She recoiled at the word.
“Give me a bigger, better job out there,” Markam said. “I dare you to come up with a prize that large.”
“The sword—” Sonara started, but she knew he was right.
“We work for her,” Markam said, “we do whatever it is she asks, especially if it’s against her father’s wishes… It’s a win-win, Sonara.”
He was right.
She hated him even more for being so… but he was. She gave Markam her very best Duran-worthy look. “Fine.”
“Alright!” Jaxon clapped his hands. “That’s settled, then.”
Sonara thought of Soahm, with his nice clothes and his lavish castle and the mystery surrounding him; a mystery she may never be able to uncover. Unless, perhaps, she had the riches to help. There was no mystery money couldn’t buy the answer to. Or at least get her far closer to the truth.
She just hoped she didn’t get killed in the process.
“The King has been in contact with the Wanderers,” Azariah said, back in the saloon. A fresh bottle of oil sat opened on the table before her, along with a tray of roasted meats that were surprisingly delightful, unlike most backwater saloon food tended to be. “As you know, the treaty signed long ago is about to expire, and the Three Kingdoms have decided to renew it, as per their initial contract. The Wanderer leader will soon arrive on Dohrsar to complete it. The signing will take place at the Garden of the Goddess. Specifically, at the upcoming Gathering. It is there, after the treaty has been signed, that the Wanderers will begin their mission. The Gathering, as you know, is a very blessed experience. A coming together of the Three Kingdoms. A celebration of our similarities, despite our differences.”
The treaty between the Three Kingdoms of Dohrsar was still in place, but it was a shaky thing, in near-constant imbalance.
Years ago, when Dohrsar’s main continent only comprised Soreia and the White Wastes, Jira’s father had discovered Gutrender, created an army, and razed his way through the entire middle of the continent. He created the borders around the Deadlands, declared himself king, and summoned both queens to his fortress walls.
The three rulers spent five days discussing the treaty that would keep peace in place, that outlined the new borders. It still held to this day, but the hatred between the three leaders was palpable. It was a skirmish between the Deadlands and Soreia that had called Soahm away to the front lines, that had resulted in his injury. There were other skirmishes like it, but someday, Sonara guessed that her mother and the Queen of the White Wastes would likely join forces to dissolve the Deadlands and take back what was once their ancestors’ lands, splitting the desert between the two.
“I’ve been to a Gathering before,” Sonara said. “Any good outlaw ensures they’re in attendance.”
Gatherings meant traders from all over Dohrsar would come, bringing their wares, ripe for the taking with the thick, bustling crowds. And the Garden of the Goddess, specifically, was one of the most fascinating places on Dohrsar. Plenty of places to hide, as it marked the entrance to the twisted network of mines that dove deep beneath the surface of the planet. It was there that many dug for gold, which was used to fashion into coin: the ever-driving force of man.
“But this is no common Gathering, Devil,” Azariah said. “For the Wanderer leader comes not only to extend a treaty of peace.He intends to take something from the planet.” She paused for a moment, just as Suzie Quick’s tune changed, growing louder and more raucous with the night crowd. “My father doesn’t know where it lies, this object… Long has he sought it, but to no avail. He will wait for them to uncover it. And then he will steal it out from under them.”
“An interesting turn of events, to have the Wanderers in attendance,” Jaxon said. He glanced sideways at Sonara, as if he knew that the very word plagued her.
She was already leaning forward, itching for answers, the image of the Wanderers on her mind. Their skeletal armor, their strange, otherworldly weapons and starships. Their faces,if they even had faces,hidden behind dark helmets. They could have been goddesses, as some liked to believe.
Sonara thought they were the true devils.
But if the Wanderers were to be in attendance, she would be closer to answers about Soahm. Closer to a chance of recovering her brother, once and for all.
Wait, Sonara!
Wait!
She pushed the ghostly memory of Soahm’s voice from her mind and focused on the group before her. “What is it they come to steal?”
Azariah paused. She looked to Thali and nodded.
“Antheon,” Thali said. “A powerful orb that lies hidden beneath the planet’s surface.”
“An orb,” Jaxon echoed. “Hidden inside the planet. It sounds like a tall tale.”
Thali nodded. “And so does the tale about the Children of Shadow.Yet here you all sit, with darkness coursing through your veins.”
“What does it do?” Sonara asked instead. “The Antheon.”
Silence, from both women.
“My father does not uncover all of his secrets, Devil. Just as you do not uncover all of yours.”
