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<blockquote data-quote="Feir Fireb" data-source="post: 4812936" data-attributes="member: 14074"><p><strong>An excerpt from "The Unscholarly Journals of Darren the Senalline": Second Tries</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>WORK WAS LIGHT</strong> the rest of the day as Li Shotay and I recovered from the morning's exhaustion, but the next day he began exerting the overcompensating discipline of someone punishing himself for failure to catch a problem in time and hoping never to repeat it. As we made our rounds of basic maintenance for the various royals' favorite devices, I resumed my routine of stealing time wherever I could find it from meals and errands. But this time I started from the beginning, retracing my old steps with a new tool. For all its calm and pleasance, the Gardens had been a riot of sensation even without the aid of heightened senses such as the dwarrow have. With the amulet, they came close to overwhelming. Warm and cool airs rose and fell, swirling in what has long been a familiar dance of colors that have no name in any human language. I listened for faint winds whistling through cracks and odd resonances in the construction. </p><p></p><p>Then, late in the second morning after Chang returned the amulet to me, six days after Kay had been sold to Graiqal, I saw something while searching the wall near where it joined the main structure of the palace at the southern edge of the Gardens. At the edge of dwarrow perception, a faint hint of cool air drifted from a crack at the base of one of the columns that dot the Garden wall that overlooks Tziwan. Stepping back, I realized that the columns alternated in thickness because half actually supported the wall or a small guardpost atop whereas the other half were purely decorative. This large one had no guardpost atop and to put a support column this close to the main structure was unnecessary, even though it fit the symmetry of the garden as I was sure there was another such column on the far end. Curious. I darted my eyes about seeking guards and, seeing none close enough to pay me any mind, poked my head through the last tall crenelation on the southern end of the wall to glimpse the other side. Sure enough, the wall thickened far too quickly at this point as it approached the palace. Returning quickly to the point where I saw the air moving, I held my ear close to the wall and tapped three times. Was that an echo? Three times again. Yes, there was some kind of chamber here. </p><p></p><p>Tapping at various other places, I soon became sure that the crack was at thinnest point of the chamber wall, probably the door. Looking around, I still saw no guards. I traced out a rectangle from where other cracks had airflow and saw that none of it was significantly covered by vines. I pried at the edges of the door and soon a stone at about waist level revealed itself to be a cleverly sculpted faceplate, attached by hinges to a lock behind it. Looking around again, I saw that not only was this hidden door conveniently distant from the nearest guards on the wall, but for the most part their rounds did not take guards to this part of the Gardens. I surreptitiously replaced the panel and noted the features of the relief carved here: a pastoral scene, with a couple I assumed to be an emperor and his empress, attended by soldiers and maidens and surrounded by trees in bloom. I returned to my errand, anxiously awaiting lunch and hoping Atrix would not be delayed by his entertainments.</p><p></p><p>Looking vaguely nauseated from having just had to repeat what had become his most popular stories, yet again, he immediately brightened up. We agreed that we needed to try it that day, but our earliest opportunity when neither of us would be missed would likely be that night, after Atrix had finished some expected evening entertainments. Neither of us knew where the door led or whether it led to much more than a hidden room. But from the depth of the sound and the amount of airflow for such small cracks there was likely to be a passage of some sort.