“The Travellers are all-powerful sorcerers. Can’t you do anything to stop it?”
He grimaced. “That’s a question we’ve asked ourselves many times, over hundreds, maybe thousands of cycles. Traveller law forbids meddling in politics. A few Travellers have left their families in order to try–sometimes whole families have burned their wagons and put their future and fortune into improving or rescuing a people they have sympathised with. But even the plight of the serfs in Kezel is too difficult for a few outsiders to fix, nor would the attempt be welcome.”
“It takes more than magic to change a world,” a voice said at Rielle’s other side. She turned to see Ankari watching her.
Rielle frowned. “If you do not agree with slavery, why do you trade in those places?”
“We follow a set route, passed down through the generations,” Baluka replied. “Any change to that involves great risks, some of which I have told you about already. Our path takes us to strong worlds containing enough magic for us to leave again, cycle after cycle. Of course, the people we trade with must want the goods we are selling and have something of equal value to sell. It is better if they want what we have recently acquired, as we have limited room in our wagons. The best arrangement is one where we sell what we buy in one world to someone in the next world. Small, non-perishable goods are preferable, too, as well as goods that don’t transfer disease and vermin between worlds. We don’t want to come back after a cycle to find we’re to blame for a plague or the failure of crops–especially if those crops are what we need to buy. So once we have a route established we need a strong reason to change it.”
“And we can be a good influence on the people we trade with,” Ankari added. “We bring ideas as well as wares. We tell stories of places where people thrive without resorting to slavery, oppressive laws and war.”
“Has this family ever managed to change a place for the better?”
Baluka shrugged. “We have, but not as often as we would like to. It takes a lot of effort to change people. Sometimes very little, but mostly a great deal of work done over many cycles.”
“Nobody can fix all the problems in the universe,” Ankari added. “Not even…” She frowned. “Not the Travellers.”
“You have magic, Rielle,” Baluka pointed out. “You could help people if you learned to use it.”
She began to shake her head, then stopped. How could she expect the Travellers to do something she wouldn’t consider doing herself? Would the Angels approve of me learning magic if I did something good with it? As she considered that, with Baluka and Ankari watching her silently, she heard Lejikh speak her name. She turned to see him talking with Lord Felomar.
“… two worlds back, lost in a desert. A sorcerer persuaded her to leave her world with the promise that she would become a valued artisan in his, but left her in the care of a friend, who then abandoned her in an unpopulated, desert world.”
As Rielle frowned at the inaccuracy of his explanation Baluka glanced at her. Such beings as Angels aren’t known here, he told her. The people of Diama are kind and the society is just, but they have their own religion and anything contradicting their beliefs makes them uncomfortable, defensive and sometimes even–
“If she is to return to her world she will need training in magic,” Lejikh continued. “We hoped you could assist her.”
Felomar looked across the enormous dining table at Rielle, his expression sympathetic.
“You cannot take her yourself?” the lord asked Lejikh.
“No. Her world is poor in magic. I sent Baluka here ahead of us to begin teaching her.” Lejikh looked at his son. “How did it go?”
Baluka winced. “Not as well as I hoped.” His mind filled with the details, communicating them to his father. “Not all bad, though,” he added, remembering about how strong she had proven to be, and how quick to hide her thoughts.
Lejikh turned back to Felomar. “Is there anyone in this world who could continue her training after we have left?”
Felomar pursed his lips. “I know of a few with the knowledge, but not how willing they are to share it.” His gaze shifted to Rielle again. “There may be a price. Are you willing to pay it?”
She glanced at Baluka. “I have no money…”
The lord smiled. “The price would not be financial; more likely you would work in exchange for training. As to the nature of that work… well, it would need to be acceptable to you. But do not worry, I am a formidable negotiator. I will see that an arrangement is made that suits both parties. However, the more you know of magic, the better situated you…” He paused, his brows lowered and his regard shifted to Lejikh again. “Do your people no longer feel bound to the ancient agreement that you will not teach world-travelling, or is this a choice only you and your family have made?”