She gave me the condensed version of what happened and what they had found. Janiver had spotted a small caravan approaching the castle that morning through the eyes of her vultures. The three four-horse wagons stopped about half a mile away from the castle's gate.
It still wasn't possible to get any identification on the traders. They were dressed in the Bedouin style with robes, turbans, and face coverings.
After a short wait, the gates of Cor'maglin opened and a lone rider sped down the road to the caravan. The horseman was a Dark Elf. That was plain to see, but that's all the information they could glean.
Never leaving his saddle, the Elf looked under flaps and tarps, knocked on boxes and barrels, checked some paperwork the driver of the first wagon carried, and waved them forward, leading them back to the castle.
Roughly fifteen minutes later, the caravan had pulled up to a building on the castle's side that looked as if it might be the kitchen. The horses were taken by some Dark Elf groomsmen to be watered and fed, and the supplies were carefully unloaded. The Dark Elf who had met the caravan was counting and checking off everything taken from those wagons.
Janiver's vultures found a place to roost not far away with a perfect view of all of these goings on. The Wizard was even able to get an up close view of the sheet of parchment being checked against the inventory from the wagons.
Most of the items that came in on the caravan were of the mundane variety — potatoes, carrots, onions, arrows, spears, sheets of metal to be made into armor, leather hide. All of the items on the list were indicated in the Common Tongue except for one. That one word was . It sounded like Black Speech, a language spoken by the forces of evil in long forgotten times. It bears a resemblance to modern day Orcish and Goblin.
But no one knew what meant until Janiver cast a low level spell allowing her to translate it. The word was indeed Black Speech, and the word ment “honey."
Honey, though, didn't come in large rock-like lumps and isn't carried in velvet pouches. This was the honey to which the Gray Elves alluded when talking about the included amber. Five melon-sized pouches of the stuff.
That was handed off very quickly to a Wizardly looking Dark Elf who scurried inside with it as if he was afraid to hold it.
Once the unloading was done, the caravaneers, all six of them, sat at a wooden table just outside the kitchen and began to remove their turbans and face coverings while some Dark Elf kitchen workers brought them pitchers of water with loaves of bread and cheese.
All of them were Sand Elves. And Brevid was back with us at Nez Ambril.
“Waldinor! Quickly, go fetch Lady Brevid and bring her here at once. It's of the utmost urgency."
May had the elephant ring, but it was worthless in those circumstances. We could only hope that the Elves took their time getting back on the road.
Five minutes later, a breathless Waldinor entered the Sanctum with a gasping Brevid in tow.
“Brevid, come quickly. Janiver is sending us an image through the crystal ball of a group of Sand Elves. Tell us what you know of them.”
"I don't know any of them,” she said. "See the blue and white checkered pattern on their face coverings? They're of one of the Northern Tribes. We don't deal with their kind. They're the same that produced Jinfar and Lasca.”
And the image in the crystal ball faded to nothing.
I could hear Janiver's voice, "That was good timing, Brevid. I couldn't have held the image with that kind of clarity a moment longer.”
Then May’s face returned in my locket.
“The good news is that they came back through Kruklig when they left. They're staying the night apparently and they're checked in at the Tyner's Rest. What should we do now?”
“May I finally speak? Ranji asked.
"Of course, Ranji. Do you have something to add?”
“Those aren't just your run of the mill Sand Elves. Keep watching them and I guarantee they'll make contact with someone in the tavern — someone with the Syndicate. They'll give them whatever the cut of money is they're owed. But, I assure you, the Syndicate made these arrangements. The Syndicate just doesn't have a good source for the amber right now. The Sand Elves are likely pilfering the stuff out of Taliswood right under your noses.”
"By the gods,” I realized, "they're probably getting it from Hevist Hevistyón, the old man I met in the baths. I hope it's a matter of him being easily duped and he doesn't actually realize what he's doing.”
"It couldn't be him,” May claimed, "we found where he was digging it up and have it sealed off with guards.”
"Yes, but what if he has a great store of the stuff? We don't know how long he's been harvesting it.
Waldinor!”
"Yes, Your Majesty?”
"Do you know of a place called Hevistyón's Pharmacy?"
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“Yes, Your Majesty."
“This is very important. Find Lieutenant Marval. Have him take some men to Hevistyón's Pharmacy and arrest the old man Hevistyón. Have them bring him here. No, I mean not to the Sanctum, but to the throne room and let me know immediately when he's arrived.”
"Yes, Your Majesty.”
"There. Hopefully that will give us some answers. Has anybody seen these Sand Elves coming into town or the old man leaving by the East Road?”
"None that I've heard of, Bascombe,” Margrin offered.
“Tendil, Love?"
“Yes, My Darling."
“Take care of what needs taking care of there. Janiver and I are going to set up in a corner table in the tavern and see what we might see. Whoever they meet will be wanting their money sooner rather than later and we don't want to miss them.”
"Very well, May. Call on me when you can and I'll let you know what I find out from Hevistyón.”
The old man wasn't shackled when they brought him into the throne room, but he was surrounded by four guards and Lieutenant Marval. He looked oddly complacent.
“Mister Hevistyón, we meet again, but this time we're both clothed.”
"If I might be so abrupt, Your Majesty, to what do I owe the privilege?”
"Straight to the point. Very well. I'm accusing you of selling amber that should not have been on the market to potential enemies of the state. How answer you to this charge?”
“I deny it, Your Majesty. You confiscated all of the amber that wasn't to be sold and you cut off my supply for new amber. What am I supposed to have been selling?"
