Chapter 1

Excerpt from the Many Worlds project. This is Dion, say hello Dion.

Dion sat on a low wall lining the sides of the road leading into Kell. Dion had always liked Kell, a small city with the only real reason it exists is the enormous crystal gate that stood near it. The gate had been closed for thousands of years but in the last few hundred it opened. Little Kell turned from a small farming community to a small city utterly devoted to the service of the travelers coming to and leaving Elayne. A small military base once stood here as a first line of defense against possible incursions, but since the Treaty of Fortyne it had long been abandoned. The fields surrounding the city had grown wild since the economy of the little town was shifted to hospitality and import/export related bureaucracy.

This little eccentric city was the main hub of information flowing to and from Fortyne and from their to the rest of the many worlds. Dion’s job was to tap that flow, and to filter the nonsense from the gems and report back to his superiors. However, for now he was enjoying the sunshine. It was a few hours past midday and his contact’s pub didn’t open for another hour still. He could go around and chat with some of the beggars, he thought. Rumors were often good for pointing him in the right direction for useful information, but he knew what he was here for today. He needed to find the status of another Wraith who went to Fortyne last week. His reports stopped coming the day he arrived at Fortyne, and there was some fear he had gone rogue.

Dion doubted that the current bunch of transients would know about him. Kilan would, though, probably had given him info on the way out. One thing Dion could always count on, most of his contacts had been tapped by other Wraiths. Either to pick up similar information or to keep tabs on Dion. Dion had one up on the others though. Dion had kept tabs on a young girl and her mother living in the capitol. Turns out Kilan had his wife and daughter run off on him five years ago. The man didn’t have the guts to go look for them but was always willing to barter information.

He still had some time to kill as he watched Xirus circle the rim of the sun and begin its short trip behind and out of sight. Garren was in the sky as well today, meaning Sikasta was on the other side of the sun. Garren, it wasn’t so long ago that he was at Fort Yeradin, watching the coming and goings of refugees from that barren world. The refugees from Garren, were always a good source on the many enemies on that rock. The Hen, the long conquered people of the grasslands, particularly hated the current Nomad who had declared himself the Warlord of Garren, Odyn.

He had been antagonizing the clans to try another assault Elayne. But luckily due to the work of some cunning Wraiths, the Garrenians had their hands full with a dispute with the Maeden forces. Set one powerful enemy against another. Though the Maedens were never a direct threat to the Elaynians, they threatened Fortyne on a regular basis. They declared it a hotbed of corruption and subversion of law, luckily no other world has gotten behind their ideas. Maedus had gates to Icene and Harantos, and neither of those worlds would help. The Harantons were more interesting in testing their warriors against the Maeden Judges, and the Iceneians were never quick to do anything.

Dion mused to himself, the delicate balance of the Many Worlds. He laid on his back looking at the spheres floating by. Not long ago those were just spheres in the sky, then the gates opened. Each one filled with people and all those people trying to kill each other. The Wraiths did their part to keep Elayne safe but who did that for all of the worlds floating in this cavern. Well, if one believed in the Savants’ theory of the Many Worlds, then all these spheres floated inside one larger sphere. Theories were the luxury of those who had time, Dion rolled his body off the wall swinging his feet down first and standing up. The moderately tall black haired man then put on his black longcoat, the closest thing a Wraith had to an official uniform. He patted down his pockets to make sure nothing had fallen out during his short break. He found a knife on the ground and slid it back into place inside his coat. He shook the dust off the bottom of his coat and strolled into Kell, maybe he could catch Kilan as he opened. Dion strolled through the center road of kell, leading straight up into the crystal encased swirling blue vortex which was the Gate. He listened to the people as he walked. He heard two merchants arguing over the price of a horse and whether or not it game a bad leg. He heard two young girls gossiping about young soldiers who had come through recently. He trained his ear on them for mention of merchants. After a moment the name Dusdane hit his ear, one of the girls apparently had had drinks with this young merchant, and was disinclined to say more to the other girl who apparently had had eyes for the young man as well. Dion ran the name through his head and remembered hearing Faecon had hired a merchant assistant by that name.

Kilan’s general store stood before Dion, a small wooden structure solidly built, but quickly constructed. Dion placed his hand around the door handle and pulled. The shop was still closed. Dion walked around to the back and tried the back door, a door to a room in the back where Kilan lived. The door was also locked. Dion pulled out his knife and wiggled it in a crack and flipped the latch.

