Iorichby Steven Brust

Cov�er

Iorich

Iorich

IORICH

Iorich

BOOKS BY STEVEN BRUST

The Dra�gaer�an Nov�els

Broke�down Palace

THE KHAAVREN RO�MANCES

The Phoenix Guards

Five Hun�dred Years Af�ter

The Vis�count of Adri�lankha,

which com�pris�es

The Paths of the Dead,

The Lord of Cas�tle Black,

and

Sethra Lavode

THE VLAD TAL�TOS NOV�ELS

Jhereg

Or�ca

Yen�di

Drag�on

Teck�la

Is�so�la

Tal�tos

Dzur

Phoenix

Jhe�gaala

Athyra

Iorich

Oth�er Nov�els

To Reign in Hell

The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars

Ag�yar

Cow�boy Feng�s Space Bar and Grille

The Gyp�sy (with Megan Lind�holm)

Free�dom and Ne�ces�si�ty (with Em�ma Bull)

Iorich

STEVEN BRUST

IORICH

A TOM DO�HER�TY AS�SO�CIATES BOOK

NEW YORK

Iorich

This is a work of fic�tion. All of the char�ac�ters, or�ga�ni�za�tions, and events

por�trayed in this nov�el are ei�ther prod�ucts of the au�thor�s imag�ina�tion

or are used fic�ti�tious�ly.

IORICH

Copy�right � 2009 by Steven Brust

All rights re�served.

Edit�ed by Tere�sa Nielsen Hay�den

A Tor Book

Pub�lished by Tom Do�her�ty As�so�ciates, LLC

175 Fifth Av�enue

New York, NY 10010

www.tor-​forge.com

Tor� is a reg�is�tered trade�mark of Tom Do�her�ty As�so�ciates, LLC.

Li�brary of Congress Cat�aloging-​in-​Pub�li�ca�tion Da�ta

Brust, Steven, 1955�

�����Iorich / Steven Brust. � 1st ed.

���������p. cm.

������A Tom Do�her�ty As�so�ciates book.�

�����IS�BN 978-0-7653-1208-2

�����1. Tal�tos, Vlad (Fic�ti�tious char�ac�ter)�Fic�tion. I. Ti�tle.

��PS3552.R84I57 2010

��813'.54�dc22

2009040414

First Edi�tion: Jan�uary 2010

Print�ed in the Unit�ed States of Amer�ica

0���9���8���7���6���5���4���3���2���1

Iorich

For Meridel Bian�ca

Iorich

AC�KNOWL�EDG�MENTS

Thanks to Reesa Brown for pota�to pas�tries and oth�er things too nu�mer�ous to men�tion, and to Kit O�Con�nell for com�put�er and re�search help. Anne K. G. Mur�phy pro�vid�ed some emacs help for which I re�main grate�ful. Thanks to Brad Roberts and Thomas Bull for sig�nif�icant help in sur�viv�ing un�til this was done. Fi�nal�ly, my thanks to Alexx Kay for con�ti�nu�ity check�ing.

Iorich

Iorich

IORICH

Iorich

PRO�LOGUE

Even if things don�t work the way you�d planned, it�s good when you can take some�thing use�ful away from the ex�pe�ri�ence.

They jumped me just as I was en�ter�ing a lit�tle vil�lage called Whitemill at the south�ern edge of the Push�ta. They had con�cealed them�selves be�hind the long, bro�ken hedge that bor�dered the Whitemill Pike be�fore it turned in�to the sin�gle road of the ham�let. It was a good place for an at�tack. The near�est dwelling was per�haps a quar�ter of a mile away, and night was just falling.

There were three of them: Dra�gaer�ans, two men and a wom�an, wear�ing the col�ors of no spe�cial House. They all car�ried swords and knives. And they knew their busi�ness: the key to con�vinc�ing some�one to give up his cash is to be fast and very, very ag�gres�sive; you do not stand there and ex�plain to your client why he should do what you want, you try to get him in�to a po�si�tion where, be�fore he has time to think, much less re�spond, he is at your mer�cy and hop�ing that some�how he can get out of this alive. When he hands over his purse, he should be feel�ing grate�ful.

Rocza took the man on the right, Loiosh flew in�to the face of the wom�an. I drew and dis�armed the one in front of me with a stop-​cut to the wrist, then took one step in and hit him in the nose with the pom�mel of my rapi�er. I took an�oth�er step in and kicked the side of his knee.

He went down and I put the point at his throat. I said, �In�tent to rob, in�tent to as�sault, as�sault, and fail�ing to be se�lec�tive in your choice of vic�tim. Bad day for you.�

He looked at me, wide-​eyed.

I gave him a friend�ly sug�ges�tion: �Drop your purse.�

The oth�er man had run off, Rocza fly�ing af�ter him; the wom�an was do�ing what I call the Loiosh dance�fu�tile�ly swing�ing her sword at him while he kept swoop�ing in at her face then back out of range. He could do that all day.

The guy on the ground got his purse un�tied, though his fin�gers fum�bled. I knelt and picked it up, the point of my rapi�er nev�er mov�ing from his throat. I spoke to my fa�mil�iar.

�Get Rocza back. Let the oth�er one go.�

�She�s on it, Boss.�

She re�turned and land�ed next to my client�s head and hissed.

�As long as you don�t move, she won�t bite,� I said. He froze. I went to the wom�an, who was still flail�ing about, and now look�ing pan�icked. I said, �Drop it.�

She glanced at Loiosh, then at me, then at her friend on the ground. �What about��

�He won�t hurt you if you drop your weapon. Nei�ther will I.�

Her sword hit the ground, and Loiosh re�turned to my shoul�der.

�Your purse,� I told her.

She had less trou�ble un�ty�ing it than her friend. She held it out to me.

�Just drop it,� I said.

She was very oblig�ing.

�Now get out of here. If I see you again, I�ll kill you. If you try to fol�low me, I will see you.�

She sound�ed calm enough. �How did you�?�

�Won�der about it,� I said.

�Not a bad day�s work, Boss.�

�Lucky you spot�ted them.�

�Right. It was luck. Heh.�

�May I stay and help my friend?�

�No,� I said. �He�ll be along present�ly. You can pick up your weapons once I�m out of sight. I won�t hurt him.�

He spoke for the first time. A very im�pres�sive and lengthy string of curs�es fin�ish�ing with, �What do you call this?�

�A bro�ken nose,� I said. I gave him a friend�ly smile he may not have ap�pre�ci�at�ed.

The wom�an gave me a glare, then just turned and walked away. I picked up the purse.

�Be�ware of East�ern�ers with jhereg,� I told the guy with the bro�ken nose.

����!� he said.

I nod�ded. �Even if things don�t work out the way you planned, it�s good when you can take some�thing use�ful away from the ex�pe�ri�ence.�

I con�tin�ued in�to the vil�lage, which had its req�ui�site inn. It was an ug�ly thing, two sto�ries high and mis�shapen, as if bits and pieces had been added on at ran�dom. The room I en�tered was big and full of Teck�la, who smelled of ma�nure and sweat, mix�ing with the smells of fresh bread, roast�ed keth�na, to�bac�co smoke, dream�grass, and now and then a whiff of the harsh pun�gen�cy of opi�um, in�di�cat�ing there must be one or two no�bles in here, among all the Teck�la. Then I no�ticed that there were al�so a few mer�chants there. Odd. I won�dered about it�even in ru�ral inns, there gen�er�al�ly isn�t that much of a mix. The bar ran about half the length of the room, with ce�ram�ic and wood�en mugs on shelves be�hind it. At one end of the bar was a large knife, just ly�ing there�al�most cer�tain�ly the knife the innkeep�er used to cut fruit to put in wine punch, but that�s the sort of thing an as�sas�sin no�tices.

I got a lot of looks be�cause I was hu�man and had a jhereg on each shoul�der, but none of the looks were threat�en�ing be�cause I had a sword at my side and a jhereg on each shoul�der. I ac�quired a glass of wine and a qui�et cor�ner. I�d ask about a room lat�er.

Con�ver�sa�tion went on around me; I ig�nored it.

�Smells like re�al food, Boss.�

�Yep. Soon.�

�How long since we�ve had re�al food?�

�About a month. Soon.�

�How did we do?�

I set the wine down and checked the purs�es, us�ing my body to hide them from cu�ri�ous eyes. �Not great, but, you know, it�s pure prof�it. Strange place.�

�They�re all talk�ing to each oth�er.�

�Yeah.�

It re�al�ly was in�ter�est�ing�you don�t nor�mal�ly find an inn where mer�chants and peas�ants talk freely with each oth�er, or no�ble�men and trades�men; even in the East, where it was more com�mon to see the mix of class�es in the same inn, they didn�t talk to each oth�er much. I didn�t even no�tice any spe�cial hos�til�ity be�tween the two ob�vi�ous aris�to�crats and the var�ious Teck�la. Odd. There was prob�ably a sto�ry there.

Just be�cause I was cu�ri�ous, I picked out a cou�ple of mer�chants�both of them in the col�ors of the Tsalmoth�and bought them drinks. They gave me a sus�pi�cious look as I ap�proached, but mer�chants are al�ways aware they might be talk�ing to a fu�ture cus�tomer, so they don�t want to give of�fense.

�Par�don my in�tru�sion,� I said. �I�m Vlad.�

They gave me their names, but I don�t re�mem�ber them; they sound�ed al�most iden�ti�cal. Come to that, they looked pret�ty much the same, too�prob�ably broth�ers. �I�m just cu�ri�ous,� I told them. �I�m not used to inns where there is such a mix.�

�A mix?� said the one whose name end�ed in the hard�er con�so�nant.

�Teck�la, mer�chants, no�ble�men, all in the same inn.�

�Oh.� He smiled a lit�tle. �We get along bet�ter around here than most places, prob�ably.�

I nod�ded. �It seems odd.�

�It�s be�cause we all hate the navy.�

�The navy?�

He nod�ded. That didn�t ex�plain any�thing�Whitemill was hun�dreds of miles from the near�est port.

It took a few more ques�tions, but it fi�nal�ly emerged that, for what�ev�er rea�son, the Em�pire had giv�en con�trol of the lo�cal canals to the Im�pe�ri�al navy, in�stead of what�ev�er en�gi�neer�ing corps usu�al�ly han�dled such things. It was some�thing that had hap�pened long ago, when the Or�ca were high�er in the Cy�cle and so could ex�ert more eco�nom�ic pres�sure, and it had nev�er been re�voked even dur�ing the In�ter�reg�num.

�The whole re�gion lives off those canals, most�ly for wa�ter�ing the fields.�

�And the navy doesn�t main�tain them?�

�They do well enough, I sup�pose, when they need to.�

�I still don�t��

�The navy,� he re�peat�ed. �They�re all Or�ca.�

�I know that.�

�Or�ca,� he re�peat�ed, as if I were miss�ing some�thing.

I glanced at one of the no�ble�men in the room, a wom�an hav�ing an an�imat�ed con�ver�sa�tion with the host; she wore the col�ors of the Tias�sa. �So, the barons are Tias�sa, but they need to deal with the Or�ca.�

He nod�ded. �And the Or�ca want to soak ev�ery cop�per pen�ny they can from the place.�

�So ev�ery�one hates them more than they hate each oth�er?�

He frowned. �We don�t hate each oth�er.�

�Sor�ry,� I said. �It�s just a bit odd.�

�You�d un�der�stand if you�d ev�er ir�ri�gat�ed on a navy canal, or shipped goods on a navy barge.�

�I al�ready un�der�stand,� I said. �I know Or�ca.�

They both smiled, and of�fered to buy me a drink. I ac�cept�ed. In case you don�t know, the House of the Or�ca is the House of sailors and naval war�riors, which is well enough, but it�s most�ly the House of bankers, and fi�nanciers. No one likes them; I don�t even think Or�ca like oth�er Or�ca. We trad�ed sto�ries of Or�ca we had known and hat�ed; they made a few po�lite probes about my his�to�ry and busi�ness, but didn�t press when I steered the dis�cus�sion else�where.

They filled me in on a few things I hadn�t heard about, hav�ing been away from �civ�iliza�tion� for a while: an up�ris�ing of a few mi�nor lordlings in the north�west, which would in�crease de�mand for spun wool; the re�cent re�peal of the chim�ney tax with�in the House of the Tsalmoth, which was on�ly a grain in a hectare; the re�cent de�ci�sion �by Charl�som over there, for�tune smile on his loins� to per�mit tav�erns to sell their own lo�cal�ly made brews with�out sur�charge; and the pro�posed Im�pe�ri�al land-​use loan, which would ob�vi�ous�ly be a catas�tro�phe for the peas�ants with�out help�ing the land�lords, or be a dis�as�ter for the land�lords with�out help�ing the peas�ants, or else have no ef�fect on any�thing. It was all from the point of view of the small mer�chant, which would in�ter�est me more if I were one. I nod�ded and smiled a lot while my mind wan�dered.

The con�ver�sa�tion in the room was a chat�ter�ing hum�no dis�cernible words, just a con�stant noise of voic�es of dif�fer�ing pitch�es and tones, punc�tu�at�ed by laughs and coughs. It�s al�ways strange when you�re hear�ing some�one speak in a tongue you don�t know, be�cause names of peo�ple or places that you do know sud�den�ly jump out. You hear, �blah blah blah Dra�gaera City blah blah,� and for just an in�stant you think you un�der�stand that lan�guage af�ter all.

It was just like that when amid the chit�ter�ing and buzzing of mean�ing�less noise I sud�den�ly heard, clear as a whis�tle, the words �Sethra Lavode.� I was in�stant�ly alert.

I shift�ed in my chair, but that didn�t help�the speak�er was at a ta�ble just be�hind the two Tsalmoth. I looked at my drink�ing com�pan�ions and said, �Do you know what they�re talk�ing about?�

�Who?�

I ges�tured to�ward the ta�ble I�d over�heard. �What they say star�tles me ex�treme�ly, and I would ad�mire to know if it�s true.�

Just so you don�t get the wrong idea�may the gods keep me from ev�er con�vey�ing a false im�pres�sion�I hadn�t heard a thing ex�cept the words �Sethra Lavode.�

They lis�tened for a mo�ment�be�ing a bit clos�er to the speak�er�then nod�ded. �Oh, that. It�s true enough. My cousin is a post in�spec�tor, and told me while he was pass�ing through on his way to Gate�hall from Adri�lankha.�

�In�deed,� I said, look�ing im�pressed.

�Ev�ery�one�s talk�ing about it; I�m sur�prised you hadn�t heard.�

�Are there any more de�tails?�

�No. Just the ar�rest.�

Ar�rest?

I said, �For�give me, did I un�der�stand you cor�rect�ly? Sethra Lavode is ar�rest�ed?�

He shook his head. �No, no. It is said that she has agreed to be a wit�ness.�

�For?�

�The ac�cused, my lord. Aliera e�Kieron.�

�Aliera e�Kieron.�

He nod�ded.

�Ar�rest�ed.�

He nod�ded again.

�For what, ex�act�ly?�

At that point, both of them spoke at once. It took a while to get the sto�ry out, but ap�par�ent�ly Aliera had tried to kill the Em�press, had loosed a de�mon in the House of the Drag�on, and had at�tempt�ed to be�tray the Em�pire to an East�ern army. I got the im�pres�sion that this was a part of the sto�ry they weren�t sure of. But there seemed to be one thing they were sure of: �The tri�al starts next month.�

�In�ter�est�ing in�deed,� I said. �How far are we from the Riv�er?� In this part of the Em�pire, �the Riv�er� can on�ly mean the Adri�lankha Riv�er. My Riv�er.

�About two leagues. From here, there�s no need to take a navy barge if you�re go�ing that way.�

�And the near�est dock?�

�Up�riv�er half a mile.�

�My thanks,� I said, and put a cou�ple of orbs on the ta�ble. �Have an�oth�er round on me.�

I stood, turned on my heel, and crossed the room be�fore they could start ask�ing ques�tions I didn�t want to an�swer.

I found the host and ar�ranged to get a room for the night.

Well, well. Aliera, ar�rest�ed. Now, that was in�ter�est�ing. She must have done some�thing pret�ty re�mark�able for the Em�press�a good friend of hers�to have per�mit�ted that to hap�pen. Or caused it to hap�pen?

I lay on my back on the hard but clean bed the inn pro�vid�ed; con�ver�sa�tion drift�ed up from be�low and the wind made the trees out�side hiss as I thought things over.

My first re�ac�tion had been to re�turn to Adri�lankha and see if I could help her. I could get there fast. Any�one in Adri�lankha would take more than a month to reach me here, bar�ring a tele�port or ac�cess to a re�al�ly ef�fi�cient post sys�tem. But I was on�ly a few days from Adri�lankha; rivers work like that.

Very lit�tle re�flec�tion was re�quired to re�al�ize how stupid that idea was�even Loiosh hadn�t felt the need to point it out. Adri�lankha was the cap�ital city, and the heart of the Em�pire, and the cen�ter of op�er�ations of a cer�tain crim�inal or�ga�ni�za�tion that very much want�ed me dead. I had spent sev�er�al years now avoid�ing them�suc�cess�ful�ly, with one or two ex�cep�tions.

Re�turn�ing would mean putting my�self in�to their hands, an ac�tion for which Aliera her�self would have noth�ing but scorn. And, in fact, what�ev�er sort of trou�ble Aliera was in, there was un�like�ly to be any�thing I could do about it any�way.

A stupid idea, to be sure.

Three days lat�er I stepped off a boat on�to North Mar�ket Pier Num�ber Four in Adri�lankha, smelling like fish and look�ing for trou�ble.

Iorich

1

For a State to in�ves�ti�gate the ac�tions of its own mil�itary is, as no less than Lanya point�ed out as far back as the Third Cy�cle, to ei�ther be�gin with a set of as�sump�tions that will ul�ti�mate�ly con�trol the in�ves�ti�ga�tion, or to tan�gle one�s self hope�less�ly in con�tra�dic�tion be�fore be�gin�ning. This re�port, then, will be�gin by stat�ing those as�sump�tions (see Part One).

The ques�tions this com�mit�tee was asked to ad�dress were as fol�lows:

1. What were the facts in and around the events in the vil�lage of Tir�ma in the coun�ty of Shalo�mar in�volv�ing Im�pe�ri�al troops on Ly�orn 2 of Zeri�ka 252?

2. Was there any moral or le�gal cul�pa�bil�ity at�tached to any Im�pe�ri�al rep�re�sen�ta�tives as�so�ci�at�ed with the in�ci�dent?

3. If so, who should be held to blame, for what, and how are the in�ter�ests of jus�tice best served in this mat�ter?

4. In�so�far as there was cul�pa�bil�ity, what steps might be tak�en in the fu�ture to pre�vent a rep�eti�tion of any un�for�tu�nate or re�gret�table events .�.�.

I felt con�fi�dent that the im�me�di�ate dock area was safe, be�cause I had sent Loiosh and Rocza ahead of me to look for any�one sus�pi�cious, and Loiosh is good at that sort of work. I�d come in on a boat filled with flour from the Push�ta and fish from the riv�er; though as I un�der�stood it, the main prof�it from the trip would come from the salt they�d bring back. Next to the dock was a small mar�ket area, where bak�ers would bid for the sacks of flour I�d slept among for the last cou�ple of nights.

I brushed brown flour off my brown leathers, ad�just�ed my cloak, and moved past the mar�ket, climb�ing the seem�ing�ly end�less flight of con�crete stairs that led up to street lev�el. It was morn�ing, and the streets were just start�ing to get busy. Loiosh and Rocza flew above me in wide cir�cles, keep�ing watch.

Adri�lankha.

My city.

Riv�er and ocean smells�en�tire�ly dif�fer�ent�bat�tled for at�ten�tion, along with flour and refuse of var�ious kinds. Trades�men were set�ting up, Teck�la were run�ning er�rands, coins were al�ready start�ing to clink all around me. This was my home, whether I liked it or not. In fact, I didn�t like it, at least at the mo�ment; but it was still home.

As if to em�pha�size the point, I be�came aware once more of the Im�pe�ri�al Orb, now close enough that its ef�fects pen�etrat�ed the Phoenix Stone amulet I wore about my neck. Its pres�ence in my mind was like a low shep�herd�s pipe play�ing qui�et�ly over the next hill.

From here, it was on�ly a cou�ple of miles to the most north�east�ern en�trance of the Im�pe�ri�al Palace; I didn�t think the Jhereg would be stupid enough to make a move on me once I was in�side. Even the Jhereg Wing would be safe�the thought of go�ing there just to taunt them was on�ly briefly tempt�ing.

�As stupid moves go, Boss, this one isn�t bad. I mean, com�par�ative�ly.�

�Glad to hear it.�

�I knew you�d be re�lieved.�

Usu�al�ly, if you�re a pro�fes�sion�al and you�re go�ing to kill some�one, it takes a while to set things up�you need to be sure of where to find your tar�get, how you�re go�ing to take him, all the es�cape routes, and so on. Ar�riv�ing un�ex�pect�ed�ly in town like this, I fig�ured my chances of mak�ing it safe�ly to the Palace were pret�ty good. And if any�one did try any�thing, it would be a clum�sy, last-​minute ef�fort that I ought to be able to de�flect.

That, at any rate, was my think�ing. And, right or wrong, I did make it; tak�ing the Street of the Is�so�la to what is called the Im�pe�ri�al Wing, though in fact it is not a wing, but the heart of the Palace, to which the oth�er wings are at�tached. Once in�side, I had to ask di�rec�tions a few times, but even�tu�al�ly man�aged to walk quite near�ly all the way around the Im�pe�ri�al Wing. In fact, I�d en�tered rather close to the Iorich Wing, but the Jhereg Wing was in be�tween, and walk�ing in front of it didn�t feel like a smart move, so I took the long way.

The main en�trance to the Iorich Wing from the Im�pe�ri�al Wing is through ei�ther of a pair of twin arch�es with no door. Above one arch is a rep�re�sen�ta�tion of an emp�ty hand, palm open like a porter ex�pect�ing a gra�tu�ity; above the oth�er is a hand hold�ing an ax, like a porter mad at not get�ting one. These same sym�bols are on the op�po�site sides of the arch in the oth�er or�der, so you can�t es�cape the ax. This would, no doubt, be a pow�er�ful state�ment if I knew what the im�ages were sup�posed to sym�bol�ize. High above both of the arch�es is a rep�re�sen�ta�tion of an iorich, its toothy snout curv�ing back as if look�ing over its low shoul�der. Giv�en what the ug�ly thing is fa�mous for, that is an�oth�er bit of sym�bol�ism that doesn�t make sense to me. I could find out if I cared.

The Iorich like to make ev�ery�thing big�ger than it has to be, I guess to make you feel small�er than you�d like to be. It was a long walk through a big, emp�ty room where my foot�falls echoed loud�ly. The walls were dark, on�ly slight�ly lit by odd�ly shaped lamps hang�ing high over�head, and there were half a dozen mar�ble stat�ues�pure, white, gleam�ing mar�ble, about twen�ty feet tall�de�pict�ing fig�ures that I imag�ine were fa�mous with�in the House.

Loiosh gave no signs of be�ing im�pressed.

In front of me was a desk, el�evat�ed about two feet, with a square-​shoul�dered mid�dle-​aged Dra�gaer�an at it. Her straight hair glis�tened in the torch�light.

I went clack clack clack clack against the hard floor un�til I reached her; her eyes were slight�ly high�er than mine. She glanced at the jhereg on my shoul�ders, and her lips tight�ened. She hes�itat�ed, I sup�pose try�ing to think if she could come up with a law against their be�ing there. She fi�nal�ly gave up and said, �Name.�

Her voice and de�meanor�brisk and slight�ly bored�went with the sur�round�ings the way lemon juice goes with cream; she sound�ed more like an Im�pe�ri�al clerk in charge of tax rolls than a mag�is�trate of the House of jus�ticers. I said, �I want in�for�ma�tion about a case.�

�Name,� she re�peat�ed.

�Aliera e�Kieron, House of the Drag�on.�

�Your name,� she said, with the air of some�one try�ing very hard to be pa�tient in spite of provo�ca�tion.

But you can�t op�er�ate in the Jhereg with�out know�ing some of the ba�sics of the Im�pe�ri�al jus�tice sys�tem; no one but an id�iot breaks a law with�out know�ing that he�s do�ing it, and what he�s risk�ing, and the best ways to re�duce the risk. �I don�t choose to give it,� I said. �I want pub�lic in�for�ma�tion on the case of Aliera e�Kieron, whose name has been en�tered un�der Im�pe�ri�al Ar�ti�cles of In�dict�ment for Felo�nious Con�duct.� I paused. �Of course, if you wish, I can ask at the House of the Drag�on, and ex�plain that the House of the Iorich wasn�t will�ing to��

I stopped be�cause she was glar�ing and writ�ing; con�tin�uing the bat�tle af�ter you�ve won just wastes en�er�gy. She hand�ed me a piece of pa�per; I didn�t both�er look�ing at it, be�cause I don�t know the sym�bols the House of the Iorich us�es in�stead of the per�fect�ly rea�son�able writ�ing the rest of us get by with.

�Room of the Dol�phin, see the clerk. He will an�swer your ques�tions. Good day.�

I walked down the hall. She hadn�t even ad�dressed me as my lord. Once. My feel�ings were hurt.

I�d been in the Halls of the Iorich of�ten enough to be�lieve I could find my way around, but not of�ten enough to ac�tu�al�ly do so. I saw a few Iorich as I walked�clerks, men-​at-​arms, and per�haps one was a mag�is�trate�but I didn�t feel like risk�ing a snub to ask any of them for di�rec�tions. Nev�er�the�less, af�ter most of an hour, I man�aged to find the cor�rect stair�way to the cor�rect hall�way to the cor�rect room. The man be�hind the desk in�side�very young, an ap�pren�tice of some sort, no doubt�glanced up as I came in, smiled, frowned, then looked puz�zled about just what sort of at�ti�tude he was sup�posed to adopt.

Be�fore he could de�cide I gave him the pa�per. He glanced at it, and said, �Of course,� stood up, and van�ished through a door on the far end of the room. He re�turned be�fore I had time to de�cide if I should sit down at the chair op�po�site his desk. He had a fair�ly large sheaf of pa�pers in his hand. The pa�pers all had two holes on the top with pieces of white yarn run�ning through them.

�Sit down, my lord,� he said, and I did. �Aliera e�Kieron,� he said.

I nod�ded.

�Ar�rest�ed on the ninth day of the month of the Hawk of this year, charged with vi�ola�tion of Im�pe�ri�al Edict Fo�lio nine�ty-​one part thir�ty para�graphs one and two. In�tent to In�dict filed with Her Im�pe�ri�al Majesty the tenth day of the month of the Hawk of this year. Writ of felony placed be�fore the Cir�cle of Mag�is�trates on��

�Par�don me.�

He looked like a draft horse pulled to a stop just short of the barn door, but he man�aged, �Yes, my lord?�

�Would you mind telling me what Fo�lio nine�ty-​one.�.�. that is, what the charges are? I mean, in plain speech?�

�Oh. Use of El�der Sor�cery.�

�Barlen�s crack,� I mut�tered. �Nice work, Aliera.�

�Your par�don, my lord?�

�Noth�ing, noth�ing. I was talk�ing to my�self. Who ac�cused her?�

�Her Majesty.�

�Heh. Any�thing on how Her Majesty learned of the crime?�

�I�m not per�mit�ted to say, my lord.�

�All right. Go on, please.�

He did, but there was noth�ing use�ful in it, ex�cept that, yeah, she had been bound for judg�ment on a crime. A cap�ital crime.

�Does she have an ad�vo�cate?�

�She re�fused, my lord.�

I nod�ded. �Of course she did. Any friends of the de�fen�dant pre�sent�ed them�selves yet?�

�I�m not per�mit�ted to say, my lord.�

I sighed. �Well, you may as well add me. Szurke, Count.�

�House?�

�Im�pe�ri�al.� I dug out the ring and showed it to him. He was very im�pressed and so on.

He made some no�ta�tions, and pressed some seals on�to a doc�ument, then said, �It is done, my lord. You wish to see the pris�on�er?�

�Yes.�

�If the pris�on�er should agree, where can you be reached?�

�Cas�tle Black,� I said, hop�ing that was suf�fi�cient.

It was; he made a no�ta�tion.

�Has she re�ceived any vis�itors so far?�

�I�m not per�mit�ted .�.�.� Then he shrugged and con�sult�ed an�oth�er pa�per and said, �No.� I guess that one doesn�t mat�ter so much.

I thanked him, and that con�clud�ed my busi�ness in the House of the Iorich.

And, hav�ing ac�quired the bare min�imum of in�for�ma�tion�enough to know what I was deal�ing with�the next step was ob�vi�ous: I stopped on the stair�way, re�moved my amulet, and care�ful�ly made the tele�port to the court�yard of Cas�tle Black. I re�placed the amulet around my neck and spent a mo�ment tak�ing in my sur�round�ings. It had been years, but it still felt like home, in a dif�fer�ent way than Adri�lankha did. It�s hard to ex�plain.

I tapped the hilt of La�dy Tel�dra, won�der�ing if some�where down there she felt like she was home, too; but I didn�t feel a re�sponse. I think.

I didn�t ap�proach the doors right away; I took a good look around. Around; not down. I knew what was down: a long drop and un�for�giv�ing stone. I wear an amulet that pre�vents sor�cery from work�ing on me, and some�time af�ter I got it I came out here, to the court�yard, and it was on�ly a day or two lat�er that I re�al�ized I ought to have won�dered whether the amulet would in�ter�fere with the spells that kept me up in the air. I mean, it was fine; what�ev�er the na�ture of the court�yard, it doesn�t re�quire sor�cery to act on me di�rect�ly. But I re�al�ly should have thought about that be�fore walk�ing on�to it, you know?

There were pairs of guards sta�tioned at var�ious points along the walls. Al�ways pairs: one fight�er, one sor�cer�er. So far as I know, they�ve nev�er had any�thing to do since the In�ter�reg�num, but they�re al�ways there. Cushy job, I sup�pose. But bor�ing. Nice to know they still rec�og�nized me, though. At least, I as�sumed they rec�og�nized me, be�cause oth�er�wise they ought to have chal�lenged me or some�thing.

The walls were black; I could see the lit�tle veins of sil�ver run�ning through the ones near�est me. I turned, and the cas�tle it�self, al�so black, tow�ered over me, the high�est tur�rets were blurred and in�dis�tinct where they kissed the En�cloud�ing. I low�ered my eyes to the great dou�ble doors. How many times had I walked through them, to be greet�ed by La�dy Tel�dra, fol�lowed by con�ver�sa�tion deep or triv�ial, amus�ing or in�fu�ri�at�ing? La�dy Tel�dra wouldn�t greet me this time.

When I�d had my mo�ment of nos�tal�gia, I walked up to the doors, which opened for me in their usu�al grandiose, over�dra�mat�ic way. I�m a suck�er for that stuff, though, so I liked it. I stepped in�side, and be�fore me was a white-​haired Dra�gaer�an gen�tle�man, in a frilly white shirt with green ta�pered pants. I stared at him. Rude�ly, I sup�pose, though I didn�t think about it, and he didn�t act as if it were rude. He sim�ply bowed and said, �I am Skifra, and I wel�come you to Cas�tle Black. Am I cor�rect in that I have the hon�or to ad�dress my lord Mor�rolan�s ex�cel�lent friend Lord Tal�tos?�

I re�turned his bow by way of as�sent�ing that he did, in�deed, have that hon�or, such as it was.

He looked de�cid�ed�ly pleased and said, �If you would be so good as to fol�low me to the sit�ting room, I will in�form His Lord�ship of your pres�ence. May I get you wine?�

�That�d be great,� I said, fol�low�ing him to an�oth�er room I knew well.

I sat in a chair that was too big for me and drank a de�cent red wine that was slight�ly chilled, just the way I like it. That im�plied a great deal, which I set aside for lat�er ru�mi�nat�ing.

I ex�pect�ed him to re�turn in five min�utes or so to bring me to Mor�rolan, but in just about two min�utes, he him�self ap�peared: Mor�rolan e�Drien, Lord of Cas�tle Black, bear�er of Black�wand, and, well, stuff like that. I rec�og�nized his foot�steps�walk�ing quick�ly�be�fore the door opened, and I stood up.

�Vlad,� he said. �It�s been a while. A cou�ple of years, any�way.� He gave Loiosh a quick smile; Loiosh fluffed him�self on my shoul�der and dipped his head in a sort of greet�ing. Mor�rolan said, �You heard about Aliera, then?�

I nod�ded. �I�ve been to the Iorich Wing, got my name added to the list��

�List?�

�Friends of the de�fen�dant.�

�What does that do?�

�Lets you see her, if she agrees.�

�Oh, that�s why.�.�. all right. Let�s go up to the li�brary.�

I fol�lowed him up the wide stair�way, got reac�quaint�ed with the paint�ings, then down the hall, past the pair of huge tomes chained to pedestals (an ex�pres�sion of Mor�rolan�s sense of hu�mor that I may ex�plain some day) to an�oth�er dou�ble door. Mor�rolan sure seems to like dou�ble doors a lot, for a skin�ny guy.

He shut the doors be�hind me, and we sat down in chairs that were like old friends, fac�ing each oth�er at an oblique an�gle, lit�tle ta�bles by our right hands.

�It�s good to see you again, Vlad.� He poured him�self some�thing pur�plish-​red from a cut-​glass de�canter. I still had my wine. �How have you been?�

�Same as al�ways. Still kick�ing, still run�ning.�

�Sounds un�pleas�ant.�

�You get used to it.�

�Any sto�ries worth telling?�

I shook my head. �Tell me about Aliera.� That�s me: straight to busi�ness.

�Right,� he said. He frowned in�to his wine. �I don�t know ex�act�ly. She was en�gaged in some ex�per�iments, and the Phoenix Guard ap�peared, ask�ing to see her. I showed them down to��

�Wait. This was here?�

�Yes, that�s right.�

�They ar�rest�ed her here?�

He nod�ded. �She lives here, you know.�

�Uh, okay, go on.�

�That�s about all I know. They came in, got her, took her away.�

�You let them?�

He cocked his head at me. �You ex�pect�ed me to launch a re�bel�lion against the Em�pire?�

I con�sid�ered that. �Yes,� I said.

�I chose not to.�

I dropped it. �What have you learned since?�

�Very lit�tle. I couldn�t find out any�thing. They wouldn�t let me in to see her.�

�You need to go to the Iorich Wing and de�clare your�self a friend, then you can get some in�for�ma�tion, and if she ap�proves it, you can get more, and you�ll be per�mit�ted to see her.�

�All right, I�ll do that.�

�Any idea why she re�fused an ad�vo�cate?�

�None.�

�Well, you�re pret�ty damned help�ful.�

He smirked. �It�s good to see you again, Vlad.�

�Mind if I ask what you have done?�

�I�ve spo�ken with No�rathar and Sethra.�

�Oh,� I said. Yes, the Drag�on Heir and the En�chantress of Dzur Moun�tain would be good peo�ple to start with. �Uh, have they been keep�ing you in�formed?�

�As much as you�d ex�pect.�

�So: no.�

�Right.�

�She was ar�rest�ed, ah, what was it? About two weeks ago?�

�A lit�tle more.�

I nod�ded. �Okay, we need to find her an ad�vo�cate.�

�How do you know so much about this stuff, Vlad?�

I looked at him.

�Oh,� he said. �All right, but didn�t she refuse an ad�vo�cate?�

�There may be a way to get one in to try to talk some sense in�to her.�

�How?�

�I�ve no idea. But ad�vo�cates are clever bas�tards. I�d have been Starred oth�er�wise.�

�Mon�ey isn�t a prob�lem,� he said.

�No,� I agreed. �It isn�t.�

He nod�ded. �Are you hun�gry?�

I re�al�ized I was, and said so.

�Let�s go to the pantries and see what we can find.�

We found some sausages in the style of some East�ern king�dom: oily and bit�ing, tast�ing of rose�mary. With it was crusty bread in long, thin loaves and a won�der�ful�ly sharp cheese. There was al�so a jug of red wine that was prob�ably too young but still had some body. We ate stand�ing up in Mor�rolan�s pantry, pass�ing the jug back and forth.

�Vlad, do you know what hap�pens if she�s con�vict�ed?�

�My un�der�stand�ing�which isn�t per�fect�is that ei�ther they ex�ecute her, or the Em�press has to com�mute the sen�tence, which will raise hav�oc among the Hous�es.�

Mor�rolan nod�ded.

We walked back to the li�brary, brush�ing crumbs off our�selves. �What are you go�ing to do?� he asked me.

�I don�t know,� I said. �But it will prob�ably in�volve killing some�one.�

He chuck�led. �It usu�al�ly does.�

�Would Sethra know any�thing about this by now?�

�On�ly if she�s seen Aliera. I doubt she has.�

�Maybe I should go and see her.�

�Maybe.�

�Or else go straight to find�ing the ad�vo�cate.�

He nod�ded and glanced at my hip. �How is La�dy Tel�dra?�

I re�sist�ed the im�pulse to touch her. �I�m not sure how to an�swer that,� I said.

�Has there been .�.�. con�tact?�

I con�sid�ered. �Not as such. Feel�ings, some�times, per�haps.�

He nod�ded.

I said, �I know you two go back hun�dreds of years. I wish��

�So do I.�

�She was more than just seneschal to you, wasn�t she?�

His jaw tight�ened a lit�tle. �I�m not sure how you mean that.�

�Sor�ry. None of my��

�Once she stood guard over my body for near�ly a week, keep�ing it alive, while my mind and my soul trav�eled to Death�gate Falls and fought a bat�tle over the Paths of the Dead. Keep�ing it alive was nei�ther easy nor pleas�ant, un�der the cir�cum�stances.�

�Um. Sounds like there�s a sto�ry there.�

He shrugged. �Ask the Em�press; I�ve al�ready said too much.�

�I won�t press it, then.�

�Where are you go�ing next?�

�I guess I�d bet�ter try to find Aliera an ad�vo�cate, un�less you want to.�

�I�m will�ing, if you�ll tell me how.�

�I know what to look for, more or less. It�s eas�ier if I just do it.�

�Un�less,� he point�ed out, �you get killed try�ing.�

�Yeah, that would slow it down. But if I stay in the Im�pe�ri�al Palace, I should be safe. And if I stay close to it, I�ll stay close to safe.�

�You know best.�

I want�ed to note the time and date he�d said that. �They al�ready know I�m in town, be�cause I took the amulet off to get here. So they�ll know I�m in the Palace.� I shrugged. �Let them gnash their teeth. I know how to slip away when I need to.�

�Boss, you lie like an Is�so�la.�

�That�s the nicest thing you�ve ev�er said to me.�

�All right,� said Mor�rolan. �I don�t know the Iorich Wing. Where should I set you down?�

�Any�where in the Palace they per�mit it that isn�t the Drag�on Wing or Jhereg Wing.�

He nod�ded. �Ready?�

I re�moved the amulet, put it in its pouch, sealed the pouch, and nod�ded.

He ges�tured, and time passed dur�ing which I was nowhere, then I was some�where else. I took the amulet out again, put it on, and looked around. Im�pe�ri�al Wing; good enough.

It took me a good hour to find my way out of the Palace, most�ly be�cause I want�ed to leave through the Iorich Wing, so I could cross to the House of the Iorich as quick�ly as pos�si�ble. Yes, there�s a con�stant strain in know�ing you�re be�ing hunt�ed, but even that is some�thing you can get used to. You take sen�si�ble pre�cau�tions, and min�imize risk, and don�t let it get to you.

At least, that�s the the�ory.

The House of the Iorich (as op�posed to the Iorich Wing of the Palace�just so you don�t get con�fused. I wouldn�t want you to get con�fused) was dis�tin�guished by a high door with a gilt arch, over which stood the rep�re�sen�ta�tion of the House; this one, un�like the one in the Wing of the Palace, look�ing for�ward. The door was open. The two guards, in the col�ors of the Iorich, glanced at me but let me walk past with�out say�ing any�thing.

An el�der�ly Dra�gaer�an in a sim�ple gown of brown and white ap�proached me, gave her name (which I don�t re�mem�ber), and asked how she could serve me. I told her I was in need of an ad�vo�cate, and she said, speak�ing in very low tones even though no one else was around, that if I cared to tell her the gen�er�al na�ture of the prob�lem, she could per�haps rec�om�mend some�one.

�Thank you,� I said. �That isn�t nec�es�sary, if you�d be so good as to tell me if La�dy Ard�we�na is avail�able.�

Her face closed up like the shut�ters of a house in the East, and she said, �Of course. Please come with me, and I�ll show you to a wait�ing room.�

I did and she did, with no fur�ther words be�ing ex�changed. I guess she knew what sort of clients La�dy Ard�we�na took, and she didn�t ap�prove. A blight on the House, I�ve no doubt.

The room was small and emp�ty; it felt com�fort�able, though, lit with a pair of or�nate oil lamps. While we wait�ed, I ex�changed re�marks about the decor with Loiosh, who didn�t have much to say about it.

Af�ter about five min�utes, she came in her�self, stop�ping at the door, look�ing at me, then step�ping in and clos�ing it. I stood up and gave her a slight bow. �La�dy Ard�we�na. It has been a few years.�

�I can do noth�ing for you,� she said. There was a lot of ten�sion in her voice. I couldn�t blame her, but nei�ther was I over�whelmed with sym�pa�thy.

�Just need some ques�tions an�swered.�

�I shouldn�t even do that.�

She wouldn�t have put it that way if she�d in�tend�ed not to; she wouldn�t even have seen me. I said, �It isn�t even about me. My prob�lems aren�t le�gal.�

�No,� she said. �They aren�t. Who is it about?�

�Aliera e�Kieron.�

Her eyes widened a lit�tle. �You know her?�

Heh. And here I�d thought ev�ery�one knew that. �Yes. She needs an ad�vo�cate. I need you to rec�om�mend one.�

�I�ve heard she�s re�fused ad�vice.�

�Yes, that makes it hard�er.�

She nod�ded and fell silent for a bit. �I�ve heard of the mat�ter, of course. Part thir�ty para�graphs one, two, and five, isn�t it?�

�Just one and two.�

She nod�ded. �They�re mov�ing on it quick�ly.�

�Which means?�

�Which means that they don�t like their case, or else they need it pros�ecut�ed for po�lit�ical rea�sons, and the is�sue isn�t the is�sue, as it were.�

�That�s good to know.�

She chewed on her low�er lip and sat down. I sat down too and wait�ed while she thought.

�You�ll need some�one who can han�dle a re�cal�ci�trant client, and some�one who�s done a lot of work with Fo�lio nine�ty-​one. Im�pe�ri�al Edicts are dif�fer�ent from both Cod�ified Tra�di�tions and Statutes. They�re a bit like Or�di�nances ex�cept with the full force of the Im�peri�um be�hind them, which makes them a bit of a niche. And then there�s the fact that the Em�pire is mov�ing so quick�ly.�.�. all right.� She pulled out a stub of pen�cil and a tiny square of pa�per. �See him. If he won�t do it, maybe he�ll be able to rec�om�mend some�one.�

�Thanks,� I said.

She stood up, nod�ded to me, and glid�ed out. With the amount of mon�ey I�d giv�en her over the years, I fig�ured she owed me at least this much. She prob�ably didn�t agree, but was afraid that I was in a po�si�tion to make life dif�fi�cult for her if she didn�t help me. And I was.

Iorich

2

By �The State� we mean that body that holds the monopoly on the use of vi�olence with�in a ge�ograph�ic re�gion and has the pow�er and au�thor�ity to de�ter�mine how much and in what man�ner and un�der what cir�cum�stances this monopoly will be del�egat�ed, au�tho�rized, or com�mis�sioned to oth�er bod�ies or in�di�vid�uals. This pow�er is ex�pressed and in�ter�pret�ed through the body�s var�ious le�gal sys�tems, cod�ed or un�cod�ed.

By this def�ini�tion, (cf. Lanya), it is clear that to ac�cept the ex�is�tence of a State is to ac�cept the monopoly on vi�olence, and so too in re�verse. The ques�tion, there�fore, of the le�git�ima�cy of any act of vi�olence by the State, whether de�lib�er�ate or ac�ci�den�tal, must first of all be de�ter�mined ac�cord�ing to:

1. The le�git�ima�cy of the State.

2. The le�git�ima�cy of the in�ter�ests of the State in which the vi�olence oc�curred.

3. The ap�pro�pri�ate�ness or lack there�of of the par�tic�ular acts of vi�olence in serv�ing those in�ter�ests.

It is for this rea�son that, for ex�am�ple, any vi�olence com�mit�ted by a re�bel�lious vas�sal is in�her�ent�ly il�le�git�imate; any act of vi�olence by agents of the State that are com�mit�ted for per�son�al mo�ti�va�tions are con�sid�ered crim�inal mis�ap�pro�pri�ation of au�thor�ity; and any act of vi�olence that, in in�tent, fails to ad�vance the cause of the State is con�sid�ered neg�li�gent.

The com�mit�tee be�gan its in�ves�ti�ga�tion in�to the events in Tir�ma on this ba�sis.

The name on the pa�per was Perisil. I�d nev�er heard of him, but then, the on�ly Iorich I�d ev�er heard of were those who were will�ing to take Jhereg as clients�a rel�ative�ly low num�ber.

I went and showed the name and got di�rec�tions to a sub�base�ment of the House, and from there to a nar�row side pas�sage that looked like an af�terthought to the con�struc�tion; it was mean�er and the ceil�ing was low�er and the light�ing not so good. Here, un�like in the rest of the House, there were names over the doors. I won�dered if some�how hav�ing your name over the door meant you were less im�por�tant. In any case, it helped me find the right one.

I clapped and wait�ed. Af�ter a while, I clapped again. I still heard noth�ing, but the door opened a lit�tle and a pair of odd vi�olet eyes were peer�ing at me, then at Loiosh and Rocza, then at me.

�Yes?� he said, or rather squeaked. His voice was high-​pitched and small; I couldn�t imag�ine him ar�gu�ing be�fore the Court. I mean, do you want the Jus�ticer laugh�ing at your ad�vo�cate? Well, I don�t know, maybe that would help.

�May I come in?�

He opened the door a bit more. He was on�ly a lit�tle taller than Aliera, who was on�ly a lit�tle taller than me. His shoul�ders were broad, and for a Dra�gaer�an he�d have been called stocky. His dress was ca�su�al, to the point where the laces on his dou�blet were on�ly loose�ly tied and his gloves were un�even�ly hang�ing on his belt. For an Iorich, that�s ca�su�al, okay? He said, �An East�ern�er. If you�re here on your own be�half, or one of your coun�try�men, I�ve nev�er done any�thing with the Sep�ara�tion Laws, though I�ve looked through them of course.�

The of�fice be�hind him was tiny and square, most�ly tak�en up by a wood�en desk that looked old and well-​used; it had grooves and scratch�es here and there, and it just bare�ly left room for a cou�ple of chairs that were ug�ly and met�al. There were white spaces on the wall where some pic�tures or some�thing had once hung, and there was some sort of framed of�fi�cial doc�ument hang�ing promi�nent�ly above and be�hind his chair. I said, �You were rec�om�mend�ed to me by La�dy Ard�we�na. My name is Vladimir Tal�tos. I�m here on be�half of Aliera e�Kieron.�

�Oh. Come in, then.� He stepped out of my way. He looked at Loiosh and Rocza again. �In�ter�est�ing pets you have.�

�Thank him for me, Boss. I al�ways love hear�ing my pets com�pli�ment�ed.�

I ig�nored Loiosh and stepped in�side. �New of�fice for you?� I said.

He nod�ded. �Just re�cent�ly per�mit�ted in�to the House from an out�side of�fice.� Then he stopped halfway in�to his chair. �How did you know that?�

He sat be�hind the desk. I sat in one of the chairs. It was ug�ly, but at least it was un�com�fort�able. �Aliera,� I prompt�ed.

�La�dy Ard�we�na for Aliera e�Kieron,� he re�peat�ed. �That�s an in�ter�est�ing jux�ta�po�si�tion. But then, I think I�ve heard of you.�

I made a sort of noise that could mean any�thing and let him talk. All the ad�vo�cates I�ve ev�er met are per�fect�ly will�ing to talk from Home�day to North�port. The best of them are will�ing to lis�ten, too.

He nod�ded as if to some in�ner voice. �You have pa�per�work?�

�None,� I said.

�Oh. Are you reg�is�tered as a friend?�

�Yes, but not con�firmed.�

�Hm�mm,� he said. �She doesn�t want to see her friends, and doesn�t want an ad�vo�cate.�

�Well, you know Drag�onlords.�

�Not many, not well. I�ve nev�er had one as a client.�

�Drag�onlords think there are two ways to solve any prob�lem, and the first is killing some�body.�

He nod�ded. �The sec�ond?�

�Most of them nev�er need to come up with one.�

He fold�ed his arms and sat back. �Tough sit�ua�tion,� he said. �Do you have mon�ey?�

�Yes.�

He named a fig�ure that was a sub�stan�tial per�cent�age of what I used to charge to kill some�one. I bor�rowed his pen and ink and blot�ter and I wrote out a draft on my bank and passed it over. He stud�ied it care�ful�ly, blew on it, then set it aside and nod�ded.

�Where can you be reached?�

�Cas�tle Black.�

�I know the place,� he said. He steepled his fin�gers and stared at noth�ing for a bit. �Am I cor�rect that you don�t know why she re�fus�es an ad�vo�cate or to see any�one?�

�I can spec�ulate,� I said, �know�ing Aliera.�

�She�s out�raged, of�fend�ed, and more full of pride than her fa�ther was be�fore he de�stroyed the world?�

�Oh, you know her?�

�Heard of her, of course.�

�Drag�ons,� I said.

�In�deed.�

�Can you ex�plain the laws that ap�ply here?�

�There isn�t much to ex�plain. El�der Sor�cery is for�bid�den by Im�pe�ri�al Edict.�

�Yeah, what does that mean?�

�That it isn�t a Cod�ified Tra�di�tion. Cod�ified Tra�di�tions are more fun.�

�Fun?�

�For an ad�vo�cate. With a tra�di�tion�al, we can al�ways find in�ter�est�ing ways to rein�ter�pret the tra�di�tion, or find an his�tor�ical con�text for its cre�ation that has changed, or ques�tion how it was cod�ified. That sort of thing is al�ways fun. Me, I work most�ly with Edicts.�

�Oh. Why?�

�I don�t know. I fell in�to it, I sup�pose. It suits me, though. If I were a Drag�on, I�d say it was be�cause they�re more of a chal�lenge. In fact, I sup�pose what I en�joy isn�t the in�ter�pre�ta�tion of the law as much as es�tab�lish�ing and ar�gu�ing about the facts. Most of the law in�volves de�tail work and sub�tleties of in�ter�pre�ta�tion. Edicts are yes or no, did or didn�t.�

In this case: did, I thought. �That this was an Edict means what, ex�act�ly?�

�It means it was ex�plic�it�ly de�clared by an Em�per�or at some point. Like a Statute, on�ly with the force of the Em�pire be�hind it. That one in par�tic�ular is about as old as the Em�pire.�

�What does it mean for us? In a prac�ti�cal sense.�

�It means there�s no way to at�tack the law it�self; the on�ly ques�tions are: did she do it, and if so, how harsh should the sen�tence be.�

�Can�t get any�where on the in�ter�pre�ta�tion?�

�How can you when the Em�press can just con�sult the Orb and ask?�

�Oh, right. Death is the max�imum sen�tence?�

�Yes.�

�You have to ad�mit, Boss; it would be fun�ny if Aliera end�ed up on the Star be�fore you did.�

�Yeah, I�ll just laugh my�self sick over that one, Loiosh.�

�What is the min�imum?�

�The min�imum? I sup�pose the min�imum would be the Em�press say�ing, �Don�t do that any�more.� �

�I see. And what would you ex�pect?�

�No way to tell. The Em�press knows Aliera, doesn�t she?�

�Yes.�

He shook his head. �If they�re friends, it will be hard�er for the Em�press to be le�nient.�

I nod�ded. Pol�itics.

He said, �It�s go�ing to be dif�fi�cult if I can�t get her co�op�er�ation, you know.�

�I know. I think I can get you her co�op�er�ation, if I can man�age to get in to see her.�

He brushed his hair back. �I might be able to man�age that.�

�I�m lis�ten�ing.�

�I�m not say�ing any�thing yet. Let me give it some thought.� I was good with that. He could do as much think�ing as he want�ed. His voice didn�t seem as odd af�ter you�d been lis�ten�ing to it for a while.

Af�ter a mo�ment, he said, as if to him�self, �Yes, that should work.�

�Hm�mm?�

�One op�tion is to pe�ti�tion, in your name, to have her de�clared in�com�pe�tent to man�age her af�fairs.�

I laughed. �Oh, she�ll love that!�

�No doubt.�

�I�ll tes�ti�fy, Boss. I�ve been say�ing for years��

�Shut up.�

�Think they�ll go for it?�

He frowned. �Go for it?�

�I mean, will you be able to con�vince the Em�pire that she�s in�com�pe�tent.�

�Oh, of course not. That isn�t the point. The point is to con�vince her to ac�cept an ad�vo�cate. If she won�t in the dis�pute with the Em�pire, she might to prove she isn�t mad. If not, it might con�vince her to be will�ing to see you, and give you a chance to talk her in�to ac�cept�ing coun�sel.�

�Ah. Yes, that might work. Or it might just make her more stub�born. She�ll see through it, of course.� I con�sid�ered. �It�s hard to know how she�ll jump.�

�Hm�mm. There�s an�oth�er thing I might try first. It would be quick�er, at any rate.�

�If it�s al�so less like�ly to get me killed, that would be good, too. What is it?�

�Pro�ce�du�ral com�plaint to the Em�pire. If we start out at�tack�ing, we can al�ways back off; if we start on the de�fen�sive, it�s hard�er to change di�rec�tion.� He drummed his fin�gers on the desk�top. Then he nod�ded. �Yes, I�ll try that first. I should be able to get the pe�ti�tion writ�ten up and sub�mit�ted in an hour. We might get re�sults by the end of the day.�

�They don�t waste time.�

�Not with this. For what�ev�er rea�son, they�re in a hur�ry with this case.�

�Um, yeah,� I said. �So it seems. Why is that?�

�Good ques�tion. If you want to do some�thing use�ful, find out.�

�What makes you think I�d be able to do that?�

�I rec�og�nized your name.�

�Oh. I�m fa�mous.�

�If you wish.�

�Can you tell me where to start look�ing?�

�You could ask the Em�press.�

�Okay.�

His eye�brows rose a frac�tion of an inch. �I wasn�t se�ri�ous.�

�Oh?�

�You know the Em�press?�

�We�ve spo�ken.�

�Well, if you think you can get her tell you any�thing, I won�t stop you.�

�All right,� I said. �If that doesn�t work?�

�Lord Del�wick, of my House, might be able to tell you some things, if he�s will�ing to talk to you. He�s our Im�pe�ri�al Rep�re�sen�ta�tive.�

�Okay,� I said. �A word of ad�vice: Don�t do any�thing to mess up his re�la�tion�ship with the Em�pire. The House hates that.�

�So I�ve heard,� he said.

�All right, I�ll get start�ed, then.�

He opened up a desk draw�er, dug around for a while, and then hand�ed me what looked like a cop�per coin with the Iorich in�signia. �Show him this, and tell him I sent you.�

I ac�cept�ed it, put it in my pouch, and said, �I�ll check back with you from time to time.�

�Of course.�

I stood and gave him a bow, which he ac�knowl�edged with ges�ture of his head, then I let my�self out.

I made my way back to the en�try�way of the House with�out too much ef�fort, as�sist�ed by Loiosh, who has a pret�ty good mem�ory for twists and turns.

I sent him and Rocza out ahead of me to spot any as�sas�sins lurk�ing in the area, was told there weren�t any, and made a brisk walk across the way to the en�trance of the Palace. I went as straight through as the twists of the Wing would per�mit, and out in�to the Im�pe�ri�al Wing.

Wher�ev�er you are in the Im�pe�ri�al Wing (all right, wher�ev�er I�ve been) you�ll see pages and mes�sen�gers scur�ry�ing around, all with the Phoenix badge, usu�al�ly car�ry�ing a green fold�er, though some�times it will be a gold one, and oc�ca�sion�al�ly some�thing oth�er than a fold�er. I al�ways re�sent them, be�cause they give the im�pres�sion they know their way around the place, which is ob�vi�ous�ly im�pos�si�ble. Doors, cor�ri�dors, stair�ways are ev�ery�where, and go�ing off at ab�surd an�gles as if de�signed by a mad�man. You have no choice but to ask di�rec�tions of some�one, usu�al�ly a guards�man, who will of course let you know ex�act�ly what they think of East�ern�ers who can�t find their way around.

It�s an�noy�ing.

To the left, how�ev�er, find�ing one of the rooms where the Em�press is avail�able to courtiers is one of the eas�ier tasks, and af�ter on�ly a cou�ple of mi�nor hu�mil�ia�tions I ar�rived out�side that wide, open, chair�less room called the Im�pe�ri�al Au�di�ence Cham�ber or some�thing like that, but in�for�mal�ly known among the Jhereg as As�skiss Al�ley.

