Page 89 of A Fractured Song

“In exchange for what?” Zev asked dryly.

Kiarana laughed in delight. “I said he’s sharp, didn’t I, Grandmama? He talks like one of us.”

“He does no such thing,” the Imperator said. “It seems you need more education on humans if meeting one in person has enough novelty to distract you.”

“I don’t think all humans would,” she said fairly. “But he’s very handsome, Grandmama. For a human, I mean.”

Zev stifled a laugh as both the Imperator and Marieke made noises of resignation in their throats.

“Whatisthis effect you have on teenage girls?” Marieke muttered.

“Actually,” the younger elf grinned, “I’m twenty-seven. We age differently from humans.”

“We have gotten decidedly off-track,” the Imperator said. “I believe you were going to tell us why your meeting with Rissin led you to seek us out.”

“Is that what you believe?” Zev said politely.

“Relax, Zev.” Marieke waved a hand at him. “I came here to ask these questions, I don’t want to play games.” She turned to the elves. “I’ll get straight to the point. It’s helpful that you’re aware of the monarchists in Sundering Canyon. A few months back, there were a number of seeming accidents that befell singers in my country, Oleand. Some lost their lives. Others, including myself, were targeted but escaped. Theseaccidentswere ultimately proven to be intentional attacks. They were carried out by a young man named Gorgon, who’d broken off from the monarchist group. And we have reason to believe he carried out the attacks by use of talismans.”

Neither of the elves’ expressions gave anything away, but at Marieke’s last word, Zev saw Kiarana straighten a little. Marieke had their interest.

Marieke cleared her throat, her tone cautious. “I understand that the elves are the only source of talismans.”

No answer.

Undeterred, Marieke pressed on. “Gorgon is dead now, and those attacks stopped. But a different kind has begun. Larger scale ones. Terrible fires, unseasonal storms, that kind of thing. And they’re definitely fueled by magic.” She drew a breath. “And on top of all that, the land itself is deteriorating. Oleand is dwindling away into decay, and no one canfigure out why.”

There was a long moment of silence before the Imperator responded.

“You said you came to ask questions, but I did not detect a question in your words.”

“That’s true,” Marieke acknowledged. “I suppose my first question is this: are you supplying talismans to whoever is causing these disasters? And the second would probably be—”

“Wait.” Zev put a hand on Marieke’s shoulder to stop her. The tension in her muscles showed that she was more on edge than she seemed. “One at a time. Even asking a question can reveal information that might have value.”

“Very wise,” the Imperator complimented him. “What will you give me for an answer to your question? An answer to a question of my own?”

“That depends on your question,” Zev said warily.

She nodded. “My question is this: why, according to Rissin’s report, did the magic of Sundering Canyon respond to the pair of you in a way he’s never seen before?”

Zev studied her shrewdly. It seemed Rissin had made a full report to this Imperator. Zev was starting to suspect that they hadn’t been allowed to enter the elves’ realm merely because of the letter Marieke sent. If it hadn’t identified them as the mysterious pair from Rissin’s tale, would they have been left on the road? Most likely.

“I would be willing to make that exchange,” Zev said. “If Marieke is also satisfied.”

She nodded, and the Imperator smiled. “Good.”

“Witnessed,” Kiarana said solemnly.

“The answer to your question, Marieke of Oleand, is that I do not know if we’ve been supplying talismans to whomever is behind the natural disasters you mentioned. It is not possible for me to know given that I am not aware of who is behind thecatastrophes. How then could I know if they’ve received elven-made talismans?”

Zev laughed dryly. “I thought I was being a canny negotiator, but it seems it was a fairer exchange than I realized. Because our answer is also that we don’t know. Right, Marieke?”

She nodded. “I know that the magic responded strangely in the canyon. I felt it as surely as Rissin did. But I can’t tell you why.”

The Imperator raised an eyebrow. “You don’t have any guesses or speculation?”

“Our bargain wasn’t for guesses or speculation,” Zev countered. “It was for an honest answer to the question, and we’ve given that.”

---