Greatland. It occurred to him that the thrones Catrin commissioned were probably still resting within Catrin's Vale upon the Firstland. That thought stuck and Martik struggled to find words capable of convincing Trinda to allow Sinjin to bring the throne.
There was nothing else for him to do regarding the viewing chamber. It was fully functional, had no moving parts, and essentially consisted of two holes cut in a stone wall. It was exasperating.
He could no longer avoid the inevitable. He needed to face Trinda. They had not spoken in person since his "betrayal," as she referred to it in her missives. She was clearly still not pleased with him, but he could stand his current assignment no longer. Perhaps if he was able to negotiate a trade with Sinjin, he would be allowed to go back to work on the wheel until Sinjin arrived.
Walking into the hall, he found Bernerd, Trinda's trusted guard.
"I need to speak with the queen," he said.
"Why?" Bernerd asked, disinterested.
"Because I need to speak with her about the viewing chamber."
"What, exactly, about the viewing chamber do you need to speak with the lady about? You see, the thing you must understand is that anything you wish to say to the queen must be said to me first."
"The thrones we need are on the Firstland."
"See now? That wasn't so difficult. And how do you propose to retrieve them? Do you require a boat?" Bernerd asked with a smile.
"I suggest we trade with Sinjin Volker for it."
It took a moment for Bernerd to stop laughing, but he finally wiped a tear and drew a deep breath. "This should be fun to watch. I'm going to allow it just to see her react when you say the name Sinjin Volker. Trade, he says . . ." Bernerd continued to laugh as he led Martik to Trinda's day apartments. It was rare for him to be allowed into her personal space. Bernerd wanted it as uncomfortable for him as possible.
"And why is he here?" she said by way of greeting.
Bernerd smiled. "He insisted on seeing you." Trinda turned to Martik with a raised eyebrow. Insisted wasn't the word Martik would have used. "He has a question he simply must ask you. Go ahead, traitor, ask her."
Could there be a worse setup for a question? Martik wondered. He thought not.
"You have asked me to understand the viewing chamber and bring it to full utility, as you put it," Martik said, pausing to take a breath under Trinda's cold stare. "It is my opinion the correct composition of stone is not known on the Godfist, and commissioning new thrones will be expensive, laborious, and take a long time. This all seems avoidable since the very thrones Catrin commissioned are resting on the Firstland."
Trinda's soured.
"Surely if we offered them something, they would be willing to trade. I'm betting they would bring the thrones to us."
"Only if the thrones are delivered by Brother Vaughn," Trinda said, shocking both Martik and Bernerd.
He knew the man had been close to Trinda, but it was an odd thing for her to request, especially when he had expected a real fight. "What may I offer them in trade?" he asked, wondering if this was where it would begin.
Trinda tapped her chin for a moment then gave him a wicked smile. "Perhaps I should offer them you."
Martik didn't know what to say.
"Or perhaps I'll keep you just a little bit longer," she continued.
The girl did have a cruel streak.
"Offer them food and goods of equal weight. They may select what they wish from the market when they arrive. I believe they are aware of the quality of our produce, herbs, spices, and other goods. You have way to get word to the Volker boy?"
"Uh . . . yeah," he admitted.
"At least you were honest about that bit," she said. "Go. Send your missive."
* * *
Sinjin sat across the table from Strom, Osbourne, and Durin and had Kendra by his side, along with Arakhan and Mikala. Surely they would find some solution to their problems, he thought, yet they mostly came up with more questions. What was in the head of Trinda
There was nothing else for him to do regarding the viewing chamber. It was fully functional, had no moving parts, and essentially consisted of two holes cut in a stone wall. It was exasperating.
He could no longer avoid the inevitable. He needed to face Trinda. They had not spoken in person since his "betrayal," as she referred to it in her missives. She was clearly still not pleased with him, but he could stand his current assignment no longer. Perhaps if he was able to negotiate a trade with Sinjin, he would be allowed to go back to work on the wheel until Sinjin arrived.
Walking into the hall, he found Bernerd, Trinda's trusted guard.
"I need to speak with the queen," he said.
"Why?" Bernerd asked, disinterested.
"Because I need to speak with her about the viewing chamber."
"What, exactly, about the viewing chamber do you need to speak with the lady about? You see, the thing you must understand is that anything you wish to say to the queen must be said to me first."
"The thrones we need are on the Firstland."
"See now? That wasn't so difficult. And how do you propose to retrieve them? Do you require a boat?" Bernerd asked with a smile.
"I suggest we trade with Sinjin Volker for it."
It took a moment for Bernerd to stop laughing, but he finally wiped a tear and drew a deep breath. "This should be fun to watch. I'm going to allow it just to see her react when you say the name Sinjin Volker. Trade, he says . . ." Bernerd continued to laugh as he led Martik to Trinda's day apartments. It was rare for him to be allowed into her personal space. Bernerd wanted it as uncomfortable for him as possible.
"And why is he here?" she said by way of greeting.
Bernerd smiled. "He insisted on seeing you." Trinda turned to Martik with a raised eyebrow. Insisted wasn't the word Martik would have used. "He has a question he simply must ask you. Go ahead, traitor, ask her."
Could there be a worse setup for a question? Martik wondered. He thought not.
"You have asked me to understand the viewing chamber and bring it to full utility, as you put it," Martik said, pausing to take a breath under Trinda's cold stare. "It is my opinion the correct composition of stone is not known on the Godfist, and commissioning new thrones will be expensive, laborious, and take a long time. This all seems avoidable since the very thrones Catrin commissioned are resting on the Firstland."
Trinda's soured.
"Surely if we offered them something, they would be willing to trade. I'm betting they would bring the thrones to us."
"Only if the thrones are delivered by Brother Vaughn," Trinda said, shocking both Martik and Bernerd.
He knew the man had been close to Trinda, but it was an odd thing for her to request, especially when he had expected a real fight. "What may I offer them in trade?" he asked, wondering if this was where it would begin.
Trinda tapped her chin for a moment then gave him a wicked smile. "Perhaps I should offer them you."
Martik didn't know what to say.
"Or perhaps I'll keep you just a little bit longer," she continued.
The girl did have a cruel streak.
"Offer them food and goods of equal weight. They may select what they wish from the market when they arrive. I believe they are aware of the quality of our produce, herbs, spices, and other goods. You have way to get word to the Volker boy?"
"Uh . . . yeah," he admitted.
"At least you were honest about that bit," she said. "Go. Send your missive."
* * *
Sinjin sat across the table from Strom, Osbourne, and Durin and had Kendra by his side, along with Arakhan and Mikala. Surely they would find some solution to their problems, he thought, yet they mostly came up with more questions. What was in the head of Trinda
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