There were big dou�ble doors there, with a pair of guards out�side of them, and a well-​dressed man who could have been a rel�ative of La�dy Tel�dra�when she was alive�stand�ing at his ease with a half smile on his face. I want�ed to touch La�dy Tel�dra�s hilt, but re�strained my�self. In�stead, I placed my�self be�fore this wor�thy and bowed like I meant it.

�Vladimir Tal�tos, House Jhereg, and Count of Szurke, at your ser�vice.�

He re�turned my bow ex�act�ly. �Harn�wood,� he said, �House of the Is�so�la, at yours, my lord.�

�I�m afraid I don�t know the pro�ce�dure��he gave me an en�cour�ag�ing smile��but I would have words with Her Majesty, who may wish to see me.�

If the re�quest was sur�pris�ing, he gave no in�di�ca�tion. �Of course, my lord. If you will come with me in�to the wait�ing room, I will in�quire.�

He led me to an emp�ty room paint�ed yel�low, with half a dozen com�fort�able chairs, al�so yel�low. They prob�ably called it the �yel�low room.� They�re cre�ative that way. He gave me an�oth�er smile, a bow, and closed the door be�hind him.

I sat and wait�ed, think�ing about how long it had been since I�d eat�en.

I hate wait�ing.

I hate be�ing hun�gry.

I shift�ed in the chair and chat�ted with Loiosh about our pre�vi�ous en�counter with Her Majesty�she had grant�ed me an Im�pe�ri�al ti�tle be�cause of ac�ci�den�tal ser�vices ren�dered. I sus�pect she knew they were ac�ci�den�tal, but felt like re�ward�ing me for her own rea�sons. I hap�pened to know she had an East�ern�er as a lover, maybe that had some�thing to do with it. Loiosh made a few oth�er sug�ges�tions for rea�sons, some of which were prob�ably trea�sonous.

Or maybe not. I�ve heard that in some East�ern king�doms it is a cap�ital crime to fail to treat the king with prop�er re�spect, but I had no idea if that was true in the Em�pire. I imag�ined that I could ask Perisil, and get an an�swer much longer than I want�ed that would come out to: some�times. Im�pe�ri�al law seems to work like that.

This close to the Orb, I could eas�ily feel my link to it, and knew when an hour had passed.

A lit�tle lat�er, Harn�wood re�turned with pro�fuse apolo�gies, a bot�tle of wine, some dried fruit, and word that Her Majesty begged me to be pa�tient, be�cause she did wish to speak with me. My heart quick�ened a bit when I heard that; isn�t that odd? I�d known Mor�rolan e�Drien, and Sethra Lavode, and had even been face-​to-​face with Ver�ra, the De�mon God�dess, and yet I still felt a thrill go through me that this wom�an want�ed to talk to me. Strange. I guess it shows what con�di�tion�ing can do.

Harn�wood left, and I drank the wine be�cause I was thirsty and ate the fruit be�cause it gave me some�thing to do and be�cause I was feel�ing half-​starved. Loiosh ate some for the same rea�sons (dried fruit not be�ing a fa�vorite of his); Rocza seemed to have no prob�lems with dried fruit.

Then I wait�ed some more.

It was most of an�oth�er hour be�fore Harn�wood came back, look�ing even more apolo�get�ic and say�ing, �She will see you now, Lord Szurke.�

That was in�ter�est�ing. She would see Lord Szurke, not Lord Tal�tos. I didn�t know what the sig�nif�icance of that was, but I was pret�ty sure there was sig�nif�icance. That�s the trou�ble with the Court, you know: Ev�ery�thing is sig�nif�icant but they don�t tell you ex�act�ly why, or how, or what it means un�til you�re swim�ming in it. Maybe in my next life I�ll be a Ly�orn and be taught all that stuff or an Is�so�la and know it in�stinc�tive�ly. More like�ly not, though.

I stood up, dis�cov�er�ing that sit�ting there for most of two hours had made my body stiff. I won�dered if I was get�ting old.

I fol�lowed Harn�wood out and down the hall, where we went past the door he�d been sta�tioned out�side of, then turned left, through a door�way, and in�to a much small�er hall�way that end�ed in a flight of eight stairs�two few for it to be a stair�way up to the next floor. I don�t know; I nev�er did fig�ure that out. But at the top was a door that was stand�ing open, and past it was a long, nar�row room with a few stuffed chairs set hap�haz�ard�ly about. At the far end was Her Majesty, speak�ing qui�et�ly with a man in the col�ors of the Iorich and a wom�an in the col�ors of the Drag�on. As I en�tered, all three glanced up at me, with uni�form lacks of ex�pres�sion.

The Orb as it cir�cled the Em�press�s head was a light green, which should have told me some�thing about her mood, but it didn�t. She turned to the two she�d been speak�ing with and said, �Leave us now. I wish to speak to this gen�tle�man.�

They gave her a deep bow, me a rather shal�low�er one, backed up, and left by a door at the far end.

The Em�press sat in a chair and mo�tioned me to stand in front of her. I made an obei�sance and wait�ed, not en�tire�ly sure of the eti�quette, and wish�ing I had La�dy Tel�dra in the flesh, as it were, to tell me what I was sup�posed to do. Zeri�ka didn�t look as if I�d vi�olat�ed any sort of pro�to�col. I re�flect�ed that the Em�pire did things rather more sim�ply than these things were done in the East.

�Tal�tos Vladimir,� she said, a smile flick�ing over her lips. She still looked im�pos�si�bly young to be an Em�press, but looks are de�ceiv�ing. �What hap�pened to your hand?�

I glanced at my left hand, miss�ing the least fin�ger. �A mi�nor in�sect bite fol�lowed by a ma�jor in�fec�tion,� I said. I forced my�self to not glance at the Orb while I said it; the Orb, I�ve been told, on�ly de�tects false�hood when asked to do so, and even then it can some�times be beat�en, as I�ve rea�son to know.

She said, �You couldn�t cure it with your arts?�

I touched the amulet hang�ing about my neck. �I�m not sure how much Your Majesty knows of��

�Oh, of course,� she said. �I had for�got�ten.�

�It is kind of Your Majesty to re�mem�ber at all.�

�Yes. I am the per�son�ifi�ca�tion of kind�ness, as well as mer�cy and jus�tice, which as you know al�ways match steps. What brings you back to the City, un�der the cir�cum�stances?�

Okay, well, she knew about the �cir�cum�stances.� I was on�ly sur�prised that she cared enough to, and I won�dered why.

�Aliera is a friend of mine,� I said.

�And mine,� she snapped.

I al�most jumped. It isn�t good when the Em�press is mad at you�ask any�one. I said, �Well, nat�ural�ly, I want�ed to see her.�

She seemed to re�lax a lit�tle, and nod�ded.

�And help her if I can,� I added. �I trust you have no ob�jec�tions?�

�That de�pends,� she said care�ful�ly, �on just ex�act�ly what you mean by �help�ing� her.�

�I had in mind hir�ing an ad�vo�cate, to start with.�

She nod�ded. �I would have no ob�jec�tion to that, of course.�

�Per�haps Your Majesty would be will�ing to tell me some�thing.�

�Per�haps.�

�It may be my imag�ina�tion, but it seems that the pros�ecu�tion of Aliera is, ah, be�ing ex�pe�dit�ed. If that�s true, then��

�It isn�t,� she said. She was terse. She was glar�ing. She was ly�ing. It�s some�thing to make an Em�press lie to you, isn�t it?

I nod�ded. �As Your Majesty says.�

She glared and I stared at a place on the wall above and be�hind her right ear. The Orb had turned a sort of orangish, red�dish col�or. I wait�ed. This isn�t one of those sit�ua�tions where I need to ex�plain why I kept my mouth shut.

At length, she ges�tured to�ward a chair. �Sit,� she said.

�I thank Your Maj��

�Oh, shut up.�

I sat down. The chair was com�fort�able; I was not.

She let out a long breath. �Well,� she said. �Now we have quite the sit�ua�tion here.�

One thing I�d hoped to find a way to say to her was, �Look, you�ve known for years that Aliera and Mor�rolan dab�bled in El�der Sor�cery. Why is it such a big deal now all of a sud�den?� I was now con�vinced there was go�ing to be no way to ask it at all. The Orb cir�cled her head, its col�or grad�ual�ly fad�ing back to a sick shade of green. It must be an�noy�ing to be un�able to con�ceal your feel�ings.

�Was the Orb de�signed to dis�play the Im�pe�ri�al mood, or is it a by-​prod�uct of some�thing else?�

She pre�tend�ed not to hear the ques�tion. �Who have you hired as an ad�vo�cate?�

�His name is Perisil.�

�I don�t know him. Will he man�age to get you in to see her?�

�I hope so.�

�Let her know that if she con�fess�es, she�ll be shown mer�cy.�

I start�ed to re�ply, then re�cast it in terms I hoped more suit�able for the Im�pe�ri�al pres�ence: �Is Your Majesty pleased to jest?�

She sighed. �No, but I see your point.�

I was try�ing to imag�ine Aliera e�Kieron beg�ging for mer�cy of any�one for any rea�son, and my mind just wouldn�t ac�cept it.

She said, �I should have men�tioned it be�fore, but I�m glad you�re not�that is, I�m glad you�re still alive.�

�Me too. I mean, I thank Your Majesty.�

�Who have you seen since you�ve back in town?�

�Mor�rolan, that�s all.�

�Has he, ah, said any�thing?�

�You mean, made dis�loy�al re�marks about his sovereign? No.�

�I could put the Orb over you and make you re�peat that.�

�Must be nice to be able to do that when�ev�er you want, Majesty.�

�Not as nice as you�d think.�

I cleared my throat. �With all due re�spect, Your Maj��

�Oh, stuff your re�spect. What is it?�

�Some�one in my po�si�tion is hard�ly like�ly to over�flow with sym�pa�thy for some�one in yours.�

�I wasn�t ask�ing for sym�pa�thy,� said Her Majesty.

�No, I sup�pose not.�

�And you know whose fault your predica�ment is.�

�Yes. Can the same be said for yours?�

�Not with�out ex�plor�ing meta�physics, which I haven�t the pa�tience for just now.�

I smiled a lit�tle. �I can imag�ine Your Majesty in the li�brary of Cas�tle Black fu�ri�ous�ly ar�gu�ing meta�physics with Mor�rolan.�

�So can I,� she said, grant�ing me a brief smile.

It was like half the time I was be�ing in�vit�ed to talk with Zeri�ka, and half the time to speak with the Em�press. It was hard to keep up with.

I said, �It must be a dif�fi�cult po�si�tion.�

�I said I wasn�t ask�ing for sym�pa�thy.�

�Sor�ry.�

She sighed. �Yes, it is. Be�tween jail�ing a friend and vi�olence in the�� She broke off and shook her head. �Well, I knew what I was get�ting in�to when I took the Orb.�

Nei�ther of us men�tioned that at the time she had tak�en the Orb there was, quite lit�er�al�ly, no one else to do it. I said, �You know I�m still will�ing to serve Your Majesty.�

�Are you?�

�Yes.�

�As long as it doesn�t mean a dis�ser�vice to your friends, as usu�al?� She sound�ed a lit�tle scorn�ful.

�Yes,� I said, not let�ting her know that her tone had stung a bit.

�I�m afraid,� she said, �that this is an oc�ca�sion when you�re go�ing to have to choose whom to help.�

�Eh. Be�tween my friends and the Em�pire? I�m sor�ry, that isn�t that hard a choice. Can you give me enough of an idea of what�s go�ing on that I can at least un�der�stand why it has to be that way?�

Af�ter a mo�ment, she said, �Do you know, Vlad, that from the best knowl�edge we have, it seems al�most cer�tain that at least five of the orig�inal six�teen tribes prac�ticed hu�man sac�ri�fice?�

�I had not been aware��

�There are many who as�sume that be�cause we have ev�idence from the five, it is safe to make as�sump�tions about the oth�er eleven. I don�t know if they�re right, but I can�t prove them wrong.�

I cleared my throat, just as if I had some�thing to say to that. She looked at me ex�pec�tant�ly, so I had to come up with some�thing. �Um, how did they choose the lucky per�son?�

�Dif�fer�ent ways for dif�fer�ent tribes. Cap�tives in bat�tle, se�lect�ed for spe�cial hon�or, pun�ish�ment, re�ward, au�guries.�

�When did it stop?�

�When the Em�pire was formed. It was made il�le�gal. That was the first Im�pe�ri�al Edict.�

�An act of kind�ness from your an�ces�tor. Good way to start.�

�Not kind�ness, so much. She�d spo�ken to the gods, and knew the gods were ei�ther in�dif�fer�ent or hos�tile to the prac�tice. So call it prac�ti�cal�ity. I bring it up be�cause�� She stopped, and looked blank for a mo�ment, the Orb puls�ing blue over her head. �I�m sor�ry, it seems I must go run an Em�pire.�

I stood. �Thank you for see�ing me.� I made as good an obei�sance as I could; which isn�t too bad, I�m told.

�It is al�ways a plea�sure, Count Szurke.�

I backed away a few steps (there is a cor�rect num�ber of steps, but I didn�t know it), and turned away. She said, �Oh, and thank you, Vlad.�

�For�?�

�The doc�uments on mak�ing pa�per. I�m told they�re valu�able.�

�Oh, right. I�d for�got�ten about�how did you know they came from me?�

She smiled. �Un�til now, I didn�t.�

The men�tion of mak�ing pa�per brought back a com�plex set of mem�ories and par�tial mem�ories that I didn�t es�pe�cial�ly feel like dwelling on just then; but it was good of her to men�tion it. I gave her what I hoped was a friend�ly smile over my shoul�der and took my�self out of the room.

Iorich

3

Q: Please state your name, your House, and your city of res�idence.

A: Dornin e�Lanya, House of the Drag�on, Brick�er�stown.

Q: Rank and po�si�tion?

A: Sergeant, Im�pe�ri�al Army, Sec�ond Army, Fourth Le�gion, Com�pa�ny D.

Q: What were your or�ders on the sec�ond day of the month of the Ly�orn of this year?

A: We were to es�cort a sup�ply train from Nor�est to Swor�drock. On that day, we were pass�ing through Tir�ma, in the duchy of Carv�er.

Q: And what had you heard about Tir�ma?

A: We knew the en�tire duchy was in re�bel�lion.

Em�press: Did you know this of�fi�cial�ly, or through ru�mor?

A: It was com�mon knowl�edge, Your Majesty.

Q: An�swer Her Majesty�s ques�tion, Sergeant.

A: We were nev�er in�formed of�fi�cial�ly.

Orb shows false�hood

Q: Would you care to re�con�sid�er that an�swer, Sergeant Dornin?

A: No, my lord. That is my an�swer.

Q: Had any�thing un�usu�al hap�pened that day be�fore you reached Tir�ma?

A: There were the usu�al prob�lems with the wag�on train, but no at�tacks or in�ci�dents.

Q: De�scribe what hap�pened when you en�tered Tir�ma.

A: We were set on by a mob that was try�ing to take away the wag�ons, and we de�fend�ed our�selves.

Q: While you were in Tir�ma, were you or your com�mand in�volved in any fight�ing or vi�olence that did not in�volve de�fend�ing your�selves against an at�tack?

A: We were not.

Orb shows false�hood

Q: Would you care to re�con�sid�er your an�swer?

A: I would not.

Q: Are you aware of the penal�ties for ly�ing be�neath the Orb?

A: I am.

I went back down the half-​flight of stairs, down the hall, and stopped, try�ing to re�mem�ber the name I�d been giv�en.

�Del�wick.�

�I knew that.�

�Right.�

�Okay, I was about to re�mem�ber.�

�Right.�

�Shut up.�

I found my way back to where Harn�wood still wait�ed. He smiled as if he were glad to see me. I bowed as pre�cise�ly as I could man�age�not that he�d let me know if I missed my mark�and said, �Par�don me, do you know a Lord Del�wick?�

�Of course, my lord. Shall I take you to where he is?�

�If you�d be so kind.�

He would, in fact, be so kind. He ex�changed a few words with the guard sta�tioned by the door, and ges�tured with his hand that I was to fall in�to step with him. I did so. Hav�ing known La�dy Tel�dra so long�in the flesh, I mean�I wasn�t sur�prised that he made it seem ef�fort�less to short�en his strides to match my puny hu�man ones.

I won�t try to de�scribe the turn�ings we took, nor the stairs we went up on�ly to go down an�oth�er. I will men�tion one ex�treme�ly wide hall�way with what looked like gold trim�ming over ivory, and hung with the psiprints of some of the odd�est-​look�ing peo�ple I�ve ev�er seen, all of them look�ing enough like Day�mar to con�vince me they were Hawk�lords, and all of them star�ing out with the same ex�pres�sion: as if they were say�ing, �Just what man�ner of beast are you, any�way, and do you mind of if I study you for a while?�

We walked in�to a per�fect�ly square room around the size of my old flat off Low�er Kieron Road�it was a pret�ty big flat. The room was emp�ty. Harn�wood said, �This is where the var�ious rep�re�sen�ta�tives some�times gath�er to speak in�for�mal�ly.�

�Should I wait here?�

�No, we can find Lord Del�wick�s of�fices.�

I was glad the room was emp�ty. Meet�ing the Jhereg rep�re�sen�ta�tive would have been awk�ward. We passed through it to a door at the oth�er end, and stepped in�to a hall�way. He nod�ded to the right. �That way, fol�low�ing it around to the right, you�ll come back to the Im�pe�ri�al Au�di�ence Cham�ber, on the oth�er side. Un�for�tu�nate�ly, this is the fastest way with�out go�ing through the Cham�ber, which is in�ap�pro�pri�ate.�

�I un�der�stand,� I lied.

He pre�tend�ed to be�lieve me and we turned left. There were a few doors on the right, and far�ther up the hall�way split, but be�fore that point he stopped out�side one of the doors and clapped. There was the sym�bol of the Iorich above it. By then I hadn�t eat�en any�thing ex�cept a lit�tle dried fruit in about three years, and I was in a wretched mood. I re�solved not to take it out on Lord Del�wick.

�I can�t wait��

�Don�t.�

Rocza gave a lit�tle shiv�er that I�m pret�ty sure was laugh�ter.

The door opened, and an el�der�ly Dra�gaer�an with se�vere eye�brows and thin lips was look�ing at us, with the smile of the diplo�ma�tist�that is, a smile that means noth�ing.

�Well met, Del�wick.�

�And you, Harn�wood.� He looked an in�quiry at me.

�This is Lord Tal�tos, of House Jhereg, and he wish�es a few words with you.�

�Of course,� he said. �Please come in and sit down.� If he�d ev�er heard of me, he con�cealed it well.

Harn�wood took his leave amid the usu�al po�lite nois�es and ges�tures all around, af�ter which I ac�com�pa�nied Del�wick in�to his room�or ac�tu�al�ly suite, be�cause there were a cou�ple of doors that pre�sum�ably went to his pri�vate quar�ters or some�thing. It was nice enough: a thick pur�ple car�pet of the sort that comes from Keresh or there�abouts, with com�plex in�ter�lock�ing pat�terns that took longer to make than a hu�man usu�al�ly lives. There was no desk, which some�how struck me as sig�nif�icant; there were just sev�er�al stuffed chairs with ta�bles next to them, as if to say, �We�re on�ly hav�ing a lit�tle chat here, noth�ing to wor�ry about.�

Heh.

He point�ed to a chair, ex�cused him�self, and went through one of the doors, re�turn�ing in a mo�ment with a plate of bis�cuits and cheese. I could have kissed him.

I said, �I hope you don�t mind if I feed a bit to my friends here.�

�Of course not, my lord.�

I fed them, and my�self, try�ing not to ap�pear greedy, but al�so not wor�ry�ing about it too much; there are times when the Dra�gaer�an prej�udices about hu�mans can work for us. I didn�t eat enough to be sat�is�fied, but a few bis�cuits with even an ex�ces�sive�ly sub�tle (read: bland) cheese helped. He ate a few as well to keep com�pa�ny with me, as it were, while he wait�ed for me to state my busi�ness.

I found the coin Perisil had giv�en me, and showed it.

�Hm�mm,� he said. �All right.� He looked up at me and nod�ded. �Very well.� He sat back. �Tell me about it.�

�Why is the pros�ecu�tion of Aliera e�Kieron hap�pen�ing so quick�ly?�

He nod�ded a lit�tle. �I�ve won�dered my�self. So then, you have an ad�vo�cate for her?�

�Perisil,� I said.

�Hm�mm. I�m afraid I don�t rec�og�nize the name.�

�He has a base�ment of�fice.�

�Where?�

�In the House.�

�Ah, I see.�

It seemed that the best ad�vo�cates had quar�ters out�side of the House. Maybe that should have shak�en my con�fi�dence in Perisil, but I trust�ed his ad�vice, and I�d liked him, and Loiosh hadn�t made any es�pe�cial�ly nasty com�ments on him.

�I asked Her Majesty, and��

�Par�don?�

�I asked Her Majesty about it, and she wouldn�t an�swer.�

Del�wick caught him�self and stopped star�ing. �I see.�

�I hope my ef�fort doesn�t make your task more dif�fi�cult.�

He smiled po�lite�ly. �We shall see,� he said.

�So, you�ll look in�to it?�

�Of course.� He seemed gen�uine�ly star�tled that I�d even ask. Those lit�tle coins must have some se�ri�ous au�thor�ity. In which case, why did an ad�vo�cate with of�fices in the base�ment of the House have one to throw around, or choose to use it on me?

Lat�er. Note it, and set it aside.

�How shall I reach you?�

�Ei�ther through Perisil, or at Cas�tle Black.�

�Cas�tle Black? Lord Mor�dran?�

�Mor�rolan.�

�Of course. All right. You�ll be hear�ing from me.�

�Thank you,� I said, stand�ing. �Ah .�.�.�

�Yes?�

�Is there any�where to eat here, in the Palace? I mean, for those of us who don�t work here?�

He smiled. �Scores. The near�est is just out my door to the right, fol�low the jog to the right, down the stairs, first left.�

�Thank you,� I said, mean�ing it.

He nod�ded as if he couldn�t tell the dif�fer�ence. I sup�pose if you hang around the Court long enough, you lose your abil�ity to de�tect sin�cer�ity.

There was, in�deed, food af�ter a fash�ion; a room with space enough for a bat�tal�ion held about four peo�ple, like a lone�ly jisweed on a rocky hill, and they were eat�ing some�thing dis�pensed by a tiny old Chreotha who seemed to be half asleep. I had uniden�ti�fi�able soup that was too salty, yes�ter�day�s bread, and some�thing that had once been roast beef. I had wa�ter be�cause I didn�t trust her wine. She charged too much. I couldn�t fig�ure why the place seemed so emp�ty.

Loiosh didn�t much like the stuff ei�ther, but he and Rocza ate it hap�pi�ly enough. Well, so did I, come to think of it. To be fair, it was, by this time, mid-​af�ter�noon; I imag�ined around lunchtime the place would be bus�ier, and maybe the food fresh�er.

I fin�ished up and left with a glare at the mer�chant�I won�t call her a cook�that she missed en�tire�ly, and head�ed back to see my ad�vo�cate. Aliera�s ad�vo�cate. The ad�vo�cate.

At this point, I wish to make the ob�ser�va�tion that I had been spend�ing the last sev�er�al years wear�ing my feet out walk�ing about the coun�try�side, and I�ve known vil�lages sep�arat�ed by moun�tain, riv�er, and for�est that weren�t as far apart as a place with�in the Im�pe�ri�al Palace and an�oth�er with�in the House of the Iorich lo�cat�ed next to it. Loiosh says I�m speak�ing fig�ura�tive�ly, and he may be right, but I wouldn�t bet against the house on it.

I did get there even�tu�al�ly, and, won�der of won�ders, he was still there, the door open, look�ing like he nev�er moved. Maybe he didn�t; maybe he had flunkies to do all his run�ning around. I used to have flunkies to do all my run�ning around. I liked it.

I walked in and be�fore I could ask him any�thing he said, �It�s all set up. Would you like to vis�it Aliera?�

Now that, as it hap�pened, wasn�t as easy a ques�tion as it might have sound�ed. But af�ter hes�itat�ing on�ly a mo�ment I said, �Sure. The worst she can do is kill me.�

That earned me an in�quir�ing look which I ig�nored. �Are you com�ing along?� I asked him.

�No, you have to con�vince her to see me.�

�Okay. How did you work it?�

�Her al�leged re�fusal to see ei�ther a friend or an ad�vo�cate could have in�di�cat�ed de�lib�er�ate iso�la�tion on the part of the Em�pire with the co�op�er�ation of the Jus�ticers.�

I stared. �You think so?�

�I said it could.�

�Oh. But you don�t re�al�ly think so?�

�I am most cer�tain�ly not go�ing to an�swer that, and don�t ask it again.�

�Oh. All right. But they be�lieved it?�

�They be�lieved I had grounds for an in�ves�ti�ga�tion.�

�Ah. All right.�

He nod�ded. �Now, go and see her.�

�Um. Where? How?�

�Up one lev�el, fol�low wrong�wise un�til�here, I�ll write out the di�rec�tions; they�re a bit in�volved.�

They were. His script�ing was painful�ly neat and pre�cise, though he�d been fast enough writ�ing it out. And I must have looked like an id�iot, walk�ing down the hall with two jhereg on my shoul�ders re�peat�ed�ly stop�ping and read�ing the note and look�ing around. But those I passed were ei�ther as po�lite as Is�so�la or as obliv�ious as Athyra, and even�tu�al�ly I got there: a pair of mar�ble pil�lars guard�ed a pair of tall, wide doors en�graved so splen�did�ly with ca�vort�ing iorich that you might not no�tice the doors were bound in iron. You should go see them some�day; ca�vort�ing iorich aren�t some�thing one sees de�pict�ed ev�ery day, and for good rea�son. Be�fore them were four guards who looked like they had no sense of hu�mor, and a cor�po�ral whose job it was to find out if you had good rea�son for want�ing them open.

I con�vinced him by show�ing him that same coin I�d used be�fore, and there was a �clang� fol�lowed by in�vis�ible ser�vants pulling in�vis�ible ropes and the doors opened for me. Mor�rolan worked things bet�ter.

It was a lit�tle odd to walk through those por�tals. For one thing, the oth�er side was more what I was used to; I�d been there be�fore, and a cold shiv�er went through me as I set foot on the plain stone floors. I�m not go�ing to talk about the last time I was in the Iorich dun�geons. And I�m cer�tain�ly not go�ing to talk about the time be�fore that.

Just in�side was a guard sta�tion, like a small hut with glass win�dows in�side the wide cor�ri�dor. There were a cou�ple of couch�es there, I guess for them to sleep, and a ta�ble where the sergeant sat. There was a thick leather-​bound book in front of him. He said, �Your busi�ness?�

�To see Aliera e�Kieron, by re�quest of her ad�vo�cate.�

�Name?�

�Mine, or the ad�vo�cate�s?�

�Yours.�

�Szurke.�

�Seal?�

I dug it out and showed it to him. He nod�ded. �I was told you�d be by. You must ei�ther leave your weapons here, or sign and seal these doc�uments and take an oath promis�ing��

�I know. I�ll sign the doc�uments and take the oath.�

He nod�ded, and we went through the pro�ce�dure that per�mit�ted me to keep La�dy Tel�dra, whom I was not about to give up. When ev�ery�thing was fi�nal�ly done, he said, �Limper, show him to num�ber eight.�

The wom�an who stood up and ges�tured to me was a bit short and had a pale com�plex�ion and showed no signs of limp�ing; no doubt there was a sto�ry there.

One thing about the dun�geons is that un�like the rest of the Iorich Wing, they were pret�ty sim�ple: a big square of doors, guard sta�tions at all four cor�ners, stair�ways in the mid�dle. It might in�volve a lot of walk�ing, but you wouldn�t get lost.

We took a stair�way up. I�d nev�er gone up from the main lev�el be�fore. The first thing I no�ticed was that the cells, though still made of the same iron-​bound wood, were much far�ther apart than the ones I�d had res�idence in. And they had clap�per ropes, for all love.

Limper used the rope, then dug out a key and used that with�out wait�ing for a re�sponse. I guess they felt that the oc�cu�pants of these elite cells de�served warn�ing about vis�itors, but still didn�t get a choice about whether they were ad�mit�ted. That made me feel a lit�tle bet�ter.

She opened the door and said, �You have an hour. If you want to leave soon�er, pull the knob at�tached to the in�side of the door.� I stepped in�side and the door closed be�hind me with a thud. I heard the bolt slide in�to place while I looked around.

When I was grow�ing up, the flat where my fa�ther and I lived was a great deal small�er than the �cell� Aliera was in, and con�sid�er�ably less lux�uri�ous. The floor was thick Se�ri�oli car�pet, with wavy pat�terns and hard-​an�gled lines all formed out of dots. The fur�nish�ings were all of the same blond hard�wood, and the light was from a chan�de�lier with enough can�dles to have il�lu�mi�nat�ed about fifty of the kind of cells I�d stayed in. I re�fer, of course, on�ly to the room I could see; there were at least two doors lead�ing off to oth�er rooms. Maybe one was a privy, and it was on�ly a two-​room suite.

I didn�t see Aliera at first; she was loung�ing on a long couch that her plain, black mil�itary garb blend�ed in�to; al�though I re�al�ly ought to have seen the sparks shoot�ing from her eyes as she gave me the sort of kind, friend�ly, wel�com�ing look I ex�pect�ed.

�What, by the thorns in Barlen�s ass, do you want?�

�Can we just let that oath stay un�ex�am�ined, Boss?�

�It�s al�ready gone, Loiosh.�

It was, too; be�cause while I was still search�ing for an an�swer, she said, �I didn�t give you per�mis�sion to vis�it.�

�Your ad�vo�cate ar�ranged it.�

�I don�t have an ad�vo�cate.�

�Turns out you do.�

�In�deed?� she said in a tone that would have put a lay�er of frost on Wynak�s burn�ing pri�vate parts.

�Some le�gal trick in�volved. I don�t un�der�stand that stuff.�

�And I have no say in the mat�ter?�

�You had no say in be�ing put here,� I said, shrug�ging.

�Very well,� she said. �Since they have tak�en Pathfind�er from me, if he dares show his face, I shall have to see what I can do with my bare hands.�

I nod�ded. �I knew you�d show sense.�

She glared. �Do you know why I don�t kill you right now?�

�Yes,� I said. �Be�cause to do so, you�d have to stand up. Once en�ter�ing the Iorich dun�geons, you are cut off from the Orb, and so you can�t lev�itate, so I�d see how short you re�al�ly are, and you couldn�t take the hu�mil�ia�tion. Go�ing to of�fer me some�thing to drink?� Just so you know, it had been years since she�d done that lev�itat�ing bit; I just said it to an�noy her.

She ges�tured with her head. �On the buf�fet. Help your�self.�

I did, to a hard cider that was pret�ty good, though it want�ed to be cold�er. I took a chair across from her and smiled pleas�ant�ly in�to her glare.

�So,� I said. �What�s new?�

Her re�sponse was more mar�tial than la�dy�like.

�Yes,� I said. �That part I sort of picked up on. But I was won�der�ing about the de�tails.�

�De�tails.� She said it like the word tast�ed bad.

�You were ar�rest�ed,� I said, �for the il�le�gal study and prac�tice��

She had some sug�ges�tions about what I could do with my sum�ma�ry of her case.

I was com�ing to the con�clu�sion that she wasn�t in the best of moods for con�ver�sa�tion. I sipped some cider, let it roll around on my tongue, and looked around the room. She even had win�dows. They had bars on them, but they were re�al win�dows. When I was in �Jhereg stor�age� I didn�t have any win�dows. And they had done some�thing that pre�vent�ed psy�chic com�mu�ni�ca�tion, though I�d still been able to talk to Loiosh, which put me in a bet�ter po�si�tion than most.

�There is, I think, more go�ing on here than just the vi�ola�tion of a law.�

She stared at me.

I said, �You�ve been do�ing this for years, and ev�ery�one knows it. Why ar�rest you for it now? There has to be some�thing po�lit�ical go�ing on.�

�You think?�

I said, �Just catch�ing my�self up out loud.�

�Fine. Can you do it else�where? If there is any�one I want to see right now, it isn�t you.�

�Who is it?�

�Pathfind�er.�

�Oh. Well, yes.� I could imag�ine one miss�ing one�s Great Weapon. I touched the hilt of La�dy Tel�dra.

�Please leave,� she said.

�Naw,� I said.

She glared.

I said, �I need to get the de�tails if I�m go�ing to do any�thing about it. And I am go�ing to do some�thing about it.�

�Why?� She pret�ty much spat the word.

�Don�t be stupid,� I said. �You know why. To gain the moral high ground on you. It�s what I live for. Just the idea of you ow�ing me��

�Oh, shut up.�

I did, and took the op�por�tu�ni�ty to pon�der. I need�ed an�oth�er way in. Once, years ago, I�d seen the room in Cas�tle Black where the Necro�mancer lived, if it could be called a room. It could hard�ly be called a clos�et. There was space for her to stand, and that was it. I couldn�t help but com�ment on how small it was, and she looked puz�zled for a mo�ment, then said, �Oh, but you on�ly per�ceive three di�men�sions, don�t you?� Yes, I�m afraid that�s all I per�ceive. And my usu�al way of per�ceiv�ing wasn�t go�ing to con�vince Aliera to tell me what was go�ing on.

�What are they feed�ing you here?�

She looked at me.

I said, �When I was here, I got this sort of soup with a few bread crusts float�ing in it. I think they may have waved a chick�en at it. I was just won�der�ing if they were treat�ing you any bet�ter.�

�When were you here?�

�A few times. Not here, ex�act�ly. Same build�ing, dif�fer�ent suite. Mine wasn�t so well ap�point�ed.�

�What, that gives you moral su�pe�ri�or�ity?�

�No, I get my moral su�pe�ri�or�ity from hav�ing been guilty of what they ar�rest�ed me for, and walk�ing out free a bit lat�er.�

She sniffed.

I said, �Well, a kind of moral su�pe�ri�or�ity any�way.�

She mut�tered some�thing about Jhereg. I imag�ine it wasn�t com�pli�men�ta�ry.

�But then,� I said, �you�re guilty too. Tech�ni�cal�ly, any�way. So I guess��

�You know so much about it, don�t you?�

I got one of those quick flash�es of mem�ory you get, this one of me ly�ing on my back, un�able to move, while bits and pieces of the world turned in�to some�thing that ought not to ex�ist. �Not so much,� I said, �but more than I should.�

�I�ll agree with that.�

�The point is, what would make the Em�press sud�den�ly de�cide that a law she was turn�ing a blind eye to was now��

�Ask her.�

�She prob�ably won�t an�swer me,� I said.

�And you think I will?�

�Why not?�

�I as�sume the ques�tion is rhetor�ical,� said Aliera.

She looked away and I wait�ed. I had some more cider. I love hav�ing a drink in my hand, be�cause it gives me some�thing to do while I�m wait�ing, and be�cause I look re�al�ly good hold�ing it, shift�ing from foot to foot, like the wait�er when the cus�tomer can�t de�cide be�tween the shrimp souf�fl� and the lamb Fe�nar�ian. Okay, maybe I don�t look so good af�ter all. I went over and sat down in a chair fac�ing her, and took an�oth�er sip. Much bet�ter.

�Yes,� she said.

�Ex�cuse me?�

�The ques�tion was rhetor�ical.�

�Oh.� Then, �Mine wasn�t.�

She set�tled back a lit�tle on�to the couch. I let the si�lence con�tin�ue to see if she�d fi�nal�ly say some�thing. She did. �I don�t know.� She sound�ed qui�et, re�flec�tive. It was un�usu�al for her. I kept my mouth shut, sort of in hon�or of the nov�el�ty and to see if any�thing else would emerge.

�It isn�t that sim�ple,� she said, as if I�d been the oth�er par�ty in what�ev�er in�ter�nal di�alogue was go�ing on.

�Ex�plain, then.�

�You keep want�ing to make it friend�ship ver�sus pol�itics.�

I nod�ded to in�di�cate that I had no idea what she was talk�ing about.

�But it�s nev�er that clear-​cut. It�s all about how bad this would be, and what are the chances of that hap�pen�ing, and how sure are you that this or that will or won�t work.�

I nod�ded again. Hav�ing Aliera e�Kieron in an ex�pan�sive mood was too good a chance to mess up by speak�ing.

�But she wouldn�t have done it un�less�� She broke off and glared at me.

�Un�less what?� I said.

�Just shut up.�

�Don�t feel like it,� I said. �Will you talk to an ad�vo�cate?�

�Why?�

�So they don�t, I don�t know, kill you or some�thing?�

�You think I care about that?�

�I seem to re�call you fight�ing once as if you did. Maybe you were fak�ing it, though.�

�You know damned well that�s dif�fer�ent.�

�You know I�ve al�ways had trou�ble see�ing fine dis�tinc�tions.�

�You�ve al�ways had trou�ble see�ing any�thing that wasn�t of im�me�di�ate prac�ti�cal val�ue.�

�You say that like there�s some�thing wrong with it.�

She made a sound of dis�gust.

�All right,� I said. �Now prob�ably isn�t the time for phi�los�ophy. Will you talk to an ad�vo�cate?�

�No,� she said.

I took it as equiv�ocal.

�Afraid you might be found in�no�cent?�

She looked at me, then looked off. �Go away.� Am�bigu�ous.

�Sure. Mean�while, what do you know or sus�pect that would have led to this, ah, sit�ua�tion, that you don�t want re�vealed?�

�I�m not go�ing to tell you any�thing, Vlad. Leave me alone.�

It was hard to know how to re�act when she was be�ing so hes�itant about her wish�es.

�You�ve been ar�rest�ed for rea�sons of State,� I said as if I were sure. �You may not know what they are, but you know that�s what it is. And you�re afraid that if you de�fend your�self it will in�ter�fere with what�ev�er the Em�press is do�ing.�

�Drop dead.�

�It must not have oc�curred to you that the Em�press is count�ing on you to de�fend your�self, oth�er�wise she�d nev�er have used this de�vice to ac�com�plish what�ev�er she�s try�ing to ac�com�plish.�

She looked at me, and there was a flick�er of in�ter�est in her eyes. �How would you know?�

�She told me. She all but told me, by what she wouldn�t tell me.�

�You spoke to her?�

�I can do that. I have an Im�pe�ri�al ti�tle, you know.�

�And she said��

�I got the feel�ing there were a lot of things go�ing on she couldn�t tell me.�

�You got the feel�ing.�

�Right.�

�So you�re guess�ing.�

�Less than cer�tain�ty, more than guess�work.�

She made a gen�er�al sound of dis�gust.

I wait�ed. Drag�onlords are much too stub�born to be con�vinced of any�thing by ar�gu�ment, so the trick to deal�ing with them is to avoid say�ing some�thing that will get you killed un�til they come around to your opin�ion on their own. This is more true of Aliera than most.

She said, �If Her Majesty had not wished for my con�vic�tion, she wouldn�t have be�gun the ar�rest pro�ceed�ings.�

�Uh huh,� I said.

Those were the last words spo�ken for some few min�utes. Spo�ken aloud, I mean; Loiosh spoke a bit in�to my mind, most�ly mak�ing ob�ser�va�tions about Aliera�s char�ac�ter. I�d heard them be�fore. I�d said them be�fore.

�I wish to reem�pha�size the one im�por�tant thing,� I said even�tu�al�ly.

�What. Is. That?�

�If you don�t have an ad�vo�cate, it�ll be pret�ty ob�vi�ous to ev�ery�one that you�re de�lib�er�ate�ly sac�ri�fic�ing your�self. If you are de�lib�er�ate�ly sac�ri�fic�ing your�self, that is li�able to un�do a great deal of what the Em�press is try�ing to ac�com�plish.�

She stared at me. I think she knew I was just try�ing to ma�neu�ver her in�to do�ing what I want�ed; the trou�ble was that it was a valid ar�gu�ment. Even�tu�al�ly she said, �Is the ad�vo�cate any good?�

�How would I know?� I said. �Prob�ably not.�

She glared. �All right. I�ll see him.�

�I�ll let him know.�

�Get out of here.�

That time I did.

Iorich

4

La�dy Otria e�Ter�ics re�port�ed that, while no weapons were found on the scene, save those in use by the Im�pe�ri�al army and so marked, and three per�son�al, un�marked weapons claimed by same, there were sev�er�al im�ple�ments in or near the cot�tage that could have been uti�lized as weapons. See list Ap�pendix 12. Up�on be�ing asked if there was ev�idence that they had been so uti�lized, La�dy Otria e�Ter�ics de�clined to an�swer. See De�po�si�tion 9.

There�s an inn called Dancer�s Rest not far from the Iorich Wing. It�s one of those places where they fig�ure if they fill the court�yard with mar�ble stat�ues and foun�tains and flow�ers that are bloom�ing off-​sea�son, they can charge two orbs a night for a nine-​cop�per room. It works, I guess. At least, I paid it. Some of the stat�ues were pret�ty. And, you know, when you�ve been away from civ�iliza�tion for a while, you val�ue a nine-​cop�per room at any price.

It had the oth�er ad�van�tage that, by Jhereg cus�tom, any�one stay�ing there was con�sid�ered at home. In the�ory, I should be safe there. In prac�tice, since one of the things the Jhereg want�ed me for was break�ing a rule like that, I prob�ably shouldn�t bet my soul on it.

It cost an�oth�er orb to have food sent up to my room, which had a win�dow from which I could see the up�per reach�es of the Iorich and the Chreotha Wings, the first with its sig�na�ture bell tow�er, the lat�ter with its mas�sive wall of bas-​re�lief jun�gle plants. I could see them well, be�cause the win�dow was glass. That�s the sort of thing you get for two orbs a night.

The bed was con�sid�er�ably soft�er than the ground I�d got�ten used to sleep�ing on, and there was even enough room to turn with my arms stretched out. That�s the thing about rooms near the Palace: They�re small; prob�ably de�signed to make the Palace seem big�ger, I don�t know.

�You ev�er plan�ning to fall asleep, Boss?�

�The walls are too thick. It�s too qui�et. I�m used to things chit�ter�ing and rustling all night.�

He didn�t an�swer, and some�where in there I fell asleep and had a con�fus�ing dream about thick walls that were in be�tween me and some�thing I want�ed, I don�t re�mem�ber what, and I kept try�ing to dig through them with the dull edge of a knife. Why the dull edge? How should I know; I was on�ly a spec�ta�tor.

I woke late the next morn�ing, feel�ing pret�ty good. Loiosh and Rocza scout�ed the area, de�cid�ed it was safe, and I went out look�ing for kla�va. Found some. Drank it. Was hap�py. I al�so picked up a warm sweet bun stuffed with keth�na, and it was good too. Then, with Loiosh and Rocza tak�ing pre�cau�tions for me, I made my way back to the Iorich Wing.

The ad�vo�cate�s door was closed and there was a note pinned to it with the ini�tial V in tight, care�ful script. I took down the note and un�fold�ed it to read, �Run�ning an er�rand; wait in my of�fice.�

I shrugged and reached for the door han�dle, and Loiosh said, �Boss!�

I froze. �What is it?�

�I don�t know.�

My hand brushed La�dy Tel�dra�s hilt, but I didn�t draw. Pulling a Mor�gan�ti weapon in the House of the Iorich is the sort of thing that gets you talked about, and I wasn�t go�ing to do it if I didn�t have to.

�Some�thing about that note both�ers me.�

�If you tell me you�ve sud�den�ly turned in�to a hand�writ�ing ex�pert��

He didn�t an�swer; I could feel him think�ing, or at least do�ing some�thing with his mind, prob�ing or sens�ing in a way that I couldn�t feel. I wait�ed. I hoped no one walked by, be�cause I�d ei�ther kill him or feel like an id�iot for stand�ing out�side of this door not mov�ing. I stud�ied the note again. Was it the same hand�writ�ing I�d seen from Perisil? Pret�ty close. I start�ed to pull out the di�rec�tions he�d writ�ten out for me to com�pare the writ�ing, but Loiosh spoke be�fore I could.

�There�s some�one in�side.�

�Okay.�

�It isn�t him.�

�Okay. Any�one else around?�

�A few of the oth�er of�fices have peo�ple in them.�

�Send Rocza ahead.�

She left my shoul�der al�most be�fore the words were out of my metaphor�ical mouth. I turned and walked back the way I�d come�not too fast, not too slow, try�ing to stay alert for any sound, any flick�er of move�ment. It�s the sort of ex�pe�ri�ence that wakes up ev�ery par�ti�cle of your body. If it weren�t for the thrill of the thing, I�d just as soon skip it com�plete�ly.

�She says it�s clear ahead, Boss.�

The hall�way was much, much longer than it had been two min�utes be�fore when I was go�ing the oth�er way, and my foot�steps were much loud�er. Two Jus�ticers were walk�ing slow�ly to�ward me, deep in con�ver�sa�tion, and I gave them an ex�tra look even though I could tell they weren�t Jhereg from the frankly cu�ri�ous glance they gave me. I could feel Loiosh watch�ing them un�til they were well past.

I reached the stair�way at the far end of the hall�way with Rocza still scout�ing ahead. On the main floor I could re�lax a lit�tle; there were uni�formed arms�men there, and a few more peo�ple as well as more open space; it was a bad place for an as�sas�sin to make a move.

The same el�der�ly wom�an was in the same place near the door. Next to her was a Chreotha with a cart sell�ing food of some sort. I bought a hot and flaky pas�try filled with gar�licky pota�to. I stood off to the side eat�ing and think�ing.

I fed the re�main�ders to the jhereg; peo�ple around pre�tend�ed not to no�tice. La�dy Tel�dra would have been proud of them.

I brushed crumbs off my fin�gers.

�Okay, Boss. Now where?�

�Some�where safe.�

�Yeah, like I said.�

�This is pret�ty safe, but I think af�ter stand�ing here six or sev�en hours I�ll start to feel sil�ly.�

�When has that��

�Of course, it might be fun to stand here un�til the as�sas�sin gives up and leaves, and then give him a big smile as he goes by.�

�Sure, Boss. What�ev�er floats your cas�tle.�

�The oth�er idea is not to do that.� I re�viewed a list of more prac�ti�cal pos�si�bil�ities, then ap�proached the wom�an be�hind the desk with a short bow. �Is there a com�mon wait�ing area?�

She frowned. �If you wish to see an ad�vo�cate, they each have of�fices.�

�Yes,� I said. �I�d rather wait else�where, if you don�t mind.�

She looked like she want�ed to ask why, but on�ly ges�tured to her right, say�ing, �Fourth door on the right. It should be open.�

�Can a note be de�liv�ered to Lord Perisil?�

She frowned again. �Would that be High Coun�sel Perisil?�

�Yes,� I said, while the ghost of La�dy Tel�dra prob�ably tsked at me for not know�ing the prop�er ti�tle and at her for cor�rect�ing me.

The clerk was kind enough to let me use a piece of coarse pa�per and a cheap pen�cil. I wrote a short note and hand�ed it over, not even both�er�ing to fold it. �I do not know the cus�toms of your House,� I said. �I trust this will go to his hand, and nowhere else?�

�That is cor�rect,� she said, a bit con�temp�tu�ous�ly. She prob�ably hat�ed her job, sit�ting there hour af�ter hour send�ing peo�ple one way or an�oth�er. I won�dered how long she�d been do�ing it. Since the In�ter�reg�num end�ed, to look at her.

She took the note and put it ca�su�al�ly on her desk un�der what looked like a piece of pol�ished stone. I turned away from her slow�ly, scan�ning the room: A few peo�ple, most�ly Iorich, were pass�ing by on busi�ness of their own. The jhereg got some cu�ri�ous glances.

The place she�d di�rect�ed me to was big and com�fort�able, most�ly done in a pale blue that was prob�ably cal�cu�lat�ed to make me feel some�thing or oth�er.

�You know, Boss, for some�one who hates wait�ing��

�Oh, shut up.�

Not that he wasn�t right. I found a chair against a wall be�cause all of the chairs were against a wall. I stretched my legs out, closed my eyes, and tried to re�lax. Some�where be�low me, there was a Jhereg ex�pect�ing me to walk in�to Perisil�s of�fice so I could be killed. Was Perisil in on it? Un�like�ly. The Jhereg don�t like to use ad�vo�cates for il�le�gal stuff; and be�sides, if he�d been in on it the note wouldn�t have looked fun�ny.

Here�s the thing: Any�one can be shined. That�s just how it is. If you want some�one bad enough, you can get him. But if he knows you�re af�ter him, he can pret�ty much keep out of trou�ble as long as he stays alert. Which makes the ques�tion sim�ple: How long can some�one stay alert, al�ways watch�ing al�ley�ways, aware of any�one who is care�ful�ly not look�ing at you, keep�ing an eye out for a good place to make a move. How long can you keep that up?

For most peo�ple, the an�swer is: hours, maybe a day or two.

But it turns out that you can do it a lot longer if you have a pair of jhereg tak�ing shifts for you.

Did that mean I was safe? Not hard�ly. Soon�er or lat�er they were bound to get me. But thanks to Loiosh and Rocza, I had a pret�ty rea�son�able chance of mak�ing it lat�er rather than soon�er as long as I didn�t do too many stupid things.

I know what you�re think�ing, and you�re wrong; I�ve gone for months with�out do�ing any�thing stupid. Did I just sur�vive this time be�cause the as�sas�sin got slop�py? Maybe. I�d like to think that if it were me I�d have been more care�ful with the note. Per�haps not, though. No one can do ev�ery�thing per�fect�ly; mis�takes hap�pen. But we�re as�sas�sins: when we make mis�takes, peo�ple live.

From time to time some�one would come in�to the room, wait for a while, be met by some�one, and leave. I guess I was there for a cou�ple of hours be�fore Perisil came in. He nod�ded to me, and said, �You could have wait�ed in my of�fice.�

I stood up, nod�ded, and fol�lowed him back down the stairs. We didn�t see any�one in the long hall�way. He walked in, took a seat be�hind his desk, and gave me a ques�tion�ing look. I de�cid�ed it was a safe bet that if there�d been an as�sas�sin stand�ing there hold�ing a knife, he�d have re�act�ed some�how, so I went in af�ter him and took a seat.

�Want to ex�plain?� he said.

�Ex�plain what?�

�Nev�er mind, then.�

�You saw Aliera?�

�Just got back. She�s very, ah, proud,� he said.

�If you aren�t stat�ing the ob�vi�ous, then I�m miss�ing the point.�

�I�m stat�ing the ob�vi�ous.�

�All right.�

�Most�ly.� He sat down be�hind the desk as if he�d just been through a bat�tle. It was a very fa�mil�iar mo�tion, al�though when I sat down like that, the bat�tle had usu�al�ly been more phys�ical.

�Want to tell me about it?� I said.

�I got her to agree to let me de�fend her.�

�Well done.�

�But she won�t co�op�er�ate in the en�deav�or.�

�That would be a prob�lem.�

�Yes.�

�So, what are you go�ing to do?�

�Think about it.�

�I�ve tried that with Aliera.�

�Not much luck?�

�She isn�t sub�ject to what pass�es for log�ical thought in most peo�ple.�

He nod�ded. �I�ll see what I can come up with. Have you learned any�thing?�

�The Em�press was hit with some sort of dis�as�ter that re�flects bad�ly on her.�

�With whom?�

�Know�ing the Em�press, prob�ably his�to�ry. She�s nev�er seemed to care much about pub�lic opin�ion.�

�Can you be more spe�cif�ic?�

�Not very. Not yet.�

�You think it might be Tir�ma?�

�Maybe. Hard to say, since this is the first I�ve ev�er heard of Tir�ma.�

�Oh. That�s right, you�ve been out of the city, haven�t you?�

�Yes. I on�ly heard about Aliera�s ar�rest by a fluke.�

�Tir�ma is a vil�lage in the far north�west. There was some un�rest there, and a re�quest for Im�pe�ri�al troops. No one knows what hap�pened, but some peas�ants were slaugh�tered.�

�In�no�cent ones?�

�Some say.�

�I�ll bet Kel�ly has a lot to say on the sub�ject.�

�Who?�

�Nev�er mind. How does ar�rest�ing Aliera help? A dis�trac�tion?�

�Maybe.�

He looked like he was think�ing, so I let him alone. Af�ter a minute or two he said, �The big�ger ques�tion is, how does Aliera think it helps?�

�Yeah,� I said. �As�sum�ing all our spec�ula�tions are right.�

�We have to find out for sure.�

�You�re telling me that�s my job.�

�I�m say�ing I ex�pect your help.�

I grunt�ed. �I guess that�s fair.�

He nod�ded.

I sup�pose I could have told him that the Jhereg al�ready knew I was back in town, and it wouldn�t be safe for me to go sniff�ing around places. But then what? I mean, it had to be done.

�Sure, Boss. But do you have to be the one to do it?�

�Seems like.�

�Why?�

�No one else is.�

�Right, Boss. Why?�

�Oh.�

�.�.�.and un�til then, I�m not go�ing to be able to��

�Sor�ry, I was dis�tract�ed. Start over?�

He gave me an odd look. �I was say�ing that I need some�thing I can take to a Jus�ticer.�

�What do you mean, take to a Jus�ticer?�

�I mean send�ing a Pe�ti�tion of Re�lease, or make a case for Dis�hon�or�able Pros�ecu�tion.�

�Dis�hon�or�able Pros�ecu�tion? They have that?�

�It�s in the books.�

�How many times has it been brought?�

�Suc�cess�ful�ly?�

�At all.�

�Twen�ty-​sev�en.�

�Suc�cess�ful�ly?�

�Nev�er.�

�You�d bring that against the Em�press?�

�Against the Em�pire, but, in ef�fect, yes.�

�For�get it. Aliera will nev�er per�mit it.�

He nod�ded as if he�d come to the same con�clu�sion. �Prob�ably true, but I want to have it there any�way.�

�What�ev�er you think,� I said.

�What I think is that this is very odd.�

�Seems like it to me, too. The Em�press pros�ecut�ing a friend isn�t��

�No, that�s not what�s odd; Em�per�ors do what they have to do, and be�ing a friend to an Em�per�or some�times means los�ing your head. It�s al�ways been like that.�

�All right, then. What�s odd?�

�The law they�re pros�ecut�ing her with. It isn�t in�tend�ed to be used against high no�bles whose House is near the top of the Cy�cle.�

�Ah, you�ll have to ex�plain that.�

�What�s to ex�plain?�

�Some laws ap�ply to high no�bles, and some not?�

�How else?�

�Um. I don�t know. I hadn�t thought about it.�

�To pros�ecute a no�ble un�der the Code, you have to get a ma�jor�ity vote of the princes. The princes aren�t go�ing to vote against a no�ble when the House is pow�er�ful with�out a more com�pelling case than this is.�

�So this is a waste of time?�

�No, no�you mis�un�der�stand. That�s un�der the Code. This is an Im�pe�ri�al Edict, which means the Em�press and the High Jus�ticer make the de�ci�sion. That�s why they can get a con�vic�tion.�

�Well then, what�s��

�But us�ing the Edicts against a no�ble, at a time when you couldn�t get a con�vic�tion, is go�ing to raise quite a stink among the princes. The High Jus�ticer has to know that, and so does the Em�press.�

�Would they let that in�ter�fere with jus�tice?�

�Are you be�ing fun�ny?�

�Yes.�

�Eh. I guess it was a lit�tle fun�ny at that. But, you know, there is mak�ing the law, and en�forc�ing the law, and in�ter�pret�ing the law, and they all mix up to�geth�er, and it�s peo�ple who do those things, and the peo�ple all mix up to�geth�er. You can�t sep�arate them.�

�It�d be in�ter�est�ing to try.�

He waved it aside. �The point is, this will cre�ate lots of bad feel�ings among those who mat�ter. And bad feel�ings are bad states�man�ship, and the Em�press isn�t known for bad states�man�ship.�

�Um. Okay, I think I get the idea. What�s your con�clu�sion?�

�My con�clu�sion is that I want to know what�s go�ing on. I�ll look at it from my end, you look at it from yours.�

�All right.�

�Do you know how you�re go�ing to start?�

�Of course not.�

He nod�ded like he�d have been sur�prised to get any oth�er an�swer. �Are you open to sug�ges�tions?�

�Sure.�

�Stay away from the Em�press.�

�That part is easy. I don�t have that much call to see her, you know. But that on�ly tells me what not to do.�

�I�m sure we can find more things for you not to do if we put our minds to it.�

�See, Boss? He does have a sense of hu�mor.�

�Such as it is.� Aloud, I said, �You need some�thing that will pro�vide a le�gal an�gle for Aliera.�

He nod�ded.

�Yeah, well, I know about as much about the law as you know about�that is, I don�t know much about the law.�

�You don�t need to. Find out why they�re pros�ecut�ing Aliera, and be able to prove it.�

�Prove it. What does that mean, ex�act�ly?�

�Find peo�ple who saw or heard things, and will swear to it be�neath the Orb.�

�Oh, and where would I�oh.�

�Right. But stay away from the Em�press.�

�Great. And what will you be do�ing?�

�Same as you, on�ly to dif�fer�ent peo�ple. And I�ll be re�view�ing the laws, and look�ing through de�ci�sions and case his�to�ries. You aren�t go�ing to be too use�ful for that part.�

�I imag�ine not.� I stood and head�ed out.

