Nehrun’s voice cracked. He cleared his throat to continue with more confidence. “The wetlands are thick with the Fenlings. They’re clustered in packs—”
“Tribes,” Indris murmured as he examined his thumbnail. “The Fenlings hunt and fight in tribes, led by rival shamans. Not in packs.”
“Packs of Fenlings,” Nehrun continued belligerently. “It’s like no place I’ve ever seen. We were outnumbered and forced to flee.”
“Did you see any sign of Far-ad-din?” Ariskander asked patiently.
“None.” Nehrun took a deep breath. “Have the others reported any sign of him?”
You’re hoping not, aren’t you, Nehrun?
Mari thought.
You want to ingratiate yourself with my father even further. If you only knew the fate of Corajidin’s tools when he has no further use for them.
Yet Mari could not bring herself to have any sympathy for Nehrun. The man had made his own bed. Possibly next to his grave.
Vashne gave Nehrun a searching look before he settled the weight of his gaze on Indris. “Explain to me what you were doing in Amnon.”
“I’d rather discuss that in private, Asrahn, if you don’t mind.”
“This is not the time to be coy, Indris.”
“As you like, though the fewer ears that hear this, the better. My comrades and I were brought here to help Far-ad-din discover who’d been trafficking in proscribed relics from the Rōmarq,” Indris admitted. “Far-ad-din had already arrested some of the key merchants dealing the relics and was about to arrest the suppliers, though we wanted to know more about what they were doing. He was obeying the law as the Teshri set it down: to actively traffic in proscribed relics is a capital offense. Far-ad-din was protecting your interests, Asrahn, not flouting them.”
“Far-ad-din hinted to me something of the kind, though I was surprised he never told me more,” Ariskander mused. “I suspect some of his communications were intercepted, to prevent too many questions being asked. Far-ad-din was afraid of what others might unearth out there, as well as what the monsters of the wetlands might do with what they could lay their hands on.”
“With good reason.” Indris nodded. “He was also concerned with the consequences of what might happen to him if the criminals thought they’d been found.”
“I take it you’re aware of what lives in the wetlands?” Daniush asked.
“Some of it, yes. I don’t think anybody knows everything there is to know about the Rōmarq.”
“It seems to be as dangerous as people say.”
“Part of that is our fault,” Indris said. “After the Haiyt Empire of the Time Masters ended, the Seethe settled in the Rōmarq and made some of their largest Torque Mills there. When the first Mahj of the Awakened Empire sank the center of Seethe civilization beneath the Marble Sea, the Torque Mills weren’t all destroyed. They went on working with nobody to monitor them.”
“What happened?” Hamejin’s eyes were wide with curiosity.
“Reedwives, malegangers, dholes, and their ilk were created over the centuries. The Rōmarq, once a pinnacle of civilization, became one of the most dangerous places on Īa.”
“What about wyverns?” Daniush sounded so much like his father it took Mari a moment to realize where the question had come from. “Or butterfly-drakes? Or those little wolf-bear creatures I see people keeping as pets?
“They’re natural.” Indris smiled. “The animal you’re referring to is known as a marsh devil. They don’t make great pets. Even generations out of the wild they’re about one missed meal from turning feral.”
“What are the Fenlings?” Vahineh asked, her long face solemn.
Belam was right
, Mari thought. The princess did look a little like a shoe. “Why are they so much of a problem?”
Mari edged closer. Erebus Prefecture was almost free from the presence of such monsters. Indris took a worn journal from his satchel. He flicked through the pages until he found whathe sought.
“Tribes,” Indris murmured as he examined his thumbnail. “The Fenlings hunt and fight in tribes, led by rival shamans. Not in packs.”
“Packs of Fenlings,” Nehrun continued belligerently. “It’s like no place I’ve ever seen. We were outnumbered and forced to flee.”
“Did you see any sign of Far-ad-din?” Ariskander asked patiently.
“None.” Nehrun took a deep breath. “Have the others reported any sign of him?”
You’re hoping not, aren’t you, Nehrun?
Mari thought.
You want to ingratiate yourself with my father even further. If you only knew the fate of Corajidin’s tools when he has no further use for them.
Yet Mari could not bring herself to have any sympathy for Nehrun. The man had made his own bed. Possibly next to his grave.
Vashne gave Nehrun a searching look before he settled the weight of his gaze on Indris. “Explain to me what you were doing in Amnon.”
“I’d rather discuss that in private, Asrahn, if you don’t mind.”
“This is not the time to be coy, Indris.”
“As you like, though the fewer ears that hear this, the better. My comrades and I were brought here to help Far-ad-din discover who’d been trafficking in proscribed relics from the Rōmarq,” Indris admitted. “Far-ad-din had already arrested some of the key merchants dealing the relics and was about to arrest the suppliers, though we wanted to know more about what they were doing. He was obeying the law as the Teshri set it down: to actively traffic in proscribed relics is a capital offense. Far-ad-din was protecting your interests, Asrahn, not flouting them.”
“Far-ad-din hinted to me something of the kind, though I was surprised he never told me more,” Ariskander mused. “I suspect some of his communications were intercepted, to prevent too many questions being asked. Far-ad-din was afraid of what others might unearth out there, as well as what the monsters of the wetlands might do with what they could lay their hands on.”
“With good reason.” Indris nodded. “He was also concerned with the consequences of what might happen to him if the criminals thought they’d been found.”
“I take it you’re aware of what lives in the wetlands?” Daniush asked.
“Some of it, yes. I don’t think anybody knows everything there is to know about the Rōmarq.”
“It seems to be as dangerous as people say.”
“Part of that is our fault,” Indris said. “After the Haiyt Empire of the Time Masters ended, the Seethe settled in the Rōmarq and made some of their largest Torque Mills there. When the first Mahj of the Awakened Empire sank the center of Seethe civilization beneath the Marble Sea, the Torque Mills weren’t all destroyed. They went on working with nobody to monitor them.”
“What happened?” Hamejin’s eyes were wide with curiosity.
“Reedwives, malegangers, dholes, and their ilk were created over the centuries. The Rōmarq, once a pinnacle of civilization, became one of the most dangerous places on Īa.”
“What about wyverns?” Daniush sounded so much like his father it took Mari a moment to realize where the question had come from. “Or butterfly-drakes? Or those little wolf-bear creatures I see people keeping as pets?
“They’re natural.” Indris smiled. “The animal you’re referring to is known as a marsh devil. They don’t make great pets. Even generations out of the wild they’re about one missed meal from turning feral.”
“What are the Fenlings?” Vahineh asked, her long face solemn.
Belam was right
, Mari thought. The princess did look a little like a shoe. “Why are they so much of a problem?”
Mari edged closer. Erebus Prefecture was almost free from the presence of such monsters. Indris took a worn journal from his satchel. He flicked through the pages until he found whathe sought.
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