Chapter 3: The Dancer

The previous night, Lankko sat comfortably on a soft thick mat and nibbled on the assortment of fruits that were served at his low table. He winced when he bit through a hard seed and threw the fruit away. Music drifted through the air as a small band of seated musicians played with percussion and wind instruments. The music rose to a faster beat and Lankko found himself tapping his thigh to the joyful rhythm. One-by-one, a group of dancers came out waving red fans and colorful scarves as a woman's soulful voice soared with the music.

The dancers swayed and spun gracefully, their quick movements dissolving into flashes of color that were mesmerizing and pleasing to the eyes. Lankko's gaze was pulled towards the lead female dancer whose red dress hugged her body and revealed her slender frame. The dancer seemed to have noticed Lankko's gaze and danced closer to him. As the dancers pulled off their shawls and started waving them around, the dancer who caught Lankko's eye decided to throw her white shawl at Lankko who smiled sheepishly and brought the shawl to his nose. The dancer's perfume was intoxicating and Lankko was even more enamored by her. The dancer smiled at Lankko and stared with her dark eyes before joining the other dancers as they finish their performance.

The singer climbed onto a platform and sustained the last high note of her song with gusto. The appreciative crowd applauded and Lankko jumped to his feet, clapping his hands enthusiastically. The dancer who threw her shawl winked at him and blew him a kiss while he waved and whistled loudly. When the applause died down, the performers retreated backstage and came out of view.

Lankko was still standing and clapping his hands long after the performers had left. When he realized that he was the only one still clapping, he immediately sat down and resumed eating his food. A large woman sitting across Lankko's low table snapped her fingers in front of Lankko just as the latter was sinking his teeth into a large piece of meat. The woman in front of Lankko was garishly clothed and gold necklaces hung around her neck. Three gold rings, each studded with diamonds and sapphires, sparkled brightly from her fingers.

"Hey! Lankko!" the woman snapped his fingers repeatedly.

Lankko seemed to wake up from a trance and looked at the woman across the table. "Uh, I didn't realize you were talking to me. It's just that your performers were mesmerizing. Just where do you get your dancers, Thunka?"

Thunka laughed raucously, her gold necklaces tinkling softly. "They come from all over Sendorra, Lankko. I select my dancers personally during my travels, with the same careful attention I devote to choosing all my precious jewels." Thunka smiled meaningfully and winked at Lankko. "Speaking of jewels, there are rumors going around."

"There are always rumors going around," replied Lankko. He finally found a knife and used it to cut his slab of roast beef.

"Lankko… Lankko… Stop trying to fool me. I know that you know precisely what I'm talking about," said Thunka playfully as she leaned nearer to Lankko. "I'm talking about the Pearl of Sorrelia, of course."

"What about it?" asked Lankko as he took a bite of meat and washed it down with a gulp of red wine.

"Everyone's been looking for that pearl since it was stolen from Sorrelia. The good citizens of Sorrelia desperately want it back, the magic hunters are tracking it, and buyers in the black market would pay astronomical prices for it."

Lankko scoffed at Thunka and said, "And I'm sure you're one of those interested buyers."

"Of course, I want it, Lankko. That pearl would be the centerpiece of my collection." Thunka's eyes sparkled like the diamonds in her rings. "Unless someone with deeper pockets would pay me handsomely to part with it."

"Good luck finding it then," said Lankko, drinking his wine to avoid Thunka's gaze.

"Oh, but rumor has it that the pearl was stolen from the Sorrelians by desert pirates who gifted it to the Healers' Guild for saving the daughter of the pirate king…"

"I do not associate with that guild!" said Lankko, but Thunka raised a hand, with her palm towards Lankko to indicate that she was not finished yet.

"…and the healers decided to bring it to their temple vault for safekeeping, but was intercepted on the way to Borondi by yet unidentified men - one of which, according to witnesses, wielded a peculiar kind of sword." Thunka paused momentarily. "Now, I can't think how weapons would be described as peculiar. They can be double edged, pointed, straight, curved, but it is rare that they would be in the form of a moving snake... like the sword carried by your master. Now that would be… peculiar."

Lankko started to shift uneasily from his seat as Thunka followed her logic.

"I suspect, therefore, that the missing Pearl of Sorrelia has been in your master's possession all along and that means you, as Jad Enzir's keeper of secrets would have it hidden in a secret vault somewhere." Thunka had been watching Lankko's face intently. She observed that Lankko flinched slightly every time she mentioned Sorrelia and its legendary pearl.

"The rumor's not true, of course… like most rumors," Lankko said, dismissing Thunka's statements with a wave of his hand. "I do not have such a valuable pearl in any vault anywhere." Lankko said with a hint of anger in his voice and then pulled at his earlobe unconsciously.

"Forgive me for being too brash," Thunka apologized. Then, she looked at the dancer's white shawl on the table and said. "I see that you still have my Mira's shawl. I can ask her to accompany you tonight as a sign of my sincere apology."

Lankko's face brightened at the mention of the dancer. "I accept your apology then," he said as he bit onto a large piece of roasted meat.