The Vondish Ambassador

Emmis felt himself blushing.

"On the subject of warlockry, U

"That seems strange," Emmis remarked.

"Yes, doesn't it? Nonetheless, it's so, and the gap in understanding is so great that U

"And the other questions…?"

"Well, U

"I never heard of it," Emmis said. He glanced at Ahan.

"Neither have I," the guardsman said. "I have little to do with magic."

"If it got them here that fast, it must be powerful magic," Emmis remarked. "Is it wizardry?"

"Probably. U

"More wizardry?"

"That one I am familiar with; yes, it's wizardry." He turned to the next paper. "You asked what in Lumeth is guarded by protective spells; she reports that the list is relatively short. Several rooms in the government fortress they call the New Castle have wards and protections of one sort or another, the castle itself has a few spells on it, and the various entrances to a miles-long tu

"A tu

"So she said. She gave no further information."

Emmis nodded, and considered the rest of the list. Spell-books and important government offices, yes, but…

"Why the towers? Why do they have so many protective spells? They aren't just pre-war ruins, then?"

"As it happens, you asked what the towers are, and U

Emmis blinked. "Sorcery?"

"So the goddess tells me, and it's our understanding that the gods ca

"They're talismans?"

"So she says."

"But… they're towers. Fifty or sixty feet high, aren't they?"

"Three hundred feet high, actually. You asked that, too."

"Nothing is three hundred feet high," Emmis protested.

"The towers of Lumeth are."

Emmis had trouble comprehending that. He knew that the big towers in Westgate were no more than sixty feet, and they were huge. The lighthouse at the end of the eastern breakwater was perhaps ninety feet, and the Seacorner watchtower was said to be a hundred or more, and that was so tall that it took a brave man to climb it. Courage aside, Emmis had heard that some of the largest soldiers were excused from serving there for fear their weight would cause it to collapse.

And the Lumeth towers were three times that height?

Of course, they might be much, much larger at the base; they would have to be. But that made the other point all the more unbelievable. "And they're talismans?"

"So she says."

"But – talismans are mostly little things, things a person can carry. I've seen a few on the docks, and none were too big for a man to lift. U

"Indeed she does. I must confess, Emmis, I hadn't realized you were so interested in this particular subject; you didn't seem to emphasize it on your list."

"I hadn't realized I was, either," Emmis said. "Not until you told me they were sorcerous. So are there sorcerers guarding them?"

"Not that U

"Why would wizards be guarding sorcery?"

"I have no idea, and U

"Perhaps I should," Emmis agreed. "Or a sorcerer. What do the towers do? I mean, a sorcerer's ordinary talismans can find things, or talk to people far away, or knock down buildings, or answer questions, or a dozen other things – they're magic, and they're all small enough to carry. What kind of magic could possibly call for a talisman three hundred feet high?"

"According to U

Emmis blinked, and stared at Corinal. "They do what?"

"She says they keep out poisons, poisons that surround the entire World."

"What poisons?"

"I have no idea. She did not trouble herself to explain further, and at that point I was simply trying to get through your list before my eardrums burst, or I choked on my own blood, so I did not ask for more details. I thought perhaps you would know."

"Me? I'm a dockworker. I don't know anything about sorcery or poisons or any of this!"

"That's unfortunate."

Emmis grimaced, then glanced at Ahan, but he had already turned up an empty palm, signifying ignorance. Emmis turned back to Corinal.

"It seems as if there's a lot of wizardry in Lumeth," he said. "That transporting whatever-it-is, and the protective spells on the towers, and all that. Isn't that more than most of the Small Kingdoms?"

"I wouldn't really know," Corinal said. "I agree, though, that it does not accord well with the popular image."

"And where does that tu

"That was not on your list of questions; shall we start compiling a new list, to present to Aibem or Bellab or Mazhom?"

Emmis considered that for a moment.

He certainly had plenty of questions – U

"Wait a minute," he said. "Didn't I ask whether there would be further attempts on the Vondish ambassador's life?"

"Ah, yes, thank you for reminding me!" Corinal shuffled through his papers. "You did indeed ask that, and U