Dark Sun: Prism Pentad 4 - Obsidian Oracle (12 page)

Tithian shrugged. “I thought you'd be glad to be rid of me for a while,” he said. “But if
you insist on taking me back, so be it. I'll go.”

Agis narrowed his eyes. “Don't think that your false promises will work on me,” he warned.

Tithian shook his head wearily. “We know each other too well for that,” he said. “I'm hurt
and exhausted. I couldn't resist if I wanted to.” He lifted the waterskin to his lips and
drank deeply, then tied the mouth closed and handed it to the noble. “You'll have to carry
this, my friend.”

Agis slung the skin over his shoulder, then cautiously crawled toward the plank, motioning
for the king to follow. Although the noble half expected an attack, Tithian caused no
trouble. He followed dose behind, breathing in labored, shallow gasps. As they moved, the
bow slowly rocked toward the aft, tipping more steeply the nearer they came to their goal.

When they finally reached the plank, Agis waved the king ahead. “I'll steady it,” he said,
grabbing the end of the gangway. “You go on.”

“It's nice to see you're finally showing your king the proper respect,” Tithian joked,
crawling onto the gangway.

“Concentrate on what you're doing,” the noble ordered, his voice sour. “I want you alive.”

“How considerate,” Tithian replied, slowly pulling himself onto the plank.

As the king passed, Agis noticed the shadow of a mocking smile upon his lips. “Don't even
think of trying to betray me,” said the noble, lifting his chin toward Kester. “I'm paying
that tarek well, and there's not so much as a king's bit in your satchel.”

Tithian paused to look back, an expression of feigned indignity on his face. “Am I really
so predictable?”

“Be quiet and get on with yer crawling!” called Kester. “That derelict'll soon be under
the silt.”

Tithian finished crossing to the
Shadow Viper,
where Kester seized him and unceremoniously pulled him over the rail. Once the king stood
safely on deck, the noble wasted no time crawling onto the gangway. He had gone no more
than two yards when a deep rumble sounded from within the bow.

On the
Shadow Viper's
deck, Tithian closed his eyes in concentration.

Agis had just enough time to curse the king before the gangway trembled violently. A
terrible cacophony of creaks and groans sounded from the wreck, then the derelict's
bowsprit rose skyward and its aft end sank, sending a great plume of dust into the sky.
The plank slipped and fell free, then Agis felt himself following it into the gray sea. He
tried to scream, but managed no more than a strangled gasp as the mordant taste of silt
filled his mouth.

Agis snapped to a stop less than a yard above the gray sea, his legs dangling in silt and
his nose burning with hot loess. It almost felt as though someone had caught him with a
safety line, though he knew that could not be. Nymos and Kester began calling his name,
then the noble felt himself slowly rising through the gray cloud. The only explanation he
could think of was that the blind sorcerer had used a spell to catch him.

. As Agis rose through the roiling cloud of dust, he prepared a mental attack, determined
to prevent Tithian from launching another assault on him. By the time he finished, the
Shadow Viper's
hull was visible through the haze. He could barely make out the forms of the tarek captain
and the others standing at the edge of the deck. Tithian was staring at him with a look of
intense concentration, while Kester was grasping the gunnel and peering at him through the
dust. Nymos stood at the tarek's hip, his earslit cocked toward Agis.

“Stop him!” the noble croaked, pointing at Tithian. He could barely choke the words out
through all the silt clogging his throat.

Neither the tarek nor the wizard moved toward the king, so Agis drew his sword. As soon as
he came near enough to the ship, he reached for the gunnel and pulled himself onto the
deck. Kester intercepted him at the rail, blocking his way and grabbing his sword arm.

“It was Tithian that saved ye, so ye won't be killin' him on my ship,” said the tarek.
“It'd bring an angry wind upon us.”

Scowling, Agis pulled his arm free and stepped around the tarek to see that Tithian had
sunk to his knees. He was gasping for breath, while a pair of slaves supported his arms to
keep him from collapsing altogether. His face looked even more haggard than when Agis had
found him.

The noble sheathed his sword and stepped to the king's side. “What's your plan?” he
demanded. “Why did you save me?”

“You could have let me die on the wreck,” Tithian whispered, peering up at Agis. “Now
we're even.”

The noble shook his head. “You're not the kind who repays his debts.”

