Shady

Aerik thought about it for a moment. He was pretty sure he'd heard the word teleport on Earth before. "I think so, yeah. We call it a Transport. You basically ...

"I suppose..." Aerik answered thoughtfully. "At least, in theory. Most people don't even know it exists."

Aerik looked at him for a moment. That was more questions all at once than he'd expected. "Not everyone can use it -- very few people know how, actually -- ...

"Unfortunately, yes." Pratik wrinkled his nose. "I won't take any part of it, but I've bought the freedom of a few slaves, so I've seen enough. And, I suppose it'll ...

"Mmm... we'll need to silence Femola before you get there," Aerik answered thoughtfully, then cast Jerica a sideward glance. "Hope the rum was worth it." "Mmmmmm," Jerica groaned, too hurt ...

"I... don't know," Aerik admitted. "I just use the R'hyk, and it can't do that. We'll have to get a sorcerer from the--" Guild. He couldn't tell Elias that. "A ...

"Alright," Pratik said simply. Maybe Tarr would know what in the world had happened between Ash and Loquitur. Either way, he wasn't going to test his luck twice in one ...

That was actually somewhat endearing. Pratik smiled a bit, barely visible, and nodded slowly. This war must be about something serious, then, if they'd been that close to one another ...

"Sounds like the way to ensure your brothers will definitely want to assassinate you when they grow up," Pratik mused. Then again, what did he know about brothers? Or having ...

"He banished children?" Pratik raised his eyebrows. If Tarr was the Lord, then he was presumably the oldest. And sending boys younger than eighteen out to fend for themselves seemed ...

"Well--" Aerik stopped as a letter materialized in the air in front of him. "What'd he say?" Jerica asked, perking up a bit. Aerik read in silence. "Well, I'll be ...

"Fair enough..." Pratik thought a moment. "Alright, so what can you tell me about this Tarr fellow? Ithicus, was it?"

"Actually, come to think of it..." Aerik rubbed his chin, looking at Jerica thoughtfully. "We did do something similar, to get Derik in at the Palace." Jerica rubbed her face. ...

Pratik nodded. What a sorry excuse of a man Tarr must be if a little girl could outwit him. "Doesn't seem too terribly difficult to get in, then. Can Roland ...

Jerica laughed, a bit too long. That would be ironic. And hysterical. The letter disappeared from Aerik's hand, and Jerica leaned back in her chair, chest heaving a bit, looking ...