Smoke and Memories (The Dark Sorcerer #3) - D.K. Holmberg Page 0,33
information about ancient sorcery,” she said.
“I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to help you,” he said.
“Not at all?”
“Not with what you might do.”
“How do you know what I might do?”
“Given what I’ve seen you doing so far, Jayna Aguelon, I can’t help but hypothesize.”
Jayna frowned at him. “What exactly do you think I’ve been doing?”
He glanced over to Eva. “You have brought her into the city, for starters.”
“I didn’t realize you were offended by her presence.”
“It’s not a matter of that. It’s a matter of knowing what her presence represents.”
“What does it represent?”
“War.”
Jayna started to laugh, but she watched Eva. “I’m afraid you don’t know her that well.”
“I know her better than you. And I understand just what her presence in the city means, what her presence in the city might do.”
Jayna frowned at him, but had a feeling he wasn’t interested in explaining.
“We need information about Nelar.” She was starting to struggle with how she was going to continue the conversation with Telluminder. He acted like he didn’t like her, but he wouldn’t have kept talking to her if he didn’t like her at least a little. “If there’s been so much activity here, we need to try to figure out why.”
He leaned back, watching her. “What do you know about Nelar?”
“I know it’s at the edge of the kingdom.”
“That is very basic, Jayna Aguelon.”
“And I know it once was El’aras.”
“Once.” He chuckled. “This was once a place of power, a place of celebration. Many of these buildings were designed to celebrate the El’aras god. Of course, there were some who believed the El’aras king was a god.” He shook his head, making a soft clucking deep in his throat that told her everything she needed to know about his feelings on the matter. “Time changed things for the El’aras, as time changes things for all people.”
“It wasn’t just time though, was it?”
He tipped his head to the side, shaking it slowly. “It was not.”
“How did the kingdom overthrow the El’aras?”
She had a feeling that was what Telluminder wanted her to ask, and all she needed to do was push a little bit harder, and she could get information out of him that he wanted her to know. He watched her with his strange, wide-eyed gaze, and there was something almost unsettling within it. There was something about the way he looked at her, the way he studied her, that suggested he knew far more than he should have.
This was not just an antiquities dealer. This was a man who had been a part of the city, and a man who understood things that he shouldn’t. Maybe even someone who wasn’t fully human.
“How do men overthrow all things of magic?” he asked.
“I don’t understand.”
“No. I’m sure you do not.”
“Are you mocking me now?”
He chuckled. “I find myself enjoying this conversation more than I would’ve expected. I thought I was going to be irritated by your presence, and while I am not pleased to see you, I must admit that I do enjoy speaking with you.” He glanced over to Eva and said, “You did well bringing her to me.”
Eva waved her hand. “Great.”
“How were the El’aras defeated?” Jayna cast a side glance at Eva as she asked the question.
“Why, Jayna Aguelon, I would’ve expected that you, of all people, would have known.”
Jayna watched him for a moment. “Sorcery.”
He nodded slowly. “Sorcery has been the ally of the kingdom ever since it emerged.”
“The Society existed before the kingdom.”
“Perhaps. That is beyond my knowing.”
She watched him for a moment and frowned. “You mentioned that people celebrated the El’aras king as a god. Were there any other gods that people celebrated?” If Telluminder knew about the gods, maybe there would be something more she could understand. Maybe she could learn about the dark god, and the power that the twelve followers of Sarenoth could access.
She wasn’t sure what gods were celebrated here. There were no temples as there were in some parts of the world, and she had not heard anybody speak of their religion, though given how close they were to the forest, and the history of El’aras in the city, maybe whatever god was celebrated here was somehow tied to the El’aras.
“You aren’t the first to have raised the question.” Telluminder shrugged. “There have been others who have looked for information recently.”
“Others who have looked for information about the old gods?”
“Such information can be difficult to acquire, especially in places like Nelar. Not many have such books.”