Naitachal's mouth twitched. "They permit simple musicians, but never Bards. However, they have no effective barriers to keep them out. Their mages are, in my humble opinion, amateurs. They probably wouldn't recognize a Bard unless one whacked them over the head with his harp."
Alaire stifled a chuckle, as Naitachal continued.
"But somehow they fumble about in their incompe- tence, and nab a magician or two for making a lopsided circle on the ground with onion flakes." He turned another page. "So, as I said, they permit only harmless, non-magical minstrels, even though no one over there knows how Bardic Magic really works. This is how we will present ourselves. We are minstrels, only. If anyone asks about our instruments, it is our hobby. The King chose us to be his temporary envoys."
Alaire shrugged. "Wonder why our ambassador can't handle this."
Naitachal gave him a withering look, as if he should already have known the answer. "We don't have o Suinomen. We're going to be the ambassadors. We'll have to be careful there. The reason Suinomen is making threats is because they feel endangered. Our unlicensed and unregulated magic is a threat to their security, or so they claim."
Alaire considered this, while Naitachal went through the leather-bound book. It makes sense, in a distorted fashion, he decided. We make perfect envoys. We're practically at their doorstep already, and I'm high up on the royal lineage ladder. However, something else nagged at him.
"Question," Alaire said, raising a hand. "If they don't permit magic, how can we be the ambassadors? I mean, you're an elf, and all elves are mages, right?"
Naitachal frowned, and gave Alaire that look he knew so well, which told him, don't you see yet?
"Magic use is illegal," he said, with a look of bored patience. "They permit magicians themselves, but those mages cannot invoke any powers, internal or external."
Fine. But Naitachal had been a Necromancer, and in a country that feared mages, this could cause some... problems. "You're a Dark Elf. Isn't that likely to incite, well, hostilities?"
This time Naitachal just shrugged. "My people have never had an ambassador at the Suinomen court. That is probably why King Reynard wants to send us in that capacity. Chances are they haven't seen too Dark Elves, and if they have, do you really think they would give me any trouble? If the reputation of Elves in this kingdom is bad, what do you think it is over there?"
Alaire had to chuckle. Well, I guess he has a point.
No one's going to harass him, particularly when he can turn you to powder with a single muttered spell. And it's not painless, either. Father knows he wouldn't do that, of course, but they don't.
"Your role in all this is to be rather subdued," Nai- tachal said, almost apologetically.
Alaire raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, sub- dued?
"You are to be my . . . secretary, of sorts. We will keep your real identity secret."
For a moment Alaire was resentful, then he recon- sidered; what better way to have fun with an otherwise serious assignment? If I went as a prince this trip would bore me silly. Of course they can't know who I am, and I bet they won't even suspect, since so few people in our own kingdom know I'm Naitachal's bardling.
"Ransom, you see," Naitachal said. "It's something your father would rather not contend with."
Alaire edged closer to the volume, which Naitachal held in his dark hands. "What is that book, anyway?"
"A very old travel log," Naitachal said. "Here's the map we'll need. This is the less traveled route, if my grandfather is right. He wrote this book centuries ago."
Alaire thought about the plan, and began to feel relieved, for other reasons. Visiting another country as the son of a king meant hours of boring, endless pom- posity, formalities, uncomfortable formal dress, and no privacy. Going incognito meant none of this.
Well, at least not as much. He suspected that being an Envoy would include some of the royal trappings.
But not, thank the gods, the full course.
"It's a rather difficult responsibility," Naitachal admitted. "I think we're up to it. We need to find out why they are suddenly acting so aggressive, and to stop them if we can. Do you agree, Alaire?"
"Of course I do," he said, without thinking. He had another thought, which left him a little awed, a little excited, and a little afraid. Responsibility. Naitachal had described it exactly with that single word. This is important work we can do for the kingdom. And we're the best ones for the job.