Page 38 of Stranger's Choice
Chapter 12
“Why did youtravel across the Storm Barrier yourself? Why not send one of your co-conspirators?” Sebin asked Tjalik while they waited for their suppers.
When Sebin arrived at the Dusty Gohtadar two days after finding Tjalik in the Broken Barrel, the other man had been waiting for him. Sober. But he still hadn’t been himself.
Sebin had spent the evening trying to reignite the man’s passion and move him past the pessimism of seeing how well protected the Emperor was. Now they were meeting again, and he hoped to move on to making plans.
But first he’d try to remind Tjalik of why he had become a revolutionary in the first place. To do that, he needed to get the other man talking.
Tjalik lifted a single shoulder. “I was the only one who had learned your tongue.”
Sebin tried again. “And why did you bother to learn Continental?”
“Change,” Tjalik said, and for the first time Sebin heard a spark of his former fervor. “The arrival of your people was a sign of change.”
Sebin nodded, saying nothing. After a moment, Tjalik continued. “Nothing has changed in Pynth for generations, but then your ships arrived, and there was something new. Proof that the empire did not have to stagnate. I moved to Reslin Harbor once I heard that your merchants planned to make regular visits.”
“But why?” Sebin could understand seeing the arrival of the Lhanaperan merchants as a good omen for a man looking for change, but moving to a different city, learning another language, seemed too extreme. Once Tjalik was across the Mladin Ocean, it made sense for him to seek allies who might prove powerful enough to defy his emperor. But why had he traveled there in the first place?
The server arrived with their bowls of some sort of spiced stew. Though they had been speaking in Continental, Tjalik waited until they were once more alone before answering. “Did you know the oracles have a village where humans can petition to have their futures read?”
“Yes,” Sebin said hesitantly. He was planning a trip to that village himself once he allayed the worst of the Emperor’s concerns after his visit to the sprites. “Did you seek out the oracles? I thought you didn’t trust them.”
“I don’t. But my sister wanted to visit. She needed a vision of her husband’s future, and so I took her. But I didn’t petition the oracles. I didn’t even go in with my sister when she met with them. I waited at the inn.”
Sebin swallowed a bite of stew. “But your sister came back with a vision of your future?”
“No.” Tjalik shook his head. “No. While I sat in the common room, an old man approached me. He was blind, and I offered him a seat at my table. I thought he was another of the petitioners. But he was an oracle. He didn’t sit. Just looked at me with frightening intensity—even though he couldn’t see me. Then he gave me a prophecy. ‘Where change starts is where you need to go. The vessel of one change is the harbinger of the future you crave. Do not miss the tide.’”
“Not very specific.”
“The oracles never are. But when I heard about the foreign ships, I knew I had to go to Reslin. Once there, it only made sense to learn the language so I could talk to the sailors myself instead of trusting what the imperial officials told us about the strangers.”
“And once you spoke the language, traveling across the ocean to find allies made sense.”
“Exactly.”
“So what is your goal, Tjalik?” Sebin set down his spoon. “You’ve mentioned change. You told me back when we first met that you want to remove the Emperor from the throne in order to improve life for everyone in Pynth. But what do you mean by that? What do you want to improve? Who will take the Emperor’s place?”
Sebin already had his own thoughts on those questions, but for today it would be enough to get Tjalik to explain his goals in detail. Hopefully, the rebel wouldn’t realize that Sebin should have asked these questions before he ever set foot on the ship taking him across the ocean if he actually had intended to help. If he realized Sebin hadn’t been that interested in rebellion before, his present enthusiasm ought to satisfy him.
Sebin was committed now.
As they finished their meal, Tjalik explained his dreams for Pynth. They were shortsighted and did not take into account the different dynamics among the people who lived outside of the cities—especially Kalitalo. Nevertheless, they showed that Tjalik’s heart was in the—mostly—right place. Sebin would work on getting the other man to recognize the importance of the magical races and the need to make them a part of his vision of the future later.
“And what do you expect from me?” Sebin finally asked after their bowls had been cleared. “How does a foreign prince fit into your plans?”
“If you recognize our new Emperor, and negotiate trade deals with him, that will legitimize his rule. And your immunity to the oracles, I’m sure, will be useful.”
In short, Tjalik did not know how he fit in. Sebin didn’t bother to correct the rebel about how little it would matter to an empire that had been isolated for centuries if one small foreign power, from a kingdom nearly a month distant on the best ships, recognized their government. He certainly didn’t mention that Moial had none of the trade goods that might make the alliance enticing and that the merchant ships came from a different country altogether. The people of Pynth tended to think of all the kingdoms across the Mladin Ocean as one unit—if they thought of them at all.
Sebin stood up. “Well, I look forward to discussing more with you in the future. I can’t afford to come down to this part of the city too often to talk with you, but I’ll let you know when I have something to share.”
Tjalik nodded, apparently not even realizing that Sebin had taken control of his revolution. “I look forward to hearing from you. If you need to meet, send a message here. The tavern keeper is trustworthy.”
“Until then, start checking in with your people. You can’t afford for anyone to risk the entire scheme by doing something unplanned. Remind them that we’ll move when everything is in place. It is the only way to ensure success.”
“Of course. I’ll make it clear that we need to all work together to achieve our goals.”
