The case was clearly ancient, of delicately carved wood, and time had worn it almost smooth. When it was opened it revealed a velvet cushion upon which rested a small talisman. It was a bronze hammer, a miniature of that which Micah had carried, a thong passing through a tiny hole in the haft. “What is it?”
Anthony said, “You must have considered how your foe was able to locate you seemingly at will. It is likely that some agency, perhaps the serpent priest, had located you with a scrying spell of one sort or another. That talisman is a legacy from our ancient past. It was fashioned at the oldest known enclave of our faith, the Ishapian abbey at Leng. It is the most powerful artifact we possess. It will mask your movements from all scrying magic. To any who have been following you by arcane means, you will simply vanish from sight. We have no protection from mundane eyes, but if you are cautious and mask your identity, you should be able to reach Elvandar without being intercepted. But never remove it, or you will again be subject to location by sorcery. It will also render you impervious to the sort of attack we endured last night. Such a creature would be unable to harm you—though your enemy may still strike through those about you, for they will not be so protected.”
Arutha placed the talisman around his neck and said, “Thank you.”
The Abbot rose. “Ishap protect you, Highness, and know you may always find haven here at Sarth.”
Arutha said thank you again and left the Abbot. As he returned to his quarters and finished rolling his travel bundle, he considered what he had learned. Pushing doubt aside, he determined once again to save Anita.
TWELVE - Northward
A lone rider raced up the road.
Arutha looked back as Martin warned of the approaching horseman. Laurie turned his horse, drawing his sword, as Martin began to laugh. Arutha said, “If that’s who I think, I’ll have his ears.”
Martin said, “Then sharpen your knife, brother, for look at the way those elbows flap as he rides.”
Within moments Martin’s prediction proved correct, for a grinning Jimmy reined in. Arutha took no pains to hide his displeasure. He said to Laurie, “I thought you told me he was safely upon the ship for Krondor with Gardan and Dominic.”
Laurie looked on with an expression of helplessness. “He was, I swear.”
Jimmy looked at the three. “Isn’t anyone going to say hello?”
Martin tried to look serious, but even his elven-learned composure was being tested. Jimmy had all the ingenuousness of an eager puppy, as false a pose as most others he assumed, and Arutha was trying hard to keep a stern demeanor. Laurie hid his laughter behind a quickly raised hand and a cough.
Arutha shook his head, looking down at the ground. Finally he said, “All right, what is the tale?”
Jimmy said, “First of all, I swore an oath; it might not mean much to you, but it is still an oath, and it binds us “until the cat is skinned.” And there was one other little thing. “
Arutha said, “What was it?”
“You were being watched while you left Sarth.”
Arutha sat back in the saddle, as startled by the boy’s offhanded tone as much as by the revelation. “How can you be certain?”
“In the first, the man was known to me. He’s a certain merchant from Questor’s View, by name Havram, who is in fact a smuggler employed by the Mockers. He’s been absent since the Nighthawks’ infiltration was made known to the Upright Man, and he was in the inn where Gardan, Dominic, and I waited for the ship. I went aboard ship with the good captain and the monk and slipped over the side just before they weighed anchor. Then, in the second, the man was without the normal retinue he employed when working at his normal trade. He is usually a vocal, affable man, given to public display when acting the merchant, but in Sarth he lurked under a heavy cowl and hugged dark corners. He would not be in such a place, ignoring his usual role, unless forced to by unusual circumstances. And he followed you from the inn, until he was clear as to which way you had ridden. But most important of all, he was an ofttime companion of both Laughing Jack and Golden Dase.”
Martin said, “Havram! That was the man Laughing Jack said recruited Golden and him into the Nighthawks.”
“They’ll be relying on spies and agents now that they can’t use magic to find you,” added Laurie. “It makes sense they had someone in Sarth waiting for you to come down from the Abbey.”
“Did he see you leave?” asked the Prince.
Jimmy laughed. “No, but I saw him leave.” They all looked at him with questions on their faces, and the boy said, “I took care of him.”