Sunset of Lantonne by Jim Galford Page B

back at him, her gaze unwavering. Whatever her story was, this woman had more spirit than Therec had initially given her credit for.
    “I am a servant to Magister Kinet,” she answered firmly. “If and when I pay off my debt to him, I will be a free citizen of the city.”
    Therec studied her face for deception but found none. Whether truth or not, she believed it. On a whim, he took a step toward her, which would have cornered her between the wall and a decorative table. She hastily stepped to one side, wincing as she did. It was not just politeness…she genuinely was avoiding contact.
    “You act as one who has been beaten,” he told her, looking for any scars from whips. There were none that he could see. “Servants and slaves generally differ in treatment. Which are you…really?”
    “My master will freely tell you that I am a servant. There are no slaves in Lantonne.”
    “And what would you call yourself, if you were free of him?”
    Dalania’s eyes flashed angrily, but then she composed herself and offered a false smile. “I am a servant doing my job here, sir,” she replied pleasantly. “I would be remiss if I didn’t get you to my master quickly.”
    Realizing he was going to get nowhere with the woman, even with a fairly solid idea that her master was not playing by the laws of the city, Therec gave her a slight nod and waved her onward. He would deal with the legalities later, once he had gotten a clearer picture of his role here. There was no sense in picking fights before he had all the information he would need.
    They made their way up several winding staircases, their pace rather faster than Dalania normally traveled, giving Therec a good idea that he had either offended her or at least touched on a topic she was uncomfortable with. He had not meant to bother her, but coming in with only rumors and a few details the king had told him in passing forced him to ask more questions than he would have liked.
    Just as Therec was beginning to wonder if their destination was atop the roof of the great keep, Dalania turned and led him onto one of the uppermost floors. They passed through a heavy door that could be barred if needed and into a vast round room. They were nearly three floor higher than he had gone in the keep and he had not even realized there were more rooms so far up.
    True to its name, the chamber was brilliantly lit. Enormous windows with glass in them lined most of the walls’ arc, other than where the room connected to the rest of the tower on the westernmost portion of the room. Even the roof had been enchanted in some way, allowing light to come through the stone ceiling, as if it were open air…though it also let Therec make out bird droppings all over the roof. He had never seen a place with such simple extravagance. In Turessi, only the temple had any windows and those were mostly in the council’s chamber.
    Within the room, long bookshelves had been set up along the edges where they would not block the windows, giving Therec the impression of the room being both full and open at the same time. In the middle area were several tables as well as a large open space where meetings could be held. At the tables were three of the magisters, one whom Therec knew from a passing introduction the night prior to be Kinet, Dalania’s master. A dwarven woman near Kinet was Arlind, the master healer of the tower. The third, based on descriptions he had been given, was the elderly elven library keeper, Dorus. No less than twelve more magisters were somewhere in the tower and should have been called if the meeting was important. Their absence made him distinctly uncomfortable, as he had yet to meet with the king to learn the specifics of his tasks within the city. Meeting with high-ranking magisters away from public eye was not part of his plan.
    Therec mostly ignored the mumbled greetings the magisters, watching from the corner of his eye until Dalania had excused herself and closed the door into