“First, let me ask you this, Sir, have you conducted any business with any Sand Elves in the past thirty days?"
“Yes I have. There's nothing wrong or improper in dealing with the Sand Elves. They're our cousins.”
"I'll be plain here, Mister Hevistyón. I don't plan on playing this game with you, so I'm going to bring in a priest who will cast a spell which will force you to tell the truth.
Waldinor, go fetch one of the priests. Tell them we are in need of a in the throne room, and tell them to make haste.”
"Yes, Your Majesty!”
"Now, Mister Hevistyón. I'm sure given your many years, you know how this spell works. We can delay getting the truth until the priest gets here or you can give it to us now. If you tell the truth now, I'll show some leniency. If you make me wait, the punishment will be all the more harsh. Decide.”
Looking shame-faced, the old man said “It's true, Your Majesty, your suspicion. I have been selling the included amber to the Sand Elves. I don't know why they needed it or what it's for, but they were paying a premium for it. A premium that would allow me to retire. I meant no harm."
“It doesn't matter what you meant, Hevistyón, it's what was the result. So you know where the stuff was going?"
“I would assume back to the Waste, Your Majesty?"
“Yes, back to the Waste. Then through the Waste and on to Kruklig, but not stopping there. No, not there. From Kruklig, their caravans go to a place called Castle Cor'maglin on the coast of the Eastern Ocean. Have you heard of the place, Mister Hevistyón?”
"No, Your Majesty. I know very little about the East.”
"Well then, this will come as an exciting surprise. Castle Cor'maglin is the worldly home of the Black King. Surely you've heard of him?”
"Ye….yes, Your Majesty."
“Allow me to get you up to date. Right now, your god, élois, has been in an ongoing battle with the Black King. They fight day and night without stopping and have been doing so for weeks. The Black King wants to turn our plane of existence into his personal plane of hell. And he has help in reaching this goal — the raw power of the included amber. That, my dear friend, is coming from you. So that you might retire early.”
He was stunned. Eyes opened wide, mouth agape, trembling.
“Now, where is your stash, Sir?"
"It's in the North Taliswood, Your Majesty. In the abandoned city of the Dark Elves.”
“How much is stored there, Mister Hevistyón?"
“There is a considerable amount, Your Majesty. When the Dark Elves left the city, they had storehouses of the included stuff that they would break down to turn into lacquer and perfume to sell in Nez Clar?. But there is only so much of a need for those things and much of the included amber went unprocessed.
The main storeroom for the stuff was sealed off in a cave-in, but my sons and I dug a new entrance. Whoever had been there before us obviously knew the included amber's true value but didn't know of the cave-in. The rest of the city was picked clean.”
"Did you know, Mister Hevistyón, that the Dark Elves were in the service of the Black King?”
"I knew they were in the service of a powerful necromancer. That is all. Syndial Nur-Hajisti was his name. I don't know where they went or what became of him.”
"That very man became a lich and then, with the power of the amber, Ascended to godhood. Syndial Nur-Hajisti and the Black King are one and the same.
I can see in your face, Sir, that this comes as a surprise. I really can't press a case for you being complicit in the Black King's plans. You did lie to me, but you also gave us valuable information regarding Elves who were working for the Black King.
I won't press further on any prosecution on one condition — you take us to the abandoned city and forfeit the stores you still have there. Any more lies and you'll be spending a great deal of time in prison. Am I understood?”
"Yes, Your Majesty. Completely understood. Do you mean to say that the Elves that Shindur brought into my shop were all in service of the Black King? Shindur too I would suspect?”
"Yes, Mister Hevistyón. And the story gets much more involved after that and goes in some directions to which I can't make you privy. Not yet. Suffice it to say that great evil is afoot on our continent and we are doing what we can to stop it.
Lieutenant Marval, gather a cavalry regiment and supply wagons. Mister Hevistyón will lead us to the abandoned Dark Elf city and we will cleanse it of included amber today. Be ready to depart in one hour.”
"Yes, Your Majesty. How many wagons should we need, Sire?”
I looked to Hevistyón.
"I would guess perhaps six, Your Majesty?”
"Make it eight to be on the safe side, Lieutenant. I'll meet you at the base of the tree in one hour.”
Before I left for the abandoned city, I had to speak with May, tell her of my findings.
I grinned as soon as her face appeared in my locket.
“Why do you look so happy, My Prince?”
“Mainly because I'm seeing your face. Aside from that, I found out where the Pretenders are getting their included amber."
“Oh? And what's the story there?"
“It was Hevist Hevistyón, the old fellow from the baths, the apothecary. He knew of a large stash of the stuff buried in a cave-in at the old abandoned Dark Elf city in the Northern Taliswood. He's been selling to the Sand Elves.”
“Well, Janiver and I have made something of a breakthrough as well. The Sand Elves here came down into the tavern not long ago and met with an Elf. They handed him a heavy bag of what sounded like coins and went back upstairs. Before he could leave, Janiver approached him. Does the name Imgrist Ferylyón raise any alarms?”
“Yes, of course, he was Margrin's Syndicate contact. The one who introduced us to Shamrog Yurk. But now we must find out if he's working as a rogue agent or if the entire Kruklig Syndicate is behind this.
At any rate, we'll have cut off their supply of the included amber here at the source and perhaps you can severely disrupt their supply of food. At least temporarily.”
"At least temporarily, yes. And deliver a blow to the Syndicate in this place.”
"Be careful, May. I'm off now with Lieutenant Marval and a cavalry detachment to visit that abandoned city and confiscate the last of its stores of included amber. But I'm right here if you ever need me.”
"Happy hunting, Dear!”