Let me ex�plain again some�thing I�ve al�ready men�tioned: The way an as�sas�sin op�er�ates in�volves pick�ing a time and a place, set�ting up what�ev�er is nec�es�sary (which usu�al�ly means mak�ing sure you have a good edge on your knife), and strik�ing. If for some rea�son things go wrong�like, say, the guy gets sus�pi�cious about the hand�writ�ing of a note�then you go back and start over. All of which means that no one was go�ing to be mak�ing a move on me for a day at least. Which means I should have been able to re�lax as I left the wait�ing room and head�ed to�ward the Palace.

Yeah, well, you try it some�time and see how re�laxed you are.

Loiosh was pret�ty tense too, ei�ther be�cause he sensed that I was, or be�cause he knew what was go�ing on. It�s pret�ty crazy, that feel�ing of walk�ing through a big, wide cor�ri�dor, your boots echo�ing, al�most no one in sight, think�ing you�re safe, but feel�ing any�thing but. I stopped just in�side the door to cross the wide pave�ment to the Iorich Wing, and let Loiosh and Rocza ex�plore care�ful�ly. The trees that dot�ted the pave�ment were too thin for any�one to hide be�hind, but I stud�ied them any�way.

I kept an even walk�ing pace across the long, long, long paved prom�enade be�tween the House of the Iorich and the Palace.

�Boss, no one is go�ing to make a move in the mid�dle of the day, out in the open, in front of the Im�pe�ri�al Palace.�

�Who are you try�ing to con�vince?�

�Me, of course.�

�Just check�ing.�

�But you have to fig�ure you�re be�ing watched.�

�I know.�

I got in�side, and start�ed to�ward the Im�pe�ri�al Wing. I had the idea that it would be fun to count the num�ber of dis�dain�ful looks I got on the way, but I for�got to ac�tu�al�ly do it. I�m still not sure how I got lost; I thought I had the route mem�orized. I wasn�t even aware of hav�ing gone wrong un�til I stepped in�to a large open area I hadn�t re�al�ized ex�ist�ed, and heard the drone of voic�es and saw strange and won�drous things: a shoe�mak�er�s shop, a tai�lor�s, a wine sell�er�s, a sor�cer�er�s sup�ply, a sil�ver�smith. The ceil�ing, if you can call it that, was high and domed, and some�how the dome�s sil�very white col�or made it seem even high�er.

�Boss, there�s a whole town here.�

�I think I should have gone up that flight of stairs I went down.�

�Or maybe down the one you went up?�

�This is a whole city.�

�There�s prob�ably an inn with bet�ter food than that place yes�ter�day.�

�I can al�ways count on you to get right to the im�por�tant stuff.�

�The im�por�tant stuff is find�ing your way back to where you want to be.�

�The im�por�tant stuff is not to get killed. This is a good place to shine some�one up.�

�Oh,� he said. And, �It is, isn�t it?�

�It�s still too soon for them to have set any�thing up, but��

�We�re watch�ing, Boss.�

I tried to be in�con�spic�uous�which I�m not bad at, by the way, even with a pair of jhereg on my shoul�ders�and looked for some�one to ask di�rec�tions of.

A girl who was too young to work for the Jhereg came along, car�ry�ing a box full of some�thing that steamed. Prob�ably some�one�s lunch that I was go�ing to make cold.

�I beg your par�don, la�dy,� I said. Teck�la es�pe�cial�ly like be�ing called �la�dy� when they�re too young to be. �Can you tell me how to get out of here?�

She stopped. �Out of where?�

�To the Palace.�

�You�re in the Palace, sir.� Her tone said she thought I was de�ranged or else stupid.

�The Im�pe�ri�al Wing.�

�Oh.� She ges�tured with her chin. �That way un�til you see the three pil�lars, then left to the wide stair�way, and up. You�ll be right there.�

�You have my thanks.�

There were streets, build�ings, push�carts with food, and I think I even saw a beg�gar. What I didn�t see were three pil�lars, un�til I fi�nal�ly no�ticed what looked like an inn in minia�ture�chairs and ta�bles set in a small court�yard near a long bar�that spread be�neath a hang�ing sign show�ing three pil�lars. Yeah, all right.

Af�ter that it was easy enough to find the stair�way (I climbed a lot of stairs, but not as many as it seemed I should have climbed to get above that domed ceil�ing; there�s some weird ge�om�etry with that place), and a bit lat�er I found a page in Tias�sa liv�ery who was kind enough to point me in the right di�rec�tion. Ten min�utes or so lat�er I was once more in an area that looked fa�mil�iar�for the sym�bols of the Im�pe�ri�al Phoenix that marked ev�ery door, if for no oth�er rea�son.

It was the mid�dle of the day, and it was busy�Phoenix Guards look�ing im�pas�sive, ad�vis�ers look�ing se�ri�ous, ad�ju�tants look�ing im�por�tant, courtiers look�ing court�ly, and all of them mov�ing past me like I was stand�ing in the mid�dle of a stream that flowed around me as if I were of no in�ter�est, and it might sweep me off if it felt in�clined. I looked for some�one who wasn�t in a hur�ry, be�cause rush�ing down a hall�way filled with teem�ing func�tionar�ies isn�t the best way to have a con�ver�sa�tion.

Af�ter about fif�teen min�utes, I gave up and start�ed drift�ing along in what I was pret�ty sure was the di�rec�tion of the throne room.

�Not to make you ner�vous or any�thing, Boss, but some�one who could nail you here, right in the Im�pe�ri�al Wing, would earn him�self quite the rep�uta�tion.�

�Yeah.�

The hall�ways of the Im�pe�ri�al Wing near the throne room are wide and tall and cop�per-​col�ored, and you can�t imag�ine there be�ing a time of day or night when they aren�t full of peo�ple scur�ry�ing about look�ing im�por�tant. Here and there were wide arch�ways or nar�row doors, and from time to time some�one will van�ish in�to one or pop out and en�ter the flow. I didn�t go out of my way to call at�ten�tion to my�self, but I didn�t try to fit in, ei�ther, be�cause that would have in�volved be�com�ing part of the con�stant move�ment, and I want�ed to take some time to just ob�serve.

Even�tu�al�ly I found a place I rec�og�nized�I�d eat�en there yes�ter�day. I didn�t care to make that mis�take again, but a num�ber of oth�ers weren�t so par�tic�ular: this time the place was do�ing a pret�ty good busi�ness. There was a low, steady hum of voic�es punc�tu�at�ed by met�al trays and uten�sils.

I stood off the side for a while and just watched. On the oth�er side, all alone at a ta�ble, there was a Dra�gaer�an of mid�dle years�say a thou�sand or so�who had the pale com�plex�ion and round face of the House of the Teck�la. I stud�ied him for a mo�ment; he was drink�ing slow�ly, and seemed re�laxed and maybe lost in thought. I ap�proached and said, �Mind if I join you?�

He jumped a bit and start�ed to rise, took in my mus�tache, the jhereg on my shoul�ders, and my sword. He hes�itat�ed and frowned; I ges�tured to him to re�main sit�ting to make it easy for him. Teck�la are nev�er ex�act�ly sure whether they are above or be�low a no�ble�man who hap�pens to be an East�ern�er�we throw off all of their cal�cu�la�tions just by ex�ist�ing.

�By all means, my l .�.�. ah, sir.�

�Thanks,� I pulled up a chair. �I�ll buy you an�oth�er of what�ev�er you have there, if you don�t mind. What does the yel�low arm�band sig�ni�fy?�

He had light brown hair peek�ing out from un�der a hat that was too tall and not wide enough to look any�thing but ab�surd. He glanced at the arm�band as if he didn�t re�al�ize it was there, then said, �Oh, I�m a mes�sage-​run�ner.�

�For whom?�

�For hire, sir. Did you wish a mes�sage sent some�where with�in the Palace? If it is out�side the Palace it�self, I have to charge more, be�cause I pass it on to��

�No, no. I was just cu�ri�ous about what it meant.�

He nod�ded, held up his mug, and ges�tured in the di�rec�tion of a young Chreotha who seemed to be work�ing for the old�er wom�an who was still there, on�ly now much more awake.

�I�m Vlad,� I said. �Baronet of this, Im�pe�ri�al Count of that, but skip all that.� He wouldn�t, of course. He�d be in�ca�pable of skip�ping it.

�I�m Pon�cer,� he said.

�Well met.�

He gave Loiosh and Rocza a look, but then his drink ar�rived�it smelled like the sort of dark beer that makes me hate beer�and that dis�tract�ed him.

�What can I do for you, sir?� he asked af�ter a swal�low.

�Tell me what you know.�

�Sir?�

I smiled. �Do you need to be any�where for the next cou�ple of hours?�

�Well, I should look for work��

�How much do you earn?�

�Three pen�nies with�in the Im�pe�ri�al Wing. If I have to��

I gave him an im�pe�ri�al.

He stared at it, then at me, then back to it, then he took it and put in�to a pouch at his side.

I now had his at�ten�tion.

Iorich

5

The or�ders from the War�lord to Gen�er�al La�dy Fardra e�Baritt were not put in spe�cif�ic terms (see Ap�pendix 2), but did in�clude the phrase �min�imal dam�age to prop�er�ty and non-​com�bat�ants in the re�gion is a pri�or�ity sec�ond on�ly to sup�pres�sion of the dis�or�ders.� One ques�tion be�fore this com�mit�tee, then, is to con�sid�er what �min�imal� means in this con�text, and who is a non-​com�bat�ant, and who can rea�son�ably be as�sumed to be a non-​com�bat�ant by in�di�vid�ual sol�diers of var�ious ranks and re�spon�si�bil�ities in high-​risk ar�eas.

�You see peo�ple,� I told him.

�My lord?�

I�m not com�plete�ly sure how much the ti�tles and how much the im�pe�ri�al had to do with me be�com�ing �my lord.� I said, �I�m try�ing to learn my way around this place, and who�s who, so I don�t make a fool of my�self when I meet strangers.�

He nod�ded as if it were a great idea, and he was just the man for the job.

�Who do you want to know about first?� He had a se�ri�ous, busi�ness-​like ex�pres�sion. I avoid�ed laugh�ing in his face be�cause it would have been un�pro�duc�tive, not to men�tion rude.

�Who is close to Her Majesty?�

�Close?� he said, as if I�d men�tioned some�thing scan�dalous.

�Who does she lis�ten to?�

�Oh,� he said, and looked thought�ful again. �Well, first, there�s La�dy Mi�faant.�

�Who is she?�

�An Is�so�la. She doesn�t have, ah, an of�fice or any�thing. I mean, there�s no name for it. But she�s Her Majesty�s, um, I don�t know the word. The per�son the Em�press goes to when some�thing is both�er�ing her.�

�Con�fi�dant? Best friend?�

Some�thing about that both�ered him�like, I don�t know, maybe the Em�press isn�t sup�posed to have friends�but he fi�nal�ly gave a hes�itant nod.

�Who else?�

�Neru�lan, of course. Her physick�er.�

I nod�ded.

�And her, well�� He hes�itat�ed, and turned a lit�tle red.

�Hm�mm?�

�You know.�

�I don�t, ac�tu�al�ly. Un�less you mean she has a lover.�

He nod�ded once, watch�ing me care�ful�ly, as if for a clue as to what sort of ex�pres�sion he should have.

�Who is he? Or she?�

�He. He�s, um, he�s .�.�.� His voice trailed off and looked a lit�tle des�per�ate.

�An East�ern�er?� I said. In fact, I knew very well, but the less I ad�mit�ted to know�ing, the more he�d tell me.

He nod�ded.

�Yeah,� I said. �I�d heard ru�mors. What�s his name?�

�Las�zl�,� he said. I nod�ded. Pon�cer dropped his voice and said, �He�s a witch.�

�Well,� I said. �In�ter�est�ing.�

And it was.

�He�s been alive for, well, longer than they�re sup�posed to live, any�way.� He looked at me, red�dened again, and be�came very in�ter�est�ed in his drink.

I gave him what I cal�cu�lat�ed to be a friend�ly, re�as�sur�ing chuck�le. �What does he look like?�

He frowned. �Like you,� he said. �His skin is your col�or, and he has hair grow�ing like you have, above his lip. More hair, though, and curli�er.�

�I take it he�s usu�al�ly sur�round�ed by courtiers?�

�They try,� he said.

�Yeah, they would.�

�He tries to stay away from them, though.�

�I don�t blame him. So, how do I man�age to talk to him?�

�Um,� he said. I think the ques�tion star�tled him. Gos�sip was one thing; ac�tu�al�ly us�ing the gos�sip seemed to make him un�com�fort�able. I wait�ed.

�I don�t know,� he said. �I can�t think of any way.�

I wait�ed some more.

�It won�t help,� he said, �but there are ru�mors .�.�.�

�Yes?�

�There are ru�mors that he knows the En�chantress of Dzur Moun�tain.�

I didn�t have to pre�tend to look star�tled.

�Easy, Boss. �Ru�mors,� re�mem�ber?�

�But still��

�And if she knew him, why didn�t she ev�er men�tion it?�

�Oh, come on, Loiosh. She�s Sethra.�

�That�s good to know,� I told Pon�cer. �Who else sees the Em�press? Does she have a Prime Min�is�ter?�

�No,� he said. �Well, some say she does, but it�s se�cret.�

�She must have ad�vis�ers she con�sults reg�ular�ly.�

�The War�lord, for any�thing about the army. And the La�dy of the Chairs for any�thing to do with the Coun�cil of Princes. And then for fi�nances and stuff��

�The War�lord.�

He nod�ded.

�I thought the War�lord was un�der ar�rest.�

�The new War�lord.�

�Who is the new War�lord?�

�Her High�ness No�rathar,� he said.

I stared at him. Af�ter a mo�ment, I said, �I thought she was Drag�on Heir.�

�She�s both.�

�In�ter�est�ing. And they see each oth�er of�ten?�

�I don�t know.�

�Who is La�dy of the Chairs?�

�Lord Avis�sa.�

�House?�

�Is�so�la. The La�dy of the Chairs is al�ways an Is�so�la.�

�Oh. Of course.� I al�most touched the hilt of La�dy Tel�dra, but I didn�t want to make Pon�cer any more ner�vous than I had to.

We talked a lit�tle longer about in�con�se�quen�tial things, and I bought him an�oth�er beer, dodged a few po�lite ques�tions, and took my leave. I�m much bet�ter at get�ting in�for�ma�tion from Teck�la than I used to be, thanks to a ghost and a knife, in that or�der. Long sto�ry, nev�er mind.

No�rathar and Sethra. Yeah, I shouldn�t be sur�prised that two of the Em�press�s se�cret con�fi�dants were peo�ple I knew. Aliera her�self was a third, for that mat�ter. I had sur�round�ed my�self with those types by a com�plex pro�cess that had start�ed years ago when a mi�nor but�ton-​man start�ed skim�ming from me. And no, I�m not about to give you any more de�tails. Get over it.

I thought about walk�ing to the Drag�on Wing and see�ing if I could have a long chat with No�rathar e�Lanya, the War�lord and Drag�on Heir. Once, she�d been a Jhereg as�sas�sin. She�d worked with the East�ern�er who be�came my wife.

My son would be about eight now. The last time I�d seen him, he�d been four. A lot goes on in those four years. By now�

No.

I stood still in a hall�way deep in the heart of the Palace that con�trolled the mighty Em�pire of Dra�gaer�ans, let�ting hu�man�ity (to use the term loose�ly) flow around me, and tried to con�vince my�self to at�tend to busi�ness. See�ing Cawti and my son would make me mis�er�able and put them in dan�ger. So, nat�ural�ly, it was ex�act�ly what I want�ed to do.

Cawti had named him Vlad No�rathar.

I sud�den�ly had the feel�ing that if I met with No�rathar�I mean, the War�lord�I�d smack her on the side of the head. Prob�ably best not to talk to her just now.

�Boss?�

�Mm�mm?�

�We should vis�it Sethra.�

�I know.�

�You don�t want to?�

�Part�ly that. Part�ly, I don�t want the whole Jhereg know�ing I went there. Cas�tle Black is one thing, but Dzur Moun�tain��

�You think you�d be in dan�ger in Dzur Moun�tain?�

�No, not dan�ger. I just don�t feel com�fort�able hav�ing the Jhereg know I�m there; at least right away.�

�Oh.�

�Maybe there�s a way.�.�. okay, let�s do it.�

�Uh, how, Boss?�

�How what? How do we get there? I have a clever and de�vi�ous plan.�

�Oh, great.�

I worked my way around to the Athyra Wing and, even�tu�al�ly, out in�to the world. It was bright out there, mak�ing me think of the East where there�s no over�cast to pro�tect you from the Fur�nace. I blinked and wait�ed for my eyes to ad�just.

The Athyra Wing is usu�al�ly pret�ty qui�et and to�day was no ex�cep�tion; that meant that just in case there were any as�sas�sins who�d been fol�low�ing me wait�ing for an op�por�tu�ni�ty, I�d see them�par�don me, Loiosh would see them in plen�ty of time. I set out on the Street of the Athyra, turn�ing to pass the ob�sid�ian mono�lith (oh, yes, we�re so im�pres�sive) of the House of the Athyra on my right, con�tin�uing just a few score of yards be�yond it to Mawg Way. �Mawg,� I was once told, means �mer�chant� in some dis�used lan�guage that goes back to be�fore there were any such things as mer�chants. That makes you won�der, you know? I mean, �mawg.� An ug�ly word. Where did they get �mer�chant� out of that? Maybe there are peo�ple who study things like that. If so, they�re prob�ably Athyra.

A few doors down, on the left side, was a win�dow�less cot�tage built of round stones. It had a thick door bound in iron strips; the door was stand�ing open. Above the door�way was a par�tic�ular�ly de�tailed sign in which an Athyra was fly�ing over a map of the Em�pire.

�Boss, you aren�t se�ri�ous.�

�Why not?�

�Ev�er heard of the Left Hand of the Jhereg, Boss? You know, the sor�cer�ess�es?�

�Sounds fa�mil�iar.�

�Boss, the Left Hand doesn�t like you. And even if they did, the Jhereg could hire one of them to watch places like this. As soon as you tele�port, a sor�cer�er can.�.�. what are you laugh�ing about?�

�Just watch me, Loiosh.�

I went in. The en�try room was just big enough, and held a door op�po�site. A young la�dy of the House of the Athyra sat in a wood�en chair fac�ing the door, look�ing se�ri�ous and mys�ti�cal and very busi�ness-​like: she may as well have had �ap�pren�tice� sten�ciled on her fore�head.

She looked me over, de�cid�ed on just how no�ble I was (I was an East�ern�er, but I dared to wear a sword open�ly), and in�clined her head slight�ly. �Yes, sir?�

�How much is a tele�port?�

�One im�pe�ri�al, to a known lo�ca�tion.�

�How much to have the sor�cer�er come to me?�

�My lord? Oh, you mean to tele�port from some�where else? Two im�pe�ri�als, if it�s with�in the city.�

�And how much to have it done sur�rep�ti�tious�ly, and un�trace�ably? And add in a short-​term spell to make me sor�cer�ous�ly in�vis�ible.�

�How short-​term?�

�A minute. Half a minute.�

�Ten.�

�That�s fine. My name is Vladimir Tal�tos, I�ll be go�ing to Dzur Moun�tain, and I wish to have a sor�cer�er meet me in the Tem�ple of Ver�ra on Wa�ter�hill in South Adri�lankha.�

Her nose wrin�kled and she hes�itat�ed, look�ing for an ex�cuse to say no. Even�tu�al�ly she said, �I�ll have to ask.�

�I�ll wait here,� I said.

She gave me a sus�pi�cious look be�fore go�ing through the door. It isn�t like there was any�thing in the room to steal. She re�turned a mo�ment lat�er, asked for my name again. This time she wrote it on a small slab of some sort, and nod�ded. �She will meet you.�

�Want the mon�ey now?�

�If you please.�

I put two five-​im�pe�ri�al coins in�to her hand and sketched a bow. I opened the door, stand�ing far enough to the side not to be open to any�thing un�pleas�ant that might shoot through it, but not so far as to make it ob�vi�ous what I was do�ing. Loiosh flew out; I�d have loved to see the look on the ap�pren�tice�s face, but my back was to her. Loiosh said it was safe, so I stepped out on�to the street.

Crowd�ed streets make it hard�er to set some�thing up re�li�ably, but eas�ier to get the drop on your tar�get, and eas�ier to get away safe�ly af�ter�ward. Emp�ty streets, of course, have the op�po�site prob�lems. I com�pro�mised and took a mix of both, mak�ing my way to the Chain Bridge and so across to South Adri�lankha.

�So, Loiosh, you get it?�

�I know what you�re think�ing�the Jhereg won�t go af�ter you in a tem�ple.�

�Right.�

�But you still have to get to the tem�ple.�

�I have com�plete con�fi�dence in you.�

One thing that can�not be done psy�chi�cal�ly is mut�ter, but Loiosh took a pret�ty good run at it.

There are scores of shrines to Ver�ra in the city, and sev�er�al tem�ples to her in South Adri�lankha. The one I�d cho�sen was a low stonework af�fair, set back from the road, with a flag�stone walk flanked by scrawny trees. More�over, it was in a neigh�bor�hood with a lot of space be�tween the hous�es. Put it all to�geth�er, and there were no good places for as�sas�sins to hide. Even Loiosh grudg�ing�ly agreed, af�ter a few min�utes fly�ing around, that I could go ahead and ven�ture up to the doors�af�ter that, he made no guar�an�tees.

Open�ing the door was scary. I didn�t care how stupid I looked; I lis�tened, stood to the side, and was mov�ing when I flung it open.

No one was there. Yeah, I looked stupid. I might have got�ten some fun�ny glances from peo�ple pass�ing on the street, but I didn�t wait around to see, I just stepped in�side.

It was a sin�gle room, with a black al�tar op�po�site the door, about ten paces from me. I knew from mem�ory that there were small holes cut in�to the al�tar for can�dles, though I couldn�t see them from here. Be�yond that, the place was ut�ter�ly bare. The priest here be�lieved that one should bring noth�ing to the God�dess but the de�sire to serve, or some�thing like that. I don�t re�mem�ber ex�act�ly how he�d put it; it was years ago. Ser�vices here were held two or three times a week, I for�get the times and dates, and on the ob�vi�ous feast days.

I po�si�tioned my�self be�hind the al�tar and wait�ed for the sor�cer�er�or an as�sas�sin, if I�d mis�judged the Jhereg. Sor�ry, don�t mean to be mys�te�ri�ous. There are rules to how we op�er�ate: you don�t kill some�one in front of his fam�ily, you don�t mess with him in his home, you don�t touch him in a tem�ple or at a shrine.

The thing is, all of these rules have, at one time or an�oth�er, been vi�olat�ed; one rea�son I was in trou�ble with the Jhereg was for vi�olat�ing one of them. I�d had a bad day that day. The point is, I was cal�cu�lat�ing on them fol�low�ing the rules, at least this time, and for a while. If I was wrong, things were li�able to get ex�cit�ing.

I got to be ner�vous for about twen�ty min�utes be�fore the sor�cer�ess showed up. No as�sas�sins came with her. Score one for me. She had the dark com�plex�ion of the Athyra but her hair was such a light brown it was al�most blond, pro�duc�ing a slight�ly startling ef�fect. There was a vague look in her eyes that was com�mon if not uni�ver�sal among Athyra.

She gave the place a half-​in�ter�est�ed and dis�dain�ful look, then nod�ded at me. �Lord Tal�tos?� she said.

I nod�ded.

�Dzur Moun�tain,� she said. �Un�trace�able, with a brief lin�ger�ing cloud.�

I nod�ded again.

She looked like she might be con�sid�er�ing of�fer�ing me ad�vice on go�ing there, but she must have de�cid�ed not to, and just said, �Are you ready?�

I pulled the amulet from around my neck and put it away, thus, no doubt, alert�ing a dozen or so Jhereg sor�cer�ers. �Ready,� I said.

She didn�t even ges�ture, as far as I could see; for an in�stant the room seemed about to spin, but then it went through a fa�mil�iar slow fade, go�ing through all the col�ors from white to al�most-​white; in�ter�minable sec�onds went by when I was in two places at once, and I could feel my�self push�ing air out of the way. In that time, it sud�den�ly hit me that she might have been bribed, and be de�liv�er�ing me to an as�sas�sin. In that emp�ty, lin�ger�ing time-​space, I be�came so con�vinced of it that I was al�ready reach�ing for a dag�ger when the world set�tled down to a fa�mil�iar place on the low�er slopes of Dzur Moun�tain.

My first re�ac�tion was re�lief, my sec�ond was an�noy�ance. Yeah, this place was fa�mil�iar�I knew how to reach Sethra�s home from this spot: it in�volved climb�ing more stairs than ought to ex�ist in the world. I won�dered if the sor�cer�ess had brought me to this en�trance de�lib�er�ate�ly. I still won�der.

I re�placed the amulet then en�tered through a wood�en door that wasn�t near�ly as flim�sy as it ap�peared. You don�t clap when en�ter�ing Dzur Moun�tain�de�pend�ing on which door you use, at any rate. I�ve won�dered about that, and I think it�s be�cause in some way the moun�tain it�self isn�t her home, on�ly the parts of it that she claimed as her res�idence; and so I passed through the first door in�to the moun�tain, and start�ed climb�ing stairs. It seemed much loud�er this time, my feet on the stone stair�way made echoes and echoes of echoes; my mem�ory was do�ing the same thing.

You don�t need to hear about it; it was a long, long way up. Part�way up, I passed the place where Mor�rolan and I had al�most slaugh�tered each oth�er; it both�ered me a lit�tle that I couldn�t iden�ti�fy the ex�act spot.

Even�tu�al�ly I reached the top, clapped, and opened the door with�out wait�ing for a re�ply. Her res�idence doesn�t seem all that big once you�re aware of the size of the moun�tain; but then there�s prob�ably a lot I haven�t seen. And, at her age, I imag�ine she needs lots of space to store stuff she�s ac�cu�mu�lat�ed.

I wan�dered a bit, hop�ing to run in�to her, or her ser�vant, or some�one. The halls�dark stone here, pale wood there�all echoed strange�ly and gave me the sud�den feel�ing that Dzur Moun�tain was de�sert�ed. It wasn�t, ac�tu�al�ly�I came across her in one of the small�er sit�ting rooms that she put here and there. She was drink�ing a glass of wine and read�ing a thick, heavy book with a cov�er I couldn�t see. She wore a black gar�ment that seemed to wrap around her, pinned with a gold or cop�per bracelet at the left arm, and loop�ing through a jew�eled neck�lace high on her chest, with an�oth�er loop on her right hip with sim�ilar jew�els. She said, �Hel�lo, Vlad,� with�out look�ing up. I took that as a cue to stand there like an id�iot, so I did, and present�ly she marked the book with some�thing that looked like it had sil�ver trac�ings on it and gave me a nod. �I�ve been ex�pect�ing you.�

�It takes a while for word to reach the out�lands. That�s a nice dress you�re wear�ing. Are those sap�phires on the neck�lace?�

�A gift from the Necro�mancer. Have a seat. Tukko will bring you wine.�

I sat in a chair that faced her at a slight an�gle. �And I will drink it. Good. We have a plan.�

A cour�tesy smile came and went.

Tukko showed up with wine and a scowl. The wine was less of�fen�sive; a strong�ly fla�vored red that should have had some heav�ily spiced meat to go with it, but I didn�t com�plain. I sipped, nod�ded, and said, �So, what can you tell me?�

�I was go�ing to ask you that.�

�Heh. I just came in from out of town.�

�Yes, and found an ad�vo�cate, got Aliera to ac�cept him�which ought to rate you as a mas�ter sor�cer�er�and you�ve been snoop�ing around the Im�pe�ri�al Palace since then. So�what can you tell me?� She smiled sweet�ly.

I stared at her, re�mem�ber�ing things about her I some�times for�get. Then I said, �If you were try�ing to im�press me, it worked.�

�Per�mit me my small plea�sures.�

�I�d nev�er think of deny�ing them to you,� I said. �All right. In brief, the Em�press seems to be pros�ecut�ing Aliera to dis�tract at�ten�tion from some mas�sacre in some lit�tle town no one cares about. The mys�tery is that she picked Aliera, who I�ve al�ways fig�ured was a close friend. The charge, as far as I can tell, is non�sense.�

She nod�ded slow�ly. �It isn�t as if the Em�press hasn�t known about Aliera�s stud�ies for years.�

�Right.�

�When you spoke to Her Majesty, what was the Orb do�ing?�

�Eh? Float�ing over her head.�

�I mean, what col�or was it?�

�Green at first. Or�ange when I an�noyed her. It turned blue around the end of the con�ver�sa�tion. She said she had to go do some�thing.�

�What shade of blue?�

�Um, shade?�

�Did it seem cold, icy?�

�Sor�ry, I don�t have that good a mem�ory for col�ors.�

�All right,� she said.

�Can you ex�plain�?�

�Not re�al�ly. Just try�ing to learn ev�ery�thing I can. I wish I�d been there.�

�Yes. That brings up an�oth�er in�ter�est�ing point.� I cleared my throat. �Why weren�t you?�

�Beg par�don?�

�That�s what I re�al�ly want�ed to ask you. Why is this my job?�

She frowned. �No one is forc�ing you��

�That�s not my point. Aliera has friends com�ing out her�Aliera has a lot of friends. Most of them are more in�flu�en�tial than an ex-​Jhereg East�ern�er on the run. What�s go�ing on here?�

She looked away from me. When ev�ery�thing in Sethra�s home is very qui�et, there is a soft, con�tin�uous sound, as of air slow�ly mov�ing down a tun�nel. It seemed to me I�d no�ticed it or al�most no�ticed it be�fore.

Fi�nal�ly she said, �You�ve spent a day or two with the Jus�ticers now. What do you think?�

That didn�t seem to have any�thing to do with my ques�tion, but I�ve known Sethra long enough to know that not ev�ery change of sub�ject is a change of sub�ject.

�They�re pret�ty ob�ses�sive,� I said.

�About what?�

�About the law, and its quirky lit�tle ins and outs.�

�And what do you think about the law?�

�Most of my thoughts about the law in�volve ways to cir�cum�vent it,� I said.

She smiled. �I al�ways knew you had the mak�ings of an Em�per�or.�

�Eh?�

She waved it aside. �What are all those laws for?�

�Oh, come on, Sethra. I know bet�ter than to try to an�swer a ques�tion like that, from you of all peo�ple.�

�Fair point.� She frowned and fell in�to thought for a mo�ment. Then she said, �Some peo�ple think the law is about pro�tec�tion�you have the Im�pe�ri�al Guard and the lo�cal con�stab�ulary to make sure the in�no�cents are pro�tect�ed. Oth�ers think it is about jus�tice�mak�ing sure no one can do any�thing bad with�out get�ting what he de�serves. Still oth�ers see it as re�venge: giv�ing peace to the vic�tim by hurt�ing the per�pe�tra�tor.�

She stopped. I wait�ed.

�The House of the Iorich is near the bot�tom of the Cy�cle right now,� she said.

I nod�ded. I al�ways for�got about that stuff. Well, I mean, ob�vi�ous�ly since I�m un�like�ly to live long enough to see the Cy�cle move even once, where�as a Dra�gaer�an might live to see it shift two or three times. And then there�s Sethra; we won�t talk about her.

�Okay, I trust that ties in�to this some�how?�

She nod�ded. �The Iorich is the House of jus�tice.�

�Yes, I know. The courts, the ad�vo�cates, the law-​scribes, all of that.�

She shook her head. �That isn�t jus�tice; that�s the law.�

�If you�re telling me that the law has noth�ing to do with jus�tice, you aren�t giv�ing me any new in�for�ma�tion.�

�What I�m telling you is that some�times it does.�

�Um. That would be when the Iorich are near the top of the Cy�cle?�

She nod�ded.

�Okay. And what hap�pens the rest of the time?�

�What pass�es for jus�tice is the re�sult of machi�na�tions among the no�bles.�

�That sound�ed like it should have made sense.�

She chuck�led and Tukko ap�peared with a small glass of some�thing clear. She threw it down like a sol�dier and nod�ded. �I know what you mean.�

�Maybe you could��

�The Em�pire per�pet�uates it�self. It pro�tects the no�bles who sup�port it, and the ma�chin�ery of state it needs to keep it�self go�ing. Any�one who threat�ens those things gets ground up.�

�Ex�cept dur�ing an Iorich reign?�

She nod�ded.

�The Iorich reign must be an in�ter�est�ing time.�

�Fol�lows the Jhereg, you know.�

�Oh, right. So they have plen�ty to keep them�selves busy.�

She nod�ded.

�So then,� I said. �What did Aliera do that threat�ened the Em�pire?�

�Noth�ing,� she said.

�Noth�ing?�

�Wrong place at the wrong time, if you want to call it that. Or, she was con�ve�nient. Or some�thing.�

�Sethra, are you drunk?�

�A lit�tle.�

Okay. Well. This was a new one for me. I wasn�t ex�act�ly sure how to deal with it. The most pow�er�ful sor�cer�ess in the world: sloshed. Aren�t there laws against that sort of thing?

�Sethra, are you say�ing that to de�fend Aliera is to at�tack the Em�pire?�

�I thought that was ob�vi�ous.�

Maybe I should get drunk, too.

�And that�s why none of Aliera�s friends will step in?�

�She�s pret�ty much for�bid�den it.�

�Mor�rolan must be about ready to burst.�

�He�s not do�ing well.�

I nod�ded. �So that�s where I come in. But, okay, I still don�t see why the Em�press chose Aliera to do this to.�

�Who would you sug�gest?�

�Sethra, there must be hun�dreds, thou�sands of peo�ple who are vi�olat�ing some law that can be used to dis�tract at�ten�tion from what�ev�er the Em�press wants peo�ple not to no�tice.�

�Not re�al�ly,� she said. She drew her fin�ger through a spot in the air in front of her, and a small slash of white light re�mained. �Aliera is wide�ly known, even among the Teck�la, as wit�ness the fact that you heard about it from wher�ev�er you were.� She made an�oth�er slash next to the first. �She is wide�ly known to be a friend of the Em�press.� She made a third slash�I need to learn how to do that. �It�s com�mon knowl�edge that the Em�pire turns a blind eye to her ac�tiv�ities. Who else can all that be said of?�

I felt my�self scowl�ing. �Yeah, all right. So it�s on me. How do I do it?�

�I un�der�stand the ad�vo�cate you found is very good. Re�ly on him.�

�He is?�

�With�in his spe�cial�ty.�

�That�s good to know. He�s got me�you know what he�s got me do�ing.�

�Yes. It seems wise.�

�I�m go�ing to have to speak to No�rathar.�

�Oh,� she said. Then, �Oh.�

�Yeah.�

�All right,� she said af�ter a mo�ment. �I�ll ar�range it.�

�Thank you.�

I drank some more wine with�out tast�ing it. We sat there un�til the com�fort�able si�lence be�came un�com�fort�able. Then I said, �Sethra, who else are you?�

�Hm�mm?�

�I mean, you must have oth�er, ah, iden�ti�ties, be�sides��

�Oh. No one you�ve ev�er met. Or heard of, I imag�ine.�

�It must be dif�fi�cult.�

�Some�times. Some�times it�s the on�ly fun I ev�er have.�

I nod�ded. I want�ed to ask her about some of the oth�er peo�ple she was, but it was pret�ty ob�vi�ous she didn�t want to talk about it, so I fin�ished my wine and fell silent.

A lit�tle lat�er she said, �No�rathar has agreed to see you.�

�When?�

�Now, if it�s con�ve�nient.�

�Con�ve�nient,� I said. �Heh. All right. Lat�er, I�d like.�.�.�

She frowned. �What?�

�Noth�ing. I�m go�ing to see No�rathar. Af�ter that, I think I�d like some food.�

She looked away. �Val�abar�s is watched con�stant�ly.�

�So I�d as�sumed. I was think�ing about some�where safer. Like, say, the Punc�tured Lung.�

�I�m afraid I don�t know it,� she said.

�Sor�ry, Jhereg slang. The Punc�tured Jug.�

�Ah. Yes, by Clover Ring.�

�It�s Jhereg owned, so it�s safe. Nis�can used to eat there when half the city was walk�ing around with em�balm�ing oil for him.�

She nod�ded. �As long as it�s safe. I wouldn�t want any�thing to hap�pen to you.�

�Kind of you to say.� I stood up and nod�ded.

�I�ll do the tele�port,� she said.

How do you ask the En�chantress of Dzur Moun�tain if she�s too drunk to man�age a tele�port safe�ly? An�swer: You don�t.

�Thanks,� I told her.

Iorich

IN�TER�LUDE: MEM�ORY

It came back sharp and clear, all the edges dis�tinct, the col�ors vivid, even the sounds echo�ing in my ears. I had stood there, look�ing at where she lived then, and un�able to speak. I had just fin�ished prov�ing I wasn�t a hero. Kra�gar came along that time, to pro�vide moral sup�port or some�thing, but had wait�ed a bit down the street so I could meet the boy by my�self first.

She in�vit�ed me in.

�Where is�?�

�It�s his nap time.�

�Oh.�

�He�ll be up again in a bit.�

We sat and talked about noth�ing for a while. Then there was a sound in the next room like a cat whose tail has been stepped on, and my heart did a thing.

�I�ll be right back,� said Cawti.

Across from me was psiprint of Noish-​pa, look�ing haughty and for�bid�ding, which shows you how false psiprints can be. It was a long two or three min�utes be�fore she re�turned.

A tod�dler tod�dled be�hind her. He wore short pants and a gray frock, and his dark hair was neat�ly brushed. His eyes were huge and re�mind�ed me of Cawti�s. She said, �Vlad, this is your fa�ther.�

The boy stared at me for a mo�ment, then turned and pressed him�self against Cawti�s legs. She gave me an apolo�get�ic smile. �He�s bash�ful around strangers,� she said. I nod�ded. �Just ig�nore him,� she said. �He�ll come around.�

Ig�nore him. Yeah. �All right,� I said.

�Come on, Vlad. Shall we find your tur�tle?�

He nod�ded in�to her knees. She took his hand and led him over to a long, red�dish wood�en box un�der the win�dow. I knew that box; it had once held weapons. Now, it seems, it held a cloth tur�tle stuffed with I know not what.

I ex�pect�ed him to hug it, but he didn�t; he walked in�to a cor�ner, sat down, and be�gan study�ing it. Cawti sat on the edge of a short couch I didn�t rec�og�nize and picked up her glass. We watched him.

�What�s he do�ing?� I asked in a low tone.

�Fig�ur�ing out how it�s put to�geth�er,� she said.

�Oh. Is it that dif�fi�cult?�

�It�s a sort of puz�zle. The cloth folds over in cer�tain ways to make a tur�tle, and if you un�fold it right you get some�thing else. The first one was a ly�orn, the sec�ond a day�ocat. I don�t know what this one is. I guess we�ll find out.�

I smiled. �He solved the first two?�

�Quick.�

I smiled more. �Where did you find the toy?�

�A lit�tle girl makes them, and brings them around. I don�t know why, but she seems harm�less.�

�A lit�tle girl? Does she have a name?�

�De�vera.�

I nod�ded.

�Do you know her?� she asked.

�Um. Yes and no. But you�re right; she wouldn�t hurt him.�

That seemed to sat�is�fy Cawti. We watched my son a lit�tle more. If he was aware that we were watch�ing him, he chose to ig�nore it. It was hard to talk about him as if he weren�t there. Prob�ably a bad idea, too.

Vlad No�rathar walked over to his moth�er and pre�sent�ed her with an ob�ject. �That�s very good,� she said. �Do you know what it is?�

�It�s a horse,� he ex�plained.

She nod�ded. �Show your fa�ther.�

He turned and gave me an eval�uat�ing look; I wished I could have de�cid�ed what ex�pres�sion to have on my face. I set�tled on try�ing to look in�ter�est�ed but not de�mand�ing, and it must have worked be�cause he marched over and showed me the horse.

�That�s very good,� I said. �But the tur�tle must be pret�ty crunched in�side it.�

He frowned and con�sid�ered that. �You�re sil�ly,� he ex�plained.

I�d nev�er been called sil�ly be�fore; I wasn�t sure how I felt about it. Good, I think.

He tucked the horse�s ears back in and out a few times, sat�is�fy�ing him�self that he had the se�cret, then he went over and sat on the box and set about turn�ing it in�to a tur�tle again. Cawti and I watched him.

�He�s very bright,� I said.

She smiled.

We watched Vlad No�rathar a lit�tle longer. With no warn�ing, he turned to me and said, �I have a hawk.�

�I�d like to see it,� I said.

He dug in the box and came out with a porce�lain fig�ure about a foot high, and very life�like. He walked over and hand�ed it to me with�out hes�ita�tion. I stud�ied it care�ful�ly. At last I said, �This is the bird that is called a vah�ndoor in the lan�guage of our an�ces�tors.�

He stud�ied me. �Are you be�ing sil�ly?�

�Not this time,� I said. �There are lots of lan�guages. Peo�ple speak dif�fer�ent.�

�Why?�

�Now that is a fine ques�tion. Maybe be�cause they in�vent�ed talk�ing in dif�fer�ent places, or else moved away from each oth�er so far that they start�ed talk�ing dif�fer�ent�ly. In this lan�guage, the one we�re speak�ing, there is on�ly one word for all sorts of birds of prey. In Fe�nar�ian, each sort of bird has its own name.�

�Does each bird have its own name too?�

�If some�one names it.�

�Don�t they name them�selves?�

�No, they don�t. Well, maybe they do, come to think of it. I�m not sure.�

�What sort of bird is that?�

�Okay, now I�m in�sult�ed.�

�It isn�t a bird, it�s a jhereg. A sort of fly�ing rep�tile that eats dead things and makes sar�cas�tic com�ments.�

�What does that mean?�

Me and my big mouth.

�It means some�times he says things he doesn�t mean be�cause he thinks they�re fun�ny.�

�He talks?�

�In�to my mind.�

�What�s he say�ing now?�

�He isn�t say�ing any�thing just this minute.�

�Does he like me?�

�How would I know? I haven�t tast�ed him.�

�Don�t.�

�Sor�ry, Boss.�

�You can touch him if you wish.�

�What is that, pun�ish�ment?�

�Yes.�

He shook his head fu�ri�ous�ly, his eyes wide. I smiled. �It�s all right.� I went back to study�ing his hawk. I hand�ed it back to him. He took it and brought it over to Cawti, and spent some time study�ing Rocza, perched on her shoul�der. Af�ter a mo�ment, Rocza stretched her neck out to�ward him and low�ered her head. He hes�itat�ed, then reached out a fin�ger and touched her head as if it were a hot stove. When she didn�t move, he stroked the top of her head once.

�I�m try�ing to fig�ure out if I should be jeal�ous,� said Loiosh.

�Let me know when you�ve de�cid�ed.�

�I want one of my own,� an�nounced Vlad No�rathar.

I looked at Cawti, who looked back at me and shrugged. �These are very spe�cial an�imals,� she said. �You have to study a long time to be able to have one.�

He looked stub�born.

�If you want one,� she con�tin�ued, �we�ll start you on the train�ing.�

He looked at her and nod�ded once, then went back to his box of toys. Was he too young to start train�ing as a witch? Maybe. It wasn�t my de�ci�sion.

�You�re look�ing good,� I said.

�Thank you.�

Vlad No�rathar turned around from the box and said, �Why aren�t you liv�ing with us?�

I met his eyes, which was more dif�fi�cult than a lot of oth�er eyes I�ve had to meet. �There are peo�ple who want to kill me. If I stay here, they�ll find me.�

�Oh,� he said. He con�sid�ered it care�ful�ly. �Why don�t you kill them in�stead?�

I stroked the hilt of La�dy Tel�dra in�side my cloak and said, �You know, I�ve asked my�self that same ques�tion.�

Cawti said, �You can�t al�ways solve prob�lems by killing some�one. In fact, as your fa�ther can tes�ti�fy, most of the time killing some�one just makes things worse.�

�That,� I said, �is un�for�tu�nate�ly true. But, hey, it�s a liv�ing.�

�Your fa�ther is teas�ing,� said Cawti.

I nod�ded. �I do that some�times.�

�Why?� said Vlad No�rathar.

�An�oth�er good ques�tion,� I said.

�I could an�swer it,� said Cawti. �But I shan�t.�

�Prob�ably best.�

He looked puz�zled for a mo�ment, but let it go�a trait that he�d cer�tain�ly find very use�ful lat�er in life. He said, �Why do they want to kill you?�

I start�ed to say some�thing about break�ing the rules, but Cawti cut me off with, �He was sav�ing my life.� Was there an edge of bit�ter�ness when she said it, or was it pure�ly my imag�ina�tion?

�He did?�

�Yes,� she said.

�They want to kill him for that?�

�Yes.�

Vlad No�rathar said, �That isn�t fair.�

�No,� said Cawti. �It isn�t.�

I re�sist�ed the urge to make some trite re�mark about how life wasn�t fair, and in�stead let the kid think about it.

He pulled a ly�orn out of the box, held it in one hand with the horse in the oth�er and stud�ied them care�ful�ly. Then he put the horse down and be�gan play�ing with the ly�orn�s horn, push�ing it in and out. It seemed to me he was still think�ing about our con�ver�sa�tion, but maybe that was my imag�ina�tion.

I said, �Kra�gar would like to meet him, too.�

She frowned. �I have no ob�jec�tion, but an�oth�er time would be bet�ter.�

�All right.�

I stood up. �I should be go�ing.�

Cawti nod�ded. �Say good-​bye to your fa�ther, Vlad.�

He got bash�ful again and hid his face. Cawti gave me an apolo�get�ic smile and the two of them walked me to the door. Rocza rubbed Cawti�s face then flew over to my left shoul�der.

I turned and walked back to where Kra�gar wait�ed.

Iorich

6

Luk�ka, I just had a talk with Nurik, and it was made pret�ty clear that we�re sup�posed to dump this all on the low�est ranks we think we can get away with. I told him if he want�ed that sort of game played, he�d have to get some�one else to run the thing, be�cause I won�t go there. If I re�sign, you�re the ob�vi�ous choice to take over, so think hard about how you�ll han�dle this. I know what sort of pres�sures N. can bring, so if you go with it, I�ll stay mute, but it�s worth con�sid�er�ing. I know Pa�pacat and the new War�lord do not fa�vor any such ar�range�ment, and you should re�mem�ber that HM is, so far as I know, not in on it ei�ther; I think she wants the in�ves�ti�ga�tion to be forthright, most�ly be�cause she wants to know if it�s all her fault. I�d tell her if I knew. Maybe in an�oth�er week, if I�m still run�ning this thing. But if you want a ca�reer, you can�t ig�nore N., you know it and I know it. Any�way, give it some thought.

�Pri�vate note in the hand�writ�ing of De�saniek

(not au�then�ti�cat�ed)

I ducked in�to the door�way in front of me with�out wait�ing to fig�ure out where it went. I was in a nar�row hall�way with a flight of stairs at the end. I went up with�out stop�ping, swal�low�ing the acidic pan�ic that comes with on�ly hav�ing one di�rec�tion to go when you know some�one is af�ter you. If Sethra had been sober, she�d have thought of that, dammit.

There was a door at the end of the hall�way. I opened it with�out clap�ping, my right hand brush�ing the hilt of La�dy Tel�dra.

The War�lord seemed to have been nap�ping; her head snapped for�ward and she stared at me. If she�d gone for a weapon, which wouldn�t have been all that un�think�able, there would sud�den�ly have been a lot more peo�ple than the Jhereg look�ing for me�or else no one at all.

She blinked a cou�ple of times as I caught the door and shut my breath, or what�ev�er I did.

�Vlad,� she said.

I stood there, try�ing to nei�ther pant nor shake. �Hi there,� I said.

Her of�fice was tiny; just enough room for her, a chair, and a small ta�ble. There was an�oth�er door to her left.

�I must have dozed off,� she said. �Sor�ry.�

�It�s noth�ing. As you see, I came in any�way.�

�Shall we find some�where more com�fort�able to talk?�

�I don�t mind stand�ing. Thanks for see�ing me, by the way.�

She nod�ded and looked up at me�an un�usu�al ex�pe�ri�ence for both of us. �Last I heard,� I said, �you were Drag�on Heir. I guess con�grat�ula�tions are in or�der.�

She gave some�thing that could have been a laugh. �I guess.�

�Are you ad�dressed as War�lord, or as Your High�ness now?�

�De�pends on the sub�ject.�

�Is there a sto�ry there? I mean, in how it is that you hap�pened to be�come War�lord?�

�Not one I�m in�clined to talk about.�

�Is your be�com�ing War�lord re�lat�ed?�

�To what?�

�Eh, I thought you knew why I was here.�

�Sethra said you want�ed to see me about Aliera.�

�Yes.�

�To that.�

�What is it you want�ed to see me about ex�act�ly?�

�Aliera�s sit�ua�tion.�

She hadn�t an�swered my ques�tion. Just want�ed to let you know I caught that. Can�t get one past me.

�I�m not sure how much I can tell you,� she said.

�Lack of knowl�edge, or are there things you aren�t per�mit�ted to say?�

�Both. And maybe things I could say but choose not to.�

�Yeah,� I said. �Well, I�ll ask, you tell me what you can.�

�It isn�t that I don�t care about Aliera,� she said.

I nod�ded, feel�ing sud�den�ly un�com�fort�able. It wasn�t like No�rathar to feel she had to jus�ti�fy her�self to me. I leaned against a wall, try�ing to look re�laxed. When she didn�t say any�thing, I cleared my throat and said, �In my own way, I have some un�der�stand�ing of du�ty.�

She nod�ded, star�ing past me.

�So, what hap�pened?�

She blinked and seemed to come back from wher�ev�er she was.

�Aliera was caught prac�tic�ing El�der Sor�cery, which is il�le�gal. For good rea�son, by the way. It was used to de�stroy the Em�pire. By Aliera�s fa�ther. The Em�pire frowns on be�ing de�stroyed. It tends not to like things that can do that.�

�Yeah, I know. That adds a cer�tain�uh. Wait. How much of this is be�cause of her fa�ther?�

�I don�t know. That�s prob�ably what made her the per�fect�I mean, that may be why.�.�.�

She trailed off.

I should have thought of that soon�er.

�And how does she�I mean the Em�press�feel about it?�

�Beg par�don?�

�She�s Aliera�s friend. How does she�?�

�You know I can�t give you per�son�al de�tails about Her Majesty.�

Since it was ex�act�ly the per�son�al de�tails I was look�ing for, it was a lit�tle sad to hear that. �All right,� I said. �Did you hear about Aliera�s ar�rest be�fore it hap�pened?�

�I don�t un�der�stand.� She was giv�ing me a sus�pi�cious look, as if I might be mock�ing her but she wasn�t sure.

�Oh,� I said. �You were giv�en the or�der.�

She nod�ded.

�I don�t know how these things work, but that seems un�usu�al. I mean, ar�rest�ing crim�inals isn�t what I think of as the War�lord�s job.�

�It usu�al�ly isn�t,� she said. Her lips were pressed tight�ly to�geth�er.

�But�?�

�With some�one like Aliera, I can�t see it hap�pen�ing any oth�er way. She wasn�t go�ing to dis�patch a, a con�sta�ble to do it.�

�It would be dis�re�spect�ful to her po�si�tion.�

She nod�ded. I need to work hard�er on com�mu�ni�cat�ing irony.

I said, �Who car�ried out the ar�rest?�

�I did.�

I grunt�ed. �Must have been fun.�

She gave me a look.

�Sor�ry,� I said. �Was she sur�prised?�

�Is this nec�es�sary?�

�I want to know if she had any warn�ing.�

�Oh. Yes, she was sur�prised. She thought I was jok�ing. She said��

The wall over her head was blank, a pasty col�or. She should put some�thing there. I re�solved not to tell her that.

�Sor�ry,� she said.

�How long was it from the time you were giv�en the or�der un�til the ar�rest?�

�Ten min�utes.�

�Had you ex�pect�ed the or�der?�

She stud�ied me care�ful�ly. �No,� she said. �I was told I was now War�lord, and or�dered to ar�rest Aliera, and to de�liv�er the com�mu�ni�ca�tion re�liev�ing her of her po�si�tion.�

I tried to imag�ine that scene, but I couldn�t do it. I was glad I hadn�t been there to see it.

�Had you ex�pect�ed some�thing like this to hap�pen?�

�What do you mean?�

�Aliera was ar�rest�ed to dis�tract at�ten�tion from some�thing the Em�press doesn�t want peo�ple think�ing about. Had you ex�pect�ed��

�That�s your the�ory,� she said, as if re�fut�ing it.

�Uh, yeah. That�s my the�ory. Had you been ex�pect�ing Zeri�ka��

�Her Majesty.�

��Her Majesty to do some�thing like this?�

�I don�t con�cede your premise,� she said.

�Um. Okay.� I looked around the room. Maybe one of the walls had se�cret writ�ing that would tell me how to pull the in�for�ma�tion I need�ed from No�rathar. Nope, guess not. �I�d have thought the War�lord would have a big�ger of�fice.�

�This isn�t the of�fice, it�s more of a pri�vate re�treat. The of�fice is through there.� She in�di�cat�ed the door to her left.

�Is this a tem�po�rary po�si�tion for you?�

An eye�brow went up. �Well, it cer�tain�ly won�t last longer than the next Drag�on Reign.�

�I meant more tem�po�rary than that.�

�I don�t know.�

�How did it hap�pen in the first place?�

�How did what hap�pen?�

�The in�ci�dent that start�ed it all. You�re the War�lord now, you must have ac�cess to��

�I can�t dis�cuss that.�

�I don�t mean the de�tails.�

�Then what? Get�ting philo�soph�ical on me?�

�Sar�casm aside, yes.�

�Are you se�ri�ous?�

�Yes.�

�How does it hap�pen? I�m told you served in the army, in wartime, in the line.�

�Briefly.�

�In com�bat.�

�Briefly.�

�And you need to ask how some�thing like that hap�pens?�

�I�m not sure what you mean.�

She shook her head. �Pay no mind. If that�s all, Lord Szurke, I�m rather busy.�

I won�dered if �Lord Szurke� were in�tend�ed as a cut, and if so what the in�sult was sup�posed to be. �I�ll try to be brief,� I said.

She did the lip thing again. �Very well.�

�If I can�t ask about the Em�press, I�ll ask about you.�

�Hm�mm?�

�What are you hop�ing will hap�pen?�

�I have no hope.� Nor much in�flec�tion in her voice, ei�ther.

�Things were eas�ier in the Jhereg, weren�t they?�

She looked up at me, eyes nar�rowed; then she shrugged. �Dif�fer�ent, any�way.�

�Gen�er�al�ly, the on�ly ones who get it are those who de�serve it.�

�And not all of them,� she said.

�Fair point.�

�What else?�

I hes�itat�ed. �Does it seem odd to you that this law is be�ing used against some�one in Aliera�s po�si�tion?�

She shrugged. �There�s been talk about that at Court. I don�t pay much at�ten�tion.�

�So you can�t ex�plain it?�

�If I have any guess�es, I don�t care to share them with you.�

�No�rathar, are we en�emies all of a sud�den?�

�I serve the Em�pire. That means I serve the Em�press.�

�You didn�t an�swer my ques�tion.�

Her fin�gers rolled on the table�top. �No,� she said. �We aren�t en�emies.�

�Good, then��

�We�re op�po�nents.�

�Um,� I ex�plained. �I�m try�ing to get Aliera out of this mess. Aren�t you her friend?�

�If you can find a way to do that with�out un�ac�cept�able con�se�quences, I�ll be glad to work with you.�

�That�s ex�act�ly what I�m hop�ing you�ll help me find.�

�I know.�

�No�rathar, you aren�t giv�ing me a lot of help here.�

�Is there a rea�son why I should?�

�I don�t know. Old times� sake? I mean, my son is named af�ter you.�

She looked down and drew a cir�cle with her fin�ger on the ta�ble. I did the same thing, back when I had a desk; it was a lit�tle strange see�ing her do it. She said, �Cawti would like to see you.�

Af�ter a bit, I man�aged, �Are you sure?�

�No,� she said. �But she said so.�

�When?�

�Yes�ter�day.�

�She knows I�m in town?�

�Ev�ident�ly.�

Af�ter a bit she said, �Will you see her?�

�Yes,� I said. �If I can do so with�out get�ting her killed.�

�I think she can look af�ter her�self, don�t you?�

�You think so? Against the Jhereg? If they de�cide to take af�ter her to get at me? Not to men�tion the Bitch Pa�trol, who de�vel�oped a sud�den in�ter�est in her ac�tiv�ities a few years ago, and who don�t like me much.�

�They guar�an�teed to leave her alone. And they�ve done so.�

I nod�ded. �So far.�

She scowled. �If they don�t��

�What will you do? Bring the House of the Drag�on against them? Or the Em�pire?�

�I�ll bring me against them.�

I nod�ded. �And the Jhereg quakes in fear.�

�You, least of all, should mock me.�

I clenched my teeth and nod�ded again. �I�ll go see her,� I said.

That marked the end of the in�ter�view. I gave her a bow that I tried to make de�void of irony and start�ed to leave the way I came, on�ly she stopped me.