</p><p></p><p><strong>WE MADE OUR</strong> rendezvous at the wall and Atrix stood watch while I attempted to pick the lock. The lock was old but not decayed from disuse, and clearly produced by a locksmith who could command the kind of prices that the Imperial Palace could deliver. I worked at the lock furiously but had never yet encountered one so complicated or well-designed. My poor tinker's tools were not up to the task, and just as I was about to give up I heard a tiny "click." But not from the lock. I yelped in pain and with one hand brushed away a tiny needle that had embedded itself in my right hand. </p><p></p><p>I staunched the tiny rivulet of blood with my left thumb and saw Atrix lift the needle from the ground and hold it up to the light of the moons. Atrix silently cursed at the thin film that glistened upon it, the same color as the substance now sticky on my thumb. As I opened my mouth to ask what we ought to do next, the world began to whirl about me, and I nearly collapsed. My muscles limp and my head spinning, Atrix pulled my arm over his shoulder and helped me hobble all the way back to my pallet, hustling past the night guards and feigning exhaustion. I heard Atrix's voice echo in my head, "You're warm, man." I passed out from the poison.</p><p></p><p>I woke just before midday, weak and feverish, to a small crowd of people hovering over me. Li Shotay and Slavemaster Chang looked annoyed, Atrix relieved and a pair of Imperial Physicians mystified. Before any of the others could speak, Atrix blurted out, "Darren! So good to see you awake! You took ill last night, remember?" He gave me a meaningful glance and nod, indicating I should go along with him. I mirrored his nod. </p><p></p><p>The taller physician poked and prodded my gut, asking if it hurt. I shook my head in denial. The shorter one shook his head, "It's strange. I'm familiar with a variety of fevers, even the more deadly kinds that can be caught in the deep jungle, and I'm sure I've never seen one that affects the breathing so, nor causes that sort of discoloration in the veins. Are you sure he didn't eat anything unusual?" </p><p></p><p>Atrix shook his head. "I told you, it's a Northern disease, common enough in children but it can be dangerous in adults. I had it when I was 8, put me out of sorts for a week. It tends to be nastiest in the summer and the heat of the South may be making it much worse too. I wouldn't want to get too close or you might catch it." At an expectant gesture from Atrix, I managed a nod. Chang and Li Shotay backed away slightly.</p><p></p><p>The taller one turned to Chang, "Well, keep him off his feet for as long as the fever lasts and his heartbeat remains weak. Here, chew on this bark to lessen the fever's effects. We will return to check on him in two days time, but you may seek our attention if his condition worsens." Chang and Li Shotay grudgingly admitted they would follow their recommendation and as they filed out of the room I inadvertently scratched at the spot where the needle had pricked me and felt a daub of makeup. Atrix's doing, no doubt.</p><p></p><p><strong>ATRIX REMAINED, SMILING</strong> but anxious. "How are you feeling my friend? You've been out for a while. You almost didn't make it."</p><p></p><p>"Well, the branding was worse. But that was over with pretty quickly. I can barely move."</p><p></p><p>Atrix lost his smile and shuffled his feet. "How soon do you think we'll be able to try again?"</p><p></p><p>"I don't know. Soon I hope, but I really need to rest. I feel awful."</p><p></p><p>Atrix breathed in deeply and nodded in resignation. "You're in no condition to do much of anything right now. Rest up. Now that the physicians have had a chance to talk to us, I'll be wanted elsewhere. I'll check on you in the evening." </p><p></p><p>I felt a little better in the evening, but not much. I remained in my pallet until the next morning and was still weak and feverish for much of the day but steadily improving. When Atrix came to eat lunch in the slave quarters, I suggested we might make another attempt the next evening if I was well enough. </p><p></p><p>Atrix shook his head, "No good. There's some kind of festival, a 'Day of Harvest,' the next day. The other slaves are claiming pretty much all the nobles and major officiaries in Tziwan will be there, so there will be work almost around the clock in preparation. Even if none of the slaves swarming about noticed us actually going, I'd be missed soon enough." He smirked sourly. "They want to show off the pale singing barbarian of the North."</p><p></p><p>I shook my head in frustration. "Afterwards?"</p><p></p><p>He began slowly and thoughtfully, "Well, many of the nobles will continue late into the night at their drinking. I expect many of the slaves attending to them will also be exhausted the next day."</p><p></p><p>I continued, "And if Li Shotay isn't expecting me because I've been too sick to work, that might also buy us some time". </p><p></p><p>"We'll try a few hours before dawn, then," Atrix said with growing enthusiasm, "and sleep in shifts after the festival, just to catch a little rest and make sure we don't oversleep."