Tithian accepted the frank appraisal with an impassive face. “There are exceptions, you
know.”

“Not likely,” Agis snapped. “You wouldn't have saved me unless it served your purposes.
Are you going to tell me what they are?”

“I have,” the king replied.

“As you wish, then,” the noble said. He grabbed a piece of giant's hair rope off a
stanchion cleat, then stepped behind Tithian and began tying his hands. “In die name of
the Council of Advisors, I charge you with the high crime of slave-taking. You're to
accompany me back to Tyr, where you'll answer for your misconduct before the Court of Free
Citizens.”

Tithian jerked his hands free and struggled to his feet. “What's this?” he demanded. He
glanced at Kester and Nymos to make sure they were listening, then asked, “Has your
jealousy grown so much that now you can appease it only by fabricating council charges
against me?”

“Save your breath. Your act won't fool anyone here.”

“Kled was an accident,” Tithian said. “My raiders weren't supposed to attack it.”

“Then why did they do it?” Agis asked.

Tithian stared at the noble for a long time, then asked, “You mean you haven't figured it
out?”

“Tell me.”

“Borys,” replied the king. “They were collecting prisoners to fill the Dragon's levy. Why
do you think he hasn't shown up since Sadira returned from the Pristine Tower?”

A knot formed in Agis's stomach. It might have been anger or pity, or even guilt-he didn't
know which. “Thank you for being so frank,” he said. “I'm sure the Court will want to know
that you've been buying Tyr's peace with innocent lives.”

Tithian broke into a fit of laughter. “I fear your wits have left you, my friend!” he
chortled, shaking his head in disbelief. “Do you really think a Court of Free Citizens
will condemn
me
for sparing them the wrath of the Dragon?”

“Yes,” he answered. “You've broken Tyr's most sacred law.”

Tithian grasped Agis's arm as if they were friends. “Then you're a fool,” he laughed. “If
you give a man the choice between his family's safety and someone else's pain, the
stranger will die every time. Your court will declare me a hero, not a criminal.”

“This is a matter of law,” Agis replied confidently. “It's the foundation of the Free
City, and I'll personally make sure that our court understands the gravity of your crime.”

“And will you present a new plan to spare our citizens Borys's ravages?” Tithian inquired.
“Perhaps you've found the Dark Lens? Are you ready to kill the Dragon?”

Agis bit his lip, angered more than he liked to admit by the king's mocking tone. Together
with his friends Rikus and Sadira, he had spent much of the last five years searching for
the lens. They still had no idea where it was.

“However we protect Tyr, it won't involve slave-taking,” Agis replied.

Tithian sneered. “Then I'll be glad to stand before your Court of Fearful Citizens,” he
scoffed. “When they understand the alternative, I think they'll find your law a petty
thing.”

“I think they'll understand that a king who would do such a thing would also betray his
own people,” Agis said, moving once more to bind Tithian's hands. “Your subjects are not
so foolish as you think.”

“Nor are they so brave as you believe,” the king replied. Again, he moved away to prevent
himself from being tied. “But before we begin our journey home, perhaps you should know
why I've come all this way.”

“That would spare you a considerable amount of pain,” interrupted Nymos. He stepped
forward, his forked tongue flickering in suspense.

Agis pushed the little sorcerer away. “He won't tell the tram,” said the noble. “He's just
trying to turn me from my purpose.”

“Not at all,” said the king, meeting the noble's gaze. “In fact, I think you'll find what
I have to say very interesting.”

“I doubt that.”

“Then you've lost interest in the Dark Lens?”

“Of course not,” snapped Agis. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“I've found it,” the king replied. “In fact, I'm on my way to recover it right now.”

“What's the Dark Lens?” demanded Nymos.

“The Dark Lens is an ancient artifact, Nymos,” Agis explained. “The sorcerer-kings used it
more than a thousand years ago to create the Dragon-and without it, we can't destroy him
now.” The noble returned his gaze to Tithian. “But I think the king is lying about knowing
where it
is.
My friends and I have been searching for it for years. If we couldn't find it, I see no
reason to believe he did.”

“You mustn't be jealous, Agis,” Tithian said with a smirk. “Over these past years, I've
developed talents that aren't available to you.”

“Then where is it?” Agis demanded.

Tithian wagged his finger at the noble. “I won't say,” he replied. “But I'll tell you
how
I found it. That will protect my secret and convince you that I'm telling the truth.”