�Use the oth�er door. You can get in�to the Palace that way; the way you�re go�ing leads out�side.�

�Thanks,� I said. �Nice to know you haven�t for�got�ten some things.�

�There are things you don�t for�get,� said Her High�ness.

I went out the way she in�di�cat�ed, got lost in the Drag�on Wing, got lost in the Palace, and even�tu�al�ly made my way on�to the streets of the City, where I hailed the fourth closed foot�cab to come by, and gave di�rec�tions to the Punc�tured Jug in the Sum�mer�gate sec�tion of Adri�lankha. Loiosh and Rocza flew above the cab, watch�ing and com�plain�ing.

This was a place I�d been to a few times. I�d heard a few dif�fer�ent sto�ries about who ac�tu�al�ly owned it. It was var�ious�ly put as (1) be�long�ing to ev�ery�one on the Coun�cil, op�er�at�ing through shells; (2) be�long�ing to a guy with no ties to the Or�ga�ni�za�tion, but lots of pull at Court; or (3) owned joint�ly by the Coun�cil, so there�d al�ways be a safe meet�ing place. Whichev�er; it was one of a dozen or so places in the City where you could eat with�out wor�ry�ing about un�pleas�ant�ness, no mat�ter who was af�ter you.

Of course, walk�ing out the door af�ter�ward was your prob�lem.

There�s an L-​shaped bar run�ning the length of the wall to the right and con�tin�uing to the far wall. The rest of the room is filled with chairs and a score of ta�bles al�most big enough for two peo�ple, all of which have four chairs in front of them; you usu�al�ly end up hold�ing your plate on your lap and keep�ing just your drink on the ta�ble. A row of small win�dows high on the wall lets in a to�ken amount of light. The rest is pro�vid�ed by two mas�sive can�de�labra be�hind the bar, and I imag�ine those who work there ac�quire a good num�ber of head-​bumps as well as a few odd burns un�til they get to know the place.

It was the mid�dle of the day and not very crowd�ed; about a third of the ta�bles were oc�cu�pied, most�ly with the Chreotha and Jhe�gaala trades�men that you�d think com�prised most of the pop�ula�tion of the City if your eyes pass over the in�nu�mer�able Teck�la. A hood�ed wom�an in dark cloth�ing, with noth�ing to in�di�cate her House, sat alone at a ta�ble near the door. I sat down op�po�site her; Rocza turned around on my shoul�der to watch the door.

�Hel�lo, Kiera. I hope you weren�t wait�ing long.�

She raised her head and her lips quirked. �What are you drink�ing?�

�Here? Some�thing white and in�of�fen�sive. I don�t trust them.�

�You�re a snob.�

�Yes. But I�ll pay; this is my meet�ing. Are we eat�ing?�

�Noth�ing for me.�

That was a shame. This was one of the few Dra�gaer�an places that had good food�a spe�cial�ty called �cure� which in�volved meat cov�ered in a spicy-​sweet sauce. Oth�er places made it, but here they�d been us�ing the same oven for more than eight hun�dred years; it�s hard to com�pete with some�thing like that. But it was my meet�ing, and she wasn�t eat�ing, so nei�ther would I. La�dy Tel�dra would have ap�proved.

Kiera got the at�ten�tion of a mid�dle-​aged Teck�la with ex�traor�di�nar�ily thick eye�brows and a slack mouth, who tight�ened up his mouth long enough to nod at the or�der. A guy with al�most no chin and wear�ing Jhereg col�ors came in and took a seat where he could os�ten�ta�tious�ly watch me. I ig�nored him; Kiera kept an eye on him with�out dis�cernible ex�pres�sion. �Is he the on�ly Jhereg in the place, Loiosh?�

�At the mo�ment. Give it two min�utes. They�ll be com�ing in the win�dows.�

�I don�t doubt it a bit.�

The wine ar�rived; it was as in�of�fen�sive as the Teck�la who de�liv�ered it.

Kiera nod�ded her thanks. �It�s been years,� she lied. �I trust I find you well?�

�My ass is small�er and my feet are flat�ter, but I�m all right oth�er than that.�

�And your purse? Is that flat�ter and small�er as well?�

�No, it�s all right. I still have most of what I got for Laris.�

She looked mild�ly star�tled. In this light, her eyes seemed al�most gray, and her com�plex�ion near�ly as dark as mine. She al�ways seemed a lit�tle small�er than she was. �When I heard you want�ed to meet me, I as�sumed you want�ed some�thing stolen. Is it in�for�ma�tion, then?�

�No, you were right. Well, both, re�al�ly. I want some�thing stolen. But not for rec�om�pense.�

�Ah. Of course.� She looked in�ter�est�ed. �Tell me more.�

�How long has it been since you broke in�to the Im�pe�ri�al Palace?�

�Oh,� she said. She fell silent, her eyes lid�ded. Then, �Are you sure you want a thief, and not a spy?�

�I want a spy,� I said. �But I don�t know any I can use right now.�

�They�re dif�fer�ent skills, you know.�

�I know.�

She nod�ded. �Go on, then.�

�There must be won�der�ful amounts of pa�per�work as�so�ci�at�ed with Aliera�s pros�ecu�tion.�

�Box�es, I�m sure. Steal�ing them will be less of a prob�lem than trans�port�ing them. Not to men�tion that some�one will no�tice they�re miss�ing.�

�I don�t need all of them. Just one.�

�Which?�

�That�s the kick�er. I don�t know.�

She gave me the eye�brow and wait�ed for me to con�tin�ue.

�Some�where,� I said, �among the ear�li�est pa�pers as�so�ci�at�ed with the case�maybe the very ear�li�est�I�m hop�ing there will be some�thing that will tell us how it start�ed. I want to know who thought of ar�rest�ing Aliera, or how the idea came up, or how hard it was to talk the Em�press in�to it, and who ob�ject�ed and why, and��

�Why should such a thing ex�ist?�

�Be�cause�okay, look: I won�t claim to know the Em�press. We aren�t bud�dies. But I�ve met her, talked to her, and been there when Aliera and Mor�rolan and Sethra talked about her.�

She nod�ded. �Go on.�

�It wouldn�t have crossed her mind to solve her prob�lem by or�der�ing the ar�rest of a friend. I don�t think it would have crossed her mind to solve her prob�lem by or�der�ing an ar�rest.�

Kiera chewed her lip, then nod�ded. �I can see that. All right.�

�So some�one else came up with the idea. I want to know who it was.�

�You think that will be in one of the pa�pers in her case files?�

�I�m hop�ing to find some�thing to point me in the right di�rec�tion. I�m not ex�pect�ing a com�plete an�swer, just a hint about where to look.�

�You do want a spy.�

�Yes. Know any?�

�A few. But this sounds like a chal�lenge. I�d like to try it.�

�Good! How much?�

�Two thou�sand. What, too much?�

�No, no. Just star�tled me. But for what I�m ask�ing, pret�ty rea�son�able.� I pulled out bank draft and a pen�cil, wrote a lit�tle, and hand�ed it to her.

�I sup�pose you�re in a hur�ry?�

�Hard to say. Aliera�s in prison, so maybe she is.�

She nod�ded. �I�ll see what I can do. I�m look�ing for�ward to this.� She grinned the unique Kiera grin that brought back some mem�ories and drove out cer�tain oth�ers.

We drank our wine qui�et�ly; there was a low hum of con�ver�sa�tion around us. The door opened again be�hind me, and an in�of�fen�sive-​look�ing fel�low in Jhereg col�ors came in and took a ta�ble against the far wall. He leaned against the wall, stretched out his legs, and looked at me.

�Think the Jhereg knows I�m here?�

�Pos�si�bly,� she said. �Do you have a plan for get�ting out?�

�Not a plan as such. I mean, I can run a lot faster than you�d think.�

�Some�how, I don�t think you�d have come here if that was the best you had.�

I shrugged. �I can al�ways tele�port to Cas�tle Black. It isn�t of�fi�cial�ly safe, but the Jhereg isn�t go�ing to mess with a Drag�on.�

She nod�ded. �But they�ll know where you are, and they�ll be watch�ing for when you leave.�

�Yeah. I�ve got�ten kind of used to that, though.�

�If you�d pre�fer, I have an�oth�er idea.�

�Let�s hear it.�

She told me. I laughed. Loiosh laughed.

I re�moved La�dy Tel�dra�s sheath from my belt and slipped it in�to my cloak. �Do it,� I said.

She was qui�et for a mo�ment while she psy�chi�cal�ly spoke with a mu�tu�al friend, or maybe ac�quain�tance. At one point she looked at me and said, �Where do you want to end up?�

I con�sid�ered a few things, then told her. She nod�ded and again got that blank look. Even�tu�al�ly she fo�cused on me and said, �It�s all set.� Then we drank wine and got a bit caught up on lit�tle things that couldn�t mat�ter to any�one else.

Present�ly, the door opened be�hind me. Kiera fo�cused over my shoul�der and I turned my head. They were both wom�en, near�ly iden�ti�cal in ap�pear�ance, both wear�ing the black and sil�ver of the House of the Drag�on and the gold uni�form half-​cloak of the Phoenix Guards.

They took two steps for�ward un�til they were di�rect�ly be�hind me, and one of them said, �Count Vladimir Tal�tos of Szurke? Please sur�ren�der your weapon and come with us.�

I could feel ev�ery�one in the restau�rant star�ing at us. I didn�t look, but I could imag�ine the care�ful�ly ex�pres�sion�less faces of the two Jhereg. I gave the guards a big smile.

�Of course,� I said. I re�moved my sword belt and passed it back to them, then stood up slow�ly, my hands well clear of my body.

�It was a plea�sure, Kiera. Un�til next time.�

�Be well, Vlad.�

I turned and gave my cap�tors a nod. �I�m at your ser�vice.�

They es�cort�ed me out, one on ei�ther side, and di�rect�ly in�to a prison coach. The driv�er and an�oth�er guard were al�ready in po�si�tion. Loiosh and Rocza launched them�selves from my shoul�ders, which the guards pre�tend�ed not to no�tice; I guess they�d been in�formed that some�thing like that might hap�pen. I didn�t spot any as�sas�sins, but I wasn�t look�ing that hard, ei�ther. The guards climbed in, one next to me, the oth�er op�po�site. The door closed, and the lock snicked, and there was the shift�ing of the coach as the side�man took his po�si�tion next to the driv�er. Then the coach start�ed mov�ing and the Drag�onlord op�po�site me hand�ed me my weapon back.

�I trust that went as re�quest�ed?�

�Yes,� I said. �My thanks.�

She shrugged. �Or�ders are or�ders. I don�t need to un�der�stand them.�

That was my in�vi�ta�tion to ex�plain what this was all about; I de�clined.

We rat�tled off. I couldn�t see where we were, but Loiosh kept me in�formed. Not speak�ing with my �cap�tors� be�came un�com�fort�able, so I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. That last�ed un�til the first jolt cracked the back of my head against the hard wood of the coach. Af�ter that I stared straight ahead, and just wait�ed.

I didn�t need Loiosh to tell me when we ar�rived at In�no�cent�s Gate, as we call it in the Jhereg�the sud�den dip in�to the low�er floors where they bring pris�on�ers. We stopped, and there were a few words ex�changed in low tones, and then we start�ed for�ward again�some�thing I�d nev�er done.

�Go�ing through a tun�nel, Boss. Okay, now we�re in a kind of court�yard. They sure have a lot of those coach�es for pris�on�ers. Sta�bles, too.�

�Yeah, I can smell them.�

�Out of the tun�nel, and, okay, you�re head�ing away from the Palace.�

�In the right di�rec�tion, as agreed?�

�Yes.�

�Good, then.�

Or maybe not. I had mixed feel�ings about the whole thing.

The two guards�men in the car�riage with me seemed a lot more com�fort�able not talk�ing than I was. We clanked through the streets; it�s al�ways strange to ride in one of those, be�cause you know ev�ery�one is star�ing at you, but you al�so know they can�t see in�side the coach.

Even�tu�al�ly we reached our des�ti�na�tion. One of them tapped the ceil�ing�two, then one. The re�ply came back, three slow taps. The coach bounced more, there was a clank�ing, and the door opened, let�ting light in and me out. My legs were stiff.

I looked around and felt a mo�ment of pan�ic; I didn�t rec�og�nize the place. It was a lit�tle cot�tage in a neigh�bor�hood full of two-​sto�ry room�ing hous�es. I no�ticed a small ni�ball rac�quet, in front of it, on the nar�row walk�way be�tween the street and the front door.

The car�riage pulled away. Loiosh�s feet tight�ened briefly on my shoul�der.

I took three steps for�ward, start�ed to clap, and no�ticed a rope hang�ing from the eaves. I pulled it and heard the faint clack�ety-​clunk from with�in. I was feel�ing some�thing sim�ilar, but nev�er mind. The door opened.

�I�ve been ex�pect�ing you, Vladimir,� said Cawti. �Please come in.�

Iorich

7

Q: State your name, your House, and your city of res�idence.

A: Bryn, of Lock�head, Your Wor�ship.

Q: House?

A: I�m not cer�tain, Your Wor�ship.

Q: Not .�.�. You may ad�dress me as my lord. How is it you don�t know your House?

A: I was born in�to the House of the Teck�la, my lord, but I en�list�ed in the army, and�

Q: You are still of the Teck�la, son.

A: Thank you, my lord. Teck�la.

Q: How did you come to en�list?

A: For the hon�or of the Em�pire, my lord, and to serve Her Majesty.

Q: That�s very good, son. Why else?

A: My lord?

Q: Who con�vinced you to join the army?

A: The re�cruiter, my lord. He of�fered three im�pe�ri�als to any�one who�d en�list.

Q: That�s a lot of gold, isn�t it, son?

A: I�d nev�er seen, that is, yes my lord.

Q: What would you do for that much gold?

A: My lord? I don�t un�der�stand.

Q: You�ve ex�plained that this is a lot of gold to you.

A: Oh, yes!

Q: It would seem that for mon�ey like that, you would have been will�ing to do things you oth�er�wise wouldn�t.

A: All I had to do was fol�low�

Q: Nev�er�the�less, Bryn, isn�t it true that there are things you would have been will�ing to do for three im�pe�ri�als that might have seemed wrong be�fore you took such pay�ment?

A: I guess.

Q: Can you de�scribe what hap�pened on the first Mar�ket�day of Ly�orn of this year?

A: Yes, my lord. Dep�pi said we�d got�ten or�ders to�

Q: Just an�swer the ques�tion, son. De�scribe what hap�pened.

A: We were go�ing through a sort of ham�let about a mile west of Seer�point, when�

Q: What do you mean when you say �a sort of ham�let�?

A: About four or five cot�tages and a post sta�ble, my lord.

Q: Was it four or five cot�tages, Bryn?

A: (Hes�ita�tion) Five, I think.

Q: Very well. Ob�serve that it is im�por�tant we be ex�act in all de�tails. The Em�pire in�sists on no less.

A: Yes, my lord.

Q: Con�tin�ue, then. Did this ham�let have a name?

A: Tir�ma, my lord. It was called Tir�ma.

Q: Very well. And what hap�pened there?

A: The Stuffies were�

Q: Stuffies?

A: Your par�don, my lord. The, ah, the en�emy.

Q: Go on.

A: They were hid�den be�hind a stone wall on one side, and a row of jack�lenut bush�es on the oth�er.

Q: And what hap�pened?

A: It was a �stoun, my lord. There must have been�

Q: Par�don me, son. A � �stoun�?

A: Um, a sur�prise? An am�bus�cade?

Q: I see. Go on.

A: They killed Jaf. He was on point, and at least three of them jumped him. They cut him to pieces, you know? Just hacked away, even af�ter he was dead. We couldn�t get to him.

Q: That must have made you an�gry.

A: Yes, my lord.

Q: Very an�gry.

A: Yes, my lord.

Q: So, what hap�pened then?

Her eyes were just the same, though maybe they looked a lit�tle big�ger than I re�mem�bered them. I stood look�ing at her.

�Nice place,� I man�aged.

A quick smile. �You haven�t even seen it yet.�

�From the out�side.�

She stood aside and I walked in.

�It�s nice in here. I like the hearth be�ing near the kitchen, so you can use it for cook�ing.�

�Not much of a kitchen, re�al�ly.�

�You have wa�ter.�

�When the pump works. When it doesn�t, there�s a well in back.�

�You share a room with, with the boy?�

�Yes. One oth�er room.�

�I re�mem�ber that chair.�

�Sit in it. I�ll get you some�thing.�

I didn�t re�al�ly want to sit in it, but I did. It seemed to re�mem�ber me. Rocza flew over and land�ed on Cawti�s shoul�der, rubbed against her cheek. I felt the most bizarre flash of jeal�ousy I can re�call, then chuck�led at my�self. Here and there, on coun�ters and man�tel�pieces, were things I re�mem�bered: the small white vase, the lant, the win�neasaurus book�ends. Oth�er things I didn�t rec�og�nize: a jar of a such a pure vi�olet col�or that it was al�most painful, a frame drum with at�tached beat�er, the books be�tween the book�ends.

She found a bot�tle and opened it. She was much bet�ter with the tongs and feath�er than she had been be�fore; I�d al�ways opened the bot�tles.

She poured a cou�ple of glass�es and brought them back, sat down op�po�site me. By turn�ing my head, I could see out�side, where there was a lit�tle gar�den; I couldn�t tell what was grow�ing, but I guessed a mix of bright-​bloom�ing flow�ers and veg�eta�bles.

I raised my glass to her. �You�ve be�come very do�mes�tic.�

She nod�ded. �Ne�ces�si�ty.�

�Yeah, that�ll do it.�

Rocza re�mained on her shoul�der, nuz�zling and get�ting reac�quaint�ed.

I said, �Where is Vlad No�rathar?�

�Out play�ing; I ex�pect him back soon.�

I nod�ded. �He has friends?�

�A few. And the lit�tle girl, De�vera, comes by from time to time.�

�Good,� I said.

I want�ed to ask if she missed me, on�ly I didn�t want to ask. I said, �Do you see much of No�rathar these days?�

�Yes,� she said. �She�s pret�ty much the boy�s oth�er par�ent.�

I nod�ded. �How�s that work�ing out?�

�Well. We haven�t got�ten to the po�lit�ical con�flicts yet.� She smiled a lit�tle. I tried to smile back, but I think it came out more of a gri�mace.

�This busi�ness with Aliera,� I said. �It must be hard on her.�

�I sup�pose.�

�I mean No�rathar.�

�Oh. Yes, it is.�

�How is it she was picked to be War�lord?�

�I don�t know; it isn�t some�thing I�m com�fort�able talk�ing about with her.�

�I guess.�

�And if it were, I don�t think she�d want me talk�ing about it with you.�

I nod�ded and drank some wine.

I said, �I trust ev�ery�thing is set�tled in South Adri�lankha.�

�I�m not in�volved, if that�s what you mean. Things are as they were, there. No bet�ter.�

�Are you still giv�ing read�ing lessons?�

�Twice a week, un�til late�ly.�

I nod�ded.

Var�ious ques�tions formed in my mind: �Do you miss me at all?� �Is it hard to raise him with�out me here?� �Does he ev�er ask about me, and if he does, what do you tell him?� I didn�t give them voice.

�Do you like the wine?� she asked.

�You know I do.�

�Just try�ing to make con�ver�sa�tion.�

�And avoid talk�ing.�

�Yes,� she said. �That too.�

I let out a breath. �Sor�ry. I didn�t in�tend to be dif�fi�cult. I just want�ed to see you. And the boy.�

She nod�ded. �And see if you could find out any�thing that might help your cur�rent project.�

I nod�ded. There was some�thing about how she said �project� that I could have ex�plored if I�d felt like it, but I didn�t.

She said, �If there was some�thing I could tell you that would help, I would.�

�I know.�

Cawti said, �What has hap�pened since you were here last?�

I laughed. �Could you an�swer that ques�tion?�

�Prob�ably not,� she said, gift�ing me with a small smile. �Any lovers?�

�One,� I said. �A Dra�gaer�an, odd�ly enough.�

�In�ter�est�ing. I�m sur�prised. How did that work out?�

�That�s hard to an�swer. I guess it still hasn�t, quite. You?�

�Lovers? A cou�ple, but not re�al�ly lovers as you and I un�der�stand the word.�

I nod�ded. �Al�so, I had a few things out with the De�mon God�dess.�

�Oh, re�al�ly? Set�tled to your sat�is�fac�tion?�

�No, but I learned yet more things to make me un�com�fort�able. On ac�count of I didn�t have enough un�com�fort�able in�for�ma�tion, I sup�pose.�

�I see. Do I want de�tails?�

That was a hard ques�tion. �No,� I fi�nal�ly said.

�I�ll trust your judg�ment.� She hes�itat�ed. �Can you beat them?�

�The Jhereg? No. Not in the long run. They�re go�ing to get me even�tu�al�ly. You know how it works, Cawti.�

�I do. I wasn�t sure you were will�ing to face it.�

�They�d have got�ten me al�ready if I weren�t.�

She hes�itat�ed again. �I sup�pose you�ve thought about the way to make sure they can�t use a Mor�gan�ti weapon on you.�

I nod�ded. �Sui�cide? Of course. I can�t do that. It isn�t in me.�

�So, what do you do in�stead?�

�You pack as much liv�ing as you can in be�tween de�lay�ing the in�evitable.�

�I guess that�s all you can do.�

�Un�less, of course, I can fix it.�

Her eyes flashed. �How?�

�I�m not sure, yet. I have some ideas.�

�Any�thing you can tell me about?�

�Not yet.�

�I�ll be in�ter�est�ed, when you can.�

�Yeah, me too.�

At which point, Vlad No�rathar came burst�ing in the door, ob�vi�ous�ly about to say some�thing im�por�tant, then looked at me, stopped, and stood mo�tion�less. I don�t know what I ex�pect�ed; I know that a child changes from four years old to eight; but he had so lit�tle in com�mon with my mem�ory that it was startling. His face had thinned, his eyes weren�t so amaz�ing�ly large, though they were still bright. His hair, though not black, had be�come a much dark�er brown, and was long and curled just a lit�tle. And he�d be�come lanky where he had been chub�by.

I stood up. �Well met, Vlad No�rathar,� I told him.

Cawti said, �Shut the door, Vlad. Do you re�mem�ber your fa�ther? If not, do you re�mem�ber your man�ners? Ei�ther will do, for now.�

The boy shut his mouth, looked at me, then at Loiosh and Rocza, and said, �I re�mem�ber. Well met, sir. I�ve been study�ing the Art, as you sug�gest�ed.�

I re�mem�bered mak�ing no such sug�ges�tion, but I said, �I�m grat�ified to hear it.� I turned to Cawti. �Is he do�ing well?�

�Yes, very well, when he choos�es to ap�ply him�self.�

He came more ful�ly in�to the house. �I�m pleased they haven�t killed you yet.�

�Thank you, so am I, and you have a good a mem�ory.�

�You make an im�pres�sion,� said Cawti, with an ex�pres�sion that was a hard to de�ci�pher. Then she ad�dressed Vlad No�rathar and said, �You should get cleaned up.�

He nod�ded, and sketched me a bow, and went through to the oth�er room.

�He�s quite the boy,� I said.

She smiled. �Yes, he is.�

�He should meet his great-​grand�fa�ther.�

�I�m plan�ning a trip this sum�mer.�

�Good.�

�Any chance you can be there, meet us?�

�Maybe. If it seems safe.�

She nod�ded.

Vlad No�rathar came out again. He didn�t look any ti�di�er, but his moth�er gave a nod of ap�proval. He walked over and stood in front of me. �Sir,� he said. �May I touch the Jhereg?�

�Loiosh?�

�What, I have a choice?�

�This time.�

�Sure, all right.�

�Go ahead,� I said. Loiosh bent his neck down and suf�fered his head to be scratched.

�He�s so cold,� said the boy.

�In ev�ery way,� I agreed.

�Heh.�

He looked mo�men�tar�ily puz�zled, then he said, �I re�mem�ber you.�

�Good,� I said. �I�d hate for you to for�get.�

�I won�t,� he said, look�ing very se�ri�ous.

Cawti cleared her throat. �Vladimir, would you care to sup with us?�

�An�oth�er time, if I can,� I said. �There are things I need to do.� I stood up and solemn�ly bowed to my son. �Un�til I see you next, be well.�

�And you, sir.�

�It was good see�ing you again, Vladimir,� said Cawti.

�You too.�

�I miss you.�

I think I must have said some�thing there, and then I was walk�ing away from the house. I heard the door close. �Thud,� it said.

�No one. You�d think they�d have this place watched all the time.�

�Who? What?�

�The Jhereg, Boss. You know, the ones try�ing to kill you?�

�Oh, right. Them.�

�You okay, Boss?�

�Com�pared to what? Com�pared to how I�d be if there�d been as�sas�sins wait�ing out�side her house, I�m do�ing fine.�

�Boss, why wasn�t her house be�ing watched?�

�Eco�nomics. If they�re go�ing to watch here, there are at least ten oth�er places to watch. That�s more than thir�ty peo�ple they have to pay to stand around and not earn, on the chance that I�ll show up. They want me bad, but I don�t think they want me that bad.�

�What if you�re wrong?�

�Then they were here and I didn�t see them. Or they weren�t here for some oth�er rea�son. What�s the point in what-​ifs, Loiosh?�

�To get an�swers.�

�How?�

�Gee, Boss. Do you know any�one in the Jhereg who might be will�ing to talk to you?�

�Kra�gar.�

�Kra�gar.�

�So, how do we get there with�out telling the whole Jhereg where we are? Any sug�ges�tions for that, O wise one?�

He made a cou�ple of sar�cas�tic ones. I trust�ed him and Rocza to keep a care�ful watch for me; I let my mind wan�der to see if it hap�pened to stum�ble over a clue or some�thing. I was mak�ing my way to�ward the Stone Bridge when Loiosh said, �Let�s steer clear of Five Mar�kets, Boss. It�s too easy to miss some�thing.� It was a good plan, and I was hap�py to go along with it. My mind, in�stead of look�ing for clues, sent me down the best al�ter�nate route, which was along the Flint�way. Far�ther down, past where I was go�ing, the Flint�way would run in�to Malak Cir�cle, and from there it was just a step to my old area.

So I con�tin�ued un�til I reached the long, wind�ing Flint�way, which me�an�dered from the Chain Bridge to what had once been the Flint�wood Es�tates, far out of town. It was an un�com�fort�ably nar�row street, with room�ing hous�es of three and four sto�ries loom�ing over you and chan�nels cut in�to odd places for drainage. It changed its name three or four times dur�ing the walk, but to lo�cals it was al�ways the Flint�way. I walked past a wood�work�er�s shop. The door to the shop was flanked by the doors to two room�ing hous�es. In one of them, there had once lived the mis�tress of a s�yang-​stone banker who had thought he could make some ex�tra cash by feed�ing in�for�ma�tion to his boss�s com�peti�tor. I�d got�ten him as he emerged from vis�it�ing his mis�tress. Yep, that same odd mark in the grain of the door, like some�one had par�tial�ly squashed a pear.

A lit�tle far�ther down it joined Malak Cir�cle. From there I cut left; my feet knew the way. I felt an odd lit�tle jolt as I reached my des�ti�na�tion. I stepped in�side, ex�changed nods with the guy keep�ing the peace for the play�ers, and ges�tured up�stairs. He gave me an odd look as he nod�ded, like he might sus�pect who I was but wasn�t sure. I made my way up the nar�row stairs.

I didn�t rec�og�nize the sec�re�tary; he seemed rather small, friend�ly, in�gen�uous, and was prob�ably very dan�ger�ous. He asked if he might be of some ser�vice to me.

�Is Kra�gar around? That is, as�sum�ing you�d no�tice.�

He smiled as if it were a shared joke, just be�tween us. �I�m afraid he�s stepped out. If you�d care to wait?� He ges�tured to a chair.

�Sure,� I said.

I sat down and stretched out, mem�ories of this old place flood�ing back. Fun�ny, I�d nev�er no�ticed the smell be�fore: a mix from the herbal�ist shop across the street, the bak�er down the way, and the musky smell of an�cient fur�ni�ture. Kra�gar should get around to get�ting new fur�ni�ture one of these days. It was com�fort�able, though.

�What�s your name?� I asked.

He looked up, and smiled. �Yenth,� he said, or some�thing like that.

�A plea�sure,� I told him. �I�m Vlad.�

�Yes, I know,� he said pleas�ant�ly. �The jhereg on your shoul�ders were kind of a clue.�

�You could make a lot of mon�ey by let�ting cer�tain per�sons know I�m here.�

He nod�ded, still look�ing friend�ly. �I know that, too. But the boss might not be so hap�py with me.�

�He might not,� I agreed.

It was very strange hear�ing Kra�gar re�ferred to as �the boss.�

�Is it all right if I wait in his of�fice?�

He frowned. �Mind if I ask why?�

I gave him an hon�est an�swer.

�Ah,� he said, laugh�ing. �I can see that. Will you make it good for me with the boss, if need�ed?�

�Yeah, I think I can do that. Want some mon�ey to make it of�fi�cial that you were bribed?�

He chuck�led. �No, thanks. That might lead to ques�tions I wouldn�t care to an�swer.�

�Fair enough,� I said, and moved in�to what once had been my of�fice, with my desk, a new chair where mine had once been, and the same ug�ly view from my win�dow. Some�times I�d had that win�dow board�ed up, oth�er times I kept it open so Loiosh could use it. I took an�oth�er chair and shoved it in�to a cor�ner next to the coat rack and wait�ed, think�ing in�vis�ible thoughts.

The door opened, he came in and sat be�hind the desk, opened a draw�er, and pulled out a ledger. �Hey there,� I said, and I swear he al�most screamed.

He set�tled down and stared at me. �Vlad!�

�Hey, Kra�gar. You know, I�ve been want�ing to do that to you for more years than I can re�mem�ber. If the Jhereg gets me now, my last thought will be of the plea�sure I�ve just had.� I smiled.

�I think I�ll kill you be�fore the Jhereg gets to it. How did you get past Yenth?�

�I bribed him.�

�How much did it take?�

�No cash, he just want�ed in on the vi�car�ious plea�sure of see�ing you jump.�

�I�ll kill you both.�

�Don�t blame you.�

�But first I�m go�ing let my heart rate slow down to some�thing be�low the im�mi�nent death lev�el.�

�When that hap�pens, you can maybe tell me a few things.�

�Maybe. I�ll think about it. What do you want to know?�

�What�s up with Aliera?�

�She�s been ar�rest�ed.�

�I know that. Why?�

�Prac�tic�ing pre-​Em�pire sor�cery.�

�I know that,� I said. �Why?�

�Be�cause the Em�press needs to dis�tract at�ten�tion from the mess in Tir�ma.�

�And there was no oth�er way to do that than ar�rest a friend of hers?�

�How should I know? The Em�press hasn�t been tak�ing me in�to her con�fi�dence late�ly.�

�How about the Jhereg?�

�Hm�mm?�

�Do you know how they plan to get me?�

�You don�t know?�

�Well, I�ve had the thought that this whole thing with Aliera was con�coct�ed just to get me back here, but that seems a bit para�noid even for me.�

�Yeah, that may be go�ing over the edge.�

�For one thing, how do they get the Em�press to co�op�er�ate?�

�Right.�

�Un�less��

�Hm�mm?�

�Kra�gar, have you heard any whis�pers or ru�mors of some�thing big be�ing up with the Jhereg in com�bi�na�tion with an�oth�er House, or more than one?�

He looked at me. I said, �That look tells me that the an�swer is yes.�

�How did you�?�

�What is it?�

�I asked first. How did you know?�

�I didn�t know. In fact, I as�sumed I was wrong. But if this is all a means of get�ting me back here, then the key el�ement is to con�vince the Em�press to do what they want.�

�Okay, I can see that.�

�The Jhereg is at the bot�tom of the Cy�cle. They aren�t in any po�si�tion to in�flu�ence the Im�peri�um, un�less��

��they work with an�oth�er House, maybe even two or three.�

�Right. Which means they have to have some�thing to of�fer, which means��

�Some�thing big. Got it. I keep for�get�ting how de�vi�ous you are.�

�Me? I�m not the one who came up with it, what�ev�er it is. Which re�minds me, what is it?�

�Now that I can an�swer,� said Kra�gar, �I have no idea.�

Iorich

8

Yes, cer�tain�ly I�m will�ing to co�op�er�ate with your com�mit�tee, but I have no idea what you imag�ine I can tell you. As you know, I had no po�si�tion in the Im�pe�ri�al army at the time of in�ci�dent, and no knowl�edge of it be�yond ru�mor and what I was told by friends, none of whom were di�rect�ly in�volved ei�ther. If your ques�tion con�cerns mil�itary mat�ters in gen�er�al, cer�tain�ly I will give you my opin�ions, but it would seem there are oth�ers more qual�ified. In gen�er�al, such �tes�ti�mo�ny� as you want from me I can give right now: If you put sol�diers in a po�si�tion where the en�emy is the pop�ulace, you must ex�pect them to treat the pop�ulace as the en�emy. This does not re�quire knowl�edge of the high�er reach�es of the sor�cer�ous arts to devine.

Nev�er�the�less, as I said, I am will�ing to speak to your com�mit�tee at any time that my du�ties do not re�quire my pres�ence else�where. A mes�sage sent to me through the House of the Drag�on will reach me quick�ly, and a mes�sage sent to the Of�fice of the War�lord, Drag�on Wing, Im�pe�ri�al Palace, will reach me in�stant�ly.

�No�rathar (au�then�ti�cat�ed)

�What did you hear, and where did you hear it?�

�I didn�t ex�act�ly hear any�thing, but there have been a few Or�ca��

�Or�ca!�

��who have been ex�cep�tion�al�ly po�lite of late.�

�Um.�

�It bugged me enough that I set some�one to find out what was up, and all I learned was that there are or�ders from some of their House not to of�fend us.� Giv�en how eas�ily the Or�ca of�fend ev�ery�one, and how ha�bit�ual it seems with them to do so, that cer�tain�ly was sig�nif�icant�of some�thing.

�Um,� I said again.

�Maybe you think that�s nor�mal��

�Heh. Yeah, okay. Some�thing is up.�

�I�m still not sure of your con�clu�sion, though.�

�You mean, that it�s all di�rect�ed at me?�

�Right. Some�thing that big��

�I know. I may be a part of it, or maybe they just took the op�por�tu�ni�ty. But I�m go�ing to fol�low up my guess that some�where be�tween the Jhereg and the Or�ca, and maybe an�oth�er House too, some�one is putting pres�sure on the Em�press.�

�If we could find out who, or how��

�Kiera is work�ing on that for me.�

An eye�brow went up, then he nod�ded. He kept look�ing at me.

I said, �What is it?�

�What�s what?�

�That look you�re giv�ing me.�

�Oh, sor�ry.�

�Um. Well?�

He hes�itat�ed. �You�re old�er,� he fi�nal�ly said.

�Yeah, that hap�pens.�

�I know. Just, faster than I�d thought it would.�

�That�s two of us.�

�Sor�ry.�

�No prob�lem; I need�ed cheer�ing up any�way. Be�sides, I don�t think old age is what�s go�ing to get me.�

�It is if it slows you down.�

�You are just full of cheer, aren�t you?�

�Lord Cheer�ful, that�s what they call me.�

�All right, Lord Cheer�ful. I guess it wouldn�t hurt to find out who is try�ing to do what. I take it you�re on that?�

�I�m not hope�ful, Vlad. This ob�vi�ous�ly goes all the way up to the Jhereg Coun�cil. They aren�t easy to crack.�

�Go in through the Or�ca.�

He nod�ded. �All right. I�ll take a run at it. What are you go�ing to be do�ing?�

�I�m not ex�act�ly sure. Give me a few min�utes to think about it.�

�Take all the time you need.� He sat back in his chair. I had to ad�mit, he looked like he be�longed there.

�Su�per�cil�ious,� I said. �That�s the word I�m look�ing for.�

�Thanks,� he said. �I had a good teach�er.�

There was noth�ing to say to that, so I stared out what used to be my win�dow. Some�times I�d found the an�swer to a prob�lem on the wall of the build�ing across the way. It didn�t work this time; I guess I had to be sit�ting be�hind the desk.

�Hun�gry?� he said.

�Come to think of it, yeah.�

�Should I round up body�guards or should I send out for some�thing?�

�Send out. I don�t trust your sec�re�tary; I think he�d take a bribe.�

�What are you hun�gry for?�

�Pret�ty much any�thing.�

He yelled for Yenth and in�struct�ed him to have lunch brought in. �And get your�self some moldy cheese and vine�gar,� he added. Yenth left with a smirk he must have learned from Kra�gar.

�How are things here?�

�Not like I ex�pect�ed.�

�Oh?�

�You have to keep push�ing. If you aren�t push�ing, you�re be�ing pushed.�

�That�s true, I guess.�

�It gets, uh, tir�ing.�

�If you want a break, we can swap places.�

�If we swapped places, nei�ther of us would have a prob�lem: you�d en�joy push�ing, and the Jhereg would nev�er no�tice me.�

�Good point.�

Present�ly, Yenth came back and de�liv�ered a big box con�tain�ing pas�tries from a ven�dor I re�mem�bered with long�ing, as well as a bot�tle of wine, a se�lec�tion of fruit, and a buck�et of fla�vored ice from the lo�cal sor�cery shop. I hadn�t had the fla�vored ice in years�I smiled when I saw it and won�dered why I nev�er treat�ed my�self to stuff like that any�more. Yenth held up a steam�ing pas�try and said, �Moldy cheese and vine�gar. They made it spe�cial for me.�

�Get out of here,� said Kra�gar.

I bit in�to a pas�try and burned my mouth. Chick�en, maize, tu�bers, and a thick gravy that was sweet�er than I�d have made it but still good. Kra�gar ges�tured, and the wine tongs be�gan to glow red.

�You�ve been prac�tic�ing.�

�On�ly the easy stuff.� He opened the wine and poured us each a glass. It was very dark and strong�ly fla�vored. We ate in si�lence, each with our own thoughts. Loiosh shift�ed on my shoul�der; Rocza hissed soft�ly at him.

�What do you know about No�rathar�s ap�point�ment as War�lord?�

Kra�gar looked up. �Vlad, you think I pay at�ten�tion to Court pol�itics?�

�I think you pay at�ten�tion to ev�ery�thing.�

�What do you want to know?�

�I�m not sure. She was act�ing fun�ny.�

�You saw her?�

�Yes. I got the feel�ing there was some�thing odd about the ap�point�ment.�

�It isn�t the first time the Heir has been War�lord dur�ing a Phoenix Reign, but it hasn�t hap�pened much.�

�Yeah. Why not?�

�Two rea�sons: The sec�ond is con�ti�nu�ity�the more Court of�fi�cials who are con�tin�ued over be�tween reigns, the smoother the tran�si�tion is.�

�Right. Makes sense. And the first?�

He looked at me.

�Oh,� I said. �Yeah. Sort of beg�ging for a coup, isn�t it?�

He nod�ded. �What was fun�ny about how No�rathar was act�ing?�

�Eh. Like she want�ed to tell me things, but didn�t. Like she was on both sides at once.�

�Just what about that seems any�thing oth�er than pre�dictable?�

�I know, I know. But there was some�thing else to it.�

He shrugged. �Like, maybe she knew what was go�ing on, and want�ed to tell you, but had, oh, I don�t know, sworn an oath that pre�vent�ed it, or some�thing like that, maybe?�

I called him some�thing my grand�fa�ther wouldn�t have ap�proved of. �Want to spend some more time show�ing how smart you are?�

�Sure.�

�What is it she want�ed to tell me?�

He waved his hands over the desk, like a jon�gleur in the mar�ket about to make some�thing van�ish �with no trace of sor�cery what�so�ev�er!� He said, �Mm�mm .�.�. the spir�its are be�ing ob�sti�nate. I must ca�jole them. Have you some to�ken I may give to them so they��

I made a few sug�ges�tions about what sort of to�ken I had and what he and his spir�its could do with it.

He said, �It�s no se�cret that you�re try�ing to help Aliera. No�rathar has in�for�ma�tion that would be use�ful. She can�t give it to you. What�s the big mys�tery?�

�There are two: The first is, what does she know that she can�t tell me? The sec�ond is, how can I find it out? Got an an�swer for ei�ther of those, O Mys�tic One?�

�You could have Day�mar do a mind-​probe.� He smirked.

�The in�for�ma�tion wouldn�t do me much good if I were ground up in�to Vlad-​meal af�ter get�ting it.�

�Ev�ery�thing has to be per�fect for you.�

�I�m just that kind of guy.�

�So, what�s the next step?�

�I wait and see what Kiera can tell me. Af�ter that, I�ll see. Kill some�one, I sup�pose.�

�You�re so ro�man�tic. That�s why you get all the girls.�

�It�s such a tri�al fig�ur�ing out where to put them.� I stood up and start�ed pac�ing.

�It�s good to see you again,� said Kra�gar.

I stopped, looked at him, won�dered if he was be�ing sar�cas�tic, if I re�al�ly missed be�ing where he was, and if he�d yet got�ten a good enough of�fer to sell me out. �Thanks,� I said. �You too.�

�Your food�s get�ting cold.�

I got busy with the food again, feed�ing some to Loiosh and Rocza. When I get dis�tract�ed from eat�ing, it�s a pret�ty good sign that things have got�ten dif�fi�cult. When Loiosh and Roz�ca fail to re�mind me, it�s an even bet�ter sign.

I fin�ished the pas�try, drank some wine, and said, �I�ll tell you what I can�t fig�ure out: It�s too small.�

�Small?�

�For the Em�press. The way I�ve been read�ing it, the Em�press got in�to a mess be�cause some sol�diers no one knows any�thing about killed a few Teck�la no one cares any�thing about. So she ar�ranged this pros�ecu�tion of Aliera to dis�tract at�ten�tion, and Aliera is be�ing a good sol�dier and let�ting her�self be sac�ri�ficed.�

�Well, she was the War�lord when it hap�pened, so maybe she feels she de�serves it.�

�True, but be�side the point. I�m say�ing Zeri�ka wouldn�t do that just to save her�self from some un�pleas�ant�ness. Even from a lot of un�pleas�ant�ness.�

�I don�t know her.�

�I do, sort of.�

�Okay, Vlad. Say you�re right. What does it mean?�

�It means there is more at stake than what hap�pens to Zeri�ka. For her to do some�thing like that, she has to be pre�vent�ing some�thing much worse than any�thing that can hap�pen to her per�son�al�ly.�

�Like what?�

I spread my hands.

�Okay,� he said. �Well, you now know what you don�t know. See how much progress you�ve made?�

�Could you do some�thing for me?�

�If it in�volves a mind-​probe of the Em�press, no. Oth�er�wise, prob�ably.�

I reached over and found a blank piece of pa�per on his desk, right where I used to keep them. I wrote a name on it and passed it over to him. He looked at it and did a thing with his eye�brows. �Left Hand?�

�Yeah. I have an itch that tells me they�re in on this. I�d love to be wrong, but if I�m right, she�s prob�ably in it. Find out what you can about her.�

�I al�ready know more than I�d like to.�

�Start with that, then.�

�Madam Tri�esco is one of the high fig�ures in the Left Hand. She�s prob�ably rich�er than the Em�press. She an�swers to Cao�la, and I don�t think Cao�la would dirty her hands with this di�rect�ly. When some�one sells a trin�ket to in�flu�ence the roll of the stones, Tri�esco is get�ting some of it. If it doesn�t ac�tu�al�ly do any�thing, she�s get�ting more. Ev�ery ma�li�cious im�ita�tion spell in town, some of it goes to her. When�ev�er there�s an unau�tho�rized clair�voy�ance spell cast, she�s get�ting a piece. When��

�Hey. Are we safe?�

�Hm�mm?�

�Could some�one be watch�ing or lis�ten�ing to us? How good are your pro�tec�tions?�

�They�re the same ones you had, Vlad. Three tied to two, dou�ble-​filled and locked. Cast for twen�ty years, re�mem�ber? Checked four times a year.�

�All right. Any�way, yeah, I know she�s big.�

�What else do you want to.�.�. oh.�

I shook my head. �Don�t jump to con�clu�sions. I just need to know things. I�m not ready to start in�dis�crim�inate�ly putting shines right and left.�

�All right. But you�ll let me know be�fore you do, so I can be some�where else?�

�I�ll send a spe�cial couri�er.�

�Thanks.�

�You�ll check on her for me?�

�Just like the old days.�

�Ex�cept now you have peo�ple to do the leg�work for you.�

�Yeah, ex�cept for that, it�s just like the old days.�

�And you�re more sar�cas�tic than you used to be.�

�Right.�

�Which I didn�t think was pos�si�ble.�

�When you stop be�ing sur�prised, you�ve stopped liv�ing.�

�All right, all right. Can I get an es�cort back to the Im�pe�ri�al Palace?�

He called for Yenth, and said a cou�ple of names I didn�t rec�og�nize. I didn�t rec�og�nize their faces, ei�ther, when they showed up. Kra�gar gave them in�struc�tions that didn�t leave any room for doubt about the con�di�tion I was to ar�rive in, or what would hap�pen to them if I so much as stubbed my toe; they ap�peared to no�tice.

�Thanks, Kra�gar. I�ll be in touch.�

He gave me a salute, and my es�cort es�cort�ed me back down the stairs, out the door, and on�to the sweet-​sour smell of the part of the City I knew best. I�d have liked to have re�laxed more and en�joyed the walk, but I was too busy think�ing.

I made it back to the Palace, the Iorich Wing, and the over-​priced inn, giv�ing my es�corts a cou�ple of orbs to drink my con�tin�ued good health. The room was emp�ty, the bed was soft, I was tired.

I woke up with that ug�ly feel�ing you al�ways get when you sleep in your clothes�years on the run hadn�t in�ured me to it. I checked the Orb and found the time, tried to fig�ure how long I�d been asleep, and re�al�ized I had no idea what time it had been when I�d lain down. Was it light out? I couldn�t re�mem�ber. It was dis�ori�ent�ing and an�noy�ing.

�You�ve been out about six hours, Boss.�

�Okay. Was ev�ery�thing solved while I slept?�

�Al�most ev�ery�thing. Just a bit of cleanup left.�

�Good, then.�

I hauled my�self out and took my�self to the pub�lic baths near�est the Iorich Wing; over-​priced like the rest of the area, full of mar�ble and sor�cer�ous�ly cre�at�ed hot springs. I wrapped my things in my cloak, which I kept next to my hand, and had an at�ten�dant have ev�ery�thing else cleaned while I soaked for a long time. It helped.

I dried my�self off, picked up my cloak, slipped a hand on�to La�dy Tel�dra�s hilt, and went over to the at�ten�dant to pick up my clothes. I over-​tipped, be�cause I�m just that kind of guy. There was enough pri�va�cy near the priv�ies that I could re�place the sur�pris�es about my per�son�the few I still car�ried: dag�ger for each sleeve, throw�ing knife in a boot, gar�rote in the col�lar of the cloak, a cou�ple of darts in�side it, and so on. Then I strapped on my sword belt, with the rapi�er hang�ing from it in front of La�dy Tel�dra, and the cloak cov�er�ing the whole thing. There. Ready to face the world again. As�sas�sins? Bring �em on.

No, ac�tu�al�ly, don�t. Skip that. Just kid�ding.

�Break�fast?�

�I�m not hun�gry.�

�Liar.�

�Okay, break�fast.�

I ne�go�ti�at�ed my way back to the Palace, fig�ur�ing to grab some�thing there and hop�ing to run in�to Pon�cer again. The din�ing area was much bus�ier now, and those I�d no�ticed be�fore were gone. I found a ven�dor sell�ing fresh, hot pota�to bread with an or�ange-​fla�vored mus�tard, about which you shouldn�t laugh un�til you�ve tried it. Loiosh and Rocza had theirs with�out mus�tard; I ex�plained that the looks they kept get�ting were be�cause of that, but I don�t think they bought it. There was no sign of Pon�cer.

I re�turned to the House of the Iorich and made my way to the ad�vo�cate�s of�fice. His door was open and there were no am�bigu�ous notes on it, so I clapped and went in.

He glanced up from the tome he was read�ing, his fin�ger guid�ing him, and said, �Lord Tal�tos.�

�High Coun�sel.�

He ges�tured to a chair. �What have you found out?�

�That was go�ing to be my ques�tion,� I said.

He grunt�ed and wait�ed.

I sighed. �I�m not sure how much to tell you.�

He shrugged. �Don�t tell me any�thing you want kept se�cret. I�m not about to with�hold in�for�ma�tion I�m com�pelled to dis�close.�

�I was afraid you�d say some�thing like that.�

�You can keep it hy�po�thet�ical, if you want.�

�Hy�po�thet�ical�ly, what would hap�pen if you were ques�tioned about this con�ver�sa�tion?�

�Hy�po�thet�ical�ly, I�d give eva�sive an�swers.�

�And then?�

�Hy�po�thet�ical�ly, ei�ther or both of us could find our�selves at the long end of a short slide.�

�Right. What if there were no hy�po�thet�ical sit�ua�tions?�

�Eh?�

�Nev�er mind. I don�t think telling you my cur�rent the�ory is a good idea.�

�I can�t ar�gue, but it makes my work hard�er.�

�I know. What have you learned?�

�They�re skip�ping sev�er�al steps.�

�Like what?�

�Seals on de�po�si�tions, ver�ifi�ca�tion of psiprint maps, char�ac�ter vet�ting of wit�ness�es��

�So, that means they want to rush this through?�

�No, it isn�t that sim�ple.� He frowned. �I�ve been read�ing some his�to�ries of pros�ecu�tions with po�lit�ical mo�tives.�

�And?�

�They come in var�ious forms, but they usu�al�ly fall in�to two class�es: the ones they try to rush through, so it�s over be�fore there can be any out�cry, and those that make cer�tain all the for�mal�ities and niceties are ob�served, ah, scrupu�lous�ly, so it can stand up to any ex�am�in�ing among the no�bles who may ques�tion it.�

�And the pub�lic?�

�Hmm? Oh, you were jest�ing.�

�So, this is the for�mer?�

�Yes. And that�s what�s puz�zling me.�

�Go on.�

�There�s no point in rush�ing through it when ev�ery�thing is al�ready known, be�ing talked about in ev�ery the�ater, writ�ten about in stock sheets.�

�I see your point. So, why are they do�ing it?�

�Just what I was won�der�ing.�

�Any the�ories?�

He shook his head. �Could what you�re not telling me ac�count for it?�

�I don�t see how. But I don�t know enough to have an in�tel�li�gent opin�ion.�

�I do, but I don�t have the in�for�ma�tion you have.� He didn�t sound like he was mak�ing an ac�cu�sa�tion, just stat�ing facts.

�I don�t have in�for�ma�tion,� I told him. �Just the�ories.�

He grunt�ed. �Is there any�thing you can tell me?�

�I can ask you some�thing. What�s up with the new War�lord?�

�No�rathar? She�s al�so Drag�on Heir. Un�usu�al, though not un�heard-​of.�

�So I�m told. What does it mean?�

�You mean, aside from be�liev�ing her the best choice?�

�Was she? Why? Her ex�pe�ri�ence in the Jhereg?�

His eye�brows rose. �I heard some�thing about that. Is it true?�

I shrugged. �What makes her the best choice?�

He spread his hands. �I know noth�ing about what makes a good War�lord. I was just as�sum�ing the choice was based on mer�it.�

�Is that how things work in the Iorich?�

�Yes. Well, no. Not en�tire�ly.� He frowned. �It�s com�pli�cat�ed.�

�In�volv�ing pa�tron�age, fam�ily, wealth��

�Let�s stay with the prob�lem, shall we? If you�re right, and there is some�thing odd about No�rathar�s ap�point�ment as War-​lord, then that�s some�thing we should look in�to.�

�We?�

�You.�

�How would I go about do�ing that?�

�I�d start with speak�ing to No�rathar.�

�I did. Didn�t get much.�

He grunt�ed. �Do you have oth�er sources?�

�I used to. I�ve been on the run for a while.�

�Can you�?�

�Maybe.� I�d al�ready asked Kra�gar. I could al�so ask Mor�rolan, but I found the idea dis�taste�ful; there was still the mat�ter of La�dy Tel�dra be�tween us. I re�al�ized Perisil wasn�t talk�ing. I cleared my throat. �There are av�enues I can pur�sue,� I said.

He nod�ded. �Pur�sue them.�

�I will. What will you be do�ing?�

�Study�ing le�gal his�to�ry, and try�ing to pick up on gos�sip.�

�Gos�sip?�

�We talk to each oth�er, you know.�

�You mean, the Im�pe�ri�al le�gal staff will tell you��

�No, no. Noth�ing like that.� He shud�dered, as if the idea were ab�hor�rent at some deep lev�el. �No, but they�ll some�times make oblique re�marks to friends, and friends have friends, and I have friends who are friends of friends.�

�So, we�re talk�ing pre�cise in�for�ma�tion here.�

�No,� he said, ig�nor�ing my tone. �But pos�si�bly use�ful in�for�ma�tion.�

�All right.�

He frowned. �I�m not the en�emy.�

�I know that. If you were the en�emy I�d, ah, I�d not have come here.�

�I�m say�ing that if we�re go�ing to man�age an ac�quit�tal for Aliera, both of you are go�ing to have to trust me, at least a lit�tle.�

�But you just told me that I didn�t dare tell you any�thing I didn�t want the Em�pire know�ing about.�

He nod�ded. �That makes it hard, I know.�

�But you�re say�ing I should tell you any�way?�

He hes�itat�ed. �No. I wouldn�t care to take re�spon�si�bil�ity for that. When I said that if I were com�pelled, I�d re�veal any�thing you told me, I meant it.�

�Well then?�

He sighed and shook his head. �Just keep in mind what I said. This isn�t go�ing to be easy, and you�re both go�ing to have to trust me.�

�Okay,� I said. �I�ll keep it in mind.�

�Where are you go�ing to start?�

�Back in the Palace. Drag�on Wing�my fa�vorite place. Lis�ten to gos�sip, see if I hear any�thing that will help.�

He nod�ded. �Best of luck.�

I stood up. �Thanks.�

�I�ll be here.�

As I turned away, he was al�ready study�ing his book again.

Iorich

9

In this ap�pendix, we will be ad�dress�ing some of the tan�gen�tial ru�mors that have been spread among var�ious sec�tions of the Court and the no�bil�ity re�lat�ing to the in�ci�dent. In par�tic�ular, we will look at the�ories of in�flu�ence by out�side par�ties on the events, and on the ef�fect of nar�cotics, psychedelics, de�pres�sants, stim�ulants, and hal�lu�cino�gens that may or may not have been in use by any of those in�volved.

The com�mit�tee wish�es to ob�serve that it ad�dress�es these is�sues un�der protest: it is our opin�ion that for the Em�pire or its rep�re�sen�ta�tives to re�spond to ru�mor and in�nu�en�do from un�re�li�able sources sets a prece�dent that can, in the long run, have no ef�fect but to give cre�dence to and en�cour�age such ru�mor and in�nu�en�do. That said, we now ex�am�ine the sub�stance.�.�. .

Un�for�tu�nate�ly, their sur�prise and tim�ing were per�fect; not even Loiosh could warn me. For�tu�nate�ly, they didn�t want to kill me. These facts were re�lat�ed: the Jhereg would not come af�ter you in the Im�pe�ri�al Palace, and cer�tain�ly not in the Drag�on Wing.

There were four of them. It was just like old times. They wore the stupid gold half-​cloak of the Phoenix Guards, and they were big and strong, as Drag�onlords usu�al�ly are. Two came up be�hind me, two came out of a door I was pass�ing and stepped in front of me. I thought about La�dy Tel�dra�how could I not?�but of course I didn�t draw her. Us�ing Mor�gan�ti weapons on Drag�onlords makes you very un�pop�ular, and even draw�ing her in the Im�pe�ri�al Palace would have caught the at�ten�tion of sev�er�al hun�dred trained fight�ers, all of whom would have seen it as in hor�ri�bly poor taste.

Be�sides, it would be wrong to de�stroy peo�ple�s souls when all they want to do is give you a good beat�ing, and you know how I am al�ways guid�ed by try�ing to do the right thing.

Heh.

Look, do you mind if I skip the de�tails? Yeah, I re�mem�ber them; but if I say them out loud, they�ll al�ways be vivid for me, be�cause that�s how my mem�ory works. And, re�al�ly, what do you need to know that can�t be told in gen�er�al?

There they were, two of them in front of me, and Loiosh told me about the two in back, and I knew what was go�ing to hap�pen, be�cause I�d been through it be�fore.

�Keep Rocza out of this.�

What Loiosh replied doesn�t read�ily trans�late, but in any case he got Rocza out of the way. He and I had been through this kind of thing a few times, back when I was run�ning my area. He knew by now that I didn�t want to hear any sym�pa�thet�ic words, or any�thing else; it was just a mat�ter of wait�ing un�til it was over.

It al�ways hap�pens so fast, you know? The times I�ve been jumped and man�aged to avoid it, I�d been out of the sit�ua�tion al�most be�fore I knew I was in it. This time, be�fore I re�al�ly knew what was hap�pen�ing, they�d pushed me in�to the room and were go�ing to work. I had time to de�cide what not to do, as I said, but that was about it.

