The Vondish Ambassador

He caught a glimpse of a robed figure at the corner, apparently watching them as they emerged. He couldn't be entirely sure, since Through Street was unlit and the torchlight from Arena Street was behind the other man, but he thought it might be one of the Lumethans; naturally, they would have followed the wagon, or found some other way of locating the ambassador's new residence.

The possibility that they were using magic to track Lar – not merely hiring it, but using it themselves – occurred to him. If the three of them were magicians, perhaps that was why the government of Lumeth had sent spies who didn't speak Ethsharitic. Their magic would be more important.

They might have used magic to transport themselves to Ethshar in the first place, too. That would explain how they had arrived so soon after Lar's ship.

When Lar left the door, the robed figure ducked around the corner, out of sight, and Emmis did not worry about him further. He didn't mention it to Lar, for fear he might make a scene; Emmis was hungry, after all the hauling of luggage, and did not want anything to delay his supper.

Unfortunately, finding that supper proved more of a challenge than he had expected; Through Street was entirely residential, and while Arena Street had its share of shops and businesses, they weren't selling food. The pair ambled several blocks along the torchlit avenue without finding an appropriate establishment, and he and Lar were within sight of the Arena itself by the time they finally found an i

"I didn't notice any magic shops on the way here," Lar remarked, as they waited for their meal. "Though it's hard to be sure at night."

"I don't think there were any," Emmis said. "The Wizards' Quarter is the other side of the Arena, past Games Street. A few magicians have their businesses in the Arena district, but mostly on the side-streets."

Lar stared at him silently for a moment, then shook his head. "This city is so big!" he said.

Emmis's hunger had affected his temper, and he retorted, "You know, there's a reason we call them the Small Kingdoms, and it's not that Ethshar is so very huge."

"You said this was the largest city in the World," Lar replied.

"It is," Emmis admitted, "but not by much. Ethshar of the Sands and Ethshar of the Rocks are almost as big, and the bargemen tell me that even Sardiron of the Waters is…" He caught himself before telling an outright lie. "Well, Sardiron is bigger than anything in the Small Kingdoms, anyway. The Tintallions, Shan on the Sea – it's not that Ethshar is immense so much as that you're used to tiny."

That led to an awkward silence, and Emmis looked around the room, rather than meeting Lar's eyes. Searching for some sign of their food provided an obvious excuse, but it was when he turned his gaze away from the kitchen, toward the door to the street, that something caught his eye.

The light was better than it had been on Through Street. That was definitely one of the Lumethans sitting at the table in the front window. Emmis thought it was the one who A

At this point saying something would no longer delay their food, so Emmis leaned forward, putting his fist on the table with the thumb pointing at the Lumethan.

"By the way, we're being followed," he said.

"What?"

"We're being followed. By one of the Lumethans I met this morning. He's sitting at the table in the window, in the brown robe."

To Emmis's surprise, Lar did not immediately turn and stare at the Lumethan. He cast a quick glance at the door to the street, then looked back at Emmis. "You're sure?"

"Yes."

"He wasn't here before us?"

"I saw him back on Through Street, when you were locking the door."

"But you said nothing until now."

"I was hungry. I was afraid you'd want to do something stupid."

Lar smiled a tight little smile. "You have interesting… I don't know the word. Interesting reasons for things."

"I'm just an honest laborer," Emmis protested. "If you want someone clever, you hired the wrong man."

"Oh, I don't think so. I think you're clever enough. So we're being followed."

"Yes."

"Did he follow the wagon from the Crooked Candle, do you think?"

Emmis turned his fist over and opened it to show an empty palm. "I don't know," he said. "He might have known where to go from something I told A

At that point a rather sweaty boy of twelve or so appeared with a platter; he set it down and pushed two plates of pork and carrots onto their table. Lar handed him a coin, and boy and platter vanished.

Emmis promptly started eating. Lar stared at him for a moment, then followed suit. Neither spoke until Emmis's plate was empty. Then the younger man straightened in his chair and said, "I think his name is Hagai, but I'm not sure."

Lar looked up from spearing his last lump of carrot. "Is he watching us?"

Emmis glanced in the right general direction, then back at Lar.

"I think so. I'm not certain. He's being casual."

"But he's still there."

"Oh, yes."

"You think they're worried that I'm going to bring a new warlock back to Vond? That we're going to use more magic to start conquering our neighbors again?"

"If I had to guess what they're worried about from what they told me, yes, that's what I would guess."

"That's almost fu

Emmis blinked. "It is? Why?"

"Because of my real mission." He glanced toward the door, and toward the table in the window where the Lumethan was sipping at an empty beer mug. Then he turned back to Emmis, looking tired and thoughtful. After a pause, he said, "I'm going to trust you, Emmis. If they're following me and watching me, I'm not going to be able to keep all my secrets anyway, so I'm going to tell you a few things. If the Regent doesn't like it, he should have sent more people or used some magic to make my job easier."

"All right," Emmis said. "What is it?"

Lar leaned forward. "My mission is to make sure that more warlocks don't come to Vond," he whispered. "Vond the Warlock was a monster, a killer, and we don't want another one. I'm here to convince the Council of Warlocks to forbid their people to set foot in the Empire, or if I can't do that, I'm to hire other magicians to keep warlocks out."

Emmis considered that for a moment, then leaned forward himself and whispered, "Why is that a secret?"

Lar snorted. "Because if warlocks who are worried about the Calling find out that we're trying to keep them out, what do you think they'll do?"

"I don't know; what?"

"Well, some of them will try to get into the empire before we can stop them. Remember, Vond is a long, long way from Aldagmor."

"But the Calling got Vond himself, didn't it?"

"The Calling got Vond, yes, but only after he built an empire single-handed. He was using more power than any warlock I ever heard of, probably more than anyone since the Night of Madness. If a warlock settled in Vond and didn't assume he was safe, if he was careful, if he didn't go carving palaces out of bedrock and throwing entire armies around, he might live there for years before he was Called – and we don't want that."

"Why not?"

Lar looked at Emmis as if reconsidering his earlier remark about Emmis's cleverness. "Because," he said, "when he does hear the Calling, what's he going to do?"

"Fly off to Aldagmor."

"Yes, but before that – when he's hearing the Call, but hasn't yet given in to it."

"I don't know," Emmis said, a