go?’
‘I do not know. They retired to a meeting room to discuss a plan to which I was not privy, and did not emerge. I checked inside a short time ago and found the room empty. I can therefore only assume …’
‘They have threadwalked somewhere.’
‘Indeed.’
Tarzi shook her head. She did not like it – if something happened to Yalenna, how would Rostigan get back? He could end up stranded halfway across the world and no one would even know. Why was he so damnably close-lipped?
‘There’s something I must tell you, Captain,’ she said.
‘Oh? That will make a change.’
‘I was walking in the city this morning – I don’t know if you’ve been on the streets today?’
‘Not today.’
‘I noticedan odd mood out there, a pervasive kind of sadness. It got hold of me too, but once I was free of it, I remembered where I felt it last.’
‘Where?’
‘When Rostigan and I came across a village that had been beset by a Worm of Regret.’
Jandryn paled. ‘I … but, well, I don’t think we can say that a glum mood is really proof …’
‘Let me continue. The worms, as you probably know, feed on hope and happiness, which is why folk in their presence become so maudlin. Then, once a person has been sucked dry, they offer themselves up to be finished off, seemingly of their own volition. Well, today I saw that happen.’
‘You did? Where?’
‘It was a beggar, which is how it starts – those with the least hope to begin with make for the easiest prey. I saw this man crawl into a drain where a worm was waiting for him.’
‘A drain? Then … ah, but of course.’
‘What is it?’
‘All the drains flow into a cavern beneath the city, through which the Glymph runs underground.’
‘That would be perfect for a worm then. Or worms.’
‘Though you saw only one?’
‘Yes, but a city this size could easily support more.’
Jandryn rubbed his chin. ‘This is dim news indeed. There have been recent reports of worms appearing all throughout Aorn, but, well … somehow I thought a place like this would be safe. How naive of me.’
‘No,’ saidTarzi, ‘it
should
be safe. It just isn’t.’
Jandryn nodded. ‘The river emerges to the city’s south, out of a cave – it would be easy enough for a monster to slither in there.’ He reached a decision. ‘I shall take a troop and see what we can find.’
Tarzi felt a kernel of fear for him. ‘Shouldn’t you wait for Rostigan?’
Jandryn almost scowled, but quickly smoothed his expression. ‘Why?’
‘He has fought worms before.’
‘Well then,’ said Jandryn, with a reckless kind of glint to his eye, ‘it is time for someone else to have a turn.’
Tarzi wasn’t sure why Rostigan’s name had fired him up so much, and he noticed her uncertainty.
‘As Captain of the Althalan Guard,’ he said, ‘the city relies on me for protection. I should not require help from anyone else to do my duty. No offence to your fellow, but we have done without him before, and will do without him again.’
‘Of course,’ said Tarzi carefully. ‘Just be warned that a worm will herald its coming with prevailing misery.’
Jandryn glanced about – up the other end of the armoury a couple of soldiers were trying on armour.
‘Trant! Garran!’ he called. ‘Assemble our finest in the square – fifty, I should say.’
The guards saluted and headed off. Jandryn watched them go, then turned back to Tarzi with an appraising expression.
‘You seemlike you are having a thought, Captain.’
‘I wonder if you would accompany us?’
Tarzi was so used to being ruled out of things that she took a moment to hear his words.
‘What? Why?’
‘The cavern is part of a network, so potentially we could poke around for hours without discovering anything. However, as you have said, worms are attracted to happiness – so I wonder if a jolly song would lure one from hiding? Or, indeed, protect morale, if it was being threatened?’
A mix of emotions ran
‘I do not know. They retired to a meeting room to discuss a plan to which I was not privy, and did not emerge. I checked inside a short time ago and found the room empty. I can therefore only assume …’
‘They have threadwalked somewhere.’
‘Indeed.’
Tarzi shook her head. She did not like it – if something happened to Yalenna, how would Rostigan get back? He could end up stranded halfway across the world and no one would even know. Why was he so damnably close-lipped?
‘There’s something I must tell you, Captain,’ she said.
‘Oh? That will make a change.’
‘I was walking in the city this morning – I don’t know if you’ve been on the streets today?’
‘Not today.’
‘I noticedan odd mood out there, a pervasive kind of sadness. It got hold of me too, but once I was free of it, I remembered where I felt it last.’
‘Where?’
‘When Rostigan and I came across a village that had been beset by a Worm of Regret.’
Jandryn paled. ‘I … but, well, I don’t think we can say that a glum mood is really proof …’
‘Let me continue. The worms, as you probably know, feed on hope and happiness, which is why folk in their presence become so maudlin. Then, once a person has been sucked dry, they offer themselves up to be finished off, seemingly of their own volition. Well, today I saw that happen.’
‘You did? Where?’
‘It was a beggar, which is how it starts – those with the least hope to begin with make for the easiest prey. I saw this man crawl into a drain where a worm was waiting for him.’
‘A drain? Then … ah, but of course.’
‘What is it?’
‘All the drains flow into a cavern beneath the city, through which the Glymph runs underground.’
‘That would be perfect for a worm then. Or worms.’
‘Though you saw only one?’
‘Yes, but a city this size could easily support more.’
Jandryn rubbed his chin. ‘This is dim news indeed. There have been recent reports of worms appearing all throughout Aorn, but, well … somehow I thought a place like this would be safe. How naive of me.’
‘No,’ saidTarzi, ‘it
should
be safe. It just isn’t.’
Jandryn nodded. ‘The river emerges to the city’s south, out of a cave – it would be easy enough for a monster to slither in there.’ He reached a decision. ‘I shall take a troop and see what we can find.’
Tarzi felt a kernel of fear for him. ‘Shouldn’t you wait for Rostigan?’
Jandryn almost scowled, but quickly smoothed his expression. ‘Why?’
‘He has fought worms before.’
‘Well then,’ said Jandryn, with a reckless kind of glint to his eye, ‘it is time for someone else to have a turn.’
Tarzi wasn’t sure why Rostigan’s name had fired him up so much, and he noticed her uncertainty.
‘As Captain of the Althalan Guard,’ he said, ‘the city relies on me for protection. I should not require help from anyone else to do my duty. No offence to your fellow, but we have done without him before, and will do without him again.’
‘Of course,’ said Tarzi carefully. ‘Just be warned that a worm will herald its coming with prevailing misery.’
Jandryn glanced about – up the other end of the armoury a couple of soldiers were trying on armour.
‘Trant! Garran!’ he called. ‘Assemble our finest in the square – fifty, I should say.’
The guards saluted and headed off. Jandryn watched them go, then turned back to Tarzi with an appraising expression.
‘You seemlike you are having a thought, Captain.’
‘I wonder if you would accompany us?’
Tarzi was so used to being ruled out of things that she took a moment to hear his words.
‘What? Why?’
‘The cavern is part of a network, so potentially we could poke around for hours without discovering anything. However, as you have said, worms are attracted to happiness – so I wonder if a jolly song would lure one from hiding? Or, indeed, protect morale, if it was being threatened?’
A mix of emotions ran
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