They didn�t draw any weapons�just used their fists and their boots. And they could have made it much worse than they did, if they�d want�ed to: They cracked a rib, but oth�er than that didn�t break any bones. They al�so didn�t say any�thing�I as�sumed they took it for grant�ed I knew what it was about.

Even�tu�al�ly they got my arms pinned, though I did them some harm first. A lot of harm, if you re�mem�ber how much stronger than an East�ern�er a Dra�gaer�an is. I re�mem�ber be�ing re�al�ly an�noyed that I had no ac�cess to any of the mag�ic, East�ern or Dra�gaer�an, that would help me re�cov�er quick�ly, where�as they�d have their bruis�es seen to in an hour or so and be feel�ing fine. It didn�t seem fair, you know?

When they were fin�ished I let them have the sat�is�fac�tion of see�ing me lie there, curled up on the floor, while they walked away. I might have been able to stand up, but if they�d tak�en it as a sig�nal to start again, I wasn�t sure I�d have the self-​con�trol to keep things non-​lethal.

�Just like the old days, eh?�

�You all right, Boss?�

�In ev�ery im�por�tant sense, yeah.�

I stood up, which took a long time, and wasn�t any fun; I had to use the wall for sup�port and push up against it, then when I made it up I leaned against it. Nice wall. Good wall. That wall was my new best friend.

Breath�ing hurt. So did a few oth�er things, though not as much as they were go�ing to. And I was shak�ing, of course; I al�ways shake af�ter I�ve been through some�thing ex�cit�ing, no mat�ter how I feel about it.

�Any idea what it was about?�

�One idea. If I�m right, then it may have been worth it just to find out.�

�Some�day, Boss, let�s talk about ways for you to learn things that don�t in�volve peo�ple kick�ing you.�

�Good plan.�

I was glad to be in the room�which may have been an un�used coat clos�et or some�thing�in�stead of out in the hall, be�cause I didn�t want any�one com�ing along and ask�ing ques�tions. Or, worse, be�ing sym�pa�thet�ic. Loiosh was care�ful�ly not sym�pa�thet�ic; he knows me.

I want�ed to get some�where to bind up my rib. Ev�er have a cracked rib? Avoid it if you can. Walk�ing hurts. Breath�ing hurts. Don�t cough. And for the love of your fa�vorite de�ity, don�t even think about sneez�ing. And if you make me laugh I�ll kill you. Lat�er.

When I�d caught my painful breath a bit, I pushed away from my friend the wall and wished I hadn�t.

�Where to now, Boss?�

�I�m not sure. I can�t de�cide if I ought to wait a day or two un�til the bruis�es are nice and pur�ple.�

�Wait for.�.�.?�

�Nah, too much is go�ing on to waste a day on cos�met�ics. This way.�

I strolled back in�to the hall�way, and then am�bled around the cor�ner, af�ter which I saun�tered. Any�thing to look like walk�ing didn�t hurt as much as it did. Which was okay; it didn�t hurt near�ly as much as it would to�mor�row. As I walked, my heart rate re�turned to nor�mal. My tongue played with a tooth that was wob�bly, but I didn�t think I�d lose it; punch�es to the face are the eas�iest to slip, if you don�t mind your neck snap�ping a lit�tle.

The few peo�ple I passed�Drag�onlords�glanced at me and then looked away, care�ful�ly un�con�cerned. Af�ter what seemed like a long, long time, I made it to the long, nar�row stair I was look�ing for. It seemed very, very long in�deed, just now. I start�ed up it, us�ing the time to plan. I knew what I want�ed to do, I just had to fig�ure out the nu�ances. The plan�ning dis�tract�ed me; it wasn�t too bad.

This time I clapped out�side of the of�fice. I heard a brusque �En�ter,� and did so, sud�den�ly re�al�iz�ing that she might not have been in, and I�d have made that climb for noth�ing. It would be smart if I thought of those things ahead of time, wouldn�t it?

She glanced up as I came in, and said, �What is�� then stopped and looked at me close�ly.

�I�d been think�ing,� I said, �of wait�ing a day so you could see the re�sults in all their splen�dor.�

�That eye is go�ing to swell shut,� she said.

�I imag�ine it will.�

�It can�t have been the Jhereg, or you�d be dead.�

�It wasn�t the Jhereg.�

�Do you know who?�

�Yes.�

She frowned. �Are we play�ing a game here?�

�I don�t know. That�s what I came up here to find out.�

�If you have a ques�tion, Vlad, just ask.�

�Did you send them?�

She looked shocked. I think she was shocked, which she shouldn�t have been, whether she was guilty or not. She went through some fa�cial con�tor�tions, then said, �What kind of game are you play�ing?�

The kind where I lose if you know the rules. �No game. I just want to know if they were yours.�

�They were Drag�ons?�

�Oh, yes. Phoenix Guards.�

�And you think I sent them?�

�It had crossed my mind. So I�d thought I�d ask if you did. And, if so, why you didn�t, I don�t know, drop me a note in�stead.�

�I didn�t send them,� she said.

�All right.�

�And I think you know that,� she added.

�I��

�Which makes me won�der what you�re try�ing to do by ac�cus�ing me.�

�I didn�t ac�cuse you.�

�All right. Ask�ing me.�

She was study�ing me care�ful�ly, sus�pi�cious�ly.

I shrugged, which was a mis�take. �What am I sup�posed to think? I start ask�ing nosy ques�tions about you, and the next thing I know��

�What ques�tions have you been ask�ing about me?�

�Your sud�den�ly be�ing made War�lord, of course. Why it hap�pened, what�s be�hind it. You wouldn�t tell me, so��

�There�s noth�ing to tell.�

I gave her a brief dis�cus�sion of fer�til�iz�er. She seemed unim�pressed with my agri�cul�tur�al ex�per�tise. �Be�lieve what you like,� she said. It was good to have per�mis�sion, but I re�sist�ed telling her so.

�Ei�ther way,� I said. �If it was in�tend�ed by you or some�one else to make me stop look�ing in�to this, it isn�t go�ing to work.�

�I don�t care��

�Not to men�tion that if there were noth�ing to it, why would any�one beat me up over it?�

�Are you sure that�s what it was about?�

�Seems like a good guess.�

�But you don�t ac�tu�al�ly know.�

I made a dis�gust�ed sound.

She start�ed to say some�thing, stopped, in�haled, and let it out slow�ly. �Very well. We�ll as�sume you�re right.�

�Thanks.�

She ig�nored the sar�casm. �I had no part in it,� she stat�ed.

�All right.� She still looked sus�pi�cious, as if she didn�t be�lieve I gen�uine�ly thought she might be in�volved. She�s a Drag�on; that doesn�t au�to�mat�ical�ly mean she�s an id�iot. Be�sides, she�d spent years in the Jhereg. I said, �Then they act�ed with�out your knowl�edge. Why? What is it ev�ery Drag�onlord knows that they don�t want a hum�ble East�ern�er to find out?�

�How should I know?�

I looked at her. I�m not an id�iot ei�ther.

She sighed. �There are things I�m not per�mit�ted to tell you.�

�I fig�ured that part out. What I�m work�ing at is, I�ll bet there are things you could tell me if you want�ed to. Things that might help Aliera. Things that might ex�plain why I just got a tooth loos�ened. Things that��

�Shut up.�

I did so, and wait�ed.

She looked past me; I gave her time to think.

�It isn�t easy,� she said. �My loy�al�ties are di�vid�ed. I don�t think there are any right an�swers.�

I nod�ded.

�All right. I�ll tell you this much. Her Majesty is not very hap�py about all of this.�

�No�rathar. War�lord. Your High�ness. What�ev�er I�m sup�posed to call you. I picked up on that.�

She nod�ded, her eyes still fo�cused past me; I had the feel�ing that I wasn�t there. �Her friend�ship with Mor�rolan goes way back, you know.�

�Mor�rolan? How does Mor�rolan en�ter in�to this?�

She fo�cused on me, a puz�zled look on her face. Then she said, �I keep for�get�ting how much you don�t know.�

�So. fill me in on some of it?�

�You want a his�to�ry les�son?�

�No. I don�t. I re�al�ly, re�al�ly don�t. I think I�d rather have an�oth�er beat�ing. But if I need one to un�der�stand what�s go�ing on, then I�ll just sit here and take it.�

She made an ef�fort at a smile. �I think we can skip it, for now.�

See? My god�dess loves me. �Okay, what do I need to know. That you can tell me.�

She hes�itat�ed, then it came out quick�ly. �When she asked me to be War�lord, she ex�tract�ed a cou�ple of promis�es. One I�m break�ing now, by talk�ing to you. The oth�er is that Aliera is to es�cape.�

�Es�cape,� I re�peat�ed.

She nod�ded.

�I trust Aliera doesn�t know about this?�

�That is cor�rect.�

I sighed. �Well. And the Em�press is, you say, a re�born Phoenix?�

Her eyes nar�rowed. �Just what is that sup�posed��

�Sor�ry. That was out of line. Be�ing stupid doesn�t mean be�ing deca�dent.�

She said, very pre�cise�ly, �I do not con�sid�er Her Majesty to be stupid.�

�No, I guess she isn�t. In fact, this shows how smart she is.�

�What are you talk�ing about?�

�A stupid per�son can make on�ly cer�tain, lim�it�ed types of er�rors; the mis�takes open to a clever fel�low are far broad�er. But to the one who knows how smart he is com�pared to ev�ery�one else, the pos�si�bil�ities for true id�io�cy are bound�less.�

�Vlad��

�No�rathar. Nev�er, ev�er, will Aliera go along with this. To es�cape is to ad�mit guilt. Think about it.�

She start�ed to ar�gue, stopped, frowned. I let her work it through. It shouldn�t have tak�en that long.

�You�re right,� she said.

�Yeah.�

�I have to speak with Her Majesty.�

�Good think�ing. Had a whole plan, didn�t you?�

She nod�ded. I was tempt�ed to smirk, but she might have killed me. Be�sides, it wasn�t all that fun�ny.

�All right,� I said. �I�ll get out of your way. This clears up a few things, but un�for�tu�nate�ly, doesn�t help me. But at least I�m con�vinced you didn�t or�der those Drag�onlords to at�tack me.�

�How do you know they were Drag�onlords?�

�Huh? Well, for starters, if they were Jhereg they�d have killed me.�

�And if they were Or�ca?�

I stared at her. She flushed; some�thing I could nev�er have imag�ined her do�ing.

�Well done, Boss!�

�Ev�ery once in a while, you get a break.�

I let her sit there for a mo�ment and re�flect on the dif�fi�cul�ty of un�say�ing some�thing. Then I said, �Don�t feel too bad. I�d been pret�ty sure of it, any�way.�

She cursed soft�ly un�der her breath.

�I feel your pain,� I said.

�You will soon,� she said.

�So, feel like fill�ing in the miss�ing piece?�

She glared. �And if I don�t?�

That took me a mo�ment, then I got it and shook my head. �No, no. I�m not go�ing to tell any�one any�thing about what you did or did not tell me. I�m ask�ing you to fill in the pieces I�m miss�ing. If you don�t, I�ll find out an�oth�er way; that�s all.�

She bit her lip, then nod�ded. �What ex�act�ly do you want to know?�

�I know the Jhereg and the Or�ca are work�ing to�geth�er. On what, ex�act�ly? And how are they forc�ing the Em�press to co�op�er�ate?�

�All right.� She took a deep breath. �It goes back to be�fore the In�ter�reg�num.�

I al�most made a re�mark about how I�d been promised no his�to�ry, but there are times not to be clever.

�The Jhereg had come up with a big mon�ey�mak�ing scheme that they nev�er got to pull off be�cause the world blew up be�fore they could try it. And maybe for oth�er rea�sons, too, I don�t know. Any�way, the Left Hand got wind of it a few years ago, start�ed col�lab�orat�ing with the Right Hand and the Or�ca, and have been try�ing to put it back.�

�And what is �it�?�

�Nar�cotics, hal�lu�cino�gens, psychedelics, dis�as�so�cia�tives��

�No�rathar, I don�t know most of those words.�

�All right. Opi�um. Log�fun�gus. Dream�grass. Laugh�wort. Koelsh leaf. Pop�py ex�tract.�

�What about them?�

�What if they were sud�den�ly il�le�gal?�

�Huh?

�What if��

�I heard you, I�m just try�ing to wrap my head around it.�

�What would hap�pen?�

�I don�t know. Um, well, it would drive the prices through the roof.�

�And who would sell it?�

�The Jhereg, of course. Yikes. What a scam! And the Or�ca?�

�They�d sup�ply it.�

�And the Left Hand?�

�Fa�cil�itat�ing de�liv�I hadn�t said any�thing about the Left Hand.�

�It was my own the�ory. Go on.�

�Fa�cil�itat�ing de�liv�ery and hid�ing and sell�ing spells to de�tect Im�pe�ri�al agents, the way they do now with gam�bling games.�

�I didn�t know they did that; I nev�er used them.�

�They do. And there is li�able to be Iorich in�volve�ment too�bribes for mild sen�tences, and so on.�

�Iorich do that?�

�Fun�ny guy.�

I shook my head. �This is huge. How are they con�vinc�ing the Em�press to go for it?�

�The mas�sacre at Tir�ma.�

�Huh?�

�Word is about to leak out that it hap�pened be�cause the sergeant was us�ing a com�bi�na�tion of koelsh leaves and pop�py.�

�Oh. Hm�mm. Pub�lic out�cry?�

The War�lord nod�ded.

�Is it true? Was he?�

�No.�

�Then why can�t he be made to tes�ti�fy to that?�

�In fact, once this be�comes pub�lic, that is ex�act�ly what will hap�pen.�

�Well, and?�

�And who will be�lieve it? It will be seen by the no�bles and the mid�dle class�es as a means of dis�tract�ing at�ten�tion from the lu�cra�tive trade in brain chem�icals.�

�How does ar�rest�ing Aliera help?�

�If Aliera is ar�rest�ed on an ob�vi�ous�ly bo�gus charge, it will add weight to the idea that the mas�sacre in Tir�ma came from or�ders on high. It will look like the Em�press blames Aliera, but knows she can�t get a con�vic�tion on the ac�tu�al charge, be�cause��

�Be�cause it must be ap�proved by the Coun�cil of Princes, who wouldn�t ap�prove it, so the con�vic�tion must be on an Edict, which by�pass�es peer ap�proval.�

�Well, very good, Vlad. I had no idea you were so well ac�quaint�ed with the law.�

�I�ve man�aged to pick up a few pieces here and there,� I said mod�est�ly.

�So, now you know, and now I�ve be�trayed an oath by telling you.�

�Yeah. And now I know what�s go�ing on, and why, but I�m not sure it helps me.�

�On the con�trary,� she said, her eyes nar�row�ing. �It po�ten�tial�ly helps you a great deal.�

�How is that?�

�If you re�veal what I�ve told you��

�Oh, come on, No�rathar. You know I won�t do that.�

She grunt�ed. �There�s an�oth�er thing it gets you, then: an al�ly.�

�You?�

�Yes. Any�thing I can do with�out be�tray�ing Her Majesty.�

�Hm�mm. That may be a bit like, �I�ll run any er�rand you want that doesn�t re�quire me to stand up.� Still, I ap�pre�ci�ate the of�fer, and I�ll keep it in mind.�

�Do that,� she said.

So there I was: I�d un�cov�ered what was hid�den, I�d found the big se�cret, I�d turned over the key rock, and now I just had the mi�nor, unim�por�tant lit�tle de�tail of fig�ur�ing out what to do about it. Splen�did. I tried to re�call some of the vo�cab�ulary I�d picked up dur�ing my brief stint as a foot sol�dier, but you have to keep up with those skills or you lose them.

So, back to the be�gin�ning. I�d have to wait for Kiera to get some con�fir�ma�tions, and wait for Kra�gar to learn a few de�tails about the Left Hand. In the mean�time�

�Vlad?�

�Hm�mm?�

�I asked if there was any�thing else.�

�Oh, sor�ry. No. Thank you.�

She nod�ded and I took my leave. If the fates loved me, I�d make it back to my room alive, and Kiera would be wait�ing there. I did, and she wasn�t�make of that what you will.

I un�load�ed a few pounds of hard�ware next to the bed, and stretched out on it. It felt won�der�ful for about ten sec�onds, then I grad�ual�ly be�came aware of each bruise. Once, long be�fore and in a dif�fer�ent part of the world, I�d re�moved my amulets to per�form a sim�ple spell to get rid of some aches and pains. It had proved a mis�take for two rea�sons: It al�most got me killed, and it had giv�en Loiosh a chance to say I told you so. I was will�ing to risk the first, but I�d rather hurt than take a chance on the sec�ond.

I didn�t fall asleep, but to take my mind off how much I hurt, I spent some time wish�ing some�one would bring me some�thing to eat. Loiosh picked up on the thought, and made an of�fer of sorts which I re�ject�ed; I wasn�t that hun�gry.

�Boss, do we have a plan?�

�We will.�

�Oh, good. I feel so much bet�ter when we have a plan.�

�In that case, maybe you come up with one this time. One that doesn�t in�volve a dead teck�la.�

�Di�vi�sion of la�bor, Boss. That�s what makes this work, you know.�

�Yeah, I keep for�get�ting that. Di�vi�sion of la�bor. I come up with the plans, and you laugh at them.�

�Ex�act�ly.�

I closed my eyes, the bet�ter to con�cen�trate on ev�ery�thing that hurt. No, I don�t know why I do these things; stop ask�ing.

Af�ter a while, I heard a clap at the door and at al�most the same mo�ment Loiosh said, �It�s Kiera.�

Now, there was good news at a good time. �Please bring your sneaky and most wel�come self in�side,� I called out.

The door opened and she came in, look�ing wor�ried. �I heard you were beat�en,� she said.

�How did you hear that? Are there more of you than I know about?�

She gave me a re�proach�ful look.

�Sor�ry,� I said.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked me over care�ful�ly. Loiosh flew over to her, and she ab�sent�ly scratched un�der his chin while she stud�ied me. �They did a pret�ty thor�ough job, it seems,� she said ju�di�cious�ly.

�I guess. Want to tell me what you learned?�

�Just what you ex�pect�ed me to.�

My heart skipped a beat. Yes, I�d ex�pect�ed it. But I hadn�t re�al�ly, well, ex�pect�ed it. �De�tails?�

�Min�utes of a meet�ing called by Her Majesty to dis�cuss the mas�sacre in Tir�ma.�

�And?�

�The list of those present in�clude the rep�re�sen�ta�tive of the Jhereg.�

�Is that usu�al for some�thing like this?�

�No.�

�All right. And the rep�re�sen�ta�tive said?�

�Noth�ing that was record�ed.�

�Then�?�

�Did they hit you in the head a lot?�

�Yes, as a mat�ter of fact.�

She made a dis�gust�ed sound. �Work it out any�way.�

�They wouldn�t have had the Jhereg rep�re�sen�ta�tive there, ex�cept to hear some�thing, or to in�form the Em�press of some�thing.�

�Yes.�

�And ei�ther way, it means the Jhereg has their hand in this.�

�Which you knew.�

�Sus�pect�ed, then lat�er had con�firmed by�uh, I shouldn�t say.�

�All right. Why?�

�Why what?�

�Why is the Jhereg in�volved.�

�Two rea�sons. I can�t talk about one, and I don�t need to talk about the oth�er.�

�You don�t need to? What do you mean?�

�Kiera, have you been beat�en too, late�ly?�

Her eyes nar�rowed as she con�cen�trat�ed, then she said, �Oh. You think it�s all about you?�

�I al�ways think it�s all about me. When I�m wrong I look stupid; when I�m right, I�m still alive to keep look�ing stupid.�

�It�s a lit�tle hard to be�lieve,� she said.

�Why?�

�En�gi�neer�ing a mas�sacre of peas�ants, em�broil�ing the Em�press in��

�No, no. I don�t think that was about me. That just gave them the op�por�tu�ni�ty.�

�Ah. You mean, not the prob�lem, but the so�lu�tion.�

�Yes.�

�The Jhereg knew that if Aliera was in trou�ble, you�d find out and come back and they could get to you. They were do�ing some�thing else in�volv�ing the Em�press, and just grabbed the op�por�tu�ni�ty to pull you in�to it.�

�Pret�ty much. You know the Jhereg. Does that seem far�fetched?�

�No,� she said with no hes�ita�tion.

�It doesn�t to me, ei�ther.�

�Do you have an idea of how to deal with it?�

�One. Tell the Em�press.�

�Vlad, do you know what hap�pens if you do that?�

�Some�thing pret�ty un�pleas�ant for the Jhereg. Do I care?�

�What about for the Em�pire?�

�Do I care about that?�

�And for Zeri�ka?�

�Like she cared how un�pleas�ant it was for Aliera?�

�She did, you know.�

�Stop, Kiera, be�fore you move me to tears. Oh, wait, no, that�s the pain from the beat�ing I got for ask�ing ques�tions about how much she cared.�

�I don�t think that�s why you got beat�en.�

�No, nei�ther do I. I think it was be�cause it�s con�sid�ered rude for East�ern�ers who are al�so Jhereg to go ask�ing ques�tions about the War�lord.�

�Maybe.�

�You have an�oth�er idea?�

�No, just a feel�ing.�

�A feel�ing.�

�The beat�ing. It doesn�t feel right.� I start�ed to make an ob�vi�ous re�mark but she cut me off. �No, lis�ten, Vlad. I�m se�ri�ous. Try to re�con�struct the se�quence in your head.�

�It isn�t that hard. I was ask�ing ques�tions about No�rathar, and��

�Of whom?�

�Eh? Well, No�rathar, first of all. And Cawti. And a ser�vant in the Palace, who first told me No�rathar was now War�lord.�

She nod�ded. �Go on.�

�Isn�t that enough?�

�Is it? Where did these Drag�onlords hear about it?�

�I as�sume from the Teck�la. Or, in�di�rect�ly from the Teck�la.�

�That�s what�s both�er�ing me.�

�You didn�t even know about it.�

She didn�t deign to an�swer that. �Imag�ine how they heard it.�

�The Teck�la gos�sips to one of his friends, the Drag�onlord over�hears it��

�When is the last time you knew of a Drag�on lis�ten�ing to a Teck�la�s gos�sip?�

I shrugged, which sent pain shoot�ing from my rib to the op�po�site shoul�der. �Okay, then the Teck�la men�tions it to some�one who some�one will lis�ten. Snake up a rope, as they say.�

�When did you speak to the Teck�la?�

�Yes�ter�day.�

�So, how long did this all take?�

�Kiera, how long does it take?�

�I�m not say�ing it�s im�pos�si�ble. I�m just sus�pi�cious.�

�What do you think hap�pened in�stead?�

�I would very much like to know.�

�If you�re of�fer�ing to look in�to it for me, you know I�m not go�ing to turn you down.�

She sat on the edge of the bed, cross-​legged, which was on�ly strange when I thought about it lat�er. �I�m not sure,� she said at last. �The fact is, I don�t want to look in�to it, I want to fig�ure it out.�

�I know that one.�

�So, any ideas?�

�Yeah, give up. At least, it�s nev�er worked for me.�

�Vlad��

�Look, I still think it was just what it seemed to be. How can I fig�ure out what I don�t think hap�pened?�

�Work with me.�

I sighed. �All right, let�s as�sume you�re right. In the first place, if the beat�ing wasn�t a mes�sage not to in�ves�ti�gate the War�lord, then the mes�sage didn�t come across very well, be�cause I have no idea what it might be about.�

�I think we can as�sume they weren�t telling you not to help Aliera.�

�That sounds pret�ty safe.�

�So, what else have you been do�ing that might have of�fend�ed some�one?�

�Hid�ing from the Jhereg. And you know how much Drag�ons hate that.�

�Heh.� Then she said, �No, wait a minute.�

�Kiera, if Drag�onlords start car�ing about Jhereg busi�ness��

�Vlad, what made you think they were Drag�ons?�

I sighed. �Ev�ery�body is ask�ing me that. Most�ly be�cause if they were Jhereg, I�d be dead. And if they were Or�ca, I�d have won.�

�Or�ca? What do Or�ca have to do with this?�

I waved it away. �If they weren�t Drag�onlords, who do you think they were?�

�I think they were Jhereg.�

�Then why didn�t they��

�Be�cause they weren�t hired to kill you, just to beat you.�

�By whom?�

�The Left Hand,� she said.

Iorich

10

Q: Please state your name and house.

A: Efrin, Teck�la.

Q: Where do you live?

A: Nowhere. I used to live in Tir�ma.

Q: Ad�dress the Court as �my lord.� You say you live nowhere, how is that pos�si�ble?

A: My home was burned down on the same day my wife, my son, and my daugh�ters were mur�dered by butch�ers in uni�form.

Q: The wit�ness is re�mind�ed to ad�dress the Court as �my lord.� How is it you weren�t there when it hap�pened?

A: I was tak�ing the mule and the keth�na to Nu�vin�s, to keep them safe from the mon�sters.

Q: The wit�ness is re�mind�ed for the last time to ad�dress the Court with re�spect, and speak of the Im�pe�ri�al sol�diers�

A: Im�pe�ri�al mon�sters. [wit�ness is re�moved]

�All right,� I said at last. �Tell me about it.�

�How much do you know about the Left Hand of the Jhereg, Vlad?�

�Last time we spoke, about as much as you, and you knew noth�ing.�

�That was sev�er�al years ago. You made me cu�ri�ous. I�ve been learn�ing things.�

�Then maybe it�s time to fill me in on what you�ve learned?�

�I could tell you, but then I�d have��

�That isn�t fun�ny.�

�Yes it is.�

�Uh, all right. It is. But tell me any�way.�

She nod�ded. �You know how they start�ed?�

�I�ve heard sto�ries. Sor�cer�ess�es ex�pelled from dif�fer�ent Hous�es for il�le�gal sor�cery band�ing to�geth�er, that sort of thing.�

She nod�ded. �From me, as I re�call. Well, they�re pret�ty much true, as far as I can tell. And, yes, they�re in�volved in il�le�gal mag�ic; ev�ery�one knows that, and it�s even true.�

�Rare for some�thing ev�ery�one knows,� I sug�gest�ed.

�But they�re al�so�I don�t know how to say this with�out in�sult�ing your cul�ture, Vlad.�

�I have a pret�ty thick skin.�

�They have cus�toms like an East�ern cult.�

�Um. I�m less in�sult�ed than I am con�fused.�

�East�ern mag�ic�at least, in rep�uta�tion�is se�cre�tive, yes?�

I thought about my grand�fa�ther and start�ed to ob�ject, then re�mem�bered the oth�er witch�es I�d en�coun�tered, and grunt�ed an agree�ment.

�The Left Hand is like that, com�plete with oaths of si�lence and obe�di�ence and rit�uals of mem�ber�ship.�

�Huh. Doesn�t sound very busi�nesslike.�

�That was my thought, too.�

�If the Jhereg tried to op�er�ate that way, they�d be laughed��

�We used to.�

�What?�

�Be�fore the In�ter�reg�num.�

�You�re kid�ding.�

�Nope.� She ex�tend�ed her hand and crossed her mid�dle fin�gers and in�toned, �For the breath of this life I bind my�self to pro�tect my pro�tec�tors, to pro�vide for my providers, to��

�You�re kid�ding!�

She shook her head. �Not too many laughed about it, as it hap�pened.�

�Good thing I wasn�t around then. I�d have laughed, and chances are they wouldn�t have cared for that.�

�Chances are,� she agreed.

�All right, so they wal�low in child�like su�per�sti�tion in be�tween mak�ing peo�ple un�re�viv�ifi�able and eaves�drop�ping on pri�vate con�ver�sa�tions. What else?�

�All sorts of ar�cane rules.�

�Rules. The kind that are good for busi�ness, or the kind that in�ter�fere with busi�ness?�

�Some of one, some of the oth�er, and some that de�pend.�

�Dammit, don�t be coy.�

�I�m giv�ing you what in�for�ma�tion I have; you have to de�cide what�s use�ful and what isn�t. Isn�t that what you al�ways do?�

�Uh. I guess. So, the beat�ing?�

�The Left Hand doesn�t want you in�ter�fer�ing with their machi�na�tions.�

�Then why not kill me?�

She shook her head. �You aren�t their prob�lem. You�re the Right Hand�s prob�lem.�

�But��

�And don�t make the mis�take of think�ing they�re all one co�he�sive whole, Vlad. In�di�vid�uals, fac�tions�some might have want�ed to take you out for the boun�ty, oth�ers don�t care about that, just want this in�ter�fer�ing East�ern�er out of the way. But the big thing is this: the Jhereg�our Jhereg, the Right Hand�wants it Mor�gan�ti. Hav�ing a few peo�ple dress up as Drag�onlords to beat you up is one thing; putting a dull shine on you in the Im�pe�ri�al Palace is some�thing else again.�

�A dull shine. I�ve nev�er heard that eu�phemism be�fore. It�s very, uh, vivid.�

She shrugged. �The fact that it has to be Mor�gan�ti is pro�tect�ing you. Isn�t that amus�ing?�

�I�m laugh�ing on the in�side; laugh�ing on the out�side hurts too much.�

She winced in sym�pa�thy. �Any�thing bro�ken?� she asked.

�A rib cracked, I think.�

�Let me bind it.�

�You know how to do that?�

�You pick up a bit of ev�ery�thing, af�ter a while. Take your shirt off.�

I sat up with�out as�sis�tance, but she helped in the shirt re�moval pro�cess. When a dag�ger dropped out from un�der my left armpit, she pre�tend�ed not to no�tice. She al�so pre�tend�ed not to no�tice var�ious things strapped to my wrist. She pressed on the bruise, and when I hissed, she nod�ded sage�ly, just like a re�al physick�er. She al�lowed as to how she�d be back short�ly, and then tele�port�ed out. She was back short�ly�un�der a minute�with a roll of ban�dages.

I de�clined her help in stand�ing up, for what rea�son I couldn�t say. Rais�ing my arms hurt a lot. The pro�cess of wrap�ping the ribs wasn�t any fun, but I did feel bet�ter af�ter�ward, and even re�mem�bered to tell her so. She said, �Good. I�d give you all sorts of in�struc�tions about what to do and not do, but I don�t ac�tu�al�ly know them, ex�cept for the ones you�re go�ing to ig�nore, and the ones you can�t help but fol�low, so let�s just pre�tend I did.�

�We al�so could have pre�tend�ed to do the part where you poked my cracked rib.�

�Then how could you have trust�ed me to bind it? Let�s get back to un�tan�gling this mess.�

�I�m not sure I can think about any�thing ex�cept breath�ing right now, but I�m will�ing to try.�

�If you�d take that amulet off for a minute, I could��

�No, thanks.�

�As you please. So, why were you beat�en by peo�ple pre�tend�ing to be Drag�onlords?�

�Pre�tend�ing.�

�Yes.�

�You just seem aw�ful�ly con�vinced of that.�

She gave a Kiera shrug�more im�plied by the twitch of her lips than by any move�ment of her shoul�der�and said, �I won�t say I can�t be wrong. I just don�t think I am.�

�Then you think it was the Left Hand?�

�Thugs hired by them, yes. At least, that�s the first thing that comes to mind.�

�So then, why?�

�To get you to do some�thing you wouldn�t oth�er�wise do. What did you do?�

�I saw No�rathar, and used the event to pry some in�for�ma�tion out of her.�

�What in�for�ma�tion? Oh, right. You won�t tell me.�

�I�d rather not. It wasn�t any�thing she want�ed to tell me.�

�So?�

�If you need to know��

�I will nev�er, ev�er, un�der�stand East�ern�ers.�

�What, that we have scru�ples?�

�Not that you have them; where you keep them.�

Sethra would have un�der�stood com�plete�ly, but this time I kept my mouth shut about it. �So, any�way, there�s your an�swer: I was able to get in�for�ma�tion from No�rathar that I wouldn�t oth�er�wise get.�

She nod�ded. �And does the Left Hand know you well enough to have pre�dict�ed you�d do that?�

I start�ed to say no, stopped, con�sid�ered, and said, �It�s not im�pos�si�ble, I sup�pose. But it�s a lit�tle scary if they do. Think of how much they�d have to know, how many im�pli�ca�tions, how many pos�si�bil�ities.�

�Maybe. But, you know, they wouldn�t have had to know you�d do it. Just know�ing you might do it would be enough.�

�Enough for what?�

�Vlad, I un�der�stand that you might not pay at�ten�tion to what I say, but you ought to pay at�ten�tion to what you say, don�t you think?�

�Kiera, you know I love you. But I swear by all I de�spise that I would hit you over the head with a chair if I could lift one right now. Please just ex�plain it? Please?�

�You�ve just said that, af�ter the beat�ing, you got No�rathar to tell you things she wouldn�t have oth�er�wise.�

�So? How does that ben�efit them?�

�The Left Hand, Vlad. What do they do?�

�Il�le�gal mag�ic. De�vices for gam�blers to cheat. De�feat�ing spells to pre�vent eaves�drop�oh.�

�Yes.�

�They were lis�ten�ing.�

�We�d best as�sume so.�

�No�rathar is go�ing to kill me.�

�I don�t much care about that,� said Kiera sweet�ly. �I�m wor�ried about who else she�s li�able to kill.�

�Oh. Yes. Um. If they�re clever enough to know what I�d do, aren�t they clever enough to know what No�rathar will do?�

�You�d think so.�

�Well?�

She spread her hands. �Maybe they�re count�ing on her years in the Jhereg to have giv�en her some sense. Or maybe they think it�s worth the gam�ble. Or maybe that�s ex�act�ly what they want.�

�Com�ing up with a com�plex plan that, if it works, will re�sult in your throat be�ing cut seems like a lot of wast�ed think�ing. But maybe that�s just me.�

�I don�t know, Vlad.�

�Can you find out?�

�How? I have no sources in the Left Hand. No one does. How�ev�er stupid you may think their rit�uals are, they work: No one who isn�t one of them knows any�thing.�

�Ugh,� I sug�gest�ed. I won�dered what had hap�pened to the side of my left shoul�der to make it hurt so bad; I didn�t re�mem�ber get�ting hit there. �You can�t do what they do with�out leav�ing a trace. That means there are ways to find out.�

She nod�ded. �Let me know how that works out for you.�

�Kiera��

�What do you ex�pect me to do about it?�

�I don�t know. Kill some�one. Steal some�thing. Fig�ure some�thing out.�

�The first and last are your busi�ness. I�ll be glad to steal some�thing as soon as you tell me what you want me to steal.�

�Maybe I�ll hire Mario.�

�Heh. As if�� She stopped. �You might, you know.�

�And pay him with what?�

�Vlad, he�s Aliera�s lover.�

�Um. Yeah, I�ve heard that. Is it true?�

She frowned. �I don�t know. It might be worth find�ing out.�

Mario, in case you�ve nev�er heard of him, is to as�sas�sins what So�rami�ir is to sor�cer�ers. If you�ve nev�er heard of So�rami�ir, don�t feel bad; I hadn�t ei�ther un�til a few days ago.

I thought about it. �It�s cer�tain�ly some�thing to keep in mind. At the mo�ment, how�ev�er, I�m not sure just who I�d ask him to kill.�

She nod�ded.

I said, �This busi�ness of them guess�ing what I would do, and plan�ning on it, would make me un�com�fort�able if I be�lieved it. Like, I couldn�t do any�thing be�cause they�d know just what I�d do.�

�I think you�re over�stat�ing it a bit.�

�I know. But it�s strange. Ev�er had some�one try that on you?�

�No. But then, I�ve been pret�ty scrupu�lous about Jhereg rules.�

I winced. I guess I had that com�ing. �My first re�ac�tion,� I said, �is to just find some Left Hand busi�ness some�where and start mess�ing it up, to see what they do. Pick one at ran�dom, so they can�t pre�dict it. It�ll give me some�thing to take my frus�tra�tions out on. I sup�pose that would be stupid. Un�less I can find some use�ful as�pect.�

�There are worse ideas.�

�Al�so bet�ter ones, I sus�pect. But if they re�al�ly have this planned based on pre�dict�ing my ac�tions�which I still don�t be�lieve�then do�ing some�thing un�pre�dictable might have some ben�efit.�

�Sup�pose I�m right�us�ing this to kill you is just a grace note in a larg�er con�cert.�

�All right. What then?�

�Who is play�ing the in�stru�ment? That is, who in the Left Hand have you es�pe�cial�ly pissed off?�

�Tri�esco,� I said.

�You don�t aim small, do you?�

�What�s the point of hav�ing weak en�emies? They just waste your time.�

�It would make sense,� said Kiera. �From what I know of her, she�s pow�er�ful, ruth�less, skilled, and not all that nice. And, yes, she�s quite ca�pa�ble of hatch�ing a plot like a Yen�di.�

�Match�es what I know,� I said. �Think it�s her?�

�If you an�noyed her, prob�ably.�

�Well, then.�

�So,� she said to the air. �How did it go down? What are they plan�ning? Or her, if it�s her.�

�Kiera?�

�Hm�mm?�

�Thanks.�

She nod�ded ab�sent�ly, her eyes fo�cused over my shoul�der, a frown of con�cen�tra�tion on her brow. �The more I think about it, the more I think your idea of ran�dom�ly mess�ing up a Left Hand cov�er busi�ness isn�t that bad. It�ll make them re�spond to some�thing new. It could cause a slip.�

�Hear that, Loiosh? It�s from Kiera. You can�t ar�gue.�

�Sure I can.�

�But you won�t.�

�Sure I will.�

Sure he would. �In that case,� I said, �I need to find out a few of their busi�ness�es, so I can pick one to mess up. I�m go�ing to en�joy this.�

�Are you in any shape to do any mess�ing? Or, rather, will you be to�mor�row?�

I grunt�ed. �Maybe not. Maybe that�s why they did it. Can�t ig�nore the pos�si�bil�ity that they beat me in or�der to beat me.�

She laughed. I hadn�t thought it was that fun�ny, but you nev�er know what will strike Kiera as amus�ing. �I�d vol�un�teer to help,� she said. �But mess�ing peo�ple up isn�t my tal�ent.�

�It isn�t a tal�ent, Kiera. It�s a learned skill.�

�I nev�er learned that skill, then.�

There was a lot I could have said to that, but noth�ing that would have been well re�ceived. �Do you hap�pen to know any of their places of busi�ness?�

�A cou�ple of the more ob�vi�ous ones: There�s a sor�cery sup�ply shop on Lock�wood, just west of the mar�ket. I�ve seen them go in and out of the place af�ter hours. And there�s a tin�smith on Den�cel that has to have some oth�er source of in�come, and I know it isn�t Jhereg�I mean, our Jhereg. But give me a day or so and I�ll see if I can find a few more, so you have a good list to pick from.�

I nod�ded. �I ap�pre�ci�ate it.�

�We have friends in com�mon,� she said.

�Yes.�

�For now, if you won�t re�move the amulet��

She broke off with an in�quir�ing look. �I won�t,� I said.

She nod�ded. �Then I think you should get up and come with me.�

I gave her a sus�pi�cious look. �Where are we go�ing?�

�Down two flights of stairs.�

�Why?�

�Trust me,� she said.

Put that way, I had no choice. I reached for my shirt, but she said to leave it off, so I buck�led on my rapi�er and La�dy Tel�dra, and threw my cloak over my shoul�ders, feel�ing dis�tinct�ly odd with a cloak and no shirt. Then I fol�lowed her out the door.

We went back down to the main lev�el of the inn, then fol�lowed a vine-​cov�ered stone walk�way out�side and around, back in�to the build�ing, and down an�oth�er flight of stairs, at which point I be�gan to smell some�thing rot�ten and sharp�it near�ly stung my nose�and vague�ly fa�mil�iar.

�What am I smelling?�

�Brim�stone.�

�Oh. Uh, that doesn�t bode well.�

�Trust me.�

We emerged at last in�to what looked like a wide un�der�ground cav�ern, though some of the walls had been smoothed and there were sculp�tures here and there of im�pos�si�ble beasts, many of them with steam�ing wa�ter com�ing out of their mouths. There was a large pool in the mid�dle, and screens set about it. Kiera led me to one of the screens. Stuck in�to it was a small green flag, up�side down. She re�moved it, stuck it in right side up. �Af�ter you,� she said. I went past the screen, which she re�placed be�hind me. In front of me was a small pool; the brim�stone smell was very in�tense here, and the wa�ter was steam�ing heav�ily and bub�bling.

�Get in,� she said.

�What will this do?�

�Make you hurt less to�mor�row.�

�Re�al�ly?�

�Ei�ther that or boil the skin off you. One or the oth�er. Maybe both. Get in.�

I start�ed to ar�gue, stopped, shrugged, and re�moved my cloak. �Are you go�ing to turn your back?�

�No,� she said.

I re�moved my boots and pants with as much dig�ni�ty as I could; the pain helped keep my mind off my em�bar�rass�ment. �What about the ban�dage?�

�Keep it on. I�ll change it when you get out.�

Loiosh and Rocza com�plained about the smell and flew over to the side, stay�ing well away from the wa�ter. I couldn�t blame them.

My first re�ac�tion was that it was, in�deed, go�ing to boil the skin off me. But it was ei�ther im�merse my�self, or stand there naked in front of Kiera, and I�d rather hurt than look ab�surd.

It was very hot, and it al�so stank. I hoped like hell it would do enough good to be worth it.

Soak�ing your�self in hot, bub�bling wa�ter is odd: the first touch burns, then you find you can stand it, and then af�ter ten min�utes or so it gets too hot again. I have no idea why that is; I just knew I want�ed to get out. Kiera ex�plained that if I got out she�d push me back in again, and I didn�t think I�d be able to stop her. Loiosh thought the whole thing was pret�ty fun�ny.

I stayed in there for an�oth�er five min�utes or so, then Kiera pro�duced a tow�el from some�where and said, �That should do it.�

I stood up and wrapped the tow�el around my�self. �How many sor�cer�ers does it take to keep all this wa�ter so hot?�

�None,� she said. �It�s nat�ural.�

I looked at her face to see if she was kid�ding, but I couldn�t tell, so I let it drop.

�How do you feel?� she want�ed to know.

�Scald�ed.�

�I sup�pose.�

�But not bad, re�al�ly.�

�Good,� she said. �I heard some�where that East�ern�ers couldn�t take that much heat, that their hearts would ex�plode. But I didn�t be�lieve it.�

I stared at her. She smiled sweet�ly. I shook my head and de�cid�ed not to think about it too much.

�Go get some rest,� she said as I dressed my�self. �I�ll try to get you some use�ful in�for�ma�tion, and then we�ll fig�ure out what to do next.�

Odd�ly enough, I felt like I could rest. I still ached, but I felt re�laxed and a lit�tle drowsy. Maybe more than a lit�tle; I don�t re�mem�ber walk�ing back up the stairs, or even ly�ing down, ex�cept that I have a half-​mem�ory of Loiosh say�ing some�thing that, at the time, I didn�t think was very fun�ny.

When I woke up, some un�known num�ber of hours lat�er, it was dark out�side. A check with the Im�pe�ri�al Orb told me it was still a few hours be�fore dawn, and a check with my body told me I hurt a lot. Log�ic and ex�pe�ri�ence con�vinced me I hurt less than I should have, but that was of strict�ly lim�it�ed com�fort. I guess those hot baths had done some�thing, any�way.

I stood up, and care�ful�ly�very care�ful�ly�went through what I re�mem�bered of the warm-​up ex�er�cis�es my grand�fa�ther had taught me when I was learn�ing sword�play. He�d told me they worked to loosen up tight mus�cles, and that no mag�ic was in�volved. I couldn�t do ev�ery�thing�my rib ob�ject�ed loud�ly to a lot of the po�si�tions be�fore I could even get in�to them; but what I did seemed to help. I took it slow, spend�ing over an hour stretch�ing care�ful�ly and field�ing com�ments from Loiosh about my new ca�reer as a dancer. I dis�cussed his new ca�reer as a wall dec�ora�tion, but he didn�t seem es�pe�cial�ly scared.

As I made my way in�to the court�yard, Loiosh spot�ted some�one who looked like he might be a Jhereg. I wait�ed in�side the door while he and Rocza scout�ed the area, and even�tu�al�ly found a cir�cuitous route out of the place and to the Palace, where no one was watch�ing. I mean, I don�t know it was a Jhereg, and it if was I don�t know that he was go�ing to do any more than watch my move�ments. But I didn�t feel in�clined to take chances.

I passed through the Palace like I�d been do�ing it all my life, out the Iorich Wing, and in�to the House of the Iorich. There were no mys�te�ri�ous notes out�side his door, and Loiosh said Perisil was in�side, or else some�one who breathed ex�act�ly the same. Loiosh once gave me a lec�ture on how to iden�ti�fy peo�ple by the sound of their breath�ing; I lis�tened to be po�lite.

I clapped. Af�ter a mo�ment, I clapped again. The door opened enough for him to look at me, then he grunt�ed and opened it more. We sat.

�You�ve been busy,� he said.

Ei�ther his pow�ers of ob�ser�va�tion didn�t ex�tend to things like how slow�ly I was mov�ing or how gin�ger�ly I sat or the pur�plish bruis�es on my face, or else it just wasn�t some�thing he felt like talk�ing about. I said, �What do you mean?�

�About an hour ago, I got word that the pros�ecu�tion against Aliera was tem�porar�ily de�layed, while the Em�pire car�ried out �fur�ther in�ves�ti�ga�tions.� �

�Um,� I said. �Is that good?�

�I don�t know,� he said. His pe�cu�liar eyes nar�rowed a lit�tle and he cocked his head. �What did you do?�

�I spoke with the War�lord. She, it seems, had a plan with the Em�press to keep from hav�ing to ex�ecute Aliera, and I ex�plained why it wouldn�t work.�

He sat back. �Ah!� he said. �Well, that tells us at least that Her Majesty doesn�t want to ex�ecute Aliera.�

�We knew that al�ready.�

�Yes, I sup�pose we did.�

�Is there a re�al in�ves�ti�ga�tion, or is it just some�thing they�re say�ing so they can slow things down?�

�Both. There�s a re�al in�ves�ti�ga�tion, but it isn�t about Aliera�s use of pre-​Em�pire sor�cery. They�re ac�tu�al�ly look�ing in�to the events at Tir�ma.�

I sat back, which hurt more than I�d have thought, and tried to fig�ure out ex�act�ly what that might mean. I failed. �There are a lot of an�gles to that,� I said.

�Yes. It means ev�ery�thing to our case if we can draw the con�nec�tion; noth�ing at all if we can�t. And in the mean�time, we can�t do any�thing un�til we know if the Em�pire is ac�tu�al�ly go�ing to fol�low up on the pros�ecu�tion.�

�I wouldn�t say that.�

His eye�brows went up. �Go on.�

�I just mean we may not have things to do legal�ly, but on my end��

�The things you won�t tell me about.�

�Right. On my end, I have a few things to fol�low up on.�

He stared at his desk, then looked up. �I don�t like be�ing kept in the dark about things that have an ef�fect on my case.�

�I don�t blame you.�

He grunt�ed. �All right. Do what you have to.�

I nod�ded and re�frained from say�ing that I ful�ly in�tend�ed to, what�ev�er he said. �Any�thing else?�

�Not for now. Keep me in�formed of any�thing you can keep me in�formed of.�

�You too.�

He grunt�ed and I made my way to my feet and left. He nev�er did re�mark about how I was mov�ing.

I tried to walk as if I wasn�t hurt; it made me feel less of a tar�get, though I guess there isn�t much log�ic be�hind that�any as�sas�sin worth his stone would as�sume I was in top form be�fore mak�ing a move any�way.

I need�ed to know what Cawti and her cute lit�tle band of would-​be rebels were up to; I al�so couldn�t ask her, since my at�ti�tude about them was what had led to our breakup.

I stopped just in�side the door of the Wing that would lead me back out to�ward the Palace. I saw no sign of any�one watch�ing me. That doesn�t prove there wasn�t any�one, but I�m pret�ty good at notic�ing such things when I look. The trick is re�mem�ber�ing to look.

�Where to now, Boss?�

�I need to see Cawti again. Right away.�

Then, �Sor�ry, Boss.�

�Yeah. Any ideas how to get there with�out draw�ing a crowd? I hate to re�peat a trick. Be�sides, I don�t think the Jhereg would fall for the same one twice.�

�You know I�m not much with the ideas, Boss.�

�I need to see Cawti, and I very much do not want to di�rect any�one there. Any�thing you can come up with��

�Walk around un�til you�re sure you�ve been spot�ted, find who�ev�er is fol�low�ing you, and kill him?�

�I�ll con�sid�er that op�tion.�

Oth�er than Loiosh�s sug�ges�tion, I couldn�t come up with any great ideas, so I went the old tra�di�tion�al route of try�ing to lose some�one in a crowd, al�ter�nat�ing with emp�ty streets with a lot of turns so you can see if any�one is stay�ing with you. This can be very ef�fec�tive with one per�son tail�ing you; with two or more who are stay�ing in touch, it�s less re�li�able. But I had the Palace right at hand, which had the ad�di�tion�al ben�efit of be�ing pret�ty much off-​lim�its to any�one try�ing to take me down, es�pe�cial�ly Mor�gan�ti.

I spent a good cou�ple of hours at it, stop�ping on�ly to get some bread and sausage from a ven�dor I passed. When I was as con�vinced as pos�si�ble that I was un�ob�served, I ducked out through the Jhe�gaala Wing be�cause it had a nice shrub bor�der near where the coach�es were. Loiosh and Rocza re�mained out�side, fly�ing around and keep�ing watch. I switched coach�es once, near Bri�isan Cen�ter, then fi�nal�ly gave the ad�dress of Cawti�s house.

Iorich

11

Lord Carv�er, present�ly in the Iorich Wing await�ing ex�ecu�tion, has re�fused to speak to the com�mit�tee. We can, how�ev�er, rea�son�ably con�clude that his pri�ma�ry mo�tive was fi�nan�cial. It is clear both from the buildup of mil�itary force be�gin�ning in Zeri�ka 239 and what may be called pro�pa�gan�da ef�forts be�gin�ning in Zeri�ka 249 that the at�tempt to break away had been planned for some years. What is less cer�tain is that he ex�pect�ed sup�port from Count�ess Sicera and Barons High�hold and De�lo�ra. Whether he did ex�pect such sup�port, what rea�sons he may have had for such ex�pec�ta�tions, and why this sup�port was not forth�com�ing is be�yond the scope of this in�ves�ti�ga�tion, save to note that, had he in fact had such sup�port the pos�si�bil�ity of suc�cess of his re�bel�lion would have been con�sid�er�ably strength�ened.

I had the coach drop me off a few hun�dred feet away, so Loiosh, Rocza, and I could take a last look around. It seemed clear, so I ap�proached the cot�tage. Vlad No�rathar was out front, us�ing the ni�ball rac�quet to keep a ball in the air. He was con�cen�trat�ing very hard, but even�tu�al�ly no�ticed me, stopped, and gave a hes�itant bow.

�Well met, sir,� I told him, giv�ing him my best sweep�ing bow. He grinned, mak�ing his whole face light up. The door opened and Cawti came out. �And well met to you as well, madam.�

�I didn�t ex�pect to see you back so soon,� she said, look�ing at me as if un�cer�tain whether to be pleased or wor�ried.

�Some things have come up. Ques�tions. Do you have time to talk?�

It was the mid�dle of the day; a lit�tle ways down the street a Teck�la wa�tered a gar�den, prob�ably for the crafts�man who owned the house. A cou�ple of chil�dren walked to�ward us, es�cort�ed by a bored-​look�ing nurse.

�Come in, then,� she said. �Come in�side, Vlad.� This last was to the boy, though it jarred me a bit when she said it. She held the door open for him, and I brought up the rear, Loiosh and Rocza land�ing on my shoul�der, at the same mo�ment, as we stepped through the door�way. Vlad No�rathar turned when he heard the wings flap�ping, and his eyes got big.

�Bloody damned show-​offs.�

Some�thing like a chuck�le came in�to my head.

Cawti asked if I want�ed some brandy, and I did. She poured it, neat, un�chilled, and got some�thing for her�self. She gave Vlad No�rathar what looked to be a glass of wine mixed with wa�ter. He sat in a full-​sized chair and wait�ed, ready to be part of the con�ver�sa�tion. I�d heard the ex�pres�sion �I didn�t know whether to laugh or to cry,� but I hadn�t giv�en it much cred�it un�til that mo�ment.

Yeah, okay, what�ev�er.

�It�s good to see you,� she said.

�What hap�pened to your face?� said Vlad No�rathar.

�I was beat�en up.�

�By who?�

�Whom,� said Cawti.

�I�m not ex�act�ly cer�tain,� I said.

�Are you go�ing to find out, and then beat them up?�

I hes�itat�ed. When in doubt you can al�ways fall back on hon�esty. �If I have the chance to hurt them, I will.�

He nod�ded, and seemed about to ask more, but I guess Cawti didn�t like where the con�ver�sa�tion was go�ing. �So,� she said. �What is it?�

I tried to fig�ure out how to ex�press it. �Why am I al�ways in a po�si�tion where I need to know what�s go�ing on, and no one will tell me any�thing?�

�You aren�t ac�tu�al�ly ex�pect�ing me to an�swer that.� She phrased it as a state�ment.

�No, I�m not.�

�What is it, then?�

She was wear�ing an olive-​green dress, with a white half-​bodice, half-​vest that laced up in front; there were a few ruf�fles from her white shirt show�ing at the col�lar, and the sleeves were big and puffy. It was the kind of thing that made you ache to un�lace it. Her hair was look�ing es�pe�cial�ly black against it. Damn her, any�way. �Can you tell me any�thing at all about what, uh, what your peo�ple, your group, are do�ing about this mas�sacre?�

Her brows came to�geth�er and she looked gen�uine�ly puz�zled. �Vlad, there isn�t any se�cret about that. We�ve been ag�itat�ing about it since it hap�pened, and��

�Pub�licly?�

�Of course.�

�What about pri�vate�ly?�

�I�m not sure what you mean.� She said it as if she re�al�ly wasn�t. I hes�itat�ed, and she said, �Maybe you could give me an idea of why you need to know.�

�Um,� I said. �Some of this I can�t tell you.�

Her eyes sparkled for a mo�ment, just like they used to. �Ex�plain to me again what you were say�ing about need�ing to know things and no one be�ing will�ing to tell you any�thing.�

I felt my�self smil�ing. �Yeah.�

Vlad No�rathar re�mained in his chair, his eyes mov�ing from one of us to the oth�er as we spoke. He had some of his wine, hold�ing the mug in both hands, his eyes watch�ing me over the rim. I�ve been stared at by a lot scari�er guys who made me a lot less ner�vous. I cleared my throat.

�Ev�ery�thing ties in�to ev�ery�thing else,� I said.

She nod�ded. �Yes, we�ll start with the big gen�er�al�iza�tions. Okay, go on.�

I sup�pressed a growl. �The Jhereg is up to some�thing big and nasty,� I said. �They�re work�ing with the Or�ca. I don�t know how un�rest among Teck�la and East�ern�ers will play in�to it. It might work against what they�re do�ing, in which case your group will be a tar�get. Or it might work for it, in which case you�ll be help�ing them.�

�Vlad, I don�t know where you get the idea that we can con�trol pop�ular un�rest. We can�t. On the day we can, we�ll be liv�ing in a dif�fer�ent world.�

�Um. All right, sup�pose I ac�cept that. I don�t think the Jhereg will.�

She nod�ded. �I ap�pre�ci�ate the warn�ing; I�ll pass it on.�

�Good,� I said. �But that wasn�t ac�tu�al�ly what I was af�ter.�

�All right. What are you af�ter?�

�Try�ing to fig�ure out what will hap�pen, how the Jhereg will re�spond, how the Em�pire will re�spond to that, and how I have to re�spond to the Em�pire.�

She nod�ded. �Good luck with that.�

�I drown in the depths of your sym�pa�thy.�

�Vlad��

I sighed. �Okay.�

�I just don�t know what I can tell you that would do you any good.�

�Do you ex�pect ri�ots?�

�I wish I knew. Peo�ple are an�gry enough. We�re do�ing all we can to stop them, but��

�Stop them?�

She blinked. �Of course, Vlad. A ri�ot isn�t go�ing to do any�thing ex�cept get some heads bro�ken.�

�Um. Okay, looks like I need to re-​eval�uate.�

�Does this throw off your plan?�

�No, not that bad. I hadn�t got�ten as far as hav�ing a plan.�

She nod�ded; she knew my way of work�ing as well as any�one. Bet�ter than any�one. �We�re not the on�ly group work�ing in South Adri�lankha and among the Teck�la, you know.�

�Um. Ac�tu�al�ly, I didn�t know that.�

�There are at least six in�de�pen�dent or�ga�ni�za�tions.�

�Re�al�ly. Well. What would hap�pen if you all got to�geth�er?�

�To do what?�

�Eh, I don�t know.�

�If we all got to�geth�er, nei�ther would we. Since we have op�po�site ideas on what to do, �get�ting to�geth�er� doesn�t seem like it would ac�com�plish a great deal, does it?�

�Okay, okay. I hadn�t meant to start some�thing. What are these oth�er groups up to?�

She rolled her eyes. �Var�ious things. Some of them are get�ting up pe�ti�tions to the Em�pire. Some are or�ga�niz�ing food and mon�ey to be sent to the sur�vivors in Tir�ma. Some are or�ga�niz�ing march�es de�mand�ing the Em�pire in�ves�ti�gate. Some are en�cour�ag�ing peo�ple to in�di�vid�ual acts of vi�olence against Im�pe�ri�al rep�re�sen�ta�tives. Some��

�Wait a minute. Acts of vi�olence?�

Her lips pressed to�geth�er and she nod�ded. �Po�lit�ical�ly naive is the kind�est thing you can say about it; sui�ci�dal is more ac�cu�rate.�

�Can you tell me what they�re plan�ning?�

She gave me a hard look. �From what I know of them, they aren�t plan�ning any�thing, they�re just en�cour�ag�ing peo�ple to at�tack Im�pe�ri�al Rep�re�sen�ta�tives. And if they were plan�ning some�thing, I wouldn�t be in a po�si�tion to know what it is. And if I were in such a po�si�tion, I cer�tain�ly wouldn�t tell you about it.�

She�s very good with hard looks. I hadn�t no�ticed Vlad No�rathar re�act�ing to her voice, but he must have, be�cause Cawti reached out and stroked his head.

