiting for the tone to arrive.
At last, the insistent chime drew him back to the desk, and he sat before the screen. His brother's image swam into view, broken by static and random lines. If this was the best connection they could get, interference from the stellar storms clearly had to be strong, getting stronger.
"Jarid," said his brother's voice from the speaker, overlaid with hissing white noise. "What is it? What's happened."
"Markis, hello. How are things at the mines?"
"Yes, they're fine at the moment. Pretty quiet, considering."
"No trouble with the Kallathik?"
"No, none to speak of. But come on, Jarid. You didn't call me simply to discuss what's going on at the mines. What is it? What's happened?"
Jarid chose his next words carefully. "It's father."
His brother's face loomed larger in the screen. "What's happened?" A note of panic in the voice. That was good. Very good.
"Is he all right? What's happened?" His face was now reflecting the panic.
"Yes, yes, he's All right. Relax. Nothing's happened to him, but there are things you need to know."
Markis's features eased slightly, but a frown wrinkled his forehead. "And couldn't this wait?"
Jarid reached out and gently traced the fingers of his right hand up and down the side of the screen and then leaned forward, dropping his voice. "Markis, no, it couldn't wait. There are things you need to know about right now. As soon as I found out, I had to get in touch with you. Before you spoke to father."
"I don't understand."
