Free Dark Sun: Prism Pentad 1 - The Verdent Passage by Troy Denning Page B

in the
     habit of sharing confidences. Forgive me if I seem skeptical.”
    Tithian gave Agis a smile. “Believe me or not, it makes no difference. There has always
     been a certain bond of circumstance between you and me. More importantly you've always
     treated me with consideration-even when others didn't.”
    “I don't think the worst of anyone until I've seen it for myself,” Agis allowed
     cautiously. “Still, you must admit, this is the first time since we were boys that we've
     truly spoken of friendship.”
    Because their family estates were near to each other Agis and Tithian had grown up as
     friends. They had even attended schooling in the Way of the Unseen together, though
     Tithian had hardly been an enthusiastic student. Unfortunately, his indolence and
     rebelliousness had made him something of an outcast with the master and other students,
     but Agis's friendship had not wavered.
    Later, Tithian's father had selected a younger brother to lead the Mericles family.
     Tithian was so furious that he had committed the ultimate class betrayal and joined the
     ranks of the templars. Agis's friendship had not wavered even when the younger brother had
     died under mysterious circumstances and everyone had suspected TithianÑ unjustly, the
     senator had believedÑof committing the murder to recover control of his family estate.
    Though their friendship had never really come to an end, they had drifted apart over the
     years. Tithian had risen higher and higher in the templar ranks, Agis had inherited his
     family's estate, and their interests had grown increasingly opposed to each other. In the
     end, it had simply been easier to let their close fellowship drift to an
    
    
    
    
    
     end than
    
    
     to strain it
    
    
     by trying
    
    
     to ignore
    
    
     their conflicting concerns.
    The templar sipped at the wine in his carafe. When he did not respond to Agis's
     observation after several moments, the noble continued in a careful tone. “What is it that
     you need from me?”
    Tithian's face clouded with anger. For several moments, he stared at Agis with a sneer
     upon his lips. Finally he hurled the carafe to the ground. It shattered into a dozen
     pieces on the hard-packed soil of the path.
    “I speak in the king's name!” the templar spat. I have the power to cake
    
    
    
    
    
     anything I wish from you!"
    Glancing at the smashed carafe, Agis calmly raised an eyebrow. “Why is our friendship
     suddenly so important?”
    Tithian ran his soft, bejeweled hands over his face. “With all that's happening,” he said,
     “I just want you to know how I feel.”
    As if embarrassed by the emotion, the high templar started back toward the house. Agis
     followed, silently wondering if he had been treating his boyhood friend unjustly.
    A few moments later, Tithian stopped in the middle of the trail. With his eyes fixed on
     the faro alongside the path, he reached for the dagger beneath his cloak. Following the
     templar's gaze, Agis saw a two-foot slug inching its way up one of the trunks. It was
     covered with half-a-dozen green scales that served as excellent camouflage, and it had a
     long snakelike neck that ended in a narrow head with a beak as sharp as a faro thorn.
    Agis quickly caught his friend's arm. “There's no need to kill it.”
    “But it's a fruit varl!” Tithian objected.
    “I can afford to lose a few pieces of fruit.” Because faro trees blossomed only once a
     decade, each piece of the sweet fruit was a delicacy worth almost as much as the tree
     itself.
    Shaking his head, Tithian said, “With thinking like that, I don't know how you pay the
     king's taxes.”
    “It's because of such thinking that I can,” Agis explained. "All things are linked
     together in a chain of life.
    If you destroy one of the links, then the chain is broken"
    Tithian scoffed.
    “You commented earlier on my orchard” Agis said “Would you like to know one of the reasons
     it