�Un�der�stood,� I said. �I won�t press you on that.�

�And if you�re go�ing to find them, you�ll do it with�out my��

�I don�t plan to do that,� I said.

�All right.�

I didn�t, ei�ther. What�ev�er their chances were of killing some�one, their chances of ac�tu�al�ly af�fect�ing things were nil. But some�thing or some�one else might. Maybe. I need�ed to think.

�You look like you need to think,� she said.

I nod�ded.

She was qui�et. So was the boy, ex�cept that his eyes were very loud. I stood up and paced; he watched me. Af�ter a lit�tle bit, I said, �It isn�t the group that wants to kill Im�pe�ri�al Rep�re�sen�ta�tives that both�ers me. It�s the group press�ing for an in�ves�ti�ga�tion.�

�Ac�tu�al�ly,� said Cawti, �that�s some�thing we�re press�ing for, too. But we want an in�ves�ti�ga�tion by us, by the peo�ple; they want the Em�pire to in�ves�ti�gate it�self.�

I di�gest�ed that. �Do you think you�ll get any�where with your, ah, in�de�pen�dent in�ves�ti�ga�tion?�

�I don�t think ask�ing the Em�pire to in�ves�ti�gate it�self is go�ing to get any�thing. Do you?�

�That,� I said, �is just what I�m try�ing to fig�ure out.�

She snort�ed. �Even if they could con�vince��

�They don�t have to. It�s al�ready hap�pen�ing.�

She stopped. �Is it in�deed?�

�So I�m told.�

�I hadn�t heard about it.�

�It�s pret�ty new. Al�so, prob�ably, pret�ty se�cret.�

�A se�cret in�ves�ti�ga�tion,� she said. �Well, I think we can all have a lot of con�fi�dence in that.�

�I think the Em�press wants to know what hap�pened, and why.�

�I�d like to know my�self,� said Cawti.

�But there are oth�ers who don�t.�

She arched an eye�brow.

�The Jhereg,� I said.

�The Jhereg? Why would they care?�

�It might in�ter�fere with the schemes they�re try�ing to hatch.�

�What ex�act�ly are these fa�mous schemes?�

�That,� I said, �is ex�act�ly what I can�t talk about.�

She nod�ded.

�It�s bet�ter to talk about what�s both�er�ing you,� said Vlad No�rathar.

My first in�cli�na�tion was to ar�gue with him, which is fun�ny when you think about it. But I had the feel�ing Cawti wouldn�t have ap�pre�ci�at�ed that, so I just said, �You�re right, but some�times you have to not talk about things be�cause you don�t want to get some�one else in trou�ble.�

That seemed to make sense to him. He nod�ded.

�You have friends, you know,� said Cawti.

I nod�ded. �Hard to for�get; it�s the on�ly rea�son I�m still around to ir�ri�tate the Jhereg. Have you heard any�thing from the Left Hand?�

She shook her head. �They�re keep�ing the agree�why?� she asked, sud�den�ly look�ing alert.

�This might in�volve them, too.�

She sighed. �You cer�tain�ly do make a lot of en�emies for a lov�able guy.�

�It�s my bur�den.�

A smile came and went on her an�gu�lar face, framed in straight black hair, her eyes dark and deep. It was hard to be�lieve one face could con�vey such a range of�

�Boss, if you can�t fo�cus on the prob�lem, I�m go�ing to in�voke my ex�ec�utive au�thor�ity to get us out of this town.�

�When did you get ex�ec�utive au�thor�ity?�

�You should give me ex�ec�utive au�thor�ity.�

I stud�ied the ceil�ing over Cawti�s head. �How would I find these peo�ple?�

�They meet at the home of the lead�er, a print�er by trade. Her name is Brinea. She lives on Enoch Way, near Wood�cut�ter�s Mar�ket. A lit�tle cot�tage paint�ed an ug�ly green, with a pair of ev�er�greens in front.�

�Thanks.�

�Do you ac�tu�al�ly need to see them?�

�I�m not sure. There�s too much I�m not sure of right now.�

She nod�ded. �This is li�able to get bloody, Vlad.�

�Yeah, I had that same thought.�

�As long as you know.�

I shrugged. �I�ve done bloody be�fore.�

�How re�cent�ly?�

�I�ve been try�ing to use my head more and my knives less.�

�That�s what wor�ries me.�

�What, try�ing to shake my con�fi�dence?�

She shook her head. �Try�ing to re�as�sure my�self that you aren�t get�ting in�to some�thing you can�t han�dle.�

�I�m glad you care.�

�You know I care.�

�Yeah. I just like be�ing re�mind�ed from time to time.�

She looked at Vlad No�rathar. I fol�lowed her gaze; he was look�ing at me cu�ri�ous�ly.

�Okay,� I said. �I see your point.� I got up and opened the door. Loiosh and Rocza flew out. A cou�ple of min�utes lat�er, Loiosh let me know the area was safe.

�I�ll see you soon,� I said. �Vlad No�rathar, it is al�ways a plea�sure, sir.� I bowed.

He stood, care�ful�ly set his wine cup down, and did a cred�ible im�ita�tion of my bow, his leg back and his hand sweep�ing the floor. Then he straight�ened up and grinned.

Cawti smiled proud�ly at him, then walked me to the door.

�Un�til next time, Vlad,� she said, and the door closed soft�ly be�hind me.

I had nowhere in par�tic�ular to be, and rea�son to be�lieve I didn�t have a tail, and I felt like walk�ing; so I made my way to Wood�cut�ter�s Mar�ket in South Adri�lankha. Enoch Way wasn�t marked, but one of those East�ern wom�en who looks like ev�ery�one�s grand�moth�er grunt�ed and point�ed, then looked at me as if won�der�ing why I didn�t know some�thing so ob�vi�ous. I of�fered her a coin, which she re�fused with a snort.

Loiosh and Rocza flew above me, in cir�cles, watch�ing as I strolled down the street like any good cit�izen; ex�cept of course that not many East�ern�ers open�ly wore steel at their sides, and the cut of my clothes was bet�ter than most.

It was easy to find the cot�tage; it was just as Cawti had de�scribed it. I stood across the street, lean�ing against a dead tree in the front of a row of cheap hous�ing, and stud�ied the ug�ly green. I prob�ably should have been able to de�duce things about the per�son who lived there just by look�ing at it, but I couldn�t. I mean, yeah, the yard was neat; so what? Did she keep it that way, or did a hus�band, or had they hired some�one to do it? The paint was pret�ty new, but, same thing.

I watched the place a lit�tle longer, but no one came in or out. I thought about break�ing in. Maybe. Couldn�t think what I�d be li�able to learn, and to have some�one find me would be em�bar�rass�ing. But if there was some�thing to find�

�Boss, hide.�

I ducked be�hind the oak tree. �What?�

�You�ve been found. Dra�gaer�an, Jhereg col�ors, big but moves well. He�s got those eyes.�

I knew what he meant by that; there�s some�thing around the eyes of some�one who�s done �work.� I guess maybe I have that look, too. Or did. I don�t know.

�Find me a clean way out?�

�Look�ing.�

I re�mained still and wait�ed, my fin�gers tap�ping on La�dy Tel�dra�s hilt. I�d been in much scari�er sit�ua�tions than just one lone Jhereg. If this was more com�pli�cat�ed than that, well, I�d have to trust Loiosh to let me know in time; mean�while I was ready, but not ner�vous.

�Boss, uh, some�thing odd.�

�That isn�t use�ful.�

�He�s about twen�ty feet away from you, stopped, lean�ing against that emp�ty store�front, pret�ty well con�cealed from the street. He knows his stuff.�

�All right. And?�

�And when he got there, some�one else left the same spot.�

�We walked right by some�one?�

�Seems like. But that isn�t the thing. He�s watch�ing the house.�

�Oh.�

�You think he isn�t here for you?�

�Let�s stay here for a bit and watch the watch�er. What�s the oth�er guy do�ing?�

�Leav�ing, try�ing to look in�con�spic�uous. Do�ing all right at it.�

�What are the chances they rec�og�nized me?�

�How should I know, Boss? I mean, prob�ably not; you�re just an�oth�er East�ern�er here. But��

�Right. We can�t know. Okay, let�s hang out and see what hap�pens.�

On re�flec�tion, it seemed that break�ing in�to the house would have been a bad idea af�ter all.

�Is there a way I can get in�to a po�si�tion to watch him?�

�I�ll check.� And, �All right. This way.� He land�ed on my shoul�der, and guid�ed me be�hind the row of hous�ing, through some yards with bits of dis�card�ed fur�ni�ture and bro�ken pot�tery, and then around. I hugged a house, set�tled in, and wait�ed, watch�ing.

Well now. Here was an in�ter�est�ing sit�ua�tion.

The so�lu�tion, of course, pre�sent�ed it�self at once, see�ing as I wasn�t in a hur�ry. If for what�ev�er rea�son you are un�able to speak with some�one psy�chi�cal�ly, there is a vi�tal tool that you must nev�er be with�out: a scrap of pa�per and a wax pen�cil.

�I�m run�ning an er�rand?�

�Yes, in�deed. Un�less Rocza can do it.�

�Bet�ter be me. Are we in a hur�ry?�

�On�ly be�cause I�m go�ing to be re�al�ly bored un�til you get back.�

I scratched out a note and hand�ed it to him. He took it in a claw and flew off. I squat�ted down and set�tled in to wait. I didn�t move; the guy I was watch�ing didn�t move. I oc�cu�pied my time with try�ing to de�cide whether I knew the guy, and, if so, from where. He looked vague�ly fa�mil�iar; I might have hired him for some�thing once. Or I might have just seen him at�

�Hel�lo, Vlad. You wished some�thing?�

I heard the voice at the same time I felt the pop of dis�placed air; I didn�t quite jump and scream. I�d have glared at him, but it was my own fault for not telling Loiosh to warn me, so in�stead I just glared.

�Hel�lo, Day�mar. Long time.�

�What do you mean?�

�Nev�er mind. Yes, I�d like a fa�vor of you, if you aren�t busy.� He was float�ing, cross-​legged, about three feet off the ground. It�s an easy trick, and I can�not for the life of me imag�ine why he thinks it might be im�pres�sive. Maybe he just thinks it�s com�fort�able, but it doesn�t look com�fort�able.

I�d known him for, well, for years. Tall, dark, and a Hawk�lord, with all that im�plies. If it doesn�t im�ply any�thing for you, I�ll spell it out: He�s vague, ir�ri�tat�ing, very good at what he does, and com�plete�ly obliv�ious of any�thing that might be go�ing on around him un�less it ex�cites his par�tic�ular in�ter�est. It�s good to know peo�ple like Day�mar, even if it means putting up with peo�ple like Day�mar. But when it comes to mess�ing around with the in�side of some�one�s head, there�s no one bet�ter. I�ve used his skills in the past, and I�ll use them again if I don�t evis�cer�ate him in�stead.

I said, �See that fel�low over there?�

He looked. �No,� he said.

�Look again. There. No, where I�m point�ing. Just bare�ly around the cor�ner from the door.�

�Oh. Yes. What�s he do�ing?�

�Same thing I am. The ques�tion is, who is he do�ing it for?�

�Should I ask him?�

I took a breath, let it out again. �That wasn�t ex�act�ly what I had in mind.�

�Oh. You mean, some�thing more in�va�sive?�

�Yes.�

He paused. �He�s wear�ing pro�tec�tion.�

�Oh. Does that mean you can�t find out?�

He looked at me, as if try�ing to see if I was jok�ing. Then he said, �No.�

�Okay, but I don�t want him know�ing what hap�pened.�

That earned me an�oth�er look; which was fine, that�s why I�d said it.

I know, I know; it isn�t nice to ir�ri�tate some�one who is do�ing you a fa�vor. It prob�ably isn�t smart, ei�ther. But if you�d ev�er met Day�mar, you�d un�der�stand. Be�sides, this gave him an ex�cuse to show off, which was what he lived for.

No, that isn�t fair. It wasn�t about show�ing off for him, it was his fas�ci�na�tion with the thing he was do�ing�it was a chance to use his skill, to do what felt right for him to do. I could un�der�stand that; I used to feel the same way when set�ting up to put a shine on some�one. Not the killing, the set�ting up: that feel�ing of ev�ery�thing func�tion�ing the way it�s sup�posed to, of your mind go�ing above it�self, of�

�Got it,� he said.

I nod�ded. �What did you learn?�

�That he�s bored, that this is stupid, that noth�ing has been hap�pen�ing, and that he�s glad he doesn�t have to make the re�port.�

�Um. Let�s start with the last. He doesn�t have to make the re�port?�

�No, he�s just help�ing out some guy named Wid�ner.�

�And he doesn�t know who Wid�ner re�ports to?�

�Nope.�

I sug�gest�ed that my pa�tron god�dess should take sen�su�al plea�sure, though I didn�t put it quite in those terms. �Why doesn�t he want to make the re�port?�

�I can�t say ex�act�ly; I just got the im�pres�sion that who�ev�er the re�port is be�ing giv�en to, he wouldn�t like her.�

�Her.�

He nod�ded.

�Oh.�

I with�drew my sug�ges�tions about the De�mon God�dess.

Well now, that was all sorts of in�ter�est�ing. �Thank you, Day�mar. You�ve been most help�ful.�

�Al�ways a plea�sure, Vlad.�

There was a �whoosh� of air and he was gone, all abrupt and stuff, leav�ing me with my thoughts, such as they were.

Her.

If it was a �her� that Wid�ner was re�port�ing to, it was the Left Hand of the Jhereg.

Why was the Left Hand keep�ing a watch on what hap�pened in that lit�tle cot�tage?

Be�cause the Left Hand was in�volved in what�ev�er the Jhereg�the Right Hand, I mean�and the Or�ca were do�ing. And be�cause hav�ing Brinea and her peo�ple push�ing for the Em�pire to in�ves�ti�gate the mas�sacre in Tir�ma might mess up the plans.

Okay, fine. Why?

Be�cause the Em�pire, just on the off chance that they were hon�est (what�ev�er Cawti might say about that pos�si�bil�ity), would, by in�ves�ti�gat�ing, un�der�cut the pres�sure the Jhereg and the Or�ca were putting on them, and their scheme would fall through.

So, what would they do? They�d stop the in�ves�ti�ga�tion, if they could.

How? How do you go about stop�ping an Im�pe�ri�al in�ves�ti�ga�tion? And what did it have to do with some weird group of East�ern�ers gath�ered in a lit�tle cot�tage in South Adri�lankha?

Loiosh re�turned from his er�rand and land�ed on my shoul�der.

�Is he gone al�ready, Boss?�

�Yeah, and so are we. I have stuff to do.�

Iorich

12

Q: State your name and House.

A: Aliera e�Kieron, House of the Drag�on.

Q: What was your po�si�tion at the time of the in�ci�dent in Tir�ma?

A: As near as I can re�con�struct the mo�ment, I was sit�ting down.

Q: Please tell us your of�fi�cial po�si�tion with re�spect to the Em�pire.

A: Pris�on�er.

Q: Please tell us your of�fi�cial po�si�tion, with re�spect to the Em�pire, at the time of the in�ci�dent in Tir�ma.

A: War�lord, al�though in point of fact, my re�spect for the Em�pire is, at this mo�ment, un�der some�thing of a strain.

Q: Were the Im�pe�ri�al troops in Tir�ma act�ing un�der your or�ders?

A: I was the War�lord.

Q: I take that as an af�fir�ma�tive.

A: You can take that and�yes, they were act�ing un�der my or�ders.

Q: What or�ders did you give with re�spect to the re�bel�lion in the duchy of Carv�er?

A: To sup�press it.

Q: Were you spe�cif�ic as to the means of sup�press�ing it?

A: I thought per�haps a nice bou�quet of can�dle�bud sur�round�ing a bot�tle of Ailor would do the trick.

Q: The Court re�minds the wit�ness that copies of her or�ders are in the Court�s pos�ses�sion.

A: The wit�ness won�ders, then, why the Court is both�er�ing to ask ques�tions to which it knows the an�swers.

Q: The wit�ness is re�mind�ed that she may be held in con�tempt.

A: The feel�ing is mu�tu�al.

�Want to tell me about it, Boss?�

Just to be un�pre�dictable, I filled him in on what I�d put to�geth�er. When I�d fin�ished, he was qui�et for a while; maybe from shock. Then he said, �Okay, what now?�

�Can you think of any rea�son for the Left Hand to have that cot�tage watched, ex�cept for what I�m think�ing? They�re push�ing for an Im�pe�ri�al in�ves�ti�ga�tion, and the Left Hand doesn�t want that to hap�pen. Am I miss�ing some�thing?�

�Boss, you don�t know any�thing about those peo�ple. That�s one thing they�re do�ing. What if it�s some�thing else en�tire�ly?�

�Like what?�

�How should I know?�

�You re�al�ly think it�s some�thing else?�

�No, I think the same as you. But you don�t know.�

�Then let�s run with that for the mo�ment, and see where it gets us. If the Em�pire in�ves�ti�gates, the deal�s off, and the Jhereg, the Or�ca, and the Left Hand all lose. So, they don�t want the in�ves�ti�ga�tion to hap�pen.�

�But it�s hap�pen�ing any�way, hav�ing noth�ing to do with any�one in any lit�tle cot�tage. Where does that leave us?�

�That�s what I�m try�ing to work out.�

�Work away.�

�Okay. How do you stop an Im�pe�ri�al in�ves�ti�ga�tion?�

�You know, Boss, that�s some�thing you ne�glect�ed to cov�er in my train�ing ses�sions.�

�Can�t pres�sure the Em�press di�rect�ly, we have noth�ing to pres�sure her with.�

�I don�t get it, Boss. Why is the Em�press do�ing this, any�way?�

�So she can get out from un�der the Jhereg; to look good to the no�bles, and maybe to the peo�ple too, I don�t know.�

�Okay, I�ll buy that.�

�So then, the thing to do is to dis�cred�it the in�ves�ti�ga�tion.�

�Good plan, Boss. How do you do it?�

�Spread ru�mors that these East�ern�ers are be�hind it? Maybe plant some ev�idence?�

�Pos�si�ble.� He didn�t sound con�vinced. Nei�ther was I, for that mat�ter.

�Boss, where are we go�ing?�

I stopped. As I had been think�ing and walk�ing, my feet had tak�en me over the Stone Bridge and were lead�ing me back to my old area�the worst place I could be. The chances of the Jhereg spot�ting me were too high to make me com�fort�able any�where in the city; in my old neigh�bor�hood it was near�ly cer�tain.

�Uh, nowhere. Back to the Palace, I guess.�

I changed di�rec�tion; Loiosh kept his com�ments to him�self.

I made it to the Palace with�out in�ci�dent, en�ter�ing through the Drag�on Wing just to be con�trary, and be�cause I was in a mood to glare back. I found some food, then crossed to the House of the Iorich.

I clapped, and, once again, he opened the door enough to peer out, then let me in. One of these days, I was go�ing to have to ask him why he does that.

I sat down and said, �The Em�press is launch�ing an in�ves�ti�ga�tion in�to the events at Tir�ma.�

�Yes,� he said. �I seem to re�mem�ber telling you that. What about it?�

�Do you think it�s a re�al in�ves�ti�ga�tion?�

He frowned. �As op�posed to what?�

�I don�t know,� I said. �A bunch of run�ning around, closed-​door tes�ti�mo�ny, fol�lowed by what�ev�er re�sult the Em�press wants.�

�I doubt it�s that, not from this em�press. I should find out who is in charge of it. That might tell us some�thing.� He stood up. �I may as well do it now.�

�Should I wait here?�

�Yes, but re�lax. This might take a while.�

I nod�ded. He slipped out. I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes. I guess I fell asleep, or at least dozed. I had some vague�ly dis�turb�ing dream that I can�t re�mem�ber, and woke up when Perisil came back in.

�Were you sleep�ing?� He seemed amused.

�Just rest�ing my eyes,� I said. �What did you learn?�

�It�s be�ing run by La�dy Jus�ticer De�saniek.�

He sat down be�hind his desk and looked ex�pec�tant�ly at me. �Sor�ry,� I said. �I don�t know the name.�

�She�s one of the High Jus�ticers. I trust you know what that means?�

�More or less,� I said.

�I know her. She isn�t cor�rupt�ible. She�s a lit�tle fast and loose with her in�ter�pre�ta�tions of the tra�di�tions, but com�plete�ly unim�peach�able when it comes to judg�ment and sen�tenc�ing.�

�So you�re say�ing that the in�ves�ti�ga�tion is straight.�

�Prob�ably. She�d be an odd choice if the Em�press didn�t want to ac�tu�al�ly learn what hap�pened, and why.�

�Might there be oth�er pres�sures on her, less di�rect than or�ders to rig it?�

He hes�itat�ed. �Maybe.�

�So then, how would some�one stop it?�

�Stop it?� he said. �Why would you want to do that?�

�Not me. There are oth�ers.�

�Who?�

�Let�s say pow�er�ful in�ter�ests. How would they go about stop�ping it?�

�I can�t an�swer that un�less you give me more in�for�ma�tion. What in�ter�ests? Why do they want to stop it? Pow�er�ful in what way?�

�All good ques�tions,� I said. I paused to con�sid�er just what I could tell him. It was frus�trat�ing: he could al�most cer�tain�ly tell me use�ful things if I didn�t have to wor�ry about what he might be made to tell.

�Just sup�pose,� I said, �that there ex�ist�ed a large crim�inal or�ga�ni�za�tion.�

I hes�itat�ed there; he watched me, lis�ten�ing, not mov�ing.

�And sup�pose,� I said, �that they had come up with a great idea for chang�ing the law in such a way that they made a lot of mon�ey, and that they were work�ing with cer�tain oth�er very pow�er�ful in�ter�ests.�

�How pow�er�ful?�

�As pow�er�ful as you can be at the bot�tom of the Cy�cle.�

�Go on.�

�And sup�pose that this idea for chang�ing the law re�quired putting pres�sure on the Em�press, and that this in�ves�ti�ga�tion had a good like�li�hood of re�liev�ing that pres�sure.�

�I�m with you.�

�How would such a hy�po�thet�ical or�ga�ni�za�tion go about stop�ping or sab�otag�ing the in�ves�ti�ga�tion?�

He was silent for a minute or two; I could al�most hear his brain bub�bling. Then he said, �I can�t think of any way.�

�Heh. Sup�pose they killed De�saniek?�

�Would they do that?�

�They might.�

�It wouldn�t work any�way. The Em�pire would find some�one else just as good, and make sure it doesn�t hap�pen again, and hunt down who�ev�er did it.�

�I sup�pose so. In any case, I apol�ogize; I un�der�stand this is out�side of your usu�al line of work.�

He shrugged and a wisp of a smile came and went. �It�s a wel�come break from think�ing about rules of ev�idence and forms of ar�gu�ment.�

�Oh? You don�t en�joy your work?�

�I do, re�al�ly. But it gets te�dious at times. This whole case has been a bit out of the or�di�nary for me, and I ap�pre�ci�ate that.�

�A plea�sure to be of ser�vice,� I said. �I can�t imag�ine do�ing what you do.�

�I can�t�that is�nev�er mind.�

�Do you care whether the per�son you�re de�fend�ing is ac�tu�al�ly in�no�cent or guilty?�

�In�no�cent and guilty are le�gal terms.�

�You�re evad�ing the ques�tion.�

�You should be an Iorich.�

�Thank you, I think.�

�The House has de�creed that, what�ev�er a per�son may or may not have done, he is en�ti�tled to be de�fend�ed. That is suf�fi�cient for me.�

�But if he tells you he did, doesn�t that��

�No one would tell me that, be�cause I�d have to tes�ti�fy to that fact.�

�Oh, right, I knew that. But if, say, the per�son im�plies it, or hints at it��

�I still give him the best de�fense I can, be�cause that�s what the House dic�tates, and what Im�pe�ri�al law de�crees as well.�

�And you feel good about that?�

He looked puz�zled for a minute. �Wouldn�t you?�

�Huh? Me? I�d feel bet�ter about it if the poor bas�tard was guilty. But I�m not an Iorich.�

�No, you aren�t.�

�It feels good if a guy walks away, then?�

�What are you get�ting at?�

�Noth�ing, re�al�ly. I�m mak�ing con�ver�sa�tion and let�ting the back of my head work on this prob�lem.�

�Oh.� He gave me an odd look, then said, �It feels good to make the best ar�gu�ments I can, and it feels good when, some�times, it ac�tu�al�ly has some�thing to do with jus�tice.�

�Jus�tice? What�s that?�

�Se�ri�ous ques�tion?�

�No, but an�swer it as if it were.�

�I don�t know. I don�t get in�to the deep�er, mys�ti�cal as�pects. Some do. But jus�tice? Edicts oc�ca�sion�al�ly have some�thing to do with jus�tice, but statutes al�most nev�er do.�

�Uh, what do they have to do with?�

�Prac�ti�cal�ity. For ex�am�ple, right here in Adri�lankha, when meat�pack�ing be�came such a big in�dus�try, they passed lo�cal statutes say�ing that any peas�ant who fell short for the year could be kicked off his land. The no�bles raised an out�cry, but didn�t have the clout to do any�thing about it.�

�I don�t un�der�stand what that has to do with meat�pack�ing.�

�Kick peas�ants off the land, there�s your la�bor force for the pack�ing plants. Along with a lot of East�ern�ers, of course.�

�Oh. Are they that, I don�t know, ob�vi�ous about it?�

�Some�times. In the area around Lake Shalo�mar�right where Tir�ma is�they dis�cov�ered sil�ver. First thing that hap�pened was an in�flux of min�ers, the sec�ond thing was an in�flux of mer�chants sell�ing to the mi�nors. So the Duke passed a statute tax�ing both the sale and the pur�chase of min�ing equip�ment, set tax�es to some ab�surd lev�el, and pro�vid�ed for the con�scrip�tion of any�one un�able to pay the tax. That�s how he re�cruit�ed his army. I don�t think you�d call that jus�tice.�

�Um. No, I imag�ine not.�

�There are worse cas�es. Around the Ko�rlaph, north of the Push�ta, they dis�cov�ered tin, and had a re�al la�bor short�age. The Count went on a statute ram�page, and by the time he was done, he not on�ly owned all the mines, but had made up the most ab�surd laws to have a few thou�sand lo�cals ar�rest�ed, and then sen�tenced them to work the mines.�

�He can do that?�

�Once in a while, some�one has enough fam�ily with enough mon�ey to bring a par�tic�ular case to the at�ten�tion of the Em�pire, and a par�tic�ular law gets over�turned.�

�And I thought the Jhereg was cor�rupt.�

�Law is a re�flec�tion of so�ci�ety, jus�tice is a re�flec�tion of an ide�al�iza�tion of that so�ci�ety.�

�You�re quot�ing some�one.�

He nod�ded. �Yurstov, Iorich Em�per�or of the Fifth Cy�cle, who tried to cre�ate an ac�tu�al jus�tice sys�tem. He failed, but he did some good.�

�And you stay with Edicts be�cause they aren�t as bad?�

He frowned. �I guess that�s part of it, though I don�t think of it in those terms. I had a client once who an�noyed some�one, and the some�one set him up to look like he�d com�mit�ted a crime. I got him off. That felt like jus�tice.�

�Was it? I mean, what had he done to an�noy the guy?�

Perisil shrugged. �I don�t know. As I said, the deep�er lev�els I leave to oth�ers. But that�s jus�tice to me. Sup�pose some poor fool of a Teck�la steals a chick�en from his land�lord be�cause he�s hun�gry. And some high-​and-​mighty Or�ca man�ages a scheme to cheat his crew out of half their pay. If the first guy gets off with a cou�ple of cuts, and the sec�ond goes to the Star, well, to me that�s jus�tice.�

�How of�ten does that hap�pen?�

�I don�t know; I don�t deal with those sorts of cas�es. Those have to do with tra�di�tion�al law, and I work with Edicts. More of�ten it�s the oth�er way around, I should think. Is there a point to all this, Lord Tal�tos?�

�I�m a cu�ri�ous guy, is all. And you�re�odd.�

�You�ve met ad�vo�cates be�fore.�

�Yes, but on�ly the ones in�ter�est�ed in mon�ey.�

�Oh,� he said. �Yes, I sup�pose so.�

I stood up. �Sor�ry, I�ll let you work.�

�And you?�

�I need to think like a Jhereg.�

�I imag�ine that comes eas�ier to you than think�ing like an ad�vo�cate.�

�A lit�tle,� I said. �Oh, one oth�er thing. De�saniek. Where do I find her?�

His eyes nar�rowed. �Why do you want to know?�

�I�m not sure. But I have no in�ten�tion of killing her.�

�If you even talk to her��

�I doubt it will come to that.�

He hes�itat�ed, then said, �While she�s con�duct�ing the in�ves�ti�ga�tion, she�ll be work�ing out of the Of�fice of the Im�pe�ri�al Jus�ticer in the Im�pe�ri�al Wing.�

�What does she look like?�

He frowned again. He clear�ly didn�t like the way this con�ver�sa�tion was go�ing.

�Re�al�ly,� I said. �I don�t in�tend to kill her. Or beat her. I don�t know what I�m go�ing to do, but it could end up that I�ll be sav�ing her life, de�pend�ing on how things shake out.�

�All right,� he said. �But I�m not very good at de�scrib�ing peo�ple.�

�What�s the first thing you no�tice about her?�

�Um. Her face?�

�Any�thing spe�cial about how she dress�es, or what she wears��

�She keeps her hair up, and she al�ways wears a stick�pin in it with a lot of lit�tle di�amonds.�

�Thanks,� I said. �That should do it. And don�t wor�ry about it too much.�

I took my�self out of the of�fice and back up to the main floor of the House. I need�ed to think, and I need�ed to find a place to do it. I crossed over to the Iorich Wing, stared for a mo�ment at the sculpt�ed thing and won�dered what it sym�bol�ized, then end�ed up let�ting my feet car�ry me to�ward the pris�ons while I tried to put the pieces to�geth�er.

I hadn�t got�ten any�where when I reached the big gates; the same guard was there. He said, �You want to see Aliera?�

�Yes,� I said, though I hadn�t ac�tu�al�ly for�mu�lat�ed the idea.

I just had to sign and seal one pa�per, af�firm�ing that ev�ery�thing I�d signed be�fore still ap�plied. Some�one I�d nev�er seen be�fore guid�ed me in.

I clapped at the door be�fore the guard could; she opened the door and let me in, say�ing, �One hour.�

Aliera was in the same place, the same po�si�tion she�d been in be�fore. I had the im�pres�sion she hadn�t moved since I�d left. On the ta�ble next to the couch were sev�er�al wine bot�tles, all emp�ty.

�Well,� she said, glar�ing at me.

�Ver�ra!� I said. �First Sethra, now you. Great.�

�Huh?�

�When I spoke with Sethra, she was drunk, too.�

�Is there some�thing I should be do�ing in�stead?�

�An�swer�ing my ques�tions.�

�Ask them.�

�First ques�tion: Did you know the Em�press is start�ing an in�ves�ti�ga�tion in�to the events in Tir�ma?�

�First an�swer: Why should I care?�

�Be�cause it was not want�ing to run that in�ves�ti�ga�tion that led to you be�ing ar�rest�ed.�

�So you say. And by the way, yes I knew. Some Iorich came in here and want�ed to ask me ques�tions about it.�

�And you were in just the shape you�re in now, right?�

She shrugged.

�Per�fect,� I said. �Can you re�mem�ber what she want�ed to know?�

�Sure. She want�ed to know if I en�joy slaugh�ter�ing in�no�cent Teck�la.�

�Did she ask that in so many words?�

Aliera made a vague sort of dis�miss�ing ges�ture.

I said, �You�re prob�ably too drunk for this to do any good, but I need to point out that if the Em�pire is in�ves�ti�gat�ing the re�al thing, then there�s no need for them to press fake charges against you.�

�And yet,� she said, �here I am.�

�Yes. I�m try�ing to fix that.�

She yawned. �Let me know how that works out.�

�If I come back to�mor�row, will you be sober?�

�If I stay drunk, will you stay away?�

I could have point�ed out that she wasn�t help�ing, but I was be�gin�ning to get the idea that this wouldn�t be a pow�er�ful ar�gu�ment. There needs to be a bet�ter word than �stub�born� to de�scribe a Drag�onlord whose pride has been of�fend�ed, and then a bet�ter word than that to de�scribe Aliera.

�So tell me,� I said. �Do you en�joy slaugh�ter�ing in�no�cent Teck�la?�

She stared at me for a minute, then burst out laugh�ing. Since I�d fig�ured it was ei�ther that or she�d kill me, I was just as pleased. She laughed for much longer than it was worth, but I at�tribut�ed that to her state. Even�tu�al�ly she wiped her eyes and said, �Yes, but not by proxy.�

�I doubt the Iorich would ac�cept that an�swer.�

�You nev�er know,� she said. �They might. I�ll ask my ad�vo�cate if we should base our de�fense on it.�

�Do that. I�ll ask the Em�press what she thinks.�

�Do that. I�m cu�ri�ous about what�s be�hind all of this.�

�Me too. That�s what I�m do�ing here.�

�What, you think I can tell you some�thing?�

�Al�most cer�tain�ly. And you might even be will�ing, if I knew what to ask.�

She swirled the wine in her glass and stared at it. �Maybe I would. What ex�act�ly is the prob�lem you�re try�ing to solve?�

I gave her a quick run�down about things as I saw it.

�So, you think the Jhereg,� she al�most spat the word, �are go�ing to sab�otage this in�ves�ti�ga�tion?�

�Have you ev�er known them, or the Or�ca, to give up a chance for prof�it if there was a way not to?�

�No. But I don�t see any�thing they can do that won�t back-​fire on them.�

�You aren�t re�al�ly drunk, are you?�

�No, not re�al�ly.�

�I should prob�ably tell No�rathar, or else the Em�press, about what I think is go�ing on.�

�Prob�ably.�

�Un�less you�d rather.�

�Why would I?�

�I don�t know. A way of say�ing there are no hard feel�ings?�

�What makes you think there are no hard feel�ings?�

�Okay, a way of play�ing pol�itics? My prob�lems aren�t the sort that can be solved by hav�ing the Em�pire owe me any�thing.�

�I don�t ac�tu�al�ly care.� She hes�itat�ed. �But thanks for the of�fer.�

�D�ski!tna.�

�What?�

�You owe me no debt.�

�I know what it means. When did you learn Se�ri�oli?�

�On�ly a cou�ple of words,� I said, feel�ing my face turn�ing red. �I met a bard who�nev�er mind.�

She shrugged. �Any�thing else, or can I get back to plot�ting my jail�break?�

�You can get back to it. Can I smug�gle you in a lit�tle blue stone or some�thing?�

�They�re ac�tu�al�ly pur�ple, and, yes, I�ll take three of them.�

�Heh.�

I stood up to go. She said, �Vlad.�

�Hm?�

I ex�pect�ed her to thank me for all my work. Or maybe an�nounce some�thing pro�found, like telling me about a vi�sion she�d had of the De�mon God�dess. What she said was, �I don�t mind my daugh�ter play�ing with your son.�

�Um. Okay, thanks.�

I had the guard let me out of the place.

Be�ing in the Palace any�way, I went back to the same ven�dor and found some sausages that weren�t too bad, and bread that could have been staler, then made my way back to my room. Loiosh told me it was emp�ty, so I went in. I lay down on the bed and tried to think. My stom�ach grum�bled a lit�tle. I won�dered if I was get�ting too old to be liv�ing on bread and sausage; that would be sad.

As I lay there, I found my hand stroking the tiny gold�en links on the hilt of La�dy Tel�dra. In the years I�d had her, I�d on�ly used her twice; I some�how thought that would please her. Those thoughts led me to an�oth�er Is�so�la I knew, but I pushed those away: I need�ed to con�cen�trate on busi�ness.

My hand kept stroking La�dy Tel�dra�s hilt.

Hey, you in there? Any ideas? Can you help?

Noth�ing.

I sud�den�ly missed her�I mean, the re�al per�son�very sharply. It�s all well and good to think of her per�son�al�ity be�ing pre�served in�side a weapon, but for one thing, I�d nev�er felt it that I could be sure of. And for an�oth�er, I didn�t en�tire�ly be�lieve it. I won�der if she would say mur�der�ing a bunch of Teck�la was im�po�lite. I won�dered if the fact that I didn�t much care made me a bad per�son. Prob�ably.

�I won�der if she�d say any�thing about ly�ing on top of the bed with your boots on.�

�Prob�ably.�

My mind wan�dered, which is a good thing, be�cause some�times it wan�ders to where it needs to go and un�cov�ers just the right rock. In this case, it wan�dered to High Coun�sel Perisil. An in�ter�est�ing fel�low. What I�d said to him had been true: None of the ad�vo�cates I�d run in�to be�fore had any in�ter�est oth�er than in mak�ing them�selves rich. This shouldn�t be seen as say�ing any�thing about the House over�all: it�s a par�tic�ular set of them who end up work�ing for the Jhereg. I don�t know, maybe the Jhereg ex�erts an in�flu�ence on some peo�ple, turn�ing them. Or maybe those with such in�cli�na�tions, in any House, are more sub�ject to work�ing for them, more sub�ject to tak�ing and giv�ing bribes, to stab�bing peo�ple in the back, to set�ting up some poor bas�tard the way Perisil had said�

Oh.

Well, sure. That would do it.

�You think, Boss?�

�Why not? What would hap�pen?�

�I don�t know. You fig�ure that out.�

�I al�ready have, Loiosh. The in�ves�ti�ga�tion would be stopped, at least for a while, and there would be all sorts of noise about round�ing up and sup�press�ing Teck�la and East�ern�ers, and the no�bles would blame Zeri�ka for let�ting it get out of hand, and it would be a round throw whether she�d be able to get things back in hand, or whether she�d have to cave to the Jhereg to get the pres�sure off.�

�That�s the part I don�t see, Boss. How does go�ing along with the Jhereg re�lieve the pres�sure on Zeri�ka?�

�Now that is an ex�cel�lent ques�tion, my fine jhereg friend. I think I�ll go ask her.�

�Now?�

�I�ll prob�ably have to wait for hours to see her; can you think of a rea�son not to start the wait?�

�Put that way, I guess not.�

It was ear�ly evening; just be�gin�ning to get dark. I didn�t know what hours Her Majesty kept, but it could do no harm in ask�ing, so long as no one pol�ished me up dur�ing the walk from the inn to the Palace.

Loiosh and Rocza kept care�ful watch, and I took the round�about path I�d tak�en be�fore, and made it to the Palace with�out in�ci�dent. I won�t bore you with a rep�eti�tion of mak�ing my way to As�skiss Al�ley. Harn�wood was still there; like Aliera, he seemed not to have moved.

�Count Szurke,� he said.

I bowed. �Good Lord Harn�wood, would it be pos�si�ble to find out if Her Majesty would con�sent to see me?�

His face gave no sign there was any�thing odd in the re�quest. �Is it ur�gent?�

�A few hours or a day will make no dif�fer�ence,� I said. �But I have new in�for�ma�tion.�

He didn�t ask about what. Maybe he knew, but more like�ly he knew it was none of his busi�ness. �I shall in�quire. Please have a chair.�

I did, and wait�ed maybe half an hour.

�The Em�press will see you.�

I start�ed to fol�low him, stopped, and said, �When back�ing away from Her Majesty at the end of the in�ter�view, how many steps do I take be�fore turn�ing around?�

He smiled; I think the ques�tion pleased him. �If you are here as a per�son�al friend of Her Majesty, then five. If you are here as Count Szurke, then sev�en. If as Baronet Tal�tos, then ten.�

�Thank you,� I said.

If I had the choice be�tween try�ing to fig�ure out an Is�so�la and try�ing to fig�ure out an Iorich, I think I�d take a nap.

Harn�wood led me through a dif�fer�ent route, short�er, and to a co�zi�er room; I had the strong feel�ing this was a part of her liv�ing quar�ters, which meant I was be�ing hon�ored, or else that I was ir�ri�tat�ing her, or both. She was wait�ing. Harn�wood bowed deeply to Her Majesty, less deeply to me. I bowed to Her Majesty, she nod�ded to me. It�s just like a dance.

She didn�t of�fer me a chair. I said, �Majesty, thank you for see�ing me. I hadn�t re�al�ized you knew the Necro�mancer.�

She frowned. �How did you�� then looked down at her gold�en out�fit. �You�ve seen Sethra re�cent�ly.�

�Your Majesty�s pow�ers of de�duc�tion are��

�Leave it. What is this new in�for�ma�tion?�

�There is go�ing to be an ef�fort made to stop the in�ves�ti�ga�tion in�to the events in Tir�ma.�

She frowned. �What sort of at�tempt, and how do you know?�

I nod�ded. �Please ac�cept my com�pli�ments, Majesty. Those are good ques�tions. I rec�og�nize good ques�tions, be�cause I can come up with them my�self.�

Her brows came to�geth�er. �Are you bar�gain�ing with me, Tal�tos?�

�No, Majesty. I�ll an�swer yours in any case. I�m hop�ing Your Majesty�s grat�itude will��

�I get it. I�ll think about it.�

Be�ing Em�press means be�ing able to in�ter�rupt any�one, at any time. La�dy Tel�dra wouldn�t have ap�proved, but I have to ad�mit it was the first thing about the job I�d ev�er found at�trac�tive.

I said, �An at�tempt will be made on the life of Jus�ticer De�saniek. I know by de�duc�tion, from hints I�ve got�ten, and be�cause I know how the Jhereg op�er�ates.�

She stared. �The Jhereg? They wouldn�t��

�It will look like an at�tempt by a group of East�ern�ers and Teck�la; one of those out�fits of po�lit�ical mal�con�tents. It will be very con�vinc�ing.�

She sat back and her eyes half closed. The Orb slowed down over her head, and turned pur�ple. I�d nev�er seen it slow down be�fore. I won�dered what it meant. Af�ter about a minute, she looked up at me. �What are your ques�tions, Tal�tos?�

�Just one: Why would they do it?�

�Eh?�

�I know about their at�tempt to get you to pass de�crees out�law�ing cer�tain chem�icals��

�How do you know that?�

I an�swered the ques�tion she want�ed an�swered, not what she�d asked. I said, �From the Jhereg side, Majesty, not from any�one to whom you en�trust�ed the knowl�edge.�

�Very well.�

�As I said, I know about that. And I un�der�stand that Your Majesty��

�For�get the for�mal speech, Tal�tos. I�m too tired and too ir�ri�tat�ed.�

The Orb had, in�deed, turned icy blue. I bowed slight�ly and said, �I un�der�stand you�re try�ing to break out of the trap by bring�ing the truth out about the events in Tir�ma, and I ad�mire that. But I don�t un�der�stand the oth�er side of it. That is, how it is that if you co�op�er�ate with the Jhereg, make the de�crees they want and all that�how does that take the pres�sure off you?�

She was qui�et for a long time; the Orb grad�ual�ly chang�ing from blue to a non-​de�script green. �My first du�ty,� she said slow�ly, �is to keep the Em�pire run�ning. If I fail in that, noth�ing else mat�ters. To run the Em�pire, I need the co�op�er�ation of all of those I can�t co�erce, and to co�erce those who won�t co�op�er�ate. To do that, I need the con�fi�dence of the no�bles and the princes. If I lose the con�fi�dence of the no�bles, of the princes, I can�not run the Em�pire.�

�Sounds pret�ty sim�ple. Can the Jhereg re�al�ly cause the no�bles and princes to lose con�fi�dence in you?�

�A week ago I thought they could. Now�� She shrugged. �Now I guess we�ll put it to the test.�

I bowed to her, backed up sev�en steps, and left.

Iorich

13

Caltho�I un�der�stand Hen�ish has re�fused to tes�ti�fy of�fi�cial�ly. I don�t think that will be a prob�lem, but if we�re go�ing to do this, we need to know what he knows. Can you speak with him in�for�mal�ly and find out just what hap�pened? Let him know we aren�t out to stick a knife in him, we just need to know, from his point of view, what the se�quence was. In par�tic�ular, try to as�cer�tain:

1. Did the troops have rea�son to be�lieve the peas�ants in that shack were work�ing with the en�emy?

2. Did the peas�ants do any�thing that looked like it may have been an at�tack, or prepa�ra�tion for an at�tack?

3. Were they ques�tioned, and, if so, how did they re�spond?

4. Did the troops see any weapons or any�thing that looked like it could be used as a weapon?

5. Did they vi�olate or�ders, and, if so, at what point did they de�vi�ate from or�ders or ex�pect�ed pro�ce�dures?

Let him know that if we can get straight an�swers to these ques�tions, even un�of�fi�cial�ly, I�m pret�ty sure we can put this thing away, what�ev�er the an�swers are.

�De�saniek (not au�then�ti�cat�ed)

How do you stop an as�sas�sin?

Sounds like it�s about to be a joke, doesn�t it? But no, I was re�al�ly ask�ing my�self that.

You�d think, what with me hav�ing been one for a big chunk of my life, I�d have some pret�ty good ideas on how to go about stop�ping one, but it doesn�t work that way. When I thought up a way that would have stopped me, I thought up a way to counter it.

The point is, most as�sas�sins I know work pret�ty much the same way: get the pat�tern of your tar�get�s move�ments, se�lect a spot, pick a time, make an es�cape plan, choose a method, then, well, you do it. If you want to stop the as�sas�sin, and you don�t know who it is, you need to do pret�ty much the same thing and be there first. Good luck with that.

Or else�hm�mm�maybe find the as�sas�sin while he�s set�ting it up? Yeah, that had some pos�si�bil�ities.

�Well, Loiosh? Got any bet�ter ideas?�

�Your job is to find bet�ter ideas, mine is to cut holes in the ones you have, and you�ve al�ready done that pret�ty well.�

�Yeah. Thanks.�

I wan�dered around the Im�pe�ri�al Wing un�til I found a re�fresh�ing�ly snob�bish Teck�la who, for a bit of sil�ver, was will�ing to guide us to the of�fice of the Im�pe�ri�al Jus�ticer. Loiosh and Rocza hid in�side my cloak, which I should men�tion isn�t ter�ri�bly com�fort�able for any of us at the best of times, and with the added weight on my shoul�ders (lit�er�al�ly) now was flat no fun at all.

I was just as glad to have a guide�I�d nev�er have been able to find it on my own. I made a point of not�ing the twists, turns, and stair�ways, and when we got there (�Down this hall, the dou�ble doors with the iorich be�low the Im�pe�ri�al Phoenix there, you see, and the gold knobs? That one.�) I didn�t think I�d ev�er be able to find it again.

I dis�missed the Teck�la and walked in�to the of�fice, which was damn near as big as the throne room, and much more taste�ful�ly ap�point�ed, gold knobs notwith�stand�ing. A pleas�ant-​look�ing gen�tle�man with eye�brows that looked like he trimmed them sat be�hind a large high�ly pol�ished desk and in�quired as to my busi�ness, show�ing no signs of dis�com�fort at be�ing po�lite to me. I said, �I beg your par�don, m�lord, I�m in the wrong place.� I bowed low and humbly, as be�fit an East�ern�er, and walked out.

There was no one out�side the of�fice, so I took a good, slow look around. I was at the end of a long, wide hall�way; with no oth�er doors to the place, the in�sides prob�ably wrapped around, with a bunch of in�ter�nal of�fices, and al�so prob�ably went quite a ways back be�yond what I saw. There had been no win�dows in the room I was in.

Be�ing at the end of the hall�way like that was bad, be�cause there was no place to hide, but good be�cause it meant there was no oth�er way out�un�less there was a di�rect ex�it. I should have had Kiera steal the plans for the Palace, if there were any, and if I could have found a Val�lista to in�ter�pret them for me. Wide hall�ways mean im�por�tant peo�ple in the Palace, and maybe oth�er places too. I�ll make no com�ment on gold door�knobs; you de�cide.

It was marginal whether this would be a good place to find De�saniek; some�one im�por�tant is li�able to have an�oth�er en�trance or two, but not like�ly to use it most of the time; this is be�cause they usu�al�ly want to be seen com�ing and go�ing, and to check on those who work for them. Not al�ways, but chances were good she�d be com�ing out this way.

At the oth�er ex�treme of the hall�that is, past the stair�way�were three rooms and a small, short pas�sage end�ing in a door. I went and clapped at it�which hurt all through my chest and neck�and no one an�swered; tried the door and it was locked. I didn�t feel like be�ing caught pick�ing a lock in the Im�pe�ri�al Palace, so I didn�t.

I hate it when there�s no good place to hide; es�pe�cial�ly when I�m stand�ing around some�where I ob�vi�ous�ly don�t be�long. Here is where an in�vis�ibil�ity spell would have been use�ful, if I�d been able to cast one with�out re�mov�ing my pro�tec�tions, and if cast�ing it wouldn�t have set off ev�ery alarm in the Palace.

Yeah, well.

The ceil�ing pro�vid�ed no good place for Loiosh to hide, ei�ther.

�I beg to dif�fer.�

�The hang�ing lamp? You think you can use that?�

�I�d be con�cealed from one di�rec�tion, and in shad�ows from the oth�er.�

�You know what would hap�pen if you were spot�ted? A jhereg in the Palace? Some�one would scream, and they�d run and get ev�ery�body and��

�Maybe they�d just shoo me out the near�est win�dow.�

�I wouldn�t bet on it. And you won�t be able to fol�low her with�out be�ing spot�ted. And when�ev�er you leave, it�ll be prob�lem�at�ical.�

�Rocza will do it. All she has to do is let me know when she leaves, and which di�rec�tion she goes. And she can stay here un�til we can fetch her.�

�How do we�?�

�Oh, come on, Boss. There�s no one around. She can just fly up there.�

�You sure about this?�

�Yep.�

�Okay.�

I walked over to the place where the hall came to�geth�er, opened my cloak, and she flapped up to the lamp. I stud�ied her. I could see her, but I had to be look�ing. I felt a lit�tle bet�ter about the whole thing.

�What does she think about all of this?�

�She thinks it�s hot up there.�

A cou�ple of young-​look�ing Iorich walked by, ev�ident�ly on the way to see De�saniek, or maybe some oth�er busi�ness in that of�fice in�volv�ing sub�tleties of ju�rispru�dence. I bowed re�spect�ful�ly. They both glanced at me and kept walk�ing; one might have nod�ded slight�ly.

At the bot�tom of the stairs things be�came com�pli�cat�ed: There were pas�sages in three di�rec�tions, and I could make out fur�ther branch�ings on two of them; al�so the stairs kept go�ing down. I checked the near�est doors: one of them was a privy, which I took the op�por�tu�ni�ty to use, be�cause if you�re go�ing to be fol�low�ing some�one for maybe hours, that�s a prob�lem you don�t need. An�oth�er was locked, and one was open and emp�ty�it would prob�ably be some�one�s of�fice when the need arose for le�gal ad�vice on com�par�ative flow�er ar�range�ment. I stepped in, shut the door, and let Loiosh out from my cloak; a great re�lief to us both.

�Oh, do we get to wait now, Boss? You know that�s my fa�vorite part.�

We wait�ed.

Loiosh kept up a stream of sug�ges�tions about how to dec�orate the emp�ty room, while I tried to think up cre�ative things to say if some�one hap�pened to come walk�ing in. Ev�ery once in a while, he�d re�as�sure me that Rocza was still undis�cov�ered, and that De�saniek hadn�t been by.

We wait�ed a long time.

Ei�ther she had a lot to do in the of�fice and was dis�gust�ing�ly ded�icat�ed, or she had an�oth�er way out. Af�ter four hours, with my stom�ach rum�bling, I�d about de�cid�ed it was the lat�ter. Af�ter five hours, I was pret�ty well sure of it. It had al�most been six hours when Loiosh said, �There she is! Com�ing to�ward us, Boss,� and we were off.

Loiosh ducked in�to my cloak again, and I stepped out of the hall and walked over to the stair�way.

�What�s Rocza do�ing?�

�Wait�ing.�

�Good. Tell her to stay with it.�

I turned so that when she walked past me I was go�ing the oth�er way; I made a slight bow. My pe�riph�er�al vi�sion told me on�ly that she was of av�er�age height, with a rather light com�plex�ion for an Iorich and a firm stride. Once she was well past me, I turned around and fol�lowed. This not on�ly per�mit�ted me to watch for any�one else who might be fol�low�ing her, but al�so showed me how to get out of the Palace.

We pret�ty quick�ly reached a place where there were lots of peo�ple, which wasn�t good for me. It�s too easy to fol�low some�one in a crowd, which means it�s hard to spot some�one else do�ing so. I didn�t lose her, of course; I can man�age to stay with some�one even with�out Loiosh, thank you very much. But it did get sim�pler once we left the Palace it�self, and I could take a mo�ment when I was un�ob�served to let him out.

The easy part was fol�low�ing De�saniek. The hard part was spot�ting some�one else fol�low�ing De�saniek. The scary part was leav�ing the con�fines of the Palace area and won�der�ing if I had some�one fol�low�ing me with un�friend�ly in�ten�tions. The painful part was walk�ing quick�ly enough to keep up with her.

She didn�t go far, as it hap�pened�just out�side the Palace dis�trict to a place I�d eat�en at once be�fore. The food was okay, but the wine list was amaz�ing. Among the things I hadn�t prac�ticed late�ly was fol�low�ing around some�one who was eat�ing bet�ter than I was.

To the left, how�ev�er, I could leave Loiosh there in case she was a fast eater, and go re�trieve Rocza.

�Which means you walk�ing through a lot of bad ar�eas with�out me spot�ting for you.�

�Twen�ty min�utes.�

�Think how much you could you do in twen�ty min�utes.�

�Did you see any�one on the way here?�

�No, but��

�Hang tight. I�ll be back soon.�

And I was, too, be�lieve it or not. It took longer than it should have, be�cause I got lost try�ing to find the of�fice and had to ask di�rec�tions three times, but find it I did, and Rocza was there, and I had no trou�ble get�ting back out. It�s very strange how it can be hard to find your way to a place, but easy to find your way back.

�Okay, we�re about there. Is it safe?�

�You�re safe from ev�ery�one but Rocza, who�s hun�gry, over�heat�ed, and bad-​tem�pered.�

�I trust you to pro�tect me.�

�I charge for those ser�vices.�

I found a safe place to wait while De�saniek fin�ished eat�ing. Loiosh and Rocza scanned the area for any�one watch�ing ei�ther her or me.

�How will you tell which it is, Boss?�

�Just spot him, then we�ll wor�ry about it.�

�In oth�er words, you have no clue.�

�Some�thing like that.�

But we didn�t spot any�one. If there was any�one fol�low�ing her, he could be at the ta�ble next to her, eat�ing, and star�ing off in the op�po�site di�rec�tion; I�d done that be�fore.

So I wait�ed some more. Feh.

It might be in�ter�est�ing to give you the rest of what hap�pened that night in great de�tail if it had turned out to have been in�ter�est�ing, but in fact I nev�er spot�ted any�one. I was with her for about three more painful hours, as she vis�it�ed a pri�vate club where, I guess, high-​pow�ered Iorich like to re�lax; then even�tu�al�ly she went home. In the end, it was a big noth�ing.

I went back to the inn, got a lit�tle sleep and an ear�ly start, and wait�ed out�side her home. Loiosh spot�ted a Jhereg, but it was be�fore we got there, and he was ob�vi�ous�ly look�ing for me, based on how care�ful�ly he avoid�ed watch�ing the inn. Crap. We lost him on the way to De�saniek�s home.

She went straight to the of�fice; I had the jhereg in my cloak and all three of us wait�ed. She didn�t eat any morn�ing meal at all, and must have had lunch sent in. What she did in there for eigh�teen hours I don�t know, but there she was, and no one else seemed in�ter�est�ed. That night she ate in the same place, but went straight home af�ter�ward. She took the same route both times.

Back in my room at the inn, I got a note from Kiera that she had in�for�ma�tion for me; I wrote back ask�ing her to hold it for a day or two, since I had no time to do any�thing ex�cept fol�low De�saniek around.

Is it all right if I stop talk�ing about how much it hurt just to walk? You can�t be en�joy�ing hear�ing about it, and I don�t en�joy re�mem�ber�ing it. Let�s just say that, of all the times I�ve fol�lowed peo�ple around, this was the least pleas�ant.