</p><p></p><p>I nodded in hopeful agreement, silently rueing the days that my carelessness had cost Kay.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Feir Fireb, post: 4812936, member: 14074"] [b]An excerpt from "The Unscholarly Journals of Darren the Senalline": Second Tries[/b] [B]WORK WAS LIGHT[/B] the rest of the day as Li Shotay and I recovered from the morning's exhaustion, but the next day he began exerting the overcompensating discipline of someone punishing himself for failure to catch a problem in time and hoping never to repeat it. As we made our rounds of basic maintenance for the various royals' favorite devices, I resumed my routine of stealing time wherever I could find it from meals and errands. But this time I started from the beginning, retracing my old steps with a new tool. For all its calm and pleasance, the Gardens had been a riot of sensation even without the aid of heightened senses such as the dwarrow have. With the amulet, they came close to overwhelming. Warm and cool airs rose and fell, swirling in what has long been a familiar dance of colors that have no name in any human language. I listened for faint winds whistling through cracks and odd resonances in the construction. Then, late in the second morning after Chang returned the amulet to me, six days after Kay had been sold to Graiqal, I saw something while searching the wall near where it joined the main structure of the palace at the southern edge of the Gardens. At the edge of dwarrow perception, a faint hint of cool air drifted from a crack at the base of one of the columns that dot the Garden wall that overlooks Tziwan. Stepping back, I realized that the columns alternated in thickness because half actually supported the wall or a small guardpost atop whereas the other half were purely decorative. This large one had no guardpost atop and to put a support column this close to the main structure was unnecessary, even though it fit the symmetry of the garden as I was sure there was another such column on the far end. Curious. I darted my eyes about seeking guards and, seeing none close enough to pay me any mind, poked my head through the last tall crenelation on the southern end of the wall to glimpse the other side. Sure enough, the wall thickened far too quickly at this point as it approached the palace. Returning quickly to the point where I saw the air moving, I held my ear close to the wall and tapped three times. Was that an echo? Three times again. Yes, there was some kind of chamber here. Tapping at various other places, I soon became sure that the crack was at thinnest point of the chamber wall, probably the door. Looking around, I still saw no guards. I traced out a rectangle from where other cracks had airflow and saw that none of it was significantly covered by vines. I pried at the edges of the door and soon a stone at about waist level revealed itself to be a cleverly sculpted faceplate, attached by hinges to a lock behind it. Looking around again, I saw that not only was this hidden door conveniently distant from the nearest guards on the wall, but for the most part their rounds did not take guards to this part of the Gardens. I surreptitiously replaced the panel and noted the features of the relief carved here: a pastoral scene, with a couple I assumed to be an emperor and his empress, attended by soldiers and maidens and surrounded by trees in bloom. I returned to my errand, anxiously awaiting lunch and hoping Atrix would not be delayed by his entertainments. Looking vaguely nauseated from having just had to repeat what had become his most popular stories, yet again, he immediately brightened up. We agreed that we needed to try it that day, but our earliest opportunity when neither of us would be missed would likely be that night, after Atrix had finished some expected evening entertainments. Neither of us knew where the door led or whether it led to much more than a hidden room. But from the depth of the sound and the amount of airflow for such small cracks there was likely to be a passage of some sort. [B]WE MADE OUR[/B] rendezvous at the wall and Atrix stood watch while I attempted to pick the lock. The lock was old but not decayed from disuse, and clearly produced by a locksmith who could command the kind of prices that the Imperial Palace could deliver. I worked at the lock furiously but had never yet encountered one so complicated or well-designed. My poor tinker's tools were not up to the task, and just as I was about to give up I heard a tiny "click." But not