“I'm listening,” Agis replied.

Although he maintained a calm outward appearance, the noble's heart was pounding fiercely.
The Dark Lens was the key not only to safeguarding Tyr, but to revitalizing the rest of
Athas as well. The lens would complement the two things that his friends already
possessed: Rikus's magic sword, the Scourge of Rkard, and the powerful magic with which
Sadira had been imbued in the Pristine Tower. With all three elements together, they would
finally have the power to put an end to the Dragon's rampages.

After allowing Agis to remain in suspense for a moment, Tithian said, “I found the lens by
not looking for it.”

“What nonsense is that?” demanded Kester. “The lens was stolen from the Pristine Tower by
two dwarves-dwarves who had vowed to kill Borys,” the king explained. “When they died
without destroying him-”

“They violated their focus,” interrupted Agis, referring to the peculiar aspect of the
dwarven personality that compelled them to dedicate their lives to an all-consuming
purpose.

Tithian nodded. “When they died without fulfilling their purpose, they became undead
spirits,” he said. “I used my magic to locate their banshees, and that's how I know where
to find the Dark Lens.”

“And you offered to share this Dark Lens with Andropinis. That's why he loaned his fleet
to you,” surmised Nymos. The sorcerer stepped to Agis's side and laid a hand on the
noble's hip, then pointed in Tithian's direction. “I say we tie him to a boulder and dump
him over the side.”

“That won't be necessary, Nymos,” said Tithian, regarding the reptile with a wary
expression. “You're correct in all your assumptions except one. I have no intention of
keeping my word to Andropinis. I want the lens so I can kill the Dragon-for the good of
Tyr.”

“Forgive me if I doubt your motivations,” said Agis.

“Good,” said Nymos. “Let's throw him overboard and go after the lens ourselves.”

“We can't kill him,” said Agis. "I need him alive when he stands before the Court of Free
Citizens.''

“You can't intend to take me back now!” Tithian exclaimed. “This is the Dark Lens! It'll
make us as powerful as sorcerer-kings!”

“I'm not abandoning the lens,” said Agis. “You know it's too important for me to do that.”

“Good,” said Tithian, a smug smile on his face. “Then we'll work together-for the good of
Tyr.”

Agis shook his head. “You'll be spending this journey in Kester's brig-and returning to
Tyr in shackles.”

“We'll do this thing together, or not at all,” said Tithian. “Otherwise, I won't tell you
where to find it.”

“What happened to your concern for Tyr's welfare?” Agis asked.

“That's what I'm thinking of now,” the king replied.

“You're lying,” Agis replied. “Besides, I know where to look-the isle of Lybdos.”

Tithian's eyes opened wide. “You fool!” he hissed. “You can't succeed without me!”

“We can and we will,” Agis replied, smiling.
“I'm
sure you'll find the brig comfortable.”

The noble grabbed Tithian by the shoulders and turned him toward the center of the deck,
where Kester's slaves had gathered to watch the exchange. “I'll try not to make the rest
of your journey too unpleasant,” he said, looping his rope around the king's wrists.

“I'm
sure you'll do your best,” Tithian replied, his voice rather distant.

Agis looked up to see the slaves staring at the king in rapt fascination. At first, he did
not realize what was happening, for the noble had never seen such expressions come over so
many faces at once. “What are you doing?” he demanded, cinching the knot tight around
Tithian's hands.

“Perhaps you should explain that to me,” the king replied. “I thought you disapproved of
slavery, my friend?”

“I do,” Agis replied. “But this is Kester's ship-”

“Perhaps you and I should free these men,” the king replied, keeping his gaze fixed on the
crowd. “After all, slavery is illegal in Tyr, and are we not Tyrians?”

“There'll be no freein' of slaves on my ship,” Kester growled.

The crew ignored her and, in trancelike unison, cried, “Hurray for Tyr!”

“Yes, hurray for Tyr!” Tithian shouted. “Help me, and you'll all become heroes. You'll
live in great palaces and eat the fruit of the faro instead of the needle!”

With a stuporous cheer, the slaves surged forward to free Tithian. Kester leaped to meet
them, yelling, “Back to yer poles!” She grabbed the first man in the mob and snapped his
neck with
a
quick twist of her wrists. “I'll snap the heads off all ye mutineers!”