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for it. Grunthor are we close?"
'Yes, sir. Just 'ave to pack the bit, and a few o' the odds and ends."
The duke trailed along behind the Bolg king as he continued to make preparations to leave.
'Please just a few more days. Stay until the water returns."
'No." Achmed took hold of one end of a jointed timber, and Ashe caught the other end, helping him
carry it to the waiting wagons.
'Why are you so insistent that they stay, Ihrman?" Rhapsody asked, coiling a great length of rope.
'I in case well, if there should be some residual need
Achmed gave the timber in the wagon a ragged shove, then turned to face the duke.
'He's afraid the water will not return, which is a very good possibility," he said to Rhapsody, staring at
Karsrick in contempt. "And if that comes to pass, he wants the Bolg here to take the blame, and
whatever ugly reaction the citizenry may visit upon whomever they blame. You're a coward, Karsrick;
when a man starts being afraid of the reactions of his own subjects to the point where he is unwilling to
acknowledge his own decisions and take responsibility for them, he ceases to have any credibility as a
leader, in their eyes, and in the eyes of those who rule alongside him." He picked up a pair of wrenches
waiting in a pile to be loaded and tossed them into the wagon.
'He's right, Ihrman," Ashe said. "Bid your thanks to the king and move out of his way."
'I do appreciate the irony of your invitation," Achmed said, signaling to the Bolg soldiers to pull forth
the last wagon, the one that transported the bit. "You didn't want us to come; now you don't want us to
leave. It's touching."
'Sire " Karsrick protested.
'Have the bill of tender prepared immediately; I expect to be given the down payment within the next
hour," Achmed said to the duke, cutting his protest off with a mere glance. "And make certain those
powdered mineral ores I ordered the manganese, iron, cobalt, and copper are delivered here, ready
to be packed."
Karsrick swallowed, and left the square, motioning to his aide-de-camp.
'Thank you for doing this," Rhapsody said over the building din of the crowd as a dozen Firbolg
workers ducked into the tent. She took Achmed's hand as Ashe and Grunthor held the tent flaps aside. "I
am sorry you were not able to find a stained-glass artisan, but I do appreciate your doing this for me."
Achmed and one of the soldiers pulled open the gates of the wagon. "Once again, you overestimate
your importance to me," he said dryly. "Karsrick is paying me handsomely, satisfied with our work or
not. And he is giving us a tariff waiver that extends beyond the ten-year proviso you negotiated with
Roland four years ago. If his credit papers are not in Ylorc with the next mail caravan, I will stop all trade
with him until they arrive." The first two Bolg soldiers emerged from the tent, the blue-black rysin-steel bit
in their hands, followed by four more; Achmed motioned them over to where the wagon waited. He lifted
his voice for effect. "Who knows? If they don't pay the balance, perhaps we'll invade and round up some
of the townspeople to stock the larders of the Cauldron."
Rhapsody's expression hardened. "Why must you do that?" she asked in annoyance.
'Do what?"
'Say things you do not mean, just to be ugly. Be deliberately obstreperous, obnoxious. Make people
unnecessarily wary of the Bolg."
The Bolg king watched as the enormous bit was loaded into the wagon, then wrapped in heavy
canvas for the trip, more for the protection of the wagon than for that of the bit. Then he turned and
smiled slightly at Rhapsody.
'Who is to say that I don't mean it?"
'I am. Stop it. I know you better after fourteen hundred years, all but four of them alone with you and
Grunthor in the dark, facing death daily. I know when you are bluffing and when you mean what you say.
You didn't just now."
The Bolg king's face grew serious. He took Rhapsody's arm and led her to a sheltered side of the
tent, away from the tumult of the onlookers and the noise of the Bolg preparing to move the equipment
out. He looked down into her face, studying her for a moment, then sighed and looked away.
'You once asked me whether I desired the Bolg to be viewed by the world as men, or as monsters.
Do you remember?"
'Yes," Rhapsody replied. "I remember very well; you chose men, albeit monstrous men."
Achmed nodded in assent. "Indeed I did, and that is what we are: both man and monster. But
remember, Rhapsody, for all that you struggle to make the humans accept the Bolg for the men that we
are, it is the monster in us that may prove to be their more valuable ally in the end."
Rhapsody jumped at the sound on the other side of the tent of the wagon gate slamming suddenly
shut.
'Why?"
'Don't you remember your childhood nightmares?"
'Yes." The corners of Rhapsody's mouth twitched as a smile began, then was abruptly halted.
Achmed was not smiling in return. "Because monsters never sleep?"
Achmed merely nodded.
'In any event," she said, "whatever disappointments there have been in this undertaking Entudenin is
still dry, you did not find your artisan perhaps there will be a better understanding now between humans
and Firbolg. That alone was worth the price."
Achmed shook his head. "Perhaps, though I would not say the Firbolg opinion has improved much.
And it will take months to wash off this cursed red dust."
 The impulse to smile came again, and Rhapsody surrendered to it. "With good reason. But at least
there has been some enlightenment on the side of the Yarimese; perhaps it will extend to other humans as
well."
'Perhaps. But in my experience, enlightenment has a very short life span. It tends to shrink, not
spread. Do you want to say goodbye to Grunthor before we go?"
'Of course. I thought perhaps he might stay for a few days after you and the Bolg leave, get a good
rest and have a chance to replenish his stock."
'If he agrees, that's fine; then I only need one more thing from you."
Rhapsody moved deeper into the tent's shade. "Yes?"
'When I have the Lightcatcher assembled, when I believe it is time to test it, or if I need your help
determining what it does, will you come?"
Rhapsody inhaled deeply. "You do understand that I am uncomfortable with what you are doing?
That I think you should have a greater hesitancy to make use of power you don't fully understand?"
Achmed nodded shortly. "I do. Andyou do understand that I take nothing in life lightly; therefore, you
should trust that I will never employ anything of this nature without absolutely needing to do so."
'I do," Rhapsody said quickly. She reached out and pulled the Bolg king into her arms and embraced
him tightly. "And you understand that whenever you need me, I will come." She kissed him on the cheek,
hugging him more tightly. "Travel well, and put a little time aside to be happy, Achmed. I know that is
something that won't happen unless you specifically schedule it." Achmed chuckled and returned the
embrace.
The noise from the townspeople of Yarim had grown into cacophony by the time the Bolg departed.
Another division of Yarimese guards had to be activated to keep the corridor through the streets open;
the Bolg rode out from under the tents, without looking back, leaving the lord and lady, the duke, and the
giant Sergeant-Major behind. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]