You can re�peat the pat�tern for the day af�ter, ex�cept she went to a dif�fer�ent place af�ter she�d fin�ished, and ate with an Iorich who was prob�ably her lover�at least, they seemed to be on good terms, and he went home with her. They took a dif�fer�ent route, more scenic. I had the im�pres�sion they al�ways went this way.

The next day, no lover, no Jhereg in�ter�est�ed in her, and back to the first route, past one of my fa�vorite bak�ers, which made it es�pe�cial�ly try�ing.

When the same thing hap�pened the next day, I start�ed to get dis�gust�ed, not to men�tion wor�ried.

�What have I missed, Loiosh? They�re go�ing to take this Iorich out and make it look like those East�ern�ers are be�hind it. To do that, they have to know her move�ments ex�act�ly. Why aren�t they there?�

�Maybe they are, and you can�t see them.�

�In�vis�ible? I sup�pose. But some�one would have no�ticed an in�vis�ible guy walk�ing by. I�d think��

�That�s not what I mean. She isn�t a Jhereg, Boss. She prob�ably doesn�t have any pro�tec�tion spells on.�

�What�s your point?�

�Maybe they�re us�ing sor�cery to trace her?�

I used sev�er�al of my fa�vorite oaths, run�ning them to�geth�er. I wish I could re�mem�ber ex�act�ly how I put it, be�cause it was very po�et�ic.

�Boss?�

�That�s cheat�ing.�

�Uh, Boss��

�I know, I know. I�m just pissed be�cause I didn�t think of it.�

�That�s what you�ve got me around for.�

�Which you�ll nev�er let me for�get, which is the oth�er thing I�m pissed about. All right, there has to be a way to fig�ure this out. No, we don�t, we need to call for help.�

�Mor�rolan, or Sethra?�

�Yes.� Be�fore he could say some�thing snip�py, I added, �Who would be eas�ier to get to?�

�You could get Mor�rolan to come see you, in�stead of you go�ing there.�

�Yeah, good point.�

I took an�oth�er cir�cuitous route back to the Palace area, then went in�to the Drag�on Wing by one of the en�trances used by the no�bil�ity. Two guards in full uni�form stood out�side the en�trance; I won�dered if stand�ing out�side the Wing for hours at a time is an hon�or or a pun�ish�ment, but in any case I put on my full out�fit of ar�ro�gance and went breez�ing past them. This was go�ing to be fun.

There was a sergeant at a desk. I knew he was a sergeant be�cause I rec�og�nized the marks on his uni�form, and I knew it was a desk be�cause it�s al�ways a desk. There�s al�ways some�one at a desk, ex�cept when it�s a ta�ble that func�tions as a desk. You sit be�hind a desk, and ev�ery�one knows you�re sup�posed to be there, and that you�re do�ing some�thing that in�volves your brain. It�s an odd, spe�cial kind of im�por�tance. I think ev�ery�one should get a desk; you can sit be�hind it when you feel like you don�t mat�ter.

The Em�press didn�t have a desk. Mor�rolan didn�t have a desk. Sethra didn�t have a desk. They re�al�ly did mat�ter. Me, when I was run�ning my area for the Jhereg, I had a desk. Now I don�t. You can draw what�ev�er con�clu�sions you want to from that.

I went up to the sergeant be�hind the desk and said, �I am Count Szurke. This is my signet. I wish to see the en�sign on du�ty.�

He didn�t like it much. The on�ly peo�ple who are sup�posed to talk to you like that are the ones with big�ger desks. But the signet of an Im�pe�ri�al ti�tle car�ries some weight with the mil�itary, so he nod�ded and, how�ev�er painful it may have been for him, said, �Yes, my lord. At once.� Then he said, �Flips, bring my lord to the en�sign.�

A guy who spent too much time on his hair said, �Yes, m�lord,� and bowed to me, then led the way down the hall, clapped out�side the first door he came to, and, up�on re�ceiv�ing the word, opened the door for me. I went in�to a room where there was a wom�an be�hind a desk. It was a big�ger desk than the sergeant had.

I re�peat�ed my in�tro�duc�tion and said, �I re�quire a mes�sage de�liv�ered at once to Lord Mor�rolan. I wish him to meet me here. Find me a pri�vate room in which to wait, then let him know I�m there.�

She didn�t like my tone much, but or�ders, as they say, are or�ders. �Yes, my lord.� She pulled out a piece of pa�per, scrib�bled on it with a pen that went in�to a pen-​hold�er with a drag�on�s head etched on it, then af�fixed her seal and stood up. �If my lord will fol�low me?�

I don�t al�ways love throw�ing my weight around. But some�times, with some peo�ple, it�s just fun.

She showed me to a small, com�fort�able room, sur�round�ed by pic�tures of bat�tle, some of them ter�ri�bly re�al�is�tic-​look�ing. There was a lot of blood. I didn�t find it re�lax�ing. Al�so, they didn�t bring me any food or wine, which I got to re�sent�ing af�ter an hour or so. For�tu�nate�ly, it wasn�t much more than an hour be�fore there came a clap at the door. I rec�og�nized Mor�rolan�s hands slap�ping to�geth�er be�fore Loiosh said any�thing, which fact might dis�turb me if I let it.

I got up and let him in, then closed the door be�hind him. He said, �What is it?� That�s Mor�rolan, all full of flow�ery greet�ings and chitchat.

�Those guards who stand out�side the Wing. Are they be�ing pun�ished, or hon�ored?�

�What is it?� he re�peat�ed. I guess I�ll nev�er know.

�There�s some�one I need to know about.� I said, �Her name is De�saniek. She��

�That�s the name of the Jus�ticer lead�ing Her Majesty�s in�ves�ti�ga�tion in�to Tir�ma.�

�Oh, you knew about that?�

�I just heard.�

�I thought I�d get to sur�prise you.�

�What about her?�

�The Jhereg is go�ing to kill her.�

�If the Jhereg does, there won�t be a Jhereg.�

I rolled my eyes. �It won�t look like they did it, Mor�rolan.�

�Oh? How are they go�ing to man�age that? A trag�ic, co�in�ci�den�tal ac�ci�dent? She�s go�ing to slip un�der a cart? Fall out of a build�ing? Drown in her bath�tub? Ac�ci�den�tal�ly stab her�self in the back while clean�ing her knife?�

I filled him in on some of the back�ground, then said, �It�s go�ing to be blamed on some id�iot group of East�ern�ers and Teck�la.�

He frowned. �Not the one��

�No, a dif�fer�ent group.�

�How many are there?�

�Lots, I guess. Stir them up long enough and hard enough, and pret�ty soon they start lis�ten�ing to the guy telling them how to solve all their prob�lems.� I wasn�t sure if I be�lieved that my�self, but telling it to Mor�rolan was a nod to Cawti; I�d like to think she�d have ap�pre�ci�at�ed it.

�Do you know where and when?�

�No. That�s what I want your help with.�

He put on a �this is go�ing to be good� ex�pres�sion, and wait�ed.

I said, �I�ve been fol�low�ing her, hop�ing to pick up whichev�er as�sas�sin is fol�low�ing her, hop�ing to take him out be�fore he moves.�

�Well?�

�Well, no one is fol�low�ing her.�

He shrugged. �Maybe she has no pro�tec�tion spells on, and they�re trac�ing her move�ments with mag�ic.�

I kept my face ex�pres�sion�less and said, �I had the same thought. Can you find out?�

�Hm�mm? Oh, sure.�

�Good.�

�Now?�

�Up to you,� I said. �Now, or else af�ter she�s dead. Ei�ther way is fine.�

�And then,� he said, �there are times I don�t miss you so much.�

�Yeah, well.�

�Okay, a mo�ment.� He closed his eyes, opened them, looked dis�gust�ed, and said, �Oh, right. I�m in the Drag�on Wing. Wait here.�

He got up and walked out, so I missed see�ing the pow�er�ful sor�cer�er do�ing his pow�er�ful sor�cery, which would have in�volved him clos�ing his eyes and then, I don�t know, maybe tak�ing a deep breath or some�thing.

He was back a few min�utes lat�er. He sat down op�po�site me and said, �No one�s trac�ing her.�

�Re�al�ly. Well. Isn�t that in�ter�est�ing. Any chance they have a trace on her you don�t know about?�

�I checked for sor�cery, and witchcraft. I sup�pose it�s pos�si�ble, but it isn�t very like�ly. Does this mean you�re wrong?�

�I don�t know. It fit to�geth�er too well for me to think I got it wrong. But I don�t, as Perisil would say, have any ev�idence that would work in court.�

He con�sid�ered. �If you�re right, ig�nor�ing the lack of ev�idence, what hap�pens to Aliera?�

�Good ques�tion. In fact, that�s the ques�tion, isn�t it? I wish I had an an�swer. If they get away with it, the Em�press has to choose be�tween giv�ing in to the Jhereg, and sac�ri�fic�ing Aliera. I don�t know which way she�ll jump.�

�And if they don�t?�

�Hmm?�

�What if you stop them?�

�Oh. Then the Em�pire runs an in�ves�ti�ga�tion in�to the mas�sacre, and prob�ably drops all those bo�gus charges against Aliera. She was War�lord when it hap�pened; I have no idea how an in�ves�ti�ga�tion like that will work out.�

He con�sid�ered for a mo�ment. �I�d be in�clined to think there�d be no blame at�tached to her.�

�Should there be?�

�Par�don?�

�Well, she�s the War�lord. It hap�pened. How far up should the re�spon�si�bil�ity go?�

�Do you care?�

�Not re�al�ly. Just cu�ri�ous.�

�I�m not an Iorich.�

�Right.�

He said, �What are you go�ing to do?�

�I don�t know. Maybe get out of town. I don�t want to be here when what�ev�er hap�pens hap�pens.�

He stared at me. �What, just give up?�

�I was think�ing about it.�

�That isn�t like you.�

�Mor�rolan, I�m lost. Some�time, some�how, they�re go�ing to take out De�saniek. And it will look like these East�ern�ers did it to protest the mas�sacre. It could be any�where. I�ve spent most of the last week fol�low�ing her. I count�ed more than thir�ty times and places that would have been great to nail her. How am I sup�posed to know which they�ll do? You can�not stop an as�sas�sin un�less you know the as�sas�sin and get to him first. If you have any sug�ges�tions on how to fig�ure that out, feel free to men�tion them. I�m beat.�

�Can�t help you,� he said, dry�ly. �You�re the on�ly as�sas�sin I know.�

�I know plen�ty of them, and I�m no bet�ter off. The oth�er pos�si�bil�ity is that I�m en�tire�ly wrong, and in that case I�m even more help�less be�cause I have no clue at all that points to what they�re plan�ning, and I can�t con�vince my�self they�re go�ing to just take this with�out mak�ing a move of some kind.�

He frowned. �We need to do some�thing.�

�I�m glad it�s �we� now.�

His nos�trils flared, but he didn�t say any�thing; he knows when I�m just blow�ing sparks.

�Thanks for com�ing by,� I said.

�Need a tele�port any�where?�

�Yes, but I can�t risk it. Thanks, though.�

We both stood up. �If you come up with any�thing, and I can help��

�I�ll let you know.�

He nod�ded and pre�ced�ed me out the door, head�ing deep�er in�to the Wing; pre�sum�ably to find a place he could tele�port from. I miss the small con�ve�niences, you know? I took my�self out and start�ed back to�ward my inn, think�ing a bit of rest wouldn�t be a bad idea.

�Was that true, Boss? Are you re�al�ly giv�ing up?�

�I don�t know. Prob�ably not. But I have no idea what to do.�

�I�m with Mor�rolan. Doesn�t seem like you to leave town with things un�fin�ished.�

�Would you be against it?�

�No! I�m all for it, Boss! This place scares me. But it seems like you show�ing good sense, and that�s not what I ex�pect.�

I sighed. �I prob�ably won�t.�

�You should.�

�I know.�

�You have no idea where they�re go�ing to hit, Boss. What can you do?�

�That�s what I�ve been say�ing. I on�ly know who they�re go�ing to nail, and who they�re go�ing to�oh.�

�What?�

I stopped in my tracks, and my mind raced. Then I said, �I know who they�re go�ing to blame it on.�

�What does that get you?�

�A walk to South Adri�lankha.�

�Uh, care to tell me why?�

�There might be things to learn from the peo�ple who are sup�posed to take the fall.�

�Like what?�

�If I learn them, I�ll let you know.�

�Oh, good.�

I was stand�ing in the mid�dle of the court�yard out�side of the Drag�on Wing of the Palace. The House of the Drag�on, dark and oh-​so-​im�pos�ing, loomed over me as if match�ing glares with the Wing. There were four or five walk�ways lead�ing out of the area, some to oth�er parts of the Palace, oth�ers to the City. For all I knew, there were as�sas�sins hang�ing around all of them wait�ing to make my skin glis�ten.

But I had some�thing to do, which is all any�one can ask.

�Yeah, Boss? What are we go�ing to do?�

�I�m go�ing to go back to the inn and drop a note to Kiera ask�ing her to bring by the names of what�ev�er Left Hand busi�ness�es she�s been able to find, then I�m go�ing to have a de�cent meal sent up, drink half a bot�tle of wine, and go to sleep.�

�Sounds like my kind of plan.�

�To�mor�row is a busy day. I know a cou�ple of places owned by the Left Hand. If Kiera doesn�t show up, we vis�it one.�

�Good. Then at least we don�t have to wor�ry about a plan for the day af�ter to�mor�row, be�cause nei�ther one of us will be around to see it.�

Iorich

14

M�la�dy: Just got word through your of�fice of the event. I�m per�fect�ly will�ing to at�tend and an�swer any ques�tions the mob has, though I can�not imag�ine what good H.M. imag�ines such a thing will do. They�re go�ing to be�lieve what they be�lieve, and I can talk un�til my voice is hoarse with�out chang�ing them; nor do I see what dif�fer�ence it makes what they think, un�less H.M. is afraid of more dis�or�ders like there were a few years ago. Of�fi�cial�ly, I have no opin�ion about that, of course (though un�of�fi�cial�ly a troop of guards will deal with how�ev�er many of them take to the street). My ques�tion is, if I�m go�ing to do this, how do you want me to han�dle it? I�d rather not have it in writ�ing. Let me know when a good time is, and I can be in your of�fices, or wher�ev�er else you�d like to meet.

�Un�signed (not au�then�ti�cat�ed)

I felt a bit bet�ter the next morn�ing. I stood up and stretched again, tak�ing it slow and easy. I was still try�ing to make my mus�cles obey when there was a clap out�side the door; Loiosh told me it was Kiera, I sug�gest�ed she en�ter. She asked how I was feel�ing, and I lied a lit�tle. �Did you find out any�thing?�

�I learned a few busi�ness�es that are cov�ers for Left Hand op�er�ations. Here.� She hand�ed me a sheet of pa�per with some names and ad�dress�es.

I held it out in front of her and tapped one. �You sure about this?�

She stud�ied it. �Tym�brii,� she said. �Pre-​spun cloth and yarn. What about them?�

�Noth�ing,� I said. �Ex�cept Cawti used to go there all the time. I had no idea.�

�I don�t know who the re�al own�er is, but it�s a good place to go if you want to be lis�ten�ing in on some�one who thinks he has spells that will pre�vent that.�

I nod�ded. �It�s just odd, is all. The num�ber of times I went in there, and nev�er knew.�

I looked over the rest of the list. There were places spread out all over the City, and I rec�og�nized a cou�ple from hav�ing walked past them, but there were no oth�ers I�d ac�tu�al�ly been in.

�Now what, Boss? Put the list on the wall, throw a knife at it, and see where it lands?�

�Some�thing like that, yeah.�

�This is li�able to get you killed, you know. You�re in no shape��

�Sit on it.�

He psy�chi�cal�ly grum�bled, but shut up.

�What do you know of these?�

�What do you want to know?�

I hes�itat�ed. �I�m not sure what to ask. I know so lit�tle of the Left Hand.�

�As do I. As do they.�

�Hmm?�

�Part of the se�cre�cy thing; most of them know very lit�tle oth�er than their own busi�ness.�

�Oh. Um, how lit�tle do they know?�

�What kind of ques�tion is that?�

�I guess I�m ask�ing if I were to show up at one of these places, would the in�di�vid�ual run�ning it know who I am?�

She con�sid�ered. �I don�t know. Maybe. My guess is not, ex�cept by co�in�ci�dence. Don�t bet your life on that, though.�

I nod�ded. �Uh, how do I do this, Kiera?�

�You�re ask�ing me?�

�I don�t mean that part. But say, this one�� I tapped the list. �It�s an inn. Do I walk in and ask for a cer�tain drink? Or��

�Oh. Sor�ry. I�d have thought you knew. If you want to reach some�one in the Left Hand, ask to see the mis�tress of the house, and de�liv�er three sil�ver coins, one at a time, with your left hand.�

�Left hand,� I said. �How clever.�

�Imag�ina�tive, even.�

I sat on the edge of the bed and con�sid�ered. I took the knife from my right boot, pulled the coarse stone from my pack, and start�ed work�ing as I thought.

�You aren�t lu�bri�cat�ing it,� said Kiera.

�Su�per�sti�tion,� I told her. �You don�t need to lu�bri�cate the stone, you just need to clean it when you�re done.�

�I know. I won�dered if you did. What sort of edge are you putting on that?�

�Five de�grees a side.� I stopped and stud�ied the knife. It was a wicked thing that I�d found in Short�rest, near Tabo. There was a cheap and worth�less en�chant�ment on it that was sup�posed to help it find a vi�tal spot, and the point wasn�t much, but it had a love�ly edge and the wrapped antler fit my hand like it had been made for an East�ern�er. I worked some more, checked the bev�el, switched to the oth�er side.

�Where did you learn to do that?� she asked.

�Where did we first meet?� I asked her.

�Oh, right.�

I nod�ded. �Sharp�en�ing knives was what I first learned to do af�ter I learned to wash pots and pans, bring trash to the mid�den, and clear ta�bles. I had one knife I kept a du�al edge on: front three-​quar�ters for slic�ing, back quar�ter for cut�ting. Best knife I�ve ev�er had.�

�Where is it now?�

�Cawti has it. She still us�es it. I showed her how to do the du�al edge. She�� I stopped and went back to sharp�en�ing, switch�ing to the ex�trafine stone.

�Sor�ry,� she said.

�No, no. Don�t wor�ry about it.�

�If you slip and take a fin�ger off, I�ll feel bad.�

I held up my left hand. �That hap�pened once. I�ve learned my les�son.�

I fin�ished sharp�en�ing the knife, nod�ded to my�self, and stood up. My rib hurt like�it hurt.

Kiera hes�itat�ed, then said, �Do you want me to back you up?�

�Not your skill,� I said. �And it won�t be nec�es�sary. This should be pret�ty easy.�

�As you say.� She didn�t sound con�vinced.

She fol�lowed me out of the room, and walked down the stairs with me. I went slow�ly. She said, �I�ll be wait�ing in the court�yard to hear how it went.�

I nod�ded but didn�t say any�thing; most of my con�cen�tra�tion was in�volved in not moan�ing with each step. Rocza took off from my shoul�der and flew in slow cir�cles over�head; Loiosh re�mained on my oth�er shoul�der and was look�ing around con�stant�ly.

In the wide boule�vard in front of the Im�pe�ri�al Wing near the park, there is al�ways a line of coach�es; on one side those with mark�ings on the door, on the oth�er those that are for hire, all of which get spe�cial ex�emp�tions from the or�di�nance for�bid�ding hors�es near the Palace. I think there are so many ex�emp�tions they might as well not both�er with the or�di�nance, but maybe I�m wrong.

I spent some time study�ing the coach�es for hire, try�ing to de�cide which looked like the most com�fort�able, then picked one and made my painful way to it. The coach�man was a young wom�an, a Teck�la of course, with the cheery smile and easy ob�se�quious�ness of the hap�py peas�ant in a mu�si�cal satire on Fal�low Street. I climbed in and gave her the ad�dress. She looked at Loiosh, then Rocza as she joined me in the coach, but mere�ly bowed and climbed up to her sta�tion. Then she clucked and the horse start�ed plod�ding along, a lot like I�d been walk�ing.

�Boss, I don�t care what Kiera says, you�re in no shape��

�I�m not go�ing to be en�gaged in any acts of vi�olence, Loiosh, so you can re�lax.�

�You�re not?�

�No, the plan changed.�

�When?�

�Yes�ter�day, when I was talk�ing to Mor�rolan.�

I set�tled back for the ride. It was a good coach�the jounc�ing didn�t make me scream.

I stepped out and paid the coach�man, who bowed as if I were Dra�gaer�an and a no�ble�man. She prob�ably thought it would in�crease her tip, and I guess it did at that.

I was now in a part of the City called the Bridges, prob�ably be�cause the main roads from three of the bridges all led to this area and crossed each oth�er at a place called Nine Mar�kets, which was in fact on�ly about a hun�dred yards from where I stood. Tym�brii�s shop was nes�tled in among the sim�ple three-​and four-​room hous�es of trades�men, with a few larg�er room�ing hous�es and an open-​air shrine to Kel�chor.

�Okay, you two get back in my cloak.�

�Do we have to?�

�I don�t need to walk in there with two in�stant iden�ti�fi�ca�tions on me.�

�You think they won�t know you just be�cause we aren�t with you?�

�Some�thing like that.�

�You�re dream�ing.�

�In, both of you.�

I felt him start to ar�gue, but he cut it off. The two of them ducked in�to my cloak as the coach pulled away.

The door it�self held a sign that sug�gest�ed I feel free to en�ter, so I did. It smelled a bit dusty, and there were oily smells mixed in. It was a sin�gle room, well lit, with bolts of cloth and those bunch�es of yarn that peo�ple who use yarn call skeins. There was an el�der�ly gen�tle�man sit�ting in a straight-​backed chair, look�ing as if he had been do�ing ab�so�lute�ly noth�ing un�til the door opened. Once I en�tered, he rose, took me in, and did the fa�cial dance I�d come to ex�pect from mer�chants who don�t know quite how to place me, fol�lowed by the po�lite bow of those who de�cide coins bring more hap�pi�ness than snub�bing one�s in�fe�ri�ors. That�s the dif�fer�ence, you know, be�tween a mer�chant and an aris�to�crat: The true aris�to�crat will al�ways pre�fer to snub his in�fe�ri�or.

�May I help you, my lord?�

�I hope so. I�m look�ing to see the mis�tress of the house.�

He frowned. �I beg your par�don?�

Clink. Clink. Clink.

�I�ll see if she�s avail�able.�

He van�ished through a door�way in back, and I looked around at bright�ly col�ored cloth. Ex�ot�ic. That�s what Cawti had called these col�ors: ex�ot�ic. I guess they were at that. Bright blues and sear�ing yel�lows and some as dark or�ange as the ocean-​sea.

I wait�ed.

He came out of the door again, bowed stiffly again, and said, �She will see you now. The door�way at the end of the hall.�

He stood aside, and I went past him through the open door. I felt un�com�fort�able as I did, like he was go�ing to bash my head in when I went through. He didn�t, though.

There was a short hall�way with a closed door to the side, and an�oth�er door in front of me. This one was open, so I en�tered.

She was of mid�dle years for a Dra�gaer�an, say a thou�sand or so, and dressed in the gray and black of the Jhereg. She was sit�ting be�hind a desk look�ing busi�ness-​like, and she rose as I en�tered. Noth�ing in her ex�pres�sion in�di�cat�ed she might know me, al�though that was hard�ly proof.

�May I be of ser�vice?� she said, with bare�ly con�cealed dis�taste. Now, she was an aris�to�crat.

�I seek knowl�edge, O wise one.�

She frowned. �Are you mock�ing me?�

�Yes, but on�ly in a friend�ly way.�

She sat down again, look�ing at me through nar�rowed eyes. �I�m not your friend. Do you have busi�ness for me, or don�t you?�

�I do. I�m af�ter in�for�ma�tion, there may be some spells to pre�vent eaves�drop�ping.�

She nod�ded. �Go on. What are the specifics?�

That set off all sorts of alarms in my head. Was she ex�pect�ing me to ask her to com�mit a crime, just like that? I mean, maybe the Left Hand did that sort of thing, but, if so, how did they stay in busi�ness?

I looked her in the eye. �I beg your par�don?�

�Be�fore I can ac�cept, I have to know who you want to lis�ten in on. I�ll need to get a dis�pen�sa�tion from the Jus�ticers.�

�Nat�ural�ly, I wouldn�t want you to do any�thing il�le�gal.�

�Nat�ural�ly.�

�So of course, you have to go through the court pro�ceed�ings.�

�Yes.�

�I as�sume there are spe�cial fees for the ad�vo�cate?�

�That is cor�rect.�

�How much.�

�One hun�dred.�

�That�s a lot,� I said.

�Yes.�

�All right,� I said. �I�ll give you a draft on Har�brough.�

She nod�ded. She�d cer�tain�ly know Har�brough: he didn�t use names, which made him very pop�ular among the Jhereg�both sides, pre�sum�ably�and was the rea�son I still had mon�ey avail�able.

She passed over pen and ink and blot�ter, and I wrote out a stan�dard dis�pen�sa�tion then passed it to her. She stud�ied it care�ful�ly, I imag�ine send�ing the im�age to some�one who�d make sure the funds were there to cov�er it.

�All right,� she said. She moved the draft to a place be�tween us and put the inkwell on it; there seemed to be some�thing al�most rit�ual�is�tic about the act, al�though maybe my talk with Kiera had me imag�in�ing things. Then she bowed her head. �What�s the job?� All busi�ness; just like the Jhereg.

�What if I said Sethra Lavode?�

She snort�ed. �I�d give you your draft back and point you to the Nalarfi Home.�

�Just mak�ing sure you didn�t be�long there.�

�Yes, there are things I won�t do. Quit wast�ing my time. What�s the job?�

�There is a house at num�ber eleven Enoch Way in South Adri�lankha��

�Are you jest�ing?�

�Why would I be?�

�You think a house in South Adri�lankha has pro�tec�tions against eaves�drop�ping?�

�I don�t know that they do, but they might.�

�They have the re�sources for that?�

�If they�ve got�ten sup�port from trades�men, func�tionar�ies, or any of the mi�nor no�bil�ity.�

�And what makes you think they have?�

�It�s a pos�si�bil�ity. I�ll pay to hear what�s go�ing on in there. If there�s no pro�tec�tion from eaves�drop�ping, then so much the eas�ier for you.�

She hes�itat�ed, then nod�ded. �All right.�

�Uh, how does this work?�

�How does what work?�

�How will I know what�s said?�

She looked dis�gust�ed. �How would you like to know?�

�I�d like to be able to lis�ten my�self, but I don�t think that�s pos�si�ble.�

�Why not?�

�Try cast�ing a lis�ten�ing spell on me, and see what hap�pens.� Her eyes nar�rowed, and her right hand twitched, and she said, �Phoenix Stone?�

�Yes.�

�Well, if you aren�t will�ing to re�move it��

�I�m not.�

�Then we can pro�vide you a sum�ma�ry, or a tran�script.�

�How long does that take?�

�You can have it with�in a day.�

�Boss��

�Is there any way you can, uh, have my fa�mil�iar lis�ten in�stead of me?�

�I beg your par�don?�

I opened my cloak. Loiosh poked his head out, then climbed up to my left shoul�der; fol�lowed by Rocza, who climbed up to my right. I smiled apolo�get�ical�ly.

�See, Boss, you could have saved us all a lot of trou�ble if��

�Shut up.�

�I�m not sure what you are ask�ing me to do.� She looked like I had of�fered to share my meal of fresh worms with her.

�Loiosh is ful�ly self-​aware, and trained to, well, if you can man�age to con�nect him to the spell, he can tell me what�s said.�

She didn�t much like the idea, but I pulled out my purse and set a nice stack of im�pe�ri�als in front of her. Mon�ey that clinks and glit�ters al�ways has more of an ef�fect than mon�ey that ex�ists on�ly in the�ory.

�All right,� she said. �I�ll need to, ah, to touch him.�

�Ewwww,� said Loiosh.

�Yeah, well.�

Aloud I said, �How long will this last?�

�If he is aware enough to ac�cept the spell, it will end when he wants it to, or it will fade on its own over the course of the next year or so.�

�All right.�

Loiosh flew down on�to her desk in front of her; she al�most man�aged not to flinch.

�Oh, one thing,� I said.

She had start�ed to reach to�ward him; now she stopped. �Yes?�

�If any�thing you do caus�es him any harm, there is no pow�er in the world that will keep your soul safe.�

�I dis�like threats. If you don�t want��

�I just had to make sure you were in�formed.�

She shrugged. I re�al�ly don�t make threats very of�ten, so I re�sent it when I do make one and it doesn�t im�press the threat-​enee. But to the left, that�s prob�ably why I don�t make many.

Her hand was steady when she put three fin�gers on his back.

�I need a bath.�

�Feel any�thing?�

�Sor�cery, pret�ty mild.�

�All right.�

�You should be�gin to get sound by morn�ing.�

�All right. Be care�ful, the place is be�ing watched.�

�By whom?�

�The Jhereg. That is, the Right Hand, if you will.�

She snort�ed. �That won�t be a prob�lem.�

�All right,� I said. �Any�thing else?�

�Yes. One ques�tion: Who are you?�

�You think I�m go�ing to tell you?�

�You think I can�t find out?�

�If it means that much to you, feel free,� I said. Then I turned on my heel and left.

The gen�tle�man who sold cloth ig�nored me as I left, and I gave him the same cour�tesy, though it wasn�t a de�lib�er�ate snub on my part�I was busy ask�ing my�self why I hadn�t thought to have the coach wait. Loiosh, as was his cus�tom, wast�ed no time. �So tell me, Boss, if the whole idea was for her to be able to iden�ti�fy you, why couldn�t we be there?�

�It would have made it too ob�vi�ous that I want�ed to be iden�ti�fied.�

�So, in�stead, it just mat�ters that you walk in�to one of the busi�ness�es of peo�ple who are try�ing to kill you? Is this what you call high strat�egy?�

�That�s a Drag�on term. I nev�er use it.�

�Boss, won�t they fig�ure out that you want�ed them to iden�ti�fy you?�

�Maybe.�

�So, how is it that what you just did wasn�t stupid?�

�The busi�ness of con�vinc�ing your en�emies to do what you want them to is a tricky mat�ter, Loiosh. I wouldn�t ex�pect a jhereg to un�der�stand the sub�tleties.�

�I trust an ed�uca�tion in the sub�tleties will be�gin short�ly.�

�You�re start�ing to sound like Mor�rolan.�

I had to walk to the mar�ket to find a coach�a run-​down thing that found ev�ery rut and hole in the road. Served me right for lack of fore�thought, though. Things like not think�ing to have the coach wait�ing might seem small to you, but if I went ahead and ex�ecut�ed plans with�out see�ing to all the lit�tle de�tails, I was go�ing to make what was al�ready a tricky op�er�ation down�right im�pos�si�ble. I gave my�self a stern talk�ing-​to about it; my cracked rib and var�ious bruis�es em�pha�sized the point.

Kiera was, as promised, wait�ing in the court�yard. �Well?� she said.

�Well enough,� I said. �Maybe. Have to see.�

She frowned. �What did you do?�

�Start�ed a de�layed-​ac�tion ex�plo�sive spell.�

�Uh, let�s go up to your room.�

�I thought you�d nev�er ask.�

�What?�

�For�get it.�

I made my slow painful way to the room. I stretched out on the bed, Kiera took the chair.

�In�ter�est�ing noise,� she said.

�Hm�mm?�

�As you lay down. Some�where be�tween a groan and a sigh. I don�t think I�ve heard any�one do that be�fore. Are you sure you don�t want to be fixed up?�

�I�ll be fine.�

�Un�less you have to move fast.�

�When have I ev�er need�ed to move fast?�

She didn�t even both�er to give me a look for that one. �What did you do?�

�I hired her.�

�To do what?�

�I need to know what�s go�ing on in a cer�tain lit�tle cot�tage in South Adri�lankha.�

�And that was the on�ly way to find out?�

�The best way, un�der the cir�cum�stances.�

�Why?�

�I�m try�ing to do two things at once.�

She nod�ded. �I once tried to steal two things at once. Want to hear what hap�pened?�

�On�ly if it worked.�

�I won�t talk about it, then.�

�There are two things go�ing on, Kiera. They�re prob�ably re�lat�ed, but I can�t know that.�

�Aliera�s pros�ecu�tion, and the ef�fort to set you up.�

�Right.�

�And the cot�tage in South Adri�lankha?�

�It�s a long shot, as far Aliera�s pros�ecu�tion, but it�s all I can come up with. My think�ing is this: If the Jhereg wants to blame the killing on one of these peo�ple, they�ll��

�Wait. What?�

�The Jhereg is plan�ning to kill the Im�pe�ri�al in�ves�ti�ga�tor, a cer�tain De�saniek, and blame it on a group of East�ern and Teck�la rebels.�

�How did you put that to�geth�er?�

�When I asked Cawti if she were still giv�ing read�ing lessons, she said, �un�til late�ly,� which got me to think�ing�nev�er mind. It�s a long sto�ry. The point is, if they want to kill the in�ves�ti�ga�tor, and blame it on this group of rebels, they�ll need to know what the group is up to. If I know what they�re up to, maybe I�ll be able to fig�ure out where they�ll move.�

She looked doubt�ful. �That doesn�t seem like�ly.�

�I agree, but it�s all I�ve got.�

�What about the oth�er rea�son? How does this help you get out of a set�up?�

�It might not, but if she takes the trou�ble to find out who I am, and I did ev�ery�thing but beg her to, it�s go�ing to stir up the Jhereg, and maybe throw them off their game.�

�That is re�al�ly thin.�

�Not as thin as you think. Some�thing un�ex�pect�ed hap�pens when you�re af�ter some�one, you slow down and make sure you know what�s go�ing on. All I need is for them to slow down long enough to let me fin�ish this busi�ness and get back out of town.�

�That is very thin.�

�Like the oth�er, it�s what I have. Do you have any bet�ter ideas?�

�This is big�ger than you seem to re�al�ize, Vlad.�

�What makes you think that?�

�Eh? It�s the Left Hand of the Jhereg, the Jhereg, and the Or�ca ma�nip�ulat�ing Im�pe�ri�al pol�itics. How much big�ger�?�

�No, what makes you think I don�t re�al�ize how big it is?�

�You aren�t act�ing as if you do.�

�Kiera, af�ter you�ve been in bat�tle with gods, you get to the point where the af�fairs of mere mor�tals��

�Can you be se�ri�ous for two words?�

�Not with�out ef�fort,� I said.

�Ap�ply your�self.�

I shrugged. �What do you want from me? Okay, it�s se�ri�ous. It�s big. I get that. But I came back here to help Aliera. If you can show me a bet�ter way to do that, I�m lis�ten�ing.�

�I�ll nev�er un�der�stand this pas�sion you have for mak�ing your�self a tar�get.�

�It isn�t a pas�sion, it�s more of an av�oca�tion.� She start�ed to say some�thing, but I cut her off. �I didn�t cre�ate the sit�ua�tion, and no one was do�ing a damned thing about it, ei�ther be�cause they didn�t want to of�fend the Em�press, or be�cause they didn�t want to of�fend Aliera. You couldn�t fit the hair of a nors�ka�s tail on how much I care about of�fend�ing ei�ther one. There�s a prob�lem, I�m fix�ing it.�

�You�re stub�born, Vlad.�

�Is that a com�pli�ment?�

�Some�times. Usu�al�ly. Right now, I�m not sure. How can I help?�

�You prob�ably can�t, but I�ll let you know if some�thing comes up.�

She sighed, start�ed to say some�thing else, then just shrugged and left me with her Kiera smile and soft kiss on the cheek. I lay on my back and tried not to move too much, and even�tu�al�ly got some rest.

Iorich

15

Your High�ness: I ur�gent�ly re�quest an im�me�di�ate re�view of the en�tire Im�pe�ri�al prison sys�tem. With the sui�cide of Bryn our in�ves�ti�ga�tion�an in�ves�ti�ga�tion, Your High�ness, in�sti�gat�ed by the ex�press wish�es of Her Majesty�has been se�ri�ous�ly com�pro�mised. Per�mit me to urge Your High�ness in the strongest pos�si�ble terms to form a com�mit�tee of our own House and some of the more skilled Val�lista to see what can be done to make sure this doesn�t hap�pen again; it is hard�ly an over�state�ment to say that the hon�or of the House it�self is at stake. Any fur�ther event of this type and I will not an�swer for the com�mit�tee be�ing able to car�ry out its du�ties.

I Re�main, Your High�ness,

Your Loy�al and Re�spect�ful

Jus�ticer De�saniek

I woke up feel�ing still bet�ter. If this trend con�tin�ued, I�d be back in shape to fight in on�ly a month or so.

�Boss!�

That was when I re�al�ized what woke me up. �What is it?�

�Uh, this is weird. I�m hear�ing things.�

�Yeah, that�s what was sup�posed to hap�pen.�

�But, it�s weird.�

�It�s just for a day or two. Any�thing in�ter�est�ing?�

�De�pends how in�ter�est�ed you are in snor�ing.�

�Most�ly in�ter�est�ed in my own, but it�s too late for that, now.�

�Cry up a storm, Boss.�

I got up and slow�ly and painful�ly took care of morn�ing things. The plan for the day was, ac�tu�al�ly, to do noth�ing ex�cept to stay as safe as I could: there was noth�ing to do un�til and un�less I got some in�for�ma�tion from Loiosh, or un�til some�one made a move at me.

I had them bring me some food. There was kla�va�good kla�va�and some hen�s eggs part�ly boiled with salt, and bread with a lux�uri�ous amount of but�ter. They charged too much, but here and there were com�pen�sa�tions.

Loiosh re�port�ed con�ver�sa�tions that were on�ly re�mark�able in their triv�ial�ity�the best mar�kets, who had be�come preg�nant, whose un�cle had tak�en sick. Some�times he iden�ti�fied the voic�es as male, some�times fe�male, some�times mixed. At one point, two wom�en who spoke with an ac�cent that Loiosh re�mem�bered as be�ing from some East�ern king�dom got in�to a con�ver�sa�tion that made me blush when Loiosh re�peat�ed it. And I don�t blush easy.

By the evening, I was start�ing to won�der if the whole thing were a put-​up job�if some�one knew I was lis�ten�ing and was stag�ing the con�ver�sa�tions for my ben�efit. But then, I re�mind�ed my�self that most of these peo�ple worked eigh�teen hours a day or so, many of them at the slaugh�ter hous�es, so I wouldn�t ex�pect to hear any�thing of sub�stance un�til the evening.

And, in�deed, in the evening I start�ed hear�ing things that were more in�ter�est�ing: Loiosh re�port�ed a male voice say�ing, �They should be ar�riv�ing with�in the half hour, we should set the chairs up.�

I sent down for an�oth�er meal to pre�pare my�self; this one a whole fowl done in a sweet wine sauce. I don�t ac�tu�al�ly care much for sweet sauces, but it wasn�t bad.

�Pound�ing sounds, Boss. Doors. Peo�ple com�ing in. Voic�es.�

�What are the voic�es say�ing, Loiosh?�

�No idea. They�re all talk�ing at once. Greet�ings, I think.�

�Any East�ern ac�cents?�

�One or two, maybe. It�s hard to say.�

�All right.�

About half an hour lat�er he said, �They�re qui�et�ing down. Some�one�s talk�ing. Dra�gaer�an, or at least no ac�cent I can hear.�

�What�s he say�ing?�

�She. Blah blah blah the Em�pire blah blah blah Tir�ma blah blah blah or�ga�nize blah blah��

�Loiosh.�

�Boss, when she ac�tu�al�ly says any�thing, I�ll tell you, okay? This hav�ing voic�es in my head is re�al�ly weird.�

�You should be used to it. I am.�

�It�s not the same.�

�Okay.�

About half an hour lat�er, he said, �They�re go�ing to be hav�ing some sort of meet�ing to�mor�row.�

�How thrilling.�

�With an Im�pe�ri�al Rep�re�sen�ta�tive.�

�Oh. If it turns out to be De�saniek, this will sud�den�ly be too easy.�

�No idea who it is.�

�Guess I�d bet�ter find out.�

�They�re still talk�ing, Boss. Some�thing about meet�ing be�fore the meet�ing with the Rep�re�sen�ta�tive, to, I don�t know, I couldn�t hear. Some�thing about uni�ty.�

�Where�s the meet�ing?�

�Which?�

�Both.�

�The one with the Rep�re�sen�ta�tive will be at Speak�er�s Hall at the fifth hour of the af�ter�noon. The ear�li�er one will be noon, at the cot�tage.�

�A meet�ing be�fore the meet�ing. Okay. Got it. I may have a bit of an idea, but I first need to make sure that it is De�saniek go�ing to that meet�ing.�

�What if it isn�t?�

�Then I�ll��

I didn�t have to an�swer the ques�tion, be�cause a clap out�side the door in�ter�rupt�ed me.

�Who?�

�No one I know, Boss. Just one, though.�

I stirred my�self. I had for�got�ten about the damned rib and sat up di�rect�ly, in�stead of turn�ing on my side first. I re�solved not to do that again. I hoped I wasn�t go�ing to have to de�fend my�self, be�cause I just wasn�t in any shape to. Nev�er�the�less, I let a knife fall in�to my right hand, held it be�hind the door, and opened the door care�ful�ly.

My, my, my.

I didn�t rec�og�nize her, but I knew what she was. She had a face like a knife�s edge, hair swept back and tied, and wore black and gray and rings on ev�ery fin�ger in�clud�ing both thumbs.

I stepped back. �Well,� I said. �This is un�ex�pect�ed. Please come in.�

�Vladimir Tal�tos?�

�Some�thing like that,� I said. �And you are?�

�A mes�sen�ger.� She made no move to come in; the hall�way be�hind her was emp�ty.

�I can guess from whom.�

�You have a deal with us,� she said. �We have a project work�ing you know some�thing about. If you in�ter�fere with the project, the deal is off.�

Then she turned and walked down the hall.

I shut the door and put the knife away.

�Well,� I said af�ter a mo�ment. �I guess I�ve been warned.�

�I guess so. What are you go�ing to do?�

�Just what I was plan�ning to do.�

�Now?�

�Might as well.�

Loiosh and Rocza flew out of the door ahead of me, and an�nounced that things looked good. I made my way to the Palace. I still walked as if noth�ing hurt, and I still knew it wouldn�t make any dif�fer�ence. As we walked, Loiosh said, �Can I stop lis�ten�ing now?�

�Soon. Not yet.�

�It�s just more of the same, Boss.�

�Sor�ry. We�ll be done with this soon.�

Who would know? Well, the Em�press, of course, and I�d try again to see her if I had to, but one doesn�t sim�ply barge in on the Em�press to get a sim�ple ques�tion an�swered if one has any choice, so I took my�self to the Drag�on Wing to see if the tem�po�rary act�ing War�lord and Drag�on Heir to the throne hap�pened to have a spare mo�ment. Start small, that�s what I al�ways say.

I climbed the stairs to the tiny room that was al�most be�com�ing fa�mil�iar�yea, Vlad Tal�tos, ex-​as�sas�sin, ex�crime boss, want�ed by both sides of the law (that last isn�t true, but it sound�ed good, didn�t it?), walked in�to the in�ner sanc�tum of Im�pe�ri�al law en�force�ment. I clapped.

�Who by the fe�cal mat�ter of the Sev�en Wiz�ards is it now and what do you want that can�t wait half an hour?� came the cheer�ful re�ply from with�in.

�It�s Vlad,� I said.

�En�ter, then.� I did. �My day is now per�fect,� she sug�gest�ed.

�Who from the Em�pire is go�ing to meet with that group of East�ern�ers and Teck�la?� As I�ve said, I�m big on small talk.

Her eyes nar�rowed and her lips pressed to�geth�er. �Cawti?� she said.

�No. My own sources. Who will it be?�

�Why should I tell you?�

There were a num�ber of rea�sons, but I cut to the sim�plest one. �If it�s De�saniek, she�s go�ing to be as�sas�si�nat�ed there.�

That made an im�pres�sion of some sort, but I couldn�t judge what it was. �It isn�t,� she said at last. I�m not sure if I felt re�lieved or dis�ap�point�ed. It was too pat, any�way. No�rathar con�tin�ued, �It�s Caltho.�

�Who is that?�

�Iorich. De�saniek�s chief in�ves�ti�ga�tor.�

�I see.� Then. �Oh.�

�Oh?�

�What would hap�pen if he were killed at that meet�ing?�

She blinked. �At that meet�ing? By an East�ern�er or a Teck�la?�

�Yes.�

�I don�t .�.�.� Her voice trailed off as she con�sid�ered it. �It wouldn�t be good,� she said fi�nal�ly. �What are your rea�sons for think�ing it will hap�pen?�

�You know about the Jhereg, Left Hand, and Or�ca pres�sure on Zeri�ka.�

�On Her Majesty,� she cor�rect�ed ab�sent�ly.

�An hon�est in�ves�ti�ga�tion would be ug�ly, but would take away their lever�age. An at�tempt on the part of rebel Teck�la to stop the in�ves�ti�ga�tion would sab�otage it, or at least de�lay it, and the pres�sure would be back on.�

She frowned. �I don�t know. That isn�t how the Jhereg op�er�ates.�

�The Left Hand does.� She start�ed to speak but I cut her off. �I don�t know a lot about the Left Hand, but I know how they op�er�ate, and it�s just like that. Not to men�tion the Or�ca.�

She nod�ded slow�ly. �Yes, I can see that. What do you sug�gest I do?�

�The ob�vi�ous thing is to ar�rest the rebels.�

�And you know as well as I do why I can�t.�

�The Em�press wouldn�t ap�prove?�

�And for good rea�son: that sort of thing just stirs them up and makes the rest think they must be right. Your peas�ant is a peace�ful, hap�py sort, nor�mal�ly, Vlad, and hav�ing a few mal�con�tents around gives him some�one to feel wis�er than. Knock ten of those on the head, and now you have a thou�sand in their place. We don�t need that.�

I wasn�t en�tire�ly sure about the whole peace�ful hap�py peas�ant thing, but I had to agree with the rest. �Can�cel the meet�ing?�

�The same prob�lem, on�ly not quite as bad.�

�Yeah. Well, break up this deal with the Or�ca and the Left Hand? Leave them no rea�son to go to the trou�ble? They�re prac�ti�cal sorts, you know.�

�How do you pro�pose do�ing that?�

�I don�t know. Ask nice�ly?�

�Can you be se�ri�ous for two words?�

�Not with�out great ef�fort.�

�Vlad��

�Okay, I know how to do it. Maybe. I have to make some as�sump�tions, and af�ter learn�ing just now that the tar�get isn�t De�saniek, but�what�s his name?�

�Caltho.�

�Right. Af�ter learn�ing that, I�m not so sure about my abil�ity to make as�sump�tions, but I�m go�ing for it any�way.�

�What are you go�ing to do?�

�Iden�ti�fy the as�sas�sin, and kill him.�

She drummed her fin�gers on her desk. Then, �All right,� she said. �Can I help?�

�Yes,� I said. �I�ve been threat�ened by the Left Hand. Or, rather, Cawti has.�

Her eyes nar�rowed. �And you�re go�ing ahead with it?�

�You know her. Wouldn�t you?�

She nod�ded slow�ly. �All right. I�ll watch her.�

�She�ll need sor�cer�ous pro�tec�tion above all.�

�I�m not an id�iot, Vlad.�

�Sor�ry. It�s just��

�I know. Any�thing else?�

I shook my head, stood, and took my leave.

�Boss, I will nev�er, ev�er un�der�stand flight�less peo�ple.�

All I had to do was find the as�sas�sin. Should be no prob�lem. Just look for the shifty eyes. Heh.

If you�re go�ing up against some�one, it�s al�ways best to as�sume he�s not as good as you, and a lit�tle bet�ter than you. You need to fig�ure you�re bet�ter, be�cause oth�er�wise you start sec�ond-​guess�ing your�self, and hes�itat�ing, and do�ing all sorts of oth�er things that don�t help at all. And bet�ter, be�cause if you un�der�es�ti�mate some skill he has, it could be very em�bar�rass�ing. It�s tricky do�ing both at once.

Put it this way: Could I dis�guise my�self well enough that I couldn�t tell I was an as�sas�sin?

Easy.

So, how would I get my�self to re�veal me, in a crowd�ed room? How crowd�ed? I had no idea. It wasn�t that big a cot�tage; you couldn�t get more than twen�ty or thir�ty peo�ple in there.

I ate, and I thought, and I didn�t come up with any�thing bet�ter than sud�den�ly pulling a knife and see�ing if any�one re�act�ed like he knew what he was do�ing. I didn�t much like it. Then it crossed my mind that per�haps it would be a sor�cer�ous at�tack, and I liked it even less.

Well, all right. The as�sas�sin would be there, or not; the as�sas�sin would be a sor�cer�er, or not. When you�re play�ing Shere�ba, and you re�al�ize that the on�ly way you can win is if your op�pos�ing knave is still in the deck, then you play as if it�s still in the deck. There�fore, the as�sas�sin would be there, and would not be a sor�cer�ess.

�Glad that�s set�tled.�

�Shut up.�

I did some more think�ing, and came up with noth�ing else, and even�tu�al�ly I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I hurt a lit�tle less, but I still had no in�ter�est in even mov�ing slow�ly; the idea of mov�ing fast just wasn�t any fun at all.

�Boss, if you spot the as�sas�sin, what are you go�ing to do?�

�I�m go�ing to say, �Pointy point, you�re the don�key.� �

�I prob�ably don�t want to know, do I?�

�I�m just wor�ried about the pos�si�bil�ity he nev�er played that as a kid. You don�t think about as�sas�sins ev�er be�ing kids, you know?�

�Yeah, that�s just what was on my mind.�

I stood up, slow�ly and painful�ly. �What if I was beat�en just for this? I mean, what if the whole point was to make it im�pos�si�ble for me to take out the as�sas�sin if I need�ed to?�

�Yeah, Boss. What if?�

I didn�t have an an�swer, so I slow�ly got dressed and ready, and then, Loiosh and Rocza scout�ing for me, I went down the stairs and out. I picked up some warm, crusty bread and smoky, crumbly goat cheese from a ven�dor out�side the inn. I love warm bread more than a lot of things you�d think would be high�er on the list, you know?

Af�ter I�d eat�en, I made my way to the West Palace Mar�ket, which is a good place to go for the best in�gre�di�ents, if you can make your�self get up that ear�ly in the morn�ing. I wasn�t there for in�gre�di�ents to�day, though. In the far south�west�ern cor�ner of the mar�ket, be�hind a stall that sells the best truf�fles in White-​crest is a rat�ty-​look�ing per�ma�nent store that sells pre-​rolled cop�per tub�ing, and nails, ham�mers, springs, and var�ious tools for us�ing the above. It�s run by a Tsalmoth named Liska who looks as old as Sethra is and scur�ries about at a fu�ri�ous pace, her back per�ma�nent�ly bent and her eyes look�ing up from be�neath hair so stringy she seems to have lost her no�ble�s point. She keeps her cash in a box be�neath the stool she us�es on the rare oc�ca�sions when she sits to dick�er with a cus�tomer, while the cus�tomer stands on the oth�er side of a wood�en plank set on two bar�rels; the plank is a light wood, well-​pol�ished, and carved with de�pic�tions of a tsalmoth in var�ious odd pos�es.

�What do you want?� she said when I walked in.

�A knife,� I told her.

She scur�ried on�to her stool. She knew me, but ad�mit�ting it would, I guess, give me a bar�gain�ing ad�van�tage over her. Some�thing like that. �What sort of knife?� she barked out.

�Noth�ing fan�cy; just some�thing to whit�tle with.�

She gave me a look that in�di�cat�ed enough sus�pi�cion to prove she knew who I was. I looked all in�no�cent and shit. She showed me a se�lec�tion, and I end�ed up pick�ing out a small clasp knife. I test�ed the edge be�cause it would have looked fun�ny not to, and made sure it opened and closed eas�ily, gave her an im�pe�ri�al and told her to keep it, and head�ed back out.

�Okay, Boss. I can�t wait to see what you�re go�ing to do with that.�

�It�s pret�ty small; I�ll most like�ly just lose it.�

I still had a cou�ple of hours be�fore the meet�ing was sup�posed to start. Not far from the West Palace Mar�ket is a hos�tel called the Ink�stand for a rea�son that was ex�plained to me once but I can�t re�mem�ber; I think it was some�thing his�tor�ical. There�s an ac�tor named Gi�naasa who lives there from time to time, and with whom I�ve done busi�ness be�fore. Since it was ear�ly in the morn�ing, I ex�pect�ed to wake him up, and I ex�pect�ed him to be sober. I was right on both counts, but he took it in good grace when I clinked some coins. I left there a bit lat�er with a cloth bag con�tain�ing a blond wig and a neat�ly trimmed match�ing beard, a bit of glue, and a jar of stuff to light�en my com�plex�ion a bit.

That done, I still had the hard part: if it worked, what then? How was I go�ing to ma�nip�ulate events to get what I want�ed, just in case that was a pos�si�bil�ity?

�Boss, where are you go�ing?�

�Huh? I don�t�oh, House of the Iorich, I guess.�

�You think he�ll know what to do?�

�I guess if we�re go�ing to go in�to this, we ought to find out what is li�able to hap�pen to Aliera. Re�mem�ber Aliera? She�s the one who got us in�volved in this?�

�Are you ex�pect�ing grat�itude?�

�No. I just know if it were me��

�Yeah, yeah.�

We reached the house safe�ly, and I made the now-​fa�mil�iar trek to Perisil�s of�fice and clapped. He peered out the door, then opened it. I went in.

�Why do you do that?�

�Do what?� he asked me. He looked gen�uine�ly cu�ri�ous.

�Nev�er mind.�

I took the chair op�po�site him and said, �I have some�thing go�ing that might do, um, some�thing. I need to check it with you.�

He nod�ded. �Well, I�m afraid you�ll have to give me at least one or two more de�tails than that if you want an in�tel�li�gent com�ment.�

It took me a mo�ment to re�al�ize he was jest�ing; I don�t know if that says some�thing about him, or about me. I said, �All right, just this once. Here�s the sit�ua�tion as I see it, stop me if I�m wrong about some�thing: The Jher�that is, cer�tain groups are try�ing to pres�sure the Em�press. The lever�age they have is the scan�dal about Tir�ma, which is go�ing to an�noy a lot of the peo�ple who mat�ter, al�though ex�act�ly why they care I couldn�t say.� He gave me a look, but didn�t in�ter�rupt.

I went on. �The Em�press, af�ter you and I start�ed mak�ing trou�ble and kick�ing things up, re�con�sid�ered, and de�cid�ed to have an of�fi�cial in�ves�ti�ga�tion in�to the events. There will be an ef�fort to stop the in�ves�ti�ga�tion and cast blame at some id�iot group of Teck�la by as�sas�si�nat�ing Caltho.�

�De�saniek.�

�No, I was wrong about that. Her as�sis�tant, Caltho.�

�Hm�mm. That would work too.�

�Even bet�ter, be�cause it will hap�pen at a pub�lic meet�ing where he is sup�posed to an�swer ques�tions about what is hap�pen�ing and why.�

�I see.�

�All right, so, if I man�age to stop the as�sas�si�na�tion, does that give us any lever�age to get Aliera re�leased?�

He was qui�et for a mo�ment, then he said, �Stop it how?�

�By killing the as�sas�sin be�fore he can kill Caltho.�

He was qui�et for a bit longer, then. �It de�pends on a num�ber of things. How are you.�.�. where.�.�.� His voice trailed off and he looked un�com�fort�able. I�d nev�er seen him look un�com�fort�able be�fore; I think I en�joyed it.

�The way I see it go�ing down, I�ll take him be�fore he ev�er gets to the meet�ing.�

�Then, ex�cuse me, how will any�one know?�

�No one will know.�

�Then I don�t see how it will have any ef�fect on our case.�

�Uh. Yeah, there�s that. Okay, what if I made it more dra�mat�ic?�

�You mean, a res�cue at the last minute and all?�

I nod�ded. �I have no idea if I can, or how, but I might be able to pull some�thing like that off.�

He nod�ded slow�ly, rub�bing his chin, then said, �No.�

�No?�

�Legal�ly, it would have no stand�ing. Let me ex�plain. There are three ways this can go: She can be tried for what she was ar�rest�ed for, or she��

�Wait, what she was re�al�ly ar�rest�ed for, or what the of�fi�cial charges were?�

He blinked, hes�itat�ed, and said, �I�ll start over. There are three ways this can go. One: She can be ar�rest�ed for prac�tic�ing El�der Sor�cery, she��

�It�s crap.�

He shrugged. �That�s as may be. Two: She can be in�ves�ti�gat�ed for her role, if any, in the mas�sacre. Or, three: All charges could be dropped and she could be re�leased.�

�Eh? Well, that would be best. How can we get that to hap�pen?�

�I�ve no idea. I�m just list�ing the pos�si�bil�ities. Now, I can rep�re�sent her on the charge of El�der Sor�cery. If the in�ves�ti�ga�tion in�to the mas�sacre hap�pens, she should find an�oth�er ad�vo�cate, be�cause that falls un�der Mil�itary Code, or Im�pe�ri�al Re�spon�si�bil�ity, or some com�bi�na�tion, and in any case I know noth�ing about it.�

�Well, but get�ting her re�leased��

�That isn�t some�thing we do; that�s just some�thing that could hap�pen if the Em�press takes it in�to her head to do it, or if the Jus�ticer de�cides there�s no case. Now, we�re go�ing to be ap�pear�ing be�fore Jus�ticer Moriv. I�ve tried cas�es with her be�fore, and we get along all right.�

�That�s im�por�tant, I as�sume.�

He nod�ded. �She�s easy�go�ing, for a Jus�ticer, but doesn�t tol�er�ate any de�vi�ations from strict code; that�s prob�ably why they picked her.�

�But she has to obey Im�pe�ri�al or�ders, right? I mean, if the Em�press tells her to drop the case, she has to drop it.�

He hes�itat�ed. �It isn�t that sim�ple.�

I sti�fled a groan.

