Lodestone Book One: The Sea of Storms by Mark Whiteway Read Free Book Online Page A

up.
    “Would you by any chance have a
room for the night?” she inquired.
    “You are fortunate,” he declared.
“I have but one room left, for the modest rate of one twelfth of an
astria, stranger.”
    She took a further coin from her
pouch and pushed it towards the man firmly. It disappeared in the
same manner as the others. “Keris,” she affirmed.
    “Welcome to the Dagan, Keris. I
am called Morran.” He began to busy himself behind the serving
area. “Will you be staying long in Corte?”
    “That depends.” She started into
the cover story she had carefully rehearsed. “I need to try to
establish local contacts.”
    Her garb had been chosen
judiciously so as to identify her to any casual observer as a
merchant, though not too prosperous.
    “What is your business?” Morran
asked conversationally.
    “Diamonds.”
    “Well, they are a common enough
commodity.” No doubt he was expecting a sales pitch, and Keris was
ready.
    “Ah yes, but
you see with diamonds, it is all about the quality.” She produced a
pouch and emptied it out. A dozen raw crystals of assorted shapes
tumbled onto the wooden counter. Morran picked one up between his
thumb and finger and regarded it closely from all sides. He hasn’t a clue what he’s looking at, she thought, amused
    “These are from Tragar,” she
continued. “My brother and I recently inherited a mine. Our uncle
who owned it died after a long illness and the place has been left
sadly neglected. However, it was known for producing top quality
stones, and my brother is convinced it can become a going concern
once again. He is back there trying to reinstate production and it
was left to me to establish contacts with diamond cutters in
Chalimar and the lowland towns, possibly even an investor or
two.”
    She smiled at Morran hopefully.
Morran looked at her, and quickly returned the stone he was holding
to the others. She shrugged, still smiling, and scooped up the
stones into the bag once more.
    She had led the conversation
skilfully to this point. Now it was time to make her move. Taking
another sip from her mug, she added casually, “These really are the
finest quality diamonds. Several of the cutters in Chalimar said
they were the finest stones they had seen. Good enough even to
grace a Keltar`s staff weapon.”
    A large man sitting at the table
nearest the counter jerked his stool back so that it scraped
against the wooden floor, and slammed his mug down on the table.
Horge slopped over its sides. Keris glanced back, but the man was
looking straight ahead and not at her.
    Morran leaned over the counter
towards her and lowered his voice. “Careful, friend. The Prophet’s
servants are not well regarded here at present.”
    “Has something happened here?”
Keris asked innocently. However, it was the big man at the table
who answered.
    “Nothing but
the wanton murder of a good man.” The man’s voice was a bass rumble
with a hint of menace. Keris` expression of shock was
genuine. Sallidor had been sent to
investigate, nothing more. What had gone wrong?
    She turned to face the man at the
table. “Forgive me, friend; I did not mean to give offence. I deal
only with the cutters. I am a simple merchant, arrived in your town
but late this afternoon. I had no idea something so ill had
transpired here.”
    Then something
quite unexpected happened. The figure sitting next to the man
cuffed him squarely on the shoulder. The big man flinched. The
figure spoke up, and it was a woman’s voice. “ Jadar! ” She was easily half his
size, which made the scene appear that much more comical. She had
delicate features, and her dark hair was combed straight
back.
    “I apologise for my partner.” She
glanced in his direction, but he had assumed a morose silence.
“What has taken place here is no excuse to resort to suspicion and
bad manners. Please, won’t you join us?”
    She gestured to a third stool at
their table. Keris took the opening gratefully and sat down. “May