Kilan was sitting at his desk, an unmarked bottle next to him.

“Isn’t your store supposed to be open,” Dion said with a friendly grin.

Kilan started and nearly knocked the bottle over. Dion caught the bottle.

“Di, you scared the fool out of me,” replied the old shopkeep.

“I doubt that.”

Kilan gave Dion a cross look, but then brightened up. “Do you have news?”

“I do,” said Dion moving across the room to sit on the end of Kilan’s bed. “But you know news comes at a price.”

Kilan stood up and paced a few steps, “Okay what do you want to know?”

“I am looking for a man named Faecon.”

“Faecon, yeah I heard of him. Came through two weeks ago, bought an axle for a cart of his.”

“Did he ask you about anything?”

“That is two questions, for more you need to tell me of my wife.”

Dion smiled, “You are getting better at this. Very well, your wife moved again in Fortyne City, she has moved away from the merchant quarter. Still working as a seamtress.”

“My Daughter?”

“Did Faecon ask about anything, did he pick up any information from you.”

Kilan looked annoyed but obliged. “He asked about Judge traffic through this gate.”

“And has their been?”

“My Daughter.” This time it was a demand.

“Since your wife is getting older, your daughter has been taking up more work around the home. She has grown into quite a lovely young lady.” Dion said his smile widening a little.

“You’d best not get any ideas Di, I may be old but I will gut you if you touch her.” Kilan suddenly looked worried, “Have there been any men…”

“Judges, Kilan, any increase in their activity.”

“No haven’t seen or heard of a Judge coming through this gate.”

Dion let his shoulder drop a little. Looks as though the Judges’ operations were luckily limited to Fortyne.

“He also asked about something else,” said Kilan.

Dion looked up, “What?”

“Are there any men after my daughter?” Kilan asked again.

Dion rolled his eyes, “You know she will have to deal with men someday.”

“Not before I see her,”

“You’d best get to Fortyne then. Because she still has no man, despite a few merchants trying.”

Kilan sighed with relief.

“So what did he ask?”

“He asked if you were had been asking about him.”

“What? Me by name?”

“Does my daughter work as a seamstress too.”

“Yes, now did he ask about me by name?”

“No he just asked if anyone inquisitive had been asking, I take it to me someone like you, but not you specifically. At the time you hadn’t been so I told him no one was.”

“And he was headed to Fortyne?”

“Yes, they are safe there aren’t they?”

“For the time being, but Fortyne is always a powder keg. I would suggest you move quickly.”

Kilan nodded, “guess I won’t open the shop today. I have to pack.”

“Not a bad idea,” and with that Dion stepped out.

He stepped out into the ally and picked a piece of straw from a bale of hay nearby. He began to chew on it as he leaned against the wall.

Kilan was becoming less than helpful, Dion was having to fabricate more news about his family every time he came in. Next time he would have to ask harder questions. He had learned something though, Faecon was still on mission, but his inquiry into Wraiths following him did raise suspicions. Why would he care if he was on mission. Perhaps he wished to defect to the Maedens. Perhaps this Dusdane had something to do with this as well, he wasn’t an approved member of the operation.

In the meantime, Dion needed to figure a way to keep Kilan in Kell. Vandalizing his shop would probably be enough to kill his nerve and make him stay at least for awhile longer. He would say to himself, “I’ve waited this long I can wait a little longer.” People were predictable, never wanting to leave the security of their bubble.

Dion walked over to a small gang of street urchins, told them the back door to Kilan’s shop was unlocked and that when he left they could get in that way. They thanked the kind stranger and Dion headed for the gate. Those kids were pretty reliable, they wouldn’t do too much damage, just enough to keep Kilan paranoid and in his shop.

Dion smiled and approached a guard at the customs stop. Everyone had to be checked before they left Elayne. Dion handed the guard a single slip of paper. He read it and let him through.
Dion stepped up to the swirling vortex several stories tall. He smiled, he loved his job. Dion stepped through and he was in another world. Blurring lights before him the feeling of motion then nothing and he looked over a grassy plain not too different from the one he had left, but in the distance he saw the crystal walls of Fortyne City.