�An or�der from the Im�pe�ri�al Ad�vo�cate would do it, cer�tain�ly.�

�Hm�mm?�

�The one rep�re�sent�ing the Em�pire in the pro�ceed�ings. My op�po�nent, if you will.�

�Oh. Is that some�thing li�able to hap�pen?�

�If he thinks he can�t win.�

�How do we con�vince him he can�t win?�

�In court.�

�That doesn�t help.�

�It�s what I�ve been work�ing on.�

�How�s it look�ing so far?�

�Not all that good, but there are a few points that might get us some�where.�

�And if the Em�press or�dered the, what was it? Im�pe�ri�al Ad�vo�cate? to stop the pros�ecu�tion?�

�Same as or�der�ing the Jus�ticer to. Tech�ni�cal�ly, they aren�t per�mit�ted to. But, ah, it would have a strong in�flu�ence. I can�t pre�dict what would hap�pen.�

�So we�re back to con�vinc�ing Her Majesty to drop it, and hop�ing for the best.�

He gave me a look. �Or I might win the case.�

�Right. Sor�ry.� I hes�itat�ed. �The Em�press is un�der a lot of pres�sure from a lot of dif�fer�ent di�rec�tions. What hap�pens if she sees a way out?�

�Lead�ing ques�tion. She�ll take it, of course, bar�ring any sig�nif�icant fac�tors you haven�t men�tioned.�

�How would it work?�

�The best way is to present a re�quest to dis�miss to the Jus�ticer and the Im�pe�ri�al Ad�vo�cate, with a copy to Her Majesty. The trick is find�ing grounds for the re�quest. We don�t ac�tu�al�ly have any, which puts all of them in a tricky po�si�tion.�

�I have in�for�ma�tion that the idea of ar�rest�ing Aliera came from the Jhereg rep�re�sen�ta�tive; does that help?�

�Is it in�for�ma�tion from some�one who will say so un�der the Orb?�

�Uh, no.�

�Then it doesn�t help.� He hes�itat�ed. �Un�less.�

�Hm�mm?�

�The idea came from the Jhereg rep�re�sen�ta�tive�to whom?�

�Uh, to the Em�pire.�

�No, no. To whom did the rep�re�sen�ta�tive make��

�Oh. To Her Majesty.�

�Ah. That�s dif�fer�ent. Then the Orb will re�mem�ber it, which means that it hap�pened legal�ly.�

�Um, and so?�

�So we present a claim on con�spir�acy against the Jhereg.�

�Oh, they�ll love me for that.�

He shrugged. �They have a lot of af�fec�tion for you now, do they?�

�Good point. How does it work?�

�We present a pe�ti�tion to have the Orb in�ter�ro�gat�ed about the source for the idea of ar�rest�ing Aliera�it doesn�t mat�ter how we know about it, as long as we�re spe�cif�ic about the re�quest. Then you have to show rea�son�able prob�abil�ity that there was a Jhereg as�sas�sin work�ing against the in�ves�ti�ga�tion.�

�I can do that,� I said.

�If you get lucky.�

�Shut up.�

I asked him, �How does it work from there?�

�They grant the pe�ti�tion, look at the ev�idence of a Jhereg as�sas�sin, find rea�son�able grounds that the pros�ecu�tion was from a pri�vate con�spir�acy rather than cause of jus�tice�what?�

�Noth�ing. An in�vol�un�tary noise. Go on.�

�And when they�ve es�tab�lished that, they dis�miss the charges.�

�What about the Im�pe�ri�al in�ves�ti�ga�tion part? I mean, the re�al charges?�

�I have no con�trol over that, and if there is one, as I said, I�d be the wrong ad�vo�cate to han�dle it.�

I nod�ded. �All right. So my part is sim�ple�stop the as�sas�sin in such a way that it�s known he was an as�sas�sin.�

�When will this hap�pen?�

I checked the time with the Orb. �Four to six hours from now.�

�Oh! Well, if you�ll par�don me then, I need to get these pe�ti�tions draft�ed.�

I nod�ded and got out of there.

�Boss, how are you go�ing to iden�ti�fy the as�sas�sin, much less prove what he is?�

�That isn�t what I�m wor�ried about, Loiosh. I�m wor�ried about how to stop the Im�pe�ri�al in�ves�ti�ga�tion.�

�Why stop it? Will they re�al�ly con�vict Aliera just for killing a few Teck�la?�

�If we�re lucky, we�ll find out,� I said.

Iorich

16

To as�sert that fi�nal re�spon�si�bil�ity for ac�tions tak�en by Im�pe�ri�al Rep�re�sen�ta�tives rests with the Em�press is to state a tru�ism with�out sub�stance. In this case in par�tic�ular the dis�cov�er�ies of this com�mit�tee show that the prob�lem is, above all, that Im�pe�ri�al poli�cies are car�ried out by hu�man be�ings, who are nec�es�sar�ily flawed. While in�ci�dents such as this are re�gret�table, the facts do not sup�port blan�ket con�dem�na�tions of Im�pe�ri�al poli�cies with re�gard to re�bel�lion, much less the Em�pire it�self. Rather, in�ci�dents such as this must be ac�cept�ed as in some mea�sure un�avoid�able.

How�ev�er, there are, in the opin�ion of this com�mit�tee, cer�tain steps which can be tak�en to min�imize the fre�quen�cy and sever�ity of such events, which steps are list�ed in Ap�pendix 27.

The big ques�tion was whether I had enough time to set ev�ery�thing up: I on�ly had a cou�ple of hours left un�til the meet�ing, and if this was go�ing to work, I had to ar�rive ear�ly to try to con�vince them to let me at�tend, and to watch ev�ery�one ar�rive in hopes of spot�ting the dzur among the nors�ka.

The same sergeant was work�ing in the Drag�on Wing. He did not look pleased to see me.

�Same thing,� I said. �If you would be so kind as to in�form the Lord Mor�rolan that I wish to see him, and add that it is ur�gent.�

He scowled but agreed.

�And,� I said. �If I might trou�ble you for an ad�di�tion�al ser -vice, please have some�one find the War�lord and tell her the fol�low�ing: Vlad has a way out. I�ll be wait�ing in that same room I was in be�fore, if that is ac�cept�able.�

Then I wan�dered for a bit un�til I found an er�rand-​run�ner, part�ed with a few coins, and ar�ranged for a mes�sage to be de�liv�ered, fast, to a cer�tain innkeep�er in a cer�tain hostel�ry not far from Malak Cir�cle, near where I used to work.

Then I found the room where I�d wait�ed be�fore, and wait�ed again, drum�ming my fin�gers on the arm of the chair and hop�ing ev�ery�one would ar�rive in time.

No�rathar was the first to ar�rive. She en�tered with�out clap�ping and said, �What is it?� with�out even sit�ting down.

�I�ll tell you when the oth�ers are here,� I said.

�What oth�ers?�

�Just friends.�

She sat down fac�ing me, look�ing like she want�ed to read my plan on my face. If it were that easy to do, I�d have no trou�ble iden�ti�fy�ing the as�sas�sin.

A few min�utes lat�er, there was a clap, and Mor�rolan en�tered. He looked at me, looked at No�rathar, and said, �Well?�

�We�re still wait�ing,� I said.

�For?�

�The oth�ers,� I said, just to be con�trary and be�cause turn�ing Mor�rolan�s bait is al�ways fun.

He rolled his eyes and sat next to No�rathar. Day�mar was there with�in about a minute. He looked around the room cu�ri�ous�ly, as if he hadn�t re�al�ized the Drag�on Wing had places to sit. The oth�ers, it seemed, didn�t know quite what to make of him. Well, nei�ther did I, for that mat�ter.

A few min�utes lat�er, there was a soft but firm clap, and Kiera en�tered; she was the one I�d been most wor�ried about reach�ing, so I re�laxed a bit. �Just one more,� I said.

�Who is that?� asked Kra�gar.

I stared at him. He smiled sweet�ly and said, �Ah, glo�ri�ous vengeance,� and smirked. I felt bet�ter see�ing that the oth�ers, in�clud�ing Kiera, were al�so star�tled. I did not give Kra�gar the sat�is�fac�tion of ask�ing when he�d ar�rived. I just said, �We�re all here now.�

�Good,� said No�rathar. �Get on with it.�

I out�lined the sit�ua�tion as I un�der�stood it, ex�cept that I made it sound gloomi�er than it was so it would be more dra�mat�ic when I an�nounced that I had a way out. It would have worked bet�ter if they didn�t know me so well. Kiera smiled a lit�tle, Mor�rolan stared off in�to space, and No�rathar said, �Get on with it� again.

So I did, mak�ing it as clear as pos�si�ble, and on�ly gloss�ing over the part where I had some doubts I could pull it off. I should have known bet�ter. �Vlad,� said Kiera. �How are you go�ing to iden�ti�fy the as�sas�sin?�

�I have some ideas on that,� I said.

No�rathar said, �He�s go�ing to bran�dish a knife and see who re�acts as if he knows what he�s do�ing.� That hurt, be�cause I had been con�sid�er�ing that.

�There are prob�lems with that,� I said.

�Yes. Like, if no one re�acts right. Or if more than one do.�

�Yeah,� I said. �Now, Kiera��

�Hm�mm?�

I glanced at No�rathar. �Uh, no rude�ness in�tend�ed, No�rathar, but in your of�fi�cial ca�pac�ity, you don�t want to hear this. I�ll whis�per.�

She rolled her eyes, and I stood up, leaned over to Kiera, and whis�pered.

She lis�tened, then said, �Sounds easy enough.�

Yeah, I�m sure it was, for any thief good enough to steal the mus�tache off an East�ern�er�s face. But I just nod�ded to her and sat down again.

Kra�gar said, �You nev�er men�tioned what I�m sup�posed to do.�

�Keep the Jhereg off-​bal�ance while we do the oth�er stuff. We don�t want them in�ter�fer�ing un�til Aliera is out, with pa�pers with a big Im�pe�ri�al seal on them say�ing the mat�ter is over.�

�Oh,� he said. �Any idea how?�

�Yes. Find the Im�pe�ri�al Rep�re�sen�ta�tive, and keep her oc�cu�pied.�

�Just how am I go�ing to do that, when I can be in�ter�rupt�ed at any time?�

�Kra�gar, meet Day�mar.�

�We�ve met,� said Kra�gar. Day�mar, it seemed, missed the in�flec�tion in Kra�gar�s voice, and just nod�ded.

�What�s my part?� asked Day�mar.

�Dress up as a Jhereg, go with Kra�gar, and make sure the Jhereg rep�re�sen�ta�tive can�t get any psy�chic mes�sages. And doesn�t know it.�

�Dress up like a Jhereg?�

�Yes.�

�Me?�

�Yes.�

He paused. Then, �All right.�

�Good.�

�What about send�ing?�

�She�s wel�come to talk to any�one she wants. I just don�t want any Jhereg telling her to go see the Em�press right now.� I stopped and looked at Kra�gar. �Just to be clear, if they fig�ure out what you�ve done, and I don�t see how to pre�vent that, you might be�come a tar�get.�

Kra�gar yawned. I shrugged. Then I winced.

�Still in pain?� said Kiera.

�Some.�

�Is it go�ing to��

�I hope not. Mor�rolan, it�s clear enough?�

He nod�ded. �I go to the ad�vo�cate�s of�fice. What�s his name?�

�Perisil.�

�Right. I wait there for, uh, three more hours and a bit, then, if I haven�t heard from you, I take him in to see the Em�press. Sounds easy.�

�I hope so. War�lord?�

�Don�t call me that.�

�Sor�ry, High�ness.�

She stared at me. I re�al�ly, re�al�ly should learn not to bait Drag�onlords. It�s a bad habit, and one of these days it could get me in�to trou�ble. But it�s so much fun. I cleared my throat and said, �You know where to be, and when?�

�Yes. I�m to make sure no one tries to pre�vent Mor�rolan and the ad�vo�cate from reach�ing Her Majesty.�

I nod�ded.

�That�s it, then,� I said. I checked the time. I could make it if I hur�ried.

�Good luck, Vlad,� said Mor�rolan. Kiera just smiled her smile. Day�mar was lost in thought. No�rathar shrugged. They all got up, one at a time, and filed out. When I was alone, I pulled the dag�ger from my boot and stud�ied it and test�ed it. It was a stilet�to, my fa�vorite weapon for mak�ing some�one be�come dead. My fa�vorite tar�get, when pos�si�ble, is the left eye, be�cause it is back there that Dra�gaer�ans keep the part of their brains that per�mits psy�chic ac�tiv�ity. Not that I�m nec�es�sar�ily try�ing to cut off psy�chic ac�tiv�ity, but if you take it out, they go in�to shock in�stant�ly. That takes a weapon with rea�son�able length, and a good point. This one had that, though the edge wasn�t any�thing to brag about.

But I had no time to sharp�en it just now. I re�placed it in my boot, test�ed the draw, didn�t like it, and end�ed up ar�rang�ing a quick rig against my stom�ach on the left side, hid�den by my cloak. I test�ed it, and it worked, and it didn�t hurt much more than a whole lot. Fair enough.

I set out for the Stone Bridge, cut�ting around the Palace dis�trict, Loiosh and Rocza keep�ing an eye on the foot traf�fic to make sure no one was in�ter�est�ed in my move�ments.

I was a bit dis�tract�ed: For one thing, it hurt to move. For an�oth�er, the trick�iest part of the whole mat�ter was just com�ing up. I thought about ask�ing Cawti to help, but I had the im�pres�sion a rec�om�men�da�tion from her might not go over well with these peo�ple. I thought up sev�er�al pos�si�ble sto�ries and re�ject�ed them.

I still hadn�t made up my mind when I got near the cot�tage.

�Check.�

�On it, Boss.� And, �Dif�fer�ent guy, same spot.�

�All right.�

I stood be�hind an oak that would have tak�en three of me to wrap my arms around, and I rubbed a bit of stuff on�to my skin, glued on the beard, and set the wig in place.

�What do we do?�

�Your choice: cloak, or out�side.�

�Nei�ther?�

�Loiosh.�

�Cloak, I guess.�

�Get in, then.�

They did. I ap�proached the cot�tage and re�mem�bered to pound on the door with my fist, in�stead of clap�ping. That hurt, too.

The door opened, and a mid�dle-​aged wom�an, East�ern�er, opened the door. I couldn�t guess from look�ing which part of the East she drew her an�ces�try; she had a large mouth, and wide-​set eyes that were al�most per�fect�ly round, like a cat�s. The look in the eyes, at the mo�ment, was sus�pi�cious. �Yes?� she said.

�I�m called Savn,� I said, pulling the name more or less out of the air. �I�d like a few min�utes of con�ver�sa�tion with you be�fore the gath�er�ing here, if you don�t mind.�

�How do you know about the gath�er�ing here?�

�That�s the voice, Boss. The one do�ing most of the talk�ing.�

�All right.�

�I�m hear�ing dou�ble, Boss. Can I�?�

�All right.�

There came the psy�chic equiv�alent of a re�lieved sigh.

I said, �Many peo�ple know about the gath�er�ing here, and the one lat�er with Lord Caltho.�

�Ev�ery�one knows about that one.�

�Yes, in�clud�ing some peo�ple you would prob�ably rather didn�t.�

�The Em�pire?�

�Worse.�

She stud�ied me for a mo�ment, then said, �Come in.�

It was big�ger than it had seemed from out�side: one big room, with a stove in one cor�ner, and a loft over�head that I�m sure con�tained the sleep�ing quar�ters. There were a lot of plain wood�en chairs set out�at least twen�ty of them. I sus�pect�ed the chairs ac�count�ed for most of the ex�pense of the place.

She point�ed me to one. I sat; she re�mained stand�ing. Heh. Okay, so that�s how it was go�ing to be.

�Boss, should you be talk�ing out loud? Here? If I could lis�ten��

�Um. Damn. Good point.�

�Mind if we take a walk?� I said. She looked even more sus�pi�cious. I said, �The Em�pire may be hear�ing ev�ery�thing we say here, and, worse, some�one else might be, too.�

She frowned, hes�itat�ed, then nod�ded abrupt�ly. I stood up, we walked out the door and down the street. When we were a good dis�tance away, I start�ed talk�ing, but she in�ter�rupt�ed be�fore I had a word out.

�Who are you?� she said.

�I gave you my name. What�s yours?�

�Brinea. Now who are you?�

�I�m what you�d call an in�de�pen�dent fac�tor. I�m not with the Em�pire�� she looked like she didn�t be�lieve that ��or with any�one else. I have a friend who�s caught in the mid�dle of it, which means I�m tem�porar�ily on your side.�

�My side is��

�Spare me,� I said. �I have in�for�ma�tion you�ll want to know, and no in�ter�est what�ev�er in pol�itics, whether Im�pe�ri�al or an�ti-​Im�pe�ri�al.�

She pressed her lips to�geth�er and said, �What in�for�ma�tion is that?�

�Is to�day�s meet�ing, here, to plan for the meet�ing with Caltho?�

�That�s a ques�tion, not in�for�ma�tion.�

�All right. If it is, there is li�able to be a dis�guised Jhereg as�sas�sin here, who is plan�ning to kill Caltho and blame it on you.�

I sud�den�ly had her at�ten�tion. �Talk,� she said.

We turned a cor�ner; with Loiosh and Rocza still in the cloak, I felt ex�posed, but I tried to stay alert. I on�ly saw a few East�ern�ers.

�The Jhereg,� I told her, �is work�ing on a com�pli�cat�ed scheme, along with the Or�ca and the�and an�oth�er or�ga�ni�za�tion. To pull it off, they need to pres�sure the Em�press. To pres�sure the Em�press, they�re us�ing the mas�sacre in Tir�ma. If a le�git�imate in�ves�ti�ga�tion��

�It won�t be a le�git�imate in�ves�ti�ga�tion,� she said. �They�ll just throw a black tarp over it and say it�s fine.�

�No, they�ll do a re�al in�ves�ti�ga�tion. Not be�cause they care, but be�cause the Em�press is try�ing to get out of a jam, and that�s the on�ly way to do it.�

�Maybe,� she said.

�The Jhereg needs to stop the in�ves�ti�ga�tion. To do that, they�re go�ing to make it look like your group killed As�sis�tant In�ves�ti�ga�tor Caltho. Much out�rage against you, prob�ably a lot of ar�rests, and the in�ves�ti�ga�tion gets put on hold. That�s how they�re go�ing to work it.�

She was qui�et for ten or twelve paces, then she said, �Maybe.�

�I agree with the maybe. I think I�m right, but I could be wrong.�

�How will you find out?�

�With your per�mis�sion, I�ll at�tend to�day�s meet�ing here, and try to iden�ti�fy the as�sas�sin.�

�What makes you think you can do that?�

�I can some�times spot them,� I said.

�What is it you do?�

�Run from them.�

�I don�t un�der�stand.�

�The Jhereg wants me dead for per�son�al rea�sons. So, most of my life is avoid�ing them. But that�s okay, I�ve been run�ning for so long it feels like walk�ing to me.�

She was qui�et again for a bit, then she said, �What will you do if you iden�ti�fy the as�sas�sin?�

�Tell you who he is, so you can do what�ev�er seems ap�pro�pri�ate.�

�What if you�re wrong?�

�I won�t be. I might not be able to spot him, but if I do spot him, I won�t be wrong.�

We turned a cor�ner and she start�ed lead�ing us back to�ward the house. No one had yet tried to kill me. Even�tu�al�ly she said, �All right. I�ll trust you on that part. You may as well re�lax; they�ll be here soon.�

We made it back to the house and closed the door and I felt re�lieved. I found a chair from which I could be watch�ing the door with�out ap�pear�ing to, and I wait�ed.

It was, in�deed, on�ly a few min�utes lat�er that they be�gan to ar�rive. The first to ar�rive ap�peared to be a Teck�la, and sus�pi�cious�ly like one straight out of some�one�s imag�ina�tion of what a peas�ant ought to look like: brown hair, roundish face, leath�ery-​look�ing skin, stur�dy. He greet�ed Brinea, who in�tro�duced me. He gave his name as Nicha, and sat down next to me and be�gan a con�ver�sa�tion about need�ing to watch for trick�ery at the meet�ing with the Em�pire. I grunt�ed agree�ing nois�es and kept watch�ing the door.

Short�ly af�ter, a pair of East�ern�ers came in: Kather�ine was tall for an East�ern�er, dark, and wore glass�es; Liam had the round face of a Teck�la, an odd hair col�or that wasn�t quite blond and wasn�t quite brown, and a nose that looked to have been bro�ken at least once. They car�ried fly�ers in their hands. I didn�t ask to see one be�cause I was afraid it was some�thing I was sup�posed to know about. They were both re�served with me; maybe they thought they should be the on�ly hu�mans there.

In fact, ex�cept for the three of us, ev�ery�one else was a Teck�la. I won�t give you all the names; there were twen�ty-​three of them, not in�clud�ing me or Brinea. Elim�inat�ing the two East�ern�ers, that meant twen�ty-​one who might be as�sas�sins. Nine of them were wom�en, and I al�most dis�missed them, but for one thing, there is the oc�ca�sion�al wom�an work�ing for the Jhereg (as I hap�pen to know bet�ter than most), and for an�oth�er, a Jhereg will�ing to dis�guise him�self as a Teck�la could just as eas�ily dis�guise his sex, right?

So, there were twen�ty-​one who might be my tar�get; and none of them in�stant�ly jumped out at me. I had been think�ing I might take a look at their cal�lus�es, if I could see them; but it seems I�d stum�bled in�to the largest col�lec�tion of non-​la�bor�ing Teck�la ev�er as�sem�bled in one place. Some were mes�sen�gers, some were house-​ser�vants, some did me�nial jobs for mer�chants, but none looked like he ac�tu�al�ly did any work. It was ter�ri�bly dis�il�lu�sion�ing; I won�dered what it meant.

It seemed there were sev�er�al there who didn�t know each oth�er, so my be�ing a stranger turned out not to be that bad. Brinea made in�tro�duc�tions as peo�ple came in, and I watched a lot, spoke lit�tle, learned noth�ing.

�I wish I could see, Boss.�

�You think you can spot an as�sas�sin when I can�t?�

�Yes.�

�Ha.�

The chairs were ar�ranged in most of a cir�cle, three rows deep, on�ly an arc in front of the door�way and in�to the kitchen area left free. One chair, on the oth�er end of the arc, was un�oc�cu�pied, as if by un�spo�ken con�sent. Brinea sat in it and said, �Let�s get start�ed.�

It start�ed, and it went on for a long time. They spoke of pres�sur�ing the Em�pire, which struck me as an ex�er�cise in fu�til�ity, but what do I know? They spoke about guard�ing the in�ter�ests of �the peo�ple,� but weren�t ex�act�ly clear on what that in�volved. Most�ly, it went on for a long time. I took out the clasp knife I�d just bought. No one re�act�ed. Damn. I cleaned my nails with it, and no one seemed to no�tice. Noth�ing. Oh, well. I closed it and set down next to my chair.

Mean�while, they droned on, talk�ing about what Lord Caltho�they were care�ful to call him Lord Caltho�had to be told about and what stan�dards he had to be held to, and about in�sist�ing that all de�tails of the in�ves�ti�ga�tion be made pub�lic. Let me know how that works out for you, I thought but didn�t say.

I was caught be�tween bore�dom and frus�tra�tion. I kept want�ing to flour�ish a dag�ger just to see who re�act�ed; and it might even have worked. But the thing is, it might not have, and then I�d have lost my chance.

It took a while�it took a very very long while�but at last Brinea said, �I think that cov�ers ev�ery�thing. I pro�pose we go there in a body. If we leave now, we�ll be a few min�utes ear�ly, and we can talk to any�one walk�ing by and ex�plain what we�re do�ing, then go in to�geth�er. Does any�one ob�ject?�

No one did, so we all stood up. I watched as close�ly as I could to see if any�one seemed un�usu�al�ly ath�let�ic or, well, slinky when stand�ing, if that makes any sense. And I half thought I no�ticed some�one, too. I stud�ied him as I stood: a guy with long, loopy arms wear�ing loose cloth�ing; and his hair was shag�gy enough to have maybe con�cealed a no�ble�s point. Maybe. The trick was to keep an eye on him, but not be so dis�tract�ed that I missed some�one else. It was hard, but not im�pos�si�ble. You have to trust your pe�riph�er�al vi�sion.

I con�trived to be the last one out the door ex�cept for Brinea and a fel�low I took to be her hus�band. No one else seemed in�ter�est�ed in who was the last one out the door. But I guess if you�d been watch�ing me, I wouldn�t have seemed in�ter�est�ed ei�ther.

We all trooped out to�ward the street to head to�ward the South Adri�lankha Speak�er�s Hall, which is what some�one had once built in�stead of the Speak�er�s House vil�lages have. It wasn�t far away, but at least one of us wasn�t go�ing to make it. They wait�ed for Brinea to take the lead, and, as she shut the door, I said, �I don�t have my pock�etknife.�

�You set it by your chair,� said a short, el�der�ly Teck�la who was about four paces from me.

We as�sas�sins no�tice things like that.

I nod�ded and opened my cloak as I cov�ered the dis�tance. Loiosh and Rocza flew out very quick�ly and sev�er�al peo�ple cried out, but by that time I had the stilet�to in my hand. I got him up un�der the chin. I hit him hard, too�I re�mem�ber feel�ing the hilt con�nect with his chin bone, though I most�ly re�mem�ber how much my ribs hurt when I struck. I left the knife there, and start�ed to step back, about to curl my�self up in�to a ball of pain and try to breathe when�

�Down!�

I hit the ground and rolled and felt some�thing go �whoosh� over my head. Some�one was re�act�ing aw�ful�ly fast for a Teck�la, and my mus�cles cried out to stop it and

�He has back�up, Boss! Three of them!�

Sheesh. Was the whole room full of as�sas�sins? What was he do�ing bring�ing back�up along? I nev�er did that. What sort of crap�py as�sas�sin wants wit�ness�es and needs pro�tec�tion? I�d have giv�en him a piece of my mind if I hadn�t left eight inch�es of steel in his.

I hoped one of them was the guy I�d picked out; that would make me feel bet�ter. There was a lot of scream�ing go�ing on as I con�tin�ued my roll; some of the scream�ing was from my rib. My hand found the hilt of La�dy Tel�dra, and I drew her and came to my feet, know�ing some�how I need�ed to duck to my left, and some�one yelled �Mor�gan�ti,� which was use�less, be�cause once I drew that blade, ev�ery�one with�in a mile who had any psy�chic sen�si�tiv�ity at all must have been aware of it.

She had tak�en the form of a rapi�er, which was aw�ful�ly nice, since that�s what I�m used to fight�ing with. She fit in�to my hand like my palm, hilt smooth, and it was like she was weight�less. I knew�some�how�that it was safe to take a step back�ward, and I did, tak�ing my first good look around.

There were sev�er�al hor�ri�fied faces, back�ing away. Brinea, to her cred�it, was see�ing to her peo�ple and try�ing to pull them away and speak�ing rapid�ly. Three of what ap�peared to be Teck�la were fac�ing me: each with a fight�ing knife, one with two of them. They were crouched, alert, and they were star�ing at La�dy Tel�dra. I didn�t blame them.

We stood there, watch�ing each oth�er for half a heart�beat, when a cou�ple of things hap�pened. First, I re�al�ized I didn�t hurt any�more. I al�most looked at La�dy Tel�dra my�self. You�d think some�one would have told me she could do things like that.

The sec�ond thing that hap�pened was some�one called out, �You will put up your weapons in the name of the Em�pire.�

I froze.

�What the�?�

�Two of them, Boss; they�ve pulled gold cloaks out of some�where and are toss�ing off wigs and such.�

�Great. Half the gath�er�ing were as�sas�sins, the oth�er half were Phoenix Guards. Per�fect.�

For a mo�ment, no one moved, then I heard an�oth�er voice, this one I rec�og�nized. �Vlad, put it away.�

I looked over. �No�rathar? Where did you come from?�

�Be�hind that tree over there.�

I want�ed to say that hadn�t been the plan, but she prob�ably wouldn�t have ap�pre�ci�at�ed it. I sheathed La�dy Tel�dra with a flour�ish.

�Now,� she said, �if you gen�tle�men will put yours up as well, let us all go to the Palace and talk this over. The wag�on will be here short�ly.�

There was a pause, but I had no doubts about what would hap�pen. These were Jhereg; they knew that, what�ev�er else, you do not fight with the Phoenix Guards. You can�t win. Af�ter a breath or two, there was a col�lec�tive sigh and cut�lery van�ished all over the place. No�rathar said, �Who is the lead�er here?�

I glanced at the corpse and said, �Uh, I�m afraid��

�No, not him.�

�I am,� said Brinea, in an im�pres�sive�ly steady voice. She looked at me but didn�t say any�thing. Yeah, I know: I�d told her I was go�ing to just iden�ti�fy him. I�d been ly�ing. I do that some�times.

I stud�ied the Jhereg who were still alive, stand�ing there like id�iots the same way I was. One of them looked fa�mil�iar. I looked at him more close�ly, re�al�ized where I knew him from, and shook my head. He avoid�ed look�ing at me. I�m guess�ing he was dis�gust�ed with him�self be�cause my dis�guise had fooled him. I tried to feel smug about that but it wasn�t in me. I hate it when my plan goes blooey, even if the re�sults come out okay.

Oh, and to com�plete my hu�mil�ia�tion, the fel�low I�d no�ticed ear�li�er, and thought might be an as�sas�sin, was one of the Phoenix Guards.

Sheesh.

No�rathar said, �I�d like ev�ery�one�s name as wit�ness�es. Af�ter that, you are free to go on about your busi�ness. I think the ex�cite�ment is over, and Lord Caltho will be ar�riv�ing short�ly.�

Bri�ana agreed, and about then a cou�ple of coach�es pulled up. The three Jhereg were put in�to one, still with their weapons and un�bound; I got the oth�er. Loiosh and Rocza re�mained out�side, over�head, pro�vid�ing a winged es�cort.

No�rathar climbed in with me, and we start�ed off. I said, �Is there any law against im�per�son�at�ing a Phoenix Guard?�

�Why?�

�One of those Jhereg�the one with the flop�py hat�was one of the ones who beat me up.�

�Oh. He can be fined for that, and maybe dunked.�

�All right.� I sighed. �Got through it, any�way.�

�I sup�pose. But, Vlad, that was pret�ty slop�py. Now what? You�ve been seen killing some�one. I wouldn�t have thought you�d have slipped so far so fast.�

That was un�fair. For one thing, it wasn�t fast by my stan�dards; it had been years. For an�oth�er�

�I�ll point out that I was in dis�guise, and if you�d done what I said��

�You�d ei�ther be dead, or have three Mor�gan�ti killings to ac�count for. I don�t know how we�ll keep you away from the Star as it is, but with that��

�It shouldn�t be a prob�lem. He was a Jhereg as�sas�sin.�

No�rathar nod�ded. �Yes, so he was. He turned out to be not on�ly armed, but car�ry�ing a seal of the House with him.�

I nod�ded.

�The on�ly thing is,� said No�rathar, �that as�sas�sins don�t car�ry the House seal when they�re work�ing. I hap�pen to know.�

�This one did.�

�You say that like you knew.�

�I had a pret�ty good idea he would be.�

�How?�

�Be�cause I trust Kiera.�

�She plant�ed�?� She cut her�self off be�fore ask�ing the ques�tion. Drag�on Heir, act�ing War�lord, and ex-​as�sas�sin; had to be tough to be her.

I leaned my head against the hard wall of the coach.

She said, �He had three toughs with him for back�up.�

�Yeah,� I said. �I hadn�t ex�pect�ed that.�

�I had.�

I opened my eyes. �Why?�

�Be�cause they were go�ing to as�sas�si�nate a pub�lic fig�ure in a crowd�ed room. You�re used to�that is, you were used to a dif�fer�ent sort of thing.�

�I did jobs in pub�lic.�

�Dif�fer�ent sort of thing than tak�ing out a guy in the mid�dle of a restau�rant. With a pub�lic fig�ure like that, if you�re go�ing to get out of it alive and uniden�ti�fied, you need peo�ple to cre�ate enough con�fu�sion to get away.�

Great. Now I was get�ting lessons in as�sas�si�na�tion from the War�lord of the Em�pire. �You could have told me,� I said.

She shrugged. �How did you iden�ti�fy him?�

I ex�plained about the knife.

�How do you know the guy you got was the one go�ing to do the work, not one of the back�ups?�

�Why do I care?�

She in�haled deeply, then let her breath out slow�ly and nod�ded.

�Give me a mo�ment,� she said. �I�ll find out what hap�pened with the rest.�

A bit lat�er she said, �Mor�rolan brought the ad�vo�cate in to see the Em�press, pre�sent�ed the pe�ti�tion. The Em�press is now meet�ing with the Jus�ticer and Im�pe�ri�al Ad�vo�cate. Mor�rolan is con�fi�dent the charges will be dis�missed.�

I nod�ded. �And the in�ves�ti�ga�tion?�

�Aliera did noth�ing wrong as War�lord; she has noth�ing to fear from an in�ves�ti�ga�tion.�

�All right.�

�As op�posed to you.�

�Me? I killed an as�sas�sin.�

�You al�so pub�licly bran�dished a Mor�gan�ti weapon. Which I ought to take from you, on�ly I know bet�ter.� She looked dis�gust�ed.

�Oh, right; car�ry�ing a Mor�gan�ti weapon is il�le�gal, isn�t it?�

�Very much il�le�gal.�

�In spite of Aliera, Mor�rolan, Sethra��

�Yes, in spite of that.�

�Just like use of El�der Sor�cery is il�le�gal, but no one cares un�less�say, I just thought of some�thing. The law against car�ry�ing a Mor�gan�ti weapon, do you hap�pen to know if it is a Cod�ified Tra�di�tion, a Statute, or an Edict?�

She frowned. �I be�lieve it�s an Edict. Why?�

�I have a good ad�vo�cate,� I said.

Iorich

17

1. There were re�gret�table and even rep�re�hen�si�ble ac�tions tak�en by Im�pe�ri�al sol�diers in the vil�lage of Tir�ma on Ly�orn 2, 252.

2. Re�spon�si�bil�ity for these ac�tions must end with the in�di�vid�uals di�rect�ly in�volved (see Ap�pendix 23 for names and sug�gest�ed charges).

3. Any at�tempt to lay re�spon�si�bil�ity for this in�ci�dent on high�er lev�els of the Im�pe�ri�al mil�itary or�der will be in�con�sis�tent with jus�tice, and in ad�di�tion may have long-​term neg�ative con�se�quences for the Im�pe�ri�al army, and can�not there�fore be rec�om�mend�ed (see Part One, point 1).

I signed and sealed the oaths say�ing that as an Im�pe�ri�al Count I promised not to go any�where un�til my case had been dealt with, then was per�mit�ted to leave the Iorich Wing. My des�ti�na�tion was con�ve�nient�ly close, and by now fa�mil�iar.

I ran in�to Day�mar on the way to Perisil�s of�fice. I was go�ing to ask him where Kra�gar was, but I bethought my�self to take a look around and there he was. I stud�ied Day�mar in his black and gray, and thought about telling him he made a good Jhereg, but he didn�t so I didn�t.

I said, �How did it go?�

�Went well,� said Kra�gar. �I gave her a good runaround about ru�mors of new laws, and how could I prof�it from them, and she gave me a good runaround not an�swer�ing me. I don�t think she sus�pect�ed any�thing.�

�She will when some�one asks her why she was out of touch right when they need�ed her to get to the Em�press.�

�They might.� He didn�t seem con�cerned.

�Thanks,� I said.

�I�m like you, Vlad; it just tick�les me to have Aliera owe me one.�

That was a mo�ti�va�tion I could un�der�stand.

We reached the of�fice. The door was open, and Mor�rolan and Perisil were there. I in�tro�duced Perisil to Day�mar and to Kra�gar, whom he hadn�t no�ticed come in.

Perisil said, �I�ve just got�ten word from the Jus�ticer. They�re re�leas�ing Aliera.�

�Good.�

�And they�ll be in�ves�ti�gat�ing the events in Tir�ma.�

�Okay.�

�And Her Majesty wants to see you.�

�Oh,� I said. I cleared my throat. �When does Aliera get out?�

�They�ve al�ready dis�patched the re�lease or�der; she should be out with�in the hour.�

�Good.�

�Good work, Vlad,� said Mor�rolan.

�And you. All of us.�

�I should have more chairs,� said Perisil.

�Will Aliera be join�ing us here?�

�I�ve no idea,� he said.

I nod�ded. �Be�cause she�d pre�fer to sit, I�m sure.� That earned me a look from Mor�rolan.

It was like the old days in Mor�rolan�s li�brary, ex�cept it wasn�t. For one thing, Aliera wasn�t there. I couldn�t de�cide if I want�ed to see her. Most like�ly, she wouldn�t want to see me. She knew and I knew that, what with one thing and an�oth�er, thanks weren�t ap�pro�pri�ate; but you can�t help when obli�ga�tion makes you un�com�fort�able.

But more than that was the un�com�fort�able feel�ing that, while it was over, it wasn�t over. We couldn�t all re�lax and laugh and make fun of each oth�er, be�cause there was too much un�fin�ished. What would hap�pen with the Im�pe�ri�al in�ves�ti�ga�tion? Would the Left Hand go af�ter Cawti, as they�d threat�ened? When would the Jhereg fi�nal�ly get me? And then there was the un�re�solved mat�ter of�

�Kra�gar,� I said. �Do some�thing for me?�

�Hm�mm?�

�Some ass�hole was just ar�rest�ed for im�per�son�at�ing a Phoenix Guard. He was one of the ones who beat me. Find him, learn who his friends were, and break a few bones.�

He nod�ded. �How are you feel�ing, by the way?�

�Me? Fine.�

�Oh, you healed?�

�I .�.�. yeah.�

He let it go. He knows me. They all know me. Some�times that�s not en�tire�ly com�fort�able. I know them, too, but I don�t mind that part so much.

Mor�rolan said, �I�ve just heard from Aliera. She went home. Care to join us?�

I shook my head. �I need to speak with my ad�vo�cate.�

�Oh?�

�Long sto�ry.�

He hes�itat�ed. �Will you be around long?�

�Un�less they catch up to me.�

�I meant, around town.�

�Oh. I�ll get back to you on that.�

�I�ll be go�ing,� said Day�mar. �Good to see you again, Vlad.�

�You too.�

�Haven�t seen you much these last few years. Where have you been?�

�Um. I�ll tell you about it some�time.�

�All right.� He waved and van�ished; my ears popped. Peo�ple shouldn�t tele�port out of small rooms.

Mor�rolan was more po�lite; he thanked Perisil again, bowed, and walked out the door, leav�ing me alone with my ad�vo�cate. Oh, and Kra�gar. I looked around. Nope, just the two of us.

�What�s on your mind?� he asked.

�Need an�oth�er client?�

I gave him the short ver�sion, and he agreed to take it on, and I paid him. I was start�ing to feel a bit of a squeeze with mon�ey, which was some�thing I hadn�t had to wor�ry about for sev�er�al years, and thought I�d nev�er have to wor�ry about again. A shame about that. But liv�ing on the run can be pret�ty cheap if you do it right; that�s one good thing about it.

We left it there while I head�ed over to the Palace to have a lit�tle chat with the rel�ative�ly ab�so�lute ruler of the Dra�gaer�an Em�pire.

I reached the place with no in�ci�dents, and there was Harn�wood, bow�ing as deeply as he could with�out hav�ing me think I was be�ing mocked, af�ter which he said, �If m�lord will ac�com�pa�ny me, Her Majesty will see you now.�

My good�ness. How the fall�en have be�come mighty.

He led me to a small (for the Palace, at any rate) room done in gray mar�ble, with a six-​sid�ed mar�ble ta�ble at which sat the Em�press, nib�bling on bread and cheese. As have done mil�lions be�fore me, be�fore I even bowed I couldn�t help but glance at the Orb to see if I could judge the Im�pe�ri�al Mood. I couldn�t, re�al�ly. It was a kind of rusty brown, which might mean any�thing.

�Your Majesty,� I said.

There was a soft click as Harn�wood shut the door be�hind him.

�Sit,� com�mand�ed the ruler. I did so. �Eat,� was the next com�mand. Now that wasn�t some�thing I need�ed to hear twice, so I helped my�self. The cheese was very sharp, and the sort I�d nor�mal�ly think too salty, but it seemed to work. The bread had a thin, hard crust and an odd slight�ly sour taste, re�mind�ing me of some�thing Cawti had once brought home years be�fore.

�Good, isn�t it?�

�Yes.�

�It comes from Naarsten Coun�ty, in the So�ran�nah. It�s from a spe�cial breed of goat, and on�ly the best of the breed. They make five pounds a year, and it on�ly comes here, to the Palace.�

�Im�pres�sive,� I said. Ac�tu�al�ly, the cheese wasn�t that good.

�Yes,� she said. �Oth�er than the cheese, there isn�t a whole lot about this job I like.�

�Makes the com�pen�sa�tions more valu�able, that there are few�er of them.�

She had an�oth�er bite of bread and cheese, and nod�ded. �By now, Aliera should be home.�

I nod�ded.

�Just like it nev�er hap�pened,� she said.

�Uh huh. What of the in�ves�ti�ga�tion?�

�She�ll be cleared of any wrong�do�ing, I�m sure.�

�How can you be sure?�

�Vlad, a squad of half-​drunk, frus�trat�ed, an�gry sol�diers in Coun�ty Nowhere go berserk, and we�re go�ing to blame the War�lord? She wasn�t even there.�

�The squad?�

�One was ca�reer mil�itary, used to see�ing civil�ians as ei�ther in�con�ve�nient undis�ci�plined id�iots, or else un-​uni�formed sneak killers. The oth�ers were peas�ant boys who weren�t used to see�ing their friends die with�out hav�ing any�one to take their frus�tra�tions out on. Peo�ple fight, peo�ple die, be�cause the al�ter�na�tive is to let some lo�cal baron set his own tar�iffs for pas�sage of ship�wood, which will out�rage the Ly�orn who own the forests and the Or�ca who buy the wood. I can�t risk of�fend�ing the Ly�orn be�cause they�re too high on the Cy�cle, or the Or�ca be�cause they�re al�ready look�ing to form al�liances with the Jhereg. So a few peas�ants have to die. More cheese?�

�Thanks.�

�It�s not bad.�

�So, the in�ves�ti�ga�tion is rigged af�ter all?�

�Of course not. It doesn�t have to be rigged. It just needs to be run by some�one with a good sense of jus�tice. But not too good.�

�All right.�

�When it�s over, I�ll ask Aliera to be War�lord again. That way, she can have the plea�sure of re�fus�ing. I owe her that much, at least.�

The cheese re�al�ly was good.

�I can�t do any�thing for you, you know.�

�Your Majesty?�

�The Jhereg. The Left Hand. They�re go�ing to be af�ter you, and af�ter your wife. I can�t help you.�

I swal�lowed and nod�ded.

�I�ve done what I can,� she went on. �I�ve made some threats, but I can�t car�ry them out. They prob�ably know that.�

�Thanks, though.�

She nod�ded. �What are you go�ing to do?�

�I don�t know. If Cawti�s in dan�ger, I can�t re�al�ly leave town.�

�I�m sure she finds that very en�dear�ing.�

�As much as you would,� I said.

�Or Aliera.�

�Or Aliera.�

�It isn�t that they�re un�grate�ful.�

�I know. It�s just that no one wants to be the one be�ing res�cued, we all want to do the res�cu�ing.�

She nod�ded. �And this job is all about mak�ing ev�ery�one else do the res�cu�ing. Which is why you�re here right now.�

�You want me to res�cue some�one?�

�No. I just know that Aliera can�t thank you, and if she could, you couldn�t hear it. So I�m say�ing it. Thank you.�

�I�ll have some more cheese.�

�Please do. It�s where your tax�es go.�

�I�ve nev�er ac�tu�al�ly paid much in the way of tax�es.�

�Then you should en�joy it even more.�

�And the Teck�la in Tir�ma are still dead.�

�Yes, they are. Do you care?�

�No. Do you?�

�Yes.�

I nod�ded.

�The Em�pire has com�pen�sat�ed the fam�ilies, of course.�

�Good work. We used to do that sort of thing in the Jhereg.�

�How�d it work out?�

�Not bad, but peo�ple trust the Jhereg, so we had an ad�van�tage.�

She poured some white wine out of a tall, el�egant bot�tle in�to a sim�ple blue ce�ram�ic cup. She passed the cup to me, and I drank, then passed it back.

�I�ll let the Im�pe�ri�al Ad�vo�cate know to hur�ry up the case, so you can get out of town fast,� she said.

�I just said��

�I know what you said. Don�t ar�gue with your Em�press.�

�Yes, Majesty.�

�That�s bet�ter.�

I leave town for a few years, and when I come back, ev�ery�one I know starts drink�ing to the point of se�mi-​in�co�heren�cy. Was it that ev�ery�thing was too bor�ing when I was gone? I some�how doubt�ed that. On re�flec�tion, I de�cid�ed it was a good idea not to ask Her Majesty if she was drunk. I put the plan in�to ac�tion at once.

We passed the cup back and forth a cou�ple of times, and she re�filled it. �You can�t do any�thing to pro�tect Cawti?� I said.

�No�rathar has promised to watch out for her, I can�t do bet�ter than that.�

�All right.�

�You know the dif�fer�ence be�tween a deca�dent Phoenix and a re�born Phoenix, Vlad?�

�Is this about to be a joke?�

�No. Or maybe yes, but no.�

�Go ahead.�

�A re�born Phoenix knows to get out be�fore the bad de�ci�sions start, that�s all.� I nod�ded. She said, �I�ve spent much of the last few days con�sult�ing the Orb, look�ing at mem�ories. As far as I can tell, that�s the on�ly dif�fer�ence. Once you start mak�ing bad de�ci�sions, one things leads to an�oth�er, and then there are more dead Teck�la that you don�t care about.�

�Do you think you made bad de�ci�sions?�

�No.�

I nod�ded. �Good, then. The idea of the Em�press mak�ing bad de�ci�sions wor�ries me. What about the Jhereg, the Left Hand, and the Or�ca? Are they go�ing to get away with it?�

�No, I think you stopped them.�

�Me?�

�I should give you an�oth�er Im�pe�ri�al ti�tle, but what would you do with it?�

�Yes, and how would you ex�plain it?�

�Good point. There�s still some cheese left.�

�Zeri�ka, are you plan�ning to ab�di�cate?�

�That isn�t the prop�er word. I�m think�ing it may be time for the Cy�cle to turn.�

�I doubt it.�

�Why?�

�It would look bad.�

�Do you think I care?�

�You should. The Em�pire is all about ap�pear�ances.�

She was qui�et for a long time af�ter that, then she seemed to sigh. If I had just talked the Em�press out of step�ping down, then I had just added to my tal�ly on do�ing good for the world, and sub�tract�ed from my tal�ly of help�ing friends. How would the Lords of Judg�ment weigh these things? I�d prob�ably nev�er know.

I de�cid�ed that, what�ev�er the Em�press de�cid�ed to do, my words made no dif�fer�ence. It was eas�ier think�ing that.

I cleared my throat. �The fact is, I�m safe enough if I stay at the inn��

�As if you will.�

��but that says noth�ing about Cawti. Can No�rathar pro�tect her and the boy?�

�I hope so. No�rathar wants to pro�tect her just as much as she wants to not be pro�tect�ed. And you may re�call, she isn�t ex�act�ly help�less.�

�I know.� I sighed. �The more I do what I have to, the more bar�ri�ers I put be�tween me and ev�ery�one I care about.�

She nod�ded. �And now you know the oth�er rea�son I asked you here. Wel�come to my world. It�s bet�ter with com�pa�ny. I�m go�ing to ask Las�zl� to keep an eye on her, too, but I�d rather you didn�t men�tion that to her.�

�All right. And thank you. Who is Las�zl�?�

�An East�ern�er. A witch. He�s very good at what he does.� A ghost of a smile crept over her fea�tures and I didn�t press the is�sue.

�I�ll look for�ward to meet�ing him,� I said.

She nod�ded. �Are you plan�ning to say farewell to No�rathar as you leave the Palace?�

Ac�tu�al�ly, I hadn�t thought about it at all, but I nod�ded.

�Don�t,� she said.

Right. Add her to the list. �All right.�

A lit�tle lat�er she said, �The cheese is gone.�

I nod�ded, rose, bowed, took five steps back�ward, turned, and left her alone.

Iorich

EPI�LOGUE

It was no sur�prise to any�one that, when the in�ves�ti�ga�tion con�clud�ed, ev�ery�one was cleared of any wrong�do�ing, ex�cept maybe the peas�ants, who were con�vict�ed of be�ing in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was no sur�prise to any�one that there were ri�ots in South Adri�lankha in re�sponse. It was no sur�prise to any�one that there was a lot of blood in�volved in sup�press�ing them. The on�ly sur�prise was that Aliera agreed to be�come War�lord again a week or two lat�er, but I think that was as a fa�vor to No�rathar.

Aliera has a strong sense of obli�ga�tion.

Perisil moved out of his base�ment of�fice and re�turned to a pri�vate of�fice in the City it�self, where he�s al�ready do�ing much bet�ter than his first at�tempt. Rep�uta�tion mat�ters al�most as much to an ad�vo�cate as to an as�sas�sin or an Em�press.

Two weeks ago I got word that I was cleared of all charges re�lat�ing to the in�ci�dent, which is good, but I was pret�ty much ex�pect�ing it. So that�s done, and those four bas�tards who pound�ed me got what they de�served too, which is an�oth�er one I owe Kra�gar.

I could leave now that ev�ery�thing�s over.

I could. Maybe I will.

I�m still stay�ing here at Dancer�s Rest, and mon�ey is start�ing to get tight. Ev�ery few days, I find a new way to sneak out and vis�it Cawti and the boy, and ev�ery few days it be�comes hard�er to do so safe�ly, and ev�ery few days Cawti says I should get out of town. It�s nice that she wor�ries about me, I guess. I hope she thinks it�s nice that I wor�ry about her.

We are what we wor�ry about, maybe that�s the les�son of the whole thing.

Nah.

If there were jus�tice, some�one would have paid for what hap�pened in Tir�ma. If there were jus�tice, a bunch of East�ern�ers and Teck�la in South Adri�lankha wouldn�t have had their heads stove in. If there were jus�tice, Cawti and the boy wouldn�t have to wor�ry about their lives.

If there were jus�tice, I�d be dead.

Iorich

DELET�ED SCENES

Var�ious scenes had to be delet�ed for length or con�tent. I thought some of you might be in�ter�est�ed in them. They may ap�pear when I re�lease the Di�rec�tor�s Cut of this book. But don�t hold your breath.

�SKZB

Pro�logue, Out�side Whitemill, Page 13

I pulled the ar�row from my eye, hear�ing my�self scream. At that mo�ment, a blast of mag�ic from one of them hit me, and I saw my leg fly off at the knee. I fell to the ground, reach�ing for La�dy Tel�dra, but one of them came in with an ax and took my right hand off at the wrist.

The air seemed to take on an odd gold�en shim�mer, and I heard the Necro�mancer�s voice come out of nowhere. �Through the Gate, Vlad. Hur�ry!�

�Uh, what?�

�You have to get out of here, Vlad. You�ve land�ed in a Tim Pow�ers nov�el.�

I moaned even as I felt the Gate form.

Hard gray walls ap�peared around me, and I heard voic�es speak�ing a lan�guage I didn�t know. �Am I go�ing to be safe here?�

�Well,� she said, �Not, you know, safe ex�act�ly.�

�Whose nov�el are we in now?�

�Uh .�.�. John DeChancie�s, Vlad. Best I could do on short no�tice.�

I whim�pered. �You couldn�t man�age Louisa May Al�cott?�

Chap�ter Two, Im�pe�ri�al Palace, Page 51

�I�m glad you�ve of�fered,� said the Em�press. �Yes, there is a ser�vice you could do.�

�I�m lis�ten�ing.�

�Far, far to the East�well be�yond the king�doms you know�there is an�cient evil that is gath�er�ing pow�er to it�self. Its pow�er comes from an Amulet of Evil that dates back to be�fore the be�gin�ning of time. The pow�er of the Amulet grows with each act of cru�el�ty, or thought�less�ness to�ward an�oth�er, or abuse of pow�er, or greed. The sell-​out of the writ�ers� strike didn�t do it any harm ei�ther. Soon it will be�come un�stop�pable, and us�ing it, the an�cient evil will en�slave the en�tire world for�ev�er. You must de�stroy the evil, and take the Amulet and cast it in�to the Place Be�yond Time.�

I nod�ded. �All right.�

It took six weeks to get there and an hour to do the job. For�tu�nate�ly, I was able to tele�port back.

�It is done,� I told Her Majesty.

�Thank you, Lord Szurke,� she said. �Evil has been ban�ished for�ev�er.�

�Un�til the se�quel, you mean.�

�Of course.�

I shrugged. �Just prov�ing I�m will�ing to serve Your Majesty.�

Chap�ter Five, Dzur Moun�tain Stair�way, Page 103

�Well met, friend.�

I looked around, and no�ticed a splotchy brown cat on the land�ing just above me. I stared at it.

�Some�thing wrong?� it said.

�What the hell are you?�

It rolled its eyes. �This is a fan�ta�sy nov�el. I�m the oblig�atory talk�ing cat. Get a clue.�

�Boss, can I��

�Sure.�

When Loiosh and Rocza had fin�ished their meal, we con�tin�ued up the stairs.

Chap�ter Sev�en, South Adri�lankha, Page 143

�Boss, isn�t there sup�posed to be a scene here mak�ing fun of the old �weapons that drink souls� thing that al�ways comes up in bad fan�ta�sy nov�els?�

�Loiosh, in case you haven�t no�ticed, there are weapons that drink souls in these books.�

�Oh. Yeah. Good point. Guess we stay away from that one, huh?�

�Prob�ably best.�

Chap�ter Eleven, South Adri�lankha, Page 209

�Maybe I�ll go walk up to the cot�tage and ask for sanc�tu�ary,� I said. �And then maybe mon�keys will fly out of my butt. Wait. I wouldn�t say that.�

YOU JUST DID.

�I don�t care. I wouldn�t say that. It isn�t even a Dra�gaer�an id�iom.�

IT IS NOW.

�That�s stupid. There aren�t any mon�keys here.�

SO NOW YOU�RE AN EX�PERT ON DRA�GAER�AN FAU�NA?

�I didn�t say that. Don�t put words in my mouth.�

THAT�S WHAT I DO.

�Yeah, you and Tom Cruise. Just lose the mon�key bit, okay?�

I LIKE IT.

�You al�so like it when I fig�ure out how to get out of those mess�es you put me in. Now, you want me on your side, or not?�

YOU WANT TO BE ALIVE AT THE END OF THIS BOOK, OR NOT?

I sighed. �Maybe I�ll go walk up to the cot�tage and ask for sanc�tu�ary,� I said. �And then maybe mon�keys will fly out of my butt.�

Chap�ter Four�teen, Out�side the Im�pe�ri�al Palace, Page 262

I cut through the park, smil�ing at all the but�ter�flies. I start�ed skip�ping. It was such a beau�ti�ful day. A pup�py barked play�ful�ly at me and I stopped to pet it. It seemed so hap�py, I couldn�t help but sing a cheer�ful song to it be�fore I went on my way, still skip�ping.

Chap�ter Sev�en�teen, Perisil�s Of�fice, Page 307

�I have some�thing to tell you.�

�How, you have some�thing to tell me?�

�You have un�der�stood me ex�act�ly.�

�Well, I am lis�ten�ing.�

�Lis�ten�ing? Then, you wish me to tell you?�

�Yes, that is it. I am lis�ten�ing, and there�fore I wish you to tell me.�

�Shall I tell you now?�

�No.�

Iorich

Iorich�Cov�er

Ti�tle

Copy�right

Ded�ica�tion

Ac�knowl�edg�ments

Pro�logue

Chap�ter 1

Chap�ter 2

Chap�ter 3

Chap�ter 4

Chap�ter 5

In�ter�lude: Mem�ory

Chap�ter 6

Chap�ter 7

Chap�ter 8

Chap�ter 9

Chap�ter 10

Chap�ter 11

Chap�ter 12

Chap�ter 13

Chap�ter 14

Chap�ter 15

Chap�ter 16

Chap�ter 17

Epi�logue

Delet�ed Scenes