The Broken Sphere Read Online Free PDF

spacefaring legends,” the Cloakmaster said vaguely, “travelers’ myths, that kind of thing.” He winced mentally; his explanation sounded dubious to his own ears.
    It didn’t sound much better to Gorase, either, judging by the man’s sharp-eyed look. The officer didn’t say anything for almost a minute, simply watching Teldin steadily. The Cloakmaster knew the officer was waiting for him to babble on, just to fill the silence, and maybe incriminate himself in so doing. It was all he could do to hold his tongue, and wait the man out. Difficult though it was, he instinctively knew that was his best course.
    Finally, Gorase glanced away from Teldin’s face, to scratch another note on the slate. “Travelers’ myths,” he mumbled to himself. “And no trade goods.” He looked up again. “Then you wouldn’t mind showing me belowdecks, I suppose,” he said guilelessly.
    Teldin led him into the small main cabin, watched the officer’s cold eyes flick around him, apparently itemizing mentally all the compartment’s contents. “What’s back here?” Gorase asked, indicating the small door at the aft of the main cabin.
    “The helm,” Teldin answered. He swung the door open to let Gorase look into the cramped compartment, little larger than the minor helm it housed. Lucky I didn’t remove the helm the way I was thinking of doing, the Cloakmaster told himself. That would have fired up the officer’s curiosity if nothing else had – a spacegoing vessel without a spelljamming helm ….
    Gorase spared the helm compartment only the briefest of glances. “And the cargo hold, please,” he said.
    The Cloakmaster led the way back on deck and indicated the closed hatch near the bow. Without waiting to be asked, he opened the securing bolt and swung back one side of the hatch cover. Gorase crouched down beside the opening, craning over for a better view into the hold. He cleared his throat, and Teldin clearly heard the sound echo in the emptiness.
    Gorase stood again, indicating that Teldin could close the hatch cover once more. The officer scratched away at his slate for a few more seconds, then nodded briskly. “You’re free to proceed, Master Brewer of the Ship of Fools,” he said officiously. “As a visitor to Crescent, your first landfall must be made at the city of Compact. Landing anywhere else is strictly forbidden and will be considered evidence of intent to smuggle. Do you understand?” He waited for Teldin’s nod. “Do you have any questions?”
    “Just one,” the Cloakmaster said slowly. He walked to the rail and looked downward to the planet below. “Just where is Compact? If I land anywhere else, it’ll be evidence of getting lost.”
    For the first time, Gorase’s thin lips twisted in what could almost have been a smile. “I think I can see my way free to selling you a planetary chart, Master Brewer,” he said wryly.
    *****
    Gorase’s chart had more than paid for itself, Teldin had to admit later. As he’d brought the Fool spiraling down into the atmosphere, he’d compared the geographical features he could see on the world below with the chart. With that chart showing him where to look, he’d managed to pick out the world’s major city – Compact, home of the Great Archive. Without that guidance, he’d have spotted the metropolis only by purest luck, or after an extensive search. Even though Compact was said to be huge, and Crescent itself was only a small world, the scales – human and planetary – were so far apart that the city could just as well have been invisible from orbit.
    Once he’d known what to look for, however – and once he’d brought the Fool down to a low enough altitude – it had been easy to spot Compact. It had looked to be a huge metropolis, spread three-quarters of the way around a large lake of azure-blue water. As large as Rauthaven, if not larger, Compact had none of that port city’s beauty. Instead of the pure white walls and bright red tile