Swords: 06 - The Third Book of Lost Swords - Stonecutter's Story Read Free Page B

upon it.”
           “So it would appear, yes.” And al-Farabi once more raised his hands to hide his face.
           Kasimir tried to reassure him. “They might have been—I suppose it is likely that they were—helped by powerful magic. Perhaps even the magic of one of the other Twelve Swords. Wayfinder, say, or Coinspinner. I have never seen those Swords but either of them, as I understand the tales, may be an infallible guide to locating some desired object.”
           “Then would that we had them both in hand today!” the Prince cried out.
           Wen Chang was nodding thoughtfully. “That the thieves had either of those Swords is a possibility, I suppose. Or some lesser magic might well have been strong enough to let the robbers find what they wanted. Was any wizard traveling with you?”
           “None, Magistrate.” Ai-Farabi shook his head. “I am a simple man of the desert, who lives more by the sword than the spell. With such trivial magical powers as I myself possess, I have of course already tried to get Stonecutter back. But as I say, I am no wizard. I suppose you will be able to bring to bear much stronger spells and incantations?”
           “Probably not.”
           The Prince blinked at him. “Sir?”
           “I prefer to rely upon a stronger tool even than magic.”
           “And what might that be, Magistrate?”
           “Intelligence, my friend. Intelligence.” The Magistrate drank spiced wine, and sighed, pleasurably. He moved a trifle on his pillows, like a man settling himself to play a round of some congenial game. “Now tell me. Who, before your caravan set out, knew that you were carrying Stonecutter with you?”
           “Among my own people, only myself and Lieutenant Komi, the commander of the escort—and I would trust Komi as I trust myself. Our fathers were blood brothers, and I have known him all his life.”
           “ I certainly had no inkling of the Sword’s presence with the caravan,” Kasimir put in.
           Wen Chang nodded slightly at him, prolonged the look appraisingly for a moment, then returned his narrow-eyed gaze to the Prince. “And who, not among your people, would have known that you were carrying Stonecutter with you?”
           Al-Farabi took time to give the question serious thought. “Well—the only people I can think of would be the Tasavaltans who delivered the Sword to me at the other edge of my domain. They were three, including Prince Mark himself, and one of his chief wizards, and the strong man called Ben of Purkinje. It was plain to see that the Prince trusted his companions as thoroughly as I trust Komi. And why would a man connive to steal his own Sword?”
           The Magistrate was frowning. “There might be several answers to that question. If there is a good answer in this case, it is not immediately obvious. No doubt other people in Tasavalta might have known that the Sword was being loaned to you?”
           “No doubt.”
           “Then, for the moment at least, this line of inquiry seems unproductive. Let us try another.”
           Al-Farabi, sitting with his head bowed again, said through his hands: “As soon as we have replenished our supplies and rested, we will return to the desert and try again to track the thief—or thieves. But I fear that the Sword of Siege is lost.”
           Wen Chang nodded. “And I fear that you may well be right. Still, the situation is not utterly hopeless, even if your pursuit through the desert should fail.”
           “It is not?”
           “No. Not utterly. Consider—what will a thief do with such a treasure when it falls into his hands?”
           “He’ll most likely want to sell it, I suppose,” Kasimir put in.
           The narrowed eyes of the Magistrate turned on him again. “Almost certainly he will. And where would anyone go to sell an item