from the lock. I yelped in pain and with one hand brushed away a tiny needle that had embedded itself in my right hand. I staunched the tiny rivulet of blood with my left thumb and saw Atrix lift the needle from the ground and hold it up to the light of the moons. Atrix silently cursed at the thin film that glistened upon it, the same color as the substance now sticky on my thumb. As I opened my mouth to ask what we ought to do next, the world began to whirl about me, and I nearly collapsed. My muscles limp and my head spinning, Atrix pulled my arm over his shoulder and helped me hobble all the way back to my pallet, hustling past the night guards and feigning exhaustion. I heard Atrix's voice echo in my head, "You're warm, man." I passed out from the poison. I woke just before midday, weak and feverish, to a small crowd of people hovering over me. Li Shotay and Slavemaster Chang looked annoyed, Atrix relieved and a pair of Imperial Physicians mystified. Before any of the others could speak, Atrix blurted out, "Darren! So good to see you awake! You took ill last night, remember?" He gave me a meaningful glance and nod, indicating I should go along with him. I mirrored his nod. The taller physician poked and prodded my gut, asking if it hurt. I shook my head in denial. The shorter one shook his head, "It's strange. I'm familiar with a variety of fevers, even the more deadly kinds that can be caught in the deep jungle, and I'm sure I've never seen one that affects the breathing so, nor causes that sort of discoloration in the veins. Are you sure he didn't eat anything unusual?" Atrix shook his head. "I told you, it's a Northern disease, common enough in children but it can be dangerous in adults. I had it when I was 8, put me out of sorts for a week. It tends to be nastiest in the summer and the heat of the South may be making it much worse too. I wouldn't want to get too close or you might catch it." At an expectant gesture from Atrix, I managed a nod. Chang and Li Shotay backed away slightly. The taller one turned to Chang, "Well, keep him off his feet for as long as the fever lasts and his heartbeat remains weak. Here, chew on this bark to lessen the fever's effects. We will return to check on him in two days time, but you may seek our attention if his condition worsens." Chang and Li Shotay grudgingly admitted they would follow their recommendation and as they filed out of the room I inadvertently scratched at the spot where the needle had pricked me and felt a daub of makeup. Atrix's doing, no doubt. [B]ATRIX REMAINED, SMILING[/B] but anxious. "How are you feeling my friend? You've been out for a while. You almost didn't make it." "Well, the branding was worse. But that was over with pretty quickly. I can barely move." Atrix lost his smile and shuffled his feet. "How soon do you think we'll be able to try again?" "I don't know. Soon I hope, but I really need to rest. I feel awful." Atrix breathed in deeply and nodded in resignation. "You're in no condition to do much of anything right now. Rest up. Now that the physicians have had a chance to talk to us, I'll be wanted elsewhere. I'll check on you in the evening." I felt a little better in the evening, but not much. I remained in my pallet until the next morning and was still weak and feverish for much of the day but steadily improving. When Atrix came to eat lunch in the slave quarters, I suggested we might make another attempt the next evening if I was well enough. Atrix shook his head, "No good. There's some kind of festival, a 'Day of Harvest,' the next day. The other slaves are claiming pretty much all the nobles and major officiaries in Tziwan will be there, so there will be work almost around the clock in preparation. Even if none of the slaves swarming about noticed us actually going, I'd be missed soon enough." He smirked sourly. "They want to show off the pale singing barbarian of the North." I shook my head in frustration. "Afterwards?" He began slowly and thoughtfully, "Well, many of the nobles will continue late into the night at their drinking. I expect many of the slaves attending to them will also be exhausted the next day." I continued, "And if Li Shotay isn't expecting me because I've been too sick to work, that might also buy us some time". "We'll try a few hours before dawn, then," Atrix said with growing enthusiasm, "and sleep in shifts after the festival, just to catch a little rest and make sure we don't oversleep." I nodded in hopeful agreement, silently rueing the days that my carelessness had cost Kay. [/QUOTE]
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